A second later she felt the magnetic traction from the Normandy lock onto the Mako and they once again began to rise. Up and away from the magma and the certain doom it held for them.

Shepard sighed and leaned back in her seat.

"We've gottcha, Commander," Joker announced.

"Good catch Joker," she sighed. "Get us outta here."

"Roger that, Shepard."

"Everyone okay back there?" She called glancing over her shoulder.

"I think so," Tali replied checking her suite over.

"I'm good Skipper," Ash called.

"I think I'm okay too," Liara called from behind Garrus. "Where exactly are we going? And who are all of you?"

"My name is Commander Shepard from the Systems Alliance Navy, and now I suppose the Citadel Council. And the commander of the Alliance vessel the Normandy."

"The Council?" She asked.

"Shepard's the first human Spectre," Garrus informed the doctor, a noticeable hint of pride in his voice.

"A human Spectre?" She asked.

"Yeah. And this is my team, Garrus Vakarian formally of C-Sec, Urdnot Wrex, Tali'Zora Nar'Ryya, Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, and Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams."

"All of you?" She asked. "On the same crew? On an Alliance ship?"

"Are mission transcends any predisposed notions of "crew,"" Shepard said, pleased she had worked that line up beforehand.

The Mako, or what was left of it, landed in the docking bay. There was a sound of metal hitting the floor.

"Alright, you have five minutes, get yourself checked out, and meet me in the debriefing room on one," Shepard ordered. "Dr. T'Soni, if you'll follow me." She pushed the door to the Mako open, only to have it crash onto the ground.

"Fantastic," she muttered. "Come on, then."

Kaidan climbed out last. He had purposely waited in the Mako as long as he could. Dr. T'Soni was a beautiful asari. Not that he'd ever met an asari that wasn't. He had seen the look in her eyes as she watched the Commander run to Garrus. He recognized that look. He recognized it from his own face. She looked at Shepard the way he looked at Shepard.

How could he compete with an asari?

"So tell me Commander, what do you know about my mother and this Saren she's thrown herself in with." Liara asked as they stepped onto the elevator.

"We don't know much," Shepard explained, not sure how much she could tell her. "Only that we've got a recording of her speaking with Saren."

"How did you manage to acquire that?" She asked shocked.

"From a geth's memory core."

"I still can't believe there are geth outside the Veil," she said quietly as the elevator made its slow climb.

"Hopefully not for long," she remarked with a sigh. Damn slow elevators.

When the door finally lifted and they got out the Commander paused. She wasn't sure what to do with the asari now. She had intended to change out of her armor before the debrief and she needed to compile a report for the Alliance and the Council.

"Up this way," she said at last, leading Liara up the steps.

"Is this a new ship?" The doctor asked as they headed past the door and the guard there.

"Brand new," she replied.

They stopped at the door for the command room. Shepard punched in her code and stood back to let the other woman in.

"So if you don't mind having a seat here, I just need to send a report away," she motioned toward the seats. Liara nodded and took a seat on the right wall. Shepard turned to the back and opened up a blank Council report.

A few minutes later the rest of the team had come up and was waiting patiently as Shepard finished her report for the Council.

"All right Joker," she said at last. "That's the last of it, link us into a comm buoy and send them out."

"Aye, aye," he said in a very annoyed way.

"Joker?" She asked.

"What?"

"What's wrong?"

"That was too close, Commander," he complained. "Ten more seconds and we would've been swimming in molten Sulphur. The Normandy isn't equipped to land in exploding volcanoes. They tend to fry our sensors and melt our hull. Just for future reference."

"We almost died out there," Liara said sounding shocked or possibly even angry. "And your pilot is making jokes?"

"Joker pulled our asses out of there," Shepard said, not the least bit defensive. "I think he's earned the right to a few bad jokes."

"I see," she replied quietly. "It must be a human thing. I don't have a lot of experience dealing with your species, Commander. But I am grateful to you. You saved my life back there. And not just from the volcano. Those geth would have killed me. Or dragged me off to Saren."

"What did Saren want with you?" Kaidan asked. "Do you know something about the Conduit?"

She shook her head. "Only that it was somehow connected to the Prothean extinction. That is my real area of expertise. I have spent the past fifty years trying to figure out what happened to them."

Shepard faltered. "Just how old are you?"

"I hate to admit it," she replied sheepishly. "But I'm only a hundred and six."

"Damn!" Ash said with a laugh. "I hope I look that good when I'm your age."

Liara smiled tightly, "A century may seem like a long time to a short-lived species like yours. But among the asari, I'm barely considered more than a child. That is why my research has not received the attention it deserves. Because of my youth, other asari scholars tend to dismiss my theories on what happened to the Protheans."

Shepard sighed, "I've got my own theory about why the Protheans disappeared."

"With all due respect, Commander," Liara said in a way that sounded condescending. "I have heard every theory out there. The problem is finding evidence to support them. The Protheans left remarkably little behind. It is almost as if someone did not want the mystery solved. It's like someone came along after the Protheans were gone and cleansed the galaxy of clues.

"But here is the incredible part. According to my findings, the Protheans were not the first galactic civilization to mysteriously vanish. This cycle began long before them."

"Where did you come up with this theory?" Shepard asked. "I thought there wasn't any evidence?"

"I have been working on this for fifty years," she explained. "I have tracked down every scrap and shred of evidence. Eventually, subtle patterns start to emerge. Patterns that hint at the truth. It is difficult to explain to someone else. I cannot point to one specific thing to prove my case. It is more a feeling derived from a half-century of dedicated research.

"But I know I'm right. And eventually, I will be able to prove it. There were other civilizations before the Protheans. This cycle has repeated itself many times over."

"So," Shepard started, trying to understand. "If the Protheans weren't the first, then who was?"

Liara looked down, this was the question that always came up. "I don't know," she replied honestly. "There is barely any evidence on the Protheans. Even less on those who came before them. I cannot prove my theory. But I know I'm right! The galaxy is built on a cycle of extinction. Each time a great civilization rises up, it is suddenly and violently cast down. Only ruins survive.

"The Protheans rose up from a single world until their empire spanned the entire galaxy. Yet even they climbed to the top on the remains of those who came before. Their greatest achievements - the mass relays and the Citadel – are based on the technology of those who came before them. And then, like all the other forgotten civilizations throughout galactic history, the Protheans disappeared. I have dedicated my life to figuring out why."

All eyes turned to Shepard. She met Kaidan's and nodded.

"They were wiped out by a race of sentient machines. The Reapers."

"The . . . The Reapers," she stammered. "But I have never heard of . . . How do you know this? What evidence do you have?"

"There was a damaged Prothean beacon on Eden Prime," she explained with a sigh. "It burned a vision into my brain. I'm still trying to sort out what it all means."

"Visions?" Liara asked quietly to herself. "Yes . . . that makes sense. The beacons were designed to transmit information directly into the mind of the user. Finding one that still works is extremely rare. No wonder the geth attacked Eden Prime. The chance to acquire a working beacon, even a badly damaged one, is worth almost any risk."

A few dozen thoughts raced through Liara's mind. "But the beacons were only programed to interact with Prothean physiology," she stated. "Whatever information you received would have been confused, unclear. I am amazed you were able to make sense of it at all. A lesser mind would have been utterly destroyed by the process. You must be remarkably strong-willed Commander."

She smiled at Shepard, a bright dazzling smile that everyone took notice of.

"This isn't helping us find Saren," Kaidan cut in suddenly. "Or the conduit."

"Of course," Liara said blushing and looking away. "You are right. I am sorry. My scientific curiosity got the better of me. Unfortunately, I do not have any information that could help you find the Conduit. Or Saren."

Shepard pondered this for a moment. "I don't know why Saren wanted you out of the picture. But I think we'll be a lot better off if we bring you along."

Liara smiled again with just the slightest bit of color on her cheeks. She stood and walked up so that she was only a few feet away from Shepard. "Thank you, Commander. Saren might come after me again. I cannot think of anywhere safer than here on your ship. And my knowledge of the Protheans might be useful later on."

"And her biotics will come in handy when the fighting starts," Wrex added.

"Good to have you on the team, Liara," Shepard said with a smile.

"Thank you, Commander. I am very gratef . . . whoa," she wobbled suddenly on her feet and nearly went down. Shepard put a hand on her shoulder to brace her. "I am afraid I am feeling a bit light-headed.

"When was the last time you ate?" Kaidan asked, "Or slept? Dr. Chakwas should take a look at you." He was trying to be thoughtful but he felt more like he was kicking her out of the room. Which, in fact, wasn't very far from the truth.

"It is probably mental exhaustion," Liara said, trying to explain it away. "Coupled with the shock of discovering the Protheans' true fate. I need some time to process all this."

Shepard look at her concerned.

"Still," she added. "It could not hurt to be examined by a medical professional. It will give me a chance to think things over. Are we finished here Commander?"

"We can talk again after you've seen the doctor," Shepard informed her. "The rest of you, dismissed."

The crew got up and headed for the door, talking quietly amongst themselves. All except Kaidan who lingered near his seat. He stepped forward and opened his mouth to speak.

"Mission reports are filed, Commander," Joker called over the comm. "You want me to patch you through to the Council?"

She looked at Kaidan, he clearly had a lot on his mind. She put hand on his shoulder and turned to the holographic interface.

"Patch them through, Joker," she said.

Kaidan headed for the door.

"Setting up the link now, Commander."

There was a moment of static while the call connected, then the three Council members were standing before here, red, but there.

"We've received your report, Commander," Tevos said. "I understand Dr. T'Soni is on the Normandy?"

"I assume you're taking the necessary security precautions?" Sparatus asked.

"Liara's on our side," the Commander informed them. "The geth were trying to kill her."

Tevos shook her head. "Benezia would never allow Saren to kill her daughter."

"Maybe she doesn't know," Valern offered.

"Or maybe we don't know her," Sparatus countered. "We never expected she could become a traitor."

"At least the mission was a success," Valern added, trying to keep things upbeat.

"Apart from the utter destruction of a major Prothean ruin," Sparatus countered accusingly. "Was that really necessary, Shepard?"

"The geth were crawling all over those ruins," she said trying not to rise to his obvious challenge. "We were lucky to make it out alive."

"Of course, Commander," Valern said before Sparatus could speak again. "The mission must always take priority."

"Good luck, Commander," Tevos said. "Remember: we're all counting on you."

The call disconnected and Shepard sighed.

Tevos and Valern seemed to genuinely be on her side and support what she was doing.

But Sparatus? He acted like she was the wanted criminal that needed chasing. She wonder if they would ever see eye to eye on anything.

Turning for the door she decided to go and see Joker. He had pulled them out on time and she wanted to thank him for that. And get his opinion on a few things. She trusted him, she realized then. For whatever reason, she trusted Joker.

"Commander," Pressley called as she walked past.

"Pressley," she replied, stopping.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay. That was a pretty close call down there."

"It was," she agreed. "But we're okay. Joker's an excellent pilot." She turned to continue.

"Uh, Commander, one more thing, if I can."

"Speak freely Pressley."

"I noticed and asari coming out of the briefing room . . ."

"Is there a question in there?" She asked when he didn't keep speaking.

"I was just wondering if we'd added another non-human crew member."

"We have," she said, trying not to sound frustrated. "Dr. T'Soni is a leading Prothean expert and for whatever reason Saren wants her. It makes sense to me for us to keep her handy."

"Of course, Commander," he said submissively. "I didn't mean to . . ."

"Its fine Pressley, carry on." She headed the rest of the way up the bridge, wondering if her navigator was going to become a problem.

At the sound of her footsteps Joker turned his head.

"I prefer gold to sliver," he said as she walked up. "You know for my medal. I figured you'd recommend me for one since I pulled your . . . uh . . . boots out of the fire."

She laughed. "If we present you with a medal, you'll end up sitting on stage listening to politicians make speeches for a couple of hours."

He grimaced. "That's a good point," he conceded. "They'd probably make me shave too. I spent the last seven weeks working on this baby. No medal's worth that." He stroked his beard lovingly.

Shepard chuckled.

"So, Commander," he continued, "why don't you tell me why you're really here?"

"I'm trying to get to know the crew better," she said, opting for the get-to-know-you route.

"I can see were this is going," he said with a bitter sigh. "You did a background check on me, didn't you? Well, I'll tell you the same thing I told the captain. You want me as your pilot. I'm not good. I'm not even great. I'm the best damn helmsmen in the Alliance fleet.

"Top of my class in flight school? I earned that. All those commendation in my file? I earned every single one. Those weren't given to me as charity for my disease."

Her eyes went wide. "I'm sorry Joker," she said at once. "I didn't even know you were sick."

"You mean . . ." he trailed off. "You mean you didn't know? Aw crap." He took a deep breath and continued, "Okay . . . I've got Vrolik's Syndrome. Brittle bone disease. The bones in my legs never developed properly. They're basically hollow. Too much force and they'll shatter."

Shepard was shocked. She took the seat to his left, the same she'd sat in that morning.

"Even with crutches and my leg braces it's hard to get around. One wrong step and CRACK! It's very dramatic. But I've learned to manage my condition, Commander.

"Put the Normandy in my hands and I'll make her dance for you. Just don't ask me to get up and dance, unless, you know, you like the sound of snapping shin bones."

She nodded. "I'd like to know more about this Vrolik's syndrome if I'm putting my ship in your hands." She was trying to be as gentle and understanding as she could be about it. But if he was sick she needed to know as much about it as she could.

"Of course you do," he said with a sigh. "It's an extremely rare condition. Nobody knows exactly what causes it. Genetic, maybe. It's treatable, but there's no cure. They classify my case as moderate to severe. I was born with over a dozen fractures, hips, ankles, thighs. My bones were already breaking in the womb."

Shepard put her head to her mouth. His disease sounded so terrible.

"A hundred years ago, I wouldn't have survived past my first year. Lucky for me, modern medical science has turned me into a productive member of society."

She opened her mouth to say something, anything to covey how sorry she was to learn about how badly he was ailed. But the look on his face stopped her short.

"I'm sorry," she said at last. "I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable. Let's talk about something else."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever you want, Commander."

"Joker . . ." She started and stopped. "Why does everyone call you Joker?"

He laughed. "Because it's shorter than saying Alliance Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau. Plus I love to make little children laugh."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You're dodging the question."

He sighed. "Look I didn't pick the name. One of the instructors in flight school used to bug me about never smiling. She started calling me Joker, and it stuck."

"Why didn't you ever smile," she asked before she could help it.

"Hey, I worked my ass off in flight school, Shepard. The world's not going to hand you anything if you go around grinning like an idiot. By the end of the year, I was the best pilot in the Academy. Even better than the instructors. And everybody knew it." He smiled confidently and turned back to the controls.

"They'd all gotten their assess kicked by the sickly kid with the creaky little legs. One guess who was smiling at graduation."

"I think that if you try really hard," Shepard joked, "you might be able to sound a little more proud of yourself."

"I have a damn good reason to be proud," he said turning back to face her. "So why don't you tell me why you're really here?"

"Why I'm . . . what?" She asked.

"What did you really want to talk about?"

"I wanted to thank you for pulling us out of the erupting volcano. Not a lot of people could have or would have gone in there for us. So thank you."

"It's my job, Shepard," he laughed.

She reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Joker."

"Shepard?"

"Take the compliment, don't be an ass."

"Yes ma'am," he said with fake enthusiasm. He even through in a salute for good measure.

"I would punch you," she joked. "But I don't want to break you."

"Oh, nice," he laughed. "Make fun of the brittle bones kid."

She stood and pushed him good naturedly on the shoulder. "I should go."

"Shepard," he called after her.

"Yeah?" She stopped and turned.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "Just gained a new asari crewmember, and I'm not sure if I can trust her."

"Did you let her on board?"

"Yes."

"Then you must trust her a little."

"I suppose you're right," she said with a smile. "Thank you, Jeff."

He laughed. "You're welcome, Jen."

She made a face and walked away, feeling genuinely better than she had a moment ago.

She headed back to the stairs, thinking she would head down and check on Dr. T'Soni. She felt like she needed to talk to her and better understand who the woman was if she was going to have her wandering around.

As she came around the bottom of the stairs she saw Kaidan still working where he had been the yesterday.

He looked up and their eyes locked.

Before she could help it, she was walking toward him.

"Commander," he greeted her formally. "Do you have a minute?"

She nodded. "I always make time for my officers."

"Off the record, I think there's something wrong here. This Saren is looking for records of some kind of galactic extinction. But we can't get back up from the Council? Sorry, Commander. There's writing on the wall here, but someone isn't reading it."

"The Council doesn't want to believe anything's wrong." She agreed. "I'd call it human nature, but . . ."

"I hear ya," he said nodding. "It . . . it just seems like a group that's been around as long as the Council should see this coming." He laughed, not happy but not exactly bitter either. "It's funny. We finally get out here, and the final frontier was already settled. And the residents don't even seem impressed by the view. Or the dangers."

She fought back a smile. "Well, well, you're a romantic. Did you sign on for "the dream," Alenko? Secure man's future in space?"

He laughed, "Yeah, I read a lot of those books when I was kid. Where the hero goes to space to prove himself worthy of a woman he loves." He met her eyes again and both blushed. "Or, ya know, for justice." He added.

She nodded, not sure what else to say.

"Maybe I was a romantic in the beginning," he continued. "But I thought about it after Brain Camp . . . ah, sorry. "Biotic Acclimation Temperance Training." I'm not looking for "the dream." I just want to do some good. See what's out here." He looked back at her to see her smiling. "Sorry if I got to informal. Protocol wasn't a big focus back at BAaT."

She waved away his worry and said, "Tell me about it." Even though she knew there were other duties they both needed to get to, and she still needed to check on their newest crewmember. Still, she couldn't resist getting to know a little more about him.

He smiled, glad to keep their conversation going.

""Biotic Acclimation and Temperance" didn't last past the airlock. To the kids they hauled in, it was "Brain Camp." Sorry "hauled in" is unkind. We were "encouraged to commit to an evaluation of our abilities, so an understanding of biotics could be complied.""

"I remember hearing something about that," Shepard said, a distant memory tugging at her. "One of the very last homes I was at, the mom there told me about some men coming by looking for biotic kids."

"What happened?" Kaidan asked, wondering if it was possible he'd known her longer than he'd realized.

"That family was . . . bad," she struggled for a way to describe the home she lived in without enticing the pity look. "I was already planning to run before she told me that. That was just advanced my timeline a few weeks."

"Oh," he said quietly, not sure what else to say to that. The way the Commander had spoken about her past was so matter-of-fact and blasé, he wasn't sure there was anything he could say. "Well there are worse results of "accidental" exposure to element zero in the womb. It beats the brain tumors some kids grew up with."

She could hear the quotes around accidental, even if he didn't do them. "Is there some question about how you were exposed?" She had no idea how she was exposed, mainly because she had no idea who her mother was.

He shook his head. "My mother was downwind of a transport crash. It was before there were human biotics. A little after the discovery of the Martian ruins. It only gets iffy around '63 when Conatix was running out of first-gen subjects. Until then, they'd relied on accidentals."

He shook his head and sighed. "Bunch of guys in suits show up at your door after school. Next thing you know, you're out on Jump Zero."

""Jump Zero" is Gagarin Station, right?" She asked, not exactly sure. "What's it like?"

Kaidan nodded, "Yeah that's the official name. Biggest and farthest facility we had for decades. Right on the termination shock, the outer edge of the solar system. It's where they did all the "goose chase" FTL research. Before we caught on to using mass effect fields. It was a sterile research platform when I was there."

He was seeming to get more and more upset the more they spoke about it. She hadn't intended to make him feel bad. Hoping to steer the conversation to something less depressing, she asked, "There were other kids in the same boat, right? At least you weren't alone out there."

He smiled faintly. "That's true. We did have a little circle that'd get together every night before lights out. We didn't have much to do though. It was a research platform then, and Conatix kept Jump Zero off the extranet. To prevent leaks."

"Then you must've had plenty of time to get to know each other," she offered.

He chuckled softy, "Yeah. We'd sit around and bull every night after dinner. Play cards or network games. There was this girl named Rahna who had a little circle grow up around her. She was from Turkey. Her family was very rich. But she was smart and charming as hell. Beautiful, but not stuck up about it.

"Like you, I guess. Ma'am."

She suppressed a smile but felt her face color.

"Sounds like she was special to you," Shepard said gently.

"She was," he agreed sounding sad again. "Maybe she felt the same, but . . . things never fell together. Training, ya know."

Again she'd hit a sour note. So she changed the subject.

"So, do you know of any intentional exposures for certain?"

"No one "knows." Doesn't mean they didn't happen. As big as the exposures were, it was hard to track down accidentals. It was different then," he sighed, leaning against the nearby wall. "No one knew the potential, so there wasn't a lot of regulation. Anything Conatix did was gold.

"I'm not saying they intentionally detonated drives over our outposts. But in retrospect, they were damn quick on the scene."

"Jump Zero's still a long way from home. What was it like?" She was genuinely curious. There had been a few very cold winter nights were she'd wondered if maybe she should have let the government people take her away.

He scoffed softly. "The grand gateway to humanity looks a lot better in vids.

"Anyway. This was supposed to be a casual debrief, not a bull session about stuff that happened years ago."

"I wanted to get to know you better, that's all," she said with a slight smile. "Thanks for the talk, Kaidan."

"Well, you're welcome, ma'am." He looked around for a moment and the asked, "You . . . uh . . . make a habit of getting this personal with every one?"

She was ready to lie to him, to say what she knew, as a soldier she should say, but instead the truth came rushing out before she could help herself.

"No," she replied. "No I don't. We'll talk again later."

Now his face colored. "I'll . . . uh . . . I'll need some time to process that, Commander. But, yeah, I'd like that."

He smiled, she smiled; Ash walked through the mess hall coughing loudly at the sight of them.

"I should go," she said taking a step back. "I'm gotta check in on our newest house guest."

"Liara?" He asked.

She nodded. "What's wrong?" She asked when she saw the look on his face.

"Nothing," he lied, poorly.

She wanted to press him about it, but given their conversation, she decided to let it go.

"Alright well let me know if you . . . uh . . . need anything," she said departing awkwardly.

"I will," he laughed, turning back to the interface he was working on.

She turned and walked quickly away.

Her heart was racing and she needed to get away before she said something ridiculous. She had never intended to even hint to Kaidan that she felt something for him. It was foolish and broke about a dozen different regulations. If anyone had heard them talking, they could both be in trouble.

There was just something about those amber eyes that made her feel less like an Alliance Commander, and more like a squealing schoolgirl.

Oh that was a very disturbing image in her head now.

Cursing herself under her breath, she headed for the medbay.

"Hello Commander," Dr. Chakwas greeted as she walked in the door.

"Hello Doctor," she greeted in return. "How are you?"

"Doing well," she said with a smile that housed some hidden meaning Shepard wasn't aware of.

"Is everything okay?"

"I couldn't help but notice your conversation with the lieutenant."

Her heart sank. "Oh," she said. "Uh what do you know about our LT?" She asked.

"Well I've never worked with him before this mission. But he has an impressive service record, over a dozen special commendations." Shepard glanced out the medbay window and watched Kaidan struggle with the requisitions interface. An exceptional solider, she could see that. If she wasn't careful, she'd also destroy that.

"He usually tends to keep to himself, though," the doctor said, a little louder.

"Oh?" Shepard asked. He'd always seemed so open with her.

"Yes," she said smiling. "Maybe because the headaches. It's not easy being an L2."

"What does that have to do with it?"

"Well most biotics now use the L3 implants," she explained. "Lieutenant Alenko was wired with the old L2 configuration. Sometimes there are complications."

"What kind of complications?" She asked, worried about what that meant for Kaidan.

"Severe mental disabilities, insanity, crippling physical pain," she ticked off a few from the top of her head. "Kaidan's lucky, he just get migraines."

"I had no idea," she said quietly.

"I'm surprised. Being a biotic yourself."

"Yeah, my biotics aren't something I was ever proud of before the Alliance came along."

"Understandable," Chakwas agreed, placing a hand on the Commanders shoulder. "Being a biotic and an orphan, I can only imagine."

"Yeah," she said uncomfortably. "So did you get a chance to look at our newest crew member?"

"I did," she smiled, understanding the Commanders hesitance to talk. "She's just exhausted and a little overwhelmed I think. I advised her to rest and told her she could use the office at the back of the medbay for her quarters if she would like."

"Isn't that your office?"

"It is. But I never use it. The desk out here is more than adequate enough for my needs. Besides that, I don't think she would have been comfortable in the women's quarters."

"Thank you doctor," Shepard told her earnestly. "Do you think she's up for a conversation?"

"I believe so," the doctor said. "I think she might actually be waiting for you."

"Thank you." Shepard headed past the doctor and stopped at the door at the end of the medbay. She knocked and waited.

"Come in," Liara called uncertainly from inside.

Shepard hit the button for the door and it slid apart and away.

Liara was sitting at a computer console on a long table against the wall. She had her email open and was reading something from a university on Thesia.

When she heard the commander come in she closed the message and stood to face her. "Commander," she asked. "Are you coming to check up on me?"

She nodded slightly. "You look much better," she observed. "How are you feeling?"

"Dr. Chakwas assures me I am going to be fine. I was impressed with her knowledge of asari physiology."

"You're in good hands," Shepard assured her, thinking of own time under the doctor's care. "Dr. Chakwas knows what she's doing."

Liara nodded slightly. "I never properly thanked you for saving me from the geth, Commander. If you hadn't shown up . . ." Her words fell away as both considered what might have befallen her.

"I'm just glad we got there in time."

"So am I," she agreed with a slight laugh. "I know you took a chance bringing me aboard this ship. I have seen the way your crew looks at me. They do not trust me. But I am not Benezia. I will do whatever I can to help you stop Saren. I promise." She was very heated and passionate about what she was saying.

"Don't worry, Liara," she assured her. "I trust you. I know you won't let me down."

She smiled, a thing that completely transformed her normally down turned face. "It means a lot to hear you say that, Commander. Thank you."

There was a slightly awkward silence then, as neither woman knew what to say.

"So . . . tell me about yourself, Liara."

"Me?" She asked, still smiling. Her cheeks colored purple and it took the Commander a moment to realize that she was blushing. "I am afraid I am not very interesting, Commander. I spend most of my time on remote digs, unearthing mundane items buried in long-forgotten Prothean ruins."

"Sounds dangerous," she observed. "And lonely." A thing the Commander new a good deal about.

"Sometimes I would afoul of indigenous life-forms," she admitted sounding a little proud. "Or stumble across a small band of mercenaries or privateers. But I was always careful. Until the geth followed me to Artemis Tau, I never found myself in any situation my biotics could not handle.

"As for the solitude," she continued. "Well, that is one aspect that most appealed to me. Sometimes I just need to get away from other people."

"You don't like other people?" She enquired.

She shrugged. "I suppose it comes from being a Matriarch's daughter. People expected me to follow in Benezia's footsteps. They wanted me to become a leader of our people."

When Shepard started at her confused she stopped.

"Matriarch's guide their followers into the future; they seek the truth of what is yet to come," she explained. "Maybe that's why I became so interested in the secrets of the past. It sounds so foolish when I say it out loud. It sounds like I became an archaeologist simply to spite Benezia."

Shepard smiled, she had relatively little experience with parents. But she knew a thing or two about children and spite. "All children rebel against their parents. It's a natural part of growing up."

Liara laughed, loud and joyous. "You share the wisdom of the Matriarch, Shepard. That is exactly what Benezia said when I told her of my decision. But there was more to it than that. I felt drawn to the past. The Protheans were these wondrous, mysterious figures. I wanted to know everything about them." She was talking faster now.

"That is why I find you so fascinating," she continued. "You were marked by the beacon on Eden Prime; you were touched by working Prothean technology!"

Shepard laughed. "Sounds like you want to dissect me in a lab somewhere."

"What?" She asked, eyes wide. "No! I did not mean to insinuate . . . Ah! I never meant to offend you, Shepard. I only meant that you would be an interesting specimen for in-depth study. No!" She shouted again, looking like she might keel over. "Thant's even worse!"

"Clam down, Liara," she smiled. "I was only joking."

"Joking?" She asked, sounding like she might still throw herself out the airlock. "Oh, by the Goddess! How could I be so dense? You must think I am a complete and utter fool." She sighed and shook her head. "Now you know why I prefer to spend my time in the field with data disks and computers. I always seem to say something embarrassing around other people. Please . . . just pretend this conversation never happened."

"Of course," she said understanding. "You don't need to worry."

"I was hoping to make a better impression when you came to see me," she said, still sounding depressed.

"You've made a fine first impression," she assured her placing a hand on the woman's shoulder.

"Thank you, Commander," she sighed, looking slightly better. "I think perhaps I should lie down now. I am feeling very sleepy."

"Get some rest, and don't worry," she reiterated.

"I will try," she smiled. "Goodbye Commander."

"Goodbye Liara." She headed out of the room and closed the door behind her.

She couldn't help but laugh a little at how worried she had been about Liara. She was clearly not a threat to them. In time she thought she and the asari could be friends.

She looked up to fin the doctor and Kaidan staring at her.

"Doctor, LT," she said, unsure why they were staring.

"How is she?" Kaidan asked.

"Fine. Tired. She's resting now."

"That's good," Chakwas said.

"Yeah," Kaidan agreed half-heartedly.

After a small awkward silence, Shepard said, "Well I should get going. I have the rest of the team to debrief and then I have to send a report to Anderson."

"Gooday Commander," the doctor said.

"Shepard," Kaidan said with a nod.

She walked past them and out the door, not missing the way Kaidan watched her. Wishing she had kept her big mouth shut, she headed for the elevator.

"So you were saying something about a migraine?" Doctor Chakwas asked when the Commander exited.

Kaidan didn't seem to hear. He was still looking at the door.

"Lieutenant?"

His head snapped up and he looked at her, "I'm sorry Doctor." He smiled sheepishly. "I didn't heart that."

"I was asking about your migraine."

"Oh," he said. "I can feel one coming on. I was hoping to get some meds before it took me out of play for a while."

"Of course," she said turning to her workstation. She pulled a small key from a pocket on her left arm and unlocked a draw on her desk. Pulling out a large ring of keys she moved to the glass case along the other side of the wall. She stopped for a moment and then opened the case furthest from the door.

She produced a small orange bottle form inside and handed it to Kaidan.

"Thank you," she said opening the bottle and talking a small white pill from inside.

"Is there anything else you need?" Chakwas asked as he handed the bottle back.

"No," he replied politely. "Thank you doctor."

She locked the drawer on her desk and turned back to see the Lt still standing around.

Smiling she said, "She asked about you."

He smiled "She . . . what?"

Chakwas could almost laugh. "The Commander asked about you, just before she went into see Dr. T'Soni."

"What . . . uh . . . what did she say?" He asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as he could.

She smiled, pleased to see how much he cared for the Commander. Rules be damned, she had been known to say.

"She asked what I knew about you and we discussed biotics and your L2 implant."

"Is she and L2?" He wondered.

"According to her files, she was one of the first L3's ever."

He smiled slightly. Kaidan was glad to know that Shepard didn't have to suffer like he did.

"Thank you, Doctor," he said earnestly this time.

"Take care Kaidan," she said putting her hand on his shoulder.

"I will."

The elevator opened and Shepard stepped out onto the floor of the cargobay.

Garrus was standing next to what was left of the Mako scratching his head.

"Hey," she said walking over. "How bad is it?"

"What kind of scale are we talking here?" He asked.

"Uh "slap some paint on it its fine" to "dearly beloved we come here to mourn the passing of"," she replied, not sure how bad it could be.

Garrus smiled, something Shepard was starting to recognize, and said, "You should probably contact the family."

"Damn," she muttered. "That bad?"

"You ran over a giant geth."

She grimaced. "Yeah, I did do that. In my defense it was trying to kill us at the time."

He laughed. "Yeah, sure."

"So tell me straight, do I need to contact the Alliance about replacing this?"

He brought his right hand up and tapped the side of his face for a moment while he thought. "No," he said at last. "But we're gonna need to stop at the Citadel before we can take this thing out again." He sighed, not sounding pleased.

"Not looking forward to going home?" She asked.

"I was hoping to keep away from C-Sec for a while."

She nodded, "Hey, why did you want to become a C-Sec officer in the first place?"

"Hm," he laughed dryly. "That's a good question. There were several reason I guess."

"Like what?"

He shrugged. "Probably the same as most officers. I wanted to fight injustice, wanted to help people. I guess my father had something to do with it, too. He was C-Sec, one of the best."

Garrus turned and leaned against the damaged Mako. "I grew up hearing about his accomplishments or seeing his picture on the vids after a big arrest. He's taking my resignation pretty hard."

"Oh," she said quietly. When she'd asked him to join them, she hadn't thought about the far reaching effects it might have for his life. He had asked to help her see this through to the end and she had been happy for the help. Now she wondered if it was the best idea. "That's tough. But you think he'd be impressed you're going after Saren."

He shook his head. "My father's a C-Sec man to the bone. "Do things right or don't do them at all," he says. He thinks I'm being to rash. Too impatient. He's worried I'll become just like Saren." He pushed off the Mako and walked a few steps away, pacing angrily for a moment. "You know he actually talked me out of becoming a Spectre when I was younger. For the same reasons."

She turned and faced him, "You were asked to be a Spectre?"

"Well," he explained, sounding less heated, "I was targeted as a possible Spectre candidate. Me and about a thousand other turian military recruits. I could have received special training, but my father didn't like it."

Garrus walked back over and leaned against the Mako again. Shepard stepped up and did the same.

"He despises the Spectres," he went on. "He hates the idea of someone having unlimited power with no accountability." He sized her up out of the corner of his eye. "He wouldn't like you, Commander. No offense."

She chuckled a little. "I suppose I can understand his concern," she admitted.

"You can?" He asked louder than he'd intended.

Shepard nodded.

"Okay but Saren's not going to play by our rules. By C-Sec's rules. If you want to nail Saren you need to send someone who isn't restricted by policies and procedures."

She sighed, feeling strangely like she'd had this conversation with him already. "Just because you can break the rules, doesn't mean you should," she explained as neutrally as she could. "I don't need to stoop to Saren's level to stop him." She turned slightly so she was still leaning against the Mako next to him, but now she was facing him as well. "And neither do you, Garrus."

He squirmed slightly under her gaze. Her green eyes were intense, even in the poor light of the cargobay. "I see what you mean," he said at last. "But . . . I'll think about it."

She put a hand on his shoulder and nodded. "I'll make sure we get to the Citadel as soon as possible," she told him in parting.

"Thanks, Commander."

Garrus sighed as Shepard walked away.

This trip, so far, was nothing like he'd expected it to be.

He'd assumed traveling with a Spectre meant they'd be running and gunning all over the galaxy looking of Saren. He thought they would stop at nothing to bring his madness to an end. Just like all the Spectre's he'd heard about, the Commander would take the law in her own hands and make the rules up as they went.

Instead, he found that Shepard was almost annoying the opposite.

She had no interest in using dirty tactics to track Saren down.

Twice now he'd brought up the need to play outside the law.

And twice now she'd shut him down.

The first time he'd been angry.

Saren was out there wreaking havoc everywhere he went, killing innocent people and getting closer and closer to his end goal. She didn't seem to understand that.

Humans.

Damn idealists.

But this time, when she'd turned and all but stared him down, he had felt the truth in her words.

Now he was staring at the pile of rubble that used to be a Mako wondering if he'd been wrong about his approach of things before. Maybe there was something to playing by the rules he hadn't considered before.

He closed his eyes for a moment and found he could still see the Commanders green eyes blazing as she spoke. She didn't lack for passion that was for sure.

Shaking his head he turned back to the Mako. That, at least, he understood.

Shepard stopped as the elevator door opened.

Wrex came walking out.

"Hey Wrex," she greeted.

"Shepard," he said with a smile. "So we've got Saren on the run."

"It won't be long now," she agreed. He started heading toward the lockers and she followed. "Saren's good, but I'm better."

"Good. He's rotten. To the core." He shook his head. "I could tell as soon as I met him."

She faltered for a moment. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

"I would've," he explained. "If I'd thought it was important."

She nodded, Wrex was not the most forthcoming of individuals. "I'd like to hear about just the same."

He shrugged. "This was a while ago," he started. "A bunch of mercs were bragging about a job out near the edges of the Terminus Systems. They said it paid well and the boss was never around to ride them. They said he was looking for more men, too. So, I checked it out."

"Wow," she said shaking her head. "I didn't know Saren was openly recruiting mercs."

"It wasn't that open. And he only showed his face once. We'd been raiding ships in the area for months when we took out his massive cargo freighter. Our biggest haul yet."

Wrex smiled as he waxed nostalgic for a moment.

"I was on board checking bodies for valuables, looking for some extra credits. That's when I saw him."

Shepard ignored his open admittance of murder and asked, "What did Saren want with the ship?"

"I don't know what he wanted. He was just moving through the ship. Watching." He shook his head as he thought about it. "Couple of the mercs called him by name, but he never spoke to them. Never spoke to anyone. I had a really bad feeling about him, so I got the hell out. Didn't even wait to get paid."

She nodded. Thinking about it for a moment, she asked, "What kind of cargo was the freighter carrying? What was Saren after?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "All I saw on that ship was food and medical supplies. There were some basic weapons, but nothing big. If there was anything valuable on that ship, I didn't see it. That's why I didn't mention it sooner."

"Whose ship was it?" She asked.

"It was a volus trading vessel. Big one, lots of guards. But they were no match for us."

"That's the only time you saw him?"

"Yeah. Didn't even know how he was. Still wouldn't if I hadn't joined up with you." He hesitated for a moment and then added, "But my instincts were right."

"How so?" She asked.

"Every other merc on that mission turned up dead within a week. Every damn one."

"Damn," she muttered shaking her head.

He opened the locker he'd been assigned and hung his shotgun up inside.

"You never found anything else out about the freighter or the mission?" She asked, even though she was sure she already knew the answer.

"No. I got the hell out and never looked back."

"Understandable. Well, thank you for telling me all the same."

"Whatever," he said heading back toward the elevator. "I'm gonna eat."

"So long Wrex," she called after him.

"Shepard," he grunted as he kept walking.

The door opened and Ash stepped out. She nodded to Wrex as they switched places.

"Commander," she said heading to her work station.

"Chief," she greeted her. "What's your opining of the last mission?" She asked quickly. Ash had turned around and looked her with a smile that the Commander now knew meant trouble.

She clicked of her tongue, "Not sure I buy Dr. T'Soni's story. About her and mom not talking. They're family, right?" She walked over and stopped at her work station.

"I think she's being straight with us," Shepard assured her. "Or, at least, I don't think she lies very often."

"Yeah," Ash scoffed. "I'm sure she's really bad at it." Her words were bursting with sarcasm and disdain. "Hey!" She said sudden and cruelly, "want me to ask her about her sex life? Might be illuminating."

Shepard sighed, not sure if Ash was kidding or being serious. "I'm not sure she's used to teasing, good natured or otherwise."

"No fun, Shepard," she said like a pouty child. "Anyway, too bad those ruins got destroyed. I mean, they lasted thousands of years. That's impressive."

"Yeah it is. But in my defense, it was us or those ruins."

Ash laughed. "I guess that's a good point. So what brings you down boss?"

"Do you have a minute?" Shepard asked. "To talk one on one?"

"Sure," she nodded. "I was hoping to get a minute of your time. Off record," she added.

Shepard chuckled quietly. It seemed to be a theme with her human crewmates.

"I keep an open-door policy," she told the Chief. "If you have any concerns, lay them on me."

She sighed and hung her head. "Alright. I know things are different aboard the Normandy, but . . . I'm concerned about the aliens." She dropped her voice. "Vakarian and Wrex. With all due respect, Commander, should they have full access to the ship?"

Taking a deep breath Shepard said, "They may not serve the Alliance, Chief, but they're allies. At least as far as Saren goes."

"This is the most advanced ship in the Alliance Navy," she stressed. "I don't think we should give them free rein to poke around vital systems. Engines. Sensors. Weapons."

"You don't trust the Alliance's allies?"

"I'm not sure I would call the Council races allies," she countered. "We, humanity, I mean, have to learn to rely on ourselves."

"Standing up for ourselves doesn't mean standing alone," she offered, trying to get this woman, whom she now considered a friend, to understand.

Ash nodded, she got what the Commander was saying. Now she needed Shepard to understand what she was saying. "I don't think we should turn down allies. I just think we shouldn't bet everything on them staying allies. As noble as the Council members seem now, if their backs are against the wall, they'll abandon us."

"You've got a pessimistic view of the universe, Williams," she remarked, trying to keep things light.

"A pessimist is what an optimist calls a realist," she countered. "Look. If you're fighting a bear, and the only way for you to survive is to sic your dog on it and run, you'll do it. As much as you love your dog, it isn't human."

Shepard opened her mouth to say something but Ash spoke up again.

"It's not racism. Not really," She explained. "Members of their species will always be more important to them than humans are."

Shepard regarded the woman. They had to be practically the same age. But the way she was speaking, it reminded her more of the way Pressley spoke. Ash talked about aliens the way older men and women, people who had been through the First Contact War, spoke. There was no way this was just Ash speaking.

"These seem like deeply-help beliefs, Ash. What made you think this way?"

She made a face. "My family's defended the Alliance since it was founded," she explained. "My father, grandfather, great-grandmother, they all picked up a rifle and swore the Oath of Service. I guess we just tend to think of Earth's interests as our own."

She nodded. "It doesn't sound like you've worked with aliens before," Shepard observed.

"No ma'am," she agreed. "Mainly I've been groundside. Part of the surface garrison forces. I did get a rotation on a space station for training." She smiled and quoted. ""Every marine, a rifleman; every rifleman, zee-gee certified.""

"That's odd," Shepard remarked. "Your record is spotless, and your technical scores are exemplary. You should be serving with the fleet."

"Anyway," Ash said, clearly dodging the question. "That's why I haven't served with many aliens."

"I never knew my family," she said, switching to another topic. "Grew up an orphan on Earth. Anybody in your family I'd have heard of?"

"Couldn't say, Commander," she said quickly. "So . . . why are you out here? Just trying to get away from Earth?"

"No," Shepard replied. "The future of humanity is out here. There's so much we haven't seen yet."

"Yeah," Ash agreed. "I still remember my first field exorcise on Titan. When we hit mud, the reality hit me: "I'm the first person who ever stood here." Then my drill instructor kicked me in the ass. I went face first into the muck. He spent the next five minutes chewing me out for "goldbricking.""

Shepard laughed. "Don't tell me you had Gunny Ellison! He's the only one who uses that word to describe shirking duty."

Ash laughed too. "Oh Lord! You went to Macapa boot camp too?" She laughed again. "Yeah, Gunny Ellison's still reaming out recruits down there. Kicking ass and using words like "inveigle" and "pusillanimous.""

Shepard shook her head at the small nature of the universe. "All right," she said at last. "I can see where your concerns are coming from, Ash. But this is a multilateral mission. You're going to have to work with aliens, like it or not."

"It won't be a problem, Shepard," she assured her. "You say "jump," I'll say "how high." You tell me to kiss a turian, I'll ask which cheek."

"I don't think kissing turians will be necessary." She replied laughing, a little too loudly.

"Who's kissing turians?" Garrus called from across the cargobay.

Shepard and Ash turned to each other, eyes huge, holding back the laughter.

He started to walk over.

"Nobody is kissing turians," Shepard called to him.

"Then why are we talking about it?" He asked suspiciously.

"We are not," she said to him as he came to stand next to her. "It's just an expression."

He raised the plate on his forehead that would be the equivalent of an eyebrow for a human. He didn't believe what she was saying.

"Humans are weird," he muttered as he headed back to the Mako.

Ash and Shepard watched him go, each holding back their own laughs.

"Okay," the Commander said when he was out of ear shot. "No more talking about kissing turians."

"What about kissing Staff Lieutenants?" She asked quietly.

Suddenly the laugher died.

The Commander turned back to face the Chief.

"Ash . . ." she started. Not sure what to say to the woman. Ash would see through a lie instantly. She was sharp as a tack and Shepard was a historically bad liar.

"Don't worry, Shepard," she assured her. "I'm just messing with you. I know you know the regs as well as I do."

"I do," she agreed, still not finding the humor in the situation. "Well I should get back to it. Reports to wright, and all that." She was making excuses. Shepard knew if she stood there long enough the woman would be able to tell just how close her jest was to the truth.

Ash looked at her concerned for a moment. "Ma'am," she said in parting as the Commander turned and headed away.

Shepard didn't look up until the door to engineering had slid closed behind her. She sighed and cursed her own foolishness.

She really needed to get herself under control when it came to Kaidan.

The Commander sighed, wondering if such a thing was possible.

With a sigh, she headed over to check with Engineer Adams and Tali.

"Commander!" Adams greeted over the sound of the engine.

"Adams. How's she holding up?"

"I won't lie to you, she did not like all the smoke and lava in the air," Adams explained. "But she's gonna be alright. We might need to stop off at the Citadel or Arcturus for a good over hall of her intake valves. But we'll be okay for a while."

"We'll it just so happens the Citadel is our next stop," she informed him.

"Good. Well I need to get back to it." He saluted her and returned to a console along the far wall.

She walked over to Tali and tapped her on the shoulder.

The whine of the engines died down at last.

"Oh. Hello, Shepard," she said sounding depressed.

"Are you okay?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "Your ship is amazing, and your crew's been really great to me. Especially your chief engineer. But I just sort of feel . . . out of place.

"The Normandy runs so smooth it feels like we're not even moving. And the engines are so quiet. How do you sleep at night?"

"The silence wakes you up," she said, understanding what she meant.

"Back on the flotilla, the last thing you wanted to hear was silence. It means an engines died or an air filter has shut down. I guess you don't have to worry about that here. But old habits die hard."

She leaned against the counsel and sighed. "But it's more than just the silence. The ship feel so empty; like half the crew is missing."

Tali sighed and looked over at Shepard to see if she understood.

"Back home," she explained, "I couldn't wait to go on my Pilgrimage. I couldn't wait to get away from the crowds. Now that I'm out here, I kind of miss them.

Shepard nodded, understanding. "Sometimes we don't appreciate what we have until it's gone."

"That's true," she conceded, her eyes shining inside her helmet. "I'm starting to wonder if that's what the Pilgrimage is really about. It's given me a whole new perspective on my people and our culture.

"You know there's always a few who go on their Pilgrimage and never return. I always assumed something bad happened to them, but maybe they just wanted a different life."

"You do plan to return to the Migrant Fleet, right?"

"I could never abandon my people, Shepard," she replied passionately. "I will go back eventually. But we have to stop Saren first. Otherwise, I might not have a home to go back to."

"Unfortunately, that's true," Shepard said with a sigh. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No," she replied, sounding a little better. "But it makes me feel a little better talking about it."

"I remember," the commander started. "My first night at boot camp, I sat up all night. Could not sleep."

"Why?"

"It was so quiet."

Tali smiled, "you too?"

"Oh yeah. I was raised in one of the biggest cities on Earth. There was constant noise on the streets. The only time it was quiet was if someone had gotten a hold of you and dragged you away." The Commander was staring off in the distance now, caught up in her own memories.

"If you suddenly found yourself in the quite, you were in a lot of trouble." She looked over at Tali who was staring at her oddly. "Sorry," she apologized, smiling sheepishly. "Guess I got lost there. My point is I understand what you mean. About the quiet making it hard to sleep."

"I can see that."

"Well I should go," she said, not wanting to linger after such a major overshare. "I'll see you at dinner."

"See you later," she said turning back to work.

Shepard waved at Adams as she headed out and back to the elevator. She needed to give Joker the new destination and get the Alliance report done before dinner. She was really starting feel the lack of sleep. Hopefully tonight would be better.