Chapter 6: Damn Thresher Maws

"So, Anderson said we shouldn't try to find Saren," Garrus said as they waited for the decontamination process.

"He did. But he also said I don't answer to them anymore," Shepard said. "I'm not really sure why he said that, to be honest. I think it is just that he doesn't want to let his problems with Saren become my focus. He thinks that the best thing to do is to figure out what the Conduit is and get to it before Saren does. Problem is, I don't know how else to get to the Conduit without going through Saren. Either way, I highly doubt that with us after the Conduit too, our paths won't cross again. I plan to find Saren, and I plan to take him down. Period. Besides, I'm a Spectre now and the Council has tasked me with bringing in Saren."

"Glad to hear it, Shepard," Garrus said.

The airlock opened and they made their way onto the ship. Shepard pointed them towards the CIC and told them that someone in there would help them get set up, or they could wait for her if they'd rather. She said she had something she needed to do. Shepard made her way to the cockpit to ask Joker to open the comm so she could address the whole ship before they took off. She stood behind his chair, resting a hand on the back.

"I heard what happened to Captain Anderson. Survives a hundred battles, and then gets taken down by backroom politics," Joker said. "Just watch your back, Commander. Things go bad on this mission, you're next on their chopping block."

"Captain Anderson should be the one in charge. It's like I'm stealing the ship from him," Shepard said.

"Yeah, the captain got screwed. But it's not like you could've stopped it. Nobody's blaming you," Joker said. "Everyone on this ship is behind you, Commander. One hundred percent. Intercom is open. If you've got anything you want to say to the crew, now's the time."

Shepard rubbed at the back of her neck while Joker spoke his reassurances. She hoped he was right, and that the whole crew was behind her. She leaned down towards the intercom; she already knew exactly what she wanted to say.

"This is Commander Shepard speaking. We have our orders: find Saren before he finds the Conduit. I won't lie to you, crew. This mission isn't going to be easy. Our enemy knows we're coming. Wherever he searches for the Conduit, we'll be there. We will hunt him to the very ends of the galaxy and bring him down. Humanity needs to do this. Not just for our own sake, but for the sake of every other species in Citadel space. Saren must be stopped, and I promise you all… we will stop him!" Shepard finished adding emphasis at the end.

"Well said, Commander. Captain would be proud," Joker offered.

"The captain gave up everything so I could have this chance. We can't fail," Shepard said.

"Yes ma'am," Joker said as Shepard turned to walk away.

Shepard made her way to the galaxy map and set a course for the Artemis Tau cluster. She would have some time before they hit the relay, and then would have several relay jumps between before they arrived and started using the FTL again. Then the search would begin, they'd have to move between systems until they found the right one with Dr. T'Soni's dig site. She decided to go change out of her armor and check up on the crew before they arrived in the Artemis Tau cluster. Then, she would take a much needed twenty minute nap if she could get herself to wind down enough to fall asleep.

After leaving her quarters, she headed over to the med bay to talk to Dr. Chakwas. She was trying to work up the nerve to mention the episode she had earlier that day to Dr. Chakwas but instead found herself talking to the doctor about Alenko's L2 implants and how severe the migraines that the faulty implants caused. They talked for a while longer about Dr. Chakwas service record and how she came to find herself serving on the Normandy. After a few moments, Dr. Chakwas seemed to grow suspicious.

"What is it, dear? What's really going on? Hmm?" The woman said as she whipped open the medical scanning device in her omni-tool.

"Nothing, nothing. I'm fine, really. I don't know. I guess I just feel bad about taking over the Normandy and leaving Anderson on the Citadel to deal with that ass, Udina by himself," Shepard said.

Dr. Chakwas chuckled, "Well stop beating yourself up over it, it wasn't your call and trust me, if anyone can deal with Udina, it's Anderson."

"I suppose you're right, thanks Doc, I should go," Shepard said smiling at the doctor as she left the med bay.

She saw Kaidan across from the med bay working on something and decided she'd better check in on him, especially after hearing about his migraine issues. He stopped what he was doing and turned to face Shepard as she walked up.

"Anything you need, Commander?" Kaidan asked.

"Just checking in on you, Kaidan. Seeing how you're doing with everything that's going on. The, ah, changes that have taken place around here. New crew, new command…" Shepard trailed off.

Kaidan seemed to think about it for a moment before answering. She noticed that the lieutenant seemed to weigh his words out more than other people she was used to dealing with. She wondered if that was why she'd yet to hear him say a single harsh thing. After a moment he looked back at her and nodded slowly.

"I think that it's a shame that Anderson was forced to step aside the way that he was, but that the Normandy and her crew couldn't have possibly asked for a better replacement. I know that you're committed to this fight, and everyone else will see that passion, too. It will be interesting working with Wrex and Tali, I've never spent much time around krogans or quarians. Garrus seems like a nice guy, much nicer from what I can tell than the last turian I spent any real time around. Yeah, I think I'd say that you're pulling in some solid help, Shepard. We're going to get that bastard, Saren," Kaidan said.

Shepard smiled at the vote of confidence, "Thanks, Kaidan. I appreciate hearing that. I'll let you get back to work."

"Anytime, Commander," Kaidan said.

Shepard started to walk away and then paused, turning back to Kaidan she asked, "Hey, where did the new guys get set up at?"

"Oh, um, Garrus and Wrex are in the Cargo Bay and Tali is in Engineering," he said.

"Great, thanks Kaidan," Shepard said as she trotted off to the elevator.

Shepard took the elevator down to the lower deck of the ship. She saw Wrex leaning against some crates not far away from where Ashley was working on something at a console on the weapons bench. Garrus was across the room over by the Mako. The requisitions guy was over in the corner near the door to Engineering. She couldn't remember his name; although she was sure Anderson made the brief introduction the other day. She made her way past Wrex and over to Ashley.

Ashley nodded her head, "Commander."

"What's your opinion on the last mission?" Shepard asked.

"Kinda wish you had gotten there sooner, Commander," Ashley said.

She must be talking about Eden Prime. Shepard had meant going to the Citadel and finding the evidence on Saren, but it made sense that Ashley would still have her mind focused on Eden Prime. Losing your whole squad left a person with the kind of raw feeling that never completely went away.

"No offense. I appreciate the rescue, I just wish…," Ashley trailed off.

"You wish we'd been able to save the rest of your unit," Shepard finished for Ashley.

"Yes ma'am," Ashley nodded. "If I'd been more alert, we wouldn't have been cut down by an ambush."

"The geth are the perfect ambushers. They don't move, they don't make noise – they don't even breathe," Shepard offered.

"They have flashlight heads, ma'am," Ashley said not willing to let go of the blame so easily. "I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

Shepard nodded her head and let the subject drop, she knew all too well what Ashley was feeling right now and she knew that if she pushed the subject, all it would do is create resentment in the Gunnery Chief. She tried changing the subject.

"Do you have a few minutes to talk, one on one?" Shepard asked dropping the formalities.

"I'm sorry, Commander. I need to get my duties squared away. I wouldn't mind talking more later, though," Ashley said.

"Dismissed, Chief," Shepard said with a nod.

She tried not to take the brushoff personally, Williams was right she needed to get settled in and her routine in place. Not to mention, Shepard had just touched on a topic the Chief was still processing. Shepard would keep an eye on her though; make sure that she was holding together okay. If she wasn't, she'd have to have Dr. Chakwas evaluate her. Great, you're the one who thinks that you're losing your mind, suddenly developed psychic powers or something, and you're thinking about having the Chief evaluated, for what PTSD? Major Depression? Gods, Shepard thought. She left Ashley and headed over to Wrex.

"Nice ship you've got, Shepard," Wrex said pushing himself away from the crates as she approached. "What can I do for you?"

"What's your story, Wrex?" Shepard asked.

"There's no story," Wrex said dismissively. "Go ask the quarian if you want stories."

"You krogan live for centuries. Don't tell me you haven't had a few interesting adventures," Shepard prodded.

"Well, there was this one time the turians almost wiped out our entire race. That was fun," Wrex said sarcastically.

"I heard about that. You know, they almost did the same to us," Shepard said.

"It's not the same," Wrex bit out.

"It seems pretty much the same to me," Shepard said getting frustrated with the krogan's attitude.

"So your people were infected with a genetic mutation? An infection that makes only a few in a thousand children survive birth? And I suppose it's destroying your entire species?" Wrex said looking at Shepard like he was considering taking a swing at her.

"I suppose it isn't all the same," Shepard conceded.

"I don't expect you to understand, but don't compare humanity's fate with the krogan," Wrex said settling down a bit.

"I was just making conversation. I wasn't trying to upset you," Shepard said shaking her head slightly.

"You're ignorance doesn't upset me, Shepard," Wrex said. "As for the krogan, I gave up on them long ago. The genophage infected us, but it's not what's killing us."

"What can you tell me about the genophage?" Shepard asked, hoping it wouldn't completely set Wrex off.

"Ask the salarians if you want details. They made it," Wrex said. "All I know, it makes breeding nearly impossible. Thousands die in stillbirth, and most never get that far. Every krogan is infected. Every one. And no one's rushing to find a cure."

"Why don't the krogan try to find a cure?" Shepard asked surprised.

"When was the last time you saw a krogan scientist?" Wrex asked. "You ask a krogan would he rather find a cure for the genophage or fight for credits? He'll choose fighting every time. It's just who we are, Shepard. I can't change that. Nobody can."

"Are your people really dying?" Shepard asked.

"We're sure not getting any stronger. We're too spread out. None of us are interested in staying in our own system," Wrex said.

Shepard didn't understand why that mattered, "Lots of species have left their homes and prospered."

"But they go to colonize new worlds. We're not settlers. We're warriors. We want to fight. So we leave. Hire ourselves out. And most of us never go back," Wrex explained.

Shepard's heart broke a little as she listened to Wrex talk about his people and the genophage. She could tell that the krogan cared a lot more than he let on. It sounded to her like he had spent a lot of time pondering the krogan plight and how to fix it, but he just didn't seem to have either the faith or the motivation to take steps towards fixing it himself. We will help him to cure the genophage, the krogan are ready now, and Wrex will lead them into a brighter future if you keep Williams from killing him on Virmire. We always cure the genophage. Even in my darkest times, I couldn't bring myself to shoot the salarian in order to sabotage the cure. She remembered that she wanted to talk to him about his actions with Fist and stepping out in front of her during the firefight but she'd leave that for a later time. So long as she broached the topic before she took him out on a run it should be fine. She didn't want to push him to talk too much right now.

She spent some time setting up the crew lockers, making sure that everyone had the best of what they had with what they were the most proficient with. She changed out her own gear, too, before heading over to the requisitions guy to sell off what they didn't need anymore. She then headed over to Garrus. He had his back to her and was looking at a computer he had set up by the Mako. She stopped a few feet behind him and just watched him for a moment. He intrigued her, and she wasn't really sure why. Something about him spoke to her; she fell into an easy rhythm around him. Like they had known each other for years, even though she'd only just met him. She could just make out the profile of his face from where she stood. The blue glow of his visor distorted the image slightly. He fluttered his mandibles once and snapped them in tight next to his face before tilting his head slightly. She was suddenly quite sure that he knew she was standing there, and was watching her watch him. She wasn't sure if it was just something to do with turian vision, or if maybe the visor was set to somehow watch his six, hell maybe he had just caught her reflection in the Mako's chrome. Either way, Shepard was good and properly embarrassed. Something she hadn't felt in a long time. She could feel the flush of heat rising up her neck and face. She was damned if she was going to talk to him all red faced.

She turned around quietly and headed to Engineering. Taking a few deep breaths along the way to calm herself. The Engineering door slid open and Shepard was once again taken in by the site of the massive drive core. It almost hurt to look at, the thing was like a miniature star without proper UV shielding. She headed over to Engineer Adams.

"Hey, Commander. You know that quarian? Tali? She's been spending all her time down here asking me about our engines," Adams said.

Shepard cringed inwardly, she expected there to be some resistance to having aliens on board but she had hoped that there wouldn't be any complaints.

"I'll tell her to leave you alone," Shepard said hoping that would placate Adams.

"What? No! She's amazing! I wish my guys were half as smart as she is. Give her a month on board and she'll know more about our engines than I do!" Adams said. "She's got a real knack for technology, that one. I can see why you wanted her to come along."

Shepard smiled, relieved, "I figured she'd be a real asset to the team."

"You've got an eye for talent, Commander. But I'm guessing that's not why you came down here," Adams said.

"I want to know more about the Normandy," Shepard said.

"She's the best ship I've ever served on. Probably the fastest vessel ever designed. And she's the only one using the new Tantalus drive core," Adams said.

"What's so special about the Tantalus drive core," she asked following the flow of his thoughts.

"Proportionally, it's about twice the size of any other vessel. Not only are we faster, but we can run at FTL speeds longer before we have to discharge the core," Adams explained.

"Fill me in on the IES stealth system. How does it work, exactly?" Shepard asked.

"You can't hide a ship out in space. They emit too much heat and radiation. Too easy for sensors to pick them up. Unless you find a way to capture those emissions. So our stealth systems trap the energy we give off in storage sinks built into the ship itself. No emissions to give away our locations," Adams said. "Eventually the sinks have to be vented. More than a few hours silent running and they overheat. Cooks us inside our own hull."

"There's no way for anyone to detect us?" Shepard asked.

"A visual scan can still pick us up. Anyone looking out a window could see us as plain as day. But you have to be pretty close to get an actual visual out in space. Most vessels rely on scanners. As long as the stealth systems are engaged, they can't see us. Not unless we accelerate to FTL speeds," Adams said.

"Why doesn't it work with faster than light travel?" Shepard asked.

"Cranking up the FTL blue-shifts our emissions, pushes them into frequencies too high to capture in the sinks. As soon as we make the jump, it's like setting off a flare. Sensors can pick up our location whenever we enter or exit FTL flight. But for short range missions, our stealth systems are amazing. And we've got the only one," Adams said with pride.

Shepard smiled; she loved hearing pride in someone's voice when they talked about something they were passionate about, "Where else have you served, Adams?"

"If you name a class of Alliance ship, I've probably served on it. Everything from dreadnoughts and carriers right down to frigates like the Normandy," Adams said. "My last assignment was on the Tokyo. Only a cruiser, but she was a good ship. Couldn't hold a candle to the Normandy, though."

"Carry on, Adams," said Shepard.

"Aye, aye, Commander," Adams said.

Shepard made her way over to Tali; the quarian seemed to be intently focused on whatever it was that she was doing. Shepard stood there quietly watching her for a moment, taking in the elaborate patterns to Tali's suit. It wasn't just functional, but fashionable. The hood was a deep purple with a much, much lighter – nearly white shade of purple swirled throughout creating a pattern that reminded Shepard a little of ocean waves. A strip of the same cloth wrapped around the lower part of Tali's back before rising up her sides to cover her right breast before arching over her left breast to meet back up on her left side. The purple pattern covered her hips and a large portion of her legs, primarily from the hip down over the outer thigh and ending just before her knee. A dark green fabric that looked to have a scaled pattern covered most of her torso and arms, as well as her inner thighs and her lower legs. Plates of metal had been superimposed over her arms and her boots; providing extra protection. Dark tubes could be seen wrapped around her arms and entering into her suit, straps wrapped around her chest, things, and waist holding small pouches. The purple face guard connected to the hood somehow, and the way the hood framed her face and head it gave the impression of hair. Shepard thought she was beautiful and the idea struck her as odd since she couldn't even see the other woman's face properly. There will come a day when you see her face, and she is so very beautiful. We have loved her, too.

Tali spotted Shepard and turned to her with great enthusiasm, "Your ship's amazing, Shepard. I've never seen a drive core like this before. I can't believe you were able to fit it into a ship this small. I'm starting to understand why you humans have been so successful. I had no idea Alliance vessels were so advanced!"

"The Normandy's a prototype. Cutting edge technology," Shepard explained.

"A month ago, I was patching a makeshift fuel line into a converted tug ship in the flotilla. Now I'm sitting on board one of the most advanced vessels in Citadel space," Tali said. "I have to thank you again for bringing me along. Traveling on a vessel like this is a dream come true for me."

"I had no idea you found ship technology so interesting," Shepard said with a smile.

"It comes with being a quarian. The Migrant Fleet is the key to the survival of my people. Ships are our most valuable resource," said Tali. "But we don't have anything like this. We make do with cast-offs and second-hand equipment. We just try to keep them running for as long as we can. Some of the Fleet's larger vessels date all the way back to our original flight from the geth."

"I can't believe your fleet's still using ships that are three centuries old," said Shepard, wincing at the note of incredulity she heard in her own voice.

"They're constantly being repaired, modified, and refitted. They aren't pretty, but they work. Mostly," Tali said. "We've tried to make ourselves as independent as possible on the flotilla. Grow our own food, mine and process our own fuel. But some things we just can't make on our own. A patch to maintain the hull integrity requires raw materials we just don't have. That's why our Pilgrimages are so important."

"I want to know more about the Pilgrimage," Shepard said.

"When my people reach maturity, we leave our birth ships and seek acceptance with a new crew. It's necessary to maintain genetic diversity among the fleet. But no ship wants to accept someone who will be a burden on them. So, to prove our worth, we embark on a Pilgrimage. We set out alone, leaving the flotilla and our families behind us. We only return once we have found something of value we can bring back to the fleet. This is presented as a gift to the captain of the respective ship we wish to join. If the gift is accepted, we are welcomed into the crew," explained Tali.

"Can the captain choose to reject the gift?" Shepard asked; her curiosity piqued.

"That doesn't happen often. Most captains are eager to increase the size of their crew. It increases their own standing in our society. Even when a gift is not particularly valuable, the captain usually accepts it out of a sense of tradition. However, there is a stigma to presenting a sub-standard gift. It's not the best way to make a good impression on a new community. Most Pilgrims don't return until they find something worthwhile," Tali said.

Shepard was quiet for a moment, considering what Tali said before saying, "Tell me about your people."

"Our lives aren't easy. Resources are scarce and we are constantly on the move. Everything we do must in some way contribute to the continuation of the Migrant Fleet. There are seventeen million quarians in the flotilla, and each of us relies on the others for survival. The bonds among my people are strong. Unfortunately, we have had to surrender many of the freedoms and civil liberties other species take for granted," Tali said.

"What kind of freedoms?" Shepard inquired.

"Well, it's illegal for parents to have more than one child. If our population grows too much, it would strain our resources to their breaking point" Tali said. "Of course, we also can't allow our numbers to become too few. If our population is in decline, the rule against single births is temporarily repealed. In extreme cases of population decline, incentives are even offered to encourage multiple births. Though the Conclave hasn't had to take such measures in nearly a century."

"That's your government?" Shepard asked.

"The Conclave is our civilian branch of government. Each ship can elect a representative to serve on the Conclave and make decisions that affect the fleet as a whole," Tali began. "On matters that affect an individual ship, however, the captain has the final say. It's a tradition that dates back to the early days when the fleet was governed by martial law. Fortunately, most captains nowadays are smart enough to have an elected council from their crew to give them advice and guidance."

"So the ultimate power rests with elected officials?" Shepard asked.

"In practice. The Conclave and the respective council for each ship tend to set the rules that govern our daily lives. But in theory we are still under military jurisdiction. The five top-ranking military officials in the fleet serve on the Admiralty Board," explained Tali. "These five have the power to overrule any decisions by the Conclave in case of emergency. To do so requires unanimous agreement among the Admiralty. And they can only do this once. After that, the entire Board must resign their posts. It's a safeguard that's served us well. In nearly three centuries, the Admiralty Board has only overruled the Conclave four times."

"I want to know more about the geth," Shepard changed topics again.

"I doubt I can tell you anything you don't already know," Tali began. "It's been almost three centuries since they drove my people into exile. All I know is the story of their origins: what they were when we created them, and how they turned on us."

"Interesting," Shepard prodded.

"The geth were originally created to serve as an automated manual labor force. Initially, their intelligence was as limited as any VI. Over time, we made small modifications to their programming to allow them to perform more varied and complex tasks, bring them closer and closer to true AI status," Tali explained.

"You had to know it would blow up in your face," Shepard said.

"The changes were so insignificant, so gradual, that we were able to control them. Or so we though," Tali said in defense of her people. "But one thing we underestimated was the power of the neural network. A million geth thinking simultaneously created an inherently unstable matrix."

"So the geth share brain power?" asked Shepard.

"Many of the geth's logic systems were designed to work in concert with other nearby geth. Basically, the more of them you have in a group, the smarter they are," said Tali.

"So they're some sort of group consciousness?" Shepard asked.

"No, nothing like that. They cannot share sensory data or information. Their programming cannot handle that much simultaneous input," Tali insisted.

"Each geth maintains an individual awareness and identity. The neural network only operates on a process-based level. It's basically the synthetic equivalent of a subconscious," Tali explained.

"But when they're in close proximity," Tali continued, "they can coordinate low-level functional processes, freeing up more capacity for original or independent thought."

"What made them rebel?" Shepard asked.

"As we built more and more geth, their effective intelligence became more sophisticated, more abstract," Tali explained. "One day, a geth began to ask its quarian overseer questions about the nature of its existence. Am I alive? Why am I here? What is my purpose? As you can imagine, this caused a near panic among my people."

Shepard shrugged, she kind of sympathized with the geth so far and so she said, "I don't see what's so bad about those questions."

"The geth were created to engage in mundane, repetitive, or dangerous manual labor. That's fine for machines, but it won't satisfy a sentient being for long. The get were showing signs of rudimentary self-awareness and independent thought. If the geth were intelligent, then we were essentially using them as slaves. It was inevitable the newly-sentient geth would rebel against their situation," Tali said. "We knew they would rise up against us. So we acted first. A general order went out across all quarian-controlled systems to permanently deactivate all geth. The geth responded to this order violently."

Well of course they did, Tali. But it wasn't so simple as that, the geth basically begged your people for mercy. They took up arms against the quarians as a last resort, and when the quarians fled, the geth did not pursue. They didn't want to kill the quarians; they wanted the quarians to not kill them. Some of your own people died, shot down by other quarians while trying to defend the geth's right to live.

"You can't blame them for fighting for their survival," Shepard said.

"We had no other choice!" Tali insisted; her voice rising in pitch. "The geth were already on the verge of revolution. By acting quickly, we had a chance to end the war before it began. The hope was that most of the geth would still be little more than machines, incapable of organized resistance. But they had progressed much further than anyone anticipated. The war was long and bloody. Millions upon millions of quarians died at their hands. In the end, we were forced to flee our own home world. We feared the geth would pursue us, but they never came beyond the Veil. Now we drift through space, exiles searching for a way to reclaim what was once ours."

Tali was clearly firm in her belief that her people had done the right thing but the whole thing made Shepard feel sick to her stomach. To her it sounded like the quarians had accidently created a new race of sentient beings, and when they realized their mistake they opted for what amounted to genocide instead of trying to solve things peacefully. Sure, the geth might have revolted, but they might not have as well. She did definitely agree that to have continued to use the geth in such a fashion would have been slavery, but there was a simple solution that didn't involve killing off the geth: stop using them in such a manner. If the geth were beginning to question their existence, they could have been taught about their creators and their existence, helped to find a purpose in the world and learned to coexist peacefully. The quarians didn't even try; they just tried to shut them all down. Shepard had a feeling that her views would create some bad blood between Tali and herself but she couldn't and wouldn't pretend to agree with what the quarians had done. It was wrong; she felt it deep in her core. Yes, it was, but you can help to fix it. We can't undo what's already been done, but we get the chance to show them that they can live in peace, together. Remember, this wasn't Tali's doing. She wasn't even born yet, this happened many, many years before her time and she only knows what she was taught to believe. I suppose that's not much different than Ashley's problems with aliens. Hell, human history is littered with this same kind of racist crap.

"It's hard to feel sorry for you. Your ancestors tried to wipe out another species," Shepard said bluntly.

"We made a mistake when we created the geth in the first place. But we didn't make a mistake when we went to war against them," Tali insisted. "If we had not acted, they would have wiped us out! They're a synthetic life-form. They have no use for organics. None! Why do you think they cut themselves off from the rest of the galaxy? Why do you think they've killed every organic being who's ever tried to contact them?"

"They didn't kill Saren," Shepard said.

"What does that tell you? The geth are not innocent victims in all this," said Tali. "They're the enemy. They want to destroy us. Not just the quarians; all organic life. That's why they've joined up with Saren. And that's why we have to stop him."

Shepard could tell she had pushed Tali far enough for now. She didn't want the quarian to change her mind about being aboard the Normandy and working with Shepard to take down Saren. Shepard didn't know what led to the geth's choices today, but at least she did agree with Tali that they were on the wrong side of things if they were helping Saren to attack colonies and trying to bring back the reapers. Still, the wrongs of the geth today did not negate the wrongs of the quarians in the past.

"I should go," Shepard said letting the argument go.

"See you later," Tali said.

Well this is going splendidly, Shepard thought. So far she'd managed to upset Wrex and Tali. She needed these people to be with her on this and she was not getting off to a good start.

"Let's see if we can go three for three and piss Garrus off, eh?" Shepard mumbled to herself as she left Engineering.

She made her way back over to Garrus, hoping that the awkwardness had passed. He was still busy at a console, but when she got close to him he turned and squatted down next to the Mako doing something to one of the tires. She stood next to his console for a moment watching him work. She knew that he knew she was there, but she didn't say anything, just waited. When he stood back up and turned to the console again she said hello.

"Thanks for bringing me on board, Commander," Garrus said. "I knew working with a Spectre would be better than life at C-Sec."

"Have you worked with a Spectre before?" Shepard asked.

"Well, no. But I know what they're like," Garrus said. "Spectres make their own rules. You're free to handle things your way. At C-Sec, you're buried by rules. The damn bureaucrats are always on your back."

"Being a Spectre does have its advantages," Shepard agreed.

"Exactly my point," Garrus said. "If I'm trying to take down a suspect, it shouldn't matter how I do it, as long as I do it. But C-Sec wants it done their way. Protocol and procedures come first. That's why I left."

"So you just quit because you didn't like the way they do things?" Shepard asked.

"There's more to it than that," Garrus said. "It didn't start out bad, but as I rose in ranks, I got saddled with more and more red tape. C-Sec's handling of Saren was typical. I just couldn't take it anymore. I hate leaving…"

"I hope you made the right choice. I'd hate for you to regret it later," Shepard said.

"Well, that's sort of why I teamed up with you. It's a chance for me to get off the Citadel, see how things are done outside of C-Sec. Either way, I plan to make the most of this," Garrus said. "And without C-Sec headquarters looking over my shoulder, well, maybe I can get the job done my way for a change."

"As long as you do your job well, you're free to go about your business as you see fit," Shepard said, she knew she was forming a tentative cooperative effort and he wasn't her subordinate; he wasn't Alliance.

"Thank you, Commander," Garrus said.

"Huh, that wasn't so bad. I'll have to try harder to piss him off next time," Shepard said laughing to herself.

She took the elevator back up to middle deck and then climbed the stairs to the CIC. She headed to the cockpit to talk to Joker. Now that they were in flight and everyone was settling in, she wanted to check up on the pilot and the ship.

"Commander. Something you need?" Joker asked.

"I like to know my crew. Mind if I ask you a few questions?" Shepard asked.

Joker scoffed, "I can see where this is going. You did a background check on me, didn't you? Well, I'll tell you the same thing I told the captain," he raised his voice. "You want me as your pilot. I'm not good. I'm not even great. I'm the best damn helmsman in the Alliance fleet! Top of my class in flight school? I earned that. All those commendations in my file? I earned every single one. Those weren't given to be as charity for my disease."

Well that was easy, I didn't even have to try to piss him off, Shepard thought.

"I'm sorry, Joker. I didn't even know you were sick," Shepard said.

"You mean – You mean you didn't know? Ah, crap," Joker said. "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. 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."

Shepard fought back a smirk, she liked this man's confidence but oh how his attitude was just begging for her to pick at him. You'll get him to dance, twice even if you try. Nothing breaks.

"Why does everyone call you 'Joker'?" Shepard asked.

"It's a lot shorter than saying Alliance Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau. Plus, I love to make little children laugh," Joker simply oozed sarcasm.

"I was just thinking how much you remind me of Santa Claus," Shepard quipped.

"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," Joker shrugged and shook his head.

"Why didn't you ever smile?" Shepard asked.

"Hey, I worked my ass off in flight school, Commander. 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. They'd all got their asses kicked by the sick kid with the creaky little legs. One guess who was smiling at graduation," Joker said.

"How's the Normandy performing? Is she everything they said she'd be?" Shepard asked, changing the subject.

"She's the best ship in the fleet… if you've got a pilot who knows how to handle her. The balance isn't what you'd expect. Takes a while to get used to that oversized drive core we got stuffed in the back. Her power can sneak up on you if you're not careful. The Normandy's probably too much ship for your average pilot, Commander. Lucky for you, I'm anything but average."

"I have to go," Shepard said chuckling.

"Alright, see ya," Joker said.

Shepard headed back to her quarters. She had thought about taking a nap but after making her rounds she was feeling wide awake. Instead, she decided to do some research. If she was going to be working this closely with different aliens she needed to know everything she could about their people. Her Spectre access opened up more information for her than what she would have been able to find with just her Alliance clearance so she started there.

She had just finished reading everything she could find on the quarians and the geth when Joker's voice came over the intercom letting her know that they had reached the Artemis Tau cluster. Shepard saved and then closed down the files she had pulled up for her research, she would return to them later. She left her quarters and headed up to the CIC to the galaxy map. She pulled it open on the cluster and saw that there were four potential systems to search for Dr. T'soni; Sparta, Knossos, Athens, and Macedon. The relay let them out in the Sparta system, so they might as well begin their search there.

The Sparta system had five planets and two asteroid fields. She started with Altaaya searching for any signs of life. The Normandy's information systems told her all that was on record about the planet, and the scanning revealed nothing so she moved on to the next planet. Hours later, Tremanre likewise proved to be futile in the search for Dr. T'soni. Already, Shepard was beginning to feel that this might be a waste of time. Even using FTL it was going to take days to clear out this system. When they reached Edolus and started scanning, Joker's voice came over the comm telling her that they were getting a signal from the planet's surface, an automated distress beacon. If someone down there was in trouble, Shepard had to see if she could help. She told Williams and Wrex to suit up and meet her at the Mako.

She pulled Wrex aside before the piled into the Mako and broached the topic of his actions back in Chora's Den. The krogan didn't seem to mind what Shepard had to say, which was good because she had been concerned he might protest or argue.

"I work for you now, do things your way. As long as your way isn't stupid, I don't have a problem with it, Shepard. As for getting in your way during a fight, heh, I'm a krogan, Shepard. I'm not going to be taken down by the occasional stray bullet or friendly fire. Just make sure that you don't get in my way when I'm charging," Wrex said with a shrug.

The Mako dropped down in a mountainous region, the area was arid with strong winds rattling against the vehicle. Debris from the nearby asteroid field could be seen raining down on the planet all around. The coordinates for the beacon's signal weren't far away, but a couple of other anomalies had popped up on the Mako's ground scanner. She decided to check them out first and one crashed probe, a mummified salarian corpse, and a few mineral deposits later; Shepard and her crew were pulling up on a stranded vehicle and distress beacon in a valley when all hell broke loose. Damn thresher maws. The ground beneath the Mako began to tremble and Shepard heard the unforgettable sound of a thresher maw's cry; the same type of creature that took out her team on Akuze. Shepard shifted gears and began racing the Mako, pushing it as fast as it would go. She knew one thing for sure, and that was she did not want to be standing still in thresher maw territory. The giant, serpentine like creatures could burrow through the ground at alarming speeds. They were drawn in by vibrations on the ground and once they had your location, they would shoot up from the ground right beneath you if they could catch you. If they could get close enough, they would latch on to your vehicle and drag you under the ground. If you were too far away, they'd simply spit acid at you. They were deadly, vicious, and hard as hell to kill.

It took some crazy maneuvering of the vehicle and she didn't even know how many shots of the Mako's cannon between bursts of the machine gun to take the damn thing down. The thresher maw's acid caught them a couple of times, so they had to take cover to use omni-gel to repair the vehicle as well, which burned through their resources fast. Wrex seemed faintly amused; apparently thresher maws were common on the krogan home planet, Tuchanka. With the thresher maw dead, Shepard drove the Mako back over to the distress beacon.

Once they were able to get close enough, they saw the corpses of three Alliance soldiers surrounding the beacon. It looked like they had come to investigate the beacon and were killed by the thresher maw. Shepard deactivated the beacon while Williams looked over the bodies; the names on the dog tags were the same as the men that Admiral Kahoku had asked her to find. She told Williams to gather the tags, she'd take them back to Kahoku but there wasn't anything she could do with the bodies right now. It was a shame to just leave them out here to rot so far from home, but her mission had priority. She'd give Kahoku the exact coordinates so he could try to retrieve them later. The team piled back into the Mako and called Joker for a pick up.

Back on the Normandy they continued to scan the remaining planets in the system but found nothing. While scanning one of the asteroid belts, the Normandy picked up signs of habitation. Shepard took her Alliance team members down to survey the area. They found a small bio-dome that was still operational but there was no sign of anyone living there. A data console was still receiving enough power for her to eject the disc it held. She wasn't sure but the thought it might be prothean. She took the team back to the ship and would check out the disk later.

Looking at the galaxy map, Shepard was about to set course for Macedon but she stopped, her hand hovering over the map. Knossos. Go to Knossos. Knossos. Knossos. She's on Therum in the Knossos system. Shepard moved her hand over, centering the map on the system called Knossos. Shepard was exhausted, swaying on her feet as her eyelids drooped. The ship was mostly quiet, those whose shifts had ended for the day were fast asleep in the sleeping pods and damn it if her bed wasn't calling her name.

"Knossos. Why Knossos?" She asked herself.

No answer came readily to her mind, it just felt right and really it was as good of a place to continue the hunt as any of the others. She nodded to herself and then punched in the commands on the map to send the coordinates to the cockpit before stepping away from the map. Shepard headed down the stairs to the middle deck and went straight to her cabin. She stood over her bed, very seriously debating just collapsing on top of it without bothering to undress or even pull back the covers. She knew she wouldn't sleep comfortably if she did though, so she convinced herself to shrug out of her clothes before letting them drop to the floor. She wanted desperately to just leave them there, but her training ran deep. Groaning she bent over to pick her clothes back up, folded them, and laid them on her footlocker before pulling back the covers and collapsing on the bed.

Sleep claimed her fast… and then the dreams began.