The Lives and Deaths of Commander Shepard

by MosaicCreme

The essence that is Commander Shepard has fought the battle against the Reapers more times than she can count, only to find herself right back where it all started. Never the exact same body, never the same first name or history. The disembodied voice struggles to break her way through to the consciousness of her current incarnation, trying to find a way to break her own cycle.

11. Chapter 10: Long Live The Queen

Chapter 10: Long Live The Queen

Once in the Horsehead Nebula, Shepard used the galaxy map to direct Joker to the Strenuus system. That was where that man in the Citadel Tower said his brother's ship was last reported to be. The morning had been quiet, so far. If Shepard had had any more of those unusual dreams, she didn't remember them at all when she woke up. Still, the dreams that she had been having were unnerving. She could never hold on to them for more than a few seconds after waking but in those seconds she was struck by how foreign yet oh so familiar they had seemed.

Shepard scanned the Strenuus system and found the MSV Majesty not far from the planet Xawin. The Normandy detected a faint trail of radioactive particles – possibly exhaust from a sub-light nuclear engine drive – leading toward Xawin. The ship itself was empty. She gave the order to go to Xawin and for Garrus and Ashley to suit up.

Xawin was a cold, frozen planet but that didn't seem to stop the damned thresher maws from surviving. They moved through the frozen surface just as quickly as anywhere else. Why did probes crash so often right next to a damn thresher maw's hunting ground? They checked out a nearby camp but found it abandoned. The generator was still functional, and Shepard found notes on several mineral deposit locations.

They made their way to an anomalous signal only to find that it was a geth trap. As soon as they got close to the beacon, four geth armatures rose up out of the snow. The way they were set up made it difficult to find cover. Still, with some fast maneuvering they were able to take the armatures down with minimal damage to the Mako. While Garrus patched the Mako with omni-gel, Shepard looked over the area. She could find no reason for the geth presence. There was nothing in this area other than that damned beacon. She couldn't see any reason for the ambush in this location and it was sitting with her wrong. Saren really didn't think it would be so easy to take Shepard out, did he? Not when she had already cut her way through every other geth he'd dropped in her path. How could he even know that she would come to Xawin? This seemed like a pointless waste of resources to her. Sorry, can't help you. You'll run across a lot more that doesn't make a damn bit of sense, too.

Shepard got back in the Mako and drove to the last location on the scanner. It was a mercenary camp protected by four turrets and snipers. Once the threats outside were taken care of, Shepard pulled the Mako around the building and parked it next to the front door. Inside, it was set up much the same as the other prefab's she had been in with a small entryway just inside the main door that led to a larger room. This left her little option other than to take cover by the entryway to the main room until she could fight her way in. Past that choke point, the fight was already won.

Shepard found a couple of lockers with weapons and mods. She felt no guilt taking them for her own crew's use. The back room was empty, just cots and mostly empty lockers. Upstairs, she found the body of Captain Willem, he had been dead awhile. Rigor mortis had long sense set in and the smell couldn't be disguised. Why in the world would they have left his body up here to rot was beyond her, especially when the low temperatures outside would have preserved the corpse and kept the smell at bay. He seemed to be holding something in his hand so Shepard knelt down next to him, doing her best not to gag over the smell and pried a datapad from his fingers. She didn't bother to look at it; it wasn't any of her business. She'd take it back to his brother on the Citadel after they went to Noveria.

Shepard got her crew back to the Mako and called for a pickup. Back on the Normandy, she headed straight to the galaxy map and inputted the coordinates for the Pax system. She was just about to turn away from the map when Joker's voice came through on the comm.

"Commander, urgent message from Alliance Command coming in. I'll patch it through," Joker said.

"Shepard, this is Admiral Hackett from Alliance Command. We've got a situation here and you're the only one who can handle it," Hackett said.

"What do you need, Admiral?" Shepard asked recognizing the man's voice; he'd sent her on missions before for the Fifth Fleet.

"There's an Alliance training ground where we test weapons and technology in live-fire simulations. One of the VI's we use to simulate enemy tactics in the drills is no longer responding to our override commands. it's gone rogue," Hackett said.

EDI…

"Are you telling me this computer is thinking on its own?" Shepard asked.

"We're not stupid, Shepard. This is a virtual intelligence, not a true AI. It's not self-aware, and it can't access any external systems. We didn't do anything illegal here. Virtual intelligence support is critical to our military success. VIs process thousands of status reports and react in nanoseconds. No human can do that," Hackett explained. "We need you to fight your way through the training ground to the VI core, and manually disable it."

"Don't worry, Admiral. I'll take that thing out," Shepard promised.

"I know Spectres answer to the Council, but you're still human. You're still a part of the Alliance military, and right now we need you. The VI controls all of the facility's weapons, drones, and automated defenses. You're the only one who can pull this off, Shepard. Good luck," Hackett said ending the call.

Shepard felt mildly annoyed at the admiral's obvious attempts to manipulate her. She knew she was human. And she'd stay a part of the Alliance so long as they kept her. She also knew that as a Spectre, she couldn't make a habit of playing favorites. Especially with non-Alliance personnel onboard. She would take down this VI not because she was human, and not because she was Alliance, but because it needed done. Period. Shepard left the CIC and made her way to her cabin.

She'd been finishing up a report when there was a faint knock at her door. It was so quiet that at first she wasn't sure if she had heard it or not. Shepard got up from her desk and opened her door just in time to see Liara turning away. She was holding the box Shepard had taken to her with the artifacts.

"Liara? Did you need something?" Shepard asked.

Liara turned and Shepard could swear the asari looked embarrassed. She seemed to struggle with an internal debate before smiling and taking a step towards Shepard, extending the box out from her body a hair.

"Oh, Commander. I am sorry to have bothered you. I just wanted to ask what you would like done with these artifacts. I have finished scanning them and do not need them to be present while I finish my research. I mean, of course I would be honored to safeguard them until we reach the Citadel but I did not know if-," Liara rambled

"Come on in, Liara. You can tell me what you've found so far," Shepard said cutting Liara off and stepping aside to make room.

Liara smiled warmly and walked past Shepard, "Thank you, Commander."

Liara stopped just inside the door and looked around the room. Shepard motioned for Liara to have a seat at the desk nearest to the door before fetching the chair from the desk near her bed to join her. Liara only sat once Shepard did, gently sliding the box onto the table in front of them.

"So, what did you find?" Shepard asked.

Liara didn't need any more encouragement than that before she launched into an explanation of the salarian ID tags that Shepard had recovered. She gently removed one of the medallions from the box to show to Shepard as she spoke of its history.

"The medallions you recovered were not simply from salarian STG units. No, these are far older. These medallions came from a special, secret organization the salarians had called the League of One. They were a group of secret operatives specializing in assassination and espionage. Their identities were kept secret until after the salarians discovered the Citadel and my people. As a sign of good faith, the salarians released their classified documents and in so doing revealed the identities of the League of One," Liar lectured.

Shepard looked over the medallion quietly while Liara spoke, turning it around and around in her hand. It was old, worn, and faded but she could make out the image of a salarian standing in relief against the background of buildings towering in the sky. There had been words on the medallion at some point, but they had all but worn away. There wasn't enough there for her to make anything out. She handed the coin back to Liara who carefully settled it back in the box.

"What happened to them?" Shepard asked leaning back in her chair.

"It is impossible to say with certainty, but soon after the release of the documents, the League of One stopped reporting in to the Salarian Union. It was believed that with their names revealed, enemies of the salarians began hunting down the members of the League; whether as acts of revenge of for other unknown political reasons. Others theorized that the League of One had gone into hiding to protect their own identities. Within a few months, however, the inner cabinet of the Salarian Union was found murdered. Those remaining came to realize that the League of One had gone rogue; likely in protest to the dangers the Salarian Union had placed them in by releasing their names to the public. The salarians sent members of the Special Tasks Group to find the missing League of One members but most of those who were sent out never returned themselves. Only two members of the second task force sent returned and claimed to have found no evidence of the League of One. It was believed that the League had been… neutralized," Liara finished.

Shepard watched as the woman spoke animatedly about the history of the League. She could tell that Liara was passionate about her work, but she realized that Liara didn't seem to talk about herself much. In the quiet pause, Shepard spoke up changing the subject. She could learn about the turian insignias and matriarch's writings later.

"Tell me about yourself, Liara," Shepard said.

"Me? I am afraid I am not very interesting, Commander," Liara said looking down at the floor seemingly embarrassed by the request. "I spend most of my time on remote digs; unearthing mundane items buried in long-forgotten prothean ruins."

"You must enjoy something about it," Shepard said.

"I love my work. Seeking out history's lost secrets has a special appeal for me. You were actually touched by working prothean technology! That is why I find you so fascinating, Commander," Liara said.

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

"What? 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 an in-depth study. No – that's even worse!" Liara said clearly flustered.

Shepard chuckled, "Calm down, Liara. I was only joking."

"Joking? Oh, by the Goddess! How could I be so dense?" Liara held a hand up to her forehead as she berated herself. "You must think I am a complete and utter fool. 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."

Liara stood suddenly, "Excuse me, Commander. I should really get back to work. Is there some place you would like for me to put these?"

"Keep them with you, Liara. I trust you'll keep them safe," Shepard said standing as well.

She walked Liara to the door, noting the way the other woman held the box close to her own body protectively. On her way out the door, Shepard stopped Liara with a hand on her shoulder.

"And Liara?" Shepard said.

"Yes, Commander?" Liara asked.

"Try to relax, you're doing fine," Shepard said with a smile.

Liara smiled and dipped her head, "I will try, thank you."

She already likes you.

She watched as Liara made her way across the mess hall and back into the med bay to her own office. She glanced up and saw Kaidan watching her watch Liara, but he looked back down at his own table when she turned his way. Shepard frowned but went back inside her cabin to fill out more reports.

Shepard had gotten the call from Joker letting her know they were arriving at Noveria. She headed up to the cockpit to watch the descent.

"Approach Control, this is the SSV Normandy. Requesting a vector and a berth," Joker hailed the Noveria station.

"Normandy, you're arrival was not scheduled. Our defense grid is armed and tracking you. State your business," a masculine voice responded.

"Citadel business. We've got a Council Spectre aboard," Joker said into the comm leaning forward.

Shepard stood behind him, watching as her pilot tensed up.

"Landing access granted, Normandy. Be advised: we will be confirming identification on arrival. If confirmation cannot be established, your vessel will be impounded," the voice said.

"What a fun bunch. I think I'll take my next leave here," Joker smirked looking back over his shoulder at Shepard.

She couldn't hide the half smile that crept on her face in response. The smartass was growing on her. Shepard asked Joker to have Garrus and Liara suit up before leaving the cockpit. Good, you're not taking Wrex. He complicates things with the rachni queen. And you're bringing Liara, it's the best. Rough on her, but you can put all your doubts aside. She went to put on her armor and get her weapons ready before meeting her team at the airlock. Noveria was just as cold as Xawin, but the docks provided some cover from the freezing elements. Shepard left the ship and turned towards the building to her right. She frowned when she saw that there was a 'welcoming committee' waiting for her team down off the dock platform. She squared her shoulders and held her head high as she went to meet the turian man and two human women who were armed and waiting. At least they weren't stupid enough to point those weapons at her or her team. Yet.

One of the women held up a hand to halt Shepard. She was shorter than the other human and had black hair twisted up into a bun. The other woman was far taller with blond hair cut to chin length. The male turian seemed to stay behind and to the side of the women, most likely there for support.

"That's far enough," the woman with the bun said.

"Something wrong, officer?" Shepard asked coming to a stop a few feet away.

The blond woman who seemed to have a permanent scowl said, "You better hope there isn't."

The brunette gave her a chastising look before turning her attention back to Shepard, "This is an unscheduled arrival, I need your credentials."

Shepard bristled, "You first."

"We're the law here. Show some respect," the blond said.

"I'm Captain Maeko Matsuo, Elanus Risk Control Services," the much more sensible brunette with the bun said.

Shepard decided she was the one to deal with, the other woman ceased to exist in that moment for Shepard. The turian hadn't moved or spoken yet at all, so she disregarded him for the time being as well.

"I'm a Spectre. My name is Shepard," Shepard said simply.

"Load of horse crap, ma'am," the blond woman said to Captain Matsuo.

Matsuo gave the woman another look before saying, "We will need to confirm that. Also, I must advise you that firearms are not permitted on Noveria. Sergeant Stirling, secure their weapons."

The blond began to step forward. A shame, Shepard thought, I was starting to like you Captain Matsuo. Shepard pulled her pistol and pointed it at the woman, Sergeant Stirling, as she approached. Shepard could hear Garrus aiming his assault rifle, and she could feel the disturbance of Liara's biotics behind her. Sergeant Stirling stepped back and raised her weapon; the turian on the other side of Captain Matsuo did the same. Captain Matsuo, however, remained poised. Huh, maybe I do still like you, Shepard thought.

"Citadel authority supersedes yours," Garrus said behind Shepard.

"Nobody takes my weapon," Shepard said in a tone that made it clear this topic was nonnegotiable.

"Charge and lock!" Stirling gave the order.

Matsuo placed her hands behind her back, "We are authorized to use lethal force. You have to the count of three to surrender your weapons. One. Two. Thr-,"

Matsuo was cut off by a voice over the comm system right as she began to speak the word 'three', "Captain Matsuo! Stand down."

Matsuo looked at the ground a moment before relaxing her arms to the side. The other two officers remained with their guns drawn on her team, so Shepard only lowered her weapon but kept it drawn.

"We confirmed their identity. Spectres are authorized to carry weapons here, Captain," the woman's voice on the comm said.

Stirling and the turian stood up straight and lowered their weapon. Shepard nodded to her group, and they put their weapons away.

"You may proceed, Spectre. I hope the rest of your visit will be less confrontational," Matsuo said. "Parasini-san will meet you upstairs."

"Behave yourself," Stirling said.

Shepard smirked at the woman's audacity. The three officers moved apart. Stirling moving to watch out over the docks while Matsuo and the unidentified turian moved to guard the door. Shepard moved past the two guards and the drone that was flying about scanning them to enter the building. She made her way up the stairs to where she could see a security area ahead. A human woman wearing a long pink dress greeted her at the desk.

"I am Gianna Parasini, assistant to Administrator Anoleis. We apologize for the incident in the docking bay," Parasini said.

"I appreciate your help," Shepard nodded at the woman.

Parasini returned the nod, "You're welcome. You understand our security chief was only doing her job. One of my duties is orientation of new arrivals. Do you have any questions?"

"Has anyone unusual passed through here recently?" Shepard asked.

"Unusual? An asari Matriarch passed through a few days ago. Lady Benezia," Parasini said.

"Benezia? She is here?" Liara asked Parasini.

Shepard watched Liara closely. Now was the time to see how the asari would react to her mother's presence. Shepard really hoped she wasn't wrong for trusting her. So far, all Liara seemed to be displaying was concern.

"Can I speak with her?" Shepard asked turning back to Parasini.

"Benezia left for the Peak 15 research complex days ago," Parasini shrugged. "To the best of my knowledge, she's still there."

"Could you tell me how to get there?" Shepard asked.

"You'll need to ask Administrator Anoleis for clearance to leave this port," Parasini said, hesitation evident in her voice.

"Where can I find the administrator?" Shepard asked.

"His office is on the main level. Left at the top of the elevator," Parasini said with a relieved smile.

Parasini turned and walked away. Liara turned to face Shepard, the concern dripping off her voice like hot honey.

"She is here. I can't believe it," Liara said. "I imagine you want to talk to me, Shepard. About my mother."

"No, I don't. I trust you, Liara. You may not be military, but you're part of my crew," Shepard said to ease the woman's fears.

"Thank you, Shepard. That means a great deal to me," Liara said.

Shepard turned towards the stairs that would take them into the main building. She caught sight of Garrus watching her, head slightly cocked to the side. She figured he had caught her hesitation but thankfully wasn't going to call her on it; maybe he understood her intent. Garrus gave Shepard a slight nod and she relaxed. She knew that he would keep an eye on Liara as well. As much as Shepard felt that Liara had the best intentions, going up against her mother like this… there was no way to know for sure how the asari would respond. That's why she brought Garrus, he had sharp eyes and wouldn't hesitate to do what needed to be done while staying cool under the pressure. Shepard hadn't thought that Benezia would still be here, but it gave her some hope that this whole fiasco with Saren might come to an end easier than she had ever expected. Not even remotely. Not unless you get your ass to Ilos before they do and shut down the Conduit. That isn't going to stop the reapers, though. All we've ever done is slow down their arrival, but they always come through and we always die in the crucible. And we always come back. I'm so fucking tired of coming back. But it will keep happening anyway because: You. Won't. LISTEN! Shepard winced as a sharp pain shot through her head back behind. Ah, but you can feel that, can't you?

They took the stairs down to an elevator; the elevator taking them back up before opening up into the main building. Shepard saw a human and a salarians talking. When she got near to them, the woman told Shepard that the managers had warned them about her. Shepard gritted her teeth. If everyone on Port Hanshan had been warned away from talking to Shepard and her crew this was going to make gathering intel next to impossible.

Shepard spotted a hanar in a shop and decided to see what they had for sell. She liked to connect to as many stores as she could, hopefully the hanar would have a license he could sell her so that she could pass it along to the requisitions officer on the Normandy. The hanar greeted her with the same 'this one' statements that all hanar used. It turns out news of her arrival on the port had spread as swiftly as she had feared. The hanar didn't seem to be concerned with talking to Shepard though, in fact, he boldly asked her to use her Spectre status to smuggle in a package for him from the docks. Shepard wasn't going to agree to anything so easily, though. She asked the hanar, Opold, for details on the package contents and recipient. Opold was hesitant to tell her the specifics but he did finally say that the package was for a krogan named Inamorda, a bounty hunter with a temper. Shepard agreed to retrieve the package for Opold. She'd look to see what was in it herself and then decide whether it was something she wanted the bounty hunter to have or not. Either way, the idea of using her status to bring in something forbidden, just to stick it to that bitch Stirling brought Shepard some satisfaction.

Shepard finished up her shopping with Opold before she went to fetch his package. She was sure that he'd probably offer a discount on top of whatever it was he was offering to pay her – he wasn't specific on that point either – but she wasn't sure yet what she was going to do with the package. She figured it was best to finish her shopping while they were still on good terms. Back out at the docks she found the package where Opold said it would be. The container held a weapon mod she had never seen before.

"Shepard, you are not really going to give that to the hanar to sell to a krogan bounty hunter, are you?" Liara asked sounding dismayed.

Shepard grinned, "Hell no. Besides, smuggling is illegal. Looks like I just got a new toy."

Garrus chuckled, his mandibles fluttering. The sound pulled at Shepard and she looked over at the turian, her grin widening.

"I see," Liara said. "Well, I am sure that the Council would agree with your decision."

Shepard didn't give a damn if the Council agreed or not, but she kept that to herself. They made their way back Opold and Shepard told him that she would be keeping it herself. The hanar became distraught, his bioluminescence flickered erratically as he tried to convince her to change her mind; telling her how upset Inamorda would be with him. Shepard didn't change her mind, though. She wasn't allowing what was probably experimental weapon tech to go to a krogan bounty hunter, at least not one that wasn't on her team. Opold said he wanted her to leave, he sounded pouty and Shepard actually felt a little bad for the hanar. She made a note to herself to keep her eyes open for Inamorda; she'd make sure that if the krogan wanted to start a fight it would be with her and not the hanar. Oh, don't worry. He'll find you.

"Keep your eyes opened for a pissed off krogan," Shepard said to her team.

Garrus checked his ammo in response and Liara paled but nodded. She led them to where Parasini said they would find the administrator. Everyone she tried to talk to along the way brushed her off much the same as the human woman had done when they first entered. Anoleis' door had two turian guards stationed outside but they didn't give her any flak when she went inside. She went through an empty waiting room and found Parasini standing behind a desk. Shepard stopped to see what information she could get from the woman. Parasini filled Shepard in on the size and numbers of the research complexes built into the surrounding mountains. She listed off a few of the major stakeholders, but said that there over 250 business that rented facilities there. She said that each complex supported a staff of hundreds. That might make things more difficult, Shepard thought. That was a hell of a lot of civilians that might get in the way if things went bad. She really hated civilian casualties, but she knew that sometimes they were unavoidable and she would do what had to be done to get to Saren.

Parasini called Anoleis on the intercom to tell him that Shepard was there to see him. The brusque, rapid voice that responded was unmistakably salarian. Anoleis didn't sound pleased by the interruption, even if it was for a Council Spectre. Parasini indicated the administrator's office behind the partition and Shepard left her to her work.

"You'll excuse me if I don't stand up," the blue-gray salarians said from behind the desk when Shepard entered. "I have no time to entertain colonial rubes."

Shepard's hands twitched at the insult and she crossed her arms, "You have a problem with colonials?"

"No appreciation for economics. Protectionists and communists, all of them. This greeting is a courtesy. I will only cooperate as required by the Executive Board. Businesses come here to avoid the second guessing of galactic law," Anoleis said.

"And I represent 'the second guessing of galactic law.'" Shepard drawled.

"Just so we understand each other," Anoleis said holding up his hands. "I will not allow you to harass our clients. This world is private property."

Shepard knew she wouldn't get what she needed from the salarian if she gave in to the urge to use her biotics to toss him around the room like a ragdoll. Damn it did she want to toss him around the room like a ragdoll, though. She decided to let that line of conversation die and got to the point of her visit.

"I heard an asari Matriarch is here. Benezia?" Shepard said.

"She arrived a few days ago, accompanied by a personal escort and some cargo. She is up at Peak 15," Anoleis said.

Shepard tried to get more information from him on Benezia and her escort but he gave her more lip and little information. All she was able to learn was that Benezia's cargo was sealed and passed weapons screening. Her escort consisted mainly of asari commandos. Shepard didn't like the sound of that. Of course, she hadn't actually expected to find Benezia unprepared to defend herself. She'd likely have geth guards, too. Although she doubted that Benezia strolled through the compound with geth readily visible for everyone to panic over. They were in the boxes. Maybe that was what her cargo was.

When Shepard insisted on seeing Benezia, Anoleis told her Peak 15 was a private facility and that there was a blizzard in the area which had cut off surface access to the facility. Shepard wasn't sure she was buying that. She pressed the issue of surface access, thinking that it meant that there was another form of access that the salarian wasn't telling her about, but he wouldn't give. Garrus tried to soothe Shepard's growing frustration, telling her that they could find someone else there willing to help. Shepard wasn't ready to leave Anoleis just yet; she wanted to ask if Saren was with Benezia.

She was able to pull a few more answers from the petulant salarian before she let him go. Namely that Benezia was there acting as 'Agent Saren's executor' and that Saren was a major shareholder in Binary Helix. Binary Helix specialized in genetic engineering and biotechnology. That was definitely worth noting, though she wasn't quite sure how that played into his hunt for the Conduit. On the way out of Anoleis office, Parasini caught Shepard's attention.

"Mr. Anoleis isn't the only one with a pass to leave Hanshan," Parasini said. "You've never worked in the corporate world, have you Commander? You can't bludgeon through bureaucracy."

"I can bludgeon pretty hard," Shepard said still annoyed.

Parasini leaned in closer to whisper, "Talk to Lorik Qui'in. You should be able to find him at the hotel bar. Can't say more. Not within earshot of Mr. Anoleis."

Shepard nodded her head in gratitude and said goodbye to the woman before heading to the hotel bar. It took her a little while to find since every person she tried to ask for directions refused to help her. Eventually she found the elevator that led to the bar hidden behind another partition. There seemed to be a lot of those in this place. As soon as Shepard entered the bar she was flagged down by a dark blue asari in a yellow dress. Shepard cursed under her breath but stopped to see what the asari wanted.

She told Shepard that she represented the Aramali City Council on Thessia. She asked Shepard to carry a hacking device and go speak with a human representative of Binary Helix at the bar nearby to distract him while the device hacked into his files. She suspected Binary Helix of working with asari commandos to move in on the work that Aramali did with biotic amps and wanted Shepard's help to determine if Binary Helix was infringing on Aramali's copyrights. Shepard was getting really tired of people asking her to break the law for their own personal, trivial matters. Is this really how civilians saw Spectres? Shepard told the asari that it was her job to uphold the law, not break it. The asari tried to convince Shepard but when she realized she wasn't budging, she hastily left.

Parasini didn't give her a description of Lorik Qui'in.

She turned to Garrus, "Lorik Qui'in. That's a turian name, isn't it?"

"It is, and that gentleman sitting right over there is the only turian in the place. Well, besides for me, obviously," Garrus said nodding his head in the direction of the turian.

Shepard nodded and made her way over to the turian's table. He had a deep brown hue to his most of his plating and crest. The area around his nose and mouth was a lighter gray. His colony markings were white and covered a significant portion of his face. He wore black and blue business clothes – not armor just like most of the people she had seen on Noveria so far. A non-combatant.

"Afternoon," the turian sounded exceedingly chipper, "Sit down, have a drink. What can I do for you?"

Shepard shook her head, declining the invitation to sit and have a drink.

"Are you Lorik Qui'in? I've heard you might be able to help me," Shepard said.

"You are the Spectre that just arrived, are you not? What could an old turian like me possibly help you with?" Lorik Qui'in asked.

"I'm trying to find a way into the garage. I have places to go," Shepard explained.

"You need a pass. How fortuitous," Lorik said. "I'm the manager of the local Synthetics Insights office. For the moment, at least. Mr. Anoleis closed my office. He claims to be investigating reports of my corruption. The administrator is an interesting man. He has become quite wealthy since he took direct control of rents."

"I sense a connection there," Shepard said coyly.

"Indeed," Lorik said. "I acquired evidence of Anoleis' actions. His hired goons are ransacking my office to find it. I suspect your goal lies outside this port. Mr. Anoleis would be disinclined to let you wander. If you recover the evidence from my office, I will give you my garage pass, as well as a sum of credits."

"You have a plan?" Shepard asked.

"I do. However, there is one other – what is that charming human expression? 'Fly in the lotion'? Violence against Mr. Anoleis' thugs might be necessary. He has members of Hanshan's security team searching my offices. He is paying them under the table. Ms. Matsuo is unaware of their outside employment," Lorik said.

"I'll focus on trying to get your evidence. If I'm lucky, I won't have to fight anyone," Shepard said.

Ha! She somehow doubted she would be lucky. She rarely was.

"Excellent. Here is my pass into our offices. It will activate the elevator. The evidence is on my office computer. This OSD contains an encryption key to access it. Slide it into the drive and it will auto-execute. And do try to keep blood stains off the carpets, would you?" Lorik said handing Shepard the OSD.

"Huh, I kinda like him," Shepard said as they headed for the elevator to Lorik's office.

"Aww, and here I thought I was your favorite turian," Garrus whined.

"You don't see me giving him fancy guns and asking him to watch my back, do you?" Shepard asked.

"Hmmm, fair enough," Garrus said.

Shepard chuckled and glanced at Liara out of the corner of her eye. She clearly had trouble socializing, but she seemed to be a bit quieter than normal. Undoubtedly, her mind was focused on finding her mother. She seemed to be holding it together so far. Shepard considered sending her back to the ship but decided against it as they stepped out of the elevator and were confronted by an ERCS guard.

"Freeze! Hanshan security. This office is sealed," the guard said.

"What'll you do if I don't?" Shepard challenged.

"You're the Spectre right? Lorik Qui'in is under investigation," the woman said.

"I'm going in there, and I don't want to hurt you," Shepard said calmly. "Why don't you just go? We'll pretend this never happened?"

"You want to cause trouble?" the guard asked pulling her weapon.

Stupid, stupid, stupid people. Shepard sighed and pulled her pistol out, shooting the guard with one fluid motion. The others scrambled for cover as Shepard's team did the same. It only took a couple of minutes, if even that to take out the guards; some of them were hiding upstairs. Shepard cleared the area, making sure that every guard was down before heading to Lorik's office. She connected the OSD to Lorik's computer while Garrus watched the door. Just as the data was finishing its transfer, Garrus spoke up.

"Ah, Commander. We have visitors. That Sergeant Stirling from the docks and some more of her men," he said.

"Oh goody," Shepard said as she unplugged the OSD.

She glanced at Garrus and caught the twinkle of amusement in his eyes before he turned back to look through his sniper scope at the group coming up the stairs. Shepard patted his shoulder on the way out.

"Let's see what she has to say before you start shooting, huh?" Shepard said.

Stirling stepped forward to cut off Shepard's exit, "I don't think you're supposed to be in here, Shepard."

"Do you plan on making me leave?" Shepard asked.

"Leave? You think I'm going to let you walk out? Uh-uh. Anoleis would throw you off world for what you did here. I won't. You know what we did to cop killers on my world?" Stirling asked.

"You're men are dirty, Sergeant. You're here off-duty breaking the law for bribe money," Garrus said.

Shepard half shrugged, "I didn't want to fight them. They fired first."

"Well, I don't need a gun to rip you to pieces," Stirling said ordering her men to fire.

Shepard had her pistol already out and was firing before Stirling could take cover. She fired a couple of shots at the Sergeant before turning to shoot the snipers on the lower floor from the balcony. She turned back in time to take out another ERCS guard before he shot Liara. She ordered Liara to use a Singularity, pulling Stirling and another guard in to the swirling mass. A few more shots and they were all dead. Shepard rolled her shoulders and her neck. Garrus checked his thermal clip. Liara looked like she might be a little sick.

"Come on, let's get this back to Lorik Qui'in," Shepard said.

They ran into Parasini on the way off of the elevator. She said there had been reports of noise from the Synthetic Insights offices. Shepard didn't have time for games. She asked the woman what it was she wanted. She didn't seem to like Shepard's unwillingness to play along with her charade as she furrowed her brow and told Shepard to meet her in the bar before she spoke to Lorik Qui'in. Parasini turned and walked away.

"Shepard, I think that there is more to that woman than she is letting on," Liara said.

"I know. Come on, let's go see what she wants," Shepard said.

Shepard entered the bar and saw Parasini standing at a table watching the entrance. Parasini stepped away from the table as Shepard approached.

"Allow me to reintroduce myself. Parasini, Noveria Internal Affairs," Parasini said.

"Why is an Internal Affairs agent here?" Shepard asked blandly.

"The Executive Board knows about Anoleis' corruption. I've been undercover for six months. I want you to convince Qui'in to testify before the Board. With his evidence, this planet can run profitably again," Parasini said.

Shepard spent some time asking Parasini questions about her job and why she couldn't get her own proof. Garrus urged Shepard to help Parasini while Liara remained quiet. Eventually, with Parasini's promise to supply a garage pass for Shepard, she agreed to help the Internal Affairs Agent out.

Shepard pinched the bridge of her nose as she made her way to Lorik.

"Always a pleasure, Spectre. Any news on that matter I asked you to look into?" Lorik asked.

"I finished the job. But an Internal Affairs investigator contacted me. She wants you to testify against Anoleis," Shepard said.

Lorik scowled, "Now that you have my property, you want to dictate how I use it? I have no interest in a public spectacle."

Shepard thought she heard a low growl from Garrus. The sound surprised her, her skin prickled as goosebumps formed along her spine. She started to turn to look at him but stopped, focusing on Lorik. If the turians were going to get into a pissing contest she needed to watch the one she was the most likely to have to shoot. She knew that turian culture employed a tier system, and that one turians rank in that tier system determined how another turian would interact. She wondered who had the higher rank here. She had a feeling that Garrus wasn't one to be swayed much by rank, and wasn't likely to take shit from someone because of their tier.

Shepard sighed, "Everyone on this station is chaffing under Anoleis' extortion. You might end up a hero."

"My employers rely on the goodwill of the Executive Board to work here," Lorik almost whined, changing tactics as his eyes flicked to Garrus.

"The Board is investigating Anoleis. They'll be more angry at him than at you," Garrus said, his subharmonics relating something to the other turian that Shepard couldn't understand.

"Alright! It's obvious that I cannot dissuade you. Very well, I will testify. Make whatever arrangements you need with your contact. I will wait here," Lorik conceded.

Back in Parasini's office, Shepard informed her that Lorik Qui'in had agreed to testify. Parasini gave her some backwards compliment about Shepard being alright for a Spectre. She gave Parasini Lorik's evidence and Parasini gave her a garage pass. Shepard stuck around to watch in amusement as Parasini arrested Anoleis. The asshole salarian had the nerve to demand that Shepard intervene on his behalf. She was seriously starting to wonder if all Spectres had to put up with this much crap or if people just thought that the first human Spectre would be an easy target.

"You enjoyed that," Garrus noted.

"So did you," she replied without returning his gaze.

She heard him chuff in response as they left Parasini's office. Shepard led them to where she had seen signs for the garage. A turian wearing orange and blue and lacking facial markings stood near the stairs. It occurred to her that she didn't recall seeing any on Saren either. Her research on turians had told her that when a one didn't have markings they were referred to as barefaced, and were generally looked down upon and distrusted by turian society.

The turian greeted Shepard and asked them about Anoleis' arrest. He seemed like a decent guy, someone human's would call 'blue collar', a working man and not into business politics. She spared a moment to talk to him about Anoleis and asked a few questions about what was going on around Noveria. She learned that he was the Chief Mechanic for Hanshan and told her she could call him Li since humans had trouble pronouncing his full name. Li wasn't able to really tell her anything that she hadn't already heard, but did help to confirm some of her suspicions. He said that the blizzards happen up on Peak 15 all the time and they've never lost satellite communication before. Shepard was pleased to see that Garrus didn't seem bothered by talking to a barefaced turian. She thought it might have to do with his time in C-Sec. Shepard smiled and told the mechanic she had to go.

She made her way up the staircase and had to show her pass to a guard to get through. She was relieved when they didn't question the pass; Shepard really wouldn't have been surprised to find that Parasini's pass wasn't going to work and she had to jump through more hoops. No sooner than Shepard entered the garage, they were attacked by geth destroyers and stalkers.

"I'd say these are what the Matriarch had in the crates," Garrus said as they all drew their weapons.

Liara and Shepard used their biotics to keep the geth off of their feet as much as possible in between shots. Shepard took a couple of hits but didn't lose her shields. Captain Matsuo came running into the garage with backup.

"What the – What are these things? Fan out and secure the area! No one gets in or out!" she yelled to her men.

Shepard put her gun away and went over to the captain who was shaken and ready to blame Shepard.

"What did you do here, Commander?" Matsuo demanded.

"Me? I'm the victim here! The geth attacked us," Shepard raised her voice in defense.

"Geth? You expect me to – Where did they come from?" Matsuo asked.

"If I were to guess, the Matriarch packed them in the shipping containers she arrived with," Garrus spoke up sounding every bit as annoyed with the woman's obliviousness as Shepard was.

"I don't believe that. We did thorough scans of those. There were no power sources, no element zero masses…" Matsuo said. "If Benezia-sama's containers were packed with these things, there are many more out there."

"I need numbers, Captain. A dozen? A hundred?" Shepard asked glad that the woman was starting to understand that gravity of the situation.

"Dozens at least. They are machines. You could pack them tightly. I must report to the Executive Board. If word gets out about lose geth, there may be an investor panic," Matsuo said before walking away.

"An investor panic," Shepard said shaking her head.

They took one of the vehicles in the garage and made their way through the snow covered pass, stopping frequently to take out geth waiting in ambush along the way. Shepard was grateful for the trail of guide lights along the ridge, visibility was low and without them she likely would have gone over the edge. The geth had erected turrets in several locations which made the road all that much more hazardous. Shepard saw several abandoned vehicles and a few corpses along the way. She couldn't be certain that the geth had killed these people, but it seemed to be the most likely conclusion. She wondered if these were men that Anoleis sent to investigate Peak 15, and if they were, how many of them had to never return before he quit sending more out to die.

The trip took far longer than it would have under normal conditions. Shepard and her team arrived at a building in the mountainside. A vehicle lay flipped over and burning just outside. They left their own vehicle not far from the door and went inside, weapons out and ready. A quick glance at her combat scanner showed that they were already about to face some big nasties. Shepard eased her way through the area; a closed garage door gave her a bit more time to get into position. The door rolled up and she darted behind a crate. A handful of krogan and several geth later they were making their way towards a staircase when an automated message played over the comm system.

"User alert. All Peak 15 facilities have suffered a great deal of damage. Biohazard materials present throughout facility. Virtual Intelligence user interface offline," the voice said.

"We'll need to get the reactors back online," Garrus suggested.

The stairs led up to a walkway that took them around a corner and to a door. The next area had two automated turrets facing inwards instead of out. Shepard was just glad that they weren't shooting at the moment.

"Why are the turrets facing the wrong way?" Liara asked

"They want to keep their people in as much as they want to keep others out," Garrus said.

They followed the hall as it wrapped around to a security room. Shepard took the time to empty out a couple of lockers before moving forward. The next door was locked, and the power seemed to be cut. They backtracked to the elevator and took it up to a walkway. The windows that should have protected the area had been opened at some point and snow filled the hall. Her combat scanner indicated enemy activity ahead. She opened the door to find another area filled with geth and snow. An overturned table provided cover right next to the door. They were making this too easy, Shepard thought. She took out the nearest geth before putting her back to the table.

When the room was cleared, Shepard started to make her way to the stairs. Screeching and the groaning sounds of metal being torn filled the area. Her team formed a triangle with their backs to one another as they looked around trying to locate the source of the noise. Shepard could hear Liara and Garrus talking but she wasn't paying attention to her teammates chatter. Seeing movement on the second floor, Shepard spun to face the threat. Behind the glass was what looked like an insect of nightmarish proportions. It was bigger than the wheels on the Mako. Brown, chitinous plating covered the giant bug's body and two long, whip-like appendages waved around ending in sharp points. Her mouth got a little dry as she indicated the location to her team. Rachni. Crazy rachni. Removed from their mother and driven crazy by her absence; little more than animals at this point. Deadly, creepy, bugs. Keep your distance. They do the most damage if they get close to you. It opened its beak like mouth; spreading apart several sharp plates to make a high pitched screech. Shepard saw Garrus flinch out of the corner of her eye. She knew his hearing was sensitive and hoped that this thing wasn't able to debilitate him with sound. Liara gasped and mumbled something about the Goddess. Before they could move into a better position, a swarm of dinner plate sized bugs filled the area. They rushed straight for her team and when one got close enough, it exploded sending a green toxic substance to splash out over anyone unlucky enough to be in range.

Shepard did her best to shoot the smaller ones before they could get too close but managed to miss one and got splashed. She could hear the sizzle as the ooze made its way through her armor.

"Fuck!" she said before trying to use some of the snow to wash it away.

Cautiously, she made her way up the stairs in time to see one of the larger creatures scuttling her way, and it was no longer alone. Cutting it off before it could get down the stairs; she used a biotic Lift to take it off its feet. Her team open fired on the insect, their shots taking a little more effort to get through the plating but finally it collapsed. The second one was already rushing towards them and before Shepard could give the order, Liara sent it flying into a wall using a Throw.

"What were those things?" Garrus asked.

Shepard had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach telling her she knew they were rachni. Rachni were supposed to have been extinct, wiped out by the krogans but somehow the aliens that had terrified the galaxy enough for the Council to throw the krogans at them where alive and here on Peak 15. She kept her suspicions quiet; she didn't want her team doubting her. Rachni. Yes! You're starting to listen. Good. Good. Can you hear me now? You need to go to Ilos. The Conduit is on Ilos.

"Xenobiology is not my field," Liara said. "Maybe someone in the labs knows."

They encountered two more rachni as the aliens dropped from the ceiling panels in an attempt to ambush her team. They went through another frozen walkway and to another elevator. Shepard was deeply concerned about the presence of rachni here. If they got off of this station, they would spread throughout the galaxy, inciting war. The elevator let them out in a hall with three exits and another swarm of the little green rachni. Workers, we call them. But that's not important. Ilos. Ilos is important. Ilos. Please gods, hear that.

At the far side of the room was an entryway to a power system. Attempts to activate a nearby power junction triggered an automated message telling her that a manual reboot was necessary. Shepard moved through the hall and to the power system. It was a large rounded structure that reached to the ceiling. She had to walk around the outer curve until she found the opening and stepped onto the platform. Activated, the platform lowered her down into the VI's core. There were some missing power stacks that had been pulled from the core, and others seemed to be out of order. Shepard glanced at the mess and got to work knowing exactly what went where. She had that uneasy feeling telling her that it shouldn't be this easy for her but she brushed it aside. With everything in its proper place, the VI systems started to reboot and she rode back up to where Liara and Garrus waited.

A holographic image of a human female appeared, identifying itself as Mira, and offered help in restoring the facility. Shepard identified herself as a Spectre, hoping that would entitle her to more information. Mira confirmed Shepard's status and informed her of her clearance. When Shepard asked about Benezia, Mira informed Shepard that Benezia had taken the tramway to the Rift Station but the tramway system was currently down. Shepard would have to do some repairs to get the trams back up and running. She needed to restart the main reactor and reconnect the landlines. Mira had no information on why the systems were shut down, but suggested it could be due to loose contaminants in the area; the theory being that the cold would kill off or disable any organic or mechanical contaminants. That must be why the area had been opened up and snow was filling the building in various places. There had been a release of contaminants in the Hot Labs just prior to Mira being shut down but Mira refused to tell Shepard the nature of the contaminants stating that she didn't have the clearance for that information. It seemed pretty obvious to her what the contaminants were with the rachni they had already encountered. She just wanted to hear the VI say it out-loud, confirm her fears and clear the way for her to discuss the rachni with her team without sounding insane.

She got all of the information that Mira was able to give her before leaving the VI to find the reactor and landlines. They took an elevator to the roof and had to fight through more rachni to get to the landlines. Shepard activated the automated landline repair system and waited until she was sure it was doing its job before rushing back inside the elevator. She was not a fan of the cold and even less so of snow. They were confronted by another rachni soldier inside the hall leading to the elevator that would take them to the reactor. She made a note to research what was known of the rachni when she got back to the Normandy.

The elevator opened and Shepard took two steps into the room when her combat scanner jammed. Several geth were in the next area posted behind each of the doors. They fought through to the reactor core but more geth came down from the other side before Shepard could restart the reactor. She took a few hard hits and had to use Medi-gel on herself, relying on her team to cover her while she tended to her wounds. Liara and Garrus took down the last geth and returned to Shepard's side. She nodded to them, letting them know she was fine. Liara sighed in relief. Shepard triggered the restart on the reactor before heading for the door.

"Damn it," Shepard cursed when her scanner jammed again, "Where the hell do they keep coming from?"

Shepard saw the juggernaut on a balcony firing down on them. She scanned the balcony until she spotted ramp that led to the balcony and ran for it. Her team was hot on her heels as she shot at two geth stalkers that jumped in their path before reaching the juggernaut. Satisfied that the area was finally clear she continued on towards the trams.

Another rachni soldier popped up out of the floor's ventilation systems right next to her before she could enter the station. Shepard jumped, feeling on edge with all of the damn bugs jumping up from out of nowhere. They finally made it to the elevator and up to the tramway station. Mira's voice activated over the elevator's comm system to inform them that there were loose contaminants trapped in the decontamination area; cutting off passage to the tramway.

"Of course," Shepard grumbled as she stepped off the elevator.

A dead salarian lay on the floor next to his final logs. He pleaded with whoever he was leaving the message for to get out while they could. It looked like he had killed himself rather than to be taken alive by the rachni. Shepard saw a terminal for Mira and accessed it, bringing up the holographic image. Mira wanted Shepard to repair the plasma purge system to clear the contaminants – which Shepard could clearly see were rachni – trapped in the decontamination chamber but she wasn't able to make the repairs herself. She had to convince Mira to open the decontamination chamber so Shepard could kill the rachni manually.

Shepard glanced around the tramway station; it was a relatively open platform with clusters of chairs. The room was clear, so they boarded the tram and hit the button to get it started towards the Rift Station. Liara sat down in one of the seats to watch out the window as the snowy mountain tops passed by in the distance. Shepard remained standing, as did Garrus. When it became apparent that the ride was going to take a while, Shepard finally took a seat next to Liara. They rode in silence for the better part of the trip. At some point Shepard resumed standing and Garrus took that as his cue to rest. Twice he looked up to see Shepard staring at him and she quickly turned her head to stare out the window instead. The third time she didn't bother to look away, holding his gaze instead. Garrus leaned back in his seat and draped his arms across the back. His mandibles fluttered in silent laughter and Shepard's eyes followed them.

"Metal, but softer than you'd probably expect," his flanging voice broke through their staring contest.

"What?" Shepard asked.

"My mandibles, well, the plating in general. You were wondering what they felt like, weren't you? Most humans who haven't been around turians much get curious," Garrus said with a smile. "Go ahead, touch them. Just, ah, leave my cowl alone if you don't mind."

Shepard scoffed and raised an eyebrow. Liara's giggle caught her attention, the asari turned back to look out the window. Garrus continued to watch her, waiting.

"Seriously?" she asked starting to realize he was serious.

"Sure. Most turians wouldn't allow such casual contact, but I'm not most turians," he said.

Shepard straightened, her curiosity getting the better of her she pulled off a glove, "Huh, OK."

She reached out touched Garrus' face, tentatively feeling the warm metallic plating beneath her fingertips. The surface was a bit grainy, but it had given when she gently pushed. She cocked her head, fascinated. She had expected it to be hard, like armor but it wasn't. She moved her fingers down to the protruding mandible and Garrus snapped his razor sharp teeth at her hand making her jump and squeal in a way very unbecoming of her rank. Laughter rang out from but Garrus and Liara. He flinched when she swatted at his arm before sliding her glove back on.

"Damn it, Garrus. You tell no one of this," she turned to look at Liara who was wiping tears from her eyes. "Either of you!"

"Yes, Commander," the both said as their laughter died out.

The tram arrived at the Rift Station. It was quiet and orderly from the outside. Two doors led from the tramway, one was locked and although Shepard thought she could probably bypass it she opted to check the open area first. It led her to two more doors and again, Shepard followed the path of least resistance and went to the opened door and took the elevator up. The doors opened up in front of a man with a gun pointed in their direction. He had others with him, tucked back behind crates. When he saw Shepard and her crew he gave the order to stand down.

"Sorry, we couldn't be sure what was on that tram," the man said.

"Can those things work a train's controls?" Shepard knew it sounded bitchy but she genuinely wanted to know, because if they were smart enough for that they might already be off the station.

"Hell if I know. I'm not assuming any-goddamn-thing," he said. "Look, you're human, and that's enough that I won't shoot. But I'd like to know who you are."

"My name's Shepard. I'm a Spectre," Shepard said.

"Huh. I won't look a heavily armed horse in the mouth. The aliens overran the hot labs last week. Only Han Olar got out, and he ain't all there anymore. The first we knew, the bastards were clawing into my command post. We had a lot more staff then."

"You were taken by surprise and had civilians to protect," Shepard said to boost morale. "You did a good job, Captain."

"Yeah? Sure as hell doesn't feel like it. The board sent an asari to clean up the mess. She went to the hot labs yesterday. We haven't heard from her since," the man said.

"Benezia. Is she still over there?" Shepard asked a part of her wanting to offer reassurances to the Captain but knowing better than to make promises she couldn't keep.

The man shrugged, "I don't know. I don't see what one person could do."

"A Matriarch has the skill to keep herself alive for a long time," Liara said.

Shepard wondered if that was Liara's objective view or wishful thinking.

"There's an emergency elevator out by the trams. This card will let you activate it," he said handing Shepard the keycard. "It can take you down to the hot labs. Oh, and if you need any first aid, Dr. Cohen's downstairs in the med bay."

The Captain wasn't able to give her a lot of information mostly because he just didn't have it to give. She was able to learn that all of the security systems could be controlled from one central station, and that in the event of a crisis, the hot labs was designed to heat up and sink into the ice in the mountain to prevent the spread of whatever catastrophe the labs had let loose. The Captain seemed to believe that the rachni came from inside the labs themselves. Shepard was about to leave him to guard his station when more of the giant insects attacked; jumping up out of the floor's ventilation system. Shepard and her team made quick work of the rachni with a little help from the Captain and his men.

"Thanks for the help," he sounded distraught. "Every few hours, a group comes up the tram tunnel. It's actually better since we locked down the elevator."

"I'll do whatever I can," Shepard said; she just hoped that was enough.

"I don't know why they keep throwing themselves against our defenses. Even animals should learn not to stick their noses where it hurts," the Captain said.

The door behind the captain eventually led to a room where many civilians were gathered. Most of them looked exhausted and scared. A few had sustained minor injuries and were resting quietly. An asari stood alone, calm and passive. She wore a green lab uniform, which really brought out the green undertones of her skin.

"What?" the asari snapped at Shepard when she stopped in front of her.

"You seem less upset about this situation than the others," Shepard said.

"That is one of the virtues of the mediation you interrupted," the asari said.

Don't trust her. She's working with Benezia. She's going to ambush you. You're going to have to kill her.

"Do you know Matriarch Benezia?" Shepard asked not liking the asari's attitude.

"Why ask me and not your friend?" she said looking at Liara.

"Because I do not know anything about the Matriarch," Liara insisted.

"Then why would I?" she asked.

"You're a member of the science teams?" Shepard asked trying to ignore the snark.

"Recently transferred, yes," the asari said.

"What do you do here?" Shepard continued to push.

"Molecular genetics. I specialize in biotic-enhanced allele specific hybridization," the asari said.

"Think you could translate that into galactic?" Shepard asked giving back a bit of her own attitude.

The asari sighed, "It's a genetic thing. Forget it."

"That's all for now," Shepard said with a head tilt.

She knew if she didn't walk away she was risking punching the asari in her pretty blue nose. She stopped to talk to an elcor and made a few purchases from him before moving on to speak to the other scientists in the room. Most of them were pretty shaken up and didn't have much to say. Shepard spotted a salarian resting on a cot and decided to try her luck with him. She didn't have a lot of experiences with salarians, but from what she had seen their species tended to stay calmer under stressful situations than most. She felt bad for disturbing the doctor, especially since he didn't turn out to be the fountain of information she had hoped for. She left him to rest and made her way to the med bay.

Several cots lined the walls and every one was filled with a patient, groaning with discomfort. A human doctor stood near a terminal. She hoped that whatever was wrong with his patients wasn't contagious. The doctor was as jumpy as most of the other scientists in the labs. His non-disclosure agreement kept him from saying much but he did tell her that they had come in contact with a toxin. He was working on an antidote when the VI went offline and most of the automated equipment stopped working. Everything he needed to complete the cure was locked in the quarantined labs, but he wasn't permitted to enter. He said he told Captain Ventralis that the toxin would have cleared by now, but he still refused to lift the quarantine. Shepard offered to try and convince Ventralis to allow her team to go in after the antidote.

It took a little sweet talking but a few minutes later Shepard was headed to the quarantine area. She found the volus, Han Olar, who was the sole survivor of the original rachni attack and stopped to talk to him. Traumatized by the event, Han didn't seem to be holding it together very well. Shepard felt an odd sense of relief mixed with rising dread and panic when the volus confirmed that the insects they had encountered were indeed rachni.

"Rachni? That's preposterous," Liara insisted.

Shepard didn't waste any time trying to debate what she already knew to be truth.

"Where did they come from?" she asked Han.

"They found it in a derelict ship. An egg. Waiting since the last battles. They brought it here-," Han Olar said when he was cut off by a human male.

"Shut up! God. You want to get us killed?" the scientist yelled at Han.

Han shook his head at the man, the sounds of his respirator punctuating his point, "I don't have any control over who lives of dies here. Do you?"

A turian shook his head in disgust, "If you're going to be crazy, be the quiet kind."

"Crazy? I'm sane. God, am I sane," Han said.

Shepard waited for the volus to pay attention to her again before asking him how he had gotten out of the hot labs alive.

His respirator filled the moment of silence, "I killed her."

"Who?" Liara asked.

"Doctor Zhonmua. We were going to lunch when the alarms went off. I ran into the tram. And I closed the doors. She banged on the window once. Then they sliced her to pieces. Her head came apart like a melon. I closed the door. I killed her," Han said between deep breaths.

Shepard watched the volus carefully for a moment. He was definitely not stable, and understandably so. Still, he might be of some use. She hated seeing people as tools and she didn't want to push Han past is breaking point – especially when he was already so close to it but right now her mission took priority over the mental health of one volus.

"Tell me what you know. I'll make your survival mean something," Shepard said as delicately as she could muster.

"You think I want absolution? There is none," Han said.

"Could Matriarch Benezia survive in the hot labs?" Shepard asked.

"It's possible. The specimens were sensitive to biotics," Han said.

Shepard left the volus to replay the nightmare in his head. She knew he would. She knew he must. She had done the same after the slaver attacks on Mindoir. After Akuze. After all of the horrible deaths she had seen and caused in her line of work. The killing got easier, but she never really forgot the death. The guard outside of the quarantined area reminded her that Ventralis said that she had to be clear of the toxin herself before she'd be allowed back out of the lab. Shepard didn't say anything, but she'd be coming back out of that lab one way or the other. He let her in the lab and she made her way over to the desk. She found the doctor's notes and spent some time studying them before attempting to mix the cure. She was grateful to have Liara with her, even if this wasn't Liara's field of expertise the asari was able to make more sense out of the notes than Shepard was. The antidote took time to mix, apparently the components had to be added at very specific intervals but Liara believed they had it right.

She gathered the vials and the notes before turning to leave the room, only to find that the asari she had spoken to before had entered the lab with a few geth friends of her own.

"Your mission ends here, Shepard," the bitchy asari said.

"Ambush," Garrus muttered pointing out the obvious.

Shepard didn't have time for this shit. She didn't waste time trying to talk the asari down, she knew it would be pointless and she highly doubted she would give her any information.

"She's surrounded by geth and pointing a gun at us. Shoot her!" Shepard said.

"You're not as stupid as you look," the asari said just before Shepard shot her in the face.

The fight lasted mere seconds; her team was damn good and efficient. Liara may not be a soldier, but she was deadly with her biotics. They left the lab to find the guard lying on the floor, blue blood trickled from the back of his head. Han waved her down when he saw her and pointed to the maintenance area saying it was where the geth came from and told Shepard that Benezia brought them with her. He didn't seem to realize that they were actually geth and not merely mechs. She wasn't going to tell him. He had enough on his plate.

She delivered the antidote to Dr. Cohen and told him about the asari's attack. He seemed genuinely shocked. He told Shepard that the asari, Alestia, had only arrived at the labs a month prior after a shareholder pulled some strings to get her there. Shepard knew that shareholder had to be Saren; Garrus but voice to the same thought. Shepard asked Cohen how she could get into the maintenance area; if it was where the geth had come from then it was where she needed to be. Dr. Cohen gave Shepard his pass key and some extra Medi-gel after warning her that the guards had seemed more on edge since Shepard's arrival.

They went back to the maintenance door that Han had pointed out to her. It opened into a tunnel cut through the mountain. At the end of the tunnel was a door, but in front of that door was a rachni soldier. They were getting good at taking out the monstrous insects. Shepard didn't even have to stop walking as she fired her gun at the alien. Shepard made her way through several doors before she entered a room and saw an asari standing at the top of a set of stairs looking at something through an observation window. Shepard wasn't close enough to get a good look at her but she could tell by Liara's sharp intake of breath that this was Benezia. They approached with caution, scanning the area but saw no one else around.

"You do not know the privilege of being a mother," Benezia said as they neared. "There is power in creation. To shape a life. Turn it towards happiness or despair."

Shepard was close enough now that she could see the biggest rachni yet trapped in a container behind the observation window. The thing had to be at least as big as the Mako. Benezia turned to look briefly at Shepard as she spoke, her eyes barely flickering over Liara before turning back to the rachni.

"Her children were to be ours. Raised to hunt and slay Saren's enemies," Benezia continued before walking a few steps towards the stairs. "I won't be moved by sympathy. No matter who you bring into this confrontation."

"Liara's here because she wants to be. Not because I asked her to," Shepard said; feeling Liara shift behind her.

"Indeed? What have you told her about me, Liara?" Benezia asked.

"What could I say, Mother? That you're insane? Evil? Should I explain how to kill you? What could I say?" Liara said rising to near frantic tones.

"Have you ever faced an asari commando unit before? Few humans have," Benezia said.

"I can't believe you'd kill your own daughter," Shepard said in disgust.

She wasn't even trying to explain herself. She was showing absolutely no emotion at all. Liara might as well have been any other asari for as much mind as Benezia was showing her. Shepard hadn't expected Liara's presence to make Benezia repent and beg for forgiveness but she had expected something, anything but this.

"I now realize I should have been stricter with her," Benezia said as if that somehow justified her actions.

Benezia lit up with blue energy and before Shepard had time to react she found herself paralyzed as she was caught in Benezia's Stasis. Commandos rushed into the room and Benezia stepped back, partially hidden by the support beams while Shepard was helpless. The Stasis subsided and Shepard wasted no time firing on the commandos and giving orders to her team. Benezia called in more reinforcements as the first wave fell, geth and commandos this time. Shepard was able to take cover as they continued the assault. Wave after wave Benezia threw at them, using her biotics to barricade herself. Shepard tried taking shots at the matriarch but they weren't getting through. The woman was incredibly powerful; Shepard had no choice but to keep fighting her minions until she had an opening. Eventually, Benezia's strength began to falter and Shepard moved in on the matriarch.

"This is not over," Benezia said. "Saren is unstoppable. My mind is filled with his light. Everything is clear."

"Start talking, Benezia. What's Saren's next move?" Shepard demanded.

Benezia had regained enough strength to stand again, but she kept her back to Shepard. Shepard wasn't concerned. She knew how much that show of biotic power had to have taken from the woman and she was not in a position to put up much more fight.

Benezia looked over her shoulder briefly at Shepard, "I will not betray him. You will – You…"

Benezia's speech began to falter and she put her hands down on the console in front of her. She shook her head as she spoke, as if trying to clear her mind of some disturbing thought. She suddenly turned to face Shepard, her eyes bright and urgency written on her face.

"You must listen. Saren still whispers in my mind. I can fight his compulsions. Briefly. But the indoctrination is strong," Benezia said stepping towards Shepard.

"Are you saying he brainwashed you?" Shepard asked with a raised eyebrow. Indoctrinated. It isn't Saren doing it though, but Sovereign. The reapers have a way of compelling people to their side, making them behave in ways that they never would have before. A way of making them believe that the destruction the reapers will bring is what is best. They're crazed, and will fight to the death to help bring back the reapers. I think maybe… I think sometimes that maybe… I don't know. We spend a lot of time near reapers fighting them. What if we only think we're fighting against them?

"People are not themselves around Saren. You come to idolize him. Worship him. You would do anything for him," Benezia took a few more steps. "The key is Sovereign, his flagship. It is a dreadnought of incredible size and its power is extraordinary."

"Sovereign's not like other ships. Where did it come from?" asked Shepard.

He was created by the Intelligence, the AI created by the Leviathans to bring order to the chaos. It turned on its creators, harvesting them and turning them into the reapers. The reapers are nothing but the Intelligence's tools. It is psychotic, it thinks that all of this death and destruction, the horrors it creates somehow is order but it's the most chaotic thing to have ever existed.

"I cannot say. The geth did not build it. Its technology is far more advanced than that of any known species. The longer you stay aboard, the more Saren's will seems correct. You sit at his feet and smile as his words pour into you," Benezia explained. "It is subtle at first. I thought I was strong enough to resist. Instead, I became a willing tool, eager to serve. He sent me here to find the location of the Mu Relay. Its position was lost thousands of years ago."

Shepard shook her head, "Someone on Noveria found it?"

"Two thousand years ago, the rachni inhabited that region of our galaxy. They discovered the relay. The rachni can share memories across generations. Queens inherit the knowledge of their mothers. I took the location of the relay from the queen's mind. I was not gentle," Benezia said hanging her head.

"Why does Saren need the Mu Relay?" Shepard asked.

"He believes it will lead him to the Conduit. I would tell you more if I could, but Saren did not share his counsel with me. I was merely a servant to his cause," said Benezia.

"You can still make it right. Give me the information," Shepard said gesturing to the rachni queen in her tank.

"I was not myself, but – I should have been stronger," Benezia closed the distance to Shepard and held out her hand. "I transcribed the data to an OSD. Take it. Please."

Liara finally spoke up, "Knowing the relay's coordinates is not enough. Do you know where he planned to go from there?"

"Saren wouldn't tell me his destination. But you must find it quickly. I transmitted the coordinates to him before you arrived. You have to stop – me. I can't – his teeth are at my ear. Fingers on my spine. You should – Uh, you should-," Benezia shook her head again and turned her back, walking away from Shepard.

Liara took a panicked step towards her mother, "Mother, I – Don't leave! Fight him!"

Benezia glanced over her shoulder at her daughter, "You've always made me proud, Liara."

Benezia turned back around to face Shepard and her team, her eyes empty once more, "Die!"

Benezia charged her biotics, pulling the blue energy up around her. Liara didn't hesitate to shoot her mother, Garrus and Shepard at her side firing too even as more commandos ran into the room. Benezia fell to her knees, severely wounded and all of the fight gone from her. Shepard moved to cover shooting at the asari across the walkway. Biotics were being thrown all over the place. Shepard fell to the ground; her body twisting when a commando's Warp hit her. As soon as she could she was back on her feet and behind cover using a Lift to take the commando off her feet while Garrus finished her off in the air. Shepard checked to make sure the room was clear before running back to Benezia. She hoped there was time to save the matriarch, for Liara's sake. Better to have a mother in prison than dead by your own hand.

"I cannot go on. You will have to stop him, Shepard," Benezia said pulling herself up from the floor.

"Hold on. We've got Medi-gel, maybe we can-," Shepard started to say.

"No," the matriarch said forcefully. "He is still in my mind. I am not entirely myself. I never will be again.

Benezia started to stumble back; her hand went to her forehead.

"Mother…," Liara said the desperation in her voice breaking Shepard's heart.

"Good night, Little Wing. I will see you again with the dawn," Benezia said as her back hit the observation window and she slumped to the floor. "No light? They always said there would be – Ah…"

Benezia breathed her final; her head hung loose on her neck. Shepard reached out hand and gently squeezed Liara's shoulder. Shepard left Liara to say her goodbyes. She stood in front of the observation window with an arm resting against the glass as she looked at the rachni inside. Garrus moved to stand watch over the area. Suddenly the rachni lunged towards the glass, opening its mouth wide. Shepard stumbled back bumping into something; she spun on her heel and came face to face with one of the commandos. Shepard's gun came up at the asari but she quickly realized the woman wasn't attacking. Confused, Shepard took a step back watching as the asari staggered towards the rachni's tank. Her feet didn't seem to work right and her eyes were closed. She looked like a puppet being pulled by its strings. The asari got next to the tank and then turned to face Shepard. Her eyes opened but did not focus; instead they rolled upwards in her skull while her mouth hung slack. The asari started to speak; a second fainter, whispered tone seemed to echo her words.

"This one serves as our voice. We cannot sing in these low spaces. Your musics are colorless," the asari twitched as she spoke.

"Musics? What?" Shepard asked glad to see that Garrus and Liara were at her side again.

"Your way of communicating is strange. Flat. It does not color the air. When we speak, one moves all. We are the mother. We sing for those left behind. The children you thought silenced. We are rachni," the asari said.

Shepard took a few steps forward to stand in front of the observation glass next to the dead asari. She peered in at the rachni, listening to the voice of a ghost speak through a corpse. Shepard addressed the rest of her questions directly to the rachni queen.

"How are you speaking through her?" Shepard asked wondering if the commando was in pain.

"Our kind sing through touchings of thought. We pluck the strings, and the other understands. She is weak to urging. She has colors we have no names for. But she is ending. Her music is bittersweet. It is beautiful. The children we birthed were stolen from us before they could learn to sing. They are lost to silence. End their suffering. They cannot be saved. They will only cause harm as they are," the rachni queen said.

Shepard turned her back to the tank and crossed her arms to watch the asari. If she understood the queen correctly, the asari was still technically alive and in the process of dying. The asari's head turned to Shepard, her eyes moving to track Shepard. She wasn't sure if that was the rachni's doing or if the asari still had some small level of control over her own body. She must be terrified, Shepard thought.

"I don't understand. Why are your children killing people?" Shepard asked.

"These needle-men. They stole our eggs from us. They sought to turn our children into beasts of war. Claws with no songs of their own. Our elders are comfortable with silence. Children know only fear if no one sings to them. Fear has shattered their minds," the rachni said.

"I understand," Liara said. "A child left alone in a closet until she is sixteen would not be sane."

"If you're sure they can't be saved," Shepard said.

"It is lamentable. But necessary. Do what you must," the queen said. "Before you deal with our children, we stand before you. What will you sing? Will you release us? Are we to fade away once more?"

"The rachni were a threat to the galaxy," Garrus said. "Those tanks are filled with acid. If she gets out of hand, they dissolve her."

Liara didn't seem to like Garrus' take on things, "They made a mistake. They let the krogan go too far. This is a chance for us to atone. She has done nothing to us."

"Your companions hear the truth. You have the power to free us, or return our people to the silence of memory," the rachni queen said.

"If I let you live, would you attack other races again?" Shepard asked knowing there was no way for her to tell if the rachni was lying.

"No. We – I do not know what happened in the war. We only heard discordance, songs the color of oily shadows. We would seek a hidden place to teach our children harmony. If they understand, perhaps we would return," the asari's trembling worsened.

"Are you a survivor from the war? A clone?" Shepard asked.

"We do not know. We were only an egg, hearing Mother cry in our dreams. A tone from spaces hushed one voice after another. It forced the singers to resonate with its own sour yellow note. Then we awoke, in this place. The last echo of those who came out from the Singing Planet. The sky is silent," the rachni queen said.

The reapers. They indoctrinated the rachni, made them fight, made them turn against the rest of the galaxy. Maybe, I don't know. Dr. Bryson thought it might have been the Leviathan's controlling them. It doesn't matter. Let her live, she will ally herself with us to fight the reapers. If you kill her, they will create a new queen, as insane as they are and will use her to spawn more rachni for them to corrupt and mutate. If you let this one live, they will capture her, and they will torture her and her children but you will find her again. We can save her again and she will help to turn the tides of war. Killing her gains nothing. Listen to me. DO NOT KILL HER!

Shepard winced before crossing her arms, "I won't destroy your entire race. You'll go free."

Shepard knew that the Council would condemn her actions but she couldn't bring herself to see things their way. This was quite likely the last living member of a sentient species thought long dead, well aside from her children but as the queen said, they were a lost cause and would have to be put down. She knew that the rachni were a very dangerous species, but if she understood what the queen was saying something had happened to the rachni all those years ago that made them all go… rabid. Maybe it was actually some sort of disease that had passed along the population, but whatever it was the likelihood that it would be a problem again seemed slim to none. This queen, Shepard didn't think she intended to cause problems. She didn't sound like she was filled with hate, hell bent on revenge. Maybe it was stupid of her to think this way, how could she really know but she just felt it deep in her bones. Saving the rachni queen was the right choice to make.

"You will give us the chance to compose anew? We will remember. We will sing of your forgiveness to our children," the queen said.

Shepard stepped closer to the window watching the rachni queen. Looking into her eyes was so unlike any other species she had encountered. Nothing familiar resided there. Nothing for Shepard to latch on to and call sincerity. No emotion at all for her to comprehend in those eyes. She desperately hoped that she wouldn't regret this but she couldn't commit this act of genocide. Shepard released the hatch that held the queen's container. The container moved up and away from Shepard. The commando dropped to the ground as the queen released her hold on the asari. The rachni turned to watch Shepard; making a soft screech and chittering noises at her before she turned and fled the container.

Liara slipped a hand onto Shepard's shoulder, giving her a gentle squeeze as Shepard had done for her earlier. Shepard turned to look at the other woman. Liara offered Shepard a weak smile, tears still stained her face.

"It was the right thing, Shepard," Liara said.

Shepard didn't turn to look at Garrus, she was afraid she might see disappointment or something worse in his eyes. The thought made her stomach clench. She glanced at Benezia, she hurt for Liara but she knew they couldn't take Benezia with them. This place was too dangerous for them to be slowed down or to have anyone unable to fight because they were carrying a body.

"I'm sorry, Liara," Shepard began.

Liara shook her head, "It is alright, Shepard. That is not my mother any longer."

An alarm began to sound. Shepard saw that the way they entered was now locked behind them. She took them through a door on the opposite wall. The door led to stairs which led to another door; more stairs, more doors. They finally passed through a door and found themselves back out on the tramway platform. They weren't finished here though, so she took the door to her right and made her way back down the elevator for the hot labs. She was going to have to evacuate everyone she could and sink this building into the mountain. The area was empty except for one lone injured man, sitting on a chair in the middle of the room.

"Are you here to secure the situation?" The man asked.

Garrus and Liara spread out to watch the doors while Shepard talked to the man. He told her everything he knew about the rachni and how they had gotten into this mess.

"Once the purge is armed we'll have to fight our way out. Give us a minute to patch up and rearm," Shepard said.

"Sure, sure. I wait here. I am not so much good for searching now, yes? Ha. Mother always say I would meet a bad end," the man said.

Shepard changed out her thermal clips and told Garrus and Liara to do the same. She took a moment to check her wounds and apply more Medi-gel to the weeping areas. When Shepard was ready she spoke to the man with the Russian accent again.

"I am feeling not so well," he said.

"How do we set off the purge?" Shepard asked.

"Arming controls are nearby. All you do is insert the key. Then I will give Mira destruct co- UH!" the man screamed as a spiked tentacle ripped through his back and out of his chest.

Shepard had her gun up as she turned to see a rachni finish crawling out of the vent, hissing at Shepard. It flung the man's body across the room. She open fired on the rachni, as shots rang out from Garrus and Liara's locations. The rachni fell to the ground and Shepard rushed over to the man. She knew there was nothing to be done for him, he was dead within seconds but she needed to see if he had that authorization code on him somewhere. She turned his corpse over and began rifling through his pockets. She heard Liara gasp behind her but didn't waste time trying to explain her actions.

With a little luck, Shepard found the code on a small datapad in the man's pocket. She found a Mira console in the control room and activated the VI. Shepard read off the code to the VI. Mira activated the neutron purge process and automatically synced Shepard's omni-tool with the countdown timer; 120 seconds. That's all they had to get the hell off that station. Of course, every damn rachni on the station was now swarming in on her location. She wasn't going to be able to fight them all, she had no choice but to shoot and run; duck and weave to get through the crowd of aliens. Shepard was half dead by the time they made it to the elevator. She had taken point so her team wouldn't take the brunt of the damage. She felt Garrus' hand slip under her arm, holding her up as they ran. As soon as she could she closed the elevator door and waited for the Medi-gel release to recharge. The elevator opened and they ran for the tram.