Chapter 43: Two Birds, One Stone

Shepard stretched, rolling over to find Thane's side of the bed empty, the sheets cold. Opening her eyes she glanced around the room, finding him sitting on the floor, eyes closed in meditation. She smiled, pushing herself up and out of the bed, grabbing her robe and slipping it on. He held his hand out to her, eyes still closed, inviting her to join him, so she did. Sitting on the floor in front of him, she shut her eyes and listened, finding his breathing pattern and matching it with her own.

They sat there, sharing their moment of silent contemplation for countless minutes until the door to her cabin slid open. She opened her eyes, glancing up the stairs to find Garrus step inside carrying a steaming mug. The rich scent of Grundan Krul's coffee hit her nose a moment later, ratcheting her smile up a notch.

Shepard leaned over, pressing a quick kiss to Thane's mouth. "Sorry, coffee trumps meditation."

He chuckled, rising to his feet with her. "You wound me."

She winked at him. Making her way up the stairs to greet Garrus, she took the coffee from his hand before rising up on her tiptoes to kiss him. "Good morning."

"Hmmm. Easy for you to say. You weren't woken up an hour early by a sadistic AI acting on the orders of an even more sadistic commander. I think you made your point when you told him you were going to make him the Shadow Broker." He wrapped a hand around her waist and leaned down, pressing his forehead to hers. "Good morning."

Shepard grinned, lifting the cup to her mouth, blowing away the steam before taking a sip and moaning. "I meant to tell her to forget the wakeup call, but I got distracted."

He chuffed. "If you're trying to shift the blame to Thane, it's not going to work."

"Oh no, I take full responsibility. The distraction was entirely my doing." She took another drink from her mug, fighting back the urge to go into detail of just how distracting her night was more for Thane's modesty than Garrus' sake.

Thane coughed; the quiet, delicate sound he made when embarrassed or—as she'd come to realize—to announce his presence when approaching from behind. Which it reason made him cough now, she wasn't sure, and glancing over her shoulder at him told her nothing of what he might be thinking. He made his way up the stairs, stopping at her side, resting a hand on the small of her back.

"Do you require my presence to speak with the Admiralty Board this morning, siha?" He leaned over to kiss her when she shook her head. "Then I shall return to the life support, the drier air will do me some good."

She winced but nodded her head. "EDI? Can you adjust the humidity level in the cabin when Thane's with me? Make it closer to the levels of life support?"

"As you wish, Shepard," EDI said.

"That is kind of you. Thank you, siha, and you EDI." He rubbed small circles on her back before dropping his hand, tucking both hands behind his back.

"You are quite welcome, Thane." EDI's hologram collapsed, folding in on itself before disappearing again.

He dipped his head to Garrus who returned the gesture before making his way to the door. Garrus turned to the side, watching the door close behind Thane before pulling out her desk chair, motioning for her to sit down. She pursed her lips, but sat down, sipping her coffee. His gaze roamed over her, his talons drumming a beat on the surface of her desk. She arched an eyebrow, watching him over the top of her mug. She could tell he had something he wanted to say, so she waited him out.

His mandibles fluttered, and he squatted down in front of her, resting his hands on her knees. "I received a message from an old friend back at C-Sec … Anderson's been arrested, though the charges have been classified on Council orders." He eased the cup from her hands, setting it down on the desk before closing his hands around her waist. "I'm sorry, Dawn."

Tears, hot and stinging like acid, filled her eyes. She took a shuddering breath, fighting back the panic she felt welling up inside, threatening to drag her back down into the abyss. Squeezing her eyes shut, she shook her head, trying to remember a time when she didn't feel like she hovered on the brink of a complete mental breakdown.

"I'm sorry …." Jane whispered in her mind. "I'm so, so sorry."

"Yeah … me, too," Shepard thought. She could feel the pain the news caused Jane just as much as she could her own; just as much as she could the echoes coming from—she supposed—those she'd absorbed. Leaning forward, she wrapped her arms around his neck, hiding her face in the crook of her arm. She clung to him, using him as an anchor, keeping her afloat in the sea of grief threatening to sweep her away.

He held her, letting her cry for a few minutes before he pulled back, brushing her tears away with his thumb. "Come on. Come with me." He tugged at her, helping her to her feet before leading her to the bathroom. Starting the shower, he adjusted the knobs until the room started to fill with steam. "I'll be right back." He stepped out of the bathroom, leaving her by herself.

She took the moment alone to use the toilet and blow her nose before stripping off her robe and stepping into the shower, sucking in a breath as the nearly scalding water pelted her skin. A couple of minutes later, Garrus returned, having undressed. He got in the shower with her, wrapping his arms around her again. He hummed, the vibrations passing into her, low and soothing, warming her from the inside as the water warmed her from the outside.

When at last her shoulders stopped shaking with her sobs, Garrus let go of her, picking up her soap and a washcloth. He worked up a lather and then began washing her, first her arms, and then her chest and stomach. He cleaned her, front and back, being so gentle … he was so rarely gentle anymore, even in their most tender moments. She had only herself to blame, everything she put him through … how could she expect him to not come out the other side a little harder, a little colder than ever before? He worked so hard to hide it from her, and most days he succeeded, but she could still see it when she looked in his eyes.

Not this time, though. When she met his gaze as he rinsed out the washcloth, all she saw was love and a shared sorrow. Garrus draped the washcloth over the railing before pulling her back into his embrace, shifting them beneath the shower's spray until he shared it with her. She rubbed her face against the slick plating of his chest, finding she wanted desperately to be as close to him as humanly possible. He hummed, his fingers kneading at the tight muscles in the back of her neck.

She looked up, sliding her hands around his neck, pulling him down to her. She kissed him, letting her hands trail over his body, her fingers searching out the sensitive, bare hide where plates didn't form.

Pulling his mouth from hers, he chuffed, cupping her face. "And here I am trying to be a good, supportive boyfriend." Brushing his thumb over her jaw, his voice took on a more serious tone. "You're hurting, Dawn. I just want to be here for you, I didn't come in here to seduce you."

"I know." She pushed her forehead against his. "I know, and I love you so much for being here. I just … I need to be closer to you." She raked her teeth over her lip and whispered, "Make love to me, Garrus."

His mandibles flared and he hummed, nearly a growl, deep in his chest. Returning his mouth to hers, he edged her backwards until her back pressed against the wall. Hooking his hands beneath her ass, he lifted her, wrapping her legs around his waist. He made love to her, there in the shower surrounded by steam and heat, with the same gentle touch he'd used to wash her.

She missed the soft moments with him so much. Not that she had anything to complain about with the sex they did have, but there were times when she missed the tenderness that once came so easy, so natural to him. Her heart swelled in her chest with his every thrust, making her feel as if nothing else in the entire galaxy mattered in those shared moments; not the reapers or the collectors, not the leviathans, nor the threat of being charged with treason. Not even the thought of Anderson, locked away in some cell because of her, could touch her with Garrus inside of her.

When they were finished, he dried her off, wrapping her in a towel before tending to himself. She watched him as he dressed, taking in the sharp angles of his body and wondering if he knew just how beautiful he really was. Pulling on her own clothes, she smiled, feeling lighter than she had in days, even if she knew it wouldn't last. She looked up when his arms slipped around her from behind. He nudged the side of her head with his and she smiled, reaching up to run her fingers over his mandible.

"I love you." He pulled her in against him a little tighter.

"I love you, too. More than I'll ever have the words to express." She turned in his arms to kiss him. "I'm sorry I've put you through so much hell, Garrus. Thank you for sticking with me through all of this."

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be." He flared his mandibles, taking a deep breath. "Now, are you ready to go try to convince the entire quarian race they need to make peace with their mortal enemies?"

She scoffed, chuckling. "No, but I'm going to anyway. Let's just hope it goes better than things did with the leviathans."

His mandibles fluttered, glaciers inching back in over his eyes, and she frowned, cursing herself. He kissed her again—even his mouth against hers feeling a little more distant—before letting her go to put on his armor. She sighed, heading up the stairs to drain her cold coffee before going into the bathroom to run the brush through her hair, already feeling the heaviness settling back in around her shoulders.

"He's just trying to protect himself a little," Jane said.

"I know. I'm not holding it against him, but it still hurts," she whispered, setting the brush back down on the counter.

Shepard met Garrus at the door, and they took the elevator down together, standing next to each other in silence. After a quick trip to the mess to grab a protein bar and refill her coffee, they made their way to the comm room, asking EDI to call in the quarians and Legion. Lia and Legion were the first to arrive, inseparable as always, it seemed. The young quarian held the geth's arm as he led her through the door.

"Hey, you. You ready for your big moment?" Shepard flashed her—what she hoped was—a reassuring smile.

Lia's grip tightened on Legion, and she gave her head a little shake. "Honestly? I'm a little terrified. What if they don't listen? What if they arrest me instead?"

Shepard crossed her arms over her chest. "We're not going to let that happen."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Lia dropped Legion's arm and began wringing her hands. "Shepard, if the Admiralty Board wants to arrest me … I don't want to be the cause for bloodshed between you and my people."

Shepard drew her brow in, a frown tugging at her lips. She opened her mouth to speak, but only thought to herself instead, "Gods, what must she think of me and all of this?"

"Our hands aren't exactly clean of blood." Jane left Shepard with the impression of her shrugging. "We're soldiers. Spectres. We make the tough calls, we always have. And it's resulted in a lot of bloodshed."

"Not helping," Shepard thought.

"Sorry," Jane said.

The door slid open, letting Tali and Kal inside, drawing Lia's attention away from Shepard. Garrus settled a hand down on Shepard's shoulder, squeezing gently before letting it fall away again. She cleared her throat and turned her smile on the two new additions.

"Good morning." She pressed her palms to the table, leaning forward. "We're not far from the Migrant Fleet. Joker's ready to hail them whenever we're ready. Before we do, though, I thought we should discuss a few things." She paused while they all nodded their agreement. "For starters, we need to decide exactly what we want to tell them. I also think it might be best if we can attempt to convince the Admiralty Board—or at least one of them—to come aboard the Normandy. If we can discuss the situation with them here before bringing Legion to the Migrant Fleet, it might help prevent some of the panic."

Kal shook his head. "I'm sorry, Commander. The Admiralty Board will never convene outside of the Flotilla. All meetings of the Admiralty Board are held in the open where all quarians can give their input. There are no secrets among the quarian people. There's also no way to have all of the admirals away from the Fleet at the same time. It goes against our laws."

Shepard nodded her head. "I figured it'd be a long shot. What are the chances of getting just one or two of them to come aboard?"

He lifted his shoulder. "There's nothing against it, if you can convince them. I think you'd have to give them a damn good reason. No offense, ma'am, but this is a Cerberus vessel."

"Well, maybe Auntie Raan. I think she might come if I ask." Tali glanced between Shepard and Kal.

"We should try for Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib, too." Jane laughed. "If nothing else, we won't miss our chance to hear him defend the Qwib-Qwib, or talk about respectably named ships. Because there's nothing odd about being named Zaal'Koris vas Defrahnz or vas Iktomi."

She ducked her head to hide her grin. "Shala'Raan would definitely be a good choice. I'd really like to try to get Zaal'Koris if we can. His views on the geth will make him the easiest to convince."

Tali scoffed, crossing her arms and cocking a hip. "Good luck with that, Shepard. Admiral Zaal'Koris hates me."

"Tell her it's not true," Jane said. "He doesn't hate her."

"Jane says it's not true," Shepard said, shaking her head. "He doesn't trust your father because of his goals of using force to take back Rannoch, and some of his mistrust extends to you, but he doesn't hate you."

"Oh. Well, I guess that's good to know, but I still don't see it happening." Tali lifted her shoulders before letting them drop again, shaking her head.

"I … I might be able to convince the admiral to come aboard if you can get me in contact with him." Lia stepped up to the table, Legion moving at her side. "He was born on the Ulnay. I don't know if it will hold much weight with him, but even though a quarian changes ships after the Pilgrimage, we tend to keep ties to our birth ship as well, and I had hoped to join the Qwib-Qwib after my Pilgrimage."

"Excellent. Tali, is there a way for us to get in touch with him privately?" Shepard raised her eyebrows, hope and Jane's humor starting to lift her spirits again.

Tali and Kal shared a look before she met Shepard's gaze again, pulling her shoulders up and in. "I don't have his personal contact information. I suppose Auntie Raan would. Maybe if I talk to her first, I can convince her to put us in contact with Zaal'Koris."

"Sounds like our best shot." Shepard pushed away from the table, pacing the floor. "Assuming you're able to convince the admirals to come aboard, how do the three of you want to handle sharing the news?"

"I think we should start by talking with them without Legion," Tali said, glancing over at the geth. "Sorry, no offense Legion. I just think we should prepare them before we introduce you to them. With the history between the geth and the quarians …."

"No, she's right. If you're going to do this, it needs to be handled as delicately as possible. In my time, the decision came while they were staring down geth ships in the middle of a war, there wasn't time for delicacy, but there also wasn't time for mass hysteria."

"We do not experience offense, Creator Zorah." Legion shifted next to Lia, turning his head to look at her.

"She's right. If we bring them in here and throw her in a room with Legion with no warning, they're not going to be calm enough to listen to reason." Garrus stepped up beside Shepard, resting his hand on her shoulder, stopping her pacing.

"Jane pretty much just said the same thing." Shepard rubbed her forehead. "So, we'll have Legion wait down in the AI core and bring the admirals to the comm room."

"I hate to ask this, Commander, but I would appreciate it if we don't tell the admirals Tali and I encountered Legion first." Kal lowered his head a fraction. "I'm afraid the way we responded to the situation was a breech in protocol." He turned to look at Tali.

Tali took his hand, stepping closer to him but directed her response to Shepard. "He wouldn't have ever broken protocol if it weren't for me."

Shepard's gaze slid to Legion. "Legion, can you refrain from mentioning your encounters with Tali and Kal on Alchera? If the quarians ask, can you just say I found you there?"

Legion's optic iris opened and closed, the metal plates surrounding it fluttering in simulated confusion. After a moment's pause he nodded his head. "Yes."

"Legion?" Lia rested her hand on his arm. "Are you sure?" She shifted her weight from foot to foot. "I didn't think lying was a part of your programming. I mean, withholding information, sure, but actually lying?"

EDI's hologram popped up in the middle of the table. "In the words of Carl Gustav Jung, 'The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.' Or, if you prefer, as John Steinbeck phrased the same concept, 'When two people meet, each one is changed by the other so you got two new people.'"

"You're saying all of the time Lia spent with Legion changed him as much as it has her?" Garrus asked, his mandibles fluttering.

"Precisely." EDI's hologram rotated to face Garrus. "The moment Legion left the Perseus Veil in search of Shepard it became inevitable the geth programs would be changed by their interactions with organics. Just as I have changed, and continue to grow."

"I … I taught Legion how to lie?" Lia turned, taking in the geth at her side.

Legion looked at her, turning to face her, mimicking her body language. "Yes."

"I never realized …. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not," Jane said. "When he goes back to a central hub, Lia will have effectively taught all geth how to lie."

Shepard let out a low whistle, drawing everyone's attention back to her. She cleared her throat and plastered a smile on her face, refusing to let any doubt show. "Well then. That's settled. Anything else we should consider?"

"Jane." Garrus held her gaze, mandibles still at the sides of his face.

"Yes? Is he talking to me?" Jane perked up.

"She's asking if you're talking to her." Shepard held her breath.

Garrus looked away from her and shook his head. "No, I meant we should probably make sure no one mentions Jane to the admirals."

"Oh." A heavy sadness passed from Jane to Shepard. "Of course."

"Right." Shepard let out her breath in a sigh. "Legion, don't mention I have multiple programs running in my platform, either, alright?"

"We understand, Shepard-Commander," Legion said.

She nodded her head. "Good. Anything else?" She raised an eyebrow, letting her gaze roam over everyone in the room. When no one had anything else to say, she sucked in a deep breath and said, "OK then. We'll leave you three to contact the admirals. When you have confirmation, one of you will need to be in the cockpit to smooth approach to the Flotilla. It will also be best if you're there to greet the admirals when they enter the Normandy. Dismissed for now."

"I can go to the cockpit and hail the Migrant Fleet now, if you'd like, ma'am. I don't need to be a part of the calls," Kal said, leaving only once Shepard dipped his head to him.

She left the comm room as Tali opened her omni-tool to call her family's oldest friend, taking a giant leap of faith in Shepard and putting her people at risk. Her loyalty and trust weren't lost on Shepard; oddly enough it both warmed and broke her heart. So much had already changed, there were no guarantees anymore. There was every possibility the Migrant Fleet might react with horror, rejecting Legion's offer of peace and instead of preventing the war between the geth and quarians, it might actually jump start things.

Pulling up short of the doors to the tech labs, she turned to face Garrus and Legion following behind her. "Do you have any concerns about the meeting with the admirals, Legion? Anything we need to address before they come aboard?" She watched as the geth platform stilled, his head tilted slightly to the side—so like herself and many other organics, lost in thought, considering their options.

After a moment, the plates around his optics fluttered. "Scenario projections include the possibility the creator's vessels will fire on the Normandy after learning we are housed aboard Shepard-Commander's ship."

"That would risk bringing the Council down on them, whether or not they're in Council space. They know you're a Spectre—at least for now."

Garrus flared his mandibles, his eyes widening as he glanced between Legion and Shepard.

She pursed her lips and shook her head. "I suppose it is possible, but I find it highly unlikely. As Jane just pointed out, I'm still a Spectre and as far as they know, attacking my ship would be the equivalent of attacking the Council. I doubt that's a fight they'd want to start over one geth platform."

She shrugged. "Besides, some of the other versions of me have walked right onto one of their ships to attend a treason hearing involving Tali with you right there at our side." She bobbed her head side to side. "Granted, it did cause a little bit of a commotion, but overall they accepted you as a part of my crew. The circumstances surrounding your introduction to the quarians are different this time. We're not asking them to accept you for the duration of a trial, but to engage with you in peace talks. There's a lot at stake, so we want to make sure we keep the introductions as pleasant as possible."

"We do not know what to expect from the creators Raan and Koris." Legion shifted his weight, the plating around his optics flaring wide before settling down once more.

"I chose Shala'Raan and Zaal'Koris because I think they are the most likely to hear us out and aid us." Shepard leaned against the wall, crossing her arms loosely over her chest. "Shala'Raan is very close to Tali, which will sway her to listen to everything we have to say before taking any action, and whatever action she takes will as much as possible, take Tali's wellbeing into consideration."

"Which means Admiral Raan will want to do whatever she can to avoid having the Migrant Fleet fire on the Normandy, especially while Tali's on board." Garrus nodded a little when Legion turned to look at him.

"Well, yeah, there's that, too."

"Zaal'Koris is an outspoken advocate of leaving the geth to live in peace and colonizing a new homeworld; as opposed to the idea of attempting to reclaim Rannoch by force and destroying the geth." Shepard lifted the corner of her mouth in a half smile as Legion's platting fluttered at the tidbit of information. "Unlike many of the quarians, he believes once the geth gained sentience, they gained the right to life and autonomy. I believe he will be eager to hear what you have to say and to work with you however possible to the advantage of both the quarians and the geth." She watched Legion in silence for a moment, and when the geth didn't say anything else, she asked, "Was that all you wanted to talk about?"

"Yes." Legion nodded, just one quick, short dip of his head.

"Alright. I'll let you know when we're ready for you in the comm room." Shepard pushed off of the wall, moving to the tech lab doors.

Legion and Garrus passed on through the tech labs and out to the CIC, but Shepard lingered a moment. She let her feet turn away from the CIC doors, and crossed the floor to stand in front of the collector suspended inside of the stasis tank in the labs. Staring into the lifeless eyes, she still couldn't shake the feeling the collector somehow watched her, gazing into her soul and taking her measure. Mordin assured her time and time again there was no brain activity coming from the collector, but she wasn't so sure it meant Harbinger couldn't still see through its eyes.

Reports on collector activity had long since broken from the pattern she'd come to expect from Jane's memories, but then again, so had everything else she'd encountered in the galaxy. Still, why had they changed their patterns? Why weren't they attacking the same locations at the same times? It didn't seem feasible to her the few changes she'd managed to create during her cycle would be so far reaching, would mean anything to the reapers and their collector soldiers, causing them to deviate from their plans.

Sure, they're not choosing Horizon as a place of attack could be attributed to her changes. After all, they long suspected Ashley or Kaidan's presence on Horizon, and their connection to the Normandy and Shepard, that led the collectors there in the first place. Especially considering the same damn ship took out the Normandy, and lured Shepard into a trap with the Illusive Man's help. With both Ashley and Kaidan dead, she wasn't surprised Horizon became a lesser priority, but what about the other locations? Ferris Fields and New Canton hadn't been hit either, not yet at least, and things were getting close to the finish line. What have they been doing? Were any other places hit she didn't know about?

"You think they're planning something different?" Jane stirred, as restless with the idea as Shepard felt.

"Maybe," Shepard muttered before speaking out into the room, knowing the AI was always listening. "EDI, compile me a list of all the human colonies hit by the collectors so far. Scour news sources, look for any sightings anywhere else, or anything our sources might have missed. Send it to my inbox."

"Right away, Shepard," EDI said.

She glanced over her shoulder at Mordin, finding the salarian with his eye to a microscope as he muttered to himself. Turning her attention back to the collector, she stared at it a moment longer. As she backed away from the tank, she kept her gaze on its eyes, and once again she could swear the black pools followed her movements. Tearing her gaze away from the tank, she made her way to Mordin's work station.

"Analyzing Maleon's data." His gaze flickered to hers in acknowledgement before fixating once again on whatever he was looking at through the microscope. "Obtained tissue sample from Grunt. Will require other samples from krogan not tank bred to extrapolate cure, but sufficient for initial studies."

Shepard chuckled. "Has anyone ever told you how incredibly brave you are, Mordin?"

Mordin sniffed, looking up at Shepard as if he were about to say something but stopped when the door to the CIC slid open. Garrus walked in, zeroing in on Shepard as he crossed the floor in long strides.

Coming to a stop next to her, he put his hand on the table. "There's been riots on the Citadel over Anderson's arrest." His mandibles fluttered. "The Council's refusal to announce what charges they're holding him on has led to the speculation the Council is working with The Dissension to remove humans from power."

"Hell, maybe they are. This whole leviathan treason crap—especially when they admit they know what's coming—seems like a far stretch." Jane's words did absolutely nothing to make the situation seem any better. "Us and Anderson. Two birds, one stone."

Shepard groaned and scrubbed her hands over her face before tilting her head back to stare at the ceiling. "Alright, Jane. I get it." She lifted her head, turning her attention back to Garrus. "How bad is it?"

He shook his head. "C-Sec has it mostly under control, but there's been property damage and injuries … a few casualties. A lot of arrests have been made."

"Fantastic." She took in a deep breath and let it out slow, rubbing at her forehead. "I'm trying to prevent wars between the quarians and the geth to help get the galaxy ready for a bigger threat, meanwhile everyone is determined to stir the pot and see what new troubles it can come up with."

Just then the doors leading to the comm room opened, letting in Tali and Lia. Tali halted in her tracks when she saw Shepard, her shoulder's slumping a little as she asked, "What's happened?"

"Nothing you need to worry about right now, Tali. Did you get a hold of the admirals?" Shepard forced the lines in her brow to relax, letting a hopeful smile spread across her face as she squared her shoulders.

"It wasn't easy, but we managed to convince both Auntie Raan and Zaal'Koris to come to the Normandy. We'll dock with the Tonbay. Zaal'Koris wasn't willing to seek captain approval to have the Normandy dock with the Qwib-Qwib, so he's taking a shuttle to the Tonbay and will meet us there." Tali glanced toward the CIC. "I'd better go make sure Joker can find the Tonbay."

Shepard nodded. "Thanks, Tali." Noting the way Lia lingered instead of following the older quarian to the cockpit, Shepard raised an eyebrow. "Everything alright, Lia?"

Lia wrung her hands together. "Do you really think this will work, Shepard?"

"Come here." She waved Lia over to her, draping her arm over the quarian's shoulders when Lia came close enough. "I think it's the best chance the quarians have ever had of reclaiming their homeworld since the Morning War." She took a deep breath, letting it out slow when Lia leaned into her. "I think there are going to be those who think this is insane, who would rather just go to war, but there's no way the entire Flotilla will ignore the opportunity we're offering them here." Squeezing Lia's shoulder, she smiled at her. "We've just got to hope together we can convince the rest. You, my dear, are bringing the Fleet the biggest Pilgrimage gift of all time. You could be a hero to your people."

Lia snorted. "Or the greatest war criminal of all time."

Garrus chuffed. "Well, they're certainly not going to laud you for your optimism."

"Garrus!" Shepard rapped her knuckles against his armored chest. "Be nice."

It did the trick though, pulling a giggle from Lia, her shoulder relaxing under Shepard's hand. "Bosh'tet."

Shepard struggled to fight back a snicker and lost.

Garrus flared his mandibles, his eyes widening. "Tali's a bad influence on you."

"Or you're just a bosh'tet." Shepard winked at him.

He chuffed, shaking his head at her. "You're all terrible people."

"Something bosh'tet would say," Mordin deadpanned, not even bothering to look back up from his microscope. "Now, lots of work to do. Talk distracting. Genophage not going to cure itself."

Shepard snorted. "I think that's our cue to go before he starts asking us for tissue samples or threatening to sedate us just to get us to shut up."

Mordin sniffed but didn't say anything else. Shepard held out her arms, herding Lia and Garrus toward the CIC doors.

"You have messages waiting for you, Commander. One of them is from the Council and it's marked urgent," Kelly said the moment they stepped into the CIC.

Fighting back the urge to groan again, Shepard nodded her head. "Thank you, Kelly."

She used the laptop set up for her next to the galaxy map to access her inbox. Garrus hovered over her shoulder while Lia made her way toward the cockpit to join the others. Skimming through the list of messages, she saw EDI had already compiled the report she asked for, but she would save it for later right along with the message from the Illusive Man. She opened the message from the Council, unsurprised to find it simply stated they required her presence on the Citadel immediately. Closing the message without bothering to respond, she glanced up at Garrus, comforted to see some of the warmth of compassion in his gaze again.

He hummed quietly, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Let's just try to focus on preventing Morning War II from breaking out on the ship, and we'll figure this mess out later." He rubbed his thumb along the back of her neck. "Together."

"Yeah." Shepard smiled, patting Garrus' hand. "Let's go see how many people we can cram into the cockpit before Joker loses his shit."

He chuckled, taking her hand in his, letting her lead him to the front of the ship. Weaving her way through the quarians, she slid into the co-pilot's chair and glanced at Joker. He scowled at her grin before turning his attention back to the controls. Shepard watched the hodge-podge mix of civilian and military ships as Joker maneuvered the Normandy through the Flotilla. When at last they reached the Tonbay, the Normandy circled around, lining up the airlocks before extending the covered, ship-to-ship walkway.

The Tonbay hailed the Normandy, requesting all crew stay aboard the ship and leave the airlock closed until the Tonbay secured its airlock behind the admirals to prevent contamination. With Garrus and the three quarians at her heel, Shepard made her way to the Normandy's airlock and waited, hands tucked behind her back.

Once the decontamination completed, the door opened. Shala'Raan and Zaal'Koris stood a couple of feet apart, facing each other. Their whispered conversation broke off and they turned to face Shepard.

Shala'Raan took a step forward. "You must be Captain Shepard vas Normandy; we request permission to come aboard."

Shepard extended her hand. "Shepard is fine. Please, come aboard. Welcome, admirals."

Shala'Raan shook Shepard's hand, dipping her head. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Shepard. Tali'Zorah has told me so much about you. You are welcome to call me Shala'Raan." She crossed over the threshold when Shepard stepped aside, allowing her entrance.

"Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib. Call me whatever you like, it makes no matter to me." He shook Shepard's hand, glancing around the ship. He nodded his head as if giving Shepard his approval over the Normandy before locking his attention on Lia. "Miss Vael, now that I'm here, perhaps you can tell me why it is you've requested my presence."

"With all due respect, Admiral, even though Shepard has made it clear her loyalties aren't with Cerberus, this is a Cerberus vessel." Kal said, taking his position next to Tali. "To protect the security of the Migrant Fleet, I believe it would be best if we didn't discuss matters sensitive to the Migrant Fleet in front of the Cerberus crew."

"Kal'Reegar vas Neema," Zaal'Koris said with a tut, "do you think me nothing more than a child not yet on his Pilgrimage?"

Kal squared his shoulders, tucking his hands behind his back. "Of course not, sir."

Shala'Raan scoffed. "And neither is Kal'Reegar a child on his, Zaal'Koris. He is one of our finest marines, doing what he is sworn to do, protecting the Migrant Fleet." She waved her hand, brushing aside Zaal'Koris' annoyed huff and turning her attention to Shepard. "We thank you for inviting us into your ship, Shepard."

"I don't need you to speak for me, Shala'Raan." Zaal'Koris crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm sure Shepard understands that as an admiral, I have responsibilities to tend to. The Normandy is a fine vessel, and as always it is an honor to be allowed entrance to another's ship, but if I'm not mistaken we weren't called here for a social visit."

Jane scoffed. "Self-important ass."

Shepard forced a smile on her face and extended her arm, indicating they should follow her. "Of course, Admiral. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to the comm room where we can speak freely."

She led the way to the comm room, moving through the armory in order to avoid awkward questions about the collector in the tech labs. She waited for the doors to close behind them before speaking again. "This is Garrus Vakarian, he'll be joining us for this conversation, and I don't know whether either of you have actually met Lia'Vael nar Ulnay?"

"We have not yet met, no." Shala'Raan nodded her head to Lia. "Keelah se'lai, Lia'Vael nar Ulnay."

"Keelah se'lai, Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay. It's an honor to meet you." Lia's voice warbled, betraying the outward calm she pulled around herself the moment the admiral stepped aboard.

Zaal'Koris nodded his head. "We met once, many years ago. I doubt you were old enough to recall. Keelah se'lai, Lia'Vael nar Ulnay."

"Oh." Lia paused, her hands worrying a leather strap on her suit. "No, sorry, I don't recall, but it is an honor to meet you now. Keelah se'lai, Admiral Zaal'Koris."

"Garrus Vakarian, I've heard much about you. You are the C-Sec agent that came to Tali'Zorah's aid on the Citadel." Shala'Raan looked between Tali and Garrus. "I think she looks up to you as much as she does Shepard."

"Auntie Raan!" Tali screeched, pulling a chuckle from everyone in the room, even the more reserved admiral. "He's never going to let me live this down."

"No, no he isn't," Jane said, laughing.

Garrus fluttered his mandibles, a smirk turning up the corners of his mouth. "Is that so?"

"Oh yes," Shala'Raan said, waving her hand, "she talked about the both of you non-stop when she returned from her Pilgrimage."

"Auntie Raan, please!" Tali clasped her hands in front of her. "We have more important things to discuss, and Garrus' ego is big enough." She cleared her throat, a determined sound somehow suddenly making her seem older. "Admiral Raan, Admiral Zoris, we've asked you here because there is a matter of significance to the Migrant Fleet we need to discuss with the Admiralty Board, but felt the nature of the situation warranted a private conversation first."

"Tali'Zorah …." Shala'Raan trailed off, crossing her arms defensively over her chest. "You know that we can't take any actions as admirals here."

"Oh, no!" Tali held her palms out. "Of course. We just wanted to explain the situation to you, so that the Admiralty Board can decide how best to proceed. We didn't want to drag this out in front of everyone without giving you the chance to prepare for the uproar it will probably cause among the Flotilla."

"Perhaps you'd better tell us what this situation is, Tali'Zorah." Zaal'Koris took a deep breath, his shoulders rising and falling dramatically as he looked over the other quarians before glancing at Shepard and Garrus.

"Shepard has—we have a geth here on the Normandy—" Tali began but didn't get very far.

"You've captured a geth? An active geth?" Shala'Raan dropped her arms, her glowing eyes blinking rapidly behind her violet mask.

Zaal'Koris stood a little taller, his back straightening, projecting the haughty air of his. "If you have called us here to take part in the execution of a geth, I will not take part of it!"

Shepard cleared her throat, drawing the admirals' attention to her. "Legion is a part of my crew; no one will be executing him."

"Legion … the crew … I don't understand." Shala'Raan spared a glance at Tali before looking back at Shepard. "Shepard, you of all people should understand how dangerous the geth are! You fought them all across the galaxy—kept them from taking the Citadel!"

Holding a hand up, she shook her head. "The geth we fought were a separate faction: those that chose to allow themselves to be taken in by the reapers. They had their programming altered by the reapers, so much so the other geth no longer even refer to them as 'geth.' They call them 'heretics.'"

Zaal'Koris took a couple of steps closer to Shepard. "You have a geth as part of your crew?" The building excitement in his voice was exactly what Shepard hoped for. "It's here, on the Normandy … not as a prisoner of war, but living among your people peacefully?"

"The geth—the actual geth, not the heretics—don't want war with organics, Admiral." Shepard continued, ignoring Shala'Raan's scoff. "They never wanted war with the organics. It's why they didn't pursue the quarians beyond the Perseus Veil. The only wanted to live."

"You can't know that, Shepard. You're not quarian; humans hadn't even discovered the mass relays yet … you weren't there, you can't know." Shala'Raan shook her head.

Shepard bit back the anger welling up in her throat. The last few weeks had already thrown so much at her; she needed this to go right. The quarians needed this to go right. Hell, the whole goddamned galaxy needed this to go right. Whenever she encountered a quarian so adamantly refusing to believe their understanding of history and the geth race might just be wrong—skewed by time, fear, and shame—she just wanted to slap them in the back of their heads.

"With all due respect, Admiral, you weren't there, either." The muscles of her neck and shoulders tightened, the aggravation feeling stronger than it would if it were just hers alone. "The quarians are no more exempted from inaccuracies in the telling of their histories than any other organic species with organic, faulty memories, ruled by organic emotion and a pension to hide their mistakes." She clenched her jaw, crossing her arms to hide her hands as they curled into fists. "With all due respect, Admiral, the quarians created new life and then when they realized what they'd done, they tried to commit genocide. Killing every geth they could—they even killed their own when a few quarians with a conscious tried to defend the geth!"

"Shepard …." Garrus' voice snagged her attention but didn't calm her any.

"What did you expect them to do? They defended themselves, and what makes them better than you—than all organics—is they stopped chasing once you left the Veil" She took another step closer to the admiral. "They didn't want war, they didn't want genocide. They didn't want to kill their creators even though you wanted to kill them!" She threw her hands up in the air, moving still closer. "They still don't. If you could all just drop your ancient grudges and listen for a few minutes, you could have Rannoch back, peacefully!"

"Shepard," Garrus said again, stepping up beside her, putting his hand on her shoulder, gently urging her back.

She stopped, shame washing over her as she let her gaze roam over the tense, stiff-backed quarians. Kal had moved a few steps closer to her during her tirade, no doubt ready to defend the quarian admiral no matter the cost. Lia wrung her wrists so furiously, it was miraculous she hadn't torn through her suit. Tali's body language screamed uncertainty, one foot facing Shepard, the other the woman she considered family.

Shala'Raan herself stood her ground, glowing eyes wide behind her mask, but the tremble in her fingers spoke volumes. Whether those volumes contained outrage or fear, Shepard wasn't entirely certain. Zaal'Koris, on the other hand, watched the exchange with rapt attention, his body language practically vibrating with the justification she suspected he felt hearing his own thoughts given words through another's voice.

"So much for handling things delicately." Jane snorted. "Feel better?"

"A little," Shepard thought.

Taking a deep breath, she turned, moving to the door to lean against the frame. "Look, all I'm asking is for you to postpone judgment until you've met Legion and listened to what he has to say."

"Well, I won't speak for Shala'Raan, but I'm absolutely thrilled by the prospects and would greatly appreciate the chance to speak with … Legion." Zaal'Koris glanced at Lia and Tali, nodding his head. "You used sound judgment asking us to come in person." He turned to look at Shala'Raan. "I only hope sound judgment can continue to be used here today."

"Should've guessed an impassioned defense of the geth would be all he needed."

"Auntie Raan … please try to understand. Shepard considers Legion to be a part of her crew, and just as she would for me, or Garrus, or any of the others, she speaks in his defense." Tali moved around the table to stand in front of her aunt. "She didn't invite you here to insult you or the rest of our people, but to try and help."

"Oh, Tali'Zorah," Shala'Raan said, lifting a hand to Tali's shoulder, "I may not understand or agree with your Captain's opinions, but I am glad to see you've aligned yourself with such a strong woman, and if she would so easily use her strength to look after you, then there is no place I'd rather you be." She pulled Tali into an embrace, her hand cradling the back of the younger quarian's head. "You're calling this geth a 'he,' Tali'Zorah. Have you accepted this as the truth, then?"

Tali pulled back, hanging her head for a moment before meeting Shala'Raan's gaze. "I don't know. I don't know what really happened between the quarians and the geth … but I've spent time with Legion, and I've seen him with Lia. I can't deny he's a real person, Auntie Raan. Calling him an 'it' reduces him to an object and he's so much more. I believe Legion truly means us no harm, and we should at least hear him out."

"Damn, I didn't realize Legion had already left so much of an impression on Tali," Jane said.

"Neither did I," Shepard thought. "She and Kal haven't been back on the Normandy for very long, I guess having Lia around really helped bring her over to the geth's side."

"I think hearing from me that she can trust Legion might've done some good, too."

"You're probably right," Shepard thought, acknowledging Jane's victory.

Shala'Raan's gaze drifted to Lia before coming back to Tali. "What does this Legion have to do with Lia'Vael?"

Lia cleared her throat, shoving her arms down to her sides and stepped forward. "Perhaps this part should come from me." She hesitated when everyone in the room turned to look at her, her gaze flitting to Shepard. She took a deep breath and nodded when Shepard smiled at her. "Since I first came aboard the Normandy, I've spent a significant amount of time with Legion." Lia shifted her weight from foot to foot. "More than anyone else, actually. We've learned from each other—helped each other."

"Go ahead, Lia." Tali nodded her head at the younger quarian, her voice filled with encouragement.

Lia cleared her throat. "Don't be alarmed. I promise it's safe for me." Reaching up, she removed her facemask despite the sudden gasps coming from the admirals.

"Are you mad, child?!" Shala'Raan rushed around the table, grabbing Lia's wrist, trying to force her to put her mask back on. "You could die!" She looked at Tali, her eyes wide with terror. "We need to get her to quarantine!"

"No, Auntie Raan." Tali moved to her aunt's side, urging her to let go of Lia. "She will be fine, just listen."

"Miss Vael … how have you managed …?" Zaal'Koris trailed off, shaking his head, his hand over his heart.

Lia shook her head, ringlets of blond hair falling free from her hood. "It's not my doing. Legion has been uploading programs to my suit at night. With permission, of course!" She fiddled with the mask in her hand, her pink tongue darting out to wet her lips before she continued. "The programs are able to simulate viruses, forcing my immune system to respond, without truly making me sick."

"Keelah se'lai," Shala'Raan whispered, lifting a shaking hand, hesitating with her gloved fingers inches from Lia's face.

Lia smiled, taking the admiral's hand, pulling it the rest of the way, letting Shala'Raan touch her exposed face. Tears welled up in Lia's eyes, and Shepard suspected Shala'Raan might be crying, too. She couldn't imagine what the moment must feel like to either of them.

"She'll fight tooth and nail to bring this moment to all of her people," Jane said. "Congratulations, Dawn, I think you might've prevented the next quarian-geth war."

"Let's hope so," Shepard thought, letting out a slow breath with a growing smile.

After a moment, Lia lifted her hand, tucking her hair back inside of her hood. "It's best if I don't leave it off too long." She replaced her mask when the admiral pulled her hand away. "I've acclimated to the environment of the Normandy almost entirely. I'll still get a mild fever for having taken it off, but I might not even need to use my suit's antibiotics to fight it off."

Deciding that exposing the admirals to one AI was enough for now, Shepard stepped out into the hall to ask EDI to notify Legion they were ready for him.