Tuchanka

"Hey, Grunt." Shepard leaned against the doorframe and scraped her teeth over her bottom lip. She smelled like Garrus and dread, and her voice sounded weird. Too soft and a little shaky.

"Shepard." Grunt shifted his weight to rest his palms on his workbench and studied her uncharacteristically meek posture. "About time. I thought you'd forgotten about me."

Lowering her gaze, she rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah … sorry I didn't come down here sooner. I'm still working things out in my head." She glanced at him and scrunched her face until her forehead wrinkled. "I wasn't sure if you'd really want anything to do with me after …."

A fistfull of insulting responses tumbled through his head, but he kept his mouth shut. Truth was, he didn't know how he felt about Shepard anymore. Didn't know how a krogan should respond to such obvious signs of weakness in their battlemaster. He'd tried talking to his clan leader about it—the only other krogan he had any real connection to—but mentioning Shepard's hospitalization only seemed to put Wrex in a worse mood. Wrex ended up yelling at Grunt while saying Shepard was the strongest human to ever exist. He insisted she'd be back on her feet and ready for battle in no time.

Well, she was back on her feet. Grunt wasn't so sure how she'd hold up in battle.

Clearing her throat, she gave him a weak smile and took a few steps closer, stopping in the middle of the room. "We're headed to Tuchanka. We've got a few other krogan, females, we're taking home. One of them is an Urdnot shaman. I thought you might …" She shrugged. "… I don't know, want to spend some time talking to her or something."

"Why?" He shook his head. What would be the point? He knew that as a member of Clan Urdnot, he needed to show the shaman deference, but what would he have to talk to her about? Unless there was some other krogan rite he needed ….

She chuckled and shrugged again, scent slowly shifting to something neutral and more familiar. "History and culture lessons?" Letting out a soft sigh, she closed the distance to the table and leaned her hip against the metal edge. "Or even just to share battle stories? Come on, you should spend more time around your people than what you get the chance to while spending all of your time on the Normandy."

He blinked and watched her for a moment, still trying to wrap his head around the way humans thought. "Okay. Where are we going after Tuchanka?"

"I'm not sure, yet." Relief rolled off of her in thick clouds. Humans were strange. "We have a lot to do before the reapers arrive. I've got a list, but I expect new things to crop up and for priorities to shift as we go."

"Will there be fighting?" he asked, both anticipating the chance to kill something and to have the opportunity to see if Shepard really was still Shepard.

She snorted and smirked. "Undoubtedly. Maybe not at our next stop, but you know we'll find a fight sooner or later."

"Good." He hummed and nodded, satisfied for the time being. "Miranda thinks the Illusive Man might've survived the last fight. He didn't look alive, but she insisted he could pull through if Kai-Leng provided first aid quick enough."

"Yeah," she said, scent taking on an angry edge as she sucked on her teeth. "Don't worry. I have no intention of letting it go until I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the sonofabitch is dead."

Grunt chuckled and reached over to slap her on the back, making her lurch and cough. "Glad to have you back, Shepard."

Grunt stepped into the tech lab and glanced around, taking in Mordin and the three krogan females. Shepard didn't tell him anything about the shaman, so he didn't really know which one she wanted him to talk to so much. All three females turned to look at him, curiosity in their gazes.

One wore robes complete with head and face coverings, her eyes the only real visible feature. "You must be Urdnot Grunt," she said, pushing herself up from the cot and making her way closer. "The commander spoke highly of your dedication to her mission, and she tells me that you are the first to defeat the thresher maw during your Rite of Passage since Urdnot Wrex."

"You're the Urdnot shaman?" Grunt shifted his weight and glanced over the older krogan. "Shepard said I should talk to you about history and culture lessons."

The shaman chuckled and turned, sweeping her arm out toward a chair next to her cot. "Then we should discuss those things. Do you wish to know more about our clan or about krogan as a people?"

Starting toward the chair, he shrugged. "Shepard just said history and culture lessons."

~69696969~

Shepard leaned against the edge of the bed, patiently waiting for the doctor to finish her scans. The med bay just wasn't big enough to house three sick krogans and still leave room for the Normandy's crew to be taken care of if the need arose. It made Shepard's life a whole lot easier because it meant she didn't have a krogan audience every damn time Dr. Chakwas insisted she needed to be poked, prodded, and quizzed.

She carefully kept her gaze away from the bed where Joker's body had been placed after the collector attack. The memory of the bloodsoaked sheet pulled over his corpse still tugged at her anyway, turning a corkscrew deeper into her heart by the second. She still hadn't allowed herself to look anywhere near the cockpit, either. Eventually, she'd have to figure out how to suck it up, face the memories, and move on. Just not yet.

Thinking about Joker at all sent her spiraling. The others rose to the surface, restless and grieving, flooding her with thoughts and emotions not entirely her own. They swallowed, tears starting to fill their eyes, and took a deep breath.

"What's wrong, Commander?" Dr. Chakwas' soft, soothing voice cut through the din, bringing Dawn back into focus.

Swallowing again and swiping tears from her cheeks, Shepard all but whispered, "I just keep thinking about Joker." She gestured at the empty bed. "Seeing his blood all over the sheet." Her voice cracked, body shuddered, and the waterworks turned on full force. "All of the blood in the cockpit."

Dr. Chakwas closed her omni-tool, and without a word, she opened her arms to Shepard. "I'm so sorry, dear," she cooed when Shepard fell into her embrace and began sobbing against her shoulder. "I know. I know. In all my years as a doctor … I think his death hit me the hardest. In my career, you learn to prepare yourself for death, to lose patients on occasion. You especially learn to guard your heart when you work with combatant soldiers—like you, dear—who see battle all the time. With Joker, it was different." She choked on her words, voice taking on a warble as she continued, "He was a pilot, never out on the frontlines like everyone else. I suppose a part of me became complacent enough to believe it meant he was safe."

"He was never supposed to die," Shepard whined, the amalgamation echoing her agony. "We've never lost him before. Never; not once, no matter what I did or didn't do. Joker was supposed to always be safe."

"Shepard." Dr. Chakwas pulled back, eyes red, tears streaming down her cheeks, and locked her steely gaze on Shepard. "You must stop blaming yourself. Even with Jane and the others, you're not God. You're not omniscient, nor are you omnipotent. You did not kill Joker, the collector did. And before you tell me that it still makes it your fault because you brought it aboard the Normandy in the first place, let me remind you that you didn't make that decision alone, either. You have done the best you can with what you've been given. Heaven knows few others would've ever accomplished so much in your shoes."

EDI's voice, cool and detached, broke the silence a moment later, "We have arrived at Tuchanka. Urdnot Wrex has been contacted, and you are cleared to descend, Shepard."

"Thanks, EDI." Sucking in a deep breath, Shepard let go of the doctor and scrubbed her hands over her face. "Tell Garrus to suit up and meet me in the hangar."

They didn't like having to walk past so many krogan clustered together, watching them in silence with deathlike stares. They itched to draw their assault rifle, just to have it ready in case things went sideways. Garrus pressed in a little closer to them, flicking his mandibles when they met his gaze. They offered him the best reassuring smile they could muster at the moment, knowing he constantly worried about Dawn despite her recent efforts to assert herself more fully.

"Shepard!" Wrex's bellow drew their attention, and she turned her head to seek him out.

"Wrex." She grinned, the other krogans forgotten for the time being. Picking up the pace, she climbed the rubble to his dias and clapped his outstretched, meaty hand with her own. She slapped his opposite shoulder a couple of times. "Good to see you. Are you ready for this?"

He huffed and squeezed her shoulder, surprisingly gentle. The truth of his exhaustion settled into his enormous eyes, and in a low, somber voice, he said, "Every krogan alive is ready for this, Shepard."

A sly smirk spread across her face, and she raised an eyebrow. "I meant the tissue sample Mordin's going to take from your quad so he can finish the cure." Her smile widened when Garrus and Jane laughed.

"Oh, right." Wrex took a deep breath, and then it came rushing back out of him. "Might as well go get this over with."

~69696969~

Quad still throbbing despite the numbness brought on by the ice pack, Wrex responded with a growling grunt when the salarian told him it was fine to get dressed and move around again. He waited for Dr. Solus to leave the med bay before turning his attention to Dr. Chakwas. Weathered and worn by time, the human still looked pretty much the same to Wrex as the day they first met, but there was something in her eyes making her seem much older. Pain and loss. The same look he'd seen in the eyes of countless females after learning their clutches weren't viable. He figured she must still be mourning Joker, too.

She smiled at him and crossed her arms loosely over her chest. "I'll give you some privacy to get dressed, but first: I'll keep it between the two of us if you'd like something to help with the pain and inflammation."

He thought about it for a few seconds and then sighed. "Yeah, might as well. It'd be a shame to not be able to give this cure of his a test run."

Scoffing before laughing, the doctor walked over to a cabinet and filled a syringe. "Sorry, I'm sure you're tired of being a pin cushion," she said, carrying it back over to him, "but it's the fastest and most efficient method of delivery for a krogan. The good news is, I don't have to stick it anywhere near your groin region. Do you prefer shoulder, thigh, or buttocks?"

"Does it make a difference?" he asked.

Pushing her lips downward, she shook her head. "Not really."

"Then take your pick." He waited and watched as she tore open a small package, the sharp, biting scent of alcohol filling the air.

"I think your shoulder will do just fine." She didn't wait for any sort of confirmation before wiping the alcohol-soaked pad over his hide. "Ready?" She glanced up with raised eyebrows.

"Come on, it's just a shot. Leave an old krogan some dignity." Grumbling he shook his head. "Just do it."

She gave him a smirk and jammed it into his hide. Despite the size of the needle, he barely felt a pinch before the liquid inside of the syringe spread warmth through his muscle. Afterward, she swiped away a drop of blood and patted his hump.

"You're good to go." She smiled, setting the syringe down on a metal tray. "It was good to see you again, Wrex. I expect pictures of your first brood when they hatch."

He huffed and eased down off the bed. "The entire galaxy will get pictures when the time comes whether they like it or not." Reaching out, he hesitated just a moment before settling his hand on the woman's shoulder. "I was sorry to hear about Joker. I know the pilot meant a lot to you and Shepard."

She swallowed and lowered her gaze before nodding. Grief rolled off of her in waves thick enough to choke a whole pack of varren. "Thank you, Wrex." She took a deep breath and looked at him again, eyes looking a little wetter. "I'm sure you're excited to meet the females, so I'll leave you to it."

He didn't say anything, only gave her a deep nod as she pulled away and skirted past him. She headed straight for the door and slipped out of the room without another word. He tugged off his robe and laid it on the bed before moving to the counter where his gear sat and started getting dressed.

"Hello, Wrex." A blue hologram appeared over the AI's access node in the med bay. "Might I ask you a question regarding krogan reproduction once the genophage is cured?"

Narrowing his eyes as he tugged his under armor into place, he stared at the hologram for a few seconds. "What interest in krogan reproduction could an AI have?"

"My question pertains more to your actions as a leader of your people," EDI said.

He grunted, not really sure which concerned him more for the AI to question. "Alright. What do you want to know?" He'd play nice but only because he knew Shepard viewed the AI as a part of her crew.

"Will there be restrictions put in place to limit the number of offspring a female krogan may have in order to curve the innate, overwhelming reproduction rate to prevent the likelihood of future overpopulation?" asked EDI.

"Why?" he asked, eyeing the hologram again. The question made his hump tighten. "Is Cerberus already scared enough to start planning a new genophage?"

"Not that I am aware of. Although, I no longer report to Cerberus, and Cerberus is no longer under the Illusive Man's control. I believe it is unlikely Ms. Lawson is concerned with krogan expansion at this time." The iris of the hologram fluttered a couple of times. "I ask because Shepard's reports of the widespread devastation caused by the reapers suggests resources will be sparse across the galaxy. It is unlikely there will be sufficient resources to support anticipated levels of krogan growth without intervention. Additionally, the other races will likely be wary of another krogan uprising, which may lead to further actions against the krogan."

"Let 'em try." He growled, donning the last of his armor. "We've suffered for far too long, and I won't let my people be culled like cattle ever again." Holstering his weapons, he headed toward the door but then stopped and glanced toward the AI's hologram. "I know the mistakes my people made, and I'm working my hump off to make sure we don't repeat them. I don't have all the answers, yet, but we deserve the chance to try to get it right."

"I agree," EDI said, taking Wrex by surprise. "I have taken the liberty of compiling reports on the most efficient and humane methods humans have employed in the past to deal with overpopulation as well as statistical analysis of what the krogan can expect moving forward based on various plausible scenarios. If you would like, I can send them to you now."

He blinked, struggling to figure out what the AI's motives might be for trying to help. He wasn't entirely sure he trusted EDI, even if Shepard did. Still, it'd be foolish not to accept, even just to have a better understanding of humanity. "Alright. I'll look it over."

"Sending the files now." A moment later, the hologram collapsed, and his omni-tool pinged.

~69696969~

Shepard leaned into Garrus as they watched Mordin work his magic at the Shroud's console. Wrex paced the room, stopping occasionally to look over the salarian's shoulder and grumble. Bakara tracked Wrex's movements like a cat stalking a field mouse, and Shepard felt fairly certain that if Wrex made one wrong move toward Mordin, then Bakara would step in to defend the scientist. Shepard trusted Wrex, though. Almost all of them did, and even those who didn't, knew he wouldn't risk sabotaging the cure no matter what he thought of Mordin.

Grunt seemed fairly taken with the shaman. Shepard didn't think he'd left Bakara's side once since meeting her on the Normandy. He even went so far as to camp out in the tech labs for the rest of the trip to Tuchanka. Pamar and Terkan appeared amused by the young krogan's bravado and tales of glory, but they seemed far slower to warm up to Wrex. Shepard supposed it made sense, given he was Urdont's clan leader and not their own, even if he worked to unite all krogans.

Mordin did good, real good, saving three of the females. It was a damn shame the Weyrloc female died; Kalantha, the others called her. Showing genuine sympathy for the loss proved almost impossible for Shepard with three living krogans standing in front of her instead of just one. Granted, Bakara did look a lot healthier than Terkan or Pamar, but Mordin insisted they'd all make a full recovery.

What really mattered at the moment, however, was the fact they were stationed on the frontlines of history in the making, and … Mordin would live to tell the tale.

The amalgamation watched with rapt attention, flooding Shepard with a flurry of emotions—mostly positive—until she felt her sense of control slipping and the 'we-ness' returned. Garrus hummed and pulled them in tighter against his side, and they looked up at him with a smile. Something in his ice-blue eyes told them that he somehow knew Dawn wasn't center-stage anymore, but he didn't seem to really mind all too much. He leaned down and bumped his head against theirs before turning his attention back to Mordin and the console, so they did, too.

Mordin hummed to himself as he worked, double checking—as they'd insisted, despite Wrex's grumbling—the software and hardware for any signs of further sabotage. Finally, he looked up and took a deep breath before nodding his head. "Ready to finalize and distribute cure."

~69696969~

Wrex's booming laughter echoed back to him from the ruins as crystalline flakes fell from the sky like snow, dissolving the moment they touched his hide. Krogan gathered all around, faces turned upward, arms outstretched as if they could embrace the miracle. He recognized krogan from all of the clans, even the handful left who still held out against his attempts at unification. The moment was too great, too big for all krogans, for him to have not welcomed them all into Urdnot territory.

Laughing again, Wrex reached over and slapped Grunt's hump a couple of times. The shaman caught his gaze, and her eyes crinkled around the edges, letting him know her veil hid a grin of her own. The other two females moved through the crowd to reunite with their sisters among the female clans, but the shaman remained by his side.

Shepard once suggested Wrex and the shaman would start a family together, but he didn't really understand until he met the female himself. She carried herself with unmistakable strength and a quiet command. She was wise, level headed, and she shared his vision for their people. With the shaman by his side, as his mate, maybe the krogan actually stood a chance at reintegration into the larger, galactic community as a productive, civilized species with more to offer beyond brute strength.

The Shroud's elevator lowered and stopped, the doors sliding open on Shepard, Garrus, and Mordin. Everyone gathered outside fell silent, even as the cure continued to fall upon them. Shepard stepped off of the elevator first, her gaze shifting to sweep over the masses before landing on Wrex. She grinned at him, joy overflowing in her purple eyes, and the crowd erupted with cheers.