Mass Effect: Maelstrom Siblings

by Leaf Ranger

When faced with protecting an entire galactic community, it's always good to have friends and squad-mates at your side. But it's even better when you've got your brother with you as well. Get ready galaxy, because here come Alicia and Naruto Shepard, the Maelstrom Siblings. Rated M for swearing, action, gore, and implied sexual situations.

22. Earning Trust

And here we are, going into my next Mass Effect chapter. Gotta say, I'm really happy a lot of you liked the previous chapter. I definitely wanted to give more screen time and focus to Naruto, and it seems I succeeded on that front. Hopefully, I can continue to balance out giving him screen time and importance with Alicia.

Alicia: So what's on the agenda today?

Leaf Ranger: Well…you'll just have to wait and see, won't you? *Smirks*

Wrex: Heh, nice one kid. *smacks LR on the back*

LR: *is laid out flat* …ow.

Diehard ShepTali LeafRanger: *helps him up* So shall we get underway?

LR: Not quite yet. *Dusts himself off* Got one or two things to say. First off, to the anonymous guess who reviewed last chapter? I cannot confirm or deny that Sasuke will die in the ME3 portion of the fanfic…not without spoiling. So you'll have to wait and see till then. Also…I have a number of surprising anonymous reviews on one of my earliest works. Surprising...mostly because of how horrible and cringy I find my earlier fanfics to be. But to the anonymous reviewer(s) who reviewed Rebirth of Legends, I thank you for your reviews.

Diehard femShepLiara LeafRanger: Awww, that's nice.

LR: I thought so. Anyways, I don't really have much else to say except to hope everyone is staying safe and things are going well for you. So, I guess it's time to get on with the sho- *Is buried in snow*

RaginStar19: VICTORY! *rushes off*

LR: …I-I'm so c-cold now. *shivering*

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Mass Effect. They are the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Bioware respectively. This is a work of non-profit fan made fiction. Please support the official releases.

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Chapter 22

Earning Trust

Citadel, Presidium

"Commander Shepard! Commander Shepard, a moment!"

Alicia let out a soft suffering groan as she heard the voice and caught the flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. She slowly turned, knowing she couldn't get away without making a bad impression, which this particular person would simply spin to fit whatever narrative she wanted to spin. "Yes, miss…?" She asked, trying to be polite.

"Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani, Westerlund News. I've been trying to get an interview with you ever since your appointment as the first human Spectre," the slightly dark skinned, brown haired woman said, straightening out the dress she wore while a camera drone hovered nearby. "I must say, you've been rather hard to track down."

"Well, I've been rather busy," Alicia said, trying to remain polite even as she wished she could simply leave. Practically everyone knew about Khalisah al-Jilani, a human reporter who was the epitome of the reporter stereotype. Almost all of her interviews usually were done to fit some narrative or agenda she had, usually to make the Council look like they were anti-human or that the Alliance was putting the Council ahead of humanity. "In fact, I actually do not have a lot of time, so-."

"This won't take long. And you know, the people do deserve to hear from the woman representing them within the Spectres," Khalisah said, cutting Alicia off. "Just a few questions, if you don't mind?"

Alicia refrained from closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, instead simply nodding. "Alright," she said with a hint of resignation.

Almost immediately the camera drone lit up, indicating it was recording, as Khalisah held up a data pad. "Commander Shepard, you've been given a great honor by being made the first human Spectre. How do you feel about that?" She asked.

"As you said, it is an honor," Alicia started, trying to act relaxed. "The Spectres represent the best, brightest, and most skilled of the various races of the Council and its affiliates. To be considered one of them is quite an achievement, though I do feel I've fully proven worthy of the title. Yet."

"Indeed. Is that why you've been quite busy as of late? Rumors indicate that after rescuing an archeologist from a Prothean dig site, you've been quite busy handling the current geth situation," Khalisah continued.

Alicia gave a friendly chuckle. "I would say I've been quite busy, though I cannot comment on the nature of my missions. Operational security and all that," she added.

"And can you comment on the claims that you have alien nationals onboard your ship? Members of various other races who have access and knowledge of Alliance military technology and secrets that are not given to the public?" The reporter pressed on, causing Alicia's blue eyes to narrow slightly.

"While I will not deny that I do have members of other races working onboard my ship, none of them have access to any technology or information that the public is not already aware of or capable of learning about. Furthermore, none of them have acted with any sinister or malicious intent towards humanity, and in fact have been instrumental in aiding humanity in our current operations," she said quietly, though with a somewhat hard edge to her voice.

Khalisah pressed on, a slight look of annoyance on her face. "Yet you cannot deny that from an outsider perspective, it looks like you and your ship now serve the will of the Council, rather than the good of humanity. Though given your family's history with the vulzan Naruto-," she started to say, only to be cut off by Alicia.

"While I do operate as an agent of the Council, I am still a soldier of the Alliance. My ship is still a warship of the System Alliance Navy. We work with the Council and its affiliates as allies, not as servants," Alicia said shortly. "As for my brother, Captain Shepard has fought and bled for humanity. He has put his life on the line to protect his fellow Alliance Marines and human civilians. He is not a puppet of the Council, or a tool they use to get to me and my family. He is his own man."

Khalisah gave a nod at that. "I see then. A different subject, if you don't mind? There has arisen a rumor that one of your more recent operations was responsible for the Parliament's decision to extend an offer of alliance to the quarian Migrant Fleet. What are your thoughts on this decision?"

Alicia took a breath the calm herself. "While I cannot confirm or deny the rumor about it being one of my operations, I do think this offer of alliance is a good thing. The quarian people are as much a part of this galactic community as anyone else, but more importantly…they are both someone who can help us, but who are also in need of help."

"Even though one could say they are at fault for humanity's current crisis?" The reporter asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I think only someone with a very short-sighted view would blame the quarians for what is going on right now," Alicia commented. "The quarians of today did not build the geth. Nor did they take part in the events that led to the geth being an uncontrolled force in the galaxy. To blame them for what other people of their race did, especially those who are long dead, is honestly laughable. Now if the quarians of today had continued to create geth, or had antagonized the geth into launching an attack on the galaxy, that would be more understandable. But since that is not the case, I see no reason why any quarian today should be blamed for our current situation with the geth."

"A strong opinion, one that not everyone would agree with," Khalisah said, only to earn a smile from Alicia.

"I hope not. It would be a very sad, boring galaxy if everyone thought and felt the exact same thing about everything," she commented.

Khalisah merely looked back to her pad. "One final question. Is it true that you have been tasked with hunting down a rogue turian Spectre?" She asked.

Alicia merely waved a hand. "I'm afraid that I cannot confirm or deny that, as I cannot break operational security without risking my current mission. Suffice to say that I am upholding my duties as an Alliance soldier and a Council Spectre."

"I see. Thank you very much for your time," she said, ending the interview as the drone stopped recording. "Remember Shepard, the eyes of humanity are watching you."

Alicia just merely nodded, moving away from the reporter and letting out a shuddering breath. Anderson had warned her that Khalisah had been on the warpath trying to get an interview with her. She had thought she had done well so far in keeping away, but her luck had finally worn out. She just hoped that said interview didn't cause an incident.

With that behind her she now set off towards her objective, returning to the human embassy to hear if there was any more news on the hunt for Saren. So far there had been no other news from the Council, and Jiraiya had been sending her a few rumors and possible leads, though nothing concrete enough to go off of.

The rest of her team, meanwhile, was enjoying a bit of relaxation. After the raid on the Cerberus outpost and the confrontation with Sasuke Uchiha, she knew at least Naruto needed this time to try and relax. He had been quiet and reclusive ever since they had returned to the Normandy. She understood why as she was sure if she was in his position, learning that the only link she had to her family and people was being experimented on and used by someone else without permission would probably make her quite angry as well. She just hoped that whatever he was doing currently would help him deal with his emotions.

After passing through a couple security checkpoints, she soon entered the office of Udina, pausing as she saw he was in the middle of communications with the Council. She hung quietly in the back, listening.

"Ambassador, I must again caution you and your people on your current course of action. The quarian's current situation could make them quite…demanding," Valern said, the salarian holding his hands behind his back. "While it might make sense to turn to them for aid considering your current predicament with the geth, an alliance with them might be detrimental to the System Alliance in the future, as they will prove to be a strain on your resources and colonies."

"I have, of course, voiced your concerns to Parliament. They have assured me that they do not intend to be taken advantage of by the Migrant Fleet," Udina said, his tone a clear indication he was not happy with this situation. Considering he was the one having to deal with the Council's ire over the Alliance's move with the quarians, it was understandable.

"There's also the fact that in the realm of public opinion, allying yourselves with the quarians is not much better than if you had allied yourselves with the krogan or the batarians. They are not well respected, and more than a few quarians have been caught committing criminal offenses all across Council space," Sparatus added, his arms crossed in front of him.

"We understand that. But members of Parliament believe that by extending a helping hand to the Migrant Fleet, the number of criminal cases involving quarians will drop significantly. However, I will continue to voice your concerns to Parliament," Udina replied swiftly. Alicia rolled her eyes, hearing how he implicated the members of Parliament for the decision, as if to try and shift any blame the Council have onto Parliament rather than himself.

"We simply do not wish to see your people be taken advantage of by those who are desperate. Thank you for your time," Tevos said, before the communication ended and their holograms faded. Udina cursed before turning, glaring at Alicia.

"I almost wish I could blame you for this headache I have. You and that damn quarian girl on your ship," he spat out, moving to his seat.

Alicia just moved to stand in front of said desk, shrugging. "You would think the Council would be happy that we're trying to forge stronger ties with members of the galactic community," she said.

"They would prefer we do it with members who didn't unleash a synthetic menace onto the galaxy, and then spend three hundred years acting as vagrants and stealing jobs and technology from everyone else," Udina snapped, before rubbing his forehead as he sat down. "Yet…I also can see that Parliament's decision works out for us, the quarians, and even the galaxy. We gain an ally to support us, the quarians get the same in return, and their negative impact on the galaxy lessens. Everyone wins."

Alicia just nodded before changing subjects. "Has there been any news regarding Saren?" She asked.

"Yes actually, some good news for a change. Two potential leads, though we are trying to confirm both of them. The Council reported to me that they had a potential lead, but were trying to gather more data. Apparently, a team of theirs has gone missing while searching for Saren. We have also gotten our own potential lead. Matriarch Benezia was rumored to have been sighted on Noveria, though we cannot confirm that at this time," Udina reported to her.

Alicia grimaced a bit. "Noveria. Great. Always wanted to go to the capital of corporate shenanigans," she joked.

"As I said, we cannot confirm it at this time. There have been a few other rumored sightings concerning her so we will make sure," Udina told her. "For now, I suggest you make sure everything is in order until we can confirm one of these leads, or something else comes up."

Alicia nodded at that, moving away. "Understood. Kick back, take it easy, wait till the call comes," she said, heading out the door. She grinned as she left the embassy, already considering what fun she could get up to.

Elsewhere, Naruto was raising an eyebrow as he watched Ashley and Tali all but drag him through one of the Citadel Wards with Garrus following behind. "Are you going to tell me where we're going?" He asked them. He had been intending to simply sit in his quarters onboard the ship and meditate, to try and deal with the knowledge of what Cerberus had done to him, when this trio had all but kidnapped him.

"We are going to help get your mind off things, Cap'n," Ashley said with a grin. "One of the first things my dad taught me was when life gets you done, you get right back up, kick 'em in the groin, and get going again."

Garrus blinked at that, grinning a bit. "Well that certainly explains a few things," he said, only for Ashley to flip him off.

"Screw you Vakarian," Ashley shot back as Tali giggled a bit.

Naruto grinned slightly before sighing. "I appreciate this but you guys don't need to be doing this for me," he said.

"Then consider it my way of thanking you for saving me…again…keelah I hope this doesn't become a routine thing," Tali said, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

The vulzan marine just chuckled at the now embarrassed quarian girl. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll save my tail soon enough," he said, only to stop, sniffing the air. "…Williams…where are we going?"

The marine sergeant just grinned and pointed. "I thought we'd stop there first. Found out about this place last time we were here," she said. She was pointing at a small restaurant, really more of an open bar. An older human man was working the stoves, cooking up various ingredients, while a younger human woman was serving up bowls of food to various customers sitting at the bar.

Naruto just looked at Ashley, a deadpan look on his face. "You just happened to hear about a place that serves ramen?" He asked her incredulously while Ashley grinned.

"I might have looked for some place like this," she said innocently as Naruto rolled his eyes but began stepping forward and leading the group.

The woman looked up and saw them approaching, grinning as she recognized the figure up front. "Naruto! It's been a while," she said with a grin.

"Hey Ayame. Sorry, been pretty busy. But glad to see business is still going strong here," Naruto told the waitress, sitting down at the bar with the others joining him. "Ayame, I'd like you to meet Ashley Williams, Garrus Vakarian, and Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. They're part of a team I've been assigned to. Everyone, this is Ayame Ichiraku. She and her father Teuchi own this place," he said, waving to Teuchi who waved back.

Garrus burst out laughing. "Well that's a coincidence," he said with a smirk towards Ashley, who just glared back at him.

Ayame just smiled at the trio. "It's nice to meet all of you," she said, immediately pulling up some menus and handing them over. She hesitated with Tali though. "Will you be able to eat? I'm not really sure we have anything that can be eaten with a suit on," she said somewhat apologetically.

Tali waved her off. "Its fine, I'm here more just for the company. Though if you have any filtered dextro beverages…and a straw?" She asked.

"That we can do. I'm really sorry, we don't get a lot of quarian customers so we're not really equipped for them," Ayame again added, quickly showing Tali the dextro based beverages. "I'll leave you all to consider what you want and be right back," she said, moving to get some orders her father was finishing up.

Naruto just smiled as he looked over the menu. "Garrus, I definitely recommend the tyagarian ramen. Incredibly good. Ashley, I haven't ever tried it but a lot of people rave about their miso ramen," he suggested, already focusing on what he wanted.

Garrus just clicked his mandibles in thought. "I'm not sure I'd ever think of tyagarian in…well noodle soup," he said, only to flinch as Naruto gave him a glare.

"It is not noodle soup. It is probably one of the best foods I've ever enjoyed and you will pay it respect," Naruto said in a deathly serious voice, causing Garrus to rapidly nod. "And besides, Teuchi here prepares the tyagarian just right," he added with a smile.

"What is tyagarian?" Ashley asked, being the only non-dextro of the group. Garrus just looked up slightly in thought.

"It's a type of bird, really tasty. A little bit of a delicacy amongst dextro races," he said with a smile. "Not really sure how to compare it to Earth birds."

"Ooohhhh, now I wish I could eat here. You don't find many places willing to make tyagarian paste for quarians, let alone sell it," Tali said a bit sadly, causing Naruto to glance at her before grinning as a thought struck him.

"So, it's like a chicken?" Ashley asked, only for Naruto to shake his head.

"I can't say for taste, but no, it's not as common as chicken. A little rarer in how it's used, from my understanding," Naruto said, having at least a better idea of Earth based fowl then Garrus did.

Ayame soon returned and they got their orders, before settling in to wait. They chatted about random things for a bit, which honestly made Naruto grateful since it distracted him from thinking about the previous mission and what he had learned. As their food arrived and they began to dig in, or carefully enjoy their beverage in Tali's case, the talk turned to the Friday evening 'movie night' that had been a regular thing on the Normandy, where the off duty-personnel got to enjoy either watching or heckling whatever vid had been chosen.

"Alicia was talking about going deep into the 'classical' section for the next vid," Naruto commented. "She was thinking of introducing you all to an Earth sci-fi classic called Star Wars."

"Star Wars?" Garrus asked, causing Ashley to chuckle.

"The movie is about a war going on between two factions in a far away galaxy," Ashley said. "My father talked about it, said grandpa had some vid copies that they watched together. Back before…well you know," she said, not really wanting to bring up Shanxi. "Really old classics though. Like two hundred years old. Grandpa told my dad about how they had a huge impact on cinema back in their day."

"That sounds interesting," Tali said, having listened in. "I'd love to see what humans thought space technology would be like, even in a fictional setting."

"Well maybe we'll find out this Friday," Naruto said with a grin. "She was probably going to put it up for a vote among the whole crew, along with some other choices. Think she mentioned Fleet and Flotilla as another one."

This made Tali promptly start to choke a bit, coughing as she leaned over and gripped the bar, causing all of them to look at worriedly. "S-She what?!" Tali managed to squeak out after she finally got over her coughing and choking.

"She was considering Fleet and Flotilla?" Naruto asked cautiously as Tali stared at him.

"…I see then," Tali said, glad that her visor was keeping them from seeing the blush on her face. "Well this should be a very interesting movie night then."

Garrus was blinking at Naruto. "She really was thinking of Fleet and Flotilla?" He asked.

Naruto nodded, slurping up some noodles. "She's a sucker for romance films, though she'll never admit it," he admitted freely. Ashley chuckled a bit at that as Garrus shrugged and went back to eating.

Soon enough the group finished up and Ayame came over to collect their bowls and credits, only for Naruto to stop her. "Can I get a tyagarian ramen to go? For Tali here," he said with a smile, adding in some credits while Tali's eyes widened behind her visor.

"Y-You don't have to do that captain," she stuttered out in embarrassment, causing him to smile at her.

"You sounded like you wanted some, and I believe everyone should enjoy Ichiraku Ramen at least once in their life," he said, as Ayame quickly spoke to Teuchi who quickly set to work. Soon enough a traveling container was handed to Tali, who smiled as she took it.

As the quartet moved away, Naruto smiled at them. "Thanks guys. I needed that," he said quietly.

"Anything to help you get your mind off of things capn'," Ashley said with a grin.

Naruto nodded at that. In truth, he did feel somewhat better, though he still felt plenty of anger and pain over the knowledge of what Cerberus had done. But at least now it wasn't at the forefront of his mind and soul. He smiled and listened as Garrus and Ashley soon were getting into an argument over what sniper mods they thought were best for sniper rifles, enjoying these peaceful moments.

SSV Normandy

Joker grunted as he made his way slowly towards the back of the CIC, utilizing a pair of crutches to make his way towards the stairs down to the crew deck. The pilot grimaced as he looked down the stairs, having to take them even more slowly as putting too much pressure on his legs too quickly while travelling own the stairs would like shatter one of his bones.

Joker knew that he was risking injury or even death just to get a snack, but he also had a stubborn streak. He refused to rely too much on anyone for things, wanting to prove he was just as capable as anyone else, that he could handle things himself. That stubborn streak was what led to him graduating top of his class in flight school, and it was what got him the position he was in now, piloting this ship. A ship he had felt like he was born to fly the moment he saw her.

He was about halfway down the stairs when he felt one of the crutches slip, causing him to start wobbling and falling. He was just starting to let out a yell when a blue field engulfed him and he found himself floating in midair.

"Are you alright?" Liara asked worriedly, standing a few steps below him, having been just coming to the stairs. She carefully used her biotics to set him on the crew deck, quickly retrieving his crutch and handing it to him.

"Oh yeah, no, I'm fine," Joker said, accepting the crutch from her. "Nothing like near death and then a free zero gravity experience to get the blood pumping."

Liara blinked at his joking manner. "Are you injured in some way?" She asked him, indicating the crutches. "I wasn't aware of any of Commander Shepard's crew sustaining injuries recently."

Joker raised an eyebrow at that. "Uuhh…no. I'm the pilot? Guy with the brittle bones? Likes to make snarky jokes all the time?" He said, trying to jog her memory.

"O-Oh yes, she did tell me about that. Forgive me," Liara apologized. "I'm glad I was able to help you there."

"Yeah, thanks for that. Really would have been embarrassing, you know? Flew us through some scrapes with geth and Cerberus, only to be taken out by a fall down some stairs. That'd be a great way to be remembered," Joker said as he moved towards the kitchen. "Anyways, thanks doc."

"I'm afraid I'm not a doctor or have real medical experience," Liara said, only to cause Joker to pause and look over his shoulder at her.

"Uuuhhh…well it was just a nickname…cuz you're a scientist, right? Or archeologist? And don't they get Phd's and ask people to call them doctor and stuff?" He explained, causing her to blush in embarrassment.

"O-Oh yes! Of course. Sorry, I am not exactly used to such…familiarity," Liara said somewhat sheepishly.

"Heh, well I think you got on either the wrong or right ship, depending on if you want to get used to things like that," Joker said. "From what I've seen, Commander Shepard likes to keep things a little loose. Hell, probably one of the reasons she lets me get away with my crap," Joker said, reaching the kitchen and propping one of the crutches against the counter before looking into the very large fridges.

"I did find it rather curious. She seems more…relaxed compared to other members of the crew," Liara commented.

"I think it has to do with the N7 training," spoke another voice, as Kaidan joined them. "N7's are probably the best of the best the Alliance military has to offer. The training is grueling and intense, so I think they cut those operatives a little more slack as long as they deliver, to prevent them from getting overworked and stressed."

"Either that or our dear old commander just doesn't give a fuck," Joker said, pulling out a couple of granola fruit bars and a drink. "I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. You save a resort colony filled with tourists and then lead one of the biggest pirate massacres of all time, you probably start to not really care about rules and regulations."

"Pirate massacres?" Liara asked curiously, causing Joker to blink while Kaidan sighed to himself. "What are you referring to?"

"Uuuhhh…nothing? Oh, look at the time, gotta get back to the cockpit. Plenty to do sitting in port," Joker said, trying to go as quickly as he could with his crutches while not breaking his leg bones. Liara blinked in confusion, turning to Kaidan who took a deep breath and gestured to the side.

"It was about a year or two after the Battle of Elysium," he explained. "Alliance brass launched an attack on a major pirate port on the planet Torfan, which pirates and slavers had been using to attack Alliance colonies for years. The Navy manages to clear out the orbital defenses and the ground invasion begins. During the conflict, a marine company under the command of a Major Kyle ended up being pinned down by defenses. Half the unit was killed or injured and Kyle was unable to rally the men. So, the unit that Shepard was attached to was sent down from their ship to back up his force. Shepard ended up taking command and leading the marines straight into the enemy defensive position, overwhelming them."

"Why was it a massacre though?" Liara asked quietly, causing Kaidan to shift a bit uncomfortably.

"Because…the majority of the pirates they encountered were batarians. And…Commander Shepard doesn't have the best history with them," Kaidan explained quietly.

"Mindoir," Liara said, understanding dawning as she remembered what she had read about Alicia Shepard's past.

Kaidan nodded at that. "The marines with her with out for blood after seeing so many of them killed. With Major Kyle out of commission and most of the other higher-ranking officers injured or dead, Shepard had relative command of the unit…and…well…I think you can imagine what happened."

"D-Didn't any of them surrender?" Liara asked, her voice cracking a bit.

"I don't know. Reports are confused on that point. We know plenty of the pirates in other sectors of the combat zone did surrender and were captured, but other sectors reported that the pirates and slavers absolutely refused to give themselves up and fought to the last breath. For that particular sector…they reported the same thing as well, though the Hegemony have repeatedly claimed that quite a few batarians trying to surrender were slaughtered by Shepard and the marines with her. Most people dismiss it as slander against her for her actions at Elysium, but…I've heard a few stories that make me wonder," Kaidan replied.

Liara sat there, stunned, before Kaidan continued. "I don't think Commander Shepard is a bad person. Far from it. She goes out of her way to help people whenever she can. But…we've all got darkness within us. Some of us are just better at hiding it then others, but all of us…we have something that can bring that darkness to the surface," he said quietly, looking away as his eyes grew distant.

Liara said nothing for a few moments, processing what he said. "…what do you mean?" She finally asked, looking to the biotic lieutenant.

"…I was part of a group of kids who all had biotic potential. They picked us up from various locations, took us out to a space station, and then tried hiring tutors from the Council races to teach us biotics. Our teacher…was a turian. Tough old bastard," Kaidan said quietly. "There was this girl, Rahna…we were both friends, I guess. As much as we could be, stuck in the middle of nowhere. During training one day, the turian, Vymnus, was taunting Rahna with a glass of water, floating it near her. When she tried to take it with her hand…he broke her arm with biotics for being too weak. I…snapped and attacked him. He came at me with a knife, ranting about how they should have wiped us out during the First Contact War, cutting me open with a good strike," he said quietly. "I…lost it then. Knocked him to the ground…and then dropped a biotic kick on him. Killed him, both to defend my friend but also…because of how angry I was."

"I-it…sounds likes you had good intentions," Liara said softly.

"Maybe I did," Kaidan said with a sigh." But it still doesn't change the fact that I killed him due to being angry at him, because my rage got the better of me. Like I said…we all have darkness in us. That was the day mine came out." He stood up at that point. "Again…I don't think the Commander is a bad person. I just think she has her own problems she's dealing with. Same as all of us."

Liara just gave the smallest nods, watching Kaidan walk away before looking down at her hands. She slowly turned them over, looking at her palms now as she contemplated Kaidan's words. She had trouble thinking of Alicia Shepard in such a dark light. The red-haired woman had been nothing but kind, helpful, cheerful, and selfless. Could there really be a part of her willing to slaughter helpless enemies? Even more disturbing…was their potentially someone or something like that lurking inside herself? Liara didn't think it was possible she could have such anger or hatred within her. She trembled a bit at the thought, slowly standing and moving to the med-bay, to retreat to her room and try to take her minds off this conversation.

Unknown Location

Saren, seated in a room with the only illumination coming from the computer screens on his desk, frowned as he read over the reports before him before glaring at the geth drone in front of him. "This is unacceptable. The loss of our anchorage was bad enough, but now this potential alliance between the humans and the quarians? If the Migrant Fleet lends their forces to the Alliance, they could overwhelm our forces in combat."

The geth began to click and stutter in its strange, synthetic speech, though Saren could understand it perfectly. "Consensus indicates an 87.52% chance of defeat if humans and fallen creators join forces. Victory only guaranteed if Sovereign joins in battle."

"We cannot risk an open engagement against such a massive force if it was arrayed against us," Saren snapped, before sitting back at his desk. "We must begin plans to try and prevent the Alliance and quarian forces from being marshaled against us."

"Combat units are not in position to fight on two fronts. Units not fighting Alliance forces necessary to protect facility and Matriarch Benezia. Consensus advises withdrawal of majority of combat units against the Alliance, for preparations of finding the Conduit," the geth unit said, only for Saren to grab the geth unit by its neck joint and twist, breaking it and destroying the synthetic hardware.

"YOU DO NOT ADVISE ME!" Saren snapped angrily before slumping in his chair, glowering. That is until a voice spoke to him from seemingly everywhere and yet nowhere.

"Unnecessary. Emotional response problematic." The voice spoke, causing Saren to stiffen slightly.

"I know," he said, slowly standing up. "But this situation is starting to turn against us. If the humans join forces with the Migrant Fleet, it could-."

"Irrelevant. The humans and quarians are a distraction. Your goal is the Conduit. Remove thoughts of vengeance from your mind, so that you might achieve your true goal. You will save the galaxy."

"…yes…you're right," Saren said, turning away. "They are merely a distraction. I will recall forces to ready for the final phase of the plan. A token force will harass the Alliance; keep them from finding our true intention."

The voice did not respond, causing Saren to close his eyes and tremble for a moment. When he opened them, a new resolve filled him as he activated an intercom on his desk. "I want all data from our research facility on Virmire. Now," he demanded, closing it before settling back at his desk, setting to work once more.

Citadel, Lower Wards

Wrex let out a sigh as he looked at his omni-tool, a vid-call currently displayed on the screen. "You're sure about it?" He asked. On the screen, his female batarian contact nodded.

"Positive. I've got the location. He's hiding out in a base on Tuntau. Him and about a couple dozen pirates and smugglers," Vressha said. "If you're going in there, you're going to want backup. But considering you've got the Blue Maelstrom on your side-."

"Thanks. The rest of the credits will be in your account in the hour," Wrex interrupted her. "Buy yourself something nice."

Vressha flashed him a fanged grin before the communication ended and Wrex sighed, paying for his drink as he picked himself up from the bar. The armored krogan looked over the information Vressha had transmitted during the message, reading over the location of his target. With another sigh he grabbed his drink and drained it before heading off, re-activating the communications unit in the omni-tool.

Within a few seconds the vid opened up again. "Wrex? What's up?" Alicia said, looking a bit surprised.

"Just wanted to let you know I was going to be gone for a few days. Got a lead on something that I have to track down," Wrex said, causing Alicia to blink in surprise before her eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean something you need to track down?" She asked, only for the large krogan to shake his head.

"Sorry, personal business. And you lost our bet, remember?" He growled out.

The Alliance Commander frowned as she looked at him through her omni-tool. "I remember. I also remember you saying something about you completing your contracts. Last I checked, your contract with me isn't done yet," she shot back.

"And I will. I just need a few days to handle this. Unless you don't think your squad can survive without me," Wrex shot back.

Alicia looked at him, before shaking her head. "Sorry Wrex, no can do. I can't give you a few days off. But if you want to maybe ask for some help-," she started.

"Drop it Shepard. I'm not like Vakarian or the quarian. I don't need you giving me a helping hand. I handle my business myself," Wrex said, his voice growing angry.

"Uh-huh…Wrex, I'll be straightforward: why are you being a stubborn asshole on this?" Alicia asked, arms crossed. "I'm not even offering because it's an attempt to make us all 'buddy buddy', I'm asking because the practical, sensible solution is for you to accept my offer of help. You get a ride to where you're going for free, you get help from people who aren't going to stab you in the back, also for free, and you most likely make it out of whatever it is you're up to. Unless this is something that's going to hurt the Alliance or innocent civilians, I don't really see any problems."

Wrex was about to open his mouth to angrily retort, only to stop as her words sunk in. Then he let out a low rumbling growl of annoyance. "Damnit kid, why the hell do you have to actually make sense?" He muttered softly.

"Look, just…give us a chance Wrex. I don't know what your problems with trust and working with other people is, but just give us a chance. You don't have to be friendly with everyone, you don't have to be supportive, just…trust us to help you get this done," Alicia said.

Wrex stared at her for several moments. "…you sure you don't have some krogan in you? Your stubbornness is almost as bad as mine," he said, before sighing. "...no one asks personal questions. No one tries to turn this into some bonding exercise. I have final say on what goes on. Got it Shepard?" He demanded.

"I'll agree fully to everything but the last one. That one is conditional on how FUBAR'd everything gets," Alicia counted, causing Wrex to nod.

"Fine. Sending coordinates to you. But you better get everyone ready to go, because I won't wait forever," he snapped, closing the communication down after sending the coordinates. He stood there, grumbling for several moments. "Getting soft in my old age," he said, before starting to stomp off again.

It didn't take long for the crew and ground team to re-board the ship, while the last of the supplies were being loaded onboard. Alicia meanwhile was finishing up a communication with Alliance command, letting them know of the situation.

"Commander, I was willing to give a bit of lee-way with your choice to aid Vakarian, but we cannot risk you and your team getting into trouble while we're still dealing with the geth and Saren," Hackett said, while Alicia nodded.

"I understand sir, but if we don't do this, I will potentially lose one of my heaviest hitters. Urdnot Wrex is an absolute powerhouse and I would feel a lot more comfortable with someone like him at my back if I have to face any of Saren's more powerful geth, or the krogan he seems to have recruited to his side," she responded.

Hackett let out a sigh, before nodding. "I understand. But you need to be careful Shepard. We cannot afford to lose you. You have forty-eight hours. Hackett out."

Alicia watched as the communication ended before moving out onto the CIC deck where Pressly waited. "We good to go?" She asked.

"Almost ma'am. The last of the supplies are being brought onboard," he reported.

"Good. As soon as the last of the supplies are onboard, get us out of here and make for Argos Rho. We've got forty-eight hours to get this done," Alicia said, moving to head down to the crew deck.

She blinked as she nearly bumped into Liara in the mess hall. "O-Oh, forgive me Commander," Liara said, her eyes downcast a bit.

"I thought I told you to call me Alicia," Alicia said teasingly, only for Liara to glance away.

"Yes…sorry Alicia," she said. "I-I have something to take care of," she added as she tried to move past.

"Is something wrong?" The red haired Spectre asked, only for Liara to shake her head.

"No, nothing's wrong, I just have something I need to do," she said as she hurriedly moved away. Alicia watched her head off, a bit confused at the strange reaction from Liara before heading to her cabin.

It did not take long for the ship to soon be underway, and within an hour they were jumping through the Relay. Alicia had gathered the team together in the briefing room, with Wrex standing next to her.

"Alright, I know this is a bit last minute but Wrex here has decided he'd be too bored handling something by himself," Alicia said, as Wrex just grunted while using the holographic projector. "This isn't an official mission so feel free to volunteer or choose to stay behind. Though Wrex might appreciate the extra help."

"Don't go putting words in my mouth Shepard," Wrex grunted as soon enough the projector displayed a system, then zoomed in to a system and highlighted a planet in that system. "We're headed here. Argos Rho Cluster, Phoenix System, planet Tuntau. I've got a lead on something I've been tracking for some time now. It's being held by this turian," he said as he brought up an image, showing an armored figure. It was clearly a turian, given the shape of the armor and the figure underneath, but little else could be discerned as their face was hidden by their helmet, while the armor itself was a charcoal black with red trim to it.

"Who is he?" Garrus asked, his mandibles twitching slightly, obviously a bit iffy on going after a turian without a better understanding of whom they were.

"Don't get yer head spikes twisted, kid. He's a pirate, named Tonn Actus. He runs a black-market operation, buying and selling all kinds of things, most of which he's stolen or killed for. I think that's more than enough reason for you to put a bullet in his head, right?" Wrex said, while Garrus just sat back, arms crossed.

"And he got his hands on something you've been looking for?" Naruto asked, causing Wrex to nod at that.

"Yeah. You don't need to know more than that about it though," Wrex said, bringing up a new image. It showed a sizeable building with a connected landing pad large enough for a medium sized transport to land on, as well as several guard towers surrounding it. "This is his base of operations. It's a fortified storehouse for his goods, as well as his personal collection. He's got about twenty to thirty armed guards on the premise, as well as a few automated turrets inside, but nothing that can't be handled by a group that took down a geth and Cerberus base."

Alicia studied it the image of the base. "So, we'll go in, retrieve what you're after, and get out. Maybe call in an Alliance or Council ship afterwards to-," she started to say, only for Wrex to interrupt her.

"No Council ships. You want to call in the Alliance to clear out the base, that's fine. But the Council doesn't set a foot in there," Wrex said, his voice suddenly a lot more serious, his eyes narrowed. Alicia turned to him; her own eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"…why not?" She finally asked, crossing her arms, as everyone could feel the atmosphere in the room growing tenser. Wrex narrowed his eyes a bit back at her.

"…because there's nothing in there that concerns them," Wrex tried to counter.

Alicia shook her head at that. "I'm going to have send a report to them anyways. One of the downsides to being a Spectre. So they'll know what's in there. And before you think of saying I'm not going down there, anyone who does go down with you will just end up telling me anyways. And no, this isn't asking a personal question Wrex. I'm not asking what you're after, I'm asking why you don't want the Council coming here," she said, her voice firm.

The large reptile just stared back, a soft growl emanating from deep in his throat, before he finally answered her. "…my people's legacy," he finally said. "Actus is a collector of krogan artifacts. He's spent thousands of credits to buy up armor, weapons, and other artifacts taken from my people after the end of the Krogan Rebellions. And I'm not about to let the Council swoop in and take it back a second time."

Everyone looked at him in surprise, before Alicia finally nodded. "…very well…do you have someone you trust to come pick it all up and take it away then?" She asked.

Wrex seemed surprised by that, before nodding. "I've got a contact or two. Was planning to bring them in to take away the collection. Can't smuggle it back to Tuchanka, the turians would find it. So was going to put it all in a storehouse, till I could find another way," he said.

Alicia looked to everyone else. "Anyone have any problems with that?" She asked.

"…no Commander," Garrus said quietly, looking at Wrex. "I trust your judgment. Both of your judgments," he said.

"No problems form me Skipper," Ashley said as well. "I know if someone had done that to us, I wouldn't want them getting a second chance at taking it away."

"I do not have any problem with this," Liara said quietly. "It is really none of our concern either way."

The others all voiced their own thoughts, agreeing that they wouldn't have any problems with this. Alicia gave a nod before turning to Wrex. "You contact whoever you trust most and tell them to be ready. I can hold off sending a report for some hours, and that should give them enough time to get in, get the goods, and get out."

Wrex just nod, the barest hint of a grin appearing on his craggy reptilian face. "Heh…guess maybe this won't be such a bad idea after all," he said. "You've got yourself a deal Shepard."

"Alright then. So now that we've settled that, who wants to volunteer for this mission?" Alicia asked, looking around.

Almost immediately the Alliance members raised their hands, followed by Tali. Garrus followed suit after a moment, leaving Liara who took a few deep breaths before raising her hand as well. Alicia grinned at that, clapping her hands. "Alright then! Here's the plan then. When we hit ground side, we'll use the Mako to circle around the base, dropping off Williams, Vakarian, and Uzumaki at these points," she said, indicating three points. "Once we're on station, you three will pick off any outside sentries, allowing us to drive up in the Mako. If we get to that point undetected, we'll hack our way in and try to take down the guards and security as quietly as possible. If things go loud…then we blast our way in. try to keep collateral damage to a minimum if you can. Understood?"

As everyone nodded, Alicia turned off the holo-projector. "Once we've secured the base and Wrex has secured his package, we'll call in his contacts to begin removing the krogan artifacts while we get out of there. This should be an easy mission, but I want everyone to be careful. See to your gear and get your head in the game. Dismissed," she said.

She watched as they moved to leave, Liara moving a bit quickly to leave the room. Alicia frowned at that, but was pulled from her thoughts by Wrex. "I wasn't expecting that, kid," he said.

"It's your people's legacy. I can understand wanting to protect it," Alicia said, before looking at him. "But if it turns out to be a stockpile of weapons and armor for some krogan rebellion and you're pulling a fast one on me…" she said, leaving the threat hanging.

Wrex let out a chuckle. "Trust me, this isn't that. What I'm after is far too important to try and pull a fast one on you. It's what I said it is."

"Then we've got not problems," Alicia said, moving away. "Just make sure you give us an idea of what you're after, so we don't accidentally shoot it or something."

Wrex just grunted in response as Alicia left the briefing room, only to find Kaidan standing nearby. "Commander, do you have a moment?" He asked, sounding slightly apprehensive.

"What is it Kaidan?" Alicia asked, moving with him as he led her out of immediate earshot of anyone.

"It's about Liara. I…had a discussion with her before we left the Citadel. Joker accidentally let slip the rumored incident…on Torfan," he said quietly.

Alicia's eyes widened as she stiffened a bit. "…I see…what exactly did he say?"

"Beyond what the rumors say, nothing," Kaidan said quietly. "I tried to explain things to her, but…considering all we know are the official reports and rumors, I'm not sure how much of it helped."

Alicia took a deep breath, closing her eyes. "Well at least now I understand why she seems skittish," Alicia said, turning away. "…what do you think happened on Torfan?"

"I've read the official reports. The marines with you reported that the enemy refused to surrender, and there's enough evidence of that from other action reports on Torfan to back it up. But...at the same time…that unit you joined with was suffering greatly at the hands of the batarians, and a lot of people know about…Mindoir," he said quietly.

Alicia kept staring at the bulkhead, her frame tense. "…things happen during conflict," she said quietly. "When your life is on the line, the adrenaline surging…sometimes…thank you Lieutenant. You're dismissed," she said, abruptly moving away from him. Kaidan watched her leave, feeling more anxious then he had before talking to her.

Unknown Location

A small turian frigate, outdated and painted in colors that were not standard for any Hierarchy ship, cut through space. Its FTL engines burned brightly as it headed for its destination, while onboard the motley assortment of alien pirates manned their stations, keeping the ship running. It was a small group, perhaps thirty or so altogether, made up of members of almost every race in the galaxy. Asari, turians, salarians, batarians, as well as a couple krogan and even a single quarian, though no human was to be seen at all.

Standing at the captain's pulpit, Elanos Haliat stared at the holographic map of the galaxy, gripping the railing with his tri-digit hands. Life had not been good for the turian pirate in the aftermath of the failed attack on Elysium. His failure had earned him a massive black mark amongst the criminal and pirate groups populating the Terminus Systems and the outer edges of Council space. More than a few had even tried to kill him. He had lost command of his crew and ship, forced to scrounge for whatever raiding opportunities or smuggling jobs he could find. Now he was in charge of a ship again, a relic of a frigate from his home planet's navy.

But it would all be worth it. He finally had what he needed to get revenge. A recent find had netted him exactly what he needed to take revenge against the ones who had ruined his plans and nearly destroyed his life. He knew that with what he found, the Alliance could only dispatch one ship to retrieve it. The one ship commanded by one of his targets, with the other one serving onboard as well.

He smirked, seeing his ship nearing its destination. When word got out about what he had done, no longer would he be a pariah, a laughing stock amongst the pirates and criminals of the galaxy. He'd be feared, as feared as Aria T'Loak was. And then he would take back what was rightfully his. His face started to take on a mad grin as he thought about it. Vengeance would soon be his, and it would be so sweet.

Planet Tuntau, Phoenix System

A turian pirate, decked in makeshift armor, sighed as he slumped against the wall of one of the spotting towers erected around their base. The guard towers were tall, narrow structures with a platform at the top that could house a sniper, or a mounted machine gun and a gunner. Said turian was in one of the mounted gunner towers, where he was supposed to be keeping an eye out for any intruders. Yet he didn't see the point since nobody came here who wasn't supposed to come here anyways.

He lazily glanced at the horizon, his helmet's scanners looking over the snow covered, rocky terrain. Their base was located in something of a valley, surrounded by hills on all sides. Most of the hill tops had been cleared out of any useful cover to try and prevent enemies from sneaking up, but the near constant snowing did allow for large snow drifts to form, which had to be cleared out periodically.

The turian let out a yawn, only to blink as on his HUD the friendly blip indicating one of the other guards disappeared. He glanced over to the guard tower where they were supposed to be, only to curse as he couldn't see them because of the walls. "Hey Krost…Krost…damnit, answer Krost," he said, using his radio.

There was no answer, and the turian was about to try again when suddenly a round ripped through the visor of his helmet and out the back, ending his life instantly as he slumped to the floor.

A few hundred meters away, Naruto switched to the next guard, seeing two more disappear as Garrus and Ashley both took their shots with their suppressed sniper rifles. Naruto lined up on the last guard, a sniper now scanning the horizon as he saw all his fellow guards disappear from his HUD. The sniper was just aiming in Naruto's direction when he fired, the round ripping through the human's neck and dropping him.

"Normandy 1-1, this is 2-1. Tango's are down," he reported, keeping an eye for anymore hostiles that might emerge at that point.

"Roger that, rolling in," came Alicia's voice. A few moments later the Mako could be seen roaring over a hilltop and down the other side, the cannon swinging to point towards the base as the vehicle careened down the hillside and quickly rolled up to the base. Naruto grinned a bit, imagining Liara and Tali's reactions to the bumpy ride, while over the comm he could hear Garrus muttering a quiet 'thank you' at most likely not being in the Mako currently.

At the base, Alicia pulled up near the entrance before quickly getting out, followed by the others. "Let's move it people, press the advantage," she said, hustling up to the door. The others quickly stacked up on her near it, with Kaidan taking point as he began hacking into it. Within seconds the door lock disengaged.

"Remember people, check fire. I'd really like to not break some six-thousand-year-old krogan vase or something," Alicia said, causing the others to nod. Except Wrex, who chuckled.

"Trust me Shepard, it'd take more than some guns to damage anything a krogan makes," he said, as the door opened and they quickly moved inside, bypassing the decontamination unit.

On the other side was a security checkpoint manned by three guards. All of them were caught off guard by the group of intruders, and before they could grab their weapons or raise an alarm, Liara hit them with a singularity, yanking them off their feet. Wrex was on them in an instant, slamming all three into a wall. Two fell to the ground unconscious, but the third, a batarian, had their neck snapped and lifelessly slumped to the ground. Tali quickly moved to their guard station, hacking into the computer to seize control of the alarms and other security measures.

Alicia moved past to the next doorway, watching it as Tali continued hacking into the systems before nodding. "We're good Commander," she said, drawing her shotgun.

"Alright. Naruto, bring the others in. Tali, pop a Seeker in there, give us an idea of what we're dealing with. Wrex, Kaidan, hold that door. Liara, Tali, behind me," Alicia ordered. She watched the group moving into position, a smile threatening to pop onto her face. It had been a difficult road, but it felt like they were finally a team. Liara and Tali were both moving with more confidence, the quarian even more so. Garrus was bonding with other members of the team, and Wrex…well so far, he hadn't proven to be a problem, following her orders far more happily on this mission.

Tali quickly launched the small reconnaissance drone, watching it zip through the slightly opened door before activating her omni-tool to see its visuals. She quickly had it move up to the ceiling, trying to stay up high as she took in the view. "…we've got a hallway, opening up into a large warehouse like area. Plenty of crates everywhere. A lot of them look very secure," she reported, slowly moving the drone along the ceiling. "Detecting potential hostiles…marking them."

On their HUD's they soon saw red outlines appearing through the walls, all of them humanoid and moving about. Tali continued to slowly move the drone, surveying the area. "There's a door on the opposite side of the room, large enough to move cargo. Most likely to the landing platform…there's also a ramp leading to a second floor…I'll try to get a view there," she said, maneuvering the drone into position to proceed up the ramp. "…there's a doorway, sealed, with at least two guards outside it. It could be offices."

Alicia nodded at that, glancing over her shoulder as she saw the three snipers come through the doorway. "Alright…Wrex…this is your show. Quiet or loud?" She asked him.

Wrex looked at her, before thinking for a moment. "…much as I'd love to go in, guns blazing…that bastard could decide to start blowing shit up. We'll do it your way Shepard…this time," he said. Alicia swore she could see the grin behind his helmet.

"Alright…Naruto, you'll lead off with me and Kaidan right behind. Silent takedowns. Everyone else, follow behind slowly. Do not engage unless things go loud or you have to," she ordered, switching over to her Mustang. While it was not a suppressed weapon, it would allow her to more easily go for takedowns. Naruto holstered his weapons altogether, extending his gauntlet blades, while Kaidan gripped his Locust. With a nod from Alicia, the trio entered first.

Naruto crouched down low, taking slow deliberate steps as he moved down the hallway to the storage area, his HUD continually updating as Tali's Seeker drone now hung from the ceiling and passively fed them data on enemy locations. He quickly slipped into the warehouse, ducking behind some crates as soon as he entered, with Alicia and Kaidan following suit. Within moments, two guards, a salarian and a human, were approaching their position, lazily patrolling the area.

"I don't know why he bothers putting us on patrols. Not like anyone knows we're here or trying to sneak in," the salarian complained, their voice higher pitched than normal, one of the few indications that it was a female instead of a male. "It's just a waste of time."

"You know how turians are. All control freaks," the human, a man, griped, stopping on the other side of the crates the trio were hiding behind. They heard him shift and then the soft thunk of him placing something on the crate. "The guy's a blackmarket smuggler and still acts like he's in the turian military. Give me a break."

"Do you have to light up? Those things are hazardous to your health," the salarian complained, as they heard the sound of a lighter and then the human exhaling.

"Look, if I'm going to be stuck on boring ass patrols, I'm going to enjoy a smoke," the human said, causing the salarian to scoff and turn away. That's when the trio struck.

Like lightning, Naruto reached up and wrapped one arm around the humans' neck to cut off his air while dragging him over the crate. Alicia quickly moved forward, grabbing the salarian and dragging them quickly to the ground, slamming a fist into their throat. The female salarian gasped, struggling for air from the blow before Alicia dragged their helmet off and slammed her revolver into their face, knocking them out. The human was not as lucky as Naruto quickly drove a bladed gauntlet into the base of their neck, killing him instantly.

Kaidan, the whole time, remained on watch as the two dragged the two guards further behind the crates, depositing their helmets with them. The only sign of a struggle was a few splashes of blood, but unless someone specifically looked behind the crate, they'd never see them. With a hand sign to the others, Alicia signaled them to move up as she led the other three to the next point.

They soon came to a trio of guards standing around a crate that was open, one of them showing off an old krogan helmet that had been inside. "Man, can you believe those scalies used to wear stuff like this?" The one holding the helmet, a batarian, turned it over to keep examining it.

"That's one of their ceremonial armor's," another one, a turian, said. "They took everything from them when they disarmed the krogan, even the ceremonial stuff."

"That's pretty fucked up," the third one, a human woman, said. "I mean, it's not like they could use that stuff to fight with."

"Hey, bastards deserved it. Just like they deserved the genophage," the turian said. "Personally, if it had been me, I'd have just wiped them out for good."

Alicia narrowed her eyes at that, only to tense as she felt a presence behind her. She turned her head to see Wrex standing there, staring at the trio of criminals. She couldn't see his face because of the helmet, but just from his posture she could tell he was furious. She quickly shook her head, trying to signal to the krogan to step back, but he didn't seem to notice, as fixated as he was on the trio of smugglers who were handling the krogan helmet. A blue aura formed around him as he let out a yell and charged forward, slamming into the turian with a biotic charge.

The turian stood no chance, the force of the massive krogan slamming into him with such force and speed causing so much internal trauma that the turian was dead within moments of impact, his corpse flying several yards before hitting the ground. Wrex spun, slamming his shotgun across the helmet of the human woman, sending her flying into another stack of crates before turning to the batarian, his shotgun raised. "Put. It. Down." He growled out, his voice tinged with rage.

The batarian stood there, shaking, before slowly putting the helmet down in the crate. He then scrambled quickly for his gun, only to have his chestplate ripped apart by rounds from Wrex's Eviscerator, his corpse slamming into the ground.

"Damnit Wrex," Alicia growled as suddenly there were shouts from across the warehouse, followed by a voice over the intercoms.

"Intruders in the base! Kill them!" Shouted a turian voice over the speakers, while Wrex just turned in the direction of the ramp. Alicia quickly got up, moving to join him.

"Everyone, going loud! Hit em hard and fast!" Alicia shouted, before looking at Wrex. "…next time…try to wait till we get to the boss before you lose your shit," she said, moving past him.

Wrex growled in response, even as a part of him rationalized that she was right. He followed behind her, drawing his Revenant LMG.

The guards were quickly moving in their direction, only for two of them to drop as Naruto and Garrus picked them off. The rest quickly dove for cover, but not before a salarian screamed in pain as a sniper round ripped through his leg. A human and asari hiding behind a crate popped out to fire towards Garrus and Naruto, only for the asari's head to snap back as a sniper round passed through it. Ashley had taken up a position that now put the enemy in a crossfire between the three snipers, with the rest of the ground team moving up the middle.

Kaidan advanced with Liara behind him, the marine using his tech armor to protect them while Liara sent out a biotic throw to send a crate crashing into a turian. To the right, separated from them by a row of crates, Alicia and Wrex were leapfrogging each other while Tali followed behind them, launching out sabotage programs to try and disable enemy weapons whenever she could.

One of the criminals tossed aside his weapon when it backfired on him, diving behind some crates. Alicia, with her shotgun, swept around the side just in time for him to surge up, trying to grab it from her. Even as his hands landed on her shotgun she was already rearing back, slamming her helmet against his own helmeted head, staggering him back. She quickly shoved him away before bringing the Crusader up, firing the slug almost point blank into his chest. The cheap barrier unit of his armor didn't stand a chance and he dropped to the ground with a gaping hole through his chest as Alicia moved into cover, allowing Wrex to move up.

In his office, the turian known as Tonn Actus could only growl in annoyance as he watched the battle going on in his warehouse. Initially, seeing what appeared to be a multi-racial force attacking made him think that some pirates or raiders had found his base and were looking to make a quick buck. But further inspection led him to realize that wasn't the case, given how four of the invaders were wearing military issued armor from the Systems Alliance, two of them from their N7 forces. This left him somewhat confused, as he didn't understand what the Systems Alliance could possibly want with him. But the sight of the armored krogan made him stop. He focused on that individual for several moments. "…you've finally come."

Seeing two more of his guards fall to weapons fire, he moved over to his computer console, knowing that his crew was no match for this group. Typing in a few commands into the computer, he grabbed a Phaeston assault rifle from beside his desk and waited patiently for the enemy to arrive.

Inside the warehouse, Tali watched as an overload program she sent out caused the shields of two of the guards to drop, leaving them vulnerable to fire from her teammates. Shortly thereafter, the salarian of the pair dropped to the ground as Ashley picked him off, while the other one, an asari, threw up a biotic barrier to protect herself. However, her biotics proved to not be up to the task when Wrex's bulk, enhanced by his biotics, slammed into her, causing the biotic shield to shatter and send her smashing into a wall. She lay there, groaning and stunned, her arm broken as Alicia quickly moved up and smacked her across the face with her shotgun, knocking her out. Tali quickly brought up her own Scimitar shotgun, firing a pair of rapid blasts into a human pirate that rose up from behind some crates to shoot at Alicia and Wrex from behind. The guard dropped to the ground, yelling in pain as the first blast of shrapnel had dropped his shields and the second ripped into his left shoulder, leaving it a bleeding useless mess.

Next to them, Liara now was in front, holding up a biotic barrier as Kaidan waited for his tech armor to recharge, while three pirates were continually firing at the asari's barrier to try and force it down. Liara was straining somewhat, still getting used to the rapid and prolonged use of her biotics. Thankfully, Garrus and Naruto came to her rescue as the two of them picked off the left and right pirates, leaving the one in the center to quickly try to flee back to a new location. Liara quickly grabbed the batarian with a pull, yanking them back before Kaidan hit them with a throw, sending them smashing into the ceiling before hitting the ground with a heavy thud. Liara let out a sigh of relief as she slumped over a bit, Kaidan patting her shoulder as he moved in front of her again.

By this point, the guard's morale was plummeting. They originally had superior numbers, but their enemies were quickly proving that was all but a non-factor in this fight, defeating them with superior tactics and equipment. Not to mention that none of them had expected to deal with a very big, heavily armored, and angry krogan. Now, as their numbers dwindled, some of them were beginning to have thoughts about bailing. One of them, a human, threw down his gun. "Fuck this, I ain't dying for no turian glory hound!" He shouted, fleeing towards the opposite side of the base, where the entrance to the landing pad was likely at. A couple of the other guards quickly followed suit, with one of the remaining ones yelling at them.

Alicia, seeing this, quickly decided to try and end things. She quickly launched herself forward in a biotic charge, slamming into a turian and sending him smashing into a support column. She grabbed him, using him as a shield as she turned to the other guards. "I'll give you all one chance to surrender! Drop your weapons!" She yelled.

The few remaining guards, numbering no more than four or five, glanced at Alicia, then at her team quickly moving towards them. An asari quickly threw down her shotgun, holding up her hands. "Y-Yeah, no problem," she said as the other guards did the same, backing away from their weapons with their hands up.

Alicia grinned as she pushed the groggy turian towards them. "Alright. Kaidan, Williams, Vakarian. Start securing them until we're done here. Wrex…let's see if we can't find Actus and your package," she said, shouldering her Crusader as she led the remainder towards the stairs while the three she called out set to work securing the pirates who surrendered.

Up the stairs, they soon came to an unlocked office door. Alicia narrowed her eyes slightly at that. "…okay…that's not suspicious at all," she said, looking to the others. "Wrex…can you take point?"

"Gladly," the krogan said, moving up and activating the door. The others all had their weapons raised as the holographic lock cycled before disappearing as the door opened.

Beyond was Tonn sitting at his desk, weapon clearly evident. Yet he didn't raise it to fire. Instead he watched s they filed in, the others taking in his office while Wrex and Alicia remained focus on him. Though Wrex's attention changed to a set of rather battle scarred krogan arm set up in a display case behind Tonn.

The turian slowly looked them over before speaking. "Well well…I wasn't expecting to have a Spectre coming after me. And not just any Spectre, but Alicia Shepard. What an honor," he said, slowly standing up. "And you…must be Urdnot Wrex. I've wanted to meet you for some time."

Wrex just grunted in a disinterested manner. "Can't really same the same," he said. "I've only wanted to meet you since I learned you've got something of my family's."

"Oh yes. This," Tonn said, slowly turning and patting the display case with the krogan armor in it. "You won't believe the trouble I went through procuring this. Quite the addition to my collection, don't you think? The battle armor worn by the head of all of Clan Urdnot. It took quite a lot of credits and favors and a few deaths, but it was well worth the effort."

Alicia glanced at Wrex, a bit surprised as she began to realize how personal all this was. Wrex, meanwhile, just stepped forward. "I tell you what Tonn. You hand it over without a fuss and I'll let you live. Though I'll probably have to make sure you're knocked out while I have some friends empty your warehouse."

"Here for the legacy of your people, are you?" Tonn asked him, looking over his shoulder. "Ironic, I thought you had given up on the krogan already Wrex. I spent years collecting everything valuable to the krogan, hoping it might lure you to me. But you didn't seem to care. Didn't seem to mind at all while your people's armor, weapons, relics, your very culture, was being bought up and sold by me. That is, until I found out what you were looking for."

Wrex growled softly as he stepped forward. "And why were you so desperate to find me? I don't know you."

Tonn turned to face him fully. "I wouldn't expect you to know me. No. But I know you…after all…you were the one responsible for killing my ancestor, Terellius Actus, near the end of the Krogan Rebellions. Remember that boarding action on the PFS Redoubtable? The one that led to you being made a tribal leader amongst your clan?"

Wrex stiffened slightly at that. "…you can't seriously be holding a grudge over me killing someone you never even knew."

"Why not? Your people still hold a grudge against my people and the salarians for the genophage. Even though no one alive was responsible for using it. But no…that is not the only reason. If it was, it might be easier to ignore. My grudge against you is because my grandfather tried to seek revenge against you for Terellius's death…and you killed him. Hadreld Actus, who posed as a mercenary targeting a volus you were protecting. His real target was you the whole time," Tonn said, his voice cracking somewhat as the hand holding the Phaeston twitched.

Wrex shook his head. "So you want revenge for me killing our grandfather. Who wanted revenge for me killing…hell, I don't know how far back that first turian would be. You really think you've got a better chance than they did?"

"Considering this entire base will blow up in two minutes time, with enough force to leave a twenty mile crater? I do think so," Tonn said, his voice now cracking with hints of madness and glee. "No matter what…you'll be dead, Urdnot Wrex. The spirits of my family will rest easier, knowing I removed the stain on our honor!" He raised his Phaeston up, only to be rapidly gunned down as Wrex, Alicia, and Naruto opened fire on him. Tali rushed past, quickly hacking into the computer as Wrex stomped over to the turian's corpse, making sure he was dead with another blast from his Eviscerator.

"Tali, report!" Alicia snapped out as the quarian was frantically typing.

"That crazy bosh'tet wasn't joking!" She cried out. "One minute and thirty-four seconds left!"

"Definitely no time to evacuate and I doubt our biotics can shield us from the blast," Naruto said. "A bomb that big, he must have buried it under the base or something."

Alicia cursed as she moved to watch Tali work. "Please tell me you can disarm it," she said.

Tali quickly pushed her away. "Give me space to work!"

"Uuuhhh…did I come at a bad time?" Garrus asked, having just arrived to report on the situation with the captured pirates, only to find everyone tense as Tali frantically worked.

"Not really, unless you count finding out we all might die because a turian planted a massive bomb under the base to ensure Wrex here died just so he could have revenge for Wrex killing his grandfather and…a few times great-grandfather," Naruto said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Oh…right…," Garrus' response was quieter and weaker, while Tali kept frantically typing.

"C'mon, c'mon…no, damn stupid redundant sub-routine! Delete this already…almost…" Tali muttered under her breath. If anyone could see under her visor, they could see sweat glistening as she worked frantically, while the timer passed the forty-five second mark.

Wrex just let out a tired growl. "You should have let me come alone Shepard," he said, his voice low. "This was my problem."

"Maybe…but if I let you go off and die, who would I use for a battering ram next time I need to breach an enemy base?" Alicia joked, as Wrex let out a tired chuckle.

It was that moment when Tali let out a triumphant laugh. "Not today you little bastard!" She yelled, typing in a few more commands. The timer froze, before disappearing, causing Tali to fall over into Tonn's seat, panting heavily. Everyone stared for a few moments before Liara, surprisingly, reacted first.

"Praise the goddess," she said softly, slumping against the wall while placing a hand over her chest.

"Amen to that," Naruto said with a grin, as Alicia patted Tali's shoulder. Wrex moved up to her, towering over here as he removed his helmet. She blinked up at him curiously, before he grinned at her.

"Kid…I think I might have underestimated you. You're full of surprises," he said, reaching out to ruffle the head-wrap of her suit before turning to the display case with his family's armor in it.

Alicia watched him slowly touch the glass, studying the armor carefully. "…so this is it?" She asked him.

Wrex nodded quietly. "…can't believe my family used to wear this junk," he said quietly, but there was the barest hint of reverence to it. "But I finally did it…finally got it back. Just like I promised."

Alicia turned to the others, nodding to the open door, as if indicating they should leave. "If you need any help moving it, let us know," she said, about to follow the others out when Wrex's voice stopped her.

"Shepard…you stay…for a moment," he said. Alicia nodded to the others before returning to Wrex, who was still staring at the armor. When the others were gone and the door closed, Wrex spoke. "…I have to know Shepard…why are you helping me? I don't want any bullshit 'noble answers', just give me the straight blunt truth."

Alicia let out a sigh, shaking her head. "Sorry to disappoint you Wrex, but I literally am doing this because I thought it was the right thing to do. You're helping me out; you're part of my crew. For me, that's enough reason to try and help you, no matter how damn stubborn or annoying or how much of an asshole you might be. Way I figured it…helping you would ensure you're there to still help me out. We all win…but hell…even if I didn't get much out of it, I'd probably still help out, because you needed it. Even if you wouldn't admit it."

Wrex finally turned, studying her with his red reptilian eyes. "…you honestly have surprised me Shepard," he said."I thought people like you either died early or lost your idealism in the face of reality. Over eight hundred years, and I'm still learning and seeing new things."

Alicia just grinned a bit at him. "Glad to know I could impress you. And I hope maybe you'll consider trusting us a bit more now."

Wrex turned back to the armor, as if contemplating something. "…my father tried to kill me," he said, surprising Alicia. "Not that long after the genophage and the turians taking practically everything else from us. My father and a lot of other warlords wanted to keep fighting, either the Council or each other. They didn't care, they just wanted to fight. Me…I thought differently. Thought we should wait till we had managed to breed a new generation or two, to keep the species alive. I gathered some allies who thought the same as me, but my father…he called a Crush, a meeting on neutral ground."

"A trap?" Alicia asked quietly, as Wrex nodded.

"I thought it might be one, but…well…I trusted Jarrod would honor the Crush, especially since he arranged for it to be at the Hallows. A place where we bury our dead, where no violence is allowed. As it turns out, my father was bloodthirsty enough to violate even those laws. When I refused to come to his way of thinking, he had his soldiers cut down my allies around me. I escaped, but only after burying my knife in his chest. I left Tuchanka after that, because I realized there wasn't any point in trying to help the krogan. Not when all they cared about was killing and dying. To be honest...the only thing keeping me connected to my people and planet was this armor…and the vow I made to my ancestors, to return it," he said. "guess now you can see why I don't trust people."

"Yeah…that makes a lot of sense," she said with a nod. "Considering what you went through, I'd have a hard time trusting anyone too."

"Doesn't help that I spent the next few centuries working with mercs and politicians. Nothing like them to destroy the concept of trust," Wrex said with a chuckle, before grabbing his helmet to put it on. "I can't guarantee I'll be buddy-buddy like everyone else Shepard…but you've done more to help me than anyone else has so far…and you did so for no other reason than you wanted to. That goes a long way with me. So from now on…I'll try not to show you all up in combat."

Alicia nodded at that, recognizing the veiled admittance. "Good enough for me. Now…why don't you contact your friends and let's get this stuff moving?" She suggested.

Wrex nodded and turned, typing out some commands on his omni-tool while Alicia contacted the Normandy, letting them know about the situation planet side. The two of them walked out of the office, both feeling lighter as the tense weight caused by Wrex's previous behavior was gone, replaced by a tenuous bond of trust. Wrex just ginned to himself, starting to think that working with the Commander and her team wasn't so bad after all, as they rejoined the others.

---

And chapter.

Alicia: ….

Wrex:…

RS19:…

LR: I know. I know. I hate myself a lot right now for how long it took me to finally get this chapter done.

Alicia; Actually, I was going to comment on how much I liked the ending there.

Wrex: It was okay, but I don't like being made into a sap. *Cracks his knuckles*

RS19: Well I won't let you off that easy! What the hell happened?!

LR: To be honest? Christmas happened. And the sheer absolute batshit insanity that was both the end of 2020 and the beginning, so far, of 2021. The latter stuff really sort of killed my motivation for a bit there. The former…well I got Assassin's Creed: Valhalla and been playing it, so I got distracted…a lot.

DSTLR: You should have focused on us! For your readers!

LR: I know, I know. I'm sorry, I'll try to write my chapters faster now. But I have to try and make them good as well…or at least, as good as I can.

RS19: You better.

LR: *Sighs* Like I said, I'm really sorry for taking so long on this chapter. I just got distracted a lot by video games, and just…world events haven't left me in that great of a mood either. Still, I'm going to keep writing because at least that should help distract and cheer me up, and hopefully the same for you, the readers. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and that you all are staying safe and well, as are your families, friends, and loved ones.

Thanks go to a7xfanatic11 for betain'g my fanfic and helping me with my ideas. And thanks go to raw666 for giving me some ideas/inspirations to make Tonn Actus a bit more…well more.

Till next time!