John, SR-2 Normandy, The Loft

"John?" Tali's voice called. "Jo- Oh! There you are! I…"

Glancing up, John raised an eyebrow. "Yes? What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to...mention…" she blinked a couple of times as she stood in the doorway, then shook her head. "I set up a new rotation for…."

"Tali?"

"Right...Engineering," Tali coughed, clearing her throat. "I set up a new rotation. The shifts are going to be….long."

"Longer, huh?" John shrugged. "How much?"

"Twelve hours, at the moment," she sighed even as her eyes kept flickering. "I…"

"Tali?" John frowned this time, he was beginning to get a little concerned.

"I...John...what are you doing?" she asked at last, sounding half confused and half...something.

Blinking himself, John looked down at himself as he finished up his business. "I'm using the restroom."

"No...I mean, I can see that…" now she was getting a little flustered. "I mean with your...oms."

John chuckled as he cleaned up, stepping to the small sink and washing his hands. "Urinating. Expelling liquid waste."

"From...that?" Tali looked at John's face, frowning, as if she expected him to be poking fun at her.

"Sure," John shrugged with a smile as he picked up a small towel and dried his hands. "I will assume quarians are different again?"

"I...yes," Tali nodded, gravely. "Yes, we do not expel waste from that...I...thought that was for reproduction...look, I am very confused here."

It was becoming very difficult not to laugh at the poor girl. "So I see, but yes, same bit, couple of tubes connect for convient exelation. I can even write with it."

Tali's eyes narrowed almost dangerously as she stared at him.

"Ha! No, human kid thing, don't worry about it," John grinned as he took hold of the top of the door frame, leaning out and over her. "After all this time, I would have thought you would have noticed by now. I shower and change here and such."

"I've watched," Tali smirked, tilting her head to one side slightly. "Just never when you were doing that. I mean, my suit breaks down waste at the atomic level with micro mass effect fields. Why are we talking about this?"

"I dunno," John shrugged. "You're the one that's become a voyeur."

"Ugh," Tali threw her arms up as she turned, walking back into the main cabin. "Did Xera know it did that?"

"Probably."

"Why didn't she tell me?" Tali spun, demanding.

John paused for a moment, looking at her with a narrow, skeptical expression. "You...have met her, right?"

"Fair point," Tali giggled as her demeanor took on a more sultry air. "I'm looking forward to seeing how else it….works."

Just as John opened his mouth-

"Commander, we will be dropping from FTL and hitting the Tuchanka relay within the hour," Joker announced, with perfect timing.

"Thanks Joker," John sighed.

Urdnot Wrex, Tuchanka

"Wrex!" a rough voice called out above the din of the 'throne room'. "The station aimed at the relay is tight-beaming. A ship flying Cerberus colors dropped in and hit FTL. Looks like they are headed this way."

"Hrnh…." Wrex dropped his chin onto his fist as he considered. "Well, I could use some action. This is getting a bit boring."

Grunt, Tuchanka Landing Pad

It was hot. And dry. Smelled funny too. Like dust and depression. It was stupid.

"Welcome to sunny Tuchanka," Garrus chuckled as he looked around the landing area. "About what I expected, actually."

"That's because you're an ass, Garrus," Tali snorted, her arms crossed. She was tense, her hands seemed to itch for her shotgun. Because she was a warrior. She was his Battlemaster's mate.

"What do you think, Grunt?" John tossed a glance his way. He seemed carefree. This was the den of krogan. Where they huddled together and soak in their collective misery. Where their bitterness festered. And Shepard didn't care.

"This is the world of my ancestors?" he snorted. "This is the rock is what is left of the krogan? Pitiful. I feel nothing but contempt."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. It was the expression of mild surprise. That wasn't really the answer he had expected from Grunt. But he didn't challenge it.

"You!" a voice boomed, drawing the groups attention to the heavily armed and armored krogan pushing past a pair of guards. Guards they had been ignoring. "Come with me. Our leader wants to have a word with you."

"You think you can order us?" Grunt started forward, but Shepard held up a hand, forestalling him.

"I want to see your glorious leader anyway," Shepard half smirked. "Lead on."

The krogan stared at Shepard for a moment, then glanced at Grunt, before snorting dismissively, and turning away, expecting them to follow. If it hadn't been for Shepard, Grunt would have handed this klumtac his own foot.

They were led through the shattered remains of a massive building. It seemed to be thick and solidly built, almost like a fortress. Holes had been blasted through walls at some point in its long history, holes that had become doors.

Around Shepard's group Krogan would stop and stare at them as they went by. Their eyes were dark and wrathful. They muttered threats and curses as Grunt did his best to follow his Battlemaster's example, ignoring the weak simpering beings.

Twists and turns later, their guide led them to a large...hole. That was really the best description for it. The building they had passed through gave way to what appeared to be a massive multi-storied pillar of a building. Looking up, Grunt estimated it to be fifty to sixty stories tall. But the part that made it noteworthy was the hole that seemed to have been shot clean through the thing, leaving the surrounding walls intact.

The harsh Tuchanka sun glared down through the hole, showing the gathering of krogan. Several dozen stood, staggered around a dias made from the rubble of the shattered building. Some simply watch, while others murmured to each other. Some shifted, or shoved, jockeying for position.

"Be respectful," their guide sneered. "If you don't want to end up as food for the varren."

"Yeah, whatever," Shepard flipped a hand at the krogan as he moved forward, shoving krogan aside. A feat no other human would be able to accomplish. Except this was his Battlemaster. He was unstoppable. "Wrex is afraid of water!" He yelled, cutting through the din.

"What?!" A krogan roared from the center of the mass. A huge, dark red krogan stood, jumping up onto his makeshift throne, and turning his blood red eyes to them. Then, as he took sight of Shepard, the anger evaporated into amusement. "Shepard! My friend!"

Jumping down, Urdnot Wrex shoved a pair of krogan that had been speaking to him, parting them, as he passed through. As he reached shepard, his reached out, grasping Shepards forearm, pulling him into a half hug. "Heard you were dead," Wrex chuckled, slapping Shepard on the shoulder.

"I was. Ended up spaced," Shepard laughed.

"Ah, the wonders of a redundant nervous systems," Wrex chuckled as he surveyed the rest of Shepard's group.

"Yeah, I don't have one of those Wrex," Shepard snorted. "Not a human thing."

"Oh…" Wrex blinked as he looked back to the human, giving him a slow look over. "Must have hurt like hell. But!" He then turned his attention to Tali. "I see you are still with the quarian. How's the Evil Overlord business going?"

"Been worse," she chuckled. "Putting your shotgun tips to good use though."

"Excellent. Knew you were made of the right stuff," Wrex laughed deeply as he struck his fist against hers.

"Aw, what about me?" Garrus grinned, holding his arms out. "Do I get a hug?"

For a moment, Wrex eyed the turian, then glanced at Shepard, who shrugged. Then with a casual shrug of his own, Wrex stepped forward, slamming his headplate into Garrus's face and knocking him flat to the ground.

"Welcome to Tuchanka, Garrus."

Tali, Tuchanka Throne Room

"You ignore the ambassadors of your own people in favor of these...aliens?" the krogan that had been talking to Wrex when they arrived growled. "You strain alliances you can't afford to loose."

"Shut it, Uvenk," Wrex said, making a distasteful face. "I'll drag your Clan to glory, whether you fight it or not. Either way, I'm busy."

The krogan, Uvenk, ground his teeth together in a silent snarl as Wrex turned away, seemingly ignoring him, instead moving to look over Grunt.

"So...this is the krogan you got to replace me?" Wrex chuckled as his eyes roamed the younger krogan. "Young. Big though." Which was a bit of an understatement. As krogan went, Wrex was probably the biggest Tali had ever seen, but now, looking at him face-to-face with Grunt, they seemed to be about the same size. "Where is your Clan, whelp? Where do you come from?"

"I was created by Warlord Okeer. Distilled from the greatest krogan warriors to perfection," Grunt said, unashamedly. "You should all be in awe."

"Ha!" Wrex laughed and slapped Grunt's shoulder, staggering the younger krogan. Tali didn't miss the surprise in Grunt's eyes. "Okeer is an old name. A hated one. But, seeing as you're with Shepard, I'll assume the old parpani is dead."

"Yes," Grunt nodded. "My Battlemaster destroys all his foes."

"Battlemaster, eh?" Wrex turned a grin to John. "He has been known for his scorched earth policy."

"Yeah," John coughed as he rubbed at the back of his head. "Seeing as he doesn't have a clear bloodline, I figured I'd just take him into my...Clan."

"Blasphemy!" Uvenk snarled as he pushed through the crowd to stand before the group, jabbing a finger at Grunt. "That...thing isn't krogan!" Next he turned his attentions to John. "And that human has no place here!"

"Huh," Wrex blinked once then shrugged. "It is a bit on the odd side. Guess I'll just have to send you both through the rite."

"You go too far Wrex!" Uvenk stomped his foot as he reached for the heavy shotgun at his back. But he froze as Tali's own gun thrust into his face.

Wrex grinned for a moment before placing a hand on Tali's barrel, slowly pushing it down. "I don't think you want to push this, Uvenk."

The krogan ambassador seemed to quiver with anger before he spun on his heel. He violently shoved the crowd out of his path as he disappeared into the mass.

"Well...he'll be a problem later," Wrex chuckled. "He's an ass though, so I'm not exactly heart broken."

"What Rite were you talking about, Wrex?" John crossed his arms as his eye followed where Uvenk disappeared.

"When a krogan comes of age, they undergo the Rite. You pass, you get to petition to join a Clan," Wrex shrugged. "Pretty simple."

"And if you fail?"

"You're dead, like I said, simple," Wrex grinned. "Really, the best way for Grunt and you to be fully accepted is to go through the Rite. Then I make you Urdnot, you get to be an official Battlemaster, blah, blah."

"John," Tali laid a worried hand on his arms. "I don't know if that's really the best-"

"If you do it together, I can also declare you mated for life," Wrex added, stopping Tali in her tracks.

"John, we need to go kill some bosh'tet's."

John

"How do we even know the planet will accept him?!" Uvenk was yelling at a noticeably smaller krogan. This one was only slightly bigger than John was, but his plates were pitted and scarred. "They might ignore him like a lump of plastic!"

"This is the human and the tank bred?" the small krogan asked, turning away from Uvenk. "He looks fine." He stepped forward, crowding Grunt slightly as he sniffed at him. "Smells fine too. I am Shaman. And Uvenk, your objections are stupid."

"This cannot continue!" Uvenk growled again. "I won't let this pile of meat masquerading as a krogan to disrupt the purity of-"

Uvenk's tirade was cut off as John reach the end of his patience. In an unthinking move, he stepped to Uvenk, reared back his head, and slammed his forehead down onto Uvenk's head plate. It wasn't exactly the wisest thing he had ever done, as the world swam for a moment. But that cleared with a small shake of his head.

On the other hand, Uvenk stumbled back, clutching at his head and blinking hatefully. "You dare?!" He turned to regard the Shaman, he teeth bared. "I withdraw my objection. This will be settled...elsewhere."

"Probably made that worse, huh?" John sighed, watching Uvenk collect his guards and leaving the building.

"Pissed him off pretty good," Shaman chuckled. "He is technically forbidden from interfering with the Rite."

"Probably going to do it anyway, isn't he?" John sighed

"Yeah, probably."

"Fuck…."

Emma, Brokerage Floor, Illium

"Look, kid, I don't have time to waste while you play around with the terminal," an aggressive volus said, condescendingly. "Why don't you go find your parents and leave these things to your betters?"

"How about you fuck right off," Emma sniffed, not even looking away from the terminal. She had been at this Vercace Shipworks terminal for barely five minutes before the little shitball showed up. She had things to get done. Her ship needed some work.

"Excuse me?!" the volus exclaimed, as he shoved her. "I've about had it with you humans! Think you can come in and do what you please? Larr, Krinn, hurt her!"

At the volus's demand, a pair of guards, turians, glanced at each other, then shrugged. They stepped forward, reaching out. One pulled a small knife….

Emma's eye went wide. She looked around in fear. She didn't have anyway to defend herself! But...everybody was looking away! Not a single being noticed, or cared. Typical. But now….

"Hey, ugly," a feminine voice exclaimed from behind Emma, drawing the brute's attention, as well as Emma's own. Behind her stood an asari woman. She was on the smaller side, thin and petite, dressed in a rather cute one piece dress. "You're ruining my date!"

"Yeah, then how about to move along, unless you want to party with us?" One of the turinas sneered.

"Just go, lady!" Emma half yelled. "Don't get hurt for me!"

"Charr! Can you do something?" the asari turned to regard the krogan that had been standing behind her.

"I would love to, Rose," Charr grinned as he reached behind himself and pulled out….a...knife? In Charr's hands it looked like a large, wide knife, but to Emma, it looked like a giant chunk of sharpened steel.

"Aww, yeah, nope," the other turian that hadn't make the remark to Rose held his hands up as he stepped back. "I'm out. I'm invoking my suicide clause."

"What?" the volus jerked to him, sputtering. "Larr! You can't invoke that! I didn't tell you to kill yourself!"

"Right, fucking with that guy?" Larr pointed at Charr with a finger, his hands still held in the air. "That's suicide."

"Come on!, It's just one Kro- ERK!" the other turian, Krinn, jerked up once as Charr shoved his blade deep up into his chest.

"Why is nobody doing anything?!" The volus stumbled backward as he watched his hireling drop dead at his feet.

"This is Ilium, sweetie," Rose smiled as she squatted down in front of Emma and smiled. "I have a permit to deal with harassers. Can I help you honey?"

"Where the hell do you get a permit for that?! The volus began hyperventilating as he continued his frantic back peddling.

"Special one from Spectre Shepard," Rose grinned. "Turned out I didn't need it at the time, but seeing as how it doesn't expire….

"Umm…" Emma looked from Rose to the volus, then the dead turian. "I...I got a ship. You could say I salvage it. Need it repaired and stuff."

"Hmm," Rose squinted slightly as she tapped her finger to her chin. "If you need some paperwork like that done on the sly….you have credits?"

"I...yes," Emma turned suspicious. Not that it would do much if the asari chose to do anything.

"Alright then," Rose nodded as she stood. "I'll take you to the best information broker on Ilium. She used to work with Shepard as well!"

John, Tuchanka, The Spire

"Looks like a fucked up arena," Jack frowned, turning in a slow circle.

"It is," Samara nodded, looking about, herself. "It looks like they left the ones that failed where they fell."

"Fortuitous," Mordin squatted next to one of the bodies, and taking a pair of grenades from its belt. "Back up ammunition. Some explosives. Probably part of the point. Survive how you can."

"Still creepy," Jack shrugged slightly before glancing at Thane. "Hey, lizard boy, this ain't fucking with you?"

The drell had been looking over his rifle until the convict spoke, getting his attention. Looking up, he smiled slightly. "The dry air is pleasing, actually. The atmosphere is similar to that of Rakhanna."

"I wanna kill something!" Grunt exclaimed, hefting his plasma rifle. "When are we killing?"

"We just got here, Grunt," John chuckled. "We need to get an idea of the terrain. Then we hit that button over there." He gestured to the large tower in the center of the flat field.

"John, why can't you ever take me someplace warm and sunny?" Tali sighed, checking first her own kit, before going ver John's. Not that he needed it, but it seemed to make he a bit more at ease, so he let her do it. "And...this is an impressive shotgun."

"Yeah," John hefted the weapon, turning it side to side. The short, bulky body of the weapon was dinged and scratched, it's heavy gauge barrel was carbon scored from use. Along the back of the weapon was a faded and abused red and white stripe pattern. "Jane gave it to me when I mentioned I was coming here."

"I can see her doing that," Tali chuckled. "Is it special?"

"You...could say that, yeah," John paused, slightly uncomfortable, unsure of how to explain it. "You know about Torfon?"

"Y..yes," Tali nodded, her eyes widening slightly. "You're sister was there. And so was Gerald."

"The surviving soldiers used these," John hefted the gun. "It's an N-7 Crusader. It fires a powerful spiked slug. They are powerful, accurate and can take a hell of a beating. Jane said more than once that the only reason she survived was this thing."

"John...I…"

*BOOM* echoed as scratchy speakers above them, on the tower, came to life.

"FIRST THE KROGAN CONQUERED TUCHANKA…. MASTERING A WORLD ONLY WE WERE FIT TO HOLD!"

John turned, along with the entire squad, looking at Grunt, where he stood, his fist on the switch in front of him as he looked at the pillar, seemingly surprised. Then, as he seemed to feel the eyes on him, he turned to look at the others and shrugged. "What?"

Grunt

The battle was quick! Too quick! Only mad packs of varren. Pitiful. If this is what the Rite of Passage was, he wasn't particularly sure he wanted to bother.

Granted, there was a lot of them. A couple dozen. But they went down with a bullet. Most of them. A few got through and needed to be killed by hand. Or, in Samara and Jack's case, biotics.

Shepard, being the powerful warrior he was, used his two omniblades, carving the beasts apart, like so much old cheese.

That reminded him. He needed more cheese. And some ground meat. He wanted to make more of those things he had gotten at the party.

Garrus had gotten bit, but it was good for him. Toughen him up some.

Maybe some of those round red fruit things that was on the meat things. And mustard! Mustard was amazing!"

*BOOM*

"THEN THE KROGAN WERE LIFTED TO THE STARS! TO DESTROY THE FEARS OF THE GALAXY! eNEMIES ON THEY COULD CHASE TO THEIR LAIR!"

There were more?! Great!

Garrus

"I hate this planet," Garrus sniffed as he used his combat knife to pry the jaws of the varren off his arm. It had been a bit difficult to fight of a horde of exploding fiery insects with a jaw-locked varren on his arm. He had been forced to cut it off at the neck and keep going for that second round. "At least the thing worked as a shield…"

"What was that Garrus?" Shepard asked as he squatted down next to where he sat.

"I was saying how wonderful this place is, and how I'm a genius for bringing a meat shield," Garrus smiled happily as he dug the knife into the jaw hinge.

"Inspired,"Shepard chuckled as he grabbed the thing. He seemed to set himself, then heaved on it. At first, Garrus was mildly amused that Shepard was trying to barehand it. There was no way a human was going to open a death locked varren. Then there was a crack. Then another, louder one. With a final, wet pop, Shepard ripped the bottom jaw clean off the varren head.

"How the…" Garrus started before shaking his head. "Forget it. Impossible is what you do."

"Cybernetics," Shepard answered anyway, tossing the head one way. He then hefted the jaw, looking at the long curved lower fangs. "Hey...think we could make a crown out of these things for Wrex?"

"Boss….there is something messed up in your head," Garrus sighed as he stood, dusting himself off. "Now that we are done with this, I'd-"

*BOOM*

"NOW ALL KROGAN BARE THE GENOPHAGE! OUR REWARD! OUR CURSE! OUR FIGHT IS TO SURVIVE!"

"Spirits…."

Tali

She was not particularly sure how she was alive. She was certainly grateful, but the how eluded her.

The last creature summoned was a damned thresher maw. A large one. Grunt jumped up and down in glee, while John cursed, firing wildly at it. It seemed he still had his thresher maw complex.

There was screaming, and shooting. A whole lot of frantic running. Some explosions. More varren. More of the Klixen. More explosions. More running.

Somewhere along the line Tali had stumbled over the body of a long dead krogan, falling to the ground. The thresher maw loomed over her, screaming out it's bone shaking roar as its head, titaler maw open wide, struck down at her.

Tali screamed. Like one does when one was about to be devoured. She reached frantically for her weapon, but it was gone. Her fingers, however, curled around the object the dead krogan had been clutching in its own death.

Had it died like this?

Of course not. That was a stupid question. If the Thresher had eaten it, it wouldn't be a body sitting here.

Then the darkness slammed over her, swallowing her, to her death.

Until it exploded.

Tali lay there now. Covered in green goo. Bits of meat and scale plopped and spattered around her at the headless body of the thresher swung back, as if insulted that its head was missing, and slowly toppled backward. Which was nice. It would have been rude to have landed on her and killed her at that point.

"Tali!" John yelled. She could feel his panic. He was running to her. She did her best to let him know she was alright, through the Bond. She didn't particularly want to move at the moment.

And she couldn't see. It had actually taken her a bit to realize that. He visor was dripping with streaks of the goo. With her left hand, she reached up, trying to wipe some of it off, but, instead, just smeared it around some more.

Her left hand curled around the weapon she had pulled from the dead krogan's body. She was never letting it go. It was her new friend.

"Now I know why Kal'Reeger always has one," Tali groaned to herself as she drug the rocket launcher to herself.

John

"... Of course, you wouldn't be allowed to breed," Uvenk pretled as he paced back and forth, atop the rock he was on. Smug bastard even seemed to be proud of himself. Like he actually thought he was being generous.

"So….you want to hold me as some sort of trophy," Grunt snorted, shaking his head.

"Boy, that is all you are good for," Uvenk smiled, condescendingly.

"John...I'm fine," Tali insisted again, trying to pull away from him. She was still covered in thresher innards, and was slippery, but he held on. It was silly, she was fine, and he knew it. Still….

"When we wipe away the weak Urdnot, we-" Uvenk's words were lost in a loud wet *pop* as a biotic field slammed down, crushing his head like a rotten fruit.

"Blah, blah, blah," Jack spat as she casually flicked her fingers, using her power to shove the body off the high stone to crash at his Clan's feet. "Can we just get to the killing?"

Quarian Lexicon

Oms: Term for male genitalia.

Krogan Lexicon

Klumtac: A literal pile of feces left behind by Thresher Maws. The feces are known to have giant parasites, roughly the size of a Krogan hand.

Parpani: A small, but very aggressive rodent-like creature on Tuchanka. The animal is known bite and chew on a krogans plates until it's teeth give out, or the krogan kills it. They are sometimes dropped in sleeping rolls as practical jokes.