"Tali."

She glanced up at him. "Yes, Commander?"

"You are in direct violation of rule four."

"Rule..." Tali tilted her head. "Four?"

"You're between me..." He pointed. "And the coffee."

"Oh." She stepped out of the way. "Sorry, Commander." She waited until he'd poured the liquid into a cup and taken a long drink. "What is rule four?"

"Never get between a marine and their coffee." He nodded to her, and gestured with the cup. "One of the universal rules for serving with the alliance."

"I..." She shrugged. "Good to know."

"You look..." He took another drink of the coffee and began grabbing something that vaguely resembled breakfast. "To be in a better mood."

"I'm sleeping much better now. I guess I'm getting used to how quiet your ship is." She followed him to the table and sat down across from him. "I still think a lot about my Pilgrimage, though. I know Saren's our top priority. But with all the worlds we go to, I was hoping to find something to bring back to the flotilla."

"Well, you've made some asari and salarian scholars happy with what you've scavenged thus far." He shrugged. "Though I guess nicely phrased thank you letters aren't all that useful when it comes to patching a hull." He poked at the less than identifiable substance on his plate. "What are you hoping to find?"

"Usually, people bring back something like a derelict ship we can use for salvage. But I need something bigger. There's a lot expected of me."

"What's so special about you?" He blinked. "And I meant that nicer than it sounded."

She chuckled, and then shrugged. "It's my father. He's the senior member of the Admiralty Board. He's one of only five people who can overrule the decisions of the Conclave for the good of the Migrant Fleet." She folded her arms. "My father is responsible for the lives of seventeen million people - our entire race is in his hands. And I'm his only child."

"So are you some kind of heir to the quarian throne or something?" He took another drink of coffee. "Should I be addressing you as Princess Tali?"

"No, it doesn't work that way. My father's position isn't hereditary. I'll probably never serve on the Admiralty Board myself." She leaned back in the chair. "Officially, I'm just the same as any other citizen. But it doesn't work that way in practice. People have always treated me differently because of who my father is."

"Special privileges and the like?" He tried not to taste the food.

Tali nodded. "I probably had it easier than most growing up. But it's not all good. People like my father have enemies. And they're not above using me to get to him."

"Well, if they try it here, they'll have to come through me first. And Wrex. Williams. Garrus. Kaidan. Everyone in engineering. Then probably Wrex and Williams again." He raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"I guess I'm just tired of people judging me because of who my father is." She spread her hands. "Everyone's waiting for me to do something great on my Pilgrimage. Something that will forever change our lives for the better. If I don't, it's like I failed. And that reflects badly on both me and my father."

"Saving the galaxy isn't quite enough for them?" He set the plate aside and refilled his coffee. "Tough crowd.

"Yes..." She sighed. "I know. But you have to understand quarian culture. We're a very insular society. The events beyond the flotilla don't matter much to the average citizen. Our greatest dream is that one day, we'll return to our homeworld and drive out the geth. But even if we stop Saren, that's not going to happen. There's still millions of geth behind the Veil. Until they're gone, our exile will continue."

"What would you need to bring back to make everyone happy?"

She drew a pattern on the table with her finger as she considered the question. "Something that would help us better understand the geth. They've changed significantly since the exile; they've continued to evolve. We've done our best to study them, but it's not easy. They're very reclusive. Until recently, they never went beyond the borders of the Veil. And the geth we run into now are under Saren's control. We'd need to find geth operating on their own. Independently." She looked up at him. "But I don't want this to get in the way of our mission, Shepard. First, we stop Saren. Then I'll worry about my own problems."

"Well, if we don't find anything good by the time we've saved the galaxy, we could always go steal you the Destiny Ascension or something." He put plate and cup into the cleaning unit.

"I..." Tali tilted her head, and then shook it. "Too difficult to hide."

"Good point. It probably requires a lot of maintenance too."

"Exorbitant fuel." Tali sighed.

"And it would be wrong." They turned to find Kaidan shaking his head at them.

"Well, yeah, that too." Michael nodded.

"Definitely wrong." Tali clasped her hands behind her back.

#

"I swear, Garrus, this is the last time I let you drive."

"You did notice the thresher maw?"

"A billion miles of open planetary surface, and you run over the thresher maw."

"It ambushed us, Shepard."

"Thank you, Tali."

"I went two centuries without encountering a thresher maw." Wrex checked his shotgun. "Both times I get in the mako with the quarian, we run into one." He rolled his neck. "Might need to keep her around."

"I like you too, Wrex." Tali pried a rock loose from where it was jamming the gun.

Michael managed to free a tooth from the axle. Tali handed him the welder and he started patching the damage. "And you would have to get us into a ravine so the Normandy can't just pick us up."

"Remember the part where the thresher maw was attacking us and we needed cover?" Garrus glared from where he was applying omnigel to the busted power unit.

"Get to cover and crash into the ravine are not synonymous phrases, Vakarian." He looked up. "Tali hand me that..." He grabbed her and yanked her down from the top of the mako just before the shot impacted her location.

#

Adams tilted his head. "Commander..." He looked up at Michael. "That is not the mako you left in."

"Vakarian's fault." Michael pointed.

"Thresher maw." Garrus shook his head.

"That was the dumbest bunch of slavers I have ever encountered." Wrex headed towards the lockers. "And that's saying something."

"Sir?" Williams raised an eyebrow.

"Garrus wrecked our mako, and some slavers thought that made us easy prey." Michael shrugged.

Tali jumped down from the top of the mako. "So we stole their mako, and then went and blew up their base." She patted one of the wheels. "This one has an upgraded shield package."

"Does it now?" Adams grinned at Tali. He grabbed a toolkit. "Alright, let's check it out."

"Who the hell tries to take a krogan as a slave anyway?" Williams scratched her head.

#

Michael pulled up his VI, and saw a familiar name. He immediately tapped the message.

"I had to watch the vid three times before it sank in. Fucking Shepard. So then I went and grabbed little Mickey and made him watch it with me two more times. His crazy son of a bitch godfather is the first human Spectre. Don't worry. I told him he has to get through kindergarten before gets to be your sidekick. I'd have said to first grade, but I didn't want you to be intimidated. Fucking Shepard. Now go kick turian ass.

They'd be damn proud.

- Lars Brekin"

#

"Approach Control, this is the SSV Normandy. Requesting a vector and a berth." Joker's hands moved over the controls.

"Normandy, your arrival was not scheduled. Our defense grid is armed and tracking you. State your business."

Michael and Joker exchanged a look. Joker rolled his eyes. "Citadel business. We've got a Council Spectre aboard."

It took several seconds before Noveria Approach Control responded. "Landing access granted, Normandy. Be advised: we will be confirming identification on arrival. If confirmation cannot be established, your vessel will be impounded."

"What a fun bunch. I think I'll take my next leave here." Joker toggled the controls to bring the Normandy in.

"Well, we're off to a great start." Michael sighs. "Ten credits says I'm going to have to shoot someone before we leave the building."

"If I took that bet, you'd shoot someone just so you didn't have to pay up."

"Eh, probably." Michael headed back to grab his gear and his team.

#

Those were definitely cops. The leader read as the type that wore her badge jammed firmly up her rear end. It was the one to her left that tripped his instincts. Trouble. The leader held up a hand as they approached. "That's far enough."

"I'm on important business." He narrowed his eyes

She shifted slightly. "This is an unscheduled arrival. I need your credentials."

They read cops, but there was no outward insignia. Private security? "You first."

The other one, the blond woman, glared. "We're the law here. Show some respect." Well, now he was just going to have to fuck up her day on principle.

"I'm Captain Maeko Matsuo, Elanus Risk Control Services." The captain nodded to him.

Private security. "All you need to know is I have more credentials than you."

"They plan to be trouble, ma'am." The blond woman certainly knew how to state the obvious.

"I can't let you enter the port area without confirmation of your identity." The captain set her feet, and turned to look at the blond woman. "Sergeant Stirling, secure their weapons."

The pretend-a-cops went for their weapons. And then actually looked surprised to find his team's weapons pointed back at them. Not only that, both Kaidan and Liara flared their biotics. One of the rentals actually took a step back. Kaidan glanced at Michael. "We going to let them do this, Commander?"

"Nobody takes my weapon." Michael met the captain's eyes.

"Charge and lock." The sergeant's overconfidence was... a little sad, really.

"We are authorized to use lethal force." Captain Matsuo clasped her hands behind her back. "You have to the count of three to surrender your weapons." She actually started to count. He rolled his eyes. "One. Two. Thr -"

A voice over the intercom saved a lot of kneecaps. "Captain Matsuo. Stand down." The captain couldn't quite hide her relieved expression. The sergeant, on the other hand, looked disappointed. "We confirmed their identity. Spectres are authorized to carry weapons here, Captain." As soon as the rentals lowered their weapons, he gestured for his team to follow suit.

"You may proceed, Spectre. I hope the rest of your visit will be less confrontational." She gestured at the steps behind her. "Parasini-san will meet you upstairs." She turned and walked away.

"Behave yourself." The sergeant said the words like she was issuing a challenge before following the captain.

Yeah. Like that was going to happen.

#

He walked up the stairs to hear the familiar sound of him setting off alarms. A woman immediately began shutting the alarms down. "Weapons detectors. Don't mine the alarms." As soon as they were silenced, she nodded to him. 'I am Gianna Parasini, assistant to Administrator Anoleis. We apologize for the incident in the docking bay."

"Someone piss in your security chief's coffee today?" Michael raised an eyebrow. Behind him, Liara made a slightly scandalized choking sound.

"She takes her job seriously. She is a valuable asset to the company." Parasini gestured at herself. "One of my duties is orientation of new arrivals. Do you have any questions?"

Michael glanced up at the various automated defenses. None of them were particularly impressive on their own, but the sheer number would have presented a challenge to bypass. "Pretty heavy security for such a small port."

"The Executive Board does everything in its power to protect the privacy of our client corporations."

She sounded like a VI. Something was slightly off. He decided to poke at it a bit. "Is this 'privacy' intended to hide illegal research?"

"This planet is beyond the jurisdiction of the Citadel. The law is what the Executive Board says it is." She waved a hand. "Do you know how valuable this planet is? How many advances in genetics and virtual intelligence got their start here?"

The virtual intelligence part caught his attention. If Saren was messing around with geth... "Has anyone unusual passed through here recently?"

"Unusual?" She shrugged. "An asari Matriarch passed through a few days ago. Lady Benezia."

"Benezia -?" Liara took a half step forward, her face shocked. "She is here?" Kaidan put a hand on her shoulder, and she stepped back again.

"'Passed through?' Where is she now?"

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

"That's where I need to be, then."

"You'll need to ask Administrator Anoleis for clearance to leave this port."

And yet forgiveness was always so much easier to acquire than permission. "Where can I find the administrator?"

"His office is on the main level. Left at the top of the elevator."

"Understood." He inclined his head towards the door. "Can we go in now?"

"Of course. If you need any help, you can ask me at the administrator's office."

#

Michael waited until she'd walked away before turning towards Liara. "She is here." Liara shook her head. "I can't believe it." She took a deep breath. "I imagine you want to talk to me, Shepard. About my mother."

How did a woman who was a hundred and seven somehow manage to look like a lost twelve-year-old? "We talked about her before. But things change when you're up against something." Might as well cut to the chase. "If it's her or me, who would you shoot?"

"I meant what I said before. Her actions are wrong." She nodded. "If you would feel safer leaving me on the Normandy, I will stay. But I would like to see her. Maybe I can persuade her to come peacefully."

"I don't think that's likely." Better she not get her hopes up. "But you can try."

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

He gestured towards the entrance. "Just remember the first rule of serving on the Normandy."

Liara blinked. "And what is that?"

"Don't shoot the commander." He started walking.

"No matter how much he asks for it." Garrus added as he followed.

"Wait..." Wrex shook his head. "Then how do humans handle promotions?"

#

Anoleis was not feeling permissive. He was considering the best way to go about needing forgiveness when Parasini hissed at him. He approached her desk. "You've never worked in the corporate world, have you, Commander? You can't bludgeon through bureaucracy."

Which was why he usually bypassed it entirely. She wanted something. "All right. What would you do?"

She leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Talk to Lorik Qui'in. You should be able to find him at the hotel bar. Can't say more. Not within earshot of Mr. Anoleis."

Interesting. She was acting nervous, but he was willing to bet it was exactly that. An act. "Talk to you later."

#

Lorik Qui'in proved to be a turian. A rather friendly one, for the most part. "Afternoon. Sit down, have a drink. What can I do for you?"

Michael declined the drink politely. "Are you Lorik Qui'in? I've heard you might be able to help me."

"You are the Spectre that just arrived, are you not? What could an old turian like me possibly help you with?"

That was actually a pretty good question. "I apparently need access to the garage before I can go anywhere."

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

"And by 'rents', you mean bribes." Corrupt politicians. Were there any other kind?

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

"That sounds like a fair trade."

"Violence against Mr Anoleis's thugs may be necessary. He has members of Hanshan's security teams searching my offices. He is paying them under the table. Ms. Matsuo is unaware of their outside employment."

Cops were annoying enough. Cops on the take were worse. "I'll take care of it."

"Excellent." Lorin handed him a small imprinted card. "Here is my pass into our offices. It will activate the elevator. The evidence is on my office computer. This OSD contains an encryption key to access it. Slide it into the drive and it will auto-execute." He returned to his drink. "And do try to keep blood stains off the carpets, would you?"

#

"Freeze! Hanshan security. This office is sealed."

It was bad enough they were dumb enough to point guns at him, but that guy had his sights skewed a full quarter inch. That was just insulting. "What'll you do if I don't?"

The guard actually looked confused by the question. "You're the Spectre, right? Lorik Qui'in is under investigation."

"Anoleis is paying you to shake this place down." He showed a hint of teeth. "That makes you a criminal." Michael twitched a shoulder. "I can kill criminals."

"You're bluffing."

"When the wager is one's life, is calling the bluff really so wise?" Liara flared her biotics. That was a good line, he was going to have to remember that one.

The guard apparently agreed. "He ain't paying me enough to take on Spectres, or Alliance troops, or whatever." She shrugged. "How about this? You pretend you didn't see us, we'll pretend we didn't see you."

And with that, she and the smart ones walked way. He looked around the office. That just left the dumb ones.

#

"Williams, he asked us not to get blood on the carpet." Michael looked over the ledge.

"Sorry." Ashley glanced down at her shotgun. "I wasn't expecting him to go over the railing."

"I feel really bad for whoever has to clean that up." He shook his head, and headed into the office.

#

After downloading the evidence, he started out of the office only to find Sergeant Stirling. "I don't think you're supposed to be in here, Shepard."

"Do you plan on making me leave?"

"Leave? You think I'm going to let you walk out?" She shook her head. "Uh-uh." She put a hand on her sidearm. "Anoleis would throw you offworld for what you did here. I won't. You know what we did to cop killers on my world?"

"Being a cop doesn't give you the right to break the law yourself." Kaidan spoke up from his left. "You accepted bribe money."

That was actually a very good point. But he could see from the sergeant's face that she wasn't having any of it. "I have a mission to complete. I did what I had to do."

"I don't care." She drew her sidearm.

He shot her before she could bring it to bear. The guards with her opened fire. Wrex rather casually grabbed one and sent him flying over the ledge to join the other one. "Wrex..."

"Oh. Right." Wrex pulled out his shotgun and splattered the next one over the wall.

#

They walked out of the now in need of a remodel offices to find Parasini waiting for them. "Commander. There've been reports of noise form the Synthetic Insights office. Would you know anything about it?"

"Of course not." He shrugged. "Why would I?"

She stared at him for a moment. "Smart ass." Parasini took a deep breath. "I can work with that. Meet me at the hotel for a drink, before you talk to Qui'in. I'll be waiting." She turned and walked away.

"What do you suppose that's all about?" Ashley raised an eyebrow at him.

"What, that?" Michael nodded in the direction Parasini had gone. "She's a cop."

"No way. She's a secretary." Ashley shook her head.

"Fifty credits." Michael held out his hand.

Ashley shook it. "You're on."

#

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

Michael held out a hand to Ashley. "Pay up."

"I left my purse in my other armor." Ashley shook her head.

He shrugged, and nodded to Parasini. "What do you want?"

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

Well, Anoleis had annoyed him. Unfortunately... "I need Qui'in's garage pass to complete my mission."

"You help my investigation; I'll provide whatever you need. Favor for a favor."

"Seems we'd help more people if we did as she asked," Kaidan said.

"Look, Shepard. I don't like this either. You Spectres play fast and loose with the law. That's bad for business."

He looked from her to Kaidan, and then back. "All right. I'll talk to Qui'in and see if I can convince him." Because negotiation was so very much his strong suit.

"Thank you. You know where I work. Come talk to me once you know if he'll play ball."

#

Qui'in was reluctant, but eventually agreed. He started walking towards Parasini's office. "How did you know she was a cop?" Ashley asked.

"She had that cop smell." He shrugged. Garrus made a rather pointed throat clearing sound. "Something in your throat, Vakarian?"

"No, no." Garrus shook his head. "Just caught a whiff of crap there."

Watching Anoleis get dragged off by a woman in a full skirt and heels was rather amusing. Parasini handed over the garage pass, and wished them luck.

"This is an outrage." Anoleis glared. "I'll see that you never work in this sector again." That line? Really? "You. Shepard. I demand you place this bitch under arrest."

"You have the right to remain silent. I wish to God you'd exercise it." Parasini dragged him out the door. "See you around the galaxy, Commander. I owe you a beer."

#

And there were geth in the garage. Because of course there were. Big ones. They finished dealing with them just in time for the cops to rush in and save the day. Michael tried not to roll his eyes.

"What did you do here, Commander?"

"Only what I had to. I didn't ask the geth to attack."

Immediately, she shook her head. "Geth? You expect me to -" He kicked the top half of one of the fallen geth. It slid, coming to a halt at her feet. Captain Matsuo blinked. "Where did they come from?"

He was saved from making a comment about mommy and daddy robots by Kaidan speaking up. "If I were to guess, Benezia packed them in the shipping containers she arrived with."

"I do not believe that. We did thorough scans of those. There were no power sources, no element zero masses..." She frowned. "If Benezia-sama's containers were packed with thsoe things, there are many more out there."

"We may be seeing a lot more of these things in the coming months." He gestured at the dead geth.

"For three centuries, everyone has said, 'the geth do not come out of the Veil.' What is happening out there?" She sighed. "I must report to the Executive Board. If word gets out about loose geth, there may be an investor panic."

Oh no, not an investor panic. The horror. He rolled his eyes, and started walking towards the outer garage door.

Kaidan began pulling up his omnitool. "I'll tell Tali to..." He blinked. "Commander, what are you doing?"

"Stealing a mako."

"I'll drive." Garrus lifted the hatch Michael had just unlocked.

"Like hell you will."