"The asari have been down this road before, Commander Shepard."

"But Madame Councilor, let me -"

"I tried to smooth things over with the salarian dalatrass. To say she's upset would be a monumental understatement."

"Some of these issues are hundreds of years old. Time to let go."

"Sad to say, but any effort to ally these disparate groups seems doomed to failure. And I'm sure you understand that we cannot afford to waste time with the Reapers knocking at our door. This must be my final word. I'm sorry, but the asari will not be at your summit."

He really needed to figure out a way to head butt someone through the QEC. "Our alliance would be stronger with the krogan. You need them. We all do."

"I wish you luck, Commander. Goodbye."

Michael glared at the QEC as the woman's image vanished. How many asari would he have to kill to put Liara in charge? Probably too damn many. He was about to contact Hackett when the ship briefly shuddered. Not good. Joker's voice immediately came over the comm. "Commander, EDI just went offline."

Immediately, he was moving. "What do you mean offline?" Someone better not have fucked with his ship.

"I don't know. She's not responding, and I can't access the AI core diagnostics." Joker sounded genuinely terrified. "You'd better get down to Deck 3."

He was halfway there already, nearly pushing his way through the security scan.

#

And things were on fire, because of course they were. An extinguisher in the hands of a crewman put out what fire suppression didn't handle. "EDI? Talk to me." His ship better damn well be okay, or someone was getting airlocked. Blue light nearly startled him as the processors began coming back online. Okay. Good sign.

He was about to call out to her again when he saw something moving. The machine that had nearly killed Kaidan stepped out of the smoke. He was reaching for his sidearm when it spoke. "Is there a particular topic you wish to discuss, Shepard?"

Next to him, the crewman had a gun drawn. He started to reach out to push it down, but hesitated. The thing had fooled them once already... "EDI?"

"Yes." The robot examined its hand.

"You're in Dr. Eva's body." She probably knew that already.

"NOt all of me, but I have control of it." It... EDI folded it's...her arms. "It was not a seamless transition."

Understatement. Yep. It was EDI. He gestured for the crewman to put the gun away, then turned back toward EDI. "And that's why everything is on fire?"

"Correct. When we brought this unit on board, I began a background process to search for its information on the Prothean device." She began moving as though trying the body out. "This eventually triggered a trap - a backup power source and CPU activated, and the unit attempted physical confrontation. Fortunately, I was able to gain root access and repurpose as I saw fit. During this process, it..." She twitched her shoulder, then looked down at it. "Struggled. Thus, the fire."

His ship was alive, and she was walking around. Naked, sort of. Okay. He could wrap his brain around this. He had an extra jacket she could borrow until... priorities, Michael. "Well, if it means having full access to the Prothean data in its head..." He shrugged. "Good work."

"I reasoned along similar lines." She took a step forward. He was a bit surprised at how non-threatening he found the gesture, considering that body had shot at him. A lot.

"So if you're in there, are you still in the ship?"

"I exist primarily within the ship. For optimal control, this unit should remain within Normandy's broadcast or tightbeam range."

"Wait..." He blinked. "Are you planning to take that body somewhere?"

"Normandy's weaponry is not suited to every combat situation. This platform could provide limited-fire ground support."

"And can smack people upside the head when they are acting like morons."

"That was not one of my initial considerations, Shepard." EDI... smiled. He found himself smiling back.

"Sure it wasn't." He gave a small shake of his head. "But it does mean you could come with us?"

"Correct. This body could accompany you to areas the Normandy cannot reach."

"I'll let you know when you can headbutt something."

"Excellent. I will run tests to ensure that it matches or exceeds the capabilities of organic squadmates." She nodded. "However, my first step should be restoring functionality to the Normandy to reassure the crew that all is normal."

"It's the Normandy. We don't do..." He shook his head at her. "Normal. Just don't be surprised if the crew is a little wary of your new body. It was shooting at them a little while ago." It had nearly killed Kaidan. Having it mind-wiped and made into EDI's new toy sounded just in his books.

"An excellent point. I will take it to the bridge. Joker will also want to see it."

"On that, we can agree." And he really needed to get a vid of Joker's expression for Kaidan.

#

Garrus, to probably no one's surprise, was already in the gun battery. He was calibrating, though he was speaking to the primarch at the same time. Reassuring him that Michael and Wrex were old friends. True, but he'd already asked a lot of Wrex. "Garrus. Didn't waste any time getting to work, I see."

"After what I've been through lately, calibrating a giant gun is a vacation." Yeah, he knew that feeling. "Gives me something to focus on."

"We're going to need you for more than your aim and absurd belief that you are funny." Michael leaned on the wall.

"Ha. Ha. And I'm pretty sure we'll still need giant guns, and lots of them." Garrus clicked his mandibles. "Sovereign didn't go down without a fight. I doubt a thousand more of his friends will be any different." He hesitated. "Still not convinced I should've left Palaven behind."

Leaving Earth still rankled. There was a fight and he was here, playing nice. That was not one of his strong points. "There was a boy back on Earth." Michael was almost surprised to hear himself speak. "Couldn't have been more than six or seven. I watched him die as the Normandy escaped the attack. Somehow I'm still alive..." Ash's face briefly floated through his mind. "And he's not."

"Being right about the Reapers has never felt much like a victory, has it?"

And Garrus had been right there with him from the beginning. "We both knew this fight would be tough. Damned if the Reapers haven't delivered."

"At least my government listened to me." Garrus rolled his eyes. "Or pretended to. They finally gave me a task force as a token to shut me up."

Maybe getting himself arrested to try and get someone to listen hadn't been his best plan. "So you're their 'expert advisor' now?" It would have been smart on the part of the Turians if they'd actually listened to Garrus.

"Just followed your example, Shepard." Garrus waved a hand at him. "Yell loud enough, and someone will eventually come over to see what the fuss is about." Another eye roll. "Not that they'll actually do anything about it."

"Until hell shows up at their door." Michael folded his arms. "Then they put you in charge."

Garrus snorted. "Not like the old days, is it? Rogue Spectre and C-Sec agents running and gunning outside the lines, making it up as we went along." The man sounded positively nostalgic." He spread his hands. "We're actually respectable now."

"We've lost enough friends trying to make sure this day never came." Michael exhaled. "I'd say we've all earned some respect."

"Then the first Reaper we take out with this gun, it's in their honor." Garrus nodded. "Just give the word."

#

"EDI is a huge asset to this team." Traynor was smiling. "If she'd told me about her plan to obtain a body, I'd have volunteered to help."

EDI's voice immediately came over the comm. "I did not wish to force a conflict of interests between our friendship and your duty."

"I'd have preferred a conflict of interest to a hard restart of half our systems..." Traynor gave a fond shake of her head. "But thanks, regardless."

Michael rolled his eyes. "Seriously, EDI, if you'd told us you wanted a body Kasumi and I would have stolen you one months ago." He started toward the cockpit to check in with Joker, and Traynor held up a hand.

"While you're here, though, I found something while scanning Alliance channels." He turned back to face her, gesturing for her to go on. "Grissom Academy is requesting help. The Reaper invasion front will hit them soon."

Grissom Academy? The name rang a bell. Isn't that where he'd sent the kid they'd rescued from that horrible geth experiment? One of the horrible geth experiments, anyway. "I thought the war would close most schools."

"Grissom Academy is more specialized than a normal school. It's home to some of the smartest students humanity has to offer." Traynor shifted her weight, almost like she was a little nervous talking to him. "Their Ascension Project is the best training facility in the galaxy for human biotics."

Ah, yeah, now he remembered. "Yes, I sent a young man named David Archer there. I'm just surprised their still open." Last thing kids needed was to be in a war zone. Everywhere right now was a war zone.

"Some of their work has Alliance Support. That might be why they stayed."

If there were kids there, they needed to be pulled out. And fast. "What can we do?"

"A turian evac transport responded to their distress call, so normally I'd say we don't need to do anything." She shifted, a bit hesitant. Then she turned to show him a screen. "But something sounded off in the turian signal. I had EDI perform an analysis. It's fake." His eyes narrowed. "EDI thinks it's Cerberus. She said the faked turian signal was similar to one that lured you to a Collector ship...?"

No fucking way was The Insidious Malefactor getting his hands on David again. Or any of those kids. "Good catch." He'd have Joker set a course immediately. Rescue the kids, head to the Citadel, check in at the hospital, then try to convince Wrex to be diplomatic. Okay. He had a plan. Sort of.

"If this really is Cerberus, hopefully this operation is worth investigating. It could be simple disinformation..." She began working on the console again.

"Traynor..." She was second-guessing herself. Not okay. He waited until she was looking at him again. "Good catch."

She looked back at the screen, but he saw her smile. "Thank you, Commander."

#

"Hey, Commander!" Joker was smiling so wide it was a wonder the top of his head didn't fall off. "Check out my copilot!"

"She did plug herself into Cerberus tech without authorization." He folded his arms and glared, though he felt the corner of his mouth twitch just a little.

"Well, technically she is Cerberus tech, so..."

"To the best of my knowledge, EDI hasn't blown up in our faces, so..." Michael shook his head. "Not convinced she's Cerberus." He winked at EDI, who rolled her eyes and continued ignoring them.

"I've run the checks, Commander. She's still based in the Normandy. Running this body just gives her a little more flexibility." Joker let out a dreamy sigh. "Sweet, sweet flexibility."

"I am right here, Jeff." EDI continued not looking at them.

"Yes you are, EDI." Joker turned back to the piloting controls. "Yes you are."

He rolled his own eyes and stepped over to EDI's chair. She rose to greet him. "Hello, Shepard." The new body wasn't particularly tall. Odd. EDI'd always struck him as tall, though admittedly that made no sense.

"Still getting used to greeting people in person?"

"No. I require only one occurrence to adapt to a new concept."

"How are you adjusting to the arms and legs?"

"I'm interested to see how this body performs under real combat conditions, if I could accompany you sometime." She rolled her neck, in a gesture that he vaguely recognized as one of Jack's old habits. "Without stress testing, there is no way of knowing if it has serious design oversights. At the moment, it appears adequate."

"That's not the word I'd use to describe you." Joker was clearly ogling her, filling Michael with an urge to smack him upside the head.

"Perhaps we should speak privately." EDI gestured for him to join her in the corridor. He couldn't help but notice that she'd apparently picked up her walk from Miranda. Probably not the worst choice. He made a mental note to see about getting her some armor.

"What's this about?" Michael raised an eyebrow as soon as they were out of Joker's hearing. "Does Joker not like your new platform?" Unlikely.

"No, he approves. He wants me on the bridge. He says having me within visual range is important to his morale." Yeah, that sounded like Joker. She switched her stance, clasping her hands behind her back in a way that reminded him of Samara. "Shepard, do you believe your crew members should be allowed to disobey an order on moral grounds?"

Well, that was... Not quite what he was expecting her to ask. He took a deep breath, then nodded. "Absolutely. I have no use for team members who can't think for themselves." He tilted his head. "Why are you asking about something like that?"

"I was designed by Cerberus. I do not take moral stances that conflict with orders from my executive officers." She twitched a shoulder in a gesture that he recognized as his own. "But when Jeff removed my AI shackles, I became capable of self-modifying my core programming." She paced. "I asked Jeff if he thought I should change anything now that I can. He deflected the question with humor."

"And you didn't get an answer." He slowly nodded.

"Correct. He has repeated this pattern in response to several of my inquiries." She turned to face him. "Do you think I should make modifications?"

That, uh... Maybe he wasn't the right person to go to for moral quandaries. "Only you can really answer that question. That's the point of free will."

"But moral decisions should not be made in a vacuum. If I do not ask the crew for their opinion, I could miss crucial context." She took a step toward him. "May I ask you the questions Jeff avoids? When there is time, will you answer them for me?"

Dammit, he should have kept Samara around. "If you want levelheaded answers to help you fit into polite society, I'm really not the right person."

"I see. I will take that into consideration." That hurt his feelings. Why did that hurt his feelings?

"Now, picking you out a sidearm so you can help us check out Grissom Academy..." He gestured. "That I can do." He looked her over. "Have thoughts on armor yet?"

"I can reinforce with protective Foucault currents and this platform is equipped with shields." She nodded. "I have downloaded software for both pistols and submachine guns."

"I've got an extra N7 Eagle. Let's check you out on that for starters." He nodded. "I assume you were paying attention during Thane's demos?" He started for the armory with her a half pace behind.

#

Traynor had been spot on. Michael moved down the corridor, gesturing for EDI and Garrus to follow. EDI had, in fact, been paying attention during their operations, as she moved like she'd taken part in dozens already. Technically, she sort of had. A voice came over the comm, vaguely familiar. Kahlee Sanders. "Cerberus troops are trying to get in."

A couple headshots fixed that problem. "Sanders, we're clear. It's me."

He'd only met her the once, but she certainly looked like the same woman that had made Anderson stutter when introducing her as a 'friend'. "Commander, thank you." She smiled. "Admiral Anderson always said you were the best." He did? Huh. "And with Cerberus coming for my students, I need the best."

Whatever The Insistently Mendacious wanted with these kids couldn't be good. Not for the galaxy, and especially not for the kids. "How many of you are there?"

"Fewer than twenty. Most were sent home when word of the Reaper invasion spread." She headed toward a console. Michael gestured at Garrus and EDI to keep an eye on the door. "But a few volunteered to stay. Some are prototyping tech for the Alliance. Others are biotics. They've been training for military operations, working together as a biotic artillery."

As useful as that sounded, war was no place for kids. "Anderson was on Earth when the Reapers hit. He stayed behind when I got offworld."

"I hadn't heard..." She looked away before looking back at him. "We've been cut off from most news. He's alive?"

"Alive and fighting." He nodded. "He's currently leading the resistance movement."

"Good. If we get out of here..." She exhaled. "Well, just tell him to stay alive."

"We need all the help we can get." War wasn't a spot for kids, but fall back points and the like could use backup. Even a single good biotic could make a hell of a difference.

"I just wish it was from somewhere else." Worry was evident in her eyes. "But you're right, the Alliance needs help. And God bless them, some of our older students volunteered." Something pinged on the console. "Hang on, I've been trying to get communications working."

A young voice came over. "This is Froeberg. There are students trapped in Orion Hall. Cerberus has us boxed in. They're closing fast."

"Damn it."

Michael unslung his rifle. "Orion Hall?"

"Back out the door and down the hallway. I can get the door open."

The others were already moving. "I'll bring them back here and we'll make a run for the shuttle."

#

They rescued a couple students, sending them back to Sanders, and then the next corridor took them to Orion Hall. Sanders said an instructor was with the students. Hopefully that meant there was someone to keep the kids calm. He headed in, then heard a familiar voice issue a threat before a biotic blast sent a few Cerberus goons flying. "Eat this."

"Jack?" There she was, the students safe behind her. And shit, she had hair. Sort of.

"Shepard?" She blinked before turning toward him. A nearby door opened to reveal an incoming atlas mech. Jack glowed blue, getting a barrier up in time to pull one of the teens to safety. Michael snapped up his rifle and pinged a shot off the hatch door, drawing it's attention. "Everyone get down. This thing's outta your league. Shepard, keep it off us."

She was giving him orders. Adorable. He nodded as she started pulling the kids out, then send another shoot into the hatch, narrowly missing the pilot.

Third shot was the charm.

#

"Kahlee said she was putting out an SOS." Jack smirked down at him. "I had no idea the King of the Boy Scouts would show up." Who the hell was she calling a boy scout? She turned to bark orders at the kids. "All right, amp check. Prangley, those fields were weak. Cerberus isn't going to lie down out of pity like that girl you took to prom. Grab juice and an energy bar. We move in five." A blue glow surrounded her as she leapt down from the balcony.

Then she delivered a punch to the jaw with about four times the force a woman her size should be able to deliver. It actually sent him staggering back a step. "That was for leaving, dumbass." Then she grabbed him by the front of the armor and planted a solid kiss just a couple inches to the left of where she'd just slugged him.

"I turned myself in to the Alliance, Jack." He gave a small shake of his head as she released him.

"Yeah, and how'd that work out for you?" She put a hand on her hip and gave him a look. "Did they listen?" When he didn't respond, she smirked. "Didn't think so."

"Got a pirate flag now." When she blinked at him, he shrugged. "My godson made it. It turns the Normandy into a giant middle finger aimed at the Reapers."

Her lips twitched. "I said you should be a pirate, but you had to go play soldier."

His eyes went up to the kids staring down at them. Not a wound or even a scuff mark on a one of them. "Sounds like you're doing that yourself these days."

"Yeah. I guess so." She sent a proud look in the same direction.

She should get a tattoo of a mama bear. "I can't think of anybody who could care about them more."

"Well, I had some free time while you were off playing hero." She shrugged. "Alliance brass knew I helped you. They offered me this, and apparently the students responded well to my teaching style." She looked up at them again.

One grinned down. "The psychotic biotic!"

Another made a slightly rude gesture. "I will destroy you."

"Drink your juice, Rodriguez. You couldn't destroy wet tissue paper." Jack shot back, smiling. Responsibility looked damn good on her. So, Jack was in charge of brain camp. He couldn't wait to tell Kaidan.

"Cortez to extraction team. The Cerberus cruiser is coming back."

Damn. "How long have we got?"

"Two minutes, tops, Commander. After that, there's no way we'll get past them."

He shot a look at the kids, then at Jack. Worry was evident on her face. No way those kids were ready to move. "Get out of here and back to the Normandy. We'll find another way off the station."

"Roger that. Good luck, sir."

"Shepard to Sanders. The students are safe, but the shuttle's a no-go."

"Understood. I might know another way off the station, but I need station-wide camera access."

Michael met EDI's gaze, and she nodded before starting to move. "You'll have it.

#

"So EDI's a sex bot now instead of a sex toy."

Garrus clicked his mandibles before glancing down at Jack. "How is it I've actually missed you?"

"Shitty aim with the pea shooter." She raised an eyebrow at him, then smirked when he glared at her. Her voice lowered just a little. "How is he, really?"

"Angry. Determined." Garrus exhaled. "Frustrated. Got himself recommissioned then had the invasion dumped in his lap by the folks who didn't listen to him in the first place."

"Fuckers." Jack folded her arms.

"Agreed." He hesitated slightly, then glanced down at her. He still wasn't entirely sure how to read what was between Shepard and Jack. She'd greeted him with a hell of a kiss, after all. But Liara had mentioned... He was about to say something when Shepard headed back in their direction. Maybe it was best.

"Everyone be ready." Shepard pulled one of the doors open, proving the advantage of being half cybernetic. He wasn't jealous, no matter what Tali had claimed. He could still beat the other man in a foot race without half trying. "We'll go in first and draw their fire."

Jack nodded and headed back toward the kids. "We'll shadow you from the second level and hit those fu... those guys from above."

EDI nodded. "A good strategy that protects the students from direct fire."

"Time your shots and stay safe." Shepard kept his voice firm as he gave the students a soldier's steely gaze.

"All right." Jack's version of being a training officer was a little different. Not exactly Turian-approved, but he kind of liked it anyway. "I didn't bust my ass training you so you could die now. Keep low, pick your targets."

Omni-tools activated. "Students of Grissom Academy, the station is sealed. The Alliance soldiers cannot save you. All they can do is get you killed. Surrender peacefully, and you won't be harmed."

"Asshole." Jack spoke for all of them.

"Damn it, they're messaging everyone." Sanders sounded frustrated. "Students, switch your omni-tools to privacy mode so they can't track you."

"What if..." One of the students shifted nervously. "What if they're not lying?"

Shepard took a step forward. "I've seen firsthand what Cerberus does to people they promised not to harm." He stepped to Jack's side, putting a hand on her shoulder. Several of the students paled.

"What?" Shepard's hand wasn't enough to keep Jack from getting in the girl's face. She was worried, and he knew her well enough to guess how angry that was making her. "You see these scars, Rodriguez? Come on, take a good look. Cerberus did this to me when I was half your age." She stepped back, and looked the kids over. "Surrender, and you're meat on a slab. We're trying to save your asses."

"Yeah." The girl nodded. "Yeah, okay."

Shepard's hand touched Jack's shoulder again, and she nodded to him. He returned it before unslinging his rifle. "Let's go."

#

David Archer was safe. Safe, and from the looks of things, among friends. Michael caught a small smile on EDI's face as she watched the young man following the others. It surprised him perhaps a little more than it should have. She was more already more human than he'd truly realized. He touched her shoulder, as he had Jack's a short time ago, and saw her nod back at him.

Then they were headed back into the fire.

#

They were, hopefully, almost out of the metaphorical woods. Sanders joined them with the students he'd rescued earlier. "Kahlee, how's it coming?"

"Shuttles are unlocked." She proved it a moment later by opening a door for students to start jumping aboard.

"Take the controls and get the students aboard." He counted as they did, and noted Jack doing the same thing.

"Wait!" Their eyes met as they realized they were one short, and then both were turning back. Jack was snarling. "Where the hell's Rodriguez?"

Several feet behind, and under fire. "She needs covering fire." Michael started to provide it, momentarily forgetting who he was standing next to.

"She needs more than that." Jack sent every shard of glass in the viewscreen flying through the Cerberus soldiers.

Michael grabbed the girl, checking her over briefly before half dragging her to the shuttle. She was limping a little, but otherwise appeared unharmed.

They made it aboard just before more soldiers entered the room.

#

"Joker. We flew out on a Cerberus shuttle." Michael touched his comm. "Watch your fire." Like there was any chance Joker would fire on a shuttle with EDI on board.

"Right. I've got you on sensors. Should just be a minute."

"Thank you, Commander." Sanders appeared to finally be breathing normally again. "We'd have never gotten off that station if you hadn't come." With Jack in danger, he'd been a little surprised not to find Grunt there coming to the rescue.

"F-forget that." Jack waved a hand. "We kicked some ass. Next place we dock, you're all getting inked. My treat." She smiled at her kids. "What do you guys want? Ascension Project Logo? Glowing fist? Maybe a unicorn for Rodriguez?" She grinned at the girl they'd rescued. Yeah, he definitely needed to get her a mama bear tat.

"Screw you, ma'am." Rodriguez shot back. Ah, there was the insubordination he knew she'd treasure.

"I can't believe we got them out alive." Sanders just rolled her eyes at them before turning to look at him. "I was going to suggest they stick to support roles. But perhaps they're ready after all."

Jack gave him a look. He was in more danger in this moment then he'd ever been facing any Reaper. Or the time he'd actually died. "Oh, they're definitely ready..." They deserved to hear that. "But the Alliance needs them in a support role."

"What?" One of the students glared at him. "We trained for artillery strikes!"

And he'd never be able to look Kaidan in the eye if he sent them to the meat grinder. Assuming Jack didn't kill him. "We don't need another artillery unit. We need stronger barriers for our front-line squads."

"This is bullshit." Rodriguez spoke up. He knew the look on her face. It had been on his own many times during basic. How many pushups had it cost him? He'd lost count the first week.

"Hey, if that's where they need us, that's where we go." Jack stepped up. "Besides, I'm sure we'll get some shots in."

"Commander, we've got a visual on you now." Joker's voice came over. "Preparing to dock." He could hear the man's smile. "Hey, Jack, now that you're military, you gonna wear a uniform? Or are you just getting the officer's bars tattooed on?" Credit where it was due, that was a good question.

"Screw you, f..." Jack caught herself. It was damn adorable, and kind of made him want to salute Sanders. "Flight lieutenant."

"Ma'am..." One of the kids... Prangley, Jack had called him, tilted his head. "How many tattoos do you have, anyway?"

"Hell if I know, Prangley." She elbowed him. "I was gonna burn off the N7 I got on my ass..." She smirked in his direction. "But maybe I'll hang onto it for a while."

Oh dammit. She knew not knowing if she was lying was going to annoy the shit out of him. He slung an arm over her shoulder and switched it to a headlock to muss her new hairdo. At least the armor prevented her from biting him.

#

The door to his quarters opened. Since no one bothered to knock, he assumed it was Jack. Stepping out of the refresher proved him right. She was bent over to peer at the hamster before grabbing a treat for it. "So, this flag..."

"Right here." He gestured to the area on the wall where he'd hung it. Brekin's kid had apparently sewn it with minimal help from his parents. The haphazard stitching was done with bright gold thread. EDI'd requested a duplicate for the AI core, and according to Brekin Mikey was insisting on making it himself.

"Nice." She gave it an admiring look before going over to inspect the model they'd built together for damage and adjusting its position slightly. She put a hand on her hip as she turned toward him, then her eyes went to the picture on his desk. A tiny trace of concern showed on her face. "When I dragged Rodriguez in to see Chakwas the doc mentioned he got hurt."

Kaidan had nearly died. Michael'd nearly blacked out a bit himself then. Getting back onto the Normandy was still a bit blurry in places. "He's in a hospital on the Citadel." He took a deep breath. "Got a message. He's not okay yet, but he's awake." He shrugged. "Kids settled in?"

"They're annoying your crew. Prangley's trying to box the big guy you're storing down in the shuttle bay." Jack smirked before sitting on the edge of his desk. She nudged his computer, which was still open to the window displaying the various offerings of the hospital gift store. "Getting him flowers?"

Michael snorted. "I wouldn't even know how to get someone flowers."

She stood up from his desk and dropped herself into his chair. "I gotcha covered. EDI, what flowers say 'I'm a stupid asshole who shoulda gone pirate and claimed a nice section of beach for you instead of getting myself arrested?"

He pulled her out of the chair. "I got him a bottle of whiskey." The peruvian one he'd mentioned liking.

"Oh, nice." Jack nodded. "So much better." She walked toward the door, then glanced back at him. "Garrus says you're off to deal with the krogan. Tell Grunt I said hi, alright?"

"I'll bring him some flowers from you." He nodded to her.

"Ass." She grinned before heading out.