Shepard opened her eyes and looked over at Nihlus, a slow smile blooming across her face as the memory of Tashac and Merol's last return to Ilos played out inside her mind, flowing along the strands of the rachni queen's song.

Nihlus leaned in, the movement as natural as breathing, caressing his brow along her hairline. "We've got the start of a plan," he whispered, his tone almost reverent, as if he feared that speaking the words too loudly might jinx everything. "They knew ... she knew that this day would come."

Gratitude and love drove out the darkness, leaving Shepard filled with the most wonderful peace, even if just for a short time. Fifteen years those two worked to create an insurance policy, an insurance policy that gave the younger races an even better shot of preventing the Reapers' return. The protheans might not have had the resources or expertise remaining to destroy the keys, but they had done the next best thing.

"Ribbons of corruption as broad and dark as a river flowing through stone taint the mighty one's spirit," Shiala said. She sat cross-legged on a low crate, eyes closed, swaying ever so slightly to the rhythm of the whispers that coloured the air around the queen. "Teeth of metal and blood. Violet whispers of madness."

Tashac looked up from her tools, staring into the darkness of the Conduit chamber for nearly a minute, chasing the whispers that coiled through her mind. Fifteen cycles she'd fought off the darkness, refusing to look into the void that yawned within her. Fifteen cycles she'd worked to silence the whispers that warned her the Conduit would never be truly safe from the Vanguard. She turned from her work to look into Merol's eyes. "Is this my will, or after all this time, have they finally made me their hands?"

Stepping around her to check her work, Merol asked, "Are you afraid they'll sabotage it through you?"

"No, my heart. I'm afraid that the last fifteen cycles have been spent pursuing the monster's goals." She closed her eyes, but reached out to take her mate's hand. "The whispers say it will work, but are they mine or its?"

Merol pulled her into his arms. "I trust you to know your own mind and heart, mother of my last children ... to see how far the stain has spread."

Tashac buried her face in against his neck, the darkness around them reaching out to pull her in, tendrils as cold and dark as midwinter wrapping around her, searching for a way in. "I do not, haksaya kubenar. I no longer trust anything but you."

Shepard blinked, the silent stillness of Ilos taking a moment to pull back completely. Even when it did, the terrible doubt remained. "She spent fifteen years creating a plan to ensure the Conduit could never be used only to doubt at the last moment whether it was her plan at all."

"Deep and ebony the enemy digs its burrows, staining blood and bone, heart and will with its discord." The queen dipped her head, tucking her beak in along her leg. "Crimson and steel claw into the foundation until the good, strong surface succumbs, collapsing into hues of such sadness that to hear them shatters the soul." Shiala opened her eyes, midnight black staring straight into Shepard. "They paint their terrible cacophony within you even now."

"Shepard?" Tali's voice spoke in Shepard's ear, her tone soft and nasal, breaking through the thunder of Shepard's own heartbeat drumming in her head.

Shepard blinked back the shimmering, disorienting blanket draped over her thoughts and tore her eyes away from the asari's. Through that fathomless stare, she felt the queen's thoughts and song slipping their feelers through her mind, searching for her soul. She jumped up, the action severing the connection like a sharp knife. "Shepard here."

"If you have a few minutes, my father wishes to speak with you, Captain," the quarian repled.

Using the movements to order and smooth out her thoughts, Shepard dusted off her clothes. "Oh my way, Tali. Is he still in medbay?"

"No, he wanted to be back in his own cot, have some privacy."

"I'm on my way. Shepard, out." She looked to the queen and smiled, though it felt forced. Even though she knew the truth for both herself and Tashac, no one was welcome inside her mind or spirit no matter their intentions. Still, without the queen, the beacon's visions would amount to nothing more than nightmare fuel.

"Thank you, so much, Amalair. We would never have understood any of this without your help." She bowed her head a little to Shiala. "Or yours. Thank you."

"They sing such sweet music of victory, burying lies beneath such sweet, golden desires," Shiala said, her eyes still black voids. "They whisper promises in rose and lavender, of open skies and wings, but if you listen, you become their claws and their teeth." The asari blinked, emerald irises appearing once more. She slid her legs out from under her and stood, walking over to take Shepard's hands in hers. "Be careful, Shepard. I hear their song within you even now."

Jerking her head in two, sharp nods, Shepard pulled back. "Thank you."

Nihlus got up and gave the rachni a shallow, rigid bow. "Thank you, Amalair. Shiala."

Shepard led the way out into the main part of the cargo bay, cutting a glance across at him. "We'll meet after we reach the flotilla? See if we can figure all this out before we have to present everyone with a plan to save the galaxy?" Despite the queen's dire warnings, hope sparkled like bubbles in clear soda, sprinting for the surface, the giddiness threatening to make her cocky and careless again. But then guilt flung the image of Garrus lying on the cot in medbay at her, dealing arrogance a fatal blow before it could even begin.

He nodded and called the elevator. "Tashac lived with the ghost of her contact with Sovereign haunting her thoughts and her spirit for the rest of her life." He entered the car and stood facing the door, casting only quick glimpses her way. "Do you think she was indoctrinated?"

She understood, grateful for the distance. Fifteen years of growing old together had been turned loose and needed time to get under wraps. "Yeah, and it terrified her, but she used it. Damn, did that woman use it." She reached out, giving in just long enough to squeeze his talons. "And she had Merol. When she said he was her heart … ." She blinked back a slick of tears along her lashes, swallowing the sudden tightness in her jaw. Releasing him, she stepped up to the door, needing to flee the moment it opened. "He really was the beating heart of her." Impatient fingers swatted the few persistent tears from her cheeks.

When the door finally opened, what felt like a lifetime later, Shepard ducked straight across and into the crew area. She needed to get done with her chores and find Garrus. Guilt be damned, she needed to hold him and be held, to tell him how sorry she was. If only she could find the courage to tell him the rest.

"Shepard." Tali hurried over to meet her as she walked into the gym, those delicate hands wringing hard enough to snap the young female's fingers. "Father … ." She gulped, her shoulders heaving in a helpless shrug. "He isn't doing well."

Shepard pulled Tali into her arms, wrapping her in a tight hug. An old thread of sorrow worked its way loose, tangling into her empathy for the young woman. Regardless of the relationship, losing a father left a hole that could never be filled. "I'm so sorry, Tali."

"You should have seen him, Shepard," the quarian whispered, her thin arms strong as they clung to Shepard. "He stayed at the base of the ramp, covering the geth retreat. He was like one of the heroes in the tales mother used to tell me."

Shepard pulled back, pressing her hand alongside the young woman's mask. "Of that, I have no doubt."

"Shepard … Captain," the admiral called, his voice still strong despite his injuries.

Her fingers lingering on Tali's shoulder, trailing down the suited arm, Shepard pulled away, walking the few strides to Rael'Zorah's cot. "Yes, sir?" She crouched next to his elbow. "How are you feeling?"

He nodded, just a slight tremor of movement. "Your doctor has made me as comfortable as possible." He reached out to grip her upper arm. "I do not have much time. Take us to the flotilla, please."

Shepard smiled, just a tightening of her lips. "Already on our way, Admiral. ETA is just over three hours. Dr. Chakwas is already in contact with surgeons on the flotilla. They'll get you fixed right up." As much as the admiral had driven her to distraction with his arrogance and constant demands, he'd stepped up when it mattered, overcoming generations of fear and hatred. Losing him would hurt her war effort, but more importantly, it would break Tali's heart.

The admiral groaned and shifted a little. "No, Captain. There is nothing they can do. I have maybe a day to prepare. Will you assist me?" His hand lifted from his blankets. "Please."

After staring into the purple mist of his mask for a moment, Shepard reached up and took his hand, trying to impart both her respect and grief through the contact. "Whatever you need, sir."

"Thank you." He let out a long breath, sinking into his blankets. "We need to prepare an expeditionary team to make landfall on Rannoch. When we reach the flotilla, may the members of the Admiralty Board and a squad of marines board?" When she agreed, his head jerked in a firm nod, still every bit the admiral in control. "Good, then we will set course for Rannoch. I swore my life to giving my daughter a home, an oath I am content to have died fulfilling, but I wish to do so with my face uncovered, under the homeworld's skies."

"Then you will, Father." Tali walked around the cot and sat at Rael's side. "Several of the pilgrims have volunteered to make landfall on Rannoch. They seem to believe that helping our people return to the homeworld would make a suitable pilgrimage gift."

Rael chuckled, a wet cough chasing it out, confirming his estimation of how long he had to live. "It will at that, Tali." He touched her shoulder. "You may consider your pilgrimage complete. You will be elevated to captain to lead your crew, the first quarian to bear the title vas Rannoch." He made a soft, humming sound. "Your mother would be so proud of you." Vicious coughing racked his slight frame. "I am so proud of you."

Tali bent over her father, embracing him.

Shepard watched them for a moment, sorrow warring with gratitude that the father and daughter had been gifted those weeks together away from routine and duty. A respect and love that she knew had always been there had finally been allowed to dwell on the surface, where it belonged. She squeezed the admiral's hand. "I'll be back when we reach the flotilla. If either of you need anything, call."

"Thank you, Captain. For everything." Rael'Zorah wrapped his arm around his daughter.

Shepard blinked back the burning in her eyes and walked to the gym door. Dr. Chakwas met her just outside.

"Most patients are stabilized, Captain," the doctor reported. "Rael'Zorah is succumbing to infection, however. His suit is sealed and we're bombarding his system with antibiotics and antihistamines, but they're having very little effect. I estimate he has maybe twenty-four hours." She leaned against the door frame, exhaustion apparent in every deep line carved around her eyes and mouth, the slump of her shoulders.

"Thanks, Doc. I don't know what we'd do without you." Shepard squeezed Chakwas's hand and headed toward the mess.

"I do, and it wouldn't be pretty. By the way, Ashley's been asking for you," the doctor called after her, "and I released Officer Vakarian about twenty minutes ago. Just try to keep him from exerting himself for a day or two."

Shepard lifted her hand in acknowledgement, but didn't reply, changing her destination from her quarters to medbay, wanting to check up on Ash, Sparky, and the others. When she opened the medbay door, she just stared down the lines of cots. So many wounded, but without the geth, the cabin would have stood empty. Hell, her quarters would have been empty.

"Skipper," Ashley called. The chief pushed back her blankets and struggled to sit up on the side of the bed.

Giving Ash a tight-lipped smile, her face feeling like it would freeze in that position any second, Shepard walked into the room, heading straight for Kaidan's sleeping form. She bent down and pressed a hand against the LT's cheek, the stubble of whiskers sharp against her skin.

"Doc says he came through the surgery in good shape," Ash whispered. "He'll be out of commission for a week or so, but considering he took a couple of rounds through the lung … ."

Shepard straightened and turned to face Ashley. "And you? How are you doing?"

Ashley slid down off the bed, hobbling down to the end. "I made the call, Skipper. I made the decision to stay and hold them off the team. Jenkins … " She shook her head, her shoulders stiffening. "He had no right to countermand my orders. He was just a kid, ma'am." Pushing away from the bed, she paced back and forth across the medbay, hobbling so quickly that Shepard worried she'd end up falling on one of the wounded in the cots. "I should have been the one to stay. I was the one who made the decision to hold."

Shepard watched her for another moment, then walked over and grabbed the chief's shoulders. Holding Ashley in a strong grip, she waited until the younger woman met her eye contact before she said, "Will your grandfather's disgrace, whether real or imagined, be better erased by you dying in a blaze of glory, or by you sticking around to take a leadership role in the war to come?" She raised her eyebrows and gave a little shrug. "I know you have greatness in you, Ash. I can see it as clear as day."

The chief scowled and pulled back, averting her eyes. "Ma'am, I … ."

Shepard sighed and nodded toward the bed. "Get back up there. I need to tell you something, and I don't feel like wrestling with you the whole time." Giving Ash a crooked smile, she gestured toward the bed again. "Go on."

After a moment of rebellion, Williams did as she'd been told and climbed back up.

"Okay, you heard Nazara today, didn't you?" Shepard waited for the chief to answer with a terse nod. "There are a whole lot of his buddies out there in dark space waiting for Saren to give them their ticket back. Even if we stop Saren, do you think the Reapers are just going to shrug and go, 'Oh well, I guess we'll just stay out here then'?"

Ashley sighed. "No, ma'am, I don't." She shook her head. "But that doesn't make that stupid kid throwing himself on my sword any less a waste."

"Shut it!" Shepard barked, storming over. She leaned in, her nose almost touching the chief's. "You will give that brave young man the respect that he deserves. He thought you worthy of the greatest gift he had to give. He thought this war and our eventual victory worthy of it, and I won't listen to you mock that. Is that understood?"

Ashley paled a little and drew back far enough to nod. "Yes, ma'am."

"All I want to hear from you on this subject is how you intend to honour his sacrifice." She threw a furiously pointed finger toward the door. "You have the ability to help lead the war effort. You disproved the family legacy; you stood firm. Now, make it count. I want to hear from you how you're going to step up by the time you leave this medbay, or you can pack your kit and get the hell off my ship. I don't have room on my boat for self-pity. Is that understood, Chief Williams?"

Ashley's back straightened, and she snapped a salute. "Yes, ma'am."

Shepard returned it. "Good." Pivoting on her heel, she marched from the room, not looking anywhere but directly in front of her until she reached her quarters.

The door opened when she palmed the control, revealing Garrus sitting on the corner of her bed. Her gaze followed the slumped and weary lines of his plates up to the arch of his neck, then to his eyes. He'd removed his visor; she could see it glowing on top of her desk, where it lay on his tunic. For a moment, he simply stared back, but then he held out his arms, nodding a little to call her over.

Shepard let out a long breath, practically running across the few metres to step into the welcome comfort. He drew her in, pressing her along his body, and turned his face in against her neck.

Gentle hands caressed the spikes of his fringe before wrapping around his neck, pulling him into a careful embrace. "I almost lost you today," she whispered, pressing her lips against his temple. "I thought I'd gotten you—."

He turned to kiss her. "Sh, Shepard. Can we just get into bed for a couple of hours? I want to hold you." Pulling back a little, he nuzzled her brow, cheeks, nose, and finally her mouth, kissing her deep and slow.

She clung to him, returning the kiss, their mouths fitting so unusually and yet perfectly together. The trembling returned, shaking her from head to foot, but right then it didn't matter in the least. When they pulled apart, Shepard took his face between her hands, thumbs caressing along his cheekbones and mandibles, her eyes trying to take in and memorize every detail at once. "God," she whispered, gratitude and fear and guilt all spinning into a ball that threatened to blow her apart at the seams, "that amazing, brave boy."

She kissed Garrus's brow, cheekbones, and finally his mouth, unable to form perfect words to describe the depth and breadth of the emotions rampaging through her. "He sent you back to me."

Joy. Above them all, joy rose supreme. Joy that she could curl up under the blankets, pressing in against the hard lines of his plates, tuck her face into the curve of his neck and breathe in the perfect scent of him. No amount of gratitude, no number of words … nothing could ever adequately express her thanks for that gift. Nothing but savouring every moment Corporal Richard Jenkins had given them.

"Admirals," Tali called, her voice ringing through the cargo bay, having left behind all sorrow and youth in favour of a confident authority. She strode up to within a couple metres of the Admiralty Board's shuttle. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with us." Turning to Shepard, the quarian held out an arm, both drawing their attention to the captain, but also inviting her forward. "This is Captain Jane Shepard. Captain Shepard, the members of the Admiralty Board of the quarian flotilla."

"Permission to come aboard, Captain?" a female with a warm, heavily accented voice asked.

Shepard stepped up beside Tali. "Of course, permission granted. Welcome aboard the Normandy. If you need anything during your time on board, please do not hesitate to ask myself or any member of the crew."

The quarian stepped down out of the shuttle and approached, her hand extended. "Thank you for your hospitality, Captain, although we're not sure why it's necessary."

"Please, Admiral Raan," Tali said, stilling the restlessness of all three admirals, "my father and I will explain everything." She held a hand out to indicate the admiral. "Captain Shepard, Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay, a close friend of my father's for many cycles." When the only male in the trio walked forward, she said, "Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib." She gestured past him to a female who hung back, appearing to want little to do with being there. "And Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh."

"Welcome. Please, make yourselves at home." Shepard stepped back, letting Tali take over. In the end, when Rael died, it would be up to Tali to convince the rest of his peers to listen to her. She followed a few metres behind, smiling to herself as the young quarian skillfully skirted their questions and demands. Nihlus fell in with them at the gym door, taking a seat at the back of the small space next to Shepard.

The admirals reacted with horror when they entered the gym and saw the extent of Rael'Zorah's injuries. Despite their very vocal insistence that he be transferred to a quarian medical facility, Tali and Rael convinced them to settle and listen. Over the next four hours, while Shepard wilted in a corner, Rael brought his fellow admirals up to speed. The news of the geth prompted a great deal of yelling and debate, but Rael controlled it before the urge to wade in and start knocking helmets overcame her. The footage of the primes sacrificing themselves for the pilgrims ended the arguments, allowing for planning to start.

Shepard sighed, sliding lower and lower onto the mats as the talk continued. The third thing to come out of Admiral Daro'Xen's speaker had Shepard vowing to keep a close eye on Legion whenever the admiral was around. "Creepy little thing," she whispered under her breath and shuddered.

An elbow in her side roused her out of a strange dream in which the admirals debated whether or not to serve cake at Tali's pilgrimage ceremony. "What?"

"Tali has her expeditionary force," Nihlus said, pushing up onto his feet. He held out a hand to help her up, holding it when she stood. "Do you always snore like that?"

She punched him in the gut. "You let me snore?"

He nodded and let the way over to the others. "Don't your people have a saying about sleeping lions?"

She kicked him in the ankle, then plastered on a smile to wish the admirals goodnight.

Shepard shook everyone's hand, made sure they would be able to sleep comfortably and then staggered toward her quarters, wanting nothing more than to fall into bed and sleep all the way to Rannoch. An impossible dream, but a pleasant one nonetheless.

Nihlus found her in the galley, shovelling vast amounts of hot chocolate powder into a large mug of boiling hot water. "You look like I feel," he said, collapsing into one of the chairs. "Can we put a hold on that planning meeting until after a solid six hours of sleep?"

Shepard added sugar and creamer to her brew, then a couple of whacks of protein powder just to keep her health critics at bay. "Yes. By the fantastically glowing buttocks of the Enkindlers, yes." She flopped into the chair across from him. "We arrive at Rannoch in four hours. The landing is set for five hours after that. I already called Anderson. He and Hackett are hitching a ride on one of the Shadow Broker's frigates so they can remain incognito. They'll be here for the big homecoming." She blinked a couple of times, the inside of her eyelids feeling too small and lined with sandpaper.

"I wandered off there, didn't I?" she asked. "What was I saying? Oh yeah. We'll be landing on Rannoch in nine hours. Let's get six hours of sleep, barring any emergencies, then we can plan over breakfast."

He nodded and leaned over the table, using it to lever himself up onto his feet. "Gladly. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a closet waiting. Good night, haksaya kubenar."

"Good night, Nihlus." Shepard watched him to see if he showed any recognition of what he'd said to her. He didn't, the words coming out of the combination of weariness and lowered barriers.

For a full minute and a half, she stared across the five metres that separated her from her quarters, trying to find the will to move rather than just crawl up on the table and go to sleep. She needed a shower, but there was a better chance of a giant space dragon leaping out of Earth's sun to eat the Reapers then there was of her dragging her carcass into the women's head to shower.

Finally chivvying herself from the chair, she shuffled to the door and into her cabin, stopping a half step in the door. Squinting against the dim light, she took a deep breath. The air hung warm and heavy with the most amazing scent. She closed her eyes and pulled in a long breath. "Mmm, god, that is amazing. What is that?"

She heard Garrus stand and walk over to her, his steps uneven, his breathing still laboured. "That smell is you." Large hands grasped her shoulders, his thumbs brushing softly over her collarbones.

Shepard opened her eyes and looked up into his, a wry smile twisting her lips hard to one side. "Yeah, I'm glad you think so, but this amazing smell is so not me." She sniffed inside the collar of her uniform. "Nope, way more gun oil, sweat, and smoke than flowers and spice."

He chuckled and bent to kiss her, just a soft brush of mouths, the tip of his tongue teasing her upper lip before he pulled away. "It's incense, Shepard. When they make incense that smells of gun oil, sweat, and dirty socks … ." Shaking his head, he slid his hands down her arms to grasp her fingers. "No, you're not allowed to use it. We have more than enough of that smell already."

He led her over to the bed and sat, tugging her in to stand between his thighs. "It's cleansing, a mixture of different botanicals that represent your energy," he said, indicating the incense. He stared into her eyes for a moment, then reached up to caress her face. "You look like the Mako ran over you." Pushing her gently, he sent her toward her closet.

"I feel like it did, but we are landing the first quarians on Rannoch in a few hours, so well worth having to sit and listen to the admirals argue." She stopped halfway through pulling out her nightwear and turned to look at him, an incredulous grin slowly spreading across her face. "Sweet baby Jesus, Garrus, we're taking the first landing party down to Rannoch. Over three hundred years of exile and in the morning, it ends. When I was a kid, I wanted so badly to get off Mindoir and have adventures, but this is a whole other level."

One hand flopped a little as she tried to put her awe into words. "Our little Tali will be remembered for as long as there are quarians." Shaking her head, she blinked back what felt like the five hundredth bout of tears for the day and turned back to her closet.

He nodded. "It's extraordinary, and it all started with one of the best shots I've ever seen."

Shepard laughed. "One of? Oh, Officer, you will pay for that one. You know … one day when you aren't covered in bullet holes and blast damage."

Shepard met Anderson and Admiral Hackett at the airlock, snapping a sharp salute. "Good morning, sirs. Welcome aboard."

"Thank you, Shepard, but I still have no idea why I'm here," Hackett said, stepping forward to shake her hand.

"I'll explain everything, Admiral, but I'm afraid we're going to have to do a lot of the catching up on the move." She ushered them down the CIC. "Did you both get a chance to look at the packet of information that Barla Von gave you before you took off?"

Hackett cleared his throat. "Massive, mind-controlling machine intelligences that sweep through the galaxy every fifty thousand years to wipe out all advanced sapient life. The council and Saren mind-controlled by this thing through the use of some sort of telepathic amplifiers seeded at the very least around the Citadel ..." The stare he levelled on her could be called dubious, if one was given to vast understatements.

"It's all true," Nihlus's deep, rich voice said, startling her as he stepped around the edge of the galaxy map. He held out his hand, looking to Anderson. "Captain Anderson, good to see you again, sir."

Shepard bit her lip against a smile as she met the Spectre's eyes. "Admiral Hackett, this is Spectre Nihlus Kryik, my partner in crime."

Hackett shook the Spectre's hand, and shot a glare across at Shepard. "In truth if the rumours are to be believed."

"Admiral Hackett." Nihlus nodded. "We met a few years back. We spoke of instability in the traverse. A pleasure to see you again, sir." He stepped back, allowing them to continue, falling in beside Shepard. "The queen wants to see us."

Shepard nodded, hiding the butterflies that bared their fangs and started to work on her stomach lining. "We can stop on the way to the shuttle." Herding the men before her, she headed to the stairs and down.

"Okay, Shepard," Hackett grumbled. "You have a rachni queen on board the Normandy?" He nearly missed the bottom stair turning to level that gruff frown on her again. "The council's official stance on the rachni is shoot on sight."

She nodded. "As is the current Alliance policy for the geth." She laughed and glanced over at Nihlus. "Well, actually, I did shoot Legion on sight. Good thing he didn't hold it against me." Shrugging, she stepped past the admiral to palm the elevator control. "Anyway, my point before I destroyed it for myself was that the standard orders for geth is to destroy on sight because they are the enemy." She stepped inside when it opened. "And yet, here we are, on the cusp of repatriating the quarian people, because a geth asked for a chance to prove their verisimilitude, and I gave it."

He grumbled, but didn't reply.

Shiala met them halfway across the cargo bay, while the queen remained a few metres behind the asari. No doubt the presence of so many strangers coming and going had her a bit unsettled.

"So, that's a rachni," Anderson said under his breath, taking a couple of steps toward the queen.

"Good morning, Captain," Shiala said and nodded to the others. "The queen wishes to join you, to add the moment to the ancestral memories. You're allowing her people to prove their worth, and Legion spoke up on her behalf on Noveria. She wishes to honour those demonstrations of good will."

Shepard looked at the shuttle then at the queen, who even in a few days had grown a half metre in every direction. "Sure, but I'll have to send the shuttle back. There isn't room this trip. Please come with her though, just in case there are issues."

The asari smiled. "Thank you, Captain. She'll be very happy."

"A happy rachni," Hackett grumbled. "Shepard, if I didn't know you as well as I do and for as long as I have, I'd swear that coolant had leaked into the water supply."

Shepard laughed. "Somedays I wonder if it hasn't, Admiral." She ushered them straight to the shuttle. "Sorry to rush you through, but I want to be there when the two sides arrive. The admirals other than Rael'Zorah are still very jumpy."

Thirty seconds after she sat down and buckled in, Garrus leaped out of the elevator and raced across the cargo bay, just squeaking in the hatch before it closed. Shepard grinned as he sat next to her.

"Cutting it close there, Vakarian. I thought you were going to miss the bus." She grinned and winked as he grumbled at her.

During most of the trip, Admiral Hackett and Rael'Zorah discussed the military politics of everything that Shepard had brought to light. Shepard didn't envy Hackett. He was an Alliance man through and through. He'd never been afraid to colour outside the lines when it was needed to save lives, but out and out going against the Alliance and the council ... he'd never do it. In order to get the fleets she needed to take down Sovereign, she'd have to carefully massage the truth, and god, she hated doing that.

"You've been awfully quiet," she said to Anderson. She bumped him with her shoulder. "I'm glad to see you."

He reached over and squeezed her arm then pulled his hand back. "You too, kid. You've been busy out here." He chuckled. "And back on the Citadel. Udina came in sporting two of the best shiners I've seen in a long time the day after your last discussion with him." Turning his gaze to Hackett, he shook his head a little. "It's going to take some convincing to get him to go along with your plan, Shepard, and I've been quiet because it's going to be up to you to convince him."

"Do you think I've got a shot?" She watched his face, looking for the tiny hints as to what he thought and felt; Anderson could out-stoic a turian. A slight softening around his eyes as he glanced back at her told her what she needed to know; it would all come down to presentation. Hopefully seeing the quarians and geth working together would help.