Jax was busy fidgeting at his wrists as he leaned against the back wall of the conference room. With its polished chrome surfaces, the Normandy seemed to be something out of a story book. Jax had only been on a few space runs in his life, usually to siphon a deposit of platinum from Bindur, and that had been on rusting buckets of bolts covered in grime with uncovered wires draping from the ceilings, never anything close to this. Garrus stood removed at the opposite end of the room, silently studying his old comrade. He hadn't spoken a single word since they had arrived, Shepard was still unconscious in the medical bay but Dr. Chakwas had assured him there was no cause for concern, and so he had gone back to monitor Jax, to drill him for answers. But, as Garrus looked, those questions had answered themselves in the way Jax held himself. Leaning against the back wall, one could forgiven for mistaking his stance as one of laziness, relaxing but looking at the slight bend in the knees, the muscles in his back and torso constantly tensed, like a cat ready to pounce, Jax was ready for attack even in his relaxed moments. The hand that used to be wracked by barely controlled tremors, still as stone. There were no qualms in Jax's mind about murder, or dying, he was equally prepared for both. There was a wrinkle between his eyebrows as if he was perpetually deep in thought but his were void of any conflict, empty, a mirror betraying no emotion. He was at an unnatural peace to rival an Asari Matriarch, and it worried Garrus. Shepard always impressed on him the importance of having something to fight for, to keep his edge and to give him focus, because dying would mean the loss of everything one would dear but looking at Jax, there was no such connection in those eyes, it was unsettling. Garrus silently cursed every time he had looked over Jax as nothing but Sensat's human pet, Weaver had been as much a part of their team as any of them but just because of his age and the fact that there was someone who could do his job better, Garrus had completely overlooked him. Was it possible he hadn't been a good leader at all? Only seeing people for their skills and talents and discarding any thought of a personal nature? He had certainly never saw any of his team's families, in the aftermath he could barely bring himself to send them written messages over the extranet. Jax had been more than an asset, he'd been a person, with hopes, dreams, someone with something to live for but studying him now, those glass eyes… None of it remained. There were two ways people prepared for the end, the first sort made their last phone calls, they thought of everything they had still yet to accomplish, all the places they hadn't been and things they had never said and they grieved over what had never been. The second took exactly the opposite approach, they thought of everything they had done, they traced their entire life leading up this moment, and they made peace with the end, accepted all the things in the future were now out of reach. Garrus had known plenty of both kinds, but Jax seemed to be hunting for an end. His life had all led up to a moment of death… And he had lived through it. He had run himself to empty without ever planning to fill himself back up again.

Jax finally seemed to notice the staring. "If you look at me any harder, you're going to bore holes in my brain."

Garrus didn't smile. "What happened Jax? How did you survive?"

"Jax?" He asked, "Usually it's 'Weaver' when you're making demands, when did you get so soft?"

"Just…" Garrus suddenly felt tired, like all he wanted to do was sit down and not stand up again for a very long time. "Just answer the question."

"You left" Jax said, his voice hollow, devoid of any feeling, his eyes gazed off into nothingness. "We weren't doing anything in particular when the shooting started. Half the team were dead before any of us could react. Sensat and I were the luckiest, we were near the corridor, we ran while Erash, Mierin and Grundan Kul assumed a defensive position but that was short lived before they got blown apart like sacks of meat." His teeth gritted in anger at that remark. "Sensat and I didn't even make ten steps before the mechs started to open fire on us. Sensat was cloaked but when the first bullet tagged me, we both knew I wasn't going to make it." He gave out a harsh laugh. "So Sensat kneels, right in front of them, opens his omnitool and begins hacking them, throwing off their aim, resetting their targeting matrixes, I scream at him to leave me and he just waits." Jax's voice was light, almost as if he had heard this story in a bar and was simply relaying it. "The mechs were too close to miss me completely but the lapse in their aim meant they missed most of my important organs. Then a varren comes charging round the corner and still he just waits." Jax's voice was as cold as ice but Garrus could see his fist trembling, knowing the anger was white hot against his skin. "Mechs have hit me more now, I crumble against the back wall and slide down. Left an awful fucking blood smear in my path but considering the flood just spilled in the main rooms I figured I was entitled to a bit of blood loss. I'm finished now, blood is leaking out of me and I can see him still just kneeling there, he taps a button and the mechs just turn around and head back, all the while this monster of a varren is bearing down on him. Sensat knows he's dead by now, he wasn't exactly fast so as this animal opens its jaws large enough to swallow me whole Sensat just looks at me and smiles. His ugly fucking black frog's eyes are just staring at me the way they shined like they used to. Then the varren grabs him and all I can hear is his screaming, his green blood is spraying everywhere as it shakes him, his flesh is being shredded. Then suddenly there's a snap and the screams stop, just like that, like someone simply turned a switch."

Garrus did't know how to react. "Jax…"

Jax ignored him, continuing. "So I'm lying there bleeding out, I can just feel it ooze out of me, I can't even move. Then some doctor comes, hits me with a drug and the next thing I know I'm waking up in a clinic, not dead, then came the weeks of recovery before I could even walk or hold my own spoon."

"It took me months to find Sidonis" Garrus pressed, "how did you find him so quickly after you left?"

Jax's reply was one word; "Aria."

Garrus sighed, Aria was dangerous, they had made very sure not to upset her directly, one half of Omega wanting their team dead was more than enough. They had known of each other though, they had just never had the need to provoke each other, there was more enough crime on Omega for Garrus to wade through a dozen lifetimes before he'd ever need to pursue Aria's operations. "What did she want in return?"

"A favour, the nature of such is yet to be decided."

"Dammit Jax!" Garrus swore. "Do you know how dangerous it is to be in debt like that, let alone so someone as ruthless as Aria?"

"I had no other choice" Jax shot back, "after I pieced together how it happened, killing that lying son of a bitch was all that mattered to me, I had nothing else, no one else left!"

Garrus was stunned. "Not even me?"

Jax snorted, his eyes weren't dark anymore, they blazed with fury. "You left" he spoke quietly.

He and Garrus stared very long at each other, unblinkingly. It was Garrus who broke the silence first. "Weaver" he said curtly, then left, bottling every emotion inside.

The door opened to reveal Shepard, her blonde hair a fraction too thin to hide the graze on the side of her face from the earlier battle. She looked to him as he walked out but his eyes never left the ground.

Shepard turned to Jax, "What did I miss?"

Jax shrugged nonchalantly, "We were just catching up on old times."

"You must be one hell of a passionate conversationalist" Shepard remarked, noting the hands balled into fists in Jax's pockets.

"Who doesn't love a good story?" Jax replied.

"Only if they have happy endings" Shepard returned as Miranda joined them.

Jax looked between the two, eyeing them up. "What's this about?"

"What's your plan?" Shepard asked, ignoring his question. "You planned to die fighting in that Blue Suns raid, and then you lived. Got any ideas about what you're going to do next?"

Jax shrugged. "Figured I'd go back to Omega and finish what we started."

"A one-man war on Omega's gangs?" Miranda asked skeptically, "Surely even you can appreciate the futility of that."

"You got any better ideas tits-for-brains?" Jax replied with spite.

"I do" Shepard interrupted as Miranda opened her mouth to reply with something more ferocious. "We've had a brief discussion and it's become apparent to us that you have a unique skill set, which is impressive given the talent of my crew, I recruit only the best."

"Tough standard."

"We've reviewed what we know about you, demolitions training from an STG operative, involved in numerous anti-mercenary operations on Omega," Shepard trailed off, thinking, "which is probably the most hostile environment to enact anti-merc ops in."

Jax again shrugged, seemingly unimpressed with his résumé. "It had its kicks."

"Well, that's over now, and in considering the potential holes in our team, we realised we don't have anyone specialised in demolitions and explosives, both their construction and deconstruction."

"Our lot have got using them pretty well covered, from no lack of trying" Miranda said, looking over to Shepard.

"I could use someone of your talents Jax," Shepard said, stepping forward, "Thane told me what you did, taking down that gunship the way you did. That kind of skill and focus under fire isn't something you can teach. I need people like you if we're going to have a chance at succeeding."

"It was impressive work" Miranda conceded.

"You'd have a purpose," Shepard continued, "be part of a team again, be able to use your gifts in a way that matters, to achieve some real, lasting change, the ripples from which could affect the entire galaxy. I'll be honest, when the dossiers of the specialists I'd need were compiled by my contacts, neither your name nor your skills were decided as useful to me. I think they were wrong" Shepard told him, extending a hand. "Care to prove me right?"

"Of course if that sounds too dangerous for you, you're welcome to leave" Miranda quipped, gesturing towards the door.

Jax looked at her, then down at the hand Shepard was offering. "All right, thanks" he said, leaving Shepard's hand hanging as he walked past her and strolled out. "Good luck on your mission" he called out as he left.

Shepard blinked, trying to fathom what had just happened.

"Well, that was unexpected" EDI provided.

"On the bright side, we won't have to worry about finding a room for him" Miranda said to Shepard, "the ship's filling up as it is."

"Why wouldn't he stay?" Shepard asked her second-in-command, "He knows this is clearly his best option."

"Maybe his pride won't allow him to take charity" Miranda suggested, her lip still slightly curled upwards. "Or it's something specific to this place."

"You think he doesn't like the ship?" Shepard asked skeptically.

Miranda shrugged. "Or someone on it."

Shepard could've almost hit herself for overlooking it. "Garrus. I thought after fighting together at the Factory District they'd have managed to heal old wounds."

"Clearly this is something that doesn't heal easily" Miranda noted. "I'll notify the Illusive Man of our interest, have them put some tabs on him while we're gone."

"We're not going anywhere yet" Shepard cut in. "I still want him on the team, for his sake and ours."

"He just said he didn't want to join" Miranda said, "I think that is quite conclusive."

"One more chance, I refused Cerberus' offer when they brought me back, I think Jax' disposition is similar."

"You think he's undergoing his own resurrection?"

"Of sorts. He's started a life he never thought he'd have, that kind of transition isn't always easy, there's no preparing for it."

Miranda pursed her lips. "So the question is how do you connect to someone who has no ties to anything? Sidonis was the end to anything from his past."

"Maybe not" Shepard mused. She touched the table and EDI appeared. "Do you require my assistance Sheaerd?"

"I need an encrypted transmission, avoid official Citadel comm buoys if you can" Shepard told the shackled AI.

"Who do you wish to contact?" EDI asked. Miranda leaned forward in curiosity.

Shepard took a breath. "Aria T'Loak. I need more information on Weaver if I'm going to get through to him."

"Of course Shepard," EDI obliged, "please note that taking extra measure to ensure the communications subtlety will mean it may take me a few extra minutes to connect."

"Perfect" Shepard said before turning to Miranda, "fetch Garrus back here, I want him to be here for this."

"Of course Shepard" Miranda affirmed before leaving, "I just hope you know what you're doing."

Garrus returned but again, he was withdrawn, more the rebel than the turian she knew. "You're asking Aria for help?" He asked stiffly.

"Information" Shepard corrected, "as you pointed out, the lack of any government oversight makes Omega an easy place to be invisible. I'm hoping to shed some extra light on our Mr Weaver and Aria is the most official of anything in the entire Nebula."

"And why am I here?" Garrus asked.

"Because you have more knowledge and experience about Omega and dealing with Aria than anyone else here. The most out of anyone I trust at least."

Garrus nodded but fell silent as a hologram of Aria suddenly shimmered into view above the table.

"Shepard," she purred, "miss me already?"

"Hello Aria" Shepard replied, putting on an easy smile, in stark contrast to Garrus' stone expression.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Aria asked.

"Jax Weaver" Shepard said, "he was born and raised on Omega, became part of Archangel's team, involved in some pretty high stakes stuff, I was wondering what you could tell me about him."

"And what makes you think I know anything about him?" Aria asked, a manipulative smile pulling at the tips of her mouth. She was like a cat watching a mouse run back and forth between her paws, simply waiting to snap her jaws shut.

Shepard shrugged. "You know everyone that's someone Aria, I can't believe somebody with STG-trained explosives experience would slide under your radar."

Aria drummed her chin with her fingers in mock thought. "Omega's a big place, sometimes people slip between the cracks, I can't be expected to know everyone now can I?"

"He owes you a favour" Garrus suddenly spoke, stepping forward from behind Shepard. "You know the worth of that kind of debt, you know everything about the kind of assets you have at your disposal, don't play with coy, it's the same move anyone else would make and everyone knows you aren't just anyone else."

Aria smiled at that. "You do know how to give compliments Angel, I'll give you that. But information is valuable and I'm not in the mood for charity."

"As I seem to recall, I did kill a large number of mercs who were going to come for you" Shepard reminded her.

"And I paid that debt" Aria told her.

Shepard playfully snorted. "What, with that cache of resources, that you 'didn't need or want' as you said? Giving that to me was of no consequence to you, you didn't sacrifice anything to give me that, I think I want a bit more from your end, let's be fair here."

Aria's expression grew dark as she leaned into the camera. "There's one rule on Omega Shepard, I'd advise you to not dig up good business happily concluded, bones are best left in the ground."

"I'm not on Omega" Shepard cooly replied, "otherwise we'd be having this conversation face-to-face and either way, I have no intention of fucking with you. I just want a fair trade."

"I tell you this and we're even?" Aria asked, "No more favours owed between us."

"You have my word" Shepard promised.

Aria smiled at being returned to her position of power dictating the conversation. "So you want to know about little Jax Weaver" she said softly. "What do want to know Shepard, his skills, his face, his soft spots?"

"Everything" Shepard said.

Aria rolled her eyes. "You're going to make me late for the new strippers' auditioning but fine, I'll tell you what you want to know." She smiled a ruthless smile. "And I know a lot, Omega is everything to Jax and after all, I am Omega."

Jax sat at the table, the beat of the bass pounding in his ears, the rhythm reverberating in his head. He finished his drink and held up a hand to the waitress for another. He casually observed the crowd dancing, there were a few shifting back on forth on their heels but they were more waiting for the next song if anything. A human couple didn't mind seizing the moment however, making out with a ferocity as they drove their tongues forward that Jax couldn't tell if they were kissing or trying to figure out what the other one had for dinner. The Asari waitress arrived with his drink and placed it down in front of him. "Another Batarian ale for you sir" she said, her voice somehow soft yet completely audio in the hurricane of distorted pulsing in the club.

Jax smiled gratefully as he shifted a few extra credits. "Buy one for yourself" he said with a grin, tapping his omnitool. "I can tell that Turian has been being an ass since way before I got here."

She burst out in a smile. "I might take you up on that, though isn't it human custom that the man buys the drinks for the girl they have to share them together?"

"It's been said" Jax agreed. "When do you get off?"

"Half an hour" she told him, "then maybe we can find somewhere more quiet, my apartment is great for… talking."

"Best be careful, I've been called a passionate conversationalist" Jax told her.

Her smile became more devilish. "I look forward to finding out" she told him before she left to go back to the bar.

Jax grinned and took a drink but before he had put the glass back down, a figure had taken the other seat at his table. "You know, if you were looking to kill yourself with alcohol, why not skip the ale and just drink a straight turian?" Shepard asked.

Jax rolled his eyes. "Didn't I tell you? I'm not interested in joining your boyband."

"I know" Shepard said with a carefree tone. She raised a finger and a rough cup was brought to her. Jax wrinkled his nose as the drink was poured and he could smell the strength of the liquor wafting out. Shepard noticed his discomfort, "You don't like it?" She asked.

"What is it?" Jax asked.

"Ryncol" Shepard took an easy swallow, her smile never flinching as it ran down her throat. "Not your favourite?"

Jax just stared at her. "I'm not krogan" he replied.

Shepard laughed at that. "You think I have a quad under this dress?" She asked him. "When you live as hard as us, you learn to cram the partying into tight spaces."

"I haven't been in a lot of tight spaces with people before" Jax told her.

"You don't look too shy about getting a tight space with her" Shepard said, nodding towards the Asari waitress. "You've been tipping her generously every round."

"I gave myself a generous donation courtesy of Fade's accounts. Enough to live out a drunken haze."

"Is that what you want?" Shepard asked.

"What I want is irrelevant" Jax answered, "my life just became inconsequential after Garrus put an injection of hot metal through Sidonis' brain."

"He did that for you" Shepard insisted.

"He did that for himself" Jax argued, "I was just the excuse that gave him the convenience to pull the trigger without having to admit to himself the killer that he's become."

"What makes you believe that?" Shepard asked.

"The fact that when he saw us, his first reaction was to fall back to a defensible position to murder as many mercs as he could was a fair indicator" Jax replied. "We were nothing to him, a means to an end, that end being killing as many people as he could, mercenaries on Omega being the easiest outlet to justify to himself. All his talk of nobility and taking back the streets was bullshit, all of it lies. We were just trading landlords, nothing changed."

"You lied as well, to Garrus" Shepard accused him, "back on the Normandy you said you had no one left."

"Yeah, what of it?" Jax asked.

"Well, I grew up on Earth as an orphan, running with other kids in street gangs, so I can't say I'm much of an authority" Shepard told him, "but I'd say your mother and sister are someone major to have."

Jax became deathly still. "How do you know about them?"

"Do you know how one becomes the best military operative in the galaxy?" Shepard asked rhetorically. "You get things done. I've earned my reputation, when I want to find things out, I find them."

"What do you want from me?" Jax asked, any playfulness had left his voice.

Shepard leaned forward. "Join my team, help me stop the Collectors from taking any more human colonies and in return we'll keep them safe, you can go back to them afterwards, it'll be like you never left."

"No" Jax answered quickly, "I'll have no direct interaction with my family, they…" He dropped his gaze to the floor. "They think I'm dead, and I plan on letting them believe that."

"Jax…" Shepard said, reaching for him over the table.

Jax waved her hand away. "I'm not looking for condoning or your condemnation. Here's the deal, if I join you, if I help you, your people will look out for them? Keep them safe? With both me and Sensat gone, I'm afraid from them, Omega is a rough place at the best of times, without three different mercenary outfits threatening you with protection."

"Why can't you tell them you're alive?" Shepard asked.

Jax's eyes were conflicted as he looked away. "I don't want them to see what I've become, they wouldn't recognise me anymore, it's better that they remember me as who I was."

"Fine" Shepard relented, "your family comes under my protection, we'll keep them safe but oblivious, and in return you join my crew. You'll get to see a bit more of the galaxy, you might even learn to like a few places."

"Well, considering the two space stations being the only places I've ever been and this one supposedly being the role model for the rest of the galaxy, I guess I should expect a lot more violence" Jax said with a flicker of a grin.

"Oh yes," Shepard confirmed, "they don't send spectres to fields full of daisies and dandelions."

"What's a dandelion?" Jax asked.

Shepard couldn't help but look shocked at that. "Seriously? A dandelion?"

Jax shrugged, "like I said, two space stations, that's it."

Shepard shook her head. "We'll find some time for a detour, in the meantime, I want you to gear up, we're leaving as soon as possible before Councillor Udina finds some excuse to impound the Normandy."

"So you have limitless resources, does that mean you'll purchase my supplies?" Jax asked.

"How much do you need?" Shepard asked. "I'm usually provided with it when I suit up, my arms master usually sees to my resupply but I just assumed a lot of it was one-size-fits-all, are you saying you're going a lot of explosives?"

"Oh yes" Jax replied with a grin, "a lot."

"We'll get you a tab" Shepard promised. "To our new partnership Mr Weaver" she toasted, offering her cup.

Jax clapped his ale to her ryncol and watched again in disbelief as she chugged it down without flinching. "To you Commander."

Shepard finished her drink and slapped the cup down. "Now report to the ship within the next hour" she told him, standing up.

"What about my tight space?" Jax asked, nodding at the Asari waitress who give him a wink and small wave.

Shepard laughed, "Trust me, if that's what's important to you, you'll be well accommodated, the Normandy has plenty of tight spaces. Do you how many times I've been told one of the girls in navigation has had a pregnancy scare?"

"You going to introduce me to her?" Jax asked.

"You do realise as part of my crew I'll expect you to fight and back me up occasionally right?" Shepard asked, "You know, combat specialists sometimes engage in combat, the fate of the galaxy is at stake here."

"Of course" Jax replied instantly, standing up with Shepard and walking out with her. "So, who are we fighting again?"

Shepard chuckled, the ale was starting to get to him although to be fair, she wouldn't bet herself standing quite so prettily after another cup of ryncol. "Welcome aboard, Jax Weaver, welcome aboard."