MASS EFFECT WINTER EYES: CHAPTER 18

THE OLD TEAM

"Good to have you onboard, Spectre Alenko." The Grissom Academy security officer snapped to attention as he greeted the occupants of the shuttle that just arrived.

Kaidan smiled as he exited the shuttle first. "Thank you for the warm hospitality." Behind him were Liara, Tali, Miranda, Garrus and Shepard. "Glad to see that the academy is doing well since the attack. As a fellow biotic, I feel better knowing these students are being well taken care of."

"They are always my students," Kahlee Sanders warmly reminded the group as she approached them. Her flat heels tapping the metal flooring with the sounds echoing off the sterile glossy walls. "I lost more than I should have from Cerberus and the war with the Reapers."

"Losing them is never easy, "Liara gently commented. "Fighting is better than giving in."

The blonde woman's gaze bounced eagerly over to Raven. "Commander Shepard…when Kaidan said that you were recovered, I was skeptical. Anderson always believed in you and your resilience. I guess he was right after all."

Raven looked straight through Kahlee. The identification was not there. "Thank you, Miss…"

The statement took the woman aback. "Kahlee Sanders…David Anderson spoke very highly of you. You came to my aid when Cerberus attacked Grissom Academy to capture my students."

"I'm sorry..." Raven's face still was expressionless as the memory call was not present. "I remember Captain Anderson, but I don't know anything else about what you are telling me."

"We think that Charon did something with the commander's memories. Some kind of amnesia. That's why we came here to speak with Doctor Gavin Archer."

"Yes," Sanders blinked to regain her composure. "Of course. I will also notify Jack that you are here. She will want to see you."

"Where is Jack?" Garrus piped up.

"Teaching a class."

"How are you doing, Kahlee? My sympathy goes out to you. I didn't know Admiral Anderson for very long, but he was a good man." Tali gently expressed her condolences.

"Yes. It's not the same without him around." Liara agreed.

Kahlee lowered her eyes sadly. "I do miss him," She laughed lightly. "We were apart for so long and I was so devoted to my students, that it almost feels like we are on the break again. That he's somewhere on the New Citadel, dealing with politicians the best way he knows how."

Kaidan chuckled at her memory. "Dealing with them is never pleasant. I think he would have taken missions against the Geth over that."

"He was a fighter for sure."

"Anderson was a politician?" Raven spoke up in confusion. She shook her head in doubt. "That doesn't sound right. He was a soldier. How did he wind up working like that?"

Garrus grinned at her. "Well, you recommended him, Shepard."

"I did? Shit…" Raven sighed. "This is getting too strange. I don't even want to try to remember all that you guys are talking about right now. The migraines are not pleasant."

"If you guys are ready, I can take you to the neuro lab that Dr. Archer is working in. He has been instrumental in our advances of the implants. There has been fewer side effects and less harm to the children. Especially for the younger ones." Kahlee turned to guide them along the way.

"Before we go, I need to reach Urdnot Wrex on Tuchanka," Liara jumped in to stop the group before they followed. The idea of finally getting back Macha did cloud their minds, but the war between the turians and the krogan was still not over. The standstill would be coming to an end. "Shepard, I will need you to come with me. Wrex will want to see you."

"Um, sure." Raven paused.

"I'll come too. I want to see the look on Wrex's face." Garrus took to Raven's side.

"Very well. We pass the communications room along the way. I'll notify the staff there to grant you access. The others can go on to the lab with me." Sanders explained as she proceeded forward once more with the group of five in tow.

"I can speak with Dr. Archer on his thoughts. With my knowledge of the Lazarus Project, I could provide insight." Miranda suggested.

Raven whispered to Garrus as she walked along beside him, "What the hell is the Lazarus Project?"

There was a five second delay and then the blurry image of Urdnot Wrex came through on the vid screen in front of the trio in the communications room. "Just a moment," A staff member nearby spoke up from their workstation. "There is radiation interference. I will try to clear it up." Moments later, the image visibly showed the look of their old krogan friend.

"I have to hand it to you, Liara," The burly dark yellow skin krogan began. "You had an hour left. Had me worried that for once you were not going to come through."

"Your troops still stationary?" Garrus breathed a sigh of relief. They made it!

"Of course, they are, Garrus," Wrex snapped at him. "I stand by my word unlike the turians."

Liara held up her hand to quiet him. "Easy, Wrex. It took several months for you and Garrus to finally get along when Shepard first recruited you. I don't want to revert to that again." Her blue eyes flashed back to where Raven stood out of sight. "We recovered Shepard." She gently motioned the commander to step forward into the camera's capture range.

Wrex eyed her cautiously and his upper lip curled, revealing his sharp incisors. "Shepard? You've changed."

"We've worked together before?" Raven asked.

The krogan's face grimaced. "You don't know me? After all we've been through."

"Shepard has trouble remembering most of us." Liara pointed out.

"Well, I can understand trying to forget Garrus," The krogan teased, glad to get another jab at the turian. He shrugged. "I guess you humans are not very picky."

"Jealous, Wrex?" Garrus smirked at him teasingly.

"You sure she's not another clone?" Wrex quickly changed the tone of the conversation. "I thought you said that Charon was Cerberus."

"Charon is affiliated with Cerberus or at least was we believe," Liara paused briefly, hoping that it would encourage Raven to divulge what knowledge she had on the organization since she was working in their ranks. Her ex-commander's silence made her continue defeatedly. "We also believe that they did something to her to alter her memories."

"I wouldn't put it past them." Wrex muttered as he listened in attentively. His red eyes met Raven's once again. "So, Shepard. We in this again. The krogan and the turians are on the brink of war. The krogan deserve a chance to expand their population just like all the others. The turians attacked a colony, killing many of my kind including several of my children." A beat. "And Eve."

"That's speculation, Wrex," Garrus growled in annoyance. "Charon clearly was involved to set up the turians."

"Your guess."

"Wrex- "

"Shepard," Wrex continued, cutting off the turian's argument. "I have stood by your side during difficult choices: Dealing with the Rachni Queen, Virmire and curing the genophage."

"I have no idea what you are talking about…." Raven sighed hard.

"Doesn't matter. I still want your opinion. Do the Krogan deserve a right to expand like all the others? Or do you believe that Charon was involved?"

"I cannot speak to Charon." Raven began pessimistically. "If Erinyes made the order, then it was a group that I was not working with. There are many agents. Most of us work alone. Erinyes trusted me…as most as I can tell…she never brought up an open war between the two species or the need to cause for one."

"Aha!" Wrex's eyes twinkled as his voice boomed over the mic. He switched his glance over to Garrus who seemed to be slightly squirming in his stance. "I knew it, Vakarian. Your people are using the group to hide your intent. You are no better than the salarians who concocted the genophage. After all, it was your kind that planted a bomb on my planet to kill us all."

"Wrex, we already addressed that!" Vakarian raised his voice to him. "I know it was a bad idea, and we took care of it."

"Yes, after Cerberus found it!"

"Enough!" Liara moved to the front of the camera with dark aura glowing around her sleek frame to block the krogan's vision from the others. "Wrex, we are not having this discussion. I brought you, Shepard, will you withdraw from the attack?"

"Shepard is not herself! How do you even know it's her?" He hissed at the asari.

"Because I believe it is!"

Becoming frustrated by the whole ordeal, Raven moved Liara aside and stood in the center to square off with the krogan leader once more. "Listen, I don't remember you and maybe one day I will. You asked me my opinion. I remember dealing with the batarian raids after the humans began to expand and colonize their planets. I wasn't involved with all the political backroom talks, but it didn't go well. We became a hated race for the batarians and a target for slave runs. I didn't come across many krogan from what I can remember, but your race was respected for your brute strength. Going up against your forces would be ill advised. If Charon is playing dirty, then we need to stop Erinyes, together."

"No way." Wrex shook his head. "We stepped aside our differences to aid races before and got screwed. The Krogan earned their right…to grow once again."

"And you will." Raven assured him. "We can make it work. If you believed in me before, then I need you to do it again, Urdnot Wrex."

"Wrex, come on." Garrus urged him gently. "Since I knew you, I never wanted any more harm to your kind. I was there when the genophage was cured, remember? I had to fight that thing."

"Kalras," Wrex chuckled. "I would have enjoyed seeing you piss your pants, Vakarian."

"Kalras?" Raven looked back at Liara in confusion.

"Large thresher maw." The asari smiled at her.

"Thousands of krogan were killed during the last rebellion. I don't need to lose a thousand more. Alright, Shepard. You made your point. I agree to hold my troops and not advance. Let's work on getting you back and go after this human."

"Erinyes. She's a woman." Raven corrected him.

The krogan didn't blink by this. "Fine. Let's go after this bitch."

"I will inform the Primarch of the same," Garrus noted.

"You better." Wrex firmly reminded him. "They attack us again and this time, there will be no standing down.

"Shepard," Liara turned to face her. "Do you have the coordinates for Charon's headquarters?"

Raven remained guarded by the question. Her fists stood by her sides as she looked at each of them questioningly. "No offense. I'm like the new guy right now. I don't trust any of you…" She gave a side glance over to Garrus. "Let's talk to this Dr. Archer first. See what he can tell me. If there is something wrong with me."

"Keep me posted, Liara. Wrex out." The krogan signed off the connection.

"I can understand wanting to forget Wrex," Garrus joked lightly after their friend was gone. "Do you recall anyone else on your team?"

Raven shook her head. "Not at all. I want to remember, Garrus, or at least figure this out. Who all was on my team?"

"Well you met some of us already," Liara began as she led them out of the room to join up with their colleagues in the neuro lab. "Kaidan Alenko, Tali, Miranda Lawson, Urdnot Wrex, myself and Garrus."

"Then there was Jack," Garrus began.

"The one that Kahlee said that works here?"

"Yes. Along with Thane, Mordin, Grunt, Samara, Kasumi, Zaeed, Jacob, Legion, EDI, James, and of Javik."

"What happened to all of them?"

"Thane died during a murder attempt of the Salarian council member by Kai Leng, Mordin died while curing the genophage, Grunt and his krantt do scouting missions for Wrex, Samara went back to the temple to help young Ardat-Yakshi who were not killed by Reaper forces, and Jacob is assisting us in a remote location."

"We lost contact with Kasumi," Liara picked up. "Legion sacrificed himself to find a peaceful solution to end the quarian and geth war. EDI and Joker are hitting it up on Berkenstein, James went into the N7 program after the war and I think he's still in the Alliance. And Javik…..." The asari became very quiet by the sheer mention of the name.

Raven could see the pain on her face. "Who was he?"

"He was a prothean…the last living one. We awakened him from cryostasis before Cerberus could find him. He dedicated himself to seek vengeance against the Reapers for the decimation of his race.

"Where is he now?"

Garrus could see that Liara was becoming emotionally torn to speak further. During the end of the war, Liara and Javik became close and he almost wanted to think they were romantically involved. Garrus was hopeful with their victory that despite on losing Shepard, that she would at least find happiness. Instead, Javik committed suicide on his own terms. He insisted that he wanted to join his ancestors despite what attraction he had with Liara, even though, at their first encounter, he called her a "primitive." Liara begged him not to go through with it, but she understood his reasoning why. Vengeance was his goal and the only thing driving him with the loss of his kind. He felt alone despite having Liara nearby. She could not provide him happiness and he mourned for his family. They finally said their goodbyes, before he took his last breath. "He took his own life after the war, Shepard."

"Oh…." Raven became quiet as she went through all their answers, noting that they left someone else off. "What about Zaeed? Who was he?"

"A mercenary. Ex-Blue Suns founder. He ran off shortly after the war. I haven't heard from him- "

"Shepard! There are you! Where the hell have you been?" Jack's familiar voice calling to the group made Garrus stop talking.

The trio turned to their right to see Jack coming to greet them at the intersecting hallway. She was dressed in a sleek maroon uniform, covering up much of her prized tattoos. Her hair was down to her mid shoulders. A standout from her first appearance. Garrus and Liara's eyes became wide, hardly recognizing her, stunned by the total transformation. "Jack?" Garrus couldn't stifle in a laughter. "Is that seriously you?"

"Shut the fuck up," Jack narrowed her eyes at him quickly.

"That's Jack alright." Liara smirked. "I thought last time you said that the staff at Grissom wanted you to watch your language."

"They say a lot of shit to me. I can talk like this now. My students are not around." The woman looked over at Raven. "You're quiet, Shep. I see you found Garrus already."

"Nice to see you, Jack." Raven felt awkward by the reunion. She had no clue on who the woman was in front of her. Her black hair and smiling face were foreign to her. She decided to try to become reacquainted with her. "You been teaching here for a while with Kahlee Sanders?"

Jack's jaw dropped. "Hell no."

"Shepard is having trouble recalling memories, Jack. We believe that Charon did it to her."

"Shit." Jack groaned. "I heard that Cerberus was like them. They did some mess up things to me. Never wanted it to happen to anyone again." She sighed once more. "Look, Shepard, ex-convict. Found me on Purgatory, got out, busted a few heads. Good stuff."

"Excuse me?" Raven nearly choked on her saliva when she heard the woman's backstory. "Convict?"

"Maybe another time, Shepard. We should see Dr. Archer." Garrus gingerly ushered along to the lab.

"Come see me when you get your memory back!" Jack called to them.