All eyes were on Shepard and Wrex, the latter holding his shotgun against the former. Robert reached to his belt for the new lightsaber Lucy made for him, intent on disarming Wrex if he had to. He noticed Ashley quietly reaching for her gun and frowned. He sensed her intent. If Shepard was endangered, she would kill Wrex to stop him.

He sensed the emotions in the other two as well. Wrex was a complicated knot of hope, fear, and anger. The idea of a cure kindled the first of those, the idea of losing it the latter two. Robert couldn't help but feel sympathy for the Krogan's goal.

Shepard… was calm. Like she usually was in a deadly situation. Her green eyes locked onto Wrex's. "I know you want to save your people, Wrex," she said. "I don't blame you for that."

"But you're still going to blow the place up," Wrex said. His gun didn't waver.

"I don't think we have a choice." Shepard shook her head. "Saren's making this army of Krogan to fulfill whatever plan he has, maybe even bringing back the Reapers, the same machines that wiped out the Protheans. He has to be stopped to save the galaxy."

"Haven't we given up enough for this damn galaxy?" Wrex countered. "My people bled and died to stop the Rachni."

"And then you turned on the rest of the galaxy," Kirrahe pointed out. "The genophage was only necessary because of the Krogan Rebellion."

Wrex growled at him. "Without that cure, my people go extinct."

"If Saren wins, we all go extinct, your people too," Shepard retorted. "It's not like he did this for your benefit. You've seen the Krogan in his army, Wrex. You've seen what they're like. They're mindless. Nothing but puppets, they might as well be combat drones. That can't be what you want for your people."

Robert felt the conflicting emotions in Wrex. Even now he couldn't be sure what the Krogan would do. Everyone was waiting to see what Wrex would do, how he would react.

Robert's eyes went over to Ashley, who was stepping closer and closer. He watched as she started to pull her weapon free…

Wrex lowered the gun. "Alright," he said. "You've made your point."

Shepard nodded at him. Her relief was evident. "You're a good man, Wrex," she said. "I don't blame you for wanting to save your people. They still have time."

"If we find the cure, I'm taking it," Wrex informed her, bluntly. "Any problems with that?"

Robert sensed that yes, Garrus and Kirrahe and the other Salarians did have a problem with it.

Shepard, on the other hand, shook her head. "None. As long as you keep your focus on the mission."

"Fine." Wrex stowed his shotgun away at the base of his back.

Ashley put her weapon away as well. There was some relief on her face.

"Alright." Shepard returned her attention to Kirrahe. "We have an operation to plan."

The Geth Prime's weapon was a second away from firing, and Lucy wouldn't be able to stop it.

Even worse, her options were limited. Deflecting the shot could send the plasma into a vital component, damaging the reactor further. Jumping to avoid it might even cause the same - there was machinery behind her - and it would expose her to further fire.

In the instant she had left, Lucy sensed the only way she could make this work. She winced in anticipation as the Geth fired.

Her left hand shot up and caught the shot. The energy within her grabbed the shot, absorbing some of the energy, sloughing it off, weakening it… but not removing it. Enough power remained that it hit her in the palm. Her armor absorbed yet more, but there was still a pain in her hand from what remained of the shot.

Lucy gave a cry of effort and sliced upward and to the side with the lightsaber in her right hand. The blue blade cut through the Geth platform's arms with little effort, disarming the machine. She twirled her hand around, creating a trail of blue light with the blade as she brought it back to bear… and plunged it into the Geth Prime's chest. The machine spat sparks from the damage. It was in no shape to stop her from slicing its head off. With a final spurt of electronic warbling, the Prime collapsed before her.

Lucy glanced toward her left hand. The armor had a partial scorch mark over the palm, showing where the shot had gone through. The Prime's weapon was heavier than other Geth they'd faced. If it had shot her in the head or over the heart…

Lucy forced that possibility from her mind and focused on her work. She extinguished her lightsaber and returned it to her belt, allowing her to use her remaining good hand to operate the fuel line controls. The readout confirmed for her that a broken He-3 line was responsible for the reactor being offline. She bypassed that line with a secondary one and re-initialized the system. He-3 once again flowed into the reactor. It powered up around them.

With her job finished, Lucy pulled her lightsaber back out and rushed to rejoin the others. Running along the right-hand path toward the main control room, she moved over the blackened remnants of several Geth platforms. But she took no fire. In the control center the others were waiting. Liara and Talara were looking over the controls, although Talara was the only one who clearly understood them. "He-3 flow is showing nominal, sir," she said. "The reactor is operating at eighty-percent capacity."

"That's more than enough for the tram system," Lucy noted. "We just need to relink the landlines to the glacier base and we're good to go." She turned her head to face Anders. "Did you get all of the Geth?"

"They retreated when the reactor activated." Inside his face plate, Anders' frown was visible. "We got a lot of them, at least. But now I think we're going to end up leaving another squad behind to cover our rear. I've already got Hutchins moving up to join us."

"Makes sense. With the Geth and Rachni around, we don't want too many groups on their own."

"I'll leave Topa'riy's squad behind to join Hutchins, they'll watch the reactor. The rest of us are moving on." Anders gestured to the others. "Alright Marines, move out!"

"How long will it take you to re-establish the landline?" Liara asked.

"Probably not long. It depends on the damage." Lucy sensed Liara's discomfort and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Are you ready?"

"I… I am not sure," Liara admitted. "I haven't seen my mother in so long. We… we did not have a proper farewell last time. We fought. It was very… oh Goddess, what if those are the last words we end up sharing?"

"They won't be, I'm sure of it," Lucy insisted.

Liara nodded, her blue eyes full of tears. Lucy's assurance hadn't done much for her worry, really, but Lucy hoped it was enough.

"Lieutenant, your hand…"

Talara brought Lucy's attention back to her wounded left hand. Now that she paid attention to it, she recalled that yes, it hurt, and it hurt quite a bit. She winced. "I'll be fine." It was clear that Talara didn't quite believe her, but Lucy still forced the wounded look from her face. "I'll get the corpsman to look at it," she said. "For now, we've got more work to do."

Talara nodded and said nothing more as they walked out.

Lorik Qui'in looked up from his liquor as the shadows of Julia and the others appeared over his table. His dark eyes, coal-black, met Julia's. He was of gray complexion, the color of ash, with white facial markings, and dressed in respectable corporate wear for Turians. "I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the United Systems' rank system," he said. "You're a… Colonel?"

"Captain, actually, but you're close enough," Julia replied. "Captain Julia Andreys, commanding officer of the Alliance Starship Aurora."

"Right. The naval equivalent of a Colonel." Qui'in took a drink. "What can I do for you, Captain?"

"I'm not sure. We're having problems with Anoleis and we've heard you have them too." Julia was surprised a Turian could snort that derisively. "I'm still trying to understand everything that's going on here."

Suspicion laced the next question. "And what is your interest in Noveria?"

"Binary Helix," Richmond said. "And Matriarch Benezia."

"My security chief, Lieutenant Commander Phryne Richmond," Julia explained as an introduction. "Commander Meridina is my first officer and Lieutenant Angel Delgado is my tactical officer."

"I see. The Matriarch arrived a few days ago with a full escort of Asari commandos and several crates that passed customs."

"Were they disarmed?" Angel asked.

"Yes. But that doesn't do much to reduce the threat of Asari commandos, Lieutenant," Qui'in remarked. "They're all very capable biotics. Anyway, the Matriarch and her entourage left for Peak 15 almost right away. Since then, I've heard the entire research station shut down. A few stragglers arrived but were quickly rushed into isolation by Anoleis."

"We've heard he was bribed by Benezia," Richmond said.

To that Qui'in laughed bitterly. "I wonder how much he took her for. She wouldn't be the only one."

"Oh?" Again Richmond. Julia said nothing, allowing her security chief to direct the interview.

"Ever since he was given control of the office rents, Anoleis has been raising the rates. Unofficially." Qui'in took a drink. "I have the evidence of what he's up to. And here I am, accused of corruption while he has members of security on his payroll ransacking Synthetic Insights looking for where I hid it."

"I see." Richmond glanced toward Julia. "How very naughty."

Julia said nothing. She was thinking of how to turn this to their advantage. If Anoleis was dirty and they found proof… She looked around the table to see if the man that directed them to Qui'in was anywhere, but there was no sign of him. What is that guy up to? This is what he wants.

"So why are you looking into Binary Helix?" asked Qui'in. "I was surprised myself to see an Asari Matriarch going out there. Usually they don't leave Asari space."

"Matriarch Benezia has been linked a rogue Spectre," Julia replied. "Binary Helix is suspected of being involved in their plans."

"And the Council is letting the United Systems participate in this kind of investigation? Into one of their Spectres? That's odd."

"He's attacked us as well as Council space," Julia replied. "It's a joint investigation."

"I see. And sending you here lets the Council avoid angering all of these corporations. Clever." Qui'in folded his hands on the table. "Allow me to make a guess. Your people have quite a few technological tricks that were not around when Noveria's systems were established years ago. I'm betting you have a team in Peak 15 by now."

"And your point is…?"

"My point is that if Anoleis finds out, your people are in big trouble," said Qui'in. "He'll scramble all of his people in ERCS and go after them. And if the situation in Peak 15 allows, he may just have a battlestation put an antimatter missile into the entire glacier."

"We're trying to get ahold of the Board to overrule him."

Qui'in laughed bitterly. "The Board? Even if they approved you, it doesn't matter. They're not here. Anoleis is. And he's got allies with the Board, and in the other corporations. He'll do as he pleases and justify it later." Qui'in's mandibles twitched. "He's a greedy bastard, but he's not so stupid as to operate like this without support in all of the right places. No, if you want your Alliance to walk away from this cleanly, Anoleis has to go."

"And you believe your evidence is the key?" asked Meridina.

"It is," Qui'in answered. "If you can get into the office and retrieve it."

"Unarmed?"

"As I said, you have technological tricks up your sleeve," said Qui'in. "I'm sure you can manage something."

Julia considered it. The risks were high, if something went wrong, but if it didn't… well, their problems here would be solved. And it was better than risking that Qui'in was right about Anoleis. That he would act on his own and possibly kill their entire team in Peak 15. The Aurora might not have time to intercept missiles bound for the surface. And the last thing I want is to have to be that blatant…

"Alright," she said. "We'll see what we can do.

"I'll be here drinking my time away." Qui'in gestured to a waitress to bring another bottle. "It's not like I have anything better to do."

They stepped away from the table. When they were in a corner alone Richmond spoke up. "May I remind you, Captain, that we are unarmed, and Anoleis' security people most definitely are not."

"True. However, we do have an advantage." Julia turned to Meridina.

"I may be able to influence them," she said. "It depends upon their will." Sensing Julia's thought, Meridina frowned. "I am reluctant to attack their minds as you are thinking, however."

"I understand. The Farisa Geenewt, was it? They wouldn't like it."

"Farisa Genut," corrected Meridina. "And no, they would not. But if it is to save lives… then I will act."

"Then that'll work for me." Julia drew in a breath to steel herself. This was not what I had in mind when I beamed down she thought. "Let's go get some evidence."

It took more time for Lucy and the Marines to kill the Rachni that opposed them than it did for Lucy to restore the landlines to what the systems were calling Rift Station, the underground labs built deep into the glacier. Once they were done the gathered troops made their way to the trams.

After they boarded the trams, Lucy checked the tram recorders' logs. She nodded and approached Anders and Liara. A tap of a key on her omnitool accessed a recording depicting a blue-skinned Asari in a black suit, attended by several Asari in M4P2-standard body armor, aboard the tram. "Benezia is here," she said. "And she hasn't left yet."

"And with Asari commandos." Anders nodded. "I've heard a lot about them."

"They're very good," noted Lucy. "I've fought with a squad before, on New Brittany. We wiped the floor with an SS Panzergrenadier strike team. It's not going to be an easy fight." She noticed the roiling emotion Liara was struggling to contain, hidden behind the distant look in the Asari's eyes. "Are you alright, Doctor?"

"It's been so long since I saw my mother," she said. "And to see her again like… this." Liara reached and gripped, for a moment, her sidearm. "It...I never thought something like this would happen. That she'd accept my career choice and welcome me home."

"You're pretty distant then?"

"Very. Mother never approved of my choice to pursue archaeology." Liara went over and leaned against the side of the tram as it moved through the sub-glacial tunnel. "I was the daughter of a Matriarch. I was supposed to be something more, she thought."

Lucy nodded quietly. She recalled her mother had similar ambitions for her future, if put more gently. "Parents often want the best for their kids."

"I'm not sure that was it. My mother has her pride. She didn't want me 'slumming' across the galaxy from dig to dig. She wants me on Thessia learning how to guide our people."

"In other words, she wants you to be a leader."

"Yes. But that's not what I am, and she couldn't accept it." Tears were forming in Liara's eyes. "I received my doctorate and it still wasn't enough. I don't understand why… why she couldn't accept my choices."

"I'm not sure. You'll have to ask."

Bitterness was the reaction from Liara. "Oh, I have a lot to ask. All of the horrible things Saren's done, how could she be involved in it?"

"We'll find out soon enough," Lucy assured her gently. "I just hope the answers are good."

"So do I."

Shepard, her team, and the Salarian regiment's senior officers gathered around the holo-table and the display of the mapped areas of Saren's base. "There are two approaches we can make. This is the most direct, and the one that will gain the most attention." Kirrahe indicated one area. "The 3rd Regiment can strike here and draw attention. This would allow a small operations team to infiltrate from the base's weak side." He indicated an approach to a small set of buildings, the larger ones beyond it.

"That's where we come in," Shepard said. "I'll take a squad from my team and come in that way."

"We'll need to maintain some kind of coordination to ensure peak operational efficiency," Kirrahe said. "We have no room for errors. Commander, could one of your people join us?"

Shepard was clearly considering it. Instead of her answering, it was Ashley who said, "I can stay with the Salarians and maintain communications, Commander. Plus an extra gun in the firefight won't hurt."

"Agreed, Sergeant."

"What about the base?" Tali asked. "What do we do once we're there?"

"We find out as much about Saren's operations as we can," Shepard replied. "And then we blow the place up."

"To get the entire facility, we'll need a nuke," Kaidan said.

"Assemble one on the Normandy," Shepard said. "Tali, you'll assist." Shepard put a finger to one location in the base, an aqueduct. "This is a good central location for the explosive. The Normandy can fly you in with it once we shut down the AA guns and secure the area. Then we'll extract both teams and detonate the bomb."

"An excellent operational plan," Kirrahe said. "Allow me to get my men ready."

Shepard nodded. "Let me know when you're ready. The longer we wait, the harder this will be."

"Agreed."

Kaidan and Tali returned to the Normandy - driving the Mako back into it in the process - leaving the others to follow Shepard outside. "Garrus, Wrex, Robert." She nodded to them in turn. "This isn't going to be an easy fight. We're facing bad odds here."

"Been there, done that," was Wrex's reply. "But remember our deal."

"I do, Wrex," said Shepard. "If we can get any access to the cure, we'll do everything we reasonably can to acquire it."

"But we don't jeopardize the mission," Garrus said.

"You don't have to remind me, Turian," Wrex growled. Robert felt his displeasure at Garrus' remark and Garrus' unease. "I'm going to prep my gear."

"I suggest we all do that," said Shepard. "Meet me back here within half an hour."

Wrex and Shepard started their way back toward the Normandy. Robert took a few steps that way before stopping and looking to Garrus. "What's your concern?" he asked. "I can sense you're unhappy."

"The genophage." Garrus turned to face him. "It was either that or exterminating the Krogan. My people chose mercy."

"Or just a prolonged extermination," Robert noted. "The Krogan are dying out."

"That's their fault," Garrus replied. "We didn't sterilize them. We reintroduced a controlling factor into their population, a factor they lost when they left Tuchanka. Without that control, the Krogan were breeding out of control. It's what started the Krogan Rebellion in the first place. A cure for the genophage puts us right back to square one on that."

"Does it?" Robert glanced back toward the Normandy for a moment. "Saving his people doesn't need to become an 'us or them' situation."

"If it's not done right, it will," Garrus warned. "And I don't want that. I just can't help but wonder if we'll all be better off if there's no cure data to recover."

"Maybe, maybe not." Robert shook his head. He had no sense of how this would go. Only the feeling he had that the Krogan shouldn't be allowed to die out. But if curing them actually did lead to violence…

A voice from his past spoke in his head. No matter how noble or well-intentioned an action can be... the consequence it yields could be disastrous. About four years had passed since Robert's first meeting with Jean-Luc Picard, since Picard had warned him that "all actions have consequences", and here again that warning echoed inside of him. Could curing the genophage hurt everyone, even the Krogan, in the long run?

It was clear to Garrus he was in deep thought on the issue. "You may be right," he said. "Maybe if someone like Wrex leads the Krogan, they can cure the genophage without being a threat. But I'm not sure we should risk the safety of the entire galaxy on one old Krogan mercenary with ideas." Garrus stepped past him. "Anyway, I'd better go check my gear. We've got one hell of a fight ahead."

Robert turned and followed him, still pondering the question. "Yeah," he agreed. "We do."

When the tram stopped the remaining Marines filed out. "Are we leaving anyone behind to watch the tram, sir?" asked Sergeant Coleman.

"No." Anders shook his head. "Between Asari commandos and these damned bugs, I'm not splitting our teams up any further. We'll retake the tram if we need to."

Talara walked up beside Lucy. "I feel… something," she said. "Emptiness. Blind terror and hunger."

"I feel it too," Lucy said. "It might be those bugs." She glanced toward Talara. "How are you feeling, Talara?"

"I am fine. Uncomfortable, perhaps. But I will make it."

"Good. Stick with me, let's go."

They continued on into the station. Signs led them toward the labs and a lift. "Access denied," the station VI said upon Lucy pressing the plate.

"Can you hack it?"

"Probably." Lucy focused. She felt a pull away from here. "But I think we're supposed to go another way."

"Operational intel or life force stuff?"

"Life force stuff, Major."

Anders nodded. She could sense his instinctive dislike of relying on metaphysics, but their track record was enough to get him to overlook that dislike. At his prompting she moved on to another door. This one opened, revealing a lift. Above the door, a holo-sign depicted a set of bunk beds. "Living quarters," said Anders. "We'll go up first. Coleman, you follow."

"Yes sir."

He joined Lucy, Talara, and Liara on the lift. A couple of the light-armored Marines stepped in last. Lucy held her hand up to the internal panel to her left and the lift activated. They rose to the next level. "Life signs ahead," he noted. "Be ready for an ambush."

With that in mind Lucy stepped up between the Marines and pulled her lightsaber back out. As the door opened she ignited it and walked toward.

There were indeed armed guards on the other end, hiding behind cover. Multiple weapons focused on her. She kept her lightsaber ready but made no hostile move. "We're Human!" she called out. "You're safe!"

A tense moment came while the Marines behind her stepped out. Lucy sensed the uncertainty of the guards. How were they supposed to deal with this? They had unauthorized visitors, but at the same time they were already fighting for their lives and shooting their best chance of escape was clearly inadvisable. She was relieved to sense the white-armored man in the middle ease up. "Hold fire!" he shouted. Looking directly at Lucy he said, "Sorry. It's been nothing but bugs for days. Who are you?"

"Lieutenant Lucy Lucero, United Systems. The Starship Aurora." Lucy stepped to the side and allowed Anders to be the one to approach. "And Major Gabriel Anders, Aurora's Marine Commander."

"Captain Ventralis, Elanus Risk Control Services, Binary Helix detachment," he answered. "Normally I'd not be happy to see people like you down here, but with those damn bugs running around, I've got other things to worry about."

"How long has this been going on?" Anders asked. "You look like you've got a stable position."

"The bugs broke out about a week ago," answered Ventralis. "Before we knew what hit us, they killed a bunch of the scientists and some of my men. We were able to fall back to this area of the living spaces and hold a perimeter. We still have some supplies to last us."

"Anyone to tend to wounded?"

"There's a doctor downstairs for that."

Anders nodded. "Where are these things coming from, anyway?"

"The Hot Labs below us." Ventralis frowned. "Damned eggheads are responsible for this whole mess. Whatever they've got down there got loose. And they keep…"

Lucy felt the sense of danger in time. She turned as the clattering in the floor reached a crescendo and brought her weapon up. A number of the bugs started to emerge. She sensed mindless fear in them, an emptiness that spawned their terror and violence.

"Open fire!" Anders and Ventralis cried in unison. Weapons snapped into place and the bugs came under withering pulse and mass effect fire. One lunged through the killzone at them. Lucy raised a hand and sent the creature flying back toward the others, where the continuing fire ripped into it until it too lay still.

Once the shooting was over, Anders turned back to Ventralis. "I have a couple of squads of Marines on hand. Is there anything we can do to stop these things at the source?"

"Supposedly there's the neutron purge," said Ventralis. "Like a neutron bomb. It'll wipe out every living thing down in the labs. Tartakovsky, one of our project directors, has the codes to initiate it. But I'm not sending my people down there, Major, and you shouldn't either."

"A risk I'm willing to take," Anders said. He glanced toward Lucy, who was examining Ventralis carefully. "We should go down there and see if we can set off the purge."

Ventralis noticed Lucy's interest. It clearly disquieted him. "What is it?" he asked.

Lucy said nothing at first. When she spoke, it was with another question. "Where is Benezia?"

"Further in the lab. She's been in there for a while."

"We need to see her."

"You can wait if you want."

Something about the answer made Lucy feel something was off. A tinge off deception behind straight truth. She glanced toward Anders. Anders responded with a small frown. "Excuse me," he said to Ventralis before following Lucy well out of earshot. "What is it?"

"There's more to this," Lucy said. "I feel like he wants us to go to the Hot Labs. A reason he's not telling us."

"Even so, we can't focus on Benezia if these bugs are always behind us. They're our priority right now. If we wipe them out we get a free hand to face Benezia's forces with our full strength."

Lucy understood his reason. But she sensed something bad about this approach. Something would go wrong.

"Give me a minute," she said.

Anders responded with an impatient look, but said nothing.

Taking that as permission, Lucy walked back up to Ventralis. "Captain, a moment of your time."

"Lieutenant?" He looked at her. Lucy felt a tinge of uncertainty and hid a smile from it. Over the two years since the first contact between M4P2 and the Multiverse, the existence of the Order of Swenya and similar organizations certainly spread enough so corporate security officers might at least be familiar with their reputations and the idea of their existence. She felt skepticism and concern inside of that uncertainty.

"I have a question for you," she said calmly, hiding a grin. "Has Matriarch Benezia given you any orders about anyone following her down here?"

He gave her a blank look. "I operate under standing orders about anyone coming down here."

It was an evasion. Lucy responded by continuing, "So she hasn't, say, encouraged you to send us to the Hot Labs in the hope we get killed?" Sensing Ventralis' likely reaction, and the emotion behind it, she continued, "Or has she given any orders about the other survivors?"

"None ma'am."

It was a lie. Lucy sensed that deception immediately. It confirmed her suspicions. She looked back to Anders and matched eyes with him. Through his faceplate she could see his face was neutral. Irritated a little, but he was hiding it well.

She sensed the intent just in time. She brought her hand up as her finger hit the button on her lightsaber. It flashed alive with a snap-hiss. Her feet were pivoting as she whirled about, her robes whirling with her.

Ventralis screamed in shock as his hands fell away from his wrists, reduced to cauterized stumps. The weapon he was raising to shoot her in the back fell as well.

The armed ERCS guards raised their weapons to defend their commander. Lucy lifted a hand and pulled her arm back toward herself. One guard went flying, yelling in shock as he did, and moments later slammed into his ally. The Turian and Human fell in a pile together.

Ventralis looked up at her. He held up his stump-tipped arms as if he would try to grip her robe if he still had hands. "Witch!" he shouted, although Lucy could sense he'd intended a different first letter.

"Knight," she corrected. "I'm a Life Force Knight. And you're under orders to kill the scientists and get anyone from the Alliance or the Citadel killed if they show up. And don't bother lying because I'll know." She didn't glance back toward Anders. She didn't need to in order to know he was not very happy with her at the moment.

"Shepard," Ventralis finally hissed. "Or anyone from the Aurora. Benezia's orders. Please, it's… we're under contract."

"And that justifies killing innocent people?"

"Innocent? Like hell!" Ventralis spat. "Those damned scientists killed some of my people with their Goddamned bugs!"

"And so you're going to slaughter them." Lucy narrowed her eyes and frowned. "Yeah. An order from you? Don't lie, I can sense it."

Ventralis snarled in frustration and pain. "No. Other way. It's a dead man switch scenario. If I or my second-in-command don't send the order every half hour, the culling begins."

"How long until you send it again?"

"Ten… ten minutes."

"Your second in command?"

"Off-duty. Getting some sleep."

Lucy nodded. Beside her Anders' Marines were securing the other two guards. "Well, you're going to send the order to stand down the kill order permanently."

"You cut off my hands!" Ventralis wailed. "How am I supposed to use the comms?!"

"Oh please." Lucy rolled her eyes. "Your omnitool has voice activation, doesn't it? Maybe even neural activation. Use that to activate your comms."

Ventralis glared hate at her. He looked over to Anders, as if to plead for him to come to his aid. He was a fellow Marine, so to speak, could he take command over his subordinate navy puke with her witch powers and her energy blade and get her to back off?

"Do as the Lieutenant instructs, Captain, and I'll have my corpsman put your hands in bio-stasis fields," Anders said. "A surgeon can reattach them."

Ventralis sighed. "Open command comm," he said aloud. His omnitool activated. "Everyone, this is Captain Ventralis, stand down reserve order, authorization Bravo Zulu Zulu Kilo Echo. We have friendly reinforcements on site. I say again, stand down reserve order and maintain normal patrol."

One by one, there were check-ins from the others, confirming the stand down.

"We've still got to do something about the damn bugs," Ventralis insisted to them once the line closed.

"We are." Anders looked at Coleman. "Coleman, secure these people, and detach a squad to hold this position and keep watch. Where's our corpsman?"

"Here sir," chirped a young Alakin female.

"Get this man's hands into a bio-stasis field right away. Tend to him and his troops."

"Yes sir." The Alakin, her violet plumage and mottled blue skin visible through the faceplate of her helmet, moved forward to follow her orders.

"Now we're down to just one squad to face Benezia and whatever troops she's got with her," Anders pointed out to Lucy. "Not to mention those bugs in the Hot Labs. We have to deal with them first. If they hit with a big push…"

"I don't think so. They're too mindless for a swarm attack like that. Benezia should be our focus."

"She's been here a day, and we have people on the other end of the tram to keep her here, Lieutenant," Anders said. "She's not getting away."

"She's a powerful biotic with a team of them, and I've seen Asari commandos rip through SS Panzergrenadiers like they were nothing," Lucy countered.

"Alliance Marines are better than SS troops."

"Not that much better."

There was silence in the room. Anders and Lucy wouldn't look away from each other. Each was convinced they were right. That the other had the wrong priorities.

"What if Lieutenant Lucero, Ensign Talara, and I went to confront my mother?" Liara asked. "While you deal with the rachni in the Hot Labs?"

"With all due respect, Doctor, that's a foolhardy idea," Anders said. "Splitting our forces up allows for us to get defeated in detail. As it is I've only one squad left for the Hot Labs because Lieutenant Lucero acted to provoke Ventralis."

"If we'd come out of the Hot Labs alive, he'd have started the culling," Lucy replied. "I was saving lives."

"And acting without orders. I'll remind you, Lieutenant, I'm in charge of this mission."

"That's the problem, then? I didn't give it away by consulting you first?" Lucy frowned. "Major, I'm not out to undermine you…"

"Funny thing to say, since you ignore my orders whenever we're on an op." Anders shook his head. "Whatever this life force stuff is, Lieutenant, it doesn't mean you do whatever you want when you want. I need to know what you're doing so I can act myself and keep my Marines alive."

"You must think pretty lowly of me, Major, to think I'll get your people killed," Lucy countered. "Your predecessor gave me more trust."

"Commander Kane's a good Marine, but I'm not him," Anders replied. "You want my trust? You've got to trust me too, including trusting my orders. Now, before we waste more time and let more of those bug things show up… we're off to the Hot Labs. All of us. And that, Lieutenant, is a direct order. Will you or will you not follow it?"

Lucy took in a breath and focused on the Flow of Life. The quiet question What will happen? passed through her and into the Flow. She felt herself briefly wander, searching for the answer to her question. If she defied Anders, would things be better? Worse? Was he right?

Much to her aggravation, this was one of those cases where the future was too nebulous to sense even an inkling of the better path. She had to rely solely on herself for the choice.

"Lieutenant?"

Lucy sighed. "Yes, sir," she said. "I'm ready when you are."

Lucy gave Anders credit. He didn't glory in it and he didn't rub it in. A slight sense of satisfaction was the only feeling he gave on his success in winning the argument by right of rank. "Fall out, Marines," he said, with everyone not remaining behind immediately heading for the lift.

Armed with nothing but their courage, wit, and the telepathic and life force powers of one of their number, the four ladies from the Aurora waited patiently for the glass pane-covered lift to deposit them in the private offices leased to Synthetic Insights. "So, Meridina mind-whammies them, and if it doesn't work…"

"...we start punching and praying," Julia sighed, answering Angel's inquiry.

"You pray, I punch," was her reaction.

"I sense their minds above," Meridina said.

"Anyone have a good lie to make up?" asked Angel.

"We'll have to think of something on the fly." Julia's reply proved immediately true, as the lift came to a stop and the doors opened, admitting them to their destination. They walked ahead until a pair of armed guards moved to intercept them. "Halt," one said. "This office is off-limits by order of Administrator Anoleis."

Meridina stepped forward and waved a hand over them, a focusing gesture to help her goal. Using only her swevyra - not her telepathic powers - she pressed her will against theirs. "You have been relieved from duty. It is time to rest."

The guards looked at each other blanky. "We've been relieved," said the same guard. "Time for a break."

"Yeah."

And with that, the two guards walked past them to the lift.

"Scanners show nobody else here," Richmond said after consulting her omnitool. "We're clear for the moment."

"Let us continue," said Meridina. "We have little time."

One of the things Robert learned early into his "post-Facility" life was that plans never went quite according to plan.

Gunfire echoed from the walkways of the approaches to Saren's base. Ahead of them, and behind, Geth and Krogan were attempting to box Shepard's team in. Garrus was busy covering the rear, rising from cover and firing quick, lethal shots from his sniper rifle. Wrex was on the flank facing a shallow streambed, using his rifle for much the same purpose.

If they weren't so hard pressed Robert imagined Shepard would have already rocketed ahead on a trail of biotic light. Instead she was likewise engaging with an assault rifle, a semi-automatic Valkyrie model made specifically for N7 special forces Marines like Shepard. Unlike the Avenger rifle in Garrus' hands, this one sacrificed automatic rate of fire for accuracy.

Robert had a pulse pistol, as usual, and he was firing shots from it here and there. But right now he was relying on life force attacks. He felt the connection to the wider universe through the Flow of Life and used it to full effect, sending Krogan and Geth alike flying whenever one threatened Shepard with gunfire.

"Commander, we've got aerial drones conducting airstrikes on our positions," Ashley said over their tac-comms. "They look like short-range models, not a lot of fuel. I'm thinking there's a fuel depot near you, if you can take it out…"

"I agree," Shepard said. Slivers of metal pinged off the cover over their heads. She glanced toward Robert. "I know you're trying to be careful, but they won't last long under air strikes."

"Yeah." He knew what Shepard meant. "Cover me."

Shepard nodded and leaned out of cover. Her gun thundered, two rapid pops in a row with each pull of the trigger. He heard a yell of pain from a Krogan. She'd scored a hit.

Now it was his turn.

Robert took in a breath and reached within himself. As he always did in these moments, he thought back to his training in the remote Gersallian monastery of Umintamil. Mastrash Kilaba's face filled his mind, her quiet, bemused look whenever they had training exercises, her words about controlling the power of his being, of what the Gersallians called swevyra.

When he rolled out of cover, Robert let loose with the power in question. There was so much of it now, far beyond what he'd known when training with Meridina. It threatened to come loose from his grip. But he held on tightly and directed it forward, against the enemies ahead. He saw them in the Flow of Life, the artificial life of the Geth and the mindless programmed life of the Krogan, and he felt a revulsion in the Flow, pulsing from that sliver of cold death he'd felt within it after the attack on Adrana. As if the two were linked…

Not that it mattered right now. Right now he had to use this power to fight, and he did. He felt stone rip from the steep rock ridges carved by the ancient waters of Virmire over the eons, stone that at his will went flying into Geth to smash them. Solid force sent Krogan flying in defiance of their protective particle barriers. Without thinking his hand slipped to his belt and retrieved the cylindrical shape of Lucy's handiwork that hung there. His thumb found the activation trigger and an emerald blade surged from the weapon with an electronic snap and lingering hiss. His arm moved of its own volition and the blade struck incoming fire. A plasma burst from a Geth gun instead found a Krogan. The bullets of the Krogan weapons went flying off, chipping away sand and rock instead. And with every move of his left hand, energy surged from within him and another enemy was struck down.

Their fire relented. Now it was Shepard's turn. Her Valkyrie was exchanged for the Crusader shotgun, the same she'd used at Gamma Piratus. Dark blue light covered her and with a surge of dark matter she shot forward. She slammed into a large Geth platform, throwing it off-balance and disrupting its protective particle barrier, and fired her shotgun directly into what passed for its chin. The solid slug of the weapon ripped through metal flesh and wiring, nearly severing the flashlight head of the Geth. It fell over.

Shepard immediately pivoted. Dark matter gathered at her arm in the seconds before she threw the arm out. A shockwave of biotic power rippled along the ground and threw a pair of Geth from their cover. Robert reached up with his hand and pulled down, a gesture that focused his power and the straining control holding it to the task of ripping a large chunk of stone from the pale beige ridge above them. The stone crushed the two Geth platforms, which writhed under it like shattered insects until they grew still.

He felt the next shot coming a moment before it did and his new lightsaber intercepted it. The offending Krogan never had a chance to fire again. Shepard slammed into him with another biotic charge and blew his armored head open with her weapon.

Their attack served to break through the enemy line. With Wrex and Garrus holding the rear, they advanced to a circular platform near the edge of the base, nestled between the ridges. A series of tanks were present and drones were in the air around it, some latching on to refuel. A couple turned toward them. Weapons swiveled to lock on.

Shepard fired first, a miss due to the target drone making a quick evasion.

What it couldn't evade was Robert's abilities. He gripped the drone with invisible force and sent it flying into another drone and the attached tank. The impact severed the fuel line.

At that point Shepard fired again.

Even at the relative distance they were at, the resulting fireball baked their skin. Further explosions went off as the destruction rippled through the fueling area, rending drone and fuel tank alike, bursts of flame and smoke rising into the sky until the last blast faded into the flickering of the remaining flames.

"Aerial drone refueling site down," Shepard said into the tac-comm.

"We can see the flames from here, Commander." This time the reply was from Kirrahe. "Thank you. We're still under heavy fire, but we've diverted many of their troops."

"Thanks. We're on our way to the target."

"Shepard, look at this."

At Garrus' request, she looked to the amber light of his omnitool displaying sensor data. "Life signs. Salarian?"

"Just ahead, in one of the buildings," Garrus said. "Probably some of Kirrahe's."

"If we can get them out, we will." Shepard raised her shotgun to a ready position. "Let's push on." She started moving at a brisk pace back toward Saren's main base. The others, without a word, fell in behind her.