Note: Apologies for the massive delay, Stellaris on console released, already 40 hours gone XD!

Chapter 58: Target Acquired

Pneumonia in the right lung, not the worst diagnosis she could think of but, it wasn't great either. Tali shouldn't be complaining, she put this on herself by keeping the infection quiet for this long. She just hadn't wanted Garrus to feel responsible for her getting hit since he had been dealing with a lot after the Hock estate. Even if he had stayed with her the entire time she could've still gotten hit and infected, he wasn't actually the superhero she pretended he stole from. Regardless, feeling the ship whip back and forth like this while she was in a medical bed made her feel useless. She should be with Jack and Garrus on the Reaper right now, not staring at an IV bag.

Zero rolled over to look at her with a playful expression, "So, how was he?"

Tali blinked staring blankly back at her, "Pardon?"

Zero gave her a glare, "Pffft, oh come on now. You come in here with an infection a night after your truth or dare game with Garrus. Don't tell me you two didn't fuck around."

She should've been offended by Zero's blatant attempt at going into her sexual history. Who Tali was attracted to in that kind of relationship certainly had nothing to do with Zero. However, Tali knew she didn't mean anything truly negative by the question. Since having completed her pilgrimage, friendly gossip hadn't been part of her vocabulary. Zero was a teenager but, a little banter between the two of them wasn't going to hurt anyone. Especially when they were both going to be stuck inside the medbay for the foreseeable future.

Tali tried to keep her tone as bland as possible, "We didn't fuck around."

Zero raised an eyebrow, "Nothing? Not even a blowjob? I mean that's gotta be less risky to your health if you only open your mouth guard thing..."

Tali coughed before letting out a laugh, "Nope. I mean... Kasumi dared us to kiss and that was..nice..but that's not why I'm sick."

Zero grinned, proud she got something out of her, "So you did do something with him! Don't hold back now, I want details."

The memories of the two of them kissing for the first time was probably going to be burned in her mind forever. The way that their lips couldn't really meet because of the way his mouth was structured forcing their tongues to do all the work. You'd think that would make the kiss feel somehow less than with someone with a more normal set of lips but, he took her breath away. His tongue had who knows how much practice kissing a Human at least so he knew what he was doing. The length of it certainly hadn't hurt either, wrapping around her own several times over. She could only imagine how else the length of his tongue could be put to good use.

Tali tried to pretend she hadn't been lost in a daydream by shifting around on the bed, "Well...I don't think that kind of information would be appropriate for someone your a-"

Her bed jumped a few meters off the ground from a sudden bout of turbulence. Oh no, the Normandy must've lost whatever protection it had a second ago. Tali was tempted to rip out the IV in her arm and rush down to the drive core to make sure it was ok. Even if she got a little sicker, the Normandy wouldn't be ripped apart by the brown dwarf's winds. Just as she was about to reach for the line, she stopped bouncing and returned to normal meaning they were safe again. Unfortunately, Tali just had more questions instead of answers. Had everyone made it out safely? Did they get what they needed from the Reaper in the first place? If someone had been hurt, could she have prevented it? Her fears only intensified as Chakwas came in followed by Garrus carrying an unconscious Saren and Jack doing the same for Miranda.

Tali wanted to move to help them sounding alarmed, "What happened?"

Chakwas motioned for her to stay in the bed, "It sounds as though these two just overheated their implants. Nothing you need to worry about other than resting."

The pained, nervous, and guilty glance Garrus was giving her as he gently placed Saren down was exactly why she hadn't said anything to anyone about being sick up until now. He must've assumed the almost perfect moment they shared together was the reason she was in here. Privately, Tali knew that the kiss without antibiotics first didn't do her any favors, it just wasn't the only reason she was attached to an IV right now. She wanted to let him know he wasn't specifically the only reason she was in here right now but, the amount of people in the room didn't accommodate for that kind of personal conversation. Maybe she could sign with him when no one was looking?

For now, Tali did her best to politely ignore him, "Did we get it Jack?"

He smirked looking up at the ceiling, "EDI?"

EDI answered quickly, "I have been able to cross reference Sovereign's IFF data with information I discovered from the Collectors ship. I advise we have a briefing so I can present my findings."

Jack looked towards Garrus as he started to leave, "You coming?"

Garrus shook his head, "I'll get the cliff notes version from you later, I need to make sure Saren's going to be ok."

Jack had a knowing look on his face, "I'll be back down when I can. We have to make a plan."

The room got quiet when Jack left the room, uncomfortably quiet. Tali knew just as well as Garrus must've that a biotic implant overheating wasn't that serious. A few hour nap and some chocolate when you woke up and you would be good as new. Thus, Tali had to assume that Garrus was making sure she would be ok. Was she just being selfish? Maybe he did just really care for his brother but then again, would he be giving her that look if this was only about Saren? She didn't want to be a bosh'tet though and assume everything was about her. Keelah, he was like a Varren pup abandoned on the Citadel with that kind of gaze and she had no idea what to say.

Tali finally had the courage to muster up, "So, what did I miss...?"

Garrus took that as a sign, grabbing a chair next to her bed, "Just some zombies trying to kill us. I mean, it's technically new for us but, not the kind of new I asked the spirits for." He waited a second before asking quietly, "How are you doing?"

Tali gulped trying to come up with the right words, "Stage two pneumonia in the right lung. Got it from not treating a bullet at Hocks estate. Don't worry, I'll be fine after a few weeks of antibiotics."

Garrus was obviously stunned judging by his facial reaction, "Tali, why wouldn't you get something like that treated immediately?"

Her helmet looked away from him not wanting to see him hurt like this, "I didn't want you to blame yourself. It's stupid I know, it just runs in my family."

He carefully took her hand treating it as though she was a priceless gem, "I should blame myself Tali. What I did was petty revenge when I should've been listening to you. It scares me seeing you in here like this."

Tali looked at their hands and then his eyes again, "What happened to Chloe?"

That question had been burning in the back of her mind ever since she learned Garrus had slept with Vetra. She didn't take him for the type of guy to sleep around with other women. Seeing him and Chloe together in the halls of Huerta when Kal was sick made it appear as though the two of them were soulmates. Then again, Garrus could just be a really good actor. The two of them had shared some of the same banter back on the original Normandy. If Tali was going to take this any further, she had to know Garrus wasn't a cheating sleezeball.

Garrus chuckled without hesitation, "We didn't fight or anything, she just couldn't handle all the press that came with dating a terrorist's brother." He grinned, "I didn't know it at the time but, it was a good thing. If I had stayed on the Citadel, I would've never ended up with these scars...or probably ever have seen you again."

That last part made her heart skip a beat, "I'm sorry Garrus. You deserve to... be happy with someone. I can't do that. No matter how much I..wa... I could get sick. Maybe even die if I'm not careful."

Garrus forced her head to look directly at him, his expression was serious. "I'm not going to pretend I haven't had a fetish for Humans for as long as I can remember... but this isn't about that. This is about us. I care about you Tali, I don't give a damn if we can't, you know, every day of the week."

It was as if he took a blow torch to her heart and made it melt, "Th...thank you. I want you to see what's under this damn helmet. I need to feel your skin against mine. To share myself with you before we fly off into the final battle."

Garrus let his forehead rest on her helmet for the first time, "I know, believe me I've been picturing that for awhile now thinking I'd go crazy. Just... I've seen so many things go wrong, Tali. My work at CSEC, what happened with Sidonis, Saren's indoctrination... I want something to go right. Just once. Which means we have to wait till your better. It'd be rude of me to kill you on a second date."

Tali was extremely tempted to kiss him again but, she knew more exposure too fast would just lengthen the time she was in here, "Ok. So...why don't you tell me more about the mission?"

_o0o_

Jack thought it was strange to go into the conference room and see it in a normal state. Every other time he had been in here, The Illusive Man was sitting in the same chair, wearing the same clothes, and smoking from the same pack of cigarettes. Legion, Mordin, and Feron sitting around a central table was a welcome change of pace. At least he knew they were physically in the room with him. Kal came in behind him a few seconds later and Jack realized these were the only members of the crew interested or available in hearing what EDI had to say. If she had a location for the base as well as a way to get through the Omega-4 Relay, they could hit the Collectors soon. He didn't want to rush anyone's recovery but, the sooner they finished the mission the sooner they could rid themselves of Cerberus.

He looked up at the ceiling again out of instinct, "I think that's everyone EDI, show us what you have."

EDI's orb flashed to life in the middle of the room, "I have determined the approximate location of the Collector homeworld based on navigational data from the IFF."

Her image was replaced with that of the entire Milky Way with a red target symbol. Jack didn't know what he had actually been expecting but, the target landed directly in the center of the galaxy. Somehow that target landing there made the fact that this mission could be a one way trip all the more real to him. No wonder no one had met the Collectors before two years ago, they were hiding in plain sight. How they were surviving out there was anyone's guess, he had a feeling it had to do with their Mass Effect core just like Sovereign's debris survived being inside a brown dwarf.

Rael shook Legion's head back and forth, "That can't be right. Why don't you allow me to run the numbers for you EDI?"

Jack jumped in before she got offended, "EDI doesn't make those kind of mistakes. The Collector homeworld has to be located somewhere in the galactic core."

Kal was just as skeptical as Rael, "No Jack, it literally can't be. The core is just black holes and exploding suns. There aren't any habitable planets out there."

Mordin tapped his chin, "Could be an artificial construction. Space station protected by powerful Mass Effect fields and radiation shields."

Rael was still in denial, "Yes I know Sovereign could potentially survive out there. However, I highly doubt that the Collectors have that kind of technology. Would you want your slaves having the ability to come after you?"

Feron let out a sarcastic chuckle, "Well, it's better than keeping them on your homeworld with you when they inevitably rebel. The Quarian's taught us that much."

Legion's glare returned, "The Geth did not rebel, we were provoked by the ancient Creators."

Jack spoke a bit louder to get everyone's attention back, "That's enough, both of you. The Collectors are just servants of our real enemy. And we've all seen what their masters are capable of. They built the Mass Relays and the Citadel. Hell, we were just on Sovereign. Who's to say they can't build another space station surrounded by black holes?"

EDI added, "The only logical conclusion is that a small safe zone exists on the far side of the Relay. A region of space where ships can safely survive. Standard Relay transit protocols would not allow for safe transport. Drift of several thousand kilometers is common, and would be fatal in the galactic core. The Reaper IFF must trigger the Relay to use more advanced, encrypted protocols."

Kal tapped the table asking the question they were all thinking, "So, when can we use it to hit them EDI?"

Her glowing orb returned, "I still would like some time to analyze what effect using the IFF could have on our own drive core. We may need a different vessel to properly survive the FTL jump. If we don't experience any new problems, I would estimate a weeks time."

He would be lying if he didn't say he wasn't disappointed. Jack had been ready to be done with Cerberus, for better or worse. They had caused him so many problems in the past two years that he didn't know what to do with them all. Sure, it was only another week but, The Illusive Man could send him on another errand in that time to milk him for everything he was worth. If they had the option, he would've set course for the Omega-4 Relay now but, EDI was right. This whole mission would be one giant waste if the Normandy's drive core couldn't handle going through the Relay. Jack wasn't sure if Cerberus actually had access to a ship with a stronger drive core, they'd just have to cross that bridge when they got to it.

His voice was trying to bite down on his frustration with the situation, "Alright, just work as fast as you can EDI. We have no idea how much organic material the Collectors need to complete their mission, or when they're going to attack another colony."

EDI's orb twisted to face him, "Acknowledged Shepard. In the meantime, I suggest you leave the conference room, Professor Solus has a scheduled meeting with The Illusive Man."

Jack raised an eyebrow at Mordin, "Everything ok?"

The Salarian waved his hand dismissively, "Personal matter. Will let you know if it becomes less personal."

Jack forced a smile, "Well, I'll be around. It sounds like we have a few days before we go in to the storm."

The four of them left Mordin in the conference room and Jack couldn't help but wonder what was wrong. Mordin didn't seem like the type of guy to get wrapped up in personal problems. Whenever he passed by his lab, the Salarian was always hard at work researching something about the Collectors. If it was important enough to get The Illusive Man involved, he was going to hear about it soon enough. Hopefully, he could spend at least a little time with Kal and Zero before Mordin needed something from him. He felt bad the three of them hadn't spent more time together when she was awake.

Rael stopped the two of them from going down the elevator, "Jack, Kal, if you have a moment I'd like to talk about our brief encounter with Sovereign's intelligence."

Jack sighed knowing they couldn't skip this conversation for later, "You did get awfully excited when Sovereign repeated himself. What do you think was going on with him?"

Just like before, Rael became very animated, "Yes, the fact Sovereign is repeating himself suggests to me he is a VI, not the AI we were fearing."

A virtual intelligence was much less sophisticated than it's artificial counterpart. Most VI's served as bartenders and shuttle drivers on the Citadel. They only had a specific set of responses given their profession programmed by an engineer. Even if they were placed in a totally different situation, they were limited by the set of actions coded into them. It seemed impossible to Jack that something as advanced as Sovereign could just be a few lines of code predetermined by some ancient programmer. On the other hand, Jack didn't have an explanation as to why an artificial intelligence that he talked to before would give out the same vague threats without knowing it. His mind went to the next disturbing question, what kind of being would program the Reapers to wipe out all life from the galaxy every fifty thousand years? Wouldn't they have been a part of that purge?

Kal folded his arms, "What's the significance of that difference? No matter what the Reapers are, we have to kill them before they kill us."

Rael slowed down as if he was talking to five year olds, "An AI has a logic core inside of it that allows independent thought. For example, if I sent a command to an AI telling it to self destruct, it would argue because it has a sense of self preservation. A VI on the other hand will behave as though it is a new recruit in the military. Ask it to jump, it'll ask how high."

Jack frowned keeping his arms over his chest, "So, your saying we just have to tell Sovereign to sell destruct and he'll do it? That seems too easy to me."

Rael didn't miss a beat, "Not in a face to face conversation no. If we could transmit code mimicking the patterns of their original creators, they would self destruct."

Jack wished he would've come up with this hypothesis sooner, "I don't think we're going to have another chance at finding Reaper code anytime soon. Sovereign's shell is dust by now on the brown dwarf."

Legion took over, "While you are technically correct, Nazara has left his code in each of the corrupted Geth units thanks to Saren. I theorise that if I could gain access to one of the consensus hubs in the Perseus Veil, I could duplicate the coding patterns."

Jack was feeling more confident this could work from the way they were talking about it, "Do you know where one of these hubs are?"

Rael laughed and looked at the floor, "If we knew that the Quarians would've attacked them a long time ago. I'm working with Legion's fragmented memory to see if we can piece together a location. I just thought I'd let you know I am working on a long term solution to the Reaper problem."

While his focus had been only on the Collectors since joining Cerberus, it was important to keep in mind that the Reapers were the real threat. Even if they stopped the Collectors from kidnapping Human colonists, the Reapers were still in dark space. It would be nice to have a way to defeat them before they arrived. Once the Collectors were dealt with, the Perseus would be a good place to hide out from Cerberus and the Alliance. No one could possibly find him inside a nebula of that size no matter how hard they tried. Then again, travel too close to the blackholes inside the nebula and time could become extremely distorted. Still, searching for a consensus hub had to be priority one.

He bowed his head hitting the elevator button, "Let me know what you find out."

Jack was about to follow Kal in the elevator when EDI appeared next to it, "Shepard, The Illusive Man needs to speak with you. He has marked it as a priority."

Kal waved him off, "Go see what Mordin needs, it isn't like me and Zero are going anywhere."

Jack smiled kissing him on the side of his helmet, "Maybe we can introduce her to Blasto when I get down there."

He hurried off back towards the conference room wondering what could possibly be a higher priority than the Collectors right now. It wasn't as though some other race that he never heard of was also kidnapping even more Human colonies. The only thing he could think of was the war between the Alliance and Aria but, he couldn't really fix that now. Neither side wanted to hear what he had to say and a single black ops mission wasn't going to end the conflict. Furthermore, Mordin nor The Illusive Man seemed to care about the war. As always, the Salarian was more focused on scientific pursuits and he still wasn't convinced that The Illusive Man preferred peace in the Terminus.

The Illusive Man was fiddling with his lighter, "Shepard, we have a problem, I'll let the Professor explain."

Mordin just quickly jumped in, "For a bit of background, personally led a team. Created new version of Genophage after the Virmire incident. Released it on Tuchanka, other colonies. Restabilized Krogan population. Very difficult, yes. Complex work to stabilize population. Mistake could have wiped out species."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "So, Wrex really did get the cure on Virmire and you took it away from him again?"

His mind was full of conflicting emotions surrounding the Genophage. In principle, it was wrong to cause the deaths of millions of babies who had done nothing wrong out of fear. Some of those babies could've been the next great scientist or artist of their time. Unfortunately, the Krogan population weren't known for their great philosophers. Letting that population reproduce unchecked could cause more harm than good. Especially if the Reapers were coming anytime soon. The Krogan certainly wouldn't want to hear they had to wait for a cure until the Reapers were dead but, that was the safest option for the galaxy as a whole. The Alliance was already fighting Aria, they didn't need to add hormonal Krogan to the list.

Mordin seemed unphased by Jack's tone, "Had to do it for galactic security. I'm sure you understand. Back to the point, Blood Pack mercenaries captured former team member. Maelon. Last seen on Tuchanka. Might torture him. Make an example."

The Illusive Man added, "Or they could be using him to try and undo the STG's changes to the disease. Either way it's a risk we can't afford right now."

Jack watched him as he moved to sit back down in his chair, "I thought you were the one to develop the cure in the first place. Why are you interested in getting rid of it now?"

The Illusive Man had an angry tone, "Don't confuse my motivations with those of my daughter's Shepard. The galaxy isn't stable enough right now to handle a Krogan revolution. I have an agent on their way to your location so you can go to Tuchanka together."

Jack tensed not liking the sound of that, "My crew is perfectly capable of-"

The Illusive Man interrupted him, "Of starting wars when you don't have any supervision. You'll wait for my agent and go find Maelon. Make sure he doesn't cure the Genophage."

Jack was about to retort when the feed abruptly cut off. He was angry, what had gotten under his skin like that? Maybe Cora had sent him a teasing goodbye note? It didn't matter, for once he agreed with what he wanted. They had to stop the Krogan from getting the cure back, at least for the time being. His gut was telling him something wasn't quite right with this mysterious agent but, he had no one to argue with. Now they just had to play the waiting game.