For anyone curious, the song referenced later in this chapter is The Night by Voltaire.

Enjoy! ^_^

Chapter Four – The Collector Ship

"So, how was your mission on Tuchanka?"

Star was sitting on the sick bed in the tech lab, watching Mordin work. She had been frequenting the lab since her 'checkup' and eventually, the salarian got used to her presence. Or got tired of chasing her away. Either or.

"Still hard to believe Maelon betrayed me. Betrayed my work." He answered, not looking up from his console. "Disgusted by his actions." He drew in a breath and smiled. "Proud of his nerve, though. Always thought he lacked backbone. Hope he finds something new. Better goal, better purpose. Fewer torture tests."

"You're awfully calm about this. You'd think it wasn't that big a deal after the way you were carrying on earlier." The merc said flatly.

"Can't change what happened. Life continues. Back to mission, back to work. Become like Maelon otherwise. Salarian emotional processing faster than other species. Has to be. Short-lived culture. Can't spend time reminiscing."

Star hummed in thought. "So you're okay with what went down back there?"

"Yes, correct. Now, at least." He shrugged. "Greatly distressed at time. Stages of grief. Loss, anger, rationalization. Dealt with it. Most issues settled on Tuchanka. Some on shuttle back to Normandy."

"Wish I could do that. Almost sounds like salarians don't feel a thing." She mused, swinging her legs. "Must be nice."

Mordin looked up at her. "Salarians still feel, just resolve it quickly. Explains lack of marriage. Can't sustain courtship emotions. Or perhaps based on reproduction. Unsure."

"What about the work Maelon did? Did he make progress on a cure?" She didn't bother asking about how salarians reproduced. The last time she did Mordin physically threw her out of the lab. Well, he pushed her out, while chattering on about how he hadn't the time to explain the nuances, but she got the idea.

"What about it? Have it over there somewhere." The scientist pointed over his shoulder, not looking away from his console. "Not dealing with it now. Need to focus on Collectors." He paused and looked up. "Not important now, regardless." He added, then resumed his work. "Should get back to work. Wasted enough time already. Lots to do. Talk later?"

Star nodded and slid from the bed. She watched him work for a second, pondering their conversation, before heading back to the elevator. After what seemed like an eternity, the elevator doors opened and the merc stepped out on the crew deck, heading straight for Life Support. She had been to see Thane several times between missions as well, and found she enjoyed talking to him. It was as if every word he said was fascinating, every motion he made intriguing. Star shook her head. 'What is it with you and aliens?' she asked herself as the doors hissed open. The drell was sitting in his usual spot, with a steaming mug in front of him, meditating. Star walked up to him.

"Do you need something?" he greeted her, as he always did.

"Got a few minutes?"

"Certainly." He said, as she sat across from him. His face softened from its usual stoic look, she noticed it did recently the more they talked, and was replaced by a worried expression. "I was hoping to talk to you, actually. But now that you're here, it seems more difficult to talk about."

"Is everything alright? You're not going to keel over and die now, are you?"

"No, nothing like that. But I suppose that's part of it. My mortality has me… dwelling on things." The assassin leaned forward, dropping his voice. Star noticed a familiar look in his features, the one that she noticed the first time she spoke with him, lingering distraught. "I had a family once. I still have a son. His name is Kolyat. I haven't seen him in a very long time."

"How long has it been?"

"Ten years." Star's eyebrows raised.

"Did something happen to them?"

"I abandoned them." He noticed her quirked brow and his gaze fell. "Oh, not all at once. Nothing dramatic. No sneaking out in the middle of the night. No final argument or slammed door. I just… did my job. I hunted and killed across the galaxy. 'Away on business,' my wife would tell people. I was always away on business." He said solemnly, meeting Star's gaze. Her eyes were soft and deep, pools of dark red, the color of blood. He felt comforted by her gaze somehow. Like he could tell her anything. Everything.

"That's not what I'd expected. Was that all you wanted to tell me?"

"That's not everything. I fear there may have been complications." The merc raised an eyebrow. "I used my contacts to trace Kolyat. He has become… disconnected. He does what his body wills."

"Disconnected?" Star's confused look did not falter.

"The body is not the true self. The soul is. Body and soul work as one in a Whole Person. When the soul is weakened by despair or fear, or the body is ill or injured, the individual is disconnected. No longer Whole." She contemplated his words.

"Why is Kolyat disconnected? Is he hurt?"

"Something happened that should not have. He knows where I've been, what I've done. I do not know his reasons, but he has gone to the Citadel. I fear the worst may happen."

"You think he might follow in your footsteps." It wasn't a question. The drell nodded.

"I want to stop him, to keep from this dark road I have travelled. It is not his place. But…" he trailed off, looking away. "…I am not sure how. If I go to the Citadel - if I find him, what will I say? What can I say? A few words will not fix the problems between us." Thane hung his head, closing his eyes. Star reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up, huge dark eyes meeting soft red ones. Their unusual color never failed to intrigue him.

"He's your son, Thane. You have to try. Even if he hates you for leaving, you have to let him know that you still care for him. That you never stopped." She said softly, sweetly, rubbing his shoulder gently. Thane closed his eyes again. "I know how you feel. Trust me. I had someone I tried to protect from the dark path too."

"Family?" The drell asked, looking at her again. Now it was Star's turn to look sad. Her eyes fell.

"My sister."

Thane remained silent.

"During the time we were on Omega, I made sure she stayed out of my work life as much as possible. She didn't have powerful biotics, couldn't fire a gun, I didn't even let her leave the apartment in fear my enemies would find her…" the girl's voice trailed off and her hand slipped of the drell's shoulder to wipe her eyes. "But the Blue Suns, they lured me from my apartment and they… killed her."

Thane cupped her other hand in his. She looked up at him and smiled slightly. "Find your son, Thane." She whispered. The drell nodded, and watched her as she left. He took a deep breath, then called for EDI.

"Yes, Sere Krios?" came the synthetic's voice.

"Please tell Yeoman Chambers I wish to discuss an important matter with the Commander."

"Of course. Logging you out."

"The Illusive Man wishes to speak with you in the debriefing room, Commander." Kelly said as Shepard walked out of the elevator. She turned and headed there, wondering what the Cerberus boss could want now. After what went down at Horizon, she was getting less interested in what he had to say. The commander entered the room and walked up to the message terminal.

"Patching the Illusive Man through, Commander." Joker said over the intercom. Shepard stepped into the projection field as it scanned her. She saw the Illusive Man, lighting a cigarette in his usual place, standing in front of that giant star in the background of his space station. He drew on the cigarette, and acknowledged her.

"Shepard – we caught a break. I intercepted a distress call from a turian patrol. They stumbled on to a Collector ship beyond the Korlus system. The turians were wiped out, but not before they crippled the Collector vessel." He said, going back to his chair. "I need you to board that ship and get some hard data on the Collectors. Find us a way to get to their homeworld."

"Hard to imagine how a turian patrol could take out a Collector ship." The commander folded her arms and shifted her weight to one leg.

"Reports indicate the hull's intact, but all systems seem to be offline. They could be making repairs as we speak. I'm not saying it won't be dangerous, but we can't let an opportunity like this slip by."

"If they had a patrol out there, why aren't the turians sending a recon team in?" Shepard's skepticism grew by the second.

"They will, eventually. But I intercepted the transmissions. In the meantime, we're feeding them false reports. You're close enough that you can be in and out before the turians learn the truth."

"Are you sure this information's good?"

"Information is my weapon, Shepard. It's good." The Illusive Man replied sternly.

"Then send me the coordinates, and I'll take care of it."

"Already sent. Once you're aboard the ship, establish an uplink with EDI. She'll mine their data for information regarding the Omega 4 relay. Good luck, Shepard." He said, taking a draw on his cigarette and closing the comm link. The walls of the briefing room returned to view and Shepard heard Joker over the intercom.

"Coordinates punched in. Let's go find us a Collector ship."

Commander Shepard walked up to the bridge in full armor as the Normandy approached the Collector vessel.

"We have a visual on the Collector ship, Commander." Joker said.

"Very low emissions. Passive infrared temperatures suggest most systems are offline. Thrusters are cold." EDI stated over the intercom.

"That thing is massive." Joker marveled at the ship. "How the hell did the turians take it out?" The Normandy drew closer, flying above the ship.

"Ladar scans do not detect any hull breaches on the side facing us. I detect no mass effect field distortions. It appears the drive core is offline." EDI said.

"Rendezvous in 30 seconds, Commander. Good luck." The helmsman said as the commander headed to the shuttle bay. The Normandy pulled up beside the massive ship, search lights on the side. The shuttle bay doors opened and the Kodiak flew out, zooming to the entrance the Normandy's light was on. It parked beside the ship and Shepard's squad stepped out, all wearing breather masks.

"I love what they've done with the place." Garrus quipped as he looked around.

"Looks like an insect hive." Thane added.

"Penetrating scans have detected an access node to uplink with Collector data banks." EDI came in over their comms. "Marking location to your hard-suit computer." She said to Shepard. The squad moved out through the tunnels leading into the ship, and EDI spoke again, "Shepard. I have compared the ship's EM signature to known Collector profiles. It is the vessel you encountered on Horizon."

"Maybe the defense towers softened it for the turians." The commander responded.

"The missing colonists might be aboard. If they're still alive." Garrus added. They advanced ahead and came across some empty pods they'd seen before.

"The Collectors used these on Horizon." Thane mentioned.

"Horrible. Trapped in these pods. Completely at the mercy of the Collectors." Garrus responded. They moved on, and came across a pile of dead bodies.

"This looks bad." Said the turian as they approached to take a closer look.

"What – why are these here?" The drell asked.

"Must have been used for testing. I'd say these subjects didn't pass."

"They're dead. Nothing we can do. Keep moving." Shepard said, turning away from the pile of corpses. Garrus nodded. The ship gave Shepard an eerie feeling, as if something was watching her. She felt unnerved. They approached a control terminal and Shepard scanned it with her Omni-tool. She noticed the pod beside it, with something inside.

"That's a Collector." Garrus pointed out. "Were they experimenting on one of their own?"

"EDI, I'm uploading the data from this terminal. See if you can figure out what they were up to." Shepard said into her comm.

"Data received. Analyzing. The Collectors were running baseline genetic comparisons between their species and humanity." The AI replied as Shepard walked over to the pod.

"Are they looking for similarities?"

"I have no hypothesis on their motivations. All I have are the preliminary results. They reveal something remarkable. A quad-strand genetic structure, identical to traces collected from ancient ruins. Only one race is known to have this structure: the Protheans."

"My God. The Protheans didn't vanish. They're just working for the Reapers now." Shepard stepped back in shock.

"These are no longer Protheans, Shepard. Their genes show distinct signs of extensive genetic rewrite. The Reapers have repurposed them to suit their needs."

"You'd think somebody would have picked up on this."

"No one has had an opportunity to study a Collector genetic code in this detail. I've already matched two thousand alleles to recorded fragments. This Collector likely descends from a Prothean colony in the Styx Theta cluster. But there are signs of extreme alteration. Three fewer chromosomes. Reduced heterochromatin structure. Elimination of superfluous 'junk' sequences."

"The Reapers didn't wipe out the Protheans. They turned them into monsters and enslaved them." She said to her squad. "Still, they're working for the Reapers now. And we have to stop them."

"No species should have to suffer through that." Garrus shook his head.

"Let's find what we need before the Collectors come to salvage this vessel. Move out."

They moved ahead, picking up valuable materials, and found an area with pods along the ceiling.

"Look – on the ceiling. More of those strange pods." The turian called.

"There must be hundreds." Thane added. "How many are full?"

"Too many." Said the commander.

"I detect no signs of life in the pods, Shepard." EDI stated. "It is probable the victims died when the ship lost primary power." They moved ahead, upstairs and deeper into the ship, salvaging Collector tech as they went ahead. They could hear the occasional whirring somewhere in the recesses of the ship.

"Commander. You gotta hear this." Joker's voice popped up over the comms. "On a hunch, I asked EDI to run an analysis on this ship."

"I compared the EM profile against data recorded by the original Normandy two years ago. They are an exact match." The AI said.

"The same ship dogging me for two years? Way beyond coincidence."

"Something doesn't add up, Commander. Watch your back." Joker added before logging out. They kept moving up until they entered an opening and couldn't believe their eyes.

"This is unbelievable." Garrus said, awed at the sheer number of pods lining the walls of the ship.

"They could take every human in the Terminus Systems and not have enough to fill these pods. Thane said, equally awed.

"They're going to target Earth." The turian looked to Shepard.

"Not if we stop them."

They kept walking, Shepard glancing around at the pods. They lined the walls like the pattern of a beehive, held tightly together. She noticed a platform at the end of the hallway.

"There – on the platform. Looks like some kind of control panel." Garrus pointed with his rifle.

"Has anyone else wondered why we haven't seen any Collectors? Living or dead?" Thane vocalized the feeling of uneasiness Shepard had been feeling since they boarded. The ship was deserted, like a ghost town. Not one body, save for the one in the pod earlier. Shepard walked up to the command console.

"EDI, I'm setting up a bridge between you and the Collector ship. See if you can get anything useful from the data banks." She scanned the console and established the link.

"Data-mine in progress, Shepard." Back on the Normandy, Joker watched as EDI worked. Suddenly, the screens started to go out one at a time, and beside him, a red holo of the Collector General appeared where EDI's holo usually displayed.

"Uh, that can't be good."

A small shockwave pulsed through the platform Shepard was standing on and her squad watched as the catches on the platform started to release.

"What the hell just happened?" She yelled.

"Major power surge. Everything went dark, but we're back up now." The pilot said over the comm.

"I managed to divert the majority of the overload to non-critical systems." EDI added. Something stirred behind them, catching Garrus' attention. "Shepard, it was not a malfunction. This was a trap."

Another shockwave hit the platform and it began to rise and move away. The squad struggled to keep their balance.

"We need a little help here, EDI…"

"I am having trouble maintaining connection. There is someone else in the system." Came the response. The platform stopped suddenly, toppling Shepard and Garrus and knocking Thane over. Garrus helped the assassin back up as Shepard watched from the distance as another platform started moving towards them. This one, however, had company. The team drew their guns.

"Connection reestablished." EDI said. "I need to finish the download before I can override any systems."

"Then you'd better get it done fast, EDI." The commander said, taking a shot at one of the Collectors. As soon as the platform landed, the gunfire started, as another platform followed. The squad got into cover and returned fire, as EDI updated her progress.

"Forty-one percent complete."

"Come on, EDI. Speed it up." Shepard said, blasting a Collector full of bullets.

"Another platform coming in!" Thane yelled over the gunfire. One of the drones became possessed by Harbinger, and Thane hit it with a Warp field to drop its barriers. Shepard focused fire on Harbinger, her Inferno ammo burning through his armor. She then turned to the Scion who was launching cryo blasts at them. The other platform landed and the Collectors traded bullets with them before Shepard could finish off the Scion. She and Garrus launched Heavy Concussive shots at them, knocking them over. Another platform moved in and EDI chimed in again.

"Eighty-four percent."

"EDI! Get us out of here!"

"I am simultaneously fighting Collector firewalls in over 8,000 nodes. I am tasked to capacity."

"Here they come again!" Garrus yelled as Thane threw a Warp field at the new Scion that showed up. More Collectors, one with a heavy weapon and one possessed by Harbinger. Shepard took one out with a clean headshot from her Widow, then focused on the Scion, dealing with it quickly, then firing at Harbinger who was attempting to overwhelm Thane. They finished off the last Collector, and seeing no more platforms approaching, got out of cover.

"Shepard, you must manually reestablish my link to the command console." EDI said. The commander walked up to the console and bridged it to the Normandy, and EDI's blue holo popped up before her. "I have regained control of the platform, Shepard."

"I thought we were gonna have to take on every damn Collector here!"

"Perhaps you should consider upgrading my hardware." EDI's synthetic voice had a note of sarcasm. Her holo disappeared and reappeared in the Normandy.

"Did you get what we needed?" Shepard asked as the platform moved off.

"I found data that could help us successfully navigate the Omega 4 relay. I have also found the turian distress call that served as the lure for this trap. The Collectors were the source. It is unusual." She said, popping back up in front of Shepard.

"What are you getting at?"

"Turian emergency channels have secondary encryption. It is present, but corrupted in the message." EDI displayed the scans. "It is not possible that the Illusive Man would believe the distress call was genuine."

"Why are you so sure?"

"I found the anomaly with Cerberus detection protocols. He wrote them."

"He knew it was a trap? Why would he send us into a trap?" Joker turned to EDI's projection beside him.

"That son of a bitch sent us right into Collector hands." Shepard said, royally pissed.

"And here I thought I'd had my betrayal and attempted murder for this year." Garrus commented flatly.

"Uh, Commander? We've got another problem. The Collector ship is powering up." Joker said. "You need to get out before their weapons come online. I'm not losing another Normandy!"

"I do not have full control of their systems. I will do what I can. Sending coordinates for shuttle extraction." EDI added.

"Come on. Let's move!" the marine ordered. The team hurried off the platform and down the hallway.

"Around the corner. Take the door on your right." EDI said. They bolted through the door and down the corridor, Collectors flew down. The squad slid into cover and fired at the enemies, Shepard blasting them with her Widow before Harbinger showed up again. Thane hit him with a Warp field before he could start shooting. They finished him off and moved ahead into more Collectors, and Harbinger made another appearance. That was getting annoying. After they gunned them down, Shepard picked up some power cells and dropped thermal clips and advanced.

"I am opening a door on the far side of the room." EDI said as they walked into more enemies. A giant Praetorian hit Shepard before she could get into cover, ripping through her shields. Garrus and Thane shot the husks that ran into the room as Shepard got out her M-920 Cain and retreated to higher ground, then fired the nuke launcher. Although the Cain's blast caused the giant beast massive damage, it didn't help that the damn thing kept regenerating its barriers. Many bullets, concussive shots and Warp fields later, the huge monster finally fell and the squad moved to the door, which closed before they reached it.

"EDI? We've got a problem here."

"A temporary setback on Firewall 3217. Rerouting commands through Firewall 7164."

Why did EDI think Shepard cared about firewalls right now?

"I have successfully opened a door on the opposite wall. I will keep it open as long as I can." The squad stormed through the door and down the corridor.

"Down there." Garrus pointed. "That's where we came in."

"We must be getting close to the end." Thane said. They ran into more Collectors waiting for them, along with Harbinger. Some of the drones had heavy weapons, and a Scion came from around the corner. The team blasted their way through the Scion and bolted down the corridor.

"Uh, Commander? Hate to rush you, but those weapons are about to come online." Joker said. "Might wanna double-time it. You know, so we can leave before they blow the Normandy in half." The Commander sprinted across the hall, and found a group of husks headed towards her from around the corner. They made quick work of them before they could get flanked, Shepard finding use for her shotgun in the process, and made a break for it when they saw the shuttle ahead.

"We're out of time, Commander! We have to go!" Joker called.

"You heard the man – everybody onto the Normandy! Move!" Shepard ordered, blasting the incoming husks. They dashed into the shuttle and it shot into the Normandy as the Collector ship began to power up.

"Strap in, people – gonna make them work for it this time." Joker yelled as he pulled the Normandy away from the ship. Shepard ran up to the bridge as fast as she could and the Collector ship's main cannon began to power up. The laser fired at the frigate, and the Normandy shook from the sharp motions of its pilot's evasive maneuvers, Shepard holding onto Joker's seat to keep from falling over.

"I can't dodge this guy forever, EDI. Get us the hell out of here!"

"Specify a destination, Mr. Moreau."

"Anywhere that's not here!" Joker yelled, swinging the ship by another near miss.

"Very well. Engaging mass effect core." The Normandy hit FTL before the Collector ship could fire again, successfully evading them.

A while later, after everything was settled, Joker called the commander.

"Call coming in from the Illusive Man, Commander. Figure you've got a few words for him, too." Shepard walked into the briefing room and into the message terminal scanner.

"Shepard. Looks like EDI extracted some interesting data before the Collector ship came back online." The Illusive Man drew on his ever-present cigarette as Shepard's holograph formed before him.

"EDI told us the distress call originated from the Collectors. You betrayed us. Just like I knew you would." She used her 'pissed-off' voice again.

"We're at war. The Collectors are taking humans, and every minute we waste is one more we give the enemy to prepare."

"I know the stakes. But we're supposed to be on the same side, and I can't trust you."

"Without that information, we don't reach the Collector homeworld. And you and every other human may as well be dead." He said, standing. "It was a trap… but I was confident in your abilities. And don't forget EDI. The Collectors couldn't have anticipated her."

"You could have told me the plan. You say I'm important, but you sure try hard to get me killed."

"I needed the Collectors to believe they had the upper hand. Telling you could have tipped them off in any number of ways. Besides, I wouldn't have sent you in if I didn't think you could succeed."

"You have one job – information. If I can't trust your intel, you're useless to me."

"It's never that simple. You of all people should know that."

"I know that I'll be a lot more careful. With the Collectors, and with you."

"This is no time for petty grudges." The Cerberus leader sat back down. "Things are about to get a lot tougher. EDI confirmed our suspicions." He took another drag on the cigarette. "The Reapers and Collector ships use an advanced Identify Friend/Foe system that the relays recognize. All we need to do is get our hands on one of those IFFs."

"I was just on the Collector ship! Why didn't you say anything about finding their IFF?"

"As I said, EDI just confirmed it. Besides, you wouldn't have had time to find and extract it. But we have options. An Alliance science team recently determined that the 'Great Rift' on the planet Klendagon is actually an impact crater from a mass accelerator weapon." He swallowed the contents of his glass. "A very old mass accelerator. I sent a team to find either the weapon or its target. They found both. The weapon was defunct, but it helped us plot the flight path of the intended target – a 37 million year old derelict Reaper. We found it damaged and trapped in the gravity of a brown dwarf."

"I only believe you because I doubt you'd repeat yourself so soon."

"It's no less a risk, Shepard. We lost contact with Dr. Chandana's team shortly after they boarded. Initial reconnaissance revealed no clues, and it was too risky to commit more resources–"He drew on the cigarette. "-but now we need that IFF. I'll forward the coordinates to Joker. In the meantime… I suggest you tell your crew I didn't risk their lives unnecessarily. It will make things easier going forward."

"EDI – tell the crew to assemble." Shepard said, looking behind her. "We've got a lot to talk about."

"Of course, Shepard." Came the reply.

"So the Illusive Man didn't sell us out. Could've fooled me." Jacob said, leaning on the briefing room table.

"Lied to us. Used us. Needed access to Collector data banks. Necessary risk." Mordin added, pacing back and forth.

"He tries something like that again and the Collectors will be the least of his problems." Shepard said darkly. "EDI, are you sure this IFF is going to work?"

"My analysis is accurate, Shepard." The blue holo-orb said. "I have also determined the approximate location of the Collector homeworld based on navigational data from their vessel." EDI brought up the scans, pinpointing the location in the galactic core. Everyone stepped closer to see properly.

"That can't be right." Miranda spoke up.

"EDI doesn't make mistakes. The Collector homeworld is located somewhere in the galactic core." Shepard reaffirmed.

"Can't be" Jacob objected. "The core is just black holes and exploding suns. There are no habitable planets there."

"Could be an artificial construct." Mordin suggested. "Space station protected by powerful mass effect fields and radiation shields."

"Even the Collectors don't have that kind of technology." Miranda said, arms folded.

"The Collectors are just servants of our real enemies." The commander spoke. "And we've all seen what their masters are capable of. They built the mass relays and the Citadel. Who's to say they can't build a space station surrounded by black holes? No wonder nobody's ever returned from a trip through the Omega 4 mass relay."

"The logical conclusion is that a small safe zone exists on the far side of the relay. A region where ships can survive." EDI piped up. "Standard relay transit protocols would not allow 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."

"Just because we can follow the Collectors through the relay doesn't mean we can take them out. I don't want to go after them until I know we're ready."

"Sooner or later we need that IFF. I say, why wait?" Jacob said.

"It's a derelict Reaper. What if the Collectors are waiting for us? We may want to build up our team before we take that kind of risk." Miranda said.

"The more people we have on our side, the better our chances of success. We need to keep building the team."

"It's your call, Commander. Whatever you decide, we're with you." Jacob said before saluting and leaving the room, followed by Miranda and Mordin.

Star wandered into the tech lab, where Mordin was apparently very busy, if his fingers typing in a flurry on his console was anything to go by. She assumed her seat on the sick bed and leaned forward, swinging her legs.

"What're you working on, Mordin?"

The scientist salarian looked up. "Made breakthrough. Can share results while next samples grow. Hate waiting for culture analysis. Never fast enough. Usually know result in advance. Just checking work. Have to be careful." He said, holding up his hands. "Getting off track. Discovery. Based on Prothean-Collector connection, can examine technology, chart Reaper species modification. Fall of Protheans."

Star cocked her head, intrigued. "I'm listening."

"Early stages similar to indoctrination. Can guess captured Protheans lost intelligence over several cloned generations. Cybernetic augmentation widespread afterward. As Protheans failed, Reapers added tech to compensate." The salarian stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Mental capacity almost gone, replaced by overworked sensory input, transfers. Transmitting data to masters." He drew a deep breath.

"Could they be re-converted somehow? Turned back to Protheans?"

"No! No glands, replaced by tech. No digestive system, replaced by tech. No soul. Replaced by tech. Whatever they were, gone forever. Understand now? No art, no culture. Closer to husks than slaves. Tools for Reapers. Protheans dead. Collectors just final insult. Must be destroyed."

"Never thought we needed any more motivation to blow up the Collectors."

"Enjoyed challenge. Saw necessity of attack on Collectors after plague on Omega. Their work, my people. Hard to care about two armies. One wins, one loses. Always work to do after. Now have more context. See what Collectors are. Committed fully to mission now. Won't let Shepard down."

Star hummed in thought. Talking to Mordin always made her think. She loved science, and now that she had the chance to make a scientist friend, she was gonna milk it for all it was worth. "Why do the Collectors' modifications bother you so much?"

"Disrupts socio-technological balance! All scientific advancement due to intelligence overcoming, compensating for limitations. Can't carry a load, so invent wheel. Can't catch food, so invent spear. Limitations! No limitations, no advancement. No advancement, culture stagnates!"

"Necessity is the mother of invention."

"Exactly! Works other way, too. Advancements before culture is ready disastrous. Saw it with krogan. Uplifted by salarians. Disastrous. Our fault." Star remembered reading the article in the galactic codex about the history of the krogan. One particular part mentioned that after the krogan developed gunpowder weapons, the number one cause of krogan death moved from 'eaten by predators' to 'death by gunshot'.

"You blame the salarians for the Krogan Rebellions?"

"Yes. Like giving nuclear weapons to cave men. Krogan unprepared for spaceflight, technological advance. Krogan could have evolved alone. Worked out aggression. Been ready to use new tech responsibly. Instead, salarians came. Disrupted krogan culture. Used krogan as blunt instrument against rachni. Shortsighted. Foolish."

"Then why'd you modify the genophage?"

"Best option. That or kill them all. If around during first contact, would've argued against it. Wasn't there then. Do what I can now."

Star nodded. "You said the Collectors had no culture or art. Didn't think you'd care about that."

"Personal interest negligible." Mordin shrugged. "Sang a little. Multispecies productions for cultural exploration. Gilbert and Sullivan. Always had me do the patter songs."

Star's eyebrows raised.

"But not about me. Cultural artistic expression reflects philosophical evolution, interest in growth, perspective, observation, interpretation. Suspect we won't see any art in Collector base. Culturally dead. Tools for Reapers. Worse than the geth."

Star's surprised expression was still stuck on her face, causing Mordin to give her a questioning look. "I'm sorry, I know that was important but… you sang? You can sing?"

The salarian smiled, nodded and, seeing Star's disbelief, began to sing.

"I am the very model of a scientist salarian
I've studied species turian, asari and batarian.
I'm quite good at genetics (as a subset of biology)
because I am an expert (which I know is a tautology.)
My xenoscience studies range from urban to agrarian
I am the very model of a scientist salarian."

Mordin walked back to his desk, noticing Star staring at him. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

To his surprise (and subsequent relief), the girl slid from her perch and gave him a standing ovation. He beamed.

"You and I have more in common than I thought." She said, smiling.

"You enjoy singing as well?"

"Picked it up while I was on Omega. I sang when I had nothing better to do. The music soothed my soul." Star closed her eyes, reminiscing. Mordin nodded.

"Music is nourishment for the soul. Need some form of art in life." The doctor paused, then added, with nervousness in his voice, "Mind sharing a song you like?"

Star hesitated, thinking of a song to share with her alien friend. She smiled, and began to sing.

"It just seems very strange to me
Night, her quiet, lonely streets.
And draped in all her mystery
could be so sweet and comforting."

Mordin closed his eyes as he listened to Star sing the verse. When he looked at her again, her gaze had wandered off in thought. "You were… alone on Omega?" he asked.

"For a while, yes." Her gaze shifted back to him.

"Can hear grief behind your words. Lost direction. Lost purpose. Considered ending your life. Can hear it all." Mordin gave her a solemn look.

Could he really tell all that from one verse? 'I should've picked a happy song.'

"I should leave you to your work now."

"Will be here if you need me." The salarian returned to his console. The girl started for the door.

"And Star?"

She turned to him. "Yes?"

"Reconsider. Would hate to see such potential wasted."

She smiled and nodded, then left.

"How may I help you, Commander?"

"Is there anything I should know?"

"You have unread messages at your private terminal. Garrus received some news that put fire in his eyes. Maybe you should speak with him down in the main battery. Thane would like to speak with you in Life Support on the crew deck. Star would like to see you down in engineering. Tali seems very distraught after receiving a message. Maybe you could check on her down in engineering. Samara would like to see you in Observation on the crew deck. Anything else, Commander?"

"That'll be all."

"I'll be here if you need anything."

Shepard walked into the elevator and pushed the button for Engineering. When the doors reopened, she headed down to the lower section, and found Star lying on her cot, staring at her Omni-tool.

"Shepard." She said as the marine approached her. "I need to talk to you. It's important."

"So I've been told. What is it?"

Star got up and walked towards the staircase, motioning the commander to follow her. She perched on the top of the stairs. "Remember our conversation when I first came aboard? You asked what the Blue Suns took from me."

"I remember. You called it 'purpose'."

"Yeah, well, that 'purpose' was the only family I had left. My twin sister." Star leaned forward, cupping her hands. "We grew up on a colony, after it got attacked we never left each other's sides. We only had each other. When we moved to Omega, I tried to keep her hidden. It worked, for a while. Until the Blue Suns found out where I lived. Lured me away, then went there to set up an ambush. Found my sister instead. You can guess what happened next."

"How did the Blue Suns manage to find your apartment?"

"They hired looters to keep a lookout. It was just before the plague started to set in. They thought I might try to take over one of their districts."

"They lured you away?"

"The lieutenant that hired me for a job that day, Kardesh, was the one who tried to enlist me before. It was a simple find-and-retrieve mission, but he was willing to fork over a lot of credits. I needed the money, so I took the job. Came back home to a dead body."

"Is that all you wanted to say?" Shepard folded her arms. Star shook her head.

"After a while, I tracked them down. All of them, from the looters who ratted me out, to the grunts who pulled the trigger, to the lieutenant who set me up. Killed them all. Kardesh was begging for his life, said he would tell me who really ordered the attack. Blew his brains out after he coughed up the name. After that, I did some research and found out the bastard had fled Omega. So I turned to Aria for help. She said she'd track him down if I worked for her in return. Then you found me."

"Who was it?"

"One of their highest ranking officials, Ganorn. He was running the operations for the Blue Suns on Omega before Tarak took over, when they were trying to get Archangel. They weren't too happy when he suddenly quit."

Shepard shifted her weight. "So where is he?"

"Aria just sent me the info. He apparently fled to Illium, and got involved with Eclipse. He's been keeping a low profile, but now he's back in the merc business." Star rose and walked to Shepard, dropping her voice. "Shepard, this is the man who took everything from me. He's the last loose end. I'm asking for a ride to Illium, that's all. You don't even have to help, I'll handle it myself." She pleaded.

"We're a team, and that means we're in this together. I'll tell Joker to plot a course for Illium."

"Thank you, Shepard. I owe you big time for this." The merc smiled and went back to her cot. Shepard went upstairs to go see Tali.

Shepard, Star and Miranda stepped into the Nos Astra docking bay on Illium. As they moved away from the transport terminal, EDI's voice came in through the comms.

"I have accessed many records of the Blue Suns commander in Eclipse data files, however I am unable to pinpoint his location. Liara T'Soni may be able to provide assistance."

"Thanks, EDI." Star responded as they headed into the trading floor and upstairs to administration, where Liara's office was.

"Shepard! It's good to see you again." The asari greeted. Shepard sat down. "Did you need help finding anything?"

"I'm looking for someone called Ganorn. I hear he's working for Eclipse."

"Ah, the ex- Blue Suns commander. Last I heard he'd begun to cut ties with Eclipse, planning to leave."

"He likes running from his problems." Star muttered.

"Unfortunately for him, one of the Eclipse captains has him flagged. He can't leave without them knowing, no matter how hard he tries. So now he's hiding out in an old pre-fab factory warehouse in the lower levels." Liara said. Shepard nodded.

"Thanks Liara. I'll talk to you later." The commander said as she got up.

"You can take a sky-car down to the warehouse." Liara called after her as they left. They headed to the shipping floor and hailed a cab to the lower sections of Nos Astra, the warehouse district. As they drove past the warehouses, Star pointed out the factory.

"Look, there it is." Shepard looked out the window.

"There are Eclipse mercs down there. I thought he cut ties to them."

"Maybe he's paying them to protect him. People will do anything for enough credits." Miranda suggested. Star shrugged.

"I don't give a damn what they're here for. I'm here for Ganorn, and if they stand in my way, I'll kill them too." The cab landed near the warehouse. Shepard paid the fare and the squad filed out and walked up to the warehouse. Two Eclipse troopers came up to them.

"What business do you have here?" one of then demanded.

"We're here to see Ganorn. We have business with him." Shepard responded.

"You're with Aeris!" the other merc yelled, pulling his gun. Shepard and her squad pulled theirs.

"Don't try anything cute if you wanna keep your heads intact. We only want the old man." Star growled. The mercs backed away at her threat and Shepard's intimidating stare. They ran inside the warehouse.

"They've alerted the others. Be ready for a fight." Miranda said as they walked into the warehouse. Gunshots immediately rang out and the squad ducked behind some crates, returning fire. One of the Eclipse engineers deployed a combat drone that headed straight for Star, and she kept it at bay with her foot until she could put a bullet through the merc that sent it out. After those troopers were dead, the squad advanced, traversing the maze of crates everywhere. Some of them had explosive materials, which Shepard found out after she shot one that two mercs were hiding behind, blowing them to eternity. They kept moving, shooting the incoming mercs, ducking biotic blasts and tech attacks from the asari vanguards and salarian engineers. Eventually, they came to a small supply room, and Shepard took the moment to talk to Star.

"Did you know Ganorn?"

"I saw him a few times. Blew up a shuttle carrying some equipment for him once." She replied, reloading her shotgun. "Since he was the territory leader, I caused him the most trouble. Probably why he wanted me dead. But I'm not in the mood to play nice with him now. I'm not leaving Nos Astra until I mount his head on a wall."

"You seem to be taking this more personally than I thought." The commander folded her arms.

Star leaned against a table. "The man stole the last of my family from me, Shepard. How much more personal do you think it'll get? S-Star was all I had left, and I swore to protect her. I failed, and now I'm paying the price. But the bastard who killed her has to pay, too."

"Her name was 'Star' too?" Shepard raised an eyebrow.

"'Star' was a nickname we shared. So we used our first initials to differentiate. I was R-Star, she was S-Star." She paused, then added solemnly, "Now there's only one."

"When you find him and kill him, what will you do?"

"I'll finish your mission, for starters. I'm not entirely sure what I'll do after that, provided I survive. I'll worry about it when it happens."

"Do you really think killing Ganorn will make things right?"

"I have to do this, Shepard. I refuse to let him live with the satisfaction that he got to me. I need to make sure he doesn't live long enough to regret it. Please don't try to change my mind." Star said, resolute, and the commander shook her head and signaled them to move out.

They exited the room through the other side, and were met with another group of Eclipse mercs. Miranda and Star paired up their biotics, using Warp and Throw combined, and Shepard threw in a healthy dose of concussive shots. Those mercs didn't stand a chance. Suddenly, an YMIR mech dropped down from the office at the top of the warehouse, blocking the elevator, the only way up there. Star guessed that was where her mark was hiding. Miranda overloaded the mech's shields as Star warped its armor, Shepard pummeling it with bullets. The mech responded with its own guns, blasting a rocket at the closet person every once in a while. But even it was no match for Shepard's squad, and they finally blew the mech into a searing heap of scrap metal. Shepard called for the elevator and they rode up to the office.

Ganorn was in a panic. Those intruders cleared his mercs like they were cockroaches, and he was sure they were from Aeris now. He heard a gunshot ring out just outside the door, then said door slid open and Shepard and her crew stepped into the office.

"What do you want with me?" Ganorn demanded, trying to sound tough.

"My associate here would like a few words." Shepard said, gesturing to Star. "I believe you've been previously acquainted."

The older man squinted. "What are you talking about, I've never seen that kid in my life!"

Star scoffed. "Oh come, come now, Garn, don't go senile on me just yet." She hissed, stepping up to him and making the man back up against the wall.

Only one person had ever called him 'Garn'. "Wait, Star? The freelancing pain-in-my-ass from Omega? I thought Kardesh killed you!"

"Oh, he did. Killed me dead." Star said, pulling her sidearm. "So I returned the favor. Now it's your turn." Ganorn held up his arms quickly.

"Wait, kid! Don't kill me! I'll pay you, if that's what you want." He was near groveling at this point. It disgusted Star, and her body flared with blue aura. "You'll have more credits than you can imagine! Please, just let me go!"

"Keep your damn credits. The only price I came to collect was your head." She said, using her biotics to throw him against a wall, then grabbed him by the collar and held her gun to his face.

"Star, you don't have to do this." Shepard put a hand on Star's shoulder.

"Too late for that, Shepard. I've already made up my mind." She replied dryly.

Shepard went to continue, but the man interrupted. "Look, I'm going to die anyways! If you don't kill me then that damned asari will!"

"Not my problem." Star cocked her pistol. "This is for my sister." The echo of the gunshot resounded through the warehouse, and the corpse slid down the wall, leaving a trail of blood and settling in a heap at the mercenary's feet. Star took a deep breath and leaned her head back.

"It's finally over." She sighed and closed her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Shepard asked, stepping closer to her.

Star turned to the commander, a forced yet contented smile on her face. "I'm good. Feels like a load off my chest. A load I've been carrying for far too long." The commander nodded and the squad headed to the elevator. When they got down to the main floor, they noticed a group of Eclipse mercs headed straight for them, led by a very angry-looking asari commando, with her biotics flaring.

"Where's Ganorn?" she demanded.

"Who are you?" Shepard asked. The asari folded her arms.

"My name is Aeris, Eclipse Captain. I have no business with you, unless you work for the slimy bastard hiding here."

"The slimy bastard is dead." Star piped up, stepping forward. "You're not the only person he pissed off."

"He owed me a lot of credits." Aeris said, turning to her. "I guess I'll just have to collect from you." The asari and her mercs pulled their guns.

"Not a chance." Shepard responded, her squad pulling their guns as well. Star threw a Warp field at the commando before she and the squad dived into cover as the mercs opened fire. Aeris' barriers were strong, but enough Warps from Star and Miranda soon changed that. They focused on the mercs deploying combat drones on the field and Shepard took some out with clean headshots from her Widow. Star switched to her Viper and focused on the asari firing biotics at her CO, taking her down in minutes. They finished off the stragglers and headed out, back to the skycar.

Back on the Normandy, after completing Star's and Miranda's loyalty missions, Shepard headed down to the Engineering sub-deck in search of the merc, who was lying on her cot, staring at the ceiling.

"Need something, Shepard?" She said dryly as the marine approached her.

"Have a few minutes to talk?"

Star got up and headed to the staircase as usual. Shepard followed her. "Thanks for helping me find Ganorn, Commander." She took a deep breath. "I can die in peace now."

"Have you thought about what you'll do after the mission?"

The merc sat on the stairs. "A little. I might go back to Omega, do what I do best. See what happens." She chuckled. "It's going to be lonely there for me, now that S-Star's gone."

"Tell me about your sister."

"Not much to tell. She was my twin, but we looked nothing alike. The kid had green eyes, and pink hair, believe it or not. She was an absolute sweetheart, the complete opposite of me. The Alpha to my Omega." Star leaned forward, hanging her head. "She wasn't cut out for the life I lived. So I protected her. I've been protecting her since we were kids."

"How did you two end up on Omega?"

"Our colony on Mobius got attacked by batarian slavers when I was seven. They killed our parents and took us. I kept her hidden on the ship so she wouldn't get sold. We were on that ship until we were fourteen, then we managed to escape onto the Citadel. We didn't stay long. I high-jacked a passenger ship and we ended up on Omega."

"How did you manage to stay on the slavers' ship for so long?" the commander folded her arms.

"I helped the captain run an extortion racket. Every time he sold me off, I'd sneak back on the ship and they'd make off with the credits. It kept me alive so I wasn't in a position to complain."

"You mentioned before that 'Star' was a shared nickname between you and your sister. So what's your actual name?"

The mercenary chuckled lightly. "Maybe I'll tell you, Shepard. One day. For now, just 'Star' is fine."

"I want you focused on the mission. No more distractions." Shepard said sternly. Star rose to her feet and saluted.

"Aye-aye, Commander!" she chuckled. "Don't worry, Shepard. I'm one hundred percent focused on kicking the Collectors' asses."

The marine nodded. "I should go."

"I'll be down here." The mercenary returned to her cot. Shepard got in the elevator and hit the button for the crew deck. She got out and headed to the Main Battery, pausing to listen to the crew's conversation. The battery doors hissed open and the turian inside turned around.

"Shepard. Need me for something?"

"Have you got a minute?"

"Sure. Just killing time, anyways. I wanted to thank you again for your help with Sidonis. Whatever happens with the Collectors or the Reapers or whoever else comes after us, I know you'll get the job done."

"You actually think we'll find something worse than Collectors or Reapers?"

"I like to expect the worst. There's a small chance I'll be pleasantly surprised." Garrus flashed the turian equivalent of a grin.

"I couldn't do this without you, Garrus." Shepard smiled, putting her hands behind her.

"Sure you could. Not as stylishly, of course." He gestured the human to sit on a crate beside the door. "It's strange going into a suicide mission on a human ship. Your people don't prepare for high-risk missions the way turians do." He said as she sat.

Shepard leaned forward. "I thought you'd be used to high-risk operations on human ships. I mean, think about tracking Saren to Ilos."

"Sure, but that was quick. We raced out, landed, blew up some geth, and saved the galaxy. This time we've got Miranda and Cerberus and that AI all telling us what we're up against. I think I preferred blind optimism." He shook his head.

"Honestly, Garrus, what do you think our chances are?"

"Honestly? The Collectors killed you once, and all it did is piss you off. I can't imagine they'll stop you this time. But an unmapped area, advanced technology, and the Collectors? We're going to lose people. No way around that." He said, shaking his head again. "Not a happy analysis, I know. Don't worry, I won't spread it around. And I'm with you, regardless."

"Do you ever regret leaving C-Sec or the turian military?"

"Not for a minute. When it comes down to it, Shepard, I don't think I'm a very good turian." Shepard raised an eyebrow. "When a good turian hears a bad order, he follows it. He might complain but he knows his place. I just don't see the point in staying quiet and polite. Not when the galaxy is at stake."

"How do turian crews get ready for high-risk missions?"

"With violence, usually." Garrus put his hands behind his back. "Turian ships have more operational discipline than your Alliance, but fewer personal restrictions. Our commanders run us tight, and they know we need to blow off steam. Turian ships have training rooms for exercise, combat sims, even full-contact sparring. Whatever lets people work off stress."

"You mean turian ships have crewmen fighting each other before a mission?"

"It's supervised, of course. Nobody is going to risk an injury that interferes with the mission. And it's a good way to settle grudges amicably. I remember right before one mission, we were about to hit a batarian pirate squad. Very risky. This recon scout and I had been at each other's throats. Nerves, mostly. She suggested we settle it in the ring." He recalled, pacing the battery floor.

"I assume you took her down gently?"

"Actually, she and I were the top ranked hand-to-hand specialists on the ship. I had reach, but she had flexibility. It was brutal. After nine rounds, the judge called it a draw. There were a lot of unhappy betters in the training room." He walked the floor again, stopping faced away from the human and dropping his voice. "We, ah, ended up holding a tiebreaker in her quarters. I had reach, but she had flexibility. More than one way to work off stress, I guess." He shrugged and turned back to the commander.

Suddenly, the commander had an idea. Opportunity hit her like a ton of bricks. She smirked. "It sounds like you're carrying some tension." She said, getting up. "Maybe I could help you get rid of it."

"I, ah, didn't think you'd feel like sparring, Commander." She could hear the slight nervousness in his dual-toned voice. She folded her arms.

"What if we skipped right to the tiebreaker? We could test your reach…" she leaned on his console, facing him. "…and my flexibility." The smirk did not falter.

"Oh! I didn't… Huh." Garrus had about a million simultaneous emotions upon realizing what Shepard meant. He tried to shrug off his surprise. "Never knew you had a weakness for men with scars." The vigilante turned to the open battery doors. "Well, why the hell not? There's nobody in this galaxy I respect more than you." He said, turning back to face her. "And if we can figure out a way to make it work, then… yeah. Definitely."

Shepard maintained her smirk and walked past him out back into the mess hall. Garrus watched her as she passed, then went back to his console. Once he finished these calibrations, he had a lot of research to do.