Tell me why you're here

You could walk away right now

No one would stop you

You're free to choose your own way

Don't be afraid of the choice you make it's all right

Chapter 8

Damages

"Oh shit! Incoming ordinance!"

"Thanix firing sequence is complete."

"Beginning evasive maneuvers! Can we divert power to the ECM?"

"We have a larger issue."

"More so than twenty missiles that'll vaporize us inside of a minute?"

"Power conduits along the entire ship are overloading. We must have overestimated the damage they had received."

"Can you re-route it?"

"No. We have a blowout in the cargo hold, sub deck in engineering, main battery, crew deck lounge and war room." The ship rocked repeatedly as the power systems died, including engines and artificial gravity. Without the acceleration though, the crew didn't run the risk of being pancaked on the walls.

"It appears, we have also blown out the H2 power cells." The entire ship went dark as she spoke.

"Dammit! Did the bulkheads seal?"

"I believe so. Crew is reporting in via omni-tool. No casualties."

"Well that's some good news at least. What about the missiles?"

"I cannot say, but based on my estimations, I would say they will impact in less than ninety seconds."

"Oh yeah, good day."

"Jeff, if this shall be the end of our existence, I have a request."

"What?"

"Would you say it?"

"Say what EDI?"

"You know."

Truly opening up to someone was Joker's weakest spot. He loved EDI with all his heart and he knew she felt the same way. But he just couldn't bring himself to say 'I love you' to her.

"Would you... like me to say it first?"

He remained silent, still trying to say it himself.

"No." He pushed himself off from his chair floating to her.

"I love you, EDI." He then kissed her. Another first for the couple. He could feel her gently biting his lower lip.

He then reverted slightly to his old self. "So, assuming we aren't blown back to the bronze age, I'm getting laid after this right?"

A string of explosions from the incoming rockets blinded Joker, the shockwave followed causing the ship's velocity to slow whilst the crew plowed into various walls. EDI's quick reflexes kept Joker from plowing into the forward screen breaking his fragile bones.

'Oh my god' Was the general reaction to the crew of the White Raven.

"Did..." Rachael said slowly. "We just... destroy... the Normandy?"

"I-I-I don't know. I-I mean, their energy signal died before they got close so... so it's... I mean I don't uh,"

"HEY!" Isabella shouted from her chair. "Jerry, I need you to identify their position, bearing and speed. Rach, get on the squawk box and get a wing out there to investigate."

The two nodded, absolutely terrified about what just happened.

"Oh," Shepard added. "Tell the wing they are not to fire unless fired upon FIRST! Those quarian pilots tend to get a little trigger happy."

"Geth squadron Nine-Eight this is White Raven. Dispatch a wing and investigate the vessel. You are not to fire unless fire upon. I repeat, do not fire first. Coordinates are," She turned to the other side of the bridge. "Jerry, what are those coordinates?"

"Position is 2 AU from Rannoch, heading zero-two-four by three-three-one. Speed was... point five seven."

"Did we seriously just blow up your brother's ship?!" Garret said. He had been speechless for the entire event so far.

"Shut it Garret!" Shepard yelled. She was mentally kicking her own ass a hundred different ways for what she had done, and she was taking it out on her friends.

Rachel meanwhile had relayed the navigational information to the geth fighters and they were closing in.

Ashley had been floating through the crew deck tending to the injured. Mostly it was just mild bruising, a couple of broken bones and a concussions were scattered among the crew.

"Hey Joker, what the hell's going on? We under attack?"

"Yes and no." The voice replied via her omni-tool.

"How can it be both?"

"Well, those initial explosions were technically me. That massive thud everyone took on the wall was the quarian home fleet shooting at us."

"Seriously?"

"Hey, it's not the worst thing I've done. I mean, I only did half as bad as the last surprise attack."

"JOKER! Not cool!"

"Sorry. How's the damage down there?"

"Main gun and port lounge doors are sealed. Think they got vented. Engineering crew is stuck down on Four. Couple of minor injuries; Chakwas is tending to them. How are things back up top?"

"We got the briefing room. War room is sealed. Probably the same on the hole theory and same on the crew. Well, minus Chakwas. Wait a minute. We got something approaching. I'll get back to you."

'Great. Last thing we need.' They survived nine kinds of hell for three years only to be taken out by their allies after drifting their way home after months of trying to survive on the ass-end of the galaxy.

Joker looked out the viewscreen hesitantly, hoping that the ships wouldn't resume their fire on them, or worse, board and kill them.

"EDI," He called back to CIC where she was helping to tend to the injured. "Need you to get up here."

The AI pushed off of her surroundings, moving from wall to wall with extraordinary force.

"I thought you said you weren't injured."

"I'm not, but we've got a couple of fighters incoming. I can't tell if they're geth or pirates. Take a look."

"One moment." She fainted squinting; one of several courtesies she had picked up since she and Jeff had started dating.

"You're first assessment was right: three geth fighters. I am attempting to make contact."

She remained silent for the briefest of seconds.

"I have explained our situation to them. They are dispatching a number of frigates to tow us in to one of the orbital stations. I would advise the crew to remain calm. The ships will not arrive for several minutes and the air filtration systems are currently non-operational."

Joker opened his mouth to make a barely witty remark but decided against it. Instead he gestured to EDI asking her how long it would be until the crew ran out of air.

"... I will ask if they can spare a couple of oxygen tanks and masks to distribute to the crew when they arrive."

"Isabella, good and better news. The ship wasn't destroyed and it is the Normandy. But they have taken severe damage and are requesting a tow."

"Along with emergency O2 tanks." She added a moment later.

"Send a reply message: welcome home Normandy. And the tow is on us, courtesy of Isabella Shepard."

The communications officer relayed the message as the freighter, which was in all honesty, was barely as large as the Normandy broke position to tow the crippled frigate home.

"I need to talk with you." Wrex said to Hanna in as quiet a tone as he could.

"Sure."

The pair stepped outside. Markus had been working for almost two days straight on his "distraction" project. His eyes were sullen with heavy rings.

"What is it Wrex?" Hanna asked after Wrex lead them a couple tents down. Apparently he knew how loud he'd be.

"The Aralakh relay became operational last night and some of my people are trying to push for the old ways." He didn't need to continue for her to know what he was asking.

"He's not looking too good."

"Wrex," She cut him off before he could go on. "Go. I can take care of him. You've done more than enough."

"Don't know about that. So far I'm still repaying my debt to him."

"Still keeping up that story?"

"Pretty much. Word gets out I have a soft spot for a human, even Shepard they'll de-throne me." He cackled.

He returned a serious look in her eye. "I see where Shepard got his strength. He's tough. Even by krogan standards."

"And you're sweet Wrex." She returned the compliment. "Even by human standards."

"Heh-heh-heh." The red warrior then gathered his troops heading for the landing pad.

Hanna sent a message to her crew on the Orizaba to get a couple dozen shuttles from across the Fifth fleet and give the warriors a ride back home. "Good luck Wrex." She whispered. Over the last few days she had grown to like him quite a bit, the fact that he watched over her son for so long compounding ten-fold.

She returned to the tent to see Markus rubbing his face with his flesh hand. Sixty-one hours straight with no rest. "So, what did Wrex want?"

"Tuchanka's getting a bit rowdy. He had to head home."

The last word set Markus off. He started smashing his attempts at the home-built omni-tool with his prosthetic hand, cursing up a fervent storm. He finally stopped after his fist broke through the two inch thick steel table.

"Mark, I know it's not what you want to hear but..." She hated what she was saying. It would hurt him but at the rate he was going he'd try and kill himself sooner or later.

"Maybe... you should try letting her go." The tears welling inside of her were almost as thick as the ones in his.

He looked at her, a mix of anger, shock and pain on his face.

"Let her go?" He repeated in disbelief.

"Let her go!?" The second time the anger taking its place.

"How long would it take you to let dad go? Or Mandy, or me?"

"I-" Hanna choked up trying to continue. "I know you love her, but... Mark look at yourself."

"SO WHAT!? By the end of it I couldn't care less if the rest of the galaxy BURNED as long as she was okay I was too." He collapsed into her arms.

"She was all that kept me going." He broke down, all the pain and hurt he that had been boiling under the surface erupted at once. Months of anguish bursting from his breaking voice and tear soaked eyes as the once invincible image was shattered.

All Hanna could do was rub his shaggy hair like she did when he was small, quietly whispering to him.

"It's okay." She said. "It's okay." Her own tears running down her face.

He finally passed out after what felt like an eternity for the both of them.

Hanna then did the one thing she swore she wouldn't do: she called Miranda for help.

"You're... Shepard's... sister?" Ashley said with suspicion.

"Twin, actually. I beat him by six minutes."

"No offense, but you're not the first one to claim to be a sibling of his."

Isabella shouldn't have been surprised. If the rolls were reversed she probably would have been just as suspicious.

"He ever tell you about Akuze?"

"If you're really his sister then you know he doesn't like to talk about it."

"But that wasn't what got to him." She was using one of the most painful memories her brother had to prove her own identity. She had done so only once or twice to prove to people who had served with Shepard to prove she was who she said she was. Everyone else though just assumed since their faces were fairly similar that they must be siblings. "It was the letters. He wrote the families of every member of his platoon."

"That's public knowledge."

"But what isn't is when he did it. He started on the evac shuttle and didn't stop until he was done. Refusing medical treatment and sleep; trying to get the wording just right. That's what tore him up most. Sonja, our oldest sister, took a couple of days leave she had planned to spend with her boyfriend to help get him back on his feet. Satisfied?" She finished with a biting tone.

"Yeah." Ashley said remembering herself when he told her about Akuze. His eyes had drifted off like he was reliving it again.

"So, this is Markie's new ship."

"I'm sorry, did you just say 'Markie'?"

"Yeah. Mom and dad called him that to be endearing. The three of us just taunted him with it. So, let's see what we can do about the damage."

"Are you billing the Alliance for it or is it on the house?"

Isabella scoffed at Ash's rhetorical comment. "I'm billing him directly. Jackass owes me a race and I'll use this to get him to cash in."

"That's it?"

"Mark said that the original Normandy was the fastest ship in the galaxy. I argued that my Raven could still run circles around it. He didn't feel like backing his words with action."

"Damn," Ashley said astounded. "You really are his twin."

Isabella took the infamous stance that her brother held for the recruitment posters.

"I should go." She said. Her tone and beat were almost identical to his.

The pair broke into gut-bursting laughter.

"Hey Lola, not that I don't enjoy your laugh, but we've got a lot of scrap to haul off." Vega said carrying a large armful of torn bulkhead pieces down the ramp tossing it into a pile off to the side.

Ashley turned back to look at their home. At this point it looked like it was being held together with chewing gum and wishful thinking.

"Poor girl took quite a beating. Worst part is, they'll probably just scrap her."

A smirk crept up Ashley's lips "Oh, I don't think so. She can have quite a temper." Looks like she'd have a few things to surprise Shepard's sister with.

Tali awoke to find herself staring at the bright and intense glow of med bay's lights.

"So, what happened?" He head was pounding.

"Hey, there sunshine." Joker was sitting on a chair next to her bed.

"Um, Joker? What happened?"

"Well, the ship nearly blew up. Then was nearly blown up again."

"How bad?" She was looking around for damage, surprisingly finding almost none.

"I'm getting there. Anyhow, after that Shepard's sister gave us a tow into a shipyard in orbit."

"Which one?" She climbed off the tall bed, looking around but there still weren't any signs of damage.

"Wait, what? He's got more then one?" His eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas. "Score!"

"Don't you have a girlfriend?"

"Doesn't mean I can't window shop."

"I'd be careful what you say, Jeff." EDI called over the intercom.

"Okay, so where's all this damage?"

"Most of it was cleaned up. You won't believe just how hard the geth are working to get us space worthy again."

"Hmm... So, what happened to me?"

"You hit the wall pretty hard. Chakwas didn't want to risk taking your mask off until after we got the power back. You've been out for a couple of hours."

"Oh keeah!" She started to move for the door.

"Yeah you can pretty much forget working. The geth told us to stay out of the way. EDI's working with them to make sure they get the paint the right color. Beyond that, we're pretty much on leave."

The pilot got up slowly. "Come on, let's get some real food. Bet you're starving."

Tali and Joker made their way through the station. Despite being a geth construct, it was far more natural looking than the dreadnought she had been on.

The cafeteria though, keelah it was huge! At least fifty meters long, thirty wide and ten tall. There was even a second floor with more tables on it. A man with a dark haired bowl cut waved the two of them over to the table that he and a few other humans were sitting at.

"So she's finally awake huh." An attractive blonde woman sitting next to him greeted them. "Please, sit." They all had polished trays with half eaten food in front of them.

Tali sat down awkwardly, unsure of why they had joined them.

"I'm-

"Tali. Yes I know. Markie told me all about you. He rarely praises people as high as he did you. To be honest, he actually rambled."

"Markie?"

"Sorry. Guess he didn't tell you about me. I'm Isabella Shepard."

"Oh. The freighter captain."

"No way he spoke that highly of me. Hey Gerald, would you go grab some food for them?" One of the other members of what was likely her crew stood up and got in line at the cafeteria's line.

"He uh, used some different words. Have you heard from Earth?"

"I bet. Don't worry; I've called him far worse. Place got trashed even worse as the Reapers came crashing down."

"I meant have you heard about Markus? We got a message a couple of days ago but that's it."

"It took him two years to get back from an orbital drop without a landing strategy. Honestly, how long do you think a station blowing up in his face would keep him down?"

"So you've heard from him since?"

"Like I said, communication has been difficult. Geth have the relays working as far as the Nubian Expanse. You could go farther but there's no options in traveling beyond the next sector."

"Can. I. Talk to him."

"I actually have a massive favor I'm asking you on that note." A bit of a wild grin slid its way across her face.

When Isabella finished explaining her plan Tali was aghast. How could siblings treat each other this way?!

"Before you say anything, I know my brother. One way or another he'll be going insane and climbing the walls. This way, you get the all of that joy at once and in person."

Tali thought it over. Twisted as it was, it did seem to make sense. "But isn't that still mean?"

"Let's just say the rest of us are still getting back at the crap he did to us as a kid. It should finally be good enough to even the score."

"But even so, I mean it's..."

"The four of us grew on moving from ship to ship. It made getting to... know a guy, rather difficult. He box blocked me at nearly every chance."

"What kind of box was he blocking that... oh..." Her feelings of social awkwardness started kicking back up again.

"Sorry kid. Forgot you used to talking about this kinda thing."

Despite her wishes she had to return to the Orizaba and continue supervising the repairs to the relay system. So far Earth had been reconnected to Aetheon, the DMZ, Annos, Horsehead, Aipen, Arcturus and Exodus. 'At lest the dextros won't starve now.' Food stores were getting low for all of the races, but even more so for the turian and quarians who had fought. They were rationing the food so sparsely that they were barely surviving.

She ran her hands through her snow-white hair yawning deeply while she did so. Though still short, it was long enough that she could change the style every so often. Not that she ever did, but it was nice to have the option. It was late and she knew it. Ever since the Gauntlet she had been burning the oil hard at both ends.

Her omni-tool pinged. A message from CIC. "Yes, what is it?"

"Admiral, I know it's late but a message just came in for you."

"Hold it until morning."

"I thought you'd like to know it's your daughter Isabella ma'am."

"I thought I told you to route any calls from my family to me regardless of time."

"I'm sorry ma'am. Won't happen again." The communication officer forwarded the message.

Hanna routed it through her private terminal. "Hey mom! It's me, obviously." Isabella said standing center of the screen her face covering most of it.

"I figure this'll be getting into Earth pretty late so if I wake you I really do apologize, but I figured you should know now. Markie's ship came in. She was beat to hell, but everyone made it."

Every weary muscle in her body disappeared in an instant. Some of it being replaced with regret at what she had been saying to her son. "But I don't want you to tell him. I've got something that'll knock his freaking socks off. Ultimately it's your call but this will fall apart if anyone says no. I've already talked the rest of the Normandy crew into it."

Her daughter then went on to explain her plan. When she finished Hanna couldn't help but laugh at some of the absurdity. "Twenty years and you're still trying to get back at each other huh?" Isabella couldn't hear her of course, the message was prerecorded but it still needed to be said.

She thought it over for a few minutes, eventually deciding to go with it.

She made one last check at the time: half past three in the morning Earth Standard Time. She'd be on duty again in six hours. 'The joys of command.' The only time her service duties had arguably allowed her a 'decent' amount of sleep and she had four small children to look after.

"Oh he's gonna be pissed about this." She said before getting what little sleep she could before the day shift.

ABLE/NOVEMBER: So of course the SR wasn't destroyed! Please review, it's what keeps me going. Rogen80 and kill_phil can't do it on their own.

Also feel free to speculate what Izzie's plan is.