"Understood, Garrus. Just keep him safe."

Tali looked to John, who walked alongside her. "They found Veetor. Nat is talking with the marines that are with him."

He nodded his reply, not bothering to say what he was thinking.

In the time since they had left the docking bay, they had made good progress, Tali thought. Kasumi had acted as their invisible eyes and ears, and they'd managed to avoid detection so far. Tali still thought it a little too easy to avoid detection, but then again, the Array was surrounded with a good amount of firepower, and there certainly wouldn't have been any enemies on the Array itself.

She chuckled ruefully at that thought, before meeting it with a frown just as quickly.

"Enemies." Is that what we are now? She shook her head dismissively. No. I cannot allow myself to think that…at least not yet. It's not…maybe Han isn't completely mad. Maybe Daro can be reasoned with. After all, we never really knew what their endgames were. But knowing that now, maybe we can reason with them?

"And if not, Tali?" That was that annoyingly nagging, doubting voice making its return after taking something of a sabbatical.

Bosh'tet.

If not? Well, then we will have to use a language that they will understand.

"Everything all right, Miss vas Rannoch?"

She shook her head with a little laugh before catching John's eyes. "Bosh'tet. I'm just thinking, that's all."

He chuckled. "And nothing bad has ever come from that."

Next to him, there was a shimmer as Kasumi appeared. "Hiya. Bad news: we're about to have company. And…I think the cloak is out of power."

Damn it.

Sure enough, not ten seconds later, they rounded a corner and were met by a patrol of three marines with weapons drawn.

The one in the middle spoke first. "Identify your-"

The exceptionally burly quarian to his left interrupted him. "Wait, you idiot! It's Admiral Shepard! Keelah, ma'am, what are you doing here?"

Tali took a step forward, standing as tall as she could. "Perhaps you can lower your weapons first?"

Eyes widened in a collectively unstated "oh shit", forcing John and Kasumi both to stifle laughs. The group did indeed lower their weapons, but did not holster them.

The admiral nodded. "Okay, that's a start. You know that this is John'Shepard, and this," she gestured in Kasumi's direction, "is a friend of mine. Her name is Kasumi. We're here to stop Admiral Xen and Admiral Gerrel from starting a war."

All three of them shared unbelieving glances. "A…war, ma'am?"

"Yes, a war. I imagine that they have told you that they are to destroy the Geth ark? And that they are acting under the Conclave's orders?" Nods in reply. "Okay, well let me tell you that they are not. The Conclave ordered this project shut down. Myself and Admirals Koris and Raan suspected that they might try something like this, which is why we are here."

The one on the left interrupted. "But ma'am, why should the Conclave worry about the destruction of a few more Geth? They killed enough of our own."

Tali sighed. She'd expected a bit of that, but still…it was reasonable.

She could work with "reasonable".

"Because think about how the rest of the galaxy will react when they learn that we have a device that can transport a weapon anywhere we want, at anytime, and can reach almost anywhere in the galaxy?" Stunned, wide-eyed silence. "Now imagine what will happen to us when the humans find out about it. Or the turians. All of the allies that we have now will suddenly be our enemies. Does that sound like the kind of plan that the Conclave would have approved?"

No, it certainly did not. The lead marine accessed his radio. "Captain Higla? Yes, this is Lieutenant Fedas. Yes, we have found the intruders, but…keelah…it is Admiral Shepard, ma'am." He paused for a moment. "Correct. That is why I called you first. Yes, I am certain. She is here with her bondmate…yes, the human, John'Shepard."

He explained all that she had told him before asking Tali to contact the Captain directly.

"This is Captain Higla? Of the Otero? Yes, of course I am aware of which ship you are captain of."

The voice in reply was hard, certain. "For confirmation, please provide your Fleet ID number."

Tali actually smirked. "I do not have a 'Fleet ID number', captain. I was officially transferred to Rannoch a few weeks ago after my bonding ceremony, for which I received a planetary designation. But you already knew that."

There was a pause.

"Oh, thank the Ancestors," the relieved woman on the other end replied. "Keelah, Admiral Shepard! I…this whole situation was…so you are here to persuade the other admirals?"

"Yes, captain, that is the idea. I am hoping to talk to them, to make them see reason." Tali heard a labored sigh.

"That will prove to be difficult. They've erected a barrier in the command center, and we've been locked out."

Locked out? This is worse than I thought… Tali worked her fingers in her nervous dance for the first time in a long time.

"Damn it," she muttered.

The other marines had holstered their weapons, apparently awaiting orders.

"We'll have to do the best we can then, captain. There is one more thing you can do for me."

"Name it, ma'am."

"I have a second team on board, they are led by Lieutenant Nat'Veral vas Neema. He and his team - Garrus Vakarian and Liara T'Soni - were sent to acquire Veetor'Nara. He is the one who allowed us -"

She was interrupted.

"Veetor? Oh no. One moment, ma'am."

A beep in her radio, coupled with the notification on her omnitool told her that Garrus was radioing her. She immediately flipped channels, heart suddenly now beating loudly in her ears.

"Talk to me, Garrus."

A few seconds passed, and John could feel the change in her. He saw it, too. Her shoulders sagged, her head hung low.

"Oh no…oh keelah, no…" she whispered.

John sensed the change and caught her just as she lost her balance. He had the wherewithal to ask for Captain Higla's radio frequency from the lieutenant. With one hand around Tali's waist and the other punching in the frequency, he brought the captain into his head.

"Hey, Tali. I've got you. What's going on?"

"They…they killed him, John. The det kazuats murdered him." He pulled her head to his shoulder, rubbing her back with one hand as her body shook his grief.

"Captain? This is Shepard. Did you catch that? Can you verify?"

"Admiral John'Shepard? Yes, Admiral Shep…Tali did not answer. What is happening?"

"Our other team just confirmed what I think you were checking on. Is…Veetor dead?"

A pause. "Yes, John'Shepard. Another contingent of marines got to him. Han had ordered him be questioned then…killed." There was a pause during which he could almost see the captain shaking her head in disbelief. "I am sorry. I didn't know that…damn it. I am going to try to countermand the admiral's orders for my men. The security teams are primarily from my ship since the Neema had left with theirs. The team that found Veetor was not. I will explain the situation to them as best I can." She paused again. "I am sorry, Shepard. For what it is worth, those men paid with their lives. Let's hope that this is all the bloodshed we endure today."

"Agreed. I'll inform our team of the situation, and we'll continue to the command center. We'll find a way to end this, with no more blood spilled if I have anything to say about it. Keelah se'lai, captain." Flipping his radio off, he concentrated on the devastated woman in his arms.

"Kasumi, could you?"

A simple nod, and she relayed the situation to Garrus, who had just managed a cease fire with another team they'd run into.

Kasumi hurried back, placing a hand on Tali's shoulder and squeezing.

"I'm sorry, Tali."

"We were supposed to protect him…he was supposed to…"

John breathed deeply, breathed hard. This was the way of it, right? It was the way it had always been. Tali knew it too, but this one stung. These were her people and their crimes.

"I know, Tali. We'll make this right. We'll -"

"Make this right? How are we supposed to do that? He's dead! Another friend gone! And for what? For what?" Tali had been punching his back in exasperation as he held her tight; barely registering her sorrowful fists. She needed to let it out, and as soon as that little outburst was over with, she straightened herself and stood tall. Anger radiated off of her.

Any delusions that they'd had about the simplicity of the mission had been dashed completely.

The admirals seemed to be out of their fucking minds.

They continued onward, the marines vowing to inform any of their comrades that were somehow not aware of the situation that both their teams were not be bothered and should be assisted however they could be.

A few minutes later, they were at the command center, stuck just outside. The entire room was swimming in a sea of pale blue, they stared through the window that they could not breach.

If Tali could have smashed through the damn thing by screaming at it, she would have tried it.

Sure enough, Han had raised a barrier.

Bastard.

Tali immediately opened her omnitool, thinking that she might be able to break through that way. A few seconds later she slowly lowered her arm, shaking her head in disbelieving defeat.

"Kasumi? Any ideas?"

The thief shook her head. "No, Tali. I can't break through. It's totally locked out, and I don't know enough about quarian security to…" She simply trailed off, not knowing how else to express a defeat of this magnitude.

Inside they could see the murdering det kazuat pacing around the room, apparently barking orders that John now knew would likely no longer be followed. His eyes settled on Daro'Xen, who was working furiously at the main console.

Knowing that there was no back door approach, Tali figured she should at least try the front door.

"Admirals," Tali called out, "we're here to stop you. We know what you're up to. The Conclave knows what you're up to. Your captains know what you're up to. It's over, you fucking murderers!"

Upon hearing her voice, both admirals stopped in their tracks. Daro's head popped up, her eyes conveying genuine…was that surprise? Han simply stopped and glared at them, moving to Daro's side.

"Admiral Tali'Shepard, and her human," Han called out. "Of course you would be here." The man spat venom with every word. "And I do not believe that it is quite over. 'Murderers,' you say? Perhaps he should not have dropped the barriers against my orders. Although, I will admit that using Veetor to get you in was a clever move. I am sorry that he is dead, but that is the price for treason." He stepped closer to the barrier.

"Treason? Treason? Are you out of your mind, Gerrel? What the hell do you call what you two have done here if not that?" Tali was nearly shaking in barely contained anger, her finger pointing to emphasize the point.

Behind him, Daro froze. An itch formed on the back of her neck.

Had she heard him correctly? Veetor had gotten them on board? And he was…?

Of course he had. He was a brilliant kid. He'd finessed his way through Geth code. He'd determined that it had just been stapled on top of the real prize that had laid beneath it. And he wasn't just "brilliant"; he was good.

He had stood up for what he thought was right. And these were his friends, they had come here…

To stop them. To stop Han.

To stop her.

Keelah, what were they doing? What had they done?

Her throat was dry and a wave of heat radiated through her. The pounding of her heart was the only thing Daro could hear.

What had she done?

Ancestors, what had she done?

Even if Veetor had been wrong, Han had just freely admitted to murdering her friend, and it was entirely her fault. She had thought that this was right; that using the Array was necessary. But Veetor had helped to unlock a part of herself that she'd long given up on and thought long dead. How was that not stronger than her own ideas of strength?

He'd not judged her. He'd tried to get to know her, to allow herself the escape of feeling like a person again. Somewhere, Daro'Xen nar Chayym wailed in agony at his loss - at her loss. That young woman's fists pounded violence on the walls of her mind. Blow after furious blow rained hellfire on what had been Daro'Xen vas Moreh; on Daro'Xen vas Rannoch.

"Will you abide this?" She screamed. "He trusted you, Daro'Xen vas Rannoch! Your friend trusted you! And this is what you permitted! You are no better than Tira! No better than Han! You are as culpable as if you had ripped the bullet through his heart with your own bare hands!"

Stifling back her scream, she instead felt the hot tears running down her cheeks. This was it - the keystone that had held everything together had been plucked out of the structure that housed her. The walls crumbled. Her soul ached. Daro'Xen vas Moreh - vas Rannoch - bowed out in defeat, unable to resist the truth any longer.

The woman looked down at her hands, shaky as they were. She wasn't even sure that they belonged to her any longer. Had she been wrong this whole time? Veetor had shown such strength in his kindness. He'd shown her something that she'd not known in a very long time. And she'd squandered it. In her stubbornness, in her arrogance, in her self-imposed prison, she'd refused to see that strength - to recognize it for what it was.

How could she have been so wrong?

Her fingers moved her away from calibrating the Array to destroy the Ark. This newly-reasserted Daro'Xen knew that it was no longer important. There was only one thing that mattered now. Backing out from coordinating the three relays, she found the security controls. She tapped on the "Internal Security" submenu.

They were stuck between a barrier and a hard place, John thought. He mused angrily at the impertinence of fate bringing them this far just to be stopped by one stupid barrier. Longing for a conveniently placed mining laser, he looked around the area, searching for an option - any option. Instead, all he found were all of the terminals and cables that were still scattered about. Some of them were still on; if he'd had the time he would've liked to have taken a look. He wasn't a "science guy", as Tali had so often pointed out, but that didn't mean he wasn't at least somewhat interested.

Instead they had to deal with these idiots. He turned his attention back to the admirals next. Han'Gerrel was stalking back-and-forth, apparently talking to his men around the station. He smirked a little as he realized that it was likely Han's own people that were defying his orders now.

But something caught his eye. Daro'Xen caught his eye.

John switched his radio back on. "Tali, Kasumi - are you watching Xen? Something's up with her. I don't know what she's do-"

There was a flash of blue, before it disappeared completely.

The barrier had come down.

Keelah, the barrier had come down.

Han instantly realized what that meant - there was only one way that they could have dropped.

Daro'Xen. The enemy.

Wait…was that right?

But why?

The man had no idea why, but he did know that the bitch had to be stopped before she completely derailed the plan.

What plan? If Daro was no longer going to -

"So now what, Han'Gerrel?" Jana asked him - the question was more of an accusation."You've just lost your key to this whole thing."

He sniffled at Jana's form as she sat atop the console that Daro had just been using. How the hell had she even gotten there?

"I…I don't know, Jana. I don't know…if I can reach the console I can -"

"Can do what, my love?"

If he could…if he could just…

He didn't answer her.

He couldn't.

He reached for the pistol strapped to his side instead.

From across the room, Tali, John, and Kasumi watched this all unfold in agonizingly slow motion. Tali tried to prevent what she thought might be happening.

"Damn it, admirals, stand down!"

There was no reaction at first, and then Daro first looked back at them…almost apologetically? Then she turned to Han. She turned to face him directly with her arms at her sides, but she stood tall; stood proud.

He pulled the trigger.

Like Veetor, she'd had her shields down. Unlike Veetor, she'd done so willingly.

The force of the shot sent her flying, a scream escaping her before she crashed against the console to the left. Her body bent hellishly backwards against it, the console not even budging against the force of weight. Daro crumpled to the floor, hands clutching at the smoking hole in her stomach.

Tali glanced to Kasumi, asking if she could cloak to try to end this. The human simply shook her head. The cloak was powerless - she'd used it far too much scouting ahead for them just to get here.

Hand hovering over the Hornet in his holster, John tried to stop this peacefully, one last time. "Damn it, Han! Stop this before more people get hurt!" Then he threw the dice in one last act of desperation. "Is this what Jana would have wanted?"

The admiral had crouched down behind the center console that until recently had been occupied by Daro'Xen.

Jana now sat in front of him, tears on her face. He tried…he tried to reach for her. His hand passed through thin air, leaving wispy trails in their wake.

She was gone.

Han whimpered before reaching for her again. His hand came up just as empty as before.

She really was gone.

But he wasn't. And there was at least one place he could channel what remained of his anger - of his righteous vengeance.

On the other side of the room, John radioed to Tali, hoping for a second opinion. "Tali, do you have an -"

Han called out from behind the console. "John'Shepard, you are right: too many have died!"

For a moment, the admiral stayed where he was, like he was. He remained crouched low behind the console. He tried to control his breathing as he took stock of the situation.

Daro had betrayed him with the Array not even aligned properly. Maybe he can order her damn scientists to move the Array to target the Geth?. But wait - that bitch Tali was here now, and if she got this far, then that meant that she probably convinced his people to stand aside. He shook his head. Betraying bastards.

The Geth were now out of his reach.

So was Jana, it would seem. He had lost her, and what did he have left now? His scowl turned deeper - angrier.

The boiling in his stomach grew darker, roiling harder now. He was going to extract payment from somebody. If it wasn't the Geth it was going to be -

When Han stood from behind the console, John didn't immediately see that the Arc Pistol was still in his hand. When he did, it was too late. He'd left himself exposed; he'd been so hellbent on deescalation that he'd failed to find adequate cover. He'd hoped that he wouldn't have had to.

Han was fast.

But Tali realized it first. And was faster.

"John!"

Han had held his trigger, and discharged the full power of his modified Arc Pistol.

Tali watched in slow-motion, horror and rage igniting every cell in her body. She had but one thought, and it consumed her.

She had to protect him - he'd sacrificed so much for everyone, for her -

Tali's powerful legs launched her between her saera the slug that was going to tear through him.

Instead it tore through her. Tali had assumed that her shields would have protected her, but one of Han's modifications must have allowed the slug to almost completely bypass them like they hadn't existed. Her armor offered precious little resistance. She yelped in pain when she felt the familiar burn as the slug bit into her abdomen. She crashed heavily to the floor, skidding a few feet before crumpling to an angry halt against the wall. Wiith hands at her side where the bullet had torn into her, she felt antibiotics pump into her system.

"Tali!" John cried, watching helplessly as she had leapt in front of the bullet that likely would have ripped through his shields as easily as it had hers. He suffered a moment of indecision - torn between rushing to her and rushing to Han.

His mind grew darker, and his objective came into sharp focus.

Raising a biotic barrier to supplement his shields now, the world around him warped then fell away. He saw only one thing, thought only one thing, knew only on thing. Han had hurt Tali, and now he would kill the motherfucker for hurting her.

Launching himself forward, he sprinted at Han'Gerrel vas Neema harder than he ever had in his life.

Soot and ash and screams and blood surrounded him, snatched at him from all corners.

Twisted metal and burnt flesh.

Devastation.

The screams of trillions, billions, millions - of one - flooded him.

Left foot forward, weight compressing his taxed joints. Right foot forward -

"Come back to me."

He coughs, lungs burning with every smoke-filled breath he takes. His cracked ribs protest loudly in earnest.

He is facing down Harbinger. He is racing against time.

"How dare you?" those ribs cry. They are incredulous at this request, and intend to let him know all about it.

But this is not a request - he has given an order, and they must obey.

Because he has more left to give. He isn't dead.

He has more left to give.

For her, he will always give everything.

For her.

A blinding pain ignites his ankle. The left one. Commander Shepard stumbles but does not stop, there is little evidence that he even slows down.

He never stops. He is relentless.

He is purpose personified.

Biting back the fresh, burning pain that he feels with every step, he thinks that the ankle is broken but he does not care.

He is breathing and moving. That is all that matters now. He sees it. He sees the beam and launches himself at it.

He does not miss.

Screaming, John flung himself into the admiral with reckless abandon - like a torpedo, he sunk the man. Crumpling to the floor, Han's pistol flew away from him and skidded away before stopping next to the slumped and motionless form of Daro'Xen. Inertia and momentum rolled them over each other once; twice. When they stopped, John found himself looking down into the mask of the enemy. He was looking into the mask of a man that needed to die. His weight bore down on Han's chest, and he could tell that it was hard for the admiral to breathe. John clamped his legs down against the man's ribs, and saw his eyes bulge at the pressure. It felt just right as far as he was concerned.

With his fists crackling to life in a shell of deep blue, he was all rage and hate and wrath.

His right arm cocked back, and John Shepard sledgehammered his fist into Han's mask. His gauntlets absorbed most of the force, but as he drove into the man, he could feel the admiral's head slap against the back of his helmet. His left arm fired forward, driving like a piston into the mask. Han grunted again.

A crack appeared, splintering across the glass-like surface with jagged tendrils.

John fired his right fist again. And again.

And again.

Screaming now, there was only one thought - he would deliver pain to this man. He would extract every ounce from him for hurting Tali. It did not matter that the admiral had intended the bullet for him. White hot anger overflowed his consciousness, he had only the urge to hurt, to kill.

He couldn't see that he'd crashed through the admiral's visor; his hardened and biotically-charged fists smashing into soft flesh and splintering bone. John scowled at the man, ripping off the blood-splashed gauntlets. He was going to kill the man, and he was going to do it with his bare hands.

He reared back one final time and sucked in a deep breath. He would end him, and he was going to do it now.

"John…"

It was barely a whisper in his earpiece, but it was her voice. It was the only one that he could have heard.

He hesitated.

"John…please. Do not…do not kill him."

Shaking, John cut a laboriously indecisive figure. He cocked his head at Tali's words. His primitive brain couldn't formulate a retort.

Coughing, Han spit up blood and teeth and more.

"Shepard…please…end this," he rasped with his one good eye radiating sadness and acceptance. "You have won. I…I need to be with her. I…do not care anymore. Please…"

With one fist cocked back, he stayed like that, as if frozen in time. He was caught between the pull of two needs and they wrestled with each other.

"Tali…" he croaked to her in desperation. He couldn't know what to do - his mind was at a stalemate. "I…"

His saera sniffled over the radio. "John…he deserves to be tried…for his crimes. Let him answer…let him answer to us." With the added emphasis, he knew then what she meant. Han would stand before the Conclave and see justice meted out by his own people.

If his injuries didn't take him first.

John closed his eyes and nodded in acquiescence. Tali was right, and had tipped the scales. Han deserved to answer for his crimes, the former Spectre wouldn't deliver the satisfaction of allowing Han'Gerrel to die on his terms.

"No, Han. I'm done killing." With that, Shepard stood up…and immediately toppled over on his backside with a cry of absolutely stinging anguish.

The ankle. The white-hot blaze of pain nearly engulfed him, and he knew that he was done.

Having arrived on scene in time to watch Shepard pummel Han, Garrus saw what was happening first as Liara rushed to the wall that was propping up the limp form of Tali'Shepard. Nat huddled with Kasumi, trying to get a handle on the situation. But Garrus saw motion, but was caught between her and Shepard.

Daro'Xen was not dead. She had grabbed Han's Arc Pistol and now shakily held it in her hand.

She was swimming in a haze of pain and grief. Memories and feelings ran through her swiftly collapsing consciousness. The room oscillated between light and darkness, and the darkness was winning. It swam in from the corners of her vision. Daro attempted to move, struggling against the response that her legs refused to make despite her mind's protests. The bosh'tets refused to obey her orders, and now she was stuck here, useless and alone.

Daro'Xen was dying, and she knew it.

Tears streamed heavily down her face.

She and her father are seated at their family table - the gathering point for their nightly meal of the family Xen. They have already discussed how her parents' days had gone. She fidgeted nervously, waiting for the chiding response from her father that she is certain she will receive. She knows that she is a disappointment, how could she not be? She is awkward and timid and cares little for the things that her classmates do. Her social skills are virtually nonexistent, and she fails at this no matter how hard she tries.

And keelah, does she try.

The girl could count on one hand the number of conversations that she thought had gone well - that she hadn't managed to embarrass herself in some way.

"Daro, do not let the other children bother you so much! Keelah, you are so talented!" Her mother knows - it is a certainty - that her daughter is special. Daro still cannot bring herself o believe her.

Her father reaches down to where she sits, cupping the side of her visor. How she wishes she could feel his loving touch on her cheek.

"Your mother is correct, and you know it just as well as I do."

She sniffles. "But father, Safi said that I was weird and that I…scared her. Why would she have said that?"

No longer reaching, he crouches down with a sigh to look his lovely and gifted daughter in the eye. He wears a sad smile, but his eyes show that he loves her, probably more than anything in the galaxy.

"Daro, the others are afraid because you are different. You think differently, and what interests you does not interest them. Like most children, they are wrapped up in the ordinary. But not you." She can see her father smile. "You are not like them. You can be extraordinary, do you hear me?"

She hugs him - it is a reaction without thought.

Her thoughts ran as a torrent, and she flew over what remained of her childhood; scenes from her memory, images and words. She paused to remember how proud her parents were as she left for Pilgrimage. She stopped to see once more the breaking point. The point when Tira killed Daro'Xen nar Chayym and created Daro'Xen vas Moreh. She remembered how happy they were when she returned. How they had tried to understand why she had become so reclusive. They'd tried to help her, to learn what was wrong, to understand what changed her.

But she couldn't tell them. They could never know her secret shame.

Her secret anger.

She'd lived in her darkness, wallowed in it; was slave to it.

Her sacred promise.

She sobbed again, harder than she had in a long time.

She sobbed for her parents who would kill her themselves if they but knew the truth.

Would they have forgiven her?

Her head rattled from the convulsing, the weight of guilt wrecking her. The pain of her physical wound was long forgotten.

She thought of Veetor'Nara. The strikingly quiet, intelligent young man who had come back from his own ordeal, had become an important part of her team. He'd made contributions that most quarians could not have even hoped to reach. And he had trusted her. He had reached out to her, offering a rescue that she'd been too ignorant to notice. By the time she had, it had been far too late.

Releasing her other hand from her side and wincing at the lost pressure and the heavier flow of blood, she gripped the pistol with both hands in one final act of defiance against herself. She saw the human, Shepard, fall off of the other admiral. She registered that it appeared that he was hurt as he clutched at his ankle.

It didn't matter; he was out of the way.

Good.

She took in a long, steadying breath and managed to clear the haze of tears from her vision. "Veetor, thank you." She sniffled one more time. "I'm so sorry."

She'd dared not ask forgiveness.

Han's head rolled to the side, his lone good eye locking with hers. He blinked once and Daro couldn't be sure if he was giving her a nod of acceptance.

It didn't matter.

With what strength remained in her body, she squeezed the trigger back then released. Her aim was true. Watching Han's head fly back in response was all the satisfaction that she would get. It was the only satisfaction she needed.

Daro'Xen nar Chayym ended Han'Gerrel vas Neema.

She dropped the pistol to her side, not hearing it clang against the surface. Her head fell back against the console as she closed her eyes with, finally after all this time, some small measure of peace, of atonement.

Embracing the darkness now, she no longer felt as cold in it; as alone.

And maybe, just maybe, it wasn't quite as dark as she feared.

Finally, it was over.

"Attention all quarian vessels: this is Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay. Under the orders of the Conclave, which I am now forwarding to all captains, I am taking command and will escort you back to Rannoch. You will be debriefed upon arrival. You will maintain radio silence until then. Raan out."

Thank the Goddess. Liara almost cried at the sound of the admiral's voice.

Nat'Veral had addressed the assembled ships, with Tali having enough strength to give confirming weight to his words, and informed them to stand down. Hulli had been in his ear next, finally breaking radio silence and telling them that Admiral Raan was on her way with her squadron, and would arrive on scene shortly.

Liara wasn't really certain how long it had taken her, but it certainly had not been long.

Looking around the room, she watched the marines that had been aboard numbly render aid to the few wounded that had not gotten word from Captain Higla and had had the audacity to confront their team, and wondered just what was going through their heads. They had already lined up the bodies of their own dead; of Veetor.

What a mess.

Shepard would have called this a "clusterfuck", Liara realized as she surveyed the room around her. She shook her head again, still not quite believing what had transpired here. A hand touched her shoulder.

"So, uh, that was pretty fucked up."

Liara chuckled ruefully. "Yes, Kasumi. I was just thinking the same thing. I am glad that Admiral Raan is here, she can sort this out."

They both looked over at Shepard as he sat on the floor with Tali's hand in his, reaching through the fence of Aril and her team. His eyes were trained on her, but were unfocused; glazed over.

What in the hell could be going through the man's head?

Hulli, who had been drafted into nurse duty by his own bondmate, had just put the finishing touches on his makeshift cast while Aril finished what triage she could do for Tali.

Garrus was seated next to the human with his hand on his shoulder, neither saying anything.

Looking back at the lifeless forms of the two admirals, there were four other quarians attending to their bodies now. Liara didn't know them, but recognized them from the Tilgrap. It looked like they were preparing their bodies for transport.

More quarians poured in from the main hall, and Nat'Veral immediately pointed them in Tali's direction. Reluctantly, Aril allowed them to stretcher the stricken admiral from her care and back on board the Otero.

Shepard squeezed her hand once more before Tali was pulled away from him, lost in a forest of nurses.

The doctor crouched down, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Shepard, she took a shot to her side. Antibiotics kicked in, but the slug is lodged in a delicate area. She's going to the Otero, okay? Their med bay is far more robust. They'll take care of her, I promise." When she received a nodded reply, the doctor continued. "Now, as for you, you hurt your ankle pretty badly. Can you tell me what happened?"

John simply blinked a few times, eyes vacant. "Aril…I don't know…I…" He closed his eyes, exhaling in defeat and exhaustion. "No. I don't…remember."

For a moment, she said nothing.

"Okay, Shepard. That's okay, all right?" She ran a diagnostic with her omnitool, knowing that Hulli had run one himself already. "Hmmm. No signs of a concussion or other head trauma. Take a minute here to rest, and we'll get you back on the Tilgrap soon. Hulli did an…acceptable job setting this, but I'll want to take a proper look at your ankle."

Kasumi and Liara walked over to where Shepard sat - Kasumi dropped next to Garrus, of course.

Garrus turned to her. "Hell of a day?"

She sniffed a small chuckle. "You could say that. G, do you think that…?"

"Yeah. Eventually."

Nodding, she said nothing further, but instead simply slipped her hand into his.

Liara knelt down in front of the man that she still felt a special connection with. A result of the "mind melds", she supposed. She held one of his hands, trying to remind him that his friends were here for him. That she was here for him when he needed her support.

"Shepard, are you all right?"

What a simple question.

What an impossible answer.

His eyes still slightly glazed over, he found Liara's wide, caring eyes. Then, casting his eyes to the floor, he opened his mouth to speak, with nothing coming out for a few quiet seconds.

"Liara…she'll be all right? I'm not going to…lose…" The tears began again. "I…I can't lose her. Liara, I can't."

Tilting her head, his asari friend squeezed his hand, smiling softly. "I should think that you are in no danger of that, Shepard. Tali is quite strong, and she has a good reason to recover, don't you think?"

"Yeah…maybe so." His eyes followed the wall until they settled on the hallway that Tali had just been carried through. "Liara, it is over, isn't it? Can we maybe just…?"

"Yes, Shepard. It's over."

Eyes still locked on the hallway, he nodded without realizing that he was even doing so. "Okay, Liara. Okay."

Suppressing an urge to wipe the tears that rolled down Shepard's face, Liara instead sat herself shoulder-to-shoulder on his other side.

She sighed, closing her eyes while resting next to her friend. Friends, she corrected herself with the tiniest hint of a smile.

It was over.