A/N:

Mostly feels. And ... stuff.

Thanks to the Editing Gang for their usual bang-up job, and to several of them for pointing out much needed clarifications.


'My dear Broker. I am not some pathetic, formulaic villain from a turian melodrama. I set my plan in motion long before you were even born.'

Doctor Ganar Okeer, in discussion with the Shadow Broker


DOWNLOADING: Data feed, prime broadcast segment 344

Manifest dump 42245-core alpha, unclassified

This is an official Systems Alliance data capture dump, replication or rebroadcast is restricted.

Transcript begins, identifiers J: al-Jiliani I: Te'Shora M : Jaroth Manno

Keywords: Krogan, Butcher, Okeer, Lythari, Eclipse, CDEM

BEGIN:

"Westerlund news! All the news, fit or unfit to print, 24/7!"

J: Good afternoon. I'm Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani, Westerlund News Network.

J: Tonight, we have a range of topics to cover – the first is perhaps somewhat unusual to our watchers across the extranet and in their homes, but still of interest to the wider galactic community. Some fifteen hours ago, communications were finally restored on the recycling center of the galaxy, Korlus.

J: (graphic pops up) A planet with a poor reputation for violence, Korlus was recently instrumental in offering reasonable bids for geth salvage, providing the Systems Alliance a forward fueling station on the edges of the Traverse and allowing our brave servicemen and servicewomen to take the fight to the filthy geth.

J: Korlus was attacked today in a wide-scale DDOSA attack, knocking interstellar comms and even secured FTL buoys, as well as most planet-wide comm systems, off for almost three hours. In the aftermath, it was discovered that the mysterious figure known as the Butcher had assaulted a ship-breaking facility owned by the infamous krogan doctor known as Warlord Okeer.

J: Okeer is famous for being one of the original creators of the Genophage, as well as a savage attack on the salarians researching it that forced the hands of the turians in deploying it. As a result, the krogan people blame him for their current situation.

J: (turns to her guests) Speaking on this issue tonight is one of our most frequent and respected guests, Lady Irissa Te'Shora, asari councilor and full adjunct to the asari councilor. Also with us tonight is a representative from the Eclipse Private Defense Group, one Sur'Kesh Maando Mani Than-sil Suil Jaroth Manno, who knew Doctor Okeer and is an expert on the krogan as he is currently helping to oversee the CDEM over Tuchanka.

M: (eyes widen as he nods his head) Impressive, Ms. Al-Jiliani. Your pronunciation is … very good.

J: (inclines head) Thank you. Let me start with you, Mr. Manno. You have done a large amount of business with this Doctor Okeer over the years. But most humans have never heard of him. Why is the death of Doctor Okeer sending such shockwaves through Citadel space?

M: (adjusts position) Ms. Al-Jiliani, Doctor Okeer has been a fixture of the Citadel and its peoples for well over two thousand years, and was alive long before that. While the krogan are thought of as brutish, he was writing papers on biochemistry, history, and military tactics. It was Okeer himself who was one of the main reasons that my people felt the krogan were ready for uplift in the first place.

M: (taps chin) Okeer was one of the strongest warriors in history. I've seen him fight off … dozens of attackers at once. For him to fall in battle was shocking – news that he was defeated in single combat ..,. is hard to believe.

I: (nods) I must concur. While Doctor Okeer was certainly a figure of contention among many – not least the krogan – his death in such strange circumstances raises many questions. I cannot think of anyone who could do such a task.

J: I see. The Council seems quite alarmed by this development.

I: Without going into specific intelligence details, there is evidence that the Butcher is associated with very extreme elements of criminal aspect. Her destruction of the pirates in the Traverse was seen as a good thing, although it certainly did not help the people of Freedom's Progress. But attacking Okeer makes many wonder about her agenda, and who exactly she is.

J: I remain puzzled at the alarm this has caused, though. Even if Okeer was powerful, aren't the krogan themselves a spent force, under the watchful eye of the CDEM?

M: Perhaps I can clarify. Eclipse has long heard rumors that Okeer was involved in some sort of research on the Genophage. Certainly, he has had several ugly incidents with Spectres, and gossip placed him as someone who had done business with Saren – possibly even after the fall of the Spectre. There is no doubt some concern that whatever Okeer knew is now in the hands of the Butcher, who could use such knowledge for any purpose. Krogan serving under Okeer claimed she was looking for information, and investigators found the tower he was working in destroyed and many materials and computers missing from the complex.

M: Additionally, there is the simple fact that Okeer, despite krogan hatred of them, was easily seen by all krogan as the Eldest and the strongest of their race. The Krogan Emperor himself died in single combat with Okeer, and eyewitnesses on the Citadel say that the current leader of the Krogan, one Urdnot Wrex, a mercenary of great age and skill, also failed to defeat him.

M: Yet by reports from Korlus, not only was the Butcher capable of killing him in single combat, but did so and was able to walk away under her own power, showing little traces of any injuries.

I: There is a concern that the Butcher may use her fame in killing Okeer – and stealing whatever research or notes he had – to attempt to rally an army of krogan for nefarious purposes. Krogan respect strength more than anything else, and to have their Eldest beaten by a nameless asari…

J: (Leans back) Irissa. There has been a huge amount of speculation recently about the Butcher, and her videos and acts against pirates. The Citadel Council has not issued a formal statement – but shouldn't we be cheering her instead of acting suspicious? She's killed slavers and this Okeer person does not sound exactly friendly.

I: (gesture of siari separation) There is the nature of the Butcher and her acts, and then there are her motives and goals. The Council strives for peace and unity – especially with the geth finally on the ropes in our long war against them. We have paid a price in blood – six Spectres, including Spectre Shepard and Spectre Ross, as well as Spectre Vathik – and in many other brave soldiers of all races. The last thing we need is vigilantes with mysterious power and unknown backers stirring up trouble.

J: You'll pardon me if some of my viewers are more inclined to think otherwise. The fall of the Umlor Pirates was cheered by many.

M: The crux of the issue is simple: This Butcher thinks she can do whatever she likes. Taking down the Umlor involved killing literally everyone involved – slavers or not. While I won't defend slavers, I have a hard time agreeing that she has the right to simply murder my friend Okeer.

M: Some may have had … issues with him. I also understand that many people have issues with some of the more extreme acts of the Ashlands, or with the attitudes of the Governor of Mindoir. Would you be so blasé if this asari decides she can just arrive on their worlds and execute them?

J: (arches an eyebrow) The Butcher has not taken any hostile action against Council Worlds.

M: (raises chin) Yet. And that is the thing that has many people bothered. We do not know her agenda and she does not respond to any forms of communication.

M: Eclipse must maintain public transparency due to our CDEM and other security contracts. All large PMCs must do the same. Our sponsors and stockholders must be available for review and we are not above being forced to comply with Citadel regulations. This lunatic, on the other hand, kinetically bombarded a garden world! Can you imagine the outrage – and fines – that would accrue if Eclipse or the Blue Suns was to attempt such a tactic?

I: Not only that. Even setting aside the death of Doctor Okeer, the Butcher was able to block comms and hack the security grid of an entire world! That kind of power is hardly something we can afford to leave in the hands of someone who acts as she will without obeying Citadel Law.

O-TWCD-O

With a sigh of disgust, the haptic screen was cut off.

"I can only presume you have some form of hypothesis for this unexpected setback, Tetrimus?" The Broker's voice was calm, but had an underlying rumble of anger in it that Tetrimus knew was bad.

Standing in front of the huge desk, flanked by dozens of data-feeds and displays, Tetrimus merely gave a flick of the mandible. "So far, we are drawing complete blanks on hard data. That makes forming said hypothesis difficult. The Butcher's capabilities continue to be … anomalous."

He lifted his hand. "We know she's asari. While we had good confirmation from earlier shows of her using singularities and blades, it was conceivable this was some kind of experimental human project. But the most recent images show otherwise. Footage from the assault, while very spotty, revealed at least one snippet of her killing krogan with a warp sword. While some Glorious batarians and the occasional salarian transcendental can use singularities, no one but asari can use warp swords."

He tapped his omni, displaying several reports. "Yet none of our agents on Thessia show any signs of recognizing this one or her fighting style. If anything, her blade-work is more along the sort of thing a member of the Clans would use, not the elegance of one of the Thirty. Her ships operate in some kind of stealth mode, similar to that of the human's stealth frigates, but the bulk of her weaponry is turian."

He ticked off a second talon. "We know she strikes from surprise and, if Jedore's reports can be trusted, was somewhat … profane for an asari. Given her viciousness and how she fights, despite the lack of polish, she may be one of the Wrathful Blades that Matriarch Aethyta trained. By all reports, the warp sword she fought with did have a blade of black metal..."

The Broker's eight eyes flickered over the status panels. "Over the past year, our operations on Ilium and Omega have been destroyed. I have lost irreplaceable specialists and a great deal of both money and ability to gather intelligence to the Sisters and Archangel. Then the Butcher arrives and disrupts not only the cover for the Collector project, but the slave labor sources and shipping we were using to build the Exodus Project."

He gestured to the still dark haptic screen. "And now she has cut down Okeer. We must assume that our security has been compromised. These are not random acts."

Tetrimus leaned on his cane, thinking. "The loss of Okeer removes our ability to field the krogan as a distracting element during our withdrawal, but little else. He kept whatever he was doing for the Collectors under his fringe the whole time. So I remain … less than crushed over his loss."

The Broker growled. "He had information on our operations, at least the few that related to him." He paused as one of his data feeds illuminated. "Speak."

The voice on the line was turian, flanged and female. "Sir. C-SEC has apprehended the krogan traveling with Okeer's body towards Tuchanka. They've agreed to negotiate with the CDEM to allow him to be buried there, but had to submit to an autopsy. I have the report."

The Broker's rumbling growl was more pleased sounding. "Good. What did you find?"

"Cause of death was not simply a warp-sword – there were several high-impact plasma blasts as well, as if from either an overcharged Spear of Athame rifle or more likely a M-903 Sunfire pistol. We managed to clean the Collector tech out of his armor, but there was no sign of his omni-tool at all. The more important thing is that the stab wounds he took were in some cases deep enough to completely penetrate the body."

Tetrimus frowned. "Why is that significant?"

The turian's voice was tinged with worry, sending her harmonics into lower ranges. "I cannot imagine the asari with enough physical strength to shove a blade completely through heavy armor and two feet of krogan when its warp energies are disrupted by the Collector anti-biotic matrix on his armor – that means most of the cutting power was from sheer strength of thrusts."

The Broker's maw fluttered. "Either very high level biotic body reinforcement, or cybernetics. Anything else of note?"

"Interviews with the krogan accompanying him said that the Butcher's shoulder was heavily damaged, but still usable despite being clearly mangled. They could smell blood, but they saw none of it from the wound on the shoulder." He paused. "They also said the blood smelled 'off' but not how or why."

He nodded. "Cybernetics, then. Curious choice for an asari. Very well. Keep me informed. Out."

He clicked off, glancing at Tetrimus. "Heavy cybernetics implies an older asari with slower regeneration - one more reason why I dislike the theory that Liara T'Soni somehow managed to survive and is the Butcher. We still grasp meaninglessly in the dark."

Tetrimus only shrugged. "I've got people on it. If the krogan smelled blood, however, then the cybernetics in question may only be limited to arms. A full-conversion asari cyborg is … ridiculous."

The Broker grunted. "You forget the late Ghost-Step. No matter. Have the teams on-site at Korlus discovered anything else of interest or use?"

Tetrimus sighed. "Conflicting reports. Much of Okeer's networks were manual – he distrusted linked comms – so we were able to recover some bits of footage. The main assault force was a small group of what appeared to be human males and females, along with two DACT. There are some images of what look like two quarians as well. They utilized conventional Alliance marine tactics, but were equipped with top of the line weapons and armor. A large group of highly advanced and armored modifications of the RAMPART mech accompanied them."

Tetrimus tapped his omni. "These mechs appear to have some sort of … regenerative metal function. Several were blasted to the ground, only to get up and continue fighting with minimal loss of ability. When the Butcher pulled out, all wreckage was recovered, so we have no samples."

The Broker's voice took on a sarcastic tone. "Wonderful. Yet another unknown variable. We now have an invisible magical turian that can kill at will, a pair of asari who can outwit my entire network and slaughter my best agents with impunity, and a mysterious asari who has stealth, hacking and robotics technology beyond anything else in the galaxy."

His many eyes narrowed. "And we have zero clue why they are hostile towards the Network. I find this an unacceptable lapse in our own protocols."

Tetrimus spread his hands. "With the bulk of our focus and manpower in the Expanse we are going to be left more vulnerable to events of this nature. I think what we have to ask is how do we proceed from here?"

The Broker leaned back. "We must draw one of them out of hiding. Given our lack of success on Ilium, and the lack of ability to localize the Butcher, that leaves Archangel. How many teams have managed to infiltrate Omega?"

Tetrimus tapped his cane. "Only two. The rest were destroyed by Archangel...or sold out to Aria, probably by Archangel. Both teams are operating in the black markets and posing as weapons dealers. Communications taps are working, although we aren't getting much of use. Aria is preparing to expand her fleets, and is colonizing six more worlds."

The Broker nodded, and turned his bulk to one side, glancing over several status displays. "From the patterns I see, Archangel is attempting to destroy my teams not to protect Aria, but to gather intelligence. It is possible he is attempting to localize our command location."

Tetrimus gave a sigh. "If I had a credit for every time some two-bit vigilante attempted to kill us..."

The Broker, surprisingly, laughed, a nightmare sound. "In this case, the concept may be put to good use. Even with the resistance from Aria and Archangel, the Omega Project can succeed if we can turn one against the other openly. Either Archangel destroys Aria, casting the entire Terminus into war and chaos, or she crushes him and leaves herself more vulnerable to our infiltration."

"Shift the focus of our teams on Omega towards localizing Archangel. And send in independent operators as well, place them with merc companies, free traders – however you can. Use only coded comms. Once localized, attempt to identify a weak point. Archangel cannot be operating alone. Once you localize him, mobilize the gangs to crush him – and make it very noticeable."

Tetrimus nodded. "And what of the Sisters? Tazzik is impatient for us to implement his plan."

The Broker waved a massive hand. "They have already ruined the Ilium operation completely. Tazzik's plan is workable. Once you finish setting up events on Omega, you may proceed with it. Have Tazzik travel to Omega and if the Butcher shows up, Tazzik will kill her while you deal with the Sisters."

Tetrimus flicked a mandible. "Are you sure Tazzik can take the Butcher?"

The Broker chuckled darkly. "As long as the fool stays away from ledges. Tazzik's skills as the plan progresses become of less and less utility. You are much stronger, but Tazzik can take more damage - and more importantly, we have remote viewing capability. If he wins, the problem is handled...and if he loses, we have a far more complete understanding of the Butcher's tactics and capabilities."

The yahg tapped a few controls on the massive desk. "And should the unthinkable happen - capture - I can solve that problem remotely."

Tetrimus shook his head. "I still think allowing me to go after this Butcher would be the more logical move. Her biotic power is something Tazzik can't correct for."

The Broker's basso laughter made the floor shake. "He will be adding some … upgrades very soon. Regardless, I have determined the course of action. I cannot risk you at this juncture."

Tetrimus sighed. "What do I do with the Sisters once I crush them?"

The Broker made a fist. "A minor detail. Capture them if at all possible - otherwise, execute them and trace their sponsor. You will not be going alone, and you must get a better understanding of conditions on Ilium before heading there. What resources do we have available on Ilium currently?"

Tetrimus checked his omni. "The only ones worth noting are several information brokers – Fithana Mjan, Kesa Mithus, Nassana Dantius – whose survival continues to amaze – and the Vantirus Sisters, who are no doubt STG plants." He paused. "There's also the Reclaimed, but they are still our most likely candidates for who the Sisters are, despite the fact we can't link them to anything."

The Broker nodded. "Reach out to all of them and inquire as to the possibility of patterns in the acts of the Sisters of Vengeance. Go ahead and arrange one of Tazzik's 'accidents' at the compound of the Reclaimed Sisterhood and see what the result is."

Tetrimus tapped orders into his omni. "Very well. And Exodus?"

The Broker leaned back. "Proceeds on schedule. The Collectors appear to be in no hurry, and while there are vast numbers of the Reapers on the move, they are headed towards the Sculptor Galaxy. My most recent projections show us capable of evacuation in time … barely."

Tetrimus shivered at the idea of beings powerful enough to reach that distance in any reasonable time frame. "If they suddenly changed their minds, how quickly could they be here?"

The Broker glanced back at him. "Six to seven months. At least for a vanguard. Given how spread out they appear to be from the limits of the sensor array, it would take almost ten years for them all to gather. Which would be complete overkill."

Tetrimus nodded. "Okeer's cloning equipment and females should be arriving soon – but not the promised males to go with them. What should we do?"

The Broker leaned back. "Use the females as bargaining chips with the Blood Pack. The cloning equipment is of Collector manufacture - see if we cannot adapt it for our own use. If not, dangle the concept to Jona Sederis in return for more access to Tuchanka."

Tetrimus nodded and left shortly thereafter, leaving the Broker to scan his data screens. He tapped one, musingly. "Agent Obscura. Report."

The elegant accent of a human female answered after a few seconds. "I am still gathering intelligence. So far, though, I can confirm Hock is dead and the data he mentioned missing. There is too much Commissar activity for me to enter the grounds directly, but I've been monitoring comms. Whoever did this was a powerful biotic, and security footage shows that the perpetrator was definitely Trellani."

The Broker sat back. "Anything else?"

"The mercs that survived said they were heavily engaged by mechs of some kind that had innate self-repair properties. No wreckage was recovered, however."

The Brokers' eyes narrowed. "Try to find any of his associates who might have known what the data may have involved. And keep me informed." He leaned back even further, mind racing. The presence of the same strange robotics technology under the command of Trellani cemented the Council's statement that the Butcher was linked to Cerberus.

Harper was exceedingly clever. By using a completely non-human force, the number of people who would believe Cerberus was behind the Sisters, Archangel and the Butcher would be very low – but how else could all three be operating with no backing or resources? Aria was too stupid for such clever antics, P. would have been gloating by now, and the other usual suspects were all panicking.

But what was Harper's end game? Aside from the destruction of the Broker Network, of course.

O-TWCD-O

Repairing Shepard only took about an hour all told, which was in Shepard's mind a big improvement from hours spent on bone regenerators and days in a hospital bed. There was still some damage they couldn't fix on the Normandy, of course, but nothing serious enough for her to be worrying about – at least in her opinion.

Sedanya was concerned about some minor damage to her lungs, and warned Shepard that healing such things would take much longer than before. Shepard nodded, dimly aware of faint pains in her chest that came and went. While she wasn't dismissive of the internal damage, anything was better than laying about for a week.

Given that they'd acted openly enough to attract attention from almost everyone, Joker and Vigil were currently playing 'fuck up the FTL trail' and hopping between systems, dropping charge on desolate gas giants where they could and muddling any FTL wake trail the Normandy might have made. Doing so would require at least three or four hours before burning to the relay to meet up with Massani.

She couldn't just go over whatever Okeer was up to, sadly. The take from Okeer's lab was still being analyzed, with Vigil transmitting the bulk of it to their home base for Trudy's people to start working on. While Vigil was capable of processing vast amounts of information, it was not, by its own statement, really skilled at analysis. Context was always a problem. Additionally, it was occupied trying to follow data-links based on the findings, as well as use some of the information to pin down Broker operations.

Rather than bother the sphere, she decided to walk around. Being able to do so with no pain after such a beating was definitely a new experience. She checked in with her marines, who were all recovering nicely and pumped about their new gear – especially the DACT.

After joking about with them for a bit, she headed towards engineering and the pit where Jack's living space was. She was pleased with what she saw. The mechs had installed a comfortable bunk, several lockers, a haptic screen with data-link access, and added a few vents for air circulation, as well as a chair in front of the screen. While they were turned off, Shepard also saw they'd installed lights.

Jack herself was laying on her back, stripped down to black pants and gauze. She glanced up as Shepard clunked down the stairs, then let her head fall back. "The fuck you want?"

Shepard sat down in the only chair, looking at Jack. "Just to talk."

Jack closed her eyes. "So go talk to your fucking cheerleader, or the bucket-heads."

Shepard leaned back in the chair, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. "She's not my cheerleader. And it's my goddamned ship. Talk to who I please."

Jack opened one eye, then sighed. "Bitch, if you're gonna smoke in my space, at least fucking share."

Shepard tossed her the cigarettes and lighter. "Ungrateful brat. Are you even old enough to smoke?"

Jack took one out. "Whatever, grandma." She lit it, with perhaps the slightest smile on her face, then exhaled smoke. "You are even fucking crazier than I am, by the way. That was the biggest krogan I ever saw and you beat him with a fuck-ass sword." She turned her head to look at Shepard. "Logic, common sense, laws of physics – you don't even give a fuck, do you?"

Shepard shrugged. "The first Glorious batarian I killed, I did it in a fistfight. Punched out a Geth Prime on my first run on the Normandy – charged right through a point blank plasma blast to do that."

Jack smirked. "Alright, that was kinda badass." The smile flickered. "Still..don't you ever get fucking scared?"

Shepard blew out smoke of her own. "Fear...isn't something I really felt. Not for my own life. For a long time – a long, stupid time – it was because I told myself I had nothing to lose. Later on, I was actually chasing death – seeing it as a way to end the pain."

Jack shook her head. "What bullshit. Everyone gets scared. I've been so fucking messed up from fear I lost my shit completely." Her expression hardened, her gaze darkening.

Shepard shrugged, rotating the cigarette in her fingers before puffing on it again. "I'm not saying I was never scared – just not of dying. I was scared of losing the things important to me, of failing, of … being worthless. But at the same time, I honestly thought I couldn't be killed. At one point, I thought I was the baddest thing ever, and the first hard reality check I had to that idea was when I had Saren cold and he still fucked me up."

She tilted her head. "What I … changed into later was mostly due to other people getting me to wake up and realize I wasn't fucking immortal. Even then I never let fear master who I was, or how I acted. The Alliance shrinks said I was, for lack of a better word, dysfunctional. Chambers would probably have some fancy-ass name for it. But it's one of the first lessons the Old Lady taught me."

She glanced over at Jack. "Fear makes you panic. Panic makes you sloppy. Sloppy makes you dead."

Jack grunted, closing her eyes and puffing on the cigarette, before dumping the ashes on the floor. "Yeah, well. Lots of shit makes you sloppy." She bit her lip. "I ain't scared of dying, but I ain't chasing it either. But I get what you're saying. I guess I'm more scared of...things that go worse that that. People. Being … used up."

A pause, and then she exhaled. "Shit. You ever get double-crossed?"

Shepard's voice was bitter. "Oh, fuck yes. CO sold me up the river. First person I thought I was in love with tried to get me killed. One of my best friends gave his best shot at killing me, and the rest abandoned me. Woman I looked up to as my mom was actually a goddamned Cerberus terrorist bitch."

She closed her eyes. "Even the SA is fucked up. Hell, they tell you straight up – they're happy about being fucked up and gladly sell out marines and people's lives to get things done. About the only people who haven't ever stabbed me in the fucking back are my crew and Anderson. And Udina, as funny as that fucking is to say."

Jack was silent for long seconds. "...how...fuck." She exhaled. "That's what I don't get. How do you get past that? People don't fucking care. They use you. And the more you trust them the worse you get hurt in the end."

Shepard nodded. "It's about picking the right ones to call friends. I … the streets aren't a place to make friends. You yourself understand that, Jack. If you use that as your template for working with other people, you just get into a cycle where you end up depending on people who will fuck you over."

She smiled faintly. "I told Harper not too long back I shouldn't have to live my life by street rules. Those rules keep you alive...but they don't let you live. They keep a knife out of your back, but you have to surround yourself with hard motherfuckers who care more about things, or the fear of others, than people and what happens to them."

She puffed on her cigarette. "As for being used...one of my old teammates said I let everyone in my life use me so I could at least feel fucking useful."

Jack blinked, then shook her head. "What an asshole."

Shepard's lips quirked. "I miss my old NCT...but I think Liara was right about them, and Dunn was right too. They used me. But I let them use me. Not because they made me feel useful, but more like I was … a part of something."

Jack's expression tightened, but she said nothing. Shepard only puffed on the cigarette again. "In the end, though, I found people – or they were forced on me – that made me face shit about my beliefs. That made me see I was wrong. That not everyone uses. That sometimes people are willing to risk things because they actually care."

She made a vague gesture upwards with her cigarette, leaving a trail of smoke."Tali was given a quarter of a million credits and a ship. She could have returned home a hero. She didn't – spent her money so Jeff could walk and fought with us until she got her leg blown off. Then kept trying to fight, to get my body back, until Broker fucks blew her arm off. When she finally got back home...her own people double crossed her and tried to kill Jeff."

She blew out a smoke ring. "Pressly's wife threw his shit in the trash and was fucking a guy half her age while he was damn near dead helping me fight Saren and Benezia, and then they shot him when he went back and was pissed about it. Garrus had to throw away his career and risk his honor – big shit for turians – just to go after Saren, and his girlfriend ended up facing down a member of the Thirty – as a clanless – and had the perfect opportunity to double cross me but didn't. Liara's own government was doing everything but giving out blow jobs to get her killed off because of the shit her mother did. I won't even go into the bullshit Ash went through...or some of my other friends."

She exhaled. "I used to say if I kept everyone at arm's length I couldn't get hurt. I know now that if you do that you also have no one to pick you up when you fall. Pushing people back keeps them away, yeah, but if you just keep pushing people back, it doesn't fucking help either. Did that for years, all it did was make me into a lonely, bitter, hateful wreck."

Jack snorted. "Better that than dead, though."

Shepard arched an eyebrow. "Is it? Is it better to live every day thinking they're all out to get you, to never fit the fuck in, to always be on the outside wondering what the shit you did wrong? I lived that for … a long time. Never made a goddamned thing 'better'."

She laughed. "No wonder Ahern called me an emo clown. I was. I still am in some ways, I guess. Here I am bitch-moaning at you about trusting people when I don't trust Cerberus as far as I can pee standing up."

Jack shrugged. "I'm not you. I can't just ignore the shit I've lived and do things your way." She bit her lip. "I get some of it. But … when you get burned again and again -"

She broke off. "After Cerberus...freed me, cleaned me up, they set me up with some fucking academy bullshit. Nice idea, but one of the teachers liked little girls. So I ran away. Needed space. Hitched rides … ended up running with some mercs from Tathon. One of 'em said I reminded him of his daughter. Gig was okay for a while until some fucker decided he wanted a piece of ass and wasn't taking no for an answer. So I stabbed him and broke his ass in half with my biotics. The mercs...they said I was a murderer and gave me up to the bounty services."

She grimaced. "Got out after six weeks because some gang blew the place to shit to free their guys. Rolled with them, got some kick-ass ink. Ended up on Omega. Met some interesting people." Jack's voice softened. "Thought I was in love. Turns out, she was just using me. I got set up as a decoy on a run and left for dead."

Jack looked up at Shepard. "Lived through that – ended up in a cult. Weird cult. Lots of sex, lots of drugs, lots of praise. Turned out to be some kind of shit of the Broker's...and they threw me in a slave camp for the Broker's people to pick up once they figured out my biotics were different. Blade of Eris saved me. We were doing good shit. Yeah, we blew up some stuff we shouldn't have...but we were fucking saving people!"

Shepard tilted her head. "And then you ran into the Deathwatch."

Jack snorted. "Yeah. And I end up wondering how long it would have taken for the Blade to figure out a reason to sell me out." She shrugged. "Trusting people isn't my speed – I can't do shit like you do."

Shepard sniffed. "No, you can't. I get that. People who never got fucked over and out tell you to get over it, or that you're being a bitch about it, but they don't get it. I can see why you'd not listen to that. But when someone who has gone through the shit is telling you the same thing, maybe changing how you look at the world would help."

Jack rolled her eyes. "I'm not stupid. I get what you're saying. There's people out there who aren't complete fucks. So what? How long did it take you to find people who wouldn't fuck you up the ass? How much bullshit do I have to go through till I find someone who won't betray me?"

Shepard dropped her cigarette, crushing it out on the deck, then picked up the butt and moved the ashes around with her toe. "I won't betray you."

Jack looked at her with some unspoken emotion on her finely boned features, and then shook her head. "...words. You'd betray me in a fucking heartbeat to save Tali or – "

Shepard held up a hand. "I sacrificed people in my career, yeah. This is real fucking life, girl. When I went after Benezia, I left Garrus and Tel to fucking die holding a line to make sure we didn't get shot in the back by reinforcements. You think I felt good about that shit? I felt like trash. Trash sells out their friends to 'get the job done'."

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I hated seeing my boys and girls be shot to pieces, bleeding and dying because my dumb ass didn't know a way to stop it. I lead every fucking assault and got blown up more than once trying to keep from having to pull that stunt. But yeah. I'd sacrifice you – and Tali – and everyone fucking else if I had to in order to stop the Reapers from killing everyone."

She stared hard into Jack's eyes. "But I won't do it to profit from it, or save my own fucking life. I didn't solo Okeer because I thought I was a badass. It's because I'm a goddamned machine. You can fix me, like a beat up MAKO. You and Tali taking hits from that crazy fuck would have left you in a pile of salsa, and not even the good salsa, the watery shit they serve in Taco Uno."

Jack made a choking sound, then burst out laughing. "...heh." She shook her head. "Why you saying this shit, anyway?"

Shepard adjusted her position. "Because, no matter what goes down, I need your help, and I'm going to put you in situations where you could end up as Taco Uno salsa if things go to shit. And on the Shepard Magical Express, things ALWAYS go to shit. I'm not offering to train you because of some goddamned crap where we'll bond, you'll look up to me, and flowers rain down from the heavens. Training you how to move on from where you are now is also in my own best interest. Tetrimus is the undisputed hardest fuck in the entire galaxy."

She smiled. "I have to make sure you're willing to trust me enough to risk your life. I'd do the same for you. I need that, because even if I'm left with working with Cerberus, that doesn't mean I can trust them. They're useful to me. I'm useful to them...and when I'm no longer useful who knows what the fuck they'll do."

She sighed. "And I figure someone who has been double-crossed like you won't ever do that shit to me. Am I wrong?"

Jack looked back up. "...no. Fuck no. You're not wrong." There was an almost embarrassed anger in her voice, and Shepard nodded.

"Good. And because of that, I want you to be the best you can be. That's why I train you." She laughed quietly. "It shouldn't be too hard. You have the first step – being a badass – down pretty good already, from what I saw on Korlus."

Jack arched an eyebrow. "What's step two, bang the shit out of an asari? Did that on Omega, bitch was in my head and still fucked me over."

Shepard shook her head. "There's not a guide – or if there is, I wish someone would have let me see it. It's more …" She thought back to the psychology primers Udina had given her. "It's about taking controlled risks. I didn't bust you out of ice and offer you whatever you wanted to double-cross you, Jack. Let it fucking go. I did, and ...hell, before I died? I was actually enjoying life. You can too."

The biotic was silent for a long moment before sighing. "...shit is complex."

Shepard leaned back. "Yeah, well, so are you. We all have things in our lives that make no sense. You don't like Cerberus, but you were chatty with those two guys from the shuttle."

Jack's expression twisted. "Kai and Pel? They're … it's just weird, I don't know. I don't even know why the hell they're interested in me. Not to fuck." Her face took on a thoughtful cast. "Not that I would mind. But … it's like they don't really care, but are...what? Waiting to see what I'll do? Kai keeps expecting me to understand whatever the hell he's going on about, and Pel said I'll understand it when I figure out why everything is a joke. Whatever that means."

Shepard closed her eyes, thinking back. "When I was younger, the person who shaped me the most was...a woman named Rachel Florez. She was a training officer in the Penal Legions. She was a vicious bitch with a chip on both fucking shoulders...and completely badass."

Shepard opened her eyes again. "I never understood, back then, why Rachel worked so hard to make me better, when she used to tell me she didn't care. I never understood why she would put up with me when I fucked up, or listened to all my … whining."

"But it felt...good. To have her care, even if I didn't get it. I wanted to impress her. I wanted to make her happy she'd spent the time on me. Anderson...another person who was big in my life...he never demanded anything from me. He was just .. supportive. Listening. Rachel pushed me. Rachel made me hard."

Jack's expression was almost unguarded, and Shepard smiled. "She told me, towards the end, that she saw a lot of me in herself. Maybe those two do as well. I got around to reading the records about Teltin – and how they were the ones who shut it down. And in some of what they wrote, they talked about shit they went through when they were younger."

Jack's voice was almost a whisper. "Yeah. I … it's just fucked, you know? Cerberus jacked up my whole life. And Cerberus freed me and – if the cheerleader isn't lying – kept me from getting killed more than once. They sent the intel to the Blade of Eris to break me out of that slave camp."

Shepard arched an eyebrow. "Miranda gave you Cerberus intel?"

Jack shrugged. "The cheerleader showed me some of the files I asked about. After bitching about it, of course. She says they've changed, but for a long time they were into sick fucking shit. Worse than the crap they pulled on me. And TIM don't strike me as the kind of guy who won't get into crap like that because it's bad." She puffed on her cigarette before snuffing it with a small application of her biotics.

"Knowing they saved your life...it fucks with your head. Do you hate them? Tell yourself the ones who did it are dead and the ones who tried to make it right are okay?" Jack's voice had a slight waver to it as she stood, abruptly. "It makes you want to do dumb shit." She glanced at Shepard. "Why are you even working for them anyway? You blew them up."

Shepard shrugged. "Cerberus is just like … some of the other situations I was talking about. One of those things where on the surface, trusting them seems logical. But then I remember the things they used to be involved in, and I'm never sure if they can really be trusted or not."

She flexed her hand. "Even if they brought me back from the dead."

Jack snorted. "So why not bail? Go to the Council."

Shepard shrugged. "Let's just say I know enough about how the Council and the Alliance works to think they won't listen to me like TIM does. I'm as ambivalent about them as you are. They got my friends killed bringing my body back...but now I wonder if at least some of them would have been killed or worse either way. And I need their resources."

She slapped her stomach. "This body isn't natural. Without the docs at the base – and the cash and all that – I'm probably dead."

Jack tilted her head, then smirked. "Yeah, I can fucking tell that body ain't natural."

Shepard pinched the bridge of her nose. "Jack..."

Jack's smirk widened. "Oh, lighten the fuck up, grandma. Besides, you still don't need Cerberus. I mean, there's lots of other pirate groups out there besides the Umlor. Could just plunder them all to pay for your shit. This ship is a powerhouse...and you have a fucking fleet. Take down all the pirates...siege fucking Omega...roast that bitch Aria over an open fire."

She stretched, and then grinned at Shepard. "It'd be fun. I could lead the boarding parties. And that Vigil thing could hack all the cash you needed."

Shepard grinned. "Tempting. Very tempting." She shook her head. "But stopping the Collectors is more important, and I can't do that right now without the intelligence Cerberus provides. Not to mention they're the only ones who really know how to fix me up and keep me going."

Jack rolled her eyes. "Well, duh. Did you fucking expect them to not put a leash on you?"

Shepard stood. "We'll see in time if they can be trusted, Jack. Right now...can I trust you? To have my back? And to watch the backs of my friends?"

Jack lay back on her bed, closing her eyes. "I'm not the one who stabs people in the back." She frowned, turning her head to Shepard. "Why does it matter?"

Shepard grimaced. "Because you might be right. I might be right. There might come a day I have to turn on them. And I don't want to wait until then for you to choose a side."

Jack snorted. "Like that shit would happen. Like I said, I don't cut and run. Look, if they pull something stupid enough to turn you on them, it probably means they would want to stick me back in a lab. I'm not having that shit."

Shepard nodded. "Fair enough." She turned to leave, but Jack sat up.

"Is that it?"

Shepard turned back to face her, arching an eyebrow. "...what do you mean?"

Jack's expression was difficult to read. "Usually by this time someone's trying to get in my pants. I don't get you."

Shepard sighed, leaning against the wall. "Jack, for most people, I've been dead for two years. For me, it's been ...barely two months. Oddly enough, after losing the person I loved more than anything, the idea of banging a scrawny crazy chick isn't real high on my list of priorities." Her lips curved. "Why are you so fixated on this?"

Jack's eyes flickered with a split-second of what may have been vulnerability, or hurt, but her voice was defiant. "I usually had to pay my way. Even in the Blade of Eris. That's all I'm good for in some people's eyes." Her voice was defiant and yet small. "The best way to make sure I was safer was being fucked."

Shepard pinched the bridge of her nose. "...do I really strike you as the kind of person who'd demand that sort of thing?"

Jack looked away. "It's what I know. Sometimes you run with what worked in the past."

Shepard grimaced, remembering Rachel talking about selling herself in her youth, before the Alliance. "That part of your life is over as long as you're rolling with me. All I demand from you is that you work with the team and have my back." She gave the tiniest of smirks. "Besides, I don't think I'm really your speed. I like things pretty rough, way past whips and chains."

Jack nodded, and then grimaced. "I, uh." She actually looked confused for a second, and blushed before looking up. "I ...um. Yeah. Me too. I wouldn't say no."

Shepard pinched the bridge of her nose again. "That fucking figures." She cleared her throat. "Look. I'm bad at this kind of thing. But right now I'm … way too torn up to even think about anything like that. Emotionally."

Jack looked mortified and only nodded. Shepard shook her head and chucked. "It's funny. Liara had the same sort of hero-worship shit." She exhaled. "Given that they probably put Miranda on my ship as some kind of bait … "

Jack looked up, then laughed. "I knew it! No way they'd have her and Chambers wearing some shit you couldn't catch the Consort in for no reason!"

Shepard merely nodded. "Hopefully they aren't that stupid." She bit her lip. "Hey. I know even talking about that kind of shit is rough. Like I said. Not now. Not sure when, either. It's not something I've even thought about."

Her jaw tightened. "I always figured Liara would outlive me and I encouraged her to move the fuck on if I died. But living fucking hurts. Right now..."

Jack shook her head. "Hey. No. I get it. I'm … just fucking go, okay? I got a lot of shit to think about, about what you said." She gave an almost bleak smile. "...thanks. I guess."

Shepard nodded, and ascended the stairs, then headed to the elevator. She had other things to do, but after that conversation, she needed a drink.

O-TWCD-O

Twenty minutes later, she was sitting in the couch in her quarters, sourly thinking about Jack while drinking her fourth glass of scotch.

The girl – young woman – was obviously an emotional wreck.

Which, from Shepard's limited understanding, made sense. You lost your crew you ran with after being betrayed over and over again, prison raped, beaten, and frozen. When you wake up you're given over to someone who turns out to be your childhood hero. Your whole life up to this point has been based on trying to be useful enough to not get double-crossed, and if that meant whoring yourself out, so be it.

Jack, on a Cerberus ship with no one she was sure she could trust, and her first mission a hellscape ending in going up against a krogan thousands of years old, was probably a bit shaky.

On reflection, it was perfectly obvious, given Jack's background and her own dumb phrasing, why Jack acted the way she did.

She took another sip of her scotch. "Another quality Shepard moment. Ah, but I have so many."

Dealing with that conversation wouldn't be hard. It never happened. Acting on it would be completely fucking stupid. Two years in the real world, two months in her own – burying her grief and loss in someone like Jack was probably using her worse than the poor girl had ever been used in her life.

That didn't stop her from thinking about it. She pinched the bridge of her nose, then a chime at her door pulled her from reverie.

"Enter."

Kelly Chambers entered, wearing the body-hugging Cerberus suit she usually sported, and glanced around before stepping inside further. "I'd expected you to … personalize the place a bit more."

Shepard leaned back. "Why? It's not like I had a lot of personal possessions. Most of them were on Intei'sai, and I expect the fucking SA has repossessed everything I had anyway. Given that we haven't stopped anywhere I could go shopping, I don't own shit."

She gestured at the fish-tank. "And some of this shit...I mean, really? Do you fucking really think I'd buy some fish? Why is that thing there anyway?"

Kelly chuckled, crossing the room to pick up Shepard's cigarettes and take one, lighting it and sitting down across from her. "My idea. Distractionals. Fish are something you have to feed, pay attention to. Get attached to without any real guilt when they die. And they're pretty to look at."

Shepard rolled her eyes. "You just up here to steal my booze again, Chambers? Or pick at my brain?"

Kelly smiled, reaching over to the small locker and pulling out the bottle of scotch and an extra plastic glass. "Both, actually. Haven't had an opportunity to follow up on our initial discussion...and I worry that delaying it isn't helping you."

Shepard rolled her eyes. "I've been busy. And I'm fine. Smashing the shit out of krogan is very cathartic."

Kelly laughed, sipping the scotch. "And I'm not complaining, Shepard. It's been a turbulent week, dealing with Jack, with Okeer. Exposing yourself to your old friend Kuril was probably emotionally draining as well. I'm just here to talk about it, even if it makes no sense."

Shepard gave her a dubious look. "Talk about what?"

Kelly leaned back, pushing a lock of her red hair into place. "Anything. Everything. Listen to you bitch, answer questions, whatever. That's what you need, I think."

Shepard frowned. "Don't see there's much to discuss, about me. Jack has a boatload of issues, but that's neither here nor there – and a private affair."

Chamber's expression shifted to impish amusement. "Jack is very … colorful. And she does have quite a few problems. Unfortunately, too many of them stem from Cerberus itself. What Cerberus did to her makes me question why I'm here sometimes, even if we did get around to half-ass fixing it later."

Shepard arched an eyebrow. "Doubts in your own alien-killing club?"

Kelly rolled her eyes. "Shepard, please. Not all of us went around cutting up aliens. I spent more time fucking them than fighting them. I never had a problem with aliens, individually. Alien governments, not so much my speed."

Shepard was still processing the first half of that statement. "...wait. You slept with aliens? Asari?"

Kelly puffed on her cigarette. "Asari, turians, salarians, drell – who are a BLAST once you're bombed on their kisses – hanar a couple of times. I think turians are my favorite, although goddamn clean up is a pain the ass."

Shepard's jaw dropped.

Kelly grinned. "I was … um. Well. I wasn't always Cerberus...and I paid my way through college on Cyrene, as a dancer and 'experience' for asari interested in humans. Almost flunked out because I was too busy banging blues to actually go to class, and damn near just gave up to do the dancing and escort thing full time." She sipped the scotch again.

Shepard sat forward. "And you stopped because...?"

Kelly shrugged. "Bad breakup with an asari. REALLY bad, almost killed myself bad. Anyway, it shook me up enough to reconsider my priorities. Finished my degree, went off to do Alliance inter-work psychological studies. You know, the Alliance trying to understand aliens, them trying to understand us. Turian psychologists are … really strange. Lived with a turian for two years, almost ran off with him to the Hierarchy, then he got killed in a training accident. Bit of an emotional wreck...the rest was just me acting out, I think."

Shepard mused over this, putting out her own cigarette. "What drove you into Cerberus, then?"

Kelly frowned. "That's...personal." She paused, then made an almost angry, vague gesture. "Just keep it to yourself. Please. I was messed up from two train-wreck relationships with aliens, and things spiraled down from there. My career was ruined because I didn't back the line that the Alliance wanted to hear on some research I was doing, and in trying to find out why, I stumbled across some things I shouldn't have. Stuff the Alliance knew the asari were pulling on us."

She sighed. "I was dumb enough to think I could go public with it. I'm not sure how it all went down, but Cerberus saved my life from a Nightwind assassin who had me spread-eagle and half-brain fucked. Trellani put my head back together and … I started to do what I could to help them."

The psychologist's green eyes were haunted by something, and Shepard nodded sourly. "Jesus fuck, I wish I could meet someone whose entire life wasn't a goddamned train-wreck sometimes."

Kelly gave a wry smile. "A lot of otherwise good people ended up in Cerberus out of bitterness. A lot of them – Kai and Pel, Petrovsky and Rasa – were fucked over by the SA themselves."

Shepard looked up. "Petrovsky? General Petrovsky? He's fucking Cerberus?"

Kelly smiled. "That's right, he was one of the few who went to bat for you back in the day. Yes, he...he's the director of the military assets we have now. He's at our main facility."

Shepard sighed. "Anybody else I know in this thing?"

Kelly shook her head. "Very doubtful. The von Graths had only the most tangential connection to us – and that was just before your death. Kyle, and the President, were both getting information from us, and we had a pair of Commissars working with us. But the majority of Cerberus was rogue from the SA even before Mr. Harper had you kill off the Iron and Shadow cells."

Kelly sipped her drink, and shifted on the couch. "Getting off track. What's important is that I don't hate aliens, and I know more about them than a lot of humans do. It's one of the main reasons why I was assigned to you rather than some other Cerberus psych, like Doctor Minsta, who thinks aliens are best when dead or on petri dishes or something."

Shepard nodded slowly. "I see. Any other reasons why you're here?"

Kelly gave her a long look, before taking a puff on the cigarette. "A couple. I'll be as open and straight with you as I can. I'm here, like I said, to provide psychological support – to keep you going. Bluntly, that means my only priority is your stability and survival. I'm personally committed to that – I was on the Citadel when Nazara struck, and we'd all be fucking dead if not for you."

She tapped her ashes with a hand that shook slightly. "I still have nightmares about that. I won't lie and pretend Cerberus doesn't have an agenda. The Illusive Man has been as open and truthful about that as he can. We haven't lied to you, but we certainly have arranged things so that working with us is the easiest choice."

Shepard drained her glass of scotch. "No shit."

Kelly shrugged. "A second reason why I'm here is to provide you with insights as to why we do things a certain way. Miranda means well, but she was goddamned raised by Harper, and she's going to see things his way no matter what. Taylor doesn't have any insight into the organization, and Ezno – ugh. So when you want to scream at Cerberus for doing something or demand answers for why we did shit, I am here to answer those questions as well – and in a way that won't fuck your mind up."

Kelly leaned back. "Finally, and don't take this the wrong way – but the biggest reason I'm here has to do with you, yourself."

Shepard eyed the woman carefully. "Kelly, if you make a pass at me, I will end you."

The redhead burst out laughing. "Oh, god. No, that would be … well, waaay too kinky, given I'm actually more hardcore than you." She giggled again at the poleaxed expression on Shepard's face. "Turians. Seriously. Give them a try."

Smothering her mirth, she shook her head. "No. When I mean I'm here because of you, it's because I did most of the prep work and psychometry for reconstructing your mind. I know it must seem horribly violating, but we had to review a lot of memories we transferred to your gray-box to make sure everything … worked correctly. For ethical reasons, only Ms. Lawson and myself viewed those directly. I argued long and hard that if the Illusive Man viewed them, you'd never trust him. He does not even have copies."

Shepard grimaced. "Ugh."

Chamber shrugged at her. "If I'm honest? Miranda didn't have the guts to watch most of it. I did. Threw up a few times towards the beginning, but I did. Both Miranda and I are not going to let this turn into a clusterfuck – I swear on my soul. Yes, we'll use you. Yes, we want you on our side. Yes, goddamn it, Cerberus has fucked up and will probably fuck up again."

She exhaled, her voice taking on an almost pleading note. "But we're not going to sell you out, or try to have you do something you would not put your name behind. We're not going to pretend our hands are clean – but whose ARE, Shepard? The Council? The SA? At least we're trying to do better."

She leaned forward. "What do you think they're going to say when your real identity comes out? Why do you think we went to so much trouble to back you with as many aliens as possible instead of a posse of Cerberus goons?"

Kelly leaned back. "The Council is going to stab you in the back, not us."

Shepard drained her scotch. "Jack and I had a conversation about trust and betrayal. It's hard to trust when most of what you've known is betrayal. Harper made it clear that while he was taking a gamble, it wasn't one he'd not made very sure wouldn't blow up on him."

Kelly folded her arms. "Okay. And?"

Shepard poured herself another drink. "It just makes me thoughtful. Let me put it in a way you can understand.." She stood, glass in hand, and walked over to the window inset into the wall, staring out at the endless dark expanse of the stars beyond.

"Every since the moment I stood with Garrus and Liara before the … representation of Nazara, and heard his voice, his dismissal of us as even worth his attention, I've known we're all fucking dead. Nothing survives the Reapers. Liara said they'd been doing this shit since the dinosaurs went extinct. Vigil says our tech is basically rocks and leaves, and the people who made him went out like bitches. I saw their last stand on Eingana. I'm not even sure we can win this. I sure as fuck don't know how."

She drank again, setting her forehead against the cold armaglass. "The Council is doing the best they can because every race is into sick shit, so they can be top dog. I've had my eyes opened to the SA – and I can't imagine you pull shit like NOVENSILES because you discovered the asari and salarians want to sing songs and hold hands."

She pushed off the wall, turning to face Kelly again. "I'm convinced, after reading the news of what happened after I died, that the entire goddamned galaxy subsists mostly on idiot ball tea, and have convinced themselves the Reapers aren't coming anytime soon. That we'll have time to get ready. And the fact that the fucking Collectors are out there snatching up whole colonies and working with crazy fucks like Okeer tells me that's wrong."

She spread her hands. "And my own allies … you guys. I'm not stupid, Kelly. I stop the Collectors, cover myself with glory, win over the Council – and use that to get rid of the evil fuckers in charge of the SA right now. And who will step into that power vacuum at the top, hmm? Am I really supposed to believe Harper isn't taking advantage of this fucking situation just as cold-bloodedly as every other fucker with power in the galaxy?"

Kelly was silent for several seconds, then shrugged. "No. He'll probably tell you that much himself. My question is, so the fuck what, Shepard? Do you see any good alternatives? The Council won't move on this because too many people don't know the truth, and too many people are just petty and shallow enough, if they knew the truth, to abuse it to take power or start something stupid."

Shepard shook her head. "That's not the point. The point is that you have no goddamned idea why I don't trust your group. I'm not worried about you backstabbing me. You didn't spend the money and effort on this to do that. But that is different than trusting you to do the right thing when the time comes for shit to change. It's trusting Harper not to use me in a way that hurts people. It's trusting Cerberus not to conceal shit from me that he plans as some kind of way to 'protect humanity'."

Kelly rubbed her chin. "And if the Council suddenly became reasonable? If they listened to you? Would you go to them, and presume they were any better?"

Shepard's lips twisted. "It isn't that the Council is better, Chambers. And if I have to explain why a highly visible group of multiple alien races is less likely to get up to shit than individual governments or a shady neo-terror organization, then you've had too much scotch."

Kelly snorted. "Didn't answer the question, though."

Shepard arched an eyebrow. "What, if they come out and agree to work with me? Pfft. They're pragmatic. They'll be happy to work with me if the alternative is them looking weak. That's different from them backing me. I'll be happy to work with them – the same way I work with you. I'll be happy to listen to suggestions and take on tasking that meets my own needs and criteria. But I'm done taking orders from people I don't respect."

Kelly tilted her head. "And what would Mr. Harper – or anyone else – have to do to win that respect?"

Shepard half turned to face her. "Show me that doing the right thing matters more than doing what's in their own best interest. Show me that they value stopping the Reapers – but not at a cost that means even if we win that we fucking lose."

Kelly looked surprised at this. "I figured you would be all for getting the job done at any cost."

Shepard folded her arms. "Then perhaps, doctor, you don't quite understand me as well as you think you do. I acted that way when the only choices were getting things done at any cost or everyone dying. If the choices are dying or worse than dying...maybe you shouldn't have picked a champion who has nothing left to fight for but revenge and anger."

Kelly nodded thoughtfully, and opened her mouth to speak when Vigil suddenly appeared. "Primitive. Doctor Sedanya wishes communication. She is in the port cargo hold with the genetically engineered krogan – she had me decrypt the security interface on the life-pod."

Shepard nodded. "I'll be there in just a minute." The sphere popped, and Shepard glanced back at Kelly. "I think we're done."

Kelly shrugged. "You're the boss. I can't speak to what Mr. Harper's long term plans or motivations are, but I am confident he won't do anything so morally repugnant that you would object. But if I'm gonna be honest here, Shepard? I think the biggest problem is you can't even articulate what in the hell he, or Cerberus, would have to do to make you trust us and believe in what we do."

The psychologist exhaled. "Whatever you think the Illusive Man has planned, I'd say you aren't the best judge of deciding what should and shouldn't be done to make things better. You still want to see things in black and white, good and bad. Unless the galaxy suddenly changes, that kind of thinking will just get us messed over by the asari and salarians."

Shepard pursed her lips. "And you think Harper has a better idea? I've been told over and over the other races are up to no good - but never given specifics. Maybe if I knew what he knew I'd feel the same way … but more likely my answer would be that it's not other alien races that are fucked up, just their goddamned leaders. If TIM's grand plan is for me to go around cacking everyone who acts like an evil, moustache-twirling moron, then I'd sign up right fucking now."

She huffed. "But while he's been open about stopping the Collectors, he hasn't leveled with me what his grand plan is. And just because he's different from the SA doesn't mean what he has in mind will be any fucking better."

She sighed. "In the end, Chambers, what it comes down to is me having faith. And faith requires believing in something - something that lines up with what you want to be true, something you agree with. He hasn't... given me a reason to do that. And he hasn't shown me yet that he's going to make the right choices, or take the right path."

Kelly gave a lopsided smile. "I think he's studied what would be needed to determine the 'right path' more than you have. And honestly? It isn't as simple as you make it out to be. We have detailed intelligence on what the Thirty, the SIX and other alien leaders are up to - most of it worse than anything in the SA. I could tell you some of it myself, but .. hell, I didn't want to believe most of it when I first found it. Us shoving supposed atrocities at you is just more stuff you could say is made up on our part."

Kelly's eyes met those of Shepard. "I understand the reasons for your… hesitation. But I still feel that the problem isn't him, or Cerberus. It's your own doubts that are the problem - and as long as you don't have to deal with them, then you can tell yourself it's not your responsibility."

She set her glass down. "You said be straight with you. I am. You have to make the next move."

Shepard nodded. "...alright. I'm … fuck." She ran her hand through her hair. "You probably have a point about me being unsure what I need to see to trust you guys as fully as I used to trust the SA. I may never trust … anything like that again. It's a big thing for me to change my mind on...and I have a lot of other shit going on in my head right now."

She firmed her jaw. "As for responsibility, I will say this: I only give people one fucking chance to betray me - and that includes doing shit that you know full well I don't agree with. And I'm not convinced - despite what Timmy Boy says - that it won't happen. I am a no-exceptions kind of bitch, so when it goes down it won't end well for you guys."

Shepard gave an almost sad smile. "As much of a bitch as you are some times, I like you. And I like Miranda. I'd hate to kill you both over some stunt Harper pulls. It's not just me being … difficult."

Kelly smiled. "I know. Put that way, I'm sure me bringing this up seems pushy - and I'm not trying to pressure you. I just want you to think about it. Other than that...like I said. If you need to talk about anything, that is what I'm for."

Shepard glanced around the room and sighed. "I...I might need to talk about Jack. Later." She smirked. "Or about turians versus asari."

Kelly laughed and headed for the cabin door. "Not even a comparison, really."

O-TWCD-O

The strange life-support tank they'd taken with them from Okeer's base was sited in the port side cargo hold of the ship, and Shepard arrived there shortly after Kelly left.

Doctor Sedanya had been investigating the pod since its arrival, mostly to determine exactly what Okeer was up to from a medical viewpoint. That had been complicated by the fact that the pod was sealed, with an armored carapace and extremely strong digital defenses. Bypassing these without damaging the pod had taken some time.

The pod's armored sides had retracted, revealing the occupant within – a giant, young krogan in heavy armor, floating in faintly blue tinted liquid. Sedanya, when Shepard arrived, was circling the tank, tapping on her omni. She glanced up as Shepard entered, and then held up a hand as she finished typing something. After a brief examination of the results, the asari doctor frowned.

"Thank you for coming, Shepard. This … device, and the being within, are of great concern to me."

Shepard nodded. "Alright, why is that?"

Sedanya gestured. "As you can see, it contains a krogan. But not just any krogan. This one is literally engineered to be as close to perfection as possible. Very young – mature in terms of size, but the crests are not even fully fused, and some areas of bone are still growing. Very high baseline fitness. Modifications to the muscles, integrated bone weaves, and a host of other genetic enhancements."

Shepard folded her arms. "Anything else of note?"

Sedanya was examining her omni-tool. "Hard to say, Shepard. As I said, there is a vast amount of genetic alteration done to his DNA, with modifications to his sight, regeneration factor, glandular systems...pretty much every aspect. He has the standard gene markers for the Genophage, so this isn't some miracle cure test subject."

She walked around the tank. The krogan was huge, nearly Okeer's size, clad in gleaming black armor that covered everything but his face, crest, and upper arms. Said arms bulged with corded muscle, bigger around than her thigh. The crest was silvery and broken up along the edges , the sign of what in krogan would be a teen – Shepard remembered Urv's own crest had looked similar.

"Is it .. awake?"

Sedanya chuckled. "Not precisely. The pod itself is a life-support unit combined with some kind of … teaching program. The krogan is not conscious, but is … aware of whatever it is being instructed in. There's a fairly complex VI in this thing somewhere – but the unit is a sealed mechanism. The only controls I can see on it are the opening mechanisms and power, water, and nutrition line feeds."

Shepard snorted. "So it could very well be hostile, considering who the shit made it."

Sedanya nodded. "Then again, Shepard, most krogan are hostile anyway."

Shepard smiled. "Sometimes. They can be … interesting to fight with, or alongside."

The asari doctor gave that curious asari shrug. "No doubt. My main concern is that the managing VI controlling the pod has a video file attached that is designed to be viewed upon access."

Shepard let her weight fall back onto one leg. "Jesus, melodramatic speeches from the grave. This clown ticked every box on the 'supervillain' checklist, didn't he? Well, let's hear it."

Sedanya nodded, tapping her omni, and then a moment later the glassy surface of the tank was occluded by a projected omni-field, displaying the calm features of Okeer.

"Any number of foes could be the ultimate cause of my destruction, but I fear the most likely would be those familiar enough with my work to see its threat. Given that such agencies are at the beck and call of interstellar governments, I doubt my words will sway you, but I must try."

Okeer's rich bass rolled out. "This is my finest work, my life's achievement. He is the re-invigoration of the krogan people. His genes are refined from the mightiest of krogan heroes and warriors. His mind is enhanced by a system of training and teaching programs covering many aspects of both warfare and other topics. He is no threat to you – you can no doubt verify yourselves, he has the Genophage."

"I crafted my soldier to prove a point. One, I suspect, my old friends the salarians will grasp, the asari will sneer at, the turians will find confusing, and the krogan, of course, will fear. The Genophage does not make the krogan stronger. It makes them weaker. It selects, if such can be used as a descriptor, only on the ability to endure the Genophage. Not on intellect. Not on strength. Not on restraint."

The wide muzzle opened in a mocking smile. "It produces krogan that are bereft of any option save brute violence and the rejection of culture, of advancement. It has trivialized life to little more than the coddling of younglings, reduced our females from wise advisers to loot. And worst of all, it has given the krogan every reason to hate and fear, and no reason to change or evolve."

Okeer's voice deepened. "The Genophage was not ready … and yet I forced the hand upon the trigger, for the best of reasons. It has utterly broken the pride of the krogan. It has sapped their arrogance and made them realize the power of science and medicine they once mocked as unnecessary. Perhaps that is merely my own pettiness, projecting revenge across a billion dead infant krogan."

"But my soldier – and others like him, already seeded into krogan across the galaxy – will change that. The Genophage markers are present … but their target will eventually begin to shift. The base retroviral package you came up with – and that you assumed your Doctor Solus had modified in secret – has been altered yet again."

He folded thick arms. "It will not undo the Genophage's work. The birth rate will stay steady. But the new phage will select based on genetic matching to the strongest aspects of the krogan. Instead of letting the weak survive, it will instead favor the strong. The krogan will, over time, become stronger. Smarter. More able to cooperate and less inclined to fight one another."

"As well, the mechanism of phage interference with the secondary glandular system that derails birth will now disrupt the process during secondary meiosis, not after fetal production. There will be no more piles of stillborn for the females to cry over. They simply will not get pregnant. Ever. Only the chosen few will be able to breed."

"My soldier is capable of spreading this mutation. It is a new path for the krogan. It is a path that will eventually lead them to one day joining the other races. It is my final revenge upon my own people – to remind them that I had their best interests in my plans all along, and the cost of such, while high, was nothing compared to salvation."

"You hold the fate of this change to the krogan in your hand. You could destroy my life's work, but you will not stop events already set into motion. Or you could embrace it. This soldier, eventually, will be able to take my place as a leader of my people – one they can accept rather than fear and hate. One who can guide them in war and hopefully ... in peace."

The krogan doctor's head lifted. "Destiny is in your hands, whoever views this. I have already gone to the halls of my fathers, and I have left my mark far and wide across the galaxy. But this soldier has committed no crimes. He has done no evil. If you are willing to use any means to secure galactic peace – then you should let my work do its job."

"Doctor Ganar Okeer, Warmaster of the Krogan Empire."

Shepard watched the video shut off before turning to Sedanya. "...thoughts?"

Sedanya looked more than a little shaken. "The … scale of what he claims to have done to the Genophage is astonishing. But unleashing something like that is a decision for others, surely."

Shepard shrugged. "He said we could destroy it but that it wouldn't stop events already in motion. And I suspect if he made one, he probably made more." She stared up at the krogan, the eyes closed, almost peaceful looking.

Sedanya frowned. "Be that as it may...opening such a device without knowing the long term ramifications seems unwise, Shepard."

She exhaled. "Maybe. Then again, he's a possible source of information on what Okeer was up to as well as a natural combatant. Given the sort of shit we're headed into, we kind of need a super soldier."

Sedanya chuckled. "We have you already."

Shepard smirked, but before she could answer, Miranda's voice came across the comm.

"Shepard, the Illusive Man would like to speak with you before we rendezvous with Mr. Massani."

Shepard pinched the bridge of her nose. "Thanks, Miranda. Doctor Sedanya has gotten access to the pod Okeer left us. Vigil, have four of your bots stand guard over this thing in case it suddenly opens. I haven't decided what to do with it."

"Of course, primitive. Might I suggest a perennial favorite action from Javik – the airlock? Keeping a genetically engineered super soldier created by a crazy krogan around seems unwise."

Shepard shook her head. "Or very useful, if he could be convinced to join me. I seriously need a heavy hitter and someone who can take a shot and not just turn into confetti." She turned to Sedanya. "Thank you for your help."

Leaving the hold, she strode down the corridor and entered the elevator, heading for the CIC and the comms room, while Vigil's voice continued to sound. "Very well. We continue to go over the data we found on Okeer's computers. One thing stands out – Okeer felt the Broker was moving his operations very deep into the far Traverse – almost to the edge of the galaxy. And much of his research seems to cogitate mostly on the concept of altering krogan evolution – making them much stronger, faster, smarter – while lowering birth rates. He comments in one set of log files about making the Genophage irrelevant, and in another about how his plans were 'twisted' by the salarians."

Shepard scowled as she exited the elevator. "Because that's real goddamned cheery. Based on what I just saw in that video, he succeeded, or at least claimed he did." She entered the lab, then stepped into the small passage to one side before walking into the comms room.

The glowing figure of Jack Harper was already there, seated and smoking. "I see you have recovered from your fight, Shepard. Miranda's report was somewhat disapproving of your decision to fight Okeer in single combat, but I see only advantages."

Shepard folded her arms. "Oh?"

He exhaled smoke. "When the truth of your identity becomes known … there are those among the krogan who will no doubt be impressed with the idea of a human killing their Eldest. I find anything that makes humanity out to be more dangerous than it is worth to attack to be the best deterrent."

Her expression soured. "Yeah. Tell that to the rachni."

He picked up his drink. "The rachni were not open to communication, from all reports. No matter. You will be meeting with Massani, soon. Once you've acquired him, reroute to the base. Matriarch Trellani has recovered Ms. Goto, and she has come across some extremely troubling information. By all reports, my people should also be making contact with Mordin Solus very soon – we could be in contact with him as soon as the end of the day, and will convey him to the base once we convince him to join us."

She nodded. "Alright. And after that? I don't have a good handle on next steps since we don't know where our target is – or any of these other people you want me to grab."

Harper puffed on his cigarette. "I believe the Broker will take the death of Okeer … poorly. He may attempt to attack the Sisters of Vengeance or Archangel, or to come after you directly. For the moment, though, expect to be sent in the direction of Omega. Given that Aria dislikes the Broker immensely, we may be able to enlist her assistance."

Shepard gritted her teeth. "Aria is about on the top of the list of people I'd like to shove into an eezo grinder. Not really sold on working with the worst criminal in the entire goddamned galaxy."

The Illusive Man tilted his head. "Worse than me, even?"

She snorted. After a long second, she looked up. "Your problem, Harper, is that you let shit go too far. Sending your killers to free Jack after what she went through...means you aren't a complete asshole. Shutting down Cerberus has earned you my … limited trust so far. That doesn't mean the shit you got up to before that point is legit."

He dumped his ashes. "I find it amusing that given your own sordid past, you seem intent on judging me only by past and not present actions."

She folded her arms. "And I find it amusing that given your own experience with being used and double-crossed by the SA, and having what you made of yourself turned into some Sao Paulo level bullshit by Williams and Rachel, that you are shocked I'm a little hesitant about trusting you 100%."

He took a long sip of his drink. "Touche. Because of course, you are more likely to be betrayed by the man who spent billions of credits to bring you back rather than the Council who double crossed you before Ilos, and the Alliance, who did so multiple times. You don't really think Rachel could have moved you around so easily without their agreement, I hope."

She sighed. "I don't think you'll betray me – but I already had this conversation with Chambers. I have no idea what your intent is, and I'm skeptical that the end results of what you want and what I want line up."

He exhaled smoke. "I do not have the time or inclination to further prove my intent. But you are smart enough to read between the lines. The Council would not be dispatching Spectre task forces and STG teams to localize you if they didn't already see you as a threat – one that will escalate when you reveal your true identity."

He smiled thinly. "As for your other concerns...I would suggest our combined larger problems should take precedence. While you may dislike the idea of having to deal with Aria in any manner not including your shotgun, she could be very useful since she opposes the Broker, as I said."

She tilted her head. "Which part of 'sic semper sceleratus' sounds optional to you, Harper? You keep chirping about how I wouldn't let Cerberus get corrupted if I'm there and you expect me to work with a tramp who is responsible of a third of all the slaving in the galaxy? Fuck, don't even get me started on all the shit that could go wrong with us working with that trampy slaver bitch."

Jack Harper shrugged. "Ultimately? Omega will be a challenging environment. If you decide to kill Aria, it will destabilize the region – possibly making it easier for the Collectors to act. Not to mention that killing Aria is a … fairly tall order."

Her eyes flashed. "So was killing Okeer."

He puffed on his cigarette. "I do not doubt you could do it, only the wisdom of doing so – and your ability to survive the aftermath. But it will be your call, Shepard. I am just pointing out your options. My reason for calling is not merely to coordinate events. I have some … disturbing intelligence, but I would prefer to discuss it – in person – at your base."

Shepard folded her arms. "What about a short version?"

Harper's blue glowing eyes narrowed. "I believe the Batarian Emperor is indoctrinated and that there may be Reapers operating within the Batarian Empire. Wrap up events with Massani rapidly, Shepard. We'll route Doctor Solus to you as quickly as possible."

Shepard grimaced and nodded. "...alright." She killed the QEC, and ran her hands through her hair.

"What the fuck else could go wro – no. Don't say that."