AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey, sorry about the late upload, I finished the chapter at 2AM and wanted to wait until I was actually awake to do my own proofread on top of the editors being available. Sorry about that, and hope you enjoy! (Urz next chapter, sorry)

Commander John Shepard

I returned to the shuttle immediately, calling Mordin the moment the shuttle doors closed. The others had been left to their own devices, with Wrex's protection, of course.

"Shepard, important news, convenient timing" Mordin answered the call. "Too important to wait. Data just received. Processing, analyzing, not sure how to begin. Too much intel."

"Mordin, slow down. Start from the beginning. What happened?"

"Remember work on Genophage modifications, yes?" I confirmed for the Salarian that I did. "Part of team. Scientists, varying types. Blood Pack mercenaries captured former member of team. Maelon Heplorn. Last seen on Tuchanka. Might torture, make example. Recovery would be personal favor."

"Think they know about his work?"

"Not likely, unless Maelon revealed himself. Just as possible captured simply for being Salarian on Tuchanka. Doesn't matter, want him safe. My assistant. My student."

"Absolutely. I can talk to Wrex, or do you want me to come get you first?"

"Latter, please. Personal matter, personal presence."

"Understood, on my way." I ended that call and called Garrus as I started to take the shuttle out.

"Shepard?" Garrus asked.

"Put Wrex on the line for me, would you?"

"Sure." A moment passed, as I figured Garrus either returned to the Krogan's throne or just lifted his Omni-tool by him.

"You know I still have an Omni-tool, right Shepard?" Wrex remarked.

"Wasn't sure how much some little things had changed so I played it safe. Anyways, another crewmember, a Salarian just heard that an old colleague got captured by the Blood Pack. I'm taking the shuttle to pick him up and bring him down. Just making sure the shuttle stays cleared and you can prepare however you need. Figure we might need to talk in private." Wrex huffed.

"Your shuttle is fine. As for the Salarian… I think I already know about it. I'll call for my Chief Scout and we'll meet in the war room. I can guess what your Salarian was a part of, but he'll be safe from Urdnot," Wrex reassured. That was good to hear as I broke atmo, quickly finding myself back in the Normandy's cargo bay, Mordin boarding fully suited up without needing the atmosphere to be restored. I just touched down, vented the shuttle's crew compartment, let him in, and took right off back to Tuchanka. Back the same way we landed, no air traffic control even bothering to contact us. We landed and disembarked, with the Krogan on guard stared Mordin down, but didn't move to act. The same Krogan of authority who stopped us when we landed, the one with the light on his chest, stepped up.

"Follow me," he grumbled. Naturally, we did just that. Following him up the stairs to the overlook where we spoke with the Shaman and Uvenk, the former wasn't present, and down the hallway, I had noticed. I had guessed that there was some measure of residential down these halls, and for at least this one, I was partially correct. There were rusted nameplates that my translator was, fortunately, able to pick up. The Shaman's quarters, Ambassadors, Forge Master, even storerooms and an armory. I imagine Wrex's quarters are around here somewhere. But we wouldn't be seeing it now, as at a T-junction at the end of this hallway was the War-Room, two Krogan standing guard beside it, and who opened the door to allow us in. The Krogan who escorted us here did not follow. Inside was everyone who had come down with me to Tuchanka in the first place along the sides of a large holotable, while Wrex was at the far side flanked by who I'd assume to be the Chief Scout. His armor was a mix of leather and metal plates, compared to Wrex's armor which was layers and layers of plated metal. Wrex gave me a nod at my entrance, the door shutting behind us, then stared Mordin down a moment. The Salarian had since removed his helmet after entering the shuttle the first time. Mordin returned the gaze.

"Are you going to introduce yourself or what?" Wrex asked.

"Professor Mordin Solus, Ex-STG. Geneticist, biologist, Xeno and otherwise."

"Hm. Don't go spreading any of that around," Wrex warned with a huff. "Shepard tells me a friend of yours got captured by the Blood Pack here on Tuchanka?"

"Yes, former student, assistant. Maelon Heplorn."

"You know what he was doing on Tuchanka?" Wrex asked.

"No."

"Might be surprised. Maelon came here, to Urdnot, to me, about a month ago. I figured he'd have been torn to shreds by one of the less friendly clans by now, but you've fresh intel that he was captured?"

"Yes. Contacts in STG informed me. Maelon captured by Blood Pack alive, three weeks prior. Earlier today, drunken Blood Pack heard rambling about Salarian being kept alive 'back home.'"

"And so, the little idiot went to Weyrloc…" Wrex grumbled. "Tell them."

"A month ago, as the Clan Leader said, the Salarian came here to Urdnot. Urdnot turned him away after he met with Wrex, and he left. A week later, like you said, Salarian, one of my boys reported that he saw a Salarian being taken to Weyrloc by a group of Blood Pack. Couldn't tell me his condition other than that he had two legs to walk on and a head to use them. I sent another scout to check it out, but he never reported back. Figured they got him too and I'd rather not waste any more Krogan to see if a Salarian still has a head on his shoulders on Tuchanka," the Chief Scout explained.

"After I heard that Blood Pack took a Salarian after I turned Maelon away, I hoped it was either some other sorry little shit or that Maelon wasn't going to live long. But not for the reasons you'd think, or I'd probably have killed him myself," Wrex added. I raised a brow and leaned forward, as did Garrus and Zaeed. Jack, Kasumi, and Tali were, of course, paying attention, well, maybe except Jack, but they just hadn't leaned forward. Grunt only seemed to have a passing interest.

"What Maelon came to me for does not leave this room," Wrex warned, looking for confirmation from everyone present. "Maelon came to me with an offer, explaining the guilty conscience he had. Surprised me, for a Salarian, the quads on him for what he admitted. He offered to work on a Genophage cure." Now Wrex had Jack's attention, and Grunt's full attention. I saw a split second of shock on Mordin's features, but he hid it.

"Why-" the Chief Scout began, then stopped himself. "Clan leader… why did you turn him down? Was he lying?"

"No, no I doubt he was. And I denied him because of the cost. It wasn't credits or supplies. He didn't ask for the former, and what he needed of the latter he either already had or were easy enough to get. I sent Maelon away because he claimed to need Females to test and experiment on. Alive. Volunteers, yes, but a lot of females were going to die in the process. He told me as much. That's why I turned him down."

"If they signed up for it, what's it really matter?" Jack remarked. Wrex glanced at the bald woman with just one eye.

"Krogan females suffer far more than their share as it is. Countless females, fertile or otherwise, have a death wish. The only thing keeping so many of them from going through with it is that all of them are more valuable alive than dead. Many of them would jump at the opportunity for a useful death. I took counsel with Uta, the leader of Urdnot's female clan, before deciding. We both agreed that it was too high a price," Wrex explained. "If Weyrloc has him and he's still alive? I think it's obvious why."

"I've fought plenty of Blood Pack, Wrex. but you keep talking about a Clan Weyrloc. That link escapes my knowledge. Care to explain?" Garrus asked.

"Weyrloc Guld is the Blood Pack's founder and leader. He's also the head of Clan Weyrloc. All Weyrloc males are members of the Blood Pack, and Guld's most fanatic followers."

"What makes the fucker so special?" Zaeed questioned.

"Guld was already in line to take over Weyrloc, then his first mate gave birth to twins. Boy and a girl. Now all of Weyrloc thinks he's got some kind of destiny," Wrex answered. "Fucking idiots."

"The Genophage is a lottery. I had a cousin win twenty consecutive games of quasar, the lucky bastard. I'd ask him for a loan, but he's an idiot, and I'd never swear my allegiance to him. He got lucky, so did Guld," the Scout added.

"So, what are we doing? Should we sneak in, get Maelon, and leave? Or is this giving you an opportunity, Wrex?' Tali brought us to the matter at hand. Wrex straightened his posture and activated the holotable, showing a map of this region of Tuchanka. Highlighted, were the borders of Urdnot and Clan Weyrloc. The two were neighbors.

"Since the Blood Pack's, and by extension, Weyrloc's main interests are off-world, the most they really care about their neighbors, like us, is that we keep out of range of their firepower. That's how any border works on Tuchanka. Weyrloc might not control as much territory as us, but when I reclaimed Urdnot, my brother, Wreav, had arranged a cease-fire with them. One of the few things he ever did that I haven't changed. I didn't want them breathing down my neck as I re-established myself and made real allies. But I know that Weyrloc will never accept my rule, I was always going to have to deal with them eventually, and they know that. If Urdnot is going to come out on top, we need to strike first."

"Why haven't you?" Grunt asked.

"Because while most of Weyrloc's strength is off-world, with just one signal, Weyrloc can call for every last member of the Blood Pack across the Galaxy to return. If we move to begin a siege or an invasion, that's exactly what he'll do, and by the time we break through their defenses, Blood Pack will be both raining down on top of us and slaughtering everyone at Urdnot while we're away," Wrex explained.

"So we're going in alone then," I stated.

"Maybe not, Shepard," Wrex stopped me. "You've got a new Normandy. Can it jam any outgoing signals from Weyrloc? Krogan anti-air is really only enough to deal with shuttles coming in to drop off troops."

"EDI?" I asked aloud, knowing she was listening in. That piqued Wrex's curiosity.

"Yes, Commander. Jamming and intercepting any signals sent out by Weyrloc communications would be a simple matter, and we would be able to do so without required atmospheric entry." Wrex was quiet a moment.

"If you were anyone else in the Galaxy, I'd figure that was just a VI. But you didn't have to repeat a thing to it, and that sure as hell wasn't an organic voice. Or a speaker like Tali," Wrex nodded his head in her direction. That was a void-damned AI, wasn't it?"

"Yep."

"You're not working with the Alliance right now, are you?"

"As much as I'd rather be, no."

"You've got a lot to tell me about after we wipe Weyrloc off the map."

"So do you."

"Hm," Wrex huffed. He then zoomed the map in at Weyrloc's center. "Weyrloc's based in what was once a Krogan hospital, it's got a lot more surface access than Urdnot, though they have their own network just like we do. Regardless, the hospital remains our only real concern. Most of their strength is there, and if it falls, Weyrloc's done."

"So it's a hospital. Lob some artillery at them and call it done, right?" Jack remarked.

"Maybe for one of your hospitals. But for Krogan, we have to build them like fortresses. Every hospitalized Krogan is in a nearly constant blood rage. The walls are thick concrete, the supports strengthened by metal plating. We could blast it down in time once we've moved artillery into range, but that'll take days or weeks. Jammed or not, word would reach the rest of the Blood Pack by then. Can your AI get into Weyrloc systems and fuck them up if you get inside the base?" Wrex explained.

"I can, provided an access point to their network is found. Any terminal either connected to the network directly or connected to one that is will be sufficient."

"Perfect. I'll order all of Urdnot to start mobilizing. Nothing will be moved over the surface, but my armies will be prepared to move tomorrow."

"That fast?" Garrus remarked.

"We're Krogan. Every clan is ready to go to war with each other at a moment's notice. It's just a matter of getting them all here ready to attack then spread out for defense. Anyways, I'll also call upon a few nearby allies to bolster our forces. More bodies will only help this go faster. Clans Bragus, Ravenor, and the Remnants of Nakmor should do."

"Remnants?" I asked.

"Nakmor's got a lot of history, but over a year ago, the majority of the Female clan announced that they were joining the Andromeda Initiative, under the command of their Female Clan leader, Morda. Around half their males followed along, they've been off-world since, and they're welcoming members of any other clan that wants to follow. The Nakmor staying have an ambassador here, doing his damndest to ally with us while still being an independent Nakmor, but they need us. They do this for us, I'll allow something that lets them think they're independent. Doesn't matter. Shepard, tomorrow I need you and your team to take a Tomkah around Urdnot's southern border and into Bragus territory to Weyrloc's southwest. Bragus is a small clan so Weyrloc hasn't bothered with many defenses on their side. I'll have scout reports to show you a path that should let you close to their main compound unseen. Signal us when you get to a point we'll determine later, and move in to infiltrate and take down their security while we begin our assault. Time it right, and their artillery and mines will be deactivated as soon as we get in range of them. That will send Weyrloc scrambling. Maybe even panicked when they can't get word out."

"I'm game, Wrex. Plan sounds solid."

"Good. I'll owe you one for this, Shepard. The Normandy is the only reason we're even able to do this. Now, before you go do whatever the hell you want while I work my ass off getting all of this ready, there is one thing." Wrex pulled a large stack of papers out from under the table and laid it down in front of Grunt. Folded, varying colors of paper. And he tossed one at me. The papers were folded onto themselves, I'd say "sealed," but it's just a bit of tape keeping it folded upon itself.

"The hell are these?" Wrex smirked wide.

"Breeding requests from the females." Grunt's eyes went wide for a moment and he chuckled eagerly. I nearly started myself, but the beginning of the grin immediately turned to a frown as I glanced back down at the paper I had been tossed.

"No, that's not from Tali," Wrex remarked nonchalantly, before bursting into laughter as everyone except Tali and I, especially Garrus just began howling. Though without pause to the Krogan's comment, Tali had shouted

"Wrex!" Before pulling her realk down over her eyes and sinking into her chair as if to hide out of embarrassment.

"Well. I suppose I'm flattered." I shrugged, some of the shock wearing off so I can take the humor of this situation in my stride. "Tell the lovely lady that I'll pass. Maybe that I've already put my own request out."

"John!" Tali exclaimed, pulling her realk down even further with one hand while her left punched me in the shoulder. Upon realizing she used my first name, she groaned in further embarrassment. The scout was just confused, but the others found some more humor in that.

"So we're done here. Grunt, if I were you, I'd go get a full stomach then speak to the ambassador to the female clan to go… fulfill some of those requests," Wrex chuckled. "Rest of you? Get some rest. Tomorrow's gonna be fun…"

Commander John Shepard

We were around two miles out from Weyrloc's base when the Tomkah came to a stop, our driver telling us we had arrived. The entire ground team had been gathered, and Grunt was awfully cheery. We disembarked as I sent the signal to Wrex, the Normandy confirming that all Weyrloc signals were jammed. We were at the end of a highway that had collapsed, rubble and ruined cities around. Nowhere to go but a ramp down the side and along. There was the occasional pest to kill for the first leg of the Journey. Stray Varren, a Klixen, and even a pair of Vorcha, but against all of us they're hardly a threat.

Eventually, as the Hospital started to come into view, we came upon a more organized group, though organized is relative, of Vorcha led by two Krogan. Blood Pack. The Krogan appeared to be trying to call for reinforcements but frustrated as both bashed their hands against the side of their heads like they were trying to 'fix' a comm unit. Our biotics put them down. It went much the same until we reached an entrance to the hospital. The door was locked electronically, the guards just being Vorcha we put down easily, we were able to unlock the door easily, unfortunately, it wasn't our connection into the network. Whatever this entrance used to be for, this just had a ramp down into some other floor of the hospital. And there was a body at the base of the ramp. It was clearly human, male. He was wearing nothing but briefs, not sure how long he's been dead, however. Mordin quickly led the way down the ramp to investigate the body, running a medical scan.

"Sores. Tumors. From radiation exposure. Deliberate? Side effect of presence on Tuchanka? Ligatures on wrists on ankles, meaning restraints. Track marks for repeated injection sites. Test subject. Not patient. Victim of experimentation. Part of tests to cure Genophage."

"Why use a Human to try and cure the Genophage?" Tali asked.

"Humans useful test subjects. Highest rates of genetic diversity. Even non-pureblood Asari have lower diversity. While Human/Krogan genetics dissimilar, it narrows down possible treatments. Induce symptoms similar to Genophage in one Human, test possible cures, repeat. Not unlikely that either induction of symptoms requires different process or removal of symptoms. Sometimes both. Larger reactions to smaller stimuli."

"Well that's a bit fucked," Zaeed muttered.

"Under these methods, yes. But methods often used for testing medicine. Symptoms, however, are not artificially induced and narrowed further by use on cousin species, like Humans and Chimpanzees. Turians and Sleven. Quarians and La'Shallem. Asari strangely lack cousin species, while Krogan potential cousin species likely died out long before the Krogan created nuclear weaponry. No records."

"And what tests were they doing, exactly?" Miranda asked.

"Locations of tumors suggest mutation of adrenal, pineal glands. Deliberate, of course. Modifying hormone levels. Counterattack on glands hit by Genophage. Clever."

"And how close do you believe they are?" Miranda continued.

"Difficult to say. Need more data. However, tests conceptually sound. Genophage alters hormone levels. Could repair damage with hormonal counterattack."

"And why aren't they testing on Varren or something native to this hellscape?" Jacob butted in.

"Hm, use of Humans for genetic diversity likely implicates an earlier stage in development, testing, proof of concept. Tuchankan fauna used in developmental stages. However, this Human could be final, disposed subject of early tests. Perhaps in developmental stages, and using Human test subject to ensure proof of concept as tests narrowed down. Wise to delay use of Varren until necessary. Powerful bite." I glanced back down at the body. Poor sod. Might have been a pirate or merc, yeah, but still. Going out on a lab table isn't a way I'd wish on most anyone. Maybe I'd wish it on TIM. Probably. We continued along and down, looking for terminals but finding none so far. Just another door. Weapons ready out of caution, we went ahead. This was being used as a storeroom. I'm honestly not sure what it might have been used for once, as any such signs have likely been long removed. But at our far right side of the room, there was a ramp that went up to the wall ahead of us and along to another door that had just opened. Out walked three Krogan, the one at the center without his helmet, and his weapon away. Unlike his guards. I held up a hand for patience from the others. Though I didn't lower my own weapons yet.

"Off-worlders," the Krogan growled under his breath. His armor was, naturally, that of the blood pack. "I am the speaker for Clan Weyrloc, off-worlders! The armies of Urdnot advance and you have shed our blood. By rights, you should be dead, and Urdnot swallowed by the void for this allegiance!" He paced in front of the railing. "But Weyrloc Guld, the Chief of Chiefs, has ordered that you be given leave to flee and spread the message of our coming!" Hm… is that a fuel line along the edge of that catwalk? First, I remembered that this was Tuchanka as I chose my words, while my eyes followed the pipe for a sign that it was fuel.

"If we turn and run, we might trip on all the corpses we left to get here. That just sounds mighty inconvenient compared to putting a mouthy lizard in the dirt," I called out. Ah, there it is. That's definitely a fuel line alright.

"You killed our youngest and weakest, Human. They were not worthy of remaining near our glorious work! Within our fortress, you shall find death delivered to you by hardened Blood Pack veterans! Tempered by savagery and war! Dedicated to a single goal! The Salarian will cure the Genophage, and Clan Weyrloc will drown the Galaxy in a sea of blood!" Blood for the Blood god and all that, huh?

"There's another way to do this. You want to cure the Genophage, I get that-"

"No, Human. You understand nothing!" he roared. "You have not seen the piles of bodies of children who never lived! The Krogan were wronged! And Weyrloc will make it right, and have our revenge!"

"You try it your way and all the Krogan will get will be a few billion megatons worth of explosives and Mass Accelerator rounds dropped on you from orbit. You stand down and follow Wrex? The Krogan might actually live long enough to see the benefits of a cured Genophage," I warned.

"Urdnot Wrex is a coward and an alien lover! He would present his hind to the Turians and Salarians simply to ask for the Genophage, before thanking them for our curse in the first place!" Yeah, this guy doesn't know Wrex at all. He's going to find a way to diplomatically scare the Council into allowing a Genophage cure. I may not be able to see how that would even be possible, but it's Wrex. That crazy bastard would find a way. The spokesman began to pace again.

"When we cure the Geno-" Alright, I'm tired of this.

"Even for someone called 'Speaker' you talk too much," I remarked, aiming my Mattock lower and shooting the pipe. It didn't detonate, but it made a hole, gas spraying out. The Speaker laughed.

"The Human cannot hit a simple target!"

"Not quite. Two shots, three kills," I responded, pulling the trigger again, the shot igniting the fuel, the explosion both engulfing the Krogan in flames, while also blasting them apart and back against the wall. I heard the speaker screaming, all but a leg blasted out of sight as the flames killed him. With that out of the way, it was a simple matter to proceed up and past them. We passed their mangled corpses, and through a hallway. Through the door at the end, this room reminded me of a hospital. A large room with a central hall, separated into three separate rooms on each side, six in total. Though not many hospitals look like they once held large, metal bulkhead doors, to the right, there was a terminal.

"Likely suitable entry point into the network. But first, may have insightful data." Mordin approached the screen, reading it over, keying in commands as he saw fit. "Genetic sequences. Hormone Mutagens still steady. Protein chains, live tissue, cloned tissue. Very thorough. Standard treatment vectors. Avoiding scorched-earth immunosuppressants to alter hormone levels. Good. Hate to see that." There's some pride in there. Of his student, or himself for his work?"

"Maybe it's just being a Salarian, but that all sounded awful casual for developing a sterility plague," I remarked., changing to a private channel between he and I.

"Not developing, modifying. Increases difficulty exponentially. Work within confines of existing Genophage. Complexity increased one-hundred fold. Errors unacceptable. Cause total sterility, malignant tumors, reduce effectiveness. Worse than doing nothing. Must keep population stable. One in one thousand. Perfect target, optimal growth. Like gardening." That comparison unsettled me. More than a bit.

"It's still the lives of kids, Mordin. Krogan or not. It's millions, billions of stillborn. Murders."

"No! Murdered no one. Altered fertility, prevented fetal development of nervous system!" Mordin argued. I think it sounded like he was repeating what he tells himself whenever the conscience comes whispering. "Have killed many before, Shepard. Multitude of methods. Guns, knives, poisons, toxins, technology. Once with farming equipment. But not with medicine."

"But look at what's happened to Tuchanka as a result."

"State of Tuchanka not due to Genophage. Nuclear war and winter predate first contact with Salarians."

"Not what I mean, Mordin. Maybe I should have worded it differently. Look what's happened to the Krogan. The only improvements to Tuchanka come from the Shroud, but the Krogan themselves have regressed and stagnated. Pissed off and bitter Krogan become mercs like Wrex, or the bloodthirsty ones find places like the blood pack. Or while growing up. Like the Speaker said, 'the piles of bodies of children who never lived.' A kid growing up with the females sees all those stillborn, then get told, 'they did this,' pointing up at space. They fight for Fertile females in a perpetual war for survival, and as they fight for one reason, they fight for supplies to fight with. It's a cycle. And because necessity nurtures them to be warriors, guess what? They're mostly warriors with the one in a million odds of getting the wise warrior leader that Wrex is," I argued. Mordin looked back at the screen.

"Still choices made by Krogan. Alternative decisions existed every step of the way. Genophage medical, not nuclear. No craters from Virus. Damage is Krogan in origin. Not Salarian. Not me." I sighed, it was there, I'm sure it is. The change, the realization… it's just hidden behind years of coping by shifting responsibility.

"Tali, go ahead and get EDI into the Weyrloc systems."

"Right away. Mordin? There was a body on a table in the adjacent room," she answered. Mordin took a deep breath through his nostrils. He went to investigate, and I followed. On a table in the middle of the room and with a cloth draped over, was the large body of a Krogan. A data pad had also been left on the table, which Mordin picked up while lifting the cloth by the head. The forehead, instead of housing several, layered pointed plates, was a single curved plate not unlike the current shape of Grunt's, though even on him, there are clear signs of segmentation. There's none on the female. Mordin lowered the cloth.

"Krogan. Female. Deceased." He ran his scan and checked her wrists and ankles. "Tumors indicate experimentation. No restraint marks. Volunteer. Sterile Weyrloc female willing to risk procedures. Hoped for cure. Pointless," Mordin sighed, this clearly upset him, not in anger, but sadness. "Pointless waste of life."

"After what you said about 'gardening,' I'm surprised this bothers you, Mordin." The Salarian winced.

"That is… deserved. Never experimented on live Krogan. Live subjects. Never killed with medicine. Her death not my work, only…" he looked back down at the body. "Reaction to it. Goal was to stabilize population. Never wanted this," he shook his head. This is without a doubt the most emotion I've ever seen him or any Salarian show. "Can see it logically… but still unnecessary. Foolish waste of life. Hate to see it."

"Regardless of what you did was right or wrong, you need to. Did you ever come here after dropping your… modification?"

"Yearly recon missions. Water, tissue samples. No mistakes. Can't be any mistakes. Superiors offered to carry on. My work was done. Refused. Need to see it in person. Need to look. Need to see. Yet still accept necessity. See small picture. Why I ran a clinic on Omega." Mordin took another breath and lifted his left hand over the woman's head. "Rest, young mother. Find your gods. Find someplace better." Now that certainly took me by surprise. He seemed to realize as much. "Genophage modification project altered millions of lives. Then saw results. Ego, humility, juxtaposition. Frailty of life. Size of universe. Explored religions after work completed. Different races. No answers. More questions. Unsatisfied." All right, I'll be a bit blunt again.

"You were trying to find a way to deal with your guilty conscience." Mordin continued to stare at the Krogan.

"Project great in scope. Scientifically brilliant. Morally dubious. Krogan reaction to Genophage and modification visceral. Tragic." He paused a moment. "Understandable. Not guilty, felt responsible. Trained as doctor. Genophage affects fertility. Doesn't kill. What does not live cannot die. Still caused this. Hard to see big picture behind pile of corpses."

"So you use statistics and metaphors to rationalize it away." Mordin took a deep breath again.

"Partially. Wheel of life. Popular Salarian concept. Similar to Human Hinduism, Buddhism in focus on reincarnation. Appealing to see life as endless. Fix mistakes in next life. Learn, adapt, improve. Refuse to believe life ends here. Too wasteful. Have more to offer. Mistakes to fix. Cannot end here. Could do so much more…"

"That's a lot of soul searching Mordin. A lot of hoops to jump through to see it as the right thing to do. In my time as a soldier, I've learned that the more mental gymnastics you have to do to justify something, the less justified it is."

"Had to be done. Rachni Wars, Krogan Rebellions all pointed to Krogan aggression. So many simulations… Effects of Krogan population increase. All pointed to war. Extinction. Genophage or genocide. Save galaxy from Krogan. Save Krogan from Galaxy."

"Simulations are fine and dandy for plenty of things. Combat, flying, population growth, but how an entire society develops? Things surprise you."

"Every. Potential. Outcome. Every variable. Not one showed positive outcome for cured Genophage. Saved countless lives." I stepped forward, face to face with the doctor.

"Doesn't look like you saved her." I heard him muttering under his breath as I walked past.

"Worked with available data. Only option. No other possible-" he stopped himself. "Doesn't matter…" I checked on Tali while Mordin remained by the woman.

"EDI's wreaking havoc in Weyrloc systems. All linked doors are unlocked, which will help us. Targeting of artillery cannons have been disabled or crippled, other automated defense turrets have had their targeting re-written. They'll target Weyrloc troops once the battle begins," she explained.

"Not sure if Wrex will be pleased or upset that a machine stole his kills," I remarked.

"Probably both," Tali managed a chuckle. One I shared.

"Is Wrex up to date on our progress?"

"I've already given him a call. His troops are circling the Weyrloc base, putting up the show of all their defenses being fine," she explained. I nodded my understanding, and Mordin came out from his thinking.

"All good to go?"

"Yes, there's nothing more I can do," Tali answered.

"Alright, moving out," I rallied everyone, and we got a move on. A small hallway with bits of rubble, a door on the right, hall on the left. We checked the door, seeing a dead Krogan on the ground, as well as a Krogan male sitting on the floor in a scout's attire.

"There's a lot of you… What are you doing here?"

"That depends… who are you?"

"I'm an Urdnot Scout. Weyrloc guards got me, brought me here."

"We were told about you. The guards behind us are all dead, and Urdnot's preparing to attack shortly. Might want to get back to them," I suggested.

"I can't. Weyrloc did things to me. Drugs and needles. Told me I was sacrificing for all Krogan. Experiments to cure the Genophage. Everything's…" he put a hand to his head. "Blurry. Hard to think. Have to stay."

"We can help with that. Medi-gel? Stims?"

"No, not like that. I'm not sick, I have to stay. If they're curing the Genophage, they're going to make it all better! They have to keep doing the tests!"

"Explain."

"This is my fault. I got caught, wasn't strong enough, not good enough. This is the best I can do. It's all I can do. I'm small, females won't pick me. I'll never have kids of my own. But if I help undo the Genophage, then I mattered!"

"If Weyrloc cures the Genophage, sure, they'll be millions of kids. But they'll be Weyrloc. They'll destroy Urdnot and all the clans allied with them."

"B-But… No, they said I'd be helping Urdnot!" Drill sergeant time. I've never been one, sure, but I remember my own. And I sure as hell have used it on subordinates before… hell, everything about the Normandy.

"You want to help Urdnot? Get your ass to their lines." I scoffed. "Would take a real badass to make it back to them while injured."

"I can do it." I reared my head back, shaking it.

"You?" I raised my voice. "I said a badass! Not some pansy little scout bitching like a Quarian with a belly-ache!" Shit, I'm gonna pay for that later…

"I'm standing right here, Shepard…" Tali murmured.

"I can do it!" the scout roared, then managed to stumble to his feet, a half-drunk run back along the way we came.

"Yeah… yeah, you are here, Tali…" I paused, not sure what to follow up with. "Sorry."

A brief moment passed.

Garrus broke the silence with laughter. I slowly turned to see Tali with her arms crossed, a finger tapping against her arm, and her left leg out. Shit.

Then, she broke form and began laughing herself. Followed by Kasumi, Jack, Zaeed, and Jacob. Now this surprised me. She just made me a laughingstock for the moment. And completely fooled me.

Her confidence is growing.

"Did you forget? One of my best childhood friends is a Marine Sergeant!" Tali exclaimed. "Quarian drill instructors get the same exact voice. And I couldn't resist the chance to make this happen," she gestured at me.

"Can we just please move on now?" I asked. The ground shook from a relatively distant explosion.

"I think that's our cue," Garrus remarked. We got moving. Down the hall, through the door, some Krogan were hurrying along, preparing their weapons, and we caught them by surprise, so we took advantage. Our biotics, working in tandem, particularly Samara and Jack was a massive force of destruction. This 'room' was like a cell block, one built vertically, and yet, this is a hospital. Each of those 'cells' probably were once housing ill Krogan. Not sure where exactly they were going to get to the battle, though it seemed our route took us down, to the other side, and down a set of stairs. No Krogan here, probably all at the surface.

"There, Maelon should be through there," Tali pointed at a door now on the opposite, far side of the chamber. Through another thick bulkhead door, but at the end of the railing, there was a Krogan with two Varren. But Krogan have strong hearing. He knows, no doubt. As do the Varren, shown by them snarling, and immediately making their way up. Shotguns made quick work of them.

"Guld's mine," Grunt growled. "Weyrloc Guld!" Grunt shouted, mantling over the railing to the bottom of the room.

"Who the fuck are you, whelp?" Guld questioned, sure of himself.

"Urdnot Grunt. I killed the Thresher Maw in my rite of passage. I am pure Krogan. And you're meat." Guld laughed.

You're the whelp who needed aliens to do his rite for him? Ha! I am void Chosen! I am the Chief of Chiefs! When the Salarian is done, I will be Overlord of the entire Galaxy!"

"I'll feed your corpse to your own Varren," Grunt growled. The two charged each other, trying to wrestle one another to the floor. No knives or guns here, they want to prove their stronger. But Guld was not a small Krogan, he was larger than I remember Uvenk being, he's around the same height as Grunt and Wrex, in fact. The wrestling match of this sort was going nowhere quick, and they knew it. Grunt made the first move, slipping his right arm through and into a fist, giving him a swift, solid uppercut, that for a moment, sent Guld reeling, but he recovered before Grunt could capitalize further. He dodged Grunt lunging with his claws and sent a fist into Grunt's right side where the armor was thinner. The young Krogan didn't even flinch, and dropped his arm tight against himself to try and capture Guld's arm while he was in a bad position, while Grunt's right arm flew into the side of Guld's face, the fist slamming right into the Krogan's eye. He growled in pain. With the momentum of the punch and the stun of Guld, Grunt got a strong grip on Guld's arm. While his right hand took Guld by the wrist. Grunt wasted no time at all bending the arm in a very unnatural fashion, breaking it between the elbow and the wrist, the lower part of the forearm just unusable. Pain or no, muscles were certainly torn, and won't be able to make effective use of the arm. Except maybe the broken bone as a kind of shiv. Guld roared, plenty of pain. But the blood rage would start to flow. In his growing fury, Guld tried to grab Grunt with his still intact right arm, while, perhaps instinctively trying to grab him, was just slapping his arm against him. With the opening as Guld's blood rage realized his right arm was useless, Grunt took his claws, and dug them deep into Guld's left eye. Clawing and digging, before yanking out the eye and orange blood, the ocular nerve, and more than enough of the gel-like substance inside the eye itself not exactly contained anymore. Guld roared yet again in pain, and clamped his jaws down on Grunt's right shoulder. His plated. Shoulder. Chipping his teeth no doubt, meaning just more pain as he tried his damndest to bite into the softer armor along the neck itself. The left arm of Guld was manageable by Grunt. He only had one arm to deal with and his other could either keep the Chief's jaws at bay or redirect the bite to a pauldron that's several inches thick of very dense metals.

"You're pathetic, Guld!" Grunt exclaimed, no doubt grinning under his helmet. Easily able to control the broken arm with one arm, Grunt kept it still and pulled. Tearing off the arm at the broken bone, the jagged, fragmented bone and flesh bleeding orange. Grunt took the arm at the wrist, and sidestepped, Guld, who had been trying to constantly push forward staggered forward as Grunt, behind him, jammed the jagged bone into Guld's other good eye. It almost looked comical, a Krogan's own arm sticking out from his eye socket, the hand open like it was waving hello. I might be a bit sadistic. He jammed it in several times until the eye was nothing but a gory, orange mess. Guld was literally blind with fury now. But Grunt wasn't done yet. He easily broke Guld's other arm. While he struggled, it simply wasn't enough in his blind state. With Guld essentially being no threat at all, Grunt grabbed hold of the chieftain's frontal forehead plate. And pulled. And pulled. And pulled. The plate slowly began to tear off, pieces of flesh still sticking to it while in its place was a bloodied mess. As Guld roared again, Grunt took the broken arm and its jagged bone back, and clawed at the exposed skull, managing to claw his way to a grip, yanking out a piece of the bone, exposing the brain. Grunt took the bone and stabbed, Guld going limp. His own arm sticking out of his skull. Grunt released him, and he fell back onto the floor.

"That was fun." He then took a Krogan knife from his belt, and began the attempt to decapitate Guld. It would not be a fast process. "Nothing of the Maw remained to take as a trophy. Guld will do." Well.

"Let's uh… Let's go see Maelon. You have fun, Grunt." The Krogan huffed, as we moved past through the door Guld was guarding. It was another lab. Several tables, most of which with dead Krogan. A console at the end, displays, notes, readings, more than I could keep track of. But the Salarian working the large console? Different story.

"Maelon… Alive, Unharmed." Mordin murmured, removing his helmet. Maelon turning to see. Maelon was a shorter Salarian, but still as gangly. His own skin darker and far less weathered than Mordin. "Know you approached Urdnot. Still, wanted to believe Weyrloc was forcing. Don't understand…"

"For such a smart man, Professor, you always had trouble seeing evidence that disagreed with your preconceptions," Maelon accused, turning to face us. "The clan hardly matters as much as a cure!"

"Whole team agreed. Project necessary!" Mordin began to get… angry?

"And how could I ever disagree with the great Doctor Solus?" Maleon mocked. "I was your student! I idolized you!"

"Experiments performed here. Live subjects! Prisoners! Torture and executions! Your doing?!" Mordin is absolutely livid.

"We've already got the blood of millions on our hands, Doctor! If it takes a bit more to put things right, well, I can live with that more than I can of having helped in this."

"The ends don't justify the means, you can't possibly justify these experiments," I argued.

"We committed cultural genocide, Human! Nothing I ever do will ever be justified! The experiments are monstrous because that's what I was taught to be," Maelon answered.

"No," Mordin actually… snarled. Well, the Salarian equivalent of it. "Never taught you this, Maelon."

"Oh, sure, your hands are clean. Doesn't matter if the ground is stained with the blood of millions! The ends do justify the means. That's what he taught me. I'll undo what we did the only way I know how."

"Have to end this," Mordin murmured. Maelon haphazardly grabbed a Carnifex at his thigh, his hands shaking.

"Can't see the truth, can you? Can't admit that your brilliant mind led you to commit an atrocity!" As Maelon's aim shifted to another, Mordin took his opportunity and slapped the Carnifex out of his former student's grip. In fear, Maelon jumped back, stumbling into a kind of tank behind the haptic screen. Mordin calmly brought his pistol against Maelon's chin.

"Unacceptable experiments. Unacceptable goals. Won't change. No choice. Have to kill you."

"Mordin!" I shouted. "Don't. You don't need to."

"But-"

"Mordin. Are you a murderer?" I asked. Mordin froze. Releasing a breath a moment later, a gasp.

"No. Not a murderer." He lowered the gun. "Thank you, Shepard." Mordin stepped back. "Finished, Maelon. Get out. No Weyrloc left. Project over."

"If you really want to help the Krogan, Maelon, help Urdnot. Wrex's way."

"And my work?" Maelon gestured at the terminal. The Salarian was still in shock at the last several seconds. "The Genophage needs to end."

"Not like this," Mordin murmured. "Thank you, Shepard."

"You alright?" I asked.

"Should have killed him. Wanted to. Easier than listening. Easier for him too, experiments indicate how far he's fallen. Expected it from Krogan. Not one of mine."

"Keep that in mind next time you think about ethics," I suggested. Obviously Mordin's little secret was out, Grunt had been listening intently, which, I'll need to thank him for his patience. The others had varying states of interest, but no disinterest.

"Yes. So many variables. Stress responses. You were correct. Impossible to truly predict. Maelon's research. Only loose end. Could destroy it. Closer, security. Still valuable though."

"Everything about his methods were abhorrent. But… Mordin, you already know what you want to do. You regret it. Sure, you see the horror of what happened here, but you see the loss."

"Wasted potential." I gestured at the dead Krogan.

"No one deserves this."

"No. No, they don't."