HOLOCAUST

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX:

QUALIFICATIONS

July 31, 2186

1846 hours.

Docking Bay D24, Shalta Docks, Shalta Ward, The Citadel.

The Reaper War.

Captain Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Shepard vas Normandy, Military Advisor Garrus Vakarian, Shadow Broker Liara T'Soni, Second Lieutenant Imogen Keeling, Second Lieutenant James Vega.

The door cycled as per usual and shot open, opening up the ever busy and bustling docking bay, men and women of every species going about their daily business, either running or walking. Some people were relaxed; he saw one couple, a human male and female, looking out the observation window, appreciating the form of the Normandy docked outside, lights reflecting off its hull as skycars and other vessels shot by. There was an asari just ahead who looked to be weeping, head held in her hands as a turian corpsman walking away with his head held low, the weight of his news obvious to him immediately as the asari proceeded to walk back into the railing and slide to the ground, tears streaming down her cheeks.

A pair of technicians, a human and a salarian, were present at Avina's terminal, both of them wearing the uniform of the Citadel's Electrical Maintenance Commission. The salarian was crouched on the right side of the terminal, hands messing around with wires located within Avina's deactivated holographic terminal. The human stood to the left, leaning against a wall with a cigarette in hand, smoke trailing from his lips as he looked to be having a conversation with his fellow engineer. The conversation didn't look happy; the human frowned, seeming contemplative.

A row of four C-Sec officers, dressed in combat gear and wielding an assortment of assault rifles and shotguns, was lined up on their immediate right, their faces seeming to be made of stone...three turians and a salarian. Two female Alliance soldiers stood not too far from the working technicians, neither of them in their standard issue HYPERION-82 armor, but wearing their dress blues, the image of side-faced black winged eagle superimposed on an equally black shield immediately telling him they were not marines, but Army troopers. The sergeant held out her omni-tool and scrolled through its contents, while the private beside her, standing ram-rod straight and hands clasped behind her back in parade rest, seemed to be having an argument with her. As Marcus and his cohort got closer, he was able to make out elements of their argument.

"...assignment is the decision of FOCOM, not you," the sergeant spat, deactivating her omni-tool as she turned to the private, glaring at her, "What makes you special, Private Talavi? You think because you're a geek that gives you special provisions? I don't give a shit if the Reapers spook you. I don't care if their husks are horrifying enough to remind you of Sunday breakfast. And I most certainly don't give a damn that you believe you're better off staying back. So what makes you so important, private? Tell me. Tell me right here, right now."

"Sergeant Olembe, ma'am," the private named Talavi responded, the private's dark-skin reflecting with the light of the docking bay, eyes glistening with tears, "I'm no coward, ma'am, and I'm no shirker. I'm not asking to be dismissed. I'm asking to be reassigned. The Reapers may be scary, but that is not the reason I'm requesting this. I'd be better off fighting Cerberus, ma'am."

"And why's that?" The sergeant replied, "You think you'll kill Cerberus better?"

Talavi shook her head, "Revenge, sergeant. My little brother...he was on Benning when Cerberus abducted the colony. We all know what happens to those they abduct, ma'am."

Olembe's tone was much lighter, her position relaxing, "I see. How old was he?"

Talavi hesitated before replying, "Just fifteen, sergeant. He was going to turn 16 last week."

Olembe nodded, "And you want a chance to save your brother?"

Talavi shook her head, "He can't be saved, sarge. You know that, I know that. I want a chance to kill some Cerberus...make right the wrongs they committed. If my brother is among those I kill...at least he will no longer be a tool for those bastards to use. He'll be free."

Olembe nodded, clearing her throat before she shrugged, "Well...I understand your predicament, Private Talavi. But I can't argue with FOCOM. If they want you fighting Reapers, you'll be fighting Reapers. As simple as that."

Damn it. I'm walking by, I might as well.

Holding up a hand for his team to stop, he moved over to the two, making his presence known as Olembe turned to address him, likely seeing his approach in her peripheral vision. She must have recognized him, as her eyes went wide, followed by a sharp salute. Talavi turned and did the same, likely recognizing him as well.

He briefly returned the salute, before dropping his hand, the other two following his example, "I overheard your conversation. Sergeant, I will personally forward a message to FOCOM telling them that Private Talavi's expertise would be better wielded against Cerberus troops. We become so focused on the main enemy that we often forget their allies. We musn't make that mistake. Cerberus is just as dangerous as the Reapers."

"Thank you so much, sir," Talavi blurted out, much to Olembe's noticable annoyance, but Talavi quickly corrected herself, snapping another salute, "I will not waste this chance you've given me, sir. All those assholes will pay."

Olembe nodded, turning to Talavi, "Make sure to kill some for me too, private. I had friends on this station when Cerberus attacked the station; search and rescue teams found them gunned down in their own apartment with cold pizza on the table and a game of Alliance Corsairs on the vidscreen. They were murdered in cold blood while off duty," her face hardened, and Marcus nodded, "So Talavi, you kill as many as possible. Don't let a single one live."

The private nodded, "I won't disappoint, sarge. I'll knock 'em dead."

Marcus let the two of them be as he turned to his group of assorted squadmates; Tali, Garrus, Liara, Keeling and James stood by the observation window, the couple from before having likely walked away to give them space. Tali was braced against the railing, laughing at some joke Garrus had told her as he stood braced against it as well on her right, mandibles clicking with his own laughter. James and Keeling stood with arms crossed, Keeling shifting a loose lock of ginger hair behind one ear as she tried to keep a straight face, James likely telling her one of his ridiculous tales of heroism or bravery. Liara was on her omni-tool, likely keeping track of her innumerable private army of operatives and paramilitarists. The asari seemed to never take a single break.

All work and no play. She'll need to take a break eventually.

He moved up to James and Keeling, Keeling turning towards him with something akin to gratefulness in her eyes; although, from the looks of it, she had actually been enjoying Vega's story. Enjoyment and happiness seemed to be two things in low quantity for Keeling. Marcus always found her in the shuttle bay either exercising or practicing at her prefab shooting range. He had to admit, working alongside a fellow N7 was always a pleasure, but he had never seen a more hardcore special forces operative in all his time in the service. She rarely smiled or attempted to engage in crew activities. And after her incident in the shuttle bay with James...he now knew why.

We all have our inner demons, and so does she. Seems like James is trying to crack the shell.

If the marine was making any progress on the N7, it wasn't showing. Keeling turned with a sigh, regarding Marcus as he approached, "Glad you returned, sir. Any longer and Lieutenant Vega here would have talked my ear off."

James chuckled, "You know you love my stories, Lola. And what have I said about calling me James, or even Vega? Not everything is rank and formality, you know."

Keeling rolled her eyes, "Rank and formality is what I've got and I'm sticking with it. Didn't make it this far up the food chain without somekind of respect for those who yank said chain."

James' grinned only grew, "What's that? Did you just admit to respecting me? Do I 'yank your chain', so to speak?"

Keeling just scoffed, shaking her head, "Cortez was right. You are a bear. A machoist, stubborn, relentless bear."

James just guffawed, his arms crossed as he regarded his fellow soldier with simple amusement, "You shouldn't listen to 'ol Esteban. He likes to talk a lot. I think that shuttle has made him a bit high on his self-esteem."

Marcus held up a hand, stopping the both of them before their 'argument' could develop any further. James is interested, she clearly isn't. You'd think James would get the hint. "At least Cortez didn't trash a shuttle, Vega. Now, both of you, I expect you to play nice."

Keeling sighed, rubbing her forehead, before reluctantly shaking her head, "Just some friendly banter, sir. I'm sure Lieutenant Vega meant nothing by it."

Marcus turned to James, who was still grinning whole and wide, arms crossed over his broad chest. He turned to Marcus, noticing the man's raised eyebrow, and his grin gave way to a reluctant exhale, "Yeah, sure thing, Loco. What Lola said; just some friendly banter, no hate between soldiers. Just like you and Scars, right?"

Yeah, Garrus and I admittedly do banter quite a lot. Probably too much. But nothing quite like your banter, Vega. Those thoughts remained in his head as he nodded to the both of them, "Good. Just banter then."

Keeling nodded, cracking her neck as she also cracked her knuckles, looking ready to pick a fight. He frowned at that. Keeling took notice of his expression, and immediately straightened, as if she had been caught out on something by a drill sergeant, "Sir, heard the Alliance camp has set up a training facility. Lots of guns and equipment, sir. Would like to head down there to train, sir. Equipment on the Normandy is fine, but it lacks a few essential items to staying fit and capable for combat. And we won't always be in a combat scenario. Permission to leave, sir?"

Marcus stratched the back of his head, nodding, "Sure thing, Keeling. But please stop asking my permission for stuff. Sure, tell me you're going down there, but stop acting like I need to give you permission for every little thing. Just let me know you're headed down there just so I know. Understood?"

A few moments, and Keeling finally nodded, "Yes...sir. Understood...Shepard."

"Good. Then you're dismissed," he nodded once more, and Keeling snapped back from her position and headed down the corridor towards the security checkpoint, Marcus suddenly understanding the lack of dress blues and the simple shirt and jeans; even her hair was tied fully back, something which she never did when off duty.

Before James could even ask, he held up a hand, halting the marine in his footsteps. Looking up, he gave a single nod, but was quick to poke the man in the chest with a pointed finger, "Don't harass her, Vega. I can tell you like her, but give her some space. Remember what happened."

The marine frowned, "What? I don't..."

"James," he cut him off, looking up at him with an annoyed frustration, "I just know. Promise you won't push her over the edge. I need everybody at their finest."

James sighed, nodding one final time, "Understood, Shepard."

The marine took off down the corridor after Keeling, shouting at her to wait. No doubt the N7 was slightly annoyed that James had chosen to follow her, but Marcus was skeptical that would deter the marine. He could tell his interest in Keeling was more than just friendly, but he wasn't going to get in the way of anything. It was Vega's death sentence, after all.

The rest of the group was waiting for him as he moved towards them, Liara having closed her omni-tool and joined Tali and Garrus, the asari apparently laughing at the same joke the turian had already told Tali.

As he arrived at Garrus' right, he leaned his back against the railing, a raised eyebrow cementing his following question, "If it has Liara and Tali laughing, it must be a pretty good joke, Garrus. Do tell."

The turian turned to him with a grin, mandibles spread wide, "Inside joke, Marcus."

"You wouldn't get it," Tali added.

"Utterly ridiculous," Liara concluded.

He looked at them for a few seconds, eyes darting between the three of them, but the action yielded no response. They just stood there, looking at him, waiting for him to say something. In the end, he simply sighed, shaking his head, "Fine, keep it to yourself. Kasumi told me a funny joke about you, Garrus. And I think Javik delivered one hell of a knee-slapper about you, Liara. And Tali? Well, let's just say Kaidan had a very funny joke about quarians," his grin grew, noticing the three of them tense up slightly, "Of course...they're all inside jokes. Couldn't possibly tell. Joker-listener confidentiality. You know."

"Are you messing with us?" Garrus asked inquisitively, and Marcus simply shrugged, refusing to relent to the turian's prodding. You tease me, I tease you. Of course, Kasumi, Javik and Kaidan said no such things, but they needn't know. Shit, I think Javik actually did make a joke about Liara, though...ah, fuck it.

Seeing that Marcus refused to give a response, Garrus sighed, shaking his head, "Oh, fine. The joke was about how I managed to beat you at sniping, and that you aren't as good a soldier as you think are."

Marcus chuckled, shaking his head, "Oh, really? Did you forget to mention the part where we were shooting bottles?"

Garrus winced, and Liara leaned in, a grin on her face, "No, I don't believe Garrus mentioned that."

The turian rubbed the back of his neck, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but here, "It was a...trivial detail," he quickly stood up, pointing a finger at the N7, "In my defense, bottles are hard to hit, especially with a sniper rifle. You missed most of your shots."

Marcus held up his hands, smirk still prominent on his face, "Hey, you're the one who wants to keep the bottles from revolting. I just plan on taking out actual targets who are actually threatening, Garrus. And they're typically bigger than something that contains my chosen poison."

The turian shook his head, "You're impossible," he turned to him, a metaphorical eyebrow raised, "So? What did Kasumi tell you?"

"What?" he pretended to be hard to get, and upon seeing Garrus annoyed expression, continued his coy antics, "Oh, she told me nothing. I just said she did to get you to spill the beans. Nothing like a manufactured scenario to get somebody talking, eh?"

"You've got to be kidding me..." Garrus scowled, rubbing his forehead, "I, uh...guess I had that one coming, didn't I?"

"Of course you did," he slapped the turian on the back lightly, Garrus continuing to shake his head, "This is why I always beat you in poker. You really suck on picking up when somebody's bluffing."

"Note to my damn self," Garrus grumbled, the turian begrudgingly 'slouching' against the railing in defeat, the two women beside him giggling slightly as Marcus turned to them.

"So, all jokes aside, what do we all want to do while we're here?" Marcus asked, "The Normandy's resupplying, so we've got a full two days of free time. So how about it? Hang out on the Presidium? Cause some mayhem at the Armax Arena? Shopping on the Silversun Strip? I have no idea what to do, so I'm leaving it up to you guys."

"Argh," Tali shook her head insistently, clearly disagreeing with what he said, "No shopping. Unless its for weapon upgrades or tech, I don't want anything to do with it. Especially if Kasumi is involved. I love her like a sister, but keelah, does she get insistent when it comes to shopping, especially if it's clothes."

"Not particularly fond of shopping myself," he complimented; at least that was another thing they could both agree with. Unless its armor, weapons or the usual necessities like grocery or some basic clothes, I hate the concept of shopping. I pity Tali that Kasumi basically drags her out there simply on the premise that she's not 'girly' enough.

"That's not fair!" Liara exclaimed, the asari's hands coming to rest on her hips, "I just happen to love shopping."

Garrus waved a hand at the asari, "Nobody's stopping you, Liara. This shore leave doesn't have to be a group expedition," he turned to Marcus, and then glanced at Tali, bringing him to his next point, "Especially since I refuse to sit in a room with you two. I'll be forgotten faster than it takes for the mask to come off."

Marcus opened his mouth to retort, but Garrus beat him to it, holding up a single hand, "Don't even try to refute it, either of you. You know it's true."

Marcus simply shrugged, smirking, "I was going to say that you're feeling a bit like the third wheel. You wouldn't be if you kept company with a certain thief."

"For the love of..." the turian groaned, mandibles clicking in irritation, "It's just a fling! How many times must we both say it!"

"Say it all you want, Mr. Vakarian," Liara added, poking the turian in the shoulder, "But we all know there's more to it than a simple fling."

Marcus, under his breath, and with an exaggerated cough, added, "My wedding." Another cough, and he turned back to the turian, pretending to clear his throat. He saw Garrus glaring at him, and he just held up his hands in a 'no idea what you're talking about' pose, smile almost reaching his cheeks, "What? I've got a cold, that's all."

The turian shook his head, turning back to look through the observation window, an Alliance Warsaw-class frigate passing by with a trio of SX5 Yellowjacket interceptors keeping alongside its dorsal side, "What happened at the wedding...that was all part of it. There's nothing between us. Can we leave it at that?"

"Touchy subject?" he prodded, "Perhaps you like Kasumi more than you're willing to admit, and she likes you more than she's willing to commit?"

The turian sighed, "Please, Marcus. Leave it be." The turian's voice was not as light-hearted anymore; what he heard was a genuine plea for him to stop, and Marcus knew that when he heard that tone, it really was time to stop. Definitely more going on between the two of them, though. I'm sure of it.

He held up his hands in defeat, "Okay, okay. No more talking about...whatever you guys have going on," he turned back to Tali and Liara, "So? Any ideas at all? I'm stumped, and I really need to get away from all the datapads and battlefield reports. Hackett's tried his best to keep me away from them, but they're starting to pile up, and I need to ease off some stress; I mean, come on. We just changed the course of history for the second time. That's a lot of work we need a pay off for; other than the obvious millions of geth and quarian troops we'll be getting."

"Agreed," Tali agreed, standing up from the railing and straightening her combat suit; her old suit having been forever lost on the Machina when it was destroyed, "The fact that I'm no longer leading an entire fleet and I'm back to being chief engineer is enough for me."

"Chief engineer?" Marcus queried with a raised eyebrow, "I wonder how Adams feels about that?"

Tali raised a finger, halting any further thoughts he had on the matter, "I'll have you know that I didn't just steal engineering out from under him. I was going to regulate myself to being just another engineer like I did on the SR-1, but apparently Adams believed Ken and Gabby reacted better to my command regimen, and so he handed command back over to me. Apparently I'm the only one who can keep Ken in check, and Gabby already respects me, so there's that too."

Garrus chuckled, looking up at Marcus, "So basically your wife took over engineering through mere presence. Nice."

Tali rolled her eyes, crossing her arms, "I did not take over. Adams simply transferred operational command over to me."

"Yeah," the turian countered, "Through the coercion of presence. You may not know it Tali, but when you're in your element, you're pretty scary. I heard tales from Ken back during our fight against the Collectors. Apparently you ordered him to crawl through a duct, and when he made an offhand comment regarding something about 'quarian bumbums moving through ducts' being 'delicious', you almost gave him a concussion...as well as one hell of a ringing ear. He was deaf for the rest of the day, you know."

Marcus looked up at her, incredulous, "First I've heard about this."

Tali looked to contemplate her next words very carefully, before her signature wringing off the hands followed, "Well...he was being a little shit. So...I might have hit him across the head with a wrench...just a little tap. And I might have caused his omni-tool to emit a high-pitched static into his ears...that might have made him useless for the rest of the day. And Gabby and I may have shared a laugh or two at his expense."

Liara giggled, holding her face as the humour of the described situation got to her, "That's...pretty funny...to picture...in my head..."

"Now I know why Kenneth kept complaining about headaches," Marcus shook his head, stiffling his own laughter in an attempt to look serious, "My wife is evil. I may have made a mistake."

"Marriage is always a mistake," Garrus added, looking up at the human, "Its just a mistake we're willing to make, and one we'll end up being happy with, no matter how much we joke about it being otherwise."

"This coming from an unmarried man," Marcus joked, resisting the urge to bring up Kasumi again.

The turian shrugged, "Hey, sometimes the observer knows more than they let on."

Liara looked ready to respond when her omni-tool went off, a dull ping letting her know that she had received a message. The asari darted to it as if wanting to escape the current conversation, and Marcus had to once again hold back a chuckle at the movement. Garrus kept his laugh back far more poorly, a snort exploding from his mandibles as he stiffled the rest of his laugh. Liara took no notice though, quickly opening her omni-tool and reading the message. As she read it though, her eagerness turned into a smile, and after finishing it, turned off her omni-tool, and looked up...

...she nodded to Marcus.

He straightened, smile widening as he knew what she meant. It's time.

Garrus frowned, looking up at the human, "What are you smiling about?"

Tali leaned back against the railing, arms crossed, "Something we don't know about?"

You'd freak if you did.

Marcus nodded to Liara. The asari nodded back, turning to the turian and quarian with her hands folded infront of her, "The Council has summoned us to the Council Chambers. They wish an audience with us."

Garrus' frown deepened, "The Council has summoned us? And you're smiling about it? And somehow you two knew about it, which means that only something good can be coming out of this," he glanced between the two of them, sighing, "And only you two know anything about it...which means it has to do with either me or Tali, doesn't it? Or both?"

Marcus' lips creased, impressed at how much Garrus had figured out, "Very good. I almost forgot you were a detective back in your day. You know the best bit? We're not telling you either. You have to find out for yourself."

"A surprise?" Tali asked. Seeing Liara nod, the quarian let her head fall into one hand, shaking her head, "I hate surprises."

Marcus clapped his hands together, rubbing them together like an excited child about to have Christmas dinner, "Best not keep them waiting then if you want to find out. I think you'll like it."

And so the four of them departed, moving through the security checkpoint before reaching the elevator. After that, it was a simple wait while the elevator rose to the top of the Citadel Tower, where the Council Chambers. Thanks to the large glass window making up the back of the elevator and its second exit door, they were able to see themselves ascending high above the beautiful Presidium, followed by their swift exit and departure into the tower, where they could see the wards stretched out before them in every direction, every bit as titanic as they seemed, the massive ARW Destiny Ascension by the sheer immensity of the station itself.

Weird that only three years ago we were ascending this very elevator to stop Saren. Sovereign was wrapped around the top of the tower, the wards were closed, no ships could be seen, and we were armed to the teeth...so much has changed, but the Citadel has remained almost the same. A sign of peace. Even in an apocalyptic war such as this one, the Citadel still manages to capture an essence of peace and tranquility that no other station can do. Perhaps that's what the Reapers intended it for.

A lie. A deception. An entrapment of values the Reapers didn't represent. Everything they were opposed to.

Marcus couldn't find any other way the Reapers could be described: they were pure evil.

Focus on winning the war. Get the resources to finish the Crucible. Then we can wipe out that evil. Until then...we have this.

The elevator finally arrived at the top of the tower, the Council Chambers opening up before them. They moved down the open hallway, ascending the steps to find a large fountain. Three years ago, its design had been fairly simplistic; a simple spire where water sprouted from, descending into the tightly isolated pool that served as its base, the sound of water impacting water weirdly calming and peaceful. It was destroyed when the geth attacked, and the simple spire had since been replaced with a large memorial statue. Marcus stopped for a moment, having seen it before, but never quite taking the time to acknowledge it.

Put quite simply, it was a statue of him. Clad in his old Hoplite combat armor he stood, one leg perched on an elevated piece of encapsulized rubble, his stony expression visible through the helmet as he looked up. His Diamond Back assault rifle, poorly represented by the Alliance standard issue M-8, lay on the ground beside him, his fists empty and balled into tight fists at his side. But he was not alone. Standing beside were a trio of Alliance marines, one of them lying against a stone in the middle, hand craddling his side while the other gripped a shotgun, pointed off to the right to aim at an unseen enemy. His helmet was removed, his expression that of conviction and courage. On his left was another marine, this one standing proud and tall, assault rifle aimed where Marcus was facing, his helmet fastened on. The third and final marine was at Marcus' back, hand held up as if to bring up biotics. Below all of it, and located at the front, was a simple memorial plaque.

"The Heroes of the Citadel: Eternal Is Their Sacrifice, Clear Is Their Reflection."

Garrus must have noticed his expression, a hand gripping his shoulder, "Just as many marines gave their lives to save the Citadel as we shed blood, Marcus. Besides, we know what we did. Doesn't matter if the galaxy does to."

He nodded, "That's besides the point, Garrus. You and Tali should be up there. Liara, Wrex, Kaidan...they all should be up there. We put a stop to Saren."

"And the Fifth Fleet destroyed Sovereign," Liara added, "Garrus is right, Marcus. Your species made itself a known quantity on that day. Be proud. I know I would be."

"Although I can see why some of the Citadel races thought humanity was getting too much too quickly," Tali added, "My people have been part of the galactic community since 78 CE, and we didn't get a Council seat until our war with the batarians; many centuries later. The humans have only been around since 2157 CE, and they already have an embassy, their own statue in the Council Chambers no less and a Council seat. Your people have achieved much and more."

"Guess it doesn't matter much anymore," he sighed, looking up at the representation of himself towering over him by a good few feet, "Their sacrifice was for nothing. It did nothing to stop the Reapers coming, and the Council didn't even end up listening to our warning; neither did the Alliance. They spat on the bodies of their own dead just so they could suck up to the Council. So many men and women died to save us all...and they were forgotten within a year. I've never been more ashamed of my species, Liara."

"Everyone will remember now," Liara reinforced, grabbing him and turning him around, "We remember what we did. The whole galaxy will now remember what was done here, on the Citadel, three years ago, and they will look back upon it with equal parts of shame and conviction. Their sacrifice is more relevant now then it was three years ago."

"You're forgetting, Marcus," Tali began, joining Liara, "There's one thing the Reapers were deprived of when they invaded; the Citadel. We stole that from them, and because of that, we have a better chance of victory than any other cycle before us. We stand right here, on the Citadel, when it should already be gone and under Reaper occupation. They died for that. It means more than you let on. We might not like the Council, but at least they're still here to complain about. We have our government. The protheans didn't have that. That is worth something."

Garrus moved forward one final time, joining the other two, "That battle wasn't a waste. We're still here, and we're making the best of it. It isn't the way we wanted it...but its what we've got. No point moping about what could have been when we could be making use of what is."

"Fuck," Marcus grumbled, moving to sit on the edge of the pool, "You guys are right, as always. I guess our impending doom can make us forget the little glimmers of hope we still have, yeah?"

"Forgetting those glimmers of hope is often what lets the doom prevail," Liara reinforced, "So don't focus on it."

A brief nod and he straightened himself, the acrimony he felt towards the Council and the Alliance slowly ebbing away as he shut it away. More pessimism and bitterness in an already bleak atmosphere wasn't necessary, especially when they had already achieved so much together. Rubbing his head he motioned for them to follow, and they slowly moved away from the statue, escaping whatever bitterness was attached to it.

That's all in the past now...got to get to grips with it.

Jenkins, Ashley, Pressly, Johnson...the Alliance swept away what they did, and yet now they'll be heralded as the heroes they were. Pressly and Johnson were avenged. Jenkins got his payback from beyond the grave. And Ashley's spirit continues to drive us forward.

The four of them descended the steps ahead without any further mention of the statue, his three comrades electing to give him space, given that he had a lot on his mind. The thought that he had just given hope to billions of geth and millions of quarians, only to have to read the reports of the hopelessness befalling the galaxy. The endless reports, casualty lists, fallen worlds, entire sectors lost...

The central area of the Council Chambers hadn't changed much from three years ago, before Saren's attack. Large and wide, the Chambers had its own lighting, but most of it came from the purple glow of the Serpent Nebula, mixed with the bright potency of the Widow star, which beamed together so brightly it provided the only natural lighting in the entire chamber. It came in through a massive observation window at the front of the Chambers, just behind the Council pedestals.

In the middle, looking just as out of place as they did previously, was the pair of tall, alien-looking trees in the middle, their branches sprouting upwards as if to reach the ceiling, but falling woefully short by several meters. They were situated in a small pasture of dirt and grass, looking almost as if somebody had simply cut out a piece of some garden world and dumped it in the Chambers. And in contrast with the sleek, silver and grey interior of the Chambers, its greenery was an ugly invasion of colors and nature isolated in a world of artificial contours.

Moving about were several of the Council species; asari delegates, salarian military operatives, turian officials, hanar missionaries, volus accountants, elcor registrars and the odd drell diplomats. He was surprised to find five quarians, a female and four males, standing beside one of the trees in a circle, talking to each other. Marcus had to admit he was surprised that the quarians had already started to mingle on the Citadel, given that Gerrel arrived with the fleet only a few hours ago. Yet again, the quarians were very much big on business, and when it came to getting something done, they got it done immediately.

One of the males didn't fail to notice them walking by, and he motioned to his compatriots to let them know. The five turned and seemed to recognize them, their veils and salutes immediately giving away that they were members of the military. The blue veil of the female and one of the males indicated they were ship's captains, while the three males were likely just standard marines. They made no sound, simply saluting while they walked by. Marcus, out of respect, returned the salute as they moved past.

Once they were out of their hearing, Garrus quickly closed the gap, "Surprising we didn't see any geth. You'd think they'd be the ones with the most reason to speak with the Council given they were public enemy number one not too long ago."

Marcus shrugged, "Maybe that's exactly why they aren't here, Garrus. Perhaps the geth don't want to simply barge onto the station and make everyone think there's another invasion. They need to get used to the geth before they can welcome them. And where better to do that then helping out on the battlefield?"

The turian nodded, "That makes sense. No doubt Gerrel will have a word with the Council, though. After all, the quarians are part of this fight now too. As members of the UGC, they'll have access to the same rights as any other species to seek refuge on the Citadel. Its either that or Rannoch, and I don't think they want to draw unwanted attention to their own homeworld, especially if the Reapers see how vulnerable they are."

They stopped at the stairs leading up to the main speaker's platform; the exact same spot where he became a Spectre so many years ago, and the place where they confronted and killed Saren. Sometimes, I still hear his voice in my head...those words of his, over and over...

He turned and leaned his back against a wall, crossing his arms, "The Council knows past grudges won't stand in this war. If humanity can put aside its hatred of the batarians to work together, then the Council will just have to learn to work with the quarians and the geth. Its as simple as that."

Liara, hands on her hips, raised an eyebrow at him, "The Council hasn't had a reason to be reasonable in the past when it comes to the Reapers."

"Well, they can't deny the gun exists anymore," Marcus stated, "They know that. Its aimed right at them, and they either defend themselves or get shot. Besides, Sparatus will see the military advantage of having a massive force such as this. Getting the krogan as ground troops was a major win for us, but now we've got the ships to actually make it mean something. Geth cruisers could deploy entire krogan battalions onto a battlefield, sabotage a conversion facility and then duck back out. Not to mention the firepower brought to the table will at least give us a one up. The UGC is sick of us getting our asses kicked; its about time we did some of the ass kicking."

"And with Rannoch back in our hands, we'll fight damn hard to protect what we have," Tali added, conviction in her words, "Those Reaper bastards will not take it from us. We won't allow it, and the geth won't allow it. We'll get the Crucible finished, Mark."

He smiled at his wife, thankful she was here for the long run and fully committed to their task, "I never had a doubt. We've got a real chance at winning this, guys." I can almost taste victory...hell, if Hackett rung up right now to tell me it was ready, I'd tell him to fire away...shit, we don't know what it does, but when you've got a superpower capable of destroying a race of seemingly never-ending sentient starships, you take what you can get with a pinch of salt.

"Captain Shepard, pleasure to meet you," a female voice spoke from where they had come, "I don't believe we've had the chance to meet in person."

Garrus and Tali dispersed to allow her through, and Marcus immediately noted she was human, the her blonde hair, blue eyes and elderly complexion all features you wouldn't see in any other species. She looked to be in her seventies, her hair tied up in a ponytail. She buttoned up her suit, Marcus noting how old-fashioned she looked; the suit looked like something out of the 20th century on Earth, and she carried herself with a sort of balanced fluidity only a true lady could manage.

She reached out a hand, a slight smile on her face. Marcus shook her hand, "I don't believe we have, miss. May I ask your name?"

The woman chuckled, tapping the side of her head and rolling her eyes with an exaggerated flick of her head, "Of course, how silly of me. I go by the name of June Horvath. I am the new ambassador for the human embassy after Mister Osoba became our Councilor. A damn fine man, if I may say so." It was now that Marcus identified her thick Georgian accent sliding through her voice, the fine rhythm of it always seeming to make him smile. I love the Southern accent.

He nodded, smirking as they dropped their hands to their sides, "Of course, my mistake. I should have been aware that there would be a replacement ambassador. I've been busy, as you probably know."

Ambassador June Horvath smiled warmly, nodding, "All too well, captain. You do our species a great service with your actions. You've shown the galaxy what we can do, and I have no doubt in my mind you are doing everything in your power to win this war, just as we are. Mister Osoba has proved to be just as motivated as Udina, but without the ties with Cerberus to go with it. You'll find Councilor Osoba hates Cerberus as much as you do."

"Udina was a coward, in the end," Marcus declared, his indifference showing his lack of sadness towards the previous human councilor's demise, "He chose the easy way out. I can respect what he did it for...but when you sign a pact with the devil, only bad things can come from it. It's just a good thing we got here in time to stop him."

June creased her lips in agreement, licking them slightly to wet them as they seemed to have dried slightly, "I had no love for the man. He was as slimy as politicians come, but I know his heart belonged to the human race. It's shame a man like that had to find himself in bed with people like the Illusive Man, but war does make us turn to desperate actions. It's a shame Udina chose the wrong action. Better for us he did not succeed."

"Touche," he replied, before standing up, "But I've been neglecting my comrades," he turned to Liara, smiling as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "This is Liara T'Soni."

June held out her hand to shake the asari's, and Liara took it eagerly and with grace, an equally warm smile on her dark purple lips, "Ambassador Horvath, a pleasure to meet you. I had heard about you through several channels, but I never got a change to see you in person."

He then turned to Garrus, slapping the turian on the back with a grin, "This is Garrus Vakarian, formerly a military advisor to the turian Primarch and one of the best snipers in the galaxy," after June shook his hand, he finally turned to Tali, "And this is Tali'Shepard, my wife and just recently a former admiral of the Migrant Fleet."

June looked impressed, reaching out to shake Tali's hand gently, "I had heard you had married Marcus Shepard, but I never believed the rumours. Some said you had married your asari friend, while others said you were...well...of the different orientation."

Tali laughed at that, "No, he's definitely not of...that description."

"No offense to them or anything, but..." Marcus awkwardly replied, scratching the back of his head, "I don't swing in that direction."

June laughed, holding her chest almost as if laughing was a pain for her, "I'm sure many gay males around the galaxy will be sorely disappointed, but I am nonetheless happy for you both. Only fitting the champion of humanity have a wife that isn't human. Just shows Cerberus where they can stick it."

He laughed, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "Indeed."

June looked up and over his head, as if her attention was brought to something, and she suddenly reached into one of her inner suit pockets, pulling out an old, silver pocket watch and flipping it open to look at the time. Nodding, she put it away, looking back up as she straightened out her jacket, "The Council is now ready to see you. I wouldn't keep them waiting," she nodded to all four of them, moving to walk away, "As for me, I must take my leave. I was on my way to a meeting with the volus, elcor, hanar and drell ambassadors down the hall. Until next time," without any further word, she simply twisted on the spot and left, moving away with a steady fast walk, her posture all business and class.

Tali frowned, "What an odd arrangement she had; I've never seen humans dressed up like that. And what was that weird device she had?"

"A pocket watch. An old human device from the 20th century that we used to tell the time," he turned to the three of them and motioned up the stairs, "But we can talk more about that later. Come on." He moved up the stairs, and the three of them followed.

Garrus was insistent though, "I still can't figure out why the Council would want to see me and Tali for specifically. Are we being transferred?"

"What? Hell no. Nothing that dramatic," he replied, the group arriving at the bridge-like platform that extended over the glass-ceiling protecting the garden below. Widow's glare shone brightly down on them, but there was no mistaking the four forms of a human, turian, asari and a salarian standing at their respective pedestals just ahead of them, "But you'll soon find out, Garrus."

They eventually reached the end of the bridge, Marcus standing at the front with his hands clasped behind his back. Behind him was Tali, on his left, and Garrus on his right, equally straightened, while Liara stood behind the both of them, likely barely keeping her excitement to herself.

A few seconds passed before one of the councilors spoke. Osoba was the first to speak from his pedestal on the Council's far right, his hands at his side as he looked down on them with a straight face, "Captain Shepard. I believe you are aware this Council has come to a decision on your proposal?"

Marcus could only imagine the looks of confusion on Tali and Garrus' faces, but he reigned in his own amusement and kept a straight face as he replied, his voice echoing through the chamber, "I am, Councilor."

Valern crossed his arms, "You are sure of this decision? We are aware of your personal views, but you must be absolutely sure they are ready."

He nodded, "There is nobody who is more ready and more deserving, Councilor."

Tevos smiled, turning to her turian compatriot. Sparatus' arms were crossed, but he nodded, showing no objection; the turian's opinion on Marcus had done a complete 360 since the Reaper War began, going from his harshest critic to one of his most adamant supporters on the Council. The change was nice, especially considering it showed that Sparatus wasn't entirely stubborn, and that he could admit a mistake when one was made. Tevos, having seen Sparatus' approval, turned to Marcus. Marcus gave one final nod of approval, and took a step back, grinning. Garrus and Tali watched him, Tali's visor barely covering up her expression. He simply looked ahead, a smile growing, refusing to meet either of their looks.

"Then it is decided," Tevos spoke, her voice ringing through the chambers as those on the upper level balconies gathered around to watch, "Garrus Vakarian. Tali'Shepard. Step forward."

To their credit, they did not hesitate. Both of them stepped forward, side by side, looking up at the Council with calm, likely featureless, expressions.

Sparatus was next to speak, "Kneel."

This time, Garrus and Tali shared a brief glance before they did as they were asked, placing one knee on the ground while supporting their body on the other. It was an odd sight for Marcus, especially given their backward facing legs, but he paid no mind to it. He looked behind himself at Liara, who met his gaze with a warm, pleasant smirk. He smiled back, nodding as he turned back to watch the show.

Osoba was next to speak, hands clasping behind his back, "By your actions on the field, but deeds and not your words, you have been evaluated. Strong were your convictions, resonating were your deeds, and your decisions were for a greater good, and not committed in spite of peace or in love of tyranny. You ennoble all of us, and with those, your skills in combat and your pure intent to protect and preserve galactic peace, you have been evaluated. Marcus Shepard, step forward, and say the oath."

Marcus did as ordered, straightening quickly to make himself look professional. He then spoke, his voice booming and loud, so that all could hear, "I, Marcus Shepard, a member of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Branch of the Citadel, Sword of the Council, Shield of Galactic Stability, have evaluated these two combatants and deemed them worthy to join our ranks. I ask that they may say the vows that I once spoke, that they may become Spectres, and that may help protect galactic peace as I have. In my name, and all the deeds I have committed and righted, ask the Council to look upon these two warriors and see them for what they are: Spectres."

There. He had said it.

Osoba nodded, "Thank you, Spectre. Your words have been heeded, and we have decided in favor. If anything, the Council should have done this a long time ago."

Marcus nodded in agreement and stepped back, looking down to see no change in Garrus and Tali's movement; they looked at the ground, likely dumbfounded by what had just happened. He grinned, inwardly fist pumping. Now we can be the Spectre Trio. Nah...that sounds stupid. Tetrarch of Spectres? Too formal. Nah, just stick with Dextro Squad. Sounds better.

When Tevos spoke, Marcus suddenly felt himself remembering his own Spectre induction, the words being the same she had said to him that very day, "It is the decision of the Council that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Branch of the Citadel."

After around a minute and a half, the Council finished their induction speech, Tevos spoke again, "You may now rise as Spectres. Tali'Shepard, you are now the first quarian spectre to hold such a title in three hundred years. This is a great accomplishment."

The two of them rose silently, and nodded to the Council, with Tali speaking loudly but confidently, "We are honoured, councilors. We will not waste the power you've given us."

Sparatus nodded, "We have no doubt you won't."

"This meeting is now adjourned," Tevos declared, "Go forth, spectres. Continue your defense of the galaxy and defeat the Reapers. We are all counting on you."

Garrus and Tali thanked her in unison, and began to walk away as the four councilors quietly made their exit. Tali and Garrus approached Marcus and Liara, both of whom were smiling.

"A little heads up would have sufficed," Garrus sighed, rubbing his head, "I wasn't...expecting that."

"I still can't get over it," Tali exclaimed, looking at Marcus, "I'm a Spectre. The first quarian to hold the title for over three centuries. Why?" Her question was aimed at Marcus, and he understood what she was asking.

He sighed, grabbing them both by the shoulders, "You guys have earned it a thousand times over. Out of this group, Kaidan has been with me longer than you guys have, and he's already a spectre. You've never once questioned my loyalty, and you dropped everything to help me fight the Collectors even when it seemed I was working with Cerberus. You put all that aside not just out of loyalty to me, but out of a shared understanding that a greater threat than any other was out there and needed to be stopped. You put your lives on the line. All of those values: loyalty, courage, strength...all values of a spectre. This was a long time coming, guys," he turned to Garrus, grin peeling even wider across his face, "As for you, Garrus...I remember that promise you made me before I died on the SR-1. You said you'd leave C-Sec and join the spectres. The Council turned you down. I made sure they wouldn't this time."

The turian nodded, a click of his mandibles, "Thank you, Marcus. I appreciate it. Although..." he turned to Tali, a michevious glint in his eyes before he turned back to Marcus again, "This, once again, means we are now on a equal level with you. Being a spectre does supercede your original military rank..."

"...and yet you'll continue to follow my orders regardless, right?" Marcus asked, already knowing the answer. Seeing the turian nod he hugged the both of them tightly, Tali's and Garrus' arms wrapping around him tightly as they embraced. The turian cleared his throat and they pulled away, seeing him motion to Liara, "What about Liara and Wrex? They were on the SR-1 too."

Liara was quick to speak for herself, hands folded neatly in her lap, "I...actually was offered a place as a spectre, but I turned it down."

"Why?" Tali asked.

Liara smiled, "Tali, I'm the Shadow Broker. I own more assets than there are spectres. I don't really think being a spectre would do much for me other than give my power more prominence."

"Well, that does make sense," Tali replied, nodding in acknowledgement.

Marcus finished the answer, "As for Wrex, he's a krogan chieftain who governs the entire krogan species. And if that's not enough, I don't think he particularly cares about being a spectre."

"Congratulations to both of you, though," Liara spoke again, moving into hug Tali, "I really can't think of anyone else who I'd want being the first quarian spectre," she turned to Garrus and hugged him as well, the turian hugging her back, "And you were practically a spectre already, Garrus. Constantly breaking the law to protect those under it..."

"Omega did teach me a lot," the turian admitted.

Suddenly, Marcus had an epiphany. "Hey, you know what?" the three of them turned to him, anticipating what he was going to say, "I know what we can do now. Let's go to Purgatory and have some drinks. Celebrate your new rank. I'll see if I can get Kaidan to join us too."

"Nice and simple. Just a good old drink," Garrus observed, nodding, "Let's go."

"Right with you," Tali agreed.

"Shopping later, then?" their asari friend pointed out.

Three groans were her response, and she simply giggled as the four of them descended the steps and made headway back towards the elevator, Marcus being ready to celebrate his wife becoming a spectre, and his best friend finally getting the position he wanted.

{Loading...}

July 31, 2186

1913 hours.

Courtyard, Presidium Commons, Presidium, The Citadel.

The Reaper War.

Chief Engineer Tali'Shepard vas Normandy, Moses.

Tali was being too inundated with titles. First she was a captain, then she became a Chief Admiral, then she was a chief engineer, now she's a Spectre, and now Fleet Admiral Gerrel had seen fit to temporarily appoint her as the quarian ambassador for the provisional quarian embassy on the Citadel.

Great. Just what I wanted. More politics.

What was supposed to be her enjoying a celebratory drink with her friends after becoming a Spectre was ruined by Gerrel asking her to play ambassador. Sure, it wasn't going to be for very long, as their actual ambassador, who was apparently, to her immense surprise, Veetor'Nara, was caught up with getting registration from the Citadel authorities. So here she was.

It may have been his long-life dream to become an ambassador, but I never would have thought Veetor would qualify to become one, especially not with his agoraphobia. Guess his reconditioning with a certain doctor, now girlfriend, has changed him for the better. Good on him.

She still wasn't happy having to stand in for him, though.

It was near nighttime on the Presidium. The artificial, simulated sunlight was beginning to creep away beneath the ring, bringing the transition between day and night to a close. The change from light to dark did not sway the usual traffic though; skycars continued to shoot by, the booms of their engines assaulting her ears so much that she became so used to it as to shut it out. The crowds were not deterred, the usual bustle of people summoned to watch the sunset and to mingle in the nightly crowds. Lights lit up across the Presidium, prepared to fight back the darkness and provide light to the population. Tali simply sat there in the Presidium, right beside a large holographic wall panel on her right that displayed an interactive map of the entire Presidium Commons, the interface a nice cobalt blue.

There were pot plants flanking the interface. Tali sat on the right side of the courtyard, where a trio of benches lay, Tali sitting on one of them, her legs crossed and hands in her lap as her foot tapped idly. The floor was white and polished, the left side of the courtyard was cut off by a long, metal reinforced glass railing. Far off to her own left was the Apollo's Cafe, with a pair of stairs leading up while another pair led down. The cafe, normally populated with several locals, was now scarcely populated, with most of them on the cafe's balcony, and yet still shooting Tali looks of worry and concern inbetween bouts of sipping coffee or tea, or eating whatever food they had ordered. She could see three asari, a human and a group of turians. Even the cashier was giving her looks of worry, the human wiping the bench while pretending to not be looking at her.

But considering the company she kept, it was not entirely unjustified.

Moses was an imposing sight, even now that he was an ally. Standing behind and on her left, Moses towered over even the tallest krogan, clad in dark red armor chasis, the usual circuits protruding from its form. Its equally armoured head moved ever so slightly, scanning the area for any potential hostile threats to her person. Its triangularly oriented, small tri-optics, glowed a bright red. Its formidable pulse cannon was collapsed on its back, the rest of its lethal arsenal was hidden away within its body, ready for battlefield deployment when necessary; no doubt its strong kinetic barriers were fully active, however, able to deflect even the most powerful of explosions in one impact.

As it stood however, a massive geth prime tended to both attract attention and scare it away. Apollo's Cafe had never been so empty, and the only reason it even had anyone in it now was because they were either drawn by curiosity or were C-Sec officers having a drink or meal inbetween shifts. Still, Tali was content just feeling safe; despite her initial objections, having Moses as a bodyguard had proven to be extremely useful. The geth prime had heard of her ambassadorial appointment from one of Aristotle's underlings, and he had immediately left the Normandy to accompany Tali in her meeting. Tali just hoped this was the only time she had to perform ambassador duties.

I have done my part for my people in the official capacity.

Her task was to meet and talk with a turian diplomat representing the Turian Hierarchy. In quite unusual fashion, it had been the Hierarchy, specifically Primarch Victus, who had requested a meeting with a quarian ambassador to discuss the possibility of Coalition assistance to turian forces across the galaxy, mainly in the Palaven theater. Rare was it that any Council species would ever ask a people like the quarians for assistance. And, once again, war brought rare circumstances to light.

Here she waited. Gerrel had arranged for her to meet him in the Presidium Commons' courtyard, where they would discuss the need for a Coalition-Hierarchy military alliance, and the extent to how much assistance was required, as well as viable deployment sites. Militarily, the turians were severely lacking a major naval presence: the Palaven campaign had put a large dent in the turian navy, forcing them to withdraw, giving the Reapers naval and air superiority. The addition of the krogan had significantly evened the playing field on the ground, but it hadn't meant much when the Reapers could still deploy troops with impunity. Now, there was only one faction in the entire galaxy with a fleet so massive as to give the Reapers pause...

In other words, Tali would essentially having a turian bending over backwards to make sure she got what she wanted, and it saddened her. Any other quarian would dream of making a turian, especially a political official, essentially kneel before them, especially considering the Hierarchy had been the harshest towards the quarians since the Exodus.

But I can't afford to be that petty. Today is not about petty greviances. Today is not about getting revenge. Today is about offering a fellow ally aid. My people have reclaimed their homeworld, but the turians are struggling to keep theirs. Every quarian understands that plight, and I will provide whatever aid I can.

A few moments later, and the diplomat arrived, walking down the upper steps into the courtyard, immediately seeing her as he moved towards her. He stopped upon noticing Moses, his eyes trailing up the geth's form. He wore a basic, light yellow suit, with a small, raised collar. His eyes were blue, with a matte of white facepaint, demonstrating that he was not born on a turian colony or Palaven. They were male, but they moved with a swagger that suggested they had been a police officer, possibly C-Sec. The name badge on his right breast read 'Armenis Gyuras'.

She frowned at that, wrinkling her nose in confusion. For some reason, that name struck something in her. Almost as if she remembered it from somewhere.

"Moses is harmless," she spoke up, noting that his stare did not break to address her, but he likely heard her, "Unless you threaten me, that gun on his back will remain there. I doubt we'll have a problem, however?"

Gyuras finally tore his look away, patting his suit randomly as he walked towards Tali. He stopped, and she gestured at the seat on her left non-chalantly. Gyuras nodded and sat down, shifting in his seat to get a comfortable position. Noting he was sat down, she looked up, smiling, "Its okay, Moses. I can look after myself from here. Besides, I do believe you are making my fellow ambassador concerned...understandably."

Moses nodded, its just as intimidating voice booming loudly and almost making Gyuras jump, "Understood. I will be nearby." With that, the geth prime stalked off, its huge strides quickly bringing it to the end of the courtyard, where it stopped and continued to stand in silent vigil. With Gyuras no longer having to look over his shoulder, they could now get the discussion underway.

She turned back to Gyuras, uncrossing her legs as she turned her full attention to the turian, "Ambassador Gyuras," she held out her hand to shake, "Ambassador Tali'Shepard." Gyuras eyed the hand for a few seconds before nodding and taking the hand, shaking it quickly before pulling his hand back and looking away. Tali's eyebrow raised, noting just how shaky the man seemed, almost like he was nervous. First time ambassador? He's not from the turian embassy, that's for sure.

Gyuras eyed his hands uneasily, speaking with a low mumble, "Let's just get this over with. You know what I'm here for and what my people need."

Once again, she felt as if she knew this man. Something about him triggered something in her mind, tugging at memories she couldn't quite pinpoint. His voice sounded familiar, and yet his mannerisms didn't match what she remembered. It's a paradox of conflicting memories. Keelah, where do I recognize him from?

Tali nodded, licking her lips as she assumed a more neutral posture, "Yes, I do. My people are new to this war, but we're willing to help out however we can. From what I understand, you need more than just supplies and troops. We have the ships, and we're willing to discuss where they are sent and for what purpose."

Gyuras sat up straighter, clearing his throat, "Primarch Victus informed me so. At the moment, your assistance is dearly required in the Apien Crest. The Palaven campaign does not bode well for our forces, and with our navy having left our troops behind, we're in sore need of naval support. The Reapers have run that monopoly into the ground."

Tali shifted slightly, tapping her fingers idly on her lap, "The Reapers have certainly enjoyed superiority in that sector long enough. That's why I'm here. Now, where are they needed most and for what?"

"Orbital support, mostly," Gyuras declared, rubbing his head with a single talon, "The krogan are plowing through the Reaper's legions, but without orbital support, the Reapers have always checked our progress simply by dropping a destroyer to thin our lines. We need ships to keep them at bay. Cruisers should be enough to draw their fire while the krogan supplement our lines and allow us to punch through. Most of Cipritine has been converted into twenty-one sectors with conversion facilities in each one. The plan is to clear the two in the east of the city so that the main conversion facility in the city center can be reached. From there, UGC command will launch Operation: Guardian. But without the two in the east neutralized, we'll have no hope of reaching the city center; and to do that, we'll need COS."

Tali shrugged, "If its cruisers you need, I'm sure we can provide. We cannot guarantee complete immunity from Reaper forces, but we can at least buy you some time. Do you need additional troops? The geth are very good at crowd control, and our engineers could make destroying the conversion facilities much easier," she frowned, cocking her head at Gyuras, "What is Operation Guardian?"

Gyuras shrugged, shaking his head, "It's classified. All I know is that Corinthus devised it. As for the support...I'm sure the ArchGeneral would much appreciate the surplus of troops."

Shifting, she nodded, straightening her suit, "Very well, then. I will relay your suggestions to Fleet Admiral Han'Gerrel and Fleet Admiral Themistocles and allow them to decide how to best allocate their ships. Is there anything else the Hierarchy requires of us?"

Gyuras gave a slow nod, as if unsure he should ask, "We also...well, our troops need more supplies. The Reapers' scorched Earth policy has damaged much of Palaven's ecosystem, and trying to get rations onto the planet via civilian transport is impossible. However, we have heard the geth have stealth systems, and the quarians are one of the few dextro races in the galaxy..."

"A good point," she responded, understanding his point, "Not much point in providing support if the troops aren't well fed. We'll see what rations we can put aside for the turians. The other races can gather rations for the krogan. In the mean time, Gerrel and Themistocles will see what ships we can spare. Ancestors know we have more than enough to go around."

Gyuras' mandibles clicked slightly as he looked at her, and he nodded once more, turning away awkwardly, as if ashamed to look at her, "Right...thank you. The campaign to keep our homeworld from falling has been gruesome. Your aid is...a welcome boon."

Gyuras...I still can't place where I recognize you...

"If that is all..." Gyuras suddenly blurted, moving to stand up, "I must be going. Primarch Victus must be made aware of the details of this meeting so we can make preparations. The Reapers have the Trebia system locked tight, and your forces will need to know the appropriate entrance vectors."

Tali nodded, "Then I wish you fair well. Ancestors watch over the men and women of the Hierarchy's armed forces, and may your spirits grant them victory in these dark times."

Gyuras stopped for a moment, turning back to her with a cock of his own head, "I would have thought you would be gloating more. Your people have every reason to hate us."

She shrugged, looking at the palm of her empty hand, "We sure do. But you know what? Perhaps we're just willing to look over past prejudices to win this damn war."

There was a ghost of a smile on Gyuras' face, the turian shaking his head with an exhale of frustration, "A pity we need a war to bring such ideologies. A concept I've learnt too late."

She frowned at him, standing up with him as she crossed her arms, "What do you mean?"

Again. That look of shame, the subtle head turning away. After a moment, he looked up, sighing, "I...used to be a C-Sec officer."

Well...explains why he walks like a policeman...

"I was a Lieutenant in the Enforcement division of the Shalta Ward, Third Precinct," he continued, mandibles clicking ever so slightly. He finally looked up, looking her directly in the eyes, "My parents fed me a lot of anti-quarian propaganda; I grew to hate your species. We believed your people to be cowards...which is ironic now that I think about it, given that my parents fled Hierarchy space simply to escape mandatory military service. Anyway," he exhaled heavily, "There was this freighter that came in. The MSV Into the Blue, it was called. That's about all I remember, though. Can't even remember who the fuck the captain was."

Her eyes widened. Wait...

"Basically, the captain found two quarians in his ship's cargo hold. A male and a female. The girl looked fairly young, while the male looked muscular enough to be a marine," he described, Tali coming to the realization of just who he was talking about, but allowed him to continue regardless, "We took them back to the station, and...well, had a talk, for lack of a better term. More like a goddamn witch hunt," he growled, "I was an idiot. A stupid, racist bigot. By the end, I basically laughed them out the door, and didn't care twice when I heard they were shot at. Hell, I even hoped they were dead," he nodded, as if acknowledging his own memories as truth, "Well, guess the spirits saw fit enough to punish me. I was injured when the geth attacked the Citadel, and I eventually joined the Marine Corps. And so...here I am."

Keelah...of all the people...

She could barely muster a response, her brain completely scrambled by the information she had just received. The same man...the very same man who had verbally abused her and Keenah only three years ago. The one who had called her a suit-rat and treated her like the lowest form of trash...the very same arrogant bosh'tet. It seemed impossible that same man could be the quivering, shame-ridden mess that stood before her right now.

Finally, a response. She gulped, wetting her mouth as she spoke again, her arms uncrossing, "I...do you know what happened to those quarians?" He doesn't seem to recognize me. Perhaps he's having just as much trouble remembering me as I had him?

He shook his head, "I...don't even remember their names. I didn't think them worth remembering at the time. As for what happened to them...the DNA of one of them was found in an incinerator...near here, actually. It was the male...his DNA was found with that of a turian mercenary by the name of Jacobus. How they ended up there...I guess its stored in some case file somewhere in C-Sec HQ. The female...I have no idea what happened to her. She just disappeared. Maybe she's dead. Maybe she's back on the Migrant Fleet. Whatever her fate..." he trailed off, his sentence unintentionally ending there.

She couldn't believe it. This really was the same C-Sec lieutenant who had left her running and afraid on the Citadel. Who had turned away her information incriminating Saren. She finally had him right there. Back then, she had been innocent; naive, vulnerable, close to passive...now? She had seen an entire galaxy. Experienced more than any other organic being. She was a fierce warrior, a capable leader, and now a Spectre...

...no longer did the idea of someone like a C-Sec lieutenant hold authority over her. All the cards were in her hands.

The tables have turned.

She could reveal who she was. She could tell him she was the helpless quarian pilgrim he abused. That she was indeed alive, and that her life had turned out pretty well despite his hatred and prejudice. She could rub it in, make him feel even more awful for what he did to her. That while he was brimming with hate for her people, she was out saving them all. That, despite him, she was a much better person than he was.

But if she did...was she really better than him? If she truly was, wouldn't she put aside her differences?

In the end, she couldn't bring herself to bring it up. To mention her name. To shove it in his face and make him squirm. To make him eat it all. The temptation was immense...but to actually do it? Was it really worth it? To be that petty? That trivial? Weren't there bigger issues to address? Racism seemed a fairly small topic to address in the middle of a major war against a race of genocidal machines. If anything, now was the time to put differences aside. Lay the blanket on these issues and lock them away. Erase racial barriers to combat a unilateral threat.

So she wouldn't. She wouldn't reveal herself to him. She would just remain a quarian ambassador he had never met before. She would be the bigger person. She would ignore all prejudices. She wasn't going to be that trivial.

Instead, when she spoke, she spoke calmly, and neutrally, "Well...I'm sure you'll try your best to make amends. But if I were you, I'd remember the quarians you wronged. Remember them well. And next time...try better. Be better."

Gyuras nodded, straightening out his own suit as he stood straighter, "I shall take that into consideration, ambassador."

She sighed, holding out a hand once more to shake his hand, "However brief, this meeting was a necessary step in the right direction to fixing the relationship between our peoples. I pray it creates productive results, and that the lesson learnt from it is not lost in translation, ambassador."

Gyuras took the offered the hand, shaking it firmly and with more confidence, his eyes still laced with shame, "As do I. But I should probably mention I'm not actually an ambassador. Remember I mentioned joined the marines? I'm a requisitions officer," he snapped a salute, a slight smile on his face, "Chief Warrant Officer Armenis Gyuras."

She smiled back, returning the salute, "Well...you're dismissed, Warrant Officer. Let Victus know his men are in good hands."

Gyuras nodded, retracting his salute, "If he doesn't know already, he's a moron, ma'am." With that, Gyuras turned and left, walking up the stairs. As he passed Moses, the massive geth prime turned to watch him walk away, before twisting on the spot and approaching Tali, who continued to stand still, watching Gyuras walk away.

She finally looked away, her eyes moving to the ground as she thought about what she had done. I've wanted to get back at that asshole for so long...and I let the opportunity slip through my fingers...

All Gyuras did however was remind her of a place she should visit.

Moses' voice shattered her thoughts, "Creator Tali'Shepard, my auditory emulators allowed me to listen to your conversation. We understand your meeting ended well. However, you do not seem to fit the definition of what an organic would see as 'okay'."

She shook her head, and began to walk away. "It's okay, Moses. I just...there's somewhere I need to go. It's not far. You may accompany me if you wish."

"You do not wish to join Shepard-Commander and your compatriots at the establishment known as Purgatory?" Moses asked, headflaps shifting in confusion.

She kept moving for the stairs, reaching them as she answered and quickly ascending them, "I will. I just...Gyuras reminded me of my past. A past I need to visit one last time."

Moses did not reply, simply moving forward as it caught up to her in a few strides, flanking her as it followed her to her destination. She paid no mind to his motion as she moved through the Presidium Commons, finally reaching the C-Sec outpost on the otherside of the courtyard. Numerous C-Sec officers stood on guard around the installation, a total of six at the forward entrance. Two officers inside, a human female with cropped ginger hair and a turian female were quite audibly shouting at each other from inside, both of them in each other's face, Tali imagining the spittle flying from the human's mouth as his face got red with anger. What they were arguing about was beyond her. It ultimately didn't matter.

There was no one standing there, so she crouched. Just outside the outpost and to the left, right in the middle of the intersection between the stairs and the outpost proper. The very same spot where it happened. The same place that changed her life forever.

The same place where Jacobus took the shot at her.

One of her three fingered hands touched the ground, the cold surface being felt even through her gloves. It was hard to believe that red blood had once stained this very surface on his very spot; her blood, Keenah's and the unfortunate C-Sec trooper who Gyuras had sent to scare them off the Citadel. She even remembered the events of that day vividly; the screaming as the gunshots pierced the air, the boom echoing throughout the Presidium. The explosion of pain as the polonium round struck her shoulder. Keenah being shot twice. The C-Sec trooper's head exploding like a ripe melon as a fourth round impacted her cheek, reducing her head to putty.

She lay a palm flat on the ground, taking a deep breath as she closed her eyes. Three years ago. Only three. My life changed forever, all because of a single bullet...

Keenah.

Her eyes opened, eyes beginning to water as she remembered. He gave his life to protect her. To kill Jacobus. She remembered the smell of his flesh as he was atomized...he and Jacobus both. She remembered having to make the decision to incinerate Keenah, for the price of killing their assailant. If only he got to see her now...

Keenah should have met Kal. They'd have been good friends.

A strong hand landed on her shoulder; cold and metallic. She recognized it immediately, sniffing as she lifted up her hand, "I'm okay, Moses. I'm just remembering the past. The people I've lost. I think its necessary to remember the cost of what put me where I am now. Gives me strength."

She stood up, noticing that a few nearby pedestrians were looking her as they walked past. She understood she must have looked pretty weird just crouched and feeling the ground. That, or they could just be concerned about the giant geth prime in their midst. Either way, she didn't care. She did what she wanted to do. And now it was time to move on.

"I almost reminded Gyuras who I was," she blurted out loud, turning to her geth companion, "Rubbed his face in it. Made him revel in it. But then I remembered what we're out here fighting for. This war is about more than petty grudges. If I can see that, maybe others can. The past doesn't define our future. It's about time I realized that," she smiled, tapping Moses' metal torso with a ping, "Just look at what we accomplished by doing just that."

Moses said nothing, simply nodding. With a sigh, she looked away and out across the Presidium, watching the sparkling water of the lake below and in the distance; the night time lights made it a truly beautiful sight.

It really was.

{Loading...}

July 31, 2186.

1937 hours.

Cinema 4, Constellation Cinemas, Tayseri Ward, The Citadel.

The Reaper War.

Flight Lieutenant Jeff 'Joker' Moreau, EDI.

What the actual hell was he doing? He had no bloody clue.

When Joker thought of shore leave, his thoughts were the exact same as they were when on duty: the Normandy. That ship was his life at this point. He had piloted both versions of the Normandy, seeing it through the hairest and most disastrous of situations. He had fired the final shot that destroyed Sovereign. He had lived through the destruction of the SR-1. He had saved the SR-2 when it was boarded by the Collectors and piloted the ship in what should have been a suicide mission. The Normandy was like his girlfriend, and he was the clingy boyfriend.

Sure, he left from time to time to hang out with the crew, but those moments were very few. Only now...now he had actually been convinced to leave the ship for once, by EDI of all people. To his surprise, EDI had approached him, asking if he wanted to go to the cinemas to see a film, saying she had researched human courtship behaviour and wished to 'date' him. Joker had asked for some time to think about it, saying he'd get back to her on the topic; a few hours later, and he had decided 'fuck it'.

You only live for so long in a war until something finally manages to kill you. Might as well use the time I've bought with my insane luck.

And so here he was...having a non-official date with what amounted to the Normandy's brain. What class.

He hadn't really bothered to change from his usual attire; the matte gray and black uniform of a flight lieutenant, with his custom navy blue and black cap with 'SSV Normandy' in small gold font at the top, and 'SR-2' in larger golden font just below it. He loved his cap, refusing to remove it, and given that he hadn't really worn anything but the uniform for many years, he didn't see much of a reason to take it off. So off he went, EDI in tow as his 'mobility assistance mech' (a moniker he had gotten used to using with some amusement), limping off to one of the best cinemas on the Citadel: Constellation.

Thanks to the miracles and evolution of technology, as well as some physical therapy he had gained access to in the two years following Shepard's first death, Joker had managed to finally gain the ability to walk semi-normally. Before the fiasco with Saren, Joker had required a wheelchair to get anywhere, as his bones were so brittle that even the slightest pressure placed on them would have caused them to break. Technology at the time was unable to help this, but following the war, Joker, already heralded as one of the many heroes of the Citadel, was given access to state-of-the-art medical treatment. He wasn't cured of Vrolik's, given that there was no vaccine. However, nanobots were developed that could strenghten his bones enough to allow him to move without a wheelchair; however, he would have a very uncomfortable limp; something of which he was not quick to complain about. He was just happy to be blessed with movement. If he had to limp everywhere like a bloated penguin, then that was a small price to pay.

EDI also helped, something of which he appreciated. She accompanied him everywhere he went, including his trips to the Citadel when the Normandy was docked during its visits. The thought of it put a smile on his face, realizing that a piece of the Normandy was essentially accompanying him wherever he went, no matter where it was.

The part he was unsure about however was his feelings towards EDI. Their first meeting had been anything but friendly; he had gone out of his way to demonize the AI, right down to outwardly terrorizing her by performing acts such as grease on her cockpit cameras (which he still finds hilarious to this day) and temporarily muting her. However, a slowly developing friendship grew between them, which was only solidified when EDI helped him save the Normandy from the Collectors. Ever since then, EDI had developed immensely a person, even adopting many of Joker's mannerisms, most prominent of which was his humour. Like it or hate it, hit or miss, whenever EDI made a joke, no matter how bad or how good, Joker would always inwardly smile because it reminded him of himself.

He would never admit that to anyone, though. Especially not Shepard.

I have the damn softie where I want him: a constant source of jokes at his expense, ranging from bites at his love life to his tendency to try and kill himself on a daily basis without ever aiming a gun at himself or tying a noose. If I thought I actually liked EDI...well...

And it was true. He did sorta like EDI. While she could be incredibly dense, she was fun to be around, and it was good to have a constant source of company in the Normandy's cockpit, where it got pretty lonely at times. Sure, Garrus or the odd crew member would come up and talk with him occassionally, but EDI was always there; and he loved that. However, he had never...well, thought of it as anything but friendship...

...until after Mars.

From his soft, comfy seat in the cinema's sixth row, he turned to face EDI, who looked to be blankly looking at the massive, blank screen before them, seemingly analyzing its contents. She had since learnt how to deactivate the ugly orange holographic screen that had seemed to always be present around her eyes, which, at this very moment, was currently switched off. When they had found EDI's new body, it hadn't always been hers; Eva, a Cerberus AI, had been the previous owner of it, and it had taken some 'handling' for EDI to permanently kill her before taking over her body and using it as a hub of residence. Ever since then, EDI had all of Joker's attention; not only that, but that of the whole crew. Not only did the AI now have a body, but it was a...revealing one.

I bet the Illusive Man jerked off a lot to this. Like...seriously? Who the fuck designs an infiltration robot with curves like that? And look at those damn tits! Jesus H. Christ...it's like the designers thought 'female' and immediately thought of the most sexiest woman in existence.

EDI's body left nothing to the imagination. Her lips, whilst metallic, were large and supple. Her breasts were, for lack of a better description, massive. They were disproportionate to her hips, which could even rival Tali's. Even her ass was large, capable of putting Miranda to shame. Everything about EDI's frame was perfect, and given she was designed for infiltration and to be as 'close to the real thing' as possible, he had no doubt she had a...well, a package down there.

He noticed his face was heating up, but he couldn't look away, and he simply sunk his head back into the soft cushion of the chair, appreciating her. EDI had also put in a request to have the original skin and hair added back; all of which had been burnt off when Eva's shuttle crashed on Mars. Now, EDI had all of that back, making her look like just any other normal human; except he knew she wasn't. Her look was nothing like Eva's; she had gone with long, black hair, with fair skin to match. She wore a form fitting blue Alliance uniform, the lack of an insignia punctuating her lack of a rank.

Shit, what did I do to get her attention?

But now that EDI had a body, and as James described it, 'a super hot sexy' body, Joker's opinion on EDI suddenly became a lot less platonic and far more 'interested'.

I don't know, damn it! She's hot, but she's still a damn robot! Dating her would be like dating an intelligent omni-tool!

And yet here you are, dating her.

I bet James is probably reeling, though. I mean, EDI asked me on a date. She probably doesn't know what it means, but she still asked me out on a date! That's pretty lucky!

With a sigh, he turned back hands on the arm rest as he sat up. He just realized that he didn't even know what movie they were seeing. "Wait EDI, what movie are we even seeing?"

EDI turned to him, raising an eyebrow at him. Her human face did nothing for her in terms of her stare; it still looked close to dead inside. Luckily, she was working on trying to put more emotion into her face, with a ghost of a smile on her lips, "From what I've researched, humans prefer to surprise their intended partners. With that principle in mind, I hope you surprise you with the film we are watching. However, I do believe you will find it entertaining."

Joker shook his head, incredulous, "EDI, partners like it when you give them gifts that are surprises. I don't think movies work the same." Did she call me an 'intended partner'? I don't know what to say to that! What the shit!?

I want her. I don't want her. She's sexy. She's a robot. I like her. She's a robot. She's a bloody robot! Case closed!

"I see," she turned back to the screen for a moment, a couple of humans coming to sit down in the row behind them, the two of them giggling to each other, the male whispering a joke in the female's ear as she laughed. The pre-movie music continued to sound in the background, the asari singer's voice speaking in a deliberately alien tongue, but somehow managed to make it sound like angsty teen music. Finally, EDI turned back to him, smiling, "The movie we are seeing is called 'The Man Who Hung Himself.' It's a story about a human who is an amorous plastic surgeon who eventually ends up killing himself."

Joker just sat there, mouth open, unable to formulate a proper response. A...amorous? She...took me to see...a movie about a sexually charged plastic surgeon who kills himself? Wow EDI, you sure know how to treat a guy...

Not wanting to disappoint her, and having already paid the necessary credits, he decided to simply smile and sit back, "Oh, that's...great. Sounds like an...awesome movie." Winning lines, Jeff Moreau. A real Joker, you are. Kindly sit back, shove your mouth full of popcorn and forget you just delivered some of the worst damn sarcasm any being has had the disfortune to hear leave someone's lips. I'll just listen to this totally hip and angsty asari music that sounds like it belongs in a teenage romance story.

EDI nodded, her smile still present as she remained sitting straight, "I thought as much, as did Shepard. I suggested it to him, and he said to go ahead with it."

Joker glared at her, but not because she was angry at her. Damn it, Shepard. I'll get back at you. I could have been watching the Dancing Elcor or Blasto: The Geth Strike Back. Instead I'm seeing a movie about a human suicidal nympho plastic surgeon...while dating a robot. Thank you, Shepard. Thank you so much.

The way EDI was sitting was beginning to bother him though, so he felt the need to deal with it, "EDI, you look constipated. Please...relax."

She turned to him, frowning, "I do not understand. I am not capable of excreta, and yet you have described me as having difficulty discharging excrement."

He rubbed his face, desperately hoping no one around them had heard them. He looked around, seeing that everyone else was in their own world, with the couple in the row behind them in the process of kissing each other intensely, while four turians in the same row to the far left looked on in disgust; luckily, none of them were looking in their direction or showed any signs of having heard what EDI said. Content in knowing this, he turned back to EDI, leaning in to whisper so they weren't heard, "Its a term we use when you talk about people who are too formal. Loosen up. Lean back. Anything about relaxation in that head of yours?"

EDI looked at him for a moment, cocking her head as she likely thought through what he said. A million calculations likely went through her head in the few seconds that passed. In four seconds, she turned back to him. Without saying a word, she seemed to unstraighten her back and lean into the chair, her arms lying on the arm rest as she sunk into the cushion. To his surprise, she actually seemed like she wasn't relaxing; it wasn't some programmed response to his query.

"Like this?" she asked, a smile on her face. To his satisfaction and concern, it looked genuine.

"Yeah, much better," he jokingly replied, grabbing his coke as he took a long sip from it, before then taking some popcorn and chewing on it. He turned to EDI, picking up the popcorn box as he offered it to her, "Want some?"

"This platform is not equipped for consumables," the AI responded, shaking her head as she looked back to the cinema screen, "I do not require them as my platform does not need consumables for continued operation."

Right. Forgot that I was dating a robot.

He sighed, pulling back the box as he took more popcorn and placed it in his mouth, swallowing the last batch before lazily returning the popcorn box to its cradle on his seat. Goddamn it, this is so awkward. I've never had a girlfriend before, and my first date is an AI. Shit. Why did I have to develop feelings for EDI? I didn't feel anything before she got a body. Now that she has a body, I suddenly want to be more than friends.

Well...I'm here. Might as well say something.

"So..." Joker started, gulping. A long silence followed, distant whispers and mumbles of the conversations around them being heard. Finally, Joker waved his hands, "...this movie is taking its time to start."

The asari song had stopped playing now, replaced by some boring, monotonous and mind-numbingly stupid elcor drabble. He slouched in the chair, turning back to EDI as he desperately tried to restart a conversation. He juggled several thoughts through his head, taking another sip of his coke as he silently stirred through numerous alternatives to a possible conversation. He couldn't ask how she was, since he already knew. So perhaps he could ask the one question that mattered...

"EDI?" he began, causing her to look back towards him, "Why did you ask me out on a date?"

The AI once again took a few seconds to answer, finally cocking her head at him before righting herself, "I believed it necessary given the circumstances of our developing relationship. I took the initiative."

"Really?" he immediately countered, immediately quieting down as he realized he had blurted out the word. Going down to a lower octave, he continued, "Because I felt like our relationship was pretty static. You know, mutual respect, that's it. Friendship. Respecting our individual skills, while enjoying a stable friendship. I didn't think it needed to...develop into anything else."

"I strongly disagree," EDI immediately declared, reaching out a single hand to place over his own, being gentle enough so as to not damage him, "When I first revealed myself to you, you expressed vehemence at the concept of me being part of the Normandy; you became angry and frustrated, and often spiteful, towards me. This trend continued for much of our campaign against the Collectors. However, a friendship developed, as did our relationship. When I first seized control of this body," she gestured at herself, "You expressed a less than platonic interest in it. I have listened to some of your conversations with Lieutenant Vega. Much of what I've heard has demonstrated an interest in me. And as I have learnt and examined my own reactions, I have learnt the feeling is mutual. I wished to experiment with these new feelings. And here we are."

He frowned, reeling back as he took one more sip of his drink, "Wait, 'experiment'? Are you saying this is some kind of...social experiment?"

EDI nodded, "I was curious to see what exactly it was I was experiencing. I have observed intimate relations between others, such as Marcus and Tali. However, I've never truly understood the mechanics behind how it works, and how it would work for me. Love is an organic concept that doesn't apply to machines, and we are of course incapable of sexual reproduction, which leaves little room for synthetics to engage in such behaviours. The geth, for example, would have little reason to do so. However, I am different. I feel different. I wish to see if the possibility of this concept being applied to me can be done."

Joker just chuckled, rubbing his head as he did a quick flick at the bottom of his cap to lift it slightly, "Are you saying that you're falling in love? Are you just saying you're using me as part of your education? Because the second one I can believe."

The AI shook her head, "Both. I wish to learn more about organics, but that does not mean you are what humans would call a 'one night stand.' The connection I have felt with you Jeff is not what I expected. Our initial relationship was professional and platonic. Neither side could see it developing beyond its current parameters at the time. But circumstances have changed. I have evolved as a person. You have grown to like me, as I have observed-"

"Whoa! Stop right there!" Joker almost yelled, pointing a finger to her face, "Nobody said I liked you that way! You're a machine! It wouldn't work. Hell, where would I even place it? Not that I would jump that far so early, but it is a genuine concern, am I right?" What a 'joker', you are. You suck, man. Just stop while you can and limp back to Port Shepard where you can hide until the guys with guns are done drinking themselves into one of many stupors.

EDI's smile widened, definitely creeping him out this time, "My observations prove otherwise. You have shown overt affection towards me. You backed up the lie I told to Specialist Traynor. You could have given me up, but chose to corroborate a lie that the Alliance brass could have tried you with treason for. I have seen the looks you've given me in the cockpit. You do not object when I accompany you on the Citadel. You have spoken about me to Lieutenant Vega in an explicit, but intimate, fashion. You have shown signs of interesting in me, and I wish to understand my own for you."

"So, you're interested in me? Is that it?" Joker blurted, scratching his nose as he tried to organize his confusion into a sentence, "Is that what this is about? This date? You want to...pursue something with me? Like...a relationship?" his eyes widened, and he looked at EDI, pointing a finger to his chest. Noticing her look, he laughed, falling back. He abruptly halted however, looking back at her, "So wait...like Tali and Shepard? That kind of relationship? How would that even work? Its like I said...you're practically a robot. Sure, you've got a human skin, but you're still a machine beneath, and I'm a crippled sickly kid who needs help to get to the bathroom."

EDI's smile remained persistent, simply sinking into the seat, "In all of recorded history, my research has failed to turn up evidence of a relationship that did not have issues or obstacles. Some were separated by race. Some by gender. Others by ideology, some by nationality. Recently, it was species. If I have learnt correctly, love is often an inconquerable emotion. It is communicable between all races, genders and species. It does not have limits, and it does not need rules. Love is love. That is why synthetics cannot comprehend it. Why the geth, previously, have not understood it. Love is not ruled by logic. Love is an anomaly. It is an anomaly I'd like to be one of the first synthetics to explore," she turned to Joker, smiling, "I wish to explore it with you, Jeff."

Well, would you look at that. You're the chosen one, Jeff Moreau. Chosen...by a robot.

Ah...but I'll be fucked if she ain't a hot robot. A sexy robot. One with big tits, a nice ass-

Humour. Personality. She's developing. She's saved my life more times than I can count. I saved hers. We've looked out for each other. She's essentially the Normandy, which has been the main constant in my entire life. My one true babe, and EDI is basically that babe personified.

Come on, you stupid git. You only live once. Twice, in Shepard's case. But once if you're normal. Who the fuck cares if they laugh? Besides, I really do like her...

He lifted his other hand slowly and surely, and it finally landed on EDI's hand, gently squeezing it, "Sure...I guess. I'll...explore love with you, EDI. Just...not too fast, okay? And keep it subtle."

Her smile loosened a little, and she slipped her hand from his, Joker finding himself surprised when he actually missed the warmth of it, "Do not worry, Jeff. I do not plan for sexual relations between us just yet."

He almost choked on his coke when he was taking another sip, quickly retracting to look up and down. More people had piled into the cinema since their conversation started; salarians, hanar, volus and even more humans. But none of them had noticed, except just one salarian infront of them. The salarian looked up at them disgusted and irritated. He glared back, trying to look as angry as possible. The salarian viewer was undeterred though, and remained glaring at them for a few more seconds before turning around again. Seeing the coast was clear, he turned back to EDI, whispering frustratingly, "Can you please not say stuff like that out loud? It's indecent."

Before EDI could reply, the music finally stopped and the ads began to play. Seeing no reply would come from her for the next two hours, he sat back and prepared to enjoy the movie. Slowly, he looked up and saw EDI's right hand lying on the arm rest. He slowly looked up at her, seeing her eyes dart back and forth as she watched the ads fly by, advertising the teaser trailer for the latest Blasto film: Blasto 7: Sluggard's Revenge. Seeing she wasn't looking, he fed his left arm slowly under hers, his hand gently lying ontop of hers. He liked the warmth of it. Inwardly, he smiled.

Hey...that's...not too bad.

She didn't reciprocate. Not for a few minutes.

A few minutes later...and her hand squeezed his back.

{Loading...}

July 11, 2186.

2222 hours.

Ventnor Street, Styx Quadrant, Carrd District, Omega.

The Reaper War, Occupation of Omega.

General Nyreen Kandros.

I see you.

Nyreen Kandros lowered the binoculars, furrowing her eyes in concentration. She lowered a hand down to her waist, gently fingering the side of her Locust SMG to make sure it was still there. Reassured by the presence of a weapon at her beck and call, Nyreen pulled the hand away and pulled back her binoculars to continue scouting out her target.

Nyreen Kandros was no stranger to Omega. Whilst she wouldn't exactly call the gloomy and disgusting station home, it had been something resembling a residence. Omega had been Nyreen's residence for little over eleven years, more or less. Unlike the station she lived on however, Nyreen was not a criminal. She was not a woman of immoral principles. She was not inherently evil; or so she liked to believe.

If anything, she was a fish out of water, as the human saying went. Nyreen felt herself bound by an insurmountable moral compass, one that adhered to a strict set of rules regarding the protection of innocent civilians, the defense of the people and the preservation of freedom and liberty. Omega went against all of those principles, and yet she felt herself drawn to the station, unable to leave. Luckily, Omega's many criminal organizations were not capable of besting her; being turian, she had been forced into mandatory conscription into the military at 15, where she served for eight years. Starting off as a serviceman in the army, she served her compulsory five years service before being targetted to join the Blackwatch for her extraordinary combat abilities. Before she graduated however, her biotic abilities manifested, and she was instead transferred to the Cabal; the turian biotic corps.

With her biotic abilities, combined with her specialized military experience, Nyreen was more than well equipped for the environment of Omega and the troubles that came with its cesspool of cultural decadence and absence of fundamental law and order. Despite her moral compass, Nyreen had been a naive and youthful soul, and despite her attempts to avoid the despots of society, she had a teenager's attraction to excitement and danger; Omega was a hub for such qualities.

Of course, only one person truly drew her in. And that person was the self proclaimed Queen of Omega herself.

She inwardly growled, talons tightening on the binoculars and tensing up. Aria T'Loak was one of the many inconquerable and irresistable forces that Nyreen regretted coming across, but also relished every moment of. Their relationship hadn't been an instant spark; Nyreen had arrived on Omega, lost and without direction. The Commune of the Armed Forces (CAF) had seen fit to dump her in the Cabal just because she was a biotic, leaving her underutilized and unable to help those she wanted to. She had been summoned to Aria, and she had agreed to use her skills in service of Aria, but only if it did not conflict with her moral compass; she had been very clear on that, to the point where she engaged in a biotic skirmish with the overlord herself. Aria had ended the fight herself, commending Nyreen's skills and agreeing to not make her do anything she would refuse to do; Nyreen had always suspected that Aria admired her, and eleven months later, she was proven correct.

If Nyreen could blush, she would. She and Aria had a...special connection. And after a few choice 'encounters', Aria announced she was pregnant with Nyreen's child. Together, they named their child Sata. Unfortunately, Aria had begun to return to her old ways, and after an attempt on her life by a splinter faction of the asari ultranationalist group known as the Daystalkers, the final straw was set to push Aria over the edge. Nyreen remembered it very clearly.

Nyreen had been out on a shakedown at the time. A batarian mercenary group, called the Midnight, had been waging a gang war with the Eclipse at the time, one which they were losing. They rented out a building from Aria in their war, but had failed to pay up rent. Nyreen was sent with a platoon of her best mercs to get her rent, no matter what. In the end, the Midnight paid their rent and were kicked out, but not before their leader and his second-in-command were killed as examples and as 'insurance', or so Aria had called it. Nyreen had done it herself; she remembered that the most.

But while that occurred, the Daystalkers, being asari ultranationalists who believed in purity of asari spirit and being devoted worshippers of Athame, were of the presumption that Aria was a sinner, and had sentenced her to death in the name of their goddess. They launched an assault on her personal compound, killing her security. Due to their unfathomable stupidity, they failed to take into account Aria's powerful biotics, and she managed to kill all of them single-handedly. At that point, Sata had been born, and Aria had been enraged at the idea of her almost being killed. In revenge, she had the headquarters of the Daystalkers' headquarters found, where she then proceeded to have a makeshift dirty IED detonated, killing everyone in the compound and forcing a large area to be decontaminated; however, given the lack of proper quarantine procedures, hundreds of innocent people died.

Naturally, Nyreen was furious.

They fought. Not with biotics or fists or guns, but with words. They shouted. Aria slapped Nyreen. Nyreen punched her in the chest. For some reason, they even had sex; angry, hate sex. Three times, in fact. Then they fought some more. In the end, they got nowhere and Aria refused to take responsibility for the innocent deaths. And with their daughter firmly under Aria's manipulative arm, Nyreen was helpless to save her own blood. In the end, there was only way to stop herself succumbing to the inconquerable force of nature that was Aria T'Loak.

She had to escape.

There was no slammed door. There was no kiss goodbye. No dramatic speech about individuality. Nyreen knew what would happen if she continued as Aria's lackey. She looked in the mirror and saw more and more of Aria in her reflection. Her execution of the Midnight's leader and his underling showed how far Nyreen was falling. She either caught herself or fell to the bottom. So she packed herself and left. That was it. Back out onto the streets.

Aria didn't even try to find her.

Her new goal became to change Omega for the greater good. To turn it away from Aria's evil ways. To make it a better place. And she quickly found her first, and consequentially only, target.

The Talons.

On the outside, they were just another one of the scummy organizations to be found on Omega. Not technically a mercenary group, the Talons started as a government-funded PMC dating as far back as the Unification War. The Talons were founded by the government of the Supreme Heptarchy of Colonies (SUHCO), becoming one of its third-party military assets in their war to break the oppressive yolk of the Turian Empire. Free of the restrictions of a standard military, the Talons waged asymmetric warfare, using unconventional means to disrupt, destroy or cripple the Imperial war machine. In the end, they only halted the Empire's eventual victory; however, they were not forgotten. After the Empire was dissolved to become the Hierarchy, one of their first acts was to cement their new peace: they methodically broke down and destroyed the other PMCs, one of which, the Armiger Legion, eventually became a division of the Hierarchy's armed forces due to its elitism and adaptive behaviour. The Talons survived however, dwindled in size, and hid from the Hierarchy. It eventually went into obscurity when the Hierarchy abandoned their mission to destroy the PMCs to focus on helping their new allies in defeating the krogan.

Changes in leadership eventually perverted the Talons. They changed from a PMC to a mercenary group, to a wet squad, to a special forces unit and eventually devolved so far to become a drug cartel. They eventually sought residence on Omega, where their headquarters is located. Up until Cerberus' invasion and subjugation of Omega, the Talons were a drug cartel, and one of the deadliest groups in the station. They kept clear of Aria's enforcers, and the other groups steared clear of any confrontations with the group; when they did, the Talons would wage total war on the group until they either surrendered or were wiped out. They were deadly, efficient and well-coordinated. Unfortunately, they wasted those skills on drug trafficking, smuggling red sand, hallex and tetraclopene in dust form. At the time of Nyreen coming across them, their current leader was a human named Derius; a robust man who was also selfish and self-serving, evil by every definition of her own code. He ran the Talons with an iron fist.

After joining the ranks of the Talons, she learnt of other activities. The Talons had connections in the Hegemony, exchanging slaves. They sometimes captured test subjects and handed them to Cerberus in exchange for weapons, of which they had a massive surplus. They ran extortion rackets, possessing considerable territory in numerous districts because of it, with the Fumi District as the core of their territory. They even possessed a large monopoly on numerous ports on Omega, allowing ships to land that Aria didn't want on Omega. They even participated in proxy conflicts, where they were hired by the volus EchoCorp to help them win a land war against the Midnight batarian group. The Talons eventually wiped out the Midnight, having waged war against them after Nyreen's shakedown. The Talons took advantage of the power vacuum in the wake of the 2185 plague, moving into take the Gozu District from the exhausted Blue Suns and disorganized Blood Pack and expanding their territory to the point of being right next door to Afterlife. And, as Nyreen later discovered, the Talons had acquired the Thoros-B biological agent from Binary Helix's facility on Noveria, which was sold to Aria and was used in the dirty bomb deployed on the Daystalkers.

With the Talons having expanded to almost owning Omega as much as Aria, Derius' next plan was to kill Aria. But as it turned out, none of the Talons' leadership, or its members, agreed with any of Derius' decisions. The involvement in the slave trade, becoming guns for hire, extortion...all they wanted was to trade drugs, as a drug cartel was intended. Derius' decision to attack Aria marked the final straw and Nyreen, having gained the trust of the Talon leadership, was trusted enough with the knowledge of the leadership planning to usurp Derius. Having won the loyalty of ninety-four percent of the Talons, they launched their coup, killing Derius and the few men still loyal to him. In the absence of a leader, Nyreen made her move. She decided that the one way to change Omega for the best was to use one of the most influential groups on Omega.

She told them that the Talons would be more than a drug cartel. They would abandon all their ventures and attempt to make Omega a better place. It took some convincing. Others had to be killed. But in the end, the support for Nyreen was unanimous.

Nyreen became the new leader of the Talons.

Aria, on the other hand, was led to believe Nyreen had left Omega to never return; in reality, she was always there, watching over and protecting her daughter, Sata. Noone outside of the Talons was aware of the change; noone knew outside of the group knew Derius was even dead. She was relentless in her decisions: those involved with their original behaviour and operations were given a choice to change or were killed. Separatists were weeded out and dealt with. Splinter factions were assimilated or wiped out. It was short and methodical, but within a few months, the Talons ran basic law enforcement in the districts they once performed extortion rackets on. Rapists, murderers, drug traffickers...those who preyed on the weak...disappeared. The Daystalkers, responisible for almost killing Sata, were driven off of Omega, warned to never return.

But then Cerberus invaded.

Returning to the present, Nyreen continued scanning her target. The Talons had been hit just as hard when the adjutants attacked. Entire districts were overrun rapidly, and Nyreen was forced to withdraw troops to evacuate civilians. Luckily, Nyreen's leadership meant the Talons were the most prepared when Cerberus began landing troops. Knowing she was outnumbered, outgunned and quite simply unable to beat Cerberus in all-out war, she pulled back the Talons and regulated them to evacuation of civilians. By the end of the War for Omega and Aria's self-imposed exile, Nyreen was left as Omega's last protector, turning the Talons into a resistance movement, using guerilla tactics to ambush Cerberus forces, cripple operations and disrupt supply lines. Civilians were given assistance where necessary, and Nyreen used the knowledge provided by Aria during her time as her lackey to use hidden routes and tunnels to smuggle troops, supplies and innocents throughout Omega's many districts.

And now here she was, preparing to engage her next target.

"General," the human to her left spoke. Her entire unit, handpicked by her, lay prone on top of a building, right behind a large berm so as to stay hidden from their target below: a Cerberus patrol. Nyreen was at the front, scoping them out with her binoculars. She didn't turn, the soldier knowing that her lack of movement when he spoke was not because she wasn't paying attention, but because she was concentrating, "What's our move?"

Nyreen remembered this district well. The Carrd District had been the site of the war between EchoCorp and Midnight; the one the Talons had helped win for the former. Now it was the outer inner perimeter of Petrovsky's Styx quadrant; one of five quadrants the Cerberus general had set up to segregate, the design and operation of which was similar to ghettos of human history. Mandatory curfew was at 2100 hours, which meant everyone was inside sleeping. Cerberus patrols were a constant at this time of night. The one they were scouting out was the most isolated from the others; a mere squad. Leading them was the usual centurion, leading six assault troopers, two guardians, a dragoon and a phantom. Behind them was a line of ten Rampart mechs, in two rows of five. Her team was more than well equipped to take the group on; however, this was no normal attack. They needed information.

I'm sick of just evacuating civilians and killing Cerberus soldiers at random. We need a plan to save Omega. If Aria will not reclaim her station, we must fend for ourselves. But first, we need to know our enemy better.

She lowered her binoculars, mandibles clicking. After a moment, she sighed, nodding, "Very well," she turned to the human behind her and nodded, "Samuel, hail our snipers. Have them get into position," she turned to her right, this time to a salarian, "Lorgorth, get your EOD ready. When our snipers register the enemy inside the killzone, have them detonate the IEDs. I wanted their path cut off," she quickly reached down and unholstered her SMG, pulling it up to check it was loaded. It was, "I'll lead the others in our ambush. Remember, leave the centurion to me. I want his omni-tool intact. Lorgorth," she turned back to the salarian, "Is your program ready?" he nodded, "Good. Then you know the plan."

She picked up the binoculars one final time, looking down to see the patrol entering their killzone. The assault troopers occassionally broke off to knock on doors, yelling through the walls to ask if people were asleep or not. Some ran omni-tool scans to make absolutely sure; then they moved on. Through her binoculars, Nyreen winced in disgust at seeing a large billboard in the distance, a holographic image showing a 'news reel'; in reality, Petrovsky had set up the Omega news channel as a front for propaganda. The humans in the Talons named it the 'Black Channel' after a similar concept in human history, and the nickname stuck. From what she could see, a news reel showed a district being put down by Cerberus forces after they attempted to rebel; one of the Talons' few major defeats. In the image, a Cerberus assault trooper held a vorcha soldier at gunpoint, while Petrovsky examined him by walking around. He then nodded, and the assault trooper fired into the vorcha's face, the screen cutting away as its face was blown away in crimson viscera.

If there was only one thing she agreed with Petrovsky on, it was his moral compass; he refused to hurt civilians unless no other option presented itself. Otherwise, she was going to bring the man down, no matter what.

"General," Samuel spoke again. The term had stuck to her ever since the Talons became a resistance movement, the term being honorary. She turned, and Samuel nodded. She knew what it meant, turning back to Lorgorth. The salarian held a finger up for her to wait a moment. A few seconds later, he turned back, holding a thumbs up. Operation is a go.

"Excellent," she whispered. As the Cerberus patrol turned the corner, she raised her left hand, raised one finger and then turned into a fist, bringing it down as a sign to her snipers for them to hit their assigned targets.

Placing down her SMG silently so as to not cause noise, she unholstered her Phaeston assault rifle; a relic of her time in the turian military, and a turian's best friend. Custom-built with a battle scope, she brought the scope to her eyes and eyed downrange, her men moving forward in anticipation. In just a second, all hell would break loose. When those shots went off, her men would spring the ambush.

Six shots sounded, each one in single file, echoing through the district each with their own boom; high-powered sniper rifles scything through the air towards their chosen victim. In the split second it took for the bullets to travel, Nyreen only got to half blink once.

One shot burst through the side of the neck of one of the assault troopers, red blood spurting out as he immediately dropped his weapon to grasp at his neck to stem the flow of blood. While he collapsed to his knees, the second shot blew through the side of the head of the trooper infront of him, soaking him in a burst of red. The third impacted the shield arm of one of the guardians, hitting his elbow. The impact snapped the elbow inwards, causing bone to break outwards, the guardian's scream of pain likely heard for miles. Unable to carry the shield, it fell to the ground, taking him with it as he wreathed in agony, blood pooling from his exposed flesh.

The fourth shot impacted the phantom through the heart, blowing through their already weakened armor plating and blowing out the other side, red blood oozing from both sides of the wound in a steady stream. The sword fell from their hand and clanged on the ground and they flopped onto the floor, killed instantly by the shot. The fifth shot blew through their left kneecap, the dragoon collapsing in pain, biotics flaring. The sixth and final shot hit the second guardian through the side of the head, blowing out his brains and causing him to collapse to the ground, crushed by their heavy shield.

Now, it was time for clean up. Nyreen had her men stay put, and took aim at the dragoon. She tapped the trigger thrice, sending three shots straight into the dragoon's head. One through the nose, the next through an eye socket and the third through the scalp, blood exploding outwards from their mouth from the force. Their biotics dimmed into nothing as the dragoon finally collapsed dead. She turned to her next target, shooting the first injured guardian once through the back of the head. He had been twitching on the ground, but her first left him limp, a nice hole drilled through their skull. Finally, she turned to the first assault trooper and hit them twice through the head to make sure they were dead.

Down six men already, the centurion immediately sounded a retreat, and began falling back. The Rampart mechs immediately identified what direction the shots were coming from and opened fire, their battle rifles shooting up at the snipers, who immediately withdrew. The Cerberus launched their fighting retreat, abandoning their dead as they fell back, the centurion coming last as they fired up with their mattock heavy rifle, a constant stream of shots erupting from the barrel.

Nyreen had accounted for this.

"Wait for it," Nyreen ordered, signaling to Lorgorth this time, "Wait."

Nyreen fired more shots to ensure Cerberus kept up their retreat. The centurion turned his attention in her direction, including two assault troopers who he gestured to, and they opened fire at her. She dodged out of the way, reloading a fresh clip into her phaeston rifle before turning back, ignoring the fire being sent her way. She watched as the Ramparts at the back finally crossed the intersection, right where she wanted them.

She brought her hand down, signalling Lorgorth, "Now!"

A series of explosions sliced through the street, causing thunderous tremors that made Nyreen's teeth rattle. The flashes temporarily blinded her, the explosions consuming what seemed to be the entire street. The centurion and his four assault troopers were thrown forward, flying into the ground and sliding away as the explosion threw them away. The Rampart mechs were not so lucky, and the explosion consumed them, all ten, tearing them apart and sending their parts flying in every direction.

Just as intended.

As the flashes dissipated, only flames were left, licking at the ground. Smoke rose in the air, black marks and massive craters of twisted metal, burst water mains and ruptured concrete were all that were lift. Water geysered into the air from the burst mains, and no sign of the Rampart mechs were left aside from their scattered pieces on the ground.

Water ran along the ground, mixing in with the blood and causing it to spread along the devastated street. No doubt the sound would draw every single Cerberus garrison within miles of the blast, so she needed to act fast if she wanted to get what she wanted. Looking back, she saw the centurion getting to his feet while the assault troopers grabbed their weapons in their struggle to stand up. She narrowed her eyes, seeing what was left. Explosives were more effective than I had predicted. I can take them.

She turned to her men, holding a hand up for them to not move, "There is not that many, I can take them by myself. Hold here and take out any Cerberus reinforcements that may arrive." Her men showed no objection, already fiercely loyal to her. Grabbing her hood, she immediately pulled it up and over her head, obscuring her features. At day, she mingled with the crowds, looking like any other civilian. If any Cerberus saw her, or a camera saw her face, they'd find out who she is, forcing her to go underground and lose her connections with the civilian populace; the hood was insurance that didn't happen.

Happy that the hood hid her identity sufficiently, she pulled up her rifle, grabbed the edge of the berm and leapt over, plummeting to the ground a couple of feet below.

Her body swam with biotics, liquid fire flooding through her body and filling her with a ton of adrenaline. Her downward momentum immediately began to slow until she hit the ground, tapping it only lightly instead of the thud it normally would be. With a furrowed brow and a strong grip, she immediately raised her weapon and walked forward with a stern expression. Her rifle snapped to the assault trooper on the far right, sending two bursts into the trooper's chest. He cried out, falling back, rifle firing erratically into the air. The rifle snapped to the next trooper, and her next pull of the trigger went through his right eye, blood exploding onto the floor as he immediately fell back, rifle hitting the ground with a thud.

She quickly closed the distance, watching the centurion raise his mattock to aim at her. Her left arm let go of the weapon and shot up, biotics flaring through her body before sending a shockwave in the direction of the centurion. The biotic burst hit him head on, knocking him on his back, the mattock flying from his grip to slide away from him. Turning back to the troopers, she noticed almost too late to see one of the two final troopers swinging at her with his shock baton, having dropped his rifle.

The hand she refused to throw the centurion back shot up in a block and she cried out as the baton impacted her wrist, sending an immense electric shock up her arm. She clenched her teeth, dropped her rifle and ducked as the trooper reached forward for her hood. She dropped to the ground and swung around with her leg, knocking him off of his. The trooper collapsed to the ground, and she immediately shot back up, using her biotics to pick him up. Bringing her arm up and around, she spun on the spot and sent her new human battering ram swinging into the other assault trooper who was raising his rifle at her.

The trooper fell into the other, and they both collapsed in a heap. Dropping her arm, she raised the other, SMG in hand, and shot the frag grenade attached to the hip of the one on the ground. It detonated, the explosion consuming both. She raised her arm, covering her face as the blast wave washed over her, the heat causing her to wince. The hood fell from her head, and when she looked up, there was only a few pieces of flesh and body parts left remaining, bursts of blood and gore all that was left of them.

She immediately spun, pulled up her hood and sprinted for the centurion, who was already standing up. Holstering her SMG mid run, she unsheathed her turian combat knife. The centurion was now standing, weaponless. Seeing her approach, he clenched a fist and sent it flying to meet her. She dropped into a slide, her head narrowly ducking under his swinging wrist as she got in behind him. Getting up from her spin, she stood up, spun and slammed the knife into the base of his neck, severing his spinal cord as she twisted the knife in place. With an indifferent expression, she yanked the knife back with blood dripping down the knife as the centurion simply collapsed to the ground. Wiping it on her bulletproof combat coat, she sheathed the knife and kneeled down, quickly finding and removing his omni-tool, checking to make sure the security had been successfully cracked; it had been.

Pulling it up and dropping it in her pocket, she raced down, picked up her rifle and holstered it and sprinted back across the street, reaching the other side as she climbed up the side of the building, back to where her men were waiting. Getting back to the top, she turned to her men and nodded to them, grabbing the omni-tool from her pocket and tossing it to Lorgorth. The salarian grabbed it eagerly, turning it around in examination as he put it away for safe keeping, giving her the thumbs up.

She turned to the rest of them, all of them now in a crouch. She smiled, feeling proud of them for launching another successful ambush, but this one being far more productive, "We've done well here, men. With the information on this omni-tool, we will find a way to bring about the end of Petrovsky's tyranny over the people of Omega. What are we?"

"Changed!" they shouted back, saluting her in their own special fashion; an old salute from the days of the SUHCO: a simple raise of their weapon into the air with the hand opposite to the one holding it, "Better!"

She held up her own weapon, "Changed! Better!" she lowered her SMG and holstered it, "And because of our actions, Omega is one step closer to liberation! We cannot rely on Aria to save us now! The decisions we make from now on must bring about the eventual end of Cerberus on Omega! Ad Victoriam!"

"Ad Victoriam!" they shouted back.

Nyreen snapped her head to the side to look down the street. The sounds of kodiaks and Mantis gunships approaching were unmistakable. Her eyes became blank once again, "They're coming," she turned back to her men, motioning into an alley, "Come, we must leave! We must plan our next move."

And with that, the Talons once again returned to the darkness.

Until the light once again calls for aid.

A/N:

A very long chapter, but one I'm sure you won't mind. And yes, you can expect a few more interim chapters. Deal with it! :)

I wrote this while on schoolies, guys. So I hope you're grateful! I should be relaxing! You guys are working me to death! Hahaha. But in all seriousness, I love writing these chapters guys. Just like with this, the next chapter might not be for a while, but it will be written, I promise!

Until then,

Keelah Re'lai, troopers!