Chapter 4: New War, Old Faces

"Kasumi? How the hell did you even get in here?"

The slight Japanese woman's lips curled into one of her mischievous smiles. "A girl's gotta have secrets, Shep. Nice to see you too, by the way."

"Sorry. Where are my manners?" he quipped dryly. "How have you been? I've been in prison. You?"

"Definitely not in prison."

Shepard couldn't help but frown. "Informative as always. It is good to see you, Kasumi, and another time I'd suggest we go for a drink and a chat..."

"But giant robot space bugs are attacking Earth. I know," Kasumi finished for him. "I know I'm not known for my serious demeanor, Shep, but I'm not that oblivious."

"Sorry. It's been a long day."

He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. Of all the places to find the galaxy's best thief - but not the most famous, as she'd always pointed out - the home of the Spectres should have been an obvious destination. If Kasumi had one defining trait it was an insatiable curiosity, seasoned liberally with a desire for mischief and adventure. Chances were this wasn't her first excursion into what should have been the galaxy's most secure facility. And he had to admit it was nice to see another friendly face.

Kasumi shrugged and pushed back her ever present hood, revealing her dark hair and youthful face. "S'ok, you get the 'scary but nice guy with too much to worry about' pass. Now c'mere!"

The next thing he knew the petite burglar had thrown her arms around his midsection in a fierce hug. The only real physical contact he'd had in the past months being the occasional handshake and the less than pleasant experience of a husk trying to tear his throat out made the sudden embrace came as something of a shock. He awkwardly returned the gesture as best he could, the entire situation not being helped by the fact that Kasumi barely came up to his chest.

"Yeesh, you'd think nobody ever hugged you," she said, finally pulling back to give him a poke in the ribs.

"I've been confined to a single room for six months and it wasn't exactly open hugging season for the back-from-the-dead Spectre last time I was on the Citadel," he deadpanned. "Guess I'm rusty."

Kasumi waved her hand dismissively. "Details. Okay, so formalities are out of the way. I miiiight not have just shown up here by coincidence."

"Should I just respond with more sarcasm?"

The only response he got was a stuck out tongue before the thief pulled her hood back up, turning to the nearby console. Her fingers moved quickly across the holographic keys, accessing data he likely should be trying to keep her out of. Finally the image of a planet sprung up on the projector, rotating slowly in front of them. It was a bright orb of blues and greens, unpleasantly similar to the world he had just left behind. Kasumi turned back.

"Recognize it?"

He nodded slowly. "Eden Prime. I could never forget it. Too many good people are buried there."

"That's the place," Kasumi agreed, voice somber. "While doing... well, what I do, I came across something that's probably important. Ever since the Eden Prime War the Alliance and half a dozen different mega-corps have been pouring money into excavating anything that looks vaguely Prothean on the planet. Mostly it just turned up more ruined chunks of stone and the usual stuff."

"Something tells me you wouldn't be here if they'd just found more rocks."

"Not unless they were some pretty fancy rocks. No, I cracked a database that had a report sent back to one of those big corps and in it the science team said that they had found something monumental. They didn't go into details but they did say it was definitely Prothean and most important: it still had power."

Shepard's brows shot up. "The only things we've found so far that still had power after all this time were the beacons and facility on Ilos. You couldn't find out anything else?"

"No, unfortunately someone was on to me and I couldn't take the time I needed to finish decrypting the whole system. I could have just shot you a message about it but the problem is there was one other thing I discovered in my snooping," the thief explained. "I hadn't been the first one to crack their secure transmissions. Someone had been in them less than a day before me. Someone with amazingly powerful hacking programs, the kind of stuff that I've only seen EDI pull off."

"Cerberus," he said simply.

"Nobody else could have gotten in and out that smoothly. The only reason I even noticed was because I'd seen EDI in action. Whatever it is, the science team hadn't finished digging it out but I'd bet every first edition book in my collection that Cerberus is already there."

"Unless the Reapers got there first," he corrected.

Stepping up next to the young woman, Shepard opened a window of his own. A quick scan showed that while there were reports that a few Reaper ships had destroyed the forces that defended the colony, they had immediately moved on. Their initial push must have been completely focused on Earth, while Eden Prime's relatively light population and infrastructure by comparison was considered unimportant. He glanced over at Kasumi.

"Who were you hacking to find this kind of information anyways?"

She shuffled her feet for a moment before answering. "Maybe, kind of... something like a Council sponsored research team? I just saw a big money trail and I got curious! Don't judge me! It does lead to my other tiny problem, though. Turns out the Council really did a number on upping their security and my completely innocent hacking got me noticed by a certain individual interested in such things. Like a... Spectre kind of individual."

He reached up to rub the bridge of his nose. "You've got a Spectre after you?"

"Yes. He's amazingly persistent! And actually pretty good. A salarian named Jondum Bau; he's been chasing me for years. I just usually don't stay in one place long enough for him to get a good lead," the thief explained. "Not a bad guy. Just wish he was a little less dedicated."

"There are worse qualities to have... either way, this information can't wait."

Shepard leaned over the console and sighed, weighing his options. Anything Prothean could be key to this 'Crucible', not to mention the damage that Cerberus could do if they got their hands on some fully functioning Prothean technology. But without the support of the Turian Hierarchy and its fleets, their chances of ever finishing the Crucible were slim to none. It always seemed like the galaxy was putting choices in front of him just to laugh when he chose incorrectly.

"Shep?"

"Just thinking," he said finally. "Whatever they found on Eden Prime could be a key piece of the puzzle we need to win this war. But we'll never get a chance to use it if the Reapers overwhelm us."

"In other words, someone has already asked you to the dance?" Kasumi asked with a smile. The thief moved away from the console, leaning against the rail that separated the walkway from the computer banks.

He chuckled. "Something like that. We need the turians, and the turians need their Primarch to call this war summit. I've got to get to Palaven and even with this new information I can't afford any kind of delay. The best I can do is hope that Cerberus will have to take their time avoiding the Reapers. Maybe they won't beat us to it."

"I'll see what else I can figure out. The Citadel... it's a big place, I should be able to keep out of Bau's way."

A question pushed its way to the tip of his tongue but he hesitated. When all was said and done, Shepard had to wonder if he had the right to drag anyone else along on the path to hell that he was already following. But pragmatism won out over idealism. The simple fact of the matter was that hell had already come to the galaxy. It was only a matter of time until it spread and then nowhere would be safe.

"Or you can avoid him aboard the one place in the galaxy he can't find you," Shepard suggested finally.

"Shep, are you trying to be all coy with me? It's cute. Transparent. But cute," the thief said, crossing her arms over her chest and cocking her head. "I know we went through a lot... the suicide mission and all, but I'm still a thief at heart. Not a soldier."

He stepped forward, this time the one to initiate the contact by placing his hands on the woman's shoulders. "We're all soldiers now, Kasumi. Some just don't know it yet. This story only has two endings: we survive... or we leave ruins and clues behind for the next Cycle, one more fading memory on a long list of the dead."

"You're getting morbid in your old age, Shepard," she replied quietly, the hint of teasing still there but almost overshadowed by an atypical tone of resignation.

"Maybe so, but you know it's the truth. I wish I could tell you to go and be happy, but the fact of the matter is I have a ship with a skeleton crew. And we have an enemy far beyond the Collectors burning my home - our home - as we speak. Everyone is going to have to fight if they want to survive. At least on the Normandy you won't have to be looking over your shoulder."

Kasumi sighed and he could barely make out the rolling of her eyes beneath the hood. "Alright, alright. You don't have to get all deep and persuasive on me. I did like it on the Normandy. It felt like... home, though I don't know how it'll be without the old faces."

"It doesn't feel the same, but not everyone is gone. Joker is still around at least."

"Are you trying to recruit me or discourage me at this point?"

"Point taken... but we both know you're dying to know what Prothean relic they dug up and you're not going to investigate that on your own," he pointed out.

"Fine. Get me away from the persistent salarian and I'll join up with your crazy quest," the thief agreed, then paused, looking up with a small smirk. "Oh! And I think I might have just remembered something to help you with that crew problem..."

Following her movement he watched Kasumi once more access the secure Spectre database, quickly opening up a pair of files. Two pictures flashed across the screen. Gabriella Daniels, trying to look serious for her service picture; Kenneth Donnelly, making no such effort with a broad grin. Another keystroke and a video feed opened, a small cell in what looked to be the C-Sec offices occupied by the familiar pair.

"So they turned themselves in. C-Sec decided to detain them due to their 'extensive knowledge of Cerberus' and the Alliance didn't seem to care since they had you," Kasumi explained. "Now, someone with higher authority could release them from lock down..."

"You've been back in my life for ten minutes, Kasumi, and you're already influencing me to abuse my authority and shelter a known fugitive."

"What can I say? I'm fun like that."

He shook his head but typed at the same time, having nudged the thief aside. With his newly reinstated Spectre status he was able to quickly draft an order to have the two engineers released. He added an additional order that they and their personal effects be delivered to the Normandy immediately. It seemed only fair to make C-Sec do some of the leg work. When he pressed the send button Shepard couldn't help but let a small smile curl his lips. At the very least it was nice to be the one pulling the strings for once.


Leaving Kasumi with her promise not to break anything the Spectre made his way to the other stop he had to make before leaving the Citadel. The galaxy may hang in the balance but some things just needed to be done. That included learning whether or not they'd made it to the Citadel in time to save Ashley... or if she was just the first casualty under his command in what was going to be a bloody, painful war.

The elevator opened onto a brightly lit lobby, enormous windows offering an impressive view of the Presidium below. He had been here once before, though it hadn't been called Huerta Memorial at the time. They had done an excellent job of patching up the most injured members of his crew after the mission through the Omega Four relay, it seemed only fitting that Ashley was in their hands now. He stepped up to the semi-circular front desk, clearing his throat.

"We are trying to process people as quickly as possible, sir, and I promise - Oh..." the young asari said when she finally looked up. "Commander Shepard. I was told you would probably be arriving soon. Let me see..."

He arched an eyebrow but didn't respond. Apparently he was popular. The woman nodded to herself and pointed to his left.

"Here we are. Your friend is in room 1642... if you go through these double doors and take the second hallway on your left..."

"I'll show him the way, Reya," another asari interrupted. She was older, with skin of a blue so deep that it was almost purple, and oddly familiar. Finally his memory caught up to him from his last visit.

"Dr. Letha."

"Commander. Follow me, your friend is through here," she replied with a smile. "Before you ask, we were able to stabilize her but she hasn't regained consciousness. Her concussion was severe and combined with the other injuries she sustained she's lucky to be alive."

Shepard let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. All around him the hospital was abuzz with activity, doctors and nurses running back and forth with supplies, datapads, and other things. Patients lay on gurneys in the hallways, not even assigned rooms yet. The war had barely begun and it was already this hectic? Noticing his look of mild confusion, Letha offered up an explanation.

"Refugees... last day or so we've seen the numbers increasing. We've only heard rumors but a lot of them are batarian. Sounds like they were hit hard."

The sinking suspicion that had raised its head on Earth when he'd first saw the strange new husks was all but confirmed. There was no chance for the Hegemony to have fought off the Reapers. Despite their rhetoric, the pariah state's military was a paper tiger, dangerous in theory but woefully under equipped. Next to the turians the Systems Alliance had one of the most powerful fleets in the galaxy and it had barely slowed the Reapers down. The doctor's voice broke him out his musings before he could ponder the implications of what that meant for the galaxy.

"This was the mission, wasn't it? The one you said you were on when we met, the one that landed one of your crew in my operating room and you with quite a few scars to add to your resume?" Letha asked.

He couldn't conceal the bitterness in his tone. "The mission was to find a way to prevent this from ever happening... all I managed to do was delay it. A few years, a few months."

"I got to see my daughter graduate a month after you showed up in my office with your banged up crew," the doctor replied, her voice a mixture of pride and melancholy. "So thank you for those few months."

It was odd, but he almost missed his step at the simple statement. When he thought about it that was probably the first time someone had actually thanked him for what had always been the ultimate goal of his actions. He'd been thanked by the Council for saving their lives, by civilians for protecting them from the mercenaries, slavers, and other dangers of the galaxy, but not that.

"The Commander doesn't usually take praise well, Dr. Letha. I'm glad you seem to have at least made him accept it silently."

He blinked and snapped out of the fog his mind seemed far too ready to slip into these days. Standing by the door, Dr. Karin Chakwas looked at him as if he'd just stepped off the ship for a day instead of having been locked away for six months. Dressed in her usual medical uniform, she smiled as he approached, brushing aside her silvery hair.

"Chakwas? It seems like I'm running into a lot of old friends today..."

"Maybe not entirely by coincidence. I received an extranet message from a certain light-fingered mutual acquaintance that you would likely be on the Citadel soon. As soon as I heard that Williams was injured I arrived to help as best I could," she explained. "She's a strong girl. I think she'll pull through."

The older woman clasped his extended hand, giving it a firm squeeze in greeting.

"I hope so... we can't afford to lose good soldiers like her, especially not now," he said.

Next to him Letha smiled. "Doctor Chakwas, Commander. I've got other patients to see to so I will take my leave. Goddess watch over you, Shepard, for all our sakes."

Shepard gave a nod of acknowledgement as she departed before turning his attention back to Chakwas. "I'm surprised to see you here."

"After you turned yourself in the Alliance didn't know what to do with me. I had leave from my previous posting and I was never technically associated with Cerberus in any official capacity," she said with a shrug. "I ended up coming here and working in a clinic on the Wards with another doctor I believe you know."

"Who?"

"Dr. Michel. She's become one of the top human cross-species physicians on the Citadel since the last time you met. Something about realizing that more than just humans needed the best care. She was more than happy to have my first hand experience."

He laughed ruefully, moving to lean against the wall next to her. "You probably have more of that that than anyone else. How many Alliance doctors can claim to have saved a member of every Council race and then some?"

"Not many... but I fear that number will grow out of necessity soon," Chakwas agreed.

"Sadly true. Doc, I hate to ask you to put yourself in such a position again, especially after what happened aboard the Collector vessel but..."

She smiled and cut him off. "I've already ordered my personal effects delivered to the Normandy's docking bay."

"Thank you. I know the Normandy doesn't hold good memories for everyone."

"I've always been meant to serve aboard a ship. And there is no finer ship than the Normandy," Chakwas said. "Besides, I'm sure Joker has been neglecting his medication in my absence."

"Of course."

There were a few moments of companionable silence as they both gathered their thoughts. Karin Chakwas had never been a soldier, always a healer, the one that put them back together after their reckless charges and last-ditch plans. The Normandy would feel a little more like home with her aboard. He glanced towards the closed doors.

"You can see her. She's still unconscious but a familiar voice never hurts. I'll get my affairs in order here."

He turned and pressed the activation pad on the door, nodding at the doctor in appreciation. "Thank you. We'll be shipping out for Palaven within the hour."

The door opened like every other, a faint hiss and then silence as he stepped inside. Ashley lay in the bed, looking oddly out of place in a simple hospital gown. Her face was a mass of bruises and cuts and one arm was wrapped in a polymer cast. If this had been the old Normandy he could already hear her berating him for seeing her like this. She did always have a prideful streak.

He sat down in one of the chairs and placed his head in his hands for a long moment before looking up.

"You need to get well soon, soldier. That's an order. The galaxy needs its best..."


Shepard had returned to the ship to find a very surprised pair of engineers waiting, only to have their looks of surprise turn to broad grins. Donnelly had been quite effusive both in his praise and in his derision of C-Sec and their 'bloody inhumanely boring' holding cell while Gabby had just been happy, trying to shut Donnelly up before he ran his mouth off too much. Traynor had informed him that Chakwas was already getting set up in the Medbay and looked a little bewildered at the people just suddenly showing up at the airlock.

"Welcome to the Normandy, Specialist. We attract the best, the brightest, and the strangest," he told her as they stood at the CIC, not longer after exiting the Palaven relay. "And those strange ones often end up being the most loyal."

"Well, I'm sure Adams will appreciate the extra hands, and having an actual ship's doctor is never a bad thing. I was just a little surprised to find people volunteering when they clearly seem to know where we're going."

"Into the mouth of Hell... that's where the Normandy shines the brightest, Traynor."

"Well as long as EDI doesn't take that as a suggestion to play with the illumination levels while I'm trying to sleep I think I will manage."

He chuckled. "I think you will. Keep me advised of any updates or changes from the Hierarchy. From what EDI has shown me they're putting up one hell of a fight but it could go badly at any moment. The last thing I want to do is hit the ground and find myself on a folding front."

"Of course, Commander," Traynor agreed. "Oh, I almost forgot. Lieutenant Vega said he has your new armor prepped in the shuttle bay when you're ready to suit up."

"New armor?"

"He... wasn't more informative than that, sir."

Shepard waved it off, stepping around the galaxy map and moving up to the cockpit. There were still far too many empty seats, consoles blinking on standby, but he couldn't just pull a crew out of thin air. At least EDI seemed more than capable of managing on her own, especially with a bolstered engineering team and Joker in the pilot's seat. He thumped the back of the pilot's chair.

"Try not to buzz too many Reapers on the way in."

"I'll keep that in mind," Joker replied drolly. "The geth might not believe in windows but those glowing bits on the front of the Reapers look way too much like eyes for me to be comfortable. Makes me think of that big damn spider I found in my bunk freshman year at the academy."

"Afraid of spiders, Joker?" he asked.

"Who isn't afraid of spiders? I bet even freak'n Zaeed is afraid of spiders," the pilot shot back. "Conclusion: screw spiders."

"I'll keep that in mind and cross the 'pet tarantula' off the list of Christmas gifts."

Joker laughed. "Probably a good idea. Unless you want me flipping out and making the ship pull crazy ivans while I try to make a run for the airlock."

"Jeff, I would not allow you to potentially crash the ship due to your fear of arachnids. I would prefer, however, that none be brought on board. I find myself oddly displeased with the idea of such creatures crawling in my internal structure," EDI interjected.

"See? Even the AI hates them and that's downright illogical. Universal constant."

"Noted," Shepard replied drolly.

"Joker you are such a scaredy cat!"

"What the cr-" the pilot almost squealed as Kasumi said the words right next to his ear, materializing in plain view. "God dammit! Why didn't you tell me the klepto sneaky girl was back on the ship, boss?"

"For a moment just like that. Now once you change pants, get us in close. We've got work to do," Shepard ordered. "The Primarch isn't going to save himself."

Joker gave the thief a harsh glare but nodded finally. "Aye aye."

He left the pilot, Kasumi trailing behind, staying visible this time. When he opened the elevator and she stepped inside he was more than a little surprised.

"Never known you to volunteer."

The thief sounded a little uncertain. "I agreed to come back, Shep. I know this isn't going to be nearly as glamorous as the last time. And... I feel like I need to see this. The Reapers are frightening just on the vids. I need to... I don't know. Be there?"

"You need to face your fear," he suggested.

"I guess that's it. I can deal with violence. I might not be able to just accept it the way you and Garrus do, admittedly. I make jokes because I'm nervous. You two seem to actually enjoy yourselves."

"We all have our ways of adapting to what life throws at us. Garrus and I always seemed to have the same... inclination, I guess you'd say," the Spectre tried to explain. "Of the aliens on the original Normandy, well, Wrex was just numb to it. Liara and Tali were much more affected by it in the beginning."

Kasumi nodded. "Makes sense. Pilgrimages and archeology digs aren't exactly the same as storming pirate bases... seems like they both learned to cope."

"They did," he said quietly. "I'm still not sure if that's a good thing."

The doors of the elevator opened onto the shuttle bay and the newly located armory. To his left were racks of weapons and armor, along with a work bench with the numerous tools of the armorer's trade. Vega was already fully geared up, dark blue and black Alliance issue heavy armor covering him from neck to toe. The young marine ran his hand back through his short mohawk and watched Kasumi quizzically.

"Commander... new recruit? I didn't think the Alliance took them that small."

"Lieutenant Vega, this is Kasumi Goto. She'll be accompanying us on the ground team. While she might not have your physique she more than makes up for it in the technical and infiltration departments."

"I'll take your word for it, sir. After seeing your asari friend in action I guess I shouldn't doubt anyone else you show up with."

Kasumi gave the large man smirk. "Yoroshiku, Lieutenant Vega. And you're smarter than you look. It takes most people longer than that to learn not to question Shepard."

"I'm just gonna assume that means something nice, cause the translator didn't do crap for it."

"They never have handled Japanese well... odd considering we manage to talk to floating jellyfish and space raptors like the turians," Kasumi mused. "But don't worry, you'll know when I'm talking about you."

"And there's your introduction," Shepard concluded with a chuckle, glancing at the weapons rack. "Now where's my gear, Vega? Traynor said something about new armor?"

"Yea, I figured that must have been your new kit. Never seen anything like it."

As he walked over to the locker he noticed Kasumi following him. Tossing a suspicious glance back her way he opened the locker to reveal a pristine set of armor hanging piece by piece. The lines of the armor were familiar. Much like the custom suit he'd possessed during their mission to stop the Collector abductions it evoked the style of ages long past. The angular, slit visor and curved pauldron that protected his neck and shoulder had made Tali call him a baelen'sor, her people's equivalent of ancient Earth's knight-errant or wandering ronin.

It wasn't the same armor, though. That armor had been a ruined mass of punctured titanium and polymer that had barely held together when they'd made it out of the Collector base. While it had served him well for all those months even he had been forced to acknowledge that it was too far gone. The last service it had performed for him had been one that was ultimately unsuccessful when he'd presented the findings on the Reapers to the Council shortly after the mission. He had hoped its damaged, rent, and brutalized appearance would have driven home the price paid for that intelligence. So much for theatrics.

That armor had also been made up of plates that looked like brushed steel with the stylized red image emblazoned on the left shoulder. This new suit had the same lines but the lacquered black surface had the appearance of a seamless carapace. Where once there had been a dragon, a homage to the professional combat league that had created, tested, and eventually gifted the suit to his mission, there was now the stylized image of some sort of bird of prey laser etched in the same vibrant red.

Shepard reached out a hand, tracing it down the design from where the bird's wing started at the shoulder to the head that swooped down the side of the armor's chest like the bird of prey was diving to strike. He glanced back at Kasumi once more and arched an eyebrow.

"It's a phoenix. Or a fushicho in japanese... one of Earth's more universal myths," she explained. "You've risen from the ashes once already in a literal sense, Shep, so it seemed appropriate. Liara's the one to thank for the armor itself, though. I just came up with the idea."

He couldn't help but smile. "I'd tell you it's an extravagant waste of resources but... thank you. And the specs?"

"Equally extravagant. It'll do everything your old gear did and then some. It's as bleeding edge as it gets. I doubt even Cerberus has anything that can match it and especially not custom designed for someone with your 'perks'. So suit up, flyboy."

As promised, the armor fit like a glove. Each piece slid into place perfectly over the mesh under armor locking into place with a barely audible hiss. When he finally pulled the helmet on and locked it into place the heads up display activated to give him a full, unobstructed view and he could hear a faint hum as power systems came online. A small orb icon appeared in the lower right of his vision and EDI's voice filled his ears.

"Hello, Shepard."

"EDI. Just doing a comms check?"

"No, I have actually downloaded a small subroutine into your suit's armor. The software and hardware potential of your new armor is far in advance of the previous model and has allowed me to actually directly interface with it. The subroutine of my processes that I have linked to your systems should prevent any incidents such as the one that occurred on the Shadow Broker's vessel to Tali'Zorah. Should any attempt a remote access even with the correct authorization codes I can respond in real-time."

He blinked. "You're saying a tiny piece of you is basically in my armor?"

"Essentially, yes, Commander. I can withdraw the runtime if you are uncomfortable with the situation but I merely wished to account for all possibilities," the AI said.

"No, it's okay. I'm just amazed this armor has the computing power to handle even a small part of your consciousness."

"The 'fork' of my processing power that is operating in your systems is only a tiny fraction of my actual computing power and actually only takes a relatively small amount of power. My diagnostics indicate that I am actually only using a small portion of the available hardware."

"Interesting... could this technology be used to upgrade other members of the team?" he asked.

EDI sounded regretful. "Only in theory, Commander. The hardware required for such an upgrade would require a fairly substantial suit of armor as the base system and would come at considerable cost."

"Well, keep it in the back of your mind."

"I do not have a 'back' of my mind, Shepard, but I will assign examination of the possible upgrades a tertiary status in my processing calculations."

"Same thing, just more words."

The small orb disappeared from the HUD as EDI apparently ended the conversation. He flexed experimentally in the new armor, feeling the same range of movement as the old model had provided. Satisfied everything was in order, he exited the armory to the sound of a low whistle from Vega. And something more akin to a wolf whistle from Kasumi.

"Wow, that is slick, sir," the lieutenant said admiringly. "Makes the standard N7 stuff look like grunt wear."

Kasumi nodded in agreement. "It's not that old suit from Hock's party, but it certainly makes an impression. Tali would be giddy seeing you in that get up."

He was happy the helmet hid his sudden frown at the mention of the quarian's name, but it seemed the thief noticed the hitch in his step despite any attempts to conceal it when her commentary trailed off and instead became a more business-like request.

"So where's Liara? Aren't we leaving in a few minutes?" Kasumi asked.

As if on cue the elevator doors opened to reveal the asari, wearing the same practical but stylish armor-slash-labcoat. A pistol rested easily at her hip. She gave a faint smile upon seeing him clad in the black and red armor.

"It fits?"

"Perfectly, thanks. Seems you two were busy while I was gone," he said.

"Very," Liara agreed. "Kasumi's heists became much more specific and purposeful in the months you were away, much to the underworld's surprise. Less paints, more cutting edge technology, financial data, and government secrets."

The thief shrugged. "Everyone has to grow up sometime. Now before Liara ruins my reputation, don't we have a Primarch to save?"

"She's right. Load up, people."

The small squad quickly filed into the Kodiak shuttle. Steve, apparently the Normandy's designated shuttle pilot, was already buckled in and had the vessel prepared to exit within seconds. His voice came over the intercom.

"Ready to go, Commander. And Vega, note how I'm not crashing into anything as we approach the moon."

A laugh came from the marine's helmet. "Hey, I got the job done."

"You did. Maybe next time you'll remember we started putting guns on these things," the pilot countered, fingers tapping at the controls. The shuttle shifted and suddenly they were in space, exiting the Normandy's bay.

The moon below wasn't much different than Earth's, mostly grey dust and rocks, though at a much closer orbit to its parent. Palaven itself was the far more striking, and horrifying, sight. Orange lines that could only be the burning trails of destruction left by the Reapers criss-crossed its surface. In one area on the nightside of the planet a patch of glowing embers looked almost the size of one of Earth's island nations. In the distance they could see Hierarchy forces fighting the Reapers, if fight it could be called. Tiny blinks of light were the only indication of ships dying by the dozens.

On the surface of the moon the battle seemed to be going no better. As the shuttle swooped in low to avoid detection he could see a Reaper marching across the barren plains. Its form towered in the distance like a mountain of steel, its footfalls obscured by fog and the dust of its passing. It stalked forward inexorably, lashing out with its main gun in sweeping beams of red fire. He could only imagine the devastation it was creating before it; a merciless avatar of destruction.

Liara gasped. "By the goddess... Palaven. Was it this bad back on Earth?"

He could only nod sadly, looking out the window and feeling his jaw tighten with every little flash. Vega answered for him.

"Worse. The turians are fighting like hell... our fleets didn't even know what hit them."

"I'm so sorry, Shepard. It's hard to imagine destruction on such a scale until you see it for yourself. Either way... if anyone could survive it..."

Out of the corner of his eye he could see the younger soldier cocked his head curiously before Kasumi brought him up to date, voice uncharacteristically withdrawn.

"We have a friend, a turian. He was on Palaven."

"Ah, shit. If he rolled with you I'm sure he's fine," the marine said.

"The most powerful military fleet in the galaxy and the Reapers are taking them apart piece by piece," he replied, ignoring the platitudes. Liara's words were genuine but it didn't do him any good to dwell on it. "If we're going to win this war it's going to have to be with overwhelming force."

"That's what we've got you for, Commander. You're gonna make the biggest damn hammer in the galaxy to knock these putas back into whatever hole they crawled out of," Vega said.

Marine bravado, really, but maybe it was exactly what the galaxy needed. A war against an enemy like the Reapers would be won as much by the will of the galaxy to keep fighting as by bullets and bombs. As long as they kept their heads up then it wasn't really over. He smiled darkly behind his helmet and nodded.

"That's the plan, marine. So let's get started on the first part of that hammer. The turian part. Cortez, ETA?"

"We're coming in now, Commander, but the LZ is hot. There's some kind of creature coming from everywhere and charging the turian barricades," the pilot responded. "There's weapons fire coming from everywhere. I don't think these guys are doing too well."

"They're called husks. Open these doors, Cortez. We're able to provide our turian friends some relief. Lock and load, people!" Shepard ordered loudly.

The doors hummed for a moment as the magnetic seals began to release. Kasumi appeared next to him, tapping his armored shoulder with something metallic. He glanced over and blinked in surprise at the item in her hand. It was a standard issue Alliance combat knife. The seven inch carbon-alloy blade was notched in a few places and the black polymer grip, worn from years of use, was immediately recognizable. It had been the same blade that he'd carried on Akuze and every day since.

"One last welcome-back gift. I snagged it when the Alliance was sealing up your personal effects," Kasumi said. "Tali told me that you always had it, even on the original Normandy. Figure anything someone has hung onto that long must have a little luck in it."

He took the weapon, flipping it back and forth between a forward and reverse grip. It felt like an old friend. Shepard smiled.

"Thank you, Kasumi. You've done a lot more for me and everyone else than anyone probably ever expected from a 'mere thief'."

"Mere thief? Careful, you might offend me," she shot back.

"Wouldn't dream of it. I know what you can get up to when you put your mind to it."

"Alright, we're in position! Careful, sir, this place is a mess!"

The shuttle doors opened. A hellish scene greeted them. Husks sprinted across the dusty moon's surface towards the pre-fab barricades that the turian soldiers had set up. With all the precision and level-headedness he had come to expect from turians the soldiers were pouring steady fire into their enemy but every husk that fell seemed to have another to replace it. Another building to their right had already fallen, dead soldiers lying in pools of their own blue blood or slumped over the barricade itself with more husks crawling toward the remaining strong point.

Shepard didn't waste any time. Leaping from the shuttle, he landed on the hard ground with a thud, knife still gripped in his left hand. Pointing towards the turians he started barking orders.

"Vega, Kasumi! Take out the husks trying to flank the turians. Disruptor rounds, aim for the legs first. Liara, on me. We're driving straight into their right flank. Think you remember the drill?"

In answer the asari's biotics flared brightly, a sudden swirling vortex appearing in the middle of the largest clump of husks. The creatures flailed in panic as they stumbled, many leaving the ground completely. Calling on his own abilities he lashed out with a burst of raw dark energy in the same direction. As soon as the two energy fields connected there was a resounding boom. The sudden explosion collapse scattered husks like so much chaff.

"It seems I do. Though I recall it was Wrex and Kaidan that were originally the other halves of this tactic," Liara replied.

"Then I hope we can make them both proud with me picking up the slack!"

He drew the heavy pistol at his hip and pumped two rounds into a husk that had turned to charge in their direction, while another was sent spinning by a burst from Liara's submachine gun. It seemed Vega and Kasumi's fire support had also taken a toll on the husks trying to climb up the barricade from the side. Liara threw out another grasping singularity into the path of the next pack of husks and a second later he followed up with a blast the same as the first. Their numbers thinned, the remaining husks found themselves under the now much more concentrated fire of the turian defenders.

The firefight had turned around in barely a minute's time with the four of them tearing through the enemy flank until they were dealing with the remaining husks right in front of the turian defensive line. Two husks leapt at him simultaneously in an act of rather acute animal cunning, only for one of them to be knocked out of the air by a burst of SMG fire. He easily side-stepped the remaining creature and when it turned to lunge again he drove the combat knife beneath its chin and jerked. The eerie blue in its eyes faded instantly and he let the thing fall to the ground.

"Spirits! I don't know where you came from or why you're here... but you just saved our asses," the turian said over the side of the building. The turian's face paint was almost obscured by soot but the grip he had on the assault rifle in his hands was steady.

He looked up, tossing the soldier a salute with his pistol. "Commander Shepard of the Normandy. I need to find your CO. I'm here to extract Primarch Fedorian."

"Shepard? Thought your own people had locked you up. Damn glad to see they didn't decide to keep you locked up. General Corinthus is at the main compound but we're getting torn apart. You'd better hurry, just head behind the barricade here and head north. We can keep this flank secured thanks to you."

The soldier returned his salute in a rather good imitation of the human gesture. Motioning for the others to follow he kicked himself into a jog. He slipped the knife into the previously empty sheath at his back. It didn't take them long to find the base camp, a collection of the same pre-fab buildings, crates of supplies, and far too many wounded soldiers. Ahead he heard even more gunfire and a bone curdling shriek. A massive winged beast suddenly streaked overhead, chased by turian fighters.

"This is bad," Liara muttered. "The turians seem to be hanging on by the tips of their talons."

"Then we make sure they keep holding on," Shepard said.

They made it to the middle of the base when the barricade to their north suddenly shook, sending soldiers flying off of it in every direction. Men scrambled in the direction of the barricade but looked confused. No explosion had been heard, more like the impact of an aircar colliding with a wall. Another earthshaking thud echoed through the base. The wall exploded inward with a shower of dust and shrapnel, answering the question in a violent fashion. A massive creature that had to have been half again the size of a yahg emerged from the cloud of dust. It was hunched forward like a metal skinned gorilla but possessed an almost comically small head and neck that looked back and forth, scanning for targets before retracting back almost in its shoulders for protection. With a roar it charged forward, rending the nearest soldier in half with one huge, spiked forearm.

"What in the hell is that?" Vega yelled.

"No idea, but it's going to take these guys apart if we don't stop it!" he replied, already seeing the silhouettes of husks emerging from the breach the thing had made. "Vega, get its attention. Kasumi, Liara, help seal that breach!"

Liara was already throwing out waves of biotic energy when her voice came over the comm. "What's the plan, Shepard? That thing is huge and I'm seeing rounds practically bouncing off its armor."

"Working on it," Shepard shot back. "Just keep the base from being overrun and I'll deal with the giant monster!"

He silently cursed the lack of heavy weapons available. Before he would have had something available to crack the beast's heavy shell, but now the most firepower he could muster was an assault rifle and a few grenades on his belt. Even as his rounds sparked against the thick plating of the creature an idea formed, watching its movement, the segmented, almost insect like appearance of the thing. Another turian fired as the thing approached and it flinched aside for a moment as the rounds sparked around its head. The respite was short for the turian soldier, though, and a brutal slash sent him flying. Shepard looked to his left at Vega.

"Aim for the head!"

"I'm trying! But it's tucked in there like some kind of stupid turtle!" the younger marine growled.

A round struck its bony shoulder and the thing raised its bulky forearms, absorbing the rest of the burst. Shepard smirked.

"You got it! Keep it up!"

"What?"

The soldier sounded confused but followed orders, pumping round after round into the creatures armored forearms. Vega cycled magazines with admirable speed, keeping up an almost steady stream of fire that was only added to by the turian soldiers that were doing their best to assist. The place was already turning into a mess of smoke and dust but he could faintly see the blue glow of Liara's biotics. He trusted her to deal with the breach. Shepard looked down and switched the three grenades he had to triggered detonation rather than timed.

Pushing himself into a full sprint he holstered his pistol and pulled two of the explosives from his belt. Thumbing the bottoms he activated the magnetic pads and hoped that the synthetic shininess of the thing meant it had as much metal in it as he thought it did. Shielding itself from Vega's fire the creature didn't notice his charge until he was almost on top of it. The creature roared in fury, lifting its arms high and bringing them down in an overhand smash.

"Not making it that easy!" he yelled, leaping upwards so that the massive fists slammed into the ground he'd just occupied.

Slamming his shoulder full force into the thing's chest resulted in little more than a slight stagger on its part. But he hadn't expected it to come crashing down. The beast's burning blue eyes fixed on him and he realized that he was looking at what once had been a turian's facial plates. He brought both his hands down, sticking the grenades to the thing's shoulder plates and rolling away even as it recovered from the surprising assault.

"Shit."

It was all he had time to say as the monster's forearm caught his side in mid-roll, sending him skidding across the dirt from the impact. Impressively his armor held but it still hurt like hell and now he was on his back. The creature swung in his direction, shifting to charge when he stabbed the button on his omni tool. The explosion momentarily engulfed the beast in fire and he heard its roar change to one of pain.

His elation at its discomfort was short lived when the dust cleared and the creature was galloping towards him on all fours. As it reached him it rose up to its full height. Blue-black fluid poured down its sides, the massive armored shoulders torn asunder by the explosives and chest a twisted mass of shrapnel. He could even see a disgusting mass of fleshy organs beneath its ruined ribcage. A concentrated volley of fire to its front would take it down now... but it was still more than capable of killing him in its wounded state.

Shepard rolled, the first huge fist slamming into the ground next to him, followed by the other. He yanked his pistol free of its holster and emptied the magazine into the beast, causing it to keen in pain once more and then bat him aside with one claw. He slammed back first into one of the metal buildings and groaned, watching the thing begin to charge once more. Vega was firing steadily into its flank but clearly couldn't get an angle on its vulnerable front, and he couldn't get enough space between them to bring it around into the other man's field of fire.

"Shepard! Get out of there!" he heard Liara yell over the comm, the beast's charge staggered for a moment by a burst of dark energy.

"I've got nowhere to go, Liara," he said, pulling the last grenade from his belt and activating it. "Armor is good, though. Thanks."

"Dammit, Shepard!"

All in all he should have been terrified, but he wasn't. Some part of the Spectre's mind was even amused in a twisted way that the Reapers had to invent some kind of new, unstoppable husk to kill him after all these years. He'd killed Sovereign. He destroyed the last abominations of the Protheans and sent their human Reaper straight to hell with them. Shepard's mind flashed back to that week he'd spent with Tali while she recovered and he felt a small smile come to his lips.

The monster had recovered its momentum and surged forward. He could only laugh darkly, tasting copper on his tongue as he did. His thumb brushed the trigger of the explosive in his hands.

"Come on, you big bastard... if I'm going to go down I'm not going alone. I just hope Harbinger can see what you see when I blow you to hell!"

A deafening boom came from overhead and creature's charge abruptly halted. The small mockery of a turian face disappeared in a fountain of sparks and gore, the enormous body having just enough momentum to crash into the ground and slide to a stop at his feet. Its ruined neck continued to pump dark fluid into the dry earth. Shepard shook his head, trying to make sense of what had just happened when a flanged voice came from above him.

"You know, boss, if you're going to do stupid things you really shouldn't do it without me around to watch your back. It's breaking tradition."

He turned and looked up to see a turian standing on top of the pre-fab, one leg propped on the edge and a massive rifle resting casually across his shoulder. Smoke still trailed from the muzzle, drifting lazily away from the blue armored form. Garrus' smirk, or what he'd learn to identify as the turian equivalent after all this time, looked supremely self-satisfied.

"Garrus! You magnificent blue bosh'tet!" he laughed, holding up his arms, so happy to see the turian that he didn't even catch his use of Tali's old term for the man.

"You were expecting someone else?" the turian quipped. "Come around, it looks like they've got this place secure again."

Stepping over the dead creature he jogged around the building, meeting the rest of the team, all out of breath. Liara and Kasumi looked more than a little exhausted but to his surprise Vega looked practically invigorated.

"That was loco! I always thought the crap they told around the barracks was exaggerated even after I met you," the marine said, shaking his head. "But hell, Commander... you are officially the craziest puta madre I know."

"My translator can't even begin to figure out what the hell you just called him, soldier, but you're right. Shepard has the market cornered on crazy," Garrus interrupted, coming around the corner of the pre-fab. "Add on luckiest, most sarcastic, and second best looking and you've got the start of a good list of Shepard's descriptors."

"Good to see you, you son of a bitch," Shepard said.

The turian extended his hand in the traditional human greeting and Shepard clasped it warmly, pulling Garrus forward into a hug that ended with both of them slapping the other hard on the back. Both were laughing when they noticed Vega looking at them oddly. He gestured towards the turian.

"Lieutenant James Vega, this is Garrus Vakarian. Best damn soldier I've ever fought with... and good enough with a sniper rifle that he even thinks he can beat me," the Spectre said, introducing the two. "Every stupid story you've heard about something I did, this guy was probably involved too... or came up with the plan in the first place."

"An honor, sir. They always talk about Shepard's team but most of the time nobody goes into specifics," Vega said, inclining his head briefly.

Garrus chuckled. "We're all so modest is all."

"And I assume you remember these other two?" Shepard asked, hooking a finger over his shoulder.

"Garrus," Liara said. The smile on her face actually reached her eyes, a rare thing these days.

"Liara. Almost feels like a reunion. You said two, though?" the turian asked quizzically.

Equally confused Shepard looked over his shoulder to find only Liara standing there, shaking her head. A sudden thump caused him to turn back to see Garrus with his handful of human thief hugging him with her feet off the ground.

"Garrus!" she practically squealed.

"I see it followed you home again," Garrus said dryly, but returned the hug, finally setting the woman down.

Kasumi's eyes narrowed under her hood. "It? Do you really want me to hack your omni-tool again to only boot up with Elcor musical pornography?"

"I retract the statement. Glad to see I was missed, Kasumi," he said, mandibles wiggling in mirth. "At least Shepard has had some old hands keep him in line."

"Always knew you were smarter than the average turian."

"What can I say, it's part of my charm," Garrus replied, turning to Shepard once more and jerking his head towards the center of the base. "So I heard you're looking for a Primarch. Want to go see if we can dig one up?"

The Spectre smirked. "Save my ass and already joining up again?"

"We nailed Saren together. You pulled my ass out of the fire on Omega then I pull your ass out of the fire on my own planet's moon. Third time's the charm... that's the human saying isn't it?" Garrus replied. "Now let's go poke a general or two and see what we can find out."

He nodded, the group marching towards what he could only assume was the command building considering the number of men milling around it. Around them soldiers were shoring up barricades and checking ammo, readying for another attack that was destined to come. Shepard glanced to his side at the turian.

"Good to have you back in the mix, Garrus."

The turian smiled. "Good to be back, Boss."


Well, there's the latest chapter. You had to wait a little longer for it because, well, I don't get paid for this so sometimes other things take priority ;) on the upside it's the longest chapter thus far. Continued props to my beta readers for cleaning up my messes! Hope to see how you all like things as canon starts to morph a little.

Also on a random note I am a musical vagabond and one song I ran across that seemed rather appropriate for the Normandy crew was Halestorm's 'Here's to us'. Look it up sometime.