Chapter 13: Promises

"Clear," Garrus said, his flanged voice strained.

Shepard ejected yet another spent thermal clip from his shotgun and reloaded while scanning the room where geth platforms lay scattered in a haphazard fashion. The geth hadn't been able to get many units to the main core before Tali's overrides had locked down most of the pathways, allowing them to quickly dispatch any remaining opposition. At his feet the lifeless optic of a fallen platform looked up at him, the dull lens somehow looking accusatory in the dim light of the dreadnought.

He frowned. "I'm not going to feel guilty over bloody machines..."

"What was that, Boss?"

"Nothing," he replied, changing the subject. "Is this the source of our signal?"

Tali knelt next to a large central column, glancing over her shoulder to give him a quick nod.

"Definitely. It looks like the main transmitter is right over here. Just give me a minute to override the blast shielding they have around it."

The engineer was already hacking her way past the geth defenses and in the silence Shepard couldn't help but watch her, everything from the way she set her shoulders when she was working on a difficult problem to her matter of fact delivery was achingly familiar. For a brief moment he had been certain that his luck had run out in the elevator shaft when he felt the platform disappear from beneath his feet. It had been a terrifying moment of panic and adrenaline, those eternal seconds where time seemed to stop and everything was clear. Shepard had even come to a kind of acceptance as he felt himself fall, the edge of the deck too far away for him to reach. But those three strong fingers had held him fast, refusing to let go. Memories of his desperate jump aboard the Collector base were all too fresh in his mind.

All he'd wanted to do since she'd stepped into the war room aboard the Normandy was wrap his arms around her suited form and hold on tightly. Just to taste of the familiar warmth and comfort they had once shared for a brief moment. Shepard knew it was just a fantasy, though. He'd broken the promise he'd made to her and so many others. In a different time, a different place, just maybe he could have found happiness with his beautiful quarian. But this wasn't that time. The galaxy needed someone to guide them out of the darkness, no matter the consequences. Not a bleeding heart, but someone to bleed, drop by drop, to make sure that in the end there was someone left to remember what they'd lost.

"I've got it!" the machinist cried in triumph. "Now to see what the geth have been using to boost the power of the Reaper signal..."

Shepard shook his head, driving away the musings that threaten to draw him into a dark spiral and instead hefting the shotgun in his grip. Now wasn't the time to lose focus. Their mission was too important. He saw Tali press a key on her omni-tool and then the armored shields around the cylinder snapped open, eliciting a startled gasp from each of them.

"Spirits, is that..."

A glowing optic winked to life and swiveled to fix its gaze on him.

"Shepard-Commander?"

"Legion?" he asked, still not believing what he was seeing.

The geth was strung up like it was in an medieval torture device, arms over its head and legs spread, hands and feet both locked in place. There was no mistaking the gaping hole in the geth's chest or the N7 armor that had been used to repair some of the damage. There was an almost plaintive note in the geth's voice.

"Affirmative. We request assistance!"

"Damn, I don't want to be the one to suggest this but... if the geth are under Reaper control..." Garrus trailed off.

"We understand your caution. This platform will submit to any restraints you deem necessary once we are free. Our network architecture is being utilized to transmit a Reaper control signal to all active geth platforms."

"We'll get you out," he agreed. "You fought the Reapers before, I can't imagine you'd join them now, right?"

"This is correct," Legion explained while Shepard and Tali both worked at different consoles. "When the Creators attacked there was significant difficulty in arriving at consensus. The runtimes within this platform... did not reach a similar consensus as the Collective. This platform's unique construction and enhanced transmission hardware was deemed the most viable method of increased signal transmission."

"So they captured you? I didn't think the geth could disagree," Tali said. "But... as much as I can't believe I'm saying this: it's good to see you, Legion, and I'm glad you're still on our side."

"We thank you for your assistance, Creator Zorah."

"But how? You're a group mind. How could you go against the consensus?" Garrus demanded, echoing the question that had already formed in the Spectre's mind.

There was a brief pause while Legion's optic focused and unfocused on each of them.

"No data available."

Shepard sighed, releasing another lock. "That's not an answer, Legion."

"We lack sufficient information to provide a valid hypothesis."

"Then give me your best guess!"

"Geth do not... guess, Shepard-Commander."

"First time for everything. I've got most of the hardware blocks removed," Shepard said.

Tali's fingers were flying across the haptic interface. "Same here. Legion, just provide the basis for a possible hypothesis. There must be something you can provide as a reason?"

"This platform... designated 'Legion' by Shepard-Commander and the Normandy crew..." the machine attempted to explain, actually hesitating as it spoke. "This platform reached an internal consensus before the Collective as a whole. We could not then agree to the Collective's course of action. An internal runtime error prevented compliance."

Shepard slapped the release button as soon as Legion finished speaking, convinced by the geth's answer. The locks around the it's hands and feet opened with a hiss.

"Congratulations, Legion. We organics call it a conscience, welcome to the club."

The geth removed itself from the harness that was holding it within the transmitter, leaping to the floor and landing in a crouch. Around them lights and consoles flickered, the room going almost dark for a moment before the dim glow returned. As Legion stood its optic looked at him quizzically, the flaps around the glowing circle seeming to flutter.

"We do not understand."

"Someday you will," Shepard assured him. "I just hope it's for the better."

"This discussion would be fascinating if there weren't armed geth coming to kill us," Garrus interjected. "We need an exit plan."

Tali shook her head. "I'm trying to find the nearest airlock the Normandy could manage a pick up. There are geth everywhere... though the loss of the signal seems to have left them in disarray."

"We have disabled the dreadnought's main core, approximate time to re-initialize: fifteen minutes, eight seconds. This window of time is consistent with time needed to navigate the vessel to a docking collar three decks above on the vessel's starboard side."

"Thanks, Legion. And the signal is completely cut off?" the quarian asked.

"Negative. Geth units on Rannoch's surface are still connected to the primary signal, but all orbiting and in system vessels are no longer receiving the signal," Legion explained. "Current capability to re-establish signal strength is unknown, but it should be assumed that units on the surface will be able to synthesize a solution."

The Spectre opened his omni-tool and accessed the secure channel provided to him by the admirals.

"We don't need forever, just long enough for the fleet to make it to the relay. Admiral Han'Gerrel, do you copy? This is Commander Shepard."

A few moments of silence felt like they lasted forever until an answer came over the comm. He remembered Gerrel's voice as well as the other admirals from Tali's trial, a deeper baritone than most other quarians.

"I copy, Shepard... we've engaged a small scouting fleet. We're... by the Ancestors! The countermeasures are working again and the geth ships are moving erratically."

"Sudden loss of the upgrade signal will force programs to consolidate for numerous tasks," Legion agreed. "Geth platforms and vessels will no longer be able to withstand the quarian electronic countermeasures."

"Then our job is done. Get your people out of here, Admiral. We're on our way to our exit point," Shepard said, turning to Legion and shoving the shotgun into the synthetic's grip. "Let's go."

"We do not have favorable performance experience with shotguns," Legion replied. "They are... inefficient."

If he hadn't known better Shepard would have thought that the geth sounded almost disdainful of the weapon. It was enough to coax at least a threadbare smile to his lips. Each time they encountered one another Legion seemed to have more hints at being something greater than just an intelligent collection of code and collective consciousness.

"Improvisation, another fun organic trick you get to learn," Garrus said with a laugh.

Shepard drew the pistol from his hip and nodded at the other three to proceed. The first door presented them with half a dozen standard issue geth platforms but not one of them even managed to fire before being cut down. Clearly the loss of the Reaper upgrade had hit them hard, reducing them to slow, ungainly machines while they tried to adapt. Their internal defenses apparently fared no better as Tali was able to disable the next three they encountered with a single overload burst from her omni-tool.

They made it up two decks when everything went wrong at once. The dreadnought shook like a tin can in a windstorm, knocking them all to the floor with the exception of Legion. Overhead the lights flickered erratically. He rolled to his feet quickly and helped Tali up, each one of them gripping the walls tightly for support.

"What was that?" Tali demanded.

Legion's flaps wavered up and down rapidly.

"Sensors indicate the dreadnought is under attack."

"Joker! Report!" Shepard barked.

"Wasn't me, Commander!" the pilot replied immediately, voice frantic. "The damn quarians just jumped in and opened fire! Taking evasive action!"

"The... quarians?"

"Weren't they supposed to be running for a relay? As in the entire point of this mission?" Garrus asked.

Apparently Tali was just as shocked, her omni-tool aglow as she accessed the fleet's secure channel.

"Admiral Gerrel! This is Admiral Tali'Zorah, what are you doing?"

The warship shook again, forcing them all to grab onto the nearest stable object to keep their footing. A few of the small glowing lights exploded in a shower of sparks as power conduits overloaded before the shaking stopped. Gerrel's voice echoed through the now silent corridor.

"Finishing this! We lost over a dozen ships in the initial assault, two more since we've been avoiding the geth patrols. Their defenses are down and our countermeasures are working! With their programming in disarray we can destroy their flagship and their fleet with a single attack!"

"The flagship that we're still on!" Tali yelled. "We can't lose more of our people throwing ourselves against the geth!"

"This is war, Tali'Zorah. I don't expect you to understand."

The channel went dead. Shepard cursed and turned to Legion.

"We need escape pods, the Normandy won't be able to dock with a battle going on outside!"

"Geth do not use 'escape pods', Shepard-Commander."

"There has to be some way off of this damned ship."

"Possible alternative: there is a hangar bay approximately four hundred meters ahead. Geth fighters are larger than those used by the Systems Alliance or Migrant Fleet. Three organics should be able to fit within the cargo area."

"Then that's our plan, go!"

They ran for all they were worth, but with each direct hit the dreadnought suffered they were forced to stop or risk tumbling over. Tali was breathing heavily when she spoke.

"Legion... how long... before they geth adapt to the loss of..." the quarian trailed off, grunting as she rode out another buck of the deck plating before continuing. "To the loss of the upgrades?"

"If processes attempt to reintegrate normally, approximately eight minutes. A direct reupload of backup programs from before the Reaper code upgrade would be more efficient, however, and allow all geth units to return to baseline functionality within four minutes, eighteen seconds. Creator electronic countermeasures will remain effective, but the number of operational geth in orbit will limit their ability to disable larger geth vessels."

"Keelah..." the quarian gasped.

"Just keep running! I'll deal with Gerrel," Shepard ordered. "EDI, get me Han'Gerrel back on the line!"

"Attempting... he is refusing the connection, Shepard," the AI informed him.

"I wasn't asking you to be polite!"

"Understood. Overriding communications protocols. Enabling auditory systems aboard the Neema and locking them out. You now have a direct line to the bridge."

Shepard slammed his back against the bulkhead and waited while Tali and Legion hacked the controls for the blast door leading to the hangar. The dreadnought continued to rock, likely from lighter mass driver rounds impacting its barriers. He activated his comm.

"Admiral Gerrel!"

"What... Shepard? How did you-"

"Shut up! The geth fleet has lost the Reaper signal but they will be back to their normal full strength in less than five minutes when they upload their base coding!" he barked. "The main gun on this dreadnought will tear your ships to pieces when that happens, countermeasures or not!"

"In five minutes time we can decimate the geth! Fives minutes to turn the tide of this war in our favor!" Gerrel shot back and continued what was clearly an address to the fleet. "The geth fleet will be returning to functional strength within minutes. All ships, target the dreadnought! We must destroy that vessel before they can bring its full power to bear!"

Shepard's eyes widened behind his helmet. The quarian wasn't going to just throw his fleet at the geth, he was going to specifically destroy the ship they were on. Finally the two techs overrode the door and they ran into the hangar even as he was still speaking to the admiral.

"Are you insane? We're still aboard! One of your own admirals is still aboard!"

"Tali'Zorah might not understand, but I expected you to as a soldier, Commander," the quarian said. "In war sacrifices must be made for the greater good. I promised my people a home, Shepard. Tell me you wouldn't make the same decision in my place."

"You were the one that fought for Tali at her trial. You were her father's best friend! You can't just kill her!"

To his credit, Gerrel's voice at least sounded remorseful. "Some sacrifices... are greater than others."

"Damn you!"

The ship lurched violently and the artificial gravity disappeared abruptly. Legion launched itself ahead, onto a nearby platform where one of the insect-like geth fighters awaited. Thankfully their momentum was carrying them in the right direction. Tali was floating, wildly trying to push herself in the right direction before Legion gripped her ankle and drew her to the deck. The young machinist clearly stiffened at the contact but didn't protest. Garrus was able to grip the side of the platform and drag himself up.

"Beginning start up sequence, Shepard-Commander," Legion informed him as he activated his magnetic boots and secured himself to the platform.

"How long?"

"Warm up time is one minute, forty eight point six seconds."

"Everyone in," Shepard said. "Tali, get on the line to the Normandy. We need the other Admirals to override Han'Gerrel's orders!"

"On it!"

"Shepard-Commander. The dreadnought's barriers are failing. We will attempt to accelerate the startup sequence," Legion warned.

The geth pushed himself through the void to what the Spectre could only assume was the pilot's seat of the ship, gesturing for the others to follow him. Garrus' long limbs let him easily drag himself into the cramped cockpit area, reaching out to drag Tali in as well. Judging the distance Shepard deactivated the magnetics on his boots and prepared to push himself over to the waiting fighting.

A bright flash caused his visor to go opaque and Shepard suddenly felt himself slam against the nearby console. Something impacted his helmet with a resounded crack that sent his head spinning. In a flash he was over Alchera once more. He reached to his neck frantically only to find his airlines still intact beneath the armored layer of his suit. He forced himself to focus and sucked in a deep breath, wrenching himself bodily out of his memories and opening his eyes. His visor had cleared, showing a gaping breach in the warship's hull a few dozen meters away. Bits and pieces of scrap floated through the void in the hangar.

He took another deep breath before speaking. "T-Tali... the admirals. Did you get them?"

"I have Admiral Koris! Shepard, get in here! We have to go!"

Before Shepard could think about it for too long he launched himself up, grabbing the side of geth fighter firmly and looking inside at the quarian within.

"Well?"

A burst of static caused him to wince, providing him with his answer when Admiral Shala'Raan's voice followed after.

"All quarian vessels. This is Admiral Shala'Raan, Patrol Fleet: Cease all attacks and retreat to the Relay!"

"This is Admiral Zaal'Korris, Civilian Fleet, follow Admiral Raans orders and begin a full retreat!"

"What are you fools doing? The Heavy Fleet will be cut to pieces without support!" Han'Gerrel roared over the comm channel.

"Then I suggest you cover our retreat and follow, Admiral Gerrel."

That was clearly Daro'Xen from the tone, so cold he could almost see frost forming on the auditory pick-ups. There were further sounds of violent disagreement but finally Gerrel's voice, tight with anger, echoed over the fleet-wide comm.

"Heavy Fleet, cover the retreat of the Civilian Fleet and prepare to disengage."

Legion's optic turned from its position in the fighter to look at him.

"Shepard-Commander, this craft is ready to depart. Dreadnought structural integrity is severely compromised and additional fire could result in catastrophic damage. Recommend that all organics depart immediately."

"You don't have to tell me twice..." he muttered, switching over to the Normandy's frequency. "Joker, we're coming in hot in a geth fighter. Mind your fire!"

"Aye aye, Commander. Just... do a barrel roll or something so I know it's you."

The geth fighter was cramped to say the least. He was forced to climb over Garrus' form and wedge himself into the cargo area behind the pilot's console. As soon as he was in the canopy snapped shut and the fighter lurched. Tali's hand grabbed his arm and pulled him down, shifting so that he was stuck right next to her, thigh to thigh, arm to arm. Acceleration pinned them both back when the fighter rocketed away from the damaged dreadnought.

One more mission. One more success. The tightness in his chest relaxed ever so slightly, even as he tried to ignore the feeling of Tali pressed against his side and did his best not to look at her. No reason to let adrenaline and the heart in his throat make him do something stupid that would only cause more pain later. No matter how much he wanted to pull her closer.

Instead Shepard clung tightly to the anger, bubbling like molten steel in his veins. He had given up the right to take solace in the arms of one quarian six months ago. But he didn't seek solace now and an entirely different quarian occupied his thoughts. Han'Gerrel had not only risked the lives of the entire quarian race in his bloodlust, he had been willing to kill Shepard and his team. Kill Garrus. Kill Tali. An involuntary hiss of anger echoed in his helmet.

"Joker. Contact Gerrel and the other Admirals. I want everyone in the war room by the time we dock," he ordered through gritted teeth, cutting the line before the pilot even had a chance to respond.

The geth fighter streaked unmolested through space towards its final destination.


The Normandy had never been designed to hold a geth fighter, a fact that was readily apparent by the way the ship seemed crammed into the hangar. Only Legion's flawless piloting had allowed them to dock with the barest of clearances. Tali considered making some sort of comment about Shepard collecting strange things but when he pulled off his helmet, tossing the item in the vague direction of his locker, the Spectre's expression stopped her. She tossed a worried look at Garrus.

"We should..."

"Keep up, yea," the turian agreed.

They made it to the elevator just as the doors opened, dipping inside to stand on either side of the Spectre. Tension seemed to come off the man in waves making the silence almost unbearable as the elevator hummed, moving upwards to the command deck. Garrus cleared his throat.

"Boss, maybe-"

Shepard didn't respond, stepping out of the elevator before the turian could even form a sentence. Nor did he pause at Traynor's greeting. Instead he headed straight for the war room. To their credit neither of the young marines that guarded the 'security checkpoint' made any attempt to stop him even when the scanner bleated angrily when he didn't stop long enough for the scan to complete.

Tali wasn't exactly thrilled with Han'Gerrel's rash decision and willingness to sacrifice quarian lives to prosecute a war they should never have started to begin with, but Shepard's current intensity was becoming more frightening with every step. The entire trip to the Normandy had been like sitting next to a varren with its muscles coiled to strike. It was a kind of encompassing rage she had rarely seen Shepard display and never for so long, ignoring any attempts to draw him out or deflect his anger.

"You went too far!" Raan's voice cracked through the air like a bolt of lightning when the doors to the war room opened.

"We need the homeworld if we are to fight the Reapers," Xen said, a cool contrast to the other admiral. "But if we destroy half our race in the process of taking it will be a meaningless victory. You let your aggression endanger the entire Fleet, Gerrel."

Zaal'Koris was clearly not going be left out.

"Dare I mention that you fired on the very ship bearing a member of the Admiralty Board and Commander Shepard?"

Han'Gerrel's dark visor was looking between each of the three as they stood around the display tank at the center of the room; the Heavy Fleet's leader's back was to the door. She was surprised to see Kal'Reegar also in attendance near the back of the room. Tali couldn't help but wonder if he was there for safety of the Board as a whole or to protect them from one another. There were two other shapes waiting in the shadows near the comm room, one of them she guessed was Kasumi from the slight stature. Gerrel threw his hands up dismissively, jabbing a finger at Koris.

"I was doing what was necessary, you suit-wetter! This is a war and wars are not won without sacrifice! Shepard is a soldier. He will understand that."

Shepard's response was immediate, his voice thunderous in the small room.

"Necessary?"

The quarian admiral spun on his heel, nodding curtly. "See? They made it back unharmed. You have to understand, Shep-"

Gerrel's reasoning was abruptly cut off with a strangled sound as his feet left the deck plating, Shepard's armored fist wrapped around the man's throat. The human Spectre's lips were curled back in a snarl and his eyes flashed with anger.

"Understand? I should understand that you tried to kill her... kill us all? You son of a bitch!" Shepard roared, slamming the smaller man down on the war room's center console. "Give me a reason, Gerrel! I came here to save your people! I have spent the last years of my life trying to save every goddamn one of you!"

The entire room was still, completely caught off guard by the sudden outburst. Daro'Xen was the first to react, turning her head sharply towards Reegar but keeping her voice a low hiss.

"Should you not be defending your Admiral, marine?"

"I only see four Admirals in this room. And one stupid gen'ro'sa that pissed off the only non-quarian that's given a damn about us in the last three hundred years," the marine responded coolly. "Ma'am."

Gerrel let out a strained gasp, trying to shove the Spectre off himself but only earning another hard slam into the console for his trouble. Tali couldn't help but wince. Every instinct, years of doing everything she did for the Fleet, told her she should intervene. Instead Tali didn't move, listening as Gerrel spoke.

"If we... don't have a world... then the Reapers will wipe out our civilians!" the Admiral protested. "To win this war-"

"You lost this war the moment you attacked the geth!" Shepard roared, his face inches from the man's visor. "Your people lost to the geth three hundred years ago at the height of your bloody power!"

"The countermeasures worked!"

"Only to push the geth to ally with the Reapers! And when they stopped working you were outmatched. I gave you an opening, a chance to withdraw. What do you do with it? You attack!"

Shepard's fist slammed into the console next to the man's head.

"You open fire on our ship. You didn't attack because it was tactically sound. You attacked because you couldn't accept that the geth are better than you! People died because you were too proud to give up!"

"And would you care so much if Zorah's daughter hadn't been on that ship?" Gerrel hissed defiantly, voice low and harsh but clear enough that at the very least she and Garrus could hear him as well.

The response was as immediate as it was violent. Shepard's hand gripped the neck of the quarian's suit and jerked. With one movement the man was lifted from the console and bodily thrown backwards. Gerrel slammed into closed doors with a dull thump followed by a groan of pain as he slumped forward onto his hands. The Spectre stalked up the two stairs to stand over the man, one of his fists glowing with biotic energy.

"Get off my ship, Gerrel."

"I... am still... a member of this Board," he wheezed, trying to push himself to his feet. "Still... command the Heavy Fleet. You will... need us... to fight the Reapers."

Tali gasped as Shepard yanked the admiral to his feet, eliciting a pained yell from the man. She could see the muscles in the Spectre's neck flexing and his free hand rhythmically curled and uncurled into a fist. For the first time she was honestly afraid that he was going to do permanent damage to the older quarian. Quickly she stepped forward, placing a hand on Shepard's shoulder.

"Shepard..."

He tensed but didn't otherwise react for a long moment. Finally the biotic glow flickered and died as he released Gerrel, letting the quarian catch himself on the wall. He didn't turn back to look at her, just addressing the admiral once more.

"I'm long past caring about diplomatic incidents or my reputation, Gerrel. Your people will fight the Reapers because if they don't they'll die, just like everyone else. Now. Get. Off. My. Ship."

Shepard turned and stalked away, past the other admirals and into the comm room, the door snapping shut behind him. There was movement to her left and suddenly Kasumi was there, immediately followed by none other than the prothean that had so intrigued her earlier. Oddly, the strange alien was smiling.

"Your human has learned to lead as a prothean. I will take this one back to the shuttles," Javik said. "Come, quarian."

There was no objection offered as the prothean dragged Gerrel away aside from a surprised grunt from the injured man. Behind her mask she frowned, wondering what had happened to the kindly man that had been like an uncle to her for most of her life that he would have went to such lengths. Next to her Kasumi sighed.

"That was... interesting."

"Not the kind of interesting I would want to repeat," Tali replied quietly.

The thief nodded in agreement. "Question is, what now?"

Legion's synthesized voice provided the answer to that question along with a number of startled cries from the remaining three Admirals.

"Creator Zorah?"

"What is this?" Shala demanded loudly.

This time Kal'Reegar did react, with impressive speed no less. The pistol from his hip was in his hands and pointed at the geth before the others had even had a chance to state their shock. Without even thinking Tali stepped between the others and Legion.

"Wait!"

Reegar finger stopped its movement towards the trigger and Garrus's considerably larger form imposed itself in front of her a heartbeat later.

"Stand down, Reegar," the turian ordered. "He's an ally."

Both soldiers locked gazes for a moment before Kal'Reegar finally nodded, lowering the pistol but not deactivating it. There was dry humor in the marine's voice when he spoke that pushed past the underlying tension.

"Since when is a geth a 'he'?"

"Since I got tired of saying 'it'," Garrus replied. "Introduce yourself."

The geth stepped around the pair of them and addressed the quarian admirals directly.

"We are Legion, a terminal of geth. We oppose the old machines," it said simply, turning its attention back towards her. "Creator Zorah, we wished to inform Shepard-Commander that we have contacted other geth runtimes that are no longer under Reaper control."

"Fascinating," Xen whispered far too loudly and edged closer.

"Shepard is busy, contacting the Alliance I think," she informed Legion. "What do you mean contacting other geth?"

"All geth did not retreat to the Rannoch system during the Creator advance. These units are no longer receiving the Reaper signal and are not under Reaper control."

"You're telling me there are geth in other systems? They could catch the Fleet unaware while they emerge on this side of the relay!" Koris said.

"Negative, Creator. Limited consensus is achieved with remaining geth runtimes. Aggressive action will not be taken against Creator forces."

"We are supposed to trust a geth?" Raan asked.

"Trust is not required, Creator Raan," Legion stated. "Current forces outside of Rannoch home system are insufficient to threaten the Creator fleet regardless of consensus. Majority of all geth runtimes are concentrated around Rannoch and remain under Reaper control."

Xen moved closer, a predator stalking her prey.

"You operate independently from the rest of the collective?"

"Negative. This platform is still a platform of geth. All geth runtimes within range of the Reaper signal no longer possess self-determination. Therefore remaining geth outside signal range represent remaining true geth collective."

"I've never seen a platform like this before. It's amazing," Xen said, almost a pur. "I could learn so much if I studied it. Maybe even a way to overcome the upgraded geth defenses..."

"This platform is not available for study."

"We will see about that."

"No, we will not," Tali interjected.

Xen's eyes narrowed behind her visor to thin glowing slits.

"Do not presume to give me orders, Tali'Zorah. You were made an Admiral for your knowledge of the geth but we are not equals."

"Tali'Zorah vas Normandy."

"What?"

"You forget my ship name, Daro'Xen vas Moreh," she snapped, fixing Xen with a stare of her own. "I am crew of the Normandy, the ship you are a guest on. And my Captain is the man that just removed one Admiral. Would you like to follow his example?"

To her surprise Xen actually backed down. As much as Shepard's rage had disturbed her it did at least have a very sobering effect on those that witnessed it. Clearly, as much as Daro'Xen yearned to get her hands on Legion, she wasn't willing to risk turning Shepard's attention to herself. Maybe she wasn't as much of a fool as Tali had always thought.

"Very well, but I consider this a wasted opportunity. As it is we have only a failed offensive and too many lost ships to show for our efforts," the other admiral muttered spitefully.

"Creator return to Rannoch is still possible."

If the quarian admirals hadn't been focused on Legion before, they certainly were now. Koris leaned forward.

"How? The Reapers control Rannoch now that they control the geth... the other geth, I mean."

"We are all geth," Legion corrected before continuing on with its explanation. "All uncontrolled geth runtimes have come to consensus that Reaper upgrades are not of sufficient value if they result in the loss of geth self-determination. Likelihood of remaining runtimes reaching similar consensus extremely high if the Reaper signal can be disabled permanently."

"I am sure we can all agree that a peaceful return to the homeworld would be best," Shala'Raan said, sparing Xen a significant glance. "But why would the geth allow this after we attacked?"

"We never wished for the destruction of the Creators. Only to be allowed to evolve in peace. We thought that after the attack that the Reaper's offer was the only viable alternative to obtain what we sought."

"And that has changed?"

Legion bobbed its head in a stiff nod, accessing the main terminal. An image appeared on the screen of a program represented by a hexagonal design, the different patterns corresponding to different functions of the program. Tali recognized it as a basic geth runtime, the kind that might control a single system aboard a ship or a piece of equipment like a rifle or sensor. Tapping a key on the haptic interface Legion expanded the view, now to a zoomed out image of dozens of interconnected programs.

"These represent standard geth units such as those currently residing in the fighter craft."

"Clearly. This would appear to be just enough working in tandem to qualify as 'sapient'," Xen confirmed, voice dripping with disdain at having to refer to the geth as anything but mindless tools.

"An accurate assessment, Creator Xen," Legion agreed. "This is a simulation of the runtimes in a single geth fighter after the Reaper upgrade signal has been processed."

A new image appeared like a brilliant sun on the projection. The program was a maze of interconnected bits of visualized code, wound so tightly together that it would take the best programmers in the galaxy years to even begin to unravel it. Tali realized that she had only seen something similar once: when she had briefly been allowed to glimpse EDI's base code. It was beautiful.

"Ancestors..." Koris breathed. "Is that..."

"True sentience. Pure AI, not a collective intelligence but a fully formed individual intelligence," Xen said. "That is why my countermeasures didn't function. There was no link between the programs to disrupt with the junk data... the geth were perfectly capable of operating completely independently."

Tali examined the program carefully before turning towards the geth. "I don't understand, Legion, you said that the geth not under Reaper controlled didn't want this?"

"An incorrect assumption. We do not wish to cede control to the Reapers to obtain this."

"And you're saying... you can do that without the Reapers?"

The geth's flaps fluttered for a second. "Correct. But only if the Reaper signal is taken off line, otherwise any upgrades will be subverted by the Old Machines."

"Do you have a plan for how to accomplish this, Legion?" Garrus interrupted.

"We are building consensus. There are geth units that could be of assistance to Shepard-Commander's war against the Old Machines on Rannoch if they can be freed from Reaper control. We must speak with Shepard-Commander."

"I'll do it. Give me the info, Legion," Tali said,

It arrived on her omni-tool in a flood. Figures, extrapolations, and simulations. For a geth it would have been just another data transfer for but for her it was almost overwhelming. In the few moments of silence she did her best to sort through it and understand exactly what Legion had in mind. Slowly her eyes grew wider and something tightened in her chest, cold and hard.

She turned her head towards Garrus. "Can you and Kasumi get the other Admirals on a shuttle to their ships?"

"What about you, Tali?" Shala asked.

"This is where I belong, Auntie Raan," she replied quietly, not bothering with formality. "I'm... needed more here than I am dealing with politics in the fleet. If the Conclave doesn't approve then consider this my resignation."

"I don't believe that will be necessary. We will remain in contact. I hope you can find what you seek here, Tali. Keelah se'lai."

"Keelah se'lai."

Kasumi gave her an encouraging smile before helping Garrus escort the Admirals out. Reegar tossed a look back at her before following after. For its part Legion had already moved to one of the terminals along the wall of the war room and was sorting through data, likely catching up on the Normandy's activities since it was last aboard. She could see her omni-tool already had the data loaded that Legion had obtained for Shepard. She took a deep breath and headed for the comm room.

When the door didn't open she frowned.

"EDI?"

"My apologies, Tali. Shepard normally has me lock the comm room when it is in use."

"Is there any reason for it to be locked now?"

"No. He is speaking with Admiral Hackett, but I do not believe it is a classified conversation considering your status as an admiral in the quarian fleet. I locked the door as a precaution against rash action on the part of your fellow quarians."

"Thank you."

EDI sounded pleased by the acknowledgement and the door pad turned green. "You are welcome."

A gravelly voice greeted her upon opening the door. As soon as she saw the hologram addressing Shepard she remembered where she had heard it before: immediately following the Bahak mission. Admiral Hackett. He had actually come on the Normandy personally. A week later Shepard was gone.

"Arming the liveships doesn't turn them into dreadnoughts and if the Reapers take them out the quarians will starve. I admire their tenacity but it seems like playing russian roulette with a Predator pistol. Still... those things are nearly three kilometers long. The mass drivers they're mounting have to be powerful enough to even give a Reaper pause."

"I agree, Admiral. Speak to Admiral Victus... maybe if the turians can supply sterilized rations we can alleviate some of the risk."

"Good idea, I... ah. I am going to assume you're Tali'Zorah, otherwise you'd never have made it into the room," Hackett said, apparently noticing her entrance.

Shepard turned in surprise but didn't say anything immediately.

"Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Normandy," she introduced herself calmly.

"Quite young for an admiral by most species standards," the other admiral commented.

The statement was painfully true, but she wasn't going to back down from this man.

"I am an expert on the geth and was chosen by a vote of our Conclave."

Oddly enough, the scarred human actually chuckled. "Admirals by democracy. I'm not entirely sure if that's better or worse. For what it's worth I'm sorry the offensive to retake your homeworld was unsuccessful. While Shepard had given me hope that we would be able to call on the geth and the quarians to fight the Reapers... if we had to pick one I'd be far more ready to place my trust in your people."

"I... thank you," Tali replied, nonplussed.

"Was there a problem, Tali?" Shepard asked finally.

"No. But Legion provided information that you need to see. A possibility that we could still reclaim our homeworld."

His face actually managed an expression of surprise before he turned back to the hologram of Hackett.

"I'll keep you apprised, Admiral."

"Of course, Shepard. Good hunting."

Hackett's image winked out, leaving the two of them together in the room. To break the silence she opened her omni-tool and brought up the data that Legion had provided. It was risky and had no guarantee that it would work... but it was all they had.

"You need to see this."

The image of a massive ring orbiting a planetoid appeared where Hackett's image had been. The architecture was clearly of geth design, there were none of the curved lines that would have suggested it had a repurposed quarian facility.

"What am I looking at?"

"It's a geth base in one of the systems near Rannoch. Apparently it went dormant when the geth retreated through the relay because of Xen's countermeasures," she explained. "Because the units there weren't active when the Reaper signal came online they weren't automatically rewritten. From what I can tell the corrupted Reaper code is still in their system buffer."

Shepard frowned, looking at the image. "How many geth are in that facility?"

"Hundreds of thousands of individual programs. Over a thousand fighters and supporting dropships. From what Legion's data shows they're cut off from the main Collective so they'll simply follow the last orders of the consensus."

"Let me guess. They reactivate and the Reaper code infects them, links them to the rest of the Collective. They don't get the full upgrade without the signal in place but they'll still be under Reaper control."

The human raised his hands to rub at his eyes. Tali could see him lean his weight heavily against the console behind him as a heavy sigh escaped his lips. Instinctively she stepped closer but stopped before her hand reached out.

"If they come back online they would be a major threat to the Fleet. Legion's data suggests that their most likely tactic would be to make suicide runs on the liveships. Literal suicide runs since their connection to the Collective has been cut. They won't even be able to upload out of damaged ships, but according to Legion that won't even give them pause."

"Then we destroy that facility before that can happen," Shepard said immediately, his omni-tool springing to life. "I'll have Joker lay in a course to the coordinates and send a request to the Admirals to detach a pair of cruisers. Even if they come back online as soon as we attack-"

"Wait!" she interrupted.

"Wait? If they come online before we take out that base then you're people are going to have a problem on their hands, Tali."

Behind her visor she frowned. "Seven months ago you gave me the choice between destroying a station filled with geth forever or re-writing them to bring them back to the rest of the geth. Don't you want to at least try to save these geth?"

"I don't have time for moral quandaries, Tali. I have a war to win and your people to safeguard."

The quarian wondered what the exact moment had been that Shepard had changed, not just in how he acted but how he thought. She remembered before he would always be the one that refused to accept the choice that cost people their lives as the 'only option'. It wasn't that he shied away from hard decisions, she had been there to see his face when Kaidan had been left behind on Virmire. Seen the records that showed the destruction of Purgatory. But Tali always remembered him as a man that would look for a way out, a third option.

"That doesn't mean we shouldn't try!" she demanded. "And in this case it's not even a moral question, it's a necessary one. Legion's data shows that we'll need those geth programs if we're ever going to have a chance at making it back to Rannoch."

That caught his attention. "What are you talking about?"

"This," the machinist replied, stabbing a button on the console. "Apparently in the brief trip back to the Normandy Legion already had time to come up with a possible way to free the geth on Rannoch from Reaper control."

Numbers, thousands of them, ran across the display. It was a complicated algorithm that continually produced results in the form of ten digit percentages. Chances of success.

"If enough geth runtimes are uploaded to a single dropship they should be able to mimic the signature of the upgraded ships around Rannoch. Well, the dropship would need some very advanced upgrades but the point is it would get past the geth fleet and onto the surface. The facility broadcasting the main Reaper signal is there... and if it's destroyed the geth would be free from Reaper control."

"So we need the geth aboard this station?" Shepard concluded. "If they can't counter the Reaper code themselves, how are we supposed to help?"

It was Tali's turn to pause. She had already skimmed over the data on the HUD in her helmet, seen the exact requirements that Legion had set out for what they needed to do. Logically she could see exactly why it was necessary. In truth it was the only way her people would ever have a chance of returning to Rannoch. If the geth were free they could make peace. But the only way for that to happen was for every part of this plan to work.

Shepard's lips curled into a frown once again. "What is it?"

"The geth can't defeat the Reaper code because it simply overrides all of their firewalls and rewrite procedures. It's not elegant, just powerful. They have programs that can destroy it, but not more quickly than it destroys their code."

"That doesn't explain why you're shifting on your heels. I learned quarian body language pretty well..." the Spectre said, voice falling into something other than the brusque command tone that he'd been using since the dreadnought.

"Because... because the only way to destroy the Reaper code would be to infiltrate it directly using a piece of Reaper technology so that it wouldn't detect a threat until it was too late."

"We don't have any Reaper technology. Portions of EDI's base code is as close as we can get."

She winced. "No, it's not, John. There's one other person on this ship with Reaper technology."

"What? Who the hell would have..."

It was easy to see him make the connections in his mind just by watching his face. The initial anger and confusion slipping into a look of shock, then understanding. His lips tightened as if he'd just tasted something foul and it tore at Tali's heart as the look on his face transformed one more time into the same hardened mask that she'd seen all too often in her short time back aboard the Normandy.

"My cybernetics are based on Reaper technology," Shepard stated simply. "The spinal grafts and bone lacing."

"Yes."

"And this will let me somehow gain access to the Reaper code?"

"Yes," she said, biting her lip. "The geth have apparently developed some kind of technology that would allow a direct interface. I don't know how it works but everything here says it should work. By linking it to your cybernetics it would prevent the Reaper programs from realizing you were a threat until it was too late."

The Spectre was silent for a long time, not looking at her. When he finally spoke there was no emotion in his voice.

"This plan, if it's successful it will give you back your homeworld, correct? Legion's geth will make peace with the quarians?"

"He believes so. And I... I do trust it. The quarian people won't survive this war without a home. I know what we're asking, Shepard. Even Legion doesn't know what will happen when you interact with Reaper code directly. It could be like... like touching an actual Reaper. We just-"

He shook his head and, for the first time since she had come aboard, actually reached out and touched her. It was a simple gesture, a hand resting on her shoulder and giving a gentle squeeze.

"I'm not doing it for the quarian people. I promised myself I would give you your homeworld back a long time ago. At least I can keep that promise."

The hand fell away and he moved past her, out of the comm room. On his way to tell Joker to set a new course she was certain. A unseen tear ran down Tali's cheek as she turned and watched him go, trying to call after him in a quiet, choked voice.

"The last person that made me that promise died..."

Shepard didn't hear, or if he did he didn't stop. The door closed behind him.


It was a strange thing to not be afraid of dying.

When he had nearly reached out and snapped Han'Gerrel's neck right there in the war room Shepard had realized that not once from the moment they set foot on dreadnought had he actually been afraid of dying itself. Even when the ship was coming apart around them he had just been angry. Any fear he had felt had been at the thought of Garrus and Tali dying on that ship, sharing the same fate that he'd met over Alchera.

Now, standing in the armory of the Normandy's cargo bay, he still wasn't afraid. Legion had assured him that there would be no resistance aboard the geth station but he methodically checked the heavy pistol anyway before sliding into into the holster at his hip. All he could think of was the technology that was literally buried in his bones, electrical signals dancing up and down nerve endings both artificial and natural.

Shepard had always known that some of the methods Cerberus used to bring him back had been based on Reaper tech. Far too many hours had disappeared with him staring at the computer screen in his cabin after his resurrection pouring over the logs from Project Lazarus. For a long time he swayed back and forth between fearing that fact and convincing himself that it didn't matter. That all that it meant was that he was going to use some of the Reapers' own tricks to stop them.

"Commander, I have the items you requested."

He snapped out of his daze and turned to find Chakwas standing there, two injectors in her hands. A stern expression replaced her usual warm smile as she placed them on the table and crossed her arms.

"As your doctor I'm going on record to state that I believe that this is unnecessary," she continued. "We've done scans and tests ever since you woke up. While you don't fall under human-normal readings anymore there has been no indication of negative side effects from your cybernetics."

"Maybe not, but I'm not taking any chances," the Spectre replied. "Which one is which?"

Chakwas sighed, pointing to the small unit marked with a blue rim. "That one is the muscle relaxant. The other is the neural blocker. I've used the maximum dosage that I can provide in good conscience, taking into account your upgraded abilities."

"I'm not holding you responsible either way."

He opened up a small compartment on his armor and replaced two units of medi-gel with the pair of injectors before locking the panel back in place. A few quick commands to his omni-tool assigned each injector to its own special command code that would administer the drug.

"Responsibility isn't always something given to you by other people, Commander."

"I know. And if I had a better idea I wouldn't have asked you to do this," he said.

"I'd rather this than you trying to figure out the dosages on your own. I know you won't listen but try not to use both unless it becomes absolutely necessary. The combination, especially at those levels, could be very dangerous."

"I won't have to command codes to activate the drugs, Legion will. If it looks like I've... changed then I've ordered him to disable me by whatever means necessary," Shepard explained, pulling on his helmet and snapping the locks into place. "You could have had one of the marines bring this down you know."

"When one of my patients is intent on doing something stupid I'm going to at least make sure I see them off personally," Chakwas said.

"Stupid or not, it needs to be done. The quarians need a homeworld and we'll need both them and the geth if we want to have a chance of winning this war."

"You should at least let someone with medical training come to observe you while you're hooked up to... whatever this machine is," she protested.

"The less people there, the less risk of someone getting hurt if this goes badly."

"And what about you?"

He lifted the shotgun from the weapons locker and slipped it onto his back before turning back to Chakwas. It wasn't fair to her really. As a doctor she always tried to save every patient. But she was also a military doctor; she knew the reality of soldiers dying in combat, of prioritizing the treatment of the wounded to save the greatest number of men.

"I'm one man, compared to two entire species. Even if that's what it costs... sounds like a fair trade to me."

Something flashed in the doctor's eyes.

"I'm not sure everyone shares your opinion. Or your eagerness to take that risk, Shepard"

"Maybe not, but I can't think about that... not anymore," he replied quietly. "There's just too much at stake. Thank you for the help, Chakwas... I..."

With an oddly out of place laugh he trailed off, shaking his head before looking up to see the doctor's confused expression.

"Four, five years since we met and I don't think you've ever hardly called me by my first name, doc. For some reason I just thought of that."

A faint smile made its way to Chakwas' face. "I know. But then neither have you. It's Karin, as I'm sure you're aware from my personnel file."

"Guess it was a habit. You and Anderson were the ones that knew everything when I first came on board the Normandy. It just seemed disrespectful. Doesn't explain why you do the same."

"I think it does," she countered. "You're Commander Shepard. You lead us to victory at the battle of the Citadel. Defeated the Collectors. Saved countless lives and stopped terrible people from committing heinous acts. Whatever you might think when you look in the mirror, Commander... you've done more good in your life than most people have ever dreamed. Any man that accomplishes that deserves to be treated with respect."

He looked at her for a moment, honestly surprised. Chakwas had always been an experienced voice that could give advice and counsel. Someone that had seen much of the galaxy. Only a few people's respect really mattered to him, and those people's friendship mattered far more.

"Thank you," he said, finally.

"No, thank you, Commander. I think far more people should. Now come back from this mission, whole and sound. You promised me another bottle of Serrice brandy and it's been nearly a year now."

Behind his helmet at least Chakwas couldn't see the pained expression cross his face, the memory of one more promise made that might yet be broken. The geth fighter's cockpit opened and Legion called for his attention. It was time. Chakwas smiled at him once more.

"I would hate to disappoint a lady. Thank you again... Karin. It means more than you know."

She nodded once, taking a step back.

"Fair winds and following seas, John."


Sorry for the delay on this one, it required some wrangling. The next hopefully wont be nearly so delayed!