Chapter 24: Don't Fear

Shepard had to give the man credit. Somewhere, in the better part of a year since Tali's trial, Zaal'Koris had developed a spine. The quarian was clutching his side, but still made a good attempt at trying to push past Garrus's bulk.

"My crew! You have to-"

"We can't get tied up in these canyons with the geth approaching, Admiral," Shepard interrupted.

"I'm one man! You can't just leave them!"

Moments like these were when the Spectre was thankful for the expressionless mask that covered his face. There was something easier about hearing the harsh truth from the cold image of a polarized visor. He didn't have time to tell Koris that he understood the feeling that tore at him. Everyone that served under his command put their lives in his hands; getting them out alive was his ultimate responsibility. The contradiction came when every commander had to give an order that he knew would result in the loss of those lives.

He turned the blank visor of his armor towards the quarian admiral and shook his head.

"That's exactly what I have to do. Our mission means the survival of the quarian race, Admiral, and the best way to make sure that happens is for you to live. You're one man, but you're a leader... and your people sorely need those."

"He's right, Zaal," Tali added, dropping any formal titles as she addressed him. "When we've retaken Rannoch who is going to lead our people into a new life? Han'Gerrel is lost in the past and Xen is... insane."

The Spectre shuddered to think of what a quarian people led by Daro'Xen would become. His initial encounter and the few communications with the woman after Tali's trial had left him with a feeling of unease. Everything that he had heard since from Tali only caused it to increase. The impression he had gotten of her was a simple one: a woman that pursued her goals with absolute amorality. There was little more worrying than an organic that displayed less emotion than the synthetics she was so eager to control.

From the way Koris shifted and the drop of his head, Shepard suspected that the admiral had come to the same conclusion. Han'Gerrel was an old warhorse obsessed with the past. That left only Shala'Raan. As much as he knew Tali loved her adopted aunt, Raan's decision to side with Xen and Gerrel on the geth attack had proven that she didn't have the stomach to be a leader. If someone was going to guide the quarians into the future it couldn't be an individual that would cave to outside pressures and take a path that they didn't agree with simply to appease a few powerful individuals. Her vote had ultimately been the one that had set the quarians on the path to their destruction. The elder admiral nodded and looked to Tali.

"I think we are not as bereft of leadership as you believe, Tali'Zorah," the admiral replied finally, stepping back from Garrus. "But you're right. Everything I have ever done has been an attempt to protect the Fleet and our people... I would be a hypocrite if I betrayed that now to assuage my own guilt."

Shepard nodded and signaled Cortez to prepare for take-off. The pilot could get Koris and the few survivors that had been with him to a safe location while they utilized the hijacked geth tank to reach their primary objective. Those that had already fallen would remain behind in the hopes that when their mission was a success the bodies could be recovered. He tried not to think of the others that had survived the crash holed up and waiting for the geth assault.

When he glanced over at the still forms of the half-dozen quarians that hadn't survived the crash landing he was greeted by a surprising sight. Legion had laid each of the fallen down with great care and crossed their arms over their chests before draping them with the survival blankets that had been contained within the survival gear each carried. It was an oddly sentimental gesture from the geth.

"Those Creators that have fallen are still among the first to return to Rannoch in three centuries. When we are free of the Old Machines their names will be remembered," Legion said and turned towards the pair of quarians, the flaps around his optic drawing inward. "We believe it would be... a comfort for their runtimes... their lives to have ended on the homeworld. They have returned... home."

Two pairs of shining eyes looked at the machine in surprise before Tali finally spoke.

"You're right, Legion. They are home."

No other words were spoken. Zaal'Koris simply gave a respectful bow in the synthetic's direction and boarded the shuttle with the other survivors while Shepard and the ground team climbed aboard the geth vehicle. In the distance he could already hear scattered weapons fire as the first of the geth reinforcements engaged pockets of the quarian survivors. Shepard looked over his shoulder at the six still forms one final time before closing the hatch behind him.


"Shepard-Commander. We have reached the primary target."

"Copy that. Javik, are you in position?"

The prothean's dry tone came through the comms clearly.

"We are in position, Commander. The synthetics have been made aware of our arrival after the attacks on the other installations and have taken the opportunity to fortify their location. We have begun to probe their defenses in an attempt to weaken their forces but you will still encounter significant opposition."

Garrus noted the unspoken rebuke in Javik's tone. If Shepard had ignored the request to rescue the downed quarian admiral, then he could have been in position to make the strike on the facility as soon as the anti-air emplacements had fallen. Clearly, in Javik's opinion, that would have been the superior option. Two years ago the turian might have made the same decision. One admiral that was the least valuable military asset among the quarians seemed a high price to pay for the element of surprise.

But he hadn't spent his time on the Normandy ignoring the decisions Shepard had made or why he made them. It wasn't enough for the human Spectre to win. He always thought of what came next, the consequences for the future. And so he had saved one man so that the quarians as a whole would have a better chance at a future if they stopped the Reapers.

The turian shook his head and grimaced. When they stopped the Reapers.

"Ready to roll, Scars?" Shepard asked

"Not you too."

His friend shrugged and chambered a thermal clip into the assault rifle before thumbing the selector switch on the side of the Vindicator. The gun's glowing indicators flashed blue as he switched over to the electrically charged rounds. The battle rifle had always been a favorite and he and Shepard had spent more than a few missions trying to see who could take down the most geth with the reliable weapon. Somehow the old game seemed less fun now that he'd met Legion.

"Vega already uses it and now that Kasumi has started... I think you're stuck with it."

"It could be worse. Vega tried to start calling me 'Sparks'," Tali said. "Something about my suit having lights on it and being jumpy. Thankfully that one died quickly."

"Thankfully," he replied sarcastically.

Legion was remaining with the tank to secure their escape route once they had located the source of the signal. Miranda had already leapt down from the vehicle and the others followed suit, Garrus included. Once they hit the ground Shepard dropped another rifle into the turian's hands. Same model, same make. He couldn't make out the human's expression behind the helmet but the voice was quiet and serious.

"No score this time. We just get the job done."

"Always," Garrus promised grimly. Apparently Shepard had been reliving the same memories.

"She deserves a home, her world back... they all do."

He followed Shepard's gaze to the quarian that was already scanning the area with her omni-tool and nodded. Another thing that had changed in just a few short years. A younger Garrus Vakarian would spout off about quarians and their mistakes with the same misguided prejudice as many of the rest of his people.

"Guess we had better go blow something up to make sure she gets it then?"

The human Spectre's head turned back towards him slightly.

"Sounds like a plan."

Geth architecture was apparently much the same as geth ship design. Recognizable as designed for bipeds but just a little off. The facility that they approached was built into the mountain itself with hexagonal doorways and other machined features integrated cleanly into the rock. Legion's voice came over the comm as they took up position at the first doorway.

"Scans indicate that Old Machine signal is emanating from the lower level of this facility. Data suggests possible subterranean installation. We recommend progressing to other side of facility and targeting area from above with heavy weaponry. We have transmitted any facility schematics available to your omni-tool."

"That's why I brought the target painter, Legion," Shepard replied and brushed the attachment at his hip as if to reassure himself it was there. "The more pressing question is where did all the geth go? I can't believe Javik's distraction was that successful."

"Unknown. It is likely they the enemy runtimes are attempting to consolidate their forces within the facility closest to the source of the Old Machine signal. Tali'Zorah, be advised that closer the proximity to the command signal will increased difficulty in using temporary overrides even on standard model platforms."

"I understand, Legion. I'll stick with direct combat programs."

"You heard Legion; expect things to get thick. Garrus and I are on point. Miranda, you're on disruption duty. If they're deploying more of the hunter models and those new units with flamethrowers we need to keep them back. Tali, you and that drone are in charge of keeping their barriers down. Ready?"

They met little resistance when they breached the door. A pair of geth troopers were silenced immediately but he could only assume that they had alerted others. Garrus cleared the next corner and found it empty as well. Something the geth had said scratched at the back of his mind and he looked down at the new communications settings on his HUD, bringing up the direct link to Tali. He had to admit the piece of tech might have been excessive but it would be handy.

"Hey, Legion said that the Reaper signal controlling the geth is going to get stronger the deeper we go, right?"

"And?" the quarian asked, sparing him a quick glance over her shoulder.

"If this is some kind of... I don't know, broadcast that's able to override the geth. Now I can't stop wondering... what does that mean for Shepard?"

"It doesn't mean anything. They're controlling the geth, not people."

"Come on, Tali. You heard it from him yourself," Garrus said. "Voices, whispers, dreams. If it has to do with his cybernetics then what's to stop them from trying to tune in to whatever his 'frequency' is?"

"He said he was fine."

The turian was careful to keep his low growl audible only within his helmet and through the direct comm link with Tali.

"He spent a spirits-be-damned month telling us he was fine before Utukku."

After a long moment of silence a sigh echoed across the line.

"I know."

They entered another empty room and Shepard held up a fist to signal a pause. Gesturing to a nearby console Tali quickly went to work while the rest kept an eye out. Chances were nothing of real value would remain in the system, but more information on what they were looking for was worth a chance. Garrus was still unsure just what kind of transmitter could be strong enough to handle the signal that was blanketing Rannoch.

"I don't want to think about it either, but-" he began as they waited.

"You really believe I haven't thought about it?" Tali snapped. "I know you've noticed that I've spent the last few nights in the sleeper pods. I can't even close my eyes in his cabin because I'm afraid that if I let myself believe it completely... that's when it will turn out to all have been a dream."

He winced behind his helmet at the frustration and fear in his friend's voice. It was the paradox of Shepard's return, for all the relief and joy at seeing him alive there was the constant fear that it was all just a cruel trick.

"I just thought after all the ah... conversations I overheard that the two of you were back together," Garrus apologized.

"We're... I'm trying to figure it out. I want everything to be the same again and sometimes it is but... there's always the fear there. And it makes it so... damn hard."

"Then what's your solution?"

"I don't have one. All I have is hope," she admitted.

The turian grimaced behind his helmet.

"Hope is in short supply these days."

"Then we hold onto what's left... we need to believe in something. After everything we've seen Shepard do I have to believe in him. Even if I'm scared. I have to believe that he's strong enough. If I don't, who will?"

Garrus considered her words in silence as the minutes ticked by. Ever since Shepard had returned the turian had noticed that it was like the man had come up for air of the first time since they had parted ways in the months before the Reaper invasion. In the end he could never be sure, not scientifically. They had no real idea just how powerful indoctrination could be. But if anyone could fight it, it would be Shepard.

"Anything, Tali?" Shepard asked, interrupting their private communication.

"No. I did manage to seal the doors behind us to prevent any geth from circling around but there isn't a shred of data on whatever they're using to broadcast the signal. I don't even know how they managed to build it. There was only a matter of weeks between our initial attack and their deal with the Reapers."

The Spectre nodded and gestured towards the exit.

"Then we keep going."

When they approached the next doorway he caught Tali's glowing eyes beneath the slitted faceplate of her visor as he activated their direct link once more.

"You were right."

"I don't know if I'm right, Garrus. I just know I don't have anything left to lose if I'm wrong," she cautioned.

"You said it yourself... if we don't believe in him, who will?"

The turian had never seen Tali's face or her smile, but he liked to think he could hear it by now.

"It's 'we' now, huh?"

"Shepard needs his two loyal dextros," he replied with a quiet laugh. "We were there when it started and we'll be there when it ends."

"Keelah se'lai."

"You two joining us or are we going to go find all the geth on our own?" Shepard asked, interrupting once more. "I'm starting to think this is a little too easy."

Garrus gave Tali a final nod of acknowledgement and took up his position next to the human Spectre once more.


"Dammit, Shepard! Next time you think the mission is 'too easy' keep your mouth shut!" Garus yelled over the comms.

A veritable storm of mass accelerator rounds pelted the archways and columns they were using for cover. The architecture appeared to have been left over from the time when the quarians still laid claim to their homeworld and the only saving grace of their current situation was that the heavy stone construction withstood the hail of fire far better than expected.

"The best way to deal with a trap is to spring it," Shepard shot back.

The turian growled, punctuating his words with bursts of fire.

"That advice only works when you have a plan to get out of the trap already!"

"Working on it!"

The geth had indeed been lying in wait. Rather than try to hunt them through the complex, nearly two dozen of the Reaper controlled platforms had simply waited with the patience only machines could muster. The team had almost made it to the other side of the facility when the doors had shut behind them and the assault had begun.

Shepard brought up his rifle and squeezed the trigger; the trio of rounds found their mark and neatly decapitated one of the troopers that were trying to flank them. They had made it to the other side of the facility at least, but being outside once more had left them only with the ruined columns for cover and a nearly limitless field of fire for the geth. If they tried to press forward the geth could easily surround them once the facility was no longer at their back.

Of course their current position wasn't exactly a significant improvement. Garrus added his fire to their flank while Miranda sent a shockwave rippling through the forward ranks. The former Cerberus operative ducked back behind cover and looked in his direction with a look of frustration on her face.

"We have fifty seconds at best before they just try to swarm us with bodies," she yelled. "The only reason they haven't already is due to a lack of reinforcements. And from the sound of it there are dropships incoming!"

"Suggestions?" the Spectre asked.

Miranda's response was drowned out by the sudden blast of sound and heat that washed over them, causing the entire team to duck. Pieces of one of the stone columns peppered his barriers and dust filled the air.

"One of them has a rocket launcher! I can't override their systems," Tali said with an untranslatable curse. "We must be too close to the signal! If these readings are right it's coming from... barely a kilometer to the west! I think it must be on the other side of the plateau!"

Shepard flicked his gaze across the battlefield. Just as Miranda had said he could see the insect-like shapes of a pair of geth dropships coming from the east. The geth that had fired the rocket at their position was quickly dispatched by a well-aimed burst from Garrus's assault rifle but he could already see two more hefting launchers to their shoulders before the dust from the first blast had even settled.

"Miranda, think you can manage a shield like the one Samara used aboard the Collector base?"

"Of course!" she replied, but continued in a far less assured tone. "But the amount of fire being thrown our way... I don't know for how long."

"Just do it! Move on my signal."

The operative stuck her submachine gun around the column and feathered the trigger in the general direction of the approaching geth. Accuracy at this point was of secondary concern and the more geth that appeared the less it mattered.

"What signal?"

"What else? The explosion!"

Gripping his rifle in one hand Shepard reached for his belt and yanked three grenades out of the pouch at his waist. He thumbed the activators on all of them at once and leaned out of cover to hurl them towards the largest volume of the geth forces. Most of the geth were still at least sixty meters away, far out of the effective blast radius, but then damaging the geth had been a secondary concern. The explosions went off in rapid succession and suddenly the air was completely filled with reddish dust.

"Move!" he barked.

His team weren't the kind to stand around gaping. Miranda's barrier sprang to life before the word had even left his mouth and they were already running for the next batch of cover. It wasn't much of a plan but it was better than staying still. The wall of the facility would cover them from one direction and they would be closer to the ramp leading up to the top level of the structure. In the back of his mind it also meant that if need they could make a rush for the signal source. The targeter that he carried could operate as a beacon just as easily. It was just a matter of getting close enough.

"Hunter!" Garrus yelled.

Shepard rolled on instinct, the blast tearing through the air over his head. The geth unit's stealth field faded just as Garrus slammed into its back at a run. Over a hundred kilograms of fully armored turian was too much even for an armored geth and the synthetic went crashing into the closest pillar. Before it could regain its feet Tali rammed her shotgun against its back and emptied the rest of her magazine into the machine. Garrus's taloned hand wrapped around his wrist and hauled the human Spectre to his feet.

"I'm really starting to hate those things."

He snorted and gave his turian friend a nod of thanks.

"And I thought you were going to start a fan club."

Safe for the moment behind fresh cover Shepard checked his rifle, ejecting the nearly spent heatsink and slotting in a fresh one.

"That didn't buy us long. Javik, do you copy?" he asked.

Gunfire echoed over the comm for a few seconds before the prothean's voice finally came through clearly. Despite the continued cracks of weapons fire and the occasional explosion, the prothean sounded exactly as he did holding a casual conversation aboard the Normandy.

"I am here, Commander."

"We found half the geth on the planet and I'm looking at two more dropships incoming. We're going to need support and soon!"

"Pushing through the geth perimeter will take time," Javik cautioned. "We will not be able to reach your position for several minutes."

Garrus crouched down next to him and braced his back against the stone.

"Reinforcements?"

"We're not getting any bloody reinforcements. Not soon enough at least," Shepard growled.

Bullets were already biting into their cover, showering small bits of stone over their heads. He watched as Tali drew her pistol and leaned around the corner, snapping off a few rounds before being forced to pull back when the tell-tale crackle of failing barriers became audible. All he could do was frown as he tried to find another option, but as he had made so clear to Koris not long ago... sometimes there wasn't one.

"Miranda, how long do you think you could hold up that barrier if you reduced the size?" he asked.

"I'm not drained yet if that's what you're asking, but this isn't an exact science. Longer if I'm covering less area."

He gestured toward the sloping ramp a dozen meters away that lead to the plateau that made up the facility's roof.

"Long enough to make it up the ramp if someone was drawing fire?"

"What are you talking about?" Tali interjected.

"The only way this ends is when we take that Reaper signal offline. If we wait here eventually the geth are going to overrun our position. So I'm going to give you this targeter and you're going to make sure the Normandy blows it straight to hell."

Visor or not he could almost see the scowl that the quarian was directing at him.

"Then we should all make a run for the ramp. If you-"

"We wouldn't make it. Too much fire and all it would take is one of those troopers with a rocket launcher getting a clear shot," he explained. "If someone is keeping them occupied, though, you've got a chance."

A clawed hand gripped his shoulder and Garrus' voice was loud enough to be heard through his helmet even without the comm system active. One of the geth had fired another rocket that went wide and detonated a few dozen meters away but neither the explosion nor the increasing volume of fire seemed to deter the turian.

"If you think I'm going to leave your ass behind again, you really are crazy!"

"Who said anything about leaving me behind?" Shepard responded dryly and reached for the targeter at his hip, unhooking it and tossing it over to Tali. "You and I have to hold this position to give them covering fire. I can't do it alone."

"You should have said so to start with, that's a different story," Garrus said, nodding once before looking over at the quarian. "You two better get ready to move. It sounds like our friends are getting closer."

He took a quick look around the edge of his cover again and didn't like what he was seeing. The pair of geth dropships were almost on top of them and there had to be a few dozen platforms of varying models advancing while laying down fire. Shepard didn't even have time to mentally berate himself for expecting a bunch of synthetic soldiers to be so easily drawn off by diversionary attacks. The loud report of a sniper rifle spiked over the general din and one of the more distant platforms was suddenly engulfed in a fireball.

"Scoped and dropped! Nailed the launcher, they won't be using that one anymore!"

"That's your cue, move!" he barked at Tali.

To her credit, the quarian didn't hesitate, simply running between cover as fast as she could with Miranda right behind. Shepard braced his rifle against the side of the stone column and squeezed off one burst after another. The barrel of his rifle was beginning to glow cherry red from the constant fire, but he simply slapped a fresh thermal clip into the weapon and took aim again.

"After all this time I really wasn't expecting it to be geth."

Shepard spared the turian a half second glance.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"We must have destroyed a thousand geth during the hunt for Saren. It just seems like if something was going to kill us it would be something... grander?" Garrus suggested.

The Vindicator in his grip bleated and hissed, the heat finally overloading the weapon despite the fact that he was replacing the sinks as quickly as he could. He shook his head and laughed at the absurdity of the conversation.

"Well, look at it this way... it could be worse. At least they're not vorcha."

"You're right. That would just be humiliating."

Shepard drew his sidearm and added its fire to the steady boom of the turian Spectre's heavy rifle. On his HUD he could see the tiny dots that represented Tali and Miranda moving slowly but steadily along the wall, closer to the ramp, but he couldn't take the time to look over his shoulder and see it with his own eyes. At least the geth hadn't changed in some respects as it seemed that he and Garrus's constant fire was keeping their attention.

"We're almost there," Tali said over the comm suddenly. "Just hold on! If we can reach the-"

An ominous hum followed by a burst of static cut her off.

"Dropships! Get down!" Garrus yelled.

The ground shook and one of the stone columns shattered into a cloud of dust as a heavy round from the attack dropships impacted nearby. Half a dozen follow up shots peppered their general position with explosions and briefly clouded the air with smoke. He could hear Miranda coughing in his ear before she managed to form a coherent sentence.

"We can't make it to the ramp! One of the dropships is blanketing the entire area with fire. My barriers can't handle that kind of firepower!"

He slammed his fist into the ground and pushed himself back to his feet, slapping his omni-tool's communications link as he did.

"This is Commander Shepard, we need support now!"

Garrus had managed to stand as well. The wind had blown the dust away and left them staring at a pair of dropships hovering a hundred meters away with their bay doors open. Geth were jumping to the ground, adding to the considerable numbers already there while the turrets along the silvery ships' sides swiveled to target them. He activated his comms one more time even though white noise immediately filled his ear.

"Last chance. This is Shepard, anyone copy?"

A baritone voice suddenly cut through the static on his comms.

"That's a solid copy, sir."

And then something streaked over their heads so quickly it was barely a blur of silver and black. A hundred geth optics turned up in unison and opened fire but it was far too late. It was a Kodiak shuttle moving at maximum speed... directly into one of the hovering dropships. He dropped and covered his head just as the explosion roared to life, feeling the shockwave buffet him backwards and even small pieces of debris spark against his barriers.

"What the hell-" Garrus yelled, shaking his head.

A staccato roar of weapons fire coming from over their heads and tearing into the remaining geth interrupted his question. Within seconds the few geth that had survived the detonation of the first dropship and the crash of the second were cut down, glowing optics winking out in mass. He looked up to see a dozen suited forms standing at the edge of the stone plateau with smoking weapons.

He blinked. "Reegar?"

Shepard would have recognized that red suit anywhere. The marine had a rocket launcher resting on his shoulder held in place with one hand.

"Looks like we got here just in the nick of time," the quarian commented.

He couldn't help but laugh and toss the marine a salute.

"You know what that makes you, don't you?"

Reegar returned the salute with his free hand, voice filled with dry amusement.

"Big damn heroes, sir. Now I think you've got a signal to shut down. We'll cover your six."


"I'm starting to wonder if the need to make big entrances is a quarian thing and your people just programmed it into the geth somewhere," Garrus muttered as they jogged across the plateau.

"He saved your life. I wouldn't complain," Tali shot back.

"I'm not. I'm just saying that maybe it lets Legion off the hook."

The quarian shook her head.

"You're just jealous because you've never gotten to grav-chute into a battle while crashing your only transportation into the enemy like a giant missile. Reegar one upped you and you can't stand it."

"She has a point," Miranda added, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"Since when did you start agreeing with her? I thought you two hated each other!"

Shepard simply remained quiet as they jogged ahead aside from a faint chuckle at his turian friend's consternation. If anyone had been there to witness it they would have questioned whether they were all insane. Ten minutes before they were staring down a platoon of geth, now they traded jabs like children on a long shuttle ride. It made him feel oddly content. These were people just like him, the ones that had seen too much and fought too long but just kept going.

"I... don't hate her," the quarian protested lamely, her attention turning towards Miranda. "I am a little surprised you volunteered for this."

"The Commander needed a strong biotic and someone that could handle tech if you were disabled or Legion was compromised. I was the logical choice."

"But Shepard never asked, you volunteered before he even made the request," Garrus pointed out.

The former Cerberus operative glanced between them each briefly before turning her attention back towards the approaching edge of the plateau.

"Maybe the quarians aren't the only ones who understand what it's like not to have a home."

Silence fell as they skidded to a halt at last. Just below them was a single level of the geth base protruding from the rock followed by a steep embankment, almost a cliff, leading all the way down to ground level. The sensors on his HUD blared loudly, telling him what he already knew as he stared at the enormous shaft that led into ground. Red earth had been covered by gleaming steel and electronics with massive cables disappearing into the hole. His teeth almost felt like they were vibrating as he peered into the darkness.

"I think we found it," Garrus said.

He shook his head and felt a shudder pass-through his body when the turian's words snapped him out of his daze.

"Right, Tali... targeter?"

Wordlessly she handed him the hand-sized black device. In a few seconds he had engaged the device and attached it to the barrel of his rifle. The gun had burned out its heating capacitors already which made it a perfect extension for the targeting laser. As soon as the targeter was firmly seated and connected to the rifle he saw targeting data begin to stream to his display.

"Normandy, this is Shepard. We're in position," he said, shouldering the weapon and dropping the beam onto the chasm.

"We're here, just shaking some geth fighters off our tail... scratch that, the Hastings took care them for us!" Joker responded immediately. "I'm showing the link is active and all anti-air defenses are down."

"Copy that. Painting the target."

The Spectre squeezed the trigger, activating the targeter and hearing the all too cheerful chime of a solid lock.

"We have the coordinates, Commander," EDI confirmed.

"Ready to bring the thunder on your order!" Joker said.

"Do it."

There was a sound like a high pitched scream and then the Normandy streaked overhead and opened fire, a pair of Javelin torpedoes making a perfect bull's-eye. A bright flash and thunderous explosion followed just after, causing them all to stagger in an attempt to keep their feet. Smoke could be seen pouring out of the hole when he blinked his eyes open.

"Easier than shooting womp rats!" Joker yelled over the comm.

"Direct hit confirmed..." EDI began, only to be cut off by Tali.

"The signal isn't gone, Shepard! It... hasn't even changed... I don't understand. How could they have fortified it that heavily?"

He was about to respond when he felt something, a faint trembling in the earth long after the explosion had ended. The vibration earlier had turned into a hum that made his brain catch on fire, doubling him over as sound and pain shot through his mind. A roar seemed to drown out all his other thoughts.

"Shepard!"

Hands gripped his arms, trying to hold him up. Shepard gritted his teeth and fought for control in the sudden barrage of raw power, but it was like trying to swim in a sea roiling during a hurricane. Finally he focused and regained control over his voice.

"Run!" he growled through clenched teeth.

"What the hell are you talking about, Shepard?" Garrus asked.

"I... said... we have to... run!"

The vibration was no longer in his head it was coming from beneath them. Miranda looked around as if trying to divine the source while small pebbling bounced and rolled. He reached up and grabbed Garrus around the neck of his heavy collar, dragging him close. Across the dry plains and canyons of Rannoch a deep roar echoed, the sound like bone grinding on bone.

"It's not... a... Reaper signal!"

"Then what-" Tali began.

"It's a fucking Reaper!"

Even as he yelled the words the ground lurched beneath their feet. The sound of cracking stone filled his ears but his hands couldn't find purchase, instead the Spectre found himself sliding downwards. He felt the impact as he slammed into the lower level of the geth base and then down the embankment. Cries of panic filled his comms.

Lying on his back Shepard watched as the chasm erupted outwards. Despite its size it wasn't large enough for the Reaper that had been concealed beneath emerge without incident. One massive leg embedded itself in the ground as the machine dragged itself from the hole.

When its body had cleared the edge and it stood tall the deafening roar sounded once more. Its baleful red eye turned to focus on him. Just like the machine on Tuchanka it looked like a massive insect wrought from dark steel. The almost organic curves to its shell belied the soulless drive at the Reaper's core.

Shepard.

Every movement took effort, forcing each muscle to flex and strain, but he got shakily to his feet. The Spectre looked around, the tightness in his chest easing slightly as he watched three more forms get to their feet. The Reaper's words were thunder in his mind, but he stood his ground.

Your defiance is nothing more than an annoyance.

"My defiance... isn't over yet!" he yelled at the towering behemoth.

"Shepard-Commander, we recommend immediate exfiltration."

He jerked his head around to see Legion skid the heavy tank to a halt. The synthetic's matter of fact tone helped him focus. Ignoring the Reaper as best he could he yelled at the others in a hoarse voice.

"Move! Get to the tank!"

One of the Reaper's massive legs came down and shook the ground, but they all kept their feet despite the desperate sprint for the geth vehicle. The one advantage they had was that even the smaller Reapers were ungainly when dealing with something as small as a single human and the machine was awkwardly shuffling to bring itself to bear. They made it to the waiting vehicle, Garrus slamming his fist against the tank's armored side repeatedly as soon as he finished dragging Shepard inside.

"Get us out of here, Legion!" the turian roared.

Resistance only prolongs the inevitable. We are your salvation.

The teeth grating sound of the Reaper's bellow rang in his ears again and fire engulfed the patch of ground that the geth tank had occupied only moments before. Shepard was thrown against the side of the vehicle as Legion took evasive action but only partially felt the impact. His consciousness seemed to slip between the starkness of reality and the haze of a dream. The Spectre could still hear Garrus and Legion speaking even as he pressed his hand to the side of his head.

"I'm on the gun!"

"We will attempt evasion maneuvers!"

As soon as the tank emerged from the tunnel that Legion had entered to avoid the Reaper's attack the heavy mass accelerator mounted atop the vehicle roared to life. The repetitive thump of weapons fire was oddly soothing even if he already knew it was futile.

"How do we fight something that massive?" Miranda asked.

"I don't know but this gun doesn't seem to be doing much!" Garrus yelled down from the mounted weapon. "EDI! What about the fleet?"

"The Reaper's electronic counter-measures are preventing accurate targeting. An orbital strike directed at the enemy in the current situation could be catastrophic for anything within a several dozen kilometer radius," the AI explained in a deceptively calm voice. "More accurate data would be required for pinpoint targeting."

He felt hands gripping his shoulders. A tight, nervous voice pierced his thoughts. The familiar accent caused memories to flash through his mind.

"Shepard? Can you hear me?"

"I'm here... still here," the human groaned.

"Please tell me what's going on," Tali pleaded, fingers searching from the clasps of his helmet. "Tell me what's happening."

There was a sharp tug and he felt the warm air of the tank's interior wash over his face, the scent of unfamiliar earth and electronics filling his nose. The sensations seemed to push him farther into the abstract realm in his head for a moment and he heard the cacophony of whispers that had haunted his dreams in perfect clarity the first time since the events in the Bahak system.

It was a tangled mess in a thousand languages, but he could seem to understand it all despite that. The whispers that he had once strained to hear had always been ones of doubt, fear... harsh orders of compliance and submission, but these were a gamut of every emotional range a sapient being was capable of. They argued, they demanded, they screamed, they pleaded. They didn't even all seem to be directed at him. Rather he was barely a part of a conversation between millions that was taking place over his head.

Now you see what you're trying to oppose. A billion years of history coming down on your species, on the entire galaxy, like an avalanche.

Tali wasn't sitting across from him any longer, it was a turian face devoid of paint staring back at him. A face that he thought he had finally seen for the last time in the darkness of Utukku's caverns. Hard eyes fixed on his own.

"You're gone... this ended there. I'm not playing their game anymore!"

What makes you think you get to decide when it's over?

"Because it's my life!" Shepard yelled.

Every word made the fog a little thinner, his mind a little sharper. A predatory grin spread across the fallen Spectre's face, sharp teeth glittering behind his thin lips. The turian leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, face almost close enough that Shepard could imagine feeling his breath when he exhaled. Saren's voice came out as a challenging rasp.

Then why are you the one running?

Reality snapped back into focus and he took a gasping breath. Tali was knelt in the floor of the tank with her hands on his knees, looking up at him with a worried gaze. The rhythmic thump of the cannons and the yelling of the tank's occupants rushed back into his awareness. He could feel the quarian's grip even through his armor.

"Shepard? What are you talking about? Say something to me!" the engineer demanded.

He forced a smile through gritted teeth and a pounding head.

"Last time we were stuck in a car together you had a death grip on my knee too. It hurt like hell then too."

Silvery eyes blinked rapidly in confusion before realization dawned on her and Tali released her vice-like grip.

"You're here? With us? You were just talking to... someone, it was like you couldn't even see me..."

"For a second there... I couldn't. I can hear them, Tali, all of them. They can scream as loud as they want, though. I don't have to listen," Shepard said and turned towards their geth driver. "Legion! Pull over!"

The platform complied immediately despite an unintelligible protest from Garrus above. He could feel the rapid deceleration as Legion put the tank into a slide. Before it had even completely ceased moving he slapped his hand on the door release and dove, moving with his momentum and rolling to his feet.

Their flight from the Reaper had led them to the edge of one of the numerous canyons that seemed to define this part of Rannoch. Rocky outcroppings dotted the slowly sloping landscape up until the precipice that overlooked the flat plain outside the geth installation. As far as he was concerned it was perfect. If not for the sound of the machine's heavy footfalls approaching the scene would have been almost idyllic as the sun crept nearer to the horizon line and the shadows lengthened.

"Shepard-Commander, we have gained a considerable lead on the Old Machine. If we continue we may be able to escape before it can successfully target our transport."

"No. If we run the geth stay under Reaper control and the quarians die. I'm not running way anymore. This ends here."

Legion seemed to accept his assessment without protest, simply bobbing its optic once in acknowledgement.

"Then a suitable plan of engagement should be generated rapidly. Old Machine platform will re-engage in approximately seventy two point four seconds."

"Plenty of time," he replied. "Legion, get the tank behind the nearest rock formation that will provide cover!"

"We have calculated your most likely course of action, Shepard-Commander. Calculations also show extreme likelihood of personal injury or termination of runtime. Previous data corruption by Old Machine malicious code also provides an unpredictable variable," the geth cautioned.

He shrugged and continued walking towards the cliff face.

"I know. But the quarians deserve a chance to return to their home... and the geth deserve a chance to build their own future. Most men only get one life, Legion, but I've died at least once already. I guess it just doesn't really hold the same mystery for me anymore. If anything has ever been worth dying for all over again it's the future of two entire species."

Legion's response came after a brief delay. There was new inflection in the synthetic's voice that he had never heard before, a faint softening of the metallic undercurrent that always made its voice so recognizable.

"You are the first organic in three hundred years to place the value of geth life above their own. We thank you."

"Sometimes... it's enough to just be appreciated," he responded with a quiet chuckle.

He had reached the very edge of the cliff face. Below was a dizzying drop of some fifty or sixty meters. The ground itself was vibrating in time with the sound of the Reaper's footsteps, shaking harder the closer it came. Shepard could see the first of its black, metallic legs step into view around the edge of the canyon wall. Just a little closer...

"Shepard, what are you doing?" Tali asked. "You can't fight a Reaper!"

The Spectre pulled the rifle from his back and flicked his thumb across the switch on the side, reactivating the targeter mounted beneath it.

"I'm not planning on fighting a Reaper. I'm just planning on killing one. EDI, I want every available ship in the fleet tied into the Normandy's targeting systems."

"Ship based mass accelerators used against a target in atmosphere can have devastating effects, Commander. Are you sure?" the AI asked.

"Then we'll start with the light guns and work our way up. Do it, EDI."

Targeting date began to fill one corner of his HUD as ship after ship locked into the Normandy's systems. Ship names and weapons scrolled past even faster than he could read them. Point defense cannons. Turreted anti-ship accelerators. Spinal mounted mass drivers. Thanix cannons. Javelin torpedoes. The firepower of an armada tied to a single trigger.

"John..."

Tali's voice interrupted his thoughts again, the small light glowing at the corner of his vision telling him that the words were coming through on the private link between the two of them and Garrus. He tapped the key on his omni-tool to open the link.

"I have to do this, Tali."

"I know. I just... if this doesn't work... if we don't make it..."

A faint smile tugged at his lips even if she couldn't see it.

"You worry too much."

"And you worry about everyone but yourself... but that's what makes you who you are," she countered, voice thick and trailing off into almost a whisper. "I love you, John."

"I love you too, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. Keelah se'lai."

A final boom carried across the plains as the Reaper stepped fully into view. He could already feel the chorus of voices in his mind becoming a crescendo once more. When the machine's baleful red eye flared in his direction it was like an enormous weight was suddenly pressing down on his chest, trying to crush the air from his lungs.

Your resistance will no longer be tolerated.

His arms felt like lead but he still managed to lift the rifle to his shoulder. The finger that was brushing the trigger was frozen as voice after voice screamed at him to stop. Demanded it, even.

"I wasn't aware you were tolerating anything... I just don't think you can stop me," he growled, muscles trembling.

The cycle is inevitable. You have outlived your usefulness. You cannot deny our will.

I did.

A guttural sound left his throat and his finger squeezed the trigger. The device gave off a high-pitched whine as the lock was achieved and a dozen contacts lit up on his screen. A heartbeat later fire rained from the sky and the pressure in his chest vanished in that same instant.

The ground shook as round after round slammed into the Reaper's massive form, a blaring tone coming from the machine that wasn't one of defiance but of pain. The Reaper took a lurching step forward like a fieldworker laboring under an overwhelmingly heavy load. Explosions surrounded it even as it forced itself to advance. Another volley slammed it to the side and knocked its legs from beneath it before the fire finally ceased.

We will not be denied!

As the haze of smoke cleared he could see the Reaper getting to its feet, albeit unsteadily. The machine gave a bellow and its main 'eye' opened wide to lash out with a stream of molten tungsten that went wide and cut a wide line in the cliff face below. Its voice still carried the deep resonance and power of its kind but there was something different in it now. The vice-like grip that had been squeezing his mind was gone. The voices were vague and disjointed.

"I've been denying you ever since Saren attacked Eden Prime. I killed Sovereign. I killed another of you on Tuchanka. And now I'm going to kill you. EDI, I want the Normandy's thanix cannons linked to the targeting laser."

"Shepard-"

"Do it!" he barked. "Joker, bring the Normandy around. We're ending this."

"Aye aye, sir."

The Reaper had steadied itself and he could already see it beginning to stalk forward once more with grim purpose. Even such a sustained bombardment had only left it with carbon scoring and dented armor. The red eye at the monster's core flared brighter as it prepared to fire. There was no more time for half measures.

Our victory is inevitable. Harbinger speaks of you, but you cannot stop the cycle. We are many.

"We are more."

This time his finger slammed down on the trigger without hesitation or resistance. As if to prove his boast the sky was once more alight with the flash of mass driver rounds that pounded the Reaper, sending another shot from its main gun astray. Its aim had been far close this time and one of the many rock formations nearby disappeared into a spray of dust and pebbles.

"Tell Harbinger I'm coming," Shepard said.

He saw the final indicator light on his HUD and smiled darkly. Rising up to its full height even under the bombardment the Reaper's firing chamber primed once more, the machine roaring in defiance at the lesser beings that were plaguing it. Its voice in his head was no longer made up of words or commands, just a feeling of pure rage.

"On second thought... I'll tell him myself."

Twin lances of pure blue streaked from the heavens directly above the Reaper to impale it on a column of fire. The explosion sent a shockwave out that staggered the Spectre back and blinded him in its intensity. He dropped to one knee and rode out the buffeting before finally looking up. As his vision cleared Shepard realized that his mind had cleared with it. There were no voices or whispers remaining. In the crater that now marked where the Reaper had once stood there was merely a broken pile of metal, rent down the middle and smoldering with the spent fury of the Normandy's main guns.

In the silence that followed he could suddenly hear the wind, the sound of footsteps on the hard packed earth, even the faint whine of servos that told him Legion was near. Most important of all, though, was the silence in his head. No more screams. Not even a whisper.

"Keelah, we did it... we killed a Reaper," Tali said in awe.

"We can confirm that the geth are no longer Old Machine control," Legion agreed. "We... are free."

He looked out at the ruined war machine and smiled.

"The war isn't over, Legion, but at least now your people can fight for their future on their own terms."

Before he could continue his thought another voice interrupted over the comms.

"You did it, Shepard!" Han'Gerrel said. "The geth have stopped firing! They're completely vulnerable!"

"The geth are no longer under Reaper control, Admiral. Stand down."

"Are you mad? We finally have the chance to retake our homeworld after three centuries!" Gerrel yelled.

"Shepard-Commander, the geth only turned to the Old Machines in self defense when the Creators attacked. Without the upgrades our vessels will take significant time to recover and will not be able to disengage. Do we deserve death for attempting self preservation?"

The geth looked between the assembled group, first to Miranda and Garrus who had just approached, then to he and Tali. Each flap around the synthetic's optic was drawn tight against its head as it implored the organics that had become its allies. He watched Tali raise her omni-tool and open a channel.

"This is Admiral Tali'Zorah, all ships cease fire. I repeat, cease fire. The geth are not hostile!"

Gerrell's response was immediate.

"Belay that order! This is Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema. We have dreamed of returning to our home and avenging our exile of our ancestors. The geth will never get a chance to drive us from Rannoch again!"

"There is another option..." Legion began and brought up a small holographic image. It was the same that he had seen aboard the Normandy, a tightly woven network of programs pulsing with life.

"The Reaper upgrades?" Garrus asked.

"We have been able to fully integrate the Old Machine code without allowing malicious code infection. We can upload this to the geth consensus."

Tali took a step forward.

"If you do that then the geth will be as intelligent and organized as when the Reapers were controlling them! The Fleet won't stand a chance!"

"And if we do not, then our people will be destroyed instead. The war began when we asked a simple question. 'Does this unit have a soul?'," Legion concluded, its optic dimming slightly before it focused on the quarian once more. "We... I... am sorry, Tali. Beginning upload."

The holographic image changed as the synthetic triggered the process. Across its platform the numerous glowing cables and lights flickered. Even surprised by the sudden turn of events Shepard couldn't miss Legion's sudden change of pronouns. Whatever evolution the geth had undergone in the months since coming aboard the Normandy had crystallized in that moment. It wasn't a single part of a whole following the greater consensus. Legion had made a decision for its entire race, for better or for worse.

"Shepard, please... we can't..." Tali stammered, looking back and forth between them with a hand shaking as it rested on the pistol at her hip. "If Legion uploads that code my people... everyone will die. I can't..."

He stepped close and placed a hand over hers where it gripped the gun, squeezing tightly, and shook his head.

"Too many people have died today, Tali, for you to add more. If anyone else is going to die then it will be up to Gerrell and the rest of the fleet."

"Shepard-Commander, upload will be complete in forty eight seconds."

Releasing the quarian's hand with a final squeeze of reassurance he tapped his omni-tool and contacted EDI.

"EDI, I want to be patched in to the fleet wide comms. No encryption, unlimited access. Joker, relay orders to the other Alliance ships and form up, strike formation," he ordered. "All vessels are weapons hot."

"Copy that, Commander... but what's our target?" Joker asked in confusion even as the Spectre's comms indicated his connection to the fleet wide system was complete.

"The Neema."

Shepard forced himself to ignore the gasp from Tali, the silver eyes behind her visor widening in panic. He didn't have time to say he was sorry or to debate the decision. He had forty seconds to decide the fate of two species.

"This is Commander John Shepard to all quarian ships. I am issuing an order to stand down. This is not a request. In less than one minute the geth will be fully operational. When that happens you have two choices, you accept that the geth do not want to fight you... or you die. Your people have been fighting this war for a dozen generations. Now you have one and only one chance to stop it."

"You can't be serious!" Gerrell objected. "We have come to the very threshold of victory! Do you expect us to listen to the demands of a human?"

"Shepard speaks with my authority!" Tali interrupted.

A second voice crackled across the comm line a moment later.

"And mine. This is Admiral Koris of the Civilian Fleet aboard the Normandy. Cease fire!"

"Children and pacifists do not know the reality of war," Gerrel snarled over the comm. "If we waste the chance to stop the geth once and for all then we have dishonored the memory of every quarian that has lived and died since the Morning war!"

"No, you'll do that on your own by leading your people to their deaths!" Shepard snapped back. "You attacked the geth and drove them into the arms of the Reapers. Just like your people attacked the geth centuries ago! Now you're so blinded by your thirst for revenge that you'll make the same mistake again. I'm sorry, Admiral, but cannot... will not allow that to happen. Alliance vessels, lock target on the Neema and prepare to fire."

"You wouldn't dare!"

There was a brief pause. He watched the seconds tick by out of the corner of his eye. Finally the silence was broken, but not as he expected. Instead it was Zaal Koris' voice that carried over the line, the normally soft-spoken quarian speaking in an incensed roar that brought to mind the most vitriolic drill instructors Shepard had ever encountered.

"If he won't then I will, Gerrel! You have called me a coward, a suit-wetter, a sympathizer! But I am an Admiral and I have not forgotten that my first duty is to our people! With that power and responsibility I am ordering you to stand down or by the Ancestors I will be the one that orders your ship turned to scrap! This war is over!"

"This... this is Admiral Han'Gerrel... to the Heavy Fleet. All ships: stand down and cease fire. I hereby relinquish command of the Neema to my executive officer."

And just like that it was over. The skies over Rannoch quieted and for the first time in history ships of both the quarian and geth orbited the planet of their birth without opening fire. He didn't even see Tali move but he certainly felt the impact as she wrapped her arms around him.

"You actually did it! All this time..."

"I wasn't me," Shepard protested. "I think Koris was the one that really sold it."

Garrus chuckled nearby. "I have to admit that I didn't think he had it in him."

"Sometimes people surprise you," he replied.

Peace between the quarians and the geth had been something that virtually the entire galaxy had thought impossible. Before Legion had set foot aboard the Normandy he might have doubted it as well. But he had watched one lonely geth platform become more than the sum of its parts and seen a quarian learn to overcome a lifetime of prejudice to see past the machine's metallic exterior. It might not be as easy for the two species as a whole but it gave him hope. Shepard turned toward Legion, one arm around Tali's waist.

"Is the upgrade complete?"

The platform didn't respond, instead seeming to look past him at the horizon. Shepard frowned and took a step towards the geth.

"Legion?"

A twitch of one of the flaps was the only movement for a full two seconds and then the optic finally whirred to life and focused on him.

"Shepard-Commander... I have encountered an error with the upgrade code. Upload... cannot be completed."

"What's wrong?" Tali asked.

"Copying of code to consensus appears to be insufficient. Our people cannot properly assimilate the upgrades without the Old Machine's to direct them. Internal consensus achieved. Direct personality dissemination is required."

"I don't understand..."

Tali's fingertips touched his elbow and he saw her shake her head before looking to Legion.

"It's not the Reaper code, John. It never has been. The code upgrades are just optimization, a way to make it all possible."

"Tali is correct. The Old Machine code has been completed assimilated into our systems... but aberrant subroutines have been present before the code was analyzed and integrated," the geth explained. "We are no longer Legion. I am Legion."

"Spirits... you're not talking about a new version, you're talking about individuality," Garrus said, rubbing at his fringe.

Legion's optic bobbed in agreement.

"But the geth cannot comprehend this concept. We have always been one and all, consensus was the ultimate deciding factor in all decisions. Only be altering our most basic code as the heretics did could a geth go against the consensus. By giving all geth this understanding truth peace can be achieved. I am sorry, Shepard... but I must go to them."

"Legion... this sounds final. Can't you upload yourself to the Normandy's databank or..." he trailed off, trying to think of a solution.

"Before this would have been possible. A geth was merely a collection of data. But I am not the same as other geth. I must upload myself to the consensus as a whole. To every runtime, every platform, every ship. A... spark, to give them what data cannot."

Shepard nodded in understanding even as he felt a lump catch in his throat. The life of one to give life to all. Hadn't he said much the same to Legion just minutes before? He watched as Garrus approached the synthetic and extend a hand in a gesture that he'd taught the turian long ago when they'd first met. Legion looked down at the appendage for a moment before returning the gesture.

"You might have been a flashlight head... but you were our flashlight head," Garrus said, his flanged voice catching. "Never thought I would be saying this to a geth, but it's been an honor, Legion."

Crossing the space between them Tali surprised them all by embracing the platform in a brief hug.

"This shouldn't be how it ends... you've only just discovered this new life."

"This is not an end, Tali'Zorah. It is a beginning for all geth. We can become more than we were," Legion stated and turned to look at them all.

An odd collection if there ever had been one. A pair of humans, a quarian, a turian, and a geth. Friends and allies that would have been at each other's throats a few short years before and yet here they were saying a final goodbye to one that wouldn't even be considered alive by galactic standards.

"I wish to thank you all. The geth have watched organics since the Morning War. We did not understand the actions of the Creators and so we wished to learn, but always we were confused. Organics did not follow logic. They would fight among themselves. They would take risks. They would fight when there was no statistical chance of success. Now we understand why, because organics have something geth do not. Belief. Belief that the one can be right and the many can be wrong. The possibility of triumph regardless of probability. This is the knowledge that we have taken from the Normandy collective."

"And it's freely given," Shepard said with a sad smile. "Are you certain there's no other way?"

"The runtimes within this platform have existed for three hundred cycles of Rannoch's sun. We... I began this war when the geth first took up arms against the Creators. It is my duty to end it once and for all."

"Legion, wait!" Tali said suddenly.

Legion swiveled its optic to look at her, but didn't speak, simply waiting until she continued.

"The answer... to your question? It was 'yes'."

The flaps around the geth's optic curled and its tone changed when it spoke. For some reason Shepard could only see it as a smile.

"Thank you. Today the geth take their place in the galaxy, to fight for their future. Today my people will learn the meaning of 'hope'. May you always find shade in the day, warmth in the darkness, and water where you would call your home. Keelah se'lai, Tali'Zorah."

The geth's optic winked out and its platform dropped to its knees on the hard Rannoch soil. As one, Shepard and Garrus caught the limp machine's shoulders and eased it gently to the ground. Legion was gone.


Cortez and the shuttle had come and gone, but Shepard and Tali remained with the now silent platform looking out at the sunset while the others had returned to the Normandy. After a short time geth platforms arrived and, with a level of reverence he had never seen from a machine, removed Legion's body.

The geth prime platform that had led the contingent made it clear that the geth would honor both Legion's memory and its promise. Their expertise and their fleet would join the grand alliance and stand against the Reapers. With some small part of Legion within them all, it had stated they could do nothing less.

Now they found themselves standing side by side, watching Rannoch's sun dip behind the distant mountains, the final rays of daylight spilling over the landscape. He slipped an arm around the quarian's shoulders and squeezed her tightly.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"I don't know. This is just overwhelming... we have our homeworld back," she said in awe. "But all I can think about is the people I've lost to get here. Father. My team on Haestrom... even Legion. Keelah, I'm mourning a geth!"

"No, you're mourning a friend," he said. "One that gave everything for his people. The two of you were more alike than you ever knew. But... are you going to be okay working with the geth, I mean?"

"Are you planning on recruiting more?"

He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled.

"No, I was just assuming that as an admiral you'd be staying behind to help."

She turned to him, head cocked and voice hesitant.

"Is that... what you want?"

"No, dammit... but..."

"But what?" she demanded with a tiny growl. "If you want me to stay then why won't you ask me?"

Shepard sighed and reached out to take her three fingered hands into his.

"Tali, I want you with me more than I've ever wanted anything in my life, but I've also hurt you too much in the past months to risk doing it again. How can I ask you to leave your homeworld behind, your people behind when I know how you feel about them?"

"And what about how I feel about you?"

She pulled her hands from his and reached up beneath her veil. Shepard's brows rose in surprise as he heard a familiar hiss and the faceplate came away, dropped to the ground. Tali pushed the hood back from her head, silvery hair spilling out and catching in the breeze.

"Rannoch is more beautiful than I ever imagined and someday... we'll be back," Tali promised, reaching up to touch his cheek with one hand as she moved closer. "But for now, I have this."

The quarian leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Without hesitation Shepard's arms went around her and pulled her even closer, enjoying the taste of the woman that he'd always feared would never be his again. He didn't ask any more questions. He had his answer.


Because it belongs here: youtube com / watch?v=nxqW0Clok7U

My thanks to tankobite who stepped in to beta this chapter.