Chapter 26: Paths

Bullets ricocheted off the metal crates that Garrus Vakarian was crouched behind and even more sang through the air over his head. A Kodiak shuttle swung low and opened its doors, disgorging another dozen soldiers in white and gold armor onto the landing platform. He blew out a breath that turned into a fine mist in the icy air, standing up just long enough to snap off a shot that caught a Cerberus trooper in mid jump. The turian smiled with grim satisfaction.

It said something about his life that the dull roar of combat was actually a welcome respite from his previous preoccupation with his suddenly complicated personal life. Shooting the drone-like foot soldiers of a terrorist organization was vastly easier than trying to figure out how he was supposed to feel about what had occurred aboard on the Rayya.

"We've got company, Boss!" he yelled.

Shepard turned his visor in Garrus's direction for a moment before turning back towards the advancing enemy, laying down a steady spray of fire. The other Spectre's dark, sharp edged armor stood out in contrast to the stark white snow that covered landscape around the base.

"I told you not to call me that anymore! You're a Spectre too!"

"Sure, but now you're a Praetor," Garrus replied, drawing out the title as much as possible. "That sounds classy. Like I should be saluting you. Constantly."

"If you start saluting me I'm going to break your damn arm."

The turian chuckled and leaned out of cover to fire off another shot. It went wide, but it had been meant to keep their enemies' heads down.

"You used to be much more cheerful in a firefight, Shepard. I think your new position is weighing on you."

"I believe that your mock-aggressive male social interactions would be better suited to a situation less likely to result in serious injury," EDI interrupted. "We are being flanked."

A burst of white hot fire streaked past him and caught one of the Cerberus troopers full in the chest. The unfortunate soldier immediately fell to his knees with a smoking hole in his chest as Tali followed up with two more shots that quickly routed their opponents' advance.

"Don't bother, EDI. They get like this sometimes," the quarian said.

The AI arched a metallic eyebrow. "Contentious?"

"Insufferable."

"Hear that? We're insufferable," Garrus said dryly. "Three more: right flank."

"Copy that, going low and fast. I'll be sure to send back that tube of dextro-chocolate that I got Shala'Raan to dig up for me before we left the Migrant Fleet. I'm sure no one would want free chocolate from such an insufferable person."

The turian almost laughed hard enough to throw off his next shot at the speed with which Tali's helmet snapped in Shepard's direction. He was a gone before the engineer could protest, however, dropping his rifle and running along the stack of metallic shipping containers that were providing their cover. Garrus sighted down his scope and picked off another soldier that left his head too exposed.

"Bosh'tet! We left Rannoch two days ago. He's been holding onto chocolate all this time?" Tali complained.

He shook his head with another laugh and gestured towards the gun in the quarian's hands.

"Sounds like it. Where did that thing come from anyways?

"The geth that's calling itself 'Prime-Speaker' gave it to me," she explained. "It said that Legion had sent a request for some geth weaponry to be upgraded for usage by quarians and organics... he was going to present them as a gift after we took back Rannoch."

"A shotgun that fires concentrated plasma? That's what I call a considerate gift," Garrus said.

"I wish I could have thanked him for it."

The turian grimaced and nodded before peering through the scope of his rifle once more. After the celebration that briefly overtook the quarian flotilla a small ceremony had taken place on the cliff overlooking the defeated Reaper. Legion's mobile platform had been removed by the geth making a traditional 'organic' burial was impossible. They had instead constructed a small cairn and placed the synthetic's rifle atop the stone mound. The weapon had been coated with a thin layer of clear polymer to protect it from the elements. When it was over Shepard had added a name to the wall on the crew deck just below Thane's.

Just a few short hours later they were on their way back to the Citadel. By now they should have been back aboard the massive space station, but Traynor had picked up an odd distress signal from what should have been an uninhabited area of space. The signal had Alliance special operations codes, old ones, but accurate according to their database. That distress call had then led them to their current situation. A gunfight on the nearly frozen landing pad of an unmarked facility.

A yell of surprise went up from the formerly stoic Cerberus troops as a blast of biotic energy erupted behind their position. One unfortunate member of the enemy squad was literally sent flying over the cover he'd been using by the shockwave. Two more were quickly cut down by when they emerged from cover in an attempt to face the sudden danger in their midst, one falling to a well placed sniper round while EDI had finished the second with a long, frightfully accurate burst from her submachine gun.

"The Commander has become much more adept with his biotic abilities since their initial manifestation," EDI noted as another soldier was hurled into a stack of crates.

"He had six months to practice control while the Alliance wasted time keeping him locked up," Tali said. "I wish he wouldn't insist on charging off alone, though..."

Garrus had the last Cerberus soldier in his sights but didn't bother to fire. He saw Shepard appear next to the trooper in a blur of motion. Garrus had to give the enemy soldier credit for trying when he raised his rifle in an attempt to strike his opponent, but it did the man little good. The black-armored Spectre surged forward and drove the crackling blade that emerged from his fist beneath the trooper's armpit in a single brutal motion.

"Normally I'd agree with you Tali, but I think in this case he's doing fine," Garrus said. "Let's go find out who Cerberus was so interested in killing before we got here."

They did a quick final sweep to confirm that all of their targets were down before jogging towards the entrance of facility, Shepard rejoining them halfway across the tarmac. The non-descript building was set into the mountain and completely without identifying markers. A sound of metal scraping against the concrete caught his attention and that of the rest of the team.

Weapons came up and Shepard motioned for Garrus to flank the left side of the crates near the entrance, the only cover available between them and the entrance to the base. The turian drew his pistol and approached while Tali and EDI provided cover from a few meters away. He spared a glance towards the other Spectre long enough to get the slight nod to advance, stepping around the stack of crates with his weapon raised...

Only to find himself staring down the barrel of an M-8 Avenger assault rifle. He followed the line of the weapon down to an armored fist, to a soldier that was sitting with his back braced against a large crate. One hand was pressed against his stomach and Garrus could see blood seeping between his fingers, but the weapon that was pointed at the turian didn't waver until a spark of recognition flashed through the soldier's eyes at the sound of Shepard's voice.

"I'll be damned," Shepard muttered and immediately holstered his pistol.

Jacob Taylor coughed wetly, his breath fogging in the cool air as he lowered weapon with a pained smirk.

"So... you guys come here often?"


"Your life is a statistically improbable series of coincidences, Shepard," EDI commented during a pause in Jacob's explanation of his current situation. "The chances of picking up a distress signal before re-entering FTL are less than point zero four percent. That distress signal coming from a close acquaintance is not even statistically viable."

"Let's not jinx it. If you guys hadn't shown up when you did things would have gotten bad," the former Cerberus agent said.

Jacob was currently propped up on a medical bed with his shirt off and a bandage around his torso. Thankfully his armor had drained the round of most of its remaining velocity after it had penetrated his barriers, but the biotic was going to be sore for a few days even with the miracle that was medi-gel.

"I don't understand why the Illusive Man is so determined to kill you," Tali added. "No offense, Jacob, but I didn't think you were important enough to warrant a cruiser and death squads."

"I doubt it's me he's after. It has to be one of the eggheads or the data that we took when we bolted."

"As one of the 'eggheads,' I'm not sure if I should be honored that we hurt Cerberus enough to be worth killing or just plain afraid."

Tali looked over her shoulder to see a human woman standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. Her words sounded irritated but there was a smile on her face that told the quarian that Jacob's nickname for the scientists hadn't offended her. She had dusky skin and intelligent eyes. Tali would have pegged her as a scientist or academic even without the obvious context of their conversation. A far cry from her early days on Pilgrimage when she could barely tell one human face from another.

"Ah... this is Brynn, Dr. Brynn Cole," Jacob said.

"The Normandy is engaging the Cerberus cruiser. Once they return we'll get you and your people out of here," Shepard promised.

The woman crossed the room slowly, reaching out to squeeze Jacob's hand and causing Garrus to arch a brow at the pair. Dr. Cole inclined her head at the assembled group.

"Thank you all, both on behalf of all of the people here and myself. I thought I'd never see Jacob again after those doors closed."

"He's survived worse," Garrus said drolly.

"She's heard the stories. At least now she can see that I wasn't making it all up since you're all here in the flesh," Jacob laughed. "Well, and in the... metal? I'm still adjusting to the idea of EDI walking around."

"My core programming still resides within the Normandy. This platform merely allows me to explore a new method of interaction with the crew as well as participate in ground missions," the AI pointed out.

Dr. Cole shook her head in clear amazement. "I always took Jacob's stories with a grain of salt. Soldiers always make every battle sound like an epic... but this is actually more than I was expecting."

Tali couldn't help but chuckle at that statement. That response could sum up a great deal of their careers together up until this point. The Council had never expected them to find proof of Saren's corruption. Saren had never expected a human like Shepard to best him. The Reapers certainly hadn't expected a single human and his mismatched crew to stand in the way of their cycle of annihilation.

"It's kind of our specialty," Garrus agreed, unknowingly mirroring her thoughts.

"How did you end up trying to hold off a Cerberus hit squad alone?" Shepard asked.

The former Alliance soldier shrugged. "When Brynn asked me to provide security for her and the other scientists we were worried about pirates or the thugs on Omega when we stopped for supplies. There are two other Cerberus defectors with military training, but I ordered them to stay with the scientists."

"I should never have agreed-" Brynn began.

"Commander, we have a problem," EDI said suddenly. "My sensors aboard the Normandy have detected that the cruiser launched three shuttles during our pursuit. The enemy warship has been disabled but even at maximum speed it will take the Normandy sixty eight minutes to return. The shuttles will enter the atmosphere in fifty minutes."

The Spectre shook his head.

"They're persistent, I'll give them that. Doctor, let's go see to the rest of your people. We're going to need to set up a defensive perimeter to hold out until the Normandy arrives. EDI, you're with me. I want you to see what you can do with the base systems. Maybe we can make this place a harder nut to crack."

Without further discussion Shepard left the room while Dr. Brynn cast only a momentary glance back at Jacob before following.

"Sounds like I just got demoted from head of security," Jacob said wryly.

"Shepard does like to take charge," Tali murmured absentmindedly and then immediately went silent at the odd look that Garrus gave her.

Thankfully he didn't make one of his usual smart-ass comments and instead turned his attention back to Jacob, giving the former Cerberus operative an apologetic shrug.

"He does get a little more bossy every day I think. If you want a little revenge just call him 'Praetor' when he comes back."

"Praetor?"

"Long story, but trust me the look on his face will be worth it."

"Why do I get the feeling you're trying to get me into even more trouble, Vakarian?" Jacob asked.

"He's good at that, it's better to just ignore him. Besides, I'm more interested in Doctor Cooole," Tali said, drawing out the woman's name teasingly.

"I... ah..."

The quarian crossed her arms and tapped one foot.

"She did seem very concerned about your well being."

"Okay, so we've been together for about six months now," Jacob finally admitted, holding up his hands in defeat. "After she asked me to help her and the others escape from Cerberus... well, all that time on the run and you get close, rely on one another. She's smart, funny... and she makes me feel like I'm fighting for something more than a paycheck or an ideal."

Tali smiled at the earnestness in the man's tone, wondering if that was how she sounded when someone asked her about Shepard. In her head she suspected she sounded far worse. At least she had finally managed to get her rambling under control. Mostly.

"I guess that date with the ship's thief didn't turn out the way she planned?" she asked.

The quarian made sure that she didn't sound bitter or accusatory. Her friend's minor obsession with the extremely fit Cerberus soldier had always been a source of amusement to Tali. In truth it had never seemed to be more than a very physical appreciation and she had known that Kasumi had agreed to a date with Jacob not long after the mission against the Shadowbroker, but Tali had never had a chance to ask what had occurred. A short week later the incident on Bahak occurred and her world had been thrown askew.

"You had a date with Kasumi?" Garrus interrupted before the other man could reply.

"Hm? Oh yea, right after we got back from dealing with that mess with the Shadow Broker and the team he sent after Orianna. We almost got killed together so I figured why not when she finally said something about getting some ramen."

The biotic shifted on the medical bed, pushing himself further upright and showing off some of the toned musculature that had first attracted Kasumi's attention in the first place. During their many conversations the thief had often brought up the aesthetic appeal of various crew members with Jacob generally being near the top and, of course, numerous attempts to mine Tali for more... detailed information about Shepard's own physique.

Settled into his new position Jacob continued.

"We hit up a ramen joint on the Citadel. It was a fun evening but I knew it wasn't going to go anywhere. Kasumi is cute and a little sake goes a long way but... I mean, really? She's a professional art thief."

A very strange sound, something between a chirp and a growl, came from Garrus and she saw the turian's stance shift subtly as he spoke. He seemed to be leaning forward and Tali could swear that the crest of horns that she always thought of as his 'hair' was flexing slowly.

"That 'art thief' saved both our lives more than once. I'd have expected a little less condescending from an ex-terrorist."

Jacob raised his hands in a placating gesture for the second time in as many minutes, but this time the move was far less of a joke.

"Whoa! Didn't mean it that way, big guy. I just don't know a Picasso from a potato is all! We chatted but the only thing we really had to talk about was the mission. The kind of life she leads... it's not for me."

"I..." Garrus hesitated, his mandibles flaring briefly before drawing tight against his face. "Sorry. I should go."

Two pairs of eyes, one human, one quarian, watched as he spun on his heels and marched out of the room. Seconds ticked by in silence before Jacob cleared his throat and looked in her direction.

"So..."

"That was... odd. I'm going to follow him. You'll be fine, right?" she asked.

"I just got shot. I'm not going anywhere. Plus if pissed off Garrus is out there I think I'm safer in here."

"That's the truth," Tali muttered and went after her infuriating turian friend.


Garrus's forehead rested against the cool glass as he mentally kicked himself. He let himself get distracted in his own problems and had promptly made an ass of himself by overreacting. For the first time he actually regretted his incessant teasing of Shepard back when he and Tali were still dancing around each other like wary varren.

"I know Jacob isn't the smoothest talker in the world but don't you think that was overkill?"

He sighed again and pushed away from the window. Of course Tali couldn't leave well enough alone. There were certainly days when he wouldn't have minded the timid, quiet Tali that Shepard had to coax out of her shell aboard the SR-1.

"Sorry, guess something got crossed there. Humans with those single toned voices... throw me off sometimes."

"Bullshit."

"I see you're picking up Shepard's colorful expressions," he said, turning towards the quarian and crossing his arms. "Do you even know what a bull is?"

Tali seemed nonplussed, stopping with one hand raised as if she was about to say something.

"No. Do you?"

"Not a clue. The most research I've done into Earth animals was the whole unicorn thing back when we were hunting Saren. You wanted to see one so bad."

"Shut up, bosh'tet, I figured it out eventually. And you are changing the subject," the engineer accused. "I'm not a girl on her Pilgrimage anymore. I've learned your tricks."

"It's nothing."

His response didn't seem to deter her, however, even as he tried to stare her down. With his arms crossed over his chest and standing at his full height Garrus should have been an intimidating sight. Unfortunately there were a few people in the galaxy that were either too stupid to back down, and thus ended up dead, and a few that knew him too damn well for his own good. Tali placed a hand on her hip and tapped her foot.

"Tell me."

The turian grimaced. "What part of 'It's nothing' wasn't clear?"

"All of it. Now are you going to tell me or not?"

"No."

Tali's omni-tool flared to life.

"Fine. Elcor porn and krogan opera it is."

"That's... kind of extreme isn't it?" he stammered immediately.

She didn't reply, merely looking up with silvery eyes flashing behind her visor and continuing to tap away at her omni-tool without breaking eye contact. The turian cursed mentally. The voiceless stare was a technique he'd mentioned using during his time at C-Sec. It was not one that he ever to have expected to have used on him, much less by Tali. Especially not by Tali. His visor began to spin warnings across his display of security breaches.

"Fine! I give up!"

The omni-tool winked out of existence and his tormentor made a small sound of satisfaction.

"Good. I didn't want to have 'elcor porn' showing up in my extranet history anyway. Now as Kelly liked to say... spill it?"

"Too much time around humans," Garrus muttered and leaned against his back against the glass, glancing from side to side to make sure they were alone.

"I'm going to ignore that and instead repeat my original question of 'why did you sound like you wanted to kill Jacob'?"

He sighed and closed his eyes, already regretting his cowardice in the face of elcor depravity and krogan musical tradition. At this point the turian knew he was trapped, though, as Tali would hound him mercilessly.

"Because Kasumi kissed me," he said finally.

"She... what?"

Garrus waved a hand and gave a self-deprecating chuckle. "I know I'm not much to look at but it happened. After the celebration on the Flotilla... I found her on the observation deck. She did it and then just disappeared."

When he didn't get an immediate response the turian looked up to see Tali staring at him again with her head cocked to the side. He had gotten better at reading the engineer's body language during their time aboard the Normandy but he had never mastered Shepard's knack for knowing the meaning of each shift, sigh, and look. Shepard had been paying closer attention, of course, so it was to be expected. Garrus just wished he knew if the feisty quarian was going to laugh at him or try to kill him.

"Keelah, I don't know which of you is the bigger idiot."

"Look, I didn't... wait, what?"

"Id-ee-ot."

The quarian approached and jabbed his chest with one finger, punctuating the drawn out word.

"Why am I an idiot?"

"Did you go after her?" Tali demanded.

"Not being found is her profession. It would have been pointless."

"It's been two days, Garrus. Two days. On a frigate. Even Kasumi can't hide that well."

He looked away, rubbing at his fringe sheepishly.

"Right, but what was I supposed to do if I found her?"

"My first thought would be to try kissing her back," the quarian suggested.

"I... but... I wouldn't even..." Garrus sputtered, finally clenching his fists and finding his voice. "Dammit, who are you to be giving me advice?"

"I'm the stupid girl who wasted too much time being afraid or angry and almost lost everything. Twice."

The sudden edge to the quarian's voice was like a slap and forced his attention back to her.

"So instead of arguing with me. You're going to listen and answer. We're going to play a little game Kelly taught me during the Collector mission. I'm going to say a name and you're going to say the first word that comes to mind."

"I-" he began, but immediately went silent and nodded when the silver eyes behind her visor narrowed to slits. He didn't need to be Shepard to interpret that look.

"Much better. Let's start: Omega?"

He grimaced but did his best to play along, letting the first word slip grudgingly past his lip plates.

"Shame."

"Reapers?"

"War."

"Joker?"

"Jackass."

Tali's chuckle was poorly concealed but she continued.

"Normandy?"

"Home."

"Shepard."

"Brother."

"Wrex?"

"Stubborn."

"Kasumi?"

"Peace."

The rapid fire stream of words stopped and Garrus blinked. Despite his expecting the question all along Tali had done a good job of getting him on a roll so that the answer had simply come naturally. Ever since the war had begun Garrus had felt the strain of the mission bearing down on him: watching Shepard's deterioration, Tali's emotional conflict after rejoining the crew, constantly scanning the casualty and refugee reports for the names of his family. The few moments of normalcy that he'd enjoyed had been when he was verbally sparring with the energetic thief that was always so keen to keep him on his toes.

"Not exactly what I was expecting but it works," Tali said. "Now you just have to figure out what to do about it."

Without further comment the quarian simply walked away, leaving him with more questions than when he'd started.


"Thanks for the ride, Shepard. We owe you one," Jacob said as they shook hands at the airlock.

"Anytime, Taylor. And congratulations again. Please try to talk her out of the whole 'Shepard' thing would you?"

The dark-skinned man flashed a smile.

"Don't worry about it. Brynn is pretty stubborn but I'm not going to let her name our kid 'Shepard'... no offense but it's a little much. Especially if it's a girl."

"Trust me, none taken. I'm still worried about going back to Tuchanka and finding a bunch of little krogan named after me," Shepard replied.

"Very awkward," Jacob agreed. "I'm going to report to C-Sec, see if we can get some secure quarters for everyone. Brynn said she's already let EDI scan all the files that they were able to make it out with. I hope something there is helpful."

He nodded.

"I'm sure it will be. You just take care of yourself. You're going to be a family man now."

"It's hard to forget. Good luck, Shepard."

The former operative snapped a crisp salute that Shepard returned. Moments later he was gone, stepping out of the airlock and into the crowds that occupied the docking area. Most of his team was already spread across the Citadel on various errands. He had sent Garrus to update the Council by claiming that if the turian was going to get so much amusement out of Shepard's new title then he was going to suffer for it. Tali was supervising maintenance to the Normandy, Liara was meeting with some of her few remaining contacts from her time as the Shadow Broker.

"I am ready to accompany you, Shepard," EDI intoned.

He turned to see the AI's silvery body standing behind him with her arms behind her back.

"Just in time, then. I'm supposed to be meeting with Dr. Bryson in half an hour. I thought you might be the best candidate to help analyze any data he has on this 'Leviathan'."

"A correct assumption. Even though a large amount of my processes are occupied in assisting Tali'Zorah with maintenance procedures I will be much more capable than any VI."

"Good to see you're making such good use of those modesty subroutines," Shepard quipped as they exited the airlock.

"The Illusive Man did not see a purpose in any such algorithms."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me... but I wasn't actually being serious, EDI."

The AI looked at him and nodded. "I see. You were attempting humor. Jeff has continued to try and 'develop' my sense of humor but unfortunately progress has been... lacking. I do not understand the organic fascination with personal injury or mental trauma as a form of entertainment."

"It's more than that. Humans laugh at things that should be horrifying, both because when we're watching or listening some part of us knows that it's not serious, that the consequences that should happen won't... and because it's how we deal with the world we live in," he explained. "If we couldn't laugh at some of the things that happen in our lives we'd have gone insane long ago."

The pair made their way to customs without incident beyond a few stares. While Shepard certainly didn't crave fame he had to admit that it occasionally had its benefits. There were no questions about his 'synthetic assistant' or anything beyond a cursory scan when they moved through customs. Under the circumstances he had decided to wear his armor as well, adding another layer to the buffer zone that surrounded them both.

He wasn't, however, expecting the shriek that came from behind him. His pistol was in hand instantly as he spun and took a knee, weapon raised. EDI had her weapon in hand as well, but both barrels dropped as quickly as they'd been raised. Shepard began to chuckle.

An extremely nonplussed turian C-Sec officer had a human woman attempting to climb him like a very stoic tree while at least one volus had fallen over backwards and was now rolling back and forth in an attempt to right himself. Two more C-Sec officers had emerged from the customs kiosk with hands on the sidearms at their hips.

We have erred, Sings-of-Endings?

The bulky rachni shuffled back and forth in the middle of the docking area, his pedipalps waving overhead while shimmering blue eyes examined those around him. Shepard could see at least two of the smaller workers hiding beneath their much larger brethren.

"Stand down," he ordered the C-Sec agents firmly. "Or did you already forget a few thousand of his friends helped clear Cerberus off your station?"

"Uh... no sir, sorry. Just... a little surprised is all," the human officer said.

The workers panic. We did not wish to cause distress!

"Don't worry, Fury. Rachni are just a little out of the ordinary even for the Citadel. Last time most the population was hiding in their homes. Where is Twilight?"

Sings-Twilight-Among-Broken-Stars is assisting Devotion-Singer with the repairs to the hive vessel. He did not believe our memory-songs would be productive to this task.

Shepard smirked. "In other words he thought you'd get in the way so he sent you to do something else. I wouldn't recommend wandering around the Citadel alone right now. People are still on edge and it's going to take time for them to get used to the idea of rachni."

We wish to accompany you to the place of the one who sings knowledge-songs.

"I don't see a problem with that. Did you have to bring the little guys, though? I think they freak people out more than you do," he asked, continuing with a mutter. "Or they do Tali at least. It took a damn hour to convince her there weren't any in the cabin."

Workers always accompany brood-warriors. We protect them and they assist us. If there were no workers... we would be alone.

The rachni's mental voice seemed to voice trepidation at the very concept of solitude.

"Okay, I'm not telling you to send them back. Come on."

Together the three of them certainly made quite the sight when they made their way to the elevator. Technically EDI's existence was still illegal within Council space and the rachni had been nothing but memory just a few short weeks ago. He looked down at the rachni as they crowded into the elevator.

"Didn't we make you a communications device? EDI can't hear your songs if you don't use it."

The rachni's pedipalps drooped and from the flash of colors in his mind Shepard found himself wondering if it was possible for the insect-like alien to flush in embarrassment.

It was forgotten aboard the ship in our haste to follow. Whisper-Singer will be displeased.

"The brood-warrior appears distressed," EDI commented.

"He forgot his communicator on the ship which means you can't hear him. Kasumi has apparently chastised him for this previously."

"I find it odd that a member of a hivemind, non-bipedal species is subject to standard cultural norms of politeness and communication."

He looked down at the rachni and rubbed his chin.

"I guess... the way that the rachni hear everyone's 'song' as they call it makes them more sensitive. I'd like to think that if humans could feel the emotions of others we'd be more concerned about being nice."

EDI seemed to be processing his theory while keying in their destination on the elevator. For his part Sings-Fury didn't offer any particular indication in either direction. It was possible that such matters simply didn't concern him. Brood warriors were bred with a singular purpose: to defend the hive and engage potential threats. More than once Shepard had found himself wondering if he had always been meant to become a soldier, but for the likes of Fury and Twilight it had never been a question. They were truly born to it.

"Shepard, I have an additional inquiry not related to rachni socio-political norms."

"Okay?" he prompted, casting a sidelong glance at the synthetic.

"I have been running numerous scenarios in my head attempting to analyze Jeff's behaviour over the past few months. I believe that he has formed an affectionate attachment to me but has not expressed this to any of the crew," the AI explained matter of factly. "You have verifiable firsthand sexual experience with both Liara T'Soni and Tali'Zorah. How does one know if someone is romantically invested?"

The bare gray metal of the lift's doors suddenly became fascinating as he stared straight ahead, mouth working soundlessly for a moment as his brain desperately attempted to catch up to the abrupt turn in the conversation.

"I... wait; what do you mean 'verifiable'?"

"Cerberus data would suggest previous sexual partners but only Tali'Zorah and Liara T'soni can be independently verified by observation, or in the case of Liara by reports from the original Normandy that Navigator Pressly filed. Also, you are avoiding the question."

"I'm not a great person to be asking for love advice, EDI," Shepard protested, rubbing the back of his neck.

"The concept of romance and sexuality is mostly restricted to organics. There are only two sapient organics in this elevator."

The rachni next to him shifted and seemed to be doing its best to look innocent. As innocent as a massive bug-like alien could.

We do not think it wise to offer mating advice to the cold-singer.

"Thanks, buddy," Shepard said dryly, trying to think of an appropriate response. "Look, EDI... with most species they just want to be around you. They spend time with you... with humans its traditional to ask people out on dates, give gifts..."

"I do not have a need for physical items beyond physical maintenance to the Normandy and this mobile platform. Would it be possible to engineer a scenario in which to trigger an emotional commitment from Jeff?"

EDI's comment was delivered in the same level and inquisitive tone as ever, causing the Spectre to quickly shake his head.

"Whoa, let's not go that far. You can't trick someone into loving you. It needs to happen naturally. Try visiting some place you might both enjoy while we're on the Citadel. Don't talk about work just... relax. And see what happens."

"You suggest a course of action with no predictable outcome?" the AI asked.

"If there is one thing I can tell you about love it's that no one ever found it by playing it safe. Play it safe for too long and you risk losing the chance of ever finding it."

"I see. A final question, then?"

"I don't think you can top the last one, EDI, but go ahead," he said with a faint chuckle.

"You do not show signs of any concern with a relationship between a synthetic intelligence and an organic such as Jeff. If my attempt at interaction were successful you would find such an outcome acceptable?"

Shepard gave an abrupt laugh and shook his head.

"My best friend has mandibles and talons, the woman I love doesn't even share the same kind of amino acids I do... and I'm currently riding an elevator peacefully with an unshackled AI and a quarter ton biotic, psychic insect. So yes, I would find it acceptable as long as it made you and Joker happy."

"Thank you, Shepard."

Sings-of-Endings?

"Hm?"

We have searched the memory-song of the queens.

"Did you find something relevant to this conversation?" he asked in surprise.

Yes. We have determined that we are not insects.

"I was making a generalization, Fury. I'm pretty sure most the species in the galaxy don't really fit into humanity's original classification of biological life."

This is true. We wished to clarify as we understand that insects are undesirable creatures. They are singers of 'pest songs'. We are not pests.

"Don't worry. No one is going to mistake you for a pest."

The elevator hummed along for the remainder of the ride in silence. It gave him time to think about just how bizarre his life had become when beyond the initial surprise the idea of an AI trying to start a relationship with a human was par for the course. And he wouldn't have had it unfold any other way.


"This is the thanks I get for sneaking you food?"

Kasumi slowly backed out of the storage room that she'd been lurking in as a dozen small rachni workers ran about the place. For the past few hours the workers had seemed to appear in whatever part of the ship she was hiding out in and immediately decided that location was the newest location in need of maintenance. Lights were disabled, environmental controls changed, and despite it all EDI never reported any issues when the thief inquired. One of the swarm paused and reared up on its hind legs, waving its feelers as if in response to her question.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourselves?" she demanded from her position in the hall.

The rachni's feelers twitched once more in her direction. And then the door closed in her face. Kasumi was getting the feeling that she was being herded by a pack of small creatures that were supposedly not even supposed to be above animal intelligence. She sighed and shook her head.

"Fine, you win."

It seemed her plan of hiding in an unused corner of the ship until everyone, or at least Garrus, forgot she existed wasn't going to work. She had spent the last few days skillfully avoiding being on the same deck as the turian and doing her best to avoid thinking about her impulsive actions aboard the Rayya. The former had been rather successful. The latter less so.

She knew that Garrus was presently performing maintenance on the Normandy's main guns which meant going up wasn't an option. Instead she ventured down, entering main engineering and tip toeing down the steps to the maintenance tunnels beneath the deck where she suspected Tali was working. She heard the engineer before she saw her.

"No no, you little bosh'tets! The coil spanner not the flux coupler!"

A loud chittering echoed in the confined space and Kasumi could swear she felt a wave of exasperation roll across the room.

"Do not back talk me! There, yes, that one... bring it over here."

Kasumi failed to suppress a giggle at the sight that greeted her when she rounded the corner. A pair of rachni workers were dragging a tool across the floor with surprising efficiency towards an outstretched quarian hand. Tali was on her back half buried in an access panel. The engineer jerked in surprise at the sound of her giggle and uttered another untranslatable curse when her helmet thumped against the top of the conduit.

"I thought you didn't like them?" the thief asked mischievously as Tali extracted herself from the panel.

"Shepard forced me to pay attention to them and after a little while I realized they really don't look that much like spiders. And they kept bringing me things... it's like they wanted me to like them. I started to feel bad," she explained with a shrug.

"And because you felt bad you berate them while they try to help you make repairs?"

"No, I berated them because they brought me the wrong tool," Tali corrected, lifting up the item that the rachni had brought and then grabbing another nearby before waving them in the direction of the two workers. "This is a coil spanner. This is a flux coupler. Got it?"

Kasumi watched in bemusement as the pair of small creature adopted a pose much like the one that had kicked her out of her hiding space. After a moment of twitching feelers and faint chittering they quieted and Kasumi simply felt... understanding radiating from them.

"Okay, that is really weird. How do they understand any of that? Aren't they supposed to be like... the rachni equivalent of dogs?"

Tali shrugged.

"I don't think they're dumb, just... simple. They only seem to care about whatever task they're working on at the time."

The engineer had shifted so that she was sitting with her back against the bulkhead while Kasumi took up a perch on the workbench nearby. Without further guidance the rachni workers had ceased moving tools and had apparently defaulted to clean up, collecting small pieces of insulation and other detritus into a neat pile. The two women watched in silence for a few minutes before Tali finally spoke.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up again. I was starting to think that you'd been left behind on that ice planet."

"Nope, not left behind. I don't much like the cold," she said. "I just... had some things to think about."

Tali cocked her head.

"What sort of things?"

The tone of the quarian's voice was entirely too innocent and Kasumi was immediately suspicious as to the extent of Tali's knowledge of what occurred on the Rayya. It wasn't as if she could extract that information without giving away more than she wanted, though, so she quickly pushed it aside for another question that had been bothering her.

"What do you think you'll do after this is all over?"

"Assuming we win?" Tali asked dourly.

"Of course."

"I... guess I haven't really thought about it. All I wanted to be as a child was the chief engineer of a starship. That one came true at least. Why?"

Kasumi sighed.

"Because I don't know either. After being on the Normandy I don't know if I can go back to being just a thief. Don't get me wrong, I love the thrill of it but... how do I go back to stealing art for rich people after fighting a war? That's assuming there's even going to be art to steal and rich people to sell it to..."

"Does it really matter? I just want this war to be over," the quarian replied with a shrug. "I'm tired of always being scared."

"Scared? You're Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. I bet they're making action figures of you on the Flotilla as we speak," Kasumi teased gently.

"Keelah... I hope not. That would be a terrible waste of resources."

"Maybe not. People need heroes. Even quarians."

Silence fell as the engineer contemplated her words. The pair of workers had completed their tidying up and were already moving onto the next task, disappearing into the bowels of the ship to answer some call only they could hear.

"What about thieves?"

She gave Tali a puzzled look.

"What about them?"

"You said people need heroes. What kind of person does a thief call a hero?"

Kasumi let her feet dangle for a moment as she thought.

"Well, there is one guy. A turian named Rolan... he's everything that the holovids want a thief and a conman to be. Charming, intelligent, mysterious. The things he does should never work but somehow they do, and to top it all off he doesn't seem to care about the money. He actually spent two years impersonating the CEO of Delumcore Systems... and didn't take a single credit. In fact he made them more profitable than ever and quadrupled their charitable contributions."

"He sounds impressive," Tali agreed.

"A real smooth talker, completely unflappable. I'd say he was too good to be true if I hadn't actually met him once. He got the drop on me when I was lifting an Asari burial urn from an exhibit on the Citadel," she admitted. "He could have killed me or alerted C-Sec. I would have never made it out. But he didn't. We spent twenty minutes talking about asari sculpture and art then he grabbed another piece that he said belonged to a family on Ilium... and I never saw him again."

The quarian made a contemplative humming sound and sat back against the bulkhead, watching her through half-lidded silvery eyes. Kasumi crossed her arms and stared back defiantly.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Don't 'nothing' me, Fishbowl. I know that smug look."

"You can't even see my face, how can you know any 'look' I have?"

She gestured towards her face.

"They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. Now what are you thinking?"

"Fine. I was just thinking it sounds like you know what you want to do. You want to be like this Rolan person. Putting some people in their place and helping other people," Tali said at last.

"Maybe I've just gotten used to the idea of always having other people around. I don't want to lose that."

Tali shook her head.

"If Shepard has taught me anything it's that nothing is really lost until you give up fighting for it. Sometimes it's just harder than others."

The thief didn't have a response. She just sat on the workbench and enjoyed the moment of relative peace with a friend. Maybe Kasumi still didn't know what to do with her life... but she at least knew that there was something there that had more value than a trinket or painting. And worth any effort to keep.


"I need security down here now!" Shepard roared into his comms.

Fire raked across the console he was using for cover, sending a shower of sparks cascading off his helmet. He was glad that he'd decided to wear his armor. Some might accuse him of paranoia but as the old saying went: it wasn't paranoia if they really were out to get you. The Spectre stood from behind his cover and snapped off two shots that took one of their assailants in the chest. No telltale flash of failing barriers and the following spray of arterial blood told him that his opponents were armed well, but completely without armor.

"EDI, status!"

"C-Sec first responders are four minutes away. I have contacted the Normandy. Garrus has stated that he will be here in three minutes."

"Too long. We need to breach that room now."

"With only sidearms and no knowledge of the enemy force composition we are at a tactical disadvantage," the AI cautioned.

Shepard concentrated and he felt power crackle along his arm a split second before the azure blade sheathed his fist in azure energy.

"They might have bigger guns, but we've got armor and surprise. They weren't expecting resistance judging from the way they didn't secure their exit point. Fury, are you ready?"

We are ready! the rachni assured him, its song awash in fiery red and orange.

"Then let's move. EDI, covering fire!"

The synthetic rose from her own cover and laid down a steady stream of automatic fire from her submachine gun, shattering windows and clipping one of their assailants in the shoulder. As soon as their enemies' attention shifted towards this new threat both Spectre and brood warrior burst from cover. Shepard's bound was fueled by biotic energy as much as his own muscles and cybernetics while the rachni moved with frightening speed on his four clawed feet.

Shepard threw himself through the opening left by the now shattered window, tucking into the fall and rolling to his feet on the other side. A pair of shots dropped the nearest enemy, a human man in civilian clothing holding an Avenger assault rifle. Three men on the other side of the doorway turned to line up their rifles in his direction but found their shot blocked when Sings-Fury's bulky form appeared in the way.

Assault rifles roared to life, followed by screams as the rounds impacted futily against the powerful biotic barrier the rachni had wrapped himself in. The pedipalps that Shepard thought of as Fury's 'hands' lashed out and revealed themselves to be the brutally effective weapons they were, driving claws straight through the nearest man's midsection. Another was sent hurtling into the wall by a biotic shove while the third lasted only a few seconds longer.

Rounds slammed into his own kinetic barriers, a few slipping through to bite into his armor. He spun on his heel and emptied the remainder of his magazine into the most exposed of the men while running straight for the overturned medical bed that the last was using for cover. The Spectre's HUD flashed with warnings as two more rounds embedded themselves in the armor along his ribs.

He vaulted the cover and drove his knee into the man's face with a sickening crack. His opponent was made of harder stuff than expected, however, and tried to bring the rifle to bear once more even as blood ran down his chin from a shatter nose. Shepard slapped the weapon aside with one hand and drove forward with the other, the biotic blade sinking to the knuckles in the man's chest.

The rifle fell to the ground, clattering loudly in the sudden silence. He turned back, finding EDI covering the doorway that led to Bryson's main lab and Sings-Fury right behind her. After taking up position at the door they breached the room on a quick three count, scanning for any other enemies.

"No hostiles detected," EDI said after a few seconds.

We sense no songs of red and black Fury agreed. There is a song close, it is cold and fading. Its melody will be lost soon.

Advancing into the next room they found a man slumped in a large chair behind a desk, one hand clutched against his chest. Dark blood stained his clothes and the floor beneath. He was middle-aged and wearing the standard uniform of an Alliance researcher. Nearby another, younger man was laying on his back staring lifelessly at the ceiling in a large pool of blood. He'd been shot at least a dozen times.

The room itself was a mess. It looked as if the men outside had simply opened fire on the room as a whole. Computer terminals were sparking and ruined; the walls were pockmarked with bullet holes. A pistol lay on the floor a few feet away from the corpse of the younger researcher.

"Doctor Bryson?" Shepard asked, kneeling next to the man in the chair and activating his comm. "C-Sec, I need a trauma team to my location! I have multiple casualties, gunshot wounds."

"Y-yes..." he gasped weakly.

"I'm Commander Shepard. Help is on the way. You've got to hold on."

The older man shook his head.

"My... daughter. Have to-"

He coughed, blood running down his lips as he tried to speak.

"We'll find her soon, Doctor. Just stay still."

Shepard moved to support him but the dying man reached up with surprising strength to grip the neck of his armor. Another wet cough wracked Bryson's body.

"No! Have... have to..." Bryson stammered, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "Have to tell her..."

Bryson's eyelids fluttered and Shepard could feel the shudder that ran through the older man's body. The Spectre had seen enough men die to know that any promises of help were likely empty ones. It was a feat of will that he was even conscious.

"Tell her what, Doctor?"

He expected words of regret or love. A final goodbye to be relayed to next of kin. It was a burden he had carried before and delivered as promised, both for soldiers under his command and others who had only had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But Doctor Bryson's last words were not words of comfort. His grip on Shepard's armor was fierce and his eyes wide.

"The darkness must not be breached!"


Well, I'm still here! I can't promise the hastiest updates unfortunately. Sometimes life sucks. But I'm certainly not done, so thanks for everyone's patience.

In the realm of good news one of my readers, Nitewind, has apparently created a TV Tropes page for the Razor's Edge series! Thanks Nitewind. You can find the link here: tvtropes DOT org SLASH pmwiki SLASH pmwiki DOT php SLASH FanFic SLASH RazorsEdge (wow that is an annoying way to write a URL. I'll put the link on my profile so you all can use the internet like normal people).

For everyone that's been asking, yes, all of the DLCs will be touched on to varying degrees. Some only very lightly, others will see heavier use. But will any of them match up exactly to the game canon? No.

Thanks as always for reading and reviewing!