Chapter 27: History

Garrus stood in the middle of the ruined lab surveying the damage with a practiced eye.

"This is one hell of a mess."

"Your knack for understatement continues to impress," Shepard replied, rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration.

Two hours after the brief, frantic battle and the bodies were gone, if not the stains left behind by their blood. C-Sec had the block cordoned off and SRT officers were posted at every possible entrance to avoid unauthorized entry. Full combat armor and Argus assault rifles were the dress of the day rather than the blue fatigues that the average Citadel resident was used to seeing.

"I do not understand the need for my presence," Javik complained. "In my cycle such a breach of security would not have been possible. All such projects were heavily guarded. I am a soldier, not an investigator."

The prothean looked none too happy to have been drawn into another squabble between 'primitives' but Shepard was not about to let him off the hook. At least Vega, who had accompanied the ancient warrior at Shepard's request, was just looking quietly bored. As soon as the attack had ended the Spectre had sent orders that crew were to stay on guard and not to leave the ship alone.

"You're here because whatever this Leviathan is, I strongly suspect it's not something that just appeared in the last fifty thousand years. With Dr. Bryson dead and the damage to his systems... I want to make sure we don't miss anything. You might notice something we miss."

"I found one thing you missed already," Garrus interjected. "Compare Bryson's body to the rest of the room."

He gave the now empty chair a pointed look.

"You mean the body that's on its way to the morgue as we speak?"

The turian made an exasperated sound and reached into one of the sealed compartments on his armor. His hand emerged and tossed a small device at Shepard who snatched it out of the air. It immediately unfolded in his hands, taking the form of a slim eye piece.

"You have to be kidding me. You carry a spare?"

"I've been waiting for you to finally accept my superior fashion sense without luck," Garrus said and tapped the frame of the device over his own eye. "Put it on."

He gave his friend a skeptical look but finally acquiesced. The device whirred faintly as it adjusted to his head. As soon as the display activated, however, he found himself looking at an entirely different world. Data rushed in all at once.

When he looked at the desk where Bryson had died a holographic image appeared in the same position the body had been laying when C-Sec had arrived on the scene. Small notations trailed along the side of his vision: cause of death, the victim's age, vital statistics, and more. Scanning the rest of the room he could see each bullet hole glowing faintly and another holographic representation of where Bryson's research assistant had fallen.

The dimensions of the room danced at the corner of his eye while another datafeed highlighted the doorway across the lab, flagging it as under security lock down. Thorough to a fault, the program also listed off the door's specifications from its overall thickness to a military grade locking mechanism when he focused on it for a few seconds.

"You've had this for three years and you just now mention it?" Shepard countered, continuing to look around the room.

"Exactly how many crime scene investigations have we done in that time? Oh, that's right! It's usually other people following after us and wondering what the hell happened."

"Point taken. So what am I looking at?"

Garrus crossed over to the doctor's desk and tapped one talon on the glass surface.

"Look at how Bryson died: single gunshot wound to the chest. His desk is undamaged, terminal looks intact. His assistant? Took at least a dozen rounds. They opened up on the rest of this room and emptied their magazines... but they spared Bryson and his terminal, not even bothering to double tap him on the way out?"

"They could have been planning to finish the job when we arrived. These guys weren't prepared for actual resistance," he suggested. "No body armor, not even civilian level kinetic barriers."

"It doesn't make sense. If you're going to spray a room with an automatic weapon you don't do it in neat little sections. Not unless we're dealing with a squad of obsessive compulsive terrorists."

"So what's your theory then?"

"The doctor was killed by his assistant," Javik interjected before Garrus could reply.

The Spectre arched an eyebrow behind his loaned visor. "You're going to have to explain that one."

"Your primitive weapons leave behind a residue of the projectiles that they fire. The scent of the metal is distinct. I detected it on the man's body before your medical response teams removed the body."

"And you said you weren't an investigator," Garrus chuckled.

"I am not. I merely forget the limitations that your species operate under."

"I'm assuming you've already accounted for the fact that the assistant could have been trying to defend himself?" Shepard asked.

Garrus crouched next to the holographic outline of the fallen man and gestured at various points on the 'body'.

"All the rounds caught this kid in the back. He never got a chance to face his attackers, much less take a shot at them."

"This is making less sense by the minute," Shepard sighed. "A bunch of unidentified men with automatic weapons storm a lab no one should even know about in the first place. But they get here after someone has already shot the lead researcher?"

Neither of his alien companions had an answer for that particular question. Garrus' program continued to provide a wealth of information but none of it helped explain the bizarre situation. He was about to suggest they head back to the Normandy when the sealed double doors across the room suddenly opened with a hiss and EDI's silvery figure stepped out.

"My attempt to access the research lab was obviously successful. While the security hardlocks had been engaged for the doors the designers were clearly unable to modify the keeper access tunnels in such a way to prevent entry, instead relying on alarm systems and the difficulty of navigating them."

"Nice work, EDI. What have we got?" Shepard asked.

"An... interesting collection of research and artifacts. I am already attempting to decrypt the research terminals within but the late Doctor Bryson used impressive encryption protocols."

"A problem?"

"Of course not, Shepard. I was merely impressed. Most organics are not capable of designing encryption that will cause me significant delay. I will have access within the next two minutes," the AI assured him before turning to re-enter the research lab.

A smirk tugged at his lips as he followed, resisting the urge to ask the synthetic if that was a hint of pride that he'd detected. EDI hadn't been quite as stoic as Legion in refusing to acknowledge that synthetics could indeed evolve emotional responses but it seemed that those responses were becoming a little more noticeable every day.

His musing on synthetic emotional development ended the moment he stepped inside Bryson's secured lab. There were samples everywhere ranging from stone pillars to even a few plants and fossils. But one stood out amongst all the others: a curved shaft of metal with seams that were far too perfect to have come from nature or even the finest manufactures in the universe. Just looking at made his skin crawl.

"Is that a piece of fucking Sovereign?" Garrus snapped, hand automatically dropping to rest on the gun at his hip.

Shepard couldn't fault his friend's reaction, his own hand was wrapped around his gun with an iron grip, but EDI turned to face the irate turian calmly.

"An accurate observation. I detect elevated stress tones, Garrus. If you are worried about the possibilities of indoctrination..."

"You're damn right I'm worried about it. No wonder his assistant turned on him! We need to lock this place down now."

"Your caution is to be applauded... but I do not feel the same power from this fragment as I have from other remnants of the Reapers," Javik said, taking step closer to the chunk of metal. "I remember so long ago... a feeling like oil sliding over one's thoughts when in close proximity to Reaper technology. That feeling is absent here."

"Javik is correct," EDI assured them. "Doctor Bryson had the shard locked in a stasis field and I have already found regular documentation of mental evaluations for all those authorized to work on Task Force Aurora. No evidence of indoctrination can be found."

"Alright... stand down, Garrus. Maybe for once the scientists researching the horrific technology actually took appropriate precautions," Shepard agreed reluctantly.

His initial instinct had been to agree with his turian friend, but once his heart rate had slowed the Spectre found himself agreeing with Javik. No one was better qualified on the subject of indoctrination than he was at this point and the broken piece of Sovereign didn't instill any feelings beyond the immediate fight or flight reaction of an adrenaline surge. There was no sudden buzzing in his head or whispers just out of earshot. Just the steady hum of the bluish field surrounding the hunk of metal.

"Loco! You gotta check this out! This doc had some fucked up shit hanging around!"

Vega had apparently already made a loop around the larger laboratory while the rest of their attentions had been arrested by the fragment of the first Reaper that they had ever encountered. When he looked at what the soldier was carrying, however, he didn't feel much better.

"That is... just... not right," Garrus muttered.

The large human was holding a metal cylinder, atop that cylinder was a head. Namely the head of a husk. That alone would have classified it as a morbid object of study at best; a sick trophy at worst. But this head wasn't a taxidermied specimen. No, it was moving. Glowing eyes looked around the room while its mouth opened and closed in a voiceless scream.

"I have seen worlds burn and millions die," Javik said, eyeing the bizarre thing. "But I still find myself mildly disturbed."

EDI opened one of the terminals nearby to display an image of the device alongside a diagram of the brain and numerous other chunks of data that were far more complicated than anything he was qualified to deal with.

"It appears that Doctor Bryson was attempting to study neural patterns of husked individuals. His methods do seem rather extreme, however, and are far outside of ethical norms for Alliance researchers."

"Huh, I just thought it was weird as hell," James said with a shrug, sitting the head down on the counter. "Would make one hell of a conversation piece."

"Vega, if that thing shows up anywhere on my ship I swear to god that you'll be following it out the airlock," Shepard ordered bluntly. "Naked."

"But-"

"Air. Lock."

The younger soldier wisely decided not to press the issue. Ignoring the macabre display of the husk's disembodied head Shepard took note of the various other items that made up Bryson's collection of artifacts. Against one wall he immediately saw something familiar. A statue just like the ones they had seen on Ilos.

"I remember these... we thought they were what protheans looked like," Shepard commented, stepping closer to the stone figure.

"They were called the inusannon," Javik supplied. "Just as you assumed that my people created the mass relays and built your civilization from the ruins of ours, so did we make the same assumption of the inusannon. The cycle of extinction changed little."

"Did you know anything else about them?"

"No, few records were ever found. Only their statues provided an indication of their physical appearance and no records of their cultural or history were translated. A legacy that would still appear to be more than that left by my own people."

"Maybe not. You're still here... and the only reason any of us are here is because of the sacrifice of the Ilos researchers," Shepard said. "I've never seen an inusannon walking around. When we win this war you'll be damned sure history will remember the protheans."

Four golden eyes glanced in his direction.

"You assume we will win."

The Spectre shook his head.

"We don't have any other option. Now let's see if we can figure out what the hell happened here."


Two monitors worth of data all told Shepard the same story. There weren't enough soldiers, ships, or weapons to fight the war that they needed to be fighting. It had been nearly twelve hours since EDI had begun work on Bryson's database but so far she had made no significant breakthroughs and the steady stream of information granted to him by his new position was no more promising.

Reports from Omega were that Cerberus' occupation force had been surprisingly quiet but any ships attempting to approach or leave the station had been destroyed quickly. With no communications getting out and no ships breaking the blockade the Alliance had no real data on Omega's current situation. With no information and the heavily upgraded defensive emplacements any attempt to storm the massive station would result in massive casualties. Casualties they couldn't absorb.

Shepard sighed and dropped his head into his hands, rubbing his eyes slowly. He knew what they needed to do if they were going to have a real chance at winning the war. Retake Omega. Find Leviathan. Figure out the Crucible and how to use it against the Reapers. The Spectre just didn't know precisely how to accomplish it. He was used to having a clear cut mission. Get in, get it done, get out.

"Keelah, you're like an esoc with a rock-oyster!"

He looked up and blinked, finding Tali staring down at him with her hands on her hips.

"You explained the eh-sock thing once and I'm just going to assume that a rock-oyster is just what it says on the tin?"

"Oh no you don't," Tali chastised, grabbing one of his hands and pulling him to his feet. "You're not using the 'distract the quarian girl by getting her to talk about her people' tactic this time."

As tired as he was he couldn't help but grin.

"It usually works. And just 'quarian girl'? Does it work on every female of your species?"

"You'd better not be finding out!"

"No need to try. I found the only one I need," the Spectre replied and squeezed the hand on his forearm. "But I need to figure this out, Tali. If I make the wrong decision on this... thousands could pay the price."

Tali shook her head pulled him steadily farther away from the terminal at his desk.

"What you need is rest. The Normandy's basic maintenance will be completed tomorrow afternoon; she's going to need an extensive overhaul sometime soon but the ship will be combat ready at least," she explained firmly. "Which means you still have at least fourteen hours to figure out a plan... after EDI provides you with more data, not just the same old stuff you've been staring at for three hours."

"Three..." he mumbled, finally noticing the time. "I didn't even realize."

"I figured that out by the fact that you've tried to drink from the same empty coffee cup at least twice in the last half hour. Now. Sit!"

He had been skillfully maneuvered into position in front of his couch and Tali added to her command by giving him a forceful shove that planted the much larger human firmly on his rear. The quarian followed him down, straddling his hips to prevent any attempt at escape. Or at least any desire to escape as he felt her weight settle across his lap.

"When did you get so bossy?"

"Around the time that a certain human started neglecting his health and sanity again because he can't let go for a few hours."

Shepard rested his hands on her thighs and smiled tiredly.

"I'm sorry, I just-"

She stopped his protest by place a finger against his lips and reaching up with her other hand to her face mask. A familiar hiss echoed in the suddenly quiet cabin. Tali set the mask aside and looked at him with smile that mirrored his own. Some part of him knew that, if every ounce of luck in the universe was with him, he would eventually get used to seeing Tali's face. But for now it still gave him a small rush every time she removed the visor.

"I know," Tali said, her voice now clear and unfiltered by her suit. "Your 'white-knight' complex that Miranda always talked about... and one of the reasons I fell in love with you in the first place."

Before he could say anything the quarian traced her fingers along his chin and continued.

"But now I understand why she thought it was a liability. You climbed out of a hole on Utukku... came back to the Citadel and fought Cerberus. Barely a week later and we were fighting for our lives on Rannoch. Now I see you pouring over files and casualty reports every night."

"I'm the 'Praetor', it's my job."

"And no matter what you think... you're still human," she countered.

"So are all the people dying out there. And asari, turians, salarians..."

Tali's hands dropped to his chest, balling up his shirt in her fists. She fixed him with a hard stare, betrayed only by the faint shimmer that would normally have been hidden behind her visor.

"I won't... can't... watch you slip away again, John. I know everyone in the galaxy needs you, but I don't want there to be nothing left of you when it's over."

His objections slipped away at the look of pain that crossed her face. Shepard lifted his hands up cup the young engineer's face, feeling the softness of her skin and marveling at the contrast of his weathered hands against the cool gray of Tali's complexion.

"I'm not going anywhere," he promised.

He pulled her face down to his for a kiss, one that quickly changed from tender to urgent. The quarian's grip on his shirt tightened even further and she pressed herself against him almost desperately. After a few long minutes Shepard finally pulled away, both of them breathing heavily. Tali's lips were still parted slightly exposing her small, pointed set of double canines.

"What's wrong?"

Tali shook her head.

"Nothing. I was talking to Kasumi earlier and it reminded me how much time we've lost... the scars we've collected along the way. And suddenly I just thought of it happening again and I couldn't stand it."

"It won't happen again," Shepard reassured her. "I'm not being tormented by the Reapers. Or afraid that I'm going to ruin your life by telling you how I feel. Or locked up in an Alliance detention facility. Or any of the other stupid reasons that kept us apart."

"I'm still going to worry."

"I know. One of those reasons I fell in love with you."

He smirked and pulled her head down for another quick kiss.

"Tali, I'm always going to have... problems. The things I've done just to make it here... they're never going to go away. They shouldn't; too much blood and pain came from them. But I've at least learned that I can't keep everyone out. Especially not you."

"Good," Tali said, resting her forehead against his. "I told you I wasn't going to let you take responsibility for the entire war and I meant it."

At some point when he hadn't been paying attention to such minor details Tali had managed to remove her gloves, a fact he discovered when she caressed his cheek again, this time with her bare hand. Shepard reached up and wrapped it in his own five fingered grip.

"Aren't you worried about a reaction?"

"Mmm? Oh, no... didn't you notice that I didn't have any adverse effects after we kissed on Rannoch?"

"I was kind of distracted," he replied.

"I'm sure you remember the week on Ilium..."

His grin widened.

"Definitely. Probably one of the happiest weeks of my life and not just because I discovered your love of showers."

"Well, it goes along with what started all this," Tali said, her skin flushed. "Usually couples on the Fleet link suit environments to adapt before entering a clean room together. That week was, ah... very good for my immune system. It's adapted to you now. No more reactions."

"So you're telling me no more drugs or horrible sickness just to be able to be with you like this?"

The quarian reached up and released the clasp that secured the armor around her neck. That piece of her suit joined her gloves and mask next to them on the couch. He couldn't help but notice that most of the other accessories that usually adorned her suit were already absent, piled neatly on his coffee table.

"That's exactly what I'm telling you."

"That might be the best news I've gotten all week."

Tali leaned closer now, brushing her cheek against his to whisper in his ear with a voice that was almost a purr.

"Then maybe we should continue this conversation somewhere else?"

In one smooth motion Shepard stood, pushing off of the couch with one hand while the other slipped under the quarian's thighs to lift her with him. The precaution was unnecessary if the way her legs immediately locked around him was any indication, but he wasn't about to risk dropping her now. Shepard smirked as he deposited her on her back in the bed.

"Is this what you had in mind?"

The fervent kiss that she pressed to his lips gave him all the answer he needed. The war could wait for a little while.


A dozen sets of eyes watched Shepard intently. Multiple sets like the shimmering azure of the rachni or Javik's amber quartet, far more human browns and blues, or even the faint glow of EDI's synthetic equivalents. His team of misfits and oddities. It just made what he had to do all the more difficult.

"Good morning, people. I hope you've enjoyed the brief respite because we've got work to do. As you all know by now the contact for our next mission was killed yesterday. The good news is that EDI was able to recover a significant amount of Bryson's data."

Numerous heads bobbed in acknowledgement along with a few uttered curses. He could almost read the mind of the sentients standing around the war room.

"The doctor's research was extensive," the AI explained. "Many of his hypotheses are groundbreaking, including data that suggests that rachni evolution was influenced by an outside source approximately one hundred and fifty thousand years ago specifically to create a species that would not fall along the path that the Reapers expected of organic life."

Our evolution was not natural? Fury sang to the room, the words echoing audibly as well thanks to the rachni's communications device.

"I've reviewed the data. It's not conclusive but there's a strong argument based on the trends that the doctor observed," Liara replied. "For example..."

Shepard raised a hand, forestall a detailed scientific explanation.

"Right now it's not extremely relevant. Rachni evolution is an academic topic we can save for later. The problem is that despite all this data none of it pinpoints the location of Leviathan... every trail goes cold. Whatever this thing is it's surprisingly good at covering its tracks and it's getting harder to find the longer this war goes on."

"So why don't we just run it to ground?" Vega suggested.

"Not that simple, Lieutenant. We still don't even know what Leviathan is, much less where it's hiding. This isn't some wild animal that we're trying to corner. It's something old, powerful, and very interested in staying hidden in the middle of a war. Which brings me to our next issue."

A floating image of Omega appeared on the war room's holo display.

"A plan, a somewhat crazy plan, was proposed at the last meeting of the Alliance's military leaders..."

"You mean crazier than forming a multi-species System's Alliance, appointing you Praetor, and yanking the political rug out from under the Council?" Garrus asked with false innocence.

A chorus of chuckles came from around the room and Shepard could only join them. He was still surprised that he himself hadn't broken down laughing hysterically after that last meeting.

"Yes, crazier than that," he agreed. "We need a stronghold that the Reapers can't smash whenever the whim strikes them. For now we've managed because the truth of the matter is the Reapers just don't seem to care. Our resistance has annoyed them, but they've had no reason to deviate from business as usual. Even if we throw our entire fleet at them... chances are we'd lose."

The Spectre let that thought sink in for a moment. It was a harsh truth, but one they all needed to face. Even with the rachni and geth backing them they had barely sixty operational dreadnoughts. Assuming they were able to bring the asari and salarian governments into the Alliance officially that number might swell into the seventies. If they threw everything they had into the combined Reaper fleet it would be a battle on the scale that galaxy likely had never seen.

Short of a miracle, however, when the dust cleared it would be the Reapers that would emerge victorious. Their vessels were too powerful and too numerous. He had no doubt that their fury would leave the Reapers suffering far more than any cycle before or since... but that is all it would be, a defiant last stand. A final cry of rage against the dying of the light. A hope that when the next cycle came the scars that their enemies bore would give those that came later a chance to end things once and for all.

"I'm not about to throw in the towel just yet," Joker said. "So what's the plan?"

"Simple. The Reapers have endless waves of dreadnoughts and cruisers. We make a rock for those waves to break on," he replied and tapped his omni-tool.

The hologram began to move, showing numerous ships physically towing the massive space station through the Omega relay. Once on the other side the playback continued. Omega was settled into a position similar to where the Collector base had once hung ominously within the debris field. Ships filled the space around it, all aligned with the relay. A digital Reaper appeared through the relay... and all the holographic ships opened fire.

"Well... that's definitely a little crazy," Garrus muttered.

"A little? That's certifiably insane!" Miranda objected. "Ignoring the fact that Cerberus is currently in control of Omega..., you are talking about dragging a prothean space station, billions of metric tons in mass, through a relay to the galactic core!"

"Exactly. The Reapers won't ever expect it and once we establish a foothold on the other side we'll have the one place in the entire galaxy that we'll have an advantage. The risk is enormous but it's one we have to take."

"Your species will not survive through caution," Javik agreed. "And should you fall, then at least many Reaper corpses will be added to the debris field as a reminder that they are not invincible."

Joker snorted.

"Uplifting as always, Prothey."

The Spectre held up a hand and motioned for quiet. With another tap of his omni-tool the hologram of Omega and the galactic core froze.

"As if that wasn't enough securing Omega isn't our only problem. Our search for Leviathan can't wait."

"This thing has apparently been around for a few thousand years, don't think it's going anywhere now, Skipper," Ashley objected. "If you ask me having a defensible position sounds better than some mythical space monster that kills Reapers."

EDI stepped forward, standing with her hands at the small of her back with the kind of poise only a synthetic or socialite could have pulled off.

"Unfortunately we are not the only ones interested in Leviathan. Operative Lawson has helped to identify at least two of the dead men that attacked Bryson's lab as Cerberus agents."

"Great. I'm sure they just want to find it to hug it and kiss it and call it George," Kasumi sighed.

Numerous confused glances, alien and human, turned in the thief's direction but she merely rolled her eyes.

"Nevermind. I'm not explaining cartoons to an evolved velociraptor, two giant bugs, and the rest of you."

Shepard could only shake his head and continue.

"I don't think I need to explain that Cerberus locating Leviathan first cannot be allowed to happen. We have to track down every possible lead which includes locating the one person that can likely make sense of Doctor Bryson's research: his daughter. To put it simply I can't be in two places at once and as much as I hate to split up this team... we're running out of time."

Everyone in the room had gone still. There was a familiarity in their team, a sense of invincibility that even after all of their setbacks had never completely faded. The thought of breaking that up was likely as unsettling to everyone else as it had been to him.

"This isn't a decision I make lightly but there are two missions with two very different goals. I'll be taking the Normandy and going after Leviathan with a small team. The rest of you will be assigned to a turian frigate, the Natarius. I'm told it translates into 'unbreakable'."

The silence continued to linger until Garrus finally shifted in his seat and spoke up.

"Like it or not, it's the right decision. I take it I'll be commanding the mission to Omega?"

"No, you won't," Shepard corrected. "You've already shown that this work is going to require an investigator's eye. Miranda?"

The first time since he'd met the genetically engineered operative he saw Miranda Lawson actually start in surprise. She fixed him with something between a glare and an expression of shock.

"Are you certain, Shepard?"

"Completely. Cerberus currently controls Omega and this is an operation that's going to require the management of a staggering amount of resources. Of anyone on this crew you have the most experience running a large operation."

"So that just leaves the rest of us?" Vega asked.

Shepard nodded slowly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"With Miranda taking command of the Natarius she is going to need an XO. That's you, Vega."

"Que? I... but what about Williams? She's a fracking Spectre..." the marine stammered.

"Ash is going to be in charge of coordinating with Hackett to bring remaining elements of the First Fleet to bear against any mobile elements Cerberus has defending Omega. A position I'm sure she much prefers."

An emphatic nod from Ashley proved his assumption right. Technically Miranda would still be in charge of the operation but not having to work quite so closely with the former Cerberus operative would keep friction to a minimum. Beyond that he simply had to trust in the pair's professionalism. Vega, however, didn't look reassured.

"I'm just not sure, loco, I mean-"

He cut the younger man off, trying to keep his reasoning as generic as possible out of respect in light the numerous people in the war room.

"I'm fully aware of all the details of your last mission, Vega. One of the few benefits to being promoted with this ridiculous title. However you feel about the decision you made... you did what had to be done. You might have to again. And I have the confidence that you are the man that will make the right decision when the time comes. Which is why you will be taking the position as Miranda's executive officer on this mission, is that clear?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Good," he continued. "Javik, Liara? You'll also be accompanying Miranda. If you have to storm Omega by force you're going to need all the powerful biotics you can get. Sings-Fury will be joining you, while Sings-Twilight will stay with the Normandy. With luck the rachni queens will be able to keep us in contact better than any comm system."

We will fight for Defiant-Singer! The reddish-hued brood warrior sang enthusiastically.

"Well, you've got the rachni's vote... and really what more do you need?" Garrus quipped.

"You haven't mentioned me or Kasumi..." Tali trailed off.

"That's because you're coming with me," the Spectre said. "Can't let me chief engineer abandon her post and something tells me the galaxy's best, if not most famous, thief will be invaluable when hunting the galaxies most elusive myth. We'll be rendezvousing with the Natarius in eighteen hours; everyone clear?"

All those eyes looked back at him. Some worried, some not. But in each there was a certainty of purpose. The best of the best. The best he would ever serve with.

"Good. Then the only thing left to say is good luck, godspeed... and give'em hell."


An hour later Shepard found himself in the cargo hold making sure every piece of gear his people might need was ready for transfer to the Natarius. According to the information Victus had provided him the turian vessel was a near mirror to the Normandy herself. Where the original Normandy had been a joint turian-human venture that clearly leaned more towards its human roots the Natarius was the Hierarchy's interpretation on everything they had learned from the project. He could only hope it served Miranda as well as the Normandy he served him.

"Commander."

He turned to find the former Cerberus operative standing behind him as if summoned by his thoughts. As always she stood with her back straight and eyes forward, alert and on edge. Even in all the time they'd spent working together during the Collector mission Shepard would be hard pressed to say he had ever seen his executive officer relax.

"Everything in order, Miranda?"

"Yes. The... my ground team's gear has all be verified for transport and the last communication from the Natarius has them on schedule."

"Then why do I get the feeling you're about to say something else?" he said, turning from the various lockers of supplies and leaning back against them.

"Why me?" Miranda asked bluntly.

The Spectre crossed his arms and arched an eyebrow.

"You spent the first two months after we met impressing on me your abilities. I'd think the answer to that would be obvious."

A hint of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"Technically I wasn't boasting. I will admit to possibly being somewhat... overzealous," she said. "I'm fully aware of my abilities. False modesty is a useless character trait. But this mission, working with the Alliance? Commanding an entire strike force? This is exactly the sort of thing you've been grooming Garrus for."

"I did mention that I need Garrus to be a detective for once..."

"Please, you're taking the Normandy which means you'll have access to EDI's platform. Argue all you want for organic instinct over synthetic reason but we both know she is more than capable of performing any service Garrus can provide. He's a Spectre, ex-turian military, and your second in command. He should be the one leading this task force."

Shepard sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"So you think this is some kind of... consolation prize to you?"

"I don't know what to think. I respect you, but I know that you're much more kind-hearted than your reputation would suggest," the operative stated.

He snorted in amusement.

"It would probably be nicer if that was the case, Miranda. Despite all our differences since we met I do respect your abilities and I've learned a great deal about you. Your time with Cerberus meant you had to make a great deal of decisions that were harsh."

"We've had this discussion before," Miranda agreed. "Lives were lost. I felt that the ends justified the means... after learning to exactly what ends the Illusive Man was willing to go sometimes I do question those decisions."

"But you made them and I know you could make them again with the right justification. This mission... everything can go wrong, very easily. People can die. Not just a few soldiers or even friends, but thousands of people."

It was Miranda's turn to cross her arms, giving him a puzzled look.

"I am aware of the risks. You're usually much better at inspiring speeches then this, Shepard."

"Because this one isn't meant to be inspiring," he replied with a sad smile. "The reason I chose you is twofold... as much as I hate to break up this team I'm even more reluctant to send Garrus anywhere else. He and Tali are the ones that have been with me every step of the way since I first set foot on the Citadel."

"And the other reason?"

"The other reason is that of anyone on this crew you're the one person I know that will make the hard decision if it comes down to it. You can put aside the emotion, look at the big picture. Even if the big picture means that a lot of people die."

Miranda blinked. For a moment she seemed ready to respond only to pause and think of her answer before finally speaking.

"You chose me because I'm cold."

"Does that bother you?"

She shrugged.

"A year ago I would have complimented you on your rational decision. Now... maybe a little."

"That's what makes you perfect. A year ago I wouldn't have trusted you to make that call. I'd be worried that you'd be too willing to sacrifice lives in the name of expediency," Shepard explained. "My instincts told me that there was more inside you. Now? I know you'll still do what's necessary, but there's more there than just cold logic. Maybe that makes me crueler for putting you in that position."

"Or it means that you've changed as well," she suggested. "We all have in some manner. I have a sister now. Something I have you to thank for."

"Don't remind me. It's easier to put people in harm's way when you don't think about the families they're leaving behind. How is Orianna?"

A full smile appeared on the woman's face for the first time and she nodded.

"Safe, for now at least. I knew they wouldn't be safe after my... resignation from Cerberus and the Reaper attacks only drove that point home. I finally got them to the one place where Cerberus at least can't reach."

"The Illusive Man was rather proud of his 'long reach'. Where did you find this place?" Shepard asked dryly.

"Tuchanka."

Shepard stared at her, completely nonplussed.

"I... wait, Tuchanka? Planet full of giant thresher maws and krogan? Angry, often mercenary krogan?"

"Before now it would never have been an option," the operative replied. "But that was before it was Urdnot Wrex's Tuchanka. I will admit I abused my status as a member of the Normandy's crew but it didn't take nearly as much convincing as I expected once I explained the danger Orianna and her family were in. It seems their status as part of 'Clan Shepard' makes them virtually sacrosanct."

"You said 'Clan Shepard'..." he muttered.

Miranda seemed to be enjoying herself now, her smile turning wicked as the Spectre dropped his head into his hands with a sigh.

"I did, Commander. Your status has apparently earned an almost cult-like status among the krogan. Your crew are officially referred to as part of Clan Shepard. Apparently dependents of your crew fall under that same protection. It's all quite convenient really, Tuchanka isn't exactly paradise but Orianna is a smart enough young woman to know that safety is more important than comfort."

He shook his head.

"No good deed goes unpunished."

"Not even one. I thought you were an overconfident, self-righteous idealist when Project Lazarus began and even after you woke up."

"Depending on who you ask that's not entirely wrong," he said.

Omni-tools beeped, his showing Joker requesting his presence while hers seemed to indicate an update from the Natarius. She looked at him, the smile having faded and her expression serious once again when she spoke.

"As I already said, false modesty is a useless character flaw. Confidence is born from ability. Idealism from the will to make your beliefs into reality. You have the one thing I've given very few people in my life, Shepard: my respect."

The former Cerberus agent extended her hand and Shepard grasped it firmly, something flashing in the woman's eyes and her expression softening briefly.

"A man couldn't ask for more. Good luck, Miranda. I know that the next time we see each other you'll have proven my instincts have always been right."

"Thank you, Shepard. Good hunting."


Third watch had only just begun when Shepard returned to his quarters. Everyone's gear had been secured and the Natarius would be making the rendezvous in just under eight hours. He had said his personal goodbyes to most of the crew that would be transferring to the turian ship and despite his misgivings about the idea he felt at least a little more at peace with his decision.

"I was wondering if you were going to just wander around the ship until everyone left," Tali said as he stepped down into the living area.

The quarian was sitting on the couch with her legs tucked beneath her, datapad in hand containing yet another schematic far beyond his technical skills. He took a seat beside and slid an arm around her shoulders.

"I considered it, but I figured I'd let everyone get some sleep instead of trading stories," he replied with a smirk. "It's going to take some adapting for everyone."

Tali poked him in the ribs with the datapad.

"Yes, everyone."

"Are you implying something, Ms. Vas Normandy?"

"Splitting up the crew couldn't have been an easy decision."

"It wasn't," he admitted. "But it was a necessary one."

"As long as you don't obsess over it. Miranda will take care of them. That uptight bosh'tet might not be my favorite person, but she is nothing if not extremely competent."

Shepard chuckled.

"That might be the nicest thing I've ever heard you say about her."

This earned him another jab to the ribs before they both drifted into silence, Tali studying her datapad and Shepard merely thinking. His mind constantly wanted to dwell on what could happen, every worst case scenario or crisis that could spell doom for his friends and allies. Sometimes he wished he was half the unstoppable, unflappable Commander Shepard that people envisioned him as. Instead it was only his crew that ever saw the real him.

EDI's voice interrupted his musings.

"Shepard, Liara T'Soni is requesting permission to enter your quarters."

His eyebrows raised and he double checked the time.

"Let her in."

The asari entered, holding something under her arm, but stopped short as the threshold as she took in Shepard and the quarian sitting together on the couch.

"My apologies... I hope I'm not interrupting. I can come back-"

"The suit is still on, Liara, I don't think you're in danger of any interruptions," Tali teased.

Liara briefly flushed a darker blue and shook her head, stepping further into the room and placing the small gray box on his coffee table.

"Ah, yes. I'm just going to leave that alone. Actually it's probably good that you're here, Tali. There is something I wanted to discuss with Shepard but your input could be invaluable."

He looked down at the device the scientist had set down but couldn't discern its purpose.

"I'll bite," Shepard said. "What is it?"

"A project that I've been working on for some time. A record or a time capsule, if you will. All our combined knowledge of the Reapers, the mass relays, species of our cycle and those that came before us," Liara explained. "Vigil on Ilos was our first chance to learn the truth about what was coming. If we fail... I want the next cycle to have a better chance."

"I thought the plan was to not lose in the first place," Tali suggested drolly.

Liara frowned.

"Before I became an information broker I was an archaeologist. I learned that no civilization plans to fall but all eventually do. I'd rather plan for the worst than let everything we accomplished be forgotten."

"It's a good plan," Shepard agreed, squeezing Tali's shoulders. "I don't want to think about what happens if we lose either, but it's part of the job description. Fifty thousand years is a long time for a computer to last, though."

"Have a little faith," the asari chided. "The case is made of silaris nanofiber alloy with a micro-reactor similar to those that power combat omni-tools. With the low power demands of this device it could remain completely intact in passive mode for nearly a hundred thousand years. I've also loaded it with every linguistic and translation program I could get my hands on."

He looked at the inconspicuous gray rectangle with newfound respect. Less attention grabbing than the development of thanix cannons or advanced barriers but the technology involved was undoubtedly cutting edge. Their message in a bottle.

"We are going to seed them on dozens of planets, launched via special torpedoes to imbed them in the planet's surface without damaging the device," Liara continued. "This change of plans means I can't wait to finish the information files. You're certain that you want me to go with Miranda?"

Shepard nodded sadly.

"I'd prefer to have my original team together again as long as possible... but your connections as the Shadow Broker could prove invaluable to Miranda's efforts to retake Omega while we already know that the Broker didn't have anything on Leviathan."

"Too bad, it would have made things easier," Tali sighed. "So what is left to add to the records?"

"Just one entry that I wanted to get Shepard's input on."

"Which one?" he asked.

Liara leaned forward and pressed down on the computer's surface. A tiny round hologram appeared at first that resembled a combat drone in miniature before blinking out of existence, replaced by a hologram of none other than himself. The holographic Commander Shepard was standing at parade rest wearing the jet black armor that he currently used.

"Yours."

"I get my own entry?"

Both women sighed in unison.

"Cured the genophage. Saved Rannoch. Destroyed Sovereign. United the galaxy? Of course you get an entry!" Tali berated him before looking to Liara. "Was he this bad aboard the SR-1? I want to say yes but I was a little... um distracted to be unbiased."

"And I wasn't?" Liara countered with a small smile.

"I'm glad the two of you are getting along so well these days," Shepard interjected. "But I'm right here. Do you really need to put me in there? If someone finds this it will mean that I'm the one that led this cycle straight into its own destruction."

The scientist shook her head.

"The people in that time will need heroes, even ancient, alien ones. You're right, if they find this then it means that we lost. But it means we lost fighting. We've come farther than any cycle before. The only question is what do you want me to say?"

He paused and glanced between the two women that were watching him expectantly. What would he want to say about himself to someone that would be listening to the story of his life in fifty thousand years? To them, he would be ancient history, a myth that might or might not have existed. Shepard closed his eyes for a brief second and spoke.

"Tell them the truth. Both of you know me better than I know myself. Let them hear it all and we can hope that the truth will be enough to convince them."

"The truth..." Liara trailed off.

She finally took a seat on the couch and began to speak.

"Commander Johnathan Shepard was a child of Earth, but in truth was born and raised in space. He joined the System's Alliance military at a young age and excelled in his duties, eventually becoming the most famous and decorated officer humanity had to offer. In our year of 2183 he became the first human member of the elite Special Tactics and Reconnaissance team."

Liara steepled her fingers and continued.

"The Commander was a peerless combatant and a masterful leader, commanding the loyalty of his friends and crew without question. In time he helped found the New Systems Alliance to unite the galaxy against the Reapers and was named Praetor of that Alliance, given the burden of leading us all in the final battles of this great war."

Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, Shepard was about to object to the rather glowing terms used but found himself overruled by Tali, picking up almost as soon as Liara left off.

"Shepard was more than just a warrior, however. He made peace where he could and fought for those that couldn't help themselves. Tireless and devoted to his ideals the Commander gave us all an ideal to strive for and never stood by when he saw injustice, putting himself in harm's way and ignoring any risk to himself. We are each better for having known him."

When Tali finally trailed off she nodded at Liara who deactivated the device. Shepard rubbed the back of his neck and gave a lame smile.

"Seems like... a little much. You're turning me into some kind of legend."

"You wanted the truth, Shepard," Liara said, picking up the time capsule. "Now you have it. You might think of yourself as just another man but you're not. I've taken recordings from almost every member of your crew. Each one said something similar."

"All I've ever done was what I thought was right. Made the decisions that were necessary," he insisted. "I was just in the right place at the right time to make them."

Tali reached out and squeezed his hand.

"And that's how real legends are made."


After much delay, the next chapter arrives with some changes for the Normandy crew. Hope you all enjoy and thanks again to Tankobite for his quick betaing. I've also been very interested to see the TV Tropes page come to life, so thank you everyone that's contributed! It's been great to see the parts that everyone loved or what they thought of the changes I've made.