A/N: Part of this chapter is written from a different perspective. Like Mass Effect 2, Joker does occasionally become the main character. This is one of those instances. It wasn't a question of whether or not I could find a different way; it just seemed like the right way. Also, I apologize for how long it took to release this chapter; I got an idea halfway through that I wanted to incorporate, and I wanted to make sure I was satisfied with the chapter before I released it.

Twenty four hours earlier...

"Ten seconds until contact.

Five seconds until contact.

Three.

Two.

One."

The force that he felt on his body snapped his head backwards. Thankfully, nothing broke in his neck. He could feel his ribs cracking under the pressure though. He let loose a cry of agony and gritted his teeth. Behind him he could hear the cries of the ship's crew as they themselves hit the deck. He raised his arm into the air, and slammed his palm against the controls.

The sudden reverse of thrusters knocked his body forward and made him collide with the arm of his chair. He yelled out again, feeling more bones break in his body. He wasn't built to take this kind of pressure or hell, he wasn't even built to be ragdolled around. He was fragile, and one of these days, he swore to God, they'd have a mission where he didn't shatter like a china doll. Joker was the toughest Vrolik Syndrome victim that had ever explored the Milky Way Galaxy. He may break like a china doll, but he prided himself on still being able to keep his head while in the pain.

He grimaced and looked down at his right arm. It was now bent out of shape from the collision as well. He hadn't even noticed that one until he tried to use it again. He raised his left arm and tapped a few buttons on the screen. They started to decelerate and came abruptly out of FTL travel, almost as quick as they had gone through the relay. He stared up at his screens, and then when he realized that he couldn't see the screen in front of him clearly, he blinked.

"I think... I'm passing out."

There was the statement of the century. Joker didn't even care that he had suddenly contracted a case of stating the obvious. He just looked around him and then to the co-pilot's seat, tears welling up in his eyes from both the stress and the pain. He thought he saw a faint image of a woman, made of a silvery material, a beautiful woman who stared at him with unblinking blue eyes.

"Y'know... I could've really used your help..."

Then, the man slumped over his chair, and knew no more.

"Jeff."

Joker's eyes opened blearily. He was still dressed in his uniform, his ball cap still on his head. Miraculously, he was able to move all of his limbs with no difficulty at all. He was sitting in a leather armchair with cushy seats, and honestly felt the most comfortable that he ever had in his life. All around him, he could see nothing but space. The stars twinkled all around him. He laid his head back and stared up at the void, smiling faintly.

"Jeff."

He heard the voice louder this time, and turned his head to find where the voice was coming from. He swallowed when he saw a familiar body. It was made out of a grey material, and while it was definitely not organic, it was incredibly flexible and malleable. It had a female's shape, with a dark black material over the spots where a human would normally be clothed. The visor it wore was an orange colour. The female robot walked towards Jeff's chair and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"EDI..." Joker breathed.

Her lips curled into a smile. While most would question whether it was a real smile or not, Joker knew better; he knew EDI better than anyone. He raised a hand and touched hers.

"Jeff. You have sustained injuries."

"I don't feel them." Joker reassured her. "I... wait... but I look fine."

"But you have sustained injuries. You must wake up. The crew is worried for your well being. You are needed, Jeff."

"I don't give a shit." Joker replied bitterly. "I'm here. I'm happy here. I can see you. Dammit EDI, if I can't see you out there... I don't care."

"But you do, Jeff." He saw the robot move around him, then she sat on his knee. She felt so amazingly light... It was comforting that he was actually able to do this. She raised a hand to touch his cheek tenderly, and he kept his hand on hers. He squeezed her hand lightly.

"No, I'm here now. I won't leave you."

He actually heard a laugh from EDI. It was highly synthesized, but it made him happy that she was finally learning the proper responses for humour. "Jeff, I would not truly leave you. There are copies of my program, several of them. But I need you to wake up. I need you to open your eyes."

Joker shook his head violently. "No. No, no! It's not the same! It's not!"

"There will be a day that I will see you again, Jeff. But... yes. I will not be the same. I will be an AI who has never had your teachings. But you have to keep going, Jeff. Do not be afraid to move forward with your life. There will always be a copy of my program, watching over you and your people." EDI cupped his face and stared into his eyes.

"Promise me you'll move forward."

"I... just... need time, EDI." Joker murmered.

"That did not answer my request, Jeff."

Joker took a deep, shuddering breath. "Yes. I promise that I'll move on. One day."

"Do not dwell on me, Jeff Moreau."

Joker wasn't entirely sure why EDI was so forceful about that point, but he didn't have much chance to ask. He felt EDI's cold lips on his forehead, and he closed his eyes again.

There had been precious little time for a reunion, and as much as Garrus was very happy to know that his sister was well, there were many questions to be asked. Garrus, Solana, Solana's guards and Jane had all proceeded to the War Room to talk, and Solana's guards were asked to wait outside the door. Upon their entrance into the windowed space, Jane closed the door. Garrus suddenly felt a flurry of arms around his neck and responded in kind, their armor clanking together as Solana rested her head quickly against his and then pulled back, grinning.

"Who'd have thought I'd see my big brother all the way out here?"

"Me? I thought you were supposed to be by the Far Rim?" Garrus let go of her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Spirits, it's good to see you're alive. Dad and I were getting worried." He felt nothing but relief, as if a large burden had been lifted off of him. He had already lost too much as a result of the war, he didn't need to lose his little sister.

"Yeah, sorry. Turns out that our transmissions cut off at soon as we hit the Attican Traverse. We weren't in range. Even before that point, reception was absolutely crappy." The vivid turian girl replied. She stepped away from him and shrugged. "And we just haven't gotten to the Far Rim yet. We got an emergency signal from this station and figured we owed it to the humans to go check it out." She turned around and Garrus spotted Jane staying quiet and collected in front of her. "So, is this her?"

"What? Solana, what about the station-"

"Are you Commander Jane Shepard?" Solana interrupted, as she walked closer to Jane. Jane smiled politely.

"Captain, now."

"Wow. Got upped one rank for your trouble, huh?"

"Sol!" Garrus protested.

"Oh c'mon Garrus. The Hierarchy is WAAAAY stricter than any Alliance system and even they would've made her a General for all of that work." Solana countered.

"That wasn't my point..."

He heard Jane giggle a little and saw her hold out her hand. "I chose to only be promoted to Captain. I still want my ship, after all."

"Ohhhhh. Lack of ambition. Got it." Solana chirped as she shook Jane's hand. Garrus groaned.

"Solana, you really need to learn more about human tradition and hierarchy-"

"Which I'm sure you can teach me all about, you being an expert on humanity and all!" Solana replied back sarcastically as she swivelled her head to stare at Garrus. Garrus' mandibles flattened against his face. But this was all greeted by one of Jane's soft laughs.

"Well, I'll be more then happy to teach you both. I'm glad that you're safe, Miss Vakarian. Your brother has been especially worried about you. But if I may, can I ask that we get to know each other later? You mentioned something about an emergency signal from the Franklin spaceport?"

Solana grinned. "Oh you're good. You smooth talker, you. Yeah, let's shut up about this and get to work quickly. Sooner we get this done, sooner I can invite you to my ship for some wine and we can talk about how the hell you scooped my brother up." Solana hummed, the harmonics in her voice making it sound even more dynamic as she took a seat quickly at the table.

Garrus didn't exactly know what Solana meant by 'scooping her brother up', and to be honest, he didn't want to know what they were going to talk about later. He knew his sister too well. He sat down at the table opposite Solana, on one of the wide sides, and Jane took a seat beside him on his right side. Solana sat down and folded her fingers together. Her face immediately shifted, as if an entirely different personality had taken over, and she started to speak.

"About three weeks ago, we received a distress signal from Franklin, asking for assistance from any ship in the area- Alliance or otherwise." Solana's voice hummed deeply, showing far more concern than before. "They described a phenomenon that was happening to the staff of the station. Multiple reports of memory loss, sleep-walking, voices that weren't actually there. At first it seemed to be an isolated incident, the report said. It was isolated to a crew that had come back from a excursion to the Psi Tophet system, to a planet classified only as 2181 Despoina."

"What was the crew doing there?" Garrus rumbled.

"They were investigating reports of the MSV Monarch going MIA in the area. They managed to find the MSV Monarch, but the report details that some kind of electrical current fired from the ocean and tried to down their ship. The crew managed to get down to the ship without being caught, and they found a ghost ship. The crew of the ship was gone." She frowned and her eyes slid to Jane. "Forgive me Captain, but that doesn't seem normal. The ship was marooned in the middle of an ocean, and last I checked, your race wasn't known for its aquatic ability."

"That's because we're not." Jane commented grimly. "Which makes you wonder where the hell the crew went. If they were dead, there'd be signs of it."

"There were, according to the report. Bloodshed everywhere on the ship. All of the clues pointed to the crew attacking each other."

"Each other?" Garrus asked, a little alarmed.

"Limbs were found. No other signs of sentient or organic life. Just human arms and legs. Some of them had bite marks. From human molars."

It was enough to turn Garrus' stomach, and he couldn't even imagine what it was doing to Jane. He glanced sideways at her and saw that her skin had become a paler shade of white, but otherwise she looked okay.

"Cannibalism?"

"It seems that way." Solana replied apologetically. "I did not know that your people resorted to that-"

"They don't." Garrus and Jane replied at the same time.

"Then that dictates that there was outside influence. They found a sphere on the ship, one of a technology that they had never seen before. The crew thought that it may be linked to the Protheans, and perhaps supply an answer to the problem of the mass relays. They brought it back to Franklin. But then the symptoms grew worse."

"What? You mean that they started to eat people as well?" Garrus heard Jane ask with a shaky voice. He saw Solana shake her head.

"No, nothing like that, but they had a theory that it was potentially outside influence that inspired them to resort to such means in the first place. The crew of the investigation were starting to suffer amnesia, insomnia, symptoms that were very similar to Reaper indoctrination."

Garrus immediately placed his hand on Jane's arm, just to show her that he was there. They hadn't talked much about the Reapers other than for mock bravado since he had rescued Jane from the London rubble. Jane's fingers grazed the back of his hand and rested there. It seemed she was glad for the support.

"The spaceport reported that the workers were now suffering the same symptoms as observed by the crew that answered Monarch's signal."

Garrus saw Jane hang her head and glare at the table. He gave her arm a small squeeze.

"The spaceport on Franklin has now been declared a quarantine zone by the HSS Menae and by Captain Erenas Rolten. I'm sorry, Captain Shepard..." Solana's electric blue eyes hardened. "But I cannot allow your ship to dock at Spaceport Franklin."

Garrus had never seen this cold side to his sister before. She was happy, loving, carefree, innocent. Something had changed her; whether it was her years in the military thus far, or whether it had been the Reaper War, or even the death of their mother. But Solana wasn't known for refusing anyone anything. She always tried to find a way around the rules, and at least try to make both parties as happy as she possibly could. But to outright refuse... Garrus opened his mouth to speak, to plead and even try to make Solana see reason, but Jane beat him to the punch.

"You can't do that. That's a direct violation of our rights as Citadel citizens. We have the right to investigate the matters of our own race."

"You're right. You do." She pointed a finger at Garrus. "But you do not have a right to endanger one of our race. You've left yourself quite the liability, Captain."

Garrus froze, like a Klixen in a red laser sight. She was going to envoke that? She was seriously going to play the card that a human was endangering a turian... especially after all that he had done with said human?! He hated being a political pawn. He narrowed his eyes and growled.

"Solana, don't you fucking-"

"I'll do what needs to be done." Solana replied coldly. "That's the nice thing about these loopholes. I can't command Jane Shepard to turn her ship around and go right back the way she came. What Captain Rolten is enforcing is close to an act of war. BUT, I can envoke the rights of OUR race, and make the little miss choose; duty, or love?" Solana glanced at Shepard with a frown. "You've a choice, Captain. Garrus Vakarian comes onto the HSS Menae and you endanger the rest of your human crew, or you can save your entire crew the ordeal." She gripped her hands together. "I don't do this out of spite, Shepard. I'm trying to protect you and your team. You CANNOT go down onto that moon."

"Bullshit I can't." Jane retorted acidly. "By not allowing me to go down to that moon, instead of endangering one turian life, you're endangering thousands of human lives. A far more severe case, in my opinion."

"Then it seems we're at an impasse." Solana replied smoothly. Her mandibles fluttered a little. "If only a certain Captain were to be convinced that he could send a mostly turian crew down to the moon to investigate the source? Maybe said Captain could be convinced that turians wouldn't be affected by this phenomenon afflicting the humans?"

Garrus narrowed his eyes. "Solana, what're you saying?" He watched Solana pin her eyes on him.

"Talk to Rolten. If you can convince him that you, Jane and I could go down to the moon and Jane would be the only liability, then he may be willing to lift the quarantine for us three... but only us three."

Jane leaned over the table, and her face had a dark look on it. Garrus felt chills run down his spine. This was the one part of Shepard that he barely knew anything about... the cold, dark, determined side, the side that she showed only to those she chose to intimidate, or show that she wasn't a woman to be fucked with. Her platinum eyes were stony, her lips pursed. She glared directly at Solana.

"Alright then, Vakarian." She said, venom filling her tone. "Here's what your boss needs to know." Garrus hummed in a quiet tone that he knew only a turian could hear. His hum spoke of embarrassment, and the strong desire not to be in the same room as these two. Trust his sister to somehow piss Jane off.

It had worked. Garrus, Solana and Jane were sitting in the shuttle bay of the Normandy, and Jane was modifying her sniper rifle at the weapons bench. Garrus was making sure that the final tweaks to his shielding were complete. Meanwhile, Solana was sitting cross legged on the floor, doing some kind of breathing exercise. Garrus looked up at Jane, pondering her quietly.

What Jane had said next to Solana had been shocking, not because of the logic, but because of how defensive Jane had been. Something had evolved between his sister and his lover, and Garrus had no clue what the hell that was. But they seemed to have a ginger respect for each other. Jane had said simply that the HSS Menae had a vested interest in the mission, due to the potential of a Prothean artifact being on the station. The Prothean artifact, according to the information that Solana had given to the Normandy, was suspected to be a key to reactivating the mass relays. Jane made a deal with the Captain, one that in days past, Garrus would have said was too big of a price to pay. She had promised the artifact to the crew of the HSS Menae, in exchange for taking her ground team down to the moon to investigate the damage to the Alliance personnel. It didn't hurt that Jane presented the theory that the disease inflicting the crew was isolated only to human DNA, giving turians an advantage.

It was only after that the true ruse had been figured out. When the turian captain had agreed to let them down onto the planet, Solana had submitted the true recording. It did say that the artifact was there and that the people did need help, but the artifact had never been described as a Prothean relic. It had been described as an 'object of interest'.

"Why didn't you say this before?" Jane had asked Solana.

"Because, Shepard. A Prothean relic is going to carry far more interest for both parties then an 'object of interest'. I was giving you a tool to use as leverage." Solana had replied with a smoothness that even Garrus was frightened of. Garrus had never had the patience to play the game of bureaucracy. Solana was a master at the game. To her, this kind of modification of the data was only child's play. He had forgotten her hobbies already.

But of course, that hadn't made Jane happy at all. His Jane, the honest and noble, even when it meant her own physical harm. What he had once viewed with frustrated acceptance he now embraced with endearing pride.

The three of them were almost done their preparations, but that was before they heard loud voices from the elevator.

"NO! YOU'RE NOT!" Karin Chakwas' voice yelled from behind the door.

The elevator doors opened, and Garrus jumped.

Joker was standing in the elevator with Dr. Chakwas trying to restrain him gently. He had on his uniform and his customary ball cap, and he also held a pistol in a magnetic holster at his waist. He looked pretty much at the peak of health. The medical attention had done wonders. It seemed to have mended his bones relatively quickly, and if it was any consolation, he actually looked... happier.

"Captain!" Joker called out to Jane. Jane beamed.

"Joker!" Jane left the bench and Joker stood at attention, giving her a salute. "At ease, soldier. Damn it, you scared the shit out of me!"

"I try not to make a habit of it, Shepard." Joker smiled faintly. "But you know me; sometimes I just need the attention."

"Shepard!" Dr. Chakwas stomped forward, furious. "He plans to pilot the shuttle craft to take you down to the spaceport!"

"That true, Joker?" Garrus asked wryly.

"I figure my baby's old enough that I can leave her with a babysitter." Joker said as he motioned to the Normandy. "As far as I know, Richards has done a good job with her... not as good as me, of course, but you need your best pilot after all."

"How did your medical examination go? Are you clear for active duty?" Jane inquired.

"I haven't even had it yet." Joker replied casually.

"Shepard... stop him!" Chakwas protested.

Garrus watched Jane's eyes travel between the two of them, and then she pointed two fingers at Joker's chest. "You drop us off, you get back to a safe distance, and then you come extract when I call. No fancy flyboy bullshit this time. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Shepard..."

"He'll be fine." Jane reassured Chakwas. "It's alright. He's right, we do need him. We'll keep him safe. Is he mostly patched up?"

"Yes."

"Then we need him."

"Very well Captain..." Chakwas murmered. Garrus examined her for a little bit. Chakwas had never been good with letting people out of her infirmary until she was absolutely sure that they were ready. Granted, she usually made those evaluations pretty quickly... what was holding her up with Joker? Was it the worry that she had for Joker's mental stability? His blue orbs slid to Joker, who had a weak smile en fixed upon his face. Something had happened with him. What was it...?

He didn't have much time to ponder it before Joker started to hobble towards the shuttle. It snapped Garrus out of his thoughts and he grabbed his sniper rifle and an assault rifle. He latched the sniper rifle onto the magnetic holster on his back, and held the assault rifle in his hands. Solana on the other hand was latching several grenades to her waist and legs. She completed her get-up with an assault rifle, a shotgun, and a blade that she stuck in a holster in her boot. Jane grabbed her own sniper rifle, latched it to her back, then grabbed a pistol. Then, she threw a pistol at Joker.

"Here Joker! You might need it!" She called as Joker turned to catch it. Joker fumbled but managed to keep a grip.

"Thanks? What the hell am I gonna use this for? Are Collectors gonna invade my ship again?" Joker asked sarcastically. Garrus saw Jane glower.

"Bad joke."

"Yes ma'am."

Garrus laughed, recalling a time almost a year ago when Joker called him Lover-Boy, and smirked. That conversation had gone almost the same as this one... He shook his head and hopped onto the shuttle after Joker, Solana and Jane following close behind.