A/N: Okay, so after the last chapter, we have Art, now with one extra viola and notation stuffs. So yeah, things are going a bit better. Now we'll return to our regularly scheduled programming with Art.

And with that, this is the chapter in which we begin the endgame for Mass Vexations, part 1. At least I'll have one of my goals for the summer out of the way: part 1 of Mass Vexations will be finished. Thank heaven.

Oh, speaking of that, an announcement: Mass Vexations will now be a trilogy! Which means that Art's adventures will run the gamut of the Mass Effect area. So expect Mass Vexations 2 when the school year starts. As for Mass Vexations 3? That will be coming right after MV2, as I'm sure some of my ideas for part 3 will be a complete deviation from everything that Bioware has in mind for Mass Effect 3. So remember guys: this is just the beginning!

Okay, with the official announcement out of the way, I guess I better start wrapping this thing up. After I do some shameless plugging for the Mass Vexations TVTropes page.

Yeah, I do TVTropes. And I started a page on Mass Vexations that could use a bit of editing. Here's the URL: tvtropes. org/ pmwiki/ pmwiki .php/ TroperWorks/ MassVexations

Check it out, feel free to edit stuff in, and have a nice day.

So let's get started with a little bit of talking before Ilos...

Chapter 18: Apologies and Relationships

Okay... So now I can compose again!

And I am doing just that. Wow... I guess I no longer have to worry about finishing my octet before the semester ended. That said, though... I did get a lot of it done.

So I'm busy sketching the octet. Okay... that motif went... there. Okay, I wonder what'll happen when I contrast it with the chord progression I'm using to show 'pretentiousness'... Okay. That will definitely work. All right. Put fermatas over all that, sync up the text... write up the 'Me', and cue the huge-ass fanfic excerpt in a fermata afterwards...

Okay, that should be good. I set the pencil down on the desk where the terminal was and look up. I tap my hand against the metal surface, and smile. I'm finally doing what I love again. It feels so invigorating to be writing music again. It's really helped me clear my mind a bit, even if the text I've been setting in this octet is... less than safe for the concert hall. Good thing I went through it with mom and censored out all the racial slurs and stuff. I wonder what the outcry would be if I put the AIDS back in place of 'wretched existence', though... Probably not much. Either way, if that man still existed in the Mass Effect universe, I imagine copyright issues would be moot as it's likely no longer protected by copyright... So I'd get away with it. Ha! Up thine, flamer!

I smile at this thought. I can get away with things. Hm... Well... I wonder who does and doesnt exist in the ME universe... Nah, that's a ridiculous idea. I don't have that good a memory, anyway. Oh, well. It seems fun.

I look at my sketches. As I weigh them down with my pencil, I hear the ship's intercom come on.

"All right, guys, hang on to your hats!" Oh, it's Joker! All right, we're leaving the Citadel! "We're playing Grand Theft Warship here!"

And with this, I feel the Normandy spring to life. All right. I stand up and walk out of my quarters. All right, I feel as if the Citadel is getting left behind extremely fast here. I can just imagine it like a train ride where all the buildings are futuristic. I can't actually see outside, but its the thought that counts, right?

I step outside of my cabin breifly. I can't stop thinking about Tali. She's just done so much for me these past few days... and the thing is, she didn't have to... Is she...? I think so. I guess she wants me to be happy no matter what the cost to herself. I mean... that can't have been cheap. I bought my viola back home for 5,000 dollars, and that was the cheap price. I really don't know what to say to Tali about this...

I guess... her loyalty mission. Of course! I could save Tali's father when it comes time for her to be accused of... wait, no, a lot of her loyalty mission hinged on the fact that he died and left evidence. So how do I cover that? Hm...

It's something to think about for the next two years. Oh, well. I'll try to save Rael'Zorah vas Alarei, then. It's the least I can do for her...

If I want to be honest with myself, I kind of like her. As in, I really, really like her. I've been getting that feeling around her that I've always gotten with every girl I've ever had a crush on. But... I don't know... I'm afraid to tell her about my feelings. I haven't even told her that you could make your Shepard male, and that she was a romance option in ME2. Truth is, I'm kind of scared to. It's just... it's so late into the first game that we'll have to part soon. And I don't want to hurt her when she eventually has to return to the Fleet... But on the other hand, this is exactly why I've never been in a relationship. I've never gotten the balls to say 'I have feelings for you'. And that usually leads to bad things. What if she hooks up with Kal'Reegar in the two years between this game and the last game? What if...?

No... We'll be parting soon enough anyway. I can't tell her of my feelings.

But... I guess it wouldn't hurt to go over to engineering to talk about a few things before we get to Ilos. I'll make a point of that.

"All right, guys, we are officially out of Citadel Space." Ah, Joker; what's next, a parody of the elcor Hamlet done with stop-motion toys? "We've set course for Ilos. E.T.A. is about five hours. All units, be ready to deploy at that time."

Oh, okay. Right. So now I have five hours to burn before we arrive at the final mission of the game. And we're all going, huh? Well, at least we'll all hear what Vigil has to say about the Reapers. And then, we'll go through the Conduit, stop Saren and the geth, kick Sovereign's ass, and start the countdown to Mass Effect 2.

Well, if I'm going to be here for the full ride, I might as well enjoy it. I'm sure Shepard will put Anderson in the Council seat. Because honestly, he's more competent than that son of a bitch Udina will ever be.

Right. So, five hours until showtime.

In the meantime... I have to apologize to a few people. Namely Shepard and Wrex. I guess I'll start with Wrex. Shit... I shouldn't have done what I did after Virmire. Now he probably hates my guts enough to yell at me. So... I'll have to be careful.

Oh, well. I brought it on myself. It's up to me to fix it.

With a new resolve, I head down to the hangar. I'm going to fix my friendship with Wrex.

And after that, there shall be much rejoicing.

When I see Wrex again, I see him polishing his shotgun where he usually sits. He's rubbing at the gun very frustratedly, and I can hear a low growl form in his throat as he rubs especially hard on one place. Well, he certainly looks pissed... I'll stay back for now. However long it takes for him to notice me here.

Unless it takes ten minutes for him to do so. Then I'm leaving and coming back.

Fortunately, he glances up before going back to work on his shotgun. Well... I'm going to have to start this conversation somehow...

"Hey, Wrex..." I say. Wow, my voice is weak. I guess... I'm going to have to be honest with him.

"Art." His reply is clipped, very short. He instantly goes back to polishing his shotgun, a new scowl on his face.

Damn, he really didn't take it well. Oh well. I brought it upon myself. You reap what you sew, as they say.

I let out a sigh, nodding to the krogan. "Hey..." I say. "I... I wanted to talk about what happened after Virmire... About what I said..."

"Don't want to hear it," he said briefly. "I heard enough."

He scrubs his shotgun even harder now, and I can hear his growl rise in dynamic. Yeah, he's getting frustrated. That isn't tough to tell. It's... it's my fault. But how do you catch a cloud and pin it... uh, I mean, how do I get his attention...?

Oh! I got it!

I step back, making my footsteps audible. I hold my arms out, and stop. The footsteps get his attention, and I see him look at me, eyes a little hardened.

"Headbutt me," I say.

He blinks briefly in surprise, the rubbing instantly stopping as he gives me a surprised look. He places his shotgun on the ground before standing up.

"Art, I just-"

"Go ahead," I reply, holding out my arms. "I deserve no less."

Wrex crosses his arms. Wait... he's not going to headbutt me? "Art, I don't..." He exhaled softly, looking down at the ground before bringing his attention up to me. "Look... I-"

"Wrex." The interruption is curt enough to stop him in his tracks. I let out another sigh before letting my arms down. "Look... I..." I begin. "I wasn't thinking straight when you did that. I just wanted to be left alone, and... And then I did that. And it was stupid and I... I'm sorry. I deserve all the anger you've got against me."

I bring my arms back up. "Which is why you should headbutt me," I say. "I deserve it. Besides... you think polishing your shotgun is going to work at getting all your frustration out?"

He regards me with a tentative expression. I notice his fist clench and unclench a few times before he comes over.

"I don't headbutt people I like," he replies. "That's a general rule I have. That's the only reason I'm not hitting you."

Oh, for the love of-! I shake my head. "That's the only reason?" I ask. "Trust me, Wrex. I wouldn't have held back. You shouldn't either."

He stands there for a second, giving me a rather contemplative look. His posture shifts, and all of a sudden I see that glint in his eyes. Okay, I think I did it.

The next thing I'm aware of is Wrex rushing at me. Our skulls collide, and I feel a great amount of pain as I rear back. Ow! My head! Ow... ow ow ow ow ow... Okay, that was a bad idea. That was a colossally bad idea. Ow... Just, ow... I think I might've gotten a concussion. I feel myself fall on my ass as the world swims around me for a few seconds. Wait, world, why am I using world? This is the universe! Okay... snap out of it... snap out of it... My eyes close briefly to help the dizzyness, and I hold my hand up to my head as the headache begins to throb. Okay... Where the fuck is the futuristic Tylenol when you need it?

I hear Wrex kneel down by my side, and then I feel his three fingered hand on my arm. He seems to grip my arm hard, and then I stumble a little as he helps me up.

"Oh, dear..." I say, feeling the dizziness get to me as I wobble around. "Maybe that wasn't such a good idea... Ow..."

"And now you know the other reason," replies Wrex as I feel his other hand come to my other shoulder, thus stabilizing me. "Here. You should probably sit down for a few minutes."

And then I feel him lead me somewhere. I'm still keeping my eyes closed as I hold my head. Eventually, I feel myself get seated into a chair as the pain slowly starts to ebb away. I guess...

I open my eyes, and find the world is still swimming a little. Thankfully, though, it's slowing down, and I can see Wrex standing by my side as he regards me. The krogan seems to look down, crossing his arms as my vision slowly returns to normal.

"Did I ever tell you you've got a lot of balls?" he asked.

"I think you did," I replied. "You said I had a quad. Within the context of my culture, they'd say el hombre con grandes cojones."

Wrex regards me before shifting where he stands. "And that means...?"

"The man with big testicles," I reply, a goofy smile coming on to me despite my pain.

The krogan looks over to me before shaking his head. "That you are," he replies. "But you're also a stupid fucking human, to use your own terms."

Pff. I let out a single chuckle, my smile only getting more intense. "I guess that makes us about even, then," I reply, feeling the throb die away slowly.

He nods. "That it does."

Things are silent between the two of us before I feel the throb die out. I shift slightly in the seat as I see clearly again. I nod slowly, trying not to aggravate my head. I turn to Wrex, and we both regard each other with silence.

"So..." I begin. "Does this mean we're friends again?"

Wrex huffs, crossing his arms. "I'm still kind of mad about what you said," he replies. "But... I guess we all do stupid things sometimes. So yes, we're friends again."

I smile. Speaking of which...

"Good," I say, feeling myself return back to normal thoughts. "I'll end that part of the conversation here before you make me lose the game again."

At this, the krogan instantly tenses up for a second, his eyes widening ever so slightly. And then, he just shakes his head, chuckling softly.

"And here I was about to make you lose it," he replies.

I laugh and roll my eyes. Well, it's good to know my friendship with Wrex wasn't totally unsaveable. That much makes me feel really good about myself. And so, I sit in the chair for a few more minutes, and we continue cracking jokes at each other's expenses. We slowly mend the wounds that I caused, and as time goes on, I feel better about myself.

He isn't a bad person, really. Maybe someday I'll tell him about who I really am. But not today. I'm content with Tali being the only one who knows about my secret. Wrex and I get along well enough without all that. But still, it's something to keep in mind. Although possibly less so when he goes back to Tuchanka to take control of clan Urdnot and unite the krogan under one banner. But still, I think he'd like to know someday.

I keep that thought in the back of my mind. My headache goes away as Wrex and I trade banter in the hangar, and I'm feeling good about my friendships on the Normandy again.

I wander the ship again, coming around to the med bay. I see Kaidan pacing around. Hm... He looks like he's contemplating something. He notices me standing there, and then briefly pauses as he regards me.

"Hey, Kaidan," I say.

"Hey, Art," he says with a nod. "I've been... thinking a little bit. About you."

Oh, dear, is this more with his suspicions? I don't like this one bit. "Oh?" I ask, crossing my arms. "What about?"

"You know... I did some searching around Earth records for people with your name," he comments. "I... wasn't all too successful."

"I can imagine," I reply. "********* isn't a terribly common last name back home."

"Definitely not, but..." he says. "I had found many people with your name... but none of them were your age or anything."

I raise my eyebrows at this. "Okay..." I say. "And you're worried about this because...?"

"It confirms my suspicions," he says, with a soft smile. "You're not really who you say you are."

"So then what conclusions come to mind?" I ask him. I think I've go this one in the bag. "And with your conclusions what do you plan on doing?"

"My conclusion is... that you're not really from anywhere in this galaxy," he says. Well, Kaidan, you're not too far off the mark. "Also, I don't think you got the warning from a dream... Am I right on this...?"

I shrug. "Well..." Do I, or do I not? If I confirm his suspicion... then what'll he do? On the other hand, if I don't tell he'll keep trying to coerce an answer out of me. What do I do...?

Ah, fuck it. "You're not too far from the truth," I reply. "But I don't want to tell you what that truth is just yet."

"Why?" asks the lieutenant.

I chuckle softly. "You wouldn't believe me if I did," I reply. "Seriously, you wouldn't. Tali didn't believe me at first when I told her, so I doubt you will either."

He looks at me with a puzzled expression. I hope I didn't blow it... Finally, he shrugs. "Well, all right," he says. "I probably don't have a right to pry, anyway."

"Why did you ask?" I ask. "Want to expose me?"

Kaidan shakes his head. "I don't think it's worth exposing you, if that's what you mean," he said, giving me a reassuring gesture. Oh, dear, I think I offended him... Oops... "You didn't tell us your real origins story. So what? Your motives here have been pretty pure. I can trust that. Whether or not you really are from Earth, it doesn't really matter; as I said after Virmire, you've only got our best interests in mind. When that's true, I'm pretty sure that everything else isn't all that important."

I nod. "I see..." I reply. "I'm glad that you trust me even if you don't like my... dishonesty..."

The lieutenant nods. "I'm glad I have yours," he says.

Things are silent between us for a few seconds. I fidget around. I'm glad we can trust each other, even with the fact that I haven't been completely honest with him. This... is a bit of a relief. Even if things are a bit oddly silent.

I turn to Kaidan and gesture to the hall. "What were you doing here, anyway?" I ask.

Kaidan stiffens a little, getting nervous as he eyes me. "Well... I want to go over to Shepard's quarters..." he says.

I raise my eyebrows. "One last night with her before we jump into the end?" I ask.

He nods. "Yes," he replies. "But... I don't know if it's a good idea... I mean... I don't really know how she feels about me. We were talking in the Normandy's airlock when it went into lockdown. I swear she wanted to kiss me... but then Joker came in... And I don't know, Art. I really don't..."

Oh. It looks like the almost kiss that occurred in the game didn't happen here. Hm... Well, what can I tell him? I could tell him to leave her alone, but that would break Shepard's heart. But then he's going to break it anyway a few years from now on Horizon so... Oh, who am I kidding? I promised myself I wouldn't get in their way. So... You know what? I said to myself earlier that who the fuck was I to deny their happiness as a couple? I guess I can go against my Thane/Shepard leanings for the time being.

"Kaidan..." I reply, my voice reassuring. "Before we stepped off on Virmire... I ran into Shepard in the rec room. We talked a bit about my feeling, and then that got to the point where she told me that she really cared about you. Not just as a commander, either. She told me losing you on Virmire would've been hard for her as a person as well as a commander."

At this, Kaidan's expression brightens the slightest bit. "She did?" he asks.

"Yeah," I reply with a nod. "Shepard cares about you a lot, Kaidan. You should go to her quarters, if only to let her know you feel the same way before we plunge into our possible doom."

The lieutenant gives me a soft look before he nods. "You know? You're right," he says. "I... I've been feeling strongly towards her. I... I just want her to know how I feel before we plunge into the unknown..."

"Then go to her," I reply with a smile. "I'm sure she'll appreciate it."

He nods. "All right," he says. "Thanks, Art. And you take care of yourself. We've got a long day ahead of us."

I regard him with a tilt of my head as I smile. He then walks over to the captain's quarters, a new determination in his step.

Okay, so Kaidan and Shepard will sleep together then after all. Fun times abound with that. I... Should I have facilitated that relationship, only for Kaidan to break her heart two years from now? Or... Wait, it works with Kaidan too, because he gets his heart broken. Twice; first she dies, and then she comes back as a Cerberus agent. He won't take that well at all, much like Shepard won't take his rejection too well. I... Have I set them both up for unhappiness?

... Does it matter? I can't deny them their happiness. If they end up breaking up for good after Horizon to find their happiness with someone else... I don't know. This is all a bit complicated.

I guess I'll know how I feel about having brought them together two years from now when Kaidan and Shepard run into each other on Horizon. In the meantime... I think I better find the other crew members.

I want to talk to some other peple before we reach Ilos. Because we have lots of interesting conversations waiting to happen.

When I see Garrus and Liara, they've invited both Tali and Wrex over to the rec room. I see Liara setting something up, and then I walk over. Garrus and Liara both notice my arrival, and I can see the turian's posture stiffen a little.

"Hey, guys," I say. "What's going on?"

Tali turns to me, her visor bright against the light. "We're getting one last vid night in," she said. "We figured, why not?"

Oh, a final vid night? This should be good. "I see," I say.

"I only just got here," says Wrex. "We were going to find you, but... well, here you are."

I nod at this. "Indeed," I reply. "Good to know I wasn't getting omitted from the party."

"We will invite Kaidan and Shepard here, as well," says Liara innocently as Garrus sets up the vid.

Oh, dear... Uh... "Well... I don't exactly think that's the best idea..." I reply. Oh, dear... I wring my hands together, my fingers interlocking eventually as I glance to the side and a nervous expression takes on my face.

All is silent, and then they all turn to me. "Let me guess," says Wrex. "They're getting it on in the captain's quarters?"

I glance to the side. Jeez, I swear I'm blushing right about now. And my hands are only wringing faster... "Uh... maybe?" I offer weakly.

I see Wrex's eyes take on a more mischievous glint as he glances to Garrus. Liara and Tali both shy away. Oh, dear. I place my hands on my hips as the krogan smirks, causing the C-Sec officer to sag his shoulders. Oh, don't tell me.

"Ha!" shouts Wrex. "I knew it! You owe me two thousand credits, Garrus!"

The turian simply grumbled, mumbling something about krogans knowing more than they let on before lighting up his omni-tool and giving Wrex credits. Wait...

"You guys had a betting pool didn't you?"

Garrus sighs at this, shaking his head. "Art, I really like my CSec wage."

I blink, glancing over to where I think the captain's quarters will be before shaking my head. "I'm not sure I ever will," I say. "Aaaaanyway... Now that we're all on the same page, what are we watching?"

"We're watching a human vid..." says Tali. "We thought you might like it."

"Dunno if Wrex will, though," adds Garrus. "'Music is for weaklings', I guess?"

Wrex shakes his head. "If Art is any indication, I doubt it," he replies.

Garrus' shoulders slumped again. He's about to comment again when I shake my head. "Garrus, he's at least 1,300 years older than you likely ever will be," I tell him. "Let it rest."

The turian grumbles before sitting down on the couch. Liara sees this and turns over to me.

"In any event, I am sure we will all enjoy it. It's a little something called The Sound of Music," she said. "It's about-"

"-the von Trapp family," I finish for her. Holy shit! "It's based off the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, and it stars Julie Andrews and Chistopher Plummer as Maria and Captain von Trapp!"

Holy shit! Oh my fucking god! This is-! All eyes are on my as my expression becomes incomparably happy. Jesus Christ on a pikestaff, this is awesome! "Are you kidding me?" I ask. "I fuckin' love that vid! I watched it all the time when I was a kid! And I still do!" I then adopt a showman pose before jumping up and down and singing, "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with strings, these are a few of my favorite things!"

Wrex blinks as the others give me an odd expression. "Keelah, you really do like that vid," comments Tali. "I wonder how I will like it."

"It's got great tunes," I reply, walking over to the couch. I sit down next to Tali as Liara begins the configuration on the omni-tool going. "I'm sure we'll all be singing along by the time things end."

"We know you will," comments Garrus. "That much is for sure."

I shrug, and Liara takes a place by me on the couch. She presses a few more things on her omni-tool and then the movie starts with the always long overture.

And when I see the classic shot of Julie Andrews running on the field to deliver the opening number, I almost felt like I was back in Pupa's house, surrounded by good company watching a great movie. I feel at peace, and as we watch the vid I look back on my life and think of it.

Except now, I'm happier. I have friends here that care about me. I'm in a comfortable place. And best of all, I know what it is.

And with that knowledge, I could have danced all night.

I must not have realized it, but almost as soon as the ending reached its credits, I fell asleep. I don't remember what I fell asleep on, only that I felt no movement on my person when I woke up. I open my eyes groggily, feeling the heavy fog of sleep lifting off of me.

Okay... We're still there, the holo stopped playing, and we all fell asleep. I look to everyone. Garrus seems peaceful, a more tranquil expression on his face as his mandibles click against his teeth in a kind of snoring gesture. I then look to Wrex... wow, I didn't know krogan could snore so loudly. Also that he could look so comfortable sleeping in a chair like this. I then look over to Liara, who is also sleeping peacefully, her expression serene. Which leaves Tali...

Wait... I can't see her anywhere... Oh, no... Did she leave...?

Wait... why do I feel like there's some kind of pressure on my shoulder? Why does that pressure feel so... light? And good?

I dart my eyes to the side, my head shifting slighty as-

... Oh my god. Jesus Christ on a pikestaff, this isn't...

I'm leaning back on the couch, like I would in an airplane. My head was lolling to my right, but now that it's not... Oh, dear, this is unbelievable... I see Tali... And she's leaning against my left shoulder! Holy shit! She's sleeping on me! This is insanity! This is ridiculous! This is... kind of cute actually. But still! Does she even...

No... this means she feels something for me too... Oh, damn it, what the hell do I do? This is the first time I've ever had someone get some kind of more special attachment to me. I... Maybe it's because I told her and nobody else the truth? I wonder how she feels about that... Maybe that's all this is. She's admiring me for being able to last so long here for some reason. Yeah, that's gotta be all it is. Is it?

I look around, seeing Wrex there. Oh, man, I'm going to be teased endlessly about this by him, aren't I? Oh, well. I don't really think I should expound on my feelings for Tali anyway. We're just so close to drifting apart... and I don't think we can make a long-distance relationship work. Forget the whole suit thing for a second; I've never had a relationship with a girl who lived close to me. I don't think I'd be able to maintain a relationship with a girl who is forced to travel the galaxy because some stupid councillors said so. But... it's something to keep in mind when Mass Effect 2 comes around.

So... I'll keep it in the back of my mind. For now... I actually kind of like this feeling.

I feel Tali stir underneath me, and then I look down at her. Her facemask moves around, and then we're looking at each other.

And from there... neither of us know what to do. I shift slightly, unable to say something. Somehow, I get the impression that Tali doesn't know where to begin either. So I roll my eyes to the side before looking down to her.

Fuck it.

"Looks like we're all a bit tired here, eh?" I ask. Right, don't mention my shoulder...

"Good thing we got rest when we did," she says sleepily. "Speaking of the mission..."

"You want to know what happens when anyone else can wake up like that?" I whisper. "I don't know, Tali..."

"I just want to know how it ends..." she says.

I nod at this. Well, I guess we can't really do that much. "Well... I guess I better tell you about how the game treats Shepard, first, because that changes many things."

The quarian shifts slightly. "Oh?" she asks. "How so?"

"Well... no matter what happens, we'll stop Saren and save the galaxy," I reply. "But see, the thing you have to understand about Shepard is that when I was in control of Shepard, you had choices you needed to make during and after the mission that would affect things. A lot."

I feel her shift slightly again. Okay, good, the others haven't woken up. "Why?" she asks.

"Well, mostly to suit the style of the player," I reply. "Like, Shepard herself." I feel rather than see the confusion in her body language. "Or... himself. You could make Shepard either male or female."

"Oh," she says. "I... I see... That changed a few things?"

"Romantic subplots, yes," I reply. "You can actually romance Ash if you're male."

Tali seems to pout at this. "No fair," she says. "I wonder if I was a romance option..."

Oh dear... how to explain this to her, how to explain his to her... "Well... you... didn't get your turn to woo a male Shepard until the sequel," I reply. "And then you got your own romance scene, where Bioware refused to show us players what you look like under that mask. I'm telling you, the writers are sadistic like that..."

"Oh," she says, brooding on this. "So... I was a romance option, but you didn't get to see my face?"

"It's called the unreveal, Tali," I reply. "Anyway, we need to get back on topic. At the end of the game the player has to make a choice on the Council. See, the council gets evacuated... but when Saren goes through the Conduit Sovereign attempts to attack the Citadel."

Tali flinches at this. "No..." she says.

"We'll stop them, don't worry," I reassure her. "But the thing is, Sovereign starts attacking the ship that is evacuating the Council. So... Shepard gets to make a call to the Alliance on whether to save the Council or to ignore them."

"But the Council is what holds us all together," says Tali. "I don't pretend to like them, but what if they die?"

"Well, if they die you can either instill a human-led council or an all-human council," I reply. "Either way, I didn't go around doing that unless I was playing as a jerkass. I think Shepard'll save them, though."

Tali nods. "How do you know?" she asks.

"Well, let's see," I reply. "She went after me on Virmire to save the salarians, she let the rachni go free, she saved as many colonists as she could on Feros, and she didn't punch Khalisa bin-Sinan al-Jilani." I take a breath there, licking my lips. "Those tend to be trademarks of what is labeled a 'Paragon' Shepard. And Paragon Shepards typically save the Council, no matter how blind they are..."

"But they won't see the truth about the Reapers, if what you've said is any indication," she replies.

"Yeah, but the all-human and human-led Councils are the same way, apparently," I reply. "And trust me, I know that if she were a Renegade Shepard, she would've put the mission first, killed all the colonists, killed the rachni, and punched the annoying reporter who really deserves it." I chuckle dryly.

"I see..." she says. "So there are a lot of moral choices to make? How did they make the sequel then?"

I shake my head. Oh, great... Here we go... "Well... Shepard doesn't answer to the Council in the sequel," I reply.

I feel Tali jerk against me slightly as she slowly sits back up. "She doesn't?" asks the quarian, nervously. "Why?"

"Long story," I say, shaking my head. "I think it's best not to tell you everything... But events happen where she eventually answers to Cerberus."

"Cerberus?" she asks. "You mean the branch of the Alliance that is having a fallout with all the rest of us? Why would she ever answer to them?"

I glance around nervously, making sure the others are awake. I turn to her slightly, moving slowly so as not to disturb Liara on the same couch. "It's complicated," I say, glancing around and leaning in closer.

Oh, dear... I just remembered that the quarians will hate Cerberus for the attack on the Fleet... And it's all in the tie-in novel... The one that I had to read to get the reasons why the quarians are so distrustful of Cerberus... I didn't get to finish it, but I got in far enough to know the major events and that the fleet would be attacked. I still don't know the outcome, but hey... I should warn her...

"Speaking of Ceberus, there's something I have to warn you about," I continue. "It's something that'll affect the Fleet."

At this, she perks her head to the side. "What?" she asks. "What is it?"

"In a very short period of time, Cerberus will attack the fleet," I reply.

"What?" she asks, her voice elevated slightly.

I jolt, looking around nervously as I lean in very close to Tali. "Sh!" I warn her, pointing to the others. "You want to explain to them what really happened at the worst possible time?"

I can see the fear in her expression as she whips her head around. It's a good thing they're all sleeping by this point, but I'm going to have to be quick. When she looks around, she sees my point and nods grimly.

"I'm sorry," she says. "It's just... why would they attack the fleet?"

"Long story short, there'll be a man that talks to Cerberus," I say. "Golo is his name. He's exiled and all that. Anyway, he'll try to provide access codes to Cerberus and stuff, because Cerberus is interested in the geth. Or something. I don't really remember what it was. But they'll attack the Idenna thanks to access codes that Golo will eventually reveal from another ship."

I see the lights of Tali's eyes go out behind the visor for a split second. "What?" she asks. "We can't just use resources to find and kill an exiled quarian! Besides-!"

I shake my head. "The attack needs to happen anyway," I reply. "Otherwise, the Admiralty board won't get the extra push to find a homeworld. I'm not saying it can be prevented, because I don't think it can without significantly altering events. I'm trying to keep casualties to a minimum, though..."

Tali shakes her head. "Don't you want to see more quarians survive?" she asks me. "You want to let some die so you can read the future? What kind of selfish aim is that?"

Oh, dear, things are about to get sticky... I can get myself out of this one, though. "Trust me, it's more than just my ability to tell the future; it also completely changes things for the quarian people," I say. "Within 90 years, the quarians won't be able to sustain themselves on the Fleet. You can't be on those ships forever, Tali. But the Admirals and the Conclave think they can find a way to do so. That's why this attack needs to happen. The best way to put people on alert is to attack the place they feel safest at; their home. And that will shock the Admirals to take action. It has to happen, or 90 years from now your entire species is going to be caught up in the middle of a huge crisis. A few quarians in the short term, or the entire fleet in the long term? It's your choice."

The machinist contemplates this for a brief second, bringing her hand over to her visor. After thinking for a little, she nods. "I won't pretend I like this, but you do have a point," she says. "I... I guess I'll have to let it happen. Your warning can help us save some people, though."

I nod, gesturing with my arms. "I wouldn't have told you for any other reason," I reply.

She nods at this. "Then when do I know that the attack is going to happen?" she asks.

I nod. "There'll be a quarian on his Pilgrimage who'll return to the Idenna," I reply. "His name is Lemm'Shal nar Tesleya, or something like that. He'll be bringing with him three humans. Their names are Kahlee Sanders, Hendel Mitra, and Gillian Grayson. Their ship will be in quarantine, and the humans will be forced to stay inside. Now, if I remember correctly your father is one of the admirals, right?"

"That's correct," she says. "Why?"

I nod. "When the Admiralty Board asks to see Kahlee Sanders, you have to tell your father to increase defenses around the Idenna as a precautionary measure," I reply. "Fast. Gillian's father is a Cerberus operative, and he'll be leading the attack on the Idenna along with Golo. If the Idenna isn't well-armed before all three humans are told to meet with the captain of the Idenna, there will be a huge problem. Space support, security around the airlocks, whatever you do..." I take in a deep breath. "Know that the operatives will storm the Cyniad and try to take on the Fleet with that. Try to pick up communications from the Cyniad if you have to. Be careful: the operatives will wear your exosuits; I think they might try to trick their way in."

Tali regards me with a gesture of her hand. "I don't know if my father has that much power," she says. "But, I will try to alert him. I... thank you for the warning. I may not like this, but I'm glad you'll at least tell me when to look out for the Fleet."

I smile as I look to the others. I see Wrex stir slightly. "You're welcome," I whisper. "Just heed it. And Wrex is waking up, so we should stop talking about this."

And then the krogan lets out a really big yawn, and we sit there as Liara stirs behind me. I see Garrus' mandibles slowly click against his teeth a final time before his fingers begin to move, and so I look around.

"Well, I guess we all got a bit of sleep, eh?" I ask.

"That we did," says a rather groggy Garrus. "Coudn't have woken up at a better time. Have we gotten to Ilos yet?"

"I imagine we are close enough," replies Liara. "We should likely suit up while we still have the chance.

I look around as everybody wakes up and nod. "Okay, that doesn't sound so bad," I reply.

"All right then," says Wrex. "We suit up and we kick some ass. That's something I can get behind."

"Hear, hear," I say, raising my hand. "Now let's go!"

And with this, we go our separate ways to suit up. I head back to my quarters, Tali heads back to engineering, Wrex heads back to the hangar, Liara heads to the medbay, and Garrus heads to the Mako.

Right. With that out of the way, let's suit up. And take a few deep breaths. Because this is the final mission. And I will need to be prepared for whatever comes next. Not to the extent that I had to be prepared for Virmire, but still...

There's the matter of the two years between this and the next game. What am I going to do then? Hm... Perhaps I can get a job somewhere doing what I love. Opera orchestra? Maybe. I've seen from my extranet services that the local human opera company does operas throughout the entire year, only taking a break in the winter for some reason. Yeah, I could probably do that. I just have to hope I'm good enough...

But first, I need to help kick Saren's ass.

After a period of time, I'm in my suit. I look around the room, wondering if I'm forgetting something. I think I'm set, but... Oh, wait!

I rush over to the desk and rummage through the drawers. Okay, there's the paperweight. All right. I guess I should take this with me on the Conduit. I don't know why, but something in the back of my head is telling me I'll greatly regret it if I don't.

I stash it somewhere safe within the armor, and look around the room. Let's do this!

I run over to the bridge, knowing that Shepard will be there to look down on Ilos.