Chapter 6: The Team I

Tali entered the com room. Shepard had the Normandy dock at Omega and left with out saying what he was doing. Garrus was in the mess hall and Jack as far as anyone else knew was in her pit in engineering. This was the best opportunity for Tali to make a call to an old friend.

"This is the Shadow Broker."

"Liara cut it out."

"I apologize Tali. It's turned into a bit of a habit"

"Don't mention it. Have you heard from the Migrant Fleet?" The quarian asked. Tali was exiled from her people, when Shepard withheld the evidence of her fathers involvement on the Alarei. She was greatful for Shepard not spoiling her fathers name, but when Shepard kept the collector base she felt that she to had to look out for her people. Before she left Aite she took a copy of the research Cerberus completed. She could trust this information with Liara and one Admiral. Liara under the guise of the Shadow Broker mediated a meeting between the two. Xen took the research, bought several labs from the Broker for extended study and updated Tali on any break through. On the promise of being returned to the fleet.

"I haven't gotten word back from Admiral Xen about any of the data I sent to her about project Overlord in weeks."

"That's strange." Liara sounded confused. "Xen has stopped asking for supplies at the research stations she bought from me. And she hasn't had anything taken from anything from the drop off stations in months."

"What about the rest of the fleet?" She asked impatiently.

"Nothing."

Tali was worried now. Something was happening if even Liara hadn't heard from the fleet. "When was the last time you heard anything new?"

"Six months ago. I did hear of a large party of quarian ships enter near the Perseus veil."

"Nothing sense then?"

"I'm sorry Tali. Have you talked to..."

"No!" Tali shouted, cutting off Liara. "I mean... no... I haven't talked to Shepard about it yet."

"You have to tell him. Its been a year and you know he'll find out."

Tali sighed. She hated lying to Shepard. He let her live on his ship and he was like family to her. But she couldn't tell him about this. "I... I will... when I'm ready to tell him."

"I certainly hope so Tali."

Normandy Deck two:

"What the hell do you mean there's nothing you can do!"

"I'm sorry Jack. We don't have the equipment and there is very little information on your case of biotic neural decay."

"For all we know, using your biotics may be speeding the process."

"Fuck!" Jack's biotic's flared as brightly as her anger. She had been having issues controlling her biotic's. In normal biotic neural decay a biotic loses power, for Jack it was the opposite. She was getting stronger, too strong. Her amps have been burning out, something as simple as pulling a glass towards her results in the glass shattering. She is slowly losing control.

Doctor Chakwas put a hand on her shoulder. "I am sorry Jack. There are options."

Jack slapped the hand away. "What like you scooping out a piece of my brain? Fuck that!" She got off the bed and made her way out of of the med bay.

"I'll have to tell Shepard about your condition. You could endanger the mission"

Jack stopped in front of the door. The doctors words hit like a charging krogan. "I'll tell him doc."

"Thank you Jack and let me know if anything changes."

Jack left with out saying anything. The doctor went back to her desk, opening her desk drawer and pulling out a bottle of serrice ice brandy. Jack came to her about an issue with her biotics. Jack explained her condition and after an hour of cranial scans and other tests that Jack asked for the doctor found nothing that would help with out sending her to a hospital. Jack's condition will eventually kill her.

Omega, Warehouse:

When Shepard got a message from Aria when he entered the system he didn't expect to be held at gun point in the After life club and later in a fire fight with gang members. Aria has a new found hatred for Cerberus and after a tense conversation and a little gun play later Shepard found himself running an errand for the crime lord. A rival gang isn't coming under heel and Aria wants them to think a spectre is working for her. She also added as an incentive the fact the have a member of Shepard's crew captured.

"Stand back! I'll do it I'll kill this bitch!"

Shepard found them in a warehouse. Half of them couldn't shoot straight and most ran when they saw Shepard's face. Most except this guy. He was turian and so scared that he couldn't hold his gun without shaking. Shepard couldn't just shoot him due to the fact he held a former member of his crew as a human shield.

"Oh it looks like you have me in a bind. Do you know who I am."

The turian nodded. "Good then you know he'll shoot me just as fast as he'd shoot you!"

"Kasumi please be quiet." Shepard asked. When he got here those that didn't run, stayed and fought. They died fairly quickly. He was surprised to see Kasumi of all people here and taken hostage.

Shepard raised his pistol. "I see you favor a phalanx turian. I'm more of a hand cannon kind of guy my self."

"Oh your seriously talking to this asshole!" Kasumi lamented. " Just shoot him."

Shepard winked at the thief. "You know the problem with the phalanx is that laser. Every one can see what your trying to shoot at and by the time you pull the trigger your marks moved out of the way."

The turian backed up more. "Shut up!"

Shepard got closer, his weapon still raised at the turian. "My hand cannon doesn't have that problem. For example since I've raised it I've had a shot on you." Shepard pulled the trigger. The turian screams in agony as he falls to the floor.

Kasumi exhaled. "Thanks Shep! Could you have been any slower?"

"Your welcome. But why did they have you here to begin with? Is it about the grey box?"

The thief shook her head. "No. I found some information about the geth."

Shepard raised an eye brow. "Really?"

"Yeah. I ran across some Alliance intel while I was doing a job. Apparently a large number of geth ships were seen leaving the traverse and going into the veil."

"I'm not even going to ask who you did this job for."

Kasumi chuckled lightly. "Couldn't tell you. I never saw who. I just got worded messages and I was being payed a grip."

"What happened?"

"I went in to give the guy what he wanted and next thing I know I was being shot at by some commandos."

"I ran to Omega, hired some help in case those guys followed me. Turns out they know about me being apart of your crew and figured they could get some money off of you."

"Aria told me to take them down as a favor. Apparently Cerberus and her had a falling out." Shepard turned to leave the warehouse. "I hope things work out for you Kasumi. Stay safe out there."

"Shepard wait!" Kasumi called.

Shepard turned back around. "Yes?"

"I've still got people tracking me down. What ship is safer than the Normandy?"

"Are you asking to be apart of the crew?" Shepard questioned. "We do realize I'm fighting against the Reapers. The kind of ship the citadel fleet couldn't handle."

Kasumi shrugged. "Oh no problem. I either die and get thrown into a ditch by some pissed off commandos or I crash and burn on the Normandy with friends!" Kasumi walked passed the commander.

Shepard stood and watched the thief for a moment. He runs into her at some nameless warehouse on Omega and just like that she's apart of the crew. He wasn't sure if his string of bad luck had just changed or if things where getting worse.

Normandy, Captains quarters:

Shepard collapsed into his desk after struggling to get his armor off. The failure at Feros still nagged at him. He took all the responsibility for the Throian retaking control of the colony and it being destoryed by the geth. He was hoping this tip about the geth and the veil was some kind of lead into why they would start attacking human colonies.

Shepard's monitor flashed in the corner of his eye. It was Ashley Williams trying to open a video chat. Shepard opened the com. "Hey skipper."

Shepard was happy to see Ashley. The geth invading, the Reapers and the thorian was all he thought about. Ashley was a welcome distraction. "How is it going Ash."

"Well I'll be shipped off to some remote location that I can't talk about and Shepard your as easy as a book to read, so whats wrong?" Ashley strung all that together. She knew him too well.

"I heard about Feros. The geth really attacked it?"

Shepard nodded, not saying a word. "Well stop blaming yourself!"

"I never said I was."

"You didn't have to. I know you Shepard and right now your taking the death of all those colonists as a failure on your part."

"Just make those synthetic bastards pay for each dead human!"

Shepard nodded. "Alright. So whats this mission your on?"

Ashley shrugged. "Can't talk about it. But they do have a lot of us guarding a few lab coats."

"What about you Spectre?"

Shepard leaned back into his chair, slouching over. "I'm going into geth space. Something is going on in the veil."

Ashley was surprised, her eyes were wide and her mouth hung slightly open. "You're not seriously going in there alone?"

"That is the plan. The council can't be bothered with hunches and the Alliance doesn't have any ships to spare."

Ashley closed her eyes and gave a frustrated sigh. "Just be careful out there Shepard."

A smile formed on the corner of his mouth. "Aren't I always?"

"Thats what I'm afraid of."

AN/ Well this chapter was a little less Shepard centric, what do you think?