Chapter 13: Done right and other things

Normandy, Med-bay:

"Dr. Chakwas I think she's waking up!"

Miranda stirred slowly making her out of bed, the lights blurred her vision. Her head pounded, her body ached and she swore she heard Shepard's voice. "Don't try to get up just yet." She felt some one grab her hand the voice was rough, but reassuring. She was safe.

"Is that you Shepard?" She could make out a mans face. It looked tired and worn, but his eyes had a kindness in them that had earned her trust a long time ago.

"Most days. Others I'm saving your ass." Shepard joked. "How do you feel?"

She looked up at Shepard, her head still pounded and the lights of the Normandy's med-bay did nothing to help. "Like hammered shit." She grunted.

"Yeah they did quite a number on you. Its over now though." Shepard looked away for a moment, his grip tightening on her hand. "You're safe."

"You're crushing my hand, Shepard."

Shepard let go. "Oh sorry." Shepard had an embarrassed look on his face.

A smile widened on Miranda's face. "This looks familiar."

"This is how we first met isn't it?"

Miranda nodded. "Except we were in opposite places." She reached out to Shepard, touching his face. None of this seemed real to her. Weeks ago she lead Cerberus, was held hostage by a merc band and as of yesterday saved by Shepard. "Its good to see you Commander."

Shepard took her hand. "Its good to see you to Miranda." They stared at each other for a while, there eyes locked in on each other, both not wanting to look away.

The med bay doors opened. Dr. Chakwas stepped in, scanning a data pad. "Good my patient is awake." She said, looking up from her data pad. "You can leave now Commander."

Shepard nodded. "Right." Shepard walked away, the doors hissing behind him.

Miranda got up, sliding over to the side of the cot. "How long was I out?"

"Two days." Chakwas answered quickly.

"Two days ?" Miranda exclaimed.

"Yes and Shepard didn't leave your side for any of them." The doctor said in a matter of fact sort of way. "He was really worried about you."

"Was he?" Miranda asked, sounding surprised.

"The entire crew was. When Shepard brought you in you were beaten, bloodied and bruised. The first couple hours could have gone either way. " The doctor explained. "But you pushed through."

Miranda looked at the floor, a smile forming I the corner of her mouth. "Thank you doctor."

Port Observation:

"So do we always drink and brood in the dark or is this a special occasion?" Kasumi's tone was sarcastic. "What wrong, Garrus?"

Garrus sat at the bar, swallowing down drink after drink. "Its the Reapers Kasumi." Garrus exhaled. "They're always a step ahead and now they've got an army of geth!"

Kasumi sat next to the turian. "Yeah they seem pretty invincible."

"They just rolled through the Migrant fleet and the rest of the Galaxy doesn't even seem to care."

"We did the best we could, Garrus. We couldn't have known about the heretic geth's reaper virus." Kasumi said, trying to comfort the turian.

"But rewriting them was supposed to fix that, instead we walked into a trap!" Garrus yelled. Garrus looked away, lowering his head. "I'm sorry. I just want something to go right." He said quietly.

"That doesn't sound like a strictly `Reaper` issue." Kasumi pointed out. "Talk to me about it."

"Its everything Kasumi. It was C-sec, my team on Omega and Sidonis." Garrus explained, sounding defeated Garrus continued. "This situation with the Reapers and everything we've done up until this point have all just back fired on us. I don't know, but I just..."

Kasumi's hand brushed against Garrus's face, gently stroking past the scar. "For something to go right?" She interrupted.

She looked at the turian, biting her bottom lip. "I know exactly what you mean."

The Briefing room:

"The quarian matter is of some concern, but this does not immediately threaten council space."

"Doesn't immediately threaten council space?" Shepard shouted. "So an fleet of geth and Reapers that could come to the Citadel any day now isn't a threat?"

Shepard was called into a meeting with the council; to tell them what happened in the veil. He hoped they would at least send some aid to the quarians, but unsurprisingly the council viewed this as a "quarian matter" and being that they aren't a council race gave them an excuse not to involve themselves.

"And from your report you've indicated they are taking refuge on Rannoch, they're home world." The salarian councilor added. "How have they managed this?"

"The geth not effected by the virus took the survivors in. Apparently the geth restored much of the planet after their war with the quarians."

"I want to know more of this virus." The turian councilor questioned. "How did the geth join the rank of your "reapers" if you rewrote them?"

"When I rewrote the geth there was another hidden virus encrypted in their systems. When the geth heretics assimilated with the main body of geth the Reaper virus went to work and turned more geth to their side."

"Really?" The turian councilor sneered at Shepard. "That sounded like a choice you made as you humans say, coming back to haunt you." His tone was condescending. "You should have destroyed them!"

"I didn't know what would happen when I rewrote them!" Shepard shouted.

"And now because of you, there is a fleet of geth roaming the galaxy!" The turian councilor shouted back.

"Enough both of you!" The asari councilor interrupted, she turned her head at her fellow council member. "Shepard made the decision based on evidence he had at the time and couldn't have foreseen the consequences." She turned to Shepard. "You are a spectre, your actions have far reaching effects on the galaxy as a whole and you need to realize that, let this situation be a lesson."

"A lesson that puts us all in danger!" The turian councilor growled.

"There is another issue we wish to discuss Commander." Said the salarian councilor. "We need you to escort a krogan female off the salarian home world of Sur'kesh."

Shepard raised an eye brow. "Why not just send her off world yourself?"

"The krogan clans are in a current state of civil war and this female could tip the balance." The turian councilor continued. "You already have connections to the clan leader we want her sent to."

"Wrex?"

"Yes, we believe his idea to unite the krogan to be just. You delivering the female to him wont be viewed with as much suspicion as us delivering her." The asari councilor explained.

Shepard nodded. "I'll do it."

"You'll go to a research facility were and STG detachment will hand over the krogan to you. From there you'll go to Tuchanka with the female." The turian councilor ordered.

"This meeting is adjourned."

AN/ Well I'm back, schools out and its time to update... everything. New chapters all this week (if I've got time to post them) Looks like we'll be headed to the salarian home world next chapter. I'll see you there.

Please review.