Mass Effect II Through the Fire and the Flames

by Tutor Veritatis

Shepard's past as a 10th St. Red comes back with a vengence after receiving a message from a storage facility where he buried his past. He will face the demons and mistakes of his past, with the love and support of Tali, and overcome his greatest mistake.

6. The Past Now Rests

Mass Effect II – Through the Fire and the Flames

Chapter 6 – The Past Now Rests

The dark sky of Earth was a beautiful sight; stars glimmered, an ethereal cloud of the Milky Way could be seen to the North-West in this early morning.

Floating not fifty feet above the near-lifeless desert outside of Los Angeles, the profile of a ship could be seen hanging as if by invisible wire in the sky.

Aboard that ship, the crew slept soundly, without a care in the universe to disturb them. Below a skylight, through which the occupants of the place known as 'The Loft' had an amazing view of the early morning sky, the ships' commanding officer was already awake.

Jeremy Shepard, Twenty-Nine years of age (or was it thirty one? Dying really threw off chronological age); six feet and four inches tall; short black hair he usually kept in a buzz cut and felt needed a trimmer immediately, with some grey in that mass of black and the beginnings of a beard, lay in his King-sized bed wide awake.

He'd woken up around zero-five hundred, and had simply lain in bed just for the hell of it. That and his Quarian girlfriend still slept, a small snore occasionally escaping her lips. Looking down, the top of Tali's head, with her ebony-black hair, rested on his chest as a pillow; her body, with bared flesh, contoured to his in a state of perfection.

Despite the blissful moment, his thoughts were held in disquiet and sadness. Though he had given of his own blood to free the souls of his family, there remained one task only he must complete. The thought sent shiver down his spine which pierced his blood and froze him still. That was the other reason for which he still lay in bed with Tali: the knowledge of this final task stilled his feet and held firm.

As he continued to watch the skylight, a tinge of red colored the sky; turning his head slowly so as not to disturb the calmly sleeping Tali, Shepard looked at his alarm clock: the display read zero-five-thirty.

Turning back, Shepard looked down upon Tali: her dark hair fell across her face, a few strands touched her lips and they fluttered up and down with each breath. Moving his hand, Shepard stroked her hair. From her crown down the curve of her neck and to her shoulder, he let the silken tendrils run through his fingers.

Tali stirred, just a little but still asleep, so he continued to stroke her hair. After another minute, she shifted, more this time, but appeared to go back to sleep. As he stroked, Tali mumbled something, sleep making her words indistinct. "What's that?" Shepard asked softly; taking a deep breath, she moved from his chest to join him on the pillow.

"I said that felt good" she said, eyes still closed and speech slurred by sleep. Turning on his side to face her, Shepard ran his fingers along her jaw, from ear to chin. Stopping after a moment, he held her chin and ran his thumb along her lips. Tali breathed in through her mouth, his thumb raking the soft tissue. Bending forward, Shepard placed his lips atop hers. Their kiss was long, deep and conveyed more than words and emotion.

Understanding, acceptance, passion, desire, respect and more; in the dark of the cabin, as the sun slowly rose upon a new day, the two lovers held their kiss, wrapped in each other's embrace and tangled within disarrayed bed sheets, for the longest, most peaceful moment, of their lives.

Breaking the kiss, Tali and Shepard drew a breath. Opening his eyes, Shepard gazed into Tali's luminescent irises, flecked with silver. He was stalling, he knew that, and he wanted to delay having to rip himself away from this perfect moment for as long as he could.

Tali's words from yesterday, however, came back to him. Exhaling a long sigh, the smile which had been across his face faded; Tali, noticing the change immediately, frowned and placed her own hand upon his face, caressing his jaw. "What is wrong, Jem?" she asked. Gazing into her eyes, he opened his mouth to answer but the words caught in his throat.

Taking a breath, Shepard tried again, "the Rite of the Blood Canticle, the ritual yesterday, has one requirement after the release of the fallen souls" he said. Tali sat up, knees curling into her chest and her arms wrapping around them. Her hands balled into fists. She was sick of all the things Shepard had to do for his gang and their damn rituals causing him such pain

These thoughts collided with her beliefs of responsibility towards family: the individual must give of themselves toward the survival and future of the group at large.

Her fists were tight, digging into the flesh of her palm through the bed sheets, twisting under her hands, Tali kept her fear and trepidation under a cap as she asked "what do you have to do now? Strip your flesh and spill your blood? Ride a machine monstrosity over a perilous chasm?" Shepard could sense her fear, despite how much she hid it from her voice.

"It's nothing of the sort; more of a…cleanup" he said; the word was wrong to describe what needed to be done, but with Tali in this state it was the only word that would calm her and get his point across. She turned; her eyes were beginning to discolor as she held back her tears; "what do you mean 'cleanup'?"

Moving from under the bed sheets, Shepard slouched over the edge of the bed, forearms on his knees and hands clasped together. Staring at his hands, and in a monotone, explained what he meant. As he spoke, tears weld in his eyes, but with willpower they did not fall.

When he was done, Shepard remained in his slouched position. Tali moved to him; she wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder. Reaching around, Shepard held her close as his tears fell at last silently and only for a moment.

Drawing in a sharp breath, Shepard stood and offered his hand to Tali; she took it and both made their way to the bathroom and a morning shower. Under the warm water, Shepard scrubbed Tali down with antibacterial soap safe for both dextro-and -levo amino acid-based. Finished, Shepard turned and let Tali do the same.

Out of the shower, Shepard stared at his reflection in the mirror; his cheeks and neck were covered in bristles of hair. Waking to his desk, he took a wooden box from one drawer; opening it, the box contained a bowl with soap, a brush with perfect synthetic beaver hair and a second box, this one a dark wood with engravings and iron fastenings.

The box and contents had been a gift from Anderson after becoming a SPecTRe. Shepard had expressed, during one evening before the Eden Prime when the two had shared a drink, the lack of an old-fashioned shave with a real blade in this era of micro-edge safety razors, capable shaving down to the tiniest hairs.

Taking the Blackthorn and iron box out, Shepard snapped the clasp and opened it to reveal a white-marble handle with silver. The blade was nano-forged steel, able to hold an edge without needing to be sharpened for years. Back in the bathroom, he ran some water over the brush, lathered it up from the soap in the bowl and applied it to his face.

The cream spread a fine layer over his face and neck; after washing the brush, Shepard opened the razor. Running the sharp blade over his face was a sensuous feeling, a simple pleasure of which he loved; with practiced ease, the sharp blade, capable of cutting through tough sinew cleanly, cut the hair from his face.

Clean shaven, Shepard wiped his face with a damp towel, removing stray hairs sticking to his skin. Out of the bathroom, Shepard saw Tali on the couch. Her suit encased her body once more, excluding the helmet and visor. Her hands danced in their endless waltz of her nervous anxiety. Walking to his dresser, he opened the top to remove boxers and socks; the second drawer, a shirt, slacks and jacket.

Snapping the last button of his jacket on, Shepard fingered a spot below his left shoulder, centered above his heart. The area had been occupied by the Cerberus emblem, but Shepard had soon applied a combat knife to this and all of his uniforms. A little overt defiance to the Illusive Man, a permanent middle-finger for the cameras placed throughout the ship-which had also been removed after the Collector Base.

A small smirk twitched on his face at the memory. He turned to Tali, still sitting on the couch, unmasked; her eyes down cast, thoughts off in a distant part of her mind. She looked up as Shepard stood next to her. The blissful expression she had worn earlier was gone, replaced with worry and sadness. "Must you carry out your duty alone?" She asked.

Holding out a hand, Tali took it and let Shepard pull her up to stand before him. "I must; only I can finish what is required in the wake of the Blood Canticle," Tali cringed at the name; the image of Shepard's fingers stripped of skin after playing that damned guitar flashing before her mind again. "Tali," he said, voice low and soothing, cupping her chin and turning her face so she would see his eyes.

"Thank you for everything you have done and I will need you again to stay strong". Tali moved away, up the stairs and reached for her helmet and visor, but hesitated. She wanted to cry, not for herself but for him because what he must do would break his heart. And he never cried; the first time she had seen tears from Shepard was yesterday in the cave. His tears had cut deeper into her soul than the story of his gang.

Shepard stood behind her; Tali did not need to turn around to see, she knew. He possessed an air of strength one could sense easily. She had seen men, her father for one, and women such as Chief Williams, with this same air of strength, but Shepard's was tempered by respect for all and kindness. His arms encircled her waist, and his chin lay atop her head. Turning, Tali wrapped her arms around his neck.

In his arms, Tali began to tremble; he heard a sniffle and a ragged inhalation of breath. "Don't cry, love" he said, squeezing tighter. "I'm not crying for myself, or for what you have to do. I'm crying for you, because you won't let yourself cry". Shepard held her tighter, unsure of how to respond; he chose to say nothing and simply held Tali.

When her tears subsided, she looked up at him. Removing a handkerchief from a pants pocket, Shepard gently wiped her face dry. Tali closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the fabric against her skin, one last sensation to hold in her memories. After twice removing her suit, Tali knew she wouldn't be taking it off again for a few days as her allergic reaction ran its course. Despite the medication Mordin had created, it would take perhaps a full year or more before she could live outside her suit without needing to use it again.

Taking her hand, Shepard led Tali out of the cabin, down the elevator and off at the crew deck for some breakfast. A pleasant smell permeated the deck; the sounds of cooking were audible as the two rounded the corner. Gardner stood behind his counter, two large pots steaming and several smaller simmering.

Gardner looked up at their approach, straightened and snapped off a smart salute "Good Morning, Commander" he said first to Shepard. Turning to Tali, he said "Good Morning, Chief Zorah". Tali gave a small giggle; Gardner reminded her of Chief Adams from the first Normandy: always respectful to her, since first coming onboard.

Shepard sniffed the air, a wonderful smell. Every day, Shepard thought the best decision he'd made as CO of the SR-2 was to purchase those fine ingredients Gardner had asked for. It seemed so long ago now, but in reality had only been a couple of months ago since he'd woken up in the Lazarus Project station, been given command of the Normandy, assembled the most capable people and formed a team, and finally destroyed the Collectors.

"What's on the menu today, Mister Gardner?" asked Shepard, waking over to the table, pulling out two chairs for himself and Tali, and pushing Tali's in for her. With a great grin upon his face, Gardner said "old family recipe, passed down since my family traveled from Europe to America before turn of the twentieth century. I took it with me when I left Earth; a little something to remind me of home and family history".

As Gardner went back to his pots, Shepard and Tali sat at the table nearest the kitchen area. "Also made something special for you today, Miss Zorah, along with Officer Vakarian"; curious, Shepard asked "why go through all this trouble today, Gardner". Wiping his hands on a dish towel, which he laid over his shoulder, Gardner said "Miss Goto told me what happened in that cave; said you performed an old funeral rite, gave up part of your hand too".

Glancing down, Shepard looked at his hand, still inside the medical glove; he's never taken it off, not while he slept or showered. "I did a little reading, and found that after such a rite as you did, it's customary to feast and drink in honor of the dead". Gardner gave him a look then "but you were otherwise occupied. So I thought why not have a feast anyway, a little late but better late than never".

"Thank you, Rupert, it's…more than I expected" Shepard said. He rarely used Gardner's first name, he rarely used any of the given names of his crew except his combat team, but they were the exception. "It's no trouble Commander" Gardner replied. Pouring Shepard some orange juice and retrieving a similar dextro version from the refrigerator, Gardner set the drinks before the two and set back to the breakfast.

Tali and Shepard drank slowly, each thinking their separate thoughts about the coming day. From the end of the deck, a whisper of mechanical and pneumatic systems opened the blast doors to the forward gun battery and Garrus stepped outside, wearing not his armor but a casual outfit dyed with his family colors of predominantly blue with black trim.

Garrus yawned expansively, his mandibles flaring and his teeth barred for all to see. After the yawn, he rubbed his eyes, with some difficulty due to his visor, and finally noticed his two friends sitting at the table before him. "Mornin'" he said, voice a close match to Thanes' croak, sitting down opposite the two.

Smiling, a small laugh in his chest, Shepard said "sleep well, Garrus?" With his head resting on his fist, eyes closed, Garrus said "too well; even in the military, I was never a morning type of person. That just got worse when I discovered 'weekends off' working for C-Sec". Garrus again rubbed his eyes, and the visor again impeded his efforts somewhat.

Gardner came over and placed in front of Garrus a steaming mug of turian coffee. That's what Garrus called the items anyway-the mug was in fact a cylinder with a narrow slit at the top to drink from. And the 'coffee' was a viscous, bubbling goop which reminded Shepard of steaming, boiling mud pits in active volcanic regions of earth.

Garrus took the cylinder in hand and drank a long gulp, not bothering to let it cool. When he was done, Garrus breathed a satisfied sigh, and steam curled out from his mouth. From the elevator corridor, they heard three doors open. From around the two corners walked Kasumi, Thane and Samara, who joined the three already sitting.

"I don't usually see you at the breakfast table, Samara" Tali said. Samara nodded "I often take my meals in private, before the rest of the crew awakened, except for Mr. Gardner. He said once he wakes before everyone else so the crew would have a proper meal before starting their shift". Again, Gardner came to the table with morning beverages in hand for the new arrivals. The six companions sat together, chatting amiably, and over the course of several minutes, they were joined by the remainder of the combat team. When Grunt showed up, he sat at one end of the table by himself as the table was starting to crowd.

With the combat team fully assembled, Gardner served the breakfast of each member individually, having prepared so many dishes for each member. The most bizarre served went to Grunt: an entire haunch of meat, dripping with grease and blood. He licked his lips and picked up a rather menacing looking fork that was about the size of a small trident.

"Come to papa," he said, stabbing the mass with the fork, blood oozing from the holes. "Uh, you might want to be cookin' that bugger a little more," said Zaeed, looking over the bloody mass with his good eye. Grunt sneered at the old veteran, bearing his teeth "Why spoil good food with fire? All it does burn the flesh and ruin the flavor. No, bleeding and juicy is the way I take it." "Bloody disgusting that is" Zaeed mumbled, tucking into his own breakfast of eggs and sausage.

Grunt ignored the old man and took a huge bite out of the meat. Blood squirted everywhere, including all over Zaeed's eggs. "Watch it, you bloody lizard! You're gettin' yer filth all over moi breakfast! Dammit all!" grabbing his napkin, Zaeed dabbed at the blood, uttering curses low under his breath. "Well if you don't want'em…" Grunt said, reaching over to Zaeed's plate.

Before reaching the plate of food, Zaeed's own hand closed around Grunt's three large fingers. He clenched, attempting to elicit pain; Grunt just stared Zaeed directly in his good eye, murder burning in his own. "Don't you touch my goddam' eggs, you giant lizard buggah'" Zaeed said, thick accent and anger turning his voice into a bestial growl. Grunt responded with a growl of his own from deep in his chest, bearing his teeth.

A loud crack rent the air. The sound startled everyone, having been solely focused on the brewing fight between the old merc and young Krogan; a couple jumped while most turned to the source of the noise. Shepard, hands flat together before him, stared down the table at Grunt and Zaeed. He said nothing, but the stare was enough force both males to focus on their breakfasts. Grunt made an effort now to prevent any blood from spurting forth.

Shepard returned to his own breakfast: oatmeal with honey, fruit, eggs and bacon, with milk and orange juice to accompany both. The cybernetic implants required a higher than normal caloric intake, as the equipment ran from his body's own bio-electric system, consuming calories at a rate double that of any normal human, other than a biotic.

The tension building between the Krogan and human had put everyone on edge. But Shepard's intervention, without saying a word to quell the two warriors, elicited several members a satisfied smirk, a few laughs, and from Jack: "Boss man's got both of you by the balls!" she cackled.

Breakfast returned to a quiet affair after the near-fight, a few people held discussions but most contented to eat while enjoying the simple act of eating together. Tali watched these people as they ate. All different, but united and sharing a simple meal together as…"a family". Tali whispered.

Shepard heard the words, barely audible over the clatter of silverware. Reaching out, he took Tali's left hand in his right. Running the pad of his thumb over the back of her hand, she looked into his eyes and he into hers. His gaze saw past the purple mask, into the eyes behind; it sent shivers running down her back.

Once everyone was finished eating, Shepard cleared his throat. All eyes at the table turned to him, even Gardner as he gathered the dishes of the team.

Shepard looked each one of them directly into their eyes, holding their gaze long enough to silently convey the importance of what he was about to say. "Yesterday afternoon, you witnessed a ceremony no one outside of my old gang has ever seen before". Pausing to let his words be understood, gazing into their eyes once again. "In the simplest terms, it was a memorial and funeral ceremony both".

"Funeral my ass," Jack called out "they were all just waiting in those pits and that light show was supposed to distract us". Shepard said nothing, but stared Jack down instead. It was not the same as was used on Grunt and Zaeed, but it halted all Jack's normal outburst for the rest of the talk. "Every person who crawled out of those fire pits has been dead for twelve years now…today"

Tali drew in a sharp intake of breath. 'Today is the anniversary of their deaths' she thought. Shepard took her hand again and held it as he continued to speak "Twelve years ago today, the people who I thought of as my family were violently murdered. I was forced to ride against the man who called me his son in the same race as I did with Finch yesterday". Shepard's eyes cast over with the veil of memories, but he drew back immediately.

Leaning forward to rest on his elbows "the ceremony I performed yesterday was called the 'Rite of the Blood Canticle'. Whoever seeks to release the souls of the dead must give of their own flesh and blood". With this last, Shepard tapped the fingers of his right hand from thumb to little finger on the table's surface. "There are two final parts of the rite which must be completed. The first must be done today". He faltered, unable and unwilling to say more as tore at his soul.

Tali ran her thumb across the back of Shepard's hand, the same gesture as he had given her. Small though it was, the feel of her hand was enough to continue. "The chamber needs to be destroyed". When the words passed his lips, they seemed to steal away his strength of will.

Samara stood from her chair, looked to the people around her, and finally turned to Shepard. His face betrayed no emotion, but the slack in his shoulders, in the slump of his back conveyed a deep sorrow. "As you have given us strength to face the trials in our lives, so do we know stand with you to confront your trials". Raising her right arm, fist tight, the Justicar laid it above her heart.

Grunt stood next and laid a fist above his heart as well, one of them at least; "Battlemaster" the young Krogan intoned. Garrus joined the standing Asari and Krogan warriors, fist over his heart as well. Miranda, Jacob, Jack, all of them stood, fists resolutely held above their hearts. Tali was the last to stand; hand still tight around Shepard's, she tugged on it so he would stand "you are the man I choose to love, to share myself with you more than I have with anyone before" she said.

Laying her fist over her heart, Tali said "I have given you my love and loyalty, and know I may return to you what you have given me". Shepard stood at the head of the table before the men and women who had followed him into hell and back; they had shared their pains with him, and now he would share his with them.

Words failed to come to his lips, instead Shepard bowed his head in a silent thank you.

Within a quarter of an hour, the team was assembled in the hanger bay as the Kodiak lowered to allow boarding. The underside of the drop ship had been equipped with four projectors, designed to carry payloads by creating a mass effect field around an object. The devices were small and portable with magnetic locks for easy installment, while a wireless connection to an Omni-tool rendered control simple.

The team of fourteen boarded the vessel, sat and set their individual harnesses. Lifting off, the Kodiak passed over Shepard's motorcycle; the mass effect field projectors levitated the machine off the deck, holding it suspended beneath the drop ship without making contact. Moving slowly out of the hanger, the vessel with its passengers and cargo descended to the scorched earth below.

Releasing Shepard's motorcycle first, the Kodiak hovered without touching down as Tali stepped off first while the rest followed. Disengaging the magnetic locks, the projectors fell to the ground. After gathering the four devices, the drop ship finally settled on the ground.

Standing at the base of the towering stone spire, Shepard, in jeans and shirt again, gazed forlornly at the cave entrance above. Seeing his expression, Tali slipped her hand into his, squeezing slightly to lend him reassurance. Closing his fingers around hers, Shepard turned his head to look at Tali. A nod and Shepard marched forward leading the rest.

Up the hill once again, the group arrived and entered the cavern once more. Again, the oppressive darkness hid the cavern. Stepping forward, Shepard knelt and touched the floor. A runic symbol, wreathed in flame, lit at his touch and the fire extended out, lighting other symbols around the cavern. The pits of fire, the main source of light, lit in unison.

The chamber was the same as it had been when they left yesterday, excepted the armor Shepard had worn was strewn atop the dais. Tali also saw the damned guitar Shepard had used yesterday. Turning to the group, Shepard said "the ceremonial armor of my gang must be mounted on stands before the chamber is destroyed. It's a gesture of respect". There was more to it than that, but he didn't want to go into any details. This was difficult enough already.

The group set to the task. Breaking into groups of two, the armor was gathered and mounted on stands-human dummies actually, with opposable limbs to fit even the gauntlets and gloves on easily.

The simpler armors were mounted in minutes, but the last three proved the most difficult. Shepard's and Isabella's were both chain and half-plate garbs: the chainmail shirts had to be mounted first, accompanied by the greaves, gloves and gauntlets, a metal chest piece and finally the helmet. Shepard mounted the helmets, first his own phoenix helmet-a magnificent single piece of polished steel with wings flaring from the sides and a beaked faceguard.

Holding Isabella's wolf head helmet, he kissed the forehead before mounting it atop the armor. The last armor to mount was the full-plate armor, Billy's. The greaves and gauntlets affixed easily, but the chest plate and pauldrons gave some difficulty. Finally, the bear head helmet. As with Isabella's, Shepard held it before him. Laying his forehead against the snout of the bear face, Shepard said something in a whisper none could hear. Finished, he placed the helmet atop the stand.

Finished with their task, the group turned to Shepard for any further instruction. Standing below the dais, taking one last look at the three armors which stood together-his, Isabella's and Billy's-Shepard activated his Omni-tool and took a photograph. Finally turning to the group, Shepard spun his right hand in a circle, ending the motion with a two-fingered gesture toward the fracture in the rock.

Moving in single file, the group exited the cavern and made their way back to the waiting Kodiak and motorcycle. After mounting his machine and fixing his helmet into place, Shepard opened his omni-tool "EDI, establish a link between myself and firing controls for the Thanix" he said. Tali stood between the motorcycle and the drop ship, unsure.

"Connection established" EDI replied. The omni-tool screen turned to a blank, black image with a flashing yellow light. Beneath the control was a single word: arming. After the span of two seconds, the yellow turned to green and the blinking ceased. Unable to look at the screen, Shepard turned in his seat. The Kodiak was full, except for Tali, who stood between the two vehicles.

Holding out his right hand towards her, Shepard said "one more ride, Tali, and this will be finished". The stalwart tone in his voice belied the conflict within his mind and heart, but he would not falter. Taking his hand, Tali swung her leg over the seat and eased into his back. Tightly wrapping her arms around his waist, Tali nodded.

Giving a hand gesture to Garrus, indicating to follow, Shepard faced forward and took hold of the handles of his motorcycle. His touch brought the machine to life; the beast roared, eager to run across the vast desert with great abandon. Twisting the throttle once, twice, he kicked the brake, revving the machine to full throttle at the same time. The rear tire spun, churning up gouts of the old pavement; the tire smoked with the friction before catching.

The motorcycle shot forward; as the machine and its two riders sped away, a subroutine activated and began to play music stored in the flash-memory hard drive. The song was of remembering the fallen and, one day, those who remained would join them once again. It steeled Shepard's resolve; taking his right hand from the throttle, he held two fingers above the fire control display on his omni-tool. With a roar mixed of rage, sorrow and regret, his two fingers fell onto the control.

Braking and turning, Shepard spun the bike around, skidding a few feet before stopping. Above the pillar of stone, the Normandy's main gun could be seen; the weapon lowered from its berth, the twin barrels extending. A great, white light shone from the muzzles of the gun; white and blue, it shone brighter every passing second. The light reached its peak of brilliance, and a wave of noise and power tore the very air as the weapon fired.

The core of the fired round shone bright white tinged with blue; a sun itself, and the noise was a feral scream which raced across the desert, heard over hundreds of miles. The super heated round of shaped armor-piercing metal impacted the base of the great pillar, exactly where the entrance to the cavern was. The massive kinetic energy of the weapon, combined with tremendous heat which rivaled a star, weakened the pillar of stone.

With its base cracked and melted, the great pillar trembled. Cracks in its core raced up and out to the surface. Slabs of rock fell from its peak, some measuring two yards long, others twenty yards and larger. As the exterior fell away, the core collapsed, causing the whole to crumble into itself. Where once a great monument stood, recognizable for miles around, remained an empty skyline and a massive pile of stone.

Falling forward, Shepard hit the console of his motorcycle with his helmeted head. Sobs wracked his body. Tears, held back previously, flowed forward in a torrent. All that was required of him as the last living member of the 10th Street Reds, his final duties-the last tie to his family-was done. Slender arms wrapped around his torso. The song from the console changed then; the same lyric-less song flowed from the speakers, but it seemed different.

It was the same song, same guitar, bass and drum, but it felt different. Rather than recall memories of the past, it brought forth all Tali had fantasized about in her life with Jeremy: a light breeze in a field on a faraway planet, tall grasses dancing in the wind. Tali stood with the breeze over her face, a light dress in place of a suit. Jeremy stood with her, a white shirt held by only one button and light khaki shorts.

The vision passed from Tali's mind; Shepard had calmed and sat straight. The song came to its end and the console fell silent once again. A palpable absence of sound settled around the two riders in the aftermath of the Normandy's destructive power and the song having just ended. Reaching down, Shepard grasped Tali's hand, squeezed, and held it without speaking.

The Kodiak approached from above and the silence was broken in the wake of its engine wash. The drop ship touched down a few feet away; the side door opened revealing the stunned faces of the combat team. Most gazed into the distance, where the stone pillar and temple chamber once existed. Garrus, however, moved to stand next to Shepard and Tali. Garrus hesitated but asked the question "is it over?"

Lifting the visor, the face guard retracted; Shepard looked at his friend for a moment, tried to speak, failed and so nodded instead "for now, at least". Nodding in affirmation, Garrus turned back to the shuttle. He thought Shepard and Tali would be right behind him, but turning found both still seated on the motorcycle.

Still gazing where the pillar once stood, Shepard leaned into the motorcycle once again. Closing the visor, he revved the engine to life. "What are you doing, I thought you said we were done?" Tali asked, startled and somewhat scared of something additional he hadn't mentioned.

Revving the engine more, RPMs climbing and power building within the machine, "I need to speak with Lord Tyr. I've made peace with what happened in the past; that's over with. Now I need to move forward into my future" Shepard said. Kicking the brake, the motorcycle spun in a tight circle around until it pointed back towards the city in the far distance, the motorcycle raced off in a blur.

Author's Note:

Later than I had wanted to turn in this chapter, but laziness and circumstance intervened. This one went longer than I had expected; originally, it would have included Jeremy and Tali visiting Lord Tyr, but it become too long.

The next chapter, 7, will be the final chapter; afterward, I have an epilogue in mind which I have mulled over for some time now.

Review and comment if you wish, my standards of both apply. For those who have forgotten, which I believe no one has:

-Critiques accepted, with insightful criticism, no trashing just because you disagree.

-Cursing acceptable if used only in positive comments, again no trashing; if you did not enjoy my writing, then don't read, but I won't take any guff because someone disagrees.

All characters and technology, with some exceptions, belong to Bioware, in addition to anything else I may have overlooked, but story plot lines and dialogue are my creation.

A special thank you goes to a friend who assisted in this chapter. It was his brilliant lines I used for the breakfast scene between Grunt and Zaeed. He's never played Mass Effect; I only gave him some basic information, showed him a video or two of the characters, and he wrote a damn fine, spot on script. I was truly impressed. My friend has asked to remain nameless, however, but credit given where it is deserved.

I am currently open to beta-reading, but I am working on my preferences to refine what I read and what I do not.

Good Evening my constant readers, enjoy these last few weeks of summer while you can. Soon, we shall be back in classes, with texts to read and projects to complete.

Arrivederci,

Tutor Verum