Chapter 5

There was a long lull between Zaeed's victory over Ken and the next non-krogan battle, so most of the Normandy crew took it as an opportunity to rest and get food at the meeting tent.

Mordin had spent some time on the ship, but with his lab shut down to conserve power and most of the crew out watching the contests, he really didn't have anything to do there. He returned to the meeting tent to grab a meal just as most of the other non-krogan were beginning to gather there.

"How are you doing, Mordin?" Shepard asked him.

"Ah! Shepard. I am fine. Unable to do work, however. EDI cannot yet restore power to my lab."

"I'm sorry about that. I'm also sorry the krogan wouldn't let you be in the tournament."

"Not a problem. Was not interested in tournament anyway."

"That's probably a good thing. At this rate we'll be going into the Omega 4 Relay with half my crew in sickbay."

"That bad?"

"I might be exaggerating a bit. But I didn't realize how seriously people would take this."

"Too much time spent with krogan. Primal instinct begins to surface. Humans experience urge to behave as ancient ancestors did, when individuals fought each other for potential mates."

"I wouldn't say the krogan are on the same level as human cavemen."

"No need for my opinion, Shepard. See for yourself."

"Well…I'll be going."

"Unable to see past pity for krogan species," Mordin mumbled to himself, as Shepard walked away. "Most unfortunate."

"Professor Solus?"

Mordin turned; Hennas approached him. "Professor Solus…I haven't seen you around since the tournament started."

"Returned briefly to my ship. No access to my lab, however."

"Why not?"

"Ship is undergoing repairs. Reason for the stay on Tuchanka."

"Repairs? I guess that makes sense. Rumor has it Shepard has been fighting the Collectors."

"Will not comment on rumors."

"Of course not." Hennas smiled. "Just wanted to say that if you are taking down the Collectors, it's about time someone went after those bastards. Their attacks on human colonies are despicable."

"Indeed."

There was a tremor accompanied by multiple roars; the tables of food shook a bit, but fortunately nothing fell over.

"The thresher maws are pretty close," Hennas said. "It's strange that the krogan chose to set up camp right next to their breeding ground."

"'Breeding ground' may be misnomer. Unclear how thresher maws reproduce, but krogan legends do not match scientific data. Evidence suggests asexual reproduction using spores."

"Really? Then what are they doing out there?"

"Unknown."

"Maybe they're just having a bit of fun. Today they release all their inhibitions and come together in a sort of sexual union, even though they can't reproduce."

"Like krogan."

There was a pause.

"Was that…a genophage joke?"

"Err…no."

"I can't believe you…" Hennas stopped. "No, it's…it's okay. I spent a lot of time on Sur'Kesh. I know the way people talk about the genophage in salarian culture…and to be perfectly honest, in asari culture as well. It's become so acceptable to talk about the krogan like that, it's easy to do it without thinking."

Mordin shifted awkwardly, unsure how to respond to that.

"I remember how awful it was working in the labs at the university," Hennas continued quietly. "Everyone talked about the genophage project like it was the greatest achievement in salarian history. Everyone wished they could have been a part of it. It was like they were all hoping another violent species would come around so we could all relive the excitement of inventing an instrument for genocide."

"Unlikely that any future conflict will require so drastic a resolution," Mordin said, rather more slowly than usual.

"Require?" Hennas repeated. "No conflict requires genocide."

"Debatable."

"Debatable?"

Mordin avoided eye contact; Hennas lowered her voice to a hiss. "Are you telling me…that you support the genophage?"

"Genophage was necessary."

Hennas shook her head, glaring at him. "It's funny…I've rarely met a salarian who's against the genophage. I don't really expect that position from strangers. But here you were, sitting on Tuchanka, attending a krogan mating festival and eating krogan food, and I thought…I thought there's no way this salarian supports the genocide. He couldn't be that much of an ass."

"Easy to sympathize with krogan," Mordin said. "Easy to believe that genophage was wrong, without all of the facts. Naïve to claim that an alternative solution would have…"

Hennas slapped him.

Mordin blinked several times; Hennas stormed off. Mordin sunk lower into his chair as several people gawked at him.

Not getting laid tonight.

"Good to see you back on your feet, Donnelly."

"Thank you sir. It was really only a flesh wound. Nothing Dr. Chakwas couldn't fix."

"Glad to hear it."

As Shepard walked off, Ken scanned the area. He finally spotted Jack and walked over to her.

"So…how are you liking the tournament?" he asked casually.

Jack arched an eyebrow. "I was born to win this kind of fight. Unlike you."

"But…but at least I went out there. I mean…"

"You wanted to prove something out there, didn't you?"

"Well…yes."

"Prove you were strong?"

"Yes."

"Let me tell you something. Strength isn't about letting people hit you and enjoying it. They've got a different word for that."

"I didn't enjoy it! I was just trying to…"

"Next time you want someone to knock you around, don't come bothering me. I bet Zaeed would do it again for you, if you asked nicely."

"First I'm a weakling and now I'm a bloody masochist!" Ken cried, throwing up his hands. "How can I possibly prove to you that I'm…"

"Here's a better question," Jack interrupted. "Why am I the person you need to prove this to?"

Ken sighed. "I…I just thought maybe you liked me. Even just a little bit."

"I don't."

"All right…well…I won't be bothering you anymore."

Ken hung his head and turned away.

"Hey," Jack said suddenly, and she seemed to have softened up a bit. "I…shit. I don't know what to say. Just…don't go beating yourself up about this, okay? You should go talk to that friend of yours, the other engineer."

"I think she's a bit busy with Joker."

"Really? Well…if it means anything…I don't think it would take much for you to prove you're better than him."

Ken smiled slightly. "Thanks, Jack."

"Yeah, yeah. Now leave me alone."

"The two quarians, knocked out in the first round," Tali said, shaking her head. "We're not doing a very good job of representing our people."

"You don't need to do well in a tournament to represent our people," Qori said quickly. "You're the Savior of the Citadel."

"As I told you before, I was just helping. On my own…well, you saw what happens when I'm on my own."

"Vash is an asari Spectre. She's stronger than any quarian."

"You're right…our people have different skills."

"So…um…are you…choosing anyone?"

"What?"

"For…for the festival."

"Oh…oh! You mean…" Tali shook her head. "No, no, I'm not doing that."

"But…why not?"

"Why not? Are you really asking me that?"

"I just thought…"

"You're on pilgrimage! Your family should have explained the risks to you!"

"I know the risks…I just thought…"

"Any kind of physical contact has to be extremely special. The risk of illness is so high that it has to really be worth it."

"I…I thought maybe we had something special."

"What?"

"You know…"

"Qori, we don't even know each other!"

"But we do! We've been talking, and…and I know you, Tali'Zorah. Everyone knows you."

"That isn't special."

"Maybe we could make it special."

"You…" Tali shook her head again. "You're just a kid, so…I don't blame you. But you have to believe me…sex is really dangerous. Okay? You could die of an infection."

"I…I guess I didn't really think about it that way." Qori extended a hand. "Thank you for…for making sense. I was ready to do something really stupid."

"You're welcome," Tali said, shaking his hand. "Someday you will find someone very special, and then you'll know the time is right."

"Have you found that someone?"

"Not yet."

"Well…thanks again."

"You're welcome."

"Do you need something?"

"I just wanted to talk."

"By all means."

Kelly tossed some hair out of her face, trying not to look nervous. "So…how are you doing, Thane?"

"Well enough," Thane responded; he opened his mouth to speak more but began coughing.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-yes…I fear that the high level of pollution here on Tuchanka may be beginning to affect me…however…it is nothing serious."

"Are you sure? Maybe you should go back to the ship!"

"A few more hours will make no difference."

"But…but really…if it's a health risk, you shouldn't be out here doing…"

"Thank you for your concern, but I will be staying here on the surface until the Normandy departs."

"Okay." Ugh…now I have to be terrible. "So, um…you know the Commander pretty well, right?"

"Not as well as some."

"Well…it's just…do you really think she's going to pick Garrus at the end of the tournament?"

There was a pause. "I have no idea."

"It's just…when we first got here I thought there was no way she would take it seriously and actually pick someone, but I heard a rumor that she was going to pick Garrus. Which makes sense, I guess, since he's pretty much all she ever talks about to me. But then Gabby was saying that…"

"Forgive me," Thane interrupted, "but I am not one for gossip. Perhaps someone else in the crew might enjoy discussing this topic with you."

"Oh…I…I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was bothering you. I'll go now."

Kelly walked away, feeling pretty awful about herself. He seemed genuinely upset. I bet it's getting to him. Maybe that and the cough will give Garrus the edge he needs.

Thane started walking back to the arena area, hoping to catch some of the krogan fights that were taking place, when Vash's drell crew member approached him. "Hello again."

"Hello."

"I…I wanted to tell you that I watched your fight against Qori."

Thane smiled. "He is young, but with more training he could become a very strong fighter."

"Vash has been working on training him, as she did with me. Hopefully he will take to it better than I did."

"I watched your fight against Miranda. She is an extremely powerful biotic with genetic enhancements that give her the advantage in most contests."

"You don't have to make excuses for me. I could have done better." Iri paused. "I…really enjoyed watching you, you know. I've never seen anyone fight like you do. It was…it was beautiful."

"That was the way I was trained."

"But it's more than that. You had a rhythm, a way of moving that was…"

Thane suddenly started coughing; Iri frowned. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," Thane said, clearing his throat. "It's just the pollution."

"Maybe you should go inside somewhere."

"I will be fine."

"Are you sure? I…I could take you back to my ship."

There was a pause.

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable," Iri said softly. "We could just go back to my quarters and…talk, for a while."

"I don't…" Thane started coughing again.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Iri asked.

"I'm dying."

"Wh…what?"

"I am in the final stages of Kepral's Syndrome."

Iri covered her mouth in shock. "Enkindlers have mercy…shouldn't you be in a hospital? Receiving treatment?"

"I would rather be on the Normandy."

Iri's eyes suddenly glazed and she said, very rapidly, "Flashing lights on the monitors…a cell, he said…I touch his hand…she pulls me away…"

Thane waited patiently for her to recover from the memory. "Do you want to talk about him?" he asked.

Iri's eyes filled partially with tears. "My uncle died of Kepral's. One of the only times I spoke to him was in the hospital room, when he was dying. My mother didn't want me to see him."

"Did she think you were too young?"

"No…he was…an outcast in our family. He followed the old traditions. Prayed to all the old gods."

"Ah."

"My mother said that the disease was a punishment because he refused to accept the wisdom of the Enkindlers."

"That is a terrible thing to say."

"I know. I actually used to believe her, but…but I know better now. All drell need to share the guilt for what happened to our planet and our people. We can't just blame the ones who follow the old traditions."

"I follow them."

"You…what? You…you do?"

"Yes," Thane said, his face hardening at her tone.

"I…I didn't realize."

"Perhaps you should have assumed. After all, it would seem your mother was right about Kepral's."

"What? I told you I don't believe that!"

Thane lowered his head. "I…apologize."

"It's all right. And I'm sorry if I sounded rude."

"I accept your apology."

"Thank you." Iri wrung her hands a bit nervously. "I…I would still like to get to know you better. If you want to come back to the ship with me."

"I…don't know…"

"We could just…talk, like I said. In fact…I would like to know more about your faith."

"Really?"

"Yes. You can tell me about your beliefs, and…and I could tell you about the Enkindlers."

Thane blinked. "I…think I know quite enough about the Enkindlers."

"Well maybe we could just have a discussion about…"

"Thank you, but I must decline your offer."

"But…"

"I will be returning to the Normandy now."

"I just…"

"Goodbye."

Thane turned and hurried away from her. He started heading back toward the arena, then began coughing. Looking around, he spotted Grunt standing alone, pacing.

Thane approached him. "Grunt…would you be willing to do a favor for me?"

"Probably not."

"I…see."

"What's the favor?"

"Well…if you find the time…I need to go back to the Normandy for a little while. Could you have someone sent there to inform me when I need to return to the tournament to fight Garrus?"

"Heh, that's right, you're fighting Garrus! Wouldn't want to miss that. Sure, I can do that."

"Thank you."

Thane left.

Shortly after, one of clan Urdnot's top young warriors, Wratog, approached Grunt. "You have been doing well in the tournament, tank-bred."

"I am superior to all of the krogan here."

Wratog laughed. "You have yet fought weaklings. We shall see how you hold up in a true test of strength."

"You shall see me win the tournament. Easily."

Wratog narrowed his eyes. "Uta is mine."

"You can have her."

"Even the female clan leader isn't good enough for you?"

Grunt leaned in close to Wratog. "If you want to fight, let's fight. Otherwise…leave me alone."

"See you in the ring," Wratog said threateningly, then he turned and walked away.

As evening approached, the tournament continued to be in full swing, although the number of participants had narrowed significantly. The losers among the krogan males had mostly either left the camp or gathered together in a corner of the meeting tent, chugging ryncol and betting on which of the remaining males had the best chance of ending up with Uta. Most of them supported Wratog, widely considered the strongest individual warrior in Clan Urdnot. Wrex, who wasn't participating in the tournament himself except for the final krant fight, was silent about his favorite, but everyone suspected that he was rooting for the underdog, Grunt.

For the non-krogan, the contests had gotten far more intense. Excepting Zaeed, who knocked Conrad Verner out of the ring within seconds, none of the competitors had a clear edge. Shepard barely defeated the tough turian Amata in a melee contest. Despite Joker's multiple attempts to convince Wrex that there needed to be a Miranda-Jack showdown, Miranda was slated to fight one of Vash's asari crew (who had easily beaten her volus crewmate in the previous round), and Jack would be fighting Vash.

Jack had done extremely well in all of her previous bouts, using the terrain of the ring against her foes and seeming to relish every moment of the combat. Her fight with Uta's favorite Vash, and Thane's fight with Garrus, were big enough draws to get most of the krogan to show up and watch. Wrex scheduled Garrus and Thane to fight first, then Jack and Vash. After that, there would be a long series of krogan-on-krogan fights before Miranda would resolve her contest with the asari.

Thane was seated at Dr. Chakwas' desk in the empty medical lab, meditating, when Garrus entered. "Hey," he said. "We're coming up soon. Grunt told me I could find you here."

"I…didn't expect him to send you."

"Listen…we don't have to do this. I mean…you're sick, and…"

"On the contrary," Thane interrupted, standing, "I am perfectly fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. We should proceed to the ring."

"But…really, the more I think about it, the more this fight seems like a bad idea. I think we should call it off."

"You're afraid of losing."

"Ha…" Garrus folded his arms and cocked his head to one side. "And here I thought I was doing you a favor."

"If you're having second thoughts…throw the fight. Allow me to win."

"What? No. That's not going to happen."

"Then there is no reason to discuss it any longer."

Garrus, annoyed, proceeded out of the Normandy and headed toward the arena, with Thane close behind. A tremor briefly impeded their progress; when they reached the arena, the crowd was wildly reacting to an impressive victory by Wratog.

"You two are up next," the arena judge said to them. "How will you be fighting?"

"Hand to hand," Garrus said.

"Are you…serious?" Thane asked.

"I'm better than you might think."

"If…" Thane stopped, coughing a few times.

"Keep it up," Garrus said. "The crowd will really sympathize with you."

"And what will your excuse be when I defeat you?" Thane asked.

Garrus chuckled. "Good point."

The judge directed them to take positions. While he counted down, Garrus carefully scanned the terrain of the arena, and Thane closed his eyes and prayed.

Shepard was standing right at the edge of the arena; Grunt took to her side. "The turian is going to lose," he said, looking pleased by this.

"We'll see," Shepard said quietly.

The fight commenced. Several seconds of very slow movement passed as each combatant prepared for an assault; when they finally engaged each other, their movements instantly became too quick to follow. Thane struck Garrus rapidly several times, but Garrus weathered the blows and used Thane's offensive strategy to his advantage, finding an opening in his defenses and getting in a strong blow to the drell's head. Thane retreated and there was more waiting, then another engagement similar to the first; this time, Garrus seemed to have picked up on Thane's movements and managed to block many of the blows.

"The turian is better than I thought," Grunt grunted.

"His name is Garrus," Shepard said, her eyes darting between the two men as she tried to study every movement.

Despite it being a very close contest, it was over fairly quickly. The battle was so intricate and precise that it became clear whoever made the first mistake would lose. And Thane made the first mistake.

Thane tried to trip Garrus as he stepped forward to take a swing, but the drell's foot slipped and he lost his balance. Garrus caught him, jabbed him twice in the face, then hurled him toward the nearest limit line. Thane hit the ground hard and barely slid past the edge.

"The turian has won!" the arena judge yelled; the Normandy crew cheered Garrus' incredible performance, while the krogan crowd argued about whether or not his strong showing was reason enough to give a turian a chance to fight in the final krant battle.

Garrus walked over to Thane and helped him get to his feet.

"You are much better than I thought," Thane said.

Garrus leaned in close to him and whispered, "You bastard. You let me win."

"I…thought I was being subtle."

"Well I doubt anyone else noticed."

"Good."

"So…you had second thoughts."

"Yes."

"You could have been a little easier with the punches if you were going to throw the challenge anyway."

Thane smiled. "I could have."

Garrus and Thane stopped whispering when they saw Shepard approaching. "That was quite a fight," she said, smiling at them both. "Too bad the Collectors use guns."

"I wonder which of us is a better shot," Garrus said, glancing sideways at Thane.

"I…must retire to the Normandy now," Thane said. "I wish you both the best of luck for the remainder of the tournament."

Thane walked off.

"So," Garrus said, "that was…really hard."

"You took some serious hits. Are you doing okay?"

"I'm fine. Give me a few minutes to recover and I'll be ready to take down Zaeed, no problem."

"Good."

"And…after that…we can…talk. About…uh…things. Right?"

"Right."

"Great."

"Okay."

Shepard smiled, and the two parted ways. Not far away, Kelly Chambers breathed a deep sigh of relief.

Shepard headed back to the arena, where Jack and Vash were just starting their fight. Shepard hoped Jack would pull off the win; she was sick of Vash's condescending attitude and obnoxious crew.

Like the battle between Thane and Garrus, this match was very difficult to follow visually. It was a biotics-only fight, and large blasts of blue and purple from both combatants made their individual movements somewhat indistinguishable.

At one point, Jack made Vash stumble with a strong pull, but Vash retaliated with a shockwave. Jack slipped and cut her hand on a nearby boulder; cursing loudly, she jumped behind the boulder to give herself a moment to recover. Vash then surprised her with a powerful biotic charge attack.

After charging Jack, Vash grabbed her; Jack was stunned and appeared unable to retaliate. Suddenly, Vash let go of Jack and hit her with a ferocious biotic throw, which sent Jack vaulting over the limits of the arena and crashing into the audience stands.

As the arena judge declared Vash the winner, the crowd dispersed to give Jack room to get up. She remained still for a few seconds, then suddenly jumped to her feet. "That BITCH!" she screamed. "She cheated! She hit me with some kind of poison!"

"Oh please," Vash said, rolling her eyes. "Everyone saw what happened."

"I'll rip your fucking…" Jack started, charging up a biotic power with her injured hand.

"Jack, no!" Shepard shouted, grabbing her other arm.

"Let go of me, Shepard!"

"It's over."

"But she…"

"I know she cheated. Now let me handle this."

Jack kicked the dirt. "Fine. I'm over this shithole anyway."

Shepard marched over to Vash, who was being congratulated by the turian, Amata. "You're not fooling anyone," Shepard said, her eyes narrowed.

"Sore loser, Commander?" Vash asked.

"You hit her with some kind of paralysis agent after you charged her."

"Can you prove it?"

"I don't have to."

"Convenient."

"I also don't care. It's funny, really, that you take this tournament so seriously you would cheat just to advance."

Vash signaled for Amata to leave them alone; the turian reluctantly left. Shepard prepared herself for a possible attack by the asari, but she merely lowered her voice. "You and your Cerberus," Vash said disgustedly. "All you care about are human interests."

"What does Cerberus have to do with this?"

"Nothing. That's my point."

"You're not making sense."

"I didn't come here for a vacation. I came here for Uta. When I stand beside her and we defeat Wrex in the final krant battle, it will be a very important political victory for the krogan females."

"You expect me to believe that you cheated for the krogan? You're deluding yourself."

"No, you are. You humans are all the same. You go around the galaxy doing whatever you want without thinking about the consequences. This festival is important, even if it isn't important to you."

"You know what? I'm through with this. You can have your political victory. My people really did just come here for a vacation, and if this is what they're going to get, then it's not worth it."

"You're backing out?"

"That's right."

Shepard left Vash, then called Miranda, Garrus, and Zaeed together. "This tournament is over."

"You serious?' Zaeed asked. "Just because that asari coward cheated against Jack?"

"This whole thing is a lot more political than I realized. Trust me, we don't want to get in the middle of it."

"I'm with you, Commander," Miranda said. "I've had a bad feeling about this from the beginning."

"Damn," Zaeed said to Garrus. "And I was looking forward to kicking your ass."

"I guess we'll have to reschedule," Garrus joked.

"Good. Come by my quarters on the Normandy anytime and I'll show you what I can do."

Miranda arched an eyebrow; Garrus looked confused. Shepard spoke quickly. "We've still got hours to go before the Normandy is ready to leave. I suggest you take full advantage of the food. If you want to hang around the arena, we can at least continue to cheer on Grunt."

"He's come a long way," Garrus said. "It would be really impressive if the clan leader picked him."

"I'm going to go see how some of the others are doing," Shepard said. "Garrus…we'll talk later."

"Right."

Shepard left. Miranda, Garrus, and Zaeed remained standing together.

"So what are you and the Commander going to talk about later?" Miranda asked Garrus.

"Mm…nothing."

"You don't gotta hide it," Zaeed laughed. "Everyone knows. She's only asking to get you to admit it."

"Look, it's not…what everyone thinks. We really are just going to talk. About…the possibility, of…something."

"Why wait?" Zaeed asked. "Just do it tonight. If that IFF gets installed, we could be in Collector space this time tomorrow. There may not even be another night after that."

"I guess that's…one way of seeing it," Garrus said slowly.

"I know what I'm doing tonight, is all I'm saying," Zaeed said.

"Don't look at me," Miranda said, frowning.

"I wasn't. But you should find someone for yourself too."

"I don't think so."

"Well think about it more. I'll see you lot in the morning."

Zaeed walked off.

"He really is a strange man," Miranda said.

"Do you think…maybe he's right?" Garrus asked hesitantly.

There was a pause. "I don't know," Miranda said quietly.

"Huh. Well…I'll talk to you later, Miranda."

With the Normandy crew out of the tournament, Vash easily took the top spot for the females. Wrex, annoyed by Shepard's decision, finally managed to convince her to let Zaeed fight in his krant for the final battle. The only major contest left was between Grunt and Wratog, to determine which one would mate with Uta.

Before the fight, Grunt was surprised to be approached by Uta herself. "I have been watching your progress."

"I am the best warrior here."

Uta laughed. "Such audacity…it becomes you very well. You may strike fear and doubt into the heart of your opponent."

"It isn't a strategy. It is fact."

"That remains to be seen."

"Why are you here?"

There was a pause; then, unexpectedly, Uta reached out a gloved hand and gently stroked the side of Grunt's face. "I want you, Urdnot Grunt," she whispered.

"Then you must wait until after I win. Those are the rules."

Uta retracted her hand. "Of course…of course. I will see you after the contest. Oh…and Grunt?"

"Yes?"

"Wratog seems to have a slight limp on his left side. I think he may have suffered a foot injury in the last battle."

"I already noticed."

"Of course you did. Fight with honor, Urdnot Grunt. I will be waiting."

Grunt returned to the arena, where Wrex clapped him on the back. "You're up next. You ready for this?"

"Yes."

"Good. Think of the prize waiting for you if you secure victory."

"Hmmm."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Grunt and Wratog took to the arena; the crowd seemed divided between them, but a surprising number of Normandy crew had gathered to cheer on Grunt's name. Neither Grunt nor Wratog was fazed by the crowd; they stood focused on one another, ready for the battle to start.

Wratog had fought with staffs in most of the previous battles, but Grunt opted for hand-to-hand combat in this one. What it turned into was a violent wrestling match; Wratog fell down early and Grunt pounced on him without hesitation. Rolling around and smacking each other, the fight looked more like the sort of thing one would see in the varren pit by the Normandy landing site. And the crowd absolutely loved it.

Because of the style of their wrestling match, the fight went on much longer than most other hand-to-hand battles. Grunt's more colorful appearance distinguished him from Wratog, but it was difficult to tell who was dealing more damage. Eventually, after several minutes of roaring and pounding, Grunt drove Wratog to the edge and barely forced his arm past the limit line.

"Urdnot Grunt is the winner!" the arena judge shouted; Grunt stood and roared to the crowd, throwing his fists up into the air and seeming happy for the first time all day. The crowd roared back.

"Well done!" Wrex exclaimed, rushing up to him. "That was a well-deserved victory."

"Yes," Grunt said, still catching his breath. "I feel…I…I can't describe it."

"Proud?"

"No…Powerful. Like the most powerful krogan in the galaxy."

Wrex laughed. "Bring that confidence with you to Uta's bed."

Grunt hesitated. "That…is more difficult."

"It's all right to be nervous. But you'll do fine. You're special, Grunt."

"I'm different."

"That isn't a bad thing."

"Isn't it? Other krogan either like me because I am different, or hate me because I am different. I'm not treated like the others."

"You just won the tournament. Today you deserve to be treated like a champion. And tonight, I'm sure Uta will treat you as such. We will fight together in our krant tomorrow morning, after everyone has recovered."

Uta walked over to them. "I knew you would win," she said.

"I'll leave you two alone," Wrex said with a smile, walking away.

"I…I am injured," Grunt said nervously to her. "I need time."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes…I…I just need a couple of hours. To be ready."

"All right. Take all the time you need. I will be waiting."