Despite the fact that many of the Normandy's crewmembers have exited the cockpit to return to their posts, Joker still sits in an over-full cockpit by his standards. Pressly stands watch at a console to Joker's left. He monitors the readings in and near Saren's base. Kaiden paces and grumbles to himself. He occasionally demands to know why Shepard didn't pick him for the ground team. He hovers by the airlock door, presumably in case Shepard changes his mind. Liara consoles him in her sweet, soft voice. Even though Kaiden cannot seem to find a suitable task for himself, Liara certainly knows how to utilize her strengths where needed.

Time passes painstakingly slow for everyone present. The waiting game seems to agitate some, while others simply fall silent. Joker sits at the helm, ready to react the second Shepard contacts them. However, after over two hours of waiting and listening to the commotion die down behind him, Joker's mind drifts elsewhere. It fills with thoughts of Shepard.

Shepard pushes his torso down towards the bed, kissing him on the way down. She breaks the kiss to reach up and remove her shirt. Her bare skin, save the black bra, is too tempting. He reaches up to touch either side of her abdomen. She smiles and places her hands upon each of his hands, moving them slowly up to her breasts. Now he's really blushing, or perhaps just flushed from desire. He pulls her back in for further kisses while he unhooks her bra. He tosses it aside haphazardly. Shepard reaches down to tug at his shirt. They part as he pulls it up and over his head, also casting it aside. He carefully guides his shoulders back down upon the bed.

Shepard smiles down at his bare chest. She kisses along his collarbone gently while her hands explore the rest. Her mouth returns to his as her right hand trails down, past his navel, towards his buttoned pants. She rests her hand upon him for a moment before working at his belt. Joker suddenly becomes severely self-conscious and turns his head away from her.

"Are you okay?" Shepard asks rather breathlessly.

Joker refuses to make eye contact. This is the part he has dreaded with every woman he has ever been with.

"May I?" Shepard asks, hands upon his belt buckle.

Joker closes his eyes and nods. His face burns with shame as Shepard pulls down his pants to reveal his leg braces. The fine metal filaments and tubes hug his leg muscles. They serve as an exoskeleton of sorts in addition to supports, which thankfully is invisible under clothing, but during intimacy... The slight gap between his skin and the metal web are a physical demonstration of his atrophy due to lack of use. Dr. Chakwas constantly reminds him to do his exercises, but he has no private place to do them and they are a pain in the ass anyway, he always tells himself.

Shepard runs her fingers along the thin lines of metal. She bends down to kiss his thigh in the gap between his sturdy hip brace and substantial knee brace. Her face reveals no disgust, no condemnation. She smiles at him, at his body, as she looks him over. She tugs his pants over his feet and discards them onto the floor next to the bed. She works her way back up from his ankles, offering gentle kisses on his skin between metal filaments before finally landing at his…

"Flight Lieutenant Moreau." Pressly says, jarring him back to the present reality.

"Uh…" Joker shakes his head. Did it get hot in here? "Sir?"

"I'm picking up strange readings near the base."

Joker regains his composure and checks his own console. "Well, I'll be damned." Joker says. "Are we in any danger? Or the ground team?"

"I can't know." Pressly sounds worried. "I've never seen this before."

"Shepard to Normandy," Joker finally receives his much anticipated call. "Do you copy, Normandy?"

"Commander?" Joker says, immensely relieved. "Commander, what is your status?"

"We've infiltrated the base. Listen, Joker. It's a long story, but the Conduit isn't a weapon. It's a backdoor to the Citadel, a mini mass relay."

"The Conduit is a mass relay?" Pressly reiterates. "That could explain the strange readings we're picking up."

"Wait. How is that possible?" Joker questions aloud.

"The Citadel is also a mass relay, linking to dark space. Listen, I don't have time to explain everything because Saren is headed to the Conduit right now! We're on his heels. We're taking the Mako through. Message Hackett and update him. Saren is going to open the link to Reaper space. We need reinforcements at the Citadel asap!"

"Holy shit." Joker mutters under his breath. "Aye, Aye, Commander. Be safe out there."

"Noted. Shepard out."

Joker smiles in spite of the situation. "Noted." He thinks. Shepard's commander-speak. She's in battle mode. That son of a bitch Saren has no idea what he's up against.

Joker initiates the video call with Hackett while watching the signal on the Mako move toward the area near the base putting off the strange readings. His eyes watch the Mako's signal until it suddenly reads as offline. He attempts to radio Shepard but cannot make a connection. A gnawing, unsettling feeling eats at him because that is the same exact reading that he would receive should she and the Mako have been obliterated, but he pushes the thought away. He just needs to trust her, as he's done in countless previous missions prior, many without sparing a second thought. This time is different, though. She's not just the commander, she's... What? Every word that pops into his mind falls flat. It was likely just one night, idiot. One hell of a night…

"Flight Lieutenant Moreau." Hackett's visage appears on the screen.

"Admiral." Joker says. "Commander Shepard has instructed me to contact you."

"Of course. What is her status?" Hackett asks.

Joker relays the revelation that the Conduit is actually a mini mass relay linking to the Citadel, and Saren's plan to help the Reapers enter Council space. The old man's hard face hardens further.

"How far are you from the closest relay?" Hackett inquires.

"Two hours, Sir. Give or take."

"I am currently stationed in the Andura Sector with the entire Arcturus Fleet. Return to the Mu Relay and link to our system. We'll stand by for the Normandy and jump to the Widow system together. Shepard's team and the Citadel station will need substantial reinforcements. Currently the ships stationed as part of the blockade against Saren are the Citadel's only real line of defense."

Joker swallows hard and nods. "Aye, Aye, Admiral." He prepares the crewmembers and Normandy for immediate take-off.