Mass Effect: A Liar's Tale

by KingMcRory

How much damage can one person cause in an effort to change fate? This is the story of one man's effort to change only what was necessary. (This is my first time posting anything anywhere. Predominately Mass Effect but with a few pieces of technology thrown in from other sources. Reviews welcome.)

2. And So It Begins (Virmire 1)

The SSV Normandy slid silently through the cold expanse of space. With its stealth systems engaged, it was invisible in nearly every spectrum. The only way to notice it was to actually see it with the naked eye; an impossible task in the infinity of space.

I was sitting in the mess, chatting over a cup of coffee with a couple of the crew. Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko had just joined us. We were discussing the benefits of caffeine as they related to biotics.

"I'm definitely a believer," Alenko said. He held up his own mug as proof and in salute, then downed it.

I laughed along with everyone else. "But," I wanted to know, "What happens when ye've had too much? Ye know. When ye get... twitchy."

Alenko shrugged. "Well, it's usually best if I don't get to that point."

Garrus Vakarian walked up at that point. "Now, that's something I think I'd actually like to see," he remarked.

After a moment considering the turian's comment, I shook my head and said: "I'm pretty sure that would be a bad idea. Right, Alenko?"

"Yeah, that would be bad," the Lieutenant replied.

As Garrus got his own drink and took a seat, the conversation moved on to other things. I finished the rest of my mug and got up to get a refill. Relatively alone, I checked the time on my omni-tool. I opened an encrypted file in my Retinal Display and checked the time against the list of events in the file. Heading back to the group with my refilled mug, I was doing some figuring in my head. If I was right, it should be anytime now…

On cue, Joker's voice came over the comm. "We're on course for Virmire. The Commander would like all Specialists to assemble in the comm room."

With a shrug, I downed my drink all in one go, then put the empty mug in the sterilizer. I waved at the crew that was still sitting around the table and followed Alenko and Vakarian around the lift shaft. Glancing back as I heard a door hiss open, I saw Liara T'Soni exiting the Med Bay. I stopped and gave her a small smile and a 'Come on' wave. She caught up to me and said, "Thank you," with a shy smile. Together, we headed up the curving stairs after the Lieutenant and Vakarian to the Command Deck.

We walked around to the rear of the deck, tossing a casual salute towards XO Presley, and entered the Comm Room. I stopped in my usual place at the bottom of the slight ramp that led down into the Comm Room proper. Liara took her seat in the ring of chairs next to Vakarian.

Liara hadn't even got settled into her chair when the door slid open again, revealing Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams and Urdnot Wrex. Ash looked all business as she walked past me with a nod and took her seat next to Alenko. Wrex looked amused/grumpy/hungry, as usual. He walked past me with a grunt (his version of a polite nod) and sat next to Liara.

Now, we were just waiting for two more. Even as I had the thought, the door hissed open again and in they came. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya came down the ramp with only the slightest hesitation. I was sure that the young quarian was grateful for her environmental suit; it kept us from seeing how uncomfortable she was with us all watching her. As she passed me, she paused for just a fraction of a second before bumping my outstretched fist with her own. I sensed, more than saw, her slight grin as she took her seat between my spot and where Ash was seated. My C.A.S.I.E. implants were getting better at reading the aliens on the crew. I hadn't had much interaction with any of their species before joining Shepard's team, and it was taking some time to calibrate to their unique "tells." I knew Tali pretty well, though.

Following a couple of steps behind Tali was the Survivor of Akuze, the man who would become the Hero of the Citadel, the man who would take down the Collectors, and the man who would become the savior of the whole freaking galaxy… as long as I didn't screw up what I was here for.

Lieutenant Commander John Shepard, Captain of the SSV Normandy, and the first human Spectre. It was his actions that got Saren Arterius thrown out of the Spectres, and it was his mission that we were all now on. We'd already found and recruited the asari archeologist, Doctor T'Soni. Liara was a good kid, despite her Mother being Saren's top lieutenant. And I'm using the term 'kid' loosely, of course, considering that she's one hundred and six years old. But that is young for her species.

After recruiting her, we went to Feros, an ancient and overgrown world-city. There, we had found Saren's geth attacking the human colonists. We stopped them and found out why: the colonists were protecting an ancient sentient plant creature called the Thorian. The thing had given Saren something called 'the Cipher,' the combined knowledge and life experience of the entire Prothean race, and his geth were trying to kill it before Shepard could get the Cipher. We managed to fend off the geth, save the colonists, and get Shepard the Cipher.

He said that it helped him make a little more sense out of the vision that the beacon on Eden Prime. But he still didn't understand all that it was trying to show him.

Now, we were about to start the most critical battle of our mission. At least, as far as I was concerned.

Shepard walked past me with a nod and took up his usual spot in front of the Comm terminal, directly across the ring of seated Specialists from where I was standing.

"Okay, people. I talked to the Council, and they've given us a possible lead on Saren. It seems that a salarian Special Task Group was on a reconnaissance mission to Virmire, investigating Saren's activities."

Alenko sat forward in his chair and asked: "I take it that they found something since we're being called in?"

Shepard shrugged. "That's just it: we don't know. They've gone silent."

We all looked at each other, wondering what Saren was up to now. I knew, of course, but I wasn't about to let them know that.

After giving us a moment to digest the news, Shepard continued. "The Council received a message on a secure channel that was meant only for mission-critical transmissions. But the message wasn't much more than static. So, we don't know what the salarians found, and we don't know how many are still alive."

"We also don't e'en know if Virmire has anything t' do with Saren," I added. I figured it wouldn't hurt. After all, we were going to find out soon enough, anyway.

Ash turned back to Shepard and said: "He has a point, Commander. Do we know if Saren even went to Virmire?"

"No," Shepard replied after giving me a hard look. "We don't. But the Council thought Virmire important enough to send the STG there, so I think it's worth checking out."

Wrex spoke up then, and I could feel his deep bass voice rumble in my chest. "What about Noveria? We still haven't investigated the reports of geth activity out there, yet."

I glanced at Shepard and shrugged. "Aye, but if Virmire really is connected t' Saren, I doubt we have the time t' check out Noveria first. I mean, ye said the static came in on a mission-critical channel, right, Shepard?"

The Commander nodded. "Exactly. The Normandy is already en route. We'll be there in an hour. Everybody, check your gear. I'll pick the team when we get there. Dismissed."

As everybody got up to leave, I caught a quick but telling glance between Shepard and Williams and suppressed a grin. It was funny that the whole rest of the crew knew that something was going on between the two, but that they hadn't figured it out yet. Honestly, that seemed to be a universal constant.

I turned to follow everybody out, but Shepard called me back. I waited until the rest had filed out, promising to help Tali run diagnostics on her suit. Then I turned and headed back into the ring.

Shepard waited until the door hissed closed before addressing me. "Alright, McTaggart. What do you know about Virmire?"

I shrugged, keeping my knowledge off my face. "Nothing, really. It's a colony world. Or, it would be, if it weren't so close t' the Terminus Systems. Those pirates-"

Shepard shook his head sharply and chopped his hand. "Cut the crap, Tag! What do you know about Virmire?"

I gave him a hard look, showing that I didn't appreciate his tone. But then I softened my expression and shook my head, replying: "I don't know much, Shepard. Truly."

He glanced away, considering. Then he looked back at me and asked: "Do you have a bad feeling about this one?"

I thought for a moment. I had to consider my response carefully. Finally, I shrugged and shook my head slowly. "Not a bad feeling, exactly. Just a… big feeling. Like, this mission is going t' be… critical. Or, important. Momentous, maybe? I don't know, Shepard. I'm sorry, but that's all I've got."

Shepard was quiet for a moment as he considered what I'd told him. "Okay. But you'll let me know if you come up with anything else?"

"O' course," I lied. There was no way that I was going to tell him what was coming. I couldn't take the chance that it would influence his decisions. No matter what happened, Shepard's decisions had to be his own; it was up to me to make sure this mission ended happily.

When Shepard didn't say anything else, I finally gestured towards the door with my thumb. "Can I go? I want t' talk t' Joker before I help Tali with her suit."

He nodded and followed as I headed up the ramp. "I need to go see Doctor Chakwas, anyway."

I couldn't resist, so I said with a grin, "And I think Ash wanted t' see ye, too."

Shepard gave me a mixed look as he tried to figure out what I meant. But, by then, we were out on the main deck. I gave him a casual salute and said, "Later, Commander," as I headed towards the cockpit.

I won't say for certain if I saw the slightest of blushes starting on his face. He ducked his head and headed for the stairs without another word before I could call him on it.

I passed the Galaxy Map, nodding greetings to a few of the crew as I went, and went up the few steps to the passageway that led up to the cockpit. About halfway up, a familiar flicker from my past caught my eye. I stopped and took a step back to look at the screen above a crewman's head. My suspicions were confirmed, I laughed. "I told ye it was addictive, Adi."

Private Addison Chase jumped in her chair as she instinctively scrambled to blank her terminal. "Wha-? Oh, it's you. God, you scared me, Tag!"

"Aye, I can see that!" I replied. I gestured at her terminal - which was now showing the sensor readings that were what she should have been watching - and asked: "So ye like it?"

She grinned sheepishly and turned back to her terminal. Bringing up her hidden screen, we both stared for a moment at the frankly terrible 8-bit graphics of Galaga. "Where did you find this thing, anyway?" she asked incredulously.

I shrugged and told her: "Ye can find just about anything on the extranet."

"I know that," Addison responded, "but where did you hear about it? This game has to be a hundred years old!"

I shook my head with a grin and watched her face as I replied: "Actually, it's more like two hundred and two."

Addison's eyes widened in amazement. "Okay, now I really want to know how you heard about this!"

I shrugged, trying to hide my sudden discomfort. I have to say that I honestly hadn't thought it through when I'd introduced Private Chase to a list of admittedly antique games. But, when I'd found out that she liked vintage games, I just couldn't resist. Now I had to come up with a believable explanation that wouldn't raise Addison's suspicions.

"I told ye; I'm a fan o' the classics."

Addison was quiet for a moment. While she was thinking about it, I added: "I mean, ye've played Pong, right?"

"Of course!" she replied. "Okay, I see your point."

"Let me know when ye get through that list, and I'll give ye 'nother," I told her. "I'll talk t' ye later. I've got t' talk t' Joker. Later," I told her with a two-fingered flip from my brow as I continued up the passageway to the cockpit.

I walked on into the cockpit and up behind Joker's chair. "How's it going up here?"

Flight Lieutenant Jeff "Joker" Moreau glanced up at me without stopping what he was doing. "Well enough," he replied. "Though there are only so many times that I can check our course."

I crossed my arms and stared out the window at the blur of hyperspace. With a grin, I asked, "That bored, huh?"

He snorted and replied: "You have no idea. I think I'm actually willing to try tap dancing."

I shook my head and chuckled. With Vrolik Syndrome making the bones from his waist down as brittle as glass, Joker had about as much chance of tap dancing as pigs had of flying. "I've got a better idea: have ye e'er tried Galaga?"

It was Joker's turn to shake his head. "No way, man! Chase tried to get me in on that, too. But I prefer my games with a little more… er, everything."

I laughed and said: "Aye, I can see that. After piloting the Normandy, I don't suppose an 8-bit spaceship holds much o' a draw for ye, huh?"

"Not really, no. So, what's up?" he asked as he flipped through screens on his display. "You didn't just come up here to check on my mental state, did you? Unless… did Shepard make you the ship's counselor or something?"

I was glad that Joker couldn't see my face just then, as I flashed forward about two years or so, to a cute, friendly redhead…

"Uh, no," I replied, shaking my head. "No, he didn't… And ye're right. That's nay the reason why I came up here." I paused for a moment. Backing out was still an option at this point. After all, I shouldn't be taking any risks that the crew could use to figure out the truth about me. But, honestly, the odds of that actually happening were so slim as to be nearly nonexistent. The only member of the Normandy's crew that would even have a chance at it hadn't even been built yet.

And I really needed someone to talk to. I decided to chance it. I made sure to stay out of Joker's peripheral vision as I said: "Actually, something's been bothering me, and I wanted t' ask your opinion."

I saw Joker's hands hesitate in their perpetual dance across his terminal as he noticed the change in my tone. But you couldn't tell by his voice as he replied, "Okay. Well, I'm not usually the listening ear people seek out... But go ahead, shoot."

"What would ye do if ye knew that something terrible was going t' happen?" I asked.

Joker was quiet for a moment. Which was surprising, considering his usual off-the-cuff remarks. I guess he sensed the seriousness of my question. "Well… normally, I'd say: call Shepard. But I guess you've already tried that?"

I shook my head, then added for his benefit: "Actually, no. I can't go t' Shepard about this. What would ye do if ye knew something terrible was going t' happen unless ye did something about it?"

Joker shrugged as he flipped all of his screens to the background of his display. Then he swiveled his chair around so that he could face me. He shifted slightly to get more comfortable, but I noticed that he didn't move his legs too much. With his disease, I guess he'd developed the habit of not moving his lower half more than he had to. "I don't know, Tag. I mean, I don't have a whole lot of options when it comes to doing things, you know?"

I nodded but added with a smile: "Aye, but ye have skills and resources available. Like the Normandy. What I mean is: what if something was going t' happen, but there was the slightest chance that ye could change it? The odds are against ye, but ye know that if ye give it e'erything ye've got, e'ery skill, e'ery ounce o' willpower, and e'ery bullet, ye might just be able t' change it. How hard would ye try? How much would ye put on the line t' change one thing?"

Joker considered me with an odd look. After a moment, he asked: "I think it would depend on what you were trying to change. I mean, are you trying to make sure an omni-tool doesn't get broken or trying to keep someone alive?"

I gave him a look, and said: "It's... more like the second one."

He nodded, and mumbled, "Yeah, I figured... Well, I'd give it everything I've got to keep someone alive, and I'd like to think you would, too." He paused for a second. I could see that he was thinking hard about something, so I waited.

"Are you saying that someone's going to die on Virmire?"

I shook my head and begged him with my eyes to drop it. "I can't say. Not for sure. But I promise ye, Jeff, that I'm gonna try with everything I've got t' keep anything from happening. Now, ye've got t' promise me that ye'll keep this all t' yourself. Nobody can know; not Shepard, not Alenko, not Tali. Don't tell a soul. Please."

He was quiet, and I could see that he was seriously considering telling Shepard. But after a moment, he nodded. "But," he added, pointing at me, "You promise you're gonna do your best?"

"Jeff, if something bad happens on this mission, the odds are good I'll be one o' the ones that don't come back. But, if I do, I swear that I did the best I could," I told him while radiating all the sincerity I could muster.

"Good enough for me," he said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, not all of us get paid to shoot things."

"Later," I said, flipping him a salute as I turned away. "Thanks for listening, Joker."

"Anytime," he called over his shoulder.

I headed back down the passageway towards the CIC. As I passed Addison's station, she caught my eye. In response, I gestured from my eyes to hers, telling her that I was keeping an eye on her. Her reply was a much more obvious gesture. I grinned and kept walking.

I made my way around the Galaxy Map and gave my lazy salute to the marine that was posted at the door leading down to the Crew Deck. From there, I took the elevator down to the Cargo Bay. Most of the team was already down here, checking their gear and chatting. Vakarian and Wrex were over by the Mako, discussing why their respective combat styles were superior: Vakarian was a wizard with sniper rifles, while Wrex preferred shotguns… and head-butting.

They tried to get me involved, but I waved them off, saying: "Ye've seen me fight, boyo. I prefer a little more speed and agility than either o' ye. Have ye seen Tali?"

"Nah." Wrex's bass rumble rattled my teeth, but Vakarian nodded behind me towards the port side of the bay. I turned and found Tali sitting on a stool forward of where Wrex usually liked to hang out.

She was already running scans on her environmental suit, but she looked up when she heard my voice. "Hey, Tag. Over here."

"Hiya, Tike," I said as I walked over and sat cross-legged on the floor in front of her. "Ye started without me, I see."

"Well, yes," she replied, her oddly accented voice sounding unsure. "We only have about forty-five minutes before we get to Virmire, and I wanted to make sure that my suit was ready if Shepard picked me for the point-team."

I smiled at her and keyed up my omni-tool. As the orange hologram appeared on my right hand and forearm, I reassured her. "O' course. Sorry. I went t' see Joker, and time got a wee bit away from me." I synced my omni-tool to Tali's and checked her progress before keying the unit's scanner to check the quarian's suit's seals.

"It's okay," she said as she returned her attention to her own omni-tool. "It's not like I've never checked my seals without someone's help before, you know."

I snorted a laugh and glanced up at her. Her glowing eyes and the faintest outline of her nose was the only thing visible through her helmet's faceplate, but I think that I'd gotten pretty good at reading her. This time, though, I didn't have to guess; her right eye blinked.

"Hey, now! There's no need for sarcasm, young lady!" I told her as I rapped a knuckle on her knee. "I could leave ye t' do this on your own, Tike."

Tali's laugh lit up the Hangar, and I couldn't help but chuckle with her. "Yeah, yeah. Now, let's see how badly ye've clogged up your filters," I conceded, waving at her to focus.

After a moment, though, she was still laughing. "What's up? It wasn't that funny."

Tali had managed to reign her laughter into a small chuckle, but she was still shaking enough that it was messing up the scanners. "Stop it!" I ordered, laughing at her.

My sternness only made her laugh harder. By now, the rest of the team was starting to look at us. "You guys need any help over there?" Ashley called from the other end of the lockers.

I looked in her direction and glowered at Tali. "Aye. Ye don't happen t' have a sedative for quarians on hand, do ye?"

"Nope, sorry," Ashley replied. She hooked a thumb in Vakarian's direction. "You might ask Garrus; they're both dextro-DNA."

I looked imploringly to Vakarian as Tali fell off her stool and continued sobbing with laughter on the deck. But Vakarian shrugged and said, "Sorry, I used the last of my stash so I could get some sleep last night, what with Wrex's snoring."

"Hey!" the krogan replied. "I don't snore!" Which was a total lie, since I could hear him snoring through two bulkheads at night.

Waving everybody else off, I turned my attention back to Tali. She was just starting to get herself under control. "Come on, Tike. It's just nerves," I told her as I helped her back onto her stool. "Where did that come from? Ye've been on plenty of missions with Shepard."

Tali settled herself and took a few deep breaths. "Whew… I-I don't know. I mean, you're right: I have been on lots of missions with you and Shepard, but… this one feels different."

"What do ye mean?" I asked, my tone a little more cautious; I hoped my intuition was wrong, but it rarely was.

Tali's reply confirmed that I was as good as I thought I was. "Well, I mean, you seemed kind of worried about this mission when we were talking to Shepard. You've never been nervous about any other mission we've done so far…"

I was quiet for a moment while I mentally kicked my own butt. This was something that I had thought of before I joined the Normandy and her crew, but I honestly hadn't thought it would happen: Tali had bonded with me instead of Shepard.

Not romantically, mind you. I had taken great pains to make sure that that particular outcome was unlikely, and I was sufficiently confident in my ability to read the crew's body language that I was sure that wasn't the case. No, what Tali and I had was a big brother/little sister relationship, and it worked amazingly well.

But what I hadn't counted on was her relationship with me superseding her relationship with Shepard. Now, she was tuned to me instead of him, and I hadn't counted on Tali's skills at reading body language. I guess I should have seen it coming, though. After all, the quarians had gone for three-hundred years without seeing each others' faces. So it was only natural for them to have gotten really good at reading smaller, more subtle cues. Now, she had picked up on my own nerves about the upcoming mission and had misinterpreted them.

The kicker was that I couldn't tell her the real reason for my unease. As I was finding out, what with Addison and now Tali, there really was no way to observe an event without influencing it. I mean, I could have played the silent death-dealing machine part, but that just wasn't me. Plus, I don't think Captain - I mean, Admiral - Anderson would have let me join the crew if I hadn't been able to convince him that I needed to be here before he turned the ship and crew over to Shepard. And convince him, I had. David Anderson was the only person who had even a clue about who I really was and why I was here, and I'd managed to get away with telling him nothing more than the basics.

Anyway back to Tali. I had to get her focused back on the upcoming mission and make sure that she wasn't too nervous to do her job.

"Ye're right," I told her as we resumed scanning her suit. "Something about this mission is bothering me. But come on! Look at what we've already gone through with Shepard; I'm pretty sure that whatever I'm feeling isn't anything we can't handle."

Her posture told me that she was seriously pondering what I had said. More than likely, she was doubting her own capabilities, something that she'd done a few times since she joined the crew. So I added: "And besides, look at how far ye've come already, Tike! Who would've thought that a young girl out on her Pilgrimage would have ended up on a mission with a Council Spectre, tracking down a rogue Spectre who has an army of geth, aye? If ye didn't have what it takes, Shepard would've kicked ye off the ship days ago!"

Tali gave me a look (that I couldn't actually see) then asked: "Are you sure about that, Tag?"

"Which part?" I asked, a grin pulling the corner of my mouth up. "The 'kicking ye off the ship' part?"

She leaned forward and punched me in the shoulder. "The 'I've got what it takes' part, you bosh'tet!

"Aye! I'm sure," I said, pulling away from her before she could hit me again. "Come on, Tike, don't worry so much. Ye've got this."

"Well," She replied, "I suppose you're right."

"Okay," I said, relieved that I had once again sidestepped a potential problem. "Now, can we finish this? We've only thirty-five minutes left."

Together, it only took us five more minutes to finish the checks. As Tali headed over to her locker, I walked over to where Vakarian and Wrex were still having their friendly argument.

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard, turian!" Wrex's bass rumble carried all the way across the Cargo Bay, causing everyone to glance over.

Okay, so maybe it wasn't so friendly, anymore.

As I got closer, I heard Vakarian reply, saying: "No, seriously. The Mantis is the best sniper rifle ever built."

"But," Wrex said, still sounding grumpy, "the Naginata X is more powerful!"

"It's not all about stopping power, Wrex," I said as I joined them. "The Mantis is 12% more accurate."

"Exactly!" Vakarian said. "A skilled marksman can put a round from the Mantis anywhere he wants, which more than makes up for the 8% less stopping power."

"Yeah?" Wrex replied. "Well, a blast to the face from a Sokolov will stop anything. And you don't even have to aim!" With that, he walked off, laughing to himself.

Vakarian and I glanced at each other, and I shrugged. "At least he's in a good mood."

The turian chuckled as he hefted his Mantis rifle. "True. I'd hate to see him in a bad mood." He turned to me and asked, "What's on your mind?"

I shrugged and leaned back again the Mako, taking a deep breath and letting it out. "Nothing much. Just taking a breather 'fore we get t' Virmire."

Vakarian nodded and leaned back beside me. "I understand. This mission sounds like it has the possibility of a little more unexpected excitement than we've had so far."

I snorted at that. "Really? So, what? Ye were expecting a giant sentient plant creature on Feros? And the geth on Therum?"

Vakarian opened his mouth to reply, then clicked it shut. He thought for a moment, then chuckled. "No, I guess not. But you have to admit that this one feels a little different."

I was quiet for a moment as I tried to keep my paranoia in check. There was no way that the turian was picking up on my nerves like Tali had; we weren't that close. No, he probably just had his own nerves. "Aye," I replied, "the fact that an STG team went silent is worrying. Not saying that it never happens, but it's still creepifying."

I could feel Vakarian turning to give me a look. "'Creepifying'?"

"Aye. As in 'inducing a creepy feeling'," I replied. "'Creepifying'."

Vakarian nodded. "Well, you're right: it is creepifying. STG teams don't usually need help. And they don't usually go silent on a mission."

I nodded back as I watched Tali and Alenko check their weapons. "That's what I thought, too. So, what do ye think we'll find down there? Another unique alien? Rachni? A krogan breeding colony? Maybe a thresher maw monster-nest?"

Vakarian shook his head, chuckling. "I wouldn't be saying that if I were you! The way things have been going for us, we're likely to find all of that down there!"

That made me snort harder. "Ye're probably right. Boy, wouldn't that be fun?"

Vakarian laughed out loud at that. "McTaggart, I'm not a professional, but I think there's something seriously wrong with you!"

"Ye're probably right about that, too," I said with a shrug. "But I don't let it slow me down."

Vakarian chuckled again, then we fell into a comfortable silence as we watched the rest of the team get ready for the mission. Vakarian was always ready to go, and I only needed about five minutes.

Several minutes passed, during which Liara came down and started checking her armor. I sensed Vakarian stir slightly, so I knew something was coming. I didn't have long to wait before he asked: "How's Tali doing?

I have to admit, his question was a little surprising. But I shrugged. "She's okay. Just a wee bit nervous, but she's ready t' go." I paused for a second, then asked: "Are ye worried about her?"

His response was a fraction of a second too quick as he said: "No. She's a good kid. She's quick, smart, and skilled. There's not much to worry about." He looked at me then, and said: "I was actually wondering if you were worried about her."

Okay, that one caught me off guard. I finally turned my head towards Vakarian and rubbed the stubble on my head. "What do ye mean? Why would I be worried about her?"

Vakarian shrugged. "No reason, really. It just seems like the two of you spend a lot of time together. Like maybe..."

I waited for him to continue, but when he didn't, I finished for him. "Like maybe there's something going on between us?" He shrugged again and spread his hands as if to say: you said it, not me. "It's not like that, boyo. She's like the little sister I-" I broke off suddenly, surprised that I had let myself slip. There was no way to hide it, either. My only hope was that Vakarian didn't act on it.

Unfortunately, Garrus Vakarian had been a C-Sec officer right up until he had joined Shepard's crew, and cops didn't stop being cops when they gave up their badges. "'Like the little sister you' what? Never had?"

I sagged back against the Mako and bounced my head back off a side panel. I knew that I was going to have to tell him, at least so that he would trust me later when I had to lie about something more important. But that didn't make it any less painful to talk about.

"There was a girl, back home." I paused, biting back against a surge of melancholy and pain. I figured that Vakarian would make the logical leap from my aborted reply, but he stayed silent, waiting for me to go on.

"She wasn't actually me little sister, and she still had her parents. But they weren't really around, so I kind of adopted her. I taught her how to drive, intimidated her suitors, chaperoned her first date, bought her her first drink. I was there for almost every major event in her life." I hesitated then, as my mind flashed back to the past.

"Except for the night she died." I had my eyes closed as I told him. Even after all these years, I could still see her face. And it still hurt just as much. "Her boyfriend had been drinking, and he never saw the other car."

Vakarian was quiet. I could see from the corner of my teary eye that he wasn't looking at me, and for that, I was grateful. After a silent moment, he asked: "What did you do? To the boyfriend, I mean."

I barked a hard laugh at that. "Nothing. He died in the crash, too." I saw the look that Vakarian shot me at my response. I grinned as I finally turned to face him. "It was for the best; I'm pretty sure I would've handled it a lot worse than I did."

Vakarian nodded, and I knew that he knew exactly what I was talking about. "How did you handle it?"

"Like I said: poorly. Lots of drinking. Lots of fighting. Moved into a new apartment."

"A new apartment? Why?"

Another grin. "I kind of… broke me old one."

Vakarian laughed at that. "I can see that. You were pretty close to her, I guess. What was her name, if you don't mind my asking?"

I blinked hard before replying. "Actually, I do mind. No offense, but her name is the only thing I have left of her. I know it's an… uncommon keepsake, but that's what I have."

"I understand," Vakarian replied. "And Tali reminds you of her?"

"Aye," I replied, bouncing my head off of the Mako again. I looked across the Cargo Bay to where Tali was helping Liara with her armor. "Way too much, sometimes. She's about the same size, same build, same age. Similar sense of humor. Even her laugh is the same. I know it's stupid - and potentially painful - but it feels like..."

When I trailed off, blinking back tears again, Vakarian finished for me. "It's like you have a second chance with your little sister. I can understand that." He leaned back against the Mako. "You're right, though, you know. You may just end up getting hurt again."

I shook my head at that, hard. "Not a chance in hell, boyo. I'm a lot more powerful than I was then, and I'm not gonna let anything happen to Tali." I looked at him and added: "I could use your help with that, actually."

He only thought about for about half a second before replying. "I'm in. But let's not tell her, okay?"

I bumped his outstretched fist. "Ye read me mind, boyo. I'm gonna go suit up." I gave him a two-fingered salute, pushed away from the Mako, and headed towards the lockers.

I walked up to my locker and keyed it open. As I reached inside, Tali caught my eye over Liara's shoulder. She tilted her head, and I knew she could see that my eyes were still a little teary. I shrugged, shook my head, and smiled at her, all at the same time, to tell her that it was nothing.

She ignored me, though, and moved to step around Liara, which caused the asari to turn, too.

"Are you okay, McTaggart?" Liara asked.

I shot Tali a dirty look and replied: "Aye. I just pulled a nose hair, is all. Made me eyes water."

I don't think either woman actually believed me, but they left me alone, though I had to tell Tali to go check her weapons to get her to go.

After they left, I turned back to my locker. I reached in and pulled out the boots of my armor, setting them on the ground. I slid my fingertip under the inside lip as if pressing a hidden catch. In response, the back of the boots hinged open, and I slid my feet into them. As the boots swung closed around my lower legs, the inside of them liquefied. The living, microscopic organisms that made up both the Armor and my clothes bonded together, and the Armor used the extra mass to quickly replicate more of itself.

On the outside, it merely looked as if my boots slid extra plates up around my thighs as I reached back into my locker and pulled out the torso of my armor. I slipped it over my head and flipped the locks closed. The locks were unnecessary. The living substance of the Armor allowed it to change its shape fluidly. But I didn't want the team to be any more suspicious of me than they already were.

Next out were the gauntlets. I slipped them onto each forearm and waited the handful of seconds for them to absorb the remainder of my clothes. As all the pieces of the Armor slid plates out to join itself, I felt the familiar and welcome tingle of reawakening senses as the Armor's "systems" activated and connected to the various implants and specialized nerve clusters in my body.

It felt good to be whole again.

Well, almost whole. I reached back into the locker and pulled out my pistol. Designed to look exactly like a Spectre's HMWP X Master Pistol, it was so much more. Just like my armor, it was alive and therefore didn't need ammo, not even the super-dense block that normal weapons sheared their ammo from. I activated my omni-tool, for show, and keyed the pistol to fire phasic rounds, which cut through enemy shields. I clipped it onto my left thigh, quick-draw style.

Reaching back into the locker, I pulled out my shotgun. Unlike even the Spectre HMWSG X Master Shotgun it resembled, mine could still fire every two seconds, even though it was firing high explosive rounds. Powerful enough to blow the crap out of just about anything, the only reason that more people didn't use them in every weapon they carried was because of the tremendous heat output. Even the most advanced weapon could only fire the things once every several seconds.

I clipped the shotgun to the small of my back and, as it folded down into its low-profile carrying shape, I reached into the locker for the last of my weapons. A veteran Spectre would have mistaken my rifle for an authentic HMWA X Master Assault Rifle. A ridiculous rate of fire, coupled with a high damage rating and incredible accuracy, made it my long-range weapon of choice. I flipped it over my right shoulder and clipped it into its carrying slot.

As it folded down, I pulled the last piece of my armor out of the locker and keyed it shut. I tucked my helmet under my arm and headed over to the Weapons Bench, where Tali and Ashley were talking.

"How're things going over here, ladies?" I asked, setting my helmet on the edge of the bench.

"Pretty good," Tali replied. "Ashley was just helping me with my shotgun. How's Garrus?"

"He's good. He's ready to go, is all. Though, who knows who Shepard's going to pick for the mission."

"Depends on what the scans show when we get there, I guess," Ashley said without looking up from Tali's gun.

"True," I shrugged. I had been trying to figure that out myself since the mission briefing. I knew who I would pick for the mission, but that was because I knew what was coming. It didn't matter, anyway: not my call.

Right on cue, the lift door slid open and Shepard walked into the Cargo Bay. He was already in his dark grey armor, with his red-and-white N7 badge blazoned on the right side of his chest plate. He nodded towards Vakarian and clapped Alenko on the shoulder as he walked by. Stepping up to the Weapons Bench, he gave me a nod and asked Ashley: "How's everything going, Chief?"

"It's good, Skipper," Ashley replied. She straightened up and handed Tali back her shotgun. "It's ready to go, Tali. You just had some buildup on the heat diffusion plate."

"Thanks, Ashley," Tali replied, clipping the gun to the small of her back.

I saw the look that passed between Shepard and Ashley, so I checked the countdown on my Retinal Display. There were still a few minutes left, and there was still something that I needed to do, so I bumped Tali's shoulder and gestured with my head. "Can I talk to ye for a second, Tike?"

She looked up at me, catching the obvious tone of my voice. "Um… sure. Thanks again, Ashley," she said as she headed back over towards the lockers.

I gave Shepard a nod and said, "We'll be ready when ye are, Commander," as I followed Tali. We walked back over to where Tali had been when I came down. She looked at me expectantly, and I smiled.

"Honestly, for the most part, I just wanted to give Shepard and Ash some space," I told her.

"Oh... okay," she replied, glancing around the Cargo Bay.

I knew I had to say something before things got weird. I jumped in without really thinking about what I was going to say. "Tike, I'm sorry about shutting ye out earlier. It's just that I needed a minute to myself."

"It's okay, Tag," she replied. "I thought it was something like that. What were you and Garrus talking about? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

I looked past her, off into space, for a moment. Did I really want to get into that with her right now? I decided that I didn't. "I'll tell ye what: when we finish this mission - when we catch Saren - I'll tell ye all about it. Deal?"

Tali grinned (at least, that was the sense I got) and said: "Deal!"

Fortunately, I was saved from any more potentially awkward conversations by Joker's voice over the Comm. "Commander, we're in-system. Saren's flagship, Sovereign, is here, but our stealth systems are fully operational. We'll be in Virmire's atmosphere in fifteen minutes. Scans are coming up now. You know, if you want to check them out. Get a plan. That kind of thing."

We all looked over at Shepard as he glanced up towards the ceiling and all but rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Joker. I'll have a look when I have the time." He turned and keyed on the display above the Weapons Bench as we all gathered around.

"There's where the STG signal came from," Ashley said, pointing. "But it doesn't look like we're getting the Normandy in there."

"Not with those AA towers guarding the approach," Vakarian agreed.

Shepard nodded. "It looks like we're going to have to deploy a team in the Mako to take out the towers so the Normandy can land."

"Why am I not surprised?" I asked.

Wrex grinned and said: "I was thinking the same thing."

Ashley ignored us and asked: "Who's going with you in the Mako, Skipper?"

Shepard didn't reply right away. He considered the scans for a few more seconds before making his decision. "It looks like Saren's prepared for us; he knows that we have to take out the AA towers first, and he's deployed the geth all along the route. And it looks pretty open; not a lot of cover." He thought for a few more seconds. Then: "Okay. Tali, your expertise with the geth will be an asset; you're up."

The young quarian didn't even glance my way. "Yes, Commander. I'm ready."

Shepard nodded, and continued: "Garrus, I think your Tech abilities and sniper skills were custom-made for this mission; you'll come, too."

Vakarian nodded and replied: "I was thinking the same thing, Commander. I just finished calibrating my rifle; I can't wait to put it to the test."

"Sounds good," Shepard said with a small grin. Then he glanced at me. "The four of us will drop in the Mako, take out all geth opposition, and disable the AA towers."

I don't know what Anderson had told the Commander when he handed over the Normandy and made sure that I was on the crew, but the Admiral hadn't let me down. Shepard had included me on every mission so far, picking the rest of the squad to fit around the two of us.

"The rest of you, sit tight with Joker and the Normandy, and we'll see you at the STG camp." As the mission-team headed across the Cargo Bay towards the Mako, I noticed the expressions on the faces of the four that were staying behind. Liara didn't seem too broken up about not going, but it was easy to see that Urdnot Wrex was itching to kill something. The eight-foot-tall reptile stomped over to his usual spot next to the lockers and huffed as he crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. I knew that he'd be alright, though. Even though krogan were impatient by nature, one didn't get to be as old as Wrex without developing at least a little patience.

I could tell that Kaidan was anxious about the team going without him, but he trusted Shepard's decisions. And he was a professional Marine, so he was content to do what was asked of him.

Ashley, too, was a professional, but everybody knew that she didn't like being left off of the ground team. She and Shepard didn't say anything to each other, but they did share a quick, loaded glance. I'll admit, I felt a little like an intruder, there, but that's the curse of being as observant as I am.

I joined Tali and Vakarian by the Mako. As the turian climbed inside and began the startup sequence, I noticed that Tali seemed to have gotten over her earlier nervousness. "Feeling better?" I asked.

She looked up at me and nodded. "Yes. Thanks for the pep talk. I think it helped. Plus, the geth are something I can handle. I mean, they're dangerous and all, but I've fought them before, and I know all about machines."

I patted her shoulder and said: "That ye do, Tike. Let's go kick some synthetic bahookie."

She laughed and replied: "Yes, let's!" She followed Vakarian up into the Mako as Shepard walked over from the Weapons Bench, his helmet under his arm.

"Ye ready for this, bossman?" I asked, looking down at him. Though the Commander was the epitome of the stereotypical hero, I was still two or so inches taller than he was. Besides that and our eyes (his are blue, mine are brown), there's not much difference between us. Oh, I'm much better looking… but I haven't got that many people to back me up on that.

He grinned and nodded back as he raised his helmet. He put the thing on and engaged the seals, then said: "I'm ready to catch Saren, and I don't care how many geth he throws at us."

I grinned back, but, before I could reply, Joker's voice came over the comm. "We're approaching the drop zone, Commander. ETA: ninety seconds."

Shepard gestured for me to precede him into the Mako. "All aboard, team!" As I climbed in, he waved to the four staying behind and told Ashley: "Tell Joker that we'll have those towers down, soon. Until then: not a scratch on the Normandy."

Ashley grinned as she and Liara headed for the lift. "I'll be very specific, Skipper."

I was settling into my seat by the hatch when Shepard climbed in up front, next to Vakarian, who was just finishing the startup sequence. "You ready, team?" he asked us.

"I'm ready, Commander," Tali replied from her seat next to me.

"Affirmative, Shepard," was Vakarian's response. His helmet was contoured to fit his head, including the spars of bone that protruded from the back of his head, kind of giving him the look of a reversed ice-pick. The glass of his faceplate was black and T-shaped, reflecting the lights from the console in front of him.

I was in the process of putting on my own helmet, so I took a moment before replying. The helmet sealed against the collar of the Armor, the two pieces fusing together to create one, whole organism as the helmet's "systems" integrated with the Armor's and my own. It's not something that I can describe accurately, but there was kind of a tingling feeling, and senses that I didn't even know I was missing (but felt like I couldn't live without) came alive again. The world around me took on new layers: I could feel, taste, hear, and even sense things that nobody else could. It didn't even feel like I was wearing armor, in fact. It felt like I was… well, whole.

I shook my head slightly as I acclimated before saying: "I'm good, bossman. Let's rock."