2: Paragons of the Species

Shepard walked back into the medical bay, the wheelchair in his quarters no longer necessary. Doctor Chakwas took the sight in stride. "Well look who's feeling better. Not clawing at your chest anymore, I hope?"

He avoided giving a direct answer. "Taking time off does wonders."

The doctor shook her head in annoyance as she inspected his ribs. "Sometimes, Commander, I wish you would act a little less like Joker." She stepped back, satisfied by what she saw. "Your ribcage appears to have healed, though it will take a couple more days before it's at full strength. Thankfully, you appear to have avoided any side effects from your accident on Haestrom."

Shepard tried to swat away his unbidden thoughts about Tali, who had managed to successfully avoid bumping into him over the past five days. You'd think one person out of twenty-five would be easy to find when they're sharing just under 400 square meters of livable space. "Look Doc, about the cybernetic implants..."

Chakwas cut him off, "Save it, Shepard. If I had any doubts about whether or not you were the same man I knew, they were Thrown against the wall along with Miranda when you allowed Tali and her friends to stay." He flinched, but the doctor didn't catch the motion. "By the way, how are they doing? Quala hasn't come in yet today."

Shepard sighed. "Kal'Reegar and Quala'Oro had to return to the Migrant Fleet. They didn't want to create too much fanfare about it, from what I hear."

"That's got to be hard on Tali," Chakwas noted, giving voice to Shepard's concerns. "Have you talked to her?"

Shepard stifled a sigh. "I haven't had the chance to yet."

A chime sounded from the doctor's omni-tool, distracting her for a moment as she pulled up a message. "Well you may have your shot right now, she just forwarded me her suit's weekly medical log from down in engineering."

Shepard didn't wait to be told a second time.

"Try not to overexert yourself!" Chakwas' shout barely managed to reach his ears before the elevator closed.

Shepard impatiently tapped his foot as the elevator began its maddening crawl. Why did we ever stop using counterweights again? Many mines on the worlds he had visited still used the archaic technology, relying on a large metallic weight and a motor to power elevators at speeds that made mass effect elevators seem as resistant to change as elderly elcor. Between this sort of thing and thermal clips, I'm beginning to think our tech is actually starting to move backwards. What's next, some top-of-the-line hover-tank with defenses so weak I'll actually miss that lumbering Mako?

After what felt to him like half an asari lifetime, the elevator door opened. She probably picked one of the empty terminals, he thought, entering the engineering area from the door to his right. I just hope she's still... The door to the core room opened and there she was, her back turned as she typed on the console in front of her.

Shepard made sure to keep his eyes trained on her as he bent over for a moment to catch his breath, his recently-repaired chest protesting his recent sprints down the halls, short though they were.

"Hey Shepard, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Shepard jumped, not expecting a voice to come from behind him. Out of the short period of time Jack had been on board, she had spent most of it by isolating herself in an out-of-the-way nook right below the drive core. It was a testament to this that Shepard had only seen her perform four kinds of facial expressions before: pissed, indifferent, amused, and a special one usually reserved for Miranda: "really fuckin' pissed".

He was not prepared to see a pained expression, the same face he had seen from so many people who had needed his help over the years: the trapped workers on Zorya, the survivors in Zhu's Hope, the besieged people on Elysium...

Then it was gone, quickly replaced by the more familiar look of indifference. The ghost of her pain lingered in the back of Shepard's mind though, nearly eclipsing the one other thought that mattered to him. "Of course you can. Just..." He glanced back into the other room, which was now short one quarian engineer. "Give me a moment to climb down these stairs," he finished.

A hint of amusement played at the corners of Jack's lips. "Cold shoulder, huh? That's always a bitch- for you and Grunt, at least." Shepard didn't bother to ask what she meant as he slowly made his way down to her nook, much of the energy he had had moments before suddenly absent.

By the time he had made it to the lower level, Jack was sitting on her cot. "Tight little group you've got here," she noted as he walked up, "and a pretty nice ship. You'd be rich if you took to piracy." He grimaced at the notion. "But you wouldn't." She continued, not even noticing his change in expression. "I can't figure you Shepard. Doesn't matter." She interjected, standing abruptly. "I gotta talk to you about something."

"I'm listening."

Hey, watch it you menace!

Miranda had nearly shouted the words at the fleeing quarian when she remembered that Jack was just below her, unaware that one of the datapads on her desk was a plant. Tali got up, not bothering to hide that she had stumbled after bumping into Miranda. "Sorry," was all the quarian managed to whimper in her haste to leave the engineering bay and all in it behind.

"But I meant it as a compliment." Ken had just lit the fuse for another quarrel with Gabby in the core room, oblivious to the sound of the commander's voice from an adjacent area.

She's a complete wreck, Miranda thought to herself as Tali left. I still don't see why our "wonderful" commander would bring such a liability on board. Still, it was not her responsibility. Shepard had made that much clear when he had stormed into her office earlier that week, his form alight with the power of his barely-contained biotic rage. Even with his wheelchair, it had been one of the most intimidating displays of power she had seen.

If only he and Leng would finish each other off... She almost laughed aloud at the ridiculous notion when she heard the sound of voices coming from directly underneath her feet.

"You know I have a history with Cerberus. You know how far back it goes?"

"I'll listen to anything you have to say, Jack."

Damn, that was quick, Miranda thought. She must really be obsessed to have found it that quickly. She bent low to the floor so she could continue to eavesdrop, doing her best to ignore the arguing engineers in the next room.

"...Cerberus raised me. First thing I remember is my cell door in a Cerberus base."

Jack had already started talking of the horrors she had endured as part of Project Teltin: a program meant to manipulate an individual into becoming an ideal biotic killing machine using torture, various invasive experiments, and frequent fights to the death between its subjects to gauge the effectiveness of their augmentations. Miranda had read the files, had known that "raised" was far too kind a word for what had transpired within the facility. But she knew it had all been necessary for many of the advancements that human biotics had undergone within a short time when they had joined the galaxy at large; the L2 and L3 implant series, the first ones that granted humans stable use of their powers, were first developed and tested on Pragia before being dispersed through the Illusive Man's many shell companies. Besides, she told herself, they went rogue in the end. She frowned in disgust at the thought. Improving humanity's strength as a whole wasn't enough for them. They wanted more. Perfection. She mentally spat at the word. Cerberus wasn't responsible for the killings, it was people like him that subverted the whole project.

Miranda had also been a prisoner growing up, isolated on her father's estate as he'd attempted to mold her into his vision of perfection. Which still never satisfied him, Miranda remembered. He had given her biotic abilities, had trained her to her physical peak, had honed her mental and physical talents to create an heir that had no limitations all in the name of his despicable dynasty. His iron grip had never held any warmth for her, neither concern nor compassion flowing through the veins that had birthed the entirety of her cloned genetic code. I don't blame her for escaping when she had the chance, but Cerberus is not as horrible as those monsters.

The sound of footsteps climbing the stairs kept her from continuing her line of thought. The plant had worked, but she didn't want Jack to know she was there. The elevator was too likely the destination of the footsteps' owner, and breaking into the quarters of a krogan or an experienced mercenary didn't make for appealing options. Wish I had earplugs, she thought as she strode into the engineering deck, the drive core's volume drowned out by the voices of the still-arguing engineers.

Shepard looked around the meeting room at his squad as he walked in, his disgust at the sight before him barely masked. Just to his right, Jack and Grunt were in the middle of a heated argument over who owed who credits. Their voices were controlled at the moment, but he could see the telltale signs that the krogan was about to give in to his blood rage building behind his blue eyes. Jacob and Garrus quietly conversed in another corner on the opposite side. Their manner was professional, though their body language conveyed their strong sense of distrust for one another. Mordin didn't even bother to feign attentiveness, his omnitool alight as he studied its viewscreen. Miranda had isolated herself at the opposite end of the table, looking pointedly away from the commander as she quietly fumed. Tali, who was similarly distracted, quietly gazed at a notch in the table's surface as she leaned on the table with her arms folded. Kasumi, who had been standing next to the quarian and trying to coax some signs of life out of her, looked up as Shepard walked in, a move mirrored by Zaeed.

We're supposed to take on the collectors like this? Shepard shook his head and cleared his throat to get the others' attention, or as much of it as they would spare. "As you know, we're heading to a former Cerberus facility on Pragia. The facility was used to force kidnapped human children with biotic tendencies to unlock their potential through torture, isolation, and deadly experimental drugs." A shockingly small amount of the squad seemed phased. "We're going there at Jack's request to detonate a bomb and level the facility." A few more heads perked up. "However, it has been abandoned for years, so we're expecting minimal resistance, if any."

Immediately, he regretted revealing that last point. Grunt shook his head and made for the door. "No honor in bombing ghosts, Shepard. Come back when you have a real fight for me."

Garrus also excused himself. "I'm usually all-in for divine retribution via huge explosions, but I can already tell that this one's going to end up being a bit too personal for my tastes. I'll be tuning the cannons if you need me."

Mordin made the tail end of the procession. "Low-risk mission. Plenty of squad strength already. Crew health reports take authority. Wish to track down source of virus effecting human crew on third deck. Typically carried by varren, sexually transmitted." He closed his eyes for a moment. "Implications disturbing."

Kasumi's eyes flashed as the salarian left, though she stayed put. "Remind me to stop eating Rupert's Saturday surprise."

Shepard looked around the room, which felt much emptier than it had been with the absence of the krogan. "I take it everyone else who's still here has no issues with going on the mission? Becau-"

"I'm not having the Cerberus cheerleader play tour guide so she can tell us to behave and keep our hands off the merchandise," Jack spat. "Same goes for Major Neutrality over here."

"Fine, this mission's a mistake anyways." Miranda matched Jack's venomous gaze with her own "really fuckin' pissed" look as she stormed out the door.

Jacob sighed as he lingered for a moment. "Maybe next time, Commander." He nodded as he followed Miranda.

Shepard barely contained his own disappointment as he returned the nod. "What about you, Zaeed?"

The veteran stood a little straighter as he spoke. "Way I see it, we've got a job to do and a bomb to set off. I'm goddamn thrilled. I'm your man Shepard."

John grinned, pleased by the merc's enthusiastic reaction. The look melted off his face then looked over at the quarian, who was staring so intently at a divot in the table that he felt she expected it to hold the secret to reclaiming her homeworld. "What about you, Tali?"

She stiffened and shut her eyes as he said her name, looking as though the notch had finally had enough of her unwavering gaze and lashed out at her in anger. Shepard could tell that if not for her opaque visor, all that he would see was pain. "Tali?" His voice was softer this time.

"She volunteered to help me with my suit." Everyone had been so focused on Tali that they jumped at the sound of Kasumi's voice. "The cloaking software's been acting up, and she said she'd help me iron out the glitches." She phased out of existence in a quick demonstration, though random patches of her clothing or face kept flickering in and out of view. All eyes then fixed back on the quarian, who remained silent for a few moments before making a slow nod and resuming her staring contest with the nick in the table.

"Alright, that settles it," Shepard began, bottling up his concern for the time being. "Zaeed and Jack: get your gear, grab Glass, and head over to the shuttle. Tali:" The lights of her eyes vanished again as the mercenary and biotic left to prepare. "Get a hot meal from Garrus's rations and some rest before you help Kasumi. You look like you need it." The turian's meals were individually packed and sealed against contamination, and the commander knew she generally preferred them over the nutrient paste quarians usually consumed. He hoped she would look up and notice his smile, but she only had eyes for the floor as she left the room in silence. Shepard finally let his mask of confidence fall as the thief walked over. "Kasumi, thanks for covering for her." She nodded, the look of concern crossing her face mirroring his own as he spoke again. "Can you please-"

"Already on it, Shep," she interrupted as she seamlessly cloaked.

Shepard opened the shuttle door to a torrent of rain, the boosted shields from his shield modulator making the air in front of his face shimmer as raindrops contacted it. I hope there aren't too many leaks inside, he thought, because this is hard to see through. He looked over at Jack, who once again had that unexpected look of vulnerability as she gazed at the landing pad, lost in thought. The moment soon passed, made evident by her simple statement: "Let's just get in there and plant the bomb in my cell. I want to watch this place burn."

Nicholas Glass looked up from the displays in the cockpit to address the team. "It's set to go off on a detonator switch. I'll keep it here while I do some scans to figure out exactly how far away we need to be to get a safe view of the explosion."

Zaeed grunted an acknowledgement as he slung the explosive onto his back. "We're wasting moonlight Shepard. And something tells me we don't want to hold flashlights in this place."

Shepard shared the mercenary's unease, but made no comment as they made their way into the facility. The first room looked innocuous enough: an empty cargo room with a few crates. Shepard was thankful for the respite from the rain, but Jack soon killed any positive thoughts about the room.

"I never saw this room. I think they brought new kids in these containers. They were messed up and starving, but alive." Jack stopped to look around again. "Usually."

Massani, the grizzled veteran and founder of the infamous Blue Suns mercenary band, appeared stunned beyond words. "Unbelievable..." he muttered.

Shepard remained silent as he pressed forward, each new room holding a new and more disturbing memory that Jack voiced aloud: News that the facility had gone rogue, an area where they'd staged pit fights between Jack and the other children, tales of how narcotics flooded her veins when she attacked. Each one fed Shepard's growing loathing of the building and all it stood for. How does Miranda defend this? There had been some varren infesting the ruins, the doglike reptiles scavenging the rooms for scraps before they attacked the humans. Soon, however, they found something that gave them pause.

"This place is supposed to be empty. Who the fuck shot that varren? It's a fresh kill." Jack was nonplussed by the sight.

Shepard passed them incendiary charges as he slipped one into the mod slot of his avenger. "Looks like the varren weren't the only ones interested in Teltin."

Zaeed grunted as he slipped one into his own mattock rifle. "S'about goddamn time we had some real meat."

Tali gazed intently out the window toward Pragia as she undid the straps on her leg in the starboard observation deck. She hadn't dared to look at the thing, let alone touch it, for the past several days, and she was in no hurry to do so now. Her breathing slowed as she reluctantly worked with the buckles, her eyes trying in vain to make out the outlines of the millions of trees on the planet below. Soon, she was rewarded with a soft thump, confirming that her job was done. She straightened up on the couch with her eyes closed for a few more moments before she willed herself to open them. There on the cushion was a dagger, contained for the moment in its jet-black scabbard. The gleaming white hilt was ornamented with numerous blue etchings that wound their way along it from the base of the blade to a stripe of black fabric that formed an impromptu pommel. The knife didn't contain a guard, the blade needing no ornamentation aside from the carefully-etched characters on the grip.

"Has it really been that long?" she muttered to herself as she lifted it off the seat. While most species had adopted a calendar year that was roughly equal to one solar year (Palaven and Sur'Kesh took a little longer to complete one revolution, whereas Thessia was slightly faster at circling its own star.), the insular quarians aboard the Migrant Fleet still used a calendar based on the orbit of their homeworld, Rannoch. While they didn't use it to plan anything in relation to other species, it was still culturally significant to their introverted lives aboard the liveships. Most species going off of the Citadel's calendar would find nothing significant about "nearly-thirteen years", but to the quarian sitting alone in the crew's quarters, it was more than that. "Twenty years to the day," she breathed.

A trio of quarian youths stands with an equal number of adults if an empty hallway, their eyes fixed on a door. None of the group dared to speak. Speaking would lead to hope. Hope would lead to speculation. Speculation would lead to fear. The last thing any of them wanted was to feed each other's fears, so they remained silent. After what felt like an eternity, the amber light on the door in front of them turned green. A single white-suited quarian emerged as all eyes fell on him, none of their owners daring to voice the question at the forefront of their minds. Their words were not necessary though, as his head and shoulders drooped and he gave a slow shake of his helmet.

"Keelah," one of the adults, a grey-suited female muttered. Another one of the adults, a pink-and-black suited male, stood and took a slow step toward the door. The white one stood aside, allowing him to pass. Two of the children, one in green and the other red-and-white, shared a look of concern before looking at the third, a Girl in blue-and-silver. The Girl felt the tears, but refused to let them flow. It couldn't be happening, not now. She sprinted through the doorway, passing the pink one and barely stopping to allow the decontamination process to run before She was in the clean room.

By the dim light of a few candles on the walls -a rarity aboard the quarian fleet in and of themselves- the Girl could barely see her surroundings. The walls were a deep blue, with several occasional splotches of white and gray that had confused the young quarian. A dark green fabric covered the floor, a far cry from the solid feel of metal or concrete that she was used to walking on. She felt awkward as She walked crossed the green plain, each footstep sinking a few millimeters as the fabric yielded to her weight. An ornate mirror even adorned one wall, tall enough for a fully-grown quarian to admire themselves. Altogether, the room's calming influence was a far cry from the bare walls and floors seen in most rooms of the Rayya.

Inside the unusually spacious room was a single bed, lined with comforts for the suitless quarian who lay there in it, a feather in the nest of pillows. The Girl couldn't remember the last time She had seen her without the purple environment suit that was now on a hanger by the door, though the sight pained Her heart. The woman in the cot had grown pale, even by quarian standards; the once black lines that adorned her body and the sides of her face like carefully-drawn calligraphy had faded to gray. The Girl stepped closer, noting how her dark hair was no longer bound with the handmade circlets that were strewn across the floor. A series of machines were connected to the woman's arm with a network of tubes and wires, none of them displaying what She had hoped to see most. The Girl froze, a single tear escaping to run down Her face.

No...

The pink one did not share Her hesitation. In a moment, he was by her side, his hands grasped around the woman's free arm. "Laenya?" he breathed, the whisper barely audible above the machines.

The woman turned to face him as a smile spread across her face. "It's okay Rael. It's okay."

"No. No, we're going to get a new doctor, a new treatment. We can try medical stasis. We can do cryo. I'm not losing you just because we didn't have time to figure this out, damn it!" Rael'Zorah stammered, his voice breaking.

"Shhh, it's okay," she breathed. She released his hands and withdrew a long package from within the folds of her blankets. "Promise me, Rael," she said, placing the package in his hands. "Promise me you'll keep Her safe."

Rael took the package with one hand and gripped the woman's tighter with his other. "I will, and you will be right here with me, Laenya. Just hold on."

The woman gave a soft chuckle, which turned into a cough as she sat up a little. "We both know that can't happen now Rael."

The Girl finally found Her voice, though She was having more trouble holding the tears back. "Mom..."

The woman fell back down on her pillows, her luminous eyes going out of focus. "Ta..."

"Mom..."

Rael's voice became more urgent. "I promise you Laenya, I promise I'll keep her safe. I'll build Her a better future. I will give Her the homeworld if I have to!"

"Tali..." Laenya'Zorah exhaled a final time as the machines began to tone.

"Mom!"

The Girl hadn't noticed the hands holding Her shoulders, and nearly tripped in Her haste to reach the bed. The arms held Her upright as the tears now raced forth, twinkling softly from behind Her visor.

"Mom!"

Rael'Zorah held onto his bondmate's hand a little longer, then gently lowered it onto her chest. "In the name of the homeworld Tali will see someday, I promise you."

The gray one adjusted her grip on the Girl in her arms as she softly spoke. "Ancestors, guide her spirit to your home. Keelah se'lai."

"Keelah se'lai," the others in the room, minus the Girl, echoed.

"MOM!"

Rael noticed the others around him for the first time. "Let Her go, Raan," he sighed, placing the package on the bed.

The Girl tore off her visor and gloves as She ran to the bed, all caution abandoned in the clean room with the now-motionless woman. She held the woman's ungloved hand, willing the rapidly-fading warmth within them to stay a bit longer as She began to sob uncontrollably.

"Han'Gerrel, we have much to discuss," Rael began in the background as the Girl continued to weep, his broken voice now resolute with purpose. "By the time they have completed their pilgrimages we will have a fleet large enough to give even the turians pause. This generation is the one that will give us the edge we need against the geth." The Girl stopped crying for a moment to look into Her mother's bright eyes one last time, then saw the package laying by her head; a white bar ornamented with blue Khelish characters stuck out of the wrappings. "This is when we will have our chance to retake the homeworld."

"Agreed, Rael. They will be able to win a new age for our species. We should begin preparations immediately. We'll need to focus on gathering resources for..."

The rest of their conversation was lost on the Girl, as Her renewed weeping drowned out the men's voices.

She had gotten better at holding the tears back, but a single drop still managed to escape down the side of Tali's face at the memory. The diamond traced its way down her cheek until her suit's automated perspiration detection absorbed it for filtration and recycling. No more tears, she thought, steeling herself as a half-formed idea came to her. Her mind filled with resolve as her three fingers wrapped around the handle, drawing the blade.

I hate vorcha.

The creatures had swarmed over the next room as Shepard's squad had entered, pouring in from catwalks, windows, and doors alike. Good thing for the inferno rounds, Shepard thought as he popped out of cover to shoot one of the vorcha with his assault rifle. He grinned as the thing's skin caught fire, negating its healing abilities as it began to panic. If not for these- He ducked back into cover, narrowly missing another's flamethrower. Shepard could smell his own singed hair as he tossed a biotic Shockwave over his cover. It snarled in pain as Zaeed delivered the finishing blow to its gas tank, destroying the pyro and flooring several of its neighbors. "Let me show you what a real Shockwave looks like, Shepard." Jack's face was set on "amused" as she launched her own Shockwave, devastating the downed enemies with a series of explosions that lifted their forms several feet into the air.

"Goddamn space goblins!" Zaeed yelled, hurling an inferno grenade at another group of attackers.

Perfect. Shepard felt his skin tingle with energy as he launched into a biotic charge, the unfortunate recipient tumbling backward through a window and out of sight.

The shooting stopped, and the squad had a chance to look around. The room was dilapidated like many of the others they had passed through, a tree having managed to grow in between the floor plates in one corner. However, the room still had telltale signs of its original purpose. Between the numerous operating tables and abundance of body bags, there was no denying it. Shepard's eyes panned around the room, his mind unwilling to confirm what he saw. They needed a full-size morgue for a facility this small?

Zaeed shared his shock. "Looks like a lot of kids died in these experiments. I've done some bad stuff, but this..." He shook his head. "At least the Suns in my day had honor."

"Bullshit. I had the worst of it, and I got out alive." Jack was suffering from an altogether different kind of denial as she pointed her eviscerator shotgun at a dead vorcha. "Shepard, check this insignia."

He and Zaeed walked over to the corpse she had indicated, a vorcha killed by biotics instead of burned by the inferno rounds. "I've seen that before," the commander said, pointing at what appeared to be a white skull and fist painted on the vorcha's shoulder.

Zaeed nodded. "Blood Pack. We should expect krogan soon." He smirked at Jack. "So much for this mission being simple."

Shepard thought of Tali and sighed. "Nothing's ever simple, Massani."

"A simple salvage mission." If it wasn't for his creds, I'd have gutted that human myself months ago.

Kureck snarled as he gathered what was left of his warriors: a handful of vorcha and his two krogan bodyguards. The job was supposed to be simple: break into the dead facility for the human and help him get set up, and they walked away with all the salvageable tech they could carry. An easy mission that could've been completed by any rookie within the Blood Pack who could gather a pair of vorcha and call themselves a battlemaster.

Except that all those rookies had laughed when they heard about the job.

Battlemaster Kureck was not like them though- he had survived over nine centuries of strife because he knew how to pick his battles. He didn't need to throw himself into great conflicts for blood and glory so long as he earned the one thing that mattered most in the galaxy: profit. You can't profit if you're needlessly risking lives and need more medigel. You can't profit from a frontal charge if you don't know where the enemy who would kill you is taking cover. You can't profit from jumping into the most dangerous missions with poor supplies and no backup. And you certainly can't profit from acting like a fool in battle.

"You two, get behind the smashed column in the middle and provide suppressing fire on my order," he directed at two of the vorcha. "You two," he indicated another pair that carried flamethrowers, "stagger your fire so they don't have a chance to move. As for you," he pointed at his krogan bodyguards. "There's nothing out there large enough to cover you from their sight if you start from down there. Stand behind the crates up here until the fighting starts, then sneak in once the intruders are pinned. I'll keep the heat on them from here with my biotics so they won't have a chance to see you."

"Yes, battlemaster." The krogan under him shared his vision of profitability, trusting in the wisdom of his plan to keep them alive long enough to cash in the creds.

Kureck frowned as the warriors did as they were told. The mission so far had been anything but profitable. The human, Aresh, had promised that there would be salvage all over the base, though over a galactic standard year of searching had brought up nothing but useless recordings and a handful of horrendously-outdated biotic amps, even by human standards. On top of that, the varren that infested the building had bred faster than his soldiers could kill them, though they had secured this wing against their attacks. The krogan knew better than to allow himself to be cheated out of his profits, and had pressured the human to pay him bonuses over time as the search continued to produce nothing but junk and animal attacks. The human had complied, his pockets evidently much deeper than he had initially implied. Even so, Kurek's patience had been wearing thin. He had been seriously considering abandoning the man to his twisted sense of nostalgia when the intruders had come in and started killing off his men.

Such a waste.

Kureck played with the idea of letting the intruders pass, possibly even tolling them for access to the room where Aresh had hidden. The reports from his other vorcha had made the intruders' destination clear before their radios had gone silent. No, there's an opportunity for a bigger payday. He radioed the human as the door opposite him began to open. You can't profit if you ignore the bargaining chips right in front of you.

The intruders, a trio of humans, walked into the room as his comm link buzzed in his ear. "What is it?"

Kureck began to pace as he spoke. "Hey Aresh, it's Kureck."

He had briefed Aresh on the situation as soon as the first vorcha had spotted the humans. "Are they-"

"Yeah, the intruders are here," Kureck stated, cutting him off. "You want them dead, we have to talk creds." He stopped pacing and faced the humans as he vented his displeasure at Aresh. "You promised us lots of salvage, but this place is a waste." He sized the humans up as he waited for an answer. One was clearly battle-hardened as he walked in with his yellow armor. Is that a Blue Suns logo on his neck? Another looked relatively frail with her slim frame and lack of armor, but her biotic aura, heavily-tattooed body, and "don't fuck with me" facial expression stated otherwise. A third human, evidently the leader, showed no fear as he strode in. Parts of his armor were bleached white and grey from some previous battle, but his chestplate and shield modulator belt appeared brand new, the characters "N7" gleaming white over the gunmetal armor component. Kureck frowned at the sight. Aresh had better come up with a good answer.

Kureck's commlink buzzed again, prompting him to tilt his head as a frenzy of words poured into his ear. "Fine, I'll give you another forty thousand. You'll have your money, just kill them now."

Acceptable. "Fine, we'll put 'em down," the krogan answered. "Then I'm coming in there and we're going to talk salvage." Kureck didn't want to waste another second on the vegetation-dominated rock if he could avoid it.

The lead human stopped by the edge of the courtyard and spoke. "What are you doing here?"

Kureck signaled his vorcha and yelled an answer. "First we're going to kill you, then we'll see."

The humans dived behind cover as Kurek's forces opened fire. They were soon pinned by the combined fire from the rifles and flamethrowers. All according to plan. A series of tremors shook the ground under his feet as a pair of biotic Shockwaves traveled across the room, stunning his vorcha. The one with the yellow armor fired his rifle at one of the pyros, puncturing its fuel tank. Kureck roared as he mustered a ball of biotic energy, setting it to warp matter around it as he launched it at his target. His shot missed as the foe took cover, and the krogan received a blast from a trio of surprisingly powerful balls of plasma for his trouble. His barriers absorbed the burning energy, but they knocked him back enough that he was unable to launch another Warp before the human, his battle-scarred armor gleaming, took cover.

Kureck growled as he regained his footing. That pyjack's gutsy, but it won't help him here. Sure enough, his krogan had already closed half the distance to the humans before the unfortunate vorcha's fuel tank exploded. Evidently, the leader had seen through Kureck's ruse in his moment out of cover, as he moved to a corner of the room where the krogan couldn't throw an accurate Warp. The unmistakable rattle of an avenger assault rifle echoed from the corner as its target stumbled under the sustained fire, flames flaring up to lick its fresh wounds. The human began to walk forward, fearless as he fought to retain the rifle's accuracy while he held down the weapon's trigger. The rounds began to pierce the krogan's flesh as the woman sent another Shockwave through the middle of the courtyard. Just a little closer... The krogan had begun to stand, but was too slow to avoid the human's fist, which glowed blue as he punched through its skull. "Raaaah!" Kureck roared as he unleashed another Warp at the unprotected human. The attack hit its mark, overloading the man's shields and causing him to double over. Yes. That is what happens when you waste my credits. The human gripped at its waist as Kureck raised his claymore shotgun. And he's just within range. The human vanished in a flash of light before he could pull the trigger. What the-

Kureck's surprise was nothing compared to that of his other bodyguard, who tripped from the titanic force of the human's biotic charge. The human leveled an already-drawn carnifex pistol at the krogan's head as the woman next to him fired, tearing a large hole in its armor. This can't be. The yellow-armored human tossed a grenade at his last vorcha soldier, its shriek of pain loud enough to rattle Kureck's eardrums as it burst into flames. The humans' leader fired a single shot into the other krogan's skull as fire poured through Kurek's veins. This can't be! He roared again as he fired his shotgun in defiance at the humans across the room. All was forgotten as he leaped from his covered position and charged across the room toward his target. The Shockwave that weakened his barriers didn't matter. The concussive blast that downed his barriers didn't slow him down as he barreled through the yellow-armored human. He laughed as the biotic woman tried to Throw him, his heavy armor granting him enough inertia to continue his charge. He batted her aside as she fired her shotgun, narrowly missing his face. The leader was looking at him now, a fury in his eyes that served only to make the bloodrage-induced krogan's pace to quicken. He tossed another Warp at the human as it reached for the avenger, knowing it was impossible to miss at that range. The man crumpled in pain, his arms sprawled out under him. A fitting end for how much he's cost me. Kureck lowered his shotgun to the man's head. "You will die here now, human."

"I will destroy you!"

"Tali, wait!"

The quarian jumped at the sound of the voice, her half-drawn dagger dropping to the floor with a loud clatter. "Keelah, stop sneaking up on me like that Kasumi!"

The human popped into view in front of her, a pair of small bottles in hand as she made a slight grin in spite of the situation. "Sorry, it's what I do." Her face turned more serious as she continued, "But what was it you were going to do?"

Words failed the quarian as she considered the question. Was I really going to... Oh, I'm such an idiot. Such a stupid thing to do, and I'd just be failing him again. She shook her head as she fought back another tear. She felt a slight pressure on her shoulder as Kasumi sat down next to her. Without thinking, Tali immediately embraced her, a vein of silver now visible through her visor. Kasumi held her in return, softly shushing the quarian as she wept. "What I did, Kasumi. It's unforgivable."

"He's already forgiven you, Tali. Everyone knows that."

"He's not the one that needs to."

The last statement quieted the thief, who filled the silence by rocking slightly. The subconscious act comforted the quarian slightly, though the stain of her sin lingered in her mind. "I couldn't bring myself to look at it, not after what happened," she rasped in between sobs, not daring to turn toward the knife. "I never even cleaned his bl-" Words failed her again as she pressed her visor against Kasumi's shoulder.

"Here, let me take a look at it." Tali made no move to stop her as she picked up the knife and drew it out of its scabbard. Sure enough, a reddish-brown residue coated much of the blade. She opened one of the bottles that she had brought, using the amber fluid to soak a towel she pulled from one of her pockets. Tali stared as the thief wiped the blade with a single smooth motion from grip to tip, restoring the dagger to a bright silver shine. "Nothing like a little alcohol to get rid of a bad memory," Kasumi mused, offering the other bottle. "It's a turian ale, triple-filtered for quarian consideration." Tali contemplated the prospect for a long moment. It's not as bad as what I was going to do, she finally conceded with a nod. The human poured her a glass while she drew a sterile straw from a pouch on her hip. Kasumi then poured her own glass from the first bottle, lifting it in a toast to the quarian. "Nicked this from Chakwas down in the med bay. It had a note that said 'buy another one next year', so I figured she wouldn't be needing the rest of it. The doc does have good taste though." Tali returned the toast, then took a slow draw from her own glass through the straw as Kasumi drank her brandy. They sat in silence for a few minutes, occasionally sipping their drinks. Eventually, both sets of eyes fell back to the blade, which Kasumi had placed back on the couch (just out of Tali's reach).

"It is a beautiful knife though, Tali."

The human's statement took her by surprise. After carrying it around so long, she had neglected to really look at the blade that had adorned her calf for many years. For the first time in ages, she allowed herself to appreciate the craftsmanship shown in the dagger's handle, as well as its smooth transition into the blade proper. She nodded, "It was made to last."

"I've seen enough artifacts to recognize old Khelish writings when I see them. Any ideas what it says?"

Tali sighed, remembering the epic that had been told to her by its previous owner as a bedtime story on nights when the Rayya's ventilation ducts were rumbling louder than usual. "It's an old quarian legend. I'd rather not get into it right now." She remembered how the purple-suited quarian was always willing to tell it, even when she had pulled double or triple shifts at her post. "But I wouldn't mind telling it to you later."

The human nodded, seemingly deep in thought. "Did you make this yourself? It doesn't look like the sort of utility knife that most quarians would carry."

"No," the quarian's voice became softer. "It was my mother's... She passed twenty years ago today- quarian calendar years, I mean." A moment passed as comprehension dawned on Kasumi's face, while Tali found herself regretting the decision to speak. Now she's going to ask all the wrong questions about her. "How did she pass?" "What did she look like?" "How old was she?" "How did you feel?" "Did she leave you anything else?" "What were her last words?" "I thought quarians didn't have personal belongings." Oh Keelah, why did I open my mouth?

"What was she like?"

The question gave Tali a start. It was exactly the sort of question she hadn't expected. "She... was a very patient person. She was part of the maintenance crew for the Rayya, the ship where I grew up. She was always willing to listen to what people had to say, and to comfort them when they were in need. She hated conflict though; Auntie Raan always joked about how surprised she was that my mother bonded with a fleet admiral. She loved her jokes though- she always used to tell me that the best prank an engineer can play on her boss is to give them exactly what they asked for." She paused as a chuckle came to her. Whether or not it had been helped along by the ale now coursing through her system, she neither knew nor cared. "You should have seen what happened when the captain asked her to redesign the command center to give his station a better view of his crew."

"What did she do?"

"She installed mirrors over the windows, said it also helped to fix a structural weakness."

They shared a good laugh, and Kasumi refilled their glasses.

Shepard groaned as the effects of the Warp faded. He knew that he was a sitting duck for the krogan biotic, that any moment now, he would end up falling back into the void.

Any moment now...

Any moment...

He sure is taking his sweet time.

The Spectre lifted his head, fully expecting to see the barrel of the krogan's shotgun as it laughed and pulled the trigger.

He didn't expect to see Jack standing over him, one hand held out for him as she flexed and shook the other. Shepard grabbed hold, allowing the convict to help him up. "Couldn't let that Cerberus bitch take over the ship again, Shepard," she said.

The commander was bewildered. "Where'd that last krogan go?" Jack nodded at the wall behind him. He turned around and grimaced; the concrete wall now bore a roughly-krogan-shaped depression that was a mosaic of armor, scales, bone, and yellow-orange gore.

"Turns out, those YMIRs are actually easier to punch through than krogan. My knuckles are stinging like a motherfucker."

Shepard laughed in disbelief, grateful for the intervention. "Are you okay, Zaeed?"

"I'll be fine," the merc said, already climbing to his feet. "S'not my first krogan rodeo, and I doubt it'll be my last."

"Good," Jack replied, indicating the bomb on Zaeed's back. "Means I don't have to carry that thing. Only room left is my old cell. Whoever this 'Aresh' is, he's in there. I want to plant the bomb there anyway, might as well do it on his corpse."

Shepard nodded and activated his radio. "Glass, we're almost done here. We'll meet you on the roof in ten."

The pilot's response was instantaneous: "Loud and clear, commander. I'll warm her up."

Shepard closed the link to find Jack immersed in another memory: the first time she had killed a guard during her escape. He and Zaeed waited as she kneeled by the stain on the wall. She suddenly stood up and strode toward the door at the opposite end of the hall, purpose driving her every move. The men shared a confused glance and followed as the door opened.

"Subject Zero, I see I wasn't the only one drawn back here." Aresh appeared frail before the woman, but his voice remained firm. "Perhaps you, too desired to find the true purpose of this facility."

"The name is Jack, and I'm here to tear this place down." She didn't give an inch as she answered his indirect question.

"This is my home. I'm here to finish what they started. If I can't then all their deaths will have been in vain."

"What are you talking about?" Shepard had a feeling that the man had more than just a single screw loose.

"The answer! They always gave us the worst of it- the torture, the experiments, the drugs, the tests. All of it so they could know if she would die from it. There never seemed to be any reason behind it, but I've figured it out. It was all because of her." Aresh turned to address Jack directly. "You were always the question, Jack. And I'm here to find the answer." Without missing a beat, he flung himself at her. However, the convict was quicker on the draw. Within a moment, he had been Pulled off his feet and into the air. Biotic energy glowed around Jack as she drew her pistol.

"Shut up, Aresh! This facility has no fucking answer."

"But you-" Aresh began.

"You're just as twisted as those sick fucks were. They did this to us just to see what would happen, then went overboard because they ran out of tests and got bored. Sick fucks like you did this. Sick fucks like you kidnapped kids and experimented on them just for kicks. Sick fucks like you killed everyone you ever cared about. Sick fucks like you need to go." Jack raised her pistol as she spoke, menace in her eyes.

"But-"

"You need to go." She aimed at his head and placed a finger on the trigger.

Shepard was too far away to reach the gun before she could fire. "Jack, don't-"

"I said you need to go." Jack blinked and turned away as her biotic inferno faded and Aresh fell to the floor. "Get the fuck out!"

John and Zaeed backed away from Aresh in stunned silence as the terrified man made for the door. Only once he was gone and Jack lowered the pistol did the Spectre dare to speak. "Jack, are you alright?"

"He's not worth chasing," Jack answered with a shake of her head. "None of it is."

Tali sat back on the couch next to Kasumi, the grin on her face visible through her voice as she put down the empty bottles and glasses. "You know, it's been a long time since anyone asked me about my mother. I don't even think he's even asked me about her yet." She chuckled a little, the buzz from the alcohol still fresh in her veins.

"You know, Shep won't have a chance if you keep acting like you have been. Keep up this silent treatment nonsense and he may even go after another asari." Tali gave her a surprisingly hard punch in the arm for her trouble. "Okay then, promise me you'll give him a chance to talk to you at least."

Tali became quiet for a moment. "But he's not going to want me, especially after-"

"Tali," the human interrupted, "he doesn't care about what happened. Trust me. The way he's been trying to track you down over the past couple of days, it makes professional stalkers like me look like the normal random people you pass on the street that just happen to give you a little deja vu." She stopped to think for a moment. "Though, I guess it would be hard to tell the difference between the two."

The quarian chuckled at Kasumi's unintended joke as she turned to face the window. "Fine, I'll stop avoiding him. It still won't do anything for the guilt though."

"Baby steps."

The quarian blinked and turned toward her, unfamiliar with this particular human idiom.

"It means you make progress a little bit at a time, like a baby who's just learning to walk." Tali nodded and gazed back at the view, satisfied by Kasumi's answer. "That or you can always wait for some big, beautiful, fiery, cathartic event."

Joker's voice came in over the ship's intercoms: "Anyone on the crew deck that enjoys fireworks, there will be a big, beautiful, fiery, cathartic explosion off to starboard in about fifteen seconds. I suggest you enjoy the time off before Glass gets back aboard. Everyone else: sorry about the elevator. That's all I can say about that."

The girls burst into a fit of laughter as the doors opened behind them. "Now that's convenient," Kasumi replied. "Can I have five million credits?"

John's already covered that, Tali thought with a grin as a flash of light bloomed on Pragia's surface.

Miranda rolled her eyes at the sound of Joker's voice. She barely tolerated Glass's off-duty hijinks, let alone Joker's outright dismissal of proper conduct. If it wasn't for his Vrolik's syndrome... Her mind came up with several alternatives to provoke a more professional manner from the pilot. I can't let myself get distracted, she thought with a shake of her head as she returned to her task.

In front of her, the holoscreen for her private terminal showed a partially complete message, which she hurried to finish:

Mission report 006: Lazarus Cell.

From: Operative Miranda Lawson

To: The Illusive Man

Illusive Man,

Shepard's injuries have fully healed and he has been declared fit for duty. No doubt his speedy recovery was due in no small part to the expertise demonstrated by Doctors Solus and Chakwas. He was able to take part in the Teltin assignment, which I'm hearing was a rousing success, despite the "unexpected" resistance.

Off-duty, he has been sleeping better, though his strong concern for the quarian in her distressed state is troubling. She has been actively avoiding him and is unresponsive to others in her immediate vicinity. She's a distraction to the commander and a liability on the battlefield; I still see no reason to deem her fit to join the crew, let alone assist in combat. In addition, some of Shepard's squad have started to clash over their individual differences. Glass will help with damage control, but he can't be everywhere at once.

In the meantime, I'd again like to request that the package we ordered be delivered soon. We were able to acquire a replacement following Haestrom but I fear it will not hold up to the task by itself.

I believe we will be heading to Illium next, in order to finish off the list of dossiers you've provided. I will provide another update once we reach the planet.

Miranda Lawson

She had just hit the "send" key when she heard heavy steps coming from outside her door. Jack barged in, fuming as she tossed a datapad on the officer's desk. "You knew about this, and you still didn't say shit before we left?"

Miranda had enough experience to recognize when she'd been made. "It was a necessary diversion from the mission. We didn't want them to find anything useful out of those ruins. If it meant you had a chance to sort out your own issues, it was a bonus."

Jack glared at Miranda with that special look of pure loathing that she saved for her. "Issues? I'm not even going to pretend you don't know what they did down there. The things Cerberus did to me and those kids were inhuman, princess 'savior of humanity'."

You picked the wrong week to mess with me. Miranda had already lost a shouting match to Shepard, and didn't intend to repeat the experience. Not when she had the facts backing her up, at least. "Those experiments were necessary. If not for them, we wouldn't have known about the issues with L2s for years. It's because of them that we were able to iron out issues for the L3 series so quickly."

"Bull fucking shit! Were the injections necessary? Were the fights? What about all those 'precious little moments' the guards liked to have with the kids when they were off-duty and the scientists were turning a blind eye?"

Miranda noticed that Jack's biotics were starting to flare as her voice rose in intensity. She fought to keep her own level as she extended her hand. "Jack, you need to calm down."

The convict's reaction was instant and hostile. "Touch me and I'll smear the walls with you, bitch!" Miranda dodged the chair that was Thrown at her and could see her own biotic barriers flare as her blood began to run hot.

"Enough! Stand down, both of you!"

Shepard's voice had come from the doorway, but neither of the women dared to look away from each other as Jack closed in on Miranda. "The cheerleader won't admit what Cerberus did to me was wrong." She turned away and began to walk toward the door.

Miranda kept her eyes on the convict as she uttered an unbidden reply: "It wasn't Cerberus, not really. But clearly you were a mistake."

Jack performed an abrupt about-face that would have made any drill instructor proud as she pointed her finger at Miranda. "Screw you! You've got no idea what they put me through!" Her hand lowered as she kicked her chin out at the officer. "Maybe it's time I showed you."

Shepard intervened before things could escalate further. "My opinion is the one that matters. You two keep a deck apart at all times."

Miranda finally allowed herself to look away from the woman and at her commander. Surely he must be able to see reason. "She can't be trusted Shepard. She'll jeopardize the whole mission."

Shepard was firm as he looked her in the eye. "If we survive this, you two can tear each other apart." He turned toward Jack as he continued. "Until then, save your hate for the collectors."

Jack didn't look away from Miranda as she spoke, though she dialed down her tone noticeably. "She'll survive, I'll make sure of it. Then... I'll tear you apart myself."

Shepard held up an arm as Jack made for the door. "You two going to be okay?"

She moved his arm out of the way as Miranda turned toward her desk, releasing a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. "It's a good thing you came by when you did." She noticed that her messaging program was still active, displaying a "sent" notification. Perhaps it's for the best that the Illusive Man doesn't find out about this. "As long as she does her job, we'll be fine. Thanks, Shepard." She made sure to give him a genuine look of gratitude as she sat down.

The Illusive Man closed Miranda's message, allowing the dying star's light to shine unimpeded into the room. "As you can see, Kai, your questions about her loyalty are unfounded. It will take more than just Shepard's influence to derail her from our cause."

The shadow behind him blinked. "I still think we should keep a tight watch on her. If Shepard manages to-"

The Illusive Man held up a hand, causing the assassin to fall silent. "We already have her on observation. To initiate another direct contact with her or the squad during their mission at this point would be an unnecessary risk." He paused as he lit a fresh cigarette. "She will help Shepard with the mission, as were her orders, and she will come back to us when it's over." He took a long drag from it as he turned to face Kai Leng. "One way, or another."

Notes from the author:
Yes, I'm aware the Miranda/Jack situation near the end happened later in-game, but it fit with the story better at this point.
It's all part of my master plan to rule the galaxy! *mwuhahaaa*

Nicholas Glass and Quala'Oro are OCs created by Levi Matthews for Finding a Way and are used by permission.