A/N 30 March 2012: Thanks to GoogleFloobs for thetaing! Check out his story The Butcher!

Disclaimer: Mass Effect is copyright of Bioware. Ci-Ci is mine.

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Thank you for reading. Enjoy!

1 May 2183— Norfolk, Virginia, Earth Sol System

Flight Lieutenant Jeff "Joker" Moreau couldn't wait to meet his new baby, the SSV Normandy SR-1 (Systems Alliance Space Vehicle Normandy, Stealth Reconnaissance 1). He fidgeted in the shuttle to the dockyard, partially because he was excited and partially because all his commanding officers were in the shuttle with him. Of course, Joker was lucky: he was sitting next to Corinthia, who was one of the only women in the Alliance Navy to look (and act) somewhat normal. Yeah, Corinthia had a nasty set of scars running across her face, but her smile was nothing short of brilliant and she had one hell of good figure. The scars weren't even a problem, really, since she kept her short brown hair well out of regulation by having it sweep down over the marks and concealing almost half of her face. Joker didn't understand how she could see clearly... but she looked good.

Captain Anderson coughed. "Commander Corinthia, would you please be in proper uniform when we exit this shuttle?"

"Yessir." She tucked her hair behind one ear, giving Joker and everyone else a good look at the pink, branching, river-like gashes. "Just didn't want to intimidate the crew."

Shepard snorted. With him aboard, Corinthia's scars were going to look nothing short of cute and cuddly.

"Couldn't you at least wear make-up, Commander?" Joker asked. Maybe it was improper, but he didn't care: She would've been downright sexy with some smoky eye makeup.

"Doesn't work." She winked at Shepard.

Joker swallowed. Like most everyone who went through the Academy, he'd heard of Shepard. The man was a legend: the Blitz, Akuze, Torfan... He was unstoppable. People said that he would let a planet be destroyed if it would help him accomplish his mission. Looking at Shepard, Joker believed it. The man had seen things, been though things, that no one else could ever know or understand. Part of Joker just wanted to gape in awe at how… awesome Shepard was.

Despite his tough-guy reputation, Shepard was smirking like a teenager at an inside joke as he rolled his eyes at Corinthia. He'd had a month to get his head into gear and he'd succeeded in getting over her enough that they could banter like they used to. "Stop flaunting it, Ci-Ci."

She stuck her tongue out at him. Anderson coughed. "Will you two behave? Ci-Ci, you are acting like a child and you, Shepard, should know better than to encourage her." Anderson already knew that Corinthia was going to be acting insubordinate if provoked, but he hadn't expected it from Shepard. Then again, the man couldn't be cold and ruthless constantly. Besides, Corinthia always made a good balance for Shepard. They were both intense, in their own ways, and could bolster morale where it needed to be. Her fellow soldiers liked and respected her; they feared Shepard.

Then again, they hadn't seen Corinthia when she got a grenade launcher. With enough ammo, she would destroy a world.

Corinthia grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, sir. Won't happen again."

Shepard groaned. She'd gotten into far too much trouble chasing sparkling things and being aboard a military ship wasn't going to stop that. Even so, sometimes her complete inability to concentrate paid off. She was an excellent multi-tasker and could continue to do so during a battle, ambush, or general chaos. She had before and, with the help of her "magic" omni-tool, she had saved Shepard's life more times than he could count. He didn't understand how she could make her omni-tool do anything, but she did and did it in record speeds. She had only gotten better in the last few years. As Nihlus had suspected, she was the one responsible for hacking the mechs so that they danced to "U Can't Touch This" whenever certain people passed — a certain one of them being Shepard. He hadn't gotten into trouble since it was one, hilarious; two, very well done; and three, not his fault and everyone knew it was hers. Not like they'd say anything, though; she was too likable to get into trouble like that, and anyone looking to take her down had to go through Shepard first. NO ONE was willing to do that.

Anderson sighed. "Ci-Ci, we're going by the book for this run. A Spectre is joining us on the mission."

Corinthia met Shepard's eyes. Of course, he wasn't surprised; he'd guessed as much when he'd seen Nihlus. Few Spectres made their identities public, but Nihlus was one of the best and almost every spec-ops program used a few of the turian's missions as case studies. Next to Saren Arterius, Nihlus was probably the best Spectre in the galaxy.

But Shepard would be better.

Corinthia giggled. "Ooh, which one?" Corinthia was weird and thought that aliens could be attractive. Then again, she thought baby thresher maws were adorable, too.

"Nihlus Kryik," Anderson answered. Corinthia grinned. "You know him?"

"I know of him. He's only the most decorated Spectre next to Saren. He's a legend and —"

"Ci-Ci," Shepard said warningly.

"Yeah?"

"No."

She tried to rein in her grin, managing to stop looking completely ecstatic and instead simply smug.

"A turian? On my baby?" Joker gasped. Though certainly not as xenophobic as many humans, he didn't trust turians, especially since they'd been in constant conflict with humanity and could "never keep their claws out of other people's business".

Anderson looked at the pilot like he hadn't been there before. "Your baby?"

"Sorry, sir. It's what I call my ship," Joker quickly excused.

"Xenophobic?" Shepard asked.

"No, no, just wondering what he's doing on a shakedown," Joker grumbled.

"That's classified," Anderson snapped.

"Yeesh, just trying to have a conversation," Joker muttered defensively.

Corinthia pressed her nose to the window. "Whoa… Is that the Normandy?"

Shepard looked outside. Sitting on the dock was a massive space ship unlike any other he'd seen. It was loosely shaped like a diving falcon, with a narrow fore and a large aft, where the four thrusters rested like wings. Sleek, shining, and steely, it looked like it could cut through the sky like a knife. Shepard found himself smirking. THAT was a ship ought to look like.

Joker strained in his seat. "I can't see! Can you move, ma'am?"

"Call me Ci-Ci," Corinthia answered, shifting.

Joker leaned over her, laughing and smiling when he saw the Normandy. "I think I'm in love…"

"I hope you're talking about the ship because fraternization is against regulations, though I don't know if it applies to inanimate objects…" Corinthia mused.

Shepard smirked. Anderson actually laughed. Corinthia grinned: She was getting to them, sooner than anticipated. Soon they'd all be in her clutches...

The shuttle stopped just beside the Normandy. Anderson unbuckled his safety harness. "Well, we're here. You're to fall out behind me as we brief the crew."

Anderson climbed out, Shepard behind him. Corinthia stood up and stretched while Joker fumbled around for his crutches. She raised an eyebrow. "Uhm, do you need some help?"

Joker sighed. He was always ready to tell someone about his "impediment", but it was usually to excuse himself or prove that he was just as good as them. He hated being coddled and Corinthia had sounded downright pitying. "No, I don't. I've got Vrolick Syndrome."

Vrolick Syndrome was a degenerative disease which left bones extremely fragile. He only had a mild case which left his bones susceptible to fractures, but he could hobble around without crutches if he absolutely had to. So, he spent the majority of the time at the helm—even sleeping there, when he could. He'd call himself a cripple as a joke, but hardly tolerated others calling him that.

"No wonder why you're the best damn pilot the Alliance has."

Joker blinked. "What?"

"Well, when the body's weak one place, it strengthens another. It makes sense, to me at least. Then again, things that make sense to me don't to anyone else. Don't worry about it." She stopped before she clapped him on the shoulder. "And I can't be affectionately physical with you… Aww… Not that I should be, anyway."

"Hey, I'll deal with the pain," Joker grinned. Corinthia jestingly poked his arm, barely even touching him. "That doesn't count!" Joker protested.

"Hey, I'm not flirting. Just saying."

Joker smirked. "That's what you say, but you and I both really know—"

"You're not my type."

It wasn't that Joker wasn't cute, because he was with curly copper colored hair and beard, brown eyes, and an okay build (he didn't look weak or sickly at all); it was that Corinthia thought that Shepard was the standard of hotness, manliness, and awesomeness, no matter how much of an asshole he could be. Joker didn't quite make the cut.

"That's what they always say," Joker answered. "But before long—"

Corinthia hushed him as they stepped onto the docks. The crew saluted stiffly, barely hiding their nerves. Many were casting subtle glances towards Nihlus, who stood talking with Captain Anderson and Shepard. Nihlus, like all turians, was tall and looked a little bit like a bird-raptor-human-thing (to Corinthia, at least). His facial tattoos, designating his home colony, were white and patterned very nearly like a skull. He wore dark grey body armor that glowed blue at the joints. If only to prove his bad-assery, he only carried a pistol and he looked just as intimidating as Shepard did.

Therefore, Corinthia thought Nihlus was adorable.

"Ah, this must be Commander Corinthia," Nihlus said, his deep voice flanging like those of all turians.

Corinthia nodded. "Sir. It's nice to meet you," she greeted in the turian tongue.

"Impressive, Commander," Nihlus chuckled. "Not many humans bother to learn our language, considering the aptitude of translators."

"Honestly, that's about all I know. Well, that and saying, 'I don't speak turian'." Corinthia smiled. "And, please, call me Ci-Ci. It'll just get too confusing with Shep here being a commander, too, you know."

Nihlus gave Anderson a questioning look. Anderson shrugged. "We all call her that."

Nihlus nodded. That fact hadn't been in his extremely thorough dossier on her past, personality, and mission style. As a matter of fact, he hadn't expected someone with her service record and history to be so… happy.

Anderson turned to the crew. They all saluted. "At ease," Anderson ordered. The soldiers relaxed. Shepard, Joker, and Corinthia stood behind Anderson, feeling weird to be on this side of things. Shepard was the XO and Joker was the pilot, but they had never stood behind their captain before. Corinthia was stationed as the gunnery chief (she'd already joked that she was really the funnery chief, letting Shepard know that this was going to be a long mission) and also the second mate (meaning that she'd become XO if Anderson died, abdicated, or became unfit for command). She and Shepard had been the ones to give speeches before, both thinking that the other was better at it.

Today, Corinthia and Shepard weren't listening. Although Shepard had been debriefed with Anderson, Corinthia had, naturally, found out through her own channels what was going on. Shepard didn't understand why she'd commit felonies for the sake of staying in the loop, but she did. It had been useful on many occasions, but for once she hadn't been able to find out more than he'd been told. She hadn't even known about Nihlus, but Shepard could tell that she'd already come to a conclusion or three as to why the Spectre was there.

As soon as Anderson was done, the crew obediently filed aboard. Corinthia took her place at the helm, to Joker's left, along with Lieutenant Alenko. He smiled at her in a friendly manner, watching as Shepard passed.

"You two make up?" Alenko asked softly.

"Ages ago," she answered casually. "I'm already planning a re-do of the party that won't go wrong."

"Where's the party?" Joker asked, taking his place.

"Right here," Corinthia replied, pointing to herself and doing some kind of macho dance.

"Ci-Ci!" Shepard snapped.

"Eesh, he's got eyes in the back of his head," she muttered. What's up with him today? Oh, wait. Nevermind. With a Spectre aboard, Shepard wanted to make a good impression. He rarely spoke about his dreams or goals, but being a Spectre was one of the few that he'd mentioned.

Corinthia shifted in her chair until she was comfortable. It was like sitting in pool chair, but with an orange holo screen in front of her giving her command of all the weapons systems. Shepard leaned over her shoulder, murmuring, "Don't get carried away, Ci-Ci. You know what'll happen if you destroy a planet."

"You'll spank me?"

Shepard snickered. "Just don't blow up the galaxy."

She winked. "I'll try, but I can't promise you anything."

Joker was near tears as he bonded with the Normandy. It was like he was able to run, jump, move like everyone else. The Normandy was special. It was jointly engineered by turians and humans to have the best of both species' ship designs. Joker had flown a couple simulators to see how it maneuvered, but those were like a club compared to the diamond tipped scalpel that the Normandy really was. He hadn't even taken her off the ground, but he could tell that he'd found the right vessel for his soul—well, it sounded stupid and corny, but it was the only way he could describe what it felt like to finally be able to move like he always wished he could.

Anderson took his place at the back of the command deck, standing before the Galaxy Map. He pointed to a star cluster. The cross-hair selected it, zooming in several times until Eden Prime appeared with a full technical readout. "Joker, take us out."

"Yes, sir," Joker said eagerly.

Corinthia gripped her seat, her eyes clenched shut. "I hate flying, I hate flying…"

"Hey, relax, you're in good hands. I'm not about to let my baby get hurt on her first day out."

Corinthia laughed and stretched casually. "Jest messing with you, Joker. Don't you know that one of my hobbies is edge of space sky diving?"

"Well, whatever gets you going," Joker shrugged.

"Don't listen to her; she's afraid of heights," Shepard murmured. "Can't drop more than six feet without dangling from the wall."

Corinthia leaned back. She loved being able to see where she was going, especially in space. To watch as the sky turned from light blue, to dark, to fire as they broke through the atmosphere, to the calm star-studded black was thrilling and, strangely, comforting. Somehow being a small speck in an enormous universe made her feel better.

"Space, the final frontier…" she started dramatically.

"Could you be any more of a nerd, Ci-Ci?" Joker asked.

"These are the adventures of the SSV Normandy…"

"You're getting it wrong."

"Who's the nerd now?"

"Shut up."

Nihlus stood directly behind her, watching the Normandy's progress. Joker maneuvered the ship flawlessly through the Sol System, even though the hair on the back of his neck was rising at the proximity of the turian.

"Commander Corinthia, they tell me that you're quite an accomplished pilot yourself," Nihlus murmured.

Joker gritted his teeth audibly, but continued with protocol.

Corinthia shrugged. "I can fly most anything and not crash it when I land, if that's what you mean." She wasn't being modest. She could look at something and figure it out, which meant that she could fly anything if she had to. She wasn't amazing, but she could've passed flight school. Joker, though, was a prodigy and Corinthia was a baby in a walker compared to him.

"Your list of skills was impressive," Nihlus continued. "I had difficulty believing that one person had them all."

"Are you interviewing me?"

"Would that change your answer?"

"It would determine how I answer, yeah."

"So what is your answer?" Nihlus asked after a moment.

"I just know how things work. That's really the best way I can explain it."

"What about your service record?"

"Half dumb luck and half having a good team." She gave Shepard a cursory glance (although he took it as a cue to leave). "You should've noticed that I've never worked alone."

"You did during the Skyllian Blitz."

"Until Shepard showed up, yeah, but it isn't the same. I can work alone, but I don't usually unless I'm just puttering or something like that."

"What of your latest mission on Arcturus?"

"Training snot-nosed brats how to use an omni-tool isn't a mission; it's babysitting. Besides, it's not like any of them could do what I do," she replied casually, legitimately not boasting.

Nihlus narrowed his black eyes. "Do you even take your job seriously?"

Corinthia's smile vanished. She suddenly looked like the woman Nihlus had imagined from her dossier: intelligent, shrewd, and strong with just a hint of dangerous. "This isn't a job; it's a life. I'm serving and protecting the galaxy, doesn't matter what species you are. I don't always like what I have to do to get the job done, but I won't let that stop me. I joined up thinking it would give me a chance to interact with humans for once and because it wasn't school. I should've had nobler reasons, but I didn't. I just wanted to escape. Thing is, the second I thought I was going to, batarians showed up on Elysium and murdered my father along with half the colony. I'm not going to let that happen to anyone else ever again. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other things to do." She turned back to her duties.

Nihlus smiled. She would do very well indeed.

The Normandy approached the Charon Relay. Like all mass relays, it looked like a tuning fork, in Corinthia's opinion. The swirling blue mass of element zero reached out to pull the Normandy through to jump to the next relay. Her favorite part was the kick, when the ship hyper-accelerated beyond the speed of light, the element zero allowing it to avoid the mass effect and NOT compress into the size of an atom as they blurred towards their destination. Or, at least, that was how she thought it worked. Physics wasn't her thing.

Suddenly, the world was real again. Another relay's element zero core released them into the Utopia System.

"Ignition, check. Thrust, check. Everything looks solid. Drift, just under fifteen hundred K," Joker announced proudly. His baby had just made a perfect test run. He had gotten them to a target less than half an hour away from their final destination.

Damn was he good.

"Fifteen hundred is good. Your captain will be pleased," Nihlus said. He nodded to Corinthia before stalking towards the comm room behind the Galaxy Map. The interior of the Normandy was dark and grey, like most military vessels tended to be. The walls were lined with computer stations for the crew to man, each operating a different system. Towards the back, the deck widened into a circular room. At the center was a holo projector which would either show the Galaxy Map or a readout of the Normandy's status. The majority of the officers would stay there, looking at the various screens around it to monitor the ship and its surroundings. To each side of the door to the comm room were stairs leading down to the crew deck, where the sleeping pods, mess, and captain's cabin were located. Shepard, now in his armor, returned just as Nihlus passed. The turian nodded to him in greeting before entering the comm room.

Shepard took Nihlus's place behind Joker and Corinthia. She turned and grinned at the Commander before going back to her duties.

"I hate that guy," Joker muttered.

"Nihlus gave you a compliment, so you hate him?" Alenko asked.

Joker snorted. "You remember to zip up your jumpsuit after going to the bathroom? That's good. I just hit a target the size of a pinhead—"

"You are a pinhead," Corinthia snickered. Shepard checked the time. It had taken a record half hour to go from being completely serious to in fits of giggles. Until then, her record had been five minutes.

Joker rolled his eyes. "Ha ha, very funny. You're the paragon of humor."

"Get used to it, Joker," Shepard warned. "It's not about to stop."

Corinthia grinned evilly. "That's what she said."

Shepard rolled his eyes while Joker and Alenko laughed.

"Seriously, though, loosen up a little, Joker," Corinthia continued cheerfully.

Joker decided not to listen. "I don't trust Nihlus because he's a Spectre. It's got nothing to do with him being a turian. Mostly."

Corinthia hit him upside the head, as gently as she could. "Lay off it, Joker. If you haven't noticed, he's treating us like anyone else, so we owe him at least some respect. Besides, the turians helped design your baby here."

Joker rubbed the back of his head. "You didn't have to hit me, did you? You could've fractured my skull."

"I would kiss it and make it better, but we already had that discussion, didn't we?"

Shepard had forced his feelings for Corinthia down so far that he couldn't even react jealously on an unconscious level. In fact, he found her teasing amusing.

"And here I thought you liked me. Isn't that what girls hitting boys means?"

Shepard shook his head. "Ignore her. Frankly, Joker, I agree with you that something else is going on." He gave Corinthia a significant look. Shepard and Nihlus had spoken briefly while the crew was preparing the Normandy to leave Earth. Shepard had found the turian surprisingly agreeable, especially because they had quite a lot in common.

"Oh, did Nihlus interrogate you, too?" she asked eagerly. "Did he ask you what your favorite killing move was? Or what—"

Shepard put a hand over her mouth to silence her before she got carried away. "He asked me the same questions he asked you."

She dragged his hand down. "Wait, you heard that? I thought you went to the other side of the ship…"

He smiled. "Who's the queen of obliviousness?"

Corinthia looked around, confused. "What? Who?" She winked. "Okay, okay, sorry. I'm just… Paranoid? Is that the right word right now?"

"Joker's being paranoid," Shepard observed.

"No, I'm not!" Joker answered defensively. "I just don't like people breathing down my neck."

Shepard stopped Corinthia before she did just that to Joker. She pouted and slid back down into her chair. "Spoil sport," she muttered.

Admittedly, Corinthia was being a bit more immature than normal. Then again, that was her usual way of breaking the ice amongst a new crew on a new ship. It was her defense mechanism and natural reaction to discomfort and self-consciousness.

"What was that?" Joker asked.

"Nothing. Shepard's just an evil old man, that's all."

"Old man?" Shepard repeated. "That's a new one..."

Corinthia turned her nose up haughtily. "You're older than me so you're an old man."

"If that's the case, then you're just a kid."

"No, I'm an adult."

"Only if an eight-year old is a senior citizen."

"Hey!"

"Joker, send Shepard and Corinthia report to the comm room immediately," Anderson buzzed.

"Watch out, Captain, I think Nihlus is headed your way," Joker warned.

"He's already here," Anderson answered irately.

Joker winced. "He sounds pissed."

"He is pissed," Corinthia said, clambering out of her chair. "Probably your fault, too."

"What did I do?"

"How'm I supposed to know?" she answered innocently.

"Wait… were you joking?"

"Joker, if I'm smiling, I'm probably not being serious."

"And she's always smiling," Alenko added.

"Welcome to my life," Shepard muttered darkly, moving to walk beside her. "Are you anywhere near as suspicious as I am?" he murmured.

"Are we talking continuous paranoid conspiracist paranoid?"

"Yeah."

"Then I'm as paranoid as you." She waved hello to Navigator Pressley and Dr. Chakwas as they walked by. "But I think I figured out what this is about."

"Which is?"

She took out her omni-tool and started searching for something. "Nihlus is recruiting Spectres."

"And we're on the list?"

"We are the list."

Shepard's eyes glittered greedily. "What have I told you about doing that?" he growled sternly.

Corinthia snorted. "As if you didn't want to know for yourself."

"I have something called patience."

"Only sometimes. Besides, like I'm walking into a clear set-up blind. We've done that too many times."

"Does the word 'felony' mean anything to you?"

"No, not really. I think I've heard it in passing... Oh, come on Shepard. You and I both know that the Alliance doesn't have the least idea what I'm actually capable of and what I've got my fingers in. Uh, wait, forget I said that."

He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "And just how am I supposed to do that?"

"I don't know! You aren't my boyfriend, so you aren't supposed to remember what I tell you, right? Besides, it wasn't like I was doing anything serious. It wasn't a challenge. At all, which makes me wonder how good the rest of the Council's security is."

"You could just admit that you're a hacker."

"But that would make me a bad person."

"You're a corrupting influence," Shepard chided, not that he minded. Corinthia had made his life better, despite everything. She gave him an excuse to relax a little and be himself, not just a soldier. He just wished he'd realized it sooner.

Corinthia snorted. "I still haven't gotten you to listen to my music, watch my movies, wear a leather jacket and ride a motorcycle to Colorado…"

"You just want to see me in a leather jacket, don't you?"

Her eyes widened. "Yeah, with tattoos, World War II aviators, and an electric guitar… No, a bass. Wait, drums… No, bass. Yeah, a bass. Bassists are always the hottest…" Her eyes glazed over as she drifted off into her imagination.

"Ci-Ci."

"Hm?"

"You're getting distracted. Again. Shall we go and talk to Captain Anderson or do you just want to wait out here and drool all over the floor as you imagine me being a rock star?"

Corinthia blushed crimson. Shepard had never, ever hinted that he knew she thought him attractive. Did he also know that she really, really, really, really, really liked him? Maybe even loved him?

"I think I'll go in with you," she said quickly. "Nothing like a good briefing to get us back into gear, right?"

They entered the comm room. Nihlus was there already, looking at pictures of Eden Prime. "Ah, I was hoping you'd arrive. I wanted to speak with you both before the Captain arrived."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "What about?"

Corinthia opened her omni-tool and started changing the pictures on the monitor to show other parts of Eden Prime. "What's this?" she asked, spotting an archeological dig site. "That looks Prothean…"

The Protheans were an ancient civilization of aliens who had been mysteriously annihilated thirty thousand years before. The remnants of their technology enabled every species in the galaxy to become space-faring. No one knew what they looked like or what killed them, but every civilization in the galaxy owed them something, if not everything.

Nihlus stepped between her and the screen. "How did you get this footage?"

Corinthia grinned. "Does it matter?"

Nihlus chuckled. "They said you were resourceful."

"You have no idea," Shepard muttered.

Anderson came in. "Shepard, Corinthia, I think it's about time you knew the real purpose for this mission."

Shepard grabbed Corinthia's hand before she used her omni-tool to find out. "Yes, sir?" Shepard said, glaring at Corinthia. She grinned sheepishly and saluted Captain Anderson.

Anderson raised his eyebrows. "I take it Corinthia has already figured it out."

"Sorry, sir," she apologized, blushing slightly.

"What is that human phrase?" Nihlus mused. "'Curiosity killed the cat?'"

"But my name isn't Catherine."

Shepard rolled his eyes. Only Corinthia would think of that kind of an answer.

"I don't understand," Nihlus answered.

"Ignore her," Shepard suggested. "I don't understand more than half of what she says, anyway."

Nihlus shook his head. "Are you sure humanity is ready for this?" he asked Anderson pointedly.

"Maybe not for Ci-Ci," Anderson answered, "but we should tell them."

"Sir?" Shepard asked, heart racing. He was hoping, maybe even praying, that Corinthia was right and that they were recruiting Spectres.

Corinthia's omni-tool started beeping violently. She cursed loudly and fidgeted with it. "Damned thing, going off at the worst ti—Whoa, that's not good…"

"Will you kindly pay attention?" Anderson demanded, becoming angry. Corinthia was a sweet girl, but sometimes he just wanted to strangle her. "You and Shepard have been put forward to become Spectres."

Corinthia silenced the beeping with a push of a button. "Sorry, sir. It was alerting me that—well, sorry."

"You don't seem surprised," Nihlus observed. Shepard's eyes had flashed eagerly, but his serious expression hadn't changed. Corinthia hadn't even seemed to notice. "No human has ever had this honor."

"Who put my name put forward?" Shepard asked. He already knew damn well why he was being submitted, but he wanted to know which politician to not punch, if he got the chance.

"I did," Nihlus answered calmly. "Captain and Councilor Udina agreed."

Shepard nodded, glad to hear that there was finally a turian who could appreciate a human's skills for what they were.

Corinthia laughed. "Seriously, sir? Me? You already know which one of us is the best." She gestured to Shepard. "I can't do a thing when I'm on my own."

"That remains to be seen," Nihlus said, amused. Her omni-tool was still on and working on its own. "From what I've seen, you seem quite capable of hacking your way into any system and through an army. Aren't you responsible for the mech… malfunctions the Alliance has been experiencing?"

Corinthia blushed. "Oh, well, that was just a bit of fun. It isn't me going out on my own and chasing down bad guys. I'm not some kind of hero."

"You already are a hero," Anderson corrected.

"What's our mission?" Shepard asked before Corinthia got them too far off topic, as she was more than like to do.

"A research team has unearthed a Prothean artifact," Nihlus answered. "Our mission is to recover it."

"This is just the first in a series of missions. Nihlus will accompany you observe you in action," Anderson continued. He looked pointedly at Corinthia. "You both represent the best the Alliance Navy has to offer. I suggest that you act like it."

Corinthia's omni-tool started beeping again. She held up a finger to silence Anderson and turned her attention to the interface. Shepard rolled his eyes. Only Corinthia would ignore a superior officer because she was in the middle of doing some very, very illegal hacking.

Her omni-tool expanded to show a small screen. Shepard could see the back half of the image: a blurred picture of the horizon of Eden Prime. A man ran into view, holding an assault rifle. A female soldier came over and ordered, "Get down," before she shot at… something.

Corinthia's smile vanished. Her mind flashed back to the Skyllian Blitz and the slaughter that occurred there. She shuddered and swallowed her emotions. She needed to be a soldier, now, not herself. "Sir, you need to see this."

Before Anderson could answer yes or no, Corinthia had waved a hand and the video began to play on the large screen. They watched in horror as the geth—a race of AI robots—killed anyone in sight. A soldier grabbed the camera. "We're under attack. Repeat, we're under attack! ARGH! –eed evac. Repeat: Need—" A geth loomed over the camera and the feed shut off.

Corinthia blinked. The geth were quarian-created AIs that never ventured beyond the Perseus veil. They were modeled to look like quarians (the species that designed them), with bowed legs, two-toed/duck-like feet, three fingers (including a thumb), and a curving helmet head with a single optical eye that looked like a camera lens. The geth here were white with black tubing curving at their joints. They kept to themselves and their only real act of war was to take Rannoch from the quarians, leaving the species to wander the galaxy like gypsies.

"That was a geth," she murmured. "What the hell are they doing out here?"

"Is there more?" Anderson asked Corinthia.

She pressed a few buttons on her omni-tool. "No, just that."

"Rewind and hold at twenty-three forty-four."

Corinthia did. A massive ship appeared out of the clouds, glowing mechanical tentacles reaching down like a monstrous squid. Corinthia shuddered. She wasn't easily intimidated (except by Shepard) and that… thing just gave her the creeps. It wasn't moving like a normal vessel. It looked alive.

"Oh my God, is that a ship?" Corinthia asked, knowing the answer. "And what the hell were the geth doing outside the Perseus Veil?"

Nihlus crossed his arms. "This isn't good. They probably came for the beacon."

"Why wouldn't the Collectors do that?" Corinthia asked. The Collectors were a race of strange beings who would every so often come out of the Terminus Systems (star systems outside of Citadel Space) to barter information and technology for research "supplies"—plants, mechanical things, and sometimes even people. "That seems like their sort of thing, but then again, they've never been this violent, have they?"

"You know about the Collectors?" Nihlus asked. They were hardly common knowledge, except to those in the information business or underworld criminals, and most believed them to be nothing but legend.

Corinthia shrugged. "I've met them before. Didn't like them one bit. It was like I was looking at puppet bugs or something like that. Well, uhm, never mind. What are you orders, Captain?"

"You and Shepard suit up. Tell Alenko and Jenkins to as well," Anderson answered. "You'll be making first contact."

Shepard nodded and left with Corinthia.

"Sir," Joker buzzed over the intercom. "We've got a distress signal coming in."

"Corinthia's already intercepted it," Anderson answered. "How far away are we from Eden Prime?"

"About fifteen minutes, sir."

"Then get us there." Anderson sighed. "This mission just got a lot more complicated."

Nihlus watched the doors close behind Shepard and Corinthia. "I don't see why you were worried. They both seem capable."

"They are both capable, but they both have their faults. She's a genius, but it's hard to predict what she'll do. Shepard isn't easy to read, but he gets the job done no matter what the cost." Anderson shook his head. "The Council only wants one of them, correct?"

"For the moment, yes."

"Then you should be watching Shepard. I think he's what you're looking for."

"You do understand that he will no longer answer to the Alliance once he becomes a Spectre, even though he will still be a member of your army?"

"Naturally, though he may not know it. And don't worry: I'm not saving the best for myself. Corinthia is good, but… Well, she's not a soldier at heart. I'm not sure what she is."

"I should prepare," Nihlus mused, effectively finishing the conversation. "Captain."

"Nihlus," Anderson answered. The turian left. Anderson sat and rubbed his eyes. Why was it whenever Shepard and Corinthia got put together that something horrible happened to humanity? If their luck didn't change, their species would be doomed.

Then again, Shepard and Corinthia did have a way of surprising everyone.