"Wrex."

"Shepard."

"Good work with the Rachni. Spared the galaxy another massacre."

"Thanks. You got any stories?"

"Stories?"
"You're centuries old. Must have a few tales to tell."

"I'm not the best at talking, but I'll try for you."

"I'm touched."

"Don't interrupt. A couple centuries back, I had taken a job. It was simple: Kill a Turian, bring back the head. But of course, someone else wanted the bastard dead. Another mercenary, an Asari named Aleena, had gotten to him first. I tried using my 'Shotgun Tactic' but she just laughed, cut off the head, and tossed it to me, saying that she'd like to work together. We became good friends after that-"

"Good friends, huh?"

"No interruptions. We became good friends, always taking the same jobs from different suppliers, and wound up splitting the credits and the corpses. 'Course, one day I accepted a contract from a Volus without knowing who it was. Turned out to be Aleena, and due to dignity and a reputation, I couldn't back out. I told her about it, but she just laughed it off, and asked if I would meet her on a battlefield of her choosing. I knew she wouldn't take no for an answer, so I agreed, if only to save time. wound up picking an old space station filled with pirates and slavers, people we could kill without trouble, if they got in the way. The hunt lasted for days, I never caught sight of her, and she never hurt me too bad. Eventually I ran out of ammo, and I had to kill the station's residents for guns. About a week in, the reactor was going to go critical. I managed to escape in time, but I couldn't see any other escape pods or ships leaving. But of course I got a message from Aleena."

"What'd it say?"

"Heh. Better luck next time. I haven't seen her since, but she's still out there. Might've changed her name to Benezia, and I can finally turn in the contract, huh? Course the Volus is dead, but…"

"Credits are always nice to think about."

"Exactly. I've wasted enough of your time Shepard, go say hi to Tight-Ass for me."

"Vakarian?"

"That's what I said."

Garrus Vakarian was working harder than usual. Not just because they needed the Tomkah for the next mission, no, it was because he needed a distraction.

"So, Vakarian."

"Yes, Shepard?"

"You're an ex-Spectre trainee?"

"I don't see why you'd be interested."

"You expect me not to turn my head at that?"

"It isn't useful. So you wouldn't be interested."

"I could be genuine."

"You didn't want me until I proved useful."

"Would you have recruited someone who you knew nothing about, except that they would kill you if given the chance?"

"No. No, you're right there. And sorry, about the whole 'killing you' thing. You don't seem to be the worst person around."

"You seem distracted."

"I am calibrating a tank."

"I meant by what happened on Noveria."

"I'm still questioning all the people we killed. I approve of how you handled the fighting, but was it all necessary?"

"I've said it before, but my colony was-"

"Raided by slavers. That means you should understand innocents bet-"

"Not everyone there was innocent. There were criminals, naive idiots, gung-ho soldiers, the lot of them. The people on this ship, some were violent, some were rude, some would joke around, or teach me how to play Skillian-5. But they were still slavers."

"So no one is really innocent or guilty?"

"More like nobody is anything. We're all just a mix and match of different personalities and emotions, all wrestling with each other. There's no such thing as guilty or innocent, right or wrong."

"There just is."

"Exactly."

"Thanks Shepard. I'll think about what you said."

Tali was recalculating the engine's output.

"Hey Tali."

"Hi Shepard. I've been thinking about what you said, with the Geth. If there was a chance to stop a war before it began, I would take it, and I assume that's what you meant."

"It was. So you approve of my decision with the Rachni?"

"Looking back on it, I do. But if there was a chance to wipe out the Geth, right now, with the press of a button…"

"You wouldn't take it?"

"No. I want to reclaim my homeworld Shepard, but that wouldn't feel right. I want to feel satisfied when I step onto Rannoch, not… not like I cheated my way there."

"Even if thousands of your people die?"

"Sometimes sacrifices must be made."

"But-"

"John, would you be hunting Saren if Grarak was still alive?"

"No. No, I wouldn't be."

"Death can be good or bad. It can even turn slavers into heroes."

"I have the sneaking suspicion that under that mask, you look really smug."

"Only a little bit."