Shepard grumbled as he walked onto the Citadel docks.

"Stupid Batarians, eating like-"

"Sir, stay back!"

Two C-Sec officers stood on the far side of the docks. A woman, holding a pistol, stood just two meters away from Shepard.

"Who authorised this docking?"

"It wasn't me!"

The woman raised her pistol, taking aim at Shepard.

"Stop, stop! What're… what are you?"

Shepard studied the woman's face. It seemed… familiar.

"Talitha?" Shepard said, finally.

"No. No, animals don't get names. The masters put their symbols on her, m-metal all over her back. She screams when they do it."

Shepard motioned for the officers to lower their weapons.

"No. No no no no no. No, Talitha you aren't an animal. Please, you need to remember. My name is John; John Shepard."

"She remembers a lot of things. Talitha," said the woman, lowering her pistol. "They called her that. Sh-she doesn't remember the rest."

"Talitha, what's the last thing you remember from Mindoir?"

"Fires. Smells of smoke and burning meat. Animals screaming as the masters put the metal to their backs, put the wires in their brains!" Talitha looked to the floor, whispering. "She pretends to be dead. If she's dead she can't work." She looks up, to the metal ceiling. "But they know! She wants to leave, but they put her in the pen. She didn't fight. She was already beaten."

"Talitha, you were six, maybe seven. No one blames you for not fighting. It was the only thing you knew to do."

"She wants to believe that. She doesn't want to be there anymore. In the pen, lying there while they hurt her."

Shepard took a small step towards Talitha, who raised her pistol again.

"No! Don't want to be handled again!"

"Talitha, how did you get here? How did you escape? The Batarians couldn't have just let you go. Did they?"

"She can't escape! They have chains, wires, needles, guns. You go too far, they take your brain; take your life. No, animals like her come. Animals with guns. They make the masters explode. She tries to save them, she doesn't want them mad, but they won't move. The other animals take her."

Talitha lowers her gun again.

"You were just afraid. All you had known until then was abuse when they weren't well, so you tried to heal them. It's a survival instinct."

"She doesn't want to see other animals. Other animals aren't real, they can't see her; can't know her. If they know her, then it's all real. The wires, the hitting, the pain. This isn't for her, it's for another girl, a dirty girl, stupid girl! They see her, and it's real. She doesn't want it to be real."

Shepard takes another small step forward, arms stretched forwards.

"Talitha, can you listen to me, for just a minute."

"She… She can."

"Okay, good. I was on Mindoir when the Batarians attacked. My mother and brother died. I'm carrying his pistol now."

"No!" Talitha shrieked. "Lier! You get hit for lying! Why are you alive!? Why aren't you hurt!? Why aren't you like her!?"

The woman shoved her pistol in Shepard's face.

"Talitha, I'm not going to lie and say it was just as hard for me. It wasn't. The only reason I got away was because one of the slavers liked me."

"Why are you so lucky!? Why isn't she!?"

"I don't know, and I don't deserve half the luck I have. Talitha, I want you to look at me."

She lowers her gun, looking Shepard in the eye.

"Talitha, for a little while, I didn't feel so lucky. I wanted nothing more than to die. I had lost my friends, my family, my childhood, it was all gone. But I picked myself up. I realised that part of my life was over, and that it couldn't hurt me anymore. So I kept pushing forwards."

"You lose the same things she does but keep going? No digging, no wires, but stand up? She wishes she could stand up."

"Talitha, things aren't going to be easy, but I have a friend with ties to C-Sec. If you go over there with me, I promise they won't hurt you, and you can go to a place where you can get better."

"Y-you promise?"

"I'll walk with you."

"Shepard… it hurts when she… when I... remember me. But she wants to. To remember."

"You will Talitha. And when you do, you'll be free."

Shepard walked the woman over to the C-Sec officers, who Shepard stayed with.

"Thank you sir, but we can take it from here."

"No. I want to make sure she's alright."

"Suit yourself."

Shepard looked at Talitha, and gave a warm smile, the first in a long, long time.