A/N: Wrex is awesome. If anyone still doubts that, I hope to prove them wrong in the next few chapters. :D

Also, lots of cookies for whoever catches the very obscure Babylon 5 reference. :)

Finally, a small warning: some realism in this chapter has been butchered in favor of slapstick humor. Why? Because I can. :)

Chapter 58 - The Ladies' Krogan

"Commander? Admiral Hackett is available on the vid call," Traynor's voice reaches Morgan on the comms at the same time as she realizes that she has just put on her shirt the wrong way around.

"Damnation," she swears, ripping her shirt off again, making Liara chuckle next to her. "Oh... yeah, Traynor, I'll be up in a couple of minutes, please ask the admiral to hold."

"Morgan, I'm quite certain one of the socks you have on is mine," Liara remarks with an utterly serious expression on her face.

"...bloody hell," Shepard sighs, taking the offending sock off. "I'm just not a morning person, you know," she tells Liara before leaning closer to plant a gentle peck on the asari's cheek.

"Also, you might be interested to know that you are still wearing my p-"

"Not now, Liara, I can't keep Hackett waiting endlessly!" Shepard interrupts her lover, grabbing a comb from the nightstand and rushing out of her quarters, fixing her hair while taking the elevator down to the CIC and proceeding towards the comm room, where the image of impatient looking Admiral Hackett is waiting on her. "Sir!" breathless, she snaps off a salute, presenting herself, silently praying that she hasn't put anything else on backwards.

"Commander," Hackett says, giving her a slightly odd stare. "Dare I ask about the results of your summit?"

"I was under the impression that things were going quite well," Shepard shrugs. "Krogan support is looking very realistic right now, and once we get that, the other races will be free to provide more and more resources for our project."

"Good to hear, Commander," Hackett nods. "The salarians are livid with you, however. Udina is literally getting bombarded with various complaints originating from the dalatrass."

Shepard fights off the desire to break out in a fit of laughter. "Uh... my heart bleeds for him?" she tries. Hackett narrows his eyes at her. "Ah, just let him earn his keep. It's his job to deal with fallout like that."

"You are very fortunate that we are also hearing a lot of backroom chatter from many STG teams promising us their support regardless of what Dalatrass Linron decides," Hackett allows himself a small smile. "I don't know how you ensured their cooperation, but... good job, Commander. What about the asari?" he asks then. "I understand there were initial issues with their participation."

"You could say that, but Matriarch Aethyta has been great help while operating with very limited authority at her disposal," Shepard replies. "Without her pressure, Linron might not have budged."

"That is much better than having the asari looking on from the sidelines," Hackett says, looking pleased. "What is this I am hearing about Cerberus opposing you on Sur'Kesh? How did they get involved?"

"Beats me, sir," Shepard says. "We have two explanations. One, they view genophage cure as a threat to galactic supremacy of humans. Second, they're all indoctrinated and work for the Reapers without realizing it. Which one do you prefer? Uh, sir."

There is a slight twitch in Hackett's cheeks, as he ponders on a reply. "We need to continue hitting Cerberus at every front that opens up, Shepard," finally he says. "I understand that you had Aria T'Loak's forces deal with the base on Sanctum?" Shepard nods sheepishly. "An... interesting solution, but I do not debate its effectiveness. Have you taken care of the situation on Eden Prime?"

"We're heading there now," Shepard replies. Well, I haven't told that to Joker and EDI yet, but I will, and Hackett doesn't need to know that. "Cerberus will be dealt with swiftly. Sir... if I may ask, how is the Prothean device coming along?" she says, remembering her talk with Liara last night.

"Alliance R&D has officially begun construction," Hackett replies proudly. "The team has dubbed it Project Crucible. This is going to be the most ambitious undertaking in the human history, Shepard. Our researchers tell me the designs are elegant, massive in scope, but strangely simple as well. We'll get it done, Shepard. The question remains whether we will get it done in time."

"Sir... I hope you have considered the possibility of indoctrination," Shepard finally says. "We've sent a lot of people your way, and there's always a chance of a sleeper agent here or there. If they disclose the location of the Crucible to the Reapers and they show up to destroy it..."

"It would be the end of this cycle, Shepard," Hackett nods grimly. "Yes, we are implementing strenuous security measures. We are running extensive background checks on every candidate, before giving them admittance to the site. Anyone who has come close to Reaper artifacts in the past are denied access. I have had to send away two highly qualified specialists to work off-site already because of this, but the safety of the Crucible is paramount. We are doing all we can to keep the existence of the Crucible and its location secret."

"Hopefully it will be enough, sir."

"We'll make sure of it, Shepard. Keep doing your job, make sure we get the krogan support and kick Cerberus whenever you can. And if possible, try to make nice with the salarians, we could use everyone on our side," the Admiral says before taking his leave. "Hackett out."

I probably got enough footage on that STG base to make sure Linron doesn't do something she might regret later, Shepard thinks. She wants to harass Udina, I'll let her do so, heck, knowing that even gives me perverse pleasure. But if she tries anything else... covert uplift of yahg, well, that alone should be worth a dozen of favors.

Deep in thought, Shepard leaves the War Room, smiling at Traynor as she passes the CIC and heading up to the mess hall, guided by her rumbling stomach, demanding some nourishment. Much to her surprise, as she leaves the elevator, Shepard sees Wrex exiting the lounge and walking towards her with what could only be described as a particularly smug expression on his face. "Okay, Wrex, what is it now..." she stops the krogan as he attempts to pass her by. "You look like the proverbial cat that ate the equally proverbial canary."

Wrex blinks. "You're talking nonsense again, Shepard."

"I know that look," Shepard glares at him. "What's going on, don't tell me you were drinking all night!"

"Well, not exactly," Wrex grins. "We took breaks from the drinking. Breaks to... hmm... build alliances?"

"Wrex! Do you know who she is?" Shepard points at the doors to the lounge, feeling a little shocked.

"One of the very few asari that I will not subject to mockery?" Wrex replies. "I didn't expect she would be able to handle ryncol, but... well, let's just say that Matriarch Aethyta is an impressive and formidable woman."

"She's Liara's father!" Shepard hisses.

Wrex gives her a look of disbelief. Then he bursts out in a loud guffaw, slapping Shepard on her shoulder so hard she can hear her own bones cracking. Seeing that Shepard still looks shocked, Wrex stops laughing and stares at her again. "Heh... eheheh?" his laughter sounds a little nervous all of a sudden. "You're not laughing, Shepard. Why are you not laughing?"

"Because it's the truth!" Shepard almost shouts, then remembering to keep her voice down, the mess hall is only around the corner and she does not want to be overheard.

Wrex looks a little worried and puzzled for a while, but then just shrugs. "So what's the big deal, anyway," he rallies magnificently. "Certainly explains why I've always found Liara so... tolerable for an asari."

"It's just... uh, might be a little traumatizing for Liara," Shepard says, even as she realizes she would not be able to guard this discovery from the asari for too long. "I'll try to break the news to her at a slightly more opportune time."

"Whatever," Wrex says. He sends an almost wistful glance towards the doors of the lounge. "You know, I wish the females back home were a bit more like her. But they don't enjoy ryncol. They don't even want me to enjoy my ryncol! And they want to discuss everything for hours! Then think about it. Then talk about is some more!" Wrex sighs deeply. "We need more females like Aethyta and you, Shepard. Maybe you should consider those breeding requests after all."

"Uh, let me think about it," Shepard winks at him. "I'm flattered, but overall, I think it just means I'm not particularly feminine, so I have no idea whether that was a compliment or not..."

Wrex raises a warning hand. "Now you're talking too much again," he says. "Hmm, where was I headed. Ah yes, to the medbay to encourage that salarian. And I'm sure he's looking forward to receiving the tissue sample, that gutsy little pyjak."

"Don't harass Mordin, or I'm going to stuff you in the garbage compactor!"

Wrex laughs. "Wouldn't be much worse than always having to hang around that cargo bay like on previous stay," he says. "Seems being important has its benefits, I actually have decent quarters now. I still don't have a window like Liara does... but maybe that's because I don't kiss as well."

"Nice try Wrex, but I don't plan to gather the necessary experience to make a comparison," Shepard laughs, playfully elbowing him in the stomach, but it does not appear as if Wrex even notices it.

"By the way, Shepard," Wrex says, more serious now. "I've received word from Tuchanka. It seems that the Reapers are starting to arrive in numbers, massing for something. We need to get that cure ready and head there while we still can."

"Fuck-tastic!" Shepard swears. "They couldn't have become aware of our plans, surely?"

"They could be, if Cerberus is full with the indoctrinated," Wrex says simply, before turning around and stomping down towards the medbay.

"What a cheerful thought," Shepard sighs, staring at the doors of the lounge, her appetite having dissipated during the brief chat with Wrex. I'd better go have a talk with Aethyta, find out what sort of game she is playing here, she decides then.

She knocks on the lounge doors for a few times, before daring to enter. "Pfew, you're decent," she blurts out, seeing Aethyta hovering behind the bar, the asari matriarch looking just a little tired and sore, but she manages to hide it well behind her customary grace.

"What a strange comment to make, Shepard," Aethyta gives her a curious look.

"I, ah... ran into Wrex outside," Shepard confesses. Aethyta's brow creases a little to form an irritated expression. "Don't be mad, I don't think he planned to be indiscreet, but I kind of put him against the wall. What's going on?"

"Perhaps I simply like him?" the asari asks, as if to test Shepard.

"I believe you do, I certainly like him myself," Morgan smiles, coming to sit on one of the seats at the bar. "But there's always more than meets the eye. Especially with someone like you, Matriarch."

"Just laying some groundwork for post-Reaper preparations," Aethyta shrugs. "In case the krogan decide to stomp out the turians and the salarians, I'm sure someone along the way will come up with the bright idea to include asari amongst those deserving of eradication. Now... I don't think that showing a little bit of good time to Wrex would stop something like that, but every little bit helps. Shepard, do you know how many asari have taken a krogan as a bondmate?"

"I don't really know... I saw quite a few on Ilium," Shepard replies, busy thinking. "And some on the Citadel, too. I think it's a union that is growing a little more common lately."

"An astute observation. The number is close to 25.000 currently," Aethyta says, suddenly all business-like and professional. "After I report back to the matriarchs, expect this number to triple in the coming year."

"Oh..." Shepard realizes. "Damn, that's... quite brilliant."

"Thank you, Shepard," Aethyta smiles. "This is why the asari have rarely faced attacks from the known galactic races. We make certain that attacking us will feel like attacking themselves. If some clan leader will come up with the brilliant idea to hit Thessia or one of our colonies, he'll have a massive revolution on his hands as thousands of krogan will violently refuse to strike at their loved ones, their new families."

Shepard sits like frozen for a moment, the simplicity and the brilliance of the plan mesmerizing her. "I must say... I can do little else but to admire the asari," she confesses. "Shame this plan doesn't really work so well against invaders like the rachni or... Reapers."

"We are not quit as perfect as that, Shepard," Aethyta winks at her. "Though, I did hear your pilot saying something about this alliance with the krogan being more difficult to forge than teaching the Reapers to love. I think he was joking, though."

"Taking Joker seriously would be a mistake, yes," Shepard agrees with a chuckle.

"Listen, babe," Aethyta leans a little closer. "I saw my kid a little banged up when you brought her back onboard yesterday. She's alright?"

"Yeah, it was just a minor scare," Shepard says. "The Doc looked her over and released her immediately."

"Good, good. After our talk, I have suddenly... started to worry about her," Aethyta confesses reluctantly. "You'll take good care of her, though. I know you will, because if you don't, I'm going to kick your ass, Shepard."

"I won't let her come to harm on my watch," Morgan says, fiercely defiant. "And if I do, I'll help you kick my own ass, that's a promise."

"I'm happy that we understand each other," Aethyta grins at her. "I can see you are good for her, Shepard. I'm glad she has you, because I sure as hell haven't been there for her when she could have used me."

"You did protect her from the matriarchs," Shepard points out. "That counts for something."

"Yeah. I guess it does," Aethyta sighs. "Bah, don't listen to my maudlin, run along now babe, I'm sure there's plenty of heads waiting for you to bust."

Shepard grins. "There are, as a matter of fact," she says, leaving the lounge. "Thanks for the talk, Matriarch." Talk about awesome father-in-law, should the fates smile on me and Liara, she can't help to think, smiling at herself as she activates the comms to get in touch with her pilot. "Joker?"

"Aye, aye, Commander?" he responds immediately.

"Set the course to Exodus Cluster, please," she gives her orders. "We have to liberate Eden Prime... again."

"Sounds wonderful," she can just see Joker rolling his eyes as he speaks. "Cerberus or the Reapers?"

"Cerberus," Shepard replies. "EDI, do you copy?"

"Yes, Shepard?" she hears the exquisitely accented voice of the AI.

"I have considered what you said, and I would like your new platform to accompany us on the ground," Shepard says. "This sounds like a good opportunity to test its capabilities in action."

"Understood, Shepard. I thank you for this opportunity."

"I don't approve, Commander," Joker grumbles. "Removing EDI from the bridge is bad for my morale."

"Well, thankfully I don't have to care about your morale, you'll just be sitting and waiting while we sweat and bleed on the ground below," Shepard replies.

Joker sighs deeply. "If I see a single scratch on her frame, I'll launch a formal complaint. And believe me, my investigation of EDI's platform will be very thorough."

"I just bet it will be," Shepard rolls her eyes and switches off the comms, wondering who else to take with her on the mission. Liara will skin me alive if I don't take her, even if she probably could do with a bit more rest. No, I'll take her, she decides. James has also been rearing to get back into action, so I should take him... just then she sees Wrex leaving the medbay, and an idea immediately occurs to her.

"Wrex! Want to join us for killing some more Cerberus?" she exclaims, hoping for an affirmative answer.

"Always, but..." only then she notices that Wrex is struggling to walk, pained expression on his face. "...I think I need a few hours before I can move properly. Damn that salarian, he really enjoyed that way too much... so glad to have the famous krogan regeneration, or I'd be really angry!"

"Are you going to be alright?" Shepard asks, concerned. "Eden Prime is a few hours away, but I can always take James in your place."

"I'll be fine before we get there," Wrex growls, irritated at the suggestion that he might be incapable to do battle. "And tell your pilot to sit this one out too, I enjoyed flying that new shuttle of yours."

"Poor Steve," Shepard laughs at herself as Wrex slowly hobbles away. "Upstaged by a two thousand pounds worth of krogan." Realizing that she hasn't seen Liara since leaving her quarters, Shepard tries to get in contact with her lover on the comms. "Liara, where are you?" she calls out.

"Up in your quarters," comes the surprisingly tense voice. "Waiting on you to get up there."

"Err, everything in order?" Shepard asks.

"Well, I would like to have my pants back, if it's all the same with you...", Liara says, sounding particularly strained.

"Oh..." Shepard finds herself blushing hotly. No wonder Hackett was staring at me oddly... gah! "You could have stopped me, you know!"

"I did try! I was shouting for you to stop, but you just rushed out of the quarters like a charging krogan..."

Shepard sighs, quickly ducking into the elevator to return to her quarters. "Have I ever told you how much I hate mornings?"