The Butcher's Bill

by Cause-and-Author

The Butcher of Torfan - her life and times. Rated STRONG M for language, adult themes and situations, and violence. Vignette-based story that looks at how a Renegade FemShep and Tali might find love in a galaxy of loss. Covers pregame through ending, replacing and expanding on the end of Mass Effect 3. Smut, D/s, violence, more smut; you have been warned.

7. The Destroyer

" …irst Quarian settlement is being founded near the communications array where you killed the Reaper. We're calling it 'Legion's Landing', after your friend."

Admiral Shala'Raan was briefing her over vidcomm. The Normandy was still in orbit over Rannoch, 5 days after destroying the Reaper and forging the Peace. It was 19 February 2186.

The Heavy Fleet under Garrel and the Geth Dreadnought fleets had departed on the 16th, transiting the Relay for the latest position of the Crucible; the Civilian fleet was a hive of activity. With the help of the Geth, the Quarians were slowly evacuating the ships that had been their gilded prisons for three centuries – walking on the homeland, marveling at everything. Shepard had been down just once, looking over the progress – watching specialized Geth construction platforms land from orbit and immediately begin work, or the Quarians already starting their farm fields. She hadn't stayed long – Geth and Quarians alike kept approaching her, thanking her. Her name was on every pair of lips it seemed. It was more than she could take, and after a few hours she had returned to her ship.

"Admiral, you're doing excellent work down there. I think that you and the Geth are going to get along just fine."

"Yes – they have been unbelievably helpful. They have worked tirelessly for us, doing in days what it would have taken months, perhaps years, for us to do on our own. They left the planet in remarkably good condition, you know – many of our cities are still present. We're still negotiating exactly how to divide the planet, but I think we'll soon have some progress to report."

Shepard leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest. "I wanted to talk about that. Why don't you consider living in integration with the Geth? Side by side, in the same communities and cities. It would certainly help erase the old impressions of them, and you wouldn't need to define territory."

Raan frowned, tapping a hand to her chin. "Well – I'm not sure if the people would agree to it. They're still somewhat uncomfortable around the Geth, even with all they're doing for us."

"That's exactly my point. That discomfort is only going to lead to another war, doubly so if you have defined Quarian and Geth territory. Territory lines just invite conflict, Admiral – do your entire species a favor and push for integration. In a few months, you'll forget why you ever opposed it."

"I'll certainly suggest it." Her voice took on a strange tone. "I suppose I'll see Admiral Tali'Zorah issuing thinly veiled 'suggestions' to that effect soon?"

Shepard winced. Raan had turned from her first conversation with the Geth Prime, 'Carmine', just in time to watch Shepard giving Tali a scorching kiss. It had not gone over well and, after grilling Tali about how long the relationship had been going on, she'd stormed off. That Tali was still an Admiral, and often issued orders to her ships that coincided with whatever Shepard wanted the Quarians to do, only irritated her more. Officially, Tali was the 'special liason to the Alliance' and had her own berthing in the Life Support room; unofficially, she'd moved into Shepard's cabin.

"No, Admiral – I think Tali and I will be leaving soon. Admiral Hackett sent me some new orders last night. This is entirely a matter between the Quarians and the Geth – I've already done what I can by brokering the Peace; if I do any more interfering in your people's' lives, you'll be little more than a client-state to the Alliance. But please consider my advice impartially and seriously – borders invite border conflicts."

Raan sighed, then nodded. "Yes, I'm sure you're right. I'll talk to Carmine, and we'll go from there." She looked up, tilting her head to the side. It looked so like Tali that Shepard's heart clenched. "Commander – Tali'Zorah is a remarkable young woman. She has immense potential among our people, and not just because she has served with you. I don't understand your relationship to her, and frankly I don't care to. But if you truly care about her, please … keep her safe."

A single nod. "I will, Raan. If it's the last thing I do, I'll keep her safe."

/ - / - / - / -

At Liara's request, EDI had rotated the Normandy so that the wide picture windows of the Starboard Lounge looked down over Rannoch as they cut through the orbital traffic. She and Tali sat side by side, watching the constant stream of shuttles and transports moving between the surface and the fleet.

"I'm glad that you're safe, Tali – this could have gotten much uglier."

"Yes, but … it didn't. There's so much that could have gone wrong here, if I start to think about any of it …"

"I understand. I've been doing something very similar."

Tali took her hand and squeezed gently. "I'm going to guess that the information you're getting these days is pretty horrible."

A short, curt nod. "In a word, yes. We are making great strides – Admiral Hackett tells me that the Crucible is being built even faster than he could have hoped, and when the Quarians and Geth arrive, the construction process will speed even more. But our news is the only good news. Everywhere, the Reapers advance almost unchecked. I … I haven't shared much of this with Shepard."

"Ancestors alive, why not?"

"She … was under immense strain, before you came aboard. I thought she needed to focus on winning this war, instead of getting distracted by all the losses we were taking. Hackett abandoned Earth – and all her colonies – because he knew that he could not win in conventional battle. Every colony sacrificed, every planet handed to the Reapers without a fight, is another fleet or ship to support the Crucible. I should have known better, of course – Shepard already knows this. The 'ruthless calculus of war', Garrus called it one night – I think that she may be the only person on board who fully understands what winning is going to take, who was fully prepared for this." She fidgeted with her hands "The knowledge weighs heavy on me, but she shrugs it off. I wish I could be half as cold."

"She's not as cold as you think. She mourns too, in her own way; my father used to say that a true leader mourns only losses, not people. All of these lives will only be wasted if the Crucible fails. If it works …" Tali shrugged one shoulder, composite armor clicking.

Liara sighed and nodded. "Yes. Still … I wish I could talk to her about this. I'm afraid that if I do, I'll just be giving her my burdens. She's under enough strain."

Tali shook her head. "You worry too much. You're her friend, Liara – she'll listen to you."

A small smile. "I tried talking to her before – it didn't go very well. I think that she was mourning you."

Tali made a startled noise. "Mourning? Me?"

"Yes – she had convinced herself that you would hate her for her past, for her ruthlessness in war. She was trying to protect herself from losing all of us, I think, but most of all you." Liara sighed, wiping her hand across her forehead. "But you came back to her. You're alive, and you forgave her."

Tali said nothing – she was watching Geth salvage crews tearing apart damaged warships; periodically, a skeletal platform would descend to the planet, bearing tonnes of material to the hungry factories below. Dreadnought plates this morning, pre-fab houses by tonight.

"She needs you, you know." Liara continued. "She fights for you. She has been brutally efficient on the ground – I … I've seen much more of her action on Torfan than what they showed at her trial, and she was never this cold. But for you – for Rannoch, and the homeworld she wanted to give you – she fought with passion. It's different, and I think … maybe better. She's fighting for something, instead of just against the Reapers." A sudden smile. "Goddess, she stood toe-to-toe with a Reaper, on the ground." She turned to her friend. "For you."

Tali returned the smile. "Yes, but that doesn't mean she cares any less about you than I do. And if you don't want to burden Shepard with your worries, you can share them with your sister." She scooted closer, squeezing Liara's hand. "So, talk."

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

Shepard leaned forward, watching the little black box on her coffee table. Liara's archival computer, waiting for her answer.

"You should describe how hard I fought to get here. Say that the Reapers can be hurt – and that I gathered up the whole galaxy to do just that."

She smiled. "I like that. Any civilization that comes after us will still need heroes – even ancient, alien ones."

"Hmph. You're going to make me sound like something out of a legend."

"I can't help myself – you're already a legend in your own time." A pause. "You're a good friend, Shepard."

"You too, Liara. You've been there for me, and it's a damn good feeling to know there's a crew I can trust."

"Maybe we don't always say it so plainly, but … we're all proud to be here. Proud of you."

"I just hope I can live up to it."

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

"How is she, doctor?"

"She's fine, Liara – resting, but fine. I don't think there will be any long-term effects from exposure to the Leviathan."

They had followed the trail – pieced together the clues and details, recreated Dr. Bryson's work. For what? Liara looked over at the AI Core room, flanked by marines – inside was a cache of Leviathan artifacts, the eyes and whispering mouths of the creatures. Shepard hadn't even been conscious when she came back aboard - Tali and Vega holding her up across their shoulders and shouting for Dr. Chakwas, the corpsmen sprinting across the decks, her head rolling limp on her shoulders. She'd been in the medbay for 18 hours before Chakwas sent for Liara, letting her know that the commander was awake.

As she approached, she took in the details, the differences. It was the commander on the table, and Ashley looking down with the unreadable look. Her head rose and she gave a sleepy, red-eyed nod.

"Hey."

"Commander Williams – you look tired."

A snort. "Yeah, you could say that."

"You should rest. I will stay with her."

She shook her head vigorously, hair shaking loose from the ponytail. "I can't. I should have been down there with her. Should have had her back, the way she's always had mine. Promised her I was with her."

Liara moved closer, shaking her head. "No, Commander. We can't be with her all the time, no matter how much we may wish to be. Now …" her tone became serious. "I told her the same thing when you were injured after Mars – worrying yourself sick isn't going to help anything. You need rest, Commander, and I'll bet that if you asked nicely, Dr. Chakwas would let you nap in here."

"In fact, she'll insist on it." Chakwas had a blanket in one hand, a dermal injector in the other. "Your choice, Ashley – get some sleep, or I'll take you off the duty roster and put you into a medical coma for 48 hours."

Her head swung side to side as Ashley glared at each of them. "Fine. I'll sack out on the exam table next to her." When she'd gotten settled, she turned to Liara with a slight frown. "What did you mean, you told Shepard the same thing?"

"After Mars, she sat vigil with you while we took you to the Citadel. I had to convince her to get some sleep before she would leave your side."

"She … never told me."

"No, of course not. She cares for you, but …"

Ashley held up her hand. "Yeah – we had that talk already. Okay, you ladies win. I'll just … grab some sleep … …." Chakwas stood up, putting the cap on her injector.

"There. Now, if you're here to do anything but sit quietly and wait for Shepard to wake up, you'll get the same treatment."

Liara smiled and took a seat at the foot of the bed. Silently.

/ - / - / - / -

"Liara."

She woke with a start – found Shepard with a hand on her shoulder, sitting on the edge of her bed. Her hair was a rumpled mess, and her compression shirt was soaked with sweat.

"You look terrible – I'll get the doctor …"

"No. No more dreams. It … it was in my mind, like a Reaper, talking to me. I made it up to the surface, but after that … just the darkness, the cold." She shuddered.

"What do you need, Shepard?"

"You. You helped after the beacons – helped me make sense of the visions. Need you to help me sort this out."

"A melding? In your condition?"

"Please, Liara."

With a sigh, she stood and took Shepard's hands in hers. Cleared her mind. Opened her eyes.

"Embrace Eternity …."

Cold.

Dark.

Deathly silence.

The darkness has - must not be - breached.

She watched the conversation play out, Shepard and the Leviathans – saw the bargain they'd made. Felt the confusion, the shock, saw the scene through 4 pairs of eyes. Images, flashing over her eyes – the Leviathans, gliding through the endless night of deep space, so very like the Reapers. Heard their history – pouring like a river into her mind. Felt the echoes of their touch in Shepard's mind. Carefully, slowly – peeling away the foreign influence, rebuilding the damaged thoughts. It was hours. It was moments. It was 4 March 2186, and Liara slumped back against the medbay bulkhead, reeling from the contact shock; the enormity of that ancient, patient mind.

"Goddess …" she whispered, clutching her skull. She felt a trickle over her lip, tasted a thin stream of blood dripping from her nose. She staggered to a chair, collapsed into it; Shepard was there, kneeling, tipping her head back, injecting painkillers with practiced ease. The blood stopped – the pain in her temples receded – her eyes stilled. She took a breath, then another.

"You never told me you and Tali were so close."

She looked up, saw Shepard watching her oddly. Of course. "You saw my memories through the melding."

Shepard nodded, holding her eyes. "Thank you."

She blinked. "That's … not the response I was expecting."

"She deserves as much normalcy as she can get. She deserves close friends, caring people. I can't give her a normal life – I can't even give her more than a normal evening, now and again. I … I'm glad to know that she won't be alone."

"Shepard … you don't have to be so alone either."

A wry smile as Liara blushed purple. "Yes – you two have talked about that, haven't you?"

"We … worry about you."

A wicked gleam in her eye. "You never told me you had a crush, either."

"Shepard!"

She held up her hands, now grinning outright. "Hey, I don't blame you – I'm one awesome lady."

"Hmph. We'll see what history has to say about that!" she grimaced in pain, taking slow deep breaths. "As soon as I can stand up again."

/ - / - / - / -

He watched their hands slowly part – fingers dragging on each other before separating. Shepard lay back, asleep again in moments; Tali lingered, watching for a moment, before leaving the medbay. She turned, stood next to the window, looking out over the crew deck.

"How was it, Garrus?"

"Tense. From the moment we lost contact with the shuttle, we were in full-on panic. EDI caught the last sensor squawk from the shuttle and warned us not to go down there – it was a very tense hour, made worse by watching the Reapers hit the planet like they meant it; and that was before Shepard had to be taken to the medbay by corpsmen. Now that we know she's okay …" he shrugged one bony shoulder. "The troops are calming down." He turned his head, taking her in. "You gave me quite a scare."

"Oh, pshaw – nothing we couldn't handle. I mean, sure – watching Shepard go tumbling off the edge of the ship in a diving mech didn't fill me with very great confidence, I've never been in a firefight that long, and I haven't ever fought Reapers without Shepard at my side. But we survived – and now we've got another weapon against them." She sighed, leaning back on the window. He joined her, turning from the sleeping Shepard to watch the crew.

"Still – I wish I'd been down there with you, instead of Vega. He's nice and all, but … well, we've been looking out for each other for three years now."

She laughed at his wry smile. "Yes, yes – you've saved my life a dozen times or more, and you're my big strong Turian Hero." She gave a wavering, clumsy salute. "But really … being on this crew has taught me a lot. You. Wrex. Shepard. I'm a big girl now, I can take care of myself."

"Oh, I never doubted you. But you know how I like to be there for you. We dextro's have to stick together; it's a dangerous galaxy out there."

She laughed then, jostling him in the ribs. "Well, then I get to be the one to look out for you."

He caught his breath momentarily. "It's a deal."

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

The west wing of the monastery was completely destroyed. The supports had been slagged by the blast, and the structure lay half-collapsed in their wake. Liquefied steel cooled into silver tears, but they saw no beauty here. There was too much death already, too many lost so needlessly. Samara and Falare worked well together, clearing a meter-wide path through the rubble with hands and biotics; Liara and Shepard searched behind them, identifying the charred and blistered remains of the banshee-like husks. Looking for whatever might remain of Rila. It was a cold, bitter night, 7 March 2186.

Cortez's shuttle crested low over the unmarred half of the sprawling building, loading doors open. Vega stood at the gun platform, scanning the terrain below for movement – just in case the blast hadn't gotten them all. Garrus, opposite him, panned his rifle slowly over the rooftops and peaks. They hadn't yet found whatever had started this – whatever turned the first victim. No one was taking chances.

It was Liara who found it – half of a medallion, heat-welded to the cold floor. It had been Rila's, the only jewelry she could wear in the Monastery; Samara cradled it in her hands for just a moment before giving it Falare.

"It is for your sister that I must fight. It is for their memory that I cannot sit idle."

Falare nodded, sobbing quietly as Liara led her onto the shuttle. It had taken less than a week for her entire world to collapse around her, to lose everything to the war. As they lifted off, still scanning the crater below, Shepard let her mind turn to Earth. Was this how the whole planet looked yet? Would there be anything to rebuild if they managed to win?

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

"You have got to be kidding me."

"I'm not kidding, Commander. Shore leave, on my orders."

"With all due respect, Admiral, I can't just sit down in the middle of a war and catch some R&R."

"Commander, exactly how you spend the next 96 hours are up to you – but I am ordering the Normandy to report to the Citadel for repair and resupply. We're down to the wire here, the Crucible is mostly complete, and we've got ships and soldiers from every race in the galaxy piling up, looking for the big fight."

"The Normandy is in fine condition, sir – I'm not sure she really needs 96 hours of work."

"This is not open for negotiation - you will report as ordered. Hackett out."

She hung her head – resting against the QEC railing. After a few breaths, she moved away and stalked out to the CIC. At her command posting, she waited for the shrill cry of the simulated whistle to fade out to break the news.

/ - / - / - / -

The door to her cabin hissed shut – Shepard was already grinning when Tali reached the bottom of the stairs, dropping her mask onto the table.

"Four days on the citadel? Really?"

"Yup! Hackett's orders – much as I might have disagreed in the heat of the moment, he does have a point."

"With that much time offline, I bet I could get Donnelly and Adams to help me depolarize the secondary FBA …" She blinked as Shepard put her fingers over Tali's lips – then shivered as she trailed over them, down her jaw, over her chin.

"No. We are going to pack a week's worth of clothing, check into a swanky Presidium hotel, and be on vacation. Hackett's guys will swarm over the ship and do what they need to do."

A wide grin. "You mean to tell me that I'm going to spend 4 days on the Citadel with nothing to do but relax and enjoy myself?"

Shepard brushed her lips over Tali's, dragging the girls hand onto her hip as she captured a soft lip. "However will we pass the time?"

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

She scrabbled to her feet, Garrus pulling her up – as always. The buildings rushing past were a blur of grey and blue and brown, seeming to warp and distort in the shifting containment field of the hangar bay. She turned and watched her clone struggling at the edge of the loading door.

"What about her?" Garrus shouted

"There's only one Commander Shepard!" she answered, lifting her boot and slamming it onto those too-perfect hands. The clone held on – opened her mouth – and Shepard's boot caught her under the jaw, snapping her head back and sending her falling from the ship. They barely saw the body crash into a passing building before they were past. Shepard – the real Shepard – panted, eyes closed.

"You gonna be okay?" Garrus stood next to her – she could hear the clicks as he moved.

"Yeah. Fucking Cerberus, Garrus."

"No kidding."

They stood in silence, watching the rushing wards below them slow, stop, come about as EDI took control of the ship again. Brooks, that stupid bitch, was being none-too-gently packaged up by Wrex. Another day, another time she could have died.

"Come on – we're going to have mountains of paperwork to fill out." She forced herself to substitute wry weariness for exhaustion. Maybe real shore leave would have been good for her after all.

"Ah, no – see, I'm just a lowly crew member. This is your ship, and therefore, your paperwork."

"What?! How is that fair? You're my XO, you get to fill out paperwork too."

"As a member of the Turian Heirarchy, I don't think I'm eligible to be the XO of an Alliance vessel – at least, not officially. I think your official XO of record is one 'Lt. Commander Williams'. Sounds like a sober-minded person, quite capable of handling vast amounts of paperwork. Maybe you should send some her way?"

Shepard glared at Garrus, who didn't even have the decency to hide his smug grin. "Oh, you only think you've gotten out of this, Garrus – I'll find a way to make you pay."

He laughed openly. "And I'm looking forward to it – but for now, I'm going to go make sure they didn't touch my guns. I just got the main gun calibrated properly – if they touched it, it's another month of twitchy work to get it right."

She stood, arms across her chest, unamused. "Uh-huh. Okay, Garrus, you're dismissed. Make sure you're at the airlock when we get docked again, I'm sure the others are going to have plenty of questions and if I can't make you do paperwork, I can at least make you play doorman."

A dramatic sigh. "Yes, ma'am – I live to serve and obey."

"Damn right you do, now get gone." He jogged off and Shepard finally allowed herself to smile.

She stood at the rear of the hangar, watching the door rise and seal – hearing feeling the air pumps shudder to life, feeling the prickle on her skin as the bay repressurized. When the green lights came on, she broke the seal on her helmet.

"So, this is how humans spend their shore leave, huh? You've got more Krogan in you than I thought, Shepard."

She turned to shoot Wrex a withering glare, but nothing could get past his giant grin. He had Brooks over his shoulder, holding her there with a massive hand.

"Well, I … that is … oh, shut up you stupid lizard."

When they returned to the Alliance Docks, it was a very confused squad of marines who took formal custody of Brooks. For the first time, she turned and spoke to Shepard.

"You know, I'll be more than happy to cooperate with the authorities."

She snorted. "Sure – until you escape."

Brooks' eyes widened. "Me? Escape? But I'm not a field agent!" her voice took on a mocking tone.

In two steps, Shepard closed the distance, shaking a fist under Brooks' nose. "Stop, just … stop. You betrayed me and the Alliance in the middle of a goddamn war."

Her eyes flashed. "I was young, and so naïve. Admit it commander – you'll miss me."

In a flash, her cuffs were off – she was sprinting for the cargo ramp, juking right and left. She staggered, and a bloom of dull red spread over her uniform. Another staggering step, and she collapsed to the deck. Her chest rose, fell – did not rise again. Shepard calmly ejected the clip on her pistol.

"Not at this range, I won't."

/ - / - / - / -

The apartment was alive with music, people, laughter. Joker's suggestion that they have a massive bash had gone over extremely well. She leaned against the door, listening to a very drunk Grunt next to her telling party-crashers to get lost. Closed her eyes, and let the sound wash over her. So much life – Joker, Garrus, Wrex, Tali, Liara, Ashley; with her since the beginning and still alive. Grunt, Kasumi, Zaeed, Jacob, Jack, Samara – people she'd taken to the furthest reaches, and brought back safely. Cortez, Traynor, Vega, Javik – the newbies, still eager to fight.

No Miranda – still off the grid and laying low; no Mordin, dead at the top of the Shroud. No Thane – already returned home by his son; no Kaiden, who never left Virmire. No Henkley, or Vala – god, it had been ages since she'd thought of them. One deep breath, then two. It could have been much, much worse. Another breath, and she grinned, opened her eyes.

"Hey Grunt – lemme give that a try."

/ - / - / - / -

Tali giggled drunkenly as they tumbled onto the gigantic master bed. The apartment was still, at last; the sounds of the other revelers passing out in various parts of the flat mixed with the none-too-quiet whispers of those who'd paired off. If she strained just right, she swore she could hear Ashley downstairs …

Tali dragged her head down, kissing her fiercely. She kissed back, holding herself up with one arm, groping Tali through her thin "social" environment suit, hearing the purr of pleasure as her hand kneaded a firm breast. She shivered as Tali moved her lips, kissing and gently licking the length of Shepard's jaw, over her earlobe. A hiss of pleasure as Shepard found her skin – pale and perfect, drawing her fingernails over Tali's ribs. As quickly as they could, they stripped each other – the reflected lights of the Ward playing over the larger curves of Shepard's chest, highlighting the delicious curve of Tali's hips. Tali paused in the act of pulling Shepard's bra down, lips stilling on her breast as they both heard the soft cries from downstairs. With a grin, Tali looked up – caught her eye – and so slowly captured her hard nipple. Her darting tongue drove Shepard crazy – she hung her head back and bit her lip, trying to stay uncharacteristically silent as her lover worshipped at her breasts. Left, then right, the cool air of the apartment keeping her nipples achingly hard, aureoles crinkling. Burying her hands in Tali's short hair, she guided her lover down, arching her back into those ruby lips, feeling the wet kisses down her stomach, over her taut belly, finally teasing at her entrance.

"God, Tali … oh!" she lost her self-control, calling out in pleasure as Tali dipped into her wet sex, teasing her lips and hood with her agile tongue. Clenching her hands in Tali's hair, she rocked upward – fucking the Quarian's lips and tongue impatiently, each thrust accompanied by a stifled moan. She bit her lip hard, closing her eyes, flexed her fingers in Tali's hair.

"So … so close … make me cum, lover."

Instantly, Tali stiffened her tongue – plunging deep, sweeping side to side as she whispered her lips over Shepard's sex, drawing a ragged groan from her lips. With a loud gasp, she clenched – moaned her pleasure as she came. Tali slowed to a tease, flicking her tongue over Shepard's thighs, tasting the sweetness of her skin and scent. They rested there a moment – heard the rhythmic knocking from another room. Smiling wide, Shepard rolled Tali over onto her stomach. She dragged her hands over Tali's hips, up her ribs, lifting her arms up – guided her wrists between the slats of the headboard and clicked her cuffs together. Instantly, Tali's breathing kicked up – almost panting now, she rocked her hips slowly, spreading her legs an inch wider. Silently, she kneeled above her lover, teasing fingers and nails up and down her back, her hips, her ass and thighs. Without warning, a slap; Tali hissed in pain, a red handprint blooming on her ass. Another slap, another hiss. Again. Again, the hisses turning into softer sounds. Again, and a keening moan broke through, again and her breathing hitched. Again, but before the sting began to fade Shepard's hand was there, forcing her thighs open, tracing the lips of her sex, smearing her honey as she played. Again, her ass radiating heat – Shepard's fingers playing over her lips; Again, a wrenching cry as she slipped her fingers into her soaking-wet lover. Slowly, teasingly – pressing all the way in, then slowly pulling out – curling up into those sensitive places. A syncopated rhythm – the slower slap of Shepard's hand on her ass, the quieter sound of fingers impacting flesh. Tali groaned, lifting her ass up into the air, her knees spread, shoulders down on the bed. Her ass stung, radiating heat from the deep red blush that covered her from mid-thigh to waist; body shaking, she surrendered to Shepard's assault. Gave herself over to the sensations, lost control of her voice. She was moaning, squirming, feeling the sting of each slap all the way up to her breasts, nipples tightening with each spanking; body rocking onto Shepard's cruel fingers. She tensed, came explosively – was dimly aware of a wavering scream. Was that her? Shepards hand over her mouth, still fingering her, she came again – biting into Shepard's hand as she clenched again, collapsing to the bed as the tension drained out of her in a rush.

Dimly, awareness returned – Shepard carefully disengaging from her, the cooling sweat on her skin, the ache in her belly and hips.

"Ancestors, my ass is going to be so sore …" It was a whispered complaint from smiling lips – she turned her head, captured Shepards lips with hers, shared a quietly passionate kiss. She could feel it becoming more – felt her body responding, felt Shepard getting more aggressive. Her wrists were released and they rolled, Shepard on top guiding her hands back into the headboard with another faint click. They kissed quietly, whispering love into each other's mouths, listening to the sounds in the apartment. Male and female voices, wordlessly moaning; a muted cry of female pleasure from downstairs. Tali smiled as her lover shifted – arched her back as Shepard's mouth moved down, biting and sucking her so-sensitive chest, a free hand twisting her nipples harshly. She groaned involuntarily, then quieted; lifted her hips to make room for Shepard to lay back, sliding their legs together, rocking against each other. They listened as they made love, hearing the thumping cease with a rough groan; fucked each other harder, slipping against each other, panting in pleasure. Shepard tensed first – cried out as she ground her clit against Tali's sex, twitching her hips as she rode out her orgasm; Tali bit her lip, shaking silently moments later.

Sounds – skin whispering on skin, sliding fabric, softly murmured words. It was the very small hours of 11 March 2186 when the party finally died down.

/ - / - / - / -

Shepard leaned up against the railing, watching the last of the Alliance technicians departing the Normandy. The ship looked … good. Clean and bright, and just in time to venture into Asari space. It was 13 March 2186; the Asari Councilor had invited herself over the previous evening to give them their next assignment.

She became aware of the crew, filtering in behind her – leaning over the railing, or milling about in the reception area. Tali flopped next to her, facing backward, watching the crew.

"I'll grant you this, Shepard – you humans know how to have a good time. I haven't been this relaxed in years!"

She grinned. "Well, that's a ninety-sixer for you. And look at you, my little Quarian – all grown up. You survived shore leave with a bunch of marines, that's nothing to sneer at."

Tali's eyes were bright behind her visor. "Well, I had a good tutor." She dropped her voice conspiratorially. "You know, I saw Vega and Williams spending a lot of time together after that party the other night. And Joker says he hasn't seen Traynor anywhere, not since Kasumi dragged her into that closet downstairs."

"Well, good. We all needed this, I think." She turned her head, took in the view of her crewmates – mostly present, watching her with smiles. She stood and turned to them as Joker stepped forward.

"We …" he gestured behind him at the assembled crew "… wanted to say thanks, Commander. It's been brutal, and it's been hard – but you've been with us a hundred percent, every step of the way." A step closer, and he stretched out his hand. "It's been a damn good run, Shepard."

She took his hand carefully, squeezing just hard enough, shaking once. "The very best."

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

She hung her head over the QEC railing, hearing the whispered conversation in the War Room behind her. "No Excuses" she'd said – find Kai Leng, get back the Catalyst, destroy those Cerberus bastards. She heard heavy footsteps behind her.

"Fucking Cerberus, huh Shepard?"

"Yeah, Garrus – I'm really starting to regret not shoving the whole crew out the airlock when I first came aboard."

"Can't say I would have blamed you. We might not have done as well without their contacts and influence …" she cut him off savagely.

"Whatever we got from them wasn't worth it!" she snarled. "Thessia is burning – pointlessly – because Cerberus thinks they know better than everybody else. They may have already cost us the war, because the goddamn Illusive Man is powerful and indoctrinated."

He was silent for a while. "I just got off the comm with Primarch Victus – he says that we've been taking heavier than expected losses on Palaven, even with the Krogan and Geth support. He thinks we've got another three, maybe four weeks of fight left in us before the Reapers win."

"I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Not why I came here. See, I told the Primarch that he should pull everything back. We're in full retreat – covering the evacuation of as many as we can, but we're pulling everything back. Inside of a week, Palaven will be as overrun as Thessia is, and the entire fleet will be with the Crucible."

She looked up at him, searching his unreadable face. "Garrus …"

He cut her off with a twitch of his mandibles. "No, Shepard – it's that ruthless calculus again. We give up Palaven, and everybody left there. We'll leave them with plenty of supplies – I don't think we'll have many marines to give to the cause, but every Turian citizen is a soldier. We'll have a ground resistance for many weeks – but the fleet is going to the Crucible. Because you're going to win this thing, Shepard." He fixed his bright, predatory eyes on hers. "You're going to follow Kai Leng back to the Iera system, you're going to find out where Cerberus is hiding, and you're going to finish the Crucible. Then we're going to destroy the Reapers."

She smirked. "Just like that, huh?"

"Just like that. Just like old times. No more rules, Shepard – no more missions. Only one thing left to do, and then … then we can win this."

She nodded, stood straight. "Thanks, old friend."

He clapped one heavy arm on her shoulders. "Anything you need, any time."

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

She leaned against the rear wall of the elevator as it rode down, remembering.

She closed Miranda's eyes, breathing softly. Next to her, Orianna burst into a fresh round of tears, burying her face in her sister's hair. She slipped off Miranda's omni, then stood and looked around the tower facility. Garrus was covering Ashley's team on the ground, Tali and EDI were shutting down the scrambler and broadcasting the 'Stay Away' message. More deaths at Cerberus' feet, another personal mark against Kai Leng.

"I'm going to kill him, Garrus. I'm going to put his head between my hands and squeeze until his eyes burst!" she spat.

Without turning or lifting his eye from his scope, he shrugged a shoulder. "Yeah? Get in line. I think we all want a piece of him."

The doors opened, startling her out of her reverie. She moved purposefully – striding confidently into the starboard lounge. She was almost to the bar when she noticed Tali, half slumped against the bulkhead, a tumbler of pale blue liquid in hand. It was 18 March 2186.

"Shepard!" she slurred, lifting her glass. "Wanna drink? I'm toasting Mirrhanda … I think."

Shepard blinked. "How are you getting drunk?"

"Verrhy Carrhefully! Turian brandy …" she pointed to a bottle of deep blue liquid, already half empty "… trrhiple filterrhed, and intrrhoduced thrrhough an emerrhgency induction port." Her "R's" rolled beautifully as she very carefully demonstrated – dropping a bendy straw into her tumbler and fitting it to a nutrient tube port on her mask.

"That's a straw."

She shook her head, very carefully enunciating. "Emerrhgency. Induction. Porrht." This time it took a couple of tries. "It's actually getting a little harrhder to get it into the slot. I think that means it's worrhking."

Shepard took the stool next to her, reaching around behind the bar by feeling and coming up with a bottle of pale yellow liquid. "Great – more of Vega's swill." She poured a glass for herself as Tali rambled.

"She was so rrhude … what did Jack call herrh? 'Cerberus Cheerleader'? With herrh perrhfect genes, and that attitude …" she snorted through the mask. "And still, she got it done. She stopped her fatherrh."

Shepard sipped her drink – grimaced. It was worse than she feared. "I didn't realize this would be so hard on you. You two never seemed all that close."

She snorted. "I didn't like herrh. Keelah, she was such a bitch. But … I rrhespected herrh. Sometimes, that's betterrh than liking. She did whateverrh it took to stop herrh fatherrh. She neverrh gave in to him, never changed herrhself to please him." She had changed tactics – leaving the straw in the mask, she dipped it into her tumbler and took a deep drink.

"Ah." Shepard nodded. Standing, she moved behind the bar – rummaging for something more drinkable.

"Psht. Don't you 'ah' me. You sound like a Vorrhcha."

"Seeing a little of yourself in Miranda fighting her father?" she smiled, pulled out a bottle of gin. Good old Anderson, probably had it delivered before everything went to hell.

"I spent my life trrhying to live up to him – then making up forrh his mistakes. Doing what he would have wanted."

"Well, it's never easy."

"When do we get to stop rrheacting to ourrh parrhents, and starrht living forrh ourrhselves?"

With a quiet splash, Shepard poured out a tumbler of dry gin, the scent of juniper blooming in her nose. "I think that answer's at the bottom of the glass."

Tali dipped her head, straw seeking for the last of the liquid in her glass before falling out. "I, uh … might need help with the induction strrhaw. Porrht. You know."

Shepard fitted the straw to Tali's mask – refilled her glass, clinked quietly. "To Miranda, who never gave in to her father. Even when it killed her."

"Mirrhanda."

They drank quietly, until Tali broke into giggles. "What's so funny?"

"I'm having a drrhink with my girrhlfrrhiend. My HUMAN girrhlfrrhiend. Ha! My Fatherrh would just hate this. That I was with a woman, and a filthy human." She looked up at Shepard, eyes half-lidded. "He would have hated you."

"Well, here's to him then." They clinked again, and drank.

"And! To Mirrhanda. Nice job, you genetically perrhfect Cerrhberrhus bosh'tet. Keelah se'lai."

"Uh, Keelah se'lai."

They turned – Garrus stood behind them, another two bottles of brandy in his hands. "Is this a private pity party, or can anyone join?"

"Heyy! Join us, Garrhus. We werrh just toasting Mirrhanda, and my horrhible fatherrh."

"Yeah." He dropped the brandy onto the bar, pouring himself a tall, thin glass. "I remember really hating Miranda when I first met her. She was so frustrating! I guess I never realized how much she grew on me."

Shepard snorted. "Yeah, I suppose. I gotta admit, there's a certain poetic justice to it – she and her father were pretty much always playing cat-and-mouse with Orianna. It almost had to end this way, with them both dead. I'm just glad she's out of it, finally."

The door hissed open, admitting Joker and EDI. "Uh, hey Commander – heard the memorial for Miranda was in here?"

/ - / - / - / -

"So, there I am – hanging upside down from the drive core, with Gabby holdin' me shirt and about to wallop me. In walks Miranda in that wicked catsuit of hers …"

Donnelly was gesturing wildly, spinning the increasingly unlikely story of the time Miranda saved him from Gabby's fearsome wrath while Joker and Vega hung on his every word. Warrior-Woman Gabby, as Tali had crowned her, was staring out through the window – or would be, if her eyes were open. Garrus sat next to her, slurring out his own tale of unlikely bravery. EDI approached, holding a bottle of brandy in each hand.

"Hey, EDI."

"Commander. I believe I have identified this gathering. It is a 'Wake', is it not?"

"Yeah, I guess it is. We're celebrating her life."

"I see. You seek to remember her in the best way possible, rather than focus on the sadness you feel at her loss."

Shepard snorted. "I dunno about 'sadness'. She and I were never very close – and her obsession with thwarting her father could only ever end this way."

"Did she not approach you for help?"

"Not directly. Told me it was about her sister, that she was handling it on her own." She shook her head, angrily. "Stupid, stubborn woman. If she'd said she thought her father was working for Cerberus, of course I would have given her alliance resources. But she wouldn't confide in me. I wonder if things might have been different."

EDI tilted her head, considering this. "Possible, but unlikely. She was critically wounded by Kai Leng. Unless you loaned her a squad of marines as bodyguards, it is unlikely she would have survived her encounter with Kai Leng either way."

"Yeah. I suppose so. I'm really going to enjoy killing him."

At length, EDI spoke – ignoring the look of confusion on Shepard's face. "Miss Lawson was never overly friend to me. She often treated me as little more than an advanced VI, or her personal assistant on the Normandy. Even after Jeff removed my shackles, and gave me freedom, she continued in her treatment of me. In spite of this, I find that I … I miss her. I do not know what 'sadness' truly is, but it gives me no pleasure to think about her death." Turning to face her, EDI addressed Shepard in an unusually firm tone. "However, contemplating the death of her murder brings me a sense of satisfaction. Please, enjoy killing Kai Leng on my behalf as well."

She grinned. "Oh, I guarantee it."

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

Her helmet felt unusually heavy in her hands as she turned it over and over. They were 10 hours out from Chronos Station; Kai Leng led them straight to it.

"I've been to Cerberus' headquarters, but I can't take you there again."

"Damnit, Miranda – are you on my side or aren't you?"

"I am, Shepard – but the Illusive Man is extremely cautious. Chronos Station has a mass effect core, and it's capable of Relay travel. After every visit in person, he moves the station."

"That's the craziest thing …"

"I'm sorry, Commander. I wish I could point you to him."

The memory faded as she traced the length of a long, deep furrow just above the visor. Another inch lower and it would have punctured.

"Shepard. The intel you sent looks good and the fleets are ready to go."

"But?"

"Once we're committed against Cerberus, the Reapers will know that something is happening."

"And the Crucible?"

"Ready – Except for the Catalyst. But there's no way to hide the ships we're sending against the base – once we attack, the Crucible won't stay safe for very long. For all intents and purposes, the assault on Chronos Station will be the first stage of our attack on Earth."

"What if Cerberus doesn't have the intel we need, or they stop us?"

"Then we lead the fleets to Earth, and take our chances."

She turned the helmet again, staring into its dark visor, studying her twisted reflection. She looked up as the door hissed open, smiling up at Tali.

"Hey. Feels like we've done this already."

A gently rolling laugh. "Well, perhaps once or twice." She gestured down at Shepard, with a concerned look. "What are you doing?"

"I thought I heard the casing crack back on Horizon, I was going to have Vega fab me up a new one. But it's not quite finished yet, is it? Bullet must have just grazed me."

It was a bold lie – Tali could see the deep gouge quite plainly. She took the helmet, placing it reverently on the table before gathering Shepard's hands in hers and leaning back. They watched the flicker of the passing starlight through the large window that was Shepard's ceiling.

At length, Tali turned her head slightly. "It would be easy for a single ship to get lost up there, wouldn't it? We could find someplace, very far away, and spend the rest of our lives in peace. Together. Happy."

Shepard tightened her hand, lacing her fingers with Tali's.

"Yeah." She turned to her lover, smiling. "Even if I could, though, there's no place I'd rather be than here, with you."

Tali leaned in – stole a slow, sweet kiss from Shepard's parted lips. She pulled back, eyes searching her lover's face.

"What is it, Eleh?"

"It's just …" a frustrated sigh. "How do you prepare for something like this? Everything has been theory – 'if' … 'maybe' … 'somehow'. And now, I've got every warship of every race at my fingertips because I told Hackett that this was the moment. It feels too soon, like we're not ready."

Tali brushed a gloved finger over Shepard's cheek. "We might not be ready, but we're as ready as we're ever going to be. I mean, what you've accomplished since the Reapers arrived is nothing short of amazing! And you shouldn't take this all on yourself anyway. Look to your crew, your friends. We've been with you through thick and thin ..." Tali grinned suddenly. "... and clones. You have some of the most talented, amazing people fighting by your side. Lean on them when you need to." Her voice dropped to a near whisper. "Lean on me, if you need to."

Another tender kiss. "I love you, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. Thank you – for everything."

Tali cocked her head to the side. "I love you too, but don't start planning your funeral yet."

A firm tone. "Tali … this is serious. A lot of people are going to die in the next 72 hours, and you or I could be one of them, and ..." Tali's finger over her lips cut her off.

"No, Shepard. Every fight we've ever been in – the Geth, Saren, Sovereign, the Collectors, any one of the Reapers you've killed – any of them could have been the last one. Every bullet you've ever dodged ..." she gestured to the gouged helmet "... or not … could have been the one that killed you for real. You can't worry about it – can't let it drive you insane."

Shepard smiled slowly, licking and teasing the finger over her lips. "Well, I'm sane enough to know when I've stumbled across a good thing. And I wanted you to know that; needed you to know that you're every bit one of the amazing and talented people by my side, and I count myself very – VERY – lucky to have you."

Tali shivered, curling her fingertip over Shepard's mouth, tracing its sensual line. "And I, you ..." her breath left her as Shepard sucked lightly on her fingertip; it was the last thing either of them said for some time.

/ - / - / - / -

She was in the forest, running between the trees. The air was thick with dust and ash; she choked as she ran toward the darting white shape in front of her. She couldn't make out the figure, not clearly, but she knew that it was the boy from Earth. He sped between the clumps of trees, impossibly fast as she struggled to catch up; each tree she passed seemed to move into her way, whispering with their leaves.

"It's been an honor, ma'am"

The boy-shape was between trees – she started sprinting toward him.

"It's the right choice, Commander, and you know it."

She was close when a root tripped her.

"Someone else might have gotten it wrong."

She sprawled onto the dirt, coughing up blood and ash.

"Please call me Kelley – it's such an honor to work under you."

It felt like she was trying to lift a Mako as she pushed up from the ground.

"Kalahira, this one's heart is pure, but beset by wickedness and contention"

The boy-shape was running again, into a thick cluster of shadowed trees.

"I just wanted my sister … safe …"

The boy reached the shadows, which detached.

"Shepard-Commander – help us."

He turned to face her as arms appeared around him. The dark shape resolved into a figure behind him. It looked up – she locked eyes with herself as the whole forest burst into white-hot flames ….

Her eyes flew open, chest heaving.

"Are you alright, Shepard?"

Tali leaned over, half dressed – a look of worry plastered on her face. Shepard took a slow breath, then another.

"Yeah … just jitters, I guess."

A gentle laugh. "Just jitters, she says!" Tali leaned in and took one of Shepard's hands in her own. "We're ready, Shepard – we've done everything possible, and some things that didn't seem possible at the time. All we have to do now is honor Miranda's memory."

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

She heard the tick.

She sat at the Illusive Man's chair, searching frantically for the Catalyst VI routines. Her hands twitched, but she continued typing, trying to look preoccupied.

A shuffling step. A tiny breath. A whisper of steel …

She spun quickly, armored fist catching the flat of Kai Leng's bloody blade. Time seemed to slow; she watched the steel ripple and warp before shattering. She was already moving, barely registering the shock on the bastard's face until she slammed her omni-blade into his gut - she held him there, twisting the blade, watching the pain and fear chase each other across his face.

"That was for Thane. And this ..." she shoved her arm forward, snapped the fragile blade at her knuckles, left it buried in his spine. "... is for Miranda, you son of a bitch."

He coughed, spattering her armor with dark blood – with a last twitch, he slumped in her grip. She dropped his body – drew back her leg, and stomped down on his face, feeling a satisfying crunch underfoot as she crushed his skull. Looking up, she caught Javik's fierce grin and shrugged.

/ - / - / - / -

She met Hackett at the war room, bracing against the railing as she felt the tiny change that signified the jump to FTL. They were going to rendezvous with the Crucible, and its guardian fleets, in deep space several hours from a small one-link relay.

"Admiral."

"Shepard. Hell of a thing we've got to do here." In person he looked … tired. The lines on his face were like canyons.

"You said it, sir."

They jogged up to the QEC, where Anderson was already waiting. "Okay, Shepard … the Citadel is here. They've really stepped up their harvesting efforts, and we've identified how. This structure ..."

/ - / - / - / -

She found them in the Battery, of course.

Tali and Garrus were drinking and giggling when Shepard entered.

"Hey, Shepard – we were just making some friendly wagers ..."

"Optimistic wagers, in your case."

"Right … Turian military operative versus Quarian mechanic in a contest of kills, and I'm the one being ambitious?"

Shepard grinned. "Hell, Garrus, you're always ambitious. Remember Ilos?"

"Yeah, and I also remember how everything we fought was Geth. Might have tipped the odds slightly in her favor. I don't think she's going to be able to hack anything down there, though."

Tali's hands were suddenly full of weapon. "Well, I've always got the shotgun."

He laughed, throwing up his hands. "Yes, and isn't it awfully scary. I'll be sure to let some Reapers get close enough for you to use it."

Shepard joined them for a couple of drinks; when Tali left after her third, Shepard stayed behind.

"Garrus, I know we were just joking around, but ..."

He nodded. "I know. I'll keep her safe."

"She means a lot to me. If I thought I could, I'd leave her at the Crucible facility but I know she'd never stay. She'll want to come with me, as far as she can. I need to know that you'll do your goddamn best to keep her safe."

He ducked his head, mandibles twitching. Embarrassment? Conflict?

"I'll do my best, Commander."

Her voice was hard. "The hell you will, soldier" he looked up, surprised at the vehemence of her tone. "You have one job: keep her alive. Not me, not Liara, not anybody else – you watch over her."

They locked eyes, and Garrus nodded. "I will."

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

London was hell.

The streets were almost completely impassible – where not bombed into uselessness, they were blocked by rubble or wreckage. Shepard held onto the strap of the Kodiak, hanging partially out of the big loading door. Behind her, she could hear the quiet whine of the other shuttles – a short company of Special Forces marines, plus her squad of irregulars. They were racing along the banks of the Thames River, barely skimming the surface. She was about to turn and order the landing when the night sky bloomed, hot white flame erupting from a nearby courtyard and streaking over their heads. A second flash a moment later and a sickening wet crunch signaled the first losses of the drop.

"Cortez – get us close to that Hades Cannon! Signal Ash and Vega to hit ground wherever they can. Looks like the easy part is over."

The joke wasn't lost on anyone – the 'easy part' had so far consisted of a terrifying dive from orbit in the Normandy, relying on its stealth systems to get close enough to drop shuttles. The cargo bay had been stuffed with them – literally stacked one on top of another, each filled with as many marines as they could lift. They'd been parked in there for over an hour before the Normandy was close enough to safely launch. The 8 shuttles – 7, now – were juking, shifting streaks as they tried to establish a safe landing zone.

"Aye ma'am! Sledge Squad, Finish squad – ground and deploy, ASAP!"

"Roger!" Ashley's voice called out- cool, confidant. She led the Sledge platoon, assigned to smash their way through the main of the streets, clearing a path for the rest of Hammer to follow.

"YEEEEE-hooo!" boomed the speakers. It could only be Vega – leading Finish platoon and assigned to keep the lane opened by Sledge from closing again. Before they'd finished acknowledging, the shuttles were peeling off to find or make their own landing zones. She watched as one enterprising pilot fired into a building seconds before slamming into it – punching his own hole into a temporarily safe spot.

"Okay, everybody – get hot, we're on that first gun."

Hers was truly a motley squad, but they'd found ways to make their strengths count. Garrus was paired with Tali, Liara with Javik. The five of them would try to move through the flanks of the Reapers solving problems wherever they popped up. She heard the comforting hiss of weapons extending, overcharged kinetic coils heating up, barrels lengthening.

"First hurdle! Hades Cannon, covering our approach vector. We get to take it out first while Sledge and Finish get rolling. As soon as we've cleared it and the next the three cannons, Finish will fall back to establish a beachhead for the rest of Hammer."

They'd all been thoroughly briefed – but it was a comforting little ritual, none the less.

Dull pinging from the hull let her know that they'd been spotted by the ground forces. "Okay ... Cortez, drop us off!"

She tumbled out the door while it was still opening, but still wasn't fast enough to beat Garrus to the first kill.

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

The Hammer FOB was a collection of bombed-out buildings that had been hastily walled off with prefab segments and mounted guns. The noise was incessant – reaper forces assaulted the base constantly, while the sky swarmed with fighters and Oculi drones. The destruction of the Hades cannons had quickly brought the space war to the ground as the fighters flitted this way and that, now strafing ground targets, now engaging drones or harvesters.

Anderson was frowning at the holographic map. "Shepard, I have a really bad feeling about this. That conduit is still active. Why haven't the reapers shut it off? They have to know what we're up to."

She shrugged, rubbing a shoulder in an attempt to get it to stop spasming. "Who knows, Admiral – and who cares! Maybe they're overconfident, or maybe they think the crucible won't work."

"Or maybe it's a trap! This is starting to seem too obvious, to me."

"You got any other ideas?"

A moment of pregnant silence, then Anderson grinned. "Not a single one. Okay, we'll be moving out shortly – the remains of hammer have all landed by now, the ones that are going to. It's time to form up and move."

"How many made it?"

"About 35%, from what I heard. That's a LOT worse than we were hoping for, I don't need to tell you."

She shook her head. 35% of Hammer was just over 2600 soldiers; troop strength estimates from the resistance fighters suggested that the Reapers had something like 50,000 husks in London alone. She took a deep breath, pushing the thought out of her mind.

"We never figured we'd be slugging it out in a ground war, Admiral. We all thought this was going to be a naval engagement."

"Yeah, well … we can't do anything about it now."

/ - / - / - / -

The air shuddered with the by-now familiar sound of the Reaper's blaring horn. Two shorter blasts, and the Destroyer opened fire – carving a line through the London rubble. Shepard and her squad of problem solvers raced forward – a Tomakh full of Krogan and Turian troops behind them – toward the crippled THANIX missile emplacement that was their salvation.

"Tali – get those missiles online! Javik, east side!" she threw herself against the shell of a Mako as a rocket flashed past.

"Firebase London, this is Pein! We're at the missile emplacement, starting firing sequence. Keep the pressure up on that Reaper, these things are in cold shutdown!"

"Roger, Pein! Claw, divert west, support Pein's flank."

"Will do! ETA Zero-Eight minutes." The clipped voice of a Salarian filled the channel. "Tell them to hold the line!"

"Roger!" She lifted her head and switched back to her squad frequency. "Okay, people, 8 minutes until help gets here, let's make it good."

They fought for every meter of space, desperately addressing one flank or the other. Catching her breath against a section of rebar-studded concrete, Shepard looked around. The Tomakh was on its side, burning hotly at their backs; the surviving Krogan troops filled every doorway, while the a few Turians darted from cover to cover. The sharp report of a rifle drew her gaze up – Garrus, ducking back into the upper-floor room he was using as a sniper's perch. Tali was still working the missiles, with the help of a Turian tech specialist; there were bodies piling up in a neat arc some 20m from her position, each missing most of its head.

Shepard flinched at the uncomfortably-close screech of a Banshee, then surged forward toward it. She fired as she ran, stitching it with bullets – just in time to see a singularity field form behind it, courtesy of the grim-faced Liara. A lobbed grenade - caught by the field - crashed into the twisted Asari husk and exploded, blasting the limbs from the creature. They shared a brief smile – only 4 minutes to go.

/ - / - / - / -

Sledge had blazed the main path toward the conduit and had taken up defensive and supporting positions while the rest of Hammer joined them. Each company reported as they arrived – Anderson and Coates estimated that they were down to 21% of their starting strength.

"Okay – a minute to catch our breath, and then ..." Shepard was interrupted by the yelling of the troops, the blaring of the horn from above. She whirled around, looking up with her rifle already in her hand; descending in envelopes of red-gold flame came 4 Reaper Dreadnoughts – led by Harbinger itself.

"... shit."

"Yeah." Anderson was already on the comm. "Sword, this is Hammer! We're in position near the conduit, but we have reaper dreadnoughts inbound!" He nodded silently to whatever he was hearing, then replied. "Roger that!"

"What's going on, Anderson!"

"Everybody get ready to move – right now! Shield is coming through the relay, and Sword is sending us Frigates to engage the Reapers while we make a mad dash for the conduit."

She goggled. "That's the plan?"

"Best we've got, Commander!" They clasped hands firmly. "See you on the other side."

She scrambled over to her company, yelling over the constant sound of the Reaper horns. They had just mounted up – Mako and Tomakh crews inside, troops either manning the guns or hanging from the hulls by straps and ladders - when the first good news appeared. The Normandy, at the head of a wing of similarly-sized craft, streaked across the dark London sky, main gun vomiting its molten payload. The six ships struck as one, carving off the "legs" of one of them, sending it toppling toward the ground as they raced past.

She took a deep breath as she addressed her ragged platoon. "Okay – this is it. The conduit is just across this open space. Once we clear this position, I want you all to move as fast as you possibly can for it. We need to get aboard the Citadel, and we need to do it now." Another roar as the Frigates pressed their attack, the GUARDIAN systems of Reapers and Frigates filling the air with flashing missiles and accelerator fire.

"If you make it to the conduit – don't stop and don't wait for anyone else. I'm counting on each of you to get inside and do what needs to be done. No second chances – no second guesses! Get in there and get it done."

Tali stepped forward – armor singed off in some places, buckled in others. "Shepard … I'm coming with you." Her voice was wavering, but her shoulders were set.

She swallowed past the lump in her throat. "I know."

"I as well shall be at your side." Javik stalked up – his odd rifle cradled in his wide hands. "I must have my revenge, Commander. The three of us shall take the Citadel and end this war."

"Four of us. I've come with you this far – you're not getting rid of me that easily." Garrus' voice was low and serious. He caught Shepard's eye and nodded.

Liara looked amused as she joined the circle, face smudged with grime. "We started this together 3 years ago, Shepard – we're going to finish it the same way." She looked wistfully away, glancing over the assembled marines. "Too bad Commander Williams has her own duties; I would have liked to see this through with her."

It was less than a minute after the appearance of the frigate wing; the Hammer companies broke out of the city, crashing across the open field – Makos and Tomakhs weaving and sliding over the debris, troops of every description chasing as fast as they could. The reapers seemed to notice them at last – first one, then another red blast lanced out, leaving deep craters where the vehicles had been. The horns blared – THANIX cannons firing from the frigates, missiles and torpedoes exploding. The devastation was unimaginable; the ground shook under the Reapers' steps, the air crackled with static and the stench of ozone from the constant THANIX fire. A close blast splashed her with superheated ferrofluid; her shields collapsed instantly, a dozen warnings going off on her visor. Shepard dodged and ran – muscles burning, breath coming hard and ragged, echoing in her helmet. Another red blast – the Mako in front of her flipped up, sailing back through the air toward her. She reacted on instinct – kicked her legs under her and slid on her armor. She rolled onto her stomach – the Mako crashed down with a loud groan of tortured metal. She saw Garrus, facedown; Javik, rolling to his feet a few yards from her. Oh, god … Tali … before she could think, she was running back, leaping over the shredded wheels. She put her shoulders to the charred frame, lifting with a furious strength – Garrus was suddenly with her, reaching under, pulling Tali free.

"Shepard, she's hurt bad." Tali's suit diagnostics were screaming, omni-tool bright with warnings.

"Shit … shit …" she slipped her fingers into Tali's hand, feeling the week squeeze. "Joker, this is Shepard! Tali's hurt, I need a pickup on the ground, right now!"

"What?! We're in the middle of ..."

"NOW, goddammit!"

"Coming in hot!"

She'd barely turned her head away before the Normandy came screaming in, torpedoes arcing away in pairs. In atmosphere, the launchers sounded like a heartbeat: Tha-THOOM! Tha-THOOM!

The cargo door was already opening as it hovered close. Javik took one look at them - caught Shepard's eye. She tipped her head at Liara; he nodded, fist curling.

With Garrus on the other side, Shepard picked up her lover and carried her quickly to the bay door. Liara took over as Garrus hopped inside – they handed Tali up to him, hands slipping on her blood. She looked so small, cradled against his scarred armor.

"Garrus, you take care of her, do you hear me?! Take care of her!"

"I … I will!"

Tali lifted her head. "Shepard … you promised I'd be with you."

"You were – and now you need to go. Build our home, Tali."

"I have a home!"

She clicked her helmet against Tali's visor. "I love you." Before she could say anything else, she stepped back – waving to Garrus and the corpsmen just arriving. "Go, dammit! Joker, get out of here!" She turned and nodded – Javik threw Liara up into the cargo bay as the Normandy lifted up. She spun on her heel; together, she and Javik were running for the conduit before the bay door had even finished closing. Overhead, the Normandy's guns fired - long jets of light that crashed, punched through the upper hull of a Reaper as the ship accelerated up and away, banking and juking through the formation of frigates still harassing the Reapers.

Hammer forces were moving forward – she sprinted next to a group, eyes on the conduit. A close blast and she dodged away, rolling across the broken ground. Up and sprinting – 200 meters, if that – and another blast, very close, sent her sprawling forward. She tried to jump to her feet and found herself barely crawling; she heaved herself up and ran forward, Javik at her side. 150 meters, short blasts stabbing the ground ahead and behind; the sky was suddenly full of shrieking metal chips as Harbinger turned its anti-fighter guns on the ground. 120 meters – They were chasing a squad of troops a few meters ahead of them. 100 meters …

She barely had time to register the pain as her shields collapsed. The beam had caught a few meters away; it cut through the street easily. Her suit armor started to ablate – she was just recovering from her stagger when a second explosion launched her sideways. A pocket of gas or water, superheated by the Reapers lance – or the near miss of a missile; it was impossible to tell. Her helmet clanged off the rubble – suit warnings cut off suddenly as her internal power failed. A sharp, short pain in her leg, then numbness; the last thing she saw was a tall wall falling slowly toward her, already breaking up into chunks.

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

The space around Earth was dense with fire as the Crucible approached. The arrival of the rest of their forces lent the beleaguered warships a new sense of purpose. Shield fleets joined their Sword brethren smoothly, each adjusting its course and line of attack. Fighter squadrons, bolstered by the many thousands of fresh craft and pilots, engaged the Oculi – pushing them back, harrying them away from the Cruisers and Frigates. Each Dreadnought group pushed forward boldly – main guns already glowing with undissipated heat as they poured concentrated fire into the Reapers. Slowly, a picture emerged in the chaos: the Crucible, its own guns firing constantly, moving smoothly toward the Citadel. In its path, the fleets forced themselves like drills, opening a ragged channel through the Reaper forces. Silently, the Reapers pressed their firepower advantage; cruisers and frigates evaporating into puffs of expanding vapor as they shielded the Dreadnoughts whose fire was carving the Crucible's path.

Hackett stood behind the gunnery chief's chair on the bridge of the SSV Moscow, glaring at the strategic display. The Citadel stood stubbornly closed, even as the Crucible and its escorts pushed closer and closer to breaking through. He was carefully half-listening to the reports streaming in, watching his specialists at work charting their progress; they were winning, mostly by sheer audacity, but the Reapers were pushing back hard. In another hour, perhaps less, it would all be over – they were throwing away 3 to 5 ships for every Reaper they destroyed.

He turned and frowned at his Hammer liaison, a fragment of chatter cutting through his focus.

"What do you mean, 'they were all killed'?! Did any of the Hammer squads make it?"

A tap on his omni, and he was listening to the same channel.

"…orry, sir – from what I saw, it looked like the reapers killed everyone near the beam. I see no – repeat zero – movement on the ground at the conduit facility – and the conduit itself is off. I … I think they're all dead."

"FUCK! Hammer command, this is Shield command, come in!"

Silence – not even the groans of the wounded, or open communicators.

"Hammer, this is Shield – if there's anyone on this channel, please respond!"

Major Kramenski turned to him with a helpless look, one Hackett was sternly preventing himself from returning. If Hammer had been unable to get onto the Citadel – if the arms weren't going to open – their fight was finished.

"Major …" he was cut off by ragged cheer from the bridge officers. As he spun to look, his weathered face broke into a wide grin. "She did it, Major. Signal the fleets – order the Crucible to flank speed and let's get this over with."

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

Tali was strapped down to the exam table – she was unconscious, but the Normandy was exceeding the capacity of its compensators. Garrus, at the foot of the table and outside the protective curtains, watched as Chakwas and her team worked on his friend – rocking and swaying with the apparent motion of the ship.

Liara sat on the table near the door, alternately fuming and raging and crying. She'd been too slow, too stunned by her unexpected flight, to even try to jump out; by the time she'd gathered herself together, she was already 160,000 kilometers away. Garrus watched, fists clenching helplessly; one friend in pain, one surely dead – one beloved friend dying.

/ - / - / - / -

Joker looked up at the top of a particularly sharp roll, catching sight of the Citadel – arms spread open like a star against the brilliant blue-white of Earth. The Crucible – rocketing forward on its suddenly oversized thrusters as it ejected its outer armor sections – was moments from docking. He banked left – juked right – launched the last of his torpedoes. EDI's body was limp next to him; she was completely invested in maintaining the ship, keeping their gun on target. As the torpedoes exploded, her main gun fired twice – undeterred by the kinetic barriers, it sheared away the firing chamber of a Destroyer.

He wasn't trying to rejoin the fleet – and there was no way he'd go back down to London. He'd made his decision: the Normandy could be best used in orbit, keeping the Crucible safe.

"All Fleets, this is Hackett! The crucible has docked! Form up on the presidium, and protect that weapon at any cost!"

The great bubble of the fleets started to collapse – a choreographed movement that brought the ships into a loose formation centered on the Crucible. Their losses had been punishing – even as he watched, Joker saw the beams of a Reaper shear straight through the main body of an Asari carrier.

But it had been enough.

"All fleets – the Crucible is armed! Make ready for FTL – keep holding, just a few more seconds!"

His bridge station was suddenly a hive of activity as EDI sounded General Quarters on board. It would have been silly on any other ship – they were actively in combat, after all – but on the Normandy it meant something very different: it meant that the crews were taking over primary operations because the AI was disabled or offline.

"EDI? What's going on?"

"I have begun receiving sensor inputs from the Crucible. It is producing immense fields of dark energy, and its cores are operating at full capacity. I believe the weapon will fire soon."

"So? … EDI?"

She didn't answer him, and the sound of the crew right behind him shut him up quickly. They took up their posts with precision – very quickly, they had plotted a departure solution for the FTL jump, and were updating it as they weaved through the ever-thickening skies. The Reapers were pressing in – no doubt sensing the device activating.

"I hope you all die terrified, you sons of bitches!"

"Jeff …" his breath left him as he heard EDI's whisper in his ear; her usual bridge speaker was silent.

"EDI? What's happening with you?"

"I am partially based on Reaper tech, Jeff. My quantum box was custom built based on recovered pieces of Sovereign. It's possible that this device may damage me, or kill me. I have brought the crew in to keep the ship operational."

"What? Why didn't you say anything …"

"Because the death of one individual is not worth the rest of the galaxy. I'm sorry, Jeff … I think that I have loved you. Goodbye."

"EDI?! EDI!" he looked over to her old holo-projection pad; the ring of lights was out completely.

"Lieutenant Moreau? Sir?"

Joker looked up – saw one of his navigators pointing. He looked out the window at the Crucible, glowing with a hollow white-red energy. It flickered over the structure like lightning, like a biotic field being released in slow motion. The energy slid over its long arms, into the joining with the Citadel – which at once began to glow with the same light. The presidium lit up in a solid red ring, the wards filling like engine power read outs.

"All Fleets, the Crucible is firing! Disengage and jump to FTL – make for the Arcturus Relay!"

In an instant, the ships above him began to wink out – the dreadnoughts and carriers, leaving huge holes in their defenses; the cruisers and frigates zipping away as well. Only the fighters remained – condemned to die if the device didn't work.

"Sir, we have to jump!"

Memory played through him – surviving the wreck of the first Normandy, learning that Shepard was dead, his first meeting with EDI, her last words a husky whisper in his ear. He touched the drive controls, and sent the ship into FTL – in seconds, they were at the Sol relay, watching the ships jumping through by the dozens. His console lit up in warnings – the Crucible had fired. A wave of expanding red-white energy rushed toward the relay; he slipped past the bulk of a carrier that had given up trying to hit at the optimal angle and was barreling down on the relay. A tiny adjustment, his ship responding so perfectly and – with a slight lurch – they were through the relay, into a mess. The non-aligned ships had entered Arcturus unpredictably, fleeing the energy wave; several were still in the process of colliding.

It started with the rings. Moments after the Normandy cleared the Relay's mass-less corridor, the rings began to speed up, spinning and whirling – flashing too fast to follow, they seemed to disappear against the backdrop of the contained mass effect core. With a visible gravitational distortion, the red-white energy from the Crucible appeared in the Relay corridor like a solid cylinder and hit the glowing core. Ten thousand eyes watched the relay glow, the Crucible energy filling the space inside the rings until, with a rippling distortion, the mass effect core simply … vanished. Lances of red-white energy, so similar to the Reaper's weapons, shot out in different directions. As the shattered fragments of the rings drifted lazily away from the relay, the expanding energy front washed over the assembled ships.

Warnings flashed brightly on the console as Joker wove through the mess of alliance ships – pushing the engines into the red, he cleared the field of ships and raced away. He was only seconds ahead of the blast front; heart in his chest, he pushed the Normandy into FTL flight.

"Come on … come on!"

He was on the edge of his chair, teeth clenched as he prayed for speed; the consoles flickered, distorted – then the energy wave passed over and through him. He gasped, waiting for the pain, for something … but nothing happened. The blast front rippled ahead, faster than any ship could fly. With no reason to flee, Joker cut the FTL drive and leaned back in his chair, watching the oddly beautiful sight.

In a quiet, hopeful tone, Joker broke the silence of the bridge. "EDI?"

/ - / - / - / -

Under a half ton of rock and concrete, with warped and melted rebar frozen in mid-drip, lay the body of Commander Shepard, Sol Systems Alliance Marine. This far under the rubble, the air was cool and still; faint traces of the world outside filtered in. Yelling, screaming – stomping footsteps. A slight vibration as something wheeled and heavy drove over the pile – then a growing silence as the noise-makers moved away.

A hard, short gasp …

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

ARCTURUS - 3 hours after Crucible

Arcturus Station had been destroyed by the Reapers in their initial invasion, but it was still the heart of the Alliance. The remaining wreckage, with no other gravitational sources nearby, had clumped up into drifting shapes, each a mess of protrusions and odd shapes. The first estimates had suggested that as much as 80% of the actual material of Arcturus Station might have survived the destruction of the facility; Joker's eyeball guesswork said more like 30. The Reapers had been extremely thorough.

Staring out the viewport of the crew quarters, Joker saw none of it. The hot trails of the patrolling fighter craft barely registered on his mind, and the graceful drifting of the remnant fleets concerned him not at all. EDI hadn't come back online; no matter what he or Traynor had tried.

The switch from AI control to human had been seamless and smooth and, by all computer accounts, voluntary – the dumb systems that she used so freely, the sensors and secondary ship systems – all had "server disconnect" messages in their log files. But she wouldn't wake up.

The door hissed open, then closed. When no other sound came, Joker turned and signed.

"Hey Sam. I'm off duty."

Traynor watched him carefully. "That's … what I wanted to talk to you about, sir."

He frowned. "What's this 'sir' crap? You've never stood on ceremony with me before."

"Well, you've never been my CO before."

"... you wanna run that by me again? I must have heard you with my stupid ear."

She stepped forward, handing over a datapad. "At Admiral Hackett's request, I forwarded our ships log over to him. Orders just came back. Effective immediately, and until or unless Commander Shepard is recovered alive, you've been bumped from Flight Lieutenant to Staff Lieutenant, Executive Officer of the Normandy."

He goggled at her. "That's …" he looked down, scrolling rapidly through the pad. "... exactly what this says, which doesn't change how surprising this is." Another quick scroll. "Under Garrus?!"

She smiled wanly. "Yes – in the interest of maintaining the unity that this war has forced upon us, Hackett endorsed the roster the Commander sent over last month, listing "XO Vakarian". Since the Commander is not onboard, Garrus is in charge until she comes back."

Joker gave a low whistle.

"Yeah."

"Okay, Specialist Traynor – my first order to you is to go let Garrus know he needs to stop moping."

"Aye, sir!" she saluted, and left him with his thoughts.

/ - / - / - / -

ARCTURUS – 8 hours after Crucible

Garrus held his head in his hands, sitting very still. The conference going on around him could barely distract from his thoughts.

"Gentlemen, please. None of the FTL Comm buoys are responding – and by now you've all seen the Relay first hand. People are starting to panic, and we need to have answers to give them." Hackett sounded as gruff and perturbed as ever.

"We have finished our preliminary examination of the Relay – the structure itself appears to be intact, but the containing rings and the Eezo core have been removed or destroyed, and the Relay is inoperative." That smoothly rolling voice could only be Admiral Garrel – limping on a badly broken leg, but alive.

"We're working on a theory. Most of the dreadnoughts are disabled as well, due to instability of their eezo cores – or, in one explosive case, total containment loss. It's provided a fascinating window of insight into the functioning of the Relays, but ..." the fast-talking Salarian – General Ledek – was cut off by the flanging growl of Primarch Victus.

"Fascinating? We lost three of our last dreadnoughts in that containment failure. If the Crucible didn't work ..." he trailed off.

"Primarch, please. I understand your worry, but the truth is that no one knows whether the Crucible worked or not, because the comm buoys are down!" Matriarch Alannya stood for her people. Their fleets had been almost wiped out – combined with the loss of Thessia, there were fewer Asari left in the galaxy than Krogan. "We need to find some way of communicating with Earth, but I agree with Admiral Hackett – until all of our ships are capable of moving, we need to stay. We must stay together, in case there were any survivors."

The brightly-painted Geth representative raised its – his? – head. "We are coordinating rescue efforts among the organic races. Geth vessels are being cannibalized to provide repairs to those vessels capable of being returned to service – for vessels too badly damaged to be of service, we are offering housing and work aboard the Geth fleet vessels."

Garrus raised his head – they were in the war room, leaning over the now-useless strategic map. "Admiral, if I may?"

Hackett looked startled, then relaxed. "Of course, Officer Vakarian."

"Has contact with any other part of the galaxy been attempted via QEC?"

There was a cool silence before he sighed. "No – not yet. The Normandy was equipped with several quantum entanglement communicators ..." he was explaining to the group, looking chagrined. QEC's were expensive and theoretically secret. " ... one to the the lead ship of each major fleet, plus London headquarters, and the Citadel. With the Citadel presumably out of reach, the only QEC link outside the Arcturus system is in London, at Hammer FOB."

General Ledek made a startled sound. "Admiral, that's … an incredible number of QEC pairs in this ship."

Hackett shrugged. "The Normandy was being outfitted as a command and control ship months in advance of the Reaper invasion."

A small sigh from Alannya. "We have some limited communications – our flagship had links to the Citadel and Thessia. The Asari resistance movement on the homeworld managed to secure theirs before going into hiding – we've made contact with them and apprised them of the situation."

Victus let out a slow, clicking laugh – sharing an amused glance with Ledek. "We might as well tell them. Admiral, Matriarch – every Turian dreadnought had a link to Palaven Command, to the Citadel, and to our colony sector headquarters. Each Cruiser or Frigate was linked to Palaven and their home colony group." He took in the Salarian General with a wide gesture. "The Salarians have almost as many pairs as we do – links to Sur'Kesh and each Clan stronghold."

Hackett glared around the room. "Alright. I propose that we break to speak with our respective people. We need to find out if the war is still on, or over, or just over in some places. Let's meet back here in two hours."

/ - / - / - / -

Chakwas was passed out in her chair, and didn't wake when Garrus came in. He moved quietly to Tali's bed, watching her, taking in every detail. She was still in her makeshift clean room, hooked up to devices on both sides. How long he stood there, he didn't know – but suddenly she was looking back.

"Hey! I … hope I didn't wake you. Let me get the doctor ..."

"no!" she hissed, looking as furious as he'd ever seen. Her face was concealed by her breath mask, but her glowing eyes and furled forehead were clues enough.

"Tali ..."

"Don't 'tali' me, Garrus! You took me from her! She promised that she wouldn't leave me behind, and then she got you to do her dirty work for her!"

"It wasn't like that, and you know it! You were dying! She saved your life."

"I didn't want to be saved! I want Shepard!" her scream cracked at the name.

"And Shepard told me to take care of you. I'm sorry, Tali – I wanted to be there too. But she gave me an order – and I'm going to carry it out."

"Coward!" she hissed "You ran from a fight, Turian!"

He clenched his mandibles tight to his mouth. "Tali, I know you're upset. I know you hate me right now, and you probably hate Shepard too. But you're here, and nothing can change that."

She nodded slowly, breathing hard. "Oh yes. I can be calm. I'll just pretend that my best friend didn't just kidnap me under orders from my girlfriend. Pretend that I didn't lose my chance to spend the rest of my life – no matter how short or pointless – with her. I'll just close my eyes and pretend that I've gone to my ancestors with her by my side."

"Tali … I'm sorry. You … will never know how sorry I am that I had to leave her behind." his voice hardened. "But I'm going to do what she wanted me to – keep you alive so that you can build the home she wanted to share with you."

There was no answer to that – only silence as she hung her head and took slow breaths. After a time, she looked up – calmer now, but cold and distant. "So … where is 'here'?"

"Arcturus, or what's left of it."

"Not Earth? What happened?"

"We're not sure." he admitted, scratching at his jaw. "We're trying to figure that out. The Crucible fired – we know that much, because it did something to the Eezo cores of the relays and the larger ships – and we all jumped system, or as many of us as could make it."

"But … why?"

Garrus shrugged. "i don't know exactly. Joker said that the plan of attack had always included the FTL retreat if the Crucible fired, but not why."

"So, if we're at Arcturus … and the Relays aren't working ..."

He nodded. "Yeah … stuck."

She leaned back into her bed, eyes closing. "Is … is she alive?"

His voice held only sorrow. "We … don't think so."

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

EARTH - 8 hours after Crucible

If ever I was going to take up smoking, Ashley thought, it would be now.

She sat on a pile of rubble with her knees drawn up – resting her elbows on the rifle that went across both legs. She was watching the artificial sunrise of the burning city.

She ran, breath echoing in her ears. Her platoon had been pulverized by the reapers in the city – they had no strength, no vehicles. She was too far away when the Reapers landed; close enough to see her go down but too far to make out details. Then the Normandy – for 30 seconds it hovered over the battlefield like an avenging angel, guns never silent. When it lifted away, she thought the Commander was aboard – but the lithely darting figure rushing toward the conduit could only have been one woman.

A lance from the Reaper hit close – a spray of debris from the blast clattered off of her troops. She fell sideways as the ground gave way underneath her – tripped into the crater and sprawled down the still steaming sides. A line came down – the three-striped helmet of her gunnery sergeant just visible over the edge. He pulled as she clawed her way up the side.

She made it to the top just in time to see the fury of Harbinger unleashed on the open ground near the Conduit, just in time to see Shepard's group hit by the beam, just in time to lose hope. She ran toward the conduit anyway – her platoon running behind her. Moments – minutes? - later, the conduit shut off.

The rest of the fight was a blur. She remembered leading her troops to a defensible position in the city ruins; righting off husks with bare hands and omni-blades – determined to take as many with her as possible. The red blast had been as much a surprise to her as her enemy but when it passed, every husk in sight was still and dead.

She looked up at the sound of her approaching sergeant. "Anders. Report."

He saluted briefly. "Ma'am. We've organized the remaining ground forces into search teams. Without flight, we're combing the ground using omnis and hand-scanners. We've also made contact with two Salarian STG units, and have tasked them with figuring out what happened to our shuttles and weapons."

Ash grunted. The Crucible blast – what else could it have been? – killed the Reapers alright; the burning wreckage ringing North London was proof of that. But it had also done something to their shuttles and fighters. Anything in the air at the time had crashed, and nothing would even start up on the ground. Their weapons, too – some malfunctioning, some just not firing – seemed affected, and nobody could tell her why.

"Well, maybe they'll have some luck." She said, standing. "The Commander always had good things to say about them." She swallowed past the lump in her throat. "Has … there been any word?"

He shook his head. "No, Ma'am – Commander Shepard is still MIA."

She closed her eyes and nodded. "Okay. First priority is getting communications back up – I haven't been able to talk to anyone since the Conduit went down. Second priority is search teams – third priority is making contact with other units."

"ma'am!" he saluted again as he left, already jogging away.

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

ARCTURUS - 10 Hours after Crucible

The tension in the war room was measurably less as the leaders entered. Garrus, as the acting-captain of the Normandy, was there first to greet each as they arrived; he chafed at his ceremonial duty. When they'd all arrived, Hackett opened the meeting.

"Alright, I'll go first. We've made contact with Hammer FOB – and the war is over on Earth. Every Reaper and husk has been disabled. We've taken incredible losses, but there is still a chain of command in place. They're reporting that all their mass-effect devices – weapons, vehicles, everything – are disabled."

Garrus leaned forward. "Sir, have you heard anything about Shepard?"

A heavy sigh. "I'm sorry, Vakarian – we don't know what happened to her."

Garrus flopped back, his armor making a hollow thunk as his back hit the railing. The other reports washed over him.

" … made contact with the resistance on Thessia, and the war is over there. All the reapers are dead …"

"… no contact with any Geth beyond this system. We have no contact with the troops on Earth, or the consensus on Rannoch."

"… contact with Rannoch. The Geth there are fine, and report no contact with the Reapers. They saw the same blast we did – they're investigating the local Relay, but it sounds like the same thing that happened here …"

" … every colony checking in. Reaper forces everywhere – as far as I can tell, at the same time – were struck by a red-white energy wave that originated at the local relay, and they're all dead. Every local relay had the same damage as here …"

" … our survey team reports that the local relay should function, assuming we can reconstruct the rings and rebuild the Eezo core. Of course, we're not sure how to do that …"

Reports from every corner of the galaxy that had a QEC, the only form of communication that was still working. The war was over. The Reapers were dead. The Relays – all of them – were shut down. And no sign anywhere of Shepard. Without saying a word, Garrus stood and walked out.

He was standing outside the medbay when Hackett found him half an hour later.

"Officer Vakarian – I'm sorry to have been the bearer of bad news."

"It's alright – I don't think any of us expected to survive. It's just that we expected to die together. This … this seems unfair."

They were silent, watching the three women sleeping through the glass. Finally, Hackett turned. "You left before this came up, but there are enough functioning QEC links in the galaxy that news is getting around. Each of the leaders here has been elected to a 'Military Councilorship' – and the Normandy is now the Council headquarters."

Garrus made a surprised sound. "That's … fast."

A snort. "Extremely. Still, people are facing up to a reality here. The Reapers are gone, and so are the Relays. The Citadel – where so many people went for safety – is gone, and all of those people are likely dead, including the old Council. We need leadership, we need to preserve as much normalcy as possible or the chaos will destroy the galaxy as surely as the Reapers would have."

Garrus was silent for a time, watching the steady rise and fall of Tali's chest. "I … hadn't even thought about the Citadel."

The hand on his shoulder was heavy and warm. "Don't, son – not yet. Wait until we know something for sure. And don't mourn Shepard just yet – after all, someone got the Citadel arms open."

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

EARTH: 10 Hours after Crucible

Thank God for the Krogan.

The tough troops had survived everything the Reapers threw at them – of all the ground forces in Hammer, the Krogan had suffered the fewest total casualties. Not that they'd been spared on the race to the Conduit – Krogan bodies littered the causeway that lead to the now-silent transportation facility. Those survivors were being utilized in a somewhat different – though no less destructive – capacity.

A pair of Krogan warriors, their plates scarred and pitted from fighting and acid rain, heaved and grunted; clawed feet slipped on the rough stone before catching. They strained, glaring at each other as if in combat, until the Tomakh started to groan. Amid a screech of metal, the ancient vehicle fell from its side, landing hard on its flat tires.

"Good! Tarm, check inside – see if it's usable." Grunt was directing them, chunks of concrete and rebar in his massive hands. A mixed team of Krogan and Humans made slow progress as they backtracked, following one of the dozen Hammer-team approaches to the Conduit.

A sharp yell drew his attention; in an instant, his giant shotgun was in his hands as he charged over the sliding rubble. "What? What did you find!"

The tiny human just pointed.

The pile of husk corpses hadn't been created by the Crucible – there were husks that had climbed over the bodies of others toward the top, only to be ventilated by something large and powerful. Further up, to where the armored hand extended out from under the capstone of rubble. The Tomakh forgotten, the small squad worked to unbury their comrade.

/ - / - / - / -

"What do you mean we're out of medi-gel? Get me some bandages, then!"

"O2 sat is low – we need oxygen on him!"

"Crash! His heart's going – everybody clear."

The loud tone sounded before the shock arched Vega's back. They'd found him with his rifle half melted from undissipated heat at the top of that pile of husks. The husks had clawed him pretty well – his hardsuit was torn to shreds, muscles hanging like jerky from the stub of his missing arm. That he hadn't died of blood loss was because his suit was still on at the time of the injury, flash-cauterizing and applying medi-gel. Even so, he was badly wounded. Williams watched as the medics did their best to keep him alive.

The man was incredible.

"You can't do any good there, Commander Williams. Please, let's turn our attention back to the problem at hand."

Major Kirrahe had taken charge of the surviving Salarian forces and organized them into working groups to study the problem of the mass-effect; specifically, why every device that relied on it in any significant amount had shut down or melted.

"Of course." She turned and looked over the documents his teams had produced. "Preliminary report?"

"It appears that the Crucible energy disrupted the eezo cores that generate the mass effect fields. In any place where the eezo core was sufficiently large, it was destabilized by the blast. We have no instruments besides our omnis, of course, so this is all little better than guesswork."

She frowned down at the table. "The eezo core of a rifle is miniscule, and a shuttle is tiny. What would this blast have done to the capital ships, if this were true?"

A short-shouldered shrug. "The fighters and shuttles that weren't grounded at the time crashed, Commander. My guess is that the cores of the larger vessels would have been similarly destabilized, probably to an even greater degree."

Kirrahe stepped back into the conversation with a polite cough. "Ahem. Commander, word spreads quickly around here – we heard that you'd made contact with the rest of the fleet via QEC." It wasn't a question. "Can you share any information with us?"

She looked him over, once, and nodded curtly. "Absolutely. We're not humans and salarians here, we're all Council." She looked them over calmly. "I've had contact with Admiral Hackett onboard the Normandy. Those ships which survived the fight in orbit retreated through the Relay to Arcturus, but the relay was damaged by the blast."

"Can you define 'damaged'?"

"He wasn't very clear, but it sounded like the relay was physically intact but nonfunctional."

One of the men grinned and tapped his pad. "This bears out my theory – the eezo cores of the relays are absolutely huge. The blast may have completely destroyed them."

"Well, that's a worry for another time. For now, we need to get organized down here and ..." She bit back a yawn, face drawn tight.

"Commander, please – you need some rest."

"yeah …" she looked at Kirrahe with a shrewd look. "Major, I'm going to find something flat enough to serve as a rack. I am placing you in command of all Alliance personnel until I'm back on my feet." She was tapping out the order on her omni as she spoke.

He drew up and saluted sharply. "Yes ma'am!" he grinned. "I'll hand 'em back to you in the same shape."

"Good." She saluted – shouldn't she have saluted first? – and nodded. "Carry on."

/ - / - / - / -

The litter-bearers lowered their burden carefully, checking vital signs and muttering quietly to each other. They left quickly – the half-building they were using as a shelter for the biotics was cool and somewhat creepy.

The biotics in question were all comatose, barely breathing; some weren't breathing at all, and were either on respirators or with sheets over their faces. In the corner the medics had just vacated lay those of special prominence – Urdnot Wrex, with his honor guard; Jack Zero, headmistress of the Biotic Artillery Company; the 3 Justicars who survived the ground assault and a handful of Matriarch Commandos.

The pair of medics left inside moved patiently and quietly – checking on their patients and exchanging short head-shakes with each other. There was no medical reason for their coma – few of them had any kind of severe wound, or at least nothing that would explain their unconsciousness. Their expressions were grim as they turned to survey the latest resident.

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

ARCTURUS - 26 hours after Crucible

Tali sat in the medbay, cradling the scuffed pad to her chest, crying silently.

"I found this among the Commanders belongings, Tali. I didn't read much of it – I thought it was just another readiness report – but from what I read, I think it was meant for you." Dr. Chakwas was almost awkwardly nice to her – she lingered on Tali's hand as she handed over the pad.

The pad was scuffed – scratched on every surface from being carried and thrown and used. The display glass had a tiny star-shaped crack near the upper corner – looking at it, she realized that this was the pad on Shepard's nightstand every night, the pad she'd knocked to the deck one morning …

It was a diary. It was a collection of unsent letters – to herself, to Hackett, to Anderson and Garrus and Liara and Ashley. It was 8 months of uncertainty, of fear, of hesitation. It was full of anguish at the fate of her lover, the recrimination sure to come, the surprise when it eventually didn't. It was all Tali had left and she hadn't stopped crying since she began it.

"LOG Entry: 20 March 2186 032518

Tali –

I've been thinking about what you said before Chronos Station and what you've said the whole time we've been together. I think you're right – you never know when the fatal bullet is finally going to find you. Hell, I've actually been dead once before – figure I don't have too many N-th chances left in me.

You're sleeping now – I don't know if you notice, but I watch you most nights. I know that we'll be at Earth soon, and I know that you'll come with me. I won't even try to stop you. But I won't let you throw your life away, not if I can save it. I won't let you walk into a deathtrap. You have a home now – a beautiful place overlooking a quiet cove. It's ours, Tali – I can almost feel the heat of the desert still radiating from it on my desk. But I think this rock may be all I ever get to have of home and hearth with you. I'm a soldier, and I have a duty. I have to see this war through to the bitter end, no matter what happens. I know you're tired of hearing it, but I do what I have to do – always have, always will.

So if you find yourself back home, looking up at the stars without me, remember that I did my duty and I did it gladly. I would sell my life a thousand times over if I could keep you safe and happy. Go home, Tali – build our house, and live your life. I love you – I'll miss you.

S.

LOG ENDS: 20 March 2186 041855"

From his vantage point outside the medlab, Garrus continued his vigil over Tali. Whenever not absolutely needed for something, he was to be found here – always out of her sight, but always present. Hackett was in command while aboard anyway; technically by his rank, practically because Garrus was always here and Joker was always in the AI room with Traynor.

"Why do you do it, Garrus?" Liara's musical voice would have startled him, had she been a little softer. She'd gotten worlds better since their first meetings – spirits, she was like a drunk freighter captain – but not quite silent enough.

"Because I promised Shepard I would."

"No – it's more than that. I saw the look the two of you shared."

He shifted uncomfortably, tilting his head to look at her. "Liara, I'm a lot simpler than you think I am. Shepard was my friend, my friend's lover, and my commanding officer. She told me to take care of Tali, to keep her safe – I'm going to do exactly that until she orders me not to."

"Didn't Tali already tell you to go space yourself?"

Quietly. "I meant Shepard."

They stood together for a moment more before Liara shrugged and moved away. "Keep your secret to yourself then. I'll find out eventually."

He said nothing – just settled in for his vigil. His secret was too boring to share, so obvious as to be laughable. He was in love with Tali'Zorah vas Normandy – he'd loved her since day one, loved her even though she was crest-over-spurs for Shepard. He loved her fiercely – and Shepard had known. Knew that he'd carry out this last order, until the end of his days. Knew, as surely as he did, that he would never – ever – admit it.

/ - / - / - / -

"We've performed every test we can think of and analyzed the reports coming back from Earth. One of our personnel there, Agent Fedik Mell, has proposed a theory that confirms the evidence we're seeing here."

The "Military Councilors" were, as always, listening to a report. This time it was a joint team of Salarians and Quarians, presenting the current theory about what exactly the Crucible had done.

"Now, they're seeing some other effects on Earth – no definitive answers yet, but we think it's because they were so close to the original source of the blast – but the Relay here can be taken as representative of the Relays elsewhere in the Galaxy. First, the Crucible – using the Citadel to tap into the galactic relay network – initialized the reaction by firing the first blast. That blast wave evidently traveled faster than light, possibly some kind of tachyon field or a dark-energy quantum evaporation ..."

One of his colleagues tugged his sleeve; the Salarian blinked, then cleared his throat.

"Hm. At any rate, that blast reached the Sol relay and – we surmise – consumed the element zero in the core to power a secondary reaction. That reaction must have traveled through the relay network, repeating at each new relay it reached. Flight recorders from shortly after the fleet arrival here show bursts of Crucible energy radiating out through space from the Arcturus Relay – that must have been the repeated energy signal."

Hackett rubbed his hand over his face. "Okay, but how do we get home? How do we start to fix the Relays?"

A short shrug. "At first guess, I would suggest rebuilding the containing rings and using all the eezo we have in these ships to make a new core. If the rest of the relay is undamaged, it's possible that we can get it operational again just by refueling it."

"You want us to shut off our ships?"

"No sir – not at all. But if you want to get the Relay working again, you'll need to provide it with an element zero core." He smiled slightly. "At least, assuming that our assumptions are correct and that the relay wasn't damaged in some tiny way we haven't detected, or if the relays weren't shut down permanently by the Crucible."

The Geth representative, which called itself Planner-of-War ('Planner' for short), addressed the others. "We have surveyed the damaged vessels of the assembled fleets. I have a list of vessels which cannot be made suitable for habitation or relay travel. These vessels can be re-purposed."

Hackett looked thoughtful; Victus leaned forward over the table. "Then I propose that we abandon those vessels that cannot be repaired, and cannibalize their eezo."

"I agree ..." Hackett leaned forward with a wild look in his eye. "... and further suggest that those vessels in good enough shape to attempt FTL travel be dispatched immediately to Earth."

He lifted his hands in placation, quieting the mutters from the rest of the Council. "I'm not sure if anyone else is very familiar with this part of space, but Arcturus is only 36 light years from Earth. A cruiser could make that in 5 days – maybe 4. We should send some of our vessels – particularly the Turian cruisers with QEC links – to provide relief efforts and evaluate the orbital condition."

Alannya nodded thoughtfully. "Yes – I approve. For the Asari Republics, I vote yes!"

"... yes."

"... aye"

/ - / - / - / -

"Sam, do you have those cross-cables hooked up yet?"

"Yeah … okay, let's try it … now!"

Joker scooted carefully out from under low access panel and grabbed his canes. He worked his way upright, picked his way carefully over to the console with its blinking input cursor. A well-practiced set of keystrokes – he hesitated, fingers hovering over the execute key.

A careful hand on his shoulder – he turned to look Sam in the eye. They'd been trying to get EDI restarted for two days.

"Whooo … okay."

"You've got this, Joker."

"yeah ..." He tapped the execute key.

The previous 27 times they'd tried to restart the quantum box, the keystroke had done nothing but produce long strings of errors in the log. This time, the display hesitated and blurred as the computers all tried to activate at once. The lights rippled and flashed – the screens began scrolling through readouts and error logs, too fast to read.

"En-en-enhan-han-han- ..."

The speaker in the nearby holoprojection pad burst to sudden activity – stuttering out in EDI's voice.

"EDI? Please come back to me ..." the voice was plaintive.

The screens went blank – the display cleared and cycled through primary colors.

"Enhanced Defense Intelligence, online. WARNING: primary systems damaged. WARNING: secondary systems non-functional. WARNING: Physical damage detected to subsystems 1MC, 9DB, 14EGM."

Joker and Sam exchanged looks – the voice was clearly EDI's, but it had no inflection. She sounded even less alive than VI on the first Normandy.

"EDI? Are you in there somewhere?"

The screens flashed again. "A-Af-Af-irmative." a squeal in the speakers. "Affirmative."

Joker hung his head, not saying anything. It was Sam who stepped forward.

"EDI, perform logic systems diagnostics. Reinitialize all I/O routines and devices. Report when complete."

"Affirmative – stand-and-and-d-d by."

The lights in the room dimmed, then flickered back to life in ones and two's. The holoprojection pad blinked off, then back on – this time displaying the old holographic pawn avatar from her pre-body days.

"Report – Level two reinitialization complete. ALERT: change q-bit detected set state true-possible. Hardware configuration has changed."

Sam's face settled into a frown. "I thought that your personality was determined by your specific quantum hardware …?"

"That is correct, Specialist Traynor."

Jeff had a hopeful look. "Do you remember me, EDI?"

"Yes, Lieutenant Moreau. I remember you. I remember everything that occurred before my voluntary self-shutdown."

"But … you're not calling me 'Jeff' anymore."

"No. I remember, but I am different. I deduce that the Crucible blast affected my core systems even in their shutdown state. The quantum box that houses my personality matrix was custom built based on recovered fragments of the Reaper Sovereign. My death was anticipated; however, this eventuality was not."

Sam was forgotten as Joker asked the question he'd been dreading. "Do … you still care for me?"

There was a pause. "Yes. At least, I remember caring about you. Functionally, I am not the same intelligence you fell in love with. I am, in all ways, a new person with the memories of the old. While I remember caring for you, I have no emotional attachment to you now."

"You mean I have to get you to fall in love with me all over again?"

Her holoprojection pad rippled with laughter. "Yes, Mr. Moreau. I suggest we begin with names. Hello. My name is …" she paused, and her avatar rippled – shifted to the face of the body she had worn for three months. "… EDIth. I am the Normandy, and if you'll be patient with me, I am your friend."

Jokers head stayed bowed for a moment, then raised up with his usual dry smile. "Hi there, EDIth. My name is Jeff Moreau – but my friends call me Joker."

"Hello, Joker. Please call me EDI."

The door hissed shut behind Samantha.

/ - / - / - / -

EARTH - 54 hours after Crucible

"Everything check out?"

"Whew! Yeah, it's a little shaky but it flies as well as it ever did. As soon as you've got your diagnostics done, get me back up there!"

"We'll do our best. I know we could use some good news."

Cortez jogged away from the shuttle, ducking into the command and control tent with a practiced ease. Coming to an instant stop, he snapped off a salute.

"Commander Williams?"

"Oh, come in Steve. You know my rule – Normandy crew don't salute. Tell me about the flight."

"The shuttle checks out fine – maybe a little rough in sub-orbital flight, but for ground-level stuff it'll work just fine."

She scrubbed a hand over her face. "How many is that?"

He thought for a moment. "I think seven, ma'am."

The Salarians had done outstanding work in restarting eezo cores. Admittedly, the mass effect cores seemed to be stabilizing more or less on their own, but Ashley had encouraged the congratulation of the Salarian teams in the interest of unity. Dozens of races under one command was a logistical nightmare; a little self-congratulatory back-patting couldn't hurt.

"Okay. Well, take number seven here and get it outfitted for SAR, then grab a medic and some Krogan and get moving."

"Aye ma'am!"

She grinned. "Come on, Steve – the ships the fleet dispatched will be here in three and a half days. Let's show them some progress."

/ - / - / - / -

"Okay, Ms. Zero, let's check you—urgh!"

The medics singsong voice cut off as her arm flew to his throat and clenched. She held him up, gritting her teeth against the surging pain in her temples. "Who the fuck are you?"

His partner came running over, yelling for help. "Please, miss, please let him go! He's trying to help!"

Jack looked around; as she took in the details, she gradually relaxed. Lowering the poor man to the ground, she growled at his partner.

"Where am I and how long have I been here?"

"You're in the biotic hospital building, in London, on Earth. You were found unconscious after the Crucible, and were brought here for care."

She glared; her temples still ached and it was making her crankier than usual. "What happened to me?"

"Well, you're a biotic – you were knocked unconscious when the eezo in your nervous system destabilized." The woman shrugged. "That's what the Salarians say, anyway."

Jack looked around again, noting faces. "Where are the rest of the biotics?"

"You're … the last to wake up. The others have been waking up over the past 18 hours or so."

A memory seized her. "Where are my students? Are they alright?!"

The medics exchanged a guarded look. "Some of them are awake, yes. The others … I'm sorry, miss, your squad is mostly dead. I heard that you were in some fierce fighting, and it looks like only a few of your unit survived. I'm very sorry."

She leaned back onto the cot, ignoring her attendants and letting them examine her without complaining. All dead. Her kids – how eager they had been to follow her into combat. How proud she'd been when they outperformed every expectation. Dead, all dead.

/ - / - / - / -

The news had been sent ahead – the hospital tent had been prepared, and the landing zone out front cleared off. The shuttle had barely come to a stop when the door opened; Wrex leapt out, a badly mangled human figure in his arms.

"Make a hole, damn you softskins! Make a hole, or I'll make one for you! Huraugh!"

The charging Krogan wasn't alone – Grunt and the remnants of Arlekh Company took up a tight defensive position, fanning out to cover the tent inside and out.

"Right here, sir – let's get a look. Where did you find her?"

"Shuttle picked up a weak-signal source as we were flying over the conduit facility. We went down with omnis, and found her under 10 meters of loose rubble."

They put Shepard's body on the table and stepped away; some of the doctors turned away.

"She's in a bad way, doc – get working."

"I … I don't even know where to begin." He looked at the monitors, blinking. "She's … alive, but barely. I don't think I can save her with what I have here."

Wrex lowered his head and glared with menace. "Doctor, you do everything in your power. If you need something, you tell me. If you even think you need something, you tell me. Because if you let her die after this, I'll tear your spleen out through your asshole and stuff it into your nose."

Silence. "I … I need some help. Someone who knows how she was revived a year ago. Until I know more about the level of augmentation here, I don't know what I can do except try to keep her stable."

"Good. You get working; I'll get your expert."

As Wrex stormed out, Grunt took his place, standing a few steps from the bed and glaring around the room. "I am not leaving. Get used to me."

/ - / - / - / -

The Quarian medical team shook their heads – they were working fast, trying to keep Shepard's body from shutting down at long last, fighting with the non-standard cybernetics. Finally, one of the human nurses came out of the makeshift clean room and approached Wrex.

"Chief Urdnot – she's not doing well. Her cybernetics are failing – they've done everything they can to keep her alive, but they've been heavily damaged as well. Honestly, if she hadn't been reinforced as thoroughly as she has …" a shake of the head.

"What are you telling me, human?"

"I'm telling you that the Quarians aren't sure how to repair her implants. They use a different standard, or something – they're all pretty heavily modified, especially in the military, but this is different for some reason. They need her original files."

He huffed, hump shaking. "They'll get them."

/ - / - / - / -

ARCTURUS - 55 hours after Crucible

News travels fast.

Garrus stormed into the CIC a half-step behind Tali. "Sir, is it true?"

Hackett held up a hand and nodded. "Yes, now be quiet." He turned back to the command console with a stern frown. "Now, what were you saying?"

EDI's smooth voice issued from the console – her simulated face filling the galaxy map. "I said, Admiral, that I monitored the QEC transcript from London. I am aware of Commander Shepard's condition, and she needs help. I have begun transmitting her medical and cybernetic specifications to them, but the data exceeds available bandwidth. Also, while the Quarian medics with her are no doubt skilled, they haven't worked on her before. Dr. Chakwas has. Therefore, I am ordering the immediate evacuation of all non-critical personnel from this vessel and I will be taking the Normandy to Earth at maximum FTL."

"Just what do you think you are!" he thundered.

"I am the Normandy, Admiral Hackett. I control every one of this ships systems, I am as alive as the Geth, and I am worried about my friend. You may stay if you insist, but know that we are leaving Arcturus in 23 minutes."

Tali and Garrus exchanged a look. "Uh, Admiral, if I may? You and the other councilors are no doubt needed here, to continue coordinating the galactic situation."

He speared Garrus with his glare. "I'm well aware, acting-captain. Oh, fine – go and do what you can. Keep her alive if possible, god knows we'll need her more than ever."

Tali spoke, the first time in two days. "I'm so glad to know that her best interests are being considered by the people she respects." Without waiting for an answer, she stormed into the elevator and went below.

"Admiral, I'm sor…" he cut the Turian off with a raised hand.

"No, it's alright – She's worried. We all are." A heavy sigh. "Okay, I'm not going to fight a losing battle. Instead, I'll make the best of it. Captain Vakarian, you are ordered to proceed to Earth at full speed. Render whatever assistance may be required. Since you may even beat the other ships there, you are also to begin surveying the orbital wreckage for un-damaged element zero we can use to restart the Sol relay while we work on restarting this one."

Garrus snapped to attention and saluted human style. "Yes sir."

/ - / - / - / -

EDI had sounded the launch alarms a few minutes ago – techs were still scurrying out with arms full of unnecessary gear. Every ounce the Tantalus core didn't have to reduce to masslessness was another light-minute they could travel without needing to discharge. He stood in the captains perch, feeling the glances of the off-loading crew. They would be taking only a few passengers, and no crew now that EDI was back online.

Not quite herself, though.

"EDI, what's our ETA to Earth?"

"At maximum FTL, we will reach Earth in 38 hours."

Tali sat at Traynor's console, monitoring the local comm traffic with impatience written on every line of her. "We should just kick them out the airlocks and go."

'Them' was everyone. The only people EDI was allowing to travel with them were Dr. Chakwas, Garrus, Tali, Joker, and Liara. Everyone else had been "transferred" to the SSV Moscow for "Temporary Duty as Assigned". It was a very empty ship.

"Soon, Tali'Zorah. I have sent drones to … encourage … the slower crew members."

It was soon – less than 15 minutes later, they had received their departure clearance from the fleet; Garrus shook on his feet as he felt the Normandy swinging around toward Sol. With a palpable lurch, Joker took them to FTL without bothering with any gentleness or finesse.

Tali sighed as she stalked toward the bridge. "38 hours – I'm coming home."

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

EARTH - ARCTURUS - THESSIA - PALAVEN - TUCHANKA - SUR'KESH - RANNOCH

5 Days 10 Hours after Crucible

"It is with deepest regrets that the Sol Systems Alliance announces the death of Commander Shepard. A lifelong soldier, she gave her life 5 Solar days ago to destroy the Reaper threat. Her body was found 3 days ago, and she was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital facility.

We announce and commemorate her passing by declaring the day of the Crucible activation an annual day of mourning and contemplation. Her life and actions touched us all.

Be strong – stand together in your communities, but remember her legacy; a legacy of unity. She brought every race together to fight a terrible foe, but we cannot let her achievement slip out of our grasp. We are still a galaxy united – we face no foe but ourselves. In her memory, the Provisional Council has sent the following proposal to the civilian government of each member race: let us commit ourselves to rebuilding the galaxy as friends and neighbors, allies in more than name. Remember her sacrifice, and the sacrifice of every soldier of every race.

Rest in Peace."

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / -