"Alright Turian, I'll see your 50 creds and raise you another 100" the Spartan spouted in frustration, throwing the credit chits onto the table. The pile of chits in front of Garrus and Tali had been growing after almost every single hand, while Six was watching his own money disappear as fast as the beer the three had been drinking. Empty bottles littered the room, two equally large piles next to both Garrus and Six. Even Tali had knocked back more than anyone would have expected from her.

"You Humans just never learn, do you?" asked Garrus snidely, as he laughed when seeing the Lieutenant's face get beat red. "Didn't you say something like 'I haven't lost a game of Poker since I was a Chief Petty Officer'?" I wouldn't have thought you even knew how to place this game, Six."

"Laugh it up, Vakarian. Oh, and you!" Six pointed to the Quarian giggling on the sofa next to him. "Don't think I forgot about you. You may have the best Poker face here, but I'm going to get all my creds back from you and then spend it all on myself. You won't be getting any more fancy Omni-tools from me!"

Tali, who normally would very likely apologize profusely at that statement, only laughed it off in her buzzed and proud state. "Then it's a good thing you already go this one for me; I don't need another one for years now. Thanks again, Six. This new Omni-tool will make it so much easier for me to count all the creds I won from you!" She raised her beer to him, and then finished off yet another bottle of the Quarian beer that Garrus got for her. At the rate the three were going, they would all be under the table before someone lost the game.

"Hmph. You two are lucky I'm in such a nice mood" Six sputtered out, as he reached for his drink. "Alright Garrus, let's see the last card."

Garrus nodded as he took a sip from his beer, throwing the last card on the table. It was the King of Hearts. "Looks like we might have some big hands here" Garrus said, smirking at Six as he did. And he was right; the other four cards on the table were the Ace of Spades, Queen of Hearts, Jack of Clubs, and Nine of Hearts. More than one of them could have quite the hand.

The Spartan took a quick look at his own cards again; the Seven of Hearts and Ace of Hearts. Not only did he hold a flush, but also had the highest ranked card, the Ace, if either Garrus of Tali also had two suited cards of Hearts. He could barely contain the smile that tried to creep onto his face. "Alright Tali, it's your bet."

"Ok, I'll raise it another 100 credits." She took another sip through her straw, and placed yet another credit chit in the pile. "I'm not worried about you two beating me."

"I didn't know Quarians were such avid gamblers, Tali. You'll have to tell us more about it sometime. But that still comes after the immune system talk. I'm still waiting on that one." Garrus smiled at her, taking a gulp from his beer with a cocky grin.

"And I can still go get my shotgun" she answered.

"Hah! That never gets old, does it? Alright Tali, I can't let you walk away with this pot, so I'll see your 100, and raise you another 200. Still in the game, Zorah?"

Tali started to reach into her pocket to match the Turian, but stopped halfway. Apparently, even after drinking some beers, Tali could still exercise an appropriate level of self-control. "Ummm, actually… I fold." She dropped her cards on the table, clearly upset over Garrus' aggressive playing style.

"Looks like it's just you and me, Six. Are you sure you don't want to just let me win? We all know I'm going to anyways."

"So that's how it's going to be Garrus? Alright, I'll play along. But let's make this more interesting. I'll match your bet, but the loser of this hand has to call it a night. And to make it really fun, the loser also has to drink a beer from the other's stash."

Garrus was surprised by the offer, but didn't seem to mind. "So, the loser has to get sick for the next few days? I'm game, since I already know I'm going to win this. You're on, Six."

"You two are complete fools. Whoever has to drink that beer will be in the infirmary for the entire night. I've already had to drag Shepard out of Flux once, I'm not helping whoever loses this game." Tali seemed to be sharp on the conversation, as her voice sounded more concerned than one would expect after a night of drinking.

"Don't worry Tali, we'll both be fine. I've got enough augmentation that I don't have to worry about it, and Garrus here is so convinced he'll win that we don't need to be worried about him." Six shot a look of sarcasm at his Turian friend, only to be met with one in return. "Besides, I bet Garrus always wanted to learn what a real beer tastes like."

The two laughed a bit, and then Garrus threw his cards on the table. A Ten and a Five. "That, Lieutenant, is a Straight King High. So I'll just be taking these credit chits while you can drink some fine Palaven Ale." Garrus reached for a bottle from the box by his side, and held it out for the Spartan to take. He only got a smile in return.

"That's usually a pretty good hand, Garrus. But, I forgot; is this any better?" Six threw his two cards down, and it only took Garrus a moment to notice they were both Hearts. "Wait, I remember now, a flush does beat a straight! Read 'em and weep Turian! Those creds are mine!" The drunk Spartan jumped up from his chair, proceeding to strut around his cabin several times shouting before sitting down next to Garrus, who was holding his head in his hands. "Here, Garrus. This is the best Human beer you'll ever taste. And if we play again, it won't be the last."

Garrus took the bottle and slammed the drink in a matter of seconds. Without even saying goodnight, the Turian got up, waved his hands in frustration at Six and Tali, and simply walked towards the door. "I'll see you both tomorrow. You'll probably find me in the med bay after I realize how stupid it was to drink that beer." He walked out the door quickly, and left Six and Tali alone to clean up the mess.

After sitting for a few moments silently, Tali decided to speak. "You know Six, we don't have to play anymore. I'd be fine just relaxing for a little bit instead. I think I've had enough of Garrus' idea of a good Quarian beer for tonight." Even while she said that, Tali took another sip of her beer. She did hiccup, though.

"Heh, what makes you think I should let you off so easy? I just beat Garrus in one hand." He chuckled a little, but started grabbing all the cards to show he was only joking. "That's a good idea Tali. I could use a break from the drinks and bragging. If you don't mind, though…" He looked up right at her while he was still cleaning the mess on the table up. "I'd like to know more about your people. You know, Quarians. That's not rude to ask, right?"

Tali was more than surprised at his question. 'Why would he want to know about Quarians?' She asked herself. She was happy to answer anyways. "Of course, Six. I'd love to. I'm just… surprised you want to know about us. I know a little about where you came from, and I wouldn't think you would want to know anything about aliens."

"Don't be. The Quarians never did anything to me. Do you want to sit in front of the window? Kasumi got a couple great chairs for me to look out at the stairs with."

"That sounds nice, Six" she answered. The two walked around the table and sat down in front of the window, each in their own chair. "What do you want to know about?"

"I guess… everything really. I don't really know anything about Quarians. I've heard a little about the Migrant Fleet, but I don't know much else. Do you want to tell me about that?"

Tali smiled behind her mask. Even if she was tired and tipsy, she was always happy to talk about the Fleet. "I'd like that… The Migrant Fleet is home to almost all Quarians in the galaxy; the only other Quarians are those on their Pilgrimage. There are more than 17 million of us in the Fleet, spread across 50,000 ships. I know it doesn't sound like much for an entire race, but it has to do with the war with the Geth. When they drove us from our homeworld and colonies, only those of us that were able to escape on ships were able to survive. Even with thousands of military and commercial craft evacuating all the people they could fit, billions had to be left behind. And they were… killed by the Geth. Children, the elderly… everyone." She trailed off as her emotions got the better of her in her intoxicated state.

The Lieutenant knew what it felt like to see people left behind on a planet; all too well, in fact. The thought of leaving so many people behind on Reach was something that still nagged at him every day. "I'm sorry Tali. I didn't mean to bring something like this up."

"It's alright. No Quarian alive now lived through it. We're all used to living in the Fleet. The war with the Geth is really just a story to us now. We all want to go home, but we know it can't happen. Not without another war. And we can't afford one without somewhere for our civilians to be sheltered and…"

"And that's the reason you want to go home. It's never easy, is it?"

"No… but you wanted to know about the Fleet, not our history."

"Well, I did say everything" he snickered. He paid close attention to her reaction; as soon as the words left his mouth, Six was worried it was the wrong time for a joke. He was happy to hear Tali laugh, if just a bit.

"I guess so. As for living in the Fleet now, it isn't easy. Not compared to what the rest of the galaxy is like, at least. Growing up, I didn't think anything of how we live. We have very little contact with the rest of the galaxy; other than the Admiralty Board's communications with cluster governements regarding us passing through, we try to be as independent as possible. It's not that we aren't friendly, but we keep a very delicate balance to ensure our survival. We don't want to resort to asking anyone for aid, when it likely won't come."

"Is the Admiralty Board your government?"

"Yes. Well, it's one of the two political powers in the Fleet. The Admiralty Board consists of five members; my father is the senior Admiral on the board and…"

"Wait a second Tali; are you telling me you're some kind of Quarian Royal family member? If the Admirals lead the Fleet…"

"Heh, it's nothing so fancy. The Admirals are elected, and family is left out of decisions as much as possible. I probably had some advantages growing up, but that would have been all. And it was never anything so important that I remember. Even Admirals that have their own agendas realize that they hold the survival of our people in their decisions. It's a good way to keep them in check; for the most part. The other branch of our government is the Conclave; each ship has a representative in it, and they represent the civilians of the Fleet."

"How do they agree on anything when there are 50,000 representatives? And where do they even meet?"

"It's not as complicated as it sounds. They never actually meet in-person; obviously that wouldn't work. Decisions are made by voting on questions through ship-wide communications. The Conclave makes decisions on a much broader scale than the Admirals. For example, the Conclave makes decisions on where the Fleet is headed. Unclaimed systems with element zero and water supplies are the most sought. After the destination is ruled by the Conclave, the Admirals are assigned to decide a route. The safest ones are usually chosen; mercenary and pirate activity is avoided. Even though almost every ship is armed to defend itself in some way, we only have a few hundred real warships. Pirates don't like attacking the Fleet much, but we have to be careful. A few heavily armed pirate frigates could raid some of the more vulnerable ships and escape before the Heavy Fleet could respond."

"It sounds like the Fleet is more of a military convoy than a group of civilian ships."

"In some ways, you're right. When we first fled from our homeworld, the survivors were under martial law. Technically, the Fleet is still under martial law. Even now, we have to keep a strict control on what goes on in the Fleet. Quarians have had to surrender many of the civil liberties the races in Council space take for granted. Space is very limited for us, and most of the time families share a single space. They are also limited to one child; we have to keep our population at zero growth. Otherwise, we might not be able to feed everyone. If we have a decline in our population, the Conclave will offer incentives to families to have more children."

"I guess the Quarians don't want to have their numbers go down at all just as much as you need to keep from growing. It doesn't sound like you get to have much fun, Tali…"

"It's not as serious as I'm making it out to be. We have to work very hard, but even we know that you have to relax. Spending every day of your life would burn even the toughest of us out. Since we spend all our time on ships, we have become very social with each other. Each ship's crew is like a family, and we all make sure we're happy. Every night, we spend time telling stories to each other. A ship's captain usually will lead, but anyone who is crew of the ship is free to speak. We like to get involved with each other."

"So, you become crew on a ship after your Pilgrimage, right? That's what your last name is, isn't it?"

"Not like Human last names, but I get what you mean. After my Pilgrimage, I joined the Neema, so I added vas Neema to my name. My clan name is Zorah. That's the same name my father has. That's closest to a Human's last name. For very formal occasions, I'd likely introduce myself with my birth ship's name as well, the Rayya. And since I am explaining this all to the representative of another galaxy…" Tali stood up, drink in hand, and proceeded to formally introduce herself to the Spartan. "Tali'Zorah vas Neema nar Rayya." She fell back into her chair, leaving Six to laugh at her. "I'm making a fool of myself, aren't I?"

"Only a little bit, Tali. But you're telling me a lot about Quarians, and I'm glad I know that much more about you. It's been fun." He thought to himself for a moment… 'Fun. Now that's something I haven't had for a long time.' What surprised him the most was that he noticed it. "I hope you and Garrus had some fun tonight. I'm sure he'll yell at me tomorrow, but I think he was enjoying himself."

"Don't worry, Six. Garrus may pout like an Asari when he loses a game, but he'll admit he lost. As long as he isn't dead in the morning from drinking your beer…. I can't believe he did that. Even for him that's stupid. He's a Turian of his word, if nothing else."

"You don't actually think that will hurt him, do you?" He asked with some concern in his voice; did he actually just kill the first friend he made in this galaxy?

"Heh, no, not really. I'm sure he'll be sick tomorrow, and that he'll be hiding in the forward battery all day. But the worst thing you have to worry about is Doctor Chakwas coming to yell at you. She doesn't mind yelling at anyone she's mad with."

"Yea, I've gotten the impression that the Doctor will yell at anyone if she thinks she needs to. I bet even the Commander isn't safe from her."

"No, not even Shepard" Tali giggled. "During a mission on the Citadel once, Shepard and Garrus were chasing some mercenaries on foot. The criminals got into a sky car, and Shepard jumped on and tried to climb in after them. They flipped the car over and he went flying! He broke a few ribs, and Chakwas yelled at him for 10 minutes because he was 'being brash and foolish.' We were all laughing about it for weeks."

"It seems like the crew on the first Normandy were a lot friendlier than they are now. What happened?"

Tali shook her head in frustration and anger, thinking about the people she was now surrounded by. "This is a Cerberus ship, that's what happened. You already know they don't like anyone that isn't Human. And the team Shepard has now… he had to go looking for them and ask them to join. On the first Normandy, everyone on his team asked to help; we all wanted to help him track Saren down." She stopped for a moment, thinking over everything she has just said. "Listen to me, complaining about the people who saved my life. Most of them are nice, and really want to help stop the Collectors. Ken and Gabby in engineering both left the Alliance because they believed Shepard about the Reapers. And Joker… well he just wants to fly the Normandy. But he would follow Shepard anywhere. Mordin is happy working in the lab, Grunt is eager just to shoot things…"

"But then we have Miranda…"

"Hmph, yes. Her. It's not just the Cerberus part of her that bugs me; she's up to something. The day after you rescued me on Haestrom, I found new surveillance bugs around my station. I don't think anyone else on the ship would have planted them. She's going to be trouble at some point." Tali turned to look at Six before speaking again. "Thanks for listening to me, Six. I was supposed to be telling you about Quarians, and instead you have to hear me babble about what I don't like on the Normandy. But you never stopped me."

He smiled at her, patting her on the shoulder gently. "Don't worry, Tali. Everyone needs to vent sometimes. I'm glad I could help. I didn't have many people to talk with like this when I was back home, so it's a nice change. Sorry if I'm no good at it."

"No, you have been really great. And not just now, but ever since we met. You risked your life for me on Haestrom, before you had even met me. You saved me from that mercenary on Illium, too. Garrus and Shepard are the only real friends I have in this galaxy, but… I think I'm going to have three soon."

She raised her drink to him, waiting for a toast. Six was more than happy to accept. They clinked their glasses together, both smiling and taking a gulp. Well, Six assumed she was smiling.

"But I haven't asked you anything yet. If you don't mind telling me, what was it like in your galaxy?"

"Well, that's a more complicated question than you think Tali. The last few years have been better, and I've actually had time to do some things I wanted to. But the first 23 years of my life were filled with nothing but fighting… it's a long story, and it's late. Why don't I tell you about it another time?" He tried as hard as he could to make it seem like he was only tired, but Six had a feeling Tali knew better.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you think about something bad, or remember…."

"You didn't do anything wrong, Tali. Let's just talk about it later…. I bet you're getting pretty tired now anyways. I promise I'll tell you more, but just… not now."

He stood up silently, hoping Tali would do the same. As happy as he was to be talking with her, Six simply wasn't ready to talk about himself on the same level Tali just did. He realized how hypocritical it must seem, but it didn't change his mind. He was relieved to see Tali stand up, simply nodding at him as she walked towards the cabin door.

"Do you want me to help you clean this mess up? I don't want you to think I'm ungrateful for having us in your cabin…"

"Nah, don't worry about it Tali. I'll get everything myself."

"Alright, Six. It was really fun spending time with you and Garrus tonight, Six. I hope we can do it again sometime. Maybe without all the drinking, though." She laughed a little, the alcohol still flowing through her. "You know, I get really bored being alone in engineering most of the time. Maybe you and Garrus could come visit me sometimes?"

"I think I… err, we, can do that Tali. Have a nice night, and I'll see you in the morning." They both nodded to each other, and then Tali turned around to head into the elevator for her bed in engineering.

.

"It looks like your night of fun was a success, Lieutenant." Leliana spoke through his armor's external speakers, seemingly begging for attention. After being stuck in it for the past few hours, she was eager to get out and speak with Six.

"I guess you'd like to talk about it?" he asked, as he walked towards his armor stand to remove her memory chip. He placed her on her usual spot at the center table. "I think it was a good idea spending some time with the two of them."

"Yes, but you could've made less of a mess with the place" she said, looking at the table around her. Empty beer bottles and snacks filled at area; not what you would expect from a Spartan. "I think Kasumi would be shocked to see what you've done with all her furniture."

"Heh, probably. But she doesn't have to know about it. I'll clean everything up now, anyways." He was walking around the room as he talked to Leliana, picking up trash and tossing it in the room's garbage chute. "You know I'm new to this 'hanging out' thing Leliana; how do you think I did?"

"Well Lieutenant, you put Garrus in the infirmary, and Tali asked you to visit her in engineering. I'd say that's what friends do" she said with a smile. "But I don't think Garrus will be happy to see you, tomorrow. I accessed the extranet when he lost that hand, and Turians and Humans drinking together is a well-documented occurrence. Because of the lingering animosity between the two races, members from each will often challenge each other, just like you and Garrus, to drink what they know will harm them. These are usually hostile, unlike tonight, and more alcohol is often consumed, yet they usually only result in mild sickness. I expect Garrus will be fine."

"I have a feeling I'll be drinking one of those Turian ales before it's all said and done. What about Tali? You don't think I asked her about too much, right? I didn't want to pry."

Leliana was always aware of Six's mood; after all, she spent almost every moment of her life since her 'birth' with the Lieutenant. While he asked about both Garrus and Tali, he now started to show a different emotion in his voice whenever it was about the Quarian. It didn't take the AI's advanced mind to notice; just the Human part of her. She smiled, realizing she was that much closer to getting him to open up. "She talked for a long time, Six. If she was uncomfortable talking about Quarians with you, I don't think you would have heard so much. I think she had a great time tonight. Well done, Lieutenant."

The Spartan smiled, if only a little so that Leliana wouldn't see. He was happy, thinking that he might actually find something good in this new galaxy. His new friends were a good start. "Do you think I came off as selfish when I told her I didn't want to talk about me? Like you said, she told me a lot about herself and Quarians, and then I basically just told her to leave."

"I have no doubt she is more than smart enough to realize you are hiding something, Lieutenant" she said, looking right into his eyes. A few moments without response told the AI she wasn't getting anywhere with that. "But I also think she's nice enough not to pry; for now, at least. When the two of you get to know each other more, I think you'll be telling her what's wrong. Tali doesn't seem like someone to ignore her friends."

"But until then, I'm going to enjoy my privacy Leliana" he said, adding some seriousness to his tone. "You know I don't like talking about it, so let's just give it a rest for a while, ok?" His sudden outburst caused Leliana to pause, dipping her head and turning her eyes in shame. Her constant prying into the Lieutenant's past got her in trouble this time.

"I'm sorry, Six" she said quietly.

"I'm going to sleep, Leliana. Please wake me up in the morning." Without saying another word, Six walked to his bed, hit the lights and dropped into bed. Between Tali's questioning and Leliana's nosiness, thoughts of that damned planet flooded through the Spartan's mind. Those he met there, and those he lost there.

He was going to have a rough night.

.

He had just landed at Olympic Tower. The area was safe, for the moment, and he was just coming through the doorway into where the rest of Noble Team was waiting. He walked in to find Carter and Emile idling about, Jun looking out at the city, and Kat working on a damaged comm unit. They all knew about Jorge, and it showed. Not to mention the burning city they were attempting to save.

"Look at this place… it used to be the crown jewel of Reach. Not anymore, that's for sure" said Jun, as he continued to scan the area. He turned when he heard Six come in. "Hey, good to see you made it Six. Glad you could take care of those Banshees for us." Jun smiled, nodding up for Six to look at the ceiling. They both laughed when he saw a broken Banshee, hanging in some cables.

"It was fun, Jun. Maybe if you wouldn't hide so far off all the time, you could help."

"Glad to have you back, Lieutenant. Didn't seem right with you gone" Carter said, walking over to him and Jun.

"Yea, it's one big family reunion, isn't it?" Emile said, his attitude ever prevalent in his voice.

Six reached into his pocket, pulling Jorge's clean dog tags from it. He held them out for Carter to take, but he was interrupted before he could say anything.

"You should keep 'em Six. He gave them to you."

Carter looked at Emile, then back to Six and nodded. The Lieutenant tucked them away, secretly happy to have them as a reminder.

Jun looked over at Six briefly, shrugging a bit before speaking. "Hmph, Jorge always said he would never leave Reach willingly."

"Hah hah hah. The big guy always was a bit sentimental. Guess he got what he wished for…" said Emile.

"He gave his life for us, and he thought he just saved the planet" Carter said sternly. "We should all be so lucky when we go. Carter walked over to the shattered window by Jun, while Six stood next to Kat. She looked back up at him, smiling a little before turning back to work on the comm unit.

"Commander, is that true what we heard about Gauntlet, Red, and Echo Teams being assigned to civilian evac ops? It doesn't sound good." Jun set his binoculars down, looking at Carter.

Carter didn't have to think twice about who was responsible to learning of those teams' redeployment. "Those are senior level communiques Lieutenant-Commander!"

Kat just kept working, shrugging a bit. "I heard what I heard, sir. Jun's point is, why assign Spartans to defensive deployments?"

"Get me my link to SATCOM, Kat. Now."

"Chasing it, Carter. This console has more shrapnel and plasma damage in it than transceivers. You'll be lucky if you can call me with it… and you didn't answer my question."

"What, do you want to know if we're losing?"

"We all know we're losing. We want to know if we've lost."

Before he had to answer Kat, the radio sprang to life, if only barely. And they were rewarded with a static ridden transmission the Colonel.

"It's Colonel Holland, he's hailing us. What the hell is he doing on an open channel?" Kat snapped.

"Let's hear it, Kat."

"…near the southwest quadrant of the city, over? Sierra Two-Five-Nine, if you are receiving, I am authorizing override of radio security protocols to link with this channel."

"How long do I get a secure link, Kat?"

"You don't."

"Can they trace it?"

"I sure as hell could."

Kat held the ear piece out behind her, not even turning to look at Carter. "Make it quick, Carter."

Jun was back to watching the area now, eager to keep an eye out for any increase in Covenant activity. He snapped his attention to something in the south. "We've got a lot of Covenant movement over there. Multiple vehicles are vacating the area… and they're in a big hurry!"

Emile stood up, his interest piqued. "How the hell often do we see Covenant retreating for no damn reason?"

"We don't" said Kat, who looked down at her datapad. "Radiation flare, and it's big! Forty million roentgens!"

"I just lost Holland, Kat. What the hell is going on here?" asked Carter.

"Atomic excitement scrambled the signal. It's at ninety million now! Watch out!"

Before anyone could respond, they were thrown to the ground from a shockwave. Covenant ships started glassing the area, air being forced into the room from incredible pressure.

"Time to go people! Let's move!" Carter yelled, taking Emile and Jun with him towards the second elevator in the room.

Kat was crawling on the ground, looking for her helmet after being stunned from the glassing. Her eyes were struggling to adjust from the flash, but she felt a hand grab her by the shoulder. She just went with it, knowing that it was helping. After running blindly for a bit, she was stopped and heard the door of an elevator close by her. Her sight returning, she squinted to see Six standing in front of her. He reached out, holding her helmet. She smiled, taking it and replacing it on her head. The Lieutenant hit the elevator button, sending them down to the ground.

"Is this your first glassing?" asked Kat.

"Yea… can't say I'm enjoying it, either" Six joked.

"Mine too. I'd prefer not to see this again. Don't worry, though. I'll find us somewhere to go." She fiddled with her datapad a bit, finding a suitable location quickly. "There's a fallout bunker on sublevel two. It's straight out the door when we reach the floor. Commander, you copy?"

"Affirmative, we'll see you there."

"Did you receive the message from Holland?" she asked.

"We're being redeployed to Sword Base as soon as the glassing is finished."

"Sword?" yelled Jun. "The Covenant own it now! What are they sending us back there for?"

"Command wants us for a torch and burn op. We need to ensure that Dr. Halsey's excavation data doesn't fall into the Covenants' hands." Carter's elevator reached the sublevel, and the three in it sprinted out towards the open blast doors in front of them.

Kat and Six felt the elevator come to a halt, and the door opened. Six could see the others ahead of them, and the two quickly followed. Six glanced at his motion tracker too late, and only started to turn to Kat when she was speaking. His warning never left his mouth.

"Where the hell does he get off calling a demolition op on a Priority One-"

He heard the shot just as he saw Kat out of the corner of his eye. The round went clean through, and into the concrete they stood on. A small cloud of dust flew up, covering Kat's armor as she fell towards the ground. Six caught her before she hit the floor, looking down at her motionless body. The enraged Spartan grabbed Kat's worn pistol, looking up at the Field Marshall wielding the Needle Rifle. He heard the others open fire with assault rifles, peppering the Phantom and its occupant with inaccurate shots. Six fired the pistol, aiming as carefully as he ever had. He watched in satisfaction as his shots dropped the Elite's shields, but was shaken when only one bullet hit his target's armor before the clip popped.

He could hear voices behind him, some familiar, and some new. They were all yelling something or another. He just ignored them. He kept looking up at the Phantom, only to see it turn away and quickly flee. He picked Kat up, and dragged her by her shoulders into the bunker that was only meters behind him. Six sat down, staring at Kat, as the blast doors closed in front of him. All he could do was stare.

The area around him became muddy, and he was no longer in New Alexandria. He could hear whispers around him, but couldn't understand them at first. A few moments later, he heard a single voice call to him, clear and peacefully.

"Six…"

He turned around, seeing a cloudy figure before him. He slowly saw her standing, her damaged and bloodied helmet in her hand, but her face was unharmed. He reached out, trying to touch her, but was stopped before he made it. She raised her hand, offering a smile.

"It wasn't your fault."

.

Six awoke, harshly and quickly. He was panting, and sweat covered his face. He swung his legs over the edge of his bed, sitting up and slowing his breathing. He looked at his clock, only to see he still had a few hours before he should be up. His dreams had been haunting him for five years, and their regular occurrence hadn't made them any less terrible. But after the mission on Haestrom, these were the first times that she had spoken to him. Maybe he was getting better; or maybe he was going crazy. Six didn't know, but tried not to dwell on it. He instead got up and got a glass of water.

Leliana was waiting for him, her normal look of concern over her face. She knew he had been having nightmares ever since he left Reach, but he had still not told her what exactly they were about. She had a good guess, but wanted to know more. She always wanted to know more. Sadly, the Spartan was very selective about opening up. His new friendships with Tali and Garrus proved he wanted to tell someone, even if he didn't realize it yet.

"Having trouble sleeping?" She asked warmly.

"What gave you that idea?" He snapped, trying to hide his other emotions with anger. He still wasn't happy with her from earlier, but he was still nice enough to walk over and sit down in front of her. "Go ahead, ask away."

"I don't want to bother you, Lieutenant. I'm only trying to help."

"Ok, I get it. So ask away."

"You've been having these dreams ever since Reach, but you haven't told anyone what they are about."

"They're about Reach."

"I know that… but what are they really? And don't just tell me 'the war' or something. Be honest with me Six. I'm here for you."

He took a deep breath, tilting his head down into his hands so he didn't have to look at Leliana. She was getting better at opening him up, and tonight was her best yet. Maybe he just needed to vent a little and she'd let him be for a while. "They're about them. They're always about them…"

"Who?"

"Do you really need to ask?"

"I just wanted to make sure we were together."

"Hmph. Well, there you have it Leliana. Anything else?"

"Yes… you're acting different now. Ever since we met, you wouldn't tell me a thing about this. But since we got here, you've told me about a lot. Something changed."

Damn, she was smart. He went this far, no reason to stop now. "The dream I had tonight… it was about when she died. But it was different this time; I've seen her in my dreams before. This time, she spoke to me. She… tried to comfort me. I didn't tell you this either but… when we were on Haestrom, I got dazed for a few seconds, and I saw her then. She tried to comfort me then, too."

"Don't you think she would, if she could speak to you Six? I don't think she'd want you to beat yourself up over what happened. You did so much during the war, for so many people. You weren't going to save everyone."

"You keep saying that, like I should just accept their deaths as if they're ok."

"No, but you do need to accept that you did everything you could. You have to find strength in it, Six. They all would have wanted you to. And now… now you have someone else to look after. You can focus on Garrus and Tali now."

He smiled at the thought, even if it was forced. "Yea, I guess I do. But do you think the rest is really so easy? I sure don't."

"I didn't say it was easy. But it's the truth, and it's simple. You just have to get used to it."

The Spartan looked back up to her, seeing her familiar smile looking at him. "I'll work on it Leliana. Thanks. And I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier."

"It's better than you ignoring my help, Lieutenant. It's all part of dealing with this. I just hope you don't plan on yelling more…" she said with a wink, laughing just a little to help ease the tension, without treating it so casually. "I think you should get some sleep now; since you put Garrus in the infirmary, I have a feeling the Commander will be bringing you along on a mission."

"That's probably a good idea. Thanks for the talk, Leliana. I know I don't always make it clear, but I'm glad you're with me. You're just about the only one who helps me keep my head on straight."

She just smiled as usual, the same warm smile that was finally helping the Lieutenant. "I'm always here, Six. Have a good night."

.

Author's Note:

Well, what did you think? I'm really getting started on the romance now, and I won't pretend I'm an expert on the subject. I'll be looking to several of the Tali/Shepard fanfics that I think are the most well-written. Razor's Edge and Awakening stand out to me; anyone interested in purely Mass Effect reads, check those two out.

As for the dreams, I planned on having these in the story, even before they were introduced in Mass Effect 3. Obviously, having Kat appear to Six earlier in the story (Chapter 5, I think?) was part of this. I really want this in the story, but they won't be coming up very often. So if you didn't like the ME3 dreams, or this one, you won't have to read through them too often.

Besides all that, just let me know what you think. I love the praise, of course, but criticism that is useful is very appreciated. I likely won't improve the story if I don't know what everyone wants.

For the Lieutenant's name, I have made a decision. I won't be revealing it too soon; I don't see him telling Tali until they become much closer. It will probably be after her trial, but who knows. I want the important events of Mass Effect in the story, but because it's Six and Tali, not Shepard and Tali, I'll be changing them around a bit.

A special thanks to Infinite Freedom, Leige Lord, Simplywaters, Rydan Fall, Advice Puppy, and M4GIC OR4NGEZ for continuing to message me with comments!