CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Family is Forever, Part 1

Needless to say, walking the Citadel as women was definitely an…enlightening experience.

"I've got five guys who are staring at my butt right now." Nick, or rather, "Nicole" muttered darkly, as "Sherry" and "Garda" sat next to him in the market, putting a Shirley Temple to his lips as he waited with them in the lower wards. Perhaps it was simply because Shepherd's female form still looked oddly similar to Shepherd. Several men had remarked that she could be his twin separated at birth. Maybe it was just because "Harry Potter" had been, surprisingly, a fantastic hit among the galactic community, having now been remade with a female in the lead by an Asari director who'd done an amazing job. But more than likely…it was the fact that even over a hundred after America had had its first woman president and Earth had become incredibly progressive when it came to electing women to high head of state positions…

There were still too many people who wanted to remark that-

"You gotta…GREAT ASS!" Their contact, Jax, remarked as he looked at "Nicole's" butt, Nick feeling an odd mixture of complimentary delight, shame and anger as he blushed and sat up from the bar with "Sherry" and "Garda". The red-eyed Krogan looked the other two over, "hmming". Even though Turians weren't liked very much at all by the average Krogan, evidently big breasts seemed to make past grudges become quickly forgotten. "…not bad." He admitted. "For a Turian."

"I trust you have what we want? Because I'm sure we've got what you need." Shepherd's disguised form remarked, holding up a suitcase, Jax nodding and giving her a grin.

"Lemme tell you, lady. These are the best damn mods on the market. Good thing you're paying top dollar." He informed her as they swapped suitcases, the Krogan giving her a nod. "A real pleasure doin' business with you." He remarked. "Sorry it took me so long to get here."

"Oh, it's fine, we didn't mind. It was only an hour." Garrus's disguised form groaned a bit, getting a few looks from male turians. "…I think I need to find a bathroom." He muttered to the others as they nodded, heading for the bathroom in a hallway some distance away and sneaking inside. "UGH. I was alright with this at first, but now I feel dirty and cheap." He mumbled, feeling over his body with his hands and sighing.

"I would have thought so-called advanced alien races would have outgrown blatant sexism by now." Nick murmured quietly, as "Garda" gave him a look.

"What's THAT supposed to mean? We had humans ogling us too. I think one grabbed my butt in the elevator!" He, or rather SHE, snapped, nostrils flaring.

"Yeah, but we're dumb hicks compared to you guys, who have years of technological advances and the like on us. And the ASARI! Ugh." Nicole shuddered. "Did you SEE the way that bartender was looking at me?" He muttered. "She kept staring right at my chest and licking her lips! And she slipped me this!" He moaned, holding up a small napkin with a phone number on it. "I thought they were supposed to be the most advanced race of all!"

"I'd like to say it's not representative of her race but, to be honest, the Asari make a killing in the porn industry." Garda sighed before they realized an asari was walking out of a nearby stall, all of them freezing as she stared at them, blinking deep purple eyes before shrugging.

"Yeah, that's true." She admitted, looking Sherry over. "…wow, you are like, really, REALLY pretty. Your eyes are like jewelry, I wanna pluck them out and wear them on my-"

"Okay, very nice to meet you, we need to speak in private?" Nick said, pushing her out of the bathroom and closing the door, groaning as he wiped his brow. "Maybe I should look at it in a positive way that women can be just as lecherous and sleazy as men."

"Do asari count as "women" when they're all monogender, though?" Shepherd murmured, all of them scratching their heads. "I mean, they don't have "male" or "female", so the society is inherently sexless-"

POOF!

An instant later, Shepherd, then Nick, then Garrus were all returned to normal and were now staring down at their usual male forms, feeling their bodies over as Nick pulled open his pants. "…yep. All the parts are there, alright!"

"So we were good for…an hour and a half." Shepherd reasoned, looking at the clock in the bathroom as he wiped his brow. "Guess it's a good thing the trick you did didn't break sooner. But now that we've got the mods, we can get Jenna out of that club and report in to Chellick."

"And then you'd better report back to the Normandy, captain." Joker's voice rang out over Shepherd's communicator, his voice full of concern and pain from needing medical treatment after that nasty fall. "Because we just got a hot tip. Matriarch Benezia was just spotted on Noveria. Liara insists we head there immediately to try and catch her."

"She must be worried sick about her." Garrus admitted sympathetically. "We'd better hurry."

As they exited the elevator and were on their way to C-Sec via the Rapid Transit, a blond-haired, blue-eyed, bearded man in a dark blue outfit waved over at Shepherd. "Hey! Hey, Commander Shepherd! Over here!" Shepherd inwardly cringed, having a bad, bad feeling about this, but he approached the man.

"Yes?"

"Conrad Verner. I am, like, your BIGGEST fan." Conrad said, shaking Shepherd's hand so hard he almost took the hand clean off, Shepherd nervously smiling. "I heard you killed, like, 100 Batarians in one hour in the Blitz! Can I, like, have your autograph?" Verner asked, giving Shepherd quite possibly the largest set of puppy dog eyes he'd ever seen.

"Well…don't see why not." Shepherd admitted, Conrad getting him a pen and holding up a notepad as Shepherd signed his name. "To my number one fan, Conrad." He read off. "Is that good?"

"Oh, you've no idea! THANK you, thank you!" Conrad said, gleefully smiling. "Ooooooh, my wife is gonna be so jealous!" He proclaimed, heading off with a giggle in his tone, Garrus chuckling a bit.

"That man's like a child."

"Like a kid at Christmas, yeah. I think it's kinda sweet the way you inspire people." Nick admitted as they headed for Rapid Transit.

"I just don't want people obsessing over me." Shepherd sighed with a shrug. "I want to be a good example but…I don't want people putting me up on TOO high a pedestal."

"Aw, c'monnnn! It's great up on a pedestal." Nick wisecracked. "You get to really feel the wind in your face."

...

…

…

…as the Normandy made its way to Noveria, Wrex put a single claw digit on a spoon that Kaiden was hovering into the air in the dining area, an invisible eyebrow raised. "You feel that?" The Krogan asked, his voice inquisitive, filled with a sense of childlike curiosity as Kaiden nodded, several spoons hovering in the air around him like a halo as Ashley sat nearby, entranced by the display.

"Yes. I can feel you pushing down on it." Kaiden said, his eyes closed for this as Wrex let out a whistle.

"That right there is a level of sensitivity that usually only asari brag about. Not bad, human." Wrex complimented with a big, toothy grin.

"Told you he'd do it." Ashley said, extending a hand as Wrex gave her the new weapon mod he'd promised her if she won the bet.

"Did you thank you God for that?" He inquired with a small chuckle as she wagged her finger in the air.

"That was all on female intuition, big boy." Ashley said with a grin. "C'mon, Kaiden. Sharpshooting test. I'll hit more soup cans off the shelves with one pistol than you can."

"Okay, but if I win, I take your weapon mod." Kaiden insisted, holding out a hand as Ashley shook it and smiled.

"DEAL." She said, noticing Shepherd was approaching, Kaiden and Wrex sensing what he was going to talk to her about as they made off in opposite directions, Shepherd smiling warmly at her.

"Can we talk a little privately? My room?" He asked gently.

"Oh! Of course! Uh, rain check on that contest, Kaiden." She said, heading for Shepherd's room, making a beeline as Kaiden shrugged and Wrex chuckled.

"Careful, Shepherd. Women will tear your heart out and eat it." He warned. "I would know. I've seen it happen."

"Is there anything Krogans DON'T eat?" Shepherd wondered aloud.

"Not a lot. When so much of your race goes mercenary, you have to be adaptable." Wrex shrugged.

"How did YOU become one?"

Wrex was quiet for a moment, and then- "I wanted out of my system. I wanted to survive. And you know, I tried to help my people, Shepherd. Tried to do the noble route. I got betrayed." He said, his eyes darkening.

"What happened?" Shepherd said, his face showing genuine concern, Wrex finding himself more comfortable with opening up as he sighed slightly.

"I was head of a small tribe. We were trying to restore order after the war, though the other tribes were against us. They followed Jarrod, one of the few warlords who survived the war with the Turians. Even had the scars to prove it. But he was old. And so were his ideas." Wrex muttered, his tone filled with a mixture of disdain, and yet something else that Shepherd couldn't quite recognize. "He wanted to continue the war. Wanted us to fight. Turians, salarians, each other, didn't matter who. He just wanted us t keep fighting."

Shepherd rubbed his chin. "But what did YOU want?"

Red eyes narrowing, as if focusing in on Jarrod's face. "I wanted him to SHUT THE FUCK UP." Wrex growled angrily. "To stop his ranting! To stop leading the tribes astray and to stop being an ass! But he didn't get how much things had changed." Wrex threw his hands in the air, groaning. "We didn't have the numbers for war! And even if we did, the Genophage made sure we couldn't replenish our numbers fast enough. I told them we should forget the war. Focus on breeding, if only for a few generations."

"Make love, not war, huh?"

That got a smile out of Wrex. "Good one, Shepherd." He admitted. "But yeah, that's true. And I was beginning to get through. They started coming around."

"I take it Jarrod wasn't too keen on that?"

"No. He arranged a Crush. A meeting on neutral ground. Said he wanted to talk. We met at the Hollows, near the graves of our ancestors. The skulls of our dead stared at us as walked along pale dirt, reminding us where we came from and where we all go. Its as sacred as Krogans get. Violence is forbidden."

Shepherd raised an eyebrow up. "You must have thought it was a trap, you're an intuitive guy."

"Yeah, I worried." Wrex muttered. "But see, when your father calls you to a Crush, well…there are laws even WE hold sacred."

THAT made Shepherd's mouth fall open. Kaiden, who'd been over in the kitchen, almost dropped the can of beer he'd gotten out as he'd been listening in, Ashley, who'd been peering in from out the doorway of Shepherd's room, gasped in surprise.

"He was your DAD?!"

"He was. Until that day. We talked. But it was clear to him I didn't want what he wanted. He gave the signal and his men leapt from the graves of our ancestors like Krogan undead! And the few that were loyal to me died quickly." Wrex's eyes went dark and cold. "I escaped with my life…but only AFTER I sank my dagger right into my father's chest. I ran. And I never…looked back. It's why I can't bring myself to ever return."

For what seemed to be a long, long time, Shepherd was silent, just mulling over what Wrex had said.

"…I didn't even get to know my parents." He admitted. "…I can't even begin to imagine how bad things must be for you. I don't suppose you've…I don't know…got any other family?"

"You tryin' to make me cry?" Wrex chuckled wryly. "I got some unfinished business with my family, I admit it. I did make a promise to my father's father. To try and get hold of my family's battle armor. It's priceless to us. A piece of family history, worn by five genrations."

"I can understand that." Shepherd admitted. "Do you know where it is?"

"The hands of Tonn Actus. Turian scum." Wrex grit his teeth, looking like he wanted to rip something open. "He takes relics from the war. Made MILLIONS off of artifacts stolen from my people. All his bases are fortified and guarded, but I don't know which base has it."

"I'll try and track it down." Shepherd offered. "After all you've done, it's the least I can do."

"…thanks." Wrex said quietly. "Appreciate it." He muttered as Shepherd nodded and headed for his room, noticing Ashley was on the in-board phone and speaking with another woman.

"Look, I gotta call you back." She whispered.

"It's Commander Shepherd, isn't it? We saw him on the vids, he's cuuuuute. Later!"

Ashley turned around, a blush to her cheeks. "Sorry, uh, I just…I mean…"

"Your sister, right?" Shepherd asked with a small smile.

"Yeah. Sarah, the youngest. She and I have always been close. With Dad on duty so much, it was really up to me."

"What about your mother?" Shepherd wanted to know, scratching his head. "I don't think you've really mentioned her."

"She gave up her own military career to try and be there for us, but there's only so much she could do. So I chipped in and helped. I WAS the oldest. Then there's Abby, Lynn, and then Sarah. Sarah's in high school right now, y'know. Must be bragging how her sister is on the Normandy all the time." Ashley admitted with a small smile. "We didn't always use to be close, but we…bonded."

Shepherd tilted his head. "Oh? How'd that happened?"

Ashley chuckled a bit, rubbing the back of her neck. "Well, see, Sarah got a boyfriend that wanted to move faster than she did. Mike. He was too…pushy. That was his problem. I wasn't worried at first. I mean, how bad could high school kids in this day and age get? Though I wanted to swing by since I WAS in the same cluster since I was in Amaterasu and she was in Czarnobog. Close enough to talk a lot. Especially about Mike's pushiness."

"If he really liked her, maybe he shouldn't have been so pushy."

"But if he didn't ask at ALL, I'd wonder if he thought Sarah was ugly. Damned if you do, damned if you don't." Ashley admitted. "But then he figured a nice, romantic walk in the woods would be perfect, since it was way past time they did the deed. So you know what Sarah did? Leveled him face first intoa tree and left. KA-POW." Ashley said, smacking her fist into her palm. "That's my sister. All those self-defense classes Mom and Dad made us took paid off. Still, I took emergency leave to walk Sarah to school for a few days. It was only a dozen light years, like…y'know. A day cruise!" Ashley said with a shrug and a smile. "But the last day of my leave, Mike was waiting for us."

"Uhoh." Shepherd mumbled. "What happened then?"

"The whole school had found out about what he did. And he was maaaaad." Ashley said, continuing the tale. "I was gonna snap the pipsqueak in half, but no. Sarah insisted SHE handle it. She kept her cool as he just screamed in her face…and then he tried to punch her. She just…flowed around him. Like a river stream. It was almost beautiful how quickly her fist met his face. Next thing we knew, he's face-down on the sidewalk, blood everywhere, and he's bawling like a baby."

"Wow. She must be good as you."

"BETTER. I'll punch you right in the gabba if you go for me, but Sarah moved so swiftly Bruce Lee would be impressed." Ashley admitted, giving the air a few punches. "HOO! I mean, down he went! Just…woop! Then she was nice enough to stop the bleeding and call the paramedics. And you know what he did when he was just about to be wheeled into the ambulance?"

"What?"

"He held her arm and said "I'm sorry"." Ashley confessed. "And she hugged him!"

"Wow." Shepherd admitted, letting out a surprised whistle. "That's surprising."

"Well, forgiveness is a virtue." Ashley insisted. "And he learned his lesson: the Williams women are decisive. We do things when we're good and ready. Not before."

"And your father?"

"He was pretty proud. Guess he figured it was a good idea to have us raised on a planet. He always said space was beautiful, but you can't really raise a family in it." Ashley remarked as she turned slightly away, eyes closing, reciting from memory. "I cannot rest from travel: I will drink Life to the lees: All times I have enjoy'd greatly, have suffer'd greatly, both with those that loved me, and alone. For always roaming with a hungry heart, much have I seen and known; cities of men and manners, climates, councils, governments…"

"Hmm…" Shepherd wracked his brain, trying to think of who that might be. "Classic literature, I…wait. I got it!" he smiled. "Your friend Mike learned the answer is best SILENCE when they brawl!"

" Lord Tennyson." Ashley chuckled. "Dad loved it. He wanted to raise no sissies, so he always read "Ulysses"!"

"Does he still like it?"

"I would think so. I mean, I read it to his grave every time I'm home."

Shepherd's face fell. "Oh. I…I'm sorry, I…didn't know." He mumbled softly, looking slightly away.

"It's alright. He's with God now. You don't seem to mind that, though."

"Of course not. You know that old saw "There's no atheists in a foxhole"? I've been in a lot of them." Shepherd admitted. "I've got my own reasons for believing."

"I've met people who were pretty weirded out by my faith. I guess they think that just because I work in space, I can't believe in a higher power." Ashley remarked, rolling her eyes. "After everything I've seen, it's hard NOT to believe, though."

"That's true." Shepherd said with a small, smile. "

Meanwhile, Tali and Garrus were on phone conversations with their respective parents, both of them in their rooms, and the conversations were playing out in an oddly similar fashion.

"Look, it's complicated, but we're doing a lot of good work." Tali insisted.

"No, no, I CAN'T talk about everything, the Council probably has the ship bugged. I want to, but it's complicated." Garrus sighed.

"You can't be honest with your own father?"

"Dad, that isn't fair!"

"Father, you KNOW that isn't fair."

"How has your quest for something unique to contribute to the Fleet gone, Tali?"

Tali paced slightly back and forth, rubbing her helmeted head. "I'm trying, but it's rather hard to find something worthy."

"It's not as easy to pin Saren down as we thought it'd be. He's proving remarkably slippery." Garrus growled darkly, clenching his fists in annoyance as he spoke through his father via the omni-tool, just like Tali was doing for her own dad.

"You're dedicated, Garrus. I can see that. You know…" His father hesitated. Then…

"I believe your mother would have been very proud to see what a fine young woman you've become."

Tali stopped pacing, head slightly bowed. "…I miss her." She mumbled out.

"…yes, um…I…that is…" Garrus murmured.

"I don't mind you saying it, son. I miss her too." Garrus's father quietly intoned.

There was silence in both rooms as the two sat down on their beds and cupped their hands, turning them over as they quietly sighed. They hung their heads slightly, biting into their respective lips, unsure of what to say, just letting memory wash over them as their fathers remained quiet for a time. Then, at last…

"You'll do fine. I'm sure."

"Just be sure to call in again sometime. Sometime soon?"

"…alright."

"I will."

"Goodbye, Tali." "Goodbye Garrus."

"Goodbye, father."

CLICK.

Elsewhere, Nick nervously knocked on the door to Liara's room, hands behind his back as he fumbled about slightly. He didn't know what to say beyond a simple idea: try to get to know Liara on a more personal level and hope, HOPE that somehow what he felt would either blossom further or simply die off. And, perhaps, find out if she felt anything for him.

"Uh, Liara? Are you in?"

"You may come in." Liara remarked from inside as Nick walked into her room, Liara sitting in front of a piano, looking over some sheet music. "Ah, it's you! Good to see you, Nicholas."

"I trust you're enjoying the piano I managed to get from our friendly reconqusitions officer?" Nick asked, scratching the back of his neck with a small smile as Liara nodded, and began plinking away at some of the notes.

"It came with some sheet music. I've been looking over a few of the songs and wanted to try one." The asari remarked cheerily, beginning to play a few notes as Nick sat down next to her on the cushy red bench before the piano. As her wrists began to move smoothly across the piano, Nick found himself slowly bobbing his head to the tune, realizing he recognized.

"Rescued." He mumbled.

"What?" Liara asked, stopping the song for a moment before Nick shook his head.

"No, no, keep playing. It's-it's a good song." He said gently, eyes pleading for her to go on as she kept playing on, continuing the notes, each one drifting through the air like little fireflies dancing about in the room as Nick took in a deep breath. Focus, he thought. Focus on the emotions. What the song paints in your head. Don't make it so literal, you can, you WILL control this power.

Two to one…
Static to the sound of you and I.
Undone for the last time.

And there this waaaas…
Hiding at the bottom of your
swimming pool…some September…

As Liara continued to play, the room around them seemed to melt away, replaced instead with an image of two…at first they were blurred, unfocused, you couldn't tell what species they were as they slowly stepped into the pool on an oddly warm September night, until hands clasped together and the truth was there. Liara, she saw two Asari. Nick? Two humans.

Two lovers gently held each other's hands, moving in close, slowly circling around in place within the pool, embracing deeply, heads rested on each other's shoulders, only peace in the moment that was enveloping them.

And don't you think I wish that I could stay?
Your lips give you awaaaaay! I-can-hear-it!

A jet engine through the center of the storm,
And I'm thinking I'd…prefer not to be rescuuuueeed…

Now the scene shifted, the two older, wiser, hands clasped on a dirt road, the wind picking up around them. The skies were darkening, growing colder and wilder, yet they seemed untouched as the first rested its head on the second, a calm, happy look that radiated inner warmth.

Two to none!
Roads that lead away from this,

I'm following myself, just this once!

And I-got-spun!

It appears you're spun as well,
It happens when you paaaaay attentiiiiooon!

They could have had horns on their heads and teeth the size of bread knives, they could have had three noses and gigantic lips…but the two's expressions gave off a deep sense of pure, simple love for each other. It was like sunbeams were shining from off of them: they looked positively lovely. And nothing was going to change that.

This could take all year, but…

When it's quuuiiiiet, does-she-hear-me?
Jettisoned to the center of the storm?
Yes, I'm thinking I'd…prefer not to be rescued…

And oooooh-ohhh… I can feel her!

She's dying just to keep me cool,
I'm finally numb, so please
don't get me rescued...rescued...

Liara began to slow the song down, finally halting the tune as the scene faded before their visage like a steam painting done in a bathroom, Nick clearing his throat a bit with a faint air of nervousness before Liara turned to him.

"That was very lovely." She admitted softly. "I appreciate you helping me with it."

Nick deeply blushed. "Liara, um…anytime." He decided to say. "Really, anytime. Don't be a stranger." He insisted to her, quietly nodding his head before leaving the room. He briefly turned back to look at the door, almost wanting to stay longer, but…

"…I can't. I know it isn't right. I should stay true to…" He muttered. "…I mean, she's old enough to be my grandpa anyway and-and not even the same species and…" He groaned, holding his head in his hands. "They weren't kidding when they said "love hurts"." He grunted, seeing Shepherd making towards Liara's room. "OH! Uh, Shepherd, um…you wanted to talk to her?"

"Are you in love with her?" Shepherd asked, point-blank, staring into Nick's eyes, arms folded across his chest.

"…I…I don't know, I…I find myself drawn to her, that's the best way I can explain it." He said, putting a hand on his chest, the medic gritting his teeth. "It's driving me nuts, but…I can't put it any better than that."

"You need to find a way to tell her if it really is the case." Shepherd said softly. "But I need to speak with her. I'm worried about us having to face Benezia. There's a chance she might not let us capture her, and I want to talk that over with Liara."

"I understand." Nick said, stepping away and heading back to his room. "I gotta get some rest anyhow, I'm not getting a lot of sleep lately. The dreams and headaches keep getting worse." He sighed, hanging his head as Shepherd entered Liara's room, sitting at her desk as she held her hands behind her back, slightly glancing to the side.

"You are here about my mother?" She asked softly.

"I'd like you to tell me about her." Shepherd admitted. "I want to try and reason with her, but that might not be entirely possible. So I need to know her, really KNOW her if I'm to try and reach through to her." He said, Liara sitting down on the bed as he got up and sat next to her. "What was your family life like?"

"Well, I'm not sure how much it was-oh, wait. You were an orphan, weren't you?" Liara said, apologizing with a bow of her head as Shepherd rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, y'know. We can't all have crazy-long childhoods. I think I ended up okay, all things considered. I do wonder what my parents would have been like. I'd like to think they were…good people. That they wanted to be there, just…couldn't." He admitted quietly, giving a soft shrug.

"Well, truth be told, I think the same for my own "father" as it were. I think they wanted to be there, it just…perhaps it was too hard for them. They may have even died." Liara quietly mumbled. "Mother didn't really talk about them. I do know it was another asari but that's about all." She said, slightly tilting her head. "I was a rather inquisitive, curious child. Quiet, but curious all the same. I liked to explore."

"Oh? Really?" Shepherd asked, a small smile coming to his face. "You ever sneak into your parent's room?"

"Well actually, one time…" Liara said with a laugh as the two kept chatting, Nick hearing their laughter through the walls and smiling a bit as he turned on his fan, leaned back in his bed, and tried to let sleep claim him. The white noise of the fan serenaded him, and soon, sleep began to settle in.

But he didn't dream peacefully. The nightmares. Once again, those awful, staring faces. Sad, somber, mournful. Eyes so soulful and desperate, as if they wanted to say something, but couldn't quite get it out. Nick tried to reach out for them, but every time it felt like he was about to touch them, they drifted further apart.

"What are you trying to say?!" Nick screamed out. "Please, just say something! ANYTHING!"

"…the dark connects us all." Nihlus whispered. "Connects us…to you."

"Through you." Jenkins moaned. "Through those that wield the blue of biotics…"

"Through the relays, the dark is touched." The cacophony exclaimed as one.

"Dark Energy? What are you saying? That my power IS somehow connected to dark energy? Okay, so…so biotics tap into it and so do the Mass Relays, what's the problem?!"

"We cannot speak plainly. Trying to do so tears at us." Nihlus's haunting face whispered out. "Rips into our very core. Yet there's much we want to say."

"Well…TRY to say it! Come on! What can't you tell me!?" Nick begged, the faces swirling around him, all of them opening their mouths at once, a single phrase-

"SET US FREE."

Nick woke up, screaming.

…

…

…

…it had been a pain in the ass for the Normandy Crew to finally get clearance for Noveria.

"Will you please just look us up!?" Shepherd growled, arms folded across his chest, his beloved crew standing behind him, Lucas sighing as he held his hands up.

"Ugh. Are you trying to make me die of old age? We already had to wait an hour to land! You couldn't check our credentials in that time?"

"Port Hanshan demands that everyone here follow security personell orders, and you're no exception. Lose the weapons." The stone-faced Captain Matsuo demanded, pointing an accusatory finger at them, her black hair tied up neatly in a bun atop her head, The blond haired lieutenant Stirling next to her had a dark glare to her features, and looked like she'd been doing this job for so long that it added years to her face. Even though she was only thirty, a simple glare made her look twenty years older. In fact, all of them looked like they'd been doing this job for far too long.

"How about you put your own guns down and then we can talk."

"We're the law here, so you WILL show respect." Lieutenant Stirling snapped.

"Laaaawwww." Wrex chuckled. "You wanna play that card, don't start crying when your guts go flying out."

"We happen to outrank you since he's a Spectre." Tali said, frowning behind her mask and looking darkly at Stirling. Something about her unnerved her.

"Load of horsecrap." Stirling snorted. "You got any idea how many people try that "I'm a Spectre" excuse?"

"Maybe you're just jealous Spectres like Shepherd here can afford better attire than you. I mean, skintight black with more black?" Ashley asked with a chuckle, rolling her eyes. "It's like, how much more black can this be? And the answer is none! None more black."

"Are you making fun of me!?" Stirling asked.

"Uhoh." The other Turian lieutenant remarked. "Now you did it."

"Hand over your weapons." Captain Matsuo demanded.

"You can have my gun when you take it from my cold. Dead. Hands." Shepherd said, his patience now gone as he pointed his pistol at them, the others drawing their weapons, standing tall, the small security team nervously looking around at each other.

"You're outnumbered and you're outclassed. Might wanna rethink your little strategy." Kaiden mused aloud, pistol aimed at Ms. Stirling as Ashley cocked her shotgun.

"Hold on." A voice announced over the PDA system, everyone turning to about, finally taking notice of the small speaker on the wall. "Captain Matsuo, we finally confirmed his identity. He is a spectre. He's that new one they've been talking about."

"Oh reaaaaally?" Matsuo murmured. "Well. That IS interesting. I suppose you can go on through, Spectres and their crew can keep their weapons." She remarked, waving the crew along, all of them all-too-happy to leave this woman and her confrontational lieutenant behind. Within a few minutes they now found themselves in the sterile environment of it's big "corporate headquarters", the head of its many operations. It wasn't too far off from where they needed to be, an operating facility called Peak 17, and, frankly, the sooner they got up there, the better. Because everything about Noveria felt fake, phony, sterile and lukewarm. The floors were overly clean, every potted plant was plastic, the lighting fixtures and furniture were rounded and overly kitsch, there was barely any color outside of grey…and more grey…and even more grey. Oh, and some faint, greyish blue. Yeah, that was about it.

"This entire hall could be described in one word. BLAH. Just one blah room after another in this stupid facility." Ashley snarked, waving a dismissive hand in the air. "Just blah, blah, blah, blah-"

"Well, now I HAVE seen everything."

They all turned, eyes focusing in on a Turian with dark skin and very pale facepaint. He wore a greyish-blue set of clothes, his face "middle-aged" for Turians as he looked them over, steepling his gloved hands with a faint air of amusement on his features as he sat at the circular table to their left, overlooking a small waterfall placed for "Feng Shui" purposes. "Please, please, have a seat. What brings you to our perfectly germ-free paradise of Port Hanshan?"

"We want to get to Peak 15."

"Ohhhhh." The Turian cringed. "That is going to be difficult, I fear. For a terrible storm has been unleashed up there. A vicious blizzard. Of course, there are also…other rumors." He added.

"Like what?"

"Oh…rumors along the lines of an "ancient evil", a "plague from distant suns". So in other words? It's a Wednesday here in Port Hanshan." The Turian said, sipping from his drink. "Lorik Qui'in's the name. If you want to know what's what around here, come to me or find Ms. Parasini. She's the Administrator's Secretary and I'm Manager of the Synthetic Insight's office. They did pay for half this lovely facility, so it is an exceptionally nice office, which I am currently unable to be in because the good administrator is investigating reports of my corruption."

"Let me take a wild stab in the dark. These accusations of corruption only came after YOU found evidence he was up to something?" Garrus spoke up, his tone slightly world-weary, as if he'd heard this all before.

"Got it in one. You see, I noticed he started getting remarkably rich when he took control of rents."

"As in kickbacks, right?" Garrus asked. "No doubt goons are trying to ransack your offices even as we speak?"

"Indeed. If you could do something about that, that would be very helpful. You don't necessarily need to, perhaps by some miracle, you'll convince Anoleis to let you go to the Peak, but…if you were to help, I'd be happy to give you my garage pass. It'll allow you access to a vehicle which you can procure to help you on your way." Lorin offered.

"We'll think about it. And if Anoleis is half the asshole you suggest he is, we'll be back." Commander Shepherd offered as the Normandy Crew made their way towards the good administrator's office in the back. It was obvious which office was his, no other office had an immense desk with a dark-skinned secretary behind it, with an immense glass wall separating her from her boss. She'd clearly taken notice of them as they headed towards the bigwig of the facility's office, looking them over with piercing dark brown eyes, black hair very finely combed into a bun and a very fine-looking magenta/pink dress as she neatly typed away onto a tablet

"This entire compound is startlingly boring. It's good to see new, interesting faces. Especially since Chief Executive Administrator Anoleis likes things predictable."

"I was going to suggest the word "soulless"." Garrus remarked quietly. "This entire place gives me the creeps. But I recognize your voice. You let us in."

"Yes. Gianna Parasini. I'm the chief secretary for Administrator Anoelis. And what, pray tell, is your business here on Noveria?" She asked, thoughtfully rubbing her chin.

"We're here to see your boss in order to get permission to get up to Peak 17. We have to track down a certain matriarch you may have heard of? Benezia?"

"She happens to be my mother and is in rather a lot of trouble. It's vitally urgent we speak with her." Liara insisted firmly.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I don't think Anoleis will be too open. A rather awful storm has kicked up and it's beating the path worse than my mom used to beat me when I called her a "bitch"."

"Why'd you call her a bitch?" Shepherd asked, looking a bit surprised.

"Because she'd get drunk and throw bottles at me. So I'm used to working for awful authority figures." The secretary remarked with a wry smile. "But if you think you can convince him…go ahead. And if things don't work out well, come back and see me. I'd be happy to try and help, if possible."

"We'll consider it." Shepherd offered as Nick shuddered suddenly. "What?"

"Somebody's watching us." He murmured, glancing about. "I can feel it."

"The "Willies"?" Liara inquired, looking somewhat amused by this display, chuckling a bit. "The administrator has probably been recording our entrance or something along those lines." She said as they headed inside Anoleis's office. The Salarian administrator had on a long blue and grey jacket with orange trimmings at the end, his skin having a slight bluish tinge to it as he calmly glanced away from his computer to look the crew over.

"Well. You're that Spectre I've heard so much about?" He inquired. "You'll excuse me if I don't stand up. I've no interest in entertaining refugees from that urban blight called Earth. Especially not a former street gang punk."

"Oh, so you read my file as well." Shepherd remarked, frowning a bit. Ten seconds. Ten seconds and he already wanted to punch this big-eyed bastard squarely in the face. That surely had to be some kind of new record. Even a hologram of Saren took longer for Shepherd to dislike him.

"Only a fool enters negotiation without knowledge of the other party's tendencies." Anoleis mused, waving a dismissive hand in the air. "This greeting's a courtesy. I'll only cooperate as ordered by the Executive Board. Businesses come here, after all, to avoid the second-guessing of galactic law."

"Trusting a private corporation to police itself is like asking an child molester to be put in charge of a kindergarten. You're just being stupid." Garrus snorted.

"We can debate things like the capital gains rate another time." Shepherd remarked. "Personally, Anoleis, I'm "laissez-faire". I don't care about whatever dirty deals you might be doing, because I have much bigger fish to fry. We need to get to Peak 15."

"Oh, I'm afraid you're not getting up there." Anoleis remarked. "You see, the blizzard has cut off all contact. Things will be normal in a few days."

"We would wait if not for the fact that an asari matriarch, Benezia, is up there. And by the time that blizzard is gone, she might be as well. She IS here, isn't she?" Shepherd wanted to know, tilting his head slightly to the side. Something about this Salarian's very voice was beginning to grate on him. Every single syllable was positively slathered in condescension like a barbeque rib fresh off the grill, dripping with sauce.

"Yes, she's here. But Peak 15, much like all the Skadi Mountains, is currently cut off from the outside world, ourselves included. No shuttles, and no surface access."

"So why don't you just let us take a MAKO?"

"Don't make an issue of this." Anoleis said, rolling his eyes, shaking his head back and forth. "I mean, really."

"Do you at least know WHY she's here?" Shepherd groaned, pinching the space between his eyes.

"She's here on business for Binary Helix. There were issues at Peak 15 that required Saren's attention. He is, after all, an immense investor in Binary." The administrator commented calmly.

"And, perhaps, in Synthetic Insights? Why is that office closed?"

Anoleis's eyes got a nasty glint to them as his mouth became slightly taut. "I've placed Lorik Qui'in, the manager of the Hanshan Office, under internal review. I can't comment further at this time."

Suddenly Nick spoke up. "What about a Quarian named Themis Nar'Varra? Did he happen to visit here recently?"

The administrator briefly flinched. It was as if the very name was a whip. "He, well…yes. He was here. He had to pick up a few packages from Binary Helix they'd been working on at Peak 2. In fact, he's still here."

Nick immediately shuddered, grabbing himself and gritting his teeth. "Uggghhhh. I knew something was wrong. He is here." He mumbled, as they left the office, Gianna gesturing them over to her desk.

"You were right, he's…yeah." Shepherd sighed. "Just as bad as you'd said."

"You can't bludgeon your way through bureaucracy. I take it you've seen Lorik Qui'in by now? Help him. His concerns are legitimate." She murmured quietly, Shepherd giving her a nod as they made their way outside of the office, going past another small waterfall that dripped water into a pool below. They'd need to speak to Lorik ag-

That Quarian by the bar. It turned its head, giving them a small, playful little smirk as Shepherd's eyes narrowed, Nick shivering a bit as they approached. The quarian waved a few bills in the bartender's face as he quickly exited, leaving only them and a glass wall separating all of them from the rest of the facility.

"Do you like my composite creation?" The quarian asked. It's "mask" was fully restored, a faint mechanical edge to its voice as Shepherd folded his arms over his chest, Themis's voice coming in clear through this clear and obvious fake. "I made it myself in my spare time. It gets the job done well and acts as a stand-in for when I need to be somewhere, but not actually be there. After all, I've got so many wonderful places to visit."

"What're you doing here? Getting Geth smuggled in?"

Themis's Copy-Bot snorted a bit at this as he struggled not to laugh, the drink in his hand visibly shaking. "Oh-hahahahaa-oh, oh, you got NO idea how funny that is yet! No, no. Not that. Truth be told, I'm celebrating my birthday. I was born on Christmas Eve Day. It means I get twice the presents." Themis informed them with a slight chuckle. "But in the true Christmas spirit, I wanted to be charitable and give something nice to all of you. And what better gift than the gift of knowledge?"

"Oh really?" Kaiden asked, glancing about. Everyone else in the facility had wisely decided to steer clear from them, and were now at least 100 feet away from the bar, not wanting to get involved in a possible fight. "What could you possibly tell us that wouldn't no doubt get you killed by your psychotic boss?"

"See, now, psychotic is such a cruel term. Saren's not psychotic. He's just very passionate. Now, Nazara? NAZARA is psychotic." Themis's Copy Bot said, putting the drink down and waving a digit by his head in the universal sign for "Cuckoo". "He's incredibly delusional."

"Nazara?" Nick asked, frowning a bit, lips slightly pursing.

"Saren's real boss. His true name. And out of many, one. That's a wonderful idea, isn't it? Out of many, one. The motto of America. Ohhhh saaaaay caaaan you seeeeee? By the daaaaawn's eaaarllyyy liiiight…" Themis began to softly sing, Nick stiffening slightly, trying to reach deep into his pockets to get the earplugs-

Too late. All of them cringed, a bright, burning flash of light temporarily blinding them as Nick reeled back, falling to his knees, panting. "Sorry! Sorry!" He cried out, suddenly feeling someone kneeling right by him, whispering in his ear as his blood turned to icewater in his veins.

"Christmas is a time to count your blessings." Themis whispered. "So count yourself lucky I used such a fairly harmless little ditty."

"How do you know about me? My…what I can do?" Nick asked, mouth slightly opening wide as Themis patted his head.

"You've read Stephen King, no doubt. "One shine knows another". How do you think I'm so very, very skilled with technology? How do you think the Geth do what I want so easily?"

He calmly walked off, cheerily humming a nondescript tune, the others moaning, staggering back to their feet as Nick quickly shot up, blinking furiously, the whole world still covered in huge patches of white as he tried to readjust his sight. "Crap!" He growled out. "I can't see a bloody thing!"

"He knew how to hit us. He knew exactly where to hit us." Kaiden quoted somberly. "Do you think Saren and Benezia know too?"

Nick bit his lip. He hoped not. He really, really hoped not. Or else their task to put a stop to those two just became even more difficult than before.