The blue-tinted holograms of Hackett and Anderson slightly wavered as they watched the video intensely. Shepard's entire squad was also looking at the images that Tali had procured from Freedom's Progress, studying it with rapt attention. Joker looked disgusted (the ship was in the middle of a relay jump), Garrus appeared slightly perturbed, Kaidan was captivated, and Tali was rocking back and forth with anxiety.

It only lasted a few seconds, but that was enough for all of them. On the screen, tall, bipedal aliens were walking around the frozen forms of colonists, packaging them into strange-looking pods as they calmly had the run of the place. Shepard leaned forward, trying to discern the pixelated figures as they appeared in front of them before he finally put two and two together.

Hackett slowly shook his head as he spoke, voice tinged with an electronic reverb, "Well, commander, it's more than we had a week ago and I'd be lying if I didn't say that I wasn't surprised."

Shepard stood to address the admiral, "You and me both, sir. Why would the Collectors take an interest in abducting our colonists?"

The Collectors were an enigmatic race of aliens that were very solitary compared to their galactic peers. Insectoid with brown, mottled skin, the majority of the population would be hard pressed to get a glimpse of one, even today. Shepard knew that they were a very technologically advanced race and that they resided somewhere beyond the Omega 4 relay, a gateway that had proved to be impossible to traverse. No one who had ever gone through that relay had returned before, but the Collectors did.

But this didn't make any sense. The Collectors only came from their homeworld to collect seemingly unimportant items or people in small batches. The colonies that had been hit numbered in the hundreds with the people taken numbering in the millions so far. What was going on through there?

"I don't know, Shepard," Anderson shook his head, "This is more complex than I originally thought. And with Cerberus taking an interest in this then that means there is more at stake than we know. How the hell did they get tipped off about the colony?"

"About a million people on that planet," Garrus offered, "Odds are that someone called them."

"For what it's worth," Hackett resumed, "It means that thanks to the timely intervention of your team and Tali'Zorah, we have the advantage on Cerberus for the moment."

Tali nodded gratefully and Shepard continued, "As it is, I doubt that Cerberus will stay in the dark for long. I know how resourceful they are. What we need to do is make sure that we stay on top at all costs while trying to intercept the Collectors at every turn."

"It's a war on several different fronts," Anderson cautioned, "We're going up against two separate groups that are trying to thwart us whenever they can."

"We can do it sir, you can count on us."

"We still need to figure out exactly what the Collectors are up to," Hackett pointed out, "But we can't speculate on that at the moment due to an insufficient amount of intel. But what I'd like to know is how they are able to simply paralyze our colonists like that." The video on the screen skipped forward a few seconds the point that he was referring to, when a lone Collector walked past a human frozen in mid-stride.

Kaidan walked up and moved the image back a few frames, indicating a hazy cloud in the upper right hand portion of the screen. "Look at that, there seems to be some kind of…swarm over there. Looks like bugs, but we never saw anything like that back at the colony."

"No," Shepard agreed, "We didn't."

"You mean something like this?" Tali's voice came through and Shepard turned to find her holding up a small glass cylinder, with what appeared to be an enormous, four-winged bug. It buzzed angrily against the glass as its four pointy legs twitched maddeningly.

Garrus recoiled at the sight, "How the-… When the hell did you pick that up?"

"Found it on one of the spare mechs and thought it looked odd, so I captured it."

Shepard walked over and gently took the cylinder from Tali, who released it. He held it up to the light as he inspected its contents. "Fascinating. You are just full of surprises today, Tali."

Perhaps it was a good thing that she wore the visor otherwise everyone could have seen her blushing. Shepard turned back to the holograms, bug in tow. "You think something like this could have the capability to paralyze a human?"

Anderson shrugged, "We know so very little about our own planet, let alone the galaxy's indigenous life forms. I wouldn't be surprised if that thing contains a poisonous compound capable of total body paralysis."

"If the Collectors can weaponize this, then that means we could be vulnerable if we happen to run into each other."

"And we don't want that to happen. What you need is someone who can construct an antidote quickly and has tremendous expertise in that field."

"Well," Shepard sighed, "I don't think anyone on this ship has gotten qualified for that in the months that I've been dead. Do you happen to know anyone who can do something like that?"

"Not off the top of my head. I'll get in touch with the other councilors, see what they know. I've heard STG has a wealth of operatives like that around so I'd wager on a salarian joining up."

"I'll take anyone," Shepard shrugged, "As long as they're qualified."

"You've done well so far, Shepard," Anderson smiled, "One mission in and you've already made tremendous headway into an investigation that has been stalled for a while now."

"What can I say? It's good to be back."

"I have no doubt of that. Sit tight for a bit, Shepard, while I grab some information. I'll try to have a few dossiers on potential scientists by tonight. In the meantime, study what you can from the rest of the footage and try to come up with your own conclusions. We'll figure this thing out, make no mistake."

"Aye-aye, sir," Shepard saluted. The three of them acknowledged the ending of their meeting and the blue light faded from the room, causing the atmospheric lights to warm up and create a healthy yellow glow again. Shepard turned on his heel at the four people sitting in front of him and said clearly, "Dismissed."

Taking the cue, all of them shuffled off to their stations or to where they couldn't cause any trouble on board the clunky vessel. As the last to leave, Shepard took the proper housekeeping duties and powered down all of the non-essential equipment before walking over to his bunk.

It had been a crazy day so far. A light rest would do him some good.

A few hours later he found himself in front of his desk, poring over the few files that Anderson had sent him, having procured them in a short amount of time. He sipped the dregs of what passed for coffee on board the ship, the contents cold and gritty. He didn't care, anything that would give him an extra energy boost was welcome in his system. Just because he was mostly metal did not mean that he didn't suffer the same shortcomings as the rest of the people on this ship.

There were five people overall that Anderson had recommended. Three of them were drawn from the standard drawing of Alliance techs, good, dependable people. But these were hopelessly green, neither one of them had been close to actual combat, enabling them to think on their feet. That wouldn't do, he would need someone who was a bit more inventive.

Shepard noted that the turian councilor had forwarded a candidate for one of his scientists back on Palaven. The only problem with that, dictated by Anderson's notes in the corner, was that this man had been suspected as a spy for the current Primarch. Having him on board would make him more of a liability than an actual asset if he couldn't trust him.

The final one, and Anderson's personal pick, was a salarian geneticist named Mordin Solus. Shepard scanned the thick dossier and was summarily impressed. Formerly STG, he had participated in a modification of the original genophage strain for the krogan people, the one that was responsible for dampening the krogan's original rate of population growth. In the last few years, Mordin had participated in several campaigns on Tuchanka, and (to Shepard's pleasant surprise) Virmire.

Seeing as he was no longer in STG, the salarian had no ties to any of the politicking scoundrels in the higher-ups of his race. He was a sure-fired, quick thinker that was a capable combatant and an expert in the field that was of great importance to him, Shepard's mind was set from the first paragraph.

Conveniently, Solus' last known location was on Omega, where current reports placed him running a simple clinic, only a few hours' jump away. Most likely the man's own way of staying close to the job he loved. Shepard snapped open the comm between him and Joker and ordered the man to set a course for the station, to which the pilot instantly complied.

He sat back in his chair and rubbed his temples in thought. He held no love for Omega, this was certain, considering the mistakes he had made there in the past. He recalled the coppery scent of blood in the air as a man, bound, sat before him. He remembered how flesh parted easily with every stroke of the knife as the Cerberus soldier screamed.

How he had enjoyed taking that man apart, listening to his wet gurgles, his sobs, his cries. It had been such a satisfying moment for him when he saw the fear grip the man at his fearsome sight and his inevitable scream. How alive he had felt in those precious seconds.

But when he had left that room, something had changed in him. It was as if a piece of him had been left behind, he felt uncomfortable, hollow. Shepard remembered himself shaking in shame as he headed back to his ship, feeling cold even when the station was comfortably warm. That was the one moment in which he knew he had to turn around, to bring about a change. How ironic that such a horrible act had founded an idea of utmost clarity. He truly wondered if it was a price that had been paid in full.

A quiet knock on the door jolted him from his thoughts and he sat up, startled. "Come in," he managed, the door opening at his words.

"Shepard?" A smooth voice came through as Tali walked into view, "I…I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Pausing for a moment, Shepard shook his head, "No, Tali. You're not. What can I do for you?"

She moved over to the chair opposite the tiny desk, "I was just wondering if you had a moment to talk, is all. I can come back if-"

Shepard pressed a button on his monitor, the screen winking to black, "Of course, Tali. I can talk." He folded his hands in front of him, giving her his utmost attention as she sat down.

"It's just that…" she sounded nervous, faltering slightly, "I wanted to see how you were doing. Joker told me you were up and…well, it's been so long since we talked and-"

Shepard slowly put his hand over her veiled one as it lay on the table, giving it a gentle squeeze and momentarily silencing her as she struggled to find the words. "I'm doing a lot better, Tali," he smiled. "I think it has to do with the people around me who have been very helpful and understanding through this whole ordeal."

"I- I'm just glad I could help," Tali laughed weakly.

"Well, it's an improvement from telling me to 'go to hell' to my face. At least, I think that was the correct expression."

"Oh no," she moaned, covering her face with her hands, "I still can't believe that I said that to you. I was-… I had no-… you just caught me by surprise."

"I'm only teasing, Tali," Shepard widely grinned, "I did kind of put you there on the spot there when I walked up to you like that."

"Bosh'tet," she lightly swatted his arm, "I can't believe you're making jokes about that already."

"Looking on the funny side of things helps with the coping a lot."

"I've never really known you to have a sense of humor."

"It's there," he flashed a wicked smile, "When no one's shooting at me and the situation is appropriate, I can get a little aloof sometimes." He leaned in slightly, voice low but playful, "Don't tell anyone, though."

"I won't," she whispered just as intensely, which gave her a little thrill that Shepard was confiding in her. She wanted this moment to last as long as possible, the both of them just sitting and talking. There was a warmth here that she had not felt in a long time, and she knew who was responsible for that.

"You know," she continued in her sly tone, "You kind of lied to me."

His eyebrows arched in confusion, "I did? When?"

"Back on the Normandy, you told me that you would be right out after you got Joker."

There was a ghost of a smile upon his face, "I suppose I did…" His voice trailed off as his face turned blank, memories of heat and wreckage flaring inside his mind.

"I'm not trying to give you a hard time," Tali said quickly, alarmed at Shepard's transformation, "I just…seeing as we were having this kind of tone-"

"It's all right, I know you were just being lighthearted. But you have to believe me that I tried to get to safety that day, Tali. There was no reason for me not to go."

"I heard it from Joker. He kept on saying that you tried to make it, but couldn't."

There was a brief shrug, "I was the commander of the Normandy. I had to make sure that every single one of my crew was safely away. Captain goes down with the ship, right?"

"I think any one of us would have traded our life for yours, Shepard."

"That's sweet of you to say, Tali, but that's how the chain of command works. I'd imagine that if any of you tried to pull that stunt with me I'd have to step in and take that blow myself."

"Well, you already did that. You've used up your one life, Shepard. Don't think that you're going to achieve martyrdom so easily."

He laughed, "I can't really fault your logic there, Miss Zorah."

Tali started to draw back as her head shook slightly, "I'm sorry for sounding like that. When…when you were gone I- I didn't know what to…what I felt at the time…"

What was it about this woman that made her adorable every time she tried to apologize for the most trivial of things? He scooted his chair over as he wrapped an arm around her, to prevent her sniffing from becoming more intense. He was throwing caution to the winds at this point but sooner or later, caution had to be kicked aside for emotion.

"I know how you must feel, Tali," he soothed, "Garrus said that you took everything the hardest when…when I died. I had it rough too, you know. Over the past month I've woken up into a galaxy that I thought had forgotten me. So imagine, contrary to any stupid notions I held at the time, that the people I fought with, my dearest friends, had not forgotten, that they wanted me back with them. That they accepted me for who I was and not how I looked. Err...eventually, at least."

He closed his eyes as he remembered their transition from shock into incredulous delight as he tightened his one-armed hug, his other fist clenching "I can only imagine how they felt, how you felt, staring at my hideous self for that one time."

She said nothing and Shepard looked over at her, "Can you tell me what's troubling you? You're part of my crew and you always will be. It's my job to see to it that everyone is doing all right, you know."

"I…" she tried, her voice sounding ragged, "I wouldn't know where to start. I don't know what you would have to say."

"Try me."

She sighed and slowly extricated herself from the hug, "Maybe later, it isn't important."

"You can tell me whenever you feel comfortable, Tali," he assured, "I'm always open to any discussion from anyone." He frowned for a second, "Except for that one time that Joker asked me if it was alright to use the Normandy's extranet access to pirate some illicit videos. I couldn't even hold a straight face, telling him no."

Tali giggled but sat up and snapped her fingers, "That's precisely it. I just feel so overwhelmed at the moment. In just a short amount of time, I learn that you're alive then now I'm back serving with you again and I'm carrying on a casual conversation at this very moment. It's as if nothing's changed." Her voice was becoming stronger now, "I mean, could you imagine what that was like? I go from a scared kid on the streets of the Citadel to suddenly serving in the most advanced ship in the galaxy. Only because I gave you a bit of information and you let me come along. I idolized you for weeks, Shepard. I thought that you were this wonderful, amazing person who had no reason to treat me with such kindness, to give me the opportunity of a lifetime. And one day, you're out of my life."

"'Thought?'" Shepard asked mockingly.

"That's not what I meant," she said defensively, suddenly regretful from opening up like that, feeling embarrassed.

Shepard nodded, "I know. That's why I kept checking up on you in the engineering bay for the first few weeks. I wanted to see how you were adjusting and if you were coping well to the new environment. I am truly sorry if my being gone put you through that much hurt. Maybe…maybe if I'd known beforehand, I could have done more."

"There's nothing to apologize about," she whispered, "But, as you said, you only visited me for those first few weeks to see how I was doing. What warranted your visits for the subsequent weeks?"

"Truth was, I just liked talking to you."

That made Tali's heart do a rapid pit-a-pat. Her pulse was racing as she fumbled her words in her head. "You…you weren't just humoring me?"

"Why would I do that? I genuinely found it interesting when we talked."

Her hands were slowly coming together as they began to knot in her nervousness, hidden underneath the table. "I…I'm finding it interesting now."

"That's kind of what I'm going for. I don't want it to seem like anything is different among us."

"But does it feel the same? To you, I mean?"

Shepard's jaw was set, his eyes remorseful as the flesh conveyed the proper emotions, the nerves doing their work properly. "Not entirely," he conceded, laying out his hand for additional support, to which Tali granted with her own petite appendage. She noted how much his hand felt like an actual hand, she could feel its warmth through her suit, "No reason why I can't try to make it feel the same, right?"

"No. No reason at all."

He now clutched her hand with both of his in a firm shake, "Thank you, Tali."

"Arriving at Omega in half an hour, Shepard," Joker's voice burst through the comm.

"Thanks, Joker," he replied before turning back to Tali. "Grab your shotgun and your gear and be ready to move out."

"What? I- I mean-"

Shepard shrugged, "You're part of my squad again, Tali. Although, if you want to stay behind while Garrus and I get the good doctor, you can. I'll ask Adams to-"

"No!" she blurted before stopping in place, "Sorry. I was just startled that you would want me on your team so soon. I thought that you would have gone for someone else instead of me."

"And why not? I thought that we always made an excellent team."

He was giving that smile, that damnable smile. How could she possibly refuse a request from him when that familiar, welcome smile was on his face? It was as if he was deliberately teasing her.

"You really do want things back the way they were, don't you?"

"Not entirely," he said cryptically, "But does that mean you want to come?"

"Yes! I mean, of course," she started to back towards the door, feet briefly tripping over each other in her haste. Before she was fully out of sight, she peeked back in for one last moment, "I'm…I'm glad we…we had this chance…to talk, I mean."

As Shepard opened his mouth to voice his mutual feeling, Tali had skirted away, outside of his view. He sighed as the opportunity was lost on him, slumping in his chair, feeling it hiss as all two hundred twenty pounds of him were applied on the headrest. He placed his hands behind his head as the chair allowed him to lean back slightly, to let him drink in the lull in the ship.

He chuckled to the empty room, somewhat disappointed, "She still didn't call you 'John,' there…"

As soon as he stepped out the door, Shepard immediately regretted not bringing his helmet. The musky scent of Omega, dank and rusty, filled the air and his throat, making him cough suddenly. Garrus also wrinkled his nose and cleared his throat in disgust. Tali, on the other hand, was unfazed and looked at the both of them with incredulity.

"You both said that you have been to Omega before so why didn't you think to bring your helmets along?"

They were walking past Afterlife, letting the coppery light stream down from the mines above as Shepard struggled to breathe, "I had a helmet most of the time I was here. I'm just sick of having to cover myself up all the time."

"And I just forgot mine," Garrus said sheepishly, "Stupid mistake, considering that I was here longer."

Shepard rubbed his cheek, "I just can't stand wearing a covering all the damn time. It makes me feel-" His face fell as he realized what he said, turning to the side and facing the quarian behind him, "I'm sorry, Tali. I wasn't thinking-"

"No, no," she shook her head, "It- it's fine. I know the feeling too, Shepard."

Embarrassed, they continued on to where Mordin's last known location was positioned. They had to pass through a few doors connecting one neighborhood to another, waiting for the rotting barriers to properly cycle and let them through. If he wasn't worried about potentially getting fined for property damage, Shepard was very close to simply smashing through them with his leg. Thankfully, the waiting was enough that it didn't fully grate on his patience…yet.

The map told them to hang a right and they approached yet another door that led to another neighborhood, the sign reading "Shenzou" above. Shepard turned to Garrus for an inquiry.

"You know anything about this district?"

"Only that it is the border between the Blue Suns and the Blood Pack territory. I've gotten embroiled in a few gang fights here from time to time."

"Despite the ruckus that we caused over the docks?"

"Gang succession is simple," Garrus pointed out, "We may have killed their leader in the area but someone else surely took his place. Happens all the time but each subsequent leader is weaker than the last until eventually the gang dissolves. Had that happen a few times when I was hunting some Talons near the refinery…"

"Wait," Tali stepped in, "'Ruckus?' 'Docks?' Do I want to know what kind of trouble you two caused here?"

"Oh absolutely," Garrus smiled, "It involved several explosions, a sniper's nest, a gunship, plus some-"

"That was rhetorical, Garrus," she sighed.

By this point, they had entered the district and were cautiously stepping through the dusty air, particles drifting lazily with no discernable direction. The reddish glow gave an eerie quality to the area as they moved along, glowing neon signs casting shadows every which way.

"Rather quiet," Shepard noted, looking around for any signs of life.

"Staple of the territory," Garrus explained, "No one wants to get caught in any crossfire."

"I can't see why anyone would want to live in a place like this," Tali mused.

Shepard grimaced, "I don't think they had any choice."

They were approaching a rather large barricade which was manned at the moment in the middle of the street. Three mercenaries were perched on top of it and a turian, donned in the blue and white armor of the Blue Suns stepped out from behind it and held up a hand, the other holding a Vindicator rifle, "That's close enough, fellas."

Shepard and the others complied, arms at their sides in a gesture of cooperation. The turian stepped up to appraise them as he gripped his rifle at the ready, "Why are you here?"

Shepard's chin was set, "We're here to see Mordin Solus. We're only looking for access to the clinic."

The turian shook his head, "Not without paying the toll, you're not."

"Is this really necessary?"

"Damn right it is. It's a thousand credits to be allowed to move freely though our turf."

"A thousand credits? That's not a toll, that's extortion."

"That's the going rate," the turian growled, lifting his scratched gun menacingly, "And for your stubbornness, the toll just increased to five thousand credits." He now pointed the rifle at Shepard's chest, "Each."

Shepard gave a laugh in disbelief, "And what makes you think that we can afford to pay that rate?"

"You lot look well equipped at the moment. Some of those weapons on you don't come cheap, which tells me that you can afford it."

Shepard glanced at Garrus and Tali, who didn't protest but he could tell that they were annoyed at the interruption and the turian's rude behavior. They didn't have much choice at the moment so Shepard booted up his omni-tool for a direct transfer as the mercenary gloated.

"Wise move. For your attitude and for bringing a suit-rat along, we could have increased the percentage by a lot more. You should be thanking us instead of having that look of disgust on your face."

If Shepard had been trying to mask his displeasure, he made no such attempt now as his finger froze above his tool, "Don't use that word again. Ever."

"What?" the turian's mandibles quivered in confusion, "Which one?"

"You know the one I'm talking about."

"You mean 'suit-rat?' Oh, come on, you can't possibly mean-"

Whatever Shepard could possibly mean was never properly made apparent to the turian as the omni-blade shot out of Shepard's wrist in less than a second, burying itself in the turian's chest. The armor offered no protection as the blade cleaved the alien's heart in two, causing him to briefly retch blue blood before death could take hold. Luckily, Garrus and Tali were quick studies, guns already in hand before the turian's body could fall to the floor. The mercs on the barricade stood shocked as bullets started to plow into them, two of them falling from the barrage that had materialized.

Shepard was running around the barricade, pistol blazing, as he bounded past the Blue Suns' cover. The men huddled behind there had little chance to react as Shepard methodically and precisely disposed of each one with a clean shot to the head. Any recurring fire was too weak to pierce his shields as static enveloped him, reminding him of his unseen fortune.

A merc, not wanting to face the crazy human, jumped over the barrier and ran towards Garrus instead, who was positioned behind a pillar, in the middle of reloading.

"To the left!" Shepard called out, and Garrus promptly turned to see a crazed turian charge, knife in hand, directly towards him. Garrus, on the other hand, grinned and maneuvered into his enemy's instep, causing him to halt his assault unceremoniously. Garrus ducked a wild swing and took the opportunity to draw his own knife from his belt, quickly slashing across the man's chest. The armor blocked the blow but the blue and white paint was now scratched as the metal bit into the material.

Desperation flooding the merc, he began swinging wildly, but Garrus backed up a step for each attack. He could hear the turian panting from underneath the helmet, his offensive maneuvers quickly tiring him. As the mercenary raised his arm once again, Garrus gave a solid punch to the stomach, throwing off the man's balance and causing him to stagger backwards. A series of quick jabs and punches to the chest and neck pushed him back further, causing him to switch to the defensive.

However, the turian swung and almost connected with Garrus' face, causing him to trip over his own feet in a hasty retreat, sending him to the ground. The merc seemed stunned as much as Garrus at how the odds were now stacked in his favor and he stayed frozen in place. That amount of time was enough for Tali, who had been steadily firing at the Blue Suns the whole time, to casually turn and put a round into the turian's foot, blowing it clean off, creating a small splatter on the ground.

As the man started to fall, Garrus sprung to his feet and scythed his blade through the air, feeling it part flesh and sinew, blood spouting into the air. The half-decapitated turian collapsed and Garrus moved away to avoid stepping his boots in the puddle of blue blood that was expanding rapidly. Shepard saw his friend give a quick nod as he struggled to get his breath back, worn out.

The rest of the Blue Suns in the district had been attracted by the gunfire and had come running at the source of the noise. This was only impeding Shepard's progress. There were too many for a direct assault which meant that they were going to have to pick them off one at a time. This was a delay that they had hoped to avoid.

Suddenly, louder thumps were coming from further away, nearer to the Suns' lines but not directed towards Shepard. He peeked around the corner to see several blue forms fall as rounds were impacting into their backs. They were crying out in surprise as they whirled to face this new threat. They trained their weapons on their new assailants rather than Shepard and his squad.

A krogan burst out of a cloud of smoke and charged into the nearest mercenary, wearing the dark red and maroon colors of the Blood Pack. Behind him, several vorcha screeched and roared, veins popping all over their bodies, using flamethrowers to part the platoon ahead of them.

"Looks like the Pack is making a push into the Suns' territory," Garrus breathed.

"Well," Tali panted, "That's convenient for us, I guess."

"My thoughts exactly," Shepard nodded, "Stick to cover and don't draw attention to yourself unless it's absolutely necessary."

With that in mind, the trio sidled around the corner, hugging the wall, as they crouch-walked to the rear of the courtyard. From there, they could see that the already weakened Suns' were getting overwhelmed by the Blood Pack as the whoosh of flamethrowers set them ablaze, if they weren't getting crushed into paste by a charging krogan.

The team had their weapons ready but they weren't spotted as the Pack was too busy eliminating their rivals to focus on anything else. The door nearest to them opened, revealing a staircase going down and they hustled through, eager to break away from the situation that had gone belly-up above them.

As they took a right, they could see the glowing white plus sign of a clinic in the distance. Not daring to believe their luck, they broke off at a brisk jog down the hallway, cautious at whatever danger lurked in the shadows. They soon found themselves in front of a clearance checkpoint, in which the guard requested, not a toll, but for their weapons to be holstered. This was a clinic after all and the rules actually made a lick of sense so they had no argument to voice.

A pair of LOKI mechs patrolled the area on the other side (causing a smirk from Shepard) and they were pointed to Mordin's room by a helpful clerk. Shepard found Dr. Solus to be a particularly energetic salarian, red and white skinned and missing one his right cranial horn, a token from a prior campaign.

Mordin was particularly intrigued when they stepped into his office, running a quick scan over them with his omni-tool, "Don't remember seeing you in this area. Seem to well equipped to be mercs. Wearing N7 armor, I see, but accompanied by turian and quarian. Hmm, rules out Cerberus, perhaps-"

"Relax, doctor," Shepard interrupted gently, easing the doctor down from his habit of thinking out loud, "I'm Commander Shepard of the Alliance. I was told that you would be here."

"Shepard?" the salarian put a hand on his chin, "Commander Shepard the Spectre? Heard rumors that you had returned but never thought you would come here so soon."

"I'm here because I need your help. I'm on a mission to take down the Collectors and my team needs someone with your expertise."

Mordin blinked, "Interesting goal. May I ask why to the purpose of this mission?"

"The Collectors have been abducting human colonies. I need you to help us create a counter-measure for one of their weapons."

"Seeker swarms?"

Shepard nodded in surprise, "Yes. Exactly."

The salarian smiled sagely, "Have heard about the capabilities of Collectors from STG reports. Never had a chance to examine technology personally, however."

"Does that mean you'll come with us?"

Mordin smiled, "You know, already helped out greatly today. Doesn't appear to be any more use for me here."

"Oh? How so?"

"You killing Blue Suns, of course. By initiating skirmish, you gave Blood Pack motivation to try and seize new territory. While they were distracted, their foothold in crucial part of their territory was left undefended. Sent security troopers to take it back, ventilation unit. Now in safe hands."

Mordin brought up a file on his monitor that adorned his desk, "Vorcha were planning plague, you see. For complete control of district. Needed area for wide dispersal. Now, can have cure ready at moment's notice if they try to release. Already synthesized. Then kill them."

"Then, you're welcome, I guess."

"Clinic was good investment," Mordin sighed, "But wanted to get back in field since."

"You sure it's all right if you can just leave it behind?" As much as Shepard needed Mordin, he was apprehensive about the idea of a good doctor leaving people to fend for themselves medically.

"Yes, yes," Mordin assured, "Assistant, Daniel, can take over. Bright kid, very good. More than capable of handling clinic."

That was a relief to Shepard, who breathed out slowly, "That's great to hear."

"He'll do just fine. Although, am eager to begin. Clinic bit mundane than imagined, always desired more challenging projects, personally."

"You should be just comfortable by what's at stake, then. But I will warn you, it could be dangerous."

"Have faced danger before," the salarian shrugged, "Nothing haven't experienced before."

"Then welcome aboard," Shepard held out his hand, to which Mordin grasped in a surprisingly firm shake, "We have a sample and some equipment already on board. You can get started whenever you like."

"Most interesting. Would never have guessed to be serving on human ship before. Life truly full of surprises."

The trek back to the ship was less action-packed than their original excursion. Rather than have to face a horde of angry mercenaries this time around, they only had to step over the scores of bodies that lined the streets as Blue Suns and Blood Pack lay intermingled. Guess no one had bothered on cleanup duty yet.

Mordin explained that eventually the bodies would be gathered but only to be piled up in the center of a square and burned, to save on space, which caused Tali to wince slightly. It sounded cold and heartless to her, at the careless disregard for life on this station. Deep down, she understood the methodology but was still shocked at seeing at the wanton violence firsthand.

Back on the ship, Shepard had immediately gone to the small room which was now designated as the science wing as she went to the washroom. Grabbing a rag, she wet the cloth as she dabbed at her suit, removing the coating of dust and blood from it. It took a few minutes and the water in the sink was mixed with a combination of ugly colors but at least she felt clean again. As clean as she could feel.

Stepping out, she headed toward the lift when she received a hail on her omni-tool. It was from Shepard, asking to see her in his cabin. Confused, yet pleased, she walked over to find him where she had seen him last, sitting at his desk with his gaze held towards the door.

"Tali," he stood up, the door closing behind her, "I just felt that I should apologize for my behavior today. It wasn't very becoming of me and I didn't want you to see me like that."

"Why should you apologize?" Tali tilted her head, "You've already done enough apologizing today. Is this about that one turian?"

Shepard nodded slightly. Tali knew what he was going to link his sudden actions to but she went in a different direction, "Was this about how he tried to practically rob us? It wasn't fair that he tried to do-"

"No, Tali. It was when he insulted you. It was when he called you that word that…I just snapped. It was a rash move on my part and I'm sorry for having jeopardized everyone on the mission because of how stupidly I was acting."

Commander Shepard, fighting for my honor? "Oh," was the only word that she could say, breathing in slightly at how her hopes were slowly increasing. "It's all right. I…I'd been called that many times before…when I was on my Pilgrimage. It wasn't a big deal."

"It was a big deal, Tali. You didn't deserve to be called that. I just can't stand it when someone insults a friend right in front of my face. I just…" He turned around and faced the far wall, lowering his head as he huffed in annoyance.

"It wasn't right what he did, yes. I do hate being called 'suit-rat' but he deserved what happened to him."

"The logical thing would have been to grit my teeth and move on," he protested.

Tali stepped forward a bit, "That's what a machine would do. Even with your upgrades, Shepard, you're still human."

"Maybe," he agreed, "Or maybe I'm just failing to be the better man in this case, letting my emotions control me instead of rationality."

"But is that really what you want?" Tali pressed, "Does being the better man mean pushing aside what feels right?

Shepard turned around to give her a weak smile, sitting back down, "I don't think I'm even qualified to answer that question, Tali. I'm not even sure what I want anymore…"

As he trailed off, Tali took that to mean that he wanted to be left alone. He nodded to her to signal that she could leave if she wanted. She hesitantly gave a curt bob of the head in his direction and edged back out the door, opening at her proximity. But before she fully left his presence, she turned around at the brooding human, "Then I guess that makes two of us, Shepard. Thank you…for the talk And…for showing that you care."

As the door closed, Shepard was left more confused than ever.

A/N: These chapters are starting to come together a lot easier now. Of course, if there is any dip in quality due to my haste to get these out, tap me on the shoulder and politely say: "Hey, you're doing a crappy job, here." Politely, I must stress.