"The krogan has no right to demand anything at this time!"

Shepard dearly wished at the moment that he didn't have to be in this room at all, that he could just turn off his hearing receptors and let the dalatrass prattle on while he endured such blissful silence. Possibly then he could build up his patience again and perhaps move negotiations along. His fingers twitched as the notion to punch something yearned within him.

If this wasn't so important, he would have cursed the unsuspecting salarian out by now. How much more posturing could anyone take? The unflappable Hackett would be so much more suited to this kind of work. Ten more seconds of this and the future of Shepard's resolve would be rather doubtful.

Across from him in the Normandy's conference room, the turian primarch, a seasoned general by the name of Victus, also carried a pained look on his face. At least someone shared Shepard's opinion, thankfully.

Victus, formerly a general in the turian military, came from a noted family of warriors on Palaven and he was a rather impromptu replacement for the previous primarch, who was killed when the Reapers hit the turian homeworld. Liara had been fortuitous enough to procure the general's resume for Shepard to read in his spare time. It read like a bold screenplay, it listed victory after victory, describing Victus as a take charge sort of man who was quite popular with his troops, someone who looked after his people first and foremost. Victus, however, was a pragmatic sort of turian, looking to help his own people but observant enough to know that they needed help in the first place. It had been his idea in the first place to invite the krogan to this summit, ironically, something the salarians and asari didn't take rather well.

To their credit, the dalatrass still showed up to the summit, despite her worries, but the asari had unceremoniously and very suddenly decided not to attend, as if they were offended by the idea of treating with the krogan in the first place. This was an unfortunate setback. With one major power already gone, the situation was turning even more desperate. Victus wasn't budging until he got support from the krogan, the salarians didn't want the krogan here at all, and the humans just wanted someone to put their foot forward and lend a helping hand.

But at least he had more friends than enemies in this room. The clan chief that represented the krogan turned out to be a very old friend for Shepard, one Urdnot Wrex. After enduring a hug that would have probably killed him without his reinforced body, the krogan managed to stop roaring with laughter long enough to explain how he had become the de facto leader of the krogan.

It turned out that because Wrex carried the title of Urdnot, he already exerted a major pull on his home planet of Tuchanka. Centuries of radical thinking plus experience serving in Shepard's campaign against Saren turned out to have inspired him to return to his home and unite his people under one banner.

It was amazing on how much the krogan had changed in the last couple years. Wrex was still the bloodthirsty mercenary underneath but he hid his darker side well with a keen mind and a talent for being quite persuasive.

The only problem was that the dalatrass wasn't budging.

"I have already said this before, salarian, and I'll say it again," Wrex growled menacingly, "Use my name when speaking to my face. It is Urdnot Wrex, and if you call me 'krogan' one more time I'll-"

"Wrex," Shepard spoke sharply, cutting him off. They didn't need this situation deteriorating any more than it already had. Wrex rumbled but backed off, earning an admirable nod from Victus. Anyone who had the ability to calm a krogan on the edge of a rampage was a force to be reckoned with, in the turian's book.

"Dalatrass," the turian now turned towards the salarian, "If you're going to continue antagonizing Wrex throughout this whole meeting then I have to question the fact of why you are here in the first place. If you're just going to keep up your bluster, fine, but at least have the spine to accept the fact that we need the krogan to win this war."

"You don't know that!" the dalatrass was dumbstruck, acting like she was speaking to an invalid. "You think you know the krogan so well, primarch, don't you? But let me remind you exactly who uplifted the krogan to begin with. I would think that the salarians know their true colors best. That is why we created the genophage in the first place, to keep their 'urges' in check."

Wrex bared his teeth in a dangerous snarl. Shepard glanced at the telltale sign and fought to control his eyes from rolling upward. This dalatrass certainly was an idiot. She was most likely oblivious to the fact that she was dangerously close to getting her head ripped off by Wrex in this very room. "For all the time we've been standing here, dalatrass," he began in a disinterested tone, "You certainly haven't contributed much to the discussion at hand. You've given no terms, no mention of a deal, only continued to lecture us on the merits of treating with the krogan in the first place."

"That is because this is folly!" she exclaimed. "No good can come from an alliance with the krogan."

Wrex leaned forward across the table, "It's been over a thousand years and your kind never had the guts to even stand in the same room to listen to our pleas for aid until now. And suddenly, the opportunity for you to grovel at my feet dropped right into my lap and what do you do? Hastily point fingers and accuse us all of being mindless animals, one of them being a close friend that I would die for." He nodded at Shepard, who smiled at the krogan's loyalty, "Having him around is the only reason I'm here in the first place."

"And we've given you our terms," Victus walked to a corner of the table, temporarily ignoring the salarian, "And you can tell us yours. What will it take to get you to work with us? You can forget the dalatrass at the moment, treat with me and Shepard. What can we do for the krogan to join us?"

A quick bout of laughter rumbled from Wrex, "At last, another turian with a shred of common sense. I'm afraid that I have my own problems on Tuchanka, Victus. I will not be able to convince the krogan to fight for you except on one condition."

"Do not play the pronoun game with me, Wrex. What condition are you referring to?"

"Curing the genophage, of course."

Would you believe this if you could see it, Tali? What I go through without you?

"That is not negotiable!" the dalatrass yelled. "The genophage is not part of this discussion at all!"

Wrex glanced at Shepard, "She's making this a hard case for you there."

Enough was enough. It might not have been humanity's place to decide then and there but what choice did any of them have? The genophage was implemented when humans were still using swords and shields as weapons. Shepard's role as moderator was probably ill-appointed in hindsight but there was a war going on after all. If the krogan were going to be a problem in the future, so be it, but the Reapers were the current problem now. And the choice was easy to make once the logic was out in the open.

"Dalatrass," Shepard said firmly, "The krogan have paid for their mistakes. The genophage has gone on long enough that we have to take the krogan's contriteness on faith."

"You want to unleash them on the galaxy? Commander, many have said that you were an intelligent man but from my perspective you appear to me as a fool."

"Dalatrass, be quiet," Victus snarled, saving Shepard from proving her right by shooting back an equally snide insult in kind. "What Wrex is referring to is conceptual at best. We currently do not have the means to formulate a cure in the time frame that we have." He then glanced surreptitiously at the krogan, "Unless you know something I don't."

"As a matter of fact, turian, I do." Wrex waved a hand and the glass wall of the conference room behind Victus turned opaque as the built-in screen glowed brightly.

Projected for all to see, a handheld image was wavering as its operator scampered across a laboratory floor, seemingly taking the routes that were covered the most in shadow.

Victus gestured to the screen, "What exactly am I supposed to be seeing?"

"Keep watching. My source will deliver."

The camera turned a corner and behind five blue-tinted force fields in the middle of a large room, down a small staircase, stood three large shapes. All were clothed in a draping hood that covered most of their bodies, light flowing pattern on a dark background, but the forms were unmistakable to all in attendance.

"Females," Victus' mandibles twitched. "Krogan females."

"Fertile krogan females," Wrex corrected, gazing at the dalatrass with malice. "Fertile krogan females imprisoned within a salarian military base…on their home planet. And that's not all, these females happen to be immune to the genophage." He straightened his posture, rising to his full height, "And she knows it."

Shepard's face hardened, "Dalatrass?"

Petty grievances have a way of coming back to us, my love. It's the curse of our woefully intact memories.

The salarian glanced all around the room, finding only cold, judgmental faces. She seemed to be working up a way to get out of the situation but realized that any explanation made in her defense would be torn to shreds. There was no way out for her here.

"What would curing the genophage do for me?" she managed halfheartedly. "For the salarian people?"

"For starters," Wrex clenched a fist and the faint hint of indigo started to trail up his arm, dark energy slowly gaining, "You would leave this ship with the same amount of fluids in your body that you have now. You have something of mine, something priceless to all krogan. If you have any hope of surviving this war, let alone the next five minutes, you are going to give me the females' location and you are going to give it to me now."

"Shepard," the salarian was getting frantic, "Are you just going to let him threaten me?"

He shrugged, "I might even let him carry out his threat, if you continue this little charade. How about you just hand over the location of the females and you can worry about your ass later? Because when this is all over, it will be good to have made a few friends on your side of the fight. The accounting will definitely be less severe when it comes to that."

The dalatrass looked livid, almost as if she was going to hurl herself at the commander but her shoulders slumped. She had finally relented. "They're on Sur'Kesh," she sighed. "The STG base located in the Kab'ril range."

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" he smirked, Wrex mimicking him, and Victus nodding sagely.

The dalatrass lowered her eyes, "Just remember that a bully may have their share of friends, but when he needs them most, he will find himself lacking."

Shepard gave a mental shrug. Good to know, you stupid bitch.

Five hours later – Sur'Kesh

The elevator opened up into the cool room and Shepard, Wrex, and Garrus exited hurriedly out of it. Their escort, a hardy salarian by the name of Wiks hustled along as he ran to the technicians operating the containment fields.

Wrex grumbled as he scanned around the laboratory. It was the same room as the one from the handheld footage. Dim lighting, vats of orange liquid on the far wall, and a series of blue glowing chambers at the bottom of a staircase. It was here that the krogan ran to, searching frantically for a sign of life.

The first three chambers were empty but in the second-to-last one lay four forms. All wrapped in body bags.

Wrex whirled, looking completely murderous. "What happened to them?!" he roared, sending a nearby group of salarians scurrying for the top floor. Wrex's red eyes were dilated, the air around him was starting to distort as he threateningly gathered dark energy for a charge.

"Immune systems weakened from disease," a rapid-fire voice burst fearlessly to the side. "Did everything we could to save them. Did not intend for this outcome."

Shepard turned, holding a hand up to calm Wrex down. "Mordin!" he exclaimed as the slim, white suited form of the doctor walked toward him. He held out his hand and the salarian grasped it genuinely.

"Good to have you here, Shepard," Mordin Solus said, relieved, before glancing to Wrex. "Please assure krogan colleague that females deaths were no fault of ours."

"Wrex," Shepard obliged, "Mordin is a friend. I know he wouldn't lie to me."

The krogan remained unconvinced but he stopped his biotic amplification nevertheless. "You can't tell if salarians are lying, Shepard. He might just be trying to save his own neck by diverting the blame."

Mordin looked a little miffed, "Divert blame? Would never have known about females if it weren't for my involvement."

Shepard blinked, "You were Wrex's inside source?"

"Correct. Females are last hope for krogan. Have made many mistakes in lifetime, Shepard. Feel like I can correct my largest one."

Wrex still looked livid as he glanced to the cell, "Looks to me that they were the last hope for the krogan. What good are a few dead females to me now?"

"Females had shown signs of extensive genetic modification. Immune systems were severely deteriorated from extreme experimenting. Would be comparable to quarian immune system at the time of death. All were in poor health when we recovered them from Tuchanka. Did everything we could to save all of them." Mordin suddenly smiled, "Work not all for naught. One still lives. Health moderate."

"What?" Wrex breathed. "Show her to me."

The salarian gestured to the final cell, in which Wrex wasted no time in hustling towards the barrier, Shepard following close by. Mordin entered into a side door to the cell as he worked at the controls while Shepard looked inside to see the krogan in question.

She was draped in a long cloak that covered all but her eyes. They were yellow and slit, containing a weary look as if she had borne the pain of her fellow sisters in the nearby cells. She was positioned on a harness but it didn't look like it was uncomfortable for her. It instead was meant to orientate her so that she would be kept restrained but complacent all the same.

The female sighed softly as they moved closer to the field, "Have the salarians finally found it in themselves the courage to kill me at last?"

Shepard shook his head, "Nothing of the sort. We're here to free you."

The krogan gave a slow blink before turning her head to the side, recognizing the human's companion. "Urdnot Wrex. Does the human know of your interior motive? Is he aware of my significance?"

"He does," Wrex growled. "And I trust him with my life."

"Then he should be aware that I am dangerous to many people. That my body carries the genetic information that makes me the most valuable krogan who's ever lived. And that there are those who would not want the genophage cured because of me and would want nothing more than to have me killed."

"I understand your significance," Shepard stepped forward, "But I'm here to see that the krogan get the ending that they deserve. I've been able to bear witness to krogan loyalty in my lifetime and have realized that their salvation has been overdue for a long time. And that's why we need to get you to Tuchanka, to give the krogan people something worth fighting for."

The female gave a soft chuckle, "The human is very direct, Wrex. And it seems that he does carry our best interests at heart."

"Shepard has made a habit of surprising me many times," Wrex shrugged. "I consider him part of my krantt, whether he likes it or not."

"Bold words," the female said in satisfaction. "And coming from a krogan such as yourself, almost unheard of."

"Shepard," Mordin stepped out the cell access door, "Ready to move Eve now. Must meet us on top platform to authorize release."

"Eve?" Shepard asked, peering at the female. "Rather odd for a krogan to be given a name that is steeped in human folklore."

"Symbolic gesture, Eve was the mother of all humans. Thought that she would be the mother of all krogan. Seemed appropriate."

"Well, salarian?" Wrex pushed forward. "We haven't got all day, you know."

"Yes, yes, but first," Mordin reached behind him and produced two white pistols and handed them to Shepard, "Appropriated from STG armory. Designated 'Scorpions.' Fires squash-head, low velocity, explosive projectiles. Might be useful later."

"Shiny," Garrus piped up, "Can I have one?"

"Knock yourself out," Shepard passed one of the pistols over. "But I don't think I'll keep the other for myself, anyway."

"If you don't want that one, I'll take it as well," Garrus was practically drooling over the sleek design at this point.

"Nah, I think it would be something that Tali might be able to put to better use." If I ever see her again, that is.

"Like an engagement present?" the turian asked mischievously. "I see how it is."

"We're not getting married yet, Garrus. Hasn't even been brought up in discussion." If he had been drinking something at that point it would have shot out of his mouth. The turian had the worst sort of timing as it was.

"I heard a 'yet' in that last sentence, there."

"Oh, be quiet."

"Both of you princesses be quiet," Wrex rumbled as Mordin closed the access door, the cell starting to move upward. The three of them dutifully hiked back over to the lift in the corner and depressed the button for the top floor. There was nothing else to do but tap their feet as the lift started its torturously slow climb.

"I've noticed you've become awful quiet, Garrus," Wrex noted. "What's wrong, having second thoughts?"

"I don't really think I'm qualified to answer that, Wrex."

"Scared I might have a bad reaction? Come on, turian. We've known each other for a couple years now. Let me guess, you don't really want the genophage cured, do you?"

Garrus' eyes widened slightly, "That's not it at all, Wrex."

"Then what is?"

The turian cocked his head in a shrug, "That everything is about to change. And, strangely, I'm looking forward to it."

The lift's doors opened moments later and the trio was greeted by a barrage of noise. Bullets were flying as the salarians they could see were speared by incoming projectiles, slumping in green pools as their chests leaked blood everywhere. Shouts and screams filled the air as distant explosions bloomed around the landing zone.

"I regret asking for your thoughts," Wrex grumbled.

Shepard and everyone else crouch-walked out of the elevator, hiding behind a low wall as they ascertained the situation. A Kodiak shuttle hovered over the one that they had used to get to the planet, but this one bore the whiteness of Cerberus on it. Down below, their troops were overrunning the salarian defenses as they swept from station to station, firing their rifles in short bursts.

The timing of their arrival could not be any more coincidental. They were obviously here for the female, whose cell was now starting to rise up from the basement.

Wrex had that part figured out from the start. "Oh, now they've done it!" he roared as he vaulted over the railing, landing several feet below but springing into a charge almost immediately. The nearest trooper heard a roar and turned too late to see half a ton of raging krogan fling an arm in his direction, sending him flying through the air to impact on a stack of crates in the corner, breaking his back in the process.

Garrus took out his Scorpion and stood up to fire a burst in the back of a guard that had been distracted by Wrex's attack. The soldier twitched as a glowing blue ball latched itself onto him, twisting around to see what had just happened when the ball exploded with the force of a grenade. Muscle tissue and extremities rained down in a red haze soon after, leaving the lower torso from the waist down to collapse.

"I think I'm in love," Garrus said breathlessly as he stared at his new gun.

"I'm sure the young ladies on Palaven will be devastated," Shepard sighed as he grabbed his submachine gun and pistol, holding them akimbo as he raced down the ivory steps. Wrex was busy tearing soldiers apart with his shotgun as he ran down, close blasts was sending blood everywhere, turning the ground slick. Shots had broken through the krogan's shields a long time ago but his natural plate armor and regen factor was not letting the bullets slow him down one bit.

The krogan's shotgun clicked as it ran out of clips. Wrex had plenty to choose from around his belt but he was so incensed with murder that he didn't want to break his stride, deciding to use his weapon as a club, smashing a trooper over the head with it.

Shepard had come up behind a pair of soldiers that were too concentrated on the infuriated krogan in front of them that they never realized their plight until Shepard put a couple rounds through their heads. Eve's platform had reached the top floor by now, Mordin was looking worried through his pod as he brandished a pistol in preparation.

A Cerberus engineer had the foolhardy idea of trying to tackle Wrex from behind, brandishing a knife as if he was going to stick it in the krogan. However, the human had not considered the fact that most areas on krogans are impervious to bladed weapons, a fact he quickly found out when the blade failed to penetrate a spot near the neck, sliding off the impenetrable plates.

Wrex had been so engrossed in his bloodlust that he had not noticed the human on his back initially but definitely felt the botched stabbing attempt. Without wasting any time, he threw his body backward and the engineer was crushed between him and the nearby wall with a crunch. As if that was not enough, Wrex turned around and grasped the hand that was still holding the knife and simply twitched to the side, the human's arm getting ripped out of its socket in the process.

A trooper cursed as another ball became stuck onto his leg but soon quieted once that ball took out sixty percent of his body in an instant, Garrus howling with laughter from above. He was absolutely giddy as he fired the little balls of death, thanking STG for such a marvelous weapon.

A centurion had taken notice of Shepard at this point and rolled out of the way to avoid any incoming fire. Shepard tracked the man's movement with his submachine gun and started plugging away at his shields when he stood up. Seeing no cover in the vicinity, the man opted to rush the commander, drawing an electro-staff from a slot in his arm.

Shepard smirked as he holstered his weapon, planning out his next strategy. The centurion might have been well-trained, but he still didn't have a clue who he was dealing with.

The arm with the staff started to descend but Shepard, quicker than anyone could blink, grasped the man's wrist half a foot from his head. The centurion let out a surprised grunt and then a scream as Shepard crushed the wrist in his grip. The hand holding the staff released it and Shepard caught the falling object with his free hand. Flicking the staff on, he thrust his arm forward and speared the soldier through the throat, blood spurting as the electricity sizzled around him.

The scent of cooked flesh reached Shepard's nostrils and he backed away as the man fell to the ground. He rubbed his nose, trying to get the acrid bite out of his senses. He looked away from the man lying there and saw two troopers round the corner. Not a problem for them. Wrex wasn't even breathing hard yet, Garrus was full of energy, and he hadn't tapped into the fullest extent of his anger yet.

Before he could quickly draw a weapon, both men's chests exploded outward from twin blasts behind him. He turned around to see Eve brandishing a shotgun from one of the fallen soldiers, eyes calm behind her veil. Shepard had no idea what to expect from a krogan female as he had never seen one before today but it did make sense that in a society dominated by war-mongering males, the females would have picked up a few tools of the trade here and there. Eve certainly had done this type of thing before, based on her calmness and proper stance.

Wrex gave an approving laugh. A woman after his own heart, it seemed. He walked over Eve to escort her to the shuttle. Shepard did notice that one of the troopers she had shot was still moving. Shotgun blasts to the chest like that, it clearly wouldn't be any longer for him, but there were still questions to be answered here.

He walked over to the man who was lying in a rapidly spreading pool of blood. His armor was completely ruined; bullet holes lined all around his chest, every single plate was streaked with red. With his foot, he kicked the helmet off the man, watching him spit up blood as he tried to focus on his tormentor. The soldier had also begun the process of becoming a husk, his face was lined with wires, parts of him glowed blue, and the flesh was already starting to turn grey around his eyes.

Shepard knelt down so that the man could see him better. "How did Cerberus know to come here? Why do you want the female?"

The man spluttered, "Follow…orders…"

"Who sent you?"

The man looked confused for a brief moment, "Y-…Y-….You…did…." With a final gasp and a surge of blood from his throat, his head dropped the final inch to the ground.

Shepard scowled, shaking his head. The man had been hallucinating at the end, he concluded. He had been too far gone to provide any reliable information. The Illusive Man had made good on his word, it seemed, for his plans were already in motion. But just how far did his influence spread before he would work up the knowledge to find-

A huge impact on his back sent him tumbling head over heels with a whump! He skidded to a halt on his back, blinking in surprise as he lay there for a second, stunned. No more blasts came impacting on him, it was just the one shot. And the fact that it had been a mere concussive blast was odd, no one used that type of ammo so carelessly. They were meant to incapacitate, not to kill.

Shepard groaned as he got off his back and on his feet. Staring across the way, hovering next to the pod lift, was the white Kodiak shuttle. Only the door of it was opened, the cabin occupied at the moment.

In it stood a tall, black armored figure. Two green-blue dots on his helmet denoted his optical sensors as several bandoliers lined his chest. One hand gripped the overhead railing as he leaned out of the shuttle, the other held a rifle that he now let drop to his side. The gun that had thrown the blast.

Shepard was dumbfounded as to why anyone would be so idiotic that they would provoke him without warning, but something clicked as the man's armor became familiar to him. The outline and stance matching from a recent memory.

It was the man from the video on Mars, the one that was talking to Dr. Core. The Illusive Man's newest asset.

With a harsh laugh, the figure tossed the rifle to the rear of the craft and with his now empty hand, raised it and held up a single index finger. Shepard tilted his head in confusion before the shuttle's thrusters burned and it accelerated up into the atmosphere. He blinked as the man's actions finally came to light, a bit too late for him to see the repercussions.

One finger for one hit.

It was a taunt.

Shepard raced forward to the ledge to catch a fleeting glimpse at the retreating shuttle. His pistol shook as his limbs quaked with rage, the handgrip almost snapping as he squeezed. The operative knew exactly what he was doing. He knew he had the upper hand but did not pursue an all-out assault on Shepard. Why? Was he under orders not to kill? Was it simply a personal matter?

Who was that man?

It was questionable at the least. Shepard had been vulnerable, lying there on the ground, but the man didn't want to engage. He only wanted him to see, to realize, to know that Cerberus would always follow him to the bitter end.

There was no time to talk about it now, as the Alliance shuttle on the pad was starting to warm up, Wrex and Eve were already aboard, Mordin and Garrus quickly following. He had no reason to linger here anymore, but he had a lot to ponder.

Not only was there a cure to deliver now, but a ghost hanging over his head. It was quite a lot to digest at the moment.

I'm not the perfect man you think I am, Tali. I've never had all the answers.

Six days later - Tuchanka

The sleek shapes of turian starfighters screamed through the dusty air, one that held the shriek of a Reaper as Shepard and Garrus ran for their lives.

Looking in all directions, krogan were spilling out of hidey-holes in the ancient temple that surrounded the giant set of maw hammers. Tomkahs were roaring, the krogan were bellowing, and Shepard was silent as he kept his head down, not wanting it to be taken off by an errant blast.

There was a brief vacuum of noise entirely and the pillar next to Garrus exploded as a red beam touched it for the tiniest of moments. Molten rock rained upon them, their velocity slow enough to penetrate their shields and make the turian yelp in pain. With the hasty encouragement to keep moving, both of them doubled their pace as the Reaper fired again, scything through the pathway with enough heat to melt their boots to the ground.

Everything had all gone downhill the moment they had landed on the krogan homeworld. After meeting up with the other members of the krogan resistance, they had to endure waves of cannibals, husks, marauders, which were modified turians, and brutes, a mix of various species bred for the purpose of dishing out heavy physical attacks. Wrex had not been exaggerating when he spoke of his own problems on his homeworld. They were big ones, all right.

The days on the Normandy that Mordin spent drafting a cure were rather productive for the salarian, all things considered. Using previous strains combined with his experience modifying the genophage, he was able to procure the right formula in a matter of hours. All they had to do now was simply release it.

That part was easier said than done. The only way to properly disperse the cure in such a manner that it could affect every krogan on the planet in a short amount of time would be to utilize the Shroud, a salarian-constructed tower built for the purpose of regulating Tuchanka's atmosphere after the self-imposed nuclear winter. The Shroud was the only facility that could do the job properly, but there happened to be a guard dog chained to it at the moment.

The Reaper was not as tall as the Shroud itself but that did not make it any more frightening. It didn't matter that it was only a destroyer-class Reaper, it still had the capacity to blow the whole plan to hell at a moment's notice. This was where the crazy part came in.

Knowing the area of Tuchanka well, Eve suggested that Shepard activate the maw hammers in the temple near the facility while Mordin would prepare the cure. In theory, this would call the so-called "mother of all thresher maws" to the area, one such maw called Kalros. The idea sounded absolutely insane but no one else had any real plans of taking out a Reaper at close range. They didn't have a fleet on hand so it looked like the maw would have to do.

Which was where Shepard and Garrus found themselves now, scampering towards the hammers while the Reaper tried to disintegrate them with its giant laser. Rolling over a downed pillar, Shepard and Garrus suddenly split up, heading for opposite sides of the courtyard while the Reaper's legs were descending all around them, attempting to squish them. Garrus shouted in panic as a huge, clawed foot came crashing down to within a couple feet of where he originally stood, almost falling to the ground in shock.

Shepard fought the dust that was being flared up from the repeated impacts and jumped the last few steps, the maw hammer switch in sight. He lifted his legs tirelessly as he lunged for the controls, not wasting any time standing still in one place. A huge booming sound echoed across the plain moments later as he slid down the edge of the temple, another one following quickly after that.

He reached the bottom, feet sinking into the sand as he saw Garrus do the same just a hundred meters away. He ran over the turian as he hit the ground too, rolling to take the impact from sliding down a steep incline made out of dusty rock. Shepard helped Garrus to his feet and they hastened themselves towards the Shroud's control center. However, the Reaper was still maintaining its watch overhead, almost seeming rather serene if it hadn't been giving off its devastating roar.

Garrus scratched his head as they huddled in a corner for half a minute, "Was that supposed to be it? I thought the effect would be instan-"

Without warning, an explosion of sand and dirt appeared half a mile off to their right and the biggest thresher maw they had ever seen, as thick small cruiser, burst out of the hole it had dug for itself. Kalros gave a screech as it leapt toward the Reaper, striking it in the back.

"Holy shit," was all Shepard could say as the ground vibrated beneath them.

The destroyer had been caught completely off guard, firing a red beam harmlessly into the air as it was propelled into the ground. Shepard could see wisps of steam rising from where the maw's mouth had clamped on the Reaper's backside. Its potent venom must be strong enough to distort its armor. The Reaper gave a pathetic roar as it struggled to rise but it had already lost by this point.

Its prey stunned, the maw eagerly started to drag it back to its hole, body starting to constrict around it, much like a python. The massive, thick muscles on the creature were so strong that cracks started to appear in the machine's armor. With a snapping sound, red electricity arced around the Reaper's oculus and the screaming stopped abruptly.

With a cloud of dust, the two forms vanished into the desert, the ground slowly ceasing its pulsation.

Garrus shook his head in disbelief, "I would have loved to have gotten a vid of that."

"Come on," Shepard grabbed Garrus' arm, "Let's go see if Mordin needs any additional help."

With no more enemies in the way, it was a simple affair for the both of them to reach the bottom of the tower in a good amount of time. Mordin had already beaten them there, as he was hurriedly scanning different sets of diagnostic machines, making sure everything was in order before the cure was released.

On the flip side, the Shroud itself did not look like it was faring much better than the Reaper that was now stuffed in the hole. Bright explosions were appearing from the top and huge pieces were raining down, making large holes in the skylight. Glass rained down upon them and everyone threw their arms over their heads.

"Mordin!" Shepard called from the top of stairs, "Is everything ready to go?"

"Yes!" the salarian exclaimed. "Managed to find original strain samples and combined with Eve's tissue. Procedure distressful but not fatal. Will become excellent symbol for krogan."

"So now what? This place is falling apart!"

"Cure programmed to release in five minutes time. Shroud damaged by Reaper attack but should remain intact until we're ready."

Shepard was about to pry further when his omni-tool blinked. He held it up, turning to the side slightly. He was getting a call, private channel, blocked ID.

Skeptical, he accepted the message and the image of the salarian dalatrass appeared on his arm, "Dalatrass?"

"Commander," she replied, mood sour, "I trust this is a private conversation?"

"It is," he lied, gesturing to Mordin and Garrus, who were in front of the commander and therefore not in the dalatrass' visual range to come over and listen. "What do you want? I'm rather busy at the moment."

"I know what you are doing, commander, and I have to say that I don't approve."

"Believe me, you made that quite clear the last time we talked," Shepard gave Garrus a furtive glance as the turian covered his mouth to stop his sniggering. "Get to the point."

Ignoring his bluntness, the salarian obliged, "I know that you are planning to use the Shroud to disperse the cure for the krogan, and I know that you have roped poor Mordin Solus into doing this for you." The doctor, oddly quiet, merely blinked as she continued, "I do feel that I must tell you that because the Shroud is your only viable option at this point, we had made the effort years ago to sabotage the facility from doing exactly what it is you're there to do now."

Shepard felt himself heat up before he glanced at Mordin, who gave a small shake of his head and mouthed, Familiar with STG work, can fix.

Keeping his anger under control, he took a breath and glanced back at the dalatrass, "You called me to simply gloat? That's a rather scummy move, even for a politician."

"The sabotage was not permanent," she clarified, "And I know that Solus has the knowledge to rectify it. He would most certainly fix it if he knew about it. But really, commander, why tell him at all?"

Why indeed? This was getting interesting. "Is there a reason why I shouldn't?"

"A big one. If you allow the process to go on unmodified, I can promise you the full might of the salarian fleets."

Garrus blinked and Mordin frowned. Shepard rubbed his chin, contemplating, "You want me to betray Mordin and Wrex, who I might remind you, I've known for much longer than you. He's promised me the full strength of his people and the turians will follow shortly. Why should I throw away an opportunity like that?"

"The krogan will be none the wiser! They will simply think that the cure has been processed as-"

"Someone will find out. The truth will out itself and when the krogan find out that they've been betrayed, they will rise up like they did a thousand years ago. They will follow war with more war, is that what you're asking me to do?"

The dalatrass smirked, "Possibly, unless...you order the krogan to the front lines, where they could summarily be thinned by the Reapers-"

"I've heard enough!" Shepard barked. "Mordin, would you like to step forward?" Solemnly, the doctor obliged as Shepard turned his arm to the side, putting the salarian square in front of the display. The doctor, to Shepard's amusement, gave a tiny wave and a smile as the salarian on the mini-screen turned every shade of red possible.

"What?" the dalatrass cried. "Commander, you said our conversation was private!"

"Yeah, about that," Shepard gave an exaggerated shrug, "I lied." Watching the alien splutter as she tried to form words, a thought came to him and he grinned, "Put it this way, if you hadn't told us about the sabotage on the Shroud we probably never would have cured the genophage at all. So thank you for your contribution in writing history as we all know it. Who knows, they might make you out to be a hero for what you've done."

"Command-!" the dalatrass screamed before Shepard hit the disconnect. The only sounds left in the room was the soft tinkling of glass and crackling of flame in the corner. Mordin looked up at the tower for a brief moment and giving a small sigh.

Shepard stood at the doctor's side, "What is it, Mordin?"

The salarian gave a faint smile, "While fixable, temperature control access...problematic."

"That's not going to be that big of a deal. Where is it?"

Mordin lifted a hand up, towards the metal spire that stretched to the heavens as fire poured out from the top.

Shepard stood there, shocked, "Is...is there no other way?"

Mordin gave a small glance down to the ruined tiles, his breathing slowed, "No...Shepard. No other way."

The urge to put a hand on the salarian's shoulder to keep him in place came and went as quickly as the logic flew in front of his face. Mordin was right, there was no time. He had to let him go.

The salarian, taking his usual hasty approach, walked into the elevator on the far side of the room but before he pushed the button that would take him to the top floor, he gave a final look at both Shepard and Garrus as they stood by, helpless in their situation.

Mordin smiled, "Don't feel bad, Shepard. If variables had been revealed from the start, would have made the same choice." He then pushed the button, the glass door fastened shut, "Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong."

As the tiny box accelerated off the ground, both human and turian tracked it with their eyes, never letting it out of their sight until it slowed and stopped at the pinnacle. Breaking contact first, Shepard found a bench near the exit of the room and sat down upon it, with Garrus joining him after a minute. They closed their eyes as they reclined their backs on the walls, feeling the slight jolt as a distant explosion sounded after a moment. Silence passed over them as the air glowed from the dusty particles that had appeared from the Shroud itself.

He had done it.

Shepard murmured, "How many more, Garrus? How many more good people am I going to have to send to their deaths?"

Garrus fumbled with his answer, giving a twitch of his mandibles in frustration, "I...I don't know how you want me to answer that, Shepard. I don't think anyone can give you a serious answer on that."

"You don't have to," Shepard muttered, almost sleepily, "I just would like to know if it all would be worth it in the end. That the loss of life justified something."

"I can't answer that either," Garrus looked at his friend, "But I do know that had I been in Mordin's position, I would have gone up too."

Shepard gradually turned his head until human and turian were staring at each other expectantly. He put a hand on Garrus' shoulder in a close gesture, the turian gratefully responding with a pat on his wrist. They continued to sit for many more minutes as the joyous roars of krogan filled the air.

A/N: Let's just say that next chapter will be a little more exciting. Hopefully this one was altered enough so that it didn't seem like a retread of playing the game as we know it.

You're just going to wait and find out to what I have in mind.