AN: Yo thank you for reminding of that little fact about Saren and the Illusive Man. I might add a small line or something about it on Virmire.

Recap: "Let's get going. We need to get Benezia to a doctor, purge whatever rachni are left and tell the Council. Really looking forward to that last one." Shepard said tiredly. At least they were one step closer to getting Saren.

Now

Shepard had sent the rest of the team back to the tram while he walked over to where the hotlabs were. He entered the elevator that would lead down to the hotlabs as he watched his team transport Benezia's unconscious form followed by the science team and what remained of the security force. The elevator doors closed and he descended down to where he could feel the remaining rachni were. As he waited for the elevator to finish its descent, his mind wondered to other issues. What was going to happen with Benezia now? What was with Saren and the Conduit? And more importantly, what was the mystery behind Sovereign? Benezia had said that Sovereign wasn't a geth creation and was more advanced than anything the species of their time created. Was it possibly a reaper ship!? That would explain a lot. He had a hard time fathoming its power. He knew, he just knew when it bore through whatever defenses Eden Prime had, it was all nothing more than an incredibly small piece of its full power. And in the prothean's time, there was obviously a lot more. That thought actually scared him more than he cared to admit. That was when the elevator stopped.

Exiting, he walked forward and was met with a man hunched over in a chair. Not only that but he felt that twitchy feeling when a rachni was near. It annoyed him that unlike biotics and tech users, he couldn't pinpoint where the rachni were except maybe by the intensity from the feeling itself. He looked to the man.

"Excuse me, but are you alright?" Shepard asked with mild concern. The man, or doctor as it were, looked up at him.

"Are you here to secure the situation?" The man asked. Shepard nodded.

"You must listen to me. If we do not contain our mistake, they will drop bombs from the battle stations. You understand?" The doctor continued.

"I don't completely understand everything yet. What happened here?" Shepard asked having thought it over. The Queen gave some good insight but he believed he was missing part of the situation.

"Binary Helix found an egg. It was on a derelict ship, thousands of years drifting. This was rachni ship. Inside they find many eggs in cryogenic suspension." The doctor explained. The egg was that old? Now that it was mentioned, the Queen did say that she could hear her mother crying. That must have been from just before the eggs got frozen.

"So they brought it here to wake it up?" Shepard asked already knowing the answer.

"Binary Helix plan to clone rachni. Mass-produce them. Create an army. But when they get here, they find this egg is not a common rachni. It is a queen. After she lays eggs, they move her to Rift Station. They are thinking that without her, they can raise the babies to be obedient" The doctor said. Something caught Shepard's attention.

"Wouldn't the queen need to have a male to breed?" He asked. The doctor shook his head no.

"Queens are born carrying the genetic code of their fathers. Eggs are carried away from the colony to hatch alone. Queens can lay eggs in hours and have a colony in days. This is how they spread so quickly." No kidding. No wonder they were able to hold a war with the Council for a millennium.

""Look as fascinating as it is I don't believe that we have a lot of time before more of them come down on our heads." Shepard said feeling his twitchy-ness starting to get stronger. The doctor nodded.

"These rachni are beyond saving. It is a sad thing, but they must be euthanized. I am thinking a neutron purge must be set off." The doctor said making Shepard raise an eyebrow.

"I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with the purge system." Shepard said.

"It creates burst of neutron radiation. Kills everything within the station. Things beyond get genetic damage of varying degree." The doctor explained. Shepard nodded in understanding.

"Okay. How do we set it off?" He asked. The doctor got up from his chair. Shepard noticed his twitchy feeling got stronger.

"Arming controls are nearby. All you do is insert the key. Then I will give Mira destruct co- URRGGHH!" The doctor said before a tendril pierced through him from behind. Shepard's hand immediately went to his shotgun. The doctor was lifted up before being brutally tossed to the side, revealing a rachni warrior. Shepard used lift on the rachni before firing on it. After killing it, he walked over to the doctor's corpse and looked for the code on his body. After finding it he looked it over before standing up and moving towards the neutron purge. Without any hesitation, he activated it with only a minute to get back to the elevator. He moved to where the elevator was before more rachni popped out of the vents. He immediately ran for it, giving one last glance at the corpse. Silently apologizing he jumped into the elevator and closed the door before it brought itself back up. Part way up he heard the purge go off as well as the dying shrieks of the crazed rachni. He closed his eyes in a rare moment of prayer before he made his way back to where he left his team with everyone.

After making it back to the Normandy, everyone broke off to go to their personal quarters. Shepard stayed with Benezia and led her down to to the cargo hold. While they made their to the elevator Shepard saw some glares sent Benezia's way before they entered the elevator along with Ashley, Wrex, Garrus and Tali. The four mentioned were keeping a wary eye on Benezia as she continued to watch Shepard. The man himself just had his eyes closed in thought. He was tired from the mission itself. Dealing with extortionists, trekking up and down a snowy mountain, fighting multiple enemies of varying degrees, and having to decide the fate of race? It was nearly too much. At least it most likely wouldn't happen again. (Hah! Yeah right.) He could sense Benezia's anxiety.

"I'm going to place you in cryogenic stasis for the time being. Don't worry I'll let you out when I'll talk to the Council. You'll have your chance to explain what's happened I promise." Shepard said.

"It's not that. It's just... I'm having difficulty trying to figure you out." Benezia responded making Shepard look at her.

"Pardon?" He prompted.

"It's just that your very unusual for a human. From Saren had found on you, you've been through many deadly situations, lost so much at an early age and yet your personality isn't like most would be."

"Like most would be?" Shepard parroted. The others watched on in silence. Benezia nodded.

"Most others would have broken. Become more darker. More angrier at everything. But you... your personality is much brighter, but still has a very serious tone to it. I sensed that much when you melded your mind with me." Benezia explained. Shepard ahhed in understanding.

"I most likely would have all those years ago but... I had help. People who became close to me helped keep me from becoming like that." Shepard said as he remembered Zaeed, Isaac, Liselle and even Aria in her own small way. The elevator ceased its descent and opened. Shepard let Benezia step out first before leading her to the cryo tube. Everyone else exited behind them and watched.

"Here it is. I managed to fix it so that there won't be any side effects. It'll be just like going to sleep in a cold room." Shepard said as he activated it. Benezia watched the cryo tube open up. She gently laid herself into it before it closed on her before she was flash frozen. Seeing it was successful, Shepard walked over to the elevator before saying, "Meeting in comm room in a couple hours. Rest and relax. I figure we need it after today."

A few minutes later...

Shepard walked out of his room to find Joker sitting at the table again eating some chili.

"Hey Shepard." Joker greeted.

"Hey" Shepard said as he grabbed a bowl and got himself some. He opened the fridge and got some cheese to put on his chili before putting it back. He walked over and sat across from Joker before eating. After a few minutes of silence Joker started talking.

"So how were things down there?" He asked.

"A gigantic pain in the ass." Shepard responded without missing a beat. Joker chuckled at Shepard's response.

"Boy am I glad to be off of Noveria. Don't know which was worse: the cold or the corporations. One will freeze your balls off. The other will sell them out from under you." Joker said causing Shepard to crack a smile.

"Yea I'd rather not go back to planet ever again." Shepard said making Joker nod. Joker got his serious face on.

"So I noticed you brought a guess. Do I need to ask who she was?" Joker asked.

"That depends. You wanna play 20 questions?" Shepard asked as he continued to eat. Joker shook his head at Shepard's comeback.

"So how'd you do it?" Joker asked as he went back to eating. Shepard swallowed his food before responding.

"I found out that something was controlling Benezia Joker." The pilot looked up at him in confusion. Seeing his pilot's face Shepard explained further.

"I've had a feeling that something was off about this whole situation when we had that trial back before they inducted me as a spectre." Joker nodded.

"I found it strange at the Council's reaction with the whole thing. With how fast Saren and Benezia turned on everyone. That got me thinking that I should dig a little more about them. What I found on Saren was the typical turian stereotype. You know: disciplined, loyal, patriotic, a stickler for tradition and has a pole up his ass when it comes to duty and humans." Shepard said causing Joker to snort. Shepard waited for his chance to continue.

"With Benezia it was the same deal. Kind, generous, polite, always going for the cooperation between races. A real mother-may-I. But then suddenly they turned on everyone so fast. For us it wasn't shocking with Saren, but when Benezia came into the fold I knew immediately that we weren't seeing the whole picture. I started to think that maybe Benezia and Saren weren't our real enemies. That maybe someone or something was merely working behind the scenes." Shepard said. Joker looked at him for a minute before talking.

"Wait so you mean that there is someone who is using them?" Joker asked. Shepard nodded.

"Yes and from what I found out from Benezia today proves it. At least partially anyway." Shepard said.

"You think it might be geth doing this?" Joker asked, their meal momentarily forgotten. Shepard shook his head.

"I suspected it at first, but when Benezia talked about that ship of Saren's, Sovereign?" Joker nodded. "She said it was more advanced than anything any of the species in our galaxy had created, including the geth." Joker's eyes widened.

"And I'm inclined to believe her. We've heard reports of what the geth can do in the last few centuries and none of it came even close to what Sovereign can pull." Shepard said in thought.

"Jeez this whole thing is getting crazier and crazier. I mean the whole thing with the geth and Liara? Okay that was strange but nothing major. Then it's a colony with mutant zombies. And if that wasn't strange now we find out that we don't really know what's what with the situation here. This sucks Shepard." Joker said.

"Agreed." Shepard retorted before digging back into his meal with Joker shortly following. One thing was still sticking in his head. Why had he felt something sinister from Sovereign itself? Back on Eden Prime it barely registered to him, but after all of this the feeling of nostalgia and dangerous only got stronger. He'd have to think more about this later...

An hour or 2 later...

Everyone was in the comm room including an awakened Benezia. As everyone took their seats, Shepard bade her to stand in front of them. Most likely for everyone to keep her in their sights. While Shepard and Liara knew she was no longer indoctrinated, everyone else was not as believing. It would take time. After a tense silence Ashley spoke first.

"So what's our next move Shepard? Head for the Mu Relay?" She asked. Shepard shook is head no.

"The Mu Relay could link to dozens of systems. Unless we know exactly where Saren's going, we'd just be wasting our time." Shepard said. He looked toward Benezia for confirmation. She nodded to him in response.

"Shepard is right. We cannot rush off blind. We still need to learn more about Saren." Liara said having seen the small by-play between her mother and her... romantic interest.(You would call it that right?) Ashley's expression turned a little sour at Liara's remark.

"Who put you in charge? Did Shepard resign when I wasn't looking?" Ashley said as she sat back into her chair giving a small glare to Liara. The asari herself looked somewhat indignant at her rival's remark. She was just stating a fact. What was...? Benezia noticed this easily. She wondered silently at her daughter's expression not having seen it since their last argument.

"We're all on the same team here, Ash. She's just trying to help." Shepard lightly admonished. Ashley quickly caught herself from Shepard's interference.

"Sorry Shepard." Ashley said. Shepard sighed seeing everyone was still on edge from what happened.

"This is a tough mission. We're all on edge. Everyone go and get some more rest." Shepard said as he got up. Everyone took his lead and left but Liara stayed and spoke with her mother before she walked out. As soon as Liara left Joker's voice came over the intercom.

"The Noveria reports are away Shepard. Want me to patch you through to the Council?" Joker asked.

"Yes. As far as I'm concerned I need to speak with them." Shepard responded.

"Right setting up the link now Shepard." Joker said. Benezia walked up beside him.

"You nervous?" he asked.

"Some what, yes." Benezia responded.

"Don't worry too much. I had my suspicions about you and Saren being manipulated. Even brought those concerns to the Council." Shepard said causing Benezia to look at him in shock.

"And what did they do?" She asked.

"I raised several valid points and they told me to see if they were true. If they were, save you. If not... well." Shepard said before the comm came up and the projections of the Council came up. Tevos looked to speak up before she and her colleagues noticed Benezia.

"B-Benezia?! So Shepard managed to save you after all." Tevos said in shock. Valern and Sparatus looked to be in the same boat as her if their wide eyes were any indication. Benezia nodded at Tevos' statement.

"Yes Councilor Tevos. Spectre Shepard had, by some miracle, managed to save me." Benezia said.

"So you were under some form of control?" Valern immediately asked. Benezia nodded.

"It was a form of brainwashing the likes of which I hadn't seen." Shepard stated gaining their attention.

"There was no control chip used at all, but something was messing with her thoughts on a pretty big level." He continued.

"How are so sure then that she is completely safe from doing more harm?" Sparatus asked as he watched Benezia like a hawk.

"I managed to meld with her and was able to... hmmm put things back into place shall we say." Shepard stated.

"Ludicrous!" Sparatus retorted. Shepard looked at him annoyed.

"Asari can meld with different species using their minds and their nervous systems and you don't believe that there is a way to control someone by doing something similar?" he asked as he crossed his arms. Sparatus didn't bother responding to his question this time. That was when Tevos spoke again, this time looking down at something.

"Is this report accurate Shepard? You found rachni on Noveria?" She asked. Before he could answer Sparatus cut in also looking down.

"And then released the queen! Do you have any idea what you've done? How many generations until they overrun the galaxy?" Sparatus said or more like demanded and accused at the same time.

"This queen is different. She understands why her kind were wiped out last time around." Shepard defended.

"I hope you're right Shepard. Our children's children will pay the price if you're not." Sparatus warned, appearing to be tired from arguing with Shepard for the moment. His hologram winked out of existence a second later followed by Valern. Tevos remained.

"Yes Councilor Tevos?" Shepard asked.

"How were you under control Benezia?" She asked.

"Saren's flagship, Sovereign, has some sort of mechanism or ability to enslave minds. I tried to save him but in the end, I became his slave. The indoctrination was so strong that it even pierced my Inner World." Benezia said causing Tevos' how eyes to widen. She knew of it even though she herself hadn't been able to access her own. But if what Benezia said was true, then by all means she shouldn't be free of Saren's control.

"But how are you free?" Tevos asked. Benezia looked at Shepard before looking back.

"This human, Ghost, is very special. He himself has found a way into his own Inner World. He connected with my mind and purged whatever was infesting it." Benezia said with a small smile. Tevos actually studdered for a minute.

"B-But that shouldn't be possible. Only asari have ever been recorded to being able to access their Inner Worlds. Even then they are few and far inbetween." Tevos then looked at Shepard.

"How?" She asked. Benezia also stared at Shepard waiting for his explanation. Shepard thought it over before answering.

"To be honest I don't really know how. All I know is that the first day I went into that biotic form you both know about, caused me to be knocked out and when that happened, I was suddenly in my Inner World." Shepard explained. Benezia and Tevos became pensive at the human's explanation.

"There is an old saying, 'When we reach our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change.'" Benezia said.

"I doubt it was my lowest point. Maybe that situation gave me the final push though." Shepard said. Tevos looked at the 2 before and was mildly shocked at how casual they were talking to each other. Here was a human who was dealt with a life with so much fighting that he should be constantly angry and anti-social, yet he's nearly the complete opposite. Beside him was an asari matriarch who had just been used like fresh maiden and yet still retained her cool and calm composure. Aria was right. This human was definitely something else.

"I see. What of Saren, Ghost? Do you believe he himself is also under control?" Tevos asked. Shepard looked at the ground in thought for a minute before answering.

"I'm unsure. Part of me doesn't believe he is, but the other part of me does. I'll need more information before judging." Shepard said.

"I understand. Keep your ears open Ghost, we may call again." Tevos said nodding.

"Wait." Shepard said. Tevos looked at him.

"What should be done with Benezia?" He asked. Tevos mulled things over before answering.

"It would be best that she stays on the Normandy with you. If what really happened in your report is true then you are one of the few who can take her on alone. Besides, people may find it more comforting that you are the one watching her instead of her walking free or having an armed escort." Tevos replied.

"Understood." Shepard said nodding. Tevos nodded back before her hologram winked out. As Shepard walked out Benezia began talking.

"Shepard." Shepard stopped and turned to her.

"I wanted to say thank you again." Benezia said as she walked up to him with her hand out. Shepard smiled and shook it.

"Like I said, no problem. I accomplished one of my goals after all." he replied. Benezia shook her head.

"I'm not saying thank you for saving me. I'm saying thank you for saving my Little Wing." Shepard rose an eyebrow at the name.

"You mean Liara right?" Shepard asked. Benezia nodded.

"I'm happy I made that decision years ago. It truly was best." She said.

"Decision?" Shepard prompted.

"Yes. When Justicar Samara returned from Torfan, a few matriarchs including myself and Tevos held a meeting to decide what course of action to do with you." Benezia said.

"With me?" Shepard was very confused. Why would the asari have a meeting about him? Sure he was working under Aria. Sure he had saved a Justicar and few hundred asari back then but why would high ranking asari like Benezia and Tevos have a meeting about him? Soldiers and mercenaries he could understand, but politicians? Benezia noticed his confused expression and chose to explain further.

"You must understand that back then while Humanity had joined with the Council, their military, while impressive enough to battle on par with the turians, was severly lacking in biotics. Even then, the few they had were nowhere near the level you showed on Torfan." Benezia explained. Shepard began to understand.

"So the asari were more concerned about what I represented. A human capable of matching a veteran asari, a Justicar in biotics, just 2 short decades after First Contact." Shepard stated making Benezia nod.

"We didn't know what to think. True the Justicar was holding back, but so were you. Finally it was decided that we would wait and see what you would do. We listened for any news regarding you for years until we realized that you would not be leaving the Terminus any time soon. So we decided to keep our distance. To allow you to roam free unless you became a problem. I voted that we should let you do as you please. I'm glad to see that I made the correct choice." Benezia said. Shepard nodded.

"If you hadn't, it may have cost you more this time around." he said. Benezia wore a grim smile at his words.

"You are correct Ghost. If not for you, I would not be standing here and my Little Wing would most likley be dead." She admitted. Shepard gave her reassuring smile.

"But it didn't come to that. Now go, be with your daughter and talk to her. She may not have shown it much, but I could tell she's been worried about you this whole time." Shepard said as he directed her to the medbay. After she left, Shepard made his way to the mess to see if anything had gone on in his room while he was away. Luckily there hadn't been any so he looked around and noticed Kaidan was fiddling with a panel on the wall.

"Kaidan what are you up to?" he asked. The sentinel glanced at before turning to his work.

"Just doing so minor repair work. We have a few lose wires here. Can you hand me those pliers?" Kaidan said pointing to the toolset a feet from him. Shepard grabbed them and handed them.

"Thanks." Kaidan said.

"So what did you think of that business on Noveria?" Shepard asked trying to make small talk.

"Turning Saren's... What was Benezia anyway? Second-in-command? Advisor?" Shepard shrugged making Kaidan shake his head not really wanting to figure it out. "Anyway, it should set him back a bit. I'm sure Dr. T'soni is ecstatic about this though." Kaidan said. Shepard nodded. On the way back, Liara had never left her mother's side until the were back on the Normandy. Shepard then remembered all the trouble with the rachni.

"Any opinion on the rachni?" he asked.

"Off the record?" Kaidan asked. He could feel Shepard's deadpan stare bore into the back of his skull. It was saying 'it's always off the record!'

"*chuckles* Sorry force of habit. So the rachni? If we'd had the option, I'd soon as have left it to the Council. We weren't out here during the Rachni War. I'm not sure we have any business getting involved." Kaidan seriously.

"Fair enough, but I knew I had to make a choice right there. Especially with how you guys were about argue over it." Shepard said before he noticed that Kaidan seemed to be lost in thought.

"Kaidan you still with me?" Shepard asked. Kaidan snapped out of his stooper fast enough.

"Nothing just thinking about things." Kaidan said.

"Anything you wanna share?" Shepard prompter as he leaned on a nearby rail. Kaidan placed the panel back and stood up before looking at Shepard.

"I didn't think you'd have time to talk, with all that's going on. Just thinking about that whole mess with that New Growth thing. There's got to be some xenobiologists who want to read about the Thorian." Kaidan said. Shepard immediately could see it as smokescreen.

"I'm sure whatever will be done about that will involve a lot of paper work, now what's really bothering you." Shepard said as he crossed his arms. Kaidan smirked at his blunt question.

"I'm just looking for an ear. The debriefing wasn't the right place to say how ridiculous this is." Kaidan said.

"Ridiculous?" Shepard asked.

"Yes. It seems like every other race in the galaxy is wrapped up in their own problems. They don't want to see what's coming." Kaidan explained.

"Wanting everything will be fine? Sounds like human nature to me." Shepard said with a small smirk. Kaidan returned it.

"Yeah, I guess some things carry across species well enough. I should remember that after what happened with Vyrnnus." Kaidan said. Finally, he was willing to talk about it.

"I'd think you'd carry a grudge over the crap you took from Vrynnus." Shepard replied waiting for Kaidan's response.

"Before I met Vrynnus, I knew as much as any other civilian. Aliens were weird, superior, and tried to tell us what to do. I mean it was only 26 years since first contact. That's not a lot of time to understand them." Shepard nodded. That was very true, but sadly people tend to judge faster than that.

"It was Vyrnnus who made me see how human aliens are. They're not different or special. They're jerks and saints, just like us. Hell by the time I got payback I didn't want it anymore." Kaidan continued. Hallelujah! Finally an Alliance soldier other than Anderson who gets it!

"Blowhards are easy to brush off. How'd he finally get under your skin?" Shepard asked curiously. Kaidan wasn't easy to piss off. Kaidan's expression changed to one of regret and sadness.

"He hurt Rahna. Broke her arm." Oh shit. Yep that'll piss off any guy. Hurt a girl he's protective of and all bets are off.

"What happened?" he asked. Kaidan sighed before explaining.

"She reached for a glass of water instead of pulling it biotically. She just wanted a drink without getting a nosebleed. You know?" Shepard nodded. He knew it was difficult the first few months of training. You have to be patient when teaching students their biotics. Aria may have been rough but the worst he got was an insult. Not a broken limb.

"Like an idiot I stood up. Didn't know what I was gonna do. Just something. And Vyrnnus lost it. Beat the crap out of me. Kept shouting how they should have bombed us back to the stone age. That's when the knife came up." Kaidan said. Knife?!

"A military-issue. Right in my face." Kaidan said seeing Shepard's are-you-serious face.

"I cut loose. Ful biotic kick, right to the teeth. Almost as strong as I can manage now. At seventeen, that's something." Kaidan said before looking down in guilt.

"You wanted to help a girl you cared for. That's pretty noble." Shepard said. Kaidan just shook his head.

"Maybe my intentions were noble, but I lost control. I killed him Shepard." He wasn't surprised. A physical biotic attack can be more devastating to someone than power attack in some cases. A biotic kick had to done some pretty serious damage.

"Snapped his neck. They probably could have saved him, if they got him to an infirmary quick enough. But they didn't." Kaidan said.

"What happened afterwards?" Shepard asked.

"Casued a stir when they shipped him home. BAat training was shut down. Conatix folded a couple years later. So yeah, maybe I hated that turian. I mean, if one ass was enough to judge a whole race, I'd hate humans too." Kaidan said. Shepard smiled at his answer.

"A good attitude to have. Keep that level head and we'll do fine." Shepard replied.

"Staying reasonable is about all we've got left. Everyone else in this galaxy seems to have gone out of their minds. Present company excepted, of course." Kaidan said. Shepard just chuckled at him.

"If you don't mind Shepard I'd like to go get some rack time. See you in a few hours." Kaidan said as he walked over to the stasis chambers they used for sleep.

"Yea get a good rest Kaidan. We all need it after today." Shepard said as he got up to leave. Right after Kaidan got in, Ashley came into the mess with a bottle of (alcohol of your choice).

"Hey skipper any interest in a small drink? It's a special occasion." Ashley asked as she set the bottle down and grabs a few glasses.

"Sure what's the occasion?" Shepard as he sat down while she poured the drinks.

"It's Armisitice Day. When the First Contact War ended. My family always marks it." Ashley said as she handed him a glass and sat down with hers.

"Ahh I get it now." Shepard said as he looked at his drink swirling it around in the glass.

"Yeah since I'm the only Williams aboard, I thought I'd ask you." Ashley said.

"Seems like an odd thing to celebrate to me, but then again I rarely celebrate anything anymore." Shepard said before raising his glass. "Cheers."

"Cheers." Ashley replied as she clank her glass with his before they both drank.

"In my family, it's not really a celebration. More like an obligation." Ashley said as she bored herself another glass before handing the bottle to him.

"That explains why you push yourself so hard." Shepard replied as he took the bottle and poured himself another glass. Ashley snorted before downing her glass.

" 'A Williams has to be better than the best, if only to avoid suspicion.' That's what my Dad told me the night before he retired." Ashley said after she swallowed. Shepard smirked at her.

"Well I don't think anyone can say the Williams' family isn't brave." Shepard said as he drank at a more sedate pace while Ashley was pouring another drink. His comment made her crack a smile.

"It does take a special kind of thickheaded to march into a job where your family's blacklisted. I did it anyway. I'm not going to let our name go downwith Arnold and Quisling. Grandad deserved better than that." Ashley said.

"Well tell me what you need. I might be able to help out." Shepard said as he finished his glass. Ashley smiled at him.

"Look at who I am Shepard. Do you ever hear me asking for help? It's not that bad things happen to me. If you stay with me long enough, maybe I'll tell you about some of them. But I deal with them myself." Ashley retorted back. Shepard smiled back at her.

"Well, stick with me long enough and you'll find out I tend to jump in to help out with people's problems." Shepard said.

"Yeah, I kinda noticed that. I don't need a shoulder to cry on, a knight to recue me, or a man to make me happy. This is who I am. I like her. And you better like her too." Ashley said blushing at the end.

"If I didn't like her, I wouldn't talk to her as much." Shepard replied.

"So you're still interested?" Ashley asked in an almost shy way. Shepard knew where this was going and sadly he had to stop it.

"Ash... as much as I'd like to try it out with you... I'm afraid I can't." Shepard said as he closed his eyes. He could feel her staring at him with a shocked expression.

"It's Dr. T'soni isn't it? I knew it. The way you're always supporting her and comforting her and she is always deferring to you. I knew I wouldn't be able to measure to that rack of her's either, but I thought I still could-" Ashley started to say before Shepard cut her off.

"It's not Liara either Ash. I plan on putting a stop to that too." Shepard said opening his eyes and looking at her. Ashley looked at him confused. He could see she was starting to have some tears starting to well up.

"Then it's Tali then?" Ashley asked. What? Damn was Tali interested too? Was he going to have this talk a third time?

"No." Shepard said.

"Then what the hell Shepard?" Ashley demanded. She'd probably be yelling if she knew Chakwas wouldn't come to investigate.

"I got a call from my boss about my old girlfriend. I found out why she broke up." Shepard said. Ashley tried to give him a glare. Keyword being tried.

"She's pregnant." Shepard said simply as he watched her reaction. She closed her eyes and tears started coming down. It tore at him to see this happening to her. Another thought entered his head. If this was happening to Ashley, how was Liara going to take it?

"So that's it huh? After she broke up with you, she tells you she's pregnant and you go crawling back?" Ashley asked as she wiped away her tears.

"She did it to protect me. Besides I won't subject my child to a life without a father. I know what's it like. I'm sorry, Ash. I truly am. After this... if you never want to speak to me again, I understand." Shepard said as he got up. He biotically put his glass in the sink before walking over to her side. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder for a few seconds before taking it off and walking toward the medbay. After he entered, Chakwas was their to greet him. He let her look him over to see if there were any problems.

"I heard." She said as she preformed the necessary scans.

"Did I do the right thing?" he asked.

"I believe you did. It will take her some time, but she will move on." Chakwas said as she continued scanning.

"It hurt to see her like that Chakwas." Shepard said in a subdued tone. Chakwas looked at him seeing how it had affected him.

"I-I-I don't think I can take telling Liara this right after doing it to Ash." Shepard said doubtfully. 'He really likes them a lot doesn't he?' Chakwas thought before saying, "You have to Shepard. You know you need to make a clean break when the time comes. This will help prepare them and you for it." Shepard nodded reluctantly at her words knowing they were true.

"Nothing's wrong. It's time." Chakwas said as Shepard got up and walked into the backroom, ushering a confused Benezia out.

A few minutes later...

Shepard sank to his knees inside the elevator, grateful it was slow this time. He just told Liara the whole story and she wasn't much better than Ashley had been, but it was done. Now all that was left was to let things take their course and hopefully have it end with them parting as friends. After a few minutes the elevator finally stopped. He quickly got up and out before moving to Garrus who was calibrating the mako's gun... again.

"Shepard I... what can I do for you?" Garrus asked having noticed him first.

"Something bothering you Garrus?" Shepard asked. Garrus hesitated before sighing.

"It's Saren. I'm starting to wonder whether we'll ever find him. He's always one step ahead of us. And he's got those damn geth..." Garrus said growling at the end. Shepard knew he needed to get Garrus' head cleared. A distracted sniper was dangerous.

"We're getting close Garrus. We'll find him." Shepard said trying to clam down his friend.

"I wish I had your confidence. I just can't stand the thought of him getting away with everything he's done. I know you're doing everything you can. And if anyone can catch him, it's you, but..." Garrus stopped.

"But...?" Shepard prompted.

"If there's anything else I can do to help. Anything. Just tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it." Garrus said. So that's what was on his mind eh?

"I understand your concern, but we will find him. Just make sure you're ready to go when we do." Shepard said looking at Garrus seriously.

"Yes sir. I'll be ready." Garrus responded back like a soldier. Sir? That's different. After a minute, Shepard noticed that Garrus looked like he wanted to ask something. Before he could say anything however Garrus beat him to it.

"Can I ask you something, Shepard?"

"You just did." Shepard replied with a smirk. Garrus gave one back.

"Very funny. Seriously though. Are you worried that the Council might be protecting Saren?" Garrus asked. Shepard's eyes narrowed at the question.

"I mean they were really draggin their heels before. What if we find him, bring him back to the Citadel, and they refuse to act?" Garrus explained further. Shepard closed his eyes in thought. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't considered it, but...

"You seem to have thoughts on this Garrus. Speak your mind." Shepard said as he looked at the turian.

"Well maybe we shouldn't give them the chance, Shepard. In my opinion, Saren's too dangerous to be kept alive. Too much can could happen. He could escape, or the Council might let him go.." There was that old cynical thought. He wondered where that went.

"If we find him- when we find him, I say we make sure we stop him. Permenantly." Garrus finished. Shepard could the logic behind it. He knew it may very well come to that.

"It'll depend on the situation. I'm not commiting to anything until I've got him in my sights." Shepard said. Garrus nodded at his answer.

"Fair enough. Either way I'm right behind you,... Ghost." Garrus said adding his title as a sign of respect. Shepard walked away to Wrex. He knew if push came to shove and should the worst happen, they'd need the krogan. And to do that, they'd need a leader. A good one.

"Shepard." Wrex greeted in his usual style.

"So you'd rather be a merc than help your people." Shepard stated as he crossed his arms. He was going to be blunt today with Wrex. Too much had gone on. The krogan looked at Shepard for a minute before answering back.

"I'm a fighter. It's what I do." Wrex said. A weak excuse.

"Aren't you worried about what will happen to the krogan. At all?" Shepard asked. The human's constant questioning had finally worn down Wrex's last nerve.

"What the hell do you want me to do about it, Shepard? I'm tired of sticking my ass on the line and getting nothing for it." Wrex said in irritation.

"So you're just gonna give up on your people?" Shepard accused.

"I gave up on fighting for a lost cause. I'm no hero, Shepard. Bottom line: killing for credits simplifies things." Wrex ground out.

"You ever think about helping your people?" Shepard asked not breaking his gaze from the battlemaster.

"I try not to." Wrex admitted looking at the ground briefly before looking back up.

"But there's a lot of krogan mercs out there. I'm always running into them. Half the time, I'm being payed to kill them. But that's just part of the job. You don't get to pick who your enemies are." Wrex said looking at Shepard waiting to see what his response is.

"How long have you been a merc anyway?" Shepard asked.

"Long enough. I took my first contract right after I left my home system. It's good work if doesn't kill you." Wrex said in suggestive tone. Was he trying to mess with Shepard's head? Shepard smirked at him.

"I get the feeling you enjoy your work." He said.

"Sure. You get to see the galaxy on someone else's credits and most days end with a good fight." Wrex said smirking at the memories.

"Just going at it solo?" Shepard asked.

"I've tried more organized fighting. Private armies and such. But it gets too messy. I fight best on my own or in very small groups. I don't like people relying on me, and I bloody well don't like relying on them." Wrex said waiting to see what Shepard will say.

"I guess I can understand, at least partially, but when you lead, you can pick your allies as well as your enemies at times Wrex." Shepard said before Ashley walked past them. Wrex noticed Shepard stiffened up and tried not to look at her and how the human female gave him a slight glance. Were they fighting? Guh. Whatever the case, Shepard had better bed her soon otherwise things were going to be real awkward. As a matter of fact her and Liara. Shepard walked away to talk with Tali, and to also get out of the same room that Ashley was in. He felt if he stayed he was in danger. He finally came to Tali and began talking with her.

"Hey Tali."

"Hello Shepard. Are you alright?" Tali asked in concern.

"Just had to tell Ash and Liara..." and he told her about what had happened. He could see that she was upset about it too. Damn so Ash was right.

"It feels like we're getting near the end, doesn't it, Shepard? With Saren, I mean." Tali said as she turned back to her console. She knew Shepard was the only one who could see her face and she didn't want to see the tears streaming down.

"It won't be much longer. One way or another, it'll all be over soon." Shepard said with certainty.

"You'll find the Conduit before he does. I know you will. You have to." She dried her tears and looked back at him. "And after this is all over, when my Pilgrimage ends and I go back to my own people, I'll be proud to say I was a part of it."

"Just so you know, we couldn't have done this without you, Tali." Shepard said smiling.

"You've been good to me. A lot of people treat quarians like second-class citizens. They just want us to go back to our fleet and disappear." Shepard's smile turned into a smirk.

"Bosh'tets the lot of them." He said causing Tali to giggle at him.

"But you've treated me just like everyone else on your crew. Like an equal. That means a lot. And it says something about you. Whatever happens, I just want to say thank you for that." Shepard's expression turned into a sad frown.

"I'm going to miss you when we all part ways Tali." Shepard said.

"Well that won't happen for a while yet. I'll be right here any time you need me." Tali said smiling. Shepard returned it.

"Thanks Tali." Shepard said as he left.

"See you later." He heard Tali say. He waved back without turning around and left. He managed to make it back into his room without chancing a look at Ashley. He walked past Benezia who gave a strange look like she knew something he didn't. But what? Oh he couldn't bring himself to care. He got to his room, locked the door and began looking over his projects before falling asleep.

I'm back people. I'm sorry about the wait but when you write 20-21K words your flame goes out for a while, luckily seeing those reviews sparked it back up. Gillespie thank you in particular. I really needed that. Tell me what you all thought.

Good?

Bad?

In the middle?

Also post some ideas for projects that I could have Shepard make later on. It can be anything from a weapon to a security program. Also for those who are hoping it's a harem...

I'M GOING TO TRY DAMMIT!

It's good to be back.