Chapter 34

All's Well that End's Well

The trip back to Tuchanka wasn't nearly as exciting as their departure. After receiving the 'all-clear' from Liara, it took them a day to reach the krogan border and reunite with the Ulasomorf, and another day to get back to Tuchanka.

There was no small amount of cheering on the ground as the ancient wuarian ship landed at the makeshift platform not far from what was left of the mountain where the Meridia had landed only a few days ago. The Meridia was there as well, still locked onto the docking port not far from where it was previously tethered. Saints and krogan stood together and applauded like friendly cousins at a family reunion. Even some of the Blood Pack were there, now sporting purple armor to show their new allegiance.

As Kyra helped Finn down the ramp of the ancient ship, they were met by Liara T'soni, Javik, and Primarch Urdnot Wrex. Wrex now wore the ceremonial headpiece, sans jewel, though it was the krogan himself whose appearance surprised Finn.

"I remember you." Finn said as he shook hands with the Primarch, the ramp rising behind. "We ran into each other before I had my little chat with the Council, yeah?"

"That was me." Wrex chuckled and shook his head. "I'll be damned if Liara wasn't right about you. Just as much of a troublemaker as Shepard. I'd wonder if you were related if you weren't arm-in-arm with one of Tali's girls."

Kyra was stunned. "How did you-"

"Look just like her. I paid them a few visits once she finally got out of that suit. Good to know a Shepard's on hand now that that Illusive Bastard's back. Anyway, I thought it only fair to thank you both personally. If it weren't for you, that idiot Jorgal would still be Primarch. Oh, that reminds me." He held out a hand expectantly.

Chuckling, Finn said, "Fair enough. Hey, Jake!"

Jake trotted up to them and looked at the assembled group with obvious curiosity.

"The Blood of the Krogan?" Finn said.

"You got it." Jake's back panel slid open. Finn removed the Blood of the Krogan and handed it to Wrex, who promptly slammed it back into his headpiece.

"Hate wearing this thing." He confessed. "Still, gotta keep up appearances. Here."

He tossed Finn a magic eight ball that was inexplicably painted red. Before Finn could ask, however, Wrex said, "And you can count on my help against the Illusive Man, no matter how many Reapers he managed to save. Least I can do for all your help."

"Anytime." Finn said, not entirely sure what he actually had done.

Wrex chuckled again, as though he understood Finn's confusion. "Still, I wanted to give you something else for your trouble. We ain't got a lot here, but I owe you a favor … so just let me know what you want, and I'll see what I can do."

Finn smiled as the ramp behind them finally clicked back into place. "Anything, huh?"

"Yeah. Well, within reason, of course."

There was a loud rush as the salarian vessel's engines thrummed to life. It rose into the sky, oblivious to the commotion on the ground. Wrex and Liara stared as it rose into the sky toward a fleet of krogan vessels.

Coughing, Finn said, "Could you pretend you didn't see that?"

Wrex stared at him, his red eyes wide with surprise for a few moments before he let out a laugh that echoed across the platform.

Slapping Finn in the back and nearly knocking him over in the process, Wrex said, ""You've definitely got a quad, kid. Shepard woulda liked you." Raising a hand to his headpiece, Wrex said, "Everyone get out of the turtle's way. Yes, that's an order; anyone got a problem with that, they can take it up with me."

He turned to Liara and shook her hand before pulling into a hug that made her wince. "Glad you could drop by. Let me know when we're ready to go blast Cerberus once and for all, eh?"

"Of course." Liara said, slightly breathless as she hugged him back. "Take care of yourself, Wrex."

Wrex let her go and moved to hug Javik, who glared at him and said, "Don't even think it, turtle-man."

The implied threat didn't phase Wrex in the slightest, and the look on the prothean's face as Wrex hugged him was absolutely priceless.

"You take care of yourself too, fossil." Wrex said before releasing him. "And say hello to my nieces too, okay?"

As Wrex walked away, Liara looked at Finn and shook her head.

"A simple pickup mission." She said, smiling kindly. "And you ended up helping one of my oldest and dearest friends. Finn, you are incredible."

"I can't in all honesty claim responsibility for that." Finn said, feeling bashful at the Shadow Broker's Praise. "I mean, it's not like I intended this."

"I know." Liara said. "But still, you've again shown great resourcefulness when faced with unexpected twists. When the time comes, I'm sure you and your friends will help us stop Cerberus once and for all."

"Y'know, that reminds me." Finn said, "Where is Hylia? I haven't seen her since before we headed into the League's ship."

"I wouldn't worry." Javik said. "She has … other obligations to attend to, as do we."

"She always turns up eventually." Taking Javik's hand, she said, "For now, however, you've earned a break. Take as much time as you need; we'll be onboard the Ulasomorf."

Once Liara and Javik were safely out of earshot, Finn said, "Quite frankly, I think I've spent enough time on Tuchanka for two lifetimes."

"Fair enough." Kyra squeezed Finn's hand and kissed him on the cheek. "We can go now, if you want."

Finn started to nod when he realized there was something he left unfinished. A smile crossing his face, Finn said, "Maybe not quite yet. There's someone I'd like you to meet."

Tuck looked up as Finn and Kyra entered his larder. His expression brightened, but only slightly; an air of defeat seemed to surround the normally cheery krogan chef.

"Hey, Tuck." Finn said, "This is my girlfriend, Kyra."

"Nice to meet you." She paused and said, "So you're really a krogan chef."

"Yeah." Tuck said, his voice glum.

Coughing, Finn said, "I just wanted to apologize."

"Apologize?" Tuck asked, giving him a look of surprise. "What for?"

"Well … the sleeping potion."

"The one you ate too? Yeah, I managed to hang on long enough to see you pass out. Obviously wasn't your fault, so no need to apologize."

"Still, Glen was with me, and she left you in a nasty spot."

Tuck let out a laugh. "She crammed me in the stew pot and hid me in a drainage tunnel. Probably saved my life. Besides, Jorgal was a jerk. I'm glad I had a hand in bringing him down, even if I didn't realize it at the time. Nah, you got nuthin' to apologize for, Finn."

Tuck's hand paused as he reached for a pan. Glancing around, Finn realized that most of the utensils previously covering the shelves were gone.

"You're leaving?" Finn nodded and said, "Right; Jorgal made his headquarters here. You're probably moving to wherever Wrex-"

"I was dismissed." Tuck said, sounding strangely quiet.

"Dismissed?" Kyra asked. "Why? Finn said your cooking was great! Surely Wrex doesn't care about the sleeping potion thing."

"Nah, it's nothing like that. He nearly laughed his ridge plate off when I told him my side of the story."

"Then what?" Finn asked. "He went to the trouble of sending you off to get trained, after all."

Tuck let out a sigh as he set another pan in a plastic container. "To celebrate his return, I made a special roast, seasoned, seared, and baked to perfection. Everyone loved it, and then Wrex took a bit."

After a few moments of silence, Kyra said, "And …?"

Tuck let out a frustrated sigh and turned to face them. "He's allergic to paprika."

"What?" Finn and Kyra said together.

Tuck nodded, forever giving Finn and Kyra a mental image to go along with the words 'sad krogan'. "Yeah. Throat swelled right up. Good thing Bont realized what was going on before Wrex's krant blasted me where I stood. Still, the damage was done."

"He sacked you?" Finn said, feeling a little annoyed at the krogan primarch until Tuck shook his head.

"Nah, Bont explained everything. Wrex was fine, of course, but that didn't stop everyone else from looking at me all suspicious. I already had three surprise visitors who thought they were gonna eliminate a traitor."

Tuck chuckled as Finn looked around the kitchen for signs of Tuck's attackers. "They're hanging up in my larder. I even turned off the heat so they'll be alive by the time the next patrol arrives two days from now."

"What about the meat?" Finn asked. "Won't it spoil?"

"Probably. Hey, they're alive; they wanna whine about the smell, I'll turn the freezer back on." Shaking his head, Tuck returned to packing. "Besides, no one else will touch my cooking after that. Can't be a cook if no one's eating, you know? So I'm packing it up."

Finn and Kyra watched him put away a few dishes. Kyra looked like she wanted to say something, but just didn't have the words.

Finn caught her eye and raised an eyebrow suggestively before nodding twice, the first at the back of Tuck and the second in the direction of the shuttle they were borrowing. It took her a moment to catch his meaning, but when she did, she smiled, squeezed his hand, and nodded in agreement.

"Well," Finn said, "You know, if you're looking for a place to cook …"

"Yeah?" Tuck said, his hands resting on the lid of the container.

"I mean, my cooking's pretty much limited to sandwiches and noodles." Finn said.

Kyra added, "And I can do a good stir-fry, but when we start getting long missions, some variety would be nice."

Tuck glanced at Finn. "Are you sayin' you want me to tag along?"

"If you're interested." Finn said. "We've got a full facility on board the Ulasomorf."

"And this would be paying work?"

"Absolutely." Finn said, "I'm sure Liara will agree, she's got some good chefs, but even the best sushi will stick in your throat eventually. We need a chef who isn't afraid to experiment, a chef who understands the subtle differences necessary to deliver fine cuisine to a mixed crowd."

Kyra nodded encouragingly at Tuck, whose visage grew brighter by the moment. "You mean it? You aren't jus' yanking my chain?"

"Not at all." Finn said, smiling at the krogan's response. "We can go right now; we'll even help you."

To both Finn and Kyra's amazement, Tuck clapped his hands and danced a merry jig.

"Hot damn, Finn, you talked me into it. You've got yourself a cook!"

He grabbed the container and handed it rather forcefully to Finn. When he let go, the weight nearly pulled Finn's arms out of their sockets before Kyra grabbed one of the handles from him. It took barely more than a minute to throw the rest of his gear into the other container.

"All right." He said, rubbing his hands together. "Let's go!"

Xyn was waiting inside the Ulasomorf after Finn, Kyra, and Tuck left the borrowed krogan shuttle. Glen was there as well, inexplicably polishing a wooden door propped up against a wall.

"Just leave my stuff there for now." Tuck said, dropping his container with a loud chorus of clangs. "I wanna take a look at the kitchen before I start settlin' in."

"Sure thing." Finn said as he and Kyra set the other container down. "It's up on deck three."

"Gotcha." Tuck pressed the elevator call button. As the lift doors open, he looked back at Finn. "And Thanks … Eggars."

Finn chuckled as the lift doors closed. Seeing Kyra's curious glance, he shook his head and said, "I'll tell you later."

Xyn approached and spread her arms, a kind smile on her face. "It is good to see you well, Finn."

"Glad to be well." Finn replied, allowing her arms to rest over his for a moment. Small vines on her arms squeezed him ever so slightly before retracting.

She turned to Kyra, her smile becoming more forced. "I trust you are well too?"

"Yeah." Kyra said, rubbing her arm. Xyn didn't even hold out her arms. "Look, Xyn, I'm sorry about goin' off on you the other day. I was angry about the maintenance corridors … if we're in trouble, I'll need them clear. Still, I didn't want to drive you away."

To Kyra's obvious relief, Xyn's smile became more genuine. She held out her arms, Kyra doing the same moments later. As they talked, Finn decided to go have a talk with Glen.

She grinned at him as he approached, a thin layer of sweat visible on her muscular arms. "Heya, Finn. Glad to see you. Saw you invited Tuck along for the ride."

"Least I could do. Besides, we could use a cook." Finn looked over the door. It seemed perfectly normal, save for the fact that it was resting against the wall. A small sign on the front read, "Please use other door."

"Oh, hell." Finn said, remembering his promise to Glen. "Your ship! We never-"

"She's a beaut, isn't she?" Glen said, the handle gleaming from her relentless onslaught.

It took Glen a few moments to register this. "Your ship is a door."

"Yup." She lifted the key around her neck. Sure enough, it gravitated toward the handle.

Several questions sprang to mind before Finn finally settled on "Where was it?"

"With an old friend." Glen said.

Finn considered his chances at getting a straight answer from Glen for a few moments before he gave up and said, "Well, even though you've got your … uh, door, you're welcome to stay here. You did help with all this mess after all."

"Hmm." Glen paused her polishing to scratch her chin. "Yeah, why not? Might need me to keep an eye on you."

"Uh-huh." Finn said, "I'm the one who needs observation."

If Glen caught his meaning, she didn't say anything about it.

The approach of another shuttle, this one painted a vivid purple, cut off his musing. Jake bounded out of the open shuttle and ran over to Finn, the Boss exiting shortly after carrying a backpack and wearing her usual grin.

"Oy, Finn!" The Boss said, greeting Finn with a hearty hug and a handshake. "Crazy times, man. And here I thought you might be gettin' complacent."

"Sometimes, late at night, I dream about complacency." Finn said. "And that's when my nightmares pounce."

"Yeah, that's life." The Boss chuckled for a moment before letting out a sigh.

"You okay with how it turned out?" Finn asked. "I know you had your heart set on all that loot."

"I did." The Boss admitted, "But then I got to thinking; we've got our own planet at this point, and enough money to buy a whole other system. Why not let some of the little people have the prize? Besides, it's not like we're empty-handed. I've got more of Jane Austen's first editions than Jane Austen herself! She's gonna be so jealous!"

Finn knew better to even ask. "Well, I'm glad."

"Oh!" The Boss snapped her fingers before digging into the backpack and producing a hardbound book.

"Alter Inferno." Finn said, taking it with a grin.

"Left it on the League's ship. Noir wanted me to pass it along." Zipping up her backpack, she said, "And now it's back to Eden Prime. Got a syndicate to exploit."

As she picked up the pack, Finn said, "Hang on a sec; Jake, could you open your rear compartment?"

"Sure thing, Finn."

Once the compartment was open, Finn withdrew the Breath of the Forest and the Tear of the Creator. Approaching the Boss, Finn said, "Here; take these too."

The Boss took the stones and eyed them appraisingly. "You sure?"

"Yeah." Finn said. "Take 'em … with my thanks."

The Boss nodded as she pocketed the gems. "You're all right, Finn. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

She walked toward her shuttle and chuckled before pulling out one of the gems and tossing it back to Finn. Finn caught it; it was the Tear of the Creator.

"Whole reason you were pulled into this." The Boss said. "Seems only fair you get to keep it. Besides, I've still got the Blood of the Krogan."

"Uh, about that." Finn said, rubbing the back of his head. "You realize that's a fake, right?"

The Boss laughed. "Nice try, Finn. Seriously, how did you think we found the hidden chamber? Fake indeed."

Still chuckling, she climbed into her shuttle. "Take it easy, Finn, and if you get tired of the whole 'saving the universe' thing, remember you're always welcome to come back home!"

Finn waved as the Boss's shuttle flew out of the Ulasomorf's Bay before glancing back at Glen.

"You made an exact replica?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "How is that even possible? The coding of the league medallion alone would've taken months."

Glen shrugged and gave him her usual grin. Finn could already tell that was going to be the extent of her reply.

Rolling his eyes, Finn said, "See you later, Glen."

Azure was whisping into a giggling Amber's ear when she heard the lift doors open and jerked up instantly. She relaxed moments later as Scarlet and Noir walked onto the bridge of the Miiraka, hand in hand.

"Don't wear him completely out." Azure said with a grin. "We might need him to work on the engines at some point."

"Let me worry about Noir." Scarlet said, her cheeks growing even darker. "My apologies for our delay; this ship is just so big."

"Uh-huh." Violet said from her chair at the sensor console. "Yeah, Azure and Amber 'got lost' earlier too."

"Oh, shut up." Azure mumbled, though she couldn't help but smile when Amber caught her hand and gave it a squeeze.

Scarlet turned to Noir and said, "Sit with me for a while, Gavin?"

"Anything you want, Mara." He gave her a kiss on the cheek before sitting together in the loveseat that occupied the space formerly belonging to the captain's chair. It had been a pain to drag the old mini-couch onto the bridge, but as they sat there together, they both felt it was worth it.

Violet chuckled from her seat at the sensor console before turning to communications. "Hey, Auren! You land us any gigs yet?"

Auren, smiled, feeling quite refreshed now that she no longer had to wear the face paint. Brushing her hair out of her eyes with a hand that still looked quarian, she said, "Oh, don't worry, hun; we've got plenty of requests, including …"

Her hand paused. "Noveria. Now that'd be nice, wouldn't it?"

"I always wanted to see snow." Amber said wistfully as Azure caressed her shoulder.

"We could go looking for rings ... jewelry." Noir's cheeks darkened at his slip, as did Scarlet's.

"All those companies looking for impressive lobby pieces to one up each other." Violet said with a grin. "We could make a mint in no time."

Auren's grin widened, her mind on what she might find past the lobbies of the megacorps. "Oh, I am, darlin'. Believe you me."

"Then it's settled." Scarlet said, standing up. "We'll head to Noveria. Snow?"

The hologram of Geral Mkrobi appeared beside the helm, now tinted white to reflect his code name. He smiled at his new family and said, "I look forward to seeing it, Madam Scarlet."