Ok, I'm bored of staring at this. So now you guys can stare at it instead. Mostly though, I wanted to post this before I leave for Florida for the next few days.

Usually I spend my author's note babbling about random things, but this time I want to actually talk about a directional choice that I have made in these stories. A lot of people have expressed confusion or disapproval of using female pronouns for Aethyta. I'm sure many people have wondered why I deliberately ignore the canon on this issue (given my usual aversion to disrupting the canon). So, for those interested in an explanation, I will provide one. If you don't care, now would be a good time to skip the author's note and start reading the rest of the chapter. To be clear, I do not take offense to those who wonder why I am ignoring canon. I welcome all questions and comments. I simply want to provide an explanation and convey why this is actually an important issue to me.

While I understand that Bioware has established Aethyta's preference for male pronouns (which I've made note of in the stories as well), I disagree with these labels. From an incredibly nerdy point of view, I think their argument is flawed. They argued that those of us wanting to use the term "mother" for Aethyta were being "egocentric dicks" because we were placing human values onto the asari. But, in actually Bioware was simply proving its own misunderstanding of their canon (which they then cemented with the ending). Since we know that asari terms for themselves translate into feminine words - maiden, matron, matriarch - it would be reasonable to assume that whatever asari call the non-birthing partner would also be a feminine term, if not necessarily the word mother. It is actually most likely a word which we would not have a translation for. And since I don't care to make one up, mother will substitute better than a male pronoun like father.

But putting aside my nerdiness, normally I might not care what Aethyta was called, except that I think it sets a precedent for what Shepard's title/role should be. Because I strongly disagree (emphasis on the word strongly) with calling Shepard "father," I think it is a bad idea to set the precedent with Aethyta that the partner who didn't birth the child in an asari relationship is automatically given a male pronoun. Sophia is NOT a substitute for a male Shepard. She is not fulfilling the role of the absent male hero. She IS the hero. And I've gone to great lengths to celebrate her femininity (as well as Liara's) and not butch her up, so to speak. Shepard's strength, her courage, and her willingness to protect others does not make her masculine. These traits do not conflict with her ability to be maternal and to be a mother to Benny.

This is why my portrayal of Liara is also atypical to some degree. Liara is assertive at key points in these stories in order to emphasize that she and Shepard do not fulfill the stereotypical relationship of the male dominated over the female. It is why Liara proposed at the same time as Shepard, why she was such a foundation in "Never Again," and why she often initiates a lot of the more aggressive sexual advances. They are equals and I go to great lengths to show this while simultaneously trying to challenge gender norms.

So, getting back to Aethyta. While Bioware thinks calling Aethyta a father is harmless, perhaps even funny, I disagree. I am very concerned that if I agree with Bioware and say, "Whoever didn't give birth to the child is the father," then I would have to concede that that makes Shepard the father as well. And I will not fall into gender stereotypes that way or undermine my own message. So that's why all the other characters steadfastly call Aethyta by female pronouns. By acknowledging her femininity, I am preserving Shepard's.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Unexpected

"Commander, have you studied the location that the Illusive Man sent for the drop off point?" EDI asked. Shepard and a select group of her crew stood in the main conference room of the Normandy, discussing their next move. They'd left Bekenstein several hours ago and Shepard had gathered EDI, Garrus, Liara, and Halber together so that they could try to formulate a plan.

"Not really," Shepard answered, and turned on her omni-tool. "I just noticed that it was out in the Terminus Systems." She brought the location up on the bright, orange screen and then said, "Triginta Petra in Sigurd's Cradle."

"Did you say Triginta Petra?" Garrus demanded, activating his own omni-tool to bring up the location.

"Yeah. Why?"

"That's a turian colony. The Illusive Man wants to do this exchange right under the turian's noses!"

EDI nodded and activated a holo of the planet over the main table so that everyone could see it. "Yes. That's what I found strange about it too. It is safe to assume that the Illusive Man must have some sort of foothold there if he wants us to use it as the drop off location."

"The turians would never let Cerberus operate in their system," Garrus pointed out. "They've not exactly been friendly to us in the past. How by the spirits could he have a foothold there?"

"Good question," Shepard murmured. Then she looked at Liara and said, "That'll be your first task, I suppose. See what you can dig up about Triginta Petra. Especially any human activity."

"I don't like this, Shepard," Garrus said. "It doesn't make sense for the Illusive Man to want to do this near a turian colony. If shit hits the fan, backup for us is only a radio transmission away. It's like he's picking a location that gives us an advantage."

Shepard nodded. "I know. I had assumed he wanted it out in the Terminus in order to get the jump on us, but this location doesn't make sense." She slammed her fist down on the table. "Damn him! I know he's up to something."

"Gentle reminder: until we have more information we must play into his hands, Commander," Halber said. "Councilor Lawson's life also hangs in the balance."

Sighing, Shepard said, "You're right. I know he must have something really nasty waiting for us, but there's not much we can do about it now. His traps usually end with me getting shot at though." Then, shaking her head, she turned back to Liara and asked, "You've reestablished yourself in your old office, right?"

"Yes," Liara answered, nodding. "The Normandy's systems have been linked to some of the Shadow Broker's databases as well. Triginta Petra will be the first thing I look into, but I have another suggestion as well."

Shepard raised an eyebrow at that and crossed her arms. "What is it?"

"I think we should make a stop at Omega and make a deal with Aria T'loak."

Shepard actually stepped back in surprise. "Why on earth would you want to talk to Aria?"

Liara remained completely calm and her voice came out in even, rational tones. "As far as the Terminus Systems go, Aria maintains the most impressive information network next to the Shadow Broker. Because of Omega's location as a connection point for several mass relays she keeps a tab on all the surrounding systems. She might have some useful information, and it would also be beneficial to have her keeping her eyes and ears open for the next couple of days. Besides, we must connect through the Omega system on our way to Sigurd's Cradle, so it will hardly be time consuming or unreasonable since we can refuel while there."

Shepard frowned. "I don't know if we want to get Aria involved. She's a... questionable ally at best."

"I know how to deal with Aria T'loak," Liara replied confidently. "I dealt with her when I was the Shadow Broker."

"Yeah, but you haven't met her in person," Shepard muttered to herself. But to Liara she said, "If you think it'll help you get intelligence on Cerberus, then we'll try meeting with her." Then, knowing that Joker would be listening in on the conversation from the pilot's seat, she called out, "Joker, what's our ETA?"

"We'll hit Omega in about an hour," he replied over the intercom.

Shepard nodded and said, "In the meantime, I want everyone looking into Triginta Petra. Let's see if we can figure out what the Illusive Man has planned. Dismissed."

Her companions filed out of the room to return to their various workstations while Shepard studied the holo of the planet further. Other than being a turian colony, the planet seemed completely unremarkable.

Liara also lingered behind and she watched Shepard curiously. She waited until everyone else had left and then said, "Why does stopping at Omega bother you?"

Shepard shifted her gaze to her wife. Liara always seemed to be able to read her like an open book. She doubted anyone else had picked up on her unease - except Halber, but he would never overstep bounds by confronting her about it. "I just don't like Omega," Shepard admitted. "Nothing good has ever happened there. There's always too many batarians, which you know always puts me on edge. It's also where Garrus got injured, where Samara had to kill her own daughter, and where I had to turn myself over to the Alliance and was made a prisoner on my own ship. And Aria runs it like her own personal playground. There's plenty not to like." Then she shrugged. "But I won't let that cloud my judgment. If you think that Aria will be an asset, then we'll use her."

"You do not have to meet with her," Liara suggested. "I can broker a deal on my own."

Shepard smiled and shook her head. "No. The only way you'll get an audience with Aria is if she thinks Commander Shepard has come to pay homage to the queen of Omega." She came over to Liara and affectionately laid a hand on her arm. "But don't worry. You're in charge when we're on Omega. I won't say more than two words to Aria if I can help it. That woman... well, she thinks it's fun to push my buttons."

Liara tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, it's little things," Shepard replied with a shrug. "For example, she knows that I hate batarians, so she always sent her batarian bodyguard to relay messages to me. She also thinks I'm really uptight, so she would always offer to pay me with... well, with her strippers."

"Which, of course, you said no to," Liara said as she crossed her arms.

Shepard blinked in surprise at Liara's tone and then laughed. "You're jealous now? That's pretty cute." She leaned in to plant a quick kiss on Liara's cheek and then headed for the door, smiling.

"So, you did say no, right?" Liara called after her.

Shepard looked back over her shoulder and winked. "Of course. You're the only woman for me, T'soni."

~.~.~.~.~

The Illusive Man motioned with his hands for the guard to keep his rifle trained on Miranda Lawson. It would be careless to assume that just because she was behind bars that she was no longer a threat. Her eyes flickered between the gun and the Illusive Man, as if trying to determine which one was the greater threat. As she stood in the cell, her stance became more rigid, more cautious. His stance, in comparison, was infinitely more relaxed. He held the power here. He controlled this conversation.

She still wore her torn and sullied dress, which would make movement that much more difficult if she did manage to escape. The guards had also blindfolded her again when they brought her to the cell, so she had no idea whether she was on a space station or a planet. She had no idea where anything was outside this room. All she could see from her tiny cell was a control console on the far end of the room. Her guard had simply stood outside the cell and stared at her for the past couple of hours. They'd changed guards once.

"You'll be pleased to know that Shepard is on her way to rescue you," the Illusive Man said, as offhandedly as if he were remarking on the weather.

"Not as pleased as you are, I suspect."

He smiled. "You know me well, Miranda."

"And yet I still cannot fathom what insane scheme you've hatched this time," she replied coolly. "Have you gone completely mad? If you think you can kill Shepard, you've learned absolutely nothing."

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of killing Shepard. She's far too valuable. I may take a few shots at her in order to keep her on her toes, but nothing more than that."

"Then what are you up to?" Miranda demanded. "You'll never convince her to work for you again. You know that she's coming to kill you."

The Illusive Man shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "You, Miranda, of all people, should know just how easily a person's mind can be changed. Before Shepard came along, you belonged to me. I gave you everything you ever wanted - freedom, purpose, power - and you repaid me as my most trusted agent. Then, along comes Shepard and you fall down on your knees to worship the hero. I knew I would probably lose Jacob, that was a loss I could easily afford, but not you. I thought you'd be strong enough to resist."

Miranda wrinkled her nose in disgust. She could smell his bullshit. "It's that sort of thinking that shows how different you are from Shepard. All you care about is what you think I owe you. You did favors for me because you knew that you could collect on them later. I was never a person to you. I was just a resource, like everyone else. But Shepard isn't like you. It's never about what I owe her. It's about our friendship and the trust we have in one another."

"A stirring speech," the Illusive Man said dryly. "However, I am not easily moved by sentimentality." He paused, studying Miranda for a moment and then said, "I have always been curious though, after you betrayed me, did you ever miss working for Cerberus?"

He probably expected her to pause and think about that. Instead, her answer was instantaneous. "No," she replied honestly. "By the time I left, I hated you. I saw you for what you really were. A manipulator."

He just shrugged in response. "A pity." Then, uncrossing his arms he added, "I didn't come to reminisce about the past, however. I came to see if you would be at all cooperative. I think I have my answer to that question. Ah well, an uncooperative mind will make my task harder in the long run, but I had prepared myself for this outcome." He shrugged again and then headed for the door. "For now, enjoy your safety. I need to prepare for Shepard's next move."

And with that, he left.

~.~.~.~.~

Omega was just as she remembered it. Dirty, corrupt, and seemingly always on the edge of chaos. Shepard sighed as she disembarked from the ship and then tried to steel herself in preparation for the next half an hour or so. Liara walked beside her, dressed in her old light armor from back during the war. They walked in silence out of the docking area and to the bright, vibrant club that served as Aria's castle: Afterlife. No one stopped them as they bypassed the line. Shepard suspected that, like always, Aria was well aware that the commander was here and heading her way.

Afterlife was also as noisy as she remembered. She felt her pulse automatically quicken to match the thumping of the bass, and the stench of smoke, alcohol, and sweat greeted them once they entered the building. Shepard stepped a little closer to Liara and cast threatening looks at anyone who stared at her wife a little too long.

The pair walked straight up the stairs, past Aria's guards until they were stopped before the queen herself. Aria made a show of not noticing them, instead looking over her shoulder at a dancer a few feet away. Shepard couldn't help rolling her eyes, but said nothing as they waited. When Aria finally turned her head to look back at them, she made a small gesture to the guard blocking their path and he stepped aside.

"Ah, Shepard," she said, crossing her legs and leaning back on her couch. "You've come back to Omega. Did your life of being a righteous savior get too boring for you?"

"I'm here on business," Shepard replied, her voice emotionless. Then she nodded to Liara to go ahead and take over the conversation.

Liara stepped forward and said, "Aria T'loak, I speak on behalf of the Shadow Broker in this matter. In exchange for-"

But Aria wasn't listening. She waved Liara's prepared speech away and said, "You're Liara T'soni, aren't you? Benezia's daughter and our dear, sweet Shepard's wife. It's so interesting to finally meet you."

Liara faltered at that. She glanced at Shepard briefly and then said, "Who I am is not important. We are requesting your help on an urgent matter."

Aria studied Liara for a while and then shifted her gaze to Shepard. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "She's a pretty one, Shepard. And young too. I have to say, I'm impressed. Tying a maiden down with kids and a home life is not an easy thing to do. You must be better in bed than I thought."

Shepard ground her teeth, but refused to retort. If she refused to get angry, then Aria would get bored with her game.

Aria's grin grew wider. "To be honest, I always figured you must be pretty bad at it. You're just so uptight. But you know, some people say, the more boring they appear on the outside, the more freaky they are in the bedroom."

Shepard saw Liara's hands ball into fists and her voice was angry when she next spoke. "We have come to make a deal with you. But if all you want to do is waste time, then we can leave."

Aria cocked her head and looked amused. "Don't like me airing your private life, T'soni?" Then her expression changed and she looked more severe, more menacing. "Fine, have it your way. What do you want?"

"We are tracking what remains of Cerberus-"

"Cerberus?" Aria interrupted, her tone suddenly heated. "I thought they were destroyed."

"As did we. Apparently the Illusive Man is still alive and plotting."

Aria let out a low growl. "That bastard. I still owe him for taking Omega from me. Where is he?"

Liara shook her head. "We do not know. We are tracking him now. Which is why we want you to be on the lookout for any transmissions that might be from Cerberus. We want you to scan the airwaves and forward us anything that might be of use."

Aria's expression was full of murder and she quietly brooded over the news for a minute. Then she said, "I'll gladly do it. But in exchange, I want you to kill that bastard, Shepard. None of your imprisonment bullshit."

"He would never let me take him alive anyway," Shepard said. "But yes, I'll agree to that. I owe him some payback too."

"Good." Aria forced herself to relax again. Then she stared at Liara, a thoughtful look coming into her eyes, followed by her usual deviousness. "Consider my cooperation a... gift. Perhaps in the future, T'soni, you'll give me a gift in return."

Her tone clearly implied what kind of gift she had in mind and Shepard didn't like the way Aria was eyeing Liara. She felt her blood instantly begin to boil. Stepping towards Aria threateningly, Shepard said, "Back off, Aria. You can harass me all you want, but you will not talk to Liara that way."

Aria just laughed. "Finally. Getting a rise out of you today was more difficult than usual. Peace time has made you even more boring, Shepard." She waved them away dismissively. "I'll forward anything I find. Just make sure you kill those Cerberus bastards."

~.~.~.~.~

Benny was having the weirdest day.

It had started out normal enough; her class had arrived on the Citadel for their field trip, checked into their hotel, and set out towards the first museum that they would visit. Grandma Aethyta was on her best behavior and hadn't yet picked a fight with any of the other chaperones. Benny laughed and joked with her friends as they walked along the Presidium. The Citadel looked just like she remembered, and she felt sophisticated and well-traveled compared to those who had never been on the giant space station before. Essentially, she felt excited and content. She felt normal.

Things started to change, however, when they arrived at the museum. As their teacher, Ms. Karin, talked with the people at the ticket office about their school group admission and securing a guided tour, Benny scanned the front of the building idly. Suddenly, her eyes fell on the back of a human man who was studying a poster for the new Ships Throughout History exhibit. He stood easily over six feet, broad shouldered beneath his solid black hoodie, and wearing gray cargo pants. He turned around and his eyes caught hers staring.

"Uncle James?" she blurted out, taking a few steps towards him.

He smiled, his face showing its usual kindness despite his intimidating physique. "Lil' Blue!" he called out, using his nickname for her and coming over towards the school group. "I didn't expect to see you here!" When he reached her, he leaned down to hug her and scooped her off the ground easily. It was like she weighed nothing at all to him. She must have looked tiny in comparison. Her classmates gawked at the gigantic man who Benny had just called uncle.

When he set her down again, Benny said, "I'm on a class field trip. What are you doing here?"

"I'm on leave right now and thought I'd play tourist on the Citadel. Usually I hang around the Wards and find a card game to get in on, but I decided to try something a little different this time." Grandma had noticed Benny talking to James and had come over to stand by her granddaughter's shoulder. When James saw her, he flashed one of his charming smiles and said, "Hey, Roxie is here too. Two of my favorite ladies. What a pleasant surprise!" He snapped his fingers and added, "You know what? Why don't I tag along with you guys? Then I won't have to be so lonely today."

Benny looked at Grandma to see if that would be alright. She'd love to have Uncle James around. He was always funny and amiable.

Aethyta nodded her head and said, "Sure, why not? I will let the teacher know that you are a family friend."

James joined their group and the day seemed to proceed along again normally. The tour guide hated James because he made jokes at just about every exhibit. In response, Benny's classmates loved him. He became instantly popular and, therefore, so did Benny. She grinned with pride at all the attention and at being associated with such a cool family member. She couldn't remember the last time she'd gotten so much attention.

Yet, running into her uncle at the museum was not what had made the day so weird. That came later, when Benny and her friends were exploring the military section of the museum. Several of the exhibits were interactive, and while playing in the Alliance exhibit, Benny overheard something that shaded the rest of the day.

Benny was last in line to crawl into a replication tunnel, meant to recreate a battle called Torfan that had happened many years ago. Behind her was another exhibit for a battle called the Skyllian Blitz. It was a fairly boring exhibit because it was just a bunch of pictures and nothing interactive to play with, and she hadn't heard much of what the tour guide had said about it because Uncle James had been telling a story about stupid mistakes he had made when he was just a private in the Alliance. At the moment, Benny stood alone, her friend, Tela, having just entered the tunnel ahead of her and the rest of the class spread out all over the exhibit.

She was just about to enter the tunnel when she heard a little human boy standing with his mom in front of the Skyllian Blitz exhibit say, "Wasn't Commander Shepard in this battle?"

"Yes, she was."

"Did she beat up the Reapers?" he asked excitedly. Benny turned and looked at them, her brow furrowed as she strained to overhear their conversation. Were they talking about her mother? There might have been other soldiers with the last name Shepard, but she also knew that her mother had been an important person in the Alliance military.

The boy's mother smiled, amused, and said, "No, Sweetie. This was long before the Reapers. She saved the colony from batarians." Guiding him over to another portion of the exhibit, she added, "Look, here's a picture of Commander Shepard receiving the Star of Terra."

"Why was she fighting batarians?" he asked.

"The batarians used to be a big problem for humans. They used to attack us and they killed a lot of people. But when they attacked Elysium, Commander Shepard stopped them. She stood alone against them and stopped them from entering the city. Wasn't that brave?"

The boy nodded. "And then she fought the Reapers?" he guessed.

His mother laughed. "Not quite yet. She did a lot of things before she fought the Reapers. You remember, Danny, don't you? She also stopped the spectre Saren from destroying the Citadel."

"Oh yeah," he said sheepishly. "I remember."

"I'm sure there's a book about Commander Shepard in the gift shop. We'll look for one when we leave ok?"

The pair moved off towards another exhibit and Benny watched them go. Her stomach twisted uncomfortably. Walking away from the tunnel, she approached the Blitz exhibit and scanned the pictures on the wall with more interest. She approached the one that the mother had pointed out and found herself staring at a picture of her own mother. Shepard stood tall and rigid, her eyes focusing on something off in the distance. The five pointed, silver Star of Terra hung around her neck. Surprisingly, she looked only a little younger than she did now and her scar was over the wrong eyebrow and looked much fresher; but it was undeniably her mother.

A thousand different thoughts flashed through Benny's head. Her mother was part of a museum exhibit. She was obviously famous enough for those random strangers to have a conversation about her. And apparently famous enough to have books written about her. But she'd never talked about the Blitz before. Never talked about a spectre named Saren. Never talked about saving the Citadel. In fact, now that Benny thought about it, she realized that she knew almost nothing about her parents' pasts. If Shepard was a big Alliance hero, then how did she meet Liara? Why did they end up fighting in the Reaper war? Just how famous were they?

"There you are," came a voice from behind her, causing Benny to jump out of her thoughts. She turned to see Uncle James striding quickly towards her, his easy going smile absent from his face. Instead he looked deeply concerned and even a little afraid. "I thought you were going through the tunnel with your friends. I got worried when I didn't see you come out the other end."

"Oh, sorry," Benny murmured, stepping away from the photo of her mother. But James still seemed on edge. She could understand him worrying that she had gotten lost, but the expression on his face was graver than that. It was as if he had assumed something terrible had actually happened to her. It just added to her feelings of being unsettled. "I was just looking at this exhibit," she explained.

He glanced around and his face became even darker. "The Skyllian Blitz. What do you want to know about the Blitz?" Then his eyes fell on the photo of Shepard only three feet away from Benny and he frowned. "Oh," he muttered.

They stood in awkward silence for a while, though even Benny was not sure why it was so awkward. There was something unsaid going on between them, some exchange of information that she was simultaneously participating in and yet not fully understanding.

Then the tension in his shoulders suddenly dissipated and the graveness from his expression vanished. He nodded towards the picture and said, "A good picture of your madre, huh?"

The shift in his tone shocked Benny and she didn't know how to respond. One second she thought he was about to yell at her for wandering off and the next he was acting like everything was normal.

"I think that's actually one of the first pictures of her I ever saw," he continued, rubbing his chin. "It was on a ton of recruitment posters. I remember thinking 'Caray! Now that's a senorita I'd follow into battle.'" He grinned. "Of course, at the time, I never thought I would end up doing just that."

"Uncle James..." Benny said carefully, staring at him intently to gauge whether he would lie to her. "How famous is my mother?"

James sighed and turned his head to mutter, "Lola is gonna kill me when she finds out about this." Then, turning back to Benny he said, "She's really famous, Lil' Blue. There's no one in the entire galaxy more famous."

Benny felt like her entire world had been ripped out from under her.

~.~.~.~.~

"This is Admiral-Commander Shepard of the United Galactic Military. I am requesting permission to dock on Triginta Petra in accordance with 14 G.C. 95."

Shepard stood at Joker's shoulder, staring at the screen that showed the open channel between the Normandy and the flight tower on Trignita Petra. There was silence on the other end at the moment, but that wasn't too surprising. They probably wanted to take a moment to verify the information she had forwarded them before they gave her the all clear to land. While she waited for their response, Shepard went through her plan of action once more in her head. They would land and then arrange a meeting with whoever was in control of the planet's defense. She would explain the situation and recommend that the colony take measures to defend themselves in case Cerberus decided to strike. For the most part, however, she did not want to get the colony involved. Their police force would hardly be equipped to take on Cerberus or assist in this confrontation. It would be best to keep the civilians out of the way. The most she would request from them was that they use their AA towers to shoot down any Cerberus vessels if they tried to flee the planet. Then her crew would head for the drop off point and spring the trap.

A male turian voice came over the channel, his tone far from pleasant. "You are not authorized to be here. Turn back now."

Shepard started at that, eyes wide in shock. "Excuse me?" she blurted out. She hadn't been refused entry to land anywhere in years. In fact, she only ever asked as a formality. In truth, her combined status of spectre and commander of the Galactic Military gave her the authority to go wherever she pleased. She tried to keep the anger out of her voice. "Perhaps you don't understand, but 14 G.C. 95 gives the Galactic Military the authority to-"

"If you do not turn back now, we will fire at your vessel," the turian voice interrupted.

Shepard gaped at the screen. Joker also stared at it wide-eyed and then gave Shepard a look that said, "Are they serious?" A tiny colony like Triginta Petra would not have the firepower to take down a ship like the Normandy. The best they could deal with would be a single pirate ship. Maybe two on a good day.

"You cannot compete with the Normandy," Shepard warned. "We have a fully outfitted frigate and are also equipped with a thanix cannon. We are here to protect your colony from a terrorist organization, not to fight. I can show you my full credentials once we land."

Silence on the other end. Shepard and Joker exchanged looks, panic clear on both their faces. What on earth was going on? Why would the turians be acting this way?

Shepard laid her hand on the back of Joker's chair and quietly said, "Be ready, Joker. They might do something stupid."

As if that was a trigger, an alarm sounded on the main console telling them that one of the AA towers had locked onto the Normandy and was preparing to fire. Joker reacted instantly and threw the Normandy into an evasive maneuver, deftly dodging the incoming fire.

"Drop off their radar," Shepard commanded.

Joker activated the stealth drive so that the towers would have to be aimed manually if the turians wanted to continue their assault. "Do we engage, Commander?" he asked, his voice still full of disbelief.

"No," Shepard said. "I'm not going to attack a colony. I don't know how the Illusive Man got the turians to side with him, but this seems like bait. He wants me to wipe them off the map." She could see on the console that the turians were targeting them again. They would resume their attack soon. "You shouldn't have any problem evading them, Joker. Bring us in close and I'll take a team down to secure the main compound. If any ships leave this planet, I want to know about it."

Joker nodded and then grumbled under his breath, "With our luck they probably started shooting at us because you didn't say please."