A/n: Hey there. So, so sorry for the wait, guys. I had pneumonia for a week that sorta put me behind schedule, and I had to do a bunch of makeup stuff, including cranking out this chapter. I hope you like it, and thanks for sticking with us for another round! Also! I realized we forgot this very, very important thing last chapter:

Disclaimer: As much as we might wish otherwise, we do not own any content affiliated with the Mass Effect Trilogy.

…

Garrus turned and looked at Shepard. He knew that tone. The controlled urgency that masked the very slight panic was a sound the turian had come to know all too well during the war with the Reapers. They stepped out of the elevator and into the apartment, Garrus watching Shepard carefully as he pressed different buttons on the omni-tool.

"Tali, or Hackett?" Garrus eventually asked, not sure which answer he was really hoping for.

"Tali. But it's bad, Garrus."

Vakarian's gaze narrowed. "What do you mean?"

The Lieutenant Commander looked down at his omni-tool. "Shepard," he read aloud. "If you've received this message, it means someone is attempting to hack into the encrypted data file that contains the research my team and I have accumulated on Haestrom. And if someone is hacking into it, it probably means something has happened to myself and my team. Shepard, I'm sending you the data file. If you received this, you have the only existing copy any data that was being kept on Haestrom will have deleted itself. Keep it safe, please. Find someone who can help. And know that I'm sorry." There was more to the message. Two lines. Keelah, I love you. Don't ever forget that. But he couldn't bring himself to read those words aloud.

The room was silent for a long moment. "Haestrom… Isn't that the planet where the sun was blowing up or something, and the sunlight fried our shields?" Shepard nodded. "How long has she been back there?" Garrus asked quietly.

The human looked up from the message. "About a month. Seemed like things were getting worse, so a group of quarians and salarians teamed up to look into it. Tali thought she should go, since she was one of the only survivors of the initial research team."

Garrus nodded. "I remember that. She and Kal'Reeger were the only people left." He paused. "Well, first things first, we're going to need a ship. And a pilot."

Shepard looked at his friend. That was one of the things he'd always appreciated about Garrus; he was always ready for the next step. Always planning ahead, and always somehow able to read the commander's mind in a way very few others could. Shepard had been wondering how to ask the turian for backup, but he didn't even need to. Garrus was volunteering.

The Lieutenant Commander walked into his bedroom and grabbed a small duffle bag, tossing in a change of clothes, some light armor, and a few guns. "I've got a pilot. As for the ship…I'll talk to Hackett," he said over his shoulder to Garrus, who was leaning against the doorway. "He'll find me one."

"If he can't?"

He slid the zipper on the bag closed. "Then we'll steal one."

Behind him, the turian chuckled. "Now you're starting to sound like me, Shepard."

The commander slung the bag over his shoulder and adjusted the strap across his chest. Shepard offered a brief, half-hearted smile. But all he could think about was Tali's message repeating in his head over and over again.

"Let's go, Archangel."

…

Hackett replied to Shepard's message within an hour. The human knew he should have felt grateful, but he could feel the mental clock ticking, a pressure he hadn't felt since the Reaper invasion. Every minute counted. But at least Hackett had found him a ship.

Better yet, the admiral told him he could have the Normandy SR2.

"Just like old times," Garrus stated when he heard the news as they both walked through the Bachjret Ward. They both ignored the reporters calling out to them, the sideways glances, and the whispered recognitions.

Shepard's mouth quirked. "I'm starting to think I'm bound to the Normandy forever," he replied. There was no malice in his voice. He liked the Normandy. Loved her, in fact. She was as much a part of his old crew as Garrus, or Liara, or any of them, really. "She's a good ship," he added.

Garrus nodded in agreement. "That she is, Commander. Best ship I've ever worked on."

"You and me both."

They made a left turn and walked to the end of the path, turning to one of the doors that lined the walls on either side. Shepard took in a deep breath, and then knocked.

EDI answered, her voice as surprised as her robotic intonation could allow for. "Shepard."

EDI looked impressively similar to how she had been while serving on the Normandy. She had "died" when Shepard decided to destroy all synthetic life in order to make sure the Reapers were wiped out once and for all. But Joker had downloaded her files and memory and hired someone to build her another body. Her body was almost identical, and Shepard knew Joker had used some pictures he'd taken as a sort of reference.

"EDI. Good to see you."

"Is that Shepard?" Joker's cheerful voice came floating through the door from deeper in the apartment.

"Yes," EDI replied, stepping aside and letting the two enter. "He is here with Mr. Vakarian."

"Garrus too? Who called the cavalry?"

Shepard chuckled, all three of them following the sound of the voice down the hallway. Joker was sitting on the couch, his feet propped up. He turned off the vid he was watching, tipping the beer he was drinking in their direction as Shepard and Garrus took a seat across from him.

"How you guys been?" Joker asked.

"I've been better." Shepard leaned forward. "Joker, I need your help."

The pilot straightened in his seat a little, surprised at the blunt candor. "Wow. Right to the point. I guess this isn't a social call." Shepard had always been straightforward—it was something Joker had always liked about the guy—but there was something that caught his attention. Something different about the way he said it. "What's going on?"

"Tali's in trouble."

Joker's gaze narrowed. The news seemed to catch EDI's attention, too. "I consider both you and Ms. Vas Normandy a friend. We would be happy to assist you, Shepard."

"What kind of trouble?" Joker added, frowning.

"Shepard got a message from her a few hours ago." Garrus glanced at him. "It…Well, it might be best if he just reads it."

Truthfully, Shepard didn't really need to look down at his omni-tool. With how many times he'd read it over, with the way it had been parroting in his mind ever since he first looked at it, he felt like he had memorized most of it already. But he looked down anyway, and when he had finished reading it (leaving out the last two lines like he had done with Garrus), the room was silent again.

Joker sat back, stunned. "When do we leave?"

Shepard released a breath and smiled, shaking his head. He was relieved. He honestly hadn't been sure how Joker and EDI would react. The war had taken its toll on them, too, and in some ways, Shepard knew he was asking them to jump back into action.

"As soon as you're ready."

"We will require a ship." EDI asked.

"Hackett set us up with the Normandy," Garrus answered. Joker blinked in surprise.

"No kidding. EDI, pack a bag."

"I do not need to pack anything, Jeff."

"It's an expression… Never mind. We're ready. "

…

They met up with Admiral Hackett an hour or two later outside the docking bay of the Citadel. Shepard shook Hackett's hand, but his eyes were on the familiar ship behind him. "How'd you manage to pull this off, sir?"

Hackett just smiled. "I pulled a few strings. The Alliance had investment in that research team Ms. Vas Normandy was a part of. They were more than happy to offer one of their ships to figure out what happened on Haestrom." Shepard locked gazes with him. "Especially when it will be under your command."

Shepard felt humbled, in a way. "Thank you, Admiral."

"We pulled together a team to help you. Engineers, navigators, the works. You'll see a few familiar faces, I think. We'll help where we can. The rest, that's up to you."

Shepard saluted the officer, and Hackett returned the gesture. He moved to walk away, but stopped and turned back. "And Shepard, I'm sorry about Tali."

The Commander swallowed and nodded, not replying as Hackett turned and walked out of the docking bay. Shepard tried to ignore the way everybody was talking as if she and her team were already dead. He wasn't naïve or stupid by any stretch of the imagination. He knew what it looked like, what his odds were. But Shepard wondered just how much more loss he could take. Unless he was absolutely certain she was gone, he wasn't going to accept another death. Ashley, Kaidan, Legion, Mordin, Miranda, Anderson, Cortez … the list went on and on. He wasn't sure if he could handle any more. Not when it was supposed to finally have been over. And especially not if it was Tali.

War was funny like that. You'd think it would help you get used to death, but it doesn't. It just slams you with one loss after another. There is no "getting used to it". Five years after the Reaper invasion, and everybody knew that now. Shepard better than anyone.

The four of them stepped onto the Normandy, and the Commander was hit with a wave of familiarity. The sensation of unease mixed oddly with the equally strong feeling that he was home. He belonged here as much as he belonged anywhere. But the ship also felt heavy with memories of the last time Shepard was on the ship. And of thoughts regarding the mission that lay before them.

"Home sweet home," Joker sighed as he stepped up beside him, taking in a deep breath of the faintly metallic scent of the ship. "You know where to find me if you need me, Commander. Punch up the galaxy map when you're ready."

Joker headed to the cockpit, and EDI spoke up behind Shepard. "I think I will see if I can re-upload my AI programming into the ship. If this is still the SR2, the means to do that should still be in effect." She paused. "I am glad to be back, Shepard." He nodded absently as EDI followed after the pilot.

On the other side of him, Garrus sighed. "I'm going to do a quick calibration of the weapons. No offense to your team here, Shepard, but I like to make sure of things. You never know when you need a giant gun at your disposal."

Shepard nodded again, too lost in thought to really have heard anything his friend said. The turian noticed.

"And while I'm at it," Garrus added dryly, "I might test my new missile launcher in the armory. See if it really can punch a hole through the Normandy's walls."

Shepard shook his head. "What?"

Garrus chuckled. "Just checking to see if you were listening."

"Joker would kill you if you punched a hole through the ship. Vrolik syndrome or no." He smiled, but it was faint and fleeting. He added. "I might, too."

Garrus chuckled. "I have no doubt."

The Commander was silent again. He sighed, running a hand down his face. "I never thought I'd be back here, Garrus."

"You and me both," the turian replied. "But I can think of no better reason to get back into the game."

Shepard blew out a heavy breath. "Yeah."

"Hey." Garrus nudged his friend's shoulder. "Tali's a fighter. She's out there somewhere. And if she's out there, then we'll find her."

Shepard glanced at him. "I know. I just hope there's enough time."

…

A/n: I hope you liked that, you guys! Please review. They keep us going and help us get better. Apologies if the variances in writing style from one chapter to another bother anyone, but please keep in mind that this is a tag-team, so it's bound to happen. We love you guys. Our readers are the best.