Chapter 34: Reap What You Sow

Once again, Liara was on the other end, listening intently to the radio with a myriad of wild emotions apprehending her. Her throat felt like it was being crushed, until she'd realized that she absentmindedly rubbed away at it. She wasn't given ample time to talk to Lucy about what transpired between them, to question the Commander as to what was the motive behind her sudden departure after that spontaneous... Intimacy.

Warmth faintly throbbed beneath Liara's cheeks, but she stayed soldered to communications to keep the racy thoughts at bay. Now wasn't the time. Intuition warned her then wasn't the time either, after her dreadful biotic sparring session as a facade she knew was constructed to keep her at bay too. At the very least it yielded something positive and educational for the crew.

"But did Lucy have to throw me on the ground so hard?" Liara inwardly grumbled, rubbing her hip next. "She did not appear upset after I'd thrown her, but I fear I may have instigated her apparent love to be competitive."

What was worse, she knew she'd battered the soldier well with her own biotics - determined at the time to prove herself and embrace her confidence for doing so. Now Lucy was out there on yet another dangerous mission. At least she had a team with her, thank the Goddess. She even sounded as though she was willing to work alongside them.

Granted, Solcrum's heat hazard rather compelled them all to stay cooped up in the mako, but still.

What disturbed her, however, was hearing how monotone things were on the other end of the line. Chief Williams sounded... Numb. Garrus was stiff, reporting things brusquely. Tali never spoke of anything, only sounding off agreement whenever Lucy issued orders of where they were to drive next - so she wasn't the pilot then, it seemed.

There was no chatter about geth. Lucy seemed focused on retrieving mineral nodes instead. Liara's stomach was sinking and her forehead begun to ache with the way her brow remained perpetually pinched. She was confused and conflicted about so many things, concerned with the way the soldier was still soldiering on as if nothing has happened recently.

"Wrex and Kaidan are... And she isn't..." Liara sighed. She should be used to this by now, this strange way the Commander seemed to just accept how things were, and not even appear to need to cope. Even with Liara 'returning' to her, alive and well, was just accepted now. No profound effects.

"She's muting herself again, isn't she?"

≤Contact.≥

Such a calm announcement. The radio exploded, then, as Chief Williams announced an ambush. Garrus counted off colossals and armatures, with the mako cannon sounding off with him. Tali reported damages to the shields and the mako, while Lucy remained infuriatingly monotone in her commands of where to maneuver and take cover.

"This is her comfort zone," T'Soni mused, annoyed by the idea. "Nobody should be comfortable with this, or calm for that matter."

It was a sign of everything wrong with the universe to be breeding individuals like this - but that was just life. It wasn't a fact she wasn't aware of already, of course, but it was still a bitter reminder that gnawed away at her every time she'd come upon this same realization of the soldier. She tried to focus on the positives instead, that it was a good thing Lucy could still remain calm even while under fire - so that she could continue to do her best to ensure her team would make it home alive.

"If only she wasn't doing it as her penance, as she put it back then. It is likely still the motive that compels her to move forward now, with this new roster of deaths engraved in her mind."

≤Normandy, I'm entering the geth compound now.≥ Lucy announced, and her choice of words were very peculiar indeed. ≤Please be advised that there may be radio interference. I'm delegating ground command to Gunnery Chief Williams. Standby and coordinate with the mako team for extraction if I don't return in thirty.≥

≤Roger that, Commander.≥

A nerve twitched and throbbed.

"I have so many words for that stubborn woman," Liara inwardly grumbled. "And words, we shall have. There will be no escape for her anymore. Not until I get all my answers."

Tension soared. Liara checked in on her omni-tool often. Her belly gnawed at the sounds of static and gunfire feeding through the Commander's channel, but she was still as bleak as ever, announcing her movements and calculating enemies. The static stopped abruptly. Liara glanced over at the other technicians in the hangar bay that had also tuned in on their terminals to monitor the mission progress - all of them didn't appear disturbed either, carrying on their duties nonchalantly.

Oh, how Liara envied such confidence. There was a voice that scolded and berated her a little, accusing her lack of faith - but she couldn't help this worry lurking and lurching every time she was forced to be on the sidelines.

Then all her muscles melted upon hearing the calm and stout resolution reverb strongly with interference seemingly shut down.

≤Compound clear. All geth have been eliminated.≥

There was a sudden burst of something else in the background, another voice. Liara leaned forward as if it would help her hear any better, straining to make out the language. It was... Somebody singing? A mournful acapella. Her eyes riveted to the channel where there was activity in the mako, and she swore she heard Tali gasp, suck in a sharp breath, and sniffle at the end of the song. T'Soni barely heard Garrus softly ask if the quarian was alright. There was no answer.

"Was it a quarian song?"

≤I've hacked into a terminal here, downloading the data now. Normandy, prep for extraction and rendezvous with the mako's coordinates.≥

Joker was amiss of his usual quips and jeers, his own reports lifeless as well. ≤Roger that, Commander. ETA four minutes.≥

Silence, apart from the life injected back into the hangar bay now that the technicians begun their preparations. Liara stayed out the way as she observed the others, her instincts all over the place as she read the haunting lingering cues of Virmire's outcome on the crew's face. Her stomach flipped when she'd heard Ashley's voice break through on the comms.

≤Contact, it's an ambush! Commander, we're surrounded!≥

≤Normandy, standby until the mako gives the all-clear. Mako, perform evasive maneuvers and secure a safe location for extraction. I'll bait them into the compound.≥

Never before had Liara felt such a homicidal urge to just squeeze the life out of something with her biotics. She had enough of standing by. Adrenaline rushed through her and she hadn't even quite paid attention to whatever it was she was overriding on the terminal in order to establish communication with the mako's frequency, her throat burning as if she'd been eating fire.

"Absolutely do not follow that order," Liara urged. She ignored whatever protests the soldier issued on her own end. "She will die if you allow her those means."

≤Anybody who disobeys my order will be severely punished. Somebody get Dr. T'Soni off the radio.≥

"How will you punish them if you're dead?!"

There was a blinking green light, breathing rhythmically, like a pulse. Liara did not hesitate to shake off and ward away the hand that tried to snare her wrist, her eyes glued to the terminal. Her heart plummeted when the Commander's frequency shut off with nothing but infuriating words left to fuel the wildfire searing inside.

≤It's not a problem.≥

What on Thessia wasn't the problem? Her death? Was that the repentance she was still convinced she deserved? Why and how could that human still be so stubborn, after everything that they'd ever been through? Survived?

Liara frayed and struggled to hold fast onto faith as she listened to Ashley following the Commander's instruction to the letter. Maybe that was what was needed: the confidence Liara so desperately wanted from Lucy was now to be given in return. She had to remind herself of what they've been through - survived. Stubborn, that bloody human was... But she always fearlessly jumped into the maws of hell and somehow crawled her way out of it every time.

That image bled into the asari's mind, though - the blood that slithered down the thin grooves of tiles on the bridge, back when she'd witnessed Lucy get shot. Something that even she couldn't calculate, a gun that misfired far too easily was nearly responsible for taking her life. Now she was surrounded by the enemy, and-

"Have faith," Liara urged herself. She made a show that she'd behave and stay calm to the other crew members, forcing herself to find a chair. She eyed the others and silently dared them to intervene when she situated herself by the terminal. None had, resuming their duties. They followed the Commander's instruction to the letter. T'Soni nibbled on the corner of her lip until it was raw, lost as to what on Thessia was supposed to be her own instruction to follow to the letter.

Besides staying off the radio.

Seconds felt like hours. The only comm chatter she had to go off on was Ashley's affirmation that they were in a safe spot, and the new LZ was repeated across the radio as the technicians communicated amongst each other to coordinate the Normandy's landing. A barrier was erected as the hangar bay doors opened, and the mako wasted no time to rev up inside. She climbed out of her chair and looked down at Solcrum, her chest tightening at the sight of blue beams firing at the compound that Lucy barricaded herself in. Her heart lurched up at her throat and she rushed back to the terminal the second she heard Lucy's breath, and her frequency lit up again.

≤Normandy, get us the hell out of here before we blow up with them.≥

≤You got it, Commander!≥

There was a bit more levity in Joker's voice, this time, followed by a mischievous chuckle. Liara froze, gaping at the terminal, bewildered. She glanced back at Solcrum and watched the ground grow distant as the Normandy shot off in the air, the hangar bay closing in as quickly as it could. Her shoulders tensed and she glanced behind her as the familiar voice was no longer modulated through a radio.

"There's your geth, Tali." A screech of metal collapsed on the ground as Lucy had released the unit she'd dragged off the mako. "I believe the data I downloaded may be of use to you too, from what sense I could make of it. I'll send it to you first, if you don't mind taking a look at it and ensuring it's safe to upload to the Alliance database."

There was more levity in Tali's voice this time, too, and the quarian nonchalantly dragged the disabled geth unit off to her station.

"I'll get to work on it right away, thank you, Commander!"

Liara was the only one disarmed of levity. She was lost, swallowed by all the emotions that crashed down on her like a tidal wave, then. There was relief, certainly, and a whole lot of frustration, blended with a hell of a lot more confusion. She had trouble understanding when all of this was coordinated, and how much time had actually passed when the Normandy was evicted from the Commander's communications due to Liara's interference. She felt uneasy when the soldier's eyes met hers. Lucy approached slowly, but with certainty. She removed her helmet with deft practice, despite limited with her one hand. She was unreadable up until she was arms length away, the world around them lost to the bustle of the crew lost in their duties.

Nothing, for a moment, up until that subtle smirk had the audacity to show itself.

"Told you it's not a problem," Lucy murmured ever so softly, teasing with her need to taunt. "Should I go ask Dr. Chakwas for that prescription of alprazolam of yours, now?"

Liara scoffed, her hand shooting out with a mind of it's own as she gently shoved the stubborn soldier's shoulder. "You're enjoying this far too much."

"Guilty. But it was a mission success." Lucy's eyes softened, and she approached a little closer - though lost her certainty. "You needn't worry of me. I've always handled myself."

"I've been arguing the same. It hasn't stopped you, either."

There was almost a visible bop to the head. Lucy's smile was a touch bit more obvious, warming up. "A fair and irrefutable point. However... You cannot do that again, questioning my authority is not good for the crew." She took another step, her hand reaching out to skirt along the edge of Liara's pinkie. "At least try not to do it again. That's all I ask."

Liara frowned a little. "Give me a reason not to question it, then, when you're still operating on your own."

"That should be obvious now, more than ever, after what happened on Virmire. It's safest for the team if I-"

"Luce."

Immediately, the smile fell to a blank look. The soldier's mouth opened and the word fell out, out of habit. "Shepard." Lucy straightened a little and glanced around the hangar bay. "Let's continue this conversation in private, please. I just need to relinquish my gear. I'll meet you back at my quarters?"

With a cross of her arms, Liara stood her ground. "I'll wait here and accompany you back to your quarters."

That seemed to unnerve the soldier, but it wasn't yet known why. Lucy's urgency shone through the second she closed the distance and grabbed the asari's elbow a little more firmly, with obvious pyjak eyes to boot. "Please meet me back at my quarters, Liara. It's imperative that you go now."

"Is there a suspicious reason why it's imperative for you to be rid of me?"

"Absolutely not at all."

"Mm hm." Liara cocked her head and arched her brow, hoping her deadpan look was enough to scream it all - and it made the soldier buckle with a quiet groan.

"If I take my suit off, you're... Not going to handle it well."

"And is there a suspicious reason why I won't?"

"Not at all. Not suspicious, I mean." The pyjak eyes grew, and the Goddess-awful obviousness of it all almost made Liara laugh instead of cry. Lucy was desperate. "I'll be naked. You don't handle that kind of thing very well."

"I think it's what's new on your body that I won't handle very well."

"Come on, Liara. It's just a scratch."

"Mm hm." Liara uncrossed her arms with a slight chuckle. "After you relinquish your gear, I'll accompany you back to the med-bay."

Lucy's head dropped in defeat. "Still the most stubborn asari I've ever known."

Tension exploded exponentially. Liara was almost taken aback by how antsy the soldier was now - surprisingly enough, it didn't seem to be at all related to her teasing over the scratches. Of course she couldn't deny her worry, as always, but she was... Beginning to accept this reality as a soldier would, it seemed. It just came with Lucy's job.

It would probably come more often, with her neglecting to do whatever she needed to do to secure a new cybernetic arm from the Alliance.

Instead of teasing, or succumbing to the little jabs the soldier would poke at her expense - and her apparent need for anxiety medication - Liara played along with support, while she observed and speculated. It didn't take long to figure things out when Lucy's eyes shot to the dreadful doors where mother waited beyond, trapped in her own psyche. The archaeologist kept her own desire silent in that she wanted another opportunity to meld with mother, now that Liara knew where the shelter was. She knew Lucy would absolutely intervene and do everything in her power to stop the asari this time.

"That she's even avoiding on asking me about the meld with mother is telling all on it's own."

While Dr. Chakwas worked on applying medi-gel and bandaging up the Commander's wounds - both changing out for the old wounds and applying new ones - Lucy had delved back into work, opening the data she'd downloaded onto her omni-tool. She held out her arm to Liara. "Could you transfer that file to Tali, please?"

It was the monumental task of a lifetime to set aside her nagging concerns and simply be in this moment, assisting where she could. She was beginning to subject to the inevitable defeat that Lucy probably wasn't ever going to understand why there was so much fretting involved, especially with missions like this.

"But this is a soldier's life. It's now up to me to decide whether I am able to stand by one, or not. Is anyone?"

Now, more than ever, she wished she paid more attention to the commandos back home - how they were able to make it work with their partners, especially when those partners worked 'civilian' jobs, systems away. Liara's chest tightened just at the thought of it all. She wasn't sure she'd ever be truly able to get over her penchant to worry if she wasn't around, feeling as though she was responsible for Shepard's safety to some extent. But perhaps not knowing of those dangers was better, where ignorance would be bliss.

Or perhaps she should eat her own words and try this whole trusting thing that Luce would be able to handle herself.

"But she has to put the same effort in for me, then."

Bruises painted a canvas on the human's skin, but Lucy didn't seem the least bit perturbed as Dr. Chakwas worked away with the medi-gel and other ointments. Thankfully, there weren't any serious wounds. Most of it seemed to be tiny scratches that accompanied the bruises, dents and scrapes that were probably acquired from collisions in a bumpy ride. Liara kept her eyes focused on the omni-tool and the data that expanded on the screen when the suit was peeled down to bundle up at the hips.

She was nauseous just thinking about what the 'B' looked like on Lucy's back now, despite her assurance that Dr. Chakwas 'got rid of it'.

Whatever that entailed, Liara still did not want to dwell on it.

"This data seems to be related to the worlds beyond the Perseus Veil," Liara noted quietly. She glanced over when she'd noticed Lucy's brow pinched. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing on Saren," the soldier sighed with the subtlest hint of frustration.

Any subtlety might as well have been screaming it to the world, though, with the way she always muted her feelings and thoughts to the outer eye and aural.

"It's good for Tali, but... It's not good for our mission," Lucy continued despondently.

"Commander, if I may," Dr. Chakwas intervened, "With the amount of time that's passed since Virmire, do you not think that perhaps we have stopped Saren? There's been no intel or trace of his movements for a while now. Perhaps we already took something away from him that he needs in order to find the Conduit, even with the Cipher you both have acquired."

"The Cipher?" Liara asked.

There was a suspicious avoidance of eye contact, then.

"Virmire was just a breeding ground for the army of krogan," Lucy rationalized, "And Saren's own research facility to understand how to resist Sovereign's indoctrination. What would be related to the Conduit there? We still don't even know what the Conduit is. Is he searching for data? Or a key? Or maybe it's another Reaper that goes by the name 'Conduit'."

Silence, for no answers jumped out at them. Lucy sighed and massaged her temples with her hand. "We're back to nothing except a waiting game of hope that he's just as stuck as we are. And that won't last forever either. We need to be one step ahead of him if we're to stop him, or else we'll be catching up to him with the Reapers already here, ready to restart the cycle."

"Perhaps we should ask his second-in-" Chakwas was cut off with a resounding shake of the head from the Commander.

Liara bit back the urgent need to just sigh when she'd realized what was going to be asked. She shared a knowing look with the doctor, but said nothing nor pressed.

With wounds tended to, the soldier hopped off her plinth and fully peeled out her thermal suit, retrieving a spare uniform from a cubby that had her name on it. Not a promising sign that there was a compelling need to set up her own personal locker in here, but T'Soni continued to bite her tongue, well past the aching stage and now in the numbing one. She looked away and quelled the heat in her cheeks after getting a side-eyeful of cheeks, though her gaze seemed to wander more towards the synthetic limb instead.

It was proof she needed to hold onto that Lucy would always come back... But at what cost? How many more pieces were going to be taken away from her? The missing arm was proof just as well on it's own, wasn't it?

"I have to have faith."

"I'm going to go speak with Tali about this data while I think about our next move," Shepard announced. She looked up at Liara, but Dr. Chakwas intervened smoothly.

"I'd like to borrow Dr. T'Soni to help me run some tests and analysis," Karin glanced over at the asari, "If she doesn't mind."

"Of course, anything I can do to help," Liara nodded. She looked back at Lucy and smiled reassuringly, to ward off any coming suspicion. "I'll meet with you at your quarters later?"

Heels clicked with a firm nod and salute. "Affirmative." She marched out the med-bay with stiff authority back in her tone and posture. "Meet at 1800."

There was a bubble of laughter viciously suppressed in the chest, and Liara mustered all the seriousness she could just to keep nodding. How she'd fallen for such an impersonal formality was beyond her, with all her dreams and desires of emotion-packed romance and spontaneity. She waited, watching the doors, sharing glances with the other human in here until they were reassured by time that they would truly be left alone now. Karin wasted no time as she marched for the storage bay, where Benezia was held.

"You know just as well as I do that your mother is the key - or has the key to the Conduit. Only one way to find out. You mentioned before that you were able to find her. Do you think you can do it again?"

Without a second thought passed or a glance behind her, Liara nodded resolutely. "Absolutely."

"Good." Dr. Chakwas began to set up her machines and looked up with a smile. "Try to make it quick, would you?"

"That goes without saying," Liara chuckled, her head shaking with disbelief. "If anybody needs that 'prescription', it's Lucy."

It was amusing just how alike the two really were in regards to the other's well-being.

She smiled when she'd thought of it as 'annoying'.

"You are taking safety measures, correct?" Shepard inquired as she glanced over the quarian's shoulder, watching the geth unit for any movement.

It was dismantled in pieces, but that didn't mean none of them could still activate and launch a coup inside the Normandy.

Tali nodded enthusiastically, however, and it was something Shepard reminded herself that she needed to work on - this... Trust in the team, thing - as a certain asari once encouraged her to attempt. Little did Dr. T'Soni know that she'd given perhaps one of the toughest missions the soldier had ever embarked on. It was far easiest to trust oneself, know one's abilities, own those abilities, than do this.

"Trust in the training. You get out what you put in. Training never fails you."

Here? She didn't know what she was training here. Perhaps attention to detail as she observed Tali pick apart the intricacies of such a phenomenal machine.

"The quarians sure know how to build," Shepard murmured offhandedly. Her brow arched with confusion when Tali chuckled quietly. "That was not a joke."

Levity continued to dance in the quarian's tone, scrambling the puzzle pieces further apart. "I know."

"Then what was funny about it? Liara is already strange enough to demystify and I still don't understand her, after all this time. Please don't make me do the same to the rest of the crew."

"Here we are." Tali selected one of the geth arms, whilst bringing up a familiar blueprint on her omni-tool. "I knew I could make this work!"

One look, and something felt like it was threading around Shepard's chest, tightening slowly until blood oozed out. Her tone shut off, and even she could hear how robotic she'd sounded. "You're working on my arm?"

"I just need to modify the geth arm to be able to attach to your socket, but yes. We have everything on board here for me to be able to make it work." Tali suddenly glanced over, though with her helmet in the way, it was doubly hard to read her. The levity in her tone was lost, replaced by a slight jitter instead. "I-I'm sorry, Commander, I should have clarified and asked for permission first. I just assumed... Maybe the Alliance didn't want to... I don't know. I just wanted to help."

Shepard's gaze roved over the geth arm, mulling. Her means to repent was ripped away. She condemned herself to adapt and struggle - as she should.

It was the least she could do for Kaidan, Wrex and Captain Kirrahe.

"I-I can dismantle the geth arm completely and follow these schematics to build you a new arm, if you'd like, Commander. It won't be an issue and-"

"I trust you," Shepard blurted.

Her innards screamed that she didn't.

"I trust you," she parroted, and she had the sense that it was abundantly obvious that she was trying to convince herself of that more so than Tali. She forced herself to go the extra mile and reached out, obliterating her cry for space as she'd squeezed Tali's shoulder - mindful of her strength in case if quarians were... Brittle... Or something.

"I know how to kill them, and there are far too many easy ways to do so. Tali needs to work on her defensive maneuvers more. Something I can help her with - as thanks."

As thanks.

Thanks for the arm.

It was a disturbing idea rather than a riveting one, but Shepard soldiered on. She nodded, even if there was no reason to, and stiffly walked away. "Report to me when the geth prototype is ready for installation, and-"

"Ready for installation," Tali interjected.

Shepard's head turned quick with surprise - and a measure of awe. "You engineered it that quickly?" She'd lumbered back almost in a daze. "Even mom would be speechless."

Levity returned, touched with a bit of smugness, or so the soldier perceived. She'd felt lighter upon hearing the words dance.

"Quarians sure know how to build, Commander."

Tali held up the geth arm, where the ends that would connect with the soldier's shoulder socket seemed exactly reminiscent to the connectors of her old arm. She grasped at it by the elbow, impressed by how light the arm was when Tali let go. She couldn't help but marvel and inspect, though it proved to be misconstrued.

"If you're hesitant and don't want to, Commander-"

"Appreciating the engineering that's gone on behind it," Shepard gruffly murmured. She lined the connectors up and felt that familiar surge tingle through where her synthetic shoulder socket was soldered onto skin, zinging up the side of her neck. It buzzed beneath her skull, in the back, and there was a slight headache. She closed her eyes and pinched her nose.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes." The soldier rolled her synthetic shoulder, though the geth arm was still limp by her side. "I forgot about this part. It's establishing a connection with my implant."

"Oh... Does it usually take this long?"

"No. Instant." Brusque, gravelly, there was a part of her that was scolding her for such rudeness - she didn't mean to be, and she cleared her throat. "Sorry."

"For what?"

"It must be taking longer since it's new hardware," Shepard moved on, hoping she wouldn't be asked to explain things she didn't quite fully understand the need to say herself. A sharper tingle ebbed and flowed, vibrating harshly as if there were bees employing their own defensive maneuver to generate heat to kill off their predator.

There was almost a cry inside, an old desire to go back to nature. Was it because of this anomaly of a synthetic struggling to conform with what was left of the organic?

Shepard slapped her hand over the buzzing in her neck, hoping to settle it down. The chill was welcome on her skin, and the electricity in her brain ebbed away in waves. Tali's gasp brought her awareness back, and she'd glanced down enough to spot her new cybernetic limb in motion. She subtly smiled and tested her hand as she flexed it into a fist, then relaxed.

"Everything is operating smoothly, just like my old arm." Shepard rotated it as she inspected it more closely, running her fingers along her synthetic forearm. "Are there any hidden compartments I can utilize?"

"No, we never designed geth to have any storage like that - but I'm sure I can figure out how to modify it for you."

"Ah, that's not necessary." Another flex, and the corner of Shepard's lips quirked beyond her control as she looked at Tali. "Thank you very much for this, I appreciate this gesture. I apologize for my offensiveness to your abilities in the past, Tali. I've not done anything to deserve this kindness but moving forward-"

Tali held up a hand with a chuckle. "Relax, Commander. Think nothing of it. And hey," she made a show with her omni-tool. "You gave me this data. This is exactly what I need to bring back to my people for my Pilgrimage - after we stop Saren and the Reapers, of course."

Suddenly, all Shepard could see was red, and alarms blared deafeningly. She'd taken off sprinting without thought, engaging her omni-tool to connect to the Normandy's comms.

"Status report!"

≤Something big's in our collision path, Commander!≥ Lieutenant Moreau announced. ≤I can't slow down in time, shut down the core!≥

"How big? A dreadnought?"

≤No, yes, I don't know.≥

There were a crescendo of gasps in the background of Joker's comms, coming from the CiC.

The soldier slew curses as she'd elected to rip off vents and climb up the shafts rather than wait for the slovenly slow elevator to take her up. She raced towards the helmsman and manoeuvred around the CiC crew rushing about to halt the Normandy in it's path as safely as it could, sounding off re-directions that ultimately failed with the core disabled, needing time to boot back up. They were vulnerable, trapped in drift. She grabbed the lip of the pilot's seat and leaned down to take a look out the window, clenching her teeth at what appeared in their path.

"Commander," Joker murmured with trepidation, "Is that...?"

Shepard narrowed her eyes. "Sovereign."

Long Ass Author's Note:

I just realized I didn't successfully add end notes to the Vanguard of Rats and the Broker's Home so here's what I owe XD

Firstly, gosh I don't even know how long it's been but I think like... Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Halloween, Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays and Happy New Years. I'm sorry I went AWOL yet again. Life became crazy aka I suck at getting my shit together, and then I was stuck in this state where it's like "I want to write/update because it's been so long" and at the same time "it's been so long since I've updated..." and got stuck with a really dumb cycle of guilt lol.

I'm still not sure what my update schedule will be like, but now that I've finally gotten over this hump, I'd like to think I won't disappear for another half a freaking year and tinker around more often. It admittedly took me a really long time to figure out how to tackle this chapter and it's been re-written so many times, but I've a clearer direction of how I want to proceed now. Instead I'm stuck with how to proceed with Gale and Sylvia now, but on the bright side that means Lucy gets all my love again XD

Thank you to those who left me your reviews when you had, even if it's been so ridiculously long. I promise you they still had a major effect on me at the time and made me smile (until that dumb cycle ate at me). But honestly, if I didn't get poked and prodded every now and then, I think it would've taken me much longer to come back. They're the reminders my scatter-brained ass needs of why I need to keep writing, not just for you but for me too. It's been wonderful to be able to sit down, think and do this again. So thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! Ya'll are amazing human beings and don't ever let anything tell you otherwise, whether it's others or yourself!

That's all for my mini-series novel here, cya in the next chapter and I hope you all have had a lovely weekend! Cheers to the start of another awesome week :D