**My sincere apologies for the excessive delay in posting. Life has been very uncooperative. Hopefully, I can be more consistent from this point. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me through things.

Chapter 4 – A Blessing in Disguise

As the shuttle exited the mass effect corridor, Joker called back through the open cockpit door to the squad members crowded into the passenger compartment. "Welcome to the Sackgasse system. Home of…well…not a whole hell of a lot, actually." He was answered by sighs, grunts of relief, and a clearly audible "'bout fuckin' time" from Jack. Shepard heaved his own sigh of relief. He hoped that action, whatever form it took, would relieve what had been a long, crowded journey.

Shepard stood and scanned the passive sensor readings from his position at the cockpit door. Joker wasn't wrong in his assessment. A handful of barren, unremarkable planetoids and one small gas giant orbiting a wan, orange K type star. Or so the star chart they had managed to dig up on the extranet had claimed. Jacob had been right. With its single mass relay connection, position on the edge of Batarian space, lack of resources, and threat of intermittent pirate activity the system truly was a dead end in every sense.

Given his experience dealing with piracy from his Corsair days, Jacob had moved to the co-pilot position for their transition into the system. Shepard turned to Jacob now. "Any indication the Batarians took an interest in us as we passed through that last system?"

Jacob keyed commands into the ship's systems, then shook his head. "We got pinged by a Batarian monitoring satellite as we approached the last relay, but we're not likely to appear a threat given that we weren't heading deeper into Batarian space. Sackgasse is a buffer for them. I think the odds they will rush to send anyone to investigate us are pretty low."

Shepard nodded to himself. At least one thing had gone right. The last thing they needed was a Batarian patrol added into the mix. He stared out into local space, but couldn't appreciate the vastly changed star field or the mass relay dominating much of the view. He was silently calculating. Given their flight times, relay access times, and every other delay that seemed to crop up whenever one was in the greatest hurry, it had taken five hours to reach the Sackgasse system. With the three-hour delay to prepare at the Citadel, he estimated they had perhaps twelve hours before the deadline indicated by their…Shepard struggled with his uncertainty. Contact? Informant? Benefactor? Enemy? None of the above? Tali had seemed confident the information was good, whatever the identity and motivations of its source. And Shepard trusted Tali. He glanced back to where she sat in the passenger compartment. She sat quietly, not even glancing in his direction. Whatever thoughts or opinions she was experiencing, she was keeping them to herself. The thought of the trust they had built through so many difficult trials and how Tali had suddenly pushed him so far away in such a short time made the ache that seemed to suffuse him flare anew into anguish. He pushed that pain away for the thousandth time in the last few hours and focused his energy on the task at hand. The task he hoped would repair whatever had been somehow damaged between them.

"Joker, give me an update on what the scanners are indicating. Maintain passive scanning only." Exiting a mass effect corridor was much less dramatic than the lightning storm that signaled entry. A blue streak as the ship decelerated into the system and regained its mass. A small burst of electromagnetic noise. The shuttle was small enough that, with luck, they might have slipped into the system undetected. He recalled how the Normandy had entered the Ilos system undetected by an entire Geth fleet and allowed himself to hope. A moment later, Shepard shook his head at his own hopes. When was the last time he had that kind of luck? It was also possible that even if their arrival had been noticed the shuttle would not be so easy to detect. Staying passive couldn't completely hide them, but it should at least force anyone lurking in the system to use active scanning to locate and identify them, giving themselves away in the process.

Joker keyed commands into the haptic interface, searching for any threat or trace of their quarry. Garrus spoke up from his position in the passenger compartment. "It would help, Shepard, if we had some idea what we were looking for. Does this Prizrak have a base of operations here? Or is he just sitting out there hidden by the Normandy's stealth systems. Maybe waiting for his buyer. As much as I respect Joker's abilities as a pilot, I don't like our chances if we have to take on the Normandy in a shuttle."

Shepard hoped fervently it wouldn't come to that. They had flown into the system blind. Not that they had much choice in the matter given the need to move rapidly to retrieve the Normandy, both because of the need to resume their mission and because of the deadline indicated by their source of information. None of his crew had been happy to hear about that deadline when he shared it during the five-hour shuttle journey. He had told them the information had come from a source within the Quarian admiralty, but hadn't shared his concerns about the motives of their source, or the fact that they knew so little. He had simply stated that the deadline existed and he believed it to be genuine. It was a measure of the trust that they put in him that, as much as they didn't like it, no one had balked at his revelation, such as it was. Aside from that bit of information, there really was very little else he could share, as had become painfully obvious during their long shuttle ride. Garrus had likely asked the question more out of frustration than an expectation that new information had unexpectedly arrived.

"Now that we're here we can see for ourselves what to do next. We'll take it one step at a time, Garrus. If we don't detect anything on the passive scanners then we'll move into the system. Prizrak could be on the Normandy or another ship. Jacob said the Batarians had an outpost here at one point, but had abandoned it years ago. Something like that could easily serve as a base of operations, so if we don't detect anything near the relay, we'll see if we can locate that outpost. I find it difficult to believe that Prizrak wouldn't be on the lookout for ships possibly arriving in system, but we can't wait long for him to make a move."

As if in response to his statement, Joker spoke up from the pilot's seat. "I'm getting nothing on the passive scans. Not even anything Batarian. I would have expected at least a monitoring satellite since they claim this system. Getting nothing is weirding me out, Commander."

Jacob frowned as he turned to Shepard. "Joker's right. The Batarians are paranoid and they like to make sure everyone knows they watch everything. Even if they don't have any real interest in the system I would have expected something, just to let everyone know they are flying the flag."

Shepard's frown matched Jacob's. He wasn't unhappy about the lack of Batarian monitoring, it likely meant they really weren't interested in the system and were that much less likely to investigate. But no presence at all? It wasn't like the Batarians. It meant something, though Shepard wasn't sure what. They had discussed various possible plans during the shuttle journey, but it had all been speculation. He understood Garrus' desire for something more concrete. It would have been nice to arrive in system to find an obvious target, a clear obstacle to overcome. Instead, they were looking at a whole lot of nothing, meaning they had twelve hours to locate their target. That could be a tall order, even in a system as barren as Sackgasse.

Shepard took a deep breath as he considered his sparse options, focusing as he finished his slow exhale. "Very well. We knew this was a possibility. The best information we have tells us this is the right place. Now we have to find the Normandy and determine how best to retake her. We can do this. We will do this. Tali, with your knowledge from the flotilla maneuvering in a variety of systems, searching for resources, and dealing with possible pirate threats I'd like you to coordinate with Jacob and Joker about how best to locate…"

Shepard halted mid-sentence as a blue streak shot across the view screen. An alert from the scanners sounded as the smear of light quickly faded. Joker, who had turned to follow what Shepard was saying, spun back to the shuttle's controls. "Whoa, Commander. I think we just had an arrival. I'll try to get better information from the passive scans."

Joker's hands flew across the haptic interface almost as quickly as Shepard's mind had begun to analyze the new situation. Shepard had few hard and fast rules he followed on the battlefield, but there was one rule he always held to. When something unexpected occurred, find a way to make use of it or at least be sure your enemy can't make use of it. There was no mistaking the meaning of what he had just seen. A ship had definitely arrived in the system, only minutes after their own arrival. The question was who and why. Shepard was already forming his own hypotheses, but he wanted to get other impressions to aid his analysis. "Thoughts anyone? What do people think we are looking at?"

Shepard scanned the thoughtful looks of his crew. Miranda, who had clearly started thinking through the possible meanings of this arrival as quickly as Shepard offered her analysis. "I think we need more information to be sure, but it seems to me this is either someone here to meet with Prizrak or someone following us. The odds that another ship simply happened to come to this dead end system precisely when we did are infinitesimal."

"Agreed." Garrus stared hard out the shuttle's observation window toward where the brief smear of light had occurred. He seemed determined not to wait for more data from the scanners, but to will more information into existence through the power of his glare. "But I would lean toward someone following us. It's still hours until the deadline and they came through too close behind us for it to be mere coincidence."

Shepard turned back to Joker who continued to coax information from the passive scanner data being acquired. "Was there any indication we were being followed, Joker? Did the same ship transit behind us through multiple relays?"

"Umm…" Joker stumbled over his words. A tangle of emotions seemed to be playing itself out as seconds passed before he responded. "I'm…I'm sorry, Commander. I didn't even think to check for anything like that. It never occurred to me that someone could even do that given how we left the Citadel. I'm…sorry, Sir. Normally…normally EDI would monitor that, would notice that sort of thing." Even as he struggled with his words, Joker continued to key commands into the console, doing his job.

Shepard winced inwardly. If someone had followed them, he suspected he knew how that might have occurred. "Don't blame yourself, Joker. We are all operating in very challenging circumstances. It has been my mistakes that got us here, not yours or anyone else's." Shepard couldn't help but glance toward Tali as he said the words, hoping she would react, hoping she would hear she wasn't to blame for any of this. Another part of him hoped she might disagree with his self-flagellation, might want to help him to feel better as she so often had before. She continued to stare out the shuttle's side observation window across from Garrus, unresponsive to his comment. Shepard pushed away another pang of hurt. Perhaps she agreed with his assessment. Perhaps that was why she had pulled away. Losing a ship must be an especially ignominious act among the Quarians. Shepard shook his head and refocused. "Have they spotted us yet, Joker?"

"I deactivated the IFF as we entered the mass relay to get to Sackgasse. No need to announce ourselves the moment we arrived. We're laying low and using passive scans only, so they would have to go to active scanning to find us at this point." Joker leaned into his display, his eyes flitting rapidly across the new information that was appearing. "Got it, Commander. The ship appears to be an Adirondack class system patrol boat. Shit, that class has been out of service for a decade."

"Only officially." Jacob had been scanning through the same data from the copilots seat. "That class of ship was used for system security from back before the first contact war. They're smaller than a frigate, not a true capital ship. They were used for monitoring systems, police duties, and rescue missions. They've pretty much all been decommissioned and ended up on the secondhand market or in junkyards. It couldn't begin to stand up to the Normandy, but it would be more than a match for a nice, juicy freighter. Or for this shuttle. During my Corsair days we saw them used by pirates and sometimes in local skirmishes."

Miranda rose from her seat, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. Shepard noticed she gave a brief, sidelong look at Tali as she rose. "An older, likely second-hand ship that arrives directly after we do at the place we were sent by a questionable, but definitely Quarian, source? We should consider that this could be a Quarian vessel. Possibly an ally of Prizrak. This could be a trap. Steal the Normandy, then capture us when we follow." Everyone glanced toward Tali with that remark. Shepard looked to her as well. The normally talkative Quarian had been nearly silent the entire journey. Shepard had never seen Tali hesitate to defend her people. He was sure she would speak up at this implied accusation.

Tali didn't move. Didn't so much as glance at her assembled crewmates and friends. She sat silent, arms crossed, and continued to stare out the window. It suddenly occurred to Shepard that it was the window opposite where the blue streak had appeared. She wasn't looking for signs of their new arrival. She was looking at nothing, as if she had disconnected herself from everything that was happening. Shepard felt an almost overwhelming urge to take up the gauntlet Miranda had thrown down, to defend Tali and the Quarians, but knew he had to strike the right balance. He had to be there for all of them, their leader, not just for Tali.

"I appreciate everyone offering their perspective on who might have just arrived. We'll consider all possibilities, but until we have more information I'd rather not point fingers." Shepard paused as he turned to Joker and Jacob in the cockpit. "Do we have any more information about the new arrival?"

Joker keyed in more commands as he answered. "Nothing more yet, Commander. They seem to be parked for the moment. Maybe looking for something. Maybe waiting for something." A new alert tone sounded from the console and Joker squinted at the displays, his fingers increasing their pace across the haptic command pad. "Uh oh. They've gone active with their scanners. Their spraying radar and lidar all over the place. They're definitely looking for something."

Yeah, us, Shepard thought to himself. If they were here to meet Prizrak they would be using communications, not scanners. "How long until they spot us, Joker?"

Joker paused a moment, one finger in the air. A moment later he lowered his hand to point at the console, which obediently sounded a new alert tone. "There it is. We've been pinged by their scanners. I'm detecting an increase in scanner intensity, likely targeting us. Do you want me to take us back through the relay, Commander?"

Shepard rubbed at the stubble on his chin. If the new arrival intended to simply attack them, they wouldn't be able to win in a stand up fight. But if they ran, the Batarians would likely notice them coming and going from the system in such a short time frame. That might be suspicious enough to draw actual investigation. If that happened, their efforts to find and retrieve the Normandy were over. "Hold position, Joker, but stay on those scanners. If you detect energy spikes indicating they are going to fire then evade and withdraw. We're not leaving unless we don't have any other choice. They followed us here, let's introduce ourselves. It's not like there's any point trying to be stealthy now. Maybe they're in the mood to talk."

Joker shrugged in a way that suggested he was glad it wasn't his decision. Shepard had seen that shrug many times. "Channel open, Commander."

"Greetings to the newly arrived vessel, and welcome to the Sackgasse system. This is Captain John Smith transmitting from the independent shuttle you see on your scanners. I can't help but notice you targeting my vessel. Stand down and perhaps we can discuss what we are both doing in this out of the way system."

Joker muted their end of the transmission and turned to Shepard with a wry smile. "John Smith? Very creative, Commander. That's barely better than Bob Fakename. Congratulations on the promotion, though."

"I think they already know who we are, Joker. An obvious pseudonym gives me the chance to see how they react."

Several seconds passed in tense silence. Joker keyed commands into his console and turned to Shepard. "They're moving. Looks like they are putting themselves at optimum firing range. I don't see any indication they are about to fire, but I'd hate to bet my life on it. I hate that I am betting my life on it."

"Intimidation." I hope. "They know they outgun us and want us to feel as small as we are. Hold position, but be ready to bolt if we have to, Joker."

The console sounded a response tone and a male voice came over the communications. It sounded to Shepard like a human. The voice lacked the gravelly quality of a Turian, Batarian, or Krogan. It lacked the higher pitch and rapid-fire cadence of a Salarian or the artificially modulated accent of a Quarian. If it was a human that further reinforced the likelihood this was a pirate. Shepard inwardly breathed a sigh of relief that this didn't seem to be some Quarian ally of Prizrak. The last thing they needed right now was more internal suspicions or strife. The last thing he wanted was more stress on Tali. He pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the transmission.

"This is Captain Bartholomew Roberts of the independent merchant vessel Cardinal Sin. I am simply taking the normal precautions of a simple trader who has unexpectedly stumbled across a suspicious vessel. Given the circumstances, I believe it is you who should identify what you are doing here."

Given that you have more and bigger guns, you mean. Okay then, a piece of the truth. "Fair enough, Captain Roberts. Simple traders such as ourselves have to take the opportunities for profit where we can find them. I received word from certain reliable sources of such an opportunity in the Sackgasse system, but that the opportunity would be short-lived. I gathered a few of my best people and came to investigate if this supposed opportunity were genuine." Several more seconds passed. No one aboard the shuttle made a sound as they waited for a response. Shepard began to automatically formulate possible plans depending on the response he received.

"We have taken similar paths to our current circumstances, Captain Smith, though I appear to have a bit more knowledge of the situation than you. My information indicates there is indeed an opportunity here. The opportunity to obtain an advanced warship. Just the sort of thing independent traders such as ourselves could make very good use of. However, just because there is an opportunity doesn't mean it will be easy. You said you brought some of your best people to assist you. Perhaps it would make more sense for us to assist each other. I believe we should consider working together, Captain Smith. Combining our knowledge and assets will give us a greater chance of success and profit for both of us."

Shepard let several seconds pass before responding, as if he were considering the offer. "I don't know, Captain Roberts. How do I know I can trust you to keep your end of whatever bargain we make? I'm a fan of profit, not so much being used to make profit for others."

There was no delay before Roberts responded. Shepard could hear the greedy eagerness in his voice. "With profit this great there is plenty to go around. If you aren't sure of my intentions, come aboard my ship and we'll talk face-to-face. That should prove we can trust each other as well as make it easier to identify our joint resources and devise a plan for seizing our prize."

Shepard shook his head. He glanced to Joker and Jacob. Joker rolled his eyes while Jacob shook his head much as Shepard had. Shepard again let several seconds pass as if he were considering the offer. "Hmmm. I can see your point, Captain Roberts. I prefer the chance of profit to the guarantee of none. With your permission, I will direct my pilot to land on your vessel, if you have room for this shuttle in your hangar."

"Your dinghy will not take up much space, Captain Smith. You have my permission to enter the landing bay. I will be there with a welcoming committee. We can compare resources and make plans right away given that, as you noted, the opportunity before us is short-lived. We'll work out the division of any spoils later. How many guests should I prepare for?"

"I brought a half dozen of my crew. We will complete our own scans first, with your permission, Captain. We wouldn't want to run into any unexpected navigational hazards while approaching your ship. We should be landing in no more than a few minutes. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a mutually profitable venture. Captain Smith out."

Joker nodded to indicate the channel had been closed, then turned to Shepard and Jacob. "Wow, this guy is trying way too hard. Did you catch the fake name he used?"

Jacob nodded and leaned to the open cockpit door so the crew in the passenger compartment could easily hear him. Many were not human and likely would not know human history, even if they were experienced with modern day pirates. "Captain Bartholomew Roberts was also known as "Black Bart". He was one of the most successful pirates in human history. This guy fancies himself a big fish. Or at least wants to be."

Joker shrugged as he turned back to the controls. "Yeah, or maybe he just fancies himself a 'Dread Pirate'."

Jacob halted briefly, looking at Joker in a confused manner. Joker simply smiled in a silent declaration that no, he would not explain. Jacob turned back to the assembled group and continued. "Anyway, he's somehow hooked a whale and is trying to figure out how to reel it in. He couldn't hide his eagerness. Letting us aboard his ship? If he were telling the truth he could have worked out details over the comms without taking the risk of letting us aboard. This is definitely a trap."

Shepard suspected as much, and the nods he saw among his crew indicated they thought so as well. Shepard was considering his options, honing in on a plan, but he wanted all the input he could get. "Finish your scans of the Cardinal Sin, Joker. Then take us toward the landing bay, but not too quickly."

"I know, I know, Commander. Fly casual."

Shepard turned to his assembled crew. "You heard my conversation with Captain Roberts and Jacob's assessment of the situation. I also believe this is a trap, but I want to get your opinions. Thoughts?"

Garrus spoke up first. Given his years with C-Sec and time on Omega, his experience with piracy was as extensive as Jacob's. "With your reputation, Shepard, if he does know it's you on board, why would he let you onto his ship? You're not much of a threat out here, but let us aboard and who knows what you might do?"

Zaeed jumped in, building on what Garrus had said. "He may just be trying to get everything he can out of the situation. A state-of-the-art armed shuttle may not be able to take on a patrol boat like that one, but it would be incredibly useful to a pirate for attacking colonies or boarding other ships. There are also plenty of people out here who would pay for your head, Shepard. I'd think carefully before I got into a dick-swinging contest with this asshole."

Shepard thought about that. Plenty of people, and other things, did want his head. His too recent brush with nearly being traded to the Collectors made that clear. As he thought about this, Samara added her own impressions. "I have never encountered a pirate that was honorable, Shepard. I would not trust him to keep his word. The Code requires but one response for such individuals, and I have always followed the Code. This pirate seeks to lure you into a trap. I will follow you in whatever response you choose?"

"You could always work with this idiot until he's not useful anymore. He probably has information or equipment we could use. I wouldn't mind more legroom. Who knows, you might even decide you like the pirate life." Those words triggered indignant responses from several of the crew, with Miranda in particular scowling and turning away in disgust. "What? You're the one who asked for opinions, Shepard."

Shepard gave a half-smile. He wasn't surprised to hear Jack make such a suggestion, as much to irritate Miranda as to indicate a course of action. Shepard's smile broadened as he finished his mental calculations, shifting from amusement to anticipation. He turned back to Joker. "What's our status, Joker?"

"We've finished our scans and are approaching casually. You're almost out of time if you're planning anything."

Planning anything? Yes, he was. "Jacob, come back to the passenger compartment. Everyone armor up and be ready. Joker, seal up the cockpit until we're ready. We are going to follow the good Captain's directions and show that we are not a threat, until we decide we are. I don't want to trigger a firefight until we choose to. There may yet be some information I can get from the friendly Captain Roberts. This is absolutely a trap. What am I going to do about it, Samara? What I usually do with traps. Walk into it. On my terms. Here's how we're going to do that."

Shepard removed his helmet and banged his fist on the sealed door to the cockpit. A moment later the door slid open. Shepard stepped into the doorway and looked through the shuttle's view screen at the growing bulk of the Cardinal Sin. They passed beneath the bow of the ship as they approached the open entrance to the landing bay. Most alliance warships were of sleeker design, but the patrol boat was much broader. Where the landing bay of the Normandy blended with the ship's overall lines, the belly of the patrol boat bulged with the extra space given to auxiliary craft that could serve the ship's extra duties as rescue and transport vehicle. The extra bulk made the ship look ungainly, but as Shepard watched a point defense laser turn to track their approach he reminded himself that however ugly and obsolete the ship was, Captain Roberts could likely destroy them if he chose to. "Take her straight in, Joker. Nice and easy. We're just guests coming aboard to talk."

Joker snorted in a manner that clearly expressed his opinion of that statement as he eased the ship into the landing bay. They passed through the barrier that maintained the atmosphere in the bay while the bay door was open. Shepard scanned the area through the view screen as the bay doors closed behind them, sealing them in and committing them to their course of action.

Shepard scanned the roomy landing bay. It could have, in a pinch, held as many as a half dozen shuttle sized craft. Shepard noticed there were no such craft aboard. There were two good-sized spherical vessels pushed to one side of the bay that appeared to be boarding pods, but no shuttles or other vehicles. There was also a row of cargo crates arrayed near the back of the landing bay in front of what appeared to be an elevator. Shepard's eyes narrowed as he examined their arrangement. Good cover for a whole squad looking to ambush them. A group of three individuals, armed and armored humans, stood ahead of the crates near where they were about to land.

"I'm seeing damage from small arms fire on the bulkhead and deck on this side of the bay, Shepard. Looks to be recent." Zaeed was peering from the side window, scanning the area where they were about to set down. Shepard shifted his attention from the group waiting to greet them. His eyes narrowed as he spotted the damage Zaeed was indicating. There were indeed marks and minor damage from small arms fire, bits of debris suggesting the damage was quite recent. Shepard scanned the area where the apparent firefight had been most intense. He noticed a system of docking clamps near the ceiling. These would have been used to secure certain types of vehicles, such as a shuttle. One of them was hanging loose, twisted and broken. New theories about what they were walking into began to form in Shepard's mind.

"When we step off the shuttle, I'll step forward and see what I can learn from Captain Roberts. No obvious weapons. Everyone cooperate, but be ready for the signal." A shudder ran through the shuttle as Joker set the ship down gently in the landing bay. Shepard took a deep breath as he looked once more through the main viewscreen of the shuttle at the group waiting for them. He heard a familiar voice, low and guttural, at the back of his mind. A voice that had been quiet for some time, he realized. Since he had recognized his feelings for Tali. It began to whisper to him now. No, not a whisper, a low growl. An angry hum vibrating in his skull as he looked at the group of pirates. The group of killers. The same types that hit Mindoir, Elysium, and gods knew who else. Kill them. Kill them all. Kill the killers. Shepard took another deep breath as his stare hardened, as part of him considered simply giving in to the voice. He shook his head and the angry echo subsided, but did not disappear. He wasn't that anymore. Refused to be that. He couldn't fix whatever was going on if he became that again. He clenched his teeth, then consciously relaxed his mind and muscles as he exhaled. He turned and strode to the large side hatch of the shuttle, punching the button to open the hatch with the side of his fist. "Follow my lead."

His crew stood ready. They were quiet, perhaps respectful, perhaps apprehensive in the face of whatever he now radiated, but they followed as he stepped from the shuttle and into the open landing bay. Joker emerged from the cockpit to hobble along with them, remaining at the back of the group for cover.

Shepard stepped forward several steps as his crew remained just outside the open shuttle door. He smiled, a mask to hide his true feelings as he greeted the individual that now approached him, his two subordinates staying slightly behind him. The individual stopped perhaps fifteen feet from Shepard. He was indeed human, helmetless and smiling. He seemed young to be in charge of a pirate vessel and crew, his wavy black hair showing not a hint of gray.

"Captain Roberts, I presume. Permission to come aboard, Captain." Shepard hoped his forced smile was genuine enough.

"Captain Smith. I see you weren't kidding about the people you brought. Humans, Asari, Salarian, and…is that a Drell? You certainly have collected a diverse crew."

"Speaking of crew, I only see the three of you at the moment. Are you going to introduce me to the rest of your crew?"

"Oh, most certainly. In fact, I think I will introduce you…RIGHT NOW!" At what was clearly a prearranged signal, additional crew stood up from the cover Shepard had noticed arranged in the landing bay. A mixed group of five Turians and Humans rose into firing positions from behind the row of crates near the elevator, aiming their rifles at Shepard and his crew. Another human stood up and threw aside a tarp that had been covering the crate in which he had been crouching. The tarp had also been covering a mounted machine gun, which the human quickly trained on Shepard. As a final touch a pirate holding a missile launcher stepped out on either flank to point their weapons at the group.

Shepard eyed the sudden show of force. There were fewer pirates present than he would have predicted, especially if Roberts knew who he was. He had half expected the pirates to simply attack, but Captain Roberts seemed to want something more than just a free shuttle. Shepard turned the pieces in his mind and more locked into place, a picture emerging. Roberts stood there, a smug look on his face. He hadn't drawn his own weapon and, unlike the pirates that had newly revealed themselves, didn't seem to have even activated his shields. He believed he had caught Shepard flat-footed. That meant Shepard was about to find out what it was the good captain wanted.

"Didn't see that coming, did you Commander Shepard?" He emphasized Shepard's name, drawing attention to the fact that he knew who Shepard was. That he had outfoxed the great Commander Shepard. But why? For his own ego? Shepard believed there was something more to it. Roberts waved his two compatriots forward. They advanced past Shepard to the shuttle. One had drawn an assault rifle from his back and now held it on his crew while the other checked the interior of the shuttle, pistol in hand. It didn't take long for him to check cockpit and crew compartment.

"All clear in the shuttle, sir. There's no one else aboard."

Shepard allowed a tiny quaver into his voice as he responded to Captain Roberts' revelation. He slumped his shoulders the slightest bit. "How…how did you know? No one should have been able to follow us this quickly." Roberts seemed to want to talk rather than simply fight. Shepard wanted to give him the opportunity to spill something useful, or at least interesting.

Roberts raised his chin and his hands went to his hips in a posture, no, a pose of dominance. "I had the foresight to put the right people in the right places. When you went crying to C-Sec from a public data terminal that your precious ship had been stolen, I had people who knew I would pay well for that information and pay even more to keep that information from others, at least long enough for me to take advantage. I knew you would do anything to find your ship. I simply had to make sure I followed to where you lead."

More pieces fell into place. Roberts was playing the peacock, preening for his crew. The picture was nearly clear, but something was still missing. "But why lure us aboard. Sackgasse is a dead end. This must be where my ship is located. Why bring me onto your ship?"

"Because finding your ship is not the same thing as claiming it. I want whatever command codes are needed to fully access the ship's systems. I want to know about any tricks or booby traps in the ship. And maybe, when I'm standing over your beaten body with my boot on your neck, some of your people might realize they backed the wrong horse and join up with my crew. It would be quite a bit more pleasant than being spaced."

So he needed people. Another piece of the puzzle fell into place. "How do you plan to deal with Prizrak? If you had to follow us then you clearly weren't the one who hired him to steal my ship."

Roberts laughed. "So that's who stole your ship. I've heard the name before, but I couldn't care less about a scary reputation. You're proof enough that reputations can be overblown. If he's hiding in this system we'll contact him. He'll make a deal or we'll take the ship. One or the other. He won't see what's coming any more than you did. I'll take your ship and do as I please with it. No one will be able to stop me."

For someone who claimed not to be impressed by reputation, Roberts seemed pretty eager to create one for himself. Shepard glanced back at the signs of conflict in the landing bay and another big piece fell into place. There was only one reason he could think of why Roberts would be so eager, even desperate, to make such a display of dominance. Shepard moved to test his theory.

"So. You already realized who I am, but I'm guessing Roberts isn't your real name. Who are you exactly?"

Roberts' chin raised in a way that reminded Shepard of Miranda at her most superior. "You don't need to know my name, Shepard. It wouldn't do you any good anyway. But soon enough the whole galaxy will know it. I'll carve it across the Terminus systems."

Bingo, Shepard thought to himself. Just a few more pieces of information to confirm before bringing this charade to an end. "So it is finally your time to shine. Now that you're out from under the thumb of the ship's former captain."

Shepard had made it a statement, not a question. Roberts' chin dropped as he stared hard at Shepard, frowning. "I deserve to be captain. Schettino was a fucking coward. He handed his balls to the Batarians for their support. The chance of a lifetime to take a powerful warship and he wanted to just hand the information over to his masters for a few credits and a pat on the head. I saw my chance to seize real glory and riches. Fortunately, my crew saw that chance as well."

Get someone talking and they often have a hard time shutting up, especially when they are bragging. "So you mutinied." Shepard glanced at the twisted metal of the docking clamp above them. "He couldn't stop you, so he and whoever was still loyal to him made a run for it. Fought their way to a shuttle and made it off the ship. Did they get away?" That question seemed especially important. Roberts had said his former captain had made deals with the Batarians. If he had escaped he would likely have alerted the Batarians to what was occurring and they'd soon have Batarian patrols to contend with.

"Of course he didn't make it. Which meant we needed a new shuttle, so thank you for delivering that to us. And for delivering yourself. You can't imagine how many people will be impressed that I captured you. Or how they'll react when I hand your head over to them."

Shepard began chuckling. He felt like he had a pretty good picture of the strutting, impulsive young man in front of him. In his desire to elevate himself he had done Shepard a huge favor. The former captain would have had the Batarians down on them. Roberts had prevented that. He had come for the Normandy and for Shepard with dreams of becoming the most famous and powerful pirate in the Terminus systems. Shepard owed him all right, but he wouldn't be able to repay the debt. There did not seem to be any further information to be gained from Roberts, so it was time to bring their byplay to an end. "Oh, I can picture how they might react. How impressed they'll be by your amazing feat." Shepard continued to chuckle.

Roberts seemed irritated by Shepard's shift in attitude. By his sudden amused demeanor. Shepard knew Roberts wanted him to be weak. To grovel before him. He wanted his crew to see he had beaten and humiliated the great Commander Shepard. He needed that to cement his hold and to make sure they followed him into whatever came next and feared him enough to make sure the next Roberts wasn't tempted to replace him.

"You know, you really do seem to have some talent for this." Shepard watched Roberts, despite his irritation, puff up at these words of praise. "Your deployment of your men appears quite skillful. The row of men placed behind the crates for cover. Very good. It must have taken a great deal of effort to push those into place. Two people at least. And the heavy machine gun is a good touch. You emptied out that crate to make room for your crewman and the weapon. Good light cover and very dangerous for my exposed crew. That missile launcher to my right is well placed to strike, but the other on the far side of the ship is less of a threat. Really only to me or the shuttle. And you already said you wanted the shuttle. Of course, as the leader, you would be the greatest threat. The first target to take out."

With that implied threat, Roberts appeared to tire of Shepard's analysis. He crossed his arms with an exaggerated sigh. "I've been patient with you, Shepard. It must be difficult for a legend such as yourself to accept that you've been bested. Everyone on your knees with your hands on your head while my men search you. The rest of you won't be immediately harmed. Hell, you could have the opportunity of a lifetime to join my crew. Unless you'd prefer we simply put all of you down now. I'd rather not waste such talented individuals, unless you force me to."

One of Roberts' men stepped forward to begin taking the crew into custody, but paused near Thane when they did not drop to their knees as ordered. The other held his assault rifle covering the crew. He shifted his stance, glancing toward Roberts for directions. Shepard glanced to the pirates surrounding them, seeing them all fidgeting in anticipation of the sport they believed awaited. A deep growl at the back of his mind insisted…now. Now. NOW!

"You know, Captain Roberts. I only recently learned that for several months my image was used for recruitment and inspiration by the alliance. With your looks and presence I imagine you could fill a similar role for pirate bands in the Terminus. If only you didn't have that blemish on your forehead."

Roberts looked confused. He reflexively reached to his forehead as if to find and wipe away the indicated blemish. A fraction of a second later there was a single loud report. The shot blasted the top of Roberts' head apart in a spray of blood and gore. His face remained intact, frozen in a look of confusion as his body crumpled to the deck.

Atop the shuttle, Garrus materialized where he lay prone, his borrowed cloak collapsing from the disruption created by the discharge of his sniper rifle. Simultaneously, the crews' shields activated, triggered remotely by Tali as she and Zaeed stepped from behind the shuttle where, much like Garrus, they had ridden into the landing bay clinging to the ship's exterior. Where Garrus had been hidden by a cloak, they had been concealed by the bulk of the shuttle and the pirates' assumption that any threats would come from the inside of the shuttle.

Shepard had called out the targets during his feigned praise of the now deceased Captain Roberts. Garrus' shot had been the signal and Shepard's crew immediately moved to act on his directions and neutralize the surrounding pirates before they could recover from the momentary shock of their leader's unexpected demise. Thane, who had been standing motionless since they had exited the shuttle, his hands clasped and head bowed, was a sudden blur of motion. He lunged past the pirate who had moved forward to take them into custody and with his left hand seized the assault rifle of the second pirate standing behind him. He pulled the rifle forward, dragging the pirate off balance, placing the barrel of the assault rifle against the back of the helmet of the pirate he had stepped past. He reached with his right hand and pressed the trigger of the rifle, sending a stream of shots into and through the helmet of the first pirate. As the first pirate began to topple to the floor, Thane sprang into the air, leaping over the second pirate, seizing the corner of the pirate's helmet as he dove over his shoulder, twisting as he dove, using his momentum to neatly snap the man's neck.

Shepard's other crewmembers were not standing idly as Thane acted. Samara and Jack flared with dark energy as they utilized their powerful biotic abilities. They extended their hands, directing the energy not at the pirates, but at the row of crates behind which many of them took cover. The crates were indeed heavy, full of some unknown cargo taken by the marauders, but no match for the combined power of the two women. The burst of dark energy slammed into the row of crates, pushing them back with tremendous force, catching the group of pirates sheltering there between the crates and the bulkhead. The pirates' shields, never designed to deflect such an attack, provided no protection as the men were brutally crushed.

Miranda, meantime, directed her focus to the pirate aiming the mounted machine gun. Shepard had pointed out that the crate he stood in appeared empty but for him and his weapon. Miranda raised her hand, glowing with blue energy. She closed her fist and the surge of dark energy gripped not the pirate, but the crate in which he stood. His active shields would have protected him from a biotic attack, but the crate had no such protection. It suddenly launched upward, slamming the pirate head first into the ceiling of the landing bay, then brought him crashing back to the deck with bone shattering force. He lay draped over the edge of the crate next to his now damaged weapon, unmoving.

Zaeed focused on the pirate to their right flank armed with a missile launcher. He fired his assault rifle, ripping through the pirate's shields and scoring hits on his armor. Jacob took advantage of this to grab the pirate in a biotic field and pull him into the air and fully into the open. Zaeed continued firing as Mordin keyed his omni-tool, triggering a burst of concentrated heat that ignited the clothing under the pirate's armor. The pirate shrieked as he was blasted by the array of attacks. A moment later he hung limp and silent in Jacob's biotic field. Jacob opened his hand and the blue energy that had pulled the pirate into the air vanished. The pirate's body fell to the deck, small flames still visible through the gaps in his armor.

Shepard felt and heard the carnage unfolding as he turned toward his own target. The crashes and screams that told of broken equipment and broken bodies echoed in the landing bay. For Shepard, the roar in his own head drowned out the mayhem. He sprinted at the pirate, screaming to match that roar. Telling the pirate that death was coming for him. Using the rage that demanded to be released, but determined not to be controlled by it.

With his captain down and what appeared to be a screaming madman charging him, the pirate panicked. His missile launcher wasn't ideal for attacking single individuals, but it was what he was holding. He fired the weapon at the charging Shepard.

Shepard had dealt with such attacks before. The missile would try to track him, but its tracking on a target as small and mobile as a person was poor. Had he not been screaming he would have laughed as he saw the pirate's hand tense on the missile launcher's trigger. Shepard stepped to his left as the weapon fired, then jumped immediately to his right. The missile couldn't adjust to these shifts in the short distance it had to correct its flight. It rocketed past his left shoulder and detonated in some far corner of the landing bay.

The pirate did not have time to fire a second shot before Shepard was on him. Shepard grabbed the launcher, twisting it up and around, pushing it crosswise into the pirate's throat. With his augmented strength, Shepard easily crushed the pirate's windpipe. The pirate sagged to floor, grasping uselessly at his throat.

Shepard turned, tossing the missile launcher away. He ran in the general direction of the elevator, knowing that there was a good chance that at least one pirate had been left on the bridge of the ship. As he ran, Shepard activated the secure communication channel that connected to his squad. "Tali, I'm headed to the bridge. Lock down the bay doors and life support. Everyone else, secure the landing bay."

Shepard reached the row of crates that had been pushed back by Samara and Jack's biotic attack. None of the pirates appeared to be moving. The crates were blocking easy access to the elevator, but Shepard was not trying to reach the elevator. He slid across the top of the crates and into the emergency access shaft next to the elevator that led between decks. He didn't want to give anyone on the bridge a chance to trap him in the elevator, so he began climbing the ladder to reach the upper deck where the bridge was located. He climbed quickly, not wanting to give any enemy above the chance to think or prepare. He heard someone begin climbing behind him, but didn't waste the time to try to turn and check who it was in the tight quarters of the emergency access tube.

Shepard emerged from the access tube on the upper deck. A narrow, empty hallway led to the closed door of the ship's bridge. Shepard wasted no time sprinting the short distance to the door. He hoped to catch whoever might still be on the bridge before they thought to seal the door or try something else to counter his seizure of the ship. He realized he had not grabbed a weapon before charging to the upper deck. He had not taken one into his confrontation with Captain Roberts, hoping it would cause the former captain to lower his guard. Fuck it, he thought to himself. The shields of the armor Miranda had acquired for him were adequate and fully charged. The bridge would be small. Anyone on the bridge would be unable to stop him if he moved quickly enough.

Assuming he could get onto the bridge. He slapped the panel that should have triggered the door to open, but nothing happened. Not fast enough. Shepard turned at the sound of approaching footsteps and found that it was Tali who had followed him up the access shaft. Despite his focus on getting onto the bridge quickly, he found himself feeling that it was a positive sign that she had hurried to support him. He mentally slapped himself. Don't read into it. Deal with this first. Tali skidded to a stop at the panel he was trying to activate. She immediately activated her omni-tool and began wrangling with the door's systems to force it open.

"Are things secure in the landing bay? I ordered you to make sure the systems there were under our control. I don't want whoever might still be on the bridge to do anything…problematic." Like venting everyone in the bay into space.

"I locked everything down in the time it took me to cross the bay, Shepard. Right now no one can do anything with that area of the ship. I'll put it under our full control once we've dealt with any remaining pirates." Tali flicked her fingers through her omni-tool's haptic interface a final time. "I've got the door. Are you ready?" Tali glanced at Shepard's empty hands and reached to the small of her back. She drew out her shotgun and offered it to him.

Shepard looked at the weapon and shook his head. In the small space of the bridge the weapon would be effective, but could also potentially damage equipment they might need. He readied himself to charge and looked back to Tali, nodding for her to trigger the door. She replaced her shotgun at the small of her back and stepped to the side of the door where she would not be visible to any enemy on the bridge. She reached to her omni-tool and swiped her finger through the interface.

The door hissed open and Shepard took a single step onto the bridge before being brought up short. The bridge area was not large. The perimeter of the area was taken up with crew stations for critical functions. Shepard immediately recognized stations for command, navigation, engineering, and sensor monitoring. There was a single individual present. It wasn't the Predator model pistol the man was pointing at Shepard that caused him to pause. It was the man's hand hovering over a haptic interface. The interface belonging to the communications station.

"Hold it right there, Shepard. I see any weapons or anyone tries to come near me and I'll trigger this transmission. I do that and a signal will go out to the Batarians and they'll be down on this system before you finish scratching your balls."

Shepard kept his hands away from his body where the pirate could see them. The pirate wanted to be intimidating, but was bad at it. The problem was that it didn't matter if he was bad at it if he could do what he claimed. "If you do that then they won't get here in time to save you, even if they wanted to. Why would the Batarians believe a random message from a third-rate pirate?"

"Because we've sold them information and cooperated with them in the past. They won't care about me, but they'll recognize the ship id and come to investigate. Then you can kiss finding your ship goodbye. Attack me and I'll make sure you fail before I fall."

Shepard weighed his options. Twenty feet at most to reach the pirate. Two seconds at most to kill him. The voice at the back of his head was whispering rather than roaring now. Whispering a primal need to kill this man. To add one more weight to the counterbalance of what happened on Mindoir. Shepard took a deep breath and let that urge subside. Standing before this pirate, he was surprised how in control he felt. The anger was there, but wasn't threatening to consume him. He heard Tali shift behind him. Knew she would act. He just needed to keep the pirate talking.

Shepard adopted a more relaxed posture, but was ready to move when his moment arrived. He tried to send the message through his apparent calm that they were just talking now. That there was a bargain to be made. "Okay, I'm listening. Neither of us wants to bring the Batarians into this. What do you want?"

The pirate smiled, but he kept his hand hovering over the button that would end their efforts to retrieve the Normandy. "It's simple, Shepard. You and your people have five minutes to get on your shuttle and leave. I will then take this ship back through the relay and we'll never see each other again. I become captain of this ship and you are free to pursue your own ship. Win-win. The alternative is lose-lose. Your choice, but you have to decide right now."

Shepard tried to look thoughtful, buying moments as he supposedly considered this offer. If he let this man go he'd be sacrificing the resources this ship represented. And he knew the man would sell them out to the Batarians the moment he was through the relay, no matter what he promised. He rubbed his hand across the stubble on his chin, not sure how long the pirate would wait for his answer.

A moment later, it no longer mattered. Displays went dark across multiple consoles as the bridge power was suddenly cut. The haptic interface over which the pirate had been holding his hand winked out of existence. Shepard watched the pirate reflexively turn to the interface, his hand waving through the now empty space.

Shepard was already in motion, lunging forward to cross the short gap to his prey. He watched the pirate turn back to him. Watched his eyes widen in fear. Whatever he saw in Shepard's face convinced him that any hope of negotiation had passed. He had not lowered his pistol and he fired as Shepard reached him. With a flare of blue energy the shot was deflected and Shepard was on him.

Shepard grabbed the pirate's wrist, twisting the hand back and away from him, feeling the bones grind and crack under his iron grip. The pistol fell from the pirate's nerveless grasp as Shepard raised his other fist. The pirate raised his free arm to defend himself from the blow. Shepard smashed his fist through the defense and into the pirate's face. He punched him again and again until he realized the pirate was only still standing because he was holding him up by his wrist. He let go and the pirate collapsed to the deck, motionless.

Shepard took a moment to slow his breathing. He had expected a triumphant howl from the angry thing at the back of his mind. He could feel that part of him, the angry boy staring at the bodies of his loved ones, swearing to do the same to those who took their lives. The berserker who cut a bloody swath through the would-be plunderers of Elysium. The crazed madman he refused to be. No more. He could use that power, but not be consumed by it. He would be only himself. How else could he be worthy? He glanced back at Tali where she now stood in the open door to the bridge, knowing in his heart that the effort was worth it. Now they had to get the Normandy back. Get it all back.

Garrus jogged into view next to Tali. He scanned the bridge, his gaze skimming over the dead pirate and settling on Shepard. "I see you've got things under control here. What next?"

Shepard turned to Garrus, eyeing the computer consoles as he did so. "Is everyone all right in the landing bay, Garrus? Any injuries?"

Garrus made a guttural exhalation that Shepard recognized as the Turian version of a derisive laugh. "That fight was over before you reached the access tube. They had no idea what hit them. I don't think they even fired a shot."

Shepard nodded, silently thanking the universe that he had been able to recruit and in many cases befriend such capable allies. "That's good to hear. Maybe this is a good sign. It 's about time we had a bit of good luck. The arrival of this ship could have been a real problem, but it looks like we've been able to capture it for our own use. It feels good when things go right for a change."

Garrus again made that scoffing noise. "You're joking, right, Shepard? You're the living embodiment of the Selak Axiom."

Shepard cocked his head in confusion. "I'm not familiar with that one, Garrus."

"It's a truth of the universe. Be ready for anything, because anything can and will go wrong."

Ah, Shepard thought, a Turian Murphy's Law. Shepard felt that somewhere Manuel was smirking. That one doesn't count, Manuel. Like Garrus said, that's a truth of the universe. In Shepard's mind, Manuel didn't stop smirking.

Garrus was right. It did feel like bad luck followed him and that often the strangest things would happen or go awry. It tempered his satisfaction at their success with the concern that he had somehow used up his good luck for the foreseeable future. "Well then, Garrus, we'd best follow the first part of your axiom and be ready for anything. This ship will help with that, but only if we make sure we have full control and know its capabilities."

Shepard turned away from Garrus. "Tali, I need you to power up these consoles and access the computers for any useful information. Be careful of any traps. Garrus, stay up here and back her up." Shepard activated his comm and spoke on the secure channel they used during combat operations. "Good work, everyone. It looks like we may have picked up some additional resources, but we need to make sure we secure the ship. I want two groups to check the ship and make sure we didn't miss anyone. Jacob, Zaeed, and Thane take deck two. Samara and Jack, come up to deck one and help make sure it's clear. Mordin and Miranda, double check the landing bay for any stragglers. Kasumi, escort Joker up to the bridge so he can take a look at this ship's capabilities. Once we're sure the ship is secure we need to quickly inventory what is aboard. We'll meet on the bridge in two hours to coordinate and plan our next move."

Shepard turned back to see that Tali had moved to the bridge viewport and was standing, staring out into the space beyond. He moved up next to her and joined her for a moment in quietly admiring the view. "Good work shutting down the bridge power, Tali. If he'd gotten that message out this would all be over. Thank you."

Tali shifted slightly, but didn't turn to look at Shepard. She rocked side to side, some kind of emotion or energy trying to find a way out, but being stymied. It wasn't until she stopped rocking that she spoke. "That pirate threatening to contact the Batarians gave me an idea, Shepard. Every relay has a comm buoy to allow rapid communication via the relay network. Even this system has one. The buoy would log the time and length of communications that occurred from this system. Those logs could help to identify if Prizrak has been operating from a base in this system or has only been here a short time on a ship. I could also install a program to prevent any outgoing transmissions in case Prizrak decided to contact the Batarians himself. But it would be illegal for me to access that buoy." Tali paused and waited for Shepard to draw the obvious conclusion.

Shepard smiled inwardly. It was good to see Tali was problem solving and not just staring out a window. "It's not illegal if you have Spectre authorization, which I am now officially giving you. Excellent ideas, Tali. I don't think I could do this without you." Shepard wanted to reach out and touch her shoulder in appreciation. If he was being honest, what he really wanted to do was take her into a hug and just hold her until everything made sense again. He realized he had half raised his arm to reach for her, but paused suddenly feeling awkward. He let his arm drop and simply nodded his head to her. "Thank you, Tali. You can let me know what you find when we meet in two hours. Shepard pursed his lips in frustration and turned away to monitor his crew's efforts to finish securing the ship. A totally unnecessary task, but better than continuing his awkwardness with Tali.

It ended up taking closer to three hours to fully secure the ship, sift through the computers, and get an accurate impression of what they had gained in seizing the vessel. Shepard felt the clock ticking toward their mysterious deadline, but knew it was better to take the time and be fully prepared when dealing with someone of Prizrak's reputation.

His crew had gathered on the bridge. Mostly. The space was a bit close with all of them and Jack seemed to prefer not feeling crowded after the enforced proximity of their shuttle flight. She stood in the hallway where she could clearly hear, but not feel surrounded. Shepard cleared his throat and drew their attention.

"Again, good job, all of you. Now we need to make this all worth it. Jacob. What's the situation with ships and vehicles?"

Jacob took a step forward and stood at parade rest to deliver his report. "Aside from the shuttle we arrived in we've got full control of this Adirondack patrol boat, which appears to be in good condition overall. Systems, including weapons, barriers, navigation, communication, and sensors all appear operational. There are two boarding pods that also appear operational. They are a spherical Batarian design I've run into before that can carry up to twelve and a pilot. We called them Trubble Bubbles as a joke, but they are sturdy and effective. The problem is they are normally launched in groups from dedicated launchers. I didn't see any systems to effectively launch the pods." Jacob nodded to indicate he had finished and stepped back.

Shepard nodded to Jacob and turned to Mordin. "Mordin, what is the medical situation?"

Mordin didn't bother to step forward in the tight space. "No injuries to Normandy crew occurred in the landing bay firefight. Was able to augment my medical supplies and provide extra medi-gel of both levo and dextro chirality using ship's stores. Also found acceptable food and water stores. Better not to go into the next battle on an empty stomach. Arranged for the bodies to be cleared from the landing bay and bridge. Unsanitary to leave them unattended." Mordin nodded to indicate he had completed his report.

Shepard turned to Zaeed where he was lounging in one of the few chairs present and nodded to him to give his report. "Yeah, not surprisingly the small arms and armor the pirates were using were crap. The stuff Miranda got for us back on the Citadel is better than anything we captured here. We did get our hands on a pretty good stock of several types of grenades as well as plenty of thermal clips. That's pretty much it." Zaeed had perked up when Mordin mentioned food stores and signaled the Salarian that he wanted to talk with him once the briefing was done.

Shepard had saved Tali's information for last. He wasn't aware if she and Kasumi had found anything to help them locate Prizrak. Their need for care in accessing and searching the ship's computers, but especially in accessing the comm buoy, was a big part of what had taken nearly three hours. "Tali, Kasumi, please let us know what you found in your review of the computer files."

Kasumi stood up from the console on which she had been sitting. "We sorted through everything we could find about this ship and its movements. The former captain was in quite a cozy relationship with the Batarians. They hit targets the Batarians identified as well as reporting ship movements and Alliance activity to the Batarians. It looks like the Batarians are giving support and orders to a large number of pirates throughout the Traverse."

Shepard stroked the stubble on his chin. That information would be useful to the Alliance. It was known that the Batarians supported pirate activity in the Traverse, but direct proof would be useful in future negotiations. It wasn't really helpful to their current situation, however. "Did you find anything out about this system or anything related to Prizrak?"

Kasumi continued, "I did find one thing buried in a low priority communication. The Batarians provided star charts to assist with coordination and target identification. They marked this system as neutral, but also indicated there was a station hear that might provide assistance."

Shepard bounced on the balls of his feet and looked at the ceiling in thought. If the Batarians had marked the system as neutral it was an acknowledgement that they didn't control the system. But they indicated an active station. That meant it was under somebody else's control. Somebody like Prizrak. It seemed the Batarians had given Prizrak his own shitty out of the way system for some reason. "Did you find any other references to Prizrak or why the Batarians would give him an entire system?"

"This was the only reference to Sackgasse, Shepard. There was nothing else related to Prizrak or this system."

Too bad, but we have one more piece of information. Shepard turned to Tali. Kasumi had stayed away from any information related to accessing the comm buoy. Shepard suspected that Tali had taken that task on herself. He looked to her now to share what she had learned.

Tali didn't move from the console against which she was leaning. Didn't look up at the gathered crew. "While Kasumi was sifting through the ship's computers, I was able to examine the logs of the comm buoy. The buoy keeps a record of transmissions. It doesn't record who is communicating or the specific content of the messages, but transmission and response times can be calculated from the data. There have been a lot of messages moving in and out of this system over the past few weeks, including what appears to have been back and forth exchanges indicating a real-time conversation. That allowed us to estimate how far from the relay the source of the transmissions is. Given the time frames over which the transmissions occurred and consistent location of the source of the transmissions it confirms they came from a base rather than a ship. The gas giant in this system is at the precise distance the lag times associated with the transmissions would suggest. Our best guess is that the Batarians built a small base or orbiting platform near the gas giant, possibly to take advantage of what few resources the system has while still being in a position to monitor. Prizrak may have moved in, or even been allowed to take control of the station when the Batarians abandoned it." Tali fell silent, having never raised her head to look at the group.

Shepard narrowed his eyes in intense thought, piecing together possible strategies based on the supplies they had available. "Can we pinpoint where the base is?"

Jacob stepped forward again. "With the information Tali and Kasumi provided, I did what I could to get more information on the gas giant. There wasn't much other than it has at most twelve small moons, not very many for even a small gas giant. The optics on this ship are good enough that we can spot their movements from here, but if we want to spot a base or small station we're going to have to get closer.

Shepard steepled his fingers and leaned back, looking at the ceiling, but seeing nothing but possible strategies. So they were dealing with a small base either built on a moon of the gas giant or placed in orbit. Their quarry had to know they were in the system after the signal flare of active scanning ordered by the late Captain Roberts. They could just fly up to the gas giant and wing it, a strategy that had served Shepard well over the years, but he felt in his gut that he needed to know more, be more prepared, or Prizrak would make them pay for it.

Shepard let out a long, slow breath and refocused on his comrades. "All right. Here's what we are going to do. I've got a few ideas to use the resources we have, but it will take some preparation. We also need more information about this likely base and I don't want to simply fly up and confirm for Prizrak that we are looking. I'll lay out my ideas with you Miranda and you can direct everyone to get things organized while I take Tali, Garrus, and Joker in the shuttle to locate and scout that base, as quietly as possible. Other than that I want everyone to get some rest. We have about nine hours before the deadline we have been given. I don't know what happens in nine hours, but I'd rather not find out.

Shepard watched the crew nod and disperse to various tasks. Garrus stopped Kasumi and handed a small device over to her. The cloak he had borrowed for their ambush in the landing bay. They exchanged a few words and Garrus nodded his thanks before Kasumi departed the bridge and Garrus returned to stand with Shepard and Tali. Miranda stayed for more specific instructions that she could then relay as needed before leaving to coordinate Shepard's plans for the Cardinal Sin. Joker left to get the shuttle ready while Tali and Garrus waited for Shepard. Shepard could feel they were walking into something…he wasn't sure what. Dangerous, unknown, with all the unpredictability that entailed. He looked at Tali as she waited. She was folded in on herself, drooping like a flower that had wilted. It tore at him and he wasn't sure he could easily send them all into danger without at least trying to resolve whatever was consuming her. And him as well. He realized he could take the opportunity to approach her on the way to locate and scout Prizrak's base. The thought of trying to talk with her again filled him with as much trepidation as the thought of confronting Prizrak. But he would do both. He had no other choice.