MASS EFFECT DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. I THINK I FINALLY GET WHY CREATING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS BAD. NO WAY MY TOASTER BURNED ALL MY BAGELS WITHOUT MALICIOUS INTENT.

Time to meet a couple of old friends!

Mass Effect: Legacy

XVIII

Alanna watched the ships slowly pass by from beyond the Sicily's main viewport. Most of the ships were civilian, but there was something comforting about the squadrons of warships patrolling just beyond them.

"Enjoying the view?"

Alanna glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Tetros. "More like I have nothing else to do while we wait for Miranda to give us this secret mission of hers. I've gone over my gear six times, double-checked my last reports, and bugged Korim about our engines enough that he threatened to throw something at me."

Tetros chuckled. "I get what you mean. Miranda's been straight with us for now, so her being so cagey is weird."

"Maybe we've earned her trust enough for her to give us the real cloak-and-dagger stuff. Still, it's strange that she wouldn't say anything about—"

"Commander, I have received a transmission from Director Lawson," EDI interrupted; her body rotated to look Alanna in the eye. "She has ordered your squad to assemble in the hangar. Her shuttle will be docking in two minutes."

"I guess we'll be getting our answers sooner than we thought," Alanna commented, and then activated the ship's intercom. "Squad, meet me on Deck Six, on the double."

Tetros sighed. "Why do I get the feeling that this won't be a simple mission?"

"Because it's us, and our luck hasn't been that great."

"Good point." Tetros followed Alanna into the elevator, and waited until the doors were closed. "Speaking of getting lucky…"

"Tetros, you may be my cousin, but I'm not discussing my sex life with you." Alanna eyed him suspiciously. "Wait, do you have a bet going on with Korim? Because this feels like something he'd start."

"You don't share details with me, I don't share details with you," Tetros said, not looking her in the eye.

"Oh, I am gonna stuff a stink bomb into his suit." The doors opened, and Alanna all but dragged Tetros to the hangar.

"Problem?" Korim asked, only to get a glare from Alanna.

"Shut it."

Korim noticed the grumpy expression on Alanna's face, and the guilt on Tetros', and quickly figured it out. "Copy that, Commander."

The mild drama died out as soon as Miranda's sleek black Intelligence-issued shuttle passed through the Sicily's kinetic barriers and landed in the hangar. The doors opened, and Miranda strode out in full combat gear; to Alanna's surprise, she was accompanied by Samara and two other Asari, all wearing black armor in the ornate Justicar style.

"At ease," Miranda said, before the squad could completely stand at attention. "This mission is considered beyond top-secret. Mantle, partition this data from the Consensus; if you cannot comply, I'll have to take you off this squad."

To his credit, Mantle only hesitated for a fraction of a second; withholding information from the wider Consensus was almost anathema to the Geth, but if it was for a logical purpose, they would do it without complaint. Fortunately, Alliance Intelligence ran on logic.

"Complying," Mantle said. "Data will be partitioned for the duration of this mission, and deleted if necessary."

"Thank you." Miranda glanced upward. "EDI, activate all necessary countermeasures. Nothing leaves this hangar."

"Understood, Director. Countermeasures active. You have complete privacy."

"Good." Miranda nodded to the three Asari behind her. "First, introductions are in order. This is Justicar Samara, who is now part of Intelligence. With her are Justicars Uriza and Iallis. They will be part of this mission as security."

Alanna desperately wanted to know how Miranda managed to get three Justicars to join the shadow-ops of Intelligence, but something told her that was need-to-know information. If either Miranda or Samara needed her to know, they would tell her.

"We'll be going to a system near the edge of the galactic border," Miranda said. "Officially, it's known as X-988. According to the records of Alliance prospecting, it's a two-planet system, with a sun not too different from Sol, and the planets have almost nothing of value.

"Those records are completely false. X-988 has only one planet, with two moons, orbiting a blue sun. The inhabitants of the planet named it Konolis, which is Prothean for 'new start'." Miranda carefully studied their expressions. "Those inhabitants are a joint colonization effort between the Protheans and the Rachni."

At this point, Alanna could no longer remain silent. "Wait, what!? I thought Javik was the only Prothean left alive! And this is where the Rachni have been hiding this whole time?"

Miranda nodded. "After the Reaper War, Javik went out in search of other Prothean bunkers, to see if he was truly the last of his people. As it happens, he wasn't; after twenty years of searching, he was able to find and revive almost two thousand Protheans, and with some assistance from the Shadow Broker, a deal was struck between them and the Rachni queen. They have been building a colony in secret ever since."

Alanna was more shocked than the rest of her squad, but not by much. She was the only one of them who knew the identity of the Shadow Broker; not even Tetros knew. Alanna was rocked by this revelation, and was a little hurt that Liara had never told her. She hadn't seen Javik that often, but he was still considered part of the Normandy family, and now she knew why he was away so often.

"Considering how venerated the Protheans are, and how reviled the Rachni are, their desire for isolation is understandable," Miranda continued. "Until three hours ago, all I knew was that Konolis existed, but not where, nor that it was a joint colony with the Rachni. The ten people in this hangar, as well as EDI, have just been made aware of one of the greatest secrets in the galaxy."

"With all due respect, Director, but what does this have to do with our mission?" Alanna asked.

Miranda nodded at Iallis, who pulled out a crate from the shuttle. "This contains all of the active Outsider technology we've managed to recover. The Protheans understand advanced technology better than we do, and I believe they may help us unravel this mystery. Your mission is to escort us to Konolis and provide security for as long as it takes."

Tetros stepped forward. "What kind of security risks could we expect?"

"Unknown," Miranda said. "Javik has assured me that his people will not be hostile, but they also might not be welcoming. As for the Rachni… honestly, nobody knows. Most of the Rachni encountered during the war had been corrupted by the Reapers, and only a few helped build the Crucible. They are about as alien as it gets, so be cautious."

"Is that why you're geared for combat, ma'am?" Alanna asked.

"Partly, but Javik is a warrior, as are a good number of the people he recovered, and the Shadow Broker advised that I approach them as such."

Alanna nodded. "I understand. We'll get you there and back in one piece."

"I'm sure you will," Miranda said with a smile. "I'll be going to the bridge to input the coordinates. It will be an eight-hour trip; I advise you rest while you can."

Konolis truly was in the middle of nowhere, Alanna mused. The system was so far off the beaten path that she thought that the Sicily's transponder didn't need to be deactivated. In fact, Konolis was so close to dark space that they could actually see the blank void, which made Alanna's skin crawl.

"I feel the same way," Miranda said, when Alanna mentioned as much during the trip. "It makes me think about those poor souls in the Andromeda Initiative. I still can't decide if they were extraordinarily brave, or foolish."

"When was the last time we got a message from them?" Alanna asked. "I mean, they've still got, what, about five hundred years until they reach Andromeda by now, right?"

Miranda nodded, even though she didn't look up from her omni-tool. "We've only received automated messages, informing us that all is well. The farther out they get, the more often they send those messages, but by the time they arrive, there's a very good chance the transmissions will be too distorted. That's assuming anyone will still be around to care."

"Maybe some Asari," Alanna pointed out. "And a few Krogan, and probably the Geth." She paused. "Crap, has anyone sent them an update about the Reapers? Or that we beat them?"

"We sent out the first update almost eighty years ago," Miranda said. "But we have no idea if they received it. There's a strong possibility that the Initiative's leadership will suppress all knowledge of the Reapers from the rest of the passengers, in case they panic and demand to return to the Milky Way."

"Um…" Alanna blinked. "Wouldn't most of the people they cared about be dead by the time they got back? Wait, most of the people they'd care about would be dead by the time they arrived, and all of them would definitely be dead by the time they got back."

"Hence why I usually call them fools." Miranda scowled, and Alanna knew why.

After knowledge of the Andromeda Initiative became public, there was massive outrage. Untold billions of credits, rare and valuable resources, and some of the galaxy's best and brightest, all spirited away just before the Reaper War began. As far as most people were concerned, the Initiative was a colossal waste at best, and the fleeing of cowards at worst. Jien Garson had also been stripped of many of her honors in absentia.

What Alanna didn't know was that Miranda had a personal score to settle with the Andromeda Initiative—specifically, one Cora Harper, the daughter of Jack Harper. The Illusive Man's daughter was out of Miranda's reach, but she had put contingencies into place if Harper somehow made it back to the Milky Way.

"We're about an hour away from Konolis," Alanna said, bringing Miranda's full attention back to the present. "Anything I should know before we land?"

"The Outsider artifacts we're bringing are all in self-contained pods within the crate," Miranda said promptly. "Each one can only be opened by me, and any unauthorized attempts to open them will trigger a miniature antimatter charge to keep it out of enemy hands."

"That seems… extreme," Alanna commented.

"What little information we've gleaned from these discoveries is enough to warrant such precautions." Miranda sighed. "At their height, the Outsiders had technology that made them a direct rival to the Reapers. Several of our top minds have theorized that the Reapers only won due to overwhelming numbers."

"Well, color me terrified." Alanna crossed her arms. "How come Mom never told me about this place? I get security, but she could have at least told me that it existed, and that's why we hardly ever see Javik."

"It was at Javik's request," Miranda said. "He doesn't think that the Protheans will actually rise again. If anything, he just wants a place for his people to live out their last generations in peace."

"That's kind of sad."

"I agree, but there's little chance of correcting that now. Most of the Protheans that awoke from stasis suffer from a variety of medical conditions that prevent pregnancies, and our science simply can't help. The potential for cloning was suggested, but moving those kinds of resources would get noticed, and it's still under discussion by the Protheans."

"They'd seriously prefer dying out if it meant being left alone?"

"As far as the rest of the galaxy knows, the last Prothean gave everything to help defeat the Reapers in our cycle." Miranda sighed. "I think Javik wants his people to be remembered with dignity, not the pity that comes with a slow extinction." She gave Alanna a stern look. "I'd advise that you not bring this up with Javik; he only told your mother this, and she told me in confidence."

Alanna hastily nodded. She had always been quick to listen Miranda, not just because she was Alanna's superior officer, but also the woman who had helped raise her almost as much as her own mother.

"I should make final preparations," Miranda continued. "I suggest you do the same, Commander."

"Yes, ma'am." Alanna had barely taken a step towards the door when EDI's avatar appeared. "Oh, great. What happened?"

"There is an unknown vessel on intercept course," EDI reported. "It is over seventeen hundred meters long, but is moving faster than the Sicily."

"Please don't let it be the Outsiders," Alanna muttered as she and Miranda hurried to the bridge. "The last thing we need is an alien super-ship."

Miranda didn't say anything until they actually reached the bridge. "EDI, I want an analysis of the ship, now."

"Scanning," EDI said. "Confirmed, the technology is not Outsider, it is… Prothean?"

"What." Alanna's eyes were comically wide. "Did anyone know that Javik found a Prothean dreadnaught while he was out?"

"That is not a dreadnaught," EDI corrected. "According to records uncovered by Dr. T'Soni, the Protheans' use of Element Zero was so refined that they could create ships much larger than we are currently capable of. By their own definitions, that ship is a heavy cruiser."

Alanna let out a low whistle. "Damn, now I kinda want to see what an actual dreadnaught looks like."

"Alert, the Prothean ship is hailing us." EDI looked to Miranda. "With your permission, I will answer."

"This is Commander Shepard's ship," Miranda reminded them both. "You should be asking her."

EDI nodded, and turned to Alanna. "Apologies. With your permission, Commander?"

"Granted." Alanna said.

EDI was silent for a moment; she didn't need her body to speak to whoever was on that ship, yet that same body was making physical adjustments to controls. Some people could get disturbed seeing an AI work, but Alanna just found it fascinating.

"We have been granted permission to go to the colony," EDI said after a few minutes. "We will transfer the Outsider artifacts to a Prothean shuttle. We can bring no more than ten people to the surface, and their access to the colony will be limited."

"Liara would be so disappointed," Miranda mused. "This is the closest she might come to a functioning Prothean city."

"Actually, according to the captain of the ship, Liara has visited seven times, and is seen as something of a celebrity among the populace."

Miranda's eye twitched. "I may kill her."

"Please don't," Alanna deadpanned. "I only have one parent left, and as much as she can annoy me, I'm rather fond of her."

Another twitch, and then a sigh. "So am I. All right, Commander, our two teams will be escorting the artifacts. Be prepared for anything."

The Prothean shuttle was huge, by Alliance standards—in fact, it was closer to being designated a heavy troop carrier. It had a flat, sleek body, with sharp-angled thrusters on either side that could move to give the shuttle omni-directional flight. The outer hull, like all Prothean tech, was silver, with glowing light-blue lines between every segment.

The inside of the shuttle was surprisingly bright, illuminated from above and below in such a way that there were no shadows. It was a little unnerving, but not as much as the five armed Protheans watching them during the flight down. None of them were in the mood for conversation, though Alanna kept herself busy by examining their equipment. Their armor was similar to Javik's, but was slightly less ornamental around the shoulders, and more angular around the chest. They carried the same particle rifles Javik had shared during the Reaper War—and immediately taken away after it was over—but Alanna noticed that these guns had omni-bayonets active and ready. It didn't escape her notice that, unlike the orange omni-blades that everyone else used, the Prothean versions used their light-blue coloring.

"I don't like these guys," Nok said over the comms. "It's like they're itching for a fight."

"To be fair, they probably don't like us very much," Alanna pointed out. "To them, it wasn't that long ago that all our species were still living in the mud, while they had a galaxy-spanning empire."

"And a bunch of primitives turned out to be the ones to beat the Reapers," Haley added smugly. "That must sting."

"You're not wrong," Alanna said, and the only reason the Protheans couldn't see her own grin was because of her helmet. "James cracked a joke about that about eighty years ago, and Javik punched his lights out."

Korim choked on his own laughter for a moment. "Maybe we shouldn't do that today. You know, for our own safety?"

"Yeah, good point." Alanna checked their position. "Okay, guys, smarten up, we're landing in two minutes."

The rest of the ride down was uneventful, which was good for Alanna, because as soon as the doors opened, she would have missed a Yahg if it was right in front of her. The towering spires were made of the same Prothean technology, while hundreds of drones flitted between them, constantly expanding and maintaining every structure. There was a slight, but constant, motion—it was like a creature gently breathing, or a light breeze through a field of tall grass. To an engineer like Alanna, it was one of the most beautiful things she'd ever seen.

"Welcome to Konolis," a familiar voice said, and an old Prothean limped over to the landing pad. "Director Lawson, Justicar Samara, and… I believe you now hold your father's rank, Alanna Shepard."

Samara inclined her head, and Miranda smiled lightly. "It's been some time."

Alanna stood at attention. "Good to see you again, Javik."

"If my people had less respect for me, then we would not meet at all." Javik glanced over his shoulder, where several Protheans in flowing robes were shooting the arrivals suspicious glares. "What is left of our empire is intent on maintaining our privacy."

"So I've heard," Alanna said, disappointed that she wouldn't spend some time with one of the remaining Normandy members. "We'll try to make this as quick as we can, and then we'll get going."

Javik nodded, and gestured for them to follow him. "Yes, that would be best, but what scientists we have are admittedly curious about your so-called 'Outsiders'. I was informed that they have murdered several of those from the Normandy."

"They definitely killed Tali," Miranda said with a touch of anger. "I suspect that they used subtle methods to murder Jacob, Kaidan, and possibly Kasumi."

"And they tried to kill you," Samara reminded her. "As well as Grunt."

Javik tilted his head. "But you both survived."

Miranda shrugged. "I don't think the Outsiders considered how the enhancements Grunt and I possess might factor into an assassination attempt."

"Then they are sloppy," Javik said, "or arrogant. Both are variables that you must consider when fighting them."

"They haven't fought us directly," Alanna cut in. "They've only used their drones, though they're powerful. To me, that either means that their true bodies aren't fit for combat—"

"Or they simply do not think you are worth directly fighting," Javik interrupted. "Though the latter could be exploited, I hope for the former. It would mean fewer surprises in a war."

Javik guided them to a squat building that seemed partially buried into the crust of the planet. Judging from the amount of armed guards, it had to be important.

"Our main research facility," Javik explained. "During my travels to find more of my people, I discovered several lost projects from our war with the Reapers. Some of the technology was too advanced to leave behind, and I could not countenance its destruction, so it was brought here for safekeeping and study. That ship that intercepted you was one such find from eight years ago. It was a prototype from the midway point of our war; all our simulations pointed to it being able to match Reaper Destroyers, and it would have formed the vanguard of a counterattack. Unfortunately, the war turned against us too quickly, and we could not maintain the necessary supply lines for mass-production." Javik sighed. "Now, it is merely the guardian of our empire's end."

"I mean, if anywhere is a good place to take this stuff, it'd be here," Alanna said, gesturing to the container of Outsider relics.

"Of course it is." Javik looked Miranda in the eye, and smirked. "Who else would be able to unravel your mystery?"

"This is why nobody wants to spend time with you," Miranda said with a sniff.

"Amusing. Jack often said the same thing about you."

"Of course she'd throw out one last insult from beyond the grave," Miranda muttered. "I can't even hit back against a dead woman."

Javik made a noise that might have been a laugh from anyone else. He then led them inside the facility, but as soon as the doors opened, Alanna nearly drew a weapon. The small Rachni that crawled out paused when it saw ten heavily-armed individuals staring at it, then turned around and scuttled into a vent.

"I didn't realize you had Rachni working in your super-secret facility," Alanna commented.

"They are more efficient than our drones," Javik said dismissively. "And, like us, they would prefer the wider galaxy left them alone. Our interests align, and when the last Prothean dies, they will have the infrastructure they need to reestablish their own civilization."

"So, all this…" Alanna waved in the direction of the city. "This is, what, a thank-you?"

Javik shrugged. "More like a reward. For surviving, where we will not."

Alanna still wasn't sure what to say about that whole deal, and held her tongue.

Javik led them further underground, past several levels where many Protheans were hunched over various pieces of technology that made Alanna want to detour for several hours. At one point, she almost did just that, but a pointed cough from Miranda kept her in place.

"Just wanted to know what they were working on," Alanna muttered under her breath.

Despite his age, Javik heard her, and chuckled. "Your curiosity reminds me of your mother. She bombarded me with so many questions after your father woke me from stasis."

"And you weren't exactly eager to answer her, unless it was to rub it in how superior your people were," Alanna reminded him.

Javik smirked. "I never said anything that wasn't true."

Eventually, they were led to a wide laboratory, with dozens of terminals and tables loaded with tools lining the walls. Several Prothean scientists were already setting up what they thought they would need.

"Leave your discoveries here," Javik instructed. "I assume your security protocols will not permit you to leave them unsupervised."

"You would be correct," Miranda said. "Samara, stay here with the other Justicars. I want everything exactly how it was when we leave."

"In that case, I would ask that the rest of you come with me to our archives," Javik said. "During my travels, I gathered every bit of data my people preserved from before and during our war with the Reapers. We have not had a need to go through everything, and it is possible that we have information on these Outsiders without knowing it."

Alanna brightened considerably. "Ooh, research!"

Haley shared a look with Nok. "Oh, great."

James raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Never thought I'd feel so much satisfaction from something I didn't even do."

Treeya looked up from her reading. "What?"

"Just going through some recent reports," James said, idly waving a datapad. "Thanks to some informants who hate them, we've located and destroyed over a dozen Cerberus bases. My guys captured a few for interrogation, but most of their soldiers were killed."

"That's good, right?" Treeya grimaced. "Despite my efforts, I could never grasp military strategies."

"Oh, it's good," James assured her. "These guys went from completely invisible to top of our hit-list overnight. Now that we know they're still kickin', we can bring everything we've got against 'em. Plus, having the Geth crack every encryption Cerberus can come up with helps a lot."

"That certainly does sound helpful." Treeya shook her head. "Sorry, I'm still unused to the Geth being anything other than a looming threat from the Traverse."

James gave her a look. "They've been part of the Alliance for a hundred years."

"And I didn't really expand my horizons past Fehl Prime since before that," Treeya reminded him.

"Point taken." James abruptly broke out in violent coughs. "Ah! Dammit, not again."

"Are you all right?" Treeya asked. "That didn't sound good."

James sighed, and grimaced when it made his lungs hurt. "Just a virus I've been fighting for a while. Doctors said I should let the meds to their job, and try not to do anything stressful. Guess I haven't been doing that since Cerberus showed up again, and it came back."

Treeya hurried over and ran her omni-tool over him. "You've got a mild fever, and your electrolytes are low."

James raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you carry a medical package in your omni-tool?"

"Since Director Lawson reminded me that humans don't often live to your age, and especially not without medical issues," she said promptly. "And since I am living with you for the time being, I took it upon myself to keep an eye on you."

"A beautiful Asari watching over me." James chuckled. "If I were sixty years younger…"

Treeya gave him a look. "I'll chalk that up to the fever… that is already getting worse. That's it, I'm calling your doctor."

James was old and sick, but his instincts were still sharp; something about his sudden illness just didn't sit right with him. Something flickered in the corner of his vision, and before he realized he was moving, he had tackled Treeya out of the way. She shouted in alarm, and James registered pain in his shoulder as the Outsider assassin missed a lethal strike.

"The old light will die. The new light will not emerge from the ashes. The stars will fall unto shadow, and we will reclaim them all."

"Treeya, run!" James staggered towards the door, and tried to pull Treeya along, but she ripped her hand free.

"Get. Back." Biotic power rippled around her, and she hurled the largest Throw James had ever seen from a civilian biotic. It slammed into the assassin, and knocked it clean through the wall.

Impressive though it was, it had also drained Treeya considerably, and she fell to her knees. Sweat poured down her face, mixing with the blood that trickled from her nose. James took two seconds to activate the personal alarm in his omni-tool, and then helped Treeya to her feet.

"Come on, we gotta go," he urged. "That thing might not be dead, and we're not in any shape to—"

A spike of Outsider metal tore through the hole in the wall, spearing clean through Treeya's shoulder and into James' chest. He coughed up blood and collapsed; he could already tell that his lung was punctured, and unless he got help soon, he wouldn't live long.

"James!" Treeya reached out for him, only for another spike to impale her thigh and pin her to the floor.

The assassin was badly damaged, with cracks running throughout its frame, but it was still able to limp towards them, blade-arms at the ready. It reached back to finish James off—

And then James blinked when a hail of bullets ripped into the robot, finishing it off. Before it finished disintegrating, a figure decloaked right in front of him. She—and going by the curves, James knew it was a woman—was human, with a skintight light hardsuit and a hood over her face. She set what remained of the Outsider robot on fire, then turned to apply first aid to the injured.

"Hold still," she said, with a voice that was impossibly familiar. "Gotta pull the spike out, then I'm hitting you with a whole lot of medi-gel. It'll keep you alive until help gets here. Sorry, I don't have enough for you and your girlfriend."

"How are you—" James coughed up blood as the spike was ripped out of his chest. "How are you alive?"

Kasumi Goto grinned. "Like I told Shep: by being the best thief in the galaxy, not the most famous."

James' vision was starting to darken; he couldn't be sure if he was dying, or just blacking out. "You… owe us all… an explanation."

"And you'll get it." Kasumi looked away for a second. "Looks like backup's here. I'll disappear, but I promise, I won't leave you guys."

James managed to nod, and then everything went black.

Alanna moved aside another stack of reports and sighed; at least the Protheans had been willing to move all the data to standard datapads for them, but that was the only upside right now.

"Just some conjecture about the Inusannon," she said. "Anything older, guys?"

"Nothing going back more than a hundred and fifty millennia," Tetros replied. "I mean, it makes sense. The Reapers tried to erase as much as they could, right? Each cycle before the Protheans would be even harder to research."

"There are a few mentions of fallen civilizations," Miranda said from behind her massive stack of reading material. "None of them are named, but the oldest is from almost five hundred thousand years ago."

Alanna stood up, winced from the stiffness of sitting down for hours, and hurried over. "That's closer to the Outsiders' cycle, right?"

"Archaeologically speaking, yes, but that is the oldest record the Protheans have." Miranda sighed. "This avenue of research was always a longshot, but it was worth a try."

"Maybe not completely," Alanna said. "It's possible that that society had records of even older civilizations. We could ask Mom if she knows any good archaeologists who could start from there."

Miranda hummed thoughtfully. "These records do contain the locations of some planets. Even if it's a dead end, we can't ignore the possibility. I'll talk to Liara about putting together a research team, and I'll let them know that they have a blank check from Intelligence."

Alanna grinned and gave her a hug. "See, this is why you're my favorite aunt."

"I thought Tali was your favorite aunt."

"Okay, yeah, but 'favorite living aunt' just doesn't work."

"I appreciate the honesty," Miranda said dryly, and then went back to her reading. "I'll make a copy of everything relevant, and have EDI send a compiled plan to Intelligence as soon as we're back in communications range."

"Glad to see you two are excited," Haley called out from her seat by the door. "I think I've played solitaire on my omni-tool about a hundred times now."

"You could be helping us," Alanna said.

Haley made a face. "Hey, shooting bad guys and blowing stuff up? I'm your girl. Read in a library about aliens who died out before humans created fire? I'd rather watch paint dry." She paused and looked down when a small Rachni scuttled over with a tray of drinks on its back. "Oh, uh, thanks."

"That's the third time I've seen one of them do that," Korim said. "Why are they being so nice? It's weird."

"They probably don't want to take even the slightest chance that we'll see them as a threat again," Alanna said. "It's hard to want to shoot something that keeps giving you snacks while you work."

Miranda nodded. "I wonder if the Queen is the same one your father saved, or if the current Queen is a descendent. If she's the same one, perhaps she'll be willing to open a dialogue someday."

Alanna shrugged. "If she didn't want to stick around a hundred years ago, she probably doesn't want to chat now."

"Still, they are rather fascinating." Miranda sighed. "The only other insectoid race with such technical skills are the Keepers, but they were killed off after the Reaper War."

Haley blinked. "What happened?"

Miranda sighed again. "It's a rather sad tale. Once it came out that the Keepers were created by the Reapers, a mob rose up and slaughtered them. Without them to maintain the Citadel, upkeep costs have skyrocketed; last time I checked, Zakera Ward is almost uninhabitable, and housing prices have doubled over the last twenty years."

Korim laughed, but it was bitter. "Too bad Quarians aren't exactly looking for jobs in Council space anymore. A few dozen of our best engineers would probably go a long way to keeping that oversized tourist trap intact."

Miranda rolled her eyes. "All right, enough of that. I believe we should check in with the scientists and see if they've made any headway."

Javik was a busy man, and didn't have time to be their guide this time. Instead, a pair of elite Prothean soldiers took them back to the science center. As before, the scientists didn't want anything to do with them, and were content to stick to their research. They had, however, given Samara a report on their preliminary findings.

Miranda looked over the information with a raised eyebrow. "Interesting. The data-transfer methods are similar to our own quantum-entanglement technology, but so much more advanced. I wouldn't be surprised if the Outsiders could control their drones in real-time from anywhere in the galaxy."

Curious, Alanna looked over her shoulder to continue reading. "Okay, that's kind of cool—each drone links up with the others to increase their processing capabilities, kind of like how the Geth used to be. That way, the Outsiders only have to give the drones an objective, and they'll be smart enough to do the task without someone holding their hands the whole time."

"Why do you find that cool?" Haley asked.

"Um, well…" Alanna shrugged. "I'm an engineer, okay? Enemies or not, I can appreciate good design choices."

Korim tried to read the datapad. "Anything else that's interesting?"

Miranda gave him a look, and he backed off. "The technology itself is using a combination of nanotech and low-grade Mass Effect fields to break down and reconstitute each component over time, effectively keeping it in mint condition at all times."

Even Nok and Haley, the least tech-savvy of the team, understood the ramifications of such a discovery.

"That kind of tech would make modern maintenance almost obsolete," Alanna said; she had a faraway look on her face that suggested she was already trying to apply such technology to current designs.

When Miranda read the next discovery, her eyes went wide. "Alanna, your neural engrams were modified by contact with an Outsider artifact, correct?"

"Yes?"

Miranda looked her in the eye. "Be very careful if you actually run into more advanced Outsider technology. According to this, the Outsiders' method of communication is similar to how the Protheans absorb information, but more… aggressive. They directly compare it to indoctrination."

Alanna's skin turned several lighter shades of blue. "Am I a security risk?"

"We would probably know if you were," Miranda said as she continued to read. "This method was not meant for other species. Only an Asari has the biology necessary to even try interacting with Outsider tech, and it would still be dangerous. You would likely experience severe headaches, nosebleeds, and even a minor stroke, and that's only because of your alteration. Most other Asari would likely die immediately. Only the most experienced and powerful Matriarchs would manage more than one encounter safely, and it would still be extremely dangerous."

"Right, please don't do that," Haley said to Alanna.

"I'll do my best not to."

Miranda read through the rest of the report at a speed exceeded only by a Geth. "Most of the rest is technical data that I can forward to Intelligence, as well as our top-level scientists. That control method is interesting, and might give us a lead on finding the Outsiders."

Alanna nodded. "Anything else we need to do here?"

"I doubt it, but we'll speak to Javik." Miranda smiled at the squad. "I know that this was a rather boring assignment, but I appreciate your assistance. I needed someone I can trust, and while I don't know you that well, I do know Alanna; if she trusts you, then so do I."

"What about me?" Tetros joked.

Miranda smirked. "You haven't been to enough reunions. Garrus' word only goes so far."

Tetros put his talons on his hips in a very human gesture. "But you trust Alanna's word?"

"I helped raise Alanna," Miranda reminded him. "I would need to go on at least two more suicide missions with Garrus before I'd trust you on his say-so."

Tetros nodded sagely. "Yeah, and with your guys' ages, that's probably not going to happen."

There was a pause, and then Alanna stared at him. "Did you just call Miranda Lawson old?"

"Run, Tetros," Korim said gravely. "Run far, and run fast."

Tetros tried to hide behind Nok, but the big Krogan simply picked him up and planted him in Miranda's path.

"Not even a Krogan would think about getting in her way," Nok explained. "We've all heard the stories; the only human to kill more Krogan was Alanna's dad."

Miranda slowly walked over to Tetros and put a hand on his shoulder, which made him flinch. "I thought you'd like a challenge, Nok."

"I do like a challenge, but I'm not suicidal." Nok laughed, but then took a deep sniff, and froze. "Guys, I smell blood."

Everyone had their weapons out before the doors finished opening, but Alanna immediately dropped hers in favor of catching the wounded Prothean that staggered through.

"Javik…" the Prothean wheezed. "He requests your aid. The Rachni… something is happening to the Rachni! They have gone berserk!"

Even as her squad headed for the door, Alanna sighed. "It's just one thing after another, isn't it?"

Bit of a shorter chapter this time around, but this wasn't as action-heavy. Instead, we get reunited with some of Shepard's old friends… and whatever relationship Shepard had with the Rachni.

Obviously, I should explain some things.

I liked the idea of Javik, without anything else to do, wandered the galaxy in search of other Protheans in stasis, like he was. Clearly, he found some, but this technology wasn't meant to keep them going for fifty thousand years, and their bodies didn't react well to it. Hence why Javik may not be the last Prothean any longer, he's certainly in the last generation of Protheans. They're willing to help Alanna, but other than that, they'd like to be left alone.

And I threw in the Rachni for fun.

Also, another returning face in Kasumi! Now, some of you may be very confused, as she was listed as dead in Chapter I. However, that was from the characters' point of view; I, the author, never actually said she was dead. So… surprise! And Kasumi was always one of my favorite characters, so I couldn't leave her alone.

And I threw shade at Andromeda. I will never stop having beef with that game.

As always, please consider buying my book, Alpha Sanction, by Josh Gottlieb. You can find it on my website (link in my profile), and on Amazon, in both eBook and physical format. I'm getting closer to finishing the sequel, guys!

If you don't want to buy a book, but want to support me, I have a P-atreon account (link in my profile). If enough of you donate, I won't have to work almost every day, and I'll be able to write a chapter of at least one story every week.

Speaking of which, I want to thank the following patrons:

Serious Muffins: Nimrod009, Aaron Meek, Matthias Matanovic, Red Bard, Lokthar, Hakuryuken, Anders Lyngbye, Kristen Tyler, Patryk kawalec

Incredible Muffins: RaptorusMaximus, Crazyman844, CherryGoesBoom

Ultra Muffins: RangersRoll

Next Chapter: The hive awakens, and Alanna has to figure out what's going on quickly, or else the Protheans might go extinct for a second time.

I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite Muffin on the Citadel.