Chapter 10

Starboard Observation Deck – SSV Normandy SR2

The door to the Observation Deck slid open and Shepard nearly did a double take as she saw the entire room filled with stuff that hadn't been there before. A bookshelf had already been built and anchored to the wall with books packed tight enough to seal a space suit, paintings hung from the nearly sterile surfaces around the window into the void, and stacks of aluminum tubs sat against the far wall.

Looking down at the short woman, Shepard tilted her head incredulously. "How did you get a couch in here?"

"Oh you know, large pockets," said the woman with a playful grin.

"Very funny," said Shepard as she walked over and sat on the couch with her. "You know we have actual rooms on board…"

"Yeah, but I like this place. It speaks to me," said the thief as she looked out the window. "It gives me a sense of calm."

"Alright. Just make sure everything in here is regulation. I don't want you taken out by a flying vase or something if we have to hit the breaks," said the spectre as she finally got a good look at the woman.

Reaching up, the young woman pulled her hood down showing a head of short, coal-black hair and eyes to match. Her skin was porcelain pale with the exception of dark markings on her bottom lip and a few dots of the same color above her eyebrows. Finally, she had only traces of eyeshadow on her small but analyzing eyes. "Good to finally meet you face to face, Shep."

Cocking an eyebrow, the spectre turned to her fully. "One conversation and I'm already Shep?" she asked, getting a gentle nod. "I'm also surprised you showed me your face."

"Like I said before, I like you," said the young woman with a shrug. "Also, I've seen your work, Shep. I don't think you'd be the person to reveal my identity to the authorities."

"You're right about that, uhh…" started Shepard before she remembered she hadn't even learned the woman's name.

"Kasumi Goto. You can call me Kasumi, Sumi, or Sumi-chan depending on how personal you want our relationship," said the thief with a grin.

"Kasumi it is," said the spectre with a chuckle. "So, Kasumi, down to business. What do you want to steal and why do you need my help with it?"

Shepard noticed that every ounce of playfulness in Kasumi's demeanor vanished at the question. She looked away for a moment before speaking. "I had a partner, Keiji, who used to do jobs with me. A few months ago we did a job looking for an encrypted Alliance blackbox that had been stolen from one of their ships."

"Any idea what was on it?" asked Shepard curiously.

Shaking her head, Kasumi resumed. "No idea. We weren't supposed to know. Just pick it up, drop it off for the Alliance, then get paid. What they failed to tell us was that we weren't just stealing it from scavs who found a crashed ship. The people who had taken it actually shot the ship down. If we had known they were capable and prepared to shoot down an Alliance vessel in Alliance space for the information on that box, we wouldn't have taken the job."

Shepard reached up and rubbed her temples. "Alliance and their secrets…"

With a small nod, she continued. "Those secrets got Keiji killed," she said sourly. "I was distracting a group of guards while Keiji broke into the room. It turns out they had a squad guarding the box itself just in case. He managed to take them down, but not before suffering fatal injuries."

"So you want me to help you take the blackbox?" asked Shepard as she sat up.

"No. Keiji destroyed the blackbox before they managed to open it. That was his skill, encryption and locks. Mine was security systems," she said with a sigh. "But he saw the information before he did. By the time I got to him, he told me that I have to get his greybox before they could find a way to open it."

"I'm sorry. That must have hurt," said Shepard solemnly as she looked to the floor.

"It did. But not as much as I'm going to hurt the one responsible." Shepard looked up at Kasumi again and this time saw fire in her eyes. "He's a man by the name of Donovan Hock, a weapons dealer not happy enough with his lot in life. He's out to try and make another Shadow Broker out of himself by stealing and selling top secret information."

Shepard's brows furrowed at the remark. "I doubt the Shadow Broker is going to take that lying down."

"The Shadow Broker won't have a chance to get to him when I'm through," said Kasumi firmly.

Shepard nodded back, matching Kasumi's fire. "So, what's the hit then? And what role do I play?"

"You'll be playing three roles. First and foremost, you're going to be a distraction for me," she said holding up a single finger.

Shepard's brow arched curiously. "Want me to kick the doors in?"

Kasumi finally broke a smile again. "As much as I'd love to see the look on his face, no. You're going in by invitation. And you're going to keep his attention on you."

"Wait, how am I getting an invite?" asked the spectre incredulously.

"Oh, you didn't know? Hock has been trying to get into your ear since back before your reported death. Now that you're back again, he's been looking for ways through the Alliance and the embassy to get ahold of you," said the woman.

"Why?" asked Shepard in bewilderment. Kasumi tilted her head with a curious expression, causing Shepard to sigh. "Right right… first human spectre, got it."

"Did you forget?" asked the thief in amusement.

"Sometimes I do," said Shepard as she looked back at her. "Anyway?"

"Anyway, I need you to keep his attention on you so that I can deal with his security system," she said, then raised a second finger. "Second, like I said before, security systems were my game. Keiji loved his trinkets, locks, and puzzles. He was a master of encryption far beyond me, and if I did my homework correctly, you have similar talents."

"You're not wrong. But I was never trained to rob vaults…" said the spectre skeptically.

"Trust me, it's not that big of a difference," said Kasumi with a reassuring smile. "If I need your help with something you'd be able to handle more easily, I'll let you know." Shepard nodded firmly. "Finally, let's just say that in case he has another guard team protecting the greybox, I'll need backup. I'm skilled with martial arts and guns, but my main talents are stealth and security. I likely won't be able to take down an armed backup militia on my own."

"So…" started the spectre as she counted off on her fingers. "Distract him while you handle security, break any necessary encryptions or locks that you can't manage, and then take down anything that moves wrong."

"That about sums it up," said Kasumi as her gaze narrowed. "So, what do you think?"

Shepard sighed and stood to her feet. "Ms. Goto, your skills better be worth the shit I'm walking into," she said with a smile.

Kasumi smiled back playfully. "Oh, I'm sure I'll come in handy if you ever need any artifacts stolen."

Chuckling to herself, Shepard nodded. "Sounds good. Let me know when and where this is going to take place."

"You got it Shep!" Kasumi practically sang as her chirpy personality returned.

As the spectre walked down the hall, she let out a heavy sigh. "The things I do for this galaxy."

Biotics Training Room – SSV Normandy SR2

"You've got the basics down," came the voice of Lawson who sat right next to her cross legged. Shepard, sitting on the padded floor of the training room in the same manner had her arm out and was currently lifting a human-shaped mannequin off the floor with just her biotics. "Now we just have to refine your abilities."

"How exactly do you refine biotics? And what does that look like?" asked Shepard as she sat attempted to set the mannequin down on its stand but instead toppled it over.

"You've only really seen biotics in combat. And in high stress situations like that, you rarely get to see things beyond the simple lift and throw techniques. But biotics is more than just a blunt form of telekinesis that allows you to hurl things around," said the operative as she stood up in her own training clothes. "With your current ability, you're trying to solve a Rubik's Cube with boxing gloves on. Refining your biotics will allow us to take those gloves off," she said as she turned to the life-size doll. "You've seen what we call a biotic warp, correct?"

Shepard immediately rubbed her chest as she recalled the attack hitting her on Noveria. "Up close and personal…"

Nodding, Miranda used her own biotics to gently lift the mannequin and set it on its feet, then with a flick of her hand she seemingly made its head explode and splinter into fragments. "On the fly, when you're being fired at from all sides, a regular warp can be enough to put an enemy out of commission or even outright kill them. But some situations call for a more delicate touch." Reaching forward again, this time the operative held her hand out flat. Shepard looked to the remainder of the mannequin, her eyes widening as she saw it split in half down the middle as if it had just been cut with an invisible sword.

"You can cut things?" asked Shepard incredulously.

"In a manner of speaking," said Miranda, a small smirk showing that she was proud of her skill. "Obviously you wouldn't want to use it to slice cheese or for mundane tasks. But it can be extremely useful in tight situations."

"I didn't realize humans were capable of this kind of precision," said Shepard as she watched the two halves of the mannequin fall away from one another.

"Most aren't. It takes specialized training," said Miranda as she sat cross-legged in front of Shepard once more. "That training takes years, and often times humans are outright unable to focus well enough to accomplish it. As such, the Alliance decided it wasn't worth the cost and just trained biotics for what you're familiar with."

"So, how precise will I be able to be?" asked the spectre.

Miranda arched an eyebrow. "It really depends on you, but I've seen your skills up close. You're powerful, Shepard. More powerful than most humans. Were it not for my doctored genes, you might even be more powerful than me after years of training." Reaching out, the operative lifted an object sitting among a pile of mannequins and caught it in midair then set it in front of her. "This is our goal." Shepard looked down and saw a cube with colored squares all over it.

"Oh, so you weren't being metaphorical…" said the spectre as she look up at the woman.

"Once you're able to solve this, you can do almost anything," said the operative confidently as she gave a firm stare.

"How come I've never seen asari do it before?" asked Shepard as Miranda waved her arm and pulled over another mannequin.

"Asari are far more skittish than humans in battle. Instead of adrenaline, they have lumiline, a chemical that boosts the power of their biotics, but also makes them less stable. So, they're even less likely to be able to use them like this under duress. But…" said the woman as she held up a finger. "If you meet an asari who can control her fear in battle, you've officially met one of the most deadly biotics in existence. Biotic commandos aren't feared and respected for their gunplay or military tactics. It's because if they survive long enough to master their fear, they'll likely be able to use biotics like a scalpel and slit your throat without ever needing to pierce your armor."

"Ugh…" said Shepard as she rubbed her chest again. "I've only ever faced one group of commandos, and I'm pretty sure they were all indoctrinated."

"That may be why you lived to tell the story. I can't say for sure, but altering an asari's mind may seriously diminish their combat capabilities," said the operative before taking in a deep breath and then letting it out. "Now…" she started as she shoved another mannequin over. "Set it back on its feet."

Armory – SSV Normandy SR2

Reaching up, Jacob unlocked the armor case for Shepard's new armor set. He got chills just from looking at it, and smirked knowing that Shepard was likely going to scare the pants off of some of the mercs with it.

Right next to him, the young quarian recruit Shepard had pulled off the Citadel stared in awe at the set. "Keelah, it's intimidating."

"That's part of the point," said the soldier as he began unloading some of the weapons for the squad. Lia looked towards him curiously. "I don't know if quarians think about this in battle, but psychology is a huge part of warfare. If you can scare an enemy into submission, that's one less you have to fight."

"I see," said the young engineer as she thought for a moment. "Most quarians are taught to fight against synthetics. The geth aren't prone to intimidation, so I suppose they don't teach us that part as we rarely fight against other species."

"Makes sense," said the young man with a nod as he set a brand-new battle rifle on the counter. He could see the young quarian ogling it as well. He felt himself feeling sorry for her. "Your people don't see weapons this new very often, do they?"

Shaking her head, Lia sighed. "Quarians on pilgrimage sometimes get weapons. They're rarely ever kept in good condition. The military gets by on converting a lot of geth weaponry that isn't destroyed into functional tools of war, and more often than not, lower market trades from Omega. The newest gun we have on the fleet hasn't been in this condition for a decade at least."

"Damn…" was all he could say. There was a moment of awkward silence between them before he finally broke it with another question. "So, are you gonna be on the ground with the others?"

Here gaze snapped up to him with wide-eyed surprise. "Pardon?"

He shrugged as he laid out the last of the weapons for the squad that was heading towards the armory. "When Shepard brought Tali onboard the original Normandy, she would go on ground missions. She even helped repel the geth from the Armstrong Cluster in Alliance Space."

"Oh…" said the young quarian as she began to fidget. "Commander Tali'Zorah is so brave and strong though. I could never… I mean, I don't know how to fight as well as she can. I get anxious and start thinking about kittens to calm myself down-"

"Sorry…" started Jacob as he cut her off. "Kittens? Like, cats?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes!" she said excitedly. "Have you seen them? They're adorable little creatures from… from… oh…" she stuttered, no doubt realizing she had just asked a human if he'd seen one of the most common pets from Earth. "Sorry."

Jacob chuckled and shook his head. "No worries, kid. Even I can admit kittens are cute," he said, getting an approving nod from her. "I'm just surprised a quarian would know of them. They aren't that common outside of Alliance Space."

She nodded thoughtfully. "After her return to the Migrant Fleet, Commander Tali'Zorah told everyone stories about the Citadel, including one about these places called pet stores. My friends messaged me on the Citadel and told me to go and send them pictures. After a while I stopped going for them and started going because I loved the kittens."

"We all have our coping mechanisms. It couldn't have been easy serving your pilgrimage on the Citadel," he responded as he leaned on the counter.

"No place is easy, really," she said giving what almost looked like a shrug. "On Omega it's being mugged and killed. On Illium, it's fine print contracts that get you pulled into indentured servitude. On the Citadel, it's constant racism and C-Sec abuse. No matter where we go it's hard because we're seen as easy targets."

Jacob found himself in another awkward silence as he brought up yet another topic that ended up making her sad. "I'm not very good at this small talk thing…" he admitted before the door to the armory finally opened and Shepard walked through with her turian squadmate.

"You sure you're ready for this, Vakarian? You look like you could use another few days in a hot tub on the Citadel before you get back into action," said the spectre with a smirk.

"And miss the sequel to Virmire? Not on your life," he said as he reached for and immediately grabbed his long-range rifle. "Besides, only one of us took a two-year vacation being dead."

"Got me there," said the redhead as she looked up at the two behind the counter. "So, word is you've got a new set of armor for me?"

Jacob smiled and pointed over to the open case with a thumb. "Gotcha right here, Shepard."

Her blue-green eyes looked at it and her face fell immediately. "Are they expecting me to punch krogan to death with that?"

"I'd recommend the omni-blades before resorting to boxing," said the soldier smartly.

Sighing to herself, she waved her hand impatiently as Massani entered behind her. "Alright, let's hear its capabilities."

Korlus – Imir System – Eagle Nebula

Inside the shuttle, everyone stared at the battle raging below. Shepard was the first to speak as they avoided oncoming rocket fire. "You said you sent Okeer the message that we were coming to get him, right?!" shouted the spectre as Miranda swerved the vehicle away from a rather slow-moving explosive.

"He said he would prepare for our arrival!" snapped Miranda as she dodged three more oncoming projectiles by practically nosediving the shuttle into what looked like a scrap yard.

"He's a krogan!" shouted Garrus from the back as he flexed his armored neck. "This is probably a welcoming party he set up. If you don't want any surprises in the future I'd recommend asking for more details!"

"I'll keep that in mind!" growled Miranda as she skidded the craft to a halt. "If we try and fly all the way to the compound, we'll be killed before we can even find him. We'll have to go on foot and take out resistance on the way."

"Now we're talking," said Garrus in good cheer as he opened the hatch and stepped out into the sunlight.

"Now you're starting to sound like a krogan," said Shepard as she followed him out with Zaeed close behind her. Reaching up, she tugged at the new armor that fit her snugly all the way up to her neck. She was so used to her stealth armor that she almost felt out of place wearing heavy duty stuff. To her benefit, however, she had stronger shields, thicker armor, and the new set was built to adapt to her enhanced abilities.

Suddenly, they were all alerted to the sound of a woman's voice. "There is only one measure of success. Kill or be killed. Any who are too weak to fend off this attack will be killed and replaced when the krogan are under control again!"

Garrus shook his head. "Loudspeakers? Someone likes the sound of their own voice."

Zaeed stepped up to him and shook his head. "Jedore Maxwell. Pretty sure she'd shag her own voice if it were possible. Entire family is the same. Narcissists all of 'em."

"Let's move. We don't have a lot of ground to cover but I imagine it's not going to be an easy stroll," ordered Shepard as she activated her combat sensors, then recalled Jacob's explanation of the tech armor. Turning it on as well, she looked like an absolute juggernaut. "Hell."

Garrus took a step back and eyed her up and down. "I see you've gotten some upgrades. You look like you're prepared for all out war, not a scuffle with some security company."

"I stand out like a sore thumb. I'm not used to being the center of attention on the battlefield," said the spectre sternly as she began to move forward. It took less than a minute of moving through the junkyard filled with the corpses of decommissioned ships before a band of grey-armored soldiers began firing on them. "Vakarian, make sure they don't hit us with the heavy stuff. Lawson, disable anyone you see pop their head up. Massani, with me!" she snapped before inhaling sharply. She could feel it again, the air around her thickening as if she had suddenly fallen into a shallow pond, the sounds becoming louder, her vision becoming crystal clear. The mere sound of their weapons firing started her heart beating, and the feeling washed over her. Making sure everyone was set up, she broke from cover and swung her semi-automatic rifle upwards. Garrus's sniper already echoed as her vision picked up the flash of a rocket launcher exploding in one of the soldier's hands.

The man screamed in pain as the flash mangled his armored hand. Directly in front of her was a ramp that led up to a platform where the soldiers were taking cover. On the left side of the ramp a man popped up to fire only to get ripped from the ground with a biotic attack. She raised her rifle at him and pulled the trigger twice in quick succession. Both of them bypassed his kinetic barriers given how close they were and took out his knees.

As she sprinted past him, she could hear Zaeed's fist impact the man's helmet, causing him to spin wildly as they charged on. The battle was over in seconds, but it felt like minutes to her. She felt wired as she walked back to Miranda who held the only living mercenary floating in the air still spinning.

"Please… I'm gonna throw up…" said the man as he dry heaved in midair.

Shepard nodded to Miranda, who dropped him directly on his behind causing him to yelp in pain as both injured legs slammed to the ground. "Shit shit shit… gonna bleed out!" he snapped in pain as he grabbed both legs. Looking up at them, he growled. "Fuck, I knew it wasn't berserkers! You've got range! I don't know who the fuck you are, but I'm not talking."

Her heart still hammering from battle, she raised her rifle slightly and fired two rounds right between his injured legs and uncomfortably close to his crotch, causing him to yipe pathetically before scooting backwards. "I wasn't asking. Tell me what I want to know or I'll get it from the next merc staring at your corpse on the pile."

"Shit, alright!" he shouted holding his hand up to keep her from killing him. "I don't know a lot. I was just sent to kill the overflow from the lab!"

"Why are krogan flooding from the lab?" asked Miranda as she crossed her arms.

"Fuck if I know," he said as he winced in pain again. "Jedore hired the old krogan to make her an army that would obey, and earlier today the power grid went offline so all the tanks opened at once. We were supposed to clean the mess up."

Miranda sighed to herself as Shepard drew the same conclusion. "I'm assuming this was him preparing for our arrival…" groaned the operative.

"Looks like it," said the spectre as she looked back at him. "What was her plan for the krogan?"

"I don't know… replace us? All I know is she wasn't happy with what he was making. All the krogan he gave her refused any order given or tore apart anything that moved. She planned to have some of them loaded in sleeping pods to just drop for scorched earth responses, but I don't know what else she wanted from them," he said gasping in pain.

"Fuck's sake…" growled Zaeed as he shook his head. "The halfwit is loading a bunch of barmy krogan into pods and throwing them at her enemies?"

"I don't know what he said, but yes," said the injured merc as he leaned back against a pile of scrap.

"And you said he hasn't made any stable krogan?" asked Shepard curiously.

"Some, sure. But they won't listen. They just stand around talking about some stupid tank bitch…" he said groaning as his omni-tool lit. Shepard saw it and immediately used her own to jack into his comm system.

"Outpost Four, Jedore wants us to move. We need coordinates on that krogan pack," came the voice through his communicator.

The man looked up at the four people standing above him, his eyes wide. Shepard just smirked as she nodded. "Go ahead. Answer him."

The man's eyes widened even more at her smile. Reaching up, he tapped the comm. "Uhh… patrol, last group dispersed. Lost sight of them five minutes ago."

"Dispersed? Where the hell did they go?" asked the responder in disbelief.

"To the fucking movies, asshole! I don't know where they went! But they're not here!" snapped the man anxiously as he looked between them all.

"Understood. Return to the labs when you're done cleaning up there. We've gotta isolate the cause of the power failure," reported the man from the comm.

"Got it," said the merc as he raised his hands again. "See? I'm helping. No need to kill me…"

"Pretty damn ugly. I'd say that's a good reason," said Zaeed sarcastically.

"Come on man…" pouted the merc as Shepard shook her head.

"Enough," she snapped. "What are the defenses like on the facility?"

"They have guns to take out ships, not ground troops. We aren't built to take on commandos," he snapped at her as he reached down for his legs again.

Miranda glared at the man. "That explains all the shoulder mounted rockets."

"Last question. Where is Jedore Maxwell?" asked the spectre.

"Last I checked she was hiding her chickenshit ass inside the compound somewhere. Probably inspecting the tank room for sabotage," he said as he looked between them all again. "So? Can I go?"

"Dig up some medigel off your buddies here and fix your legs, then get off this planet. If I see you again, I'm finishing the job," snapped the spectre as she severed his communication to the rest by frying his omni-tool.

Maxwell Group Compound – Korlus

Mercs, minor mechanical defenses, krogan. Nothing about this place was easy. Around every corner there were more frantic mercenaries from the Maxwell Group firing at anything that moved, or automated turrets set up by engineers. And when those two weren't being a nuisance, berserking krogan decided to make life hell. The spectre didn't want to admit it outright, but her and Operative Lawson made a good team. Their biotics paired together made the krogan some of the easier targets among the insurgents.

Then again, wild krogan had almost always been easier targets. Bloodrage made them loud, obnoxious, and obvious. Their movements were blatant and flailing almost. The downside was that they essentially became bullet sponges that soaked up an ungodly amount of damage before finally dying.

She found herself confused as she stared through her magnified screen at what stood before her. They weren't one of the berserking krogan released from the labs. Or she thought that they weren't. They were just standing in the middle of a small canyon of dead ships. The Maxwell group that had been there previously ignored them as if they didn't exist. As if it wasn't a threat. But with them out of the way, she found herself waving at her squad to put their weapons down but be prepared.

She slowly stepped up to the krogan and it turned towards her eyeing her with glistening eyes that hadn't seen nearly the centuries of battles that Wrex had, nor had its plate even formed fully on its head. In its place were smaller plates with fresh, scale-like skin between them. It leaned forward and inhaled deeply as it gazed at her, its eyes showing no emotion. "You are different. You are not like those of this world."

She tilted her head curiously. "Different how?"

It almost seemed startled for a moment before facing her fully. "Warlord Shepard?"

Showing just as much surprise, the spectre reached up and tapped her visor, causing its normally dark tinted surface to go clear. "Warlord?"

Miranda stepped forward and interrupted. "How old are you?"

"I am eight cycles old," said the krogan, its shining eyes never leaving Shepard.

"That's just over a week and a half on Korlus. How the hell can he bloody talk?" asked Zaeed as he kept his weapon gripped tightly.

They all turned back to the krogan as it spoke again. "A scratching in my head. As I was grown, the scratching became a voice, teaching me things I would need to know. Walking, talking, shooting, hunting. Then its eyes went downcast. "Then the voice said I was not perfect, and it stopped teaching. So, here I am, waiting."

"Waiting for what?" asked Garrus curiously.

Shepard immediately cut him off before the krogan could answer. "Sorry, can we go back for just a moment? Why did you call me Warlord?"

"The voice inside tank mother. It taught me. I heard it, not like now…" it said as it tapped where krogan ears were located. "But inside. The voice taught me much. It changed to many voices, the voices of heroes, warlords, and conquerors, teaching me things I should know. One of the voices was yours," it said as a finger rose and pointed to Shepard.

Garrus leaned down as Shepard took on a bewildered look. "I guess you can add krogan preschool teacher to your resume."

Reaching up, Shepard placed her hand on her helmet as if she felt a headache coming on. "Garrus… I really wanna punch you right now." Ignoring his chuckle, she continued. "So, what did my voice teach you?"

Seemingly still in awe of her, the krogan lowered its gaze. "You spoke of sacrifice. No krogan warlord would think twice about sacrificing their own or even themselves to win a battle. You spoke of the importance of sacrifice, but also that sacrifices should never be made casually, or ever be forgotten."

She found herself stunned for a long moment at their words. Even Garrus, with his cheery attitude at being back on her squad fell somberly silent. Finally, Miranda spoke. "Well, it certainly sounds like something you'd say."

Letting out a sigh, Shepard shook her head. "What are you waiting here for?"

"Instruction," replied the krogan. "Once I was deemed not perfect, the teaching stopped. The voice stopped. I have not been given a purpose. So, I wait for my purpose."

Shepard's eyes narrowed at the young krogan. "Is that why you're answering my questions? Because I'm giving you purpose?"

"It is," came the simple reply.

Adding all the pieces together in her head, the spectre put Okeer's plan together for the most part. "Okeer wants to get around the genophage not by curing it, but by creating the perfect krogan. Those that aren't perfect are rejected," she said, feeling deep sympathy for the whelp.

Even Miranda's voice held sympathy. "How crushing to be told you aren't perfect before you're even technically born." Shepard could hear it in her voice. She too was designed to be perfect.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Shepard eyed the krogan sharply. "Are you ready for your purpose?"

Immediately, the krogan's face lit up as it stood up straight. "Ready, Warlord."

The krogan knelt its massive frame and Shepard placed her hand on its rocky smooth head. "Be kind, be truthful, and defend those who cannot defend themselves. Get off this world and live. Find yourself a family that cares for you, find yourself friends, and fight to protect yourself, and those dearest to you."

"We will cherish your words, Warlord Shepard," said the krogan as it closed its eyes briefly. Finally, it turned away from them and headed directly for the motorpool outside of the compound.

Zaeed stepped up to her and watched them leave. "You think it's gonna do any of that?"

"I think they deserve the chance to try," she said as she raised her weapon again.

Bioengineering Lab – Maxwell Group Compound

"It took you long enough, Shepard," came the voice of a krogan older than even Wrex. As the spectre entered the lab, she lowered her rifle and scanned the room briefly, noting that he was standing next to a massive incubation tank with an asari next to him.

"Your welcoming parties suck," growled Zaeed as he snorted.

"Maxwell would have destroyed me and my work before allowing you to take me from this facility. I had to occupy her," said the krogan as he turned away from the console and turned to Shepard. The spectre could easily see that his regeneration had started dying out long ago. He had scars, some fresh, as well as a heavy lean onto his right foot which meant the left had been injured. His face had twice the wrinkles she had seen on Wrex and his plate was as smooth as marble, unlike the jagged spikes from the krogan she had seen before.

Shepard's eyes drifted over to the asari as she too turned to face them. But the spectre's eyes narrowed at the familiar visage. "Rana Thanoptis…"

"I'm humbled that you remember me, Spectre," said the woman with a polite head bow.

"I tend to make a note of people I give chances to in case I have to retract the favor," said Shepard as she crossed her arms. "Care to explain what the hell is going on here?"

"I'm helping Okeer with his work. That is all," said the scientist briskly. "If you'd like a full explanation, perhaps we can do so once we have evacuated, as I doubt Miss Maxwell would allow ample time for one."

"So, you're Weyrloc Okeer?" asked Shepard curiously as her own squad meandered over to the tank that Okeer stood next to.

"Spirits… I didn't realize krogan could get that big," said Garrus as he stared up at the hulking figure floating naked in the tank.

"He is freed from all weakness of the genes. He is the perfect krogan," said Okeer proudly as he straightened his figure as much as his age would allow. "But my project is not the reason you are here. It is me you are after, Warlord Shepard," said the man as he began pacing slowly.

"Yeah, about that warlord thing…" said the woman as she tilted his head. "One of your rejected samples out there told me that you're using me to teach them. What's that about?"

"Only the finest warriors and conquerors are used to teach the perfect krogan. You killed Spectre Saren Arterius and destroyed his ship as it attacked the Citadel. You are a spectre unlike thousands of those who came before. You not only destroy, but you put hesitation in the step of any who challenge you. You are more than worthy to teach krogan whelps," he said as he held his arms out gloriously.

"Thanks… I guess," she said as she saw Rana looking at the door nervously. "Something the matter?"

"Jedore Maxwell is just beyond the door in the cloning bay and one of two things are about to happen. Either she's going to get bored looking for the cause of the power outage, which happens to be us," she said motioning to Okeer and herself. "And she's going to see you here, then go berserk herself and kill everyone. Or she's going to realize what the cause was, and go berserk herself and kill everyone. I'd rather we not stick around long to find out which happens first."

"Are you all ready to go?" asked Shepard curiously.

"My project is coming with me. It will take only a few minutes to get the tank loaded into the cargo carrier if your group helps," said Okeer as he tapped the tank with the massive krogan.

"Make sure you bring whatever collector technology you have left as well," said the woman as she turned towards the door that Rana motioned towards. "Does Jedore have access to your records?"

"Only the cloning schematics. She has no access to my real work," said the warlord as Garrus and Zaeed began helping to get the tank loaded.

Shepard's eyes narrowed at him. "But she can still clone krogan?"

"She can have it. It bothers me little," he growled as he watched Miranda lift the tank with her biotics so the others could set it gently on a transport cart.

"Sorry, but that's unacceptable. I made a promise to end krogan cloning, and I intend to keep that promise," she said sternly.

Okeer suddenly swelled up with vigor. "Yes! Just like Virmire! Go then! Destroy every last trace! And if you fall, the krogan will sing songs of your glory!"

Cloning Bay – Bioengineering Lab – Maxwell Company Compound

Nothing but bullshit all day. First the power outage, then all the krogan broke out of the tanks, then half of her clean up squad simply vanished into thin air as soon as they heard about the outbreak. Now she had the rest of the squad cleaning up the mess while she stayed behind and figured out what happened to the power. She was sure she measured the power draw correctly.

Gnashing her teeth together as she looked through the circuitry torn apart by the krogans to isolate the issue. Despite his assurances, she had a sneaking suspicion that her krogan helper might have instigated the outage. But she'd need to find the source and confirm it was sabotage before acting. She didn't want to fry her chances at a krogan army over an assumption.

So, she continued to dig through the mess, her rage continuing to boil inside her with every console she found fried in the incubation fluid that Okeer used for the tanks. Her annoyance didn't get any better when she heard small splashing footsteps behind her. "Finally come to help me, Rana? Or are you ready to tell me why you two sabotaged my project?" she snapped as she hurled away another large pane of the shielding from the tanks.

"Actually, I'd like to offer you a choice," came an unfamiliar altered voice from behind her. Chills ran down her spine as she stood up and reached for her weapon, but the figure immediately shot the weapon off of her side, causing her to wince in pain. "Another move like that and I have my answer."

Slowly, Jedore turned around. She was silently cursing herself for leaving her automated armor in the armory, a decision she made because she didn't want the fluids from the tanks all over it. Slowly, she raised her hands and turned around, staring at the abyssal black armor of the intruder. They had a pistol in their hand aimed directly at her head. "Who the hell are you and why are you in my compound?"

"Jedore Maxwell. Top marks in high school, went to college for engineering, top GPA in all of your classes, started your own security company fresh out of college. My question is was that all daddy's money? Or did you actually earn that?" asked the figure menacingly.

"Who are you and why the hell do you care?" asked the young woman as she glared at them.

"I'm trying to assess how stupid you are," said the black-armored intruder, causing her brows to furrow in rage. But she knew better than to try anything with a weapon umovingly aimed at her head. Whoever this was, they had not even the slightest shake in their stance while holding the weapon. "The krogan in there gave you schematics for cloning krogan. You can either give me your omni-tool and flee this base before I turn it into a glass crater, or you can try and fail to take me out. The choice is yours."

"You talked to Okeer?" asked Jedore, wanting to smirk but not showing an ounce of what was coming.

"He's been taken care of. Now hand over the omni-tool before I take it off your corpse," ordered the dark figure.

With her hands behind her head, she activated the omni-tool and hit a large button on her interface without being seen. Suddenly, a loud explosion shook the compound, nearly tipping herself and the intruder over. But she had expected it, and she used her precious moments of surprise to sprint towards the armory door nearest to her. She got inside and closed the door, then locked it behind her as she turned to the rack where her armor sat, a slow smile growing on her face.

CODEX ENTRIES

Scavs | Slang | Galactic Common
Short for scavengers, it's a phrase used commonly to describe everyone from those who dig through trash for scraps to those pilfering dead or defunct ships for parts.

Lumiline | Biology | Asari
Unlike other species who have adrenaline-based survival responses, asari instead have what's known as lumiline. When the fight or flight response in an asari is triggered, lumiline is released into their system which enhances the strength of biotics while also making them less stable. Unlike with adrenaline, where the effects are much more hidden, an asari experiencing fight or flight will sometimes be unable to contain the biotic aura around them, making them look threatening to potential attackers.

Whelp | Culture | Krogan
Whelp, or whelpling, is a term referring to the early stages of a krogan's long life. Typically, in the age range from birth to the age of one hundred Tuchanka cycles, the true evolution from this life stage only begins once the whelp in question has gone through the Rite of Passage. This often includes copious amounts of violence, bloodshed, and alcohol.