Godo: And now for a round around the ship!

Arch-Daishou: Have fun

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx;

Keeping an orbit around the farthest moon from the last planet of the system, the Normandy was running so quietly that it didn't need its stealth systems to be unseen. They could have been mistaken for a particularly active volcanic asteroid.

Thanks to EDI, they didn't need to make so many micro-adjustments to their orbit. Joker was still in his seat, waiting for his friend to come around for a chat. As the planet came into view from the windows, he was met with a small jump to his system when Naruto spoke up behind him. "So, what's this planet again?"

"God- Damn, you gave me a small heart attack." He felt a bone in his hip start to feel uncomfortably sprained. "Ahhh, and now I got a bone sprain. Thanks, jackass."

"Sorry about that." Naruto truly was; he was only getting there and didn't realize his pilot buddy was so engrossed in the scenery.

Brushing it off and grabbing some painkillers, the flyboy gathered their information on this place. "Fourth planet of the system, Watchman. Frozen planet, with a dozen orbiting objects and hardly any atmosphere. And it seems this thing is ironically not being watched at all, nothing of interest to anyone."

The planet went out of view again as the moon they were orbiting got in the way again. The blonde took a deep sighing breath. "Hard to believe the shit we get into sometimes."

"Like how some of your so-called friends want nothing to do with you because they are too stubborn to hear your side?" The pilot was bringing up Ashley, of course. "Seems to me she should thank you for keeping her from being Collector chow."

Naruto couldn't argue with him; they have been the best friends and family for a long time. If anyone had a right to call out people for being judgmental about something beyond someone's control, it was someone who had been judged for something he had no control over for much of his career. "She will understand one day; try to give her a little slack when she does."

Joker sighed, adjusting his hat, "You are too damn nice sometimes, you know that?"

"Better being nice than a grouchy bastard."

"Fuck you."

"Not my type."

The two glare at one another before both snort out a laughing chuckle. Joker leaned back against his chair, "Still, wish that reunion did better than it did, man."

Naruto shrugged, "Ash might be more stubborn than I am. But as I said, she will come around. Just have faith."

"Be nice if Athame or whoever is out there gave us more direct help," The pilot of the Normandy quipped.

"She points the path. It is up to us to walk it ourselves."

A scoff of amusement came from the brittle-boned man. "Yeah, if she expects me to walk further than a trip to the can, she'll get broken legs somewhere unpleasant in return." The planet came back into view, and he slipped his arms crossed in front of him. "Gotta admit, Cerberus gave me a chair I'd never want to leave. I'll be sleeping here until we need to take off then. Don't blare any alarms for an emergency mission before I wake up, alright? We go on enough suicide missions as is."

Patting the chair a bit, the CO of the ship agreed. "You heard him, EDI. If there's any potential emergency, try to give him an hour heads up so he can get some coffee."

"Of course, Commander. If such a warning can be given, I will try my best." Naruto didn't know if she got the subtle sarcasm, but her next line confirmed a surprising growth. "Would you prefer hot or cold coffee up his head?"

The two men looked at each other briefly before shrugging at the ridiculousness. Still, the blue-eyed biotic was hopeful for her understanding and learning. "For a first attempt, it wasn't too horrible a rebuttal EDI. Keep reading into how humor works. You'll get it down one day."

He traveled around the galaxy map as he left Joker to get some shut-eye. Hoping to check on their shuttle bay, he was too concerned about how he'd talk to his long-lost Mother. He was about to tag the elevator for use when it opened up to meet eye-to-eye with Miranda. "Ah. I was hoping to find you. They say it's about time for them to wake her up, so the crew deck is, officially, off limits."

"That's fine. I was going to the shuttle bay to check on things there. Would you care to join me? I could use a sounding board." Climbing in, he let her have a way off if she had other things to do.

Seems not, as she pressed the button for the shuttle bays and stayed on the elevator with him. "Then consider me an ear, Commander."

Naruto leaned against the elevator as it went down, "What's your assessment of our progress?"

"We are moving along better than I could have expected." The buxom Brunette omitted, "Still feels like we're trailing behind, though."

At that, the blond could agree on too. "I wish we could have saved more of the colony."

"Saving a few is better than none at all, Commander. A bittersweet victory, yes, but still a win." Her blue orbs observed Uzumaki's body language, "But something else is bothering you."

The blond let out a long sigh, "Just processing everything that has been going on."

If Miranda has to guess, that mainly concerns his Mother being alive. "How are you dealing with it?"

"Just keeping myself busy. Working helps me sort things out."

That was true; whenever he had something on his mind, he went for productive tasks that his body could handle as he worked it out. The elevator opened up for them in the shuttle bay. It was spacious and had two rail-launcher platforms for shuttles. The middle of the bay had equipment manufacturing machines for refitting or building parts for the shuttles since they were still in danger of being shot. As he went to check on the last shuttle out, he knew he had to start somewhere. "Tell me, what has Cerberus done to get you to be so loyal to a group that's thought to have nefarious schemes and anti-alien projects that make it out to be such a terrorist group?"

It seemed he worded that in a way that she took offense to as Miranda crossed her arms and gave him a hefty glare. "After everything we've done to prove our honesty, you still don't trust that those were rogue cells after all?"

"I've been slow to trust Cerberus, I'll admit. Most outside your circle would not even give you guys the time of day, though." Opening his Omni-tool, he started diagnostics on the stabilizer thrusters. "Sorry if the question sounded negative, but it's making a point. Everyone else thinks ill of Cerberus, and you can see why. But what do you see? What have they done that you've agreed to trust them? That's my question. I ask because I am giving my trust here if you can't tell."

...She supposed that was true. And it was far better to earn someone's trust than outright make them. Despite how their organization runs, it is for noble goals. "Well, as it pertains to me with Cerberus. They helped me out of a situation that I couldn't escape alone."

Her statement made the blond glance at her, "That sounds odd, being how capable you are."

"We all started from somewhere. Usually, we have to pick ourselves up to find our place in the universe." Miranda paused for a long moment, "Getting away from my... Father, I needed help, Cerberus offered."

"Your father?"

Miranda let out a long, drawn breath, "Henry Lawson."

Recollection came to the Uzumaki, "The multi-billionaire entrepreneur?"

"The very same."

*Huh, last I knew, he was this solo rich philanthropist. Never heard a word about a wife or children.* Seeing the stabilizers were acceptable, he started the rear thrusters for their pivot controls. "Interesting, I thought 'Lawson' was just a coincidence. How does someone like him keep a family hiding from the galaxy?"

The Cerberus scientist saw one of the rear thrusters pivot strangely as she was in thought, but she didn't get to mention it before the superior biotic of the two went around to the other side thruster to fix it. "I didn't know you had an eye for ship repair."

"Work with Joker enough. You pick up on things. Besides, makes me feel a little closer to my dad. Doubt Cerberus has him in cold storage somewhere?" He winced a bit, having just heard how Miranda hated her father. "Sorry, I know not all have the desire to be closer to their fathers. Ignore me on mine. What about yours? How could he keep a capable daughter in hiding? What about a mother?"

"I don't have one," The blond slowly glanced over to the Brunette, "He cloned me from his DNA and doubled his X chromosome to create a daughter." Her eyes were distant while her hands kept working, "I wasn't even his first attempt. Just the one he kept and tried to mold into the perfect Heiress for his legacy."

"...So you can sire heirs..."

Miranda laughed humorlessly, "That was the only thing he didn't get right with me."

The blond collected the dots rather easily on that statement. From the Brunette's gaze, she expected him to say something, but Naruto was silent. "Know a sergeant who couldn't have kids no matter how hard she tried. A few suggested dating an Asari, but she said it wasn't the same. I get why."

Finding the issue, the rotor being blocked by some of the asteroid dust they fly through sometimes, they cleaned it up to help. She noted similar behavior as the buxom biotic pulled some lubricant to them. "Because of the Genphage, many Krogan thought similarly at first before realizing it's not a Krogan child, or biologically theirs due to how the Asari reproduce."

"Many myths surround their mating and reproductive habits; some are conflated more than they are, and others are untrue. But still, he has to be the kind of egotistical asshole to make a clone of his DNA as a woman." As he finalized the dry rub, the dust was wiped out and aired out enough for Miranda to apply the mechanical sludge for easier rotation. "You said to keep and mold. You grew resentful and disgusted by it, rightfully so, and wanted out. How did Cerberus help?"

"My father was a large supporter of Cerberus. I found his contacts and got in touch with them. Explaining my situation and my father's true goals, Cerberus offered me asylum. The Illusive Man personally expressed that they would cut all ties with him. Not long after, I was offered a job."

The rest, as they say, is history.

That would explain her loyalty being so unshakable in Cerberus.

"Like Jacob says, your boss is complicated," Naruto muttered.

"More so than most would like, which is why so many cells think their operational freedom means they can do anything they want, even if it is outside the scope of their missions." As much as she explained it to potential recruits or those asking about their bad reputation, she had to admit it got tiresome. Whether she believed it or not, which she did, it wasn't like she didn't question what they should do about it.

Surprisingly, the scarred Commander didn't flinch or push on the claim this time. Instead, he wondered how big her circle of trusted friends were. "I doubt your dad would let you have many friends growing up, keeping you as secret as can be, and Jacob's the only one I see any genuine respect for from you that isn't strictly professional. Not having many friends a choice or a curse?"

"Jacob..." There was a hint of affection, "Well, Jacob and I are complicated." Naruto understood that tone enough not to say anything, "As for real friends. It was a very small group. Not even a handful."

That sounded about right, and her father likely kept her well away from people to make her the 'perfect' Heiress.

"Sorry you went through that kind of crap," Naruto offered

Miranda glanced at him, "Thanks... Outside the Illusive Man and Jacob, you are about the few to know everything about that."

"I appreciate it. Trust is hard to give sometimes, but it's better to build trust rather than force one." As the joint rotors were cleaned and ready to go, he started the diagnostic again. It was seemingly smoothed out, thankfully.

Feeling a little bold, Miranda thought to ask him about his father. "What about your father do you feel close with regarding ships? Other than the fact he was a pilot."

Catching his chuckle, she could only wonder what was funny about that. He answered with a little pride in his voice. "That's not all he was. He was a prodigy of a shipmaster. Mechanic and pilot, he was as much a one-person crew of a fighter wing in and out of his ships as a tactical genius of a captain of cruisers. Though it's hard to pin down how he was so capable, reports of his capabilities are sometimes hard to believe. That doesn't mean he wasn't good with ships in all aspects."

What little files Cerberus had on Minato rang about true enough. Even with her clearance, she wasn't privy to much about the man. "I've only seen a few items in his file. He was an amazing man, so I hear." There was a surprise on the blond's face, "The Alliance kept a great deal of his files extremely well secure. I likely know even less than you do."

"She's not lying," Naruto kept his composure upon hearing that deep masculine voice he heard back on Horizon. It had been silent until now, but by Althane, what in the goddess was going on with that?

The blond mentally shook it off, "I'll take your word for it. You have been upfront with me since I woke up. Bluntly so."

"I can't say I agree with some of your decisions. I accept them, and you're doing more than the Council ever did."

"I don't blame them for their inaction. There would be mass panic if they told everyone about the Reapers." Naruto reasoned.

Miranda did not see it the same, "It is better to know the truth than being ignorant till the enemy comes to your front door."

"I agree with you," The Brunette showed some surprise.

The diagnostics for the shuttle were completed, and a readout of things for the next launch was good news. But that was secondary, as he explained. "There's never one way to go about things, and disagreements will always happen. But sometimes, it's not about how one person feels. So, yeah. I would much prefer the truth always to be shown to everyone so the many beings in this galaxy can make an informed choice. You and I would fight tooth and claw against anything, even more dangerous things than the reapers." He looked at her seriously. "But to the average family, relaxing and in comfort with lives they've known forever, to know a sentient race of skyscraper-tall synthetic beings are an untold amount of days, weeks, or months away from turning them into slaves or Ash? The vast majority of every space-faring lifeform in the galaxy? What would happen? That is the worry the Council and other leaders have. We can disagree with them. I agree with you that it will cause issues later, but they are doing what they think best to keep things from getting worse from their point of view."

"... You'd still punch Sparatus for his insults, I'd imagine."

A sneering, sour look came across the blonde's face. "In a heartbeat."

XXX xx XXX

Tapping several keys on his console, Garrus glanced behind him, seeing nothing or nobody with him in the Forward Battery. Or at least trying not to be seen by the Turian at least. "That invisibility cloak doesn't mask people's scent."

"Ahh," Kasumi whined before appearing beside the Turian, "Thought I could least snoop around without you knowing."

"Guessing you didn't think to keep your mouth shut, grinning like the Chew-Chair cat. Whatever you had for lunch is pretty potent on your breath." Turning back to work, he hoped he said the human phrase right.

Kasumi chuckled aloud as she stepped behind him to look over his shoulder, which was difficult with his carapace armor being as bulbous as usual for Turians. "Own personal stock of Ramen, Shrimp flavor. Oh, and it's 'Cheshire'."

*Damn, I know that word. Next set of calibrations to test, I'll look up a translation codex for everyday linguistic human slang. It's getting embarrassing. Spirits, Shepard never has trouble with Turian slang lingo.* He was too deep in his grumbling way of thinking to notice that his visitor was checking out his cot.

"This won't do... If you ever plan to have private romantic time with Emily-chan, you'll have to have a better bed to court her in." Her smirk was only getting wider as the eye-set-wearing Turian turned his head so fast his extended mandible smacked audibly against his armor.

"...What are you talking about?" Vakarian mumbled.

Kasumi cocked a brow, "Well, you're super friendly with Emily-Chan when she is around."

"What does 'Chan' mean?"

"Oh, That's from my Japanese culture. We use suffixes as a term of endearment for someone we consider a friend. She earned a 'Chan' for helping me out with Hock." Kasumi winks, but barely visible due to her hood always covering her face. "But you're deflecting Garrus-Oniisan." Kasumi's smile never faded.

The Turian guessed 'oniisan' was another earth suffix from her 'Japanese' culture.

"About being super-friendly? Well, we are friends, after all."

Turian culture was keen on subharmonics and undertones, though they only knew their own as they had harmonic resonation organs in their throats that made it incredibly pronounced over just worded language. So the weapons expert of the room could not tell that Kasumi was using a VERY playful sing-song tone. "Incredible friends. If you hadn't gone alone, she'd have been attached to your hip the entire time. Tell me, Garrus-oniisan, what do you think about Emily-chan?"

"Being attached at the... That wouldn't be very practical or comfortable in a firefight. Besides, she'd prefer to get into the action. I'd rather make my targets drop from a distance."

Kasumi deadpans; *He is seriously not that dense, is he?*

"But to answer your one question," Garrus expressed, "Emily is a remarkable woman and an excellent soldier. I trust her with my life."

"And how about if she might want to get into your pants?" At that, the Turian froze.

Kasumi had always wondered what it would look like when a Turian was as flushed as a human who turned bright red from blushing like those anime she liked to peruse occasionally. She now had her answer, though disappointed that the Dextro race's epidermis and scale structure didn't get as flushed with blood as human cheeks. *I wanted to see his blue tattoos turn red from sheer embarrassment.*

Still, the fact Garrus was even staring at her in shock was a sign she took note for later. Coming out of the shock, he just pointed at her and tried to put that suggestion away from the conversation. "She's not that type of woman! Besides, a dozen things make any attraction like that nearly impossible, and having different amino acids is just the obvious one. Military code and conduct wouldn't allow fraternization, last I checked." Though a part of him that even he didn't know was within his mind was curious, it was ignored quite effectively.

"But we're not a military operation. She's a Spectre with operational freedom on a private ship run by a non-military organization. And you aren't military right now either, Vigilante-san."

...

Ildly checking her Omni-Tool, the Japanese woman smirked as her invisibility cloak activated, "Just some stuff to think about, Oniisan." Within moments, she disappeared as the Forward Battery doors opened to reveal Emily walking in.

Shepard's brow rose, seeing her glaring around, "Something up?"

A mumbled growl came from the Turian, who shook his head, "Nothing."

Trying to find the invisible witch that flustered him was proving a little more difficult, as the new smell masked the former lunch breath. However, his attempts were not unnoticed. "Uh-huh... 'Nothing' wouldn't require an alert sniffing inspection of your workspace, Garrus. Unless my recent shower wasn't good enough?"

As the two-year partner looked at her, he wondered how to dodge the question. *I am not sure saying she smells great right now is a great idea. Maybe it is? Spirits, I must seem like a creep if she thinks I was trying to smell her.* That got him even more flustered, and he shook his head. *Ignore it! I'll worry about Kasumi later.* "Uhm, well... I'm not sure what humans consider good or bad smelling after bathing. I was not particularly smelling for you, but I don't mind how you smell. I mean- Oh boy..." He put his taloned hand to his forehead, much like the human equivalent of a facepalm

Emily deadpans but gives the man a break, "You want some lunch?"

"Yes, please."

The two quietly went into the mess hall to retrieve food while glancing at the medical wing. Kushina was finally awake, her eyes fixed on the two while Chakwas and Sakura kept her in bed. "Glad she is alright," Garrus remarked, offering a respectful nod to the redhead who returned it.

"Imagine it will be a lot to take in for her. Missing thirty-plus years." Emily muttered as they went to the table, "Naruto is doing his best to stay out of this area."

"It has to be eating at him."

"Beyond an understatement. Since the Alliance took him in after that final turf battle, the Reds tried when we were still kids. He's been told how great and honorable his Mother was. He gets into space and meets all sorts of races, with half the Turians he meets talking about her with such regard. Even those who might dislike her still revere her. Now here she is, on the same ship as him, alive, and he has to stay away until she gets her bearings." Getting Garner to start her requested lunch, she sat back and looked at her friend and partner in combat. "What would you do in his situation?"

As he thought about that type of thing, a soft single chortle came from him. It wasn't like he was a stranger to worrying about a mother. "Well, in my experience, if I wasn't allowed to see the Mother, I worry about? My dad would have me shoot targets. As long as I focus on taking out a can or two, I'm not torturing myself wondering if she'd be alright." Garrus shrugged and chose to make it sound like a suggestion rather than the truth it was. "That would probably be the Turian thing to do anyway."

"Nah, sounds universal in my books," Emily muttered, looking over at Kushina, who was reading a data pad given to her. "At any rate, Grunt seems to be taking to the crew."

"Outside those foolish enough to pick a fight with an eight-foot-tall Krogan."

Thinking about it, the one-armed Spectre listed the names of the crew so far. Seeing as Jenkins wasn't with them for this mission. She'd have to see how he has done with his N7 training; she could only think of one. "Maybe Jack? She's a juggernaut and isn't afraid of anything." However, that thought suddenly scared her for some reason. As if she just jinxed it.

"Let's... Hope that they play nice." Garrus tried to help by praying for the best. Jinxing it further.

XxX xxx XxX

Inside the Med Bay, Kushina was trying to digest all she was given, information-wise. Seeing the Turian with the woman who had the prosthetic arm sit for lunch, she wondered if the entire First Contact War was that far forgotten enough for such camaraderie. *I can only hope that's true until I see for myself on the Citadel. I only visited that place once, and it was on and off within a few hours.*

The redhead glanced at the pink-haired girl who re-poured her glass of fresh water. She expressed, "Though I imagine a lot is vastly different than I recall."

"You essentially leaped frogged through time, in a manner of speaking," Chakwas responded at her desk, "And you were remarkably well preserved that you never aged. Physically, you are still twenty-four with no side effects of your three-decade cryostasis. You were lucky, Vice-Admiral."

A deadpan came from Kushina, "Yeah, still getting used to that new rank... For me, anyway." Her gaze grew solemn, "And I missed out on so much." Her hands gripped the sheets covering her from the waist down, "My husband's dead, and my son... He must hate me..."

"He doesn't," Sakura sharply retorted. With her velvet eyes turned to the pinkette, "Naruto's always admired you and his dad."

Chakwas nodded, "My apprentice is correct. He grew into a soldier and man I know you would be proud of."

As much as that was a nice thought and sentiment, the long-sleeping soldier felt differently. In her mind, she was hiding away in slumber as her family suffered. "I was bombed. If he survived, then his father should have, but I doubt Minato would have let my death go unanswered. He would have fought Jack with every breath in his body."

Hearing that name confused them. Mordin was there collecting biological data and keeping an eye alongside Roll on the psychological wavelengths and was the one to ask. "I do not believe Jack was alive back then, or at least not the one aboard this ship. Who is the Jack you are talking about?"

The quick speech of the amphibian-race alien that Kushina barely recognized from after-war data dumps was pretty fast, as always, but she didn't bat an eye on it, as if it wasn't a strange thing. Instead, she caught herself and chuckled nervously. "A... former friend, a long time ago. He's probably long gone by now." Though she knew better.

Sakura kept to Kushina's side, "So this Jack person was the reason you..." The rosette bit her lip, "Sorry."

"It's okay, yeah. I knew that bastard for several years or thought I did, at least." The redhead huffed. "Jack Harper." There was no recognition in the eyes of anyone in the room, making her shrug, "With any hope, he's rotting in hell."

Mordin tapped his chin, "What was the reason for his betrayal?"

"That's... A bit personal, no offense."

"Understood, Vice-Admiral."

Shaking her head, the redhead looked between the three, "I think I avoided this long enough... Or at least think I can handle asking... Can you tell me about my son?"

The medical staff had more than their fair share of stories, but Chakwas didn't want to risk strange and wild tales until they were sure Kushina could handle them. "I'm sure we can tell you a great deal, but was there anything specific you want to hear?"

*Where do I even begin? What happened to our extended friends and family? Was being a soldier his choice? Does he wield the same powers I do?* Though the real question she wanted to ask was much deeper. "Is he treated poorly for being my son? The Turians I spared, left alive, or even helped may have mixed feelings about me. But I know their propaganda on me then was less than flattering. Not to mention, until just before the war, I wasn't under a positive light by civilians for the longest time."

The looks she saw from those around her were weird, or so she thought. They almost looked like she was out of her mind for asking such a thing. Coming up to her, Mordin spoke up first. "Turian-Human relations were extremely tense for years, but do not worry about that. The nickname they gave you, 'Mercy,' is highly regarded. Your status is almost heroic among Turian families these days. Your son entered public record for the entire galaxy when he was thankfully mostly looked upon without hatred or disgust."

"And your family is historically remembered as a beacon of hope, an ideal. I didn't know until I was brought into a good family, but you are definitely in a positive light for all to see." Sakura beamed. "Despite growing up on the streets, Naruto was given a good reception by almost everyone, as far as I know.

Well, that was good to hear, at least. But still stung greatly. Her boy was an orphan fending for himself. "How has Naruto's military career been?"

XXX xxx XXX

Zaeed inspected the M-300 Claymore Grunt had made with their fabricator and the raw materials they had gathered. "Got to admit this isn't half bad. Seen a few in my day, but never up close."

He sat beside the Huge Krogan alongside Jack, who was working on her shotgun. Zaeed's quarters weren't very neat, but neither of his current visitors minded. He just slogged everything wherever he felt like. He had a plaque weapon above his cot, though it was uninteresting to the two with him. The biotic convict scoffed a little at the design. "Even a Krogan can't say that's a light weapon, won't catch my ass wielding that lug around."

Her weapon was the M-27 Scimitar. She even decked it out with purple and blue paint to show her appreciation for biotic supremacy. Though Jack's was nothing to scoff at, it wasn't nearly as good to the large alien with four balls. "At least it'll only need to be fired once for the enemy to die. Anything tough enough to be alive after the first shot is worth my attention or thrashing on the ground without a limb."

"Hey, both of those things can handle a strong firefight. What is this? Who's got the bigger gun compensation?" The glass-eyed merc felt the growing tension. Normally, that wasn't a bother. He could poke fun and tease with the best of them, but he noticed how Grunt was pacing in his quarters across the shuttle bay through their windows as if he had never stopped being ready to gun down people. He clocked it as just Krogan puberty, and he knew how they go through that shit. *Not in my goddamned room, camel-hump.*

"Hey, Shepard's kid." The eight-foot-tall Krogansharply glanced at the grizzled merc, "If you are that restless, go back to your room. Won't have you start smashing things."

Grunt shook his head, "I feel tense, restless. Like everything is hazy... And Shepard is not my Mother."

"Yeah, she is your mom, big guy," Jack quipped, "You only listen to her and no one else."

The rumbling noise from the reptilian-esque alien was loud, and his fingers started to twitch and tense. "I told you, she's not my Mother! I followed her command because she was strong and capable and promised me good fights! Shepard has held her own and kept her word, so I follow her without question."

"Please, I could squash her with my Biotics easily. She's got nothing I can't crush. If strength and good fights are what you want, I could show you a few things myself." Jack glowed as she let her biotic energy flare up. "Not that you'd be any real match for me either; you just bash your head into whatever is closest."

The disgruntled merc's palm rubbed his face. *Great, a Krogan ready to fight to the death, and a stubborn woman with the power to rip this ship apart. Why in my room, though!?*

Shotgun in hand, Grunt cocked it as he got a face-to-head plate of the short human woman. "You wanna say that again? I can take you down anytime!"

"Heard that before from bigger bastards than you, tank-baby! Need a diaper change cause of all the shit you're filling them with?" The flaring Biotics were getting worse.

In a desperate attempt to save his stuff, Zaeed grabbed the old Blood Pack helmet he had as a keepsake and smacked it against the table to cause an abrupt sound. "EY! You two can take it out of my room! Kill each other in his room, you crazy bitch!"

Unknown to them, EDI noticed the aggression levels and gave Shepard a personal update in the dining hall, and she was on her way down. Jack had a glowing ball of biotic energy in her fist, ready to go, as she turned to the mercenary. "Call me a bitch again, and I'll rip out your balls and feed them to you, old man!"

The room door opens, and Emily steps in after hurrying from the elevator, "Enough, all of you! We don't need to Normandy turned inside out."

A dry glance came from the former inmate, "It's called fooling around 'Red,' nothing serious."

Shepard looked to Grunt, who was seething, "Hey." The towering Krogan glared back without her flinching, "Calm. Down." The Tank-Bred behemoth said nothing while staring for a long minute before walking around her and leaving.

Much to Zaeed's relief, "Might want to talk to your boy, Shepard."

"...And you two?"

Jack rolled her eyes, soon grabbing her shotgun, "We're all sunshine and rainbows, girl scout."

"Right, the glowing flare I saw when I got out of the elevator was the sunshine then, huh?" She sighed at the remark of her hair being just tinted red enough to be called on again. *That's it, I'm dying it fire red next time we have planet-side leave.*

Jack scoffed aloud, going past her to be back in her dark corner under the engineering deck, roughly bumping shoulders with the technical combat expert. "I'll paint this ship a rainbow of blood if anyone tries to come at me, fair warning."

With the two gone, the room's occupant was letting out a breath of relief. "Goddamn, that was getting close. Thanks for that, Shepard."

"Keep an eye down here. Anything else gets as tense as I want to know about it."

"Roger that." Putting the helmet up and ensuring he didn't ruin it, Zaeed returned to lazing about.

When the elevator opened, Shepard was going to Grunt's room to show Naruto and Miranda. "What happened up here?"

Emily made it simple but clear, shaking her head and pointing to the ground at an angle, basically where Jack stays. "The two headstrong bulls of the group were close to ripping each other apart up here. Jack's back in her hole, and I will see how Grunt is. You both can go back to what you were doing."

Just as she said that EDI spoke from the hall they were in. "Message for Naruto from the Illusive Man. He says this concerns Tali'Zorah and is calling the QEC room."

The brother and sister looked at each other and nodded, understanding what this might mean. The biotic Spectre returned to the elevator to go up, with Miranda following. That left them to go as the one-armed fighter entered the Krogans' room. "Grunt."

The hulking Krogan glanced over before pacing again.

"What's wrong?"

A low growl came from Grunt, "I don't know. But something feels off; I can't quite sense what it is, but it makes me tense. Agitated enough, my plates are itchy. My mind feels hazy," Growling louder as he neared the windows of his room, he lashed out, slamming his head against the glass. The force was enough to crack the entire window. Grunt looked surprised by his actions before looking back to Shepard.

"See! Why did I lash out like that!?"

Emily thought momentarily, "Anything from Okeer's to tell you about this?"

"No, just old records of our history and battles. The DNA of the Krogan used to make me, along with who they were. But nothing else."

"...Maybe your people would have the answers about this?"

Grunt's blue eyes focused on the thought, "...Our shaman and healers do not leave the Homeworld of Tuchanka." He peered at Emily, "I won't ask any of you to go with me. I can handle this alone."

"Except you are not alone, Grunt. We're a team and can travel to Tuchanka to help you."

Emily's resolution and concern made Grunt pause before nodding, "Very well, thank you, Shepard."

"We'll make for Tuchunka in the next day or so; I'll bring it up to Naruto. In the meantime, cool off from this." She hoped he would do so. The alternative was sending him out and going berserk.

The low, grumbling vocal queue was there, but the Krogan accepted that. "Just keep that hairless squishy one from being around me for a while."

XxX xxx XxX

"Sorry to be abrupt, you've had little time to Recuperate. My sources have a distress call from Geth Space. Seeing as Tali was a priority, I didn't waste time. Initial scans show a Geth patrol has them pinned on Haestrom. A Quarian team sent a signal out only twenty minutes before their communications were cut." The bright-eyed master of Cerberus snuffed his smoke out, having finished it nearly before this call. "I'll give EDI the coordinates. You can be there in five minutes." The man was looking at the holographic image of Naruto, keeping himself from trying to vocalize how he was keeping his word like it was needed. He knew it would only make the report look disingenuous.

Hearing this, the CO of the SR-2 nodded. "Thanks for keeping me informed. We'll head out right now. As soon as we get her settled on board and you give us the locations of the two you forwarded, we'll head out immediately to recruit them."

"We think we know where one of them is heading, but we will make sure after you save Tali'Zorah." Lighting a new cigarette, he smiled inwardly. "And we believe you'll find another friend soon, too. I'll keep in touch."

The call ended, and immediately, the blue-eyed biotic turned and started for the armory. He opened the comms outside the QEC room. "Attention on deck; we're heading out! Emergency rescue mission." He knew Joker was sleeping, so he called the backup pilot. "Kent, EDI will give you the coordinates; I want us jumped ASAP. Garrus, you and Kasumi are still awake? Gear up. I need tech specialists. That means you, too, Sis. Volunteers still awake are welcome to join in."

XxX xxx XxX

The Far Rim is an area in the Terminus System considered at the galaxy's edge and the beginning of Geth-controlled space. Coming to this area has always been considered dangerous by the Council races and even the Terminus factions. So, when going over the details the Illusive Man sent to Naruto of Tali being in this area of all places drew his attention and concern.

The concern was shared with Emily and Garrus, who reviewed the information on their Omni-Tools, "I can only guess the Migrant Fleet wanted to gather information on the Geth. But even this sounds brazenly reckless," The Turian spoke his opinion.

"I see why Tali took this mission over joining me when we saw each other again." The blond remarked, "But the risks outweigh the rewards."

Emily made her voice heard, "Likely why she chose to do the mission herself than anyone else. No unnecessary risks."

The Turian couldn't help but give a small smirk at that. "You two rubbed off on her. Quarians are all about their community and the lives of their friends and families. She'd probably ask what you would do and thought you both would take the dangerous task yourself to keep others from harm."

The team was waiting in the shuttle bay, well, most of them. Kasumi was cloaked and listening in but wouldn't show herself until just before they launched. No one else volunteered, but as she got the call, Emily Shepard told Grunt to calm down or sleep to keep himself from tearing the place apart until they went to Tuchunka. *Seeing Wrex's face when Naruto shows up will be interesting. Haven't talked to him for half a year now.* Was her thought at the time. But before grabbing her gear, she quickly gave Jack the order to come along so that the recent clash with her and Grunt didn't escalate further with her gone.

Answering her friend in blue, though, "She's become quite capable since she joined us back on the Citadel years ago. I can't imagine she'd pick this mission without knowing the risks."

Stomping onto the shuttle, Jack took a seat, readying her shotgun, "So what crazy fuck are we joining this bandwagon of lunatics this time?"

"An old friend of ours," Garrus quipped while studying the planet they would go to. "You might want to rethink that attire for this one."

"Why, think my tits would be distracting?"

The Turian shrugged, "Hope you are into hot weather."

Having already done her research, the moment everyone else was inside the shuttle, Kasumi pressed the button for the doors to close and revealed herself. "She could use a nice tan, though a sun that can cook a thresher maw corpse without some form of protection might cause more than a tan..."

Shaking his head in amusement, the blonde leader of the group pounded the backing of the wall between them and the pilot to let them know they were ready. Wanting to know more, he asked Garrus for his input. "Why's the sun such an issue?"

"Electromagnetic interference seems the system's sun is causing too much damage to it. Whatever is here must be important to the Quarians to risk Geth and extreme solar radiation exposure." Garrus tried calculating the needed power to keep protected from radiation. "I can make sure the shields we tech users have can protect us, but I have no idea the strain biotic barriers will cause."

Chiming in, EDI relayed another obstacle. "The sun's damage to the planet's protective field is also causing communication failure. Attempts to raise the Quarian team are failing. What are your orders regarding emergency extraction procedures?"

"We find Tali and the team and go from there. Deal with any hostile force that we come across."

A vicious smile bloomed on Jack's lip, "Free reign to tear through any flashlight heads that come gunning for us. I'm all on board."

"Glad to see you focused," Garrus quipped.

The shaved-headed woman pointed to Emily. "She said I should come along and vent my rage outside the ship. If that means making scrap metal from the machines out there? Then that's my anger management!"

Getting looks from everyone, the female Spectre nodded, crossing her arms under her armored chest. "All of you will thank me later. Let's focus on the mission."

The shuttle was already nearing the planet, speeding into where EDI calculated the highest chance of finding the Quarian team. Kasumi looked at the crew and could tell that the siblings and the Garrus looked anxious and ready to land. *Tali must be extremely important to them.* Something about it all had her senses tingling with playful anticipation. *Another crew member to tease? Suicidal mission aside, this is becoming too fun to care!*

XxX xxx XxX

Hearing her son speak with authority was a surprise. Kushina was reminded of her time as leader of her fire squad and how she took command of missions of importance. *Naruto... I wonder just how well you do as a leader. It's not easy. Even I had trouble keeping command of my friends and fellow soldiers occasionally.*

After a final round of psychological tests, the pink-haired woman saw the look on the older, yet young-looking, woman's face. "Is something the matter?"

The revived Mother narrowed her brows. A moment later, she turned to Sakura. "That was my son, right? He's leaving on a mission?"

"Yes. I wonder what emergency rescue mission he has, but he will let us know when he gets back with the rescued on-board." Smiling, the lighter jade-colored eyes spoke of confidence in the mission succeeding.

Kushina felt the serenity of the young girl. However, she had other things to worry about. "Is there any way I can... see how the mission goes? Armor-camera's maybe?"

Hearing this, EDI denied that possibility. "Due to Haestrom's atmospheric interference, communication signals, such as video and audio, are cut out. As such, normal means of tracking mission progress from a command center is impossible."

All was not lost, however. Mordin hummed aloud with an idea. "Normal means irrelevant; you can still keep an eye on the team in the field. Biometric data, still intact, uses signal waves that are not easily interrupted by magnetic interference. Also, orbital cameras of the ship can track surface movement, but only from the above view."

Kushina supposed that was better than nothing at all. She cocked a brow over at the blue holo image of EDI. And towards the image of Roll, "I have missed a lot."

"Sadly, prejudice and fear still rampant of AI dangers," Mordin commented as he worked. "Can see logic for some reasons. The rest is foolish. AI is a life much like any other and should be seen as precious as organic life."

"Thank you, Professor Solas," EDI responded with the others who swore they heard gratitude in her voice.

The redhead shook her head to focus, "Can I be shown my son EDI?"

"It will take a moment to pinpoint where the shuttle is currently." Displaying a holographic image of what the ship saw, the magnification zoomed to where the ship was touching down. "I will let Kent know to keep the ship where we can keep track of ground movement."

"I appreciate that." Eyes glued on the screen, she watched the team exiting the shuttle. She could see a few climbing out and get into a marching formation. Though the team and its movement were visible, it was mostly due to circles around them on the screen, the magnification only getting so close. *Which one... AH, that's a tuft of blonde hair; it has to be him. Just like his father's hair.*

XxX xxx XxX

When leaving the ship, the team started towards the old facilities they saw and were thankfully landed in the shade. But the sun was scorching bugs right before them where cover from the blasted star was missing. "Well... If ever there was a time to regret not bringing my helmet."

Both the Tech wizards who knew him personally, Garrus and Emily, rolled their eyes. They knew he only ever grabbed his helmet in extreme circumstances, like the vacuum of space. However, he was outraged by Jack scowling at the roasted hand-sized bug. "You're worried about your pretty golden mop, shithead? I'm glad I don't get sunburned, but I would rather not find out how much my skin can take getting roasted."

"Let's just take it slow in the shade and VERY quickly through anything with direct sunlight." The Turian sniper commented.

In agreement, Shepard nodded and started forward. "Follow my lead, and your sensitive skins will be fine." Just as she was about to get into the sun, she took off rapidly to the next bit of shade down the hill. Turning back when her shields weren't roasting, she waved. "Come on! We're in a hurry, right?" Her challenge was accepted, and the team followed her lead through. Some wanted to hurry not to be killed by sunlight, and Naruto wanted to ensure Tali was safe.

Making their way to a closed gate and security outlet, the team barged inside to see dead Geth sparking, still sort of freshly killed, and a few Quarians also down for the count. By one, a holographic recorded message was buzzing, unable to communicate what it was trying to alert them to.

"Guess they put that up there in case of a rescue," Garrus surmised

Naruto glanced at the bodies, "Also a warning. Not sure how many Geth, but we keep our heads on a swivel."

"Fight some metal assholes while not getting roasted," Jack quipped.

Typing on her active Omni-Tool, Emily got access to the gate controls. "We can enter at any time. And be ready for a possible firefight."

Everyone gave a nod as Naruto pressed the button. The cracking sound of metal moving had begun. And whatever was passed, the gate wouldn't stop them from saving their cherished friend.

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