Shepard stepped cautiously through the dimly-lit corridors of the Einstein, her eyes darting to every corner as she took in the extent of the damage. The carrier-class spaceship groaned and creaked, echoing her own exhaustion after their brutal fight with the Collectors. Or perhaps she was just imagining it. It had withstood the battle and carried them to victory, which is more than could be said for some of the smaller craft. Two hundred extra asari on board, their ship lost, might not sound like much given the size of the Einstein's crew, but they didn't exactly blend in with the rest. It wasn't just the stark contrast of the colours of their melody. They were simply out of place there.

The air was thick with tension and the scent of burnt metal, a constant reminder of the fierce battle they'd just endured. As Shepard walked, she noted the crew members scattered about, diligently working on repairs and tending to the injured. Despite their youth, there was a sense of responsibility among them, like a palpable weight pressing down on their shoulders.

Her little Rachni gift made it impossible for her to ignore the chaotic melody of the crew, but she was trying to keep it tightly reined in, only allowing herself glimpses of the colorful melodies that filled the air. In this moment, however, she couldn't help but feel the collective weight of their exhaustion and the raw determination that resonated throughout the ship. The heart of the hive was hurt, the order disrupted, and they would need time to recover.

As Shepard continued her trek through the battered ship, she couldn't help but reflect on what had transpired. She was sure Roy had known the extent of what they were going to face, and he had been just as anxious as everyone else. But in the end, she didn't feel like this had been any worse than some of the harder missions they had tackled already. They had faced impossible odds before and emerged victorious, each challenge forging them into a stronger unit, so by now, they carried a weight of experience few could boast about. She knew that they would heal, both the ship and its crew.

But for now, there was work to be done, and Shepard pressed onward, her steps resolute as she joined her fellow crew members in the daunting task of putting their home back together. Except, there was a little matter she wanted to tackle before. Or perhaps, not so little. Shepard's boots echoed against the metal floor as she navigated the labyrinthine corridors, her keen eyes taking in the patchwork repairs and evidence of battle that marred its once-pristine surfaces. The atmosphere was tinged with deep, dark colours, exuding tension on every note, each crew member pushing themselves to their limits in an effort to restore order to their home. Injured soldiers limped past, still performing their duties as best they could, while engineers scrambled to fix damaged panels and sparking wires.

Part of the chaos was that much of the interior had been repurposed on the fly. One of the hangars had been turned into a medbay, which had a knock-on effect into other parts of the ship. Quarters were reserved for the injured that didn't need medical supervision. Everyone sang the same melody, but not in the same colour. Organized chaos.

Shepard's journey through the wounded ship took her to one of the repurposed hangars, now a bustling hub of activity as crew members worked tirelessly to set up temporary quarters and move gear. The air was filled with the scent of sweat and burned plastics, while the steady thrum of power tools echoed off the massive walls.

Her eyes scanned the scene, searching for a familiar face among the sea of determined workers. It was there that she found Fulle. She had fallen in with the ease of a veteran into the rhythm of the crew, and was at that very moment heaving a large crate onto a makeshift stack, her powerful biotics making the task seem almost effortless. She waited until she was done and, with a discreet nod of her head, she beckoned for the asari to join her away from the chaos. Fulle arched a brow but complied, taking a moment to adjust her burden before weaving her way through the crowd to meet Shepard at the edge of the hangar.

"Everything alright, Shepard?" Fulle inquired.

"Considering the circumstances, I suppose so," Shepard replied, shifting her gaze back towards the flurry of activity behind them. "I wanted to check in on you. How are you holding up?"

As the Asari responded, Shepard listened beyond her words, gauging the color of Fulle's melody with practiced care. Her melody was subdued, pale blues and greens. They had been through a lot during the boarding of the Collector cruiser, but seemed like the Asari was well accustomed to tough battles and close calls.

"Better than some, I suppose," Fulle said, her eyes flicking over Shepard's face with sudden curiosity. "But tell me, Shepard, why do I get the feeling you're doing more than just asking how I am? Are you... listening to something?"

Shepard smiled. Fulle didn't have all the details, of course, but she had some, and she had felt closely what her senses, her reading of others' melodies, felt like. The very reason they were having this conversation, in fact.

"Yeah, you can say that. You heard it too, didn't you?" Shepard finally answered, offering a small, wry smile.

Shepard leaned against the cold metal wall, her fingers tracing the rough edges of a roughly removed panel. Fulle stood beside her, arms crossed and head tilted, her curiosity piqued like a cat stalking its prey.

"Alright," Shepard sighed, relenting to the unspoken pressure. "It's not something I can easily explain, Fulle. Not yet anyway. You got a peek, didn't you?"

"I did," Fulle said, not giving much away. There was a note of impatience in her, and in truth, Shepard was dancing around the issue too much.

All right, now or never!

"So, I wanted to see how you were doing, but I also... I was wondering if you'd be willing to train me."

"Train you?" Fulle said, her surprise breaking the cadence of her melody like a twig snapping in half. "On what?"

"On using this," Shepard said, her vague gesture, she hoped, eloquent enough to convey her meaning."You were able to guide me in just a few weeks. And when we boarded. I could really use your help."

"Me," Fulle said, still taken aback. "Shepard, I'm flattered, but are you sure there isn't someone more qualified? I don't even know the best half of whatever that is."

"Trust me," Shepard replied firmly, her eyes meeting Fulle's with conviction. "You're the best person for this, and I wouldn't ask if I didn't think you could handle it."

Fulle's eyes narrowed as she considered Shepard's request. She shook her head, her long blue fingers interlacing before her. "I appreciate your confidence in me, Shepard, but I don't think I'm the right person to help you train," she said, her voice hesitant.

Shepard's brows furrowed in confusion, and she leaned forward, resting her hands on her hips. "What do you mean? You've already helped me so much."

Fulle sighed, her gaze drifting to a nearby console, where a holographic diagram of the ship flickered with damage indicators. "The truth is, I simply explained the way Asari feel each other's biotic powers. That doesn't make me an expert on what you're experiencing or how to fully control it." She looked back at Shepard, her expression apologetic.

As they stood there, the hum of machinery and distant voices filled the air around them. Shepard's thoughts raced, her heartbeat quickening with urgency. "Fulle, listen to me," she began, her voice firm but gentle. "There's... nobody that can help me. I'm a bit of an anomaly," she finished, offering a half-cocked smile at the end.

"An anomaly?" Fulle asked, her curiosity piqued. "How so?"

Shepard hesitated for a moment, the weight of her secret heavy on her chest. She glanced around, ensuring that no one was within earshot, before leaning closer to Fulle. They could always meld, she thought, but it wasn't something she was comfortable sharing that way. She wasn't sure something unexpected wouldn't pop up

"The coincidence of a very unique individual being friends with an agent of chaos," Shepard said, "and me being caught in the middle."

Fulle gave her a look that was as eloquent as if she had put into words something akin to "are you joking?", or perhaps "are you drunk?"

"So... you got this by accident," Fulle said. Shepard nodded. "And whoever gave this to you can't help you?"

"She-" Shepard closed her mouth and twisted it in annoyance, making Fulle chuckle. With a sigh, she continued. "She already has. She helped me... process it. There's two halves, and she helped me keep them separated. But you've helped me figure out how to use it better than she could. She's too..." Shepard paused, looking for the right word, and not finding it. "Different," she finally said.

Fulle's eyes darted around the repurposed hangar, her gaze flickering between Shepard and the makeshift quarters taking shape around them. She was thinking. But Shepard knew she had piqued her curiosity. During their time together, she had given them a dozen different stories of her time as a merc doing all kinds of jobs, each weirder than the last. It was clear that's what drove her. She was a very, very curious cat.

"I'll consider it," she finally said, her voice measured but tinged with curiosity. "But only if you explain everything to me."

Shepard hesitated, her stomach churning as doubt crept in. She glanced down at the floor, then back up at Fulle, her face troubled. "The thing is," she began, her voice barely above a whisper, "it's not mine to share. If I tell you, it becomes your burden too. A secret that will bind you for the rest of your life. Are you prepared for that?"

Fulle's expression darkened, her interest piqued by the gravity of Shepard's words. She crossed her arms over her chest, her biotic aura shimmering faintly in the dim light. "Are you trying to dissuade me, or convince me?" she replied.

"I'm not sure, but is it working?" Shepard replied.

The answer made no sense, but it was enough to cut the tension and make both of them laugh. Fulle looked at Shepard after a moment and shook her head.

"Not going to say no to that, you've really got me curious with that bait," the asari said. "But my demand stands, I want to know everything. Why explore the depths if you ignore the treasure?"

That had the sound of a saying Shepard was not familiar with, but the point was easy enough to get.

"I'll have to ask then," Shepard replied. "As I said, it's not my secret to share."

"Well, you do that," Fulle replied, and her attention wandered off for a moment somewhere behind Shepard. "Me? I'm going to try and burn my amp a little more."

Shepard chuckled and nodded at Fulle as she took off. Truth is, she had the chance already to ask for permission. She felt a little bad about springing this to Shiala when she was still in recovery, and right after everything they had gone through, but she couldn't wait. The last time her head was this clear, despite everything that they had gone through, was before everything Rachni landed on her. She felt more like herself than she had in quite some time. And it was all thanks to Fulle.

Truth to be told, she also felt a little bad for Fulle. She had baited her a bit too obviously, perhaps, but the asari had taken the bait with real hunger. But the secret that awaited her was quite a weighty one. For humanity it was just galactic history told to them by another race, but for the asari, it was not so distant. The Rachni had made a real number back in the day.

Well, it's not a bad secret. To find that the last survivors are actually quite nice will be a great surprise. I hope.

So, with that, she turned around and headed off for the improvised medbay, hoping that Shiala was still there.

The hub hub of activity across the medbay was just as persistent as it had been the first time she dropped by, but the cadence of the melody was substantially slower. The sense of urgency was no longer there - at least not as present as it had been. Here and there, sure. Some of the critically wounded were clearly still in danger. But the urgency was gone.

Songs of healing.

It wasn't just the physical healing. The hive, the crew, they were returning to harmony. Shepard made her way through the narrow corridor between the privacy curtains, and felt Shiala's melody through the rest. Calm deep blues, she was clearly feeling well. What she didn't expect was to feel Roy's there, as well. She stopped for a moment, listening. The last thing she wanted to do was to butt in at the wrong time. But Roy's song, his distinctive, always-out-of-place voice, was very muted. Asleep? Very deeply asleep.

Shepard furrowed her brow. Something wasn't right. With care, she made her way to the right cubicle and called in a soft voice.

"Shiala?" she said. "Are you awake?"

"I am," came the response. "Come in, Shepard."

Shepard pulled back the curtain, and to her surprise, she found an unexpected reversal of roles. Shiala was sitting on the floor, legs crossed and with a datapad on her lap. Something unimportant, given how she had left it there without a lock and in plain view. And Roy was in the cot, with a monitor attached and showing his vitals.

"What the hell is-"

Shiala raised a hand, stopping Shepard from verbally taking off. "He will be fine, doctor Solus tells me. Chief Morgan here decided to ignore medical advice and, instead of getting the prescribed regime of sustenance and rest, extended his waking hours with one dose of stims too many until his implant, as I understand it, acted up."

"What the hell Roy," Shepard muttered, her hands raising in a gesture of annoyance.

"Don't," Shiala said, catching Shepard's attention. "I think your Lieutenant Chu is reserving the privilege of slapping him to herself." She gave Shepard a smile before continuing. "I'm under strict orders to wait until he wakes up and keep him him place, restraining him by whatever means necessary, until the Lieutenant comes here and gives him, and I quote, a bollocking of a lifetime."

Shepard huffed and shook her head, and a chuckle escaped her. "The privilege of rank," she said.

"So, would you like to wait with me?" Shiala said, gesturing at the ground besides her. "I think I have had enough of Matriarch Galiana for a while," she added, shaking her datapad in the air. "

"Matriarch Galiana?" Shepard replied, taking the offered spot and sitting on the ground next to the Asari.

"She is widely renown for being the first human to establish a relationship with a human," Shiala replied. "But she likes the sound of her own voice a little too much. It takes a long time to read."

"Huh," was all Shepard could offer.

"It hasn't helped me as much as I had hoped," Shiala said.

At that, Shepard chuckled. "Trust me, I wish there was an easy way. Half the time I have no idea what's going through his head."

They both sat in silence for a while, Shepard listening to the sound of Roy's melody, while Shiala seemed lost in her thoughts. In truth, Shepard did understand Roy a little better than she let on, which is why she rarely let on more than she was doing now. The only piece that had never fit, no matter how much she took the puzzle apart and put it back together, was the way he treated her. Outwardly, most people assumed it was about Mindoir. In part, it probably was. But there was something else. It was as if he was afraid of what was to come, of what she would do. No, not even that. She had never felt, not once, that he had anything less than full confidence in her. It was sometimes uncanny. Even when she doubted herself, he was always reassuring and firm in his support. And it wasn't just words. She could feel it with every note of his song, every colour he painted.

"How long is he going to be out?"

Shiala checked her omni-tool before answering. "At least six more hours. Why?"

"Well, I have a question," Shepard replied with an impish grin.

Poor, poor Fulle; you have no idea.

Author's Notes: We're still dealing with the aftermath here, and I was of two minds about it. The main takeaway here was to convey the reluctance of Shepard during her conversation with Fulle, which ended up making the tone of the entire chapter feel the same way - focusing n the details and the slow pace as a way to avoid facing the question, that of Shepard asking for help. I hope it didn't drag, but the slower pace was intentional, whether it was a good idea or not! While Rachni Shepard is fun and all, my ultimate objective was to have her humanity not get lost in the Song, so to speak, and this was one of the ways I wanted to do it. I think I still have to flesh out Fulle a bit more, but we've seen a few things from her already and it's going to be fun to have her land in the middle of the madness. I was also half-minded to move on past all of this and timeskip to the end, but I think that the setup for Shepard's near future is imporant enough to warrant devoting some time to it.

That said, it's been great to hear (or, rather, read) all the welcomes and the support from the reviews, I truly appreciate them! Hopefully this time I'll pace myself better, but truth is, it's more that things IRL are going better, so hopefully that helps and I can deliver some entertainment and complete these stories :) I've got a few sideprojects planned, and one I've already started: A Baldur's Gate III fic called "Chronicles of Aereleth", set to cover events after the game and in a very different way to how I usually write, which I hope will be fun (shameless self-promotion, I know!). Still, Convergence and Divergence will continue to be my main fic focus.

So thanks everyone for the reviews and the support, truly! Just to highlight:

anubis1650: I get what you're saying, and there's a confluence of choices that led to Roy being a bit of a weak MC. That said, I think things will be picking up as we approach the main ME timeline with bigger things coming - truth is, with Shepard on board, Roy is a bit of a "decoy protagonist", which may or may not be a good choice :)

Anyway! If you like what you see, you can always throw a bit of support (which is GREATLY appreciated) my way at:

tinyurl (period) com (slash) y2q9cop6

Thanks for all the reviews! Next time, we're going to get some of the promised bollocking, and a glimpse of how much closer the future is getting. Until then, thanks everyone!