Commander Shepard's arms were crossed over her chest on the Normandy SR2's bridge as she watched Mercury slowly grow larger in the viewport. Haestrom had been a mess. Nearly all of Tali's squad was killed and Tali herself only just managed to accomplish the mission the Migrant Fleet had sent her to the planet for. The Geth were proving to be just as big a threat to the galaxy as the Collectors. Shepard knew both groups had ties to the Reapers. The last thing she needed was them to join forces. She had enough to deal with as it was.

"We're coming up on the coordinates you got from Vasir, Commander." Joker, her pilot, said as the ship continued to descend towards the planet.

A glowing orange orb appeared above a projector to Shepard's left. "Shepard, I have scanned the given coordinates. There is nothing in the vicinity." the voice of the Normandy's AI, EDI, said in her robotic monotone.

Shepard's eyes narrowed slightly. "Check again, EDI."

There was a moment of silence before EDI said, "There are no structures or ships on the planet's surface in the given location, Shepard."

"Did Vasir really stand us up? She didn't seem the type. I mean, I definitely got the sense she had a bit of an ego problem, but she at least seemed like a professional with an ego problem." Joker said, rambling as he scanned for a place to land.

Garrus made a humming noise as he joined Shepard on the bridge. "I hope the irony of you saying someone has an ego problem isn't lost on you, Joker."

"Irony?" Joker said, turning in his seat to fix Garrus with an offended look. "I'm not arrogant. I'm confident. I don't say anything I can't back up, which is why I constantly say I'm the best damn pilot in Alliance space, maybe even Citadel space."

"We'll have to put that to the test sometime." Shepard said, a small grin tugging at her lips. She turned back to the viewport and her grin disappeared, replaced with a frown. "Joker's right. Tela wouldn't stand us up. Is it possible that the Collector ship she met on Ilos tracked her down?"

Garrus sighed as he stepped up next to Shepard to look out the viewport. "I hope not. With Sparatus and who knows how many other Citadel officials indoctrinated, we need all the allies we can get."

"Shepard, I am receiving a transmission." EDI suddenly broke into the conversation.

"Is it Tela?" Shepard asked, turning to face the holographic orange ball.

"The frequency is not coming from Spectre Vasir. It is not a Citadel signal at all. I have never seen anything like it."

Hurried footsteps preceded Miranda suddenly appearing on the bridge. "It has to be Rigel. Commander, put it through."

Shepard looked over her shoulder, studying Miranda with suspicious eyes. The Cerberus operative had been quiet about her strange enamoration with Rigel. She knew something, but Shepard hadn't pressed because it wasn't mission critical. Shepard was beginning to think it was time she and Miranda had a sit down and laid out exactly what she knew about Vasir's strange traveling companion.

"EDI, put it through. Joker, be ready to get us out of here." Shepard ordered. Shepard didn't expect Tela to betray them, but she hadn't expected Sparatus to try to kill Tevos either. From now on, she planned to proceed as cautiously as her timetable allowed. The Reapers were a bigger threat than even she had realized.

A few moments later, a male voice crackled through the Normandy's speakers. "Normandy, this is the Blind Well. Glad to see you're still in one piece."

"Where are you? We can't find your outpost. And where is Tela?" Shepard said, her eyes scanning the approaching surface of Mercury.

"Good to see you're not dead, Shepard." Tela's voice spoke over the comm, causing Shepard to relax slightly. "We should be showing up on your scanners pretty soon. Rigel's powering down the new stealth drive."

Shepard frowned slightly. AS far as she was aware, the stealth tech installed on the Normandy SR1, and now the SR2, was the best in the galaxy. Even so, it wouldn't be able to evade scanners at this short of a range.

"Shepard, I have pinpointed their location." EDI said from her projector. "The Blind Well has appeared directly beneath us."

"Don't land next to the ship." Tela said, having heard EDI through the comm. "There's a cave a thousand or so meters north of the Blind Well. Carefully duck under the overhang and land in there. It'll make improving the ship much easier. N… Rigel just sent you a course. Don't clip the rock. It would suck if you blew yourselves up trying to get down here."

Shepard's eyebrows were creased together as she said, "You want us to land the Normandy in a subterranean cave?"

Vasir chuckled. "Don't worry. It's not nearly as decrepit down here as you'd think. Pass through the blue field and land where the lights indicate. We'll see you in a bit."

"Wait, Tela–" Shepard cut off as Tela closed the comm channel from her end.

"What was that about a blue field?" Garrus said, looking between the other occupants of the bridge.

"There is no need to be concerned." Miranda said with certainty. "Commander, should I gather the crew?"

Shepard resisted the urge to narrow her eyes, instead nodding. "Let everyone know we're about to land and tell them to suit up. All non-combatants should stay clear of the cargo bay until we've scouted the site."

"Understood, Shepard." Miranda said, spinning around and sauntering away, issuing orders as she went.

Joker, having leaned out of his chair to watch Miranda leave, slowly turned to look at Shepard and said, "Sooo…I'm not the only one who thinks there's something weird going on here, right? I'm getting more than my usual Cerberus heebie-jeebies from her."

"What's a heebie jeebie?" Garrus asked, confused.

"'Heebie-jeebies' is a human phrase commonly used to classify feelings of nervousness, anxiety or fear." EDI answered promptly.

"Hmm, well, in that case, I'm getting heebie-jeebies too." Garrus said.

"I doubt Tela is compromised." Shepard broke into the conversation, arms once more crossed over her chest. "It's Rigel I'm worried about. He appears out of nowhere and somehow convinces a Spectre to work with him. Between his tech, his skills and Miranda's knowledge of him…"

Garrus's eyes narrowed. "You think he's Cerberus?"

Shepard shrugged. "Obviously I have no proof, but it would fit better than anything else I can think of right now. I can't exactly condemn the man for his affiliation given our own bed fellows, but keep an eye on him."

Garrus nodded. "I'll watch him, Shepard."

"Not to be an ass, but could you two cut the chit chat? I'm doing the piloting equivalent of threading an I-beam through a pin-hole here." Joker said distractedly as the Normandy lowered itself to the ground, skating just above Mercury's surface as it moved towards a revealed overhang leading down into a cave.

Displaying a skill few could match, Joker gently coaxed the Normandy through a space barely large enough to permit its passage as he lowered the ship down into the cave.

Despite her expectations, the cave was not dark from no exposure to the light. Instead, it was even brighter than the cloud-covered sky of mercury. A collection of spotlights as well as a dull-blue glow illuminated the interior of the cave, giving those in the bridge a good view of the cliff walls as they slowly transitioned from rough and unworked to smooth and painted in some places.

As the Normandy drifted lower, EDI said, "Ground contact in five…four…three…two…" The ship rocked slightly as the landing gear made contact with the ground.

Joker turned around with a cocky grin on his face. "What was that you said earlier about testing my skills? I'd like to see anyone pull that off so perfectly."

Shepard shook her head, a fond smile on her face. "Good work, Joker. Stay here and be ready to lift off. I'm not sure exactly how long we'll be here." Rigel had said something about better equipment when he'd first broached the topic of this visit, and Tela's message had only provided coordinates and said to bring her crew so they could be outfitted. It was possible this stop would take all of fifteen minutes before they were moving again.

Shepard picked up her helmet from where she'd left it resting next to a monitor and pulled it over her head, Garrus following behind her after donning his own helmet. Miranda should have organized the others by now, but Shepard wanted to be at the head when they disembarked. Whatever Tela was up to required a face-to-face meeting to deal with.

Shepard entered the loading bay with Garrus. The space was vacant of all non-combat personnel, instead filled with her squadmates.

The most eye-catching of the group was a large Krogan standing off in the corner, a shotgun in his hands. Grunt was slowly looking between the others, nodding minutely at some and growling under his breath at others.

Samara and Thane were nearest to the Krogan and seemed to have passed whatever wordless inspection he was giving the crew. Thane and Samara were quietly conversing, their pistols holstered at their sides.

Mordin was scanning Jacob with some sort of device as the human tried to politely escape the energetic doctor. It did not seem like he was very successful.

Tali stood awkwardly in the center of the loading bay, fidgeting nervously as she looked around the rest of the crew.

Jack and Zaeed were on the opposite wall from Grunt, a fair distance away from one-another, both with their arms crossed over their chest. Neither of them seemed interested in conversation at present.

Kasumi was…presumably somewhere in the vicinity. Shepard still hadn't found a way to spot the thief while she was using her cloaking program. She made a mental note to ask Rigel how he spotted her in the hospital.

Miranda was waiting by the door and stepped forward as Shepard entered the space.

"Everyone is accounted for, Shepard."

"Someone mind telling me what we're here for?" Jack said, sounding irritated. While the rest of those present had donned pressure suits to protect themselves from Mercury's hostile environment, all Jack wore aside from her pants and…chest strap was a breather.

"Tela and Rigel are supposedly going to equip us. Why aren't you wearing a pressure suit, Jack?" Shepard explained.

"Cause they're fucking uncomfortable." the woman said with a glare. "I'll put a barrier around myself if it's too fucked up out there."

"That does not appear to be necessary, Shepard."

Shepard and her assembled squadmates turned to EDI's projection above a nearby terminal.

"Initial scans of the area indicate the presence of a temperature-controlled, breathable atmosphere. Spectre Vasir and Rigel both are not wearing any form of pressure suit or breathing mask. The environment is habitable."

"See? The glowing light bulb says it's fine." Jack said, a cocky smirk on her face.

"Does that mean I can take this thing off?" Zaeed asked, already tugging at the straps for his own pressure suit. "These things chafe like a–"

"I get it." Shepard interrupted, letting out a brief sigh. "EDI, are you sure the environment is habitable? I don't see how a cave could sustain an atmosphere."

"It is safe, Shepard. While I am not certain of the mechanisms at play, the energy field surrounding the area appears to be the boundary of the atmosphere. I would advise you to remain within its borders." the AI answered.

This was strange. Shepard the Citadel was equipped with energy barriers that could hold an atmosphere, but the power requirements for running them made it infeasible to operate anywhere removed from a dedicated power core. It would be easier to power a ship than one of those the size of the one covering the Normandy and the surrounding area. How had Vasir set this up without an extensive power grid?

"Good." Zaeed said, unfastening his pressure suit's latches.

Shepard exhaled through her nose. "Keep your suit on, Zaeed. I don't want that barrier failing while we're in it."

Zaeed grunted, but did as Shepard ordered, grumbling under his breath about paranoia and chafing.

"EDI? Open the loading bay door." Shepard said, stepping in front of her squadmates.

Hydraulics hissed and mechanics hummed as the loading bay slowly opened. Shepard led the way down, Miranda directly behind her and the others lazily following the Cerberus operative.

Looking around the space, Shepard had to stop and do a double take to make sure she was seeing things correctly.

The floor of the cave was made from slabs that seemed to have been cut from the surrounding rock. Floodlights hung from the walls of the cave to illuminate the entire area. Close to a dozen tables stood around the outskirts of the domed, blue barrier. Each table held a selection of devices Shepard was unfamiliar with. Some were clearly weapons, others armor, but she had never seen the exact design before. Outside the barrier, four massive machines dug deep into the stone of Mercury, ejecting small blue cubes of light behind them. Moving about the space inside the barrier was a veritable army of thin, metallic robots. The robots carried tools, rocks and other materials around the area, absorbed in their work.

"What. The. Fuck?" Jack breathed in shock as she moved down the ramp, the only member of Shepard's crew who could manage to get any words out.

A mirthful chuckle drew Shepard's attention away from the milling robots as Tela walked up to the edge of the ramp.

"It's really nice to finally see this from the outside. Good to know I'm not the only one who had their understanding of physics shattered."

"Tela." Shepard greeted as she shook her fellow Spectre's hand. Motioning around the cave, Shepard said, "What is all this? How did you set it up?"

Tela shook her head. "I didn't set up anything. At most I just helped move some stuff around to help get things ready for the Normandy. This is all Rigel. Come on." Tela motioned for Shepard to follow her as she began walking around the Normandy.

Shepard threw a glance over her shoulder to check on her crew; she continued on when she saw most everyone on her heels. The only exception was Grunt. The Krogan was in the process of prying a very large looking machine gun of some kind out of a robot's hands. Shepard decided to leave him to it.

Following Tela behind the Normandy, Shepard was led to a small room cut into the wall of the cave. A workbench and a computer with several monitors bolted to the wall waited for her. A man with his back turned as he poured over the screens in front of him, having a conversation with no one.

"No good. The fuel supply is way too close to the core. If we supercharge it too much, it'll blow everything up… That has its own problems. The whole design of the ship runs contrary to everything we have… True, but then weight becomes an issue. We'd be better off just leaving their current plating and maneuverability. Better armor is pointless if it makes you get hit more."

"Rigel, we've got company." Tela called as she approached.

Rigel looked over his shoulder, and offered Shepard and her crew a short wave before turning back to the projection in front of him. "Glad you guys could make it. Wow, there's a lot of you. Take a look around. None of the weapons have any ammo in them, so feel free to dry fire them. Forgive my poor host's manners, but this is the first time I've had access to accurate scans of the Normandy. We're having to scrap and rework half the plans we had drawn up."

Shepard's eyes narrowed as she walked around the table Rigel was standing in front of, stepping into his eyeline so he was looking at her when she said, "You scanned my ship?"

Rigel raised an eyebrow at her. "It would be kind of hard to improve it if we didn't scan it. Did Fyster get in touch with you?"

Shepard blinked in confusion. "Who?"

Rigel tilted his head and hummed to himself. "The Alliance must not be too happy that you're working with Cerberus if they're refusing to arm you against my explicit wishes. Doesn't matter, we can give you everything you'll need here."

"You still haven't explained what it is I'm doing here."

Rigel looked at her in confusion before turning around to address Tela. "I thought you said you sent her a message explaining things?"

Tela shrugged. "I told her to show up and that we had stuff for her, but I figured it was best to let her experience your…uniqueness herself."

"Fuck's sake, does anyone know why we're here?" Jack called in frustration, throwing her arms wide as she looked around the gathered force.

After a beat of silence, Rigel rubbed his forehead with his hand and sighed. "Alright, the Normandy's designs can wait a while. I'll give you a basic rundown of everything. Follow me." He stepped away from the table, walking back around towards the front of the Normandy where the workshop-like area was. As he walked, he said, "Since it's pretty obvious something else is at work here, I'm letting you all know I have access to technology decades, centuries, millenia beyond that of the rest of Citadel space. While we've been waiting for you to get here, Tela, Nova and I have been debating what exactly to give you all. We've decided–"

"Who's Nova?" Kasumi asked, appearing directly in front of Rigel.

"The voice in my head." Rigel said dryly, not reacting to Kasumi's sudden appearance. "The blue cubes you swiped are useless unless you know how to program them." Stepping around a frowning Kasumi, Rigel continued, saying, "We're basically going to hook you up with whatever weapons and armor you need to combat the Collectors, but we're going to keep it as uniform as possible. Originally, we were going to throw some fusion rifles and rocket launchers at you, but it will be easier if we just stick to Omolon weapons so you don't have to mess with different calibers and types of ammunition."

"I'm sorry, could we take a time out here? Who the fuck is this?" Zaeed said to Shepard, sticking his thumb to the side to indicate Rigel.

Rigel sighed, turning around to address the group. "Right. I'm getting a bit ahead of myself here. For those of you who haven't met me, my name is Rigel. I already know who all of you are. I may or may not have hacked some places that may or may not be illegal to hack to get some basic information on everyone so we could plan out a kit for each of you. I'm going to keep a lot about myself to myself but know that I am dedicated to ending the Reapers and am willing to give you really cool free stuff. Doesn't that sound nice?"

"My mother always warned me not to take things from strange men." Kasumi said, a mischievous smile on her face.

"Then you can go home empty-handed." Rigel replied without missing a beat. "Give me back my Glimmer." He held out his hand expectantly.

Kasumi pulled a small bunch of blue cubes like those spitting out of the machines outside the barrier and pulled them close to her chest before fading from view.

Rigel kept his hand extended, slowly turning in a circle like he was tracking something with his eyes, his eyebrow raised. "Have I really not made my point yet?"

A pouting Kasumi reappeared in the empty space Rigel had been looking at. "I'm going to figure out how you're doing that."

"Best of luck, Ms. Goto. Now!" Rigel clapped, spinning back around to face the rest of the Normandy's crew. "Where do we want to start? Weapons? Armor? Ship improvements? Cup of tea?"

"I would appreciate a cup of tea if you are willing to provide it." Thane said, raising his hand .

Samara nodded. "I too would appreciate a cup of tea."

Rigel blinked, looking between the two in surprise. "I guess we're ignoring the physics understanding-altering technology for a moment and drinking tea. Can't say I saw that one coming. Nova?"

Shepard took a step backwards as a bright white light began to shine directly in front of Rigel. Digital energy shaped like dozens of small cubes flashed into being then vanished, leaving a knee-high table in its wake.

Rigel made a flourish with his hands, motioning to the table. "Tea! Feel free to help yourself. If anyone wants to look at weapons instead, come with me."

Thane and Samara both had contented smiles on their faces as they helped themselves to the tea.

Shepard felt like she was being snapped about like a whip. One moment she was inspecting impossible technology, the next that impossible technology was being used to retrieve tea of all things. Tea.

"Will you be supplying us with your teleportation technology?" Miranda asked as she rushed up right next to Rigel.

Rigel nodded. "We're giving you a transmat beacon, but we're not letting you replicate it. Any scans you take will make it seem like a sex toy and any tampering will result in it self-destructing."

"What." Garrus said, face blank. The whiplash seemed to be affecting him as much as it was affecting Shepard.

"Okay, Rigel, you suck at this. I'm taking over." a female voice Shepard had never heard before said.

The air over Rigel's right shoulder shimmered with bright energy as a small red drone appeared. The drone had geometric shapes similar to triangles sprouting out from it – four in front and four behind. There was a bright blue light in the center of the drone. The small drone floated to the side, all eyes, including Grunt's as he momentarily looked away from the empty machine gun in his hands, followed the small drone.

"Hello, everyone! It's nice to meet you all. My name is Nova. I'm Rigel's Ghost."

"What." Jacob said.

"You have an unshackled AI!" Tali cried out.

A digital sigh emanate from the drone as it turned to face Tali. "I'm not an AI. I'm a Ghost."

The small machine seemed to droop as Rigel grinned. Shepard swallowed nervously as the machine showed signs of sentience. Was it in league with the Reapers? No. Tela would have warned them. Unless she didn't know about it?

"Yes, you're doing so much better than I was." Rigel said dryly as everyone stared uncomprehendingly at the small drone.

"Fuck you, asshole. You at least have the benefit of being something they've seen before."

"You could have just spoken through the speakers and said you were a human talking from the Blind Well."

"But then I wouldn't be able to scan them."

"I could have lied and said you were a measurement drone."

"But then–"

"Okay! Enough!"

Everyone turned to look at Tela as she massaged her forehead. She took a deep breath before looking at Shepard. "That's Rigel and his Ghost Nova. They have been working with me for the past few months and have some really advanced technology they want to spread around to help the fight against the Reapers. They need to scan everyone to get exact measurements for the armor they're designing and will need to look around the Normandy before they can decide on how best to upgrade it. The weapons on the tables are all similar enough to the weapons you're used to for you to get the hang of them in a few hours. The projectiles they fire are from liquid energy ammunition that can be used through every gun and will be extremely effective against Collector shields. They need to know what you want prioritized so they know what to start with. Do you want to look over the weapons, armor or ideas they have to improve the ship?"

Silence fell in the wake of Tela's tirade as Shepard's crew all looked between one another. Jack was the first to speak.

"Why the fuck didn't they just say that?"

Rigel sighed, letting his face fall into his palm. "Fuck it. Let's just do this one at a time. Shepard, we'll start with you. Everyone else, walk around the tables and see if you can find something that looks interesting to you.