CHAPTER 16: Shadows of the Night

2185 CE

Garrus and Liara insisted on being part of the team to rescue Tali on Haestrom, so I didn't get to see the girl in action. I think I accidentally warped garrus' mind with all that talk of romance, because now he's trying to rescue Tali like she's a damsel in distress.

Liara just wants to spend more time with her own sweetheart, I guess.

Either way, the mission is successful and Tali ends up joining the crew.

'Vas Neema, huh? Isn't that Han'Gerrel's ship?' I ask when she comes back from being rescued.

'It is. It's a great honor to serve under one of the admiralty board.' Tali explained.

'You don't sound happy, though?' I asked.

'It's nothing.' she quickly evades.

'If it's bothering you, it's not nothing. Tell old Gramps here what's wrong.'

'It's just... I'm not sure if I actually... earned it.' Tali confided.

'How so?'

'When I came back to the fleet having saved the citadel from sovereign and the Geth I was a war hero. I'm the most decorated Quarian civilian in the last hundred years.'

'But?'

'But... Han'Gerrel is my father's friend. None of the other admirals asked me to serve on their ships, and I know that my father asked Han about it. So I have this persistent feeling that...'

'You didn't really earn your place?" I confirmed.

Tali nodded her agreement.

'Well, just know that it's good to have you back, and... you've earned your place here on the Normandy, okay?' I encouraged.

2185 CE

With Tali secured, it was time to help out Liara. Shepard of course was going, as was Liara. Kaidan, Garrus, and Tali all volunteered to help too, but I managed to stake my place by mentioning that I knew what to expect, and they'd definitely need a Krogan to deal with it.

We landed on the Ship at Hagalaz and made our way inside, fighting mercs and synthetics the entire way. Liara seemed shocked that Feron was alive, and when I told her that I told her he was, she refuted me by saying that all I did was include his name and a danger symbol.

'That clearly meant that Feron was in danger.' I explained.

'I thought you were telling me that Feron was a danger to me!' Liara shot back.

'Shepard would have understood it.' I muttered, looking to Shepard for back up.

'Don't look at me, even if you were right, you're not the one in this room I'm dating.'

My eyes narrowed.

'Just for that you can take teh Yahg on alone in melee combat.'

'A... Yahg?' Liara asked.

'The Shadow Broker.' I explained.

'But Yahg's were only discovered sixty years ago. The Shadow Broker has been around since I was a child! If not before.'

I grinned at her.

'But that means... the current Shadow Broker... isn't the original. It's passed down! Like the Dread Pirate Roberts! You told me I was right when I said that was unrealistic!'

'And you were right. It is unrealistic. Doesn't make it any less real though.'

Liara narrowed her eyes.

'And Little Shop of Horrors? What lesson were you hiding there?'

'Ah. That wasn't for you, that was for Jack.' I admit.

'Jack is going to end up fighting a giant plant?' Liara asked, oddly excited about that fact.

'No, the lesson was about abusive relationships. You know she joined a cult?'

'I did.' Liara admitted.

'I figured I'd give her some reference point for when to cut and run.'

'I... see.' Liara admitted. There was something in her tone that almost sounded... jealous?

Well, it probably didn't matter all that much.

'Ready to fight a Yahg, Shepard?'

'Sure. But, one thing first. What the hell's a Yahg?'

2185 CE

'So that's a Yahg!' Shepard realized as she walked into the chamber.

'Careful. They're almost as tough as a Krogan, as vicious as a human, and just as smart as a Salarian!' I warned.

'What's that about humans?' Shepard asked, almost offended.

'Shepard, you've met Zaeed, and Kasumi. You can't seriously be asking that question.' I replied.

'Sure, but not all Humans--'

'Shepard, you punched a reporter for asking you a question! Twice! The same reporter!'

'That's totally different!'

'Shepard! Grandfather! Lets focus on the Yahg!' Liara suggested.

'Right. Yahg. Once we get it's shield down I'll go wrestle it!'

'That's a ridiculous idea! It's almost twice your size!' Liara protested.

'It ain't the size, Kid! It's the mass!" I shouted, unloading an overload to drop the thing's shield and then a flurry of inferno rounds with my trusty NK-47.

Honestly, that line would probably go down better if I had tackled the Shadow Broker when saying it, but oddly enough, battles don't always conform perfectly to witty banter.

When the Broker began to recharge it's armor and shields, I hit it with a football tackle; knocking it out of the beam. Shepard took down the generator, and from there it was mostly a firefight with me punching the Yahg and keeping it distracted while Liara hit it with Biotics and Shepard shot it until finally, the beast died.

'Shame to ruin a suit this nice.' I admitted, staring at the burned tatters which used to be the Yahg's 'bullet-proof suit.'

'Grandfather... When you said you would make sure I had a new office at the end of this mission...'

I smiled widely.

'Welcome to your new office!' I explained grandiosely.

'I thought you meant you were going to buy me new equipment!' Liara protested.

'I fought a Yahg for you, isn't that even more impressive?' I replied.

'But Shepard also fought the Yahg. I also fought the Yahg. That doesn't count.' Liara complained

"You should probably respond to those messages before the Shadow Broker's network realizes anything is wrong.' I suggested.

'This conversation isn't over.' Liara replied with narrowed eyes.

'Would it help if I got you a Pony?' I asked.

'Where would I even put it?' Liara replied.

'Fine. I'll help you get your next office.' I decided.

'My next...' Liara trailed off, her fingers frantically accessing the Shadow broker's systems.

'Meet me on Mars after Cerberus attacks.' I decide.

'I'll never get used to that.' Liara admits, referencing my future knowledge.

'You don't have to. After the Reaper war my knowledge of the future in the Milky Way is basically nothing.'

'In the Milky Way?' Liara asked, intrigued.

'I know some stuff about Andromeda. But since I'm not going it's not really relevant.' I admitted.

With a final nod, Liara started to take control of the Shadow Broker's network in earnest.

'Come on Shepard. She'll meet us back on the ship. I need a long, hot shower I'm using the one in your quarters.'

'Do I have any say in this?' Shepard asked.

'You could always try and stop me.' I joked.

Shepard looked like she was actually considering it for a few seconds before she stopped.

'You still have that bottle of Kentucky Gold?' She asked.

'You planning to share it with Liara?' I surmised.

'You give me that, and you can use the shower.' Shepard replied, not answering.

'You have yourself a deal.' I agreed.

2185 CE

'Hey Krell, Check out my copilot!' Joker gloated. I looked over at the chair next to him. It had been replaced and heavily modified. It could probably still fit a human, if uncomfortably, but it wasn't made for a Human anymore; it was made for Grunt.

'Grunt.' I nodded.

'Krell.' He nodded back.

'How's he doing?' I asked Joker.

'Better than me when I first started actually, but he has a lot of the same problems, just in reverse. I was way too worried about making maneuvers that were too hard on the Gs, or any big sudden movements. Grunt has the same problem from the opposite direction. His instinct is to go full strength and he's worried about breaking the controls so he's taking things a bit too gentle. And hesitating, just like I used to.' Joker explained.

'Is that an actual risk?' I asked, suddenly a bit more worried.

'Nah. All this stuff is Krogan-rated. Your fault actually. After the Alliance found out what Krogan to do to vehicles accidentally, all military vehicles need to be Krogan rated. Cerberus isn't military, but they use a lot of the same suppliers.' Joker explained.

'Great job, Grunt.' I praised.

'I studied the manuals you gave me. Okeer was wrong. It's not enough to rely on your own strength. Strength alone won't provide weapons, only knowledge can do that.' Grunt replied.

'Just don't forget to keep up your skills with the more Krogan portable weapons we have lying around too.' I cautioned.

'Nothing's more portable than a Ship, Krell. With a Ship you can carry more weapons, and more Krogan than any one Krogan could ever manage without one. A strong navy is the key to military victory.' Grunt pronounced.

I blinked. It was like every time I looked at him, he grew more into his own, unique Krogan. I honestly couldn't be more proud.

'You know, I don't think there's been a Krogan navy since the end of the Rebellions. No Krogan admirals, either. Joker over there, for all his personality suggests otherwise is an officer. He had to go through the same officer training course as Admiral Hackett. You should learn all you can from him.' I suggest.

'Wait, what? Krogan Admiral? Grunt?' Joker asked, shocked.

'Well, he's a bit young yet. It took me five hundred years to become the Warlord of Clan Nakmor. So it might be a bit of a wait. Maybe in a year or two.' I decided.

'Yes. Not just a warrior weilding the most sophisticated and lethal weapons in the galaxy, a Warlord, leading thousands of Warriors all armed with the most sophisticated and lethal weapons in the galaxy. I can feel it. That is my destiny.' Grunt decided.

'Did I... accidentally restart the Krogan rebellions?' Joker asked, only slightly horrified.

EDI lit up. 'The probability of another Krogan rebellion resulting from this course of action is small, but non-zero.'

'Think of it this way, Joker. If we wanna fight the Reapers we're gonna need a hell of a lot of ships.' I reassured him.

'That's not a no, Krell. Neither of those answers are a no.' Joker quipped, worriedly.

'Hey kid, what are you rebelling against?' I asked Grunt.

Grunt pondered then tilted his head adorably. 'I dunno. What have you got?'

Author's Notes: A smaller chapter today. I'm going on a brief vacation for the rest of the week or so, which means I won't be writing as many new scenes. I have more than enough backlog to get through the vacation without any interruptions to posting.