"Code Six! Off-world presence! Shift fire from krogan! Hostiles in the compound!"

"Gotta love how they wait until we've nearly wiped them out to notice us." Kacey mused, "I'm offended."

"Likewise." Garrus quipped, "I remember when we'd catch the enemy's attention immediately."

"To be fair, the geth were better communicators." Kacey laughed.

"We have guests in the compound." Jedore seethed over the loudspeaker, "If they're not killed immediately, all bonuses will be denied!"

Kacey quickly shot the loudspeaker; she had lost count of how many she had shot thus far as they travelled through the decayed compound. After they wiped out the latest unit of the Blue Suns, the trio turned around a corner to find a krogan standing idly nearby. Kacey cautiously approached the krogan. Garrus was ready to shoot the krogan as it approached Kacey, she gestured for him to lower it as the krogan sniffed her.

"It did…what?!" Kaidan said shocked.

"Sniffed me? Yeah, that's what it did." Kacey said, "These were tank bred krogan, so they weren't exactly…normal."

"Sorry, I just…" Kaidan hesitated. He could feel something swelling up inside his chest. "I just didn't expect that…from a krogan at least."

"Me neither."

"You…are different." The krogan replied emotionlessly, "New. You don't smell like this world."

"Because I'm clean?"

"Seven night cycles, and I have felt only the need to kill. But you…something makes me speak."

"Night cycles?" Garrus said as the krogan stepped away from Kacey, "Seven days!"

"They must breed them full-size, ready to kill. Not much improvement over regular mercs if they need training." Kacey mused.

"Bred…to kill." The krogan said, "No. I kill because my blood and bone tell me to. But it's not why I was flushed from glass mother. Survival is what I hear in my head. Against the enemy that threatens all my kind. But I failed even before waking. That is what the voice in the water said. That is why I wait here."

"Okeer's voice? Did he speak to you while you were in your tank?" Kacey asked.

"I heard the voice." The krogan explained, "Not like now, with ears. Inside. I called it "Father". It liked that. But it was disappointed, I am not what it needs me to be."

"A breeding program?" Mordin mused, "Trying to escape genophage effects?"

"Escape? Escape was never whispered. Survive. Resist. Ignore."

"I destroyed Saren's cure." Kacey said, "How does Okeer expect these krogan to ignore the genophage if not by curing it?"

"Uncertain." Mordin replied, "Likely irrelevant. Appears Okeer has had no success."

"Can you show me the laboratory?" Kacey asked the krogan, "I need to speak to Okeer."

"The…glass mother." The krogan mused, "She is up. Past the broken parts. Behind many of you fleshly things. I will show you."

The krogan walked over to the barricade and cleared the path for the trio.

"Glad he's friendly," Garrus said.

The krogan turned around to face the trio, "You fleshly things are slow when big things are in your way."

"You could've run or tried to fight your way back to the labs, you know." Kacey said, "Why stay here?"

"I am waiting." The krogan replied, "The voice told me. If they come, I fight. But I will not run, and I will not follow. I am not perfect, but I have purpose. I must wait until called. Released."

"Well, that's not ominous at all." Kacey replied sarcastically as the krogan wandered off.

She led Garrus and Mordin through the narrow passage. As they weaved their way through the husks of former starships, they could hear screaming and shouting from up ahead.

"Stay sharp!" Kacey ordered.

"They're loose!" One of the mercs shouted, "Run for your damn life! They're all free!"

Several mercs turned the corner and opened fire on the trio. With only one small piece of cover available, Kacey decided to remain out in the open and use her grenade launcher to clear the mercs away. She just lost her shields by the time the final merc died. Kacey continued along the path, reaching an area of small pillars with small, metal platforms linking them up. Mordin had quickly spotted a few mercs and Garrus had already begun shooting two of the tank-bred krogan as Kacey dived into nearby cover.

"Who authorised that krogan release?" Jedore screeched over the loudspeaker, "Okeer? I will have order in my compound!"

"And yet you will not have silence in it." Kacey grumbled as she shot the loudspeaker.

Garrus had already pierced through the remaining krogan's armour by the time Kacey had shot them with her incendiary bullets. Once the path was clear, the trio continued down the narrow path, with Kacey hoping they'd reach Okeer soon.

…

"Concentrate fire on my position! Concentrate fire on—Agh!"

"Mordin, do you really need to listen to everything those mercs are saying?" Garrus asked.

"Yes. May prove useful in predicting movements." Mordin explained, "Need to listen. Need to know if anymore are coming."

"What I want to know," Kacey said frustrated, "is how high up this lab is. It feels like we've been here forever."

"I'd assume it's on the upper levels." Garrus mused before smirking, "Do you know what this reminds me of?"

"What?"

"The breeding facility on Virmire." Garrus said, "I remember you kept getting lost…"

The turian trailed off after he noticed Kacey's despondent expression. The soldier simply opened the door and ran through, avoiding Garrus's gaze.

"Expression not as predicted." Mordin mused, "Sense sensitive subject."

"You could say that." Garrus said, "Shepard wait up!"

Kacey was at least happy Garrus didn't tell Mordin anything; she wasn't interested in explaining Virmire or anything of the sort at the moment, much less the other squad-mate that was also with them during the raid. She couldn't afford to be distracted right now. Not here.

"You did get lost." Kaidan said, "Though I assume that might not be the reason why you weren't happy about it."

"There was another reason," Kacey said, "but it might not be the one you're thinking of."

Kaidan looked at her confused, before the realisation hit him like a freight train, "If it wasn't Ash's death then…" his face turned red.

"Yeah..." Kacey said, "Don't get me wrong; I wasn't really wanting to talk about Ash's death with him either but…I was just worried about you. That's all."

"I understand, Kacey." He replied.

"There are three of them! Three!" Jedore howled over the loudspeaker, "Anything can be killed if you do your dammed jobs!"

"Well, if you want something done right," Kacey said, shooting the speaker, "you have to do it yourself."

"Jedore!" Kacey heard a merc through the hacked comms, "Damn it, someone get her off the speakers and out here!"

Kacey silently hoped they were successful in doing so; she was so tired of listening to the woman's voice. A few headshots cleared the mercs away as Kacey marched through the area with Mordin and Garrus close behind. She was getting tired of killing the mercenaries, especially since she thought they were done for after killing Tarak.

She ran up the ramp and slid behind the railing, banging her back against the opaque copper wall. She was becoming reckless; she took a deep breath and tried to ignore what Garrus had said earlier. Now more focused, she quickly managed to wipe out the mercs nearby.

"Squad Four?" Jedore shouted through the speaker, "Outpost? Report! Damn it. Have to do everything myself."

Kacey shot the speaker again; she was at least pleased that the mercenary leader was going to stop with her screaming and shouting through the loudspeaker.

She headed down the other ramp, with Mordin and Garrus close behind. As the trio entered what looked to be a lab, Kacey quickly pointed her gun at an asari that was hiding under one of the tables.

"If you ever wanted more proof that the galaxy was a small place…then this was it. I found it rather ironic that Garrus had mentioned Virmire earlier, only to come face to face with someone we met there."

"Shepard, don't shoot! You know me!" Rana Thanoptis said, standing up, "I shut down the security cams as soon as I saw it was you. Never thought I'd say it, but I'm glad it's you shooting up the place. Sorry. Rana Thanoptis. You let me go when you destroyed Saren's lab on Virmire. Had to outrun a nuke in a utility pod, but it's still a second chance."

"Yeah, I remember." Kacey replied crossing her arms, "I assume you have a good reason for being at this lab?"

"Don't worry," Rana said quickly, "I'm not wasting the chance you gave me. My work here-strictly beneficial. Not for the mercs. Jedore's on a standard power trip. But Okeer is trying to do something good. I can tell. Even if his methods are a little…extreme. Everyone deserves a second chance, right? And sometimes giving one pays off. I take care of my debts."

"What is Okeer trying to achieve here?" Garrus asked.

"It's complicated." Rana explained, "Jedore wants a private army, but Okeer mostly ignores her. He's running the project for his own reasons. I created a mental imprint routine to educate his tank-bred, but most don't get through it. He dumps them for some reason. He wants to help his people, but he's not looking for a genophage cure, and he's not going for numbers. That's all I know."

"Okay." Kacey said, "You know, finding you in a place like this makes me think letting you go was a mistake. You don't want that."

"We agree on that." Rana replied, "Don't worry, I plan on staying as far away from anything to do with you as possible. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to run like hell before you blow the place up or something. I know how you work."

"Try to stay out of trouble." Kacey smirked as Rana ran off.

"Shame, really." Garrus said, "We didn't even bring a bomb this time."

"Should have killed her." Mordin said, "Too much knowledge without ethical boundaries."

"Maybe next time." Kacey said, "Come on, let's meet our warlord."

Kacey opened the door to the main lab, where an older looking krogan was working on a terminal. He turned to face Kacey as the trio entered the small lab.

"Here you are!" his deep voice thundered through the lab, "I've watched your progress. It's about time. The batteries on these tanks will not wait while you play with these idiotic mercs."

"I take it you're Okeer." Kacey said, "You don't seem particularly caged…or grateful that I'm here."

"You may claim to be here to help." Okeer said, "But the formarly deceased Shepard is not a sign of gentle change. Surprised? All krogan should know you. I'm sure Rana has already revisited your actions on Virmire."

"I'm sure you're eager to retell the story." Kacey replied, unamused.

"Such a tale! Saren, the Spectre traitor, threatens to return of the krogan horde by curing the genophage, undoing the gentle genocide of the turians and salarians. But before Saren can deliver his endless troops, in rides Shepard, securing victory through nuclear fire! I like that part. It has weight."

"I didn't have a lot of room for finesse." Kacey replied, "If there had been any other option, I would have considered it."

"But I approve. Saren's pale horde were not true krogan. Numbers alone are nothing. The mistake of an outsider, one that these mercenaries have also made. I gave their leader my rejects for her army. But she grows impatient. It's time for you to take me out of here."

"Personal issues are irrelevant." Mordin said bluntly, "Here for the Collectors."

"I see." Okeer said, "Yes, Collector attacks have increased. A human concern. My requests are focused elsewhere. I acquired the knowledge to create one pure soldier. With that, I will inflict upon the genophage the greatest insult an enemy can suffer. To be ignored."

"His methods were extreme. And they were not ones I would be okay with. But the galaxy needed us to succeed on the mission. I put my feelings aside, if only for a moment."

"Your methods are extreme, but you know how to deconstruct a threat." Kacey said, "Will you help us?"

"Perhaps I can strike a deal to secure passage." Okeer said, "But my prototype is not negotiable. It is the key to my legacy."

"Attention!" Jedore's voice rang through the loudspeaker, "I have traced the krogan release. Okeer, of course."

"Damn. I thought I destroyed all of those." Kacey mused.

Okeer approached the nearby window, where Jedore stood below where the tanks were.

"I'm calling "blank slate" on this project. Gas these commandos and start over from Okeer's data. Flush the tanks!"

"She's that weak-willed?" Okeer spat, "She'll kill my legacy with a dammed valve! Shepard! You want information on the Collectors? Stop her. She'll try to access containments in the storage bay."

"Why so concerned?"

"This tank is pure. It involved as much trial as data. Jedore will be with the rejected tanks. Kill her. I will…stay and do what must be done."