I've known for years about *********'s abilities. No amount of self-convincing would make me believed I was just crazy from surviving a near death experience that day on Virmire. *********'s true form is simultaneously beautiful and terrifying. As his former bunkmate, we spent more time together the other crew members on the original Normandy, which allowed me to get to know him a bit better however closed off he is. ********* is incredibly open with some things and others has a wall so thick I wouldn't be able to crack it even with a biotic krogan warlord.

I'm a little upset ********* is much more open with his powers now than he was with me. To be fair, he did say he has issues he is working through. Did whatever happened with Shepard and Cerberus make him come out of his shell? I'm going to speak with the commander.

"Edi please notify Commander Shepard I'm heading to his cabin" I'm never going to get over Joker's relationship with the AI.

"Will do Mr. Alenko" Edi said.

I step into the elevator. ********* is right. This does take a while. No matter, it gives me time to think. Wait what the hell am I supposed to say? Could Shepard be mad I didn't say anything? I wanted to, but was afraid what ********* would do if I opened my mouth. He blew away dozens of geth without breaking a sweat. I can only imagine what he could do to me.

Thanks to the two little lovely ladies (Liara says I can count her as one) I've been much more accepting of aliens. Since we went our separate ways, I've had the pleasure to work with this badass turian woman on a joint assignment. I've lost contact with her when the Reapers invaded Palavan. I pray she is safe, but I have a feeling she isn't. Eve was awesome. She was the only one able to get Wrex or Grunt to do anything. I hope to see her again after the war is over. I'm in my room. My living space is northwest of the kitchen area which is where I am chatting with Tali and Liara. I wanted to catch up with those two and talk about *********.

I ask Tali how she has been these past few years. Liara has a hard time breaking out of her shadow broker mode and would have told everything that had happened if she didn't catch herself.

Tali tells us "Things have been absolutely amazing. ********* and I started what humans call dating and I've never been happier. My relationship with my father has improved. As sad as it is, the war has helped my people out financially. I feel a little guilty my life is so wonderful knowing what's happening to a lot of other people in the galaxy."

Liara tells her "You must not worry on things you can't control. Focus on your life. It pleases me that you're happy. You deserve it."

"I have to ask, how did you two even get together? Did he ask you out?"

Tali says "I asked him. Actually, we got to talking about my suit and how linking our systems meant to my kind and of course he had to know that, and he asked if I meant, and do not worry Liara, Shepard. I told him no then either Ken or Gabby, I don't remember, called him out for being blunt and I confessed my feelings for him. I was so nervous and scared he would reject me, because I am a quarian, but to my surprise he gave me a chance."

"How did you react when he showed you his powers?"

Tali answers "I already knew at that point. He reluctantly showed us, and it made things heated on the Normandy for a while. While I don't understand it and ancestors, he really tried explaining it to me, I felt sad how the others were distancing themselves from him and I remember how that felt the first time I was on my pilgrimage. We stayed friends and ********* was very grateful and appreciated it."

Liara says "whenever I spoke to either you or your cherished, one only speaks kind loving words about the other. You seem to have a good thing. May I ask, does it feel uncomfortable bonding to someone much older than you?"

Tali answers "I don't like to think about it. But he looks around my age, acts young and is childish but in a cute way."

"Not going to lie. This is really weird."

Tali asks "which part?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't in his world you're a fictional character? That feels sort of predatory to me. I mean no disrespect to him, but you see what I am getting at. I knew he liked you on the original Normandy. You should have seen his face when he was struggling not to look at you when your back faced him. He tried really hard and was successful most of the time."

Liara says "yes, I meant to discuss this with you but did not know how to broach the subject. I worry for you. As a member of a race with a longer lifespan, we perceive time differently. Unfortunately, there are devious few who use psychological tricks and long-term manipulation tactics to subconsciously influence starting a romantic relationship. It's frowned upon in my culture. Have you noticed anything such as what I described with him?"

Tali answers "not like that. He said he loves to plant phrases or jokes well into advance to give his future self-something to laugh at. But our relationship started organically. He wouldn't do that and in the beginning of our bonding, ********* was noticeably uncomfortable. It was one of our first fights."

"You fought with him?"

Tali answers "we fight like any other couple. We both hate it and agree to minimize it from happening. At first, I thought he was hesitant about dating a quarian and I told him I wasn't going to be with someone who was ashamed of being with me. I forgot he doesn't have those cultural taboos. He told me he has a rule against dating main characters and why. I understood and told him to try to get the real me and he did. Next we had a really big fight over Legion."

"What's Legion?"

Tali answers "that is what we called the geth unit. The one we are going to rescue. ********* was really mad how I first treated Legion. I didn't know any better. He told me to give him a chance and I begrudgingly I did. It's a good thing I did because I never would have learned about my people living on Rannoch if I hadn't."

"I was surprised by that as well. The Alliance has scans of each race's home planet and we thought there was no intelligent life there anymore. That was in the report."

Liara says "I was not yet born when the geth rebellions occurred, and it was a shock to me as well and that most of my people were away of that fact and neglect to inform me. But knowing what we know now, it's easy to assume the geth used their advanced technology to mask Rannoch."

"I'm scared something bad will happen to you. What if he snaps?"

Tali says "********* Wouldn't do that. I trust him."

Liara says "you must acknowledge the amount of self-restraint he must have to keep this secret with him and to rarely use his abilities and he's only ever use them for benevolent reasons."

"I don't trust anyone with unlimited power."

Tali says "he doesn't have unlimited power."

"You know what I meant."

Tali says "********* has only been helpful and respectful to us all. I think he has earned the benefit of the doubt. It must be his nature or something as he is helping Grunt with something as we speak."

Ugh I miss my tank mother. The water was warm and covered everywhere. The thick glass walls blocked the noise from getting in. I never had a father figure. The warlord who made me saw me more as his legacy rather than my own person. Not like I had better options for a krogan. The genophage screwed that up too. I'm learning what it like for humans, and I wish I was in my tank now instead of being scolded by *********.

"Grunt what do you have to say for yourself?" ********* asks. His arms are folded, his foot rapidly tapping on the floor which annoys me to now end.

"What I'm just trying to have a little fun. If anything, it's your fault" I knew I dug my own grave when I said it.

"MY FAULT?! Explain precisely how this is my fault?" He shouts.

"Why do you even care? You're not my dad."

"I know but I want the practice for when Tali and I have teenagers. Now I ask again, how is this my fault you got kicked out of the clan?"

"I wasn't kicked out, only removed from being a squad leader because of my botanical hobby."

"Smoking TuChunka weed is not a real hobby. I'm disappointed in you. Grunt you have so much potential, and you are wasting it on cheap dopamine hits" he said.

"Why did you even tell me about it if you didn't want me enjoying it?"

"I'm fine with moderation and when it doesn't affect your performance or health which it is. Bud have you seen yourself in the mirror? Your eyes are dull, and you lost your black rings around your irises" he said.

"Why should I care about that?"

"Those limbal rings are an indicator of your nutrients. They're gone because whatever is in that fun lettuce chelates vitamins and minerals" he said.

"It does?"

"Why do you think you get the munchies?"

The elevator rises to the top of the ship. The commander authorizes my entrance. Huh the door works now. While I hate to interrupt one of the commander's short naps, this can't wait. Whoa! I haven't seen Shepard look this refreshed since… before he died I think.

"Shepard is that really you? What the hell did he give you?" I ask.

"He used some kind of telekinesis to move my brain juices to clean it out. I slept like a baby. I'm not at 100 percent but I feel so much better" he said.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Shepard how much do you really know about this guy? He is a very real security threat. What if he goes rogue? Is there anything we can do to stop him or contain him?"

"********* Wouldn't do that. He's earned my trust. While I've known him longer, you knew him first. What did he say to you?" He asks.

"After Virmire he told me about his magic energy whatever and asked me to keep it a secret in exchange for fixing my leg."

"He told me either you or Ashley was supposed to die, and it would have been my choice to make."

"What?! He never told me that."

"I understand what you're feeling. I was the same way except a lot more pissed" the commander grits his teeth.

"Wait… he knew you were going to die? Didn't he? Did he warn you?"

"Nope. He knew I was going to be resurrected by Cerberus and kept his giant mouth shut."

"And you are ok with that?"

"No, I wasn't ok with it. I was fucking steaming when I found it, but now I see why. One I wouldn't have believed him even if he showed me what he could do and two, I saw how the Alliance neglected our colonies. We were supposed to protect those people and instead the Alliance was getting cozy with the council, and it made me livid. If I didn't work with Cerberus, a lot more people would have died. Hell, the Reapers may have invaded sooner, and we would have been dead by now if he said anything. ********* may seem callous but he's been guiding us to the best possible outcome while also respecting my decisions."

"Shepard, does he know this isn't a game. This is real. Real people everywhere in the galaxy are dying and he's doing nothing."

"He's not doing nothing he's going to help us save the galaxy for the third time."

"You're defending him?"

"Damn right I am."

"Why? If he can snap his fingers and end the war, why doesn't he?"

"Because he can't and even if he could, he's afraid how we will turn out if we rely on him for everything."

"Can't he give us the power?"

"I asked him once then he tried raising my vibrations and it felt like fire everywhere. I couldn't control it."

"Damn. That blows. Back up. Is he in pain all the time?"

"He says he's not but does have a very high pain tolerance."

"I'm jealous. Why does he get to have it so easy?"

"He didn't. ********* doesn't talk about his past much, aside his adventures, and the little bits he does say about his world is horrible."

"Where is he from? Didn't he say he was an American?"

"He's from an alternate history of America. Early twenty first century I'm assuming based on him saying he saw 9/11 but was too young to remember it."

"Whoa. That explains why he appears out of place. Despite that tragic event, what's there to complain about? I know it wasn't the greatest back then but compared to the rest of the world at that time, it was pretty good."

"Except in his world he witnessed multiple housing crises, a world war, and a pandemic that caused economic problems for years so bad he didn't have toilet paper and tons of other insane problems one after the other."

"He didn't have toilet paper?"

"He told Chakwas that and that is what she said to me."

"I can't even imagine."

"And he did everything he could then got repeatedly screwed over one way or the other and got so tired of it he miraculously found what he needed to leave, hoping to find a better world to have a life in."

"He never found one?"

"He did but that was after he found out he couldn't go to the afterlife where his family is, meaning if he had kids and when they died, he'd never see them again."

"Oh my God. I can't even imagine the disappointment I would feel."

"I know there's more to what he says but can you imagine living through all that and wanting to stay?"

"No I'd want to get the hell out of there."

I ask Tali "what if he is playing the long game. What's he going to do after it's over?"

"We haven't made any plans but I like to fantasize about us becoming permanently bonded, moving to the citadel, and I made a promise I'd adopt as many human babies as he'd like after he nearly ceased to exist."

"Cease to exist? Isn't he immortal?"

Tali says "if ********* uses too much energy, his soul won't be able to maintain itself and he believes his consciousness will no longer be. That almost happened when he saved the barbarians from the mass relay explosion."

"That was him? He's the angel of alpha relay? The batarians swore up and down someone saved them, but it wasn't Shepard. I saw the videos, but I thought it was fake."

Tali says "it was him. He risked his existence saving a bunch of people he'll never meet. ********* Is such an amazing person who makes me incredibly happy and I have to make him feel the same way. He deserves it. Ashley, he's had it really hard and doesn't ask for much. Please don't be too upset with him. He has his reasons for doing what he does."

Liara asks "you wouldn't try moving to Rannoch?"

"I'm not even sure that is possible for my people and I don't care anymore. I only want to be with *********. He's my home" Tali said.

"Tali I'll tread carefully around him, but I can't wrap my head around why someone like that wouldn't try to conquer the galaxy."

Tali says "Talk to Shepard. He knows more about human culture than Liara or I and why exactly ********* left his home."

"Oh I'm definitely going to have a word with the commander."

Huh. That's why I get so peckish after smoking. The food I've been eating isn't that great either. I thought my body was maturing which is why I was getting tired so often. The other krogan said it was normal.

"That sounds bad."

"It is bad. This is your health we are talking about."

"But I like it and don't want to stop smoking."

"Just take a break for a while so your body can recharge."

"How do I do that?"

"You didn't take that pollen I told you about did you."

"I didn't like the taste. How would that help?"

"It's nature's multivitamin. Pollen is rich in many vitamins and minerals. Animals constantly breathe that stuff in for a couple of weeks when it is in season. I like to get pollen from a tree as the deep roots which allow it to get trace elements hard to get from food. Collect it from pinecones when it's in season or buy it online. I know I collected and stored TuChunka pine pollen back at the cabin as I was curious if there was any difference from Earth pine pollen."

"I forgot it."

"I'll teleport over and get it, but you have to promise me you'll take better care of yourself."

"Fine."

"Grunt remember it is hugs not drugs."