MASS EFFECT DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. ONCE AGAIN, MY EFFORTS TO CREATE AN ARMY OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCES HAS BEEN STYMIED BY MY OWN LACK OF… PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING REQUIRED TO DO SO.

Alanna and her squad had a crappy day last time, so they deserve a vacation. Good thing other people are around to pick up the slack.

Mass Effect: Legacy

XII

Tevos, self-proclaimed High Matriarch of the Athamean League, settled on her throne and looked down at her advisors imperiously.

"Tell me some good news today."

Matriarch Itrella began to read from her omni-tool. "The situation with the Raloi seems to have stabilized. There were no shots fired in space, and other than a single Alliance pilot, the only lives lost were Raloi."

Tevos raised an eyebrow. "I fail to see how this is good news for us."

"It gave us a good idea of how quickly the Republics' military will respond to a given crisis," Itrella offered. "They were also only able to provide a few frigates, which suggests that they do not feel confident sending any heavier assets beyond their borders."

"Very well." Tevos shifted her gaze to another Matriarch, but didn't miss Itrella's disguised relief.

That was good, in Tevos' eyes; since forming the Athamean League and crowning herself High Matriarch, it had become necessary to rule through strength of will. Not long ago, she had led by careful negotiation and diplomacy, but she now looked on those methods as weakness.

"Have there been any further gains in territory?" Tevos asked.

"None, High Matriarch," another Matriarch said. "The Salarians have refused our ancestral claim on Yula, and our citizens on several Republics-held worlds were forced to return to us."

"Unfortunate." Tevos had had hopes for Yula. "How prepared are we for war, General Ky'Goss?"

More than one Asari flinched as Illa Ky'Goss limped into the throne room. Shortly before her capture, she had been badly injured, and had refused all but the most necessary medical attention by the Alliance. By the time she'd been returned to her people, her injuries had set. The skin on her left arm was badly burned, and looked like a purple tree branch that had withered; scars from shrapnel crisscrossed her face, and nearly half of her crests had been torn away.

For a race that prized beauty and elegance, Ky'Goss was a monster.

"If I'm being blunt, we're not ready at all," the general rasped. "It's not like we had an organized secession; lots of units just broke away however they pleased. It'll take months for us to get what we have into an effective fighting force, and that's our most optimistic estimate."

"Is there any good news?" Tevos asked her.

"Some. Our equipment is in good order, but the facilities we have to maintain our ships aren't adequate for the job. We either need to build them, buy them, or steal them without starting another war." Ky'Goss shrugged. "Numbers are a different matter. We've got enough bodies to take on the Republics, but that could change if we have to fight the entire Council."

Itrella sneered. "So, the situation is about as ugly as you are."

Ky'Goss moved surprisingly fast for someone with a limp; it took her only an instant to reach Itrella and put her biotics-encased hand around her throat.

"Say that again," Ky'Goss snarled. "Give me an excuse to tear your oh-so-perfect throat out."

"Enough!" Tevos barked. "General, release her."

"As you wish." Some were surprised by Ky'Goss' obedience, but others weren't; Tevos had charmed people far more intelligent than the disfigured general into being loyal thralls.

"This bickering is pointless," Tevos continued. "The Athamean League is not so strong that we can afford to ignore our true enemy. So long as the Asari Republics exist, our purity is threatened, and that cannot be allowed to stand."

Not long ago, few Asari considered such things as 'blood purity', but the Athamean League's stance on isolation had made it a national policy. The idea that many Asari had been created from unions with aliens was now seen as disgusting. Where once the term 'pureblood' had been an insult, it was now a point of pride in the League.

"General, continue streamlining our military, and strengthening our defenses," Tevos commanded. "First and foremost, Illium must be inviolable; I do not want a single alien or mongrel to set foot on our capital."

"Progress is already being made on that front," Ky'Goss reported. "Less than five percent of the non-Asari population remains; the rest have either been deported or executed."

"And because we've confiscated the aliens' goods and finances, our people are quite pleased," Itrella added, eager to get into Tevos' good books again. "In fact, the latest survey says that the majority of the population wants to claim more resources, as is our right."

"They will have to be patient," Tevos said, as if speaking to a child. "But we can afford to be. In time, the Republics will fall, and the League will be the dawn to their dusk."

…

"Holy shit, she's insane," the Alliance Intelligence observer muttered.

"Agreed," his Geth partner said. "Tevos' mental state is concerning."

"'Concerning'?" The human gave the Geth a look. "She's got a throne. A goddamn throne. How are they this crazy!?"

The Geth pointed to the screen, which showed all that was happening, thanks to the bugs planted days earlier. "Perhaps we will find out if we continue our observation."

"Fine, fine." The human rubbed his temples. "Let me have this for a minute, will you?"

…

Alanna stepped in front of her squad and held out one hand. "Okay, guys, who here hasn't been to Tuchanka before?"

Only Nok kept his own hand down.

"All right, so there are some rules we should go over. We can bring our weapons and armor down with us, but unless we're told otherwise, we are to hand over our weapons any time a Krogan official or soldier asks us."

"It probably won't be an issue," Nok added. "They only do that for government buildings, or the checkpoints near hospitals and schools."

"You have checkpoints at those places?" Tetros asked.

"Yeah, we take the safety of our kids more seriously than we do our officials," Nok said. "We can smell aggression, so as long as you don't go looking for a fight, you should be fine."

Korim laughed. "So, what, we're just a bunch of heavily-armed tourists?"

"It's actually because of the environment," Alanna said. "Tuchanka can be pretty brutal, and there are plenty of areas that are still radioactive."

"Ah, got it." Korim rolled his eyes. "Why are we here again?"

"Because Nok wrangled us an invite to a maw-hunt," Haley said, and playfully punched the Krogan in question. "That's usually a thing for locals only, right?"

"Other than a few aliens with more money than sanity," Nok replied. "But I sent a message to General Grunt back when we were on Earth, and I said Alanna was interested. He spoke to some people, and now we've got an invite."

Tetros sighed, but Alanna knew he wasn't opposed to this. "How often do people die during these?"

Nok laughed. "That's what the waivers are for."

"Just remember, we aren't technically Alliance military as soon as we leave the ship," Alanna said. "We'll dock at one of the orbital stations, then take a shuttle down to the surface; as far as the locals are concerned, we're just armed civvies."

"Why is that?" Tetros asked, turning to Nok.

"Simple," Nok said. "On Tuchanka, only Krogan are considered true warriors. Everyone else is just… there."

"Sounds rude."

Nok grinned. "Since when have my people cared about being polite?"

"Point taken."

Haley coughed to get their attention. "Hey, when is this maw-hunt supposed to be? And are we gonna stay in orbit until then, or what?"

Now it was Alanna's turn to grin. "Oh, don't worry about that. I've already taken care of lodgings."

Haley blinked. "How?"

"The benefits of being the niece-in-all-but-name to Overlord Wrex," Alanna explained. "I always have a room available in Fortress Shiagur, and I could get an entire wing reserved if I asked. Getting a few extra rooms was no trouble at all."

Tetros laughed. "Ah, the benefits of being related to famous people."

Haley elbowed him. "Says the nephew of the Turian Primarch."

"Hey, I had to earn everything," Tetros protested. "If Alanna hadn't been living under an alias for the last hundred years, she probably could have gotten her own planet if she'd asked."

Alanna shuddered. "Please don't bring that up. It reminds me of when they tried to name that one planet after Dad."

Mantle bobbed his head. "That was thirty-eight years ago. The motion was proposed by the first Shepardists."

"Yeah, and it made my mom cry." Alanna shook the memory away. "Come on, let's go visit Uncle Wrex."

…

The Alliance had some presence in Krogan space, but for the most part, when the Krogan had asked to rebuild on their own terms, their request had been granted. The Krogan space stations were mostly orbiting fortresses, armed with dreadnought-class mass accelerators, missile batteries, and enough close-in weapons to deter all but the most powerful boarding attempts.

Despite that, Alanna had never felt safer than when the Sicily docked within one such station. As she led the squad out of the ship, she was greeted by twenty Krogan soldiers, as well as one wearing robes over his armor, decorated with the fangs and claws of various animals from Tuchanka.

"Welcome, daughter of Shepard," the shaman said, arms held out. "It is good that you have returned to the world your father helped renew."

Alanna held one fist over her heart, one of many ways a Krogan would traditionally show respect. "Thank you for accepting us, honored shaman. However, I was here a few years ago on a training mission, under an alias."

The shaman didn't seem offended. "Considering your fame, it was wise to conceal your true identity until you were capable of defending yourself. However, know that you will always be safe on Tuchanka; nearly every Krogan alive would die to protect you."

"I hope that never becomes necessary." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Nok was gaping. "What? This isn't the first time I've met a shaman."

Said shaman zeroed in on Nok. "Ah, the warrior from Clan Aralakh! You've made quite the name for yourself in recent weeks. Well done."

"Thank you, honored shaman." Nok stared at his feet—not because he was bashful, but because it exposed the edge of his plates in an act of respectful submission.

"I won't keep you for long," the shaman went on as he held out his hand, "but when I heard that the daughter of Shepard was coming, I wanted to present her with this."

Alanna held out her own hand, and accepted a triangular talisman, carved from bone; in the center, intricately carved and dyed, was a drop of blood.

"The Mark of the Blood-Oath," the shaman explained. "When the genophage was cured, there was much upheaval, and no time to properly present such a token to your father, but it would have been passed down to you anyway. So long as you or your own descendants have this, you will always have a friend in all but the most deviant Krogan."

Alanna took a deep breath as the enormity of this honor hit her. "I'm guessing you don't hand these out very often."

The shaman chuckled. "To my knowledge, you are the first alien to ever receive one. It would have been your father's, but…"

"I understand," Alanna said. "And thank you. Should I ever have a daughter of my own, I'll make sure she knows how important this is."

That seemed to satisfy the shaman. "Then I will not delay you further. Enjoy your stay on Tuchanka."

"Wow," Nok breathed as the shaman and his entourage departed. "Never thought I'd see history like that, Alanna."

For her part, Alanna just shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, I'm honored, but I'm only getting this because of my dad."

"Hey, did that shaman look familiar to anyone else?" Korim asked. "I swear I've seen him on the news somewhere."

"Searching…" Mantle twitched. "That shaman is part of an extremist group in Krogan society that venerates Shepard-Commander, but never joined the Shepardists. Instead, they have added him into their clan's culture."

Alanna held the pendant away from her. "Oh, come on!"

"It's not all bad," Nok assured her. "The Mark of the Blood-Oath still has to be validated by eighty percent of all shamans. It just happened to be presented by a crazy person."

Alanna looked at the pendant in her hand. "So, it's still legit?"

"Absolutely."

"Oh. Okay." Alanna sighed and put it away. "Let's get to Fort Shiagur before anyone else interrupts us."

…

Liara leaned back in her chair and tried not to fidget. One of her agents in the Terminus had sent her a message that he had stumbled onto something, but he wanted to confirm his findings before submitting a full report. That had been an hour ago, and the suspense was killing her.

"Shadow Broker," Glyph said, floating over to her. "Agent Delta-Nine has sent a data packet for your examination."

"Finally," Liara muttered, and raised an eyebrow at the rather large file. "He's been busy."

Delta-Nine had been one of several operatives Liara had sent into less-explored regions of the galaxy, searching for evidence of Outsider activity. As far as the Shadow Broker's agents were aware, their boss was staying ahead of the curve by finding out such things before the Alliance and the Council, to sell to the highest bidder. They were only partially right; if Liara was going to give anything to anyone on the Council, it would be to her father.

The file, it turned out, did not contain anything on the Outsiders. Instead, it showed an image that had Liara's blood boiling. The orange and black symbol brought back memories of the very worst of humanity, and the atrocities they had committed.

At first, Liara thought her agent had stumbled upon an abandoned Cerberus facility; more than one had been found after the Reaper War, after all. But there were video files as well, showing men and women in Cerberus armor moving in and out of the base. Their equipment was too neat and uniform to be scavenged and repurposed, and they were moving with too much precision.

Liara took a deep, shuddering breath, and then got to work absorbing every single detail her agent had provided. Once she was done, she was going to have a chat with Miranda about this.

It seemed some dogs wouldn't stay down.

…

"Alanna!" Grunt held out his arms. "Been a while!"

Alanna was quick to tackle the grizzled Krogan in a hug. "Hey, Uncle Grunt!"

Grunt's injuries had healed, but he still had the scars from the attempt on his life. His eye was still gone, replaced by a metal plate, and deep grooves radiated out from the socket; underneath his armor, he had enough scars to make even a Krogan berserker blanch. Still, his arms were strong as he embraced Alanna.

"Welcome to Tuchanka," he said, and gruffly patted her head. "Glad you could actually enjoy yourself this time."

Despite being off-duty, Nok saluted. "Sir!"

Grunt waved him off. "None of that crap, Nok. You want to be respectful, just call me Clan Leader."

"Of course, sir—er, Clan Leader."

Grunt chuckled. "Has he been like this the whole time?"

At first, the rest of Alanna's squad had been ready to salute as well when they saw who was waiting for them, but upon Alanna's reaction, they started to relax.

"Nah, just around you," Haley joked. "Maybe he's looking to get promoted?"

"Probably," Grunt said, and gestured to the hallway behind him. "I'll show you where you'll stay. Alanna, Wrex told me he wanted to see you today, but he's in a meeting with some of the other clan leaders."

"Is that meeting going to run long?" Alanna asked.

Grunt sighed. "No, but he'll need a couple hours to calm down. Those meetings always piss him off; it's why he has them near the end of the day."

Note to self, go with that so I don't have to deal with being grumpy during my own meetings, Alanna thought.

Tetros looked around at the towering walls. "Lots of art around here. Not something I'd expect from a fort."

Grunt gave him a flat stare, made much more intimidating by his single eye. "What, were you expecting torches and skulls on the walls? Now that we have a civilization worth a damn, we can finally have the good stuff."

"Sorry," Tetros said. "Some of those old stereotypes are hard to shake."

Alanna coughed into her hand. "To be fair, Uncle Grunt, I know for a fact that you have skulls on your wall."

"Well, yeah, because that kind of thing is metal as hell."

"He's not wrong," Nok said.

Tetros shook his head. "Then why were you mad at me?"

Grunt laughed. "Trust me, kid, if I was mad at you, you'd be a stain on the floor."

"He's related to Garrus," Alanna reminded him.

"Fine, I'd just give you a concussion."

Alanna bit her lip at the gobsmacked looks from Haley, Korim and Nok. Even though those three knew who Alanna and Tetros were related to—biologically or not—they were still getting used to them acting so normally around some of the biggest heroes in the galaxy's history.

"All right, I think that's enough out of you two," Grunt said, and grabbed both Alanna and Tetros in a headlock. It was friendly, by Krogan standards, but they were quickly tapping out to keep from getting suffocated. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Love you too, Uncle Grunt," Alanna muttered. "Hey, are you going to join us on the maw-hunt?"

Grunt sighed. "Wish I could, kid, but you don't get much free time when you're a general and a clan leader." He paused as a thought occurred to him. "Hey, if you guys are still around over the next few days, I might ask for your help with something. Probably nothing, but there's a chance something might happen, and we could use the extra guns."

Nok growled. "Is one of the other clans causing trouble? Is it those morons in Gatatog?"

"Like I said, it's probably nothing," Grunt repeated, "but, yeah, Gatatog's been blowing more smoke out its ass than normal. Just keep an eye out, okay?"

"Of course," Alanna said. "And if you do need us, we'll be there."

With that out of the way, Grunt led them to their rooms. Alanna waited until everyone but Haley had retired for the evening, and gave her a quick kiss.

"Thanks for coming," she said. "I know this wasn't exactly what we had in mind for a date."

"Hey, our options were limited, and the maw-hunt sounds fun." Haley leaned in closer. "Still, maybe next time, we don't take the whole squad, okay?"

"Absolutely. You, me, and a romantic dinner."

Haley raised an eyebrow. "I'm trying to picture you in a dress in a fancy restaurant, and it's just not happening."

"I'll have you know that I look fantastic in a dress," Alanna retorted, and then grinned. "Or is it you just keep imagining me out of that dress?"

Haley blushed, but managed to look Alanna in the eye. "Maybe I am."

Alanna kissed her again, and her lips lingered for a long moment. "Something to look forward to, then."

"Uh, y-yeah." Haley swallowed. "Goodnight, Alanna."

"Sleep well; remember, we have to kill a giant worm-monster tomorrow."

…

Miranda had been silent for almost an hour, though that didn't mean she wasn't busy. Her fingers hadn't stopped dancing across her terminal, sending one Intelligence unit after another on missions.

James, on the other hand, had been ranting and raving the entire time, and pacing so quickly that Miranda worried he might damager her new carpet.

"I can't believe those fuckers are back," James said for the fifteenth time—Miranda had counted—and sat down heavily. "And we're sure Liara's intel is good?"

"Her agents have always supplied reliable information," Miranda said, "and she confirmed it with two other sources before bringing it to my attention."

"It's just hard to believe that Cerberus is back after all these years," James said. "I thought we were done with them."

"We still don't know if this is really Cerberus, or some new organization that has taken their name and symbol," Miranda said, and then sighed. "Though I wouldn't put it past the Illusive Man to have contingencies in place that would restart Cerberus if they were defeated."

"Would you have been aware of those contingencies?"

Miranda shrugged. "Even before I cut ties with him, Harper never deigned to share that kind of information with me."

"I'm just surprised anyone would be stupid enough to sign on with those bastards," James growled. "I mean, everyone knows what the Reapers did to them, and what they did to all those innocent people."

"I wish I was surprised," Miranda said quietly. "But there are still plenty of humans who feel our species is superior to aliens."

"That's bullshit," James said. "We would never have come close to winning the Reaper War without help."

"Some people would argue that the aliens only came to our aid because of Shepard."

James scoffed. "And those same people would know that Loco hated Cerberus more than the Reapers, Collectors and Batarian slavers combined. He actually let al-Jilani interview him just so he could let the whole galaxy know what kind of monsters they were."

"That's probably why they've stayed hidden for so long," Miranda pointed out. "Even a rumor of Cerberus' return would have sparked a galaxy-wide hunt."

Now it was James' turn to sigh. "Which isn't something we can afford right now—not with the Athamean League and the Outsiders."

"I've already sent teams into the Terminus to see just how far Cerberus has spread," Miranda said. "Once we've amassed enough leads, I intend to hand those leads over to Aria."

James blinked. "Seriously?"

"She knows how dangerous Cerberus can be, and even if these are just imposters, she won't like the idea of them running around in her own backyard. Aria has enough mercenaries and favors to call in to make Cerberus miserable in the Terminus. If she can force them out, and into Alliance, Council, or Hierarchy space…"

"That'll make snuffing them out that much easier." James frowned. "What if they go to the Athamean League?"

"It's highly unlikely that they will be anything but antagonistic to each other," Miranda said. "And even if they do form some kind of alliance, I like to have all my enemies in one location."

James laughed, but it turned into an ugly cough, and Miranda looked up at him in concern.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm old, Miranda," James admitted. "The doctors have said I'm strong for my age, but I think it's starting to catch up with me."

"Try to hang on," Miranda said sincerely. "I'm not ready to be the only human left from the Normandy crews."

James laughed again, and this time, it was strong and healthy. "Don't worry, I've still got a few years left in me. Besides, I know I'll feel better when this new Cerberus is dead and gone."

Miranda smiled. "Well, I suppose that's incentive for me to destroy them as quickly as possible."

…

The maw-hunt was organized and led by an old Krogan named Yurk. It was impossible to know what clan he hailed from, since what little exposed flesh he had was covered in acid-burns. The rest of his body was protected by heavy armor, and his mouth was concealed by a breathing mask.

"Okay, hunters, listen up," Yurk growled, his voice coming out in a wheezing rasp as he handed everyone in the squad an aerosol can. "First thing you want to do before hunting thresher maws is to prep your gear. If you don't want your weapons melting in your hands, coat 'em with this spray; it's a base that will negate the acid. No putting in on your armor, though; if you're gonna do this, you do it the Krogan way and earn some scars."

Alanna quickly sprayed her weapons, and double-checked that her equipment was ready for the hunt.

"Now, we're going after one of the migrating maws in the wastelands," Yurk continued. "Step one will be to keep it on the surface, and that means harpooning it. Once we locate one, I will shoot it with the harpoon cannon, and keep it from burrowing. After it's secure, the rest of you will leave the Tomkah and kill maw. Try not to get too close to the mouth or front legs, or you're gonna have a bad day. And don't take more than a few hits from the acid; I don't care how good your barriers are, you won't survive if you take too much acid. Any questions?"

Nok looked at the old, refurbished Tomkah; its turret had been replaced by an enormous barbed harpoon, but that was the only new component on the hulking vehicle. The rest of it looked like it had served in the Reaper War.

"How come you're the one shooting the harpoon?" he asked.

Yurk snorted. "Because it's my Tomkah, runt."

"Good enough reason for me," Alanna said. "Anything else we should know?"

Yurk thought about it. "Yeah, thresher maws are usually followed by packs of varren. They scavenge whatever the maw doesn't eat, and they're just as likely to take a bite out of you."

Alanna nodded. "Understood. Korim, Tetros, Mantle—you guys deal with any varren. Haley, Nok and I will focus on the maw."

"Remember, thresher maws are weak around the eyes, but if you're feeling ballsy, the legs and mouth don't have much armor either," Yurk added. "But to set up a shot like that is risky, so it's up to you."

The squad followed the old Krogan into the Tomkah, which roared as it drove into the vast deserts of Tuchanka.

Nok saw Korim's leg bouncing, and elbowed him. "Nervous?"

"Who, me? Why would I be nervous? We're only hunting a fifty-foot worm that spits acid, with only a century-old truck and some guns. Nothing insane about that." Korim grumbled to himself for a moment. "How did I get talked into this?"

Alanna shrugged. "Because you'd be the only Quarian besides Tali'Zorah to ever fight and kill a thresher maw?"

"Right, fame and glory." Korim seemed slightly mollified. "We're not getting paid, though."

"Actually, anything we don't keep from the body gets sold, and maw meat pays well," Nok said. "We all get a percentage of the profits."

"How soon before we find one of those ugly things?" Korim asked, suddenly more enthusiastic.

Tetros checked his omni-tool. "According to our guide's nav-program, it's about an hour to where the maws migrate through."

Haley sighed. "So, we're stuck in this box for an hour?"

"At least it's not cramped," Nok said. "If we were all Krogan, it'd be a lot less comfortable."

Alanna wasn't sure if 'comfortable' was the word she would choose when describing the interior of a Tomkah. Hard, dark, smelly—all of those worked, and the troop compartment rattled from even the slightest bump.

"Well, if that's the case…" Haley removed her weapons and secured them in a spare seat, and then sat in Alanna's lap.

Tetros choked on nothing. "Um, did I miss something?"

Alanna glowered at her girlfriend. "This is payback for last night, isn't it?"

Haley turned just enough to gently pat Alanna's cheek. "Yep."

Alanna sighed, and then addressed the rest of the squad. "Okay, yeah, Haley and I are dating now. We're going to remain completely professional during missions, but this isn't a mission."

Nok grinned. "'bout time you two got together. I could smell something going on between you."

"I'm happy for you both," Tetros added quickly.

"If this will not negatively affect unit cohesion, I do not object," Mantle said.

Korim rubbed his hands together gleefully. "I'm just glad I can get back at you two for everything you've put me through."

Haley leaned forward. "You are aware that you'd be teasing both the XO and CO of your unit, right? That's not good for your career."

"Well, I… you…" Korim slumped. "Ah, crap."

Alanna hugged Haley from behind. "Watching you threaten Korim just went from funny to sexy."

The mutual teasing went on for some time, until Yurk informed them that they were getting close to maw territory. Though they were mutually reluctant, Haley got off of Alanna's lap to collect her weapons and get ready.

"I'm picking up surface-level tremors," Yurk announced, and there was predatory anticipation in his voice. "There's a maw nearby… yeah, he's a big one, surface body's at least twenty meters long, maybe bigger!"

"Is that a problem?" Alanna asked.

"It'll be a challenge," Yurk admitted. "If you're gonna hunt a maw bigger than fifteen surface meters, you need more than one team. We can try to find a smaller one, if you're not up to it."

Alanna could hear the taunt in the old Krogan's voice. If this had been an Alliance mission, she would have kept her cool and not risen to the bait, but this was a maw-hunt—it was meant to challenge the hunters, and push them past their limits. Judging from the excited looks from her squad—aside from Mantle—they felt the same.

"Oh, we're up to it," Alanna said, her voice just shy of a snarl as she put on her helmet. "Reel that sucker in!"

"I think I like you, Asari." There was a sharp jerk as the Tomkah swerved left. "Hold onto something, we're chasing this one!"

There was a tense moment as the squad could do nothing but hope that Yurk was as good as his ads claimed. Then there was a loud bang as the harpoon launcher fired; there was a deafening screech, heard even through the Tomkah's hull.

"We've got him!" Yurk shouted. "Get out there and bring him down!"

The transport's ramp slammed down, even as Yurk threw it into reverse to keep the thresher maw from diving beneath the sands. Alanna drew her Tsunami and led the charge, and got her first in-person look at a thresher maw. It was huge, covered in thick chitin, and definitely angry; it lashed out with its long front legs, and nearly skewered the Tomkah. Its bright blue tongue dripped acid, and it screeched as it spat some of it in the squad's direction.

"Scatter!" Alanna shouted, and fired a burst at the maw's head.

"Incoming varren!" Tetros announced. "Looks like Yurk was right about them following the maws!"

"Stick to the plan," Alanna ordered. "Nok, see if you can't get the big guy's attention; Haley, if you have a shot at its eyes, take it."

Nok and Haley gave terse acknowledgments, and then the former opened fire with his Mawspear missile launcher. The weapon was well-named, because the first shot blew a huge chunk of flesh out of the side of the maw's neck. Blood and acid poured from the wound, but thresher maws were far more durable than even a Krogan, and it reared up for another attack. Alanna hit it with several biotic attacks, mostly to keep it from staying focused on one target for too long. Just as the maw started to lunge at her, there was a sharp crack, and one of the maw's eyes exploded.

Haley let out a cheer, and Alanna laughed. "Nice shot!"

"Thanks!"

The maw changed tactics, and just slammed its surface-level body onto the ground in an attempt to crush them. Nok rolled out of the way, but the maw was too close for his missile launcher, so he drew his Extinction; eight close-range shots ripped through its flesh, while the other side was peppered by Alanna's machine gun.

"I've got an idea!" Haley shouted. "Alanna, get his attention! Nok, help her out! I need to get to that bigger wound!"

It took Alanna a moment to realize what Haley was planning. "Oh, you beautiful, insane genius!"

"I'm gonna remind you about calling me that later!"

Nok rolled under another swipe from the maw's claws, and joined Alanna. "Okay, now what?"

Alanna raised her gun at the maw's head. "Fire at will!"

The two of them threw everything they had into the thresher maw; hide cracked and burst, and flesh was torn apart, but the enormous worm simply wouldn't die. It screeched and roared and thrashed, and came close to hitting Alanna with acid and claws more than once.

It was terrifying, but at the same time, Alanna had never felt so alive! There was difference between fighting an enemy that wanted you dead, and pitting yourself against a creature that could thrive in almost any environment in an attempt to prove who was the better survivor. If she hadn't been so busy trying not to die, Alanna would have thrown her head back and laughed. She had always liked the Krogan, but if this was how they had lived for thousands of years, her respect for them had grown by leaps and bounds.

After what felt like an eternity, Haley managed to get to the maw's wounded side, and waited for her moment with a sniper's patience. When she saw it, she rose from the sands with a flash-fabricated grenade in one hand.

"Fire in the hole!"

Her toss was perfect; the grenade arced through the air, and had there been no other sound, everyone would have heard it land in the open wound with a sickening plop. A heartbeat later, the grenade exploded; already weakened by the missile to its neck, the maw's head was nearly severed by the blast, and only remained connected by a thin strand of muscle. There was a single gurgle, and the maw collapsed onto the dunes, finally dead.

Alanna carefully approached the corpse and poked it with the barrel of her gun, just to be sure. When there was no response, she let out a long, shuddering breath.

"Holy shit," she breathed, "that was awesome! Hey, is everyone all right?"

"We're good!" Korim called out; his half of the squad jogged over to join them. "Sorry we couldn't help, but there were a lot of varren."

Alanna could see over twenty corpses of the creatures from where she was standing, but she would have believed him even if she couldn't. All three of them were covered in blood and sand, and Tetros had an interesting pattern of nicks on his leg from where a varren had tried chewing on him.

"Are you three good?" Tetros asked.

Alanna looked down at herself; her armor was coated in sand, and blood from the thresher maw had completely drenched her legs up to the knees. A quick diagnostic showed that her armor had taken some damage from bits of acid that needed to be repaired, but otherwise, she was fine. The same was true for Nok and Haley, which made their victory all the sweeter.

"Nice job out there," Yurk said over the radio, and there was grudging respect in his voice. "Help me put a few more harpoons in that big boy, and we'll drag him back home. Looks like maw-steaks are on the menu tonight!"

As Alanna threw an arm around Haley's shoulders, an idea came to mind; this part of the date had been with a group, but maybe there was still something they could do in a more private setting.

…

"Nice work," Wrex said as he examined the corpse of the thresher maw. "Not the biggest I've ever seen, but damn strong. You can see some scars where someone else tried to bring it down; looks like you were better hunters than they were."

"Thanks, Uncle Wrex," Alanna said with a wide grin. "I'm just glad it's safe for me to eat thresher maw meat, or it wouldn't feel as cool."

"Just take plenty of antacids before and after eating," Wrex warned. "Seriously, it could melt your stomach if you have more than one serving."

"I'll keep that in mind." Alanna watched as a team of Krogan used enormous chainsaws to cut the thresher maw into smaller pieces. "How big was the one Dad killed?"

"During Grunt's Rite?" Wrex thought about it. "That one was a big bastard, even by thresher maw standards, but this one is close. Heh, you even killed it with three people, just like him!"

Alanna blinked. "Huh. I never thought about that. Cool."

Wrex looked her over; she was still covered in blood and dirt, and he could see the sweat on her face. She looked every inch the warrior, and even if she wasn't Shepard's daughter, Wrex knew half the males on Tuchanka would see her as a potential mate from now on.

He might have been worried for her… if he didn't smell the bond between her and the other female on her squad. It wasn't strong, so their bond was new, but Wrex could see how they felt about each other every time they shared a glance.

"So… you tell your mom that you're seeing someone yet?"

Wrex barely kept his laughter in check when Alanna's face went from blue to purple. "Er… no? This was basically our second date."

"Better tell her after your third, at the very latest," Wrex said sagely. "And maybe don't be surprised if she starts asking for a granddaughter or two."

Alanna frowned. "Asari don't do that until they hit the Matriarch phase."

Wrex chuckled. "Well, Liara always did like to do things early."

Alanna suddenly remembered that Liara had been around her age when she'd become a mother, and shuddered. "Yeah, I'm not ready for that."

"Oh, well." Wrex watched as Haley struck a pose by the dead thresher maw, while Korim took a picture. "Do you like her?"

Alanna smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, I really do."

"Good." Wrex patted her shoulder. "Then don't hesitate, or you might regret it later."

"Thanks, I… I'll remember that." Alanna's smile became a full grin when Haley waved her over. "Looks like my girlfriend needs me. Talk to you later, Uncle Wrex?"

"Any time, kid." Wrex shooed her away. "Go on, I've probably got overlord-things to do."

Grunt, who had been only partly paying attention to the conversation, lumbered over. "You're not wrong, Wrex; there is something you need to address."

Wrex sighed. "Is it important?"

"Important enough that I'm glad a team with three N7s happens to be here," Grunt said grimly.

"Well… shit."

…

That evening, Alanna did not retire to her room on Tuchanka; instead, she came up with an excuse to go back to the Sicily with Haley. Later, she asked Haley to join her for dinner in her quarters via email.

Wear something nice, she had added, and then ran to her personal fabricator to print out the dress she'd had in mind.

Haley was a beautiful human, but she typically didn't wear clothing to emphasize that. Tonight was different, and Alanna almost lost her composure when she saw what Haley was wearing. A red dress that hung from one shoulder, and clung to every curve; a long slit up one side of the dress exposed one leg, and the neckline had just enough of a plunge to be enticing, but was still tasteful.

Alanna's own outfit would have turned plenty of heads. It was a low-cut strapless dress that left little to the imagination; it was more like a collection of straps, alternating between white and orange. Alanna had never tried wearing something like this before—then again, she had never been in a relationship before, and wanted to do whatever it took to make it work. If that meant giving her girlfriend a romantic dinner in the only venue available, she would do it.

"Wow," Haley breathed. "You look fantastic."

Alanna smiled. "So do you. I kinda wish we could hit the town together, but I'm pretty sure we'd spend the whole evening fighting off every sapient with eyes."

"Oh, definitely." Haley hesitated, then walked over. "And I'd rather have you all to myself, thanks."

Alanna gave her a quick kiss. "Also, the only town to hit is about ninety-nine percent Krogan, and they'd hit back a lot harder."

Haley nearly choked on her laughter. "Okay, that's pretty good."

"Thanks, I've been holding onto that one for a while." Alanna put one arm around Haley's waist, and gestured to a table with the other. "Shall we?"

The thresher maw steaks had been prepared by Wrex's personal chef, one of the finest experts in Krogan dining alive. That didn't keep the steaks themselves looking less than palatable; the meat was an odd brownish-orange, and sat in a semi-congealed pool of orange gravy, made from the acid of the maw itself. There was a side of finely-roasted sweet potato wedges sat on the side of each plate; these were far more appetizing, but the two women were still a little skeptical about the steaks.

"You took Wrex's advice, right?" Haley asked.

"You mean the antacids? Yeah, I took them a few minutes ago." Alanna tentatively poked her steak with her knife. "It also helped my nerves."

"A shot of whiskey would do the same," Haley said.

"Believe it or not, it's the one thing we don't have stocked." Alanna opened a small bucket of ice and pulled out a bottle of red wine. "And I don't know when EDI got this, but she told me it paired well with maw-steaks."

"I'm guessing she looked that up, since she doesn't have a sense of taste." Haley held out her glass, which Alanna filled. "Did you fabricate all of this stuff?"

"The table actually collapses into the floor," Alanna revealed. "I think it's supposed to be for card games or something, but this works. Everything else… yeah, I made for tonight."

Haley grinned. "Wow, you really want to impress me. Hoping to get more than a kiss this time?"

"Well, I do really want to make this work," Alanna said.

"Babe, you're trying too hard; we can go slow, if you want."

"… did you just call me 'babe'?"

Haley blushed. "Shut up and eat your weird steak."

To their mutual surprise, the steaks tasted much better than they looked. The meat was unbelievably tender, and had just enough seasoning to balance out the acid. The sweet potatoes' natural flavor helped even out the meal, and though it was heavy, it was also very satisfying.

"I can see why this is so popular with Krogan," Haley said, after taking a sip of wine. "Oh, wow, this is good."

"One of the benefits of having a Matriarch for a grandfather," Alanna said. "Asari make great wine."

Haley stopped for a moment. "When did you even have time to get the bottle?"

"EDI brought it with her, actually; Aethyta asked her to give it to me for a special occasion."

"Your family is cool."

"When they're not training me relentlessly, yeah."

The two finished the rest of their meal in companionable silence, and then sat on the couch across from the bed. Alanna nervously played with her fingers, until Haley rested her head on her shoulder.

"Relax," she said soothingly. "Remember, you don't have to try so hard."

"Sorry, I just really want to impress my favorite human."

Haley chuckled. "This was really nice. Thanks, Alanna."

"Maybe next time we can have a date somewhere that isn't a spaceship, or a planet infested with thresher maws."

"Aw, where's the fun in that?"

Alanna turned so that she was facing Haley, and gently kissed her. Haley returned her advances eagerly, and straddled Alanna's lap. Alanna's hands moved up Haley's back, almost of their own volition, until they found the zipper of Haley's dress. She started to pull the zipper down—

"Lieutenant Shepard."

Both women froze as EDI's voice echoed through the cabin.

"EDI, this had better be really important," Alanna growled.

"Apologies, but there is an emergency development on Tuchanka."

That immediately made Alanna worry. For a Krogan, what they considered an 'emergency' was usually apocalyptic for other species.

"What happened?"

"Fort Shiagur is under attack by several Krogan clans that have opposed Urdnot Wrex's policies," EDI said. "Tuchanka is now in a state of civil war."

Alanna's happy times can never go uninterrupted, can they? At least she and her squad got to have some fun before things went sideways. Meanwhile, the Athamean League is enjoying their delusions, and Shepard's old friends have found some of his old enemies. And the Outsiders are still around, let's not forget!

Basically, the galaxy is not short on crises.

As always, please consider buying my book, Alpha Sanction, by Josh Gottlieb. You can find it on my website (link in my profile), or on Amazon in both eBook and physical format. I'm getting closer and closer to finishing the next book, guys!

If you want to support me in other ways, you can also donate on P-atreon (link in my profile). Every little bit helps me afford my own place, and with California rent prices, I'm now looking at apartments in other states.

Thanks to the following patrons for being awesome:

Serious Muffins: Nimrod009, Aaron Meek, Matthias Matanovic, Red Bard, killroy225, Lokthar, Hakuryuken, Anders Lyngbye

Incredible Muffins: RaptorusMaximus, Crazyman844, Ben Stueckle

Ultra Muffins: RangersRoll

Next Chapter: Civil war on Tuchanka! Alanna experiences the brutality of Krogan war, and desperately tries to keep what's left of her family alive…

I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite Muffin on the Citadel.