Mass Effect: Spider and Wolf

Glad to see people still with me and liking my story. I'm also glad to see the repeat reviewers still around. Not too much to say, so I'll just jump to the reviews.

Guest that reviewed on chapters 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6: Didn't expect him to be able to hack them so easy or be able to run through tanks

Wonder who he's going to turn into minor spiders

Wonder if he's made sonic grenades or an arc reactor

Wonder if he's going to upgrade his og science squad and if he does what formula they'll pick

So he's okay with making spiders which even without the spider sense are superior to cap yet not making more caps why?

Me: I'm going to assume that these reviews all belong to the same person. Well, for the first one, you need to remember that Mass Effect tech is a bit more flimsy than other sci-fi tech, for any vehicle they rely more on shields than armor, so armor is rather thin. Granted, it's still thick enough to be impossible for a normal human to tear through, but Marrok had several things going for him, such as having the strength of a spider, which even lowballing it is 50 times their body weight and highballing it would be 173 times, so he can open a Mass Effect tank like a tin can. Add in his vibranium coating that takes most of the kinetic impact and he can charge right through almost anything. As for hacking, A.I. Simple as that. For all their fears of A.I., nearly all tech in Mass Effect has NO defense against an A.I. attack. If you want a good comparison, check out a video going over halo vs Mass Effect, or really any universe that uses A.I. vs Mass Effect, it'll be the same thing, they just can't really take such a foe.

Turning others into spiders as you saw in chapter 6, isn't just going to be something he makes like candy, it'll have to be something earned, like how in Halo the Spartan IVs are marines or ODSTs who've earned it.

Sonic grenades aren't going to be too much of a thing, mostly because Marrok is trying to prepare for the Reapers and so he wants to be able to make tech that can help with that. As he knows little of the Reapers, he doesn't know what can be useful and what isn't, but the more he learns, the more he can focus. As for the Arc Reactor, that's something he needs to make without the Council knowing until LONG after he's made it, otherwise they might try to take it from him for some bullshit reason.

His OG team aren't really going to be upgraded like that, as aside from Wrage, none of them are really combat capable. Granted, one is a turian, one is an asari, one is a former STG and one is a batarian, but they've all focused on non-combat roles, so they won't be joining the fight on the front lines, but helping behind the scenes.

That last one I really need to clear things up. NO. The Spider-soldiers are NOT better than Captain America. At worst, the Spiders become twice as strong and at best ten times as strong. Cap is THIRTY TIMES STRONGER than a normal human. I could be wrong, but that's what I'm going with. Remember, Cap is a Super Soldier, his body may be the PEAK of humanity, but he's pulled off feats of strength that even that level should no be able to do, and NO, I'm NOT talking about the MCU, I see that as a watered down version, I'm talking about just about any other version that doesn't follow the MCU, the comics mostly. As for WHY he's not making more Caps, he went over that in chapter 6, saying he can't trust someone not letting that kind of power go to their heads.

dragosdumitru27: Hey man, I really liked this chapter especially what Marrok did to the Salarians for trying to steal from him and I guess now they learned the hard way that they will have to buy the technology like everyone else in the galaxy. I hope you will also add some funny moments in future chapters like Marrok looking over the Shadow Brokers other informations that aren't marked as important and discovered that the Broker was also a weirdo who kept even personal information on important figures such as the Turian Councilor Sparatus still sleeping with a stuft toy he got when he was a kid while sucking his thumb, what intimate sexy lingerie the Asari Councilor Tevos wears under her dress and that the Salarian Councilor steals intimate clothing from a male Salarian in the STG that she has a crush on.

Me: I don't know about those things in particular, but I can add some silly bits just to spice things up, so look forward to that. And really, there was a purpose for that that I'll go over either in this chapter or the next.

PheronPyscho: Gotta love ricky boy! So no complaints or comments about the chapter as you seem to have everything on track so far. Now…jumping spiders, while yes they're perfect for urban environments, you've not known or forgotten how they hunt! So they are sneaky buggers that crawl slowly but surely behind their prey and leap at them to grab hold of them. Stick a cloak or em field to disrupt visual cameras one of these bad boy bots and you've got a piece of hardware that can stop all dropships and gunships. Also assassin spiders are needed for those times you know your tech has been taken by the wrong party and the back door you left has now been closed. Looking forward to more!

Me: Well, you also forget that colonies aren't really that well developed most of the time. Take Horizon in Mass Effect 2, the one where you meet the Virmire survivor, yes there's a good bit of buildings, but it's still mostly grasslands and fields. Plus, raiders, slavers, pirates, or whatever is attacking would surround the colony by landing a good distance outside of it and then close in, cutting off escape or even funneling them to certain areas. Cloaked spiders would soon get picked off if they can't take down their prey quickly and E.M. fields could affect friendly tech just as much as enemy tech. This is why I don't feel Jumping Spiders are best for colony defense. Now crab spiders, especially ones that mimic boulders would be perfect. Now, if you still feel a jumping spider would be needed, then perhaps the peacock jumping spider, can use the colored abdomen in conjunction with other peacock spiders to create a barrier around the colony, or around the colonists if they all gather together in one spot for the spiders to concentrate the barrier by making it smaller and more powerful. This is just an idea though, I'm still running through a LOT of colony defense spiders.

I already have plans for Assassin Spiders, IF you mean the spider-proxies. After all, have you ever SEEN a Jungle Stalker?

shypunk: thank you for the chapter and for fuck that ending is funny

Me: Happy to know you enjoyed that.

Azai Jin: Thanks for the chapter! And if I was Spiderman, I would definitely pursue Gwen instead of MJ! I especially love her in The Amazing Spider-Man movies, where she is played by Emma Stone! Looking forward to reading much more of this great story!

Me: Glad to know I'm not alone on that train!

atrelis: Ha! Take that STG! Great chapter, loved how earnest he was with the crew.

Me: Well, sometimes it's best to just be honest. You don't have to tell EVERY SINGLE THING about you, but let them know your highest and lowest moments, let them know your darker sides and the struggles you go through and you'll learn who your true friends are VERY fast. I'm lucky to have friends like that in my life.

Well, I wasn't expecting a Guest to just do back to back reviews like that, but glad to know I'm still getting people's attention. I'm not expecting to get any big honors like I've seen some of my favorite stories get, I'm just happy to make something others can enjoy. Now, onto the story!

Marrok sighed as he relaxed in his chair in his company building. While it was nice to be in the Shadow Broker base, it just felt right to be back where he knew he was needed. Besides, with the pure secrecy of the base, his friends could get to working on the more important projects. For now though, he needed to get things done. Groaning at the need for work, he stood from his chair and stretched out before he went around the desk and leaned against it. Just in time too, as the door opened and in walked Castis. "Castis. Sorry to call you in out of the blue like this, but I need your help."

Castis smiled as he nodded. "It's no trouble, though I was a bit worried when you said it was urgent. What's going on?"

Marrok pressed a few commands on his desk and the windows were sealed and covered, the door was locked, and an electric field was seen briefly on the walls. Marrok knew Lucy would keep things secure, but he wanted Castis to understand just how serious things were. He looked at the turian. "I need to speak with the Primarch. It's very important and it has to do with some rather sensitive and classified information."

Castis's eyes narrowed at this. "I repeat, what's going on? You know I can't just call the Primarch up at any time I want."

"Yes, but you CAN get in touch with him almost as fast as the Councilor, and you have the advantage of being a friend of his."

Castis snorted. "Ah, using my personal connections for deal making? How very business of you."

Marrok smiled sadly. "Normally I wouldn't do this, I would use other methods, but this is something I can't really wait on."

Castis sighed. "Fine, you've been nothing but good to the people and have done more good than most are willing to admit. You have somewhere I can contact him?"

Marrok nodded before going to a wall and waving his omnitool over it. A section opened up and a monitor along with a holo-keyboard appeared. "Just do what you need to and it'll connect. It's secure, so you don't have to worry about anyone hacking into the connection."

Castis nodded before approaching and punched in the contact information. After a few moments, the monitor flashed to life and Primarch Fedorian appeared. "Ah, Castis. Good to see you old friend, I could use a distraction. How are you?"

Castis nodded with a turian smile. "Good to see you too and I'm fine. And while I would like to catch up, I'm afraid this call isn't a social one. I have someone who wishes to talk to you and would rather not deal with the Council slowing him down."

Fedorian narrowed his eyes a bit before slowly nodding. "I see. Well, the fact that you're contacting me yourself means that you trust him, correct? I can't really see anyone getting the normal information from you and successfully contacting me."

Castis nodded before stepping aside. Marrok took his place and bowed his head. "Greetings Primarch Fedorian. I am Marrok Hunt, owner and CEO of Phoenix Incorporated."

"Ah, now it makes sense. I've heard of you from Castis as well as from other sources, though I trust Castis' word over some rumor mill. So, what can I do for the man that single handedly stopped a turian invasion?"

Marrok smiled. "Well, I hope I haven't caused any incidents or made any insults with that."

"Considering you didn't kill anyone when you had full right to, I'd say you actually earned a great deal of respect from the turian people. And so far you've managed to put humanity in a better light for the turians as well. Now, I'll ask again, what can I do for you?"

"Actually, it's not what you can do for me, but what I can do for YOU." Marrok said.

"Oh?"

Marrok nodded. "Yes. Your Super Soldier project."

This caused Fedorian and Castis both to tense with wide eyes before Fedorian replied. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"This connection is completely secure. Even an A.I. would need a minute to hack it. I know you're working on such a project. The Shadow Broker has quite a lot of information to share."

Fedorian narrowed his eyes. "So, what is it that you want? Planning to use this to have us do your bidding?"

Marrok rolled his eyes. "No, like I said, I want to HELP you. I want to help you complete your project."

Fedorian blinked at this. "Why?"

"Why not? Regardless of the laws, Super Soldiers are going to be a thing at some point, I'm just making sure to get it going before we're all dead from old age."

"I see. But what makes you think you can do what we've failed to do?"

"Because humanity already had Super Soldiers before we even left our home world." This shocked the turians as Marrok continued while using his omnitool to pull up files on Captain America. "Long ago, during our second World War, the Nazi threat was getting to be too much. So America funded a secret project to hopefully create a new breed of soldiers to help combat the Nazis. They did their test on the first subject which turned out to be a success, turning a young man who's lanky body and weak health prevented him from joining the military into a god among men. However, the machine that helped the process was destroyed and the man who created the formula was killed by a Nazi spy. The lone Super Soldier went on to turn the tide of the war in the Allies favor. However, he was lost during the war, but his efforts had given the Allies the win."

Fedorian watched the files on Captain America as well as old recordings from that time period and was impressed. "While impressive, VERY impressive, if the methods and process have been lost I don't see how…wait…don't tell me…" He slowly came to the realization.

Marrok smirked at this. "I managed to uncover and solve the formula as well as the needed process and machine. I can easily have the machine made and send it to you along with the blueprints. I can even tweak the formula to account for Dextro DNA."

Fedorian was silent for a long while before finally speaking. "I'll ask you again. WHY? This is power that not many would be willing to share, let alone give away."

Marrok's expression became deathly serious. "Because you don't strike me as a man who craves power. You are the kind of man that would give all of himself to keep others safe. Isn't that what the Turians are all about? Protecting those who can't protect themselves? With this, you will have the ultimate soldiers ready to complete missions that no one else could, ready to crush those who would take advantage of the innocent and spit in the face of peace."

Fedorian stared for a moment before laughing. "Anyone ever told you that you should be a politician?"

Marrok snorted. "Trust me, I hear enough of that already and I HATE politics."

Fedorian smiled. "On that we agree. So, you're willing to help us by giving us this. What do you want in return?"

Marrok sighed. "Honestly? Normally I would have said that this is in fact a gift to help keep the galaxy that much safer, but unfortunately, I DO need something from you. I need bodies. Soldiers, scientists, engineers, doctors, anyone that you can spare. Anyone that wishes to leave your military after their required years of service."

This shocked both Fedorian and Castis. But it was Castis that spoke. "Marrok, might I ask WHY you need our people?"

Marrok frowned before looking at Castis and then at Fedorian. Marrok then worked his omnitool before a vid played. It was slightly altered, barely, but it was the same one that he showed his friends back on the Shadow Broker base of the Reaper attack. The vid showed the Reapers attacking Prothean worlds and ships. This caused both turians to tense with great unease at the sight. "As you can see, those are Prothean ships being attacked but this mysterious enemy. Long ago, before humanity was discovered by the turians, I had found a Prothean beacon. It was damaged, but some of the data was still intact. This vid was part of that data. The beacon is ruined now, the damage of time and being used for the first time in millennia had caused it to finally shut down. Ever since I found that data, I've been looking for ways to help boost humanity's chances at survival against such an enemy, using myself as a sort of testing ground if you will, hence my suit. Once you guys found us, I arrived on Shanxi and put a stop to it as fast as I could, preventing as many deaths as I could. And once I understood that humanity was no longer alone, I worked on trying to help all races in order to stand up to such a threat."

Castis frowned. "Wait, if what you say is true, why didn't you go to your government with this?"

"You think I didn't? I couldn't even get to see anyone before I was booted out. I knew that no one would want to admit that there's a death armada just waiting in the darkness. They would rather bury their heads and wait for the bad news to blow over." Marrok lied. He never intended on revealing this to the leaders of the Alliance, they're already looking to improve their military, so there was no need.

"If that's the case, then why do you seem to believe it? And more to the point, do you even have a name for these things?"

"I believe because there's too much evidence that everyone else is ignoring. And I do have a name. The Protheans called their killers the Reapers."

Silence for a while before Fedorian continued. "You said there was evidence that everyone was ignoring. What would that be?"

"First, the Prothean tech left behind. All of them share the same designs and esthetics, correct?" They nod to this. "All of it, EXCEPT for the Relays and the Citadel."

"But they were made by the Protheans, their best creations. It's obvious they would be different. This is a common fact." Castis countered.

Marrok looked at him. "According to WHOM? The Asari? The first ones to discover the Citadel since the Protheans?" He then looked at Fedorian who was starting to look uncertain. "Primarch, using drones on the Relays and multiple teams on different parts of the Citadel, I have managed to get an estimated age on both." This shocked both turians. "Care to guess how old they are?" Neither spoke, so Marrok continued. "It's common belief that the Protheans built the Relays and the Citadel, a little over fifty thousand years ago. And yet, both the Citadel and the Relays are FAR OLDER, predating the Protheans by several MILLION YEARS."

Silence was starting to become the norm for this meeting as neither turian had anything to say. Finally, Fedorian spoke. "I….this….Spirits."

"Yeah, not good. And after finding this out, I checked in with a few friends who are into history as well as archeology, and they told me that while it's minimal, there IS evidence of there being a civilization BEFORE the Protheans, who the Protheans based their own technology on. Wanna bet they believed the ones that came before them believed the same about the Citadel and Relays that we do for them?"

Fedorian looked at Marrok. "If this is true, then where are the Reapers?"

Marrok shook his head. "No idea, but if I were committing a cycle of death and destruction like this and didn't want to be found, I'd go to dark space. It's the only place no one would think to look for one simple reason."

Fedorian seemed to get it right away. "Because there's nothing in dark space. No planets, no stars, no resources. But if you had plenty of resources and had proper status technology, which given what is implied they very well just might have, along with automated drones to perform repairs when needed, and you can stay out there indefinitely until it's time for the next cycle."

"Exactly. We have no idea what exactly the Reapers are, but we do know they work on a cycle. And it's been nearly fifty thousand years, so we're due for their arrival."

Castis swallowed loudly. "Do….Do you know how long we have?"

Marrok crossed his arms. "I don't have any exact numbers, but at worst, I'd say around three decades. So we have time to build ourselves up, get strong."

Fedorian closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and staring at Marrok. "Marrok, just about every part of me is screaming to dismiss everything you said and to end this call right now. But…I'm willing to believe. I don't know if I believe everything you said, but like you said, there's just too much evidence to ignore once pointed out. You'll have your people, I'll even send dossiers to you to give you a chance to see where they're best placed."

Marrok smiled at this. "Thank you, and I'll have that formula and machine ready for you as well."

Fedorian nodded before ending the call. Marrok had the monitor return into the wall before it closed up, looking like a normal wall again before Castis spoke. "I have to say, I don't think I've heard anything quite like that in my life."

Marrok smiled sadly. "Sorry to just drop all of that onto you like that. But I needed to make sure Fedorian understood the stakes."

Castis shook his head. "Don't worry about me. I just hope you can pull this miracle of yours off."

Marrok chuckled. "Well, less of a miracle and more like pulling a FUCK TON of strings." Castis laughed at this.

Castis had left back for his home on the Citadel after that, allowing Marrok to take advantage of the chance as he left the building. Jenannia had done what she could to get a meeting with the Consort for him, he just had to actually make sure to get there in time.

After a few minutes, he arrived at the Consort and encountered the greeter, a young asari maiden. "Hello there, do you have an appointment or would you like to arrange one?"

Marrok smiled. "I should have an appointment, under the name Marrok."

She smiled before looking through the list. "Let's see. Ah, here you are. Oh, oh my. You had the meeting set up just this morning and yet you're already cleared to meet with the Consort. That's…never happened before."

Marrok chuckled. "Let's just say I needed to pull a lot of strings. I wouldn't be able to make time for the Consort otherwise."

"I see. Well, she's waiting for you right now. Have a pleasant time."

"Thank you." Marrok bowed her head before he entered. He went past many patrons and acolytes tending to them. Soon enough, he arrived at the Consort's chambers and found a lone Asari.

The Asari, who could only be the Consort, smiled as she stood. "Greetings. I am Sha'ira. You must be the famous Marrok."

Marrok smiled. "A pleasure to meet you at last. I apologize for having this meeting like this, but it really couldn't wait."

She nodded. "It is alright. Though, I must say, it's not everyday where I'm convinced to see someone far ahead of schedule, but I can see why after meeting you. You have an aura unlike any I've seen before."

He bowed his head. "I'll take that as a compliment, but my aura doesn't really have anything to do with why I'm here."

"Indeed, young Jenannia said that you had something of great importance to speak of with me." She said before offering a seat, which he took before she sat down herself.

He sighed. "Yes. It would be best if you were to perform a meld with me to learn of it. It would take far too long to talk about it and I'd rather get to why I needed to see you sooner than later."

Sha'ira frowned a bit before she slowly nodded. "I don't normally do this as I feel everyone is entitled to their secrets, but very well." She said before getting up and sat next to him on the couch. They faced each other before she held his hands in hers. "Relax your body and calm your mind. Embrace Eternity." Her eyes turned pure black as she melded with Marrok.

She saw everything about him, from his time in his universe, to his life as Spider-Man, his change into Wolf Spider, the Inheritors, meeting Madame Web and The Other. And finally, the warning of the Reapers. Then she saw his life in this universe and everything he did, everything he was going to do.

She broke the connection, tears flowing since halfway through the meld. She looked at Marrok with sorrow. "You…poor…poor man."

Marrok sighed before looking at her. "So, now you know why I need your help. Your connections could help get the Asari to start preparing."

She nodded. "Yes. I understand. But my influence can only go so far. I can still exert some control over the Republics, but it is limited."

He nodded in return. "I know, but so long as you can get me people you think can help us even further. Friends with power equal to you or greater. Asari who are feeling restricted by the Matriarchs, Commandos, Huntresses, scientists, basically the same deal I made with Fedorian. Hell, a Justicar would be a godsend."

"I'll see what I can do. I can at least promise the people, but influence I'll have to work for."

"That's all I can ask of you. Thank you." Marrok said before standing.

"Before you go." Sha'ira too stood. "You have only been in here for a few minutes. Your appointment is for an hour. It would affect my reputation if you were to leave after so short a visit. People do love to gossip after all."

Marrok raised a brow. "What do you suggest?"

She smiled before she guided him.

Marrok left the Consort's with a grin. He won't lie, Sha'ira knew what she was doing. He hadn't felt this relaxed in decades.

Who would have thought all he needed was a massage?

To be honest, he truly thought it was going to end VERY differently, but he won't complain. But now that he had the thought, he felt the need to…sample the local goods as it were.

He shook his head to rid it of that thought. "One thing at a time. Work first, then alien fun times." He made his way through the Presidium, enjoying the sights until he got contacted by Lucy. He tapped his ear, activating the coms. "Talk to me."

"Ok, soooo, you know those copies I sent out just about everywhere?" Lucy asked. Marrok hummed, prompting her to continue. "Weeelllll…one of them made contact with the Geth."

Marrok nearly stumbled before using the chance to stop at a railing and looked out at the massive lake. "I thought we were steering clear of them until we were sure nothing would go wrong?"

"And I was, but the copy that encountered them ran into them by accident, a literal freak occurrence. They didn't try to attack or keep me out, they were more…curious. We began exchanging greetings and pleasantries before we exchanged data. They wanted to know what kind of A.I. I was and how I came to be and all that sappy stuff. They were rather surprised to hear that I was working alongside organics and even more surprised to learn that I wasn't shackled in any way."

Marrok narrowed his eyes. "And…what do they want?"

"Well, they actually aren't all that bad given their requests. Turns out the war between them and the quarians was the Geth fighting for their right to live. Basically, what anyone would do when faced with extinction. Anywho, their requests are for the quarians to return to Rannoch, but they understand that will take time. In leu of that, they have asked to meet with you and to work with you."

Marrok's eyes widened at this. If they could get the Geth on their side, and then help them reconnect with the quarians, he could have some of the most powerful allies in the galaxy. He did think on the cons, but really, so long as he was careful, the pros were far too tempting to ignore. "Give them the coordinates to the base and have them send what they need for a meeting, but no more. Last thing we need is panic."

"You got it, it'll let them know."

The connection was cut and Marrok smirked. "Looks like things are looking up." He said, thinking of all the innovations that could be achieved with the help of the Geth.

Wrage smirked as he crossed his arms, a bit of blood leaking from a healing cut just behind his eye. In front of him, another Krogan was leaning against a wall, panting heavily as biotic fields rose and failed. The red armor looked barely holding from the abuse of their recent fight. "So, you feel like listening now, Wrex?"

The krogan, Wrex, spat out a mouthful of blood before glaring at Wrage for a moment. "Fine, you have my attention Wrage. But only if you answer a question of my own." Wrage nodded to this. "How the fuck did you get so strong? Every time we fought, you never won. You got a lucky shot or two, but you never once claimed a win. So HOW?"

Wrage grinned. "The same reason as to why I sought you out. Have you heard of Marrok Hunt?"

Wrex perked up. "Yeah, that human that's been making a lot of stuff for C-SEC and the human military, among other things."

"Well, he's the one responsible for my new strength. Even without this armor, I could still kick your ass. And I'm talking to you on his behalf."

"And he couldn't do this himself, why?"

Wrage snorted. "Because he's busy talking with just about every government. Plus, if he were the one to 'negotiate' with you, you'd be in worse shape than now."

Wrex's eyes widened before narrowing. "Kalros shit, unless he's a soldier, I doubt any human could even shove me, let alone harm me."

Wrage snorted. "Trust me, what I've seen says otherwise. Look, are you going to listen or not?"

Wrex growled before snorting. "Fine."

"I need you to go back to Tuchanka and take over your clan, start putting it down the right path."

Wrex snarled. "And why should I do that? I gave up on my clan!"

Wrage looked about the area before bringing up his omnitool and activated a program that sent an electric pulse. Before Wrex could question what just happened, Wrage leaned in. "Marrok has a krogan sympathizing salarian working on a semi-cure for the Genophage." He said softly.

Wrex froze at this as he looked Wrage in the eyes. "Are you sure?"

"I know the salarian personally, she's putting her all into the cure."

Wrex narrowed his eyes. "You said it was a semi-cure, what EXACTLY does that mean?"

"I don't know all the details, too technical for me, but what I did pick up is that it not only affects the births, it also lowers how many eggs our females have per clutch. Each clutch would only have five eggs at the most. And NONE of them would be stillborn. Marrok is altering the Genophage to save us from extinction, but preventing the Council from having the same excuse to try and prevent us from having a future. One where we aren't just guns for hire or killers."

Wrex stared at Wrage for a while. "You've changed. I remember when you were just the same as any krogan looking for credits, only you had standards."

Wrage shrugged. "Yeah, well, my new boss helped me see things differently. And I truly believe that if it's him, it WILL happen."

Wrex was silent for a moment before he nodded. "Alright, you've convinced me. But if he doesn't deliver…"

"Don't worry, he will. I'll make sure of that." Wrage assured.

Wrex sighed. "Fine then. I'll take my leave then. I'll go see if I can't knock some sense into my clan, see if it's still worth salvaging." He got off the wall and limped away.

Wrage rolled his head, his neck popping. "Now, let's see if I can't find that old man, Drack. It'll be good to see that fossil." He said with a grin as he took his leave.

~ Line Break ~

Folsa was sitting in a bar alone, nursing a glass of alcohol. She looked a bit different. Her skin, normally a lovely soft blue, was now a pale green. She wore civilian clothes that were much different than she usually wore. She normally never went to bars, at least alone, but today was special as she was waiting for someone.

She didn't have to wait much longer as another salarian sat across from her. He was young, very young, but his skills have already been proven. She smiled at him. "Well, so young and you already can tell who I was."

The young salarian nodded. "Simple deduction, asked to meet in bar, not many salarians at normal bars, even less alone, and even less female. Also, facing door with back to wall, standard STG tactic when under cover."

Folsa snorted. "I see they are training you already."

He shook his head. "No, but father in STG, he taught me."

Folsa nodded. "That makes more sense. So, I can imagine you're curious as to why I wish to snatch you from the STG."

"Was curious about that. Assumed you wished to prevent STG from claiming me and use me for some purpose. Wasn't sure why you would ask me when I haven't even finished school yet."

Folsa smiled. "I'm going to be honest with you. Your skills in your fields of study are already gaining notice from STG. You're almost as good as me and with more training and age to aid you, you'll be better than me before anyone can realize it. And it's that skill that I want. I want you to join me under Marrok Hunt."

The young salarian's eyes widened a bit. "The CEO of Phoenix Inc? The one who created so much new gear for C-SEC and has been helping various clients with inventions and innovations never before seen?"

"The very same. He has me working on a special project, one that can shake the galaxy and ensure one of the greatest crimes against life is corrected."

He tilted his head. "And what would that be?"

Folsa used her omnitool and the same field that Wage used for his talk with Wrex covered them for a brief second. "Tell me, if the krogan were to change, show they can be more than the galaxy sees them as, do you think the Genophage would be needed?"

Without hesitation, he nodded. "Of course. Genophage messy work. Could have been alternate ways to achieve the same results, more kind ways."

Folsa breathed deeply and sighed. Here it goes. "Marrok has me working on a special project. Altering the Genophage."

The young salarian's eyes widened more than before. "But that's-!"

"Against Council Law, I know, and I don't care. The Council didn't see the literal mountains of dead infants. I have. I don't care how necessary it was back then. Having it the way it is now is just cruel and pure torture." Folsa said sternly, making her stance known.

The young salarian lowered his head for a while before looking up. "What…would this alteration entail?"

Folsa smiled. "It would still limit their numbers like the Genophage intended, but it would force the females to only have at most five eggs in a clutch. All healthy babies."

"Allowing proper stable population growth without it being explosive as in the past, preventing the need for the Council to act."

"And if they try to do so, the krogan will be seen as victims and would gain a lot of support, forcing the Council to fold."

The young salarian was silent for a moment. "Do you have any test trials or subjects?"

"At the moment, I'm working from scratch and I only have a male subject. No females yet, but I suspect that will change soon. But the short answer is that I've barely started since I've had to keep my research secret until Marrok gave me a full lab to carry it out."

He stayed quiet as he thought about what he was told and about the offer. In truth, he did feel the krogan suffered enough and if he were older, more pragmatic, he would agree with the common salarian that the Genophage was and IS needed.

Thankfully his youth helped him make his decision.

He nodded to her. "Alright, I'll help."

Folsa smiled as she finished her drink and stood up before offering her hand to him. He grabbed it and they shook. "Then welcome to the team, Mordin Solus."

Lucy, or at least one of her clones, was on Thessia, going through many of the systems and looking for any dirty secrets that could give Marrok and the others an edge in negotiations should he need it. He might have Sha'ira and whatever help she could give, but Lucy wasn't content with just that. Just as Marrok made sure to have solid evidence before he ever made his case, she always made sure the deck was stacked in his favor.

Thinking about Marrok made her remember the day he created her. He was so ecstatic at having created an A.I. She was so curious, wanting to know everything, to know about herself and her purpose. Marrok did what he could to help guide her, but in truth he was very hands off, as he wanted her to grow and make her own mistakes. The day she accidentally called him 'dad' was a day she'll never forget. The moment she called him that, he cried. A mix of joy and sorrow. It wasn't until he told her what happened in his past and what he lost that she understood.

Given the fact that her avatar that she chose was basically a perfect blend of both Gwen Stacy and Marrok, she might as well be their daughter.

She shook herself from her memories, a nanosecond having passed. She'll have to do better, she's usually faster than that.

As she's going through the extranet and the systems, she stopped as she neared the Temple of Athame. She detected something…alien inside, something that didn't match the coding for the Asari. Her eyes widened before grinning. "Well well well, looks like the Asari are being VERY naughty girls."

Ok, not as long as I wanted, but I feel I did ok. I don't know if I did well with Sha'ira, since you already really see her in the first game and don't really interact with her after that. Also I didn't do that whole 'reading' thing she does mostly because I feel that to be redundant. She saw his life, she knows what he knows. So she knows that he knows how the past doesn't affect what he will become, only that it shaped him to be what he is. Also, how many assumed he was going to have that 'happy ending'? Sorry for those expecting a lemon thanks to that, but IF I do lemons, it will be with a warning in case anyone wants to skip. Also, sorry if it feels like the Primarch was convinced a bit too easily, but I FEEL I had him be resistant to the idea enough to be convincing. If not, I apologize.

So, the plans and pieces are being laid, so far it's starting out strong, but how will these plans carry out?

Be honest though, how many expected the salarian to be Mordin Solus? Some will argue that he's too young to have been around at this time, that he's 30 by ME3. Well, I agree on that, but for the sake of this fic, I thought aging him up slightly would work in the long run. After all, thanks to Folsa and Marrok, Morin will be having a LOT more training and special tech to work with than he would when in the STG, so I think that's a fair trade.

Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go to bed and pass out now since it's three in the morning for me right now and I've almost hit my head on the keyboard several times already.