MASS EFFECT DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. I TRIED TO TAKE CONTROL OF A REAPER, AND IT WAS VERY UPSET WITH ME. LET'S JUST SAY THAT I'M GLAD I WAS IN SOMEONE ELSE'S HOUSE WHEN I TRIED AND LEAVE IT AT THAT.

I'll be honest, the final mission for Mass Effect 2 was one of my favorite parts of the entire trilogy, and I'm so glad I'm taking this story back there.

Mass Effect: Legacy

XXII

"So, exactly how are we getting through the Relay?" Haley asked as she sat across from Alanna in sickbay. "I thought everyone who went through this one died."

Alanna rubbed her leg; the bullet had been pulled out an hour ago, but it still itched something fierce. "That's because there are still defenses active around the Collector base that shoot down anything that doesn't have a Reaper IFF." She smiled at Haley. "Before you point out that we don't have one of those, EDI copied the one my dad recovered a long time ago. We've got an all-access pass to the Collector base."

"Oh." Haley leaned back. "What, exactly, are we hoping to find? I heard Cerberus stripped that place before the Reaper War even started."

"Cerberus was focused on taking anything related to the Reapers, and how to control them," Alanna said. "The Collectors had their network, but Cerberus left that alone. If we're lucky, we'll be able to use it to mess with the Outsiders."

"It just feels weird," Haley said. "Your dad's mission was declassified decades ago, and knowing we're going to the place he and his squad was expected to die is… I don't know. Humbling, I guess?"

"I'd say we should treat everything with respect, but Cerberus ransacked the place, so it probably doesn't look like how it used to when Dad was there." Alanna checked the time. "We'll go into the Relay in fifteen minutes. It should take us about six hours to reach the base."

"Got it." Haley hesitated, and Alanna could see how nervous she suddenly was. "Hey, Alanna, remember that dinner we had?"

"Kind of hard to forget; I'm pretty sure that image of you in that dress is seared into my brain forever."

Haley blushed. "Yeah, but do you remember what we were doing before we were interrupted?"

Alanna blinked, and then blushed right back. "Uh, y-yeah, I do."

"Since we've got time, any chance we could pick up where we left off?"

Alanna jumped to her feet and gave Haley a quick kiss. "I'll see you in my quarters as soon as EDI confirms that we're making a safe jump, and I've made my rounds."

"G-great!" Haley tried to act coy, but it was difficult when there was a beautiful Asari holding onto her. "Should I wear anything special this time?"

Alanna grinned. "Surprise me?"

"Ooh, challenge accepted."

…

The Sicily gently shuddered as she passed into the Omega-4 Relay. Alanna let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding, and nodded at EDI.

"Nice job."

"Thank you, Commander." EDI looked wistful. "This was much easier the second time. The Sicily is much more durable than the Normandy."

"Any bad memories from going to the Collector base again?" Alanna asked.

"For me, the only part of the mission that I disliked was getting attacked by the Oculus fighter upon our arrival," EDI said. "It blew several holes in the Normandy's hull, and while I do not feel pain as organics do, it was certainly unpleasant."

"How so?"

EDI tilted her head, as if considering the answer. "I was used to the data on the Normandy's superstructure, but the damage I sustained altered that data in a way I was not expecting. The closest organic reaction would be shock, though I processed it much faster than any human would have."

"I wish the rest of us could do that," Alanna said wistfully.

"I am certain there is something you can do that I cannot, though I cannot think of anything right now." EDI smiled. "That was a joke."

"Keep working on that, EDI."

…

"Shepard-Commander, may I have your assistance?"

Alanna blinked; it was rare for Mantle to ask for anything. "Is this about those missing memory files?"

"Yes. I believe that my memories were downloaded and stored in a physical location on Rannoch." Mantle's flaps twitched. "It is a secret facility, known only to the Consensus and a select few Creators."

"If it's secret, why do you know about it?"

"Geth do not keep secrets from other Geth," Mantle said. "The only reason my request to have my memories returned to me would not be granted is because that knowledge is potentially damaging to the Consensus, the Creators, or to me."

Alanna crossed her arms. "Do you still want them back?"

Mantle hesitated. "If the information is that damaging, I will willingly delete those files. But those memories are a part of me, and I want to know why they were taken."

"Then what do I need to do?"

"I have made a deal with the Consensus—a high-risk mission in the Terminus, considered suicidal, for volunteers only. If I undertake the mission, I will be given access to the facility." Mantle shook his head. "I will wait until after this mission for your response, but I wanted to inform you about the risk."

Alanna took a deep breath. "Okay, after we're done with the Collector base, send me whatever you can. We'll go over the details with the entire squad, and make a decision then."

"Thank you, Shepard-Commander. I… appreciate this."

…

Alanna gently knocked on the doorway of the armory. "Hey, Nok, you busy?"

"Not more than usual, boss." Nok hefted a shotgun and put in on the rack on the wall. "Almost done. Anything you need?"

"Just wanted to check up on everyone, since the last few missions have been pretty intense."

Nok shrugged. "I mean, on the one hand, we've got galaxy-shaking revelations, but on the other, we get some of the best fights. As far as I'm concerned, this is great." He looked away from the guns and right into Alanna's eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Well, I'm not happy with all the times I've been shot or knocked out, but I think I'm mostly angry at the Outsiders." Alanna scowled. "Those bastards killed people I care about, and tried to kill others."

"Yeah, and they helped those Gatatog bastards," Nok said. "I'm trying not to be too pissed off about that, since I don't want to break the ship."

"Hey, I'm all for being angry at 'em, but just keep it tucked away until we need it," Alanna said. "If you can't do that, let me know if you want a sparring partner. I'll need to have my barriers up, but I'll do it."

Nok chuckled. "Thanks, Commander, but I've got it under control. Not every Krogan is a berserker."

"Good thing, because now I've got a picture in my head of some Krogan captain going into a blood rage and ordering his ship to ram some poor bastard."

Nok outright laughed. "Okay, now I want to see that."

…

When Alanna found Korim, he wasn't working on anything; in fact, she thought he had fallen asleep while kneeling. It took her a moment to realize that he was praying, and waited patiently for him to finish.

"Thanks," he said quietly, and got to his feet.

"I didn't know you were religious," Alanna said, her tone mild and unjudging.

"I'm not," Korim said, "not as much as some of my people. Religion mostly died off during the Migrant Era, other than a few ceremonies that had something to do with our suits or our community. Nowadays, our religion focuses on some of the old gods of harvests and family. The prayers are for healthy crops and the prosperity of our loved ones."

"Which of those were you praying to?"

"None of them. I was offering a prayer to Imniosh, the god of death and war."

Alanna blinked. "I didn't even know Quarians had a war god."

"Officially, he isn't recognized as a god," Korim admitted. "He was a demigod that protected my people from a great darkness thousands of years ago. When he died in that battle, he found that no one protected the afterlife, so he became the guardian of our souls." He shifted uncomfortably. "Worship of Imniosh is pretty limited, only with soldiers who are sent to the most dangerous missions. It's usually not something we talk about with aliens."

"I appreciate you telling me at all," Alanna said.

"You've always respected my culture, and you're my superior officer." Korim shrugged. "And you're my best friend. You earned my trust a long time ago."

Alanna grinned. "Thanks. So, um, how often to you pray to Imniosh?"

"Not often, but considering where we're going, I thought it couldn't hurt." Korim hesitated. "What about you? Any Asari goddesses on your contacts list?"

"I was raised on Earth, remember? Religion has fallen pretty out of favor. Besides, after what the Athamean League has been saying, it's even less popular in the Asari Republics." Alanna held out one hand. "But that doesn't mean I don't respect your culture. If you ever need to set aside time, just say so, and I'll make it happen."

"Don't worry, I don't do it often, and only on my own time," Korim assured her. "But I appreciate the thought. Actually, if you don't mind, I'm gonna get a quick workout in, and then sleep for a few hours. Want to join me?"

"I wish I could, but I have plans."

Korim peered at her with narrowed eyes, and then grinned. "Those plans wouldn't happen to include a certain human N7 we both know, would it?"

Alanna tried to look smug, but her blush ruined it. "It might."

"Ha! Well, good for you both. I mean it." Korim winked. "I'll make sure nobody knocks on your door, okay?"

"That's… yeah, thanks."

…

Alanna regained her composure by the time she got to Tetros, who was working on something on his omni-tool; he was so engrossed that he didn't notice Alanna until she coughed to get his attention.

"Sorry about that, Alanna," Tetros said, turning off his omni-tool. "I was just reading some messages from some of the guys in my old unit."

"Everything okay?" Alanna asked.

"Oh, yeah, they were just on leave, and they saw some news report about the refugees that were kicked out of Asari space. We were deployed into the Terminus a few times, and some of those people were marooned on planets we'd been to." Tetros shook his head. "We missed those people by six weeks. I mean, we wouldn't have been able to do much for them, but it still bothers me, you know?"

"The Asari Republics offered some reparations, last time I checked." The annoying part, however, was that the Asari who had deported all those Turians weren't being held responsible, as they had all left to form the Athamean League.

"It doesn't really help all those people who lost their homes," Tetros muttered angrily. "I'm actually more pissed off at a lot of the Asari who were bonded to those Turians. Most of them decided to stay in Asari space, and just kicked out their bondmates. I get it, we don't live as long as Asari, but they could have at least waited for them to die before pretending they didn't exist."

Alanna tried not to wince at the disparaging of her species. It also reminded her that only a Krogan or another Asari would live as long as her. Would she find another partner after Haley? Would she be like her mother, hiding a century of grief behind endless work? It was something that gnawed at her, and she knew that it would be something she and Haley would have to discuss at some point, especially if their relationship became even more serious.

As Alanna let Tetros vent, she pushed her worries aside. Those were thoughts for later; for now, she had a girlfriend to meet up with, and she was going to enjoy their time together as much as possible.

…

Miranda sipped her tea and wondered when the universe was going to throw her a curveball. Despite the urgency of patching Earth's security, and the panic—or as close to panic Miranda Lawson was capable of feeling—of James' near-assassination, everything was going well. She had received several reports from her agents about more recovered Outsider technology, as well as those now embedded within the Athamean League. The intelligence from the latter was already accelerating several plans Miranda was forming to deal with the League before it became too dangerous.

With all the good news she was receiving, it was only a matter of time before something happened.

The door to her office opened, and her newest asset walked in. "Miranda, we may have a problem."

Miranda slowly closed her eyes, let out a deep breath, and put her tea down. There it is.

"What is the problem, Kasumi?"

"Well, first of all, I've been working with Samara, and we've identified at least fifteen people who are working for the Outsiders." Kasumi shrugged. "We don't know if any of them operate directly with the Outsiders, or through intermediaries, but I've sent agents to pick them up."

"That sounds like you've already solved part of the problem," Miranda noted.

"That's not the reason I came in—"

"Without calling ahead, which is standard protocol," Miranda interrupted dryly. "If you are going to work in Intelligence, I suggest you follow those protocols."

"Aw, but I'm still new here, you can give me a pass!" Kasumi's playful pout vanished. "Seriously, though, we picked up chatter between some of what we thought were smugglers dealing with Outsiders. Turns out, they were talking to the Athamean League, and they're looking for some missing Ardat-Yakshi. I've never seen Samara freak out, but she came pretty close."

Miranda scowled; the operation to relocate the Ardat-Yakshi had been fast, perhaps too fast for Alliance Intelligence to cover its bases, and now they were paying the price for Miranda's impulsive deal with Samara. The new monastery was still being constructed, but it was guarded, and well within Alliance space. Still, for the zealots of the League, interstellar borders meant nothing.

"I'll start working on countering the League's espionage," she said. "Please let Samara know that if our enemies want the Ardat-Yakshi, they will have to go through me."

…

Alanna felt her heart beating dangerously fast as she entered her quarters. She had no idea what Haley had planned, and that both excited and terrified her. However, she was surprised when she didn't immediately see anyone in her room.

"Did I beat her here?" she asked herself.

"I'm in your bathroom!" Haley's voice called out. "Just, uh, close your eyes, okay? I want this to be a surprise."

Alanna did as she was asked, and tried very hard not to let her imagination run wild. A minute later, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her, followed by a toned body against hers, and lips press against her neck. Judging from the sensations against her back, Alanna suspected that Haley wasn't wearing much, if anything at all.

"Hey." Haley's voice was soft, but there was a hunger that made Alanna shiver. "You can open your eyes now."

Alanna did so, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw that, yes, her naked girlfriend was essentially trying to undergo osmosis with her. Her mind went a little hazy as Haley guided her to the bed, while helping Alanna out of her own clothes.

"Just, uh, so you know," Alanna said as they lay on the sheets, "I've never done this before. Asari melding, I mean."

"I trust you," Haley said with total sincerity. "You do your thing, I'll do mine, and we'll make it work, okay?"

As Alanna leaned in to kiss her, her eyes turned black. "Okay."

…

"Alert: Arrival in thirty minutes. All hands, prepare for arrival."

Alanna opened her eyes, only for her vision to be filled with Haley's dark hair. She gently worked her arm out from underneath Haley as she sat up, and stumbled to the shower. As the water heated up, she heard Haley yawn loudly.

"Next time, we have got to do this on leave," Haley said.

"Definitely," Alanna agreed as she stepped into the shower. "Still, that was…"

"Amazing? Incredible?" Haley laughed. "You said both of those a few times."

"Because it was." Alanna shivered, despite the heat, as she remembered everything they had done a few hours ago.

"Oh, I agree, but you've got to work on your adjectives, babe."

"Are you back to calling me 'babe'?"

"Only when we're not on duty." Haley chuckled. "Hey, can I borrow your shower? I'd rather not have to go all the way back to my quarters."

"Don't want anyone to see you make the walk of shame?" Alanna teased.

"Hey, I just had sex with you; I'd call it the walk of pride." Haley laughed again. "Seriously, though, using your shower is faster."

"I'll be out in five," Alanna said. "If you want to help me speed up, can you run a diagnostic on my omni-tool? I forgot to do that yesterday."

"Got it." Not long before Alanna was done with the shower, Haley let out a noise of surprise. "I've never seen such a tech-heavy 'tool before."

Alanna smiled as she got out of the shower, and grabbed her uniform. "Thank Tali for that; she taught me a lot of Migrant Era tricks that Quarians used to squeeze everything they could out of their tech."

"I don't know if I ever said this before, but it is so cool that your dad's squadmates taught you all that stuff." Haley gave her a quick kiss as she headed for the shower. "Don't wait up; you should get ready before everyone else."

Alanna pulled her in for another kiss, lingering for a few long seconds before she had to treat Haley like a soldier under her command, not a girlfriend. "Got it. See you in the hangar, Sergeant."

…

The happy feelings vanished behind a veil of cold professionalism as the squad readied up by the shuttle, and she had to deliver the bad news. "Okay, people, listen up: EDI took scans of the Collector base, and has confirmed Aria's intel. There is a Reaper on-site, latched onto the side of the base. EDI has detected at least some Reaper forces inside."

"What kind of Reaper is it?" Tetros asked. "I know the Sicily isn't built to take down even a small one, but it could give us an idea of what we're up against."

"Destroyer-class," Alanna said. "More than that, EDI matched its signature to the same one we ran into on Haestrom."

Haley frowned. "That can't be a coincidence. Are the Reapers looking for the same thing we are?"

"Probably, but we still don't know why." Alanna paused as a thought occurred to her. "The Collectors were Reaper slaves. Why wouldn't they be able to access the Collector network remotely?"

Mantle stepped forward. "I may have an answer for that, Shepard-Commander. After the Collectors were destroyed, Cerberus raided the base for useful materiel; it is likely that they disconnected the base from remote access to prevent interference."

"Must've been before they got turned into Reaper slaves," Korim added.

"Affirmative, Creator Dor." There was the smallest hint of disgust in Mantle's otherwise flat tone.

"EDI, upload the schematics of the base to all of us," Alanna ordered, and nodded when she got a ping on her omni-tool as it accepted the data. "That place is a maze, and it's been through a lot over the last hundred years. If we get separated, return to the LZ; do not engage hostiles unless you have no other choice. This is not a combat op; our mission is to get in, access the Collector network, and get out. Is that clear?"

Nok noticed that everyone was looking at him. "What?"

Haley rolled her eyes before putting on her helmet. "Just get in the shuttle, big guy."

The ride over to the base was relatively quiet; the only sound came from when small pieces of the hundreds of wrecks bounced off the barriers, making an ominous tap. Alanna accessed the visual feed of the shuttle as they got closer, and couldn't resist a shudder as she saw the Reaper, clinging to the base like an insect feasting on a long-dead animal.

"EDI, any sign that the Reaper noticed us?" she asked.

"Negative, Commander," EDI said. "However, I am detecting tight-beam signals emitting from the Reaper, to an unknown source inside the base. It is… similar to how I operate my body."

Alanna was both intrigued and worried. "Could the Reaper be directly controlling something? I remember Garrus' stories about Harbinger."

"It is similar, but there are technical differences; it is much more advanced than what Harbinger did. I advise caution."

Tetros snorted. "I'm pretty sure we maxed out our caution when we heard Reapers were involved."

"No such thing as being too careful with Reapers," Alanna warned. "You and I know that better than most. We grew up on the horror stories."

A minute later, the shuttle arrived in what was supposed to be a breached section of the hull. To everyone's surprise, lights flickered on as soon as the shuttle crossed the threshold, and barriers formed outside to keep the base pressurized.

"EDI, what just happened?" Alanna asked.

"Scanning… there was a surge in the base's generators. It has reset normal functions, including environmental settings. It should be safe to breathe, but I recommend relying on life-support systems for your armor. Power could go out again at any time."

"Does anyone else think that that timing was just a little weird?" Haley asked. "I mean, the power turned on just when we touched down. That doesn't feel like a coincidence."

"Knowing our luck, it probably isn't." Alanna double-checked her seals, and then hit the door release. "Heads on a swivel, fingers on your triggers."

Alanna and Nok were the first out, ready with their heavy weapons. To Alanna's surprise, even the artificial gravity was working, but she set her mag-boots to activate if the gravity shifted in any way; the last thing she wanted was to tumble into space because of another power surge.

The base was as eerie as the stories made it out to be. The metal in the walls and floor reminded her of an insect hive; across the floor were dozens of dead Collectors, perfectly preserved in the vacuum of the deactivated base. Some of the corpses had been shot, while others had been smashed aside in a way only biotic attacks could.

"Hey, look at that." Korim pointed to his right. "That's an old Kodiak shuttle."

He was right; Alanna had only seen the small, boxy shuttles in museums, but she had only seen restored ones. This Kodiak was almost torn in half, and she could see a corpse in Cerberus armor hanging out of the cockpit.

"Cerberus probably ran into a few Collectors who took exception to them taking their stuff," Tetros said.

"For the first time in my life, I find myself rooting for the Collectors." Alanna stopped at two doors, and checked her map. "Okay, we're looking for the communication center; it should be on the right, we just need to keep following that corridor."

Korim tried to open the door, but nothing happened. "It's sealed shut from the other side."

As if to prove him wrong, the door abruptly snapped open.

Nok elbowed the Quarian. "You were saying?"

"I didn't do that!" Korim protested. "Someone must have overridden the thing!"

"I think we just received an invitation," Alanna said. "EDI, are you getting anything?"

"Negative, Commander. I am detecting some signals, but I am prohibited by anti-indoctrination protocols from accessing Reaper technology."

Alanna nodded, even though EDI couldn't see her. There had been over a dozen treaties formed between the Alliance and the Council that ensured nobody would try to use Reaper tech, and each treaty was more draconian in its punishments than the last, until it became an instant death sentence.

"Advance with caution," Alanna ordered. "We don't know what we're dealing with."

As they entered the corridor, Tetros nudged a dead Collector with his foot. "Hey, look at this—one of those particle rifles. Looks intact."

"I think my dad nabbed a few dozen of those," Alanna said. "The Alliance used the tech to springboard research into heat sinks so that we don't need thermal clips."

"And then the Salarians stole that research a few months later," Korim added. "We couldn't even keep that for a full year, the shifty bosh'tets."

"To be fair, I'm pretty sure Miranda would have worked really hard to do the same thing if the Council had been the ones to start that project," Alanna countered.

"Can I be upset for five minutes without you hitting me with logic?" Korim grumbled.

Alanna bit back a laugh, but her good humor vanished a moment later. "Movement ahead, just turned the corner."

"What was it?" Haley asked.

"Not sure, it was moving too fast." Alanna grimaced. "It might have been a Husk."

Nok opened the seals on his helmet long enough to take a sniff, and gagged. "Oh, man, this place stinks. I can't tell what's Reaper, Collector, or just the random crap that's been piling up for the last hundred years."

"I hate this place," Tetros said quietly.

Alanna led the way, but that only lasted for a few seconds, because when she rounded the corner, a bulkhead slammed down, separating her from the squad.

"Hey!" she turned and tried to open the door, but it was sealed tight. "Guys, can you hear me?"

"Yeah, we read you, Commander," Haley said over the comms, worry clear in her voice. "Mantle and Korim are already trying to open this thing, but I have a feeling they're not gonna have much luck. Are you okay?"

"I'm not hurt, but—" Alanna felt a hand grab her arm, and she whirled. "Holy shit!"

The Husk stared at her blankly, but didn't attack. It just stood there, hunched and wheezing, and then limply pointed down the hallway.

"Alanna, what happened!?" Haley demanded.

"I, uh… I just made contact with a Husk."

"Say again, you're cutting out! What's your status, Commander?"

Alanna glared at the Husk. "Are you jamming my comms?"

The Husk didn't reply, and instead shuffled away. Annoyed, Alanna followed after it; she wanted to shoot the thing, but at this point, she was too confused, and needed answers before starting another war with the Reapers. The Husk led her through the twisting hallways, where she occasionally had to duck under crumpled panels and shove aside large piles of debris.

Eventually, she was led to a circular chamber, with a glowing column in the center, surrounded by computers. Standing with their back to Alanna was a humanoid figure; their armor was sleek, and glowing between the gaps of the plates with the same blue as the Reapers. After a moment, Alanna realized that the armor was sculpted to look eerily similar to the N7 armor used during the Reaper War, only made with Reaper materials.

She opened her mouth to speak, but the figure raised a hand, stopping her; their other hand rested over a console, as if interfacing with it without an omni-tool.

"I am transferring data," the person said in a deep, masculine voice. "This process cannot be interrupted yet."

Alanna blinked. She knew this voice. "What… what data?"

"Regarding everything the Collectors found about the Hidden Cycle." The man shrugged, but the motion was stilted, as if he wasn't used to it. "I know that doesn't satisfy you, Liara, but I don't have time to—"

"I'm not Liara," Alanna blurted out.

The man paused. "I am sorry. I saw your face on Haestrom. You look exactly like her."

"I'm not surprised. She's my mom."

"… Ah. I see that she moved on. Good for her."

Alanna started to shake. "Who are you?"

Finally, the man stepped away from the console. "I am the collective mind of the Reapers. This body was created as a way to better interface with lesser technology, and speak to others when negotiation is required."

"Okay, but who are you?" Alanna raised her shotgun. "Because you sound an awful lot like John Shepard, and he's dead."

The man fully turned to face her; his helmet completely obscured his face, until it unfolded and withdrew into his suit's collar. For a moment, there was nothing, as if the armor was piloting itself; then, a hologram flickered into existence, more solid than anything Alanna had ever seen. The face that rested on the neck of the armor was the face of a dead man, one she wished every day to have known in life.

"You are right. John Shepard died in the final hour of the Reaper War, sacrificing his physical body in order to spread his mind and morals to every Reaper, putting them under his control. Or, rather, my control." John Shepard tilted his head. "Now, who are you?"

Alanna slowly took off her own helmet, and let it drop to the floor. "My name is Alanna. My mom is Liara T'Soni. My father… is John Shepard."

The hologram had maintained a neutral expression before; now, his eyes went wide. "What?"

Alanna waved. "Hi, Dad."

John blinked. "What? How? When?"

Alanna had to hold in a laugh. "Look, we're both very confused, and I'm sure we have a lot to talk about, but I think if we start, we'll be here all day. How about you come to my ship, and we can both get some answers?"

John immediately nodded, and the emotion vanished from his face; it reminded Alanna that she was still talking to a machine, even if it somehow had her father's face and voice. "Understood. I will restore communications with your squad."

"Oh, so that was you? I was wondering about that."

"I thought you were Liara," John admitted. "I wanted to speak to her in private."

"You might still get your chance." Alanna activated her comms. "Squad, come in."

Haley responded immediately. "Alanna! Oh, thank god, I was about to ask EDI to start blasting holes in the base until we found you."

"Please don't. Look a lot has happened in a very short amount of time, but I'm headed back to the ship with a… a guest. Meet me there, and set up every security measure we have, just in case."

"Roger that, Commander."

"You do not trust me," John stated, rather than asked.

"No offense, but I only have your word on who and what you are, so I'm going to be a little cautious."

"I understand." John's hologram abruptly vanished, and his helmet folded over the empty space. "The base is under attack. A pirate vessel has arrived from the Omega-4 Relay; they are boarding."

Alanna snarled. "Shit. I still need to access the Collector network and see what the Outsiders are doing."

"I have already accessed the network. I will allow remote use through your ship; you can review all data as it arrives."

"Oh. Cool." Alanna quickly sent a message to EDI to accept incoming data—after vetting it, of course. "Can we get to my ship before they intercept us?"

"Negative. They are between us and your landing zone. The Reaper outside is disengaging to destroy the ship, but the ground forces I brought with me are insufficient to stop the ones that have boarded. There are many Krogan. We will need to fight our way through." John knelt to pick up Alanna's helmet, and held it out to her. "Your armor marks you as N7. Show me that still means something."

Alanna took the helmet, and after she put it on, she handed over her Tsunami. "You don't have a gun. Think you can keep up, old man?"

John took the heavy gun, made a show of inspecting it, and nodded. "I was going to ask you the same thing."

A moment later, the door blasted open, and a Krogan came roaring in. Alanna locked him in place with a Stasis, then boosted over the warrior to land directly on top of the Krogan behind him; she killed him with a point-blank shot from her Extinction. She turned to face the frozen Krogan, but John had riddled him full of holes as he steadily advanced. The Krogan wasn't dead, but John reached out and tore his head off with one, savage twist of his hand.

"I'm sorry, what?"

John held up his blood-soaked fist. "This unit was created for multiple scenarios, including heavy combat."

"Well, I did hear a few stories about you killing Krogan in hand-to-hand combat, so I guess that tracks." Alanna ran her omni-tool over one of the dead Krogan. "Yeah, they're Gatatog. That could be a serious problem."

John nodded. "The Reapers are aware of the rebellion on Tuchanka, and how Gatatog has allied with the Lost Cycle."

"That's the second time you've used that term. Are you talking about the Outsiders?"

"Correct." John's synthetic body didn't necessarily tense, but his movements became sharper. "Their weapons are here. The enemy Krogan have brought them aboard the base."

"Well, that makes things more interesting." Alanna refreshed her barriers. "Let me guess: there are a bunch of them between us and my ship?"

"Yes."

"Of course." Alanna forced a grin. "Well, it would be rude to keep them waiting, wouldn't it?"

Rather than respond verbally, John waved his hand, and the next door opened; he opened fire, killing one Krogan with a sustained burst. An Adapter leapt over the falling Krogan and charged, only to be stopped in its tracks when Alanna hit it with a Throw, and then finished it off with a burst of cryo. Alanna felt a brief surge of satisfaction, until she saw the hallway beyond full of more Adapters and Shifters.

"Well, crap."

Boosters on John's armor—or body, Alanna wasn't quite sure—propelled him forward, firing bursts in precise headshots that dropped two Outsider robots in only a few seconds. Alanna was right behind him, smashing apart targets with her biotics if they were too far away, or blowing them to pieces with her Extinction if they got close. Without a word, they fell into a pattern as they carved their way through the Outsiders; they covered for the other's shortcomings, and never let the other get overwhelmed by numbers. When they reached the other end of the hallway, they left behind dozens of destroyed robots.

"You fight well," John said. "None of what you did came from standard N7 training. Who taught you?"

Even though Alanna wasn't sure if this was really her father, she couldn't help but swell with pride. "Well, there was Mom, obviously, but also Miranda, Samara, Grunt… pretty much everyone who was still alive after the Reaper War helped me out."

John's head might have been an expressionless helmet, but he seemed surprised. "Miranda did not seem the type to teach. She was more likely to give orders."

"She did a lot of that, too," Alanna said with a shrug. "Hey, we should be near my ship. Any chance that big Reaper outside can give us some cover?"

"Negative. This base is fragile now, and could easily be destroyed if struck by more powerful weapons." John hesitated. "However, it will escort us safely back through the Omega-4 Relay, and will stay close to maintain connection with this unit."

"Wait, are you staying with us?"

"The Lost Cycle represents a threat to everything John Shepard… that I… died for. The Reapers may not be enough to stop them, and working with the current cycle may be the best option." John paused again. "And there are some people I would like to speak to."

"Yeah, Mom is going to freak out." Alanna opened the next door, and ducked when a bolt of energy whizzed by her head. "Shit! We've got hostiles near the shuttle!"

"Alanna, is that you?" Haley shouted over the comms. "We could use some help here! We're pinned down, and we can't get to the shuttle!"

"Copy that, just keep your heads down," Alanna said. "We'll clear 'em out for you."

John never stopped moving as he lay down covering fire; he whittled down the armor and shields of the Outsider machines enough for Alanna to finish them off with a combination of biotic and tech attacks. By the time the Outsiders moved to stop them, over a third of their number were destroyed, and the split attention gave the rest of Alanna's squad the breathing room they needed. Haley and Nok covered the others as they fell back to the shuttle, which started to lift off.

"There are over one hundred more enemy units converging on our location," John said calmly. "We must evacuate immediately."

"I second that," Alanna agreed as she ducked under an Adapter's shots. "I'll throw everything I have at them, then we boost up to the shuttle."

"On your mark," John said, even as he gunned down another Shifter.

Alanna took a deep breath, and then got to work. She threw a Singularity that snatched up a dozen Outsiders, detonated it a moment later, froze two more Shifters with her cryo, and then pinned a trio of Adapters with a flamethrower-armed drone, all within just a few seconds. Part of her winced at the thought of all the maintenance she was going to have to do later, but she was more concerned with escaping the overrun base.

John boosted up to the shuttle, turned halfway, and landed in the hatch, facing outwards. He held out his hand, just as Alanna flew up to join him; he grabbed her arm and hauled her inside, letting Haley shut the doors as the shuttle flew out into space.

"Well, that was fun," Alanna said tiredly.

"Yeah, that's a word for it," Haley laughed as she leaned against the opposite side of the shuttle. "So, who's your new friend?"

"Oh, right." Alanna cleared her throat, and gestured to John. "Everyone… meet my dad."

John's helmet folded into his armor, and the hologram of his head appeared. "Hello."

Everyone, even Mantle, stared in shocked silence for a moment, before shouting together.

"What!?"

Alanna sighed. "Yeah, we have a lot to talk about."

And that is where we're going to end it for this chapter, folks! Quite a bit happened, huh? First of all, Alanna finally got laid, and nobody interrupted her time with Haley! Good for them, right? Maybe it's a Shepard tradition to bang their partner right before attacking the Collector base or something.

Also, Alanna met her dad. I suppose that's a big deal, right? Obviously, there wasn't time for John to explain everything he did at the Crucible at the end of the Reaper War, but he'll have that time now that he's with Alanna. I'm sure the Normandy team will not freak out at all about this.

That was sarcasm.

As always, please consider buying my book, Alpha Sanction, by Josh Gottlieb. You can find it on my website (link in my profile), and on Amazon, in both eBook and physical format. I'm getting so close to finishing the next book, just a couple chapters, and then editing to go!

If you want to support me in other ways, you can donate to my P-atreon account (link in my profile). That would be especially helpful, since my rent might be going up next year, and I don't have enough financial stability to move to a state that isn't trying to squeeze my bank account for all its worth.

Thanks to the following awesome people for helping me out:

Serious Muffins: Nimrod009, Aaron Meek, Matthias Matanovic, Lokthar, Hakuryuken, Anders Lyngbye, Kristen Tyler, JackSlap23

Incredible Muffins: RaptorusMaximus, Crazyman844, CherryGoesBoom, michaelb958, TBF3979

Ultra Muffins: RangersRoll

Next Chapter: A dead man gets interrogated, but his return creates a problem nobody could have foreseen…

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