"Bringing something aboard you shouldn't be?"

"Not now." John remarked as they passed by Joker carrying the inert geth. The pilot didn't even try to hide how baffled he was.

"I think now's the best time," Joker yelled, staring at their backs as they dragged it further down the Normandy's neck, "You're bringing geth on my ship."

John didn't bother replying and kept his stare forward with Tali doing the same. As they passed by, the crew on CIC began to stare, tasks forgotten.

Tali didn't much care for being on the receiving end of all their gaping, so she did her best to not pay it any mind. Fortunately for her, no one wanted to open their mouth and test John's temper from how jaded and upset he looked.

Reaching the lift, the two of them went in and waited for the doors to close behind them.

"EDI. Any ideas on where one could put this thing?"

"The AI core. There is a table."

"Take us there."

The lift began to descend.

"It's so heavy." Tali grumbled.

He tried to take some of the weight off her shoulders. "That better?"

"A little."

"They all this heavy? I can't remember."

"No. Not typically."

"Wonder what makes this thing different."

"Well, it talked to us." She glimpsed at him when the lift doors opened back up, "So there's that."

They stepped out and made their way to the infirmary. It was to the complete shock of Doctors Chakwas and Wilson to see the payload John and Tali were carrying.

"Holy hell, Shepard. Is that—"

Shepard's words came out flat. "It's only temporary, Wilson. Don't worry."

Chakwas didn't have enough composure in her say anything, so she kept her lips sealed.

They just watched them go into EDI's AI core.

"Careful," John groaned as they set it down, "Don't hurt yourself."

Strained and tired, Tali shed herself of the geth's arm draped over her neck before lifting its legs onto the table.

"Keelah."

"Alright." John muttered, taking one last fleeting glance at it before turning back around with Tali following.

He couldn't make it five steps without Chakwas working up the courage to flag the commander with a hand to stop him. "EDI told me what happened. A lot of people got hurt."

"We were separated." John told her, staring grimly, "Who did we lose?"

"One soul. Armani Dyer." She reported, taking a moment to stack her wrapped bandages into neat rows, "A lot of injured."

"A miracle it was only one." He inhaled, didn't say another word, and walked out. They went back to the elevator.

John hung his head low and pinched his eyes. "Armani." He breathed, "I think she had family."

"You ever speak to her?" Tali asked.

"No." John sighed, quietly answering and entering the lift. "EDI. Take us to CIC."

"Yes, Commander."

The lift began to rise.

"I'm going to have a chat with project management."

"I'll go down and help the others."

"Good idea."

With nothing else to say or do for the next ten or so seconds, John's thumb began to play with the end of his lower lip because of how engrossed he was by what Tali had said to him. Hanging over that was the failure of the mission. And a ground team member dying. All of it mixed together made him feel like a pile of shit.

Ignoring the subtle ding from their lift arriving at CIC, he decided to reach for her hand, look her straight in the eye, and peck her on the cheek. He did it partly because it made him feel better, if only slightly so.

To receive that surprised her. It wasn't something she expected him to do given their state of affairs.

"I'm sorry." Was all he said.

He didn't give her a chance to reply. He left and she watched him until he was out of sight.

She knew it when she saw it. His shoulders were bearing more than he wanted to carry and it was hurting her more than it was him.

She glowered.

One headache after another, it seemed. Top it with their bouts of bad news to wash it all down with and it was like erosion for the mind.

Eyes downcast, she pressed the button to take herself down to the cargo bay.

By now, John had already stepped into the holo-array thing and waited for TIM to answer.

"Shepard." TIM greeted, stamping out the embers of his expelled cigarette, "I hope the news is good?"

John brought a hand up to his forehead and stared at the floor while TIM opened his gleaming case of hand-rolled Ambrodillah lights like a well exercised habit.

"No. The mission was a failure. The IFF was lost."

That gave the Illusive Man pause, cased cigarettes forgotten. "What happened."

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"Rachel," Tali said, grabbing the focus of one of Chakwas' nurses, "Are they almost here?"

"Any second now, Tali." The woman answered, looking up from her tablet.

"How bad?"

"Bad enough for us to all be down here."

Tali nodded and gave them their space. She waited like all the others behind the barrier that separated them from the other half of the airlock and counted down the time it took for the Normandy's doors to admit the ground team.

When they did, Tali watched the two shuttles carrying the ground team enter the hanger bay and land. When the Normandy finally shut itself out from the orange glow of space, Tali swallowed and readied herself for the mess that would come spilling out of the kodiaks.

The barrier dissipated and the staff moved in with Tali just right behind.

She stopped by shuttle one and peered inside to see her quarian friends clutching Kylie's hands while they tried to stem the bleeding.

Tali felt her jaw slacken. "Oh my god."

Juel craned his head up to see Tali as he kept up the pressure on Kylie's wound sticky with blood. "Get someone to help."

A man with the name of Holden Fox pushed his way past the quarians to get to Kylie. "Christ, she's bleeding out. Rachel, get her up there now and get a drip running."

Carefully, Holden, with the help of Olasie and Teri, hoisted her up onto a gurney.

They were going to follow, but Holden stopped them. "No. You can't follow. I'm sorry, but room is a premium right now."

Kylie got wheeled away and the quarians were all left empty handed.

"You made it." Juel said to Tali once their line of sight on Kylie was severed.

"I did." She said distantly. She didn't notice Garrus stand behind all of them.

"Tali."

She turned around. "Garrus. You're alright."

"I am. I'm glad you made it off." Garrus said before his voice stiffened. "EDI told me what you and Shepard did. And what you brought aboard." The tone almost sounded condescending.

She took a small reflexive step backward. If she were to hazard a guess, it felt like he was calling her out on a decision she had no part in making.

"Brought what?" Olasie questioned, staring between the two. Dread and anxiety began to pound Tali's little heart. She struggled to look anyone in the eye, so she started to wring her hands.

"The geth that talked to us. We brought it aboard."

"In pieces, I'm assuming." Teri squinted suspiciously.

Tali's mouth went dry. "No."

"...What...? —I…" Olasie struggled to put a single cohesive word into her mouth, "And it's on the Normandy?"

"That is way over the fucking line." Darehk growled.

She was taken aback by Darehk's caustic sneer. Tali was about to offer an explanation, but Darehk didn't let her.

"—Where is it."

Again, the excuse she had on her died before it could even reach her tongue.

Keelah. It was like she was talking to a different person. Granted, the relationship she had with him wasn't much past an acquaintance. But he'd always been pleasant to her. Even had a good joke to share once in a while too. Sensitive issue to deal with or not, being this vitriolic wasn't something Tali anticipated from him.

His eyes went wide with anger. "Tali?"

"—It's in the AI room." Tali gulped hastily.

Darehk squeezed his eyes shut for only a passing moment. "You know what, Tali? After everything we've been through these couple months, this is really it. I am done getting shafted in the ass. You and the Commander." He let out an incensed scoff and gave a little shake of his head while his hands rubbed the glass closest to his forehead. "We're getting voluntold to work for terrorists every quarian alive hates; and somehow I'd been convinced. Actually made me think there was a cause behind all this. Kylie's bleeding out and now we're hosting geth. Was sabotaging Daro not enough? Now we gotta live with a thing that raped us to crumbs? What the hell are we doing? What the hell are you doing?"

Tali's lip was trembling before he'd even finished. Exaggerated half-truths or not, his hateful diatribe didn't hurt any less.

"Darehk." Olasie rebuked, ashamed she hadn't stopped him before he could even get started, "Stop."

"Stop?" He whirled around to face her and jabbed a pointer into her chest, his finger stamping a blot of Kylie's blood onto her chest rig, "I don't think you're in the position to be telling me anything after that fuckup at Hock's party."

Olasie smacked him across the face with the back of her hand. He didn't coil away. He didn't nurse the pain with a hand. He took the blow like a man and slowly turned back to glare at her. Furrowed brows and sharp frown, Darehk didn't utter a single word.

"How dare you." Olasie, shaken to her innermost core, struggled to breathe, "How dare you put that on me. And Tali. Who in hell do you think you are?"

"Just wake up, Olasie." Darehk intoned, "All of you. Just wake up."

"Oh, for fuck's sake." Juel's voice was crass, "Drop the space opera bullshit, Darehk, and spare us the theatrics. Everyone just calm down."

Teri kept quiet and Garrus crossed his arms and stayed out of the squabble. The gurneys that carried Zaeed and Kasumi went largely ignored. Anyone not immediately involved didn't have the time to be paying attention to their drama. Which was good.

But Tali wasn't worried about people noticing them anymore. Darehk hit her where it hurt most. But the more important thing for her was seeing Darehk's reaction over the geth just existing in the same space as him. What was that going to turn into if you told him that the geth was responsible for everything that'd happened on that reaper, including the injuries Kylie sustained?

It wanted to make her scoff at how oxymoronic this was about to sound, but given the events these past twenty or so minutes, it was safer to keep them in dark about some of the things that happened. She hated how it made her sound like she was defending the geth. Because she wasn't.

"It's inert." Tali spoke, seeing an opening to talk again, "We lost the IFF. You have to remember that. It might be our only chance to get one from the reapers."

"How do you suppose we go about getting it from them?" Juel had to smirk, "By asking?"

Tali gave them an answer she herself didn't even believe in. "Yeah."

The look on Juel's face was a nonplussed one. "How thick-witted do you have to be to think that's going to work?"

Her patience was beginning to wear thin. If Juel was trying to get a reaction out of her, it was certainly working. "It's more about what our options are at this point." Tali said, "Why are you knocking down what we haven't even tried yet?"

"Because it's not going to work."

What a capitulating reply. It infuriated her beyond words. Just when she was about to further argue the point, an epiphany hit her. Was this what she sounded like when she complained about EDI? Because holy hell did it made her feel ignorant. And Juel was pretty lax when it came to AI.

"That's it," Olasie aggressively stood between everyone and gave them all daggered looks, "I'm calling it. This conversation is over. Back up. All of you."

Darehk pushed past them all. The rest of them watched him walk away before dispersing themselves.

Only Garrus and Tali were left.

"...I shouldn't have said anything. I didn't realize that was going to happen."

"You should have thought a little harder." Tali said, animosity etched into her tone, "Damnit all to hell, Garrus. Thank you."

She watched Olasie, Teri, and Juel huddled together, waiting in line for the elevator. Darehk kept his distance from all of them and stood by himself.

"Where's Shepard?"

"Where do you think?" She said with an incensed scoff.

"I don't know," Garrus said, all grit-like, "That's why I'm asking you."

"He's talking to TIM." Her chest throbbed and she started to walk away, "To tell him what happened."

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Tali found John standing alone in the conference room with his hands splayed out on the table and back facing her. Head hung low and eyes locked to the wood grain, he sighed.

"John?"

He didn't turn around.

"...What did he say?" She mumbled.

"Nothing important." He told her.

She didn't move from her spot.

His posture was expressive enough for her to know that, even with his back still facing her, John's face was long and absorbed with thought. The droop in his shoulders and melancholy stance told her that he was struggling internally.

Tali didn't know what she was supposed to do next.

"I..." She held her tongue and stopped herself from even mentioning her altercation with Olasie's squad. He didn't need hear the dribble of their drama; from a bunch of quarians complaining about geth, no less. She hated how diplomatic that sounded, but it was the truth.

"...wanted to tell you everyone's back. Wounded are already in the infirmary." She said instead.

"Do the others know yet?"

"Know what?"

"About the geth."

"Some of them, yes." She said timidly, "Olasie's team didn't take it well."

John finally turned around. "Is it going to be a problem?"

"Possibly... I-I don't know."

It was the first time he'd heard her stutter with that much indecision and angst since their time aboard the first Normandy (with the obvious exclusion of Freedom's Progress). Whether or not the vibes he'd been putting off was responsible for that, he couldn't tell. But it made him feel the need to alleviate her of it. The last thing he wanted for her was to be absorbing burdens she didn't need to be carrying.

"Hey," He said consolingly, his face turning soft, "Don't worry too much about it. I'll handle it."

Her voice was only a whisper. "Okay."

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Night shift came.

To the objection of many of the medical staff, Zaeed had checked out of the infirmary and got ready for bed. Zaeed figured the hardest thing for him until a replacement hand came for him would be taking a shower. Or using your omni-tool. But it wasn't. It was wiping your ass with your non-dominant hand and having to balance on a single cheek because your ankle was broken.

Towel wrapped around his waist and fresh from a not-so-great shave, Zaeed reached for his tube of toothpaste and squeezed out a bit too much over his brush.

"Damnit."

"Need help there, Zaeed?" Foley asked him between flossing, "You're struggling."

"Don't need your damn help." Zaeed said, propping himself up with his one crutch.

"You lost a hand. And you broke your foot."

"Yeah? What of it?"

Folly rinsed his mouth and peered closely at his teeth through the mirror. "Can't really floss either, can you?"

"Piss off."

Foley shook his head, dug his hand through his toiletries, and set a single flossing pick on the counter for the half-handless man. "When you getting a replacement?"

Zaeed began brushing. "Haven't gotten that far yet."

"Thinking about retiring from the Normandy?"

Zaeed stopped what he was doing and just stared at him. "You and the questions."

"Just curious."

Zaeed resumed and stared at himself in the mirror before finally spitting into the sink.

"No. I fulfill my contracts. Shepard did me right with Vido. I'm going to do right by him. For whatever that's worth."

Several others walk into the bathroom and begin their nightly routine. Which was a relief for Zaeed because he hated talking. He was thankful for the pick too. Flossing helped keep conversation to a minimum.

He pulled on some briefs and sweats, slipped on his boot cast, and limped out of the bathroom to crew quarters. He didn't much care for sleeping in the company of others, but the Normandy had turned into a crowded place, what with the Cerberus detachment, Garrus' team, and Olasie's squad. He gave up his spot down in engineering for those quarians when they came aboard and had been bunking here since.

When he clumsily clambered into bed, set his crutch beside him, and closed his eyes, he winced. The only thing to occupy his mind now was the litany of aches and pains he'd suffered on that dead reaper. Arcing pain spread into his arm and leg and he grumbled.

"You alright?"

The disembodied voice belonged to Talukh, that quarian infiltrator. As per doctor's orders, he'd been ordered to stay on the crew deck unless otherwise instructed. Which was never.

"I'm fine." Zaeed answered.

"Why aren't you in the infirmary?"

"I'm tired. What's it look like?"

"You should be in the infirmary, Zaeed." Talukh asserted from his bed.

He glared at the quarian laying down across from him.

"Mind your own goddamn business."

"Then stop moaning like varren pup."

Zaeed actually cracked a smile. "What's your name, kid? It's Talukh, right?"

"Just call me Lukh."

"How you faring?"

"I'm fine. Did you see Kylie in there? Is she alright?"

"Yeah." Zaeed said, adjusting his pillow and grinning a little, "She's fine. They gotta fuckin' bubble on her head."

"Yeah," Talukh relaxed slightly, "Chakwas likes to do that."

"So all you quarians have aids, eh?"

"Pretty much."

"Sucks, mate."

"How'd she look?"

"A real beauty, that one, all things considered. All your women pretty like that?"

That wasn't really what Talukh was asking for, but he went along with it.

"Don't know. We don't see each other often."

"Dating's a gamble, is it?"

"Hell yeah it is."

Pain forgotten, Zaeed cackled. "She's fine, kid. Leg's fucked for now, but she'll pull through."

Talukh found himself staring at the ceiling. Strangely, he didn't feel so worried about her anymore. Zaeed's confidence seemed to have that kind of effect.

"Good." He said at last. They didn't say another word to each other.

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0200 HOURS

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Sleep couldn't find Olasie. So distraught by the day's affairs, she remained wide eyed, tossing and turning, hoping for that reprieve or release from the anxiety that encircled her. She didn't even feel tired. She felt hot. Mildly sweaty. Uncomfortable. Even the bed she slept on, the best one she'd ever had in her life, didn't feel good enough anymore. So she decided, against her inner protests, to get up and find a place so she could be alone.

Quietly, as to not wake the others, she pulled aside her blanket to sit at the end of her bed. She slipped on her boots without even bothering to buckle them in and tip-toed her way out into the main hall.

The one thing she liked about the Normandy was how it simulated the darkness of night. A welcomed feature, if not a mildly unusual one. The skeleton crew during night shift was only a fifth the size of the day one and all of them worked at CIC. Sometimes they'd go down to shuffle some boxes around in that hangar bay, but other than that, automation took care of the rest.

She stopped herself and stared out at the panoramic window of the hangar bay. It was blackness down there. One steady inhale of breath, she took the elevator down.

When the doors opened, the shadow she cast almost stretched to the hangar's large doors.

The floors had since been cleaned. No more discarded gauze and dried blood.

Hands in pockets, she idly waltzed about the room to work her restless legs before deciding to just sit on the floor up against a box.

A full on minute passed by and not a thought tried to irk her tired mind.

It was quiet. Her ears strained to listen to the nothingness, so they began to ring slightly. It wasn't something that bothered her really. But hearing what Olasie called her own naturally occurring tinnitus got old really fast.

It used to be a problem for them upstairs when it was time to call it a night. To avoid that piercing quiet, they'd put down some box fans in their quarters just to avoid it.

But down here, she was encompassed with stillness.

She wanted this. To be alone now. For no one to see her or bother her. Or for anyone to judge her.

The grief that she'd been carrying within her swelled like a malignant growth. It started out as a repressed trembling in her chest, her lips splitting into a deep frown, eyes tensed and closed. Then it came out. She started to cry.

Balled fists against her face, she muffled her sucks of breath by biting onto her lip and burying her head into her arms.

She wasn't an insecure woman. At least, she didn't believe herself to be. Juel liked to remind her of that. But the Normandy was beginning to test her resolve. To test her integrity as a person and leader. Insofar, she was holding. But it felt like standing on a bed of melting ice, a bottomless ocean just underneath.

Too much for her to deal with in too little time. Calling herself overwhelmed would be putting it mildly. Juel helped make it a little more bearable for her. Tali too.

Her tears burned and her nose ran. With a frustrated sigh, she angrily reached for one of sealed tissues, tore it open, and took off her mask.

Crazy, she knew. But she didn't care. She made sure to hold her breath as she dabbed away her tears before blowing her nose.

The visor was back on almost as soon as it had come off. She cuffed herself from the self-pity. It wasn't something she could afford to do anymore. Standing up and tossing the soiled tissue into a receptacle, she went back to the elevator and sent herself bed.