Chapter 41

Gun Battery – SSV Normandy SR2

It was funny how, going into this particular interview, she was expecting something a lot more relaxed and looser than she had expected from the XO. But she got a twist as it turned out that Operative Lawson had warmed so much that the interview with her even went into discussion of hypotheticals and choices. And this one she found herself staring at a frozen wall.

As soon as she entered the gun battery, she saw him working on something. The best she could do to describe it was that it was a massive gun. She knew the Normandy had weapons. She had even been aboard when Shepard ordered the annihilation of the Maxwell Compound back on Korlus. But whatever it was that he was working on at the moment wasn't the spinal mountain accelerator cannon that had done that. This was a separate weapon entirely that looked like it could punch a hole through a planet. Or… maybe it would be someday. Right now, it looked about as finished as an aircar without the body.

He looked up from his work, saw her standing there, then immediately went back to work as if pretending she didn't exist. Stepping inside, Kelly sat at a spot near where he was working and grinned at him. "Ignoring me isn't going to make my orders go away," she said cheekily.

"Ask your questions, Miss Chambers. I'll answer them because Shepard wants me to," responded the turian as he did something that created a large flash of sparks.

"Not a fan of therapy, Mister Vakarian?" she asked as she sat back and opened her datapad.

"Not particularly no…" he said in a grumbling tone. He seemed to space out for a moment before setting whatever tool he was using down and sighing. "My family, and unfortunately most of the turian Hierarchy see therapy as a weakness. An admission that you weren't strong enough to keep it inside. But…"

"But you don't believe that anymore?" asked the yeoman as she felt herself smile at him.

"I suppose not…" he said with a sigh before sitting down on a stool nearby. "Shepard is the strongest person I've ever known. She has the entire galaxy's fate sitting squarely on her shoulders. She has to deal with politicians, military brass, mercenaries, pirate queens, every skakeater with a couple million credits and a small army in the galaxy. I'd argue with anyone that she's the strongest there is, yet she still needs and benefits from therapy. So, how can I or anyone else claim it's a weakness?"

"She does. Have you noticed changes since she started?" asked Kelly curiously as she typed a few things on her datapad.

"Well, she's definitely more cheery than before. But the big thing is that she used to have this cloud hanging over her head. As if she felt like she shouldn't be here, alive with all of us. That's gone," he said as he looked at the ground and shook his head. "I have to stop letting myself fall for hierarchy drill sergeant nonsense."

"That's kind of what we're here for," said Kelly as she smiled at him. "That aside, how are you doing?"

"I'm alright. A bit lonely being the only turian aboard, but I suppose that comes with the territory of working on the Normandy. You don't get to choose your coworkers," he said with a chuckle.

"How about when Ralixia was aboard? Did you feel less lonely then?" asked the yeoman, wondering if he just needed company or if he needed more.

"She… was a special case. I liked having her aboard and I also didn't. On the one hand, she had this hero worship kind of attitude towards me. I really don't mind if someone in the galaxy is a fan of my work. It's even validating in a way," he said as he shook his head. "But when you work with that person, it can sometimes be suffocating. Not to mention her obvious disdain for Shepard."

"However…" said Kelly as she urged him to continue.

"However, it was nice. She was someone I could relate to on a level unlike anyone else. We could be turians with each other," he said before his mandible twitched. "Uhh… don't take that out of context. We didn't have anything romantic going on."

"I didn't assume so," she said with a small smirk. "I understand. Every species can sometimes get a homesick feeling when we're away from our own species for a long time." She looked down at her datapad. "It says here you have family back on Palaven?"

"Yeah. They're great," he said with a chuckle. "My sister Solana reminds me a lot of Shepard. Except that she was disillusioned with the military a lot sooner and waited out her time served."

"Right… turians are required to serve in the military?" asked the yeoman as she nodded.

"Yeah. Ten years minimum unless given a waiver for disability. Keep in mind though, unlike most species, military is our culture. When serving your mandatory time, you can do so by being a cook, a pilot, a musician, or anything really. Half the hospitals in Cipritine are nothing but military personnel. From accountants to doctors to the cafeteria staff," he said as he leaned back. "Anyway, she got out as soon as she could. My dad was disappointed."

"Your father. Your dossier mentioned that he was C-Sec," said Kelly as she leaned towards him.

"C-Sec to the core. And he had two kids that were pretty big disappointments. We both got out of the military when we could. Solana started working in security for a private company and I went to C-Sec. His disappointment in me didn't come until I left with Shepard though," he said as he moved his hand in a circular motion as a shrug. "After all, C-Sec is considered an extension of military service in many parts of the Hierarchy."

"But… how did he feel after the battle for the Citadel?" she asked, blown away that any parent wouldn't be proud of what Garrus accomplished.

"He wasn't all that impressed. Claimed that Sovereign was defeated by the military fleet, what with the Destiny Ascension blowing it to hell. I think he believes I exaggerated my role in the fight," he said, giving an unamused chuckle. "It doesn't really matter. He's probably never going to be proud of me until I join back up with C-Sec. My mom tries to temper some of his attitude, which helps."

"Parental approval can be a huge factor in our lives. But you're proud of the work you've done?" she asked as she tried to pry some of his self-pride out.

He thought for a long moment before nodding. "I've done a lot. Seen a lot. In C-Sec, I've seen cases that'd even make Shepard sick. Then I see the husks and other abominations created by the reapers and realize that regardless of who is proud of me, I'm fighting to stop those things."

"A noble goal," added Kelly as she wrote down more.

"One I try to keep in mind when I really feel that lack of parental approval. I don't know if there will ever truly be a day when I'm free from the control of his judgement," said the turian with a sigh. "That said, being here helps. Shepard, Tali, even you, Miranda, and Jacob. Being out here helps a lot in keeping my spirits up. Though, I know I don't show it much."

"You could come eat with us more often…" said Kelly with a playful grin.

"You all reeeeally don't want to see a turian eating. Trust me," he said with a chuckle. "But… I suppose I could try to hang out with you all more. Though, building this monster is my current priority," he said as he patted the giant gun behind him.

"How long will it take to build?" she asked as she eyed the gigantic weapon.

"At the rate I'm going? Maybe another year. But Jacob stops by to help, so probably not that long," he said with a shrug. "Either way, it's a secret project that I want to test out. Maybe on the collectors, maybe on a reaper. One way or another, I want to make sure the Normandy is prepared the next time some creepy alien bugs try to sneak attack us."

"As wily as ever, Mr. Vakarian," said the yeoman as she typed on her datapad. "Well, don't be a stranger to us. I know that you all kind of had a thing with the original Normandy crew. But the new additions are just as friendly."

"Yeah…" said Garrus as he flexed his neck. "Grunt taught me that," he said with a chuckle as he gave her a nod. "Alright. I'll see you all around then."

Cargo Bay – SSV Normandy SR2

Shepard exhaled deeply as she looked at the faces around her. Nobody on her ground team was going to stay aboard the Normandy. From Tali to Samara, she was showing up with a force strong enough to topple a government. Except, they weren't showing up to conquer. They were now ambassadors. "Alright, I'm going to board the first shuttle and speak with Wrex before we start air dropping people on the planet." Looking over at the massive krogan with a surprisingly placid expression, she nodded to him. "Grunt, you're coming with me. Ash, you too-"

"If Grunt is going, I'm going," came Jack's voice. Shepard looked down and saw the short woman standing near enough to surprise her.

"Alright then…" said Shepard as she looked to Mordin. Without a word being said, he walked forward and entered the shuttle. "The rest of you, wait here until you receive word from us." Grunt and Jack slid into the shuttle as well as Ash. Finally, Shepard got behind the controls and set the course.

It was a rough flight heading into the world's atmosphere. As soon as they dipped below the clouds, a radioactive dust storm started assaulting them. High speed winds hit the vehicle with millions of tiny dust particles and sand, making it sound like they were being sanded on a grinder. But as they flew lower to the surface, the storm subsided, and she found herself staring at a massive ruined city.

There were buildings of course, but their windows were shattered, exposing bare floors and abandoned, rotting furniture. Most of the city looked desolate and empty, with the single exception being a large stadium right near the center. While it too looked like it was in disrepair, it also looked like it had been built after the devastation and didn't match the aged, worn-down feel of the rest of the city.

As she approached the coordinates, she spotted a massive cliffside at the edge of the city. She saw two waving krogan in the door and zeroed in on them. When she arrived, she piloted the craft through the hole and was guided by light up markers along the tunnel itself. The entire cave system she was flying through was little more than rock and dust, which was thrown into the air as the lift jets on the shuttle blasted them with fire. But, after what seemed like an eternity, they finally arrived.

They were inside of a small chamber that looked like it was used for private shuttles rather than for the public. "Remember, you have to be firm with the krogan. If they see any sign of weakness, then they'll use it against you."

Ash nodded as the spectre opened the door, allowing everyone to step out. Shepard was the first to be accosted by the guards that were stepping forward. "I was told a spectre was coming, not their entire krantt."

"Since when is the valet told anything?" asked Shepard, her tone as icy as Alchera.

"Think you're tough human?" asked another, bigger krogan as they stepped up to her.

But Ash caught him by the arm. "Touch her and I'll rip the plate off your head and use it as dinner wear."

Both spectres ignored Jack snorting behind them. Instead, Shepard continued. "We're here to see Clan Leader Urdnot Wrex. If I wanted to see you idiots, I'd have called for you. Now get the hell out of my way before I walk through you."

Both krogan took the hint and backed off, allowing them through the tunnel. "Turns out you humans actually do have a quad," said one of the soldiers in amusement. Grunt stepped out of the shuttle where he had to duck the entire time and stood up straight, his size startling the krogan as well. But they said nothing. Instead, Shepard travelled the tunnels, herself and Grunt both getting looks of awe and horror from the civilian krogan people. Finally, she reached an antechamber with two guards standing at the door to the next area.

"Spectre Shepard?" asked one of them as she approached.

"That's me," said the redhead as she flashed her ID.

Once he saw it, he turned around and entered a code into the door, using his body to block them from seeing it. Shepard smirked, knowing that she wouldn't need the code if worst came to worst. But finally, the door slid open, and he nodded towards it. "He's expecting you."

Shepard looked to Ash, who looked back at her. The pair of them smiled before walking through into the brightly lit main chamber of the city. It looked like a large auditorium, or something other species would use for a concert or opera. The box seats that the krogan would normally be sitting at were stacked vertically on top of one another, allowing everyone a decent view of the main focus of the room. If she had to hazard a guess, there were probably at least a thousand of these seats built into the wall, forming some kind of parliament.

But right in the center of the entire thing was a pile of rubble with a large, oddly shaped throne-like chair sitting right in the middle with a beam of light from above casting down on it. And in that seat sat Urdnot Wrex, decked out in his grandfather's armor that Ash had helped him locate. Except this armor was functional and looked like it had been repaired to be up to modern standards. As if sensing her presence, he turned his head and spotted her. "Shepard."

"Wrex," responded the spectre with a smile.

Immediately standing up, he shoved the other krogan back a few steps and threw his arms up. "And like a revenant she rises from the grave, for hell could not contain her wrath!" he shouted as she quickly walked up to him. Cocking back a fist, she punched him in the side of his head. Krogan roared in anger, but then Wrex swung back and connected with the side of her helmet, nearly causing her to spin, but she held her stance and stood up straight. "Heh, now I know you're the real Shepard!"

The pair reached forward and grasped each other's hands firmly as the others finally began to approach. "Good to see you again, Warchief."

He turned his head and saw Ash approach next. "Spectre Williams. I heard they finally promoted you."

"Damn right they did," she said with a grin.

"I'll have to congratulate you then," he said with a chuckle. Moving quicker than a krogan should be able to manage, he lunged forward and headbutted her square in the helmet, causing her to skid backwards down the pile of rubble. But thankfully she kept herself from falling. Then Wrex turned to the other three present. "Don't know you all, but..." He stopped as he saw Grunt. "Hells, Shepard. Where'd you find this one?"

"We'll get to that," said Shepard as she planted her hands on her hips.

"Right. Anyway, if you're Shepard's people, that means you're my people. I welcome you all to Tuchanka!" he said with a shout and a large grin on his face.

"Try to headbutt me and I'll fold you like a lawnchair," growled Jack who didn't have anything covering her head at the moment.

Wrex let out a bellowing laugh before turning back to Shepard. "I like the new kid, Shepard."

"She's a handful," said the woman as she looked him up and down. "You've been busy."

"Yeah, it takes a lot whipping these pussles into shape. I came back here, and a lot of their idiot clan leaders tried to kill me. Heh…" he said as he reached up and gently touched the spot where she punched him. "That didn't work out well for them. After they were dead, I basically absorbed their clans and made a city here."

"And the other clans cooperated after that?" asked Ash as she climbed back up, flexing her neck the entire time.

"They cooperated once I had full control over the Shroud Tower and the water purifiers," he said with a mischievous grin. "We're doing something new now. Anyone who doesn't want to be a part of the new krogan future can go and get eaten by the damn varren and gnarshrats. But if they want to be a part of our future, they will cooperate."

"Your future goes against everything the krogan stand for. We will not allow you to make the krogan weaker!" snapped the nearby krogan that Wrex had shoved aside.

Shepard eyed him for a moment before looking at Wrex. "What's he talking about? Making the krogan weaker?"

"This hemorrhoid thinks that allying ourselves with other species is a weakness, and doing so would be a disadvantage to the krogan," said the clan leader with a smirk.

"Other species have already shown what they're capable of! They used us and then neutered us! And you want us bowing to them!?" he snapped as he waved towards Shepard and her crew.

Wrex immediately turned to him and slammed his plated head into the other krogan's much harder than he had done for Ash. The impact blew the krogan down the pile of rubble, causing him to roll to a stop near the bottom. "You should already be bowing to Shepard, Uvenk. If it wasn't for me and her, you'd already be dead." As the krogan got back to their feet, Wrex sneered at him. "Don't like how I handle things, take your clan into the wilds and see how you fair then. Until then, I'll drag your clan to victory whether you want it or not."

While not being an expert on krogan body language, she could tell that the other krogan was livid at being humiliated. Especially in front of aliens who he considered to be unworthy of trust. "So, I had a quick favor to ask before we get all reminiscent of the old days."

"Anything! What can Clan Urdnot do for you?" asked Wrex as he held both arms out.

"A salarian scientist came to Tuchanka a few weeks ago and he's been missing ever since. My sources say he disappeared around two weeks ago when Clan Weyrloc left the capital. Do you know what may have happened to him?" she asked sternly as she crossed her arms.

"Oh, that little weasel," he said as he turned to sit back in the chair.

"How do you know what a weasel is?" asked Ash with a curious chuckle.

"I got us access to Citadel documentaries for the kids so they can learn about other worlds. The kids love the ones from Earth. Especially that one weird Zooboo pyjack you all had," he said before looking at Shepard. "As for you, I know the salarian you're talking about. He showed up during negotiations with Weyrloc and was snooping around our female clan. The clan ambassador tossed him out on his behind."

"You don't say…" said Shepard as she remembered both Garm and Okeer were from this clan.

"Anyway, negotiations with Weyrloc weren't really going anywhere. All they wanted was war against turians, war against salarians, war against each other. After we spent days pointlessly bickering at one another, the salarian wandered into Weyrloc Guld's territory. Soon after, the Weyrloc Clan left without so much as a word to us. They packed everything up and left," he said with a shrug. "I don't know if the salarian went with them, but he wasn't here anymore after that."

"Do you know where the Weyrloc Clan moved to?" asked Shepard urgently.

"My scout would know. I have him constantly keeping track of them to make sure they aren't trying anything funny," said the krogan as he opened a pretty advanced omni-tool and passed her the information. "Here's his info."

"Thanks," said the spectre as she eyed the warchief curiously. "So, we're free to just go talk to the scout and find the salarian?"

"You're free to walk around our city all you like," he said as he leaned forward in the chair. "And you? You're a warlord due to your history of saving the galaxy. Even Ash I could let through because she was there when we took down Saren. But…" he said with a smile. "There're rules for outsiders on Tuchanka now. Didn't used to be until I forced a treaty with the Citadel a year ago."

"Grabbed them by the quad?" asked Ash in amusement.

"Not quite. They still had a large advantage. But I managed to get what I needed from them," he said before turning back to Shepard. "There are rules now. Any and all visitors, including Citadel representatives must now go through Clan Urdnot and check in. No more of this snooping around and dropping in whenever and wherever they want. If they want something on Tuchanka, they go through us."

"Good call. What else?" asked Shepard curiously, wondering where this was leading.

"Well, there's other things, such as no more taking our relics for their damn museums, extradition negotiations, stuff like that. But what you're wanting to hear about is our Law of Acceptance," he said as his smile grew. "Mercenaries and military contractors must prove their worth to work on the planet."

"Do we count as either of those?" asked Jack, the sass barely hidden in her voice.

"Let me ask you this, do you expect your investigation of this salarian to end peacefully with no bloodshed?" he asked as he stared down at her with his red eyes. "I find that very unlikely."

"Wrex, just say you want to see us fight," groaned Ash as she waved off his concerns.

"Heh, also true. But the rule still stands. You want to investigate here, you have to pass our Rite of Passage," he said as he slapped the arms of his chair. "It's been a long time, Shepard. I wanna see how you've improved."

"I'm drawing the line here, Wrex!" snapped the other krogan as he stomped his way up to the throne again. "You would allow these outsiders to participate in our sacred rite! And allow them to do as they please on our world! You've gone too far!" shouted the krogan before he stomped away and kicked the doors to the room open before leaving.

Wrex watched him go. "Idiot…" he grumbled before turning back to Shepard. "You're allowed five participants from your krantt. You'll be dropped into the arena above ground."

"The stadium we saw up there?" asked Ash quizzically.

"The same. Once you're there, we'll activate the lure, drawing in the wildlife from the surrounding city. And you have to fight them off," he said with a cheeky grin. "The battle lasts for ten minutes. If you survive that long, you pass."

"What if no animals decide to come? Do we still pass?" asked Ash, who then went wide eyed as Wrex started laughing. Even Shepard had to cock her brow as he continued to laugh for a full minute, his guffaws bouncing off the walls and colliding again to create a klaxon that filled the chamber.

When he was finally able to catch his breath again, the krogan shook his head. "Damn you Ash… now I have a headache."

"Is it really that bad up there?" asked Shepard curiously, wondering what she was in for.

"It's where we throw traitors," he said with a grin as he crossed his own arms. "You're on Tuchanka now. Not one of those safe little worlds like Noveria or Feros. Once one of the creatures get your scent, it's all over. There'll be a thousand varren, a million different rodents, an entire swarm of klixen, and a harvester or two gnawing on your corpse."

"This is what counts for friends, huh?" asked Shepard with a shrug.

"Nothing personal, Shepard," said Wrex as he heavily patted her on the shoulder. "If it's any consolation, I'll be rooting for you. I'm sure you'll survive."

"Thanks," she said with an annoyed glare.

"Now, what's with the big guy?" asked Wrex as he nodded towards the krogan she had brought along.

"My name is Grunt," grumbled the massive krogan as he stepped forward and towered over Wrex.

"What clan are you from, whelp?" asked the warchief as he could immediately tell how young Grunt really was.

"I have no clan. I was tank-bred by Weyrloc Okeer," said the disgruntled krogan as Wrex began to walk around him in circles.

"That explains why your plate hasn't formed yet despite you being the size of a damn frigate," said the warchief as he stood back in front of him and stared him down. "You said you were bred by Okeer? Where is he?"

"Buried and dead next to the mercenary that killed him," said Shepard from the side as she watched the two with interest. This was the first real reaction between Grunt and another krogan she had seen.

"Good," said Wrex with a grin. "Why did he make you?"

Grunt stayed silent for a long moment before Shepard stepped forward. "Before he died, Okeer mentioned something about the legacy of the krogan. He said he wanted to make the perfect krogan to help secure the krogan's future."

"Hmmm…" said Wrex as he sat back in his throne and tapped the arm of the chair deep in thought. "Okeer is a well-known name among krogan. A very hated name, and for good reason. Not the least because his Clan Weyrloc were the ones who instigated the first attack in the Krogan Rebellions. When other species stereotype krogan, all the worst things they imagine about us usually describe the Weyrloc perfectly."

"That doesn't sound good for our salarian," said Shepard as she noticed Mordin lift his fingers to his mouth thoughtfully.

"No kidding. Okeer himself earned himself the disgust and disdain from many by butchering our people for his sick experiments. He convinced his clan that he was seeking a cure for the genophage but ended up with nothing to show for it. And when they investigated further, they found he wasn't even looking for a cure, but instead had tortured and mutilated young krogan for his genetics experiments," said Wrex as he shook his head. "Already not enough of us in the galaxy without him cutting us apart."

"Sounds like he deserved what he got then," responded Shepard with a look of disdain on her face.

"After that, he was found to have traded his own people to the collectors. Enough was enough. He was exiled from Tuchanka around two hundred years ago and hasn't been seen since," said the warchief as he eyed Grunt. "So, you're the culmination of his work, huh? Tell me what makes you so special."

"I have the blood of many warlords within my body. Kredak, Moro, Shiagur, Shepard…" started the massive krogan before the clan leader cut him off.

"Shepard?" asked the clan leader as he sat forward. "I could see him getting krogan DNA to work in one of his idiot super soldier projects, but how the hell did he get human DNA in there?"

"Remember when he traded krogan to the collectors?" Wrex nodded firmly. "The return on that investment was genetics technology that allowed him to splice together the DNA from multiple different species. Grunt here ended up with my eyes," she said as she held two fingers pointing directly to her eyes.

Wrex looked between the human and the krogan a few times before he sat back. "Well damn. The sick bastard actually did it then…" he said before standing and looking to Grunt once again. "You're supposed to be the legacy of the krogan. How do you intend to do that?"

"However I can," he said, almost with a shrug. "I know every krogan language, two human languages, galactic common, and I've started learning asari Alai. In my time on the Normandy I've learned our entire history and a good portion of human history as well. I'm bigger, faster, and stronger than any krogan you've ever met, and I regenerate twice as fast as well."

"Those are incredible. But that doesn't answer my question," stated Wrex sternly as he stood face to face with the goliath. "It takes more than being big, strong, and smart to lead our people. Being the pet project of a dead madman and using his gifts to your advantage isn't going to cut it. You need to work and take care of our people."

"Okay…" said Grunt, his face downtrodden. Shepard tilted her head to look at him before turning to Wrex.

"Hey Warchief, save the questions for later. Right now, we're going to look around," she said as she stood up to him and held out her hand once again. Ash did the same and all three of them butted heads lightly together.

"You all stay out of trouble. And tell the turian and quarian to get their quads down here! I've got a headbutt for them too!" he shouted to them before turning back to take his seat once more.

Nokna Marketplace – Urdnot City – Tuchanka

"Hey Grunt, is everything alright?" asked Shepard as she walked down the busy street with the krogan. His size made travelling easy as many of the krogan in the streets gave him a wide berth due to his size.

"Why's it matter?" he asked as he kept looking ahead.

It was at that moment that she knew something was absolutely wrong with him. Moving in front of him, she stopped and stared up at him with her arms crossed. "Alright, we're going to talk about this."

"I don't wanna," he groaned as he moved to go around her. But anywhere he turned, she was there waiting for him, her biotics allowing her to move hundreds of times faster than he could. He growled and waved at her to get her out of his way. "Stop it!"

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what is wrong. Remember what I told you about communication?" she asked as she stared up at him.

"You're annoying," he growled as he looked straight ahead, putting his eyesight well over her head so she couldn't continue to lock eyes with him.

"Grunt… look at me," she snapped commandingly, and she could see him fighting the urge to do so. "Grunt, please look at me." This time her tone was much softer. And it seemed to have worked as he finally let out a heavy sigh and looked down at her worried face. "What happened?"

"I'm hungry," he said plainly.

She smirked, knowing that he was extorting her. But she nodded anyway. "Fine. I'll get you something to eat. Then you can tell me what's going on." It took longer than she'd like to find someplace that actually served food that humans could eat. Most krogan food was edible to humans, but only barely. If there was any kind of krogan culinary culture, it had died with the krogan rebellions long ago. But they finally sat at a table, each of them served with what looked like potato soup and a loaf of bread.

"Don't eat the rock bread, human. Your teeth can't handle it," came the voice of the owner of the food stand. Shepard looked over at the krogan woman and nodded, passing the bread over to Grunt instead.

He had already dug into his food, dipping the bread into the soup and biting half of it off, nearly choking in the process. She chuckled to herself, wondering if somewhere inside him his DNA was craving the krogan food. On the Normandy he mostly had to do with Sergeant Gardner's human meals. Which was fine most of the time nutrient wise. And as far as she was aware, the krogan didn't have many restaurants on other words. Even the Citadel only had one famous example, the Fishdog Foodshack, a place named after the unique looking varren.

She tried the soup herself and found that it was kind of bland, though definitely filling. But she couldn't exactly blame the woman for her recipe. Spice was a thing of luxury, and the krogan on Tuchanka were definitely not living luxuriously. She would have to make some kind of deal with Wrex to potentially send spices their way. Maybe they could figure out something that fit the krogan palette.

In less than a few minutes Grunt had finished his food. Shepard smirked and slid her bowl over to him. He looked up at her, then back down at the bowl before devouring it as well. Setting both bowls aside, he took a few sips of the small glass of ryncol he was given. "Now, would you like to tell me what this is all about?"

"Why am I not good enough?" he asked, looking down at the table sheepishly.

She was taken aback by the question. "Not good enough? Good enough for what?"

"You go off to Thessia, then come back with a new baby! And now we're here on Tuchanka so you can leave me behind and forget I ever existed!" he said, his face scrunched into a pout. Shepard felt like her breath caught in her lungs at the claim. What he said was so wildly uncanny that she could do nothing but put her head in her arms and laugh. He glared at her as she practically laughed herself into a coughing fit. "You told me to communicate, and now that I am, you've decided to laugh at me."

"No! I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" she groaned, now trying to regulate her breathing. When she finally got a grip on herself again, she cleared her throat and took a drink from a water bottle she had brought with her. "I want to apologize, you caught me off guard. First," she said holding up a single finger. "I want to explain that we're here for Mordin's assistant. I'm not here to drop you off or leave you here."

He tilted his head at her explanation. "Why Mordin's assistant? He's probably already dead."

"Mordin wants to know whether he's dead or not. If not, he'd like to save him. And anything I can do for my crew, I'm going to do," she said as she pointed at him. "As a future leader, you need to understand that. While you don't have to do everything for those who follow you, you should make time for them."

"Okay. So… we're here for the salarian. But… you were talking to the warchief about me securing the krogan's future. Why were you talking to him about that if you weren't leaving me here?" he asked suspiciously.

"Because the krogan have a long future ahead. As you probably learned by now, humans live to a hundred fifty at most. You'll still be plenty young and fresh when I'm long gone. What I didn't mean was that you were going to stay here and work on the krogan future now," she said as she leaned her head onto her hand with a growing smile.

"Okay but…" he said as he looked back and forth for another question.

"Grunt…" she cut in instantly. He looked at her nervously. "Were you jealous because I found out that I had a baby? Did you think you were getting replaced?" With each second he didn't answer, her smile grew larger until he couldn't ignore it anymore.

"Just shut up already. I don't need you mocking me," he growled, but when he looked towards her spot again, she was gone. She had moved with small assistance from her biotics to his side of the table and now smiled up at him.

Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck as far as they could go and pulled him down, resting her head on his massive multiplate. Her fingers stroked under his chin gently. "You aren't replaceable Grunt. I have a little girl now, and if you'd like, you can meet her next time we go back."

Immediately, she felt the same kind of soothing breathing from him that she had felt back on the Citadel when he was being fitted for new armor. But only a few seconds passed before he shoved her off him. "Stop it. You're embarrassing," he growled, pouting again.

She nodded back towards the shuttle station. "Come on. Let's go get the others. They probably wanna see Tuchanka too."

The krogan got up from his seat and nodded. But before they could even turn to walk down the street, something immediately caught his eye. "Shepard!" he shouted as he sprinted over to one of the market stalls. She eyed him curiously to see what he was wanting, but her eyes widened as he turned around with two large blades longer than her arms. "Swords!"

Vork Public Park – Urdnot City – Tuchanka

Shepard rubbed her throbbing head as she stood, watching as Grunt swung the swords he now owned around as if he were in some kind of action movie. The blades were massive, like a giant krogan machete, its edges lasered and tempered with titanium, making them strong enough to cleave limbs clean off of most species, especially when wielded by a krogan. "Grunt, I told you not to swing those around like that. Put them away before you hurt yourself."

"But look how awesome they are!" he said excitedly before turning to her. "Do you think Kasumi would turn these into a daishō for me?"

"I'm sorry, did he just ask me to make him a daishō? I'll be right there," came the voice of Kasumi. Most of the ground crew, with the exception of Mordin, had come to ground and were now exploring Udnot City. They paired up, with Garrus and Tali going off together, Jacob and Ash decided to check out the professional combat scene, and Samara went with Thane to check out the newly formed female clan. Zaeed and Kasumi did whatever the hell they were doing. Even Legion occupied the omni-tool on her wrist.

Meanwhile, Shepard and Miranda watched Grunt twirl his weapons around. "I mean, you bought them for him," said Miranda, the sass in her voice coming through as a way to tell her she was wrong to do so.

"He said he wanted them, and he needs better options for close range combat than just headbutting," said Shepard with a shrug.

"Organics learn through repetition. He will not get better without practice," said Legion from her wrist.

"They actually learn better by making mistakes. But making a mistake with those could be gruesome," said Shepard as she turned and watched the pair of Jack and Wrex standing on the opposite end of the part they were occupying for the moment. There weren't that many krogan here, and she wasn't sure if that was because they were here. Either way, she was still grateful to see her old crew and new crew getting together and having fun.

"All you really need to do is focus in the center. In your core. Right here!" shouted the krogan as he slapped his stomach.

Jack nodded and threw his hands out with a loud roar, causing a bubble of biotic energy to erupt from him and slam into her. She went tumbling backwards before climbing back to her feet with a look of awe on her face. "Yo! That was pretty good for an old guy! Lemme try!" she said as she began to focus on her own abilities.

Shepard smirked as Kasumi popped up from her invisibility next to them and waited for Grunt to slow down. Miranda turned to her and eyed her curiously. "Are you really going to fight in some krogan gladiatorial arena tomorrow?"

"If we wanna find Mordin's assistant, we have to. And I'm not going into the collector fight without everyone having a clear head," said Shepard as she turned to the XO and nodded. "If that means I have to slap around a few feral predators who think I'm a snack, then so be it."

"I'm glad you're taking this approach to keeping your crew happy seriously," said the operative as the pair of them watched Kasumi head over to Grunt to set him up. "Regardless of whether we're fighting the collectors or the reapers themselves, some people are going to die. Even if we manage to take out the collectors with the team intact, there's almost no possibility of fighting the reapers without some collateral."

"I know," said Shepard as she crossed her arms. She hated thinking about losing people, especially after the situation with Nihlus and Jenkins. And then Kaidan afterwards, though she'd now have to readjust her feelings about him. "The collectors mostly seem to be a single force with a ship that's pretty easily damaged as far as we can tell. The reapers are in the thousands with millions of smaller ships and potentially billions of troops. Nobody is coming out of this war clean."

"It's a good thing you're doing, Shepard," said the XO as she turned to her again. "Keeping check on everyone's mental health, giving them breaks, helping them when they need it. I wouldn't have said this when we first boarded the Normandy, but you're a hell of a leader and I now fully understand why you were capable of defeating Sovereign two years ago."

Shepard smirked at her and shrugged. "Thanks."

"That reminds me…" said Miranda with some hesitation. Once this business on Tuchanka is over, I want you to take a few days off. We have a new implant that I'd like to install."

"New implant? For biotics?" asked Shepard, getting a nod from the woman. "Is that necessary?"

Miranda crossed her arms and gave the woman a glare. "Collectors and reapers, remember us talking about them? I want you to be at your best, and I'm sure you do too. Besides, we can use that time to tune up your cybernetics and make sure they're functioning correctly."

The spectre let out a heavy sigh before finally nodding. "Fine, fine. But I'm not staying locked in the medical bay like I was after we visited Minerva's place."

"That's fine as long as you don't do anything too strenuous afterwards," she said with a grin as she approved.

Shepard noted the seemingly fallen look hidden behind Miranda's eyes before turning towards Grunt again. With a glare, she stomped over towards the pair of them. "Dammit Grunt! I said stop swinging those around! Especially with people around!"

CODEX ENTRIES

Pussle | Derogatory Linguistics | Rayloc A pussle is a small parasite native to Tuchanka that enters a host through the anus and feeds off the excrement the host provides while giving nothing in return. The insult is commonly given to those the krogan deem to be parasites on their society. Sometimes it's simply given to those who they do not respect.

Gnarshrat | Zoology | Tuchanka A large and vicious rodent from Tuchanka that somehow miraculously thrived in the nuclear winter brought on by the krogans' destructive war. They have fur that they matt into armored plates with mud and are territorial. They are so aggressive that oftentimes larger predators, even krogan themselves, think that it's not worth fighting them.