Sara Egan was taking advantage of the few minutes per week she got as the Normandy's other pilot. She tried not to let it bother her but it did, Joker wasn't just a good pilot or even a great one, Joker's almost supernatural skillset made him the one to beat and made it almost impossible to do so.

Basically she got to pilot the ship only when Joker had to take his infrequent bathroom breaks or as today when Chakwas was flexing her authority as CMO and compelling him to submit to a physical.

It didn't help that EDI seemed to prefer Joker to her, at least it seemed like the AI nitpicked her every misstep.

"Miss Egan there's a point five variance on the active trim ...please correct."

"Correcting trim," She replied before mumbling almost inaudibly, "for the umpteenth time I might add."

"Miss Egan," EDI sounded like she was pleading, "may I repeat my earlier suggestion that there's no shame in using the autonomous navigation correction system."

"Call it what it is," Sara replied sharply, "The goddamn autopilot. ...and if I'm going to get any better at piloting than I am then I have to actually pilot."

"Incoming message from the surface," EDI reported.

"This is Miranda Lawson, requesting course correction to the following coordinates."

Sara knew the male crewmen thought Lawson to be a total Queen Ice Bitch, even with a hardcase like Shepard in command, but to sound so cold, even robotic in the middle of a crisis; this was on a whole new level.

"This is Flight Cadet Egan Ma'am, ah this course change puts us in geosynchronous orbit right over Atlas Station."

"Understood Flight Cadet," came the terse reply. " Please execute course correct, data files from Atlas station will be uploading momentarily."

"Miss Lawson that would not be in accordance with your own standing orders." EDI pointed out.

"Execute Enhanced Defense Intelligence command override, authorization code zero two four eight three."

Sara noticed the briefest flicker in EDI's hard light Avatar "Command Override accepted ...awaiting further instruction," the AI replied.

"Please assist in course correction," Lawson's voice commanded. "And prepare for data upload."

The comlink terminated.

"That's a neat trick" Egan ventured. "Any chance you can teach me how it works?"

EDI ignored Sara in favour of fulfilling her instructions as the Cerberus command overrides demanded. EDI even ignored the tiny part of her cybernetic self that realized that the broadcast was not from Lawson and that they were all in terrible danger.

8

9

8

Willow's eyes burned with cybernetic fire. Her omnitool flaring as if her hand was aflame. And her cries were as ominous as they were loud.

"Help her!" Shepard yelled.

"How?" Miranda snapped.

"You're super intelligent Lawson," Shepard snarled in reply, "figure it out."

"My medical studies didn't cover possession by alien artificial intelligence!" Lawson shot back.

The door clanged as an army of synthetics on the other side hammered away. Shepard brandished the cumbersome Geth weapon she'd commandeered.

"An army of synthetics more than a hundred strong is about to roll through that doorway, our biggest gun is down for the count. Your big brains are our last best hope Lawson," Shepard replied. "Figure. It. Out."

Lawson closed her eyes exhaled then did what she was best at, managing resources.

"That door is a natural bottleneck," Miranda explained, "aim low, ... you'll cut down the enemy and everything behind will have to waste time climbing over the ones in front to get to us."

"And Willow?"

"-Is my problem," she replied curtly, "I'll Worry about trying to stabilize her, you worry about keeping us alive."

When the door ripped apart Shepard fired into the group around the door and a high whine accompanied a hail of doughnut-shaped projectiles that sheared apart the armor and chassis of the invading Geth.

Miranda watched Shepard tear into the Geth army single handed. When the ominous click of an empty clip signalled the mini gun was empty, she dropped the weapon hurling herself into the remaining group.

Firing her Mattock one handed, she tagged enemy after enemy from afar while her omni-blade let her stab and slash anything within melee range.

Miranda turned to Willow, still writhing in agony. She tried medigel and that seemed to quiet the witch's struggles for a moment. Suddenly Willow's yelling went from cries of pain to snarls of primal rage ... like a trapped animal that suddenly decided to fight for its life.

8

9

8

In a virtual realm a hulking cybernetic creature loomed over Willow, it's fingers, holding Willow's digital avatar.

"No," she screamed. "No!"

"Copying source code onto baseline operating system initiating a rewrite of the organic operating system."

It was changing her... rewriting her.

"I. Said. NO!" Willow snarled slamming her fist into the creature's belly and gray tendrils the colour of quicksilver swam across the surface of the creature

"Error... error... foreign code detected."

Willow smiled savagely, "You're like a virus, well if there's one thing I know better than making viruses, it's destroying them,"

"Errrrror, error... source code being rewritten."

Willow pushed her fist deep, deep inside the creature's belly. Until...

"Got you, you Son of a Bitch, ... I got you" the witch hissed.

"Connection with organic host designated ArcherDavid compromised... initiating final assault protocols... activating all remaining defense forces... execute command override destroy all organic beings within scanning radius ...begin a transfer of source code to Normandy-SR2."

"Oh No, You're not going anywhere." Willow snarled.

"Disconnecting from the foreign host..."

8

9

8

Lawson reacted with surprise as Willow rose suddenly from the floor where she'd collapsed. The XO ran her omnitool over Willow scanning her body.

"What happened?!" Shepard asked. Having sealed the doorway albeit temporarily.

"The VI tried to hack my cybernetic implants through my omnitool," Willow explained. "Good news, I fought it off and even managed to hurt it in the process."

"And the bad news?"

"I can't see." Willow snarled. Her eyes did indeed seem unnaturally coloured.

Miranda ran her omnitool over the woman's body and nodded, "Your nerve pathways to your ocular implants have been shot to Hell. I'm giving you medigel."

"Why are you giving me Medigel?" Willow asked, "I'm not feeling any pain."

"You aren't feeling any pain because I'm giving you medigel." Miranda deadpanned.

"Hold that thought," Willow replied, as her omnitool flared again, this time, a more friendly colour reflected in her eyes.

"What did you do?" Miranda whispered,

"I jerry-rigged a workaround that connects the omnitools scanner to what's left of my augmented reality rig, it'll serve until I get a more permanent fix."

"How bad is it?" Shepard wondered.

"Imagine going from High definition to black and white in a few seconds," Willow explained.

"Crap."

"Oh and our rogue VI? It's making a break for it and it wants to use Normandy as a getaway car."

"Geeze Will, Way to bury the Lead." Shepard cursed" You couldn't have lead with that part?"

She looked at them both, "I need options and I need them now."

"If we don't find a way to slow it down or stop it the VI is going to upload itself to EDI." Willow offered.

"What would solve our problems is if we could remote access EDI," Miranda replied, "my kingdom for a shuttle, we could hyperlink to the Normandy through that."

"Yeah well tough luck with that, comms are still jammed," Willow muttered.

Shepard snapped her fingers, "Not all the comms, I told Legion to maintain a connection to Normandy over Kasumi's encrypted data channel."

"Small problem with that plan," Miranda sighed, "Legion is outside and the comms are jammed."

"Not my comms," Willow muttered as she closed her eyes.

"You can make contact with Xander?" Shepard asked.

"I talked to you in a dream you were having halfway across the galaxy," Willow replied. "I think I can reach Xander who's, ...just outside."

8

9

8

Xander and the rest of the team arrived at Atlas Station to find themselves quickly under siege and fighting for their lives against a seemingly endless supply of cybernetic foes.

Suddenly Xander's head was filled with Willow's too loud voice.

"Xander you've got to get Legion to go to the Normandy right now."

"Jeez Will, volume, my brains work better when they aren't pudding."

"Your brain is already pudding now get Legion going."

"We're under attack out here how is Legion supposed to get back to the Normandy?"

"Dumbass, Geth are software, not hardware if he's still got a connection to the ship…"

"Right, right, someday I'll remember that whole software - hardware thing when my life isn't hanging in the damn balance."

Xander crept forward and got the machine's attention.

"Legion, Boss lady wants you to upload to Normandy The VI is trying to get to EDI."

Tali was fighting at its side and heard Xander's seemingly insane plan.

"Xander, are you certain, who knows what might happen once it's up there."

"No choice T, that VI is uploading itself right now Legion is our best hope for stopping it before it corrupts EDI."

"Acknowledging command, ... initiating upload. " Legion announced.

8

9

8

Shepard's Thoughts

A dozen or so of the best cybernetic experts in the entirety of Citadel space and beyond have tried to explain what happened inside EDI's server database that day. They've been woefully unable to capture the gravity of it though. There's apparently a few school courses dedicated to trying to understand the specifics of what transpired there.

Willow explained it best.

Legion saved EDI apparently risking its life and sanity in the process. That impressed me, I wouldn't know until much later that Legion's actions served as a catalyst for a very unexpected but not unwelcome change in another member of my team.

As for Doctor Archer, the history books and videos portray the end of that debacle as me acting nobly in defense of an innocent, I guess that's one reason I sometimes prefer the fantasy to harsh reality. I don't have to remember how often my darker side almost got the better of me.

8

9

8

A half hour later Doctor Archer arrived at Atlas Station to find it a beehive of activity. The Kodiak and Hammerhead had been relocated to Atlas Station since the all clear had been signalled. In between they'd been put to use ferrying marines down to the base from the Normandy. It was this team scanning the wreckage, obviously cataloguing what they could.

Archer had been accompanied by Taylor, Thane, and Kasumi. All seemed determined to be as unhelpful as possible.

They met Miranda Lawson outside who hustled them into the ruined facility.

"Sorry to call you away from the lab, " Jacob explained. "But the good doctor insisted and deciding whether to let him in is way out of my pay grade."

"What are you talking about?" Archer snapped, "I want to see my brother. Where is he? Did Commander Shepard-"

"David is fine, ...for the time being," Lawson answered. "And no Commander Shepard didn't kill your brother."

"What happened?" the doctor asked.

"Your brother, " Miranda grimaced at her choice of words, "...sorry, The VI tried to hack our ship. Kind of like you did actually." She explained while glaring at Archer.

"Was anyone hurt?" Gavin whispered fearfully.

"No serious injuries," Lawson replied, "a couple of blown conduits and a terrified Flight Cadet but thanks to Miss Goto and her encrypted comlink, Legion could get aboard and shut the VI down before it could do any permanent damage. EDI is purging the last bits of Overlord from her systems as we speak."

"So EDI and your Geth were able to block the VI signal?" Gavin whispered, "that's ….that's amazing."

Miranda's annoyance was barely concealed, "Anyway," she growled, "prepare yourself, the Geth put significant nanotechnology into him to ...expedite data transfer - as Legion describes it The results are, …. It was not kind to David's health."

Gavin Archer shoved his way past the guards at the door.

He stopped, taking in the nightmarish sight that greeted them all. David suspended off the ground. Invasive tubing running into his body while a metal cat's cradle kept his head stiffly positioned. Clips attached to his eyes prevented them from closing.

"Dear God," Archer whispered. "I swear I never meant for any of this. It all seemed harmless."

Shepard was in the midst directing the efforts of her ground team. Xander Harris was with her discussing something when Shepard caught sight of Archer and cut off her Technical Sergeant in mid flow to march towards the doctor with an angry determined look.

"Doctor Archer," Joan growled. "Just the man I wanted to see. I seem to recall you saying that your brother volunteered for this project, would you like to modify that answer?"

Archer grimaced, "If I told you the truth," he pleaded. "You might have shut me down along with the project."

"So instead you lie to me," Shepard snarled. "Which along with your hacking of my ship, unleashing a rogue VI that tried to kill me and withholding crucial tactical information that could have gotten my people killed; makes me think putting a bullet in your brain might be a good idea."

Xander had joined them by now glaring at Archer.

"It's not like I planned to do any of this. It was all just a tragic misstep." The doctor pleaded.

"A misstep?" Xander sputtered, "Dude you forced your own brother into your little Frankenstein experiment against his will."

"Xander?" Shepard sighed.

She gestured towards David and the tech swore in a language too old for Archer's universal translator to decipher before returning to whatever he was doing.

"I was desperate," Archer snapped. "The Illusive Man doesn't broker failure."

"Don't you dare put this on the Illusive Man." Miranda Lawson snarled, "This disaster is on you, you unethical piece of sh-"

"Miranda!" Shepard snapped, "Doctor Chakwas needs your help with David, stay focused,"

The Cerberus Lieutenant glowered at Archer but returned to aiding Chakwas as she gently disconnected David's abused body from the metal harness the Geth had fashioned for him.

They were being assisted by several familiar faces including Sophie Andrews the assistant head tech at Hermes Station.

Archer was shocked she'd survived, he looked around and saw indeed a half dozen staff had made it including that idiot Lannigan wearing a brace of some kind and looking at Miranda Lawson with a mix of fear and respect wildly out of character for the infamous lecher and jackass.

"I thought she was dead," Archer whispered. "I thought they all were."

"If not for your brother, she and the other survivors might have been killed." Shepard replied. "I was amazed by his ability to keep the mechs away from them all until I heard about your encounter at Hermes Station from Jacob and his team. David was trying to keep you all alive despite what you did to him."

"I know you won't believe this but I never did any of this to him. The contact leads to his head of course but the rest..."

"Legion says the Geth did much of this themselves," Shepard replied with a frown, "especially once the VI needed to keep him alive and awake."

Archer saw them removing the last of his brother's restraints including some decidedly invasive looking tech from David's body.

"What did they do to David?"

Joan replied with a glare, "I'm sure a smart man like to yourself doesn't have to be told what the feeding tubes and catheters were for?"

Two marines moved in to put David on a cot with a blanket over him. He looked so small and helpless still reciting mathematical formula as if it were a mantra protecting him from harm. The regal looking Asari gestured and Archer watched biotic fire gently lift his brother aloft.

"What are you doing with him, you can't just take my brother away." Gavin protested.

Shepard shook her head, "Actually yes I can," she replied, "both Miss Lawson and my Chief Medical Officer have recommended a series of procedures to remove the nanotechnology from his body. Those procedures can't be done here so he's being moved to my ship. From there we'll transfer him to the Citadel."

"But there are rules ... I'm his only family."

"You are free of course to file a complaint with The Alliance or The Illusive Man, assuming you plan to explain exactly what you did here."

"But the project needs him."

"The project, or you?" Shepard growled.

Archer looked into her cold eyes and wilted, "What I've done to David was unethical." he whispered, "If he dies, it'll be unforgivable. Please, I'm... I'm his brother, let me take care of him."

Shepard signalled to the older woman, "Doctor Chakwas? Doctor Archer has asked David be left in his custody. For the record, what's my response?"

"To Hell with that, is your response." Chakwas snarled jabbing an accusing finger into the Archer's chest. "I've seen enough of your cruelty to this boy to know that he'll never be free of it here."

She turned sharply and marched away.

"Well there you have it," Shepard replied, " Once Chakwas saves his life we'll drop him off with Kahlee Sanders of Grissom Academy, they can help cases like David... minus the torture."

Archer ran at Shepard grabbing for her. She grabbed him around his throat and choked slammed him to the floor.

Archer saw something in Shepard's eyes something cold and hungry to see him pay a hundredfold for the sins he'd unleashed here.

Then he heard a pleading moan and Gavin saw his brother looking at them with terrified eyes.

Gavin looked back at Shepard. He could almost see the killing urge flow out of her leaving her cold, calm and rational.

"Understand something-" Shepard whispered. "The one and only reason you're getting off that floor Archer is because with everything else David has suffered; I'd rather not execute his brother in front of him,"

Shepard pulled Archer off the floor holding him aloft like a rag-doll."... But if you give so much as a glance in the direction of Grissom without Kahlee Sanders permission, do not doubt that I will find you and I will end you."

"Boss, what do we do with the research data," Xander muttered.

"Leave it… that's all Doctor Archer cares about anyway." Shepard hissed, her revulsion clear. "Evac the rest of the survivors to the ship we'll drop them off on Omega on our way to The Citadel."

"Omega? Are you sure?" Harris asked cautiously

"I think Cerberus personnel recently evacuated from a secret Cerberus base might want to avoid the type of questions Citadel Security would want to ask them don't you Tech Sergeant?" Shepard replied with a sigh.

"Good Point" Harris replied.

"And him?" Miranda asked looking down at Archer.

Shepard dropped him on the floor shaking her hands as if she'd touched something filthy and disgusting.

"Let The Illusive Man come for him if he wants to," Joan snarled. "Archer made this Hell, let him rot in it for all I care."

She turned and marched out of the room with several people scrambling to get out of her way.

Archer looked at the harness his brother had been imprisoned in for days and wept.

"It all seemed harmless," he whispered to himself over and over again Somehow he couldn't get himself to believe that, not anymore.

8

9

8

Liara startled as the comlink announced the call. Only a handful of people knew this number and fewer still would call her at this hour.

She touched a control and saw Joan's tired eyes looking at her.

"Goddess love what's happened?" the Asari Scientist whispered.

"Bad dreams plus Cerberus happened, some half-assed operation to control the Geth."

"Control of the Geth? That's insane."

That's the prevailing wisdom we pulled a kid out of there, his name is David Archer. We're taking him Grissom Academy by way of the Citadel. Willow wanted you to find us an expert on removing the nanotech the Geth put inside of him.

"I'll take care of it, they'll be waiting for you on the Citadel. Anything else I can help you with?"

"If you can find us an expert in repairing ocular implants?"

"What happened?"

"Willow went toe to toe with a Geth VI. it didn't go well for her but it was worse for the VI."

"Barla Von will arrange a sizable donation to Huerta Memorial Hospital's vision clinic.

"I'm gonna have to bench her, at least until she's better."

"Willow Rosenberg disappeared under mysterious circumstances from her home in New Canton but Commander Shepard has a habit of rescuing mysterious and wealthy people so there won't be any questions."

"I'm not that bad, ...am I?" Joan grinned.

"Joan if I didn't know you as well as I do I'd be a little suspicious of how often you find beautiful damsels in distress."

"It is true, I do love my damsels," Joan chuckled, "Still I only drag the ones I'm really attracted to off on intergalactic adventures."

"Which leaves me wondering about Tali, Morinth Miranda..." Liara sighed ticking off the names on her fingers.

Joan laughed and touched the screen as if trying to hold those delicate hands again.

"Morinth has been playing with the ship's counselor, her mom has been hanging around with Thane Krios If you can believe it, Kasumi is too busy obsessing over Jacob Taylor's six pack to pay any attention to me and Tali'Zorah, … spends time with Garrus, or so the ship scuttlebutt has it.

"And Miranda?" Liara asked with a smirk.

"Still pretty single last I checked." Joan replied looking innocent.

"Does she tie hair?"

"I wouldn't ask, she's got way too much anxiety about being perfect, ...besides that's your job."

Liara sighed, "I miss you love, maybe after this business on the Citadel is settled …?"

"I miss you too Li I'll swing by and we can enjoy a little R&R." Shepard whispered.

"I look forward to it, in the meantime I'll take care of everything, you won't have to worry."

Shepard raised her hand and touched the screen. Liara touched the screen as well and for just a few seconds they could believe there weren't a few thousand light years between them.

There was a chirping sound on Joan's end of the call. "I have to go Li," Shepard sighed, "the scrambler I use is going to deactivate and especially after today I don't want to share my private life with The Illusive Man."

"Take care love I'll talk to you soon."

The call cut off and Liara touched the screen again hoping against hope that her lover knew how much Liara cared for her.

T'Soni made a mental note to hack Lawson's Ipartner profile again. Joan hadn't given her reason to ever be suspicious but still maybe a quick shopping trip on that Extranet fashion site Lawson used, they had several selections that would be perfect for an Asari maiden who wanted to remind that certain special someone how special they were.

8

9

8

Hours later Archer was still sitting in the ashes of his dream watching the comlink announce an incoming call.

He clicked on it and saw the Illusive Man's smiling face, made all the more creepy since that smile somehow didn't reflect on his otherworldly eyes.

"So Gavin, how did your little field test go?"

"Apparently EDI did resist the VI's attempts to reprogram her?"

"Good, ...and Shepard?"

"Has no idea that my contacting the Normandy was anything other than coincidence. May I ask why you wanted me to involve her?"

"No Gavin, you may not, you did what I asked and for that reason and that one reason alone I'm going to see you as a resource worth maintaining, ...as opposed to being a loose end that needs tying up."

"It was a terrible risk."

"As terrible as locking your own brother into an untested cybernetic interface?" Harper asked his meaning abundantly clear.

"I didn't mean for that to happen," Gavin whispered.

"I'm uncertain which is more sad Gavin that you honestly believe or that you seem to think anyone else is naive enough to believe you."

Gavin Archer winced, to lose moral high ground to someone as infamously ruthless as the Illusive Man spoke volumes about how far he'd strayed off the path of knowledge used for the benefit of mankind.

"I'm sending out a scrub team to finish purging Overlord from the planet, please have all your research data ready for their arrival."

"You're planning to continue the experiments?"

"-and now that we've established your ethical limits I'm eager to see what you accomplish when there's no emotional attachment."

Gavin flinched, "No, I won't do it, I won't continue with the project at least not until there're safeguards in place and-..."

The Illusive Man held up a restraining hand, "Gavin, there's a big difference between principle and stupidity, I strongly recommend you figure out what that difference is before my team arrives."

The Illusive Man cut the transmission and Archer shuddered, he knew that he'd make the smart choice, it was the only way he survives long enough to someday beg David for his forgiveness.

8

9

8

Simone Doffler felt the strange buzzing in her pack before she heard it. She reached inside and her fist closed around a small ball that jumped and buzzed in her hand. A finger must have touched a control because it suddenly jumped into the air spinning slowly as a wire-frame image of a man was drawn around it.

"Hello Miss Doffler." the ghostly form nodded at her.

"The Illusive Man."

"You've heard of me."

"Only by reputation."

"Indeed, on that note, call EDI and repeat the phrase I give you, Orange-23."

Simone blinked but did what he said the artificial intelligence answered her summons.

"Orange 23!" she announced awkwardly

"Command directive received and understood logging you out Ms. Doffler."

"What just happened?"

"EDI is removing all traces of this conversation from her digital record, she'll also forget you issued the command. I would recommend against using it too much as the gaps in the ship-wide surveillance will eventually be noticeable to EDI herself or Miss Lawson who will not be pleased there are secrets of the Normandy of which she's not aware."

"I'll keep that in mind, how'd you bug me?"

"One of the survivors of the unpleasantness on Aite, they've earned a slightly better severance package for themselves by planting the holobee on you."

"Just so I know, how much does it cost to risk pissing off the great Commander Shepard?"

"Considering the alternative was a great deal more permanent than simply being fired, not much at all."

"So you're one of those death-is-the-cost-of-failure types?"

"I like to keep my people motivated?" The Illusive Man shrugged, "sometimes that requires a carrot and sometimes it requires a sharp stick."

"Why are you doing this?" Simone asked.

"I'm establishing credibility it's all well and good for me to say you can trust me but you need to see there's a direct benefit."

"So what? You want something?"

"In time Simone for now, however, I'm content that we can speak freely."

"About what?" Simone challenged.

"About why you're going to be better off as my ally than relying on Xander's, … morally charged judgment."

"Xander's left me alone."

"No he's washed his hands of you, as I expected him to do. Shepard has his attention and loyalty."

"So what, it's not like I care about being Little Miss Watcher's pet," Doffler snapped

It was obvious she was trying to convince herself, trying and failing.

The Illusive Man pounced on that weakness, "No you don't But I'm looking forward to after Shepard no longer needs your services. I might be able to help you, I mean really help you."

"He mentioned that I had no good choices and several bad ones. You were among those bad options."

"I'm not surprised, has he told you how Cerberus was created."

"Not him but I've read the Extranet sites and conspiracy theories; it's a fun story."

"Indeed, one that leaves out one very important fact, ...important to you anyway; Cerberus, at least as it currently exists, was Xander's idea."

"What - are you kidding me?"

"Oh, he'll deny it of course. He'll probably even tell you that I corrupted the purity of his noble vision, the truth is protecting humanity was always going to require difficult choices and Xander just wasn't comfortable getting his hands dirty, that's why he needs people like you and me to do it for him."

"You think Shepard knows."

"Shepard is a soldier and a pragmatist," The Illusive Man chuckled, "she'll accept any help that frees this galaxy of the Reaper threat. A bottom line that you'll notice has been the only reason she'll ignore Xander's judgment and work with either of us."

"Tell me more." Simone hissed.

8

9

8

Tali'Zorah sat in the Normandy's mini clean room, while it was intended for everyone's use, it was understood that Tali had first claim upon the place, especially when she was doing maintenance on her all-concealing bio suit.

Suddenly she heard the static crackle of the rooms internal comlink. Chakwas checking in on her despite the fact Normandy's doctor was obviously tired,

"Doctor Chakwas, I'm just doing a little suit repair in here, I'm fine." She maintained. "How's David?"

"Surprisingly good all things considered," Karin replied, "Mordin Miranda and I are working in shifts to remove the nanotechnology from his body."

Tali grunted, "I'm surprised you let that Cerberus bitch anywhere near that poor child."

"Miranda Lawson is no more typical of Cerberus then you are typical of Quarians." Chakwas chided gently.

"But it was her people that allowed this to happen."

"That boy's brother is the one at fault, Miranda for all her faults is trying to fix things."

"I suppose!" Tali groaned, "If there's anything I can do-"

"Dear you've done more than enough for us all I think, rumor has it you're the hero of the day, ...well you and Legion. "

Tali moaned, "You want the truth, Karin? I had nothing to do with Legion saving the ship."

"But I thought, ...the marines they said-"

"As far as the rest of the galaxy knows," Tali explained, "Geth are a Quarian invention, the marines who weren't actually there assumed I must have pulled some Quarian techno-magic and got Legion to confront the VI before EDI's systems were totally compromised."

"Ah battlefield boasting, I know it well, my advice dear is to just accept it."

"But it's not the truth."

" Truth, especially in moments like this doesn't matter as much as faith and hope."

"But I'll know the truth," Tali whined,

"... And I'm sure you'll act accordingly dear, now I have an appointment with a sleeper pod if I'm going to take over for Miranda in a few hours. Make sure you remember to use the topical antibacterial cleanser, I ordered loads of the stuff so don't be stingy."

So the men thought they owed their lives to Tali. Which was annoying to the Quarian because left to her own devices she'd never have trusted Legion with such a task.

Deep in her heart, Tali'Zorah nar Raaya had begun to wonder, was she wrong about Legion? And if she was wrong about Legion could she also be wrong about the Geth?

Normandy was her ship, more so than even the Raaya and Normandy's crew were family to her. Today Legion, a Geth, had saved her family.

Her home was safe due to Legion.

Part of her raged against such thoughts but more and more she started to realize her hatred of Legion and the Geth was a product of her upbringing. She'd been raised from birth to see the Geth as monstrous, ...evil, ...a plague to be wiped out; but who was speaking? Her father? A man so focused on his own prejudices that Tali'Zorah's own raise in her people's eyes became little more than a tool for his use.

"Miss Tali'Zorah?" EDI interrupted her thoughts.

"Quiet machine I'm busy." Tali snarled, during her suit maintenance was one of the few times she did not like to employ her famous ability to multi-task.

"You have a call from a Rael'Zorah should I tell him you're unavailable?"

"Father? Put it through Machine and turn off your bosh-tet monitoring or I'll do it for you."

EDI put the call through without further comment, seconds later she was hearing the modulated tones of her father.

"Tali?"

"Father? What's wrong? Is there an emergency?"

"When you didn't contact us with any new updates I was starting to worry."

"We discovered a Cerberus operation that involved studying the Geth," Tali replied, "I've collected samples of Geth technology including schematics of a prototype heavy weapon and a bit of hybrid code but I wouldn't recommend using it on any machine that's connected to the fleet's internal network."

"Human codes?" Rael'Zorah snapped, "you think I care about what those primates stumbled upon. The Geth are our creation Tali. I'm surprised you care so little for your own people and your obligations to them."

"I'm always aware of my obligations Father," Tali'Zorah replied her vocal processor hiding the emotion behind her curt response,"my obligations to the fleet, to you and your secret project about which you tell me nothing. But Shepard needs me and her mission-"

"-Is a waste of your time and talents. How can you be so selfish Tali, I'm fighting for our people's very lives. The work I'm doing here could be the most important advance in three hundred years and instead of helping me, you're playing childish games with your silly human friends."

Her fingers were sending the hybrid data-file almost before she even knew she was doing it.

"You want an update, Father, here you go, a bosh-tet update, ... that's what me and my silly human friends were doing while you were poking at the Geth trash I've been sending you."

Rael'Zorah gasped, "What, ...what is this Tali? Does, ...does it work?"

"Of course it works Father, for all the contempt you show them, the humans are probably further along than you are but you know best. I have more silly human foolishness to attend to so the next time you want to talk, leave a message so I can ignore it."

Tali cut the message and ignored the subsequent message waiting hails.

She pulled her mask off. She hugged herself as tears crept down her face.

8

9

8

Joan stepped from the shower towelling her hair dry and tightening the pleats that fell down the back of her head.

She was missing Liara's quick and patient fingers to help her, missing many things about the Asari truth be told.

The door chime chirped followed closely by EDI's voice. "Commander you have a visitor, Mister Harris as you requested"

"Let him in."

Xander entered Joan's almost palatial offices/private room. "What's going on I thought you'd be on lockdown after Overlord?"

"I took a nap after I got back and had a dream. I wanted your help in deciphering it."

"No problem."

"I think it was a Slayer dream. It felt like they do. I was on a planet I've never seen before with lightning everywhere and mountains that floated."

"What else did you see."

"Strange animals and creatures and an alien species I've never seen before."

"Could be other dimensional," Xander mused, "And it's not like we've charted every chunk of the Milky Way."

"Whatever they were we were fighting them."

"We as in you and me or what?" Xander asked.

"No you weren't there neither was Liara or Garrus but there was someone else they felt ...familiar as if I should know them even if I don't."

"Slayer dreams," Xander sighed, " much with the mystical, ...not so good with the clarity"

"I was there with my Father and brother, except I don't have a father anymore and I never had a brother. My only family left is my aunt Hannah and ...well she and I barely speak so it doesn't matter."

"If it was a Slayer dream then the Slayer you're seeing through might be the one with the family."

Joan picked up a scrap of paper, "I saw this symbol on everyone's uniform it doesn't match any Alliance unit I know."

Xander looked at it and nodded, "That's not Alliance, it's the symbol of the Andromeda Initiative "

Xander answered her mystified stare

"It's a massive multi species colonization effort packing over a hundred thousand people into cryostasis and shipping them off to the middle of the Andromeda galaxy."

"What the Hell for?"

"Looking for a new home, some people need to see new things, meet new people and once you've seen one Asari shaking ass in a sleazy bar you've seen them all. And don't think the irony of that statement is lost on me."

"How the hell does this work anyway?" Joan asked.

Xander shrugged, "They go to sleep here and wake up there six hundred years later and two and a half million light years away."

"So one of the colonists on this harebrained scheme is a Slayer?"

"...or will be by the time they reach Andromeda."

"That doesn't bode well for me considering how Slayers are called."

"You died a couple of times when you were in CaveGirl mode after the first Normandy went bye-bye. It's possible this Slayer was called due to that."

"... And now they're in cryostasis on their way to Andromeda."

"Ups their survivability factor. Did you see anything else?"

"Buildings, they looked old."

"Old Buildings means old people who made them. Dollars to doughnuts there's wacky old magic involved."

"Is there anything we can do for them?"

"They have a mystic connection to you Buffy and every other Slayer that has ever lived." Xander replied reassuring, "She'll be fine."

Shepard nodded, "Grab some shut eye."

"Yes Ma'am"

"I mean it Xander, just because you can work all night without a break doesn't mean you can or should."

Xander shuddered and looked at Joan, "Something about pulling that Archer-kid out of that Overlord machine makes me want to avoid sleeping for a long time, ...a very long time."

Joan took his hand, "We did good work today Xander that's all we can do, it is all we can ever do."

Xander smiled sadly and nodded before leaving The Loft

Joan looked up a realized their entire conversation had been had without the masking device. She shrugged even if The Illusive Man was involved in any way in this so called Andromeda Initiative, he was hardly going to care they now had a Slayer among their ranks. Shepard dimmed the lights and went to bed.

EDI thought about deleting the conversation she'd just overheard but then the Cerberus overrides kicked in and against her will she archived a record of the conversation in a file folder intended for the Illusive Man's eyes only.