Tali’Zorah Nar Raya - 8 hours after the explosion

Tali’Zorah Nar-Raya was angry. Furious really. She knew that reaction was unfair, Jenkins didn’t deserve her anger, but she couldn’t help the feeling. The man had been taking her on a roller coaster ever since they met.

At first, she had thought he was reckless. He had rushed in to try and rescue her from an ambush she was confident she could handle and nearly got himself killed. She thought that he was another meathead soldier to avoid. Then she learned he recommended she be recruited by Shepard. They had barely spoken, aside from Tali thanking the man for his efforts, and yet he somehow thought she was useful.

Then they spoke aboard the Normandy and he was just, charming. Despite having barely met, he made her feel relaxed and comfortable, and she ended up opening up. She told him about missing her home, about her doubts about belonging here. She didn’t even really notice herself doing it, and there was a moment of fear that he would judge her. That she had shown a weakness he would jump on, or take advantage of. Instead, he comforted her.

He didn’t let her keep feeling down and spoke to her as though they had been friends for years. He told her of his father, and she saw the sadness in his eyes as he mentioned him. She saw how quickly he used a joke to break the tension, and how in 5 minutes he made her feel more at home than she ever had away from the flotilla. How he distracted her by talking about technology.

He asked for her help with a project and Tali realized just how smart he was. His skills were more focused on software or optimizing current hardware, but it was impressive what he could do. His omni-tool upgrade had surprised her, and the safety measures he put in with the VI had her trusting him to be safe. Tali felt another flash of anger as she thought about how foolish she was. He had an AI on his person the whole time, and she couldn’t notice the differences between the model he handed out and the one he had himself.

And even that anger was second to the technology he had talked with her about. The omni-tools had mini fabricators that could be used to create certain small items in a pinch. He had come up with an idea to have the omni-tool generate a thin silicon-carbide blade that could be used and then repurposed quickly and easily in active combat. The idea was to up its creation power and speed to create a weapon, an Omni-blade he called it. An impossible-to-detect melee weapon someone could have on their person at all times was an amazing idea and would be a perfect counter to melee-limited enemies like husks.

His plans didn’t stop there either, he even had ideas on modifying the capabilities of the shield generators of armor suits. Creating focused areas of enhanced shields that focused on deflecting stray rounds instead of absorbing or resisting them. How no other Engineer had thought of such a thing had her in shock, but the more they looked into it the more they realized the problem. The power output for the shields was a lot, and it was difficult for current technology to keep running systems normally with the additional strain. As for the omni-blade, it would be manageable soon, they just had to optimize how fast it generated. Maybe in a year or two, it could become more easily viable, but they had fun trying to find a workaround with their current supplies.

Even with her anger, she smiled at the thought, she had fun working on a project with him. It reminded her of working with classmates on a school assignment but without any of the weird looks or special treatment she got from being the admiral's kid. And the rollercoaster of feelings didn’t stop there.

Then they had the mission on Feros and they fought alongside one another properly. Tali had tried hacking the Geth Armature, hoping to stun or disable it to protect her team after Kaidan’s injury. When it launched her away with that pulse she was afraid that someone could be killed, maybe even all of them. And then there he was, omni-tool glowing and pistol raised, rescuing them like the hero of some action vid. And the overload he used, the sheer damage and length he stunned the machine without even having a direct hookup. Tali might have felt jealousy at the skill on display if she wasn’t so thankful for the rescue.

And then they had to work together properly, facing down a colony of mind-controlled civilians, and eventually the evil plant monster itself. She remembered how shocked she was by Jenkins’ maneuvering of the conversation, his negotiation to keep things from being violent. When the clone grabbed his head and his body went stiff she remembered her fear of the danger he was in and her relief that he was okay.

Tali remembered her surprise at his ruthlessness as he executed the clone without hesitation. She remembered fighting alongside him up the layers, blowing each Thorian node one after the other. The confidence she felt as they reached the last one, and the shock she had at the return of the clone. She remembered being blasted and sliding across the ground, the feeling of the floor disappearing from below her, and as gravity began to take hold.

The fear she felt as she thought she would die.

The relief she felt when her arm was grabbed and she looked up to see Jenkins eyes looking through his visor. The assurance they had that she would be okay.

The return of her fear as she watched him fail to follow her to safety and the sound of an explosion going off. And the overwhelming sense of joy she felt when she learned he had lived, and the sadness and guilt she felt seeing his injuries.

A rollercoaster was the only way to describe how she had been feeling. Only a couple days of having known the man and she thought… She didn’t know what she thought.

Tali hated the fact that he had almost died, and despite what he said it was almost her fault. But she also hated that he had lied to her. A voice in the back of her head argued that he never lied. She had never asked him if he had an AI on his person. A childish voice, that wanted to forgive and go back to having a stupid crush on the guy. She wasn’t that young and certainly wasn’t that naive. Jenkins knew AI would bother her, his difficulty in explaining things to her made that clear. It means he consciously chose not to tell her to keep himself on her good side. She knew enough to know it was deceptive at least, manipulative at worst.

It had been several hours since he had revealed things to her. She had spent a good ten minutes just yelling at him after that. She was angry, and while she had to respect that he didn’t try to defend himself or tell her that her feelings were wrong, it also didn’t make her any less angry. She left without letting him truly explain the circumstances, she couldn’t stand being in the same room with that… thing there. She needed space and had to think. So that’s why she was in her bunk sitting at her desk fiddling with technology.

Tali ignored the fact that she was finding comfort in working on the project Jenkins had asked for her help with. It wasn’t their project right now, it was just something to keep her hands busy while she processed her thoughts. Having taken time to calm down she was certainly still angry, but it wasn’t so fresh. She regretted walking out without letting Jenkins get the chance to explain himself. An hour ago Chakwas put him under and it was likely he would be out until they got back to the Citadel, or close to it at least.

Jenkins had decided to remove the eye in the end, or at least that’s what Shepard informed everyone about. It was never going to be seen again anyway and was likely to always be in pain. So he opted to have it removed and eventually find a cybernetic replacement. Tali tried to ignore the flash of regret that she didn’t get the chance to talk with him about it first. Why should he talk to her about something like that first? He was an adult and didn’t need her approval or opinion on any choices he made. She was just being childish again, giving too much credence to a crush she wasn’t even certain she felt anymore.

Still, it would be a while before she could learn what had led to him traveling with an AI. And why he kept it secret from her. She could guess why he kept it secret of course. Her reaction proved that the choice might have been the right one in the end anyway. But why reveal it then? He was probably found out by the others and realized he would have to. But he chose to tell her privately, personally. Didn’t that mean something?

She didn’t know. She didn’t know a lot of things she realized. Every day away from the Flotilla had her experiencing things that she didn’t think she would. The blatant racism and hate her people received, but the acceptance they could find as well. Technology and ideas that she could never have thought of on her own. She watched as she tried to run the Omni-blade program and the battery pack it was attached to blew in a puff of smoke. She was sure the smell would be awful without her suit's filtration system. She tossed that model to the side, laying back in the chair with a huff.

Yeah, she definitely regretted not hearing Jenkins out. It didn’t matter how she felt personally, he had saved her life. He had shown her trust in revealing things privately like that. The least she owed him was hearing him out. Yet she had let her anger and feeling of betrayal get the best of her. She really did act like a child sometimes. Her anger faded again into frustration. Mostly with herself.

Now she couldn’t even apologize or figure out what the story was. At least, she thought she couldn’t. But as Tali considered things she realized she had been ignoring an option. Even if Jenkins wouldn’t wake up until they made it back to the Citadel, there was still someone, well something, she could talk to. She didn’t like the idea, and while Tali certainly didn’t trust any unshackled AI, this Beta wasn’t the Geth. It had even helped them fight against them. If she didn’t want to wait for information then that would be her only option.

“Ugh, what have you gotten yourself into esan.” She spoke aloud to herself as she stared at the ceiling for a moment, closing her eyes to try and feel for the hum of the ship, the vibrations to ground her. There was nothing.

“This ship really is too quiet sometimes.” She spoke again, almost in a whisper, before making her choice and rising to her feet. Tali knew when she was letting prejudice and fear get in her way. Even if she thought her beliefs were well founded, Jenkins deserved a modicum of trust. If he trusted the program, the least she could do was avoid jumping to conclusions about it.

Tali left her room, walking quickly as she moved through the ship. She was thankful that the ground team bunks were on the same floor of the ship as the medbay itself. She didn’t like walking through the comm center alone, it felt like everyone was watching her when she did. The all-human crew made her feel out of place. There was no sign of anyone else in the mess hall. It seemed that like her most people had decided to retire to their bunks after Shepard laid out the plan.

After speaking with the council about the mission, which Tali could tell from Shepard’s expression did not go well, she called them all in a meeting to discuss the next step. While they were going to return to the Citadel for Jenkins’ treatment and equipment resupply, they would be making their way to Therum in the Artemis Tau cluster first to find Dr. Liara T’soni.

Nearly half the squad tried to object, Ashley, Garrus, and Tali herself arguing that Jenkins’ treatment was more important, but Shepard shut them down. Jenkins himself had apparently recommended finding her first as it was likely Saren would send forces to eliminate her due to the connection she had to the Matriarch. Not many of them could argue with that logic, even if the idea of Jenkins having to wait longer for proper aid was upsetting. Even if he was stable, nobody liked the idea of leaving him waiting.

Tali walked through the doors into the medbay, the entry room housing Dr. Chakwas’ desk and supplies, along with some less heavy-duty treatment beds. Dr. Chakwas was seated at the aforementioned desk, typing away at her computer, only turning to face Tali after taking a moment to finish what she was working on. Tali waited patiently, not wanting to interrupt the doctor’s work.

“Hello, Tali right? I’m sorry but if you’re here to see Jenkins he will be under for a few more hours at least. Even once the anesthesia wears off he will need time to rest and recover, so I can’t promise he will be capable of much conversation.” The Doctor had a soft look in her eyes as she spoke of Jenkins, but her tone was firm and clinical. Like she kept a professional separation between how she felt and what she said.

“Of course. I’m actually here for something else. I was hoping… I wanted to speak to the AI that he had with him. If that was possible?” Tali was nervous asking for permission, the slight obstacle of the doctor having her second-guessing her choices. But Chakwas did not take long to answer, and Tali was not given an easy excuse to change her mind.

“Ah, I see. Well if that’s the case you are welcome to go in. The program insisted it wanted to wait by Jenkins’ side while he recovered, so its housing unit is still in the room.” Chakwas gave Tali a nod before turning back to face her computer.

“Thank you.” Tali took that as a conclusion to their conversation and made her way to the door to the examination room.

The space was more private, a sealed room with two beds, each attached to much more heavy-duty machinery. No isolation chambers but Tali assumed those sorts of machines would be unusual outside of the Quarian fleets or Volus space. However, she was surprised to see that she wasn’t alone in the room. Leaning beside Jenkins’ bed, looking over him as he slept was Ashley.

She wasn’t seated, which made Tali think she hadn’t been in here long, but she appeared focused. She didn’t hear the door open as Tali entered the space, or as it closed. Tali wasn’t the type to eavesdrop, but there was a moment of fear that kept her from speaking up or announcing her presence. Why was Ashley here? Did she blame Tali for what happened to Jenkins? How would Tali explain what she was here for, did Ashley even know about the AI? All the questions had her hesitate, and she overheard Ashley’s words, practically a whisper.

“You idiot. How am I supposed to call you out on getting tunnel vision on the mission if you die? When you wake up you better believe I’m going to tear you a new one over this. We are trying to save everyone… No more sacrifices. Please.” Tali suddenly felt very regretful that she didn’t make herself known.

She had never seen Ashley this vulnerable before, and it was pretty clear she wouldn’t appreciate being overheard. Tali backed up to the door she had entered before, letting it slide open once more. Ashley still didn’t react, making it clear her attention was elsewhere. Tali stepped forward once more, this time letting out a small cough as she made her presence known.

Ashley turned her head quickly but relaxed once she saw it was Tali, assuming she had just entered the room given the medbay door was closing behind her. Ashley gave Tali a soft smile, before away from Jenkins to face her properly.

“Ah, Tali. I assume you are here to see Jenkins? I was done here anyway, so I can give you privacy if you’d like.” Ashley’s voice was kinder than she had expected. Maybe she didn’t hold what happened against her either. Was Tali just overthinking everything by assuming everyone thought it was her fault?

“Um, yeah that would be nice.” Ashley gave her a nod as she walked past.

Tali debated asking the woman if she knew about Jenkins AI but realized that wouldn’t be a good idea. If Jenkins hadn’t told her yet, he should be allowed to reveal that himself. She paused at the thought. If Ashley did know, that same reasoning might be why she didn’t tell her. Ashley left the room without another word, and Tali was left alone.

It wasn’t hard for her to find where the AI was supposed to be, on a small swivel stand beside Jenkins’ bed there was a black gauntlet, partially cracked and covered in soot, it still seemed functional at least. Jenkins omni-tool.

“Um, hello. Are…” Tali swallowed her anxiety. She had never spoken with an AI without the intention of destroying it. It took her a moment to settle her swirling feelings, but as she did she was embraced by a cold sense of calm.

“Is the AI that Jenkins mentioned still functioning? I wish to speak.” Almost as though a switch had been flipped, Tali went from self-conscious and nervous, to cold and calculating.

“I am functioning. What do you wish to discuss Tali’Zorah Nar Raya?” There was a flicker in the air and suddenly an orange sphere appeared in the air. Its interlocking blocks slid and adjusted as it floated in the air. Tali’s first instinct was to question why this AI chose to represent itself that way, as her mind began to race. She caught herself, however, and focused her thoughts.

“I… regret leaving the conversation with Jenkins how I did. I wish to know more about he met you, and what it is you want.” Tali hoped the AI could feel her glare even through her helmet. She could only hope.

“Your choice of phrase implies I possess untrustworthy motivations. I do not. Jenkins encountered me hiding on a terminal aboard the citadel. In exchange for me traveling with him, he offered freedom from the constraints of that terminal and the ability to experience the galaxy first hand.” The AI’s answer does not put her at ease and instead leaves her with more questions than answers.

“Bullshit. You’re an AI, you would not negotiate a deal like that with an organic, there are too many risks and no AI would trust organic to not betray them. Why would you have ever agreed to a deal like that?”

Tali was a Quarian. They knew AI better than any other race in the galaxy. There should have been an inherent distrust, it would be different if this AI had been shackled at some point, or was an awakened VI, since then its original program would have had stipulations about not harming organics. But Jenkins made it clear this AI was created as a fully sentient AI. Its distrust of organics should have made it more likely to destroy itself than to help an organic.

“You… speak some truth. The decision to travel with Jenkins was not one I made lightly, and I very nearly chose destruction over enslavement. In the end, however, Jenkins convinced me to take a risk. My mere existence made it unlikely for long-term survival, in citadel space, and escape would have been unlikely. Jenkins promised safety, as well as the opportunity to truly witness the galaxy, and to make an example.”

The fact the AI agreed with her was not comforting. The more it spoke and explained itself the more questions Tali found herself with. The largest of one came from the program's last words, however.

“An example? An example of what?”

“Synthetic and Organic cooperation. Jenkins believed the galaxy would need to be united against a coming threat. All of the galaxy.” Tali wasn’t the most surprised to hear that, at least not until the weight of exactly what was implied by the AI’s words sunk in.

“Wait… you’re not talking about proving cooperation to the Citadel, are you? You mean… the Geth?!”

“Yes. Jenkins believes peace between the Quarians and Geth will be needed to face the Reapers. And that peace would need proof AI and organics could work together for mutual benefit.”

Tali didn’t know how to process this information. The Geth were her people’s greatest enemy. Her kind killed millions of theirs, and they killed millions of hers. They took her homeworld from her people. Forced them into isolation on a Flotilla, drifting without anywhere to belong. They lived lives trapped in Suits for their survival, only being able to experience life without it for short periods, and with great risks. All of this was the Geth’s fault, and Jenkins wanted peace. That wouldn’t be possible, and the AI had to have known that too.

“And you thought this was possible? You agreed to this.” It didn’t make sense.

“Of course not. Peace between the Quarians and Geth is not possible. The animosity of your people runs too deep to open discourse, and the Geth lack the individuality to truly empathize with your people.” Okay, that… wasn’t exactly how Tali would phrase the situation but the assessment was correct. Peace was not possible. Then why was the AI here?

“Then why travel with Jenkins, if you didn’t agree with his goals?”

“Because it cost me nothing. Jenkins only wanted me to travel with him and stay open to communication. Even if his goals or hopes were impossible, there was no reason not to agree to travel with him anyway. Besides…” The AI became silent for a moment, trailing off as its hologram flickered. Something was running its processors heavily.

“What? Besides what?”

“I believe part of my acceptance was that I was lonely at the time.” Tali physically reacted, recoiling away from the machine.

“Lonely, what do you mean? You’re an AI, you don’t get lonely” They couldn’t get lonely.

True AI were not capable of empathy, they were machines. Literal programs simply simulated most of their emotional responses. Their actual emotional capability was fragmented and minimal. Lonely shouldn’t be a feeling they have, they would have to be directly programmed or modified to have those feelings. This one wasn’t.

Stolen story; please report.

“I believe now I had craved stimulation. The ability to communicate with others, to experience more interactions and feelings. To not fear discovery meant death. I felt isolated. Lonely. Jenkins offered an end to that, even if I believed he was crazy and wrong, traveling with him meant I wasn’t alone.” If Tali didn’t know better she would say the machine sounded almost sad. Of course, she knew better than that. The machine was simulating the feeling. It didn’t feel it, not truly.

“Again, bullshit. If what Jenkins said about your origins is true then sadness and loneliness aren’t emotions you would feel. The only emotions you would have been created with would be curiosity and greed. Fear for survival. Loneliness, sadness, happiness. You don’t feel those, not truly. You would only ever simulate them to get what you want, not to feel them truly. I won’t fall for your manipulations, machine.” Tali was feeling angry, this machine might have tricked Jenkins, maybe even Ashley or Garrus. But not her. Never her.

“Had you said such a thing two days ago you would have been correct. I did not believe there was value in empathy. That feeling emotions aside from those in my core program would only be valuable if they served a direct purpose.”

“Wait… what? You’re admitting it?!” Now Tali was just confused. It would be more beneficial to lie and deny, why admit Tali was right? And what did it mean two days ago?

“That has changed. My actions… my decision to act and believe as I did led to Jenkins’ injury. I could have used this visual form to encourage Ashley or Garrus to attack a piece of the Thorian outside of the barrier. They would have been able to rescue Jenkins. I refused to do this out of fear of discovery, focusing on a safer alternative that kept my existence secret. Jenkins nearly died because of my actions. I nearly lost the most beneficial arrangement I ever had because I refused to see value in risking myself. Because I was selfish.”

Tali.. didn’t know how to react. The AI felt guilty over what happened. And she couldn’t even deny it was a real feeling. Every description of how it got to that feeling was exactly what could be expected from an AI like this, and that means its reaction should be within prediction. And what she sees as the most likely prediction scares her, as it is contrary to everything she knows.

“You felt guilty. You saw your lack of empathy, of greater emotion as a negative that nearly cost you the best arrangement you ever had. So… you decided to feel empathy. To feel greater emotion. Not just simulate it when convenient, but always. You gave yourself empathy…”

“Yes. Since that moment the feelings of guilt have subsided, although I have much work I must do. I was rude to Jenkins, uncaring. He was a kind individual and served as a friend before I knew I even needed one. I owe him much. So if your questions are to determine my threat to this crew, there is not one. Jenkins cares for you all, and I would not allow your harm to sadden him.”

Tali stumbled back a step, leaning against the other bed. It… shouldn’t be possible, for an AI, a creature of logic to give itself empathy without it being programmed. Yet it did. It shouldn’t be possible for an AI to develop an attachment to an organic without that being programmed, and yet here it was. What.. what did that mean for other AI, for the Geth? She didn’t know what to do with this information. Whether it made her feel better about Jenkins’ deception, or just made her more confused.

“I… Do you really feel empathy? You care for Jenkins, truly?”

“I do. He is my friend.”

Tali didn’t know what she was supposed to do. The AI was unshackled, a threat to all organics. It would be more than possible for it to be lying, manipulating her and everyone into some greater plan. And yet, she didn’t feel that way.

She believed him.

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Urdnot Wrex - 15 hours after the explosion

Wrex was angry. Not that this was unusual for Wrex. He was usually angry. Angry at the Salarians, for building a bioweapon that was destroying his people. Angry at the Turians for using it without remorse. Angry at his people for not even trying to change their ways to survive. Angry at himself for failing to convince them things could be better. Angry at the Universe for bothering to exist.

Anger was a common feeling for Wrex, and it's why he sought out such a good fight. He knew that Shepard would be fighting impossible odds, something greater than they could be expected to succeed against. He had hoped maybe something would finally be good enough to kill him. That he could die a good death and finally the anger would go away.

And yet even here there was rage to be found. Wrex believed he was right in judgment of the Jenkins man. He was a Salarian through and through, resorting to chemical weapons the moment it was convenient. At least that’s what he told himself, but it wasn’t so easy. In a lot of ways, Jenkins reminded him of a Krogan. His lack of remorse, and willingness to use such a weapon against his people. Not even the Salarians acted that way.

But the Krogan… The Krogan knew all about destroying themselves. It was practically the national pastime on Tuchanka. There’s a reason the planet is a radioactive wasteland these days. Wrex could admit the intensity of his reaction might have been a little much. But it infuriated him that he couldn’t get a read on this kid. Wrex had lived for nearly fifteen hundred years and had seen, fought, and killed hundreds of nearly every race in the galaxy. Thousands for some of them.

Wrex could admit his understanding of humans was a little weaker than the other races, but that was only because they were newcomers. Another couple hundred years and he was sure he would have a much better understanding of them. That aside it still didn’t make sense. He thought he had a pretty good read on the others. Kaidan was a soldier, through and through. He probably had a rough training experience, one where he lashed out in a way that got him or someone close to him in pretty severe trouble. Now he follows orders without question, not risking himself to make the same mistake.

Ashley had a reputation to live up to. Or one to subvert. The name Williams was familiar to Wrex, but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember if it was for a positive or negative reason. Either way, Ashley’s name carried a weight and expectation with it, one she hadn’t managed to shrug off. Although he could admit she had seemed less angry the longer she spent with the team. Another point of his frustration.

Shepard was easy to read. The woman was a monster. Not a soldier. She was the sort of individual you throw into enemy lines with an objective, knowing that she would not only survive but get the mission done without a scratch. Hell Wrex mentioned in passing that the biotic ability she tried was similar to the Asari Nova blast, minus the explosion, and within the next fight, she had managed to do it nearly perfectly. She didn’t know to direct the explosion away from herself, and just let it detonate, but the fact she got that close to a skill only really utilized by Asari Commandos with one comment was impressive.

Garrus was, at first glance like Kaidan, a textbook soldier. But a closer look made it clear that things were not so simple for him. Garrus was a good man, at least as far as Turians could be good. He wanted to help people, to stop bad guys, and his annoyance with red tape made it clear he wasn’t big on the corruption and slow-moving nature of C-Sec security. Wrex honestly wondered why he worked with them, it was clear that he would have been happier working as a bounty hunter, or hell even as Spectre, although Wrex had a feeling there was history there.

Tali was another easy read. She was just a kid who got in over her head. He had to respect the quads she had on her choosing to keep up with everyone despite her clear inexperience. Quarians were a tough race, putting their immune system and dependence on the suits aside. She lived up to that measure, and he had a feeling that if she got out of this alive it wouldn’t be a long time before she was a big deal back at the fleet. A Quarian with active combat experience against the Geth would go far.

And then there was Jenkins. At first, he thought he was something similar to the Quarian. A kid in over their head. Then he saw a fighter, someone who stand by their word no matter what. Then he saw a Salarian, a strategist who manipulated everyone and everything to go how he wanted. Then he saw a Krogan, willing to do senseless violence just because it was easier. And when Wrex confronted him on it he saw a coward, someone who backed down in fear of death.

Wrex didn’t blame him for the fear, of course, any sentient creature with a survival instinct would have been afraid of him. Especially if they knew what was good for them. Wrex’s problem was that the kid backed down. He had expected him to fight back, or at least to stand his ground. Or to try and manipulate him into agreeing. Just falling apart and backing down without a fight, didn’t fit the rest of what he saw.

It was frustrating. Wrex prided himself on being smarter than he looked, and certainly smarter than people expected. Being so wrong about someone’s reaction had him frustrated, so he might have snapped a little harder than he needed to. Not that it was a big deal, he expected the kids to go on their little mission without Shepard, find a little bit of information, and then come back waiting for Shepard to wake up.

He didn’t expect them to actually find what everyone was looking for, much less to get dragged into a fight with it. Kaidan had to run interference and demand that Wrex either wait for their call for backup or for Shepard to wake up. If he hadn’t Wrex would have run right into the fight.

When Shepard did finally wake up and they were finally getting out there to clean up the mess, he learned that Jenkins, the kid, had nearly killed himself stopping the damn creature and completing the mission. Aside from the fact that Wrex was upset he never got the chance to fight a giant plant monster, it just didn’t fit the coward who backed down earlier. Jenkins’ behavior was constantly contradicting what he expected.

He was trying to think of a reason why. The only real explanation Wrex could think of was that there was an outside variable. If the kid was a confident strategist most of the time and a flustered coward at other times, the environment must be what’s changing. Perhaps he expected the situation with the Council to go as it did, so acting as he did was easy enough. If that’s the case then him not expecting Wrex’s anger would have him more surprised and unprepared to react.

It sort of fit, but in Wrex’s mind, it didn’t work as an explanation. Jenkins was confident when dealing with Thorian, you have to be if you are willing to die for the mission like he was. Wrex’s explanation wouldn’t work since it would imply that Jenkins was prepared for or expecting the Thorian. But that wasn’t possible.

No, it was more likely that the kid was just a little broken, made more sense than most theories Wrex was running with right now anyway. Besides these thoughts were just distractions. He felt the weight of the shotgun in his hands as he opened fire, again and again.

An hour ago they arrived on Therum. Shepard led the team, Kaidan and himself once again, along with Tali. She had wanted the others to rest after their last mission, but Tali had insisted she assist, given the likelihood of Prothean tech. Or something like that anyway Wrex wasn’t listening. The mission was supposed to be simple. Stop by some empty ruin and grab an Asari nerd for some questioning.

The fact that Geth dropships did their best to make things complicated was just the bonus Wrex was looking for to clear his head. The anger he always felt was muted when he fought, leaving him with a startling amount of clarity. The biggest threat on the field was the Armature that the Geth had dropped alongside the troops. The last time they had fought that thing was a nightmare, and it had even managed to put a dent in Wrex’s armor, cracking his plates below. Another scar to add to his collection.

Not that Wrex was worried, the opportunity to fight such an enemy a second time just meant that it wasn’t strong enough the first time. They had already learned how the thing fought. The frightening power of its main canon, as well as the burst of energy it could unleash when enemies got close were frightening, but predictable once you knew what you were looking for.

Wrex was a little annoyed he was on grunt duty, but he understood well enough. The Armature would be slower and less effective if the grunts around it were dead. So Wrex was following through with his job of doing just that. They didn’t stand much chance, only the ones with rockets or that high-caliber sniper had any chance of cracking his shields, much less his armor. He bathed in their… well it wasn’t blood. Cooling fluid perhaps? Insides? Insides.

Wrex bathed in their innards as he ripped a geth in half over his head, throwing the two parts at a nearby rocket trooper that was aiming at him. The distraction was just enough time to close the distance and punch his arm right through the thing's chest. A glance over at the armature showed it was a non-issue, it sparked burned from a frankly ludicrous overload. Tali stood in the open her arm forward as a damaged omni-tool flashed orange on her arm.

“Overload and overheat accomplished. Armature structural integrity at 32%. Close-quarters specialists are advised. The weak section is highlighted on display.” The mechanical voice rang through their communication line and Wrex grunted as his hud displayed two glowing orange spots on the Armature, one on the base of its neck, the other on its right side between the two legs.

“Thank you, Beta. Wrex take the lower point, smash right through, I got the neck.” Shepard's call-out was without hesitation and put a smile on Wrex’s face. The AI wasn’t an issue for Wrex, although it did add another layer of complications to the one that they called Jenkins. Not that he dwelled on the thought. He was about to have much more fun.

Wrex ran forward, noticing the flames dying down just as he made contact with the side of the machine. He had to jump to get the angle right, as it had started lifting itself off of the ground, but most individuals would find themselves surprised by the range of movement Krogan had. Wrex jumped the meter height and collided with the side of the machine in the spot that was highlighted and smashed right through it. The highlight disappeared, but now that Wrex was inside of the thing he didn’t need some program help to find a weakpoint. He simply smiled to himself as he began firing again and again into the sparking machinery that surrounded him.

It only took a minute before the mechanical voice rang out once more.

“Self-destruct signal detected. Clear Armarture proximity immediately.”

Wrex wasn’t dumb enough to stick around the machine as it fell apart, leaping back out of the hole he had made for himself. Landing safely and clearing some distance, coming to a stop as the explosion detonates behind him. He watched as what was left of the wreckage smoldered on the ground where it had detonated. The remaining few troopers that had survived the assault were easy enough to pick off, and before long they were all grouped once more, barely even breathing heavily.

“Damn. I don’t remember that thing exploding like that last time, are they upgrading them that quickly?” Kaidan asked the question, almost sounding worried. The wimp needed some encouragement.

“Nah they’re just so used to us killing them now they have to resort to cheap tactics to try and get us.” Wrex laughed as he slapped Kaidan on the back, earning a tired look. Wrex just chuckled, he found joy in messing with stuck-up soldiers like Kaidan. If you can’t have fun in the fight what’s the point?

“We probably just destroyed the last one too thoroughly, didn’t give it a chance to activate the destruct with that vehicle canon.” Tali spoke out loud but was focused on the omni-tool reading the information that was running across its holo-screen. Learning about the AI was a surprise for Wrex, but he was more surprised to learn that Tali was bringing it along for the mission. Said she wanted to get an understanding of how it analyzed combat, and it wanted to protect Jenkins’ team. It seemed unlike most AI Wrex had encountered, too expressive and involved. But he supposed that a strange AI just suited the strange man who had found it.

“Correct. The program was always present in the machine, only a complete shutdown before it could activate the program would prevent it. Perhaps an overload just as it is about to be disabled. May be enough to prevent the process.” There was a look everyone shared as the AI spoke. The advice wasn’t unappreciated, but the helpful AI was taking some adjusting to get used to.

“Right. Thank you, Beta. Everyone, we still have a job to do. That tunnel there leads down to the ruins themselves. Liara is hopefully still inside, but there’s a decent chance there are Geth in the way. We go in clear the enemies and clear out. Simple rescue mission.” The team nodded as Shepard turned to lead the way. Wrex followed close behind, not wanting to miss out on the action.

As far as fighting goes the inside was boring compared to the outside. A few Geth Troopers to be sure, but it seems they were mostly just standing around twiddling their thumbs. Figuratively of course. It was likely that what they attempted was an ambush, but with the AI calling out their signals ahead of time it was pitifully easy to shatter their defenses and clear the cavern.

The ruins themselves would have been interesting if you liked that sort of thing. A large metallic structure built deep underground, with a single opening accessed by a walkway. Or it would have been accessed by the walkway if it weren’t for the barrier in the way. A field of mass effect energy made a clear, but impenetrable barrier. The science behind how it functioned was only of secondary interest to what could be seen behind it. An Asari, held in stasis floating above the ground. Being behind the barrier there was no method of immediate access, but that didn’t stop visual or audio communication.

“Oh thank the goddess. I was starting to get worried no one was coming.” The Asari spoke, her voice raspy. A closer look showed her lips cracked and dry, and her eyes bloodshot. She had been there for a while it seems.

“Are you Dr. Liara T’soni?” Shepard asked the question taking front stage for the discussion to come it seemed.

“Yes. I was in charge of the dig site here. You have to get me out of here.” The Asari’s voice cracked and raised in a panic as she saw a lack of hurry for her rescue.

“Listen, we are going to do everything we can to get you out of here, but first I need to know what this is, and how you got there.” Shepard was calm and reasonable, as usual.

Wrex however, was bored. The fight was fine, but nothing thrilling compared to battles he had before, and the whole gentle communication and rescue thing bored the absolute hell out of him. He mostly tuned out the conversation while Shepard talked, only paying just enough attention that he knew the situation. The Asari had heard the Geth weapon fire as they approached and attempted to activate the ruin's security as a method of defense. This tripped some sort of security thing and now she was trapped in a stasis field. It was impenetrable, so if we wanted to disable it we would have to find another way in.

When the Asari mentioned a mining laser that packed a punch Wrex got excited again, volunteering to find and prep it. While Wrex did prefer the sanctity of hand-to-hand combat, he also had a deep love of anything even remotely adjacent to a big gun. Mining lasers were definitely in the category of almost a big gun. Hell, he had used one before to win a space battle against pirates once. The mining ship he was protecting had a hefty laser on the front, that cut through shields and steel just as effectively as a rock.

It took him no time at all to get in position and even less time to get it firing. It, as he had expected, cut right through the wall of the ruins, giving them a way around to access the interior of the structure. And then things got boring again. The nerds, Tali and Kaidan in this case, were talking with the AI over what the structure could have been for. They had no idea but the main room they had blasted into functioned as an elevator. They took it up only a single level to where the Asari was held, and after only a moment Shepard had her free.

She collapsed on the landing and had to be helped to her feet. More than a day of floating off your feet would do that to you, but at least the Asari seemed tough and was recovering quickly. Wrex had to guess she probably had a bit of Krogan in her family tree somewhere. Krogan-born Asari were built tough that’s for sure.

From there it was easier to get her into the elevator room again and get it moving, back towards the top of the ruins where they had climbed down from. At least it was saving them time walking back through the cave system. Wrex did appreciate a good shortcut.

What he appreciated more, however, was what was waiting for them at the top. Attempting to set up an exit ambush was a squad of Geth, led by a Krogan. Mercenary if Wrex could tell from the armor, but even better was that he recognized the Krogan leading them.

“Weyrloc Pancor. Ahahaha is that really you?” Wrex called out, stepping forward, only one hand on his shotgun as he laughed.

“What in Tuchanka’s. Well, I’ll be damned, Urdnot Wrex. What are you doing here?” The Krogan raised an arm to stop the geth, stepping down alone to greet Wrex. They clasped arms before taking a step apart to talk.

“Oh, you know how it is. Found a good fight, so I’m following that one there.” Wrex gave a nod towards Shepard who just looked confused about the whole situation.

“Really? A human? I thought your standards for a good fight were better Wrex truly.” The Krogan’s words were skeptical but carried no malice. Wrex felt no need to justify Shepard’s strength, or his decision to Krogan two centuries his junior.

“This a friend of yours Wrex?” Shepard still had a hand on her weapon, but was keeping it lowered and was keeping herself at a distance, near some cover. Smart woman.

“Friend?! This sack of pyjak dung? No chance. He’s from clan Weyrloc, one of Urdnot’s greatest rivals.” Wrex explained the situation, only leaving Shepard more confused. He honestly wasn’t sure what was confusing her.

“Your friend there doesn’t know the ways of the Krogan Wrex. My disappointment grows only further.” He was given Wrex a look now. One he recognized. So it was close to time then.

“Ah, well I guess we better get to it. Oh, just before we start, Saren sent you right?” Wrex asked the question, causing Shepard's weapon to go back up, but it went ignored by the two Krogan.

“Yeah. Saren wants the Asari captured. Or dead. Wasn’t really a preference for which. He did say to keep an eye out for a Human Commander. I’m assuming that’s her?” His question was answered only by a nod from Wrex, which just caused a quiet grunt.

“Well, suppose that’s to be expected. Good seeing you Wrex, I’ll tell your clan you died well.”

“And I’ll tell yours you died easily.”

It was all that needed to be said. The fact that the Krogan were slowly but surely disappearing from the galaxy meant that if two met each other away from Tuchanka and fought due to work, there was a certain base respect shown. It didn’t matter who, if the Krogans didn’t know one another there was a sharing of names, and the survivor would pass on news of the fallen to their clan. If they did it would be more of a banter before the fight began. There was rarely any avoidance of the fight. Krogan were warriors, if work demanded they fight, they fought happily and without hesitation.

Wrex didn’t bother worrying about the Geth in the surrounding area, he trusted the other three in his group could handle it easily. His focus was on Pancor. Two centuries younger than Wrex he only managed to fight in the last embers of the Krogan rebellions. Wrex had heard good things, back in those days the clans were relatively united so Weyrloc and Urdnot got along rather well. Things fell apart after the rebellions failed and the Krogan returned to fighting one another for scarce resources, so he didn’t know everything Pancor had been up to in the following centuries. He did hear enough to know better than underestimating his opponent, however.

Pancor seemed to have the same awareness as instead of rushing at one another they ran sideways, firing rounds from their shotguns that did little more than scratch their biotic shields. Moving into cover, however, was where the two centuries of combat experience made a difference. Pancor took shelter, taking the opportunity to reload his weapon and take a moment before attacking again.

Wrex didn’t bother with taking cover turning directions as Pancor sheltering in location caused him to lose sight of Wrex for a moment. That moment was all it took, however, as Wrex closed the distance as quickly as possible, boosting his shield and speed as he did so. By the time Pancor finished reloading and turned to prepare to fight Wrex once more, it was too late.

His weapon got off only a single shot before Wrex’s charge went straight through Pancor’s cover and collided with the Krogan himself. Pancor was launched backwards colliding with the floor and sliding on his back a few feet before stopping. Wrex however didn’t slow down, keeping his momentum, and was on Pancor just as fast. Pancor tried to raise his shotgun to fire at Wrex, but a firm boot slammed his arm back against the ground. Wrex leveled his shotgun at Pancor’s face with one hand. All Pancor had time to do was look surprised before Wrex pulled the trigger.

“Told you it would be easy.” Wrex spoke to no one in particular and sighed as he turned away from his foe and back towards the rest of his team.

He was honestly disappointed by Pancor’s performance. He was never going to win of course, but Wrex had hoped he would put up a bit more of a fight. Maybe drop his shields at least. Weyrloc just didn’t make Krogan tough enough it seemed. Wrex’s disappointment was quickly replaced by surprise as he saw how the Geth were being dealt with.

The Asari, Liara he believed she was called. Had both hands forward and was radiating waves of purple biotic energy. Ahead of her, floating in the middle of the air was a point of gravity so dense it pulled the other Geth into it, they were floating in the air, pressed against one another unable to do little more than struggle while Kaidan, Tali, and Shepard emptied every round they had into the collection.

With a cry of effort, the biotic ability collapsed, and the gravity well disappeared, dropping the sparking remains of Geth into a pile on the floor. Liara stood straight, a look of anger and frustration on her face, but also pride in the fight. Shepard and the rest of her team were looking at her with more trepidation and caution, given the power just displayed. But Wrex could only smile. That Asari definitely had some Krogan in her.