Location: SSV Normandy

Enroute to: Alliance Colony - Tiptree

John leaned against the glass and watched as Dr. Chakwas stepped into the improvised decontamination room they had rigged outside of Medical. The decon screen flickered over her twice, then chimed before she pulled the suit's helmet off.

"She's stable for now, Commander, but I don't know how long I'll be able to keep her that way. It's a nearly identical pathogen to the one you were exposed to on Eden Prime. However, we were able to flush it out of your system almost immediately. Dr. T'Soni was exposed for at least a week at minimum, and probably longer."

John looked through the glass, watching the asari girl twitch fitfully in her sleep. Her hands clutched the blankets, then released, only to repeat a few minutes later. Even sleeping, she looked to be in pain. He felt his jaw clench, the muscles tightening for a moment before he forced the tension down, submerging it in a sea of self-control.

"What's it doing to her?"

Chakwas didn't answer at first as she stepped up and looked back into Medical, her voice taking on a bone tiredness. "I am not an expert on asari physiology,but the virus seems to be primarily attacking her nervous system and neural pathways. It's almost like it's trying to...rewire her. I suspect that if we had let it continue in you, it would have done something similar."

John turned away from the glass to face her. "How long does she have?"

"Perhaps a day or two. Maybe a week, depending on how she reacts to some of our medications. We need to get her to a more advanced facility if she's going to have any chance."

He relaxed some at that, and let his arms drop to hang at his sides. "We're on our way to Tiptree. They aren't a huge colony, but their facilities are more advanced than most. We'll be there sometime tomorrow."

The doctor nodded as she pulled her gloves off. "Good. I can keep her stable until then. I'll keep you updated."

"Has she said anything else? Some of the stuff she said in the airlock sounded ... well, it sounded like some of the stuff I saw before I woke up after coming in contact with the beacon." Flashes of dim memories played through his mind: dark metal machines, fires, and death. John shut his eyes for a moment, pushing away from the painful images.

"A little." She set the the gloves on the windowsill. "She didn't seem particularly coherent, though. She said something about twilight on the Citadel, and the Albion Nebula. And some place called Ilos, but I don't have any context for anything." She shrugged, and it seemed to pull the rest of her strength from her, and she swayed on her feet. "Sorry, Commander. I need to lie down, I think."

John winced and made a shooing motion. Just because he wasn't tired didn't mean others weren't. "Go on, Doc. Sorry to keep you."

Dr. Chakwas didn't respond, just to took her gloves off as she walked away. John watched her go, before turning his attention back to the sleeping asari, and tried to work through why Saren's geth had come after her.

Just because you're Benezia's daughter? Did they think we could use you against her?

He watched her fitful, nightmare-haunted sleep for a few more minutes before he looked away, the anger and tension resurfacing slowly, clawing its way back from the depths.

How old is she? She looks like a teenager. Seventeen or eighteen maybe? Just a damn kid.

His gut twisted. The Alliance fleet and soldiers fought so civilians didn't have to. It'd been why he volunteered in the first place. John leaned against the glass as the weight of memory bored down on him. He'd volunteered, and knew the risks, the consequences, and been willing to accept them. Others hadn't understood what they were getting into. Others like ...

He slammed his mind shut against even the whisper of that thought.

Akuze is behind me.

Fire. Screaming. Acrid fumes. John felt his heart race and strain in an effort to flee from even the memory of that place, his palms starting to sweat as the ranks of ghostly faces paraded through his memory. He clenched his hands into fists, and turned away from Medical, and the faces. He had to work, had to be busy. He didn't have time to remember Akuze.

"This is the SSV Normandy to Colonial Tower, we are declaring a medical emergency. Requesting immediate landing clearance and a medical team standing by."

John listened to Joker speak as he over watched over the monitor as Dr. Chakwas and Kaidan secured the bio-pod for the Normandy's descent into the atmosphere of Tiptree.

Joker glanced up at him, responding to a voice only he could hear. "Sergeant, we have an asari national on board in need of medical care. We need access to a medical facility and supplies, including containment for possible infection."

John watched as Joker's face screwed up in annoyance, listening to the voice of the tower controller. "Our records show you have more than adequate facilities and supplies for our …." He trailed off and then mashed a button his console, before turning back to John. "Sir, you wanna give me a hand here? This guy's on some kind of power trip."

John sighed and nodded. "Patch me in."

He watched as Joker turned back and punched something on the console. A gruff voice crackled into John's ear. "So the answer is no, I can't allow any ship that might be carrying a infection on board to land, I'm sorry."

John cleared his throat. "This is Commander John Shepard of the SSV Normandy, to whom am I speaking?"

The voice on the other end hesitated in his tirade. "Um, Major Mildress, sir."

"Alright Major, do you know who I am?"

The hesitation could practically be felt.. "I … yes, sir. You're a Council Spectre."

"Good. Now, I have the daughter of Matriarch Benezia T'Soni on board and in need of immediate medical care. Her condition is stable for the moment, but we need a full medical facility to treat her. Dr. T'Soni is invaluable to my current mission, so under Council authority, I'm telling you: you will give us permission to land, and you will have a medical team standing by to transport Dr. T'Soni to your medical facilities. Am I understood?"

"Yes, sir. One moment while I transmit the authorizations, sir."

John nodded to Joker, who rolled his eyes and killed the connection.

The pilot turned to look back at him. "Next time, you can just do it."

"Naw, not the same effect. Gotta have that sudden moment with the swap," John said, shaking his head in equip parts amusement and annoyance. He tapped his comms, glancing back at the monitor. "Doctor, how's our patient?"

Chakwas didn't look up from the datapad in her hand. "Stable for now, but her condition is deteriorating more rapidly. I need to begin treating her as soon as possible."

"Alright. I'll be with you, and make sure that you don't get any trouble once we land," John said, reaching out to steady himself as the Normandy rattled through a rough patch of turbulence.

Rhia slipped past him, stepping into the cockpit and leaning on the back of Joker's seat. "Tali and Chief Adams are set to go requisition some parts for the drive core. Apparently the maneuvers at Therum revealed a instability that the chief didn't like."

John frowned. "An instability? What kind of instability?"

Rhia shook her head and tucked her helmet on. "From what Adams said, it wasn't a major issue yet, but would be in the future. Something about the power flow to the barriers overcompensating when we took hits. You probably have a full report waiting on you to find it."

"But you know me, and that I might not have seen it yet." His lips twitched into a smile. "Thanks."

"No problem." Rhia reached over and gave his shoulder a little shove. "I'll see you on the ground. I've got a errand to run."

The Normandy rumbled again as Joker started to slow the frigate, and John leaned over so he could see his first real view of Tiptree.

Golden sunlight bathed the amber fields below them, wide swaths of open land covered in grain. Wind rippled across the fields, causing the crops to wave back and forth as the frigate soared overhead. Off to the left, deep blue water marked an ocean, waves cresting in alabaster spray. John watched the ripples on the field, admiring the simple elegant beauty. Home for him would always be space, on a ship somewhere, but he could see why so many people flocked to the colonies.

Joker's voice cut through the reverie. "Tiptree tower, we are making our final approach. Stand by docking protocols."

John looked back ahead, and could see the swiftly approaching walls and towers of the main settlement of Tiptree, grey white buildings sticking up as the fields gave way to more gradual development.

Joker didn't give him much time to take in the view as the Normandy swung over the length of the colonies main settlement and pivoted, turning to face the berth the alliance frigate would call home for a while.

John barely gave the maglocks time to finish sealing into place before he punch the open command on the airlock.

"Commander, hold up. I, uh, need to ask a favor," called Joker, the pilot turning in his seat to see him.

John paused, turning back to face Joker. "What's on your mind?"

Joker fidgeted with the armrest on his chair, picking at it. "So, fun fact. I, uh, actually grew up here on Tiptree. And I didn't tell them we were coming, but I think my sister might actually be a mutant with super powers. She somehow found out we were landing, and now I'm kind of expected to, um … visit." He held up a hand hastily. "I'm not asking for leave, they live in a farm outside the city. I just really need to go say hello, or when I go home for Christmas I'll be sleeping outside in the snow."

John snorted in amusement. "How did she know we were landing? We didn't broadcast to Tiptree till we were in-system, and that was on military channels."

Joker made a face, his annoyance clear. "I haven't got a clue. But this isn't the first time she's pulled this kind of thing on me. I can tell you stories."

"Remind me to recommend your sister to Alliance Special Ops later." John paused, thinking about it. "And a visit shouldn't be a problem, though I need you to do something for me before you do."

Joker seemed to relax a bit. "Sure, what do you need?"

"I need a live vid-com call to Earth ready by tomorrow evening, if there's any way we can arrange it."

Joker started to laugh, slapping the chair arm. "Family emergency? Did you forget your momma's birthday again?"

"It's no for me. It's for Williams." John said as he opened his omnitool, then hesitated. "This is a bit of surprise. If you can't get it done, just let me know."

Joker's expression sobered, and he frowned. "You realize I'm a pilot, not a comm specialist? Why aren't you bugging one of them?"

John sighed in frustration. "Because this is sensitive enough of a situation that I'd rather not have it all over the ship. I don't know any of them well enough yet to make that call, and I'm out of time."

Joker leaned back into his seat, looking thoughtful, then leaned out looking back down length of the CIC. "Three seats down, brown hair in a ponytail. Emily Johnson. She's the one who managed to ID the Prothean tech on Therum."

John looked back over his shoulder. "Lt. Johnson?"

A young woman jumped, looking up from her console, her face fixed in a wide eyed startled expression. "Um, sir?"

"Hey, how do you feel about a field trip and a side a project?" Joker called to her.

The young woman stood from her console, picking up her datapad and hurrying towards the cockpit. "Um, what kind of project, sir?" she asked, fiddling with the datapad as she stepped inside.

John dropped into a normal speaking voice as he turned to face her. "A long range comm call to Earth, with a live video feed, if we can arrange it. If we can't … well, let me know, and I've got a back up plan."

Emily frowned and looked down, thinking. "I … don't know if we have the tech to do that here, sir, but I'll see what I can do. You said something about a field trip too?"

"Yeah, I need back up for a risky mission. Terribly dangerous. We may not make it back alive." Joker said, shaking his head in obvious mock worry. "I need to visit my parents …."

John rolled his eyes and turned to the young officer. "If you don't mind, just go and keep an eye on him? I expect you might be his excuse for needing to escape."

"Um, okay? If no one is going to mind me seeming like a reclusive geek, I can probably find a spot to work on the comm problem while I wait," Emily said, shrugging, still looking a bit bewildered at the request.

"That'll work just fine," John said as he smiled at the mousy comm officer. She seemed nice, if a bit nervous. He could remember feeling like that. He looked back towards the airlock. "Keep me updated on anything you need."

One thing taken care of. I'm just hoping I'm reading Ashley right on this one, and that she'll want to be a part of her grandfather's funeral.

"We've got the medication your physician asked for, but … what did this to her?" the doctor asked, staring at the computer readouts.

John had arrived just behind Chakwas, Kaidan, and their unconscious patient. The hospital staff had hurried them into secure quarantine room, and now a half dozen computers monitored the unconscious asari. "That's classified, but this isn't the first time we've encountered this."

"Well, if your ship's physician is correct, it'll be several hours at least before we have her stabilized. It could be as long as a couple of days before she regains consciousness. " The short doctor pushed the glasses back up on his face. "Though there's not really any way to be sure with her species. She could recover completely by tomorrow, I don't know. This pathogen is … it's a bad one to get rid of. Resilient."

"I understand. Keep me informed, and get Dr. Chakwas anything she asks for. If you don't have it, let me know, and we'll see about arranging to have it brought here."

"Of course, Spectre." The dark-haired doctor hurried back to the console, looking at the results. John looked in the window to the quarantine room one last time, before heading back downstairs towards the lobby.

"Commander Shepard, it's Tali. Do you have a moment?"

He paused on the stairs long enough to activate him omnitool before continuing downstairs. "This is Shepard. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I don't know …. Have you talked to Garrus lately?"

John frowned, thinking about the question. "Not since the debrief. Why?"

"He's … I don't know. Something is going on though. He got a comm call earlier, and has been acting strange ever since. Now he's gone, and not answering my messages. He was supposed to pick me up and the parts for the Normandy I have with me."

"You're right, that doesn't sound like him. Where are you, do you need a ride?"

"No, the major has someone coming to pick me up. She suggested I call you too, though."

"I'll track him down, make sure everything is fine. Thanks for the heads up."

"Thank you. Sorry to be a bother."

"Don't worry about it, Tali. I'll see you back at the Normandy." He closed the line, a little twist in his gut. Garrus had been reliable and steady up till now. What had happened that would have caused him to drop the ball and forget to pick up Tali? Had something happened?

Akuze.

He shivered and closed his eyes, trying to jam the memory of that hellhole back down again, to shove them back into the vault they'd been locked in for all this time.

You knew. You knew something was wrong that day. You knew it just like you know, something is wrong now. And just like then, the only person you can really depend on is yourself. You are the only one that can keep them safe.

He changed his comm frequency and dialed the Normandy, his heart thumping in his his chest. He would do what was necessary. "Normandy, this is Commander Shepard. Patch me through to the XO."

The voice on the other end, one of the communication watch standers on the Normandy answered. "Yes, sir. One moment."

The line clicked, then the acoustics changed as the XO picked up the line. "This is Pressly. What can I do for you, Commander?"

"I need you to access our com systems. Could you check to any message that was routed through the Normandy, and forward them to me for the last two weeks?"

"Um, yes, sir, just give me a moment." The line went silent for a long moment as Pressly worked. John paced back and forth in the hall as he waited, a sense of growing unease crawling up his spine as he waited. "Is there anything you are looking for specifically, Commander?"

John tensed at the almost innocent tone in Pressly's voice. "I … no. Just send me the transmission logs and headers," John said, suppressing the urge for more information. "Nothing you need worry about, XO. Thank you."

"Okay, sir. Give me a minute."

John's heart sped up as he considered his options, the data from the Normandy computer's flowing into his omnitool. "Got it. Thanks."

"No problem, Commander. Need anything else?"

"No, thank you. I'll see you back on the Normandy. " John closed the connection and stepped out into the failing light of Tiptree's night-cycle. The night air had a spicy scent to it, something you couldn't find on the a ship. John started walking, making his way towards the street where he could get a cab back to the docks. He flipped through the data Pressly had forwarded, hesitating when he found the message that Garrus had received. His hand hovered over the line, the light from his omnitool blinking at him in a steady accusing pulse every couple seconds. John starred at the name on the message for a long moment, before closing down omnitool.

No. Give him a chance to explain. Talk to him, and stop jumping to the worst possible answer.

John stepped off the elevator and hesitated, not sure how he should begin this conversation. He'd been trying to phrase it in his mind the entire way back to the Normandy, but nothing seemed to fit. Garrus's equipment lay on the armory table, but the turian officer was nowhere in sight. "Garrus? You down here?"

"Uh, one second, Commander." The voice seemed to echo and bounce in the mostly empty room. Or mostly empty at least due to the lack of Mako occupying a good portion of the room. John eyed the empty spot where the tank used to reside and winced.

I am going to regret that loss at some point, I'm sure.

Movement drew his eye and Garrus came around one of the stacks of crates, his omnitool flickering out as he did. "Is there something you need, Shepard?"

John paused, still trying to decide what he wanted to say. "Garrus … why did you forget to meet Tali today?"

Garrus seemed to freeze in place, going still as a statue. Or like a predator stalking prey. John felt his body tense without a logical reason to back up the fight-or-flight reaction. Abruptly the turian relaxed, seeming to deflate. "Well, crap. I did forget, didn't I?"

John stepped closer, coming to a stop just in front of Garrus. "Yes, you did. What happened?"

The C-Sec officer looked away, his mandibles twitching. John waited patiently, not sure how to interpret the facial expressions, if they meant anything at all. Garrus finally looked back at him, and straightened. "I … got a personal message. It kind of threw me for a bit of a loop, because it wasn't anything I expected right now. I should have remembered to pick up Tali, though, and I'm sorry."

John stared at him, not sure what to make of it. "It's not me that you should be apologizing to, Garrus."

"I know that. I'll talk to Tali once she's back aboard the Normandy, you have my word."

That covered the basics, and John turned to go with a single sharp but stopped. "What were the contents of the message?"

Garrus hesitated, seeming suddenly uneasy. "A bit of news about someone I lost track of. Don't worry, Commander, it won't interfere with the mission."

"I see." John contained the frustrated sigh by the barest of margins. Why couldn't Garrus just say what had bothered him so? "Alright. I'll send Tali your way once she's back aboard ship. I'm pretty sure she's going to want a hell of an apology though."

"I'm sure. Will that be all?" Garrus tilted his head, a birdlike expression that of curiosity or interest that John found a bit unsettling.

"Yes. Thank you for your time."

"Anytime, Commander. I'm not hard to find."

John turned back, considering Garrus's words as he stepped into the elevator. The ride up seemed to take forever, leaving him alone to wrestle with his thoughts.

Whatever it is, it's unfinished business. Personal.

The little voice in his head snarled at him. But he's hiding it from you. So what if it is personal? What if Saren got to him? Saren sent Geth after Matriarch Benezia's daughter, and she's working with him. Does Garrus have a family? A wife, a child, brother, sister?

John could feel his pulse hammering as he got off the elevator, making his way to his cabin, locking it behind him. He leaned against the locked door, closing his eyes. Did he have just cause? He looked down at his hand, at the flashing light of his omnitool, still pulsing there.

I can't take that risk. I like him. But if he could be compromised by Saren … I can't risk that. I have a responsibility to everyone on this mission, on this ship.

He opened the omnitool, the orange light feeling harsh to his eyes as he scrolled back to Garrus's message, and opened it.

Garrus,

I found him. Dr. Saeleon is going by the alias of Dr. Heart. He's currently on a civilian transport, the Nairobi, on route to an orbital station above the Alliance colony of Tiptree, estimated to arrive ….

Author Note: This chapter has been the devil, in that it started as one thing, and then turned itself into a whole different beast that had me changing plans left, right, and center for future chapters and future interactions with the crew of Normandy, even going on into screwing with the next freakin story.

This is what happens when you give your characters free license to tell you what they are going to do with a story. Hells freakin bells.

Anyway, I'm sorry this chapter has taken so long to get out. I had to sit down and think long and heard and have more than one talk with my beta's about how things would fall out if I did it this way. In the end, we did some tweaks and I kept the "incident". I hope you all continue to enjoy this though. Until next time!