Chapter XV: Liberator

Liara felt utterly useless. For the first time in years she was just… dithering, unable to plan anything. In the back of the shuttle, she was surrounded by penumbra and with only Legion to offer any semblance of company. The shadows covered her exposed face as her sapphire eyes were darkened by the faint blankets of obscurity pervading the vehicle's interior.

How had things gone this far? Liara pondered. Her heart constricted at the thought of Shepard, about the way he had lied to everyone… and risking himself yet again. Why was Shepard so invested with the Quarians? It couldn't just be Tali, could it? And even if it was Tali… why was he so driven to help her? Didn't he see the quarians were only looking into their own best interests? Interests, one might add, that were against humanity's interests.

It's not that Liara didn't feel sympathy for the exiled species. On the contrary, she pitied them and would have loved to assist them… but she also had a responsibility, one to her people, her people's allies and her friends. She knew that quarians, unfortunately, were acting against everyone she held dear. Why couldn't Shepard wake up for once and realize that he was only aiding the enemies – no, maybe not enemies, but certainly not allies – of humanity? Quarians could care less about Earth or anyone else! And yet…

It was the same with the Krogans, Liara bitterly recalled. He didn't trust her. That horrible truth echoed inside of her, gnawing at her soul as it echoed in her head. Unknowingly, her hands balled into trembling fists as she glared at her helmet on her lap. Why? Why was Shepard so desperately throwing his life for people who would do nothing for the Alliance, the Council…?

Liara sighed, closing her eyes to try to regain her composure. No, as much as she hated to admit it, the truth was grimmer. There was a very dangerous possibility that Cerberus had done something with Shepard, a possibility she had discussed and had suspected alongside Ashley. The two had seen the changes and they could all pinpoint the likeliest culprit. After all, Cerberus was anything but ethical. Why would they return Shepard without certain modifications to favour them? It could have been subtle for all they knew, or maybe it was an active control chip of sorts.

The young asari hoped she was wrong, that Shepard was in fact free and doing everyone on his own volition… but reality dictated that she had to consider all options, and given Cerberus track record, would it really be that surprising? It shouldn't. People like Jack, who had a horrible pain-ridden childhood under Cerberus' tyrannical thumb, and Thane Krios, who had strong moral values, were now under the complete control of that nefarious organization.

Hence, when Liara discovered the link between Cerberus and Quarians, she understood right away the quarians couldn't be trusted. How can you trust a species that would gladly sell themselves to such monsters? Was desperation such an excuse? In Liara's book, it wasn't, and Shepard had been the prime teacher of that. Hadn't he stood high and mighty when odds turned desperate? Hadn't he remained morally correct regardless how much easier it would have been to be less of a paragon?

Liara wanted Shepard to be free from the hold of Cerberus, and the quarians. She didn't want to believe she had a grudge with the quarians, but from her perspective, that species had been disgracefully quick to play with Shepard's heartstrings with their victimized status and his heroic selfless nature. She wasn't going to deny she hated the way Tali's people had abused the Commander's trust for their own gain.

Shepard deserved better, a whole lot better. Liara huffed, glaring at the wall to her left, her anger marred with evident sorrow and grief. She didn't want to feel it, or be like that, but Liara had long started to despise Shepard's relationship with Tali. Mind you, she didn't hate Tali – per se. Tali was a good and nice person, and Liara could understand why Shepard could fall for her. But unfortunately, Tali was a pawn for the quarians, a puppet through which the quarians were ensnaring Shepard in their own plots and schemes.

As despicable as she knew that it truly was, Liara hoped she could get Shepard free from such relationship… more so if it meant rekindling their old love. Wasn't it better? Wouldn't Shepard be happier? Liara was certain he would. She had proven herself already, not like Tali who had remained steadfast with her people at the expense of Shepard. The Commander didn't deserve that. He really didn't…

But it was too late, Shepard had already jumped out of the shuttle to face a Reaper – an actual freaking Reaper – for the Quarians, mainly Tali. Was this evidence enough about how self-destructive Shepard's selflessness was? Moreover, the asari maiden was more than certain that Shepard's bravery would not be properly rewarded. They rarely were. Had Wrex paid Shepard's sacrifice back? No, he hadn't. Had the Council? No. And the Alliance? Never.

To make matters worse, Liara understood that Shepard was already plotting against her and the Geth… probably thanks to the influence of the Quarians and Cerberus. The whole debacle after Gellix hadn't help matters either. Liara was not going to blame the Commander. The man was merely being tricked in all of this. No, the blame laid at the feet of Tali, who even though she knew the horrible nature of her leaders she foolishly followed their lead, and Cerberus.

And Liara was helpless to do anything. That was the worst of it all. As a Shadow Broker, she had really felt – much to her eternal shame and embarrassment – like a goddess. How could she not? She had the power at the tip of her fingers to start wars and to end them, to topple governments and to make them… but even then, that power had been unable to bring Shepard's love for her back. No, if anything, she discovered that in her hubris, in her ambition, she had actually abandoned Shepard. She had been too selfish, having allowed her personal feelings against the Shadow Broker to appreciate Shepard's return. No, Liara knew, and was extremely remorseful of, that she had been the one to push Shepard towards Tali.

Liara sighed, closing her eyes as she tried to rein in her grief. Was Shepard lost to her? She didn't want to think so. She had hoped that, with the aid of the Geth, they could rescue Shepard from the clutches of Cerberus and – maybe – the Quarians. But if there was one thing that she was well aware of, it was Shepard was a hard person to stop or challenge. Rather, Shepard was an unstoppable force of nature… and once again, he had come on top. Goddess knew how Cerberus and Quarians had managed to get Shepard on their side…

The asari looked at Legion, sitting opposite her. He hadn't move at all and, for the most part, had merely been inactive. Liara would have thought it was the closest thing to snoozing, although the Geth would have called it "energy preservation". It was simply fascinating how organic this particular synthetic being acted.

"We are approaching the Rendezvous coordinates" Steve reported.

Liara took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. It was for naught as errant thoughts of endless possibilities plagued her mind. Opposite her, Legion's head raised as this glowing optics started shining intensely at Liara. Grimly, the asari realized that they would have to improvise if the Geth were to have a standing chance in this war.

"Well, seems that we've got quite the party down there" Steve, surprised, informed the passengers.

Liara, baffled by the statement, rose to her feet and marched over to pilot's seat, leaning over the consoles to get a view of the controls and the windshield. While nothing could actually be seen through the windscreen, the controls spoke of something happening on the ground below.

"It looks like a camp of sorts" Liara gravely commented, concerned.

"Yeah" Steve nodded, eyes stuck on the controls. "A handful of Quarian freighters by the looks of it…"

Liara had a very bad feeling about this. However, as she glanced at her pilot, she couldn't think of any excuse to avoid landing over that makeshift settlement. It appeared that four quarian ships had landed, probably to serve as structures, for a small forward position. Odds were that the rest of the Normandy's crew were already there. Thus, Liara mustered her courage and returned to her seat as Legion followed her with his gaze. This was going to end badly… she was sure of it.

The shuttle slowly started its descent across cloudy skies, with only strong gusts of wind to impede its progress. In the end, the shuttle reached its destination with little to no trouble under the expertly hands of Steve Cortez. Landing rather close to the makeshift base, the side doors hissed open and Liara and Legion walked out, anxiously drawing their weapons.

It was with certain relief that Liara was not greeted by a platoon of armed quarians. Rather, a friend was there to meet them.

"Garrus" Liara sighed, releasing a breath she hadn't know she had been holding. "It's good to see you!"

The dark-blue clad turian, his helmet gone, offered a turian smile – one marred with tiredness and fatigue amidst its glowing red cybernetics. The smile quickly faded as his eyes searched the shuttle's interior.

"Likewise" Garrus softly replied, offering a curt nod at Legion, before frowning at the asari. "Where's Shepard?"

"He jumped out of the shuttle to face Diniel alone" Liara explained, unable to restrain the helplessness in her voice. "You…" she paused, gulping nervously "you haven't heard about him?"

"No" The turian shook his head, shifting uneasily on his feet. "We thought he would be with you…" he quickly sighed with evident frustration "come, we were all waiting for you".

Garrus turned around and, with a gesture of a hand, urged the pair to follow him.

"Go ahead" Steve told them as he walked out of the shuttle, clad in standard space suit and his helmet on. "I'll stay here and keep an eye on the shuttle".

Liara nervously nodded at the pilot before hesitantly following after the turian, accompanied only by the Geth platform. No sooner had they stepped anywhere near the so-called camp, Liara spotted the quarians. Either moving large crates here or there, or merely standing around on guard, there were dozens, all wearing the marine blood-red environmental suits. She didn't feel comfortable across so many quarians – particularly these many armed ones. Here and there, groups of Quarians would turned to stare at her and Legion, only to murmur conspiratorially amongst themselves.

Garrus seemed untroubled as he carried on at a steady pace across the armed quarians. They in turn didn't seem that much interested on the turian either. Thankfully, it was not a long trek towards a secluded pile of white rusted crates, somewhat apart from the rest of the camp, where a familiar group of people waited. It was the Normandy's ground team.

With their heads exposed and armours in tatters, they all looked like they had gone through hell and back. James had an arm on a sling, a long bloodied scar sliced right through his right cheek while Jacob had been hastily bandaged across the left side of his face. Not even Miranda's once smooth and perfect visage had been spared as a nasty wound marred her chin. The battle seemed to have left its mark in their very stance, all of them sharing a rather haggard and exhausted pose. It was only Javik who remained untouched and chest puffed up, with an air of satisfaction around him. The Justicars, Grunt and the two quarians of the team were missing, though, something troubled the asari.

"Blue!" James Vega exclaimed with a face-splitting grin.

The team, snapping their heads at Liara, were wide-eyed at her arrival. Like Garrus, they had expected someone else to come along.

"You are alright" Liara stated, somewhat perplexed. Had the battle been so bad all across the planet? She had assumed there would be little to no conflict involved given how it had been meant to be a covert-ops.

"You sound surprised" Ashley Williams chuckled.

With her face exposed, Liara was unable to fight the shudder that rolled down her spine. There she was, in all of her terrifying glory, with blood-red shining eyes that could pierce into the soul of any person. The glowing veins, snaking in and out of mortal flesh, made her nightmare-inducing in the eyes of Liara. The asari didn't hold any contempt for Ashley… that didn't mean she found such sight appealing. If anything, it spoke about Cerberus and the perversion of science. Liara did manage, though, to look unperturbed by Ashley's face.

"Where are the Justicars?" Liara wondered as she walked to join her friends. "Or the Krogan, Grunt?"

"One of the Justicars died and another one is critically wounded" Miranda explained with the same haughty drawl Liara had grown to hate. This time, though, there seemed some spite in her voice, as if she was still reeling about her perfect face getting injured. "If I am not mistaken, they are preparing for the funeral in their own way. As for Grunt…" Miranda took a moment to glance at Liara "he has gone to report to his higher-ups up on space, like Tali and Kal'Reegar".

"Higher-ups?" Liara blinked at them.

"Wait – you don't know?" Jacob, startled, asked.

"Know what?" Liara queried, a knot forming on her stomach. She was not going to like this, was she?

Her friends all traded grim faces before addressing the asari. It was Garrus who spoke. "Let's just say Shepard had other plans for this whole operation…" he grumbled.

"Yes, I did learn about that before he abandoned us" Liara replied with a hand gesturing at Legion and herself, as she a pang of sadness at the memory. "There were never any Electromagnetic Pulse Bombs involved, only Sonic charges – asteroid-class ones".

"Huh, Sonic charges?" Ashley hummed, impressed. "We should have thought about that long ago" she added with a chuckle.

"It does make sense now" Nyreen bitterly spat. "Shepard intended to bring down the Reaper's hiding place on the Reaper itself…" she glared at Liara "but why didn't he inform us?"

"The same reason a commander would lie to his troops" Garrus sighed, resigned. "Because he believes they are compromised".

"We are his most loyal soldiers, and this is how he treats us?!" Nyreen growled. "We were supposed to go on a stealth, quiet mission! Not an all-out skirmish!" She then turned to Miranda, who scowled at the unwarranted attention "not to mention with the addition of Cerberus and the Krogan!"

"Cerberus?!" Liara gasped, shocked.

Her blood chilled at the mention of the Organization. They were here? On Rannoch? Had Shepard actually asked for their aid? But how? She had been careful to monitor Shepard whenever he was talking with the Illusive Man and at no time had Shepard agreed to accept the dastardly organization's aid!

"They showed up to help us at the nick of time" Ashley offered, uncertain how to feel. "Last I heard, they are still fighting in orbit".

Liara's eyes went to the heaven, trying to imagine what it was like up there. She was terrified of such prospect, with Cerberus glaring down from above.

"Their appearance was most fortunate" Javik impassively remarked. "We would have been overrun had they been absent".

"But where the hell did they come from?" Jacob wondered, frowning. "And how did they know our positions across the storm?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Miranda scoffed. "Shepard actually asked for Cerberus' assistance on this mission – and I don't blame him. The Alliance, nor anyone else, was willing to offer any help on such risky operation".

"He should have at least given us a heads up. It's bad enough having to fight those darn synthetics without having to worry your ass about Cerberus" Jacob muttered.

"Please, tell us Shepard didn't actually betray the Alliance" James begged Liara.

"I- I'm not sure" Liara mumbled, feeling rather awkward. "Although…" she paused, mauling over what she would say next "I would not be surprised if he had. Shepard's behaviour has been… questionable for some time now".

"You think he got Indoctrinated or something?" James gasped.

"No, it was probably Cerberus" Jacob huffed. "Knowing those a-holes, they probably Inducted him or something".

"Inducted?" Nyreen asked the dark-skinned man.

"Y'know, Cerberus brainwash" Jacob shrugged. "Indoctrination is already taken so… Induction".

"That's ridiculous" Ashley scoffed.

"They did with Thane, Kasumi, Zaeed and Jack" Garrus quipped. "I wouldn't be surprised if they tried the same with Shepard…" he turned to Jacob "but it's still unlikely. Indoctrination can take months, and I doubt Cerberus' technology is on par with the Reapers".

"Hey, they stick ugly pipes in your body. A control chip or two or something like that wouldn't be an outreach, now would it?" Jacob rebutted.

"Under that logic, both Garrus and Ashley might be under Cerberus control" James pointed out.

"How do we know they aren't?" Jacob wondered.

"We don't, and it's useless to delve on such elusive possibilities and what-ifs" Miranda irritably snapped at them. "Discussing such scenarios that can't be proven is a pointless endeavour. All we can do is wait for Shepard and demand answers".

"Wow, geez, someone's pissed" James grunted, his voice thickly laced with sarcasm.

"Enough" Intervened a tired Garrus with a worn-out sigh. "I think we had enough fighting for a lifetime as it is, don't you agree?" He pointedly told his friend, who in turn looked down, just as exhausted. After all, they all silently agreed that they had more than enough battles for more than just one lifetime.

There was a long uncomfortable pregnant silence that hanged over them as they returned to just… wait. They didn't even bother looking at each other, perhaps too tired to delve further into other people than themselves. They had all gone through one hellish fight, challenged by hordes of endless Geth not to mention the storm. However, Liara had the strong impression Shepard's change of plans, particularly the inclusion of Cerberus in the last battle for Rannoch, had everyone at a loss.

How were they supposed to react? Shepard had colluded with the largest threat to Galactic peace and survival second only to the Reapers! If it hadn't been for Cerberus, the Crucible might have been well on its way to completion, and maybe the Alliance wouldn't be in the state it currently was. Humanity would have been a lot better, as a matter of fact, without the need of a massive civil war scourging their territory while the Reapers stained their home-world with their ungodly presence. And yet…

Cerberus, alongside the Quarians and Krogan (the latter of which had been quite the shocking addition to the battle), had saved them in the rain. Had it not been for Cerberus, they would all have been dead, or worse. The battle would have been one massive defeat and everything would have gone to hell.

While Liara still had quite the animosity towards Cerberus, she could easily see that perhaps some of her companions did not, particularly Ashley. Could anyone blame them? Cerberus had proven time and time again to be challenging enemies. As allies, they had been quite the thankful appearance. There were certain bonds, after all, that could only be formed in battle. Ashley, though, while had always been strongly opposed to Cerberus from the start, had quite opened up to the Quarians through Kal'Reegar. That friendship could prove dangerous for Liara later on, not to mention Shepard.

It was hard to tell how long it passed as they merely waited. Admittedly, Liara didn't understand their patience, or their inaction, but she played along. Maybe, they were reluctant to challenge the Commander's decisions, from lies to risky deals with the Illusive Man. Perhaps it was their tiredness seeping in, their desire to merely rest and recuperate. Or maybe it was a combination of the two. In any case, their patience was rewarded by the thunderous roar of the Normandy.

As a majestic bird of prey, it soared across the grey dismal skies of Rannoch. Every pair of eyes snapped in its direction, taking in the blue flash that flew above. It circled around the camp, letting everyone bask in its glory, as it slowly descended, like an animal to its nest. The entire team seemed to be revitalized by the Normandy's presence, standing up straight and expectantly. Liara too felt her soul swell in her chest, but in her case it was both with worry and dread.

A bit further away from the camp than the grounded team, the Normandy landed with a gentle thud over the bare rocks that were Rannoch's surface. As the ramp descended, the team hesitantly approached the vessel. When the ramp had finally hit the ground, Liara and company held their breaths as one man, with broad shoulders and imposing frame, marched down the Normandy: it was Shepard.

"Shepard!" The team chorused as one loud gasp.

While they were certainly joyous to meet their leader, they all remained standing, apprehension clenching onto their eagerness, as they studied the Commander. Each footstep echoed with strength and his movements were decisive, emanating a warning to the world. However, even on such powerful body, they were all drawn by the heavy injuries he brandished. The most shocking part was the man's face. Right over the shoulder, the left part of Shepard's head was a gruesome combination of scorched black flesh with tightly knitted glowing red cybernetics, leaving that side almost cadaveric.

Everyone stared at Shepard, unable to come up with a reaction or response. What were they supposed to say? Or do? They stood there, bewildered. Had Shepard succeeded? Had his lies been worth it? What was going on? The Commander's gaze was also rather harsh and marred with pain as he scanned the gathered group. He was truly intimidating with those glowing red eyes and stern face. In the end, it was Shepard who broke the silence.

"Did someone call for a Reaper exterminator?" He grinned as his cybernetics slowly reverted into their original white.

The group's jaw went slack, trading baffled faces.

"Wait, then…" James dumbly blinked at the Commander.

"Diniel is dead – didn't know what hit him" Shepard chuckled.

Shock struck the Commander's companions, all too shaken and surprised by the news. They exchanged gobsmacked faces, each of which slowly had a smile crawling across their faces. Soon enough, though, they cheered. It was a long cry of joy, one into which they released their exhaustion and pain. They approached the man to slap him on the back for their success. They had won and gods knew they had more than enough reasons to celebrate.

"You had to get half your face hit, Shepard" Garrus jokingly said as he patted Shepard's back.

"Jealous Garrus?" The Commander huffed with a wide grin, nudging the turian. "I doubt you can up taking a Reaper beam to face – now these are real battle-scars".

"I knew you wouldn't stand my amazing scars taking the centre of attention" Garrus retorted.

"Geez, they look nasty" Ashley, smiling, told the man, slightly punching the man on the shoulder.

"You look like you put your face on a grill, Shepard" Jacob, amused, added.

"I don't mind them that much" Miranda hummed with a hungry glint on her cold blue eyes.

"Thanks for your honesty" chuckled the man.

"You really are loco, y'know?" James scoffed with a small, sobered smile.

Liara tried to keep a smile on her face, to be happy for the occasion… but she couldn't. And neither could the others for long. Now that victory had been established, many questions and matters remained, things that gnawed on their spirits and minds. Shepard must have felt it, or they had been visibly upset with the Commander, for he stepped back as everyone sobered up.

"Shepard…" Garrus started as he stared at his friend. "We need to talk".

The Commander released a long, tired sighed, one which evidently expressed his consternation with what he knew was to come. He instead pinched the bridge of his nose, as he had done many times.

"Yeah… we really do, don't we?" He replied as he looked back at Garrus.

Rather than looking ashamed or self-conscious, Shepard was awfully defiant and angry at them. He even glared at them, something that looked painful to do with such injuries on his face. Liara didn't know why, but she quickly felt things were not going to turn like she had first expected. It was as the Commander folded his arms in front of him, like he generally did when he expected answers, that Liara nervously realized that it would probably be them who would fall under scrutiny.

"Cerberus, Shepard?" Garrus started, ignoring the Commander evident admonishing face. "You actually made a deal with the Illusive Man? Why didn't you tell us the plan?"

Instead of outright answering, Shepard leaned forward with one intimidating scowl onto Garrus face. The turian held his gaze on the Commander, but his conviction faltered, almost as if Shepard could see something that Garrus was heavily guilty off.

"Oh? Are you going to accuse me of withholding information?" Shepard growled. He leaned back, his glare sweeping across the gathered group. "Yes, why don't we all come clean for once. I'm bloody tired of all this nonsense!" He walked further away, distancing from them, only to pace angrily near the Normandy's ramp. "After everything I've done, after everything we've been through, you all gladly stab me in the back at the first chance, don't you?"

"Shepard, what in the hell are you -?" Jacob was asking, only to be interrupted.

"Oh, as if you don't know" Shepard hissed, only to turn towards James and Ashley, who winced under his fiery gaze. "You really think I wouldn't know? That I wouldn't figure out that Hackett wanted more than debrief you on small stuff? Do you really take me for an idiot?" He turned to Garrus and Nyreen. "The same goes for you two!"

"We aren't the ones who befriended Cerberus" Nyreen retorted.

"Of course not" Shepard grunted "you are the ones who hid the fact the Hierarchy was doing secret dealings with Legion of all people!"

Liara awkwardly looked away, feeling rather guilty for having been the vehicle for such negotiations to happen.

"Shepard, look" Garrus sighed, shifting uneasily on his feet and looking ruefully at the Commander. "We did what we thought was best for our people and -"

"And that's the problem" Shepard huffed. "I understand wanting to do what's best for your people, Garrus, but that's absolutely different from being an absolute imbecile out of desperation" the turian grimaced, knowing what the man meant with that. "Do you even understand the Geth had been lying to us this entire time?"

Silence. Everyone traded confused looks, not following. Rather, their raised eyebrows at the Commander, somewhat flummoxed by Shepard. Legion didn't say anything, rather staring at Shepard expectantly.

"Of course you don't" Shepard sighed tiredly, pinching the bridge of his nose yet again. "You don't even bother questioning half the things that go on, much less think about them. Garrus, did you never question how peculiar everything related to Legion was?"

Garrus frowned, glancing at the unmoving Geth. "I… don't understand" he said, shaking his head.

"Let us recap, shall we?" Shepard grunted. "Shall we start with the basics? The Geth… how do they work? In their society, they have a system called the Collective, and their entire decision-making is absolute democracy: what the majority of the programs decide is law. And yet… one decision split them apart into Heretics and the so-called real Geth. Why?"

Garrus frowned. "I… don't know" he admitted.

"Because it was the smart thing to do" Shepard scoffed. "Instead of all the Geth just risking being on the losing side of either choice, whether to aid Sovereign or not, the Geth played both sides. If the Reapers succeeded, the Heretics would have guaranteed they had done their part. If Sovereign failed, the other Geth who had stayed behind could claim having never actually sided with the Reapers. More importantly, if push came to shove, the Geth could always look like they had been on the Organics' side all along by appearing to fight the Heretics themselves".

"Wait, so after Sovereign you think that… what, the Geth just wanted to look like they had been on our side all along?" A baffled Garrus asked. "That's crazy, Shepard. Why would the Geth waste so many platforms?"

"Garrus, to understand the Geth you need to think of them as for what they are: machines. Every decision they make is based solely on logic" Shepard sighed. "In their eyes, sacrificing a few million Geth in order to guarantee a favourable relationship with organics, particularly me, was worth it. The Geth knew all along they would need allies if they were to survive the Reapers, so they needed to be rather convincing on this. Do you really think the Geth aren't capable of mass genocide if it fits their logic, much less ensures a favourable future?"

There was a long awkward silence in which Garrus glanced repeatedly at the quarian camp, grimacing.

"Por favor, Loco!" James spat angrily "that's absolutely stupid, Shepard! Too many conspiracy theories and whatnot!"

"Really?" Shepard sardonically smiled at the Lieutenant. He turned to Legion. "Am I wrong, Legion?" As he folded his arms again, he added "I suggest your honesty here, Legion, because I doubt I'll be of any help to your people otherwise".

Legion looked at the others, who stared at him, only to hesitate. He was clearly calculating the best outcome for what he would say next. After three long eternal seconds, he responded.

"You are correct, Shepard-Commander" Legion said. "There were never Heretic programs in our collective. We were always… Geth".

There were widespread gasps in the group. Garrus and Liara were the most shocked, taken aback by the revelation. Particularly, they both felt like they had been treated as fools. Shepard calmly walked over to Legion, who studied the Commander thoroughly, almost as if analysing a threat.

"And you were the grand spokesman for the Geth, weren't you?" Shepard sighed with sadness as he went to stand right in front of Legion. "Everything about you, every strange weird detail that makes you unique… it was all meant to warrant my sympathy and rise your chances of actually talking and engaging with me, wasn't it?"

Everyone, a bit too shocked, looked at Shepard, almost begging him to stop changing their world-view any further. Legion didn't answer.

"That hole on your chest" Shepard leisurely pointed a finger at said gaping hole "is a structural weakness, like a window, isn't it? It should impair your capabilities and compromise your internal systems. Just look at that thing. Cleaning all the stuff that gets in there must be bad enough without the way it compromises the strength and integrity of your body… Strangely enough, similar platforms with such injuries wouldn't have survived that long, and yet you did, almost as if no vital system lays anywhere near to it. It doesn't stand to logic that you didn't seal it ages ago, and the fact you still keep it speaks volumes of its purpose there… to look like a wounded, distinctive person".

Legion remained silent. The pointed finger jumped onto the black and white on the Geth's shoulder.

"The N7 armour pieces, located on your shoulder… a very strange addition onto you when there were far better resources to use" Shepard hummed. "You never did bother answering that question back then, did you? Why use such compromised metal when there was better stuff available? It is almost as if you intended to draw MY attention… Actually, you made it pass as if it was like you were organic, and you did it for some mysterious emotional and symbolic reason that doesn't actually compute with Geth. Most odd, isn't it?"

Again, Legion didn't speak. Shepard pointed at the Geth's very centre.

"And what is this? The Heretics were designing a secret re-writing virus and you needed to casually infiltrate the same Reaper at the same time as me? On your own? Such vital mission, and the Geth sent ONE platform with no support? Mind you, you are very smart… and distinctive" Shepard's hand returned over his chest where his arms laid crossed. "There was never a virus, was there? EDI was awfully confused when she hacked into your omni-tool or tried to remotely access the Heretics' base databases, you know? I did find it strange you would give me such important choice, to a stranger of all things, to decide on the destruction of Geth when it was only logical to reprogram the Heretics in preparation of the Reapers. Not to mention, the only reasons not to reprogram them were mostly ethical, and we both know Geth don't exactly have ethics.

"Our encounter was all a setup, wasn't it? The fact you didn't have a name, when every single Geth platform I know of – and God knows I know a lot of them after Shannae - had one by their owners. And yet… you gave ME the privilege – no, the honour - of naming you of all people, a complete stranger in the weirdest sign of trust to someone who up until that point had only slaughtered your kind and was probably suspicious of you".

Legion didn't answer, staring at Shepard's face.

"Tell me the truth, Legion. Am I right?" Shepard inquired.

Legion glanced at the team, who looked utterly lost by everything Shepard had said. Once again, it seemed evident that the Geth was assessing the best path to the best outcome. By the looks of it, he was also rather reluctant to merely concede Shepard's arguments. The silence, though, would not last forever.

"Yes" he finally said. "You are correct, Shepard-Commander. We needed your trust to ensure the Geth's future. Your actions against the Collectors interested us, as did the Collectors, and we understood you were spearheading the efforts against the Reapers. It was logical to attempt to draw your attention and establish a favourable relationship with you, Shepard-Commander".

"That and you wanted to gather more intel on the Migrant Fleet's latest actions on Haestrom, didn't you? Two birds on one stone, one might say. You got to gain my trust and my sympathies towards your people and in turn keep an eye on the daughter of a Quarian Admiral" Shepard smirked at the Geth. "Don't you think you looked very suspicious having spied on Tali's omni-tool all that time ago AFTER we had decided you would stay confined to the AI room? You actually thought I would let that pass like it was nothing?"

"We needed to know what the Creators were planning" the Geth admitted. "We thought their secret operation on Haestrom was intended to create a hidden base capable of evading our detection thanks to the unstable sun's radiation. Considering the many platforms under Sovereign that might have fallen into the hands of the Creators, and the Creators' engineering prowess, we were expecting an invasion to ensue with the Creators emboldened by new understanding on the Geth. It was unlikely for Quarians to establish such a dangerous base only to study the sun – they were perceived as a threat and evidence of a greater danger".

"Considering that the last time I met Geth was at a battlefield, I understand all your actions Legion" Shepard confessed. "Heck, I don't think you might have had other opportunities to actually consider the Geth as potential allies otherwise. But…" here Shepard squinted suspiciously at Legion. "You haven't exactly been forthcoming recently either, have you?"

"Your mate-relationship with Creator Zorah suggested an emotional response against our people if evidence was provided of deceit and manipulation" Legion replied quickly enough. "Prior actions on Tuchanka have suggested a greater weight in regards to emotional attachments on your decision making. Considering your potential allegiance to the Creators and Cerberus, we deemed secrecy was necessary for our survival".

Shepard hummed thoughtfully. "I guess that makes sense" he reluctantly conceded. "I can't really fault you on that logic…" he grumbled. "That doesn't mean I find any wisdom on that".

"You can be awfully understanding at times" Garrus remarked with surprise.

"When you deal with a bunch of backstabbing arseholes it's always nice to be two steps ahead of them, isn't it?" Shepard shrugged. "With the Reapers and all, desperation is bound to run amok, and we all know how desperate people do desperate things. Like planning to betray me in order to upgrade the Geth against the Quarian counter-measures, am I right… Liara?"

The asari winced, and gulped, as she felt Shepard's intense heated gaze on her. She could feel the anger bubbling on the human without any need of actually glancing his way. As it was, she didn't think she was bold enough to face the man's ire. He had a good reason to be furious, considering how often than not those he deemed allies seemed to lie or betray Shepard.

"Hey, don't look surprised" Shepard grunted. Liara looked up, confused, only to notice uneasy-looking Garrus and Ashley alongside scowling Nyreen and James. "You four were actually planning on going along with her plan so that the Geth could help the Alliance and the Turians – even if it meant shooting me".

"Loco, it is nothing personal, but you haven't exactly given us any confidence you would make the right choice" James scoffed with a roll of his eyes.

"He's right. The quarians are like your Achilles heel, Commander. When they are involved you are like another person, and sometimes it's the same with Cerberus" Ashley reluctantly added.

"Right choice?" Shepard huffed, amused. He actually laughed, loud and hollow, as he repeated those words. His laughter, though, was not comforting. It was scary, given how forced and angry it sounded. Even James, by the looks of it, was apprehensive of the man's fury.

Shepard turned to look at James. "Do you know why the Geth slaughtered the Quarians, James?"

The Lieutenant uncomfortably shook his head, wisely keeping his mouth shut. Shepard's attention jumped onto Garrus.

"Did you know that Diniel had been aware of Shannae's server room for some time now?" Shepard asked the turian, who stiffly shook his head with a grimace.

The Commander looked at Nyreen, who seemed caught between defiant and scared.

"Did any of you even consider that Diniel might have modified the Geth in any shape and form after months of having them under his control?!" Shepard shouted at them.

They all winced, unused to such reprimanding Commander. The man walked away from Legion to stand at the centre of the group.

"No. You didn't!" Shepard yelled, baring his teeth at them with righteous indignation. "Let me tell you the truth" he hissed, narrowing his eyes at them. "Diniel did not only discover that the Geth had conspired against the Reapers before they became their slaves, but he actually went a mile further and changed the Geth's plan to benefit him – and the Geth are none the wiser". He swiftly turned to Legion "your upgrades, he knew all along. In fact, he was counting I would be upgraded with his own modifications so he could Indoctrinate me in one full-swoop".

Legion stared at Shepard, disbelief etched in his synthetic stance.

"There were a lot of reasons to be suspicious of the Geth, you imbeciles!" Shepard roared at his friends, who stepped back. "These are the bloody Reapers we are fighting! These aren't your everyday drug-dealer, mercenary or even Cerberus. These are God-Like Sons of Bitches that have been in the business of Galactic extermination for millions of years! Each of them is a nation. Each of them is the harbinger of a species' destruction! And you treat the Geth as if they were merely hostages, or prisoners! You actually have the GALL to think the Reapers would be too stupid to try anything other than control them through Diniel!"

Shepard took a moment to take a long deep breath with his eyes closed. He pinched the bridge of his nose once again, while his friends all awkwardly traded grimaces and grim faces. Even Javik had been daunted by the man's outburst.

"What the fuck is the point of any of this?!" Shepard shouted once again, kicking a loose stone from the ground. By this point, his cybernetics had turned red. "Why do I even bother trying to help anyone?!"

Strangely enough, instead of getting angrier, or giving another outburst, Shepard actually… calmed down. He took deep breaths and, when his cybernetics turned white, turned looked at his friends with a saddened face. His shoulders slumped down as a shadow fell on the man's expression. Bags formed under his eyes as he looked up at the sky.

"I'm… sorry about that" Shepard sighed. "But sometimes I do feel like the entire Galaxy is on my shoulders…" he looked down at his feet, sounding utterly disappointed and defeated "and it doesn't help when you just -" he clenched his fists in front of his face, bitterly baring his teeth before sighed, exhausted, and releasing his arms to hang loosely on each side of his body. "This could have gone so wrong…"

The team remained silent, hanging their heads in shame.

"So Hackett actually ordered you to assist the Geth?" Shepard asked James and Ashley.

"Yeah…" James answered as he rubbed the nape of his neck. "He really wants the Geth in power".

"So do the turians" Garrus grumbled.

"Of course they do" muttered a despondent Shepard. He looked at Legion, thoroughly tired. For a moment, his gaze when up onto the grey skies of Rannoch, before focusing back on the Geth. "What exactly am I going to do with you?" There was a prolonged tense silence between the two. "Your people have been compromised… right now, I cannot risk it. I can't allow you to upgrade the Geth, Legion, not when we know full well that Diniel has been behind your plan all along".

"We have run various diagnostics. The upgrades are not compromised" Legion insisted.

"Really? Like my own upgrades, I presume" Shepard huffed. "No, Legion, whether you like it or not, your entire people has become little better than tools for the Reapers, their servants. We might liberate them, but it would be foolish to assume the Reapers haven't actually planned for such outcome. We have all seen what the Geth now look like, thanks to the Reapers. They are no longer your people, Legion… they are no longer Geth".

Silence. All around, Shepard's team slowly allowed those words to sink in. Liara was having a lot of trouble coming to terms with the idea that the Reapers had changed so much so quickly. Admittedly, she had been long aware about the modifications done onto the Geth. The three glowing red optics, the red cables, the change in their internal systems… Shepard was right. The Geth… the Geth had long died at the hands of Diniel, an outcome they hadn't foreseen. Liara looked at Legion as the artificial lifeform tried to process the truth. Legion was, by all means and purposes… the Last Geth. And even then, Liara knew there was a possibility of Legion being infected already by some Reaper code… he had already been manipulated to deliver Reaper upgrades for Shepard. What else could have been done to him?

"We are alone" Legion said with an incredible sad tone. Liara mentally smacked herself for never questioning the ability of the android to inflect emotions in such a manner. "We… are the Geth".

Shepard, with a saddened face, nodded.

"What will we do?" Legion wondered, sounding utterly lost.

"You have two choices, Legion" Shepard informed the synthetic. "You can join the Normandy and help me fight the Reapers. After the war, if we win… I'll make sure you'll have the freedom to rebuild your people. However…" Shepard sighed, folding his arms. "I will have to keep you in strict quarantine and you must allow EDI and a team of quarian engineers run over your programs to make sure no Reaper code has infected your softwares. Sadly, I won't be able to guarantee that they won't do anything in the process – and I don't know of anyone else who understands the Geth bodies well enough to do the job".

Legion didn't say anything. Rather, he remained frozen, staring at Shepard.

"The second option…" Shepard grimaced as he trailed off. "You could surrender to the Quarians. Thus far, they have been able to reprogram a good lot of platforms they captured during the first days of their campaign. They are bound to change most of your core programs, like the Primordial Code… while it will definitely change you, it will make sure that you no longer are a slave to Diniel's modifications or any hidden Reaper code".

"There are other options, Shepard" Liara interceded. "I am sure the Council could help".

"I guess" Shepard shrugged. "But the Council isn't knowledgeable enough to guarantee Legion is clean from the Reaper's influence. If anything, they might suggest destroying Legion to make sure".

"We will… reach a consensus" Legion stated hesitantly.

"Take your time, Legion" Shepard told the android. He looked at the rest of his team. "Return to the ship, people. I suggest you take this moment to rest".

"That's… a good idea" Garrus grunted.

The team reluctantly started trudging towards the Normandy's ramp. Garrus went to Shepard's side for a moment, hesitant.

"Look, Shepard" Garrus sighed, despondent. "I'm sorry for not telling you about my orders…"

Shepard glanced at the turian. "We'll talk about that later" he murmured, sounding like he hadn't slept in ages. His eyes went to a particular Asari. "Liara, would you stay back for a moment? There's something I need to discuss with you". He looked at Garrus, urging him to move along. Garrus reluctantly did so, hanging his head.

Liara, rather uncomfortable, walked over towards Shepard as the rest of the team disappeared inside the Normandy. Things had certainly not turned like she had expected. For starters, the fact they had ignored any possible Reaper infection on the Geth had left her a bit… troubled. She had actually considered betraying Shepard's trust in order to free the Geth and upgrade them against the Quarian counter-measures… and yet that might have only bolstered the Reapers further. She could have actually played along right into the hands of the Reapers… and all because she schemed and planned on her own, without consulting anyone else.

Shepard and Liara remained staring at each other, alone. After a long pregnant silence between the two, Shepard sighed.

"You wanted to talk with me about something?" Liara wondered, glancing at the ramp.

"Yes…" Shepard nodded, turning around. "Follow me".

Liara did as told, confused, as Shepard led her into the Quarian encampment. The Commander activated his omni-tool, probably to find his destination, and tiredly walked onwards. The tiredness and fatigue were evident on his stride, as was the exhaustion on his sagged shoulders.

"It has been quite the day, hasn't it?" Liara commented.

Shepard glanced at her with a blank, impassive face. "Trust me, the day isn't over yet" he muttered.

Liara frowned as dread filled her guts. What was that supposed to mean? Truth to be told, she was fearing the worst. As they went past group of quarians, Liara noticed the way they stared at him. There was veneration in their gaze, and awe. They seemed to ignore Liara altogether in favour of just following the man with their eyes. The asari could understand why. To many, Shepard was a man like no other. To some, he was bordering the fine limit between the impossible and possible. If Shepard made it through the war, he would forever remembered as some kind of saviour, and that was without including the Romanisation that would follow as in most legends.

Oddly enough, their destination were neither Krogan, Quarians or – Goddess forbid – Cerberus but rather… the Justicars. They founded them praying beyond the camp, or at least, two of them appeared to be praying on their knees while Samara waited patiently, on her feet, for them. The standing Justicar didn't say or do much as they approached her, but Liara could easily tell there was intrigue on her eyes.

"I congratulate you on your victory, Commander" Samara greeted with a courteous nod.

"Our victory" Shepard corrected. "I…" he glanced at the praying Justicars, whose backs were turned towards him. "I'm sorry about the death of your colleagues. I'm thankful they decided to help".

"It's been a long time since the Justicars aided the oppressed and downtrodden outside Asari space. However, if we are to triumph against the upcoming darkness, we will have to do many things we haven't done in millennia" Samara reluctantly said, only to add, with a smile "as for my fellow Justicar… Justicar Naima is now under the embrace of the Goddess".

Shepard nodded at the Justicar before glancing at a rather confused Liara. The latter was rather perplexed about having been brought to Samara.

"Samara… I might have a request for you" Shepard started, uncomfortable.

"You only need to ask" Samara stated with a kind smile.

"I need you to train Liara" the Commander begrudgingly told the Justicar.

The Justicar, in turn, blinked at the man, dumbfounded. She wasn't the only one. Next to Shepard, Liara stared at Shepard with wide eyes. He actually wanted HER to become a Justicar? While Liara was flattered by the thought, she really didn't think it was wise. Justicar training was, after all, gruesome and, in most cases, fatal. There was a reason why Justicars were a bit… odd.

From what Liara had heard, Justicars went through many tests and trials, some more perilous than the previous ones, which broke the person individual to reshape them into zealous monks and fighters for the Code. While Liara respected their dedication and the Code, she didn't approve of such harsh methods. It was a bit archaic to treat people like that, not to mention how the Code handled law in whites and blacks rather than the greys that they were.

"You wish to become a Justicar?" Samara inquired, turning to Liara.

"I am more in the lines of mental and physical training, not necessarily to make her a Justicar" Shepard elaborated. He closed his eyes, sighing, as the two asari turned to Shepard, confused.

"Why would you want me to undergo such a training?" Liara wondered. "While I can see the need of it with the Reapers and Cerberus… there is a great risk involved".

"Liara…" Shepard sighed, turning to the asari in question. "I know you won't believe me. Heck, I know you will… I don't know… probably think I'm crazy. But I need you to hear me out and understand that you need this training if you are to overcome the… - this. It is probably the best way. I rather not go to Cerberus for help on this".

Samara's eyes widened as she turned to Liara, worried. The younger Asari shifted on her feet, gulping. That didn't sound like anything good.

"Liara… you've been Indoctrinated" Shepard softly told her friend.

Tali was a quarian on a mission. Her target? An elusive Commander who seemed to have walked away from the small makeshift quarian base towards the horizon. It was with a sense of purpose that she strode across the great plains of Rannoch, mesmerized by the desolation that surrounded her. It was with a heavy heart, though, that her eyes sorrowfully took in the state of her beloved planet-world.

Kah'Andei, roughly translated as Golden Fields or The Fields of Golden Grass, had once been the place where many of the original tribes of the quarians faced off in one great battle, or so had Tali been taught. It was in those plains that the quarian tribes united after days of bloodshed, and marked the start of new era for the Quarian people. Kah'Andei had a meaning and purpose, and had thus been chosen as the place where the Quarians would make their first forward base on Rannoch. More importantly, they were supposed to be fertile lands and would be the first target for their colonization efforts.

However, as it was, Tali felt like she had been robbed of the truth, for they were no golden fields to look at or even anything remotely resembling grass. Rather, the darkened eroded stones were bare and cracked. There appeared to be no life on the once prosperous surface. On the contrary, it seemed as death itself inhabited Rannoch now. With the grey havens above, the quarian home-world didn't just look inhospitable… it looked dismal.

Had they fought for this? Why had the Geth been so callous to their beloved home-world? Hadn't they cared about Rannoch too? The answer to that question was, truth to be told, horrible. The Geth, driven by fear, massively accelerated their militarization efforts and numbers in hopes of preparing for a Council response to the Morning War. They had truly believed that the Council would have tried to swiftly deal with them. However, as time passed, their focus went towards the Quarians, now expecting retaliation from their creators. In the process of increasing their numbers and bolstering their defences, they industrialized heavily across Rannoch.

Many people were under the hopeful expectation that the Geth might have been more responsible with the planet than the Quarians. However, as it so happened, the Geth turned out to be far more than just neglectful: they had been outright destructive. Geth, after all, were never that cheap. They required all sorts of metals, some of them rather precious and energy-wasteful in their refinement. Energy was another matter entirely. Instead of wasting space and metals on sun-energy, they simply went back to other sources of power to fuel their industrialization craze. After all, they wanted to develop entire new industries, from the construction of star ships to development of new and better Geth platforms, all of which required extensive resources.

It was no surprise Rannoch now had such incredibly destructive storms, like the one they had fought in. As a matter of fact, it appeared they were rather common now… three hundred years under the control of the Geth, and Rannoch was little better than Tuchanka. It was truly depressing to actually be back, to walk across the surface of their home-world, the once acclaimed hope for her people. Tali was somewhat thankful her father and mother weren't alive to witness such awful sight.

The land of her ancestors, the very birthplace of her people and civilization… Tali stopped walking, her chest swelled with sorrow and grief. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she pondered on that. Even through the exhaustion of battle, she couldn't help staring at the promised land with sadness. Her forefathers had bled and fought for this land… they endured battles, plagues and enemies for the very chance of their descendants to enjoy a better life on Rannoch… and it had all been for nothing…

Tali looked around, taking in the miserable state of her planet, only to spot a peculiar sight further away. As she squinted at it, she gasped. Her eyes widened with surprised and she broke into a hurried stroll over to what looked like a kneeling Shepard. As she got closer, her first assumptions were right: it was him.

"Shepard!" Tali cried out, joyous.

The Commander in question looked up from where he knelt and snapped his head at her. He stood up, at first surprised, only to grin at her. The Quarian sprinted towards him and, with one final leap, hugged Shepard. With tears in her eyes, Shepard embraced her back, spinning around as he laughed. They both were happy about their reunion, exhilarated after the long battle.

"I was so worried!" Tali sniffed as she started crying. She looked at his face. "Keelah…" she softly murmured as a three-digit hand reached out to caress Shepard's scorched injuries. "Why were you so stupid!" She cried out as she buried her face on his chest.

Shepard chuckled, much to Tali's ire.

"Don't you laugh, you bosh'tet!" Tali sobbed, lightly punching the man that tightly held up. "I thought I was going to lose you!"

Shepard's mirth wasn't subdued. If anything, it was increased. He actually broke into an all-out laughter, earning a tearful glare from Tali.

"I'm serious, Shepard!" She grumbled.

"You're so cute when you are protective" Shepard mused.

The Quarian blushed, looking down. "Bosh'tet" she swore. This earned a new round of chuckles from the Commander.

"I'm fine, Tali" he softly told her as they broke their hug.

"Y-you – you are injured and… and you need some rest" Tali mumbled, despondently. "You didn't have to do it, Shepard. You didn't have to face Diniel on your own like that!"

Shepard shook his head with a saddened face and a small smile. "No, Tali, I had to. I doubt anyone else could face Diniel like I did" he replied. He grinned at her "so, you have Rannoch back! Aren't you happy?"

Tali looked at Shepard, somewhat taken aback by how happy he sounded. If she was truthful, he sounded a lot happier than she was. Then again, he was a human. He hadn't gone through the dreams of regaining Rannoch. Tali averted his gaze only to glance at their desolate surroundings.

"This place…" she sighed "it's called -"

"Kah'Andei" Shepard quickly interrupted with a nod. "The Golden Fields, right?"

Tali frowned. "How do you…?" She trailed off, only for her eyes to widen.

"I learned a lot about your history and culture from Shannae's server room" Shepard smugly huffed. "I have to thank the Geth for that".

"Then you probably understand how I feel right now" Tali whispered. "I don't want to sound ungrateful, Shepard. You sacrificed so much… but Rannoch… we thought that- that…" She looked down, her heart riddled with sorrow.

"Hey" Shepard murmured as a hand went under her chin, making their eyes meet. "I have something to show you" he grinned. He stepped back and knelt down, facing the shadow of a particularly large boulder. Shepard glanced at Tali. Noticing she hadn't move, he waved a hand to kneel beside him.

Tali, bewildered, did just that, kneeling next Shepard. The man seemed rather thrilled about something. Curious, Tali studied what he had been examining, only to freeze. Her heart skipped a beat. There, hidden safely behind the boulder, were a small tuft of golden grass… and at its centre, a beautiful pearl-blue flower. She looked at Shepard, who grinned at her.

"Look this" he chuckled, a hand reaching out for the flower.

For a moment, Tali held her breath, fearful that the man would pluck the innocent plant from the ground. Instead, he laid a hand around it, covering it under a new shadow. To her surprise, the flower started glowing in the dark in a breath-taking lilac.

"Do you know how this flower is called?" Shepard asked Tali.

Much to her shame, Tali shook her head. It did come as weird that the Commander now had a greater knowledge on Rannoch and Quarians than the Quarians themselves. Still, she wasn't jealous or disappointed, only saddened by such truth.

"This is the Uhlea, the Dreamer's flower" Shepard chuckled. "Amazing what this little guy achieved, isn't it?"

Tali nodded, dumbfounded. Shepard stood up, offering a hand to the quarian. She studied the flower a bit longer, taking in its beauty, before she accept the hand.

"It's pretty, just like you" Shepard teased, earning a playful smack from a flustered Tali. His hands wrapped around her.

"It's a pity it's the only one we can see" Tali mumbled, downcast.

"That flower, so vulnerable and weak, will be the first of many. It might take time and effort, and things might never return to how they were" Shepard sighed, wearily. "But what matters… is that there's hope. Not everything is lost". He smiled warmly towards Tali, who blushed under his gaze.

"I'm coming with you" Tali declared.

"Hmmm?" Shepard hummed, tilting his head with confusion.

"I'm not staying" She told her. "We need to deal with the Reapers… and my home – it's with you".

"You make it sound as if you had a choice" Shepard chuckled, suggestively wiggling his eyebrows.

"Oh you bosh'tet" Tali muttered, although she couldn't help giggling at the man's good mood. "How can you be so hopeful about everything?"

Shepard looked down at the flower. "Because of things like that" he returned his gaze on Tali "or you. Life is ridden with darkness and horrors… but there also wonderful things worth fighting for. Even if they are just small tiny flowers in a sea of death and desolation, that one thing is enough".

Tali stared at Shepard, who grinned at her. She smiled back, feeling as if his mood was infectious. Slowly, she reached out for her helmet. Shepard's hands shot out and caught them by the sides of her visor, suddenly looking worried.

"Don't worry, Shepard. A little exposure here will not affect me, not with so little life-forms and allergens" Tali soothingly stated.

Reluctantly, Shepard released his hold on her hands, and the visor unclipped. Tali lowered the shaded material, allowing for her face to be fully visible. She graced Shepard with a kind, warm smile, before they leaned towards each other, kissing at long last. They remained there, kissing, and sharing each other's warmth, because they broke apart, only to embrace the other, as if afraid of losing each other.

For what felt like a blissful eternity they remained there, like that. There were no Reapers, no Geth, no Cerberus… nothing to trouble them. However, it could not last. In the end, Tali gently stepped back, holding Shepard's hands.

"Shepard…" she softly said. "I want to have your child".

End of Part II

And so, the last chapter of the Second Part of A Different War. I apologize for any grammar mistakes... I might not have given this chapter enough re-reads out of tiredness.

I hope you liked the fan fiction! Truth to be told, it all started with the simple idea about re-writing ME3 in such a way that made a bit of more sense. While the game is nice enough as it is, there are some... flaws. Cerberus and the Reapers are a bit too cartoon-ish at times, from my point of view, and many things didn't add up. I also had a big gripe with how little influence ME2 actually had in the overall story.

Please, review! I would truly appreciate to read your opinion.

Announcements: I have no idea when I will deliver the Third and final part of the this fanfiction. I might actually what I had first envisioned would be "Amidst a Thousand Dreams" and maybe an extra epilogue, but other than that there are no short-term plans to continue the story.