A/N: This fanfic is the result of several ideas my friend and I had bounced around... all compiled into a post-suicide mission tale. Shepard is based on my Paragade Shep (Colonist/Sole Survivor) - she's always paragon unless someone tries to hurt her or her crew. Also, if you read my other fanfic, this one gives us a slightly different resolution to the problem. 'Nuff said. Hope you enjoy, please feel free to leave reviews/comments - I truly appreciate any and all reader input. (:

"I have detected an anomaly, Shepard."

"Hmm?" She shook her head, startled out of a trance. She had been scanning planets in the Exodus cluster for over an hour, her eyes focused somewhere beyond the display.

Kelly looked up from her console at the commander, and giggled. The yeoman was always pleasant to be around, and her intuition about the crew was often invaluable. Shepard was certainly glad for her company when scanning in the CIC, though. It cut the monotony of the task. It had not been since Ashley Williams that Shepard had a real gal-pal. 'Girl talk' was not something most people would associate with the icon that was Commander Shepard. But, in truth, she enjoyed that Kelly was such a straightforward person, and found great relief from everyday stresses in just ... chatting. They had quickly found that despite their labels - Spectre, legend; ex-Cerberus, counselor - they enjoyed escaping these things just to be friends.

Shepard scrunched up her brows in displeasure. "The last time I visited this system, this planet wasn't even habitable."

EDI replied in her usual serene tone, "Terraforming has been underway on Tyr for approximately 2 years, funded by prospecting firms on Terra Nova. Though the planet is not ideal by human standards yet, it is well on its way. The atmosphere has been altered sufficiently that breathers are not required. Several mining companies have constructed small settlements to further establish a claim to the vast resources here."

"Really? We just needed a bit more platinum before plotting a course to the Cidatel, and of course... an anomaly." She sighed heavily, "Please, EDI, tell me that this 'anomaly' is an isolated, incomparable vacation spot. One where everyone we run into will ask me if they can do me any favors."

"Ooh, with a spa run by hanar - I could really use a good massage, and nothing can compare to those tentacles," added Kelly with mock hopefulness.

"Ugh, Kelly, that is so ... weird!!" Shepard laughed.

"Don't knock it 'til you try it, that's all I'll say."

"Hardly." EDI's smooth voice cut in. "It is a distress call."

"What a let-down," Kelly rolled her eyes. "I assume you'll be heading to the surface, then. Who should I ask to meet you in the cargo bay?"

Shepard turned back to the EDI's spherical representation on the display. "Do we have any information about what to expect?"

"The distress call is automated, no indication of what the problem may be. I detect batarian comm chatter; a possibility is that slavers have attacked the colony site. It is not unheard of in this system. No additional data."

Shepard groaned, "Batarians." Shepard turned to Kelly, "ask Garrus and Thane to be at the shuttle in ten." Kelly passed on the message, while Shepard briefly looked over the scan maps of the surface. This was her usual team, she almost always preferred to have the two highly skilled marksmen at her side.

Shepard left the console, flashing Kelly a smile as she turned to the elevator. Kelly watched with mild concern; she was confident that Shepard was an ideal choice for the task at hand - she always was - but that didn't keep the yeoman from worrying. After all, even the mighty Shepard had been killed once. Though most saw Shepard as an infallible symbol, Kelly knew that she was still human. Only the people lucky enough to know the woman behind the myth were able to see that. But living with this weighty knowledge was worth it - being Shepard's friend was a marvelous thing. As soon as she met her, Kelly realized that Shepard valued her friends more than anything - even her own life. Her friends were closer to her than family was to most people. This was what Kelly admired most about the commander, not her prowess on the battlefield or Spectre status.

After a couple minutes, Shepard reemerged clad in her armor, and headed toward the armory. She gathered and checked over her favorite assault rifle, as well as her other usual armaments, and then snapped them into their respective places on her armor. As she turned, she saw Garrus stride in.

"What are we up against, Shepard?" he asked.

"Not sure, possibly batarian slavers." She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "EDI didn't have much info. It appears to be a small human settlement with a mine. Automated distress beacon."

"Hm, maybe they just need us to recalibrate a mining laser for them? You do have a talent for that sort of thing." He focused on checking his sniper rifle, ever thorough.

She snorted a laugh and punched him in the shoulder as she headed for the elevator. "See you in a minute."

After the elevator ride, she found Thane already in the cargo bay. He was seated on a crate by the shuttle, double-checking his weapons. He always kept them in Life Support with him. They had been customized for his own hands by the Hanar, and he took great comfort in maintaining them himself. He looked up to see Shepard enter. He gave her a nod and subtle smile, gesturing for her to join him. "Siha."

"Hey, Thane," she replied warmly, and sat on the crate next to him, their shoulders touching. Neither were much for displaying their affection for one another in public. It was often unspoken between them, as were many things. There was no need to make the rest of the team uncomfortable in their presence. Of course, neither of them fooled themselves by thinking that the crew was unaware of their relationship. In these times, a slight touch or a simple look was enough to communicate their feelings for one another.

"What do we anticipate on the surface?" he asked.

"Automated distress beacon. EDI suspects batarian slavers." She kicked at the crate underneath her.

"Hmm." Thane replied, seemingly lost in thought.

She turned abruptly to him, confessing her feelings, "I know I've told you about my past with these low-lifes. What happened on Mindoir. I've had to deal with batarian slavers since, in my service with the Alliance. They seem to enjoy attacking human colonies. I really do try not to be racist, but I can't help but feel that good experiences with batarians are few and far between. And slavers - Hell, I hate them with a passion."

She paused composing her thoughts, "I know you've got just as many reasons to feel the same. On the elevator ride down here, I realized that-- it might trigger memories for you. Unpleasant ones. I don't want to force that on you. If you don't want to go on this mission, I'll understand. Completely."

He met her gaze, "Siha, I have lived with the events of the past for many years. As have you. I have painful memories, yes, but... I have control over them. It will not impair my abilities. Rather, it will sharpen them. I have a great deal of experience killing batarians, and I have no sympathy for slavers." He put his hand on hers, "I would not want you to face your demons alone. Its better that we do this together."

She smiled, "Alright." Looking down at her gun, she remarked, "I wish there was more information about what we'll find on the surface. I don't like going in blind. I guess we'll just have to play it by ear." She shrugged, bumping him slightly with her shoulder.

"What's your plan?"

"Insert at the landing zone, outside the perimeter of the settlement. Work our way through, looking for anyone who knows what's going on. Then head for the beacon. Its located within the mining facility itself. Hopefully, it'll be a quick in-and-out." she shrugged.

Garrus arrived, and the three of them quickly boarded the Kodiak for the drop to the planet's surface.

The team departed the shuttle, examining their surroundings. The surface of Tyr was unwelcoming - rocky and windy, still devoid of most plant life. Though the atmosphere was breathable, as EDI had said, it was quite cold and the air felt sharp in their lungs. Along the horizon, rock formations jutted into the sky, and everywhere the ground itself was cracked, forcing them to diligently watch their steps. Finally, after traversing to the settlement itself, they reached smoothed roads and walkways and their movements became easier.

"Well, this planet sure is homey. Might just have to spend my next shore leave here," Garrus quipped.

Thane shook his head, "You are assuming that the galaxy will ever allow us a vacation."

Shepard turned to them, grinning, "Oh, you guys know you live for the excitement."

"Mm-hm." Garrus grunted unenthusiastically, "I never seem to get my fill of being shot at."

They walked amongst the prefabricated, container-like houses and buildings of the settlement. Several human bodies lay charred by gunfire in the street. Garrus and Thane lifted their rifles, scanning their surroundings for any sign of hostiles. Shepard examined several buildings, but she found no one alive. They moved methodically through the small colony, not wanting to be ambushed.

Thane made a discovery behind crates along the roadway, "Batarian. Well-equipped, too. It seems EDI was correct."

"Great," Shepard replied, "I really had hoped it wouldn't come to this." Her expression hardened.

"Scum of the galaxy," Garrus added. "This could get messy."

"You can say that again. Remember last time?" She turned to Thane, "There is a high probability that they'll be prepared to use their captives as hostages. We may need to approach this one more delicately than with the usual mercs." He nodded.

They arrived at the entrance to the mine complex after finding several more bodies, killed with deadly precision. Suddenly Shepard's radio burst to life, "Commander? Another ship just arrived in orbit - Alliance. Stealth systems are engaged, and I'm keeping out of sight, you know, if they happen to look out a window. You want to leave this to them? We could extract you and leave them none-the-wiser."

She considered it for a moment, but shook her head. "Nah, we're already at the facility. Besides, the last thing we need is for them to blame whatever happened here on us somehow, since we're 'working for Cerberus.'" She rolled her eyes. "We'll take care of it. We'll probably still extract before they arrive, anyway. Keep me updated, though."

"Yes, ma'am." The channel cut off.

Garrus had already walked to the entryway to the mine, scoping out the path ahead. It was large enough for vehicles to drive through - probably for moving equipment and mined resources.

Shepard stood, staring off at the rugged horizon, as if waiting for an Alliance ship to swoop in. Her last interaction with the Alliance hadn't been exactly friendly. Admiral Hackett had given her an earful for her cooperation with Cerberus. He'd read Commander Alenko's report from Horizon, and had belittled her fiercely over the comm channel. Normally she would have just cut the channel when someone gave her shit like that. But that day was different. Her stifled inner hatred for Cerberus, the confrontation with Kaidan, as well as her immense disappointment from not having been able to save but a small portion of the colonists... it all added up to her hating herself right then. She absorbed his scorn through the comm, wanting it, feeling as though she deserved it. She knew stopping the Collectors was worth it, but she hated the universe for forcing her into this position. The position where she had to work with Cerberus, a group she hated with all her soul. The group that had been responsible for the deaths of her entire unit on Akuze, did horrible experiments on innocent human beings, and--

She felt something brush her back, startling her into alertness. Thane stood beside her, hand lightly rested on the small of her back. "Ready?" He asked. How he always seemed to know when something was bothering her, she couldn't understand. Chakwas had once drunkenly joked with her that she was the stabilizing force in all of their lives. He was Shepard's. He helped her keep her focus, a level head. Also, it couldn't be discounted that he made her feel alive, loved - more than she ever had in her entire life. After being brought back by Cerberus, most of her former allies treated her with distrust; some even scorned her, calling her a traitor. The way Thane made her feel wanted, justified - it was exactly what she needed. Of course, she was far too strong to ever admit it. But that was the perfect thing about him - she never had to ask him for anything.

She shook her head, annoyed at herself, "Yeah, let's move." They caught up to Garrus, who was just then turning to look for them.

"What's your assessment?" She asked. The turian's tactical expertise was immensely useful on missions such as this one, when they were heading into an unknown. Though Shepard was the commander - and no one would ever doubt her authority - she never hesitated to allow Garrus to recommend a course of action. This was where he shined, and she trusted him with her life. He had studied the schematics of the underground facility in depth on the flight down, he would have already formulated a plan.

"There are only two entrances to this facility - this," he gestured to the entryway they were standing before, "...and one on the north side. The far one is smaller, and the path to the central chamber is longer and less direct. There's no real way to tell where we'll run into resistance. I sighted at least 5 batarians along this passage up further on. There's plenty of cover, it'd be an easy assault. The schematics show both passages leading directly to a large open, central area, presumably our goal. I say we just make our way in. Doesn't look too challenging. What do you think?"

"Sounds good, Garrus. Come on." She headed into the facility, flanked on either side by the snipers.

After advancing down the passage for a couple minutes unopposed, they soon met with a squad of a half dozen batarians. Shepard charged forward into cover and threw a wide singularity into the midst of several. Thane ignited it with a well-placed warp, sending the enemies flailing through the air. The two snipers methodically dropped enemies, as Shepard used pull to rip the most hidden batarians from cover and then tore into them brutally with her assault rifle. After seeing all the innocent colonists slaughtered on the surface, she had no problem murdering these bastards. They made quick work of the squad, and then advanced down the passage toward the main facility.

"She- .... -ding a sh- .... -ace, wh- .... -o?" a transmission came in from the Normandy.

"Damn it, the signal's being distorted by the mine. Say again Joker?" Shepard replied.

"All- ... down to th- .... what ar- ... -ers?"

"Shit." Shepard said angrily. "Hopefully its not very important. Let's just finish this."

They moved further down the passageway straight to a large central chamber littered with crates and large rocks. The three of them crept in, hiding behind the nearest cover. Shepard peered around to see a group of fifteen or so batarians, all heavily armed. She dodged back behind cover, giving Thane and Garrus her palm, signaling for them to hold position. She scanned around the large room. There was good cover along the west wall, leading to a small container-building in the northwest corner. It was guarded by two batarians. She could see humans through the window. "Hostages. This is what I was afraid would happen." She motioned for the others to have a look. They peeked out, and then popped back into cover, nodding to signal they'd seen it.

The main group of batarians was clumped by some mining equipment in the southeast corner, just east of the team's position along the southern wall. One was using a console. "Filthy Systems Alliance is here. I guess we won't be getting out as soon as we'd hoped. Looks like they've sent a shuttle with troops to the north entrance. Everyone, prepare to kill off those two-eyed vermin." He gestured toward the northeast corner of the chamber where another door was located. The batarians pulled out their weapons and ran to that side of the room and took defensive positions.

"So, Joker was trying to tell us that the Alliance ship is sending someone to respond to the signal. Well, that may prove useful." She murmured. She peered back out of cover to study the situation more. Suddenly, the batarian commander turned in her direction, and she saw his face before dodging back into cover. She knew that face. She loathed that face.

It was Balak!