First of all, I would like to take this time to thank everyone who had a hand in making the Mass Effect games, and to everyone who posts walkthroughs, how-to's, articles, and ect. Next, I want to thank everyone for their patience and feedback; especially the anonymous reader whose review left me both speechless and humbled. To you I say: You win all the things and I hope you stick around for the rest of the story. -I still have a few tricks up my sleeve that might keep things interesting. Unless, you know, you figured those out too.

So in this chapter we run around the ship… and that's… about it actually. *shrugs* I can't pack action where there isn't any.

On the plus side, Emily talks to Liara and John interacts with Ashley after he gets a shot. So that'll be fun.

"If you can make a girl laugh, you can make her do anything." ― Marilyn Monroe

John sniffed indignantly as the good Doctor wrote down his vitals before he ran a finger along his hairline scar and then gave his ear a much needed scratch.

"You're looking good Commander, though your shots need updating," she informed him while heading to the drawer with the needed supplies.

"I hate shots," he muttered quietly, bringing a grin to the Doctor's face. She pulled out two syringes and began selecting the necessary medication to put in them while the blue eyed Spectre watched from his position on the cot.

"Hey Doc," he asked mildly as she began filling the first one.

"Yes John?"

"What made you serve on Alliance ships in the first place?" he asked, more to distract himself from the needle than out of genuine interest.

Indulgently, the graying woman replied, "I wanted to travel the Traverse, see the stars, mend the wounds of soldiers with piercing eyes and tender souls…" she began as she approached him with the needle.

Noticing her cocky smile the Spectre sighed and stood up before turning around, surrendering his posterior for the inevitable injection.

The woman continued her explanation without pausing as she injected the syringe's contents, "I enlisted right out of med-school. Earth always seemed to boring to me, too safe. Granted," she chuckled, "I didn't grow up there as you did. –I figured the colonies were teeming with life and exotic adventure."

"So how'd that work out for you?" the Spectre replied as the needle was withdrawn.

"Turns out military life isn't quite as romantic as I'd thought," she replied, chucking the used syringe into the recycling canister as she grabbed the next one, "But humanity needs the Alliance if it wants to expand further into the Traverse and the Alliance will always need good doctors. So I guess I stayed to do my part for humanity," she finished before she tugged the man around and took hold of his left arm. The Spectre grit his teeth and inhaled sharply.

"Thank god you're not as stubborn about this as Alanko," she mumbled quietly, probing the Commander for a visible artery.

The name triggered his curiosity and he waited for the syringe to be imbedded before asking, "How well do'you know the Lieutenant Doc?"

"Alanko?" she asked, popping the needle out of his flesh and turning, "Well, I've never worked with him before the mission on Eden," she admitted as she chucked the second syringe into the canister, "But he has an impressive service record and over a dozen special commendations. He tends to keep to himself though, maybe because of his headaches…" she added absently, mentally reviewing his file as she continued with her work.

"Headaches? Like Emily's from the beacon?"

"No," she replied, shaking her head, "He's an L2."

"Weren't the L2 implants littered with complications? Mental disabilities, memory loss, insanity? That sort of thing?"

"Unfortunately yes, but Kaidan's lucky, he only gets migraines. He's taking the proper medications for them however, so that shouldn't affect his skills on the field Commander."

John sighed, rubbing his temples as the onset of exhaustion began worming its way into his awareness. He began putting his suit back on as the good Doctor began jotting down her final notes.

"I don't suppose you've come up with anything for Emily yet?"

"No," she replied grimly, shaking her head, "I'm afraid I haven't. I need a few hours more before I can pull of any miracles. In the meantime John, just try to keep her as stable as possible. I've a few tricks up my sleeve yet," she offered, her smile returning, "At your leave Commander."

He nodded respectfully and finished dressing, making a mental note to polish his armor at some point as the scratches on it were starting to bug him. He exited the clinic and opted to rejoin his sister and relay what he had learned and then see what their next move was going to be. He nodded to the few crewmen who called out as he passed but his mind was too focused on Saren to leave room for petty small talk.

When the door to the Captain's quarters slid open for him, he stepped inside wordlessly before plopping himself at the small table between the bed and the desk, swinging a boot to rest on his knee to signal his frustration.

"Sooo, how's your bum?"

"Peachy," he snapped, causing Emily to grin, "fucking shots," he muttered under his breath, casting the redhead a glance. She was propped up on her elbows, legs crisscrossed and swaying leisurely in the air behind her with a lopsided grin plastered to her face, mocking his pain.

"Don't be such a baby John," the redhead teased, "It'll make me look bad."

"Oh yeah," he retorted, giving her a look, "This coming from the girl who's terrified of birds."

"They're evil," she protested with a shudder, "pure evil."

"Birds," he replied dryly, crossing his arms and arching an eyebrow, "They're just rats only with wings."

"They're evil. From above."

"Whatever," he replied, not really being in the mood to argue, "Anyway the Good Doctor says I'm good as gold. She's still stumped about you though," he added, sighing.

Emily sighed and sat up, her suit catching the sheets and tugging them into disarray while John sat straighter in his seat, signaling the shifting the mood from jovial teasing to serious discussion.

"We need a plan."

The blue eyed man rubbed his chin as he nodded, the stubble scratching against his armor slightly as he thought.

"I mean we can't just hop from planet to planet hoping to stumble across Saren…"

"No, but maybe we don't need to," he ventured, his eyes icing over in cunning glee.

"What you got then? I'm all ears," she replied, crossing her arms and bobbing her head.

"We can track the chick he's working with. The asari. I mean, we got her daughter on board don't we? The Captain said it was worth a shot anyway."

"Johnny," she sighed, "Ms. T'Soni hasn't spoken to Benezia in years. You heard her. How's she going to help us track some she hasn't spoken with in forever?"

"She'd know where her mother would've been likely to go. That's a start."

"Or" she drawled, "we could just ask around for the matriarch… I doubt there are too many of them running around and she sounded pretty well known and people love to gossip…" she thought aloud, allowing her words to trail off as she continued thinking.

"But we should defiantly start with her kid, seems how she's here and all," John replied before standing up, "I'll see what she knows an-"

"-No, I got it," the redhead interjected, jumping off the bed, "I'll talk to the asari and you can tell the Captain how things are going or something."

"You just want to get out of the paperwork again," he teased, already heading over to the terminal.

"I just don't want you giving the poor girl nightmares," she retorted happily as she bounced over to the door, "And I'll tell you whatever I find after I find it."

"Yeah whatever," John grunted in response, already drafting up the basis for his briefing. His fingers flitted over the holographic keys, his gloves making a series of satisfying clacks against the desk as he did so.

Emily snorted and headed out of the Quarter's, already so preoccupied with thoughts about the Protheans, Saren, and Doctor T'Soni, that she didn't notice the door sliding shut behind her or her brother's single digit salute. She glanced around the deck and spotted Kaidan by the Galaxy Map; thinking that he would likely know where the resident asari was residing, she trotted over with a commanding gait and a friendly smile.

Catching notice of her the Lieutenant quickly straightened and offered a stiff salute to which the Spectre affirmed with a nod.

"At ease Lieutenant," she ordered, the man slouching slightly in response as he dropped his hand.

"What can I do for you Commander?" he asked eagerly.

"You wouldn't happen to know where Dr. T'Soni is would you?"

"Actually Ma'am I haven't seen her since she left the canteen. Maybe one of the others knows though," he offered apologetically as the color drained from his face and his shoulders slumped slightly.

Emily bit back a sigh and nodded, "Thank you Alanko, carry on."

"Actually Ma'am," he ventured, ignoring the dismissal completely and forcing the Commander to turn back around.

"Something you need Lieutenant?"

"Off the record, I think something's wrong here Ma'am," he replied skeptically, "This Saren is looking for records of some kind of galactic extinction and the Council won't give us back up? Sorry Commander," he continued flippantly, "but there's writing on the wall here and someone isn't reading it."

The Spectre was momentarily taken aback by the unexpected outburst, but as her weight tilted back onto her toes her composure did a double take and her eyes went cold.

"We got our orders," she stated firmly, fists clenching, "Bellyaching won't change them Lieutenant," she warned, drawing the soldier's rank as a warning.

"I hear ya," he replied gently, shaking his head slightly, "I… It just seems that a group whose been around as long as the Council should've seen this coming. It's funny," he continued wistfully, sighing, "We finally get out here, and the final frontier was already settled. –And the residents don't even seem impressed by the view! Or the dangers," he added.

The redhead sighed, suddenly feeling wary and she silently blamed the fellow biotic. She mentally scribbled 'buzz-kill' next to his name and grinned lopsidedly.

"If this is the way you keep in the CIC, your letters home must be the stuff of ballads," she teased, causing the man's cheeks to flush slightly.

"Sorry Ma'am."

"Just try not to spread any dissention among the ranks m'kay? It's bad for morale," she chided before turning away to continue her quest.

In the Captain's quarters John sighed, he was at a bit of a loss as to what he was supposed to be saying to the man. He had already filed the mission reports the night prior and no doubt the Captain had been among the first to read them. With that in mind, the blue eyed Commander gave a general scope of how things were going on a personal level, his thoughts on the crew and the mission as well as his concerns about his sister. After half an hour so of this he logged out and stretched the tenseness from his muscles and winced as the places where he had received his shots protested furiously.

He tossed a look around the room and seeing it devoid of any redheads, he decided to grab a bite at the canteen as his stomach protested his lack of dinner. Before he had a chance to procure a tray, he spotted the Gunnery sitting solo at one of the secluded tables looking a little worse for wear. After a moment's thought, he plopped into the seat beside her, startling her out of her reverie.

"C-commander," she said, slightly aghast as she straightened her posture and tucked a wayward lock of brown behind her ear.

"Somethin' eating you Chief?" he asked innocently, more curious than interested.

The Gunnery shook her head slightly and sighed before propping herself on her elbows, she swallowed a breath and replied, "I know things are different on the Normandy but… uh, I'm a little concerned about the aliens," she uttered quickly, unsure how the blue coated Spectre would take her words.

"Which ones?"

"Vakarian and Wrex," she answered unabashedly, "With all due respect Commander, should they really have full access to the ship?"

"They don't serve the alliance but they do serve with us. They're allies Chief. At least as far as Saren goes anyway."

"This is the most advanced ship in the Alliance Navy," Ashley replied with a shake of her head as she sat straighter, taken aback, "I don't think we should give them free reign to poke around the vital systems –engines, systems, weapons… Not to mention all the things that the Quarian could get up to…"

"Tali," he corrected absently, scratching his stubble; "Feel free to keep an eye on them if it makes you sleep better at night," he offered, still only slightly more invested in the conversation, "But they are part of our team Chief. That means treating them like it. For now anyways," he added absently as his stomach reminded him of his purpose for being there in the first place.

"I'm going to grab some slop, you want any?"

"Thanks Cap'n but I think I'll pass. My stomach has enough knots as it is," she replied, getting up.

John nodded and advanced to the counter while the Gunnery made her way back to the cargo hold; nothing was going to happen to the ship if she could say anything about it and until she drew her final breath, she'd be saying a lot.

By this time, Emily had tracked the asari's location to the clinic and she was successfully navigating her way out from under Dr. Chakwas' scrutiny and to the clinic's storage room where the scientist was allegedly holding out. The violet eyed Spectre paused before the door and found herself running a hand through her unruly hair, giving the wily strands some semblance of dignity. She grinned at her own antics and gave the door a gentle nudge, letting the sensors do the rest of the work. The redhead entered quietly and found the asari hunched over at the lonely terminal on the farside of the room.

When her boot clicked against the tile floor the young asari woman jerked and turned her head, her eyes widened when she realized that it wasn't the good Doctor standing behind her but one of the Commanders.

Emily couldn't help but smirk at the asari's momentary surprise and absently clasped her hands behind her back as the scientist stood to face her properly.

"Ms. Commander, are you coming to check up on me?" she asked quietly.

The corners of the redhead's lips fell as she noted inflammation around the woman's eyes; she has obviously been upset over something, she thought in surprise, and the asari's lips were pursed; she doubted the woman would wish to speak of whatever was bothering her. She also noted that the woman seemed far more pigmented than when they first had met, her skin almost flush with color and littered with various almost iridescent hues of blue. She must have been close to the borderline if this is her proper coloration…

Pushing her mission away momentarily, Emily cordially replied, "You're looking better Ms. T'Soni," she offered, crossing her arms, "You feeling okay?"

"Doctor Chakwas assured me when I came back that I am going to be fine, and I must say that I am impressed by her knowledge of asari physiology," she admitted, her words inflected with surprise.

Emily flashed her a smile and replied somewhere between assurance and agreement, "We're all in good hands, the good Doctor knows what she's doing."

Liara smiled softly and the redhead found herself glued to the young woman's eyes that were such a light crystal blue color that they almost seemed like frosted glass or moonlit lakes. Emily refocused her attention however when the archeologist began to speak once again.

"I never thanked you properly for saving me from the geth Ms. Commander –you and your brother, I mean," she corrected hurriedly, her face tingeing with light purple, "If you hadn't shown up…" she trailed as her coloration drained once more; she bit her lower lip unconsciously as the grim thoughts of what could have been began settling in.

"Just try not to think about that," the Commander replied, "–And you don't really need to thank us, though it's nice of you. I'm just glad we got there in time."

"So am I," Liara replied honestly. Her face began to fall and the Spectre became concerned once more.

"Liara," she offered gently, "is there something wrong?"

The asari bit her lip again; she was terrified of making the black suited woman angry, as the Commanders and the Doctor were the only ones who had shown kindness to her and she was reluctant to say or do anything that might jeopardize that now that the geth had gone after her. Without the Normandy where would she go? Where would she hide? -If she could hide… Saren had already tried once, who was to stop him from doing it again?

Seeing the unease in the young woman's eyes the redhead placed a gentle hand on the asari's shoulder, "You can tell me," she prodded further, "That's what Commanders are for."

Still unsure, but seeing conviction in the Specter's eyes, she nodded and began hesitantly, "Your concern is appreciated Ms. Commander but it is unnecessary. –I know how much of a risk you –and your brother," she added hastily, " have taken bringing me aboard your ship and that is more than enough," she explained, nodding slightly as her eyes looked everywhere but at the commander.

Confused, Emily asked as her hand dropped, "What do you mean?"

"I have seen the way the crew looks at me. They do not trust me," she replied sadly.

"Ahh, that's why you left the canteen earlier isn't it?" the redhead asked, finally understanding.

Liara nodded, giving the Spectre a better view of the workings of an asari crest before replying, "I admit that I am unused to people in general, so I tried to simply ignore the stares and the murmurs as I have tried in past, but when it became too much I returned to the clinic… Doctor Chakwas and I talked a bit and I told her more of the Prothean security device I was trapped in and then she said this room was more than available if I wished… I, I do hope that is alright Commander? That I may stay here?"

The Spectre nodded, "Perfectly. It's not like it was really getting used before," she replied, "And I'll have a word with the crew, they should know better."

"Thank you Commander but that is unnes-"

"Defiantly necessary," Emily tsked, her grin returning, "And I'm sure the crew will trust you in time. I mean, they haven't shot Garrus yet," she teased, "And as long as you don't start praising Saren I seriously doubt they'll shoot you either."

Missing the humor, panic momentarily flashed through the young woman's eyes as her breath hitched, "But I am nothing like Benezia, I will not become anything like her," she insisted, the outburst taking Emily aback, "I will do whatever it takes to help you stop Saren," she swore, blind fury and sincerity lacing every word, "I promise."

Emily grabbed the young woman's shoulders, allowing the asari a moment to recollect her composure before she replied soothingly, "Don't worry Liara, I know you will," she withdrew her hands and continued, "I know you won't let us down, and I trust you. That's pretty much all you need."

The asari smiled, her happiness stretching so far that it lit up her eyes and danced across her pearly teeth, causing Emily to respond in kind. After a moment or so the purple tinge crept back into the scientist's face and she dipped her head again before saying, "It means a lot to hear you say that Ms. Commander. Thank you."

The redhead chuckled slightly, "Just Commander will do. Or Shepard. If you want."

"Shepard," she replied, rolling the name off of her tongue, "Yes… and you may call me Liara if you wish, unless humans have certain traditions regarding given names?"

"Not usually no, first names are fine unless you're part of the military. Then… well, your last name becomes you. Or is it the other way around?" the Spectre asked herself absently as she scratched the back of her head, "I can never remember… "

The asari giggled softly which brought Emily's attention back to focus, another smile flittered across her lips and the red Commander found herself curious about the scientist.

"Tell me about yourself Liara," the redhead asked, crossing her arms casually as she rested her weight on one side.

"Me?" the asari asked surprised; she blinked a few times, the light dancing across her crest as her glance shifted around the floor before settling somewhere only she could see.

"I'm afraid I'm not very interesting Commander," she insisted quietly, aware that archeology didn't compare to military life, "I spend most of my time on remote digs, unearthing mundane items buried long ago in long-forgotten Prothean ruins."

Emily had never really thought about the archeological field, knowing only gang and Alliance military life herself, but the asari's words reminded her of the bubble in the ruins where they had met and the redhead felt a shiver settle along her spine as she thought about it. She pushed the thought back as she replied without realizing, "Sounds dangerous… and lonely" she added, thinking of the girl being trapped for so long.

"Well sometimes I would run afoul of indigenous life-forms or stumble across a small band of mercenaries or privateers," she admitted, her movements fluctuating with her words, "I was always careful however. Until the geth followed me to Artemis Tau I had never found myself in any situation that my biotics could not handle," she proclaimed without boast," And as for the solitude, well, I think that is what most appealed to me."

"You don't like people?" Emily asked surprised.

"Sometimes, I need to just get away from others, and I suppose it comes from being a Matriarch's daughter. People expected me to follow in Benezia's footsteps, they wanted me to be a leader of our people… Matriarchs guide their followers into the future and seek truth in what is yet to come. I think that is why I became so interested in the secrets of the past," she paused, her eyes widening before she glanced down again, "It sounds so foolish when I say it aloud," she admitted before returning her gaze to the Specter's, "It sounds as if I became an archeologist simply to spite my mother."

Emily chuckled, another grin splashing across her face, "Every kid likes to rebel against their parents. –Or the law if none are available, though I don't recommend much of that," she joked.

Liara giggled, the last of her worry draining away before she replied, "You share the wisdom of a matriarch Commander, that is exactly what Benezia said when I told her my desired pursuit of study, though I admit, she did not include any mention of lawbreaking. – Perhaps she was always an upstanding representative of the law and neglected to comment of it."

"Shame, lawbreaking is usually pretty fun," Emily replied calmly before chuckling; "But c'mon, there must have been something that drew you to playing in the dirt all day."

"I love my work," she replied happily, "Seeking out history's lost secrets has a special appeal for me," she continued, her voice rising in her excitement, "You were actually touched by working Prothean technology!" she exclaimed, "That is why you fascinate me Commander," she continued, clearly in awe.

"Sounds like you want to dissect me in a lab somewhere," Emily mused, her eyes glossed in mirth.

"What?" the asari asked, taken aback; she began to back-peddle and the redhead resisted the urge to giggle as the asari faltered further, "No! I did not mean to insinuate-" she tried before stopping, "Ah, I never meant to offend you Shepard," she began again, her eyes filled with determination, embarrassment, and frustration; "I only meant that you would be an interesting specimen for in-depth study. No! No that's even worse…" she helplessly fretted.

Emily gave in to the urge to laugh, and did so until the asari went from embarrassment to mild irritation; when the redhead was able to breathe again she sniffed and wiped a few tears from her eyes before replying, "Relax Liara, I was only joking. I'm sorry."

"Joking?" she asked surprised, "Oh! By the goddess, how could I be so dense?" she groaned; she pulled her lips into a pout and sighed, "You must think I am a complete and utter fool."

"Nah, Johnny's a fool when he trips over himself, you're just adorable."

Uncertain as to how she was to take the statement Liara merely nodded before sighing; "Now you know why I prefer to spend my time in the field with data disks and computers. –I always seem to say something embarrassing around other people."

"You didn't seem to do all that bad to me," Emily chuckled.

"All the same, please," the scientist begged dryly as she rubbed the bottom of her crest, "Let us pretend that this conversation never happened."

"As you wish," Emily replied, shrugging. She nodded at the girl and gave her a final grin before while jerking her thumb at the door.

"I should go."

"Uh, yes, of course Commander, I'm sorry for keeping you from your duties."

The redhead chuckled as she headed to the door, "It's fine Ms. T'Soni, I've always got time for the crew," she retorted before slipping back into the clinic.

Emily tossed the graying woman a good natured nod and found herself rubbing the back of her neck when the Doctor gave her a knowing glance and a cheeky grin. The redhead chuckled quietly and made her way to the canteen, where she was fairly certain her brother would be stuffing his face, which as she thought about it, didn't really seem like a bad idea.

She passed by the Gunnery, who gave her a firm salute but neglected conversation, and was almost to the tray line when the intercom clicked on, startling the crew and forcing the blue eyed Spectre into a frown.

"Sorry to spoil your lunches, but we've got a message coming in Commanders."

"Patch it through Joker," John ordered as he dropped his fork.

"Unless it's the Council, then we're not home," Emily quipped as she filched an apple from the basket and made her way over to her brother.

He nudged her with his elbow as the intercom momentarily fizzled before crackling into a female's voice.

"Commanders, my name is Nassana Dantius and I have a job for the both of you. I can't say any more in an unsecured communication. If you're interested in hearing my offer, meet me on the Citadel so we can talk in person. I'll be waiting in the diplomat's lounge on the presidium."

With that, the message cut off abruptly and the Spectre's glanced at each other.

"Bet she's a bitch with a fancy-ass laptop," the redhead offered.

"Nah, probably an asari who can't do her own dirty work," John retorted, crossing his arms.

"So you wanna check it out? We hav'ta get back to the Citadel anyway."

"She didn't have anything on Benezia I take it?"

Emily shook her head, "She was too busy hiding from the crew poor girl. Apparently we really need to work on trust 'round here."

"You didn't even ask her did you?" john sighed as he rubbed his temples.

"Mox nix," Emily tsked, "Tis irrelevant. The Citadel has the answers we seek so to the Citadel we shall go."

"Fine. It's a plan at least. Ms. Dantius better be packing major credits though, we're not gunmolls anymore…"

"Joker, set course to the Citadel, I want to get there yesterday," Emily ordered with a grin.

"Impossible physics aside Commander, setting course. ETA should be in a couple of hours. Bring me back a toy this time."

So next chapter we go *back* to the Citadel and then run off on a sidequest. Fun.

Wanna know something funny? I accidentally did her quest without talking to her first so by the time i got back to the citadel missions later she was like "oh.. i was totally going to blackmail you to do this.. um... here, have a reward :) " and I was like "... yeah ok. *takes money*"

Now, things to be addressed in no particular order:

why is there so much goddamn Emily everywhere?

-I'm trying to work more with John. This is going to be the death of me. He's so much harder to write... DX

Why hasn't John flirted with anyone yet?

-Well he's not really that type of guy. he hates talking. makes romanticness hard to pull off unless it's at least like the fourth actual conversation he's had with them. I'm working on it though. promise.

whose going to die on virmire?

-WE'LL GET THERE WHEN WE GET THERE. :)

I do not own anything even remotely related to mass effect or bioware except for maybe some fanart and a few stories about it so really now, you'd just be wasting your time to sue me.