Book 2, Chapter 6 - Tank Born

It's always a nice thing to be woken by a blowjob in the morning, though once I was with it enough, I had Kelly spin around so I could at least return the favour. Pussy, breakfast of champions. After we'd both enjoyed an orgasm, we couldn't just leave it there, and a good, hard fuck followed, Kelly holding on for dear life, legs wrapped around me, fingers digging into my back, as she cried for me to fuck her harder still. I could only chuckle as I was really going at it, but she seemed to love every second.

Once we were done, I made her giggle as I picked her up, throwing her over my shoulder, making caveman grunts as I carried her to the shoulder. "Me Shepard. Take you to cave. Water hot."

I had her laughing even more as I made a real big deal about cleaning her down, though she turned the conversation around when suggesting she was rather dirty. That sort of talk would only lead to one thing usually, though we knew we had to get downstairs for breakfast. Our absences would be noted, and though I expected gossip eventually, the longer it could be avoided, the better.

Still, as we walked into the mess together, most eyes did turn towards us. Kelly's hair was still wet, and her cheeks were still bright red, and that wasn't just from the shower. I probably had a spring in my step. Always did after sex. Taking a seat opposite Garrus, Kasumi moving across so I could, Kelly sat down next to me and started to eat, without a care in the world. I think she would have enjoyed the fact she was fucking me when no-one else was on the ship.

Garrus finally bit the bullet. "So you and Kelly?"

"Me and Kelly what, Garrus?"

"You know… you're together…"

"We're not together, Garrus," Kelly replied, not lifting her eyes as she was focusing on her food, "We're just fucking. Perfectly natural thing for two people to do."

Garrus just looked back at me. All I could do was shrug. "She's right," I added.

"So that didn't take you long then?"

"I think he waited too long. I'd have fucked him the first day on the ship," Kelly said.

Garrus couldn't do anything except burst into laughter. Even Kasumi giggled next to me. "I'd heard rumours. I guess they were true," she said.

"Has Jack popped up?" I wondered, hopefully moving the conversation on.

"Haven't seen her since she disappeared yesterday," Garrus replied.

I looked down the row of tables towards Zaeed. "You seen any sign of her?"

"No, Shepard. I did pop my head into engineering, letting anyone in there that it was breakfast time. But I guess she's not up to joining us."

"Well, she doesn't like crowds. She might come up after we're all done."

"You won't go chasing her?" Garrus asked.

"No. Though I'd like us to eat as a team, I'm not going to force her to do anything that makes her uncomfortable. She'll join us when she's ready." I glanced around and noticed Miranda wasn't around. "What about Lawson?"

"She popped out to grab a tray. She did sit here, or at least near us for a few minutes, but when you didn't appear, she headed back into her quarters."

"Fair enough. I'm sitting down with her after this anyway."

"You are?" Garrus asked, definitely surprised.

I shrugged, replying, "Guess we should actually get to know each other as people. Detest the organisation, but I'm working with the people. The other night, I got to know many of them, at least on the surface. Can't say many of them were fanatics. I think Lawson is different but I might be surprised. I'm sure she has her own story."

I focused on finishing my breakfast, watching and waiting as the rest of the crew slowly disappeared upstairs to their stations. Kelly was one of the last to disappear, kissing my cheek once no-one was around, and I let her know I'd probably be at my terminal after my chat with Miranda. Grabbing a couple of mugs from a freshly brewed batch, I headed towards Miranda's office. Her eyes widened with surprise, but the smile that appeared was a surprise to me, though it would have been due to the coffee I was carrying for her. "Wasn't sure how you like it? I can grab some things."

"Little bit of sugar would be perfect, Commander." I headed back out, put a dash of milk in mine, grabbed some sugar, and headed back in. We focused on preparing our coffee before we both sat back, taking the first sip in silence. "I was out in the mess earlier…"

I shook my head. "It's fine. I was running late."

"Because of Kelly…" There was an edge to her tone I expected. I have no doubt every member of the crew had been warned about fraternising with me in such a way. As Kelly told me, it was all in my file, and Miranda had likely read it back to front numerous times. I simply met her eyes and waited for her to add something. "I'm not judging you, Shepard. Your file was rather detailed in regards to your… private life."

"Did it make you uncomfortable?"

She scoffed. "Of course not. You approach sex casually." She shrugged, adding, "That's what you want, I'm not going to judge you for it."

"Well, enough about me for now. We're in here because of you, Miss…"

"Miranda, Commander. Please… I feel so… awkward when you call me that, particularly in private. I think one way of becoming familiar with each other is to use friendlier terms."

"Okay… Miranda," another slight smile, and I think it was of relief that I easily acquiesced to her request, "We'll use familiar terms. I'm Shepard." I leaned forward, offering my hand. "Nice to meet you."

She laughed, the first time I'd ever heard her laugh. She grabbed my hand, no surprise it was rather soft and feminine, giving my hand a gentle squeeze before she drew back. "Nice to meet you too, Shepard."

I leaned back, taking another ship. "So, what's your story? You know everything about me, it seems, but I know absolutely nothing about you. I'm here this morning to rectify it. We will be working together for the next few months and being at loggerheads won't help anyone. We need to establish a working relationship. Basically, you need to think like me and vice versa."

"What would you like to know?"

"Well, you have an accent but that means nothing nowadays. Where were you born?"

"I wasn't born, Shepard. I was created." I definitely raised my eyebrows as the way she said it. "It's a long story, Shepard. Can we not go completely personal off the bat?"

"Tell me whatever you feel comfortable with, Miranda. As I said, we have plenty of time."

"What I can say is that I was raised by father, a domineering presence. I was pushed constantly to excel, and often failed to meet his ludicrously high demands. You suggested I am not good with people. I'll level with you, Shepard. I'm not. When I was growing up, I had very few friends. I was mostly schooled at home, private tutors and had very little free time, constantly pushed to do various things. Learn instruments. Play sports, generally individual rather than with a team. I was quizzed constantly and expected to pass with flying colours. It was extremely demanding of someone so young."

"Your mother?"

"I don't have one. Part of that story I don't exactly want to tell yet."

"Sure, sure. So life wasn't that great then?"

"No, it wasn't."

"So how did you end up with Cerberus?"

"Well, you can only push someone so far until they snap. Despite my solitude, I managed to keep in contact with one or two people who were willing to help me, knowing what I put up with at home. One evening, I put a few things in a backpack, got past the security, and tried to just disappear."

"Security? For you or for…?"

"Oh, mostly for him. He's rather important, or thinks he is anyway. I know he sent people after me, but despite the expectation, I know I'm smart but I needed protection. So that's when I approached Cerberus. My father had dealt with them before, that's how I found information about them. When father found out, he was furious, but the Illusive Man must have seen something in me, as he assured me I was protected, so my father severed his own links with Cerberus. I've been here ever since."

"That explains your loyalty."

"Partly. I strive to help humanity, Shepard. That is why I am here, not just on this ship, but part of the organisation. Humanity has made great strides in the past few hundred years. The galaxy is literally our oyster now. We can be still so much better, and there are many people, as smart if not smarter than me, working towards that aim as part of Cerberus."

I took a moment. This was the first time I'd heard real passion in her voice. She truly believed in what she was saying. Yes, there was loyalty but she also enjoyed her work. I don't think I was wrong about Cerberus itself, but she seemed to believe they were fighting for the greater good. But I thought I'd throw her a curve ball.

"What do you do for fun?"

Yep, the look of confusion on her face nearly made me laugh. "Fun?"

"Yeah, fun. When you're not working, what do you do for fun?"

"What do you do?"

I wagged a finger. "Nah-uh, we're not talking about me, Miranda. We're getting to know you. How do you blow off steam after a long day? Chill out watching a movie? Lie back reading a good book? Sit at a bar and pound beers or girly drinks?"

She sat back and had to give it some thought. "This is going to sound pathetic, Shepard, but I worked on you for two years and it was almost a twenty-four-seven job. If I wasn't busy at work, I was either eating or sleeping otherwise."

"Dating?"

She gave me a look and there was even a faint, sad smile. "I don't have to time, Shepard. My work is far too important for personal relationships."

"And this is what I'm talking about. One thing I learned through all my training is that you need to know when to relax. Take some time for yourself, recharge the old batteries, do something that will put a smile on your face, god forbid even laugh."

"I have fun, Shepard," she insisted.

"Okay, give me an example."

She gave it some thought again, looking away for a moment, before turning back to me with a grin. "Fashion."

"Fashion?"

"I keep up to date with fashion, Shepard. Considering I'm always in uniform, when I get the chance, I like to wear nice clothes but, more importantly, look good in them. Turn heads if necessary. So, fashion. It's an interest of mine. I'll read magazines. Even watch clips. And I'll browse during moments of quiet, wondering what I should buy next."

To be honest, I couldn't disagree. It was a hobby or an interest not related to her work. "Okay, you like fashion. Fair enough."

"Learned enough yet?"

I couldn't help chuckle. "Want me gone now, eh?"

"Well, I have finished my coffee and I do have a mountain of reports to do. However, I understand we are on our way to Korlus, correct?"

"Yep, should be there tomorrow, I believe."

"Well, if you want, we can do some training together before we get there. Our work was solid on Purgatory but there's always room for improvement. Right?"

"I'm always training, Miranda, so we'll get together… this afternoon. Sound good?"

"I look forward to it, Shepard."

Reaching forward to take her mug as well, I rose and wandered towards the door when I turned back. "Thanks, Miranda."

She immediately knew what it was for. "No problem, Shepard. Glad to have you back."

"You and me both. Hell of a job. No idea how you did it. Don't bother trying to explain, I won't understand."

"You'll prove you were worth every credit when we stop the Collectors, Shepard."

"Four million credits, right?" She nodded. "Hell of a price tag. Anyway, I'll see you downstairs after lunch."

Grabbing another mug, I poured some coffee and headed upstairs, delivering one to Kelly for once, who was very pleased to receive it. Standing close behind her, I leaned forward, resting my head just off her shoulder. "I must behave," I whispered.

"Though I don't want you to," she whispered back, "How was your chat?"

"Constructive. We're going to train together this afternoon."

"Hmmm. Methinks Shepard has wandering eyes already." I laughed at that comment. Not a chance of that happening and that's the very thought I expressed. "Are you saying you'd turn her down?"

"I'm not saying that at all," I retorted, as she turned around, sipping her drink, "I'm saying she'd never agree to it." She raised an eyebrow, as if not believing what I said. "What?"

"Does she intimidate you?"

"No. She was pissing me off. I think we're in a better spot now. I think we've cleared the air a little bit. I think Jack was right about the cheerleader bit but now I understand why she's almost a fanatic."

"You see, this was in your file, Shepard. You are hard on your crew when necessary but try to understand them at the same time."

"Lead by example." She was looking at me in a certain way so I thought I should probably end the conversation. Then I thought Bugger it and leaned forward to give her a soft kiss. "Better go to my own terminal," I said quietly.

"I'll join you for lunch later."

The messages never stopped flooding in, and I was under the impression word had reached those in the know in the Alliance. I had sent Anderson my new address to keep in contact, but he'd obviously sent that to certain people, as certain friends that I'd known for years were contacting me, asking where I'd been, asking if the rumours of Cerberus affiliation were true, while certain higher-ups were already asking whether I could assist with missions or could at least drop by to chat. I read, replied and deleted those I could, marking others that I would reply in private later.

I had a thought, wandering into Mordin's lab and asking if there was any way I could do some work privately, without the all-seeing eyes of EDI and Cerberus. He managed to firewall his own omni-tool, so I gave him mine and asked him to do what he could. He added he'd see to my terminal upstairs, but that I shouldn't do anything I deemed private on my terminal in the CIC as him tampering with it would likely lead to it being changed back without any of us knowing.

After heading down to the batteries, chatting with Garrus about what we could do to make the cannons even more effective, and shooting the shit about a varied bunch of topics as always, it was time for a quick lunch before I headed downstairs with Miranda for some training. She'd changed out of her usual outfit, now wearing some lycra leggings and a loose shirt. "I'm thinking intense training, Shepard, so we're going to pick up a real sweat."

So I took off my shirt without thinking about as she'd seen me naked anyway. I could stand there naked and I doubted that would provoke a reaction. We then got to work, Miranda methodical in her approach but I found it worked, going through each detail of how to warp, throw, pull, use a shockwave and then found some dummies and had me perform a series of charges, later with a shotgun as I feigned firing one, twice, three times as the dummies were positioned as how they might be facing in the middle of a fight.

It was gruelling work, and after a couple of hours, I was feeling the strain, more mentally than physically, and the floor was definitely slick with sweat. Miranda had been training as hard, her light grey shirt now rather dark and pressed to her body, highlighting her obvious curves. She walked over from the nearby bench, offering a bottle of water.

"You're a fucking natural, Shepard." I blinked in surprise at the curse. "We're down here alone. Don't think there are many devices down here."

"Know about those?"

"Of course I do. I might have wanted the control chip, but I certainly don't like being spied upon. But you get used to knowing they are there."

"I assume you were monitored constantly while fixing me then?"

She shrugged. "As I said, you get used to it. The Illusive Man believes he is protecting his investments. I can see his reasoning." She took a sip from her bottle. "I know what Mordin is up to with the others. I'll receive a message sooner rather than later about it."

"Send it to me then. I'll tell him where to shove his fucking devices."

She gave me a glance before there was a faint smile. "Can I be serious a moment?"

"Of course."

"I'm going to blunt. I don't suppose there's a chance of winning you over to our cause?"

"I find it highly unlikely, Miranda. Not after what I witnessed what your organisation was capable of two years ago. I'm sure the Illusive Man has given you excuses, but I don't want to hear them. Nothing can justify some of the atrocities we found. And I don't think the organisation had changed completely since that time. Bringing me back? A good thing. Stopping the Collectors? A good thing. But there is blood on his hands. Human blood. He wasn't experimenting on aliens, the things he claims to hate, he was experimenting on us. To me, that is unforgivable."

Miranda simply nodded and I assumed she didn't want to argue, since we were getting along. "Well, unless you want to carry on, I think that was a good session, Shepard. We should just keep working on the basics for now, but we can certainly try new things in the future."

"Sounds like a plan. I usually work out in the morning. We can do this a couple of days a week, in the afternoon. And don't go putting it in your diary. Let's just do it when the feeling takes us."

"I can do that, Shepard."

"Good. And thanks for your help. Feel like I'm getting on top of being biotic now. It's still weird though."

"You'll get used to it, Shepard."

Getting into the elevator, she got off on the mess level, needing to go shower, as I headed to my cabin, as I needed a shower myself. I definitely spent a few minutes as I have no doubt that, even with deodorant, I probably stank, so an extra deep scrub was probably required. After I'd finished, I grabbed a few datapads and sat in just my towel on the couch. The top one was in regards to the last recruit before I was either sent more possibilities or something happened with the Collectors.

I'd barely glanced at it, only taking down the fact we were heading to a planet called Korlus. Sitting back, I laughed away at the idea of a krogan doctor. From what Wrex told me, Tuchanka was a complete mess and they relied on outside assistance for pretty much everything except ways to kill either each other or other people. But if a krogan doctor was going to do anything, it would be in regards to one thing I remembered Wrex telling me all about.

"Joker, how long until we're in the vicinity of Korlus?"

"Tomorrow morning, Commander. You should have time for breakfast at least."

"Okay, thanks."

Grabbing another datapad, I checked the information we had on Korlus. Some datapads contained almost too much information regarding places we might be venturing. Korlus sounded like a giant shithole and incredibly dangerous. I didn't mind the second thing as long as I was armed, but oppressive heat, humidity and an environment toxic to nearly anything living wasn't the way I would want to spend my morning. But this krogan came recommended by the Illusive Man, and to be honest, he hadn't steered me wrong yet. I was still waiting for that first knife in the back…

I heard the doors open, glancing up to see Kelly wander in, coming to a stop when she saw me in just my towel. Her eyes definitely lit up as she immediately peeled off her top and unclasped her bra quickly before she kicked off her boots and lowered her trousers and panties, naked far quicker than even I thought possible. Grabbing the datapad, she threw that over onto the bed as she grabbed my knees and spread them slightly as she kneeled between them, opening the towel to reveal my growing erection.

She wasted no time at all taking my cock in her mouth, resting my head back on the couch and groaning. God, she was good at this. Her head was soon bobbing up and down slowly, looking up every so often as I caressed her face or ran fingers through her hair. I would even say she looked beautiful with a mouthful of cock. Pulling it out for a moment, she rested it against her cheek as she looked up at me. "Do you love it when I do this, Shepard?"

"God yes. You're fantastic."

"I want you to do something for me. When you're about to cum, let me know. I want you to give me a facial."

"Really?" I asked, feeling my eyebrows raise at such a request.

"As you said, god yes. It's so hot, Shepard. Like you're marking me as yours."

"You've got a deal."

So she resumed blowing me, her head bobbing up and down slowly, feeling her tongue do it's magic, eventually picking up the pace and I was soon moaning rather loudly, whispering her name in a fashion she would have known I was completely turned on. When I warned her I was close, she moved so I could eventually stand up, and she kept blowing me until I knew I was close, eventually sitting back on her knees, looking up at me as I stroked myself until the first shot hit her right in the middle of her face, quickly followed by at least five more. Her face was coated in cum, and she giggled to herself. "Wow," she said, "You do cum a lot, Shepard."

"Guess it's another thing to be thankful to Miranda for! Plus, the blowjob was hot."

"I love to please you, Shepard. I thought that would be obvious by now." She used a finger to clean some but I eventually led her to the bathroom, as she couldn't really open her eyes, turning on the shower and handing her some soap so she could clean her face. When she could finally open her eyes, she turned to me, an enormous smile on her face. "I've never done that for anyone before. I knew all about it, of course. Just had to do it."

"Consider me both honoured and impressed."

Leaning down to kiss her, my hands were soon wandering over her body, though she gently grabbed my wrist as she spread her legs slightly, eventually feeling the warmth between them. She kissed me hard as I slid a couple of fingers inside her. "Get me off just like this," she whispered.

"I like a challenge," I whispered back before kissing her, immediately positioning my hand so I could slide a couple of fingers into her while also fondling her clit. She was soon whimpering into my mouth, her fingers digging into my back as I was soon pumping into her.

"Oh god!" she cried, breaking the kiss, "Just like that, Shepard."

I simply grinned as I met her eyes, hers filled with every emotion and her feelings of the moment. I kissed her hard again before she had to break, breathing deeply before resting her head on my shoulder, crying out again before she gently bit my shoulder. "Fuck!" she cried.

"Going to cum for me?" I asked quietly.

"Keep going!" she shouted, "Don't stop… please…"

"Sounds like you're pleading, Kelly. Are you begging for me to make you cum?"

"Yes!" she cried out, "Please, Shepard. Make me cum."

I doubled down, glad I kept my fingernails tidy as I was now really pumping into, focusing on that special spot I knew she had and I'd found the very first time we'd fucked. Fondling her clit at the same time, she was now practically riding my hand at the same time, holding on tight, only her deep breathing and cursing heard over the running water.

"Oh god," she cried out before releasing a long moan, feeling her squeeze my fingers as she enjoyed one hell of an orgasm, the sort that left her legs like jelly and she needed me to hold her up. She relaxed against me as I removed my fingers, meeting her eyes as I sucked them clean, making her giggle before she closed her eyes. "Well, I'm ready for dinner now," she mumbled.

Turning off the shower, I grabbed a fresh towel, wrapping it around my waist, before wrapping her up in one and picking her up in my arms, which earned me a kiss on the cheek, as I led her back to the couch, sitting down as she lay sideways on my lap and leaned against my chest. "Were you doing anything important?" she asked.

"Just checking details for tomorrow. Last minute things."

"Hope I didn't distract you too much."

"Trust me, absolutely no complaints."

We relaxed like that until I heard her stomach rumble. I was hungry too but willing to wait until she was ready. It was amusing as she had to get up and slowly retrieve her clothes across my floor as I dressed in some jeans and a shirt. Taking her hand, we walked out to the elevator, and when we arrived at the mess, I continued to hold her hand until we were at the counter, ready to collect our trays. It was now obvious to everyone what was going on, so no-one said a word, sitting across from Garrus as always, Kelly sitting next to me.

"Plan for tomorrow, Shepard?"

"Considering Korlus is meant to be the murder capital of the Terminus Systems, everyone is coming. So that's you, Kasumi, Zaeed, Jack, Miranda and Jacob. I want all the firepower I have at my disposal."

"Sounds like fun," Kasumi stated.

"I would like to think I've been to worse places, but from the description," I trailed off with a shrug.

"No Mordin?" Garrus asked.

"I want him focused on dealing with the Collectors. Once that is done, I'll take him with us."

"Any idea of factions on the ground?" Zaeed wondered.

"Most of the major organisations have a presence. But the major presence is of krogan, which explains Doctor Okeer being on the planet. He can perform whatever experiments he is doing in secret."

"So we could be running into an army of krogan? Great," Garrus muttered.

"Hopefully we'll get a fix on Okeer and we can shuttle in somewhat close to wherever he is working. My only concern is that there are groundside planetary defences, so landing might be tricky."

After dinner, a few of us headed into the lounge for a drink, and I was pleased to see Miranda join us. She enjoyed one drink, surprised she chose to have a beer. She spent all her time next to Jacob, as it was obvious she knew him best, but she participated in the conversation and seemed to enjoy herself, and more importantly, take five minutes to relax. I met her eyes once and nodded my appreciation for taking my advice.

As we would be heading out on mission the next morning, I didn't want a late night, though that didn't mean Kelly was being relegated back to the crew quarters just yet, though as we were lying back in bed after undressing, I told her that the sleeping arrangement simply couldn't become permanent. She laughed, telling me she certainly understood that, though thanked me for being upfront about it.

I woke early the next morning, letting Kelly stay in bed as I dressed and headed downstairs for a workout. A run on the treadmill. A couple of miles on the rowing machine. Work the punching bag. Callisthenics. Everything to get me ready for the day ahead. Then it was a hearty breakfast for the energy required, slow burning so I wouldn't be exhausted after a couple of hours' graft, and adding more calories as I remembered I was now biotic. I smiled to myself, a vivid memory of the mounds of food that would appear on Alenko's plate. I was glad I could at least smile when I remembered him nowadays. Good man, taken far too soon.

Heading up to the armoury, a few others joined me as I assembled myself in armour. It was comfortable enough to stand around in until we dropped, and I gathered the weapons I would take, leaving those on the bench. Garrus was always in armour, grabbing his sniper and assault rifle. Kasumi didn't wear armour, only taking a shield pack, though she said though it looked like she wore regular clothes, they were of a mesh that acted like armour, though nowhere near as resilient as the type I wore.

Busying myself at my terminal, I waited until Joker announced we were within range, ordering those who I needed down to the hangar bay, ready to outload. After grabbing my weapons, I headed down alongside Jacob, Miranda, Kasumi and Garrus joining us on the next level, then finally Jack and Zaeed before we arrived at the hangar bay. Our shuttle pilot was already waiting for us, one of the crew who I'd spoken to during one of the nights in the lounge.

Once Joker let us know we were in orbit of Korlus, the shuttle took off towards the surface, switching on the vidscreens so we could see our destination. And it was the textbook definition of a shithole. The ruined frames of ships littered the landscape, rusting in the oppressive heat of the sun. We hadn't even stepped outside and I was already starting to sweat. EDI had managed to get a fix on Okeer's location, but there was nowhere suitable for us to land close. We would be landing at least a couple of kilometres back and would have to walk. No doubt our arrival would attract plenty of attention, hence the large team on the ground.

Feeling the shuttle touch down, I opened the door and led the way off, almost shielding my face from the heat and the strong wind, despite the fact I was wearing a helmet. The smell was probably the worst. It smelled like an enormous garbage dump. Those without a strong constitution probably wouldn't last long planetside. Once everyone was off, Garrus shut the door and gave it a slap, glancing to see it take off. The pilot would return for extraction, hopefully closer to Okeer's location.

We'd barely walked a few metres when loudspeakers suddenly turned on and we heard a message.

"There is only one measure of success: kill or be killed! Perfection is your goal."

"Definitely krogan here with a message like that," Zaeed muttered.

"Stay loose," I ordered, "We just want Okeer."

"And if they want to fight?"

"We kill them and move on. Okeer is the target. I don't care about anything else."

Taking point as always, I glanced to see the team spread out when they could, otherwise forming a line as we weaved our way through the wreckage of what must have once been enormous vessels. I had no doubt many of them were freighters, perhaps even dreadnoughts given the size. The loudspeaker echoed again.

"Being hired is merely the beginning. You must earn your place in the might army we are building."

"You think Okeer is building a krogan army?" Garrus wondered.

It was a question to ponder, though I doubted he'd have the intelligence for it. I remembered one smart krogan that we met on Virmire briefly, before we killed him. Wrex was intelligent, though in other ways. There were probably others like him. Thinking of Wrex left me wondering where he was. I simply hadn't looked for most of the old squad, figuring they should know I was alive by now, but as yet, few had reached out. I assumed the Cerberus rumours put them off.

When we ran into Blue Suns mercenaries, we wasted no time. I summoned my biotics and charged, slamming into one mercenary, blasting away the second with my shotgun. Gunfire opened up as that attracted the attention of more, the team spreading out into cover. I used my shotgun but started to use my biotics, a warp here, a pull there. I found the latter useful, as I could drag them close them blammo! Head gone with an accurate blast of the shotgun.

Zaeed definitely took pleasure in killing those in blue. I hadn't really talked to him much about it yet, but there was definitely history between him and the Blue Suns. After we'd laid waste to them, we noticed that a couple of them were communicating by radio link, so we patched in so we could listen to their conversations. We heard someone called Jedore, and all I needed to do was give Zaeed a questioning look to realise he knew the name.

As we moved on, the loudspeakers continued to speak about the krogan army being built, and how they would march across the galaxy, destroying all those who stood in their way. I'd heard and seen similar ranting from similar nutcases back on Earth. They rarely succeeded for long. We smashed another Blue Suns patrol, Jack stepping forward to show her biotic superiority, flinging Blue Suns around for fun, her shockwaves far stronger than anything I could produce. We took out three more before someone finally took notice.

"Tell Jedore we have a problem. Patrols are going dark. Either the krogan are pushing or we're being raided!"

Mercenaries aimed with rocket launcher will always give you a bad day, particularly when the bastards are using cover and they've got the high ground. I couldn't charge up there, so had to link up with the other biotics and use brainpower to get them to move. Meanwhile, Garrus had taken position behind us, no doubt waiting for the right moment. Finally, Miranda managed to get one to move out of cover, Garrus immediately firing, the top half of the mercenary's head blowing clear off. That forced the one next to him to jump out of the way, Jack immediately grabbing him in a pull, and at least three people riddled the body with bullets.

"Code six! I repeat, Code Six! Offworld presence! Shift fire from the krogan. Hostiles in the compound!"

No point fucking around now. I gave the order to push forward. We still used cover and fought smart, but it was obvious the Blue Suns were wilting, though they kept throwing bodies forward for us to shoot. More came forward with heavy weapons, but we got hold of them before they could ready their weapons, and I charged at another two, knocking one down, while the other was too close to do anything but wait for me to swing my weapon, blowing one of his arms clear off before I put the barrel to his neck and fired.

The firing lasted for quite some time before all went quiet. The loudspeakers didn't shut up but the radio was silent. Jedore was likely still alive, but if she knew we were listening, she wasn't talking. We kept walking, eyes always searching, always wary, listening intently, until we entered what could only be described as a killing field.

And in the middle of said killing field was one giant fucking krogan. I would never say a krogan looked harmless, even docile, but this one didn't seem willing to kill us yet. I gestured for weapons down as I carefully approached the krogan, he doing the same thing until we were only a couple of paces apart.

"You are different. You don't smell like this world. Seven night cycles, and I have felt only the need to kill. But you… something makes me speak."

"I guess Okeer must breed them full-size, ready to throw into battle immediately. Killing machines straight out of the tube," Miranda stated.

If this krogan was a test tube baby and only a week old, god knows how big he'd be later, unless he was simply bred to grow this quickly. It was beyond my realm of expertise.

"No. I kill because my blood and bone tell me. But I flushed from glass mother for a different reason."

"So what are you doing here then?"

"Surviving. That is what the voice in the water told me to do. But… Otherwise, I have failed. So I will continue to fight here until I find a worthy opponent."

"Why don't you come with us? You'll be guaranteed a fight. Perhaps a worthy opponent."

The krogan shook its head. "No. I will stay here and fight. But I can show you the way to glass mother. It is up further. Behind more of you fleshy things."

I followed him as the krogan lifted an enormous steel plate like it weighed nothing, revealing a hidden entrance, or exit depending on your point of view. He stood to the side as I let my team pass by first, looking back at him. He simply stood there, probably ready to replace the steel plate back. "Sure you don't want to come? Things ahead might try and kill you."

"I will wait here and fight until I am released. I am not perfect. The voice says I must wait. But I will wait and kill until proven worthy."

"Good luck."

I walked through the gap and heard the krogan place the steel plate back into position. Of course, we'd wiped out plenty of Blue Suns, and I'd warned of krogan presence, and that was who we ran into next. Tough bastards as well. Charging one krogan isn't a bad idea. Charging any more than one isn't a good idea, so I stayed back with the team, switching to my assault rifle, and we simply rained bullets upon them. Krogan can be bullet sponges at the best of times, so I always found aiming at their rather large faces a good tactic.

The chatter on the radio started up again as it appeared the Blue Suns were also being attacked by the same krogan. I was left wondering if it wasn't Okeer behind it all. If he was, then I was left feeling I'd underestimated this krogan. If he truly was creating an army, then he was one hell of a dangerous krogan.

We passed through scenes of carnage, as it was obvious the Blue Suns had been slaughtered by the krogan. We barely had a moment of respite as we were now weaving our way through the ruins of starships, and although that meant more cover, it meant less room to move. Whenever we ran into Blue Suns, I'd charge and use my shotgun, giving my team time and space. If we ran into krogan, I switched to my assault rifle.

"Krogan on our six! Copy, goddamn it! Where's Jedore and her personal guard?"

It seemed the krogan were as intent on wiping out the Blue Suns as much as we were, or at least as much as Zaeed was. I was left thinking if we were not around, he would have taken the ear of each one he killed. Or maybe their heads. He certainly fought with a ferocity I had seen momentarily on Omega whenever we faced mercenaries in blue.

I was left thinking we were approaching their rear, as over the radio, we could hear a furious gunfight that didn't abate. We heard one report that suggested Jedore was going to deal with Okeer, so that suggested we should probably move just a little faster. I wasn't going to come all this way, deal with all this shit, just for that fucking krogan to be executed. Then Jedore's voice over the loudspeaker with one explicit command. We had to be killed. Immediately. Whoever did would receive large cash bonuses.

Blue Suns mercenaries flooded in our direction. It was little more than a shooting gallery and I was charging left and right, blasting away, before charging again. Once I felt the strain, I charged back to safety and cooled down, instead linking up with Miranda, Jacob or Jack, not that she needed much help. She could pick up mercenaries at will and fling them wherever she wanted.

We were now at the top of the ship pile, and if we could take a moment to look, we would have been greeted by an absolute scene of desolation. It was little more than a ship graveyard. The very earth beneath it would have been polluted. The water certainly looked toxic. I felt sorry for anyone who did not willingly live on the planet or for those who couldn't escape. Anyone who chose to live there was off their rocker. No wonder the krogan thrived. I hadn't been to Tuchanka but I'd read about it.

The Blue Suns were dug in and waiting. Their last stand. No doubt Okeer was close. No orders were necessary as we fanned out and got to work. With their heavy weapons, I aimed for them when charging. I'd learned that, if I timed it right and hit them hard enough, the collision alone could kill them, but most of the time, it either put them on their arse or staggered them, and it required a following blast of a shotgun to ensure they were dead. I was surprised Jack didn't use the skill, so I'd have to ask her later. Miranda and Jacob had already admitted that it was a little too close counters for their liking.

No-one lived by the end. We might have been a much smaller team, but we were all professionals. We'd been trained to do this. I'd seen mercenaries. Most of them thought they were soldiers, but most were little more than weekend warriors. Zaeed knew Jedore, at least by sight, so he started to check the bodies, but he found no sign of her. I was hoping we would have killed her then and there, but I didn't worry about it too much. The important matter was Okeer.

Walking up another stairway, we walked through a doorway into a rudimentary lab. There were a few tanks and other equipment around, vague reminders of what I'd seen on Virmire, and also on the Normandy. Glancing around, I noticed a krogan in a lab coat watching a vidscreen. He turned to me as I asked, "You Doctor Okeer?"

"It's about time! The batteries on these tanks will not wait while you play with these idiotic mercenaries."

"Look, I think we've just saved your arse so a little gratitude would be appreciated. We are here to help you. Well, recruit you, to be honest."

"You may claim to be here to help, but the formerly deceased Shepard is not a sign of gentle change."

"You talking about Virmire?" My fingers tightened around the trigger of my weapon. It was noticed, as there was definite movement behind me. Okeer noticed as all he did was grin.

"You misunderstand, Shepard. I approved of your actions. They were not true krogan. Never would have been. Numbers alone are nothing."

"So what's the problem then?"

"Jedore. I've given her my rejects for her pathetic army. And now she wants to kill me." He paused for a beat, then nodded. "Yes, I think my time here is at an end."

"So you're willing to come with?"

"Yes. I assume you will tell me what it's about once we are gone?"

"That's the plan."

"Very well." He then walked towards a nearby tank that happened to contain a fully-grown krogan. He gazed upon it like a father would look upon his son. "He is my greatest creation. One pure soldier." The krogan looked back at me. "If I come, he must come with me. That is non-negotiable."

"What is he exactly?"

"He is my legacy."

"Rightio. I'll call in the shuttle and…"

The loudspeaker started up again. "Attention! I have traced the krogan release. Okeer, of course." I walked to a nearby window, the rest of his squad joining me, as we finally got to see the person behind the voice. "I'm calling a blank slate on this project. Gas the commandos and start over from Okeer's data. Flush the tanks!"

Okeer went into a rage immediately, and I was left wondering if he was going to fully release and we'd have to put him down. Thankfully, he calmed down after a few moments. "Shepard, you want information on the Collectors? Stop her. I'll do what I can here."

I smirked. I should have known he would be aware. But I still asked, "Can't you just start over, like she suggested?"

The krogan shook his head. "No. He is pure. I cannot duplicate the results. He must survive."

"Okay, we'll take care of it."

"Kill her, Shepard. I will stay here and… do what I have to do."

We ran to where Jedore had her people stationed, ready to do whatever she threatened. They were waiting for us of course, the rest of her Blue Sun army and the few krogan that had survived. Gunfire erupted and I wasn't the only one to have shields fail as we had to race to find cover. Once we were, I waited for my shields to recharge before I returned fire, keeping an eye on the big krogan. Zaeed only had eyes for Jedore, the abuse being fired at her direction causing plenty of ears to turn red. I chuckled at the rather descriptive ways of how he was going to treat her body once she was dead. Nothing perverted, he was just rather pissed off.

The krogan didn't work together, so I could do what I wanted, which was charge into them, stagger them just enough that I had space to lift my weapon, and more than one took a full shotgun blast to the face. For good measure, I'd usually add another one before sliding into cover, bullets flying over my head as I drew all the attention. I checked to see another enormous shockwave from Jack sending more Blue Suns flying, and I followed that up with another charge, knocking over two more, more blasts of my shotgun, before I was under fire yet again.

"Shepard, Jedore is isolated. I'm going after her," Zaeed yelled.

"Take company!"

"Jacob, Miranda, Jack, let's deal with the cunt. Follow me!"

As the four disappeared, I heard alarms start to cry out, looking back at the door which we'd exited. Running back towards the lab, EDI suddenly had information for me. I guess she'd been monitoring us the entire time.

"Shepard, the lab alarms coincided with a systems failure. The remaining lab systems are unprotected, and I have gained limited access."

"What about Okeer?"

"According to lab scanners, the room is flooded with toxins, and Okeer's personal life signs are failing rapidly. I recommend haste."

"Fuck, this is all we need now."

The door to the lab was locked. I had rudimentary hacking skills, Garrus asking me to move and doing what he could. Eventually the door simply unlocked itself and we walked in, glad we had helmets on, as it was clear Okeer had either killed himself, or been killed by the mercenaries. As there was no sign of any blood, it appeared he'd committed suicide. Besides the tank born krogan was a vidsceen, upon which was a message from Okeer, explaining his reasons and asking me to care for his legacy. Looking upon the tank krogan, it wasn't exactly who we'd come for, but one krogan was better than none.

"So we taking it?" Garrus asked.

"Sure, why not? Wrex was invaluable during out mission to find Saren. If this one is pure krogan, then I'm sure he'll be just as handy." I put a finger to my ear, not that I needed to. It was just force of habit. "Normandy, this is Shepard. Okeer is a no-go. But we have a package that needs collecting. Ping my position and send the shuttle."

"No problem, Commander. ETA five minutes."

"Oh, and Joker. This package? It's a big one!"

Zaeed returned with the rest moments later, and it was clear the fight had been brutal as two of them were nursing wounds, applying medi-gel as Zaeed looked ready to light a cigar and celebrate. Miranda met my eyes and shrugged, not that I was asking a question. It was easy to assume that Jedore was now dead, and I figured Zaeed had done what he needed to do. "Can they identify her body?"

"Unlikely considering her face is now full of bullets."

"Understatement, you crazy son of a bitch," Jacob muttered.

"I told you I was going to deal with her. I did just that."

"You could have gotten us killed!"

"But you're not dead, so lighten up, Jacob!"

The shuttle arrived a couple of minutes later, able to hover in the right position so we could wheel the tank onto it. Once we were all on board, I shut the door and it immediately took off back towards the Normandy. It was a short flight, nearly everyone taking a seat, removing their helmet and grabbing a bottle of water from the little fridge that was on board. Garrus handed me one, which I necked in about ten seconds, wiping my brow as I looked over the krogan. "Big boy," I muttered.

Wheeling the tank off the ship, we gathered around it again. The krogan was still asleep, probably kept under until he was woken up by myself. "Okay, might as well just open it now."

"Are you sure, Shepard?" Garrus asked nervously, "Don't want to give it some thought before doing it."

"Nope." I looked at my friend and he simply chuckled. "Look, we were meant to be getting a krogan. I want a krogan. One thing though. EDI, can you tell me anything about this krogan before I do open it."

"One moment, Shepard. I will scan the tank." EDI paused a beat. "The subject is an exceptional example of the species. Fully formed primary, secondary and tertiary organs. The only negative genetic marker is the presence of the genophage."

"Hang on a second. I thought Okeer designed this krogan as not having the genophage or have I missed something?"

"I cannot guess as to what Okeer's intentions were, Shepard. I can only tell you what I have found."

"Yeah, fair enough."

"Weird he'd go to all that work, even to sacrificing his life, all for a krogan who still has the genophage," Miranda muttered, "I would have thought any krogan with half a brain would be wanting a cure for it."

"Well, I'm getting what I want. Zaeed, Jacob, cover me as I open it up. The rest of you should just stand back. No idea how he's going to react when woken up. Good thing is that he doesn't look armed, so we have that."

"And I guess he can only cause destruction around here," Miranda muttered.

"Oh ye of little faith," I retorted, though I took the shotgun from my back as I keyed a series of instructions on the keypad and stood back. The tank swung until it was vertical, noticing the krogan slowly wake up behind the glass before the glass doors swung open and he leapt forward. I immediately raised my shotgun, hearing a series of weapons raised behind me. "That's close enough."

The krogan stopped short, watching his eyes narrow as he took us all in. Then he burst forward faster than I expected, knocking my shotgun aside as he roared. Trying to stop myself from tripping over, I ended up being slammed into a pile of heavy crates, thankful they didn't topple over onto us. With his hand around my neck, I glanced around and met the eyes of Garrus. He read them easily and gestured to the others.

"Human. Male. Before you die, I need a name."

"I'm Shepard, formerly Commander. Need me to introduce the rest?" I tried to ask with humour, difficult as it was with a huge krogan hand trying to choke me.

"No. Mine. I am trained. I know things, but the tank… Okeer couldn't implant connection. His words are hollow."

"He didn't give you one?"

"No. I know only words. Warlord. Legacy. Grunt." The krogan paused for a second. "Hmmm. Grunt. It has no meaning to me. It will do." The krogan tightened his grip. Breathing was slightly difficult now. I glanced at Garrus again. Now the team moved, though I made sure the krogan concentrated on me. "So, I am Grunt. You are Shepard. If you are worthy of command, prove your strength and try to destroy me."

I definitely smirked. "Why do you want me to fight you? Why do you want to die?"

The krogan who had chosen to be called Grunt appeared confused by the questions. "Want? I do what I am meant to do. Fight and reveal the strongest. Nothing in the tank ever asked what I want."

"Well I'm asking. We don't have to fight. But I have plenty of enemies you can help me fight."

Grunt was silent for a moment, considering my proposal. "Hmmm. Interesting. I feel nothing for Okeer, his clan or enemies. That imprint failed. He has failed."

"So what will you do?"

The enormous krogan put further pressure on my neck and I definitely choked more than once. There was little I could do, trapped between a rock, well, a krogan and a hard place. "Without a reason, one fight is as good as another. Might as well start with you."

"What about Okeer? What about what he wanted?"

"Okeer was nothing but a voice. If I have been created to be stronger than him, then he is not worthy. I feel nothing for Okeer. I feel no connection to him."

"I have a good ship. A strong crew. A strong clan. Join me, and you will make it stronger."

Grunt peered at me, his eyes narrowing as he leaned closer, glaring back at him. "An interesting proposal. If you're weak and choose weak enemies, I'll have to kill you."

"Our enemies are strong. You will find them worthy. You will find my team worthy. Do not doubt that. Most importantly, I will give you a fight. And many enemies to kill."

Grunt was silent again for a moment before he nodded the once. "Very well. I find your proposition… acceptable. For the meantime. I'll fight for you, Shepard."

"Good choice." There must have been something in my voice, as only then did he glance around to see weapons aimed at his head. That simply made him laugh as he finally released me, allowing me to take a deep breath. Bending over, hands on my knees, I took a few deep breaths before I righted myself. "Okay, so you're calling yourself Grunt. As I said, I'm Shepard and you're on the Normandy. This is my team but we'll do introductions later. First thing first, I'm taking you up to the med-bay. I have no idea what Okeer did to create you, so I just want some tests done first. After that, we'll find you some quarters and go from there. Sound good?"

"Good enough, Shepard. I hope you prove worthy."