"So?"
Wrex looked at me intently.
"What brought you to Tuchanka? Don't think I'm not glad to see you; I'm very glad. Your corporation gladly hires members of my clan and always pays fairly. You provide us with humanitarian aid, and thanks to you, we have here..."
Wrex stomped his right foot lightly a couple of times.
"...what has become, albeit a primitive, but still a shelter that might allow Clan Urdnot to survive the harvest. But still, I'd like to understand what exactly brought you. And for what reason did you ask my Shaman to stay?"
"Tell me, Wrex, do you remember Virmire?"
Wrex frowned.
"I remember."
"And if I say that you have a chance to do what was impossible to do there?"
"You... found the Genophage cure?"
"I found the one who can make it. As you understand, everything my corporation's specialists can offer is artificial insemination and incubation. And not all Krogan go for that."
Wrex grimaced, but in his gaze directed at me, I saw the expectation of a catch.
"And who can make the cure?"
A hint of a threat appeared in the Shaman's voice.
"This sentient is on the ship, and the fact that he can make it does not mean he will agree."
"Then we'll..."
"Wait."
The Shaman stopped Wrex, who already wanted to start threatening torture.
"Who?"
"A Salarian."
"Must I repeat my question, soft-skin?"
I closed my eyes.
"According to my data, he is one of those who modernized the Genophage."
"Modernized?"
The Shaman said this in an extremely threatening voice.
"And you want us to believe that he repents? That he wants to help us?"
"And did I say he repents? That he wants to help? I said he CAN make the cure, or at least modify the Genophage so that there are no dead eggs in the clutch and your females lay about five eggs, but guaranteed live ones."
"You..."
"Quiet!"
The Shaman calmed Wrex with one word.
"But..."
"I dislike what I hear just as much as you do. But you and I are not idiots, and we understand that if our fertility returns to its former level, they won't coddle us anymore. They'll simply cut us down to the root. In the end, finding a warlike race for meat-grinder assaults, if such are required, is not a problem."
Wrex closed his eyes and breathed heavily.
"What is needed from us?"
The Shaman looked at me intently.
"Two things are needed... first, according to my data, his student is somewhere on Tuchanka. He is already creating a cure, or rather trying, but... he won't succeed. Not enough knowledge. But at the same time, he is killing Krogan. So we need to find him and help us get to that bastard."
"Suppose."
Wrex calmed down and said these words, looking exactly into my eyes.
"Second, Solus needs a tour of a female clan."
"Excluded!"
Wrex even stood up from his seat.
"Wrex..."
I tried to make my voice as firm as possible so he'd understand I wasn't bargaining. This truly was a mandatory condition for the cure to be manufactured.
"He has never seen the result of his actions..."
"Never seen?!"
"Wrex."
Again, one word from the Shaman and Wrex was calm.
"Yes, he hasn't seen it. He calculated this result, he knows that fewer children are born to you, but he has never seen females who cannot lay a single live egg and still lay them in the hope that this time something will change. He hasn't seen your women crying with happiness upon finding one or two live eggs in a clutch."
Wrex looked at me intently, as did the Shaman.
"For him, everything happening is just numbers in a report. And that needs to change. He needs to be shown what his actions led to."
"And you think this will help?"
The Shaman looked at me intently.
"I think so—yes."
I nodded.
"He served in the STG, but after his discharge, he opened a clinic on Omega. And there, his treatment cost ridiculously little. He truly tried to be useful, and if he is shown that his previous actions were a very large mistake, then he will want to fix it. Yes, it won't be a matter of one day, but I am certain he can do it."
"Shepard..."
Growling notes were audible in Wrex's voice.
"...you are suggesting we trust the one who did this to us?!"
"I am suggesting you think about whether you want to cling to hatred, to which you certainly have a right, or whether you want to grasp at an attempt to save your race."
"What a..."
Wrex didn't finish and simply fell silent. I also said nothing more, only looking intently at Wrex and the Shaman, who were deep in thought.
Twenty minutes passed, and they couldn't reach any decision. And honestly, it already seemed to me that they would refuse me simply because they didn't want anything to do with the one who worked on the Genophage. But after almost an hour, Wrex finally spoke the coveted words.
"Fine. I will trust your gut, John."
He closed his eyes when he said this.
"So, a tour is needed?"
"And his student."
"The student will be the easiest part."
The Shaman said this in a level voice. "Rumors reached us that Clan Weylock is acting a bit too actively near its abandoned hospital. And I suppose the Salarian, if he can be anywhere, is only there."
I nodded slowly.
"That is good."
"Good, but there will be problems with the tour. We cannot command the female clans. Everything there is run by
shamanesses, and if they refuse..."
"Then explain the situation. And prepare everything so that the Salarian sees exactly what he needs to see to understand that he has made the biggest mistake of his life."
Wrex nodded slowly.
"We'll try to arrange a tour..."
Wrex was finishing his sentence just as the door to the room was kicked in.
"W-r-r-r-rex!"
"Uvenk, what do you want?"
"You refused to meet with me! But you meet with these Pyjaks!"
"This, as you put it, Pyjak..."
Wrex nodded in my direction.
"Killed Saren Arterius. And did a lot of other things while chasing him. He has more achievements than many in your Clan ever will."
The Krogan glared at me angrily.
"Him?!"
"Yes, him."
"I'll take him!"
In two steps, he approached me and, leaning back slightly, lunged forward, planning to slam his headplate into my face shield. Except I created a transparent, miniature Kinetic Barrier right in front of my visor. Just enough so it appeared only at the point of impact.
And this Krogan, after hitting his forehead against the barrier, took a few steps to the side and collapsed on the floor.
"Is that all?"
Boredom was evident in my voice, while the Krogan's companions froze in place, not knowing exactly what to do in such a situation.
"Those turned out to be some good shots..."
Tali said this with a slight smirk.
"...we should distribute them."
"That will certainly help us."
The Shaman nodded thoughtfully, indicating that it would help a great deal.
"However, it will also turn Clan Gatatog against you."
"So what?"
At that moment, laughter erupted from the hall we had just passed.
"Look at him go!"
"That's the Gatatog Chieftain! And he lost to a soft-shell!"
The laughter grew louder, while the Krogan himself came to his senses and, shaking his head, stood up from the floor.
"You... who are you?"
"Spectre Shepard. And you should get out of here; I have a very important conversation with Wrex."
"You dare give me orders?!"
Rage flared in the Krogan's voice.
"Yes. And also, if you don't get out, I'll simply challenge you to a duel to the death. And you won't be much of an obstacle for me. Wrex can tell you how many Krogan who supported Saren Arterius I've killed."
Wrex only smirked at my words.
"You... I will remember you."
The Krogan managed to pull himself together.
"Watch your back!"
I sighed and, as he turned around, placed him in Stasis, then walked up to him, circled around to stand in front, and patted his cheek. The Stasis was weak enough for him to moan, so I only smirked at the sounds from this idiot.
"You know, your threat made me wonder—are you an infant? And I thought you should be taught that you shouldn't behave like this with grown-up and very serious men. And now I'll create a whip out of Biotics and lash you with it."
He began to settle down.
"No doubt, you won't feel the first strikes—you are wearing armor, after all—but after the tenth, the armor's emergency Shields will fail. After the twentieth, gaps will appear in the armor itself, and the whip will be able to reach your backside, leaving jagged wounds on it."
"Shepard, don't."
The Shaman stopped me, and I, glancing at him, shrugged.
"Lucky for you, boy... very lucky. Now, run along."
I patted his cheek once more and, stepping aside, released the Stasis.
"Gra-a-a-a-a-a!"
Uvenk roared and spun toward me, and I'm sure he would have loved to charge, but right now I was literally glowing with Biotic fire, and he took one unconscious step back. Then a second and a third, but those were conscious.
"I'll get to you."
"No need to 'get' to me, you can just challenge me. Or what, are you chicken?"
However, he didn't take the bait.
"Fine, you've shown your strength..."
The Shaman said this mockingly, watching Uvenk hastily leave the room.
"You have the permission to move this Salarian. And you can deal with his student for now. Just don't kill him."
I raised an eyebrow inquisitively.
"Why are you looking at me like that? If yours refuses, then maybe this one will handle the task, even if it will be significantly harder for our people."
"Understood, I'll try to prevent his death."
"Good."
The Shaman nodded.
"You may go... I know you have much to do..."
Wrex sighed and waved his hand.
"...surely all your free time is scheduled down to the minute. So go on, and we'll try to negotiate with the Shaman of the female Clan and arrange a proper tour."
Wrex was already in a very good mood. Apparently, the humiliation of this Uvenk was an extremely pleasant sight for him. Regardless, that wasn't important; what mattered was that I was given permission for the Salarian to pass through Clan Urdnot territory. They also sent the approximate location of the hospital where suspicious activity had been seen.
And without saying goodbye, I left the room, heading back to the ship, where Mordin Solus had been waiting all this time, pacing nervously in the SSV Normandy's cargo bay.
"Liara..."
As soon as I boarded, I addressed the girl.
"The Kodiak Shuttle is ready for departure; I'll be piloting it. I've laid out the route, so we can leave right now."
"Good girl." Of course, I wanted to take EDI with me, but for now, it wasn't worth showing her capabilities to Mordin Solus.
***
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