"John, we have arrived at Tuchanka."
"Yeah..."
I sighed and got up from the bed I was lying on, then headed to the cargo bay from which we would be leaving the ship.
"I am with you."
"Doc..."
I glanced at Solus, who had just emerged from his lab.
"...do you understand where we have landed?"
"Of course. Tuchanka. Krogan planet."
"And do you understand how Salarians are treated here?"
"Yes. Hate. Strong."
He pointed a finger at himself.
"Can stand up for self. We can move out."
"Mordin, I ask you to stay on the ship."
My words made him frown.
"I understand your desire to meet your student, but I ask you to give me a couple of hours. In that time, I can meet with Wrex, and he is not just any Krogan here. Then you will have official permission to be on Tuchanka. At least on Clan Urdnot territory. Because without it, we will have to fight every Krogan we meet."
"Bad... Will not survive. Must wait?"
Solus shook his head somewhat dissatisfied.
"It is the best option."
"Good... I will wait. I hope you resolve this matter as soon as possible."
"Girls?"
I cast a brief glance at Lissi and Missi, who shook their heads.
"We would prefer to stay on the ship."
Missi answered for both of them, her voice sounding extremely dissatisfied.
"Well, I'm not forcing you. Then Chifuyu Orimura, Rebecca Lee, Tali, Jack, and Samara come with me. Everyone else, be ready. Joker..."
I looked up at one of the cameras.
"...you must also be ready to take off and provide fire support at the point I indicate."
"Whatever you say."
Joker's voice came through the speakers.
"Though I hope I won't have to shoot at the old lizard."
"I don't want it to come to that either. However, I am obliged to provide for such a situation."
Joker didn't answer me, after which I nodded to my comrades and we left the SSV Normandy. And already at the exit of the ship, we saw the faces of Krogan who looked at us extremely unfriendlily.
"What the hell did you come for?"
"A meeting with Urdnot Wrex. You should have been informed when our landing corridor was issued."
"Ha! And this soft-skin is an even bigger idiot! Came here and expects to be let in to see the Chieftain!"
The first Krogan slapped his companion on the shoulder with a massive paw.
"Get off our planet."
The second one boomed this quite threateningly—at least, he might have thought so—but I didn't give a damn about his threat. I just smirked.
"Either you get out of the way, or I will make sure not even blood remains of your bodies."
I showed them my palm, where a Singularity had formed. It was still small, incapable of doing much, but as a demonstration of intent, it was more than sufficient. And as soon as the Krogan realized what was in my hand, they immediately scrambled away from me.
"Mda-a-a..."
Shaking my head, I examined both hulks quite mockingly.
"Krogan are a bit thin these days. And yet Wrex told me otherwise. About a great people surviving on a very dangerous planet..."
I shook my head again.
"...about how only eggs can be tougher than a two-year-old Krogan child, and even then you have to boil them for that. And here..."
With a careless wave of my hand, I headed deeper into Krogan territory, as EDI had already hacked their primitive system and we were able to understand exactly where Wrex was.
"Stop!"
We hadn't gone twenty meters before heavy, hurried Krogan footsteps sounded behind us.
"—They have prepared their weapons for combat use."
EDI's words made me frown slightly.
"You know..."
I stopped and turned around very slowly; this time I was glowing with Biotics, and not just me—Jack and Samara were also glowing with Biotics.
"...do not aim a weapon unless you are ready to die. So, are you ready to die?"
"N-no..."
"Then do not interfere with me. I simply want to talk to an old friend who returned to his home planet after our adventure."
The Krogan didn't answer us, and after my long and very heavy gaze, they lowered their guns.
"Well, good boys."
Of course, I wanted to pat them both on the cheeks, but that might have provoked them into an attack after all. No, I probably wouldn't have been held accountable for the deaths of two idiots, but still, I don't want to get into unnecessary scuffles. So I abandoned that idea.
"Pfe..."
Jack snorted carelessly, but it was a good thing she restrained herself and did it only when we had moved away from the Krogan.
"Pussies."
"I am forced to agree."
Mother nodded.
"These Krogan behaved with excessive insolence at first and absolutely inappropriately for Krogan at the end. In my view, they overestimate themselves."
"Samara, you are being far too tactful toward them..."
Rebecca Lee decided to join the conversation.
"In my view, they are cowards who are simply trying to appear stronger against those they consider weak. And in my opinion, we should have pounded them into the floor so they'd realize that next time they might be killed for such behavior."
"Well yes, you're all so kind..."
Chifuyu Orimura supported her friend.
"...whereas Saren Arterius, if he hadn't turned out to be a traitor and had arrived here on business, would have simply shot both of them. And he wouldn't have even given it a second thought."
"Well yes, and afterward he would have shot whoever came to investigate the deaths of the Krogan. And after that..."
I said this with a smirk on my lips.
"Yes, yes, there would have been a slaughter here... but those are just our speculations. He was very sharp, of course, but he still performed his work with quality. So he might have restrained himself."
Tali said this in a thoughtful voice.
Meanwhile, we passed through the corridors and found ourselves in a fairly large space where there were many Krogan. And they were all communicating about something, and some were even quarreling. In short, a very large Krogan gathering, and as is customary for them, very noisy and with fists, as well as a sea of Ryncol.
"Oh, soft-skin!"
One of the Krogan noticed us and took a few steps in our direction. I didn't feel aggression from him, but I prepared for anything nonetheless.
"Do you respect me?"
"No."
"WHAT?!"
And if the Krogan's first words went unnoticed by those around, his roar attracted the nearest Krogan, who began to look at us with interest.
"Look, I don't know you."
I shrugged carelessly.
"Now, do you respect Brufor?"
"Yes!"
A challenge sounded in the Krogan's voice.
"Well, you're a moron! Brufor is a wanted pirate whose only 'great deeds' are attacking backwater colonies that can't even offer resistance. And how can such a nonentity be respected?"
The Krogan began to flush with bad blood.
"And do you respect Tela Vasir?"
"No-o-o!"
"And yet she is a Spectre who has performed many truly worthy deeds!"
Of course, she's done plenty of crap too, but the Krogan doesn't need to know that.
"Now do you respect her?"
"Yes..."
Of course, had the Krogan been sober, this wouldn't have worked on him, but here he was clearly a bit out of it.
"Well then, you name yourself; maybe I've heard of you and can say I respect you, and if I haven't heard of you, then you need to drink more and tell everyone about your deeds so they can hear!"
"Yes! I will tell everyone of my greatness!"
And turning away from us, he began to proclaim something there, and he did it very loudly.
"You're a clever one, soft-skin... I thought I'd have to intervene..."
A gruff and impossibly sober voice for such a party sounded behind my back.
"Thank you for your concern..."
"I wasn't concerned about you, soft-skin, but about that idiot. I crossed paths with your companion once and learned for the rest of my life that you don't cross the path of Justicars. And if she's in your team, she certainly wouldn't have let you die or be harmed. And that meant that idiot would likely have died."
"I do not kill idiots."
Mother said this in a slightly tired voice, in which one could hear: "There have already been so many of them that if I killed them all, I would have long ago become the most wanted criminal."
"Regardless, I am glad I didn't have to intervene... why are you here?"
"To talk to Wrex."
"Wrex?"
I had already turned around and was now looking at a rather old Krogan who was dressed in Shaman's robes.
"And who are you that you wish to meet the Chieftain of Clan Urdnot?"
"I am Shepard, John Shepard, his comrade with whom he chased Saren Arterius. And I have an important matter on Tuchanka, for which I decided to disturb him."
"So you don't wish to meet him just because, then?"
"Well, why not?"
I looked at the Shaman with slight bewilderment.
"I do, I just understand that he has a lot of business. I'd say an impossibly large amount. And therefore, I wouldn't distract him from business just for the sake of it."
"He'll be glad for it!"
The Shaman laughed quietly.
"Am I arguing? He'd be glad today, and then later, when he realized that the next day he'd have to do two days' worth of business..."
I shook my head to the Shaman's chuckles.
"Fine, Shepard, come, I'll lead you to the Chieftain. He's resting right now, so a conversation with you won't make him suffer too much the next day."
"I would be grateful."
I nodded to the Shaman, and he led us through the vast space, and in his company, no one bothered us. Although I saw that a couple of Krogan were thinking about it. However, upon meeting the Shaman's gaze, they still looked away.
"Old man, you command respect here."
Jack said these words with a hint of interest in her voice.
"I am a Shaman... naturally..."
"No-o-o-o..."
She shook her head.
"I recognize those looks. They don't fear you as a Shaman; they fear you as a fighter."
"Well, that is natural."
The Shaman shrugged.
"One does not become a Shaman just like that, and before I took up this burden, my life was more than eventful. You can't even imagine, girl, where I've been and what I've done..."
"I likely can't imagine."
Jack nodded.
"But that doesn't stop me from respecting you."
"Ha-ha-ha... well done!"
Meanwhile, we were led into an indoor room that was separated from the previous, one might say, hall, by a door.
"Shaman?"
I recognized Wrex's voice from the first notes.
"I thought all business was done, and for today I was already free."
And these words were spoken in an extremely pained tone.
"Free, free. I've brought guests to you."
"Guests?"
At that moment, I finally entered the room.
"Shepard!"
Wrex jumped up from his seat and joyfully took a couple of steps in my direction.
"I'm glad to see you too, Wrex, very glad."
"Well, as for me..."
"Respected Shaman, I think you should stay."
I managed to stop him before he left the room.
"Because my business will concern Clan Urdnot, as well as all Krogan. And as I see it, you should be present here."
A short glance cast at Wrex, and his nod confirmed that he trusts the Shaman and is ready to share everything that will be said here.
"Well, since I am asked..."
The Shaman walked to the nearest couch and flopped onto it.
"...then I shall listen."
***
Read the story months before public release — early chapters are on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Granulan