"Don't you like our infirmary?" I asked with a chuckle. "If you haven't changed your mind, sit down and write a report to Director Pallin about transferring to the Spectr combat team. In the meantime, I'll write an order for its formation and a request addressed to you."

"Imrir", Nihlus nodded at the uncertainly hesitating Quarian.

Indeed, I had forgotten about the girl. The disorder.

"Tali, what are your plans?"

From such a simple question, the girl was simply confused. She stood in the middle of the infirmary, nervously twisting and unwinding her fingers, looking from me to Nihlus, to Garrus, to my fighters, quietly panicking.

"I... I... I do not know. I went on a pilgrimage...."

"Do you have to do something specific?"

"N-no... I just have to bring some valuable gift to the captain of the ship on board of which I will serve..." the girl stammered.

"You've already given me a valuable gift. That audio recording was important."

Tali was speechless for a while, looking at me in confusion.

"Are you... are you suggesting that I become a member of your ship's crew?" The Quarian asked me uncertainly.

"Yes, I'm offering you to become a crew member of my ship. You will fly on the ship of the first human Spectr. You'll see the galaxy. And then we'll find something interesting that you can donate to the Migrating Fleet. Contact your father and ask for his advice if you are in doubt."

"I don't think Admiral Rael'zora will refuse." Nihlus said calmly. "Until now, the Quarians had never worked with the Council's Spectr's. And they never became crew members of their ships." The unrealistically bright green eyes shone with amusement: the Turian understood exactly what I was doing. "I can register Tali as a civilian employee of the Special Corps."

"I... I... I..."

Tali was frankly confused by the news that had befallen her and was now stuttering banally, unable to clearly express her racing thoughts. It seems that the Quarian has just realized which company she will be in. Nihlus is indeed a very well-known Spectr, whose reputation is not much inferior to that of his legendary mentor, except perhaps a little ... softer. In fact, I just offered Tali to join the elite team of the galaxy's special services, which automatically changed her status from an uninteresting tramp who even has problems with documents, if I'm not mistaken, to... an employee of the Special Corps. And this is a completely different level.

"Communication with the Fleet can be established from the communications center of the Special Corps." Nihlus said softly.

Tali didn't know what to say. She was just taken aback by this turn of events. I can understand her: she didn't have time to leave for the Pilgrimage, as she immediately got into big trouble with the Spectrum, lost all her friends, killed for the first time, and now, suddenly, her Pilgrimage is actually ready to end if the Fleet College agrees and gives her to us. And I didn't really doubt their decision.

I have plans for Tali. But there is one "but": without her sincere devotion, they are not feasible, and this devotion can be obtained only in one case. When the prefix "vas" with the name of my ship is added to the girl's name. Otherwise, there's nothing for a Quarian to do on our ship.

Garrus, can you give me the text of the request? The guy nodded in agreement. I unfolded the dictation omny-tool and started typing the text. Sometimes Nihlus intervened and corrected some little things. I wrote requests for Garrus himself, for Tali, for Darg and Dylan, and for the Joker and Dr. Chakwas. Just in case. You never know, but you might need it. I finished it pretty quickly, read it aloud, and after a nod from Nihlus, I sent them to the Special Corps department. All except the last two.

"What's next?" Derg asked.

"And then..." I exchanged glances with Nihlus. "The communications center and the arsenal of the Special Corps. Nihlus, what do you want to take from the arsenal?"

Garrus winced and twitched his mandibles in annoyance.

"May this old greedy man not give you anything beyond the minimum. Especially for Krayk, if it won't be there."

"Why?" Derg asked.

"The whole Citadel knows about the stinginess of the quartermaster of the Special Corps."

Nihlus grimaced.

"It's easier to pull a piece of meat out of Warren's mouth than to beg the old bastard for an extra thermal clip." He added.

"I can take C-SEC to the armory, there's also a Special Corps unit there." Garrus suggested it. "Write a request, I'll talk to the quartermaster, he will give you what you need. Only your ID card will have to be taken with you for reporting."

"Take it in box." Nihlus pointed to the closed box with the SPECTR logo, which I brought him from the cabin. "Do you know where the communication center is?"

Garrus nodded.

"Imrir," Dr. Chakwas called out to me. "You should contact Admiral Hackett and inform him about the transfer of Darg and Dylan. The request can take a very long time to process."

Indeed...

"Thank you, I will do that."

Karin smiled slightly and went back to work. During the five days of the flight, I managed to find a common language with Dr. Chakvas and switch to a rather informal communication. Still, I came for checkups regularly.

That was the end of the conversation, and we went to solve pressing problems.

chapter 11.3 getting to know Rex..

Visiting the Special Corps communications center left a lot of impressions and consumed a lot of nerves. Tali's conversation with the captain of her native ship was not easy: the girl stammered, jumped from event to event, until I pushed her aside and told the attentively listening Quarian a brief summary of what had happened. They listened to me and asked me to contact them later: he had no right to make such a decision on his own. I gave them two days, and that was the end of our conversation with the representative of the Migrant Fleet.

And then there was a conversation with the admiral. Hackett congratulated me on my appointment, listened to me in silence, and said a single word: "Permission granted." He took the news about the wiretapping on the ship... calmly. Externally. He advised me to be careful and... allowed the ship to be refitted at the docks of the Special Corps. The required document should arrive a little later. That's great. After leaving the communications center, we headed to C-SEC.

C-SEC greeted us with loud cursing and the rumbling voice of a krogan arguing with a human officer. The stumbling block was a powerful shotgun, a weapon that is certainly prohibited from being carried on the territory of the Citadel. The shotgun was still taken away, and the evil Krogan remained standing at the massive elevator leading somewhere into the bowels of C-SEC.

"Do you often have this here?" I asked quietly.

"Constantly." Garrus replied just as quietly. "This is Rex. It's not the first time he's been here, and it won't be the last."

The Krogan noticed our intensely entertaining group and watched intently. Did you find out? Is he really going to try to put money behind Fist's head?

"You. Human." The gruff voice made it clear that Rex had finally made up his mind and recognized me. "Do they call you Shepherd?"

I stopped, peering with interest at the scarred face.

"Do I have to answer?"

The Krogan rolled away from the elevator wall, which he had been propping up with his shoulder.

"My name is Rex. A Shady Intermediary transferred me a decent amount to get rid of the Fist. But you beat me to it."

The Krogan basically used the word "you" solely as a plural indicator. Many people forgot about this interesting fact, which caused awkward conflicts and misunderstandings.

"And?" I asked with interest.

"When I get paid for a job, I do it." Rex came almost right up to me, looming over me with his whole mass. "Alone."

Garrus tensed. Tali got nervous and took a step back. My fighters didn't even flinch, looking at the hefty stranger with interest.

"Your problem is that you were so slow." I grinned, and a flat disc of a grenade flashed between my fingers.

The Krogan noticed it.

"Your people are becoming very... nimble if properly stimulated." I tossed the grenade in the palm of my hand.

And Rex suddenly burst out laughing.

"So it really was you."

"Where?" I asked, naively blinking my eyes. The grenade, as if by magic, evaporated.

Rex chuckled and stretched his lips into a crooked grin. Apparently, my unhealthy tendencies and craving for grenades found a lively response in his soul.

"You did my job." Rex returned to the unfinished conversation. "So you should get the money, too."

"Rex, are you going to pay for a Fist?" I cocked an eyebrow at the Krogan with genuine interest. "For me?"

"I won't take money for someone else's work! I transferred them to your account."

He did it! Shaking my head, I stared at the strange face of the powerful Krogan with some confusion. I didn't believe that this mercenary really took such things so seriously....

"I liked the way you handled it." The heavy gaze shifted to Garrus. "I heard that you were sent for Saren."

"Rumors spread quickly." Garrus rasped faintly.

Rex ignored him.

"I want to go with you." Krogan pressed, staring intently into my eyes. "And that's what to do with it? Does he really think that a career military man would take a mercenary with a dubious reputation with him?"

"Rex, you're a mercenary. What's the benefit to you?"

The Krogan was silent for several long, agonizing minutes, staring intently into my eyes. And I couldn't read his emotions. Complete phlegm.

"I'm not doing this for the money." The rumbling bass only emphasized the seriousness of his intentions, literally hammering every word. "I want to be somewhere hot. A storm is coming, and you and Saren are in the middle of it."

Great job. An adrenaline junkie in a particularly neglected form with a code of honor that I don't understand. I looked at the Krogan thoughtfully:

"You do realize that there are a lot of Krogans working for Saren."

"These are not Krogan!" Rex growled, waving his hand in exasperation. "They are servants and slaves! Licking Saren's heels for the promise of power and wealth!"

Oh, so Rex is really good.

"My people were a proud race! Some of us still remember it."

"Okay. Consider yourself accepted into the team. On probation."

The Krogan nodded.

"Write a report." my words have already flown in the back. "Anyway, where are you going?"

Rex stopped, turned slowly, and stared at my contented face with genuine surprise.

"Since you have offered your services voluntarily and for free for an indefinite period, you can start working." I graciously informed him, looking maliciously into his red eyes. "Right now."

Rex chuckled. The Turian blinked in surprise, Tali giggled softly, and Darg just laughed. Sincerely and cheerfully.

"You know how to organize people, Darling."

"Why Darling?" Rex asked bluntly, looking at my fighters with interest.

"Because the last idiot who called her a soulless Bitch ended up in the infirmary with a fractured skull." Dylan explained readily.

Rex grinned at her.

"I like it. Darling... ha!"

"Rex, the probation period." I grinned at him. "Garrus, take him to Pallin, and we'll tell him about your transfer."

Pallin didn't say anything. I just read the report and silently confirmed it. He just stared at the nervous Garrus for a long time with a hard gaze. I suppose he didn't know my current status or the role Garrus had played in my investigation and subsequent appointment. And he wasn't at all surprised to see such a strange multi-species company barging into his office. For a split second, regret flashed through his emotions.

As we were leaving, a quiet sound flew at our backs:

"Good luck, Garrus. I hope you know what you're doing."

Garrus flinched, but gave no sign that he had heard anything. But I didn't focus on it. His life has just changed dramatically, and you shouldn't put too much pressure on the guy's psyche. He made a difficult choice, broke with his past life, resigned from C-SEC and went against his father's will: albeit indirectly, he began working for the Special Corps. And it only depends on me whether his choice and trust will be a mistake or not.

Whether I break his life or not.

Chapter 12.1: meeting with Rex.

After visiting Pallin, Garrus took us to the C-SEC arsenal: due to his dismissal, he needed to hand over his weapons, resolve some issues with the quartermaster, transfer cases and pick up things from the office, and I faced the problem of providing for my combat team.

I actually have Garrus and Rex. Dylan and Darg are still in limbo, as is Tali. But let's say I get them. In total, there are four combat-ready men, a seriously wounded mentor and an engineer girl, whom being released into battle is a guaranteed kill. Not thick, but not bad either. Oh, and then there's Ashley and Kayden.

I'm sure about Darg and Dylan. Although they worked with my recipient, they didn't feel much affection for the girl: she had a different personality. Imrir pushed others away from her. I didn't make that mistake again, and in four days I worked well with the guys, earning them, if not friendship, then at least hints of it.

I didn't make that mistake again, and in four days I worked well with the guys, earning them, if not friendship, then at least hints of it. Dylan has already said that the appointment as a Spectrum and the meeting with the Lighthouse had a beneficial effect on me. If he knew... maybe later I'll tell you what really happened.

Garrus is an excellent marksman and, if I'm not mistaken, a good technician. He's supposed to be able to work with explosives, but I'm not sure. I'll check with him later. He will be a loyal friend and colleague in the future. If Kanon is not lying, Vakarian is capable of exceptional loyalty, and he will give me his loyalty if I can earn his trust. The fact that he agreed to come with me is already a sign of trust. His embryo. If I don't betray that trust, I'll get the most loyal friend I can find in this reality.

Nihlus... I find it difficult to say what my supervisor knows and knows how to do. My after-knowledge couldn't help me in any way: his identity is not revealed at all in the canon. Nothing is really known about him. He is a dark horse, the only one living in this reality who has already fallen out of his destiny. He can change it, bend it to suit his needs, just like me, without fear of getting an irresistible counteraction in the form of an infinity of unpredictable coincidences. And the fact that I have already had the opportunity to observe, gives every reason to believe that we will work well together.