#puellaeperfectum

[m4gicandw1res]

Legion stayed out of reach of Wrex - about a good arm's length and a half, at least. Not that it mattered when the krogan had biotics to utilize, but it helped put Legion at ease. A straight-up biotic attack would be less cumbersome than a physical strike combined with biotics. It preferred not to consider self-defense alternatives, but it hadn't come this far only to become synthetic paste on the floor via Shepard-Commander's old, red, and angry friend.

Its eye followed Wrex from the airlock, waiting until he was completely obscured before stepping off to the side near Zaeed, replacing the rifle in its hands with the weight of the M-98 Widow. It paid no mind to Miranda and Thane's personal dispute, its primary concern the task ahead.

[helmsmanmoreau]

"Normandy, this is Citadel Control. You are cleared for take-off."

"Copy that, Citadel Control. Heading towards the mass relay now." With a quick button press Jeff closed the channel. In one fluid motion he repositioned himself in his seat, adjusted his cap and cracked his knuckles (having learned over the years how to do it without breaking anything).

Engaging thrusters, he felt the calm hum of the engines vibrating throughout the ship. "Purring like a kitten. Just like you're supposed to." He patted the metal beneath his interface affectionately and started the rest of the systems.

In less than a minute the Normandy had left the Citadel's docks and was heading towards the near mass relay. Joker turned towards his current CO. "By the way. Have I thanked you guys for the windows yet? That Alliance standard size is just way too small to really appreciate these things," he remarked and gestured towards their current target. He took another quick bite from his breakfast and returned to actually steering the ship.

He sent the usual signals towards the relay ahead of time and got everything set up for the jump.

As per usual, he opened a channel to the CIC to inform the ship's captain. "Approaching Citadel relay in 3. 2. 1."

For a short moment he let the automatic systems take over. Something about being teleported across thousands of miles in the split of a second had him in too much awe to dare interfere with anything. Instead he looked out the panoramic windows and gazed at the blazing flicker of light as the jump occurred.

The moment, of course, was gone as soon as it came.

Doing his usual checkup routine, he entered the course he'd pre-plotted and gave most of the ship's controls into EDI's metaphorical hands. Never would he have imagined to give navigation of a ship into the hands of an AI. At least, up until a few months ago. If it hadn't been for her, the second Collector attack might have ended even worse than it did. He didn't want to think what would happen, if they'd lost another Normandy... That's when he'd decided to trust her enough to take over, when it was necessary.

But only when it actually was really necessary.

He was still the pilot after all.

Last night had taken a certain toll on him though, so until the coffee started having an actual effect on him, EDI was the better ... co-pilot.

[helmsmanmoreau]

The pilot quickly checked the time that had passed since his last transmission and decided, he'd waited long enough. Opening the shipwide channel a last time, he called: "The air-lock closes in one minute. Last chance to get off."

With the Collector mission now behind them, Joker could fly the ship in his sleep, if he wanted to. But he wanted to make sure nothing went wrong. It wouldn't be his fault, if the Commander was out of their reach, by the time they'd arrive. So he made sure to double-check everything as he went through the read-outs from the sensor array.

"Engines, check. Fuel cells, check. Weapon systems, check," he mumbled to himself, ticking off every item on the list in his head. Taking a quick glance towards Miranda, he added "Stealth systems, check. Good thing engineering got 'em up and running again after our ride through the Omega-4 relay. If this goes all the way to Khar'shan, we'll need them."

Having tested every system, he opened up a channel to the station's command center.

"Citadel Control, this is Normandy. Requesting permission for take-off."

[m4gicandw1res]

Legion hadn't forgotten Joker's warning about Wrex being on-board, and the text sprung to mind word-for-word as the krogan warlord entered after it. Its head snapped in Wrex's direction, its optic dilating as it absorbed and calculated all the physical evidence of an attack. It immediately prepared to take defensive procedures, tensing and shifting wires to compact itself into a bundle, its mind already predicting further attacks and ways to evade --

-- and then it stopped. It straightened at Miranda's interruption, reconsidering. Perhaps springing into action would have given Wrex more reason to believe it was the enemy. It wouldn't have retaliated, but Wrex had fought hundreds if not thousands of geth, and Legion's platform was no sturdier than the average trooper, let alone a juggernaut. It would bend just as easily under his biotics.

Legion faced the krogan fully, holding up its palms in an open gesture. "Miranda Lawson is correct. We do not intend harm." Keeping Wrex within its sight, it gestured to the room. "Shepard-Commander's absence is as much concern to us as it is to the Normandy."

 And that was the true purpose of this meeting - Shepard's disappearance, not whether or not Legion and the new squadmates were a threat to each other. It aimed to be just the opposite, and to do so it listened intently to the others' input, catching details and forming potential solutions.

For now, it remained silent. Its most beneficial solutions would be after all the information had been shared.