He sat with his back to the wall in the mess, some vaguely decent human-style food in front of him which he did his best to swallow.
"Hey, do you have a minute?"
"Perhaps a short moment before I return to Life Support."
"I didn't mean to interrupt anything."
"I did not mean to offend, Shepard. I am not comfortable in large, open spaces."
"Is there anything I can do?"
"Nothing. It is a side-effect of my occupation."
A nod.
"Please sit down, Shepard."
"Thanks. Listen, I just wanted to apologize for the reception you got from Jacob. I'm not sure what's bugging him, but I didn't want you to think that this is the kind of ship I run."
Not at all what he was expecting, not in light of the stories he'd heard about her.
"The treatment I received was not out of line with what I was expecting from Cerberus operatives."
"This isn't a Cerberus mission, even though we've got probably too much Cerberus crew for my comfort. If anyone says anything offensive, or treats you like you don't belong here, I want you to tell me. That kind of bullshit isn't going to happen on this ship, not if the offenders want to keep their heads."
"Executions?"
"Nah, just a hell of a lot of yelling, and maybe I'll sit them down in front of a long, boring Alliance training vid on interspecies sensitivity."
"If you do not mind me saying so, you don't seem to match up to the rumors one hears."
"Does anyone? Wait, don't answer that."
"I was under the impression that you had mixed feelings, to put it diplomatically, about non-humans."
"Yeah, the rumors are a little too true—or they used to be. I guess you're not the only one who needs to atone. Anyway, I don't want you to be uncomfortable, so if you need anything, just give a holler."
"That is… very kind of you, Shepard."
"You act like that surprises you."
Direct. That aspect of the rumors appeared to be true.
"Perhaps a little."
"Well, hopefully it's a pleasant surprise." A smile, oddly attractive in her alien face. Even teeth, brilliant against dark skin.
"It is… not unpleasant."
"Right… Anyway, meet me and Garrus at the airlock in an hour. We have an asari Justicar to recruit."
"So, you are testing your newest recruit in combat?"
"You're damned impressive hand-to-hand, but I'm curious to see how you hold up dealing with a squad situation. It's completely different than your solo operation."
"I am your arm, Shepard."
"Oh, and you may want to talk to Garrus a bit. You two have a thing or two in common."
"Because we are both not human?"
"Because I saw your sniper rifles, and because he admired how you took out that merc without injuring those salarian workers. He's a hell of a shot, but he needs a little work on subtlety."
"I apologize."
"It's ok." Skeptical.
"I seem to have offended you once more."
"Nah, it's nothing." Eyes clenched. "Things have been a little rough recently, and I'm probably taking things harder than I should."
"You have been quite welcoming, Shepard. It is… appreciated."
"You seem to have a problem with me. So, out with it!"
"I'm unsure what to say. I prefer to make my judgments with time and observation rather than on the spur of the moment."
"I've caught a snap judgment or two in the last couple of minutes."
"I had not expected you to be so observant."
"Why not? Just because I do my shooting with an assault rifle instead of a more refined weapon? Soldiers aren't morons."
Sunset eyes defiant in the scope. Indignation. Why that memory now? She stared at him, tiny bright eyes concerned, or so he read them.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so loud."
"It seems I am the one who judged you, but you still apologize."
"You just kind of faded out for a minute. The last thing in the galaxy I want to do is make you uncomfortable here, when it seems like there's a whole ship full of people who would be just as glad to have you squirm for the entire mission."
"It was nothing."
"Your illness? Is there anything I can do?"
"No, not my illness."
"I get it—a private matter. I understand."
"You are not going to try to pry it out of me?"
Her head shook, shadowed hair motionless.
"But you would pry other things out of me."
"Pry? No. I just want to know what your problem with me is. We have to work together…"
"Your orders are mine, Shepard."
"That's not what I'm saying. I don't dispute your dedication to the mission, even if some the crew does. Things work better when we understand where we're all coming from. I want you to feel like you can rely on me the way that I know I can rely on you. You're part of my crew, and I care what you think."
Trust, and unconditional at that. He watched for the shifting he'd learned that humans used unconsciously when they wished to mislead, and detected none.
"All right, Shepard. I wish to know more about your association with Cerberus. They are not the most trustworthy organization."
Instead, she smiled, fragile and faint. Her eyes changed color to a pale red around her now purpled "irises." "Well, let's hope I can do a better job explaining it to you than I did to an old friend of mine on Horizon. I woke up when a bunch of mechs went rogue at the Cerberus base where I was 'brought back.' I ended up pairing up with Jacob and Miranda to escape, and then pretty much got roped in by the Illusive Man once I found out about the Collectors and this new Reaper plot. And that's about it. I don't trust Cerberus any more than I trust a rabid varren not to bite my hand off. But they are working to stop the Reapers and the damned new Council won't listen to me any more than the original did, even if they still call me a Spectre.
"It's not my first choice, but it's the only choice I have if we're going to save humanity, or, hell, organic life itself."
"'The end justifies the means,' as you humans say?"
"Something like that."
"How did your friend react?"
"He called me a traitor, basically. The guy who fought Saren with me, and actually talked to Sovereign said I was betraying the Alliance. So, hopefully, I made a better case for my actions with you than him…"
"I'm sorry, Shepard. We all do as we must."
"Pretty much. Is that all?"
"It seems cruel to speak of it now."
"I'm not a fragile little flower. I can take it. Lay it on me. Let's just clear the air once and for all."
"'Fragile' and 'flower' are not the first words I would associate with you."
She really did smile. And he noticed the shape of her lips around her bright teeth, soft and lush, wide and...
"I have heard many stories of your disregard for 'aliens.' You claim that you no longer feel that way."
"I don't."
"That seems a sudden change."
"I served with some damned fine men and women who weren't human. Garrus and Liara are about the only friends I have left in the galaxy. Tali was the best engineer and mechanic I've ever met. Wrex—damn. I've never met a better soldier, or maybe even friend."
"That was all it took?"
"Look, I've done a lot of things I regret. And I did a lot of them because I was stupid and ignorant. None of us are set in stone, Mr. Krios. I just hope I can eventually fix the mistakes I made."
"And your 'Alliance training vids on interspecies sensitivity' didn't teach you properly?"
"I'm a little stubborn that way. Actually, the vids don't really teach you anything."
"So why would you force any intolerant Cerberus operatives to watch them?"
"Torture. Why else? After watching one of those damned things, I'm sure they'll keep their yaps shut."
She grinned, and almost despite himself, he laughed.
