Equipment
"Yeomen Chambers, as captain of this ship, it's part of my job to check on the wellbeing of my crew. So, under the auspices of my job, it's up to me to ask what the hell were you thinking?!"
For someone who had slept with a NCO two years ago, only to get a "fuck you" when reunited on Horizon, John Shepard knew that his question was perhaps a bit hypocritical. He knew Kelly Chambers well enough to have gathered that she swung both ways and enjoyed both angles of the swing equally, knew that he'd decided to turn a blind eye to such behavior. However, the decision to do so was made on the assumption that the Normandy's yeomen would stick to members of the same species.
Damnit it John, isn't the point of your job to not make assumptions?
Perhaps. But with the Illusive Man's theories on the Collectors proving correct until now, he'd kind of let that philosophy fall to the wayside.
"I don't see what the big deal is," murmured Chambers, facing the floor of the cockpit in either defiance or shame. "You must have seen the signs."
Shepard glanced at Joker, who gave him a bemused look. As the pilot was perhaps the most trustworthy member of his crew bar Garrus, he could be trusted to keep secrets. The problem however, was while the cockpit was the best place to combine isolation with a sense of authority, it meant that Joker would be let in on the details in the process, as he'd refused to leave without knowing what was going on. And how he'd react to such truths remained to be seen.
"Look Kelly, if this was one of your normal squeezes we were talking about, I'd still be turning a blind eye," murmured Shepard. "But this is different. Thane has a disease and-…"
"Whoa, wait a minute!" exclaimed the pilot, leaning forward on his chair. "You saying our yeomen…did it…with the drell?"
Shepard sighed as Kelly nodded in what was definitely shame. Counting on Joker to keep secrets was one thing. Apparently trusting him to keep his bloody mouth shut was another. Then again, Mr. Monroe had been arguing with EDI so much that he should have known better for him to keep quiet.
At least when the tears came he did.
"Alright, so I got laid by an alien!" the yeomen exclaimed. "It's just…well, Thane's like nothing I've ever seen before! And even if we do survive this mission, he's going to die anyway! I mean, why shouldn't he be able to express himself before that happens?!"
Shepard remained silent, unsure of what to say. Chambers had made some points, even if it was unlikely that Thane would ever smile, but still, she'd suddenly become a potential health hazard. An appointment with Chakwas was in order at the least, but what about the psychological effects of this? What was he, as her superior, meant to say in this kind of situation?
"So…" said Joker slowly. "What's his…er, equipment like."
The Spectre sighed. At least he now knew what not to say.