Here is a little (well, maybe not so little :P ) drabble/character study of Joker and Pressly's potential relationship/friendship. I feel like Pressley could have been depicted better as interacting with the rest of the Normandy crew through out the game since he 'is' the XO. So here is my take on one of the interactions between them. I like to think of them as a symbolic father/son type of thing, since I also kind of think of Pressly as the guardian of the ship (the one who makes sure everything is working smoothly for Shepard).

And, let me go ahead and point out for the record that this is not slash in any way, shape, or form.

As a side note: I recommend listening to the song, "My Name is Lincoln" from the movie "The Island" as you read the first part of the chapter. :) It may just add a certain serenity to the Normandy that may not be captured in silence. You can find the song easily on youtube.

Anyway, enjoy!

~Consensus~

The Normandy is soaring through the grand expanse of empty space; the path ahead graciously lit by many countless stars. Fiery ripples of the color spectrum appear, encasing the ship and her crew as her engines ignite in order to propel them to "faster than light" travel. The wondrous waves of color gently dance across the hull as if an extension of the ship itself. Within the thick, armored barrier of steel, the crew lies dormant, resting and waiting for the strings of time to pass by. The Normandy acts as an ever present guardian, protectively encasing the precious souls of life within itself.

Strong and mighty, the graceful ship continues upon its journey, passing through a smoky purple nebula softly illuminated by a nearby bluish sun. The rays of light almost shyly peek through the gaseous clouds, as if with the hope of catching a glimpse of their visitor. As the blue light seeps through the barrier of the nebula and reaches toward the Normandy, the FTL color waves begin to flutter more furiously… perhaps jealous of the blue light encroaching upon the majestic ship.

Reaching the edge of the nebula, the Normandy emerges into the spotlight of the nearby star, shimmering within its soft bluish orange. As the ship passes by the sun, bold white lettering upon its side reveals its identity to the lonely blue star, perhaps to be forever remembered. The blue light soon reluctantly fades from the Normandy's hull as she progresses further along her journey; the waves of color now content to once again have her all to themselves.

Even though only a skeleton crew currently maintains the vital systems of the Normandy while the other personnel are at rest, there is one crew member who will not leave his post. Within the close confines of the cockpit, Joker is analyzing a constant stream of data emanating from many of the Normandy's systems. His hands gracefully traverse the surface of the holographic interface in front of him, making various displays emerge and fade away. He scans each of them and continually makes the necessary adjustments to ensure safe FTL flight across the endlessly speckled blanket of space.

Earlier, at the start of the shift, his replacement arrived, attempting to relieve him of duty. The young ensign however was met with the fiercely stubborn force that is Joker. When the commonly used excuse of his brittle bone disease not allowing him to get up from the pilot's chair did not work, Joker decided, in turn, to threaten the young man with his crutches if he did not leave him alone.

Sometimes the fierceness of Joker can be more potent than even the orders of Commander Shepard himself. Thus even though the man who was sitting down in front him was more frail and fragile, the ensign backed off and surrendered. He gingerly decided to take a seat at a side terminal and attempted to find something useful to do.

Now, the young ensign is still sitting at that same terminal, feeling just as useless as the few hours earlier.

When Joker is at the controls of the Normandy, it is as if he becomes free from the bonds of his disease. While he can barely get around with the assistance of his crutches, the Normandy grants Joker the ability to do far more than merely walk or run. He is cut loose of his shackles and finds a liberty that is truly rare. The ship becomes a physical extension of himself, and they soar together, weaving acrobatically through the outer reaches of space.

Through the side cockpit window, Joker gazes upon the remnants of the FTL color waves that have stretched toward the bow of the ship. The spectrum of colors has always been fascinating to him. It is as if the very soul of the Normandy is ignited within the waves, exposed for only the few to witness their splendor.

However, it is not his unique connection to the Normandy that has caused Joker to deny the young ensign his shift duty. Rather, it is the foreboding of Commander Shepard's current mission; it has left the few onboard who are aware of the details of a colonial distress signal a bit on edge. Needless to say, if something bad starts happening, Joker wants to be the one at the helm of the ship, not some rookie who barely understands the Normandy's prototype systems yet.

Footsteps begin to be heard making their way up the ramp, causing the young ensign to glance to his left at the approaching figure.

He sees the executive officer of the ship slowly walking towards the cockpit while taking a sip from a starkly white coffee mug within his right hand. Hoping to get a status report at the beginning of the new shift rotation, Pressly is certainly not surprised to see Joker still on watch within the cockpit. However, he grows a bit worried for the pilot. In an informal gesture, he nods toward the ensign and then rolls his eyes toward the opposite end of the ship; a silent gesture that the ensign is relieved of his "shift." The ensign eagerly shuts down his terminal at the unsung order, and, with the holographic interface faded away, he quickly gets to his feet and salutes toward the XO. "Sir."

Pressly returns a nod to the young ensign, dismissing him as he continues his paces towards the stubborn Joker. The ensign, relaxing from attention, glances back to Joker and then starts down the ramp, glad to be finished with his boring and uneventful duty rotation.

Pressly then finally reaches the cockpit and stops behind the empty co-pilot's chair. He begins to examine the long stream of data on the console up ahead, purposefully remaining silent. With the ensign heading down the ramp, Joker and Pressly are the only ones left within the cockpit, and the silence begins to make Joker a bit uneasy. His hands begin to glide faster across his console in frustration, perfectly aware of Pressly's presence.

The XO lets the silence continue for a little while longer, perhaps as a small punishment for not taking the previous shift off. Joker glances up to him almost as a young boy might to a father, and his irritated and sleepy eyes wonder what is going through the older man's head. Unbeknownst to Joker, Pressly is actually not angry at him… Well, not entirely…

The only drop of anger seeping through Pressly's veins merely stems from concern for the well-being of the talented pilot.

Finally, the XO decides to break the silence. "So how's our girl holding up, Joker?"

"Oh, everything's just fine and dandy. " Joker mentally cringes; he did not mean for his response to come so quickly and sound so sarcastic. He quickly adds an awkward "Sir" hoping to make up for his informality.

Pressly is not fazed though… he actually embraces the lack of formality. It is a welcome contrast to the tenseness that has spread throughout the Normandy resulting from their current assignment. He is a bit amused though at how uncomfortable Joker is and lets out a small chuckle as he takes another sip from his coffee.

The pilot once again glances up to his superior officer and notices a slight grin upon his face masked by a white mug and smile lines forming at the edges of his eyes. Turning back to his console, Joker arches an eyebrow in both surprise and relief and addresses Navigator Pressly again. "Sorry sir, I just had to spend the better part of my shift correcting all the mistakes of that greenhorn." He lifts his right hand and pats the Normandy's side wall as if he were comforting a person. "It's a wonder we're still operational."

Pressly looks down at the pilot for the first time and sees the puffiness under his eyes from lack of sleep. His smile instantly fades from his face, "How are you holding up?"

Joker's eyebrows purse together, and his eyes close tightly at the comment. His hands completely stop moving upon the holographic interface, and, defensively, he says, "I'm fine, sir." He then looks straight into the eyes of his superior officer, "There's nothing that I can't handle."

Even though Pressly can tell that Joker struggles to conceal his exhaustion, he sees a sparkle of determination within his eyes… the very determination that Joker has been known for all throughout his military career. "Things will heat up after we pass through the relay." Pressly wants to make sure that Joker is ready to lead the rest of the crew through to the unknown region ahead. "There's a reason the colony sent a distress signal, and it certainly wasn't for peaceful purpose."

Joker replies with a curt, "You can count on me, sir."

Pressly merely nods and faces the console once again. "Alright then." Joker has passed the test. "You have my full confidence." He turns his head back to the slightly stunned pilot with an expression of optimism and assurance.

"Thank you sir." Joker then turns his attention back to the Normandy's controls when a soft beep sounds… an incoming transmission from the Commander's stateroom. As his hand reaches to receive the transmission, he comments sarcastically to Pressly, "I must say that I'm quiteflattered, sir." Pressly lets out an amused snort as he takes another sip from his cup, slowly beginning to feel the gracious effects of the caffeine. Joker was never one to keep a serious situation, well... serious.

Commander Shepard's authoritatively calm voice then comes through Joker's console. "Hey Joker, what's our status?"

"Everything is in the green Commander. We should be reaching the relay in just under twenty-seven minutes."

"Alright, thank you Joker." Papers shifting and being ruffled can be heard in the background. "Is Pressly up there somewhere?"

Pressly nearly recoils at the mention of his name but successfully avoids spilling his coffee. He quietly clears his throat and says, "I'm here sir."

"Good, come to my stateroom before we reach the relay. I need to brief you on some new details that just came in."

"Yes, sir. I'll be right down."

The line is then terminated by Shepard leaving both Joker and Pressly a bit unnerved. Joker lets out a sigh and leans back in his chair, making himself a little more comfortable. "Well, you probably shouldn't keep the Commander waiting sir."

"Yeah…" Pressly continues to stare straight ahead for a few seconds, deep in thought. What new details? He then turns around to head down the ramp, but stops short, once again noticing the puffiness underneath Joker's eyes. Bending slightly to Joker, he says, "Looks like you need this more than I do," offering him his still steaming cup of coffee.

Joker eyes the cup with gratitude, his eyes widening at the alluring steam rising into the air. Pressly can't help but be reminded of his own two boys back at home at Joker's expression.

Remaining transfixed upon the rising steam, Joker takes the mug into his hand and takes a long and thoughtful sip. Immediately, the soothing coffee begins to coat his parched throat while caffeine rushes to his head and fatigued muscles. Just what he needed. His voice comes out much more relaxed than before, "Thank you, sir." Pressly then pats him on the shoulder and begins down the ramp, heading for the Commander's stateroom.

With Joker now the only one in the cockpit, he is once again hard at work piloting the ship… now with the assistance of caffeine. Suddenly, it's as if a spark goes off in his brain, and Joker slowly looks back down at the coffee within his hand.

His once content and relaxed expression turns to a look of horror streaking across his face.

"Oh…" Joker lessons his grip upon the cup, shifting his fingers near the rim, resembling a crane. "…crap."He disgustedly moves it to the co-pilot's idle console. Placing it delicately upon its surface, he pushes it even further away from him with his index finger while the flashbacks of Pressly sipping from the same cup streak through his mind. A shiver runs up his spine as he lets out an appalled groan. Joker returns to his work, the warm aroma still evident within his nostrils while gulping down the last remnants of coffee…

The Normandy gracefully emerges out of FTL flight with a burst of raging colors. The rays of colorful light grace her surface with one last soft caress before reluctantly fading from her smooth and seemingly delicate hull. The colossal mass relay is but a speck in the distance; its blue aura reaches out as its halo of light stretches through endless space.

The Normandy's powerful engines propel her and her crew quickly to the relay though, and the rotating metallic arms begin to swivel faster as the ship is detected.

Then, as suddenly as the Normandy had appeared, the mass relay scoops her up and propels her across space and time in a majestic flash of light…

~fin

Reviews and/or comments are fun to read! Just FYI :)

By the way, the title "Consensus" refers to the understanding and friendship developed between Joker and Pressly during this story.