I have no idea why the spacing is like this... I do apologize for this, my PC seemed to think it's funny to go and crash with all your work on it. So i had to retype this on my Tablet and i'm working as fast and as hard as i can to get these chapters out.
Five days had passed since their mission to the Ceberus labs and 1 day since the mission on Sur'kesh. 18 still found it odd that all the different species of aliens talked the same language, still she couldn't really say anything as all the aliens in her world also spoke Galactic, otherwise known as English. Then there was Lieutenant James Vega, a ladies man on all accounts, but he was a real genuine and sincere guy.
Over the past 4 days, she had caught him on more than one occasion stare at her, but she pretended not to notice. The two had become friends of some sort, but the crooked grins and smiles he gave her made her heart flutter. They were currently on their way to the Citadel, a space station.
On arrival, Shepherd instructed James to take 18 shopping for some armour and weapons. The two had gone to a few armouries, but most of the gear seemed to stiff to the android. James had an idea he asked the armoury if they had any combat suites designed for melee and hand to hand combat. The store attendant actually had something, a thin Ademantuim plated suite using Element X to generate it's shielding system.
"How much for that?" Asked James
"200 000 credits."
"You've gotta be shitting me! That's expensive!"
"That's the price sir, it's built from extremely rare metals and uses Element Zero to generate shields. Do you expect it to be cheap?" Asked the Salerian mockingly.
"Would you except this as payment?" 18 asked pulling out a large diamond.
"Yes, that would do. Thank you for doing business." The clerk said, packing the suite in a bag and handing it over to the marine.
"Were did you get that?" Asked James
"While you guys were off playing hero, I found something interesting. A few meteors near that Salerian planet has Diamond deposits on them." She said matter-of-factly.
"Smart, sexy and deadly? Wow, you just know how to grab a guy's attention Muñeca." He praised her.
"Watch it Vega, praise a girl like that, you might just not make it back to the ship without a few claw marks." She said winking at him.
"Claw mark- what? Crystal, uhm- what hm?" He tripped over his words blushing, earning a chuckle from 18. 'Smooth Vega, real smooth... Could just as well ask a monkey to do this.'
"So, now that I have some armour, I'll be seeing you in action."
"If you want to see me in action, I can show you some real action on the Normandy."
"Down boy, down. Don't get all naughty with me, I know you can't handle all this. Even if I sat on your lap, you'd be clueless on what to do."
"That a challenge I hear Summers?" He asked quirking an eyebrow.
"Why don't you find out?" She asked. 'Wow, I'm being a little straight forward... Who am I kidding? I am practically asking him to love me."
"I will don't you worry..." He said. 'Did she just ask me that?' A crooked grin spread across his face. "Muñeca, I'll see you later." He said before he dashed off.
18 just stared at his disappearing figure. 'For such a large hulk of a guy, he can sure move...' She smiled to herself, she knew she fell for his charms. It had been that way for a while now, but he was just too slow to make the first move.
"Practically asking him to ask you out?" Said somebody next to her. "Can't say I blame you, he's one fine man."
18 raised an eyebrow. "The great Commander Shepherd admitted James Vega is hot?"
Shepherd chuckled. "Any female could tell you that, I just prefer to keep my hot-or-not list a secret."
"I'm stunned, I thought you were strictly business, guess there's always time for a little play."
"Damn right."
The two continued to walk thru the Presidium Commons and talk, giving both a better in-depth insite to the other. They had talked and shopped for a few hours before returning to the Normandy. Shepherd had bought her an Omni-tool and explained to her how it worked.
"Crystal, James has requested your presence at the observatory." EDI announced.
"Thanks EDI." She said. "Thank you Shepherd, it was great to get to know you."
James was pacing around in the observatory, the lights were dimmed and candles burned around the place. The door opened and there 18 stood, taking in the scene she smiled softly. 'Finally, he's catching on.'
"Hey there." He said shyly
"Hi there yourself."
'It's now or never. If she doesn't like it, I'm doomed, if she does. Then I might have a chance to hold her...' He had made some whine set out, and a few Mexican foods. Their desert was a truffle, which he convinced Cortez to make for them. He talked for hours, and thanks to Shepherds orders, EDI had locked the doors to allow the two to have some private time.
"I'm impressed Vega, I really loved tonight." She said.
"Anything for you Muñeca." He said with a smile.
She smiled back at him and kissed him lightly on the lips, before she dashed out of the observatory towards the ladies bathroom. Back against the wall, she slid towards the floor and giggled. James was ecstatic, a big goofy grin on his face. He quickly cleaned up and walked to the elevator, smiling with everybody who passed him.
18 took a deep breath, pushing the butterfly feelings aside and stood up. With a small smile on her face she walked over to the crews courters and plopped down on her bed. She was on cloud nine, but it wasn't as if she'll let anybody know that.
"James, we are going to Tuchanka, I'm taking you, Crystal and Garrus with me. Remember to make sure she's safe, okay?" Shepherd said.
"'Kay Commander."
"James?"
"Yah Lola?"
"Anything you want to tell me?"
"No Commander?"
"Why'd that sound more like a question than a statement? That goofy grin and sparkle in your eyes..."
"Okay, okay Commander. She's a dream, she's sweet, sexy, smart and a great fighter. I set up this little date for us and I thought it didn't work, but at the end she told me she was impressed and kissed me before she dashed out..." He said with a slight sigh.
Shepherd laughed at the tone of his voice. "Yip, you've got it bad James, real bad. Maybe when we go to the Citadel after this mission, you can take her to the Presidium's garden. Have a nice picnic with some nice wine." She suggested.
"Sure, that's a great idea Lola! Thanks!" He said, already starting to plan what he should do on the date.
Shepherd decided it was time to leave, they'll be at their destination in 8 hours and she still had a few reports and emails to reply and write. "Vega, remember to tell 18 to suite up with you guys." She said before she left.
"Estaban!" James suddenly called
"Vega?"
"Compadre, help me with setting up another date with Crystal. I want to take her on a picnic at the Presidium's gardens."
"Okay, but we can do that later. Help me with this would you, I just need you to keep that in place while fix it to the craft."
"Sure thing."
James and Steven worked on the shuttle, repairing and doing maintenance on it. It took some time, but when they finally completed it, there was only 3 hours left before they reached their destination. James left for a shower, while Steven cleaned the shuttle. After his shower, James went to look for Crystal.
"EDI, do you know where Crystal is?"
"Crystal is in the crew's courters. Her heart rate and breathing has dropped to a low rate, suggesting she might be asleep."
"Thank you EDI."
James took the elevator to the courters, when he saw 18 sleeping on the bed, her blond hair slightly messy and a smile on her face. He smirked and took a photo of it before he woke her up.
"Hm?" 18 replied sleepily
"We are almost at Tuchunka, you need to suite up Muñeca."
"Oh, okay." She said and got up.
They made their way down to the shuttle bay, James showed 18 to her locker, where he stored her armour. He then turned and went to his locker to suite up, leaving her to have some privacy while she changed. Once he was done changing, he walked back to Crystal.
"What do you thing Lieutenant Vega?" She asked
"Wow, you look amazing! I never thought a suite could look that good on anybody, but wow..."
"Thanks Hulk, means a lot coming from you." She said, her cheeks slightly pinkish.
James walked over to the weapons bench and picked up a Mantis V and gave it to her. He was about to take a light weight shotgun and give it to her, when she took the Claymore, handling it as if it weighed nothing at all.
"Hm, so your pretty strong too huh Muñeca?"
"Yah, this is just the tip of the iceberg Hulk."
Before he could reply, Shepherd and Garrus came out of the elevator, geared up and ready to go.
"Time to go guys. We've got a genophage to cure." She said as they got onboard.
The flight to the planet was somewhat bumpy due to turbulence, but they soon landed at the secret meeting grounds of the Krogan. The grounds were full of Husk and the other Krogan hadn't arrived yet.
"Take them out, but guard the ship!" Wrex shouted.
Shepherd used her biotics to lift the Husk and killed them with her semi-automatic. James used his incendiary ammo to burn the monsters, while 18 and Garrus used their snipers to pick off the monsters from afar.
"I'm impressed with your skill Crystal." Garrus said as he killed another husk.
"Thanks, it took some practice to get this good." She replied shooting a husk between the eyes.
"Everything requires practice, but the way you shoot, makes it look like you were born with the talent to be a sniper."
"More like programmed with the ability to snipe." She muttered darkly, her face took a grim shadow.
Garrus and Shepherd heard the comment, but said nothing, James was preoccupied killing some of the Husk's that came to close to him for comfort. Some doors opened and the rest of the Krogan come out and the meeting soon started. The Krogan being too stubborn to reunite, Eve stepped in. With her help the party got underway.
On their way to the dispersing facility, Shepherd told them about the deal the Salerian Dalatrass wanted to make with them. She Krogan were furious, but Eve again managed to calm them. The bridge the rode on was compromised when a section of it was damaged by the reaper, then was damaged again when said reaper caused a Turian aircraft to crash in some of the tanks and kill a few Krogan.
Shepherd and her group were separated from the rest, so they took a route thru the ruined Krogan city. Inside they made a few interesting discoveries, changing their views on Krogan societies. After that they fought a few reaper forces and met up with Wrex, who filled them in on their plan.
After narrowly dodging a beam of energy that somehow couldn't get past a certain area, much to the surprise of the team. 18 unbeknown to the team, had set an energy shield in place that deflected and absorbed the lasers damage, but she acted as if she didn't know why the beam couldn't get past that point. Following that they activated the hammers that summoned the Thresormauw, which destroyed the reaper. Mordin and Eve died curing the Krogan of the Genophage.
The sacrifices had a noticeable effect on everybody. The only person 18 was really concerned about was James, who felt left out. She didn't know what to do and something inside of her gave her the feeling that unsettled her. It made her uneasy, like how she felt when Cell was nearby or when he absorbed her brother. No matter how hard she tried, every time that feeling resurfaced and the closer she got to James, the harder it got to ignore.
'Just what the hell is this feeling supposed to mean? I know I've only known him for a little while, but this feeling reminds me of when Cell took away my family... My brother...' Uncertain of what to do, she traced James' ki signal. Taking the elevator down, thinking about what her feelings meant.
James leaned against the pole near his self-claimed workstation. 'Just like that Eve and Mordin died. Shepherd and the rest was hit hard by the loss, but I didn't even know him. It's like I'm just a little kid trying to fit in with the big kids on the playground.' Standing up, he went to his punching bag and started hitting it. All his hits were filled with his anger and frustration, managing to calm him down.
"If you don't stop, you're going to hurt yourself." 18 said from behind him.
"I don't care."
"I do!" She said as she pulled him away from the punching bag. "I know you feel frustrated and angry, trust me I do to, but this isn't helping. Besides, most of this is my fault... I could have saved them all, but I'm too scared you won't except me for who I am..."
"What are you talking about Muñeca? Your you, there is nobody else except you... Even if your a a killer robot from another dimension i'll still flirt and like you as you are, so what's the matter?" He asked, the sudden shake in her voice bringing him out of his angered state.
"Nothing." 18 said in a quivering voice and left.
"Shit. Shit, shit, shit!" James yelled as she left, gaining Steven's attention. James turned around and hit the punching bag with everything he had, and then he walked away from it, sitting on crates his face in his hands.
"I fucking screwed up again." He said to himself.
"James...?"
"Si Compadre?"
"Go talk to her, she feels responsible, just like you do and we both know she isn't. So go talk to her."
"I don't think she wants to... Didn't you hear her voice? She sounded so... So-"
"Sad? Regretful? Ashamed?"
"Yah... I guess so."
"That's why you need to go talk to her."
"But-"
"No but's Jimmy, she needs you right now."
With a sigh, he nodded and got up. He took a deep breath and then slowly breathed out, calming himself again. With a goal he set off to find 18, hoping she'll listen to him. He didn't know what was wrong, but he sure as hell will try to make it more bearable for her if he can't make her problem go away.