"What illness? Are you sick?"
Joker stared up at his new commander, thinking that he really stepped into it this time. "You didn't know? Aw crap."
Shepard folded her arms over her chest. "I haven't had a chance to go over all the crew records yet." In the short time that she'd known her helmsman, she got the impression that he used humor to deflect away from serious topics that he'd rather not talk about. While he was somewhat on the prickly side, she felt that she was a good enough judge of character to know that he was all right. His illness was clearly a delicate topic, one that she decided not to go into further detail unless he offered information first. "But now I'm really interested in reading up on all those commendations you talked about."
"That's it?" he asked, his hat shadowing his face, making his expression unreadable. "No questions, no wondering if having Vrolik's is going to hinder my flying abilities?"
She shook her head. "You wouldn't be here if that was the case, Lieutenant. And you certainly wouldn't be bragging about being the best damn helmsman in the Alliance if you didn't believe it for yourself." She looked up towards all the different switches, trying to remember what everything did from her required flight classes. It felt like it had been a lifetime ago since she had been behind anything remotely resembling even the most basic of controls the Normandy possessed. "I'm positive that there'll be plenty of opportunities to show me your skills."
Joker shook his head. "You're nothing like I expected," he murmured, wincing when he realized he said it out loud.
"Oh?" Examining her nails, she gave him a blank look. "Let me guess, you thought I'd be some sort of intimidating marine, right? Probably jaded from fighting in the Blitz and that I'd have a collection of Batarian skulls in my footlocker?
"Or were you thinking that I was the type of person who had jumped up the ranks thanks to having parents in high places, that everything that went down on Elysium had happened because I managed to be in the right place at the right time by sheer dumb luck?"
He looked up at her, his eyes wide. "I didn't mean…"
She nodded, the blank look fading. "I know you didn't. I got to where I am now because I've worked my ass off since Day One. I've earned every single medal and commendation I have to my name, just like you have. I've had to hear my share of negativity; I've heard variations of what I just told you and more way too many times to count." She arched her eyebrow at him meaningfully. "And I'm positive that you've had your fill of negative comments too. Thing is, none of that defines who we are, right?"
She watched as the tense, defensive line of his shoulders gradually relaxed. She let out a breath. Starting off on the wrong foot with any of her crew would be a bad thing, especially since Anderson wasn't on board to give her any hints on how to deal with individuals. She'd have to find out everything on her own, which excited and terrified her at the same time.
And wasn't it wonderful that she nearly stepped on a landmine during her very first interview? She hoped that the rest of the crew wouldn't be as touchy with her while she asked some personal questions. Then again, she hadn't thought that any of the other crew members she'd already come into contact with were as attractive as her Flight Lieutenant, which probably had something to do with why her tongue had tripped up in the first place. Damn me and my weakness for bearded men. Luckily she was a quick thinker and it seemed that sharing some of her own personal experiences had smoothed the situation over.
"No, ma'am," he agreed. He tilted his head up and she saw that underneath the brim of his hat that he looked to be curious about her. Good thing too. I think we're going to be seeing a lot of the other, she thought.
"Plot a course for the Artemis Tau cluster. We have a lead that Liara T'Soni is somewhere there."
Joker's fingers flew over his console. "We should probably start searching in the Knossos system; they have several planets with Prothean ruins."
Shepard nodded in approval. "Smart thinking. Now if you excuse me," she said, giving him a wink. "I have some reading up to do."
Not being able to help himself, he called after her. "My file isn't complete, you know. Someone decided to leave off my current standing as Beer Pong Champ."
He heard a snort of laughter behind him. "Of course they did. Last time I checked, I held that record."
Joker listened as the sound of her boots faded down the hall. "Oh yeah," he said quietly, a grin splitting his face. "I'm definitely going to like working with her."