Lost Friends
Flux Nightclub – Citadel
One by one the members of the Normandy Crew filtered into the flux. Crossing the dance floor and passing the slot machines where some lucky and many unlucky players tried to augment their wealth they reached the niche where Liara had reserved a table for them. The Asari in the same time felt happy and sad. Soon she would be on Thessia again and walk the streets of her home, at least for a few weeks. But she would leave behind those persons that had become a kind of family for her. Even Wrex, the giant Krogan that already had left days before, had been a kind of distant relative after all those battles.
She looked around. Without Tali and Wrex we're no more such an odd group. As Shepard neared the table Liara's lips showed a soft smile. Not only were Ashley and Kaidan escorting him, but he had also been able to convince Dr. Chakwas to leave the med bay for a while. The doctor had been a close friend, often the only one, in the last weeks. A scientist as the Asari and with a love for all living beings to match she had been the one person on the ship that most resembled her own way of live.
"Hello Karin, I hoped you would join us." Liara padded on the chair at her side and hugged the doctor lightly as she sat down.
"I would never miss your last evening with our small family, Liara," Karin Chakwas responded with a weak smile of her own. It had been hard for her to realize that the Asari would leave the ships. She would miss their long conversations with a glass of brandy.
"Family, yes," Garrus asked. "And what would I be in that?"
"The black sheep that is stored away when visitors show up," Ashley pulled his leg.
"Pah, you know that you would miss me dearly if I'd accepted that offer to join C-Sec again. Captain Bailey offered me a position of Lieutenant yesterday."
Kaidan blinked friendly: "When will you leave? I would like to get your room, it is greater than mine. I only would have to clean it soundly before using it." Hastily he stepped aside as Garrus tried to punch him. "Hey, that's attacking a superior. Shepard, what's the punishment for that?"
"Superior, why that? Are you an officer now? I thought Shepard gave you the position of ship's mascot," Garrus snickered.
In spite of the small jokes between Kaidan, Ashley and Garrus the mood wasn't really easy. They all were a bit angry that the Council didn't belief the reports of Shepard and Liara about the danger of the reapers. It seemed that the councilors liked to bury their heads in the sand and convince everyone that with the destruction of the sovereign and Saren's death the danger had ended.
"And you're going back to Thessia, Liara," Ashley asked, staring into her glass of whiskey?
"Yes, at least for a while. I have to order the estate of my mother. After that I'll visit Shiala. She has gone to Feros to help the settlers of Zhu's Hope. I'll use some of the money Shepard gave me to buy medicine and other things to help them."
With more than seven millions credits belonging to the Normandy, money they earned thru selling found weapons and information about ore sites, Shepard had decided to give every member of his team a part of it. Some of them as Ash and Kaidan wouldn't use it for the next time as they still belonged to the alliance navy but everyone deserved it.
"What about you and the Normandy, Shepard," Liara asked?
"Anderson still has to decide about that. There are some discussions between navy and council about the Normandy and how I could use it. Especially they have to decide about the careers of those navy members that are still on board."
"And do you have plans what to do next?"
"We'll be looking for Geth activity. It is not what I would like to do but more isn't possible for now. There have been signs of them in the Omega Nebula near the planet Alchera. We'll have a look."
For a while they were silent until Liara broke the silence. "Too bad that Wrex and Tali aren't here with us. I would have liked to share a last drink with them."
Shepard nodded. "Sure, but Wrex has much to do now. He wants to change something on Tuchanka. I don't know his plans but surely it will be something great."
"And bloody," Garrus added.
As the laughter in the round died down again Liara turned to the Turian and asked earnestly: "Do you know something about Tali? Nelyna said that she is alright but I hadn't a real chance to say goodbye before she left."
Garrus was happy that most races were unable to read the emotions of a Turian and tried to hide his body language. Should he tell her about Udina? Sooner or later she would know but …
All stared at him as he looked around, his eyes passing one face after the other, trying to comprehend what they thought about the lost Spectre. As far as he knew Tali had been told to decide for herself whom she wanted to tell about Udina's fate. That she only explained the events on Virmire to him had been a sure sign that she expected … expected what? Garrus wasn't sure about the reasons behind her decision. Not even Liara she had told anything even thought that Garrus was sure that the Asari felt more about Udina than it had been the other way round. Only about Ashley he could understand why she left her in the dark. Certainly Tali put the blame on Udina's near death on the marine's shoulder. And in a way she was right, even so that Ashley never would have asked for that sacrifice.
As the others already thought that they wouldn't get an answer, Garrus responded at last: "She's fine. Tali will go for the flotilla and end her pilgrimage, hopefully with streaming banners. But … she wanted to go to Earth before." Seeing their confusion he added with a very weak smile: "She wanted to visit Udina's mother, tell her about him and somehow … conciliate them."
"Err, yes, understand," Kaidan responded but Garrus was sure about the marine not understanding anything, Shepard perhaps but not Kaidan. Ashley paled at Garrus words. She too clearly remembered that the Turian considered her responsible for Udina's death and surely Tali's opinion wouldn't be any better. But only for Liara he felt sorrow. The Asari bowed her head to veil the tears that were showing in her soft blue eyes. Silently Garrus watched her body language and … she's really troubled about that. Could it be … no … no I hope not.
Shepard raised his glass: "Let us drink: on all our friends, those far away and those lost in space. That we'll all be together again someday somewhere."
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Udina Estate - Dùn Èideann/Edinburgh – Earth – 7 years ago
Always the gentleman, at least to his beloved sister, Rory opened the car door and let Cathleen enter. The car his Uncle Donnel had left behind on the family estate surely wasn't the kind he would buy for himself but at least the ride would be comfortable. With a sigh of joy he plumped on the driver's seat and started the engine, listening to the dark growl of it.
"Fasten your seat belts, please. The ride will begin in short time."
With squeaking tires and clattering gravel behind the car left the estate and after some minutes hit the road to London.
"Are you really sure about this, Rory? Uncle won't be pleased if his car got a single scratch."
"Easy, sis, you know how I ride."
Cathleen laughed: "Yes, I know, that's the reason why I ask."
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STG Medical Center – Sur'Kesh – one month after the battle of the Citadel
Padok Wiks left the room and shook his head as he looked at the two Salarians that were waiting for him. "The sedative isn't working. His brain is working to intensive. This threatens to damage his whole nerve system. We have to find a way to soothe him."
Jondum Bau stared back, his face not showing how uneasy he felt about the decision he had to make. "You can't really expect that I agree on such a grave breach of STG security protocol."
"I don't expect anything. I simply state the facts. There is a problem and it could cause the death of our patient or at least the failure of the complete treatment, not only wasting the invested resources but also making it impossible to use him as a Spectre. That you don't like my solution to this problem doesn't change anything about the fact that it is the only solution I have in the moment."
