Got this chapter done really early. ^_^ Reviews always help and thanks for reading!
Stupid Fiona couldn't even thank me for doing her damn chores. At least I got some candy out of it I suppose. Oh well, I sighed. I was slowly turning in the co-pilots chair and Joker was missing for once. I was pretty happy about it, but it was rather shocking. He was usually up here all the time. He probably just had to take a piss, or something. Not that I was worried or anything. Hmm…I could take this as a chance to do a little research on him. It wasn't being creepy at all right? No, no, no. Just checking out the competition. I'm sure he did the same thing already. Not really much on my records besides the biotics and clear clumsiness from all the broken bones as a child.
I turned my head to check and see if anyone was watching me, or coming up to the cockpit. No one in sight! I smiled and began rapidly tying on the extranet. Jeff 'Joker' Moreau. He had tons of recommendations from the same flight school I went to. Seems like they're in different areas than I had them in though. I specialized in invading and attacking mostly. I loved using the guns. Joker excelled in almost all areas, except for attacking, yet he was still exceptionally good at it. So that makes more sense why they wanted me on the Normandy. I scrolled down further and found a blocked point. Nothing I couldn't hack though. I opened up my Omni-tool and started hacking the network. Another thing I excelled in. Fiona always said that I would have been a good thief, or information broker. I thought about it for a while, but realized my parents probably wouldn't approve.
I successfully hacked into the networking and read on. My jaw nearly dropped on the floor. Joker had Vroliks? How was that even possible? I mean, yeah, modern medicine could help with brittle bones, but he ran a ship. How'd he even get up without breaking bones? I quickly logged off and turned my chair around. I regretted looking into Joker's file now. I'll just have to treat him like usual and he'll act like his usual ass face self. I don't know how I was going to do it. He really didn't seem like a cripple to me…
"What're you doing up so early?" Joker made his way over. Sure enough, he was limping and I could see the leg braces. I smiled and nodded my head. Try not to notice Angelia; you don't know that Joker's a cripple. I mean he's barely limping and the leg braces are hardly noticeable! Who was I kidding? I sighed and turned around. I could barely look at my candy bag, I felt sick.
"Just working," I brushed the comment off. Joker sat down and I refused to look at him. I couldn't do it. I was a terrible liar, but who knows? Maybe Joker wouldn't notice… I did bluff him twice! "The Commander set our course yet?" I tried avoiding the subject. Not that he really knew that of course. God, I was so going to do something stupid.
"Not yet, she said she's just about finished on the Citadel though," he swung around in the chair and signed himself in. I nodded and looked at him in the corner of my eye. I knew I had to get out of the cockpit, or else I was going to do something stupid for sure. I bit my tongue and turned my head back around to the monitors.
"Hmm. Just itching for some action already," I said quietly. I didn't really care for it. Fiona had always told me it's no help looking for trouble and I listened to my older sister when it came to advice. I was lucky that my ridiculously wavy hair hid my face quite well. Even the one piece that always stayed in my face. At least it didn't go into my eyes all that often; it tended to stay in the middle and go down half the bridge of my nose and flick onto my cheek. Covered most of my freckles which is why I never got it cut differently. I had enough problems with being mistaken for a child; didn't need another.
"Well you'll get plenty with the Commander. Tons of Geth, Spectres, and whatever else the Commander decides the world needs saving from," he joked. I nodded and tried to seem like I was busy, but that was rather hard when the Normandy was docked. "Okay, why are you acing weird?" Joker poked my side.
I jumped and put my hands up, "I didn't see anything!" He raised his eyebrows at me and I bit my lip. Too late, already in deep crap. I knew I wasn't going to get away with this. I blew out a deep breath and the hair that was always in between my eyes flew upwards.
"What?" he clarified his raised eyebrow and I smiled nervously. "What didn't you see?" Now he sounded suspicious. He was going to figure it out wasn't he? He was smarter than I gave him credit for. Well I gave him credit for it; just not where he could hear it.
"Nothing," I turned around in my chair to try to avoid it. I could be a dunce sometimes.
"No, no, no," he laughed and I felt him grab the back of my chair. I froze and let him spin me back around. "What is it?" He didn't seem to get it and I'm sure he'd be mad if I told him…
"The Commander looked at your record!" I blurted before I even knew what I was doing. If Joker didn't kill me, Fiona would.
"What?" he seemed shocked? This could work. Sure…or Fiona could kill me in my sleep. That works too.
"Ugh," I whined. I didn't want to lie and get my sister in trouble too, but I didn't want to be in trouble myself. "No, I did. I didn't think you had Vroliks!"
"Oh…" he nodded. "Well that doesn't affect my piloting at all and if you think-"
"No," I sighed crossing my arms and pouting. "We're going to work together and I just wanted to know a bit more…" I lied. Jeez, I just couldn't tell the truth today could I. It wasn't fully a lie though…
"You mean you wanted to look up the competition? I did the same," he smirked. I didn't know whether to be offended or relived. "For how many bones you broke; you could have had Vroliks," he chuckled.
"Hey," I couldn't help but smiling because I knew he was right. "I was clumsy okay." He raised an eyebrow and I sighed, uncrossing my arms. "Okay, I was a threat to everyone around me, but that isn't my point."
"Ha! 'A unstable biotic menace'?" he quoted from my first instructor. I stuck my tongue out at him and he laughed it off.
"I guess that makes us even?" I stuck my hand out. He grabbed it and nodded. I grinned and stole his hat, putting it on my head. It didn't want to stay there because of my big wavy hair.
"That doesn't fit you," he grabbed it back and stuck it on his head. I smiled and turned to the computers and decided to do some boring paper work. At least I was lucky enough to be on the Normandy right?
"Okay guy's, we're heading out," Fiona came in and ordered.
"Have any place in mind Commander?" Joker asked as we both looked over our shoulders at the Commander.
"It's Spectre Shepard now," I laughed lightly at my sister's new title. She could throw it around as much as she wanted to. That's what Spectre's did, or so I believed.
"Shut up Angelia. To think I got you something," she crossed her arms and leaned in the doorway. I perked up immediately. What Fiona lacked in people skills she gained in presents. What'd she have for me though? Wasn't my birthday, or any other holiday I could think of…I mean we'd always celebrate and my Omni-tool always reminded me about the holidays.
"A present?" I grinned. She shrugged and looked up at the ceiling contemplating.
"More of I found a lost puppy that you're familiar with, but I figured we can keep him," she grinned.
"Hey Shepard!" A strong, lean, and rather tall man stepped up next to my sister. "I have a reputation to withhold and you're messing my shit up," he grinned at her.
"Jace!" I gripped the sides of the co-pilot's chair to get up and ran to my childhood friend. Fiona, Jace, and I had been docked together since I was eight. Even went to biotic classes together. He laughed and caught me and swirled me around.
"Hey there Ladybug," he put me down. The only nickname I really didn't mind. It was my nickname from flight school and I earned it. "Guess I'm gonna be stayin' here with ya." I physically cringed at the country accent.
"Ugh, you're not talking like that again are you Jace?" I crossed my arms at him. He chuckled and shook his head.
"Sorry Ladybug, it's just the Oklahoma coming out." I shook my head and turned to a smirking sister.
"Good thing Jason here is actually able to use his biotic ability. Could always use the biotic power," Fiona shrugged, explaining her reason for picking Jason up. She always teased me for being best friends with a boy. When we were younger she said we were going to get married. My immediate reply was always 'Eww!'.
"Yeah, well, I blame…Mom," I crossed my arms. "It's her fault I'm biotic." I've never liked being a biotic. Mostly because I could never get the hang of it. When I did start to get a hang of it I broke my own arm.
"You blame Mom for your powers beating yourself up?" Fiona raised an eyebrow. I kept shaking my head trying to think of a comeback and finally just settled for throwing my hands in the air and yelling.
"Ugh! You're impossible!"
"Come on Jace, I'll show you around the ship," my sister laughed and lead Jace through the Normandy. I rolled my eyes and took a seat. Joker was staring at me with both eyebrows raised.
"Ladybug?" he laughed finally. I sighed and rolled my eyes. Let him have his fun for now. His nickname from flight school stuck more than mine did. The only reason mine didn't stick is because of my stupid last name anyways. It'd be disrespectful or some shit like that. I'd rather be called Ladybug than the off chance that someone called me Shepard.
"Yes, ha ha! Laugh it up Mr. Moreau. It was my nickname back in flight school from all the guys okay?" He just laughed harder. "Don't crack a rib," I crossed my arms. I'd always been proud of that nickname, given to me by the boys.
"Why the hell?" he wheezed in-between laughing his ass off. He did grab his ribs and tried to stop laughing though so I sighed.
"I was small, if you didn't already figure that one out, but I also excel in battlements. They joked around that I had a hard shell like a Ladybug and was small like one too. It stuck. I mean you think yours is any better 'Joker'?" I crossed my arms smirking. I think I handled that rather well for once.
He shrugged, "Guess you're right, but that is so your name from now on. Lieutenant Ladybug!" He laughed some more. He totally tried avoiding the subject on me. Not going to happen. I grinned wickedly and shook my head.
"Nu-uh! You can't change the subject on me. Come on Moreau, spill the beans," I grinned and pointed at him. No way was he getting away from giving me his reason when he laughed at mine.
"Isn't it obvious? I love making little children laugh!"
I rolled my eyes. "Spitting image of Santa," I snorted.
"Okay, you really want to know? One of my instructors made fun of me for never smiling and called me Joker. It stuck," he shrugged it off.
"You didn't smile in flight school?"
"I worked my ass off in flight school. You're not going to get anything by grinning like an idiot," he snapped. I raised my hands in defense.
"Sorry, but grinning like an idiot never hurt anyone. Not to mention I bet you were nearly breaking your cheek bones you were smiling so much on graduation day."
He nodded and laughed. "Bet your ass I was," he nodded. I smiled and turned back to the computer. Fiona had already charted a course for the Normandy and Joker patched us through to the Citadel commands to leave the docks. I was never good at that shit anyways. Always smart mouthed them if they made me wait.