Mass Effect: The End

Chapter Four – Shore Leave, Part II

"So, how are you enjoying shore leave so far, Shepard? I hope all this unwinding hasn't generated too much stress within itself, no?" Tali looked at Shepard.

"Of course, not Tali. I'm enjoying it." Shepard leaned back, trying to enjoy himself amidst the chatter and the music.

They were both in Rapture, one of the more eminent and high-end nightclubs on the Citadel. Shepard and Tali had retreated to one of the private booths towards the back of club the moment they had arrived, eager for privacy from the dance floor and the bar. They had arrived here as part of a larger group from the Normandy earlier in the evening.

A few meters away, upon Rapture's main dance floor, Kelley Chambers, Shepard's personal assistant, was dancing with Mordin. Mordin spun Kelley around three hundred and sixty degrees, let go of her hand, and caught her before she fell on the floor.

"Wow, Dr. Solus, I never knew you could maintain such synchronization with the fast pace of asari pop!"

Mordin beamed somewhat. "Flattering, Ms. Chambers. Laboratory experiences have conditioned me to be extremely nimble. Which is useful when mixing volatile chemicals. Dancing to fast-paced music is no different."

Tali sighed. "Wow, Mordin can really dance, can't he? I wish I could dance like him. You want to try, Shepard?"

Shepard grimaced. "No, Tali, I don't feel like dancing at the moment."

Tali frowned beneath her helmet. "What's wrong, Shepard? I know the Reapers are still out there and all, but can't you relieve yourself of worry? Just for one night?"

Despite attempts to say and act otherwise, Shepard remained in a state of deep apprehension. Anderson still had not contacted him about his meeting with Udina over Harbinger's diagrams. There was also that mysterious Reaper roaming the galaxy. And finally, there was the entire Reaper fleet waiting out in dark space, but still gunning for the Milky Way nonetheless...

Shepard heard someone panting next to him. His thoughts imploded. He turned around. It was Kasumi and Miranda.

"Oh, hey, Miranda, Kasumi. Back from your dinner already?" Shepard moved to the left to make room for Miranda. Tali did likewise for Kasumi. The two sat down, trying to catch their breaths. Kasumi's clothing was slightly singed. Miranda had a cut on her lip.

Shepard took a sip from his martini. "You guys look like you been in a fight. Someone try to mug you or something?"

Kasumi wiped the sweat from her brow. "You could say that. Miranda, you have anything to add?"

"No, no. We just had a small altercation leaving the restaurant, that's all." Miranda wiped the blood off the laceration on her lip.

Shepard, annoyed by their attempts to dodge his inquiry, cleared his throat. "Come on, guys, be honest. What really happened?" He glared at Miranda in particular.

Kasumi and Miranda looked at each other. Miranda then turned to Shepard. "Well, ah, we were unable to pay our bill. I had left my debit card on the Normandy. And Kasumi had this idea..."

Tali leaned forward, intrigued. "Oh, wait. I think know what happened. You guys staged some sort of distraction and got away with a free meal, am I correct?"

"It was Kasumi's idea," Miranda retorted. "She threw a flashbang. And quite frankly, I thought it was a brilliant one. I didn't want wash dishes for the rest of the night anyways."

Shepard raised his eyebrows. "And you're sure no witnesses saw you throwing that? That flashbang probably shattered plenty of windows and eardrums."

Kasumi sighed. "Shepard, I didn't throw it. I just let go of the pin and rolled it under the table. I did it as discretely as I could. And as far as I am concerned, no one-"

A male voice boomed in the distance, interrupting Kasumi. "Look! There they are!" Shepard turned around. Three C-Sec officers, two humans and a turian, were approaching the booth.

"Oh shit," Kasumi cursed. She looked around the club for a possible avenue of escape, but found none.

The officers surrounded the booth. The turian officer took out his handcuffs. "You two are under arrest for petty theft and property damage at the Vera Regina," the turian said.

Miranda gasped. "What? What theft? What property damage? I demand to know the meaning behind this!"

One of the human officers sneered at her. "Oh, don't feign innocence. We know exactly what you two did. A waiter there saw one of you throw a grenade of sort under the table after you two were unable to pay your bills. And witnesses saw two human females matching your descriptions leaving the restaurant immediately after that grenade exploded. We reviewed the security footage, too."

"Shepard, what should we do? Maybe we should try to intervene?" Tali whispered to Shepard.

"I don't know, Tali. It's not like they committed murder or something." Shepard found himself mildly conflicted. While he did want to help Kasumi and Miranda avoid arrest, he didn't want to get in the way of C-Sec officers doing their job either.

The turian moved forward, forcing Kasumi to stand up. "And you thought you were going to get away. You are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used in a court of law as evidence. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these rights?" He forced Kasumi's arms into a pretzel behind her back and slapped the cuffs on her wrists.

As the other human officer moved to arrest Miranda, Shepard decided to intervene. He stood up. "Wait, officer. These two women are my associates. I'll take responsibility for them."

The turian in charge raised his eyebrows. "And you happen to be...?"

"Commander Shepard. Former Alliance soldier. I currently work as a Spectre agent for the Galactic Council. These two women are under my employ. Please, if there are any fines, I'll pay them right now. But I am due to leave within the next few days, and I need these two women on my ship."

One of the human officers gaped at him. "You're the Commander Shepard? I thought you died two years ago!"

"Yeah, but I didn't really die. I was in a coma for two years though."

The human turned to the turian. "Lieutenant, we are dealing with a Spectre here..."

The turian waved his hand in absolute dismissal. "Johnson, I don't give a flying crap if he is really the freaking savior of the Citadel. Escort these two women to the nearest C-Sec office for processing. And Commander, if these two women are really under your employ, come with me. The officer in charge of this ward may like to speak with you."

Shepard breathed a sigh of relief. Captain Bailey was the officer in charge of the Zakera Ward. Perhaps he would be able to negotiate an immediate release for Miranda and Kasumi after all.

"Will do, officer. Tali, you want to come along?" Shepard got up.

"Certainly, Shepard." Tali stood up as well.

As Shepard, Tali, Kasumi, Miranda, and the three C-Sec officers made their way out of the club, Garrus appeared near the entrance. Shepard and the rest of the group stopped. "Err... Commander, why are Kasumi and Miranda in... handcuffs?"

Shepard put his hand on Garrus' shoulder. "Don't worry, Garrus, I've got it under control." Of course, Shepard was lying, as he wasn't really in control. But nonetheless, he didn't want Garrus involving himself.

The turian officer strode forward towards Garrus. "Oh, Garrus Vakarian. It has certainly been a while." The turian extended his hand to Garrus.

Garrus nodded curtly, extending his hand forward in reciprocation. The two men shook hands. The resulting handshake was brief, and in Shepard's eyes, somewhat strained as well. The two turians appeared seemingly intent on crushing the fingers of the other. There's tension between these two guys, Shepard mused.

Garrus scowled slightly. "Avala. I've always remembered the many times you have reprimanded me for disobeying protocol."

Lieutenant Avala took a step back, somewhat taken aback by Garrus' bluntness. "Well, Vakarian, rules are rules. If I didn't reprimand you as harshly and as frequently as I did, I would lose my job and C-Sec would lose its reputation. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to take some hooligans down to the station."

Kasumi squirmed slightly at Avala's insult. The C-Sec officer held her arms tightly.

Tali rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Officer, they are hardly hooligans in even the loosest definition of the word."

Avala glared at Tali. "Be quiet, quarian. If I really wanted to, I can have you arrested for vagrancy."

Tali glared at him but said nothing in response. Shepard saw her fists clench slightly.

Garrus motioned to Kasumi and Miranda and then sneered at Avala. "C-Sec never had a reputation to lose in the first place. Why are these women under arrest for, then? If they did do something wrong, then it probably isn't worth prosecuting. Shouldn't you and C-Sec be going after the true criminals – the arms dealers and the drug smugglers – instead of the petty thieves and vagrants?"

Avala stepped forward. "Vakarian, I never knew why you pursued a career in law enforcement in the first place when you weren't interested in enforcing the law at all. So, what have you been doing since you quit the force, then? Washing dishes, begging on the streets, what?"

Garrus heaved slightly, trying control his anger. "Such matters are not of your concern, asshole."

Avala blinked at Garrus' insult. "I see that you finally have the nerve to call your former commanding officer an 'asshole' at last. Congratulations. You never did that when a paycheck and a living were on the line. You are both a loose cannon and a coward all at the same time. How ironic."

Garrus lunged at Avala. Shepard instinctively stepped in between the two men, pushing Garrus backwards towards a table by the wall. Several frightened patrons sitting nearby backed away. The table toppled over, and Garrus and Shepard crumpled onto the floor. The club fell into a stunned silence as gasps and whispers filled the dance floor and the bar.

Shepard's eyes met those of Garrus. He got up. "It's not worth it, Garrus. I don't want another one of my crew getting arrested."

"I know, Shepard. You're right. I shouldn't have lost my temper. I got carried away." Garrus stood up.

"Well, Shepard, I can file an assault charge against Mr. Vakarian here, but I think I won't. Good thing you stopped him there before things got out of hand." Avala looked at his officers. "Men, we've wasted enough time here. Time to go to the station. Shepard? You ready to go?" Avala and his men walked out of the club, with Kasumi and Miranda in tow. Tali followed them as well.

Garrus glared longingly at Avala as he left the club.

Shepard looked at Garrus. "I take it that you don't like this guy."

"I despise him. He was my commanding officer when I was in C-Sec. I always reported to him. The guy was always about protocol. 'Did you read his rights?' 'You know, Vakarian, lethal force is used only as a last resort!' Blah, blah, blah," Garrus said in a mocking tone.

"Well, Garrus, I understand you hold a grudge against this guy, but I don't think you should have taken it so personally."

"I know. But, to me, Avala was an embodiment of that protocol which I despised and came to hate. And I saw him all the time, so it's hard to get around that." Garrus began moving towards the door. "Anyways, I'm headed back for the Normandy, Shepard. See you there." He left the club without another word.

Shepard exited the club, and met Avala, who was waiting outside. They began walking without another word.

"Any news yet about my son's possible release, Captain Bailey?"

Bailey looked up from his desk. Thane Krios stood before him.

"Ah, Mr. Krios. How are you. The judge finished reviewing the case yesterday, and well, he's decided to put Kolyat on probation for the remainder of his sentence, which is six months."

Thane blinked and put his hands behind his back. "Doesn't probation connote that he must see you or another C-Sec officer to ensure that he isn't violating the terms of his probation?"

Bailey waved his hand. "Oh, Mr. Krios. That's only a mere formality. Kolyat's a good boy. If you want, I can rubberstamp all of these probation papers for you and he'll never have to show up here ever again, unless he breaks another law here on the Citadel. You want me to do that?"

Thane eased himself. "I would appreciate that if you could, Captain."

"Then it will be done." Bailey pulled out a manilla folder from under his desk and presented Thane with six paper forms. "I need six signatures from you, Mr. Krios, one on each one of these forms. Here's a pen."

Thane took the pen and placed his signature on each form. "Finished. Here's your pen."

Bailey took the forms and placed them back in the manilla folder. "Well, that takes care of everything. I guess we will just head over to Kolyat's cell now – Oh, Lieutenant!"

Lieutenant Avala strode before Bailey's desk, pushing Thane aside roughly. "Captain, we have arrested the hooligans who committed that dine-and-dash at the Vera Regina. Here they are." The two human officers strode forward, presenting Miranda and Kasumi to Bailey.

Thane looked at Miranda and Kasumi. The drell appeared slightly amused. "Ms. Lawson? Ms. Goto? I presume this isn't good."

Bailey studied Miranda and Kasumi for a moment. He turned to Miranda. "Say, you look pretty familiar – haven't we met once before?"

"We have," Miranda responded.

"Captain Bailey!" Bailey looked over Miranda's head and saw Shepard and Tali coming towards his desk.

Bailey got up from his desk to greet Shepard. "I presume that the two women standing before me are members of your crew? You here to make your case?"

Shepard nodded. "Yes, Captain. I won't deny that they are not guilty of the crimes which they may have committed, but, as a Spectre, I ask kindly that you drop the charges against them-"

Avala trudged towards Bailey, placing himself in between Bailey and Shepard. "Preposterous! Captain, these two women caused immense damage to one of the most prestigious restaurants on the Citadel, and didn't even pay for their meal! I demand that you ignore such a request. We cannot allow a Spectre to ignore the rule of law-"

Bailey waved his hand, interrupting Avala. "I know, Lieutenant, but you are forgetting that the man is a Spectre. Let him make his case, okay?"

Avala gave Bailey a frustrated look but gave no further challenge to his superior. The turian sulked out of the office.

Shepard continued. "Anyways, I am willing to pay for any fines and damages that my subordinates may have caused. Does the owner of the Vera Regina give you a damage estimate?"

Bailey trooped back to his desk. "Yes, he did. He gave me an estimate of 100,000 credits, but warns that the cost of damages may exceed this amount, given possible injury claims from patrons who were injured when that grenade exploded. I suppose it won't be much, though. From what the paramedics told me, the worst injury they saw was a blasted eardrum."

Shepard looked down upon the omni-tool on his arm. "Well, we'll make that 200,000 credits then. I'll make that payable to C-Sec."

"Good. Boys, free these two ladies here." The human officers did so, taking the handcuffs off both Miranda and Kasumi.

Kasumi rubbed her wrists. "Ugh. I can barely feel my fingers."

Miranda flexed her fingers slightly. "Don't worry, Kasumi. You'll feel them soon enough. That's what handcuffs can do to your hands."

Shepard smiled, looking at Kasumi and Miranda. "You guys better get back to the Normandy before C-Sec finds another reason to arrest you."

Kasumi flashed Shepard an appreciative grin. "No need to tell me twice, Commander." Kasumi made her way out of the office. Miranda did the same.

The human officers walked out of the office after them, leaving Shepard, Tali, Thane, and Captain Bailey the remaining occupants in Bailey's office.

Thane cleared his throat. "So, Captain, about my son..."

"Yes, Mr. Krios. Come along this way." Bailey looked at Shepard and Tali. "You want to come too, Shepard? His son is getting freed today."

"Really? That is good news, Captain. Let's go."

The four commenced their walk to the station's main holding pen. "So," Bailey asked casually, "You have any plans for your son, Mr. Krios?"

"I do. I plan to keep him out of trouble."

"That's good. Anyways, here we are. Kolyat's cell." Bailey opened the cell door. "If you guys need anything, I'll be in my office."

Thane walked into the cell. Shepard began following him inside as well, but Tali placed a hand on his shoulder. "He needs some time with his son, Shepard. Let's wait out here."

Shepard nodded in agreement. He closed the cell door behind Thane to give Thane and his son some privacy. He and Tali stood outside in silence.

Garrus wandered the wards, blindly trying to make his way back to the Normandy's dock. When he reached the Citadel's main financial district, he stopped to examine a public map nearby. I'm farther away from the Normandy than I had anticipated, the turian thought.

"Wandering the wards, too?" Garrus turned around. It was Jacob.

"Ah, Jacob. How are you. How's shore leave so far for you?"

"It's good; it's good. Pretty boring. I'm itching to get back into the fight already, but I am willing to take the R&R when the Commander dishes it."

"Same here. Nothing much to make note of." Garrus decided not to mention his unfriendly encounter with Avala to Jacob. He turned back to face the map, attempting to draw an imaginary route to the Normandy's dock with his finger. "Say, you know how to get back to the Normandy from here, right?"

"I sure do." Jacob walked forward, examining the map with Garrus. "You take Citadel Rapid Transit to this ward here, and from there, you just ride the elevator up, walk through here, and there is the Normandy's docking location."

Garrus gave Jacob an appreciative nod. "Thanks, Jacob. You want to go back to the Normandy with me?"

Jacob nodded. "Sure, why not. Citadel is boring as heck anyways."

As the two were about to turn away from the map, a female voice rang out behind them. "Say... I don't want to butt in... but are you Garrus Vakarian?"

Garrus turned around. He gasped slightly. Ashley Williams?

Thane emerged from the cell. By his side was Kolyat. "Shepard, after some discussion, my son has agreed to be a member of the Normandy. Given our current struggle against the Reapers, I thought we could use an extra hand. And of course, I can keep an eye on him as well."

Shepard nodded. "But, Thane, aren't there any better options available? Do you really want your son sticking out his neck for this? Perhaps boarding school, or some other form of employment might be an option?"

Thane folded his arms behind his back. "Kolyat understands the risks that he will be undertaking for this mission. However, regardless of the risks involved, I want to spend as much time with him as possible before I die. And Kolyat, having no few skills beyond operating a pistol, will be better off fighting the Reapers than doing-"

Kolyat put his hand up, interrupting his father. "Father, I can speak for myself. My father is right; I can't conceivably do much besides handing a gun. Commander Shepard, I beg you to consider my offer. Otherwise, I'll just drift back onto the streets... I will pledge loyalty to you and your cause, so long as you consider my request."

Shepard found himself impressed by the youth's maturity, which had measurably increased from the last time he saw Kolyat. "Very well, Kolyat. You may join me and my crew, so long as you are willing to obey orders on my ship."

The youth nodded in agreement.

Thane stepped forward and extended his hand. Shepard shook it in reciprocation. "Thank you, Shepard. Your decision means much to me. I will not fail you, and neither will Kolyat. Bless Arashu."

Shepard, Tali, Thane, and Kolyat returned to the Normandy just as dawn was rising across the arms of the Citadel. As Shepard emerged from the airlock, Joker walked over from the pilot's console to greet them. "Oh, hey Commander! You won't guess who just showed up when Garrus and Jacob came back!"

"Who?" Shepard demanded.

"Well... why don't I let her re-introduce herself?" Joker motioned his arm towards the walkway that led to the CIC. Shepard squinted his eyes somewhat. A slim female figure was sauntering towards them.

Hmm, Shepard thought. She looks... familiar... Is it her? It is...

Ashley Williams.

Ashley strode towards Shepard and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek. "Hey, skipper! Never anticipated my coming-back, did you? I am certain we have some catching-up to do. Oh, and hey, Tali."

Tali's stomach turned itself over. She felt queasy the moment Ashley gave Shepard that kiss. So the rumors were true, the quarian thought anxiously. Although the word had not come to her mind her yet, she was already exhibiting the first signs of romantic jealousy.

Tali steadied herself, forcing a smile on her lips and making a few scant words of friendliness with her tongue. "Hello, Ashley," she said semi-bitterly. Her fists clenched slightly.

Shepard looked nervously at both women, unsure of what to do. But Ashley was tugging his arm. "Come on, Shepard. I think I owe you an explanation for what happened on Horizon. Your ship's cook agreed to make a special dinner for us."

Although Shepard did not want to, his legs suddenly rose into motion, like a jerky old car roaring back to life again. Ashley grasped his hand and put her other arm around his waist. Shepard dared not to look back at Tali, much less her face.

Tears trickled out of Tali's eyes. She walked quickly towards the airlock door, and disappeared into the airlock, shuttering the airlock door behind her. Thane heard faint sobbing behind the airlock door.

Kolyat scratched his head. "Where did that quarian run off to?"

Thane shook his head. "She needs some time to herself, Kolyat. Come along, I'll show you your quarters."

As Thane and his son slowly walked towards the CIC, Joker sat there, musing about Tali's sudden disappearance into the airlock. The source of her sudden breakdown was not unknown to him. "I've always wondered, EDI: Are some romances always broken because people have to make choices on who their ultimate partners will be?"

EDI's avatar popped up on the pilot's console. "Not always, Jeff. But it is a major cause. Jealousy is one common trait that all organics share."

"Can AIs get jealous, too?"

"Answering such a question is outside of my capacity, Jeff."

"Bullshit, EDI."

"I'm serious."

"I'm going to look this up on the extranet, okay? Not going to bug you anymore, since you obviously don't have an answer." Joker opened up the extranet browser on his console.

The airlock door opened. Tali emerged from it. Joker turned around. "You okay, Tali?" Tali didn't answer him. She was strolling towards the CIC at a steady pace.

"Tali'Zorah needs to be left alone for a time, Jeff. I recommend that you refrain from talking to her until this matter has resolved itself," EDI observed.

"Geez... Never knew women could be so touchy..." Joker replied.

"Are you saying something about me, Jeff?"

Joker snickered. "Of course not, EDI... but your comment has just confirmed my suspicions... AIs can get jealous..."

"That is a lie. I was merely confused over whether or not you were referring to Tali'Zorah or me."

"How can you get confused? When I said 'woman', I meant Tali. Get your definitions straight," Joker retorted.

EDI gave a sigh. "Whatever you will, Jeff. Whatever you will."

A/N: Welcome to the end of another long chapter. I apologize for the delay, but I was quite busy the last few weeks with work and such. Yes, the story is still in exposition mode, but I do hope to get the story moving by the time Chapter 7 rolls along.

Regarding the whole Tali/Ashley conflict, I intend for Tali to show off the strong side of her personality in the next chapter. She won't be doing any more crying for a long time to come.

I have some good plans for Kolyat and Thane as well, since they were heavily featured in this chapter. Same with Garrus. As always, I welcome reviews of all stripes, as they encourage me to keep writing.

Until next time, take care.