Author's Note: Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay in updating, but Thanksgiving and schoolwork prevented me from writing until now. Three things I quickly wanted to address from the reviews. First, unfortunately, no one will be getting plot armor. Since I'm no longer constrained by official canon, anyone can die at any time. Second, regarding the female quarian receptionist's behavior towards Clark. She didn't know he was a Cerberus operative, as he was undercover and wearing plain civilian clothes. To her, all she saw was an attractive human man. Third, regarding Shepard being put in a public hospital. The Normandy crew didn't have a lot of options, so a public hospital was their best choice. I should have clarified this, but it is not public information that Shepard is at this hospital. Cerberus only knew about it from their sources. So when Clark asked the receptionist about Shepard, she wrongly assumed that he had been allowed to know. Thanks for the reviews, hope this helped clarify any confusion!
11/15/2186
Kadmon'iyr, Rannoch
Shepard and Tali laid together on the hospital bed, snuggled up close. His recovery was almost complete, and he was happy that he was able to wear real clothes now. The hospital gown had been a little too open for his liking. They were watching Blasto 6: Partners in Crime, and laughing at how terrible it was. The film had released just prior to the Reaper War, and the couple hadn't gotten a chance to see it. They had seen the equally horrendous previous five Blasto movies, and made a deal to watch future installments together for fun. The two soon-to-be lifemates were so focused on how bad the movie was that they almost didn't notice the door open. In walked two Alliance marines, followed by Admiral Hackett.
Shepard paused the movie and quickly saluted, "Admiral Hackett, it's good to see you, sir."
"I think I should be the one saying that, Commander. Considering the reports regarding your condition after firing the Crucible, I'm glad to see you awake." Hackett responded, returning the salute. "Admiral Zorah, it's good to see you too. I'm glad you're keeping Shepard company."
Tali suddenly remembered that no one outside the Normandy crew was aware of her relationship with Shepard. She realized the intimate position they were in, and quickly hopped out of the bed and onto the nearby couch. Hackett smirked, he had heard the rumors about their relationship, and this confirmed it.
"Good to see you too, Admiral Hackett." Tali replied.
Hackett nodded to the two marines, who promptly exited the room and shut the door behind them.
He glanced at the vidscreen, "Blasto, huh? I hate to interrupt such a quality film, but this won't take long."
Shepard and Tali both caught the sarcasm in his remark.
"Shepard, there's some important matters I'd like to discuss. The first is the future of your career in the Alliance." Hackett continued. "The Alliance would like you back in command of the Normandy once you've recovered, that'll come with a long-overdue promotion to the rank of captain. You don't have to give an answer now, we just want you to know that the offer is there."
Shepard looked over at Tali, and took one of her hands in his. He gave her a smile and a nod.
Shepard turned back to Hackett, "That's a very generous offer, sir, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline. I'm planning on retiring from the Alliance Navy, I made some promises to someone that I intend to keep."
Tali quietly let out a sigh of relief. She knew that Shepard intended to retire after the war, that was implied in the promises he made to her. However, he had been in the service since he was 18, it was all he had known for the past 14 years. Tali was afraid that given the opportunity, Shepard would return to the only life he had known. She of course would've fully supported him no matter his decision, but she saw firsthand the toll that 14 years of fighting and killing had taken on him. Not only that, but with Tali's new duties as admiral, she wouldn't be able to go with him. She couldn't imagine not being at Shepard's side during firefights. But he was closing that chapter of his life, and starting a new one.
Shepard barely heard Tali's sigh of relief, and knew he had made the right choice. He was tired of fighting, tired of killing. Shepard had taken plenty of bad out of the galaxy, and now was ready to add some good to it. He was ready to settle down with Tali, and build a family with her. Shepard was 32, after all, and wasn't getting any younger. Now was the time.
"I completely understand, Commander. If anyone in the Alliance deserves retirement, it's you." Hackett said with a smile. "The Alliance, the whole galaxy, owes you a debt we can never repay. An honorable discharge is the least the Alliance can do to show our gratitude for your service."
"Thank you, sir. I don't regret anything about my time in the Alliance Navy, it's just time to move on." Shepard replied.
"I'll pull some strings to get you that promotion to captain anyway, God knows you've earned it. Now, onto the second matter I'd like to discuss." Hackett added. "The Alliance has one more favor to ask of you. In order to help restore the galaxy to a sense of normalcy, we'd like you to go on a victory media tour."
"What would that entail?" Shepard asked.
"You'd give a few press conferences, go on some popular late-night talk shows. Make appearances at some sporting events, all paid for by the Alliance, of course." Hackett explained. "You were the face of the fight against the Reapers, Shepard. If the galaxy sees you doing these things, then it'll really sink in that the war is over."
Shepard thought about it for a minute before responding.
"I'll do it, but with two conditions. First, Tali gets to come with me wherever I go." Shepard stated.
Tali wasn't expecting that, "Are you sure, John?"
"Think about it, Tali. The galaxy needs to know the contributions that you and the quarian people made towards defeating the Reapers." he explained. "What better way to show them than having you come with me on this tour?"
Tali got nervous at the prospect of being on vidscreens across the galaxy. She had never been one to enjoy the spotlight, and this would be the biggest spotlight possible.
Tali looked down at her feet, "I don't know… what if I get nervous on screen? What if I…"
Shepard squeezed her hand, "It'll be alright, I'll be right there next to you if you get nervous. I know how to handle the media."
He gave her a reassuring smile. She couldn't help but smile back, and knew that he was right.
"Okay, I'm in." Tali agreed, overcoming her self-doubts.
"That condition won't be a problem, Commander. What's your second one?" Hackett asked.
Shepard smiled, "I need a few weeks here on Rannoch before I can go. I have some… business I need to attend to."
"Done, the tour can start a month from now. Thank you, Shepard, I'm sure you're aware how much the galaxy needs this. Well, that's all I needed for today, I wanted to discuss this in person." Hackett responded. "I wish I could stay longer, but unfortunately I'm needed elsewhere. It was good to see you both, tell the rest of your crew that the Alliance and the Council are extremely grateful for their contributions. Keep recovering, Commander, I'll see you and Admiral Zorah in a month."
Hackett saluted the two of them first, a surprising occurrence given the lower rank always salutes first. Shepard and Tali returned the gesture, and Hackett exited the room.
Once the door had closed and the two were alone, Tali promptly resumed her position lying next to Shepard on the bed.
She asked, "John, what did you mean when you said you have business to attend to here on Rannoch?"
Why wait any longer? Now seems like a perfectly good time. Shepard thought. He smiled, "Come on, follow me. Let's go to the courtyard."
Shepard didn't need any help standing this time, which Tali was thankful for. He took her hand in his, and the two began walking to the courtyard. Tali thought she had an idea of what he was doing, but didn't want to get her hopes up in case she was wrong. That didn't stop the butterflies from rising in her stomach. She didn't know it, but Shepard had butterflies in his stomach as well. The couple stepped out into the courtyard, feeling the same sensations they felt two days ago. Shepard turned to face Tali, a huge smile on his face. He took both her hands in his, and looked lovingly into her glowing eyes. Shepard prayed that the information he had found on the extranet was reliable.
"Tali'Zorah vas Normandy nar Rayya, my soul has completely and forever joined with your's. Will you journey with me through this life and the next?" he proposed, in near-perfect Khelish.
During the Reaper War, Shepard had done a good amount of research into quarian relationships. Through this research, he discovered that phrase was the traditional way for quarians to propose. Shepard had practiced reciting that phrase countlessly over the previous months, wanting to propose to Tali in her native tongue. He just hoped that he hadn't butchered the pronunciation. Tali heard clearly what Shepard had said, but it took a moment for it to fully register in her mind.
Am I dreaming, is this really happening? she wondered.
Shepard, the love of her life, had just asked her to be his lifemate. The moment she had dreamed of since she was a little girl, and had dreamed of with specifically Shepard in mind since they began their relationship, was finally happening. Not only that, but he had taken the time to propose to her in her people's traditional manner, and in her native tongue. Tears of joy began to well in her eyes, as the future she desired so badly was becoming a reality. The smile on her face was bigger than Shepard's.
"John'Shepard vas Normandy nar Mindoir, my soul will never again be complete without your's. Let us journey together through this life and the next." she answered, using the traditional acceptance phrase.
Tali quickly took off her visor, not wanting to waste this moment. With both hands she pulled Shepard towards her, and kissed him with as much passion and love as she could muster. He returned the kiss with just as much emotion. Every moment they had shared together, from their fateful meeting in the alley to the present, had been leading up to this. Their souls had started becoming attached to each other since they met, and over time had fully united. Now, they were going to put their unwavering commitment and dedication to each other on display for the rest of the galaxy to see. They were going to be lifemates, and nothing, not even death itself, would ever break them apart.
The two separated for air, and Shepard jokingly asked, "Are you sure you want to do this? There's no backing out afterward."
Tali giggled, "Yes, I'm sure, you bosh'tet! Keelah, yes!"
The two kissed again, with just as much feeling as the first time. In that moment, the only thing in the whole universe that mattered to them was each other.
11/16/2186
Kadmon'iyr, Rannoch
Like most smaller cities, Kadmon'iyr was quiet at 02:00. Most of the buildings had yet to be occupied by the returning quarians. Considering only a small fraction of a fraction of the quarians that had lived on Rannoch prior to the Morning War actually returned, most buildings would remain empty for quite some time. It was a situation that the Cerberus operatives would exploit. Two shuttles, each carrying half of the Cerberus special forces operatives, flew into the city. They landed a few blocks away from the hospital, the operatives would proceed on foot to minimize their chance of being detected. The shuttle carrying Damien, Thomas Walker, Dimitri Gusev, and Omar Marwani landed first, a couple miles from the hospital. The four disembarked, and secured the landing area as the VI-piloted shuttle flew off. Considering there wasn't anyone nearby, that task was relatively easy. The squad then waited for five minutes, looking for any signs that their arrival had been noticed. It was five minutes of complete silence.
Satisfied that they had landed undetected, Damien radioed in for the other squad to land.
"Hunter 2, this is Hunter 1. LZ is cold, you're clear to land." he reported.
"Roger that, Hunter 1. ETA two minutes." the voice of Clark responded.
True to his estimation, the shuttle carrying Sebastian, Tanaka, Hernandez, and Lukas Müller, arrived two minutes later. Those four exited the shuttle, and took up defensive positions just like Hunter 1. The operatives waited another five minutes, still no sign of detection.
"Alright, looks like we're good. Everyone, move out." Damien ordered.
Clark glanced around at the group, still getting used to seeing the group wearing Blue Suns combat armor. The plan was to quietly infiltrate the hospital, eliminate Shepard, and get off Rannoch before anyone knew what was happening. In the event that they actually had contact with security forces, Damien wanted to shift the blame away from Cerberus. He wanted the organization's survival to remain a secret for the time being. So instead of their usual black combat armor with Cerberus logos on the shoulders, the operatives had donned stolen Blue Suns gear. Even the shuttles had had their Cerberus logos painted over.
The eight operatives traversed the two miles to the hospital on foot, weaving through alleys to avoid detection. When they arrived at the plaza where the hospital was located, the team entered one of the abandoned buildings around the plaza, which was a few stories taller than the hospital. They silently made their way up the flights of stairs until they reached the roof. Damien was first through the access door, sweeping his suppressed Mattock assault rifle from right to left, searching for any targets. Finding none, he signaled the rest of the team to come out. Damien motioned for them to follow him, and the eight crouched down behind a low wall at the edge of the roof. Clark pulled out his sniper rifle, he had a clear view of the hospital roof from this position. He scanned the roof for any targets, and found it empty.
"Roof's clear." Sebastian reported.
Damien nodded, "Tanaka, you're up."
Haruki grabbed the harpoon launcher from his back, and fired it at the hospital roof. The harpoon sailed through the air and dug deep into the concrete. Tanaka took the cable that was attached to the harpoon and secured it to a ventilation shaft on the roof of the building they were on.
Damien tugged on the rope to make sure it was taut. Everyone took out their pulleys as he attached his to the cable. Damien walked back a few yards in order to get a running start. He grabbed hold of the pulley, sprinted toward the edge of the roof, and jumped off. Using gravity to his advantage, Damien zip-lined across the plaza to the hospital. Once he was over the roof, he dropped down and landed with a combat roll. Damien pointed his assault rifle at the hospital roof access door, waiting for the unlucky bastard who would come up and check out the noise. No one came. Looking up at the other operatives, he gave the hand signal for them to follow. One by one, the rest of the team ziplined across the plaza and onto the roof.
When they had all crossed, Damien turned to Walker, "Walker, you remember the plan?"
"Yes, sir. Marwani, Gusev, Müller, and myself are to hold this rooftop as our new LZ." he correctly answered. "If you four make contact, our secondary objective is to harass any reinforcements that arrive. We won't leave until you four show up."
Damien simply nodded in response.
Damien, Clark, Hernandez, and Tanaka made their way through the hospital's roof access door and into the stairwell. They silently descended to the first floor. Room 142 was the target, Damien had confirmed and reconfirmed it with Sebastian several times. Damien slowly opened the door to the hallway, peeking his head out to scope the area. Once again, there were no contacts.
"Hallway clear, move up." he ordered.
Damien thought nothing of it, but Clark couldn't help but feel that something was off. He had been at this hospital two days prior, and though it wasn't exactly busy then, there were still people moving about. Shepard wasn't the only patient in the building, there were plenty of them from various races.
"Damien, hold up. I don't like this." Sebastian stated in a whisper.
"What's the problem?" Damien asked, visibly annoyed.
Clark didn't appreciate his condescending tone, "The hospital shouldn't be this empty. We should've at least seen one person, but so far it's been completely quiet."
"In case you aren't aware, Clark, it's two in the goddamn morning! Of course it's going to be fucking quiet!" Damien whispered.
Sebastian was losing his patience, Damien's constant arrogance got on his nerves every single day.
"Move. Up. Now." Damien ordered.
Just like Clark, Damien too was losing his patience. Sebastian constantly second-guessed his decisions, as if he could do a better job leading.
What an asshole. they both thought about each other.
Hernandez and Tanaka observed the entire interaction, and were on Clark's side of the argument. Not only because they agreed that something felt wrong, but because they didn't approve of Damien. The two had talked about what Sebastian had said to them a few days ago, and decided that if push came to shove, they would side with him. They agreed that Damien's leadership wasn't the best course for Cerberus. However, they had no idea how Walker, Marwani, Gusev, and Müller felt, though it appeared as if they supported Damien's leadership. It was clear as day that Damien and Clark didn't trust each other. Ever since their attack on the asari cruiser, Damien had slowly been replacing Sebastian with Walker as his right hand man. This was exemplified by Damien choosing Thomas over Clark to lead what was now Hunter 2 on the roof. They figured it would only be a matter of time until he fully replaced Sebastian with Walker as his lieutenant. When that happened, one man would most likely kill the other. The two were on a collision course, one whose result would shape the future of Cerberus.
The four operatives quickly moved down the hallway. Having chosen the stairwell that was closest to room 142, they found themselves there in no time. The soldiers lined up along the wall, with Damien closest to the door. The door was closed and the blinds on the window were drawn. There was no light coming from the room, but the steady beeping of a heart rate monitor could be heard from inside.
"Just so we're clear, Shepard is mine." Damien commanded.
The other three operatives simply nodded in response. With his left hand, Damien grabbed the doorknob and turned it as slowly as he could. When the latch clicked, he carefully opened the door, keeping his rifle steady with his right hand. The light from the hallway illuminated a portion of the room. Despite the light not hitting it, the silhouette of the hospital bed could be seen. Damien counted down from three to one with his fingers. When he reached one, he flipped on the light switch and trained his rifle on the bed. The bed, along with the rest of the room, was empty.
