Joker was smiling and laughing as he laid down his cards, only for Kasumi to hold up a finger as she laid hers down, a Royal Flush.
"Cheat! You cheat!" the pilot shouted. "There is no way! No way I say!"
"Joker, you do know who you're playing with right?" Garrus sighed waving at those around the those sitting at a crate they were using as a table. Kenneth, Gabby, Kasumi, Zaeed and Jack were all playing this game of Skyllian Five. "At least it's not the Commander, she has a mean poker face."
The pilot scoffed. "As if her poker face would make a difference when the Yellow Power Ranger's involved," he said, gesturing towards the thief with his hand, earning a giggle from her.
"Yellow Power Ranger?" Garrus asked slowly, looking at the group of humans.
"It's an old vid series from the 1990's" Kasumi answered. "I might have lifted a set somewhere along the line I'll have to check." she chuckled. "Where is our glorious Red Ranger anyway?" Kasumi asked, "She did drop a line saying when she was coming back, right?" she eyed Liara who was pacing back and forth, even though she was off the ship, she was still restless.
Joker noticed the pacing asari too, and couldn't resist teasing at the scientist's expense. "Probably still hanging out with Hawke...taking in the sights...the sheets...if you catch my drift," he joked as Garrus dealt the next hand. "I mean, she and Shepard seemed to be getting along fine..."
Jack snorted. "Please,everyone on board can see that Shepard is hooked on Blue, like an addict on Red Sand," the prisoner commented, as she eyed her hand.
"Only you would know that." Garrus chuckled. "But I thought Red Sand doesn't affect biotics."
The tattooed woman shrugged. "I was able to get a buzz off of it, had to take insane amounts of the stuff though," she informed him. "The beauty of being a supercharged biotic like myself...I can get shitfaced and wake up the next morning perfectly fine."
Zaeed chuckled in his throat. "Wish I could do the same," he stated in his usual raspy voice, as he raised the pot.
"What is taking her so long," Liara wondered aloud as she continued to pace around the area. "It's been hours since we've heard from Shepard last."
"Well, someone certainly is worried," Joker said, as he called the raise. "I thought you were so upset with her for botching things up during the jump?" came the counter.
"I am." Liara growled. "I just want to give her a piece of my mind before I decide to flay her alive with it." she stopped pacing for a moment as her biotics flared. I"m just so...so..." she paused. "Cross! With her!"
"Cross? Really." Jack sounded bored. "That's all you could come up with?"
An amused chuckle came from Kasumi, as Liara sent the convict a glare. "I don't think the good doctor is one for swearing," she teased, as her eyes shined beneath her hood.
"I'm sure Jack would die if she didn't do her daily swears," the pilot chimed in with a snicker.
"Keep in mind Joker," Jack said turning her gaze towards him. "I'm close enough to where I can hurt you badly."
He scoffed. "And keep in mind, that you need my amazingly awesome flight skills to get us off this planet.
Unless of course, you're comfortable with ending out your days with the Ice Queen," he suggested, when he spotted the woman exiting the ship and heading towards them. As usual, Miranda did not look too pleased. The head of the Lazarus Project noted Liara who seemed to be at a breaking point before looking at Joker.
"Have you heard from the Commander?" she asked. "She's not answering my calls."
"That's what we were just goddamn talking about." Zaeed said. "Don't you have a tracker on her or something? You're the one that put her together again." he chuckled, Miranda rolled her eyes.
"The GPS is on her standard suit, she went out in that ruddy Edmonton Blood Dragons thing today. " Miranda sighed. "She never wears that into combat."
"Must be feeling homesick then." Joker quipped. "She's too damned patriotic for her own good."
"Maybe hoofing that forty kilometres doesn't sound too bad now," Jacob's voice floated over, before his body did. He'd been off the ship far longer than Miranda had been; he was discussing some things with Thane and Samara.
His chocolate orbs focused on Miranda. "Maybe we should gather a ground team and go find her?" he suggested. "It's unusual for the Commander to be out of communication this long, especially when it's not during a firefight."
"I doubt any of the meat bags on this planet could take down my Battlemaster, "Grunt stated, as he pumped his fists together. "She took down a Thresher Maw after all. The humans of this planet wouldn't stand a chance."
"The aggressive dinosaur's got a point," Joker agreed, as he looked up at the XO, who was pretty much in charge of the show with Shepard gone. "Not like they could take her down...and I'm pretty sure we'd have seen smoke on the horizon by now if that's the case."
"Unless they caught the Commander by surprise," Thane's rumbling voice filling the air as the drell spoke. "They seemed friendly enough, but we do not yet know their true nature. They could have taken her off guard."
"No!" Liara snapped as she stopped pacing. "The Commander cannot be taken down that easily!"
"May I also point out that not one of them had a gun on them?" Jacob said as Zaeed nodded along. "Even if they did get the jump on Shepard, they would still be bringing a knife to a gunfight."
"She's also adapted well to her biotics since she woke up." Garrus agreed with Jacob. "Back when were were fighting Saren, she kept insisting she was an Infiltrator. Couldn't sneak around to save her life. The changes you made Miranda, were for the better." he looked over at the XO who smiled for a second.
"I had the option to experiment." she shrugged her shoulders. "So I took it."
While everyone was busy discussing Shepard, Joker tried to get a look at Kasumi's hand. She noticed and smacked his hat down; pushing it over his eyes, giggling as he pulled back.
"Still, the point is, if Shepard does get taken down that easily, she deserves to be," Jack stated, earning a nod of agreement from Zaeed.
"Girl's got a point," he said aloud. "Let the woman enjoy her time out, in whatever ways that may be."
Those answered didn't satisfy Liara. "Well equipped or not, this is an uncharted cluster and we have no idea how others of this land will respond to her," she remarked. "I still think we should-" her sentence was cut off as she turned bumped into a body that hadn't been there.
It was unexpected, and both forms ending up tumbling to the ground; the asari ending up up the bottom. Finding a blade to her throat as she regained her bearings.
"Abomination..?" Sabrina asked slowly, casting her eyes up at the Commander. She didn't want to have a repeat of earlier, but she couldn't quell the reaction of having her blade at the creature's throat.
"Get off Doctor T'Soni, Hawke." Shepard said dryly as she used her biotics to push the rogue off before moving over to stand in front of Liara, holding her hand out to the Information Broker.
Varric chuckled as he came to stand behind Hawke. "You certainly do have a way with the ladies Serah," he teased, looking up at his taller friend.
"That's because of all those stories you tell about me," the rogue responded, as she sheathed her weapon. "Which Isabela is more than eager to tell me how many men and women are wanting me to share their beds."
She felt a body step behind her; breasts pressing into her back. Sabrina knew exactly which woman it was...she knew those funbags anywhere. "Oh, but I only speak the truth Hawke," Isabela said in a sultry tone, as her hands came around to the younger woman's front to play with Hawke's chest straps. "How come you don't take me and pin me to the ground like you did the abomination?" came the tease.
Sabrina let out an amused chuckle, looking over her shoulder at the woman. "Because my dear Isabela," making sure to draw out the woman's name. "It would be too easy to get you onto your back, because you'd do all my favourite parts," she teased.
Laughing loudly when the pirate stepped away from her, slapping the rogue on the shoulder.
"Abomination?" Liara all but snarled as she let Shepard help her up, but she pushed the Commander aside after that. "What did you just call me?" she marched her way up to Hawke and Isabela. "I'll have you know that-"
"Doctor T'Soni." Liara was stopped by Shepard, turning around to face the woman who hardly looked amused. "They did the same to Garrus."
"But they called me... Dark? Dark..." he couldn't pronounce the word, with it being English and his translator unable to pick up the word, but that wasn't enough for the good doctor, with a flare of botics Shepard found herself flipping through the air like a rag doll before crashing on the ground with a groan.
"What the hell T'Soni?!" Shepard shouted as she sat back up.
T'Soni pointed a glowing finger at Hawke, who looked just as confused as the other members of her group. They'd never seen an Abomination glow blue before-even Anders didn't do that when he lost control; they had also never encountered one that seemed to speak.
Or, what they assumed spoke.
Words were rapidly falling from the blue skinned doctor that none of them understood. Shepard seemed to understand though, as she was responding; thankfully, a translator wasn't needed to be able to tell when people were having an argument.
"You certainly travel with some strange company Serah," Varric voiced as he glanced over at the Commander, who had finally pulled herself from the ground. "First darkspawn and now abominations?" he questioned, giving a shake of his head and shrug of his shoulders. "I suppose next you'll have a companion that's an Archdemon?"
Isabela eyed the heated doctor curiously. "Well...if their ship can't be stripped for parts, maybe we could take the Abomination off their hands?" she mused aloud. "I'm sure there would be magisters interested in having one so...unique."
"YOU'RE TRYING TO SELL ME AS A SLAVE?!" Liara screeched loudly, jerking back, as she turned quickly to glare at the pirate; who did not understand a word of the gibberish coming from the creature's mouth.
Sabrina just shook her head. "Come now Isabela, we all know how you feel about people being enslaved," she pointed out. "Even you have morals...loose as they may be." A small, amused smirk coming to play on her lips as she eyed her dark skinned companion.
The look Hawke sported on her face caused Liara to snap, as she focused back on the rogue. She jabbed the younger woman in the chest with her finger as she shouted at the rogue. Sabrina stared at her in confusion before, leaning to look past the creature.
"Um...I'm going to take a guess and assume that...it..." Sea green eyes observing the body in front of her. "...sheeee...is upset with me?" speaking to the Commander.
"T'Soni!" Shepard snapped, ignoring Isabela and grabbing the asari by her shoulders, Liara wasn't having any of it, quickly striking the Commander with her biotics, knocking the redhead's feet out from underneath as she fell face first on the ground.
"Oh this is good, too good." Jack commented from where she sat. "I didn't think Blue had a dark side!" she clapped her hands once as Shepard picked herself up off the ground before throwing a wave of biotics back at Liara, the asari blocking them with a quick barrier as they started to circle each other, their fight returning back at full force.
"How was I supposed to know!" Shepard shouted after Liara was done shouting. "You've been giving me the cold shoulder since Illium!" Biotics flared up while Shepard summoned her Tech Armour.
"This is going to get good." Zaeed commented, Hawke's team suddenly forgotten. "Bout time them lasses fight it out," as he put his cards down and grabbed his drink, before focusing on the two biotics.
He then cast a glance at Jack. "That just leaves you and the Cheerleader," titling his head about both women in question.
The convict smirked. "Hey, I'm totally game for that," she agreed wholeheartedly. "Haven't had any action in days and I think Cerberus's bitch could offer me a fairly decent challenge.
Up for having your ass handed to you?" Jack taunted, as she looked at the XO who was frowning deeply at her. "And, you've got the advantage of me not killing you until after the mission that will keep you alive."
Miranda's response was a quick swipe at the tattooed woman's head. Jack dodged, rolling onto the ground before standing up and charging her powers; a smirk on her face as she eyed Miranda, as her body glowed it's familiar blue.
"Touch a nerve?" Jack mocked in amusement.
"Looks like our Game Night, just turned into Fight Night," Kasumi commented, somewhat amused at the turn of events. "Glad to see we can turn N7 Code of Honour: Medal of Duty into the real deal," she added with a laugh.
"I do so love a good brawl," Isabela announced, as she and the rest of her companions watched the two fights unfold.
She was met with nods of agreement...even from Bethany. "Think we might have to start hanging out here instead of the Hanged Man Rivani," the storyteller remarked. "Imagine what they get like when more ale is involved."
"Liara just listen!" Shepard shouted as both her Omni-Tools crackled, one with an Overload and the other with a Cyro Blast. "We'll get the Shadow Broker when we get back! I'll get Feron back!"
"By then it might be too late!" Liara shouted as Shepard quickly moved to the side to dodge a biotic throw before shocking the asari and forcing her cooldown time to take a little longer. 'We had the perfect window! And your boss just had to go mess it all up!"
"It was the Collectors!" Shepard returned unleashing a Cyro that was blocked again by the barrier. "I wasn't about to pass that up!" she was almost tempted to go for her pistol, but she would never be able to pull the trigger on her. "You know what I'm trying to do Liara!" she relaxed her stance, and that was her mistake, Shepard found herself caught in a singularity field and with a single warp was sent off flying clear over the docked Normandy.
Varric and Zaeed whistled at the same time.
Right afterwards Liara turned on the other two biotics, capturing them in stasis fields and pulling them apart.
"Wow...just wow..." was all Joker had to say. He'd never seen Liara this pissed before...it was actually frightening; especially how easily she managed to pull Jack and Miranda apart.
"Sister...shouldn't we try and stop them?" Bethany suggested, earning her sibling's attention. "I mean...won't all this noise attract attention?"
The rogue nodded, showing she got her sister's point. "We're further than we were from the Dalish and the city...so they shouldn't risk trouble. Sundermount already unnerves people as it is, so with luck, people will just chalk it up to the mysteries of this place," she responded before looking back out at the scene.
"Besides...somehow I think they need this. It wouldn't be my place to interrupt," she added in.
"Well, aren't you the insightful little thing," came a new voice, as Kasumi appeared among them. "Shep and Liara have been at odds for a while, it's was only a matter of time before it blew up on them." she chuckled. "As for the other two, it's always been like that."
"I think that's enough fighting for one day." Jacob spoke up when he saw all three of the biotics. "The Commander is missing, again." he looked over at the general direction Shepard had been thrown. "Shouldn't go check to make sure she wasn't killed my mistake?"
"A little fall won't kill her." Liara spat as she dropped the other two women. "She's done worse." Liara moved away from the humans. "She should learn to keep in contact with her crew!" she stormed around in the spot, raising her hands slightly to grip the back of her head. "She's changed!"
"You've changed too Liara." Garrus went out and pointed it out. "It's two years of mourning, two years being dead. It changes everyone."
The asari was silenced from his words, mainly because what he said was true. She didn't want to be angry at Shepard, she knew it wasn't the Commander's fault; but, Liara wanted to blame someone.
Shepard for running off and being a hero, herself for not sticking it out to help the Commander; hell, she even wanted to blame Joker for not leaving the bridge and forcing the redhead to go and save him. Had any of those things happened, perhaps Shepard wouldn't have died in the first place.
"What are they saying?" Sabrina asked of the thief, who was just leaning casually against her person.
"That's right, you don't understand them." Kasumi grinned. "Liara's just complaining that the Commander has changed over the last two years, Garrus was just pointing out that death and mourning tend to change people. Sometimes not always for the better."
The dwarf made a noise. "I see...but shouldn't we go find Serah, before she ends up being some critter's lunch, or worse?" he suggested.
Before anyone could respond, Shepard came trudging into the camp; her armour a little scuffed up because of the crash.
"Never mind then," the marksman corrected.
"Shepard's a fighter." Kasumi said. "It will take a lot to kill her." she stepped back before cloaking again, always finding it amusing to just drop in on conversations like so. Liara ran up to Shepard but the Commander wasn't even going to listen. The asari soon found herself caught in a biotic field before being blasted back into a pile of stacked crates.
"Now we're even." Shepard snarled.
"Looks like this is going to be as long as War and Peace," Joker quipped, when Liara came charging out of the crates. Glowing blue and charging toward Shepard. "Should I have EDI fix us popcorn while we watch this show?"
With Liara focused back on Shepard, Jack and Miranda were free to go right back at one another. Garrus sighed. "Welcome to the biotic wars," the Turian breathed out as he watched four of their seven biotics go at one another.
"Too bad we aren't on the Citadel...people would pay good money to see this," the thief commented in amusement, as the biotics clashed; the energy radiating over them and washing over those watching from the sidelines.
"I...I've never seen magic used in this way before," the mage of Hawke's group stated, as she felt their energy washing over her. "It's like...it's like feeling lyrium in waves," she added in.
"The Chantry would have a field day if they ever saw this," Isabela said as she watched the fight, more specifically. "Her armour...I've seen it somewhere before...right! That's the Blood Dragon Armour the warden wore when I encountered him," she pointed out.
Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "How in the name of the seven seas did she get it though?" she wondered aloud, as Shepard got Liara trapped in some type of paralysis field; the blue Asari floating off the ground. "It was only a single set made and Codie was the only one to have it."
"Shepard!" Jacob shouted, when he noticed the Commander's control slipping. "You've got to calm down!"
The shout was enough to pull Miranda and Jack out of their fight, crates and rocks being dropped as they looked over at their leader. Shepard was still holding onto Liara, trying to pull forth more of her power.
"Shepard! Stop!" Miranda shouted. "Your implants aren't made to take that kind of strain!" but it was too late. Liara had counterattacked the biotics, causing another explosion forcing them both back and away from each other. Shepard banging against the hull of the Normandy while Liara took out a tent.
"Maker's breath," Bethany breathed out, coughing a bit at the dust that had been kicked up. "I've never been more thankful that they are away from Kirkwall than in this moment.
Can you just image what the Templars would do?!" she demanded to know of her companions. "The entire city would be in an uproar, and would support wholeheartedly killing the mages, or worse, making them Tranquil," shuddering at the thought, recalling what had happened to Anders's friend Karl.
The dwarf among them dusted off his coat as he took in the scene. "Well...I don't think they'll be doing anymore damage...tonight at least," his voice carrying over the area, as he looked at both where Shepard, and this Liara, had landed.
Shepard was still on the ground while Liara had at least managed to pull herself to her feet.
"I'll be inside the ship." Liara growled before stalking off, still fuming while Shepard slowly started to move again, groaning.
"Liara, wait." Shepard called out, stopping the asari. She slowly turned to face the Commander who was pushing herself back up onto her feet. "I'm sorry." she said. "I shouldn't have pushed you like that back on Illium." she looked up at her. "Two years, is a long time."
Hawke watched the interaction curiously. Her head tilting to the side, as the observed. "Such a strange abomination that doesn't kill it's victims," she remarked, gaining the asari's attention. "First a darkspawn that isn't a darkspawn and now this," gesturing toward Liara.
"How did you manage this Serah?" she asked of the Commander.
"Her name isn't Serah." Liara commented dryly, Shepard chuckled while forcing herself up onto her feet, slow in her movements. "Shepard?" she looked at the redhead.
"Never more grateful for that bone weave." Shepard answered as she stood up. "That last impact probably would have broken something." she exhaled slowly, Liara moved over to the Commander to support her, both of them smiling.
"I'm sorry Shepard." Liara spoke. "It's just..." she stopped when Shepard hushed her.
"We'll make up for it later." she told the Information Broker. "Right now." she groaned as Liara helped her over to sit down on a smaller crate. "I think the Normandy hates me."
Indeed I do Shepard, EDI agreed through her Omni-Tool, earning a chuckle from the Commander.
"...and so the battle was done, and the Commander and Abomination found themselves a common ground between them," Varric narrated. "As the Commander whispered promises of things to come."
Sabrina simply laughed out loud at that, as she approached the pair. She reached into her satchel and pulled out a vial of blue, glowing liquid; offering it up to the Commander.
"What is this?" Shepard asked while Liara fiddled with her Omni-Tool, eventually bringing up a program that would help the natives understand them.
"It almost looked like liquified Eezo." Liara spoke looking away from her program for a moment. "I thought there was no Element Zero here."
Sabrina gave her a confused look, as her eyebrows knitted together, before turning her attention back to the Commander. "It'll help replenish your mana pools. Bethany looks the same way when she has really worked her mana...this will take care of that.
You'll have to down the whole vile though," she explained, looking rather sheepish about it. "Does the Liar want one?" Pointing at the asari.
Joker choked on his laughter, as he carefully hit the table.
"I'm not a liar!" Liara fumed while Shepard reached out and took the vial from her hands. The smart part of her brain was telling her to scan it first, but the stupid part said just drink it.
So she listened to the stupid part of her self, and took it like a shot.
And regretted it right afterwards as she felt her biotics spike and her implants burn, doubling over just before Liara caught her.
"Shepard!" she cried out just as her Omni-Tool beeped, her translation program online. "Shepard! What's going on!?" Shepard didn't answer as Miranda walked over, picking up the vial and scanned it, reeling on Hawke seconds later.
"You gave her pure Eezo? Are you insane?!" she shouted.
"Whoa! The Abomination can talk now?!" Sabrina exclaimed in surprise, completely ignoring Miranda's question, as her eyes were trained on the creature.
The rest of her companions were stunned just as well. "No one will ever believe this Varric," Isabela spoke to her partner in crime. "Even the drunkest of men will call you a liar."
"That doesn't matter." Garrus spoke up. "We need to get the Commander to Doctor Chakwas now." he was stern in his voice while the rest of the ground team crew moved to surround their leader. "We all know the effects overdosing on Red Sand and Minagen X3 can have on a human. It's toxic."
"That was pure Eezo mixed with... water?" Miranda blinked as she read the scan. "That can't be right."
The mage of Hawke's group spoke up. "I don't understand," she stated, gesturing toward the Commander. "She uses a form of magic, so a lyrium potion should not be harmful to her," she pointed out.
"Sunshine's right," Varric agreed. "Lyrium potions are only harmful to those who do not possess mana...and those are effects that won't show up for years," came the additional comment.
Sabrina studied the ailing redhead for a few moments. "Sorry, I did not take into account that she would not be able to stand the concentration," she apologized, before casting a glance at her sister. "Would you mind draining her sister?" came the request.
The golden eyed Hawke nodded in agreement. Channelling her magic, she focused on the Commander, a dark glow encompassing her hand. She then raised it towards Shepard and began slowly lowering the woman's mana levels. "Tell me when they get back down to a comfortable level for you," directing her words towards Shepard.
"What is she doing?" Tali asked as she approached the group, watching as Shepard's breathing returned to normal and the Commander regained control of her movements before reaching to the back of her neck and pulling out a small device and chucking it on the ground before gasping, her entire biotic aura dying off.
"Fuck!" Shepard swore. "I swore off drugs back when I enlisted!" she looked up at Hawke, still breathing rather hard as she pushed Bethany back. "You lied to me when you said you didn't have Eezo!"
Hawke stepped forward to stand before her sister. "I didn't lie!" Sabrina snapped back with a low growl. "I gave you a lyrium potion," pointing toward the empty vial. "Not that Ezio that you keep going on about."
"Element Zero!" Shepard snapped as she stood back up, her body trying to flare her biotics, but with no amp it hardly gave off the flare it should. She stumbled forward and Garrus caught her. Shepard didn't move after that.
"She's unconscious." the Turian spoke. "I'll take her to Doctor Chakwas." he easily lifted her up and started back towards the Normandy, leaving the others. Liara moved over to Miranda and took the vile.
"It's not exactly, Element Zero, but it's pretty damned close." the dark haired woman said. "It gave Shepard the same reaction a non-biotic would get after taking Red Sand."
"Wait." Jacob held his hand up. "I thought Red Sand and Minagen doesn't affect biotics, I mean, sure, the stronger stuff can make you stronger for a moment, but the reaction Shepard had..."
'It was both reactions." Liara said. "Shepard was never a true biotic originally." she pointed at Miranda. "But you gave her those abilities when you rebuilt her."
"She's an artificial biotic." Miranda stated, repeating what she had said earlier. "You can hardly tell, she's adapted rather quick for someone with no training, it might be because of her Prothean Cipher, I don't know."
"Can someone please explain to me, what in the name of the seven veils, is going on?!" Isabela demanded to know as she cut in on the conversation.
Not that her companions could fault her. They were just as curious as to what happened to Shepard; a Mage had never responded badly to a lyrium potion before.
The two scientists looked up at the pirate.
"Maybe, if you all stop calling me an abomination." Liara said darkly.
"I suppose that's fair," Sabrina conceded. "But, if you aren't an abomination...then what are you?"
"Normally, if we run into something as different as you Serah, it's usually trying to kill us," the marksman pointed out with a chuckle at the thought.
Liara looked at them before holding her hand out much like how Shepard did when introducing herself. "Doctor Liara T'Soni, Asari, one of the four Council Races." She was surprised at the force Sabrina met her had with; doing the same as Anders had done with Shepard and embracing the woman's forearm.
"What is an Azari exactly?" Bethany asked shyly, looking at Liara. Not to mention her eyes taking in the other non-abominations around them.
"The Asari are just another race." Kasumi appeared behind Liara, leaning on her shoulder. "A long lived, mono-gendered race with exceptional leaders and biotics." she disappeared.
"Hey! Not cool Kasumi!" Tali called out before realizing the attention was turned to her. "Keelah."
"I don't suppose these new introductions can be done over drinks?" Varric suggested, looking at the Normandy crew members.
Under request, Gardner had pulled out the keg of beer they had stashed away and some of the hard liquor had been pulled out. It was the starting of a party, people trying to mingle but the natives still stood out.
"Rivani, stop looking at my chest, my eyes are up here," Varric told the pirate, noticing where her eyes had fallen once more.
"But the chest hair..."
"Do you know how much I suffer under your gaze? I am a person, not an object!" The dwarf insisted.
Isabela gave him a curious look. "Um, Varric..."
He then burst out laughing. "Just shitting you Rivani!" He admitted.
"They are taking this rather well." Samara spoke softly when the Commander walked past. "First Contact usually only ends in war."
"Then I will count my blessings." Shepard answered, just catching a ghost of a smile on the Justicar's lips. Shepard knocked back the rest of her drink and moved on to the game of Skyillian Five Joker had started up again.
"You are awfully quite Serah...Lawzon?" Sabrina remarked, looking to the woman to see if she had remembered the name correctly.
Miranda was standing away from the group and Sabrina had come across her accidentally while she strolled around the ship.
"Lawson." Miranda corrected as she glanced away from Hawke and towards the others. Samara aside, the only other one not interested in the party was Mordin, he had gleefully taken some of the Lyrium potions off the natives and was now running tests on liquid. The Salarian doctor was positive, if the Commander had reacted as badly as she did, there was a chance it was Element Zero and their chances of returning home were rising.
"About that... Lyrium." Miranda started. "If everything works out and we can use it. Where can one find a large supply?"
"Far within the Deep Roads Serah," Hawke answered. "It's not exactly readily available outside of the Chantry and Templars.
One having lyrium usually means you're a Mage, smuggler, or a Templar," she informed the slightly taller woman.
A smile came onto the rogue's lips. "Fortunately, that's where we'll be going soon," she informed the XO.
"I see." Miranda said. "I'll let the Commander know after tonight." she pushed away from where she was leaning. "The sooner we get off this rock and back to the mission. The better."
Sabrina let out an amused laugh. "Don't like it here much do you?" Came the tease.
"It's not that." Miranda said. "Human Colonies are disappearing and we're the only ones who can stop it." she walked away a little bit. "As beautiful as your home is, we do not have the time."
"Aw, that's such a sweet compliment," Hawke quipped with a grin, as she followed after Miranda. "Heh, Shepard and I truly are in the same boat."
"Can I ask you something?" Sabrina questioned of the older woman.
"Do not pass go, do not collect two hundred." Miranda muttered under her breath before looking at Hawke. "Make it quick."
Hawke gave her a confused look. She was set to ask something but then shook her head; deciding against asking that particular question. "Your tongue...it's so...different from the others," she remarked. "Why?"
"Is this similar to the question you asked Shepard the other day?" Miranda asked. "About her style of speech?"
"I guess so," the rogue conceded. "Yours is so much more...pronounced."
"Where we grow up affects our style of speech." Miranda explained. "To make it simple to understand, each country has a slightly different dialect, some more pronounced than others. If you sit down and listen to different members of the crew, you'll notice them."
"So what is yours?" Hawke questioned, savoring the sound of the woman's voice. It was taking everything in the rogue not to start purring; it was certainly raise questions from the foreigners if she did.
"Australian." Miranda answered, still looking straight ahead.
"I have no clue what that is," Sabrina confessed laughing at her own lack of knowledge. "But," pausing to stand next to the Australian, earning Miranda's gaze. "I like it. It's very, unique...even compared to the others tongues."
She then said something in elven, which the XO did not understand.
But Miranda knew what Hawke was trying to do. She stepped away from the rogue looking at her. "I know what's going on here." she said curtly. "The answer is no."
"What?" Came the curious inquiry.
Miranda didn't even answer the question before walking away. Sabrina watched her go. She noticed how the dark skinned male observed the Australian before casting his gaze at her; he glared at her.
The rogue simply let loose an amused chuckle, while shaking her head, before heading back over to the group. She took a seat next to her sister, while grabbing a plate of food; she made sure to pile the plate high.
She then dug in with her usual enthusiasm.
"I swear you and Carver's eating habit and lack of table manners drive mother up the wall," Bethany commented with a sigh. "It's like having three Mabari at the table," she teased.
"Just make sure you leave enough for everyone." Shepard commented as she swirled her drink glass slowly. "We don't have enough food to last forever."
Hawke gave a nod to show that she would. Her actions earning a chuckle from the dwarf. "That's Hawke for you, when she isn't gutting bandits or running errands, her main concern is food," he teased his friend.
"So, sister," the mage said, earning her sibling's attention. "Do we have the coin to put up for the expedition?"
Sabrina paused, taking time to swallow her mouthful before speaking. "We do. We give the coin to Bartrand and we'll officially be partners," came her answer. "And we'll have enough to leave with mother while we're gone."
Isabela grinned. "Wonderful. Imagine...ages worth of untold treasures just waiting to be picked up," she practically moaned, as her golden eyes clouded over from the thought of all the riches waiting to be plundered. "Enough to make even the richest nobles green with envy," her tone becoming scandalous.
"Indeed Rivani," the marksman agreed, as he sipped at the unusual beverage that Shepard and her companions provided them. It was much better, quality wise than the piss they served at the Hanged Man, but he was an ale kind of man. But, the blonde wasn't one to turn down free drinks.
"Expedition for what?" Liara asked, curious. The cute archaeologist Shepard had fallen in love with peeking out of its hiding spot.
"Forget digging." Kasumi decloaked between Varric and Isabela. "What about these treasures? How much do they sell for?"
"Kasumi!" Shepard sighed, the thief chuckled.
"Um..." Tali said slowly, gaining the natives attention. "What are these Deep Roads?" she asked curiously.
The rouge of the group thought about what the masked woman asked. "The Deep Roads are an extensive network of underground tunnels that once belonged to the dwarven kingdom. During the First Blight, the dwarves were forced to closed the entrances, abandoning them to the darkspawn," she explained.
"The tunnels once linked and connected thaigs, settlements that were built to honour dwarven Paragons-those whose ever existence changed life in some way for the dwarven people," Varric explained, picking up the history lesson. Sabrina didn't mind in the slightest; he was the storyteller after all.
"Many thaigs fell to the darkspawn, and much of dwarven culture and riches, were lost forever to the waves of time. Becoming nothing more than myth and legend," he told them. "Today, the only two thaigs left are Kal-Sharok and Orzammar."
Miranda arched an eyebrow. "And you're wanting to go into a place filled with darkspawn?" she asked, just to make sure that she understood.
"Well, I wouldn't say filled. The Fourth Blight just ended a year ago, stopped by the Hawke sisters cousin. A blight is practically the only time the tunnels are empty, and I use the word loosely," he informed the XO. "It's empty enough to where we can get in, route around, and make it back and live like royalty."
"It can't be any different than boarding a Collector Ship." Shepard said. "If it's the only way we can get the Eezo to get back home, I say we do it." she looked at Liara for a moment. "We can't stay here forever, there are people out there that need to be stopped."
"The Commander is right." Jacob said. "By the sounds of it, these Darkspawn are no different than the Collectors."
"Then we got the firepower to take them down." Zaeed smirked. "Give me a good Mattock."
The Asari Scientist seemed to ponder the information for a few moments. "These 'Darkspawn'." Liara spoke. "Sound a lot like husks," she stated after a few moments.
"Liara is right." Garrus spoke. "They way you describe these Darkspawn, makes it sound like the husks we ran into on Eden Prime and Horizon. Do you think the Reapers have a foothold here too?" he asked Shepard who looked down at her half eaten plate.
"It is possible, not truly a theory I wish to test." Shepard responded. "Husks are humans turned into synthetics, these Darkspawn sound like something else entirely. Like...well I'm not sure what the comparison older woman we... well I met... on the first day we landed here meant. She said that our biotics are like their magic, but doesn't come with the same price. Could the Darkspawn be that price?"
Bethany frowned. "Some believe it to be so," she spoke up. "The Chantry says that they were created by the Magisters of the Tevinter Imperium. Opening a portal to the Golden City, and with every step they took, they tained the Maker's realm with their corruption. As punishment, they were cast out, becoming the first darkspawn."
Sabrina placed a comforting arm on her sister's leg. "Those that entered the Golden City were Magisters, mages...and because of that, the Chantry fears how easily someone born with magic could try and rule over others," she explained. "The Knights Templar and Circle of Magi were created to counter that...'problem'," hesitating in saying the word.
"Any child possessing magical abilities is by law required to go to the circle, where their entire life is spent isolated from the world and under constant guard of Templars," the younger Hawke said, hands clenching into fists. "We are seen as a danger not only to ourselves, but to others, as we have a higher chance of becoming possessed in our dreams by demons and turned into abominations."
"I do not understand." EDI spoke out over the Commander's Omni-Tool, having been listening in on the conversation . "How is one possessed by a mythical creature during the Rapid-Eye Movement of their sleep cycle?" I have no data on this information."
"I have to agree with the talking ship on that one." Tali quipped, crossing her arms. "Sounds like a load of bogus to me."
"Just like how Liara and I can use 'magic'." Shepard did the quotation marks and all as she said this. "Without connection to the Fade?"
"They would rather force my kind to live in a tower, make us Tranquil, or run us through," Bethany stated. "And out of those three, being made Tranquil would be worse than death I think. I would rather die."
"Bethany, no one, no Templar, is going to harm you," Sabrina stated firmly. "I would face Knight-Commander Meredith herself if I had to, to make sure that you stay safe." She had to. Carver didn't seem to be doing so...at least, noticeably anyway. He disliked mages so much that Bethany had always avoided her twin and honed in on Sabrina.
"I do so love, sibling love," Isabela quipped with a smirk as she eyed them. "Oh, don't mind me, continue on as if I weren't even here."
"This sounds familiar to the problem with AIs and the Geth." EDI's voice chimed through Shepard's Omni-Tool. "I will look into this for similarities."
"You do that." Shepard sighed, sounding tired before standing up. "Sorry guys, I need to call it a night."
Liara stood as well. "The same goes for me," she added, and several others of the Normandy crew did the same.
"Guess that's our cue Hawke," Varric remarked, to which Sabrina nodded in agreement, as she stood; all left on her plate nothing more than bones picked clean.
Sabrina stood and turned to face the human and the asari. "If you wish to further discuss lyrium, you can return to my home," speaking a bit more to the Commander as she had been the one to see where the Hawkes resided. "If not there, the Hanged Man is another stomping ground of ours.
Ask the bartender and he can point you in either one of these twos direction," pointing at Varric and Isabela. She then shifted her attention to her companions. "Well, let's get moving people...no doubt I'm going to have a hectic day tomorrow."
A/N: Terribly sorry for the inconsistencies and the Miranda/Jacob surprise in the last chapter. We are working to adjust future chapters to prevent shortcomings.