Chapter Six:

Aboard the Normandy

Unfortunately, sleep wouldn't come. After a couple of hours of tossing and turning in bed, staring at the bunk above hers, and listening to others coming into the room one by one and settling down in their bunks, Lucy decided it was better to just give up. She sighed, sitting up in her bunk. The lights were dimmed lower now, obviously for a night cycle. Lucy checked her watch and saw it was nearly midnight. Sighing, she looked to the foot of her bunk and saw Drake was powered down and in 'sleep mode'. Lucy figured he'd be okay on his own for a bit. He had a good enough security system in place to keep off hackers, and Lucy didn't have to keep him with her all the time.

Lucy got up, grabbing her dark red leather jacket. The ship was a bit chilly, after all. She probably should have pulled on shoes, but she just wanted to get out of the crew quarters quickly. She was restless. Instead, she made her way back into the main living quarters, then up the curved stairway back to the bridge. With the night shift active, there were far less people around. She'd have a good chance to really look at the galaxy map if she wanted. But maybe it would be better to wait until Shepard was around to explain to the crew that Lucy wasn't just thief that sneaked aboard. What Lucy really needed was a good view of the stars. Whenever she needed to clear her head, she'd go out to the viewpoints on the Citadel and just watch the lights shifting through the Wards, or just find somewhere to stare out at the scenery of whatever planet she was on. It was always calming.

Without quite realizing it, Lucy found herself in the cockpit of the ship. It was apparently the only place with views outside of the ship. Lucy moved towards the small window, watching the blue filter of the mass effect fields dance across the view of stars. It was an impressive sight.

"Fluffy bunnies..."

Lucy spun around, realizing she wasn't alone. There was a man in the pilot chair, dressed in the same fatigues as most of the crew, though he had a ball cap pulled down over his face. Lucy stood still for a moment, but hearing the man mumble something about rabbits again, Lucy realized he had to be asleep. Lucy snorted, shaking her head. The Normandy's pilot had to be pretty dedicated to sleep up here. Either that or very lazy.

Lucy turned back and saw the copilot chair was empty. She glanced towards the sleeping pilot again. As long as she wasn't getting in the way, she could sit for a bit, couldn't she? Lucy moved over, sitting at the copilot chair, leaning back and staring at the view through the window above her. It was a peaceful sight. Lucy had been going non-stop for a while now. Even on the Normandy, she was going from one thing to another. Now, she was having trouble sleeping because everything that had happened kept playing through her head.

"Stupid zombies."

Lucy looked to the pilot, face still hidden under his hat. She wondered what he would think if he knew he talked in his sleep? Lucy's father did that, and sometimes she could hold a conversation with him. Though they were often as confusing as they were hilarious. Lucy wondered if the pilot was the same way. Still, she wasn't going to try with someone she didn't know. Instead, Lucy leaned back in the chair. After weeks of sleeping on ricks, the chair was surprisingly comfortable. It was nice to be somewhere quiet, with a nice, peaceful view above her. And it was something that was taking an effect on Lucy after so little sleep. Her eyelids were feeling heavy, sleep finally taking over slowly...

Geth moving in towards ExoGeni workers, shooting down innocents without hesitation. A thorian-controlled Lizbeth screaming and charging at her. The thorian creepers closing in and exploding once they got in range. Fai Dan moving closer, gun raised, struggling as he turned the gun on himself—

Lucy jerked awake and, for a moment, she wasn't sure where she was. It took a few seconds for her to take in the blue-tinted view of endless stars above her, slowly remembering what had happened. That she wasn't on Feros anymore. She was on the Normandy...And she'd just fallen asleep in the copilot chair.

"Making yourself at home?"

Lucy turned quickly to see the pilot was awake now, his hat now off his face on pulled down over his dark hair now. He was smirking at Lucy, a sort of mischief in his green eyes and Lucy noticed he had a pretty nice beard growing.

"Sorry," Lucy muttered, once again grateful for her dark skin to hide her blush, "I didn't realize I fell asleep."

"Helps that you have a guard mech that wouldn't allow anyone near you."

Lucy looked down. Drake had come from the crew quarters and found her, now standing guard at the copilot chair.

"It shocked Commander Shepard earlier."

"What?" Lucy balked. Drake shocked the commander? This was not good. She was going to be thrown off the ship, wasn't she?

"I thought it was pretty funny," came a voice behind Lucy. She went tense, looking over her shoulder to see Shepard himself was leaning against the back of the chair, smirking down at her. Could this get any worse?

"Sorry about him," Lucy said weakly, "I guess I haven't turned off his guard mode yet."

"It's fine," Shepard waved her off, "What're you doing up here? You know there are crew quarters, right?"

"I couldn't sleep," Lucy said lamely.

"So you came to Joker?" Shepard gave a laugh. "Good choice. His humor puts anyone to sleep."

"Oh, that hurts, commander," the pilot said, rolling his eyes.

"I'll leave if I need to," Lucy said, starting to get up, but Shepard waved her off.

"You're fine," he said, "Just get up when the chair's needed."

Lucy nodded as Shepard turned to Joker.

"Ship holding up?" he asked, "It's the Normandy's first long stretch between systems."

"She's doing beautifully," Joker said, "You're lucky you have the best pilot in the galaxy to take the helm."

Lucy gave a snort. "Bit full of yourself, aren't you?"

"Not when it's the truth."

"Well, I'll leave you to it," Shepard said, "Alert me if there's any problems on the way to Therum."

"Aye, aye, commander," Joker said, then turned to Lucy with a smirk as Shepard left. Lucy wasn't sure she liked the look on the pilot's face.

"What?" she asked.

"Did you really blow up your own omni-tool?"

Lucy groaned, leaning her head back against the chair. "I needed to distract the geth."

"So you blew up your omni-tool?" Joker asked, laughing, "You're insane. Of course, with a name like Lucy..."

"What's wrong with my name?" Lucy asked, raising an eyebrow at Joker.

"It's just...Lucy? It's so old."

"My parents like old-fashioned things," Lucy said, "I got lucky. My older sister is named Daphne."

Joker gave a small snort at that.

"Okay, yeah, Lucy is better."

"What about you?" Lucy asked, "Surely your parents weren't cruel enough to actually name you Joker."

"Hey, it fits," the pilot shrugged, "Better than Jeff, anyway."

"And you think Lucy is old-fashioned?" Lucy snorted.

"Oh, that stings," Joker said sarcastically. Lucy couldn't help but grin.

"Shepard says you've joined up," Joker went on.

"Yeah, in charge of the mako," Lucy replied, shifting a little in the seat to look towards Joker easier, "Including driving."

"Good. Everyone's told me Shepard is a bad driver."

Lucy wasn't sure if that was a joke or not.

"I'm just good at these things," Lucy said, "Steve—my cousin—is an Alliance shuttle pilot. He taught me most what I know. It helped me a lot through school. And he taught me to drive." Lucy grinned a little, then looked to Joker, "What about you? How'd you get into flying?"

"I grew up about ships," Joker answered simply.

"It's that easy for you?" Lucy asked. Sure, she grew up about Steve teaching her to work on shuttles and how to fly, but it still was a long time before she settled on being an engineer was what she wanted in life.

"Yep, that easy," Joker said, "I practically grew up on Arcturus Station, my mom worked on the ships there. You don't spend that much time around ships and not get interested in flying."

"I guess that makes sense," Lucy said, stretching back in the chair.

"Comfortable?" Joker asked.

"Actually, yes," Lucy said, "Believe it or not, this chair is the most comfortable thing I've been in for weeks."

"Man, Feros must have sucked,"

"Oh, it wasn't so bad," Lucy said, looking to the pilot, "Once you overlook the geth invading and a giant sentient plant turning the colony into zombies."

Joker snorted. "You must be glad to be back in civilization."

"I wouldn't call a single warship 'civilization'," Lucy said, "But you have beds and running water. That's a huge improvement."

"We aim to please."

Talking with Joker was easy. Lucy couldn't help but like the time she spent sitting there, just talking about whatever came to mind. The way Joker brought humor out of anything was endearing, honestly, and refreshing. It helped take her mind off things.

Too soon, however, Lucy was getting hungry. And realizing she was still in just sweatpants and a top. She got to her feet, asking if Joker wanted to join her down in the mess for breakfast. She was enjoying talking with him.

"Nah, unless I need to hit the head, I stay right here," Joker said. Lucy raised an eyebrow at him.

"So last night wasn't a one-time thing?" she asked, "You really do sleep up here?"

"Pretty much," Joker said, "Saves me accidentally breaking something."

"You're that clumsy?"

Joker was the one to raise an eyebrow this time.

"No one told you?" he motioned to a set of crutches leaning nearby that Lucy hadn't noticed before, "Brittle bones. I have to be careful doing nearly anything."

"Oh..." Lucy said slowly, suddenly feeling awkward, "Um..."

"Don't worry about it," Joker shrugged, "Weren't you going to eat?"

"Oh, yeah," Lucy said, still feeling awkward. She was so full of charm today. "Can I come up later? To talk more, I mean."

"Fine with me."

Lucy nodded, really hoping she hadn't offended Joker. Still, after embarrassing herself yet again, the best thing she could do right now is give the pilot some space. So she made her way back to the crew quarters and changed to jeans and a long-sleeved shirt to cover her bandaged arm. She brushed through her hair and pulled it back into a ponytail before glancing to Drake, whose light was a disapproving yellow currently.

"Oh, don't start," she said, "You needed to recharge. I wasn't going to power you up just to move across a ship."

Lucy moved back into the mess hall, where she saw Carlton sitting on his own. Lucy got herself a tray of food and went to sit across from him.

"Heard you were assigned to the mako," Carlton said, "You have to work with that turian?"

Lucy didn't like the way Carlton had said that. Like 'turian' had been some sort of nasty curse. Lucy had thought that since the Normandy had aliens on board, the crew was fine with it. Looked like she had been wrong.

"Garrus is a nice guy," Lucy said carefully, "I'm enjoying working with him so far."

"I just don't think we should be giving the aliens free reign of the ship," Carlton said, "I don't get why Shepard is letting them stay. I'd have kicked them off by now."

Lucy tensed, glaring at the man across from him. She had the strong urge to punch him. Luckily for him, he was saved from this as another man plopped down in a seat next to the serviceman.

"Oh, shut up, Tucks," he said, focusing dark eyes on Carlton, "We have to have allies."

"There's a difference in 'allies' and turning the most advanced ship in the Alliance into a zoo," Carlton shot back.

"They're not animals," the new man said sharply.

"They might as well be, Emerson. I don't trust them."

"Well, I like them," Lucy snapped, gripping her hand tightly around her fork, "Garrus worked with my mother in C-Sec, and Tali is really nice."

"Shit, you're going to defend the bucket-head, too?" Carlton asked. Lucy's glare narrowed and she had the strong urge to stab the man with her fork.

"She has a name," Lucy hissed.

"You should watch what you say, Tucks," Emerson said warningly, "The commander obviously wants them here for a reason."

"Hey, I'm not the only one who's against this," Carlton said defensively, "Navigator Pressly doesn't like them either, and I overheard Williams arguing with Commander Shepard about it the other day."

"Doesn't matter how many xenophobes are on the ship," Lucy snapped, "We need to work with other races."

Carlton glared at Lucy and looked like he was about to reply, but Emerson cleared his throat.

"Let's simmer down," he said, "We don't need a fight on the ship."

"Fine with me," Lucy said hotly, pushing herself to her feet, "I should be getting to my work anyway."

Breakfast barely touched, Lucy marched off towards the elevator and pressed for the cargo bay. If there was one good thing about a painfully slow elevator, it gave Lucy time to cool off. The last thing she needed was to take out her temper on others. She might end up punching someone. Garrus was willing to overlook a drunken act from years ago, but she doubted he'd be too forgiving of a sober-yet-anger-fueled act now. Besides, Lucy already felt as if she were on eggshells after Drake shocked Commander Shepard. She was going to have to talk with her mech about his protectiveness.

The elevator doors opened and Lucy made her way towards the mako. Tali was there again, talking with Garrus. Lucy noticed Williams was watching them closely from nearby and she remembered Carlton saying he'd overheard Williams arguing with Shepard about the choice to allow aliens on the Normandy. Lucy had thought Williams was fine with the other races sine she'd worked with Wrex on Feros, but apparently she wasn't. Lucy made a note to avoid getting into an argument with the woman. She didn't need someone who could use a gun being pissed at her.

Lucy reached the mako to find Garrus and Tali arguing whether a shotgun or a sniper rifle was better for combat. At least their argument, however, was much more friendly banter than the argument Lucy had with Carlton earlier.

"Oh, hello Lucy," Tali said cheerfully when she saw the woman, "I was just informing Garrus how a shotgun is much better in close quarters."

"And I was letting her know the best thing was to avoid close quarters all together," Garrus said, "Stay at a distance and snipe your enemies down. That's the best tactic in a fight."

"Well, you two can keep me out of that argument," Lucy said with a smirk, "I'm just here to keep the mako in top shape."

"You can't stay neutral," Garrus retorted, "One of us will get you to our side eventually."

"In the meantime," Lucy said, hopping into the mako, but leaving the door open, "I'm fine letting Drake do my fighting."

"Can't hide behind a mech forever."

"I can sure try," Lucy gave a laugh, getting started on the mako's systems. If she was going to be in charge of this thing, she needed to know it inside and out.

And working on the mako, like talking with Joker, was a great way for Lucy to keep her mind off Feros. Plus, it was fun work for someone like her. She loved being hands-on with her work, and she had to admit, the Normandy's mako was a thing of beauty.

It was how Lucy spent most of her time over the next couple of days. She stayed down in the cargo bay, familiarizing herself with the mako and enjoying her meals with Garrus and Tali. They were often joined by Wrex or other members of the crew—including Shepard himself, whom Lucy was slowly realizing wasn't nearly as intimidating as he seemed. Two people Lucy wasn't disappointed never joined them were Carlton Tucks and Ashley Williams. Lucy didn't really have anything against them personally, but she didn't like their opinions about the people Lucy was becoming friends with. She really enjoyed her time with Tali and Garrus, and even Wrex was beginning to grow on her. For a krogan obsessed with a 'good fight', he was surprisingly smart and had a good sense of humor. Plus, Lucy was enjoying listening to his stories as his work as a mercenary. Wrex was definitely an interesting krogan.

When Lucy wasn't spending her time with Garrus working on the mako, exchanging tips on working on engines with Tali, or listening to Wrex's war stories, she was up in the cockpit with Joker. It was always fun talking with him and interesting to learn more about him. In fact, Lucy had just reached the cockpit for a chat with the pilot when she saw Shepard was already there, and Kaidan in the copilot seat.

"Something up?" Lucy asked, looking between the three men.

"We're approaching Therum," Shepard said, "There's a lot of geth activity down there. There's word a prothean expert, Dr. T'soni, is down there. No word if she's even still alive..."

Shepard trailed off, staring at the scrolling information on Joker's screens. He sighed.

"We have to figure out what the geth are after," he said, turning towards Lucy, "Gear up and report to the mako. Looks like you've got your first mission as a part of this crew."