"Two birds with one stone. Saving a salarian scientist and putting Grunt's head on straight. I hate Tuchanka." I muttered to myself. I was just told that there was an abandoned Reaper floating around, and I had to go onto it. Going onboard a giant, all-knowing being is a terrible damn idea, even before you add the fact that it can control your mind! En route to getting a drell assassin (I was understandably not going on that Reaper until it was completely necessary), I decided to talk to Tali. In the elevator, I turned on an old band-named 'Faunts'-and was listening to their music when the elevator opened and Tali bumped into me. I paused it and smiled.
"Hey Tali." I said.
"Oh, hey Commander. I was just going to talk to you." Tali said. "Will you follow me?" I couldn't say no to Tali, my friend (Kelly had said she wanted to be more than friends, but if so, why not say that aboard the SR-1?) Tali went to the engine, a place I usually steered clear of (dying because of breathing that weird blue fog isn't exactly how I want to go out.)
"What do you want to talk about?" I asked.
"You, actually." Tali said.
"That's a change of pace. What about me?" I asked.
"You...I, uh..." Tali began, but stopped and took a deep breath. "You saved me, a young woman, and then you, a dashing young commander, took me on an adventure across the galaxy, talking to me frequently."
I raised an eyebrow. "Do you mean that to sound like it did?"
"What did it sound like?" Tali asked.
"It sounded like you wanted to be more than friends." I said. I need to start taking Kelly seriously. The girl knows what she's talking about.
"I do." Tali said, taking a step closer to me.
"Commander, we're approaching Illium." Joker said.
"Oh my, I am duty-bound to go and suit up, leaving your question unanswered. Oh darn, my work is never done!" I said over my shoulder, trying to run as fast as possible while not looking to eager to leave. I like Tali, but not like that.
"Liara?" I asked, walking into her office.
"Have you ever faced an asari commando team? Few humans have. Do as I say, or I will flay you. With my mind" Liara said before turning to me. "Shepard." She smiled. Garrus looked at me, like 'dude, you hugged me but you won't hug her?' Truth was, I wouldn't hug her because my friend, my Liara, didn't sound like that. She didn't tell people she'd flay people with her freakin' mind.
"Hey Liara." I said after a few seconds of silence. I walked over to Liara, giving her a hug. She hugged me back, then motioned for me to sit at her desk, sitting on the opposite side.
"What do you need?" Liara asked.
"I'm looking for an assassin and a justicar. Thane and Samara." I said.
"Thane has a contract at Dantius towers, while police officers will know about Samara." Liara said.
"Thanks, and goodbye." I said, standing up to leave.
"Goodbye Shepard. Be careful." Liara said.
"That was the worst damn experience I had. I'd rather face Sovereign again." I said.
"Ditto." Garrus agreed.
We'd fought through Eclipse mercs, finally finding Samara killing an Eclipse merc.
"Damn." I muttered. Samara, not only being a ridiculously powerful biotic, was an extremely hot asari. Miranda kicked me in the shin (really hard, might I add), and I got back to business.
"I'm Commander Shepard, and I need you for a mission." I said.
"A suicide mission." Garrus said, and I nudged him in the elbow.
"She's not going anywhere." An asari policewoman said.
"Why not?" I asked.
"She just killed someone. If you can get rid of these mercs, do it, and I'll release the justicar." The policewoman said.
"The code obligates me to stay in custody for one day." Samara said.
"After that?" I asked.
"I break free, killing whoever tries to stop me." Samara said.
"You don't know about justicars?" Miranda asked when my eyes shot wide.
"No! Right, we'll get rid of the mercs, hopefully before Samara kills everyone. Let's go." I said.
"I'd use a sick day." Garrus told the policewoman.
"Ye of little faith, shut up." I said, walking off to where the Eclipse mercenaries were. Between battles, we ran into Elnora, an asari who was in Eclipse.
"She's lying." Miranda said after Elnora said she hated the Eclipse.
"How do you know?" I asked.
"She's a new recruit. The armor is brand-new, and she's very young. A good liar. Not good enough." Miranda said.
"Did you kill the volus?" I asked. Elnora just looked at my face, then Miranda's, and was going to draw her pistol, but I was quicker. "Thanks Miranda. I don't want letting a criminal go on my conscious."
"No problem, Commander." Miranda said. Later on, we stopped a drugged-up volus from getting himself killed, then stopped the Eclipse.
"We stopped them!" I shouted, walking into the police office. "Killed the murderer too, sadly. Self-defense."
"Well, that's a load off my back." The policewoman said. Samara kneeled down and said a really elegant oath, but I don't remember what it was, and we went back to the Normandy. I decided to talk to Jack, since Kelly, all-knowing secretary, said something was wrong with her (not just the normal wrong, though.)
"Hey Jack, something wrong?" I asked.
"Yes. I want to go to the base they made me in and blow it the f*ck up!" Jack yelled.
"Where is it?" I asked. Jack told me, and I promised we'd go right there.
"I want to see it blow up." Jack said.
"You will. I got to go talk to Miranda." I said.
"Do you love the cheerleader?" Jack asked, laying down on her bed.
"Why?" I asked.
"'Cuz Tali hasn't stopped thinking about you. Even asked me if you liked her. You'd better tell them what's going on, or I'm going to kill that quarian. Nobody should come down here, not even you." Jack said.
"I'll keep that in mind. Personally, I like talking to you." I smiled.
"F*ck off. I don't want friends." Jack said.
"Okay." I said, putting my hands in the air. "EDI, tell Joker to go to Pragia."
