Chapter 10: In Which Shepard Dispenses Advice

Shepard began to make her way toward the makeshift infirmary, but her gaze was arrested by the containment tank before she got more than a few feet away. Inside it lay what had to be Synthetic Insights' piece of Sovereign, a black hunk of metal and glinting lights. Despite her misgivings about the sanity of keeping such an object around, she found herself walking over to observe it more closely.

It was a mass of blue-black metal and wire and something else that gave it an oily shine. Perhaps two feet in length, it was roughly oblong, but there was nothing smooth about its surface. It was covered in jagged edges and pits, and circuitry stuck out at strange angles.

It would, Shepard decided, make a highly unattractive piece of artwork in some politician's office. In other words, it would fit in perfectly.

Comparisons to ugly statues aside, she was somewhat surprised to find that the chunk of Reaper elicited no strong feelings from her (other than the ever-present 'who would ever think this is a good idea!'). It bore such small resemblance to the massive being that she'd seen while fighting across surface of the Citadel Tower that it was difficult to even equate the two.

But even from the other side of several layers of protective material and, she guessed, an eezo field, it made her feel cold and uneasy. She shivered involuntarily.

"Are you all right, Shepard?" Nihlus laid a hand on her shoulder. She looked over at him and forced a smile, appreciating the gesture even if some of its warmth was lost when there was half an inch of armor between the two of them.

"I'm fine. Just…" She sighed and, with some effort, turned her back on the tank. "I knew the whole Reaper thing was far from over. Really far. But I thought maybe we'd get a break for a little bit…the rest of them are just chilling out there in dark space, for crying out loud! We should have a good 'nother couple thousand years before they start wondering what's up. But it seems like I just can't get away from them. Even on shore leave. And it sure feels like I've done all this already."

"Hmmmm." It was less of an agreement than merely a comforting sound. They stood in relative silence for a moment, she staring somewhere over his shoulder and he gazing pensively at her. Ridiculously, she thought of Garrus.

Why am I always thinking about Garrus? Nihlus the incredibly attractive turian Spectre is not three feet from me. Looking very…pantheresque. She sighed and resolutely squashed down the guilty feelings that fluttered up. Now was not a good time to be getting all emotionally conflicted. Conflicted soldiers tended to be dead soldiers.

"I'm afraid I cannot offer much in the way of comforting words, Shepard. But the enemy you know, understand, and have already defeated is a much lesser threat than the one that is totally unknown. And…once we have 'taken care' of them, as humans so oddly put it, there is no reason to remain on Noveria for the rest of your leave, no?"

She shook her head and slumped back against the tank. "No, I guess not. I mean, I'm all for the snow, but I guess a beach or two doesn't sound half bad right now."

He chuckled and joined her next to the tank. "I must say I simply do not understand your fascination with the cold weather, Shepard. Nor the—what are they called? 'Carols?'"

"Yeah. Well, that's just because you've never heard one like they should be heard: played by a full orchestra and sung by a choir, not mangled by yours truly. Once you hear them properly, you'll understand." She winked, and he hummed in amusement. Ughhh…that sound! The double tone of turian voices was attractive enough by itself, but that peculiar, subvocal laugh…with effort, she forced her mind out of the gutter and back to what he was saying.

"…perhaps…wish to join me for a few days on the Citadel? I realize that you live there for the moment, so it is not exactly a 'destination,' but it has several rather spectacular artificial beaches. And though I am not generally fond of lounging, I believe that this episode calls for a some kind of relaxation afterwards."

A slow smile spread across her face. "I'd love to. I've never been to any of the Citadel beaches…"

* * *

She got around to checking up on Jensen and Palos eventually.

"How are they, Doctor?" she inquired to the asari, who was perched on a crate and reading something on her omni-tool.

"Oh, they'll be fine," she replied, tapping off whatever she'd been engrossed in and jumping down lightly. "Annika is mostly suffering from low blood sugar; she's resting—" and she led Shepard toward the makeshift bed, "and Lupea's concussion is very minor. Well, as far as I can tell. She's very alert, no memory problems, no pain except some soreness in her neck. Probably to be expected."

Jensen was nodding off, although she didn't look terribly comfortable on the cot. It was a bare-bones affair, broad and flat, clearly designed to accommodate a wide range of species, from spindly salarians to rotund volus. Probably not krogan, though. It'd collapse like matchsticks. Someone had wedged some rolled-up bundle under the human's head and draped a lab coat over her, but she still looked cold despite having curled up beneath the meager covering. Her eyes flickered open as the footsteps approached, and she began to sit up.

"Take it easy, Jensen. Don't make yourself dizzy."

"Sure thing, ma'am…" she replied, putting out a hand to steady herself as she rose. Then she focused her blood-shot eyes on Shepard and suddenly brightened. "Looks like you got a nap in too, ma'am." And she reached up to smooth down her hair.

Shepard blinked and then, with a blush, realized her own hair was in a somewhat unruly state. I really need to stop letting Nihlus play with it so much. She knew she wouldn't.

"Yeah, right." She cleared her throat and tried to discreetly pat the mess into something more dignified. The asari doctor coughed, a sound that was suspiciously like a laugh being covered up, and then she pointed vaguely in another direction.

"I'll just be, uh, over there if you need anything else…"

"So." Shepard tried to ignore the fleeing asari and turned her focus back to Jensen. "How are you feeling?"

"Well, uh…" The human scrunched her face up and inspected her hands. "Still kinda shaky. Stomach's still growling, and I think I could sleep for another day or two…but…"

Shepard waited.

"Well, if you need me, ma'am, I can fight."

"I can use every able body, but if you're not up for it, there's no sense in going out there and getting injured. At least a couple people who know how to use a rifle should stay here, just in case. But it's up to you."

Jensen nodded slowly, still examining her fingers. "I'll…I'll think about that, ma'am."

Shepard reciprocated the nod. "I'll be back in a couple minutes." As she walked toward Palos, she looked over at the other end of the room where Lorik had gathered the survivors and was, presumably, requesting volunteers in a very diplomatic fashion. She could see the tension in the crowd even from where she was, but the low tone of Lorik's voice carried enough that she could tell he was maintaining order.

"Ah, Commander."

She turned her attention back to the makeshift med bay. "Hey, Palos. How are you holding up?"

The turian looked at her quizzically. "I'm not holding anything at the moment."

Shepard shook her head. "Never mind. Are you up for a fight?"

"Ah. Yes, indeed I am." Palos reached over and patted the rifle that she'd set down on the nearest crate.

"Awesome. We're going to split up into two teams and get them from both ends of the maintenance bay. Team one's going to be the distraction; team two's going for the crazy biotic lady. Nihlus is leading one, I'm leading two—where do you want to be?"

Palos tapped her two fingers on the rifle thoughtfully for a moment. "I will go with the first team. You will want the best soldiers with you, and the guards assigned here are the cream of ERCS."

Shepard raised her eyebrows in surprise at Palos' self-assessment, but bit down any comments she might have made. Turians prided themselves on knowing their place in the hierarchy, after all…well, most of them did. "Okay, your choice. We'll be moving on in ten or so."

The turian nodded, and Shepard looked back at Jensen, who was holding her gun in her lap and contemplating it seriously, and sighed a little. "I guess I'll give her a couple more minutes…looks like Lorik is still mustering the troops."

Palos took a breath as if she were going to say something, then thought better of it. Shepard looked back at her sharply. "What is it? Do you have any reservations about Jensen?"

"No…" The turian shrugged and absently played with her rifle. "I must confess I have grown rather fond of her. When she came to Noveria with the latest batch of hires, I found her optimism was something of a fresh breath—is that the correct term?—among the general grimness of ERCS. Nobody comes to Noveria because they enjoy it here. The weather and the people take a toll before too long."

"Oh?" Shepard leaned back against a railing and drummed her fingers on its cool surface. "Why'd she come, then?"

Palos chuckled dryly. "For the money, of course. She wants to be a—doctor of some kind. A dentist, I believe. But the cost is apparently, as she put it, 'astronomical.'" She paused. "Not to slight Annika—we are friends, if not close ones. But I believe she got the job with ERCS because of her biotics. Being a soldier is clearly not her area of talent."

"Yeah…I kinda figured." She glanced back at the subject of conversation, who was frowning closely at her rifle and rubbing her thumb along some dirtied surface. "That's the problem, though. Her biotics would really come in handy dealing with the geth—they already have. I just don't know if she can exert herself much more with just a bar of sugar in her system. Y'know, in the military they get a canteen of some energy stuff to chug when they start drooping…you'd think ERCS would do the same."

"Indeed. Who knows what goes through the minds of corporate heads?"

"Yeah…bunch of idiots with their heads so far up their butts they can't even see straight." She thought of Mikhailovich and his stubbornly narrow-minded view of the Normandy. Hmph! Insult my ship, will you? Guess it just goes to show that they don't even have to be corporate buffoons…most bigwigs are like that…except Lorik. And she smiled. Lorik was definitely going to be part of team two. She had the feeling he wouldn't object.

"You also seem quite able to keep your spirits up, Commander. In fact, you seem to be enjoying yourself a great deal," Palos observed. "Is it a human trait?"

"Huh? Oh. No, not really. There are lots of really dumb, grumpy humans, too. I think we're the professional complainers of the galaxy."

"Ah." There was silence for another moment, and then Palos shifted. "Commander, do you mind if I ask a somewhat…personal question?"

"Uhm…I…guess not…well, I don't know if I mind unless I know what the question is, so shoot."

Palos frowned and glanced down at her rifle, then looked back up, apparently deciding that it was not a literal command. "How long have you known Nihlus?"

Shepard's cheeks began to warm immediately. She was growing unfortunately accustomed to the frequency of the sensation. "Ah…well…it's a bit…complicated. But, all together, about…a week." And how long have you known Garrus? She stomped the thought down. Garrus didn't have eyes as intense as nuclear fires.

Palos' mandibles jerked in obvious surprise. "A…oh. You seem very…close. I wasn't under the impression that humans moved so quickly in relationships."

The warmth turned to fire and she clapped a hand to her face in embarrassment. "You make it sound so…I dunno…improper." She cleared her throat. "Um, the truth is, we don't. As a rule. I mean, usually relationships develop over years. Or at least months." She thought of Kaiden and Liara. Well…they are kind of an exception. "I thought the same was true for turians…I think Nihlus and I are, well…"

"I…see. I apologize if I caused you discomfort. I was just wondering what it's like to be in an interspecies relationship."

"Oh. Well, I actually haven't had a whole lot of relationships with humans, but…I guess it's pretty much like any other interculture…thing. You turians have a bunch of strange ideas. You probably think we're a bunch of weirdos, too. Sometimes it can make for misunderstandings, but otherwise…" She remembered Garrus' horrified reaction the first time she'd tried to high-five him, and involuntarily she grinned. "As long as everybody's patient, it's not a huge deal. Most incidents end up being funny when you look back on them. Although some things can be, uh…awkward. Y'know. We're a little…squishier than you are. If you get my meaning."

Palos laughed. "I believe I do, Commander. Thank you, that was most helpful."

Shepard bit her lip, almost restraining her curiosity, but threw it to the wind after only a moment. "So why'd you ask?"

Palos hmmm'd in a distinctly turian show of reluctance, but answered without too much hesitation. "There is...a man, back at Port Hanshan...there isn't much documentation of relationships between turians and other species, aside from asari…who are not really like humans at all, of course."

"That's for sure," Shepard rejoined, and they both laughed. "Well, I'm glad I could help. And good luck with your man."

The turian thanked her, and then she moseyed back to where Jensen was reclining on the cot once more. The guard sat up quickly as Shepard approached, and quickly grabbed her rifle from where it lay next to the bed.

"I'm ready to fight, ma'am."

Shepard nodded in approval. "You'll be on team one with Nihlus. Conserve yourself and stay low, and you'll do just fine."

"Thank you, ma'am!" She saluted, a little wobbly but sharper than the first one she'd thrown back at Port Hanshan. "When are we leaving?"

"Not long. Nihlus and I will finalize the plan, divide everyone, and then we'll be off…"

* * *

The group that Lorik had been addressing was just dispersing as she walked up. Lorik and Nihlus were watching them silently, inscrutable looks on their faces.

"It went that great, huh?" Shepard asked, scanning the faces as they passed. Predictably, the scientists looked scared witless, and the guards and several of the turians wore looks of hesitant determination.

"As expected," Lorik amended. "We will take six of the security personnel and two civilians. Two guards will remain here to secure the lab should the door be breached."

"Great!" Shepard clapped her hands together and rubbed them in somewhat restrained glee. "Let's get this show on the road, then."

It took them a few minutes to sort of the last details. Nihlus would lead a five-being team to the near entrance to the maintenance bay, and Shepard would take Lorik and the remaining volunteers back up to the main level and down again through the quarantine labs to the second entrance.

"That's really poor floor planning, you know," she commented after they had divided the personnel. "No structure needs this many elevators." She eyed Lorik. "As nice as that suit is, you're going to need some armor."

"Indeed. I appreciate your concern for my clothing, Shepard; there are a few spare pieces in storage below." He nodded toward the small area below the containment tank. "I believe I will be adequately protected."

Shepard could have sworn that Nihlus sent a quick, jealous look at Lorik when she made the suit comment, and she groaned to herself. Oh, this is not good. I have got to stop falling for every turian I see. Aloud, she said, "Well! Let's get set, then. I'll round up team two while you're getting ready, Lorik."

She strode off quickly, wondering just how obvious it was that she was hopelessly crushing on the two turians. Granted, she and Nihlus hadn't exactly been…subtle, but still…she sighed, shook her head, and tried to get her mind off of it. "Emotional distraction: not good. Shooting up Benezia: very good," she muttered, and then she was approaching the cluster of volunteers and quickly stopped talking to herself.

A few minutes later, everyone was assembled. Her team consisted of Lorik, two asari, two turians, and a human, all ERCS employees, and one other turian, a scientist who looked comfortable enough in his grey armor and armed with a rifle. Nihlus' squad was made up of Jensen, Palos, and two human guards and the second turian scientist.

Nihlus briefly outlined the plan once more, and Shepard couldn't help but fidget, checking her armor mods and heat sinks once more even though she'd done it not two minutes ago. She caught Lorik looking at her and grinned. "Just itching to put my blunt manner to good use," she said, and accompanied it with a wink.

"I look forward to seeing you in action," he responded.

"Likewise."

The asari standing behind her shuffled and made a sound like a stifled cough. Shepard wondered in despair if all asari found her relationships funny.