Hey everyone! Chapter 11 is now up!

Gizmo60: D'aww, your reviews always make me blush Giz ;)

Kajeera: :O I'm so glad my story was able to do that for you! Mordin's always been my headcannoned bro, since my shep always romances Garrus (So Garrus goes from bro to space husbando).

EGGS: Sorry EGGS! I am refusing to get into any new bands until I finish drops of Jupiter. Mostly because I have every chapter including names and songs picked out... and I know listening to other songs will make me consider changing a few.

64bitLemon: It makes me so happy that even when a new chapter is posted, you go out of your way to review the previous ones first. You're a gem, Lemon~

~*~
Drops of Jupiter
Chapter 11: Crush
~*~

"What if instead of coming up with a vaccine…" I started thoughtfully. "We could try and find a way to make us like, invisible to the Seeker swarms."

Mordin nodded approvingly. "Good concept, but how? Through shields… Yes! Shields! Good work today Kim."

I beamed back at him. "Thanks for letting me help."

"Glad for the help," Mordin responded cheerfully. The Science Room's PA rang to life, Jeff's voice coming over it.

"Hey CP, Lawson wants you down on Deck Five. We're just above Korlus. Looks like you're piloting," he told me.

"Thanks for letting me know," I called back. Damn, I knew I'd been forgetting something… I was supposed to ask Miranda if I'd be flying to shuttle, I'd just been distracted helping Mordin with his research. "See you later Mordin."

"Yes, yes. Lots of work to be done. Don't forget, detailed report!" Mordin reminded, his dark eyes crinkling with his smile. I gave him a thumbs up before exiting the lab and heading towards the elevator. I hit the call button, waiting patiently.

"Haven't seen you before," a female voice commented. I glanced to the side, seeing a… pretty attractive girl. Intricate, blue, brown, and black tattoo's covered most of her skin, her breasts hidden by leather strips. And she had a beautiful face, plump lips, and brown eyes. "You done checking me out?"

My cheeks reddened and I averted my gaze. "…Sorry."

The girl let out a sharp laugh. "Whatever."

Elevator doors opening, I stepped inside, the woman entering with me. "What deck?" I asked her.

"Deck five," she answered, crossing her arms. "Are you the other one that Shepard's taking with us?"

I shook my head, hitting the button to go down. "I'm just flying the shuttle," I explained simply. "…My names Kim," I added.

"Jack," the girl stated bluntly. "Shepard mentioned you. Said you used to be Alliance. So, why are you a part of Cerberus?"

"Sabrina's my family," I answered awkwardly. "Cerberus said they were bringing her back, so I joined up."

Jack scoffed. "You care about Shepard that much?"

"It's not like I like Cerberus," I mumbled. "They do shitty things. But I'm here for Sabrina, not them. Why?"

The girl smirked over at me. "You know what? Now that I know you're not like the Cerberus Cheerleader, its fine if you're checking me out." My face burned and I crossed my arms. Jack laughed at my expression. "Oh, you're fun to tease."

Finally the elevator doors opened, and I quickly headed towards the shuttle. Kenn was there, already scanning the shuttle before flight. "Hello Kenn," I greeted, the boy's head snapping in my direction.

"Kim!" He greeted cheerfully. "I, um… asked Shepard if I could help with the shuttle. If that's alright with you, of course."

"Looks like I've got a co-pilot," I announced, patting the quarian's shoulder and grinning up at him. "How did the scans look?"

"The shuttle's in good condition," Kenn answered with a nod. I could hear the elevator reopen, and I turned to see Sabrina and Garrus approaching.

"Kimmy! Are we ready to go?" Sabrina called out. I took another scan of the shuttle myself, just in case.

"Just give me a minute," I answered, my omni-tool confirming that Kenn's scans were correct. "Sorry Kenn," I shrugged at the boy sheepishly. "I needed to be sure. But yeah, you were right. Shuttle's good to go," I turned to face Sabrina and her ground team. "Shall we?"

Sabrina nodded, she and Garrus entering the shuttle first with Jack following behind them. The tattooed girl smirked at me as she passed and I averted my gaze, a blush forming on my face.

…Jack was a very attractive girl.

I ran a hand through my bangs, letting out a heavy sigh. "Okay Kenn, ever fly a shuttle before?"

Kenn shook his head. "No, sorry."

"It's fine," I smiled over at him. "Go on in. I'll teach you. Shuttles are a lot easier than ships… and even then, flying a ship like the Normandy is just pressing buttons ninety-eight percent of the time."

The quarian nodded eagerly, entering from the other side. I opened my door, sealing it shut once I was inside and sitting in the pilot's seat. "Thanks for teaching me Kim," the boy thanked me earnestly. I shook my head.

"It's not a problem Kenn, anything for one of my favorite quarian's," I shrugged, activating my control panel. "These are the pilot's controls," I began, going on to explain how they worked and what needed to be checked and pressed before flight. I turned on the comm link to the Normandy, now ready to fly. "Hey Joker, EDI. We're all set here. Open up the bay doors?"

"Shuttle bay doors opening, Miss Kogan," EDI answered. I activated the primary thrusters, directing the shuttle out of the Normandy and flying down to the surface to drop Sabrina and her ground team off.

"See Kenn? Pretty easy," I hummed, grinning over at him. "Just gotta keep a steady hand when manually flying the shuttle."

"…Amazing," Kenn murmured softly, a moment later snapping out of his trance and placing his attention elsewhere. "F-flying, I mean. It's amazing."

"Yeah," I agreed fondly. Flying… it was great. "I love it. So, are you wanting to become a shuttle pilot?"

"Maybe," the boy shrugged, staring out the shuttles window. "I'm… not too sure yet."

I flicked on the shuttle's intercom to talk to Sabrina. "Just a few minutes away from the drop zone Sabs, have fun fighting through mercs."

"We'll call you when we're ready for a pickup," Sabrina replied.

"I'll be ready," I replied, turning off the PA. I let out a sigh, realizing that the link to the Normandy was still on before flicking it off. "So Kenn, how's working with Donnelly and Daniels?"

"It's going great," Kenn answered enthusiastically. "Donnelly's really good at explaining things. And Daniels is pretty nice to me. I didn't expect a Cerberus crew to be as friendly as they are."

"We're probably the best side of Cerberus," I shrugged, hovering above the drop zone. "Opening shuttle doors," I announced, keeping my eyes on the camera's to see Sabrina, Jack, and Garrus jump out. "And we're done here," I leaned with the shuttle as I brought it back up, Kenn glancing between me and the controls. I sealed the doors shut again, speeding up and out of range of the mercenary defences. My hand hit the button to open a comm channel with the Normandy. "Hey, we're heading back to the Normandy. Open up the bay doors?"

"Sure thing CP. But first… Kenn, that's the name of your quarian friend, right?" Jeff inquired. I glanced over at Kenn, feeling a bit cautious. What exactly was he asking for…?

"Yes, that's my name," Kenn replied with a nod. "You're Joker, right? The commander mentioned you."

"Yeah, that's me," the pilot answered, sounding a bit grumpy. "So, why're you in the shuttle anyways?"

Kenn glanced around anxiously. "Ah, I just, I mean…"

I let out a long sigh, flying into the shuttle bay. "Joker, he wanted to come along. Sabrina said it was okay, so I was okay with it. There's nothing wrong with him coming along, is there?"

"Just didn't think you needed help flying, CP," Jeff sassed in retaliation. A frown graced my lips; I just didn't understand why he was being so snippy all of a sudden. Not too long ago, we'd basically promised to try to work with each other better. This didn't seem like trying to me. "At least not with a shuttle, with how amazing you are."

…And now he was picking a fight.

My mood darkened considerably. "I don't need help flying," I hissed. "I was showing Kenn how to fly. Need anything else, Flight Leauitenent?" I inquired bitterly. He didn't answer. "Nothing? That's great. Fuck you very much," I declared, shutting off the comm link and crossing my arms.

"…Are you okay Kim?" Kenn piped up awkwardly. "I think that me flying with you upset Joker. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," I snapped at the boy, wincing and shaking my head. He wasn't the one I was upset with, Jeff was. I shouldn't lash out at Kenn. "I mean… God, sorry Kenn. There's no problem with you flying with me." It was kind of like Jeff flying with EDI. "Joker's just pushing buttons that he really shouldn't push." Because I didn't need help to fly anymore. He knew that.

It wasn't a trigger.

…At least, it wasn't a trigger anymore.

Checking the cameras to confirm that the shuttle bay doors were closed, I exited the shuttle and stretched, not looking at the quarian boy. "I'm heading up to the crew deck. Kasumi wanted to speak with me," I explained. "Can you do me a favor and make sure the shuttle's good? Like, check fuel levels and that sort of thing?"

Kenn nodded frantically, already activating his omni-tool. "Of course, of course! I'll, um, talk to you later. Thanks for letting me fly with you."

I nodded tiredly, heading towards the elevator and heading up to the crew deck. Sure, I didn't like Kasumi all that much but she had asked to speak with me. And with how I was feeling at the time, the master thief would be a far more welcome presence than Jeff.

"You look angry again, Kim," Kasumi greeted, appearing beside me in the elevator. "What happened this time?"

"Nothing," I grumbled, crossing my arms and glaring at the wall. "I was just going to meet you so we could talk about the heist."

Kasumi smiled. "I'll mix you a drink at the bar first. You look like you could use it."

We stood in silence, the elevator doors opening on the crew deck. "…That sounds great. Thanks Kasumi," I mumbled, following the other girl towards the Port Observation. The doors hissed open, and I gazed around the room. Kasumi moved towards the nearby bar, grabbing a glass and pouring a blue liquid into it. My eyes caught sight of a rose, which I walked towards. Then I spotted the books, real books, pieces of art…

…Lovely.

"The red rose… that used to be my calling card when I first started out," Kasumi remembered fondly, walking over to me and handing me my drink. "In place of whatever I took, I left a single red rose."

"I didn't take you as the kind of person to leave anything behind," I commented, taking a sip of the drink. Sweet, with a hint of berries. "No offense."

Kasumi let out a small laugh. "Yeah, it wasn't until I met Keiji that I realized how silly it was. He had a way of making you realize when you were just being sentimental."

The two of us made our way to the couch, sitting down with glasses in hand. "Keiji?" I inquired, curious.

The master thief turned serious. "He's the reason we're pulling off this heist. Shall we start talking business?" I nodded. Kasumi smirked, leaning back on the couch. "Good. So, we'll be infiltrating a society party… that's why you and Shepard needed the dresses."

"I'd like to know why Sabrina couldn't just do this, if she's going to be with me anyways," I said between sips. Kasumi nodded, understanding.

"Like I said back on the Citadel… Shepard's recognizable. You're an unknown," the thief explained with a shrug of her shoulders. "If Shepard's playing your body guard, no one will question if she's wearing a mask of some sort. Besides, haven't you looked in the mirror? You're stunning. Hock won't be able to look away."

Finishing my drink, I placed the glass on the floor. "I'm guessing that's the target?"

"You're a sharp one," Kasumi complimented, putting her glass down. "Donovan Hock. He's a weapon's dealer and a smuggler. Killed my partner and stole his graybox. Other than that… he's not so bad," the girl shrugged. "Rich, charismatic, willing to crack open a man's skull to get at the neural implants inside," Kasumi finished bitterly. My eyes widened slightly.

… She'd lost someone important to her, too. But unlike me, she wasn't breaking down.

"Keiji was your boyfriend?" I guessed. Kasumi nodded, hugging her legs to her chest.

"Did I make it too obvious?" the girl sighed. "Yeah. He was my boyfriend. His greybox holds a lot of priceless, personal memories that I want to get back. It's all that remains of who he was."

My heart ached for her. "We'll get it back," I promised.

Kasumi's eyes widened slightly, surprised. "I didn't think you'd be so amiable."

"I know what it's like," I responded softly. "You know, to want someone back. Even just a little piece."

"…Thanks, Kim," Kasumi whispered, letting go of her legs and sitting properly. "The secret he discovered was dangerous though. I wouldn't bring you guys along if it wasn't."

"Yeah, okay," I nodded. "Let's talk about my cover," I decided, far more willing to help now.

The thief seemed to notice my attitude change, a soft smile on her lips. "Your cover is Alison Gunn. You run a small, but talented group of mercenaries out in the Terminus Systems. Precisely the type of person Hock respects," she activated her omni-tool, sending me a few files. "I took the liberty of giving you a reputation. Papers, witnesses, an article in 'Badass Weekly'."

"Wow, you went all out," I laughed lightly, brushing my bangs to the side and reading the article. It was quite the story. "Anything else I need to know about my cover?"

Kasumi shrugged. "Just be yourself. Shep mentioned you have a thing for old music; that might be a good conversation starter. Hock's a collector, he probably knows a thing or two about music too. Just don't start talking business with him and you'll be fine."

"Sounds good," I agreed. "What about the heist itself? You did say that eyes would be on me."

"You're going to be a good distraction," Kasumi confirmed. "We'll all be in radio contact. See, this society party's for some of Hock's closest friends. A couple dozen of the worst liars, cheaters, and mass murderers you'll ever want to meet."

"Wonderful," I mused.

"All of them are bringing gifts as tribute to the man himself," Kasumi added. "Our tribute's a lovely statue of your old friend Saren, rendered with loving detail and filled to the brim with our weapons and armor."

"Okay, so we're smuggling weapons in through that… but what about sidearms?" I inquired carefully. If I was going to be surrounded by bad people, I wanted some line of defense.

"They won't hassle you over a side-arm as long as it's concealed," the thief assured. "Your dress would be pretty good for hiding it. Just strap a holster onto your thigh and you're good. Plus, Shepard'll be with you. Her biotics could come in handy if you get in any trouble."

I leaned back. "Let's try to avoid trouble."

"Agreed," Kasumi nodded. "Inside of the party, we'll need to find Hock's vault door. Then we case the security and start peeling away the layers. You and Shep can enjoy the party until I crack the vault… Then you guys should meet with me again. The statue should be by the safe, waiting for us to crack it open and arm up."

"So… Help you if you need it, but other than that try to not be suspicious?" I questioned. Kasumi grinned and gave me a thumbs up.

"Exactly," Kasumi confirmed. "I'll go get you another drink."

I glanced over at the bar cautiously. One drink was already going to upset Garrus or Karin if they found out…

'Just didn't think you needed help flying, CP.'

"Sure, another drink sounds good," I smiled widely. "Just give me a sec."

"Take your time," Kasumi picked up my glass, heading over to the bar. I activated my omni-tool and flicked on my comm.

"Hey EDI, could you ask Haggerty if he could fly the shuttle down to pick up Sabrina when they're ready for pick up? Kasumi and I are a bit busy right now," I lied, Kasumi giggling a bit at the excuse I gave.

"Mr. Haggerty has been informed," EDI responded. I shut off my comm and let out a long sigh, Kasumi coming back and handing me another drink.

"Officer Kogan would rather spend time here with me instead of up in the cockpit," Kasumi noted. "I've got to say, I never would have expected that. What did Joker do?"

"What makes you think it was something Joker did?" I inquired, taking a sip. This one tasted a bit less sweet, with a hint of blackberry.

"Call it intuition," the thief shrugged. "It's not like Keiji and I always got along."

I ran my fingers through my hair, giving Kasumi an annoyed look. "What's with you always teasing me like that? Sabrina too. Seriously. Joker… he only used to be a friend," I muttered. "Now I don't know what we are."

"Confused, from what I can tell," Kasumi commented. "And very, very awkward."

"Gee, thanks for noticing Kasumi," I snickered. "Any other insights?"

Kasumi took a sip of her drink, watching me with inquisitive, dark eyes. "It's obvious that the two of you care about each other a lot, even after everything that's happened. Don't worry, the two of you'll get through this… well, whatever's going on. Trust me."

"If you say so," I shrugged, taking a big gulp of the alcoholic beverage and feeling a familiar warmth in the pit of my stomach.

…I missed this.

"You two've been through a lot together, right? Have some faith," Kasumi giggled, her glass now empty. "I'm grabbing another. Want me to grab you one more?"

I bit my lip, glancing over at the bar. One more couldn't hurt. I'd only had two, and it wasn't like I was drinking alone…

There wasn't really anything wrong with me having a few drinks every now and then, was there? It wasn't like I was drinking every day. And I was getting better now that Sabrina was back…

What was the harm in one more drink?

I nodded over at Kasumi, handing her my glass. "Yeah, sure. One more."