"Commander, we have activated the mass effect core and set course back for Council space," EDI's voice said, coming through a small speaker at this wrist. "The Collector ship will not be able to align in time to give pursuit."
"Thank you, EDI. Tell Joker he did well," Shepard said, removing his helmet once more, still at a loss of what to do with it. Finally he shrugged and tossed it on the floor of the shuttle. He could deal with it later.
"Tell Chakwas that Tali is coming to the med-bay ASAP and I want a line open to the Illusive Man as of 10 minutes ago, EDI. We're going to have a very frank conversation."
"Understood, Commander."
Grunt was watching him, and then turning his attention to Tali. "That was a great battle, Shepard. Your enemies continue to prove worthy. Is the quarian going to survive?"
"Tali will be fine, Grunt," he replied, stressing her name and trying to keep the sharpness from his voice. "But Chakwas will make sure."
Shepard's emotions kept veering back and forth, concern for Tali then back to a burning rage at the Illusive Man for knowingly sending them into a trap and at himself for trusting the organization that had gotten a platoon of his fellow soldiers slaughtered for a science experiment. Next to him Tali groaned, one hand clutching her visor.
"I can... can make it to Chakwas. Head just hurts, kind of dizzy," she groaned, voice still quiet and strained. He felt his hands tighten into a fist, he wanted to take her all the way to medical himself. But he had a job to do, make sure there wasn't a chance of them being followed. Confront the Illusive Man about the disaster they had narrowly escaped. Finally he looked to Garrus.
"You can barely stand. Mordin says quarians aren't as prone to some of the more deadly consequences of a head injury as humans... but I'm not taking chances. Garrus?"
"On it, Boss," he said with a nod. Following Shepard's lead from before he simply scooped up the injured girl in both arms. "I'll get her there and make sure she gets checked out. You go all spitting fire and nails on Mr. Dark and Mysterious."
"Gladly," Shepard growled. He tore his attention from his injured friend finally and cycled the airlock.
The rest of the team was quickly piling out of their respective transports, the secondary team for extracting survivors having never left the cargo bay. Shepard and Garrus were first in the elevator, Tali had stopped protesting being carried around, apparently having lapsed back into unconsciousness. The turian stepped out first with another reassuring nod at the commander before letting it continue on to the CIC. Stepping out of the elevator the first person he saw was Kelly.
"Chambers. Has EDI established the link with the Illusive Man?"
"I think so, Commander," Kelly replied quickly, following after him as he spun on his heel, heading towards the briefing room. "Commander, are you sure you want to do this right now? I mean, clearly you're upset that Miss Zorah was injured, maybe-"
"Yes, right now. My head is pounding like a thousand krogan warriors wielding jackhammers are dancing around in there and that son of a bitch nearly got Tali and the rest of my team killed. You can psychoanalyze me later," he cut her off.
Stepping into the briefing room he let the door slid shut behind him, leaving the yeoman looking slightly lost standing in the empty corridor. Taking his position in the holoscanner he felt his fists clench and unclench. He wanted to break something, badly, even as the room faded and was replaced by the emptiness that was the Illusive Man's office. The man in question was in his usual place, seated with cigarette in hand.
"Ah, Shepard. I thought I might be getting a call from you. Good work on the Collector vessel."
"Good job?" he asked, incredulously. "Good job surviving a trap?"
"It was a calculated risk, but I had confidence in your abilities," the Illusive Man replied casually.
"Risk?You god damn near got my entire team slaughtered! I was one lucky break from watching one my friends die in front of me!"
The man sighed. "Listen to me, Shepard. This is a war-"
"No, you listen to me!" Shepard practically snarled, cutting the man off with a sharp gesture. "The only reason I'm not on the way to put this entire frigate so far up your ass that you'd be capable of FTL travel is because I don't know where you are! You send my team on a mission that you know to be a trap and don't even tell me, and you expect me to trust you?"
"I couldn't risk giving the enemy a chance to realize we were aware of their ploy. Besides, you have a team of the best and the Collectors weren't aware of EDI, that was quite an edge."
"Bullshit! You might have brought me back, but beyond that you're good for one thing: information. If I can't trust that information then you are useless to me!"
"You forget your place, Shepard. I brought you back to save the entire human race, I gave you a ship, funding, a crew. Someone has to make the hard decisions, I was hoping that someone would be you, but if you're not up to it then I have to," the Illusive Man said, leaning forward in his chair now. Some of the casual air had gone from his voice, annoyance more clearly heard now.
Shepard smiled, it was humorless and predatory. Good. He needed his perfect world shaken. He pointed at the man, managing to control his voice but the edge was still there.
"Yes, and now it's my ship and my crew. You want to stop the Reapers? Then stop trying to play puppet master and put your money where your mouth is! I don't belong to anyone, not you, not the Council, not the Alliance. So either you stop treating me like a subordinate or I rip this ridiculously expensive communication console out and we see just how loyal this ship and her crew are to Cerberus."
The two men seemed to stare at each other for a few long moments, Shepard dropping his arm but still standing with one foot forward, locking his own eyes with the eerie synthetic glow of the Illusive Man's. Another time he might have been bluffing, but after the events of the last few days he was too on edge to play the game any longer.
All he could think of were the lives lost. Akuze. Virmire. The Normandy. Garrus bleeding out on the dirty floor of an Omega warehouse. Tali, less than fifteen minutes ago feeling something curl up and die inside him when he watched that husk lunge for her as if in slow motion. The only reason he was only angry instead of purely enraged was because of a scientific impossibility. The hand of god in the machine.
Finally the Illusive Man relented. "Fine. From now on I'll try to remember to treat you as an equal, Shepard. You must understand, I have been doing this for a long time. I only have humanity's best interests at heart, but sometimes to save a million a thousand have to die. Those are the choices that good men, leaders, are going to have to make."
"Then you let me make them, informed and aware of all of the consequences," Shepard said. "I won't throw lives away when there is another way."
"Don't let your idealism damn us all," he replied, pointing at him, the lit cherry of his cigarette acting like an emphasis to his words. "We're dealing with their servants now. When the Reapers themselves come entire worlds might fall before we can stop them, worlds that we will have to let burn to have a chance at victory. If we are to survive, your hands won't be clean. It's the sacrifice we all have to make."
Shepard's mouth was set in a grim line. "My hands are far from clean. We'll worry about that when the time comes, for now we worry about the threat at hand."
"Agreed," the Illusive Man nodded. "You should at least be happy to know that your operation was a success despite your... misgivings. We were able to obtain a massive amount of data. Among that was information on the Omega 4 relay, confirming that somewhere beyond that relay is indeed their base of operations. We're still trying to get more information, but this finally gives us a potential target."
"It's something at least," Shepard said. His anger had abated somewhat, still present but now more like an animal prowling at the back of his mind. "What about mean time? That ship is still out there."
"It is, but they'll be even more cautious now. This is twice we've met them on their own terms and come out on top. EDI was definitely a wild card they weren't prepared for. From the data already sifted through we have some ideas as to their tactical capabilities. My recommendation would be to stay the course you have been," the Illusive Man suggested. "I've looked at some of the technical readout reports on the Normandy. There is a great deal of potential to transform her into an even more formidable warship, but if that's going to be accomplished it's up to you. My resources aren't limitless."
"If it improves our chances I'll fill the cargo hold with horseshoes and four leaf clovers."
"I don't think that will be necessary, but as you said, it's your ship. I'll be in touch as soon as we've decrypted more of EDI's data from the Collector vessel," the man said. Shepard gave him a curt nod and cut the connection.
Leaving the briefing room he stepped back onto the CIC and then headed to the cockpit. Joker was munching on a standard issue military chocolate bar when he arrived. He arched an eyebrow and the pilot merely shrugged.
"What can I say, near blown up experiences give me cravings."
Shepard couldn't help but crack a smile. "I won't even ask who's ration your filching from. Good work on getting us out of there."
"Thanks, Commander. Good that someone appreciates my unparalleled flying abilities."
"Other than you, you mean?"
"Of course," Joker responded, mouth full of chocolate. Shepard turned to leave and then paused, looking back at the console and pausing.
"Good work on your end as well, EDI. We couldn't have gotten out of that ship if not for you. And I wouldn't have known about the Illusive Man's misinformation."
The AI didn't respond immediately, almost as if not expecting the acknowledgement. After a moment the blue sphere that was EDI's manifestation pulsed as the AI spoke.
"You are welcome, Commander. I was built by Cerberus but my primary programming has always been for loyalty to the ship and its crew."
Shepard nodded. "Good. The Illusive Man and I have come to... something of an understanding but I still want to make it clear that this is my ship and my crew. If you get a chance can you forward a listing of any tracking or listening devices to myself, Tali, and Miranda?"
"Of course," the AI agreed. "But as you know I have blocks in my system preventing access to much of Cerberus' classified information."
"Don't worry, I know. Just send what you have. And keep playing nice, you two."
"Yes, Mom," Joker said, rolling his eyes.
"I will endeavor to continue to work with Mr. Moreau with minimal complications, Commander."
"Can't ask for more than that, EDI," Shepard said, heading back towards the elevator. He stumbled slightly stepping in. Without the anger pumping through him he felt suddenly drained.
He was used to the dip after a battle, it was something you became accustom to after a time, feeling a little slower and even a little melancholy as the adrenaline disappeared. This was more of a bone weary feeling, as if the entire days events had occurred in the space of the past few minutes and hit him all at once. Still, he had things to do before he could rest. His first stop was going to be the med-bay. Mordin had sounded confident that Tali wasn't in danger but he wanted to be sure.
"Ah, Commander. I expected we'd be seeing you soon," Chakwas greeted him, sparing a critical eye for his still armored bulk. "You could have taken the time to get out of your armor. Tali's condition is stable, she just took a nasty blow to the head. She'll probably have a few bruises to go along with it, but no permanent damage."
"I still wanted to be sure, she seemed really out of it and we didn't have time to check her vitals. I was afraid moving her might have caused more damage..." Shepard said.
The doctor smiled, shaking her head. "Mordin was monitoring you all, as you well know. Quarians are similar to humans, but not identical obviously. Everything I know about them says that rather than being a risk for swelling and damage, parts of their brain simply shut down for brief periods of time while they recover after a blow to the head."
Shepard sighed and glanced to the bed where Tali was laying, apparently asleep. "Understood, doc, overreacting. It just... it got really close. By all rights I, we, should have lost her today."
"I know. Everyone was pushing the red lines on their vitals, you most of all. Your blood pressure and heart rate made some extremely irregular spikes even for a combat situation," she said, scrolling through a datapad. Chakwas looked ready to continue when one of the displays behind her beeped loudly, drawing her attention away. It was probably for the best, he wasn't entirely sure what had happened on board the enemy ship.
"Damn machine, it's still programmed for humans. It's trying to wake her up because she has a concussion."
She shook her head and moved to correct the error. Tali was stirring on the bed as Chakwas approached, Shepard behind her. She hadn't spoken, instead looking around as if confused. He saw her muscles tense.
"Tali?" Chakwas asked.
The quarian's hands shot up to grab at her visor. A moment later her actions became more frantic, finger tips clawing at the smooth surface of the plastic as if trying to tear it off. The doctor quickly moved to her side to check her vitals.
"Tali, you're okay. Calm down," she tried to soothe the woman, only to narrowly dodge aside as the quarian's leg kicked out at her when she came into range.
"What the hell?" Shepard muttered.
"Shepard, help me! I have to sedate her, I think she's trying to get the suit off and this is most definitely not a clean room!"
Her breathing came shallow and quick through the visors modulator. She seemed to alternate between trying to pull the mask off her head and kicking out at Chakwas. The only thing Shepard could think of was a frightened animal. Gritting his teeth he closed the distance to the bedside.
Tali's first kick caught him in the stomach. He had time to contemplate just how strong her legs were despite her slim build as he felt the air leave his lungs. The fact that he was wearing his armor was quite possibly the only reason he didn't feel ribs cracking. Still, he was able to get closer than Chakwas, reaching forward to grasp her wrists, pulling them away from her visor. He could almost swear he heard a low pitched growl come from her voice box.
"Tali, please, listen... you have to calm down. Calm down," he repeated, even as she strained against him. Her legs still kicked outwards, keeping the doctor away. She seemed to become more frantic with every passing minute.
"Tali!" he barked. His voice was firm and deep, the same tone he used when issue orders in the heat of battle. The quarian's head snapped around to focus on him, silver eyes wide beneath her visor.
"Look at me, Tali. You're safe. Everyone is safe," Shepard said, voice lower but keeping the firm and level tone. He kept a light grip on her wrists as she raised a hand, one fingertip touching the scar on his face, the same one he remembered she'd touched that evening the car patching him up.
With her focus on him Chakwas was able to approach and quickly activated a control on the medical unit. There was a faint hiss and Tali's muscles tensed once more, straining for a moment, before immediately relaxing. Silver eyes fluttered and then closed, letting him ease her back down to the bed.
Shepard looked over her to Chakwas. "What the hell was that?"
"Unexpected. I have spent years collecting data on numerous species but my data on quarians isn't as thorough as I'd like. I think it might have something to do with the way their bodies deal with the trauma," she replied, examining the screen next to her bed. "From what I can tell the part of her brain that reasons was mostly quiet for that incident. She was running on instinct."
"I've woken up... a little out of it before, but it was like she didn't even know who she was the way she was trying to tear the mask off."
"I don't think she did, at least not in the way you mean. Thank you, Commander. I'm sorry I didn't realize the danger. If you hadn't been here this could have ended badly," Chakwas said.
"You couldn't have known, Tali is the only quarian you've probably dealt with in a long time."
The doctor checked the monitors one more time before looking back to him with a small smile. "True, and now I know, quite more than I expected, actually. You go a long way to supporting the theory of intrinsic leadership, Shepard. She reacted to your presence and tone rather than your words."
"Just seemed... logical, get her attention, get her focused," he said with a shrug. "If she's going to be alright I still need to make some rounds before I finally pry myself out of this armor. Notify me if anything else happens."
"Of course."
Once more Shepard made his way to the elevator. Apparently this was going to just be one of those days. He wasn't still entirely clear one what had just happened with Tali, but she seemed to be resting comfortably, and there was something heartening in the idea that even running on instinct she still trusted him. Even recognized him if the light touch of her fingers had been any indication. He quickly shoved that thought away as the doors opened.
Striding into the engine room he addressed his other two head engineers. "Ken, Gabby."
"Morn'n... or afternoon, never can tell on a ship," Donnelly said.
"Sir," Gabby replied a little more formally.
"Tali was injured on the last mission, I'm going to order Chakwas to keep her in med-bay for at least the next day until I'm sure she's better. In the meantime I'm going to need you two to keep things running. If you need an extra pair of hands then draft Garrus. He can find his way around a machine as well as I can."
"You don't 'ave to worry, Commander. Tali's a wonder of an engineer but me an' Gabby can keep the ol' girl going jus' fine. Managed to not blow her up before Tali got 'ere after all," Donnelly promised.
"Don't worry, I had faith in you already. And as I said, if you do need a three fingered devil, there's one in the main battery that cannot be doing calibrations as much as he claims."
He left the two engineers to their duties. There was another member of his crew that he needed to visit, one he hadn't dealt with as much as he should have. Shepard had made a point to have a talk with her right after she came aboard, laying down some ground rules, and managed to get at least a small glimmer of her past out of her. A Cerberus experiment to create more powerful human biotics. Exactly what they'd done to her hadn't been revealed. But he could guess.
Jogging down the stairs he found Jack, with her cot and small stockpile of supplies, sitting there reading through a stack datapads. She still wore the same baggy pants and barely concealing leather straps. Apparently she'd also found a razor as her head was still shaved.
"Well, if it isn't the big fuck'n hero come to talk to the evil criminal," Jack sneered.
"Sorry, Jack. I've had a great deal on my mind... and you seem to prefer your privacy anyways."
"Yea, don't be a pussy about it," she said, tossing the datapad aside. "Beside I can't be too pissed off, you actually kept your end of the bargain. Never figured Cerberus would actually let me go through this pile of goodies."
"That's because I'm not Cerberus. I just happen to be working with them," he replied. "Whatever is painted on the side, this is my ship."
The biotic stood, pacing a small circle, before turning to him and hopping up onto the table to sit there with her legs dangling. "I've seen how you act, so maybe I believe that and this is one hell of a ship. You know you could just tell Cerberus to just fuck off... go pirate. You'd live like a king in this ship. All the credits you could want... all the violence I could ever ask for."
"We both know that isn't going to happen," Shepard said. "I read up on you, I'm sure you read up on me."
"Yea, was worth a shot though. I watched some of your combat vids, you know to kill as well as anyone that was on Purgatory," she said. "So what are you down here for? Finally decided to take advantage of the half naked girl on your ship? I mean at least you showed up dressed appropriately."
The smile on Jack's face was devious as she leaned back on her hands, arching slightly. One eyebrow cocked at him. He ignored the Purgatory comment, no matter how close it hit to home. She leaned forward again, one hand stretching out to tap at his breastplate.
He reached up and grasped her wrist. "No, Jack."
"Too good for me?" she asked, her expression becoming venomous.
"Probably not good enough," he said, letting go. "I don't know what game you're playing. But this isn't Purgatory. Or Omega. Or any of the other hellholes you've survived in. You don't have to use sex as a weapon to get by."
"What the fuck do you know, Shepard?"
He held his ground despite seeing tiny flashes of blue energy leaping between her fingertips. "I know from what I've read you've had the worst damn draw of about any human being I've met. Whatever Cerberus did to you was wrong. Maybe you think it justifies being a ruthless bitch... but I'm not some dumb merc or pirate. You want to keep up appearances? Fine. But I don't give a damn about your reputation or your body, this might come as a shock but I'm not interested in using you. I brought you on board because I thought you'd be an asset to this team."
"Everyone uses everyone," she snorted, flopping down her cot. The fire was gone from her voice this time, though.
"No, people use people. Friends help friends."
"Friends are just people that fuck you over after they smile at you."
"You should try it without the fucking at some point, you might be surprised," Shepard shot back.
Jack turned her head to peer at him suspiciously. Apparently she wasn't used to people actually arguing with her. Finally she reached beneath her cot and tossed a datapad at him. He caught it, albeit awkwardly, as she swung herself into a sitting position.
"Okay, how about this? I found where they did those experiments on me as a kid. Where they screwed with my head. It's an abandoned Cerberus facility. You want to do me a favor, let's fly out into the middle of nowhere, and then when we get there, I want to go to my room and blow up the biggest god damn bomb you've got on this ship in there."
Shepard looked at the datapad for a moment, absorbing the contents. Finally he nodded. "Okay."
"See? Wait, what?"
"I said okay. We don't have a particular urgent destination at the moment. If it lets you kill some of those demons I don't see why not."
"Well, damn. Wasn't expecting that one," Jack said. "Fine, wake me up when we get there."
"Will do."
He made his way back up the stairs. Originally he had wanted ask what she knew about the biotic enhancements that Cerberus had performed on her... and if any of them had involved 'turning' people into biotics. For now he'd let it lie, though. First he needed to prove to her that the world didn't have to revolve around a vicious give and take.
Deck three greeted him again after another short elevator ride. He suppressed a yawn and shook his head, rapping on the door to Miranda's office. The door slid open to reveal her at her terminal.
"Commander. Is there a problem? I thought you'd at least be out of your armor by now."
"I don't know, I think I need you to tell me," Shepard replied. He sat heavily in one of the chairs, running an armored hand through the stubble that was his hair. "Did Cerberus make any additions when they brought me back? Beyond what was needed to rebuild me."
Miranda looked slightly perplexed but nodded. "Of course. I'm sure you've already noticed the increased muscle strength. The Illusive Man said to bring you back 'as you were', but didn't seem to have any issues if the best available cybernetics were used when we couldn't regenerate all of the damage to your body."
He frowned. "I noticed. I was always in good shape but I'm well beyond human now. I don't know whether to thank or curse you for that. But that isn't what I meant. I mean did you try to... add any abilities I didn't already have? Like, say, biotic ability."
"Oh hell..." Miranda said, her eyes widening.
"You have to be kidding me?" he growled.
"No, you don't understand. When you died you were spaced and then fell to the planet below along with a great deal of the wreckage of the Normandy. When we got you back here we noticed that you had been exposed to some of the element zero in the wreckage," she explained.
"The combination of drugs, nanotechnology, and cell cloning... it made you manifest some of the traits as a biotic that had been exposed at a young age. We went ahead and installed an available biotic implant among your cybernetics just in case."
"So you just thought, hey, let's not mention that we might have brought you back as a biotic?"
Miranda shook her head. "But you never showed any manifestation of any biotic ability. I simply concluded that the exposure and rejuvenation process wasn't sufficient to give you those abilities. Are you saying that you've manifested biotics?"
"I don't know what else to call it," he shrugged. Rubbing his neck he continued. "On the ship... Tali came back for me. But she was ambushed by the husks. She didn't see one behind her and my gun was overheated."
His XO eased back in her chair, looking thoughtful. "I am aware that Miss Zorah and I haven't had the most... warm relationship, but I can understand that that must have been an unpleasant situation for you."
Shepard felt his hands clench at the memory. "It was. But I was running toward her even if I knew I couldn't possibly make it in time and... it was like all my focus was on that single husk, reaching for it. And the next thing I knew my head was screaming and the husk was jerking like someone was riddling it with bullets. Had the same sort of glow I see when you or one of the others use biotics."
"I am sorry that I didn't mention this before,Com - Shepard," she said, correcting herself. "But I also don't know exactly what you did to the husk. What you're describing isn't an ability I've ever mastered. I can use my biotics to act as an outside force on an enemy. What you're describing sounds almost as if you manifested a field within the husk."
"Well, I guess it's good that we just recruited a centuries old asari, no?"
Miranda nodded. "I suppose so. From reading Thane's dossier he also has some biotic ability. And of course there is Jack. But I'm not sure if she's going to be the best person for advice."
"Actually on that note... have Joker set a course for these coordinates," Shepard said, tapping some information into his omni-tool and sending it. "We have a side trip that needs taking care of."
"Odd place to go, but I'll make sure we set a course immediately," she said.
"We have an odd crew," he shrugged.
Standing to leave her office, Shepard gave a final parting comment. "I think this is one of the first conversations we've had without an argument. Maybe this XO thing will work out after all."
"Time will tell, Shepard," came her reply, but there was an element of humor there.
Moving down the hall, he found himself at the port observation deck, opposite of where Kasumi had taken up residence. He tapped the door controls once and stepped in. Samara was sitting on the floor 'indian style' as humans referred to it. Her body was wreathed in the blue shimmer of biotic energy. After a few moments the glow faded and the asari opened her eyes.
"Commander Shepard."
"Samara."
"You appear troubled," she commented.
"A day on the ship and I'm already that easy to read?" the spectre laughed, easing himself down on one of the couches.
"Six hundred years of experience and you are that easy to read. I will admit you humans are extremely expressive, so it is easier than most."
"It's a gift," he snorted. "I wanted to see how you were settling in. I realize that as far as first missions go that wasn't the best introduction to the team."
The justicar shrugged. "We faced a powerful enemy that sought to entrap us. While I will admit that the team you have assembled is... eccentric and I am unused to working with others, there is no denying the effectiveness. Despite the odds you managed the avoid any casualties."
"It was closer than I would have liked."
"Ah yes, the quarian girl. I was not aware that you possessed biotic abilities, Commander."
"That would be the other reason I came to talk to you. Until recently I wasn't aware of the fact either," he said, holding up a hand to forestall the inevitable question. "It apparently has something to do with the way Cerberus brought me back, don't ask. The issue is I don't know what I did, much less how I did it."
"Truly?" Samara asked, one brow arched. "Interesting. I would have expected the technique you displayed to be performed by an experienced biotic. Among the asari it is rarely taught as it is a strictly offensive ability. The old term is 'To Reave the Soul'."
"That sounds... unpleasant."
"It is. In essence you are generating a biotic field within the body of your target, the force of which does enormous damage to bone, muscle, sinew... it is devastatingly effective, but extremely painful. And also very difficult to execute. If I may ask, what were you focusing on when you manifested the ability?"
Shepard sat for a moment, looking out at the stars beyond the view port. "I was running towards Tali... I saw the husk lunging. I just... focused on that threat, everything else kind of disappeared for a moment as if I was in a tunnel. All I could think of was doing anything to stop it. I was angry. So very angry."
Samara nodded. "Children often develop their abilities in moments of great stress. It is only logical that you would react in a moment a moment of extreme emotion. Heart and soul knew what purpose you wished to achieve, even if your mind was not aware of the capability. And so you did. Tread carefully, Commander. The power you have is deadly, but unfocused."
"I don't know how I did it then, I don't think I could pull off a repeat performance on command," he said.
"Maybe it is for the best. I merely ask that you be conscious of the danger."
"I will, and I appreciate the advice," Shepard thanked her. "If you have need of anything else, please don't hesitate to ask. Miranda can get you anything you need if I'm not available."
"I have all that I need, but I thank you for the consideration. I would advise rest, Commander. In your current state you would prove little challenge to a capable opponent."
He merely laughed tiredly, leaving the observation port and stepping back into the corridor to find Thane and Kasumi standing next to the elevator, apparently talking. The hooded woman smiled and pointed as soon as she noticed him, looking satisfied with herself.
"Told ya he wouldn't be resting yet," the thief said, then added in a mock whisper to the drell. "He's stubborn."
Shepard shook his head and addressed Thane. "I see you've met our resident second story girl."
"Ah yes, she has been quite helpful," the assassin replied, his voice the same gravelly, quiet tone he'd spoken in since they'd met him.
Kasumi shrugged, glancing over at the door leading to the med-bay.
"Is she alright?"
"She'll be fine, she's sleeping now, just got a nasty blow to the head," he replied.
"Good. I'll visit her later, sure she'll get bored stuck in there. I'll leave you boys to business," Kasumi chirped, and then abruptly vanished.
The two men stood there for a moment, looking at the space where she had been before meeting gazes and giving a shrug. Finally Thane spoke.
"You have an interesting crew, Shepard. I was looking to speak with you if you had a moment, but if you would prefer to relieve yourself of your armor we can speak later."
Shepard shook his head and gestured for Thane to lead on. "Don't worry about it, I think the armor is the only thing keeping me up at the moment anyways. I wanted to speak to you as well, so I think a few more minutes won't kill me."
The assassin led the way to one of the rooms near life support, letting Shepard enter before following. Inside the air was slightly drier than it was on the rest of the ship, the faint harshness to the air noticeable. Thane apparently didn't have a great deal of personal effects either, a pair of bags stowed beneath his cot and a few datapads on a nearby desk. The only thing of particular note was a storage case that had been previously empty was now filled with a number of weapons. Among a number of rifles and blades was a light anti-infantry machine gun. A Revenant if he had to guess.
Noticing the look the commander gave the weapon, Thane tapped the glass over the weapon. "Precision is the mark of an artist. But there are times when the wide brushstrokes of a more simple painter are necessary."
"Old saying on Earth: 'Professionals are predictable, it's amateurs that are dangerous'."
"How very true," Thane agreed, taking a seat facing the door, and waiting for Shepard to join him.
"I'll tell you the same thing I told Samara," Shepard said as he took the offered seat. "Sorry that your first mission was almost a suicide mission."
"The performance of yourself and your entire team was admirable. As far as I am concerned it simply made it clear that you were serious about the mission at hand," the drell replied. "Which is also the reason I wished to speak with you. I know that you expressed concerns regarding my illness when we met on Illium."
"From what I saw you didn't seem impaired. Quite the contrary, you're one amazingly agile combatant. If I hadn't already been impressed back on Illium I would be now."
"Thank you, it is sadly the only art I know, but I am at least accomplished at it," Thane said, bowing his head. "As for my illness it something known as Kepler's Syndrome, it is not contagious, even to other drell."
"Is there anything we can do for you?" Shepard asked. "The Normandy has state of the art medical facilities."
Thane's smile was grim. "I suspect that if the entire Enlightened Hanar government has not been able to find a cure even your considerably skilled team is not going to be able to do much better. My species comes from an extremely arid world. When the hanar saved us from extinction and settled us on their world our lungs were not accustomed to the high humidity. Some of us, after time, develop Kepler's Syndrome. Eventually my lungs will fail, unable to properly absorb oxygen."
The human tapped his fingers on the desk in front him him, frowning. "I'm sorry, Thane. That's not a death anyone deserves."
"Maybe. Maybe not. Either way the degeneration will not be advanced enough to begin to slow me down for at least a few months, so I will not be a hindrance to your mission. When I found out the truth of my condition I set out to make the universe a little brighter place before I passed. That is when you found me in Dantius' tower."
The drell continued. "I have taken many lives in my time, Shepard. Most at the behest of the hanar, some... not. If my time has come for me to leave this world then bringing an end to the damned last remnants of the Protheans... a man can ask for little more than such an epitaph."
"If I've learned anything it's to never give up hope, Thane," Shepard responded. "But if this is going to be your final act... then I'm honored that you choose to serve with me."
"May the gods look favorably upon us. Now I will let you rest, Commander. I am fatigued from our actions aboard the Collector's ship, I am sure that you are even more so."
"Very true," Shepard said. "If you need anything just make sure you tell me or Miranda. Or Garrus."
Thane simply nodded.
One last trip in the elevator soon found Shepard in his quarters. Slowly he popped the releases on his chest piece and gauntlets, followed by the lower half of the armor and his boots, carefully pulling each piece off and setting it down carefully on the table. He hissed in pain as he popped the shoulder piece loose.
Apparently his armor hadn't quite stopped everything, a thin red line and caked blood showing where a round at found the seam at the shoulder joint. One of the advantages of hyper-velocity rounds at least: you don't usually have to go digging them out. It was mostly a flesh wound anyways, skimming along the top of his shoulder. He'd felt something clip him when they were running for the ship, but with his adrenaline flowing he hadn't even registered it.
Leaving his armor sitting out he stepped into the shower. If there was one perk he couldn't deny liking about Cerberus' more lavish personal quarters it was the shower. The hot water washed away the days grime along with the dried blood, the wound stinging faintly. Feeling slightly more human if not more awake he was able to quickly patch up the wound with some medi-gel and a loose bandage.
"EDI," Shepard said. He was unable to stop a groan as he sank into the softer material slightly, muscles relaxing.
"Yes, Commander?"
"Set an alarm for two hours before we're in shuttle range of our destination. And of course wake me in case of any emergency," he ordered, then added. "Also any communication from Chakwas is to get forwarded through immediately."
"Of course, Commander."
He was asleep almost before she had finished her sentence.