Chapter 14
"Let's see, let's see." said Ralin scratching his chin thoughtfully, "Where to begin… Ah! I'll tell you about how we recruited Stryker into our little group. Our mission was simple, sneak into a Prothean observation base in what is now the Sol system. It was just me and Stryker against probably a company sized group of Protheans. Cocky bastards, mind you this was in the opening stages of that war, long before the reapers arrived. We started the mission together but ended up separating halfway through. We each had a different mission, his was to prep the base for destruction and mine was to gather any Intel I could from their networks. About, hmm,, how long was it, I want to say maybe thirty minutes before we were to extract I arrived at the RP, luckily enough Stryker was already there. He was digging through his assault pack like a mad man as I walked up to him 'ready?' I asked him he nodded and pulled at least fifteen detonators out of his pack. He set five of them aside saying that they were inactive. He lifts one and pulls the trigger and something behind us exploded, then this crazy bastard starts hitting them one right after the other. By the time he got to the eighth one, alarms are blaring through the Prothean base, explosions are going off everywhere and he's now looking back and forth between the last two. Now mind you, I'm about ready to strangle him because he'd so far managed to blow up everything but the base, but at the same time I'm trying to figure out how in the hell he'd managed to bring so much explosives with him in that assault pack. Finally Stryker picks one and thumbs the trigger. Nothing happens he shakes it and then thumbs it again, still nothing. In mostly sarcasm I say' did you check the batteries?' He scoffs says batteries and flips the detonator over and opens the power cell cover. The idiot laughs nervously makes an adjustment to the power cell closes the cover and then thumbs the trigger. That had to easily be the largest explosion I'd ever seen there was almost nothing left of that observation post. It was as if there were only ruins left. Awhile later after exfil, we're walking through a hallway on the command ship and he's still playing with this last detonator. I look up and who else but Leliana is walking down the hallway ahead of us. I looked at the detonator then at Leliana and figured out what was going to happen about a second before it did. She turns into the CO's latrine and out of the corner of my eye I see Stryker madly hitting the button. Next thing I know the fricken latrine blows up and blows Leliana into the wall behind her. I start to run forward to go and help her but Stryker grabs my shoulder and says, 'you might want to wait.' Hemmy, who was only a lieutenant at the time and I just a captain with Stryker still fully enlisted; runs up and goes to help her, I hear 'Boss! Boss, are you okay?' She flips out, grabs Hemmy by the throat and hurtles him down the hallway with enough force for him to dent the wall several meters behind where Stryker and I were standing."
Hemmy rubs the back of his head at the memory. "I look down to give Stryker the chewing out of a lifetime, when I hear 'CAPTAIN RALIN!' Calmly I walk over to where Leliana is standing, her eyes blazing red through what dust and smoke remained. I go to parade rest and wait for what she has to say. As the remaining dust and smoke clear out Leliana's condition becomes more evident. Her uniform is shredded. I mean long legs, impeccable curves…." he stared off into space for a minute, and then quickly shook his head, "I'm sorry what were we talking about?" "If you haventh figured it owt yet, heth got a thing fow Wewiana." said Hemmy still holding his jaw. "Yeah and the fool only dates red heads." said Stryker practically bouncing in his seat. As he said what literally could have been the blonde Millenar version of Miranda walked up to the table "Matthias! Your back! Are we still on for this weekend?" she said as she placed a few appetizers on the table, separating one for Garrus and Tali. "Of course Shalina, I wouldn't miss it for the fleet." He said smiling at her. Shalina smiled ad turned to walk away. "I guess I was wrong." said Stryker "No, wait." said Hemmy still watching her. As Shalina walked under the direct light her waist length hair turned a brilliant shade of crimson. "HA!" said Stryker pointing at Ralin, who was blushing madly and looking like he was about ready to strangle Stryker.
Hemmy leaned in towards Shepard's group. "Funny thing is we actually went through the academy together, I mean Ralin, Leliana and I, and we were all in the same class. He asked her to every social dance that there was, she actually agreed to go with him to the last one, but between you and me, she only went to get him to stop asking." He said sniggering. "Okay Hemmy, I got something that'll shut you up." said Ralin with a smirk, "One time back on one of our bases back on the homeworld, Hemmy was walking by Leliana's room." "Oh no." said Hemmy burying his face in his hands. "Anyway, he was walking by her room and for some reason she had her door open. Now Hemmy flattens himself against the wall and he peeks his head around the door. I was walking down the hallway opposite of where Hemmy was. Leliana had called me earlier to give her a debriefing of the latest mission our group had finished since one of our team members had died." He stopped for a second before continuing. "Like I was saying, I was on my way down when I see Hemmy there, so I go 'Hemmy what the hell are you doing?' He shooshes me so I'm like 'what the hell guy?' 'Leliana… she's changing.' So I turn around and am thinking aw hell no, no, no, no. I am not going to go and look. But then something in the back of my head was like you're going to get yelled at anyway so I figure what the hell. So I start towards the door but then I see Stryker, again playing with explosives, and I'm thinking oh no. he goes right up to Hemmy, like head next to his head and goes 'what are you doing?' Hemmy turns and jumps in front of the door way yelping in surprise. But just as quickly he jumps back behind the wall. I can faintly hear him repeatedly whispering 'please don't let her have seen me.' I see from the opening in the door Leliana with a shirt held over her chest walk up behind the wall where Hemmy's hiding, she pulls her arm back and her eyes glow bright red. She punches through the solid plate steel wall and bends her arm at the elbow and grabs his neck. She's clearly choking him now; he's gasping 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry,' Stryker is nowhere to be found and I hear her call my name in a very calm voice. I'm thinking, 'oh I'm going to get it' so I go in front of her door and stand at parade rest and stare at the ceiling. 'I'm down here major.' she says. I look down and she's looking at me completely calm and tells me that we will have to reschedule the debriefing. I say yes ma'am and get out of there as fast as I can without actually looking like I am." "She held me there for at least an hour pounding me against the wall and calling me a pervert." said Hemmy rubbing his temples, "I actually had to go to sick call for a concussion." The group was in hysterics after that story. "So does Leliana have a serious temper issue?" asked Kasumi taking a sip from her sake bowl. "Ah no not exactly" said Hemmy, "It's just that you're always in the wrong place at the wrong time." said Tali. Hemmy nodded. They spent the next few hours laughing and joking, even the colonel joined in when he arrived and Shalina when she got off shift. Sirion stood outside the bar watching with a smile on his face as the two groups got along like old friends.