A/N; In very quick succession (This chapter was written before 'Primrose Hill' and seeing as I've got exams, thought I might as well post it just to keep whoever is hooked...well...hooked) comes the next chapter. Right, mainly conversation based chapter, unlike yesterdays chapter which was...action based with lots of Hyst Sessions to get your/their teeth into. This time, we're back to a flashback once again, as you can tell there are dual stories currently going on, one giving a great deal of depth to the other and showing how Shepard gained his mentality...and his scars (The one on his forehead wasn't exactly gained during any heroic moments however). Malara's back, the Sergeant's back, Wynne's talking again and Tali's back (Yey).
So enjoy and Review! Though i write whether or not i have reviews, the story line is generally gripping enough for me to remain interested (Honestly, it gets better from here) or gets less rubbish, though that depends on your point of view, i love hearing feedback.
Enjoy.
(Crackle of Static); [Choral Note]
Voice recorded as Commander Shepard Recorded; Clean up in Aisle Three.
Voice recorded as Lieutenant Kaiden Alenko; Shepard! Get off that Microphone!
(Transcript from the 'Shopping Centre Hostage Situation' on Garthen 5. Situation resolved by Commander Shepard and Lieutenant Alenko with minimum casualties)
Malara walked through the humming walls of the Turian frigate as the night cycle came into effect, the colorless shift she was wearing brushing along the floor as she moved. It was dark outside, the glittering stars picking out the softly lit corridors of the ship in a scattering of glittering colours. It was midnight, Illium time, the Turian Commanders in a bid to welcome the small contingent of Asari Commandos, setting the night cycles to more benefit their own body clocks. Not that it mattered, most were so exhausted by the days events that they slept in chairs, beside half eaten meals or spread across their sleeping mats, ignorant of the lengths the Turians had gone to make their stays comfortable.
It was not the only thing which occurred due to their arrival. There had been some leers from the Turian crew, being Asari attracted quite a few unwelcome stares, especially from the younger members of the Turian squads. The Maidens in the group welcomed it; such attention was welcome by some. Tania, the squad's demolition expert however, had thrown the idea out entirely, preferring the company of Krogans to the rigid military discipline of the Turians. This had caused a few problems, a few of the younger Turians feeling a great deal of loss as the young maiden walked by, completely ignorant of the looks she was receiving.
Malara, however, gained a whole new level of attention. Her green skin, speckled with brown tattoos which covered her face made her stand out from the rest of the small squad. As did her age, the Matron occupying a rather modest 400 years. Not that it affected her looks, only giving her little bit of a cold gaze which caused most to shudder uncomfortably. The teeth too…her canines were sharpened to thin points which gave her the appearance of some kind of feral creature.
Even so, the question of her looks was not why she was here as with a small smile, she greeted the single Turian guard beside the door of the cell block. The door was heavily reinforced, Malara's trained eyes playing over the thick sheet of segmented metal which guarded the portal. Twin locks held the door in place, the weak points been nigh impossible to reach, this door was design to withstand a loss of pressure within the hull. Just in case they had to jettison the prisoners…Malara bit her lip at the thought, before focusing intently on young Turian who stood before her.
"Ma'am."
"Good evening…" Malara allowed her shift to catch some draft, the light material slowly twirling round her form. "…Commander Rebus demanded that I look over the prisoners and try to glean some information about our objective. He said you'd assist me with my inspections, though I expect that you have more important things to do. I don't want to waste your time…" The Turian made a slight noise in his throat, eyeing the swell of her bosom beneath the cloth "…with such a late night, I would expect one like yourself to be off, enjoying a little meditation…" she shot a glance at the claws of the guard, his hands bare…slight scarring round the knuckles, one of the armor plates were loose. "…or sparring?"
The guard looked startled, his mandibles twitching as he breathed in the Asari's exotic scent. "…I….I….uh….I…"
"I would go and have a little break…" she whispered smiling slowly, all too aware that the Turian was following the line of her jaw "…there's no problem with me inspecting the prisoners. I can look after myself and I'm sure you'd rather be elsewhere."
"I was ordered to stay here…" the young guard eyed the green tinged irises "….I could always go and catch a small break I guess. I…"
"Good…" Malara breezed by, one bare arm moving the Turian gently aside "…perhaps I will join you later…" she whispered, gently resting a hand on his arm as she passed. "…I do like a bit of physical contact."
The Turian gargled and disappeared rapidly, his boots ringing off the floor of the corridor as he ran. Malara allowed the rather seductive smile to drop to be replaced by a rather evil smirk.
"Idiot."
She stepped through the portal; the large metal plates usually blocked any entrance to the cell blocks whirring down at her back. Unlike her squad, who dozed in their quarters, Malara hadn't been able to sleep, her dreams broken by dark shadows, rain filled skies and the brief flash of grey eyes which usually jolted her from slumber to gasp into the dark space of her quarters. It was a great feeling of curiosity which had made her come to the middle deck, the silent corridors the only witness to her bare feet padding across the cold floor. She ran her tongue round her sharpened canines in thought, her foot steps quickening as did her heart as she stepped from cell door to cell door.
Each door was a thick sheet of glass surrounded by metal bars which held the large window in place. Through the glass, small two man cells were occupied by up to three prisoners, the lengths the Turians went to punish their POWS evident as Malara passed by. Mostly Batarians, they watched her pass by with hungry stares, their mouths slightly open at the featureless shift. Malara ignored them, her breaths still coming slow and controlled now as she passed from cell to cell until at last…
Grey eyes flashed in the darkness.
"So, what did you do? Charm the guard, show a little skin and flutter your eyelids?" Shepard cut across her hearing as with two hands, she gripped the bars on either side of his cell. The man, stripped of all his armor except the grey vest and grey fatigues of an AODT, lent against the wall of his cell, one foot resting on the opposite bench.
"Oh…still pleasant I see. What other snide remarks are you going to come up with next, Sergeant."
"Well…I don't know…" Shepard chewed his lip "…you did call me a prick."
"You called me a Chamomile Tea drinking woman." Malara retorted, Shepard snorting into his hand.
"Philosophy, demand for the soul, belief in the constant circle in life, the trees been whole…rose tinted spectacles…very sweet…" he listed, scratching the side of his nose "…go figure."
"I don't hug trees, I do not believe in…oh I don't know…prancing round fields picking flowers while maidens look on in grass skirts with simpering smiles while matriarchs pour cups of chamomile tea. I don't even like chamomile tea…" Malara rested her head against the glass, trying to gauge any hint of a facial expression from the soldier "…I didn't even know what it was till I looked it up. You humans bring a great many things…"
"Yeah…" Shepard said bluntly, his eyes closed "…prancing would be bad. But you're out there in the world; I'm stuck in this metal box. A matron of…" he gesticulated, his lips moving in thought "…so…many…um…years talking to a rank and file grunt; a tad weird seeing our differences in rank…age…and…ah…species which makes me wonder; What do you want?"
"Um…" Malara felt a little stumped, her mind whirring as she worked her way through the reasons. There wasn't any response she could come up with in truth…except the usual mundanely boring topics "…So how…um…are you?"
"I'm in a large metal cell, I've been given Turian rations and my next door neighbor is a batarian with a few issues with wind and great big chip on his shoulder about the human expansion into the traverse. I've just been dragged from a beach; I've got multiple bullet wounds, a broken rib, shrapnel scaring and a bruise which looks vaguely like internal bleeding. I've got a shit load of paper work to deal with once I get back to Toombs and now I've got the righteous boot of the Turian military pressing down on me. So yeah…all, peachy here…" he retorted sarcastically.
"I was just been pleasant, Sergeant!"
"I was just been Sarcastic, Miss."
"Why are you so infuriating!"
"Why do you keep coming back!"
"Argh…!" Malara swore in Asari, the other members of the cell block looking up from their squalor as the single Matron slammed her fist into the glass, civil conversation boiling down to one very important question. "Why, Sergeant?"
"Why what…" Shepard didn't rise from his seat, his eyes in shadow as through the glass, Malara looked on with curious eyes. Shepard was…well, he wasn't muscle-bound. The broad arms which emerged from his grey vest weren't a rippling affair, the soldier more whippet lean than strong, Shepard's wiry form more suited to Zero-G fights or plunging drop pods. The only blemish on his dark skin was a single black tattoo which displayed a large black winged bird, spread eagled while beneath, Shepard's serial number was grafted onto his skin. Malara felt her anger recede a little, though Shepard still stared at her with those accusing grey eyes…
Shepard was…modest, would be the best way to describe him, built for speed rather then strength. Malara knew the Alliance soldiers tended to be bull necked, genetic modification, steroids and slight cyberisation having led to enhanced body structures. This had always made her feel a little ill, the installation of Amps was already a disgust she had to bear. The Sergeant…the AODT as a military unit broke so many stereotypes, the rugged group of soldiers weren't brawling, gung-ho soldiers, there was a faint degree of weary acceptance among those she'd met, though briefly.
Shepard, however, was something different…
He just sat there in his cell, calm, contented, his feet on the bench, not pacing about his cell, looking for a way to escape. Or perhaps he had been…Malara narrowed her eyes; the console beside the door had been fiddled with, several strands of wires tumbling from its interior…
"…well. Are you going to answer my question, Miss?"
"Why did you punch the Turian Commander? That was the most stupid thing I have ever seen one of your species do! And onboard a Turian Vessel! What were you thinking!"
"I had just been dragged from hell. A hell he'd created. That Frigate could have been down there, that frigate could have saved so many soldiers. It's wrong that he can leave so many to die with so little care. All those people who will not be coming back thanks to a tactically backward excuse for a lizard. He deserved more than having his face and pride dented…" Shepard rubbed a gnarled hand over his eyes before resuming his staring match with the opposite wall. "…is that all, Ma'am, have you finished scolding me?"
"It was a stupid thing to do, Sergeant."
"Well, thinking was never been my strong point. Knee Jerk dictated that he had to be dealt with. I prefer Knee Jerk; sometimes the consequences don't even catch up with you. At least as quickly anyway…"
"Field Marshal Toombs wants you released."
"The old Hag wants me out…" Shepard sucked his teeth "…impressive. What strings did you pull to get her to take notice?"
"I did not…" she protested, Shepard rolling his head to one side, fixing her with a flat glare, the first time he'd met her eyes all evening. "….alright fine! I may have informed your Commanders about you being in a cell. They say that you were stressed and overworked and demand…what they said was….uh…TLC…your second in command also sends his regards…" she sighed, meeting Shepard's gaze "…you should be out by morning…once you've cooled off. Rebus is not happy."
"Uh huh…" Shepard looked away, resuming his contest with the wall before him, eyes burning into the metallic surface. "…funny though."
"What is?"
"Well, it would just be a matter of waiting…" Shepard again turned to watch her intently "…but what are you doing here? Why would an Asari matron come down here to inform a single human soldier that he would be free by morning? And why the interest in how I was?"
Malara reached up to her neck line, hands diving down into her shift. Shepard raised an eyebrow as her already modest bulge grew slightly larger, the Matron fishing a large metal clod from the depths of her torso. The metal in question, dog tags jingled in the bright lights as she held them up against the door of his cell. Shepard rose up onto his feet, his head a couple of inches below her own as he stepped forward.
"Why do you have those?" he said, no emotion ringing in his voice as he spread one hand over the glass to steady himself.
"You left them on the bridge. I doubt the Turians would've of cared if you'd left these behind. Those men…" Malara's hands tightened round the bundle "…deserve a great deal more then to be forgotten, they deserve more then you acting like a thug. Would they of wanted you to be like this? Do their memories deserve to be sullied by your actions?
Shepard sucked his teeth again, gazing hungrily at the dog tags for a second.
"They probably would have wanted me to punch him, actually…" he responded after a time "…I mean, it was an absolute Charlie Foxtrot. C'mon…even you probably saw how fucked up the whole thing was…I'm sure they'd have all agreed with me."
"Oh…" Malara felt her heart sink "…Really?"
"Yup. Nice try though…" he grinned widely "…the whole guilt trip thing. Would've worked if I hadn't known most of the men you're holding in your hand. Most would have agreed with punching a high ranking Turian official…he turned round, sinking back down onto his seat "…I did it for them…" he said seriously at last before the grin returned. "…Hahaha…sullied their memories…classic."
"…I…I…oh fine. That didn't work at all…" Malara sunk down beside the door, feeling suddenly tired, a vaguely warm feeling beginning to rise at the back of her eyes, taking a seat on the cold floor and gathering her shift around her. "…what do you want me to do with them?"
"Give them to Toombs when you next see them. Those men had families to go back to. There are going to be a load of lonely people left behind in the galaxy. Even more so now we've left Earth. Expansion through invasion or exploration…" Shepard took a deep breath in his cell as Malara admired the ceiling lights "…in the end, it's a gently growing group of people you have to tell that their loved ones aren't coming back."
"Is it always like that…" Malara murmured "...I mean…you…what made you like this?"
"Well, I got brought down from top deck by a large scaly mass of metal plates with brains the size of peanuts." Shepard remarked, not reading into anything the matron said.
Malara made a face. "I mean, why you are so world weary. And stop that…it's not cute."
"I'm a soldier…" Shepard grumbled "…not a psychoanalyst. You want my psycho-whatchamacallit, then go talk to a shrink. I'm a psychologist's nightmare as it is. I bet they'd hate to have me as a patient."
"Sergeant. You're stuck in a large metal box with an age old Asari commando the only person to talk to. Humor me." Malara posed.
"Why a pessimist…?" Shepard's grey eyes flicked back to meet hers "…I don't know. There was no life changing event, no dead parents. Just a normal kid really, would like to say loving parents, a little more complicated then that. Dad was a Spacer, always was, wanted me to become a Captain, an engineer if that wasn't possible. We were Deep Spacers too, not returning to an Alliance Port for months on end. Met a great deal of people while doing, the rotten underbelly of the galaxy and…" he suddenly took on a far away look, sinking back into some memory or other "…the fiery throngs of muted angels and heart-faced kings and queens of misadventure…" he chewed his lip "…traveled, joined the military…Dad didn't like that. He wanted me to do more…I wanted to see what was out here, but not strapped into a space ship. I wanted to be down among the men… its exciting stuff in theory but never lasts beyond the air lock…" Shepard said heavily, scratching at the side of his eye with one finger "…it turns out war is one big political campaign which everyone now denies because the Universe is supposed to be safe, so people ignore the problems and the solution to the problems as long as it doesn't involve them. Which mean people like us, our achievements, get forgotten. Even so…Not hero stuff, buts a nice feeling that you've done something…even if you get saddled with a load of bumf afterward. Great Squad too…god…love those guys sometimes. So yeah…" Shepard's voice took on a hard tone, closing his eyes and grinding his jaw "…I'm not that bad…"
"You really think it's like that…" Malara rested her chin on one soft green arm "…the galaxy that is…aren't the council the right step forward? Where do they stand in your eyes?"
"The council is too small, three people to deal with needs of many. They are quite happy ignoring all the problems, getting some backroom deals to solve issues, while the entire alien population goes 'Hey, you fixed everything! Well Done! Wasn't that easy! We're fighting a forgotten war which'll be struck from the records as if it never existed. Face it miss, we're not going to be remembered for been soldiers…" he grinned widely "…my aim….is to firstly survive, live a good life, never settle down, travel the entire length of the milky way and to never ever ever have to meet the Council."
"Ha."
"Easy goals, much easier to achieve with none of the disappointment."
"Its not all that pretty you know…" Malara laughed quietly "…planets I mean, they're not all paradises."
"If they make people like you on them, I'm not going to complain."
They descended into a vaguely awkward silence, Malara inspecting her nails in the light, her face reddening.
"So…" Malara composed herself, Shepard shaking his head in the darkness of his cell, his jaw set"…have anyone who'll come with you…as in, female company…or are you a woman in every port kind of man?"
Shepard coughed, his reaction bring a small smile to the Asari's lips. He didn't say anything for a time, merely gazing intently at the alien's sculpted head.
"No…" he said at last "…had a few girls, but no one that would warrant my full attention…" he half laughed "…there was one girl…pretty little thing…lived on the same ship as me when I was younger…it took me a while to ask her out…I was a little nervous…"
"What…" Malara squinted at one split fingernail, a small smile growing on her features "…the gruff Sergeant Shepard of the ADOT…scared of a girl…from what I've seen so far…that doesn't sound like you."
"You've been reading my personal files…haven't you…" Shepard grimaced as a rather awkward seating position began to give him cramp in one leg. He let the offending article to drop to the floor with a groan.
"I may have read a few files. You're an interesting man, Sergeant. Only 23 years old and a Sergeant…never would have thought it to look at you."
"What…do I look all young and handsome…"
"No…" she replied quickly "…you look old…really…really old. Old Old in fact…for a human."
"Ah…hah…."
"Positively wrinkly."
"Yeah…"
"I can see the grey hairs from here."
"Alright…" Shepard raised a hand in surrender "…enough. Don't wear me down even further. Anyway, least I'm not bald and squid-like."
"Ouch…touch…I bet that took you a while didn't it…"
"No…!" Shepard looked mortally offended before the grin returned "…and its touché…" Malara went a vaguely peculiar colour "…actually, yeah. You caught me. Had a little diagram drawn up and everything."
"Anyway…" Malara let her head lean back, sighing as she did "…this girl…did she…I don't know…fall in love with you…" she grinned rather impishly, the cheesy situation which usually followed would be amusing at best, even if it made her stomach curdle at the thought "…was it all…I don't know…roses and romantic picnics...walks hand in hand on the beach? Rolling in the proverbial 'Haystack'?"
"First of all…no…!" Shepard again looked deeply upset by the accusation as he stirred in his seat "…you've got to be kidding. I do not 'do' the whole roses thing…its just…yarg…eeww…I mean I've read a few romantic fics in my time…not exactly my cup of tea if you ask me…" Malara's lips were moving as she slowly and silently sounded out the words "…yarg…as to vomit…cup of tea…argh…bloody aliens…'not my kinda thing'…and the girl…" Shepard snubbed at his nose with a thumb "…fell in love with a Turian. Seemed human wasn't good enough for her. Guess she thought she'd get a better grip, those big collars must be used for something."
Malara laughed, her mirth echoing through the cell block as Shepard shook his head, the grim expression slipping as he did so.
"So….Sergeant…" she said once the laughter had abated "…Do you perhaps prefer the company of…um…more exotic women."
"What…?" Shepard scrubbed at his chin with hand, the stubble rubbing hard against his hands "…do you mean like strippers?"
"No…!" Malara shook her head as Shepard looked on with a slight look of mischievousness "…I mean….like…another species?"
"No…never thought about it..." Shepard said quickly. "…didn't meet my first alien till I was seven…and spent the rest of my days with Turians and humans from that point…went to the citadel once…But…"
"…have you…eh…ever thought about it…I mean…has it ever crossed your mind."
"Not really…" Shepard managed "…never really thought about that either…sure we go to a lot of strip clubs."
"I'm been serious, Sergeant."
"No…I mean as in terms of sexuality…half nude asari…I don't really know…" Shepard bit his lip "…can humans procreate or support relationships with other races? Even if they look human just a bit of a weird colour…"
"Yes…it is possible…"
"Oh…" Shepard made a face "…never been one for biology…you lot can be whatever physiology you wish…I have no idea to what makes you tick though I'm sure some alliance bureaucrat would wish me to learn…the political engine should be rolling on oiled wheels. QED, I'm never going to find out…and I'm not going to waste creds on a stripper to 'discover the intricacies of Asari Biology…and sex drives." He finished sarcastically.
"So…you've never been taught about interspecies relationships."
"Well, outside of cucumbers…"
"Eeeww…"
"…well you gotta learn how to put them on or you'll have sprogs everywhere…" He raised one finger and said; as if teaching a smaller child 'the way the worlds work' and attempting sound vaguely academic while doing it "…I know you can have sex with Asari."
"Your knowledge in relationships continues to astound me."
"Once again…" Shepard grinned widely "…your sarcasm continues to surprise me as well."
"If you believe that Asari are all demure…then you've got another thing coming…" Malara said ruefully.
"Don't worry…" Shepard raised a hand imploringly "…I've seen what you lot do on stages…that thought…"
"Oh ha ha…."
"…That thought's gone…just gone…kaput…running for the hills along time ago…"
"Oh you're such a card…" Malara lazily glared through the glass with a sly grin. "…but honestly…yes or no!"
"Interspecies…" Shepard tapped his chin…deep in thought "…dunno…not a big fan of blue."
"Well…" Malara felt her insides sink at the next thing that came out of her mouth. If she'd been a little statelier, not half tired…and not just the littlest bit drunk from one open bottle of Honey Wine waiting beside her paperwork, she'd of stopped it before it flopped out and did something rather embarrassing on the floor. Her pride went with it too
"…how about Green?"
"Green!"
"I…I…I…" Malara looked down at her toes which poked from the base of her shift attempting to backpedal desperately, her face darkening as Shepard dug his chin into the palm of his hand and turned to face her. She didn't know why she'd said that, her heart catching her chest as she struggled to meet his gaze. The dreams perhaps, those grey eyes or maybe it was something more, something beyond the eyes. Malara couldn't quite touch it, her mind feeling giddier then a Maiden's first kiss as Shepard folded his arms, raising an eyebrow once again. Her consciousness, the little niggling patch of matureness in the back of her brain kicking her back into touch as she took a deep breath
"Hmm…" Shepard murmured after several minutes of awkward silence later "…well…it is a very nice colour."
"Oh…you do…?"
Malara rested her head back against the wall beside her, trying to assuage the smile which sprang up across her face. And they talked, past awkwardness forgotten, Shepard's blunt tones echoing from the cell as the night cycle wore on. And Malara enjoyed it…her tones fluidly passing across the confined space, the human seeming to come at ease as they talked. It was all mundane, no deep philosophical debates or meandering attempts at small talk. If they ever lapsed into silence, it would be a comfortable one, until at last, Shepard, still in his seat, fatigue draining him of all energy to move, raised an arm for her to stop.
"You'd best be going…I'm done humoring you…" He grumbled"…The turians will be coming to rotate the guards soon."
"Fine…" Malara dusted herself off as she rose to her feet "…it was…um…nice to talk."
Shepard smiled sleepily, the rough exterior now cast aside by this point replaced by a resounding openness. How he was able to sleep on the metal slats of the bench however was beyond her, the asari running hand across the glass as she made to walk away.
"Miss…" Shepard raised an arm as she passed, Malara half turning as Shepard mumbled sleepily "…thank you. It's nice to see that the other alien species aren't a right load of bastards. It's nice to see that you remembered me…" The Green woman smiled, her canines catching the light. She really felt the need to gently run her hand over his face at that point, perhaps enjoying his form…
…and that wasn't the alcohol talking either…
"Keelah'salai, Shepard."
"What?" Shepard raised himself up slightly, puzzlement registering on his features as he tried to catch the words uttered by the exotic individual that stood before him, outside the large glass cell door.
"It's a Quarian phrase…" Malara shook her head as the Sergeant looked puzzled, not recognizing the name "…another species?" she ventured, Shepard setting his face into a flat glare before that eyebrow was once again raised accusingly.
"Never seen one. What do they look like?"
Malara sighed, settling back down into her position by the door "…it's a little hard to explain."
Tali jolted awake and felt a whole world of pain crashing down around her ears. She was in an unfriendly but familiar room, where frost covered every surface. It was a tiny space, ceiling only inches away from her face, its surface covered with fernlike frost patterns. The room was filled with the rumble of the engines, vents several metres above her head, hidden midst the pipe work which covered the ceiling. It appeared to be in the baffles, the space brightly lit by several large bulbs which stripped every shadow from the walls. It was covered in white paint, every maintenance panel melded into the walls to create a single white, unblemished surface. Further inspection of the room, through bleary eyes revealed an air lock at the far end of the small space. It was labeled with a large white and red sign which read 'Clean Room' in large black letters, Tali barely able to register the words, her vision clouded by an almost opaque curtain of fluid which ran across her eyes.
She took a long guarded breath, blinking to slowly clear her vision, hands grasping for the edge of the soft thing she lay on. Some kind of bed by appearances, the soft felt running beneath her fingers as she gingerly traced the cushion edges, finding the metal edge resisting the tips of her bare fingers. And it was so cold…Tali saw her breath steaming before her eyes, her suit must be failing to process the cold, she would need to…
Her heart caught in her chest…her breath catching in her throat…cold…the thoughts were screaming through her skull now, as the biting air played across her…bare….flesh….
…Oh no…
"I wouldn't panic if I were you…" there was a rather muffled voice beside her head, Tali shrieking as realization burned through her consciousness "…or…um…not…well, there you go…ignoring me again. That's it isn't it. Don't panic…won't go well…won't go well…at…all. Won't get you anywhere."
"Keelah!" Tali jolted backward attempting to cover herself, gasping in the cold air. The bed fell away as Tali scrabbled from its now alien surface with a whoosh of air. The floor didn't offer much more, the metal nearly shattering her mind and her bones as she dropped, the air been knocked from her lungs as sheer panic gripped her. It wasn't the only thing that gripped her, rough gloved hands reaching down to gently lift her from the floor, Tali's fingers grasping at a white paper suit, her face reflected in a large silver visor, a re-breather clicking and whirring a few inches from her face. She screamed and batted at the side of the mask, the human within grunting in pain but not releasing his grip. Tali froze, panting as kneeling, the human made to rise, pulling her up with him.
"Well, retinas are working to their optimums, would have preferred it if you hadn't tried to wind yourself while doing it…" the voice which echoed from behind the mask was calming, Tali slowly sinking back down into the bed as directed "…prefer to use tools. Less painful for the patient, less bruising…less chance of a lawsuit if 'treatment goes wrong'. Would prefer it if you don't also go down the same route. Now please…Miss Zorah…stay on the bed while I check you over." He pulled the warm woolen sheet she'd dislodged in her panic and pulled it back over her. For such a long period in her suit, the wool burned against her skin, each cold surface she touched was like an electric shock. Tali clamped a pale, blemished hand on the woolen blanket, wincing at it's rough fibres and tugged it round her body. It was like wearing sandpaper…but at least it was warm.
The white coated figure, a crinkly paper suit pulled loosely round his form, his head completely covered by the restrictive hood turned back to the workstation beside Tali's bed. He was wrapping a large woolen coat round his form as he did so as, to banish the freezing cold. Across the screen before him, data ran in streams, displaying Tali's life signs in a dull orange font. Tali, who'd been breathing rather rapidly, at last let her breath slow, though she clutched at her form with shaking fingers.
"Dr Wynne…?" she quavered, Wynne tapping away at a small keyboard, his head bowed, face completely obscured. She could remember him, the quiet red headed man in the lift, his hair neatly parted with a large black bag strung over his shoulder. It was like looking at one of her own, Tali's own mind doing cartwheels as the closed off, suited human went around his work. Just like…me…
"Your teeth are fine…to Quarian standards…" Wynne tapped several words onto his omni-tool, activating several holographs on the console in front of him. "…bit of plaque round 5 and 6…I would recommend brushing a little more…" he at last turned to face her, the cold gathering on the desk beneath his fingers. The room was freezing cold, the Normandy's clean room tacked onto the side of the ship, the air constantly frigid as it housed most of the climate control equipment. Perfect for dealing with air borne pathogens, Tali had used this room a great many times before, usually during suit repairs, the tiny space becoming a sanctuary to her.
Now, it seemed it had become Wynne's own office. Tali marveled at how fast Wynne had moved into this spot, the speed he'd gone around making the small space his own. Pictures were tacked onto the walls, each covered with a thin layer of frost while small holos, usually displaying portions of anatomy slowly revolved on rounded metal dishes. Surgical equipment such as scalpels and hacksaws waited in large metal trays in shelves which ran along the walls, some still blood stained and waiting to be cleaned, others so heavily corroded through acid cleaning that they glittered, their well polished surfaces catching the light. It was a cold, soulless room, the freezing air and bright lights pulling any degree of comfort from the small space, the rounded ceiling lost in the pipe work.
Except for the single, eccentric humanoid who now occupied it. It wasn't quite as soulless…but still, the fingers of discomfort burrowed into the side of her mind.
It always made Tali shudder that her only release from the suit was this freezing cold space, the lighting invasive and alien as she extracted herself from its confines to shiver in the biting air. Now, it felt even more uncomfortable, mainly due to the human who'd taken up residence within the sloping ceilinged space.
"You took quite a nasty bit of damage there. Multiple burns, nothing third degree…" Tali winced as a soft patch on her abdomen caught her fingers. "…heat build up melted the suit, causing multiple stress marks across you skin. I would avoid contact with those areas if you want to keep the blemishes to a minimum, the ones related to the burns anyway…" Wynne scratched at the back of his head, the paper hood coarse under his fingers. "…Quarian suits are mistakenly weak to the eye, though you're particular model resisted most of the heat, merely melting the exterior and keeping the interior exoskeleton intact. Not just that, however…" he turned to face her completely now, unfazed by her bare skin raising a 3d x-ray image up to his eyes with two fingers "…I have never seen such extensive cybernetic adaption. I knew the Quarians have implants, but not as thorough as yours. You've got more metal then a Turian veteran holding you together as well as several yards of fibre-optic cable…"
"Why aren't you shocked…!" Tali croaked, surprise been replaced slightly by fear as the Dr folded his arms "…I mean, you know Quarians' in their suits…but faces, skin! Why aren't you at all fazed by this?"
"Because you tend to get a mighty good look at alien species when they're laid out on a slab..." The carefree tone in the Dr's speech was lost a little, a resounding grim tone echoing plainly in the human's voice "…but no matter. I am not shocked and I will not be telling the crew about your appearance, adapted much however is it." He made a rather owlish expression, as if trying to rearrange the words in his head.
"You've…cut…up…Quarians…?" Tali said, her voice small and shocked as Wynne turned back to his console, tapping away at some report or other. "…my people…?"
"They were dead when I went through the suit if that's what you're wondering, and not because of me either. Its through people like me, the universe can understand what makes each other tick. A holographic scan is one thing, actually seeing and feeling each separate part is whole different matter…" he eyed her rather horrified but rage filled expression "…I bet you've cut up the Geth, humans, other alien species. Everyone wants to know how the other person works, whatever the species. Either to kill the other or just to understand…knowledge is fleeting, but I'm not going to waste lives in the pursuit of it. That's to much like…them…" he gained a wistful tone and a hard look, Tali ignoring this and instead looking round for a visible weapon. "…what was her name…named after one of Uranus's moons…slipped my mind….doesn't matter…" he jolted back to reality. "…and I assure you, I will not kill you, or want to hang your corpse up as a trophy…I haven't got a mantelpiece to do so, so that's out of the question…" he laughed, before waving his arms "…joking, joking, joking. The only reason I cut up bodies is to find out why they are lying on my slab in the first place. That and I'm saving their lives."
They lapsed into silence, the pathologist turning back to his work station. Tali shivering as the air conditioning gurgled away quite happily to itself.
"How long have I been out?"
"Three days…" He brought up a holographic display on the console in front of him, writing some report or other "…the others…they've been worrying about you."
"Why isn't the rest of the crew here…I mean…I thought…"
"Like a bed side vigil? No…private…you out of your suit…I thought that you would of appreciated them not seeing. Also, too many possibilities of outside infection."
"Thank you…for stopping the infections…and…"
"You hoped Shepard would be here..." Wynne said matter of factly, Tali's intake of breath enough to raise an eyebrow behind the reflective mask "…the erstwhile Commander waiting beside your bed. Romantic, Poetic….clichéd…" Wynne cracked his fingers "…however, the crew are also perturbed in other issues. You see, after you were burned alive…things took a little more of an interesting turn."
Tali felt her cheeks darken as the human continued to tap quite contently away at his keyboard.
"That's not what I meant…" She murmured quietly, folding her hands in her lap and took a deep breath. "…The Commander doesn't flirt with alien crew members."
"…and though I am not one for 'fertilizing' romance, why exactly do you believe this is so?"
"Because…because he just does…" Tali floundered desperately for reason "…I don't know! Emotions are so complicated…machines…much easier to understand and they don't talk back to you. Humans just have so much…um…Heartfire?"
"But they burned you alive…the machines that is."
"Aside from that…I mean that's the fifth time I've caught fire this week..." Tali patted her chest, her voice slurring as she attempted a bit more of a 'Surfer Dude' accent "…oh yeah. I'm figuratively and literally on fire."
"You watch too many vids, though I see you're making good use of human phrases. Never thought the Quarians had any views on the human race…appears you've been using the translators pretty well."
"I can say most things, quite a bit of Quarian slang doesn't translate, as does human swearwords. I've never tried to speak human before…" Tali picked at a tooth with one long finger and inspected the substance clinging to the end of her finger. "…urrggghh…you were right."
"Not a great dentist…but know my stuff…" Wynne grinned widely behind the mask as Tali dug her finger back into her mouth. "…so go on…why not Shepard."
"Du daaahing choman…" she stopped trying to clean her teeth with a nail and removed her finger "…sorry…The Dashing Commander with his crew of misfits out to save the galaxy. Sure…" she made an odd gesture with her left hand "…doesn't last as long as the fics and vids make you believe. I'll stick to my books about machines, removes the disappointment. Anyway…he's got Liara."
"Who's currently in the med bay with blood poisoning…or some kind of new genetic substrate which is altering her dna…" he gestured with two hands at the Quarian's shocked expression. "…She'll be fine. Just not exactly…as normal when she wakes up. Long story…anyway…Shepard has not been conducting a bed side vigil with her either."
"Yeah…but this is the Commander we're talking about…" Tali leant forward to reinforce her point "…you know, about as sensitive and understanding as Haestrom and as about as welcoming as Rannoch. He has other ways of showing his affections."
"What like bashing them over the head with a club…?"
"What…?"
"Sorry, old human expression…doesn't matter."
"He wants someone he can see, he can feel, he can…I don't know…love? I…I…wouldn't be…like…interesting…the suit….well…its very impassive…"
"You're telling me."
"Shut up. Talking to people…I know my immune system will never return…it won't work…Shepard has the pick of the entire galaxy."
"Shepard is a grizzled soldier with more scars and metal holding him together then the last attempt at making an elcor to run faster. I get the impression it's very hard for anyone to 'fall' for the Commander…" Wynne dusted off several centimeters of frost of his coffee cup and extracted a straw "…On a first impression scale…Shepard's crap. Over a long period of time…"
"…he has a black soul full of bright stars…" Tali said quietly.
"The suit has never mattered…people can fob off what some say about seeing beyond the outside layer. However, I know for a fact that it can work. It's Shepard with the problem…not you…." He turned, fishing an environmental suit from a side cupboard. Tali was glad to see her scarf, its purple folds criss-crossed with silver thread was resting on top. Under closer inspection, it was clear to see the tiny thread cogs, machine parts and old machine plans sown into the fabric creating a wonderful network of patterns. "…people love the suit and are fascinated for what lies beyond. If this was published as a book, you'd have fans. On this ship; you are appreciated by the crew. Higgins, Beck and Adams have all missed you terribly…I do believe Adams has quite fondness for you. If you can manage that with them and the crew…think what you can do with Shepard." Tali rested her replacement suit on her knee, struggling to come to terms with what Wynne had just said.
"I'm not that good…" She said waveringly "…I smell, I'm usually covered with oil or some other material, I sometimes glow blue if I've been in the eezo sinks, I catch fire on a regular basis, my work ethic is questionable, I have no immune system…"
"And there you go…listing problems…" Wynne pointed out "…constraints. That's how things develop. Remove constraints…no growth…no interest in trying to improve oneself, to become better or if better…different. Great Man…well…I say man, taught me that once. You have constraints but you're exceptionally clever…and you're an engineer and you're one of the best Quarian techs to walk the worlds, on board a ship hunting down monsters and aliens surrounded by the brightest and best…and…well….me. Now…tell me something…is that a girl struggling with the hand 'fate' if you will, has dealt her."
There was a barely controlled scream from one of the other rooms, Tali jumping in her seat, her scarf tumbling to the floor at her feet. Wynne smoothed the white paper of the suit's forehead, sighed and closed down the console under his finger tips.
"Looks like Liara just woke up."
In the following flurry of activity before the mad sprint for the door began, Tali noticed in the corner of her eye, that several of the anatomical holographs weren't organs or bone structures. On one, several holographic flowers floated in air, their colours lost in the image so only the shape remained. On another, a spider wandered across a web in constant repeat, ever appearing on the left of the image and leaving on the right to reappear once again on the left.
And the last…Tali felt her heart skip a beat as she leant closer, pulling the woolen shrug closer around her form. A Quarian woman was suspended in the holo, along white coat with many pockets strung across her environment suit. She had a large black bag hanging over her shoulder, it swinging to one side as the animated image turned to face the photographer, one hand on her hip, as if waiting for whoever was taking the picture to catch up.
"Tali…" Wynne said warningly from the door "…get your suit on and head up to the CIC; you'll be in time for the Commander's debriefing up in the comm. room…we've got a new mission…" he paused, digging a hand into a large plastic pot by the door "…and one other really important thing…" he extracted his hand, a red globe on a white stick wrapped in a clear square of plastic waving around in his hand. "…lollypop? I've got Dextro!"
A/N Well, it'll be a while till i next publish, i've got three exams left then I'm free (Yey). I made a point not to really reveal what Tali looks like under the suit. Like the game, the player is merely given brief glances to what Tali really looks like. But she won't be perfect, years in a suit is going to cause skin colour to be pale at best, perhaps blotchy...and then there's the cybernetic augmentation? I did read once about how Quarians had implants...just thought it would make life interesting if i played a little more on that idea.
Hope you enjoyed reading...i really enjoyed writing this segment. I'm experimenting with different options for dialogue so the conversations remain fresh...and realistic. Anyway, next chapter will be more conversations...Tali finds Shepard has a vague soft spot for her, Liara makes a shocking find and the crew's next stop takes them to Illium where a chance encounter sends Shepard's grasp on the mission spiraling out of the control.