"Fuck! I can't take this anymore!" Lucy shot up off the floor and started pacing the living room.
Zaeed paused in his cleaning of Jessie to raise an eyebrow at his wife. "You can't take what anymore, sweetheart?"
"This," she gestured wildly at him and the various reports she'd been reading, "this whole sitting around like everything is fucking normal thing."
He sighed and carefully set his beloved rifle on the coffee table. "Then what do you want to do?"
"I want to go out."
"Since bloody when?"
She stopped pacing and glared at him. "Since my ship got locked fucking out so I'm fucking useless," she growled. "I can't be cooped up in this apartment anymore. I just... can't."
He wasn't really sure why he was questioning it. Going out would probably be good for her; on the other hand, it could lead to trouble. She'd been on edge, looking to blow off a massive amount of steam since the crew had returned from Virmire, less their Gunnery Chief, and then gotten the runaround from Udina and the Council about going after Saren.
"All right. You want to go out, we'll go out." He held his hands up in surrender as he got up and walked over to wrap his arms around her. "Where d'you want to go?"
"Dunno. Crew is probably at Flux though."
"Thought you said you didn't trust Wrex and me in the same space?"
She shrugged. "I don't, especially considering how on edge he is, but it's a risk Doran is just going to have to take." She lightly punched him in the chest. "And you are going to be nice to both of them."
"We'll see." He grabbed her hand when she glared at him. "Under the circumstances, I'll try to be nice to Wrex. But the volus owes me money. When he pays up, then I'll be nice."
She rolled her eyes. "Fine."
"Took you long enough," Captain Anderson said when Lucy and Zaeed walked into the hall leading to Flux. "I didn't think you were ever going to show up."
Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Did I actually tell somebody I was coming?"
"You didn't get my message then. Joker was supposed to tell you I wanted to meet."
She shook her head. "I never got a message from you or Joker or anybody."
"Damn."
She gave Zaeed a final warning look to be nice as he started for the entrance, and turned back to Anderson. "So what was it you wanted to talk about? And why here?"
"I've been trying to think of a plan ever since I heard what Udina did to you. I hate going home because he always finds me there. Flux seemed as good a place as any."
"Better than Chora's Den anyway."
Anderson nodded. "Exactly."
"You could have come by our place," she said as they walked into the club and sat at an out-of-the-way table in the corner.
"I know. I suppose though, given that you never received my message, it's better that I didn't."
"True. So, you have a plan?"
He waved Jenna the waitress away without ordering. "I do. Two, actually."
"All right. What's the outcome?"
"Getting your ship back."
Lucy grinned. "Fire away, Captain."
From: Steven Hackett
To: Lucy Shepard
Subj: Normandy
Officially, I cannot condone Anderson's actions or you taking advantage of said actions.
Unofficially, good luck and stay safe. We'll be waiting.
-Uncle Steven
As the Normandy headed for the Terminus Systems and the Mu Relay, Lucy sat in the cockpit with Joker, reading reports. The rest of the crew was busy getting their gear together in preparation for whatever they might find on Ilos. They already knew there was a chance they might not make it back, and when she'd told them Anderson's plan to override the lock-out, she'd told them that any or all of them could back out before they left.
Joker had said, "We've been with you this far. What makes you think we'd back out now? Besides, I've seen you drive. Not a chance in hell I'm letting you fly my ship." The rest of the crew had nodded in agreement, on both points. And every single one of them had been on the ship when the override had gone through.
When the words on the screen started getting blurry, Lucy decided enough was enough and put the reports down. There probably wasn't anything in them, that they hadn't already come across, that would help them on Ilos anyway.
She sighed and shifted in her seat. "So, how's Brandi doing?"
"Hmm? Oh, she's good." Joker glanced over at her. "She asks about you a lot. You two not talking anymore?"
"No, we still talk all the time. Probably just thinks she'll get some different answer out of you than she will me."
"Doubt she does. I hardly ever tell her anything."
"I know. So when are you two gonna be in the same general area again?"
"Next time I have shore leave, she's going to Arcturus with me."
"She's never been? How could you have kept her away from your parents for five years?"
Joker shrugged. "Just the way it's worked out. Haven't met her dads either, not while we've been dating."
"How the hell is that possible?"
"Not in person, anyway. We've vid-chatted a few times."
"Just wait. I'm not even their daughter and Zaeed got the fucking third degree from them. You are so dead."
"I know."
"Just wait 'til Hilary gets hold of Brandi." Lucy grinned wickedly as she started humming the Wedding March under her breath.
"You are so... evil."
She smirked. "Maybe, but you'd be bored without me."
"Sadly, that is very true." He opened ship-wide communications. "Okay, kids. This is it; we're hitting the Mu Relay in less than ten minutes."
"Then on to the gates of Hell," Lucy muttered as she wandered down to her locker to retrieve her armor and weapons. "Let the battle begin."