The first week of October was beginning to slip by and little by little, Tali and John were beginning to find a routine which enabled them to work together, and find joy in it. Tali would wake up John in some cute fashion or other. They would make breakfast together, clean up afterwards, plan out lunch and dinner, go to the grocery store, and then come back. From that point on, so much depended on their friends since they were, true to Tali's desire, sharing the apartment with their friends in some fashion. But on the sixth, Javik called John to meet him outside the Castle Arcade. Tali had Samantha over for gaming that day and afterwards, Samantha relaxed in the hot tub while Tali brewed tea. She had found a nice brew which was rather bland to her taste, but she was able to add a dextro sweetener to bring it up to a taste she preferred That way she could serve the same brand to any one of her friends that came over, save Garrus and he only wanted to come over when John was there and he usually brought Liara with him. And while Liara and Tali would have tea, John and Garrus had drinks. Samantha of course had several other games they were able to play, and while Samantha won most of them, a holographic shooter which enabled them to stalk each other around the apartment was easily won by Tali routinely which only intrigued Samantha more.
When John got back, Samantha was toweling herself down and so John retired to the lounge where Tali poured them both a glass of Muskwin, cutting John's glass with water which enabled him to enjoy it more.
"Well," she asked him, removing her helmet and gloves for the evening. "Tell me about this meeting with Yavik. He's been having a hard time dealing with things, did you find a way to bring him out of his shell?"
She pulled her hair brush out of one of her suit pockets and began to brush her hair with it.
"In a way," replied John. "But Tali, you won't believe it. It was like a dream come true. I mean, it was . . . wonderful."
"Then tell me," she exclaimed, pausing in brushing her hair out. "What wonderful thing happened to you?"
John looked at her and grinned. "You ready?"
"YAHN!" She squealed waving the hair brush for emphasis.
"I met Javik and he informed me that he had been asked to appear in this particular function. It had been explained to him that it was a great honor. Well you know how hard it is for him to understand how things happen anymore. He 'slept' for fifty thousand years. So I was more than happy to accompany him to the set."
"The set?"
"Yes, the set. The set for a movie."
"A movie? Someone wanted Yavik to cameo in a movie?"
"Not just any movie, Tali, the Blasto Seven movie."
It was at this point that Samantha came in, informed Tali that she would see herself out, thanked her for the game, and bid a hello to John. John politely talked to her for a moment, asked her if she was showing any mercy to Tali, where upon Samantha talked about the holo shooter for ten minutes and how good Tali was at ambushing her at short range with a shotgun and then all of a sudden her eyes widened as she realized that she was looking at Tali's unmasked face while Tali was brushing her hair.
"Tali!" She gasped. "You are so beautiful, Oh Gawd I had no idea you were so attractive . . . I . . . I . . . I am so jealous of you Commander. Oh . . ."
And she left shaking her hands and arms still jabbering about Tali's beauty.
"She's right you know," observed John. "You are very pretty today."
Tali smiled and nibbled the edge of her bottom lip with her teeth.
"And I'm going to have to stop regaling you for a moment about the Blasto movie while I kiss that sweet mouth of yours and look into those sparkling eyes okay?"
"Well," mused Tali for a moment. "Okay, but Yahn . . ."
"Kisses first, movie later," he opined and then he kept kissing her for the next five minutes until he heard her breathing reach that timbre which suggested she was just starting to feel aroused. He had gotten pretty good at picking up on those signs and was able to stop before she would be frustrated.
"Okay now what was it you wanted to talk about before I fell madly in love with you and had to cover your face with kisses?"
"Yahn? You hate Blasto movies. We go to them to mock them. Why would you want to be in one?"
"Why sit in the theater and mock it when you can be before the camera and mock it directly in front of the entire movie audience?"
"Yahn? What did you and Yavik do?"
John just sat there looking at Tali for a second with a cheesy adolescent grin.
"Yahn!" whined Tali. She was bouncing all over the couch in anticipation, her curiosity and fears both rising to a fever pitch.
"Well," began John. And he paused.
"YAHN!"
"We walked into the set and the director, some Salarian who never told me his name gets all excited because not only do they have a real live Prothean, they have a real live Commander Shepherd. So they inform me that they've got a twofer and put me onto the set and they toss away the actor who was playing me like he was so much garbage. That little lack of courtesy itself was more than sufficient motivation on my part."
He grinned.
"So there we are standing in front of three actors playing the council, the cameras are running, and they are asking me if it was true that I found a genuine Prothean in a refrigerator?"
"Yahn? Are you serious?"
"I swear it's all true," insisted John.
"So what was your answer?"
"I informed them that yes, I had noticed that the potato salad had gone bad and had taken the banana jello desert hostage and while I was busy in the shoot out and working my way, with the team, past the butter, there he was, right behind the roast varren."
"And the director?"
"He thought it was great.
"Yahn, you are so horrible, and I love you," she said before she began to giggle.
"So then the Council asked Javik if he has any words of wisdom for this cycle. And I give Javik a wink, and well you know how smart he is, he picked up on my cues immediately and he proceeded to explain that he was kept frozen in the refrigerator in order to protect the ancient secrets of Prothean cuisine."
"And these were?"
"All the different ways you could serve Salarians, Volus, and Vorcha for dinner."
"Why those three?"
"They were the species of actors playing the council."
"A Vorcha . . . On the council . . ."
"Yes Tali," he said. He couldn't stand it. She was looking so pretty and Samantha's exuberance had merely made her more special. He sat next to her and made it clear that she would have to sit on his lap. Which she readily did and that way he could look right into her face. Of course he had learned to not wince when those hips of hers sunk into the fleshy parts of his thighs. You would have thought that all that padding would have made it a softer experience.
She settled down before saying anything.
"Had it not been a Blasto movie I would have immediately known you were pulling my leg. So what happened next."
"Well enter, stage left, the Hanar actor who is playing Blasto. And he is talking about all the women he's enkindled over the past few months and the Council is complaining about how he shot up the Presidium in the last movie and I suggest that perhaps it's time to shoot it up some more and Javik remarks that Hanar make a good base for a nice fruity desert."
"And? Did you shoot up the set just yet?"
"Not yet . . ." replied John. "You see," and here John made finger quotes, "'Blasto' suddenly realizes that he has a real Commander Shepherd and a real live Prothean in the room with him."
"Which means?"
"He had to find his motivation."
"Which was?"
"To not share top billing," concluded John.
Tali paused and her mouth sort of was left half open. "That was it?"
"I told you the guy takes himself too seriously," replied John. "So naturally I wasn't going to let him get away with that."
"How do you stop something like that?"
"Well I was taught at St. Ignatius when I was a kid and so we put on various dramas and comedies as part of our education. They made us learn all the stage direction stuff and the movies are not that different. So I knew that in order to prevent him from not sharing top billing I had to present myself to the audience in front of him, or in this case, the cameras."
"So . . ."
"It was like a dance."
"Yahn, you can't dance. I love you dearly and realize that I have to kiss you now," And she did, "but you really don't have. . ."
"It's a Blasto movie," argued John. "I don't have to do it well, I only have to do it."
"Oh that's right," giggled Tali.
"So each of us is trying to upstage the other and Javik is walking over to the council and pinching them in the arms to determine freshness. And then . . . The climax!"
"Which was?"
"A three dimensional holo of a Reaper lands by the Council and of course Blasto is supposed to shoot it up."
"Only . . ."
"Not if I can shoot it up first."
"So this is when you and Yavik shot up the set."
"Yep, it was so much fun, you see Tali, they forgot Javik and I had live ammo."
"YAHN!"
"Don't worry, you know how mass effect guns work and once Javik caught on to what I was doing, he knew exactly what to do."
"So you really did shoot up the set."
"Yep, busted lights, riddled props, several explosions, complete chaos."
"And?"
"The director loved it."
"No one was hurt?"
"Only Hanar pride."
"You're horrible," she said giggling. "I can't wait to see it on the silver screen."
"Yep, they're already working on Eight, where Blasto cures the Genophage. I am going to send a letter to Wrex advising him of it and suggesting the sort of Krogan extras they'll be needing to make it a complete disaster."
Tali just looked at him for a second, then she began to giggle, and she didn't stop giggling for a few moments.
"What ever AM I going to do with you?" she asked.
"Hold me, squeeze me, take me home and call me George?" suggested John.
"Yorg? Why Yorg?"
"Old silly cartoon," replied John.
Tali commenced to track it down on the Extranet while John set the table for supper. He knew she had found it when she began to giggle.
The next week passed by quietly. John had finally figured out the Mass times at Our Lady of the Stars and took Tali there on Sunday. The thing that amazed Tali the most was that folks simply looked at her for a moment in a 'what is she doing here, why would a Quarian be interested in this' sort of way and then were perfectly polite and accommodating. Tali listened to the songs which were sung and started to sing along as she figured them out, found the homily a bit dull, remembered to cross her arms when they approached the Priest for the eucharist. She could not have it so she was to receive a blessing which consisted in the Priest putting his hand on her head and saying 'May God Bless You'. Tali found it curious but at the same time, like that one visit on Omega, she noted there was a palpable feeling of calm and peace in the building which she noted was absent from every other building they walked into . . . save the apartment. She wondered about that for a while until she remembered that the cabin in the Cerberus Normandy also felt like that near the end of the Collector's missions and the first few days of the apartment had likewise not felt that way.
"How is it," she asked John after lunch. "That the Church can feel like home the first time you walk into it?"
John shrugged. "I've never noticed it before, but now that you mention it, it does seem to be that way. But I have no idea why."
Liara dropped by that afternoon with Garrus and after a few moments chatting, sat at the piano and played a tune. John then sat down and joined her and they played a duet together while Garrus stood behind Liara and Tali stood behind John. Then John had Tali join him and they played one of the little ditties which Tali could participate in. Liara thought it was cute. Garrus warned John that he was losing his mystique. And John warned Garrus that if he got too involved with Liara, he would suffer the same fate. Garrus responded with mock horror while Liara's expression suggested something along the lines of 'my evil scheme is working'.
Later in the afternoon, Vega and Cortez dropped by to see one of the few football teams play each other. Most of the professional sports teams had been savaged by the Reapers, only a few colonial teams still possessed any sort of integrity and efforts were made by the Alliance to maintain some semblance of normalcy. So two colonial teams whose planets had not yet been attacked by Reapers were playing off. On one hand, you had two professional football teams trying to score goals. On the other hand, no one was rooting for either of them since everyone's favorite teams had been destroyed by the Reapers. The score ended two to one with the favored team winning in the first part of the second half. The guys drank beer, commented on the plays, and had a decent enough time while Tali chatted with Liara over tea. Garrus watched the game with a certain bemusement, thought Turian sports were way more exiting and said so, and then had a rollicking time (in his words) defending his opinion against the rabid football fandom that was James and Steve while John simply drank his beer and watched the three of them go at it.
They then ordered pizza to be delivered while Tali fixed a small pizza for her and Garrus. Then at the dining table, they all noted that Tali's place was set like Garrus' with a set of silverware and plate. And sure enough, when they sat down, Tali removed her helmet and gloves. Garrus had already seen Tali unmasked prior, but for James and Steve, it was a new experience. Garrus complimented Tali in such a manner that Liara did not find threatening while James simply whistled and told John to keep her under lock and key lest some Batarian Bandito run off with her. Naturally Tali smiled.
"How dangerous is this?" asked Garrus looking at Tali.
"The danger is physical contact and foreign particles,' explained Tali. "So long as I don't engage in physical contact with people other than Yahn, I'm okay. So long as I'm staying in this apartment, I can expose my skin to the air a bit more each day. I'll never be able to be completely out of my suit in the Citadel, I put everything on before I leave, and I'll be able to remove everything only briefly at best and really only in controlled conditions."
"Well, it's really nice to be able to look at your face," continued Garrus. "It assures me that you are amused by my witty one liners."
They finished dinner and their friends left. They cleaned up the kitchen and then sat down by the fire place and looked at each other for a moment. Tali's hair was resting upon her shoulders, billowing into curls.
"I recognize that look you're giving me," she observed smiling slightly.
"You do?"
"You used to look at me this way when I was spending several hours out of my helmet on the Cerberus Normandy."
John seemed to think on it for a moment.
"Your face has always been a precious commodity to me. I so seldom get to see it, and so much of your personality is in it's expressions."
She lay back and rested her head in his lap and looked up at him. He gently stroked her hair and head looking down at her.
"Three weeks already," she observed. "They've gone rather fast considering we've spent so much time wondering what we were going to do next."
"Well Samantha's gaming geekyness has given you at least more to do, and I think I'll be joining you girls soon enough."
"Why all of a sudden?"
"She saw your face and was totally enraptured by it. She's like Steven, very much for the moment kind of girl, quick to do something on impulse. EDI observed that she was physically aroused when she would hear EDI talk."
"Are you yealous of Samantha?" asked Tali looking at him directly.
"Tali? You and Samantha as a couple, what's your first impression?" asked John.
Tali stuck her tongue out which John had learned was how Tali expressed annoyance at an idea. He didn't know if this was Tali or Quarians in general, but as Quarians were always in their masks, he suspected this was an expression Tali had come up with on her own.
"Thought so," he said. "So why would I be jealous?"
"Which was why I asked the question. So why are you worried?"
"I'm worried she'll make a pass at you," answered John. "Worried she'll try to kiss you or something because she's so impulsive outside of gaming."
"That's yucky Yahn," suggested Tali.
"But if it happens, we have to remove her from the ship and that would not be the best thing to happen right now. Little events like that tend to be misinterpreted by the crew. Especially when everyone knows she's good at her job."
Tali nodded.
"She is fun to game with. She's really good. But why are you worried all of a sudden?"
"When you were entirely in your suit, I figured she would not be interested. Impulsive people don't like having to plan out things especially things having to do with romance. But once she saw your face, and went into paroxysm's over it, I figured I needed to be a little more present."
"I suppose it's for the best for the time being," sighed Tali. "Oh, Yack has come to the Citadel and I asked her over for tomorrow."
"Oh that will be nice. What's her reason? Wait! Jack!?"
"Her students are going through some more training sessions with mock battle simulators, you know like that Armax?"
"You really mean Jack?"
"What other Yack is there?"
John sighed.
"She's gotten a lot nicer since she started teaching at Grissom," observed Tali.
"Just the same, she's still a time bomb in so many ways," sighed John.
"I just thought of something," speculated Tali.
"You did? Fancy that. Ow!" John rubbed at particular and often bruised spot on his arm.
"Yahn? I swear you deliberately do that on occasion yust because you are amused in some whacky fashion."
"Curses," joked John. "You're on to me. So what was your brilliant idea, Kitten?"
"That's more like it," she agreed with a sweet smile. "I'm going to stay firmly visored around Samantha until she asks when it's coming off again and then I'm going to explain in great detail how hard it is to acclimate and how we couldn't make love for four months after we decided we would bond. That should dampen any . . . Mmmm . . . impulsive thoughts on her part."
John nodded. "Good thinking girl," he said. "Saves me from having to keep my assault rifle locked and loaded at all times."
Tali sighed.
"Why the sigh, girl?"
"Here I am, my head in the lap of my beloved, his hands gently stroking my head and hair, and I can't attack him because I'll get sick."
John was tempted to employ all sorts of wisecracks, along the lines of 'poor baby', or other such but he knew exactly how she felt because there were as many, if not more so, moments when he felt the same way.
"It's what we get for falling in love with each other. If you had been less selfless, I'd have been safe . . . but no . . . You had to be the sweetest most thoughtful girl I had ever met and . . . I was lost."
Tali giggled and then she got into the patter.
"Oh I'm so sorry I was so wonderful . . . And if you had been anything less than a daring rescuer of poor little Quarian girls, I would have been dead and wouldn't have thought twice about falling in love with you. But no, you had to rescue me not once, not twice, but three times and here I am, hopelessly smitten."
"So how's the acclimation going? It seems like you're going faster than I remember."
"It is, I suspect because I have no real reaction to physical contact with you and haven't since our bonding . . ." She paused. "It was what you call October wasn't it?"
Suddenly John did a face palm.
"Tali, it was a year ago. Tonight. We were supposed to bond tonight exactly a year ago."
"It was?"
Then John remembered that Quarians did not have birthdays or anniversaries because of how they measured time.
"Yes," chuckled John. "Today is our wedding anniversary."
"So why do you find that amusing?" she asked.
"Because it's an old Vid trope that the girl remembers the anniversary but the guy does not and it gets him into all sorts of trouble because he didn't remember something so important."
"Oh . . ." Tali paused. "You're not mad at me Yahn are you?"
"Do I look mad?"
"No, but I was worried."
Then Tali began to giggle.
"And Dr. Chakwas had so sedated you that you slept through the entire thing," she tittered.
"I what?"
"I made the most passionate love I could to you and you were completely asleep," she continued covering her mouth somewhat as she continued to giggle.
"My first time with you and I was asleep? It wasn't the next morning like I thought."
"There I was screaming with ecstasy, floating away like I was being lifted by gentle hands of air and you were going 'brrrrzzzz snork brrzzzzz snork'."
John was looking at her completely open mouthed. "I didn't know I could . . ."
"You couldn't!" she giggled. "Your entire body was such a flop it was all I could do to keep from screaming, but not from ecstasy."
John began to laugh. "We have had such a . . . romantic time together haven't we?"
"What hasn't gone wrong?" asked Tali between titters.
"Well!" announced John in a huff. "I know what we're going to do!" He got up and walked upstairs to his desk.
A second later he said, "Tali come up here and take a look at this! Something has finally gone right!"
Tali hopped up the stairs to the second floor office and looked at the omni-screen mail message. It said as follows.
Hey Commander?
I got reservations at Ryuusei's for us tomorrow night (Oct 13) at 1900. Meet you there.
Joker
"Did you just arrange this?" asked Tali.
"No," laughed John. "But I was going to try to make reservations at Bullrush. Looks like Joker has pulled off a miracle."
"Yahn! We're going to eat at 'Ryuusei's!" she squealed. She then paused and looked at John. "When I was first on my pilgrimage, and in the Citadel, just before I met you I would stop by there and look at the people inside. And you know what I thought when I was looking at that restaurant all those times? Some day, when I've proven my worth to the Galaxy, I'm going to go in there and have dinner. And now, it's going to happen." She yeeped once again and gave him one of the tightest hugs he had ever experienced from her.
"And you're going to have a very nice Poncho to wear over your suit when you go in," finished John.
"Yahn! I don't need . . ."
"It's important to me Tali. I want everyone to see that this is a very important Quarian coming into the restaurant."
"Yahn! What if they don't have something I can . . ."
"I'm going to take care of that to," replied John. He sighed. "You are such a Tali."
"What?"
"We have just gotten the reservations and you are already worrying."
"Yahn!" she started.
"Tali? Don't you see how nicely this has worked out? We didn't bond on the 12th, like we had planned. It didn't happen until the next morning. Officially our Anniversary could be either today or tomorrow, and tomorrow night, we're going to Ryuusei's. We'll still be able to celebrate one year of marriage. This has worked out so nicely that what could go wrong?"
Tali paused.
"Oh I'm being so silly," she sighed. "You're right of course, I just had this horrible feeling that something crazy was bound to happen. It's gone now. It will be fun. And I promise I won't fret if you take me shopping tomorrow."
The sky-car pulled up and dropped them off at 1903. Tali had suffered a panic attack when she put the new purple with black fringe poncho on and worried that the fringes would catch on her suit. John had to spend a few moments assuring her that she would look fine, put the necklace on her and the two of them set out. John wore his Navy blues with the gold trim and thick bars to indicate his rank. Tali had complimented him on the outfit. She liked him looking military, it made her feel safe.
There was a long line, but in a moment, a waiter came up to them.
"Ah Monsieur," he began. "I was not informed you would have a companion with you."
"How odd," replied Shepherd. "This is Tali'Shepherd. My wife. She comes with me always."
"But of course! But of course!" he replied. "It's . . . You have me at a disadvantage Monsieur Shep'pard. For our establishment, alas, does not serve dextro meals."
John held up his hand.
"Do not trouble yourself. We have taken the liberty of providing my wife with an appropriate dinner for her to enjoy while we dine with our friends."
"Ah, you have shamed me Monsieur, but do not fret. As a complimentary apology for not being able to serve your most gracious and polite wife, I will secure a fine bottle of Muskwin for her enjoyment," he concluded. "Now, if you will follow me to your table."
He led them past the long line, and he noted the stares of resentment that some of the people gave. He also noted that Tali was doing her little head tosses. As they walked through the restaurant, he likewise heard that he was being recognized, as was Tali in some cases.
"You're loving this aren't you," he proffered as they approached Joker's and EDI's table.
"It's . . . nice," she ventured.
"Hey Shepherd," began Joker. "Not bad huh? This sushi place is serious like, French guy at the door serious. Only had to save the galaxy twice to get a table here. Have you seen the line outside?"
John and Tali, who had seen the line, nevertheless were prompted to turn and look once Joker had dropped the cue. It was one of those curious examples of the power of suggestion. They spied at the end of the line a young woman, possibly African or Indian in nationality, jumping around and trying to catch the attention of someone in the restaurant.
"But here I am, drink in hand, with my own girlfriend. Best pilot in the universe, and a Rock Star," continued Joker.
"Any news from the Normandy?" asked John.
"Ah you know, maintenance stuff," answered Joker. "It's hard to know that a bunch of strangers are poking around on my ship."
"I'm keeping an eye on them Jeff," assured EDI. "If they try anything annoying or fresh, I'll let you know."
"Fresh?" asked Tali.
"The Normandy is my body as well Tali," answered EDI.
"Ooooo," replied Tali who then did a little girl giggle which her hand over her face plate entry point.
"The best thing we can do right now, is park her, and let the techs do their work," suggested Shepherd.
"And afterwards, EDI and I will fix what they screwed up in no time," assured Tali reaching over and giving Joker's hand a very light squeeze.
"Yeah, you're right," sighed Joker. "Oil change won't hurt. Maybe rotate the space tires."
"Trust me," replied Shepherd smiling. "It'll do her some good."
"Oh I trust you," replied Joker. "Not sure about those shifty aero-space engineers. Always stealing the silverware."
"And the connection yacks," added Tali. "I swear every time they've been in the Enyineering section my entire supply has been stolen. I packed all of them up before I left for the apartment and had them put in a safety deposit box at the First Citadel Bank."
"I have trained Bytes to electro-shock any engineer who tries to fiddle with my memory banks," added EDI. "Last time they ran off with some of mine and I was suffering from senility regarding energy flow and recirculation for the women's restrooms."
"Bummer," added Joker.
"Well let's let someone else do the work for once," suggested John. "Hackett's orders. You are on shore leave."
"Yeah, whether we like it or not," groaned Joker.
"I'm sure you'll manage," suggested John.
"I may need a drink that comes with an umbrella," suggested Joker looking at his empty glass.
"Hey!" suggested John with a grin. "I'm the first human specter. I'll get you two umbrellas."
"Awesome use of power, boss," replied Joker. "So, you're E-mail said it was important?"
"My E-mail?" queried John. "We're here because you got the reservations."
"The Hell?" answered Joker. "I didn't get these reservations. Didn't even think I could without the Head Waiter laughing in my face and hanging up."
"Commander!" cried a young woman's voice bouncing about in the Restaurant. The foursome, still trying to figure out why they were there if no one had made reservations, all looked towards her. She was dark skinned, the very girl that John had recalled was bouncing about the line a minute earlier. Her hair however was straight which suggested she was from southern India. She was in an Alliance uniform, lieutenant in rank, and holding a data pad. She seemed pretty, but also pretty agitated.
"I don't think that's the umbrella lady," observed Joker.
"Commander Shepherd," said the girl as she reached the table. "I'm staff analyst Myra Brooks . . . Alliance. Excuse me!" And she saluted. "Alliance Intelligence . . .
"If you're the Alliance Intelligence you need to get back to the fleet before they do something stupid," suggested Joker.
EDI tilted her head to ponder it for a moment.
"Very good joke," she suggested. "Now how hard should my laugh be to be appropriate?"
Tali rested her visor on her left hand.
"There are people trying to kill you!" Brooks added.
"Again?" queried Tali. "And during our anniversary dinner?"
"That is correct," confirmed EDI, "exactly 365 days, 13 hours, 37 minutes, and 19 seconds ago, in the cabin of the Captain's quarters of the Normandy, Tali, noting that Commander Shepherd was now awake, pounced upon him and initiated the love making behaviors which established their permanent bond.
John and Tali gently rested their heads upon their fingers while they waited for the blush to receded, while Brooks struggled to maintain a sense of decorum and Joker simply shook his head, grinned, and said, "Don't you ever change EDI."
"No no, I don't mean Cerberus and the Reapers, I mean new people . . . There . . . It's . . ." Brooks took a deep breath. "Someone is hacking your account, comm channels, personal records. They are targeting you specifically."
"Targeting me?" asked John. "What do they want?"
"The intel isn't definitive yet. Last time I guessed without definitive intel, we almost landed troops on a gas giant. Which is bad."
"Hang on Brooks," suggested John. "Take a breath." He waited for her to breathe for a second and then said, "From the top, what do you know?"
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen," came a voice that was filtered through a helmet synthesizer which was attached to a very military looking helmet, which was atop of some very military looking body armor, which was carrying a very nasty looking assault rifle. "Tonight's performance is brought to you by Random Acts of Violence."
And the entire squad of them began to shoot the place up while John tipped their table and got Joker, EDI, and Tali behind it.
"Man I love showtime," continued the voice amid the gunfire and screaming patrons seeking to run.
Almost immediately, Brooks was grabbed and hauled off by the armored mercenaries. John turned to Joker and EDI and Tali.
"I'm going after her, you get the rest of the crew," he argued. Joker and EDI began to slip away. Tali remained.
"Tali!" whispered John.
"This is our anniversary," she argued in a low but firm voice. "I'm spending it with you."
"Quarians don't do anniversary's!" he argued back.
"Hey!" shouted a Mercenary spotting Joker.
John leapt up and knocked the pistol out of the mercenaries' hand and gave him a good solid knock out punch. He had the pistol and was armed. Tali pulled out a shot gun from under her poncho.
"Where did you . . . how? . . ." began John. "Oh never mind."
"Bait!" muttered Joker slipping away with EDI. "He used me as bait!"
John and Tali quickly closed in on where Brooks was down and on the floor, shooting up the mercenaries, but when they reached the spot, more mercenaries opened up and the next thing John knew, Brooks was shot, Tali had leaped behind the bar for cover, and the floor beneath him had broken apart and he was plummeting down the sides of the building.
He spent a good thirty seconds falling before he finally was able to land, mostly banged up, but still with unbroken bones. If one falls down the side of a building, there are ways you can keep yourself from falling too fast to reach terminal velocity.
"Commander Shepherd? Are you okay?" queried Brooks over the Com.
"Peachy," grumbled John. He began to work his way along the edges of the buildings, looking for some place where a sky car could pick him up while various friends and Tali began to call on the Com.
"Yahn!" cried Tali. "Yahn! Where are you?"
"Who is this!" demanded Brooks. "You are on a secure channel and endangering Commander Shepherd."
"I'm his BOND-MATE Brooks!" replied Tali apparently rather put out. "I was sitting at the table with him remember? Who else would call him Yahn and not Commander Shepherd?"
"Oh . . . Yeah!" suggested Brooks as if it were just dawning on her.
"Everyone," groaned John. "Play nice."
"Yahn! Why did you have to yump into that hole? It's four stories down and it's going to take me forever to get to you."
"I didn't . . ." grumbled John. "Never mind, just get to me asap Kitten."
"Kitten? Is that a code name?" asked Brookes.
"Depends on Commander Shepherd's tactical analysis of the situation," suggested Garrus, who apparently had just connected with the Comm Frequency thanks, in no doubt, to Joker's and EDI's rapid alert response. "Code names ranged from Duck, Monkey Duck, Chipmunk, Ducky, and Kitten. Then there's Bugs, Bugsy, or Hot Plates."
"Hot plates?" queried John, who was having a hard time staying annoyed at his pain with that sort of talk going on.
"Liara's code warning of incoming severe physical exertion on my part."
"I heard that Garrus," intruded Liara. "Commander? Joker has alerted everyone. We are all going to converge if we can."
"Hot plates? Liara?" queried Tali with just a bit of tease in her tone.
"I'm not going to talk about it Tali."
"But we're friends," suggested Tali.
"And if you wish it to stay that way, you'll wait for a more appropriate time for discussion . . . Kitten," retorted Liara.
John worked his way to the promenade and then found a means to start to cross it. More mercenaries opened up.
"Yahn! I heard that from here, what's happening?"
"It's all under control Tali," assured John.
"EDI just informed me that it's your anniversary," said James. "Loco? Is this how you celebrate? Holy Frijoles, and I thought my family was into gun fire at celebrations."
"If I had not forgotten until yesterday," replied John, leaping from cover to cover. "I would have ordered more explosions."
"Oh Yahn!" quipped Tali. "You are such a sweetie. But really this has been very nice."
"Well hey, if Sparks is having fun . . ."
Shepherd was busy ducking a steady stream of machine gun fire to answer that one.
"Did I just hear an alarm go off?" asked Garrus. "What is going on now?"
"Just making things more interesting," replied John who had up to that second wondered where that one bullet had flown to.
He reached the sky-car lot, worked his way up to two mercenaries who were busy shooting at where they thought he was, and then saw them being taken out by two shotgun blasts. He came forward and saw Tali, still in her purple poncho and gold necklace, holding her shot gun, sauntering up to him.
"What a romantic date! You know how much gun fire turns me on . . . Getting to hold the warm barrel of a shot gun, it reminds me of something else . . . " she teased. "The landing pad is over there," she motioned. "But it's behind a locked gate."
"Let's look for the control panel," suggested John.
"Did I tell you how nice you look in that uniform?" queried Tali.
John looked at her.
"Control Panel, right," added Tali. "Brooks said you fell, not yumped through that fish tank."
"We'll talk about it later."
"Do you remember when you used to rescue me in the Wards, Yahn?"
"I said we'll talk about it later."
They finally found the door to the manager's office. The door was locked. John informed Tali to stand back and took aim. Tali gently placed her hand on his arm and pushed the pistol down. She leaned over and rapped on the window.
"Hello?" She said. "Could you please open the gate?"
There was a hiss and the gates to the sky-car lot opened.
"Thank you," said Tali.
"Please leave," requested the Volus Sky-car salesman.
"I could have done that," muttered John, knowing that he probably wouldn't have.
They walked out of the lot, saw the C-sec vehicle hover above them, open it's door, and reveal an interior full of mercenaries who opened up with some very nasty automatics. John tackled Tali and rolled behind cover. Then they heard a Krogan scream, a sudden thud of a heavy body landing upon the shuttle, more screams, a few cries of terror, and as John looked out, there was Urdnot Wrex, throwing the last of the mercenaries out the other side of the shuttle.
"Wrex?" asked John, rather incredulous since this was the last person he had expected to see show up. "What are you doing here?"
"Ah, just butting heads with the Council over Krogan expansion," grumbled Wrex as he proceeded to methodically search the bodies remaining. He tossed one of those gatling auto fire guns to John. Then there was an explosion and more Mercs came leaping in from over the Sky-car Lot.
"Shepherd?" shouted Wrex. "Have you got a way out of here?"
"Hey Wrex," replied Shepherd. "I'm a professional."
"That's not a yes, Shepherd!"
"That's not a no," shouted Shepherd.
"Commander?" called Joker over the com. "I've picked up Brooks. Thought you would have some questions.
"Joker? We lost our ride."
"On my way!"
"This is a great place to fight in!" exclaimed Wrex. "Lot's to destroy!"
"Closing in Commander," called Joker. "Just following the sound of the gun fire. Sorry I'm running behind. We had to take the scenic route."
"Scenic route?" screamed Brooks behind Joker's com. "We almost crashed four times! Where the hell did you learn to drive?"
"And Brooks says 'hi'," continued Joker.
They shot their way through the Sky-car lot, filling numerous vehicles with holes, breaking large numbers of windows, and finally were able to leap up into Joker's shuttle and fly away back to the Apartment.