Chapter 24: Mindoir: Round Two
It had been two weeks since Grunt had sent a message to Aralakh Company to investigate the sudden retreat of the Yahg and Cerberus troops from several months ago. The two warriors knew that they would need to wait at least another couple weeks for any word from the Krogan but they were still worried due to the lack of contact with the ship. Luckily Liara was keeping everyone in the house busy fetching things for her and making her life as easy as possible. The only surprise that was positive so far was Aethyta's sudden appearance at the house; she had been gone for the majority of Liara's pregnancy and was refusing to say why. Not that Shepard minded, it insured that there was plenty of liquor in the house and that he wouldn't have any more nightmares about her and Auron in the bedroom upstairs.
"Aethyta, what are you doing here?" Auron asked as the Matriarch walked into the kitchen obviously amused to see the four Krogan of Aralakh Company aiding Auron in his cooking.
"Well I was in the mood and I thought I'd stop by for a nooner. That was before I learned you were teaching Krogan how to be gourmet chefs of course, now I just want to watch."
"Sorry, but we're busy cooking for your daughter. She's constantly hungry but seems to have become very particular about what she eats."
"So you need four Krogan as line cooks?" Aethyta teased.
"Hey," Auron said defensively, "After the eight months I've spent with these Krogan cooking for your pregnant daughter I'd go to war with each one of them. It'd have to be easier than this that's for sure." The Krogan cooking beamed slightly from the praise given to them by Auron but were ignored by Aethyta who just scoffed at the idea.
"Please, it's one pregnant Asari. I never had these many people waiting on me when I had my girls."
"Well maybe if you were around to help you'd see how much we're struggling here!" Auron said cruelly as he gave a hard look over to Aethyta. Apparently that seemed to anger the Asari.
"The hell is that supposed to mean Auron?" Aethyta asked coolly.
"What it means," Auron said, turning to Aethyta with a ladle pointed at the Asari's ample chest in a hard voice. "Is that maybe if you were around to help your daughter through her pregnancy instead of just showing up for your selfish reasons that you would understand how much stress everyone in the house is!" Auron turned his back on Aethyta who was now blushing in what everyone had assumed was anger.
"How dare you!" Aethyta demanded turning Auron around to face her.
"How dare you… turn me on like that and then deny me?!" Auron gave a sly half formed smile as he brought his face directly in front of Aethyta's.
"Now, unless there was something else you needed…?" Aethyta grabbed Auron by his apron and pulled him into a very deep, hot and passionate kiss that caused even the Krogan to blush awkwardly. When she pulled away she looked into the Salarian's now goofy looking face and said sternly:
"If you're sweet Salarian ass isn't in bed in 10 minutes I'm dragging you to your room myself, understand?" Not waiting for an answer Aethyta turned towards the stairs leaving Auron with a smile on his face and the sudden urge to take a break, he first turned and addressed the Krogan.
"Alright team, taste test." The four Krogan all held out a plate of food for Auron to taste: a soup, a salad, a small steak with parsley and a side of steamed Asari vegetables and the damned Asari fruit tart. Auron tasted each of the plates with his ladle before nodding in approval and taking off his apron.
"Very good men, now bring the meal in for the couple. I've got an aroused Matriarch waiting for me upstairs."
Liara and Shepard were lying in their bed together; both of them had their hands on Liara's stomach.
"Did you feel it?" Liara asked expectantly.
"No!" Shepard said frustratedly.
"How could you not?" Liara demanded.
"I don't know Liara I just didn't feel anything!" Shepard complained.
"She's been kicking for the past hour John how are you not feeling it?" Shepard sighed and removed his hands from Liara's stomach.
"It's a sign," Shepard said pitifully. "She's not even born yet and my daughter won't listen to me. First it's not letting me feel her kick in her mother's womb next she's going to want to run away and get married.
"John!" Liara exclaimed laughing.
"I'm serious Liara! It's just like those parenting vids warned us about. My daughter already doesn't like me and is planning to defy me already."
"Defy you?" Liara asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well us," he said trying to recover. Liara merely smiled as she grabbed Shepard's hand and placed it on her stomach again.
"John she isn't even born yet and already you're going off about how much of a wild child she's going to be. I'm sure that when she grows up she is going to love you almost as much as I do." As if to prove a point a small kick could be felt under Shepard's hand. He looked to Liara with a smile who returned it warmly.
"I'm sorry," he said wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "I just can't believe that our little girl will be born in a few weeks."
"I know I'm worried to," Liara admitted.
"Hey, as long as she doesn't bring a Krogan home, I'm happy."
"What's wrong with Krogan?" a voice asked from the doorway. Liara and Shepard turned their heads to see the quartet of Krogan entering the room with plates filled with food for Liara.
"Liara's dad is half Krogan; we really want any more like that around?" Shepard teased
"I don't know about you, but Auron seems to like them that way." Shepard moaned painfully as he brought his hand to his head to massage his temples.
"Please tell me there not going at it," At the Krogan's silence Shepard moaned and stood up from the bed.
"Where are you going?" Liara asked.
"I need whiskey, back in a minute," Shepard informed her. As Shepard limped to his liquor cabinet he began rummaging around for a good bottle when Grunt came up to him looking excited.
"Shepard I have news, what are you doing?" he asked gesturing to the bottle of alcohol in Shepard's hand.
"Auron and Aethyta having sex," Shepard said plainly. Grunt shivered and grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the cabinet before heading back to the couch. As Shepard sat next to Grunt the bottle was already emptied down Grunt's gullet and he barely seemed affected by the drink.
"So what's the news Grunt? Did your company contact you?"
"Yes, they couldn't land on Parnack but from what the Quarian techs on board could tell us is that there mass producing their ships, for war if we're lucky."
"And if we're not lucky?" Shepard asked coyly.
"They use them to surrender themselves without a fight," Grunt said seriously. Shepard laughed as he poured a glass from the bottle of bourbon he had selected and quickly downed its contents.
"Grunt as much as you don't want to hear it I think having the Yahg surrender would put a many of the galaxy at ease. Grunt merely shrugged as he gestured to the Krogan reentering the room with Liara's dirty plates from her meals.
"They've been here for four months Shepard and they've grown soft taking care of your mate. Imagine how it'd feel knowing all of Tuchanka has gone soft due to their being no war."
"I don't think we have to worry about that Grunt," Shepard assured the Krogan. "The Krogan always find something to shoot at." Grunt laughed agreeably as Glyph materialized in front of the two on the table before them.
"Admiral I've received a call from a lawyer on Mindoir wishing to speak with you,"
"What does she want?" Shepard asked curiously.
"She did not tell me, she insisted it was a personal matter to be discussed only with you." Shepard looked over to Grunt who merely shrugged in ignorance as Shepard nodded towards the VI.
"Alright Glyph, patch her through." At that moment Glyph's image changed to that of a woman dressed in a suit and had the obvious air of someone in the law profession.
"Mr. Shepard, I'm pleased that you accepted my call. My name is Sonya Weston; there is a matter that I need to discuss with you."
"Alright, what is it?" Shepard asked bluntly.
"Well since your visit to Mindoir approximately a year ago and to the bonding to your… partner, there was an added clause in your father's will due to take effect if you ever married if he died before attending the wedding."
"Really?" Shepard asked in surprise, he hadn't expected his father to leave him anything in his will. He didn't even know his father had made a will; he was a young man when the Batarian pirates had killed him back on Mindoir, only 36. "Alright, what did he leave me?" he asked curiously.
"I'm sorry but I am not allowed to speak of the will's contents unless it's to you in person, I'm afraid that you'll have to come to Mindoir immediately."
"Now?" Shepard asked complexed, looking to the bedroom door reflexively. "Now's not really a good time; is there any way that you can come to Thessia for us to discuss my father's will?"
"I'm afraid not," Sonya said sternly. "It specifically states that you must be on Mindoir to receive the contents, and if you aren't present within a weeks' time the contents will be lost to you." Shepard sighed as he put his head into his hands to think.
"Alright," he said not removing his head from his hands. "I'll try to work something out and be on Mindoir within the week."
"An excellent decision," The lawyer said almost smugly. "We look forward to seeing you in a week's time at Mindoir's House of Law and Order," The woman's image disappeared as Glyph floated off towards his bedroom.
"If you need a ship Aralakh Company is refueling on Thessia right now," Grunt offered. Shepard shook his head and looked over to Grunt.
"Thanks Grunt but a ship isn't the problem, I don't know if I want to leave Liara this close to the end of her pregnancy."
"Where are you going?" A voice said from behind. Shepard and Grunt turned to see Auron approaching them in a tank top, sweat pants and his glasses.
"Did you know anything about my father having a will?" Shepard asked the Salarian.
"Can't say that I do Johnny," the Salarian admitted with a frown. "Why the sudden interest?"
"A lawyer from Mindoir just called saying I need to head over there to collect something from my father's will that he left me if I ever got married."
"Well that doesn't exactly sound like Jack," Auron said suspiciously but also with a hint of curiosity.
"I can't go can I?" Shepard wondered aloud. "Liara's due any day now, it wouldn't be right."
"You could ask," Auron encouraged slightly. "Worst case scenario she says no," Shepard thought about it for a moment and nodded to Auron.
"Your right I'm going in," As he walked towards the bedroom he noticed Grunt following him from behind. "I wanna see how this plays out," he said plainly. Shepard shrugged and walked into his bedroom with Grunt close behind. At seeing the two walk in Liara immediately suspected that something was going on. On questioning them Shepard told her about how he was just contacted by the lawyer on Mindoir and about his father's will and of the one week time frame to collect what was his. Liara stared at Shepard for several moments before finally deciding it was appropriate to speak.
"You do realize that I will be giving birth to your daughter any day now right?" she demanded sternly.
"I do," he said calmly.
"And you want to go to Mindoir?"
"Yes," Shepard watched as Liara's eyes seemed to move from several different kinds of emotions that he assumed were caused due to the pregnancy. Finally her eyes took on a softened touch and she sighed as she looked at her bond mate lovingly.
"Alright you can go, but I want you back in three days. You understand me?"
"Perfectly," Shepard promised as he bent down and planted an appreciating kiss on her lips. "You know your amazing right?" Shepard asked kindly. Liara snorted as she laid back into the bed resting her hands on her large belly.
"Doesn't stop you from leaving though does it?" she asked teasingly. Shepard smiled and kissed Liara goodbye as he and Grunt left the bedroom. Shepard approached Auron and said "Make sure to keep an eye on her, I'm leaving the Krogan here to help you out and for security." Auron nodded and hugged his student good bye.
"I'll make sure the kid isn't born till you get here," Auron promised. Shepard smiled and looked over to Grunt. "You still willing to give me a ride to Mindoir?" he asked. Grunt nodded and the two left for the space port. The ship of Aralakh Company was a former Flotilla ship from the Migrant Fleet that had been traded with the Krogan and upgraded with increased armor and weapons systems. The ship had a crew of 30 Krogan, the actual members of Aralakh Company followed by 20 Quarians to fly the ship. Grunt told Shepard that the Quarians were teaching the Krogan how to fly in hopes to help wean them off their dependence of Quarian pilots.
"No Geth piloting the ship?" Shepard asked. Grunt shook his head.
"Wrex didn't want them on Tuchanka, said that until we plant our feet more firmly we don't want any technology on Tuchanka that we can't understand. Although I'm told we have an excellent science division in development." The ride to Mindoir wasn't as fast as when Shepard rode in on Garrus's ship the Cloaked Dagger. While the Quarians were superior pilots the ship was designed more for durability in a fight then for its speed while also being a transport for Aralakh Companies 2 Mako, a Hammer head, and a triton class shuttle; it took approximately 18 hours before they were within range of Mindoir. As the ship approached Mindoir Shepard noticed that two of the Quarians were pointing restlessly at several scanners.
"Is something wrong?" Shepard asked the worried Quarians. One of them turned to him and pointed at the scanner.
"This is indicating that there are several unidentified ships surrounding the planet, but as we look out the window there is obviously nothing there."
"Could it be some kind of cloaking device?" Shepard asked.
"There isn't a cloaking device that can hide an entire ship," the other Quarian insisted. Before Shepard could question them again the ship shook violently due to being struck from the starboard side of the ship as it began to fall rapidly towards Mindoir. Grunt ran from his previous post and approached the Quarian flying the ship.
"The hell just happened?" Grunt demanded angrily.
"I haven't a clue but we've been struck on the starboard side of the ship by a low leveled Thanix cannon. It pierced through our armor and nearly breached the hull, strengthening kinetic barriers to compen-" the Quarian was interrupted as the ship was shot again from the same side. The ship began to fall and began falling towards Mindoir. As the ship fell everyone was panicking doing whatever they could to stabilize the ship while several Quarians tried to contact the port on Mindoir for support.
"What do you mean you can't help us dock you boshtet! We're going to crash on the colony any minute now!" The responding voice was full of static and only several words could be heard from their transmission.
"Can't…. fire….. Coordinates….. Land." After several minutes a Quarian shouted out, "They've given us safe coordinates for a crash landing, what are our orders?" Grunt scowled as he looked at several of the monitors the Quarians were typing at.
"The minute were in Mindoir's gravitational pull it's going to make us its bitch!" Grunt said angrily. "Set the auto pilot for a crash landing away from the colony, and then load everyone up into the machines. Don't just stand there you worthless Pyjacks MOVE!" Grunt's orders were followed as the Krogan all headed for the vehicles while most of the Quarians followed while several stayed behind to finish the commands for the Auto pilot. It wasn't long until everyone was loaded up into the vehicles waiting for the drop. Shepard, Grunt, six Krogan and two Quarians went into the Triton model shuttle and safely flew off of the ship and into Mindoir's atmosphere. Once the space ship was low enough to Mindoir's atmosphere the Makos and the Hammer Head were dropped onto the ground with the remaining crew: thankfully there were no casualties. As the Makos, Hammer Head and Triton shuttle went down a path towards Mindoir they were stopped by what appeared to be Alliance soldiers demanding they stopped. Shepard's shuttle progressed to the front of their small parade and stopped before the soldiers where they were met by Alliance soldiers holding them at gun point.
Shepard remained calm by being held at multiple gun points but the Krogan on the shuttle (including Grunt) aimed their weapons and glowed with biotics at the sight of hostility.
"Identify yourselves; you just crash landed a ship onto a human colony."
"Stand down soldier," Shepard ordered sternly, allowing no softness in his voice.
"By whose orders?" the soldier asked threateningly.
"Admiral John Shepard, Alliance Navy." Shepard could see the soldiers eyes widen through his helmet as he ordered the men to lower their weapons, once they were lowered Shepard calmed down the Krogan.
"Admiral I'm sorry for the hostile meeting. I am surprised to see you hear on a Krogan ship, are reinforcements on their way?" the soldier asked.
"Reinforcements?" Shepard asked in confusion. "Reinforcements for what?"
"The Yahg sir! They've attacked Mindoir!"