A/N: And so the ship tease ends.

From here on out, Art and Tali are an official couple within MV canon. So they'll be regarded as such, since they know they're in love with each other. Appropriately, there is much rejoicing.

Oh, and for anybody out there who needs more reading material... well, a new SI modeled on Mass Vexations recently popped up in the Knights of the Old Republic section. It's called Displacement in the Old Republic, it's by CPunchMaster, and it's got all the fun SI antics we've started here in the ME section. I suggest you check it out.

Anyhow, after that... there will be a few other things. So... let's get going with that, eh?

Chapter 24: Mussorgsky/Ravel: The Hut on Chicken's Legs

I walk about the Normandy a couple of days later, still with a rather simple smile on my face. God... I'm in love...

And it feels so amazing I can't even describe it. I've stopped by engineering daily by this point, always waiting to see Tali. We have small talk quite unlike the 'I'm busy' dialogue in the game, and all that stuff. I... haven't revealed it to the Brotherhood yet, but I know Garrus knows definitively. Madison might too... but until I call the next Brotherhood meeting, I'm keeping relatively hush-hush about it to everyone else. I won't call it just yet... maybe after Kasumi's loyalty mission if she's open to talking about stuff with us. Depending on how that goes, anyhow...

Fun times are had.

I thus find myself wandering engineering after one of those talks. Hm... Well... I do have to talk to Zaeed about what happened, so... I might as well get that out of the way soon. I just need to know what the hell happened on Zorya, and how Shepard reacted to everything...

So I walk over to Port Cargo, my steps resolute as I hum a small little tune to myself. I just feel so great now... but I better pipe it down in front of Zaeed. He'll probably start gushing about how sappy it all is if I don't...

After a second or two, I find myself at Zaeed's door. Without too much hesitation, I step inside to see the mercenary looking at that krogan helmet he keeps around. Jessie's still over there somewhere, and there's that scowl fixed to his face. Fun times are had with this, I guess... I step inside, the door closing behind me. The mercenary glances up briefly, still admiring his krogan helmet as he nods.

"Ah, I figured you'd be here soon enough," says the mercenary.

I shrug. "Well, I did warn you about Shepard getting angry about threatening innocents," I comment.

Before I can continue, I hear Zaeed scoff. "No kiddin' about that," he says. "A krogan in blood rage would've been afraid of her anger, I can tell ya that. And she wasn't happy. She almost had all of us go for the hostages..."

I cross my arms. "Told ya," I comment. "You hurt the innocents, you piss her off. It's a hell of a concept, eh?"

"Bah, I don't know why she'd bother with those people," he says, giving a dismissive handwave as he sets the helmet down. "For me, it's only one objective when I get the job. Get it done, and everything else is good."

"Well... Shepard doesn't see it that way," I comment, shrugging as I move towards him. "You forget she was in the Blitz, you know. That had to be incredibly heavy on her when she was going through that... And with all the innocents there, no less."

"She hasn't said anythin' about innocents back then," he comments, walking over to the wall. "But anyway, I'm not too angry at her. Vido's dead. After twenty years I can finally sleep again."

I nod, looking over at him. "I see..." I say. "But still... you almost killed a bunch of factory workers to get your revenge. Don't you think that's a bit... excessive?"

The man frowns as he looks over at me. "Haven't ya ever had anyone ya wanted ta kill so badly that you'd kill every last bastard in your way?" he asks.

I blink. Damn... I have, haven't I? I bite my lower lip, looking to Zaeed. "Well..." I comment. "Maybe. There was this one guy I knew... Well... on the extranet anyway. He was... a pretentious dick. He and I were both on this website where we were busy typing stuff for other people to read, you know? So I'm reading a friend's story, and I tell him I like it, right. He tells me about this guy, you know?"

"It got all out of control from there, didn't it?" he asks.

"Like you wouldn't believe," I reply, shaking my head. "I tried to get involved... but the son of a bitch propositioned me!" I throw my arms up. "And when I didn't give him a satisfactory reply, he targed me too. And then he began going all over the damn place trying to get everyone. And eventually, it got out of hand."

I shake my head then. "And then I found out he wrote stuff," I continue. "And it was all some of the most pretentious shit I've ever seen in my life." I shake my head. "The guy wanted all that attention for one pretentious piece of crap. I never wanted a man dead more than I did with that son of a bitch."

Zaeed nods. "And what did ya do about it?" he asks.

I shrug. "I wrote a piece about it," I comment. That won third place in that competition I mentioned earlier, as a matter of fact. "That's how I dealt with it. It was... theraputic, in many, many ways. And also because I didn't actually know who the guy was."

"And if you did know where 'e was?" he asks. "Would ya still go after 'im?"

"I... don't think so, actually," I comment, crossing my arms. "The more you think about it, the more you realize people dying over a story is ridiculous. Well... that, and..." Should I, or should I not mention how it would have made me just as bad as him? I mean... that's something Zaeed doesn't seem to realize... No. I shouldn't. I don't want him getting pissed off. "I don't really know who he is in real life anyway. Plus, I've got better things to do."

The mercenary frowns at this admission of this, crossing his arms as he does so. "Fair enough," he says. "But still, I stand by my thought that Vido deserved what 'e got."

"It's because he betrayed you..." I comment.

"Yeah," he says. "Ya learn not ta get soft like that in my line of work, kid. But... I thought I had a real friend in Vido. I learned otherwise... the hard way."

I nod. "Yeah... In that case, yeah, I do think he deserve what he got," I comment. "Everyone else in that factory, not so much, but hey, what can you do? At least you can take comfort in the fact that he's probably squirming in a lake of ice at the moment. What with having betrayed an assosciate and friend and all."

Ah. I got to throw in a reference to Dante there! And... I confused the hell out of Zaeed, apparently, because he arches his eyebrow. "Now what the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?" he asks.

Okay. I smirk, crossing my arms as I approach from where I've been standing. "I take it you don't read poetry, then," I comment.

"Of course not!" comments Zaeed. "I'm paid to shoot people, not read 'em poetry until they drop dead! Though... come to think of it, that might not be a bad way to kill off a salarian..."

I shrug. "Well, then sit tight," I comment. "It's gonna be a long story."

And with this, I begin to talk to him about the Inferno reference I just used. Yep, it's fun talking about who's struggling in the lake of ice at the bottom of hell. Fun times are had with that, I think.

So... I think Zaeed liked the thought that Vido's ultimate afterlife fate was to be trapped in a lake of ice for all eternity. I must admit, it's a fitting punishment for people like Vido. It's too bad he had no chance of making it into one of Lucifer's mouths, though. That would've been a monumental punishment, I think.

And... it got him thinking about where he'd end up if he ever got into hell. I told him he'd probably be filed under wrath or something, and that he'd be fighting people on the surface of a river for all eternity. I think he took it well, right up until I mentioned it was all fist fights, from everyone around you. And then he took it really well. I never thought I'd see someone eager to go to hell, but I think I've found it in Zaeed.

Anyhow... I'm wandering engineering... who else...?

Ah. Jack. What's she up to now, I wonder? Writing more poetry? I guess I'll have to see about that.

I walk over to the stairway to the hidey-hole, and then nod as I walk down. Okay... Jack should be there somewhere.

As soon as I plop down, I see Jack hard at work on a datapad. Hm... so she's writing poetry. As I walk forward, she spares me a glance. Wait... is that a glimpse of fear in her eye? Yes... Well... it's passed now, anyway. Guess she doesn't want anyone finding out about her poetry. As I approach, she stands up then, holding the datapad.

"If it isn't the ballsy pussy," she says. "Just the guy I wanted to talk to."

I raise my eyebrow. God damn it, she's going with that again? "I thought we talked about why that doesn't work," I reply, shaking my head. "But, whatever. What do you need?"

The woman shrugs. "I got to writing again after the last time we talked," she says. "I... don't know why, but I've been writing quite a bit lately. It's fuckin' crazy, I think."

I smile. "Well, that's a good thing," I say. "What've you got?"

Jack simply glances at the datapad in her hand before holding it out to me. "Well, I was just writing something here," she replies. "You can look at it... if ya want."

I shrug. "Sure, why not?" I ask.

I lightly take the datapad from her hands soon afterwards, looking at the lines of text. Okay... she's doing verse poetry at the moment. Let's see...

blue lights
raging across the earth
creating wind
for small spaces
no man is left alive
from the rage of the storm
its wake is terrible

yet, from a distance,
this storm appears
as a soft azure glow
giving comfort
to a girl
crying
in a black cage

I blink as soon as I finish the verse, looking over at Jack as I nod. "Did you just finish this?" I ask.

"Well..." she says. "I'm just wondering what else can be done with that piece of crap."

I frown, sitting down on the table nearest her as I gesture for her to come closer. "I wouldn't think so," I comment. "This is actually pretty effective, I think. The imagery is still quite vivid, you get a point across, and it's pretty effective." I bite my lower lip, rubbing my chin. "And that last little line is also very effective. You wouldn't expect a girl to be in a cage. If I had to say anything... you used the word storm twice."

"Let me guess; don't use the same fuckin' image twice," she says.

My frown intensifies as I look on. "I wouldn't say that," I comment. "See, the image of the storm is part of the poem's... ah... well, it's a part of what makes it work so well." I gesture with my arms. "So you need to keep the storm image there, mostly as a matter of contrast against your second stanza. The contrast between the storm billowing and causing so much suffering to others and the comforting light is a key part of what makes this thing work. I'd say, try to find another way to say storm."

She nods, and I can see the barest hint of a smirk as she does. "I see..." she says. "Well... I don't like it all that much. It's just... I'm new to this whole thing, you know?"

"What, so you think your poetry sucks?" I ask.

"I think so," she says. "It's just... I'm bad at the soft and mushy stuff. I'm not supposed to be good at it. You're talking about a girl who defaced the hanar's favorite moon with a space station."

Well... that is true. But still. "You'd be surprised, Jack," I comment, crossing my arms. "You're getting better at this."

"Yeah, because you're better than me," she replies "Why the fuck bother helpin' me out with this?"

I frown as I hand her the datapad. "You think it just comes naturally to me?" I ask. "Oh, no. It takes hours and hours of fine-tuning to make a work of art, Jack. I can't begin to tell you how many drafts of pieces I've thrown out because I wasn't satisfied with how they came out. It's not that easy being able to create, Jack. I can tell ya that much. Hell, I don't think I'm as good as anybody gives me credit for. There's always room for improvement, you know?"

The ex-convict frowns, crossing her arms. "We're all perfectionists," I say. "If you don't like something you've written up, that's actually pretty typical. It's being able to tell when you're satisfied with what you've written when you can judge when you've created something worthy of showing to the rest of the world."

She shrugs. "Art is fuckin' wierd sometimes," she says.

Pff. I chuckle dryly. "Understatement of the century, Jack," I comment. "Also... in certain contexts, one of the best puns ever."

She blinks, confused by my meaning.

... Oh, Christ.

"Never mind," I say, shaking my head. "I'll let you think about the punchline for a little bit. And don't explain it when you get it." I gesture over to the datapad. "You got anything else you'd like to show me?"

She frowns, looking at her datapad briefly. Hm... She's thinking about it. I raise one of my eyebrows as I shift slightly were I sit. She looks at it briefly, and then nods as she goes through the datapad.

"Sure, why the fuck not?" she asks, going through it and bringing something up. "Here. This one, I'm pretty happy about."

I nod as she hands me the datapad. Well... she's not showing off her wrathful side as much. I guess this whole poetry thing is doing a wonder for her psyche. Even if she won't admit it, anyhow. It's interesting to read her poetry, anyhow. I never expected Jack of all people to be writing poetry on a ship like this. Well... I guess we all attract the misfits.

I look at the verse she's handed me, and nod as I begin reading it.

Well... Jack's poetry is certainly very interesting. And for more than the fact that it isn't that bad. It's just... interesting thinking of her doing poetry. I never would've thought her to be the type...

Fun times are had with her and poetry, I guess.

Anyhow, I wonder how Kasumi's doing. We're... about to head off on what I assume is her loyalty mission, so... maybe I should go see about her.

I step off the elevator onto the crew deck shortly afterwards, and then walk over to port observation. Okay...

Hey, the door's red! Hm... Must be either she locked it behind her to do something, or she's already left. Hm...

I better check with EDI then. I look over to the EDI console on the wall. "EDI?" I ask. "Do you know if Kasumi's in Port Observation?"

EDI's wierd little avatar thing comes up. "Kasumi Goto is indeed in Port Observation, Mr. *********," replies the ship's AI. "She is currently preparing Shepard for the heist in Donovan Hock's estate."

Wait...

I raise my eyebrows. "Wait, what?" I ask.

Before the AI can reply, the door panel in front of me flashes green. I blink, and then the door opens-

...

Holy shit...

Am I actually looking at the commander right now?

She's standing there, red hair back as it always is. But this time... God damn, her clothes! She's wearing a dress that goes down to her knees, leaving her legs exposed to us. It also exposes a bit of her cleavage, and across her neck is a futuristic necklace that shines in the light of the Normandy. As well, she looks to have had quite a bit of make-up applied to her, and she's carrying a purse with her. Man... she never wore this in the game! I mean...

"Whoah, Commander!" I say, taking a step back. "You actually look like a woman right now!"

Kasumi comes up from behind her, gesturing at her. "Well, we can't have a successful heist without a reasonably fashionable badass, now, can we?" she asks. "Special occasions call for special clothes, I say."

I nod. "No doubt about that," I comment. "You look absolutely smashing, Commander."

She flashes me a smile. "Thanks," she says. "It feels wierd feeling a dress again. I've never worn a single dress since I graduated from high school."

I raise my eyebrows. "Damn, that much?" I ask. "I always thought you looked better in pants, but... damn, Shepard! How'd you agree to let Kasumi put you in a dress?"

"It's one of those things I have to do," replies the commander with a shrug. "Guess it finally paid off somehow. I can't help but feel a little ridiculous in this!"

"Oh, you look great, Shepard!" says Kasumi. "Sure, heels probably aren't the best thing to wear to a heist, but that'll make it more fun, won't it?"

I raise my eyebrows at this. "I wouldn't know, but pulling a heist in heels?" I ask. "If you can do that, I think I'll buy you a drink when we're on the Citadel!"

Joc scoffs at this, waving a hand rather widely. "I'd like to see that," she says. "Besides, I think Thane would be more open to buying me a drink. Well... after we take care of some business for him on the Citadel, that is. We're going straight to the Citadel after this."

Yeah, because-

Wait. Business on the Citadel?

... Oh, boy. She got his loyalty mission. Yep, that is for sure. Well, at least the romance will be sped along. I mean, there's the off chance of Shepard failing, but seriously, knowing Joc she'll get Thane's loyalty one way or another. I'll bit it was wierd finding out that Thane has a son from a deceased wife. And since they're falling in love... what better way to cement that than going off to save his son?

Especially since she'd like him to buy her a drink after. Now that shows they're getting close.

Speaking of Thane, actually...

"I see," I comment. "I wonder what he'd say to seeing you now."

And right on cue, I hear some rather soft footsteps behind me. I turn slowly, and sure enough, there is Thane, standing with his hands held behind his back. I look over to him as Shepard takes a step forward. Damn, those heels really click against the ground strongly when worn by a soldier, don't they? Badass Weekly's got nothin' on Shepard except the sound of her heels clicking, I think.

I look over to Thane. "Oh, hi, Thane," I comment, rubbing the back of my neck.

He simply looks over to Shepard, taking her in his view. I watch, looking on silently as Kasumi steps away from Shepard. The commander simply gives a soft smile to the drell as he looks down on Shepard. His second set of eyelids nictate quickly, and then he nods.

"You look beautiful, siha," he says.

Holy- Oh my-

Did he just drop a siha?

My neck tenses for just the slightest bit. Oh, come on, Art, save it! Don't geek out now!

I don't think Shepard notices, but I instantly see Kasumi's expression shift for the slightest portion of a second. So she's in on it too... Hm... Fellow Thane/Shepard shippers unite! But Shepard simply shifts her weight on her feet.

"Thank you, Thane," she replies, giving him the smile she used to give to Kaidan. "It's going to be a rather... stately party. I wish I could have you by my side."

Wait... they're in a relationship before the loyalty mission even ends? Jeez, Shepard, going a bit fast, are we? I dunno. But... I can't really complain, to be perfectly honest. Because it's fucking Thane Krios she's falling for now. I dunno, but after Kaidan's Horizon stunt... I'm not so keen on forgiving him. But we'll see. Hopefully Thane and Shepard will be in love at the end of all this. And if they are, it shall be absolutely glorious!

"As I for you," replies the assassin. "But, if what Ms. Goto says is true..."

"Oh, definitely," says Kasumi, a playful smile dancing on her lips as she moves around. "Don't worry. I won't bruise her too much. If all goes well, we'll be out of there before Hock even realizes we've stolen the greybox."

I roll my eyes at this. "I dunno, Kasumi," I comment. "In my experience, Murphy's Law likes to get at you while you're stealing things."

"We'll see about that," says Shepard. "Anyway... the party's about to start soon. We should get going."

I nod to her. "You should wear that more often," I comment. "The look suits you."

"I'll... think about it," replies the commander, taking a breath in. "But not for going around the Normandy. Oh, no."

"Suit yourself," I comment. "And have fun."

"Oh, I'm sure we will," says Kasumi. "Come on, Shep. We've got a greybox to steal."

And with this, the two women walk past Thane and I. They hit the call button for the elevator as we look on, watching the two of them chat amicably as they hit the call button. I cross my arms, and soon enough the elevator arrives. And then, when Shepard and Kasumi both enter and the doors close behind them, I glance right at the drell. He is impassive as ever as he turns to me, and I give him a crooked smile.

"You called her siha," I comment.

"Indeed I have," he says.

I nod, looking ahead of me. Within a split second, I raise my index finger, biting my lower lip. "Excuse me for a minute, Thane," I say, glancing right at my door.

Without saying anything else, I walk straight for my quarters, opening the door and entering my room. The door closes behind me, and I'm left alone in my room.

Let the geek out begin.

Jesus... That was one hell of a geek out. Almost made me lose my god-damn voice, too.

Ah, well, at least I have confirmation that Thane and Shepard are falling for each other. Hard, I might add. Now, I just have to play the waiting game to see how Kasumi's loyalty mission played out. Yeah, that'll be fun.

Speaking of business on the Citadel, though... Shepard said we were going there, right? Hm...

Well, I've never been on a date my entire life. It's so strange... here I am, a 22 year old guy, and I've never even gone out with a girl before! Bloody hell, my love life sucked. Maybe Tali would be up for fixing that? Well, now that we're a couple and all. I think we could do with a nice date on the Citadel. If anyone gives Tali any xenophobic crap, I go in and punch them in the eye. Always the eye, because I'd break my fingers on a turian's nose.

That sounds nice. I'll have to ask her what she thinks of that when I see her next.

In the meantime... What should I do while I wait?

Hm... Well, I haven't spoken to Mordin in a while, so... yeah, I'll go ahead and do that.

I take the elevator up to the CIC, riding it all the way up to the second floor. Okay... Mordin is in the tech lab at the moment, so we're in good hands. The elevator doors open, and I walk over to the tech lab as quickly as I feel like. I walk into the tech lab, and there's Mordin working away at the table he's always at. I cross my arms, smiling.

"Hey, Mordin, what's up?" I ask.

"Ah, Serviceman," he says, looking up from his console. "Wanted to talk to you. Important information. Medical matters."

Medical matters?

...

Oh, dear. It's that talk, isn't it?

Here we go...

He walks past the console and around the table as he comes to face me. "Aware that mission is dangerous," he begins. "Different species... react differently to stress. Past relationship with Tali'Zorah makes dalliance attractive as stress release. Still, recommend caution. Quarian immune system weak. Could kill her."

I frown, looking at Mordin as I cross my arms. "Mordin, you seriously think Tali and I are doing this for... stress relief?" I ask incredulously. "I don't feel I'm ready for... that. Uh... Not yet, anyhow." God... this is so much more uncomfortable than it is in the game! "I care about Tali as a person."

"Understandable," comments Mordin. "Still, in case stress proves overwhelming, I have... advice."

Wait... "Forget about the advice," I comment. "How the hell did you find out?"

"Tali'Zorah acquired antiseptic," he replies. "Assured me it was 'just in case'. Like to think otherwise. Will see what happens as mission goes on."

I let out a sigh. Jeez... I know Tali likes to be prepared, but... Seriously, Mordin? You're taking it as a 'we'll be doing it'? Granted, that's how all the romances ended in both games... well, except with the Paragon route for Jack, but that's besides the point... But here? I doubt it's just about the sex. We'll see. Pff. yeah, right.

Ah, well, might as well humor him. "What... sort of advice did you have in mind?" I ask.

"Recommend you self-sterlize as well," begins Mordin. "Oral contact with tissue dangerous. Take precautions." He brings up his arm, keying a few things into his omni-tool. "Also forwarding advice booklet to your quarters. Valuable diagrams, positions comfortable for both species, erogenous zone overviews. Can supply oils or ointments to reduce discomfort. Gave EDI electronic relationship aid demonstration vids to use as necessary."

...

Oh, God, that's even more disturbing!

I frown, giving a slightly disgusted look to Mordin. "I'm sorry... electronic relationship aid demonstration vids?" I ask.

"Yes," he says.

"You mean... porn?" I ask.

... Ugh, God, the squick! It sounds so much more disgusting when I put it like that!

"Would not term it 'porn'," says Mordin. "Porn too... fanciful. Meant for stimulation. Would never suit your purposes."

I cross my arms. "Yeah, and I'm the First Lady of the United States of America," I comment sourly. "Seriously, Mordin? Why the hell would you give me that?"

"Would not prefer such vids?" he asks.

I frown, beginning to pace around him. "Mordin, if we did the deed- and that's a pretty big 'if', I might add- I'm sure I can figure shit out," I reply. "Besides... how the hell did you get a hold of porn?"

"Have already stated, would not term it 'porn'," he says. "Relationship aid vids of the kind sent to your quarters are not meant for stimulation."

"Sexual stimulation," I add. "Intellectual stimulation is still a form of stimulation, Mordin. And the thought that you seriously think I need to watch that kind of stuff is... kinda disturbing. Unless you meant it as a joke."

"Shocking suggestion!" says Mordin. "Doctor-patient confidentiality a sacred trust! Would never dream of mockery!"

I frown, crossing my arms. "I dunno, Mordin," I comment. "The thought that you sent me what basically amounts to quarian porn is probably going to scar me for life." Especially since I never actually saw what a quarian looks like under that mask. Damn you, Bioware!

"Have stated what I have given you," says the salarian. "Do not mean any unintentional harm that may come to memory from this." Before I can reply, he nods. "Enjoy your time while possible, Serviceman. Will go back to studying cell reproduction. Less alcohol and... mood music required."

With this, he walks back behind his terminal. He returns to typing... Jesus, how the fuck can he be so nonchalant about all this? I mean, I know he doesn't think emotionally on our terms, but seriously! How sick could it be that I'm being sent porn! And for something that might not even happen anyway! I mean, I know we're not ready for it yet, even if Tali isn't all that-

Wait.

I just realized... I don't know Tali's opinion on this! She... she took the antiseptic. So...

Maybe she's interested? I...

It makes sense, actually; here we are, just having admitted we love each other. I don't think she sees as much of an urgency for me as she would've with a male Shepard, what with Shepard having died before she could make that confession and all, but... It's as Mordin says. Different species react differently to stress. And Tali would probably want to spend the last few seconds before the suicide mission with me... revealing her face to someone who cared about her.

I see... I'll ask her for her opinion on this to make sure I have it right before I go on...

With this realization reached, I walk out of the tech lab, resolving to go down to Engineering. Okay... I'm going to ask her about why she took out the antiseptic. Maybe she can tell me something she was too ashamed to tell me back when we confessed our love for each other.

Yeah, that's what I'll do.

I walk out of the tech lab then, biting my lower lip. Well... informed or not on Tali's opinion, there are other things that completely squicked me out.

Still, Mordin sent me porn. Euch. Just the thought of it is sending shivers down my spine.

Walking along to the elevator, I try to get my mind off of it as best I can, shaking my head as I press the call button a little too quickly for my own good.

When I arrive in the elevator, I opt to go on Ken and Gabby's side of the room for once. I take in a deep breath and nod as I look over to the two of them. Ken is the first to turn, and then Gabby follows soon after.

"Ah, Art," says Ken. "Lovely ta see ya here, mate."

I nod. "It's good to be here," I comment. "Tali's not particularly busy, is she?"

"I don't think so," said Gabby. "Especially not if you're here."

I raise my eyebrow, crossing my arms. "Oh?" I ask.

"We saw how mushy ya were gettin' with Tali the other day," comments Ken. "So ya finally told 'er, eh?"

I frown. Hm... this smells of a bet. Well, Ken... "Do I have to tell you?" I ask. "Just see how we get, and I'll let ya draw a conclusion from that. Because you're not gonna get an answer from me."

Gabby snickers beside Ken. "Told ya he wouldn't tell you," she comments, smirking as the Scotsman gives her a rather surprised look. "Go talk to her, Art."

I nod. "Thanks, Gabby." I wink at Ken. Yep, I know it was a bet, bitch! This leaves the woman to return to her work station, Ken standing there in surprise as I look over to Tali. Her visor is turned in my direction, and as I approach, I offer her a smile. Gotta approach this cheerfully. She's probably got a good reason... So I walk up to the quarian, whose hands stop flitting across the console as I approach. She takes my hands in hers as I approach, and then I nod.

"Hey, Tali," I say. "How've you been?"

"I've been all right, Art," she says softly. "Did you need something?"

I nod. "Yeah, I... I wanted to ask you something," I comment, looking down at her. "I went up to the tech lab to speak with Mordin just a few minutes ago. When I went to go start a conversation... he told me you had taken out some antiseptic."

Tali frowns at this. "You... you went to speak to Mordin?" I ask.

I shrug. "I just wanted to chat," I comment. "And then the conversation went on his topic before I could do anything else. And he brought it up." She tenses slightly, but I continue on as my smile slowly dies. "I... I just wanted to know why you took it out," I say.

Hm... I can tell she's probably biting on her lip here. Can't say I blame her... I did just catch her in the act of doing stuff, after all. "Well..." she says. "I... did tell you about showing my true face, right?"

I nod. "Yeah, you did," I comment. "I always got the implication that I was the one you'd show your face to eventually..."

She nods. "I... Well, what I mean to say..." She takes a deep breath, glancing down. I feel one of her fingers... well, what do you call a finger when you only have three of them, anyhow? I feel that finger that I'd call her index finger drum against my palm as she looks up to me. "I'm sorry... I'm just so nervous."

"It's all right, Tali," I tell her. "Just let it out."

"It's just..." she says, shaking her head. "Do you know how this all ends?"

I glance to the side. Oh, dear... "Well... it's really complicated," I comment. "But... we can all die, and we can all live. And then there's no limit to how much middle ground there is between the two. So... no, I don't really know. For all I know, we'll both end up dead."

She nods grimly, looking up. "It's... as I feared," she says. "Art... Well... I've never trusted anyone enough to show my face. Except you. If we're going to jump into the mission together... I want to be able to show you my true face... I want to feel your skin on mine... And... well... that's why I acquired the anti-septic. Just so you know."

I nod, glancing to the side. "Well... I guess I can't fault you for not telling me you were planning on doing it, eh?" I ask. "Especially not after... well, you know."

Her gaze turns away from me, and I can see her eyes narrowing. "Of course," she says, voice in a deadpan as she speaks this. "But in all seriousness... I wanted it to be something of a surprise..."

Now it's my turn to twitch, and then I glance up at where the tech lab is in relation to everything else. Damn it, Mordin! You ruined a surprise! I'm going to have to give him shit for that later. When I have other things to do and less... baggage with which to do it. Right...

"Well, Mordin didn't help with that, I can tell you that much," I comment sourly. "Well... that's the last time I'm going up to the tech lab to make nice conversation with Mordin. Son of a bitch spoiled a surprise and scarred me for life."

Tali tilts her head to the side as she takes a step back, our hands unclasping. "Why?" she asks.

I throw my hands up. "He read way, way, way too far into things," I comment. "He sent a whole bunch of stuff to my quarters. An advice booklet..." Oh, God... I blush as I begin to recount all of these things. "...With... uh... erogenous zone overviews. Yeah."

I see the quarian blink violently. "Erogenous zone overviews?" she asks, placing a hand on her breast. "He seriously sent you a booklet of that?"

I nod, biting pretty hard on my lower lip before continuing. "It gets worse," I comment, rubbing the back of my head. "He... he sent me porn, Tali! Porn! Or... at least I think it's porn, anyhow. There's not a whole lot of room to guess what 'electronic relationship aid vids' are..."

I shake my head, moving close. "And that's not all," I whisper. Before Tali can ask what's going on, I gesture back to Ken and Gabby. "But it's almost exactly like what Mordin tells Shepard if there's a romance in the game. It... was so much more disturbing than it was in the game..."

She steps back, shaking her head. "That bosh'tet!" she exclaims. "I only told him to tell you I had acquired the antiseptic... I can't believe he went further than that!"

I shrug, looking up. "It's how Mordin is," I comment. "If it's about science... he just can't shut up about it. But..."

She nods. "I guess... it gives you an opportunity to say something, wouldn't it?" asks the machinist.

I nod, approaching her. "Of course it would. And... well..." I say. Okay, how do I put this? Hm... Well... "I would be honored to see your face behind the helmet. And really happy." Mostly because I never saw it in the game, but that's not a discussion for the public ear.

Tali comes forward, resting her hands on my arms. My own hands find themselves on her torso, holding it around where I can feel a ribcage of some sort. "Then that's all I need," she says, her voice soft in gratitude. "Thank you..."

I give her a smile as I give a nervous hand gesture. Hm... Well... Yeah, I did want to go on a date with her, didn't I? What better time to ask than now? Yeah, I'll go do it.

"Say, Tali," I say as we let each other go. "I... Well... after we're done with what we have to do for Kasumi, Shepard told me we're going to the Citadel. And... I was... well... I was thinking... I..." Oh, god damn it, Art, just ask! "You... Would you like to walk around the Citadel with me? Just the two of us?"

The quarian crosses her arms, tilting her head. "Are you asking me out on a date?" she asks playfully.

I turn my gaze to the side, holding my arms behind my back before nodding vigorously. "Well... Uh..." My hand darts to the back of my neck, where I rub it softly and give her a smile. God, I swear I'm blushing right now. "What I mean is... Oh, god damn it." I let down my arm, looking at her with a goofily sad smile. "I'm no good at this. Asking people on a date, that is..."

"Well... I mean..." says Tali, holding her arms up. "I think you should... Well... How would... Yes."

I blink. "Just like that?" I ask.

"I... I guess," says Tali, looking up at me. "We're in love, right? If that's... well... What I mean is... I'd like to go on a date with you, my hesh'alan. I would be honored, actually."

I nod, smiling. "Then it's set," I say. "Meet me at the airlock, and we'll go around the Wards."

"I'm looking forward to it, Art," she says, a light lilt in her voice.

"As am I, querida," I say.

... Holy, crap, did I just drop a foreign word to refer to her? I mean... Wow, I'm becoming more like Thane by the second! I mean... wow!

Tali tilts her head. "I'm sorry, I think my translator glitched," she says. "What did you call me?"

... Oh my god.

I found a counter to hesh'alan! Yes! Who'd have known my being descended of Cuban immigrants would help me out someday? I cross my arms and give her a smirk then.

"Querida," I comment. "Maybe someday, I'll tell you what it means."

She glances at me, looking at me with a very incredulous expression on her face. "I guess this is payback for the whole hesh'alan business?"

I shake my head. "Doubt it, Tali," I reply. "Shala told me that it was better I find it out on my own..."

The machinist can only nod in reply. "Then I guess I'll find out," she says, her eyes getting just the brightest bit brighter.

And just then... I start hearing West Side Story in the back of my mind. Uh... why am I hearing I Feel Pretty at the most inopportune time? But... I scarcely think it matters as I take her hands in mine again. After all, we're in love, right? That's the kind of thing I hear in my head when people are in love.

And when I'm in love? I guess I just notice the music more.

I spend a little more time with Tali and her two engineer friends then, helping them out briefly in the engine room. Even if I am a terrible helper- I swear, watching the engineering crew work is pretty back-breaking. Honestly, I don't know how the hell they do it with only three people there. Ken and Gabby must be damn good at what they do, because I had trouble keeping up with them.

But, they appreciated the help, and I got to know more about mass effect fields. Seriously... applied phlebotinum is great and all, but I still don't totally get how it works. It's a good thing I've got Tali to explain it to me in greater detail. That always helps, I think.

Anyhow... I stopped after about thirty minutes, and took my leave. At the moment, I'm walking over to the elevator to hit the call button. Hm... Well... I haven't spoken to Miranda in a bit. I wonder if she's contacted Oriana again. The two of them seem to be getting pretty close, after all. Maybe I'll-

"Mr. *********, are you free at the moment?"

I blink right as I get to the elevator doors. I then turn over to the side, seeing EDI's avatar glowing in front of me.

I raise my eyebrow, crossing my arms. "Yeah, I'm free," I comment. "Why?"

"Mechanic McKansa is requesting your presence in the hangar bay," she says. "She says it is urgent."

Wait... Why would Jenny want me in the hangar bay? The only thing she'd need to do repairs on is the Hammerhead, and we haven't had to use it yet. On top of that, she doesn't need help with the calibrations, so why would she...?

I shake my head. "Why would she need me down there?" I ask.

"It is by Ms. McKansa's personal request that you go down there," replies EDI. "She needs a gunner."

... Wait, what?

"But I thought she had to go down with the shuttle!" I comment.

"Ms. McKansa was directed by Commander Shepard to take the shuttle back to the Normandy until further notice," replies EDI. "Ms. McKansa is currently back on the Normandy."

"Even then, though, I'm still barred from missions by Commander Shepard!" I point out. "If she's asking me to go groundside, I'm violating that! Being Jenny's gunner is no exception, I'm afraid!"

"I am afraid things have gone... sour with the heist, as Ms. Goto would put it," replies EDI. "Shepard sent Jenny a transmission very recently. She needs to go down with a gunner now, as they are being assaulted on foot by a gunship."

I mean, why the-

Wait, what the fuck? "They're fighting a gunship on foot?" I ask. What?

"Apparently," replies EDI. "They are in need of aid, as well. He regenerates his shields."

...

And here I thought we were done with gunships after Garrus' recruitment mission. Damn it! And now, it's a harder gunship! Oh, what the hell? And why would Jenny ask for me?"

"Oh, great," I comment, crossing my arms. "I guess Jenny's gonna guilt trip me into violating my forced leave, right?"

"The Commander and Kasumi are also dealing with an army of Eclipse mercenaries at the same time," comments EDI.

... Wait, a gunship and Eclipse? Jeez... at least in Garrus' recruitment I was able to hijack the fucking ship! Now they're doing the same thing again without me there? And with only two people, no less? How badly did this heist go? I mean... even Danny Ocean wouldn't fuck up a heist that badly! What is this craziness?

I throw up my arms, turning from EDI. "Oh, Jesus, do I always need to come in with a fucking big damn heroes moment against gunships with another gunship?" I ask.

With this, I walk over to the hangar bay. Seriously, how the hell are they going to manage vehicles without us? Granted, this is two humans, one of who probably isn't that heavily armored in the first place we're talking about here, but still. It's pretty crazy when I constantly have to save Shepard from vehicular death. God... so annoying! I'm just thankful that this is a DLC thing instead of stuff we have to deal with. I'm not sure I can deal with more than two vehicles at a time.

I think I'll be the first to shoot myself in the face should I ever be unfortunate enough to encounter a chase in a fucking taxi while I'm here.

I eventually get to the hangar bay, seeing Jenny within the Hammerhead. She waves her head.

"Hurry up, Art!" she shouts. "We don't 'ave all day here, mate! And Shepard's-"

"-orders were perfectly clear!" I interrupted. "I'm to stay on the ship until this mission is over!" I cross my arms. "God damn it, Jenny, can't you use Garrus or something?"

The colonist looks at me as she shakes her head. "No time," she replies. "I gotta go with someone I trust."

"Yeah, and this 'someone you trust' is telling you he can't do it," I comment, frowning. "What's so hard to understand about that? Besides, I've never fired a gun on the Hammerhead before! What do you want me to do?"

"What ya do best!" she says. "Figure stuff out! It's not too far from the gunship we 'ad to work with back on Omega!"

"And what about the Commander, then?" I ask.

"I'll handle her, don't ya worry," replies Jenny as I take a step closer. "I'll tell 'er I forced ya to."

I shift my weight. "And how do you plan on doing that?" I ask. "EDI will just tell her that I sort of did stuff."

"Then I'll tell 'er EDI didn't hear me threaten ya with breakin' stuff, mate," replies Jenny. "I'll take full blame for it, don't ya worry about that."

Why do I doubt she'll keep her word? I should know better, knowing I saved her life at least once, but I can't help but feel she's not gonna do that. "I'm still not convinced you're gonna," I comment.

"Oh, Art, we don't have time for this!" shouts Jenny. "Ya know the Commander's in danger, right? Maybe she'll cut ya some slack for savin' her life, ya know?"

I cross my arms. "And I'm pretty sure she already gave me enough leeway," I point out. "You're gonna have to do better than that, Jenny."

"Then I'll tell ya what," she says. "If I stop teasin' about you an' Tali, will ya come onto this ship with me?"

... Oh, god damn it, she just had to pull that card, didn't she? Well... at least she's got a point now. Hopefully when I reveal that it'll be enough for me to get her to shut the fuck up about that. I roll my eyes and cross my arms.

"All right, I'll go!" I say, throwing my arms up. "But the minute you start teasing again, I get one free calibration run at the Hammerhead. And I may not be careful." Yeah, gotta keep her by the balls... eh... ovaries. Whatever it is I can grab a hold of. Jeez, why is it that it's so hard to make insults with the female anatomy?

She nods. "Get in, then!" she says. "We ain't got all day!"

I shrug, making my way to the ladder that Jenny's dropped into the Hammerhead as I shake my head. God damn, this woman has a way with words. She better be right about the guns for the Hammerhead, though. If not, I'm... Wait, no it's not the same! Because Jenny has to turn the thing physically to aim the god-damn thing! Damn it! Unless she modified it to be more like the Mako's turrets, in which case...

Oh, and I just realized I hate the Hammerhead sections because I can't turn the cannon. At least with the Mako I could change the direction without having to change much else! Oh, great, this is gonna be hell, isn't it?

I better hope Jenny's persuation skills are good with the Commander. Because if they're not, I'm even more royally screwed than before. Even if I am pulling another big damn heroes moment on her ass. I just better hope all this stupid aggravation is worth it. Because if not, I'm going to slap Jenny really hard. Like how Flemeth slaps Morrigan really hard when she's in the Fade during the Broken Circle quest. That hard, and I'll be damned about what the women on the ship have to say about it, because, God damn it, if she can't talk Shepard out of keeping me on the ship for more missions, I'll be pissed enough not to care.

So this better be worth it.

I sit at the gun control panel, looking around. Okay... this isn't that bad. The interface is similar to what I had to deal with on the gunship, so I should pick this one up fast. Only trouble is, I can't move around. Yep, this is gonna be god-damn annoying. But I'm in good hands with Jenny, who made it tough for people to hit us on that gunship. So, we're good. Okay, looks like the moment is happening soon.

I look over to Jenny then. She's sitting right in front of me, and I'm kind of in the back of the room. There's seating for a ground team, but we don't need it now, I don't think. And there's enough room for people to walk around in, too. So I look over at Jenny, nodding as she preps herself in the pilot's chair. Really, it seems great that the Hammerhead is built like this. Makes a lot more sense from a design standpoint for the guns to be almost in line with the pilot's chair, seeing as how the gun can't move around.

We'll just have to hope this thing holds. I'm sure it will, but... we'll see what happens.

Either way, I'm pretty damn sure that this wouldn't have happened in the DLC. So if this didn't happen, what did happen? Were Shepard and Kasumi able to take the thing down by itself? I imagine so... Shepard had to take down the gunship in Garrus' recruitment all by herself, and seeing as how I hijacked it she didn't need to deal with that. But if the shields regenerated...?

Jeez. How badly did the heist go?

I look over to the pilot. "We getting ready for a drop?" I ask.

"Soon," she replies. "Joker's gettin' us down to the planet. We can't drop from the atmosphere in this bloody thing!"

I nod, looking at the pilot as she calibrates a few last things. "Right," I say. "Just like the Mako, only it floats."

"And ya can't move the gun," she replies. "Seriously, I don't get why they couldn't make the gun move on its own, mate. At least ya can move in all directions in this thing."

"Except down," I comment offhandedly.

"Well, except that," she replies. "But gravity takes care of that for ya." She cracks her knuckles as I hear a soft whirring sound. "Okay, there we go. Joker's about ta drop us. Buckle up, mate; things are about ta get a little bumpy."

I shrug, settling into the Gunner's seat. "Well, it can't be worse than the Mako," I mutter under my breath. This thing may be unreliable as all hell when we get down to it, but at least it's impossible to flip. Even if it doesn't have a visible health bar.

But hey, I make do with what I've got.

A few seconds after this, I feel motion on the Hammerhead, and then I hear Jenny let out a loud whoop as I suddenly get the sensation of freefall. Oh, fuck me!

I shut my eyes, but before long I feel ourselves evening out. I blink, opening my eyes to find us racing towards something in the Hammerhead. Okay... this terrain is a little wierd, but I can't say I don't like it. So I go along as Jenny cruises across the terrain.

"Okay, we're comin' in soon, mate," she says. "I'm openin' up the broadcast link soon..."

I frown. "I'm not making a Super Mecha Death Christ impression again," I comment with a frown, leaning to the side to look at her back. "Just for reference."

"Aw," says Jenny, her shoulders visibly slouching as she manipulates the control panel. "But it was so much fun, mate! Gettin' all gruff and metal-like can be great for us, ya know?"

"Yeah, well, it's not happening this time," I comment. "I nearly killed my throat, so I'm not too keen on doing it again."

"And here I was hopin' you'd have a good comeback for 'im," she comments, shaking her head in dismay. "Ah, well."

I shrug. "Ah, well, indeed," I comment nonchalantly. "Spare me the rant, Jenny."

"I am," she replies. "Besides, I probably asked enough of ya when I got ya to come in here ta help."

I nod my agreement. "That you did, Jenny," I say, leaning back so I'm looking through the gun's view. "Okay... we're getting close. And..."

I see the scene unfold before me. Okay, it looks like there's a gunship coming around with a bunch of mercs swarming around the place. I blink, preparing my hands on the main guns. Okay... we've got a good shot, so... I swallow some spit, looking to the gunship as it goes around. Donovan Hock is probably in there, if experience with Garrus' loyalty says anything... Okay, time to help Shepard out here. Let's see how successful that is. We're gonna go all out with this one, I think...

Jenny approaches, and then, I see the gunship unload a lot of fire down there. Looks like Shepard and Kasumi are handling the Eclipse mercs fine. So... it's after the gunship, then.

"Hey, Mr. Hock!" shouts Jenny, turning the thing so our guns are pointing at the gunship. "Pick on someone yer own size next time, will ya?"

I blink. Really? Of all the taunts she could of used, she had to use the most over-used taunt in the book? Seriously, Jenny, where's your sense of originality?

But still... I should probably fire the guns now. Okay, here goes.

With this, I let loose a barrage of bullets at the gunship, all of them impacting against his shields. Okay, that's a victory for us! I continue firing the guns as Jenny maneuvers the tank we're in. Eventually, the gunship driver turns to us, trying to unleash bullet hell on us. But... it doesn't work, as Jenny manages to out-maneuver the line of bullets he's making. Okay... I don't let up, but soon enough, the weapon overheats and I have to stop. I take a deep breath as the last of Hock's shields dies out.

"Pick on someone your own size?" I ask Jenny.

"Yeah, why not?" she asks.

I shake my head as Jenny maneuvers the tank. "Jenny, next time leave the zingers to me, will ya?"

"No," she replies. "It's too much fun to make bad zingers! And we're goin' inta the heart of the enemy, so why not strike fear inta their hearts before they die?"

"Yeah, they'll probably die from the force of the mass facepalming that's going to ensue," I shoot back. "Watch it. I think you might unintentionally drive us into a column if you're not careful!"

I shake my head, and then I hear a ping as the weapon signals it's ready to be fired again. Jenny jumps over a rock as I go back to the gun panel. I fire again, but to my dismay the shields are already up. Oh, god damn it Hock! Make my life easy for once! I shoot all again, Jenny leading him on a merry chase away from the platform. She goes around, taking us around the area of the platform as I continue firing shots off. Okay, that oughta let Shepard and Kasumi take care of the Eclipse mercs.

We go around, passing the platform once or twice. Jenny has to leap over a few things every now and again, and... God damn it, this is crazier than the Mako jumps! I bite my lower lip, concentrating as we go around. It just so happens that we go by the platform a third time. Hock's shields are almost dead by this point, and right as they overheat again his shields collapse. Oh, great, now he's just going to repower them again. Great.

And then, the unexpected happens. Right as Jenny leaps upwards to avoid a blast of gunfire from the gunship, a form suddenly jumps onto the cockpit of Hock's gunship. I blink in shock as suddenly, she raises her omni-tool up, the orange glow standing out against the grey paint of the gunship. As my hands grip the armrests of my seat unconsciously, I see the glowing hand punch into the window of the cockpit. I shudder in shock as I see this, and then a big explosion of sparks starts around the ship. Just after this starts, the figure jumps off, and then the gunship loses a little attitude as I rear back. Soon enough, it climbs back up, turning towards the platform.

"Oh, boy," says Jenny. "You thinkin' what I'm thinkin, Art?"

I shake my head, rolling my eyes. "Depends," I comment. "I think he's about to have his ass handed to him, what say you?"

"I say he's gettin' 'is ass handed ta him too!" comments Jenny. "Come on!"

And with this, she maneuvers the Hammerhead around so that we can make a pass at Donovan. Oh, dear... is she...?

"Hang on tight! This is gonna be crazy!"

And with this, Jenny jumps up as the gunship puts Shepard and Kasumi under fire. No sooner do I see this when I suddenly feel a sudden jolt against us, and when I look at the viewport, I see we've crashed straight into Hock's ship. Klaxons go off all around me, and then I hear slight alarms as the tank rocks. And when we start falling down, my eyes widen, my hands grabbing the armrests even harder than they did before.

We finally end our freefall with a rather nasty bump. A loud crunch is heard, and my breathing quickens as the Hammerhead's thrusters hit the ground. Literally. I take a heavy breath in, looking as Jenny then maneuvers around with ease, and I look as Hock's gunship slowly rises on a thruster that's almost breaking.

The last thing on my mind is shooting it, though.

"Jenny, are you fucking crazy?" I scream at her.

"What?" she shouts. "It was the best solution! This thing can take a lot of damage!"

"I don't fucking care how good a solution it was!" I comment. "That was suicidal at best and stupid at worst!"

"Ah, shut up, it worked!" she says. "Now shoot the damn thing already!"

I give Jenny a flippant middle finger just before I see Hock gaining altitude in a very shaky way. Fine, Jenny. But I'm not speaking to you again unless you corner me somewhere!

My concentration returns to the guns. Okay... he's moving around... Okay... He should be in range of fire... now! I fire the gun at Hock's disfunctional wing. I see the mass accelerator rounds impact against the fan thing that makes the damn thing fly, and it takes about seven or eight rounds when I see one of the rotors fail on Donovan. Not long after, the thing starts spinning out of control, and then a very loud boom resounds from the rocks as the gunship explodes against them. I reel back slightly, looking as the rubble burns.

Damn... this thing is high enough to jump that distance? Man... I wonder what extraction's gonna be like with Joker. I know it's gonna be damn interesting, that's for sure. What with us racing out of there and all to be able to get out of the extraction point. But... hey, we work with what we can, right? But seriously, I'm surprised this thing didn't get to do more...

...Unless there's something else I can't predict that's about to go down.

But for now, Jenny simply jumps the Hammerhead over so it lands on the platform. She looks around, and as I peek through the gun I see the last of the Eclipse units being picked off by Shepard and Kasumi. The two of them are making a very slow advance towards the tank... yeah, they're gonna be here any moment now. I shake my head, rubbing my temple as I step out of the gun. I lean against it, stretching my arm muscles briefly as I hear the tank doors opening briefly. I take a breath, hearing the clang of footsteps.

And when I turn my head, it's to see Kasumi dropping into the tank space. Shepard follows shortly afterward, climbing down the ladder as her eyes turn to me.

She shakes her head as she touches down. "Art," she says. "I told you to stay on the Normandy for two missions. And here again, you-"

"It's not his fault, Commander."

Hey! What the...? Jenny? I blink in surprise, and Shepard and Kasumi both look at the Irishwoman. "I roped 'im into it," she continues. "He didn't want to come in, trust me. He went arse over tit about it, too. But I eventually got 'im in here. So don't yell at 'im, ma'am. It's my fault he's here."

... Oh, okay. So Jenny held up her end of the deal. I take back what I said about not talking to you unless you corner me. But if you start teasing me about Tali again, then that'll be one free punch to the gut and a lack of being talked to for you. Shepard glances back at me, and then back at Jenny before nodding.

"I can't be sure of that," she says.

"EDI can probably tell ya more about it," replies the Hammerhead's pilot. "I asked her ta get 'im down to me, ya know? She can probably tell ya how it went."

"And besides, their distraction was valuable, Shep," she points out. "All those Eclipse mercs went down really fast when Art and Jenny managed to distract Hock for as long as they did."

"I don't think you can fault 'im for helpin', even when 'e doesn't want to, right?" asks Jenny.

The commander takes it in stride. "All right," she says. "Art, you're off the hook. Jenny, we'll discuss this later. Violation of orders or no, I'm thankful you both came in when you did. You provided a very valuable distraction for Hock, and I don't think we could've gotten out of that without your help."

Well... I don't think that would've mattered in the game, as even if I never saw it, I could never see a non-Shepard character coming in with a big damn heroes moment in another piece of DLC that probably wasn't installed to ME2 by everyone. I know I wouldn't have installed it if I had realized how awful the aiming on this fucking thing is. But hey, I appreciate the sentiment.

I give her a nod. "Anytime, Shepard," I reply with a smile. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," she says. "Just shaken up is all. There were way too many Eclipse mercs for two people to dispatch. I don't know how we did it."

I nod, looking over at them. "I guess it went terribly, then?" I ask. "The heist, I mean."

Kasumi shrugs. "Oh, it went off without a hitch," she comments with a shrug. "It wasn't until after we had gotten the greybox that he started sending the mercs after us. And even better is that we didn't stop the party. The host only had to go out for a second."

"And by the looks of it, the host just ditched his own party," I comment wryly.

"That's very true," comments Shepard. "Either way, we've got the greybox. Jenny, get us out of here. Tell Joker to get down so we can get back on the Normandy."

"Will do, Commander," says Jenny. "And he's already on it. Do what ya have to, and we'll be on the Normandy in no time."

And with this, I move away from the gun. Shepard and Kasumi remain standing, so I opt to move over to the main area of the tank. I sit along the edge as Kasumi takes out what I can only assume is the greybox. I see some display light up around Kasumi's eyes, and I nod as I lick my lips in anticipation. Okay... what's this greybox like?

I see Kasumi walk around the room then, greybox in hand as Jenny speeds away with the Hammerhead. I see her stand in a singular spot just after this, and I keep a close watch on her facial expression.

And instantly, under the bluish-green interface, I can see an air of sadness take over Kasumi's eyes. It's like... she's reliving something that's been lost. Something really important. I can see her eyes water slightly as the seconds go by. Eventually, I hear a soft sniffle from the thief, and the first tear comes rolling down.

I blink in surprise, looking over to the thief. This is Kasumi after her loyalty mission? Breaking down crying when she found what she wants? Why...? I don't... This is really strange to look at. Kasumi... What...?

She eventually shakes her head, looking at Shepard as the interface dies away. "He..." The thief chokes up on the first word, shaking her head as a stray hand comes and brushes something from her eyes. "He wants me to destroy the greybox. It has some information that could implicate the Alliance, he says... But it's got Keiji's memories... It's all I have left of... of him..." She looks away, unable to look any of us in the eye. She shakes her head, and sniffles softly as she takes a seat next to me.

Shepard stands there, deep in thought as we speed away on the Hammerhead. Jenny looks like she would say something, but I can see she's remaining quiet so that the atmosphere isn't disturbed. I dare not do anything, letting the Commander give her an order as to what she should do.

Finally, the woman walks over to Kasumi, kneeling down close to her. "Kasumi, it's what Keiji wants," she says softly. "I... I can't say I've ever lost love like you have, but... wouldn't you want him to be happy?"

Kasumi sniffles, nodding. "But... it's just... this is all I have left of him," she replies. "His memories are all here... I can't just let that go..."

I glance at the thief, seeing the sadness in her expression as she sits there. I place a hand on her shoulder, and then for the first time I see the exact color of her eyes... Hm, brown eyes on a Japanese woman. I never would've thought. I nod as I look to her.

"You still have your memories of him, Kasumi," I mention. "Those will never die as long as you live. Trust me on that..."

She blinks away the tears softly, looking right at me as she nods. "I... All right..." she says. "Just... please, stay..."

I nod. "We'll be right here, Kasumi."

The thief nods, standing and taking the greybox in her hand. Slowly, she unholsters her pistol, kneeling onto the ground. She takes a lingering look at the greybox one last time as she sets it slowly on the ground. Her hand is shaking when she stands up to her full height, looking down on the last hold of Keiji's memories. Damn... This must be extremely difficult for her. She blinks once, twice, biting on her lower lip to steady herself.

Finally, she brings up the pistol, aiming it uncertainly. She screws her eyes shut as her other hand comes along to steady her aim. There is a wait of about three seconds before I screw my eyes shut, the sound of the gunshot going off resounding within the small space on the Hammerhead. I open my eyes, and see a hole that's been shot clean through the greybox. It's still steaming, and then I nod my head slowly as I bite my lower lip.

Kasumi sits back down after the deed is done, her handgun clattering uselessly on the ground. She brings a hand up to her head, and I hear her sob lightly as I look at the destroyed greybox. Damn... Poor Kasumi. I never thought one of the most cheery people I've ever known would have to deal with things like this...

Slowly, I bring my arm so that it rests over Kasumi's shoulders. She nods slowly, coming to lean against my shoulder as she cries there. I nod, keeping still for her as she lets out some final tears. With a slight lurch, I feel the Hammerhead jump up, and onto something that carries us far, far away from the estate of Donovan Hock.