Initiated
March 12th
Arcturus Station, Arcturus Stream
Apartment rented by Ashley M. Williams and Thomas V. Fisher
13:19
"Ash?" Thomas poked his head into the front entrance of their apartment, anxiety riding him like a… something. He was too concerned with the current situation to really come up with something good as an analogy. Metaphor. Whatever; "You home?"
"What's wrong?" Ahsoka whispered, standing by the wall next to him, notably outside the apartment and wearing a hooded cloak. Why Anna had one of those, as well as a Cat-woman leather-suit, he really didn't want to know.
"In…the bedroom." Ashley's grunted reply came back.
"I have some… exciting news, and…ehm…" He called, trailing off meekly, gesturing for Ahsoka to follow him inside. The Togruta followed, the very image of silent walking. Gods, he was still reeling from that revelation.
How in the flying multitude of fucks had Anna suddenly dragged Ahsoka Tano, Jedi Padawan and one of his childhood-idols, into this mess?
"What is it?" Ashley asked, stepping out into the hallway. Thomas felt his heart hammer into his throat, and promptly slammed a hand over Ahsoka's eyes. Ashley was only wearing very, very little in the form of clothing, having the day off as she did. Also, he had sort of been called off just after another of their cuddling-sessions, which hadn't exactly called for being dressed.
"We have a…guest." He finished, flushing utterly red. He just hoped Ahsoka hadn't seen her, or, at least not enough to reveal anything. Fuck me with a hammer, what a START.
Not that he had needed to say anything. The mere moment Ashley had seen he wasn't alone, she had slammed the door closed to their bedroom, followed by the sound of her jumping around, most likely to find her pants.
"Please tell me you didn't see anything…" he whispered, neither looking at nor removing his hand from Ahsoka's eyes. She huffed, and if she was embarrassed, her skin-color hid it remarkably well.
"I saw nothing."
That rely came a little too quickly.
"God-dammit Thomas!" Ashley shouted from behind the door; "God damned tell me before I give half the station a show!"
"Sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry…" as there was nothing else to do, he just bumped his forehead against the door, creating a hollow, metallic sound; "I didn't realize you'd still be…"
"Don't say it." There was a pause, broken only by Hispanic swearing as something was tossed across the bedroom; "Who is it, then?"
"…I don't think you know her…" really, what else could he say?
"Her?" her voice took on a sharp edge, just enough to be heard; "I'm listening."
"Can you just come out here, please?" he muttered into the door; "I really don't know how to explain this shit without you seeing her…Pretty please?"
"Fine, I'll…be… right there." She muttered, and something sounding a lot like a pillow, hit the wall. Aside from a raised eyebrow, he dared not question aloud; "Done."
The door opened again, revealing Ashley, hair wild and betraying her surprise, wearing her uniform. Yeah, that had kinda been a fun night. Who'd know the damn thing even could be opened like that? Her surprise immediately returned when she noticed the "guest". Honestly though, he didn't feel like he could blame her.
"Thom…?" there was a very definite 'what the fuck' in her voice, and on her face.
"Please, Ash, Honey, Light of my Life, don't freak out, okay?" Mainly because she looked like she very well might just freak out. Damn it, he knew she had issues with some of the aliens she actually knew what were. Now he was practically tossing an entirely new species at her, just like that.
"Now I'm definitely listening."
"Ash, meet Ahsoka Tano. Ahsoka, meet Ashley Williams…and…yeah…" hands rubbing his neck, he looked between the two, one a woman, one technically a child; "So…"
"Yeah, this is pretty awkward now…" Ahsoka said, trying obviously to sound cheery. Thomas snapped a stare at her, but knew she was right. That meant he couldn't glare at her. Fuck you Jane! He knew this was her way of getting back for him winning their bet, but damn if this wasn't just unfair.
"Okay, so…Ash, Ahsoka is…kinda from a galaxy far, far away…" he realized his own words the moment they left his mouth, and wanted nothing more but to bash his own brains out over the wall; "Do you remember when we met Boss and the others?"
"…Yes? They started pointing guns at us." Ashley huffed; "Why do…You've got to be kidding me…"
"I really wish I was." He sighed; "I don't know the how's of it, but one of Anna's agents brought her back here… and Shepard kinda ordered me to house her until something else could be found…"
"Here?!" she snapped, then calmed down. Obviously, she knew this wasn't helping, and instead looked at Ahsoka; "Why, if I may ask, did the Captain want you to stay here?"
"I'm considered for your team, but I still need to test-fight with…Thomas, before I can be initiated." Ahsoka explained, looking like she was pretty damn sorry about the whole mess; "I'm really sorry if I'm inconveniencing you guys, I wasn't asked about where I…"
"Ah shit, don't be…" Ashley groaned and palmed her face; "I'm going to kill that woman one of these days…"
"Can't, she's a biotic, remember?" Thomas offered a cautious shrug; "So…"
"Right, sorry I went a bit pissed there…" Ashley ignored him and turned to Ahsoka; "I don't hold it against you, I really don't, and… yeah, I think we have a futon in the living-room."
"What's a… futon?"
"Sleeping-couch, essentially…" Thomas added, casting concerned eyes at Ashley. He really, really hoped she was going to agree to this, and not start making an issue of things. Really, I wouldn't mind her beating the absolute crap out of Jane, but right now? Not what I need.
"Okay, let's just… figure this out." Ashley sighed, rubbing a pair of fingers on her brows; "Ahsoka, right? Okay, so I don't mind having you stay here. I'm just annoyed that Jane didn't even think of asking us first…she didn't ask, did she?"
That last one was aimed at Thomas.
"No. I think it's more or less her way of getting back at me." He rubbed his neck awkwardly; "You two are really just collateral damage."
Because that didn't sound stupid at all.
"Great. Okay, so…" Ashley beckoned for them both to follow as they entered the living-room; "Ahsoka, you have any stuff with you?"
"Only what I'm wearing." The Togruta replied, shrugging awkwardly; "I didn't exactly consider packing luggage when Kasumi brought us here."
"So, you only have…" She paused, eyes going to the form-filling brown bodysuit Ahsoka was wearing. Thomas had to admit, he was glad he wasn't into aliens, humanoid as they might be; "Right, Thomas, you mind getting a uniform from the closet? First one after the door."
When he returned with a spare uniform, because somehow all uniforms fitted both men and women, Ashley was in the middle of pulling out the futon from the couch. Deciding he'd better not say anything, there was a real chance that he was tempting fate somehow, he tossed the uniform, a complete set, on the couch without a word.
Yep, this was definitely going to be fun.
March 1th
Omega, Sahrabarik system
Blue Suns Compound, Western Perimeter barricades.
04:22
Kracka!
Kracka!
Kracka!
Kracka! Kracka! Kracka! Kracka!
Kracka!
Kracka!
The feel of having a heavy bolter, an old-fashioned, Batarian-model mass driver in his hands, was just something that few things could truly compare to.
"More of them!"
"Nine O'clock!"
Magnus, seated in the fortified turret, stepped on the pedal and swung the turret's guns to the left, facing the oncoming Blood Pack horde. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of seemingly unending masses of Vorcha, varren and the occasional Krogan. All seemingly uncaring for the volleys of fire meeting them head-on.
Kracka! Kracka! Kracka! Kracka! Kracka!
He hadn't had the chance to actually tell anyone about his newfound Hydrotelekinesis, as mere minutes after he left the bathroom, Blood Pack Vorcha had started throwing themselves at the barricades. Fucking vermin had a sense of timing, he had to give them that much.
Kracka! Kracka! Kracka! Kracka! Kracka!
The gun made its wrath manifest, barrels trembling under the unleashed barrage of heavy slugs. Magnus just made sure to keep his hands on the controls for it, and then made sure to aim it at the bad guys. The slugs, accelerated by the interior, if outdated, railguns in the barrels, more or less exploded when they impacted on the Vorchas' bodies. The foremost Vorcha had almost reached the trenches before the barricades, a bestial snarl on its face.
Said face then caved in and exploded when one of the slugs punched through its skull, spraying grey matter and skull-fragments backwards. The cretin itself was thrown back, its body hitting another of its comrades. Said comrade was then itself perforated by heavy fire, becoming a smear on the rusty walls.
"Get some, you ugly FUCKS!" he yelled, grinning with delight at the carnage. If there was one thing he really enjoyed about the Blood Pack, and there wasn't a whole lot, it was that they seemed to be satisfied with Zerg-rushing their opponents.
In other words, it was a giant turkey-shoot.
March 13th
Arcturus Station, Arcturus Stream
Training room
12:00
Thomas, clad in fatigues, shuffled and shifted on his feet.
"Alright, you ready?"
He leveled a flat look at Jane, the Captain looking completely relaxed. She actually almost looked smug, most likely because she felt she was getting back at him for the whole 'bet' thing.
Really, how childish could the legendary Shepard be?
"You do know that this is likely a really bad idea?" he grumbled. He just didn't know how he was supposed to test Ahsoka without the risk of burning her. He hadn't exactly trained to be non-lethal.
"Yep. But we need to do it regardless." She shrugged; "Blame the old lady, not me."
"I do." He muttered, looking at his bare feet. It was better than looking at his opponent, anyway.
Ahsoka was looking at him, cracking her knuckles with something of an anticipating grin on her face. Okay, so he wasn't exactly looking forward to sparring with a Jedi. Could anyone really blame him for that one? At least Jane had her biotics, and 117 had his physical strength. Him? He had the ability to absolutely burn everything to a cinder.
He very much wanted to not burn Ahsoka to a cinder.
"…Okay, let's just get this over with." He sighed, rolling his shoulders, taking a deep breath; "Ahsoka, come at me when ready."
"Got it." She nodded, grinning ;"I'll try not to beat you up too bad."
He really wished that was what he was worried about.
As Ahsoka started circling around him, most likely to get behind him in a blind angle, his breathing grew heavier and heavier, deeper and deeper. Thomas could feel the energy coursing through his body, through veins and channels previously unknown to established science. Each breath brought a new surge of adrenaline, a new surge of awareness and power.
When he was like this, calm and in control, his sense of reality was so much less distorted, the power felt… good. It wasn't rage, or aggressiveness. Just power, like a high.
Ahsoka came at him from the side, a kick aimed at his torso. The movement was slowed down, either by adrenaline or the Chi, he didn't know, and Thomas simply stepped backwards, avoiding the impact. Ahsoka hit the floor in a roll, coming back up with a speed like it had all been planned.
"Damn, you really look pissed off like that." She said, standing at a ready, fists raised. She then, before he had a chance to reply, came at him again, spinning around herself as fists and feet flew at him. Thomas forced his subconscious defenses down, not wanting to scald or burn her skin. Instead, the barrier was just hot enough that Ahsoka hissed and winced from pain, having hit his arm where the skin was bared.
"I am not, no." he kept his voice in the normal tones, hands raised in the same kata Roku used when sparring. Ahsoka leapt at him, this time kicking him squarely in the chest; "Ouf!"
The kick sent him straight to the floor, clumsily tumbling a few meters backwards before coming to a stop. Even as he got to his feet, an invisible force caught him in the gut, punching him further along the floor.
"For-" he started, only for a new punch to hit him straight in the side. Losing his air, he was sent rolling across the floor; "-Fucks sake!"
"Giving up?" Ahsoka smirked, lifting him from the ground. Oh how he hated the Force. Why did people always fuck with gravity around him? Being a human torch sort of lost its awesomeness when half the people he encountered could just wrap some gravitational power around their fingertips and let that be the end of it.
"Stop using the Force, will-" he braced himself as another Force-push smacked him backwards; "-will you!?"
"Nope." She chuckled, and then slammed him down onto the floor again. Thomas' scorching barrier left a charred mark on the rubber-plates of the floor, inflammable as they were supposed to be.
"Fuck me…" he groaned, propping himself up; "Okay, you wanna play rough?" He pulled in a long breath, blazing aura casting a green glow on the nearest wall. He was so done giving Ahsoka an easy treatment; "Let's play rough."
"What are you-" he interrupted the Togruta's question by flinging himself forward, running more than leaping really, and slammed blazing fists into the ground she had occupied only seconds earlier. The heat-resistant rubber melted in craters around his hands, and red gum dripped from his fists as he withdrew them from the floor; "-Damn!"
"You wanna use cheats?" he called out, louder than necessary. Ahsoka frowned, concern obvious in her eyes; "Fine, but don't say I started with the metahuman shit."
"What did you just call-" he didn't give her time to finish that line either. It really was amazing how a single Force-slap was enough to rid him of any childlike wonder he'd felt at Ahsoka's appearance. Now she was just another addition to the crazy hell-slash-paradise that was his life. Also it made it easier for him to punch her.
While his bionic arm, at full power, could liquefy a human being's bones, he made sure it was only slightly above superhuman strength when fist met outstretched palm. Ahsoka obviously topped him in reflexes and speed, but he was above her in physical strength. And thank the Divines for that one, really. He very much doubted he'd have a chance if not.
Instead of breaking her wrist, not to mention every bone in her hand, Ahsoka was thrown back with a pained grunt, still managing to stagger Thomas' punch regardless. Recovering, he set into a run immediately, wanting to catch up and beat her down. And yet…if I win, does that mean she won't be joining the team? Shit, what's Anna playing at?
His sister not being there, of course because why should she attend her own tests, meant he couldn't really ask her. Thomas grunted as he took a full blow from a Force-blast, he assumed it was the name for it, and flung a ball of emerald fire at Ahsoka.
He only realized his overdoing of it when she only narrowly managed to not get charred. While she evaded the fire itself, it was still close enough that her skin got the brunt of it.
"Watch it!" Thomas winced at the pain in her voice, having not wanted to actually cause her harm.
"Shit!" he didn't dare hope to continue the match: she was probably going to hate him if he pressed on while she was injured. Powering down, he closed his eyes and exhaled the last of the energy; "Ahsoka, are y-"
When he opened them, still talking, he was met by a boot to the chest. Hard. As in 'Hard enough to kick him across the room' hard.
The worst part of how the fight ended, was that when he was halfway passed out at the wall, he could just hear how Jane noted on being disappointed at him being defeated the same way she almost was. With emphasis on the 'almost'.
Yeah…just…rub it…in, why don't you?
Arcturus Station, Arcturus Stream
Conference room D-5, Military Sector
16:20
"Team, gather up." Shepard ordered, calling to attention the soldiers standing around.
They were all gathered in one of the conference rooms belonging to the barracks of hangar D-5, the point of departure for the few previous of their trips out. Thomas leaned against the wall, nursing a bruised rib from where Ahsoka had hurled him into a wall. Gods be damned, why did I even think I had a chance? Well, because she cheated, that's why!
He still felt like Ahsoka had been cheating, but at least Shepard had told him straight after that, since Ahsoka had passed, they now had housing for her, meaning she would be moving straight out of their apartment. And not a moment too soon. Gods it felt awkward that night…
He also knew that the moment Ahsoka would enter the room, she was currently waiting outside and out of sight, Nikolai and Tequila would likely throw a fit worthy of a Rambo-movie. That, or they would both drop unconscious out of shock. At least the latter would mean he wouldn't be the only one having that reaction.
"A new mission?" Tequila asked. When Shepard shook her head, the Service Chief seemed confused; "What then?"
"Today, we add a new member to the taskforce, and at the same time expand our membership across the borders of our galaxy" the Captain continued. Yeah, because that made so much sense to anyone who didn't know about Ahsoka. Hey, isn't that ignoring Boss?
"Seriously?" Hillary exclaimed, her face brightening with excitement; "Fucking A, what's this about?"
"Three days ago, an operative of Admiral Fisher brought an individual across the distance of the Andromeda Galaxy to ours. For those of you who are not in the know of this, the Alliance recently made sparse contact with a civilization centered in that galaxy." Thomas could tell that the gears were churning in the heads of those who had jumped dimensions. Himself, he was shivering like a giddy child. Shepard continued;
"Events which remain unknown, made it possible for aforementioned Operative to retrieve this individual and bring her to the Admiral's attention. These past two days have been spent with members of our team, working directly under the Admiral, testing this individual and found her sufficient in skill to be initiated in the taskforce."
"Some of us?" Hillary looked around; "Who?"
"Thomas, 117 and myself." Shepard counted off, then seemed to look at Nikolai, then Tequila and lastly Thomas; "Regardless of some of your opinions, I expect that your first impression of her is formed here and now."
"Seriously, I'm getting the hype here." Hillary did a small jump, reminding Thomas most of all of a little girl on a sugar-rush; "Spill the beans, who's the new girl?"
Shepard looked at her, then looked at the team at large.
"As you may remember from our encounter on Alchera…" a short pause; "Our enemy seems content with fighting dirty. So, we as well must play dirty. As a result, our newest member possesses abilities none of us have ever seen before." Except for me, Nick and Tequila that is…
Silence roamed for a few seconds before she spoke again;
"Fisher, let her in."
Thomas took a deep breath, then palmed the interface for the door. On the other side, clad in the Alliance uniform she had been given by Ashley (because apparently his girlfriend didn't like the idea of Ahsoka walking around in a bodysuit), Ahsoka was waiting, eyes focused with a calm expression.
There was something of a proportionally wrong, muffled whine from the muscled Dane by the conference table when she stepped into the room. Even from the distance, Thomas could see his eyes widen, nostrils flare and the hair on his neck stand.
"I am Ahsoka Tano." The Togruta said, voice controlled and professional; "I look forward to working with you all."
The silence that roamed the room nearly killed him. Gods above, it was beyond awkward the way every single person in the room stared at the newest member. While Thomas was fixated on Nikolai and Tequila though, there was a third individual he soon mentally kicked himself for having forgotten.
"Commander Tano!" Boss exclaimed, his voice a mix of relief and confusion.
Ahsoka's expression was one of confusion, clearly, until she found the man who had spoken. Thomas watched her eyes widen at the sight of the Katarn-armor signifying the soldier as a Republic Commando. The only reason she hadn't noticed the rest of the team's armor yet, was fairly simple: bar 117 and Boss, no one wore armor at the meeting.
"You…you are a Commando?" Ahsoka exclaimed, her voice somewhere between a whisper and a declaration; "A Republic Commando of the GAR?"
"Yes ma'am, RC-1138, Boss of Delta Squad." He saluted her, seemingly oblivious to the stares turned at them both; "It's a relief to see you, ma'am."
"You two know each other?" Shepard asked, looking between them both.
That, was about all the time it took for a certain person to process the scene;
"Holy Fuck!" Surprisingly though, it was not Nikolai, but Tequila who had yelled; "It's- you're Ahsoka Tano!"
"…I- Yes?"
"Holy fuck me sideways with a Lightsaber!"
"Aquila, remember what I just said?" Shepard reminded the Chief, a stern edge in her voice. Thomas just felt like palming his face and covering his ears. Sadly, doing both was not a simultaneous option.
"I- I-…Captain, this-" Teresa gestured at the Togruta; "She's a JEDI!"
"Yes, as Fisher established yesterday." The Captain nodded; "Now, if we can skip the seemingly mandatory fangasms?"
"But…I…" Tequila groaned and stuttered, still pointing at Ahsoka; "…Fine."
"Now, if we can actually proceed, I have received orders from command, concerning the publicity of this team's identities." Shepard gave the group, Ahsoka included, a long gaze, as if to ascertain if one of them was on the verge of another outburst.
"Are we gonna be celebrities?" Hillary asked, glee shining in her eyes.
Shepard shook her head;
"Quite the opposite in fact." She stated slowly, waiting for all eyes to rest undivided on her; "Command wants us all to take on call-signs to replace our actual identities when in the field. These call-signs will be permanent, and you will use them, regardless of topic of conversation or people around you. They will also be given to you, so whatever 'Destroyer' or 'invincible'-like names you might have considered, you may as well give up on."
"Aww…" Hillary muttered, deflated out of whatever idea she had had; "I wanted to be the Cunt-Hammer…"
Well, that answered that contemplation. And also threatened with giving Thomas some minor mental scars.
"I kinda think you just illustrated the 'why's of that one, Hill." Nikolai grinned. Hillary looked like she wanted to punch him for that one, but kept her retaliation to a glare.
Shepard leveled a chastising glare on her in return, like an exasperated parent, then looked back at the team. Thomas just thanked the Divines that no one had actually fainted yet, as opposed to his own rather poor reactions the day before. But honestly, he was supposed to not only meet the Fucking Ahsoka Tano in real life, but also stand more or less face to face with not just some AI with the name of Captain Price, but the actual AI 'Captain Price' himself, and both in less than two minutes time.
It wasn't strange he often felt stressed, was it?
Shepard glanced around the room before pulling up her Omnitool, making files pop into existence above her wrist. Thomas, naturally, peeked up at that.
"Call-signs are as follow: Shepard, Aurora. Boss, Delta-1. Williams, Ghost. Aquila, Roca. Fisher, Demon. Dwaine, Viking. Tengberg, Nord. Pennyloafer, Eve. 117, Wolf. Tano, Monk. These are your respective call-signs. They are non-negotiable, so learn them well. Before you ask the mandatory question: No, I had no involvement in the making of these names, nor do I know who did…" she declared, then muttered under her breath; "Because the Admiral's too fucking childish to come up with those names, definitely."
Demon.
Thomas tasted the word in his mind, mulling it over. Actually, it wasn't half-bad. Considering what people seemed to think of him when the gloves came off, it was actually rather fitting, in its own, disturbing manner. He then turned his mind towards the other names, even as the rest of the team started mulling their own over as well.
Shepard's was obvious, sort of. Aurora was probably a reference to the stars, and from that, a pointed finger at her biotics. Not bad, and the name itself held some authority as well.
Boss was an easy one to remember, sad as it was in retrospect. He was the leader of Delta, but also the only one left if you counted Scorch out, which made up his name. Logic was a cold bitch, sometimes.
He wasn't quite sure what earned Ash the name 'Ghost', though there probably was another meaning to the word than 'spooky, invisible thing', he couldn't for the life of him imagine just what it was.
Tequila's was almost funny, if only because he understood Spanish. 'Roca' was the Spanish word for 'Rock', a hint to her being an Earthbender and all. Or, it might refer to her taste in music. On that note, Thomas realized he actually didn't know what kind of music his colleague liked.
Dwaine was British, so obviously the name wasn't about his heritage. Rather, it was probably because of the planet they had encountered him on, Valhalla, that had brought up the name. Damn. Whomever had done the naming, had clearly been through their records.
Nikolai's was easy, if nothing else than because aside from being a Danish citizen, he was also Greenlandic by birth, which was just about as far north as you could get back then and still be within reach of civilization.
Hillary's though, that was a piece of cruel irony if ever there was one. To have her call-sign so obviously tied to Eden Prime, the place where all but two of her colleagues had died and she herself had been hospitalized for months, was just insensitive.
The call-sign to John-117 though, Thomas wasn't sure what to make of. There was nothing about the man calling 'Wolf' to mind, and there was not a single wolf-mark on his armor. Hell, even the armor's color was as far from 'wolfish' as you could get.
Ahsoka's was only obvious to those in the know of her past, so that one was actually quite smart. It allowed her something of a direct tie with her old order, while it would also definitely confuddle the absolute crap out of just about everyone else.
"Alright, I expect you all to remember your new call-signs, as well as those of your team-mates." Shepard called him back from contemplation; "I also expect you to behave like actual adults, and show your new team-mate that she is welcome here…God, I sound like a schoolteacher…Anyway, aside from Williams, dismissed."
"Captain?"
Jane nodded, silently asking the younger woman to step forward. As they were now alone in the room, she allowed herself the luxury of relaxing her stance and rest against the mid-room table.
"Williams." She stated flatly, looking at the Chief's face, looking for a trace of emotion, a clue as to her thoughts. Nothing. Williams was, as always, the image of professionalism; "Two things. First:"
She handed Williams the 'Ghost'-module. It was a bit bigger than the modules used for shields, but the shape itself was very much the same. Only the color-scheme, with the 'Ghost'-module being a strange silver as opposed to the usual green, was different.
"This is a 'Ghost' module. Insert it in your armor, and a distortion-field will sync in with your armor and weapons, anything acknowledged by your on-suit computer" Williams looked at the module, eyeing it with much the same contemplation that Jane had when presented with it just an hour earlier; "It draws on your power-charges though, so don't get shot at while using it, and discharging a weapon will break the distortion."
"Is this the reason for my call-sign?" Williams asked, a hint of hesitation in her voice.
"Yes. You are our best shot, and I need Aquila in a position to deal some damage up and close." She said, closing her eyes for a moment, breathing in the air. She then looked at the woman again, the tanned face a study of professionalism; "How are you feeling?"
"…Ma'am?" the façade of professionalism vanished, replaced with confusion.
"Before we left for Alchera, you looked like you'd just been told your family had died…I know you weren't sick, so…" She let the end hang in the air, waiting for her subordinate to reply.
"Thomas thought I was sick… how did you know?" for some reason, Ashley didn't meet her gaze. Curious.
"I grew up around faces of people who'd lost everything dear to them, and I saw you when we lost Thomas on the Citadel." She said, shrugging lightly; "It was emotional, that much was clear."
"…I'm… not sure what to say, Shepard." Huh. If she didn't know better, Jane would say that was the first time Ashley had used her name in private. Last name, but it still counted.
"Ashley…" Jane drew out the sigh following the name, waiting for her subordinate to, like always, request not to use her name. It didn't happen; "I know you and I didn't exactly have the best start, mainly my fault."
"Mine as well, I shouldn't have assaulted you." Well damn, maybe there was something to the saying that you got what you gave, and Jane did just give Ashley an admission of guilt. She decided to use that momentum;
"But… you are one of my soldiers, even if you and I both will likely always feel like that's John's role, fact is that we're stuck the way we are now." Damn, but there was a reason she didn't give date people she didn't fight with: she didn't know how to talk to people who hadn't had her back; "And, being one of my soldiers, your health, mental and physical both, is important to me."
"I appreciate that." It didn't sound like she did, though.
"So, do you feel like telling me what was the matter, or am I to consider it a matter you'd rather bring up with a psychologist?" she didn't mean it as a threat, rather a gesture of faith that she actually wanted to help the Chief. Still, she could see in the flash of suspicion in the brown eyes, that it had been received as a threat; "I'm just concerned, Ashley."
"It's…rather private, Shepard." Was that blushing on Ashley's face? Damn, now Jane was both concerned and curious.
"Is it a very bad thing?" if someone in her immediate family had died, Jane didn't want to pry.
"Not…no, not really." Ashley muttered, fingers curling the edges of her uniform; "Captain, when… before you were sent here, from the other side, did you have a family?"
The word 'family' when spoken like that, caused a short flash of pain to go through Jane's mind. She was pretty sure it appeared on her face too, for Ashley seemed to regret the question almost as soon as it was beyond her lips.
"No." Jane pressed the dark word out, feeling like she was expelling muck from her mouth; "They all died on Mindoir when I was a child…Why?"
"Can you promise me that this will stay between the two of us?" Ashley pressed, staring straight into Jane's own eyes. Honestly, the younger woman had a piercing stare suitable for a person of a much higher rank; "It doesn't go beyond this room, and it will not change anything about our missions."
"…Acceptable." Jane nodded, facing the younger woman fully; "You have my word as an officer that I won't share it around."
Ashley nodded. She then took about the longest sigh Jane had ever heard in her life, and looked at the ground. Jane was silent for the moments it took the woman to look back up again.
"Thomas and I are having a child."
Well. Shit.
She had not seen that one coming.
March 17th
Arcturus Station, Arcturus Stream
Office of Admiral Anna Fisher.
17:00
"We need that treaty lifted, Admiral." Her guest argued. His white hair, square jaw and wrinkled eyes made him look like a beard-less Stephen Hackett; "the Patrols can't handle whatever is wiping us out, entire taskforces at a time."
"And you come to me, why?" Anna was, for once, behind her desk, hands flat on the table.
Tibus Heth, current Supreme Chairman of the Caldari Corporations, and as the head of the Alliance's part of the Spacelane Patrol, also the most powerful Chief of Police in the galaxy. True, his forces had been effective in filling the roles of the lackluster Turian patrols, but now his ships encountered resistance on an unexpected scale.
Now, he was in her office, demanding that the Alliance lifted the Hyperion-treaty. Said treaty was the list of rules and regulations preventing the Spacelane Patrol from installing spinal main-guns in their vessels, as well as building ships beyond five-hundred meters in length.
"Because, I already talked to Shastri, who denied my request on the grounds that the supplied Alliance warships were more than sufficient to uplift the lack of firepower." There was a pause, the man taking a deep breath while veins were visible on his forehead; "That is not the case."
Anna sighed, keeping the expression of irritation hidden, and pulled up the files Heth had supplied her with;
"Far as I can see, each of your patrols have been granted a pair of heavy cruisers…" she gestured for him to argue his case. Heth gripped the bridge of his nose in exasperation.
"Granted, yes, but half of those warships never even arrived." Heth said; "And even where they do arrive, two cruiser-class main guns don't do much to even the scales when the enemy isn't just Terminus pirates anymore. Admiral, my men are dying out there. Shastri wouldn't listen, Admiral Hackett denied me a meeting all-together, and Petrovsky lacks the pull to help. To put it as it is, Admiral Fisher, the lives of the Spacelane Patrol depends on whether or not you're willing to help."
"Hmm…" Anna tapped a pen, old-fashioned as it was, she still liked the feel of it, on the table; "If, if I agree to pull some strings in Parliament, what would I get out of it?"
Tibus Heth looked furious, for a short instant, then settled back into a placid, professional expression.
"The Corporations cover seventy percent of all industry in the Alliance. If you would let us construct ships up to two kilometers, all trade conducted with the Alliance Navy, your department in particular, will see some… heavy discounts."
"How heavy?" Anna smirked a bit. She loved putting the screws to people.
"Depending on the goods… up to…"he looked like the sentence pained him; "…sixty percent."
"Eighty." The man paled. Which, considering his already pale complexion, was quite the sight. He also released a small, hoarse cough.
"Seventy."
"Seventy-nine." Anna pressed; "Not a percentage less, and, I want a full account of what exactly goes for how much."
"…Deal." He muttered something about not hoping for a second term as Chairman; "There is also the matter of installing spinal guns in our already existing ships."
"Which would be a direct breach of the treaty." Anna muttered aloud, enjoying the frown on Heth's face; "That would be hard to negotiate, even for me."
"It would do much to secure the outer colonies." Heth argued; "And, maybe we could compensate you, somehow, should this be made possible."
Gods, Anna just loved it when she could manipulate people like this. She had already decided, even before Heth entered her office, to grant both requests. Now she just wanted to squeeze the lemon that was the Spacelane Patrol.
"Tell me, Chairman, do you hold authority over both the human and the Turians in Spacelane?"
Heth nodded slowly, a suspecting frown settling once more on his face.
"I do, yes. In a case of emergency, such as now seems more and more to be, the members of the Spacelane Assembly can grant supreme authority to the Chairman."
"And, just curious of course, how many ships are currently under the command of the Supreme Chairman?"
"Two thousand warships, six thousand if you count in fighter-crafts and blockade-runner freighters."
Anna blew a long, appreciative tone at that, followed by a vicious smirk spreading on her face.
"Oh, I think I just might know what you can do for me then."
Oh hi, I have been contemplating something that I wanted to run by you as my readers. Two things, actually.
First, I am going to add a new warship to the arsenal of the Spacelane Patrol, and I will let you choose which one. The only rule is that it mustn't be more than the two kilometers Anna agreed to, and it must have its origins in either Caldari or Gallente ships.
The second is that I will soon be changing my "name" on FF. Just thought I'd let you guys know so that you won't be all "who the fek is this guy?" later on.
Yep, that's it. I'll see you later, somehow, but for now I will be working on my two other stories as well. I have maybe sort of been neglecting them... :3
