Shepard walked into the elevator; stepping off of the crew deck and pushing the button for engineering. He had just finished chatting with Miranda and afterward, helping Garrus calibrate the Thanix cannons to full efficiency. After all, they needed to be ready for anything Sovereign could throw at them, even if all he had at the moment was a single Geth for a body.
A talk with his lovely, Qaurian fiance would ease his tension; yes, that's exactly what he needed right now. Stepping off the elevator, he could hear Aranya yelling from the port cargo hold. He could barely make out the words as they were being muffled by the tritanium walls, but it sounded like she was complaining about her 'piece of shit' room. At least, that was the only word he could make out.
When he walked through the first hatch, leading through a corridor to engineering, he noticed Jack was sitting on the edge of the stairs leading to her 'hidey hole.' He was a little surprised, but was completely shocked when he moved closer and noticed she was actually wearing a t-shirt; one that she probably purchased on Illium. To anyone that didn't know the ex-inmate from purgatory, this would seem like nothing, but if you knew her, you knew that Jack, Subject Zero, never wears anything but leather straps that barely cover her chest as well as the rest of her torso.
"Jack?" The Spectre called with concern in his voice as well as his expression. Jack jumped slightly from where she sat and turned her head to view the figure of her Commander.
"...Hey Shepard." she replied sounding a little depressed.
"You holding up alright?" he asked. "I imagine you had a rough day rescuing Zaeed from the Eclipse."
"Nah, I'm good, just..."
"Just?"
"I feel like...like I'm changing, I'm not myself, and I know I shouldn't you know?" Shepard walked closer and sat down on the stairs beside her."
"Changing how?" he questioned.
"Shepard, you've been like a big brother to me. You helped me bury my past in the dirt on Pragia, everyone else in this galaxy only wanted to take advantage of my kick-ass biotics."
"When you and Grunt went at it, at first I was like 'well fuck that' you know? No biggie. Long as someone gets the big prick's shit in order. But on Illium I did things, snorted some red-sand, beat up some hobos, and occasionally ma-" She stopped when Shepard gave her a 'too much information' look, then cut straight to her point.
"What I'm trying to say is, I was worried about you Shepard, I mean, without you, who's gonna keep my head on straight? I may act like I wanna blow shit up all the time, but sometimes I do just want someone to see my as something else besides a pissed off Varen."
Shepard smiled and then placed his hand on her shoulder and patted it gently a few times. "I appreciate that Jack, and I'm glad to know your happy to have a family that's looking out for you."
"Thanks...Shepard." Shepard stood up and before walking into the engine room, looked down at her and said one last thing. "You'll always have a place here. And by the way, what's with the sudden change of attire?"
"The fuck do you care?" was her only response. Shepard chuckled and then stepped into the engine room, leaving Jack to herself.
Shepard immediately noticed Tali's beautiful figure standing at her usual station. He smiled and stood where he was, his eyes traversing every area of her body; paying special attention to her butt. Noticing that she didn't turn to greet him when he entered, he thought maybe she hadn't heard the hatch open. He glanced over at Ken and Gabby who ran their fingers across their lips as if saying "Our lips are sealed." Maybe he would be a little frisky for his wife to be.
Shepard tip-toed over to her as she tapped every key on her console at lightning speed. When he approached within inches of her, he threw his hands forward; gripping her butt. Tali jumped and squeaked when she felt this but didn't move, as she had a good idea who it was. Shepard began to slowly and sensually trace his hands from her butt, up her curves, and finally up to her visor; covering it with both hands.
"Guess who" he whispered playfully.
"A Bosh'tet that doesn't believe in privacy..." replied Tali, a little annoyed that her engineering comrades were right across the room from them; giggling at the obscene couple. Shepard spun her around; holding her by her sides.
"I've got no reason to hide the way I feel about you" said Shepard with a wink at the end.
"Well unlike you, I actually believe in a sense of professionalism in the workplace Shepard..." Shepard only laughed at her comment.
"Well this is my ship young lady, and I say anything goes." Tali sighed in defeat and giggled.
"How did I ever end up with a dashing Bosh'tet like you." she said softly.
"I like to think it's because of my rock-hard abs" said the Spectre, sarcastically. Tali began to caress his abdomen gently and looked into his eyes. The reflection of her helmet shining through those sapphire orbs.
"Shepard" her tone became more serious. "I think we should talk about the plans for our bonding."
"Tali I-"
"Commander Shepard" interrupted EDI. "We are approximately 15 minutes from the Mu relay. Your presence is required in the helm." Shepard sighed and gazed down at the floor before bringing his sights back to Tali.
"I'm on my way EDI." he began tracing his hand slowly down the side of Tali's hood; stopping at her shoulder, then planted a kiss on her visor.
"Don't worry, I won't forget." he said lovingly.
Shepard shared a brief embrace with Tali before breaking off to take his leave. She waved at him with her 3 digit hand before the hatch closed behind him. As he walked back through the same corridor he came in through, he noticed Jack wasn't sitting on the stairs anymore; probably gone back down to her cot. Shrugging off the thought, he stepped through the second hatch into the hallway. He could still hear Aranya complaining from inside her room. He still had time, speaking with Zaeed, figuring out what history he had to this Asari couldn't hurt.
He walked into Zaeed's room to find him sitting in a chair next to his deck; cleaning his prized assault rifle he had named Jessie.
"Shepard" said the former blue suns leader. "Figured you'd come down here soon or later."
"I was hoping I could talk to you." replied the commander suspiciously.
"About that Asari bitch down the hall screaming like she had a bad sweet 16 party?" said Zaeed, flatly.
Shepard folded his arms as he questioned him."Actually yes. I still don't understand what she's doing here, and she was a little vague as to why she aided in your escape."
Zaeed laid Jessie back down on the table and shifted in his seat to face the Spectre. "And you expect me to fill in the blanks?"
"As a matter of fact" said Shepard sternly. "I do. And you owe me an explanation after I risked my life and those of my team to pull you out of there."
"Fair enough..." Zaeed stood up and walked over to his usual spot and leaned back against the wall. To explain.
"You remember that Asari I told you about a while back?"
"The one with the pretty head on her shoulders, the one that sold you out to the blood pack?" replied Shepard.
"Spot on Shepard. Yeah that's the one."
"So why is she here now? Why did she help you escape?" said Shepard, puzzled by the circumstances.
"Says she wants Vido dead. That we share a common enemy and she wants to help me put him down. Never did think to ask her why." Zaeed explained. Shepard paced back and forth for a moment.
"Can we trust her?" asked the Spectre.
"Hell no, but if you can keep her in line she'll make one hell of a addition to your little clique. You've also probably noticed she's a bit of a tramp. Don't give her any ideas unless you wanna be screwed over, and I mean that both literally and metaphorically."
"Duly noted" Shepard replied as he made for the door. He turned to Zaeed before exiting the room. "Can I expect you two to not kill each other down here?"
"Long as she stays on her side of the border, I'll keep it quiet." replied Zaeed half-sarcastically.
The small Quarian transport set down in a dry bog on Illos. As they were landing they could see three Geth dropships fly off in different directions, seemingly forming a triangular pattern. The transport hatch slid open forming a ramp to the ground. Kal'Reegar was the first to step out followed by five of his squad of Marines. Vel'Lara was the last to step off; gripping her pistol nervously.
Kal placed his two fingers on the side of his helmet; activating his com link. "Pilot?" The pilot responded immediately.
"Uploading the coordinates of each ship to your HUD's sir." Kal looked at his visor in front of him and noticed a triangular shaped radar appear. He could see three blips, each indicating the landing zone of a single dropship. Kal turned to his marines who eagerly awaited his orders.
"Alright, listen up marines. We got three Geth dropships in the area, each spread over a distance of 10 kilometers. We're splitting into three teams." Kal began pointing to each of his squad as he gave the orders; calling each by clan name.
"Chelor, Yuday, you two scout the ship to the east, Oron, Elra take the west. Lara you're with me, Zenia stay with the ship. Report back any signs of Geth activity but do not engage unless fired on first. Move out marines!"
Acting upon his orders obediently, the three teams went their separate ways with the exception of Moro'Zenia, who was ordered to guard the ship.
Minutes later, Kal and Vel found themselves leaving the bog they had landed in and entering a vast forest filled with mossy trees and ancient stone structures. Statues of grotesque humanoid figures were posed left to right as if forming the entryway into a city. The two walked side by side, Kal with his rifle held chest high, occasionally checking his radar for Geth signatures. Vel'Lara walked behind him; her pistol held just below her abdomen. As they passed the ancient Prothean statues, Vel took a moment to gaze upon them; astonished at the detail carved into each one.
"Do you think that's what they looked like? The Protheans I mean" asked Vel timidly.
"Can't comment on that marine, I just shoot things. History was never my best subject." replied Kal formally. Vel had expected a 'keep quiet and watch out for enemies' scolding from him. It was nice to see that he wasn't as strict as the other squad leaders she had been assigned to.
The two continued their steady pace; walking under a tall archway and finding themselves in a courtyard of stone. Vel found herself entranced by the unique design and layout of each individual stone. The sunlight shone dimly through the tall trees that covered the sky from view; reflecting off the small pond of water in the center of the courtyard. Some of the walls showed clear signs of damage, possibly from mass accelerator weapons.
"This place must have been very beautiful back then..." said the young marine, sounding a little depressed.
"The way Commander Shepard puts it..." Kal said, joining her in her reminiscing. "If we don't find a way to stop the Reapers, everywhere in the galaxy will look like this."
"You really think it will come to that?" asked Vel shyly.
"Your asking someone who's spent his entire life fighting Geth. You really want my opinion?" Vel knew exactly what he was hinting at and decided against pushing the conversation further.
In the distance, just outside the courtyard, Kal could make out what seemed to be a very tall stone tower. This gave him an idea.
"We may be able to get a better look at the dropship from up there" Kal turned to Vel and motioned with his head in the direction ahead of them. "Come on."
The two picked up their pace slightly jogging toward the tower. As they exited the last of the ruins, they had been too absentminded to notice the figure emerging from one of the ruined buildings behind them; bright blue cracks running through its body as it observed them.
Shepard made his way onto the CIC a few minutes after speaking with Zaeed. As soon as he stepped onto the deck, he strolled right past the galaxy map and moments later found himself in the Normandy's helm where Joker was preparing to send the ship into FTL.
"Approaching Mu relay commander, I take it your ready?" asked Joker in a rare formal tone.
"Let's make it happen" replied Shepard. "Take us through."
"Drive core activated" chimed EDI. "Initiating FTL in 5...4..."
The Normandy soared through space; flying alongside the relay and seconds later, shot into FTL in the blink of an eye. Moments later they exited FTL with only one planet in view.
"We're through the relay commander. Setting course for-"
"Shepard" interrupted EDI. "I am reading three ships in low orbit around Ilos. Silhouettes match that of Geth signatures."
"Geth? Here?" remarked Joker.
"EDI" Shepard interjected. "What are they doing?"
"The Geth frigates are currently inactive and remaining in low orbit. I am reading the energy signatures of three Geth dropships on the planets surface. They appear to be in a triangular formation each being 10 kilometers apart."
"Sounds like a search pattern. They're looking for something." Shepard concluded. "Land us in the center of the pattern. Try to keep a good distance from the frigates." Shepard turned and began to walk toward the elevator.
"EDI, prep the hammerhead. I'm taking a team down to investigate."
