"I hate leaving Ash there like that."
"I know, Shepard. She is good hands though. We just have to let the medical staff do their work and hope for the best. They said the prognosis was very good." Liara says, working at her console.
"Yea. But I'm glad you took up residence in this particular room though, Liara."
"How so?"
Verity approaches Liara with that look in her eye.
"It reminds me of where we used to... you know... on the old Normandy."
"Shepard..." Liara frowns.
"Yea, yea, I know. Fate of the galaxy, billions of lives, yarder yarder."
"I do hope you take things more seriously when we're out there."
"Have you ever known me not to be serious in the field?"
"Hmm, I suppose not. But still, I need to co-ordinate my resources. The prothean device won't build itself you know. They will need so many minerals and ores and such like. One of my operations is mining the platinum from the Broker's ore surveys to send to the Crucible team."
"Nice. Good work, T'Soni."
"Thank you, Commander Shepard." Liara curtsies jokingly.
"Was that Garrus you were talking to earlier?"
"Yes, we haven't really talked since the SR-1 was destroyed. It was nice to catch up. I'm glad he joined us, almost like old times."
"Well once Ash is back on her feet, we'll only be missing Tali and Wrex."
"Shepard, I need to ask: are you certain EDI can be trusted in that body? I know you had faith in her before, but that body might still have Cerberus fail safes in it."
"I trust her judgement. She's run the appropriate checks."
"Like she did with the Reaper IFF?"
"That's a bit harsh. Joker was right, you have become quite cynical."
"I've just learned that you can't take anything for granted."
"Your concerns are understandable, Doctor T'Soni, but please be assured, there are no issues with this platform." EDI says over the comm.
"EDI?"
"Yes, Commander?"
"If you can still talk over the comms, why are you making everyone come to the bridge to speak with you?"
"I want everyone to think of me as a normal member of the crew."
"Fair enough, I suppose. And EDI?"
"Yes, Commander?"
"I want you to stop monitoring Liara's room."
"May I ask why, Commander?"
"Because it's an order, EDI."
"Yes, Commander. Logging you out."
"EDI... Gah! I never knew why she ever said that in the first place."
"Can an AI be facetious, Shepard?" Liara asks.
"This one can, believe me. No doubt Joker's influence."
"Oooh. It all makes sense now."
"Anyway, where were we?"
"You were getting frisky and I was reminding you that we have too much to do."
"Oh yea. Can't we do both?"
"Shepard..."
"Okay, okay. The exciting multi-species summit it is then. I am not looking forward to this. A kiss for luck?"
Liara kisses her own hand, touches Verity's cheek with it then returns her attention to her console.
"There. Now get out of here."
"Oh, so you don't want to hear about my important mission to Eden Prime?"
"The one to stop Cerberus stealing the prothean artefact? Oh don't look at me like that."
"You really are becoming a spoilsport you know. Anyway, I thought you'd be pestering me to get that one done ASAP."
"All in good time, Shepard. I think securing krogan support for the turians takes priority in the circumstance, don't you?"
"Remind me not to die again. Goddess only knows what you'd be like if I did that again."
"Don't joke about that. And 'goddess'? Am I rubbing off on you?"
Verity is about to retort when Liara holds up her hand.
"Don't..."
"What?" Verity responds with a face full of innocence. "Oh, by the way. Here's my duty roster."
"What for?"
"So we can co-ordinate our free time." Verity says with animated eyebrows.
"You are insatiable, Shepard."
"What can I say? I'm a woman with healthy appetites. And anyway, I've missed you."
Liara steps away from her console to put her hands around Verity's waist.
"I know. I have missed you too, Shepard. I am not purposefully pushing you away. It's just..."
"Yea, yea, I know. Fate of the galaxy, billions of lives, yarder yarder."
"You joke, but it's true."
"Well once we've defeated the Reapers, we'll have all the time in the world to make those blue babies."
"Oh stop it."
"Oh so you can still laugh."
Liara slaps Verity's arm then returns to her console.
"Ow!"
"Oh shut up."
Verity looks a little dejected then makes her way to the door. Liara grabs her arm to stop her and kisses her on the cheek, causing a beaming smile on her lover.
"There. Now go and do something more useful."
"I still don't have a window like Liara does, but maybe that's because I don't kiss as well. He he he."
"If you did try to kiss me, Wrex, I think you'd eat my whole face with that big mouth of yours."
"Ha! I miss this place. Everything's so serious on Tachunka. They haven't got a funny bone between them. Wish I could knock some heads around with you, but duty calls. If the salarians say my DNA is important, who am I to argue?"
"Yea, big mouth to go with your big head."
"He he, get out of here before I start taking you seriously."
Despite the desperate situation of the Reapers, Verity has a slight bounce in her step as she makes her way to the CIC, buoyed by being surrounded by good people and old friends.
"Commander?" Samantha says in her clipped English tones. "You have unread messages at your private terminal."
"Yea, that's what the green flashing light's for. And by the way, it's called a 'private' terminal?"
"Oooh, you're one of those types of commanders, are you?"
"Meaning?"
"A sarky bugger."
"Joker?"
"Yes, Commander?"
"Do we know what happened to Miss Chambers in case anything 'accidentally' happens to Traynor?"
"Very funny, Commander." Traynor says.
"Who said I was joking?"
Still chuckling to herself Verity opens her mail box at the console. There is one new mail, no title. The sender, garbled through encryption. The contents, one word.
"Are you okay, Commaner?" Traynor asks. "You've gone very pale all of a sudden."
