Chapter 54: The First Steps
"Sorry about interrupting your meditation, Isaac." Mal said apologetically while leading the youth and Ethan towards an empty storage area of the asari compound where they were all acting as temporary guests. The Terminus Wolves had been using the room as a base of operations since their arrival and were now gathering to relax and celebrate their recent victories.
"That's okay, Mal. But I am curious about why you'd want me to meet your friends." Isaac pondered.
"To test you." Mal casually replied. "I've known Hannah since she was an adorable eleven year old sweetheart who loved ice cream. I used to treat her to the biggest sundaes we could find whenever I visited before getting dragged into whatever shenanigans Ethan managed to cook up." he humorously added.
"Sure, blame everything on me. I seem to recall a few incidents that were all on you big guy." Ethan replied while grinning.
"That Zodiac Commander must've given you a few blows to the head if your memory is that bad." Mal joked. "Anyway, I heard that Ethan and the others have all given you their seal of approval, but you haven't earned mine just yet. And you might not even care, from your perspective I'm just a stranger giving you a hard time or possibly screwing with you. But Hannah's a sweet girl and she deserves the best and I'll see that she gets it." he explained.
"I understand, Mal. Hannah's mentioned you a lot, but I didn't actually discover who you were until recently. You were obviously a big part of her life in the past, so I think it's perfectly reasonable for you to worry about her." Isaac replied sympathetically.
"Well I'm glad that you're onboard and don't be nervous. The guys aren't half as scary as the rumors make them out to be." Mal chuckled before opening the door to the Wolves' temporary base camp. A raucous scene of anarchy and confusion quickly greeted them as laughter and arguments echoed across the room from every direction.
"I warned you thief, keep your filthy hands away from my pistols." Blaze shouted dangerously.
"Oh, I'm really scared. The seat warmer is threatening me for looking at his shitty handguns, I'm so terrified." Gage scoffed while glaring at Blaze.
"Just kill each other and get it over with." Tag barked before chugging some ryncol from a barrel.
"I mean seriously, Mason? What the hell is his appeal?" Lance demanded while sitting with Nox as both men modified their weapons at a table.
"Perhaps Rika has lower standards than we originally believed." Nox replied sympathetically before patting his friend on the shoulder.
"Tess," Taya quickly tapped her and pointed towards Mal as he entered the area.
"Okay, I know." Tess replied nervously.
"Tess," Taya persisted.
"I know, damn it!" Tess hissed. "Later, when we're alone." she quietly added.
"Oaf, your attempts at impressing me earlier were unnecessary." Rika said scathingly while examining Mason's injuries. "You could've avoided these if you hadn't been so reckless." she added irritably.
"But you were impressed, right Ninja?" Mason replied suavely.
Rika simply sighed before gently running her hand across his scars. "You're a fool."
"Why do you want to learn so badly anyway?" Brix asked in agitation while facing Lira.
"Because shotguns are useful at close range." Lira replied brightly. "And you'll make the best teacher, come on, please?" she pleaded.
"Fine, if it'll get you off my back." Brix finally relented. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
"Yay! I told you he'd teach me!" Lira shouted excitedly after turning to face Hildy and Zade.
"Brix, you surprise me." Zade remarked plainly.
"He is softer than he'd care to admit, it is sweet." Hildy smiled while rubbing Zade's shoulders.
"To hell with all of you." Brix growled menacingly. "And what do you want?!" he angrily added as TED hesitantly approached.
"Well, I was also hoping…nevermind." he replied sadly before turning to leave.
"Damn it, I guess I have two pain in the asses to teach now." he quickly barked immediately lifting TED's spirits.
"So, like I was saying, no big deal." Mal said humorously after turning to face Ethan and Isaac who were both slightly stunned by the spectacle.
"Hey, Fearless Leader! It's about time you got back, we were just about to start the game without you." Mason called from across the room.
"My bad, but I went to grab a couple of extras to join us tonight." Mal cheerfully replied. "Well don't just stand there, let's head over." he added encouragingly before leading the way towards the center of the room where a large table and several chairs had been set up. Mal immediately took a seat at the table and beckoned Ethan and Isaac to do the same while the rest of the Wolves gathered around them. "I'd like to introduce you guys to an old friend of mine and a new one that I made today. Ethan, Isaac, these are the Terminus Wolves." Mal said politely before pointing everyone out by name and allowing the exchange of pleasantries.
"I believe we've met in the past, though only briefly." Zade calmly stated while looking at Ethan.
"Shepard's oldest son, right? I remember you." Mason added before taking a swig from his beer.
"So do I." Tess said coldly while glaring at Ethan. She was already sitting in Mal's lap and had her arms draped across his shoulders.
"Easy Amazon. You know damn well he wasn't there when the shit hit the fan. Give the guy a break." Mason said before taking another drink.
"For once Mason is correct in his assessment. After that unfortunate business on the Citadel four years ago, Ethan Shepard was one of the first people to spearhead the investigation that eventually led to Mal's exoneration. Had he been present during the standoff with his parents and sister, I'm inclined to believe that things may have gone differently." Zade explained.
"By the way, thanks." Mal said appreciatively.
"That whole situation was bullshit, Mal. I knew that from the very beginning but once I found out about what you'd been through, what mom, dad and Allie did…I had to do something. Luckily Bailey was eager to get to the bottom of things too, his word and resources went a long way towards exposing the spies in C-Sec." Ethan replied earnestly. "Of course, dad saw fit to pull his head from his ass after he realized the truth not ten minutes after you'd made your escape, but better late than never I suppose." he added bitterly.
"Ah, right. I hear the admiral is doing pretty well for himself these days." Mal commented coolly.
"They actually made him an admiral, fucking priceless." Tess scoffed.
"He is an accomplished leader and a skilled soldier. The Sol System owes its safety to him regardless of our personal feelings towards the man." Taya said grudgingly.
"Sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but why exactly do you dislike the admiral? Most people consider him a hero and a legend." Isaac curiously inquired.
"And they're right, but that doesn't mean I have to kiss his ass. Take it from me Isaac, every hero has his tarnish and Shepard is no different. There was a time when I actually admired the guy, hell I respected him. He made it his life's mission to meddle in my relationship with his daughter and give me a hard time, but in spite of everything, I still looked up to him and even considered him a friend. You know what it got me? A brush with death at the hands of Alliance traitors and the man himself. The rest of the galaxy is welcome to sing his praises, I don't give a shit but under no circumstances will I ever acknowledge that bastard again in my life." Mal bitterly explained. Afterwards, Tess gently pressed her forehead to his while caressing his cheek.
"I'm sorry," Isaac replied in confusion. "I'm still not quite sure I understand-"
"Shepard tried to screw us over when Equinox framed our boss." Mason promptly cut in. "It was all a setup but the 'legend' decided to ignore the signs and threatened to kill us." he added before explaining in full detail the events that had taken place four years earlier and the circumstances that led to Mal's departure from Citadel Space and the lives of the Shepard family.
"I'm not really sure what to say, Mal. That entire ordeal must've been terrible." Isaac replied afterwards.
"At this point, I've survived worse. But yeah, it was pretty bad." Mal casually stated. "If you want my advice Isaac, don't ever let your guard down around that guy, no matter what. I don't care how politely he acts or how welcoming he is, don't ever trust him. Not that you'll have to worry about that, he'll probably try to kill you the minute he finds out about you and Hannah. If he does and you find yourself on the run, feel free to look me up. I could use a guy like you." he added seriously.
"Um, okay." Isaac replied unsurely. Mal's venom towards Shepard was obvious but his warning seemed to be a genuine one.
"Anyway, enough discussions about jackass admirals, we've got a game to start." Mal announced pleasantly. "It's time for me to clean you bastards out again." he laughed.
"Three Game Rule." his companions replied in unison. "Whiny little…" Mal muttered while Tess chuckled.
"So, we're playing poker? What's the 'Three Game Rule,' is it a Terminus thing?" Ethan asked curiously.
"No my Alliance friend, it's a Terminus Wolves thing." Lance replied cheerfully. "Our leader is notoriously good at this and despite our best efforts, he always beats us, BADLY. So we came up with the Three Game Rule to balance things out. Basically, he's only allowed to play three hands with us before bowing out so that the rest of us can have a fair shot." he explained.
"This kinda reminds me of when we used to play with Zoe and Al-I mean, let's get started, shall we?" Ethan quickly recovered after catching sight of Tess' glare.
"Some quick advice, keep your eyes on the two drell. One has a flawless poker face and the other is a sticky fingered little cheat who won't hesitate to use his biotics and any other dirty trick he can come up with." Mal humorously advised.
"Hey! I'll have you know that I'm a paragon of honesty and fair play." Gage objected.
"And a lousy liar." Blaze derisively added while eyeing him.
During the next few hours, Ethan and Isaac found themselves thoroughly enjoying themselves as they won and lost credits, shared stories and listened to some of the more daring exploits that the Terminus Wolves had pulled off. It was the most fun that Ethan had had in quite a while and he was glad that Mal had invited him. It reminded him of their younger days, when he and Mal would hang out and get into trouble during his visits to Earth.
"So then Mal says, 'I trained on Tuchanka, bitch' and he practically pulverizes the psychotic SOB with a biotic slam before walking back over to us and saying, 'Eleven more to go' with his usual badass attitude. Meanwhile, I'm thinking to myself, 'Well done, you've officially dropped the panties of every woman here, as usual.' Sometimes it's pretty rough following this guy, let me tell you." Lance joked while the others nearly died of laughter.
"Exaggerate much?" Mal replied indignantly.
"I'll admit, I was turned on at the time." Rika stated in between laughs.
"Hey!" Mason objected. "And Boss, what's the deal with you calling everybody a bitch before you kill them or is that just a thing you do with Zodiac Commanders?" he joked.
"I don't do that!" Mal complained.
"Really? Does the line 'A little something for your headache, bitch' ring a bell? Aethyta told us about your scuffle with Sagittarius." Tess teased while pinching his cheek.
"Oh, he does do that a lot doesn't he?!" Lira exclaimed. "Remember his fight with Aries? TED play the audio you recorded back then, 'Spoken like a true loser or a bitch.' That line was so epic!" she cheerfully shouted after mimicking Mal.
"Everybody leave me alone." Mal replied irritably.
"Aww, I think we upset him. Don't worry tough guy, I still love you." Tess replied playfully before kissing his neck.
"They sounded like pretty cool lines to me, Mal." Ethan chuckled. "I hope you don't mind if I use some of them."
"Sure, why not? You're probably still using my old pickup lines after all." Mal said while smirking.
"Uh, what? My lines are and always have been one hundred percent original." Ethan replied leisurely.
"Is that right? I seem to recall my lines scoring us a few rounds of free drinks from a pair of cuties in a pub back in London a few years back." Mal stated smugly.
"It was my charm and charisma that attracted them in the first place, not to mention my idea to let them buy us those drinks. If it had been up to you, we would've missed out." Ethan countered.
"Oh, we've gotta hear this one. Hurry up and spill Boss." Mason demanded.
"Yes, do enlighten us darling." Tess added in annoyance while staring at Mal.
"Seriously?! You're actually going to get jealous over a pair of anonymous girls that I hardly even remember and had no contact with beyond a little bit of flirting…from five years ago!?" Mal asked incredulously. "My wife ladies and gentlemen!" he announced sarcastically soliciting a playful punch in the arm from Tess.
"So what happened? Don't keep us in suspense." Gage eagerly inquired.
"It's a really boring story that only highlights Ethan's stupidity." Mal replied in exasperation. "But if you really want to know, I'm happy to share. I was on Earth a few years ago and this idiot and I had a double date scheduled with a certain pair of Alliance soldiers who'd finally gotten some leave. We had some time to kill before we were due to meet them, so the genius decided that we should sneak into a pub and relax for awhile. We happened to get the attention of a pair of lovely grad students who seemed to mistake us for students too. Ethan decided that we should take advantage of the situation and convince them into buying us a few drinks. 'Equality of the sexes' and 'What harm could it do?' were his exact lines of reasoning if I remember correctly. That was the beginning of a long list of reasons that taught me never to listen to this dipshit." he joked.
"They did buy us those drinks and be honest Mal, it felt nice to be wooed." Ethan replied while smirking.
"Oh yes and tell me, how did it feel to have to jump from a second story window?" Mal asked in a falsely pleasant tone.
"What?!" Blaze shouted.
"It turned out that that quaint little pub happened to be the favorite haunt of a certain famous galactic hero and his entourage, including the father of young Ethan's date. I still say you're damned lucky that place a second floor and an open window. Shepard would've killed you if he'd caught you drinking and Jacob would've killed you again for flirting behind Zoe's back. Damn, you really were a bad influence, you know that?" Mal joked.
"We escaped didn't we? I can't believe you're still bringing this up." Ethan replied defensively.
"We landed in a dumpster and almost ended up being late after we had to clean ourselves up. Our biotics may have softened our landing but they didn't help with the stench." Mal stated in annoyance.
The others quickly laughed as the image of the pair covered in garbage quickly formed in their heads. "Classic, absolutely classic." Mason continued to laugh before reaching for another beer from a nearby cooler. "Uh oh, we're out. Alright, who forgot to restock." he asked sternly while looking over the group.
"Don't look at me, I was on ammo detail this time." Lance replied.
"And I was on explosives." Blaze added.
"I believe our resident krogan were assigned to supply us with a suitable amount of alcohol for this assignment." Hildy stated serenely.
"Son of a-did you dumbasses load us up with ryncol again?!" Mason demanded while eyeing Brix and Tag.
"Pretty much." Brix replied nonchalantly while Tag laughed.
"So, basically we don't have anything left that's ingestible for anyone other than you two and Mal. Perfect." Gage stated sardonically while glancing at Brix and Tag.
"We do have a few bottles of champagne that I've been saving for a rainy day." Mal offered.
"How swanky of you Fearless Leader, Flicker grab a few will you?" Mason asked after turning to TED.
"Damn it, there'd better be some left once you're all finished. I want to have at least one bottle left to add to my liquor cabinet once we get back to Omega." Mal complained.
"Don't be so stingy, we've earned the right to indulge ourselves a little." Rika snapped.
"Why do you always have to 'indulge' yourselves on my damn credits?" Mal replied in agitation.
"Hang on Boss, have you already forgotten about that blowout that we threw you on Ilium? It wasn't exactly easy getting Nomi Sparta to make an appearance." Mason countered.
"Wait, that party was yours?!" Ethan asked in shock.
"Yeah, how'd you even hear about it?" Mal asked curiously.
"Are you serious? It was all over the extranet! Every damn soldier under my command has been whispering about it and I'm not even going to pretend that I'm not a little disappointed that I missed it." Ethan explained.
"I read about it myself." Isaac casually stated. "While I was searching for an article on dark energy dissipation!" he quickly added after catching sight of the suspicious looks that Ethan and Mal were giving him.
"Bottoms up, everyone." TED cheerfully interjected after returning with the drinks. He had thoroughly enjoyed his role acting as a bartender at Mal's bachelor party and was quite happy to take on the responsibility once more.
"Screw it, send two my way TED." Mal said in exasperation before catching a pair of glasses filled with champagne that the synthetic sent sliding towards him. "What do you say we make a toast, Tess?" he proposed while handing her a glass.
"I don't…I'm not really thirsty." Tess replied evasively.
"I don't think Tess should be drinking anything with alcohol in it." Taya stated anxiously.
"You make it sound like she's pregnant or something." Lance remarked in an offhand manner.
An awkward silence immediately followed his statement as everyone sat gaping at Tess who had grown red from embarrassment. "Holy Shit, you work fast Fearless Leader." Mason finally said in astonishment.
"Surprise?" Tess said feebly as Mal continued to stare at her in utter disbelief. Moments later the others began excitedly offering their congratulations.
"I'm quite upset with you, why was Taya the first to know?" Rika playfully demanded.
"I'm the medical professional, remember? She needed someone to check her health and begin monitoring the baby's development." Taya replied happily.
"How far along is she?" Lira asked excitedly.
"Eight weeks." Tess replied in between her efforts to snap Mal back to reality, he'd apparently become catatonic.
"So, there will soon be a new addition to our pack, how wonderful." Hildy said while smiling.
"I call godfather!" Lance quickly shouted.
"In your dreams Lancelot! Have you forgotten who the best man at the wedding was? I hate to break it to you but Uncle Mason has the role of godfather covered." Mason shot back.
"What the hell is a godfather?" Brix asked in confusion while Tag shrugged.
"Should we get him a doctor?" Isaac asked while glancing at Mal who was still frozen in his seat.
"Mal! Snap out of it, this is big news!" Ethan shouted across the table.
"I don't know why he's so shocked. I'm more surprised that he hasn't managed to knock her up before now with the way they're always on each other." Gage casually commented.
"So, boy or girl?" Blaze asked.
"I'm not familiar with human gestation periods, but I'm fairly certain that it's too early to know that." Nox replied.
"I believe the baby's gender can be determined between eighteen and twenty weeks into the pregnancy according to my files on human reproductive periods." TED specified.
"Why exactly do you have files on human reproduction?" Lance asked curiously.
"Oh, I don't just have files on humans, I have detailed reproductive information on all Citadel Species. I find organic reproduction fascinating." TED replied earnestly.
"I don't how I should feel about that." Lance replied in a somewhat stupefied manner.
"TED's continued pursuit of knowledge is an admirable endeavor." Zade remarked appreciatively.
"I'm glad that you feel that way Zade because I actually wanted to ask you and Hildy a few questions regarding asari melding practices-"
"TED, that's enough." Hildy cut in dangerously.
"Mal, you're starting to scare me." Tess said somewhat frantically after placing her hands on Mal's face. "Say something!"
"We…how…when…" he mumbled.
"Shit, I hope there's enough ryncol left to get him through this." Mason remarked while observing Mal.
"I'm fine." Mal finally announced while exhaling. "I just need to sit down and get my bearings."
"Mal, you are sitting." Tess replied while watching him with a worried look as she rubbed his shoulders.
"Right, right. You should be sitting." Mal stated before lifting her from his lap and placing her in his chair before beginning a rather panicked bout of pacing around the table. "Water! You need water! TED, get Tess some water!" he suddenly ordered.
"Mal, I'm fine-"
"Sandwiches! Pregnant women need sandwiches! Brix, get Tess some sandwiches!" Mal commanded in a frenzy.
"I think he may have lost it." Gage whispered to the others as Mal continued to mutter and pace around them.
After nearly a minute of pacing, Taya finally got to her feet and approached Mal who was still lost in his own thoughts. "Mal, listen to me. You and Tess are going to have a baby and you're both going to be fine. We're all going to be fine. Alright?" she said encouragingly while taking his hands. Mal took a moment to look at her and then everyone else before finally setting eyes on Tess.
"Okay, you're right." he said while rubbing the back of his neck. "So, everything's normal so far right?" he asked.
"Yes, everything is fine. But we should discuss slowing things down so that Tess can get the proper rest and-"
"Right, you need rest! What the hell are you even doing here?!" Mal suddenly shouted while eyeing Tess.
"Excuse me?!" Tess shouted back. "I'm pretty damn far from being bedridden Mal!"
"This is serious Tess!" Mal exclaimed. "Alright, alright. Once we finish things up here, I'm dropping you off on Omega or maybe with my parents. The rest of us can handle things on Tuchanka." he quickly explained.
"Wait, Mal you guys are headed for Tuch-"
Ethan was immediately cut off by Tess' furious rebuttal. "The hell you are! You are NOT leaving me behind while you run off to fight yahg, Zodiac Commanders, Geists, Overseers, Overlords and who knows what else!"
"Uh, yeah I am! You're pregnant!" Mal shouted back.
"Amazon, the Boss has a point. Tuchanka is the biggest warzone in the galaxy right now and I for one don't wanna see anything happen to Boss Junior before he can even get here." Mason calmly interjected.
"Let's set aside the fact that we don't even know the child's gender yet, Tess is more than capable of handling herself and our assignment shouldn't take longer than a couple of weeks." Rika countered.
"Rika's right!" Lira chimed in.
"No she's not! Are you both insane?!" Lance asked incredulously.
"Although I'd advise against Tess remaining active in the field, it is her decision." Zade said placidly.
"Indeed, Tess knows her limits better than anyone and once we've settled matters on Tuchanka, we can all take a few months off and assist with preparations for the child's birth." Hildy serenely added.
"I'm disappointed Zade. Hildy's already got you wrapped around her finger." Blaze scoffed.
"Are we seriously debating this?! She's PREGNANT! I'm with Mal on this." Gage said defiantly.
"For once the thief and I agree on something, we are not endangering Tess or her and Mal's child." Blaze added.
The arguments quickly escalated and grew more and more heated as every member of the Terminus Wolves attempted to assert their opinion on the matter. "This is kind of awkward." Isaac whispered to Ethan as they both watched the scene uncomfortably.
"No kidding." Ethan replied. Despite how tense the situation was, Ethan couldn't disregard the fact that Mal and his friends were heading for Tuchanka, the very place where the next and most important phase of his plan would take place.
"Goddammit Tess!" Mal finally sighed in exhaustion. "How the hell do you expect me to sign off on bringing my pregnant wife to the worst battlefield in the galaxy?" he said before slumping into a chair.
"How do you expect me to sit on my ass while the man I love is fighting in that battlefield?" Tess replied softly before taking a seat across his lap.
The room fell silent as everyone pondered a solution to the impasse. "Um, Mal? I have a suggestion." TED finally said after several minutes of stillness passed. "Tess is reluctant to leave your side and you don't wish to place her in danger, so perhaps a compromise is in order. Instead of having Tess fight in the field, she can coordinate everyone's movements from a base camp and I can assist and protect her while everyone else handles the more dangerous tasks. That way, Tess will be close enough not to worry but also out of harm's way."
"That's still too close to danger for me." Mal finally replied.
"And too far away for me. I still wouldn't be close enough to keep you safe." Tess added.
"So neither of us gets what we really want, fine damn it." Mal relented.
"We have an agreement then, thank you TED." Tess said appreciatively before getting to her feet and hugging their synthetic friend.
"You're welcome." TED replied shyly.
"Sorry I yelled." Mal apologized after Tess returned to his lap.
"Me too." she replied before kissing him. Their passionate exchange quickly began grating on their friends' nerves as it started to progress into something far more than a kiss.
"Is it just me or is that exactly how we ended up in this mess in the first place?" Gage loudly joked causing the newlyweds to finally separate.
"We can pick this up later." Mal whispered in Tess' ear causing her to giggle. "Where did we even leave off before this fiasco started?" he asked the group at large.
"We were cracking open your champagne. It looks like we've actually got a reason to break it out now. What do you say we all give a toast to the safe and healthy birth of my future nephew." Mason offered while raising his glass while the others did the same.
"Once their daughter is born, I'm going laugh at you Oaf and mock you relentlessly." Rika scoffed.
"Man, you're actually going to be a father. I'm still a little shocked myself." Ethan quietly commented. "But if there's anyone in this galaxy who'd make a great dad, it's you Mal." he added sincerely.
"I've got my doubts but thanks, Ethan." Mal replied appreciatively.
"So, Tuchanka?" Ethan mused.
"Yeah, we got word from Wrex and Zaeed that things have taken a turn for the worse. They aren't just fighting the yahg now, but Equinox and Zen forces too. And I've gotten some fairly reliable info that leads me to believe that a few Zodiac Commanders are leading the charge, worse yet, an elder might be lurking in the shadows." Mal explained gravely.
"Fuck me," Ethan sighed in desperation. "I didn't need to hear that."
"Why so glum? Tuchanka isn't the Alliance's concern." Lance inquired.
"Actually, it is." Ethan replied solemnly. He took a moment to survey Mal and his friends, if he was going to convince them, it had to be now and that would mean revealing his plan in its entirety. "I have a proposal for you guys, so listen up…"
After spending an hour explaining his plan for defeating the Trio, Ethan found himself fairly exhausted and also anxious. With all three of the Trio's forces laying siege to Tuchanka and no hope of securing ground reinforcements from elsewhere, he was going to need help from the Terminus Systems and Mal was the one man who could get it.
"You're asking for a lot Ethan, A WHOLE LOT." Mal finally replied.
"I know Mal, but we can't afford to lose Tuchanka or the krogan, not if we want to win this. When I laid everything out for Admiral Hackett, I only planned to have the Seventh Fleet acting as additional support along with my people and…Allie's. But I only anticipated having to fight the yahg and possibly a contingent of ZEN, not all three elements of the enemy's war machine." Ethan explained.
Mal took a moment to glance over at Brix and Tag, regardless of whether or not he agreed to help Ethan, they'd all still be going to Tuchanka. He'd be damned if he was going to let his friends' homeworld burn. "Alright Ethan, we'll help you but I've got a few ground rules to establish. First, my loyalty is to you and nobody else. If anyone other than you tries to give me or my people orders, we hit the road and they hit the dirt. Second, keep your sister and her Valkyries as far away from me as possible. We won't be held accountable if Tess and the girls end up dropping a few for getting too close. That goes double for your captain, Xuen. I won't hesitate to kill him if he gives me a reason Ethan, so make sure he steers clear of me. Third, if I meet your parents…don't let me meet you parents." Mal explained ominously.
Ethan took a moment to consider before agreeing to Mal's terms. "You've got a deal Mal. From the very beginning I didn't intend to have you answer to anyone else and Captain Xuen is part of my bridge staff, so there's no reason he'd be on the ground. Dad spends most of his time on Arcturus Station and so does mom when she's not using the Normandy for a mission. Neither one of them should be showing up on Tuchanka. As for Allie and the Valkyries…I'll do what I can, but the more mercenaries you bring, the better your chances of avoiding her.
"Then we won't have a problem. I happen to know the new leader of the Blood Pack on Omega and he's actually a decent guy who's probably already making plans to head for Tuchanka. I shouldn't have too much trouble 'convincing' the Blue Suns and Eclipse bastards either. The Talons definitely won't be a problem, so expect plenty of lethal SOBs with omni-bows backing you up." Mal explained pleasantly.
"Hang on a minute, Mal. I just want to make sure of something, we are getting paid for this, right?" Gage asked seriously.
"Of course!" Ethan replied earnestly. "I've been assigned a discretionary fund to handle operations like this and I also have a few other 'sources' of income that I usually use to buy my weapons and equipment." he added.
"You mean that crap about SPECTRES having to buy their own gear is true? Dafuq!" Mal laughed while his friends immediately joined him.
"The most elite operatives in the galaxy and they have to buy their own shit!" Lance said while tearing up from laughing so hard.
Even Isaac snorted but quickly stifled his laughter when Ethan glared at him. "You'd think the Council would provide you with some means of carrying out your duties." he quickly said while struggling not to grin.
"The official line is that we're supposed to be able to operate as self-sufficient agents who don't have to rely on the same kind funding or resources as a military or C-Sec. The truth is they just don't want to shell out, so we're on our own. I remember dad glossing over the details of cleaning out pirates, mercs and criminals once he killed them. Hacking safes, searching through storage containers, sweet talking store clerks into giving him discounts, I never realized how hard he had it until I made it. Luckily I'm in special forces, so I get access to N7 series weapons and armor plus Miranda's been helping me out by…nevermind." he gave up as Mal and the others continued to laugh.
"I'm dying Boss! All I can picture is the great Admiral Shepard poking around some rusty cargo hold sniffing around for a few stray credits to fuel up his ship and by a new gun!" Mason yelled while literally crying from laughing so hard.
"We're sorry Ethan, seriously." Mal finally said while attempting to keep a straight face but chuckling in between his words. "Hearing about this makes me glad to be a mercenary. I mean, damn." he added sympathetically before once again laughing.
"Just get it all out of your system." Ethan sighed while Mal and his friends erupted into another bout of laughter and Isaac finally broke down and joined them.
He'd succeeded in securing Mal's help and the battles that laid ahead would be arduous to say the least, but for now he could take pride in knowing that he'd gotten his friend back…and everything that came with him.
