Hey, there! I hope everyone is doing well with everything that has been going on lately. New chapter here in case you have nothing else to do or read right now. I hope you enjoy it.
Chapter 16: Shocking Truth and Misunderstandings
Two arms around holding her tightly, a loud explosion and some numbness were all Tali felt as Shepard tackled her mere seconds ago. She slowly opened her eyes, little by little, sound came through her ears. Gunfire, callouts and the sound biotics made when unleashed.
Grenadier down!
Wrex! Ashley! Cover our left side!
Commander! Tali! Report!
Liara, do you see anything?!
With her eyes opened and with an almost clear vision, Tali noticed she was laying sideways on the floor. As she tried to get up, she felt Shepard's arms still hugging her. Right, he jumped at me because I didn't move from the… her eyes widened.
"Shepard!" she shouted, looking behind her.
There was no response, he stood still as if he was sleeping. His body tugging the wall. The backside of his armor had a black dust residue, typical of an explosion.
Vitals! Tali quickly got on her knees changing Shepard's position so he laid looking up. She took off his helmet and quickly use her fingers to check for a pulse remembering Chakwas instructions. There was a faint pulse, but it was a pulse. She quickly brought her omni-tool up executing the vitals scan on Shepard's armor. It was common for teams to have shared vital scans on their armors so any member could check on each other in case of emergencies. In just a few seconds, the scanner started to throw results.
Breathing… just a little below average. Brain activity… NREM state. No broken bones, no bleeding. Everything else looks normal. Good. Said Tali to herself exhaling deeply.
Commander! Tali! Come in! Kaidan's voice came through the comm's.
Tali brought her hand up to her helmet. "Tali here," she answered.
"Good to hear from you Tali. Yo-you two okay?! Did Shepard's comm's got busted?!" Gunfire could still be heard outside the hall were Tali was. She couldn't see anything outside since smoke was blocking her vision.
"I-I'm fine but Shepard… H-he's unconscious but his vitals are fine. Just checked them using the scanner."
"Roger that! Hold tight! Try to move to a better position if you can!"
"Will do," said Tali and got behind Shepard, putting her arms under his hoping to move him away from the entrance. Easier said than done. Shepard weighted at least 2 times more than Tali, plus the armor. It took more strength than she was used to. Once away from the gunfire, Tali sat down to get a breather.
As she catches her breath, she started to observe the room they were in. It definitely was the one they were looking for. The room was full of server towers and terminals. It also had a few storage closets and what it looks like medical equipment. With a facility big as this and they use the server room as a storage one too, really? Tali shook her head in disbelief.
She looked back at Shepard to check on him. He was still unconscious. What are they going to say about me after this? That I was slow on my job? That I was careless? That I put Shepard in danger? She concentrated on his face. Shepard… what will you say to me? Tali wouldn't stop questioning herself after the incident, but she also couldn't stop wondering how Shepard looked so calm, even unconscious.
Since he rescued her, she was always able to observe his face but never with as much determination as this moment. Somehow she drifted away, observing Shepard's features.
Gunfire slowly started coming through his ears. Eyes were starting to move. Breaths were starting to get stronger. The head barely moved around before opening the eyes. Shepard was waking up. As his vision cleared, he was welcomed by a familiar quarian staring down on him. Her two white eyes lost in thought were locked on his.
"Tali?" he asked in a low grumbled voice. No response. "Tali," he said a bit louder this time.
Her eyes suddenly move and blink a few times as she heard her name. "S-Shepard! You're awake!" she said, surprised as she didn't notice when he woke up.
"Yeah, guess I am. How long was I out?" he asked as he tried to get in a sitting position. "Agh!" he retorted.
"Easy, Shepard. Let me help you," said Tali. Once Shepard was sitting with his back against the wall, she brought her omni-tool up and run the vital scan once again. "You were out a few minutes. How are you feeling?" she asked.
Shepard had his eyes closed with his head looking up. "My throat is a little dry. And… ugh, my body aches. Must have hit the wall really hard after…" his eyes widened quickly turning over to Tali. "The grenade! Tali! Are you hurt? Are you-" stopped asking a worried Shepard after Tali placed her hands over his shoulders. Copying him when he tries to calm her down.
"I'm fine, Shepard, really," she said, her voice soft and reassuring. Once Shepard closed his mouth and nodded, Tali let go of him. "You saved me from certain death and I'm really grateful for it. That's two times you save me now. I should be looking for a way to repay you other than being with you on this mission."
Shepard smiled. "It's the duty of a leader to protect his teammates and make sure they come back alive in the face of danger, Tali."
"Yes, it is. But it doesn't mean you need to put your life in harm's way all time the time. A team is nothing without its leader, so you better stop throwing your life away like that."
"I'll try, but no promises. I also won't ask for more explosions. That's a wish I might regret," he said, after which they both laugh.
After their laugh toned down, Tali bowed her head. "None of this would have happened if I didn't stand still like an idiot looking at the damn grenade. Shouldn't have risk your life like that trying to save me."
"Hey, don't say that you still got much to live for, for one, you still want to impress your father right? Prove to him and the rest of the quarians you got what it takes to be part of the fleet?" As always, Shepard found a way to cheer Tali up.
"I… yes… I guess you're right," she said looking back up. Her eyes were a little shallow.
Shepard knew there was a cheerful smile behind that visor. He raised one hand. "And don't worry about looking for a way to pay me. You being with us on the mission is more than enough. You've already helped us a lot." Tali only nodded. Before they realized, the gunfire sounds ceased and the unique sound a commlink made was heard on Tali's helmet.
"We're done on our side Tali. We'll be with you in a sec," said Kaidan.
"Roger that, Kaidan," she answered.
"Oh, so now you receive voice from Alenko?" playfully asked Shepard.
"Well, a certain Commander was unconscious, someone had to," Responded Tali in the same way as him. Shepard shook his head with a smile and in just a few seconds, the team entered the room they both were in. First in line was Kaidan, followed by Ashley, Garrus, Liara and Wrex.
"Tali, how's the Comma-" said Ashley as she entered the room. "I thought you said he was unconscious?"
"Just woke up a Chief," answered Shepard. "And don't worry, before you ask, I'm fine. Just a little sore on the body."
"Well, good to hear then. Thought we might lose you two back there," said Kaidan.
"Bah, if Shepard survived a Thresher Maw, a little explosion won't kill him. Same goes for you kid," said Wrex, pointing at Tali.
"And it's a good thing it didn't. Wouldn't look good on our curriculum either," jokingly said Garrus.
"I still don't understand how you can joke on matters such as this. We almost lost the Commander and Tali," said a slight angry Liara.
"Copping mechanism Liara, remember what Joker said after we rescue you?" said Shepard.
"Copping mechanism, right. I do remember Jokers… joke."
"Happy family reunion aside, what now, sir?" asked Ashley.
"Well, it looks like we're in the room we were looking for. Tali?"
"Yes. We are in what it would be the server room that also works as storage hence the medical equipment stored here. A scan should let us know if these towers are working in conjunction or separated," she explained.
"I'll leave that to you, Kaidan and Garrus then. The rest, search around for anything the might be useful to take besides data from the terminals. As for me… if no one minds, I'll be sitting here until we're done."
"No worries Commander, will let you know once we're finished," said Kaidan and wandered off to the terminals with Tali and Garrus. Ashley and Liara nodded and went searching around the room. Wrex was the only one with Shepard, he was observing the hall.
"Something wrong Wrex?" asked Shepard.
"Hmmm. I still think there might be a few more enemies out there, could be waiting for us once we're done here."
"Want to make sure there's no one left?"
Wrex smiled. "Heh. You start to know me well Shepard."
"Go on. Just make sure to meet us back on the entrance once we're done here."
"Will do," said Wrex and wandered off.
It took a while for the team to access the files and download all the data they could before the terminals started emitting alarm chimes and wiped itself. The data they could gather was well encrypted but it didn't matter. Sooner or later it would be available to read and be useful to the Alliance. Wrex was also able to find a few remaining troops, which he was glad to get rid of.
Once back on the Normandy and a quick check at the Medical Bay, and of course a scold off by Chakwas, Shepard was in his room, filling up a report about his recent siege on the Cerberus facilities.
….A copy of the Cerberus data found in the facilities will be attached to the report.
SSV Normandy, Commander J. Shepard.
"That should be enough," he said, saving the report in his terminal.
"Transmission coming in, Commander. I think you're going to want to hear this one," said Joker through the comms of his room.
"Patch it in."
"Greetings, Commander Shepard," an unfamiliar voice was heard, Shepard noticed the person behind the transmission was using a voice changer based on the effect the voice had. "I represent a party interested in obtaining information on Cerberus activities," said the strange voice.
Shepard raised an eyebrow. "Who are you? Who do you represent?" he asked.
"Who I am is inconsequential. Suffice to say, I am an agent of the Shadow Broker."
The Shadow Broker… I remember Anderson talking about this…group? What do they want?
The mysterious voice continued. "You see, Admiral Kahoku contacted my employer looking for information on the location of Cerberus facilities. We provided that information on the promise that he would turn over copies of all files gathered from the Cerberus systems to us."
So that's how Kahoku got the coordinates. And to use the services of the Shadow Broker means to give something of the same value. But what about his death? "Admiral Kahoku was found dead in one of their facilities," said Shepard, waiting for some type of reaction on their part. "You didn't play any part in that?"
"A shame to hear that, my condolences, but no. We had no reason to harm him. He was going to provide us with information from Cerberus. Information that is now in your possession. The Admiral said we could count on you with that in case anything happened to him," explained the voice.
"Maybe… How did you know about those facilities? How do I know you're not working for Cerberus?"
"As you may know, Commander. Information is our business. Through our contacts, we were able to determine that the Cerberus group was active in the Voyager cluster. Unfortunately, that was all we were able to find out. There may be more facilities out there. That's why we're so interested in acquiring copies of the files from you. Besides, if we were Cerberus, why ask for information we already have? And of course, you'll be compensated for giving us these files."
Okay, they're good. They make a point. If they can find more information about them, then having the Shadow Broker as an… I'd like to say ally but they work for the highest bidder, in the end, might as well give them the copies, Kahoku gave his word on me so I must respect his decision. "All right, you make a point. I respected the Admiral so I'll keep to his word, I'll transmit the files."
"I knew you were a reasonable man, Commander. My employer will remember this the next time you need something from us."
"What do you plan to with these files?" asked Shepard as he sent the files to the address of the voice.
"Information is a commodity. It can be bought, sold, or traded. Why my employer desires this information is not my concern. I am only the buyer. It was great doing business with you, Commander. Have a nice day," said the voice and the transmission came to an end.
Well, let's hope for the best. Thought Shepard. He heard a few knocks on his door followed by a familiar voice calling him. "Come in," he said standing up from his chair.
The door slid open and Tali walked in. She was in her shy pose which Shepard always found cute. "Um… hope I'm not interrupting any work you might be doing. Especially if it's around grenades, I'd think I've had my fair share of them," she said ending with a somewhat awkward laugh.
Shepard raised his hands. "No, no, not at all. I'd think we both had enough of them for today. Uh, did you wanted to talk about something or…?"
"Y-Yes, I do. If you have the time for it of course."
"Yeah, sure," said Shepard as he signals Tali to take a seat on the couch. "Just finished… my report so I'm free at the moment. What did you want to talk about?"
"W-Well, I while back ago we said that we… would… teach, each other about our skills as engineers. I would show you about hacking, decryptions, and that kind of stuff while you…"
"Teach you about my…" Shepard raised his hands with two fingers up, making quotes out of them. "…explosive methods," he said making small laugh.
"Yes, you're…" Tali imitated him by doing the same with her hands. "…explosive methods."
Shepard couldn't resist laughing and tried covering up his mouth with one hand, making Tali tilt her head in curiosity.
"W-what so funny Shepard?" she asked almost laughing because of Shepard.
Shepard regain his composure, took a deep breath and exhale. "Sorry Tali, I just wasn't expecting you to imitate me. That's all."
"Oh, so you're making fun of me or yourself then?"
"Both?" he shrugged smiling awkwardly.
"Bosh'tet," said Tali playfully.
"That word. I've always wondered what you mean when you say that. I mean… I can get an idea but is there an exact meaning to it?" asked Shepard genuine curios.
"Bosh'tet? Well, it's an expression we quarians use to insult someone or something. Depending on how we use it is the severity and meaning of the word but in human words, it could be any of your one-word insults," explained Tali.
"Hmmm, I see. So just now you called me what, an idiot?"
"Uhmmm, perhaps."
"All right, idiot is not so bad anyway. And how do you pronounce it?"
Tali cleared her throat and raised a hand with one finger up. "Bosh, tet. Bosh'tet."
"Bash…"
"No, no, Bosh… Bosh…"
"That's what I'm saying, Bash, Bash"
"No, it's not Ba, it's Bo, Bo. Ugh, it would be much easier if you could see my mouth," said Tali who at first didn't realize her words and after a few seconds, she could feel her cheeks blushing.
Shepard also remained silent and looked away as he noticed Tali's eyes widened. Did she…? No, no. You're just imaging things. Shepard knew quarians had their faces covered up even on their ships because of their fragile immune systems and the only way to see it was in the intimacy of a couple. Shepard cleared his throat. "What if you write it down? Maybe that'll help."
Tali looked at Shepard, her blush fading away. "Yeah, you're right. The translator won't give you the exact translation but it will leave it in a way you can read it I suppose," she said as she brought her omni-tool up and wrote the word. "Here," she said showing the omni-tool to Shepard.
B o s h't e t
Shepard narrowed his eyes a little. "B o s h… oh… now it makes sense. Bosh… tet. Is that right?" he said turning towards Tali.
"Yes! That's how you say it. Bosh'tet."
"Bosh'tet. Huh, guess I have a new word to insult in my dictionary," said Shepard. A big smile on his face.
"Just… don't go around saying it if somehow… you're on the Flotilla or meet any other quarian during the mission."
"I take it that the Migrant Fleet doesn't receive tourists?" jokingly asked Shepard.
Tali giggled. "No. We don't receive tourists. That would really put us in danger."
"I can imagine. What about that other expression you use?"
"Keelah?"
"Yeah, that one."
"Well, it's actually a part of an expre-"
"Commander, guess what?" Cut Joker Tali off through the room comms in a sarcastic tone.
Both Shepard and Tali shook their head. Every time they were trying to get along or do something together, Joker would always interrupt them. They knew it wasn't his fault, but somehow the timing was just…
"Another transmission?" asked Shepard.
"Yes, another transmission and guess by who?"
"Alliance HQ?"
"Alliance HQ! How did you know? Do you have some special powers or something Commander?"
"Joker…"
"Patching it through," said Joker dropping the joke.
Shepard was expecting Tali to get up from the couch and leave the room leaving him to his Alliance business but she remained on the couch. Guess she knows I'd let her stay in the end, he thought.
"Commander," said the familiar voice of the Admiral.
"Sir."
"I've received some information I thought you'd' want to see, Commander."
Shepard tilted his head. Normally Alliance HQ would be straightforward and give him orders. But this time, the voice of the Admiral was different. It sounded more, personal than an upper-rank officer.
The admiral continued. "Someone is killing former Alliance scientist. There has been four death in the past month."
"Former Alliance scientist? Sounds like someone has a project they'd like to keep secret."
"We found a connection between the scientist…" the Admiral made a slight pause, "and you."
Shepard was taken back. "Me?" he asked surprised.
"They all worked on a classified project several years ago," Don't say it. "On Akuze."
"No! This can't have anything to do with what happened to me on Akuze," said Shepard, some anger was in his voice. Tali put her left hand on his right shoulder, to which he thanked as it somehow, calmed him down.
"Those thresher maws killed dozens of soldiers. If this was more than just an accident, we need to know. Commander… Shepard. What you do with this is up to you. I just thought you'd want to know. There was one other scientist on the project: Dr. Wayne. I'm transmitting his last known coordinates. Good luck. Fifth Fleet out," said the Admiral and the transmission ended.
Shepard remained silent, leaning on the table, his head was bowed with his eyes closed. Tali still had her hand on his shoulder.
"Shepard…" said Tali in a soft tone.
"This can't be a coincidence, Tali. It can't be," anger was starting to build inside Shepard again.
"Shepard I… You… you told me everything that happened on Akuze. The jammer you mentioned, it was probably part of this… project those scientists were working on. Your Admiral said they were part of the Alliance…"
"Cerberus," said Shepard in a cold tone as he opened his eyes and looked back up. "If they were the ones behind Akuze…" Shepard pressed the comm's for the cockpit on his terminal. "Joker, head to the coordinates I'm sending you now."
"Roger that, Commander."
Shepard then pressed the comm's that would announce through the whole ship. "Attention to all ground team members. Report to the conference room in 5," Shepard got off the table. Tali took her hand off him. "Let's go," he said. Without a word, Tali followed him out of the room.
The assignment took place on the planet Ontarom in the Newton system of the Kepler Verge. As the team got close to the facility, Shepard decided it would be best to wait for the mercenaries and ambush them, as he saw no vehicles around the area. The facility was standard human design so a quick explanation of how rooms were organized was easy to understand. A plan was made and once the mercenaries arrived, the team took action.
There were a few enemies by the entrance who were no match for the Makos cannon. Inside, there about eight to ten mercenaries, human and krogan, no hostages could be seen. As Shepard had thought before, they were probably locked up in one of the utility rooms. Just as they were about to kill the last three mercenaries, one of them started running towards the back. Probably going for the scientist, thought Shepard.
"Garrus, cover me! I'm going for the runner!" shouted Shepard.
"On it!" replied Garrus.
"The rest push on and regroup with me!" ordered Shepard as he ran towards the mercenary. As he got out of the room, he looked aroud the halls trying to find the mercenary. He heard sliding doors by his right and without hesitation ran towards it. He saw the doors after a few seconds and made sure his gun was ready and boosted his shields. He slammed the holographic interface and swiftly entered the lab room.
"Stay back! I've got no grief with you! All I want is this bastard!" shouted the mercenary who was pointing his gun at point blank.
"Help me, please! He's a madman!" shouted the scientist.
"Shut up! I'm not crazy! You sons of bitches did this to me!" shouted the mercenary.
"Mr. Toombs, you're insane! You need help!" exclaimed the scientist.
"Toombs?!" asked Shepard taking his helmet off. At the same time, the rest of the team entered the room with their weapons drawn who soon entered a state of confusion as seeing Shepard without his helmet.
"Shepard? My god, Shepard, is that you?" asked the mercenary, who also took his helmet off.
Shepard lowered his gun. "Toombs? But… I saw you die on Akuze!" said Shepard in disbelief. "How… how did you survive?" As Shepard mentioned the named of his old dead friend, everyone's eyes widened, except for Wrex on Garrus who only narrowed them.
"They took me, Shepard," said Toombs while looking at the scientist. "They were running test on the thresher maws. They let those things hit us just to watch and study."
Shepard closed his eyes, remembering the events of Akuze. All the screams of his fellow marines resonating in his head, calling for help.
"I woke up in a holding cell," continued Toombs. "They were delighted I'd survived. Now they had someone to run test on."
"You bastards…" said Shepard lowly. Tali was the only one who heard him. His voice was cold, there was hate, anger, rage and more just on those two words. Tali was starting to get worried. "What did they do to you, Toombs?" asked Shepard, the emotions remained.
"You can't believe Toombs!" shouted the scientist. "He doesn't have any proof! I demand a fair trial!"
"He was there, doc. He knows what happened. And proof? I have several files with me that demonstrate all this and also… does, Cerberus sounds familiar doc?" asked Toombs. The scientist's eyes widened, confirming his acquaintance with the group.
As the word Cerberus came out, everyone remembered the assault on the previous bases and the experiments they were working on. Knowing they were the ones behind the massacre of Akuze, made the whole team pay attention to Shepard.
"This man deserves to die, Shepard. For you, for me, for Keegan, for Anna and for all our brothers and sisters who died that day," said Toombs.
Cerberus… said Shepard to himself. He slowly started walking towards the scientist.
"Let me kill him, Shepard."
Tali started moving but was soon stopped by Garrus. "Leave him, Tali. We can't do anything."
"But, why? Didn't he stop you from killing Dr. Saleon? You wanted to kill him but he stopped you from doing it."
"Yes, he did. I may have thought my C-Sec case was something personal, but Shepard reminded me it was only a job. Killing Dr. Saleon didn't change anything, but that was his decision. Right now, this IS something personal to Shepard, something he only knows in detail what to do."
"B-but…" said Tali looking back at the rest of the crew.
"As much as we like to help, Tali. We don't really have a say on this," said Kaidan. Ashley nodded in agreement. Liara only shrugged, she didn't know what to say in a situation like this.
"I agree with his friend over there, they should just kill the scientist. His the culprit, time to pay up," said Wrex.
"Just as he told me before, 'You can't predict how people will act, but you can control how you'll respond', and now… we can only wait and see how he will respond to this," explained Garrus.
Tali returned her view at Shepard and remained silent. Shepard…
Shepard stopped next to Toombs. His eyes locked on the scientist with a piercing gaze. Within those eyes, the scientist could see all the emotions Shepard was carrying. The man started sweating profusely as the truth was now revealed and the only two survivors of that experiment were right in front of him. Both with the intent of ending his life.
"C'mon, Shepard. Just give me the order," said Toombs.
Shepard pointed his gun at the scientist. "No please! No, I beg you… mercy!" was now shouting the scientist.
"Toombs, if you kill him, you're a criminal. I'm a Spectre. No one can question my decision. Are you willing to throw your life away like this?" asked Shepard.
"Damn it, Shepard, this is my kill! You got off with few scratches and a scary reputation, you weren't tortured… I DID."
"And for that, you are willing to spend the rest of your life behind a cell?!" shouted Shepard. Toombs remained silent, staring at Shepard. "Lower your gun, Corporal," ordered Shepard. The whole situation was tense, anyone could feel it. It took a few seconds before Toombs lowered his gun and holstered it.
"Please… don't kill me!" cried the scientist. "I'll give you money, anything you want!"
"You… you and Cerberus killed my whole unit, brothers and sisters who were willing to help a colony and you bastards thought it would be fun to let loose some thresher maws on us? Just for humanity's sake?" said Shepard as he pressed the gun in the man's forehead. Shepard's grip on his gun was so tight, his arm started shaking. A stream of emotions was flowing throughout his whole body.
The ground already knew what would come next. It was only a matter of seconds before the upcoming scene. The scientist wouldn't stop crying and begging for his life Shepard could feel his mind and view blurring out, the anger was winning and he was about to give in. It seems reasonable. This scientist along with Cerberus killed a group he once called family, same as the one he had now on the Normandy. And if anything happened to them, the culprit would never live to see another day.
So you're mad? Everyone else can also get mad!
A familiar voice rang through Shepards.
Is getting mad going to change anything? Yeah, it helps vents our frustration and what other negative emotions we're carrying, but does it change anything in the end?
The blurry image of someone appeared on his mind.
You're a soldier, son. A warrior, a fighter. A survivor. Emotions are good but being rational is also good. Inhale, hold it, think, exhale, and act. When everything else fails, follow your instincts.
The blur was now fading away.
Remember, Shepard. You can't predict how people will act, but you can control how you'll respond. In the end, that's what really matters. Remember that anytime you think your about to lose control over yourself.
BANG! The sound of a gunshot was heard. A scream from the scientist came. No one from the ground team could get a clear view of what happened. They could only the backs of Shepard and Toombs.
"Y-you… you didn't kill him?" asked Toombs.
Inhale, hold it, exhale, and act. "No, I didn't," answered Shepard.
"W-why?!" exclaimed Toombs. "Why didn't you… fine!" he shouted and reached for his gun, but before he took it out Shepard lunged at him pinging him on the wall.
"We're better than this Toombs! We are not, murderers! Is this what Keegan and Anna would want? Would they want revenge or justice?" Shepard's tone was high, but there wasn't anger in it. If one was an expert in how people expressed themselves based on their voice, one could see a lost man finally finding peace. And Tali was one of those people.
The face Toombs had was full anger and confusion but was soon dropped as he realized that after all this time his suffering would be over. He finally let go of his gun and dropped his head down.
"You're right. I'm no murderer. They couldn't make me one," he said and looked back up. "As long as he goes to trial and pays for his crimes. I think… that's what Keegan and Anna would have wanted."
Shepard looked at his team and shifted his head letting them know everything was all right. At the same time, he let his grip off from Toombs. "He will, Toombs. Our fight is over."
"You think the screams will stop now?"
"Yes, Toombs. We can rest now. Joker, tell the Fifth Fleet we need a ship for pick up," ordered Shepard.
"Already waiting outside, Commander," he responded.
As the ground team escorted the Toombs and the scientist outside, Shepard stayed behind, staring at the shot in the wall. Keegan... Anna… did I make the right call? Would you actually want this?
"So in the end, he calmed himself down and brought the scientist to justice while also helping an old friend. I'll keep saying it. There's no one I haven't met the way Shepard is,"said Garrus.
"I just hope they both find peace within selves," said Tali.
"I'm sure they will."
"This must have been really hard on Shepard. Seeing an old friend of yours alive after thinking he was dead in such a traumatic way."
"Must have been quite shocking. Shepard is to admire, really. Let's hope we never go through that."
Shepard turned back at the room. Garrus and Tali were waiting for him at the end. He looked one more time at the shot in the wall before reuniting with his team.
After Toombs and the scientist were taken away by the Fifth Fleet ship outside the lab, Shepard and his team returned to the Normandy. Once aboard the team decided to have dinner, except for Shepard who said wasn't' hungry. No one argued and understood why he didn't want to. He tried working on something till late in the night to clear his mind. It was working and to keep like that he would need a drink.
He made his way to the kitchen and served himself a cup of coffee. He grabbed a small snack and sat on one of the tables from the Mess Hall. He took a few bites and sips and without noticing it, he was staring morosely at the ceiling, lost in his memories.
"How are you feeling, Shepard?" asked a woman's voice.
Shepard shook his head and looked down. Liara was sitting on the chair in front of him. When did she sit down? "Oh, Liara, I didn't notice when you sat down. Sorry," apologized Shepard.
"Do not worry, it's fine."
"Is there something you need? Something you liked to know or…?"
"I just wanted to know how you were feeling after, well, the mission. It must have been quite shocking for you."
"Oh. Yeah, it was. Seeing Toombs after… you know. I'm doing fine, really. Thanks for asking. I just needed a break of what I was doing in my room."
"I see. That's good to hear. It's just that you seemed lost in your thoughts moments ago."
Shepard looked away for a moment before answering Liara's question. "I… was just thinking about my past a little I guess. Some good memories, others… not so good."
"Is there anything you actually might need?"
Shepard raised an eyebrow. "I… no. I don't think I need something right now. Thanks for your concern anyway."
"That's, good then," said Liara. Shepard could sense a little disappointment in her voice.
"Something wrong, Liara?" he asked.
She hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Sorry, I'm not used to speak to other species. Especially yours."
"How so?"
"I did not really know much about your species when we first met, Shepard. I found it hard to take humanity seriously. Your kind always seemed so rushed and high-strung." Explained Liara.
"We're short-lived," said Shepard raising one hand to the height of his shoulders. "We don't have the luxury of time. Your species tend to live to the thousands. We're lucky if we hit a hundred and fifty."
Liara nodded. "That is true. At first, I thought that was a weakness of your species. After spending time with you and your crew, however, I think it may actually be an advantage." Shepard slightly tilted his head, showing off curiosity on Liara's words. "You humans are creatures of action. You pursue your goals with an almost indomitable determination. It is an admirable trait, but also an intimidating one."
Shepard laid back on his seat. An eyebrow still up. "We're intimidating?"
"Unfortunately, the rest of the galaxy sees humanity as something of a bully. You run over anyone in your path to get what you want. It up to people like you to change their minds, Shepard."
"Me? How can I change people's minds?"
"There is a reason the Council made you Spectre. They saw something… special in you. The best of what humanity has to offer. I… looked into your history," Shepard shifted his view for a moment. "I know what happened on Akuze. The fact that you survived shows a remarkable strength. I wanted to know more about you. To understand what made you into the man you are. There's something compelling about you, Shepard." Her voice for the last sentence was charming, soft.
Shepard's eyes widened. Garrus did say she might be interested in me. "Liara, I… don't know to ask this so I'll just be blunt. Are you interested in me?"
Liara looked down at her knees and kept silent for a second. "I'll admit at first I'd find you interesting because of the beacon, the visions you gave me were nothing like I ever seen before, but after our time spent aboard the Normandy. The conversations we had and the comfort you gave me after... well, you intrigue me, Shepard, so I thought I might as well comfort you," she said looking back up.
Shepard rubbed the back of his neck. "I… I don't know what to say, Liara."
"I was not sure if it was appropriate to act on my feelings. I thought there might be a relationship between you and Chief Williams."
Williams? She did act strange sometimes, to be honest. But, she hasn't confessed or seems to. Might need to make sure of that. As strong as pretty she is... I don't see myself with her. "Williams and I are just friends. Nothing more," said Shepard.
Liara bowed her head down. "My mistake, then. I am not as adept at understanding human relationships as I thought," as she finished she raised her head. "But what about us, Shepard? Is there a mutual attraction? Or was I wrong about that, too?" asked Liara, her face was full of confusion.
Shepard looked away, rubbing the back of his head again. "I don't want to hurt your feelings or anything Liara but I'm not interested in you in that way," he looked back at her. "Sorry."
Liara placed a hand on top of her chest "Oh, this… this is very embarrassing for me, Commander. I…"
Well, this got a little awkward now. "We can still be friends if, that's alright with you," said Shepard awkwardly smiling.
"I… yes. That is fine with me," said Liara, reacting the same way.
Both Shepard and Liara remained awkwardly in silence for a moment before Shepard spoke up.
"Well, I'll head back to my room then."
"Yes, sorry. I must have taken part in your free time," said Liara in a bit of a rush.
"It's all right, don't worry," said Shepard and wandered off to his room, not wanting to extend the awkward situation they were in.
Liara stood up from her chair and headed straight to Med Bay.
Garrus peaked over the wall and once no one could be seen, he brought his omni-tool up.
"Hey, Joker."
"Hey, Garrus. What's up?"
"About those bets we placed."
"Yeah? What about?"
"You and some guys owe me a few new credits."
"Oh c'mon! No way that just happened!"
Garrus smiled as he turned around and walked towards the elevator.
Somewhere in the galaxy, on a remote solar system, there's a space station orbiting its gigantic sun. Its light illuminated a dark spacious room through a large viewing window. In the middle of the room, there was a mysterious figure sitting on a chair wearing an expensive, almost formal, black attire. A Cuban cigar on one hand while the other rested on the chair. He gazed at the view in front of him, the giant burning sun at the center of the window. Stars at its sides with the endless dark void behind them.
He brought the cigar to his mouth and took a long, slow drag, letting the nicotine fill his lungs. After a few seconds, he exhaled the smoke from his mouth. A soft chime behind him indicated an upcoming message. He turned around and stood up from the chair, looking at the holographic pad on the floor he used to receive incoming calls.
"Accept," he said, the image of women dressed in a tight white suit materialized.
"We know who attack our research bases," the woman reported.
The man took another puff from his cigarette and simply lifted his head, signaling the woman to continue.
"Alliance Soldier, Commander Shepard," she said.
The man narrowed his eyes. Commander Shepard, humanity's first Spectre. He knew about the mission Shepard was carrying. The man has people in the Alliance, from low ranks all the way to the high ranks. Any important information flowing through the Alliance would eventually land on him. It didn't matter if it took hours, days, months or years, the man is patient enough to wait.
"Do we know how he obtained the coordinates of our bases?" he asked.
"A few weeks ago, two people from the Alliance got interested in us. Captain Anderson and Admiral Kahoku."
The man slightly raised his right brow. "How far?"
"Captain Anderson couldn't even reach the surface and drop us. Admiral Kahoku on the other side… According to our field agents, he somehow managed to access old Alliance top clearance files which led him to us. Before that, Shepard helped him out with a certain group of missing marines. We believe Kahoku managed to get the coordinates of the bases based on the files and send them to Shepard."
"Was the Admiral dealt with?"
"Yes."
Satisfied with the report, the man nodded and sat on his chair. "Good, we can't afford to let loose ends like him walking around," he said and took a puff from his cigarette.
"What about Shepard and Anderson?"
"Anderson can be supervised, slightly, his position on the Citadel as the Ambassador Assistant will maintain him busy enough to keep him away from us. As for Shepard, his humanity's first Spectre, and Spectres have no leash. Keep a close watch on him. He may become a valuable asset to us in the future."
"Will do," said the woman and the image of her disappeared.
The man spun his chair back to the viewing window. He took one last puff from the cigarette before stubbing it in the chair ashtray. A valuable asset he'll become.
Author's Note:
Once again I hope you're doing well with everything that's going on.
Well, the Cerberus arc is done and I'm pretty happy how the chapter turned out. I struggled to come up with the part were Shepard was confronting the scientist, wasn't really sure how to change the scene but in the end, I managed to come up with something I liked.
Speaking of Cerberus, what are your thoughts of the end? I'd like to think it quite fitting.
The re-friendship with Tali was also something I had some difficulties thinking about how to write. So I took a dive in my notes and forgot about the part were she explains what Bosh'tet and Keelah mean so I went with that. Let's not forget the 'explosive methods' which we'll need to address on another chapter.
And… that's all. Hope you liked the chapter. Remember to stay at home as much as possible. Cheers!
