Lieutenant Commander Shepard keyed on a hologram in the middle of the conference table, "We have a new mission, and are due for a supply pick-up beforehand."
"What are we getting from the supply pickup?" Major Lee asked, leaning back in his seat.
Shepard gave him a look, "More ammunition and more of your weapons, powered suits, those Stealth Cloaks, your Uniforms, and more of those 'cheapo-variants' of your armor. The General said that he didn't want a repeat of Noveria, so he's giving us all of your gear; and we're going to New Kurdistan, to an outpost called 'Fort Ulysses'."
"And he's giving us a lot of miscellaneous clothing worn by the locals I assume?" Kal piped up from his seat, scratching his five o'clock shadow; uncomfortable with growing a beard, but doing so nonetheless.
Both because the Major had advised him to do so for undercover work; and privately, because Ash had found it 'sexy', in her own words.
Lee nodded, and pulled up the list Shepard had just sent him, "Yup, boonie hats, beanies, Jeep Caps, Goggles, Shemaghs, Pakols; old Tri-color Desert Fatigues, and so on. That means we're running an Asymmetric campaign with some locals that are pro-Systems Alliance." He noted.
Kirrahe nodded from his own seat, "Yes. Not much known; will be meeting up with IAA agent who will escort us to them once we leave 'Fort Grant' for the mountains."
While Kaiden and Ashley looked mildly uncomfortable at the prospect of working with the IAA, Lee openly scowled. "Will we be expecting the IAA to assist us in this operation?" He asked, sounding like he had been eating that 'Gut-Burner Chili'.
Kal almost shuddered at the memory, that had not been fun; vomiting into the river.
"No, just the one agent tasked with this particular Militia." Shepard replied, sounding almost relieved at the prospect.
Alenko just hummed in reply, "Right… When do we drop in on Fort Ulysses?"
"About a week, and the supply pick up is in four days; make sure you all get any personal affairs in order before the pickup, because we'll be running dark from there on out."
Kal stared at the 'Tri-Color Desert BDU' that everyone would be wearing from now; at least until the end of this operation on the ground. Apparently, this pattern had been chosen because it blended in best with the environment of New Kurdistan.
Personally, he and the rest of his squad plus Tali'Zorah were comfortable with the Sehni-like scarf; but the Commander and Sergeant Willians seemed to take great personal exception to the head covering. Ashley in particular had immediately started railing against the garment as soon as he commented how nicely it framed her face. He could swear she was blushing the entire time.
The rest of their kit for this particular mission was, in a word, rustic. He and the other Quarians had never worn anything but their environment suits before, and the loose fitting brown attire felt like it was always on the verge of getting caught on something. This was mitigated by the asundry bits-n-bobs strapped to them: Shoulder pauldrons, knee pads, elbow pads, shin pads, a thigh holster for the chemical propellant pistol everyone was wearing, and an armored vest covered in attachments. Kal figured he must be wearing almost 20 kilos of equipment, though it was surprisingly well distributed. Chalk it up to humans not having Eezo tech until recently.
He glanced over to where the commander was huddled next to Garrus. He thought for a moment that they were having a last minute briefing, until he reached inside her Sehni and brushed her cheek. It occurred to him as he turned away, that they had never once been separated since he had met them.
Kal walked over to the armory crate, and made sure he filled up on ammunition; another unfamiliar task, and noted the Major and Lieutenant Alenko were conversing quietly. He knew it was wrong, but Kal couldn't help but listen in.
"-interested in guys as well as girls; why do you ask sir?" Alenko was saying.
"I'm just here to warn you, that's something you should probably keep to yourself; for radicals like EA, the penalty for homo and bi-sexual activity is death. The 'Pro-SA Militia' we're being attached to? Well we don't know much about them, but we do know they have Communist leanings; and they aren't big fans of that kind of activity either." Lee replied, his tone low and warning.
Kal had a sudden sense of foreboding; if these people were this aggressive against their own species over something so trifling, how would they react to a squad of 'aliens'?
The Major looked over at Kal, and seemed to sense his thoughts and said; "I wouldn't worry Sergeant, these people may not be the biggest fans of 'deviants' like Alenko or Aliens in general; but they are pragmatic, and will take the help when offered."
Kal shifted his shoulders, settling the weight of the many ammunition pouches. "That seems a bit of a cold comfort, sir; but we'll do our duty." He looked the officers in the eyes. "So, do we know anymore about what this Op is yet, or are we awaiting this Iya agent for our instructions?"
The Major tilted his head back and forth; "A little of both; apparently, our main purpose is search and destroy. We're locating several EA held villages and one minor industrial city; and helping the 'Pro-SA' rebels take them. The IAA agent will brief us on the rest when we rendezvous with them in the mountains." He finally said, pulling on his skull bandanna.
Ash walked up next to Kal, and he had to fight down a blush as he recalled their shared experiences during the platoon's vacation. "If all we're doing is wrecking EA shit, why hasn't the local Tin-Pot general just hit'em with an air strike. It's not like the Han suddenly give a crap about sapient rights." Kal's eyes bugged slightly at Ashley's frank, and rather disturbing assessment of her fellow human's contempt for life.
Shepard walked up and joined them; "Because the Ack-Acks prevent anything from getting close, and the Triple Alliance fleet allows no one except diplomatic vessels to approach New Kurdistan." She explained.
"So, what? EA allows the Batarians to patrol their space?" Ash made the same face she had the morning after 'The Chili'. "That seems like a self correcting problem; we just wait for the Batarians to get all slaver-y, then come in and liberate the world."
The Major shrugged, "That's what I said, but the General told me there were strategic reasons for doing so; and I ain't that much of a thinker to try and puzzle out his 6D chess moves." He replied.
Kal sighed, then looked back at his own Marines. Everyone was fully kitted in the human gear. It was strange, but this was the most uniform he had ever seen his own troops. There was a twinge of... something; like he was getting a glimpse of his people lifted up, but only at the behest of another.
He shook the thought out of his head.
He personally owed these humans, and his whole people would soon be freed from the confinement of their wretched immune systems thanks to them. Wearing their equipment until Quarian ingenuity gave birth to Quarian manufacturing again was a small price to pay.
"Alright! When we get down to Fort Ulysses, we'll be briefly augmented by another Ghost team; who will stay attached to us for an undetermined amount of time, at least until they can set up a supply line for us." Shepard exclaimed, Jostling the Ghosts, Kal and his Marines, and Shepards own two Marines.
The Major nodded, "Well get a more complete briefing once we get on the ground; we'll be taking a stealth shuttle to Fort Ulysses, and we'll spend a few days there while our deployment and landing zones are worked out." He smirked, and looked over at Shepard, Ash and Alenko; "You guys remember Brooks? She's part of the team assigned there."
Alenko's brow wrinkled as he tried to place the name, but Ashley's eyes lit up. "Really? I need to shake her hand and thank her properly for saving my ass back on Eden-Prime."
At that, Alenko remembered where he knew the name from. "Wait, wasn't she the bored, snarky sniper?"
Shepard nodded, "That's right, she's the one that guided us to Nihlus; and her partner… Garth, I think, was the one that saved Nihlus' life if I recall correctly." She turned to the Major and raised an eyebrow, "They were some of yours?" She asked.
All four of the Ghosts nodded, "Yup, Garth was in our Chalk for training and an old friend; and Brooks is one of the newer recruits. Eden Prime was actually her first real mission you know." The Major replied, and Kal knew the man was smiling behind his balaclava.
Shepard smiled in kind, "Well… good to know we'll be working together; alright, lets get aboard the shuttle."
Tali grimaced as the stealth shuttle bounced again as it descended through the atmosphere.
The practically giant bag filled with her spare clothes, sleeping bag, MRE's, spare ammunition that she couldn't fit on the well balanced but still heavy Armor Vest lay between her legs; her new rifle pointed up at the roof of the shuttle while sandwiched between her bag and her seat.
The eleven people inside the shuttle were packed loosely together; another concept foriegn to Tali, as back on the fleet even civilian transports would be packed as tightly as possible to maximize efficiency.
And Colt was not helping matters; "So there are these two soldiers."
Tali rolled her eyes even as everyone in the cabin groaned or sighed; "Oh Jesus…"
"Here we go..."
"Kheelah, again…"
"So there are these two soldiers." Colt repeated, "and the first one asks the second one, 'If you knew a nuclear bomb was about to go off in front of you in five minutes; what would you do with the rest of your life?'."
Kal snorted next to Tali, while she rolled her eyes; "Disarm the bomb." Kal stated, as if the solution was obvious.
Colt didn't seem to think so, even as the shuttle jostled around again; "No man they can't-" He huffed, "Look they can't disarm the bomb."
Phil looked at the smaller human, "Why not?" he asked.
"Because it's a joke." Colt emphasized and drew out the word 'joke' in his reply; clearly exasperated somewhat, "Anyway, the first guy asks the second guy; and the second guy thinks for a minute, and says 'If I'm gonna die, I wanna die happy; So I'd fuck the first thing that moved'. After a minute, the second Soldier turned to the first and asked 'How about you?' The first soldier looks at the second and says, 'Me? I'd stand very, very, still for five minutes'." He chuckled as everyone processed the punchline.
When no one laughed, he just grumbled unhappily and crossed his arms.
The intercom suddenly crackled to life, and everyone looked up at the speaker. "We're coming up on the landing zone; three mikes to landing!"
Everyone began shifting in their seats, grabbing their weapons and their bags.
Exactly three minutes later; the shuttle bounced harshly, and then was still. The Major and Commander hopped up in their seats, "Alright! Grab your gear and file out; meters running folks." The Major ordered.
As the group filed out of the shuttle, they made their way to the 'Fort', which in Tali's opinion was more like a series of big tents and sheet metal buildings with a mud wall around it.
As they approached the gate, a young human dressed in the same kind of clothing Tali and the rest were wearing walked up. Tali noted that he was about the same age as or even younger than her; and seemed to be nervous on seeing them.
"Hey Corporal, TF 1-4-1; where do we bunk?" Williams asked.
"Uh you see the Quonset huts? Those are for the Fireteams. The team name or number is on the door sir." He replied, then noticed Shepard and Lee; the only two wearing their ranks, the copper colored leafs.
He quickly saluted the two, until Archer smacked his hand down, "Don't ever salute in country." She snapped as the group kept walking.
Colt and Fon huffed, "You trying to get our Major and Ell Cee killed?" Colt asked, still keeping his joking tone.
"But these guys are all friendly?" The human protested weakly as Tali and Nina walked past; Phil and Kal carrying a crate of their more important supplies, while Alenko levitated another behind them.
Alenko just snorted, "That guy?" he asked, pointing at a human wearing an oddly shaped fur hat and a long coat that reminded Tali of the Major's dress Overcoat from their time on the citadel. "He's not my friend." Then he looked at another local smoking a cigarette as they walked through the gate; "And that guy is definitely not my friend." He stated, even as the local glowered at them suspiciously.
Nina just chuckled from the back, "That guy? He looks friendly, he could be my friend." she joked.
Tali just shook her head as they walked up to the door of the half cylinder building; mostly just glad that her new clothing was doing a good job of keeping her warm. As she walked in, she was caught off guard by how messy the place was; and how much space was left unused.
Colt followed just behind her. "250 years on, and we're still using these miserable things."
Archer lightly shouldered past him and dumped her kit onto a cot. "Longer than that. Brits started making them in '16." There was a rattling and a draft passed through the hut. "Guaranteed discomfort in every environment."
"Hey Garth!" The Major exclaimed.
Tali looked to see a bearded, long haired human walk in from the other side of the hut; a massive grin on his face.
"Nomad! How's Ziva and June?" The man asked, walking up and clapping the Major on the back; while Lee did the same to him, both having massive grins on their faces.
"They're fine, your wifes pretty pissed at ya though; since you didn't tell her how you got hurt. And she's pissed at ya for missing your kids birthday party." Nomad replied.
"Knock Knock bitchs!" Tali jumped and turned to see four more humans enter from where Garth had been; while the Ghosts all grinned.
"Ell Cee, you met them briefly on the Citadel; but this is the other Ghost team that will be accompanying us to the EA research facility and the Rebel Warlord. Garth, Castle, Rook, Rose, and Brooks." Major Lee said, turning to the rest of the group and pointing at each of the humans in turn.
All were dressed in a similar way to everyone else; the Desert Tri-Color Camo fatigues mixed with some local garbs. Tali smiled and gave a shy wave; as did Nina, while Kal and Fon both nodded to the new Ghosts. Alenko smiled, while Ash seemed to draw herself up somewhat and was clearly struggling not to salute them.
"Pleasure to meet all y'all." Garth replied with a grin, "Go on and set your gear down and follow me; I'll give you the tiki tour."
While the words tiki tour had no meaning to her; Tali could understand his intention, and went to follow him. Until Nomad tapped her on the shoulder, and she looked to see him pointing at her new gun; "Don't go anywhere without it." He whispered.
Swallowing, Tali grabbed the Gun and slung it over her shoulder; noticing both Nomads team, and this Garth's team were not moving to follow. "Er… Major aren't you coming?" She asked, drawing the attention of her fellow Quarians and the Marines.
He shook his head, "We've all been here before; so while you guys get to go around and see the base, we'll be getting everything in order and going over any operational changes with Garth's team." He shrugged, "We'll be here when you get back for the 'Cultural Briefing'." He stated, doing air quotes.
Tali nodded, and quickly filed out with Garth and the others; wondering just what the Major hated about this 'Cultural Brief'.
Fon followed the long haired human in front of him as he led the group of Quarian and Human Marines out of their barracks and towards the inner wall of the compound. They passed through a zig-zag of Quarian-height metal-mesh cubes filled with more dirt. Once inside, they saw a very large, open sided tent with multiple rows of benches and long tables. There were several squads of soldiers sitting around the tables, while more came out of a fully enclosed long green tent carrying trays of food.
"This is the DFAC. We're a high ops-tempo posting, so the cooks are on hand 36/40." Everyone looked at him oddly at the strange phrase. "Yeah, nobody planetside uses the old Earth calendar, and the day/month cycle is different. You'll get used to it, but you're gonna hate night patrols cause they just go ooonnnn."
Garth suddenly paused and looked thoughtful; "Uh… You guys have all got your winter gear right? Cause the only unit with proper winter gear at the moment is the 2nd Rangers and they ain't sharing." He asked.
Fon blinked, and looked down at his jacket; wasn't this sufficient enough for the weather? Yes it was rather cool, but nothing like the Vacation at Pilgrim Lee's home. "Isn't this sufficient?" He asked when no one answered.
Garth grimaced, "Yes… but you won't be very happy or comfortable; it'll keep you alive and that's about it. There was snow and Freezing Rain last night; and the weather won't change until May." He explained.
Fon looked back at the now uncomfortable squad behind him. "We're not really used to needing specialized environmental gear."
Tali was glancing around, then remembered something from the Quasi-hut. "Maybe we can make those punch-o's like Pilgrim Lee and his team wears. There were those heavy looking green blankets on all of our cots; we just cut a slit for our heads to stick through." She felt, and looked, especially pleased at the simple solution to their problem.
Garth nodded and gestured for them to keep moving; "Sounds like a plan, your jury rigged copies won't have the cloaking abilities or the ballistic weave; but for concealing equipment and keeping you warm, it would work just fine. Just don't mess with the 'Wooby', or you'll have a lot of angry troops giving you the stink eye."
They walked up to a section devoid of tents, and gestured around several sets of exercise equipment; already, about half of it was in use by other humans. To Fons amazement, most of the men were shirtless in spite of the cold air; and all the women wore simple t-shirts, all ignoring the furious glares or lustful looks of the locals hired to help guard the place.
"This here is the exercise area, now in spite of the cold it's rather humid here; which means you sweat like crazy when exercising." He looked directly at Tali, Nina, the Commander, and Ashley; "most of the locals we hire to help guard the base don't really care about Islam or Sharia law or anything like that; but there are a few that slip through the net. And those ones will get pissed at the fact that a bunch of women soldiers are exercising and dressing like 'whores'." He said this with big air quotes while gesturing at the female humans exercising.
"If they get in your face or argue about it, just break their nose; we had only one guy try to… ahem… force himself on a female Marine. He was shot, and then his corpse covered in bacon grease and alcohol in full view of the rest." He stated simply; and then he noticed the horrified look on the Commanders face, while Fon and the others were confused.
Garth looked at Shepard, "That's a harsh reality out here; these people only understand and respect strength and brutality. Mercy to them is a weakness, and they will show you none." He stated simply.
Nina looked back and forth from Garth to Shepard. "What's the matter with bacon grease and booze? It sounds like a Krogan funeral to me." The other Quarians chuckled at that.
The chuckling died out at the look Shepard gave them. "I believe the terms you would use are Hrarxa and Oparqiit." The Quarians all closed in around one another. "For Muslims, coming into contact, even after death, with anything alcohol or pig related makes them Oparqiit, even to their God. Having that done intentionally is Hrarxa."
"It's also a damned effective tactic." Garth looked the Commander straight in the eyes. "It isn't pretty, and it isn't kind, but it absolutely gets the point across that respect goes both ways; if they insist on disrespecting our belief in personal freedom and try to impose their Sharia laws on people who are here to help them, then they can expect us to show them the same contempt."
Fon swallowed, looking at the locals again with a cautious eye; there was no way that he was going to go anywhere alone now, and there was no way that he would trust these locals. Not unless he wanted to meet his Ancestors early.
He noticed Kal grinding his teeth as one of the locals turned his gaze on Ashley; and Fon had to suppress a smirk at the furious glare the Sergeant gave the Local, and the grateful look Ash sent towards Kal.
"In any case, over there is the landing strip; now the stealth Shuttle that brought you in will be the last Eezo powered vehicle you will be interacting with for the duration of your stay." Garth explained, jarring Fon out of his thoughts.
The Marines all looked at each other, "Why?" Tali asked.
"Because EA has set up highly sophisticated Eezo sensors throughout the mountain chain; this base is the closest we can get with even a stealth shuttle. In order to get to the chain, and when we leave to rendezvous with the warlord; we'll be using those." Garth pointed at several strange looking aircraft.
Fon and the rest looked them over with interest. They were flat black, and favored curved surfaces reminding him of some Salarian ships he'd seen in his time. There were two large engines mounted on roof-mounted winglets at the middle of the craft, and he could see several vents on the bottom. The only straight lines were on the rear, where a flat pair of stubby wings supported two more vertical wings creating an 'H' shape.
Over all, it almost gave the impression of some kind of avian, looming over the pad and waiting to pounce on something.
"Right then! Onto the cultural brief ladies and gents; and then maybe some lunch."
Kal stared at the data-pad, playing the footage of the poor human female being stoned to death for being pregnant out of 'wedlock'. It was barbaric, quite frankly; and something he thought all races had moved past.
"Kal, Turn. That. Shit. Off." Ash growled next to him.
He grimaced but refused to do so, "I'm studying our enemy, and this gives us intel on them." He protested.
"That's not intel, that's propaganda and motivation; we already got a space station full of that." She replied, lifting the weights and lowering them as she exercised.
Garth had not been lying when he said that any form of exercise in the valleys caused you to sweat like crazy due to the humidity; and Ash had already stripped down to her sleeveless undershirt, while Kal was simply sitting on a crate and allowing the wind to cool him off.
He just shook his head, and glared at the one local who had been eyeing Ash up again.
The human was getting bolder as of late, the past two days he had been almost stalking her; not overtly of course, but finding excuses to be near her and in the same area as her. Ash had noticed as well, but neither wanted to make an issue out of it and cause friction with the locals.
"Perhaps… but it is good to study your enemy nonetheless." was all he said, keeping one eye on the local guard.
Ash snorted, and set the weights down while Fon walked up to have a turn with the weights; "Hey Fon, the female showers still have some hot water yeah?" She asked.
"Yup, Nina and Tali just got back from them; and they said no one's in there at the moment." Fon replied absently, "Hey Sarge, would you mind spotting for me?"
Kal reluctantly set aside his data-pad; and pulled on his black fleece jacket as the Cold was getting to be a bit much for him. Ash walked off as Fon started doing presses, and Kal noted out of the corner of his eye the local leaving to follow her.
"She'll be fine Sarge." Kal started slightly at Fon's strained voice, and looked down at the Marine. "Ashley's like us; she can beat that loser up no problem." He stated, even as he pushed up on the weights.
Kal just sighed and looked back where she had wandered off to, "Perhaps…" He conceded, as Fon lowered them again.
Fon gave him a cheeky grin, "Ah it's fine for you to worry Sarge; it's only natural to be worried about your future Inszel." He laughed while Kal gave him a dark look, and then Fon choked and flailed helplessly as Kal wordlessly added two more weights to each side.
Kal grinned vindictively as Fon struggled to get out from under the weight now stuck on his chest; looking up, he smiled on seeing Shepard and Alenko approaching, and looked back down on the poor corporal. "I don't really have time to continue spotting for you Corporal, but feel free to ask the Commander or the Lieutenant for help if you need it."
With those words, he turned and walked towards the female showers; intent on chasing that local away if nothing else.
Ash scrubbed the last of the soap and grit out of her hair. "It's so fucking humid here, so why is there moon dust in everything?" She grumbled. That grumble turned to a hiss as the water began turning tepid.
It was interesting how most of the cold didn't come from the temperature; it came from the humidity, as the air was filled with water vapor. As a result it made the effects of the wind, which was almost constant, much more noticeable if you weren't covered in some form.
She turned off the shower and stepped into the changing room, only to come face to face with the Local National who had been all but stalking her since her arrival. He had set his weapons and load-bearing gear aside so his Kaftan and vest hung loosely. His bearded face was twisted into a sneer that was equal measures hunger and contempt.
Ash didn't bother demanding to know who he was, or why he was there as that was clear as day. A hundred nightmares flashed through her mind as he stepped forward, his hands curled into clutching claws. All those phantoms evaporated in a swell of cold rage.
How DARE he?!
He had a split second of confusion as she stepped into his advance, grabbed his right hand in both of hers and trapped it in the middle of her sternum. A single step back and a pivot to the right caused him to lurch forward, his head -thunking- against the door jam. His startled cry was cut off as she shot her knee into his nose. Blood and spittle flew wide as he was rocked back on his heels by the blow. She maintained the grip as she stepped in, planting one foot behind his.
"Who the fuck!" She slammed her elbow squarely into his right eye, sending him tumbling backwards over her tripping heel. "Do you think!" She let go of his hand as he fell, and delivered a vicious stamp-kick to his groin, causing him to give out a strangled yelp and curl into a ball. "You are?!"
She heaved a few ragged breaths before turning to the abandoned kit and throwing it into the shower stalls. She looked down at herself and saw herself spotted with her attacker's blood.
"Fuck! I need another shower now." She turned to the Local. "You move from that spot, and I will tear a sink off the wall and beat you to death with it!"
His only reply was to curl deeper under the bench he had landed next to.
Satisfied with his compliance, she stalked back into the wash room for a now guaranteed cold rinse.
Kal quickly turned the corner on hearing a struggle erupting at her words to the local; and burst through the door to the female showers, preparing to throttle the human.
He was not prepared for what he saw; that being a naked Ashley and a thoroughly beaten local guard, who was barely conscious.
He had to fight every ingrained cultural instinct to not look away and keep an eye on the local; as Ash picked up her towel off the floor and wrapped it around herself with a huff, while the Local guard lay on the ground. He was flat on his back, dripping wet; his nose was twisted and broken, his right eye was hideously discolored and swollen shut; and he was holding his groin, while clearly dazed.
"And stop looking up my towel!" Ash snapped, kicking the human in the groin again; prompting a dazed groan, even as the local curled up in a ball in an attempt to protect himself from the enraged female standing over him. Kal coughed, and she looked up at him and blushed a deep red; "H-h-hey Kal, would you mind dragging this pervert outside? I'll talk with you about it once I'm dressed."
"R-Right!" He stammered, rushing forward and dragging the Det kazuat out of the changing room; while keeping his gaze to the ground, his Lavender skin turning deep purple as he did so. As soon as they were outside, Kal's almost schoolboy embarrassment turned to furious rage.
This Bosh'tet had looked at her, had tried to violate her; had tried to take her from him. Grabbing the human by the neck with an animalistic growl, Kal hoisted him up and pinned him to the sheet metal wall of the Female Showers; looking left and right to make sure no one was around or saw anything.
Thankfully, it was lunch; which meant everyone was either exercising, relaxing in their barracks, or eating in the hall.
He turned his glowing, furious eyes to the human in front of him; who was staring back at him in wide eyed terror. He was right to be, he had tried to take Ash from him; only the knowledge that he would sour his peoples relations with the humans stopped Kal from castrating and then killing this animal that tried to violate his Inszel.
He blinked, the haze blanketing his mind clearing as he thought of that word; wait… what? He wondered.
Shaking it off as he remembered the video of the woman being stoned to death for being pregnant out of 'wedlock', presumably the human equivalent of being bonded; he felt his rage return, but it was a cold rage.
Calculated rage; where he could still think clearly in spite of his anger.
He gave a smile that didn't reach his eyes; and the locals eyes widened even further, if that was even possible, as they had already bugged out to the size of a Salarians. "Listen here you little Bosh'tet, I may be an Alien; but I make an effort to study local cultures. Badal." The man seemed to come slightly to himself at the word. "I am sorely tempted to buy up every liter of alcohol on this post and drown you in it while beating you to death with a hog shank!"
"Kal…" He turned to see Ash looking at him; her expression unreadable. "Let him go."
Kal blinked, not comprehending her words somewhat; "He tried to-" He started.
"And I made him pay for it; no need to do anything that would be Hrarxa and have his clan involve Badal." She glared at the man. "He has shamed himself, and his family; both by violating Pashtunwali, and by being beaten by an unarmed woman."
Kal took a breath, and let go of the man; who immediately slumped to the ground. He glared down at the man, and growled "Leave…" The guard lurched uncertainly to his feet, and staggered away; barely able to walk straight, and clearly in no fit shape. Kal turned to Ash and took a step forward, his rage calming to concern and worry; "Ash… are you… did he?" He couldn't find the right words, which was only made worse when she smiled and took his hands.
"No, he didn't. You'd be cleaning him out of the tiles with a squeegee and a pressure washer if he had gotten remotely close to that." Her smile fell, but she maintained her grip on Kal's hand. "You on the other hand were dangerously close to something equally unforgivable. What, the hell, Kal?"
He looked away as he thought of what to tell her; "Ash…" he licked his lips, "It… wouldn't be that big of a surprise to me if you had looked up Quarian Physiology right?" He asked.
She reddened slightly, and her grip on his hand turned painfully vice like for a moment.
Kal grimaced, "Well, for Quarians; due to our physiology and our immune system, biologically and culturally we tend to… well mate for life. That's not to say it's impossible for us to find other mates; in fact in a few clans it was common for males to take multiple bondmates. But that practice died out fast and was only common in isolated clans." He started to explain; and paused on seeing Ash's somewhat confused expression.
"The point Kal? You know, the one that explains why you just tried to murder a Tee-Cee-eN?"
"Well… there's something called the 'tiyl's; the process in which a male or female begins the process of bonding with a potential mate. Pemla'tiyl is the first, and is one common amongst close friends and clan siblings. Nina and Fon have this relationship, you humans call it 'Like Brother and Sister'; then comes the Hecs'tiyl, it's when you have found a mate but are unsure if you desire them to be permanent bondmates. Biologically, this is a leftover from when we were still sapient primates; when the primitive Quarian packs needed to increase the size of their population." He explained.
Kal took a deep breath and looked away from Ash, knowing that he was rambling a little as he talked. "When we Quarians were in the equivalent to your 'middle ages', it was common for Chieftains, and Kings and Queens to have this done between their children if they desired to form Alliances. They would have their son or daughter go through Hecs'tiyl with the child of the opposite sex of the other royal couple; have two children, one for each clan, and then have them break off and return to their respective clans or kingdoms." He stopped dead when Ash put a finger on his lips.
Ash huffed and shook his hand up and down. "If you don't get to the point soon, I'm going to go get Nina and Tali and have them explain all this 'tiyl business."
Gulping, and quickly trying to get to the point so she didn't carry out her threat; he said, "Well… the last is Felz'tiyl it's when the two bondmates realize that they cannot function properly without the other. This is the stage when Quarians mate for life; as it is physically impossible for a normal Quarian to break that bond." He swallowed, knowing that it was rare for Quarians to bond with an outsider; and that the idea of it happening to him was almost inconceivable.
Well… Not impossible, since Pilgrim Lee did it. A small part in the back of Kal's mind said.
Ash was silent for a long moment, then she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the lips, "Kal, I don't need or even want a 'White Knight'. I want a partner and a Battle-buddy; someone who sees and respects me, and yes, who'll back me up no matter what." She let go of his hand and gently touched his cheek. "Once we're all out of 'the Suck' and back in the 'Verse, you're going to have to explain all this 'tiyl business in greater detail; preferably in private and over candlelight."
With that said, she smiled and walked away; and Kal didn't miss her swaying her hips slightly as she walked away.
"Hm… You want some advice Sergeant?" Kal jumped and turned to see Pilgrim Lee standing there with a raised eyebrow.
"H-how much did you hear sir?" Kal asked.
The Major gave a light chuckled and shook his head; "Just the tail end of it, Judging from the way you two are acting; I'd say that you two are just starting the second phase, the 'sexual love' portion in english terms." He said.
"Errr…"
Lee held up a hand, "Sokay, I went through this when I started dating Ziva; and uh… as a doctor and something of a burgeoning mad scientist she made sure to record the differences between each phase into terms I understand." He walked up and gestured for Kal to follow him, "At this phase, you both are going to want to... go at it very frequently; and contrary to what Ash just said, she does not want to wait either."
Kal's eyes widened and he gaped at the Major, but the man was not done; "I know because as a Quarian doctor, Ziva has had to deal with Human-Quarian couples before; and every single time, right when the second phase starts, the male half of the couple starts complaining about groin pain. And the female starts up about similar complaints. I think you know what the solution is." He said with a smirk at Kal.
Kal swallowed, fully aware that his face was turning Violet by the second; "S-s-surely this can wait until after the mission.
He shook his head, "In rare cases, such as myself and Ziva; you can wait a few weeks with no problems. Before your brain and body hits you like a freight train, and both of you will want to go at it no matter what; no matter the circumstances or location."
Trying to deflect some of his embarrassment, Kal asked; "What about you two?"
"We got lucky, and June was with Garth and his wife and kids place; while we were at home." He gave Kal a cold smile, "Don't try and deflect it Sergeant. I am going to go talk with Ms. Williams about it to give the same warning; you two can try to wait, but if this campaign drags on for more than a few weeks, then one night the whole camp's going to wake up to some very familiar noises." He gestured over to outside the compound, to a cluster of mud houses. "Those have been abandoned since we got here; it's common for the locals to take prostitutes there. So I'd advise you two to do the same so I don't have to worry about this over the course of the trip. Now then, I'm going to explain the situation to Ms. Williams; preferably with Archer's help so she knows I'm serious." He smirked and thumped Kal on the back, "Congrats my friend, you ain't dying a virgin."
Fon pulled down the goggles over his face, and adjusted the Shemagh so that it covered the lower half of his face; the jet wash from the 'Warchief' VTOL Jet transport and the rotor wash from the two 'Nighthawks' was kicking up dust everywhere.
He shifted his bag, along with the rest of his gear; and walked in line with the rest of 1-4-1 and the Ghost team accompanying them. Major Lee and Lt. Commander Shepard both stood at the ramp of the massive transport, Lee counting off the troops as they boarded.
Pulling his 'Jeep Cap' down tighter, and blinking as his innate night vision adjusted to allow him to see clearly; Fon followed the group as they piled inside.
As he passed the Major and Commander, Shepard handed him a set of headphones; which he quickly put on and plugged into his comms equipment. "This is Bambi, signing in."
"Copy That Bambi." The Major replied, as Fon took his seat.
There were two humans standing in open windows, pointing a pair of mean looking chemical guns with five barrels outward. As the last person loaded on; the Major and Commander walked to the front, and took seats beside the two side gunners; "Pilot, this is Nomad; do these oxygen masks work?" He asked.
"Hell sir, ours didn't work last night; this guy started seeing ghosts popping up in front of the windshield." The Pilot joked, and Fon could see him point to the Co-Pilot.
Fon huffed angrily, "Well that's great, we'll be passing out from lack of oxygen."
"Ah it's like taking a thirty minute nap, we'll be fine." He heard the Commander proclaim.
Garth just snorted over the line, "Yeah you guys keep telling yourselves that; I'm gonna stay wide awake, because I'm going to have my eye on that fucker right there." He stated, pointing right at the pilot; who smirked back.
"It's not the falling asleep that worries me; it's the goddamned hangover that gets me." Colt shouted, Fon wincing as did everyone else as there was slight feedback.
Phil solved that problem by dope slapping his fellow Ghost; and Fon felt the VTOL Transport Jet begin to take off the ground.
Archer locked her gear down and settled into her jump seat. "We just need to do what the experts do." She looked at Sergeants Williams and 'Reegar. "You two spent last night on 'Cloud Nine' and looked fresh as driven snow this morning; what's your secret?"
Fon couldn't stop the grin on his face, and felt a little bit of petty revenge was justified after the Sergeant had left him stuck under those damned weights; "I'll say, you're practically glowing Sergeant Williams; I think I need some of those sunglasses you humans like so much, just to tone it down with my innate night vision." He said into the radio.
"Alright everybody, cut the chatter." Shepard's voice cut in, though there was no hint of seriousness to it. "We need to focus on the mission, not Kal and Ash's apparent Olympic endurance, or impressive vocal range."
Ashley turned to Kal. "Do you have your pistol handy?"
Kal kept his eyes forward. "No, because they don't deserve to get off that easy."
"Neither do either of you." Colt's drawl came over.
Whatever Ashley said in response was drowned out by the 'Warchief' pitching and throttling up.
Once the cabin was quiet enough to talk again, Shepard leaned against her restraints. "Alright, focus up. Nomad, you have the final security brief?"
Fon could see the man shake his head, "Only the meeting place and who to expect; an IAA agent by the name of 'Bowman'. The meeting place is where the choppers drop us off; and 'Bowman comes by with an escort and leads us to the rendezvous point."
Garth shifted, "What does this 'Bowman' look like?"
"He's dressed in a mixture of civilian clothes and military grade armor; and a backwards baseball cap." The Major replied, just as the Warchief jostled again from turbulence; nearly throwing everyone out of their seats. "I hate these fucking things."
Fon and everyone else nodded in silent agreement, as snow started getting blown in from the gunners windows. Fon could feel frost building up on his jeep cap as Garth shouted; "Well you guys know why the Army uses Warchiefs right?"
Everyone except the Ghosts shook their heads; while the Ghosts all smiled, and all asked "Why?"
"So we'll be good and mad when we go into battle!" Everyone laughed, and nodded.
Colt suddenly began to sing, "Silver wings, upon their chest."
Word by word, the rest of the cabin began to join in on the song.
"These are men, Humanities best.
"One hundred men, will test today."
"But only three, win the green beret."
Pilot A/N: That thing with the Bacon Grease and Alcohol?
Yeah there's historical precedent for it; General of the Armies John J. Pershing, commander of all American Forces in WW1, was garrison Commander in the American Philippines.
Back then, the Muslim population was a massive problem; as they had no qualms about going medieval on foreigners and 'collaborators' and infidels. AKA, massacring entire villages and the like.
Eventually, Pershing had enough; and when he captured one of the Muslim Rebel Units, somthing like a few hundred, he had all except a few executed. Then he had his men dump the dead in a mass grave while the survivors watched; and poured pig's blood, bacon grease, and Alcohol all over the dead.
Once that was done, he told the survivors; "Go find the rest of your comrades and tell them this will be your fate if you attack Americans or our supporters again." For the remainder of the Philippines existence as a US Puppet, we never had problems with Muslims butchering innocent people again.
Was what Pershing did barbaric and wrong? Hell. Yes.
But there are times where sinking to their level is the only option; remember those rebels had butchered entire villages of innocent people. Raping the women, enslaving or radicalizing the children, and so on.
Sometimes, the luxuries of 'Clean War' are simply not an option.
Alright that's my bit for the day; Beyond Ash and Kal taking it up a notch. Were I comfortable with that sort of thing, I might have written a NSFW version of the chapter; but I hate that sort of thing, to the point I just skip it if it comes up in a Fic. If someone else wants to, they're free to try; but I likely would not (read, probably never) publish it as a side story. In that case you would have to publish it yourself.
What do you have to say Ian?
Ian A/N: There's honestly not a lot to say here. We're moving into a new phase for the story where we actively and diverge from the path of cannon. We will be meeting new characters, visiting new worlds and facing new challenges. We will also begin learning more about the elusive EA and it's shadowy leader, the Imam.
The developing relationship between Kal and Ash is no longer developing; it's fully grown. We will continue to explore that as we move forward.
Not much here for the gun-porn crowd, though coming chapters will see some oldie-but-goodies, so stay tuned for that.
Pilot: Now then, leave a review and tell us what you guys think.
A TV Tropes page would be greatly loved.
And We will see ya when we see ya.