It was early the next morning, and everyone was taking care of last-minute details. Shepard sipped her coffee, going over the plan for Eden Prime in her head. Touch down, then get the lay of the land. Meet the natives and military types there, get a feel for them. Figure out what the hell they were even supposed to be picking up. Then, if everything still felt okay, go ahead with the pick-up. On paper, it was one of the easier jobs they'd had, even when she figured in the Alliance, but her gut was telling her something wasn't right.
"Hey Shep, you got a second?" Kasumi asked, interrupting her thoughts.
She sipped her coffee before answering, giving herself a moment to gather her thoughts, "Yeah, what's up, Kas?"
"Keiji and I found a possible lead from the data Reyes sent," Kas said, walking towards where Keiji sat at the couch, still tapping away at his omnitool.
"Really?" Shepard was surprised because of the corruption of the data. "Is it useful?"
"It's a name or, at least, part of one," Keiji answered.
"Okay," Shepard said, waiting for more. Her omnitool beeped, and she brought up the info she received. $a?*n &rte#iu!. "I can give this to Sid to put in one of her searches, maybe more will come of it."
"Already sent it, Shep," Kasumi said. "We also found mail from both of the other organizations asked. It alluded to a turian. There's enough of the name that we believe this could be the same person."
"Also," Keiji said, pausing what he was doing and looking at Shepard, "The job info Reyes found wasn't sent by the same people who sent our packet."
"Two different parties sending packets for the same job?" Shepard asked.
"Seems it," Keiji said, going back to whatever he was working on.
Shepard stood for a moment, watching Kas and Keiji working. Her brows furrowed as she ran a hand over her face. Shepard sighed before saying, "Good work you two. Hopefully, Sid will be able to find something out for us."
Kas looked up and smiled at Shepard before returning to her work.
Shepard tried to return it, but it didn't reach her worried eyes. She left the lounge, looking for Vetra.
Shepard found Vetra in the cargo hold going over an inventory list one last time. "Hey Vee, how's it coming?"
"I'm about a quarter of the way through," she said, setting her datapad down. "Think of anything else we needed?"
"Nope," Shepard said, popping the "P" sound. "We'll probably head out just after mid-day. Reza's still working on replacing the coolant rods. I've got to run an errand, let everyone know when liftoff is, and make sure they have everything they need."
"Sure thing, Cara," Vetra said, her eyes narrowing as she watched Shepard leave.
Shepard left the ship and started walking, no destination in mind. There was still plenty of time to stop by Wrex's place for one last check-in before they left, but for now, she needed to let her mind wander.
The crew of the Night Fox were some of the best people she knew, even with all their issues and quirks. Also, and most importantly, they were her family. Ever since she woke up in a strange place, with a grizzly faced man standing over her, and a dark blue asari at her bedside, these people had been her family. Well, after she had attempted to take off the strange man's head with a left hook, and the calming dark blue asari explained the situation. Of course, it didn't start out with them all. Only Zaeed and La'Dauna at first, but over time her family grew. She had already lost one family. She was not going to lose another one, so whatever she had to do to protect them, she would. Nothing was going to get in her way.
As she walked by an open door, a song caught her ear, the tune familiar but unrecognized. She entered the cafe - nothing fancy but a comfortable place. She grabbed a seat at a corner table and ordered a pot of Colonial coffee.
She made herself comfortable in the chair as she waited for her order to arrive. She closed her eyes, listening to the haunting instrumental that played over the cafe's speakers. A picture formed in her mind from when she was a very young girl. The music's melody seemed to swirl around her, and Shepard saw herself watching as her mom played her cello. The sounds blending in her memory and present day. Her eyes shot open at the sound of glass clinking on the table.
"Sorry, miss," a human man said. His voice lilted. "Didn't mean to startle you."
Shepard quirked her lips and shook her head, forgiving him. "Can you tell me what song was just playing?"
"Of course, miss," he pulled up his omnitool, "give me a moment to look it up on our playlist."
Shepard readied her cup of coffee as she waited. The memory, still fresh in her mind. It had been the day after she'd broken her first bone - her arm - falling out of a tree. A kid told her she couldn't climb it because she was a girl. She had climbed to the very top and looked down with a triumphant smirk at the boy. Then making her way down, her foot slipped on the last branch, and she'd landed on her arm as she hit the ground.
"Miss, it was the human composer Bach's Cello Suite No.1," he told her, "covered by the asari melodist D'Breva." He watched as the human woman gave a slight nod of her head. "Will there be anything else, miss?"
"No, thank you," Shepard said, smiling at him. She watched the man return to the counter to fulfill other requests for the few other customers. Returning to her thoughts, Cara remembered her captivation in the beauty of the song, and her mother as she played. Other similar memories flood her thoughts as she sipped from her coffee. Her mother always glowed when she played, and always seemed so at peace. Sometimes when her mother played, she would catch her dad staring from a doorway in rapture. His face frozen in the perfect picture of awe and adoration.
Something wet splashed on her hand as the memories continued. The odd sensation drew her out of her reverie. She swiped at the clear liquid as another landed. She sniffed and realized she was crying. Cara wiped the tears away and took a deep breath.
Shit, she thought. Another deep breath, and another. Shepard could feel her thoughts calm. Okay, you got this, she told herself.
She drained the rest of the coffee in her cup and swiped her credit chit before leaving the small café. As she turned back to look at the place once more, she stopped when she felt herself collide with another body.
Shepard reached out just in time to stabilize the smaller woman in front of her. "Hell, I'm sorry. Are you okay?"
The woman managed to wrangle the books in her arms that had been falling and looked unharmed. "Quite okay," she said. The woman had a lilt similar to the man in the café. She gave Shepard a once over, seeing the blotchy cheeks and red eyes, asking, "Are you okay? No one in there gave you any trouble, did they?"
Shepard looked at the petite, strawberry blonde confused.
"No one in the Café caused you any trouble, did they?" the strawberry blonde repeated.
"Oh, um..." Shepard stumbled, "No, no trouble. Very nice, actually." Shepard shook her head to clear it. "Sorry for running into you. I'm glad you're okay."
"I'm glad, too. But maybe, you could buy me a coffee to make it up to me," the strawberry blonde said before she began to stumble over her words, "I mean if you have the time. I wouldn't mind if you..." she trailed off at the small smirk appearing on the other woman's face.
"I've got time," Shepard said, checking her omnitool. It wasn't completely true, but hey, she thought with an internal shrug. She offered her arm as she turned back to the café door, "right this way, Miss..." Shepard waited for a name.
"Anwar. Suvi Anwar," the petite woman answered.
"It's nice to meet you, Suvi. I'm CJ," Cara said, guiding her to the table she'd recently left. She peeked at the books the woman carried, astrophysics and molecular bio, and couldn't keep an eyebrow from raising. "Some light reading for later?" Shepard said, pointing to the books after they were both seated.
Suvi chuckled, "No, not really. I'm writing a paper on the probability that sentient species in other galaxies don't have eezo or mass effect technology, and how they might have evolved without it." She placed a drink order for a spiced tea as she talked.
"Interesting," Shepard said, propping her arms on the edge of the table and clasping her hands together. She leaned forward. "So, you don't think other galaxies have eezo?"
"It's highly unlikely," Suvi answered.
"What makes you think they don't? Besides the obvious of different places, different circumstances, why wouldn't they have it?" Shepard watched Suvi lean forward, and could see the excitement spark as she answered.
"For the precise reasons you said, different places, different circumstances, different evolutionary cycles altogether," Suvi said, excitement growing with every word. "Just look at our galaxy, humans specifically. We lived millennia without eezo. Our planet is completely free of it, as are many other planets out there. Based on the rarity in our galaxy, the likelihood of it being in other galaxies is even more rare." Her voice rose, the more excited she got.
Shepard was about to respond when a voice interrupted her.
"Oy, Suv." Shepard heard the waiter from earlier call out, although his voice was much less professional. "Pipe down now. You're botherin' the other customers."
Shepard scowled in his direction. And to think, I left him a decent tip, she thought, rising from her chair. She stopped when she heard Suvi call back.
"Don't 'Oy' me, Stephan Brien Anwar," Suvi said, a scowl of her own forming on her face. "Your ugly mug is botherin' them more than my talkin'." There was laughter from the waiter and a few other customers.
Cara cocked her head at the last name, "I take it you know him."
"My baby brother," Suvi answered, waving her brother off after he placed her tea on the table.
Shepard looked back at the much bigger man then back at the petite woman in front of her. There were noticeable similarities in the cheekbones and the curve of their lips, but they stopped there. Stephan's complexion was dark and wiry, where Suvi was lighter, petite and lithe. She cocked an eyebrow at Suvi in question.
"Takes after my mum's side of the family. Not a one of them under 5'9, women and men alike," Suvi explained with a smile. "I ended up with my dad's genetics, which produces short women and average height men."
"So, you said, baby brother," Shepard said, "You're the oldest?"
"Oh no, I'm the middle child. There's Ewan, who's the oldest, Leena is next, then me, Johan, and Stephan," Suvi told her.
"Wow," Shepard said. "What was that like growing up?"
"Oh, it was fun, for the most part. We're a rather boisterous group anyway. Not to mention, the many cousins on the holidays. It's just Stephan and me here on the Citadel. It gets rather lonely here sometimes, that's why I come to the cafe."
"Where's the rest of the family?" Shepard asked.
"Oh, they're on Earth. Well, most of them. Leena works on Mars but visits quite often."
"What does she do on Mars? Does she work in the archives?"
The conversation continued for a while, keeping Shepard's mind away from the impending job on Eden Prime. They talked about quite a few things. Mostly about Suvi and her family and the work she was doing in the field of science. Surprising to Shepard, though, was what she shared of herself, her past in particular. It wasn't much, only a few memories. One of them, the memory she experienced earlier of her mother playing the cello, the cause of her splotchy composure, and the reason for Suvi's initial concern. They touched on a bit of religion, and the possibilities of a greater power. They talked about the amazingness that was the Citadel. Overall, Shepard felt very relaxed and much less stressed than she had when she first stopped by the café.
The beeping of her omnitool interrupted their conversation. She glanced down to check it and saw the time and the message from Vetra. "Shit," she said, pushing back in her seat.
"Is everything okay?" Suvi asked, concern crossing her features.
"I've got an appointment that I'm now running late for," Shepard said with a friendly smile, "but other than that, everything is going very well." The smile turned flirty.
Suvi returned Shepard's smile, "I've enjoyed this time as well. Maybe we could do it again sometime soon?"
"I would like nothing more than to do just that," Shepard said, pulling up her omni info, "I should be back in the area in a week or two. We could meet then."
"I look forward to it, Cara," Suvi said, sending her own info to Cara's omni. "I'll see you later, then." She stood to place a kiss on Shepard's cheek and give a shy smile.
Shepard grasped Suvi's hand as the strawberry blonde stepped back from the kiss. Shepard brought it up to her lips, leaving a gentle kiss, then with a smile, turned and left.
As Shepard made her way to Wrex's apartment, she sent a quick message to Vetra, telling her she would be back to the ship soon. Then, sent one to Wrex, letting him know she was on her way.
The journey to Wrex's place was a quick transit ride. When Cara arrived, she asked him about Fist disappearing, hoping he would have some information to give her.
"Not sure what to tell you, Shepard. I told you not to trust the bastard. I can tell you, the Broker asked me to keep an eye out for him, which would indicate he's in deep," Wrex said.
"Yeah, sure Wrex," Shepard said, heading for the door, "thanks again. I'll get you something nice when I'm on Eden Prime." She gave him a big grin when he growled, then made her way back to the Night Fox.
When Shepard arrived back at the Night Fox's docking slip, Vetra was waiting for her.
"Everything okay, Vee?"
"I was gonna ask you the same question, Cara?"
"Yeah, I just went to see if Wrex had found out anything else. I asked him to let me know when Fist shows back up at Chora's."
"That took the whole morning and afternoon? You're an hour late," Vetra said. "I covered for you. The guys think you went out for some last-minute things, which," she points to a small crate, "are right there."
"I ran into a girl," Shepard said with a leer before remembering Suvi and changing her tone. "Well, a woman. Literally. I bought her a drink, and one thing led to another..." she trailed off.
"No," Vetra said, her mandibles flaring with irritation.
Shepard spoke before Vetra could say anymore, "It's the truth." Her brows furrowed as her lips tightened into a line.
"Cara, I'm not saying you didn't run into a girl. I'm saying, you didn't leave this ship just to go talk to Wrex, and you didn't spend the morning fraternizing," Vetra said. "You might act the carefree player, Cara, but you take your role here seriously. You know that" Vetra said, pointing a talon at Shepard, "and I know that," the talon turned onto herself. "This job, despite the simplicity, has us all a little concerned. So, cut the varren dung, and tell me, what's bothering you?"
With a heavy sigh, Shepard's features relaxed, and she leaned her back against the docking bay railing, crossing her arms. She looked away from Vetra and stared off into the nebula for a moment, gathering her thoughts. She looked at Vetra with a furrowed brow, then back out to the swirling purple and pink hues of the nebula. "Someone wants me on this job real bad, and that's concerning, to say the least. I mean, they asked for me by name."
"You know, we don't have to take this job," Vetra said, leaning her hip against the railing next to Shepard.
"Sure we do." Shepard tossed her hands up. "It's laid out before us like plans to a maze with a fifty-five million dollar prize to whoever completes it," Shepard said, running a hand through her hair. "That's enough for you and Sid, to get out of this life. I know you don't mind, but I know you want Sid out. She's still a kid, and this is no life for a kid."
The two women shared a look of understanding as silence settled between them.
Vetra thought a moment before she replied, "There'll be other jobs."
Cara shook her head then let it drop, hanging between her shoulders. She straightened again before she spoke. "This could also help Reza get back to the flotilla, and well, Zaeed could finally track down Vido. The payday on this one's too important to overlook."
"Not if it puts you, or any one of us, in excessive danger."
"That's a daily thing for me," Shepard tried to jest, but the delivery was only half-hearted, and it fell flat.
Vetra shook her head, dismissing the attempt at brevity.
"Look, Vee," Shepard pushed back from the railing and faced Vetra. Shepard's eyes hardened as her voice steeled with seriousness, "I'll be okay. I got stuck in my head a bit earlier and had to clear space. We need this job. I can do this. We can do this. Once it's finished, I'll track down whoever it is that's throwing my name around like we're besties, and ask them a few questions."
Vetra sighed, seeing the look in Shepard's eyes. Stubborn human, she thought. "Fine, Shepard. Just know that we're here for you as much as you're here for us." Vetra paused before adding, "Not just myself, but the whole crew." She watched a slew of subtle emotions cross Shepard's face before patting her on the shoulder and turning towards the ship.
Cara stood still, trying to control the emotions that were bubbling to the surface. Her throat felt tight, and her eyes burned as she took a deep breath through her nose to calm herself. Finally corralling them, she turned to follow Vetra when she heard, "Don't forget the crate," in Vetra's exasperated flange. The tiniest of smirks quirked the side of Shepard's lips as she bent to pick up the crate. Steeling her features to one of neutrality, she entered the ship.