Shepard and Tali had just finished their debriefing when the annoyed voice of Miranda came over the intercom.
"Shepard we received an unusual message from Kahje. They claim to have something of extream importance for us to look into."
"A hanar does?" Shepard asked incredulously as he leads Tali to her new station in engineering.
"No, they stated very clearly that they are not a hanar." Miranda sighs in irritation. "They sent me coordinates to a residence in one of the dome cities.
"Did the sender use a name?" Shepard asked.
"Fran."
"What?" Xanxus paused on his way to the lift. "Did you just say, Fran?"
"Yes." Miranda answered annoyed at repeating herself.
The turian whips around to Shepard with an intense gaze.
"We need to take Noel and go to that planet."
"Why? What does it have to do with Noel?" Shepard asked confused at the Turians urging.
"Fran is his little brother."
"I thought you lived on the Citadel?" Shepard asked.
"I do. However, after I met Xanxus my parents sent a message about raising my brother away from the fleet. Apparently, my actions had brought suspicion upon them and they didn't want my brother involved. We organized a meet up; I took my brother, along with Bel, and raised them here on Kahje." Noel said. "I renamed him Fran for his protection from the life I live in the underground."
"Your real name isn't Noel?" Shepard asked surprised.
"No. It isn't." Noel said softly as the transporter landed in front of a small apartment complex. "I gave up my name the day I decided that befriending and studying the geth was more important than the fleet.
Tali's eyes widened as she finally understood exactly who stood before her. She took in his androgynous body type, unusual name, and criminal background before everything seemed to snap into place in her mind.
"You're Fae'Xaala Nar Gehanna!" She squealed making Noel freeze in place. "You are the youngest quarian in history to be exiled from the migrant fleet!"
Noel turned to her and nodded. Xanxus and Kenn, who up to that point were silent looked at Noel with a sympathetic gaze. They knew how hush hush he was on his life before the exile.
"I am."
Without another word he led them up to a door and punched in a code to unlock it. As soon as the door shut the decontamination scan started.
"Why the cleaning?" Shepard asked.
"Because I designed the house, with the Hanar's help, to basically be a giant clean room. A place I can remove my enviro suit safely within for extended periods of time." Noel replied in a proud tone.
"That's amazing!" Tali chirped excitedly. "How long are you able to go without your suit?"
"I manage about 4hours outside a clean room without a suit before my immune system starts going screwy." Noel informed. "I can go 9 within one, but it took years for my body to adjust. Fran can go without a bit longer than me though."
Tali seemed starstruck over the elder quarian as the decontamination finally ended. The groups stepped into the next room and were greeted with the sight of a head of teal hair and a large screen playing Fleet and Flotilla.
"Are you kidding me Fran? Again with this vid?" Noel asked amused.
Fran shifted on the couch and turned around to eye the group curiously. Shepard froze in shock. The lavender skin being held swirling marks decorating rounded cheeks and a slender neck. Unnatural glowing eyes stared at the group with a bored gaze. Kenn immediately joined the other young adult on the couch to watch the cheesy romance on screen.
"Did you send the commander a message?" Noel asked as he settled in a nearby chair.
"Yeah." Fran said in boredom as his eyes shifted away from the frozen human. "I received a message from my research team. Apparently, their experiment with the thorian rounds I was developing for you went south. The scientists that were charged with repurposing the spores were exposed to the gas and went crazy. I figured since Shepard dealt with them before he could do it again."
Noel nodded before facing Shepard. The commander still hadn't looked away from his baby brother's face. He laughed finally snapping the human out of it.
"Yes, that's what we look like." Noel hummed.
"You're hair is a different color than mine." Tali told the younger male.
"Brother and I have the same shade." He smirked.
Noel stood shoving his lover into the chair he vacated and petting Bester's head in affection.
"Let's go, commander, we can use knock out rounds." Noel grinned patting his shoulder as he pushed Tali toward the door.
Commander Shepard was staring again, but this time it was directed on his squad mate's now revealed face. His hair was the same jewel tone as Fran, but much longer and piled into a messy bun. Noel could have been his younger siblings twin if his face and eyes were not so narrow.
"Kolyat around?" Noel asked as his fluorescent eyes read through a datapad.
"No, and I'm starting to miss him. The beds cold now." Fran yawned leaning against the elder's legs.
"All it takes is a tasteful nude and a well-acted begging audio clip and trust me he'll be on the first ship back." Noel chirped making Tali choke in disbelief. "I guarantee it."
Xanxus smirked and settled a talon tipped hand on the unmasked quarian's face. Shepard shook his head in amusement and disbelief.
"No, he won't. He took a contract." Fran informed with an annoyed frown.
"Where?" Noel asked curiously. "He hasn't made that much of a name for himself yet."
"Citadel I think."
"Come with us then; I'm sure Kenn would be more than happy to look after the house for us."
Fran's gaze drifted as he thought over his options. It couldn't hurt.
"Ok." Fran agreed moving to his feet. "I'll go pack."