Author's Note: I waited an entire week to publish this chapter, because all last week was finals for me. Sorry for the wait, but I should be posting often, and regularly during my summer break.
Chapter Fifty Five: Reliable Input
"Hey guys," Colt cheerfully greeted the crew that filed into his room. It was pretty small, but Huerta could barely get a room for him. So Liara was thankful they got something. He was hooked up to several machines, and had three IVs in his right arm.
Liara had brought food, since Shepard was always eating, and hospital food was a crime. That was the only coherent thing she had done since the attack on Shepard. She had ended up back on the Normandy magically, or at least she didn't remember anyone taking her there. Then she remembered sitting on her bed and looking at nothing. It seemed like years before she was taken to Huerta.
"How bad?" Garrus asked, almost as cheerfully. Was no one present a day ago when Colt had almost died of shock? Liara hated when Colt went around an injury like it was nothing.
"Ehh, I'll live," Colt rolled up his sleeve, and showed off his burn. It was black, twisted, and generally grotesque. The burn covered most of his right arm, and part of his neck. An orange glow could be seen underneath, a startling reminder that Shepard was mostly cybernetic.
"So we'll stay on the Citadel for a week while you recuperate," Chakwas told Colt, but it was probably to benefit the others in the room.
Colt stared at her for a second, and then started laughing. "I'm not leaving in a week," he replied matter of factly. Everyone remained silent. Liara didn't know what he meant, but she didn't really care. Bliss had replaced her every emotion; she was utterly relieved that Shepard was mostly okay.
Traynor dared to ask, "So when are you leaving?"
"Today," Colt said this the same way. Like it was already set in stone. This caught Liara's attention. Worry started through her again at the thought of Shepard rejecting needed medical attention. Awful scenarios ending in her lover's death started playing in her mind.
If Chakwas had been drinking anything, she would've surely spit it out. Her eyes got huge and her eyebrows shot up her forehead. "What?!"
"I've got Reapers to fight, and a war to win. I'm certainly not staying in a hospital while millions die," he replied calmly. Shepard had no idea what he did to people. He made even the most soulless care about him. He didn't comprehend how he made people worry about him non-stop.
"No, you have to let your arm heal. How are you gonna be useful if one of your arms is a burned mess?" Chakwas folded her arms, preparing for an argument with Shepard. His stubbornness was a quality that made him invaluable in the Reaper fight.
"I can use it. They only want to keep me here for cosmetic purposes. They already told me that everything is healed. My damaged muscles are healed entirely, and the cybernetics repaired themselves. My arm doesn't have to look pretty to fight Reapers," Shepard replied evenly. He looked at Chakwas for a second, and then started taking out IVs.
Liara felt a familiar embarrassment when alarms started going off, and an army of medical personnel charged into the already cramped room. Shepard was standing, and pulling off the remaining wires. She could tell the rest of the crew felt flustered and unsure.
"Sir, please lay back down. Our charts indicate that you're not scheduled to leave for another week," the doctor paused for a few seconds, but when it was clear Shepard wasn't going to stop, he continued. "Commander, stop this instant!"
This got Shepard's attention, so he turned to the doctor. "Look I know I'm supposed to stay another week, but I can't. I simply can't. I've been told that everything is functional, and I'm scheduled to have some procedures to make sure my arm doesn't look like a burned sausage. The thing is I don't care; the Reapers don't care if my arm looks crappy, so neither do I. Besides, I'm here a lot so I can get it checked often," Shepard explained rather convincingly. Liara wasn't quite sure by what he meant when he said he came to Huerta a lot. Probably to visit Ashley.
The two stared at each other for a few seconds, and then the doctor nodded. The medical staff retreated without another word and left Shepard alone with his crew. "I'll meet you guys on the Normandy, I need to visit Ashley. I'll be quick, I need to get ready for my interview anyways," Shepard turned slightly to them and then left.
...
"Hello, I'd like to welcome you all to Reliable Input. Today our guest is Commander Shepard, Blitz Hero, Savior of the Citadel, Collector Killer, and the soldier leading the fight against the Reapers," Liara had turned on the huge vid screen just in time to get the opening remarks of the show Shepard was appearing on. They were grounded on the Citadel, so every single member of the Normandy was watching Shepard on the community vid screen in the Mess Hall. Liara was slightly concerned since this was being televised live, and Colt had a terrible habit of speaking before thinking.
"So tell me Commander, how does it feel to be the face of the Alliance?" The rather enthusiastic reporter asked.
"Well someone's got to do it, and I happen to have the least scarred-up face. Plus, they tell me I look like the stereotypical Alliance guy, so they keep throwing up my face everywhere," Shepard shrugged casually.
"So, do you like it?" She asked.
"Let's see, billions of people know who I am, I get a marriage proposal through email almost every day, and every boy aged six to sixty wants to be me. So ya, I guess you could say I hate it," Shepard said these words with a smile. With anyone else it would've come off as arrogant and cocky. Shepard made it seem enduring, almost like a child getting an award.
"So tell me honestly Commander, what are the galaxy's odds against the Reapers?" The reporter asked intently.
"That's an easy one- the Reapers are gonna regret ever thinking they could destroy us. Saying there is a chance the Reapers are gonna win is a mistake. We are the odds-on favorite, and I wouldn't put my bet on the other guy. The Reapers have zero chance of winning," the question lit a victorious fire in his eyes. Every word was oozing with the truth, and anyone watching would be convinced that winning was the only thing the galaxy could do in the situation.
"Given what you know now, why do you think the Reapers decided to invade?" She questioned.
"I honestly have no idea why they invaded. It could be a number of reasons such as resources. The point is that they did invade, and we need the everyone to help stop them," again he said this with such confidence that it was almost unbelievable someone thought they'd lose.
"So the people want to know why the Alliance hasn't promoted you. It's been what? Four years since your promotion to Commander? Is saving the world multiple times not good enough for the Alliance?" Liara had often wondered about this very question.
"They probably haven't promoted me, because Commander Shepard has a certain ring to it," Shepard offered, and laughed. Liara could feel how uncomfortable he was with the question, though.
"So I understand that you have a blue friend," The damn reporter had the most smug face Liara had ever seen. Everyone in the Mess Hall turned towards her, and she could feel her blood rushing to her face.
"Indeed I do. Doctor Liara T'Soni to be precise, an archeologist. She's pretty much Indiana Jones, but better. We've been together for four or five years now. It's pretty awesome flying around the galaxy kicking butt with my girlfriend. I certainly enjoy it, but I suppose I get on her nerves occasionally," he shrugged at that, "I've had the time of my life." Shepard spoke about her like every girl wanted to be spoken about. It wasn't so much the words (which were very sweet), but the way he said it. He said it like he loved her.
"You've certainly had a colorful past, care to share anything?" This reporter said this with a slight challenge. This was a dangerous road, even if Liara was asking the same question.
Shepard, however, didn't skip a beat. He certainly knew how to handle interviews. "I'm still thankful to the Alliance for getting me out of a bad situation. I was going nowhere fast, and I give them the credit for saving me. Especially Admiral Anderson, who saw more than just a thug living on New York's streets." Liara knew that Shepard and Anderson were friends, but she didn't know Anderson knew him before his Alliance service. She assumed that they met on the Normandy, or even a common ship assignment before that.
"Commander, how do you stay so grounded with all this attention? Quite frankly, you seem very likable, and a lot of people in your situation would let all this excitement go to their head," she smiled at Shepard kindly, and made Liara feel the anger of jealousy.
"Wait, Shepard doesn't let his ego get big?" Garrus asked the Mess. Liara had to laugh at the confusion in Garrus' voice.
"Whenever I start getting on my high horse, several things happen. First my crew tells me that I need to stop, or I'm going out the airlock," this got a few laughs from the people off camera. "Second, I think about all the people that have given more than me. That have done more than I can ever hope to do, and I stop. In the end I'm just another person who carries around a gun, nothing more," Shepard said cooly. He didn't understand that he was different. Liara had never met anyone so hopeful, and magnetizing, in her whole life. He had this expectation about people - he expected them to be their best. He believed in everyone, he trusted easily, and he loved the billions making up the galaxy. He had a childlike hope about the galaxy.
"What's next for you Commander?" She asked.
"Killing the Reapers," he answered confidently.
...
Colt sat on the edge of his bed, patiently waiting for Doctor Chakwas. Minutes earlier, he had successfully slipped through his crew without raising alarm. Normally he wouldn't be concerned about mingling with his crew, but his face was a mess. On his way back from his interview he had found a way to earn creds.
A hiss at the door alerted him to Chakwas' presence. "So will this stuff also help with the bruising?" he asked; she was already preparing his arm for one of his dreadful shots.
"It should get better by morning," she answered evenly. By far the worst part of the shot was the lead up. Shepard almost lost his mind every time he felt a sterile wipe prepare the injection site. "What happened anyways?" Chakwas asked, before injecting him.
"Well," he let out a sigh he didn't know he was holding, "I found out about a little fighting ring, and seeing as we need more creds, I fought a couple rounds. Won every time, but a couple guys were decent, and got in a few blows."
"Do you really think you should be fighting like that? What if you get so beaten up that you can't even function? What if you can't slip by the crew so easily next time? You have to think before you do these things!" Chakwas was yelling in his face. The change in her demeanor shocked and scared the crap out of him.
"I'm sorry? I was just thinking that we needed creds, and I'm good at fighting... Soo, ya I thought that would be a relatively easy way to get creds. Plus, I'm an elite soldier, so if some street thug can beat me up so bad I can't function, I deserve it. The crew, well I don't know. Let's just hope I can slip by them. I know it was a bad decision, but we're desperate. I'm sorry," Colt explained with as much diplomacy as possible.
"I know, and I'm sorry too. I just... get worried," Chakwas answered, but she refused to look at him.
"Don't worry, Doc. We'll make it through," Colt gave her a reassuring pat. He didn't sound convincing, even to himself.
"You'll make it through this. The Reapers, the cybernetics, everything," Chakwas told him. She made her words seem more sincere with an earnest smile. Colt believed her sincerity, but couldn't bring himself to believe her words.