Garrus was sleepily shoving some pathetic excuse for breakfast into his mouth. While the taste wasn't atrocious, the consistency was all off. Who in their right mind would eat this willingly? Personally, he thought whatever villain came up with the recipe for lumpy, gooey Nentwa should be shot in a fit of poetic justice. Dr. Chakwas had confiscated his entire stash of BlastOhs, insisting he needed more nutritious food, yet another travesty to….
Suddenly, Shepard's voice broke over the com. "We've successfully tracked the Rotund to the remote system, Typhon. They're alone, scouring the area for resources. Ground team gear up and meet in the com room. It's go time."
Shoving the remaining slop down his gullet, Garrus raced to his gun locker. The habits he acquired during mandatory boot camp were ingrained deeply. Every morning he woke at 05:00, slapped on his armor, and ate a hardy breakfast. All he needed were some weapons and he was combat ready.
Wrex and Tali were already gearing up, still brushing off some morning drowsiness.
"Uhhhhhgh. Man am I regretting that last ryncol."
"Don't tell me you're hung over!?" Tali hissed. "Nothing is standing in our way today. Nothing. Not even your scaly ass. Shepard is depending on us. And no one is letting him down. Not on my watch."
"Don't get your quads in twist kid. Did I ever tell you about the time I slaughtered fifteen mutated klixen after drinking the entire bar? Trust me, I'm good."
"Goddess, Wrex, really? With everything Shepard has on the line, the least you could've done last night was stay sober." Liara had joined in berating the miserable krogan.
"It's barely dawn and you've already managed to piss off all the women." Garrus snarked. He couldn't resist getting a few licks in himself.
If looks could kill, the one Wrex shot Garrus would've eviscerated him on the spot.
"He deserves it." Tali bit out before storming towards the elevator, shotgun in hand. Liara joined her with an icy, backwards glare.
"Women." Wrex muttered.
"Yeah, well, if I were you I'd be damn careful about pissing either one of them off further. I'm pretty sure Tali was imagining blowing your head off just now."
"I'm over seven hundred years old. So long as I do my job, my business is my god damn business. Even Shepard agrees."
"If we got caught pulling half the crap you get up to, the commander would throw us out an airlock."
"You're just jealous."
"Definitely. I want to be drunk all the time."
"There may be hope for you yet, turian."
The Rotund's blueprints were projected onto the screen in front of them. Officially, the ship wasn't marked military but she was equipped with some nasty cannons. Nothing the Normandy couldn't outmaneuver with Joker at the helm, should she be discovered. But the MSV Worthington would be a sitting duck.
"We're sure she won't fire on us as we approach?" Kaiden asked apprehensively.
"Batarians never waste what they can use. They'll be drooling at the bit the second you mention unclaimed cargo." Pressly insisted. "That, plus the fact you'll be presented as starving, desperate merchants – prime targets for a slave grab, makes me certain they'll let you dock. It'll be too sweet an opportunity to pass up."
"Alright team. Let's fine tune our boarding plan and get underway. First, Tali arguably has the most important job on this mission. Not only will she be piloting the Worthington, but once we board, she'll be solely responsible for jamming their coms. That said, she needs time to bring down their long-range signals. Groundteam, your objective will be to prevent the batarians from discovering her at all costs. Tali, I apologize in advance but we're getting you onto the Rotund via shipping container."
"I won't let you down Shepard." The young quarian replied.
"I'll be posing as the MSV Worthington's captain. They'll separate and detain me immediately for questioning in case I pose a threat. As for the rest of the team, you'll be unloading the decoy cargo and Tali. Remember before we even set foot on the Rotund, Tali will have their internal coms jammed. Look for opportunities to start picking off the slavers. No gunfire unless it's a life or death situation." Shepard switched the projected image from the cargo bay to a sub-deck. "This ship consists of two full floors and a sub-deck, where it's assumed the majority of slaves are stored. Remember we are here to liberate these people. It's highly likely that the slaves will fire on us and not all will be caged below. That's what the gas grenades are for – they consist of the same neutralizing agent we used on Feros. When the firefight breaks out, choose your targets carefully."
"What about me Shepard? Something tells me they won't just let me stroll on-board." Wrex interrupted.
"You'll be posing as a completely wasted, half dead merc we hired for protection. I want you pretending to be passed out in the back of the ship." Shepard paused, taking in a good wiff. "You certainly smell the part. I take it your flask is on you?"
"Yeah…."
"Keep it close."
"No arguments here."
"If they ask about the rest of our crew, tell them we had a mutiny over rations and some wound up spaced. Remember, the Worthington has been missing for months. They'll expect we resorted to some desperate & brutal acts to survive this long."
"They'll be sure to verify that she's missing." Pressly added. "Be patient on your approach. They might re-confirm your story once you dock. No sudden moves."
"Then it's a good thing we never reported her found." Shepard nodded to Pressly. "Apparently, the majority of batarian pilots are the highest ranking on their ships. Meaning, I'll most likely be brought to deck one. Tali, once you've jammed their long range communications, signal our omnitools. That's when all of us turn hostile & unleash Armageddon on their asses."
"I don't like allowing them to disarm and separate you from the rest of the team." Garrus protested.
"They can't subdue biotics they have zero clue about, and I don't plan on giving them the chance to shoot. After the pilot is neutralized, I'll be fighting my way back to the cargo bay. In the meantime, Garrus, you're in charge of the ground team."
For a moment, the turian was at a loss for words. He was clearly shocked at being put second in command, usually that duty fell to Kaiden. "You've got it Commander."
"Team dismissed. Meet you aboard the Worthington."
As the ground-team turned to leave, Liara hung back with Pressly. Shepard internally groaned, knowing the asari would object to what he and Pressly were about to discuss; but he was also aware of what she wanted, and it was damn important.
"The device you had me adapt to your DNA. It's ready." Liara spoke softly, as if she was afraid of injuring him with mere words. She squeezed his hand in support as she passed him the small gadget.
Shepard quickly withdrew, not wanting to prolong the contact. "Thank you Liara. I uhm… well, I may not be able to recognize her."
Pressly abruptly cleared his throat. "I'm glad Dr. T'soni is here, I feel she should be brought up to speed regarding..."
The commander's stern glare hastily cut him off. However, it was too late. Liara had crossed her arms and looked like she may physically fight him if he ordered her out.
"We agreed Shepard," Liara insisted. "This is too personal for you and at least one person on the ground-team should be fully informed. I'm already unhappy about letting the batarians take you willingly. What are you up to?"
"Batarian 'questioning' generally involves torture." Pressly spat out.
Before Liara could so much as open her mouth, Shepard intervened. "Not only can I handle it but N7s are specifically trained for this. I know what I'm capable of Liara, please trust me. When Tali sends out her signal, they won't know what hit them until they're bleeding out on the floor."
"I don't like this Shepard, not one bit. But I understand what's at stake, what this means to you."
During their hunt for Saren, Shepard had allowed Liara to mind-meld with him. He needed their Prothean expert to see the visions the beacon had so unkindly given. But it wasn't without cost. Normally, he was an extremely private person. There was a wall between him and the rest of the world, a barrier from its cruelty. Yet, if there was a way to obscure his most personal memories during that meld, neither one of them knew it. Despite her best efforts to contain the knowledge transfer to merely the beacon's visions, she had seen it all. The destruction of Mindoir. His desperate fight to reach Jane. His failure.
And for the first time, he was grateful. At least he wouldn't have to explain himself or what was at stake to her.