Chapter 5: The Prophecies of Shepard
"An auction?" Garrus repeated.
"Apparently so. Looks like he had a few interested parties. The Shadow Broker among them. EDI found correspondences between Kuril and an information agent of the Broker's. The Broker was trying to bypass the auction and make a direct agreement on a price," Shepard said.
Garrus scratched at his mandible with a gloved talon before asking, "Who were the others?"
"No one I immediately recognize. I'll have EDI forward you the list if you want," Shepard said.
"Yeah. I'll see what I can find out," Garrus said.
They were standing in the main battery with Grundan Krul. This was the first time Shepard had stepped foot in this room since she brought the two of them aboard. The space was crowded for the two men to share, but they seemed to do so with efficiency.
"Is there something I can do to help?" Grundan Krul asked.
"You could look at the list with Garrus. Maybe you'll recognize a name?" Shepard suggested.
Grundan Krul nodded in agreement.
"Alright, well I wanted to check in with some of the others. Let me know if you guys find anything," Shepard said glancing at Garrus.
"Of course," Garrus said.
Shepard left the main battery and stopped by Miranda's office. When she walked in she was immediately hit with the reminder that Miranda's office was where Shepard's cabin once stood. The lay out was different and it was distinctly Miranda's space now and not Shepard's, but it still stirred memories in the back of Shepard's mind. Miranda looked up from her desk at Shepard; surprise danced across her features.
"Commander Shepard, is there something I can do for you?" Miranda asked.
Shepard shrugged, "Just thought I'd stop by and see how you're doing."
Miranda leaned back, "You want to know how I'm doing? I must admit, Commander, I find that surprising."
"We don't want to be in here. Don't want to be with her," Jane said.
"We have to work with her, Jane. I won't stay long, I promise," Shepard thought.
"Come on Miranda, you spent two years learning everything you could about me, right? Don't tell me that there wasn't anything in those files telling you that I like to know my team," Shepard said.
"I wasn't aware you actually consider me to be a part of your team, Commander. It seems more to me that I'm someone you tolerate because you must," Miranda said.
"She doesn't even want us to be here, let's go, please!" Jane said.
Shepard winced, "I admit it is difficult at times. We're two very different people, and Cerberus hasn't done much to give me warm feelings inside."
"Jane, keep it together for me, OK? Just for a few minutes," Shepard thought.
"Cerberus invested massive amounts of time and resources to bring you back to life, Commander," Miranda said.
"By cutting us open from head to toe. Scraping away our burnt flesh into little petri dishes. Drilling holes into us. Attaching machines and pumping us full of chemicals," Jane said.
"Cerberus didn't do that for me. That wasn't a favor that was the worst kind of draft any soldier has ever had," Shepard said.
Miranda watched her in silence, her legs crossed and swiveling gently in her chair. She stood up and walked towards the back of the room to where she had some chairs set up by a window.
"Alright, Commander. What would you like to know?" Miranda asked gesturing at the chairs.
Shepard followed her and sat down in one of the chairs, instinctively choosing one that would let her keep an eye on the door. Miranda sat across from her, settling into the leather cushion she clasped her hands over her abdomen and crossed her long legs.
Shepard scratched at one of the scars on her face and Miranda frowned. Shepard stopped and dropped her hand.
"I don't know, Miranda. Just tell me about you. Where are you from? What do you do in your spare time? You know, just talk," Shepard said.
Miranda sat silently, her penetrating blue eyes weighing out Shepard's words. Shepard had only met a few people in her life whose gaze could make her want to squirm. She was both in awe and a little disturbed that Miranda was one of them. After a few minutes of silence, Shepard raised an eyebrow.
"Why don't you tell me what it is that you already know about me, Commander?" Miranda said.
Jane's memories began flooding Shepard's mind at the prompt. Shepard gently shoved them away so she could focus on the conversation.
"Uh, well I know that you're name is Miranda Lawson and that you work for Cerberus. You led the Lazarus Project and spent two years rebuilding me. I know that you're an excellent biotic and you know how to hold your own in combat," Shepard said with a shrug.
Miranda stayed silent. After a minute had passed, she stood up and crossed to her desk. Shepard's eyes followed her as Miranda picked up her laptop and brought it back to the chair she had been sitting in. Shepard watched with curiosity while Miranda dug through files on her computer without saying a word. She turned her laptop to face Shepard.
There was a still image of Shepard, heavily burned and nearly unrecognizable even to herself on the laptop's screen. Jane began twisting, squirming in Shepard's mind. Shepard glanced at Miranda in confusion. Miranda reached around and pressed a button on the keyboard.
"No, no, no. I don't want to see this. Gods don't make me watch this," Jane said frantically.
The image began to move and audio started playing. Shepard watched as her burned, cracked, and oozing lips began to move. Her mouth dried out when she realized what it was that she was saying, and who exactly it was speaking through her mouth. Jane started to repeat one word over and over, a simple 'no' to bounce around in Shepard's mind.
"… and then we'll have to help her get her sister to safety. Niket will be there trying to convince her to take Oriana back to her father… Oh gods, it hurts. The reapers are coming and no one is listening… Zaeed is going to want us to let all those people burn just so he can have his revenge… Kaidan died and it was all our fault… why does it hurt so much… changed too much… Saren would have let the reapers in; he would have ended civilization completely… Wilson is working for the Shadow Broker, he's going to try to kill us again… oh I feel like I'm on fire…," Shepard's voice said on the video.
"NO!" Jane yelled.
"Stop," Shepard said.
Miranda reached around to stop the recording. Her eyes fixed on Shepard but Shepard's eyes remained locked on the still image of her shattered and burned body.
"Who else has seen this?" Shepard asked barely above a whisper.
"No one else alive. Yet," Miranda said.
"I didn't know, we didn't mean to. Oh gods, she knows, she knows. They're going to put us back on the slab. She knows. Miranda is going to cut us open again; dig around inside our head. Oh gods, oh gods," Jane's voice was full of panic.
Shepard could feel her heart rate rising. She didn't know if it was responding to Jane, or her own fear. Shepard raised her eyes to meet Miranda's gaze with a cold stare of her own. Could she trust Miranda? Was it too soon for that?
"You haven't showed this to the Illusive Man? Jacob? No one else?" Shepard demanded.
Miranda shook her head, "Wilson was the only other person around to hear you. He's dead now, obviously. I considered sharing these tapes with the Illusive Man but chose to wait. I needed to see you on your feet again. I couldn't risk the Illusive Man terminating the Project or changing anything about it until I had the chance to ask you how you know about Oriana."
Miranda sat the laptop down on a small table between the two women. She leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees, clasping her hands together in front of her. She watched Shepard closely in that cold and calculating way that Miranda was so good at.
"Kill her! We have to kill her. We can't let anyone else know," Jane said.
Shepard closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"I was tempted to sabotage the Project and kill you, for even uttering her name, Commander. So, I urge you to explain yourself. I've waited long enough. Clearly, you have recovered from your injuries and are capable of understanding the gravity of the situation. I want answers," Miranda said.
"Are you threatening me, Miranda?" Shepard asked with a raised brow, her fists clenching.
"If necessary, yes. I spent a lot of time working on you, so I would hate to see that all be for nothing, of course," Miranda said bluntly.
"What are you doing? Kill her! You can't let her put us back on that slab. Do it, do it now while she's alone. Hurry!" Jane said.
Shepard leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, fingers digging into the fabric of her shirt itching to wrap themselves around Miranda's throat. The two women sat in silence staring at one another. Finally Shepard cleared her throat.
"I doubt I have the answers you want. I'm sure it's nothing as nefarious as you're probably thinking," Shepard shrugged, doing her best to make the answer she was giving seem simple yet true. "I think it's a side of effect of the prothean beacon. Ever since I accessed it on Eden Prime, I've gotten strange visions of things to come."
"The beacon?" Miranda asked clearly doubtful.
"Yeah. It warned me about the reapers. Showed me what happened to the protheans. Since then I've just known things. Not everything, of course, but people, place, events that are all tied in to my stopping the reapers," Shepard said.
Miranda leaned back, "How is that even possible?"
"Not a clue," Shepard said.
"Who else knows about this? Did you inform the Council? The Alliance?" Miranda asked.
"The Council has never believed anything I say. You know how the responded when I tried to tell them about the visions the beacon gave me about the reapers. They all but laughed in my face. Why would I try to tell them anything else? There's one person in the Alliance who knows, someone I trust with my life. Most of my old crew knows. The people I was closest too, who I needed to trust me and to be able to trust with anything… and now you. The question is, what are you going to do with this information?" Shepard asked.
"This information needs to be passed on to the Illusive Man. He'll want to –," Miranda began.
"No," Shepard said.
"Commander, I know that you have your misgivings about Cerberus but –," Miranda began.
"No, Miranda. No one else gets told about this or I'm done. Period. I know that you think that Cerberus is noble in its quest to better humanity and I don't know if that is simple ignorance of what Cerberus has done or if you're just willing to turn a blind eye out of misplaced gratitude for what the Illusive Man has done for you personally," Shepard leaned forward in her chair as she spoke, her voice rising. "Either way, this is my life, damn it and I know that if Cerberus finds out about this they will find a way to get me locked up in a room somewhere while they run experiments on me and try to figure out a way to harness this for their own purposes. I won't let that happen, Miranda. I will do everything – and I mean everything in my power to prevent that from every happening. So can I trust you or not?"
"Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods," Jane said.
Miranda crossed her hands over her abdomen and tapped a finger of her right hand against her left.
"Very well, Commander. I will keep this to myself. For now. I will, however, keep the Prophecies of Shepard. If what you say is true, then there is information too valuable to be ignored. There are things in there that Cerberus does need to know, but they don't need to know where the information came from," Miranda said.
"The Prophecies of Shepard? Really?" Shepard said with an exasperated sigh. "Send me the videos, Miranda. I need to know exactly what was said before you tell Cerberus anything. Just give me that. There may be something there that would do more harm than good if Cerberus found out about."
Miranda stood and picked up her laptop before walking back to her desk. Shepard followed her and watched as she sat down and collected the files preparing to send them to Shepard.
"Just kill her, please just kill her," Jane said.
"No, damn it. I'm not going to kill her over this. It isn't her fault," Shepard thought.
"Wait. Don't send them to my Cerberus account. I know it's monitored. And this whole ship is bugged. Are you sure your computer isn't monitored? What about your cabin?" Shepard asked.
"I'm positive, Commander. Where do you want me to send them to, then?" Miranda asked.
Shepard thought about it for a moment, she considered having them sent to Anderson or maybe to Garrus' private account but she wasn't sure she wanted to involve either of them in this. She wasn't sure she wanted them to see the videos of her in that shape.
"Do you have an OSD drive?" Shepard asked.
Miranda dug around in a drawer before producing a small OSD and plugged it into her computer. She moved some files off of the drive before transferring the videos. When it was done, she ejected the drive and held it out to Shepard. Shepard reached for the drive but Miranda didn't let go right away.
"Do not make me regret this, Commander," Miranda warned.
She released the drive and Shepard tucked it into her pocket.
"Thank you, Miranda," Shepard said as she turned towards the door.
"Commander, wait," Miranda said.
Shepard turned back to face the other woman. Miranda leaned back in her chair, resting her clasped hands on her stomach.
"About Oriana… and Niket… you're sure that Niket is working for my father?" Miranda asked.
Shepard shook her head slowly, "I'm sorry, Miranda."
"No, don't be. It's better that I know now," Miranda said before turning her attention back to her computer.
Shepard left Miranda's office and went to the elevator. She pushed the call button before reaching into her pocket to fiddle with the OSD while she waited for the elevator to arrive. Jane's panicked voice was starting to abate. When the doors slid open Shepard stepped on to the elevator and turned to see Garrus coming. She held a hand out to stop the door from closing. He hesitated only briefly before stepping into the confined space with Shepard. She moved her hand and the doors slid closed. As they had every other time they'd been in the elevator together since she found him on Omega, Garrus stood pressed into one corner and she the other. Jane soothed herself with quiet whispers in the back of Shepard's mind.
Neither of them spoke as the elevator started to move. Shepard was lost in thoughts of the OSD in her pocket and dreading what all Jane might have said while Shepard was out. The elevator came to an abrupt stop a few seconds later. Shepard glanced up at the doors but they stayed closed.
"EDI?" Shepard said.
"Yes, Shepard?" EDI said.
"Why'd the elevator stop?" Shepard asked.
"That would be my fault, Commander," Joker's voice came in over the comm.
"What do you mean? Fix it!" Shepard said.
"Uhhh, no," Joker said.
"What?!" Shepard said raising her voice.
"Not until you two talk things out. Everyone on the ship is tired of your bullshit. Figure it out," Joker said.
Shepard glanced over at the mortified looking turian who had somehow found a way to wedge himself even deeper in the corner.
"Joker! Damn it this isn't funny!" Shepard yelled.
"Kasumi thinks it is," Joker said and Kasumi giggled in the background.
"Joker, this isn't your business. Fix the elevator," Garrus said.
"So I won't listen. Talk," Joker said.
"Gods damn it, Joker! When I get out of here I'm breaking both of your legs!" Shepard yelled.
"EDI, can you fix this?" Garrus asked.
"I can, Mr. Vakarian," EDI replied.
The elevator remained motionless. Shepard sighed.
"She's been spending too much time with Joker. You need to ask her directly if she will. She's being a smartass," Shepard said.
"OK… EDI, will you fix this?" Garrus asked.
"I will not," EDI said.
"EDI!" Shepard whined.
"Yes, Shepard?" EDI asked.
"EDI, fix the damn elevator," Shepard said.
"As you wish, Shepard," EDI said.
The elevator started to move again but abruptly stopped after a couple of feet.
"EDI?" Shepard said.
"Yes, Shepard?" EDI said.
"I thought you were fixing the elevator?" Shepard asked.
"I did. Flight Lieutenant Moreau resumed manual control," EDI said.
Shepard groaned and hit her head against the wall. Garrus moved over to the control panel and opened his omni-tool. Shepard perked up to watch him work. After a few moments he chuffed and dropped his arm.
"It's no use, not with Joker sitting up there flipping the switch every time I reset it," Garrus said.
"I'm going to break his fingers, too," Shepard grumbled sliding down the wall of the elevator.
Garrus moved back over to his corner and closed his omni-tool before studying his feet. Shepard tilted her head up and looked at the emergency hatch. A grin spread across her face and she stood.
"Lift me up," she said.
"What?" Garrus asked.
Shepard pointed to the hatch above Garrus' head. He glanced up and nodded, lacing his fingers together for her to use as a foothold. Shepard put a hand on his shoulder and stepped into the palms of his hands. He helped to raise her up the few extra inches that she needed.
"Aw, come on. That's cheating," Joker said over the comm.
"Screw you, Joker," Shepard said as her fingers deftly opened the hatch and pushed it out of the way.
The elevator suddenly moved again, causing Shepard to lose her balance. She started to fall but Garrus' arms wrapped around her and caught her letting her slide to her feet. The elevator stopped again. Shepard was pressed against Garrus, her shirt had been pushed upwards leaving her bare stomach to press against his armor. Her heart was racing in response. She cleared her throat and stepped back before running her hands down the front of her shirt, pushing it back into place.
"Joker! I could have cracked my head open on the wall, you ass!" Shepard said.
"You would have lived," Joker said.
Garrus and Shepard both growled at the comm.
"Alright, try again?" Shepard asked Garrus.
He got back into position beneath the hatch and laced his fingers, hoisting her up towards the hatch. Shepard was ready when the elevator started again and kept herself steady. The elevator stopped once more. She grabbed the lip of the hatch and started pulling herself up while Garrus pushed. Shepard made her way to the roof of the elevator and glanced around until she spotted the emergency ladder. She grabbed it and made sure it was secure before dropping the collapsible ladder down the hatch for Garrus. Shepard stepped back while Garrus made his way up. He pulled the ladder up behind him and secured the hatch.
"I'm going to shoot him," Garrus said.
His visor provided more light than the dim emergency lights that lined the elevator shaft. Still, it was dark enough that she couldn't make his features out clearly. He could probably see her just fine.
"No, Garrus. You can't shoot Joker," Shepard said.
"Why not? I can use a concussive shot," Garrus said.
"Yeah, and probably shatter every bone in his body," Shepard said maneuvering around Garrus to get to the ladder built into the side of the shaft.
"Hmmm. You're right. Probably not a good idea to put the pilot in a full body cast," Garrus said.
Shepard laughed as she made her way up the shaft. Her heart fluttered when she heard Garrus laugh in response, the sound echoing around her.
"How did he not think of the hatch?" Garrus asked.
She could feel him moving up the ladder a few rungs below her.
"He probably did; probably just hoped we would be more cooperative… or too upset to think of the hatch," Shepard said.
"He has met us, right?" Garrus asked his voice heavy with sarcasm.
Shepard chuckled, "Shepard and Vakarian, saviors of the galaxy defeated by an asshole pilot, a smartass AI, and an elevator."
Garrus chuckled again and Shepard's smiled widened.
"I'm at the door," Shepard said sticking her leg through one of the rungs and wedging her ankle back through another to brace herself.
Heat crept through her when she felt Garrus put a hand against her thigh to help keep her in place. She wedged her fingers into the small gap, pushing and prying until the doors slid apart enough for her to shove her hands in deeper. Once she had the leverage she needed, she pulled the doors until the automatic system kicked in and they slid open the rest of the way. Shepard glanced into the CIC to see that no one was looking at them, yet. She freed her leg and pulled herself up the rest of the way before brushing her hands off. She reached back in to offer Garrus a hand to help him out, he slid his hand into hers and she pulled back. When he was on his feet again, Shepard saw his eyes go to her hand in his. There was the briefest moment of hesitation before he let her hand go. Her heart stomach fluttered with hope.
Garrus started to charge towards the cockpit when Shepard stopped him. He turned to look at her, angry and confused.
"I have an idea," Shepard said.
Shepard walked over to Kelly standing at her console and tapped the woman on her shoulder. Kelly turned and beamed at Shepard with her toothy smile.
"Commander, is there something I can help you with?" Kelly asked.
"Actually, Kelly, I was hoping you could maybe go talk to Joker. I'm a little worried about him. I think he's been spending far too much time looking at indecent pictures and videos on the extranet," Shepard said forcing her face into a mask of concern and sincerity. "He's a very lonely person, what with his Vrolik's Syndrome and he's so reclusive. I mean, you probably shouldn't tell him that, but you know, I think he could use someone to talk too. Maybe you can help convince him to take some time off next shore leave, try and make a connection with real people, ya know?"
"Oh, absolutely, Commander. I'll go see him right away. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I'm positive I can help Mr. Moreau," Kelly said with a bright smile before walking towards the cockpit.
Shepard heard a slow, soft clap behind her and turned to see Garrus applauding her with a devious grin on his face and warm humor in his eyes. Shepard smiled and dipped into an exaggerated bow.
"Thank you, thank you," Shepard said.
Garrus chuckled, "That was perfect. Wish I'd thought of it."
Shepard soaked in the moment, smiling softly. It must have made Garrus self-conscious though, because the moment passed all too soon and his smile faded.
"Should we, uh, close those doors?" Garrus said turning away from her to face the elevator shaft.
"EDI, please fix the elevator now," Shepard said.
"Right away, Shepard," EDI said.
The doors slid closed and Shepard heard the elevator move up. The doors slid open again revealing the elevator. They both watched the elevator with dread, knowing they had to get back on that thing.
"You go first; I doubt he'd try it again but still…" Shepard said.
"Oh, so now you're not a martyr," said Garrus.
He stepped into the elevator and turned to look at Shepard. She must have had a pained expression because he put a hand up to stop the door from closing.
"Shepard… I wasn't serious," Garrus said.
"You have been more than a little passive aggressive, Garrus," Shepard said softly.
"Hmmm," Garrus said before a heavy pause. "Perhaps Joker's right. We should… talk. Just not here. Someplace else, on our terms."
Garrus let go of the door and it started to slide closed. Shepard nodded her head as he disappeared from her sight. She didn't have the chance to let her mind consider this new development because she turned to see Kelly hurrying out of the cockpit carrying something black and white. She made a beeline straight for Shepard. Shepard schooled her features and waited for the yeoman.
"How'd it go?" Shepard asked.
"The problem might be more complex than you realized, Commander," Kelly said. "I think that Mr. Moreau is having difficulties making connections with other people because of you."
"Because of me?" Shepard asked.
"Well, yes, Commander. Joker told me about your feelings for him… about your dreams, and confessions of attraction to him before the Normandy crashed. I think watching you die caused him a great deal of guilt. He's been blaming himself, Commander. He thinks that if maybe he had been more accepting of your feelings, things would have happened differently," Kelly said.
Shepard's jaw dropped open. "What? I – I… JOKER!"
Shepard could hear his chuckling all the way from the cockpit.
"He asked me to return this to you. He said you forgot it when you came to see him last night?" Kelly asked handing Shepard the black and white robe she had laid on Joker the night before.
"I – he was asleep, in his chair… he looked cold… this is so not what you think," Shepard grabbed the robe and turned back to the elevator.
"Commander, I think that it's important that you talk to someone about your feelings. Ignoring them will only make matters worse for you, and for Mr. Moreau," Kelly said.
"Thank you, Kelly," Shepard said ducking into the elevator. "I'll be sure to do that."
The elevator doors slid closed and Shepard heard the click of the comm being turned on in the elevator.
"Come on, Commander. Who did you think you were messing with here?" Joker asked smugly.
"Ohhh, it's on," Shepard said.
"You know you'll lose this one, Shepard. Quit while you're ahead," Joker said.
"Keep telling yourself that, Joker," Shepard said.
The elevator opened and Shepard went into her cabin. She plopped down in her desk chair and pulled the OSD out, turning it over and over in her fingertips while gently swiveling the chair back and forth. She sighed and shoved the OSD back in her pocket before opening her laptop. She clicked on her inbox and opened the message from Tali.
Shepard: I can meet you on the asteroid Farlas. There are some ships headed there to mine.
Shepard typed out a quick response to let Tali know that she'd set coordinates for Farlas right away before making her way back down to the CIC. She stepped up to the galaxy map and input the coordinates. It wouldn't take very long at all to get to Tali so to kill time Shepard decided to stop in and see what Jack had found.
As usual, Jack had claimed the dimly lit storage area beneath the stairs under the engineering room. Shepard rapped on one of the metal supports to get her attention before leaning against it and crossing her arms. Jack was surrounded by datapads spread out around her on the cot and floor. She looked up at Shepard before returning her attention to the datapad in her hand.
"Finding anything?" Shepard asked.
"What do you care? Checking in on your investment?" Jack snarled.
"That's not fair, Jack. It wasn't my call to pay them for you, I was given a name and a place to pick you up, they had already arranged everything," Shepard said.
"Whatever," Jack said.
Shepard sighed and turned to leave.
"Wait," Jack said.
Shepard glanced back at her with a raised eyebrow. Jack stood up and dropped the datapad to the cot. She moved to lean against the support Shepard had just abandoned and watched Shepard with narrowed eyes.
"You said you knew what they did," Jack said.
Shepard nodded, "I can't explain how, so don't ask."
"I don't give a fuck how you know. You said you were going to help me blow the place up. Did you mean that?" Jack asked.
Shepard turned back around completely and crossed her arms before answering, "I did."
"Why?" Jack asked.
"Because a place like that needs to be blown up," Shepard said.
Shepard watched Jack as she processed this. Her eyes were drawn to Jack's full lips and delicate features. Memories of biting those lips, of pulling them into her mouth flooded Shepard's mind. She remembered times when her hands – their hands, a man's hands, traced the intricate patterns of the tattoos that covered nearly every inch of Jack's flesh. When those hands would slide the thin leather straps, crossing over Jack's torso to barely hide her nipples, away from her breasts. Shepard cleared her throat and pushed the memories away, refocusing on Jack's face.
Jack had a smirk on her face and Shepard could see the laughter in her eyes.
"Don't think so, Alliance. I've fucked a couple of women but they aren't really my thing and I don't do soldiers," Jack said.
"I'm not trying to sleep with you, Jack," Shepard said.
"Bullshit. I can see it in your eyes. You think I don't know it when someone is checking me out. Come in here acting like you give a damn and looking at me like that. Please," Jack said.
"I didn't say I wasn't attracted to you, Jack. I said I wasn't trying to sleep with you. You're wrong though, I do give a damn. What Cerberus did to you was a whole new level of fucked up," Shepard said.
"Whatever," Jack said pushing away from the wall and turning back to her cot. "I'll let you know when I have something."
"So not cool, Jane," Shepard thought.
"You trigged those memories on your own. I can't help what you already feel," Jane responded.
Jack picked up the datapad and sat back down. Shepard turned and went back up the stairs, making her way into engineering. Gabby and Ken turned to her when the door opened. Shepard silently cursed herself remembering that she forgot to get them the FBA couplings while she was on Omega. She had been so focused on getting Garrus; she didn't even bother to look around Omega like she normally would have. She didn't help out that nice quarian boy, Kenn either. She knew she'd have to go back to Omega eventually. The couplings would probably still be there and so would Kenn.
Shepard spent a few minutes talking to Gabby and Ken. It annoyed her a little the way Gabby kept interrupting Ken; cutting him off and trying to control the way he talked to Shepard. Shepard crossed her arms after the third time.
"I'm sorry, what were you saying, Ken? Please do continue," Shepard said.
"Oh no, Gabby's right. I do talk too much. I just wanted you to know that you've got our support. However we can help," Ken said.
"Absolutely, Commander," Gabby agreed.
"Thanks guys, I'm happy to have you aboard," Shepard said.
"We're honored to be here, ma'am," Gabby said.
"Carry on," Shepard said on her way back out.
Shepard took the elevator back up to the CIC and veered towards the tech labs. Mordin was bent over the table but looked up when Shepard walked in.
"Shepard! Yes, good you are here. Need to run scans," Mordin said crossing the room to meet her.
"What for?" Shepard asked.
"Studying Cerberus work. Need to see healing progress," Mordin said.
"Alright," Shepard said standing still while Mordin ran his omni-tool in front of her.
"We're making a stop to help out an old friend of mine. Thought you might like to get off the ship for a little while. You want to go out with us?" Shepard asked.
Mordin looked up from his omni-tool and blinked at Shepard.
"Quite content in lab, but happy to go, too. Will give us chance to talk. Cleared lab of Cerberus bugs but could have planted more," Mordin said.
"Yeah… feel free to clear the whole ship of those," Shepard said.
Mordin chuckled, "Will displease Miranda."
"Probably," Shepard said.
"Will see what I can do," Mordin said.
Shepard grinned, "Thanks Mordin. We should be nearing our rendezvous point to pick Tali up. We're taking her to run some scans or something near a planet called Elohi."
"Elohi, yes. Many scientists studying Elohi now," Mordin said.
"Oh? Why's that?" Shepard asked.
"Comet called Asaro headed for Elohi. Equations show high likelihood will be captured by Elohi's gravitational pull. Become new satellite," Mordin said.
"Huh. Interesting. Wonder what Tali's after. Alright, well we should be there soon I'll let you know when I'm ready for you," Shepard said.
Shepard left Mordin to go suit up before heading back to the CIC. She asked Kelly to let Garrus and Mordin know to meet her at the shuttle in ten minutes. Shepard made her way to the cockpit to loom over Joker in silence. She was watching the approach to the asteroid that was already surrounded by quarian vessels. She schooled her features when she saw Joker turn to glance up at her out of her peripheral vision. She knew she was making him nervous after the elevator incident. Once Joker was focused back on maneuvering the Normandy closer to the asteroid, Shepard laid a hand on his shoulder and snorted when she felt him jump beneath her touch. She left the cockpit and headed to the shuttle where Garrus and Mordin were waiting.
"What are we doing here?" Garrus asked.
Shepard smiled, "You'll see."
Garrus frowned at her and Mordin smiled.
The three of them piled into the shuttle and flew it down to the landing zone the quarians had marked out on the asteroid. When the shuttle landed, Shepard and her team were met with a group of quarians pointing guns at them.
"Your ship reads as Cerberus, what do you want here? You are not welcome," a male quarian said.
Garrus was reaching for his assault rifle and Shepard signaled him to wait. Mordin stood by passively with his hands clasped behind his back observing the encounter.
"Get out of my way you bosh'tet! I told you they were coming," Tali's voice broke through the crowd.
"Is that… Tali?" Garrus said raising his voice over the din.
Tali pushed and shoved her way into view as the other quarians backed off and lowered their weapons. Shepard grinned as the purple and green clad quarian stopped in front of her team and cocked a hip.
"Who else were you expecting?" she quipped.
"Ha! Tali'Zorah well if you aren't a sight for sore eyes," Garrus said.
"It is good to see you, too, Garrus. Keelah se'lai… Shepard!" Tali said before hesitantly approaching Shepard.
Shepard opened her arms and Tali quickened her steps to close the distance and embrace Shepard.
"It is so good to see you, Tali," Shepard said.
Shepard heard Tali sniffle and pulled back to look at her. Of course, she couldn't see tears behind Tali's mask but she knew they were there. Shepard pulled her back to her and whispered to the quarian.
"It's alright, Tali. I'm here. I'm alive. I'm so sorry to put you through all of this," Shepard said.
A soft keening sound came from Tali. Shepard moved a hand up to cup the back of her head. The other quarians shuffled around nervously until another pushed his way forward. Shepard recognized him as Kal'Reegar and had to remind herself that she didn't actually know him yet before she called out to him in greeting.
"All of you, get back to work. If Tali'Zorah says she knows these people than that's all you need to know!" Kal said waving off the other quarians.
Slowly, the others filtered away leaving Kal to stand there watching Tali cry and cling to Shepard. Garrus shifted uncomfortably next to the two women and Mordin busied himself scanning the asteroid. After a few minutes, Tali pulled herself out of the embrace and sniffled again.
"Look at me, crying like a child. I'm sorry. It's just so good to see you again. And I'm so happy that you and Garrus found each other again!" Tali said.
Shepard averted her eyes.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Tali asked picking up on the gesture.
"It's nothing, Tali, don't worry about it. Oh, let me introduce you to Mordin. I didn't bring any of the Cerberus crew with me; I thought you might be more comfortable with familiar faces… I hope it's OK that I brought Mordin," Shepard said leading Tali towards the salarian.
"Thank you, for not bringing Cerberus, I mean. I wasn't sure how to ask," Tali said.
Shepard squeezed Tali's shoulder and said, "You didn't need to."
Garrus moved to Tali's other side as they walked over to where Mordin was crouched down taking samples of the fine dusty surface of the asteroid, scooping it up with a small metal spoon and putting it into vials before corking the vials and securing them in a pouch. Mordin stood and turned to face them when they approached.
"Professor Mordin Solus, meet Tali'Zorah vas Neema. Tali was with Garrus and I on the old Normandy. She is a very dear friend of mine," Shepard said.
Mordin reached a hand out for Tali to shake and said, "Ah. Pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise. So, how did Shepard convince you to work with her? You know she likes being shot at, right?" Tali said with a chuckle.
"Hey now, I hear enough of that from Garrus and Joker," Shepard said.
"You notice she isn't denying it, though," Garrus added.
Mordin chuckled, "Have noticed increase in gunfire since joining."
Shepard threw her hands up in defeat.
"Alright, alright. So, Tali, are you ready to go to Elohi?" Shepard asked.
Tali turned to Shepard and started wringing her hands. Shepard raised an eyebrow waiting for the quarian to speak.
"About that…," Tali said.
"Yeah?" Shepard asked.
"I lied," Tali said.
Garrus chuckled.
"OK… well, what's going on?" Shepard asked.
"I do need your help, I just didn't want to really say why. You said that your account wasn't secured and well, I didn't want to give Cerberus any more information than I had to…," Tali said her hand wringing become more furious.
Shepard held up a hand, "Tali, it's OK. I completely understand. You did the right thing. I'm here now though, and we'll help any way that we can. What's going on?"
Tali looked over her shoulder back at Kal and waved him over. The quarian marine jogged over to stand at Tali's side.
"Shepard this is Kal'Reegar, he is one of the Marines that has been assigned as my guard while I am on research missions for the Fleet," Tali said.
Shepard held her hand out to Kal who shook it firmly before returning to parade rest.
"Tali'Zorah has spoken highly of you," Kal said.
Shepard smiled, "Well that's a relief. I'm sure there were plenty of embarrassing stories she could have told you."
Tali giggled, "You mean like the time when I found you making out with Garrus in the mess hall?"
Shepard and Garrus both winced.
"OK, that's it. Something is definitely wrong!" Tali said in exasperation.
"Garrus and I… we aren't… things have changed, Tali. We're still figuring out how to work together again in light of… everything," Shepard said.
"You two aren't together anymore?" Tali asked shocked.
Garrus shuffled his feet and looked off into the distance. Shepard rubbed at the back of her armored neck out of habit.
"It's… complicated," Shepard finally said.
"What's complicated about it? You two love each other; he lost you for two years. You two should be together!" Tali insisted.
"It wasn't my choice, Tali, alright. Can we just talk about this later? In private, maybe?" Shepard asked.
"Oh! Keelah, I'm sorry. Yes, of course," Tali said her voice heavy with embarrassment.
"Thanks," Shepard said.
"So, uh, Kal and I found something… I'm not really sure how to tell you. I thought maybe it might be best to just show you," Tali said.
"OK, well, where is it?" Shepard asked.
"Alchera," Tali said.
"What?" Garrus said turning back to look at Tali.
"Alchera… it's where the –," Tali began.
"I know where it is – what it is…," Garrus said.
Shepard crossed her arms, "OK."
"OK?!" Garrus asked looking at her like she was insane.
"I've been asked to go there anyway. The Alliance wants me to choose a site for a monument. It's already on the Normandy, in the hangar. They loaded it up when we were on the Citadel," Shepard said.
"And you don't mind going back there?" Garrus asked.
"Of course I do, but maybe it's something I need to do. If you don't want to though…" Shepard shrugged. "I mean I understand you can stay on the Normandy."
Garrus frowned at her and resumed his study of the landscape.
"Perhaps best to discuss mission parameters before boarding Cerberus vessel," Mordin suggested.
"Mordin's right. Tali tell me everything you can now. Once we get back on that ship, you'll have to watch what you say," Shepard said.
Tali glanced at Kal who then stepped forward.
"While digging through the crash site, we encountered a geth. It was alone, and seemed to be searching for something. We fired on it but the geth did not return fire. Instead it called out to Tali, calling her by name and requested that she cease fire. I wasn't keen to listen, but Tali here told me to cease fire," Kal said.
"Legion…," Shepard said.
"No, it's too soon. You're not supposed to find him like this," Jane said.
"Things have changed, Jane. You're going to have to adapt," Shepard thought.
"Adapt… how can we adapt?! Everything we know has changed. We have no way of knowing what's going to happen. None. We've always known. Always, and now things are changing and we don't know how disastrous this will be," Jane said.
"What?" Tali asked.
"Oh, um… this was… expected," Shepard said.
"Expected? Oh! Oh, I see," Tali said.
"Where is the geth now?" Shepard asked.
Tali begun wringing her wrists, "Well, uh, I talked to it briefly and then… I tied it up and left it there."
"You tied him up?" Shepard asked with amusement.
"It didn't even try to fight me. It was incredibly weird, Shepard. It knew who I was. It said he recognized me from transmissions as being a part of your team. Shepard… it said it was looking for you. To help against the reapers," Tali said. "Well, it called them 'the old machines.'"
Shepard stared at Tali dumfounded.
"You're telling me that you, Tali'Zorah actually stopped firing on a geth and had a conversation with him before tying him up and leaving him alive and alone on Alchera?" Shepard asked.
"It, Shepard. It's a geth, it's not a person. It is a machine that is responsible for the exile of my people! Trust me, I wanted nothing more than to shoot it until it stopped moving but it knew me! It knew me and it knew you!" Tali said emphatically. "I thought you might want to question it or something. I couldn't bring it with me though, so I didn't know what else to do… and it had a piece of your old armor patched into its platform."
Shepard nodded, "I'm glad you didn't kill him, Tali. He's going to be incredibly useful."
"It," Tali said.
"We'll have to disagree on that one, Tali. So, are you two coming with us to Alchera then?" Shepard asked.
"If that is alright with you," Tali said.
"Absolutely. Tali'Zorah you are always welcome aboard any ship of mine, and any friend of yours is a friend of mine. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to convince you to stay?" Shepard said.
"I don't know, Shepard. I have responsibilities to the Fleet now…," Tali said.
Shepard nodded, "So I see. So, what were you doing on Alchera? If it's something you can tell me anyway?"
"Oh, that wasn't for the Fleet so much as for me… I just needed to see everything. To say goodbye to everyone that was lost. To remind myself that you were real and... to remember your promise," Tali said.
"Tali… how long ago did you leave the geth on Alchera?" Shepard asked suddenly concerned.
"About six months ago," Tali said.
"Gods… how can you be sure he's even still there?" Shepard asked.
"It said it would wait, if that was my wish. I told it that it was and that I was going to find you and tell you about it," Tali said.
"It was the strangest thing, ma'am. I've never seen a geth behave that way," Kal said.
"I'm sorry, Shepard. I told Kal about Cerberus taking you to… do whatever they did," Tali said gesturing at Shepard. "I had to explain to him why I was leaving the geth the way that I was."
"I have to admit I wasn't entirely convinced until she said you were on your way here," Kal said.
Shepard shrugged, "That's alright. Did you guys tell anyone else about this? About the geth, I mean," Shepard asked.
"No ma'am. I thought that we should but Tali asked me not to, so I promised I wouldn't," Kal said.
"Alright. How long do you need before you're ready to head out?" Shepard asked.
"Shepard, we're quarian. We're always ready," Tali said.
Shepard chuckled, "Right. Let's go."
"Shepard, need to talk before returning to ship," Mordin said keeping pace with Shepard.
"I'm listening," Shepard said.
"Noticed anomalies in scans. Need to research purposes of implants. Need access to Cerberus files," Mordin said.
"Anomalies? What anomalies? There's never been anomalies before," Jane said.
Shepard stopped and looked at Mordin, "What kind of anomalies?"
"Too soon to tell. Want to see Cerberus files. Will inform you of conclusions," Mordin said.
Shepard nodded slowly, "Alright. I'll make sure you get the files."
When they arrived back at the shuttle they piled in. Garrus was up front with his long legs, the two quarians and the salarian in the back. Shepard flew the shuttle back to the Normandy and Joker lowered the hangar door to let them in. She landed the shuttle and waited for the pressure to equalize before climbing out.
"Tali, I've uh… got some calibrations to do. Come see me in the main battery if you get the chance," Garrus said walking backwards to the door.
"Oh. Of course, have fun… uh, calibrating," Tali said waving at Garrus.
"Should return to lab. Will be ready if you need me," Mordin said following Garrus.
"Thanks, Mordin," Shepard said.
"Is that Tali?" Joker's voice came over the comm.
"Joker?" Tali asked.
"Ha! Would you look at that, just like old times. Hey Tali, you have to check out my new baby!" Joker said.
"He means the ship," Shepard whispered when Tali paused.
Tali laughed, "Sure, I'll have Shepard give us the tour."
A nearby access point activated and EDI's blue hologram popped up, "Commander Shepard, you have messages marked urgent waiting for you."
"EDI, since when do you do Kelly's job?" Shepard asked.
"Since Yeoman Chambers is preoccupied trying to convince Flight Lieutenant Moreau that he needs to discuss his childhood with her in order to adequately address why he apparently has difficulties connecting with people," EDI said.
Shepard's laughter echoed off the walls of the hangar before she saw the way Tali and Kal were staring at the hologram. She sobered up immediately.
"Thank you, EDI," Shepard said.
"Shepard! Is that an AI?" Tali gasped.
"Tali… EDI is an important part of this operation. Please, try to play nice," Shepard said.
"An AI, Shepard? Are you insane?" Tali asked.
Shepard winced.
"Keelah, I'm sorry. That was a poor choice of words but Shepard, you've fought the geth. You know what they did to my people. How can you allow that thing on your ship?" Tali asked.
"Tali, I'm sorry but I don't share your views that all AI's are bad. And I believe that EDI is a person not a thing. I trust EDI," Shepard said.
"Thank you, Shepard," EDI said softly.
"Keelah…," Tali said.
"EDI, this is Tali'Zorah and Kal'Reegar. They'll be staying with us for a little while. Please notify the crew," Shepard said.
"At once, Shepard. Welcome aboard Ms. Zorah and Mr. Reegar. I will notify Mess Sergeant Gardner that we have two more requiring dextro-based meals. If there is anything that I can do for you, there are access nodes spread out through the ship," EDI said.
Tali stared at the hologram. Shepard could only imagine the look of horror that must be on her face. Kal was quicker to recover.
"Ahh, thank you, EDI," Kal said.
Tali scoffed.
"OK… so let's give you two the tour, shall we?" Shepard said.
"Sure," Tali said.
Shepard led them throughout the ship and introduced them to people as she went along. She avoided taking them down to see Jack because she didn't think Jack would appreciate the intrusion and said as much when she indicated the stairs leading to Jack. Tali was very excited to see the drive core and spent some time chatting amicably with Gabby and Ken before allowing herself to be led to Kasumi's quarters. Shepard wasn't at all surprised when Kasumi and Tali hit it off. Nor was she surprised when Kasumi insisted on finishing the tour so she could continue to talk to Tali. Zaeed was as gruff as expected but seemed to recognize the warrior in Kal. Shepard anticipated an exchange of war stories between the two men in the near future.
"Tali'Zorah!" Dr. Chakwas said when they walked into the med bay. "What a pleasant surprise!"
"Dr. Chakwas! I didn't know you were with Shepard, too. It's so good to see you," Tali said.
"Indeed. I couldn't let the Commander have all the fun. Are you joining us?" Dr. Chakwas said.
"I'm just here for a little while. Shepard is taking me to look into something," Tali said.
"I see. Well that's a shame. We would love to have you join us. Maybe you'll change your mind? And who is this you have with you?" Dr. Chakwas asked.
"Oh, Dr. Chakwas this is Kal'Reegar. Kal this is Dr. Chakwas she was on the old Normandy as well. She's amazing. She knows everything about treating a sick quarian," Tali said.
"Well, I hardly think I know everything but I do make it a point to learn all that I can about every species," Dr. Chakwas said.
"She's just being modest. Dr. Chakwas is the best," Shepard said.
Kal chuckled, "Well, hopefully I don't have the opportunity to test that out myself."
"Indeed," Dr. Chakwas said with a warm smile.
"Alright, well we're making the rounds. Giving them the tour. We'll see you later," Shepard said.
Dr. Chakwas nodded and watched as the three of them left the med bay. Shepard took them over to Miranda's office and knocked on the door.
"This isn't your room anymore?" Tali asked.
"Nah, I have something much better. I'll show you later," Shepard said.
"Come in," Miranda's voice said over the door's comm.
Shepard opened the door and entered with Tali and Kal behind her.
"Miranda, I'd like you to meet Tali'Zorah and Kal'Reegar. I'm taking them with me to Alchera to place the monument. Tali was on my team before," Shepard said.
Miranda stood and walked around her desk to shake hands with Tali and Kal. Shepard was a little surprised by the action but pleased to see it nevertheless.
"Yes, EDI notified me. I recall hearing about Ms. Zorah," Miranda said.
"Please, just call me Tali," said Tali.
"Very well, Tali. And Kal was it?" Miranda asked looking at the marine.
"Yes, ma'am," Kal said standing at parade rest.
"We'll uh, let you get back to work, Miranda. I still need to make other introductions," Shepard said.
"Thank you, Commander," Miranda said returning to her desk.
"Oh, uh, Mordin would like to see your records from the Lazarus Project. Please see that he gets them," Shepard said.
Miranda's jaw tightened, "Very well, Commander."
"She's with them?" Tali asked after the door was closed behind them.
"Yeah," Shepard said.
Tali nodded. Shepard stopped to introduce them to Gardner before heading towards the main battery. Garrus was keeping himself preoccupied at a console, presumably calibrating but smiled at Tali when they walked in. Shepard hurriedly introduced them to Grundan Krul before retreating from the main battery before Tali could say anything awkward about her and Garrus.
In the CIC, the quarians were immediately set upon by an enthusiastic Kelly.
"Hello! I'm Yeoman Kelly Chambers. I am so pleased to meet you both. Please, if there is anything that I can do to make your stay more comfortable, don't hesitate to ask!" Kelly said.
"Oh, um, thank you Kelly," Tali said.
Shepard led them in to meet Jacob, apparently interrupting his exercise routine. Kasumi watched in delight until Jacob realized they were standing there. He hoped up from the floor and pulled his shirt back on before rubbing the back of his neck.
"Sorry, Commander. I didn't hear you guys come in," Jacob said.
"Oh don't apologize. In fact, feel free to continue," Kasumi said.
Tali chuckled but it clearly made Jacob uncomfortable.
"Right, uh this is Tali'Zorah and Kal'Reegar. Just wanted to introduce them to everyone. We'll uh, let you get back to your crunches," Shepard said.
Shepard grabbed the back of Kasumi's shirt and pulled her out of the armory. Jacob waved at Tali and Kal as they went. When the door closed, Tali and Kasumi burst into fits of laughter.
"He's cute, for a human," Tali said.
"Yeah. Too bad he's with Cerberus. Still, I might be able to work around that," Kasumi said.
The two women giggled together all the way up to the cockpit. Kal and Shepard both shook their heads at the two women's antics. Shepard was surprised when Joker pulled himself out of his chair to be able to greet Tali face to face and shake hands with Kal. Shepard smiled as Joker and Tali dived right into comparing the Normandy SR-2 to the old SSV Normandy SR-1.
"I'll leave you guys to chat. I'm going to go put in the coordinates for Alchera and then head to my cabin. Stop by later, just take the elevator all the way up," Shepard said patting Tali on the back.
Tali barely seemed to realize Shepard was talking to her she was so engrossed in discussing the ships. Kal seemed content to just be near Tali. She wondered if Tali realized the marine had a thing for her. Shepard left them to talk and went to the galaxy map before heading to her cabin.
She slid into her desk chair and opened her laptop. There was a message marked as urgent from Anderson.
Shepard: I have some answers for you. How soon can you get to the Citadel?
She let Anderson know that she was on her way to Alchera to place the monument and that she might need to stop in the Vallhallan Threshold afterwards to take Tali back to her people but that she would head to the Citadel right after.
Shepard: Good to hear you're back in the game. Arrange a time with Anderson and I'll meet you on the Citadel.
Shepard responded to Hackett relaying the information she had just sent Anderson before opening a message from Lia, the quarian she had met on the Citadel.
Commander Shepard: I have given your offer some thought and I think that I would like to take you up on it, if the offer still stands. I'm still not really sure where I want to go, but I know that I don't want to be on the Citadel anymore.
Lia: The offer absolutely still stands. I'll be headed to the Citadel soon. If you're in trouble, go see Councilor Anderson and tell him that Commander Shepard sent you. I'll see you soon.
"Shepard, Ms. Zorah and Mr. Reegar have entered your floor as their destination in the elevator. Should I allow them to enter?" EDI asked.
"Yes, EDI, thank you," Shepard said.
A few moments later Shepard's cabin door slid open and Tali walked in followed by Kal. Shepard heard Kal let out a low whistle as she stood from her desk.
"Shepard, this is amazing. Definitely nicer than your old cabin!" Tali said. "What, no fish?"
Tali was standing in front of the empty aquarium glancing around looking for occupants.
"No, fish seem to always die on me," Shepard said.
"That's because you have to feed them, Shepard. You barely remember to feed yourself," Tali said.
Shepard chuckled, "Fair enough. Come, sit down."
Shepard decided to take control of the conversation before Tali could bring up Garrus.
"I met a young quarian on the Citadel, a Lia'Vael nar Ulnay. She's having a rough time there," Shepard said.
"I don't know her. Is she on her Pilgrimage?" Tali asked.
"Oh she knows you, though. She was a little star-struck when I mentioned your name," Shepard laughed. "Yeah she's on her Pilgrimage."
"She knows who I am?" Tali asked.
"Of course she does, Tali, every quarian knows your name and everything you helped to accomplish on the Citadel," Kal said.
Shepard smiled and nodded in agreement.
"Well, I – I mean, I didn't do that much. Really, it was all Shepard," Tali said.
"Aw, now you know that's not true, Tali. It was a team effort and you were a valuable part of that team. You helped save a lot of lives, you should be proud of that," Shepard said.
Tali squirmed under the praise and opted to change the subject. "So, this Lia, you said she's having a rough time?"
"Yeah. Seems like the Citadel has gotten even more unfriendly towards quarians. I told her I would take her somewhere else if she wanted. She just messaged me in fact, said she'd take me up on the offer," Shepard said pointing her thumb back over her shoulder towards her desk.
"That is very kind of you, Shepard. Where are you taking her?" Tali asked.
Shepard shrugged, "Don't know. She said she wasn't sure where she wanted to go but didn't want to stay on the Citadel anymore."
"Oh. I hope she's alright," Tali said wringing her wrists.
"You can come with me, if you want, Tali. I know you have responsibilities now but I mean if you want to check on Lia before getting back to your duties," Shepard said.
"Maybe. I don't know, Shepard. I'll think about it," Tali said.
"Alright. So, what about you Kal. How'd you end up assigned to Tali here?" Shepard asked.
"I asked for the assignment when I learned they were placing a guard on her," Kal said.
"What? Kal, you never told me that. Why did you ask to be on my guard? I thought it must be a boring assignment for you," Tali said turning to look at Kal.
Kal shrugged self-consciously, "It's like the Commander just said: You're more important than you realize. It's been an honor, ma'am."
"I told you, stop calling me ma'am! You're making me feel old," Tali said.
"Hey! I get called ma'am all the time. Are you saying I'm old?" Shepard asked.
Tali chuckled, "Well you are already in your thirties."
"Ouch! How old are you, Kal?" Shepard asked.
"Thirty, ma'am," Kal said.
"Oh! Kal, I didn't mean… I was just… it was just…," Tali said clearly flustered.
Kal laughed, "It's alright, ma'am. I may not know as much about humans as you but I understand teasing a comrade when I see it."
Shepard grinned and leaned back, draping her arm across the back of the couch.
"You did that on purpose!" Tali said.
"Did what, Tali? I'm too old to keep track of these things," Shepard said.
Kal laughed with Shepard while Tali made an adorable attempt at a growling noise. Shepard dug out a bottle of turian brandy she got on her last trip to the Citadel, hoping to surprise Garrus with a peace offering. That was before she realized just how much alcohol the turian would put away given the chance and thought better of giving it to him. As she put a straw in Tali's glass, Jane's memories of talking to a drunk Tali in the port observation bar. She chuckled to herself as she heard the echo of Tali's slurred speech insisting that the straw was an 'emergency induction port'.
The three of them stayed up late into the night, laughing and telling old stories. It was nice, Shepard had forgotten what it was like to simply relax and enjoy herself. At some point Shepard looked over and realized Tali had passed out on the couch. She had put away more than her fair share of the turian brandy and was three sheets to the wind. Shepard stood up and started to scoop Tali up from the couch when Kal stood. He had been drinking as well, but not nearly as much.
"Here, let me do that," Kal said.
Shepard stepped aside and Kal gently picked Tali up from the couch, cradling her against him.
"Where should I take her?" Kal said.
Shepard glanced over at her bed, "I don't want to risk waking her and the sleeping pods are two floors down. Just put her on my bed."
Kal moved over to the bed and Shepard followed him, pulling back the blankets for him and then covering Tali up once she was settled in place. Shepard watched Kal as he lingered, staring down at Tali's unconscious form.
"I uh, I can sleep on the couch if you want to stay with her," Shepard said quietly.
"Oh no, I don't think that would be appropriate, ma'am," Kal said.
"You care about her, don't you?" Shepard asked.
Kal turned to look at Shepard. She couldn't see his face behind the mask but she could tell he was weighing her words, trying to decide if she meant them the way he thought. Shepard offered him a gentle smile.
"Yes. I suppose I do, ma'am. I don't think she feels the same, though," Kal said.
"Have you asked her?" Shepard asked.
Kal rubbed at the back of his neck, "I can't say that I have."
"Maybe you should, sometime. At the very least tell her how you feel. You never know when that chance might be taken from you," Shepard said.
"I suppose you're right. I'll think about it. You said the sleeping pods were two floors down?" Kal asked.
Shepard nodded, "Or… I could make the couch up for you if you'd be more comfortable. All things considered."
"You'd be comfortable with that, ma'am? I wouldn't want to impose," Kal said.
Shepard smiled, "It's perfectly fine by me."
Shepard retrieved some extra blankets and a pillow from a cabinet and made the couch up for Kal before digging in her foot locker and pulling out some pajamas. Well, what she called pajamas when she had to wear something to bed. She went into the bathroom to change and when she came out, Kal was already settled on the couch. She turned out the lights and crawled into the bed next to Tali.
The next morning, Shepard woke to Tali's groans. She rolled over and looked at the quarian who was moving to sit on the edge of the bed. Shepard chuckled and Tali's head whipped around to look at Shepard lying next to her.
"Shepard! Keelah I thought that was all a dream. Oh my head is killing me. How much did you let me drink?" Tali asked.
Shepard pointed at the nearly empty bottle of turian brandy sitting on the table in front of Kal.
"I drank all of that?!" Tali said holding her head.
Kal sat up and stretched, "No, ma'am. I helped some."
"I'm going to go take a quick shower. You guys are welcome to head down to the mess and grab breakfast, or wait for me if you want," Shepard said heading into the bathroom.
When she came back out, freshly showered and her teeth brushed the two quarians were gone.
"EDI, where are we?" Shepard asked.
The blue hologram popped up and EDI responded, "We are orbiting Alchera. The shuttles are ready for you whenever you want to go."
"Thanks, EDI," Shepard said leaving her cabin and heading down to the mess hall.
Shepard unsurprisingly found Tali and Kal sitting at a table with Garrus and Grundan Krul. Garrus was laughing at something Tali said when Shepard grabbed a tray from Gardner and sat down next to Tali.
"We drank all of your brandy. I'll buy you another bottle," Tali said to Garrus.
Garrus shook his head, "Wasn't mine."
"Oh, it was turian brandy so I just assumed…," Tali said.
"I bought it… just to have on hand," Shepard said her face taking on a pink tinge.
She cleared her throat in the awkward silence before changing the subject.
"So, EDI says we're orbiting Alchera. After we get something in us we can go down. Tali, you up for it?" Shepard asked.
"I'll be fine. I just need some water. Maybe I'll go see Dr. Chakwas after I eat," Tali said.
"Good idea. I was going to see if Mordin wanted to go, he needs to get out of that lab more and he didn't get to do much when we picked you two up," Shepard said.
"I'll go," Garrus said.
Shepard looked at him and he nodded so she said, "Excellent, so everyone suit up when you're done. EDI, let Mordin know to be ready in forty-five minutes."
"At once, Shepard," EDI said.
Tali stiffened in her seat but didn't say anything. Shepard finished her breakfast and went to suit up before heading to the shuttles. Once everyone was gathered, they piled in and waited for the hangar to open. EDI's voice came over the mic in Shepard's suit, helping to navigate the shuttle to a good landing location in the center of the debris field. Shepard cringed when the first signs of wreckage came into view and settled the shuttle to the snowy surface.
They stepped out of the shuttle and paused to take in the wreckage spread out around them. Shepard's insides twisted in knots. Slowly she made her way towards the dismembered cockpit. Walking up the wrecked hall, she drug her hands along the pieces of debris until she stopped behind Joker's old chair. She rested her hand on the back of the pilot's seat, memories of quiet hours spent sitting with Joker as she looked out at the stars filling her mind.
Tali walked up behind Shepard and put a hand on her shoulder. Shepard turned to look at her old friend and smiled softly. Together, the two of them explored the wreckage and gathered every dog tag and scrap of memories they could find to keep. Shepard let her own memories course through her, blending with those of Jane's. She let them eviscerate her every time the face of someone she lost because of her own choices filled her mind.
Mordin and Kal stayed close to the shuttle, giving those who survived the tragedy the space to mourn. Garrus walked around on his own, from time to time Shepard caught sight of him bending down to pick something up or running his hand over something fondly. She was a little surprised he decided to come, since he was so against the idea when Tali brought it up.
Shepard made her way to stand in front of a chunk of the old ship. The name 'Normandy' so perfectly, proudly intact stood out like a beacon. Shepard couldn't fight the tears that were welling up in her eyes anymore. Her chest ached and her eyes burned as she fell to her knees into the snow. Tali was there at her side, trying to soothe her with comforting words and a familiar touch but it felt distant to Shepard as the tears began to pour out of her eyes and her shoulders began to shake.
Shepard didn't know how long she stayed like that, digging her palms into the ground beneath her. She didn't know when Tali left or Garrus arrived but she was being pulled to her feet by his hands under her arms. Garrus arms were wrapping around her and pulling her into his chest. She couldn't feel him, not through her armor but it was right where she needed to be. She clung to him with desperation, her heart filled with grief, her body shaking with frantic sobs.
"I killed them. I killed them. Oh gods, I killed them," Shepard said barely coherent through her wailing.
Garrus' grip tightened on her in response. He was all that was keeping her standing and they both knew it.
"Oh gods, I'm so sorry. Garrus, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," Shepard wailed.
"You did what you thought you had to do, Shepard. We'll make sure it wasn't in vain," Garrus said his voice strained with his own emotional battle.
Shepard nodded her head but continued to sob for a while longer. When finally she was regaining control of herself, her tears were slowing and her body was shaking less, Garrus started to let go of her. Shepard reflexively tightened her grip on him and he paused.
"Please don't let go. Not yet," Shepard said shaking her head against his chest.
Garrus wrapped his arms back around her.
"I came back here… to try to find you," Garrus said quietly.
Shepard shifted in his arms to look up at him but he placed his chin atop her head, keeping her head tucked down. She assented to the silent request and stayed still; content to just listen, grateful he was talking and hadn't let her go.
"I searched for days. Every time I came across a new body, I prayed it would be yours but was terrified of finding you at the same time. I didn't eat. Didn't sleep. Barely stopped to drink water. I was delirious with exhaustion when I found the drag marks, the boot prints… someone else had already been here," Garrus said.
Shepard shifted and Garrus growled at her quietly. She nodded her head gently and leaned deeper against him, tightening her grip on him instead.
"You were gone. Someone else had taken you. It was supposed to be Liara's job to find you, to get you to Cerberus… but she was dead, too," Garrus continued after a quiet moment. "I was lost to exhaustion and grief when your message came through. When I… when I saw your name on that message… I thought…"
Shepard could hear the pain so clearly in his voice as his words choked off. The mournful subharmonics felt like needles in her heart. Tears started falling anew from Shepard's eyes. She didn't sob, she didn't wail, but bore then in silence letting them fall down her face to pool around her throat. They clung to each other, desperate for the comfort only they could provide for one another in that moment; unsure of what would come next.
When finally Garrus spoke again he said simply, "We should put the monument right here."
Shepard nodded her head and didn't resist when he let his arms slip away from her. Shepard radioed the ship and told Joker to send down the team to assemble to monument. A few minutes later another, larger shuttle arrived and the monument was carried over to be placed where Shepard stood. Once it was erected, and the bolts driven into the ground, Shepard saluted the ship's remains just as she would the coffin of any solider.
"Where is the geth?" Shepard asked Tali when she rejoined the group.
"Not far, but it's a little difficult to get to on foot. We should take the shuttle," Tali said.
Shepard sent the second shuttle back to the ship before climbing into the one they took to ground. Shepard let Tali take the controls and it was only a couple of minutes before the shuttle was settling back down on the white blanketed landscape. Tali led them on foot through smaller bits of wreckage. Garrus stopped in his tracks and Shepard turned to look at him before backtracking to stand in front of him.
"This was the place," Garrus said before moving forward resolutely.
Shepard stayed close to his side as they followed Tali and Kal through the debris. Mordin followed along somewhere in the middle, not walking with either Shepard and Garrus or Tali and Kal. Finally, Tali came to a stop.
"Creator Zorah, Creator Reegar, you have returned," Shepard heard Legion's voice before she could see him.
Tali turned her head to watch Shepard approach. When Shepard finally got where she could see the geth she couldn't help the frown that pulled at her lips. He was sitting half buried in snow with his arms and legs bound, leaning against a piece of the old Normandy. Shepard could see where the heat of his torso had been enough to keep the snow from rising higher around him, but it only meant that ice had formed from melted water helping to cement his lower body to the ground.
"Shepard-Commander," Legion said the plating around his optics fluttering.
Shepard crouched down in front of Legion and began digging him free of the snow and ice.
"Shepard? What are you doing? You shouldn't get too close to it!" Tali said.
Shepard ignored Tali and continued to dig, moving more furiously, digging more frantically. She threw aside fistfuls of snow and ice as everyone else watched her in silence. Shepard finally cleared away the snow and ice and gently pulled Legion forward, sliding her hands behind his back to free his hands.
"Shepard!" Tali's voice was pitched high in alarm.
Shepard got Legion's hands free and started to work on the knot that held his legs. She was struggling with it through her armor when Mordin leaned down next to her and cut through the cord with a small knife.
"Thank you," Shepard said.
Shepard pulled the cord free and tossed it aside before standing to her feet. She looked down at Legion who still hadn't moved aside from pulling his arms from behind his back. She reached out a hand to him. It lingered in the air untouched for a few seconds while he processed what the gesture meant and came to a consensus on the appropriate response. He seemed to be thinking slower than she recalled; Shepard wondered if he was damaged after so long spent in the cold.
Legion extended his hand out to hover in front of Shepard's and she took it in her grip, helping to pull him to his feet. Shepard heard Tali and Kal drawing their weapons. She glanced over her shoulder and shook her head firmly no. Tali hesitated but her faith in Shepard was enough to override her fear of the geth. She holstered her weapon and nodded to Kal to do the same.
"Shepard-Commander, have you come to take us with you?" Legion asked.
"Yes, I have," Shepard said.
She ignored the gasps and murmurs of discontent coming from behind her.
"How many programs are running right now?" Shepard asked.
"This platform is designed to accommodate multiple platforms. At optimum functioning there are one-thousand one-hundred and eighty-three programs in this platform. In order to preserve this platform, it was reduced to three-hundred and twenty programs," Legion said.
"Will you be restored to optimum functioning?" Shepard asked.
"Yes," Legion said.
Shepard asked, "May I call you 'Legion'? 'My name is Legion, for we are many.'"
The iris on his optics expanded and contracted before he responded, "Christian Bible, the Gospel of Mark, chapter five, verse nine. We acknowledge this as an appropriate metaphor."
"Shepard you can't be serious?!" Tali screeched.
"Tali… I learned all about Legion from Jane. He's been looking for me since the attack on the Citadel. He wants to help stop the reapers. It's alright. I trust Legion. Completely," Shepard said turning to look at Tali.
"Jane. The name assigned to the other programs running inside of the Shepard-Commander platform," Legion said.
"How does he know?" Jane asked.
"Probably my videos or other records. He's been monitoring transmissions, right?" Shepard thought.
"Yeah. Yeah OK. That makes sense," Jane said settling back down.
Tali gasped. Shepard paused. Garrus cleared his throat. Mordin blinked rapidly, and although he remained quiet he seemed suddenly far more alert than he was seconds before. Kal looked between Shepard, Tali, and Legion but kept his mouth shut.
Shepard forced herself to laugh before responding, "Jane is a good friend of mine."
Legion's iris expanded and contracted, the plating around his optics fluttered. Shepard rubbed at the back of her neck. Legion mimicked the motion rubbing at the back of his.
"Yes," Legion finally said.
"We should, uh, we should get going if you're taking it with us," Garrus said.
"Him," Shepard said reflexively.
Tali snorted and Kal shifted uncomfortably.
"Him," Garrus said.
"Come on, Legion. Let's get you back to the ship. You can tell us everything you know about the reapers when you're back at optimum functioning," Shepard said.
"Yes," Legion said following Shepard.
Once everyone else was in the shuttle, Shepard put a hand on Legion's arm to halt him. He turned to look at her in what could only be described as a quizzical fashion but waited.
"Legion, uh… most people don't know that I… that I have multiple programs running. You can't say that in front of other people, it's not normal for organics. Not unless I say it's OK to talk about. Do you understand?" Shepard asked.
"Yes, Shepard-Commander," Legion said.
"Thanks. OK, climb in," she said.
Legion climbed into the shuttle and sat down on the bench seat. Tali and Kal sat across from him, clearly tense as they watched his every movement. Mordin sat beside Kal and Garrus was at the shuttle controls. Shepard climbed in and sat down next to Legion, pulling the door closed. The shuttle lifted up from the ground and turned around in the air before rising higher and picking up speed towards the waiting Normandy.