Iromak was on a different time frame compared to the rest of the ship's crew. It wasn't unusual to him as he spent a lot of time going from ship to ship. It was approaching two in the morning for the ship's simulated time frame.
He was sitting in one of the chairs from the mess. Having pulled the back of it against the wall. Sitting with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. His head leaned against the wall with his eyes closed.
He wasn't planning to sleep there. He was waiting for time to pass. He would have to get on the same sleeping patterns as the rest of the ship so he would stay awake for the next day to speed up the process.
He could hear one of the sleeping pods moving. Everyone but the night crew was asleep. He debated acting asleep for a few moments to avoid any possible interactions with the more unknown crew members.
Curiosity was stronger than he anticipated though. Lifting his head off the wall and opening his eyes. Immediately spotting the same quarian he had been looking after on the Citadel. She was watching him from next to the counter, her head tilted to the side slightly.
She had gotten up to grab water when she saw him. Wondering as to why he was there. "Didn't Shepard give you a pod?" She was dragging her words a bit, still half asleep. She grabbed a tube of purified water. Stepping towards the large table but not sitting at it.
Iromak nodded. Answering a second later when he realized that wouldn't be enough to satisfy her curiosity. "I'm staying awake. My sleep schedule differs from this ship. Trying to get it set straight."
Tali nodded, her eyes still watching Iromak. Soon flicking over to where Shepards door was. Fumbling with the tube in her hands for a moment. "So…" She trailed off before her sentence even began. Her eyes returned to the Batarian sitting in the mess. His top row of eyes watching her; his bottom pair now focused on his omni tool. "Would this be a good time to ask you some questions?"
All four eyes focused on her for a moment. His omni tool flicked off. "If it's a question about John. I'm sure he would be happy to answer."
He could see her glowing eyes squint ever so slightly. "At two in the morning?" She finally decided to drink her water. Securing it to her helmet, tilting her head back to drink it.
"If he's still awake, I'm sure he'd make the time for you." Tali paused her drinking for a moment. Still staring at the ceiling as she thought about it. It wouldn't have been the first time she knocked on his door at a late hour.
Finally finishing her drink before looking back at Iromak. Turning the tube till it dislodged from its port. "Well… I'm not sure he's awake. So I'll ask him tomorrow." She was about to turn to return to her pod before he spoke again.
"What were you going to ask?" Iromak tilted his chair back slightly to lean on the wall behind him. Crossing his arms.
"Oh. It's… well." She cleared her throat, turning back to look at Iromak. "I don't feel like I know Shepard… I mean. I know him; but not who he is…" She was silent for a few moments before shaking her head. "Sorry, that doesn't make much sense does it?"
She thought she heard Iromak chuckle, but couldn't quite tell as he cut it short quickly. "No, it makes perfect sense. I've been trying to figure him out since we first met. I still don't know what motivates him to stay in the alliance."
Talis head pulled back a little, surprised by his statement. "What… how? You two have been through…"
"A lot. Trust me, I know." He shook his head as he thought back. All four eyes quickly blinked to reality again. "I understand him, I can read him better than anyone else." He let out a soft sigh. Leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "But to know someone is a lot different than to understand them. He still makes choices that… catch me off guard."
Tali stared at Iromak, somewhat befuddled by his statement. "What do you mean?" She pulled a chair out from its spot at the table and took a seat in it. Leaning her elbows on the table in front of her. Resting her head in her hand.
"Well… there's… various things." He cleared his throat quickly. "We haven't seen each other in a while though, things change, people move on. Hopefully he was able to."
Talis eye's could be seen squinting again. Watching Iromaks top row of eyes. "You hope he was able to… Move on?"
Iromak paused, his mouth just barely hanging open. Wondering for a few moments if drinking so much with the Krogan had loosened his tongue. He left a notable pause, one that made Tali wonder if he was going to answer at all. "Yes." He leaned back in the chair again. Folding his hands together once more.
Tali was silent for a moment as well. Her eyes averted from Iromak. "From your past of being…" Her sentence fell off as he shook his head before she continued.
"From his personal life. The alliance has been the only thing he's known since he was old enough to choose what he could do. It wasn't his choice though. It was by the Old Man's request." Iromak looked around; scanning for any of the night crew that may be lurking to hear them. Continuing after he was somewhat sure they were alone.
"The Old Man passed a few months before his first contract expired. He was going to sign back on, not because he enjoyed it, but because it could distract him from what had happened. He may not say anything, but he hates every minute he spends in the alliance."
Tali brought her gaze back to Iromak. He could see the confusion just in her eyes. "He never seemed to dislike it. Why would he stay if he hates it? What does he want to do?"
Iromak shook his head quietly for a few seconds before answering. "I thought he got off of the alliance idea when I asked him to help me travel…" His sentence fell off. Rubbing his chin in silence.
"But?" She leaned more onto the table. The empty tube lay on the table now. Iromak remained silent, after a minute he shook his head.
"That's uh..." He cleared his throat. Adjusting the plate of armor that ran along his forearm. "Not my business to talk about. It's his history to tell."
She was quiet for a short while. Wondering how to approach the subject with Shepard. Soon looking up, Tali tilted her head slightly as she watched Iromak. "Then what is your history?"
Iromaks eyes widened slightly; looking up to meet Talis gaze. She could see that he was somewhat surprised, a rare thing for him it seemed. She wondered how often that question was brought up to him.
He finally answered after pondering the question. "It's not… exciting. I jump from ship to ship. I'll work as a mechanic most of the time, sometimes as a hired gun. The latter pays better but the first is safer. Also people tend to prefer to see a mechanic on a resume rather than a hired killer."
The last statement took Tali by some surprise. "A resume? You have a resume?" She had never made one, or even considered it. Since Quarians were renowned for their abilities to repair and maintain ships, obtaining passage on one wasn't a horribly difficult thing to do.
"Yeah. Otherwise it's pretty much hired guns work. If I don't provide some proof I can fix a ship, usually with proof of passage from other ships. John got me to do it after we went traveling together."
"Using your ship as the first ship for proof?" She twirled the bottle around on the table. Still watching Iromak curiously.
"John's ship. It's under his name. Having a human captain gets me a little more faith with other captains. Makes it easier for me to get a job, sometimes."
Iromak opened up his Omni tool. His eyes squinted slightly before the top row looked at Tali. "You should really get to sleep. Your wound is healed but still needs to rest."
Her eyes squinted slightly. Her glowing eyes watching him with some suspicion. She had a feeling he was just trying to shoo her off for some quiet time. "I suppose so." She stood up and left her chair. Pushing it in before walking towards the pods. Her mind dwelling upon what Iromak had said about Shepard. Falling asleep soon after climbing in her pod.
Shepard awoke suddenly. Like his mind had been pushed into waking by an unknown force. His alarm hadn't rang yet and his lights were still off. Looking over to the small box that lay on the stand next to his bed; giving it a light tap. The screen flipping on.
5:28
It worked for him. He got up and started his usual cleanup. A shave and shower kept him nice and clean. He didn't like having a beard; choosing to cut it down every day.
After looking through the file on the upcoming mission again. He went out to have breakfast, finding his brother sleeping quietly in a chair, his head laying on his forearm. Wondering for a moment why he didn't use a pod.
He sat across from Iromak. In front of him was a tray with the lovely rations that were provided to all alliance ships. As well as a cup of black coffee. It was half past six, most people were still asleep. He was wondering why Williams hadn't said anything about Iromak. Perhaps she was too drunk to notice, or he was soon to hear something from her. He weighed the options in his head. His mind went silent as he heard the med bay doors slide open. Liara exited the room to see the two of them.
Pausing for a moment as she looked at Iromak, unsure of whether or not he was awake. She didn't ask about him yesterday. She was a bit preoccupied with her personal troubles. Looking over at Shepard with an unsure expression. "He's a heavy sleeper. Don't worry about it."
She moved on, heading to where the counter was. "So… who is the new crew member?" Liara tried to start an idle conversation while she made herself some of the tasteless rations.
"Iromak, my brother." He continued eating as Liara fell silent. Looking over at the table the two sat at, one across from the other. Quite confused for a few moments.
Grabbing her tray and walking over, sitting a spot away from Shepard. "Yes… I uh… guess I missed that last night." She had been to mentally preoccupied as of late to focus on anything.
"We've been arguing over which one is uglier. He-" Iromaks head lifted up off his forearm. Pointing a finger at Shepard.
"You just can't face the fact that I got all the good genetics." Liara looked over at Iromak, a bit surprised he was awake.. Starting to eat her rations. Liara wished she had grabbed something with actual taste on the Citadel.
Shepard smirked slightly as he looked at Iromak for a moment. "You know I gave you a pod for this reason?" He continued eating his food. Having grown used to the blandness of the issued rations. He did occasionally miss cooking. Thinking for a moment about Iromaks diet. "Hold on. When did you last eat an actual meal?"
Iromak groaned quietly, shaking his head. "I'm not an idiot like I used to be. I ate before we left the Citadel. I figured that I wouldn't be returning there for a while."
Liara looked a bit confused as she looked between the two. "I may not know… a lot about how Batarians work, but I thought you would have to have nourishment at least once a day."
Iromak nodded, confirming her thoughts. "Yeah, I've just got to make sure to have specific things involved in my diet every so often." Liara nodded quietly, feeling a bit awkward as she wasn't sure whether to look at his top or bottom pair of eyes.
The sound of a sleeping pod moving towards an upright position caught the attention of both Shepard and Iromak. It was Garrus getting up. Stumbling out of the pod and catching himself. Starting to stretch out with a yawn. Not realizing that the three others were already up till he started over towards the mess hall. "Ah, well isn't this a surprise. I'm usually the first one awake."
He sat down at the end of the table without grabbing food. Looking between Iromak and Shepard. Kaidan had finally opened up about who the Batarian was; at first he thought Kaidan was trying to trick the Turian into looking like a fool. It was the honest truth though, and he was eventually convinced of it.
Iromak and Garrus were staring at each other in silence for a few moments. Liara was unable to read either one's expressions; wondering to herself what they were thinking. "Yes?" Iromak finally spoke. His hands folded together as he watched the Turian.
Garrus cleared his throat. Leaning lightly on the table with one arm. "I'm wondering how it is you two are related." Garrus gestured between Shepard and Iromak. "Same father and different mothers? Different fathers and same mother?"
Iromak chuckled lightly at the comment before responding. "No, grown in tubes. Big cloning facility. Obviously we were the runts."
"Ooh. I'm sure that makes family reunions fun." Garrus glanced between the two again. "So who's the older brother?"
The question, as simple as it sounded, got the brothers in question to silently stare at each other. Shepard was shaking his head no. Iromak finally was the one to answer in a vague way. "We haven't decided that for a couple years now."
"And I won the last time. We both know it's going the exact same way as before." Shepard spoke quite decisively on the matter. Iromak shaking his head in response. Liara glanced at Shepard with a questioning look.
"Won? What do you mean 'won'?" Liara looked at Garrus for a moment who only shrugged. Just as confused as Liara was.
Iromak answered her question. "We fight. Whoever wins is the older brother. We do it yearly usually." Liara's eyes widened slightly in surprise. Glancing between the three.
Garrus seemed delighted at the idea. Shepard was drinking his coffee, watching Iromak with eyes that betrayed no emotion of his. "This seems like a bad idea…" Liara started to speak up.
Garrus stood up, pointing to the elevator. "Come on, this will be great. There's plenty of room in the storage bay." The Turian seemed quite excited at the idea of a brawl. Iromak standing up, stretching his arms out. He seemed up to the challenge.
Liara looked at Shepard with one of her eyebrows raised up. "Are you really going to do this?" He finally looked back at her. Setting the coffee cup down.
"It's a tradition with us really. We've been doing this for…" He stopped himself. Trying to find the exact number of years in his mind. Only shrugging after a minute. "A good number of years."
Shepard turned his head to look at Iromak. "Pressly will be up and around sometime after seven. We'll start after that." Iromak gave him a short nod. Deciding to grab some rations while he waited.
Tali awoke from a sharp pain in her side. Wincing from the feeling that kicked her awake. She had leaned a little too far and stretched the freshly sealed wound. It hadn't opened up, but it did sting like hell.
She cursed quietly to herself, wishing that she could have had a few more hours of sleep. Deciding to check to see what time it was, just before eight. She tried to return to sleep but her stomach soon voiced its displeasure for running low on fuel. Eventually deciding to get up to get a tube of the tasteless food from the small kitchen area.
When she exited her pod, she found that only Wrex was sleeping still. She could hear the low rumble of his snores through the pod. Turning to see Ashley alone was sitting at the table in the mess, her back facing the sleeping pods. Tali had gone out of her way to avoid the woman who had 'Williams' on her nameplate after the first interaction with her. So she was feeling a bit awkward with just her and Ashley.
After grabbing a tube of food and water. She sat at the table in complete silence, her eyes on the tube of refined paste in her hands. The tube of water sitting upon the table in front of her.
"It's good to see you back." Ashley hadn't even looked up from her food when she spoke. Returning to eating without skipping a beat.
The comment caught Tali off guard. She had been raising the tube to secure it to her mask. Stopping to look over at the other woman. "Thank you… I'm glad to be back."
She raised the tube up to slide it into the slot. Turning it to secure it before tilting her head back. Ashley looked over at Tali, tapping the spoon lightly on her tray. "So… What's with the Batarian?" Ashley turned her head back to the empty tray in front of her.
Tali began to wonder why she was the best candidate for this question with so many other people aboard the ship. Eventually answering after taking the tube out of the slot in the front of her helmet. "Iromak is his name. Him and Shepard… know each other well."
Tali began to wonder just where Shepard was. Looking in the direction of his door for a moment. "Where… uh…" She looked back to see Ashley watching her. "Is everyone?"
Ashley shrugged slightly, looking back at the tray. "Kaidan got messaged by the tu-" She stopped herself. Recalling his name. "By Garrus. He went down to the cargo hold after that. I just got up about ten minutes before you."
Tali started to drink the tube of purified water. Her eyes squinted slightly while her head tilted back. Wondering to herself if Shepard was in cargo as well. After she finished her water, she excused herself. Putting the tubes away before going to the elevator. Ashley watched her as she went, an eyebrow raised in curiosity.
She could hear the sound of voices before the door opened. The doors slid open, showing Kaidan and Garrus both standing with their backs to the elevator door. "Oh, come on, don't stop. You've almost beaten him!" She could hear Garrus cheering someone on. Walking up next to Kaidan, stopping as she saw Iromak and Shepard. Her hand was held to her side as she felt the healed wound voice displeasure for being up and about.
Shepard wore jeans and a black t-shirt, Iromak wore Jeans and long-sleeved shirt provided by Shepard. Tali noted that this was the first time actually seeing Iromak out of his armor. She also noted that they both were sweating like they'd been on a long run in the sun. They had their fists raised to each other, Shepard was stepping back from Iromak, keeping enough space to not get hit between the two. "What's going on?"
Shepard had his back to the elevator, when he heard Talis voice. His head turned in surprise, his eyes widening slightly. "Tali…" He sounded quite winded with a sense of surprise hidden below it. "I didn't think-"
Iromak had taken note of the distraction. Taking the chance to get a free hit in. Taking a few steps forward and kicking up at Shepards abdomen.
Shepard could hear the approach. Bringing his attention forward once again, pedaling backwards to narrowly dodge the kick. Grabbing his brother's boot before Iromam got the chance to pull it back; pulling Iromak with him.
The Batarian was hopping up and down on one foot to keep his balance. Shepard simply swept the remaining leg out from under Iromak and he landed with a thud onto the ground.
Tali was looking around for an answer from anyone. Kaidan and Garrus seemed caught up in the brawl though. Shepard let go of Iromaks boot and instead offered him a hand up. "We'll have to settle this later" Both Kaidan and Garrus scoffed at the announcement.
"Settle what?" Tali spoke up again. She sounded confused and concerned. Shepard waved his hand like it wasn't a big deal. Garrus and Kaidan were both trying to settle who would've won.
"Who is the older brother. Usually it's me." He chuckled lightly as he started heading towards the elevator. Giving a short smile to Tali, who started following behind him. "When did you get up? I thought you would have slept in for a while longer."
"Oh. Uh…" She thought about it for a moment, he was right. The only reason she hadn't returned to sleep was because of the surprise wake up call from her abdomen. "Not too long ago. Do you two always fight when you travel together?"
Shepard was wiping the sweat off his forehead with a small towel. Shaking his head. "No, usually it's just once a year. We haven't really settled anything yet." The door to the elevator slid open and he exited. Heading towards the mess to grab a bottle of water.
His comment left Tali wondering as to why they stopped fighting. Following behind him, she wanted to talk with him but was left unsure of how to start it.
Tali leaned against the wall that was between the table and kitchen area. Ashley was nowhere to be seen; something Tali was happy with. She wasn't sure where her and the 'Williams' woman stood. The thought was pushed out of mind as she thought about her chat with Iromak last night.
Shepard seemed to take notice of Talis eyes dwindling on him. "Got something on your mind Tali?" Shepard had a smile teasing at the corners of his lips, leaning against the counter. Opening his water for a drink. Tali hadn't realized how long her eyes had been set on her captain.
Captain? Commander?
She disliked the way Alliance ships handled their structure. Blinking the thought out of her head. Realizing she still hadn't answered. Realizing that Shepard was now watching her with a notable look of concern.
"Sorry. I'm just a little lost in thought." She pushed off the wall. Heading over to lean against the counter, immediately pushing off of it as her side argued against the decision. "I was actually thinking about…" She had to take a moment, taking a deep breath as she tried to push the pain out of her mind. "Your time out of the alliance."
It was a bit of a surprise to Shepard. Setting his water bottle to the side after putting the top back on. "My break from the alliance or before the alliance?"
"Your break. Your ship, and the people you traveled with." She let her eyes trail around the mess hall. Trying to find something else to focus on, the pain was worse than she had anticipated. Putting a hand onto her side and cursing silently.
Shepard noticed her hand moving up to her abdomen. Leaving her question hanging as he posed his own. "Is your side feeling alright?"
Tali nodded in silence. It was a lie though, it stung like hell. She was much too tense for Shepard to believe her silence. "I can make a request for Doctor Chakwas to give you something to numb the feeling."
Tali shook her head. Waving her hand as if she was shooing away the idea. "No, it's just a muscle cramp. From sleeping in the pod."
Shepard took a few steps forward, his arms crossing. His eyes focused on hers. "Tali. How bad is it?"
She was silent. After about ten seconds she let out a pained sigh. That was all he needed. Gesturing for her to stay there, he went to Doctor Chakwas in the med bay at a quick pace.
He returned a minute later with a small black tube that was the same size as the port on her helmet. Handing them it to her, gesturing to the capsule. "That has a painkiller, Chakwas said you might feel drowsy soon."
Tali took them, somewhat thankful he hadn't listened to her silent lies. Securing the small black tube to her helmet and tilting her head back. The bitter pill rolled onto her tongue, slowly starting to dissolve. Grabbing a tube of water to drink it down.
"I'm sure I'll be fine. I just woke up so I doubt I'll be going to sleep soon." She looked up at Shepard, a small smile hidden away underneath her helmet. "Thank you, by the way."
He returned to the counter, his hands supporting him as he leaned on it. "If you ever need anything Tali, all you have to do is ask." He looked at the pods for a moment. Taking note of what she had said about them. "So, what were you looking to know?"
She had a question prepared for him this time. "Your ship, what happened to it? Iromak said that it wasn't flight worthy."
The question made Shepards eyebrows raise up a bit. Taking a moment to gather an answer. "Well… uh… hmm…" He brought a hand up to his chin, scratching it lightly. Taking a look around at the open mess hall. Gesturing for her to follow as he went to his quarters for privacy. "You know the Attican Traverse I assume?"
Tali nodded, following in behind him. Taking the seat she had gotten accustomed to sitting in. "The space between the Terminus systems and the rest of the controlled territories. Some stations, and some colonies are around there." Her eyes tracking him as he went to his seat.
Shepard nodded now. Taking his seat and turning it to face Tali. "Yeah. We started traveling around there a lot when we got the ship. It's a big target for pirates and the like." Shepards eyes were focused on Talis. His mind was elsewhere though. "We had been… kicking the hornet's nest really."
Her glowing eyes squinted slightly in confusion, a slight tilt to her head. Shepard quickly realized that she had no idea what a hornet was. "Uh… it's like…" His eyes trailed along the wall as he tried to think of another way to put it.
Falling short after a minute and only shrugging. "I don't know honestly. We were asking for trouble is the best way to put it. Spent over a year screwing over a lot of different people in the Terminus. It was bound to go the other direction eventually."
Tali was still watching him with her head tilted to the side. "What did you two do?" The question made Shepard pause. Not sure if he should tell her everything or not.
"We…" His voice trailed off as he thought of just what they had done. "We targeted slavers in particular. Sometimes pirates who had become notable enough for us to go after, but not big enough to have too many mercenaries for us to handle."
"Well, eventually, we got in a little over our heads and we-" He had a very abrupt stop. His eyes turned back to the blank screen on his desk, now seeing his own reflection in it. "The ship got damaged pretty badly. We had it towed back to our little set up we had gotten together a few months after we got the ship. A spot to keep the other… illicit goods that they had."
Tali turned her head to the side slowly. Peering at Shepard out of the corner of her eye. "Shepaaard… you're not saying what I think you're saying? Robbing pirates? Pirating pirates?" She was teasing him more than anything. Tali noted that her side was feeling remarkably better now.
His cheeks turned a slight red color, leaning forward towards her. Speaking in a much softer tone now. "You can't tell anyone here. The uh… procurement procedure, for those things, isn't something the Alliance smiles at. And neither are the items themselves." Shepard noticed her posture starting to slump downwards.
Tali nodded as Shepard leaned towards her. "Of course Shepard. I won't say a thing." Tali blinked a couple times, feeling her eyelids weighing down. Pulling her head back a bit, trying to avoid the idea of sleep. "What did you take?"
He was somewhat amused at the sight of her trying to fight sleep. "We took a lot…" He tilted his head to the side as he watched her. "Weapons, tools, explosives, raw materials… those have probably went to repairing the Pendulum…"
"Pendulum…?" She yawned after speaking. Her eyes blinking open to meet Shepards gaze.
He smiled slightly, giving a short nod to her question. "It was the name of our ship. I didn't pick it."
"Did Iromak?" Her voice was barely audible. More of a soft whisper as she drifted towards sleep.
"No, it was a person we traveled with. They had a strange... affinity for time." His eyes dulled as his mind was taken back for but a moment. Refocusing on Tali in front of him.
Using her hand to prop her head up as she leaned on the desk. "Shepard…" Her words were slightly slurred; her voice dragging as she spoke.
"Yes? Tali?" Shepard had a small smirk on his face as he watched Tali fight her own drowsiness. Tilting his head to the side to try and make eye contact with her half closed eyes.
"I think that Doctor Chack… Chakwas. Had a valid point." Her head started to drift forwards, then backwards. Still held up by her own hand. "I am feeling kinda…" She was interrupted by a long yawn before finishing her sentence. "tired…"
"She knows her stuff…" He found himself admiring her hood's pattern once again. He kept forgetting to ask her about it. Figuring now probably wasn't the best time as she seemed to be slumping back into sleep. Her head was tilted back and leaned against the wall, still partially held up by her hand. Her eyes had already closed.
He sat back, not wanting to disturb her. He knew that the chair wasn't exactly a good spot to sleep in though. Scratching his chin lightly, not sure what to do. Finally speaking up after a minute, his voice was but a whisper. "Tali? Tali?"
He waited for a response, his eyebrow raising slightly as she remained silent. Her head only slumping down towards his desk as her arm started to slowly slide out of its supportive position.
"Taaallli?" He spoke once more, again in a soft whisper. It was all in vain though. Sitting at a strange impasse of not wanting to disturb her, and not wanting her to sleep in such an uncomfortable spot.
Shepard sat in uncertainty for a few minutes. His mind was playing a strange tug of war on what he should do. Eventually he decided that sitting there and doing nothing wasn't going to help anything.
Pushing himself up off the chair and quietly stepping over next to Tali. Kneeling down slowly and slipping one arm beneath her knees, the other behind her back. Freezing as she stirred lightly for a moment.
When it was apparent she wasn't waking up, he gradually stood up. Lifting her gently from the chair. He could hear her murmur something as he lifted her up, not at all certain if she was addressing him or just talking in her sleep. He took slow but long steps across the room, doing his best to leave her undisturbed.
Legs first, he set her onto the bed. Gently laying her down and pulling his arms away gradually. A small sense of relief filled his chest as she remained asleep. Letting a breath he had been holding in escape his lips. Gently pulling part of the blanket she laid on over her. Dimming the lights before leaving.
Shepard was about to go up to the CIC, being stopped as Garrus left the elevator. "Shepard. I've got news." He already guessed as to his meaning. He got a lead on Saleon. The two talked for a few minutes. Garrus wanted to jump to the Kepler Verge to get Saleon. Shepard reasoned with the Turian that they would already be passing through the local cluster if they were going straight for him. Meaning they'd have to double back to cover the Lunar outpost.
Garrus was initially concerned that someone else may pick him up before they arrived. Shepard did his best to abate Garrus' worries by telling him that he'd send a message through the comm buoys that someone was on the way to "save" the disenfranchised ship containing Doctor Saleon.
Garrus seemed to find the deal agreeable. He still would have rather gone directly to Saleon. Returning to the cargo bay to talk with the new arrival.
Shepard now went up to the CIC to find something he hadn't expected. Pressly and Williams both talking to each other. It was more the act of Pressly looking idle on the CIC that surprised him. The man didn't seem to stay stagnant for long.
Pressly was the first to acknowledge him, giving only a short nod. Williams looking in his direction before quickly saluting him as he approached. "At ease, Williams. You really don't need to salute every time you see me."
She gave a short nod, a sly smirk. "I know." The comment got Shepard to look at her with a bit of confusion in his eyes. She quickly excused herself. Her and Pressly swapping glances for a moment before she went to speak with Joker.
He watched her go till she was taking a seat. Pressly pulling his attention. "Sir… I'm not questioning your judgment, but a Batarian? Isn't that a big risk?"
Shepard shook his head. "Usually you'd be right, he's reliable though." Pressly's eyes squinted slightly as he watched Shepard. "Trust me Pressly. He's a good man, trustworthy. Just give him time and he'll prove himself reliable. How long till we get to the Lunar outpost?"
"Tomorrow, half an hour before noon." Pressly had it memorized in case the question came up.
Shepard gave him a short nod before returning the door he just entered through. "Good. Anything changes, you keep me updated."
Pressly only gave a short nod. Shepard needed to get the message worked out and sent. Sitting in the mess hall as he wrote. Once finished with that, he returned to the cargo hold to finish what had been started.
I am truly sorry about how late this chapter is. I am also sorry but the once a week upload is not going to be a realistic endeavor at the moment. Work has been busier than ever and I don't have the spare time at the moment to maintain that schedule. Instead I will be shifting to an upload once every one-two weeks.
It's not my preference but it will give me more time to construct the chapters and proofread them, As well as give me more time for longer chapters I have planned. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Thank you for reading.