"So who are you betting on?" Garrus stood next to Kaidan, who was leaning against the Mako. The two of them watched Shepard and Iromak get ready to settle the big brother dispute, both standing on the middle platform that was raised up for Mako drops. Ashley sat on top of the Mako, partially watching the two sparr. Most of her attention was on Tali though, who stood at the station that Ashley would usually hover around.

The black box that Shepard had retrieved from Luna was sitting in front of Tali, on a partially dented surface thanks to Wrex. She had asked Shepard to allow her to poke around inside, and he obliged. First providing her with the necessary information on the data storage to make sure she knew the disassembly process. Tali was currently removing the many layers of protective casing to get at the hardware.

"Are you kidding? Shepards an N7. Fisticuffs with almost any N rank is a bad idea." Kaidan shook his head as he watched the two approach each other. Shepard had his hands raised up to cover his torso, his hands weren't balled into fists, but open, in an almost relaxed way. Iromak had his fists up, ready to block or throw a punch as he and Shepard circled each other.

"What's an N7?" It had slipped Kaidan's mind that not everyone aboard the ship knew the Alliance structure. Thinking of a way to give a proper answer.

Iromak would begin with quick jabs at Shepards torso. Who took the swings in stride, his forearms taking the blows for his body. Occasionally slapping down the incoming swings. "I know you got more power in your swing than that. C'mon."

"He's special forces." It was Ashley that answered Garrus' question, the Turian turning to look back at her. "Lot's of training. Even someone at your height would have trouble with him, Garrus."

Garrus let a short chuckle out at the suggestion of being brought down in hand to hand by Shepard. Kaidan was going to suggest the two sparr but was distracted by Ashley tapping his shoulder. Turning to look at her on the Mako.

Ashley was watching Tali, nodding in the Quarians general direction before posing a question. "The Council doesn't know about it, but she's fine to poke around in it?"

"The Council doesn't know about what?" Garrus couldn't hide the curiosity in his voice as he looked in Talis direction. He had been wondering what the Quarian had been working on. It had taken up the better part of the day for Tali.

Both the Alliance soldiers looked to Garrus, Kaidan shook his head at the question, crossing his arms. "Nope. Not our place to say."

"But it's her place to look around in it?" Kaidan was turning to answer Ashleys retort before being pulled by another comment from Garrus.

"This is something about what happened on your moon isn't it? What is that thing?" Garrus turned to look over at Ashley for an answer, who only shook her head in silence.

There was a heavy thud as Iromak hit the ground. Drawing the attention of all in cargo. Shepard was attempting to force Iromaks right arm behind his back. Nearly succeeding, it was stopped by Iromak kicking his left leg out from under him.

Taking the brief moment that Shepard had lost balance to roll onto his back. Grabbing the wrist of the hand that was twisting his arm a moment ago and attempting to pull Shepard off his feet.

The Commander had stabilized his own stance by then, Iromak only pulling Shepard over him. The Commander used his free left hand to swing down at Iromak. He got a single connecting swing before Iromak used both legs to kick up at Shepards stomach, using the wrist he already had in hand to flip Shepard over and onto his back with a hard thud.

Shepard was stunned momentarily from the hit against the ground. His lungs worked to pull back the air that had been abruptly pushed from them.

'John'

The sound of his name made his head perk up, it had been like a whisper in his ear. He next heard the sound of Iromaks boots against the floor, Shepard quickly rolling himself off the raised platform they were fighting on. His boots hit the incline as he turned to the sound of his approaching sparring opponent.

Iromak slowed his pace as he approached Shepard on the slope. Knowing better than to charge Shepard with too much force. The two came to a standstill as each waited for the other to make a move.

The two squared off for a few moments. Shepards eyes couldn't help but look to Tali across the room. She was watching the two now, something about her watching made him hesitant to continue the fight.

"Something wrong, Shepard?"

Williams' voice from behind Shepard made him snap back to attention. Looking up to see his brother watching him. He didn't have to be told to know what Iromak was thinking. "Do you know what my advantage is here, Gunnery Chief?" His voice was a bit louder than usual, and quite a bit sterner.

Her head pulled up to attention as he referred to her by rank, his voice reminding her of the many Drill Sergeants she had to listen to through basic training. "Lower ground, Sir."

"Why is that?" He maintained the stern demeanor, his eyes remained focused on his sparring opponent.

"Enemy approaches are likely to be to your advantage. Kicks can be easier to grab at that height, the downward angle of their punches can be avoided easily."

"What is my disadvantage?"

…

Silence took the place of her answer as she looked between the two. She relied rather heavily on her weapons. Shepard repeated his question after a moment.

"My disadvantage, Gunnery Chief?"

Finally she spoke, shaking her head. "I don't know, Sir."

"Any attack I pose towards him leaves my head open to a hefty kick. Even if I connect, the risk of a heavy concussion or being knocked out is not worth it." As Shepard spoke, his voice dulled down as he explained it. Williams wondered if he had been a Drill Sergeant at some point. "So I should remain defensive, he knows an attack is unwise, so he remains defensive."

"Stalemate, Sir?"

Shepard shook his head, relaxing his stance. The shortest nod of his head told Iromak they were done for the time being. "Stalemate is a rarity in one to one combat, it usually happens between two entrenched forces. The only reason Iromak and I appear to be in a stalemate is because neither one of us will go to the lengths of breaking bones or drawing weapons."

"You take all the fun out of it then Shepard." Garrus' remark was only met with the shake of a head from Shepard, who was now heading over to speak with Tali.

Shepard inquired as to what Tali could learn from opening the case. Iromak left to get water from the mess hall. It was a few moments till Garrus spoke up once more. "If you two won't tell me, I'll just go ask myself."

"Right, he won't tell you." Kaidan sounded amused at the suggestion, only shaking his head. The three around the Mako were watching the Commander listening quite attentively to Tali. Her hands darted around different pieces of the disassembled construct, occasionally looking over to Shepard to make sure he was keeping up.

"But he'll let Tali take it apart?" Garrus posed the question that Ashley had been asking of Kaidan. The Turian started to speculate on what it could be, finally speaking up after silent speculation.

"The Council doesn't know, and he's letting a Quarian poke around in it…" He looked first at Kaidan, who had no interest in answering his question, only shaking his head and following after Iromak.

The Turian would next look over at Ashley, who was busy watching Tali and her Commander. "It's an A.I isn't it?" Garrus' words were nothing more than a question she was already speculating on.

Eventually she would give a rather disappointing answer to the Turian as she hopped off the Mako. "I don't know, and I don't know if I want to find out." She waved the idea off as she followed after Kaidan who had gone up the elevator. "It's probably best not to ask him either."

Garrus was still tempted to inquire as to the box's true purpose. The sound of the intercom cutting in stopping the thought as Joker's voice filled cargo. "An hour out from the Citadel, Shepard."

"Thanks, Joker." He spoke with Tali again, making sure she would have it pieced back together by the time they arrived. Once she assured him it would be prepared, he left to get ready to head aboard the Citadel.

Once Shepard was gone, Garrus would finally let his curiosity take hold. Heading towards the Quarian that was starting to piece together the box in front of her. His hefty footsteps made her head pull back from what she was doing, turning slightly to the left to just barely see the Turian approach her.

She hadn't spoken much to Garrus, all she knew was that he was C-Sec, or was. She wasn't certain as the Turian kept the iconic black and blue armor most C-Sec officers donned. "What are you working on there?"

Curiosity could barely be discerned from the Turians voice. Tali again would look back to see the Turian towering over her. Talis usually had a height advantage over other Quarians, the Turians height had a way of making her feel very small. Realizing she had left his question unanswered still, Tali finally spoke. "Just doing some work for Shepard."

She would once again turn back to the pieces in front of her. The answer didn't exactly answer anything for Garrus though, who peered at the pieces she was working with. "But… What is it?"

Tali paused for a moment, remembering that Shepard had asked her to not speak to others about what was stored in it. "Its a storage device."

Garrus once again was left without an answer to satisfy the curiosity that bugged the edges of his mind. Prodding her further for an answer. "For…?"

Tali let an inaudible sigh escape her lips, shaking her head. "Good question, I'm looking at the hardware. Shepard asked me to not look at the contents." Garrus noted that she was evading the question of what was on it. He didn't push the topic further since she was already being elusive on the subject.

The Normandy would arrive at the Citadel a little past six, giving Shepard ample time to drop off the requested package and avoid the Council. Choosing to wear a plain, gray alliance T-shirt and Jeans. The same lightweight pistol holsted on the back of his belt as usual, on the inside of his pants to try and keep it concealed.

He let his team loose of their duties, all except for Kaidan. The Commander was required to have at least one other Alliance soldier with him when transporting the V.I. Shepard, Kaidan and Iromak would take the box to Udina. Iromak chose to remain outside to avoid any uncomfortable encounters. Once done, he cut Kaidan loose of his duties while they were aboard the Citadel.

Shepard was supposed to go straight to the Council afterwards. He instead went with Iromak to have a drink, at the same bar that Tali had met Iromak. Shepard made it a point to apologize for the mess caused that night. The Turian who owned the bar wasn't particularly ecstatic to see the two again, but allowed them to enter. The two sat in the same corner from that night, drinking with intermittent conversations.

Shepard would ask in particular about any trouble that Iromak encountered aboard the Normandy. To his surprise, no one had given him any significant trouble. No trouble that he would speak of at least. Iromak would poke into just what Shepard was doing as a Spectre. After a few moments of thought, he started from Eden Prime and continued through to the Peak 15 research facility.

Half an hour had passed, Shepard would only occasionally sip from the faintly glowing, green drink in his hand. Not yet finishing the once half filled cup. He knew the game of avoidance was over when his omni tool let out a rapid series of beeps. Looking at the message for a moment, only to see a message from 'Vitus Stradus' It was mainly about how his XO refused to allow him and his crew aboard.

Huh, didn't even wait for me at the Council chambers.

Moments after he finished the first message, a second arrived from his XO. Pressly had thought the group would've been arriving with the Commander, and decided to check with him before allowing them aboard. He messaged Pressly, giving him a rundown on the situation, giving him an order to have a guard at the doors to the core from now on.

As he was lifting his glass to take another drink, his omni tool beeped once more. Wondering what this one could be about, as he opened it up. The voice in his mind falling quiet as he saw it was from Tali.

She had requested for Shepard to meet her when he had the spare time too. For him, that was now. Giving a few last words to Iromak before finishing the rest of his drink in a single gulp. Leaving a few credit chits on the table to pay for both their drinks before departing alone.

The back of his neck had been making it's silent complaint at the introduction of liquor. The single drink felt like it was pinching the nerves ever so lightly in the back of his neck, just below the base of his skull, as usual.

Shepard snagged a cab to head to the adjacent arm. His mind used the spare time to ponder as to what she needed. Tali was on one of the connecting platforms that led up to the Presidium. Standing with her hands on the railing, watching the arms that stretched out and away from the Presidium.

Shepard would take a spot on her right, his hands slipping onto the railing to lean on it. "Tali, sorry about taking so long. What's going on?"

Tali would glance as Shepard took a spot next to her. Looking back to the arms of the Citadel. She hadn't been sure about messaging him, somewhat glad she had decided too. "The… group that's coming aboard the Normandy."

"Did something happen?" She could tell he was already worried by his tone's sharp change from calm to worried. Shepard turned to her. His stance straightened as his hands pulled off the rail. Wondering if he'd have to straighten someone out already.

"No, no." Tali quickly shook her head, once again looking at Shepard. "I think… that I've seen the new Asari that's at the ship before." Tali turned to look behind them for a moment.

Shepards eyes followed hers as she looked behind them, wondering what she was searching for. "When?"

"Now, John." Tali paused for a moment, her head turning back to face him. "I don't know if it is her, but I think I saw her when I was last at the hospital."

Shepard leaned against the railing as he listened, one hand supporting him this time. "Does she have a similar tattoo or something?"

Tali shook her head lightly, crossing her arms as she did. "That's the thing, she doesn't have any. I don't know if the one in front of the hospital had any."

"Did you speak with her? Either time you saw her?" Shepards hands folded together as he watched her with thoughtful eyes. Tali would shake her head again, finally looking back to the arms of the Citadel. "I'll talk to Iromak about it. See if he noticed her at all."

Tali nodded quietly, looking down at the passing cabs. Shepard joined her in watching the passing vehicles. The two stood in silence for a few minutes. It didn't bother Shepard, he found it somewhat unusual though. Messaging him to tell him something that could've been sent over a message.

He would eventually work up to asking a question that lingered on his mind. "Is something else on your mind?"

Tali didn't move much, her eyes continuing to watch the passing cabs. Responding to his question after a moment of thought. "I've been thinking about my home… the fleet." She took a deep breath as she turned away from the rail. "I've been wondering if the geth have taken an interest in the fleet at all."

Shepard turned his head to watch Tali now. His left eyebrow lifted slightly as he listened to her. "I want to contact them, to ask if there's been any threat from the geth." Tali let out a light sigh and shook her head. "But then I'll get asked about how my pilgrimage is going, how I'm getting by, and when I'll be back."

Shepards head tilted slightly to the left as he watched her. "But no answer will really be good enough till I'm heading back to the fleet." Tali was watching a Volus proudly explain what it was like aboard the Destiny Ascension to an attentive Asari.

"Good enough… for who?" Shepard would slowly push off the railing and turn to stand next to her, watching the passersby.

Tali seemed hesitant to answer, her hands coming together to fiddle with the suit covering her skin. She knew there wasn't much point in hiding her fathers status as an Admiral, she was just hoping it wouldn't change how Shepard viewed her. "My father… well…"

She spent a moment in silence, finally working up her personal courage to speak. "He isn't fond of the idea that I spend too much time on my pilgrimage."

He doesn't exactly like the Alliance either…

Tali attempted to push the idea out of her head. Looking over to see Shepard standing with his arms crossed loosely across his abdomen. Following his gaze, she found he was watching a Turian C-Sec officer guiding a drunken Turian carefully down a set of stairs. An Asari officer standing at the bottom of the stairs, ready to catch the Turian with biotics should he stumble.

"Why doesn't he want you on pilgrimage for too long?" Shepard would return Talis look. Tali averted her gaze after a few moments of looking up at Shepard.

Tali began walking alongside the railing, trying to summarize her father without including his rank. Shepard walked on her left side, his arms uncrossing to let them hang at his sides. "He's… very..."

Tali's sentence had fallen off before it started, not totally certain of what to say. "Very… Protective?" Shepard attempted to aid Talis in her attempt to define her father.

Tali half nodded, but wasn't satisfied with the singular word. "Yes, extremely. But protective isn't the word I'm looking for though." Tali would slowly slip her right hand up, starting to fiddle with part of her hood as she spoke. "He has always been dedicated to the fleet, every Quarian is, but lately he has gotten… fixated on it. Before I left it had started to feel like a type of obsession."

"What does his fixation on the fleet have to do with your pilgrimage?" Shepard looked ahead now, his eyes watching the people ahead. Tali would find her gaze would continually come back to Shepard as the two walked.

"He is hoping I can bring something back to really help the fleet. It seems like it had slipped his mind that it will take time to-

"Commander Shepard, could I have a moment of your time?" Shepard and Tali would both stop to turn. A human woman with jet black hair, wearing a dress to match.

The Commander was not exactly happy that someone had interrupted Tali. He would put the feeling aside though, turning fully around to face the woman. "For what reason?"

The woman seemed somewhat surprised, and hopeful that he didn't outright reject her. "My name is Emily Wong. I wanted to inquire about a few things going on aboard the Citadel."

Shepard would glance at Tali for just a moment. His eyebrows lowered slightly as he began to wonder what information he could hold for her. "I'm sorry, Miss Wong. I'm not exactly aware of what happens day to day aboard the Citadel. Most of my work takes place off station."

"I'm sorry, I wasn't exactly clear." She shook her head a bit, brushing a few loose strands of hair out of her face. "I was hoping to get your help on investigating matters going on here at the Citadel. I'm a journalist. Not affiliated with Westerlund News."

Emily Wong would tack on the last sentence rather quickly, looking at Tali for a moment before bringing her focus back to Shepard. Who stood with his arms crossed again. "Once again, I don't know much about the workings of this place. I wouldn't be able to shed light on anything important."

Shepard thought the conversation was over, about to turn to leave with Tali, only to be stopped again. "Commander, please. Your status as a Spectre alone could-"

His right hand pulled from the cross they were in. Putting out a flat palm facing journalist. "No. My status as a Spectre is not on offer to anyone."

"I'm not asking for your powers, only for you to-"

"No." His voice was clear and firm, his hand slipping back to cross his arm over his chest. The reporter would take a step back as she let out a slow sigh, running her fingers through her hair slowly.

Shepard was ready to leave it there, turning to continue walking. Talis hand gently grabbing his forearm would stop him in place. Looking back at Tali with a curious look, Tali was too busy looking at the disheartened journalist. Emily was now leaning on the railing, tapping rather slowly through her omni tools display.

It was only a few moments, but with Talis hand gripping his arm, it felt much longer to Shepard. Tali soon turned to look at the Commander, her faintly glowing eyes already told him what she was going to inquire about. "John… Couldn't you at least hear her out?"

The comment did not go unnoticed from Emily, who looked over at the pair. Seeing Shepard struggle with any reason to deny Talis request. Eventually just giving a short nod to Tali and heading over to stand with the Journalist, who's hopeful look had once again returned.

"Alright. What are you hoping for?" Shepard leaned against the railing as he listened to the request of Emily Wong. His mind half distracted by the fact that Tali was at his side, still holding his arm.

It was a longer talk than he had expected, especially for something like flight controllers and how they had been overtaxed with work. She used the incident of Balak being aboard the Citadel as evidence for that. Her statement made Shepard wonder how many people actually knew Balak had the clearance to be aboard. He didn't comment about it though, not wanting to get the journalist started into anything else.

Finally, Shepard would agree to the request. The journalist would leave after giving a silent nod to Tali. Shepard would watch her go for a minute before turning to Tali, nodding towards the elevator. "Come on. That group has already arrived at the Normandy."

He was starting to walk away before Talis arm stopped him again. Looking to find her gazing up at him. "Would it be alright if we waited to go back? I was hoping to check out a place not too far from here, maybe we could… uh…" Tali's words would slowly fail her as she stared up into John's bright blue eyes.

Tali could discern a curious look in John's eyes as he waited for her to continue. Tali knew it was too late to back out now, starting to bounce up and down nervously on the balls of her feet. "I was wondering if you would be interested in grabbing a drink with me?"

The question took Shepard by surprise, a small smile slipping onto his lips as he watched her. "Of course, where is the place?"

Tali would nod in the direction they had been walking before getting interrupted by the Journalist. Tali led Shepard by the arm to a small bar. It was a quiet place that Shepard had not been to before. Instead of the usual bright, glowing signs. It had a sign carved out of a dark piece of wood. The word 'Transcendence' etched into the wood near the bottom, along with what he assumed was the Asari equivalent of the word carved above. In between the two words, a circular incision had been cut into it to resemble a planet.

Inside, it was quite different to most bars that maintained the shiny, metallic look of the Citadel. Instead, the majority of the seats were wooden with cushions, the tables matching the chairs for the most part. The lights inside were dimmed to maybe half of what was usual for the Citadel. The brightest thing in the bar was a neon sign that said 'balcony' near a set of stairs. The bar itself was wood as well, making Shepard wonder as to the difficulty of getting it to the Citadel.

A Human woman was wiping down the counter while an Asari was putting bottles onto the top most shelf via her biotics. Shepard and Tali greeted the woman that was ready to serve them, getting their respective drinks before heading to a corner table.

The two remained undisturbed all the way up until Shepard got a message from Joker. The pilot refused to say why he was searching for the Commander. Simply insisting they meet off the Normandy. Shepard found himself not wanting to split with Tali, so he sent the pilot his location and waited for the arrival.

Eventually, the pilot would enter the door, moving with his usual gaunt to avoid putting too much stress on his legs. Shepard waved Joker over as he came into the bar, pushing a chair out from the table for him to sit down. Joker didn't seem all too surprised to see Tali and Shepard sitting together. Giving a short nod to Tali as he sat down, Tali would return the small gesture to the pilot. "Sorry if I'm interrupting, but I figured that you would want to see this."

Joker tossed a magazine onto the table that he had brought with him before adjusting his position in the chair. "Page three." The Asari that had been setting up bottles arrived to ask Joker what he wanted to drink, after a minute he had a glass of water. Joker wasn't going to even chance an actual drink at this time.

Shepard read in silence, one hand holding the magazine open, the other holding his glass. Tali looked between the two curiously before peeking at the magazine, her spot next to Shepard made it easy to see. On the page was a picture of Shepard and Iromak standing together in what appeared to be the hospital Tali had recovered in. It didn't take more than the first few sentences to realize what was going on.

The article had been released by a publisher for Westerlund News. It was insinuating that Shepard had brought a slaver aboard the Normandy. That Iromak had ratted on Balaks crew to Shepard in an effort to gain leeway with the Spectre.

He closed the magazine over before finishing it, knowing it would only anger him more. "Joker." Shepards eyes were staring at the table, his voice was void of any discernible emotion.

"Yeah?"

"Would you mind keeping Tali company while I go do something?

"Wha-" Tali was about to question Shepard but Joker cut her off.

"I don't have any plans, do what you gotta." Joker took a drink from his water as Shepard got up, leaving a few credit chits on the table to pay for their drinks, grabbing the magazine and leaving. Tali watched him go, feeling quite confused. She wanted to go after him, but the way he spoke made her feel like she wasn't welcome.

"Go." Joker spoke after setting down his cup. "He's gonna need you to ease his temper."

The pilot's statement got Tali to look at him first, then to the magazine. "Why would I be the one for that?" Her arms crossed as she sat back, trying to act like she hadn't been considering it.

"Well, first off, the last time he was like this was when you were in the hospital." The statement made Tali look away from Joker now, her eyes sticking to the empty tube that had been her drink. "Second, he may very well put someone in the hospital for this. And lastly, I can't actually catch up to him, but I'm sure you can catch up to him if you go. I'm also pretty sure you want to go after him."

Joker took another drink from his glass. Tali was staring at the pilot out of the corner of her eyes, cursing silently at how right he was. Tali would hop out of her seat to run after Shepard. Joker remained seated, sipping on his water quietly.

Tali had caught sight of him walking at a brisk pace, going the same way they had come from. Tali was surprised at how far he had gotten in a short time. She was able to catch up to him with ease, Quarian legs had evolved to be much more agile in comparison to Humans or Asari.

"John, John!"

Talis call got him to turn to her with some confusion evident on his face, slowing his pace as she caught up. "You really ought to wait for me. Westerlund must have a building on this station, I'm just going to chat with whoever runs it."

Tali shook her head as she continued to walk alongside him. "No, I think it'd be better if I joined you for this."

He didn't question her, shrugging slightly as he nodded towards the spot to hail a cab. "If you say so, let's get going."

Three Humans sat in a rather smokey office. The one residing as boss behind a large desk had his legs kicked up. A cigar hanging from his lips that branded a bushy mustache. Reading through various papers and magazines strewn across his desk, all of which from his own company. Across from him, his reporter and assistant were arguing on what route to take.

"You should drop it, he's more trouble than he's worth. We've lost one camera in our attempts for little to no-"

The reporter would cut off her coworker as if he hadn't been speaking in the first place. "We just need to keep pushing him for something. He'll slip up at some point then-"

The intercom cut off the reporter speaking to try and inform them of the incoming soldier. "Sir, there's a Commander Shepard on his way down the hall he doesn't have an appointment and refused-"

The door slid open and Shepard stepped through, followed closely by Tali. She would stay close to his side, waving the smoke away from her masks' intake system. Eventually giving in and turning off her suits olfactory system. The three workers were all looking at the sudden visitors. The Commander gave a short nod to the group before speaking. "Miss. Al-Jilani, Gentlemen." His voice was firm and had a sense of coldness to it when he referred to the reporter.

The boss was the first to speak, pointing to the door on the left side of the room that the two had entered from. "That was supposed to be locked."

The Commander nodded as he stepped forward. "It was. I unlocked it." His statement seemed to make the three rather uncomfortable.

"Well, what may we do for such an esteemed character such as yourself?" The boss spoke with a sarcasm to rival even Garrus' sarcasm.

"This is slandering an alliance citizen." His voice teemed with anger, holding himself back due to Tali. He held up the magazine he had taken from Joker.

The assistant quietly scooted himself away from the two others at the desk, getting a silent glare from the reporter as he did. The end of their boss's cigar would flare to red as he took a long inhale. "It is not, I resent that. Slander is spoken, in print it's libel."

Shepard didn't respond to the man's answer, only glaring at him in silence till the boss spoke again. "We write what we can garner from a situation."

Tali could see Shepards left hand slowly curl into a fist, starting to close the space between himself and the desk. Tossing the magazine onto the desk. "That's an interesting way of saying you don't know shit about what you're talking about." John would place his hands flat on the desk, leaning against it as he watched the boss.

Al-Jilani looked like she wanted to get a camera for what could happen, the assistant quietly scooted himself further away from the Commander. The boss blew a thick cloud of smoke up at Shepard before speaking. "Then how about you clear the air for us, Spectre."

Shepard looked at the assistant for a moment before going back to the boss. "You accused an alliance citizen of working with slavers. When I know-"

"We didn't accuse you of anything. We made a connection to the fact that you weren't seen with the Batarian till after you got attacked." The boss pulled his feet off the desk and sat forward. "Then Balak died at your hands, on this station, with the Batarians help to get aboard their ship."

"You accused an alliance citizen of slave smuggling. If you don't have the evidence then-"

"I already told you, we didn't accuse you of anything."

Shepard stared down at the man for a few moments, starting to dislike being interrupted so often. "Open your ears before I rip them off. I said a citizen. I am a soldier." He tapped the picture in the magazine, specifically tapping on Iromak.

The man stared down at the picture for a moment before looking up with a questioning look. "What are you talking about?"

"You didn't think to ask me who he was before publishing this article did you?" Shepard took the magazine back as he shook his head. "He's an Alliance Citizen. His name is Iromak. You're going to stop printing that article now. Understood?"

"Iromak. Who?" The boss posed the question to John. An eyebrow raised up as he pulled the cigar from his mouth.

"Answer my question."

"You need to give us details on him then."

Shepard shook his head, turning to head towards the door. "I've had to deal with your reporter one too many times to consider that. I'll be back tomorrow, to make sure you've stopped that article."

Shepard tapped a button on the door and it slid open. Gesturing to the door to offer the exit to Tali first. She would leave after a short nod to the others in the room. Shepard would glance back at them for a moment before following Tali.

When they finally left the building, Tali spoke up. "I'm kind of surprised you didn't get more… aggressive with him."

Shepard nodded as he walked alongside Tali, opting to keep his eyes forward as Tali looked up at him. "Yes, I found it difficult to do so."

"Why is that?" Tali walked down the stairs that led up to the news building. Her eyes were watching the steps.

"It felt… wrong, with a certain person watching."

Tali wondered for a moment as to who in the room he had meant, posing a question to him. "Ah… the reporter?"

Talis comment got John to chuckle for a moment, shaking his head. "No, I don't give a damn what they think of me."

John would glance at Tali for a moment as they reached the bottom of the stairs. Clearing his throat to speak. "I'll be back to check on them at some point."

Maybe I should be there tomorrow… just in case.

She left the thought unspoken, turning to him now. "Should we get a cab back to the bar? We kind of just left Joker back there, and you stole his magazine." Tali's comment made him smirk slightly. Giving a short nod, as he followed next to her.

"Sounds like a plan."

While Tali and John were heading back to the bar, John would send a message to his crew and Pressly to notify them that they'd be staying overnight. The pair would find Joker still drinking his water, which he would soon swap out for something with a bit more kick when he found out they were staying at the Citadel overnight.

John would've liked to get back into space, to go chase after Saren and find out what the ex-spectre was doing. He had little to go on though. Benezia had provided Liara with the Mu relay coordinates, which was a great help. Although, without a destination, they'd have to manually search every single system it connected to.

Other than that and the vague visions given to him by the prothean beacon, he had no idea where to turn next. Deciding that he'd pay a visit to a certain information broker tomorrow to see if he could get any knowledge on the Turians recent activities.

He attempted to forget these matters while with Tali though, which was easier than he had expected. The three at the table started a game of cards as they drank. Joker had again borrowed Iromaks set.

After over an hour they would finally depart from the bar. John had avoided drinking too much himself to keep his wits about him and avoid a serious headache. Tali and Joker however had not. John covered the tab, both Tali and Joker tried to cover their own drinks, but John wasn't having it. Ushering the two towards the door before going to pay.

When John caught up to them outside, Joker departed from the two to go return the cards to Iromak. Taking his magazine back from Shepard before leaving to grab a cab back to the Normandy.

Shepard quickly found out that Tali was a lightweight in the drinking category. Watching Talis usually well balanced self, stumble on a flat surface. She managed to keep from falling of her own accord. Tali could feel John's right hand gently grasp her shoulder to help keep her balanced.

"I think you had one too many Tali. Let's get you back to the Normandy so you can sleep this off." He attempted to guide Tali down the path towards the cabs. Tali had a different plan though, instead grabbing a hold of his wrist as she turned around, pulling him in the other direction.

He could have easily stopped in place considering he outweighed her by nearly a hundred pounds. Deciding to go where she pulled him though. "Then what? Back to work for you? No way. We should go have some fun."

John chuckled lightly as he watched her tug on his arm, starting to slow his pace. "What? Are you gonna try to keep me out all night? You know I need to talk to the new arrivals at some point."

Tali would shake her head, looking back at John. "Why would you need to do that tonight? It's not like they're going anywhere." She would tug harder on his arm the slower he went.

John wasn't certain, and Tali could see it plain on his face. Her pace slowed to match his now as she turned fully to face him. Her hands moving down to clasp his left hand in both of hers. "Come on John. Don't make me beg you to have some fun."

Tali tugged lightly on his hand now. "Maybe not all night, but long enough to relax? Forget about your responsibilities for a while? Enjoy some time with your… 'favorite squad member'?"

John couldn't control the smile that forced itself onto his lips, his eyes darting quickly to the left to avoid looking at her. Tali wouldn't even wait for his response, speaking as he opened his mouth. "Come on, let's go cause some trouble. Captain."

John found himself unable to deny her request. Following Tali wherever she pulled him. First she tugged him along till she saw a store that had mostly fish in it. Pulling him in to look at them. It amused him quite a bit.

'Let's go cause trouble.'

Her trouble? Pointing out the colorful fish she likes.

He loved every second of it. They were in there for nearly thirty minutes before Tali pulled him back out. John found it unusual to have her leading her around by the hand, he certainly wasn't going to complain about it though. They visited several stores, Tali rambling the entire time. Tali would usually talk of the things she liked in the store, or give John little questions while looking around.

Eventually asking a question that she had actually been wondering about while looking at model ships in a small souvenir shop. "John?"

"Yes?" John was looking at various miniatures of the different homeworlds for each race. Noticing, but not pointing out that Rannoch was not among them.

Perhaps they're more popular among Quarians.

"Why don't you decorate your room?" Tali would go stand next to Shepard, showing him a model Quarian fighter. It was small enough to fit in the palm of his hand.

He would take the fighter, looking at the model space vessel for a few moments. Wondering how accurate it was, also wondering as to where her curiosity on the subject came from. "Well, I don't exactly have a lot of stuff. In the Alliance, you need to be able to fit all your personal belongings in a single footlocker. Excluding armor and weapons."

"I suppose that makes sense…" Tali nodded as she went back to look at the other ships. John followed in tow to look at the varying ships set neatly on glass shelves.

"I also never had a room like that before. I was always packed into one of those pods or I was planet side. Neither one of those gives you an inch of personal space." Tali would again nod. Looking over at him comparing the Quarian fighter to other ships.

"So you don't have anything but what's in the lockbox?" Tali's head would cock to the side slightly as she watched him.

John smirked slightly and shook his head. Keeping the Quarian fighter in hand. "No, I've still got a home on Terra Nova still. Keep everything there."

"You do? What's it like?" Tali would finally pull her eyes off of John to peruse other shelves.

He paused for a moment as he looked over the fighter in his hand again. "Well… it's a nice piece of land. Most of it used to be farmland thirty or so years back. Now most the land is taken up by two buildings and a fairly sizable workshop. That's where we keep the busted piece of metal that used to be a ship."

John couldn't help but wonder if Tali had eaten since lunch. He would suggest a bar that served a small selection of dextro foods, and an even smaller selection of purified ones. Tali, in her drunken state, hadn't realized just how hungry she'd gotten, and hopped at the idea. Soon, she was strolling assuredly down the walkway, all the way till John corrected her on which direction to go.

"An Asari Commando and three Turians. That's what Shepard told me." Kaidan sat in the flux with Ashley at a table in the corner.

"Why the hell didn't he tell us earlier?" Ashley was on her second drink when Kaidan had told her about the new group. "And when did he tell you?"

"This morning. I'm guessing he was still going to try and argue with the Council on it. Pressly nearly blew the alarm when three Turians arrived without Shepard, demanding to get on the Normandy."

Ashley would nod as she took a swig from the blue tinted glass with an amber colored liquid inside. Speaking after she set it down. "Yeah, well, Pressly isn't exactly a friend of Turians. I'm surprised he didn't say anything when Garrus came aboard.

"Who said what about me?" Garrus walked up to the round table. Pulling a chair out and sitting with the alliance soldiers. Ashleys lips quickly sealed as he arrived. Kaidan noted her sudden silence, deciding to answer for her.

"What wasn't said actually, the XO on the Normandy. His name is Pressly." Kaidan swirled the liquid in his nearly empty glass around gently.

Garrus nodded, gesturing to the top of his head. "The guy with the shiny head?"

Ashley suppressed a quiet chuckle at Garrus' comment. Giving a short nod before taking a short drink to have a reason not to speak. "Well, what didn't he say then?"

Garrus looked between the two for a moment before taking a drink from his notably larger cup. "Nothing." Ashley spoke up to the Turian finally. "That's the point, he's not fond of… uh." Ashley immediately regretted pushing the subject, not wanting to dig more of a hole with Shepard.

Garrus' mandibles twitched for a moment as he nodded. "Ah, I get it… He's jealous of my striking looks." Ashley would look at Garrus, a mix of surprise and confusion on her face.

"What?" The word was uttered by both the soldiers at the table. Kaidan now joined Ashley in looking at Garrus with evident confusion.

"Well it makes sense now. It's all about the bald fellas isn't it? And since the top of my head is as bare as his, he's getting jealous."

Kaidan was chuckling to himself, shaking his head lightly. "Sure, Garrus. Whatever you say." The three drank and chatted for a while. Ashley occasionally spoke up, but mostly kept to herself. All the way until a beeping sound from her omni tool drew her attention.

A quick glance at the display told her she had a message from Liara. Definitely wasn't what she had been expecting, but she opened it all the same.

'Shepard needs help. Arm three. Encompassing tastes.'

Liara is telling me Shepard needs help? Encompassing tastes must be where he's at.

Ashley slapped some credits down to pay for her drinks before excusing herself. Deciding that she would try and handle it alone. Getting a cab and telling the driver the name of the place. It was on the same arm she was on so it'd be a short ride.

The cabbie's idle chatter told Ashley that it was a bar she was heading to. Wondering quietly to herself as to what could be going on. When she got out and paid the cabbie, she quickly found the sender of the message standing outside a sizable bar with Wrex standing next to her.

Ashley quickly crossed the thirty or so meters between them. Liara was watching the doors to the bar, her back to the approaching soldier as she spoke to Wrex.

"Liara, what's going on? Where's Shepard?" Williams would look between Liara and the bar for a moment. The Asari gave a short nod to Williams as she arrived, pointing to the bar.

"In there, it seemed like there were a few people that weren't too happy to see him. I wanted to help, but he insisted this was an alliance only situation."

"So you messaged an alliance soldier. Thank you." Williams gave a short nod as she started heading for the doors. Two sets of double doors leading into the place.

She wasn't able to tell where he was off the bat due to the size of the place. The main section was a box layout with booths for groups. A large bar in the middle of the room. Offshooting hallways provided areas for people to eat without the ruckus of a bar to interrupt. Williams was able to get a pointer by asking an Asari for the location of a purple cloaked Quarian. Heading down the hall the server had pointed her down.

"Come on asshole. Are you gonna give us a straight answer?" John and Tali sat on a set of stools at a bar. Tali was trying to get her order, and Shepard was having a last drink for the night. A few alliance soldiers had caught on to just who Shepard was. They had read about who had been brought onto the Alliance ship, and weren't too pleased about it. Starting to get on the nerves of everyone involved, including the Turian just trying to have a quiet dinner at one of the tables.

"You start doing anything the Council asks when you become a Spectre, Then you bring a slaver onto the Normandy as part of the crew?" Tali would occasionally glance at John, wondering if she should pull him out of the bar. John had already insisted they weren't a bother, but that had been before the soldiers followed them down the hall. Continuing to pester them. "Are you even Alliance anymore? Or are you hopping ships for a Quarian vessel now?"

John would glance at Tali for just a second, she was already watching him. Quickly averting her eyes after a moment of eye contact. John would before turn to the left to look at the man. "How about you shove off like your friends did? Let me and the lady enjoy a drink." John found that the longer he was antagonized, the more irritated the back of his head became.

"That's it ain't it? Soon as your contract is up you'll hop systems with her." The man's words were slowly beginning to slur together as he sounded angrier. Shepard shook his head, turning around to try and ignore the man.

The drunker, more belligerent soldier stepped forward, slamming hand down in front of Shepard to get his attention. Leaning uncomfortably close to the Commander. "Won't you?" Shepard refused to react to the soldier slowly leaning closer to him.

Taking a swig from his drink before turning his head to look at Tali, who watched him with worry evident in her shining eyes. "Service is slower than I thought it would be, maybe we should just-"

The soldier didn't like being ignored, and proved he was too drunk for his own good. Spitting on the back of the Commander's head when his question went unanswered. Following it up with two words. "Quarian fucker."

John would look at Tali for a moment in a bit of shock at the audacity of the man behind him. Tali noticed a slight reddening of John's cheeks before he turned around. Grabbing the napkin his drink had been sitting on and wiping the back of his head off. "What's your rank, son?"

Shepard would look at the drunks friend before turning to the man with a rather smug look on his face. "Like I'd answer to some lapdog like you."

"I'm a couple seconds from teaching you what the Drill Sergeants failed to do. Rank and name. Soldier."

The man saluted with a middle finger with his right hand, the left reaching towards Shepards glass as if it were his own. Shepards right hand slammed onto his wrist, holding it down against the bar. The man took a wide swing at Shepard with his free right hand.

It could have been easily avoided, but Shepard took the hit on the jaw in exchange for a fistful of the drunk's shirt in his left hand. Standing as he let go of the wrist he had grabbed to stop his drink from being taken, using his now free hand two deliver two quick and hard blows.

The first swing was directly against the left side of his jaw, the second hitting his nose and upper left cheek. John's left hand would let go on the second swing, causing the man to stumble back into an empty table and some chairs. Covering his bleeding and likely broken nose. Tali watched the incident with wide eyes, looking between John and the drunk soldier.

The door slid open to reveal the Gunnery Chief. Ashley stepped through the door to see the man barely catch himself on the table. "Williams." Ashleys head would snap to attention as she heard Shepard speak her name.

"Shepard." She would give a short nod. The second guy looked like he had been tempted to give Shepard a go at a fight till he realized the newcomer would be against him as well. Deciding to instead usher his friend out quickly to avoid another incident.

"I suppose that you didn't find me on your own?" He would take a final drink from his cup. Tali turned around to look at Williams for a moment, giving a shy wave to the woman. Tali still didn't feel quite right about the woman, wondering if the feeling was from their first encounter.

"I just asked around for the Quarian in purple. Figured that I'd find you wherever she was at." Williams' arms would cross as she glanced between the two. Smirking slightly as she noticed Shepard not wanting to turn to Tali after Ashleys comment. Tali however, seemed to be watching him very intently.

"Funny. Williams. Very funny." He didn't sound like he'd be laughing anytime soon though. Slowly turning to look at Williams as his arms crossed.

"I don't recall making a joke, Sir." Williams could see Tali glance in her direction, looking away as soon as Williams returned the look. The Quarians' hands fumbling with each other on her lap.

Shepard shook his head, going to straighten the table and chairs that had become disorganized. "What do you need?"

Ashley scoffed lightly as she shook her head. "I was coming to see if you needed help. Liara messaged me saying you needed help. I guess you've got it handled, don't you?"

"A plan for every problem, there were more of them earlier. Guess they shoved off when they considered rank. Just had to teach a little respect to that guy." He went back to sit down in his spot. The waitress coming out, Shepard had a feeling she had been hiding out till the two drunks left. Delivering Talis' order and refilling John's drink before he could intervene.

"Then what's your plan for meeting the new group? Or when were you going to tell everyone else?" Williams was looking between John and Tali. Shaking her head lightly as she realized her Commander barely even noticed her comment.

John was watching Tali for a moment, who was eating quite hungryly. Rubbing his sore jaw lightly as he thought to himself.

That nutrient paste on the ship can't taste great…

He nearly forgot that Williams had asked a question, turning around to look at her. "When I get back, at some point. They shouldn't be too much of a problem. They're here to keep an eye on me, not to give you guys orders."

John would take a sip of his drink before gesturing to the stool next to him. "Want a drink since you came all this way?" Williams considered it for a moment, she saw a quiet glance from Tali and decided against it. Not wanting to intrude on their time.

"Nah, Kaidan is probably waiting to play cards or something like that. Next time I will." Ashley and Shepard would trade a nod before he turned around. Tali gave a silent nod of appreciation for letting the two continue without further interruptions.

Once she was certain they wouldn't be interrupted, Tali would turn to John. He beat her to speaking though, his eyes sticking to his glass. "I'm sorry about that. I wasn't sure that guy was going to leave unless-" John fell silent as he felt Talis left hand slip onto his shoulder.

Glancing over to Tali, he saw her right hand reaching out, gently taking a hold of his chin. Holding it with her thumb and a single digit. His eyes blinked several times in quick succession to bring himself to attention; watching her with a mix of worry and curiosity.

Gently, Tali would turn his head to look at the left side of his jaw. Sliding her free digit down his jawline where he took the punch. Noticing a faint redness took to his cheeks as she did. "You're definitely getting a bruise from that…"

Tali would lean closer to him to observe his jaw before looking up to make eye contact with him. John attempted to avoid her gaze, it was in vain though. Unable to keep his eyes away from hers. Tali still held his chin gently. "Why don't you tell people who Iromak is?"

John felt more of the weight from Talis gaze the longer she held him there. Her mask hovering just five or six inches from his face. He could feel his heart rate picking up as the room suddenly felt about ten degrees warmer. "I… uh…" John felt his mind slowly become jumbled up at her simple question.

Dammit, pull yourself together.

John watched her head tilting to the left as she waited for an answer. He took a slow breath in to try and steady his mind. It helped, if only mildly. "It may sound like a skewed bit of logic, but it's to try and make sure he's safe."

Tali nodded slowly, her eyes sticking to John's. "That does sound skewed… do you want to talk about it?" Tali would slowly release his chin, clearing her throat as she looked away. Tali had not realized just how long she had been holding him there. Reaching to grab a tube off the plate brought to her by the waiter, nearly dropping it as she did.

John watched Tali fumble with the tube for a moment. Turning to his own drink after a moment. His right hand grabbed the glass while his left gently rubbed the left side of his jaw. The image of Tali gazing into his eyes stuck in his mind. "How about I tell you tomorrow? We've still got a night of trouble ahead of us to get into."

Tali seemed surprised, turning to John as she continued rolling the tube around in her hands. "After that? That isn't enough trouble for you?" Tali would finally attach the tube to her mouthpiece, tilting her head back to use the aid of gravity to eat.

John was taking a sip from his drink. Knowing full well he'd be regretting this drinking in the morning. The current pain in the back of his neck wasn't horrible, but was definitely noticeable. "A knock on the jaw will hardly ruin the night Tali. Besides, I have yet to see how good you are at quasar."

Tali would look over at him after she finished eating. Dislodging the tube from her mask before speaking. "You still want to go around tonight?" Her voice sounded somewhat surprised. John gave a nod to Tali as he gave her a broad smile.

"Keep going around, causing trouble with you? I think time with you is worth a lot more than a light punch on the cheek." He took a long, slow drink before setting his cup down again. "Now, how about after we finish up here, we go try some quasar and see what else the Citadel has to offer?"

Tali seemed to be quite fond of the idea of managing to spend time with her Captain that was uninterrupted. Which they were finally able to do. The pair enjoying the rest of the night going around the Citadel.

They would stay out longer than either initially meant to. Neither really minded it though, the chance to spend time without thinking about what was to come was a pleasant change to waiting around on the ship. John would've stopped drinking earlier but Tali had made a joke about him being a lightweight compared to her. John, in his state, decided the best way to settle who was a lightweight was a drinking contest. It ended with him trying to help make sure Tali didn't throw up. A small lesson he wouldn't forget whenever Tali was drinking.

Eventually the pair would head back in the early morning hours of the Normandy's day cycle. John had to help Tali not fall for a good portion of their brief walk after catching a cab. The only thing John could remember of the Normandy was struggling with the code to the airlock, then falling asleep on his back. His hand holding on to the Quarian fighter Tali had handed him earlier in the night.

I am truly sorry for how long this took to write. I was actually hoping to get more done before releasing it but it's taken too long already. I hope you have a wonderful day and thank you for reading.