Jack awoke to a loud annoying buzzing echoing through her small chamber. She pushed herself off her bed into a sitting position and put her throbbing head in her hand. "What the fuck?! Edi!! Shut that fucking noise off!"
With a click and a whirring sound, the buzzing finally ceased and Jack sighed out angrily. "I'm sorry, Jack. But I have been unable to arouse you for the last ten minutes. I was about to call Dr. Chakwas."
Jack moaned and rubbed her eyes. Man, that Krogan Brandy packed a wallop. Her biotics would take care of it soon enough, but right now the room was spinning and her head was heavy. "What the hell do you want!?"
Unphased, Edi's answer came, "You are late for the commander's briefing. I suggest you head to the command center right away."
"Uuugh, fuck the commander," Jack drawled, only half serious.
With a pause, Edi added, "In whichever context that word is intended, I highly discourage acting on that sentiment."
Jack peered through bloodshot eyes at the bulkhead ceiling, confused. "What the fuck are you talking about?"
Without a beat, Edi's unwavering response came through, to Jack sounding almost cheery. "If by fuck you meant to engage in intercourse with the commander, I suggest you refrain, as the commander is in a committed relationship with Dr T'Soni. If by fuck you meant to disregard orders, that too would be inadvisable. Although your biotic prowess is quite impressive, I do not believe you have the fortitude to use them to an extent that would damage the ship permanently or injure its crew mates."
Jack scrunched you her eyes. "And why wouldn't I?"
"It is my belief you have become attached to some of the crew, and even feel affection towards them. This would prevent you from doing them serious harm."
Jack scoffed and shook her head. Under her breath she said, "Yeah, I wouldn't bet on that." With a deep sigh she pushed off her thighs and stood up, needing the walls of the bulkhead to keep her upright. Slowly she headed up the stairs to the briefing room.
Miranda noticed right away that Jack had not shown up the the briefing, and the look on Shepherd's face let her know she wasn't the only one. When the door whooshed open and Jack appeared, Miranda pushed off the wall she had been leaning on and stood upright. She crossed her arms and cast her eyes down, trying not to give away her interest.
"Jack! Where the hell have you been?" Shepherd boomed.
Typical Jack, shuffled to an empty spot while adjusting her not-so-modest attire. She crinkled her nose, no doubt irritated by the commander's volume. "Relax! I'm here aren't I?"
Shepherd walked over and thrust her hand down on the table in front of Jack. "Why are you 20 minutes late? And why the hell do you smell like whiskey?"
Garrus, who was already standing next to Jack, leaned toward the woman slightly, sniffing. "Not just whiskey. Brandy. Krogan Brandy if I'm not mistaken."
Jack side eyed Garrus with a silent "Thanks a lot, asshole." She barely noticed out of the corner of her eye as Miranda's arms dropped to her sides. She couldn't help feel a bit bad about taking advantage of the woman's olive branch and potentially getting them both in hot water.
Shepherd was even angrier. "KROGAN BRANDY?!? You know that is a banned substance, especially for biotics!"
Jack straightened at this "No, especially for HUMANS. This is the only thing that lets me hold a buzz for more than ten minutes."
Shepherd scoffed. "Well it looks like it held you over for more than ten minutes."
Jack pursed her lips and shook her head dismissingly. "I'll be fine I'm like a half hour, tops."
"Where the hell did you get an outlawed substance like Krogan Brandy?"
Miranda closed her eyes tightly and sighed out. Damn it, she knew better. The uptight Cerberus bitch had gone and broken her own rules. This would surely cause the crew to lose respect for her. She took a step forward and opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off.
"I picked it up at the last substation. I found it in an abandoned locker. Figured those poor bastards didn't need it anymore, so I...liberated it."
"You stole it," Shepard was fuming. She shook her head and glared at Jack who glared right back. "If you don't want to play by the rules, I can find the nearest prison barge or drop you off at the nearest desolate planet. You got me?"
Where Jack usually would come back fighting and tossing biotics (because no one talked to her that way) she simply nodded and tried to swallow through her dry throat. "Roger that, Ma'am." Either her hangover had prevented her from expending any more energy than she had to, or there was actually something to what Edi had said.
Shephard leaned away, seemingly satisfied. "Don't ever bring contraband on my ship again." With the unpleasant pissing contest over with, Shephard continued with the briefing, ignoring the sly grins and shocked faces of the crew.
Miranda was shocked. Jack had just covered for her. Why? Surely one small olive branch wasn't enough to smooth over the tremendous rift between the two women. Either way, Miranda was greatful. She dared a glance toward Jack, who's lazy eyes never met hers. Miranda just smiled to herself and focused back on the mission at hand.
Jack knew she had just exposed a soft spot by covering for Miranda. But if there was one thing she was not, it was a snitch. She felt the brown eyes on her face, but determined not to meet them. They were even now. No need to pay her back. They were free to continue on ignoring each other's presence.
But were they?
