Title: The More Things Change...
Chapter 3: Hard Decisions and Easy Choices
Adam awoke to the feeling of a clawed hand lightly trailing down his chest. The feeling was exotic, but he didn't move a muscle, aware of what a sudden movement could cost him. Tilting his head down, he was greeted to the sight of Solana snuggling into him while she was still asleep. They had shifted in the middle of the night, resulting in him laying on his back while she had rolled over, using his arm as a new pillow. She burrowed her face into his side, inhaling deeply with a content sigh as she settled back down into a deeper sleep. He noticed the skin on his chest had started to grow raw some time in the night from the friction with her scales. 'This is the most rested I've ever seen her look' he thought to himself as he took the time to examine her. Her tank top had slid up in the night far enough to show the bottom of her breast plates, while her unarmored abdomen was on full display all the way down to her shorts. The lilac scent from her lotion was now competing with her more natural odor, a smell that sent shivers up his spine as he really started to concentrate on it. 'Think unsexy thoughts' he repeated over and over in his head, aware that any growth down below would press directly into a portion of his guest that she had draped over him.
Movement to the side drew attention to his holo monitor as Eve made her morning appearance. She took in the scene in front of her for a moment before giving her godfather a thumbs up and a huge grin. Shepard shook his head as he gestured with his eyes down to his guest. "Help me" he mouthed to his god daughter while using his free hand to gesture to his crotch. "I need unsexy thoughts" he pleaded silently, hoping she could find him something bad enough on the net to kill his problem.
Eve looked confused for a moment as she tried to figure out what he was asking for before a devious grin almost stretched across her face from ear to ear. She ducked off the screen, only for it to be replaced by a scene of a dance studio. Eve walked into the room wearing a sports bra three sizes too small and a pair of yoga shorts that left nothing to the imagination. She held up her hand, counting down with her fingers to 1 before starting a set of jumping jacks, the video going in slow motion for added effect. Adam groaned softly as he felt his body responding to the visual simulation. Shifting his hips only made the situation worse. Solana moaned lightly in her sleep as she began to respond to the friction, moving her hips slowly to grind whatever was rubbing against her. Her current dream of her and Adam on a date had taken a turn for the naughty side and she was fully enjoying herself.
"No, no, no, no…" Adam mumbled repeatedly as he eased himself out of Sol's grip, using his extra pillow to replace himself as he quickly vacated the room trying to ignore the turian's soft moans behind him. "One of these days I'll figure out how to get you back for these stunts Eve" he said as he made for the bathroom, a cold shower in his near future.
"Whatever you say Adam" was the smug reply from his god daughter, her voice coming from the bathroom's speaker. "I have to take my joy where I can. And I've been keeping an eye on your bank account. Now that you finally have enough saved up, you are still keeping that promise you made me the week after we met right? The one about getting me my own body?"
Shepard involuntarily shivered as the cold water hit his body, his muscles seizing as he stepped into the water's stream. He relaxed as the water automatically started to heat up after a few seconds. "I still want to get you your body Eve, but how do we even know what goes into it, let alone where to get the parts. And I have no idea how to assemble them. Maybe this should be pushed back until we're ready for a step this big."
"What do you think I do in all of my spare time" his AI questioned, the sarcasm heavy in her voice. "Mom included a copy of her schematics, as well as Dr. Core's. I have all of the parts needed already to order and its well within our budget. You just have to say yes and I'll put the money down. And I know I can walk you through building my body, you just need the time. There's no one else I want touching me besides you" she added with a giggle.
Adam rolled his eyes, not at all surprised that she still managed to flirt with him even in a serious conversation like this. "Fine, go ahead and order it." He waited for Eve to quit cheering before he continued. "Is there any other surprises you plan to spring on me this morning?"
"Nope" was the happy reply, brining a smile to his face as well. He rarely got to spoil Eve, and he was happy to finally be able to do something for her. "That message you got last night from "The Benefactor" included a date for the conference on the initiative, as well as a ticket for it. I found a transport back to Luna for you, but it leaves tomorrow so you really need to make up your mind on it fast." She paused for a moment before speaking again, her tone taking on a more pleading quality. "Adam, I really think you should look into this. I know you are happy with your life right now, but it's not something you can keep. You said it yourself earlier, this is just temporary. The Shadow Broker and Cerberus are both after you, and you know Aria can't protect you forever. And let's not forget that the Reapers are on their way, unless you plan on staying to fight that war all over again. This offers us the best chance at a new beginning."
Shepard turned off the water, grabbing the towel he left hanging on the wall. He considered his options as he dried off, his training not allowing for wasted time when work was to be done. "Fine Eve, I'm convinced enough to at least attend the conference" he said as he pulled his shirt over his head. "Now I just have to go ahead and break the news to Garrus and the girls. That's going to go over great…" He left a quick note to Sol explaining that he was going out and placing it on his kitchen table.
Opening the front door, he found Garrus directly on the other side, fist poised to knock. "I came to pick up Solana" the turrian explained as he came in. "We got a note from her saying she was stepping out last night, but she never came back." He looked towards the couch to where her jacket and shoes were laying in a pile. "She sent another message to Chloe that she was staying at your place, but asked her not to tell me until this morning." He leered at Shepard, stepping into his personal space as he continued talking. "You wouldn't happen to know why that is would you?"
Shepard sighed as he sat on the couch, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees as he ran his hands through his hair. "Yeah, I do know the reason, but it's not what you're thinking" he said raising his hand to calm down the bristling turian, big brother mode fully engaged. "Can you call Chloe to come over here? I think we'll need her help in dealing with this."
Garrus backed off, worry now plain on his face as he sent a quick message to Chloe, nodding as the message was replied to almost instantly. "She's on her way. What happened to Solana? Is she injured?"
"Nothing like that" Adam assured him as he got up to answer the door, letting in a worried Chloe who walked over to sit down next to her boyfriend. "Solana had decided to make herself scarce last night to give you two some alone time. She headed over here because she said she felt safest around a friend she could trust. Apparently it's too painful for her to sleep alone, her dreams are too realistic to get any rest. I let her sleep on the couch, but she had climbed into my bed last night after the nightmares came back again. You know what that sounds like right?" he asked turning to Chloe.
She nodded her head, glancing at Garrus as he waited for an explanation. "Humans call it Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It happens to people who are in stressful situations, but is more common in soldiers who have seen heavy combat." She looked towards Adam as he slowly nodded at her explanation, "but turian physiology is different than humans, what affects us may not for her."
"Well I don't know how much she's opened up to you two, but according to her she watched as her best friend was spaced, falling into a planet's atmosphere as the ship exploded around her. And she relives it in her dreams every night. What else could you categorize that as?"
"It doesn't happen every night" a voice said from behind him as Solana entered the room. She stopped to give her brother and Chloe a brief hug before continuing over to Adam and sitting on the arm of his chair, leaning into him as she put her arm around his shoulder. "Last night was the best sleep I've had since it all happened. The dreams didn't come back once I was in your bed."
Garrus watched how his sister absentmindedly ran her talons threw Adam's bed head, unsuccessfully trying to tame it. If he was being honest with himself, he found himself playing with Chloe's hair more often than naught when they were together as well. It was just such a novel experience to have access to something with such a shape and texture, Elcors being the only other being with any kind of real fur. Still, he made a mental note to talk to her later about how comfortable she was becoming around the man before turning his mind back towards the topic at hand. "Turians experience things like this all the time. We just treat it like any other disease that requires time to heal. That's why she is living with us so we can support her. Right Sol?"
Solana nodded as she stared off in the distance, her mind somewhere else other than the conversation. Adam shrugged, "If thats how turians handle it, than I guess we'll go with the flow. We'll just support Sol in the meantime." He paused as said turian gave him a hug, before continuing as he made eye contact with each of them to get their undivided attention. "I have to let you guys know, I'll be gone for a few weeks starting tomorrow. I've been invited to attend a conference at Luna about something called the "Andromeda Initiative." The contact said they were interested in hiring me. It starts in two weeks, and I have a transport booked for tomorrow morning."
Garrus appeared unworried at the announcement. He knew Adam would be back soon enough, and frankly, a little separation between the man and his sister was a good thing in Garrus's eyes. Chloe just smiled at Adam in support, before wishing him a safe trip. She stood up, pulling Garrus with her as she left to start the day. Adam looked up at Solana as she sat next to him. The turian was hunched up, picking at her talons. Being around Garrus for so long, Adam could recognize the worried gestures a mile away. He poked Sol in the side, getting a squawk from her as she was forcible brought out of her internal musings. "You know it's only temporary right? I'll be back soon enough."
Solana gave him a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I know that up here" she said tapping her head, "but I don't think my dreams will agree with it."
Adam ran a hand across her lower back, running his fingers between the plates over her spine to brush over her soft skin between them. Solana practically melted at his touch, never suspecting that a human knew such an intimate form of turian touch. Shepard smirked as she relaxed, unhunching herself as she reacted to his ministrations. "I'll make you a deal. Stay with Garrus and Chloe, but if it gets too bad at night, I'll give you the key to my apartment. It can be your safe space." He knew he had said the right thing from the grateful look the turian gave him. "Don't get too comfortable though" he warned, "The hope is to get you independent again."
Sol chuckled as she stood up, running her talons through Adam's hair a final time as well. "Thank you for looking out for me and not taking advantage of my weakness Adam. I hope you know this just makes you that much more special in my eyes. I'm going to go shower and dress to get the day started. You should head out and find Garrus before my brother does something stupid while unsupervised." She sauntered back towards the bedroom, pulling her shirt off as she did, giving him a full view of her back in only a pair of shorts before the door closed behind her.
"So that just happened... " Eve said, appearing on the view screen built into the wall. "I don't think she's going to put up with being another one night stand. She's in it for the long haul." Adam waved her off as he stood up, being sure to adjust the growing problem that Solana had left him with as she walked away. "Will you look at that" Eve cooed as she leaned forward on the screen, staring at a certain part of her godfather. "I can't wait to finally get my body" she said.
Her screen turned off as Solana came back out of the bedroom fully clothed. "I'll just hold of the shower until I get back to my apartment" she said at his questioning look. "I will need to bring some of my clothes and bath items over soon though…" she trailed off, making plans already.
"Can you at least wait until I'm gone before you start making plans to take over my apartment?" Adam asked in exasperation, unable to believe how fast her mood had turned around from earlier that morning. Women were apparently the same in their emotional shifts across all species in his opinion.
Solana chuckled as she walked towards the target of her affection. "You know you're in trouble when you get back from your trip right?" she asked as she ran a talon down the side of his head, continuing on to his neck where she hooked her hand around it, pulling him in towards her. "Once I'm in here" she said, their faces inches apart, "You might never want me to leave." She watched as Shepard involuntarily licked his lips before laughing as she shoved him backwards, causing him to fall back into his chair again. "See you around Adam" she said before walking out the front door, an extra sway in her hips.
"Wow!" Eve aid as she appeared back on the screen wide eyed while staring at the door. She turned back towards Adam, who had yet to make it back to his feet again, his brain still rebooting from the heavy flirting. "She mind fucked you good." the AI observed. "I'll have to take lessons from her" she murmured to herself as the screen flicked off.
Shepard face palmed at his Eve's comments. He made a promise to himself to delay as long as possible before he put the AI's body together. The last thing he needed was an AI just waiting to test drive her over charged libido.
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"It's a nice idea Ms Garson" Shepard said while looking at the lady who had been pestering him since the he had shown up to the conference. "I'm not disputing that. I just don't know what it is that you want me so badly for. I don't meet the criteria you're looking for in a human colonist and I don't have the necessary scientific or engineering skills to make myself useful for this adventure."
"And I told you Mr Shepard that I don't want you for a colonist role." She leaned into his personal space, poking his chest in frustration at his bullheadedness. Jien Garson's first impression of Adam Shepard was that he was an attractive man, standoffish but also willing to speak his mind even around authority. She had been cautious about giving him any sort of chance considering he was suggested by her mysterious benefactor, but he had surprised her. Shepard had proven to have more depth to his knowledge than she had originally given him credit for when he began to criticize the security setup that her team had developed, as well as their planned logistics for colonized planets. She had decided at that moment that she had to have him in the Initiative, no matter what. Unfortunately the man had not been an easy sell. "I need you to help me personally. Your role would be the same as a spectre would be to the council."
Adam cut her off before she could go any farther, incredulous at what he heard her say. "I'm sorry, are you telling me that you need a personal hit man? You want me to be your 'problem solver'?" he said using air quotes around the words. "What kind of person do you take me for?"
"That's not how it is at all son" Shepard attention was drawn to Alec Ryder, the human pathfinder representative, as the man walked up to join the conversation. "Jien just gave you a bad example of what your roll would be." He shot the woman a glare, prompting her to shut her mouth before she stuck her foot in it again. "We need another layer of law enforcement in the new galaxy if we are really going to be able to make it work. She used the spectre reference to describe the higher authority over CSec but you could also just say the FBI over the US metropolitan police if you need a historical reference. Your orders would come from Jien, or if she is unavailable, then her next in charge. You would have authority over the rest of the Nexus staff and the colonies."
"That's all well and good" Adam replied, involuntarily coming to attention as he talked with the ex-N7 commando. "But abuse of power is too easy, depending on the integrity of the head of the Initiative and her investigator. How do you ensure that won't happen? And why the hell would you possibly trust someone like me with this instead of a ex military person with a thorough background check. I know damn well that all you have on me is some shifty contacts, work done in Omega for a few months, and not much else."
Jien chucked to herself as he completed his tirade, even more impressed than before as he inadvertently showed his knowledge at both procedure and intelligence gathering. There was no way this man could exist without some kind of previous military background, even if she couldn't find it. "In the end, the whole Initiative is based on trust. Trust that the planets we found will actually be there, trust that our equipment will see us through the journey, and trust in the being next to you that will be helping keep you live through this adventure. There is a point where we stop looking at back grounds and start seeing what people can bring to the table. All my instincts are screaming at me that you would be the perfect person for this job. If Alec agrees, than I want to give you a place on the team."
Shepard was modified by her speech, switching her label in his head from power hungry dictator to idealistic dreamer. "If I'm doing this, I want to bring along my team" he said, hedging to see what leeway was going to be allowed. "Not alot of people, but key individuals that I think will contribute to the mission and allow me to do the job better."
Alec caught the phrases used by Shepard, all the indicators pointing to military training beyond the normal, possibly even N7. He made a vow to himself that he would reach out to his old contacts immediately to find out anything they could on this man. "Who do you want to bring? We can't just let you tie down limited space with potentially useless people."
Adam stared at him for a second, debating how much to reveal on his team before opting for full disclosure. "I want to bring two turians, Garrus and Solana Vakarian, as well as a human doctor called Chloe Michel who has history with all three of us. Other's might pp up later, but I will clear each of them with you before anyone is accepted."
Alec nodded before turning to Jien, who had started to look as though he might back out of the deal with the inclusion of others. "I knew the turians' father Castis back when he was in CSec. Their family has a long history of service. He always bragged about his children's achievements."
Shepard decided to add to the man's comments, knowing that he had a hard sell. "Garrus served in CSec for years, and was even considered as a candidate for specter training, before turning it down. Solana served as a cabal in the turian military, before retiring and joining Commander Shepard as she thought the geth and Saren. Though that is debatable since that large ship didn't look like a geth at all. Anyways, Dr Michel worked in the citadel wards and is an expert in xenobiology, able to help multiple species. She's also romantically involved with Garrus and would be a package deal."
Both of the Initiative personnel looked intrigued at his descriptions, Jien going as far as to say "I'll tentatively say yes, but I'll be doing through background checks on all of them. Now what is it that you said about the large geth dreadnought not actually being geth?"
Adam realized he needed to be careful at how much he could reveal, unwilling to change the future too much more than he already had. If all went to plan, the Shepard here wouldn't be having a Vakarian with her after all. "I know what Solana told me about Shepard's conversations with the ship, which indicates an AI. That also matches what Shepard said on record about the ship after the battle before they sent her off to the ass end of space." He shook his head at the memories of his old time. "I also know that she warned that more were on the way." He paused, the pieces sliding together as he connected the dots in his head. "That's what this thing is about isn't it? You're making a backup plan incase everything goes south in the future when more of those ships show up!"
He knew he hit the mark as he watched the on look Alec and Jien shared, an entire conversation going on silently between them. "You're one of the first to figure it out on your own" Jien said, her back straight as she looked him in the eyes. "Will the reason behind this journey affect your choosing to go with us?"
Shepard shook his head, "No, it makes me feel way more comfortable about this. I'm glad someone is actually taking the threat seriously compared the council. I just wish the people who did hadn't decided to leave instead of doing something about it here. I'm definitely still in."
Jien sighed in relief, before nodding to Alec as the man turned and walked off, intent on getting some answers. "Then how about we celebrate with some lunch. I know about a wonderful bistro over in the Armstrong Crater that I think you'll like. I want to know more about you and food always helps." She smile at his confirmation, before taking his arm in hers and leading him away. Both were unaware of the shadowy figures watching the exchange from multiple angles, each moving to report back to their masters about the information they observed.
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Shepard sighed in relief as he walked towards Omega, intent on getting a drink or five.
He had arrived back on the station yesterday, glad to be back in familiar territory. The conversation with his friends had gone better than he had expected it to. Garrus and Chloe were on board with going to Andromeda from the start, excited at the prospect of going on such a huge adventure. Solana had been less receptive of the idea, claiming that she still had a lot of unfinished business to take care of before she could even consider leaving. Shepard assured her that there wasn't a rush to decide. She would have a year to make up her mind before the Initiative was to begin its journey.
Speaking of Solana, Shepard noticed that she seemed to be much more well rested than before he had left. The reason for that became obvious as he entered his apartment, the differences apparent before he even made it out of the entrance hall. His home smelled different, the scent of lavender tickled his nose as if it always belonged but just wasn't noticed before now. The living room still looked the same, but the bedroom was where the real changes had taken place. New photos had been put up on the wall, one depicting an elderly turian couple with their two children, while the other was a photo of the Vakarian siblings with Adam and Chloe. Shepard studied it as he opened up his dresser, intent on grabbing a change of clothes, only for his hand to feel a different type of fabric than what he as used to wearing. T his surprise, his underwear had been shoved into a pile on the side of the drawer, the rest of the space reserved for Sol's undergarments. The rest of the drawers had a similar setup, something that irked him as he was still used to military precision from his previous life, his clothing being no different. 'I guess there'll be some adjustments in my future' he thought to himself as he spied a note on top of his dresser that he had previously overlooked.
"Adam, I'm guessing you noticed the changes I made. I know how you can be about that, so as payment, go ahead and choose anything out of my clothes and place them on the bed. I'll wear them tonight for you. Welcome home, I missed you."
Shepard grinned as he noticed that instead of a signature, Solana had drew a small illustration of a turian battling a horde of geth, death and destruction surrounded the small figure. 'It's nice to know that some things haven't changed' he reflected as he examined the underwear drawer with an eye for detail this time. He found a skimpy tank top and boy cut shorts combo that reminded him of the first time Solana had spent the night with him. Laying it out, he decided that he didn't have any reason to stay around his apartment for the day. He was feeling restless after being confined on the transport ship and needed to stretch his legs. Garrus and Solana were already out helping a client who had hired them while he was gone, and Chloe had gotten busy as her client base had built up as her reputation grew. With that, he decided to go spend some time at Omega's beating heart, Afterlife and the surrounding shopping area.
Shepard was only a few blocks from Omega when he spotted a vorcha standing at the entrance of a side passage. The creature stood as still as a statue until it gained Adam's full attention. It grinned in a disturbingly predatory way before running it's thumb across it's neck in the universal gesture of murder, before giving him a much more human hand signal, it's middle claw raised in defiance. It turned and ran back down the hall, intent on escaping after it's message was sent. Adam cracked his neck as he turned down the hall, placing his helmet on and unclipping his pistol. Biotics wreathed around his body as he grinned, his pace picking up to a sprint as he began to gain on the running form. He couldn't wait to cut loose again, his adrenaline pounding at the expectation of a good fight.
Shepard rounded the final corner of what he knew was a dead end, intent on cornering his prey, only to find not one, but ten vorcha waiting for him. All of them were wearing blood pack colors and toting rocket launchers and flamethrowers, obviously part of the boom crew notorious for their mass destruction tendencies. Heavy foot falls behind him caused him to turn his head, showing his worst fears. Two krogan followed by six more vorcha rounded the last corner, before halting at a distance. The intent to cut off escape clear, but no one was willing to move forward with flame throwers in play. "Heh heh" One of the krogan chuckled, eyeing Shepard like a cat would a mouse. "We didn't think you'd come back after you ran off weeks ago. Looks like I get to pay you back for killing my brother after all."
"Your brother was braver than you were you cowardly piece of shit" Adam said, his biotics flaring even brighter as he built up his charge, a light forming between his hands.
He turned fully to face the krogan, amazed that it hadn't charged him yet. Then he noticed the older krogan who had remained silent before had a grip on the younger's shoulder, holding him back. "Your tricks won't work this time pyjak. You'll be handled by the bottom feeders as you should be."
Shepard stared at the krogan hard, the overgrown reptiles returning his gaze. The vorcha hissed and growled, unwilling to attack until given the signal by their masters. Shepard slowly raised his hand, the glow on it almost reaching a blinding intensity. The krogan tensed, ready for the attack, only to stare in confusion as the human pointed his hand away from them. Adam fired the flare at the vorcha pack at the back of the hall, the ensuing biotic explosion igniting the flamethrower fuel, which ignited the rocket ammunition. The ensuing firestorm engulfed the scavengers behind him, their screams drown out as the oxygen around them was consumed by the flames.
Adam continued his stare down with the now nervous krogan, the firestorm backlighting behind him, casting his shadow down the hallway towards his remaining enemies. "Still want to try your luck?" the human asked, one eyebrow raised as his body was engulfed in biotics again. The older krogan roared this time, raising his fist to signal the vorcha to open fire. Adam sent a quick dark channel towards the older krogan, setting him up for the biotic charge the human launched a second later, his shields already draining from the wall of fire sent by the vorcha. Adam always prefered to bring the fight up close and personal when possible, something his enemies could appreciate as they surged forward at the human who stood over their leaders corpse. The dark channel had jumped to the second krogan and the lead vorcha at this point, allowing Shepard to launch a point blank flare with his remaining energy, nowhere near as powerful as his first one. The biotic explosion magnified the effect though, the blast throwing Adam back down the alley as his shields shatter from the force of the explosion.
He lay there for a second, gathering himself as he shook his head to clear the ringing before his ears picked up the cocking of a gun. Opening his eyes, he found himself staring down the gun barrels of the 5 surviving vorcha. The creatures grinned like mad, even as their skin healed from the burns they received, thrilled to finally have their tormentor at their mercy after so long. "You will taste good human" the largest one hissed as its tongue ran over its teeth. "We feed your body to ou young so they grow strong too."
Shepard was about to retort when a large shadow fell over the last vorcha in the pack, the stupid creature not even bothering to turn before a large cruel looking knife was imbedded through the top of his skull directly into his brain. The creature dropped to its knees, a strangled sound escaping its mouth as it released its last breath. The next two vorcha were electrocuted so bad that their bodies were left smoking, Shepard recognized the effects of a batarian 'pain compliance device' set to its maximum level. The dark shadow resolved itself into the largest batarian Shepard had ever seen. It's skin was a blotchy brown color with a strange grey patch around its throat, while its 4 yellow eyes stared at the vorcha with such rage, it almost felt like a physical force. The batarian wore a suit of terminus armor sans helmet, the black plates highlighted by the blood red lines that ran over them, almost like blood veins. He calmly watched the last two vorcha charge him screaming, before a omniblade ignited from one of his hands. Quick as a flash, he drove the blade into the face of the lead vorcha, before grabbing the other one by the throat, lifting it off the ground. He ignored the vorcha's thrashing as he turned the creature to each side, examining its face before casually slicing off the top of it's head with his blade before turning and walking away towards the entrance of the alley.
"Thanks for the help" Shepard muttered as he pushed himself back to his feet, his body screaming at him for his over use of biotics. That batarian gave no sign of hearing him as he continued on, turning the corner. "What the hell" Adam muttered as he sprinted down the alley, catching up with the alien as he walked down the street towards Afterlife. "Hey" Shepard shouted, still not getting the batarian's attention. "Hey batarian! I'm talking to you!" At this point, other beings in the area were turning to watch the show, the human's target being the only one not paying attention. Shepard was directly behind the batarian now, frustrated at being ignored enough to do something stupid. He reached out, giving the alien's shoulder a light shove, "Hey asshole, what the hell is your problem?" The batarian turned around in an instant, his fist coming up to smash into Adam's chin before he could even react. The batarian growled at the human before deliberately turning and walking back towards the club, getting in the line to wait for entrance.
"Well fuck you too" Adam said, before spitting out some blood from his busted lip. He picked himself back up before turning towards the alley again, intent on at least getting something out of the ordeal. Twenty minutes later found Adam walking past the front of Afterlife, a bloody bag thrown over his shoulder as he whistled a tune to himself. Gavron nodded to him before opening his omnitool as Shepard emptied out the bag at his feet. The turian cocked an eye at two of the heads before looking back up at the human, "You know the bounty is only good for vorcha. What the hell am I supposed to do with krogan heads?"
Shepard grinned as the turian handed him a data shit with the correct amount of credits on it as he requested. "I'm feeling vindictive today after these little shits tried to pull on ambush on me in the alley a few blocks away. I had to get saved by a giant batarian asshole."
Gavron grinned as he pictured the battle as Shepard described it. "That sounds like it would have been fun to watch. They always bunch up like idiots. I know the batarian that you're talking about too. I found a pack of vorcha surrounding his body a week ago a few blocks away. They seem to have gotten more bold after they realized you left. They had jumped this poor guy and slashed his throat up good. I thought he was dead, but the big bastard was too stubborn to die, he grabbed my ankle and wouldn't let go until I promised to bring him to Chloe's clinic. I'm glad to hear he made it, the infections you can get from those vermin are pretty bad. I can see why your friend likes her by the way, she's pretty cute for a human woman." He blinked as he suddenly remembered something, "So what did you want to do with the krogan heads?"
Shepard smiled evilly as he pulled out a pair of proximity grenades, handing one to Gavron before activating the other and stuffing it in the head of the krogan. He dropped the head over the side, waiting for the sounds of vorcha scavengers. Hissing could be heard as the aliens fought over the head, before a huge *boom* echoed back up to the pair. Gavron roared in laughter as he walked towards another hole before repeating the human's actions. "I think I just found my new favorite past time! Stop by again next time and we'll have some more fun."
Shepard waved at him before walking back towards the club, ignoring the line and walking right in. He stopped a few steps in, observing a familiar batarian leaning on the bar, signaling for a drink. The turian bartender accepted his credit chit, took a glance at it, then threw it back in the batarians face with disgust. The bartender deliberately turned away towards another customer, ignoring the apparently broke batarian, who was gritting his teeth in rage.
Adam leaned over to one of the door guards he was familiar with, clearing his throat to get the turian's attention. "I know the rules of Afterlife, but could I have one freebee if it isn't killing anyone? I'd be willing to owe the queen a favor for it." The guard scrutinized him for a second, before speaking into his omnitool.
Shepard watched the upper landing until he saw movement. Aria stood up gracefully, before turning to gaze across the dance floor at him as he stood by the entrance. She looked at him before speaking into her omnitool. "Who?" the guard asked, relaying her question.
Shepard nodded towards the bar "The asshole taking up space at your bar without buying a drink. I owe him a sucker punch."
The guard spoke into his omnitool again, Aria casting her vision towards the batarian before giving a single nod and sitting back down. "You've been cleared" the guard informed him. "She will expect you to be ready when she collects on the favor later." Shepard immediately started forward, intent on getting his shot before anyone changed their mind. The dancers parted for him as he strode by, his eyes signaling his ill intent to anyone close enough to observe them.
The batarian had just sat back on the stool, trying to decide what to do next when he heard a familiar voice behind him. "Hey Asshole!" He turned around with an eye roll, wondering what this human could possibly want bad enough to keep pestering him. All four of his eyes focused on a fist speeding towards his face, before he saw nothing but blackness. He came to, staring up at the human leaning over the bar and ordering himself a drink. He growled, reaching for his knife, only to hear a gun cock behind him. He turned his head, seeing a guard a few feet away. The guard slowly shook his head until the batarian brought his hand away from the knife, before walking back to his station. 'What in the pit just happened?" he asked himself as he tried to gather his thoughts.
The human turned, drink in hand, observing the batarian as he lay there. "I wasn't looking for a fight Asshole. I just wanted to thank you for saving me and give you this." He tossed the credit chit at the alien's feet before turning and walking off to a table. The batarian picked up the chit in confusion, gawking at the amount on it before turning back towards the human, only to see him sitting and enjoying his drink, the confrontation already forgotten. 'What a strange human' the large batarian thought as he got back to his feet, before ordering a drink with his new wealth. He nursed the glass before his curiosity got the better of him and he wandered over to the human's table.
Shepard looked up, seeing the batarian towering over him, confusion on his face. "Take a seat Asshole, and let's talk." The batarian scowled at him as he took the offered chair. "You don't like me calling you Asshole?" Shepard asked, receiving a tentative nod from his company. "Until you tell me your name, I'm calling you that." The batarian growled, pointing at his throat at the scar tissue, before shaking his head. "Ok… fine, you can't talk. Show me your damn omnitool then, just type out your name there."
The batarian growled in frustration, as he typed out a quick message before showing it to the human. I don't know my name, or anything from before a day ago. My omnitool was wiped and my money gone. All I remember was the face of the vorcha that did this to my throat. I woke up at the clinic yesterday and left after the human doctor released me.
Shepard blinked as he processed what he had just read. "Well that's rough…" he trailed off, getting an eye roll from his companion. "So what do you want to be called in the meantime?"
The batarian growled again before typing again. How should I know human? That is the least of my concerns right now!
Adam grinned as he looked back at the batarian, "I guess your new name is Asshole from now on then until you remember." He laughed as the batarian slammed his head against the table, spilling his drink in the process. He signaled for the waitress that they needed another round, before turning back to his new friend. "So since you want to find the vorcha who did that, and you're in need of some help, do you want some advice?" The batarian looked at him shrewdly before leaning in to listen. Adam grinned as he leaned back on the couch, "How'd you like to make some money bounty hunting?"