Chapter 16
Shal'Dorei Hotel - Presidium - Citadel
She savored it. It had been so long since she had been outside her suit that her skin almost tingled now. Ever since her pilgrimage had started, she was required to be inside her suit at all times. After all, no place was safe given her people's weak immune systems, and the other races didn't require constant clean facilities on their ships. So, she had to make the sacrifice of staying inside her suit every hour of every day.
After first getting out of her suit, she inhaled the sterile air happily before wrapping her nearly nude form in a large fluffy blanket that was on the bed. Still being shy about her appearance, she also covered her head with the comforter, making a kind of hooded cloak out of the cloth. Finally, she exited the room and made her way over to the bed while Shepard and Liara, who were in full armor now, pulled the suit out of the bathing facilities. The commander then began to work on the suit herself, occasionally asking her about this or that in relation to quarian tech.
Liara, meanwhile, sat in the corner and watched the both of them while Tali sat snuggled under the fluffy blanket, peering out at the two with her luminescent eyes. It stayed this way for a while before the asari broke the monotony with a question.
"Tali, would you mind if I asked a question?" said the armored woman timidly.
"You just did," replied Tali, a small smirk on her face that was hidden behind the blanket. The asari raised a hand to visibly put her head in it, a sign Tali had learned from the human crew of the Normandy that meant she had just blundered. Tali giggled to herself before nodding. "Of course."
The quarian could hear the smile behind her words as she spoke. "How often do quarians have to stay in their suits? I know that due to your weakened immune systems, you can't interact with most environments the way the rest of us do. But surely you aren't in them all the time," said Liara as Shepard began typing on her omni-tool.
"Not all the time, no. When on pilgrimage, we are unfortunately required to be in our suits all the time. With the exception of rare situations like this, of course. But otherwise, there just aren't enough sterile facilities common in the galaxy for us to have the luxury of getting outside our suit," she said with a small sigh.
"Is it the same on the fleet?" asked the asari curiously. Tali could tell by her tone that she was trying not to be intrusive. She knew that the asari was very studied in learning about other cultures. Previously, it had been all about protheans. But now, she was forced to be around aliens of all kinds, and her curiosity no doubt got the better of her.
"Unfortunately, the fleet doesn't have enough resources to make the entirety of every ship sterile. So, we even have to wear our suits onboard our ships. But most of the ships are divided up the same way regardless of the design. So, if you go from one ship to another, you should be familiar enough with it to find everything," she said as she looked down at her suit, lying lifeless next to the cross-legged commander.
"So, you do have areas that are sterile?" asked Liara as she looked towards Tali, making the quarian bow her head to keep her face from being visible.
"We do. Gardens are sterile, of course... oh, sorry. Garden is our term for the block of recreation areas. Training facilities, entertainment theaters, mess halls, living quarters, stuff like that. We are required, as part of the crew, to spend a certain amount of time in these areas per day without our suits so that our bodies can acclimate to our fellow crew members and bolster our systems through small exposures. Before long, the entire crew will be able to be around one another without any reaction whatsoever. Also, on the bigger ships, the bridges are kept sterile so that the officers can work there without the need for helmets. But most of the rest of the ships can't be kept sterile. The hallways have so much traffic back and forth that it'd be chaos to try and keep everything clean. The cargo bay, weapons bay, even engineering would provide no benefit, as most of our ships don't have radiation shielding for the drive cores," said Tali, her tone almost frustrated.
"I see, so even if it were sterile, you'd still have to be in your suits to protect against the radiation," responded the asari, almost mournfully. "I'm sorry to hear that your people have to live in such conditions."
"It's not all bad. Because of how much time the crews spend with each other, we act as a single unit. You can see the effect clearly if you watched the Citadel Grand Prix 5 a few years ago. That was the year they finally allowed quarians to participate again, and they won that one, and the two following it before finally being beaten out by the Palaven team," she said as she finally looked up at them both. "Liara, have you ever seen what quarians look like beneath our suits?"
Slightly startled by the question, the asari nodded. "Of course. Your flight from the Morning War only happened a few centuries ago. There are asari still alive today that have personally seen and spoken with quarians on Rannoch. Though... my experiences are through video and melded memory only," she responded.
Tali's eyes then looked down towards Shepard. "And you Commander?"
Shepard responded without looking up from her work. "You'd be surprised how little media there is with quarians before the Morning War. Us on Earth? We have seven different remakes of a single Disney movie known as the Lion King. But as I was growing up, my curiosity for alien species grew with me. So, I decided to study xenobiology. And it turns out that there are only about two videos on the extranet that show quarians without their modern-day suits. Both of them male."
"Yeah... we were a fairly closed off society even before the Morning War. Most of our media was stored on sites on the surface of Rannoch. And when the war started, the first thing the geth took out was our comm buoys to the rest of the galaxy. So, any and all media, if it still exists, is somewhere on Rannoch," she said, then looked down once more. "I'm asking because I want you to see me."
Both Liara and Shepard looked up at her in shock at the statement. "Tali, I know that we've already been through a lot together. But don't throw yourself out there for our sake," said Shepard with concern.
But Tali shook her head firmly. "Look, Shepard, this may be my only chance to do so. Once you get my suit upgraded, the need for us to use a clean room again will probably be very few and far between. So please don't make me back down now," she said, getting a slow nod from her. "Good. Now, remove your helmet please."
"You sure about that?" asked Shepard as she stood up and stared at her crewmate through the visor of her helmet.
"I am," replied Tali. Shepard nodded, then reached up and released the atmospheric seals on her helmet, before sliding it off entirely.
"I hope you're prepared to deal with the consequences if you get sick," said Shepard with a small, playful smile on her face.
"Don't worry Shepard. I made sure I took some immuno-boosters just in case, plus I still have plenty of antibiotics for afterward," she said as she looked towards Liara. "You too."
Slightly surprised at being included, Liara stood up from her chair in the corner and stepped up next to Shepard. Reaching up, she also broke the seals on her helmet before removing it entirely. "I'm happy to be included," she said cheerfully.
"You are a member of the crew, so you should be included. It's a shame the others aren't here as well, but I guess I should be taking small steps with this," she said before reaching up and finally lowering her blanket hood.
Shepard was slightly surprised to see how very human quarians looked, even more so than asari given that they had hair. But Tali herself looked largely different from the two males she had seen in previous videos on the extranet. Instead of their larger brow bones, Tali's were smaller and more delicate, showing a similar dimorphism to humans. Along with the smaller brow ridges, Tali had a small, almost button nose and mouth that matched a humans. It actually shocked her how similar their two species were given the vast differences between other species.
Her eyes looked up at the young quarian's mess of dark hair that was even shorter than her own. It lay flat to her head, likely from constant helmet use. It was then that Shepard's eyes noticed the dark lines from within the quarian's hairline that led down to the tips of her inner eyebrows. "Are those facial markings common?"
Reaching up, Tali traced the dark markings thoughtfully. "These aren't natural. These are sensors implanted within us when we are young that allows us to interface with our suits more easily," she said with a heavy sigh. "We have them all over our body," she said, tilting her head to the side and showing more of the odd, dark lines along her neck.
Shepard nodded gently as she reached up and scratched her chin. "Wouldn't your body have a hard enough time dealing with bacteria? How does your immune system mesh with implants like this?"
Tali shrugged lightly. "It's a technique that stems from Rannoch. We use plant fibers born of our homeworld. I… can't tell you how exactly it's done, as biology isn't my trade. But according to my professors, the native plant life implanted within us actually grows with us, making it easier for the more electronic implants to be put in later in life when we grow out of our bubble suits."
Shepard nodded as her eyes moved from the inlaid circuitry back to Tali's pale, pupilless eyes. "Sorry for staring, xenobiology kicking in again," said the commander as she sat on the bed next to Tali. "Thank you for trusting me enough to show me," she said as she pulled the suit up again. "So, you have implants to interface with your suit, but do quarians dabble in cybernetics?"
"Not all of us, but some do to make life easier," said the young quarian as she turned and leaned against the headboard of the bed. "It helps us by offering us the benefit of monitoring bodily changes and dispensing emergency medication when needed. Of course, some take it even further," she said with a small smile on her dainty lips. "We had one named Lars'Danis nar Xoria that came back from the pilgrimage with a whole host of cyber warfare designs he had created with the help of Binary Helix. And when he took his suit off for the first time we found out that he had small interface modules implanted into his fingers so that he could interact with tech at will. He was basically a living omni-tool."
"That would come in handy I suppose," said Shepard with a small smile. Suddenly, Tali reached forward, both of her three-fingered hands open for them. Shepard looked up at her pale eyes, getting a small nod before removing her gauntlet, then reaching up and placing her bare hand on Tali's own. Liara followed, and Tali closer her eyes then gripped both of their hands.
"Thank you. This means a lot," said the quarian with a small smile.
"Of course," said Shepard, surprised at how smooth the girl's hands were. They almost felt like velvet. But then, living in a suit most of your life could feasibly have that side-effect. Even with all her interactions with turians, she still found it awkward fitting a five-fingered hand together with a three-fingered hand. But Tali's was smaller and more delicate, which made it much easier.
Finally, she released their hands and stood up with the blanket around her. "So, is it ready?"
Shepard nodded and looked down at the quarian's suit, which now had the modifications she had on her own. "I've upgraded you with everything I've got except for my cloaking device because that takes an entire suit built from the ground up and is stupidly expensive. But for the most part, you've got protection against omni-tool based attacks, and even a good portion of jamming signals put out by all but a Cruiser-class ship."
"That's amazing Shepard! Even the Admirals will be impressed when they see these upgrades!" she said as she hopped off the bed and looked at them both. "Umm... could you two... go to the bathroom?"
Shepard eyed her curiously. "Now? I thought you would have wanted to take a shower first."
"A… shower?" asked Tali who tilted her head curiously.
Liara even seemed surprised by her confusion. "Out of curiosity, how do quarians on the fleet deal with cleaning themselves?"
Reaching up, the quarian scratched her head lightly. "Oh, well our suits do get rid of most of the waste we produce. I hope you don't mind if I don't go into too much detail…"
"No, that's fine," said Shepard as her brows furrowed at the thought of a detailed explanation of quarian defecation.
"As for external cleaning, we have sterile bathing facilities where we lather ourselves with cleaning solution, and then blast ourselves with a mix of air and water to remove it. Why? What do you guys do?" she asked as one of her dark eyebrows raised suspiciously. Shepard and Liara eyed each other curiously.
Bathroom - Shal'Dorei Hotel - Presidium - Citadel
"It uses how much water!?" asked an outraged Tali as she looked between the pair who were standing just outside the shower.
Shepard sighed for a moment. "Alright, Tali, I'm going to need you to turn your brain off and just trust me on this, alright?" said the spectre as she stared into her eyes with her own bright green.
Sighing in return, Tali nodded slowly. "Alright. I'll give it a try, but just know I won't be happy about it."
Shepard smiled before grabbing the tiny, sterile, wrapped bottle of shampoo made specifically for quarians from the basket on the counter. "Now here. Just do it like I explained, and you'll be back with us in a bit."
"What about-" started Tali again, but Shepard put a now armored finger to her lips.
"Don't worry about him, I have someone dealing with it. You, get in there, do what I said, and you'll be with us shortly," she said before nodding to Liara. Once the asari had left, Shepard left as well.
Tali growled and dropped the blanket from her shoulders as she eyed the bottle in her hand curiously. "What is wrong with them?" she asked as she tossed the sterile wrapping and turned towards the shower. Shepard explained to her how it worked, and she eyed the waterspout curiously. Reaching over, she turned the handle for hot water. She gasped as it instantly began to spray out onto the floor. She noticed the steam coming off the water and reached over to adjust the temperature until it was perfect for her.
After doing everything just as Shepard had instructed, she sighed to herself and set the shampoo aside on one of the shelves, then stepped inside the standup shower. She felt the water splashing onto her feet, which made her nervous. But the warmth of the water also soothed her. Turning so that her back faced the rush of water, she slowly began stepping back into the flow. And with every step she felt what they must have felt.
She gasped as her skin began to blush wildly from the heat, each of the jets of water hitting her skin feeling like a thousand tiny massages against her hock. Swallowing her fear, she stepped back until the jets of water rained down on her back and she nearly had to stop herself from gasping. The sensitivity of her skin combined with the warmth from the water made her whole body shiver in pleasure.
"Keelah…" she said silently as she finally leaned her head back and allowed the water to do the same to her scalp.
Shepard smirked as Tali exited from the bathroom. Closing down her omni-tool, she eyed the young quarian who walked out with fluffy hair and a look of agitation on her face. "We hear you enjoyed yourself," said the spectre.
"Oh shut up, bosh'tet," growled the quarian girl as she stepped out with the comforter wrapped around her once more. "Both of you get out so I can get my suit on again."
"Yes ma'am," said Shepard as she stood from her chair with a grin behind her visor.
Bathroom - Shal'Dorei Hotel - Presidium - Citadel
The bathroom was small. Extremely small, but then again it was made with quarians in mind. So it made sense. But in her current situation, it was rather embarrassing. She was nearly face to face with the commander herself, who didn't seem at all bothered by their predicament if the passive expression on her face was any indicator. The stoic woman simply looked forward without saying a word.
Trying not to think about her claustrophobic situation, she instead focused on Shepard's face, hoping the woman didn't look and catch her. Her eyes brushed over the woman's oddly red hair, one of the rarer colors among humans. On that same note, her eyes were green, another rarity. Her skin was slightly pale, which was to be expected from someone who frequented space as much as she did. But the paleness gave way to dark freckles under her eyes and across her cheeks. It was quite cute actually, and not that different from the darker marks under her own eyes.
Moving her eyes back up, they locked onto the commander's hair again. It was such an odd adaptation. It worked to both protect humans from the sun and keep them warm. Yet, humans had no feeling in their hair. They could easily slice a portion of it off and not feel a thing. In fact, they often did as a fashion statement. They cut it, curled it, dyed it, tied it into knots, and wrapped it up into bun-shaped decorations on their head. It was such an odd cultural display.
To add to the mystery, their head wasn't the only place humans had hair. Their eyebrows grew to keep their sweat from rolling into their eyes. The hair that grew there was thinner, and Shepard had suffered a scar that divided one of her brows on one side. She had learned that they also had concentrations of hair under their arms, as well as in their pubic area. Though, males typically had much more hair than females and even grew it on their faces.
Liara looked down for a moment, wondering whether all the hair on Shepard's body was equally as red. As soon as the thought entered her mind, she slapped her armored hands to her face to hide her flushing, which worked against her and immediately alerted Shepard to her distress.
"Everything alright Liara?" asked the commander, who eyed her curiously.
Trying not to look up and give herself away, the asari stuttered horribly. "I-I-I'm fine Shepard! I w-was just thinking about...stuff! Ummm... prothean stuff!" she said, getting a suspicious look from the commander.
"Alright then. Just don't give yourself an aneurysm thinking about it," said Shepard with a small smirk. Liara looked up at the woman's smile, her eyes narrowing in suspicion as she wondered if her commander had caught on. But before she could investigate further, the door to the bathroom opened and Tali could be seen fully suited up. Shepard turned to the girl with a grin. "That was faster than expected?"
"Practice begets perfection," said Tali as she stepped out of the way for them.
Shepard exited the bathroom, quickly followed by the blushing asari. "That was almost a human phrase."
"It's something our teachers burn into our heads while we learn to engineer. Every failure is another step towards success," responded Tali as she sat on the corner of the unmade bed.
"I like that. I might use it later," said Shepard with a grin. "So, ready to test the upgrades?"
"Uhh, I suppose," said Tali nervously as she went to stand.
"Good," replied Shepard and immediately aimed her omni-tool at the quarian.
"Shepard, wait!" shouted Tali as she stumbled back at the sudden attack. However, a display lit up inside her helmet that alerted her. Cyber Attack 99% blocked. She felt a small tingling sensation in her legs that was a thousand times less harmful than the attack she had suffered from her intruder. "Wow... it worked!"
"Was there any doubt?" asked the commander as she put her omni-tool away.
"No, I just shouted in terror and embarrassed myself because I had full confidence," said the quarian cheerfully as she stood and stretched. "Alright, now, we have a criminal to find!"
"Right. And afterward, I have a project I'd like you to help me with Liara," said Shepard, turning to the asari again.
Liara perked up at hearing the offer and nodded. "I'll help any way I can Shepard."
Presidium Transport Lounge - Presidium - Citadel
As the trio approached the location that Chellick had given them, Tali stopped the commander from approaching the dark-haired man sitting in one of the seats with an irate and impatient look on his face.
"Shepard…" said the quarian, getting a curious look from the commander. "I... have an idea."
"An idea besides breaking his arms and legs, then throwing him into a prison for tasing you?" asked Shepard curiously.
"Yeah, listen…" said the quarian as she explained the plan. Shepard's face grew suspicious as she heard her out, however.
"That's awfully lenient," she said as she crossed her armored arms.
"True. But the benefit of throwing him in jail is less than if we use him to our advantage," said the quarian. "Working with the batarians, you've no doubt let some go to... erm... what's the human expression? Catch the bigger fish?"
"Wait, have you been learning human expressions?" asked Shepard, then she shook her head. "Wait, when did you learn that I worked with batarians?" she inquired as she glared at the quarian girl.
Tali looked away immediately and waved her hand dismissively. "J-Just heard it... from places. Rumors mostly, you know. What Williams calls scuttlebutt. That's it!" she responded nervously, immediately trying to deflect the questions. "A-Anyway, what do you think of the plan?"
Shepard's glare dissipated and she snorted. "Fine. I don't know why you're doing this, but you're not wrong. So have it your way. Me and Liara will be watching from the shadows," finished the commander before she grabbed Liara's arm and made their way into the distance.
Tali watched them go before inhaling deep, then exhaling sharply. "Alright Tali, you can do this. Show Shepard you're in control," she said, slapping the sides of her helmet lightly to pump herself up. When she was sure the others were out of sight, she turned towards the man who was currently looking away and began to walk up to him. When she was a few feet from his position, she activated her omni-tool and sent an electric charge at him that made him jump and clench the arms of his chair.
When the shock died down, his face was red from strain, and he began gasping for air before finally noticing that she was sitting next to him. "Ty che, blyad? Where the hell did you come from?" he asked in surprise.
"Sit still, Romeo, and do not move a muscle. Shepard has the back of your head painted right now, and if you move, you die," she threatened as she raised her hand. Suddenly, a glowing green dot appeared on the back of her hand before zeroing in on the back of his neck again. She knew he couldn't see it, but by the look on his face, he could now feel it.
"You expect me to believe your precious Shepard would kill an unarmed man in the middle of a crowded terminal?" he asked, his brow now beading with sweat despite his words.
"She's a Spectre. The Council will complain at her for being messy. But they're not going to punish her for it. Given your recent search history into Shepard and Saren both, you should know that," said Tali cooly as she looked forward. "Why did you let me live?"
"What?" he asked incredulously.
"The only reason you're not either dead or in prison right now is because of me. Now shut up and answer my question!" she snapped impatiently. "Why did you let me live?"
The man sighed and leaned back in his seat, appearing more relaxed than before, but still on edge. "Because I thought you were cute," he said, his accent making her curious about where he was from. "I don't get to see quarians often where I live. You're the first I've seen since I was a kid on the Citadel," he said, his expression defeated from what she could tell.
Tali kept looking forward, her face now cooking inside her helmet at the compliment he had given her. She was thankful he could not make much out through her face shield. "Th-Thank you…" she said, trying her best not to fidget. Finally, she shoved all thoughts of the compliment aside and getting back down to business. "What did Shepard do that made you want to kill her?"
He snorted as he looked away. "She took something that was supposed to put my family on top on Trident. She destroyed it, destroyed the creator, and made a fool of me," he growled in disdain.
"And this slight against you justifies you running headfirst into a pirate killing assassin?" asked Tali as she looked at him. He eyed her in confusion, his look telling her that he had no clue what that was. "Look, you didn't lose family, you didn't even lose money. You lost a potential advantage. Most people who encounter Spectres aren't as lucky. And to get revenge you decide to take on one of the most dangerous people in the galaxy?"
He chuckled lightly at the statement. Though she had not been out of the fleet for that long, she had run into many of his types in the seedier locations on the Citadel. Young people who thought they had seen the world. People who thought that they were wise because they had met with some hardship but were ultimately in a state of premature cynicism. "Please. I know her type. Army lifers who hit the gym and head home and fire up the grill for some family time. I've seen it a thousand times."
"It's unfortunate that you couldn't get this advantage for your family, but it is not worth your life. Trust me, of all the people in the world that you could have walked through that bedroom door, you should praise all of your Earth gods and ancestors that it was me," she said as she activated her omni-tool and sent a video file over to him. He looked at her curiously before opening it and watching on his omni-tool as the Star of Terra was pinned on Shepard's chest on Terra Nova. Then, it switched over to the carnage from Elysium, and the body pile outside the gate with the headline Shepard's Last Stand, then switched again to a security video of five men standing around before something invisible attacked them ruthlessly. They were all down within seconds. "That last one was particularly hard to find. It was an Alliance training video they added to Shepard's Spectre file in order to prove her effectiveness. Those men were highly trained Alliance soldiers whose only job during that training was to keep Shepard from getting access to an elevator."
"What the hell did I just watch?" he asked incredulously as he looked over at her.
"A sort of compilation I made of some of Shepard's best work," she said as she looked him dead in the eyes. "You're not dealing with an army lifer. You're dealing with an N7 Spectre. Someone who was hand chosen by both the humans and by a turian Spectre to represent humankind's first Spectre. Not their tenth where they could maybe ease on expectations. But the first," she said before lowering her voice. "She was chosen because she's extremely skilled, and she gets the job done." The look on his face made it fairly clear that her message was sinking in. "I'm sure you've seen your share of brutality and horror. But the difference is that while you experience it, she lives it. She creates it. They send her in when those army lifers you despise end up failing."
He released a long-held breath before leaning back in his chair, his perspiration now blatantly obvious. "I-I see," he said, his hands clenching the arms of the chair now.
"You must realize that's why they sent her after Saren, their best Spectre right? They've seen her skill. She doesn't make mistakes, she doesn't leave evidence, and she always sends a message," said Tali, who was having fun teasing the man at this point. "As for you, she wasn't after you on Trident. If she were-"
"Alright, I get it!" he snapped as he reached up with an arm and wiped his sweat away. "So why are you here? Why didn't she just kill me and get it over with?"
"Because," said the quarian as she pulled out a small data card. "You're going to apologize to me." She turned and her eyes narrowed on him.
"I… I'm sorry. Very sorry," he said with an almost comical expediency.
She nodded. "Good. And you're going to keep an eye on whatever communicator you have in the future. Doesn't matter if you change it, she'll find you," she said, almost giddy at how much fun she was having. "Someday Shepard may call upon you for a favor. And you're going to do whatever she asks of you without question."
His brows furrowed at the claim. "Why would I do this?"
She cocked an eyebrow at him. "I mean, you don't HAVE to, of course. You can tell her no, or not respond. But I'd prefer not to imagine what she might do…"
She grumbled in irritation as he leaned back in his chair. "Fine…"
"Don't get so down. Consider this a chance to do some good and turn your life around. While I'm sure having your family take over Trident would do you a lot of good, there's so much more you could be doing with your talents," she said in mock cheerfulness.
He nodded and sighed as he slumped back in his seat. After a moment, he gave her a sly smirk. "So, are you going to call me too?"
She felt her cheeks burning once more, before opening her omni-tool. "No, but you do get one more of these. I owe you after all," she said, then hit him with an electric shock once more. As he went rigid, she stood up and walked away from the terminal, leaving him to await his flight.
"Jesus Tali, are you gonna take me to dinner after all that?" asked Shepard as she appeared from seemingly nowhere, making the quarian jump in surprise.
"Keelah Shepard! Don't do that!" she said, shaking off the shock. "Also, I just wanted to get my point across. Nothing I really said was false. And he's not stupid enough to take a risk on what may be a little embellishment," she replied as Liara showed up as well.
Shepard chuckled lightly. "Well, if it works, it works. We now have another asset on Trident in case it's needed. Now, while you were off on your date, I got the call I was waiting for. So Liara, I need you to come with me. Tali, you can go back to the hotel room if you like…"
"No way, Shepard. You're not going on some crazy sting mission and leaving me out," growled Tali, who practically stomped her foot at the thought of being left out.
"Alright alright, but you're going to have to stay in the back. If shit goes south... uh… stuff gets bad, I'm going to need you there to support them," she said as she opened her omni-tool and made a call.
Wards Market Alleyway - Zakera Ward - Citadel
Despite them setting the time thirteen minutes ago, the targets were late. She felt herself wanting to fidget, but Shepard's words echoed in her head. So, she held her hands behind her back and tried to look regal as she waited. But she couldn't help but be nervous. Not so much for her safety, as Wrex, Garrus, and Shepard were right next to her with full armor and weapons. But she didn't want to mess up and end up costing Shepard this catch.
Currently, her expression was locked in one of annoyance for her role, in case there were any watchers. "This is T-Licious from the roof. One of them just stepped past me."
"Tali, why are you calling yourself T-Licious?" asked Shepard over their private line, her confusion apparent in her voice.
"I've been studying your human culture. And It's traditional when you become part of a gang to give yourself a colloquial name relating to food, or dogs... or letters. It was very confusing, but after speaking with people on the human culture forums, they said this name would be... uhh... totally hype?" she said, making sure she got the term correctly.
"We are not in a gang…" grumbled Garrus through his helmet.
Liara could see that it took every ounce of Shepard's will not to slap her own helmeted face. The strain that showed nearly caused Liara to laugh and break her role. "Tali... we need to talk about your consumption of human media. And you talking with trolls on the extranet…" groaned Shepard as she shook her head.
"Trolls? Like those big grotesque creatures from human mythology?" asked Wrex as he looked over.
"Yeah, except now they're big grotesque creatures who mess with people on the extranet," commented Shepard as someone finally showed themselves at the end of the alley. "Alright guys, this is it. Liara, you're up."
"Remember Liara, if they show signs of hostility, go for the optics!" said Tali, whispering over their line and almost causing her to smirk slightly.
"Belay that. Just follow the plan like we practiced," said Shepard, who nearly gasped as the three figures lit up with biotic energy. "Liara...what are you…?" asked Shepard, but she didn't get to finish as the asari stepped forward and spoke.
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't flay you alive for being fifteen minutes late," she snapped, her face warped into a mask of anger.
Shepard and Garrus looked at her in surprise, and Wrex just took a step away as her elegant form lit up with biotic power.
"Put us down bitch! We have guys on the roof that'll pop that pretty blue head if something happens to us!" shouted the krogan member as he flailed in the air.
"They're both out of commission. One of them even asked for his mother when I took him out," responded Tali in slight amusement.
"My god, I've created monsters…" said Shepard happily as she pulled up her assault rifle and aimed at the dealers.
But all three were released from the hold of Liara's biotics, causing them to smack into the ground none too lightly. The krogan got to his feet and growled in rage. "You're lucky I'm in a hurry or else I'd have them paint the wall with your pretty blue…"
"Just get to the sale you pussle," said Wrex impatiently.
"What the hell did you…?" started the angry krogan again, but he was cut off once more.
"You're here because I need mods, and you sell them. All other idle banter is a distraction, so get to the sale or I leave you in this alley as vermin food and find my mods elsewhere!" growled Liara.
The krogan eyed her, the fire in his eyes making it look like he was about to attack. But instead, he simply said, "Give me the credit chit and you'll get your mods." Nodding to his fellow krogan next to him, the taller of the three pulled out a small briefcase then opened it, showing the mod in question. Shepard walked forward, ignoring the two krogan pointing weapons at her and examined it both with her eyes and her omni-tool before turning to Liara and nodding.
"Looks good," she said as she pulled out a small data card.
"You're damn right it does. I'm the best in the business, and if you need any more, you come to me!" he snapped as one of his krogan comrades walked over and took the chit from her. The head krogan snatched it away from his henchmen and swiped it into his omni-tool before smirking. "Good doing business with you," he said, waving to the case holder, who set the mod on the ground before all three of them turned around and left.
Liara knelt down, closed the case, then picked it up before turning and walking out of the alley with all three of the others behind her. With each step, she could feel her character fading from her. Her face became less angry, her stride became less elegant, and her hands began to shake. "By the Goddess!" she gasped when they met up with Tali and were finally in the aircar.
"That adrenaline finally wearing off?" asked Shepard as she pulled her helmet off.
"W-We don't have that…" said Liara knowingly as she looked at her shaking blue hands.
"Close enough," said the woman with a chuckle.
"Remind me not to piss her off. She's got an evil streak in her," said Wrex as he slumped down. The Citadel aircars weren't the most spacious of vehicles, which meant that he had to squat down to fit.
"Th-Thank you...I think?" said Liara as the car raced towards C-Sec.
Citadel Security - Zakera Ward - Citadel
The others had taken the rapid transit back to the hotel while Shepard walked into the C-Sec offices with the briefcase in hand. She sighed to herself as officers stopped and stared at her again, their eyes either in awe or disapproving as they stepped out of her way.
Finally, she made it to Chellick's office. Opening the door, she stepped inside, then closed the door behind her. "I've got your evidence."
He looked up from his terminal and nodded. "So I heard. Word is that a particularly temperamental asari nearly killed the contact for being late."
Shepard chuckled as she set the case on the desk for him. "A well-played act," she said as she leaned back in the chair and eyed him. "So, are we good now?"
Chellick grabbed the case, then opened it. After a short time of examining the device, he simply nodded. "Looks like this is everything I need. And you have the video files?" Shepard activated her omni-tool and passed the files over. After making sure everything was in order, he closed down the omni-tool, his mandibles twitching. "Shepard, you've helped me solve a two-year long case and assisted in making sure that C-Sec isn't going to be outgunned by the opposition any time soon."
"Glad I could help," she said as she stood up.
He looked up to her, his predator-like eyes looking her over. "How about the second half of the email?" he asked curiously.
She eyed him, unsure of what he meant. "Pardon?"
"Well, originally, I said that you owed me a drink for the heartache of making me lose my mole. But after everything you've done, I thought I could get you one instead. A couple if you'd like, maybe over dinner?" She cocked an eyebrow, no doubt an animation that some turians still wondered about, and grinned. "I hope that isn't appropriate to ask. Technically you are my superior, but also technically, you are also in another branch of government…"
"I don't have enough time left on the Citadel to do it now, but I'll let you know when I return and we can set something up when I'm not busy," she said as turned towards the door.
"Sounds good. A new club just opened up in Zakera called Flux! It has food, drink, a casino, and even dancing if that's your thing," he said, unable to keep the chipper tone out of his voice. She looked back at him with her brows furrowed at the mention of dancing but said nothing.
"Sounds like a plan. I'll give you a ring when I'm back on the Citadel," she said as she closed the door behind her. Letting out a snort, she recalled memories of her high school dance where she was made fun of frequently for her method of dancing. Brushing the thoughts aside, however, she made her way back through the station, ignoring everyone's looks, and left through the front door before heading for a transit unit nearby.
It was then that she was stopped by an asari in a rather fitting formal robe. "Excuse me, Spectre?" asked the woman.
Shepard groaned and looked over to find the asari surprisingly bare faced. Unlike Liara, who had dark spots under her eyes resembling freckles and darker areas above almost resembling human eyebrows, this woman was nearly barefaced. Her eyelids were a shade darker than her skin, but most of the 'asari birthmarks' appeared to be focused on her scalp rather than on her face, leaving her skin almost pristine. "Can I help you?" asked Shepard as she crossed her arms.
"I certainly hope so. I was hoping we could go somewhere more private…" started the woman.
"Look, you're cute and all, but I'm not looking for company right now," said the commander as she activated the terminal and ordered a transit.
Immediately, the asari glared at her. "I am not a courtesan, commander!" she snapped indignantly.
Shepard looked at her curiously as she waited for the car. "Then what do you need? I've got two hours to eat and get paperwork done before I head off the Citadel again. I'm not spending any of it not doing that. If you want privacy, then get in the transit with me and you can explain what you need on the way to the hotel."
The asari groaned in irritation, but simply nodded and stood next to Shepard as the car finally pulled up. As they both entered the doors closed, and Shepard input the destination. "My name is Nassana Dantius, and I work in the upper echelons of the asari embassy."
"You're not the asari ambassador, so your title is hardly a concern. Just tell me what you need," said Shepard in annoyance as she looked over at the woman. The commander could see the change almost immediately. At first, the asari's face had been soft, almost tearful. But as soon as Shepard spoke, her crocodile tears seemingly vanished, replaced by a sour look.
"Fine. I work high in the ambassador's office, and I've made a grave mistake," she said, her tone now more neutral than anything. "My sister, Dalia, was working on a cargo vessel out on the fringes of the Traverse. Reports had it that the ship was hit by privateers and left without survivors."
"But…" asked Shepard as she listened intently.
"This is where it gets complicated," started the asari as she looked out the window. "Last week, I received a message with her voice in it, saying that she was alive and being held for ransom. The rest of the crew was killed, but she was kept alive. Whether she told them she was valuable, or they targeted her because they knew, I don't know. But the slavers that took her sent the message demanding a ransom."
Shepard's expression darkened at her words. She knew pirates, and even with a ransom paid there was little to know chance her sister was coming back. "And?" she asked, wanting the end of the story.
"And I paid them. But they never released her," said the woman in frustration. "Now, I've endangered my very career because of the policy to never deal with terrorists, all for the sake of my sister who didn't even get released. They even asked me for more money, the bastards!" she snapped angrily.
"So, you want me to go save your sister, and in the process, take out any trace of you breaking Citadel Treaty of Peace Accords," said Shepard, getting a clear enough picture.
"I broke them of my own free will, but I would appeal to your sense of justice. I did it for my sister's sake and meant no harm. I just wanted my sister back…" she said sorrowfully.
Perhaps this woman didn't know how ruthless pirates in the Traverse were, but her foolishness in trying to deal with them herself almost guaranteed her sister wasn't alive. Regardless of that, even with her sister's status in question, Shepard doubted her main concern at this point was her sister. Instead of sharing her thoughts, she simply nodded. "I'll see what I can find. What was the ship that your sister was working on?"
CODEX ENTRIES
Garden | Cultural | Quarian
Due to their unique immune deficiency, quarians must spend time around one another in order to effectively eliminate any side-effects of being around their own family and crew mates. The areas they use to do this on each ship are called gardens, and typically consist of recreation areas, kitchens, and living areas. In this gardens, quarians can commonly be seen without their helmets and suits, playing together, talking, or eating in order to allow their bodies to grow more familiar with those closest to them.
Bubble Suit | Culture | Quarian
Due to their constant growth, quarian children aren't given suits that fit their body sizes. Instead, they are given suits with room to grow into that sometimes resemble early human astronaut suits. These suits are intentionally spacious inside, with the helmets looking like a mirrored bubble to allow children of a young age to grow and develop without making constant modifications to their more permanent suits.
Hock | Biology | Quarian, Turian, Salarian, Krogan
The hock is the joint between the tarsal bones of the foot and the tibia of the upper leg on any species with digitigrade style legs. Sometimes colloquially referred to as a "backwards knee" by some plantigrade species, this joint configuration allows for faster running and harder kicks in the species that have them.