Chapter 52
Cargo Bay – SSV Normandy SR1
"Well, it was good working with you," said Satō as he held out his hand for Shepard.
Jane reached forward and took his hand, gripping it fiercely as she gave him a proud smile. "Same to you, Satō. I'm glad to see the training got through to some of you."
"And I hope to work with you more," said Locklear as she too held out her hand with a large grin.
Liara raised a brow curiously as she looked from Locklear to Shepard, then back to Locklear. A small grin curved on her lips as Shepard complimented the woman, making the N7 smile even brighter. "Who knows, maybe someday I'll be a Spectre too," said the woman as she finally released Shepard's hand.
"We'll see, Locklear. You've definitely got the drive for it. But to become a Spectre, you have to be more than good at espionage or killing," said the redhead as she placed her hands on her armored hips. "You have to be diplomatic, and only resort to forced action when you absolutely have no other choice. Don't let the brass try and tell you that brute force is the most effective method."
"She's not kidding. I've seen hundreds of battles and even a few wars. And you wouldn't believe the number of disasters this human has prevented by running her mouth," said Wrex as he ambled up to the crowd.
"A krogan complementing someone's social skills. What galaxy am I in?" asked Ash as she stood on the opposite side of Shepard from Wrex, her helmet held at her hip.
"Well, I'll take his word for it. I know this is impossible, but stay out of trouble, Shepard. We need you… humanity needs you," said the man, giving her a serious stare before finally reaching up and sealing his helmet onto his head.
Shepard nodded to him as they all resealed their armor and packed themselves back into the troop loader. Satō took the pilot's seat while Locklear took co-pilot, and they powered the ship up. Shepard raised her hand and rallied everyone out of the cargo bay after Tyson gave the go ahead that all cargo was anchored. As she stepped back into the elevator, she sighed to herself, letting a small smile curve on her lips as she felt pride beating within her chest.
Elevator – SSV Normandy SR1
Shepard stepped onto the elevator as she contemplated the geth's activities within the Armstrong Nebula. She had her theories, of course. Why would a sentient race of machines call out to an organic species and play for them a song of sorrow and yearning to be together. In her mind, it was a clear apology letter from the geth to organics.
But then again, she had to remember that she knew nothing about the geth beyond fighting them and what she learned from Tali. Even the quarians themselves had different thought processes than humans did, so trying to interpret the motive of an AI created by another species was borderline impossible, and even arrogant.
As her brows furrowed at the enigma of the geth, the elevator doors opened again, and she saw Kaidan standing in front of her. "Spectre," he said politely as he stepped onto the lift. She nodded to him and began staring straight at the door, her mind wanting to work over the details again before his voice stopped her thoughts. "Hey… uh… Shepard. I was wondering if you could possibly… potentially do me a favor…"
She looked over at him curiously, noting the serious look on his face as he gazed at her. "Given your wording it sounds like it may be difficult. But I'll try," she said as she turned herself towards him fully. "What's up?"
Clearing his throat, he looked at the ground in a timid manner that Shepard had never seen from him before. It was almost surprising. "You know that datacard you got from the base back on Solcrum?" he asked, getting a nod from her. She raised an eyebrow curiously. She knew this would be coming, but she hadn't expected it from the lieutenant. "I was wondering if you could maybe make a copy of it."
"Is there a particular reason you've suddenly taken an interest in the geth?" she asked with a coy smile.
He gave her a deadpan look, knowing full well she knew why he was asking. "Shepard…"
She waved his worries away. "I'm kidding. I know you're wanting to give it to Tali," she said as Kaidan gave her a nod of confirmation. "The short answer is yes; I will make a copy. But I won't give it to you."
The lieutenant's eyes widened slightly in surprise, looking as if he'd been hurt. "You don't trust me?" he asked, his voice sounding almost devastated.
"Wow, that's more emotion than I normally get out of you," she said as she chuckled lightly.
"I've been told I'm very stoic," he said as his own dark brows furrowed questioningly.
"No, it's not because I don't trust you. Of course, I trust you. I'd hand the datacard over to you right now and sleep easy knowing it's safe," she responded, quelling his look of anxiety.
"Then why…?" he started, but she shook her head.
"Because I know you're going to give it to Tali," she said, but her words seemed to only draw more confusion as he gave her a quizzical stare. "Look, I know you want to help Tali out. I know you like her; you want her to be happy, and you want to help her people. But…" she said as she shrugged. "Tali's biggest weakness is leadership. Ever since she joined us, she's taken back seat every time, never questioning, never putting herself out there."
Kaidan dawned a look of understanding. "Ah, you think she should put more effort into being a leader?"
"Correct. During that entire mission in Armstrong, we saw her working hard, giving orders, leading like I know she can. I want her to continue that trend. When she returns to the Migrant Fleet, I want her to kick the airlock in and guide her people to a bright future. I don't want her to go back to being a tagalong," she said firmly.
"So, you want her to take the initiative and ask you first," he said with a small smile. "I understand. Thank you, Shepard."
Shepard smiled as she turned to the opening door of the elevator where Tali, the devil herself, was standing and waiting. Shepard looked over at Kaidan with a knowing smirk, making him shake his head and chuckle. "What can I do for you Tali?"
"Shepard! Keelah, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were coming down to engineering! I was actually going up to the CIC to ask to speak with you," she said, her voice now at a rapid clip as she fidgeted nervously.
"Well, here I am," said Shepard as she reached over and pushed the return button on the elevator before stepping off.
"Hey, come on!" said Kaidan as the door closed and began taking him back up into the ship.
Tali watched him go before turning back to the spectre. "What was that about?"
"Nothing really. Just messing with him," she said with a smile. "So, you wanted to talk?"
"Oh… right," responded the quarian, her fidgeting returning. "Shepard… I… I don't know how to ask you this. That data you took from Solcrum on the geth is very important to the galaxy, and I know you have to turn it in to the Citadel. Sharing such things is borderline treason," she said as she tore her hands away from one another and balled them into fists. "Shepard, please… I'm begging you; I wish to have a copy of the data you retrieved from Solcrum."
"Sure," said Shepard simply.
"Now, I know that it might be against some arbitrary Citadel Space law to hand over sensitive information to a non-Spectre or intelligence organization. But…" she rambled before everything, her body movement, her speech, and possibly her breathing screeched to a halt. She stood staring at Shepard for a half minute before responding. "I'm sorry… did you say yes?"
"Of course I did," said Shepard as she smiled softly at the young engineer.
"But…" started Tali as she looked down at her hands.
"Look, as far as I'm concerned, that data belongs as much to the Migrant Fleet as it does the Citadel and the Alliance. Sure, I'm a Spectre and I have to report back to the Council, and sure, the Alliance may be curious about why a bunch of geth decided to take R&R in Alliance Space. But," said Shepard as she gently poked the quarian's face shield. "Were it not for the quarians and their warning, we wouldn't have responded as soon as we did. And while we don't know their motives for being out there, the Migrant Fleet warning us warrants sharing the information with them."
"Oh…" she said as she reached up and squeezed her arms gently.
Shepard immediately noticed that Tali was shaking slightly. "You alright Tali?"
The quarian was silent for a moment longer before the spectre heard a sniffle from her helmet. "Y-Yeah… I'm fine," she responded. Then, out of nowhere, Tali leaned forward and hugged Shepard tightly. The spectre held her hands up in surprise, but gently wrapped her strong arms around her as well. "You've done so much for me, Shepard. You saved my life, you gave me a home, you gave me purpose. And now you are giving my people a gift that could save lives. Thank you," she said as she sniffled again.
Shepard eyed the girl in surprise, not realizing exactly how her helping the young quarian appeared. Squeezing her in the hug gently, she smiled and leaned her head onto the engineer's helmet. "Tali, you've earned the right to be here," she said with a sigh. "Giving us the information on Saren, fighting by my side, helping us against the geth, and putting your pilgrimage on hold to help me," she said as she pulled away and stared down into the quarian's luminescent eyes. "This is the very least I could do. Trust me, if I could do more for you, I would," she said solemnly as she smiled at her.
Tali sniffled again then lowered her head. "You're too good to me, Shepard," she said as she let out a long held bedraggled sigh. "When I was sent on my pilgrimage, I was told to get used to other species not liking me and not wanting to be around me. I'm so very privileged to have found you. You are a better friend than anyone deserves."
Shepard's eyes widened at the statement. "Look, if you want me to take you out to dinner, you could just ask."
Tali giggled through her tears. "Bosh'tet…" she grumbled before letting out a sigh that Shepard could tell released a great load of stress.
Shepard smiled at the name, but reached up and gripped Tali's helmet, then bent forward until they were almost temple to temple in a sort of half hug. "You may head back to the Fleet when you're done here, Tali. But you'll always be a part of our family, and you'll always have a place on my ship."
"Agreed. I need someone to replace me eventually. Getting near retirement age," said Adams as he approached with a smile.
"You know, when I get back to the Migrant Fleet, I'm going to tell them that humans aren't so bad," she said with a glowing smile that showed even through her face shield.
"Glad to hear it, Tali. Now, I better get back to work. I've got a pension I'm working on," said the man as he nodded to her and headed off towards the core again.
Tali turned to Shepard once he was out of earshot and leaned in to whisper to her. "By the way, has Val'eda figured out what the message the geth encrypted was?"
"Not yet. But she did say that it was so heavily encrypted that it would have taken organics decades to unravel. It's a good thing we have… Val'eda…" said the spectre as she trailed off on the conversation.
Tali reached up and gripped her shoulder lightly. "Shepard, are you alright?"
"Yeah…" she responded, a curious look on her face. "I just wonder if they knew their heavy encryptions would be so difficult, and therefore we wouldn't figure them out… or…"
"Or what?" asked Tali as she tilted her head slightly.
"Or they knew we have an AI and knew that we'd have them try and decipher the information," she said as she scratched her chin gently.
"I'd say that's a stretch. Aside from the Citadel incident in the emporium, we've been very careful with exposing Val'eda to others. How would the geth have learned about her presence?" she asked inquisitively.
"I don't know. But we already know that any information they do get they can bypass comm buoys with," said Shepard as she hit the button for the elevator again.
"Did Val'eda say where the beam from the Solcrum base fired to?" asked the quarian curiously as she stepped on the elevator with her.
Nodding, Shepard let out a soft sigh. "She said that the last beam fired into the Perseus Veil. I doubt they're inviting us to come along this time."
"That's an invitation I wouldn't take. Ugh…" groaned Tali as the elevator took them up to the recreation deck.
Once the door opened, Tali and Shepard stepped out to find a small group including Ash and Garrus sitting at the mess hall table eating ravenously. Pressly was at the far end of one of the tables, and as Shepard and Tali approached, he waved them down.
"Hey, Shepard! And… uh… Tali," he said awkwardly as he stood at the table. "I was hoping I could talk to you for a moment," he stated as he stared at the quarian.
Tali looked from Pressly to Shepard in confusion, then turned back to the XO. "A-Alright…" she said awkwardly.
"I'll be getting my food if you need me," said Shepard with a smile as she headed off for the counter.
Tali then turned to the lieutenant and sat down across from him at the table. "What can I do for you Charles'Pressly?" she said formally as she tried to be polite.
He shook his head lightly. "Please, just call me Charles. Or, if we're on duty, just call me Pressly," he said before finally realizing that he had told her to call him exactly what she did. "A-Anyway, I wanted to talk to you for a moment about the last mission."
"Okay… I'll answer if I can," she said, ridding herself of the timidness in her voice and asserting herself.
"I… wanted to thank you," he said staring into her face shield. Her eyes widened slightly, and she sat back on the bench. "I know when you first came on this ship, I was kind of a jerk…"
"It's alright, Charles. You don't have to…" she started, waving off his concerns. But he stopped her.
"Please, I have to do this," he said firmly. She finally nodded and he continued. "Ever since I was a child, my father told me story after story of the First Contact War with the turians. They were all brutal, gruesome stories about turians breaking into buildings and dragging civilians out of them to throw them into prisons made out of the very buildings they had invaded. There were stories of teams of marines running into a building to get supplies for the holdouts, and the turians would drop debris from the destroyed satellites onto the buildings, killing them all."
Tali stared at him incredulously. "I… I don't know what to say…"
"You don't have to say anything Tali. I just want you to know why when we first met, I acted the way I did because I didn't like aliens. The horror stories told to me about Shanxi made me despise them. But…" he said as he stared at the table. "After being on this ship, after talking to you, and after working with the others, I realized how ignorant I was about other species," he said before finally looking up to her again. "You inspired me when you took charge to rid Alliance Space of the geth. You weren't thinking of what the benefit was, you weren't doing it for favors. You just… wanted to help. And I want you to know that I'm sorry for the way I acted, and I'd be proud to call you my friend if you would allow it."
Tali stared at him silently for a moment before looking down at the table. "I… inspired someone?" she asked as she felt the small seed of pride inside her begin to bloom into a glorious bouquet. "I would happily call you a friend Pre… erm… Charles."
He gave her a happy grin and stood to his full height. "I know this isn't regulation exactly, but I don't know when I'll get the chance to do this. So… here." Standing rigidly, the man took one arm and placed the tip of his flat hand against his right brow in a human salute.
Tali, unsure of the protocol for this sort of thing stood as well and returned the gesture, trying to imitate his pose. "I apologize if I don't get it right. The helmet kind of gets in the way."
Chuckling, Pressly lowered his hand and nodded to her. "Good enough, Tali. And thank you for everything you've done for this crew, this ship, and humanity. I hope I can repay your kindness and ambition someday."
Presidium – Citadel
"You're kidding me…" said Shepard as she eyed the asari woman that was following her.
"Why would I joke about such a thing, Shepard?" asked Liara with a shrug and a half smirk. "Locklear was practically in love with you. I could see it in her face."
"We worked together back in the day…" started the redhead as she turned to the doctor.
"And that's where it started, I imagine," said Liara matter of factly. "Now, she has your same haircut, she practically drools when she's talking to you, and she tried to mimic everything you did, from the way you walked, to you leaning on the rail in the CIC, to even what you ate in the mess hall," said the asari as she reached up, her elbow held in one hand while she tapped on her cheek. "It appears, Jane, that with her and this Conrad person…"
"Goddammit Ash…" growled Shepard as she frowned in annoyance.
"You have your own fan club," said the asari with a giggle. "Perhaps I should contact them for an application."
Spinning around, the spectre pointed directly at the asari with stern annoyance on her face. But that feeling immediately died as she saw the gorgeous smile in front of her. Letting her hand fall back to her side, she sighed. "You're too beautiful to be mad at…"
Liara's cheeks tinged purple lightly as she looked to the side. "Th-Thank you, Jane…" she said as she looked at the ground. "You know… with everything that's been happening, the discovery of the Cipher, Saren and the geth, the invasion in Armstrong, and… my mother," she said, her expression falling slightly. "It's hard to imagine being in a relationship in a fast-paced life like this. Even the downtime in between seems so small in comparison to crushing a rogue wing of the Alliance or killing a semi-telepathic fifty-thousand-year-old sentient plant creature."
"You know, when you say it like that, it sounds like we're living a vid series," said Jane with a small smile.
"It's not far off, I assure you. Some vid series are less interesting than your classified file," she said with a smile. "But that does beg the question, what about relationships?"
"You know, we humans have a term for that. It's called being married to your work," said the spectre as she flexed her neck gently. "My mother was like that. Her job was her life. So much so that even now she's out there floating on a ship somewhere in Alliance Space."
"The phrase does match the concept," said the asari as she looked over at her partner. "But what about you? Is that the life you want?"
Shepard stopped in her tracks for a long moment. She remembered the days on Arcturus when her mother was working. Her father was military as well, leaving her with few people to talk to that weren't on the extranet. She had made a lot of friends from all species online because of this. When she was young, she never really felt unloved, but she felt alone. She would spend nights staring at a picture of her and her mother and father, wishing they could be together. Because while her parents were hardnosed Alliance lifers, they were caring when they had the opportunity. Shepard thought about herself in that position with a child growing up without her parent.
Shaking her head, the spectre let out a sigh. "I don't want that life…" she said almost sadly.
"So, what is the solution?" asked Liara curiously as she walked around Shepard and looked directly into her blue eyes.
"I… don't know," she said as she placed her hands on her hips defensively. "I want to have kids, I want to have a family, but being a Spectre would put me in the same position as my parents."
Smiling, the asari reached up and tilted Shepard's chin up, her blue lips locked in a loving smile. "If anyone can be a Spectre and a parent, you can Jane."
Smiling lightly, the spectre nodded to the asari. "Are you asking me to have kids, Mrs. T'Soni?"
Chuckling, the doctor stepped forward into Shepard's personal space and looked her in the eyes. "Never in my life have I considered having children. I had no plans to have them, nor did I yearn to have children. Perhaps that would have come with the matron phase of my life, but prior to now I had never considered it," she said with a weak smile as she remembered her days digging through mud and prothean ruins, her focus solely on her work. "But then, I discovered someone who I not only trust enough to share parenthood with, but also that person inspired an emotion inside me that I never knew I had," she said as she smiled brightly. "Love."
Shepard raised an eyebrow before raising a finger up. "It was Joker, wasn't it?" she asked with a smirk.
Liara let out a heavy sigh and glared at Shepard playfully. "Jane, if you keep teasing me, I'll throw you into the Presidium reservoir."
Shepard chuckled lightly before reaching forward and grabbing the asari's hips, bringing them together in the usual asari greeting. She pressed her head to Liara's so that they were staring into her eyes, both of them blushing lightly and smiling. "I was much the same until I met you, Sayna."
Liara's eyes widened at her words, then she broke into a smile and pulled Shepard into a loving embrace.
Quarian Consulate – Shalta Ward – Citadel
Tali approached the small building hesitantly. She was worried, of course, about the outcome of giving them the data disk in her possession. When she had joined Shepard, she knew she was putting her pilgrimage on hold. And to continue it afterwards seemed like an impossible, arduous task given that most pilgrimages had ended in the amount of time she had spent on the Normandy. But the data she held in her hand could very well be the answer to her status as a quarian.
Kaidan looked at her as she stood in front of the consulate, which could barely qualify as a consulate. "You don't have to do it this way you know. Barla Von said he had transport available to ship it directly to the fleet."
"No…" she said as she inhaled deeply before releasing it. "The data I hold in my hands is important. So important that I feel it necessary to put it into their hands myself," she said as she looked down at the data card glowing lightly in her hands. "Val'eda managed to unravel the encryption and found data on the geth from Rannoch, as well as the instructions on how to build those information relays. This…" she said as she squeezed it gently in her hands. "This will change the galaxy as we know it."
Kaidan nodded gently as he gave her a warm smile. "I understand. And I'm with you all the way."
"Y-You are coming with me?" she asked in surprise.
"As long as they'll allow it. I can always sit on the shuttle outside if not," he said with a shrug. "Either way, I'm going with you as far as I'm able. I already sent Shepard the request, and she said she'll be on the Citadel for a few days, so we're good."
Tali sighed and leaned against him, her helmet against his armored chest. "Thank you, Kaidan'Alenko. You coming with me makes me happier than you realize," she said as she finally stood up again and shook the jitters she had out of her limbs. "Alright, let's go," she said firmly and walked forward into the consulate with the lieutenant close behind.
すきやばし次郎 – Presidium – Citadel
Ashley walked into the restaurant with a smile on her face. It been a long while since she had seen her family and finally, with the temporary leave that Shepard have given them, she managed to get them to come to the Citadel. They'd be arriving the next morning, leaving her excited and wanting to east sushi… for some reason. Before coming onto the Normandy, she wasn't really impressed with the food. But after they had dined there a few times, she had grown to enjoy the taste of sashimi and uramakizushi.
The hostess, an asari dressed in a kimono with her face painted elegantly with lighter blue to make her look like the geisha from Earth bowed her head. "Welcome to Sukiyabashi Jiro! The best sushi restaurant in the galaxy!" she said with a genuine smile as she held her hands in front of her obi in polite fashion. "Will it be just you today?"
"Just me, thank you…" said Ash, unsure if she should bow back. Her studies of Earth's historical cultures were lacking. But the asari geisha gave an elegant bow again before using a closed paper fan to guide her along.
"Please take a seat. You will be attended to shortly," replied the elegant woman.
Ash nodded, feeling slightly uncomfortable that an asari was living a human tradition that she didn't know the first thing about. She knew it shouldn't bother her, but she couldn't help feeling like she was failing humanity by not knowing more. As she stepped into the somehow lavishly cozy room, her uncomfortable thoughts vanished as she saw a familiar fringe sitting at the counter she was headed to. Not wanting to feel like a racist, she stepped forward and eyed the turian curiously as she sat down, confirming that it was indeed Garrus.
"Hey there, crackshot. Didn't expect to see you here," said Ash with a grin as he turned to see her.
"Oh, Williams. Good to see you," he greeted back.
She wasn't sure if being around turians more often gave her the ability to sense things in their flanged voice, but she did feel a note of melancholy in his tone. "Everything alright?"
He let out a low, guttural sigh as he picked up a piece of dextro sushi that was just set on his plate. Shoving it into his mouth, he chewed it before swallowing, then just stared down at the table. "Just… issues."
Cocking an eyebrow curiously, she smirked slightly. "These issues wouldn't happen to be related to a certain doctor, would they?"
He looked at her, his eyes analyzing her as if she had just read his mind. "Yes… and no."
"Oh good, and I thought you were going to be vague," she said jokingly as she sat on the stool next to him. He chuckled dryly and shook his head. "No worries, Vakarian. Your business is your business. It's not my place to pry it out of you," she said as she turned to face the counter.
"Yeah… but…" he said with another sigh as he rested his head on his hand that was propped up on the counter. "I just… I understand where she's coming from entirely. You date a C-Sec officer turned Spectre subordinate; you expect safety. You don't expect to get put into life threatening situations because their status is supposed to ward that off. But…"
The server, a middle-aged Japanese man finally stepped up to the counter and bowed to her. She nodded back to him, and he began making her food right in front of her. She, meanwhile, turned back to Garrus and mimicked his pose with her head resting in her hand. "I getcha big guy. Love is a complicated thing, and many people out there who want to date are looking to use someone for something. Whether it's safety, money, or just to cure loneliness."
"I guess so…" he said in frustration as he finally turned to face her. "I know it may be weird asking relationship advice, but I'm not exactly knowledgeable on human traditions. In this situation, proper etiquette would be to go to her and apologize, and she would make a definitive decision about where things would go. But… I don't know humans enough to know whether that would make her angrier."
"Humans don't even know humans that well," she said as she chuckled. The man laid down her first piece of sushi and she immediately grabbed it. "I don't know her feelings, or why she decided to space herself from you. But what I do know is that you need to stop getting so hung up on this," she said before finally popping the treat into her mouth.
"I know. Turians get that a lot because we're taught to be devoted to our partners, even those as trivial as intimate friends," he said, noticing Ash's confused look. "Oh… I think humans call it… boyfriends and girlfriends," he responded, getting a nod from her. "So, to have her do this makes me feel like I've failed somehow."
Sighing, Ash swallowed the morsel before reaching over and gripping his cowl fiercely. "Garrus…" she said, getting a surprised look from him as she used his first name. "You're not a failure. Love with humans is complicated. Sometimes we love someone but never get together. Sometimes we marry someone we don't love and live our entire lives that way. Sometimes people who love each other get married and grow to not love each other anymore. Human psychology is very fluid and ever changing. You can't blame yourself for that."
"I… I suppose," he said, his tone lightening a bit.
"And furthermore, you're working for a Spectre to help stop a madman from unleashing… uh… you know what on the galaxy," she said, being careful of what information she was spreading in public. "You can hit a gnat from a hundred yards away with a rifle and can calibrate a ground vehicle so good it flies," she said, causing him to chuckle again, this time more jovial. "You're not a failure. You're one of the strongest…" she said, stopping briefly as she realized what she was saying. Everything Shepard had taught her flooded back to her brain as she realized that she was about to say something she never thought she would have said those many months ago. "You're one of the strongest, most capable people I know, and any woman would be lucky to have you."
He stared at her in surprise at her words. "You don't mean…"
"Don't get any funny ideas, Vakarian. I'm your wingman at best," she said with a smirk. His mandibles twitched in amusement as he nodded. "Now, after this, we're going to get this out of your head."
"How are we gonna do that?" he asked as he waved to the man behind the counter who had served him.
"We're going to Armax and we're going to work it off. Granted, it's not sex, but…" she started with a shrug.
"It's a close second, especially for turians," he said with a nod. "I like that idea. It's been a while since I've been in a situation without constant world ending threats trying to kill me."
She chuckled lightly. "Tell me about it. From the geth, to their zombie robots, to giant sentient alien bugs, to even bigger bugs burrowing through planets, to giant plant monsters…" she said in morbid amusement.
"Don't forget every pirate, mercenary, rogue scientist, and slaver in the Terminus," he said as he tapped the counter gently, remembering their exploits over the past months.
"Ugh… how could I forget? I'm still reeling from Liara breaking that asari pirate in half," she said as she shook her head. "But that's what we signed up for."
She couldn't tell if he was smiling or not, as turian faces didn't offer much facial agility. But his tone of voice was definitely ringing of happiness. Unexpectedly, this made her happy as well. "I want to say something that I never really got the chance to say before given our hectic life-or-death schedule," he responded, getting a nod from her. "It… It's been great working with you. I mean that for the whole crew as well, but especially for you. Even though it may not seem like it, all of you have taught me a lot. And really, I couldn't be prouder to have you by my side."
Ash's heart thumped in her chest for a moment at his statement. She doubted he was hitting on her, but she wasn't positive as she had never been in this kind of a relationship with at turian before. Swallowing her food, she reached up and scratched her dark hair in embarrassment. "I…" she started, looking at the ground again as her previous statement about him came back to her, followed by Shepard's words of encouragement. Finally, she looked back up at him with a smile. "I'd take you at my side over an entire platoon of Alliance, Garrus."
"The feeling is mutual. Though, the amount of destruction we can cause together could be pretty expensive…" he said playfully.
"They can put it on my tab," she said as her thoughts went back to the Alliance. For so many years she had been trained to hate turians because they caused her grandfather's surrender. But, over the past few months, she began to realize her error. The Alliance were the ones who punished her grandfather, her father, and her family. No turians had screamed in her ear that she would never amount to anything. No turians had passed over her on rank despite her accomplishments. Those were all… humans. Looking into his predator-like eyes, she smiled gently. "I know where my loyalties lie. And if they don't like it, they can kiss my ass."
He looked taken aback at the comment. "Kiss your… do… do humans do that?"
"Oh my god… no, I mean yes, but… look. It's just a phrase. What I mean to say is…" she began with a half chuckle at his confusion. She measured her words carefully this time, not wanting to throw off her point. "You're my partner, Garrus. You and the entire squad. Tali, Wrex, LT, Shepard, and even Sweet Blue. And if it came down to choosing where my loyalties lie, then I'd always be by your side, ready to kick the galaxy's ass."
He nodded gently before reaching over and taking a small cup of turian sake, whatever that was made of. She grabbed her own as he spoke. "We walk together, we fight together. And if we die, let us die at each other's backs," he said solemnly. She smirked at his words, and they clinked the glasses together in typical human fashion before downing them both.
CODEX ENTRIES
R&R | Terminology | Military
Standing for Rest and Recreation, R&R is commonly used in the Alliance military to refer to vacation time where Alliance crewman are allowed to take trips back to Earth or colonies of their choice. It is considered highly important to the morale of the Alliance.