"Mordin?"

"Shepard. Back here." Sitting in his desk chair by the window overlooking the drive core, he inclined his head.

She sighed, wandering into the tech lab and sat cross-legged on the ground. "Hey."

"Can't sleep again?" he inquired. "Becoming a regular occurrence."

She rolled her eyes. "No, it's just becoming a regular occurrence for me to come find you when I can't sleep instead of stare at my walls until I pass out again," she told him. "Chess?"

"Sure."

She stared out at the drive core as he stood up and went to retrieve his usual display screen. "Mordin?"

"Yes?"

"What made you leave the STG?"

She couldn't see him, but the sound of his movement paused abruptly for a moment. "Complicated," he said finally, tone guarded, accompanied by the clicking sound of him detaching the display. "Why? Seems random."

"Curiosity," she claimed, but after a moment, when his face came back into view, his eyes were narrowed.

"Truth, please," he requested.

She opened her mouth, but said nothing as he began setting up their game.

"Just wondering," he added slowly, before she spoke. "Don't have to say if you don't want to."

She stayed silent as he handed her the display and she moved a pawn forward two spaces. "'Curiosity' is truthful," she commented slowly. "But… I guess I just want to hear more about it as a parallel." She shifted her sitting position, then handed the display back. "It just got on my mind and I've spent too long thinking about it, now. You said the Spectres were loosely based on the STG structure, right?" she asked, and he nodded.

"Thinking about quitting Spectres?" His tone was bland, which meant he was surprised, she guessed; he made his move, then handed the display back.

"No… not really." She moved a bishop. "It's… complicated."

"Ah." He moved his own bishop in response. "Got time, if you want to talk about it."

She shrugged. "I'm just… concerned ." She bit her lip, thinking. "It's a vanity title, for me, right now," she said frankly. "It's not doing anything for me. It's a diplomatic gesture." She sighed and ran fingers through her hair. "I'm wondering… how… well." She shrugged again. "I'm just wondering."

"Useful title?" he asked, moving a knight and handing the display back, and she gave a grimace.

"It's more complicated than that." She paused, considering the board, and moved a pawn. "Useful for me? Not very. Useful for the Alliance, to say they've got a human Spectre?" She shrugged once more. "Like I said, it's… diplomatic. And I'm guessing your status never was."

"Not in your sense," he remarked, moving a pawn himself. "Salarian clans and other social groups have complex diplomatic ties." He handed the display back once more. "Worried about diplomacy?"

"Not really." She stretched, then took the display and surveyed the board. "Or… actually, yeah, I guess so." She moved a rook forward three spaces, then held the display out. "I feel far more like my actions are supposed to reflect diplomatically now than when I first joined the Spectres."

"Makes sense," he noted, and she frowned at him. "Just saying, diplomatic tension not on your mind when looking for Saren. Active worry now, with status being inherently more diplomatic."

"I don't like it," she muttered. "The spotlight's supposed to be off of me, but I feel like I'm leashed ."

"Also makes sense," he told her. "Diplomatic ties… troublesome. High stakes." He moved another pawn.

"Right." She frowned at the board, then captured the pawn he'd moved. "I guess I just don't hear much about that with salarians."

"Salarians typically keep to themselves," he replied with a nod. "Inner politics considered unimportant to outsiders - no, not unimportant. Private ."

"Really? If it's important, I'd think I'd want people to know."

"Private," he repeated. "Like… familial business."

"Huh." She shook her head. "I guess that makes sense, but… the whole species?" she inquired, and he shrugged. "Hey, can I ask your name?"

Mordin tilted his head to the side. "Full name?"

"Yeah."

"Kesh Ilorot Ceste Dil Solus Mordin."

"Kesh?" she asked. "Is that like - "

"Sur'Kesh," he clarified. "Sometimes abbreviated to 'Kesh.'"

"You're from Sur'Kesh," she observed.

"Yes."

"You never mentioned," she commented, and he inclined his head.

"Never seemed crucial information."

"Fair enough. Ha." She moved her bishop and swiped his queen off the board. "Check."

He chuckled and moved a pawn between her bishop and his king. "Well done."

"I'd say you're going easy on me, but you'll only claim you aren't," she accused, and he held his hands up - the picture of innocence.

"Bachi," he said evenly.

"Exactly," she muttered good-naturedly. "Oh, hey - bachi - that reminds me. I've been working on my Drelleian," she added. "Mönii dyp len, right? I can understand more than I can speak."

"Käis," he said approvingly. "Good."

"Thane is still being, uh…"

"Less than helpful?" Mordin supplied, and she snorted.

"He's not that good a language teacher," she said honestly. "It makes more sense when you explain it."

"Helps to have learned several languages." He moved another pawn. "Have learned several ways to teach language."

"Makes sense."

"Mmhmm."

They played in silence for a short while, then Shepard moved a castle forward and declared, "Check mate."

Mordin paused and examined the board. "Maybe."

"What - Mordin, there's no moves there," she scoffed, but he held up a finger pensively and continued to look over the situation.

"Check," he finally said decisively, moving a knight in between her queen and his king.

"Damn it," she muttered. "Can't you let me win?"

"No fun in that!" he exclaimed amiably, and she chuckled.

"Berrah?" she asked him, eyes gleaming mischievously, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Tu bayrau lyu?"

"Eh…" She grinned sheepishly. "What?"

"Where did you learn that?"

"I asked EDI."

He grinned. "Will teach you Covus yet," he said cheerfully, and she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Check mate."

He examined the board once more, then nodded and held his hand out to her. "Well done."

She took his hand, then gave an awkward mock-bow from where she was sitting. "Thank you."

"Morai, in Covus."

"Morai," she repeated, and he nodded.

"Yes," he said. "Or, literally, 'I thank,' or just 'grateful.'"

"Neat."

"Another game, or bedtime?" he wanted to know, and she yawned.

"Bedtime, I think," she concluded, and he cleared the display and stood up.

"Agreed."

She paused. "You, sleeping?" she teased as she got up, and he put a hand to his chest in mock offense.

"Do sleep sometimes, you know," he remarked. "Salarians only need - "

"Yeah, yeah, salarians only need a fraction of what the rest of us do, I know," she relented. "Hey, are you still available to go out on that rescue job we've got tomorrow?"

"Yes. Promise." He smiled. "Will be well-rested."

"All right. If you say so."

"Do say so," he said airily, clicking the display back into its cradle on his worktable. "Sleep well?"

"You too, Mordin."

"Goodnight, Commander."

"G'night."

Author's Notes: Always wondered how much Shepard would've been chafing under the idea of her status being political rather than an actual mover and shaker.

Yes, I gave Mordin a name, yeah, I made him from Sur'Kesh. (Also, for anyone curious, the pronunciation of that name would be "Suhr Keh-sh Ilorot Ceh-ste Dil Solus Mordih-n," with the fully-pronounced h's - the "Mordih-n" name is pronounced kind of like "Mordi-hn.")