The Commander was standing inside the airlock door listening to the clunking thuds of the docking gear as the Normandy came to a halt.
"Sooo... can we laugh about it yet?" Joker swiveled his chair around with the biggest shit-eating grin Shepard had ever seen him wear. Which was saying something… She clicked her tongue followed by a sigh as she dropped her face into a palm. He took that as a yes.
"Oh great, I've been waiting forever! I worked up a few excellent ones already. I'd be more than happy to schedule that Fornax spread for you. I might know a guy... who knows a guy... who has a cousin…."
"Forever? Really? It's been 5 hours Joker. Jesus," Shepard cut him off.
"Yeah, I've started writing them down, see?" He held a data pad up to her face, and she pushed it away with a disgusted noise.
"Aw come on Shep, I'm not complaining," he said in a husky tone, pointedly dragging his eyes up and down her form while he waggled his eyebrows theatrically. That got a snort of laughter out of her as she leaned over and pulled his cap over his face.
"Thanks Don Juan, you're a real great pal," she murmured through upturned lips. "At least one of us approves."
"Hell yeah! This is as good as a raise! But I'll take that too. Now about that spread, Shep, we'd better schedule soon before your next death date - that way Cerberus can get the measurements right next time," he said as he pulled his cap off and ruffled his hair with a grin.
"Next time? Let's hope not. Fornax isn't exactly good insurance against my pilot not getting out of his chair," that was the wrong quip to make, and she knew it as it left her mouth. Joker's visage fell even though he tried to mask it. Shit. Yep, way too early to joke about that.
Shepard looked away from his crestfallen face as the airlock door hissed open. "All right Joker, tell the crew they are on 24 hour shore leave. I want everyone back by 2100 tomorrow. Mama's got some shopping to do."
"Shopping?" he asked.
"Yeah, this Cerberus shit isn't gonna fly," she tugged on the neck of her uniform, "and I sure as HELL am not wearing the lacy thongs they stocked me with," she backed into the decontamination chamber and saluted Joker as the door closed between them, muffling his chuckle.
Shepard wiped her hands on her cargo pants. Gross, she had gotten Batarian sweat on her from Zaeed's bounty. She noted her good fortune that he was there inside the airlock AND smart enough to introduce himself. Hopefully that luck extended to the rest of the dossiers she hadn't looked at yet. She had to choke back a snort. Yeah, right. One recruit down, however many to go. The soldier stopped to peer around the shops in the busy docking area and followed her gut to the left. She'd dig up info on this Mordin character while she shopped. Then visit Aria when she was damn well ready to. Fuckin' lackeys thinking they can bully THE Commander Shepard into… anything, really. She pulled up her Omni tool to tap out a message while she walked.
Connecting...
Secure connection established...
: And don't worry, I'll pick up your usual. I haven't forgotten.
Flyboy: Oh great, thanks Mom!
Flyboy: Get the special edition!
Flyboy: Wait, Flyboy? Can't you give me a better name than that?
49: ...
49: 2149? I'm not that old, geeze. You are just hysterical.
: Thought so. If you think of anything else, msg me.
She eyed a group of Vorcha gnashing at passersby as she turned down a grimy walkway towards the main drag. Bodies were crammed along the street, vendors yelled out over the digital advertisements, and there was even an old school sidewalk evangelist shouting about the diabolical ways of the filthy Humans. She kept a tight fist around her credit chits. The ship captain glanced toward an alley where four Batarians were harassing an Elcore. It wouldn't end well...for the Batarians. Bunch of idiots. A pleasant smell cut through the thick putrid air for a moment and her gut roiled in response. Her hair spun as she whipped her head to a food stall that was selling mystery meat kabobs. Fuck it, time to find out what the Cerberus upgrades could handle. She flicked open another message as she stood in line.
Connecting...
Secure connection established...
: Was there anything else we needed on this shit hole besides the Salarian?
.PerfAss: Oh bloody hell Commander you haven't read the dossiers yet have you?
.PerfAss: This name is childish.
.PerfAss: Yes, there is another recruit on the station by the name Archangel. A vigilante by the sounds of it. All we know is he is fantastic at eliminating gangs. Massani is dragging a duffle in here so 1/3.
: Roger that.
Shepard finished her food with a soldier's speed and glanced up just in time to catch a garish neon sign for a tattoo parlor. A wicked grin came over her face as she pulled her tool up again.
: Hey no alliance regs right? Should I get a huge mohawk with all this hair?!
49: What? Shepard, no.
: SHEPARD YES!
She attached a selfie with the middle finger up in front of the storefront sign before laughing and walking in.
So, Mordin was running a clinic in the slums. Shepard twisted her new lip ring with her tongue. An altruist Salarian scientist. Hopefully, he was altruistic enough to join up and science his way into rescuing some humans. Many shops later, she still had no actual word on Archangel other than that he was turian and was a hell of a shot. People were eager to discuss his exploits, but none could say where he came from or what his goal was. Well, other than causing money loss for the merc squads. How'd Tim find these likeable guys on Omega, of all places? Also, how does a turian get a human biblical name?
A very familiar Batarian had made his presence known over the last few blocks. The sight of him dragged her from her thoughts. The Commander sighed and turned to push the bag she carried with her black-and-white civvies down a nearby trash cute. Bye-bye Cerberus, hello Shepard! She clicked her tongue while eyeing her next destination, a flickering barber sign... no time for that with Aria's right-hand lackey hanging about.
She sucked in another lungful of stale, eezo tinged air before turning to him. "All right, all right, fine. I get it Bray, I'm ready to go to your lord and chief now."
"Aria, if you make that face any longer, it's gonna stick that way," Shepard yelled over the thrumming beat of Afterlife. She pointedly ignored both the guns pointed behind her from Aria's goons and the gyrating asari dancers along the perimeter of The Queen's overlook.
It had been a few years since they'd last seen one another, but nothing changes on Omega, Aria least of all. The Asari sat languidly, her arms hanging across the back of the sofa and her legs crossed. She still had a penchant for tight leather outfits.
There wasn't a single iota of fear or concern in her body. No, just a pissed off scowl aimed at Shepard. "Ignoring the fact that you took your sweet time getting up here, this is the face I make at dead spectors creeping around my station."
"So nice to see you too, Aria. Drink? For old times' sake?" The Queen waved her to sit and snapped her fingers at a turian to her left who disappeared. Her scowl didn't move a micrometer from her features as she studied the N7's visage. The Commander shook out her leather jacket and stretched into a comfortable position on the couch, legs askew, clad in tight jeans and combat boots.
"It undoubtedly is you. I heard a credible story that you were dead. Saw your funeral even." The turian approached them with shot glasses. Aria grabbed one and waved him away. Shepard downed her's in one gulp, then choked back a gag.
"Jesus, I thought that was an asari hard liquor, but really Aria? Batarian hooch? Isn't that below you?" She coughed, patting her chest.
"Everything is beneath me. But trends are trends," a smirk replaced the scowl on her amethyst skin. "Two years is a long time, Shep. You have missed out."
"If this is what I missed, then," the soldier grimaced at the glass and trailed off. "Aria, I'm not here to pry. Hell, I'm not even Alliance anymore,"
"Yeah... hard to miss that giant Cerberus logo on your ship," the Asari gave her a pointed look as she sipped on her shooter.
"Someone's gotta do something about the colonists. If a fucking terrorist group is the only one willing, then here I am," Shepard replied and leaned forward into the Asari's neck. She heard a gun cock behind her, but Aria stuck her palm up. "It's the Collectors... and I'd bet their sudden interest in humans is very Reaper related."
Aria's eyes rounded, but she leaned in further. "You are aware what the Council had to say about your little Reaper threat, don't you?" she murmured into Shepard's ear. They were nose to nose - the Commander held her eye contact.
"Mind meld me if you don't believe me."
"Shit. You're serious? Why are you telling me this?" Aria straightened.
"Just outside the Omega 4 relay? They've got to be all over this station... and more than usual, am I right?" Shepard gave her a hard stare that she returned, and then some, but she nodded. "And I'd be willing to bet its humans now, but that's not where it'll end. What you have to protect here… a little forewarning never hurt anyone."
Aria stared at her guest, who leaned back into the couch. The lights died down as the song changed around them to an even heavier bass beat.
Shepard resumed speaking over the music. "I'm looking for information on a Salarian named Mordin Solus. I'm also trying to find Archangel."
Aria scoffed. "I can't give you much on Archangel other than a trail of bodies to follow. He's been lying low for the last few weeks. He's Turian, and smart - he hasn't broken the first rule of Omega," she motioned to herself, "So I haven't needed to know more than that. Mordin is in the C block of the apartment slums running a clinic. I'm sure he has his hands full with an outbreak of plague that I've had locked down for the past few days. No one in or out until it runs its course."
"A plague?"
"Yes. We haven't identified its origin but it's been affecting everything not human or vorcha down there. It's Blue Suns territory, so as you can imagine, the Blood Pack have been taking advantage and moving in." Shepard's eyes widened. "Don't worry, I think Mordin is ex STG. He can handle himself," the asari finished.
"Only humans surviving, huh?" the Commander gave Aria a look. It was well known that Vorcha were resistant to sickness of any kind. That's what happens when you are a walking disease. The Asari looked away for a moment, contemplating, before she turned back. "I get it, Shepard. I'll monitor what the Collectors are up to. If I find anything interesting, you'll be the first person I contact."
The Human reached out and tapped her host's knee before standing.
"Thanks Aria, stay safe," she shouted, gave a 2 fingered salute, and walked down from the precipice into the throngs of bodies on the lower level.
Shepard stopped at the bar and motioned to a turian to pour her a finger. The club was hopping as usual; patrons crowded onto the dance floor; and sequined Aasari maidens, Humans, and Turians danced on their tables. People came and went from side rooms conducting who knows what business in the anonymity the vast three-floored establishment provided. There were perks to having the only one on the station. Not that anyone would dare challenge Aria and open another, even in the same system. She drummed on the bar top and gazed at the surrounding occupants before something caught her eye behind the bartender. When he walked back up with her drink, she pointed.
"Is that Serrice Ice Brandy?" He turned to follow her finger, then nodded. "How much for a bottle?"
Thirty minutes later, Shepard stood outside the apartment block smoking a cigarette and chuckling to herself as she held up a Cerberus credit chit to the light. She palmed it as a pair of familiar black and white clad Humans jogged up to her. Miranda scowled.
"I didn't work that hard on you, Commander, just to watch you undo all of it," she snatched the cigarette, threw it down and ground her heel on top of it. The other woman sighed and pouted at the crushed butt.
"I hate to break it to you but you really aren't gonna love my incoming cirrhosis," she retorted. Jacob turned a chortle into a cough behind them. Shepard snapped her head up as he looked away and rubbed his neck. Her lips twisted into a smile.
"All right team xenophobe, I've got just the mission for us Human lot. Let's go get a salarian!" She motioned to the two turian guards standing in front of the apartment block entrance. The dark-haired woman scowled harder.
"There is more to Cerberus than what you think Comm- WAIT," Miranda caught her arm as she walked towards the doors. "You are going like that?" She gestured to Shepard's jeans, tank top, and jacket.
"What?"
"Your message said Blood Pack Commander?" Jacob interjected.
"Oh come on, just a few vorcha and a little plague?" she smacked the personal shield on her belt loop. "This, and all your lovely enhancements are all I need Miri!" Shepard exclaimed with a touch of scorn. Miranda made a strangled sound in her throat like she would protest before Shepard's scrutiny made her think better of it.
Hours later saw Shepard, Jacob, Mordin, and Miranda stepping into the Normandy's airlock. Ms. Perfection was absolutely drenched in Vorcha blood. The N7 bit back a smile while looking at the operative's fuming face. She had to turn away and cough to mask her laugh. Jacob picked pieces of entrail off of Miranda's back that the cycle couldn't remove. As the decon procedure ran around the team, Shepard caught her hair in front of her to scrutinize the singed ends. "Christ, damn pyroclastic little bastards really got me with my shield down, didn't they?" She took off her jacket to inspect the charred edges. Mordin blinked at the Commander.
"Yes, but impressive that you made it alive with cure distributed. Recommend armor next time," the Salarian spoke cheerily and walked away humming a tune as the airlock opened to let them onto the Normandy. Jacob called after Mordin to show him the lab. Joker spun his chair and glimpsed Miranda's pissed-off visage as she stomped towards the elevator. He turned to regard Shepard for a second and whistled.
"Now there's the Commander I remember," he said as he eyed the bomber jacket and the jeans. When she twisted to face him, the light twinkled off her new jewelry. "A lip ring, Shep? Really? What are you, sixteen again?"
Shepard leaned over, took his hat off by the brim to his mild protest, and set it on her own head. "I happen to like it. Besides, when the regs are away, a girl will play! Hey, did my stuff make it here?"
Joker pointed down the causeway into the CIC. "Yeah, a few boxes showed up a while ago…"
"Oh hell yes!" Shepard sprinted down the hall to dig through the items before he was even done talking. She jogged back up to the pilot's chair a minute later and dropped a takeout container into his lap. He flinched.
"Geeze Commander, fragile, remember?"
"Stop whining and open it," she commanded. He popped the heat element to reveal a steaming hamburger and fries.
"Ooh shit, you are the best CO I've ever had!" he exclaimed before he took a big messy bite. He leaned back in bliss as he chewed.
"And that's not all!" she proclaimed in an announcer's voice, "This personalized meal delivery comes complete with the latest special edition Fornax!"
Joker let out a long childish 'woohoooooo' as she tucked the data pad into his seat.
"I even got you a coke!" she said and set it down next to him.
"Shepard, have I ever told you how much I love you? Really? Because it's more than this luxury leather chair," he sighed. "Private sector life is great, we shoulda done this sooner."
"We only had to work for a terrorist group to get it too," she muttered darkly.
"Hey, I don't know about you, but I work for THE Commander Shepard, NOT Cerberus. I don't care what it says on the hull." The pilot caught her hand, gripped it, and smiled.
Her face softened as she tugged the appendage gently from his and backed away. "Okay okay, no more sappy shit. I've got a mother to please," she smirked and dragged the bottle of brandy from her jacket pocket before she turned to move through the CIC. "Sorry class, I didn't bring enough for us all," she called to the crewmen milling about the consoles. "EDI, can you have the rest of the boxes brought to my quarters?"
"Certainly, Commander."
"HEY... wait! Give me back my hat, devil woman!" Joker's voice rang out past the galaxy map. The crews' eyes turned towards the elevator doors that were just shutting on the wide, wicked grin of their Captain.
A shower, a nap, a read over of some dossiers, an email from Anderson, a
talk with Zaeed and Mordin, and even an extended shore leave on Omega - brought up nothing more on Archangel. The Commander slouched against a dirty wall in a nondescript back alley on the station. Shepard transferred credits to the Batarian in front of her and ran a frustrated hand through her hair as she spoke.
"He went after Garm a few nights ago, the leader of the Blood Pack around here. Doesn't sound like Archangel walked away unharmed. My bets are that the krogan is still kicking though, he's a tough son-of-a-bitch," the informant uttered in a gravelly tone.
Shepard inclined her head in thanks and waved the batarian off. So Archangel could be wounded, dead, or dying. The trail of bodies had otherwise gone stale for Miranda and Jacob too. She lit up her Omni tool to scroll through the dossiers again and hit her com.
"EDI, it's a long shot, but have we gathered enough info for you to generate any ideas?"
"Negative Commander, information is inconclusive."
"Lawson? Did your convo with Tim do us any favors?"
"Negative as well, Commander," came Lawson's accented voice. "He said he had agents out for further clues but nothing else. I will assume this means our vigilante is good at his job if he were easy to find he wouldn't be worth our time."
Shepard hummed in agreement, then sighed. Luckily, she wasn't holding anything she could throw at that moment. "This is fuckered. That was the last source. I need to go to Anderson and figure out where I stand with the Alliance and the Council. If they will back me again, it'll be valuable resources we need." She squinted at one dossier in particular, "Plus, we've got a date with a Krogan and a criminal." She turned and strode out onto the crowded street to make her way to the Normandy.
"Joker, all hands on deck?"
"Yes Commander, all crew are checked in from shore leave."
"Fine, I'll rendezvous in..." She glanced at her tool again, "15 minutes. Set course for the Citadel, we leave in 20."
"Roger that Shep, see you soon."
The Commander jogged across the Presidium. It always struck her as oddly… plastic. Like a Fisher-Price toy set up here, with all the best looking examples of each space faring species parading around in their nicest clothing. At least on Earth, it was easy to tell how much dirty money funded the trendiest communities. Up here the Asari were much better at hiding things like that. It made her skin crawl, honestly. She made a turn and strode quickly through the Human Embassy. Lots of Elcore hanging around, must have been something going on today.
Luckily Anderson was still the Human Councilor after her nomination. Thank God. She half expected that slimeball Udina would have somehow managed to get the role, especially since so much of her hard work before her death had been undone. She could see his name plate all the way down the hall. The sight buoyed her, she sprinted the 300 feet down the corridor, taking in stride every look thrown her way as she did. His door cycled open as she approached. Security biometrics of some kind?
"Anderson!" She called.
The man spun towards her, shock written into the fine lines of his face. "My God, it really is you." He murmured.
Shepard marched up to her mentor. "In flesh newly derived from a terrorist organization no less."
He stuck a hand on her shoulder, gingerly at first, perhaps deciding if she was real or not? A smile spread across the deep tones of his face. "I'm so glad to see you Shepard." He grabbed her paldron tightly.
He'd aged in the last two years. There was much more gray along the sides of his face than she remembered. A knot of guilt twisted inside her belly. " How have the last few years treated you?"
He sighed and moved to the balcony on one side of his office, his elbows propped on the banister. "There have been some rough spots. I never expected to be serving on the Council in my twilight years. It's about the equivalent of beating my head against a wall most of the time." The man dragged a hand through his cropped hair.
Together they leaned over the railing, watching the foot traffic across one of the bridges below them.
Anderson's gaze fell on her profile. "You've heard what happened after…" He obviously couldn't bring himself to say, 'after you kicked the bucket'.
"Yeah, I've heard. A bit from Joker and Chakwas, with Aria filling in the holes." Shepard turned and leaned a hip against the rail, folding her arms.
"Aria? From Omega?" His brow furrowed.
"The one and only."
"Well, not the way I would have preferred you to find out but I'm glad to hear that's where Karin and Jeff disappeared to. I heard he just up and quit, but considering what the Alliance put him through… I wasn't surprised. Karin put in a notice for official leave though, and that piqued my interest, but I never dreamed you'd be the cause. Good for them, they are doing what they believe in." His lip corner pulled up, but the smile never made it to his eyes.
"To hell with all this political bullshit then, come with me Anderson."
"Heh. You're the one who put me here Shepard. And as much as I don't like it you were right, I do think it was better to not have a lifelong politician in the role. But knowing the truth about Sovereign… it's nightmare stuff. I get it. I can't blame anyone for not wanting to believe it, but I know how important it is, so I keep trying. Fight the good fight, right? I'm too old to go traipsing across the galaxy anyway. The frontline is yours, Shepard. Even if it's with Cerberus." He fixed her with that stare again.
"Don't think I don't know. But, they brought me here, they gave me a ship and a gun, and they are funding me to do something about the missing colonists. That's good enough for me at this point. The Alliance and the Council may have written off the Reapers but they can't write off our colonists. Someone needs to do something." She frowned. "Did they not even look at Sovereign's corpse? One look at that thing should have told them everything they needed to know about the Reapers."
"You saw how it was. There wasn't much to look at, pieces rained all over the station. It was chaos, who knows how many of each species combed the wards for their dead. We secured as much of it as we could, but between the Keepers and a whole lot of… unauthorized salvage, we couldn't account for even half of that thing. That's another reason the Council won't acknowledge what Sovereign was."
"Yeah and the other reason was what, because no one but my crew spoke with the VI on Ilos?" She grumbled darkly.
His brows furrowed and dropped. "You know once anyone else got there that VI's power reserves had run out."
"Yeah this is all really convenient isn't it."
"Look, you are preaching to the choir here Shepard. I'm on your side. There's barely a day that goes by that I don't mention it to the Councilors."
"I get it. Cerberus thinks that the Reapers are behind the colonist abductions though. If I find any proof at all I'll be sending it along. I'm going to have the best suit cameras money can buy this time."
Anderson's mouth snapped shut and a muscle in his jaw tightened. Oh, they might know something about the colonists after all. Hm. "How's Alenko doing?"
If it was possible, the muscle in the Admiral's jaw tightened further. Interesting. "He's doing fine."
What was that little tiny bit of info? "He still with the Alliance?"
The older man spun his face away from her. "Yes of course. He bleeds blue after all."
She nodded. "And what are they doing about these abductions? Anything?"
He locked his hands behind his back. "I'm not at liberty to say at the moment."
Oh, bingo. They were up to something alright, something that had to do with her by that 'not at liberty'.
The door behind them cycled open audibly behind them, causing them both to turn towards it. The scumbag himself slinked through.
"Anderson, we need to talk ab -" He gasped loudly as soon as he laid eyes on her. "Shepard!"
She smirked. "Oh look, it's the top contender for people I never wanted to see again."
He glowered at her. "Believe me, the feeling is mutual. My God, your return is a bureaucratic nightmare for us!"
Anderson stepped between them. "I invited her here to speak with the Council, did you need something ambassador?"
Udina balked. "You, what?! Councilor, do the words political shitstorm mean nothing to you?!"
Shepard stepped into the ambassador's space. "I had to come all the way back from the fucking dead to do something for the Humans who need us, while you useless politicians bicker! You should care more about your people Udina!" She stabbed a finger into his chest.
The man was ballsy at least, he straightened and pushed right back into her space. "All you soldiers think alike, charging head first into problems instead of thinking about long term consequences!"
"Udina!" Anderson snapped. "I'm making the decisions around here. Your job is to clean up the mess I leave behind. Understand?"
The smaller man turned his sour look to the Admiral. "Of course, Councilor. Given the size of this one I guess I'd better go and get started. I'll be in my office." He spun with one last sneer aimed at her before leaving.
"Council meeting huh? I get to break Sparatus over my knee personally?" She rubbed her hands together.
Anderson smiled. "Sadly no, I think Valern is here on the station since the Matriarchs run most things for the Salaraians, but Sparatus and Tevos are on their homeworlds. You'll have to settle for a video call." He motioned towards the back wall where there was a row of holo decks.
Shepard stared into the cup of chamomile tea she had brewed. Desperation. That's what tea is. Watered down plant juice that people pretend can make anything better - can't sleep? Tea! Sprained ankle? Tea! Heart murmur? TEA. At 0300 hours feeling sorry for herself in the mess hall in her pajamas is childish at over 30, right? Wait. Am I even over thirty? Do two years on the bench still count as aging? Let's just say no. Nightmares that dragged her awake, gasping for breath, were commonplace now. Sometimes, she was watching Saren blow his brains out... sometimes she was back in space listening to her seals leak. Lately, a new favorite was the two overlapping - she was blowing her brains out to keep from suffocating over a planet of blue and red fire while Sovereign's metallic voice echoes around her. 'Before us, you are nothing. Your extinction is inevitable. We are the end of everything.'
She sighed and dropped her head into the crook of her arm. What she wouldn't give to talk to Garrus right now. He was there, he spoke with it. Or Tali... or Kaiden... or Liara. They'd get it. She wondered if they had nightmares too. Well, they might have - years ago. They had years to process the battle of the Citadel, and to process her death. God, had there been a funeral? Of course there was. She made a note to go look it up on the extranet someday when she felt she could mentally handle it.
Sparatus's visage making air quotes kept spinning round and round in her thoughts. Stupid Turians didn't even have enough fingers for air quotes. He just did it to piss her off from the safety of his holo call. 'Ah yes Reapers,' he'd spouted. ' The immortal race of sentient starships allegedly waiting in dark space. He clicked his tongue. 'We have dismissed that claim.' Shepard's fist tightened around the mug. Fucking bastard. What she wouldn't give to wring that neck of his.
She stood, abandoning her tea, and strode to the elevator. She took it down to the CIC and padded quietly on bare feet past the lab - she could hear Mordin moving inside. Down the hall in the cockpit... yeah, he was there. She could see his arms hanging over the sides of his chair.
"Joker?" she called out softly. She saw his arms yank back in behind the chair back and he sucked in a loud breath. "Ahh, sorry, didn't mean to scare you."
He turned to her. "No no, it's okay, I didn't hear you. I wasn't sleeping on the job or anything though, so no worries," he spoke with a sleepy croak. The pilot had dark eye circles that rivaled hers. He took stock of her disheveled appearance in a tank top and shorts. He waved her up to his chair at her silent hesitation at the edge of the little room.
"Do you normally sleep up here Joker? You aren't even on duty yet."
"Not normally, no. This is where I sleep when Hadley's snoring is out of control," he yawned.
"What's our ETA to Korlus?"
He turned to squint at the console. "Six hours Commander." She nodded.
"What did Anderson and the Council have to say to their recently undead Spector? I would have loved to have seen their shocked faces," his lips turned up at the corners.
Shepard snorted, "They weren't shocked at all. They knew I was alive and well. The only shocked person was the C-Sec agent who recognized me when the scanners told him I was KIA, and a few people I walked by. Someone's told them, and Anderson was shifty. I mean, I am being backed by Cerberus so I expected the cold shoulder, but not to that extent. Even the Council was more forthcoming." She paused. "I had to play kiss ass but, at least I'm a Specter again."
Joker scratched at his beard. "At least something good came of this trip. I hate dealing with the Citadel's control tower crew. Oh, and we got a thief too I guess. Not that I fully understand how that's helpful."
The Commander nodded. "I get it. But she's already proven she's a tech beast. It'll be nice to have one aboard."
The pilot shook his head. "Man, Anderson stonewalling you is weird. He treated you like his own kid, you should have seen him after…" he trailed off, leaving the 'after your death' unsaid. "Anyway I look at it, that's fishy."
"Tell me about it, and he wouldn't give me any info on Kaiden at all," she leaned against the Copilot's seat.
"So we are playing who's the rat then," Joker sighed and leaned back with his hands threaded behind his head.
"Either the Salarians are even faster than I thought, or it was Tim himself."
Joker's face scrunched. "Tim?"
She let out a breath. "Oh, that's my new nickname for 'The Illusive Man'. God, what a stupid name."
"And if it was him?"
"Nothing changes. I'm already prepared for betrayal," Shepard muttered. They were both silent for a beat.
The pilot looked at her. "Christ Commander, you really look like shit, you know?"
She rolled her eyes and turned away. "I'll sleep when I'm dead. Again."
"You should say something to Chakwas about it," he gazed at her pointedly.
"EDI, wipe all recordings in the cockpit for the next 30 minutes," she barked.
"Done, Commander," the AI's smooth voice answered.
The suspicious look the flight lieutenant gave her was great, she'd be remembering that face for a while. "I've got a favor to ask. As a friend, not as your Captain."
His eyes were still narrowed, but he nodded once.
"So, I'm here out of desperation. Can I have some of your time, willfully given with no witty comments or using it against me later? In fact, it'd be best if we never thought of it again after this," she looked anywhere but at him.
"Spit it out Commander, geeze," he spoke.
"It's easier if I just show you," the soldier closed her eyes and was motionless, steeling herself before she climbed up the armrest of his chair and sat, letting it hold her weight. She rested her legs into his lap and bent over to rest her head on his shoulder. Her arms curled into both of their chests. "Thank you for being here, Jeff," she murmured softly.
The moment she'd moved, he had thrown both arms to his sides to avoid touching her. He held them there awkwardly for a minute before resting one hand on her back and one hand on her leg, fingers curled under her knee. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," he answered back just as quietly.
After a while, he whispered. "I'm so sorry, Shepard," into her hair. Not surprising, the guilt he felt was so massive it hung in the air between them during every interaction. She could sense it, see it in his face. God, for two years he'd felt like this.
"I've never for a second blamed you, Jeff," she said into his neck.
They sat there in silence, staring out at the stars.
Jacob stared hard with a hand on his chin. "Come on Commander, you've got an L5 implant, going harder should come easier to you than me. I'm only an L3 here."
"Says the person who has been a training biotic since he was a kid," Shepard sighed and dragged a towel over her face to mop the sweat.
"You've made improvements, the biofeedback therapy is working. All of us went through this. You can move this," he laid the smooth metal orb back down on the ground and took a few steps back.
She scratched at an electrode and stuck a hand out towards the ball again. Minutes passed, a sheen worked back up on her face and arms. The training instrument remained where it sat, quiet. The Cerberus operative kept his eyes on his omni tool readings, looking for any blip or sign from her monitoring equipment. Past the 10 minute mark, still no movement and Shepard's visage grew ever darker. The hair from her ponytail was sticking to the back of her neck and shoulders...a frustrated scream tore from her throat. Shepard's fist glowed blue as she ripped the offending elastic from her head and launched it across the shuttle bay. Her hair fell around her in a tangle as nails tore one cathode off a sports bra clad chest in anger. She immediately regretted the move - she hissed in pain and her fingers came up to cover the angry skin left behind.
Jacob ran a hand over his face a few times. "You are aware biofeedback only works when you are calm - you can't tap into the control it takes to master your nervous system with that much anger."
"Yeah? I'd like to see you get brought back from the dead by a terrorist group to save an ungrateful galaxy from a threat they don't believe in, be expected to master a skill you never had in a few months time, all with no sleep, and NOT be angry about it all. Christ, I can't even DIE in peace. This is fucking ridiculous," Shepard muttered darkly.
"You're still not sleeping, Commander?" He looked alarmed.
"That's what you took outta all that?" She shook her head and laughed bitterly.
The operative exhaled. "Well, you won't want to hear this now, but you did it."
She looked at him skeptically.
"The hair tie," he motioned towards where it had flown. "Did you pay attention to how that felt?"
The soldier flipped her locks out of her face. "Not really, other than mad."
"Well, maybe I'm wrong, maybe anger is the answer for you. Lets try it again," he jogged off to find the hair band.
Shepard gazed fondly over at the weight bench in the corner gym. "Can't we just go back to working out?" she called after him. He gave her The Look over the shuttle before he disappeared.
"EDI, how's that mining coming?"
It was Miranda's haughty voice that answered instead. "Ignore that request EDI, the Commander is just using you as a distraction when she should be training. It's going as well as it was 10 minutes ago when you last asked," the comm turned off abruptly.
It was mutiny, dammit.
