I Do Not Own Mass Effect Or Ozzy Osbourne's Song "BloodBath in Paradise."
Chapter Four: Preferring the Former
"Can we talk about this?" Shepard demanded as he followed after Tali.
"No." She spat automatically without stopping. Wayne bit his lip and tried to hold onto her shoulder but Tali flung his arm away.
"Tali at least let me explain." Wayne stated with an edge in his voice.
"This conversation is over!" Tali barked with dark steel in her voice that Wayne was unaccustomed to hearing from her. A small shiver stung down his back and was at a loss for words. Finally at an overhang that looked onto one of the ponds that littered the Citadel Tali stopped.
"Go back to the ship…maybe we'll talk." Tali said wistfully Shepard balled his calloused hands into a fist. He wasn't going to back down… he never did.
"No. We talk about this now. What happened was a mistake!" Shepard barked with a fire consuming his voice. Tali's head sharply turned to face Shepard. Her aura was akin to blade aimed at Shepard.
"A mistake! No, a mistake is when someone tries to jury-rig a six cylinder drive casket with a type eight driver. That was an insult... to learn that you never once mentioned me, us to the person who raised you! Yet you could tell her all about Liara! Do I look promiscuous and blue?" Shepard dropped his shoulders a defeated look about him.
"That was why we went to see her… I was going to… I just wanted you to meet Lara. It wouldn't have felt right telling her that I was seeing someone else unless it was in person and I wanted you to meet her. Really I did but she never gave me the chance to introduce you." Wayne pleaded with his eyes cast down to the ground.
"I'll see you on the ship." Wayne added before walking off with his head hung low and his lips filled with silent curses.
"Wait." Tali ordered levelly. Shepard froze and took in a small breath, afraid of whatever was going to happen next.
"It is over between the two of you, right. I mean really over?"
"I've told you, it's been over two years…what I had with Liara is done." Tali didn't say anything more as Shepard walked off, his head disappearing into the crowd. Once she was sure he was gone Tali began typing into her Omni Tool. Her combat and surveillance drone activated.
"Chiktikka, watch over him, make sure he stays out of trouble." She requested quietly. Her drone offered several reassuring blips before following after Wayne.
Shepard strode down the Citadel streets until coming up to the Zakera ward. With navigated precision he found his way to the Dark Star Lounge. He sat near the end and waved the server down.
"Water." He stated absently
"Got it chief." The turian replied before heading back to the center of the bar. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid! Wayne thought as he shifted in his seat. Things never went his way and when they did things got in his way… Collectors, Reapers or God knew what else would step in. As he dwelled on it, his water was delivered. He graciously took his glass and thanked the turian. Before the server left Wayne asked if he had a smoke, which he didn't. Wayne thanked him all the same and sipped on his water.
A couple of minutes passed and some of the edge that had built up was ebbing away. Wayne didn't think things through. He should have said something to Tali. He should have said a lot of something's to her. With his glass empty Wayne was about to leave when he spotted Garrus walking into the Dark Star Lounge. He was hurriedly joined by the turian and another round of water was brought to the table.
"How's that lead?" Shepard asked dully.
"It's good that I found you, we don't have time to talk but I'm onto something big." Garrus uttered fastly before getting up to stand.
"I thought we were going to do this tomorrow." Shepard replied as he placed a couple of credit chits onto the table. Garrus shook his head and made his way for the door.
"Things changed... we have to move on this lead now. I'll explain in the shuttle." Garrus growled, motioning for Shepard to follow. The two double timed down the street neither speaking to one another. Once they reached the Normandy's transport shuttle Shepard accessed the transport armory and readied up. His hands lightly drawing across the rifles until finding its home on the M-8 Avenger, one of Shepard's personal favorites. Coupled with his M-27 Scimitar, the Carnifex hand cannon and the Mantis sniper rifle Shepard was ready.
"Alright, what's the game?" Shepard asked as leaned forward. Garrus checked his thermal ammunition stores before saying anything. It was his habit, his click. Then he overlooked his weapons and made sure they were loaded. He was a thorough man Shepard had to admit.
"My informant got the low down on a smuggling ring that is trying to start up. Organs and the like right, but here's the kicker… remember Saleon, the geneticist?" Shepard nodded his head slowly and replied.
"I remember you placing a hole in his head." Shepard quipped. Garrus allowed himself to chuckle but quickly suppressed it and continued.
"It turns out that the salarian had an apprentice. Right now he's small time but he's about to enter a meeting with the Blood Pack to negotiate a contract to fund his experiments and in turn he finds a cure for the genophage. He's wanted for pretty hefty charges so they're here to get him to Omega safely."
"Tuchanka all over again…" Shepard uttered as he recalled Mordin's student, Maelon. With a slight breath Wayne loaded a fresh thermal clip into his rifle and clicked his Omni Tool Mp3 player on. Ozzy Osbourne's "Blood Bath in Paradise" started to play through his wrist speaker. Garrus clicked his mandibles together and eyed Wayne uttering under his breath.
"Human music…"
"Respect the classics." It was Wayne's only reply before the shuttle came to an abrupt halt. Garrus reflexively gripped his M-3 Predator.
"This isn't the drop, something's wrong."
"We don't have a full complement, we solid for hitting these guys?" Shepard voiced as he edged toward the door to front of the shuttle.
"No, but that never stopped us before." He called back as he covered the passenger exit. Shepard looked to Garrus and counted down from five silently. As he reached one he gave Garrus an affirmative nod and slammed his hand onto the door command console and readied his side arm.
Three Vorcha held the pilot's corpse. Shepard placed several rounds into their heads and kicked their corpses from the adjacent door. Several more loud thumps were heard, they were on top of the shuttle! Shepard propelled himself toward the door and shut it. As he did he looked upward, a Blood Pack transport shuttle was directly above with more Vorcha. They would be inside in a matter of seconds at this rate.
"Hold on Garrus."
"Shepard what are you do…" Cut off mid-sentence Garrus found himself on the ceiling. Wayne had flipped the shuttle belly up and back to normal flight. Yet there was still that clanging.
"Mag boots!" Garrus called as he shot several rounds into the ceiling, three meeting there intended target. Wondrous tech, industrial magnetic lock boots…created as a way for hired labor to quickly repair the exterior of space vessels, harder to reach sections of tall buildings or anywhere that was deemed "hazardous." However, due to danger concerns they were discontinued. Now they are mostly used by pirates… or in this case Blood Pack Mercs.
"Alright, uh… hold on… again!"
"Shepard don't do any…" Again he was cut off, this time by the advanced pull of the shuttle rapidly ascending and crashing into the Blood Pack's transport. Once free from all the Vorcha, Wayne slammed the acceleration to full speed nicking a number of other shuttles in the process… the song, Blood Bath in Paradise" Reaching its end.
After getting well enough away Garrus sank back into the seat next to Shepard. Both were silent. Shepard was the first to break the silence.
"You could have said something about psychotic pissed Vorcha…"
"And you could have given me more warning before going insane on the wheel!" Shepard cracked a smile and added without missing a beat.
"I said hold on." Garrus only grumbled and placed a new thermal clip in his side arm.
"Hold on does not warrant flipping the entire vessel upside down." Garrus mumbled. Then all of a sudden he looked to Shepard and tilted his head to one side.
"Just remembered, I thought Joker said you went out with Tali, where is she?" Wayne let out a silent curse and squeezed the controls lightly.
"Fight." Shepard said simply.
"Another one?" Garrus mused. Shepard's answer was to drive faster.
"What happened?" Garrus stated simply. Shepard clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and lowered the speed. He clapped his hands onto the wheel, looking for the best way to answer.
"I messed up. I brought Tali to meet someone, my Ma. Thing is… well, I never told Ma about Tali. All this time she thought I was still with Liara."
"And?" Garrus asked pensively. Shepard just shook his head and turned his attention back to the skies.
"Things got confusing and before you knew it, bam... I was in trouble." Garrus clicked his mandibles together. His tell that he was displeased. He looked to Shepard and then to his Predator side arm.
"This one's on you, Shepard. Only thing I can offer is that you better be good at apologies." Shepard agreed numbly. He wasn't going to rehash this with Garrus. No he was too focused on how to apologize to Tali. She deserved so much better… Just thinking about this made Wayne's hands itch and his head burn. He needed to hit something.
"How far until we reach the drop?" Shepard asked quietly. Garrus just nodded his head forward.
"We're here." Garrus replied, holstering his side arm.
"We got a plan?"
"Figured we'd wing it…Doubt we have the element of surprise. Those Vorcha probably radioed in." Shepard offered a halfhearted smile and brought the shuttle down for a landing. The two made a hasty touchdown with weapons readied. Garrus took point until reaching a latter that led onto a maintenance overhang.
"I'll provide cover from up top. If things get dicey, fall back and lure them into this alleyway. They'll have nowhere to go and nowhere to retreat."
"Good plan but they can circle around onto the other catwalk and reach you. If that happens your battle plan goes to hell, Leonidas." Garrus's mandibles clicked rapidly as he tilted his head and asked with a curious lilt.
"Leon-who?" Shepard grinned and just started down the hallway.
"Nothing." Halfway down he was met by several batarian mercs. Blue Suns? This was supposed to be Blood Pack… Wayne did a double take, not just Blue Suns, there were krogan Blood Pack and Eclipse. Shepard put it together fast enough and felt devastatingly out numbered. This was one hell of a play.
"Freelancer, surprised to see you here." A familiar, level voice rang from the shadows. Tarak stepped forward. He looked more machine than batarian. Half of his face was metal, his right arm was cybernetic and so were both of his legs.
"That was a hell of a fight on Omega… I lost Jentha, one of my best." Tarak offered with a Phalanx hand cannon aimed at Shepard's chest.
"You can tell our mutual friend to stand down, now."
"How?" Was Shepard's only reply. Tarak smirked for a shadow of a second and cracked his neck.
"It was hard to track down Archangel, damn near impossible but once he joined you, everything fell into place. Now tell that C-Sec failure to stand down." Shepard flexed his hands behind his back. Only two options were present: Die fighting or die slowly at the hands of mercs. Shepard preferred the former.
"Garrus, go loud!" Shepard barked before readying his M-8 assault rifle.