W.i.t.G
What's up guys!
I hope everything's going well in your lives so far :)
Exams are still a pain in the arse, but I'm working hard to battle through them.
To those of you who have still stuck by this story, and subsequently by me, you have my thanks. Seriously. It's awesome to know I have a readership base.
To those of you who have lost faith in either my updating abilities, or my writing skills, then all I can do is apologise. I'm not going to beg you to come back, but I'll simply wish you luck in finding some more ME fics.
And finally, to those of you who are just joining, then welcome! I don't bite, but kill-phil, my co-author, might. He's crazy like that :P
Chapter 19 is finally here, and guess what? For those of you who have been waiting for the romance to fully blossom, I merely ask that you just give me a few more chapters. It's nearly upon us! Hopefully...
In the reviews for the last chapter, a lot of you mentioned that you wished to see some more of Tali. Alright, I get that, but I'll simply state that I wanted to focus on Garrus' troubles with Saleon. I need to look at the other characters as well guys.
So! For those of you wanting to satiate your fluffy taste buds (I know I do) I've decided to make this chapter purely about romance development. I feel bad for making you guys have to wait for a month before getting another chapter, so consider this a gift.
A relatively short fluffy piece for those of you who wanted to see Tali last chapter.
I know you guys were expecting the Saleon chapter, but I couldn't justify making such a large chapter, and simply tacking on the Saleon scenes at the end. It would diminish its impact, and make it relatively pointless.
So, you're just stuck with a fluffy chapter. *Sigh* I'm such a bad author...
I will be working on it though, so it should be coming out soon! And by that, I mean in like less than a month.
What can I say? I'm a nice guy after all.
Let's begin!
Although a cacophony of gunfire sounds in the background, all that can be heard is the sounds of a marine's heavy breathing. The screams of dying men and women perforate the air, as well as the raw carnal screeches of the Thresher's; these sounds do not meet the marine's ears.
For those left behind, their grim fate is revealed. They have finally become part of the cycle of life once more; a feast for the apex predators.
Hobbling as fast as he could, the young marine could only mutter silent prayers for those who had fallen.
The exertion of pushing his body to the limit, to simply run away from the threats all around him, was beginning to become too much.
Blood pounded in his ears; his muscles ached, and his left leg burned in agony. The marine had nothing left to help him fight back against the inevitable odds, not any more. All he had was a simple knife, one that had done nothing to help him in his time of need. His rifle...
It was dead weight. Literally.
The marine had left it behind, simply to try and give himself that much more of a chance at surviving; his instincts had taken over, with logical and rational thought having been seemingly left behind as well.
The marine continued to hobble away from the grim scene behind him; towards the squad's shuttle and the only remaining premise of safety on Akuze.
The squelching and sizzling sound of acid bubbling on human flesh finally met the marine's ears. Without stopping, the marine applied yet another dose of medi-gel to the area, hoping that his body could sustain the torment and agony it was undergoing. Just that little bit further, just enough to reach the shuttle...
It was all in vain.
The marine was only a few metres away from the spaceport, when his legs finally gave in and buckled.
Trying to roll with the fall, the marine smashed his injured leg into a nearby metal beam; the searing feeling of pain ran through his nerves as soon as his scorched leg had made contact with the cool yet firm metal.
Without trying to endanger himself further by revealing his position to the Thresher's, the marine bit his tongue hard, causing blood to ooze from the corner of his mouth. A few tears trickled down the side of the marine's face, causing clear lines to appear in the thick grime and dust that coated his face.
With his breathing remaining heavy, and adrenaline surging through his blood, it was getting increasingly difficult to hear the sounds of the massacre he had narrowly avoided.
A surge of panic rushed through his body suddenly, causing his muscles to jolt and his eyes to bulge.
He couldn't hear anything.
He hadn't lost his hearing, he knew that.
Everything had simply gone silent.
From an utter FUBAR to a deathly silence, like one found in a midnight graveyard.
That was what was truly terrifying.
With a grunt, the marine tried to get back onto his feet, to try and get away in the shuttle. Nothing mattered anymore except for survival.
He couldn't do it.
His legs were not responding to his needs. If his legs were not responding, then he couldn't get away. If he couldn't get away, then the Thresher's would eventually find him.
He was going to die on this planet.
And yet, he was not afraid.
With a tumultuous roar, a large Thresher broke through the ground next to the marine; acid dripping from its maw.
Feeding time...
In the last moments of the marine's life, all that came to his mind was the concept of déjà vu.
He'd been here before.
As strange as it seemed, he knew what came next.
With a heavy, rasping sigh, the marine turned his broken and struggling body to face his killer.
If he was going to be brought into Death's cold embrace, then he'd do it with a smile.
Defiant to the end.
As the Thresher leaned its maw downwards, the stench of corrupted blood and death suddenly filled the marines nose.
His eyes, bloodshot as they were, could just make out the remains of the Maw's last meal: limbs, stretched pieces of human flesh and shards of metal were strewn around in between the numerous needle like teeth.
No matter. His time had come, and he wouldn't shy away from it.
Closing his eyes, the marine reached into a pocket in his armor, finding exactly what he was looking for.
As his bloodied, cut fingers passed over the polished surface of his dog tags, his mind finally went blank.
The feeling of hot, acidic breath washed over the marine. Yet, he did not struggle in Death's embrace.
Darkness suddenly crept upon the marine's vision, and an immense weight surrounded him.
The Thresher had finally got him.
Chris Shepard was no more.
With a jolt, Shepard lunged forwards, and out of his bed, impacting with the cold floor below.
The only sound that could be heard in the room was Shepard's heavy rasping, and the only light source was the faint orange glow coming from the holo-clock on the commander's desk.
It had happened again.
'Every single fucking time!'
The commander stopped for a moment, to regain his composure.
Looking downwards, he could see that his bedsheets had gotten tangled up around his legs, into a giant ball, preventing him from moving.
Kicking his legs in a fury, Shepard removed himself from his own makeshift prison.
Once done, the commander slowly crawled over to the wall opposite his bed, right next to the door to his cabin.
With his back to the wall, Chris tried to calm himself down. His breathing had slowed down somewhat, but his heart was still pounding, and his skin felt as if it was on fire.
Sweat poured off the man's body, trying to relieve the body of its heat. The commander, however, felt as cold as ice.
His stomach felt as if it was twisted into many numerous knots, and his left leg burned in agony.
In his right hand, he clutched the dog tags that had been around his neck prior to the nightmare.
It was always the same.
The same nightmare scenario, over and over again. He would be so close to escaping, before being eaten by a Thresher.
Truth be told, there wasn't much that could terrify the commander.
Except for Thresher's. They plagued his attempts at sleep, reminding him of what shreds of innocence he lost on that hellhole called Akuze.
A small amount of time passed before Shepard could even think about getting up from his position.
When a few minutes passed by, the commander finally got to his feet. His legs were shaky and his movements disoriented, but he managed to stand.
Leaning heavily on his desk, Shepard blinked his eyes until he had adjusted to the dark.
All of a sudden, the commander was overcome with thirst. It was as if the dust and dirt of his nightmare had finally settled into his throat.
Smacking his dry lips together, Chris slipped on some underwear before opening his door, his sights set upon the canteen. He would get a quick glass of water, and then slip back into his room, undetected. It was third shift, so there was no need to get dressed fully.
'Who's going to be up at this time anyway? And if they see me like this, then they can just take a picture. It'd last longer...'
Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, the only quarian resident of the SSV Normandy, was awake during third shift.
Again...
For Tali, sleep was practically impossible on such a quiet ship. Due to the noise generated on the Rayya during flight, Tali had grown accustomed to associating the hum of the ship as being a sign of safety and control. If the ship could rumble on, then it was still working. If it went silent, then something had gone seriously wrong, meaning other quarian lives were in danger.
Every quarian knew something about repairs and makeshift patch jobs. It was just a skillbase that the quarians had evolved with.
Therefore, if there was a problem with ship maintenance, every quarian could assist.
The humans however, obviously did not share that sentiment.
There were engineering specialists, such as Adams and his team, but the other Alliance soldiers aboard the ship knew practically nothing about repairs and maintenance.
Humans were so strange.
For a quarian outsider, seeing all of the new pieces of equipment the Normandy used reflected upon humanities mentality.
If it was broken, don't bother trying to repair it. Just replace it.
That was especially true for Tali: Early on, before going to Therum, one of the thermal heating capacitors for the drive core had shorted out. Tali had spent hours tinkering away with the broken piece of junk, hoping to repair it. When she had finally succeeded, and had brought it back with her to Engineering, it had all been vain. Adams had simply ordered a new piece from the requisitions officer, and that had been that.
After that incident, Tali still tried to repair what she could, but was now conscious about the ability to simply replace parts. A luxury to a quarian engineer, and a regular occurrence for a human engineer.
As Tali continued to muse upon the differences between quarians and humans, for more reasons than just engineering, she began to slump into her seat in the canteen.
Instead of staying inside the tight confines of the sleeping pod, Tali preferred to sit and think in a fairly open area. The canteen worked perfectly for her.
Although she couldn't sleep, being awake during third shift did have some privileges.
For one, she could sit and think in peace and quiet. Some people would sit and talk through their problems and worries. Not Tali. She would lock her problems away, so as not to trouble anybody else with them.
An incredibly selfless act from an incredibly selfless person.
Once she had found a relatively comfortable position, her eyes began to get heavy with sleep. She couldn't push her body's need to sleep away any further.
Her eyes began to close slowly, her mind having given up in trying to stay awake.
A loud sudden crash however, caused Tali's mind to go into overdrive.
Sitting up straight, Tali's eyes began to scan her surroundings, her ears stretching to pick up any unusual sounds.
There was nothing.
For a few minutes, Tali merely sat at the table in the canteen, watching the shadows all around her, waiting for something to happen. Tali had already dimmed the lights in the canteen, preventing anyone from stumbling upon her by chance alone. That just meant that she had to rely on her predatorial instincts. Quarians had no need to use them, but as they had evolved from the plains of Rannoch, they had kept their ability to hunt efficiently intact.
Something did happen. But it was something that Tali had never expected.
To her left, the door to Chris' room opened, and out walked her human, wearing nothing but underwear; his body on display for all who wished to look.
As soon as Tali's eyes had made contact with his form, her eyes had bulged slightly and her jaw dropped.
All of a sudden, Tali grew very hot. Her body warmed considerably, to the point where her suit was displaying warnings of a temperature increase.
Tali quickly dismissed the warnings, as she continued to ogle the human in front of her.
It was lecherous, and perverse. She knew that.
But it was her human after all.
If it was anyone else, she would have just gone back to trying to sleep.
Chris walked quietly over to the sink in the canteen, completely oblivious to the quarian sat at the table. Tali continued to look on, a small part of her curious as to what he was doing, and the rest of her just glad she could see her human.
The commander filled his glass to the top, before turning to face the shadows. With a quick acknowledgement to nobody in particular, Shepard raised his glass.
What he didn't know however, was that Tali was staring straight at him from the shadows, two silver orbs contrasting with the overwhelming pitch black darkness.
Shepard quickly gulped down the water, before placing the glass in the bowl of the sink.
With an audible sigh of sudden contentment, the commander turned around to face the shadows once more.
That is, until his well trained senses told him he was not alone.
His eyes quickly scanned for the other person, as he adopted a prepared fighting stance.
Tali's happiness at seeing Chris had overwhelmed her lust filled ogling, and now she was simply staring at his face.
That is, until she realised he was looking straight at her.
Chris turned his head to the side slightly, as he noticed the two luminescent orbs in the darkness.
Tali followed suit, twisting her head to the side as well, mirroring Chris.
The two continued to look at each other for a few minutes, before Tali's human began to quietly chuckle.
"That you, Tal?"
There was no response for a moment, before the two orbs bobbed up and down slightly.
All of a sudden, the lights in the canteen were brightened, and the onlooker was revealed.
Sat at the table, with her arm outstretched and an omni-tool glowing, Tali meekly spoke:
"Hi Chris."
The commander merely smiled, as he slowly walked across, "What are you doing up at this time? Shouldn't you be trying to get some sleep?"
Tali stood up from her seated position and could only grin in response. Her eyes were twinkling in delight as she replied with a sharp tongue, "I could say the same to you."
Another smile, a sly one this time, "Touché."
"What?" Tali inquired quizzically.
Chris physically facepalmed, "Oh! Sorry. I forgot you're not human. It means yeah, you're right."
Tali, for reasons only known to her, decided that at that moment that she would be the one to initiate their usual teasing, "Of course I am. Silly human..."
Chris was startled for a moment, his mind drawing a blank at the impassive face of the quarian in front of him. It was only after her eyes twinkled once more that he realised what she was doing. Not missing a beat, the commander gave as good as he got, "Don't start with me, Princess. I'm a Captain according to you, remember?
"I remember. Captain Bosh'tet."
The two were getting unconsciously closer to each other, before they were only a few feet apart.
"You're going to have to tell me what 'bosh'tet' means one of these days." Chris said softly, as he stood up straighter.
Tali giggled; a cute, almost angelic sound; "Maybe I will. You just never know."
The pair continued to smile at each other, both finding each others level immediately. They could both get on with the other squad members fairly well, but for some reason, Tali and Chris just understood each other.
Tali was Chris' second chance at redemption, for failing to save Lucy, and Chris was something exotic and yet necessary for Tali. She never felt truly safe anymore unless he was nearby. Even now, unarmored and practically naked as he was, she felt safe near him. She knew nothing could really hurt her anymore, not when he was near.
Shepard somehow read Tali's mind. Looking down towards his own topless chest, Chris jovially spoke, "I should go and put a top on or something. It is a bit cold after all..."
Tali was slightly crestfallen at this remark, but she did not stumble or slip up in her response, "Okay Chris. I'll be out here if you want to, you know, just talk."
The commander turned to face the entrance to his quarters, before he replied softly:
"I'd like that."
A few minutes later, Tali could see Chris exiting his room again, a white t-shirt covering his chest, and a pair of shorts covering the tops of his legs.
As he started to slowly walk towards the canteen table, it was only now that Tali noticed Chris' dishevelled state.
The hair on his face, that humans for some reason had, had gotten longer and thicker, until his jaw line was coated in what looked like black fur. His eyes were bloodshot, and his hair slightly messy.
Still, to Tali, her human was as perfect as ever. There was an air of realism surrounding the commander, something that not many could say they had seen.
He was just as normal as everybody else. He wasn't some indestructible god of war, or a frenzied killing machine.
He was a man, just like any other.
Shepard didn't immediately sit down with Tali. Instead, he got what every servicemen required.
A cup of coffee.
Once a cup of black coffee had been made, Chris quietly placed himself across from Tali at the canteen table.
Tali could only look upon the cup in a form of childish wonder, her eyes examining the murky black liquid as if it were some sort of life giving essence.
To any member of the armed forces, it was.
Chris cupped the drink in between his hands, letting the steam waft up into his face, before gingerly bringing it to his lips.
With a quiet slurp, the commander took his fill before placing the cup down, letting an audible sigh escape his lips afterwards.
"That hit the spot..."
Tali said nothing as she continued to look in amazement at Chris.
Chris finally noticed Tali's look of curiosity, as he asked the only question that came to mind, "What?"
Tali deftly picked the cup up, before pointing to the substance inside, "What is it?"
"Come on. You know what that is. You have to know what that is!" Chris exclaimed in surprise.
Tali said nothing, merely shaking her head.
"Seriously?" Chris muttered, his eyes bulging slightly.
"I'm a quarian, Chris. I didn't really know what a human looked like until a month ago. This is completely new to me." Tali replied, her lips breaking into a smirk under her visor.
Chris nodded his head in a new found understanding, "Okay. Well, that right there is what keeps most soldiers fighting fit. Coffee."
Tali looked into the cup once more, before placing it on the table.
Chris was quiet for a moment, before his manners kicked in, "Would you like one? I can go and make another one."
"I can't. I'm dextro, remember?" Tali responded playfully.
Chris smirked slightly, as he merely nodded his head.
The two were silent for a while, the occasional sound of Chris drinking his coffee, or Tali tapping away at her omni-tool being the only sound to hear on the deck.
It was a comfortable silence, one that the pair could enjoy. It wasn't induced by a lack of anything to say, it was merely there because it felt right.
After Chris had finished his cup of coffee, he simply sat back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling, getting lost in his memories. Tali, however, suddenly spoke, "So, why is it that you're up at this time Chris?"
Chris' eyes darted downwards to meet Tali's, before he quickly replied, "I just couldn't sleep."
Tali grinned viciously as she leant forward in her seat, "What is it you humans say? Bullshit?"
Chris sat forwards as well, his face serious as he addressed the fiery quarian, "Are you feeling okay, Tali? The word 'insubordinate' comes to mind."
Tali gulped heavily, her mind reeling at that sentence and her mind suddenly chastising her for pushing things too far.
'Why did you do that bosh'tet?! You're not his best friend, or his equal! You can't just joke around and be unprofessional with him!'
"I-I apologise Captain. I didn't mean to act unprofessional." Tali stuttered quietly as her head lowered.
Chris sat back for a moment, his face still impassive. That is, until a massive grin split his lips. The scar on his face twisted with the grin, and Chris could only chuckle softly.
"I'm a bastard. That was too easy..."
Tali's head darted upwards suddenly, her eyes widening as her mind understood the meaning of his words.
"Y-You were teasing me again, weren't you?"
"What gave it away? The smile on my lips, or my confession?"
Tali's heart stopped it's guilty pounding, and her stomach stopped its twisting.
Chris lent forwards, placing a warm hand on Tali's shoulder as he did so, "Don't ever apologise for being you. I'm only a superior on the battlefield. On the ship, and when I'm off duty, I'm the definition of unprofessional. We're equal, you and I Tali. Don't ever forget that. Hell, if you really want, we can both go and be unprofessional together. Tease Joker or something."
Tali's eyes met Chris', and it was only then that she grasped the full significance of the situation.
She had definitely fallen for this man, but not just because of his exotic exterior.
His kind-hearted interior had won her over. He was the perfect man in her eyes.
Tali gently sighed, "I should really learn to notice when you're teasing me..."
"It won't be easy. I've had years of practice." Chris smirked.
Tali could only nod her head in response, knowing exactly what he meant. He was simply a tease by nature.
The two became silent once more.
"I had a nightmare Tal. About Akuze. That's why I can't sleep." The commander softly explained, disrupting the settled silence.
Tali's mind drew a blank at that statement, before being sent into overdrive; the twinkle in her eyes unconsciously displayed her concern and worry.
Her tone didn't exactly mask those feelings, "Keelah! Are you okay? Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, yeah... Everything's fine now. Coffee does wonders." A weak smile punctuated Chris' lie, his hands bunched up into fists on the surface of the table. From that one gesture alone, Chris had indicated that he didn't want to elaborate any further.
Tali could sense her human wasn't being honest with her; his voice didn't hold the same conviction and confidence it usually did when he was speaking the truth.
If she was going to get anywhere with him, then she'd have to be proactive.
Human men, and quarian men were fairly similar, it seemed.
Tali could remember the times when her father would always remain silent and brood upon his problems, and her mother would always hold his hand, to comfort him. At the time, Tali thought it was a silly, and rather pointless action, but now... Now she relied upon her mother's expertise.
If a simple touch could help her father with his troubles, then Tali could help Chris with his.
Tali reached a hand out over the table, touching one of Chris' fists; a peaceful, almost loving action. Her voice, when she spoke next, held a softness and desire to help that stunned Chris to the core, "Do you want to talk about it? I-I mean, I always feel better after talking through my problems, so maybe it can help you as well. I'm here for you, if you want my help."
Chris gazed at Tali's hand, resting atop his. Her small, warm and delicate three-fingered hand was trying to open up his large, cold and rough fist; an action that caused tingles to shiver across his skin. It was like a physical representation of the Beauty and the Beast.
Looking up from the joining, Chris couldn't help but stare into Tali's eyes, dumbfounded.
Here was a person who seemed to genuinely care about his wellbeing, wanting to help him through a rough time. The only other person he could recall who was as tender as Tali at this moment, was Lucy. But even then...
Lucy was soft and gentle, but Tali was on an entirely different level.
With Lucy, Chris would skirt around the issue until he eventually told her. Not because he didn't trust her, but because he just had trouble expressing himself in that way. She was able to extract the problems in some way, using her tenderness and love to help ease his worries. To Chris, Tali's touch seemed to amplify that effect.
For some unknown reason, the commander felt as if he could tell her his deepest and darkest secrets. And he could just tell, from looking into her eyes, that she'd keep them to her grave.
It was an extremely strange feeling, one that worried and excited him at the same time. With Lucy, he knew he was in love with her, but with Tali? Was he finally falling for her? Who else could provoke such a feeling from a simple touch?
Although he had only known her for about a month, it felt as if he had known her for years. She was definitely something special.
Chris' mind stopped its wandering, bringing him back to the present; the here and now.
Looking at the joining again, Chris opened his fist slowly, a gesture of openness and what could be construed as insecurity.
Tali's lips formed into a soft, and yet sad smile as she intertwined her fingers with Chris', "Do you want to talk about it?"
Chris nodded his head slowly, before he began quietly, "Okay. Well, the whole thing originates from back in my early days in the Alliance. I was only a corporal back then..."
After at least ten minutes of solid talking, the commander finally ended his recount of events:
"So yeah... I made it to the spaceport and into the shuttle, but I lost a lot that day. Some people, like Wrex, take pride and smile at the fact that I killed a pack of Thresher Maws, the only human to ever do so. I didn't kill them conventionally as most people think I did. Not very inspiring to be honest... I destroyed the colony's fuel reserves, near the spaceport to wipe them out. The helium-3 stuck to their armored hides, even when they tried to burrow for safety. That's how you kill a Thresher. Burn 'em out. But this nightmare though... I can never make it out. I always die on that wretched planet. And it's always the same one. I can never escape."
Tali was speechless.
She had faced down Geth, shot merc assassins and escaped with her life. But Chris... Compared to him, Tali had done next to nothing. She had no idea that her human had faced off against a pack of Thresher Maws - the apex predator of the galaxy - and lived. He had said that it wasn't 'inspiring' to hear how he had killed them with his own wits and survived the ordeal.
Any other person would have simply been proud of living.
The man had gone through so much, in just this one instance. He had survived, where no others had; he'd been wounded from the action, and now he was constantly reminded and plagued by the event in his dreams. He was living a constant nightmare within in his own head.
And Tali wasn't even acknowledging what little she knew about Lucy and the Batarians...
These events would have broken any other man. No matter the species.
Except for her human. He tried to cope on his own, whilst providing a facade to convince others that he was fine. He had rescued Tali, helped Wrex with his issues, saved millions of human lives from Batarian extremists, saved Ashley, and had offered his support to Garrus with his problems.
But who was there to offer their support for the man behind the facade?
No one. No one knew the pain he was suffering.
Until now.
The mental war being waged in his mind was like a vicious hurricane, laying waste to his inner core.
It was amazing that he hadn't contemplated ending his own misery.
Tali could only look upon her human's face in a new light. He was her broken hero, and nothing would ever change that. He would most definitely have other horrific events locked away deep inside of him, but they were to be inquired about in another time.
Chris sighed heavily, his face hallowed and weary from recounting a painful memory, "So, now you know."
"Now I know."
Tali squeezed Chris' hand once more, before she released her grip. Chris nodded his head in silent acknowledgement, before his eyes adopted a distant quality.
Tali slowly stood up from her seat, before moving to Chris' side.
The commander followed the quarian with his eyes, curious as to what she was doing.
Tali offered one of her hands down to her human, another smile on her lips, "Come on, Captain. Third shift will be over soon, and I don't think you want to be sat out here when the rest of the crew wakes up. Do you?"
Chris was silent for a moment, before he clasped his hand with Tali's again, "No, I don't. You're right."
With a heave, Chris lifted his weary body out of his chair.
Once ready to move, the pair walked side by side until they reached the entrance to the commander's room.
As the door opened silently, Chris turned to face his quarian psychologist:
"You know... It was nice to have someone to talk to, Tal. I feel better now. Thank you."
"You're welcome nehya. I'm just glad I could help." Tali replied, the slip-up only being noticed after she had said it.
Ever the observant listener, Chris tilted his head to display his curiosity, "Nehya? What's that?"
Tali became flustered all of a sudden, her mind drawing a blank when she needed a white lie the most.
Suddenly, the answer came.
"Nehya means 'brave one' in khelish. It's a term we use to describe warriors."
Chris continued to tilt his head, his eyes scanning Tali's visor, looking for any signs of deception.
After a minute, Chris stopped his searching. He knew she was lying, but he wouldn't say anything. Not yet.
The commander merely smiled at the quarian, before moving towards the open entrance to his room.
That is, until something stopped him suddenly.
Tali had already begun to walk away, back to her sleeping pod, when Chris shouted back, "Tal! You never told me why you were up!"
Tali stopped as well, before she turned about face and answered playfully, "I can't sleep on a ship as quiet as the Normandy. It's just not right for a quarian."
"So... You need loud noises to help you get to sleep?" Chris inquired.
Tali sighed inwardly. She didn't want to have to explain the details of her insomnia, adding another burden to the man's worries.
"Yes. I guess you could put it that way."
Chris' face broke out into a wicked smirk, as he ran off excitedly. All that could be heard before he left was, "Don't go anywhere! I'll be back in a minute!"
True to his word, a minute later and the commander exited his room once again, this time, with his omni-tool engaged on his left wrist.
Without any words being passed, the human sent a transfer packet of data to Tali's omni-tool.
Chris couldn't help the happy tone that laced his words, "There's some music in that data packet. It's pretty damn old, but I think it'll do the job."
Tali looked upon the songs that she had been sent, her eyes widening at this new gift.
"T-Thank you, Chris. I mean it."
Chris nodded his head, "Don't worry about it. You helped me, so now it's my turn to help you. It's only fair after all."
The two found their level once more, and a comfortable silence followed in its stead.
As the two were about to go their separate ways, Tali spoke out, primarily to give Chris a reason to stick around. She didn't want him to go just yet...
"Who's 'Eminem', Chris?"
Chris couldn't help but chuckle as he poked his head out of his doors entrance, "He was a rapper from Earth, back in the 21st century."
"Wow... That is old... Wait. What's a 'rapper'?" Tali inquired, her hands starting to dance with each other at her waist.
"Just listen to it Tal, you'll like it! Now go on. Go get some sleep, Princess."
"Aye aye, Captain Bosh'tet." Tali replied, a mock salute in place as her lips provided a jovial smirk under her visor.
Chris didn't reply, as he entered his room finally. The door silently shut, leaving Tali on her own once more.
Whilst Chris was getting into his bed, Tali entered her sleeping pod.
The sound of hissing could be heard on the deck as Tali locked herself away for the remainder of third shift.
With deft fingers, the quarian opened her omni-tool, and selected the file Chris had sent across.
After selecting 'Eminem', a random song came on. One that was just loud enough for Tali to ignore the silence generated by the Normandy.
'Beautiful' was indeed appropriate for the situation, as Tali's eyelids began to droop and sleep overwhelmed her, leaving her in the inky blackness of one's own imagination.
Likewise, Chris' eyes closed quickly once he had found a comfortable position in his bed, and he dropped straight off to sleep.
This time, the Threshers did not plague his sleep.
He was free.
Free at last.
So. There you have it!
No Saleon this chapter, but I promise I'll try and get it out as soon as possible.
I suck, I know. If you really want to let me know in the reviews, go ahead.
Finally, I'd just like to take this time to address a very significant day.
Tomorrow, ladies and gentleman, is June the 6th. The 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings (June 6th, 1944).
I'd like to personally say a massive thank you to all members of the armed forces, active, inactive or retired. If it wasn't for your fine efforts, I wouldn't be here sitting at my desk writing this chapter. We are indebted to your sacrifices and services, and I hope that you accept my thanks.
I'd like to end this chapter with Robert Laurence Binyon's, 'For the Fallen'.
Thanks for reading.
With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.
Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.
They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.
But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;
As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.