W.i.t.G
Well.
New chapter.
I'm late; let's not go there. A year and a half, or thereabouts.
Enjoy!
With a quiet beep acknowledging the comms were live, Joker spoke, "This is the SSV Normandy, requesting permission to dock."
After a moment, a bored voice replied, "Permission granted, Normandy. Transferring you to an Alliance operator now."
With the request having been confirmed, Joker muted the comms for a moment, closed his eyes and sighed heavily in his chair:
Joker was tired.
After the fiasco with the Fedele and Saleon, the commander had come back aboard and told Joker to head straight for the nearest relay; their destination was the Citadel.
Joker didn't have to really wonder why they were going there specifically; the smell of death and decay still lingered in the cockpit after the poor sons-of-bitches that Saleon had murdered were brought through. Joker couldn't help but retch at the sight of the bodies, and his heart sunk when he heard the light patter of tiny feet on the bulkhead. He remembered turning in his chair to be met with the sight of children; what seemed like hundreds at the time, some crying and wailing for their parents, some were merely stoic; not wishing to draw anymore attention to themselves as necessary, and the rest looked as if they belonged on the stretchers with the rest of the dead.
Joker knew that there weren't hundreds of children; there were seventeen to be exact. But that still didn't make him feel any better, or any less remorseful.
These children looked like they'd been through Hell and back.
'Fucking sicko. At least the commander and the rest of the guys put an end to him. He won't be experimenting any time soon...'
Once everybody was aboard, chaos seemed to reign. The commander did his best to keep everything under control, but the non-combat personnel didn't expect dead bodies and sullen children to be brought past them, merely a few feet away. The ground team dispersed from the airlock: Ashley and Kaidan returned to their duties aboard the ship; making sure equipment and personnel were accounted for, and after mission briefings needed to be prepped.
Wrex and Garrus returned to the cargo bay together in silence, with Tali in tow after making sure the commander was fine. She wanted to make sure everybody was okay, but Joker could tell why she hung around for a while with Shepard.
He wasn't blind.
He didn't have a clue how Liara and Chakwas were getting on in the Med Bay.
Truth be told, he wasn't really bothered. He just wanted to get to the Citadel.
Everything seemed to rush in a blur from there on; Joker was mainly on his own whilst flying the Normandy to the Citadel. The commander briefed him properly later on once an air of normality settled in; they were to take shore leave for a week to rest and regain their strength.
Joker quizzed the commander then on what had happened aboard the Fedele. He quite quickly regretted it once Shepard began.
Joker was military. But blood, gore and violence weren't his specialties.
It was all white noise from there on. He didn't want to think. Joker just wanted to rest.
Joker suddenly realised that the comms were still muted whilst he was resting; with an outstretched hand, Joker re-initiated the comms.
"... Normandy? Are you there Normandy? Is there anybody there to answer?"
With a cough to clear his throat, Joker spoke, "This is Flight Lieutenant Moreau, pilot of the SSV Normandy, requesting permission to dock."
"Understood Flight Lieutenant. Is Commander Shepard aboard?"
Joker was slightly taken aback; usually ships are giving permission to dock and that's the end of it. No questions asked. The Alliance know everything about their ships and crew, so why did the operator need to know if Shepard was aboard?
With some hesitation, Joker replied, "Yes. Shepard's aboard. Why do you ask?"
After a short delay, a set of coordinates were supplied to the Normandy's on board navigation system and the operator finished, "His Spectre clearance allows him access to a private dock, located on the western side of the Presidium. The coordinates that have been supplied take you straight there. C-Sec have been informed that you're on approach."
"Huh. Spectre's do have privileges then. You know, apart from being intergalactic sheriff's who can't be held responsible for their actions." Joker mused.
"I guess so, Flight Lieutenant."
With this new information, Joker began to alter the Normandy's course to the new coordinates.
"Is there anything else you require?"
Joker softly grimaced, his voice taking on a remorseful tone, "Actually, there is. We've got bodies aboard. Dead ones. About 20 or so. We're gonna need some help getting them offloaded."
Nothing was said for a moment, before the operator finally spoke; "Understood. A squad of C-Sec officers have been dispatched."
"Thanks. I'll the commander know."
Instead of a reply, the comms were simply disconnected.
With a grunt, Joker swivelled in his chair to find Shepard stood behind him, the large man's arms crossed as he leant against the bulkhead.
"How long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough."
Joker merely chuckled, before spinning back around again: "You know we should get you like a bell or something, to wear. That way I can at least have fair warning before you sneak up on me."
The commander grinned, "That just sounds like you need to try harder, Joker. Either that, or you need to clean your ears out."
"Maybe. Good timing by the way. We're just about to dock. C-Sec's been notified to come and collect the bodies."
The commander wearily sighed, "Alright Joker. I'll go and get everybody ready to disembark. The sooner these children are away from this nightmare, the better."
"Agreed. I'll bring us in, and stay on board for a while. I've got a couple of things to go over with Navigator Pressly anyway, you know, technical pilot stuff."
With a chuckle, Shepard turned about face, and before leaving the cockpit, finally said, "That just means you're gonna have a nap while we're ashore, doesn't it?"
A stifled yawn escaped Joker's lips before his words staggered out, "You know me so well, Commander..."
Once the Normandy was docked, Joker merely laid back in his chair, with his cap placed over his eyes. He didn't want to see the bodies leaving, or the sullen children being escorted off the ship.
Once was enough for him.
"... See to it that the bodies are treated properly, and given burials according to their respective customs. It's the least we can do." Shepard sighed heavily. He was tired of death and its dealings. Especially with innocents.
'No rest for the wicked I guess...'
The female Turian C-Sec officer nodded her head understandingly, her mandibles clicking gently before she spoke, "Understood commander. We'll see to it that they're treated with care. I'll also inform their respective Ambassadors. If there's any next of kin then-"
The commander raised his hand in front of him, signalling for her to stop, "I'll handle that. Just make sure the bodies are seen to."
"Will do, commander."
Just as the Turian was about to walk off, she inquisitively asked, "What are your plans for the children? I can have a squad come and collect them if you like. Citadel social services can handle it from here."
Shepard didn't answer at first, seemingly lost in his thoughts on what to do.
After a moment, he spoke, his voice soft but firm; "No offense, but they're under my care. I'll see to it that they're housed properly."
"But commander-"
Without hesitation, the commander coldly stated, "My decision is final."
Knowing better than to argue with the military commander, the C-Sec officer simply saluted before moving away, barking orders to her subordinates.
Chris was stood on his own then.
His marines were passing on the bodies to C-Sec personnel, with Kaidan and Ashley helping to organise the efforts.
He didn't need to get involved; everything was under control.
All of a sudden, the airlock doors opened, and the rest of the ground team appeared, alongside Navigator Pressly.
Shepard didn't move; truth be told, he was too tired to move. He was in dire need of some rest. He hadn't slept at all on the journey to the Citadel, so sleep deprivation had started to kick in.
Pressly approached first with the rest of the ground team hanging back from the pair.
"Commander." A crisp salute accompanied the statement.
Chris half-heartedly saluted back before speaking, "Pressly. How are things with the rest of the crew?"
The ship's XO shook his head wearily, "They need to get off of the ship to be honest, sir. Most of them want to talk to their families. The rest want to simply drink away what they've seen."
"Don't we all..." Shepard muttered.
Pressly darkly chuckled, "I don't think the crew will ever forget what they've seen. I've seen combat before I became a Navigator, but seeing death still sends shivers across my skin."
Shepard merely nodded in agreement before replying, "It won't be long now, Pressly. Once the bodies have been moved, I want the children to be brought out. I'm going to take them onto the Presidium. Show them the sights or something. I need to speak to the council anyway, so I might as well kill two birds with one stone. Once I've left, let the crew know they've got leave until the end of the week."
"Aye aye, commander."
With a final salute, the navigator boarded the Normandy once more.
Wrex, Garrus, Tali and Liara made their way across to the commander.
The group stood for a while doing nothing. Tali and Garrus were talking quietly amongst themselves about some tech algorithms, and Wrex was regaling Liara with one of his many war stories, her face a picture of childish curiosity.
The C-Sec personnel had finished loading the bodies relatively quickly. Some of them thanked the marines helping them, others made acknowledgments to Garrus and the commander with subtle head nods, but a majority of them carried on with their jobs, acting as if it were a regular routine.
Once C-Sec had left, the marines were given permission to go on leave after being notified on when to return back to the Normandy.
They'd earned their leave.
Ashley and Kaidan were conversing with each other as they made their way across, ending their short lived conversation as they entered the group.
The Gunny was the first to address the commander, and the group, "So. What's the plan then, Skipper?"
Shepard cleared his throat before beginning, "Everybody's got leave now until the end of the week, which means you can go and do whatever you like. If you don't have anything to do, then you can just stay on the Normandy. Nobody's forcing you to do anything either way. But do me a favour; act your stations whilst on leave. Don't get into any trouble, and try not to draw too much attention to yourselves. That means you Wrex."
The Krogan mercenary laughed heartily before adding, "No promises."
Light laughter broke out from the group as others were included in the joke.
Once things had settled down, Shepard continued, "I need to go and speak to the council anyway. We need provisions and armaments that the Alliance can't provide, as well as the fact that I have no idea on what to do with these kids. Maybe they can offer a solution."
Everybody present nodded their heads in acknowledgment, and before the commander could finish, Gunny Williams spoke: "If you need help with the kids Skipper, then I'll be happy to help."
"I second that. I think those kids could use a good distraction." Kaidan mused.
Garrus nodded his head, the gesture reiterating what had already been said without saying anything.
Wrex just grunted.
Tali and Liara were the last ones to speak, but both practically said what the rest of the squad members had said. They were willing to help out.
Shepard chuckled lightly, before smiling to his squad.
"That's settled then. We're all going to doss about on the Presidium with a group of kids. Because that's not going to look suspicious..."
Everybody started laughing then, a good natured mood having been established.
After a couple more minutes of light hearted banter, Shepard stepped away from the group for a second, before bringing up his omni-tool, sending a message to Navigator Pressly.
It simply read, "Release the horde. We're waiting."
'This shore leave is definitely going to be an interesting one...' The commander mused, as the airlock doors began to open...
Boom.
This chapter was just a filler.
Here's to the future!