Commander John Shepard
As Anderson eventually had to get back to work, Tali, Garrus, and I returned to Zakera ward near where the ship had docked. We still had some time before it was late, and we'd all be better off just sleeping until the departure for Illium tomorrow, so we thought we'd just look around a bit. But Anderson had given a few more interesting tid-bits. And concerning, in some cases. What wasn't concerning is that there are still the occasional Geth holdout still found, but that they're cleared out without serious casualties. The cleanup has been going that way for months. Moving on, full restoration of the Citadel should be done in about five years, and the Keepers, despite their… origins, are the largest help. And what's concerning, is that what's left of Sovereign? Less than half is officially accounted for. The rest, scattered to the winds of scavengers, and probably Keeper removal.
Our cab, being driven by a Turian man, was much less talkative than the Volus woman. It came to a stop at the same cab bay that we caught our first ride in, and just outside? Another face I was hoping not to see. I guess Denes talked, and someone listened. Khalisa… something something al-Jilani. I'm sure she's about to remind me of the rest. Camera drone by her side. I sighed as the cab set down and we had to get out.
"Commander Shepard! Commander Shepard!" she called out. Ugh, why couldn't it have been Emily Wong? "Khalisah bint Sinan al-Jilani, Westerlund News." Yep, there we go, the rest of her name. She held out her hand, I just raised a brow and did not accept. She slowly brought her hand back to her side. "I interviewed you two years ago, when you first became a Spectre?" she tried to remind me.
"I remember. And I remember you tried to make me look bad. Both then, and future questions you tried to ask me."
"I'm sorry you took it that way," she began. Key part. Sorry that I perceived it in such a way. Not sorry that it was a way deserving of such perception. "You presented your case very well on camera. Do you have a minute?"
"Fine, let's see if you can get the better of me this time." Having a moment for an interview or not won't mean that word does or doesn't get out about me. Not accepting just means she can write a story and then include I refused an interview, bringing forth all kinds of unsavory speculation. I turned to Garrus and Tali. "Sorry, this should only be a minute or so."
"Have fun," Garrus chuckled.
"Yeah, up yours, buddy."
Garrus just chuckled more. Khalisa brought the camera on, the flashing red light showing it was recording, and the drone lit my face up in how I suppose would be preferable.
"Testing, testing, one, two, three," she spoke, her words obviously picked up by the com-piece she was wearing, somewhere. She listened close, then held up a data pad, likely having questions. "Commander, sources say you were at the heart of the Presidium during the Battle of the Citadel. It's fair to say that the outcome was determined by your words and actions. If true, you told Admiral Hackett to assist the Destiny Ascension, costing hundreds of Human lives and securing the continued dominance of the Citadel Council." Oh for fucks sake.
"So, I see you're not only wasting time in disrespecting the dead, but not wasting any time getting right into the bullshit either. Let me start answering your question with a question of my own. Do you know how many ships the other races lost? The Turians lost twenty cruisers. Twenty. Each would have had a crew of around three-hundred. That's six thousand dead right there. The Ascension had a crew of nearly ten-thousand. That's ten-thousand lives the Alliance saved from that one ship alone."
"But surely the Human cost-"
"Was far less in numbers. The Alliance lost eight cruisers. Shenyang, Emden, Jakarta, Cairo, Seoul, Cape Town, Warsaw, Madrid. Yeah, I remember them all. Everyone in the Fifth Fleet is a hero. Every last one. The Alliance owes all of them medals, and the Council owes them their lives. And so do you," I shook my head to the side and stormed off, Garrus and Tali both following along.
"Great," Khalisah murmured. "Bull-rushed on my own show."
"That was… fun, to watch," Tali remarked.
"Bet Westerlund just hates me. Sucks for them that I'm too high profile to just ignore," I shrugged, calming down. We walked by an advertisement, and an Asari face, and, normally, I'd have just kept walking. But this?
"Shepard, you've recently been dead."
I burst into laughter. How the hell do these advertisements have the programming to go about that? How is it not blaring with a massive 'error' message and going up in smoke trying to piece that together.
"Hold on, hold on, I need to see how screwy this gets." It was helped that Garrus was also getting a kick out of the ad, but I noticed Tali was left a bit uncomfortable with that reminder. The ad just went on to talk about Asari burial robes. But the ending line was a bit… eh.
"Anatass. We'll help you leave a good looking corpse."
"Hey, sorry, Tali. Just, a laugh helps me with it." Tali sighed.
"I understand. There's just… a lot of bad memories, for me."
"Talk more about it later?" I suggested. Tali nodded. I put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed, giving a reassuring grin. As we began to pass again, the advertisement came back, but for a different company. Same Asari, oddly enough.
"Mr. Shepard, a man as ruggedly handsome as you deserves the finest in biotic technology,"
"Wait, it shouldn't even have records of me as a biotic. Is it detecting the implant?" I questioned.
"The next time you're out on the town with Miss Zorah…" Tali nearly jumped in surprise, her eyes going wide. Garrus was laughing his ass off, not far from crying, I'd suspect. I just smiled at Tali again, struggling not to chuckle. "The new Sophist biotic amplifier from the Serrice Council is the perfect accessory. Power. Precision. Elegance. It's not just an amplifier, it's an expression of your masculinity. Sophist."
"Ok, these ads are weird as all hell."
"Putting it lightly! How would it even know?!"
"I-" Garrus cut himself off with laughter. "I think it, heh, I think it's just assuming that whenever a man and-" he laughed again. "A man and a woman are walking together, that they're together." The gears in my head began to turn.
"I want to see about toying with this sometime. See how it reacts and how it prioritizes the people in the group. Could be fun."
"I'm in," Garrus stated.
"I… suppose," Tali added. Considering. I looked at a small directory. This level had a gift shop, and the one above, Rodam Expeditions, and they sell weapons. There's also a lounge at the same level. Below us, Sirta has a store, there's a food stand, and a tech store. A few levels below that, a restaurant I suppose we could give a shot. Not too fancy, good enough for a casual, late lunch. A quick Omni-tool search verified that they served Quarians.
"Either of you hungry? Got a restaurant a few floors down. It'll serve the three of us," I suggested.
"Sure, I could go for a bite," Garrus shrugged.
"I don't have any credits," Tali warned.
"So? Meal's on Cerberus," I remarked.
"You make a good point," Tali smirked under the visor.
"Speaking of credits, I really need to see Barla Von again sometime. I don't exactly have any credits of my own anymore," I murmured.
"I wouldn't worry about that. I heard he's got a policy with Spectres. Body or no, he gives Spectre's a grace period of five years when declared de-" Garrus glanced at Tali, remembering her discomfort with that word earlier. "Missing, where he treats their accounts as normal."
"Huh. I wonder what that means for Saren's account. Or Nihlus'. I certainly won't complain about his skepticism."
"Gonna go see him tonight?" Garrus asked as we were making our way down towards the restaurant. Curiously, no elevators to be seen, but a few sets of stairs. I doubt it's accidental that they only go down one level, then you need to pass by all the stores on that floor to get to the next set.
"No, next time we're back on the station though. If the grace period is five years, another week or so won't make much difference," I shrugged.
"Fair enough," Garrus shrugged. We were making our way down the first staircase now. Garrus chuckled to himself. "You know something I miss about the old days here? The elevators."
"What? Why?" Tali questioned. "They were always so slow."
"Think about it, Tali. It was a great time for us all to get to know one another…" Oh, that's where he's going. I snickered.
"Yeah! Remember how we'd ask you about life on the Fleet? It was an opportunity to share," I teased. Tali's eyes narrowed.
"This conversation is over."
"Tell me again about your immune system," Garrus pushed.
"I have a shotgun," Tali reminded.
"Hm, maybe later then," Garrus hummed. Starting to chuckle. As did I.
"And why are you joining this, Shepard?" She questioned.
"Ooh, last name. Bad sign," Garrus remarked.
"Alright, alright," I struggled to hide the smirk. "Sorry Tali," I stretched my left arm out, inviting her closer. She took a breath, and came up to my side. She leaned her head against my shoulder for a moment as my hand rested on her hip.
"Ok." she then removed herself, earning a concerned glance from me. "John, the news is already learning you're… back. Let's not give them too much to talk about."
"You know I don't care if they talk, right?"
"I-thank you, but… it is early." I can understand that sentiment, but… something about the way she said that. The reason she gave was more of a cover, I think. But I won't push it. Not right now. We came to the base of the stairs and into the next commercial area. I could smell food being cooked, a small Japanese food… stand? In the right corner just beside the stairs exit.
"This clanless is a thief! Arrest her!" A Volus wheezed somewhere a head. Clanless? Wait, they call us Earth-clan, Turians, Palaven-clan, so on, so forth. Clanless? That narrows it down. Sure enough, up ahead I saw a human C-Sec officer with his arms crossed in front of a shocked Quarian woman in a pilgrim's suit. Much like Tali's old suit, but without the medical brace she had at first on her right arm.
"Wha-What?! I was just walking by!" she exclaimed. Well, time to get involved. Garrus didn't crack a joke, not at this, and Tali was of course dead set on seeing for herself anyway. The officer saw me walking up, with two in tow.
"I'm sorry sir, I'm trying to take a statement here," he began, sounding more annoyed than anything else.
"There's nothing to talk about! She stole my credit chit. Arrest her!" The Volus demanded.
"I did not! Just because I'm a Quarian-" she shouted, greatly insulted. Her cloth was green in color with wavy patterns on it.
"Sir," the man looked down at the Volus, gesturing for him to relax. "I need you to stop a moment and take a deep breath." He immediately regretted his words, wincing.
"You're mocking-" he breathed. "me, Earth-clan! Just because the Vol-clan need-"
"It was a poor choice of words, sir. I apologize. Now, I need to scan you for the credit-chit," the officer stated, facing the Quarian.
"Fine. You won't find anything." The officer opened his Omni-tool and ran his scan.
"I'm not detecting the missing credit chit, but that doesn't confirm that it wasn't stashed."
"In less than five minutes?" the Quarian exclaimed.
"I know what Quarians are like. And you're definitely a vagrant. I'll-"
"Oh for fucks sake," I shouted at the officer. "Fucking really? You know Humanity already went through this same shit in the nineteen hundreds, right?"
"She's not a vagrant, she's on pilgrimage!" Tali added, angrily. "It's a tradition in which-"
"I don't give a damn about your traditions. Each time one of you shows up here, it's trouble."
"I'll call some bullshit on that," I grumbled. Garrus stepped up.
"Volus, where did you lose your credit chit?" Garrus questioned.
"And just who are you?"
"I was a C-sec investigator until I quit because I hated what it was becoming. Are you going to answer or not?" The Volus huffed.
"It was when I left the Sirta Foundation store, she ran right into me. I checked for my chit, and it was gone. And I know I didn't leave it at Sirta, because I didn't buy anything."
"And you don't consider how she can't even reach your pockets without very conspicuously bending down?" Garrus added.
"These clanless are all thieves, they have their methods. You can't turn your backs on them."
"My people are only forced to steal to survive when Bosh'tets like you don't let them have real jobs," Tali growled.
"And to think my taxes pay to support you here. Go back to your fleet."
"I am of Clan Zorah. Crew of the starship Neema, and you are an idiot."
"Come on, don't let this arrogant prick get the better of you. I bet he was crying in a corner when the Geth attacked. And you know where you were."
"How dare you!" the Volus exclaimed, but we didn't listen.
"My brain agrees with you. But everything else tells me that I should jack his olfactory filters, and make everything smell like the shit of an old and sick Krogan that ate a Turian."
"Remind me not to get on your bad side," Garrus remarked. "Now, did you enter a store before Sirta? Make any purchases?" The Volus took an angry breath.
"Saronis Applications, but I put the chit back, I would never make such a stupid mistake."
"I think it would be wise to check anyway. Now, Ms.…?"
"You ask for her name but not mine?!"
"For someone so small and round, you really think you're high and mighty, don't you? Now…"
"Lia. Lia'Vael nar Shellen."
"Now, Lia, what do you remember having happened?"
"I was walking to the used ship dealer when he barged into me outside the Sirta Foundation. He didn't stop or say he was sorry. Moments later, he runs up with C-sec, and accuses me of stealing his damn chit."
"Spend a lot of time there?" Garrus asked.
"Yeah. They have a lot of nice models. I'd like to buy one of their ships someday and take it back to the Fleet but…" she looked down.
"Your pilgrimage isn't going well, is it, Lia?" Tali asked.
"No, I… I came here thinking there'd be a lot of work. EVA, salvage. Fixing all the damage from the Geth attack. But everywhere I go has a sign saying, 'not hiring Quarians,' while the people around give me those looks.
"I'll go ask at Saronis. Garrus, stay here, would you?" He nodded, and I took Tali with me. "I'd bet a fortune that Lia didn't do it. That Volus is way too puffed up about it. If Saronis doesn't have it, I'll bail her out with my Spectre status if I have to."
"Thank you, John. This happens far too often."
"Yeah, yeah I know," I murmured. "If she has any skills that could help on the ship, I'm giving her the offer." Tali brushed her hand against mine, smiling behind her visor with a glance at me. There it is, Saronis Applications, a Salarian clerk running the shop. Darker skin, and wearing a relatively formal black shirt with a name tag. Marab. As we crossed the store's threshold, there was a chime.
"Welcome to Saronis Applications," he began to greet, a friendly tone. "Can I interest you-" his eyes went wide. "Ah! Shepard!" That was more of a personal greeting. Do I know him?
"I'm sorry, I don't remember you…"
"Oh, that's because we haven't met. Even a senile Hanar would remember who you are! I thought you were dead!" That word really is getting thrown around a lot.
"I got better," I shrugged, letting him take it as a joke.
"Please, look around the store. It's a pleasure to have you here." Despite the fact I was here for a different purpose, I did glance what he had. Hm, good stock. Ship could probably use some of what he has. And the more special offers that aren't on display here. Software programs are good ones, high level. Reliable and then some.
"You know I do use quite a bit of software in my line of work."
"Shepard-" Tali began.
"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten. I'll ask, but this may be good for the ship," I reassured.
"I'll be happy to help with whatever it is that you need. As for software, I can imagine. Saronis gets quite a few military contracts. It's a shame so few understand their own equipment, besides the most obvious 'point and go' nav interfaces."
"And you wouldn't believe how often I hear 'why's the ship turning around? We're only halfway there!" Of course I never hear that. Everyone on any ship I serve on is well aware of that little, almost comical, necessity of FTL travel. The second half of the trip requires the ship to turn around and apply thrust away from its destination, so it can safely begin slowing down, instead of just collapsing the Mass Effect field allowing us to enter FTL. That would just kill everyone aboard. Marab got a good laugh out of that. "I like your products. Any interest in an endorsement from the Human who defeated Saren?" his eyes went wide again.
"I'd be thrilled! But… I don't think I could afford to pay you for it."
"How about extending a discount to me and those making purchases for my ship?"
"Done. That is absolutely something I can do. Now, just a moment," he typed at a console and a display lit up on my side. "Speak here." I cleared my throat and leaned in. Something simple should do.
"I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite tech store on the Citadel." Now that will leave up other endorsements possible. Like, say on any gun stores? Marab was beaming.
"That will be splendid! I'll edit it and have it working right away! Thank you so much!"
"Anytime. Now, I did actually come here for a little investigation. Was there a Volus who came in here earlier? He's missing his Credit Chit."
"Oh yes, he did. He bought some environmental system drivers, then left without his chit. I didn't notice he'd left it until he was already gone," Marab shrugged.
"Not only do I thank you, but so does the Quarian girl he's accusing of picking his pocket. We'll go let him know, and I'll send over my Armory chief to see about some upgrades."
"Shame about the girl. But I'll be waiting for your Armory, Chief. Can I get a name?"
"Jacob Taylor."
"Thanks. Have a good day!" he cheerfully ended.
"So much for the Council wanting you to stay quiet."
"Hey, Khalisah already saw me, might as well make the news about me good, right?"
"I suppose. I'm just glad we found that chit."
"Depending on how he reacts, I might encourage you to jack his systems. If I do, please try not to listen to me." Tali giggled in response. "No promises." We returned to the 'scene,' finding the Volus ranting again. The C-sec officer failing to quiet him.
"Hey! Itty bitty bitchy! Shut up already. You left your credit-chit at Saronis applications. The clerk's holding it."
The Volus froze.
"Finally, I thought nothing would shut his mouth," Garrus grumbled.
"Oh… well… The Quarian could have stolen it."
"And I could beat you to a bloody pulp and tear off your helmet, but I won't. Should I be arrested for that? You know what? Fuck it, Tali, do it."
"After that comment? Absolutely," Tali growled, opening her Omni-tool.
"What are you-no, stop! Zada Ban curse you," the Volus sputtered.
"I'm closing this event report, but I'll be watching you. Get a permanent residence or I'll run you in for vagrancy," Lia was putting a hand to her forehead, stressing, I'm sure. And I'm sure the officer was about to turn to us, probably about to make some claim because I'm certain that this hack was technically illegal. But I'm pissed off. And appalled by this officer.
"Are you fucking serious?" I exclaimed. We were drawing the attention of the rest of the crowd. I stared down at the Volus first. "You falsely accuse this girl of stealing from you based on nothing more than her race, and now all you have to say is that she could have stolen it?" I kicked the bastard, enough to roll him onto his ass, rather than real damage. He still cried out. I then grabbed the cop by the collar. "And you? You're supposed to protect and serve, but let this girl get harassed and insulted, only to throw in a threat to arrest her for vagrancy? You're just a piece of shit thug with a badge!"
"And how about I run you in for obstruction of justice? Or assaulting an officer?" he threatened, angry. But it didn't match mine. I let out a low, quiet laugh.
"You think you're just going to run in a Spectre?" I glared daggers at him, an angry grin to help him piss himself. That had an effect. I shoved him away, and he began walking backwards, nervous. "Get out of here." The Volus turned and just began hobbling away, the officer, trying to maintain his dignity. Lia was shocked.
"Th-Thank you. I… wish I could give you something more than words."
"It's help freely given, don't worry. You wouldn't be the first pilgrim I've helped out. Take Tali here," I gestured.
"Wait, Tali, of clan Zorah? Now it's all making sense! Your Tali'Zorah vas Neema, and you're Commander Shepard!"
"One and only. You going to be alright?"
"Oh, uh, I guess. I can get nutrient paste in a Turian shelter. Thank you."
"What did you do on the Migrant Fleet? If you were willing to do Salvage, engineering?"
"No, actually. I just know how to work salvage as part of pilgrimage training. We all have the environment suits after all. I've actually spent most of my education studying in medicine and biology."
"Really? Well, I've got an offer for you then. On my ship, I've got a doctor trained with the medicine for all civilized species, and I've also got a brilliant Salarian Geneticist, among other labels I'm sure you could give him, by the name of Mordin Solus. I'm sure-"
"You have THE Mordin Solus on your ship?! Keelah! I loved watching his 'Science Fun Today' show when I was little!"
"Wait, Mordin had a kids show?" Garrus chuckled. "Spirits, that makes me concerned."
"I honestly had no idea he had that show. Well, I'm offering you a place on my ship. As an assistant to my doctor, or as I think to be more likely, Mordin."
"I'd love to!" she squealed.
"Wait, hold on, please, Lia. I do need to warn you of a few things," I cautioned. "Tali and another Pilgrim who accepted a similar offer I ensured would be aware of the… situation aboard. Tali? Do you want to explain?" She nodded.
"Lia, first, I must vouch for Shepard's character. But unfortunately, extreme circumstances have forced him to temporarily cooperate with an organization despised both by him, and the Migrant Fleet. Cerberus."
"Oh… what… what kind of cooperation is this?"
"They provided him with a ship, intel, dossiers on specialists he would need to recruit, and the ship's crew. For what it's worth, I can attest that most crewmembers are largely ignorant of what Cerberus truly is. I have been treated well."
"And so have I. Haven't had any Shanxi hatred directed at me," Garrus added.
"I guess… that's not so bad," Lia murmured.
"That's not as bad as it gets. Cerberus installed a heavily shackled, but still…" Tali paused. "Here, can I key into your comms?" Lia nodded, and both their Omni-tools lit up. Now any eavesdroppers wouldn't hear the really sensitive part. "They installed an AI into the ship. I've been able to ignore it so far."
"Well… what kind of work has Professor Solus been doing?"
"A lot. I'm honestly not quite sure what half of it has been. But a good measure has been related to our current mission against the Collectors, countering their bioweapons."
"Collector bioweapons? I'm… uh…"
"It's ok, Lia. It's not a decision you'll need to make right now. To offset some of those negatives. You'll receive the same payment as the rest of the crew, a bed, meals, whole nine yards," I added. "We are heading out early tomorrow, but if you're not sure by then, the offer will stand next time we come to the Citadel."
"And how long will that be?"
"Honestly? Not quite sure. Only the next few days are scheduled in any amount. What follows depends. Go to wherever you're staying for the night, think on it. Here's my contact info," I opened my Omni-tool and transferred the information.
"Thank you, Commander Shepard."
"Anytime. Good luck, Lia," I smiled. We went on our way, off to our meal.
"At this rate, by the time we're done our entire crew is going to be Quarian," Garrus joked.
"It would be an improvement," Tali remarked. We kept walking through the Citadel, making our way down two more floors before the restaurant I saw on the directory was ahead of us. It was a relatively small place, doubt it's a chain as I've never heard the name before. Arter's. Sounds like a Turian name. We opened the door, and there was a female Turian at the host, or in this case, Hostess stand.
"Welcome to Arter's. Table for three?"
"Just what we need," I nodded.
"Great, right this way," she led us away towards the left side of the restaurant. I noticed a Human man as a waiter on the right side and an Asari on the same. On this side, two more Turians, one male, one female. Curiously, the Turians all had the same facial markings. Lines forming something like a downwards arrow along their faces. Family owned, I guess. Wonder how common this is in Turian society. And judging by the size of the Turian waiters, pre-boot camp. The hostess led us to one of the booths near the far end. I took the inside of the one facing the front of the restaurant, Tali beside me, and Garrus on the other end. The booth across from us was occupied by a small woman with dark hair and dark skin. Maybe Hispanic in heritage. She had her head in her hands and several papers and books at her table and her booth, with a cup of coffee in front of her.
"Levo menu for you, sir, and Dextro for you," the hostess listed off as she handed the three of us our menus. "Plivia will be with you shortly."
"Thanks," the three of us stated as we opened our menus. I'd bet Garrus went straight for the drinks, like I did. Eh, just a beer. A few moments later, the young Turian woman came by with a list on her Omni-tool.
"Hi, you all look like new faces. First time here?" she asked, and her voice confirmed her youth.
"You'd be right," I nodded.
"Great to have you here then! Can I get you started with something to drink?" Garrus ordered a brandy, me, my beer, and Tali, a water. We weren't quite ready to decide on meals yet. "I'll be right back," her mandible's flared in a Turian grin, and she turned to see about the girl at the table opposite of us. "How's the studying, Kyra? Get you anything else?"
"Bad. Very, bad," she groaned. "I want to die. More coffee. Please."
"You sure, Kyra? That's your eighth mug…"
"Pleeeeaaaaaaassssssseeeeeee," she groaned.
"Alright, alright. But, Gavion called asking for you. He's on his way to bring you home."
"But my exams…" Kyra murmured, half asleep. Plivia sighed.
"Thank the spirits for boot camp."
"What's going on there?" Tali asked quietly.
"Sounds like university exams. Not fun. Must be around the time for finals," I explained quietly.
"That seems like a lot for a student," Garrus remarked.
"Not inclined to disagree," I shrugged. "I had high school finals, finals at the Academy, and finals in Rio with my N7 training. High school wasn't as bad as either of them, and a portion of the other two is still physical. As for the rest… I dunno, I've just had a knack for this stuff."
"You saying you were a brilliant Commander from the beginning?" Garrus chuckled.
"Oh, course not. I made plenty mistakes and still had plenty to learn. Good news is that most of those mistakes were in simulations and training exercises." I read over the menu. Hm… Oh, there's Plivia. Giving Kyra that coffee and the drinks for us.
"Ready to order?" I glanced back at the others.
"I think I know what I want," Garrus started.
"I might have forgotten to look at the food," I admitted.
"Ha, grand strategist indeed," Garrus chuckled.
"And all I know about these dishes is that they're Turian. Can I still order them sterilized?"
"Of course. Sorry that we don't have Quarian dishes. They're too expensive for the so few Quarian customers we get," Plivia answered.
"I understand. Maybe with just a bit longer to go over it," Tali requested.
"Absolutely! Just let me know when you're ready."
"I'll try to compare the meals for you," Garrus offered.
"Thank you," Tali nodded. And at that moment, a Turian man barged in, clearly concerned. He was short for a Turian. The Hostess pointed down our aisle and he looked down, seeing the woman in the booth beside us. He rushed down, eyes only for her.
"Kyra! Have you been here all along?!" He exclaimed.
"Fiiiinaaaaaaaallls," she groaned.
"You shouldn't be doing this to yourself. You can't take those exams if you can't even function!"
"What else am I going to do?"
"Well… we did get something in the mail. The Initiative will have us." She lifted her head up slowly. She could barely keep her eyes open.
"Do I need to take more tests?"
"We're already accepted. We just need to go through orientation, get in a cryo pod." Right, this must be that Gavion Plivia mentioned.
"Fffffffffffffuuuuuck it." She started stacking her books and papers together then stormed outside the restaurant, but I noticed her Omni-tool lit up at the hostess stand, and she waved her hand for the credit transfer before leaving. A small woman with a small Turian man in tow. I watched curiously, as did the other two, as she dumped everything into a garbage can outside, then opened her Omni-tool, and somehow launched an incinerate round into the trash can, rocking it back from the impact, all the garbage being lit on fire.
Well, that's an interesting series of events.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: That whole bit with Kyra at the end was a cameo of an editor friend, Palaven. She cameo'd in Andromeda, so, you can put the pieces together. Gavion is her childhood imaginary friend. Yes, it's Turian. She SAYS they're only in a "relationship" in the story, but that won't stop me from teasing her, saying otherwise.