AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey guys, few things I want to say today. First, a solemn farewell to one of the world' brightest and most inspirational lights, Mr. Stan Lee. I wish I could dedicate a chapter to him, but I barely have enough time to even write regular chapters. I'm trying. Least this week I'll have two days off, so I might be able to get you all a chapter with more sustenance. Like a recruitment mission. Plus the build up to it. I hope. Second is me apologizing why this chapter is as short as it is. I honestly only had yesterday completely free and the afternoon of the day. The other days I'd try to do more but I need to have some fun else I go insane. So, here's hoping for better luck for the next one. See you all around, hope you enjoy, and in honor of Mr. Lee, Excelsior

Tali'Zorah vas Neema

Hmph… This might just be the most comfortable sleep I've ever had. But why is that? Very nice cushions below me, and- I yawned, smacking my lips. I stretched my legs out over the… sofa, I think, I'm lying on. Wait so what is my head laying against th-

Keelah.

I shot right up, eyes wide, John's quarters.

"Woah! Everything alright?" he asked, concerned.

"I-Sorry. I-Uh, sleep, no, wait. I don't-" I placed my hands against my visor, blushing, embarrassed. "Keelah, I'm so sorry!"

"Sorry? Sorry for what?" John questioned.

"For-For this!" I began wringing my hands. John was just confused.

"What? Falling asleep on me? Don't apologize," He gave a reassuring grin as he turned me around to face him. "It was adorable. You were adorable." He chuckled. "The little snores-"

"I snore?!"

"Tali, come on," he laughed. "It was so quiet, it was cute."

"B-But, what about you? Did I keep you from getting any sleep?"

"Not at all. Best sleep I had in years. Soon as I noticed you had dozed off, I finished getting comfortable and went to sleep myself. I only woke up minutes before you did. I was way too happy about all this to even think about waking you up."

"...Oh…"

"Tali," John began, looking right into my eyes. "You need to get it through your thick little head that I actually like you. A helluva lot. I'm not sure if it's the same thing for Quarians, but for Humans, falling asleep with the person you-" he stopped himself for a moment. "Really, really like? Jesus, it's like I'm in high school again," he murmured after his question. "But that's pretty much top tier goals of any real relationship." He's right, I really do need to stop working myself up. But I can't help it. I took a deep breath.

"That's… good to hear, John. And, er, that's not exclusive to Humans." He smiled.

"I'm glad to hear that. So, head down? See if Lia's shown up and have breakfast before we set out?"

"Sure."

Commander John Shepard

Gotta admit I'm really concerned about Tali. Maybe more than I need to be, but, still. There are some deep-seated psychological issues there. That extreme self-doubt, selflessness to self-detrimental extremes, and I'm certain she has at least a moderate level of anxiety. Her father definitely pushed her too hard and gave far too little in return. As for the selflessness, I think that's just a byproduct of the way Quarian society needs to be right now. Maybe I should mention it to Chakwas, but later. In the meantime, we made our way towards the elevator, exiting my quarters for the little interim between my quarters and the elevator. And something caught my eye. Something wasn't right. Out of the corner of my eye, an unnatural wave in the air. And the fact that when I paid closer attention, it was gone, confirmed it.

A cloaking device is in play. A damn good one I might add, but they can't hide everything. Not from those trained to notice them. Instincts and training kicked in. Tali was on my right, so I was already covering her. I launched myself at the oh-so-slight wave and shimmer. Arm for where the nick should be, pinning the mass to the wall. I might be unarmed, but I can still kick the shit out of this-

The intruder coughed, it sounded feminine. The neck I felt against my forearm felt small, and I felt a hood as well.

"Keelah, what's going on?" Tali exclaimed.

"Hey Shep," the intruder managed to sputter out. Wait… The intruder's cloak went offline, revealing a small woman, hooded, with a purple tattoo connecting her bottom lip to her chin.

"Kasumi?" I questioned, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Can you ease up a-" she coughed again. "Bit?" I obliged but kept her pinned for now. This was all still pretty sketchy after all. "Fair enough. Well, what can I say? I'm nosy." I gave Tali a glance, then back to Kasumi.

"About anything in particular?"

"An empty sleeper pod, some gossip among the crew about why said sleeper pod was empty, you know, the juicy details." Still managing to be cheery like this.

"You were spying on us for gossip?" I applied a bit more pressure.

"Touchy," she struggled a smirk. "I can tell you want to keep this quiet. Alright, I can keep secrets." I again loosened up. "I get it. I've… been around that block before."

"No more spying on me. Or Tali," I warned.

"Sure, sorry, just wanted to know if you two were together. I didn't expect you to see through the cloak. Anyways, now that I know, I don't have to."

"Couldn't you have just asked?" Tali asked.

"I'm not so desperately nosey as to make either of you squirm," Kasumi managed a chuckle. "Are we good? Choking isn't really my thing." Not sure if it's in spite of the situation, myself, or to try and help make things better, but I snorted.

"I'm good. Tali?" I asked.

"Er… sure." I released my hold on Kasumi and she brought a hand to her own throat to rub it.

"Note to self. If I ever try to sneak around you, rely on more than my cloak. Seriously, mine's top of the line, how did you spot it?" Kasumi asked.

"N7 has a whole individual training regimen dedicated to visual cloaking tech. Using it and spotting it. There're a few giveaways that no new version of has been able to cover. Not yet at any rate," I explained.

"Using? Does that mean you have one then?"

"No, Cerberus apparently skimped on that when they got some N7 armor. Still. I can use it, but it's generally not my style."

"Why's that, Jo-Shepard?" Tali asked. I noticed Kasumi smirked, and I did too.

"Think about it. I'm Squad lead and need to command the squad. My second, Garrus, is the long-range marksman. Which brings me to the first real point. If I'm using the cloak to get to a good vantage like that, then I won't have good eyes on the squad and the opposition. I can't command as effectively. Besides, in a firefight, I generally prefer to not be hanging in the back. Using the cloak to get up close and personal? Still don't generally prefer to do that either, not in a sneaking fashion at least. And again, I wouldn't have good eyes for command. Now-"

"Commander," EDI spoke up. "I apologize for not alerting you to Ms. Goto's presence, but her cloaking technology was able to bypass even my sensors."

"Yes! Fooled the AI!" Kasumi nearly quite literally patted herself on the back.

"Additionally, Lia'Vael has arrived at the ship. I would find it wise for you to greet her. My biometric readings indicate she is nervous."

"Well, shit. Guess breakfast will have to wait. Tali, you're free to come with or go eat," I offered.

"I'd like to join, but I really must be in engineering for the departure preparations," Tali explained.

"Well, I suppose my Chief Engineer should be doing Chief Engineer things," I remarked. "Alright, just go grab a snack of some sort."

"Aw, what a caring boyfriend," Kasumi teased.

"Why thank you," I responded.

"Of course," Kasumi bowed slightly, going on with the joke. "Now, if you want to keep the fact that Tali slept in your quarters quiet, I would suggest that Shep here uses it first go see our new addition. Then Tali and I will use it after. You certainly don't want all three of us in that elevator. Then they would really talk."

"Good idea…" Tali remarked, nerves showing themselves again.

"So much for ladies first," I joked, stepping into the elevator and taking it down. The door to CIC opened, and I stepped out, heading towards the airlock.

"Good morning, Commander," Kelly Chambers greeted. Hm, first time she's done that in a while. Maybe later I should try to get friendly again. I'll just start with this.

"Morning, Kelly," I responded with a grin, which I noticed caught her by surprise. And I noticed several inquisitive glances. Ones that weren't entirely certain on the assumptions they were making. I wonder how many of them were in such a state of mind because of disbelief I'd be with a Quarian, or not wanting to assume so much. Either way, it didn't slow me down. Made my way to the airlock, and waited as it finished its cycle. Revealing a Quarian woman with a duffel bag slung over her shoulder.

"Commander Shepard!" she stood straight, ridged, her hand going up in a salute. A human salute.

"At ease, Lia. No need for that. Welcome to the Normandy."

"Oh, holy shit, another one?" Joker exclaimed, laughing. "What's next? Are we joining the Migrant Fleet? And hell, don't we have enough Engineers?"

"She's not an Engineer, Joker. She's Mordin's new assistant."

"Oh shit, the crazy hyper Hamster is getting help?" I returned my attention back to Lia.

"Don't mind Joker. As the name implies, he's joking, not trying to be a… genuine asshole."

"Hey! How dare you assume what kind of asshole I'm trying to be!" Joker returned.

"You're lucky you're my friend. And a cripple, dipshit," I chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah. Up yours."

"That's up yours, sir."

"Oh, fuck off." Chuckling, I once again returned my focus to Lia. Who was very surprised. And confused.

"Come on, I'll show you the crew level, then bring you back up here to meet Mordin."

"Can we… not meet him right away?"

"We can, but I want you to know where to get food, medical attention, and a bed. If we start with Mordin, I won't be able to get you away to let you know these necessities."

"You are… probably right," she chuckled awkwardly. "So, is your pilot always like… that? The rest of the crew?"

"I run a loose ship for those I like and trust. On the first Normandy, that applied to everyone, even if I didn't really know everyone. It was fully manned and a busy time. On this ship, I'm having… difficulties with that. To say I have plenty of reasons to hate Cerberus is the understatement of the damn year. But, back to your question. Joker's a good friend, I trust him. From the old days. Like Garrus and Tali. So, among them, shit-talking is accepted, reciprocated, and encouraged. I don't look at myself as their Commanding Officer. Just their friend. Who… in combat… will give them orders. That honestly I hardly need to give them."

"Oh," Lia was clearly surprised. We entered the elevator, and I keyed for crew quarters. "Are all Human Captains this way?"

"Captain? Oh, you just mean the ship's CO, right?" Lia nodded. I continued, "In my opinion, only the good ones. At least in varying extents. No one likes the hardass, one-hundred-percent by the book captains. They just tire out and annoy everyone. By the same token, the ones who are too loose just get trampled on by their own men. I know how to hold tight when I need to," I shrugged. "And when you do, you find you rarely need to."

"Hm. I think I can see that. Quarian captains tend to be stricter than not. But I only ever saw the Captain of my ship once. Live ships are quite populated after all." The elevator doors opened. So, on your right, lounge and the women's bathroom. But I understand your suits really keep you from needing those. On the left, crew quarters, which is where you'll find beds. Far left, a quiet observation port that doubles as a library. And behind us…" I trailed off as I led her around. Garrus, Grunt, Jacob, Miranda, Kasumi, Chakwas, and several of the general crew were enjoying their breakfast. "We have the mess hall."

"This Quarian doesn't look like the other female. Who is she?" Grunt asked bluntly.

"I see you accepted the offer, Lia. Welcome aboard," Garrus greeted.

"Another new recruit, Shepard? I assume she won't be joining the ground team?" Miranda questioned.

"No. Lia'Vael here will be afforded the same benefits and payment given to Kenn, but her training, and her choice will see her working as an aid for Mordin."

"I'm sure the Professor will be grateful for the help," Jacob added.

"If you don't mind, Ms. Vael," Chakwas began. "I know you won't be going into the field, but I'd be a poor medical officer if I wasn't prepared for any possibility, but I'll need to give you a physical. Know your blood type, make sure I'll be properly stocked."

"I understand, Doctor."

"Thank you, dear. I assure you, it'll be quite painless." Lia nodded in reply.

"As you can see, Med-bay is very obviously over on the right. If you're ready, I'll take you to go see Mordin."

"Oh! Of course!" Lia answered, just as the ship shifted, rocking just noticeably. We were departing. We returned to the elevator, and back up to CIC, taking a hard right to the Tech room, the decon sequence starting as soon as the door behind us closed. Lia was getting nervous again. She was still. Very still. I'm not even sure I hear her breathing. The sequence finished, and the door opened, Mordin at work at his terminal, eyes peering down his microscope. "Keelah, it's really him," she whispered. Mordin didn't hear.

"Mordin!" I stated louder, getting his attention. He looked up, seeing both of us.

"Shepard. See you came with Quarian. Not Tali'Zorah. Markings, not Clan Zorah, suit, pre-pilgrimage. Color of biological training, not engineering. Not replacement, know that much. Curious, who is this?"

"Mordin, this is Lia'Vael. Another pilgrim I've offered to help. If you'll have her, she will be more than happy to act as your assistant," I explained.

"It's an honor to meet you, Professor! I loved watching your show when I was young!" Lia exclaimed.

"Science fun today?" Mordin was surprised. "Show cancelled. Lawsuits and reports of… explosive results in household experiments."

"I know! It was so disappointing! If they only followed your clear instructions, it would all have been well under control."

"You know what? I'm not even going to ask. I'm just going to leave you both here to get started. Let me know if you have any problems."

Now, finally, maybe I can get some food.