Joker bobbed his head in time to the beat of the Expel-10 song that blasted through his headset. The away team had been ashore for longer than he expected, but there had been zero traffic on the comm. Joker knew from experience that if Shepard had run into trouble, he would be one of the first to hear about it. He scanned a monitor looking for sound fluctuations, making sure that he hadn't missed any static. Nothing - apparently the away team was just taking their time. Leaning over, he deftly sifted through the open windows on his console. He smiled in satisfaction to find out he won the turian flight simulator game he had been bidding on as he flicked through the tabs on his extranet browser. A vid of a house cat ambushing a tough looking krogan played in a small window. Joker chuckled and flicked to the next tab. He pressed "replay" on the virtual chess board. Five moves later, he had checkmated his opponent, "infilTr80rN7" - location blocked. Joker was contemplating a trip to the mess when he heard EDI announce Shepard's arrival.
"Logged: Commander Shepard and shore party aboard, Officer Lawson stands relieved," said the AI. Joker swung his chair around to greet Shepard. With a start, he also quickly turned down the volume on his headset.
"- be down there in a couple minutes, I'm just gonna let Joker know what's going on," said Shepard to her squad as they exited the decontamination chamber. Joker watched Garrus and Tali chatting while they walked toward the elevator. He heard Shepard's boots on the metal floor, rounding the corner to the cockpit. She looked harassed and preoccupied. She roughly crammed her burgundy hair behind her ears and she had on what Joker called her "Don't-talk-to-me-I'm-on-a-mission" face. He prepared himself for a slough of information which he guessed was probably not about the wacky hijinks of the crew who had taken shore leave on Omega.
"Change of plans, Joker," said Shepard. "Blue Suns are getting out of hand on the station – kidnapping, racketeering -"
"The usual?" asked Joker, smirking. Shepard took off her gloves and tucked them under her arm. Her expression changed slightly, relaxing. She leaned against the wall.
"Basically, yeah. It got pretty heated in the markets down there. All the merchants were driven out, their shops were looted. We ran into some trouble with a couple mechs - nothing serious," she said.
"So what's the new plan, boss?" he asked.
"Oh - yeah, I told Aria we'd take care of it," said Shepard quickly. Her eyes were firmly on the monitors above the pilot's head.
"Wait - Aria? Self-proclaimed 'Queen of Omega' Aria? We're working for her now?" said Joker incredulously.
"We're working with her for now," Shepard corrected. "It's not ideal, but there are people who need help down there and Aria's credits will keep us afloat until we can talk to the council. She's also footing the bill for the hull repairs, in addition to what we're being paid." Joker shook his head.
"Well at least that's something. Hey, maybe we can go work for Eclipse next and they'll give us a new paint job! I'm thinking lightning bolts on the front end," the pilot jested. Shepard rolled her eyes.
"It's not like that. Anyway, I'm gonna brief the squad in a few minutes. Thought you'd want to know we might be sticking around longer than planned," she said.
"Yeah, well telling the pilot where the ship is going is generally considered a good idea."
"Ah, Joker. This is why I keep you around," she said. Shepard looked around the cockpit, checking on the Normandy's systems. Joker hastily closed his extranet browser. Shepard hid her smile from the pilot.
"Anything else, commander?" asked Joker.
"I should go," said Shepard.
"All right, see ya," he said. The commander turned to leave and made her way down through the CIC. Joker could see Yeoman Chambers grab Shepard's attention. Shrink's probably warning her that we've all finally lost it, he guessed. Chuckling to himself, Joker turned his chair around and the volume up on his headset.
Gear cleaned and put away – check. Unread messages read – check. Space hamster fed – check. Shepard looked over the roster of available personnel for the second time. It appeared that from her immediate team, only Mordin and Kasumi had taken up the offer for shore leave on Omega. In an unofficial post script, Miranda had noted that engineers Ken and Gabby had left together. Shepard smirked; amused by not only the engineers leaving together, but at Miranda's passing the information along. She was glad to know that her relationship with the business-minded Cerberus officer had gotten to the point where she felt comfortable sharing gossip. Shepard wasn't sure whether to be surprised or relieved at how many of her squad remained on the ship. She'd need their help, but she did not look forward to briefing them on the mission if Joker's reaction was any indication of how the rest of them would feel. She tapped the screen at her terminal, summoning EDI.
"Ship-wide intercom please, EDI."
"Intercom ready, commander." Shepard could hear the low bell tone of the intercom simultaneously from the speaker in her quarters and in the elevator, which stood open on her deck.
"Commander Shepard speaking. All available squad members please head to the briefing room. Shepard out," said the commander. Hearing her own voice on the intercom is what put her off using it most of the time. Did she really sound like that? In her own head, she thought her voice sounded more – authoritative, or something. Closing the screen, she spun her chair away from the desk. It took her a moment to realize Thane stood in her doorway, silent as the ship. She stepped back, startled.
"I didn't mean to sneak up on you, siha," he said, a smug grin on his lips.
"Yeah, right. You're lucky I'm so tired, or you'd be on the ground right now," Shepard countered.
"I think what you meant to say is that if you were my mark, you'd be dead right now," he said. Thane moved closer to Shepard, placing his hands on her hips.
"I guess I'm lucky you're on my side then," she said. Shepard closed the space between then, lifting herself on her toes to kiss the drell thoroughly on the mouth. The taste of his skin made her head buzz. It was a pleasant, if not disconcerting feeling.
"If it would make you feel better, you are welcome to try and put me on the ground - after meeting with the crew, that is," said Thane.
"Right, I did just tell them to head down to the comm room, didn't I?" Shepard rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand.
"I'm afraid so," he said. Thane could see plainly the fatigue in Shepard's eyes, but he sensed her reluctance to discuss it. Fortunately, patience was one of his virtues – he would hear about the happenings on Omega soon enough.
"Ah well, did you come all the way up here just to walk me down?"
"In a manner of speaking. I was in your doorway when you began your announcement."
"Oh," said Shepard simply. Her cheeks flushed, slightly embarrassed to be caught so unguarded, even by Thane. "Well let's get down there, can't have them all together in one place for too long – could get messy."
"After you, siha," said Thane. He stepped aside to let Shepard pass. Instead, she caught his hand in hers and they walked into the elevator, bound for the level below.
The door to the briefing room was open. From the murmur inside, Shepard could tell that most of her team had already assembled. She was also pleasantly surprised to hear laughter, though she wasn't sure what she expected. The commander was about to turn the corner into the room when Thane held up a finger and halted her. He had a curious glint in his eye. Shepard looked at him, puzzled, but it soon became clear to her why he had stopped. He put a hand to his ear.
"You thought the Hammerhead was bad? You weren't there when we had the Mako! We had a joke below deck. Wrex always said he wasn't sure what would kill him first: Saren and the geth, or Shepard's driving," Shepard recognized Garrus' voice from the hallway followed by a chorus of laughter. She shot a wry smile at Thane.
"I remember one time we were on a low-G planet in the Mako," contributed Tali. "There was a pirate base camp below us at the bottom of this steep cliff. Shepard turns to us and says, 'Let's do this', right before she accelerates and hurls us over the edge! We drifted for so long before we finally landed upside down about a hundred meters away. We blew our cover, but it was worth it to see Garrus looking like he was about to faint." Another round of laughter. Shepard laughed out loud in the hall, even more so when the sound of her voice quieted the group inside. She stepped into the briefing room.
"Come on, it wasn't that bad," said Shepard. "I mean, who drove through a mass relay and landed right on top of a bunch of geth? If you're going to critique my driving skills, be fair and at least include the good parts."
"Right," Garrus coughed. "Sorry, commander."
"No need, I'm just glad to see everyone lightening up a bit. It's been a tense couple of weeks. Anyway, we're all here. Good," said Shepard. Thane found a seat near Samara. They nodded at each other. Jacob, Legion, and Miranda sat opposite them, with Garrus and Tali at the end of the table facing Shepard. Grunt paced along the side wall, punching his palm and grumbling quietly to himself. Jack stood near Zaeed in the back corner. Zaeed merely looked bored as he scanned through a magazine he brought up with him. Jack tried her best to look put out, but she couldn't hide her curiosity.
"Why are we here, Shepard? I thought we were supposed to be getting some free time," said Jack.
"To see the beautiful sights of Omega? No thanks, I'd rather work," said Miranda, lacing her long fingers together and looking coolly from Jack to the commander.
"Nobody asked you, cheerleader!" said Jack. White light flashed from her palms, threatening.
"Save it, both of you!" Shepard warned. "Getting to the point, I picked up a job on the station – hunting mercs, basically. I'm only taking a small team in, but I need everyone I can get to help plan. If you'd rather take your leave now, go ahead, I won't hold it against you. We just came back from a high-risk mission, I understand not wanting to get right into another one."
"High risk, huh? I'm in," rumbled Grunt, bumping his fists excitedly.
"We'll get to that part soon, Grunt – don't worry," said the commander. She scanned the room gauging the level of interest. No one was leaving. Shepard smiled inwardly and continued. "The man we were going to see about the Normandy's repairs has been kidnapped by Blue Suns. They've taken over most trade on the station, either by bullying shop owners or by redirecting shipments. From what we heard while we were there, it sounds like they're making a big push against Aria, and she's close to caving."
"Blue Suns? How the hell did they organize themselves after that shit hole we left them in on Zorya?" said Zaeed as he shoved his magazine away.
"That's one of the questions, Zaeed. Aria was convinced it was an elaborate scheme between you and I to take over the Suns and then Omega," said Shepard. Zaeed crossed his arms and looked thoughtful for a moment.
"Hmm. That doesn't sound like a half-bad idea, Shepard. I was thinking about retiring, but -" said Zaeed, pondering.
"I wasn't making a suggestion! I assured Aria that wasn't the case. Nevertheless, one of her people is double-dealing with the Suns, corrupting her intel and who knows what else," said Shepard. "Simply put, the job is to take out the Suns, find the mole, and rescue the mechanic – not necessarily in that order."
"Wait, you're saying we're working for Aria?" asked Jacob. He shook his head, mumbling something under his breath.
"No, we're working with Aria. She's not calling the shots, we're doing this our way. I wasn't looking for this, but the situation down there is bad. People are scared to leave their homes. There are armed security mechs patrolling civilian sectors! While Aria may not be the most noble leader, she's kept Omega operating relatively smoothly for decades, considering the population. Think about what would happen to all those people if the Suns took over leadership of Omega," said Shepard, the volume of her voice escalating gradually to the end. Samara pushed her chair quietly from the table and stood up, placing her blue palms on the table in front of her.
"You do not have to explain your actions, Shepard. I believe that all of us here have come to trust your judgment absolutely," she said calmly. The asari justicar looked around the room, almost daring anyone to contradict her. Finding no one, she took her seat. She inclined her head to Shepard, indicating for her to continue.
"Thank you, Samara," she said, touched by the justicar's statement as well as her crew's affirmation. "That basically covers the job. It's not gonna be easy, and there's a lot we don't know."
"We know that intel is being corrupted, maybe electronically. I can run a trace on the data and see if there is anything suspicious going on in the relay," offered Tali. Shepard nodded her head in acknowledgment.
"What we need is an insider, someone on the station who can tell us objectively what's going on," said Miranda.
"Mercs won't talk to us, not now. If they were uninvolved, being seen talking to us would just make them a target," said Zaeed.
"What about Patriarch?" asked Garrus. Shepard remembered the old krogan she'd helped out of an attempt on his life. He said he would be grateful, but Shepard wondered if it was time to collect.
"He's not what I would call objective. He was Aria's advisor," said Shepard.
"Yes, but it didn't seem like she listened to him much the last time we talked with him. I'll bet he knows more than what he's telling Aria, if she's even listening to him," said Garrus. Shepard shrugged.
"It's a start," she conceded. "Tomorrow Garrus, Grunt and I will go talk to the Patriarch." Grunt punched the air with his head. "Thank you, everyone. Once we do a little recon, we'll be better suited to get down to the real work. In the meantime, everyone get some rest. As soon as we have something to work with, we'll reconvene." The meeting adjourned, everyone began to slowly file out of the briefing room. Shepard tilted her head, noticing Legion remaining seated – apparently in an inactive state. She walked over to the geth and touched his shoulder. The light on his head glowed brighter when she touched him, and he acknowledged her.
"Shepard-Commander," he said plainly.
"You're quiet," said Shepard.
"Your form of communication is inefficient -" the geth began.
"Yes, we've covered this. Figure of speech, Legion. Do you have anything to add in regards to infiltrating the Suns base?" Shepard asked.
"Yes. While you were discussing, I was remotely accessing Omega's systems. I've hacked through the firewalls which will allow the Normandy to take control of the station's defenses, such as they are. Also, I've detected that the majority of weapons and tech are being delivered to a specific warehouse. There is also a notable organic signature there, I believe that is the Sun's base," said Legion. Shepard blinked, stunned. She would make it a point to record every time Legion surprised her with a new skill, just so she could keep track. Remotely hacking firewalls could come in handy in the future. She awkwardly patted the geth on the back.
"Keep up the good work, Legion," she said. He stood up and walked out, leaving Shepard and Thane in the comm room. The floor was silent as usual. Shepard grinned mischievously before quickly ducking low to the floor and sweeping her leg, taking Thane's feet out from under him. He landed with a thud on his back and she pinned him to the ground, straddling his chest.
"Told you I'd get you on the ground," said Shepard with a wink.
Shepard's mind had been on the edge of consciousness for what felt like hours. In her bed, she shifted uncomfortably. It seemed to her that the moment she thought she would find sleep was the moment somewhere on her body would start to ache. She turned again, trying not to disturb Thane, who looked like a drell statue. He lay there flat on his back, arms at his sides. How is he even comfortable? Shepard wondered. She was strictly a side-sleeper. She wondered for a moment if that's what her problem was. She looked at her alarm clock for the time, it read 02:00. She'd been at this for two hours. Shepard twisted over, laying on her stomach, and shoving her pillow into an acceptable shape. She breathed deeply, trying to remember the meditation techniques that Samara had been teaching her. Emptying her mind and relaxing each muscle from her feet to her head, she began to feel that familiar vertigo of slipping into the dream space. Shapes danced behind her eyelids and she heard voices, some more familiar than others. The voices began to speak words Shepard could understand. The shapes began to form images.