Hey bros! Mass Effect 2 comes out for the PS3 come Tuesday! I'm so fucking excited I can't stand it! As always read and review and PM me with any questions. And if I can make a small request to my faithful readers: I'm looking for a flv file of the CD version of Tambourine Man by Bob Dylan to download to Realplayer. I haven't been able to find any (youtube is full of shitty covers (no offense to those who can play the guitar and sing better than Bob Dylan) and it's frustrating). I hope that, if you feel so inclined, you have better luck than I do. Anyways, please enjoy this newest chapter of the Warrior Queen!
Fawkes was the first one awake. He always was. Thanks to his marine training, he had received extensive genetic overhauling from Binary Helix. This included an improvement to his bodily clock's sleep schedule. Instead of going between the different stages of sleep in long, lazy waves, his body alternated between stage 4, which was important for rest, and REM sleep, which psychologists said he needed for memory. The result was a 20 hour day, with 4 hours of sleep, and no side effects.
His eyes slid open and he rolled to the side. Even though he didn't need sleep, he enjoyed lounging in bed for awhile. It beat doing actual work. Raven Squadron was in a small barracks near the landing area for their gunships. The dimly lit room had 10 bunks, so his entire squadron was here. Vivian, Shawna, Julia, Seranni, and Colin were on one side of a dividing curtain. Fawkes didn't think Colin was gay, he just figured the girls thought he was more trustworthy than John or Tracy. Or him. They were probably right.
After a few more minutes, a soft click of talons on the floor told Fawkes that Ealos was awake. The turian had no qualms bunking with humans. Probably because the alternative as a tent out in the cold. Death by night-beating or freezing weren't very appealing to him, Fawkes guessed. He rolled over and signaled Ealos that he wasn't alone. The turian dipped his head and pulled on a uniform, then walked as quietly as he could over to the captain.
"Morning," Fawkes greeted him. "If you don't mind, hang around here until I'm ready. Can't have the Second Contact War get sparked on my watch."
If the turian had been human, Fawkes would have sworn the look he received included raised eyebrows. As it was, Ealos just shrugged and nodded, then stepped softly out the door. Fawkes liked the turian. Honestly, he had no bias against any aliens. But he knew a lot of people didn't feel the same. He wasn't about to let his squadron member wander around an armed camp by himself. This wasn't the first time the turian had been restricted to following his captain around. Ealos never complained about being babied, and Fawkes thought it was because he understood why it was necessary. But that didn't make it fair to him.
A bit later, Seranni slipped past the curtain on her way out the door. "Ealos is waiting for you. Keep him company," Fawkes told the asari. She smiled and nodded as she left the room. Fawkes enjoyed having Seranni around. She was his unofficial second in command; diplomatic, reasonable, and attractive. All were qualities he valued. But she also had her wild side, which explained her choice in a mate.
Voices drifted across the curtain after awhile, telling him that the rest of the women were awake. Shawna exited the girl's area first, pointedly ignoring her captain as she thumped out the door. Fawkes didn't bother trying to greet her: at best, she'd ignore him. At worst, she'd assault him. He didn't want the hassle of tossing her sorry ass out the window.
Vivian followed after, wrapped in several layers of clothing. She nodded at the captain before leaving. Garvug wasn't too cold during the day, at least along the equator. The morning air was brisk, but not uncomfortable. However, last night's freezing temperatures were the rule rather than the exception. Vivian had a low tolerance for extreme temperatures, so she had packed double the required clothing for her tour on Garvug.
John and Mac were up by now. Mac was donning his uniform while John meticulously tied the strands of his beard into the braids he was so proud of. Fawkes thought he took his Scandinavian ancestry a tad overboard, especially with the bloodlust. Soon they too were out the door, leaving four people in the barracks.
Fawkes pulled himself up and pulled on his jacket and pants, then stepped through the curtain to the other side of the room. Colin was sitting up in his bed, blearily blinking the last of the sleep from his eyes. "Morning sweety!" Julia chirped, just finished dressing herself.
"Hello Julia," Colin answered, still half-asleep. She came over and mussed his hair affectionately, and he smiled shyly at her. She grinned in return and fetched his clothes for him.
"Sleep well?" she asked.
Colin shook his head, one of his hands drifting to his face to trace the insignia etched there. "The dreams are back."
"It's the new surroundings, Colin," Fawkes reassured him. Julia nodded to her captain in greeting as she helped Colin out of bed. The boy wasn't physically impaired, but she never missed a chance to mother him. Fawkes continued, "You're just not used to Garvug yet. Give it a few days, then see how you feel."
"I guess you're right, captain," was the subdued response as he dressed. "I think yesterday was a little too long." He wasn't wrong: the entire squadron had been awake over 30 hours between the alert status upon entering the Paz system and their final mission last night.
"Like I said, give it a few days," Fawkes promised. "Things will calm down."
"Let's go see what's for breakfast," Julia sang, pulling her surrogate son out the door. Fawkes walked over to Tracy's bed and stood over him, silently waiting.
"I know you're there," a tired voice mumbled from the mass of bed sheets that hid Tracy from view. "I can hear you glaring."
Rolling his eyes, Fawkes kicked the bed. "Get up soldier," he joke-ordered.
Grumbling, Tracy rolled out of bed and onto the floor. "Shit!" he cussed, jumping up and hurriedly putting on shoes. "That floor is fucking cold!"
"You know what else will be cold? Your breakfast if you don't get a move on!"
"I know I know," Tracy answered, quickly dressing and making his bed. The cold floor had done the trick.
Fawkes left his co-pilot inside the barracks. Stepping into the cold air, he breathed out of his mouth, pleased he could see it condense in front of him. For some reason, that simple thing always amused him. Probably because it reminded him of the cold winter mornings back home on Elysium. He signaled to Ealos, who was leaning against the barracks wall nearby, chatting with Seranni. They both saw him and walked over, eager to be underway.
"Where to ccaptain?" Ealos asked as they made their way through the makeshift compound. Signs of life could be seen everywhere as the soldiers went about the daily business of making war. Other squads that had come in late began emerging from makeshift barracks, heading in different directions for their various and sundry morning preparations.
"We'll find you some breakfast first Ealos, then we'll all find somewhere to eat together," Seranni suggested.
"Sounds fine with-" Fawkes began, before noticing the woman rushing toward them. Her striking red hair was a rarity for humans nowadays. Her sparkling purple eyes suggested she had some gene-therapy done. The datapad in her hand and micro-recorder he suspected was hidden in her necklace gave her away as a reporter. Fawkes sighed, then shrugged at his companions. "Go on without me. And stay out of trouble," he orderded.
"Yes captain," Seranni murmured, taking Ealos and heading off before the woman reached them. She stopped before Fawkes, her chest heaving. He raised an eyebrow and looked her over. Her face could've been sculpted from marble, perfect as it was. Her cheeks were high, and her jaw set in a stubborn line that did not detract from her beauty. Her nose was small, and her eyes were large and took the most attention. She had probably turned them purple to add to that effect. Simply put, she was gorgeous.
"Hello Ashley," he greeted her calmly. She fixed him with a stunning smile, and part of him buzzed inside. He smiled in return, suddenly happy to have her company.
"Hey Fawkes, I'm glad I caught you," she breathed, still panting from running. It looked like she had been running all across camp. Looking for him? He was flattered. "Do you have the datapad?"
Fawkes shook his head. "We had to deploy from the Eclipse before I could get it to you. I can ask for it to be sent in the next supply drop, though." She looked a little upset by this, so he quickly changed the subject, "I thought you had gone to Omega to follow up on the vorcha plague. I'm surprised you're here."
She waved the comment away. "I figured that an entire fleet circling Garvug would be a better story than another health concern on that rock."
Fawkes nodded and turned to head towards one of the many mess halls in camp. "You're right about that. How did you know I was here, though?" he asked.
Ashley suddenly looked sheepish. "I slipped a transmitter into the datapad I gave you. I can find you anywhere in the Terminus Systems."
He gave her a withering look. "If someone had found that, I could've lost my job," he informed the sneaky reporter.
She looked a little repentant, but suddenly cheered up. "You didn't though! Isn't that what counts?"
Fawkes rubbed his temples as they slipped inside the closest mess hall. There was almost no-one here, which wasn't very surprising considering it was still early. The pair walked up to the paste dispenser and chose how much they wanted. Out popped a recyclable bowl filled with nutrient-rich paste. Almost like oatmeal. They moved onto the next machine and picked their spices for some flavor. Fawkes chose french toast, and Ashley picked strawberries.
They chose a spot away from the door and its cold air. Ashley sat across from him and poked at her paste, thinking the whole mess looked very unappealing. Fawkes was already well into his meal, however, enjoying the taste, if not the texture. The spices did a very good job making the substance taste appealing, and soon he was finished; satisfied for the moment. Seconds would probably come later since he had unlimited rations. It was a nice perk of command.
"So Fawkes," Ashley began, taking a small bite of her meal.
"So Ashley," he responded, finishing off his.
She glared at him. "How long have I known you?" she asked out of the blue.
Fawkes was surprised by the question, but considered it anyways. He was pleasantly surprised by the answer. I'd say we met about two years ago, when you kept pestering the Guanghui reps about where their gunship pilots came from. They made me take you for a ride over Illium. If I remember correctly," he said with a grin, "you fainted."
Her glare intensified. "You're lucky I came back," she retorted.
Fawkes laughed. "You would think so. I did enjoy having my name on the extranet for a few days."
Ashley gave him a honeyed, therefore fake, smile. "It was the least I could do for my chauffeur," she explained.
"Corporate pilots reckless and negligent?" he demanded, sniggering as he quoted the headline she had published.
She laughed as well, and for awhile they sat, reminiscing. Around them, the room slowly filled as personnel filed in, some groggy from all-nighters, others appearing more well rested. "So, what brings you here, honestly?" Fawkes inquired, curious.
"TUNA wants to know what's going on here. I'm their best resource, especially since it involves corporate troops." Ashley explained, winking at him as she finished the last of her meal. They both put their plates inside of another machine, which would rinse and recycle everything.
He sniggered at the acronym for the Terminus Underground News Agency. Despite their somewhat foolish choice of naming, they were actually the galaxy's foremost source on the goings-on in the lawless Terminus region of space. A large donation from the Shadow Broker had set up safe-houses and provided contacts for reporters here. TUNA had quickly formed to meet the sudden influx of information. Try as they might, the various warlords couldn't get around the Shadow Broker's protection: safe-houses were always empty, contacts never found or always freed, and reporters were always two steps ahead of repercussions.
From what Ashley had told him, she had moved to the Terminus Systems sometime before TUNA had been set up, in the "Dark Ages" as she put it. She was one of the first people sought out by the Shadow Broker's agents, because she had somehow bested the Terminus System's policies towards media by her lonesome.
The wily news agent scowled at him. "This coming from a man who named his gunship Warrior Queen? I'm not impressed," she declared flatly.
Fawkes rolled his eyes and went to get seconds from the paste machine. He sat back down with her and ate more slowly, intending to continue the conversation. "So, what questions can I answer, oh great and powerful news goddess?"
She stuck her tongue out at him and fingered her necklace. Just as he suspected, a microrecorder was hidden there. "Tell me what you know about the invasion," she began, suddenly businesslike.
Fawkes told her basically what the original briefing had been. They were here originally to ensure a peaceful transition of governments, coup aside, in order for corporations to access the planet's resources. Specifically, Guanghui Solutions was interested in repairing the damage done by the krogan to the planet's ecosystem: cleansing the seas of pollutants and ensuring suitable breeding pools for maritime life. They also wished to find sustainable farming opportunities in order to allow the flora and fauna native to the planet to repair the damage done to them by greedy krogans seeking new land to overharvest.
"But that wasn't the plan, was it?" Ashley inquired, sounding very professional for the microphone.
Fawkes nodded grimly. "I don't have the whole story," he explained," but I know from the commander in charge of pulling the coup, a man named Abel, that several of our allies on the ground weren't in contact. Because of this, there were not sufficient numbers to take the Haliot Clan ancestral fortress before the state of alarm went up."
"What about Haliot Wrund?" she asked.
"The warlord controlling the planet?" he clarified. "Well, I'm not entirely sure. He's probably holed up in the fortress, calling for reinforcements of his own from other Terminus warlords."
The reporter nodded absently and continued her line of questioning. "So what happens now?" she asked.
"We fight," Fawkes said bluntly. "Until Guanghui decides it's not worth it, we're groundside for the long haul."
"Any chance of victory?" Ashley pressed. "You retreaded pretty quickly last night."
Fawkes ran a hand through his hair, considering the question. "I won't speak military jargon to you. Simply put, we were unprepared for a protracted ground war. We got out while we could, instead of standing and dying." His words weren't harsh, or directed at her, but his tone still made her glance up from the readings on her necklace. He continued; "We're already pushing back into the city, because we have the superior technology and training. Trust me when I say that the fighting has barely begun."
Ashley gave him another smile, this one genuine. She slipped the recorder back into her shirt, presumably turning it off. "Thanks a bunch Fawkes," she said earnestly, leaning forward to kiss his forehead.
The pilot blushed in spite of his attempt to remain passive and allowed a small smile in return. At this she grinned widely and sat back in her chair. "I thought you told me my charms didn't work on you," she taunted playfully.
He rolled his eyes, the attraction gone in light of the fake argument. "Please excuse my body, it thought you were actually interested for a moment."
She laughed at that. "You're saying you're interested?"
He shook his head and explained. "No, my body decided before my brain could call it stupid. I'll need to ask Binary Helix to fix that."
Ashley grinned mischievously. "You need a session of gene-therapy just to get over me? I'm so flattered," she retorted sarcastically.
"Nope. Just so I can remember not to fall for your act again," he explained in a reasonable tone.
"Act?" she asked, appearing totally innocent.
Fawkes nodded excitedly and pressed the point: "When a man is happy with his life, you suddenly swoop in out of nowhere under the guise of news and make off with his desires. Then he chases you across the galaxy like some love-struck Romeo."
"You make me sound like some kind of deceitful harpy from one of your storybooks," she complained, pouting.
"Well, that's because you basically are a deceitful harpy from one of my 'storybooks,'" he stated bluntly, putting air quotes around the last word. "Except you smell slightly nicer, and you have a spaceship and breasts as opposed to talons and feathers."
The roundabout way he had gotten to the kill was worth it for the look on Ashley's face. She wasn't hurt or insulted, only outraged that she had been outmaneuvered so easily. Fawkes leaned back from the table, the picture of ease as he waited for her response. "Well… you… blargh!" she stammered lamely.
He held up a hand in appeasement. "I'll admit, though, you do have a certain charm," he said, trying to soothe her ego.
It seemed to work, as she calmed down a little. "Well… thanks," she mumbled.
"It's just that I want to be immune to it. Like how a smoker wants to be immune to black lung."
She stuck her tongue out at him, then brightened. "Oh! You're saying you're addicted to me, huh? So much for your brain being smart."
He laughed. "It's not my fault you grow on people. Sort of like a fungus, or a tumor."
The exchange continued for a little while longer, before subsiding into more casual conversation. They talked about Ashley's past assignments, and Fawkes told a few hair-raising war stories. Suddenly, Fawkes' datapad beeped, signaling he had a message. Groaning, he opened it; sure enough, there were details of his newest assignment. "Looks like I'm booked for the rest of the day," he complained, both to himself and Ashley.
She pouted nonetheless, unhappy that her favorite news-source was leaving. "Who else will I pump for information?" she demanded.
"Try the Guanghui Solutions PR branch. It's what they exist for."
"They're no fun," she mumbled to herself, standing up with him. "Any chance I could come with?"
Fawkes laughed and shook his head. "Besides the fact that we're going into a combat zone, you won't be able to see anything from the cargo bay."
"Cargo bay?" she demanded as walking with him towards the landing zone. Her pride was obviously injured. "Why on earth would I fly in the cargo bay? I thought there were two seats in your gunship!"
He allowed her to rant while he tapped a small beeper on his uniform. Similar devices would respond on his squadron, letting them know to assemble at the landing zone. "That will be occupied," he answered distractedly, making sure the location his beeper was sending was accurate. It was.
"Who's going to sit there?" she cried, throwing up her hands. "Who is possibly more important to you than I am?"
Fawkes considered the question seriously for her benefit. "Several people, actually. But in this case, I believe the answer would be my gunner. He'd be quite insistent about sitting there, actually."
Ashley's indignity deflated, and she giggled at her own lack of knowledge. "Oh! That makes sense," she stated, suddenly her usual perky self once again. They continued to chat as the rest of Raven squadron assembled. Their reactions to her presence ranged to casual interest (Tracy and Julia) to outright distaste (Shawna.)
"Okay, I have to go," Fawkes told her finally. Without another word, he turned and headed to his gunship. He climbed nimbly into the cockpit and closed the hatch. He purposefully didn't look at her as he did pre-flight checks for his squadron. "All right," he finally said. "Everyone lift off, I'll give you details once we're en route. At last, he turned to look towards Ashley. She was still there smiling brightly at him. He gave a small grin in return, and waved, hoping Tracy wouldn't see. He did.
"Caught one huh commander?" he inquired casually, his face the picture of disinterest.
"Shut up Tracy," Fawkes said sullenly as they lifted off. Ashley continued waving and smiling until they could no longer see her.
"Does she know you're taken?" Tracy continued steadily, not heeding his captain's words.
"Hm?" Fawkes responded, suddenly incredibly busy adjusting the throttle of the gunship.
"The Warrior Queen is a possessive girl, you know," he informed his captain. "She won't like your new friend."