Title: Artemisia Shepard, War Hero
By: Midnight Unicorn
Disclaimer: Main character semi-mine, others and places are not

.

Hearing her footsteps, he rotated the chair to face her. "Commander?"

"I assume everything's going well up here?"

Her usual check up, making the rounds of the ship and keeping up-to-date with personnel. He opened his mouth for his usual complaints about EDI, but no sound emerged. At her raised eyebrow he closed his mouth, but still couldn't come up with an answer. "EDI, go away." She didn't look away from him when she snapped out the order and the AI obeyed immediately.

Something in his brain finally stirred. "That's not fair, she never listens when I tell her to go away."

"The difference is, I mean it." He knew he was screwed now, she wasn't going to leave until he explained himself. Unless a crisis came up, but she'd be right back as soon as she saved a colony, defeated an army, jump started a star, who knew what. "What's on your mind, Joker? I've noticed something's been bothering you the last couple days."

"More like months," he muttered bitterly. "Years. You know it'd be nice if someone put a chair or a bench in here or something. Then I could have visitors, and you wouldn't be looming over me all…imposing and commander-y. I've only got one escape route, too, you notice that? What if the airlock blows or something? I'd be stuck up here."

"Joker." He stopped rambling. "Spit it out."

Her and Chakwas both with that kindness that cut, he hated it. "It's nothing, really, Commander. Just been thinking about the old Normandy." She crossed her arms and waited. Why did she have to be perceptive and patient? And have enough determination a black hole couldn't swallow. "Having Tali back again…it makes a difference. Quarians just understand engines so well, or at least she does. There's always some kick on a ship with FTL drives, I mean, we're forcing materials to do things they're not meant to. But Tali knows how to gentle that some, it makes accuracy and speed so much better, and I don't have to spend as much time compensating."

What are you dancing for? He asked himself angrily. You were never good at it, and it's not like the Commander will kick you off the ship. Even if she doesn't understand she knows how much the Normandy means to you, and she knows no one can fly her better.

"I felt like I failed her and I failed the Normandy and I failed you all." Shepard didn't move or speak or even change her expression, watching him intently. He knew she'd understand, even when it was almost a minute before he could say anything more and he had to rotate his chair and look away from her to do it. "You should have let me go with the Normandy."

"No, I shouldn't have. We need you now for this mission. Why would I want to lose one of the best pilots in the galaxy?"

Anger bubbled up in his chest briefly, but a hard exhale and he was under control again. "You don't understand, Commander."

"Yes, I do, Joker." He heard her step closer and flinched away but she didn't try to touch him. "Trust me, you'll get another chance to show them what you can do. Just hang in there."

"I won't let you down, Commander. Not this time."

Joker's always gotta get the last word :) This was a spin-off idea from the second part of Conflict, when Joker's scolding Garrus and this popped out and it made sense to me, so I gave it some attention. Think what you will.

Thank you to ntmnky and voltagelisa for your story alerts, and thank you Scorcese for your continued support ^_^