Silence.
That was the crippling difference between the Flotilla and the SSV Hastings.
He couldn't even sleep it was deafening.
Even after being on this ship for a few months the silence was still deafening.
Ivea took a deep breath as he shook his head with a tube of nutrient paste in his hand.
He was in the mess hall where not too long ago Cerberus had killed soldiers.
Ivea looked around the now clean room, the silence only being broken by a hum so silent it was hardly noticeable.
"If I had a credit for every minute you've slept on this ship I'd have a handful of them." Ivea turned to see Sam walking toward him.
He couldn't help but chuckle lightly as he sat his nutrient paste to the side.
"Sorry ma'am it's just...I don't mean to complain I'll head off to bed right now." He moved to stand but she laid a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down with a surprising amount of force.
Ivea blinked as he observed her arms. She had traces of sweat and her muscles seemed bigger, toner. It appeared something bothered her to the point where working out was a release from it.
"Well I'm up and misery loves company." She said with a smile as she sat across from him. He frowned in confusion.
"But...your name isn't misery." Sam looked just as confused for a moment before she laughed.
"It's a figure of speech." Ivea ignored the burning heat in his cheeks as he looked in her hand.
Ivea may not have the most knowledge of the galaxy but he knew well enough to know she had a glass of alcohol in her hand.
He observed the subtle shifts in her posture, the small movements in her face, the sluggish way her eyes moved. She was intoxicated.
"Stress ma'am?" Ivea broke the silence. Sam looked confused then traced his eyes to her glass.
"Well...don't tell anyone but this is starting to get to me." Ivea tilted his head in curiousity.
"This position, this assignment, all of it. I mean sure I get promoted from my dying Captain's last wish but to send us into the skirts of Human space and telling us to just look around? I mean what the hell kind of order is that?" She sighed quietly and took a long drink from her glass.
The moment she set down the glass and took a breath her face twisted into an expression of distaste. It was comparable to the face a human makes when they got a bone broken.
"If the taste is so bad why do you drink it?" Ivea asked nodding to the bottle.
Sam was silent for a moment before she answered, "Because at the bottom of this glass I'll find the answer to my question." Once again Ivea was confused.
"What question?" She sluggishly looked at him then at the glass.
She took a breath then brought the glass to her lips and gulped the last of the horrid liquid.
She coughed quietly and shook her head.
"Well I have a lot of questions from what the hell Cerberus is up planning to how I managed to score an amazing crewman like yourself." Ivea's cheeks were on fire as he looked down.
Sam laughed as she stared into his visor. "And the way you get all shy is adorable. Don't look so surprised, did you really think your visor would hide that blush?"
Ivea's throat was drier than a Krogan's taste in art. His heart was racing as his mind was blank.
What was he supposed to say to that?!
"I think it's just the cutest thing that you have a crush on me Ivea but would a Quarian even be able to be with a Human? I don't even know what you guys look like."
His stomach dropped as she asked the question that he'd been constantly pushing back. Could they be together?
Then his brain began to process the sentence. Was it an offer? If he said yes would she be willing to...no it was ridiculous. Even if they could work she could do better.
Ivea sighed quietly to himself as he looked down.
"Don't bum yourself out kid. I can see how you're always putting yourself down. Sometimes you just gotta ignore your rationality and take a leap. You never know it might work out." His heart rate doubled.
Constructing his omni-tool without his father's help was easier than sorting out the signals this Human was sending.
Did she like him? What was she saying? Is she trying to let him down easy?
"Ma'am I..." She held up a hand to cut him off.
"Please Ivea, just Sam. You're not one of the common troops. I trust you."
The last part of her sentence made his cheeks glow even brighter. She didn't seem to notice though she was simply looking at his hands which were folded on the table.
"S-Sam I...I'm not very good at th-this but I'm very...confused..." Sam laughed loudly at that.
"I'm just as confused trust me, this mission is a shitstorm." Ivea gulped as he took a deep breath.
"Sam..." He slowly unfolded his hands and laid them parallel on the table.
"I...I'm not talking about the mission..." His hand slowly slid across the table until his fingers lightly touched her hands.
She blinked and stared into his visor.
"Then what're you talking about?" The volume of her voice was much lower as the humming of the ship seemed louder.
"I...I don't know what you're trying to say Sam...asking about H...Human Quarian erm...rel...relationships but...Sam I...I..." He couldn't say it. He choked on the word. Love? No he couldn't say that they weren't even mating. Like? No that wasn't strong enough.
Then he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He was powerless to stop what happened with his old team in the Flotilla but by the Ancestors he was not powerless now!
He opened his eyes and slid his hands over Sam's as he whispered, "I wish to be your lifemate." Before he could stop himself he said it.
Almost immediately his body froze over. He was paralyzed.
How could he say that?! What was he thinking?!
"You...wanna date me?" She was obviously confused by the word. Ivea was panting, he couldn't stop himself from talking.
"N...No a lifemate is...one who is meant for you. One who was created just for you. What you feel they feel, where you go they go. A lifemate is...indescribable." Sam slowly nodded clearly trying to process it all.
"So it's like a soulmate?" Ivea took a deep breath to try and calm himself. He screamed in his head to stop! Go back! But he charged on.
"Kind of...But with a lifemate the bond is mental and even physical. If one is happy then the other is but if one is hurt then so is the other. Lifemates are bonded forever. If one dies the other is in a permanent state of mourning."
Sam was silent as Ivea held her hands. Just as always the silence was deafening.
"I can tell this means a lot to your people." She whispered, the seriousness of the conversation seemed to sober her up.
"More than anything. It is a huge part of our culture, I may say even bigger than our own suits or government." Sam was silent once more but didn't push Ivea away in disgust so that was something.
Then Something so unexpected happened Ivea almost screamed. She lightly squeezed his hands.
Just like that the ice in his veins melted and he felt as though he were on the surface of the sun but it didn't hurt.
Just a small squeeze of his hand and all of his troubles were gone.
"I...you're hand is so different from mine." She whispered staring off to the side. Ivea gulped as he slowly started to pull them back when she held on tighter, staring into his visor.
"I like that." His heart skipped a beat as his eyes went wide.
In a whole galaxy of people Ivea had just managed to find his lifemate, the one made for him. And just like that he felt as though his life were complete. Nothing could touch him now.
"But...I don't even know what your face looks like Ivea...How could we even..." Normally he wouldn't even be able to process what she was saying but he was surprisingly calm.
"Quarians can take antibiotics and imunio boosters, there are many things we can do to open ourselves to he outside for maybe an hour but we still run the risk of being sick as always. No matter what I will always run that risk if we are ever...together but Sam...I want to take that risk! I've never shown my face to anyone but my mother and father but...I want to show you." She was silent for a long time before she took a breath and nodded.
"I'm worried about the risks Ivea but...if you're certain you want to take that risk then...I'm game." He felt happier than he could ever recall. He truly found his lifemate.
"Well...the bathroom in my room has a decontamination cycle which makes it safe for me to remove my suit so I can clean...and if you were willing you could...wear your combat armor and seal yourself in...then I...could...could show you my...face." Ivea spoke barely above a whisper. He never thought in his whole life he'd say anything like this.
To his surprise Sam smiled as she let go of his hand and stood up.
"Well? Let's go, I'll suit up and meet you in your room in five. And don't think you can take advantage of me I'm barely tipsy." Ivea blinked as he shot upright.
"I-I would never!" Sam just laughed harder as she went off to get her armor and Ivea walked toward his room.
. . . .
No one onboard the Hastings saw the ship flying a few feet over them with it's stealth systems active which were modeled after the Normandy.
They also didn't feel the slight shudder as a single person dropped from the ship onto the Hastings and hot wired the outer airlock to let them in without alarm.
They then sealed shut the outer airlock and opened the inner one.
They slid inside and took cover against a wall.
Across the visor of their helmet was a military I.D. Photo with the name Sam Johnson under it and the substantial amount of credits Cerberus was paying for her below that.
Suddenly a lone patrolman began walking down the hall toward the Assassin's position.
The Assassin took a deep breath and was pressed flat against the wall.
The patrolman walked down the hall until he stood with the Assassin right beside him.
He frowned as he felt the Assassin's presence and turned only to be struck directly in the throat. He tried to breath but gagged as he fell unconscious.
He began fall back but the Assassin grabbed him and slung him over their shoulder.
The Assassin backtracked to the airlock and silently laid down the patrolman then went back into the ship.
. . . .
Ivea and Sam stood within the bathroom as fog filled the room until they couldn't even see each other.
Finally there was a small chime that indicated the room was sterile.
Ivea took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
He was shaking.
He'd never been nervous to the point of shaking other than when he was forced on his Pilgramage.
"It's ok." He heard Sam's voice in front of him.
Just like that everything was just that, ok.
He slowly reached up and mentally ordered his suit to unlock the visor.
There was a quiet click then hiss as air escaped out of the seams.
He pulled off the visor and took a deep breath as he sat the visor on the sink to his left.
The air was chilly and almost burned his lungs.
Then he heard Sam step closer to him.
. . . .
The bridge was silent as the crew sat at their stations not noticing the Assassin who sat in the corner, looking at each of their faces.
The target wasn't there.
The Assassin silently left the bridge and began walking down the hall.
Not even a moment later a door to the Assassin's right opened revealing two soldiers standing there staring at the Assassin.
The three were standing in place until one soldier reached for his pistol and opened his mouth about to yell but he never did.
The Assassin was there in a flash with their right leg behind the soldier's and right arm snaked through the soldier's right arm, pulling it up with the Assassin shoving their fist into his mouth.
With a simple push the soldier tilted back and tripped over the Assassin's foot, the sheer shock of the lightning fast movement paralyzing the soldier.
He hit the ground hard and didn't even have time to blink before the Assassin kicked him in the side of the jaw knocking him out.
Then in one swift motion the Assassin twisted around and pulled the other soldier into the space between the Assassin's right arm and their body, slowly choking the soldier while the Assassin's left hand gripped the soldier's arm firmly, ensuring he couldn't grab his weapon.
When the soldier finally went limp the Assassin sat him down gently and grabbed the two by their collars, dragging them into the room they'd exited and locking the door.
The Assassin crept through the halls again.
. . . .
Although Sam had been intoxicated in the mess hall the talk had sobered her up better than any greasy burger ever could.
Now she stood in front of a Quarian without their mask.
Not just any Quarian but Ivea'Liak Nar Lavenya.
Ever since she saw him in that ally way she knew he was special.
She slowly reached up with her gloved hand and lightly touched Ivea's cheek.
He twitched lightly, obviously unused to touch by another person.
His skin was a mix of a Turian's with an Asari's it seemed slightly scaly like an Asari but tight like a Turian's.
His eyes were big, white, and glowed from the implants he had to connect him to his suit. He also had lines of glowing implants here and there.
His eyes were about a finger widths wider than a Human.
His skin was a pale white undoubtedly from being in the suit.
His nose was like a Turian's but wider. It was as though he was a Turian, Human, Asari hybrid. But his mouth was different.
His lips were thin barely anything at all.
It was no wonder he wasn't used to facial expressions, the lack of lips with the hardness of a Turian meant he didn't really have a wide variety of expressions.
But then...he smiled.
His teeth were white and pointed but they looked as though they'd been dulled down.
"They used to be sharp but after so long of us being in these suits and eating paste they just...dulled." He explained.
His voice without the electronic filter was so different...exotic even.
It sent shivers down her spine.
She lightly rubbed his cheek as he closed his eyes and took a breath.
His nostrils flared as a Turian's does.
He smiled.
"I've been practicing...smiling. After you described it on the Citadel I just had to figure out how to do it." He explained.
He was just so cute Sam couldn't take it.
"Now I understand how you feel in your suit. I just wish I could rip this suit off." Sam said with a chuckle.
Ivea looked down as his cheeks glowed purple.
"Thank god I'm sober right now or I'd ripped this suit off by now." Sam said with a laugh as she ran her hand down Ivea's neck to his chest.
Ivea looked up at her with his face still glowing.
"I can see this situation with Cerberus is getting to you. The drink, the fact you're always on the bridge and never rest, and the fact you've exercised so much you've gained 3x more muscle than you had in such a short amount of time. You're going to hurt yourself Sam and I..." He trailed off as he took a step closer causing Sam to tense up.
"I don't want anything to hurt you, even if it's yourself." He reached up and stroked the side of her helmet.
Before she knew it she was hugging him tightly.
"From the Citadel to the colony to now you're stilling looking out for me...thanks Ivea. I'll...I'll do my best to make this work." When she stepped back she saw he had a big grin on his face.
"Happy hm?" She asked with a smirk.
"After panicking all this time and finally telling you how I feel just to learn my feelings are returned? Yeah I'd say I'm happy." He said with a chuckle.
Then he cleared his throat and looked Sam in the eye.
"It's probably best if the crew didn't see our new relationship especially after the incident I had in the mess hall with the ex crew member." Ivea said as he grabbed Sam's hands. Now she was blushing.
She'd never heard him talk in such a wise manner before.
"I...Yeah you're right. But if you think you're getting away from me that easily you're wrong." Then Ivea smirked.
"Trust me Ma'am I would never want to."
"Damn it will you call me Sam?"