Mass Effect 30 Day Challenge: Day 16

Prompt 16: Favourite Krogan.

SPOILERS: Mass Effect 3

Before

Normandy SR-2, Orbiting Tuchanka, 2186 CE

Shepard thought the war room was empty when she first entered – the Primarch had retired to his makeshift quarters and most of the analysts and technicians were either in the mess or relaxing in the Port Observation Lounge. There was little left to analyze or tweak at this point; the next step was obvious to everyone – cure the genophage and gain the Krogan as assets in the war against the Reapers.

Hoping to take one last look at the numbers before attempting to steal an hour or two of sleep, Kara Shepard crossed the room to examine the console detailing the logistics and teams assisting in the building of the Crucible.

"Shepard."

The low rumbling voice made her start, but Shepard turned with a smile to see Wrex still diligently examining the console he had adopted as his own since his arrival on the Normandy. She crossed back to his side of the room and leaned against the wall beside it. "Shouldn't you be getting some sleep Wrex?"

Wrex grunted. "What, and miss all the fun of trying to direct ground forces on Tuchanka?" He pressed a key on his console and the screen went dark. "No, sleep's the last thing on my mind." He turned to face her, his expression almost gleeful. "The Genophage cured Shepard. We've never been this close before."

Shepard rested a hand on the old Krogan's shoulder. "Hey, if that's what's on your mind we should be celebrating!" she pointed out. "It's going to change everything for your people."

Wrex shook his head and began walking towards the exit, Shepard falling into step beside him. "I'm not going to throw a party before we even hit planetside," he said. "Ask me again when the Salarian's cure actually works."

Shepard shrugged. "Fair enough," she said. "We've still got a few hours before everything's ready though. Fancy a drink? I have a bottle of ryncol in my quarters I've been saving for my favourite Krogan."

Wrex laughed. The two of them crossed through the security checkpoint and Shepard nodded at Traynor, who was still at her posting tweaking the comm. network. She was another member of the crew who never seemed to rest. "Really Shepard? You know what happened the last time you drank ryncol with me."

"I don't remember," Shepard said mildly, summoning the elevator.

"My point exactly," Wrex chuckled. The two of them stood side-by-side as the doors slid closed. Wrex leaned against the back wall and gave Shepard a look that could almost be interpreted as mischievous. "Sure your Turian boyfriend won't object to me coming up to your quarters Shepard?"

Shepard rolled her eyes. "I don't know if 'boyfriend's' the right word Wrex," she said, crossing her arms. "I just… I don't know what we are."

Wrex chuckled again. "You two are definitely something, that's for sure."

Shepard shook her head and entered her cabin, crossing over to drop a few food pellets into her space hamster's cage. "You think so?"

Wrex leaned against the fish tank and laughed. "Hah, Shepard, take it from someone who was there from the beginning, the Turian's had eyes for you since we first all teamed up to go after that bastard Saren."

"And he's had more than that since then," Shepard commented, opening a drawer in her desk and pulling out a dusty bottle of ryncol. "Knowing the rumor mill on this ship, I sure you're aware of that."

Wrex crossed the cabin and sat down slightly uncomfortably on the leather couch, which was easily two sizes too small for him. "You two kids'll get all that sorted out sooner or later," the Krogan shrugged. "You know, in between this war we're fighting."

Shepard laughed and sat down, pouring the ryncol out into two glasses. "Feels like it never ends," she said, handing one to Wrex.

He grunted and studied his drink. "It's gonna end soon," he said, shaking his head. "Just not like in the old days, is it?"

Shepard shook her head and poured out her own portion of the Krogan liquor. "The threat was the same," she said, sighing. "It just didn't feel this bad back then. We hadn't lost so much."

Wrex leaned back and lifted his glass, giving Shepard an appraising eye. "To Alenko," he said. "That was a human with a quad."

Shepard smiled, raising her glass and clinking it with his. "And I wish he could hear you say that," she said. "He was always terrified of you."

"Hah," Wrex barked, knocking back his ryncol in a single gulp. "He was terrified of his own shadow."

Shepard smiled and took a sip of the ryncol. It tasted like battery acid and she coughed. "I remember when I took the two of you with me on the citadel when we went to talk to Mister Bhatia," she said. "About his wife. Every time you so much as breathed at Kaidan back then he looked like he was going to throw up."

Wrex chuckled. "He got better though, we were almost having full conversation before…" he trailed off. "Well, you know."

Shepard sipped her ryncol again. Her head was already starting to buzz. She changed the subject. "Remember when I almost shot you?"

"How could I forget?" Wrex laughed, pouring himself another belt of ryncol. "It's been almost three years and I still don't believe we both walked away from that beach with all our organs."

"And we went on to defeat Saren," Shepard added.

"And then you died," Wrex grunted, emptying his glass again. "And came back. That's the kind of thing reserved for myths and legends."

Shepard shrugged. "I'm just a soldier," she said. "Always have been, always will be."

Wrex grunted and shook his head. "Shepard, if you're just a soldier, then I'm just another dumb Krogan."

Shepard cocked an eyebrow. "Wrex, you're the clan leader of Urdnot and you're about to cure the genophage. That's hardly just another dumb Krogan."

"And you're just a soldier who's one cure away from uniting the Krogans and the Turians and stopping the greatest threat the galaxy has ever faced," Wrex pointed out.

Shepard finished her ryncol. She sighed and smiled wanly. "Maybe, but that's where we started out, she said. "Before all this."

Wrex grunted again and poured more liquor into the two empty glasses, then taking one and raising it. "Then here's to before Shepard," he said, giving her a reptilian grin, all his teeth showing. "To the soldier and the Krogan we used to be. Without 'em, we wouldn't be worth a damn to this war."

Shepard picked up the glass of ryncol and smiled, clinking her glass with Wrex's again. "Damn right," she said. "Here's to before."

*
Answer: Urdnot Wrex

Sorry guys, I didn't mean for this to be another sadsauce serious fic, seems all I can write lately is sad or serious even when I'm writing about the characters that make me happy (and Wrex makes me insanely happy). I'm aiming to at least try and go back to the funny with the next update, so stay tuned.