Chapter 4: Charming Introductions
CR70 Corvette Sayara
In Orbit of Coruscant
"Nice and easy Joker, one wrong move and we could end up smeared on someone else's windshield." Jessica stated, her eyes riveted on the incredibly busy traffic that was coming and going from the planet before them. She thought she had seen big ships before, the Destiny Ascension being one of the biggest and arguably the most powerful back home, but that was before they had been asked to escort Senator Amidala to the capital of the galaxy, the city wide planet of Coruscant. Now, she had to wonder if the capital ships she had seen since their approach could have swallowed up the asari dreadnought and kept on going.
"Yeah right, I'd like to shoot whoever thinks this is how you control your damn airspace over a major capital planet!" Jeff tensed as a freighter going in the opposite direction nearly scraped the paint off their hull. "Watch it asshole, I'm flying here! Sheesh EDI, some people have no respect."
Having tapped into the general chatter surrounding their immediate area, EDI merely raised a metallic eyebrow when someone started berating Joker's piloting skills. "Hey! Sayara, what in the karking pits of rancor dreck do you thinking you're doing?! Inbound traffic is on the starboard space lane!"
"Yeah, not all of us have a death wish flyboy! These newbie pilots shouldn't be allowed behind the stick." A decidedly more female voice echoed over the comms next, only adding to the fire behind Jeff's olive eyes.
A far calmer voice in the background softly chided the young woman, while managing to politely backhand Jeff in the process. "You must have patience with them young one, not every star pilot is as quick to grasp the basics as you were."
"Sorry, master." No sooner had the words left the much younger of the two than did a red and gunmetal gray two man fighter nimbly roll to the right as their own vessel came at them head on. Joker saw a flash of bright orange skin before the pilot and her passenger had raced out of sight. Her shrill cursing over the comm was heard just fine though. "Hey watch out sleemo! You almost took the paint right off our hull!"
"Well excuse me for being new at this pint size!" With a jerk of his hand, he cut off communications with the rest of the irate pilots on the general traffic band before throwing his hands into the air in frustration. "Gah, and I thought flying through all those enemy infested planets was bad Shepard. At least they didn't have to signal before they shot at us. Remind me why we became a glorified taxi service again?" As if they had heard him, one of the nearby bulk freighters they were going a little too close for comfort fired a low powered warning shot across their bow. "What the shit?! Okay, that's it! EDI, power up the forward... whatever this thing has. We're going to war."
No sooner had the words left Jeff's mouth did Shepard step in, just able to keep a straight face even if she shared some of Joker's frustration over the entire situation. "EDI, belay that order, and Joker, how exactly can we fire back if we don't have any weapons?"
"Hmm. Good point. EDI, tell Grunt to get suited up and go throw something at them from the airlock." Joker ordered instead, looking disturbingly serious about the whole issue.
"That's not a good idea either. You know Grunt, he'd probably throw himself over, then burn, blow up, or bash his way into the ship, and take it over from the inside out." Shepard pointed out while silently shaking her head at EDI to belay Joker's previous order, just in case.
"Exactly Shepard! He'd take care of the asshats that just fired one across our nose." Joker retorted and waved his arm towards the vessel that was thankfully veering away, as if sensing something amiss. Given the amount of rage and frustration radiating off of Joker, Shepard couldn't honestly blame the pilot on the other ship for getting the Hell out of dodge.
Half asleep at his currently useless weapons console, Grunt perked up immediately at the mention of violence. "Finally! Do I get to kill something now?"
"Sorry Grunt, not today." Shepard chuckled before turning to Padme, who she saw was finding it incredibly difficult not to laugh at her crew's antics. "Yes this is their normal. You get used to it after a while. Goddess help me."
"They certainly are a colorful bunch." Padme leaned in close so her words couldn't be heard by the rest of the bridge crew. "Honestly, I'm just glad that they have managed to avoid any accidents. Being new to our technology I mean. " Padme hastily added, unable to get the image of Zaeed jury rigging a blaster rifle with a proton grenade launcher out of her head.
"That's one very polite way of putting it. As you can see, we've arrived safely. Despite a few minor hiccups." Shepard replied with a small wince, remembering an incident earlier that day which had involved a pissed of Jack and a thermal detonator. Thankfully it had been resolved before the Senator or her guards could take notice of it.
The view out the forward window suddenly shifted as Joker jerked the ship into his third evasive maneuver in as many minutes. "Watch it moron!"
"As I was saying... we should be arriving at the Senate public docks shortly. Provided my helmsman keeps his eyes on the road." Jessica grunted out, slightly annoyed by Joker's antics.
"Hey, not my fault they do everything ass backwards here. Oh, hi there your Senatorialness. Tali get that plumbing problem fixed in the deck two head yet?" Jeff wasn't that surprised when he felt that familiar waft of air on his neck right before Shepard's hand smacked the back of his head. "Shutting up Commander."
"You know, I think I'll go pack my things. Thank you for a most pleasant voyage, I'll be sure to do it again sometime." Padme offered with her most practiced of smiles.
"She must be a glutton for punishment." Joker muttered once Padme had left the cockpit. "She wants to purposely fly with us again? That's not saying good things about her mental health Shepard. And I did not get
sucked through some weird dimensional portal... thing to fly politicians around. Although, I'd take her over Udina any day. Certainly smells better than he probably does right about now."
"I hear you, but we owe Padme quite a bit for doing all she has for us Joker. Acting as her personal escort seems pretty small by comparison." Shepard replied, only to turn around and see Liara standing over her shoulder.
"I thought I'd take in the view, it's not everyday you get to see the political and economic center of a galaxy spanning society." Liara explained once she noticed her bondmate's questioning look. Her eyes were understandably fixed on the Coruscanti skyline.
"Nope. We only did that like twice a week back home." Joker said sarcastically and rolled his eyes.
"Perhaps Joker, but the Citadel seems quite... simplistic in comparison to that." Liara stated and nodded to the mega city that covered the entire planet before them. It was no surprise she was riveted to the sight laid out as far as the eye could see. "Never before have I seen such massive structures back home. Not even the Protheans came close….or my own people."
"Jealous much?" Shepard asked, her lips pulled up into a lopsided grin.
"More like astounded. I can't wait to delve into their immense galactic history. The Republic is over twenty five thousand years old, it was founded when-"
"Careful with the lectures Doc, you don't want me falling asleep at the wheel here." Another smack to the back of Joker's head had the Alliance pilot looking over his shoulder. When he saw the sad, downcast look in Liara's blue eyes, he felt like smacking himself for being so insensitive. "Of course, some of your lectures aren't so bad Liara." He hurriedly added, hoping to at least get a ghost of a smile from one of his oldest friends.
His efforts didn't go wasted as the asari looked up and put a hand on Jeff's shoulder. "Thank you Joker. I could use a distraction right now, but I promise not to bore you with my studies."
"No really, I'm good, at least tell me how all this started." Joker absently waved to the rapidly approaching planet and the cloud of starship traffic surrounding it as he glanced back towards the downtrodden asari.
Liara's mouth turned up in a smug grin as she patted Jeff's shoulder. "Maybe later." She was grateful for his efforts, but Shepard's silent support was what had truly helped as she locked gazes with Jessica. Jessica only nodded in response, but that was more than enough for Liara.
"Wow. Stare awkwardly at each other much?" Jeff muttered, and winced, expecting another slap to the back of his head. When none came, he turned around long enough to see both Shepard and Liara both had started towards one of the nearby lifts. "Huh. Did I miss a memo or something?"
"It is far more likely they are preparing to see the Senator off, although your continued insensitive remarks might have had something to do with it, Jeff." EDI explained to Joker in her own unique fashion.
"And thanks for the guilt trip EDI. Well deserved guilt trip maybe…." He sighed and ran a hand down his face just as he finished making the final preparations to land on their assigned landing pad. Once they had settled with a barely noticeable thud, he turned to his copilot / girlfriend and grinned before wiping at his brow. "Not bad for my second actual landing huh?"
"It is most likely for the best that Shepard failed to inform the Senator of our lack of practice." EDI offered with a wry smirk, glancing towards the overly confident pilot. "That was not a joke."
"Ouch. Still, wasn't that bad, honestly it was better than I expec- Wait... you didn't... you did? Didn't you?" Joker asked, realizing that EDI might have seized control of the controls without him being none the wiser, which meant he'd just been a side seat driver.
"Are you inquiring if I temporarily assisted you in a less than obvious fashion?" EDI asked rhetorically and gave Joker a surprisingly human grin.
"You totally did! You sneaky little-" Joker stopped his tirade when EDI's gaze hardened, promising him a number of unpleasant things if he finished his thought. "piece of beautifully intelligent engineering and general awesomeness."
"Why thank you Jeff, I too find you to be generally awesome. On most occasions." EDI replied with a cold glare, all previous evidence of warmth long gone from her face and voice.
"Why do I feel like I'm going to be paying for this later?" Joker asked no one in particular. He already knew that it was going to happen, he just didn't know what was going to happen.
"As we have yet to secure a revenue stream, you do not have the sufficient currency to pay for anything." EDI butted in, obviously not recognizing the figure of speech for what it was.
"Buying you something nice the first chance I get, got it." Joker replied hastily, not about to tempt fate further as he activated the ramp to allow Padme and her escort to leave. With a practiced flick of the ship wide comms switch, Joker tapped at the receiver in the console. "This is your pilot speaking, we have arrived at our destination and you're clear to leave. Thanks for flying with Joker Airlines, hope to see ya soon. Oh wait, it's just our new favorite Senator in the galaxy. Anyway, thanks for everything Padme...I can't call you Padme can I?"
Padme, along with her two guards, stopped and stared at the nearest security camera, an amused smile on her face once Joker had finished his farewell. "I think we've established a sufficient friendship by now Jeff. Thank you for getting me here safely. And if you could do me a personal favor, please try not to nearly run into every passing ship when you leave?"
"Uh, will do Senator." Wincing, Jeff quickly stabbed at the exterior speaker control. "Oh come on! It's not like I actually hit anyone."
"Jeff." Joker's eyes widened when he turned to see Padme waving at him on camera. "I think you hit the wrong button. Safe travels." After a quick farewell from Jeff, the speaker turned off, but Padme had since turned her gaze to Jessica, Liara, and David. "And thank you for serving as my escort Commander."
"No problem Senator." Shepard responded modestly.
"Just out of curiosity, what do you plan to do now?" The Senator asked as she and Shepard started down the ramp with their respective people on their heels.
"I hadn't really thought about it yet. I think I'm going to give my people time to look around, see the sights. Maybe look for more work while we're at it." Shepard admitted with an embarrassed chuckle.
Padme nodded and rubbed at her chin before an idea came to her. "I might be a pacifist by nature, but even I understand the need to defend oneself from time to time. On that note, might I suggest looking into something that fits your team's unique skillset? Perhaps becoming respectable bounty hunters for the Republic? I could put in a call to the Judicial Forces if you like."
"You've already done so much, we don't want to-" Padme didn't allow Shepard to finish as she stopped at the edge of the landing pad and smiled over her shoulder. Jessica got the hint and shook her head, a wry smile forming on her own face. "And you already called them didn't you?"
"I'm a Senator, I look out for my people Commander. And since you're legalized citizens of Naboo…" She left the rest of her thought unfinished, but she had gotten her point across all the same.
"Alright, I'll stop trying to get in your way." Shepard chuckled, knowing when to surrender. Padme really was one of a kind.
"I believe the phrase is 'good hunting'. And here comes your new boss now." Padme informed her, pointing to an arriving Judicial vessel, the Republic's insignia proudly displayed on the red and white transport's side. "Good luck Commander. May the Force be with you."
"Thanks, and don't you ever change being... well you." Shepard replied, unable to help the genuine smirk on her face as Padme and her escort climbed aboard their own transport before flying off just as the Judicial ship landed not ten meters away. Turning to Liara, she was about to open her mouth to tell her to have the crew prepare for a possible inspection, but the asari was predictably already ahead of her, her omni-tool just deactivating. When she turned back, Shepard's senses immediately went on high alert when she saw the officer at the head of a six man phalanx of heavily armed officers.
Perhaps it was his gaunt, death mask like visage, or the piercing pale blue gaze that missed nothing. Or the fact his uniform was utterly spotless and perfectly tailored to his slim, tall figure. Whatever it was, something about the man had Shepard's right hand resting on her holstered side arm while appearing utterly nonchalant about it. A quick look to her right said that David had picked up the same sense of unease from the way his jaw tightened ever so slightly.
"Commander Jessica Shepard, Admiral David Anderson, and I believe your departing friend was the rather exotic Doctor Liara T'Soni. It's such a pleasure to meet our galaxy's new resident outsiders. Welcome to Coruscant. I am Commander Wilhuff Tarkin, head of the Judicial fleet responsible for this sector. Your naively generous Senator spoke quite highly of you, and I'm starting to see why. However, seeing is believing, something we can both agree on I'm sure. Know that I will be basing my opinion of you, and my official reports, on your forthcoming missions. Not the frivolous gossip that has spread through the halls of power since your untimely arrival six weeks and several days ago now."
"Of course sir. I'd expect nothing less." Shepard replied professionally, knowing better than to say more than was absolutely necessary. Besides, something about the way he had said 'exotic' regarding Liara had her itching to punch him in his smug jaw. Or shoot his kneecaps out, she hadn't decided which she preferred yet.
Tarkin's thin lips quirked upward ever so slightly in response. "I'm glad we're in agreement Commander. It is rare to find true talent and professionalism in this decadent age of political corruption and vice. You will of course report to me for your assignments. Here is your first, think of this as your probationary period." Shepard wasn't fooled by the man's reassuring grin as he offered her a small data storage device, aptly called a 'command cylinder', before giving her a quick nod. "The data is time sensitive, since your target will no doubt be on the move once he catches wind of the Republic's response to his criminal endeavors." A dark gleam seemed to fill his eyes as he gave a dismissive glance towards the Sayara before returning his hawk like stare back to Shepard. "Under other circumstances I wouldn't even consider employing your services but my superiors seem to think that the account of two Jedi and the fact that Senator Amidala vouches for you is enough to guarantee your credibility." Tarkin said with a slight sneer, Shepard taking note of the slight disdain in his voice when he mentioned the Jedi and the thinly veiled threat against Padme. The message was crystal clear. If they screwed up, she too would suffer consequences. After a short pause, Tarkin continued in a more professional albeit, colder tone. "Lastly, I do expect members of a so called military force, recognized or otherwise, to be able to carry out their orders to the letter. Good day Commander, Admiral."
Shepard felt a familiar tug in her gut as she watched the officer promptly lead his men back to the Judicial ship. Only after she was sure it had taken off did she turn to David. "Am I going crazy or did you get the creeps from that guy too, sir?"
"He reminds me of Saren. Something in his eyes seemed almost dead, or he enjoys his job a little too much. Honestly I'm not sure which is worse in this instance." David glanced at the command cylinder still in Shepard's grasp and frowned. "What do you plan to do with that?"
"Honestly?" She quipped, copying David's more somber tone. "I'm half expecting it to be boobytrapped or have some kind of trojan horse program on it. I'm gonna have Tali and EDI examine it for anything, absolutely anything out of the ordinary before I even consider uploading the data." Shepard answered and glanced at the command cylinder with disdain.
"I've got a better idea. I don't want that thing anywhere near the ship." David nodded his head at the nearby public transports rapidly arriving and departing. "And I suddenly have the urge to check out the local bar scene, care to join me?"
"Right behind you sir." Shepard replied, nodding her approval of Anderson's quick thinking. She fired off a quick message to her people, letting them know what they were doing before running after David who had since summoned a cab from the terminal. Not five minutes later, they were sitting in a dingy little dive bar in a lower level of the city. "Nice to see some things never change." Shepard said with a smirk as she shoved a drunk alien out of her way. She wasn't even going to try and guess what the green, wrinkled creature with a face full of teeth was, only that it looked ugly as fuck and smelled worse.
"I'll grab us a quiet spot in the corner. See if you can't find a terminal to get a look at that data. And Shepard, be careful. We don't need any-" David stepped back as the drunk Shepard had shoved aside stumbled into him, spilling his drink.
The alien was obviously pissed at sloshing his drink all over the floor as he rounded on her and David. "Nay putaa nuscka huumon!"
"You too buddy." Shepard grunted back, needing no translation for the alien's strange growlings. "Why don't you find yourself a skilled plastic surgeon and piss off." Any other day she'd have been more understanding, but dealing with Tarkin had worn on her last nerve. So she wasn't all that surprised when the alien, even in its drunken stupor, reached for something in his belt. She saw a glint of metal of a sharp blade and reacted in kind before he had drawn the serrated knife even a quarter of the way from its sheath. Before the alien knew what was happening, she had spun him around and slammed his face into the nearest wall before grabbing him by his throat and slamming him onto the floor. "He'll live sir." The other patrons merely shrugged before going back to their business.
"Well that could have gone better. No matter, it's not shore leave if you don't get in at least one fight. But I'd call that more of a slaughter. Try to go a bit easier on the civvies huh?" Anderson commented wryly once he got a good look at Shepard's latest victim.
"Says the man that already drew his sidearm in the time it took me to drop him?" Shepard asked, and nodded to the gun in David's hand for emphasis.
"So maybe I'm a little overly cautious." David retorted as he holstered his heavy pistol with a practiced flick of his wrist. "Comes with the territory, fighting off husks and a half dozen other abominations I still keep seeing in my sleep. I don't have to tell you though."
Shepard merely shook her head in response since he was right on the credits. Walking away, she soon found a data terminal that she could use, except the two scantily clad alien women that were standing by the machine had other ideas. As attractive as they were, their strange head tails instantly catching her eye, Shepard gently shoved past them before nodding to the bar. "Hey, you see that guy behind me? Heard he's looking to buy a couple ladies a drink, might as well take advantage before someone else does right?"
The taller of the pair, a lavender shaded vixen if Jessica had ever seen one, looked Shepard up and down with a coy grin. "And you're telling us this because…..?"
"Not interested in men." Shepard deadpanned and shrugged.
"Oh... in that case, would you like to join us?" One of the two girls asked, while the other walked her nimble aqua fingers up the front of Jessica's shirt before hooking her forefinger into the collar.
"Umm..." Desperate to think of a way to get herself out of this mess of her own making, Shepard took a step back, trying to get Anderson's attention. David merely smirked and crossed his arms before leaning back in his booth, all too intent on enjoying this five starship pile up in progress.
"Well, you see-" Shepard began weakly before stopping herself. How do I keep getting myself into situations like this? She asked herself silently, and wondered how she could get herself out of this mess as politely as possible.
"Hmmm, yes?" The lavender alien gazed down at her hungrily with vibrant purple eyes.
Her aqua colored friend, whose fingers were still entangled in Shepard's shirt, cocked her head to the side, her brown eyes just as intense as her friend's. "What seems to be the problem? Most people wouldn't hesitate when presented such a chance as this. You won't regret it..."
"That's what's worrying me. Sorry, I'm taken." Jessica held up the betrothal ring Liara had given to her like a miniature shield. It had the desired effect as both alien women stepped back and sighed in disappointment.
"Dreck! Why are all the good ones taken?" The lavender one complained as she led her friend away.
"Don't worry sister, we'll find you someone to play with." The shorter one said and sent a smoldering look in Anderson's direction. The senior officer smiled but shook his head in reply.
Shepard thudded her head against the wall next to her as she waited a few seconds for the blood to return to her brain. Good thing Liara gave me the ring. Otherwise, no... I would have fended them off somehow. She chuckled wryly, glad that the asari had all but shoved the platinum band down her throat at the time. Although it probably helped that they had been going to their possible deaths at the time.
Shepard didn't visibly react when David seemed to appear at her side, a mile wide grin on his face. "Having a good time yet?"
"Shut up. Sir." Shepard growled before turning to the terminal and jamming the cylinder into the access port.
"Careful, or you'll break it off inside." David chuckled, deriving too much enjoyment from seeing her so flustered. "I don't know about you, but if I was ten years younger, I might have been brave enough to find the closest hotel room in your situation."
"Not helping right now." Shepard retorted, glad that Tarkin's command cylinder hadn't been heavily encoded as she activated her omni-tool. Reading through the data as she prepared to take a couple holo-pics, her emerald gaze narrowed when she read the bottom line. "Level five target, termination mandatory? I don't like the sound of that."
"Even with a list of charges that long Shepard?" Anderson asked and nodded to the copious list of crimes scrolling down the display. "Multiple counts of murder, arson, kidnapping, theft of government property, destruction of a space station? This guy looks like a pretty big menace to me Commander."
"So was Jack and look how she turned out. Don't ever believe everything you see sir." Jessica replied tersely as she took her first picture before scrolling down to the next section of the termination order and before doing so a second time.
David held up a hand in a placating gesture. "I don't, but it does look rather convincing from where I'm standing, that's all I'm saying. But we both know better than to be taken in by what's on the surface."
Snapping one last picture, Shepard deactivated her omni-tool once she had gotten everything twice before removing the command cylinder. She planned to smash it under her boot on their way out the door. "Alright. Let's go pay Kale Joreeson a visit. But I'm not putting a bullet in his skull if I don't have to."
"That say anything about his crew?" David asked as he followed Shepard out of the bar at a brisk pace.
"There's a list of known associates, but no additional warrants. If they stay out of our way I don't see any point in going after them. Unless you think ridding this galaxy of a few more murderers is a public service."
"I know you better than that Jessica, and I still value your judgment beyond any other officer I've ever served with. If they make the mistake of not surrendering when we overpower them, then we'll be in our rights to defend ourselves, but not before."
Shepard nodded as she dropped the command cylinder on the walkway before slamming her boot down on it. The satisfying crunch of metal and computer bits sounded eerily like breaking bones, which only helped her imagine it was Tarkin's face she had stepped on instead. It went without saying that their relationship with the Commander of the local Judicials would be short lived if she had anything to say about it. The man practically dripped with self serving ambition, and a cold, calculating ruthlessness.
No sooner that they had boarded the Sayara than did Shepard slam a hand on the nearby comms console. "Liara, Traynor, get up to the CIC if you aren't already there. I'm going to need data analysis pronto. Ashley, Garrus, get us refueled, resupplied, and ready to go once we've got some answers, we're going hunting. Tali, EDI, run a complete diagnostic on the Sayara, stem to stern. If you find so much as a screw loose, digital or otherwise, assume it's because someone planted a bug. You find anything, I want it scrapped and sent back to the owner in a very small box."
"Our new 'liaison officer' manage to unnerve you that much Shepard?" Tali asked as her visor covered head appeared on the small computer screen in front of her, surprised by Jessica's orders.
"Yes he did. Trust me, you'd be jumpy too after talking with this guy." Shepard looked to the right when Liara came down to the cargo bay before turning back to the terminal in front of her.
"And he obviously has access to cutting edge spy technology." The asari muttered darkly once Tali disappeared from the computer screen on her end and Shepard deactivated the terminal before her.
"Liara. Why are you talking to my shoulder?" Shepard asked while Anderson walked past her, only to stop when she grabbed him by his arm and kept him from getting too far.
"Because you didn't bother running the 'decontamination cycle' in the airlock." Liara answered slightly annoyed by their oversight.
"Wait. We have one of those?" Shepard replied with a cringe as Liara carefully plucked a hair sized object from her shoulder and glared at her. "Oh right, of course we do. Better safe than sorry sir, let's head back to the decon showers shall we?"
David merely grunted in reply as he internally facepalmed at their stupidity. They had dealt with the local authorities for all of five minutes and already managed to get themselves bugged with god knows how many micro recorders. "Remind me to thank you properly later Doctor. Well, shall we Commander?"
"After you sir, I always wanted to see you out of uniform." Shepard chuckled and crossed her arms, deriving just a little too much enjoyment at the sudden turn around.
"Laugh it up Shepard. I'm sure I could tell Liara an interesting story or ten."
"If you're referring to those amorous twi'lek sisters, I already know." The asari replied, chuckling as she looked between the two surprised officers. "Commander Tarkin isn't the only one that's skilled at planting bugs. Mine however are planted in places you would never think to look but carry with you all the time." The subtle glance at the ring and her arm clued Jessica into where Liara had bugged her. "I might have to thank you properly for handling those two… sisters with such delicacy Jessica."
As if on cue, Joker's voice soon filled the cargo bay. "Good thing you had the Ring of Not Gettin' Any, Commander."
"I've never seen you quite that desperate to show it off before." Liara said with a quiet laugh as she reached to slip the ring off Jessica's finger.
"Hey, I like it... and besides, I might need that if I go bar hopping again anytime soon." Shepard said defensively, not that anyone was convinced.
"I'll give it back to you once I've downloaded the data, having Tarkin's facial and genetic scans, as well as his voice print on file might come in handy one day. Funny how much genetic material you can get from a few skin cells left behind on a metallic cylinder." David could only blink, astonished by Liara's thoroughness while Shepard only shook her head and smiled as she pulled off the ring and handed it over to the asari's outstretched hand.
"You certainly earned the Shadow Broker name, Liara." Shepard smirked but folded her fingers over Liara's hand before she could pull away. "Just do me a favor, don't turn into a strange recluse or something, who just happens to have the galaxy's dirty little secrets at her fingertips."
"As I said before, I have good incentive to keep my head on straight." Liara replied, smiling as she disentangled her fingers from Jessica's, albeit with some reluctance. Once the ring was in her jacket pocket though, the asari nodded to the pair of officers. "Now stop stalling, I want those clothes burned immediately on the off chance Tarkin has access to micro sized listening devices. All of them. We might have to sweep the entire cargo bay as well, just to be safe."
"Only if you're waiting upstairs later Liara." Shepard teased, to which David shook his head in amusement while the asari only smirked, a sultry gleam filling her eyes.
One short walk of shame later, Shepard and Anderson were tossing their 'contaminated' uniforms into a small onboard trash incinerator. "I'm just glad Hackett isn't here to see this. I'd never live it down." David muttered as he tugged on a new shirt before lacing up his boots.
"Live and learn. Remind me to get all our future assignments remotely, EDI and Tali will be far better at dealing with these clever little tricks." Shepard grumbled as she too dressed as quickly as she could, already missing the dress shirt and pants that Padme had managed to have put together for her. She had a dozen other outfits along the same lines, thanks to the Senator, but that wasn't the point. No one fucked with her wardrobe and lived.
"Don't be so hard on yourself. Come on, we have a job to do."
Shepard sighed but nodded as she started back to the cargo bay. "I was planning on giving the crew a little R and R here, but I think a less 'civilized' planet might be a better idea anyway."
"Sounds reasonable to me Commander. Besides, we'd end up spending the bounty and Padme's generous payment for our 'escort' just on all the new uniforms."
CR70 Corvette Sayara
Traveling along the Hydian Way, enroute to Tatooine
"Wow. And I thought regular FTL was boring. Pretty sure a few more trips staring at this big-boring-ass-blue-tunnel is going to drive me insane." Joker grumbled as he leaned back in his chair, his hands folded behind his neck. "Never thought I'd miss traveling by relay, even if they were created by the Reapers. At least then you didn't have to sit on your ass for days on end."
"I think it's sort of hypnotic actually." Shepard said with a wave of her arm towards the forward view port. "Certainly makes our old FTL seem kinda plain by comparison."
"Yeah, says the woman that has a thing for narrow azure tunnels that never end." Joker said with a perverted grin.
"I can't argue with ya there Joker." Jessica grinned back before turning the conversation elsewhere. "What's our ETA?"
"Another nineteen hours of more mind numbing swirling blue tunnel Commander. Might as well stand creepily behind someone else for a while. Try Jack, I'm sure she'd love that."
"I heard that brittle bones." Jack growled as she stepped off one of the turbolifts before waving Jessica over. "Traynor's got that info compiled finally. Might want to see what your boy Tarkin's been up to. Makes my list of shit seem pretty tame by comparison. Samara ain't happy about it either."
"I'll talk to her, thanks Jack."
"Don't mention it. And tell Kasumi to give me back my damn underwear. Bitch stole my favorite crotchless thong."
"I'll...get on that." Shepard stammered, not about to ask why Jack had a crotchless thong, let alone why Kasumi had stolen it.
"I could have gone my entire life without knowing that. But no..." Joker muttered under his breath. Whatever else he was going to say was cut off as the elevator doors shut in front of her face, but Shepard was fairly sure she could make an educated guess as to the rest of his tirade.
On the way down, EDI's synthetic voice filled the lift as she descended. "Shepard, Tali wishes to inform you that the ship has been cleared of foreign monitoring devices. She also wanted me to tell you that the 'creepy medical droid' won't leave her alone. Apparently Blue is determined to find a cure for her immunodeficiency."
"Tell her I'll be down there after I talk to Samara and Traynor. And kindly ask her not to deactivate Blue again in the meantime."
"I will pass the message along. Logging you out Shepard." EDI automatically replied.
"You know you don't have to say that anymore right?"
"True, but I am a creature of habit. Although ending nearly every conversation with the phrase 'I should go' is equally unnecessary. Now if you'll excuse me, Joker's pornography download queue is currently monopolizing our comm bandwidth. Unfortunately, that is not a joke."
Shepard only sighed as she stepped off the turbolift and into another of the terminal filled chambers that dominated parts of the CR70's innards. She really missed the Normandy's set up, hell, she missed the super frigate altogether, but the Sayara had its own charms. Still, she pushed those thoughts to the side when she laid eyes on a sweating Traynor and a just noticeably angry Samara towering over the communications officer. "I understand you don't like the man 'mara but you don't have to browbeat me. The Commander must have a good reason for working for him."
"The only reason I have not already left this ship and returned to Coruscant to dispense justice upon such a criminal is partially because I will not abandon our leader, and also because I currently have no way to viably return to this ship after I am successful. Be it as it may, I will not hesitate to fulfill my Code at the earliest opportunity."
"Hey, did I miss something here?" Jessica quipped as she walked up to the pair. Despite their friendship, Shepard knew the Justicar held her Code above all other things, so she had to play this carefully. "Samara, you're still technically bound by your code to follow my orders, and I order you not to tell me otherwise. At least until we can get settled before we start assassinating local law enforcement."
Samara bowed her head ever so subtly in repentance for her outburst. "I apologize for my actions Commander, and to you as well Specialist Traynor, but you will not be so hesitant to stand in my way after you read what Liara and Samantha have discovered about our 'liaison officer'."
"Don't worry, I don't like him either Samara, but we need him for now. Just like we needed TIM when I first met you. He's...a necessary evil at the moment, at least until a better option presents itself."
"Of course Commander." Samara replied before hesitantly putting a hand on Shepard's shoulder. "You have earned my trust and friendship many times over Jessica. My Code might be all encompassing, but I am still honored that you would have me stand beside you in this new journey."
"I won't ever betray that trust Samara. Besides, I'm not nearly suicidal enough." Jessica's wiseass smirk said it all.
"You are indeed wise beyond your years." Samara offered a nod of her head, a wry grin tugging at her lips as she gracefully walked back to her quarters. No doubt to meditate as she normally did when there was nothing to be crushed under her considerable might.
Samantha breathed a massive sigh of relief once Samara's door shut behind her. "For a moment Commander, I thought she was going to smear my guts all over the walls. I can't honestly say I blame her either, look at this guy!" Traynor waved to the computer terminal for emphasis. "His record's something out of a horror vid, even if he is a tactical genius. He single handedly destroyed a pirate gang that had been plaguing a local system, but he made it a point to send their leader and most of her men on a one way trip into the system's star. While the communications array broadcasted their dying screams to the rest of the sector I might add."
"I doubt that was public knowledge. What did Liara have to hack into to find all that? Scratch that, I probably don't want to know. What about our target?" Shepard asked and rubbed her temples, the more she knew about Tarkin the less she liked him.
"He's pretty much as Tarkin presented him. There's archived footage of Joreeson's people causing mayhem and terror wherever they go. They seem to be part of some fringe anarchist group. I'd still recommend we thoroughly examine every target Tarkin sends us though, especially after reading what we found on the man himself. Torturing those pirates to death was just the most blatant example Liara and I could find."
"I had already planned on it. Good work though Traynor." Jessica praised Traynor and graced her with a small smile.
"No problem Commander, but Liara did most of the work."
Shepard wasn't so fooled as she patted Samantha on her back and smiled. "You don't give yourself enough credit Sam. You're one of the best data analysts I've ever seen."
"Honestly, I've just been feeling a little overwhelmed with all the terabytes of data Liara has been sending my way. It's an immense task to try and understand the political and military maneuverings of an entirely new galaxy. But I'm enjoying the challenge despite how difficult it is. I must have hung around you too long."
"Hah. Before we know it, we might have to pull you off the gun range Sammy." Shepard joked, the mere image of Traynor firing something bigger than a pistol was bizarre to say the least.
"No thank you! You and everyone else are the big damn heroes around here. I'm just a data nerd." Traynor held up her hands and grinned, much to Jessica's silent relief.
"Good answer Sam." Shepard replied approvingly and gave the younger woman a pat on the back on her way to engineering.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I want to start organizing relative criminal organization fleet strengths before I let myself fall into bed." With that, Samantha turned back to the terminal in front of her, her fingers a blur as she tapped away at the keyboard. "Hmm... these Black Suns might be a good place to start." She mused aloud, lost in her little galaxy, and all but oblivious to Shepard leaving her side, a wry grin on her face once again.
Ten minutes later...
"Kheelah! If you scan me one more time Blue, I swear I am going to jettison you out the nearest airlock!"
"Tali be reasonable, she means no harm." Karin admonished the quarian before turning just as Shepard entered the engineering deck. "Ah Commander, it's good to see you. I wish it were under slightly better circumstances however."
"Taking your assistant on house calls Doctor?" Shepard asked as she crossed her arms while Karin smirked and shrugged nonchalantly in response.
Tali however wasn't so amused as she rounded on the older doctor and Jessica. "She won't leave me alone! She's been following me around the ship all day! Everyday! Even into the maintenance crawlspaces! I can't get a break!"
"Oh dear, have you injured yourself Tali'Zorah?" Blue softly asked as she waved a small scanner over the quarian engineer's arm.
"Not that type of break!" Tali yelled and pushed the medical droid back before pointing an accusatory finger towards Karin. "And she hasn't exactly been helpful about this!"
"I find it rather amusing that you're getting so worked up about this Tali. You're acting like a child throwing a tantrum if you want my honest opinion, when we're just trying to help you in the long term."
"Fine! But you could let me do my damn job first!"
"You never stop working." Karin replied calmly. "How are we supposed to do any testing when you never take a break? I went to check on you the other night and found you napping, slumped over a workbench, mumbling something about hyperspace equations. Or it might have been nerve stimulation, I couldn't honestly tell and thought it best not to interrupt you in either case."
"Uh….oh…urgh….it's not important! As for working myself to death, you try learning a completely new way to travel across vast stretches of space after being sent to a new galaxy! It's not so easy, trust me. If something were to break down, who would have to fix it? Me and the engineering crew, that's who."
"You won't be able to fix anything if you collapse from exhaustion first Tali." Karin replied tersely, her calm veneer starting to crack as her grey-green eyes narrowed. "I'm the ship's CMO, it's my job to worry about the health and continued well being of the crew, that includes yourself and the engineering staff, Tali."
"Tali, Doctor Chakwas' right." Shepard stated before the understandably upset quarian could further push the argument. She held up a hand in a placating gesture before continuing her thought. "I understand you want to make sure you do the job right the first time Tali, and you've never given me a reason to doubt your brilliance with a power wrench, let alone any other tool at your disposal. But you and I both know you can only push yourself so hard before you break. You need to rest, eat, sleep, and take time for yourself and Garrus. The ship can wait."
Tali's shoulders slumped and she hung her head, knowing Jessica was right and she was just worried about her well being. "Alright. Maybe I am overdoing it. Just a little."
Shepard could swear Blue's photoreceptors lit up a bit brighter at Tali's grudging admission. "Would you like me to escort you to your quarters Tali? I currently have a dextro based sleep aid available as well."
"That...won't be necessary Blue." Tali replied before looking up into the droid's faceplate. "And sorry for...being rude earlier." She didn't give the medical droid a chance to reply before looking towards Jessica and Karin. "Thanks for...well being you Shepard. Keelah, I should probably apologize to Garrus. I...might have snapped at him earlier."
"Might have?" The sharpshooter in question asked, an amused gleam in his eyes as he stepped around the corner behind the doctor. Almost as if he had been waiting for the opportune moment to confront his overworked girlfriend. "I had to check my reflection to make sure you hadn't singed off the rest of my ruggedly handsome face."
"Bosh'tet." Tali playfully cursed as she walked past Shepard and Chakwas before wrapping her arms around Garrus's neck.
"Workaholic. I'd be happy to give you something else to focus on if you like." Garrus shot back with an obvious innuendo.
"Would you like us to vacate the area so you may mate in private? Sexual interaction is an excellent source of stress relief and-" Blue never got a chance to finish her clinical diagnosis as the Commander and the good doctor bodily dragged the medical droid away from Tali when she started to tap menacingly at her omni-tool while Garrus's right hand went for the pistol at his side. "Did I say something wrong? They seem displeased with my diagnosis."
"Time and a place Blue, time and a place." Shepard said once she was sure bullets or hostile hacking programs weren't hot on their heels.
"Indeed Blue." Karin agreed and ran a hand down her face in exasperation before looking towards Jessica. "I'll...work with her some more Commander. She's learning the finer points of interaction, but she has some ways to go I'll admit. Even so, I am proud of the progress she's made thus far."
"Keep at it Doc, and keep on Tali if she doesn't start getting a solid six hours a day, and that's me being generous."
"Of course, although the same could be said about you and Liara." Karin replied, and smirked when Shepard's cheeks started to brighten ever so noticeably. "I assumed as much. While I'm not against a healthy sex life, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing Jessica."
"Tell that to Liara." Shepard chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck. "Captain's girlfriend's prerogative I guess."
"Uh huh. I'm sure you have not instigated your late night activities in any way." Karin stated, not believing Shepard's innocent act for a moment. "Since we're on the subject, how have you been sleeping, honestly?"
"About as well as you I imagine." Jessica answered honestly.
"Point taken."
Blue's metallic alloy head tilted to the side in thought. "Perhaps a mild sedative introduced into the ventilation system would alleviate the rampant lack of sleep among the crew."
"No." Karin stated in such a way that even Blue's limited understanding of social interaction clued her into the fact that would not be happening in any shape or form. She did take some pity on the droid and put a comforting hand on her metallic arm. "While I understand you care about your new crewmates almost as much as myself Blue, I will not poison them into submission, even if it would ensure they got a decent night's sleep."
"I see." Blue stared at the deck for a moment before somehow managing to look hopeful despite her nearly emotionless face. "Perhaps the crew's intake of caffeinated beverages could be-"
"Just give it up Blue, you won't win against the good doctor." Shepard patted the droid's back before meeting Karin's gaze. "If it's any consolation, the dreams aren't so bad anymore. Time and being around my surrogate family seems to be helping me and Liara at least."
"The same can be said of myself, although my own sleepless nights are more centered around the fear you or one of the others won't return after another near suicidal mission."
"Yeah, you're not the only one Karin. Keep me posted if anything comes up."
"Of course Commander. Come along Blue, it should be an interesting challenge for you to get through those upcoming physicals." Shepard watched the droid and Karin walk away before heading her own way. Despite the decidedly odd pairing, they had begun to form an effective team after their initial awkward meeting that had revealed Blue's traumatic past.
"Was starting to wonder if the Hal and Dave show would ever end." Ashley deadpanned as she pushed away from the wall of the armory when Shepard rounded the corner in the labyrinthine passageways. "Karin's one of the best docs I've ever seen, but her new med droid still gives me the creeps. Probably doesn't help she was trying to revive a corpse for the better part of a month before being deactivated."
"Do me a favor Ash, don't talk like that around her."
"I'm just sayin' Skipper." Ashley continued and held up her hands before pressing forward. "It's sort of fitting, that Blue is just as messed up as the rest of us in her own way."
"Can't argue with you there Ash. How's our inventory looking? We've got ourselves a job hunting down bounties, at least for the time being."
"Loaded for bear ma'am. And I heard about Tarkin. Guy in charge is a total psycho according to your girlfriend, or is that bondmate? Bondbuddy? I always get those mixed up." When Shepard crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes ever so slightly, Ashley knew the joke was over. "Sorry, guess some things won't change around here. Still, I have to agree with her on this one. Guy roasts a bunch of pirates and makes sure the rest of the galaxy gets to hear their dying screams? That's some pretty sick shit even if it got his point across."
"That's just the tip of the iceberg from what I saw. His entire family is pretty twisted from what I glanced at. But he's brilliant and he has friends in all the right places."
"So basically he's untouchable unless we get some powerful friends of our own."
"Pretty much."
"And this is why I hate politics."
"You and me both Ash."