Chapter 8: Making Frenemies
CR70 Corvette, Sayara
Coruscant Public Docks, near the Senate Building.
Eighteen hours later...
Arriving in the early morning, at least according to Coruscant's time anyway, Shepard was once again standing behind Joker's chair, her arms crossed and her emerald eyes locked on his main screen. As expected, when they sent a transmission back to Commander Tarkin of the Judicial Forces on their return leg of the trip, he was less than pleased by their report. The frown on the man's pale, angular face only made his gaunt facial features that much more pronounced as he glared daggers at Shepard. On anyone else, that cold blue glare would have had the desired effect. On Shepard though, Tarkin noticed her frown only deepened as she gave him an emerald death glare in return that would have made the brutal denizens of the Carrion Spike back on his homeworld flee in terror.
Despite the unnerving staring match with the impudent younger woman, it didn't stop him from making his displeasure known. "I believe the order said mandatory termination, Commander, as in binding, requisite, compulsory, and yet you chose to take Joreeson and his allies alive. Not only that, but I've received reports of an incident in one of the cantinas on planet that resulted in the death of one weequay trader, an assault on one of the locals, and the subsequent release of a zabrak slave? Might I ask why you have gone so far out of your way to violate my orders and destroy the civic peace of some inconsequential desert hovel?" At her mildly surprised look, Tarkin simply scoffed. "Did you really think that I would send you off without someone watching you? My informants were awaiting you in orbit of Tatooine before you even departed." A little misdirection on his part perhaps, but he couldn't come out and tell them the real spies were onboard her ship now could he? That and he liked his head where it currently resided on his shoulders. Perhaps he could still salvage his ever burgeoning friendship with the Chancellor yet.
David scoffed in disgust while Shepard met Tarkin's unwavering gaze with one of her own. Even in holographic form, the Commander couldn't keep Jessica's intense, hard lock stare for more than a few minutes as she leaned forward, her figure taking up more of Tarkin's holocom pad in the process. It helped that even turned a shade of pale blue, her just visible scars from all of the implants underneath her skin were more pronounced, giving her hard scowl that much more of a menacing quality. "I didn't sign up to be someone's trash collector. In my professional opinion, there was no reason to execute the prisoner once we had Joreeson and his accomplices contained. As for the 'inconsequential hovel' in question, you might be alright with ignoring the slave trade, but we're not. If you want to terminate our working relationship, that's fine, but don't think we'll go down quietly Commander."
Tarkin nodded, as if he had expected this outcome after recovering his slightly shaken composure. Something in the woman's gaze was...disquieting, even to a man such as himself. He was willing to admit it however, acknowledge it, and thus overcome it. "I see. Perhaps the Senator has simply overestimated your ability to control your own reckless actions, along with those of the rest of your infantile crew?"
"On the contrary Commander Tarkin," Padme chimed in darkly, having been linked into the conversation, managing to catch Tarkin by surprise if his barely audible sharp intake of breath was any indication, "the unlawful execution of prisoners is highly frowned upon in the Republic, no matter their crimes. Commander Shepard and her people did the right thing by capturing the togruta criminal and his cohorts alive. Your superiors were very surprised when they heard of your orders. My formal complaint concerning your misuse of your authority will likely result in nothing more than a slap on the wrist. That said, I doubt you will appreciate the added scrutiny."
Tarkin for his part remained calm and collected as he turned back to the pedestal with Shepard still glaring at him from her side of the link. "A well placed trap Commander Shepard, one that I admittedly blundered into in my arrogance and overconfidence. You are far more dangerous and cunning than I originally anticipated. Perhaps there is hope for you yet. But you greatly underestimate me if you think this is over." With a practiced flick of his wrist, he deactivated the holocam, and promptly disappeared from view.
Amidala glared at the vacant holo comm pedestal for a moment before remembering her audience with an embarrassed grin. "Sorry you had to get dragged into that Commander, but you've done admirably today."
"No problem Padme. I'm just happy it turned out half as well as it did. It's a good thing Liara and Samantha were so thorough during their research, both into Tarkin's twisted view of justice and Republic bylaws and regulations regarding our new line of work." Shepard replied, although she wasn't so surprised by their efforts. Liara was the best when it came to analyzing and collecting information, and Samantha had her own talents in similar arenas. Together, they were quite formidable.
"Indeed, I have to admit I'm surprised at just how thorough they were, some of these facts were well hidden, to say the least." Padme replied, her brown eyes glancing over one of the data pads that had been prepared by Liara and Samantha's respective efforts and transmitted before they had contacted Tarkin.
"Nothing stays buried forever." Liara said as she stepped up next to Jessica. "Not if you're willing to dig deep enough, and bring it out into the light."
"You of all people should know Doctor T'soni, your reports about your friends were exceptionally detailed, even bluntly honest in some cases." Padme replied and shot the asari a meaningful look. It was obvious that the Senator of Naboo was well aware of the fact that Liara was far more than just a doctor of xenoarchaeology. She couldn't prove it of course, but her suspicions were grounded pretty firmly at this point.
"In my line of work, it is advantageous to be thorough." Liara shot back innocently, though not denying the accusation either.
"Of course, Dr T'soni. Commander, I look forward to seeing you again, but I fear I have other obligations to attend to." Padme excused herself politely.
"Of course Senator, I hope we can catch up soon." Shepard answered honestly before cutting the connection. A part of her was still surprised that she considered a politician of all things a friend. "I think I've officially lost track of how many favors we owe her." Jessica said to the cockpit at large.
"At least fifteen by my count." Liara joked with a quiet chuckle before her sky blue expression sombered. "Jessica, I didn't want to upset you with all that you already have on your shoulders, but no one else seems to have made as deep a connection with Jane."
"Yeah…" Shepard said slowly and turned around. "Speaking of which, I think we should check on her soon. The more I think about her, the more I feel like I'm dealing with Talitha all over again."
Before she got two steps, Liara put a hand on Shepard's shoulder and gently cupped the back of her scarred neck before bringing her down for a kiss. "This time you don't have to do it alone Jessica. Talitha made her choice, she chose the only option she thought she had left. You can save Jane, just as David saved you all those years ago."
"I hope so, it's just… what if it's not enough? I've seen people like her before, sometimes they recover, some choose to end it all like Talitha did. Others... they're still alive, but not really there." Shepard said with a slight shudder as she remembered those empty eyes, she had seen far too many of them on Mindoir. Forcing those dark thoughts to the back of her mind, she nodded towards the nearby turbolifts. "We're not going to let that happen to her." Liara only nodded back, a proud smile tugging at her lips, and followed the battle scarred redhead to the medbay, having escorted Jane to the good doctor when she had woken up that morning to have her bandages redone and her wounds checked once again. Unsurprisingly, they found Anderson standing guard while Chakwas ran her scans with Blue's help. His presence had the added side effect of giving the zabrak a couple of semi familiar faces, ones that had been more or less responsible for her current state of freedom.
Though she was obviously unused to any kind of contact that didn't involve orders or beaten, made evident by the fact that every time Chakwas would wave her omni-tool or even so much as lift her hand, Jane cringed like she was about to be electrocuted. "The Master is not happy with me?"
"Hey it's alright child. I told you, my name is David, and I'm no one's master." He replied softly, having seen far more than his fair share of former slaves, most of which he had had a hand in freeing personally at some point or another.
"I don't know sir, you ran us pretty ragged back in the day." Jessica quipped with a harried grin, and ignored the scathing glare he threw her way. Liara had to bite her tongue to stifle her quiet laughter at the pair.
Chakwas, who had so far ignored them, sent them a small glare that told both Shepard and Anderson to be quiet or face the consequences. Once she assured herself that they would, she turned back to her patient. "Don't worry, no one on this ship will ever hurt you, I promise. And that should do it." Karin said once she had finished her work before putting her hand on Jane's shoulder. "I don't mean to upset you, and it's perfectly alright if you don't want to answer me. However, I have to ask. Do you think you could tell us your real name dear?"
"Real... name?" Jane asked her uncertainly, utterly confused by the question.
"Yes, your real name. Jane isn't much of a substitute I'll admit, but it seemed appropriate at the time. For example I'm Karin Chakwas." The chief medical officer answered as gently as possible. Gesturing to her unwanted audience, Karin spoke up for them next. "And these nosey people are David Anderson and Jessica Shepard. The halfway polite blue skinned woman behind them is Liara T'Soni."
Realization showed in the girl's eyes and she nodded her head rapidly. "Master called me many things. He called me slave, scum and vermin. I-I think, maybe one those is my… name?"
"Not by a long shot." Shepard spat out before forcing herself to calm down when the zabrak's hesitant green gaze jerked towards her. "Sorry….but those aren't names, at least not ones I'd ever let you answer to anyway."
"If you could choose your name… what would you call yourself?" Liara asked soothingly, and though she masked it well, those who knew her could tell how unnerved she was by the whole ordeal. Shepard hadn't been the only one affected by Talitha's death, but Liara had hid her discomfort about that particular incident fairly well given the circumstances at the time.
"Choose?" The zabrak questioned, suddenly deathly afraid. "Slaves don't choose, they get punished if they do!" With that frightened proclamation, Jane crawled back on her bed, pressing her back to the wall. Chakwas immediately gestured for everyone in the room to take a step back. "I'm a good slave! I don't want to choose!"
Predictably, Jessica did the exact opposite and stepped closer, instantly gaining the attention of the frightened girl while blocking her view of everyone else at the same time. "It's okay, just take a breath." Shepard gently commanded as she took another step forward towards the bed and eventually sat down on the edge before reaching out for the zabrak's hand. Jane had since started to calm down, and didn't pull away from Shepard when she gently squeezed the girl's fingers. "Everyone always seems to forget how powerful something as simple as physical contact can be. Especially when it's not a backhand or something equally unpleasant."
"I wonder where she got that idea from?" Liara whispered to David and gave him a pointed, grateful look. The former Admiral only smiled knowingly in response.
The girl had finally calmed down, more or less, when she looked up and her eyes widened slightly. Shepard followed her gaze and saw Tali standing in the doorway. "Sorry to interrupt but there is something you should know." Tali said meekly once the full weight of Shepard's gaze settled on her.
Jessica nodded once at David and followed Tali out of the medbay. "Not the best time Tali, so what's this about?"
The quarian immediately began to wring her hands nervously like she always did when she was unsure of something. "Well, you see I may have been trading messages Anakin over the last month or so and- We talked recently and I mentioned our newest addition-"
"And he was pretty interested in her once he heard that she was a slave. He wants to meet her. He's already on his way, couldn't even wait for us to get back from delivering the prisoners. Don't worry Tali, I already told him we're on Coruscant. He'll be here shortly I imagine." Kasumi finished as she appeared right beside the quarian engineer with a grin.
"Hmm, any idea why?" Shepard questioned them, raising a curious eyebrow.
"No idea, but he seemed to perk up at the mention of Tatooine. And I wasn't surprised when he seemed a little angry about her being well... you know." Kasumi stated before disappearing from sight, but she hadn't left the room as Shepard felt someone leaning on her shoulder. "He seems like a nice kid, so it doesn't surprise me he might not approve of keeping slaves around, Jedi or not."
"Thanks Kasumi, what's his ETA?" A gentle lurch in the deck plates answered that question for her a moment later, most likely from a small ship landing nearby at ridiculous speed. "Huh, kid's got a fast little ship." Shepard quipped as she made a mental note of that.
Not even a minute later they could hear the voices of Anakin Skywalker and his obviously displeased, and very motion sick, master Obi-Wan Kenobi thanks to EDI giving them an audio feed of the two as they made their way to the medbay. "No Anakin we cannot take the Order's starfighters whenever we want. You do realize we will probably get in trouble for this when we return. Doubly so for me when Master Yoda hears of this."
"Relax Master. It was just sitting in the hangar, it's not like anyone will miss it. We didn't even leave orbit. Besides, we could always say we were on a secret diplomatic mission on Senator Amidala's behalf, since these are, legally speaking, new citizens of Naboo and thus the Republic, that we're here to see after all." Anakin shot back playfully, though it seemed to lack his usual fire.
"Really Anakin? I swear you will be the death of me yet. Sorry for dropping in uninvited like this Commander." Obi-Wan said just as they entered the medbay. "But Anakin insisted we come immediately. We heard you had some excitement."
Shepard couldn't help but shake her head and smirk at the two while David chuckled and Liara had to bite her tongue again. The good doctor merely shook her head as she went about her subtle med scans of Jane, who was riveted by the sight of the two Jedi. "You could say that Master Kenobi. Long story." Shepard replied before she sat back down next to Jane. "But the gist of it is we rescued our friend here from a now very dead man."
"Oh dear. Although I shouldn't be surprised, Tatooine does have a rather rough reputation for the uninitiated." Obi-Wan stated, remembering his own brief visit to the desert world.
Ignoring his Master's running commentary, Anakin's gaze softened the moment he saw the young girl. "Can I talk to her?" He asked Shepard, far more seriously than she had ever seen him act before. Sure they hadn't known each other long, but still.
"Sure… just be gentle, she's been through a lot." While she was sure it went without saying, Shepard still said it as she gestured for Tali and Kasumi to leave for now. The two nodded when the thief flickered into sight next to Obi-Wan, who smirked and put his hand on his lightsaber's hilt, making sure it was still there. The thief smirked in reply, but walked out without a word.
"I know." Anakin said softly and looked in the frightened girl's eyes. "Hello, it's very nice to meet you."
Unused to boys her age not yelling at her, let alone bothering to talk with her at all and being nice, Jane lowered her eyes to the deck as a dark blush spread across her cheeks.
It came as no surprise to Liara, Jessica, David, or Anakin for that matter. If not for Shepard's presence, Anakin had a feeling Jane would have tried to back away from him. "Don't be afraid, no one here is going to hurt you. Which I'm sure you've heard many times quite recently." Anakin told her gently before giving her a soft smile. "Do you know what this means?" He asked and pointed at his Padawan braid.
"Y-yes, you are a Jedi. Master always said that Jedi would hurt useless scum like me." She said almost inaudibly, though Anakin obviously heard her as a scowl crossed his face before disappearing almost immediately.
"Your master lied, Jedi only want to protect people, and that includes you." Anakin corrected her softly. "I'd be willing to bet your former master lied about a lot of things. He told you how you were useless. Nothing you ever did pleased him, at best he didn't hurt you, but he would often do so anyway. He would hit you for glancing at him the wrong way, am I right?"
The zabrak girl pulled her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around them before she hesitantly began to reply. "Master would hit me in the morning, to wake me up. I was too slow so he hit me again. I wasn't good enough for master, he often told me so. H-he used the whip to show me that I was useless. That I was weak, because I always... always begged him to stop..." A lone tear streamed down the unscarred side of her face, running past the tan and light brown symmetrical markings on her skin.
It took Shepard a few moments to notice, but the more that was revealed about the young girl's treatment, the more certain machines in the room started to slowly dent and cave in on themselves, or in the case of some metal parts were completely crushed. A look at Anakin told her why as Obi-Wan started to step forward. "Anakin, be mindful of your feelings my young friend. It would be best not to frighten our hosts and their young charge."
"Sorry, master." He quickly replied and took a deep breath in an effort to calm down. It helped, a little, as the machines around the room stopped turning into smaller, compacted versions of themselves. "I know your master told you a lot of things, but what did he tell you about the Jedi?" Anakin gently asked her in an effort to switch tactics.
"He told me that they were dangerous… that they were strong enough to kill a hundred slaves with a stray thought."
"So your master told you that a slave could never become a Jedi?" He questioned and waited until she nodded in agreement. "He lied to you about that as well. ...I was a slave once. But soon, I'll be a Jedi Knight." The young girl's green eyes widened at that revelation and she looked up at him in disbelief. He proved it when he pulled his shirt down and revealed an old scar on his chest, just shy of his heart. "One of my less cruel masters, Watto, wasn't like your master, but he did have me and my mother implanted with remote detonation charges. If we tried to escape, we would have been killed. They were programmed to detonate once you distanced yourself too much from your master." He either didn't see or simply ignored the awkward looks most of the crew that had remained in the medbay were throwing his way as he continued almost pleadingly. "I told you that Jedi just want to help people. So I ask you, to let me help you."
"You can do with me as you wish..." Jane slid towards him on the bed, an almost hopeful gleam in her eyes.
"No, I can't. It's your decision and yours alone. Never let anyone tell you otherwise." Anakin told her gently as he clasped her shoulders, but there was a lot of underlying iron in his voice.
"I-I don't understand, why, why would you want to help me?"
"Because that's what good people do, not just the Jedi." Jessica intoned somberly. "Decent people who help others that need it, that's the way we work. It's not about getting anything out of it, it's simply about doing the right thing. Because we want to do the right thing."
"Well said Commander. Master Yoda would definitely approve." Obi-Wan stated as he nodded his head in approval before turning to the zabrak. "I get the impression you're not getting out of this medical bay without getting an earful at the very least young lady. Call it a hunch about our well meaning friends here."
"The question is, what do you want?" Anakin continued and looked her in the eyes, hoping to find something there that would help him to get through to her.
"I-I..." The girl began, obviously overwhelmed with emotions she hadn't experienced for quite some time. "I want to remember." She finally blurted out, looking suprised by her own admission. "I want to remember... me." Everyone in the room was so focused on the teary eyed girl that they didn't take notice when Shepard winced slightly at her words.
"Then I'll help you remember." Anakin assured her quietly. "There is a Force technique, it can return memories long since forgotten. It's a... call it a modified Jedi mind trick." He managed a weak, lopsided smirk before lifting his hands from the zabrak's shoulders. "I can use it, but I'll only do so if you agree. I should warn you, I'll be able to feel your emotions attached to those same memories. I know the very idea likely frightens you but-"
"I-I'm not afraid..." Jane lied to him as the barest hint of a smile appeared on her face, despite the fear in her eyes.
"You won't be. I promise. Alright, Obi-Wan?"
"Right. We might want to clear the room. One lapse and this could end badly for both of them." Obi-wan stated and beckoned everyone out of the medical bay, the droid included.
"If this is a variation of an asari meld, I can only imagine why that might be the case." Liara observed quietly as she, David, Jessica, and Chakwas started out of the medbay with the medical droid hot on their heels. She stopped and looked at Obi-Wan though once the door had shut behind them. "Are you sure this is a good idea? He has done this before right?"
"Oh of course. He's quite adept." The older gentleman said far too quickly for her liking.
"I almost believed you." Liara deadpanned and looked towards Shepard in concern. "Perhaps this isn't such a good idea."
Obi-wan reached out and put a hand on the asari's shoulder before she could get any closer to the door. "Don't worry, Anakin may be brash, but his control of the Force is most impressive. I have seen him do things that many seasoned Jedi Knights have difficulty to accomplish. I wouldn't allow this to continue if I had any doubts."
"You're the expert, we'll defer to your judgment on this one Kenobi." David replied, even if he shared the same doubts as Liara and Jessica. "Even so, I just want to go on record and say I also think this is a bad idea."
"Can't say I blame you there sir. But like you said, these guys know what they're doing, or at least they like to think they do." Shepard quipped, chuckling when Obi-Wan shook his head at the playful jab thrown his way.
"Very funny Commander. Your lack of faith is noted." The Jedi said dryly, though he seemed genuinely amused by her comment.
"I just tell it like it is Oldi-wan." Shepard replied, her emerald eyes gleaming in mischievous delight.
"Old am I?" Kenobi asked, and raised his right eyebrow ever so slightly before waving his hand in her general direction. "You're no spring rancor yourself Commander."
"Wiseass. I can see where Anakin gets all his witty comments from."
"As you said, I tell it like I see it Commander." The Jedi Master quipped in return, a small smirk pulling at his lips.
"Not to interrupt your fascinating discussion, but shouldn't we focus on the Force ritual taking place?" Liara asked with a raised eye ridge.
As if he had heard her, Anakin stumbled out of the medbay, catching himself before glancing over his shoulder with a grin. "Oops, I think you're better at this than I am." Satisfied with the meek ghost of a laugh he got out of the slightly less downcast appearing zabrak girl, Anakin confidently stepped through the door, and slumped against the corridor wall the moment it closed behind him.
"You alright kid? You look like you just got out of a rough night with an asari who was a little too forceful with the meld." Shepard asked, concerned for the young man's health. He had just helped save the zabrak girl from herself, that was more than enough for her to get protective of the kid.
"Don't worry Commander, I'm fine." Anakin said, but before he could walk off, a hand clamped around his forearm.
"Not before I verify just how 'fine' you really are." Doctor Chakwas said and dragged him back into the medbay. "No complaints young man."
When Anakin looked imploringly at Obi-Wan to save him from the CMO's grasp, the Jedi merely shook his head. "You're a lot of help."
"I know, but you and I both know it's not a good idea to get in a shipboard doctor's way. That's one enemy even I don't engage lightly. And it would be for the best if you allowed her to help you Anakin." What Obi-Wan didn't say as his concerned gaze met his Padawan's was the disquieting reason why.
Shepard however had seen something the others, next to Obi-Wan anyway, hadn't as she reached out and put a hand on Chakwas' shoulder. There was a desperate, dangerous wild gleam in Anakin's blue eyes, he looked ready to burst at the seams any second. "Doc, this is gonna be the one time I suggest you listen to your patient. If he says he's fine, then who are we to argue?"
"In that case I suggest some calming meditation, Anakin." Obi-Wan suggested, easily able to feel the anger rolling off his apprentice in waves, for his efforts he got a look that screamed 'are you serious?' from almost every non-Jedi present.
Any other time, Karin might have argued the point, but something in Shepard's voice grabbed her attention and she nodded before letting go of Anakin's arm. "Alright, but I would prefer if you allowed me to run a quick scan if nothing else."
Anakin only shrugged and started away, but he didn't get far before Jessica grabbed his arm and guided him to a lift and then to the ship's tiny gym. It wasn't much, but it was secluded, and it was out of the way of most of the crew. He nodded his thanks before disappearing inside. She wasn't all that surprised when a horrendous screech of metal soon followed by a primal scream of rage and pain. If Liara was right, then he likely had had to go through several layers of horrific memories to find anything resembling a good one in the zabrak girl's troubled mind. After several minutes, the grinding, rending, scraping sounds finally abated along with the mindless rage filled screams. Counting to five in her head before running into the gym, Shepard found Anakin slumped over what was left of Vega's weights, along with the other twisted remains of exercise equipment they had managed to scrounge together.
"How'd you...know?" He asked, his shoulders heaving as he tried to regain some semblance of his composure and failing miserably.
"Because I've been there Anakin, more times than I'd like to admit." Shepard replied, remembering the many times she'd found herself in the gym on the Normandy, wailing away at the reinforced punching bag until her knuckles cracked and her skin had been torn from her fingers only for her injuries to heal up almost as quickly. Although, no one could blame her since they had been fighting the Reapers at the time.
"Sorry about the mess." Anakin muttered as he wiped at his eyes with his brown flowing sleeve.
"Don't be. It's just stuff kid. Vega might be a bit pissed about his weights being turned into pretzels, but he'll get over it."
Anakin laughed humorlessly and thunked his head against the ruined weight stand behind him. "Turns out I'm not the best Jedi when it comes to meditation and mastering my emotions."
"So you have anger issues. You wouldn't be the first and you sure as hell won't be the last. Just ask my people about how I get when I see slavers. If I had been there while he was still breathing, the scum Joker managed to 'win' that girl from would have been begging for a bullet by the time I was done with him." Shepard's deep scowl morphed into a mischievous grin as she sat on the floor mat next to Anakin. "But if you really want to piss me off, just try messing with my pets."
"A little touchy huh?" Anakin asked, a ghost of a smile flickering across his face as he sat down across from Shepard. "I'll keep that in mind."
Shepard let a grin appear on her face before she reached out and put a hand on the young man's shoulder. "There's no shame in this. Sometimes people just need to let off a little steam. Keeping it all contained is the real danger, trust me, I know." Pulling the collar of her shirt down from her neck, Anakin's gaze was instantly riveted to the scars before she covered them up. "I can relate."
Anakin found himself unable to look away from the back of her collar, instantly averting his gaze as he caught Shepard smirking at him out of the corner of his eye. "Mind if I ask what happened?"
"Long story, but to sum it up, I was almost in that girl's shoes. Luck was on my side though. Luck or something else, I still haven't decided which honestly. I take it you were treated even worse."
"Watto, my last...master, actually wasn't so bad. My technical expertise was valuable to the Toydarian, and I loved tinkering with things. I made a protocol droid before I was nine years old if that tells you anything. Sure he had me in the pilot's chair of a pod racer once he figured out I was unnaturally good at it, but I enjoyed the rush. The Hutt I and my mother got stuck with before Watto got his hands on us wasn't quite as nice, but I don't remember a lot about her, at least I think it was a her. Hutts can go either way when they feel like it. But we were lucky overall."
"I'm sorry kid, no one deserves what you endured. When my colony was attacked, they hit us so fast I couldn't even save-" Shepard seem to pause in thought for a moment, lost in a distant memory. "John..."
Anakin hesitantly reached out to shake Shepard's shoulder, only for her to grab his arm and twist it behind his back in the blink of an eye. He was far more surprised by her speed than her actual reaction, having expected that. Only a Jedi or a Sith could have moved so quickly, at least in his experience. But it was the fear, deep seated guilt, and shame he had sensed coming off of her in waves that had gotten his full attention. "Shepard, it's alright, you're out of danger. The battle's over."
Seeming to remember herself, Shepard's iron grasp on his arm slackened and she took a step back. "Sorry... Some battles stay with you for a long time."
"I've only fought in one space battle, so I doubt I can relate." Anakin's gaze brightened for a moment as a grin tugged at his lips. "Unless, does training with Obi-Wan count as battle experience?"
"Depends, does he get into trouble on a regular basis?" Shepard asked, thankful for the much needed humor after that tense moment a few seconds ago.
"Far more than I'd like to admit. But I usually save his life far more often than the other way around."
"Then yes, it counts." Jessica chuckled before a heavy sigh escaped her. "He seems like a good man at least."
"He is." Anakin immediately replied, a smile tugging at his lips before he lowered his gaze a little just as quickly. "I don't always make it easy on him though."
"You're still growing up Anakin. You're bound to make mistakes, but even veterans like me and Obi-Wan can be just as prone to making bad calls."
"That's what stubborn laser brained Padawans like me are for. And Vega seems to fit that spot nicely around here for you. Um, do me a favor, tell him I'll find a way to replace his equipment."
"You can tell me yourself kid." James chuckled as Anakin and Jessica turned to see the giant standing in the doorway. "Not exactly what I'd call stress relief, but if it works for you, I'm not about to complain."
"How long were you there Vega?" Shepard asked with a knowing groan.
"Long enough Lola, to see you kick his ass anyway. Nice moves, but you are a Spectre, the first in our home galaxy, so it makes sense you'd be able to handle an emotional teenager." Anakin quirked an eyebrow at that while Jessica snorted in amusement. When the young Padawan lifted one of the twisted weights with a wave of his hand, Vega crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "I'm terrified. You can lift something without making it glow."
"Alright, I'll show you how powerful I truly am." Anakin told him with a frown before turning to Shepard and giving her a subtle wink. "You want to kiss him." He ordered her with a slow wave of his hand. Just out of sheer curiosity, he tried to employ a small amount of the Force to see if it would have any effect on the Commander, and wasn't all that surprised when he hit a durasteel wall. It seemed their lack of a physical Force presence protected them from manipulations, or Shepard was just that strong willed. He was willing to bet his last nonexistent credit that it was the latter, at least in her case anyway.
"Ha. Ha. Very funny. Like a little pipsqueak like you could-" James hesitated when Jessica slowly got to her feet with a predatory gleam in her emerald eyes, and confidently sauntered towards him until he felt his back thump against a wall. "Lola? Ah, you feelin' okay?"
"Oh James, I'm feeling ravenous..." As Shepard leaned towards him, she couldn't stop herself from bursting into laughter at the very unmanly whimper of fear that got out of the towering marine. Anakin soon followed as he bent over and laughed from deep in his belly, having not expected that at all.
James was less than amused as he glared at the two laughing hyenas he had the misfortune of calling friends. "Oh that's real funny, you two are as loco as Ashley after a few drinks."
"Want me to help you out with that?" Anakin asked as he theatrically waved his hand back and forth. "Least I can do after, you know..." He admitted, gesturing to the destruction around him.
"Lola, I can already tell you and the squirt are going to get along just fine. And as for you..." James jabbed a meaty fist towards the grinning Padawan. "Don't mess with my girlfriend, she's way too much woman for you to handle anyway. That and I'd be required to break you in half. I'm territorial like that... Just don't tell her I said so."
"Don't worry, I'm not that crazy." Anakin chuckled before holding out his hand to the gentle giant. "It was nice seeing you again Vega."
"James to you kid, and any friend of Lola's is a potential Skyllian Five player to me." James chuckled again as he grasped Anakin's hand firmly.
"Sabacc's more my game, but I'll give it a shot sometime."
"Thatta boy. And don't worry about the mess, I'll clean up. Maybe get Jack to bend this stuff back into shape by slamming it against the nearest bulkhead, think she'd enjoy that."
"Good luck on that James." Shepard chuckled before leading Anakin out of the gym before he could try and fix the damage himself. After they had put some distance between them and James though, Jessica stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Are you going to be alright? And don't tell me you're 'fine' unless you want my boot up your ass kid."
"Yeah….I think so." Anakin said slowly. "It's just, I am no stranger to cruelty, but to feel all that senseless violence… It affected me more than I expected."
"So, can you at least tell us her name?" Shepard asked as she started back to the medbay with Anakin lock stepped beside her.
"I could, but it's not mine to tell. If you want to know more about her, you'll have to ask her. She should feel well enough by now." He answered though he hurriedly continued to explain once he saw Shepard's alarmed look. "She's fi- I mean, she's merely exhausted, mentally speaking. It wasn't an easy thing for her to go through."
For either of you. Shepard mentally corrected him, knowing all too well how the experience had affected Anakin. "Right. Thanks for doing this at all kid. If you ever need anything, feel free to give me a call."
Anakin held up his hand with a slight shake of his head. "It was the right thing to do Commander. Just… make sure that she gets better?"
"That won't be a problem." Shepard stated with such conviction that Anakin was able to leave her company with his head held high. She watched him go before heading back to the medbay, where she found Liara, David, and Chakwas still present. As for the zabrak girl herself, she was busy stuffing her face with fruit flavored ration bars, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I see our new house guest is doing better."
Karin looked up from her scans she had taken of the zabrak and smiled before nodding at the alien girl. "Indeed Commander. Whatever young Anakin did, it seems to have had quite the positive effect. She still has a long ways to go I imagine, but I think she's on the right path."
"Glad to hear it. The only question I have is where are we putting her?"
"Draiga." The girl absentmindedly said as she bit into another bar, savoring the taste. "My name is Draiga."
"Sorry Draiga." Shepard apologized when Liara shot her a less than subtle glance for her talking about the zabrak as if she wasn't there. "Nice name though. Since we're on a first name basis, can we drop the 'master' crap? Kinda makes me want to find another slaver to beat into a bloody pulp." While she made it sound like a light hearted joke, the flicker in her emerald eyes said otherwise.
"Y-yes. You're angry... did I do something to displease you?"
"No, nothing like that Draiga. I'm just pissed off at what you had to put up with before we freed you is all."
"Just ignore her when she gets like this, that's what I do. Trying to calm her down usually only makes it worse. Although, she does seem to respond to-"
"Liara! This is so not the time or place." Shepard complained, shocked that her bondmate would embarrass her like that.
"I could stand to hear a little more." David chimed in, earning him a mischievous look from Liara and a mortified look from Shepard.
It seemed to have the desired effect as Draiga giggled at the sight, even after Shepard threw her a withering glare. Turning back to the smug asari, Jessica jabbed a finger in the center of her stomach. "You are so getting it later."
"I know." The asari replied and sauntered away.
Later that evening….
Ashley sighed as she ran a hand through her long, black tresses once her helmet was off of her head. Tossing it on the bedside table, she stretched her arms above her head and felt something pleasantly pop in her lower back. The day had been a long one, especially with them having to drop Kale and his merry bunch of asshats at the local Republic prison. But that wasn't the most pressing thing on her mind. Looking to the new bed that had once been in Shepard and Liara's private quarters, Ashley couldn't help but smile tenderly towards the peacefully sleeping zabrak girl. Whatever that Jedi kid had done, it seemed to have did a lot of good for Draiga as the second human Spectre watched the slow rise and fall of her chest.
As for why she'd been moved at all, it hadn't taken James long to convince Shepard, and herself for that matter, to have her put in their room. That in itself might not have been enough, but when Draiga had clamped her small, slender arms around Ashley's waist despite her earlier fear of the marine, Shepard had given them the go ahead, a small knowing smile tugging at her lips the whole time. Ashley had a pretty good guess as to why, given how she'd calmed the kid down in the first place.
Standing to her feet once she had slipped out of the skintight armor undersuit, Ashley grabbed a comfortable gray sweatshirt and a pair of synthetic jeans before going to Draiga's bedside. She hardly looked up when she heard the door slide open with a near silent hiss before quietly closing behind Vega. "Looking at her now, she doesn't look like a former slave who's been through who knows what."
"Yeah, gotta agree with ya there Ash." Vega agreed as he took up a spot behind her, his massive arms crossed over his broad, muscular chest. "Anakin did good, but I get the feelin' she's not out of the woods yet."
"No surprise there." Ash retorted as she reached out and straightened out one of Draiga's red locks, tucking it behind her ear. Looking over her shoulder, Ashley's brown eyes were downcast as she activated her omni-tool and sighed when she pulled up a picture of her family. "Wish my sisters could see me now, if they're even still alive."
"Yeah, I know the feelin' Ash, but I'm with Shepard on this one. The Crucible worked, shutting those bastards down for good." Vega countered and wrapped his arms around the woman's waist from behind. She leaned into his embrace and managed a small smile from the physical contact. "'Sides, we might be adrift out here, but this whole new galaxy makes up for what we left behind if you want my honest opinion. Yeah, I have family back home too that I'd like to see again, but knowing we destroyed the Reapers, that's enough to help me sleep at night."
Ashley smirked at that, but it didn't reach her eyes as she deactivated her omni-tool with a few quick taps at the keyboard. "Yeah….I guess. I'd just like to know for sure either way, but you're right, we didn't get sent out here due to some mechanical malfunction on the Normandy. Something was chasing us through FTL, like EDI said, and only thing that makes sense is the Crucible's firing." Her smirk quickly grew when she looked up into Vega's face, a slight mischievous gleam in her deep brown orbs. "And I thought that was my job?"
"Well yeah, you do tend to help me sleep better." James chuckled softly, and winced when Draiga rolled away with a muffled whimper. "Shit, Shepard's gonna finish what she started if Draiga doesn't get a solid twelve hours."
"Then shut up Vega." Ash retorted, smirking as she stood to her feet, turned around, and wrapped her arms around the gentle giant before planting her lips on his. He didn't resist, not that he could have even if he'd wanted to, and enjoyed the feeling while it lasted before Ash slowly pulled away, a thoughtful look having appeared in place of her smirk. "Damn, I just realized our sex life will have to wait, unless we can get Shepard and Liara to babysit or something. There's something I never thought I'd say."
"Could always ask Joker and EDI." Vega offered with a shrug of his broad shoulders.
Ashley started to scoff at the idea, but then a sly smile started to form on her lips. "Might be funny to see Joker fumble about like a fish out of water, but let's give the kid a few weeks before we scar her for life." A quick glance at the jagged scar that ran across her eye and down her cheek had Ash reconsidering her poorly worded joke. When her hands started to clench up, having fallen to her sides, James was quick to distract her with another kiss.
"Hey, that ain't gonna be allowed to happen again, Shepard will make sure of it." James was quick to say once they'd broken apart again.
"That's not it….not entirely anyway." Ash huffed as she pulled away from the marine and stood a few feet away, her arms crossed under her chest. "Kale said there was an entire processing center devoted to making more like her out of refugees just seeking help from their war torn worlds. Just thinking about it makes me want to hop the first shuttle I can find and lead a one woman assault on that hellhole."
"Can't blame ya there Ash, and I'd be the crazy idiot following your lead since I'm just cool like that." James agreed, needing no explanation as to why Ash felt so strongly about it since his thoughts had turned down a similar avenue. Draiga had been someone's daughter, someone's sister or brother, she had had family, like them, and someone had taken all that away from her. And not just her, far too many like her had suffered the same fate, were currently suffering the same fate, and would continue to suffer if no one stepped up to stop those responsible. He had no doubt Lola would do what she could before too long, but he agreed with the general, unspoken consensus of the crew at large both old and new alike. They weren't ready for whatever might be waiting for them on Malachor V. The attack on Kale's ship just the other day proved that despite how easy it'd been to take him and his cohorts down.
Looking down at Draiga though over Ashley's shoulder after stepping around her and pulling her against his broad chest, James hoped they didn't have to wait for long. He wanted to make sure no one else went through anything like the zabrak had already endured for his own reasons, which weren't so dissimilar from Ashley's own.
Unseen by either in their private, tender moment, Draiga had rolled over on her side and immediately snapped her gaze towards Ashley and James not ten feet away. A stray, grateful tear slid down her scarred cheek, remembering feeling so loved once, long, long ago. The Jedi, Anakin, had helped her remember feeling such warmth and love, although she instinctively knew what she was seeing was not like the feeling she had once known. Despite that, she closed her eyes and tried to remember who had once shown her such love, and came up with nothing but a vague, distorted outline of a woman's face smiling tenderly down at her. She didn't know if it was a sister, her mother, or what, but just that much was better than the void that had been there before.
So lost in her efforts to remember more, even if it was a vast improvement, Draiga opened her green eyes and let out a startled yelp when she saw Ashley had sat down next to her again, while her mate, James, nowhere in sight. "Sorry kid, I didn't mean to scare you. Just have a lot on my mind I guess."
"It's-it's alright." Draiga muttered, and instinctively scooted away from Ash before realizing what she was doing. She didn't move closer, but she didn't move further away either as she looked up into the marine's face. "Ma-" She cut herself off when Ashley frowned down at her, "I'm sorry, it's…." She trailed off, and looked away before tensing up slightly when she felt Ashley's hand on her cheek.
"Hey, it's alright Draiga. I might not ever fully understand what you've been through before Joker did something halfway decent since we dropped into this insane galaxy, but you're gonna be fine. I'll make sure of it myself if I have to." The words surprised even Ashley as she blinked her brown eyes owlishly before she chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck in mild embarrassment. "Heh, surprise even myself sometimes." She muttered softly, but shrugged since it didn't make her impassioned declaration any less true. Pushing that thought to the side for now though, the Spectre chuckled as she looked up towards the ceiling, a thoughtful gleam overtaking her brown eyes. "If only my sisters, my dad, could see me now."
Draiga blinked, having not expected such a revelation at all for some reason. "You...have family where you're from?"
Ash looked down and nodded before she pulled up the same picture she'd shown to Vega not too long ago. "Yeah, I do kid. And there they all are." The next hour flew by as Ashley reminiscenced about her family, finding it rather enjoyable to have such an avid listener as Draiga drank up every word. To do something so simple was therapeutic in its own way, for both of them, although Ash didn't care about that at that particular point in time. All she cared about was the tired smile her tales about her past had gotten out of Draiga as she fell asleep again.
Meanwhile, in Engineering….
Son of a sithspawn. Telin growled mentally as he stared down at the detonation charge that was wired up to the engine array. He sighed and shook his head, having a feeling he knew who had planted it and why he had done so, but that didn't make it better. Still, that wasn't his immediate concern as he knelt down to get a better look at the charge in front of him, and the digital countdown display that was even then ticking down before it exploded, taking the entire ship with it. Our employers won't be happy about this either way, but I can't let him destroy these people in a fit of stupidity.
With a practiced flick of his wrist, Telin had one of the tools on his belt in his hand before he started to work the front cover of the bomb away. He blew out a breath in relief when he saw the design was relatively simple and straightforward. His partner was predictable like that, but in this he was glad he hadn't gotten creative, not that he had ever been the brightest solar light in the first place. Even so, Telin was glad for this small favor as he prepared to dismantle his friend's ill planned assassination attempt.
He froze when he felt the all too familiar presence of a blaster against the back of his neck. "Move away from the bomb Avax." Jakar growled, his face contorted in a grimace of barely contained rage.
"Just tell me why Jakar." Telin stated, yet made it sound like a question at the same time as he deftly flicked the tool he had had in his hand up into the sleeve of his uniform as he slowly stood to his feet.
"As if I have to tell you. That schutta sithspawn Commander and her band of filthy aliens and xeno lovers alike have humiliated me for the first and last time. Do you have any idea how hard it's been to play nice with these people? After what the Trade Federation did to us?!" Jakar hissed, his voice a cold, deadly whisper. "When we got that holocom to spy on these people, I thought sure, why not, a few extra credits, and a chance to remove a few more xeno lovers from the equation once our job was finished. Then I get shot at, and for what? Falling asleep at my post, in a brig that was secure, and with that drecking AI watching our every move."
"And to think I called you a friend once upon a time Jakar." Telin hissed back before he shook his head sadly. "Or maybe I was just fooling myself into thinking you were better than this. Either way, I'm done. No amount of credits is worth what you're planning."
"I had planned to take you with me, but I see you've turned against your own race."
"No, I just saw the light at the end of a very long tunnel." Telin replied softly just as Jakar took a step back, no doubt to get a better angle on him. That was his mistake as Telin spun on his heel, fast as a krayt dragon snapping its jaws on its prey, and grabbed Jakar's gun hand and jerked it towards the ceiling. He immediately followed that with a jab to his former ally's throat, wrest the blaster free of Jakar's limp hand, and kicked him square in the stomach, sending him sprawling to the deck in an undignified heap at his feet. Telin aimed the blaster at Jakar's chest, his finger on the trigger. "I don't want to shoot you Jakar, because of our former friendship, but make a move and I will."
"Then how will you disarm the bomb behind you?" Jakar asked, smirking darkly despite the bruising on his throat and the fact he was sprawled out on his back with his own gun pointed at him now. "It only has about ten minutes, you'll need at least four before we all die."
"The fuck you say Jakass?" Both men turned as Jack hopped down from a catwalk several feet above them, landing in a crouch like an oversized cat before she started to glow a dark blue from head to toe. "What the fuck is going on here and why are you pointing a gun at dickless here Avax?"
End Notes; Hey folks, I know it's been a long time since our last update, and for that we apologize profusely. Archer83 has had some pretty bad RL stuff come up on his end, so he's been unable to get online for some time. We have no idea when he'll be back, but we're doing our best to keep the light on for him, and to keep updating his stuff as well as our own, no easy feat since Nomad and myself have lives and RL concerns of our own to worry about. That said, this was one of the last things we worked on together, so it felt right to finally get this finished and posted before moving onto something else. It might not be up to our usual quality is my only concern, but that aside, we hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as you've enjoyed the rest thus far and to send your thoughts to Archer and his family. They need it from the last messages myself and Nomad received before he disappeared on us. Anyway, take care folks, and may the Force be with you.