((A note from Zi; howdy to anyone who's read this far, and thanks so much for that, but a word of caution - the first half of this chapter "Brothers Anonymous" was written around the same time as all the previous chapters. The second half was written over a year and a half later, and I've forgotten where I was going with it... so it may change just a little... or more. To tell the truth, I've had a major mind block, and my muse is only just trickling back into action. An endless supply of fizzy drink and chocolate will hopefully remedy that situation, but if not, feel free to beat my muse, Vitalini, to a complete and utter pulp.))
"All right, Joker, I'll do what I can. Good luck, both of you. Give my best to the men. Over and out." Captain Anderson's voice echoed through the comm link, and then cut out as he exited the conversation.
Joker sat in his pilot seat, crutches stowed under the front console. He blinked his dark eyes and closed the comm, before turning to look at Zalora who was standing at his side, arms crossed, frowning. "He'll do what he can, Commander. We'll track down that Salem jerk and find out his story. If he is your brother, we'll find out." He smirked confidently.
Zalora sighed. "But if he is my brother it just opens a whole lot of new questions. For one, how'd he become a merc if he was captured by slavers? And for another thing, why did he avoid me... If he is my brother, he's the only family I have left... and he wants nothing to do with me."
Joker reached for her arm and gave her wrist a confidant squeeze. "Zalora, you're not alone, just remember that. You'll always have the crew - we're your family now. If this guy is your brother and he avoided you on purpose then he doesn't know what he's missing out on." He flashed a smirk at her.
Zalora looked at him, her eyes lit up and she smiled. "Joker, I--"
"Hey, you two, no hand holding in the pilots seat. 'Fraid I'll need to see some ID before I can let you two run off as well. Can't have underagers making out on public streets and giving the Citadel a bad name." Ashley had approached, smirking jokingly.
Joker removed his hand from the Commander's wrist and turned back to the console, smirking as he typed up some random co-ordinates. "Very funny, Williams."
"Just watch yourself around my best friend, fly-boy. Hurt her, and I'll, well, ah--" Ash winced and rubbed the back of her neck.
Joker turned in his seat to see her, quirking an eyebrow in question. "Break my legs?" He smirked.
Ash chuckled lightly and shook her head. "Yeah, well, anyway, I actually just came up here to get out of the garage for a while. That Turian chick has got the aliens in sync." She took a seat in the vacant chair near Joker. "I think Garrus is falling for her."
Zalora listened, smiling a bit as she did so. She'd never considered how much they seemed like family until now. When Ash said that about Garrus she quirked an eyebrow. "Might have to have a chat with him. Apparently she's still a teenager." She chuckled.
"Tell me about it, but as far as Turians go, I guess she is pretty attractive." Ash shrugged and looked at one of the screens near her.
Joker shook his head. "I bet you have no idea how weird that sounded, do you?" He chuckled and soon glanced sideways at the Commander. "We'll be at the Mu Relay in just a little while Commander. Sure you want to go planet hopping at a time like this?"
"Yeah, finding resources is important right now. Besides, I've had enough fighting for a while." The Commander nodded her head, baby blue eyes on the screen.
Joker didn't say anything, but he was relieved. He hated it when she was out there getting shot at, and he was stuck waiting for her on the Normandy.
"You look relieved, Joker. Why so tense?" Ash smirked, looking at Joker.
Joker glanced at her. "No reason. Just nice to know there wont be any shooting for a while." He smirked and shook his head.
"Yeah, yeah, fly-boy, if you think I'm buying that then you've hit a dead end." Ash snickered and shook her head. "Well, better get back to the garage and get my gear ready. Surveying planets still means I get to bring my boom stick along." She smirked, got up from her chair, and soon marched off.
Zalora watched Ash go before looking back at Joker. "You know, she's right. You really did look relieved." She chuckled a little and shook her head.
"Yeah, well, like I said, its nice to know there wont be any shooting for a while. Especially since I don't like the crew getting hurt." He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. "Or you..."
"Joker, listen, I--" Zalora started, frowning a little.
Joker cut her off. "Zalora, whatever you're going to say, don't..." He smirked just a little and glanced over the back of his chair to check who was around. Unfortunately the survey squad were getting ready, and walking down the hall, so they'd hear whatever he said. With a shake of his head he looked back at Zalora. "Commander, we need to talk, but not here." He shrugged and gestured to the team approaching.
Zalora listened and glanced in the direction of the team, getting his drift. "Okay, Joker. I'll come find you when we get back from surveying, and we'll find someplace to talk." She said quietly, her lips forming a soft smile on her face, and soon turned and walked off to join the survey squad.
Joker watched her go, turning in his chair to better see as she gave the team their orders. He blinked and tilted the peak of his cap a little as he watched the squad salute and continue to get ready as Zalora marched off to get her own gear and weapons.
"And suddenly I have a very bad feeling..." Joker muttered to himself, replaced his cap and swung his seat around to go back to his console. The nagging feeling remained in his mind, however. It was only a short while later when Ashley came up behind him again, pulling her chest armor into place and tightening it.
"Hey, Joker." Ashley nodded as she paused at his side. "Look, what's going on with Zalora? She seemed miserable." She blinked as she glanced at the pilot.
Joker's shoulders slumped slightly as he shrugged. "Dunno, really." He glanced at her sidelong. "Isn't really my business. Or yours." He didn't think the hint was too subtle, but it was too late to retract it.
Ashley's eyes narrowed. "Hey come on! She's my best friend, if there's something wrong, I want to know." She pointed at Joker almost threateningly. "And I don't like being out of the loop, fly-boy, so talk."
Joker sighed and leant back in his seat. "Okay. You remember the merc, Salem? He was only with us for a little while-- oh wait, what am I saying? Of course you remember him; he spent all his time down in the garage flirting with you." He smirked suddenly, and wasn't at all surprised when he received a slap across the back of his head which knocked his hat forward and blinded him for a second or two. "Ouch!" He rubbed the back of his neck as he sat his hat straight. "Okay, okay, but you do remember him?"
Ashley crossed her arms. "Yeah. So? What has Zal's bad mood got to do with some merc?" She shrugged her shoulders and stared down on the pilot.
"Well, it could be, just maybe, that he isn't really a merc. Well, he's a merc, but he's actually something more." Joker said slowly. He was a little annoyed; in a way he wanted to keep the secret to himself so he'd be the one Zalora relied on to talk to, but he knew deep down that Ashley deserved to know. That didn't mean he couldn't make her suffer a little by talking slow.
"Joker!" Ashley snapped and made a gesture with her hands which obviously meant 'go faster or die!'
Taking the hint, Joker continued on faster. "Well it's slightly possible that he is in fact Salem Shepard, our dear Commander's brother who was supposedly killed when slavers raided Mindoir, and he isn't exactly... dead." Joker shrugged, watching Ashley with a smirk on his face. "Not to imply he's the walking dead or anything, but--"
"Not funny, Joker, that was in really bad taste." Ash shook her head. The thought was racing in her mind. Shepard's brother... Over and over again, repeating to the point where it would have driven her mad, except-
"Chief! You ready to go?" Zalora was now standing close to the airlock beside the ground team, pulling her helmet on and glancing at Ash. She obviously hadn't heard the pilot and chief's conversation.
Ashley spun to face the Commander, straightened her shoulders and walked towards her best friend. "Sure thing, Commander. Ready to go." She took her helmet from a private nearby who'd been holding it for her and nodded as though saying Just give the word.
"Okay. Joker, how much longer?" Shepard glanced at the pilot as her hands fiddled with a clasp of her armor.
"About two minutes til the jump, Commander, then only a few more before we hit planet-side." The pilot said, glancing from the console to his Commander. "You sure about this?" He quirked an eyebrow, just double-checking.
"Concern noted, Joker, but yeah, I'm sure. We'll scout out in two teams - Ash, take a few in the Mako. I'll stay ground-side with the others on foot. Two groups will go faster." She'd replied to Joker almost snappishly, and then turned her attention to Ash lightning-quick. The pilots concern just seemed to be grating on her nerves now. She didn't want sympathy. She wanted to get things done.
Ash nodded. "Okay, Commander. Squad A, follow me to the Mako." She gestured at a few of the members of the ground team, and then saluted Zalora. "Good luck, Commander." She soon stalked off, leaving the Commander and her team standing by the airlock.
Ashley's moves were rigid and tense as she walked. The galaxy map and the whole area surrounding it was just a blur and soon she was skittering down the stairs, and had opened the elevator. The small group followed her in, no one speaking as it descended back to the garage, and soon they were walking to the Mako.
She did her best to ignore the laughter coming from the lockers over to one side. Garrus was leaning against a bench, Ashley's bench, and seemed to be smirking. At least that's how it looked, Ash couldn't be sure, alien emotions were so hard to read. His mandibles were twitching at any rate. If he was smirking it probably had something to do with the pretty Turian teenager sitting on the bench at his side, throwing her hands around as she told a dramatic story.
The hooded and armored Quarian, Tali, was standing close to the lockers, and bounced on her feet, clapping her hands, when Elli got to a good part in the story. Liara stood close to Tali, listening quietly, with a subtle smile on her face. Even Wrex, who was leaning against the part of the ship he favored, arms crossed, seemed to be amused by the story, even if his eyes were focused on something entirely different.
Ugh. Aliens. Ashley shook her head as she stepped up to the Mako. Why here? Why in MY area? She thought, and clicked the hatch open. "Alright, everyone in." She gestured to the Mako's insides, and picked up her weapon to inspect it. She did a mental list of everything; med packs, ammo, armor, shields... so forth and so on. Convinced she had everything, she finally entered the Mako, closed the hatch and drove it into place for the drop.
Casually, almost without thinking, she flipped a switch on the dash. "Chief Williams here. Ground squad A, Mako, in position and ready for drop."
Joker's voice responded through the speaker. "Got it. In position in five--"
Seriously? Already? Hmm, those "few minutes" passed a lot faster than I thought. Ashley thought as she glanced around the Mako.
"Four, three--"
Didn't even realize we'd passed through the mu-relay. She sighed as she leant her head back against the seat.
"Two--"
The Commander's brother. Good one, Chief. Ash sighed, shook her head, and looked at the team. "Ready?" She watched their nods of agreement, and she only barely heard Joker say "one!" through the speaker before the Normandy opened up and the Mako went hurtling towards the ground.
Back up in the pilot's seat, Joker had successfully dropped the Mako and was smirking in confidence. He glanced over his seat towards the Commander and squad B. "Made the drop, Commander. Pulling around now." He said quickly, before turning back to the controls. What seemed like minutes later, he pulled the Normandy in close to the planets ground and glanced at the Commander again. "Good luck out there!" He watched as the group B jumped into the airlock, and barely caught the wave Zalora gave him before the airlock slammed shut.
He held the Normandy in close and waited, listening. Finally he heard the Commander's voice through the speaker.
"Ground team B to Normandy, all offloaded, clear to take-off. Take care, Joker." Her voice cut out.
Joker nodded silently and pulled the Normandy away from the planet, back into orbit to wait. When all the systems were stilled, he sat back in his chair and sighed. "Now I wait. Like always. With only a bad feeling for company." He fiddled with a few buttons on the console, checked some stats and soon sighed. It already felt like hours had past, so he knew with strange certainty that this would be a HUGE wait. With another sign, he leant back and made himself comfortable, tipping his hat forward enough to cover his eyes so that he could at least spend this long wait dreaming.
What he was dreaming would just have to remain a mystery.