12: Late Nights and Friendly Wagers
"Really, Shepard, a paramilitary raid on a privately-owned storage facility? I thought you'd had enough of that after you plundered Chora's Den. We're still getting the casualty reports for Spirits' sake. Do we have to draft ordinances telling business owners to close up whenever you come within fifty meters? If this keeps up-"
"That was a joint-effort sting with C-Sec, Sparatus. Shepard's not the only actor here. And despite your misgivings, we did arrest over a dozen suspected criminals, managed to account for the heads of the Suns, Eclipse, and Blood Pack for this star cluster, and seized several tons of illegal goods. He's doing you a favor!"
Thank goodness for Bailey's report.
Shepard masked his thanks as he stood silently next to Councilor David Anderson. The two of them stared at the peach-hued hologram of the turian council member as John's former captain continued to speak. "I've seen the same reports you have, Sparatus. Bagging Jona Sederis alone is a huge boon to the fight against the Eclipse's operations in this whole sector, let alone the fact we captured a high-ranking member of the Blue Suns alive."
"There is still the nature of the events that led to the operation," a higher-pitched voice chimed in. As one, the two humans turned to the hologram of the salarian chairperson, Councilor Valern. "All of the evidence supporting a police sting was circumstantial, at best. We'll be lucky if we can keep any of the mercenaries incarcerated for longer than a day."
"There's also the two hostages you just so happened to rescue," Sparatus quipped, curling his taloned fingers in air-quotes. "Tali'Zorah and Garrus Vakarian were both part of your squad before. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you sent them to get captured just so you'd have an excuse to attack the building."
"That's enough!" The Spectre finally lost his composure, barely reining in a biotic flare as his face melted into a frown. "I would never endanger any of my crew members -my friends- so carelessly, past or present."
"So says the man who hijacked a ship on lockdown and raced it across the galaxy with those same 'friends' to start a conflict outside Council jurisdiction that could have bloomed into a pan-galactic war."
"If I hadn't gone to Ilos you would all be-"
"Gentlemen, please." The asari councilor, Tevos, cut him off, her own hologram's head turning from Sparatus to Shepard. "We acknowledge your previous services to this council, but we did request that you contain your operations to the Terminus. Between your actions at Kunyalt Storage and your involvement in an assassination attempt on a turian political officer-"
"I helped save his life!" Shepard boomed, but the asari continued as if she hadn't heard.
"-I'm afraid your motivations have been called into question. We have no choice but to disbar you from acting in the Council's name. Until you can verify that you've completely severed ties to Cerberus, your Spectre status is hearby revoked."
"This is an outrage!" Anderson yelled. "He's done nothing but help us at every turn. We can't just toss him aside like this!"
"Facts are facts, Anderson," Valern replied. "He was sighted with a suspected assassin in the wards and said suspect's son was the instigating party in the attempt. Regardless of our own opinions, we can't associate officially with someone involved with both a xenocentric terrorist organization and an attempt on the life of a politician of another species. Our hands are tied."
"Bullshit! You can cover up the reaper threat but you can't look past-"
"You discharged a weapon in that room in front of C-Sec! Anyone else would have been arrested on sight. You could have easily hit-"
"But I didn't! Without that diversion, Talid could have-"
"Enough, Shepard!" Tevos had to yell to make herself heard over the human. Her own biotics flared, temporarily giving the appearance of an inferno through the orange-tinted hologram. "We can allow you to leave the station in peace, and we won't send anyone after you as you were after Saren. Regardless, you will be detained the next time you come to the Citadel, pending an investigation into your ties to Cerberus and the attempt on Joram Talid's life."
"You should consider yourself lucky you're getting this much." Sparatus jerked his head upward, exposing his neck as he folded his arms. "Good day."
The three aliens' holograms winked out without further comment, leaving the human soldier seething.
Fuck you, too.
He could hear the remaining councilor's exhale, laced with a low hiss as the human softly shook his head. "I'm sorry, Shepard. I was hoping things wouldn't get this bad, but-"
"'This bad'!" the newly-exiled soldier snapped. He glared at his former commander, his anger abating somewhat at the pained look of defeat on the man's face. The sight seemed to include dozens of additional creases in the man's skin, ones that weren't there when he'd stepped into the human embassy a few minutes ago. "I thought they needed unanimous approval on this sort of thing," he said, dulling the bite of his words. "At least for anything to do with the Spectres."
"It used to be, but they changed it to a three-person majority while you were..." Their eyes met, and Shepard looked away. "It's an old rule," the councilman continued. "From the last time there was potential for a four-person council."
Shepard lifted his eyes from the floor. "What do you mean, 'the last time'?"
"None of the asari like to talk about it, but the quarians lost more than an embassy after their first war with the geth. They used to have the strongest industrial sector of any known species, and an economy that eclipsed that of the volus. At their peak, they were in the same position humanity was in two years ago. They had candidates being considered for Spectrehood, and they were lobbying for support to gain a seat on the Council. The Council had even ratified new regulations for themselves, preparing for the day the quarians would stand with them.
"But all of that changed when the geth rebelled. Their ambassador fought as hard as he could, but the Council said their war was a threat to the general public. They didn't want to drag everyone into a conflict that was just a 'quarian issue'. The Council quietly rejected the quarians' attempt to join their ranks. When they quarians lost Rannoch, the Council said it was proof that they could no longer support themselves as an independent galactic power. When they pushed for support for an attempt to reclaim their homeworld, the quarians lost their embassy with it."
"Wait, why would-" Shepard's brain caught up with his ears. First the geth, and now the collectors... The N7 graduate's eyes widened as his jaw met the floor of the lobby a level below.
"You're afraid the same thing's happening now."
"Yes," Anderson muttered with a sigh. "Udina's already pulled his support for me in an attempt to save face for the embassy, but Sparatus won't rest until everything's back to what he sees as the status quo." The man took a deep breath. "Which is why I have to resign."
"What?!"
For his part, the councilor strode over to the balcony in silence. Shepard followed him, standing next to the man as he leaned forward against the guard rail overlooking the Presidium. The quiet tranquility of the expansive park clashed with the soldier's agitated mind, its brightly-lit but empty walkways ignorant of the fact that it was nearly midnight.
"What about our council seat?"
"I'm asking Anita Goyle to take over for me. She's Udina's predecessor in the embassy, fair-minded and knows how to work the system to get what the Alliance really needs. She's had it quiet for the past five years, but I'm hoping she'll come out of retirement for the position. Heaven knows we all need someone like her at a time like this. Unlike me, she has no direct ties to you. Hopefully, that'll be enough for the others to listen to her."
"And what about you?"
"It's back to the navy for me. I may not have as much pull here as I did a few months ago, but there are still some things I can do to help prepare from there." He motioned to the extravagant garb covering himself. "And if it means I don't have to wear these suits all the time, I'm all for it."
"It'd be nice to see you back in your dress blues," Shepard agreed with a grin. "I never thought I'd miss having mine until I saw what they filled the Normandy's new closet with."
Anderson smiled back, some of his worry lines vanishing with the simple gesture. "Don't worry, son. I'll order you an extra set." He held out his hand in farewell.
Shepard clasped the offered hand, pulling him into a close embrace. The councilor tensed in his arms, military instinct kicking in at the unexpected act. "Watch yourself, Anderson," John hurriedly whispered. "The Shadow Broker's been targeting the old crew."
The older soldier relaxed, patting him on the back in return. "It would explain where Sparatus is getting some of his ammo," he murmured in return.
"Keep an eye on Ash, will you?"
"I'll get someone I trust on it right away." Anderson took a step back, breaking the hug. "Say hi to Garrus and Tali for me."
Shepard nodded, moving to the embassy's exit. As he picked up the box of newly-purchased armor components he'd left by the door, a smile crossed his face at the thought of the two being safe and sound on the Normandy. He took a calming breath as he reached the threshold, likely the first and last on what had become one of the most stressful workdays of his life. "Will do."
"That should be it, Tali. You're free to go."
The quarian sprang up from the bed in the med-bay just as a wall clock chimed 0100. "Thank you, Doctor. I'll go back to my station now."
"Nonsense, Tali!" Chakwas cried in surprise, causing the med-bay's other occupant to grumble and turn in his sleep. "Just because I'm not holding you for observation doesn't mean you should go straight back to work."
Tali stole a glance at Garrus, once more recognizable in a spare set of armor he'd requested as soon as he'd come aboard. "But I'm not injured like him. I shouldn't be taking time off."
"Tali. Get cleaned up. Get some rest."
She jumped in surprise. "With water? Think of how much it takes to replenish-"
"Our current water stores are sufficient for the next fifty-seven days use," EDI interrupted. "If the filtration and purification systems are cleaned as scheduled at the end of the month, it will extend to seventy-three days. Miss Lawson's maintenance schedule includes four scheduled resupply events over the same time period."
"Thank you, EDI," Chakwas said with a look at the ceiling. She smiled at the quarian and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We can spare the resources, Tali. Go on."
The engineer didn't move, twiddling her fingers in indecision. "But Doctor, I haven't been on-station in over-"
The human laughed, her mirth stilling her tongue. "If you won't listen to me, at least clean up your food and water intakes. I can still lecture you on what vorcha blood would do to a quarian immune system if you'd prefer not to. You won't get scale itch, but it would have some-"
"Alright, I'll do it," she murmured in defeat. She slowly began to shuffle toward the door.
"He'd probably prefer not to see you covered in blood," the doctor added just before she could activate the holographic interface. Tali froze, her arm still extended. "Just a thought."
She flew through the door as soon as it opened at her touch.
Keelah, he was terrified! I should probably at least get some of it off. Not enough to be wasteful, but-
Her train of thought was suddenly cut short, a product of a speeding quarian, a three-way intersection, and a glassy-eyed drell.
Their smashing reunion ended with an introduction to the floor for Tali. Luckily, her mask held, a dull thunk echoing down the hall instead of the crash and tinkling of shattered glass. She groaned and got up, making use of the drell's extended hand as she climbed to her feet.
"My apologies. My mind was elsewhere," Thane said as he helped her up.
"No, it's my fault." Tali shook her head before checking for suit ruptures. She nearly jumped at the sight of her torso, before recalling the encounter with the vorcha once more. Keelah, I should definitely clean some of this off. "I shouldn't have been running."
"And I should have been more aware of the present," the drell croaked.
"Right..." She heard a grumble from his stomach, and suddenly became aware of the fact his quarters were on the opposite side of the ship. "Did you just get back?"
"Yes, I had a long talk with Kolyat after what happened."
Tali nodded, recalling the name from their first meeting before Aite. "How did it go?"
"I walk in. He sits at a table. Arms cuffed, but chains dangling loose. An extra chair waits. A slight frown, barely masked as I sit across from him. 'I've been thinking about what happened, Dad.'" The drell smiled at her. "Better than I'd dared to hope. He said he understood why I left, and forgave me."
"Oh, that's great," she said, a smile in her voice.
"Perhaps you should seek your own forgiveness."
The drell's words wiped the grin off her lips. "I shouldn't... I mean I don't deserve to ask. Especially after what happened-"
"Today?" She looked at the drell, whose expression had changed to something the quarian didn't recognize. "You saved his life from that salarian. A close-range shot like that would have killed him."
"I guess... But it still isn't-"
"Tali'Zorah," he interrupted. "If you are truly his siha, he will accept you all the same. You, if anyone, would deserve it."
She shook her head. "Not that I don't want to believe you, but I still don't understand what makes you so sure."
Thane blinked. "Siha is a title given to the warrior-angels of Arashu, the drell goddess of motherhood and protection. Caring souls, dutiful to their charges, fierce in wrath, and tenacious protectors. I had that once before, with my wife. It is rare to see it in others, but there is no doubt in my mind that I see that in you for him."
The quarian stood there, momentarily speechless in the quiet crossroads of hallways. Could he really... But I don't- No, I do... But- She shook her head, sure that there was something she'd forgotten. "I'm not the only one who helps him."
"The embrace pulls them into my sight. I continue, helping the turian's labored steps. A salarian, the shine of a gun. Shepard speaks. I move to grab my pistol. A shot. Shepard on the floor, his gun in her hands. Three shots. My gun comes loose, and I take aim. She fires again, ten shots. Green blood. The assailant falls before I can pull the trigger, one hand on his wounds and the other at another weapon on his waist. She steps on his arm, empties the clip. She holds out a hand. 'Sorry about that, John." He gave a slight nod, then continued on his way to the mess hall. "You reacted faster than a professional assassin to defend him. None of the others could say the same."
Tali stood there for several more seconds, her mind in turmoil. But I shouldn't ask him... should I?
She shook herself, continuing on her trip into the women's restroom. The shower stalls stood directly across from her, their tiled walls gleaming invitingly as the lights activated from her presence.
Do I really deserve it?
The quarian snapped her eyes to the side. She moved to the sink, wishing that her mind would quiet down as she unfastened her realk. A single towel hung ready for drying hands.
That's sufficient.
Miranda awoke with a start, her omni-tool buzzing from her wrist. She groaned as she recognized the tone, slowly peeling her face off of the desk in her room. A report on the proposed upgrades to the exploratory capabilities still sat open on the holographic interface in front of her, the computer screen displaying a diagram of the modifications to the mining probe storage bay. A full mug of coffee sat next to her head. Some of her hair had actually fallen into the cup, the strands dripping the cold drink on her cheek. She groaned in distaste.
Definitely should have drank it sooner.
Her wrist buzzed again, drawing her attention back to the thing that had interrupted her slumber.
Who sends a message at 0320?
Miranda stifled a yawn as she tapped her omni-tool, bringing up the new message as she blearily rubbed her eyes.
Date is set. Transfer will happen in four days at 1645 local. Next update in forty-eight hours.
Those seventeen words did more to wake her up than any amount of cold espresso could.
[Seven hours earlier]
My head...
Tali's head throbbed as she tried to lift her arm. Something loosely restrained her wrist, preventing her from pressing a hand to her visor.
Keelah... what happened?
Her groggy mind swam, the details of her last moments of consciousness dangling teasingly just out of reach. Annoyed by the fleeting images, she began to open her eyes. A familiar violet tint hung over the world, though she struggled to focus on anything outside her glass visor.
So... I'm not in Chakwas's office?
She turned her head to the side, struggling to focus on the image of her arm as she tugged once more at her restraints. Looks like some sort of... animal skin? The bindings held, refusing to release her, and she began to look around the room. Where am I?
Even with her blurred vision, the quarian could tell she was bound to a flat surface. She became aware of a fuzzy sound, her hearing slowly starting to work once more.
"-angel... wants. He'll... -ing to him. Don't you w-... Ha! These... -n't work together to change a... ...each other. If they become a problem, I'll crush them myself. But the way things are going, they'll implode without my help. Don't worry though, you'll get the quarian soon."
As the quarian's vision cleared, she noticed a dark figure looming across the room from her. Though she couldn't make out any details yet, the shape seemed tantalizingly familiar. A krogan... Could it be?
"Grunt?"
The krogan chuckled as he turned to face her, then bent in closer. "Funny. Your dossier said you'd be reaching for the Spectre instead of the tankborn."
She recoiled slightly, the reptile's jet-black armor and wicked grin jogging her memory. "You... You're the one that killed Harkin."
"So your mind is intact. Good, the Broker wanted you in one piece."
"I'll be sure to thank him for his hospitality when I see him," she murmured. Tali jerked on her bindings once more, to no avail. What would John do?
He'd come for me.
Her eyes widened with realization, something her captor was quick to notice. "That's right, quarian. You'll be a nice little piece of what he has planned for Shepard."
She shook her head, trying to stall for time. "I don't think so. He'll come for me -for both of us- before I'm even halfway there. And even if he didn't, you couldn't keep me in here forever."
"We're counting on it."
Tali struggled furiously with her restraints, the thought of being used as bait to hurt John scaring her more than the fact that her life stood in the balance.
"Ha!" he laughed. "Don't take the leather as a sign of weakness, female. Just because metal would have shredded your gloves doesn't mean I would hesitate to break you."
"And I'd do the same to you," she retorted, remembering the alley near Chora's Den as her wriggling died down. "The last thugs the Broker sent after me doubted me, and look what-"
A sharp ring of metal on metal sounded as a knife stabbed through the table next to Tali's hand. She recoiled, moving away from the blade that the krogan had slammed down on instinct. He smiled at her, forcing the blade through until only the hilt stuck out. Blue characters on its white surface gleamed as his hand released the weapon.
"Happened?" He backed away as she lay there, speechless. "I haven't seen one of these in centuries. Wonderful killing tools, your people used to make. Unfortunate that they shamed them with their sorry excuses for war stories. But know this." He crept in closer, his breath nearly fogging the surface of her visor as he whispered to her. "This is not your story. Your ancestors were weak, and you will be cast aside and forgotten like they were before you. That is how your tale will end."
"I don't think so," she growled back.
"Think what you want, it won't make any-"
"Karn, we're all waiting for you. The fools are getting antsy, and I want my trophy."
He grunted with distaste as his omni-tool flashed, then began to stomp away. "I'll deal with you later, quarian." Tali could hear raised voices as the door opened to admit the warrior, snarls that indicated the presence of vorcha and the multi-toned yells of turians carrying to the room she was held in.
What did he mean by that?
She cast aside the thought as the door slid shut behind him, returning to her futile struggle for freedom. I need to get out before they can use me against John. Her gaze settled on the weapon embedded in the table next to her hand.
It should be able to cut this "leather" he mentioned.
The quarian gripped the handle of her knife, trying to tug it free.
It didn't budge.
"Alert to all Eclipse: the Blue Suns have broken the truce. Suppress with extreme prejudice."
Immediately, she could hear the sounds of gunfire from beyond the door. Tali continued to pull at the blade, losing track of time as she pushed, yanked, and wiggled the weapon in an attempt to loosen it from its impromptu sheath.
Come on... She willed her arm to go the extra few millimeters, stretching as far as she could to get leverage on the stuck weapon as she reaffirmed her grip around the hilt. Pulling with all her might, she thought of the times Shepard had come to her rescue since his return from the dead. Inhaling the toxic chemicals while fighting on Illium, her stabbing him on Haestrom, his potentially suicidal charge against a YMIR on Freedom's Progress...
I'm not letting him get hurt because of me again.
The blade moved.
She tugged again, drawing the knife out bit by bit over several more minutes. With a yell, she wrenched it free. The quarian turned the weapon on her restraints, holding it at an awkward angle as she sawed away at the leather binding her right wrist.
Don't worry, John. They're not getting me that easy.
The door flew open. A single vorcha entered, hissing at something behind it as the sound of gunfire raged from the room beyond. He turned to face her as an explosion rang down the hall.
The vorcha hissed at the sight of her weapon. "Drop it." She ignored it, continuing to saw furiously at the leather as the merc closed in on her.
The first restraint broke.
[Ten hours later]
Could Thane be right?
Tali shook away the thought, planting her dagger back into the newly-cleaned sheath at her ankle. She turned away and continued to scrub at her suit, the cloth she had been using now stained with red. She moved back to the sink, rinsing the towel in cold water. Though the water became tinted with the blood, the rag stayed the same crimson hue. The quarian frowned as she turned off the faucet, going back to rubbing the stains off of her sh'rayan. Such a waste of a good cloth. It didn't deserve- Damn it!
The woman sighed in exasperation, pressing her free hand to her helmeted head. I thought I wasn't going back there again. She frowned, the argument that had been plaguing her ever since she'd spoken with Thane starting up again.
I stabbed him!
You saved his life.
I nearly stabbed him again.
But you didn't.
By quarian law, I should be dead.
By your captain's actions, you're in the clear.
I shouldn't be with him.
He wants to be with you.
I don't even know if that's true.
Bullshit.
She flung the rag at the sink in frustration just as the door opened. "Morning, Tali. Didn't expect to see you here."
The quarian looked up, seeing a human dressed in an overlarge t-shirt with a towel and toothbrush in hand. "Hi Kasumi." The thief walked over to the other sink, running the water over her toothbrush.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Eh," she murmured noncommittally. The human raised an inquiring eyebrow, which didn't go unnoticed. "I ruined his towel," the quarian grudgingly answered, gesturing to the sink with the stained cloth.
"We both know that's not the real story," Kasumi said, tucking the toothbrush in behind one of her teeth as she sat down next to the quarian. She ran the brush through her mouth, the bristles rustling against her teeth. "Tell mewhaph fleely bodurngyew."
Tali's translator wasn't tuned to detangle such mutilated speech. "What?"
The girl held up a finger and spat in the sink. "Tell me what's really bothering you," she repeated before continuing to brush her teeth.
"Ah... Well it's just... I mean..."
The human interrupted, speaking around her toothbrush. "Tari, hands."
She slammed her hands on the floor in frustration, willing them to stop fidgeting. "I bumped into Thane when he came back this morning."
The human took her toothbrush out of her mouth, spinning it as if it was an extension of her finger. And?
"He said he says I should just talk to John about things, that he might... forgive me."
The human stood up once more, spitting in the sink. "I thought we agreed he already had."
"Well, he never actually-"
"Would you still be here if he didn't?"
She didn't answer.
"Shep's already cleared you. You need to forgive yourself, Tali," the human said before swishing some water around in her mouth. She spat in the sink a final time before speaking again. "Do you want to be with him?"
Tali suppressed a shiver that ran down her spine at the thought. She nodded for the human's benefit.
"Do you care for him?"
More than anyone, even my family. Another nod.
"Do you wish you'd stop having all these doubts?"
Keelah, I do... Nod.
"Then you should take Thane's advice. Go talk to him."
"But-"
"Remember, he can say yes."
"But-"
"No more buts, Tali. Finish cleaning up and talk to him."
"But-"
"Sorry, can't hear you over the shower!" the thief called, turning on the water in one of the stalls.
"But-"
"You've reached the inbox of Kasumi Goto. Please leave a message..."
"Ugh..." The quarian stood, picking up the rag as she moved back to the sink. She renewed her scrubbing, nearly tearing the opening of a pocket that was normally hidden under her realk's fasteners in her haste.
Why do I even bother? she thought as she flung the towel back down. The engineer dug furiously into the pocket with a finger. It's not like I even use-
Tali stopped, hearing a distinctive crinkle as her finger rummaged through the pocket. She reached in more carefully, pulling out a fragile object. Wait, is that...
It was the remains of a flower, faded blue. The petals were pressed flat from the pocket, swaying from the slight wind of Kasumi's shower. What little air turbulence there was buffeted it, threatening to shred it as she held it in her hands.
She stands on the Citadel, at the base of a statue. A bouquet of blue blossoms sits at her feet as she looks into the cold stone eyes. "Goodbye John," she whispers to his stone likeness, before picking up one of the flowers.
"And he still came for me on Haestrom..."
She cradled the blossom, protecting it from further damage as she quietly picked up her realk.
I need to take a walk.
"So Vosque didn't know a thing?"
"Nope."
"Damn shame."
"Yeah. I can guarantee Vido wasn't trying to protect me like your Sidonis. A gunshot to the head's kinda hard to misinterpret."
"You don't say."
"So Shepard's cleared you for ops again?"
"Yeah. Didn't have any issues after we got out with Sid, and the bone weave didn't take long to set. I should be good to go in a couple of days."
"Goddamn miracle, modern medicine."
"You said it, Zaeed."
"So," Zaeed said, nudging the paint can at his feet with a boot, "this the part where we paint the logo back on the dropship?"
Garrus scoffed. "Funny, I was under the impression we were here to take the logo off the hammerhead."
The two shared a laugh as they sat down on a pair of overturned buckets. Garrus reached over his shoulder, pulling out a folding table that had been wedged between a pair of crates. Zaeed, meanwhile, popped the top off the paint can, dumping its contents on the table. A cascade of multicolored plastic coins poured out, as well as a bound deck of cards.
"Hey! Yer not startin' without me are ya?"
Garrus didn't spare a glance over his shoulder, devoting his attention to shuffling the deck. "Not at all, Ken. Just trying to see how lucky Zaeed feels today."
"Lucky enough to let engie here pick the rules," the bounty hunter muttered, lighting a cigar. "So what'll it be today? Hold'em or skyllian five?"
"Hold'em today, Zaeed," the engineer said as he pulled up another impromptu seat. "I've got a good feeling about it."
"S'what you said the last four times we had a poker night. Didn't help you any of those times either."
"Right. And let's not forget we're playing aces high, not kings high," the turian quipped, holding the cards out for Ken to cut the deck.
"That's always how it's been played on Omega!"
"Nah, pretty sure it's been queens high ever since Aria took over." He laughed as he set down the deck. "Oh, and no suit heirarchy either." The former merc rolled his eyes as Garrus dealt the cards, two to each of them. "Buy-in's five hundred, small blind bet's two creds, big blind's five, minimum five to raise."
Ken pulled out an empty credit chit, transferring the credits from his account with a wave of his omni-tool to the card in his hand before passing it to Zaeed. "Is Jacob joinin' us today?"
"Nope," the merc said as he added his own funds to the chit. "Got too many goddamn guns to clean after that raid. He won't be free for at least another three hours."
"What he said," Garrus murmured, copying the ritual before putting the chit in the middle of the table. The three of them quickly sorted through the chips, organizing them into several piles and leaving over half of the original pile off to one side.
Ken tossed a pair of white chips to the middle of the table, folding his arms and leaning forward instead of looking at his cards. "So what's this I hear about Tali and the commander at the end of that last mission?"
Zaeed looked at his cards and followed with a single blue chip. Garrus decided not to look at his cards yet, seeing as the pot was so low. "She was... Let's just say she was happy to see him."
"Confirmation?" Ken asked, adding three more white chips to the pot.
Garrus shook his head. "No... A hug's all Thane and I saw." Zaeed rapped a knuckle on the table, choosing not to raise. Garrus checked as well, as did Ken. "Nothing conclusive enough for Zaeed at any rate."
"No kiss, no chits. You gonna burn 'em anytime soon, Archangel?"
The turian rolled his eyes, tossing the top card from the deck to the side before turning three cards face-up on the table. Six of hearts, queen of spades, three of diamonds. Ken checked his cards warily, then chucked in a trio of blue chips.
"Lucky with a flop like that? I call bull." Zaeed smirked, matching Ken's bet. Garrus, meanwhile, looked at his own cards.
Queen of hearts, three of clubs. Guess he'll be eating those words soon. Garrus tried to remain stonefaced, however, calling the bet instead of raising. "The only bull around here's that you didn't pay out for the last time they had a moment, Zaeed."
Ken sat there flabbergasted for a moment, then rapped his knuckle against the table. The former merc grinned and did the same. "No vid. Besides, 'snot like they were all touchy-feely when she was running to the elevator."
"Whatever." The turian checked, then burned another card. He flipped the following one face-up, an ace of clubs.
Ken raised the pot again, adding four more blue chips. Zaeed laughed, throwing in a red one and a pair of blues. "Suits you for trying to muck with the odds on Tuchanka. And I still say the engie here's bluffing."
He probably has an ace of his own. Still, I already have two pair. Might as well milk him for all he's worth. Garrus tossed in a pair of reds, fifty credits altogether. "I agree, and so are you."
To his surprise, Ken matched his bet, throwing in a red coin and a blue of his own. "So wha'do ya say the odds are now, Zaeed?"
The merc frowned, then matched Garrus's bet with a trio of blue coins. "Still five-to-two on them getting together while I'm here, eight-to-one on it being before the suicide mission."
Ken gave shake of his head in response. "I still don't think ya should talk abou' it like that Zaeed. Bad luck and all."
"Hey, we all know we'll lose people," the other human murmured as Garrus burned a final card. "Always happens. Might as well get used to it."
"I dunno about ya, but I'd rather think Shepard can pull another miracle out o' his hat."
"He does seem to be good at that sort of thing," Garrus conceded as he slowly drew the top card. "That and he'd be devastated if she was left behind."
"Def'nitely."
"Quit stalling and play the goddamn river already!"
"Relax, Zaeed. It's not like you're winning this hand." Garrus placed the last card on the table face up, a three of hearts.
Full house!
Ken played another pair of red chips, plus three more blues. Zaeed smirked. "Really, Scotty? You should've learned by now not to mess with the big boys." He tossed in a trio of reds as the engineer frowned back. "Garrus, show him how a real man makes a bet."
With the table like this, there's no way he's got four of a kind or a straight flush. Full house wins no matter what.
Garrus resisted the urge to grin (not that he believed either of the others would recognize the turian expression, anyway) as he placed seven red coins on the table. Zaeed immediately stopped smiling.
The bet was now 370 credits out of each person's original 500, all on one hand.
"You were saying, Zaeed?"
Ken remained silent, raising the total by another red and a blue. Four hundred.
"You're both goddamn liars," the former merc grumbled. He pushed his entire pile forward. "And I'm gonna make you pay for it!"
The turian flared his mandibles for a moment before he could catch himself, and the merc grinned back. "What's the matter? Afraid of getting found out?"
"Not at all, Zaeed." He went all-in as well. "Just surprised you're this eager to end up buying in again this early."
"Ya too, Garrus." Ken copied their action with a grin. "Zaeed, whaddaya got?"
He flipped over his cards: a six of clubs and a three of spades. "Full house," the former merc declared proudly. "Threes full of sixes. Good luck topping that one, Archangel."
The turian nodded. "Not bad, but thanks for the luck. Probably should've saved some for yourself." He flipped his cards over, and the human's expression melted in horror. "Threes full of queens."
"Got any more room, Skully?"
Garrus turned around. "Good timing, Jack. These two are going to need to buy in again anyway after that monster of an opening hand." He reached for the massive pile of chips in the center of the table, only to get rapped on his hand by Ken. "Quit joking around, Ken. We know you don't have anything highe-"
The engineer slapped his cards on the table: two queens.
"Queens full o' threes. I think tha' qualifies as 'higher', doncha agree Jack?"
He didn't giggle?
The convict nearly fell off her bucket laughing at the frozen turian as Ken swept the chips away.
His tell is legendary! How the hell did this just happen?
Jack added to the chit in the middle of the table, barely reining in her laughter enough to speak as she gathered chips from the extras on the side. "Damn, Skully. That look was fucking priceless."
Garrus joined Zaeed in grumbling as they added to the community chit on the table. Meanwhile, Jack began to roll her eyes as Ken made an extravagant show of shuffling the cards in the air.
"Fucking deal them right or don't deal them at all."
Ken gulped and began to sweat under the biotic's gaze. "Yes, ma'am." He restarted his shuffling, minus the airborne tricks.
Jack's gaze then turned away, focusing on the armored human. "Hey, Zaeed, what're the latest odds on my favorite bet?"
"Still eight-to-three on him making the first move, fourteen-to-one on her, five-to-three on neither saying anything."
"Put another five on him for me," she muttered, passing him a blue chip.
"Are ya kiddin'?" Ken slammed the deck down, but didn't deal the hand. "They shoulda made their move by now. I say swap mine to it being on neither."
"Boy, you swap positions more than an asari hooker," the former merc grunted. "You'll have to stick with one bet sooner or later.
"Stick with one one what?"
All four of them gasped, their heads whipping around to face the elevator. Tali was walking toward the table, tucking something under her hood as she strode toward them. Garrus noticed that there were still several isolated spots of red gleaming off of her suit's armored plating.
Oh crap.
None of them spoke as the quarian came to a halt, tapping her foot as she loomed over the table.
"Garrus, what were you talking about?"
The others glared at Garrus, the combined gaze making him feel as if he had sweat glands. "What do you mean? We were just playing Texas hold'em and Jack wanted-"
"It sounded like you were betting on couples."
"No... No. Why would we do that?"
The quarian's glowing eyes narrowed to dangerous slits of silver. "Chiktikka or shotgun?"
Double-crap.
"If you must know, it was about Jacob and Kasumi," he lied, looking around the table for support. "Isn't that right, Ken?"
The angry quarian and the unnamed humans shifted their gazes to the other engineer, prompting his forehead to glisten. "Y-yeah. I was saying I still don' think they'll ever get together at the rate they've been goin', what with Kasumi being all stalker-y an' Jacob bein' all clueless and such."
"See, Tali," Garrus continued. "It's all just a big-"
"Hey, Zaeed?"
The five of them turned their view skyward at the sound of Joker's voice over the ship intercom. "Yea, Joker? What do you want?"
"I wanted to change my bet, regarding the relationship pool."
Garrus gulped nervously as a three-fingered grip clamped on his shoulder. To his left, he could see Ken in a similar situation, his shirt becoming visibly wet with perspiration as Tali's other hand rested on his arm.
"How so?" the armored human asked as the turian held his breath.
"Just talked to Thane when he came in, and there's just no chance Jacob and Kasumi are hooking up."
He exhaled. Thank the spirits. Tali's grip on his shoulder began to loosen.
"I want to swap my current bet to her getting with Garrus."
All eyes turned back to the turian, whose mandibles hung loosely from his face.
"What, now?"
Immediately, all three humans at the table broke out into fits of uncontrollable laughter. Even Tali joined in, her electronically-toned chuckles adding to the turian's flustered mood.
"Come on, that's just... I mean... Just because her waist is... I'm not interested!"
"Hey, Skully, how much you wanna bet she's right next to you right now?"
Garrus toppled out of his seat in surprise, waving an arm through the air around him as the laughter intensified around him. He growled as he realized the space was free of any cloaked Asian thieves.
"Fuck you, Jack!"
"No thanks, Skully, I'll pass."
"Yeah, even I wouldn't go near that bet." Garrus grumbled as he climbed back onto his bucket, the others' laughter slowly dying down. "Okay, seriously though. What're the latest odds on Tali-Shepard?"
"WHAT?!"
"Oh, shi- Sorry, must be a wrong number. I support his nomination for candidacy. No, I don't want to buy anything. The person you've dialed doesn't live here anymore."
"Joker..." the quarian growled.
"Oh, um yeah. I've got to- um... EDI must have had a glitch during the message. I definitely wouldn't place a bet on or against a respected crewmate like Tali, as I respect her privacy too much to do something so crass as to bet on her relationship status."
"Lieutenant Moreau is incorrect. There was no glitch, and I count thirty-seven separate instances of-"
"Kshhhh! You're breaking- Kshhhhhh. Can't hear- Kshhhhh. -li must be- Kshhhh. -glitch again. Kshhhhh. Got to go!" The intercom cut off, leaving Garrus sitting next to one particularly angry-looking quarian.
"For the record," the turian mumbled, "I'd like to modify my previous statement to include Joker."
The hand clamped back down on his shoulder. Garrus looked up, trying to keep his mandibles from quivering.
"Um, Tali..."
"It was nice knowin' ya, Garrus."
Before any of them could blink, the woman turned away from him and rounded on her fellow engineer. Her hand slapped Ken's face with thunderous force, knocking him clean off his bucket as the sound of the blow echoed through the hangar.
"Mind your own damn business, Ken. And you!" She raised her arm at the turian, her wrist glowing orange as she activated her omni-tool.
Spirits, help me. "I know you're angry, but I never bet against you."
He squinted his eyes shut as her omni-tool sparked. It was a longshot, but anything that kept him from being attacked by a combat drone for another few seconds seemed worthwhile.
"Is it true?"
He turned towards Zaeed, cautiously opening one eye. The merc, on the other hand, looked like he was having the time of his life.
I am so screwed.
"Yeah, he's been the only one who's had his creds on you making the first move the whole time. Apart from when he screwed with things on Tuchanka, of course, but he wouldn't have gotten paid if it worked. Tried to bet exactly how Shepard would ask you out right after his little private talk with the guy. Damn vorcha wouldn't even go near a deal that fishy."
The quarian turned back toward him, her eyes livid as he awaited the verdict. She tilted her head slightly, clearly thinking over what to do with him as the others quietly lifted the table and walked it almost a meter away from where he and Ken were.
Stay of execution?
She socked him in the stomach, hard. He doubled over, his hands cupping over where her fist made contact. Something dropped into his hands, prompting him to cough in surprise.
"Khu-what's thi-"
The quarian slapped him before he could continue, nearly making him bite his mandible. To the turian, however, the blow didn't sound nearly as loud as the one that had unseated Ken.
Could be because my ears are still ringing.
Tali stomped back to the elevator as Ken rose back to his feet. The human hissed after trying to rub his face, his cheek emblazoned with a distinctive red handprint. "Remin' me not ta mess with her," he muttered as the elevator doors closed behind the quarian.
Garrus ignored him, getting a closer look at the object as he caught his breath on one knee. A credit chit? But why would she-
His omni-tool flashed with an incoming message. He opened it, still bowed over as the two unharmed humans broke out into fits of laughter.
I'll want it back when this is over, bosh'tet.
-Tali
The turian blinked in surprise. "Want it back"? How much is on here? He ran it under his omni-tool, checking the balance. When the number popped up, he nearly fell over as he was assaulted with another round of coughs.
Chit balance: 14,328 credits
Garrus hobbled after Ken, picking up his own bucket and moving back to the table. The engineer's cheek was quickly beginning to swell, as if a quarian hand was spontaneously growing out of his face while he shuffled the deck. The human avoided his eye, and Garrus turned toward Zaeed.
"Hey, Zaeed. It's not too late to change my bet is it?"
The bounty hunter stared at him, his glass eye giving a special kind of crazy look. "He hasn't even dealt the cards yet."
"I meant the other one I had, the one on Tali making the first move."
Zaeed raised an eyebrow. "Really, Archangel? I didn't think you'd get that scared of her that easy."
"No." He scooted his seat forward as Ken finally passed everyone their cards. "I'd like to raise it."
"You sure look rested this morning, Shepard."
John found himself smiling as he nodded to his yeoman in greeting. "After a day like yesterday, it's just nice to see everything back to normal, so to speak."
She smiled as he ascended the stairs to the galaxy map in the middle of the CIC. "That's a remarkably positive outlook to take after what happened with Garrus and Tali."
And the Council, he mentally noted. "Let's just say I'm glad everyone got out of there alright."
"Of course, Commander," she replied, a knowing look on her face worthy of the good doctor downstairs.
Shrinks... He cleared his throat as he studied the map in front of him. Where to start... Liara's been tracking the Broker, but she hasn't made much headway lately from the sound of things. Wrex won't know what's happening outside of Tuchanka. That leaves... "Joker, let's head to Omega. I figure Aria's as good a place to start looking for leads on the Broker as any."
"Copy that, Commander. Should be there by dinner."
He descended the steps, prepared to make his rounds. Kelly, however, cleared her throat as he walked by, intending to head to Mordin's lab.
"Something important, Kelly?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Tali wants to see you in engineering. She specifically said it wasn't all that important, which, knowing her, means-"
"-that it probably is," he finished. "Thanks, Kelly. Anything else?"
"Just some junk mail. A formal letter from the Council condemning your recent actions and a spam letter about male enhancement drugs."
He chuckled as he made an about-face and headed into the elevator. Shrinks... he thought again as the door closed with a whisper.
The elevator trip lasted an instantaneous eternity, long enough for him to contemplate everything that she could possibly want to talk to him about, but not long enough to come up with any solutions or strategies to any of the potential problems it could pose. All too soon, the doors opened once more, with him wondering about everything from what she thought of the Cerberus logo on the breast of his officer's jacket to whether the quarians had declared war on the geth and requested his favorite engineer's immediate presence.
You know what? I can solve one of those right now.
He stripped off the jacket, thankful for his forethought in grabbing a few plain white t-shirts before leaving the Citadel. Feeling somewhat more relaxed, he slung the coat over his shoulder as he walked into the engine room.
There she is.
He stepped forward, stopping just behind the quarian. He could hear what sounded like a muffled humming coming from her helmet as he closed in. "You wanted to talk to me about something, Tali?"
She pivoted on her foot, spinning to meet him. He smiled as he noticed that her suit was no longer coated in vorcha blood. The humming suddenly became more frantic, her fingers twiddling as the muffled noises continued. He noted that the light on her mouthpiece stayed dim as she continued.
He grabbed one of her hands, and the humming stopped as she held him back. "I didn't quite catch that, Tali. Could you please unmute yourself?"
The girl's eyes opened wider before she facepalmed with her free hand. The hand then went to the side of her helmet as the light winked on. "Keelah, I feel like such an idiot. I'm so sorry I forgot about the mute. I know it's bad for emergency situations but I had a lot on my mind and I didn't want to be a distraction. I mean, I couldn't focus with these thoughts in my head and I doubt Ken and Gabby could either but I'm so conflicted and I just needed to sort things out but they wouldn't- er, didn't when I tried talking it out and thinking about it made it worse and I just-"
She cut herself off, allowing John to catch the tail end of a hushed snicker. Tali's head whipped around, her eyes glowing with venom and malicious intent. The N7 graduate followed her gaze, barely catching sight of a large red mark across Ken's face before he became intensely interested in his station's interface.
What was that about?
The quarian sighed, shaking her head. "Um... Look, I'm sorry I dragged you into this. It was... a bad idea. I should probably-"
"Would you prefer if we talked about it by the drive core?" he asked, gesturing down the narrow pathway between the workstations.
"Yes," she replied, "I'd like that."
Before he knew it, the human was stumbling down the hallway. He lost hold of his jacket as he was half-led and half-dragged along by the quarian who still hadn't released his hand. They came to a stop in a large spherical room, the squat and segmented pillar that held the tantalus drive core aloft in the center humming with energy as it radiated the mass effect fields that kept them traveling faster than light. The walls were lined with silvery panels, glistening with a blue sheen from the core's hazy output and covered with large circular nodules whose purpose the human could only guess at. Only a small set of guardrails separated them from the marvelous feat of engineering, which was capable of powering a ship nearly three times the Normandy's size while taking up half as much room as others of its class. Only a couple meters of handrails separated them from the ship's powerhouse as the human looked on.
"Amazing, isn't it?"
"Yeah," the human mumbled, though not for the same reasons as the quarian. "All it's missing is Joker in a wheelchair with a metal helmet and we'd have our own Cerebro."
Tali tilted her head. "Our own what, now?"
He chuckled. "Don't mind me. Empty-headed human soldier, remember?"
She snorted with laughter. "Apparently." The quarian turned back to the sight before them. "Something about the hum of the drive core just... makes me feel at home, I guess you'd say. I come up here from time to time to relax."
"Funny, it's my first time actually walking in here." Silver orbs settled on him, and he could sense the quarian's raised eyebrow. "Gabby and Ken were always at their stations when I came to engineering, so I never had to go this way."
"Figures," she laughed. "Ken mentioned how Joker said Cerberus used substandard parts on the core shielding; claimed there's a two percent chance that it will collapse at any moment and flood this walkway with gamma radiation. They've been scared to stay out here for long ever since." She glanced his way as his mouth dropped open in horror. "Don't worry, highest it's ever really gotten is less than a hundredth of a percent. EDI and I just prefer not to correct them."
"Never thought I'd hear you openly admit you agree with an AI."
"Did I?" She shrugged. "If anyone asks, just say the first Normandy showed me the value of a little solitude every now and then."
He grinned and shook his head. She's actually been warming up to her- it, whatever EDI is. "So before Cerberus gets any more incriminating recordings of you accidentally agreeing with an AI-"
"Trust me, I took all of their devices out of this space as soon as I could."
John raised an eyebrow, but continued. "Would you like to tell me what you wanted to talk about?"
She stared straight ahead at the drive core. "First I need you to answer something for me."
"I'm pretty sure I asked you first."
"It's something I need to know."
John frowned, his head turning with concern at the quarian's sad, no- defeated, tone. "Alright. What is it, Tali?"
The engineer sighed, tensing up as she gathered herself. He gave her hand a soft squeeze, and he felt a barely-contained shiver from her in response.
"John, am I really to blame for what I did to you on Haestrom?"
"It doesn't matter to me that you-"
"I'm not asking if it mattered or not." She turned, looking him in the eye. "If you had to pass judgement for what I did, if you had to be impartial, what would you say?"
"Why are you asking me? From how close you two are, I'd guess you already asked Kasumi about it. I know for a fact she wouldn't blame you."
"Well... It's... because I need to know what my cap-" She cut herself off with a shake of her head. "What my commanding officer would say."
"Tali," he said, taking hold of her shoulder with his free hand. "As your commanding officer, I find insufficient evidence to convict you. I know you would never have intentionally hurt me, and you were in an extremely stressful situation. It was an honest mistake."
"And you're sure?"
"Certain. Besides, you don't need to ask for an appeal if you're not guilty."
"But what if you had to look at it from the other side?"
"Tali. As judge, I say you're free to go."
"But-"
"As a juror, I'd vote to acquit you."
"What about-"
"As a prosecutor, I'd have nothing concrete to charge you with. And as your defense attorney," he added with a grin as he placed a finger over her lit vocal emitter, "I have to ask you to stop heckling my client."
Her eyes seemed to soften, becoming smaller. For once, Shepard was at a loss, unable to tell if she was joyous or morose. "I... Thank you, John." She pushed his finger away from her mask with her free hand, her eyes brightening with a more easily-recognized grin. "And for the record, that doesn't stop me from speaking."
"Now where's that switch?" he mumbled, scratching his chin as he pretended to visually search the space between her helmet and hood for the mute she'd been using earlier.
"Bosh'tet... I guess I owe you an explanation now."
"If you want, though frankly I'd settle for listening to you talk about the drive core here for an hour or two."
She shook her head. "One, I'd have to get back to work before then. Two, I'm not letting you give me the smile-and-nod treatment."
"Why not? You still don't believe what I said about your voice?" What little of her face was silhouetted through the visor seemed to darken in the well-lit room, only her eyes staying just as bright as she turned her head slightly.
Hmm, so she can blush?
The clearly-flustered engineer didn't speak for several seconds, looking back at the drive core in all its majesty. When her vocal emitter finally lit up, it was with a voice that was soft enough to almost be drowned out by the hum of the machinery around them.
"I want this."
"A drive core? Pretty sure I could forward the specs to the Neema once I figure out the best way to give Mister Illusive the finger after we're done with the collectors." He paused for a moment, once again scratching his chin. "Actually, that sounds like a good enough plan in and of itself."
"Not what I meant, but thanks," she chuckled back before turning sheepishly toward him. "I want this," she repeated, squeezing his hand for emphasis.
John's eyes widened. Wait, did I just imagine that? He opened his mouth to vocalize the question, but it was quickly covered by a gloved hand.
Now that's just not fair.
"I know it's not fair. It isn't supposed to be..."
He blinked. Since when can she read minds?
"I mean I probably don't deserve it after what happened, and you -the savior of the galaxy- should be with someone you can have everything with and I could -would- get sick..."
Oh...
"...But I care for you, despite all the risks. I know it's selfish, but I want to be there with you, but not like the old Normandy. I waited too long to figure out how I felt back then and by the time I'd sorted myself out you found Liara, but then you just... died on us. No warning, no last goodbyes. You hadn't even made it to the lower decks on your rounds that day before it happened, and with what everybody keeps saying about this mission..."
She trailed off with a shake of her head. Her glove left his mouth, and he was suddenly aware of how empty his hand felt as the quarian placed both her hands on the guard rail. Tali leaned over the safety feature, her eyes on the floor.
"I know it's just a silly notion, I mean it sounds like it was pulled straight from some cliched vid. A young woman rescued by a dashing commander, being accepted on his crew of misfits as they go to save the galaxy, twice, having to watch from the side as he chooses someone else, seeing him die to save one of his crew, getting a second chance when he miraculously comes back from the dead." He caught a slight movement from her head, a stolen glance in his direction. "Sorry, it's just some selfish fantasy. I won't let it get in the way of the mission, I should just-"
Shepard grabbed her arm as she began to turn away, stopping her from fleeing back to engineering. She shrugged her shoulder, trying to shake him off.
"And if this isn't just a fantasy?"
"I... I shouldn't..."
John spun her to face him, and the quarian gained an unbreakable interest in her twiddling fingers. The quarian mumbled to her hands. "You nearly died because of my mistake, and I'm standing here babbling about something I don't deserve like an ungrateful bosh'tet."
Okay, that's enough of that, he mused, slipping one of his hands between her warring digits. "I want this too, Tali."
The quarian stilled at the sight of his hand in hers. Slowly, carefully, she began to play with his own multitude of fingers, as if studying and memorizing every detail about them.
"Tali, you're not being selfish. You were there with me when we went to Ilos to face the unknown. You still trusted me to help you when we met up on Freedom's Progress after I landed in a Cerberus ship. You've stayed and helped me both on and off the battlefield ever since you joined the crew. If anyone really deserves to be with me, it's you."
Her hands stopped toying with his fingers, and her three slipped into his five. "John..."
"And even if you didn't, I'd still choose you anyway."
"Wow... I... You really... That's..."
The quarian looked up, her eyes shimmering. A vein silver rushed down from one eye, quick enough that John would've missed it had he blinked.
"Good..." They separated, and the quarian bounced on her heels for a moment. "I should get back to work," she replied, nervousness evident in her voice. "But... thanks. For dropping by... And talking..." Tali stood there for a few more seconds, her eyes burning into his in silence before she nodded and began to turn away. She had gone almost a meter away before she noticed he was still holding her hand.
"You forgot something." When the quarian turned back to him, John smiled. "There's something else you should be thanking me for."
"Keelah, John. If I was to stand here and thank you for every single thing you've done for me, we'd be here for hours. And I DO have to clean out one of the water filters today, even if you like to listen to..." She shook her head. "I still have work to do."
"The filters are Gardner's job and you know it. But I was referring to one specific thing."
She tilted her head quizzically. "What's that?"
"This." He stepped forward, pecking the top of her hood with a single kiss that pressed it flat against her glass helmet. He lingered there a moment, the hardy fabric under his chin. "You'll need to thank me for that at some point."
The quarian's vocal light flickered on and off several times as he backed away with a smile. He turned with a nod, prepared to walk back down the hallway to engineering proper.
He hadn't, however, counted on the handholding going both ways.
John came to a stop, realizing that Tali still clutched on to him with a firm grip. Her vocal emitter flashed a few more times as his eyes drifted to hers.
I guess she didn't want to wait.
The next three words that hit his ears were laced with something he'd never heard from the quarian: a confident, almost possessive force with an undertone that suggested something... more.
"John, you missed."
Gabriella Daniels sighed in exasperation as Kenneth Donnelly leaned away from his station, stealing another glance down the hall.
"Ken, can you just leave those two alone?"
"Shush, they'll hear ya!"
She glanced over at him. "You know, you don't have to be so obsessed with this 'love pool' or whatever it is you're calling it now."
"Are ya kiddin'? It's over six figures now! Garrus made a huge bet that raised the limit this mornin'. I had te' get me a piece o' that pie."
"You know you're just going to end up out of a lot of creds."
Ken waved her off, leaving Gabby to shake her head at her own workstation. The hypocrisy wasn't lost on the woman, who'd used Kasumi to make a relationship bet of her own by proxy.
"Hey, Ken," she said with a sway of her hips. "I think there's something off with these calculations. Can you come here and help me check them?"
"Quiet, woman! I'm tryin' ta hear them."
Needless to say, she was facing some stiff odds of her own.
Ken gasped just in time to be yanked back by the agitated woman, shaking his head and mumbling as he began to turn pale.
"Oh no... No-no-no..."
Gabby raised an eyebrow as she tapped her foot. "What's wrong? She didn't try to swat at your face again, did she? Because if she missed, I can do it for her."
"No," Ken murmured. "I saw something worse."
"What?"
He beckoned her closer. The woman rolled her eyes, but obliged. The man then hissed in her ear as if the words were an unspeakable taboo.
"I saw confirmation."
"What was that, Tali?"
Keelah, why did I just say that?
The quarian shied away under John's gaze, but didn't dare to release his hand. "Well, it's... nothing, I guess..."
"Relax. I won't bite," he replied, drawing closer to her.
The mental image did everything but calm her down. "Um, y-you... I... um... Wow, is it hot in here?"
She shied away from him, staring pointedly at the floor. Stupid! He probably thinks that I'm... The engineer felt her head move, a product of the hand pressing firmly against the side of her helmet. Her eyes traveled up the man's body as he pressed against the side of her realk.
...that I'm...
She grimaced momentarily as her eyes passed his chest, though the human's loose-fitting shirt didn't betray the damage she imagined lay under it. Even so, the human's hand urged her head further upward, and she found herself distracted from her dark thoughts by the man's smiling face.
"Tali, you don't have to be afraid to talk to me."
"What? No, it's not that I'm afraid of talking, it's just- It was a gesture, and it's sweet, and thank you, but for a moment I kind of thought... Anyway, it's nothing you need to worry about. Or at least I hope you would, but that's something for later. Maybe. Hopefully. But you don't-"
"Tali."
She found herself looking back into his eyes, her mind going blank as she became extremely aware of how close he was standing to her.
Damn that wonderful smile of his.
"You... You missed," she repeated.
SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!
An embarrassingly large part of her ignored the warning.
"What do you mean?" the human asked, his breath momentarily fogging the top of her visor.
"I know you can't see through this visor, but quarians aren't that different, John," she replied dangerously. "My mouth, for one, isn't on my forehead."
"Oh." He raised a mischievous eyebrow. "Then where is it?"
Her eyes wandered over his face, trying to take in every detail as she imagined what his skin would feel like. A part of her hoped he was doing the same, trying to make out the details of her face through her damned helmet. She took a deep breath, and barely detected a scent that had managed to pass through the myriad of filters that isolated her from the outside air. As her eyes drifted back to his, she realized what the source was.
It was his scent.
Oh, to hell with it.
Tali glued her mask to his face, her lips locked to the inner surface of her vocalizer as the other side pressed on where she knew his mouth was and nearly slamming him on a wall in her enthusiasm. She almost pulled away right then and there, but the man's muffled yelp sounded more pleased than upset.
She smiled.
The quarian pressed harder, trying to imagine what it would all feel like. His lips. His skin. His hair. His muscles. His back. She drank in all the details she could with her hands as her upper lip touched part of the glass visor. It didn't matter that the metal base and chinguard of her helmet dug uncomfortably into her throat from the unexpected pressure. It didn't matter that she was finding it hard to breathe with her nose mashed against her visor and her mouth stuck to her vocalizer. It didn't matter that her food and water tubes were scratching against the sides of her chin as the helmet was shoved back. It didn't matter that the helmet tugged back on her hair slightly as her head thrust forward within it. And it most certainly didn't matter that she caught sight of Ken's spying face down the hall when she finally did break for air.
The only things that mattered to her were the grins that split her John's faces when they separated.
"So that's where your mouth is."
Tali's cheeks burned at the comment, and she noticed several thin red lines on the human's chin from where her helmet had dug into his skin. Her face warmed even more from embarrassment at the sight. "Keelah, I didn't know I was pressing that hard. I don't know what came over me."
Of course, the quarian knew that the second part of her statement had been a complete lie. She wasn't about to let the human know that, though.
"I didn't mind," the human replied coolly. "Maybe I can show them to Grunt, tell him they're a battle trophy."
Her eyes shot open as she squealed in terror. "You wouldn't!"
John chuckled and shook his head. "You're right. I wouldn't." He rubbed his thumb against one of the creases in his skin, restoring it to an unblemished -if slightly red- state. "See? Good as new."
She frowned as he continued to rub away the marks. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"
"Tali," he cut in. "It's okay, I want this too." He squeezed her hand for emphasis. "You, if anyone, deserve it."
She still didn't believe him, but the squeeze did remind her of the drell's words from earlier. She nodded, her mind racing. I may not deserve him now, but I can keep him safe in the meantime. Thane was right: I can earn the right to stand by him. She tightened her hold on his hand in return. And once I do, I can hold him in my arms for real, without this damned prison. A smile spread across her face with the silent pledge as she pulled him into an embrace.
One fueled by hope.
"I understand, John."
Her omni-tool began to beep furiously.
"You could ignore it, you know," the human joked as she pulled back.
"True, but it's an urgent message. And I'm a quarian. I have to answer it."
"I've had my share of 'high-priority' messages, Tali. They tend to be serious mood-killers."
The quarian snorted with laughter and shook her head as she pulled up the message without looking. I've already survived one 'suicide mission' with him, and look how that turned out. Plus, he actually accepted me as more than just a friend and crewmate. If it's my father being paranoid again, he can sulk all he wants. Nothing could ruin this day.
"Come on, John. Can it really be that bad?"
Tali took a single look at the message, her eyes widening with shock from a single horrible word as she collapsed against him. Her breath hitched painfully as she clutched at her chest, feeling as though her heart had literally stopped. Tali was dimly aware of the human at her side shouting as her mind ebbed into unconsciousness.
The answer, evidently, had been a resounding "yes".
Note from the author:
Yes, I'm evil. And yes, it's that time...
Ah, the flower...
And before anyone asks, it is that flower. ;)
/s/5705653/10/Finding-a-Way
Thought it would be a nice catalyst *hiss* for Tali's little intrusion on the poker-table talk
As for what happened with Anderson, I wanted to give a legitimate reason for why Udina's representing humanity on the council in ME3, while tying in some of the events from Mass Effect: Retribution
(The Drew Karpyshyn novel, not a fanfic)
It's not required reading though; I'll give out the important bits over time.