Chapter 18
It felt like any other day. She woke up screaming, which wasn't unusual, and returned a few messages before exiting her room in search of food.
Kasumi, passing by as Shepard left the elevator, gave her a smirk. "I heard your 'talk' went well, Shepard. Actually, I think the whole ship might have heard how well it went."
The commander halted. "Please tell me that was just a fucked up joke."
"What, you don't remember it? Tali was worried that you two might be killing each other with the racket that was coming from the main battery, but, 'Oh, Garrus, fuck me harder!' didn't exactly leave room for interpretation."
Shepard stared at her in horror. "I only went in there to apologize!"
"Sounded like you did a pretty thorough job at that."
"Yeah, I remember that… Bits and pieces, anyway… But not being loud!"
"Sorry to break it to you, Shepard," Kasumi shrugged with a contrite smile. "You two are the new hot couple."
"We are not a couple," she responded firmly. "Not now, not ever."
"Whatever you say," Kasumi laughed, turning away.
Shepard grumbled and continued her trek to the kitchen area. Thane was waiting for her with the usual cup of coffee, but something in his look seemed to judge her. Her cheeks reddened, and she ignored it, sitting. For a few moments the silence continued, and finally she couldn't stand it anymore.
"Look, Thane, I don't need to hear it. I know I was stupid. Please, just leave me alone."
"I didn't say anything, Siha," he pointed out.
"Yeah, but that glare you gave me said it for you."
"If you do not wish to hear my opinion, I will not make you listen."
"Good."
She sipped the coffee, deep in thought.
"I don't like him," she began, despite the outburst. "It's not like I thought it would mean anything."
"I know, Siha."
"I'm not perfect; I'm entitled to screw up sometimes."
"Of course you are."
She sighed, returning to her coffee. "Thanks for letting me vent."
"I'll always be here if you need to talk," he replied.
"Good morning, Shepard." The smug, dual-toned greeting caught her off guard and she let her head hit the table with a groan.
"Garrus," Thane acknowledged evenly.
"Thane," the turian replied, dislike plain in his voice. He turned his gaze back to Shepard with a smile. "I hope you slept well last night. When we ah, spoke, you sounded absolutely drained."
His remark, obviously a cruel parody of her fake conversation with Thane, was enough to send her over the edge. She stood, staring him down with the most hateful look she could muster.
"Stand down," she growled through clenched teeth. "I will not tolerate your disrespect any longer."
"As I recall, you felt very differently about it last night."
Without a thought, she hit him hard across the face with the back of her hand. She felt a warm pain where his plates had cut her flesh, but she didn't break eye contact. He moved toward her, snarling, but stopped at the sound of a 'click' before he could complete the motion. He sneered at Shepard, ignoring the gun at the back of his head.
"Can't even fight your own battles anymore, Shepard? You have to have your assassin help you?"
"Stand down," she repeated, still furious.
"Yes sir," he snapped sarcastically, throwing a glare at Thane as he left the room.
Thane lowered the gun, watching her warily.
"I don't need you to stand up for me."
"I apologize, Siha," he said cautiously. "I would not have been able to watch him strike you."
"I understand, just let me deal with him myself. I don't need any favors."
She turned heel and stormed back to the elevator. Of course it figured that this would happen on the one day that she needed her crew's loyalty most.
The next target popped up and Shepard fired a shot off without hesitation. She didn't have to watch to know she hit her mark. She ducked and reloaded.
"No, stop. Hang on."
A loud buzzing sound emitted from the shooting range as the targets stopped rotating.
She glared at him. "What? What was wrong with that?"
Nihlus, working the controls, toggled the distance. Shepard's last target flew toward them, revealing a hole in its abdomen.
"Look," she insisted, pointing at it. "Right in the gut. You can't tell me that's not a good hit."
"No, you look," he said patiently. "That's pathetic. Does that look like a kill shot to you?"
"I – no," she sighed, rolling her eyes in frustration.
"Shepard, if you want to shoot out your ass, use an assault rifle. Sniping requires precision."
"A hit is a hit," she argued, waving the gun wildly as she gestured.
Nihlus pretended to duck in fear, and she groaned loudly, setting it down forcefully on the table beside her. He smirked at her irritation.
"I was saying," she growled, "you know I can shoot. You said yourself that I might be the best you've ever seen. So what if it's not a kill shot? I still slowed him down. He'll be easy to finish off now."
He shook his head at her. "Sniping isn't about slowing down your targets; it's about eliminating them. Just because your aim is better than most even when you're half-assing does not give you an excuse to slack off. I expect nothing less than your best."
She muttered something sarcastic under her breath, and his brow plates raised.
"You're the one who wants to learn to snipe. Do you want my help or not?"
"Yes," she sighed, and he smiled.
"That's my girl. Now, like I showed you: don't just fire, take a breath and line up your shot first."
She took a deep breath, peering through the scope. The Collector was distracted, firing at Miranda, and didn't notice its impending death. She exhaled as she pulled the trigger, and it dropped. Perfect, as always. She had learned from the best.
"Shepard, I'm burning up here, you need to open the next valve!"
"Okay, Tali, I'm working on it."
She swung over the mound she'd been using as cover and sprinted toward the green light, ducking as the last remaining Collector opened fire on her. She threw a lift field at it and let her crew finish it off, hitting the last switch as she slumped on the nearby wall, breathing heavily. She had relied heavily on her biotics to prevent Tali from burning alive as they raced through the Collector base, and she was wearing out quickly. The door opened and they ran inside to meet Tali, who used the control panel in front of her to close the door behind them.
"Thanks for letting us in," she smiled at the quarian.
"Thanks for not letting me roast in the thermal vent," Tali returned, and Shepard laughed weakly.
"Shepard, you need to see this."
She turned to see Miranda staring at the Collector pods that held their missing crew members. As they watched in horror, Kelly Chambers was liquified. Shepard shouted orders to her squad, and they hurried to open the rest of the pods. Most of the crew was alright, but a few hadn't survived. She sent what was left of them back to the ship, escorted by Mordin. Since their path forward was blocked by seeker swarms, Samara created a biotic field to protect Shepard, Tali, and Thane as they made their way further into the base. They fought off a number of husks and more than a few Collectors, and finally they were able to open a door that reunited them with the rest of the crew.
By the time they had gotten there, Shepard was exhausted. She could see Samara was also drained, and Tali's environmental suit was starting to malfunction from overheating in the thermal vents. She looked around at the rest of her crew. She needed people she knew she could trust, who could remain calm in stressful situations, and who could fight off whatever might be waiting for them. With Samara and Tali out of the picture, only two remained.
"Thane, Garrus, you're coming with me. I want everyone else to cover this door. Keep them off our backs." She inhaled deeply, looking at the two men beside her as she spoke in softer tones that the rest of the crew wouldn't be able to hear. "I need you in there with me - both of you."
"I'm ready, Siha," Thane replied without hesitation.
She looked at Garrus warily. "What do you say? I know earlier was, uh, bad... But can I count on you?"
He glanced at the drell beside him before nodding sharply. "Right behind you, Shepard."
(A/N): Yes, that was a flashback. Deal with it.