Ch.12
When you're part of a team, you stand up for your teammates. Your loyalty is to them. You protect them through good and bad, because they'd do the same for you.
Yogi Berra (1925 - ), "When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It" - Ch. 3
We arrive back on the Normandy, "Shore party stand by for decontamination," repeats over the speakers from the Normandy's VI.
"Does this mean I don't have to take a shower," I ask jokingly. Liana scowls.
We enter just as the commander's speech starts. "Listen up Normandy," she says over the intercom. "We have our orders, find Saren before he finds the Conduit," Shepard continues, "And I refuse to let anything, get in the way of that mission." Sounds a bit renegade to me but I guess in real life it's impossible to be a complete paragon. "The council wants to ignore this," Shepard's speech continues, "that's no surprise, they never helped us in the past." "No reason they'd start now, but we don't need their help," she says, ok this is definitely a renegade speech, "but we don't need their help, we can do this on their own." "Wherever Saren goes, we'll follow," she continues, "wherever he searches for the conduit we'll be there, we'll hunt him to the ends of the galaxy and bring him down." "None of the other species has the guts grit or balls to deal with this." "So it's up to us, we're the only ones who can stop Saren," she continues, "I swear to you all we will stop him."
"Well said, Commander," I hear Joker's voice from the cockpit, "Captain Anderson would be proud."
"The Captain gave up everything for this chance, I'm not going to let him down," I hear Shepard say.
"Shepard," I say, "good speech."
"Good to see you arrived in time," she says, "I was afraid we'd have to leave without you."
"Commander, I believe Tali's talents would be best served in the engine room," I say, "due to her technical prowess."
Liana digs an elbow into my ribs, "We'll be in the mess," she says dragging me off.
"What's your problem," I ask when we find a private area.
"You work for the Owner," she answers, "do not get attached to these people."
"I work for the Owner," I say, why can't I get attached, "but I'm going to make friends and you can't stop me."
"What if your ordered against them," she asks.
I walk away from her, "I don't kill."
She grabs me in a hug from behind. "I don't want you to get hurt," she says.
I turn around and hug her, "My loyalties lie with my friends," I say. I squeeze her tightly, "that includes you."
I decide to find a place, to I don't know wait. Like how the party members would be in their own spots so Shepard could find them. I decide to wander until I could find one. I try the CIC but it's way to serious up there. I try the Mako's garage, but it's too crowded. Engineering has a great view and the element zero core is cool too, but I feel out of place. Man this place is small. I decide to try the room Liara uses later on, for now at least. Calm peaceful almost no traffic, I'll be good here, until Liara gets here of course. I sit down in the chair which will become Liara T'soni's. "Okay I'm bored," I say to the air and go to talk to someone. My first thought is Tali, but Shepard finds me first.
"Will I need to speak to you," She says. We head to the conference room where Shepard will eventually give reports to the council.
"So what's your story," she asks.
"I already told you," I say.
"You gave me a summary I want specifics," she shoots back.
"Shepard I want a question answered first," I say.
"What," she asks.
"Do you trust me," I ask. I'm really acclimatizing to this world I think to myself.
"You wouldn't be here if I didn't," she answers.
"Then why does my past matter," I ask a little too sharply.
"I like to get to know my crew," she answers, "and your too anomalous."
"How," I ask.
"Your 'gut feeling' lead you to evidence that convicts Saren, you're a mercenary who doesn't kill," she says, "and you just happen to find 3 aliens who are willing to join us."
"I can't explain it," I say, well I could, but I don't want to risk anything.
"I trust you Will, but why can't you trust me," Shepard asks. I walk towards the door.
"Not with this," I say sadly, "not yet." I walk out.
I go find someplace to get some rest, I go to the cargo bay and lie beside a wall, I pull off my cloak and use it as a pillow, finally some well needed rest.
I'm running for my life. A stone falls down and hit's a woman's head. I stop and pick her up in my arms, I'm running all out up a tunnel a light at the end, fire at my back...
"Hey kid," I hear a deep voice say, I slowly wake up, "we're here."
"Here," I say with sleep in my voice.
"Therum," Wrex who was the deep voice says.
"I'm part of the ground team," I ask.
"Move it," he says kicking me. I jump up.
I walk to the elevator where the ground team was at. "Tali," I say. I stop, Shepard's standing in the elevator with her, "Shepard." It hits me she's doing this to show she trusts me. I let a small smile cross my lips, "Glad to be aboard."
A short while later I'm free falling through the atmosphere in a tank. I don't care if there are inertial dampeners I'm terrified. We hit the ground. Are there air sickness bags on the Mako, flashes through my head. I fight it back down leaving a bad taste in my mouth.
"I probably won't get used to this," I say.
"Commander I'm picking up some strange readings," Joker says over the radio, "strange like off the damn charts." We start thudding around as Shepard drives us to, the dig site, my heart leaps into my chest as I feel myself rising off the ground and goes back down. I hear gunfire as the Mako's turret begins shooting at what I can only think are geth.
After much traveling we reach the gates, "It would be stupid to take them head on," I shout to Shepard, "we should find a way around."
"I know," she shouts back I feel a sudden lurch as we take a sharp turn. My head slams into the wall.
"Ouch," I groan.
"Are you okay," Tali asks.
"Yes luckily most of my head is skull," I say with a pained laugh.
After much more lurching around we reach a point where we can no longer go forward in the Mako. I lead the way out of the Mako. Pulling the two SMGs out. I fire them in the direction of the nearest geth troopers. Bullets fly back and my shields drop, I duck back behind the Mako. "Shepard," I shout, "get the gate." These SMGs are bullet hoses plenty of ammo flies out, but they are only good at close quarters, my only other gun was a pistol. I decide to err on the side of insanity I sprint out of my cover and slide behind a piece of cover closer to the geth. At this range my SMGs make short work of the closest geth. My shields drop back down and I duck back into cover I replace the depleted thermal clips. I see an explosion on one of the geth's positions I look back over my shoulder and I see the Mako moving towards me.
"Get in," Tali shouts holding a hand out the door. I take it and she helps me in.
"Will," Commander Shepard says through gritted teeth. "If you ever give me an order again, your walking back to the ship."
"Yes ma'am," I say. Not bothering to point out how impossible it was.
We continue and it settles into a rhythm, bump, bump, explosion, jet dodge. We finally reach the outskirts of the dig site.
"Looks like we are on foot from here on," Shepard says.
