A/N: Hi folks! Hope your holidays were nice. Time to push ahead with another chapter. It's time to reveal the new pilot of the Normandy, I certainly hope you will grow to like her. She's not here to steal Joker's spot, she's just a temporary replacement, so please go easy on the poor girl! Once again, I prefer to give an already existing character a new and larger role, instead of coming up with OC that probably most people won't care about.
Chapter 97 - What Would Ancient Protheans Do
A shuttle departs from the Tonbay almost immediately after the Normandy has made the relay jump and has caught up with the rest of the fleets. Shepard exchanges warm greetings with Admiral Raan down in the docking bay, before shaking hands with another quarian female accompanying Raan. The young helmsman candidate is incredibly jumpy and jittery, looking around frantically and poking her nose in every corner to take in as much of the Normandy as she can.
"Shepard, this is Lia'Vael nar Ulnay, one of our brightest young pilots," Raan finally introduces them. "We sincerely hope that Flight-Lieutenant Moreau recovers swiftly, but until he is able to take care of the Normandy, we thought it would only be fair that one of our people would serve you instead. It will not make up for Xen's madness, but..."
"I appreciate the gesture, Admiral," Shepard smiles, then turning to the young quarian. "So, Lia... what in particular makes you think that you could be useful on the Normandy?"
The quarian hesitates a little, almost shaking with nervousness, likely finding Shepard terribly intimidating. "I, uh... well, everyone's always told me that I have a... err, some kind of natural ability. No matter what ship I fly, they all seem to respond to me... if that makes any sense?" Lia'Vael finishes, nervously twirling her fingers.
"Well, that's what they always said about Joker too," Shepard says, for a moment overcome with melancholy, thinking of her old friend, still unconscious on the Rayya.
"Lia'Vael has extensive service record on ships of human and turian design, in particular," Raan adds. "That is one reason why we selected her, considering that the Normandy has been co-engineered by humans and turians, we feel she will need very little adjustment time."
"Yes, I even appropriated a human carrier during my Pilgrimage and brought it back to the Migrant Fleet all by myself!" Lia says proudly, then noticing Shepard giving her an inquisitive stare. The quarian immediately shrinks, peering at Raan worriedly. "Uh... was that the wrong thing to say?"
"It's fine, Lia," Shepard chuckles. "As long as you don't end up appropriating Normandy while we're all on a shore leave..."
"Oh! Oh, no... no, no, I... that would be an unthinkable insult!" Lia'Vael looks horrified. "You are a hero of the quarian people and to steal from you would be the same as to steal from one of our own!"
"Easy, Lia... the Commander was merely jesting," Shala'Raan explains, the young quarian looking back at her in disbelief. "Yes, I know, it is a custom of humans to make jokes about everything. You will find out for yourself..."
"What do you think, EDI?" Shepard turns around to ask the AI, wondering a little how their synthetic friend will respond to working with someone other than Joker.
"I do not believe we have encountered a single quarian who would have displayed technical inaptitude, Commander. I'm sure Lia'Vael nar Ulnay will prove a valuable asset," EDI says politely. "Not to mention that it might prove enjoyable to have a co-pilot whose attention is focused entirely on the console readings, instead of studying whether my platform has any new dents."
"Wow, I had heard that I would be working with an AI, but... whoa, this is great!" Lia almost jumps up in the air, thrilled from the excitement. Her eyes flash brightly behind the mask, as she seems unable to peel her stare away from EDI's shape. "This is going to be so much fun!" she squeals, making EDI stare at Shepard in a way that looks a bit pleading.
"Yup, EDI. I'm sure you will be left all alone and with no interruptions," Shepard snickers, herself feeling better from the young quarian's infectious enthusiasm. James will need to think another nickname for Tali. It's quite clear that Lia'Vael is the real Sparks.
"I see. Forget I said anything, Shepard," EDI deadpans, then turning back to the quarian. "You will find all the technical specifications and other relevant information uploaded to your omni-tool. I will return this platform to the bridge, you are free to join me at any time and address me with any inquiries you may have."
"Oh, thanks..." Lia manages, a little mesmerized as she watches EDI's platform strutting away gracefully. "Whoa... that is some AI you have, Commander... why didn't we build platforms like that for the geth, huh?"
"I think the fact that our injured pilot had developed serious infatuation with EDI can answer that question," Shepard sighs. "I'm hoping that won't become a problem."
"I, uh, what? Err... with the AI? How... what..." Lia'Vael blinks several times before recovering. "Umm, no, I don't think so, Commander... I, ah, have a boyfriend back on the Ulnay. And I certainly would not trade him for an AI!"
"Perhaps I should just give Lia a tour of the ship, if the Commander has done embarrassing herself," Tali finally steps forward, taking Lia's hand to drag her away.
"I will never be done embarrassing myself, Tali, you know that!" Morgan laughs.
"I... uh, thanks Admiral Zorah. A tour of the Normandy would be great! And Commander Shepard is nice... funny, and nice!"
"I guess I can agree with that. And you don't have to call-" Tali starts, before stopping and hesitating for a moment, apparently realizing that despite not wanting this position of an admiral, she is stuck with it, and with the reverence that comes with the title. "Just follow me, Lia, I'll show you around."
"Give her a chance, Shepard," Raan speaks fondly, looking after the two retreating quarians. "She will work out well, I'm sure."
"I think so too," Shepard smiles, shaking Raan's hand, before the Admiral climbs back into the shuttle to return to the Tonbay.
It has been quite some time since Shepard has set her foot into Liara's XO office, the asari losing majority of her data feeds in the geth space and finding little use for her network. Feron has kept everything going in the meantime, feeding the other agents with pre-recorded messages from Liara to maintain the illusion of normal status of operations. Now that Liara has regained full access, she faces the task of dealing with a backlog of nearly ten days, and Shepard finds the asari sitting in a chair, holding her head in her hands as she watches the data streams flowing past her rapidly scanning eyes.
"So... would this be a bad time to interrupt you?" Shepard asks softly.
Liara does not respond at first, and Morgan is about to ask her again, but then the asari turns her head to face Shepard. "What? Oh! Well..." she hesitates. "I can see no end to these streams of intel, so it doesn't matter when I take a break, I'll never catch up with all of this today anyway."
"What news are you getting?" Morgan asks, standing behind Liara's chair and placing her hands on her bondmate's shoulders, starting to gently knead the tense knots of her muscles with a gentle massage. "I only got the most basic intel from Hackett, hoping you will be able to fill in the blanks."
"I... have been reading the news from Thessia. It... has been difficult to process," Liara stops, her voice starting to tremble. Shepard sees a pile of used handkerchiefs in the waste bin, instantly realizing the reason, bending down to place a tender kiss atop Liara's crests. "My people are the most advanced species in the galaxy, and yet... it counts for nothing. Our losses are already in hundreds of millions, and we are holding on to less than 20% of our territories on Thessia."
"We need to end this war quickly, or there will be no galaxy left to save," Morgan whispers. "What about the krogan, can they help?"
"Wrex has responded and deployed some of his forces, but they are also getting stretched thin," Liara replies. "They are slowing the Reapers down a little, and buying us some time, but this can't go on for long."
Shepard does not say anything, merely continues to stroke her bondmate's shoulders, letting Liara continue. "Some of the matriarchs are calling for us to abandon Thessia," she finally manages. "Morgan... if we lose our homeworld... I don't think I can... and dad, she is somewhere down there... goddess..." she starts crying again, and Morgan pulls her up and into her embrace, holding her until Liara has recomposed herself.
"I should not collapse like that," she eventually steps away, a little embarrassed. "There is so much I can do to help instead of crying uselessly. Besides... my people are still fortunate compared to humans. Sol is now completely dark to me, Morgan. The only way you can learn about the situation is the QEC to Anderson."
"It has been so long since we escaped," Morgan speaks hoarsely, feeling a chill running through her, as her mind paints images of how Earth might look upon their return. The images make her want to scream, rage, cry, but she forces these feelings down with sheer force of will. "What about Palaven? At least there are good news coming from there, I hope?" she asks, feeling the need to change the topic. "I know, 'good' seems a terribly inappropriate word in the circumstances."
"They have not driven the Reapers off their planet, or forced them to withdraw from their system, so it was not a complete victory," Liara speaks, looking at the data feeds again. "But they have reclaimed majority of Palaven, and caused losses to the Reapers that none considered even possible to inflict. So yes, Morgan, in the circumstances, news coming from Palaven are very good. There is less pressure on the turians now, which means they are able to provide support elsewhere. Possibly... evacuating my people off Thessia."
"I hate this war," Morgan sighs, plopping down in a chair at the console that links to her personal terminal. "By the way, there was some intel that Hackett promised to send over for us to check out. Prothean sites that he hoped might contain some hints about the Catalyst."
"He sent me a copy of the data as well," Liara replies. "I already checked it out. I'm afraid it was a waste of time."
"How can you deduce it so quickly?" Morgan wonders, turning her head to look at her bondmate in surprise.
"Please, Shepard. I'm supposed to be the Prothean expert around here," Liara smiles at her. "All those sites did not last more than one hundred years after the invasion. The Prothean work on the Crucible must have started towards the very end, in the last fifty to hundred years. Sites from that period are extremely well concealed and difficult to find, as they were trying to hide from the Reapers."
"Like Ilos?"
"Yes, exactly. And before you ask, we will not find it on Ilos. They had devoted all their resources to the Conduit. Finding a facility like Ilos in the galaxy would be as unlikely as... as..."
"Finding a needle in a haystack," Shepard finishes, making Liara stare at her a little oddly. "But it really doesn't make sense, though."
"What doesn't make sense, Morgan?"
"Well, the Protheans made sure that the Crucible plans fell into our hands... you would think that they would want us to build the complete device to destroy the Reapers with, right?" Shepard muses, Liara nodding, agreeing with her thus far. "So, why is the information on the Catalyst so hard to find? If I were an ancient Prothean and wanted to ensure the next cycle had the best chance to build the Crucible... what would I do..."
"Hmm... I would make sure that the plans are accessible by the most promising race of the current cycle that the Reapers are ignoring," Liara speaks, realizing only a moment later what she has said. "...goddess! I... Morgan, we... we must go to the Citadel at once! We must speak with Councilor Tevos!"
"Agreed. We needed to go to the Citadel anyway to recruit the replacements for our depleted crew," Morgan nods. "I... don't want to think that Tevos would be holding out on us about something like this, considering what is at stake."
"She wouldn't... Morgan, even if there was something, Tevos might not even know that it has anything to do with the Catalyst," Liara shakes her head. "It is very unlikely anyone would recognize the true meaning of such information."
"Well. At least we have something of a lead," Morgan takes a deep breath, feeling a tiny bit more hopeful. "Oh, and I have a message from Miranda, requesting a meeting. Excellent, I can use her to track down my last recruitment targets. Yes... we should definitely return to the Citadel with all haste..."
Instead of finding Garrus in his usual spot, hunched over the controls of the Normandy's weapons systems, deep in calibrations, Tali discovers him pacing around the main battery, looking tense and worried. "Hey," she announces her presence, startling him a little. "Something wrong, Garrus?"
"No... yes... I don't know!" he exclaims, stopping and giving her a helpless stare. "I... finally got the news I have been waiting on, as soon as we got within the reach of comm buoys."
"What? Oh... your family!" Tali realizes. "Tell me they're alright, please..."
"Yeah. More or less. Solana... my sister, they had to amputate her leg below the knee."
Tali finds herself wincing in sympathy. "That's awful, I'm so sorry to hear it!"
"She seems quite upbeat about the whole thing," Garrus shrugs. "Sol has always maintained an annoyingly cheerful outlook on life. Besides, with the top of the line prosthetics, she figures herself to be lucky. Mom and dad are fine and uninjured."
"Well, those are good news then, why are you still so tense?" Tali asks.
"I don't know, I just... they were heading for the evac sites, when the counterattack was launched. Now they have decided to stay and help... I'm just worried if that's the right call, I mean... what if the Reapers return and bring in some heavy reinforcements just to teach our people a lesson for daring to resist?"
"Garrus... can you think of any place in the galaxy for them where they would be completely safe and you wouldn't have to worry for them?"
The turian thinks for a while, growing irritated when he can't come up with a response. "No... I suppose you are right. I would worry anyway."
"They will be fine, Garrus," Tali steps closer, gently patting his hand. "Besides..." she continues in a teasing voice. "There's a reason why nothing bad will happen to your family. They are not allowed to come to any harm because you still haven't taken your girlfriend to introduce her to them."
"Is that so?" Garrus grins, reaching out to pull her close and Tali swirls around, allowing the turian's hands clasp around her stomach, pressing her back against his chest tightly. "I... might have mentioned something about us, by the way..."
"Oh? How did that go down? I remember you telling me that your dad was a turian of very... strong convictions?"
"I believe I said 'pain in the ass stubborn', but yeah, that's the polite version of it," Garrus chuckles. "Well, anyway. When he found out that you are on the Admiralty Board, he decided that I'm doing all this for the political benefit of the Hierarchy and professed his approval."
Tali bursts out in laughter. "Keelah, this is too much! Garrus Vakarian, the famous turian pillow spy, I believe the humans would say... seducing the naive quarian Admiral! Oh my, I have been such a fool, falling for your delicate schemes, Vakarian!"
"Laugh it up..." Garrus mutters. "At least mom was happy for me. For us, really, she even said so. As for Sol... she just made fun out of me. Asked if I had been watching too much 'The Fleet and the Flotilla' lately..."
"I'm really looking forward to meeting them... your dad included," Tali says. "Though it will be hard to keep a straight face if your father really believes we're together just to solidify the relations between our people. Sometimes I feel very thankful for this mask..."
"My dad possesses an admirable talent for embarrassing me," Garrus confesses, continuing to hold Tali, gently rocking her in his arms. "And what have you been up to, lately? Hearing anything from the Fleet or your homeworld?"
"I've been busy showing our new pilot around," Tali replies. "You know, Garrus... I'm no longer the only cute quarian girl onboard. Considering our suits are quite alike... well, I just hope you will never mistake Lia for me..."
"That was... such an evil thing to say. You can be so terribly mean, you know?" Garrus mock-complains.
"Just tell me you don't like that," Tali responds. The way Garrus' hands slowly creep across her stomach and towards her breasts is all the answer she needs to know.
"What are you doing now, human?"
"Huh? Oh... hola, camarada Prothy," James replies, not bothering to turn around and look at the fellow soldier, too busy watching the sauce simmering in the frying pan. "I'm making some of my famous abuela's huevos rancheros. Care to try some?"
Javik gives a skeptical stare to James, and an even more skeptical look at the contents of the frying pan. "Does it have any fish?" he finally asks.
"Fish in huevos rancheros? That's completely loco," James chuckles. "It's just some fried tortillas and eggs, covered in a delicious sauce. I like to serve them with beans, but unfortunately we don't seem to have any. I guess Esteban will be thankful for that..."
"It's a pass from me, then," Javik shrugs. "I find the entire premise of you cooking to be dangerous and questionable."
"What are you talking about, Prothy, I'm a master chef!" James replies confidently, gathering a smear of the sauce with his finger and licking it for taste. "Could do with a bit more salt," he says, then putting the ready sauce aside, preparing another pan for the tortillas. "So... you're just going to stand there and watch?" he eventually asks, starting to find the Prothean's presence unnerving.
"Do I frighten you, human? I did not think you would be intimidated as easily as the rest of the crew."
"Scared, me? You're kidding, right? It's just considered a bit creepy to stand around like that," James shrugs. "You could at least entertain me with some stories while I'm cooking! Something about your glorious empire... or a joke, I know you guys tried to stomp out anything remotely fun, but you must have told jokes at least?"
"No. Yes. Here's my best one. The tulomorian spy entered the enemy's camp and said to the vanksher, 'I didn't know your parnaps could glow.'" James remains silent, waiting for him to continue, but Javik also stays quiet. "That was the joke," the Prothean adds after a long, uncomfortable pause.
James blinks, then breaking out in a false, strained laughter. "Ha! Ha-ha! Oh yes, that was a good one... I get it. That is funny!"
"No it isn't. I just made it all up," Javik frowns. "You humans are so stupid. You will believe anything I tell you. The joke is now on you," he adds with a hearty laugh of his own.
"Hmm, I wonder if Lola would mind if I hit you with a frying pan," James mutters angrily, before deftly flicking the tortilla around in the pan, starting to feel increasingly hungry from the delicious scents. "Alright, no jokes either. Charming. Still, you have to be at least a little impressed with what we have achieved thus far, right?"
Javik thinks for a while. "Yes. Another Reaper has died."
"And I was the one who killed it and saved everyone's lives!" James adds cheerfully, fully enjoying the Prothean's wincing and the irritated glare he sends towards Vega. "While someone else was stuck uselessly in the medbay, I might add. How's the foot, Prothy?"
"It is fine, human," Javik snarls in response.
"So... you believe we can actually stop the Reapers in this cycle, huh?" James asks, laying the last tortilla out on a plate and moving on to the eggs.
"Yes. If we are prepared to make sacrifices like those turians did on Palaven. Everyone must be ready to give their own life... even the Commander. Especially the Commander."
"Lola will do what is necessary for us to win this war... but I hope she won't have to make the ultimate sacrifice," James replies, feeling uneasy at the thought. "You sound like you doubt her resolve, Prothy?"
"I understand she and the asari are... joined? I find this troubling. It could prove to be a mistake. Such attachments were not allowed in the empire and for a good reason, they can adversely impair the Commander's judgment."
"Listen, I hope you do not plan to do something to correct what you consider a 'mistake'," James adds warningly. "If you end up hurting either Lola or the Blue, I'm going to personally shove you through the nearest airlock."
"I had no such intentions, human. I merely said I was troubled. We live by the rules the Commander sets before us, and I already made my promise not to question her."
"That's better... that's much better, compadre," James nods, cracking the last egg on the pan. "You haven't reconsidered about these delicious huevos rancheros, Prothy?"
There is no reply, and when James turns around with the last fried egg, he discovers that the Prothean has suddenly disappeared. And so has all the food. "...I'm really, really starting to hate that guy!" James exclaims, cursing loudly and stomping off angrily in search of his stolen dinner.