Chapter 132 - Between Friends And Endorsement Seekers
Admiral Nitesh Singh is not the most physically imposing individual, with his small and slightly hunched stature, yellow-parched skin and shifty sunken dark eyes he barely looks like a proud representative of the Alliance's highest ranks. And there is something about him that instantly makes Morgan a little cautious, mostly from the way he speaks, flattering words spoken in his slightly high-pitched, almost salarian like voice, but it is the things that he does not say that suggest to Morgan that this man needs to be watched carefully.
"Commander Shepard, it is good to see you. Getting an audience with you felt even more difficult than defeating the Reapers," Singh remarks, yet another one of those occasions where Shepard isn't sure if there is some kind of disguised admonishment in his words.
"My bondmate is very concerned about my rate of recovery, Admiral," Shepard replies politely, smiling at Liara. "She will not allow me to overextend myself and is very watchful of my schedule."
"Then we are all grateful to Dr. T'Soni for her caring efforts," Singh bows politely towards Liara. "Ah, the last time I saw you in person, Commander... so much time has passed, I can barely recognize you from that young woman who had just earned her N7 graduation."
"I'm afraid I don't quite remember the occasion, Admiral... my apologies. Was it on Arc?"
"Yes, that's correct. Damn shame about the place, isn't it? Pride of the Alliance, and now just a field of debris in space," Singh shakes his head sadly, as Morgan is still trying hard to make any sense of this man. "But we will recover, despite the difficulties, and become as proud and influential as we once were. Even more so, if everything works out as planned."
"I have spoken with Admiral Hackett about some of the plans of the Alliance," Shepard says earnestly. "I would be lying, sir, if I wouldn't remark that some of those plans felt just a little worrying to me."
"And rightly so, Commander. I am concerned that some of our people will not survive the winter because the northern hemisphere has not seen any meaningful crop harvests. And now the atmospheric pollution is greatly endangering the crops of the southern hemisphere as well. The Reapers have caused something that closely resembles a nuclear winter. The median temperatures are roughly five to six degrees colder, and the limited sunlight makes our homeworld a very gloomy place, Shepard."
"Damn... I had no idea it was that bad," Morgan exclaims, realizing that she should have expected this kind of effect from such warfare.
"Division is the last thing we need right now, Commander, but it was to be expected that panic and unrest would spread once the people realized the gravity of the situation. This is why we cannot afford this bickering amongst our people, we must gel them together, much in the same way as you fused together the diverse groups of the galaxy to face the Reaper threat."
"Yes, at least you and Admiral Hackett seem to be agreeing on that," Shepard nods slowly. "The devil is often in the details, though. You have a plan on how to end this division, do you not, Admiral Singh?"
The admiral's short frame tenses from her direct inquiry and he abandons his place at the foot of Shepard's bed and begins to slowly pace back and forth, arms crossed behind his back. "I know you hate politicians, Shepard, so I will not speak with you as one," he finally says. "The Alliance could benefit greatly by the legitimacy that the position on the Galactic Council would provide for us. I believe that was the point of your question."
Shepard merely nods, Liara remaining completely impassive in the chair next to her, to a casual observer looking almost bored as Singh continues. "Yes, I will not deny interest in assuming the role. Not because of my personal ambitions and aspirations, but because I believe that I can serve our people well, and because my fellow admirals believe that I would be well suited for the post."
Everyone but Hackett, I guess. "Not to sound skeptical, but what exactly are those qualifications that would make you suitable for this post, sir?" Shepard asks, trying to keep her tone neutral.
"I enlisted with the Alliance before you were even born, Commander. I have extensive experience in various roles, and I have won many battles through strength of arms and shrewd strategy, but just as many times I have secured peace by long and tedious negotiations. I'm not a politician, Shepard, but I do not lack the skill to play the game if necessary."
Yes, I do not doubt that, not anymore, Shepard quietly notes to herself. "And what do you wish of me, Admiral Singh?"
"It is not a secret that as a Council Spectre, you have close connections to the alien councilors. Your word of approval would go far in strengthening the support for my candidacy," Singh stops walking around the hospital room and gives her a piercing stare. "Unless the rumors are true and you are vying for the open position yourself, in which case I have wasted my time by coming here."
"I am still uncertain whether that sort of thing interests me," Shepard shrugs her shoulders. "But even if I'm not shooting for the open vacancy myself, that doesn't mean I immediately think that you would deserve this nomination, sir. I feel uneasy about allocating such political power and influence to the higher ranks of the military."
"The Council clearly does not think this to be an issue," Singh argues quickly. "They did once consider the late David Anderson, god bless his soul, as a suitable candidate for the role."
"Yes, and I urged them to choose Ambassador Udina for similar reasons, back then," Morgan replies. I wonder if that was one of my monumental fuckups too? No... we needed Anderson on Earth, needed his sacrifice to win this war, we didn't need him polishing Council chamber seats with his ass.
"The circumstances have changed, I believe you understand that, Shepard. If you do not intend to assume the mantle yourself, and you intend to deny me, who would you approve of?" Singh asks. If he is frustrated then he certainly manages to hide it very well. "We do not have much time to decide."
"I'm not sure... yet," Morgan admits slowly. I really do not have an idea, stupid as it sounds, she quietly tells herself.
"I hope you will come to a decision quickly, Commander. Perhaps there might be something that I can do to convince you that I am worthy of this honor." His eyes briefly settle on Liara, the asari showing no reaction to his scrutiny. "If we could speak privately for a moment, Shepard..."
"This will be as private as it gets, Admiral," Shepard replies, aware that her voice sounds frostier as she becomes a little annoyed.
"Very well," Singh nods stiffly. "Shepard, I can make it worth your while if you choose to support me. I will be in position to grant you whatever you want. Promotion within Alliance? Not a problem. You name it, I will provide it. Just tell me what you want, Shepard."
Shepard feels the blood beginning to pump in her temples, as her ire slowly rises, Liara gently placing her hand atop of hers, sensing the tension building within her bondmate. "What I want, Admiral Singh, is for the humanity not to squander this chance to build a better future for ourselves and our children. I want to feel as if the deaths of Admiral Anderson and the billions of our people have not been in vain. What is happening on Earth right now cheapens everything we did to get us to this point."
"Then we want the same, Commander," Singh smiles. "Give me your endorsement, and I will make it happen. I promise it as one soldier to another."
Shepard lets out a weary sigh. "I... think that you probably sincerely believe that, Admiral. But... that alone doesn't make it a good idea. What you're asking of me is... something that I cannot give. I will not campaign against you to the Council, and I promise that to you as one soldier to another as well, but I cannot in good conscience support you. I'm sorry."
"How very regretful that you feel that way, Shepard," the wily admiral says, saluting to her. Somehow, he still manages to hide any anger or disappointment he might be feeling. "I see that I have not found a friend here, today. But I leave with a small consolation of not having found a fierce opponent, either. Get well soon, Commander," he bows his head and quickly leaves, letting Shepard finally relax and she does so with a deep exhale.
"What do you think?" Morgan then asks of her concerned looking bondmate.
"I think I would have preferred if he got angry, started shouting or displayed more emotion," Liara echoes exactly what Shepard is thinking herself. "Be careful of this man, Morgan. I sense he is more dangerous than he appears and that many have discovered it too late that they have made a mistake in underestimating him."
"Damn... just what I wanted to hear..." Shepard sighs, feeling Liara's hand softly stroking hers, her bondmate's touch never failing to calm her down. "Maybe once I get better we should just steal the Normandy, select some random corner of the galaxy as our destination and become the little ship that got lost..."
Days pass, but Shepard remains chained to the bed rest, even the nanites of her implants unable to quickly repair as extensive damage as she has suffered. The pain lessens with each passing day, the smiles of Dr. Michel and Liara broaden after every check-up by the doctors and every day they unhook more and more of those horrid looking tubes feeding somewhere into her side under the bedsheets, Morgan unwilling to even steal a glance at what her much suffered body looks like under the sheets, happy to let the nanites and transplants do their work.
A few days ago, Liara had finally brought her a mirror, allowing her to see the state of her face and she is relieved that there are no prominent permanent scars, only a few small nicks that will probably go away as soon as the nanites have healed up the more critically damaged parts of her body. The swelling around her cheeks and eyes has gone down by now and she no longer feels like the elephant woman, her reflection looks completely normal, except perhaps a little more pale and gaunt.
Her hair has also grown quite a bit, and without it being pulled back in a simple ponytail, Morgan at first feels a little odd seeing herself with the longer hair. Asking Dr. Michel if she could find someone to trim it a little shorter to what she is used to, however, meets with violent and unexpected protests from Liara's side, insisting that Morgan keeps her hair long. Eventually, Morgan agrees on a condition that she can at least wear the longer hair in a simple braid, which Chloe quickly assists her with, even if Liara keeps jumping around them, worriedly continuing to express her amazement when Morgan continues to assure that no, getting your hair done is not horrendously painful.
Liara spends most of the next two days reading all the extranet information about hairdressing that she can get her hands on, and then practicing on the immobile, defenseless Shepard, fixing her hair in many different ways, experimenting with various styles on her helpless bondmate. It is during one such 'experiment' that they both become aware of two familiar voices outside Shepard's room, but they are surprised to hear that this time their two closest friends seem to be caught in an argument.
"The last shipment had twenty boxes less than we were promised. I saw it with my own eyes," they recognize Garrus, sounding a little unhappy.
"Did you see the shipment at the moment when it was delivered, or after hundred other turians had already been near it?" Tali asks, the young quarian also seeming a bit annoyed.
"What difference does that make, they would not lie to me," Garrus snaps back as the doors to the room are opened and the turian still possesses enough courtesy to hold them parted for Tali, letting the quarian enter the first, Garrus following after her. "Spirits, Shepard... what is Liara doing to you!" he exclaims, looking at her with wide eyes.
"She's taking advantage of my defenseless state," Shepard grumbles, feeling Liara hovering behind her and putting on the last few finishing touches on her new hairstyle.
"Well, I like it," Tali chuckles. "I think it's very cute. I'm not sure that's you, Commander, but... who knows, maybe you can pull it off."
"Okay, Liara, confess what you've done with my hair now," Morgan demands.
"All done now!" Liara cheerfully declares. "Hmm... if this manual is accurate, Morgan, then you now have two... pigtails? What an odd name. But I love it... you look so adorable!"
Shepard merely sighs as Tali and Garrus forget about their disagreement and chuckle at the image of her new hairdo and the overexcited Liara, standing next to her bed and clutching the comb, looking very pleased with the result. "Anyway, I hate to remind you, but... I simply need to ask what you two were arguing about before coming in."
"You've been told about our situation, right?" Garrus asks, Shepard quickly nodding assent, having been informed about the dextro supply shortage. "Sparatus and Victus had worked out a deal with the Admiralty Board to get some extra supplies for our people, but now the quarians are not delivering on what they had promised."
"We have delivered!" Tali exclaims, clenching her fists. "Your own people probably swiped those twenty crates before you got there to check the shipment yourself!"
Garrus is about to snap back at that, but then swallows the comment, remembering where they are and that it would be inappropriate behavior in front of Shepard and Liara. "Sorry, Shepard... we're kind of stuck on that point and can't seem to be able to move past that."
"Why don't you both oversee the next shipment and verify the contents at the point and time of its delivery?" Liara asks, thoughtfully rubbing her chin.
"We were going to do that, Liara, but the turians just won't drop the issue over those twenty crates," Tali sighs.
"Starving to death is just completely overrated," Garrus mutters.
"I can imagine. Are things really that bad?" Shepard asks. Both Tali and Garrus nod without hesitation. "See if you can get a bit extra with the next shipment, Tali. Even if it's not the fault of your people."
"But... oh, alright," Tali finally concedes. "You're right. Maybe it was stupid to argue about it. We won't run out of supplies for the next seven to eight months, but we have already started to limit the daily consumption and there are a great many unhappy people on both sides."
"Yeah, there's not a lot of trust to spare right now," Garrus admits sadly. "At least we can still bond over being pissed off at the humans for mucking about with the relay repairs... spirits, Shepard, if we had helped the quarians wipe out the geth on Rannoch, we'd probably be done by now. It's because of Legion and the geth that the repairs are still on schedule... just barely."
"I'm just glad the scientists actually know how to do it," Morgan says. "Though, I guess working on the Crucible has made them very inventive and resourceful."
"I believe that when my father brought up her idea that the asari should build their own new mass relays, Dr. Jelize was one of the scientists who supported Aethyta's proposals with her research," Liara speaks up. "So yes, the asari have actually possessed the know-how to do it for a while now. Father would be so proud to know that what she once tried to start is helping the galaxy now, centuries later."
"Well, at least we know who'll be the first ones through that relay, rushing back to their home systems with all haste," Shepard nods.
"If we aren't too weak and malnourished to even do that," Garrus scowls.
"Perhaps it would be possible to combine our rations with the human food supplies and make it last even longer," Tali muses. "It might work... some would probably get more sick than the others, but even being ill is better than starving to death..."
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that, then," Shepard speaks quickly, wanting to change the subject even if she is aware of how important the issue is for two of her closest friends. "Are there any better news that you can share with me, before you've depressed me completely? Garrus, have you been able to reach Palaven?"
"Yes," the turian does seem to brighten up at that. "Councilor Sparatus allowed me to use their QEC to get in touch with the homeworld. I didn't get to speak with my parents, I think the time of the call was inconvenient, but at least I got in touch with Sol... my sister, Solana," he adds for Shepard and Liara's benefit. "She lost a leg in the fighting, so she can't do a lot in clearing up the planet, but... well, despite it all, she seemed very upbeat. Happy to see me too, I think... though with Sol, you can never be sure... she loves to tease me almost as much as you do, Commander."
"I've never teased you, Garrus, you must have confused me with someone else," Shepard smiles innocently. "Anyway, glad to hear about your family. And you, Tali, anything new with you? Obviously, uh, not about family... but I know Raan is doing well, and making some political advances as well... looks like the quarians are getting their embassy, that's a good start."
"I hope they won't make us wait for decades before inviting us," Tali says, nodding. "But yes, aside the food shortage, there has been positive progress. We have replaced Xen and Gerrel with new admirals. You know them both, Shepard." Shepard gives Tali her best surprised stare, prompting the quarian to explain. "We promoted Kal'Reegar and Captain Kar'Danna vas Rayya."
"Oh... oh, that is good! It's nice that you have broken with your long-standing tradition with inviting idiots to the Admiralty Board. The last three have actually been very good choices," Shepard chuckles with her usual lack of tact, earning a scowl from Liara.
"You are speaking about Tali's father and aunt, Morgan," she berates, crossing her arms on her chest.
"Yeah... good point, sorry Tali," Shepard adds sheepishly. "Still, Kal is a great guy, and I seem to remember Kar'Danna from our visit to the Fleet. He was one of the few people I didn't yell at and called them names, correct?"
"That would be correct, yes," Tali sounds like she is struggling to contain a chortle under her faceplate.
"And how's the Normandy crew? Anyone's still onboard?" Shepard asks.
"Well, Garrus and I still use it as our quarters," Tali admits, the turian smirking a little at that.
"Ah, good, I was worried a little, hearing you two argue," Morgan says.
"We're... trying not to allow these tensions between our people to affect... other things," Garrus says, a little uncomfortably, both of them still sounding embarrassed when discussing their relationship.
"It will be a test, but I will pray to the goddess that your bond survives it," Liara adds with a small smile, forcing Tali and Garrus to exchange a brief look and then move to stand a little closer, Tali slipping her hand into the turian's welcoming squeeze.
"We intend to survive this, yes," Garrus sounds a little happier now. "Besides... she's been busy playing matchmaker..."
"Really? Who's the victim?" Shepard chuckles.
"Umm... well, Lia's boyfriend died when the Ulnay was destroyed by the Reapers. She was understandably depressed, but then that one time when Kal'Reegar came with us onboard of the Normandy, I got them both talking and she suddenly seemed a lot less downtrodden," Tali explains. "But... it's been rather hard to get them to cooperate. Kal's a lifelong military, so... not much relationship experience there. And Lia's just feeling so guilty for spending time with him, not to mention that she has this ridiculous idea that others will think that she is only chasing Kal because of his new status of Admiral."
"That is not a small baggage to carry, Tali. You are not pushing her, I hope," Liara speaks up, giving the quarian a concerned stare.
"Well... I might have tried too hard at the start, so it almost backfired, but... I got them on a couple of Citadel dates the last two days, and I think those went much better," Tali says, sounding very pleased. "Yes, I'm definitely seeing a lot of progress there."
"Is Jeff still sending her those messages you told me about, Tali?" Liara asks.
"Yes, how is Joker, did you speak with him? Liara's not giving me the opportunity to get in touch with him," Shepard says, suddenly feeling a bit depressed herself, being well aware that her conversation with Jeff will not be a happy one.
"He has laid off from harassing Lia, at least, but he still doesn't want to see you or speak with you, Commander," Tali replies, now sounding dejected. "I'm sorry. We spoke a few days ago, and he was still very... confrontational."
"He blames me for everything, doesn't he?" Shepard asks. And he is right to do so. My decisions hurt him, undeservedly so. More than they have hurt anyone else.
"I... guess you could say that, yes," Tali nods. "I'm sorry. It's just... unfair on both of you. Unfair because... he didn't deserve any of it, but... you also don't deserve to be blamed for it."
"Knowing Shepard, she will always find something to blame herself for," Liara sighs, gently and lovingly brushing the back of her palm against Morgan's cheek.
Shepard lets out another sigh. "And the others on the Normandy?" she asks then.
"All coping in their own way," Garrus replies. "Steve spends most of the time helping out back on Earth. Kenneth and Gabby are assisting with the repairs on the Citadel. Traynor is the only one who is still doing the same job she did during the war, updating us with any critical news. Oh, and she is also entertaining a very special guest who's once again bunking in the engineering sub-deck. I wish they had warned me about that in advance, I... happened to stumble upon them in... action." The turian sighs deeply, shaking his head to try and clear it from those memories. "Had to rinse my eyes for several minutes after seeing that."
"You know, Liara and I tend to get up to something very similar to that," Shepard grins wickedly.
"Gah!" Garrus groans, putting his palm against his forehead.
"Shepard!" Liara also gives her an admonishing stare.
"Sorry, just couldn't resist that one," Morgan gives her lover a guilty smile, then turning back towards Tali and Garrus. "But amongst all this mess, there are also some good news, people, and I think you two deserve to be the first to know. Liara and I... we're expecting."
"Oh... oh, wow! This is big... congratulations, you two!" Tali gushes, as Liara slips her hand into Shepard's, looking down on Morgan with fondness, both of them realizing that now that Tali knows the truth, the rest of the Citadel will be aware of it in the next few hours, then everyone on Earth, and soon the whole galaxy will be informed of these joyous news.
"They haven't even told us what they're expecting," Garrus scratches his head, looking a little lost.
"A baby, Garrus... bit slow today, aren't we?" Tali pokes him in the side. "Liara's pregnant!"
"Oh. Right. Well, that's good news," the turian nods, happy, but still a bit confused. "Then we better get on with bringing this galaxy into a more decent shape, before the baby arrives. Uh... how much time do you reckon we have, Liara?"
"I'm still in very early stages, Garrus," the asari smiles. "You have roughly around nine months to straighten everything out."
"You'd think that after three years of running around ragged and risking our lives, we'd be entitled to a little rest..." Garrus sighs. "But damn it, looking at how much work still lies ahead before we can truly sit down and say 'Yeah, we did it'... well, Shepard, maybe these are the kind of news that we need to remind us who and what we're doing this for."
"Damn straight, Garrus. Damn straight," Morgan says, as they slip into a prolonged, comfortable silence, each left with their own thoughts. He speaks the truth, Shepard realizes deep inside. This unborn child already saved my life by renewing my will to live and fight another day... my bondmate, my child... for their sakes, I can never stop until they can live their lives in a galaxy free from terror. For them... I would do anything.