Language Barriers

Right. So. Sadly, this chapter is all fluff with no real action and no real story. I had wanted to finish up the Ash/Joker plot before Virmire but that didn't happen with this chapter. Sorry, guys. Between packing and stressing about moving, I haven't had much time to think about Redundant. I tried to cram some technobabble in. Hope it worked.

Also, because technically I'm done packing, until August 15th updates should pick up a bit. (But no promises! We may close on our new home before then, and I'm writing original fic too.)

"Bosh'tet!" Kaidan looked up from his locker as Tali's voice rang out across the cargo bay. "Kin'adi pumiai stet melrah Kashyon meema diabi, Tin'uski nar Nedas!"

Most quarians spoke galactic trade to overcome language barriers since the quarian language was not part of the standard translation software in most translators. It had to be purchased and downloaded separately. As a result, no one in the cargo bay knew what Tali shouted as she stormed to the elevator. She continued to shout at Garrus as the elevator doors closed. Garrus stretched his neck and rolled his shoulders then made his way towards the elevator to wait for it to come back down.

Kaidan had missed most of her exchange with Garrus as they bickered under Precious's chassis. He had only caught snippets of the conversation but had ignored it for the most part. The turrets on Mavigon had caused minor hull damage on the starboard side and a HEAT charge had made a mess of the aft axel.

"If the aliens start shooting up the ship," Williams said without looking up from the rifle disassembled on the armory table, "I'm putting bullets between their eyes." The rebreather over her mouth and nose filtered her voice. She heaved a sign of disdain and with nimble fingers swabbed the barrel with solvent to dislodge the build-up of slug shavings and eezo dust.

"Only a few more hours before the next drop, Williams," Kaidan reminded her. "At least Wrex hasn't joined in whatever's going on with Tali and Garrus." He put on a rebeather and then began disassembling his Kessler next to her, carefully putting its micro-eezo core to the side. A firearm had to be cleaned after each mission to keep the eezo dust from building up. Dust form eezo was a carcinogen, and well… he was walking proof of what eezo dust in large quantities could do to a body.

"Well, I know what to do to take care of him if he tries anything," she said then looked at him over the rebreather as if just realizing what she'd said. "I am so ready to shoot things, sir." She gave a grin.

He grinned back, enjoying the way her eyes tilted at the edges. "You and me both, Chief. But let's not pick fights with the aliens. Or Wrex," he added.

"No fun, LT."

Liara sipped her tea. The minty spice tingled against her mouth, a bite of cold following warmth. She sighed. She still didn't understand why Shepard seemed to detest the drink when before the last Liberty, Shepard didn't have a problem with it.

Karin walked into the mess hall with a tray of food and sat down beside her. Liara marveled momentarily at the new lines around Karin's eyes. Human skin was so interesting. Some looked so soft, like Shepard and Ashley. Others looked coarse and leathery, like Engineer Adams and Karin. Then there were the hairy ones like XO Pressly and Joker. "Liara."

She blinked, focusing on Karin's eyes. "Karin," Liara said with a smile. "How have you been?"

The doctor studied her a moment before giving her a knowing smile. Liara was stymied on what she was supposed to know however. "How much mint tea have you had?"

She blushed. "Not much. Just," she looked at her currently empty cup. Empty? …Oops? "All of it."

Karin shook her head, the interesting colors of the individual strands of hair catching the light. "You know that will go straight to your head."

Liara giggled. "Too late?" She coughed and sat a little straighter. She did not just giggle. Mint really did go straight to her head, didn't it? Oh, how many brain cells were dying due to oxygen deprivation? She giggled again, putting a hand over her lips in order to quell the giggles. They slipped out anyway. She giggled more at that thought.

Karin only chuckled, opened her mouth to speak. At that moment a foul-mouthed quarian marched passed the mess hall on her way to the sleeper pods. Liara blushed at the words, the translator giving very colorful explanations of each phrase. Her translator was programmed to provide the etymology behind each word in various languages, so she knew a transcript would be waiting for her in a new file on her omni-tool the next time she opened it. Quarians were always a fascinating and colorful species. Mother had been fond of them and had spoken about forgiveness for their past mistakes.

"What in the world?" was all Karin managed to say before Garrus appeared from around the corner. He followed Tali to the sleepers.

"Tali," he began, but Tali cursed at him using a phrase that was not in Liara's translation software. And she was very thankful, thank you very much, Goddess bless you.

Tali gave the turian a slight push then got into a sleeper, closing the door even as she swore at him some more. The last phase she spoke was in galactic.

Well, part of it.

"Go away, you… you bosh'tet!" The sleeper's door shut with final loud crack. She continued to yell obscenities through the glass door. Sound proof the pods were not. There was a reason the pods put one into temporary cryostasis.

Garrus grunted but spoke to the sleeper anyway, crossing his arms as he stood there. "You misunderstood what I said."

Tali's voice was muffled. "No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did."

"No, I didn't."

"You did, Tali."

"I didn't, bosh'tet."

Liara listened to them go back and forth a while before looking over at Karin as she ate her food. "I wonder how long they're going to go on."

"A while, probably," Karin said. "Tali didn't remove her envirosuit for the cryostasis to affect her, and they're both very stubborn."

"I have a shotgun!" Tali's muffled voice rang out.

"You should have brought it with you, Tali," Garrus told her. "Get out of there and talk to me."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Get out of there."

"Go to Tin'uski hell."

"I don't even know what that is, Tali. Come on. Out." He rapped on the glass.

"No!"

"Yes."

Liara picked at her food. "Do you think she'll use her shotgun?"

Karin thought about it a moment. "Doubtful. The Commander would have kittens."

"Oh, Goddess! She's...she's pregnant? When we melded, I, I didn't think humans could... could..."

Karin only shook her head.

Codex

Weapons, Armor, and Equipment: M-72 HEAT Warhead

Commonly called a HEAT charge or frag grenade, the Armax Arsenal M-72 HEAT Warhead is a High Explosive Anti-Tank explosive that can create a stream of very high-velocity metal shrapnel in a state of superplasticity to punch through solid armor. Most HEAT charges are deployed using shoulder-mounted rifles that use mass accelerator technology, though Armax Arsenal manufactures a miniature version that can be hand-tossed and is frequently used by many mercenary groups in the Traverse. (The discus-type Hahne-Kedar Mark 14 Grenade with a HEAT upgrade installed is most commonly used by the Systems Alliance 103rd Marine Division. The Mark 14 is usually colloquially referred to as a pancake by troops in order to differentiate between the two manufacturers.)

HEAT charges, contrary to their acronym, do not rely on thermal interaction for success and use the pressure of the explosive charge to force holes into the armor.

Trivia/Geekery: HEAT shaped missiles were first introduced to combat theater during WWII and they use the Monroe Effect to force the metal into the superplasticity state.

While I disagree with the sleeper pods being cryostasis pods for medical reasons and resource reasons, it does state in the wiki that that is what they are. And it made Tali getting into the pod to avoid Garrus that much funnier.