"No WAIT!" fingers filled my vision as I grasped empty air. Dread and panic filled my gut as Jenkins turned to look at me with a wild grin, "This is all your fault, Commander.. Commander.. Commander..."
"Commander." Jazz's eyes snapped open as she reached over to press her button for the comm system, "Yes, Joker." she replied jumping from her bed readying to get dressed, "Just letting you know E.T.A to the Citadel is twenty minutes." Commander Jazz stood in a daze for a moment nakedly. She could still see Jenkins running just past her fingertips and that damn vision. She balled her fist before remembering Joker, "Thanks, Joker." she replied but the comm was dead. Joker had severed connection. She felt like an ass.
She took a look in the mirror though it did little good. The reflection showed herself, color and height, but without her glasses she could not see the basics. Her face blurred into one form. For the purpose of looking high tech in front of the counsel Jazz took an electric band, the standard replacement for glasses. As the band fit snugly onto her head she watched as the time, date, and temperature popped up in green lettering on the upper right corner of her eye. It was placed just so, so that when the Commander spent no time on it, it disappeared from her vision.
She then suited up in light armor not expecting to use the bulky medium armor for today and a small pistol. She eyes the pretty little thing before condensing it and placing it just on her right hip. She looked in the mirror again. This time she saw a fiery redhead with piercing blue eyes that glared from the green haze of her band, though she only saw clear, and a nice fit form. She was a soldier and presented herself as much.
The comm clicked to life, "Commander?" It was Anderson this time. Jazz's fingers hit the button with no pause, "Yes Captain." she replied prying her eyes from the mirror, "Meet me on deck, I want us to walk to Udina together." Jazz smiled with a twinkle in her eye, "Does he scare you?" she teased and laughing pierced the silence, "An old friend turned sour, you Commander?" Jazz couldn't hide the laugh that came from her own throat, "I would pick an angry Krogan over him, sir." The comm went silent. Neither Anderson nor Jazz said goodbye to each other, and why should they? Goodbye only meant that there was no chance to see each other again.
When the Commander reached Anderson's side the Normandy had finally attached to dock, "I see you went technology on us." Anderson teased in a Captain's voice, "Sir, yes, Sir. Wanted to look my best for the Counsel. Anderson nodded as Ashley and Kaidan followed the two, "Why are you two coming?" Jazz asked and Anderson waved to the two solders, "I want you safe Commander. Remember last time I left you alone." Jazz gave a guilty smile but touched the scar on her upper lip, "Bar fights." she said offhandedly to the team behind her.
As the doors opened Anderson reached over to give Jazz's hand a quick squeeze, "Everything is going to be okay, Meet me at Udina's office in an hours time." Jazz looked at Anderson with confusion before walking behind him, "Why, Sir?" she asked and Anderson gave a weak smile, "To try and cool him down before you get there." The Commander watched the Captain walk away and saluted him, "Always taking the bullets, Anderson, you son-of-a..." she whispered before tuning to her teammates, "What to do in an hour?" she asked and the two shrugged. Commander Shepard gave a wild almost childlike grin before turning around, "Lets explore." she said before walking ahead. Both Kaidan and Ashley looked at each other and wondered if the was truly mad.
An hour later the Commander dragged two team members with sore feet from the uncharted part of the Citadel into Udina's room. They watched as the Commander lost her smile and charm and went straight into Shepard mode. She went rigid. Her body language conveyed a hard strong presence with an open communicating nature. Ashley smirked at the ability to turn from mush into stone and Kaiden felt impressed, "Stay on your toes." The Commander warned as they entered the Counselor's room.
Anderson looked up from his relaxed pose on a fluffy chair. The Commander walked in before crossing her arms and jutting her hip out. The look seemed ridiculous and Anderson gave a wide grin, "Hello Commander." he said and Jazz nodded her head scanning the room for Udina, "Where is he?" she asked but Captain Anderson stood, "He went to the meeting a little early. The news was unsettling for him." Jazz rolled her eyes and Anderson moved his hand, "Ready Commander? The Meeting is starting." Without waiting for Jazz to answer The Captain left and Kaiden took a step forward, "Commander, What should we expect?" Kaiden asked and the Commander shook her head, "I have no idea, but again, stay sharp..."
Jazz watched as the Counsel left. She felt shock coursed through her entire body as she looked to Anderson and Udina. Rage echoed in each eye. Udina spoke first, "Go to Chora's Den and speak with Harken, we may get the information we need." Anderson looked outraged but Udina stormed away before Anderson could continue, "Is Harken not a good contact?" Jazz asked though her throat was tight, "A drunken no good man..." Anderson mumbled, "Go." he whispered as he too took his leave. Jazz looked to her team and smirked, "Looks like we're taking a taxi." she smiled as her old earth use of the word.
Ashley was the first to speak as Jazz put her hand on the orange pad asking for information. Her Omni Tool appeared on her arm sending the information quickly. A blue car opened it's doors up as the key code loaded into the Omni Tool, "So we are going to a bar for information?" Ashley asked and Jazz shook her head yes and hummed. Kaiden jumped into the back as Ashley slid into the passenger seat, "Last time you were at the Citadel, in a bar, you got into a fight." Ashley pointed out. Jazz slammed the wheel gently, "That was one time." she shouted in a teasing voice.
"I'm not too convinced, Commander." Kaiden joined in and Ashley gave a nod of her head for backup, "You two would just have a hay day riding my back for hours." the Commander mumbled and her team laughed in unison, "Just teasing a little Commander." Kaidan said and Jazz looked back with a smile, "I don't know how to drive one of these things.. let's give it a go." she mumbled turning the autopilot off and letting the car take a nose dive, "DEAR LORD, COMMANDER!" "WHAT THE HELL!?" Jazz laughed and brought the car back up in a jerky movement, "Hope we don't get pulled over." she said off hand. Both Kaidan and Ashley looked at eachother before Ashley spoke, "Don't take jabs at the Commander, lesson learned." Jazz smiled as the turned autopilot back on.
Chora's Den was so loud the trio could hear it down the hall, "So, what are we going to say to the man?" Kaiden asked, "Are we just going to walk up and be all like 'hey we want dirt on a bad Spectre, got any'?". Jazz smirked before the doors wizzed open, "THERE SHE IS!" Shepard looked up at two armed thugs just opposite of her, "TAKE COVER!" she yelled and her team dropped down. She felt energy build into her arm before targeting the smaller of the two and throwing her arm. A ball of energy rolled from her fingertips much like a baseball and struck the first assassin to the wall. The body slid down and hit the ground with a small 'thunk', a groan, and many bullets from his team mate.
Jazz ran and slid to cover as both Ashley and Kaidan rose to let their weapons rain upon the second, now dead, attacker. Jazz grit her teeth and held her right shoulder. The arm felt weak already from the biotic throw, but the torn skin and leaking fluids gave a second wave. She reached up and put a small dose of Medi-Gel on the wound, "Commander?" Kaiden asked as she stood, "Now why would there be two men at the ready to kill me, unless they wanted you, Ashley." The trio walked into Chora's Den as Ashley shouted, "Nothing special about me Commander!" Kaiden raised an eyebrow as Jazz walked to the lone man and struck up a conversation with him, "You survived Geth by yourself for at least half an hour with the guns on your back, I'd take it as special." Kaiden pointed out and Ashley gave a grin before punching Kaiden's arm gently, "Yeah?" she asked and Kaiden nodded, "Yeah."
Commander Shepard narrowed her eyes at the man but stood, "Thanks." she hissed between her teeth and walked over to her team, "We need to get over to the Med Clinic." she said and Kaiden gave her a why look, "They always send us on a goose chase to get what we want." she grit her teeth making her way from the Den. As the noise dulled and the elevator doors dinged open Ashley touched the Commander's shoulder gently, "It's just to see how much we want it." she said and Jazz looked at the solder and gave a smile, "Yeah? Well, I'm not one to send on an empty chase. If there is no pot at the end of this rainbow Harken's is out of luck." The team behind the Commander looked at each other before nodding at the same time. Their crazy Commander might be made out of tough stuff after all.
Ashley reached the door first the touched the green scanner. It quickly opened the door and the team was met by three armed men talking to a doctor. Shepard looked to the right a noticed the turien from the steps earlier hiding behind the crates. He held a sniper gun and looked at the Commander with a shocked expression. Well, as shocked as a turian could look. Could Turian's be shocked?
"Who the hell are they?" The Commander was broke from her thoughts as the three thugs turned their attention to them. The turian took the opportunity to blow one thug away as the ever ready Kaidan and Ashley took the other two out with ease, "I'm gonna need a different team, you take all the fun." Kaiden grinned while Ashley gave a hard nod. She found killing as a hard act to perform, on other humans, yet her training had her reflexed snap at the sight of guns.
Jazz walked over to the shivering Doctor and gave a wide grin, "Hello there I'm Commander Shepard." she stuck her hand out for a shake which the Doctor took gratefully, "Dr. Michel, Thank goodness you came in." she gushed and Shepard turned the the Turian walking out with a cocky sway to his spiky hips and his gun slung over his shoulder, "Thank you for the cover." Shepard stuck a hand out the the turian took it. His grasp was a little too tight and the Commander winced. The turian loosened his grip a little and looked ashamed. Could a turian even look... not the time for questions, "Garrus Vakarian."
"I see you are wearing a vision helm, not for your eyesight I hope, we have a new surgery..." the Commander waved the Doctor off, "What were those thugs doing here?" she asked and the Doctor lost interest with the helm, "Fist sent them here to attack me..."
"We should go find fist..." Kaiden interjected and Garrus jumped onto the sentence interrupting bandwagon, "I don't mean to down anyone here, but the Shadow Broker hired a Krogan to do away with Fist." Shepard looked over to the turian, "We need to go find him first then don't we." she stated and turned to leave, "Wait, I can help, I have information on Fist and the Shadow Broker." Jazz stopped and looked at the turian again, "You're willing to help us?" she asked and Garrus nodded, "Anything to stop Saren." he said and Ashley grit her teeth at the alien's words, "Anything, you make working with humans sound as interesting as training dogs."
Jazz looked at Ashley and noted that she didn't play well with aliens, "Ashley go and find Anderson. I will radio you in case we find anything." Ashley took gratitude in the fact that she didn't have to work with an alien but felt the stung of being dismissed, "Aye, Aye." she said saluting and running off, "So, Garrus, about Fist." the turian smiled. Could turians even smile? You know what we are calling it a damn smile, get over it, "Follow me, Commander."