The skycar piloted Shepard through the packs of traffic, weaving through the lanes, constantly ascending upward toward the highest levels of the presidium. The consort's acolyte had put in the coordinates to the destination and had left Shepard to travel unaccompanied to wherever the anonymous samaritan was waiting. At least I'm not visiting the consort herself…feeling like this, meeting the consort…I don't think that would work out well… She'd been pleased about the solitude, but was feeling slightly strange, and couldn't wait to find out who the informant was. I owe this person a lot…and I guess I'm on my way to paying them a favour. She thought, feeling relieved as the skycar began to level out, headed for a remote spire far above the ground level. This must be at least a third the height of the tower…whoever's here is probably rich as hell.
She stepped out of the skycar, gingerly making her way toward the door, noticing the glass windows revealed a brightly lit suite. Her body wasn't unsteady, but just felt overly sensitive, and her mind was slightly hazy. Not feeling a buzz from this, though…just…I feel good. Really good. What the hell is that juice made from?
She pressed the buzzer for the door and waited patiently, hoping that it wasn't some trap by the Shadow Broker, or that it was an elcor. I don't think I could take meeting an elcor right now, not like this. I'm feeling…
The door opened abruptly, interrupting her mid-thought as a somewhat clothed asari politely invited her in. She's wearing pretty much the same style of clothes as Sha'ira…is it some asari fashion trend or something? Not…not that I'm complaining or anything, but…wow…
She followed her through the home, assuming this asari was a servant of some sort. She fought internally, though her eyes couldn't help but drop down to the asari's hips as her guide sashayed through rooms and hallways, and up a set of ornate stairs. Only when she halted gently by a doorframe did her eyes raise back to the asari's head, quick enough to catch the asari gesture her inside with a smile.
Shepard blushed and thanked her before stepping into a room overlooking the presidium. The windows were wall to wall, the floors oddly marbled and polished to perfection, the furniture fluid and wooden. Shepard's eyes stopped their appraisal of the room as they happened upon the asari on the far side of the room, sitting what could best be described as regally on a slightly more ornate couch. A pot of what looked to be tea rested on the table in front of her alongside two small cups and saucers.
Shepard warily approached the asari, wondering why she had been as helpful as she had been, noticing her informant looking up at her with a soft smile.
"Councilor…Tevos?" Shepard asked, unsure if she was in a dream or not. I'd know those facial markings anywhere…Christ…
"Commander Shepard. Did Falyria receive you well?" Tevos asked, but Shepard could barely process it. Why is she here? She's part of the Council…that…what…she thought, her mind scattered by her drink and her current circumstances.
"Oh, uh…yes. She was very…kind." Shepard stammered out, trying her best to keep eye contact.
Tevos' smile grew slightly. "It pleases me to hear. Please, have a seat, Commander." She requested, patting the space beside her. Shepard sat hastily at the edge of the couch, biting her lip nervously as her body felt like it was about to catch fire.
Is it just that drink I had or…Christ…if I feel this way around every asari, I'm totally fucked. Not literally, just…ugh…I am so bad at this. I AM SO BAD AT THIS. Get OUT of the gutter, mind. Please! She thought, her mind racing over her predicament, flitting in and out of rather inappropriate thoughts. Do I have a…I mean, I saw them in videos before, and that didn't affect me, but in person…Christ, do I have a fetish or something? It just doesn't make sense, why am I feeling this way?
Her thoughts were interrupted by a light, airy laugh beside her. Tevos was looking at her with amusement, her fingers brought close to her mouth as if to catch her laughter. Her fingers and…freaking Christ, look away from her mouth, Shepard. Just…look away…
"Sha'ira made me aware of your… bashfulness, but I could hardly imagine this." Tevos said, biting back her laughter, calming herself down. "Truly, Commander, am I so fearful that you must position yourself as far from me as possible?"
Shepard regretfully looked over at Tevos, her breath catching as she realized the asari's robe , while covering her whole body and draping gracefully off her pristine form, was rather sheer in a prominent area or two. No, no, I'm just scared of myself right now. What the Christ has gotten into me? She thought, turning her head off toward a painting on the opposite side of the room.
"Not fearful, no. I'm sorry, I just…I'm a little surprised." She stated, knowing her words had an entirely different meaning to her than to Tevos. She made the effort to slide toward the councilor slightly, so that she at least had part of the table in front of her.
"I am sorry if I cause you discomfort, Commander. I know it must have been a shock to learn it was I who provided for you." The asari spoke. Shepard tried not to let Tevos' soothing voice diminish her self-awareness. It's unfair how relaxing her voice is…
"I honestly had no idea. I'm incredibly grateful for your help, if there's anything I can do for you in return, name it." Shepard blurted out, trying to focus on the reason she was here rather than the person beside her. Goddamnit, it's like I'm cursed by the colour blue!
Tevos reached forward and gingerly lifted the odd-looking teapot and poured herself some tea, before looking expectantly at her. Shepard bit back her fear and nodded, thanking Tevos, not wanting to disrespect the councilor any further. The asari handed her a cup and saucer, slowly filling it to an ornate line on the inside of the cup. Shepard took in its scent and found it smelled somewhat spicy.
"I admit I was surprised by your actions in the council chambers. Nihlus was one of the more…active recruits I brought into the Spectres, so when he brought you into candidacy, my interest was piqued." Tevos noted, taking a sip of her tea. "Your military profile led me to believe you were mentally unstable and a psychopath. Yet there you were, appearing balanced and capable, displaying spontaneous emotion, and seeming honest in your words. I must assume there was some clerical error. Your diplomacy was surprising and impressive, considering your career."
Not surprised that someone was throwing me under the bus. Still…kinda leaves a bad taste in my mouth…Shepard thought, as she took a sip of the tea and found the taste a little too spicy and sweet for her to drink regularly. "I was just trying to be level-headed out there, hoping we could push toward making sure another Eden Prime didn't happen. But…thank you for the compliments."
Tevos took a long sip of her tea and set it back on her saucer. "Today, when you presented the evidence that exposed Saren, I found myself in a predicament. Not one wholly unforeseen, but one I had prayed to Athame to be false." Tevos stated, taking a pause, and looking a sliver less stoic than usual. "The second voice from the recording is that of Matriarch Benezia."
Shepard looked over to Tevos, not familiar with the terminology. "Matriarch…Benezia? I have no idea who that is. My apologies."
"Matriarchs are powerful asari who have entered the final stage of their lives. Revered for their wisdom and experience, they serve as guides to my people." Tevos explained, her eyes focused on her teapot. "Matriarch Benezia is a powerful leader in asari society, she has many followers, and has the social resources bestowed upon those of the major families of Thessia. She is also a powerful biotic in addition to her social and political prowess. She will make a formidable ally for Saren, I'm afraid."
Shepard lowered her head, the reality of yet another huge obstacle in her path beginning to sink in. "Oh. Well, what can we do about her?"
"With the Matriarch being involved with Saren…I have a feeling that it also means she is involved with prothean technology. It may simply be my instincts, but I feel that the beacon was a pivotal reason why Eden Prime was attacked, and with that beacon being the centerpiece, I fear the Matriarch's daughter may be in danger." Tevos stated, her words less calm as she laid out the fruits of her intuition.
"Well, you're right that protheans have everything to do with this. If there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that. But why would the Matriarch's daughter be in danger and…well, why should I care?" Shepard asked, hoping she wasn't being too blunt.
"I am related to the Matriarch's family. A somewhat distant tie to her, but we are very close to each other, and I have watched her daughter grow into a young, adventurous maiden across the years." Tevos stated, passing her gaze back to Shepard. "And Doctor Liara T'Soni is an expert in prothean archaeology."
"Well, if the Matriarch has been working with Saren, wouldn't her daughter probably be in league with her? Or already out of our reach?" Shepard asked, curious as to where Tevos was going with this.
"It is uncharacteristic for the Matriarch to ally her efforts with Saren. He has always been a destructive, xenophobic force, whereas the Matriarch has been advising the galaxy on the merits of galactic unity for centuries. I fear she may be coerced into this working relationship somehow, even though the thought of such an act staggers my mind." Tevos reasoned, pausing to take a steadying breath. "There is the possibility that she has hid Liara from his grasp, and that she is still out in the galaxy somewhere, unharmed by Saren. Yet, with this recent event, I can only imagine that Saren will set out feelers to find her, which would only strengthen his control over the Matriarch. I know her well… she would do anything for Liara."
Shepard nodded, understanding the urgency of Tevos' request. "So you need me to find her as soon as possible."
"Doing so would potentially create a means to contact the Matriarch, and bring her back into the light. I could not bear a future without her as a guiding force for the asari, for myself, for her daughter." Tevos said softly, placing her hand gently on Shepard's knee. "If we were to regain the support of the Matriarch, I assure you, you will forever have my personal support in any endeavour. There is no price that could ever be placed on recovering her."
Shepard blushed from the contact, her eyes being drawn down to her leg, and the hand resting upon it. Why do they always have to touch me? Is it just a cultural thing, or…I feel like I'm burning up. Christ, this jacket is too warm…
"Uh...I…Where can I find the Matriarch's daughter? Do you have any leads?" Shepard asked, trying to be straight to the point, hoping her body wouldn't rebel against her.
"She does not often report her location until she's left her current project, it is a way to prevent mercenary groups from stealing her findings, and any potential relics. She did, however, send me an encrypted message a month ago from somewhere in Artemis Tau. Which planet in the cluster she was communicating from, I am unsure. I have had the data feed analyzed, which confirms the signal came from Knossos, which is a small system with gas giants, desolate worlds, and grave worlds. Chances are she is either on Armeni, investigating ruins that aren't those of the extinct zeiophs, or she is on Therum, where many human organizations have recently set up mining facilities." Tevos claimed, removing her hand from Shepard and placing it in her own lap. Shepard stifled a sigh as her focus instinctively moved to Tevos' face. "Though if I am aware of this, the Matriarch must be aware, and likely Saren as well. This places her daughter in grave danger."
"I promise we'll set out early tomorrow to find her. Right now, that's the best I can do, having promised my crew a chance to leave and having set aside time to gather much needed supplies." Shepard noted apologetically. "If we manage to help this…Liara…what would you like me to do with her?"
"Liara is dear to me, she would be welcomed here as she has been in the past. Her safety is of paramount importance at the moment. I cannot stress this enough, Commander." Tevos said, her voice quiet, but steady; the worry and sadness that had become more visible on Tevos' face pulled at Shepard's heartstrings. Failure was no longer an option for her. I won't let this family be torn apart like this…not by Saren…not by anyone…
Shepard took another sip of her tea, finishing the cup, and placed it back on the saucer. So if we leave tomorrow…Knossos in Artemis Tau is what…a few days' trip? Do-able. I'll see if Joker and engineering can't strangle some juice out of the Normandy so we can get there earlier…who should I take groundside? If we're dealing with potential geth, I'll want Tali, and Ash is really great at keeping me safe and out of harm's way…Kaidan could work too, supplementing my biotics with his, and he's first aid trained, so if Doctor T'Soni's injured... Decisions…
She broke out of her thoughts and saw Tevos looking at her expectantly. Shepard nervously laid her hand beside her, an offer of comfort if Tevos wanted it. The councilor gently rested her hand on Shepard's who gave her a light squeeze. I know what it's like to worry about missing family...if I can provide some relief...Okay, maybe I can get a little relief out of this too, satisfy my body a little bit...and maybe I can handle that? Maybe...nothing's wrong with hands touching. It's a nice gesture, not real sexual, or...well, it doesn't NEED to be, and it's nice. It's nice.
"I don't promise people things often Councilor, because when I do, I know I cannot and will not fail. It's a dangerous commitment to make." Shepard said, her voice barely above a whisper. "But I promise we will find Liara and get her back. I won't allow your family to be shattered by Saren. Thank you for the honour of trusting me with this."
Tevos gave a weak smile and nodded. "You never cease to surprise me, Commander." Tevos stated warmly, appearing deep in thought for a few moments. "You mentioned earlier that I was right about the protheans being central to my issue. Would you be so kind as to inform me why you feel that way?"
Shepard bit her lip and tried fruitlessly to force the immediate flashbacks of the vision out of her mind. Just focus, Shepard…focus…should I tell her? She…is my boss now, I guess…maybe it wouldn't hurt, but maybe I shouldn't…aw hell…"On Eden Prime, I accessed the prothean beacon accidentally. It…burnt a message into my mind, but it didn't make much sense until earlier today. Well, it still doesn't make almost any sense, but some parts are clearer than others." Shepard started, Tevos listening intently. "I thought it would be foolish to bring it up in front of the Council, you three need actual evidence, and my hearsay doesn't count for much. So I left that part out in the first meeting."
"And the second meeting?" Tevos asked, prompting Shepard to continue. She paused, knowing how foolish she would sound, but figured she'd started already, and that she may as well finish it.
"I've been bombarded with visions of these massive synthetics…like, truly massive, the size of ships, of buildings…just exterminating life. It was really, really horrible, and I don't think I've ever experienced that kind of blind fear before. People don't really know why the protheans vanished, but… I think I see how every time I close my eyes. If Saren's trying to bring these Reapers back, and Liara's a researcher on prothean artifacts and language and civilization…maybe the key to everything is in that history somewhere. I can't prove it, but it's a gut feeling." She finished, taking a deep breath, relieved to get it off her chest. She looked back to the painting, worried Tevos would criticize her or call her foolish. "Now it's your turn to call me crazy, I guess." She finished, grinning nervously.
There was a pause before Shepard felt the councilor's hand lightly grip hers. "Often we fortify our existences in absolutes and hard facts, becoming blind to personal experiences within ourselves and others. I would not deem you 'crazy' over your interpretation of the vision which was forced upon you. It is remarkably fitting for the current scenario with Saren, if troubling. If this is what you believe, then I shall support you. If it is what will motivate you to ensure Liara's safety, then I shall support you. I may be your employer, but you will always find a willing ear and open heart with me Commander."
Shepard stood up, absorbing Tevos' words as she got to her feet, turning to face the asari. "Thank you for the kind words, Councilor. I'll set preparations in motion right away. How can I get a hold of you if I have news?"
"It would be best for you to contact Sha'ira, who will alert me. My schedule can be rather busy in these troubled times." Tevos explained.
Shepard shrugged, and felt a brief burst of anxiety over the notion of meeting with the consort again. "The consort it is then." She said, trying not to sound nervous over the prospect. "Councilor, I promise…we'll get her back, and with luck, we'll get them both back where they belong."
"May the Goddess guide you, Commander Shepard." Tevos replied serenely. Shepard turned and made her way through the suite, feeling more sober and clear-headed than she had in a long time.
This is big. She thought, looking up at the sky. Early evening…gotta get shopping done, and we'll leave at 0500 tomorrow. Hopefully we'll get there in time…
"…And that's our new lead. Not a heck of a lot to go on, and it's a bit of a stretch, but maybe this Doctor T'Soni can help make sense of this, or help us get a hold of the Matriarch." Shepard explained to Tali, who seemed to be all ears; though Shepard couldn't quite recall if quarians had ears, truthfully.
"But we don't really know what planet she's on…right?" Tali asked, sounding a little concerned over the holes in the intel they were given. "I mean, taking the time to scan the wrong planet could mean we miss out on finding her."
Shepard nodded in agreement, knowing full well that it was a huge risk, and didn't honestly know how to bypass it. Two planets far apart from each other, both large and likely both populated. It'd take a long time to find her on any of those planets, let alone two…like a needle in a haystack.
"Yeah, I don't really know what to do about that. On one hand, one planet is filled with ruins. That, to me, seems like the logical and safe starting point." Shepard noted, as the two walked down the upper levels of the Kithoi Ward toward the markets. "On the other hand, Therum's been basically untouched until recently, and that could mean the mining companies have found new ruins to scope out. But what are the odds of there being unknown prothean ruins? Both planets seem like good ideas. I just can't decide which to check out first."
She and the quarian walked casually onward, enjoying the ambiance of the night-time crowds and shops. Shepard made a note to check out the Taralos Amphitheater when she stopped by next, if she was able. A live concert would be pretty decent. Would be fun to hear music from other species as well… she thought, glancing over to Tali to ask what music her people enjoyed, only to see the younger girl nervously wringing her hands.
"Something on your mind, Tali?" Shepard asked, curious as to why Tali was acting that way.
"I…oh, it's nothing, Shepard." Tali said, sounding a little distant. "I was…just wondering if Lieutenant Alenko will find enough dextro-based food. Yes."
Shepard smirked, unconvinced but willing to go along with the new topic. "Yeah, I made sure to mention to him that he needed at least a month's worth of food, preferably two. The Normandy's a small ship, but I think it's definitely doable, and I won't have anyone starving on my ship."
"Well, quarians usually need sterilized food, not just regular dextro-based food. We can sterilize it ourselves, but it usually requires equipment that I doubt many places outside of the flotilla have." Tali stated, sounding a little worried. Shepard pulled out her omni and typed away a quick message to Alenko.
"Well, I'll make sure he's aware. I certainly wasn't." Shepard said, feeling more than a little embarrassed that she missed a key detail like that in the first place. "So if there's anything you need, or that makes life easier for you, just let me know. You're part of the crew now, so you're my responsibility, but I…don't know much about quarians."
Tali gave a chuckle, sounding funny through her vocalizer. "Well, I can't exactly ask for a clean room, but the food is important. Dextro medicine would be nice, but Chakwas told me she has a lot of it, and…I should be fine, Shepard. Thank you."
She thought about what a clean room would entail for a few moments before deciding it was something for the extranet to tell her later on. Shepard pointed off toward a nearby store that seemed to advertise itself as a veritable armory, prompting the two to slowly gravitate toward it and its many kiosks. Shepard guided Tali over to one specializing in weapons.
"So Tali, how much combat training did you get on the flotilla before setting out?" Shepard asked, flitting through the menus and finding the listing for shotgun distributors. "Like, what's your comfort level with weapons, have you worked with tactics before, all that fun stuff."
"I…well, I have been working on a VI recently. I started it before my pilgrimage, but… it's a combat drone. It's almost finished, I just need to work out some bugs and inefficiencies. I have some training in combat minifacturing suites, but my omni-tool doesn't support most of them." Tali noted, peeking over Shepard's shoulder at the weapon listings.
"Any training with guns?" Shepard asked, searching through a list of shotguns, checking over their specs.
"I…know how to use a pistol." Tali said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck, rustling her head scarf slightly.
Shepard spun around with an excited grin on her face. "So you're telling me you've never used a shotgun before?" She asked gleefully.
Tali quirked her head to the side slightly. "N…no. I…there's apparently a lot of recoil."
"Bah!" Shepard yelled, her fist impacting against her palm in excitement. "I'm not going to let a little recoil get in the way of a perfect collaboration!"
"A…what?" Tali asked, more confused than she'd been all day.
"You say you have a drone, and omni-tool experience, meaning you keep distance. Smart, considering how reliant you are on your suit. But with that kind of ranged game, you can wind up getting caught off guard, and a pistol's not going to help you out much." Shepard explained happily. "Nothing's wrong with sticking back and helping out, but I need to know that if anyone closes the distance on you, you're able to fend them off. That's where shotguns come in."
"But…I guess so. I'm not sure" Tali said, sounding entirely unconvinced. "I am barely capable with a pistol. I'm not sure I could handle a shotgun."
Shepard shrugged and turned fully to Tali. "Well, chances are I'll be helping run some training and tactics stuff for the remaining ground team, so why don't I pencil you in for a few lessons? I promise to pack your shotgun with recoil dampers to help out. You'll barely feel it. I need to get more people eligible for groundside duty anyway, and with your geth expertise, it'd be good to have someone like you around in case of emergencies."
Tali gave out a sigh, shaking her head. "Alright, Shepard. You win. I just worry that you'll waste valuable resources on me."
Shepard tapped away on her omni-tool tabulating her list of items to purchase. Shotgun…preferably a Firestorm…efficient, lots of shots, good stopping power…and let's get two recoil dampers too.
"Tali, at the end of the day, if I'm able to get everyone back into the ship alive and healthy, it's money well spent." She stated, gesturing over to another kiosk. "I'm going to check out some armor, so feel free to look at some suits. Let me know what you find." She finished before heading off to eagerly look through the listings there.
She knew she needed a few sets of armor with moderate protection, at least one set for humans that was built like a tank, and a few lighter shelled ones just in case. And if Wrex is coming, perhaps a big heavy krogan set. And a light turian set too…or maybe a more moderately armored one, if he's still going to be in the mix…yeah. She thought, her focus disrupted as a distant argument played out somewhere else in the marketplace. Don't know why people get so angry in places like this. Get in, get your stuff, get out. No biggie.
She eventually finished tabulating a solid list of helmets and armor, and found herself completely unaware of her quarian crew mate's location. She's not at any of the shop's kiosks…maybe she's waiting outside? Was there nothing at all?
She waved at the store owner and made her way out of the shop, scanning the crowds for a sign of Tali. After a few minutes of searching, feeling more worried as time passed that Saren's mercs had slipped past her, she spotted the young quarian leaning against a railing, looking out at the other wards and the traffic. She slowly edged toward her as relief flooded her body.
"Hey, are you alright?" Shepard asked, sensing from her body language that Tali was a little upset. "Is everything fine?"
Tali jolted out of her reverie and stumbled back against the railing, clutching onto it instinctively. "Oh! Uh…hrm…I didn't, uh, find anything. I'm fine." She stammered out nervously, her head pivoting around seemingly in an attempt to find a hole to hide in.
"Tali, it's alright." Shepard said softly, hoping to calm the girl. "Look, if you didn't see anything you liked, we can check another store."
"It's fine Shepard. You seemed to find a lot of supplies there, so you should probably purchase from them. I'll just…have to get a suit another time." Tali said, staring at her feet.
"Well…we'll see about that, but can you at least follow me back to the store? I don't really like the idea of keeping you out here alone. Not with Saren still around." Shepard reasoned, drawing a delayed and begrudged nod from Tali. As the two plodded back to the shop, Shepard noticed how Tali seemed to be getting more anxious, her posture shrinking her slightly. Something's seriously up…
Instead of heading to the main kiosk, Shepard made a beeline for the non-human protection kiosk and found a small selection of quarian suits available.
"Shepard, what are you doing?" Tali asked, her voice strained. "I…I didn't like any of those."
She listened to her new crew mate's voice and heard more panic there than disdain, and opened up the most recently accessed entry, an 'Onyx' model.
"This looks a lot like your current one, just a little newer." Shepard stated. "What are the differences? I mean, you probably modified your suit to do a bunch of different things, but aside from that?"
"It…it's not important, Shepard, please, just pay for…" Tali started, her voice dying on her as she spotted the store owner barreling toward the two.
"What did I tell you? Get the hell out of here, you suit-rat! Stop pestering the customers!" the owner seethed, giving Tali a look of disgust. "If you don't leave, I'll call C-sec!"
Shepard watched Tali slink away from the catalogue and couldn't help but feel shocked at what she'd heard. She could hear the owner saying some words to her, but she couldn't expend the mental resources to pay attention. That's why she left the store, that's why she didn't want to go back…augh I should have paid attention!
"Over ninety-five thousand credits." She said through grit teeth, turning to face the owner. "I was planning on spending at least that on your store. But I'd have to be sick to do that after how you treated her. You should be fucking ashamed of yourself."
The owner reeled back, looking at her confusedly. "Excuse me?"
"Here I am, outfitting a full squadron of troops for a big damn mission, and my quarian engineer takes the initiative to look for a new enviro-suit. You scare her away as if she's some kind of plague beast, but the only filth in this store is you." Shepard spat out, turning toward the exit. "I suggest you be nicer to the quarians who visit your shop. Making enemies of Specres isn't exactly a good idea." She finished, feeling a little guilty for using her title as a threat, but she wanted the owner to sweat a little.
Shepard fumed as she left the shop's confines, quickly finding a dejected looking Tali slumped against the wall. She knelt down beside the quarian and slung her arm around the girl's shoulders.
"I'm sorry, Tali. I should have just listened to you." Shepard apologized, her mind flashing back to the insults and slurs she'd experienced as a child. "It was wrong of that shop-keep to do what she did. You're just as worthy as anyone else, and no one can change that. People use those words to try and tear us down, but we aren't suit rats, or street rats. You're a proud quarian, out here doing your damn best to help. Your pilgrimage just started and you've already helped expose a rogue Spectre, you've survived assassination attempts, and joined the crew of the most advanced ship in the galaxy. That's not bad at all."
Tali let out something that was either a sniffle or a light cough, Shepard couldn't tell from the distortion. "I was taught that…that people would be cruel, but I didn't expect it to be like this. I don't understand…" Tali said quietly, slowly shaking her head. "And…what's a street rat?"
"Insult people called me when I was homeless. To think these shopkeeps, especially the humans, would shit their pants if they knew the first human Spectre was a homeless kid. People treat me like gold when they don't know that about me, and if they hadn't been aware of that idiotic stigma surrounding your people, you'd be treated well too. Goes to show their opinions aren't worth listening to. They're just losing the chance to learn about you and your people, and they're losing out on that by reducing you to some title bullshit." Shepard's voice was calm as she tried to let go of her anger.
"I knew that quarians…we don't win many friends by salvaging like we do, but we do it out of necessity. And our people have ships that are centuries old that are still operating efficiently because of our expertise. We're a good people. We made a single mistake and we've paid for it dearly. I just want to make it right, make people understand that we're not…that." Tali ranted quietly. Shepard took her arm back from Tali's shoulder and got to her feet
"Well, let's get started, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya." She said with a smile, offering her hand. Tali looked up at her and took it, practically hopping to her feet. "Can we still get you a suit?"
The quarian paused, then slowly led Shepard by the hand toward a nearby turian merchant. She looked down at Tali's hand, finding the grip interesting, and wondered exactly what it meant. I guess I'll let her take the lead on this…quarians are more collective, right? Basically all to serve their families, so maybe they're like some of the Earth cultures that use hand-holding as a sign of trust? That would make sense. I think, at least. Maybe I'm just being an anthropocentric bag of dicks…
The shopping went well from there, with Shepard and Tali eventually settling on a volus merchant for their wares. Tali had complained that the prices were too high, but Shepard felt the volus treated them well, and that "There's no price tag on respect."
The two leaned on opposite walls of the elevator, watching the floors pass by slowly as Shepard triple checked her list.
"So the volus said we'll get the shipment in three hours…when Alenko's order comes in, I want you to check over the dextro food to make sure it's good, because I don't know the next time we'll be back." Shepard noted, scrolling down the list on her omni-tool.
"I will, and thank you for upgrading my omni. I should be able to use many of the combat suites I practiced with on the Rayya." Tali said, her gaze focused out on the approaching docks.
"I'll have to get you to show me sometime when we're on our way to Knossos. See what you can do. Honestly never seen a combat drone before in my life, so I'm kind of excited." Shepard grinned, closing down her list.
"Chiktikka's really smart. I'm just glad I was able to use her when the mercs were chasing me. It's good to know the time and effort I've put into her was worth it." Tali noted happily. "Maybe that's kind of what the pilgrimage is all about. Realizing in the end, after all the hard work and confusion and worry, that it's worth it, to see your friends and family again. That I need to lack what I've had all my life, for a while, in order to realize what I've had. Why it's important."
Shepard smiled at the thought, her mind drifting for a moment to the message she'd sent her friend Faridah the past night. I wonder if she's gotten back to me. She's been busy lately…we missed our annual get-together the last two years…I mean, when you're working on Mars, it's probably pretty serious…
"Despite the journey, it's nice to have something to come home to. Makes you appreciate it more, the longer you're away. It's nice to belong to something." Shepard stated wistfully, hoping that she could get back to Amaterasu sometime within the next six months, preferably during spring. "And while it's not the same, I'll try to make sure it's as interesting and enjoyable of a pilgrimage as a quarian can have. The galaxy isn't an entirely hostile, terrible place, I assure you." She finished, chuckling, as the elevator doors opened.
"I appreciate it, Shepard. So…um, can I see the drive core now? Please?" Tali asked, each step toward the Normandy springing with a little more excitement.
"Sure." Shepard laughed at the quarian's enthusiasm. "I don't see why I can't show you around for a bit."
They stepped into the airlock, both feeling good about what had passed, and what was to come.
Shepard stepped out of the Normandy's elevator, still smiling over the young quarian's reaction to the whole engineering deck. She'd watched Tali zip around from rail to rail, pointing out various aspects of the drive core that she couldn't believe were possible, or could be shrunk that small, or theorizing on what some hardware was for. Luckily, Lieutenant Adams had been there to provide knowledge where she couldn't, and the two hit it off quickly; Tali expressing her awe of the engineering of such a ship, and Adams expressing his awe that such a young person knew so much about ships and could quickly adjust to new concepts. Shepard was just glad that Tali had found a temporary home on the ship.
She felt the pangs of hunger attack, not having eaten since breakfast, and moved into the mess hall. She lazily searched through a box of nutrient paste and pulled out one labeled 'lasagna'. More like red death. Welp…either this or festering turquoise death over there…honestly, who makes seafood flavoured nutrient paste?
She put the box back into storage and took a seat at an empty table, dinner hours having passed long ago. As she peeled it open, she noticed a groggy looking Alenko heading into the mess.
"Evening, Commander." He noted drowsily, heading past her to the coffeemaker. She looked over her shoulder as she slurped a bit of the paste, nearly gagging at the flavour. Yep…red death…
She forced the grainy paste down her throat and chased it with a hefty gulp of water. "You're looking a bit tired, Alenko. You sure a coffee is a good idea this late at night?"
He shrugged and brought his mug over to her table, sitting across from her. "Went to that medical supplies outlet on Zakera Ward. Made the mistake to think a plate of open hard candies were candies…apparently they're mint flavoured sleeping pills, so…my dilemma. Need to finish cataloguing the supplies I bought and ensuring they're stored properly. Can't sleep quite yet." He explained, taking a quick sip of his coffee.
"Don't worry about that, I'm sure you got everything important." She said, wondering whether to laugh at his poor luck, or to feel sympathy. "I'm more worried about cataloguing who we have than what we have right now."
Alenko nodded slowly, taking another sip of his drink. "Well, it's not the prettiest picture. Had an official crew of thirty two this morning. We lost one medical assistant, we lost most of our ground squad. Murakami's still here, but Pynchon, Fredricks and Martin are out. We lost two engineers, our requisitions officer, one of our ballistics specialists, two comm specialists, and one technician. We lost eleven in total."
Shepard worked out the numbers in her head, grimacing as she realized they were short over a third of their original staff.
"So we have some positions to fill, I guess. Tali can plug into engineering, so that's one. I offered Garrus Vakarian a spot on as a vehicle technician, and maybe he can fit in with ballistics when needed too." Shepard added, taking another regretful slurp of her paste.
"Vakarian…the C-Sec officer? And…Tali? I don't think I've met her yet." Kaidan stated, confused.
"Yeah, it's been a busy day. Tali got us the break on Saren. She's apparently ridiculously good with engines. You should stop by down there when you've got the time. Nice girl." She noted, wincing at the aftertaste of her meal. "And Vakarian practically begged to come aboard. He has turian military experience, and with the potential ground missions we'll be doing, we'll need someone to keep an eye on the mako, make sure it's in good shape."
Kaidan nodded. "I guess when you've got vacancies, you may as well find familiar faces. Is it alright if I brief him on tactics when we depart?"
"That sounds like a good idea. He'll need to be on the same page. I think it's kind of important that we keep our ground team as large as potentially possible. Me, you, Williams, Murakami, Garrus, maybe Tali when I figure out what her training's like. I also handed out another invitation, but I'm not sure if it'll work out. It's a risk." Shep noted, taking the rest of the tube's contents and angrily swallowing them, trying to get the horrid meal over with.
Kaidan chuckled to himself for a moment. "Well, I'm not sure if whoever this person is can be as unpleasant as that nutrient paste. That lasagna?"
Shepard nearly choked on the trace amounts she was painfully trying to swallow still. "Yeah. Ugh!" she groaned, taking a moment to swish water around in her mouth to get it all away from her tongue. Satisfied, she continued. "Yeah, well, he's another kind of red death. Krogan merc. Biotic. Works for the Shadow Broker primarily."
Kaidan's eyes bulged at the reference, and he took a quick gulp or two of his coffee before looking at her flabbergasted. "You what?!"
"Hear me out." She requested, raising her hands. She knew it was a bad start, but it was a calculated risk. "Look, there's two things we're short of on this mission. Brute strength, bodies, and intel. Wrex fights like me in a way, and he regenerates, so if we get low on marines due to injury, he'll always be able to continue because he regenerates."
"Alright, I can understand that, but…he's a merc, and he's in with the Shadow Broker?" Kaidan asked, dumbfounded.
"Well, yeah. I offered the Shadow Broker a deal where we help take out his competition, Saren, and maybe pass him along info…if we find any, that is…about how Saren stole away his contacts, which contacts betrayed him, and any generally juicy info. In exchange, we get Wrex, and if we fall short on leads in a critical time, perhaps he helps dig something up on Saren or his partner." Shepard reasoned, hoping she made sense.
"I…yeah, I mean that's good an all, but do you know who you're getting in bed with?" Kaidan asked, nodding with some hazy understanding.
"The way I see it, if we don't get help wherever we can find it, Saren finds what he needs and those Reaper things wipe us all out. I'm willing to get a little dirty to keep that from happening, I'll live with the consequences later." She noted, shrugging. She didn't see this as a small time thing Saren was going for. If you're turning on the council and lead a geth army, you're going for broke…
"Well, I'll trust you on this, then. Don't blame you for being desperate, we've got a skeleton crew to work with. Lots of long shifts in the future." Kaidan said, sighing.
"Also Kaidan, I wanted to ask…yesterday when I woke you were there with Chakwas." Shepard stated, trying to figure out what she wanted to say.
"Is…there a question in there ma'am?" he asked, to which she shrugged. "Well, you were pretty roughed up, and the whole ordeal was kind of my fault. Just wanted to make sure you were fine, I guess." He noted, scratching the back of his neck.
"Well, it wasn't really your fault. The damn thing was blazing green when we got to it, and it pulled you in. I'm just glad I got you out of the way in time." Shepard said, feeling momentary exhaustion, thinking back to that event. "Was a hell of a day, and we got through it. We did the best we could."
"Yes ma'am." He said in agreement, finishing off his coffee. "Also, if it's not too personal, I was wondering…" he started, his voice trailing off.
"I'm not on duty right now, Alenko, and I don't feel it's real appropriate to be formal right now, so speak freely. Ask away." Shepard said, wiping some sleep from her right eye.
"Not many human biotics in the Alliance, I've known most since we were at Jump Zero. Just wondering where you fit in, Shepard." Kaidan stated, looking as if she were possibly about to claw his face off. She rolled her eyes and couldn't help but grin.
"Alenko…don't worry. I won't bite your head off. Only a few things would really get that reaction from me, and asking me a question about my biotics isn't one of them. Though I suppose you aren't clairvoyant, so maybe I don't blame you for that." Shepard noted lazily, propping an elbow up on the table and resting her chin in it.
"Well, it's just that you weren't really what I expected at all." Kaidan said, still appearing a little unsure. "I'd heard a lot about you in the past and…and I mean yeah, you're kind of scary on the battlefield, but you're alright everywhere else."
Shepard couldn't help but laugh at his remark. "Yeah, I'm glad I made the grade, Alenko." She said, chuckling. "But yeah, I get that sometimes. Lots of people listen to propaganda and decide they know shit about me when they're just pretending I'm something that's convenient for them to hate. Anyway, didn't know there were so few biotics around. Though I guess I don't really remember training with any."
"Yeah, there's less than two dozen right now, though in a few years there will probably be more. More turn to the merc trade these days. More money in it." Kaidan mentioned.
"Don't blame them. The food here's crap." Shepard joked, crumpling up her empty tube package.
"Yeah, well, we make do I guess. Anyway, where did you learn? You weren't in BAaT..." Kaidan asked, again, trying to come to a conclusion as his voice trailed.
"I was taught by…a Conatix researcher on Earth. Not sure if you'd know her. Viola Guzman?" Shepard asked, to which Kaidan shook his head. "Apparently she was their big researcher, ran Conatix's end of the program for a few years until she fucked up and Conatix blew up."
"Uh…she might not have ended Conatix. I don't want to toot my own horn here, as it's not exactly something to be proud about, but I'm pretty sure I finished Conatix." Kaidan mentioned, a skeptical wince forming on his face.
"Want to talk about it?" Shepard asked, curious. She knew Conatix blew up, she had just assumed Viola somehow messed it up.
"Not right now, if you don't mind." He said quietly.
"Well, if you ever need an ear, I'm around." Shepard offered, earning a smile from the Lieutenant. "Anyway, long story short, poor kid from the streets with no living family is taken and trained in biotics by an extremist group because she was exposed to eezo twice. Apparently makes me damn powerful at it, or something. Maybe. I was the only one that survived and was tested on." Shepard said offhandedly, not caring to go into much more detail.
"Extremist group? Was…was it that Cerberus group you mentioned earlier at breakfast?" he asked, earning a cocked eyebrow.
"You might be onto something, Alenko." She nodded, stretching her shoulders, noticing they were less stiff than they'd been in years. "Anyway, they weren't very nice. I generally believe in second chances for people, Alenko, but not Cerberus. I pray you'll never experience why."
"So how did you get in with the Alliance, then?" he asked, sounding intrigued. Shepard's memories flashed back to her last night of freedom. The fight in the car park…at Viola's condo…the shuttle ride with Faridah…
"I did it to keep my loved ones safe. Found out later that I believed in a lot of what the Alliance was fighting for. But that last night, a sixteen year old decided to try and give back to her friends, but I needed to go through Cerberus." She said, taking a breath as memories of her past flowed through her. "Anderson tried to help. Before I got caught up with Cerberus, he'd tried to get me and my sister away to an Alliance academy or something. He failed then, and that night, he kinda failed at taking down Cerberus. Hell, I failed too, but the lead guy of the project was captured, I guess. Most satisfying fight I've ever been in."
"You were sixteen?" Kaidan asked, baffled.
"Started when I was fourteen, really. But I'm free of them, I'm in with the good guys, I guess, and I'm doing fine. Can't really ask for much more than that, can I?" she asked, yawning.
"You can ask for more than that, Shepard. Your call, though." Kaidan stated before freezing.
"Uh, you have something you want to specify there, Kaidan?" Shepard asked playfully, untucking her legs from under her. When all he could to was stammer out random syllables, she stood and moved over to the waste chute. "Just playing, Alenko. Don't get yourself too worked up."
"Yes, ma'am." He mumbled, blushing furiously.
"Well, if we're back to formalities, then I'll have to warn you. I can take some ribbing and some flirting off-duty, but there's no endgame there for you, Lieutenant. Just in case you ever entertained such a weird, distant thought." She stated as she moved across the mess to her footlocker and grabbed a hold of it. "Anyway, have a good night, Alenko. Seems I have a lot of transfer requests to write up."
The Lieutenant sheepishly nodded and Shepard wasted no time dragging the big steel case over to her new quarters.
The room was small, but still bigger than anything she'd had since the basement home she and her sister had occupied as children. The military wasn't one for giving personal space, and the Normandy was a prime example with everyone sharing sleeping pods, no real personal quarters for anyone. Still, the room had a bed, a table with two chairs, two terminals for some inexplicable reason, a few floor to ceiling cabinets, and a small shower tucked into the wall that seemed more like a cramped chute of water to stand under.
In short, it was very empty, very metallic, and very dark. The lights at full made the place similar to the lighting in the consort's chambers, which was dim at best. She shook her head at the inconvenience and began unpacking her locker. She decided to use the terminal nearest the bed as something of a shelf, as she'd never get work done with sleep so close by. Shepard reached into her footlocker and pulled out her holo-piano, gently placing it on the lip of the desk. I'll probably get a lot of use out of this. For better or worse…
She scattered her sister's acorns across the back lip of the desk, conveniently holding them in place. She didn't feel it was the best home for them, but it was a good temporary fix until she found something more suitable.
Shepard's hand reached in and grabbed a big, soft, pink stuffed hanar with guns attached to each tentacle, drawing a smile from her lips. She recalled fondly one of her teaching sessions on Amaterasu nearly a year prior. She had returned from duty with some fractured ribs and a broken leg, and in general wasn't in the best physical condition to do anything but lay in bed. But there I was, teaching a bunch of kids about the galaxy...chalk that up to my stubbornness, I guess. One of the local children she taught, an eight year old named Jillian, had given her Blasto to keep her safe from harm. She smiled at the plushie and placed it gently on the desk. Hard to believe her parents let her watch the Blasto vids that young…Hard to believe I've only been watching Blasto vids for a year now, but…oh jeez, should I make time to watch one tonight? Didn't I say I would? Hrm…yeah. Bloodfist's Revengening, or maybe Blasto Saves Christmas…hrm…though, it's late, and if we're leaving early tomorrow, then I should get stuff done while I can. Sorry Bloodfist, you can have your failed revengening later.
She set her clothes in their respective cabinets nearby and kept her old childhood sheets and pillows in their storage crate. Fully unpacked and completely underwhelmed at how little she was able to bring, she plopped down onto the side of her bed and opened her omni-tool.
May as well send a message off to Garrus. Let him know when we're leaving. Here's hoping Wrex makes it in time… She thought to herself as she typed away on her omni. Upon finishing the message, she noticed her vid mail inbox was blinking. Huh…Faridah? Maybe? She mulled over the possibilities as she opened the video message.
The footage was somewhat grainy, but when her friend's face came into view, she couldn't help but smile. Even if Faridah looks a wee bit angry.
"Amber Shepard, are you kidding me?!" her friend groaned, in mock anger. "I had to learn from Heather, of all people, that you were made Spectre! I figured it was same ol' same ol' after last night's message, you could have at least brought it up instead of pretending nothing exciting was happening. I mean, come on!" Faridah exclaimed, appearing a little exasperated.
Shepard smiled at her old friend's enthusiasm. She's always been wonderful to me, I know she understands why I couldn't say anything though. Still doesn't mean she can't badger me about it, though.
"And I know what you're probably doing now. Moping about 'Woe is me, I have another nickname', well suck it up princess! Seriously, you're so deserving of the title. You don't get near enough credit, so ignore all the haters. You just keep doing what you always do, and come back alive, alright?" the raven-haired woman said, her sass eliciting laughter from Shepard. "I promise I'll be able to make your birthday this year, so you better set something up for then. I'm serious, I talked to Heather, she's trying to schedule it off too. Even Katie might be able to come all the way from Earth! You should see how big her daughter's gotten, she's adorable." Faridah rambled as Shepard leaned back in her chair, mulling over the possibility of some leave in a few months. Maybe if we catch Saren quickly…it might work.
"Anyway, just sending you this to let you know I'm doing fine. I got transferred from Mars to Luna base, but it's all hush hush. Real exciting work getting done, I think I've found my calling here. So I'm fine, and Jared's fine. I can't believe it's been almost four years since we met and I think he might pop the question soon." Faridah paused, tensing with excitement. "So don't worry about me. Just try to give yourself some time, you know? I know you don't have much spare time with the Alliance, especially with your new duties, but it's been hard for me to see you alone for so long. I know how you can get lost in your head at times, and since that terrible event…you deserve someone. You know you're a catch, and…" Shepard paused the video and scrolled through the last minute or so to play the final few seconds. "Anyway, please, take my advice. And take care of yourself, Amber. I'll talk to you soon, I promise."
Shepard let herself fall back fully onto the bed and let out a sigh. My love life, or lack thereof, isn't anyone's business but mine. I'm doing fine, I'm fine. There's nothing wrong with how I spend my time. I don't…need anyone. She muttered inwardly as her hand grabbed a pillow instinctively, stopping as she realized what she was doing. Okay, alright, and even if I maybe, microscopically wanted someone, that's no one's business and it's my call, and I'm not desperate and it's not like anyone would really want to be with me anyway. She grumbled, pulling the pillow behind her head and resting on it. Oh hey, friends, this is my girlfriend, the Butcher of Torfan… she's a murderer, it's cool. Apparently a psychopath too, now. No biggie. Ugh.
She willed herself past her internal griping and opened up a new message window, addressing it to a certain Alliance officer friend of hers.
Hey Heather, want a job? Let me know if you want to hitch a ride on the Normandy with me. Would understand if you declined, though, but I figured I'd give you first crack at it.
Shepard looked at the message and sent it. Simple enough, I think I'll just sleep now. She thought, setting her alarm for 03:30, though fully expecting her dreams wouldn't let her get nearly that much.
Well, may as well give sleep another shot. Knossos is a long ways away.
A/N: Welp, that's the last of the Citadel for now! Hurray! Onward and upward from here, my friends :)
Another long chapter, yes…I seem to have a habit of these nowadays. I just wanted to get the Citadel over with for now, and there was a lot of ground to cover. So it's over! Now we're heading off….to outer space! Knossos, in specific (which reminds me of a music track from Need For Speed III, just saying). Should be fun! More fun than this chapter, mayhaps, which has a fair bit of angst and a wee bit of humour. Not the kind of balance I like to strike often.
Anywho, thank you all so much for reading and reviewing and sending my fic to your alert/fav lists. It really makes my day to know that there are others out there who are having some fun reading this little story. :P So thank you all so much!
Next chapter…I don't know when. It's outlined. A few big things left on my plate to tackle before I can get to it, but I promise the wait won't be too lengthy!
Have a happy Halloween!