Chapter 20: Games of love and war part IV

-Earth, Alliance Training Ground Location: Approaching LC1 (Red Team)

Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams smiled down at her team, beaming with pride. They had pulled together and accomplished what seemed the impossible. It was a magnificent sight. It reminded her of skyscrapers on the Citadel, albeit on a much smaller scale. Acting in unison, they were able to erect a structure that resembled a moving fortress. Her three biotics had managed to stack on top of each other, Wrex on the bottom, Kaidan in the middle, and Liara on top, with a tiny vantage point for Ashley at the pinnacle. They accomplished it by centering their biotic energies on the amp that Garrus had installed in the Mako to form a foundation. Wrex and Kaidan kept the platforms stable, and Liara kept spinning discs surrounding them to deflect incoming projectiles.

She just hoped that they would be able to hold it together long enough for her to take out blue team. The Mako's AI boosted their abilities, but she didn't trust the treacherous computer. If the thing could be angry enough to disobey a directive over a type of oil, who knows what it would do if something big pissed it off...

Slowly, the Mako advanced on the compound and Ash carefully watched from her vantage point, looking for an open shot. As they approached the entrance, DIDI skillfully maneuvered around fallen debris and decided to approach along the east side, where the previous day Tali had blown a rather large opening. Ashley chuckled a little as she saw the expression on her commanding officer's face, just before she broke into a run to the other side of the fortress.

"I got you now, Commander," she whispered as she leveled her sniper rifle and tapped her foot twice, the signal for Liara to stop spinning the topmost discs.

"Shepard Disabled."

Who next? Ah, the two year old herself. That will be perfect.

She took aim, and fired.

"Vance Disabled."

We need to get into a better position.

She tapped her foot twice again to indicate to Liara to resume spinning the discs, but as the asari started focusing her biotics in a funnel again, she lost control and couldn't keep the spin within the field. Two of the discs shot straight out towards the compound.

Uh oh, that's not good.

Ashley lunged to her right and dropped to the level Liara was on.

"I'm sorry Chief Williams. This is very, very taxing."

"No it's ok, T'Soni. You did great. We took out their two top players. I just hope they get out of the way of those discs in time..."

Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams leaned on her sniper rifle and rubbed her temple as she watched the spinning discs head straight for Jane Shepard's head...

-Earth, Alliance Training Ground Location: LC1 (Blue Team)

"Shepard Disabled."

"Vance Disabled."

"Damn it. They really caught us off guard with that one." Jane Shepard smiled. She didn't like losing, but she had to admit that a moving, three story high biotic fortress on top of the Mako was the last thing she had expected from Ashley Williams. "You really outdid yourself, gunny." All four of them came to a stop just on the far side of the compound.

"Jane?"

"Yea Danger?"

"I think your girl just lost control."

Jane looked back at the fortress, only to see two massive metal discs flying towards them. "Shit, everyone get out of the way!" She grasped at the platinum winds and pushed Garrus into Tali and Danger with all her strength. Danger grabbed the quarian around the waist with one arm and held onto Garrus' collar with the other as the three of them were tossed across the compound. They tumbled down into a storage cellar and landed in an unceremonious heap at the bottom.

"Ow, damn it. Are you ok, Tali? What in the hell was that?"

"Yes, I think so. Yes. No tears. Thank you."

Danger stood up, and then offered her hand to the quarian. "Get up Garrus, there's probably spiders down here. Creepy."

They walked back up the stairs and looked around for the moving fortress, but Ash must have retreated. "Jane?" Danger looked around, and spotted her friend lying in a pile of rubble. "Damn it, Jane. Why are you always the hero? Someone get me some medigel or... something." Danger ran to the commander and dropped to her knees beside the woman. She ripped off her sleeve and wiped at the blood covering her friend's forehead. "Damn it Jane, why do you always have to be the god damned hero?"

-Visions

"What would you like to name her?" she asks me.

I smile. We have had this conversation at least seven times now, and it always ends up the same. "I wish to name her after you, my love."

"No, we must name her after you." She is smiling as well. She also knows this conversation will end up in the same place as all the times before.

She has grown heavy now, and the time is near. I cannot wait for our child to be born. I have already prepared the room, and have scheduled the finest available tutors so that she may learn all of the beauty and wonder of this world. Her mother wishes her to become a fine scholar and not choose the life of a Commando. I do not blame her. The life of a Commando is dangerous, and lonely. I want our child to choose a brighter path as well.

"We cannot name her after me. There are already far too many in my family."

I sense her smiling again, and I wrap her more tightly in my arms. Words cannot express the joy that I feel in this moment, with her. Sometimes I still cannot believe that this has truly happened to me, that this woman actually selected my legacy instead of all of the other magnificent offers she has had over the years. It is truly an inspiration.

She nestles closer and closes her eyes. "I don't care about them. I wanted this child with you, and no other."

She can read my mind. I haven't been able to keep a secret from her since the night we conceived our daughter. It is the most extraordinary thing, my link with this woman. This is the sort of love that comes but once in a millennia.

"Stop reading my mind, my love," I whisper with a smile. She just wiggles against me, and I close my eyes and try to hold in the laughter. It doesn't seem possible that just under a year ago, I was terrified she might find out about my love for her and disappear from my world forever. This has been the happiest time of my life, and I look forward to spending the rest of my days with her, raising our child.

I sense something change in the air. She is upset.

"Must you go on this trip? It is nearly time. I want you here."

I know she is growing tired of my absences, and she is right to. When she became pregnant, she gave up the life of a Commando, opting instead to teach, and I should have given up my life of traveling as well. We are both nearing our matriarchal years, and it is time to slow down and enjoy our family. It's a difficult thing to do though, to break the habit of a lifetime. Without my traveling, without my discoveries, without my writings, would this woman have fallen in love with me? Would she now be bearing my legacy? Or would she be lying in the arms of Jennestia, having never noticed that a quiet poet watched and loved her from afar?

She is stirring, turning to look at me. "Why must you torture yourself so?"

I know what she is asking. She can see so deeply into my mind it sometimes frightens me. "I do not know why. All artists must subject themselves to some degree of torture, I fear." I try to make light of the situation, but she isn't letting me off the hook.

"I love you, and I have always loved you. And now, you have given me that which I have wanted most for my entire life. You have given me more than Jennestia ever could have. Please, my love. Don't go on this trip. Stay here with me."

The look in her eyes breaks my heart. I want to tell her that I will stay, that I will forego this trip and remain on this planet, but I cannot lie to her. I must make this one last flight, for there is something special I need to recover for my new daughter. I feel certain she will have need of it, far into the future. I take her hands in mine.

"My love, I must go. But this trip will be my shortest ever. I will return to you, and I will be there as you give birth to our child, and we will begin the rest of our lives in joy. I will never leave your side again."

I sense that she is not entirely satisfied with my answer, but she turns back over and settles against me. I curl my arm protectively across her belly as I did that very first night, and sleep overcomes us.

-Earth, Alliance Training Ground Location: LC1 (Blue Team)

"Should I slap her?"

"What good will that do?"

Danger looked at Tali with a mischievous grin. "Probably none, but I wouldn't be able to get away with slapping her if she were awake."

Tali chuckled, and dispensed some medigel onto the commander's head, punching a few codes into her Omni-tool. "I think we had better just fix this wound before Chief Williams and the biotic brigade return."

"Right. Well, it was just a thought anyway. Garrus, looks like it's just you and Tali now, and you are outnumbered. I'll hang with Jane over here and try not to let her get hit with any more of her girlfriend's spinning discs." Danger dragged her friend to the wall and sat with her back up against it, cradling the commander's head.

"Ok, so what are we going to do, Garrus?"

"I'm not really sure. I'm not even sure where they went, and it's still all four of them. Five, if you count DIDI."

"Maybe we should hide?" Tali suggested.

"We could, but if we are in hiding then they will have won anyway. They just need to control the base and have more soldiers. Right now we are just lucky they didn't come inside. I'm guessing their little issue with the discs disoriented them as much as it did us. I don't think they meant that to happen."

"No I'm sure they didn't. Liara wouldn't have tried to hurt the Commander; that much we know."

"Ok, hang here, I'm going to go climb the tower and see if I can spot them." Garrus grabbed his sniper rifle, and headed towards the tower. Tali looked over at Danger and Shepard, and then backed into the shadows.

-Earth, Alliance Training Ground Location: Outside LC1 (Red Team)

"It looks like they are ok. Shepard took a blow to the head, but her friend is taking care of her."

"Chief, I feel terrible about this." Liara sounded agonized, but Williams laid a reassuring hand on the asari's shoulder.

"T'Soni, they are fine. There will be plenty of time for you to make it up to the commander after the game."

Liara blushed and looked away. She knew the Chief wasn't trying to make her uncomfortable, but the comment had hit a little too close to home.

I should make it up to her. I hope she is ok. I should have spent more time training and less time researching. Then I wouldn't make silly mistakes like this. Chief Williams counted on me because of the natural advantage asari have with biotic training, and all I did was make a fool of myself and nearly kill Jane.

"All right team, let's break this fortress down. I know everyone is getting tired. We don't have the advantage of surprise anymore, but we did cut their team in half. Stack those discs up over there and let's discuss plan B."

Liara and Williams climbed down from their platform, followed by Kaidan. When they were clear, Wrex moved out and they all stopped their biotic charges, allowing the metal plates to fall to the ground.

"All right, we are going to have to come up with a new plan. We are already close to the entrance, so we don't have to worry about trying to cross terrain unseen. I'm betting that either Tali or Garrus are headed up to that tower. Garrus most likely, since he can use a sniper rifle." She looked toward the tower, but couldn't see anything clearly. If he was there, he was keeping low.

Where is Tali? Would Garrus take her with him…? No, he would go alone and leave her in the shadows.

"T'Soni."

"Yes Chief?"

"Do you think you could do that trick with the flying discs again, but this time keep them under a little more control?"

Liara considered for a moment. "I think so. What did you have in mind?"

"I want to know if Garrus is in that tower. Send one of those discs up, with the silver side facing us. We might be able to catch a reflection."

Liara nodded and closed her eyes, focusing her power. She picked up one of the discs, and slowly sent it flying in a circle around the tower. Garrus started shooting at it.

"I guess that's my answer. He's in there. The question now is, how are we going to get him out? All right, we need a moving wall. Stack up these discs in front of us, and we are going to try to brute force our way through there."

Her team nodded, and Liara brought her disc back and set it in place among the others that Wrex and Kaidan were now controlling. They formed a neat barrier between the team and the fortress.

"All right, you three slowly move forward, and get yourselves right onto that hole in the wall. If you get a shot at one of them, take it. Let's move."

-Earth, Alliance Training Ground Location: LC1 (Blue Team)

Garrus watched through his scope as Liara levitated a metal disc and sent it flying over his tower.

What the hell are they doing now?

He fired a few rounds off at the disc, more out of frustration than anything else, and then settled his gun back on the broken brick toward red team.

Just out of range. Come on Williams, move just a little clos… Oh now what are they doing?

He watched as they erected a wall and started to move forward.

You have got to be kidding me. There ought to be some kind of law against these biotics in war games.

He punched a few buttons on his Omni-tool and waited. He looked at the response, and then shook his head. He punched a few more buttons, and waited again. This time he looked behind him, and noticed that Tali had come out of the shadows and was giving him a rather obscene hand gesture. He chuckled and looked back at the advancing wall.

Well, I have to hand it to her. The Chief does know how to make use of their abilities.

He settled back into his position, and followed the wall, waiting for an opening. He didn't get his opening though, as they stopped just at the edge of the compound and there was no obvious break in the barricade.

Now what are they up to? Maybe I should fire off a few rounds, just to annoy them.

He settled his back against the brick behind him, and started firing.

If nothing else, it might weaken their biotic hold on those discs. I hope Tali doesn't do anything foolish…

…

Tali looked over at Danger again, and saw that the commander seemed to be coming around. Danger gave her the thumbs up sign, and Tali sighed in relief. She had been extremely worried that the blow to the head had seriously injured Shepard.

I can't stay in these shadows. Maybe if I climb up this wall I will be able to see a little better. It looks like Garrus is keeping them busy anyway.

She scaled the wall easily, and took cover behind a column. Garrus was still lazily firing, and Tali guessed he was just trying to wear them down. She settled in for what was surely about to be the war of the wills.

-Earth, Alliance Training Ground Location: Outside LC1 (Red Team)

"Chief Williams, I have an idea."

"What is it T'Soni?"

"Come over here a second. Watch what is happening when Garrus fires on the shielding."

Gunnery Chief Williams walked over to the edge, and looked where Liara had been indicating. She nodded in understanding. "I see where you are going with this, but that will be an incredibly hard shot to make. Can you hold the disc in place long enough?"

"It is our only chance of winning this game. I will have to try."

"All right. Send it up. Everyone move to the right."

The team all moved one segment to the right, and Liara let go of her disc. It fell to the ground, and she immediately refocused her energies as Williams prepared her sniper rifle. The disc sailed gracefully in an arc over the tower, and Williams took aim and fired.

"Vakarian Disabled."

"YES! Excellent job T'Soni!" She clasped the asari on the shoulder. Just then, she heard what sounded like another disc hitting the ground. Alenko was on his knees, clutching his head.

"Damn it, Kaidan are you ok?"

"Alenko Disabled."

She grabbed the soldier and dragged him behind the wall just as Tali dispatched him from her hidden vantage point on the far side of the compound. "Wrex, just get back here. Drop that shield. Kaidan, are you ok?"

"My head… I'm just straining too hard, I think. It will pass."

"Shit. Well, just sit here and rest. T'Soni, can you see Tali from here?"

"No, she's hidden behind something," Liara replied, peeking around the wall.

"Well, it's one against three now. She should be easy to take out. You two get that shield back up and start advancing. I am going to pull a page out of Shepard's playbook, and use the Mako. Hey computer – get over here!"

"Gunnery Chief Williams, my name is DIDI. Would you like it if I referred to you as 'hey, rude and obnoxious organic life form?'"

"Just get me to the other side of that compound," she said as she jumped in the back of the vehicle and laid down in the seat, adjusting her assault rifle. The vehicle sped off, and Ashley Williams watched carefully through the glass to see which threat Tali would focus on…

-Normandy, Comm room

Jane Shepard looked at the crew. She had to admit, she was impressed with them. They were starting to work together as a team, and the ideas they were coming up with were nothing short of miraculous. She didn't even mind the bruise on her head. It wasn't like she hadn't suffered worse battle scars in her lifetime. Hell, she suffered more pain in the nightmares. This was definitely worth it.

"So, what did we learn at today's game?"

"Pooling together talents can often make the impossible, possible," said Liara.

"Pooling together talents can often give you a headache," replied Kaidan, grinning at Liara.

"That you can learn more by following sometimes than leading," said Wrex, thinking about the way Ashley Williams handled the use of the biotics today. He hadn't said much during the game, but he had watched everything and continued to be impressed by the capabilities of humans.

"That biotics suck," said Garrus, remembering the ricocheting bullet that took him out.

"That Danger is 12," replied Williams with a mischievous grin.

"Hey! I am not!"

"I learned that friendships can be the most valuable asset on the battlefield," said Tali quietly, thinking about how Danger had grabbed hold of her to make sure she didn't tear her suit, and later tended to Shepard's wounds.

Jane Shepard just nodded. "Good, good. This is better than I could have ever hoped. Listen, everyone go get some rest. We are going to take tomorrow off, and then maybe switch up the games a little bit. We'll change up the teams and select a new location for the tiebreaker. Dismissed."

Everyone got up to leave except Danger and Liara. Jane sat in a seat across from them and grinned.

"You two want to go get a few drinks?"

"You sure you are up to it, Jane? You took a pretty bad hit." Danger turned her head and looked at Jane skeptically.

Jane just waved her off. "I'm fine, Danger. Tali patched me up and checked for a concussion. I'm good to go."

"All right then!" Danger turned to the asari. "Come on Liara, it will be so much fun. I'll be able to give you all the dirt on Jane this time, now that I don't have to behave in front of…" She stopped suddenly, and shook her head. "Now that I don't have to behave. It will be just like old times, except, not really, anything like it. At all." She scrunched her nose and shook her head. "I'm going to go get cleaned up. I'll see you guys in a bit."

Jane cocked her head to the side and adjusted her earbud. "Joker, take us to the Citadel. We're taking a short leave."

"You got it, Commander."

Jane stood and held her hand out to Liara. "Come on, I'll escort you to your room." Liara took Jane's hand and smiled as they walked out of the comm room.