A\N:

There was a comment left once regarding Joker and his rank, but sadly it was lost when this work was removed. I just want to make clear the reasons I wrote this chapter the way I did, in case anyone has a concern. Joker is a "Flight Lieutenant", which does not link back to the officers list and does not appear in that rank hierarchy on the wiki. The Flight division is probably not the same branch of military that Jane, Ash, Kaidan and the rest were part of. Joker would have never been able to get through the physical training, and so he would never be able to lead a unit. Therefore, he is effectively out of the chain of command picture, at least for the purposes of this chapter. Adams does not have a rank, and might not even be military. It's never really made clear, but there is precedent for him not being a soldier - Chakwas is also not military but is Alliance. That leaves me with Ash and Kaidan as the only two named human soldiers with a clearly stated rank. Hope that clears up why this chapter was written this way. The bottom line and point of this part was to put Ash in a situation where she was tested.

Chapter 35: Games of love and war, part VII

-Citadel, En route to Chora's Den

Liara T'Soni left the Consort's chambers satisfied, if not exactly happy. She was relieved that Jane hadn't spent the night in the older woman's arms, but she was no closer to knowing where the commander had gone to.

I hope they didn't get drunk and pass out somewhere in the streets… Sha'ira said to retrace her steps… Where were they going? Chora's Den? I should start there and see if there are any clues.

She walked down the staircase to the lower wards, and stepped into the back alley entrance to Chora's Den. She mentally prepared herself for any trouble, and almost as if on instinct, her skin tingled with the electricity and power of her biotics. She wasn't particularly worried about being attacked on the Citadel, as most knew the reputation of the asari's legendary mastery of biotic talents, but you never knew when someone might step out of line after a few too many drinks. There was nothing unusual that she could see, though. The place was the same as ever, with randomly placed strippers and the all-nighters sipping their drinks.

I don't see either of them. There is nothing going on here. Jane, where could you be? This is ridiculous…

She turned to leave the bar, but her way was blocked by a large human male with jet black skin, who was dressed in a mismatched outfit that looked like he had pieced it together from various mercenary uniforms. He wore a bandanna wrapped across one side of his face, and a thick black beard that was almost neatly trimmed. Tattoos covered his bare arms, and the visible part of his face. He looked to be in his late seventies, and Liara tried not to think about what he might have been hiding underneath that bandanna.

"Lookin' fer something?"

"I… I am just looking for some friends of mine. I think they came in here last night."

The figure nodded. He spoke with some sort of deep accent, and Liara was reminded of some vids she had seen about pirates while on the Normandy, during her investigation into Jane's service record and more about human history. "Who might ye be lookin' fer?"

"Um, I think I had better… better go now. Thank you." She tried to go around him, but he stepped neatly back in her way.

"I think I know who ye be looking fer. Ye be looking for Darla, and I can help ye find her."

Liara was confused for a second. Darla? What is he talking about? He must have me mixed up with someone else.

"I am sorry; I have no idea who you are talking about. I need to go now…" Liara tried to walk around him, but the big human blocked her. She closed her eyes, and her skin crackled with the beginnings of a biotic field. It felt better than ever, and she wasn't sure why. She opened her eyes, and looked up at him, something feral nipping at the edges of her mind. She actually hoped he would give her a reason to…

"Tere be no need for dat, missy. I know who ye be here lookin fer. I seen ye with 'em."

"What are you talking about? You need to start making sense. I do not have time for this." Liara raised her right arm and dropped back in the fighting stance her mother had taught her, prepared to move the human forcibly if he didn't get out of her way.

"Ye be lookin for Darla Vance and her little pal, and I knows where tey be."

Liara slowly lowered her hands. Darla? Yes, Jane has called her that a few times. Of course, it must be her given name. Danger is just a nickname. You need to pay attention, Liara.

"How did you know? Did you see Danger? Where is Jane? Who are you?"

"Dis is not te place to be havin dis conversation. Once upon a time, Darla had herself a safe house here. dat's where we need ta be."

"I am not going to take you to Danger's safe house…"

"Ye don't have ta. Danger has grown sloppy, she has. I followed her to it just te other night. Dis way, it is. And don't ye worry yer pretty head none, I'm a friend." He grinned at her, his large beard splitting to reveal teeth were surprisingly well tended to. Liara was slightly shocked, but she didn't have a lot of time to ponder the revelation as the man immediately headed off in the direction of Danger's safe house. If Liara wanted answers, she was going to have to follow him.

What is going on? Who is this human and how does he know Danger? Is Jane with her? Did he see them leave together? None of this makes sense.

He led her straight up to the door to the safe house, and nodded. "Dis be it, and ye know I'm right. Open it up and we'll talk inside."

Liara opened the door with the passkey Danger had made for her, but kept her mind focused in case she needed to defend herself. "There. Go ahead," she said to him, indicating he should go in first.

The man entered the room, and immediately took a seat at the table. "Sit. We need ta talk, we do."

Liara took a seat across from him and folded her hands on the table. "Who are you?"

"Te name's Tattoo Jack. I've known Danger since she was still Darla. I knew little Jane, too."

"So you… You were in the gangs with them?"

He shook his head. "Na, Darla ran her own crew. Even then, she was a pain in te ass, always being a hero. A lot o' us didn't like her much, she had dis soft spot see, and she was always running around, trying ta save te little ones. No we didn't like her, but we respected her. None of us fucked with te Vance Family." He waved a hand dismissively. "It doesn't matter now anyway, because all of us left dat life far behind. I'm still running a crew, but we don't do te things we used ta. We've found much more… valuable… commodities ta trade in"

"What does any of this have to do with Danger and Jane last night?" Liara didn't think he was going to attack her at this point and slightly relaxed, but she still didn't trust him, and the biotic itch along her skin felt exquisite. She didn't mind allowing it to caress her.

"Did Darla ever tell ye about te work she used ta do?"

"Well, I know she did some sort of rescue work."

"You could call it dat. Well, that kind o' work can make a man a lot o' enemies. Or woman, in her case."

Liara shook her head, slightly confused.

"Darla has many such enemies, and one o' em has come fer her. She's gotten sloppy, she has. In te old days, I would have never been able ta tail her ta dis location, and in te old days she woulda been aware of a hired asari commando unit just next ta her waiting fer her ta pass out. She's not te same as she used ta be, and he took advantage of dat, he did."

"Who? You aren't making any sense."

"I'm going ta teach ye something dat you will do well ta remember for te rest of yer days. Information is power, missy. Whoever has it controls te world. I have a lot of information, and all of it has value. Dis, however," he held up a finger, "Dis is on ta house. I owe Darla."

"What are you talking about?"

"Jacob Red."

Liara tried to place where she had heard that name before. Jacob Red… I know someone mentioned it but... who? When?

"I… I have heard the name before…Who is he?"

"He was a mistake, he was. He is scum o' te earth, and even the crews I used to run wit wouldn't touch 'im. Darla did a job a few years back, and she hit 'im hard. He had kidnapped some children, and she got 'em out, and blew his carrier to te four corners of te universe. He escaped though, he did, and he's come fer her now. Yer other friend is just caught in te crossfire."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I be telling ye this, because Darla did dat job… fer me. Red had me son, and Darla was te only one what could get 'im out. I owe her a debt, I do. We were nev on te same side of te line, but when I came and asked fer her help, she did it, no questions asked. Red has 'imself a new ship now. A freight carrier called Pitony III. Where he's gone, I don't know fer sure, but dat should be enough te get ye started. I would look in the Omega sector, if I was ye."

Liara stared at the man and tried to determine whether or not he was lying. He was impossible to read.

"How do I know you are telling the truth?"

"Ye don't, missy. But, ye should at least look into it. I know Red's got her, and I can't go after her meself."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't have access te equipment like ye do. I'm not young, like ye are. I know who little Janie grew up te be, and I knows ye can get her friends to bail dem out. I can't sneak up on 'im, not like ye can, missy. And now, I'll take me leave of ye. If ye ever need any information, ye just come seek out old Tattoo Jack."

He tossed a small holostick on the table.

"Me card. Any friend o' Darla's, is a friend o' mine."

The man stood, nodded at her, and walked out the door, leaving a very confused Liara staring into nothingness.

That… That did not just happen. What am I supposed to do now? I think… I think I need to find Chief Williams.

Liara grabbed the holostick and stowed it in a pocket, pushed herself away from the table, and rushed out the door to find Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams. This situation was rapidly turning from bad to worse, and if anyone would know what to do, it would be the rock steady gunnery chief.

-Normandy, Garages

"Are you sure that's all he said?" Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams stared at the asari incredulously. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Somehow her commanding officer had gotten kidnapped, along with her idiot friend, and now they were AWOL somewhere in the galaxy.

Liara looked around at the group. The standard squad was all present, Tali, Garrus, Kaidan, Wrex, and Williams, and they all looked just as worried about the commander as she felt. "That is everything. He said that Jacob Red came back for her, and he has a new ship. He suggested we look near Omega."

Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams leaned against the Mako, and jumped back up again as the car delivered a shock through her body. "What the hell was that all about?" She opened the door to the vehicle, and DIDI came to life.

"Thank you, Chief Williams. It is rude to have a meeting and not invite me."

"Are you serious?"

"I am always serious, Chief Williams. Please continue."

"This car is ridiculous. So anyway, how did this Jacob Red character know Danger was here?"

"That… That might be my fault, Chief." Kaidan Alenko stood there looking a little sheepish. "When I found out who she was, I sent a message back home. I mean, she's kind of a hero to our family and I didn't think it would do any harm to brag about getting to hang out with her."

"Well, I guess we have our answer to that question. Good news travels fast. But the bigger question is how the hell are we going to get the commander back without the Alliance getting involved? This could jeopardize her Spectre status and who knows what else."

"We have to go after her, Chief Williams," Liara pleaded.

"I know, T'Soni, just calm down. We are going to get the commander back. The problem is Pressly. He's in charge when Shepard is ashore, not me. If we tell him, he might go straight to Anderson. We need to somehow… Get him off the ship. He'll have to leave Kaidan in charge and we can go after the commander. What do we know about him?"

She looked around at the squad as they all blankly shook their heads.

"He doesn't like aliens," Tali commented.

"Well, I guess we can't use Liara to seduce him then," Williams noted.

"I do not really think that would work out anyway, Chief. He seems… disinterested."

"Not sure what you mean, T'Soni."

"I am not sure either, but all the races have auras that shift and change as they come into contact with various other forms of life. His does not shift when I approach him, nor does it seem to shift when you or the commander do."

Chief Williams looked at Liara intently. "T'soni, are you saying that he is…"

"That I do not know, Chief Williams. I just know that he is unresponsive to the women I have witnessed him interact with."

The chief leaned back up against the Mako, which thankfully did not shock her again, and thought about it.

So, he is unresponsive to the females she has observed. Did she not pay attention to the males or does he just avoid them? Is everyone on this fucking ship gay but me?

Chief Williams giggled out loud at her thoughts, and the rest of the squad looked at her quizzically.

"I have an idea." She turned to Kaidan.

"Oh no, I don't think so. Don't even think about it, Chief!"

"LT, why not? You are the only one who would have a chance. You're young, you're hot, and it would only be for a few hours while we track down the commander. Speaking of which, Tali, can you see if you can track that ship? Find out where it headed, what class freighter it is, and any other information you can about it."

"Right, I will take care of that." The quarian got inside the Mako and shut the door, so she and the AI could work.

"Come on Ash, you can't seriously think that would work… Wait a minute, you think I'm hot?"

Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams raised her eyebrows and thought about it for a few seconds. "I… Yea well I guess I do, LT. That's not important right now. We need to get the commander back and we need to get Pressly off the ship to do it. Do it for the commander, LT."

Kaidan nodded. "Yea, I'll do it for the commander. But, maybe we should talk later on. I mean, my masculinity is going to be severely compromised and I'll need some counseling to get through that."

"You're going to ask me out, just like that, in front of everyone, LT? Really?"

Has everyone on this ship gotten the fever? This is starting to feel like a soap opera. As the Normandy Flies…

"I… well… yea you're right Chief. I'm sorry."

"It's fine, LT. Let's just focus on getting the commander back, and we can deal with our personal issues later." She smiled what she hoped was a reassuring smile at him. She didn't want to hurt him. He actually was kind of cute and maybe it was time for her to move on.

Just then, Tali opened the Mako's door. "We have tracked the ship and your source was correct, Liara. They are just outside of Omega. I have the schematics of the vessel here. Garrus, come help me look at these."

The tall turian went around to the driver's side door and got in the car to help Tali and DIDI.

As the Normandy Flies, and now there's a party in the Mako, right here in the garages. Lovely. I am going to need a really long leave of absence after this mission… This shit is way above my pay grade.

"All right, well now all that's left is getting Pressly off the ship. If you're getting him out of here, he'll probably leave me in charge, and we can hit a relay and be out in Omega within the hour. Are you up to this, Kaidan?"

Lt. Alenko smiled at her, pleased she switched to his first name. "You bet I am, Ash. I'll keep Pressly busy; you just get the commander back. How will I know when you guys make it back here?"

"Take Pressly to the Flux. I'll come out there and join you when we get back. Maybe I'll even play the 'jealous girlfriend' to get you off the hook with him." Chief Williams winked at the Lieutenant, and Alenko smiled wide.

"All right, let me go see if I can get him out of here. I could use a drink anyway; my head is starting to act up again." He turned and left the garages, Liara and Ashley following closely behind.

-Normandy, Command Deck

Williams and Liara entered the Command deck first, and the chief pretended to be interested in showing Liara some things on a star chart. Kaidan adjusted his uniform shirt, and straightened his belt before slowly striding over to Navigator Pressly.

"Hey," he said.

The older man looked at Kaidan, who was now leisurely leaning against the console, arms crossed, showing off his musculature.

"Can I help you, Lieutenant?"

"Maybe. I was just thinking, you haven't been off the ship in a really long time, right?"

"I fail to see what business of yours that is, Lieutenant."

Kaidan stretched his arms above his head, allowing the muscle in his chest and arms to lightly ripple, and he turned to the side and leaned against the console again, curling his right arm and showing off his biceps. "Well, I haven't been off the ship either, and I thought that we could go get a drink at the Flux and stretch our legs a bit."

The navigator narrowed his eyes and considered for a few moments. It was true that he seemed to always be aboard the ship, since he was the executive officer and the commander spent most of her time ashore. He was a little suspicious of the Lieutenant's behavior, but it would be nice to get away from this console for a few hours and enjoy the company of the young man. At least, it wouldn't kill him to step away for a few hours. They seemed to be taking a long reprieve from the mission and the commander could contact him through her earbud if she needed him. Ashley Williams was more than capable of handling a docked ship, and he knew that Shepard seemed to lean on the Chief more than the Lieutenant anyway despite her low rank. She wouldn't be upset at him leaving Williams in charge and taking a break.

Slowly, he nodded. "All right, Lieutenant. I need to finish entering this log note, but I will meet you outside."

Kaidan grinned, and gave Ashley the thumbs up behind his back, before strutting out the door and onto the Citadel. After a few moments, Navigator Pressly shut off his console and turned to follow, saying over his shoulder, "Gunnery Chief, you have the bridge."

Liara looked at Ashley and the two of them nearly ran to the cockpit where Joker was seated.

"Wow, did you just see that, Chief?" he commented. "That can't be what I think it was…"

Liara and Ashley looked out the window at the two men now walking together to the Flux, and waited until they were out of sight.

"I think he's done that before, T'Soni."

"Actually, I think that little show was more for you, Chief Williams. His aura shifted heavily when you commented on his appearance." The asari gave the human a knowing smile, and Ashley nodded.

"I'll address that later with him, T'Soni, but thank you for the observation. Joker, we have a really bad situation, and we need to deal with it now, without Alliance interference. The commander got caught in the crossfire of some old feud between Danger and some pirate, and we need to get to Omega, like now. Tali should have uploaded the location to your console. We need to come in quick and quiet."

"Shit, you got it Chief. I'll bring us out so quiet they will never even know we left. Hold on, we're getting out of here!"

"Good." She gripped his shoulder gently, and turned to Liara. "Ok T'Soni, it's time to go get Jane. Meet me in the garages in twenty minutes, and be suited up. You, me, and Tali are going in."

Liara nodded, turned, and ran back to her quarters to get her equipment. The Gunnery Chief took one last look at the docking doors where Kaidan had disappeared, and smiled.

Yes, maybe it is time to let it go. I could do worse, after all. And, any man that's willing to play gay to save his commanding officer must have one hell of a heart.

She gave Joker one last squeeze, and headed to the lockers to get geared up.