Author's Note:
I've noticed a lot of comments over the course of the chapter reviews pertaining to Leliana, and Tali being in the dark on her existence. I realize I haven't discussed it much, and that has been intentional. I also remember that Shepard was to talk to Tali, but this chapter will be taking that in a new direction. Just a reminder: only a few people on the Normandy know about Leliana, and they can all be trusted to keep her unknown. She'll be revealed in a more meaningful way than "Garrus let the cat out of the bag."
Tali and Six can't have a relationship without some bumps in the road, and Leliana certainly won't be met with joy. I won't go into detail, mainly because I simply haven't worked out the details yet. This problem will be resolved, more or less, before the assault on the Collector Base. I don't like giving out plot details, but don't worry; Tali and Six will find happiness together. As our favorite Quarian once stated "Nothing stands between us now." The "now" is the real surprise for you all.
Regarding a loyalty mission for Six: I realize that including the Ardent Prayer would be realistic, considering its "destruction" via Slipspace teleportation. But, I really want to leave as much Halo tech out as possible. The story is meant to be about Mass Effect, simply with Noble Six as the protagonist. And on top of that, would Jorge be alive? What does Shepard do with all that Halo tech? What about the other Covenant troops on the ship? It's just not the direction I want to take. I have a very good idea (I personally think) for the Lieutenant's loyalty mission; remember, it may be the Mass Effect universe, but the planets are still the same in the galaxy.
.
To: Cerberus Command
From: Lazarus Cell
Subject: Spartan-B312 "Noble Six"
Illusive Man,
As per your request, monitoring of the Normandy's new, and by far most unique, crew member has been underway since his arrival. All attempts to install additional monitoring devices within subject's living quarters have been met by almost immediate deactivation when subject's personal AI is back within the area. Further tampering within the area while subject is deployed on missions will likely not create different, more useful results. The ability of said AI, based on a limited amount of data, is far more advanced than we even optimistically guessed. Hands-on study is highly recommended; making its capture a priority is highly recommended.
Because of the failed attempts at concealed monitoring, a more hands-on observation based approach has been taken. Subject has been surprisingly willing to cooperate with certain members of the squad; Archangel and the Machinist seem to be becoming friends with him, and additionally, the Commander has seemingly gained his respect. Said friendships are the most promising ways of luring subject into Cerberus' long-term goals. While the study of the AI is what should be Cerberus' number one priority, this is extremely unlikely if subject is not cooperative with us. Long-term goals of bringing subject into Cerberus' service should consider the use of manipulating his feelings regarding said friends. It has become apparent during the previous mission to recruit the Assassin that subject has strong emotions tied with those he works with; namely, those that can be seen as ones he "feels responsible" for. If any of these individuals are in direct danger, subject has proven his immediate, almost uncontrolled response.
Regarding standing orders to inform on any new combat abilities observed, subject has once again, like his AI, proven that we greatly underestimated him. Speed, strength, endurance, aim, and virtually every other worthwhile combat ability have been shown to be on a much higher plane than even Cerberus' own advanced research projects. The armor's abilities have demonstrated their incredible capabilities as well. Subject's shields are based on a completely different technology than ours, as they have the ability to deflect all forms of fire within their power. Directed energy weapons are met as if they were kinetic weapons. Recommend investigation.
Observation of the subject will continue for the time being; an immediate course of action allowing Cerberus to reach its goals has not presented itself.
Operative Lawson
.
"Lieutenant, the only reason that I'm not going to yell at you any longer is because I have no doubt in my mind that Garrus did this to himself just as much as you did" said Dr. Chakwas. She had been lecturing him for a good five minutes now, and it seemed she felt she made her point. "I don't think Garrus was in any real danger, but I'm still glad that he came to see me before he decided sleeping on it. He'd probably be stuck in here for days if I hadn't gotten the proper medicine in him."
"Ugghh, is that you, Six?" the Turian asked groggily as he clutched his stomach. Garrus was laying on one of the beds in the infirmary, and still hadn't moved since he came in last night. "I don't think playing Poker with you was a good idea…"
"Hey, you brought this on yourself Garrus. Your ego got the best of you, buddy. Heh" laughed the Spartan, happily amused now that he knew Garrus was going to be fine soon. "I don't think you'll be coming along for any missions today, though. Tali and I will let you know about all the fun you missed."
"Very funny, Six… ugh."
"Doctor, is there anything else you'd like from me?" Six asked.
"Only to promise me you won't do this again. If nothing else Lieutenant, the medicine I have to keep around for Garrus and Tali is unique to them, and therefore much more expensive. Look at it as keeping the mission on budget."
"I'll see what I can do, ma'am. I'll pay you back next time, if it comes to that."
The Doctor simply gave him a slight look of discontent, but she knew he was only trying to hide behind his humor. He wasn't going to pull something like this again. "Very well, Lieutenant. Have a safe mission with the Commander. I believe he wants you to meet him and Tali upstairs in the Communications Room. I believe we're headed to Zorya to find the final potential team member. Why don't you go see what it's all about?"
"Sure, I'll go up there now. Have a good day, Doctor" he said, waving and walking back out the med bay door. He skipped breakfast and walked right into the elevator to take him up to the CIC. The quick ride ended, and Six looked out at the CIC as the door opened. The yeoman, Kelly Chambers, was hard at work at her usual station. Six still hadn't really spent any time talking to her, but from what Garrus and Tali told him, he would need a good deal of time devoted to the first conversation.
Rather than get caught in a conversation with the chatty yeoman, he quietly snuck around the corner into the science lab. He found Mordin hard at work, analyzing what was likely data from the previous missions. The Professor didn't bother to look up at the Spartan, so Six assumed he had nothing to say. Before he got into the next room, however, he was stopped by the Salarian.
"Lieutenant! Excellent timing. Waiting on data to be analyzed by EDI. Good down time for conversation. Would like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind?"
Six walked over to the table Mordin was working on, putting his hands down on it. "Sure, Professor. What do you need?"
"Would like to know if you're settling in well. Am aware of your… unique circumstances. Could be very traumatizing for average Human. Humans are very emotional creatures, expect you are no different."
"Well, that's a safe assumption, I guess. But I've been fine Professor. I think I'm going to settle in nicely on the Normandy. I might even be making some new friends."
"Yes, am aware of your growing relationships with Garrus and Tali'Zorah. Recommend them as stabilizers in your new environment. Also, no need to be modest in describing your relationships with them. Your care for them is… obvious."
"I… ok, Mordin. Now, was there anything specific you wanted to talk about?"
"Yes, would like to know if you've experienced any difficulty eating, sleeping, or any other trouble that would not seem casual to you. Specifically, any difficulty adapting to new environment."
"Honestly? No, I've been fine, Mordin. Haven't gotten sick, I've slept well…" He answered within the context of the question, but it was far from the truth. "It's as if I was back home."
"Hmm, glad to hear it. Would like a tissue sample within next month. Long-term effects of new environment should be examined. Negative effects could be… problematic. Should get going to Communications Room. Shepard and Tali'Zorah are waiting for you. Will talk later."
With that, Mordin essentially went back to ignoring the Lieutenant, signaling the end of the conversation. Six just shrugged to himself, having already figuring out that this was just how Mordin was. He was happy to not answer any prying medical questions, anyways. He turned around and made his way through the next door and into the Communication Room.
As he walked in, he was happy to see Tali waiting in the corner, with Shepard at the end of the table. He would've smiled at Tali, but like her, he was wearing his armor and hidden behind a mask. He nodded instead. "Commander, the Doctor said you wanted to see me?"
"Glad to see you aren't as hung-over as Garrus, Lieutenant. Tali told me about your little Poker game last night." Shepard crossed his arms, giving Six a small look of dissatisfaction.
"Well, sir, I just wanted to spend some time with Garrus and Tali, to get to know the crew. We probably had too many drinks, and the bet with Garrus of course was bad…"
"Save it, Lieutenant" said Shepard, as he raised his hand to him. "No need for an apology. I'm sure Garrus did it to himself; more or less. And I'm glad to see you settling in on the Normandy. I know you've been through a lot, and I want you to be ready to fight. We're going to need all the help we can get. Just make sure you don't put Garrus in the infirmary before the mission against the Collectors. Understood?"
Shepard was surprisingly calm about it. If Six had done this with any of his previous commanding officers, he wouldn't expect anything less than being thrown in the brig. Normally, it would be seen as a sign of weakness, but something was different about Shepard. He was cool and approachable, but it was still clear he was in command.
"Yes sir. It won't happen again."
"Well, don't go and avoid having some fun because of this, Lieutenant. I couldn't get Tali to stop rambling on about how much fun she had last night with you and Garrus. I won't ruin my Chief Engineer's best chance at relaxing on the Normandy. Just make sure you're more careful with different types of beer." Shepard smiled a bit, just enough to come off as a regular person.
Before Six had a chance to answer, Tali decided to interject. "I didn't ramble, Shepard. I just said I had a nice time talking with Six… and Garrus, of course. We all had fun last night."
Six noticed Tali played with hands while she spoke, if only a little. Was it a sign? Maybe, but not much of one. He decided to brush it off. "I'm glad you had fun last night Tali. Once Garrus is back on his feet, we'll have to do it again soon." The Lieutenant, despite his newfound freedoms on the Normandy, was still a military officer at heart. He quickly steered the conversation back to Shepard. "But what did you want to see me for, Commander?"
"We're on our way to the Faia System in the Ismar Frontier. There, we'll find the planet Zorya. The Illusive Man has struck a deal with a mercenary, Zaeed Massani, who will be joining the team as its final member. We were supposed to meet him on Omega, but Zaeed had a previous commitment that required him to travel to the planet." Shepard tapped a few of the buttons on the center table's console, and schematics for some type of industrial building came up. "Eldfell-Ashland has a refinery on the planet, but it was taken hold of by the Blue Suns recently. Zaeed was contracted by the company to liberate it, and began the mission before we met him on Omega."
"They hired a single mercenary to retake their refinery? He must be one hell of a soldier."
"From what his dossier says, that should be proven accurate. But Eldfell-Ashland didn't expect him to do this alone; Cerberus was also contracted to help liberate the refinery. That means we get the missions. Recruiting Zaeed is just part of this mission." Shepard pointed out an open area in the jungle surrounding the plant. "We'll land here; from that location, we're going to make our way to the main gate here. Tali will make sure we can get through any security measures we encounter."
"I'll do my best" she said.
"What do you want me to be doing during the mission, Commander?" The Spartan asked.
"Since we're short our normal sniper for this mission, Lieutenant…" Shepard said with a bit of friendly mockery in his voice "I want you to fill that role. We'll be fighting through Blue Suns squads in the jungle, and we need a marksman. You'll still come with the whole team, but I don't want you running into the thick of the fight. That lone wolf stuff from Haestrom won't cut it this time, Six. It will be too easy to get separated in the terrain until we get inside the building."
"Got it, sir. Where are we supposed to be meeting this mercenary?"
"Here, at the main gate of the refinery" Shepard answered, pointing to a point on the map. "We'll make our way into the compound from there, and locate the Blue Suns' leader, Vido Santiago. We're supposed to capture him and bring him to Eldfell-Ashland for trial. They want to turn him into authorities on Illium; punishment there is much harsher than in Alliance space. I guess he really pissed them off."
"Heh, I don't blame them. Cutting into a company's profits can quickly turn them on you. Also, I want to ask about our priorities on this mission, Shepard." The Commander nodded to him. "Ceberus may have made a deal with this mercenary, but we also have one with Eldfell-Ashland. If we get into a situation where we have to choose, who are we going with?"
"Good question, Lieutenant. Normally I'd say Zaeed; he's too valuable to the mission. But, this refinery has a lot of innocent employees in it. If we have to leave Zaeed to save others, I won't hesitate to make the choice. Got it?"
"Absolutely sir. Let's hope it doesn't come to that. Is it just the three of us going on this mission?"
"We don't need to take the whole team, but I want a biotic on the mission as well. Miranda will be accompanying us; she's eager to see you in action first-hand, Lieutenant."
"Miranda's coming?" Six asked, trying his best to hide his less-than excited reaction.
"Is that a problem, Lieutenant?" Six heard from behind him.
Miranda made her way through the doorway, strutting in with her usual sense of superiority. She walked past Six without a second look, and made her way next to Shepard. She gave Tali a quick glance, and seemed to look at her with disregard. She was the very model of a Cerberus Officer.
"No ma'am, it's just a surprise to see you interested in me." He was glad that he could hide his face behind his armor. He didn't hate Miranda; he barely knew her enough to form any real opinion of the woman. But he was intuitive enough to realize that she had some hidden intentions. Tali already showed she was aware of this, too. Miranda was no different than an ONI spook. And they never turned out to be friendly towards the Spartan.
"I'm surprised you think that Lieutenant. After all, you are far more than a simple soldier. The abilities you've demonstrated in the past missions are nothing short of amazing. I don't have anything than mission reports and surveillance video to make this presumption, but I have no doubt it's accurate. Getting the chance to study you first-hand is also important to the mission against the Collectors. I want to make sure you're properly used."
"And I can make that call just fine on my own, Miranda" Shepard said, butting into the conversation. "I'm going to be seeing Six operate in some of the upcoming missions, and I'll reserve my own judgment on him. But from what I've seen, I have no doubt in my mind he'll be a valuable addition to the team. Tali, Six… why don't you two go down to the cargo bay and get geared up? Miranda and I have some more information to discuss."
"See you at the shuttle, Shepard" answered Tali as she almost sprinted out of the room.
Six saluted Shepard, and while it took his years of military etiquette to push him, he nodded at Miranda. Shepard smiled a bit and nodded in response, while Miranda barely formed any expression of any kind on her face. 'Ice queen for sure…' he thought to himself. Six turned around and walked back into the hallway, happy to see Tali waiting for him.
"Looks like you have a new friend Six" she giggled. "Maybe she'll win your heart, and you can join Cerberus?"
"Very funny, Tali. Come on, let's go down to the shuttle bay; I don't want to talk when she's even near us."
.
"So, did you talk to Garrus this morning?" the Spartan asked.
"Yes, he didn't seem too happy, Six. I couldn't really understand him, but I think I heard something about 'poisoning that bastards food'… hard to say. Maybe he won't remember any of it when he's out of the med bay" said Tali. "Or maybe he'll go on a spree of rage and throw you out the airlock when he gets a chance."
"Sounds like I should beat him to it while he's stuck in a bed, heh."
"Hmmm I doubt you actually need to worry" she said teasingly. "What do you think about Miranda joining the mission?"
"I don't think it's coincidence she is coming along for the first mission I'm going on with Shepard. I know he said that he wanted a biotic, but why not Thane? Or the Justicar? They're both new, and I'm sure Shepard wants to see what they can do as well. Shepard did say that this mission was taken by Cerberus, so she probably cut her way into the squad for this one." He shrugged to Tali "Maybe I'm just paranoid, who knows?"
"You might be paranoid, but I think you're being smart for this one. You already know I don't like her and that I don't trust her. I don't think she'll do anything to jeopardize our mission with the Collectors, but it doesn't mean she's going to be nice. I saw Cerberus perform horrible tests when I was helping Shepard stop Saren. Cerberus will do anything to advance their cause."
"Tests? Like what?"
"We were on the planet Feros, helping to liberate a Human colony from the Geth. The whole time we couldn't figure out what Saren was after, and the colonists were acting really strange, too. After we destroyed the Geth's command ship, we figured out they were after this thing called a Thorian. It was a giant plant… sort of. It didn't look like one, but that's what it was. It could control people that inhaled its spores; something that Cerberus saw as useful. They captured some of its thralls and figured out how to turn them into workers… until Shepard killed the Thorian. The test subjects all went crazy and killed most of the scientists. Cerberus also captured Rachni soldiers; do you know what they are?"
"Mostly, I guess. I read some of the codex entries on the Rachni, and the war they fought with Citadel space a long time ago. The codex said they were extinct, though. I take it you and Shepard found a way to solve that little problem?"
"Hmmm, no we didn't bring the Rachni back from the dead; some scientists on the planet Noveria found eggs, one of them a queen, and they hatched it. Cerberus somehow got their hands on the samples, and made their own soldiers with them. But the Rachni aren't just giant bugs that can be controlled. Their sentient, just like us. They outsmarted the Cerberus teams holding them, and killed them all." Tali crossed her arms and tilted her head back a bit. "Just know that most of what Cerberus tries to do, it's foolish and always turns out bad. Luckily, Shepard is in charge of this mission, not Cerberus."
"It doesn't sound like Cerberus has Humanity's best interests at heart. Sometimes you do need to do some horrible things in bad situations" he only had to think of himself and the other hundreds of kids taken and turned into Spartans "but Cerberus isn't doing it for that. The Illusive Man is looking for power. I think… maybe I just read him wrong."
"I think you may be on to something Six. Maybe next you'll tell us that the attack on the Citadel two years ago wasn't actually by the Geth, but a Reaper named Sovereign? I could be wrong, of course."
"Heh, very funny Tali. I'm glad to Garrus' humor got replaced by someone while he isn't around. Were you two always friends? I mean, did you get along with him like this as soon as you met?"
"Mmmm no, actually. When we met on the Citadel, it was when Saren was using the Geth to fight for him. A lot of people were blaming the Quarians for creating them, and Garrus wasn't any different. He would argue with me about it every chance he got. I always just yelled back at him; I would just tell him the Quarians had already paid for their crimes. We have been living on starships for 300 years. It probably just made it worse."
"What changed it?"
"Ummm, well… I wasn't actually ok with what he was saying. I saw a lot of people die because of what Saren was doing, and Garrus made me feel like it really was my people. I went to talk to Ashley about it one night, when most of the crew was asleep. We were in the cargo bay, so I knew no one else would see us. I just tried to talk about it a little but… I started crying. I cried with Ashley for so long, and just told her everything I felt. I had been so lonely on the Normandy, with no Quarians to talk with. The crew was nice, but most of them looked at me like I didn't belong."
Crying? The Lieutenant had a feeling Tali was a little softer than she let on, but this seemed out of place. Tali was obviously more than just a cheerful, snarky Quarian engineer. "I'm really not seeing how the two of you became good friends, Tali…"
"Well, this is where it gets a little better. While I was still talking with Ashley, she told me she was going to go up to the mess hall and grab some snacks for us to share. A few minutes later, she came back down, dragging Garrus by the arm. Ashley took him right out of his bunk and brought him straight down to see me! She made him apologize over and over." She sighed a little, lowering her head. "I was so embarrassed; it's one of the only times I was happy no one could see my face. Ashley left the two of us alone, and we just talked about it for a while. I found out he was just frustrated that he didn't catch Saren earlier, and he blamed himself for a lot of what was happening. He asked me a lot about the Fleet, and it just got better from there. By the time we stopped Sovereign, we worked so well together that Shepard had been taking us on every mission."
'I'm… surprised that's how it all worked out. I just guessed you two hit it off like… like the two of us have." The Lieutenant smiled a bit at the thought, but was quick to move back to the conversation. "I assume you two don't have any grudges against each other now?"
"Of course not. I couldn't even imagine working with Shepard and not having Garrus with. After the first Normandy was destroyed, I stayed with Garrus on the Citadel for a few weeks before I went back to the Fleet. He even paid for my shuttle fare to Illium, where the Fleet was closest to at the time. We talked a little after I left through messages, but then I got one last message. He said he was going away, and that I shouldn't expect to hear from him again. I guess that's when he left for Omega."
"Hmm, well now you're back on the Normandy with Garrus and Shepard. Just like old times, Tali?"
"Mostly. It's close enough having them here, even if no one else from the squad is. And Joker is still-"
"There you two are!" Shepard yelled, waving them over from the corner they were hiding in in the shuttle bay. "Come on, we're going to load up and get down to the planet. We have a mercenary to recruit."
.
"I'm going to tap into the Blue Suns' communications for you, Lieutenant" said Leliana. "You can tell the others the same thing. I'll route it through their Omni-tools."
"Thanks" Six said to her before turning his open comms back on. "I've got the Blue Suns' communications channel. Everyone sync with the channel and we'll be able to keep an eye on their movements."
"How did you manage to do that, Lieutenant?" Shepard asked.
"My, umm… personal VI managed to break the firewalls on their transmissions. I figured listening in on them would help a lot."
Miranda subtly glanced a look at Six, barely giving herself away. Did she know what he was hiding? Cerberus definitely had been trying to plant surveillance bugs in his room…
"You have your own VI, Six? Is it more than just for targeting and armor management?" asked Tali.
"Yea… It can give me a lot of information on battlefield layout, enemy movements, and analyze any information my armor picks up. The Omni-tool only gives it more to work with, too. She's invaluable in a firefight."
"She?"
"Shit…" he said under his breath. "Well, I gave her a name just to make talking with it a little more interesting. Always saying 'VI' could get boring, you know?"
"I suppose that makes sense. Quarians just don't get attached to Vis like that."
"Stay focused. We need to get into the refinery on the double. Let's move" barked Shepard. "Lieutenant, take point."
Six nodded and moved into the front of the group, grabbing the Mattock from his shoulder. He had left the Arc Projector and Eviscerator on the Normandy this time, only taking a sidearm along with the rifle. No need for the extra firepower when Shepard always carried the M-920. Six hadn't needed the heavy weapon yet, anyways.
He made his way through the jungle, keeping a close eye on his motion tracker for any Blue Suns. While he led the way towards the refinery, he was happy to look around the jungle they were in. In all his years in the UNSC, he never actually had been to a planet or region that was such a lush, tropical jungle. Everything was green, beautiful… so vibrant and full of life. After Reach, he saw the Field Master glass several Brute planets, and even though it was an enemy he hated, it was still a haunting sight. Looking around, he was happy that this place would never suffer the same fate.
Around the next curve in their path he dropped down a small ledge, likely created from all the rain runoff the area witnessed. Just as he was standing back up, a small, grey blur jumped across the ravine, giving the Lieutenant almost no time to react. "What the hell was that?" he yelled while aiming his rifle into the bushes.
"Relax, Six. It's just some Pyjaks. They're harmless" said Tali as she walked up next to him.
"A Pyjak? Is that some kind of alien, I guess?"
"Yes. Shepard says they look like monkeys" she said unenthusiastically.
"They do look like monkeys Tali!" Shepard interjected, suddenly losing his serious demeanor. "Lieutenant, they even act like monkeys, just watch. The rest of the galaxy doesn't understand what's so great about monkeys. It's was weird when we found them on Elatania; Garrus and Tali acted like we should kill them."
"I just said they're vermin on many planets Shepard. I didn't say we should go hunting."
Sure enough, one of the Pyjaks came out of the bushes and walked towards the Spartan. Six was only partially interested, but entertained nonetheless. He crouched down and held out his hand for the curious creature to examine. It moved forward, slowly and hesitantly, but kept moving nonetheless. It crept up to him, sniffing his hand cautiously. After a few moments of that, the creature looked up at the Spartan, as if asking for something.
"Oh no. Nooo no no. I don't have any food for you. Go away." Six figured out quickly what the Pyjak wanted. The look in its eyes was all-too clear. Despite his order, the monkey-like creature only looked up at him with renewed vigor, making its pupils larger while looking at the tall Human. "No, I don't have anything for you."
"Oh, that's cute, Six" Tali said as she walked next to him. "Maybe we can take it back to the Normandy with us. I bet you'd love to have him stay with you in your cabin. I'm sure it's really clean…"
"Like Hell I am! You can have it Shepard, because monkeys aren't my thing."
The Pyjak look up at him with sadness, somehow able to understand what the Lieutenant was saying about it. It made a few whimpering sounds, trying desperately to make Six feel bad about what he just said.
"Oh, so you think you can just beg a little and get something from me? I'm not so easily swayed, monkey" he said. The creature continued to whine and complain, even going so far as to rub its arm against the Lieutenant's leg. While Six continued to try and act the tough guy, his soft side finally gave in. "Fine, here you go" he said, as he reach into a pocket and pulled out a small food ration. "Mixed fruit nutrient paste. I didn't like it anyways." He ripped the package open, and poured the gooey substance onto the ground for the Pyjak. The creature gobbled it up in an instant, looking up at Six with what appeared to be a smile. It then quickly scurried back into the bushes.
"I think we should get moving again, unless Tali wants to find one as a pet…" the Spartan grumbled.
"Only if we can keep him in your room" she said with a chuckle.
Six grumbled a bit under his breath, and then continued to lead the way through the jungle. Aside from more of those Pyjaks scurrying around in the trees and bushes, the way to the refinery was uneventful. Only after walking for a few more minutes did the group come across something that grabbed their attention.
"Keelah…"
They found several civilians, employees in the refinery most likely, lying dead in a clearing. The arrangement and poses they were in made it clear the workers were lined up and shot one by one.
"I'm starting to get the impression that Blue Suns aren't the nicest people in the galaxy" stated Six. "Is this a normal practice for them, Commander?"
"They're known for treating hostages poorly, but they generally don't execute civilians who were probably trying to get away from capture. If nothing else, it's bad for their reputation. Some of them may enjoy doing this, but they enjoy their money a whole lot more. Tali, check the bodies for any clues about what the Suns are doing. Miranda, I want you to scout of the path ahead a little. Be quiet, and don't engage any Suns you find unless they fire on you. Understood?"
Miranda only nodded, turning around quickly and moved off into the jungle. Six laughed quietly to himself when he saw that she was wearing heels. He was more surprised to see that she continued to move gracefully through a damp jungle in them…
"Got it, Shepard. I'll go through their Omni-tool data to see if I can find anything."
"Good, let me know what you find. Lieutenant, I want to speak with you privately. We can just go over there for a minute." Shepard began to walk over to another clearing around the corner, making it clear he wanted Six to follow him.
Six followed close behind without hesitation. But why did the Commander need to speak with him? They were in the middle of a mission, and the Blue Suns needed to be dealt with while they still had the element of surprise.
"Lieutenant, I noticed you had to tell Tali about your VI…"
'Oh, that's why…' he thought to himself.
"I guess that could've turned out a lot worse than it did" the Spartan said.
"I don't blame you, Lieutenant. I've seen how the two of you have become fast friends, and bringing Leliana up wouldn't have done anything but create tension. Speaking of her, would you mind?"
The Spartan nodded, reaching into his helmet and removing the AI chip. He held it out in his palm, and Leliana materialized in front of them. "Thank you, Commander. The Lieutenant never lets me out of his head" she said with a smile. "I'm glad this mission didn't turn into a yelling match between Six and Tali."
"Me too. Don't take this the wrong way, Six. Tali's one of the greatest girls I've met in this whole galaxy, and she's almost always happy to meet new people with a smile. But AIs just don't count that way to her. Can't say I blame her, after living aboard a starship because of AIs."
"Don't worry, Commander. We won't hold it against her" Leliana said.
"I'm surprised you aren't more bitter towards her, Leliana. I don't think I'd be so forgiving in your situation."
"I know that she's just acting the way she was raised to. Anyways, if I was in her position and knew that the Geth had killed close to 10 billion Quarians during the uprising, I'd be pretty bitter about it too. I may be an AI, but I don't think for one second the Geth needed to kill that many Quarians to gain their freedom. For what it's worth, I'm almost happy that's how Tali feels; at least with the Geth. I'd be happy if she could meet me smiling."
"That's why I wanted to talk with you both. I know I had told you I would talk to Tali about Leliana, Lieutenant. But that was before I had any idea the two of you were going to get along so well. If I said anything now, I'm sure she'd only be upset. I don't want to tell you how to do this, but I think you need to be the one to talk to her. 'When' is also something that you need to decide. What do you think?" asked Shepard.
Six thought about it for a few moments, if only to make Shepard feel like he was actually pondering his words. In truth, the Lieutenant already knew that Shepard was right. He was going to have to tell Tali about Leliana himself. While it was bound to be an uncomfortable conversation, he was happy knowing that he was going to do it himself. The 'when' is what actually bothered him.
"Yea, you're right Commander. I'll just have to think of the right time to tell Tali about this. I just hope she'll be willing to forgive me for not bringing it up yet."
"If there's one thing I know about Tali, Lieutenant, it's that she's the nicest girl I've met. I can't promise that she will want to be best friends with Leliana, but I have no doubt she will still want to be your friend." Shepard pointed back towards the other clearing with his assault rifle "come on, we've got a mission to complete."
The Lieutenant quickly put Leliana back into his helmet, and then followed the Commander into the next clearing, finding Tali and Miranda waiting for them. Tali was fiddling around with her Omni-tool, while Miranda was idly standing about, as if this place was beneath her.
"Shepard, I was able to get an audio file from one of the worker's Omni-tools. It's as bad as it looks…" said Tali.
"Let's hear it, Tali" Shepard answered.
Tali tapped a few keys on her Omni-tool and played the audio file. It was less-than heartwarming for them.
"You'll never get away with this, Santiago! Don't you think Eldfell-Ashland is going to be upset that you 'acquired' one of its most productive facilities?" barked an unknown voice.
"You keep saying that, but I think I'm getting away just fine right now. I have the refinery. I have the workers. And I have the men with guns. I'm not too worried about the Board of Directors writing me an angry letter."
A few moments later, it could be clearly heard that someone had spit.
"Heh, how original" said Santiago. "Spitting on someone you don't like. I might just let you go if you join the Blue Suns. What do you say kid?"
"Go to hell!"
"I'd rather not get there right after you. I think I deserve a break from your constant complaining."
A thermal clip was heard popping into a gun, and a moment later a single shot was fired, followed by the screams of several people. And the laughter of some others.
"Anyone else think they want to try and fuck with me?" Santiago screamed, suddenly losing the humor in his voice. The others in the audio just quietly whimpered, scared to death of the insane mercenary leader aiming a gun at them. "Well, if you aren't going to talk then there is no reason to keep wasting my time here." Several more gunshots were heard; no more screams were uttered. "Back to the refinery, we need to make sure the rest behave. Leave the bodies as a warning for anyone trying to escape."
"That's all of it" Tali said, her voice clearly filled with despair.
They all stood for a few moments in silence. Even after years of witnessing horrors, these sorts of things still could tug at the hearts of the most grizzled veterans like Shepard and Six. Even Miranda seemed bothered by what she heard. It was hard to tell, but it seemed like a safe assumption. Santiago didn't surprise them one bit; they all knew people like him would always exist. That doesn't mean it gets any easier.
"There's nothing we can do for them now. We can help the people in the refinery, and we still need to locate Zaeed. Let's move people." Shepard pointed to the Lieutenant, motioning him to continue leading the way. He took off quickly, with Tali close behind him and the other two falling back a bit to create two separate squads.
"Lieutenant, I've got motion up ahead about 50 meters. Energy signatures suggest personal shielding. I think we can assume that it's the Blue Suns" said Leliana into the Spartan's helmet.
"Commander, we've got a Blue Suns squad up ahead. Orders?" Six asked.
"You and Tali move in close; distract them. Miranda and I will pick them off from that vantage point. Move!" barked Shepard.
Six and Tali moved quickly and quietly, and around the next corner found the Blue Suns squad. The Lieutenant slid behind some rocks for cover, while Tali stopped and hid behind a large tree. Six looked over and Tali and held his hand up for her to hold. She nodded, and Six then pulled a grenade from his side and primed it. Glancing over his shoulder fast, he lobbed the explosive in the direction of the mercenaries; he was just trying to get their attention.
The explosion and flames caused the mercs to panic, sending a few of them scrambling for cover in random directions. It only made them more vulnerable to fire, and Six and Tali shot two mercs before the rest even could see where the shots came from. After their surprise had been used though, the mercenaries quickly realized where their attackers were and all moved towards the two. The Lieutenant was able to squeeze in a few more shots on one merc before a hail of gunfire forced him back into cover. Tali fired a few rounds blindly around the tree, but the sounds echoed made it clear they only grazed her targets.
Six raised his assault rifle over his cover and fired a clip blindly into the enemy. While he heard a few stray shots impact enemy shields, most went off into the jungle harmlessly. He popped in a new clip and poked his head around the rocks. He could see several mercs moving towards him and Tali, and another few staying back to provide suppressing fire. He quickly fired on one, clipping her in the leg and arm. She dropped to the ground, yelling in pain but still alive. He may have taken one of his enemies down, but the Lieutenant was rewarded with several shots hitting his shields. The rounds plinked off his shields, activating warning lights on his HUD and knocking him to the ground.
"Six!" screamed Tali as she extended her arm, activating her combat drone. Chikitikka appeared in the middle of the mercenaries, immediately sending a small shockwave through the enemies and stunning them momentarily. Tali used the chance and ran over to Six, sliding into the cover with him. "Are you all right?"
"Yea, I'm fine. My armor stopped the shots. Nothing made it through to me."
"Keelah, I was worried you were hurt…"
"Thanks Tali. But maybe we should worry about the mercs trying to kill us…" He threw another grenade over the rocks towards the Blue Suns, this time rewarded with a few screams after it detonated. Both Six and Tali now looked around their cover, each finding targets and opening fire on them. The Lieutenant managed to drop the shields of one, while Tali almost instantaneously followed with a shotgun blast, knocking the merc down to the ground.
Despite their success, the mercs continued to move towards them, landing shots on the two each time they advanced.
"Six, we can't keep this up forever! Where are Shepard and Miranda?" Tali screamed, as she fired off an entire clip over her shoulder blindly.
"Hold tight Tali, they won't let us down." He grabbed the last grenade and lobbed it towards the flamethrower unit moving towards them. The merc dove too late, and his fuel tanks ruptured when the grenade exploded. Small flames spewed out of the new holes in the tank as the mercenary struggled to throw the backpack off. Just as he got one arm out though, the fuel completely ignited, engulfing him and several other nearby mercs in flames, killing them all quickly.
"There's another squad coming around the corner!" yelled Tali.
Looking around the cover, Six could see half a dozen more Blue Suns storming out of the jungle paths, all raising their weapons and firing in his direction. A few ripples across his shields sent the Spartan back into cover, but not before he managed to drop one of the mercs with several well-placed shots. Tali looked around the cover, and fired two shots quickly into a mercenary, dropping him. Her time exposed gave a different merc a chance to fire, and Tali got hit in her arm, knocking her back to the ground.
"Tali! Are you alright?" screamed Six as he slid over to her.
"Ugh, I'm ok. I didn't through my suit… watch out!" Tali raised her shotgun over Six's shoulder, firing a shot off at the mercenary who had snuck up on them in their confusion. At such a close range, the merc was blown back onto the ground, bleeding profusely from his chest.
Six was about to fire at another target moving towards him, but shots from the trees on the cliff above them picked his target apart, along with several of the other mercenaries. The Spartan looked up, and was relieved to finally see Shepard and Miranda, each firing down on the Blue Suns. Miranda sent a biotic blast into the middle of the group, knocking them all on the ground. Six and Tali both got up and began firing into the disoriented mercenary group.
Now that the mercs were distracted, the Lieutenant and Tali moved forward, firing into the enemy group and picking targets off that couldn't decide who to fire at. A few more well-placed shots and the mercenaries were no more, all having fallen to Shepard's squad. A couple mercs tried to run, and while the Spartan didn't enjoy killing people, he couldn't let them escape and warn the refinery. He quickly picked the two mercs, dropping them to the muddy ground. One of them managed to survive the shot, and tried crawling away. Six ran over to her, and tried helping the merc up against a tree.
"Get the hell, argghhh!" she screamed as he grabbed her and placed her upright. "Don't think I'll talk after you just shot me in the fucking back!"
"Actually, I'd be happy if you just shut the hell up. Hold still and I might be able to treat this wound" he said.
"Like hell I will! You probably have some screwed up chemicals you'll try to give me; make me talk or something!" she yelled, trying hopelessly to struggle against the Spartan.
"Shut up already, we're not spies! Tali, can you give her an application of medi-gel?"
"Sure, try and keep her steady. This stuff is expensive…" Tali answered, as she reached into a pocket and pulled a medical canister out. With Six holding her, the merc was unable to struggle enough to stop Tali. She reached around her back and stuck the needle into the merc's wound, applying the gooey substance. They were rewarded with another loud scream, this time in response to the stinging.
"There, you won't die in the jungle. Now can you please lower your damn voice?" asked the Spartan. The merc squirmed for a few more moments, but finally calmed down and looked at Six. "Thank you. Now, I won't make you talk, but the more you can tell me about what's going on here, the less angry I'll be. Ok?"
She looked at the Spartan, showing an obvious distaste for her current situation. She then looked at Tali, and Shepard and Miranda, who had walked over from their spot on the short cliffs. "Hmph, fine. I can tell you a little, but I'm new. I don't know much besides what we're doing here. We took over the refinery to blackmail Eldfell-Ashland into making an exclusive security contract with us."
"You thought that blackmailing the company into a contract would be good for building a business relationship?" Six asked with some sarcasm in his voice.
"Ask Santiago that question! I just shoot the workers who disobey. Besides, we don't care if they like us. All we want are their creds. And that's all I know. Don't bother asking me about patrols, I just listen to my captain, who's dead thanks to you!"
"Maybe you shouldn't work for a terrorist organization next time" he responded as he stood up. "Commander, what do you want to do with her?"
"We can't leave her here; she'll just make it back to the Blue Suns. I'll call the shuttle in to pick her up. We can keep her on the Normandy until we make it back to Illium. We'll drop her off with the authorities there."
"Screw you!" the merc barked as she jumped at Shepard, clamoring to hit the Commander. The woman only got a few feet before a gunshot dropped her to the ground, where she stayed motionless.
"What the hell was that!" yelled Shepard, as he turned to see Miranda calmly standing with her pistol pointed at the now dead mercenary.
"She was trying to attack you" Miranda stated, as she stood calm and expressed no hesitation in her voice.
"She wasn't going to get far without a gun. You didn't need to shoot her, Miranda." Six walked up next to Shepard, taking his side of the argument.
"There was no need to keep her alive, either. She was only going to be a burden on us, and Illium law enforcement would only let her go within days. They have no reason to deal with a single, lowly mercenary." Miranda glared at the Lieutenant, clearly upset that he had the gall to directly argue with her.
"Don't take matters into your own hands next time, Miranda. Tali, Six; you two scout out the path ahead, and report back on anything you find. Miranda and I are going to have a little chat, and we'll wait for the shuttle to get here. We can still use some thermal clips and grenades from its supply."
"Got it, Shepard" Tali said as she walked into the jungle, with Six close behind. Both of them were happy to get away from Miranda for a little bit. Her desire to ensure Cerberus was seen as the dominant faction was getting annoying. After walking for a couple minutes, Six decided to break the silence.
"I'm happy Miss Lawson decided to come with on this mission, aren't you Tali?" he chuckled as he continued to follow the Quarian.
"You're starting to sound like Garrus, Six. I think you two are turning into each other, heh" she laughed, cutting some of the jungle's brush down with her knife. "She was probably right, though. I mean, Miranda had a point; Illium would just let her go, and she'd be back with the Blue Suns in days. Maybe she had the right idea?"
Six was surprised at Tali's thoughts. Six knew she had a point, but was taken back when Tali voiced them. He may have still been getting to know her, but this seemed to go against what he knew already. "I'm surprised to hear you say that, Tali."
"It's not like I'm proud of it; I'm not happy that I think that way sometimes. But, growing up on the Flotilla, we always have to think of the needs of the whole crew, the whole team. Keeping her alive would only hurt us in the mission and slow us down. I still wish Miranda didn't just shoot her, though." Tali slashed through the next few bushes with increased effort, as if doing so would alleviate her frustration.
"I didn't say you were wrong, Tali. I just didn't expect it to come from you. If anything, I thought I'd be defending Miranda, with you arguing against doing it."
"Why? You were the one who stood with Shepard. You made it clear to Miranda that what she did was wrong."
"Yea, but I only did because Shepard disagreed with Miranda. If he said that was the best thing to do, I'd follow his command. I stood up for Shepard because he's our leader, and I don't think Miranda had any right to go against his wishes. It doesn't mean he was right."
"So, you're just following orders? You don't seem like the type who blindly follows without question, Six."
"Well, blindly isn't quite the word I would use."
Tali stopped and looked back at the Spartan. "What would you say, then?" she asked inquisitively.
"Hmm, good question. I guess I'm not sure. I know when I'm given a bad order. Shepard didn't do that, but I did disagree with it. He just had a differing opinion. But when I'm given a bad order, I'll follow it because it's my job to. I'm not here to question my superior."
"Six, Shepard doesn't want people like that. He wants people that think for themselves. I will always follow Shepard, no matter what happens. He needs someone like you to say what's right."
"He also needs people that will do what's necessary. That's what I can do." He paused for a moment, thinking about what to say next. "I've done some pretty horrible things, Tali. I'm not proud of them, but they were always the most practical things to do. What Miranda did was practical, not ethical. And sometimes, we need people like that. If Shepard told me to put a bullet in that merc's brain, I wouldn't hesitate. I'm glad you don't seem to think that way, though. Anyways, I don't want to see you turn out like me."
"Like you? I think you're great, Six. Why would you say that?"
"Like I said, I'll do what's necessary. You said Shepard needs someone like me, to say what's right. Well, I think that's you, Tali. You need to be the idealist more. I, and now that I think about it Garrus, are the ones who will do the dirty work, no questions asked. You should be the one to keep us in check."
"I… guess I understand. Growing up on the Flotilla wasn't an optimist's best home, but I still like to look at the best something has to offer. Maybe I can do that, for you."
She placed her arm on the Spartan, and he could've sworn she was smiling behind her helmet. "Thanks Tali. Let's see if we can find a good path to the refinery."
"Right. Let me just…"
As she turned to step, the Spartan looked down and saw something that truly ruined him. Just as Tali's foot hit the ground, his superhuman hearing heard the 'click' and he knew what was going to happen. Everything slowed around him. He looked at the mine in the ground, and knew there was only one thing to do now. He lunged forward, throwing Tali as quickly as he could forward, even if he knew it would hurt her.
He heard the fast whine of the primer charge up, just a moment before it set off. He caught a glimpse of Tali, safe and sound, in front of him as the explosive detonated under him. He got thrown onto the ground, and he felt the wound in his gut. His vision became hazy and dark, but for just a moment her could see Tali over him, frantically trying to help him
All that mattered to him was that she was safe. And he now knew it.
Author's Note:
So there's the next chapter. I know the final bit was a bit rushed, but when I noticed how much extra I made for one chapter I wanted to cut it off. I also know that I left Zaeed out of the chapter that was seemingly going to focus on him, but I want to get back on track with the real focus of the story.
Also, I didn't proofread this chapter like I usually do. I know it's been over a month since my last update, and I wanted to get this online ASAP. So any grammatical errors you see, please let me know and I'll fix them.
As I always say, feedback is very important. If you see something you don't like, tell me. I don't want to keep writing in a way that doesn't make my readers happy.
And of course, thanks for reading!