REQUIEM
CHAPTER SEVEN:
DILEMMAS AT BEST
A/N
Warning: Smut Ahead. You have been warned.
October 15, 2185
2352 hours.
Docking Bay D5, Romulus Docks, Romulus Wards, The Citadel.
Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Captain Hannah Rila Shepard.
Marcus watched as the SSV Orizaba came into view, the massive dreadnought only just fitting into the dock it was latched to. He remembered the vessel like it was yesterday; the length of the vessel was almost impossible to determine from where he was standing, but it was huge. The Killmanjaro-class dreadnought looked like one long rectangle with two wings stretching its length, moving diagonally down its spine before meeting at the bow of the ship in two long antennae. The bow sported the Systems Alliance insignia, and not far down, the vessel's name. The bridge was located down near the rear of the ship. It was an impressive sight to behold.
He watched with a smile as Tali looked in awe at the vessel, impressed by its size. Alliance dreadnoughts weren't anywhere near the size of a quarian liveship; a matter of fact, Marcus was sure that liveships were bigger than even Reapers and Collector cruisers, but still not bigger than asari Ascension-class dreadnoughts, so that was something for him to take note of. Still, it was nice to see Tali examine advanced vessels like she did in the old days. Somethings change, others don't, he supposed.
He yawned, remembering just how long the day had been and how tired he was. He could see Tali was as well; her slumped posture and overall poor attempts at reciprocating showed just how tired she was. But it was nice talking to his mother again after so long, and to know that she approved of his non-human girlfriend. Hannah smiled, looking at them both from the vehicle's internal rear-vision mirror, making the final descent to the landing pad just outside the ship.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the skycar landed and all three of them got out, moving towards the airlock of the colossal dreadnought. A long, portable bridge extended out of the decking and connected with the ship's airlock, and standing there, waiting, was half a squad of alliance marines along with a familiar, italian face...
Marcus smiled as he approached and so did the figure, both of them waving at each other. He heard Tali once again yawn beside him, and he reached out his hand, waiting as Tali took his hand in hers, letting him know she hadn't fallen down asleep yet. They'd get plenty of that tonight. Hand-in-hand, both of them and Hannah moved towards the vessel's airlock and finally reached it, Marcus letting go of Tali's hand to shake Phillip's hand.
"Commander Shepard!" Phillip greeted, shaking the spectre's hand gleefully, "It has been far too long; its good to see you again. I thought you were dead."
"You and the rest of the galaxy," Marcus replied, smirking, "Its good to see you still up and gunning, Phillip. Or do you prefer commander?"
The italian XO laughed, "I prefer Phillip. I no longer outrank you, so I guess we can cut the crappy formalities, no?" the man's smiled fell, his tone becoming dead serious, "I just want you to know that the crew of the Orizaba believe you about the Reaper threat and if you ever need our help, just call."
"Last I checked, I commanded this ship," Hannah piped up, moving to stand beside Phillip, grinning, "But I concur with Phillip's statement; Hackett is with you, and so am I. We may be assigned to the Fourth Fleet as Admiral Arefyev's flagship, but that doesn't mean we won't flock to the Fifth Fleet's side when the Reapers come. When they do, I don't think military formation and protocol will mean worth shit. And if she doesn't like it, she can stick it up her bueracratic-loving asshole."
"Commander, what are you doing here?"
Marcus sighed as he turned around, watching as another squad of marines approached, escorting none other than Fleet Admiral Viktoriya Arefyev. She came to a stop at the bridge connecting to the airlock, hands clasped behind her back. Marcus had an increasing feeling that the fleet admiral didn't like him, but it wasn't of his concern. His mother showed her support, and that's all he wanted.
He met the admiral's harsh glare with his own, "To see my mother, which is well within my right."
"I will decide what is-"
"No, you won't," Marcus declared, "I don't serve the Alliance anymore and I am a Council Spectre; you have no juristiction here, Fleet Admiral."
They both glared at each other for awhile before Arefyev finally broke it off with a cough, "Very well, Spectre Shepard, speak with the captain as you wish. Just don't try to corrupt her with your Reaper nonsense. I don't have room for lunatics on my vessel and I won't tolerate them. Captain Shepard, when you are done, report to the ship immediately. I wish to be gone from this political shithole quickly." And with that, Admiral Arefyev was gone, moving up the ramp to the ship, her marine bodyguards following her up.
Hannah glared at her, mumbling under her breath, "Communist cunt," she then turned back to her son, shrugging, "Well, I must report to my superior. She musn't know I'm 'corrupted.' It might ruin unit cohesion."
"If this were a quarian ship, you could have tossed her out the airlock for what she just did. A captain's rule is always the law on his or her ship," Tali pointed out.
Hannah smiled meekly at the quarian, "I wish I was quarian then; might have helped in the long run," she then turned back to her son, losing her smile, "I guess this is goodbye again."
Seeing as this was a private moment between mother and son, Tali broke away and moved to wait at the skycar, while Phillip quickly saluted both of them, quickly marching back up the ramp and into the ship before Admiral Arefyev came skulking again.
With both of them alone, Hannah turned to her son and smiled widely, immediately walking up to him and wrapping him in a tight hug, Marcus reciprocating not long after. They both held each other for awhile, the spectre able to hear his mother's sobs as she held him, two family members locked tightly. Marcus rubbed her back, comforting her as best he could.
Hannah eventually parted from him, sighing as she sniffed and wiped the tears from her eyes, putting on a big smile, "It was good to see you again, son."
Marcus smiled back, patting her shoulder, "You too, mum. We'll meet again, I promise. I'm not on a suicidal mission now, so I'll be fine."
She nodded, "You can never know in a galaxy like this Mark; just be careful. I lost you once, I can't lose you again," she looked over him and at Tali before turning back to him, a knowing grin on her face, "And you've found a special one there. She's adorable and I can tell she really cares about you; so don't you dare do anything to make her sad, or I'll kill you myself. Remember that."
Marcus chuckled, saluting her, "I'll look after her, mum. God gave me a second chance, and I'm not about to waste it. She means alot to me."
"As you do to me," she returned the snappy salute, tears gone and replaced with a serious expression, "I have a feeling she'll be a Shepard soon, so I guess I'll have a quarian daughter-in-law; something to look forward to," she gave him a knowing wink before easing her hand down, followed by Marcus'. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, cupping it with her other hand, "I'm so proud of you; you're doing humanity proud. Don't you dare stop. Don't let assholes like the brass or Udina weigh you down. We're here if you need us, remember that."
"I'll remember that mum. I love you," with that, he kissed her on the cheek, watching as she turned to leave up the ramp. She stopped at the start of it, turning back to her son and nodding, smile as vibrant as ever.
"I love you too, son," and with a final glance, she turned and marched up the ramp and into the Orizaba, airlock doors sealing shut behind her. His gaze lingered on the dreadnought's hull for a while longer before he turned around and marched back towards the skycar, Tali already in the passenger's seat and waiting. Ten meters away from the ship he almost flinched as he heard a loud boom, causing him to spin around on instinct.
But it was just the Orizaba's bow thrusters powering up. He watched in awe as the docking clamps keeping the colossal vessel docked unlatched with a mechanic moan and the ship began to slowly speed up and move backwards, Marcus watching blue energy pulsating at the front of the ship as the thrusters moved it out of dock.
Eventually, the dreadnought's form sped up and it quickly departed the dock, its bow getting clear of the area. With that, the bow thrusters deactivated and the ship's navigator brought her starboard, keeping this path until the alliance vessel faced the purple fog that was the Serpent Nebula. And with one final roar of the ship's powerful engines, the dreadnought powered towards its task force; four frigates and two heavy cruisers, before going to hit the Widow Relay. He missed his mother already, but he knew he would see her again, and for now, he still had the love of his life with him, and that was someone he truly couldn't live without.
He finished his trek towards the skycar, using his omni-tool to unlock the door to the driver's seat and swinging it open, allowing him to take a seat inside. With another flick, his omni-tool tapped into the car's systems and powered up the engines, holographic interface appearing before him. He deactivated his omni-tool and was about to ask Tali what she thought of the day when he heard one of the cutest sounds he had ever heard; Tali snoring.
He turned left, a grin on his face, as his eyes came to land on Tali's slouched and slumbering form, her arms crossed and her head tucked downwards, glowing beacons that were her eyes no longer present behind her mask. Her slow, steady breathing was all the movement seen on her form, her little snores the only sound. He smiled, leaning over and kissing her on the hood, before turning back to his console and quietly taking off, heading back to the Normandy.
It was twenty minutes past midnight on the Citadel when their skycar finally touched down outside the Normandy, Marcus quietly shutting down the skycar and opening the door on both their sides. He stepped out as quietly as he could and into the darkness, closed his door and tip-toed over to Tali's side, where he gently slid his hands under her form and picked her up in his arms, careful not to disturb the quarian's sleep.
He moved over to the Normandy's airlock and immediately remembered the loud sound the Normandy's decon beam made when doing a sweep, but when it started, no sound could be heard. He looked up and for a moment was confused, but when he realized the AI responsible, he gave her a silent thank you and waited for the decon sequence to finish, which wasn't long.
He stepped out onto the brightly lit flight deck, turning to the cockpit to see Joker absent. Most likely in his sleeper pod. He did the same as he did outside and quickly, but quietly, moved down the empty flight deck and through the empty CIC, over to the elevator. When he got there, he was about to thump the elevator but it seemed to open of its own accord, EDI silently helping him again. He moved inside and watched as the door closed and the elevator moved up to deck one, seemingly of its own accord.
He hummed silently as he felt the warmth radiate from Tali's body, having her so close to him. She just continued to snore, oblivious to her current situation and location. He felt a hand grope at his shirt and tightly grip it, repositioning herself into a more comfortable position in his arms, an action which he personally found adorable. It was moments like these that he fought for; he fought the geth, destroyed the Collectors and wanted to stop the Reapers so he and Tali could share moments like this forever; to live life together. Tali gave him purpose, and he wanted to return the favor.
The elevator arrived and he quickly moved into the Captain's Quarters, waiting for EDI to unlock it. Once it shut behind him, he locked it and didn't even bother checking his terminal as he moved down the steps and towards the bed, stopping at the edge to ease Tali onto the sheets. The cabin was completely dark aside from the blue light cast by the aquarium, and the only sound was the bubbles from said fish tank. Her head hit the pillow first, followed by the rest of her body and she quickly snuggled into it, mumbling Marcus' name in her sleep. He chuckled lightly to himself before placing the covers over her and up to her shoulders, moving to kiss her on the hood, "Goodnight, Tali. Sleep well. I love you."
Tali's snort was all the reply he got.
With a lopsided grin on his face he moved to the other side of the bed, taking his shirt off and stripping down to his boxers, leaving his clothes folded on the couch, just like how his mother taught him. Seeing her again as reawakened old habits. He also took off his omni-tool and placed it on the bed-side table on his side. He kept the same grin as she slid under the blanket with Tali, wrapping her in his arm as he entered a spooning position with his girlfriend. He joined his warmth with hers and kissed the nape of her neck, lying back down. All he saw was the back of Tali's hood as his eyes closed shut and he drifted off to sleep.
The Collectors were gone and the Reapers had yet to arrive. For now, he could enjoy this. This beautiful, euphoric moment. And in a moment, he was asleep, both of them, in blissful, wonderful slumber. One where they only dreamt of each other, and not of their imminent destruction. It was amazing.
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October 16, 2185
1139 hours.
Armoury, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate Normandy SR-2, Docked with the Citadel.
Major General Kal'Reegar vas Normandy, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko.
Kal had been skeptical a month ago when Marcus asked him to join the Normandy. It was a Cerberus ship full of non-quarians and just about every possible unknown was stuffed into the ship. The marine in him told him it was a mistake joining the crew, while he told himself it was the best decision and would allow him to actually speak with Madi, unlike when he was on the Flotilla, and both of them were constantly training, performing ops or training officers.
But Tali had joined the crew of the Normandy and trusted Shepard with her life, so how bad could it have been?
As it turned out, it was the best decision he had ever made. The crew was nothing like he thought they would be; xenophobic, hateful and prejudiced. But everywhere he went, all he got was politeness and people treating him like he was just any other productive member of the team. Learning that Tali was sleeping with Captain Shepard wasn't any surprise to him, but the fact that rumors flew around that both of them had linked suits had shocked him. Tali must trust him alot to have devoted herself like that.
He checked on Madi almost every hour of the day now. Her condition was improving, ableit slowly and there were some days that Chakwas restricted access to the medical bay so that she could run further tests on the quarian's suit systems. He liked seeing her and just talking, along with the occassional kiss that the doctor would allow, but otherwise, she would be fine to walk around in a few weeks, and a month after that, ready for combat duty.
Working in the armoury was a job the quarian had taken to well and while working with a Cerberus loyalist, it was still enjoyable and really did help pass the time. And Jacob was actually a very nice person to talk to when you got to know him, but from what he heard, he wasn't all that popular around the ship, and he could see why. He wasn't exactly an interesting guy; a nice and courteous person, yes, but his background was about as interesting as the history of a fuel line.
Kaidan was different. He was very openly minded and from what he heard, despised Cerberus to the bone, having fought them tooth and nail in the past, but had joined the ship out of loyalty to Shepard. He was an obvious patriot of the Alliance and sometimes stated how much he missed his friends back on Earth, not to mention his parents, but knew his place was on the Normandy, fighting the Reaper threat. And after seeing what Shepard could do in combat, Kal knew who'd he'd lend his gun to in the end.
He stood at his designated weapons bench, having recently disassembled a M-37 Falcon grenade launching assault rifle and had layed it fully on the bench, ready to reassemble it. He had been doing this to all the weapons in the armoury just to pass the time, and so far, it had worked well for him. The M-37 was a unique weapon because it was manufactured by the Systems Alliance, and was technically a grenade launcher, but used thermal clips, making it an assault rifle.
This armoury had basically every weapon on the market, save all the N7 weapons, and the assault rifles interested him the most; the M-55 Argus, M-99 Saber, M-96 Harrier, M-96 Mattock, M-8 Avenger, M-15 Vindicator. They were all here, save the experimental quarian Adas Anti-Synthetic Rifle, but that hadn't even been deployed on the field yet.
He was about to pick up the barrel of the weapon when the armoury door opened and the familiar face of Zaeed Massani, disgruntled as ever, walked into the room, garnering the attention of Kal, Jacob and Kaidan. The mercenary veteran ignored them and found a bench at the end of the room, slamming a rusty looking avenger assault rifle down on the bench and beginning to play around with it, obviously trying to do something. This only confirmed the quarian's suspicions when the bounty hunter began to curse under his breath. The marine turned to Jacob, looking for input, to which he simply shrugged.
"Just leave him be Reegar," Jacob requested, turning back to his bench and his terminal, "I'm sure he'll finish whatever he's doing and then leave. Best if we just stay out of it," after that, the ex-Cerberus operative turned away from his console and cracked his neck, grinning like a bosh'tet, "Now, if you two don't mind, I'm going to go do some workouts in the shuttle bay. Work myself up so I can claim the prize."
Kaidan guffawed at that, teary eyes fixing on Jacob who looked at him like he had just claimed gravity didn't matter, "Are you okay, Alenko?"
"I'm fine," the marine got out inbetween heaving breaths and laughter, "But...seriously...the...prize? Who...the hell...says...that!"
The laughter quickly became contagious and Kal found himself joining in, beginning his own fit of chuckling. Zaeed seemed undistracted, solely focused on fixing his damn rifle.
Jacob rolled his eyes, "Whatever; we'll see who's laughing when I'm the one getting the chicks."
Kal stopped laughing and gave the dark-skinned human a quizzical look, "Chicks?"
Kaidan stopped laughing long enough to explain it to the quarian, "Not translating? Its a slang term. Chicks is short for chicken, which are these dumb animals on Earth. Chicks is also a name that can also be given to chicken's offspring, which are renowned for being abnormally cute. So, hence the term 'chicks.' We call women 'chicks' because of...well...obvious reasons."
Kal scoffed, "I've already got a girlfriend, one I plan to marry, so by all means, collect as many 'chicks' as you want, Taylor."
Jacob shrugged, turning to the door, Kaidan yelling after him, "Act fast too; that Kasumi has eyes on you, but I think Garrus does too."
With that, Jacob increased his pace and ran out the door, causing Kaidan and Kal to look each other and break into another fit of laughter before both returned to their work benches to continue what they were doing. Jacob was technically the Armourer-in-Chief, but Kal and Kaidan were roughly on par in rank, so they shared command of the area, but in this case, Kal was in command while Jacob was gone. To be given such power on a human vessel also showed just how much different Shepard was to standard military.
Zaeed growled again and slammed his rifle back down, cursing. Finally having enough, and the merc's constant cussing becoming a distraction, Kal ceased what he was doing and marched over to Zaeed's bench, stopping infront of it and watching as the bounty hunter pretended he wasn't there. But Kal wasn't going to be warded off easily.
"You going to look at me bosh'tet?" Kal demanded.
Zaeed looked at him, annoyance on his face, "What do you guddam want, quarian? Can't you see I'm trying to fix Jessie?"
"Listen here you bosh-wait, Jessie? Who's Jessie?" Kal asked, confused.
The grizzled mercenary picked up his rusted avenger and held it up infront of the quarian, "This is Jessie; this assault rifle has killed more men and women then you've killed geth. This baby killed the krogan Warlord Gesark, the former CEO of the Blood Pack on Omega. This dusty rifle killed more men then died in the Skyllian Blitz. That rifle helped me board, take and destroy the THS Verikan, a turian frigate. That shitty rifle helped me kill turians, hanar, elcor walking tanks, asari commandos, salarian STG agents and much more. The day I lay Jessie to rest...," the mercenary's look looked almost...sad, as he gazed nostalgically at his rifle, "...that was one of the saddest days of my life. I'd give up any of my weapons to have one more battle with this shitty old rifle. All the techs I took her too said she couldn't be fixed, but I'm going to prove them wrong."
Kal smiled behind his mask and leaned on the bench, "I could help. Let me have a look."
Zaeed shrugged, handing the quarian his favourite rifle, "Give it a shot then; you'll have no more luck then I did. Jessie's dead; that's clear as day. I remember the time I had to put her out of commission; it was one mission against this Eclipse base, it was when I met Captain Enyala. I was about to kill her when my rifle jammed up, gave her just enough time to throw me across the room and make her escape. Can't believe I fucked that painted asari whore, and I wish I could have done the job myself when we met again on Illium, but I guess-"
"There we go," Kal interrupted, clicking the mass acellerator into place, switching it on and waiting for it to charge. Zaeed was skeptical for a moment but his eyes practically lit up when he heard the weapon's safety click on and a blue hum appear inside. The merc looked at it in wide-eyed surprise and for a moment, just stared. But after a bit, he lunged forward, grabbed the rifle and held it in his hands. He turned to the side, pulled the trigger and practically laughed in glee when a shot pierced the bulkhead.
He turned to the quarian, a wide grin across his face, the former Blue Suns merc ecstatic, "How in guddam hell did you get it working? Every tech I saw-"
"Were obviously idiots who had no business handling a gun. And trust me, I'm a marine. I'm to guns what Miss Zorah is to engines," Kal replied, nodding at the weapon in Zaeed's palm, which the mercenary was now scrubbing to get rid of the thick coating of rust collecting on it, "The reason your weapon jammed is because you simply overheated the mass acellerator. However, the weapon had obviously been overtasked before hand, because the weapon's interior microfan that cools down the mass acellerator barrel was overtasked and couldn't compensate, and without the microfan, you're weapon doesn't cooldown. Weapon doesn't cooldown, it jams up. Any skilled weapons tech would see that immediately."
"Yeah, I did kill alot of Enyala's men before hand," Zaeed rubbed the back of his neck, cradling 'Jessie' like a newborn baby. He turned to Kal and slapped him on the shoulder, "I'm starting to like you, quarian. You did damn good. I'd goddam kiss you if you were a girl, or if you had lips..."
Kal chuckled, "I might have chosen to take offense to that. Quarians have lips, you just can't see them."
"Good, now I don't have to imagine that Tali girl sucking Shepard's face off with suckers," Zaeed laughed.
Kal narrowed his eyes, "Suckers? Who the hell told you quarians have suckers?"
"Vakarian, he's been spreading rumors around about those two. Apparently he had a betting thing going on betting on when they'd fuck," the mercenary shrugged, picking up his rifle and shining a credit chit in the quarian's face...metaphorically speaking, "I won. I said they'd do it before the Collector Base attack, and they did."
"How did you know?" Kal asked as Zaeed made to leave the armoury, but the merc stopped at the quarian's question and turned around, a huge grin on his face.
"EDI told me," Zaeed informed the soldier.
"EDI? As in the ship's AI?" Kal growled, "What Shepard and Tali do is private, and that AI just decided to spy on them...it watched them suit-linking?"
"Suit-linking?" Zaeed asked, confused, "What the fuck is-"
EDI's hologram showed itself, deciding not to hide any longer, "Suit-linking is the quarian name given to two quarians engaging in sexual intercourse, Mr. Massani."
"Oh," Zaeed replied, about to answer Kal's hostile question when EDI decided to answer for itself.
"And no, Mr. Reegar, I did not spy on Miss Zorah and Shepard 'linking suits,'" EDI declared, "I merely knew what was going on and informed Mr. Vakarian and Ms. Goto. When I saw what they were about to do, I deactivated all the cameras I have in the Captain's Cabin and let them have their privacy. All elevator activity to deck one was restricted per his orders."
"You didn't have to tell anyone. Noone needed to know what they were doing," Kal told the AI.
Kaidan guffawed, garnering a soft glare from the quarian marine, "Come on Kal, I've known them both since the days on the SR-1 and even then they were lovey-dovey, and they did a horrible job of hiding it. Sex is even harder to cover up."
Zaeed pointed at Kaidan and nodded, "Kid has a point; you should listen to him. Word was going to get out eventually, might as well be straight away," he turned to leave but stopped, turning to Kal once more, "And you did a good job, Reegar, I didn't think anyone could fix my poor old shitty Jessie. T...thank you," and then he left, as if embarassed by the statement.
Kaidan looked wide-eyed, "Did Zaeed just thank someone? Whoa, Garrus needs to hear of this. It could change everything," Kaidan grinned.
Kal rolled his eyes, turning back to his work bench, "Indeed."
EDI wasn't gone, "Zaeed is heading down to the garbage disposal area. He is unaware that Tali is there, waiting to kill him with a chainsaw."
Both men looked at the holographic pawn and waited for a moment, shocked faces worn. But, just as they were about to comm Joker, EDI spoke up once more, her new, classic line coming out smoothy like it always did.
"That was a joke."
Kaidan shook his head, unamused, "You really have to work on those humor functions, EDI. You're terrible at this."
"Joker seems to imply this as well," EDI replied, "I shall search the extranet for better jokes: searching...search complete. Sex jokes are commonly seen as funny, although immature, by most species. Would you like me to make a sex joke?"
"Come back later when you learn to deliver a joke better," Kal told it, not wanting to hear what a 'sex joke' was.
"Very well Reegar. Alenko," EDI responded, hologram disappearing, "Logging you out."
Kal shook his head again and turned back to his work bench, once again wondering how he came to be on such an unusual ship.
Pure luck, he guessed.
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October 16, 2185
1012 hours.
Captain's Quarters, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate Normandy SR-2, Departing the Citadel.
Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy.
He felt warmth; not the typical one you got from staying under a blanket for a long amount of time, but the kind you got from another body pressed to yours. It was sweet and momentful, when he felt that warmth, he felt no great weight on his shoulders or any trepidation, he felt no vehemence or felt threatened, he just felt euphoria, solace and tranquility. Most of all, he felt love. Someone he loved very much pressed against him, holding him, keeping him safe. Most wouldn't know it, but he treasured that safety.
His eyes slowly opened, getting used to the darkness. It was no longer dark anymore; the light of the Serpent Nebula leaking into the cabin as the Normandy left the dock under his orders and headed for the Widow Relay; their journey to Illium beginning. Liara will help us; I know she will. I just hope the Shadow Broker hasn't gotten to her first. If she's hurt...no, she'll be fine. Pink light filled the cabin and he felt someone shift against him, purple veil giving away their identity. He smiled dreamily.
He looked up and saw Tali's eyes meet his, helmet turned to face him, no longer in a spooning position. By the way her eyes moved and shrunk, he could tell she was smiling under that mask, a three-fingered hand messaging his back. He moved his own hand down to her thigh, gently stroking its length. She tightened herself against him, not wanting to let go.
Finally, Tali spoke again, her voice sultry, "Remember how I said I wasn't sick anymore? Well, I wasn't lying. I'm not sick anymore, and I don't have to report to engineering for a couple of hours, so if you just...I don't know..." he felt her other hand moved to inbetween his legs and softly begun to stroke the area where his groin was located. He closed his eyes and inhaled, reveling in her touch. It will be better when I can actually touch her. His other hand began stroking her tricep, smiling.
His voice was a whisper, "Well, I got a good night sleep, and I'm pretty comfortable, so I guess I'm not particulary tired either..."
The quarian once again smiled behind her mask and opened her omni-tool, immediately hitting a button that would inject antibiotics and herbal supplements into her immune system and strengthen it. They usually worked quickly, so by the time she was out of the suit, they would be flowing through her.
With that done, she took off her omni-tool and placed it on the table next to them before turning back to him, and guiding his hands as they took off her mask. Taking that, she placed it on the bedside table as well and turned back to face him, her face revealed once more. He cupped one of her smooth cheeks, a line of freckles lining her pale grey skin. Her eyes glowed, but not powerfully and her nose was small but still big enough to be human. And when he pulled her hood back, long, raven hair piled out, barely going past her shoulders and exposing a pair of elf-like pointed ears. Her rosey red lips showed years of neglect. But that had changed.
Tali hummed as she was once again exposed to the cool air of the cabin, just letting Marcus' hand rest on her cheek and his other hand moved through her hair, enjoying the sensations they brought. She closed her eyes and put her hand up, using the other to take the glove off said hand and throw it away. Once gone, her uncovered hand landed on Marcus' own cheek, where she revelled in the feel of his own skin on hers. She giggled when she felt wet lips hit her palm and cooed to the feeling of the wet trail it left.
Eventually, she opened her eyes and Marcus leaned in, both of their lips crashing together in a hybrid of love and lust and passion. Mouths opened and tongues explored each other, both finding new ways to pleasure each other with just a single, long-winded kiss.
They stayed in this position for a few minutes before finally breaking for air, both of them smiling like idiots. After a bit, lips locked again, Tali rolling ontop of Marcus as she did. He controlled our lovemaking last time; now its my turn. While ontop of him, she spread her legs and straddled him, three-fingered hands moving across his muscled abs and making sure to feel every crevice and spot she could find, smiling gently as she did.
Hands fixed around her golden neck brace and removed it, dumping on the floor next to them as Marcus leaned up and let his lips explore the exposed skin, causing Tali to coo and moan in response to the sensations. It was pure euphoria. Their lovemaking last time had been rushed and desperate, a speedy dash of long-buried passion and lust. Now they had all the time they wanted; noone to disturb them.
Their lovemaking eventually sped up and Marcus found himself pinned to the bed as Tali slowly unlatched the clasps on her suit. She teased him and kept him pinned to the bed, only allowing his hands to reach up to her hips and no further. So he was forced to watch as her hands travelled up and down her form, fiddling with every clasp she came across, and doing it agonizingly slow, an evil grin on her face.
Her movements were graceful and fluid; hands dancing in tandem to remove their prison from their host so they can join with their other half in a bundle of love. He watched as Tali's beautiful and unique purple veil, with its patterns and swirls, fell from her lithe form and was thrown away, her petite, sexy form unveiled to Marcus, who was getting impatient. Next came the latches of her suit, all hissing as they disengaged and fell from her suit, landing heavily on the bed before she unstrapped her utility belt and threw them across the room to land on the couch. Finally done, she began to reveal herself slowly, gracefully and most of all, teasingly.
Her shoulders were exposed first, followed by her deceivingly large breasts, that seemed to pop out like balloons being inflated, followed by the rest of her torso. Eventually, her suit was hanging around her waist when Marcus lost patience, leaned up and locked his lips with hers again, the quarian's smile lost as she didn't push him back but continued the kiss, both of them moaning as their tongues locked and danced, hands cradling each other's heads.
She finally pushed her lover onto his back, allowing her to completely rid herself of the suit. She tossed it away, and then tore off her boots, followed by her boot knife and shin pads and finally leggings. When it was all said and done, she lay completely naked before him; a goddess in all her glory. A goddess that was currently straddling him; forcing him to ignore the feeling of his bulge bumping up against her arse.
She smiled wickedly down at him before leaning down and leaving little, wet pecks on his chest, moving her way up, past his neck, his chin, his beard and...past his lips. He wanted to growl in impatience, but simply let her control the pace. But it was hard to ignore his base urges when such a beautiful woman was ontop of him, naked. She left a peck on every surface she could; on his nose, his cheeks, his chin, his forehead, his hair and...he winced and grinned when he felt her bite the tip of his ear, leaving a little kiss there as well as she came back, eyes meeting his before her lips crashed back into his, rewarding him for his patience.
He watched as she pulled away, smiling as their forwards touched, slowing down their lovemaking for the moment as they breathed each other in. He heard her sigh, and once again loved the sound of it. Not synthesized by a mask filter, but her pure voice, and it was like honey.
"I love you Marcus," Tali told him, giving another quick peck, before moving downward alittle, "And this morning, I'm going to show you just how much I care about you."
"I love you too, but I'm sure there are other ways to show you appreciate me than sex," Marcus grinned.
"Are you complaining?" Tali asked, grin wicked.
"Most certainly not Miss vas Normandy," Marcus replied, voice innocent.
She giggled, giving him a knowing look before sliding down his form and beginning where she left off, leaving more pecks on his body as she travelled down his torso, past his waist and towards the bulge in his boxers. Tali's head moved under the sheets as she spread his leg and grabbed hold of his boxers, pulling them down, Marcus assisting her by straightening his legs for her to pull them down. Once done, she tossed them in his face, and he immediately grabbed it, laughing, and tossed it away.
He shuddered as wet lips brushed against the tip of his erect manhood and warm breath tickled it. He looked down to see Tali looming over it, giving him a look he couldn't describe; it was lustful, yet so adorably innocent. He didn't know what to make of it. How can she look so innocent while doing something so...not-innocent?
She continued this until she flicked her tongue out and traced circles around his tip, causing him to shudder more and shift in anticipation, an instinct built into his body for a long time. She smiled and her hand moved forward, grabbing his cock around the center and gripping it, beginning to stroke it casually. He himself made cooing sounds and even moaned as she pleasured him with her hand, the quarian careful not to get him off and Marcus did all he could to hold himself in.
It didn't take long for Tali to get bored of simply stroking his erect organ and finally let go, wrapping her mouth around his shaft and moving downward, Marcus surprised when she was able to take it fully in her mouth. Do quarians not have a gag reflex!? He moaned louder than before and continued to do so as she had her way with him, Marcus gripping the sheets as she sucked him. She occassionally licked him, but apart from that, the cabin was silent save for the sounds of Marcus moaning and Tali's silent moaning as she sucked him off.
After a couple of minutes, Tali stopped and lifted her mouth from his penis and got up, moving herself forward. He saw the look in her eyes. They were filled with lust and passion. She needed him, and she seemed to be done with teasing, instead just wanting him right there and now. Both of them still under the blanket, Tali positioned her hips over his manhood, grabbed it and then directed it into her, the quarian falling down on his manhood and crying out as he entered her.
While her eyes were closed and she was simply getting reused to the feeling of him penetrating her, he leaned up and buried his head into her breasts once more, kissing and licking to increase the pleasure for her and himself. He heard her moan as she grabbed the back of his head and pushed him further onto her, the quarian arching her head back as she moaned softly, both sensations sending her over the edge. Subconsciously, she began to twist and spin her hips around in a circle, sending sensations through both of them.
Tali's moaning got louder and louder until she had to fight down on Marcus' shoulder to keep her scream of ecstasy from being heard below as she orgasmed around Marcus' manhood. She shuddered and fell onto Marcus, while the spectre hummed at the feeling of Tali's warm liquids sliding past him and onto his dick.
But Tali seemed unwilling to stop there, always thinking of others first, even when blinded by lust and passion. She let Marcus lick and bite at her hardened nipples for a while longer and then pushed him back onto the pillows, locked her lips with his and began an up-and-down thrusting motion on Marcus' manhood, all the while both of them moaned into each other's mouths. Marcus, all the while, barely seemed to notice the bitemark on his shoulder left by Tali's slightly sharper molar teeth.
Tali continued to thrust up and down until finally they both parted lips and Tali sat up on her lover's lap, placing her feet on either side of Marcus' head, her hands gripping his legs and using them for support and physically began lifting herself up and down, each time landing harder and faster on Marcus, riding him into the bed like somekind of feral beast.
Marcus could tell they were both nearing climaxes; Tali's moaning was getting progressively louder and Marcus could practically feel his seed coming and gripped the sheets harder as he let Tali ride him. But he couldn't, wouldn't, just sit here as Tali had her way with him. This was a battlefield, and be damned if Marcus let Tali win.
Marcus shot up and grabbed Tali's hips until she had her back on the bed, blankets tossed away and both of them, feeling hotter than the room temperature, and Tali's arms falling to her sides, legs at Marcus' hips. She thought she knew the position and her legs locked around his waist, but she didn't know. He pulled out of her, turned her away around until she was on all fours and facing the sofa and entered her from behind, gripping her hips as he pumped in and out, in and out, in and out, each of their cries intensifying in crescendo.
Tali climaxed before him; unable to cover up her screams as he felt her already dripping womanhood clench around his cock, warm liquid pulsating out of her as she shuddered and felt her arms give way, letting her crash forward. But Marcus wasn't done, and he just kept pumping into her until he finally gave way and all his seed spilled into her, both of them letting out loud, but contained, moans of pleasure.
They both stayed there for a few moments before Marcus pulled out of her and collapsed backwards onto the bed, Tali crawling up next to him to join him. They were both feeling like furnaces, so they decided to lay there uncovered, their naked forms exposed to the outside world as they lay there, wrapped up in each other's arms, breathing heavily, the cool air of the cabin feeling cold and nice against their skin.
He felt one of Tali's hands tracing his ribcage and Marcus just stroked her arm repeatedly, both of them not needing words. They had let their feelings flow out in their lovemaking, so there was nothing that needed to be said. They loved each other immensely, and damn anyone who didn't like it.
Finally, after twenty minutes of silence, Tali spoke up, "Keelah, that was amazing. Definitely better than the first time. Although, you didn't get to do that thing you did with your tongue."
Marcus took a second to realize she was quoting something and he chuckled, "You've been watching far too much Game of Thrones. I'm going to have to cut you off."
Tali giggled with him, "Just try and stop me, bosh'tet. I have a shotgun and a combat drone named Chiktika."
"And with your energy in bed, I imagine you'll be unstoppable," Marcus jested and was rewarded with a playful slap to the chest. He sighed heavily as both of them went into silence again. Five minutes later, Marcus interrupted the solace this time, his look of happiness replaced with a look of concern, "You going to be okay?"
Tali nodded silently, looking blankly at Marcus' chest, mind somewhere else. Finally, she responded, shaking out of her thoughts, "I'll be fine; it'll just be the same fever again, although slightly less bad considering our first time. It'll take time and alot more tries, but I'll eventually adapt to you."
"Adapt to me?" Marcus asked, curiosity peaked, "Does that mean...?"
Tali looked at him, eyebrow quirked, "It means we can kiss, make love or simply be around one another without me getting sick, yes. It'll just take time. Time which I'm sure we'll have," she added seductively.
He smiled, taking her hand and kissing it on the palm, "I look forward to it; I've got a surprise for you coming up, although you'll probably have to wait a while to get it."
"Do you now?" Tali asked, grin plastered on her face, "And what kind of surprise, hmmmm?"
"Something waiting on Illium," Marcus told her, teasing her in return for her tease during their lovemaking, "You'll find out; wouldn't be a surprise if I told you now."
They lay there for a bit longer; just savouring each other's presence.
{Loading...}
October 16, 2185
1323 hours.
Captain's Quarters, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for Illium.
Commander Marcus Lee Shepard.
Marcus stood there, silently looking at his terminal, not knowing what else to do. He had showered, cleaned himself up and put on the usual; his N7 cap, shirt and hoodie. The special clothes he ordered were neatly stashed away, waiting to be used later. He smiled as he thought of them, but quickly turned back to his terminal and sighed, wiping his face. Miranda had transfered all the files over to his terminal so he could review some of them, and he did, careful not to skim over any useful data while Miranda took a break.
He picked up the coffee mug that Gardner had brought up and took a sip, smiling at the pleasant warmth that travelled down his throat. His mind wandered to the morning he had shared with Tali, and how good it had felt. Only about the second time we've done it. But damn is she beautiful...and sexy. Its a crime to lock such a woman behind a suit and mask. They had both cleaned up and had a shower together an hour ago, Tali putting her suit back on and leaving for engineering, while Marcus planned to do the rounds after he was finished reviewing all the information Miranda had sent him.
It was mostly information on Cerberus' movements and the galaxy's reaction to the extinction of the Collectors. Many thought it was wrong to exterminate an entire species, while others are glad their gone, saying they were a galactic menace that needed removal. The Omega 4 Relay was still a no fly zone, but at least the people knew the truth about where it lead and what the Collectors did behind it before meeting their demise. The Collectors, their ships, their horror house and that abominable Human-Reaper, all gone. Reduced to smoldering wreckage in the heart of some black hole in the galactic core.
A light flickered and died behind him and he sighed, standing up and hitting it, causing it to turn on. The Captain's Quarters hadn't suffered much damage from the battle, but the lights did happen to flicker a little, a fact that very much annoyed the spectre as she sat back down and kept reading. What worried him was the increasing Cerberus activity. Apparently they were shipping alot of resources to and from bases, seemingly preparing for something. And from what Miranda's contacts gathered, every Cerberus cell was working overtime on something. What, however, they didn't know. They were in the dark as to the Illusive Man's intentions; but it had something to do with the Reapers.
Marcus smiled at the reports coming from Omega; Aria T'Loak seemed to be benefiting from Archangel's, or should he say, Garrus', operations on the lawless station. Due to Garrus' viglantism, the Blue Suns, Blood Pack and Eclipse were largely decimated, with all three of their CEOs killed in the final assault, leaving them leaderless, allowing Aria's mercs to move in and assume leadership of what was left. Aria was the new CEO of all mercenaries on Omega, giving her hold over an army of her own, which could come in handy when the Reapers arrived. However, the reported increase of Cerberus operations on the station was also something to keep an eye on, even though the Illusive Man's intentions on a station such as Aria's were confusing at best.
The Blue Suns were also, reportedly, not so leaderless now, despite Vido Santiago's death on Zorya at the hands of Zaeed's revenge-filled vehemence. A merc, a human male by the name of Darner Vosque, had apparently taken command and was now rebuilding the Blue Suns operations on Zorya so they could continue production. He passed on this information to Zaeed, wanting to know if the bounty hunter wanted to pay Zorya another visit.
The Hock estate on Bekenstein was completely gone. The Milgrom Fire Department had declared the rubble unsafe to traverse and that the structure could completely collapse at any moment. Casualities were high, although most of them were high-end criminals and Eclipse mercenaries. They never found Hock's body and Jona Sederis, founder and leader of the Eclipse, was reported having been arrested by the Milgrom Police and was awaiting extraditation to the Citadel and into the hands of C-Sec, where she was apparently wanted for the murder of many civilians.
News on Illium wasn't much to look at. Nassana Dantius' death wasn't much of a shock and was largely smeared by the Nos Astra City Council, so she wouldn't be missed too well, although only Marcus, Tali, Garrus and Kaidan knew who she really was; an asari named Aleena who they had fought two years ago. That, and apparently Liara's mission to find the Shadow Broker was getting more intense, as apparently she was getting closer.
The Purgatory had apparently been scrapped as rescue ships arrived to save the prisoners and whatever mercs survived, but they were forced to destroy the prison ship when it was clear it couldn't be salvaged. Nothing the spectre would lose sleep over.
Horizon was slowly recovering from the Collector attack, but to the Alliance's chagrin, noone was willing to even touch Colony Grandeur after the abduction of the colonists there, claiming it would be like grave-robbing. Delan, the mechanic who survived, had set up a memorial to the colonists who died, and had been the one to actively start a smear campaign against Marcus for his destruction of the Collector Base, declaring that he 'murdered his fellow colonists instead of saving them.' He shook his head as he powered down his terminal, unwilling to keep reading. Luckily, the sound of the door to his quarters opening caught his attention.
Normally, only Tali was the one to enter his cabin and occassionally Garrus or Kasumi, so when he turned to face the person who entered, Jack was definitely the last person he expected to see.
He raised a brow at the convict, who seemed to just stand there, looking at him. He grinned as he spoke, "Something you need Jack?"
He couldn't read her face; it was a fix of emotions. Usually Jack only projected one emotion; carelessness. She wasn't very sociable, only ever came out to get food or train with Samara and generally sounded casual when talking about people she killed or, on occassion, flat out murdered. Jack was no perfect person, and she didn't pretend to be. But her emotions right now...he just couldn't read her. But one emotion stood out ontop, and made itself known to both parties.
Before Marcus knew what was going on, Jack had lunged forward, pinned him to the chair with her hands and locked her lips with his. At first, Marcus closed his eyes as he would with Tali and reciprocated the kiss, but didn't move his arms or anything. Jack tasted...funny, compared to Tali. Her puffy lips made it so her lips were bigger than this and seemed to crush them in her grip. Her scent was completely alien to him and her tongue was far too human. It was when Jack moved to straddle him that his eyes shot open and he realized what he was doing. What the fuck is wrong with you Marcus!
He slid his arms inbetween them and shoved her off of him, causing the convict to stumble as she regained her balance, a huge grin on her face as she wiped her mouth. She broke into a fit of laughter as she watched Marcus' shocked expression, the spectre wiping his own mouth.
Jack was still laughing when she responded to Marcus' shove, "You act like you never kissed a woman before. You really are a pussy, boy scout."
He looked at her, still shocked and recovering from what just happened. I can't believe I returned that kiss. What the fuck is wrong with you, moron? You're lucky Tali didn't see that. Do I even deserve her after what just happened? "What the hell was that Jack?"
The convict shrugged, scoffing, "What the fuck did it look like? I fucking kissed you, get over it. I have to admit Shepard, you look fuckable, and I'm certainly willing. I know you want me, so why don't we just cut the bullshit and-"
"You crossed the line!" Marcus shouted, halting the convict mid sentence, "And I-what? I look...fuckable? You're willing? I want you? Jack, what the hell is up with you? Why are you only now acting on these feelings?"
"Time didn't seem right, that's all," Jack told him, moving forward and noticing how the spectre seemed to move back with every step forward she took, "I waited, and waited, and waited. You want me, I can tell. You always come down to talk to me, to compliment me, to make me feel at hope. I offered sex, you turned me down to talk to me some more. Noone has cared about me in that way before, but I'm certainly willing to make this thing happen. I want to fuck you, but I think I also love you, I don't know, its fucked up. All I know, is I need that cock inside me, right about now."
He looked at her in a mixture of disgust, shame and anger, "So you just waltz in here and kiss me?"
"Why not?" Jack asked, still smiling as she crossed her arms.
He sighed, facepalming, "Jack, did it ever occur to you I might already be in a relationship?"
Jack scoffed, "You mean the quarian? Tali? So-"
"A stable, happy relationship?"
Jack still looked skeptical, "Look Shepard, cut the crap. I know you want me and you're just with her out of a act of pity. I know you-"
His face was full of rage and he stepped forward, finger pointed, "Act of pity? Is that what she is to me!?" the rage in his voice even caused Jack to flinch and back off slightly, "Tali means everything to me! This isn't an act of pity; I love her for fuck sake! We've been together since the beginning and we will be together till the end. I love her and only her, and you are a fool to think I'll betray her!"
Jack pouted, crossing her arms once more, but only after holding her hands up in her own defense, "Okay, fuck, calm the hell down, boy scout. Okay, so you don't want to break your relationship with the quarian, I get that," Jack moved forward and Marcus noticed a gleam in her eye. What is she- before he knew what the hell was going on, she was back infront of him, her eyes inches from his. Her next words were like venom laced on ice.
"So, why don't we share you?" Jack suggested, smiling, "We can both fuck you; at the same time, seperately, whatever you prefer. I don't think I've ever seen a quarian naked before, but I'd be willing if you want to," and before he knew it, he was backed against the wall and Jack was kissing him again, but this time he did not melt into it. This time he resisted, a arm pinned below her throat pushing her back. She tried to lean back in, but his arm wasn't budging. When he responded, his voice was power laced with ice and was as cold as the winds of Noveria.
"No Jack," Marcus told her firmly, "I will not share myself with anyone but Tali. You understand? Only Tali. This is not some sick threesome relationship; this is me and Tali only. Get it? Me and Tali. So do whatever you want Jack, but I will not fucking share myself with you."
But Jack wasn't taking no for an answer and her face creased in fury. Instead of punching him however, he felt cold and realized that Jack's form was now wreathed in the familiar azure light of biotics. Charged with these biotics, she forced herself forward and locked her lips with his again, going to unbuckle his pants. She thinks she can rape me? She honestly hasn't been paying attention.
Before she could do anything more, he charged up his own biotics and sent her flying back into the wall opposite him, only just missing the fish tank. Still fully charged, he began to prepare for a further attack from Jack, but only got a muffled grunt followed by...by...sobbing?
His azure glow dissipated as the anger melted from his face, the spectre looking down on Jack who, he was damn sure, was sobbing. When the convict looked up, this confirmed his suspicions; tears dripping down her face and cheeks, mascara creating a black inky substance in her tears that made it look like she was crying something evil. Her eyes were full of sorrow, something that was rare for the biotic powerhouse.
He moved to help her up, but she shoved him back with a biotic pulse and stood up, looking at him and spitting in his face, causing him to almost stumble backwards. All he heard from the convict, apart from her choking sobs was her departing words, "Fuck you!"
The doors slammed shut and Marcus wiped the saliva from his face and looked down at the spot where Jack had collapsed to the ground from his biotic push. He cursed himself, feeling ashamed and not ashamed for what he did. He melted into the chair, not knowing what to think.
I stayed loyal to Tali and pushed Jack away; I love her, and I wasn't just about to have an affair behind her back. But was it right to push Jack away like that? If she really did love me in the way she suggested she did, then I've just wrecked her. What if Tali at the moment was Jack and Jack had been Tali? Imagine how Tali would feel about that kind of rejection. Jesus...what the fuck have I done!? Was I in the right or the wrong!?
And as he looked at his blank terminal screen, he cursed and slammed his fist into the table, the photo of Tali on his desk his only consolation.
He was both.
"Illium. Where things started to get serious. And we thought we were safe."
- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.
"A stupid decision, in any situation. Always expect danger."
- Reia'Inas pav Earth.
"Yes, Illium was definitely...interesting. And we had really pissed off the wrong people. Or the right people, if given a certain asari's perspective..."
- Marcus Shepard.
A/N:
The interrogation final sequence hints correctly. Next chapter will be a 2251 chapter, but after that, shit starts to get serious. What, you expected a fanfic full of fluff? I'm sorry, but I think I'd grow bored of doing fluff if I did it for too long. No, Illium is not only where the Normandy gets repairs, its where the shadow war begins. This is where shit gets awesome my friends. You'd better stay tuned.
You know what, I've looked forward to doing Requiem the most out of all of them. You'll soon see why. So many sub-plots! What ever shall I do to resolve them? Find out in the following chapters of Requiem!
Now if you don't mind, I've got some Walking Dead to catch up on. Excuse me.
Keelah Se'lai!