SSV Cambrai, Nevos

Day 1, 1440

"Blood pressure's a little elevated, but that's to be expected… good progress, captain."

Ria fixed an easy smile to her features, but Murphy wasn't having any of it. He scowled up from his pillows, glancing around the med bay before returning his eyes to the good doctor.

"Why exactly am I here?" he frowned.

"Because you got shot," Ria replied, deadpan. "Forgive me, but I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't check up on you."

"In the middle of a mission?"

"Have you got somewhere better to be?"

The asari put her hands on her hip as she retorted, suddenly scowling to match the captain. She had a good poker face, but hovering by the far wall, Alicia looked a good deal more nervous. Heck of a tell.

"I don't know…" the captain began, slowly. "I might, but seeing as you're keeping me off the comms right now, I wouldn't know, would I?"

Ria's frown persisted, with a roll of the eyes. Alicia shuffled in the background. The captain sat up.

"What's going on?" he muttered.

"Nothing."

"Ria!"

The asari flinched, just a little, and her assistant a good deal more as the captain raised his voice. He sat up fully now, arms folded, brow knitted into a scathing frown as he continued:

"This is my ship, and my crew. What the hell is going on?"

Both medics exchanged a nervous glance.

"Promise you won't do anything stupid?" Ria sighed.

"Promise," he snapped, "now what's happening?"

"…Cambrai's going in for evac," the doctor admitted, finally. "Our team's pinned down on the highway out of Astella."

Before anyone else in the room could react, Captain Murphy had lurched upright, swinging his legs out of bed and steading himself with one hand on the crash cart. The other was already at work tearing the blood pressure cuff off his arm…

"Hey! Captain, you promised!"

"I had my fingers crossed."

"Damn it, sit down!"

Murphy stood, and Ria crossed the end of the bed to block his way, putting both hands on his chest and giving him a warning glare. He tried to step around her, but she moved with him, arms not straying from his chest, glare persisting.

"Sit. Down," she repeated, firmly.

"Fine," he muttered. "But you'd better get your ass down there, doc."

She took a step back, still frowning slightly, arms falling away from his chest to fold over hers instead.

"Wounded," the captain continued, rubbing his stubble-covered jaw with a growl. "I'm betting they've got wounded, and you won't fit 'em all in med bay, not if the asari are coming too."

Ria's lips curled into an ugly expression, quite far removed from her usually pretty features. It was an expression of exasperation, frustration, and more than a little anger. Still silent, though.

"…somebody's got to go down there," Murphy concluded. "You, or her?"

He nodded to Alicia, who stood a little straighter as she was suddenly dragged back into the conversation. Ria turned to look her assistant up and down, shaking her head. There was a Shuriken resting on the counter behind the young medic, a biotic amp visible on her neck… but she was no asari commando, that was for damn sure. Cursing something under her breath, the doctor made for the exit a moment later, grabbing a kit bag from the bottom of the crash cart and hurriedly pulling the med bay door open.

"If he leaves, it's on you," she snapped as she left, directing the comment squarely at Alicia. The human girl just nodded, meekly.

Then, with the hiss of a door closing, Ria was gone, and the med bay was silent once more. For a good few minutes, the captain and Alicia stood in silence, not quite meeting each other's eyes and trying to ignore the soundtrack, the rumble of engines and generators rising up from the engineering deck below.

It was a good few minutes before Murphy broke the silence. Folding his arms slowly, he looked at the door through which Ria had disappeared, then over at Alicia. Back to the door, then back to the medic…

"Nuh-uh…" she whispered, almost pleadingly.

"Try and stop me," he muttered.

Before the young biotic could react, he was halfway to the door, arm outstretched for the control panel. The med bay exit came open with a hiss, and he was through it a moment later, emerging onto the crew just as the ship tilted, and a high-pitched whine filled the air, the ship's hull groaning under the stress of manoeuvres... as he made a beeline for the elevator, the clank of boots on metal began to follow him across the deck - hasty, panicked…

"Hey!" Alicia barked, as he ducked around the corner. "Captain!"

He rounded the corner, thumped the control panel to the elevator, stepped inside and immediately swiped for the hangar bay, doors sliding shut-

And quite to his surprise, a slim figure followed him in, slipping between the doors just in time. With an angry glare and the Shuriken clutched in one hand, Alicia shuffled to the side, eyes fixed on the captain.

"What're you doing?" Murphy scowled, with half a sigh.

"The hell does it look like?" she snapped in reply, checking the Shuriken for ammo. Loaded, the captain could already tell. Asari commandoes didn't leave weapons lying around empty.

The elevator slid down through the decks, weightless for a moment even as the Cambrai spun around it. Then, with another subtle hiss and the sound of machinery grinding to a halt, it settled on the bottom deck, doors sliding open…

The hangar bay had been loaded with cargo, storage crates hurriedly pulled back off Bravo's trucks and stacked high wherever there was space. Quite visible through a corridor in the centre, however, Dr O'Leiph was at the top of the cargo ramp, wrapped up in conversation with Kamur, and a cluster of other crew members. Murphy had half a hope of going unnoticed for a moment, but as if on cue, the turian's eyes flickered over to him, and narrowed. He muttered something to the asari, and nodded their way. Well. Time to face the music…

"What did I say?" Ria sighed, glaring at Alicia as the pair jogged out of the elevator. "I told you to keep him upstairs!"

"She tried," the captain grunted, before Carter could reply.

"What part of 'doctor's orders' didn't you understand?"

"The part where my men are in trouble, and I'm sat here taking orders on my own goddamn ship!"

"Captain, you were shot in the chest," Kamur muttered, stepping up to the doctor's side.

"Yeah, I remember. Don't think you're getting off easy either, I know this was your call."

"It was a smart call," the turian retorted, not denying it.

"Was."

"Captain-"

Click.

All eyes turned to one side, as a scarred figure stepped up with weapon in hand. Vor Hebat was just sliding the bolt shut on a Mantis, fished out of one of the open crates, and after a moment's pause he tossed it upright to the captain.

"Man wants to fight, he can fight," the batarian grunted. "Let's just stop pissin' about and get it done with."

Kamur nodded, wordlessly, and Murphy let the matter rest for now, glancing around at the evac team assembled. Aside from the medics, himself, Kamur and Vor, there were the four members of Bravo, looking variously battered, and Victor Cross, rifle in hand with a look of concern on his face at the argument that had preceded. Even as Vor tossed the captain a case of ammo, which he quickly stowed to his belt, Kamur was getting into full, commanding flow…

"Dr O'Leiph, Miss Carter, clear some space to the aft for incoming wounded," he instructed calmly. "Krogan, I want you on the corners. MG crossfire, you know the drill. Vor, Captain, hang back at range - pick off targets of opportunity. Rest of you on me, we set up a killing field at the top of the ramp. Use the cargo crates for cover, massacre anything that follows our boys in… sound like a plan?"

"Good enough," Vor muttered.

"Alright then. Hero time, people."