"Phenomenal; simply phenomenal!" Captain Corwin shook Mali's hand enthusiastically. "That's the best I've seen since Shepard himself took out a krogan in full battle armor!" The battered teen smiled tiredly, rubbing at the back of her neck in pain. Mali was burned and blackened head to foot; looking like she had just crawled out of a chimney. Her uniform was torn in some places and covered in little bits of twigs and moss. Her hair was a tangled mess—her ponytail having fallen out sometime during the match—and she was leaning to one side in tiredness. Her team wasn't that much better. Oliver—having took the brunt of the machine for most of the time looked the worse—his hair all pushed to one side like he had just woken up from sleep, and his clothes were even more torn and burned than Mali's.
Ara, Charlie, and Alex looked like they had just walked through a warzone—which they actually had. All three were tired looking, and Charlie's fingers kept twitching like he was still shooting the turret, but besides that they looked more or less ok. Audin had plant and stone debris all over him, as well as scorch marks on his hands where he had handled the hot thermal clips from his guns. Cadence looked the best, barely marked or flustered at all—a true testimony that she had avoided most harm in the conflict.
At the moment, the team was being paraded around the central box in the arena, being shown off by the council of the N7 program to all their associates and benefactors that had attended. As much as the team needed some R & R, the council wouldn't have any of it and insisted that they be shown off. So, seven black, beaten, unruly, exhausted kids were wandering around the central box like zombies back from the dead with the orders to smile, shake hands, and say how great they thought the N7 program was. The only good thing that came out of all this was that there was a refreshments table in the room, which they had hit the moment they had seen it. Mali had almost spilt the lemonade in her little plastic cup about six times when people had slapped her on the back for a "job well done."
She had just excused herself (finally!) from the throws of Corwin and was just starting to eye a comfy seat in a corner of the box room when Admiral Dickens approached with a man on his tail. From across the room Mali saw both Shepard and Liara watching her out of the corner of their eyes from their respective conversations. She could feel the tension radiating off them like heat waves off hot pavement all the way across the room. Liara's eyes held the look that was especially reserved for the times she thought that Mali was in danger—sort of a fiery nuclear mushroom contained in her eyeball that warned people not to even think about messing with her daughter. It always made Mali feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside when she saw the momma bear coming out—oh how she loved being an almost-adopted kid.
The man was wearing a crisp dark blue suit, much like a military uniform, with matching shoes. He was tall, standing nearly a foot and a half taller than Mali. He had greying hair cut into the typical short military style, with dark, expressionless eyes that betrayed nothing. He was in good shape for his age, with broad shoulders and a strong chest. Part of being a good politician was keeping up their public image, or so they say. He strode up only a pace behind Dickens, and when they were finally face to face, Mali could tell he was trying hard, but failing, to contain his excitement. Dickens smiled at her and gestured to the man beside him. "Somali, I would like to introduce you to Donnel Udina, the chosen human representative on the citadel council."
"Please to meet you sir." Mali dipped her head in greeting. Udina stuck his hand out in greeting, and when she took it, he shook it vigorously.
"Such a pleasure, Ms. Avon. I have been looking forward to meeting you for a very long time." He smiled warmly at her, but to Mali, she felt that it did not reach his eyes. Deep within her, something painful stirred when their hands touched. It was as if her body was telling her to flee from this man. Mali shook her head slightly, to get rid of the strange feeling; she just attributed it to her dislike of politicians. She tuned in to what the councilor was saying. "And I said to myself, I must see her in action! And what a treat it was! It was everything I could have imaged and more!" He looked down at her, shaking his head in disbelief. "I had been given a full report on your abilities, but what I saw today was beyond what we thought you could do. Where did those plant powers come from?" Mali smiled politely.
"It's a new development sir." She replied. Udina clapped his hands. Several people glanced around the room, startled from their conversations by the sound.
"Indeed! I cannot wait to see what's next!"
"Well sir, I cannot say. Right now my future is very uncertain." Mali replied. Udina sobered and lowered his voice. He leaned down so they could talk without being overheard.
"Ah yes, that little nasty business of the trial. I will use all the leverage at my disposal to make certain you are taken cared for." He smiled. Mali was reminded of what a diver might see right before he is swallowed by a great white. "Don't you worry Somali, the council would not let such a valuable resource go to waste." He continued. Mali hid a frown.
"Thank you sir, for your consideration in my case. I look forward to the days to come." Mali answered.
"And many there will be." Udina replied, standing straight again. "I so look forward to working closely with you, Somali." He offered his hand again in parting. Mali took it cautiously. She just nodded, not wanting to bind herself to such a contract. For just a second, as he turned away, Mali thought she saw something glint in his eye, something horrid and evil as he stared at her. But then it was gone, and he had turned his back, already moving on to another conversation. Shuddering with distaste, Mali made her way through the milling crowd to stand beside Liara, who was talking to a friend. Silently, Mali reached out and took her hand. It was warm and comforting, and held fast to her own.
"What is it?" Liara asked her when her friend had gone.
"Nothing." Mali sighed. "It's just good to know that some people don't have ulterior motives for being around me." Liara laughed a clear bell like tone.
"Mali, even when you are serious you are funny." She put her arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry, there are good people in the galaxy, they are just hard to find now days. I take it you weren't impressed with Udina."
"The man practically yells backstabbing snake!" Mali chuckled.
"Indeed." Liara nodded. "Now you should go clean up, you smell." Mali rolled her eyes.
"By the way, Liara, how'd you like my newest little stunt?" Mali asked mischievously. Now it was Liara's turn to roll her eyes.
"Being your almost-mother, I would say that that was the stupidest, most dangerous thing you have done yet and now your grounded for a month, but also being your teacher, and an ex-military soldier myself, I have to say that was pretty awesome." She hugged her tightly and Mali smiled. "But don't think this gets you out of being grounded."
"Hey," Mali looked up, "I've been meaning to show you something." She smiled.
"What?" Liara asked, curious.
"Come on," Mali took her hand, "its outside."
"It's nothing dangerous?" Liara raised an eyebrow sarcastically, only half joking.
"You'll see." Mali grinned. The accompanying asari rolled her eyes.
"This is a recipe for disaster. Human teenager leading clueless asari into the wilderness, never to be seen again." Now it was Mali's turn to roll her eyes. She led the adult out of the on-looker's box and down the three flights of metal stairs that led to a door, which through it, led to the arena. It was quiet now, there was no one around. The battle had been long over, but the damage it had caused could be seen all around. There was trampled plants and grass everywhere, and rubber bullets littered the ground. Many holes populated the ground, a testament to the many land-mines people had planted. Trees were askew, and in some places even cracked or had fallen over. Mali led Liara deep into the small forest, looking for an untouched (or as close as she could get) patch of woods and plants.
"Ah, here we go." Mali said to herself as she spied a bit of tangled undergrowth in the corner of the woods. It was small—barely a tree and a few shrubs, but it would suffice.
"Is this it?" Liara gave it skeptic eye. Mali was reminded of the time Liara had been inspecting her ill-fitting clothes the night in the house.
"I thought you might want to get a firsthand experience." Both of Liara's eyebrows shot up this time, almost all the way to her hairline (if she'd had one).
"What are you saying?" She crossed her arms. Mali tugged her down onto the soft turf, sitting across from one another crisscross apple -sauce.
"Just relax. Close your eyes."
"Mali…" The girl looked the woman in the eyes.
"Do you trust me?" Liara looked at her for a long moment, then gave a relenting sigh and closed her eyes. Mali smiled in pleasure.
"Now what?" Liara asked tersely. Instead of answering, Mali breathed deeply and closed her eyes, taking the asari's hands in her own. Something had struck her late the night before, when she had been thinking about how Liara had taken her power, and since she had thought it she hadn't been able to get it out of her mind. Her plant powers emanated from being able to manipulate the force of energy inside the plant to do her bidding. The energy inside a biotic person wasn't much different. Mali believed that she could do the same thing with them as she could with plants—she just didn't know to what degree.
Reaching out inside herself, Mali connected to the flow of Liara's energy. It flowed free and fast; touching it was like refreshing yourself in a clear mountain stream. Liara shifted slightly, as if her body was aware of the connection. Mali moved deeper, and slowly, gently, manipulated her flow of energy, but not in the way she usually did. Instead of forcing it to move the body, Mali just pulled its essence—something that could be best described as like a thin ball of energy, swirling in its purest form—and started twining it to the life-force of the plants around her, and also her own. As the connection grew stronger, Mali became aware that Liara was becoming aware of their surroundings for the first time. Mali knew that the doctor could finally sense the plants around her like she could.
The pace of the asari's energy quickened as she explored her new surroundings, touching each life force, diving into it, becoming a part of it. Mali let Liara explore for over a half an hour, holding on as long as she could, but the strain was growing too much, with a tense grunt, Mali let all the connections slide away—her body feeling soar and stiff from the hard grip she had kept upon it—and let her eyes open. Liara gasped as she came back to herself, rocking a little bit as her essence faded back into her. Sweat had broken out on Mali's brow; she wiped it away with a dirty sleeve.
"That was amazing!" Liara crowed excitedly. "How did you do that? Is that what it's like for you all the time? Was I really sensing plants?" Mali held up a staying hand as she regained her breath. "Oh, sorry." Liara apologized, "I didn't know that it would take energy from you."
"Every action that you do must take energy." Mali replied, "To tell you the truth, I didn't actually know if I could do that, I'm glad it worked out ok."
"Thank you." Liara's voice was filled with gratitude, "that was amazing." Mali only nodded her head and got up, brushing off her pants.
"Well I thought, since I don't have many days left, I thought—"Suddenly she was crushed into a fierce hug.
"Whatever is going to happen will happen Mali, but I won't let them take you away from me. You hear me? I'll fight for you." Liara growled with ferociousness. Mali nodded into her shoulder.
"Ok." Was all she said.
Later that night Mali sighed with exhaustion as she slipped beneath her sheets, clean and damp from her shower. "Vic, when do we not have a crazy day?"
"With you? Never." Mali groaned.
"That's what I thought." She reached over and turned out her bedside lamp. She lay on her back in the darkness, staring up at the dark ceiling, and tried to relax, but her body refused. Mali felt like all her experiences over her life were finally converging to this one point, and that it was finally all coming together. She felt like she was on the verge of something huge, something that could change her life, as long as she stayed alive long enough to experience it. "You know Vic, these could be our last days." Mali whispered. "This awesome duo could very soon be broken up for good."
"I know." Vic answered. Mali wondered if she had heard a tint of sadness in her voice. They were both quiet for a while, then Mali spoke again.
"You know, you have been with me since the very beginning Vic. I really appreciate that. I'd like to think that we are friends." The AI was silent for a few moments than replied.
"Thank you Mali. Many would not think of me as anything special, just a smart computer, but you have always treated me like I am alive."
"I'd like to think you are. You have a personality, a character, a role to play just like the rest of us." Mali replied.
"I have a birthday present for you Mali." Vic answered. Mali's eyebrows raised.
"You do?"
"Yes. I have decided to give you all of my share of the profits from the omni-color business. What was I going to do with it anyway?"
"Really?" Mali asked. "Wow, thanks Vic."
"You're welcome. With our accounts combined you are now a millionaire. Congratulations."
"What?!" Mali sat up in bed, surprised. She hadn't been monitoring its progress lately (not a big surprise with what was going on and all) and so had no idea how it had been going.
"The business has exceeded all expectations. It has spread throughout the universe. There is no doubt that you will be making millions more for years to come. By the end of next week, if sale rates continue as they are, you will be worth a couple billion and be amongst the top fifty richest people on Earth."
"Wow." Mali sat back on her pillows. "Wow….just wow."
"I know." Vic sympathized.
"Thanks Vic." Mali repeated.
"Anytime. I mean, what was I going to do with it anyway?" Was her sarcastic reply.
I
The next morning Mali woke up yelling in fear as someone startled her awake by screaming in her ear. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY MALI!" Cadence squished her face up close, ignoring all of Mali's personal space. Most of the boys stood around her bed, smiling their faces off. "Do you like our decorations?" Cadence asked. Mali groaned as she looked around her room which looked like it had been hit by a rainbow storm. Party streamers hung everywhere, balloons filled every nook and cranny and happy birthday signs plastered the walls everywhere. To top it all of someone (most likely Charlie) had rained confetti and sparkles all over her bed sheets. How they had done all this without waking her up Mali had no idea.
"Oh, wow….thanks guys." Mali answered. The smell of pancakes, eggs, and bacon wafted through her open door and filled the room with its glorious aroma. "Is that breakfast?" Mali smiled. She liked this surprise much better.
"Yah, made specially for you." The boys grinned. "Come on, let's eat!" Mali stumbled out of bed, trying not to squish any of the balloons or get confetti on her clothes, and followed them out. She found Oliver and Ara in the kitchen finishing up making breakfast. A stack of colorfully wrapped presents were sitting on one side of the kitchen table. When she walked in, both looked up and smiled.
"Happy Birthday!" Ara said.
"Thanks." Mali smiled.
"Liara will be here in an hour to pick you up for some day out or something," Oliver relayed, "so you better hurry up and start opening those gifts over there." Mali smiled again; she couldn't remember when she had had a better start to a day. Mali worked her way through the gifts, starting with the littlest and working her way up. Mali worked on the first, a small oval case from Alex.
"It's sunglasses." Mali held up a pair of stylish brown aviators.
"Not just sunglasses," Alex grinned, "swipe your hand along the right side." Mali put them on and did what he asked. Immediately the lenses turned dark and everything turned green.
"Cool! Night vision! Thanks Alex!" Ara shot him an admiring glance.
"Made 'em myself." He acknowledged her smugly. "You're welcome Mali."
"Next one, next one!" Cadence said excitedly. The two chefs came over carrying platters of steaming food for everyone. Mali dolled up her pancakes and took a delicious bight, then continued. Next was an oddly shaped sphere wrapped in bright blue poka-dots. "This one's from me and Ara." Cadence smiled, "we pooled our money together—Ara even begged some off her parents to help." Mali gabbed the package with great anticipation and pulled the wrapping paper off, she gasped as a dark red glossy helmet was uncovered.
"No…" Mali said with disbelief as she finished tearing the rest off. Sitting on the table in front of her was a N7 helmet, a piece of a set of onyx armor.
"We pulled a few strings and hunted around some not-so-legal places, the rest is in your closet." Ara smiled at Mali's reaction.
"No way!" Mali laughed. She got up and ran around the table, hugging her two friends. "Thanks so much!" Mali ran to her room and threw open her closet doors with a gasp. There it was, all the pieces neatly arranged. The others followed in after, quite amused.
"The cool thing about it is that it will grow with you—it's all made from really new advanced tech—we had to search really hard to find it." Cadence fingered a corner of the breastplate.
"I cannot wait to try it on!" Mali exclaimed. "Wow, thanks guys, this really means a lot." Everyone filed back to the table to finish breakfast.
"Mine next!" Charlie shoved a poorly wrapped lump at her. Mali smiled and untangled the mess that she could. In reality, Charlie's present was much smaller than the helmet had been, but because of the poor wrapping it was at least twice as big. Underneath all the greasy brown paper (that looked suspiciously like the brown paper takeout bag that had been delivered two days ago) was two black handles made out of some hard material with some nice fitting rubber grips. Mali examined them strangely.
"What do I do with them?" She asked. Charlie motioned for her to stand up; they both moved a few feet from the table.
"Hold them out from your body—that side facing out—good—now press the button on the side."
Mali laughed, feeling rather ridiculous. A slight tremor vibrated her hands as two long blades immediately retracted from the handles. Twin steel blades quivered two feet out in front of her; leaf-bladed, they were double edged and almost glowed with an inner light.
"They are reinforced with alienite, that's why they almost glow." Charlie explained. Mali looked at them in awe.
"How?"
"I know you don't like having a lot in your way and weighing you down, but I did notice how much you loved your double swords. So, I came up with an idea; Alex helped."
"In the hilts is the same device in your omni-tool that lets you build and salvage small materials, only on a larger scale to construct the blades at a moment's notice." Alex explained.
"Wow." Mali examined the blades carefully. They were exceptionally crafted. "Thanks Charles." Mali replied fondly. She deactivated the blades and laid the hilts off to one side of her plate. They seemed heavier now, knowing what they could do. Audin rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously as he handed her his present with one massive hand. It was an ovalish shaped board, only an inch thick and about a yard long, wrapped in hot pink paper.
"Mine is lame, compared to all of theirs." Audin smiled weakly as he handed her the present.
"There's no way that could ever happen Audin." Mali smiled, "and besides, I didn't even ask for presents so…" Mali gasped as she uncovered the present. The underside was pure white and smooth, the top was a glassy surface made out of interlocked hexagons.
"A hover board, so you'll never be late to class again." Audin chuckled. Mali sprang at them all and gathered them into a huge group hug.
"Thank you guys so much!" Mali laughed. "You have truly made this birthday one to be remembered." Suddenly the doorbell rang. They all broke apart, smiling and chuckling.
"That would be your ride." Ara smiled as she started to clear off the plates on the table, "go get ready." Mali nodded, feeling happily giddy, and sprang to her room. Charlie opened up the door, and invited the expected asari inside.
"Wow, you guys went over the top." Liara said as she took in the breakfast and presents.
"Wait till you see her room." Cadence smiled deviously. Liara raised an eyebrow.
"So, what are your plans Professor?" Ara asked from the sink where she was washing syrup off the plates. The teacher smiled.
"You can just call me Liara out of school." The asari replied, "And as for our plans—it's a secret. But rest assured it will involve a lot of oohs and awes and fun."
"Good." The younger girl answered, "Mali deserves a good day." Just then the birthday girl came careening around the corner, trying to buckle up her pants and smooth her hair at the same time.
"I'm ready!" She announced, pulling on some socks.
"Where's your coat?" Liara asked.
"I don't need one." Mali replied. Liara lifted an eyebrow. "Seriously?" Mali crossed her arms, "Liara, I survived for five years without a coat on the streets, and then after the one you bought me wore out I didn't get another one till my first job; moral of the story—I'll be fine." The older woman just continued to stand there.
"We aren't leaving till you get one. And you'd better hurry, because we might be late." Mali gave a frustrated humph and stormed back to her room, grumbling all the way.
"Fine! Jeeze! You'd think that because I've taken down…" The teen's voice faded as she left the kitchen. Liara looked up to see all of the other kids staring at her in awe; Charlie's mouth was actually open.
"Wow," Cadence whistled, "I never thought I'd see the day she would do what someone told her to do." Liara smiled a devious smile.
"See ya guys." Mali came back in, a coat thrown over one arm. "Thanks so much for all the presents." They stepped outside into the beautiful spring morning. The sky shone a brilliant blue, and around them birds chirped happily in the trees. Mali breathed deeply, smelling the perfumes of thousands of flowers wafting up from the forest floor below. "So where are we going?" Mali asked curiously. They headed for the elevator.
"It's a surprise." Liara smiled as they started their downward descent.
"Why will I need my coat?" Mali asked mischievously trying to get a clue.
"Because one needs a coat to stay warm in a chilly atmosphere." Liara winked.
"What, are we going to see Udina?" Mali joked.
"No, I would describe that one as tense." Liara chuckled, "Mali, I'm not going to give you any answers; your wasting your time." Mali knew it was true. Liara had an annoying knack for being like a closed trap when she wanted to be. "However, I do want to tell you something—later tonight I'm going to ask Dickens for permission to adopt you." Mali squealed excitedly and pumped her fists in the air. Liara laughed. The elevator doors opened and the duo stepped out toward Liara's parked hover car. Mali circled around to the side and climbed in, only to be surprised when she saw Shepard relaxed in the back.
"Hey kid." He greeted, "Happy B-day."
"Um…thanks." Mali looked at him, confused.
"I had nothing better to do today." He shrugged. Mali looked back and forth between the two adults, her eyebrows raised. Mali was pleased to see Liara slightly blush as she climbed into the driver's seat. The birthday girl turned back around, smiling, and buckled up. Liara lifted off and they rose above the tree line, gradually seeding up till they were skimming over the tree tops like a rock skipping on water.
"So…." Mali tried to break the awkward silence that had formed. "You guys aren't fighting anymore?" She asked casually.
"We've called a truce for today." Shepard smiled, "although I don't know how it will work out."
"It will work fine." Liara's voice sounded tight. Mali guessed she didn't like talking about it, so she tried switching the subject.
"So Shep, you saw me defeat the atlas, right?"
"Yep, very impressive."
"How many of those have you killed?" Mali wanted to know.
"Well, first, I have to say that I almost always had armor on, and had firepower, unlike you."
"How many?" Mali repeated.
"Probably around seventy or eighty throughout the course of the reaper war. They were everywhere."
"Wow." Mali whistled.
"Liara probably has killed even more than me." Mali raised an eyebrow at the asari who was maneuvering the hover car carefully through the security checks at the campus border. "You've probably never seen her in action." Shepard continued, "She truly is an amazing sight to see on the battlefield." Mali could hear more than admiration in his voice. Liara snorted, embarrassment clear in her voice. "Li, remember the time we stormed the Shadow Broker's base together?"
"The Shadow Broker? Who's that?" Mali asked.
"The Shadow Broker is the person you go to when you need sensitive information." Shepard began, "For decades, maybe even centuries, he ran a massive business off of selling information, mostly secrets and highly classified info, to the highest bidders while at the same time evading every attempt to find out his identity or location."
"Wow, he sounds dangerous. Where is the Shadow Broker now?" Mali asked, eyes wide.
"Sitting right next to you." Mali's eyes grew bigger.
"What?! Liara?! You're joking!"
"Don't be so surprised Mali." Liara chuckled. "I've turned his dark business into a force for good."
"She still knows every little dirty secret in the galaxy though." Shepard wiggled his eyebrows.
"How did that happen?" The teenager asked with awe. Her head felt like it was going to explode with surprise.
"Well, I'll tell you…" Shepard began.
I
"And then, all of a sudden, I hear this voice. It called out; it said: "help, I'm trapped" and I rounded the bend, and there she was, suspended in an energy field she had created to protect her."
"It seemed a good idea at the time." Liara defended herself. "The geth were on my tail; I was outnumbered fifty to one!"
"So how'd you get her out?" Mali asked, sitting at the edge of her seat with interest.
"I activated a laser mining drill to cut myself a path to the consul that would set her free."
"Then, we ran for our lives, with geth firing at our backs the entire time." Liara finished.
"So that's how you guys met…" Mali sat back with a sigh. Shepard had entertained her the whole car ride with his old heroics stories from the wars. They had left the campus far behind, and were heading toward some large buildings in the distance. They had been driving for over two hours.
"Yep. That's it." Shepard replied, leaning back in his seat with his hands behind his head.
"The start of an epic romance." Mali sighed. Liara snorted in indignation and slapped her on the arm playfully.
"Mali! Honestly…" The asari sighed.
"What?" Mali asked. "That's how it was always portrayed in the podcasts." Both adults looked at her, interested. Mali rolled her eyes. "Seriously? You guys don't know? There was like, a fan club for your relationship. I was really young when the war was being fought, so I don't remember a lot. But after, even years after, there was still old re-runs sometimes of the war video footage, and in them, I remember that you guys were always fighting side by side."
"A fan-club? Really?" Shepard laughed.
"Wow." Liara scoffed. Mali frowned.
"Liara, you inspired people. If there was one thing that I remembered from the days of the war it was that there wasn't much happiness going around. You and Shepard gave people hope—through those podcasts—that's something you shouldn't scoff at." Liara pursed her lips in thought, than after a while she sighed.
"You're right—it was stupid of me."
"You're never stupid." Mali smiled at her. Ahead the buildings rose above them, towering over the trees and foliage around them. As they got closer, Mali realized that they weren't buildings, but the bases of towers. The tops were invisible, obscured by clouds. They were white—made of alienite, Mali guessed. "What are those?" She asked. Liara angled the hover car upwards, aiming far above them.
"You'll see." Shepard leaned forward, activating his omni-tool and thrusting it forward so Liara could read off it. Mali quietly snickered as she saw that it was red—Shepard had bought one of their colors. "Its docking bay forty-two, see?" Liara nodded as she read something off his screen. He withdrew, and as he did so he caught Mali's mischievous glance. "What?" He asked.
"Your omni-tool, its red." Mali smiled.
"Yah!" He immediately brightened up. "I found this cool website that sells colors for them finally! I bought blue too." Mali activated hers as well. Its bright blue-white luminescence filled the cabin interior. "You've got one too?" He asked, surprised. Mali smiled.
"Not quite, it's always been this color—probably because I built it myself."
"Nice." He scrutinized it with appreciation. "Very well built." Mali deactivated it.
"Thanks—I like your red color—it's a good fit for Commander Shepard." He smiled.
"Almost there." Liara pulled Mali's attention back outside. She gasped as she saw what lay outside her window. The towers tops swooped up and out gracefully in the shape of a lily. Mali quickly realized that the "petals" were actually complicated mazes of moors were ships were docked. Smaller transports zipped around, flying this way and that, some filled will baggage, others with passengers. Mali looked closer and saw that within the towers were small shops, bars, and restaurants.
"It's a spaceport." Mali gasped. Big white numbers were painted on each dock, and as they flew by, Mali counted them in apprehension. Thirty-eight…Thirty-nine…forty…forty-one…out of the rows of ships, one in particular rose to attention. It gleamed in the sunlight, floating gracefully in its spot. Huge white lettering graced its side in proud, sweeping letters. Mali gasped as she read them.
"What the… that's the Normandy!" She almost screamed in surprise. A HUGE smile broke out on both the adults' faces.
"You should've gotten a clue with me being here." Shepard said smugly, crossing his arms. Liara laughed at Mali's comical expression as she took in the legendary ship.
"I thought you weren't captain anymore." Mali replied, not taking her eyes off the Normandy.
"Joker still owes me a couple hundred favors." Shepard smiled. "Shall we land?"
"Wait, are we actually going in it?" Mali gasped.
"Why do you think Joker flew it all the way from the citadel? Just to admire it from the outside?" Liara smiled as she set the hover car down on top of dock forty-two.
"Welcome to tour de la Normandy."
"Whoa." Mali smushed her face up against the glass, taking it in. The glass fogged up around her as her breath heated it. Liara snorted.
"Let's go—you're never going to see the inside from there." As soon as Mali stepped out she knew why Liara had told her to bring a coat. The wind was powerful up so high. The air was thin and ice cold—every breath was like dousing the insides of her lungs with cold water—it made her chest hurt. She burrowed into her coat as they made their way toward the open gangway of the Normandy, her coat tails flapping in the wind. As they walked Mali vainly tried to zip it up, but her hands were already frozen from the cold. Shepard walked ahead as a man descended from the bowls of the ship, laughing and waving unprofessionally at the commander; when they met they shook hands, and bent their heads together against the wind to talk.
Mali took that opportunity to focus on her zipper, but it was to no avail. "Here, let me." Liara got down on one knee and deftly zipped her coat up. Instantly Mali could feel the difference; she smiled at the asari.
"Thanks." Liara smiled warmly and pulled her into a hug.
"Happy birthday." She put her lips close to Mali's' ear for her to be able to hear. Mali returned her hug in a tight embrace.
"You two coming?" Shepard shouted to them from a few yards away, "or are you going to be mushy-mushy all day?" Mali could barely hear him over the wind; he was already heading up with the other man. The two separated and walked toward the gangplank. As they approached apprehension grew in Mali's stomach; the big ship loomed above her. Without a second thought Mali grabbed Liara's hand, who was striding beside her. The older woman gave her it a quick squeeze and led her up the metal walkway, and just like that, Mali, the girl from the streets of New Chicago, entered the most famous ship in all the galaxy.
As soon as they had entered the gangplank lifted from the dock and the door closed, cutting off the sound of the rushing wind. Their voices seemed unusually loud in the still air. "Wow, it's like we are back in the past." Liara sighed as she looked around the great room. They were in a cavernous room nearly the size of a soccer field, a room Mali could only guess to be the cargo bay from all the boxes that were stacked off to the sides, with all manner of other odds and ends. The man Shepard had greeted stepped forward and offered his hand.
"Hello Somali, I'm Jeff Moreau, but you can call me Joker. I'm the pilot of this hunk-o-junk." Joker patted the paneled wall fondly. Mali shook his hand. "I better get back up to the bridge, dock officials are a pain in the—"
"Ok!...we'll see you up there in a bit." Shepard strategically interrupted. "I'll show 'em around." Joker gave a mock salute, then walked away. As he left Mali could tell that walking pained him, he hobbled as if his legs barely worked.
"He has Vrolik Syndrome; brittle bones." Liara enlightened her, noting Mali's interest. "It makes walking almost unbearable. He must have really thought it important to walk all the way down here to meet you in person." Mali smiled.
"Probably because it's my birthday." Mali arched an eyebrow slyly. Liara just chuckled and shook her head.
"So…this is the hangar." Shepard swept his hands out in a dramatic fashion. "not really much to see or do, however, a few interesting facts: this was where we used to store the Kodiak shuttle that took us to missions, as well as most of our weapons and gear and any odd prothean things we had to cart around the galaxy that Liara deemed "useful" to our cause."
"This is also where we kept fallen comrades until they could have a proper burial." Liara added quietly, years of pain echoed in her eyes. Mali saw Shepard grit his teeth a little.
"This is the best place to wait." Mali said, trying to console them a little bit. "Quiet…big…open. A good place to rest." Shepard smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Let's move on, shall we?" Mali nodded and they left. Shepard took her from top to bottom, showing her the bridge, the crew decks, even the bathrooms. He even showed her the captain's quarters. To Mali, it looked as if it were empty, devoid of feeling, not really his home. However Shepard had tried to impart a little of his personality to it. Ship models were in a display case, orderly spaced as all things were in the military. And there was also a small, yet beautiful and colorful fish swimming in a way-to-big-for-it fish tank. "Oh, that's Frankie, he's a betta." Shepard commented as he saw Mali looking at it.
"Isn't it a little small for the tank?" Mali squinted at the fish swimming circles. Shepard sighed.
"I have found that having more than one is more than I can handle concerning the pet department."
"So Azalea died?" Liara asked, also looking at the fish.
"Yah, when she did me and Joker popped her out of the airlock in a zip-lock so she could wander the stars forever. It was a real space-man's funeral." Mali hid a smirk, Shepard actually had a tear in his eye. "What?" He shot when he saw her face. "We were really close. I had to wait awhile before I was ready enough to buy another fish to replace her." Mali just shook her head and belly flopped on Shepard's bed.
"Thanks so much guys, I really enjoyed the tour." Both smiled.
"I'm sorry I can't take you for a ride, but maybe someday." Shepard said wistfully.
"Why was she taken?" Mali asked. Shepard grimaced.
"Disorderly conduct. I had a bar fight." Liara raised an eyebrow.
"You've had many a bar fight. They wouldn't just take this away from you for that." Shepard gave Liara a look she knew well. Do not pursue this. The asari tucked the conversation away for later. "I have one more place I want to show Mali before we go." Liara said. By the tone of her voice Shepard could tell she wanted to do this one alone.
"Ok." Shepard nodded, "I'll wait by the hangar door." Liara took Mali out and down, to the med- bay.
"We've already been here." She stated curiously. Liara led her to the back of the med-bay, to a small storage closet.
"Yes, but there is a place that is important that Shepard would overlook. My first room."
"Here?" Mali asked in surprise, eyeing the door.
"Yep." Liara opened the door by the keypad next to it. "Still the same code." She chuckled quietly. Inside was a small space, medicine equipment was pushed to the side to make room for a cot and one small foldable desk that held a lamp. "It's still here." Liara breathed, taking it in. "This was the most important space to me for many a month before I got that other room. I have so many memories here." Liara touched the corner of a hand written note that was still tacked to the wall above the desk. Mali sat down on the cot, Liara followed.
"I wanted to show you this because I wanted you to understand that I know what it means to have nothing." Liara looked at Mali with care. "I didn't always have a house on a hill. For a long time, this and the clothes on my back were all I had on a ship that was deep in space, away from everyone and everything I knew; always travelling, never stopping." She had a faraway look in her eye. "I always felt trapped, and lost. It was here that I cried myself to sleep every night after my mother died."
"Your mother?" Mali asked. She had never heard anything about Liara's family until now.
"Benezia. She was indoctrinated by Saren during the wars; she was his right hand woman, so to speak. We tried to save her, but in the end it was not enough. Shepard killed her when she started attacking the squad." Mali took Liara's hand.
"I'm sorry." Mali consoled. Liara wiped a tear from her eye.
"I tell you this so you know that I know what you feel." Liara looked deep in her eyes. "You feel lost and scared and confused; you just act tough and independent so you don't get hurt. You don't want anyone to know how you feel, so you put on an act. You want someone to rely on, someone to protect you because you're tired of doing it yourself—but your also scared of that, of relying on someone, and of people finding out about that. You're just a girl. Just a girl who needs someone to love her. Shepard was there for me, and I am here for you. I want you to know that. I will always be here. I will never say it enough." Liara wrapped her arms around Mali, who had been overcome by her words. It was as if Liara had described her completely.
After a while Mali wiped her eyes and sat up, chuckling. "How is it that you can always make me into a blubbering mess?" She smiled, a little red around the eyes from crying, her cheeks still glistening from tears. Liara smiled.
"Maternal intuition?" She asked. Mali cocked her head, thinking.
"Nah. It's because you are always watching me I think. You look at me and you can just look deep and there is nothing I can do to hide what I am from you. I'd call it a superpower."
"A mammapower then." Liara said, chuckling.
"Cool." Mali smiled. "We shouldn't keep Shep waiting." They made their way to the hangar where the commander was leaning against the wall by the gangplank with crossed arms.
"Had some good girl time?" He teased them when he saw Mali's red eyes and felt what he liked to call Liara's "protective mother vibes". Mali just sniffled and playfully punched his arm.
"Let's go. I'm in the mood for some ice cream."
"Lead the way." He smiled, chuckling. They all piled back into Liara's hover car and they sped away from the spaceport. Mali watched out the back window as the Normandy grew smaller and smaller.
"Don't worry kid, that won't be the last time you see her." Shepard promised. The car settled into comfortable silence as they drove back toward the campus; they all just enjoyed one another's company. Mali settled into her seat, closing her eyes. I could get used to this, she thought, thinking of Liara and Shepard. If only I could get them back together…She drifted off into a light sleep. Mali awoke toward the end of the drive when a piercing ring had jerked her awake.
She could tell that Liara and Shepard had been quietly talking up until this point, and she quietly smiled to herself. "Oh, sorry. That's mine." Shep pulled out a circular object and pushed it into his ear, pressing a button on it as he did so. "Hey Dickens, what's up?"
"Good morning sleepyhead." Liara joked as Mali sat up and rubbed her eyes.
"How far are we?" Mali asked.
"Not far. Maybe twenty minutes? What do you want to do when we get back?" the asari asked. Mali didn't reply. She was watching Shepard in the rearview mirror as his face turned ashen pale.
"Mali?" Liara asked, looking over. She immediately knew something was wrong by the look on her face. "What is it?" Mali's eyes were glued on Shepard; something was wrong. Shepard pulled the phone from his ear and leaned in close, urgency written all over his face.
"Jacob?"
"We need to get back to campus now!" He grimaced, looking them both in the eyes. "The reaper is here."
Mali felt her stomach drop to her toes. Dread filled her.
"How long?" Liara asked, griping the wheel hard.
"Thirty minutes, max."