"She is going to kill you, you know." Garrus informed Kaidan matter of factly.
"No she is gonna like it. After she gets over being mad." The Major responds.
The two men are heading to the C-Sec outpost to do a little digging. Since Tali had arranged the shipment for Kaidan's "special shipment" he had decided to amend the plan a little. As usual the Turrian was being contrary and hopefully very wrong forecasting his death at the hands of one pissed off Commander Jane Shepard.
"In that case when you're gone can I have your stereo? That is what humans call it right?" Garrus's mandibles flexed in a smile. Damn he really had been getting too much of his humor from Shepard.
"Yes and shut up." He pretended to grouse as they hit the stairs. In truth it was difficult to feel anything but optimistic, Shepard had that effect on him.
In the outpost they met with Bailey who seemed to be on the mend. Kaidan shook the man's hand and explained why they were here in as vague terms as he could. Bailey had been a cop for twenty years before joining Citadel Security, he knew enough to put the pieces together and laughs leaning back in his seat.
"Sure. I am all in favor of giving a man enough rope to hang himself by."
Garrus's translator rumbles a laugh, giving Kaidan a very clear "I told you so" look.
Bailey signals the other two officers out who had been milling about and grabs a seat besides his own so Kaidan can have access to his terminal. Garrus takes up residence behind the two men and the two cops bemoan the shoddy interface, while Alenko sets to work. Apparently something's really do never change.
C-Sec had access to records for most of the races home worlds. Since humanity had gained a seat on the council that now included Earth but the Alliance had already turned over access after the First Contact War. But what Garrus had confirmed was it also included access to Earth side governmental records. All it took was a little bit of digging and a little time, and a VI that Kaidan had thrown together for the purpose to fish it out.
"So Bailey you were a cop back on Earth right?" Kaidan asks his fingers flying over the keys as the Commander looks on with interest.
"So those files are now integrated into C-Sec." He explains bringing up the database.
"Yeah but with all the shoddy interface due to the war don't expect anything to be up to date."
"Not looking for anything current. Actually what I am looking for is archived probably for over two decades." He sets the net wide and hopes for a catch. Typing in his search and narrowing down the dates help but there are still a lot of sources to search through. A few moments pass and the screen is scrolling through thousands of files all dated decades ago, most of it corrupted or just not properly uploaded. Finally there is a chime indicating a match had been found. Holding his breath Kaidan clicks the file to open across the screen and hopes for the best.
"Well. I'll be damned." Bailey breaths.
"She is still going to kill you." Garrus informs the Major as they head back to the commons to pick up Tali's order. The Volus merchant looks at Kaidan oddly as he gives the name.
"But you don't look like a Rael'Zorah." The merchant wheezed.
"And you don't look like someone who wants to ask questions considering how many credits we have spent here." Garrus shoots back over his shoulder. Tali had arranged the shipment from Quarrian space but had refused to get any further involved in Kaidan's "suicide run." Glad to know his friends had his back.
The Volus teetered away and returned with a nondescript package that he handed to Kaidan. The Major pays the merchant and picks the thing up, glancing at the few remaining mods still in inventory. Wartime was hell for supply chains. Turning to leave they head back toward the elevator.
"Sucker is heavier than I expected." He admits to the Turrian.
"I will never understand human sentimentality. I thought of all people Shepard was above that."
"Woman always want you to believe that Garrus. Haven't you learned anything?" He raises an eyebrow.
"Oh crap don't give me that. Now I have to worry about what I can get my girlfriend that won't make her sick. The little rodent was weird enough."
"I don't think I want to know…"
"No, probably not. But if you hear squeaking while you are in the cabin. It's not the bed."
The look of confusion on Kaidan's face made Garrus chuckle that low rumble. He gives Kaidan a reassuring pat on the shoulder in front of the elevator. He checks in omni and sees no new messages. Shepard had finished up with the Prothean and made her way back to the Asari councilors chambers a few hours ago but he had not heard a peep since.
"Listen Kaidan I got to get back to the holding area. Plenty of more soldiers coming in from Palaven. Thanks for the break and I'll see you back on the ship, if you live that long." He gives his best snarky grin as he hits the down button and steps in.
"Well here goes nothing. " Kaidan waits for the next elevator and hits the embassies floor.
Entering the Specter office was still a weird feeling. The emotionless drone of AVINA did not make it any less surreal . Heading over to the message terminal, he checks and sees that Shepard has not been through yet today. Good start. Next he heads to the shooting range and unwraps his contraband.
Less than an hour later he is finished or at least as close to finished as he could make it. He was no Shepard or Garrus when it came to this. He takes a deep breath and pulls out his omni to message Shepard.
Hey, you still in meetings? He pings, his breath caught in his throat for no good reason. A few long moments pass before he gets a reply.
No. In Zakera. What's up?
The wards? Everything okay?
Fine. Just needed to clear my head. What is going on? She was getting edgy, not a good sign.
I am in Specter office; got something I thought you might like to see when you are free.
Be there in five. Was her curt reply. Well here goes nothing.
The door opens and identifies the first human Specter as she enters. Following his routine of checking the terminals first she looks around clearly suspicious when he does not leave the firing range. He waves her in through the glass and she heads over.
She was once again in her sweatshirt and civvies, apparently these last minute planning sessions had not called for dress blues which was better for this purpose anyway.
"Kay….? Whats going on?" Her eyebrow arched as she walks over to the distant controls and weapon layout he had spread out.
"Remember back on the SR-1 when Ashley keep giving me shit about only using a pistol and not a rifle? Even a kid out of basic was taught to use a rifle she said."
"Yeah and?"
"And then you told her to lay off because until she could create a dark energy vortex you would let me use a pea shooter or a slingshot if that was my weapon of choice."
"Yeah" Shepard admits a smirk crossing her features. "Sounds like some smartass remark I would have made. But the practice was just an excuse to get closer to you"
"But then you cleared the bay and had me practice with you. You helped me with target practice but never made me use it in the field." He gestures to the M-8 he had lying on the table.
"I don't know if you remember but on Horizon I had one with me."
"Was a bit busy getting shot at to notice." She crosses her arms, looking up at him. She thankfully left the rest of what had happened on Horizon unsaid.
"Well I figured I would return the favor. I can't teach you anything about rifles that you didn't teach me. I can't compare to Garrus when it comes to sniper rifles and you drive me nuts when you use that thing on missions. It weights almost as much as your armor." He gestures to the Black Widow she had taken a liking to, the same model she had thrown to Legion when she had freed it him from the Dreadnought.
"But this is something I might know something about." He pulls out the pistol he had taken from Cortez all those days ago. Upgraded and modded but still clearly the outdated model that she had used on the synthetic on Mars and again at the fall of Thessia. The effect on Shepard is instantaneous.
"You Sonofabit….You had no right!" She sputters, her hands balled up into fists. She grabs for the pistol and turns it upside down checking the tags, rage burning in her eyes.
Score one for Garrus. He thinks before he goes on.
"You know it is odd." He continues before she has a chance to stop him. " N7's get the best armor and equipment the Alliance has to offer. Specters get stuff that hasn't even hit the market yet. But that pistol looks like what I learned to shoot with back at BAaT." He could swear he heard her teeth grinding as she was looking over the gun, turning it slowly in her hands. But her head was tilted just slightly, he knew she was listening to what he was saying even now.
"So why would an N7 Specter use a hand pistol that has been off the market for 2 decades? One that cost more to keep up than a rifle. So I did a little digging. And I found this." He leans over to the console and pulls up the holo image he had found at Bailey's desk. An image from the original owner of the gun that Shepard now held, a man that she had not seen in almost twenty years. The hair color was a little lighter and the eyes were an icy blue rather than violet but the cheekbones and eyebrows were a dead giveaway. Shepard eyes go wide and she puts the pistol down. The color leaving her cheeks as one word passes her lips, barely audible.
"Daddy."
A/N This was probably one of the most difficult to write so far but actually was one that I had planned out since the beginning of the story. When I first started playing ME3 every so often there is a critical cut scene where Shepard had a weapon and it always seems to be a pistol which is so out of place IMO. This is my rational for it :)