"You have no idea how lucky you are!"
Shar gripped as Tali and Samantha finished going over some intel she had received from Rannoch. The galaxy map had been updated and Tali turned her attention back to the Asari.
The young woman was exhausted. She was still in her training outfit and had wet marks from the snow up to her knees. She had offered to help the communication team try to get more tight beam communications and had shown up as soon as she had been allowed to sneak away from biotics training. Apparently Falare was a much more lenient teacher than any of the others and Shar had been scrapping by with the bare minimal effort.
"What is this now?" Tali had only half been paying attention. In truth she liked the young Asari, in one way she reminded Tali much of herself but on the other hand the girl could talk a geth to death.
" The Quarrians have the Pilgrimage. So you go and find something really important and you are an adult. No more being treated like a kid because you proved your use."
"Yes well in the Fleet things were a little more dire than I image Thessia would have been. Besides don't you have a period where you go out and learn about the universe and study with Matriarchs?" Tali remembered Samara mentioning her own youth had been very different than the now solemn life she lead as a Justicar.
" Kinda? But that doesn't mean you are suddenly seen as worthwhile. Hell I worked under Aria for a decade and she is the only Asari to ever treat me like I was more than a toddler." Her face was stormy and dark making Tali chuckle behind her mask. The girl certainly was acting like a moody teenager. Had she ever been that way? Somehow the daughter of an Admiral doubted it.
"You are talking about Plava again aren't you?" Sam cut in.
"She keeps calling me out in class. She is not even my mentor for Goddess sake! If she wanted an acolyte she has 60 to choose from" She waves a hand in the direction of the biotic camp. "Why does she even care?"
"Sometimes those who care about us the most take the longest to show us. Trust me when I say she is pushing you because she cares about you." Tali could remember feeling the same way about her father.
"You have that meeting with Kaidan soon don't you?" Tali looked at the time on her omni. Suddenly the girls desire to be working on anything in particular made much more sense. She was trying to wheasle her way out of going. No way Tali was getting involved in that one.
"If she wants to make nicey nice with the Major leave me out of it. I plan on going back to Omega if there is anything left once Shepard gets back." She huffed.
"Maybe she is trying to give you a chance at a new life? Omega is not known for its long-term plans. You said before you have never even been off the station before coming here."
"Wait did you hear that?"
The Asari tilted her head looking confused. Tali was about to assume the girl was once again trying to change the subject when she actually DID hear something. Sam was looking at the two as if they were up to something but Shar's fingers were already in motion on her omni . A few seconds of static and more silence and Tali was about to turn their attention back to the tight beam when a male voice came through over the deep space static.
"Repeat this is SSV Mikhalovich. We are locked on the dark side of Eden Prime holding off against Cerberus. Reapers knocked out our comm array. If anyone can hear us please respond."
Shar's eyes went wide and a grin appeared on her face. Samantha was not so hopeful.
"It's a loop. We have to see if we can tell who old it is. Bring this up to Kaidain while I look into it but it could be weeks old by now. I never even heard of the Mikhalovich."
Tali hmms and brings up the Alliance ship . This only further excited the youngest.
"Wait wait it is a carrier?! As in carries fighters and Tridents? That's perfect! "
"That is why the name sounded so familiar!"
Tali looked over the ships history. Or rather lack thereof, apparently the ship had been renamed and recommishioned after the Battle of the Citadel. Tali had been with Kaidan and Shepard when the Rear Admiral had inspected the Normandy. Now they were going to look into saving a ship named after the man who had died protecting the rest of the fleet during the attack.
But the ship had been undergoing repairs on Eden Prime when Cerebrus had arrived. If they were lucky the ship had half a crew. They must have had at least a skeleton crew to even have gotten out of orbit before Cerebrus took control of the whole planet. And that had been weeks ago. Sam was right the odds did not look good at all.
Tali exchanged a look with the Comm officer but she had a feeling Shar was not about to let this go. Eden Prime had managed to hold their own against Cerberus ( in no small part thanks to Shepard and Liaraa why couldn't Omega do the same?
"Sam is right Shar, we can look into it and pass word onto Liara when she is done teaching. Why don't you bring this over to your meeting. " She looks at her readout. "Which is starting in 5minets so you had better hurry.
"No." Plava was looking over some reports as Shar told the Major the good news. Shar was not even entirely sure the Matron was paying attention until she uttered her one syllable decree.
"What do you mean no?! It is not even your decision!" She turned back to Kaidan with hope and defiance in equal measure in her eyes.
"Regardless I know the answer will be no." She turned only slightly to look at Shar over the datapad. "It is the only logical decision."
Kaidan looked over the tiny amount of intel they had gathered. It killed him to think they had been there only a few months ago and had been so close to being able to help these soldiers but now it might be to late. Looking at the Asari only made it harder for him to tell her it was the right call.
The joy of Command as Shepard would say.
"Unless we get more communication that there is someone still alive out there she is right Shar. The best we can do is pass this on to HQ." Kaidan tried to be diplomatic about it.
"Of course she says do nothing! She always says do nothing but you! I thought you would have wanted to help your fellow Marines. They have been fighting off Cerebrus for weeks now don't you at least owe them the deceny of reaching out?"
"This is not about Eden Prime to you Shar. And what would you have us do? Reach out only to find Cerebrus is using the ship to seek out more Alliance ships to take over? Give away our position while we still have more civilians than soldiers? " Plava was trying hard to keep her voice cool but Kaidan had gotten to know her well enough to know it was an effort. But Shar was not about to give up.
"No wonder you never made Justicar!" She was smiling a cruel grin that Kaidan had never seen before on the young girl. "You need to follow something to become One. You need to believe in something! You'd rather let everyone die than take action. You even let her die. Somehow you are still here by the Goddess I'll never know why when so many at least died fighting!"
"Enough!" Plava roared and with a flash of blue Shar was suddenly several centimeters off the floor and held in place by a biotic aura wrapping around Plava's fingers and constricting the younger's windpipe.
"I know that look Shar'laran. You will not do anything to endanger the people here for a foolish desire to prove yourself to a Matron who would have left you. ."
Kaidan was about to intercede and order Plava to release the impetuous youth when he noticed the slick smile was back on her face. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed her fingers reaching toward her omni and was about to say something to Plava when the world exploded in pain and a ringing noise. Stumbling Kaidan grabs the rail to support himself.
Plava grunted and dropped the girl who bolted for the door. Strong hands help right Kaidan and he hears Plava activate her omni as the pounding in his teeth lessens. The same pain as when Aria had "scanned him" in Purgatory.
"Cortez lock down the hanger. Inform Vega that Shar might try something in the armory."
Kaidan was rubbing his amp trying to figure out something to say. As usual the Asari beat him to it.
"I am sorry for that…display. It was a bit too personal for my liking."
"And what the hell was that little ending."
"The reason Aria and I did not want Shar to remain on Omega. The little bitch invented that buzzer that interrupts biotics and we did not wish to see Cerebrus wind up with it."
"Wait you mean it is more than just a scanner?"
"Yes. It disrupts the energy field. It is much more painful if the target is actively using biotics at the time. I assure you." She flexes her hand and Kaidan notices for the first time she is actually shaking.
"Shit! Let's get you to Karin." He felt like an ass complaining about a migraine when the Asari had just had biotic explosion rupture in her arm.
"I am fine. In fact I would like to start searching for Shar." She went to turn and almost fell over. Reflexively Kaidan grabs her by her waist and leans her against him for support. Plava looks embarrassed but nods thanks.
"Perhaps the good doctor should be a quick stop first." She concedes.
A/N And again with the loonngg delay :( I have to say that somehow 3 chapters worth of my files got erased and after that I lost quit a bit of my desire to go back and rewrite them :*( But I am actually kind of happy with this result. Let me know what you think! -Raven