Shepard walked into CIC in the morning. No more gloom or furrowed brow.
"Hey Kelly" he greeted his Yeoman. She turned around and smiled warmly seeing Shepard's expression.
"Good to see you Commander, we were worried when you..." her voice trailed.
"I'm fine Kelly, now I am, just needed a remainder" He stopped himself from scratching an itchy skin, reddened from tattoo.
"Anyways, I'm happy to see you're okay. We've been forwarded three more dossiers. One should please you" Kelly handed a datapad to Commander. A familliar visor and name popped in. We'll hello dear...
"Joker! Set coure on Haestrom! We're getting our favourite quarian back!" John felt rush running to the cockpit, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, now vas Neema, quarian mechanic he met at Freedom's Progress will be another anchor on this ride, anchor he needed to keep him in pilot's seat.
"Course set! ETA 6 hours! I Think EDI already knew since we're closer than should be" Joker said glancing at blue avatar ofNormandy's AI.
"I plotted course to avoid radiation storms. However I extrapolated that Commander would be willing to recruit a member of his old crew" EDI's voice rang through cockpit.
"She's crafty. Still weird and annoying but useful" Joker tried to be grumpy. But he got fond of AI as she was only stable companion during flights and never complained about his...extranet searches.
"Careful, you may start to like it." Shepard laughed and went back to assemble and brief team.
/.../
"Commander, sun activity is unstandard. Any direct exposure to sunlight can be dangerous" EDI's voice made Max let out a high-pitched giggle "Oh joy, and I'm wearing black!"
"Keep you asses in the shade and we'll be alright" Shepard glanced at his team composed of Max, Garrus and Zaeed. They only shrugged.
Running through spots of burning sunlight took a strain on their shield generators. Reaching ruins and outpost set up inside they've found an audio log regarding a Quarian exploration team led by Tali. A nav point was attached to the files.
"Okay, we know where to go" John led his team out into open space when he saw a geth dropship. Would be too nice. Geth space without meeting any geth. A row of metallic clangs announced that a geth squad just landed on the ground.
"Geth!" Garrus yelled and shot from his rifle.
"Shielded sons of bitches!" Max made a professional observation when geth trooper went down after fifth shot from his gun. A burst of electricity ran from one to the other among geth squad disrupting their shields. "Not only you have toys Jester!" Garrus only smiled and turned his omni-tool off.
"Bloody kids" Zaeed scowled. Dispatching group took a minute. Running into ruins, following a nav point, John stumbled upon a radio next to a dead quarian marine.
"OP-1! This is Squad Leader Kal'Reegar! Come in!" Radio glared. John switched it on and replied, "This is Commander Shepard of the Normandy! Your soldiers are down. We're here to assist with the geth."
"Turn to channel 617 Theta" Shepard complied and heard a cleaner voice through omni-tool. "We were on covert op but geth found us. We got the objective but got pinned down."
"Give us your location, we'll get you out." Shepard replied. He was going to cut the channel when saw a drop ship approaching on the next open area. Ship fired a missile to the ground.
"Shepard! Geth just blocked a way in! Search around in ruins, you should find demo-charges to blow the rubble!" Kal'Reegar spoke through the comms then cut the link.
"That's just perfect" Zaeed shooked his head.
"Oh come on, why so serious?" Jester laughed while holstering unknown SMG. "What? They won't need guns anymore" He motioned to dead marine. John ordered to move.
Corridor on the left side was ending with a chamber full of geth. Garrus's trick overloading geth shields and stunning them helped immensely. John was feeling weird listening to audio journal left by Tali, where she marveled about Haestrom and expressing wish that Shepard could see it.
"That's cute" Max said looking at Shepard. "Yeah...ermmm..." John felt awkward right now. "I was talking about the demo charge but this audio was too" Jester held a big device that looked like oversized injector of sort. John only cleared his throat and ordered a move out.
Crossing the yard, avoiding sunlight and shooting geth along the way was tedious task. After they reached other outpost abondoned by retreating quarians John with slight hesitation played another entry of Tali's journal. This one was even more touchy-feely about Shepard.
"I'm getting a strange vibe here" Jester's voice said exactly what Commander was thinking. Max chuckled and picked up another charge. "We should be good bro." John nodded and ordered to move back to the doors blocked by fallen stone beam.
Of course geth also made an appearance but Shepard felt on a roll, his Mattock was packing serious punch and making holes in the geth without problems.
"All right, hold on to your panties jarheads!" Jester yelled attaching charges to the stone and running behind cover few feet from it. A vibrating explosion thundered through ruins. Rubble along with the doors were gone.
"I may overclocked them a bit..." Jester said innocently with a shrug.
"Only you Max..." John shooked his head and laughed at his brother.
A sound of gun fire made Shepard run. They ended up on a porch, overlooking a large yard. At the end of the porch a quarian marine in reddish suit was covering. Shepard hit the dirt and crawled to him.
"Squad Leader Kal'Reegar, Migrant Fleet Marines! We talked on the comms" Quarian shouted through ramble of shooting. "This was covert op but I'm not picky. Tali is holed up over there" Reegar motioned across the yard on the doors, in front of them was standing...
"Collossus?" John spat at the memory of hulking armature the geth were using for siege.
"Yup. My team go shot trying to get it. right and left there are geth but damn Collossus is auto repairing so I can't make a dent from here alone."
"We gonna need plan boss" Garrus took a quick glance over the yard.
"I can get their attention here while you came closer" Kal'Reegar offered gripping a missile launcher.
"No way man, you''ll end up a shishkebab after that" Max realized his xeno company, "Human thing"
"We'll get it done, you stay here and watch our six!" John said to quarian then turned around to his force, "Garrus and Zaeed, right side has sniper cover, you go through there and clear your way, Max? You're with me on the grinder"
"Got something just for that moment" Jester again laughed the way that questioned his sanity.
As Garrus and Zaeed moved cover to cover picking geth after geth on their way, Max and John ran to the left side of courtyard.
"Nice, some shade!" John saw trails of smoke coming from both of their armors. "Got any...'party tricks' ?" he asked Max.
"You know me" He replied pulling a familliar ball from his pocket and rolling it onto geth few yards from their cover. A shrieking explosion later they came out and saw few pieces left from three geth hunters that were coming their way. Using Jester's toys and John's Mattock they cleared a path to flank Collossus. Zaeed and Garrus bring on themselves attention while Jester broke cover and ran closer to it. Before huge armature could take aim on Max he swung something on the machine. Instead of explosion a mix of fire and acid started burning through armor and circuitry of Collossus. John came up to him after armature went dead. "What was that thing? Thresher Maw acid?"
Shepard still had a scar from Akuze where he met Threshers for the first time and acid burned through his armor and leg. "Nope. Thermite. Pure hellfire burning hotter than anything known in a galaxy. Known and tweaked on Earth since 20th century" Max laughed and approached lab doors. Was already fishing through his pockets for something to blast the doors when Tali's voice rang through the channel
"Hello? Anyone alive there?" Damn that voice made John feel warm inside.
"Tali, it's Shepard. Geth are gone, open up"
"Sh-Shepard? How do you even-? Never mind". Doors unlocked and Shepard walked into dark observatory lab. Some gear and a few geth corpses where laying around. Tali was feverishly typing something on a console nearby.
"Hey Tals." John smiled under helmet. He felt bad when she didn't joined him on Freedom Progress, now should be more approachful.
"Shepard!" Tali turned around and gave John a hug.
Okay maybe not that approachful, it felt nice though.
"You show up in the strangest of times! Not that I'm complaining" Slight stutter and accent confirmed that behind visor and purple suit was Tali'Zorah, the quarian mechanic.
"Nice to see you okay Tali" Garrus moved from behind Shepard. Tali gave him a hug too though not so tight as to Shepard. "Kheelah what happened to your face Garrus?"
"Awww we get left out again Zaeed" Max chuckled and glanced at weapon still being hold by downed geth on the ground. "Looky here..."
"Tali, meet Zaeed Massani" John glanced at old merc who nodded, "and this is Max, my insane little brother." Jester picked up a geth rifle and turned it around in his hands. "Hi Tali." he gave a mock salute with the gun.
"Alright, I want a story later Shepard. Right now tell me why you here."
"I'm here for you. Remember back at Freedom's Progress? My mission is still up and full blown. Could use your company and skill Tals" John spoke softly.
"You see now why I couldn't go. But since Admiralty send me here to die along my whole squad I don't care anymore. I'm coming with you"
"Maybe noth whole squad ma'am" A low voice came from the doors. Kal'Reegar was walking up with slight limp.
"Reegar, thank Ancestors you're alive!" Tali shouted.
"More thanks to your old Commander ma'am, he is damn good as you said" Reegar replied. "We can move out whenever ma'am"
"I'm coming with Shepard, Kal" Tali spoke carefully.
"If that's your decision. I'll forward the message and our intel to the Admiralty" Reegar nodded.
"Thanks Kal" Tali happily joined Shepard who was contacting EDI to bring shuttle closer to them.
/.../
"So you are working with Cerberus? I thought it was cover to destroy them. If it's something else, I'm here only for you" Tali spoke irritated. John, Tali and Miranda were standing in the briefing room.
"Look Tali, I'm out of options. Made a deal with the devil without even choice given. That's also why I need you to get through it in one piece." John decided that truth should placate angered quarian.
"Ugh, just don't expect me to be cuddly with Cerberus after they attacked Migrant Fleet" Tali's eyes gave a glare at Miranda.
"I don't know what happened to Migrant Fleet. Not my cell." Miranda answered with icy stare.
"Ladies...Miranda go back and send a report you usually do." Miranda left and John let out a sigh "If it's any better, Normandy got overhaul and I have a drive core and few engineers there that need a boss. I'l show you around Tali" Johnn motioned Tali to follow her.