A/N: Well, this should have been up sooner, but then I had to save the world of Pandora.
Chapter 25: The Break Out Part 3
The Omega Blue Suns HQ…
The commanders have come to heel, but The Patriarch knew there was still dissent in the ranks. He heard the talk and whispers of the troopers. Gossip about how the battles he sent them on were not decisive strikes against the strongholds of Aria's loyalist forces. Talk of how he was prolonging the conflict needlessly, regardless that it's roughly been just 12 hours from the incident at the Afterlife. Even the Illussive Man must think so, because he was just summoned into the communication terminal to speak with him.
Summoned.
Of all the nerve.
The human thought that just because he paid him meant that The Patriarch was his pet. The human had gall, he'd give him that. But that was all he was giving him, because he'd rather take more from this insolent upstart. He walked down the hall and stopped in front of the door to the communications office. Taking a deep breath, he reminded himself of what was important. The Illusive Man was a mere dog, barking at him. No sense getting upset over it, not now when he was so close to his true objective. The door opened, and he was saluted by techs on their workstations.
"Patriarch, sir? Good timing, I was just about to send somebody to find you." the tech in charge said, gesturing towards a large comm terminal. "There is a priority transmission for you on the line, sir."
"Thank you, sergeant." The Patriarch said briskly, walking past the man. "Leave us."
The communications officer hesitated for a moment, before nodding his assent and signaling his men to leave. "Just activate the terminal when you are ready, sir."
The Patriarch waited for the door to close before approaching the communications terminal. With a wave of his hand, a large holovid screen flickered into life, depicting a smoking man sitting in a dark room, his silhouette highlighted with blue light from a star outside a large window.
"Patriarch." The Illusive man greeted, taking a drag from his cigarette.
"Illusive man." The Patriarch replied, not even bothering to hide the disdain in his voice.
If the Illusive man noticed, he made no comment about it as he went right down to business. "My sources tell me that you have yet to seize total control of Omega." He said, blue eyes glowing in the dark. The Illusive man's tone was not of anger, but of a parent scolding a misbehaving child for some misdeed. To be spoken to in such a patronizing manner got underneath the Patriarch's scales, and the krogan merely clenched his fists as he listened. "The stations main control hub, the shipyards, the life support system and the power plants. You guaranteed me that if I gave you enough resources you could take control of them within the day, garnering complete control of Omega in the process. But instead of committing the Blue Suns to those aforementioned places, you have them terrorizing the residential and commercial districts, weeding out Aria's men." He took another drag of his cigarette, the noxious smoke swirling around him. "Do I have to remind you of our agreement?"
The Patriarch had to swallow the rage building up in his throat. "My apologies. I would rather we scout out any pocket of resistance now while they are distraught and caught with their pants down rather than face an organized army to oppose… you." He said, the last word leaving a bad taste in his mouth. "Omega will be under our control, I guarantee that. It will just take some time to-."
"Time is not a luxury I have." The Illusive man interjected, tapping the ash from his cigarette into an ash tray on a small table next to him. "My people have already begun the salvage of what's left of the Collector base past the Omega Relay. To maximize efficiency, I require a halfway point to and from the relay. The sooner we've established control of Omega, the better." Taking another deep drag of the cigarette, he looked over the Patriarch appraisingly. "Because Aria was deemed too uncooperative, I chose you to do this in Cerberus' stead because you are known to the people of Omega. An outside power would have been met with resistance, but the previous ruling warlord? It would be just business as usual. But make no mistake; you are a puppet and nothing more. I gave you the resources to take back what was once yours, to let you relive your glory years. In return, I expect your full cooperation regarding Cerberus matters. Remember this, the Blue Suns, the Eclipse, all those mercs you hired with my money; they are only loyal to their next pay-check." The illusive man took a last drag on the burnt out cigarette, before smashing the embers in the ashtray. "I've given you a lot, but I can easily take those gifts away. Understood?"
The Patriarch clenched his fists, trying to keep himself from visibly shaking in rage. "I… Understand." He replied, his voice calm and collected despite the fire in his eyes.
"Do you?" The Illusive man asked, hand reaching in his jacket for another cigarette. "I know you are a capable warlord, past few centuries notwithstanding." He paused, letting the barbed comment sink in. "But I find my trust in you is wavering." He held a cigarette in one hand and a simple lighter in another. "You have 72 hours." He said with finality, lighting the cigarette and taking a drag to help it burn. "Should the station have not been brought to heel by then, I will have no choice but to work out a new arrangement with Commander Vido Santiago, one where you will have no part in. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal." The Patriarch said through grit teeth.
"Excellent." The Illusive man replied. "There is one more thing I want to discuss with you: Shepard."
The Patriarch felt his fists tighten just at the mention of the name. He was looking forward to killing the man.
"My reports say that the Blue Suns encountered him in the Afterlife while attempting to neutralize Aria. Both have been reported to have survived the assault." He said, taking a deep drag of his cigarette. "Aria's death is inconsequential in the long run, but I am heavily invested in Shepard's. It does not take precedence over Omega, but do whatever it takes. My only request is that you leave me a body to collect."
An air of silence hung around them for a few moments as both stared each other down.
"Is that all?" The Patriarch finally said with an air of impatience in his voice.
The Illusive man looked at the krogan impassively, smoke trailing in the air around him. "That is all. Have a good day, Patriarch." And with that, the transmission was cut off, leaving the Patriarch standing alone in front of the terminal.
The Patriarch hated that man, but they needed him, for now. It wasn't the things that he had said to him that made him fume exactly, but it was how he spoke to him that he hated the most. Truth be told, he did not care one bit about ruling this station, especially if it would be all just an illusion. He would be lying if he did not take some measure of satisfaction from bringing down Aria and her forces. But all in all, control of Omega ultimately meant little to him. All of this chaos and blood shed was just a smoke screen, and an offering.
The Patriarch could feel it, like an invisible force was tugging him towards a vague direction. He could feel it start in his very bones, an electric sensation that seemed to course through his veins and bleed out of his skin. Somewhere deep within the heart of Omega lay his prize, his destiny. War had engulfed the station, and the despair of the dying made the pulling of the force stronger. But being on Omega, a station already rift with pain and suffering, he needed to create despair of the likes which the station hasn't felt before. Only then will the way truly be clear for him to follow.
He had led a life of barbarism and cruelty, but this was to be his absolution. No, not just his, he reminded himself. This was the absolution of every living thing in the galaxy. Somewhere on this station was the beginning of the one true destiny of the galaxy. It was funny how something so great lay hidden under his nose for centuries.
His musings were interrupted by the now familiar ringing in his head. "Viktor." He greeted the alien presence in his mind before it could speak.
"Brother!" The voice of Dr. Zsasz greeted jovially back in his head. "I trust The Illusive man is displeased?"
"Hah! How he feels is of no importance." The Patriarch scoffed. "But he did give me an ultimatum."
"So I've heard... 72 hours, eh?" Zsasz replied with amusement. "We must find it before the next 72 hours, then."
"It matters not. Your associates do not scare me, brother." The krogan warlord said, beating a fist to his chest. "Let them come. The resulting slaughter will make our prayers to the Father louder."
"Ah, but Cerberus does pose a risk to us, dear brother." Zsasz said, a rare tinge of seriousness in his voice. "If they detect the presence of our Father in Omega, they will become a bothersome obstacle to overcome. Can you imagine the Father's power abused by such a selfish megalomaniac like the Illusive man? I will not stand for it!"
"Neither would I." The Patriarch agreed. "Do not fret yourself, Viktor. With things the way they are now, I would have found it long before 72 hours have passed."
The reply seemed to have calmed Zsasz down as the tension disappeared from his voice. "Yes, I look forward to the discovery." Zsasz said. "And what about Shepard?"
"What about Shepard?" The Patriarch said, amused by the question. "Our plans have already been set into motion. I will kill him, brother. He will not obstruct Father's will."
"See to it that he doesn't!" Zsasz snapped. "Do not make the mistake of underestimating the man, Patriarch. He is the only one who can possibly stop us now."
"I said I would kill him, brother." Patriarch replied with a tone of finality. "That should be enough to quell your doubts."
"Very well…" Zsasz conceded, knowing it was pointless to push the issue. "How is Tarrana faring?" he asked.
"Like a loose cannon; Head strong and foolish." The Patriarch replied, sneering. "I cannot deny her devotion to the Father, but she acts like a spoiled child. What Father saw in her to see her fit for our family, I may never comprehend. She knows of our purpose, but still she clings to worldly possessions!"
"The Normandy?"
"Yes, that blasted ship… What good will it be for what is to come?"
"She always did have a fascination for it when she saw the Normandy's schematics…" Zsasz said, letting nostalgia take him. "Tarrana has always had her own way of interpreting the will of the Father." He continued. "Nevertheless, we are family, and she is one of our youngest. Watch over her, and make sure she does not go astray."
"Of course... Speaking of which, how is our youngest sibling?"
"Haha! The lad should be here any moment!" Zsasz said, his voice cheery at the mention of Gemini. "The last and greatest of us is about to complete our family. We are closer to our goal, Patriarch. I can see it. No, no, I can taste it! It tastes of cream and blood… But enough of my ramblings, we all have our parts to play. Good luck, brother."
"And to you as well, Viktor." The Patriarch said. "In the name of the Father."
"In the name of the Father!" Zsasz replied with fervor.
The ringing in his head ceased, and the Patriarch knew the intrusion in his mind was gone. Zsasz was right; he still had a part to play in this, and a sword now hung over his head. 72 hours did not seem like much time, but he was close, and indeed, he could taste it. Not to say that it made the task at hand simple. With so much going against him, he needed some kind of edge. A smile formed on his craggy lips as an idea came into his mind. Walking out of the room, he gestured to the techs loitering in the hall that he was done. The techs saluted him and filed back inside to resume their responsibilities.
The Patriarch walked down the hall, towards the medical bay. He had known it was the Blue Sun commanders who were filing complaints against him directly to the Illusive Man. They may be less vocal, but their resistance to his command was well and alive. Right now, he needed a truly loyal underling in the Blue Suns to quash dissent, and if he could not find one, he would make one.
Tarrana covered her face as the heat washed over the Eclipse, witnessing dozens of her troopers practically being vaporized in the blast zone before the flash blinded her. No cover could defend against such an attack.
The concussive force blew back the troopers all around her, but she stood immovable against it as her biotics planted her firmly into the ground, a defiant rock against the invisible wave of pressure. "Cute…" She whispered as her vision started to come back to her.
The first thing she saw was her men starting to back away in retreat. To say that this didn't sit well with her was an utmost understatement. "No. No. No." She started to chant, her face contorting into a mask of rage as she looked around her. "Listen to me, my soldiers!" She announced, stepping towards the dying flames of ground zero. "My orders still stand... Run away if you wish. You will not be stopped from doing so by me or anybody else." She said with a dismissive flourish of her hand. "But be warned, darlings… never stop running. Run away as far and as fast as you can…" she continued, her voice dropping into a dark and sinister tone. "Run away because I will find each and every single one of you deserting cowards and kill you myself. Slowly. Painfully." The last two words she said deliberately, as if to sear the image of her doing so into their mind's eye. When she spoke again, gone was the dark sinister tone, replaced by her usual musical, sing-song voice. "Now make your choice, darlings. I am confident all of you will make the right one, yes?"
The troopers looked at each other; torn between their fears of probable death against the forces of the Normandy should they push forward or certain death at the hands of Tarrana should they run away. Even the asari troopers seemed hesitant at first, but they were still the first to follow after their leader through the ashen ground of the blast zone. The rest seemed to just gulp and shrug in unison as they followed suit as well.
How they felt wasn't any of Tarrana's concern. All that mattered to her, as her high heeled boots trampled atop the people shaped ashes on the ground, was her acquisition of the Normandy. She still had a good number of soldiers left, and enough mechs to compensate for the sudden lack of manpower. She'll worry about increasing the ranks later if she needs to, not that it would matter in the long run. She giggled to herself at the thought; No, it really wouldn't, but the trip was always more pleasurable than the destination.
She watched as the two trucks zipped off in opposite directions, her brow slightly rising in mild amusement. She had heard the reports of her men encountering isolated members of the Normandy's crew around the shipyard. It would seem that they used the devastation of the cain as a distraction to mount some kind of rescue. How noble, she thought, a coy smile playing on her lips. "Kerys, Vivian." She called out, a few moments later two of her asari lieutenants bowed before her.
"My lady?" They said in unison, their voices expectant.
"Darlings, those two trucks hovering around bother me." She began, pouting her purple painted lips. "It would seem they are trying to rescue their friends. Deal with it for me, yes?"
"Yes, my lady." The pair said in unison, seemingly having decided who should go after which truck silently as they strode off in opposite directions.
"Make me proud, girls." Tarrana called out as they took their soldiers and headed out. She needed to rebuild her Luna Eclipse after this debacle, and both those two girls were prime candidates for ascension. She licked her lips, looking forward to the process. Her smile lingered as she went back to the business at hand.
"Excuse me, my lady?" a voice behind her suddenly asked.
Tarrana turned to see Claire, one of her human lieutenants. The poor girl practically grew a shade lighter when she laid her eyes on her, involuntarily gulping, realizing she had garnered Tarrana's full attention. She knew her non-asari lieutenants were indeed eager to get back on her good side, distancing themselves from Filon's foiled scheme. It was amusing that the usually timid Claire was the first to approach her. "Yes, my dear?"
"The teams you sent to deactivate the repair process have been setback." Claire began, slowly finding her footing as she spoke, gaining more confidence. "My heavy division is ready to destroy the machinery should we need to resort to that."
"My, my, how eager…" Tarrana replied, putting a finger to her lip as if considering the thought. "That will not be necessary. Let the repairs finish, unless of course you are offering to finish it by hand when we take control of the Normandy? Now off with you."
"I, ah- Forgive me for talking out of place my lady." Claire replied, bowing as she stepped back.
"So long as you know." Tarrana dismissed. They'll all be eager to please her now, she thought. As they should be. "Alright then, as for the rest of you… forward!"
It didn't take long for the shooting to pick up it's pace. As the bullets began to fly, Tarrana twirled in her step like a graceful ballerina, bullets whizzing past by her as she dipped into cover, her troopers following suit in a simpler fashion fit for commoners such as them. She pulled out her weapon of choice, a prototype assault rifle of her own design she had dubbed the Last Kiss. It was beautiful and devastating weapon, a theme most asari-made weapons shared, and one that could be compared to it's wielder. It was light enough with enough stability to allow it's usage with one hand, and fired semi-automatic bullets laced with a slow acting poison of her own design as well. It was a weapon that let its victims suffer a long and painful death should the bullet wound not kill them outright. With Tarrana's aim and skill however, the bullet wound usually did kill her victims outright, unless of course she wanted them to suffer first.
With a sickeningly sadistic smile, she swung out of cover and unloaded at the defenders of the Normandy. Several of the white armored troops in the distance fell over dead before she had to go back into cover, bullets just barely missing her head. She giggled as she popped the heat sink on the gun. "My, my, it's been far too long since I was on the front lines of a good fight!" Tarrana announced as if commenting on the sweetness of a cake. "It makes my toes curl!" She cooed, popping out of cover again to return fire. "They do not have enough guns to aim at all of us all at once! Advance in units and keep to cover! I want the mechs front and center; we'll use them as shields for our advance!" She yelled out, her voice's volume amplified by her suit as she directed troop movements the old fashioned way seeing as how the comms were still down. "Turner, Alina, Maron, take their right flank and catch them in the crossfire! Claire, Gillian, Dooka, your squads are to remain stationary and provide cover fire for the rest of us! As for the rest of you, follow my lead! Go!"
"Yes, my lady!" The Eclipse troopers said in unison as they scrambled to their positions, closing in on the Normandy, guns blazing in their wake.
Tali was curled up underneath cover as bullets ricocheted against it, all but completely pinned downed against the Eclipse. If there ever was a worst case scenario, this was it. She was outnumbered, out gunned and outflanked. She chanced a blind shot every now and then, but the act seemed futile. The only thing that kept her in the fight was the multiple drones she kept generating, severely depleting her omnitool's energy. They would cause a few moments of distraction before succumbing to the sheer amount of gunfire directed at them.
Even if she refused to acknowledge it, something in the back of her head knew that she was not coming out of this alive short of divine intervention. The only thing keeping her hope alive was him. She couldn't die, not until she spoke to him again. She had just realized new insights about their relationship, about how foolish she was and about how much he really meant to her.
She hugged her shotgun close to her, just waiting for one of the Eclipse troopers to come into view. She knew some basic CQC, undergoing military training prior to her pilgrimage, but she knew the odds that were stacked against her made that option more than unrealistic. That doesn't mean that she wouldn't give them hell for their efforts though.
She was trying to control her breathing, psyching herself up, when she heard the whining of a hover engine coming in from the distance, the sound of its approach rising above the barking of gunfire. It couldn't be, could it? She smiled to herself as bullets ricocheted all around her, the dying embers of hope now a roaring flame inside of her. She knew John would come for her.
Shepard opened the back of the truck as he surveyed the ongoing firefight beneath him. More than two dozen Eclipse troopers had Tali pinned behind cover. Not far from them, another squad of Eclipse, comprised entirely of asari, was hurrying to join the fray. Something coursed through his veins as he felt rage welling up inside of him. Despite the blood loss that made his vision a bit blurry, despite being bruised and battered to within an inch of his life, despite the literal straps of bandages holding him together in one piece, nothing could get adrenaline pumping more than seeing the woman you love in mortal danger. "Take us in low, but be careful! There's too much firepower down there for a safe landing!" He said to the pilot, pulling out his shotgun and cocking it. "Thane, you guys provide me some cover fire! I'll go in and distract them while you extract Tali!" He continued, addressing the drell assassin and the two female shadow broker operatives with them.
Thane pulled the slide on his assault rifle and nodded, as did the operatives beside him. "We have your back, Shepard." He replied, before puzzlement befell him. "Wait, what do you mean by 'go in and distract them'?"
"I meant exactly what I said." Shepard replied as he fixed a bayonet onto his shotgun. The truck pulled in low, swooping over the Eclipse and hitting at least a couple of them who were standing upright in it's way. Without another word, Shepard leapt outside, flying towards a group of mercs with wild abandon.
Thane could only stand there and stare at the spot Shepard was just standing on moments ago, half tempted to face palm as he watched the commander jump out of a speeding truck onto a group of enemies. One of the women next to him was rendered dumbstruck and speechless, her jaw slacked open; the other one raised a hand, asking a question despite the disbelief clouding her head.
"Did he just-?"
"Yes, ma'am… Yes, he did." Thane replied as he got back to his senses and took aim. "He just jumped out of a speeding truck directly onto hostile forces." He sighed as he stepped up to the edge. "I wish I could say this was the first time he has done so."
"But that's-!"
"You'll get used to it." He interjected, opening fire down onto the Eclipse below. "Now give the man some cover fire before the Eclipse swarms him."
"Uh, right. Right!" she replied, nudging her companion who was still staring. The two women snapped out of their reverie and nodded to each other, before stepping up beside Thane and opening fire as well.
Shepard momentarily flew like a human rocket, tucking in on himself, before tackling a group of unlucky troopers to cushion his landing. The crash winded him, and Shepard's body sung from the pain of the impact. It was a good thing that he was well past the point of shutting down from pain as adrenaline flooded his system, making a strangely familiar buzz emanate from his fingertips. It wasn't the neatest of landings, but he was still conscious, and he could still feel both of his legs, which was admittedly a pretty good start to another idiotic plan. Though if he was crippled, that wouldn't matter so much so long as he could still hold a gun. Only one thing was on his mind as he lied there on top of several unconscious troopers, trying to get back up on his feet: Saving Tali.
"What the hell?!" An Eclipse trooper exclaimed as Shepard narrowly missed him and crashed into his comrades. Grabbing another trooper, both of them went to investigate the groaning pile of bodies. "Who the fuck are you?!" He yelled as the truck did another sweep overhead, both troopers pressing their guns into Shepard's back as the latter was catching his breath. "Hey, are you still alive?!"
Shepard sighed in amusement as he felt the gun barrels on his back. The grunts should've kept their distance, not that he was complaining or anything. He suddenly rolled onto his back and knocked the gun barrels out of his face with his own gun, then jammed his bayonet upwards into the face of the yelling trooper. The blade went through the trooper's visor and buried itself deep through his right eye. With a twist of the gun, the man went limp. Shepard kicked the corpse off of his blade and unloaded his shotgun into the chest of the other trooper who was about to pounce on him, making the trooper's chest explode in a shower of red that splattered all over Shepard's white armor. Getting up, he spun around; gun at the ready, only to find out that the rest of the Eclipse still hadn't noticed his presence yet, the noise of his scuffle hidden by the gunfire. They were focusing their attention instead on the truck up above and on Tali. He could fix that, he thought to himself as he grabbed a grenade and pulled the pin.
Dropping the grenade onto the groaning pile of troopers he had landed on, Shepard leapt over cover and charged towards another unit of mercenaries. The grenade he left behind exploded, sending gore and debris up into the air behind him as he elbowed another hapless trooper in the neck, eliciting a sick crunch of bone snapping, and hacked another one wide open with a swing of his bayonet, the blade cleaving through armor like a hot knife through butter. The explosion caught the rest of the troopers by surprise as they turned to see Shepard, soaked in blood, cocking his shotgun and blasting another trooper in point-blank range as bloody body parts and scrap rained all around him.
For a moment, everyone seemed to just stare at him, the gunfire going silent. Shepard simply stared back, white armor glistening crimson with the blood of the dead, smoking shot gun in hand. "Hey." He said casually, popping the gun's heat sink and loading a fresh clip.
"Get him!" a salarian sergeant yelled, seemingly snapping the other mercs back to their senses.
Shepard slid into cover as over half of the Eclipse troopers turned their weapons in his direction, the mercs intent on payback for the corpses that he had left in his wake. Setting aside his shotgun, Shepard pulled out his assault rifle and set it on disruptor rounds. Rising out of cover and unloading quick bursts of fire to avoid being bogged down, Shepard flung another grenade into the Eclipse's ranks, sending a couple of hapless troopers flying. He wanted to grab their attention, to give them a different target and relieve the pressure off of Tali. So far so good, he guessed, as bullets whizzed past his head.
His omnitool came to life on his arm, and EDI's avatar projected itself to him. "Attention, communications are now back online." The AI announced. "I apologize for the inconvenience."
"EDI!" Shepard said in surprise as he reloaded his gun. "No harm, no foul. How's the Normandy?"
"All our systems are secure from further hacking attempts, and repairs will be complete in 8 minutes, 23 seconds and counting, Shepard."
"Alright, prep all hands for immediate lift-off! We'll be back before then!" Shepard said over the raging gunfire around him. He rose out of cover and fired back, dropping another trooper to the ground. "Glad to have you back EDI."
"Likewise, Shepard. Go get her."
"Copy that." He replied. Just as he dropped the comm link with EDI, his Omnitool beeped again with another incoming transmission. It was from Tali. The relief that flooded him was indescribable. So much so that he could only stare at his omnitool for a moment before snapping out of his trance. "Shepard, here." He said almost too eagerly as he answered the transmission.
"Shepard, please tell me I didn't just see what I think I just saw." Tali said exasperatedly over the comm as she appeared on the holo projector, no doubt with a disapproving glare underneath her tinted visor. "Just please… Ugh…"
Even under these circumstances, he could listen to Tali's voice for hours. That accent she had made it almost musical, no matter what emotions were toned with it. "Why? What did you see?" Shepard asked, knowing full well what she saw.
"Nothing… Just a blundering idiot flying out of a speeding truck right onto the Eclipse!" Tali snapped. She took a deep breath before speaking again in her usual calm tone. "Please tell me that wasn't you, John. Because that is exactly the kind of idiotic thing that you would do."
"Okay, then I won't tell you it was me." Shepard said, thankful for the helmet he was wearing that hid the smirk that refused to leave his face.
Tali sighed. "You're very pleased with yourself, aren't you?"
"It's good to hear your voice, again. It felt like it's been forever since I last did." He replied as thermal rounds glanced at his shield, but not enough to break them. He ducked back down into cover to let it recharge. "I'm glad you're alright, Tali."
"Don't change the subject, you bosh'tet!" She snapped again, slightly flustered by the unexpected compliment. "But… It is good to know you are alright, too." She conceded. "Even if you did make me wait." Tali said, her tone making her sound like she was pouting. "What took you so long?"
"Things kind of got out of hand in the Afterlife, I'll explain later." Shepard explained as he slammed another fresh clip into his gun, taking a peek above his cover. "I'll make it up to you." He promised, ducking as bullets ricocheted over head..
"You damn well better make it up to me." She said.
"I will... For everything." He said while rising out of cover and sending a bullet right through the throat of an unfortunate trooper.
"Promises, promises." Tali scoffed. "Then don't die on me now, human. I still have my uses for you."
"Dying?" Shepard snickered as he ducked for cover. "The thought never crossed my mind."
"And therein lies the problem." Tali said flatly. "I swear, you're a few notches above being a death-seeker."
"Let me rephrase that." Shepard quickly added. "I can't die yet. I still want to be with you."
"Smooth, Shepard." Tali said, and Shepard could just make the silhouette of an eyebrow rising underneath her visor. "You're one hell of an operator; Garrus should take notes."
"Is it working?" Shepard asked.
Tali sighed as she slapped a palm on her visor. "We'll talk more about the repercussions of your actions later, you insufferable man."
"I'm looking forward to it." Shepard said with a grin, watching Tali shake her head with amusement. "Get ready, the moment we get an opening, the truck's coming down for extraction."
Tali'Zorah was still shaking her head. But despite her annoyance and the thundering gunfire all around her, she could not deny the butterflies floating around in her stomach. He came for her, she said to herself, fighting off the urge to squeal like a pre-teen school girl. He really came for her. She really shouldn't be surprised after he had come to rescue her from the hands of the geth not too long ago. But still it felt… nice?
That man was an idiot.
But he was her idiot.
And by the ancestors she wanted to see him in person again after talking to him like that. But whether it was to kiss him or kill him, she'd decide later.
Whatever Shepard was doing, the Eclipse seemed more interested in him now than they were in her. With their attackers' fire divided, she could now actually peek out of cover long enough without the fear of getting shredded to pieces. It was almost funny how things seemed to progress. One minute she was being overwhelmed and outnumbered, but the moment Shepard arrived, the tide began turning increasingly into their favor. She had to admit that even the simplistic, straight forward methods of the marines were sometimes good enough for the job. Distracted or not, her position was still compromised by the Eclipse, and she had to move out fast. "Moving into cover!" She said, cocking her shotgun.
"Copy that! Providing cover fire!" Shepard's voice said on the omnitool.
Tali jumped out of cover and advanced onto a more secure position behind some crates up ahead. Tali unloaded on her attackers as she ran, bullets trailing behind her every step as she exchanged fire with the Eclipse. She slid behind the crates, her shields shimmering from shots that had tagged her. Her shields held and she was otherwise okay, but the concussive force of the shots still stung and winded her. She clutched her aching side for a moment before shaking it off. Pain was fleeting, but death was permanent.
"You alright?" Shepard asked over the comm.
"Been better, thanks." She ran her hand over her omnitool to activate her drone module and synthesized another body for Chiktikka. "Sending out a drone."
"They're all bunched up and just begging to get tazed." Shepard's voice said on her omnitool
"Good, let's indulge them." She replied as Chiktikka erupted from Tali's palm, flying straight towards the enemy.
The drone weaved in and out of fire, quickly finding it's way among the Eclipse and sending out a quick pulse of electricity, shocking several nearby troopers and fizzling their shields. She advanced out of cover again, watching as Shepard was finishing off the unshielded troopers that Chiktikka had just attacked. She dove behind another pile of crates as a third voice joined their comm.
"Shepard, Tali." Thane began urgently. "We need to get you out of here now. Another Eclipse squadron is quickly approaching!"
"Copy that, Thane." Tali replied, "I'm advancing towards Shepard as fast as I can."
"Make it quick, we're barely holding them back."
Shepard peered across the side of his cover to see that another group of Eclipse was indeed quickly advancing on them. He was only able to do this well against this many with the element of surprise. Engaging them in combat was not an option. "Damn it, there's no time! I'll split you the distance and meet you at the middle, Tali." He said over the comm as he reloaded his rifle.
"Are you crazy? At the angle you'll be running from, it would be harder to get into cover! Just wait for me!"
"We don't have a choice!" He urged, "Quickly, before they regroup!"
"Don't die, John." She pleaded.
"I love you." Shepard said, just before running out of cover and firing wildly with his assault rifle at the Eclipse's general direction. Bullets were soon whizzing around him, splattering off of his shields as he bolted towards the extraction point. He didn't even bother sliding in behind cover so much as vaulting over them, trying to cover as much ground as possible. His rifle clicked empty, and he tossed it aside as dead weight, pulling out his pistol and firing blindly behind him instead.
He saw the truck land up ahead, Tali already there as his antics made the Eclipse focus on him instead. Thane and the Shadow Broker operatives had disembarked, giving him some cover fire as he ran the length of the home stretch. Several more yards off and his shields shattered from the constant fire, then he immediately felt the next shot penetrate his light armor, the bullet biting into his shoulder, just in time as he leapt over cover, more bullets flying past his vulnerable form and ducking into a roll safely behind it. Tali helped him back up to his feet as they made their way inside the back of the truck.
Thane and the other quickly got back in behind them, guns blasting away at the advancing Eclipse. "We have them! Go! Go!" he told the pilot. The truck quickly rose into the air and zoomed pass the Eclipse below, bullets peppering off of it's armor.
Meanwhile, Tali was tending to Shepard. "Keelah, John." She said as she laid Shepard down against the wall and took into account his battered armor, inspecting him for any injuries. "You've been hit!" she said as she found the hole on his shoulder guard.
"It's just a graze." He said as he took off his helmet, revealing his bruised face.
"What happened to your face?!" Tali said in alarm as she cupped one of his cheeks, looking over the damage.
"I hope this isn't a deal breaker in our relationship." Shepard said with a tired smirk. The remark earned him a quick slap on the less bruised side of his face. "Ow." He said, feeling his whole body hurt from the strike.
"You…! You…! You idiotic bosh'tet!" Tali fumed as she fumbled for some medigel in her omnitool and applied it onto Shepard's shoulder. "Don't joke about this! You almost got yourself killed out there! It's the same thing with you, over and over and over again!"
"Tali, I-" Shepard began to say, before getting cut off.
"You what, John?" She demanded, letting the flood gate loose of all the pent up emotions that had been growing inside of her. "You said you wanted to grow old with me? Well what about what I want, huh? I want to grow old with you, too. But you just keep on… ARRRGH!" She growled, clutching the sides of her helmet as if to massage her temples through it. When she spoke again, her voice was much calmer. "I understand why you do all these things, Shepard. All the death defying feats of bravery, all the selfless heroics, all the sacrifices you've made; you do it all for the greater good. This galaxy needed a savior, and for some reason, it was you who was chosen to answer the call. I'm glad it was, because that's how I met you." She paused for a while, just looking into his eyes. "So please, I know I can't ask you to stop being the hero, but let me help you so we can carry the weight of the galaxy together."
"Tali…" Shepard said, reaching out to hold her hand.
"One more thing!" She snapped, causing Shepard to flinch. "I love you too, you insufferable bastard." Before Shepard could say anything else, the hiss of depressurization filled the air as Tali pulled off her visor, closing the gap between them and planting her lips fully on his.
Shepard was shocked at first, but he eased himself as he got lost in the softness of her lips, the taste of her tongue and the gentle nipping of her teeth. Grabbing the back of her head, Shepard pulled her in to a deeper kiss, causing Tali to squeak in surprise as he responded to her affection in kind. The fight was far from over, but they could have this one moment just for them.