"Thinking"
"Talking"
"Impactful word"
From: Admiral Steven Hackett
To: Commander Jane Shepard
Subject: Human Spectre
Congratulations on your election into the Council Spectres. Stay in touch and keep up the good work. You've made humanity proud, Commander.
Hackett out.
Location: Arcturus Stream - Arcturus - Arcturus Station
Hackett POV
This was all he managed to say to her? Nothing more than a few sentences she was probably tired of hearing by now? He felt his body slump into his chair at his private office on Arcturus station. He saw the live feed on his terminal, or rather there wasn't a single soul on the Alliance who probably hadn't at least done so – watched her on this memorable day as she marched forward to the three Councilours when they called out her name.
Her posture had straightened and not even once had he seen her face showing more than professionalism, even when dealing with three of the most influential identities in Citadel Space; her expression had remained a mask of calm and confidence.
She was a brilliant soldier, there was nothing that could prove him or anyone else in the galaxy otherwise. But she was just as skilled regarding political affairs, though the Commander herself would disagree in that matter. A rare find in a soldier these days. Of course, that was only a fraction of the attributes Shepard possessed as a person.
The moment the camera angle had rested on her fully, his main focus rested on her face. He would probably never tire of seeing her ever since he had laid his icy blue eyes on her all those years ago – seven if he remembered correctly.
Her career had begun in the minds of the people desperate to be rescued from the attack on Elysium. There, amidst the chaos, in the darkest hours of the Alliance's oldest colony – a star was born.
A star which light had been illuminating the galaxy – his galaxy – ever since.
The first time he had met her, was on a stage after the Skyllian Blitz. She was awarded the Star of Terra, by him personally. He had been, first and foremost captivated by her unique forest-green eyes. If it hadn't been for the applause, he would have probably been caught staring. Steven had brushed it off as a one-time thing, though that 'one-time thing' turned out to be something more than he had initially expected.
He didn't believe in something like love at first sight. It was something for the young and naive. No, he wouldn't define his attraction to Shepard that way and to be honest, he was beginning to think he was too old for any of this. It was more like the redhead had ignited a small spark from somewhere deep within him that he himself didn't even know to have. Until his feelings stoked that spark into a fire he had a hard time containing whenever she was near.
But he was a Fleet Admiral, and she was the first human Spectre. Would the galaxy approve of their relationship? No, that was the very least of his concerns. More importantly; would Jane be interested in him too? Was the age difference too big between them? What about fraternization? What about...
Hackett heaved a sigh of discontent, seemingly wanting to disappear into the chair. His back hurt from the position, but he didn't care.
It was a funny thing considering he was the legendary Admiral Hackett. A damn Admiral who could command entire fleets with ease yet was too terrified to confess his feelings to the only woman in the galaxy he got his heart set on.
Pathetic.
Looking back, the matters of the heart had never been his strong suit. In his younger days, he was fully concentrated on his career other than the occasional fling. Never really leaving any space for romance or other related things until Jane Shepard stumbled into his life.
In his mussing, he didn't take notice of the secretary that entered his office before she stood directly in front of his desk, trying to get his attention. Hackett quickly pushed the send button and tried not to look like he had any inner conflicts just a second ago.
"Sir, Ambassador Donnel Udina and Captain Anderson are requesting a meeting with you," she informed, waiting for his response. Perfect timing.
"I'll be there in five, dismissed." He nodded, then watched as the secretary left his office. It's better if he busied his thoughts in a meaningful way rather than getting swallowed up whole.
Shepard POV
Jane sat by her terminal in the captain's quarters, reading through her inbox of messages. Her quarters - since she had taken over the position from Anderson. When her eyes picked up one from Admiral Hackett, she hesitated slightly before opening it. Carefully reading the message, she couldn't stop the wave of self-satisfaction flooding over her for a moment.
Admiral Hackett, basically a living legend and in her opinion, an incredibly handsome man (especially in dress blues; scratch that, he looked sexy in everything), gave her a compliment.
Jane usually wouldn't get too hyped up from a simple compliment, though that depended on the person. The sentiment was appreciated, nevertheless unnecessary, except if it came from Anderson or Hackett. She considered Anderson something like a father figure from day one, so it was obvious that she would want to make him proud.
But when it came to the Admiral... she didn't have any particular idea as to why he had such an effect on her. Yes, she freely admitted that she had some sort of crush on him from her time as a young marine though she thought it would fade over time.
Only it did not. Not even in the slightest. She still felt the same 'thing' she had always felt.
"God, emotions can be so troublesome!" Jane ruffled through her red hair in annoyance, failing to make sense of her mounting feelings.
"Ugh, I need some air." The Commander removed herself from the terminal in order to begin her rounds around the ship. Kind of her way of socializing with the crew to get to know them better.
She was in the middle of leaving when the thought struck her that it probably wasn't such a good idea to leave the Admiral hanging with no response, so she jogged back and typed a simple but sincere reply.
From: Commander Jane Shepard
To: Admiral Steven Hackett
Subject: Re: Human Spectre
Thank you and will do, Sir.
Location: SSV Normandy SR-1 – Second Deck – Crew quarters
Akane woke up by nearing footsteps and a faint smell of food, her Byakugan was deactivated so she couldn't make out who they belonged to without making the effort of moving from her bed. Her body was on high alert, expecting any kind of attack from times when she had lost safe shelter and was forced to survive for two years on the outside with nothing but Reaper forces in plain sight. Even the slightest noise could wake her up.
She took a few deep slow breaths to calm herself when another sound interrupted her peace. That was her stomach growling. No wonder when her body had been receiving nutrients only through life support for the last few days and she hadn't had any chance to buy something from her little escapades on the Citadel because she was as poor as a church mouse. Plus, the scent of real cooked food didn't help either.
"Kami, this smells good!"
She jumped off the bed with renewed vigour. Her taste buds were literally on fire and she felt the inside of her mouth getting wetter with each new tantalizing fragrance. But still, even hunger wasn't enough to make her forget her training as a shinobi, though she came close, and the thought put her on guard a bit.
She peeked at the quarian in an ultraviolet suit silently from the corner. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya was her name, if memory served her right, though she was worried she'd gotten the pronunciation wrong at some point. She obviously didn't seem to mind the Commander not calling her by her full name but rather just by Tali, yet that didn't mean Akane had the same right as the Commander.
She noted to ask the quarian about it if a conversation occurred between them, which was unavoidable since the Normandy was so small. But then again, it was her first time on a spacecraft so she only had this one reference.
"Excuse me, Ma'am."
Seeing no use in standing hidden, the young Uchiha call out, loud and clear to get her attention. Tali jumped slightly, then calmly turned around in the direction where Akane stood. And simply stared without any reply, which Akane took as a bad sign.
"I am sorry, Ma'am, but have I offended you of any sort?" she asked politely, waking the quarian out of her stupor.
"Keelah, no! I was just surprised that's all." Akane saw her reflection through the reflective surface of the quarian's helm and it promptly dawned on her.
"AND I CALL MYSELF A SHINOBI?! AN ANBU, NO LESS!"
There was no stopping the frown appearing on her face.
She forgot to activate her Byakugan! Of course, anybody who saw her without would have noticed. Well, at least it wasn't the Commander. Akane could still lie, albeit reluctantly. She had what it takes to lie, yet refrained from making use of it, especially on allies.
"I didn't know humans could change their eye colour," Tali stated, her voice coming off a bit mechanical through the filters of her helmet. The Uchiha pondered for a sufficient answer.
Then spoke, "Not all humans. It is a rare genetic mutation."
It was the truth, even if only by a fraction. She couldn't possibly reveal anything about her Byakugan or Sharingan. It was too soon when they still shared mutual distrust.
"I see, oh and, don't call me 'Ma'am'... I am far too-"
"Then 'Miss'," Akane interjected, making the quarian stutter comically. It forced a small unnoticeable smile to appear on her callous expression.
"Uh, well, I suppose it's acceptable," Tali somewhat retorted, "though I've never been called that before."
Akane raised her brows at that.
"Since quarians are considered as second class citizens, the other races don't pay us much respect or regard as the Council races ever since we've been deprived of our homeworld," Tali explained in a neutral tone that held a small disappointed edge to it.
Akane stumbled over such information during her little information scavenging on the Citadel, though she seemed to have made a correct guess about the info badges leaving much out, especially sensitive information the government didn't want the citizen to know. That much hadn't changed through time.
"I had no knowledge of it." The young Uchiha walked closer to get a glimpse of what the quarian was cooking. It certainly bore no resemblance to anything that looked remotely edible for humans. Hm, dextro-protein cuisine.
"At this point, I thought it a common thing to know about us." She snorted, showing openly how displeased she was with the image the galaxy had of her people. It somehow ignited a long lost spark of genuine curiosity in the young shinobi, like the ones she had had on History lessons at school, wanting eagerly to know more about Tali's species in general.
"If Miss nar Rayya allows, I would like to learn more about your people," Akane asked as politely as she mustered, though it wasn't as difficult as it sounded, she wasn't brought up a brute. This was her only opportunity to learn more facts about the background of the quarian race from a more believable source, so why not use it?
"Since you asked nicely. Our lives aren't easy. Resources are scarce and we are constantly on the move. Everything we do must in some way contributes to the continuation of the Migrant Fleet." Tali began her presentation, and she made sure to remember it in detail.
For she knew Tali wouldn't lie to her, not without her knowing of it. The system in which they've been functioning was somewhat close to what the Konoha's civilians did if they wouldn't choose to join the ranks of shinobi. There weren't many who did, but the few that did had more than their personal reasons to join them.
"There are seventeen million quarians in the flotilla, and each of us relies on the other for survival. The bonds among my people are strong." Akane could only imagine, not having experienced anything similar.
"Unfortunately, we have had to surrender many of the freedoms and civil liberties other species take for granted."
"Such as?" Akane cut in briefly.
"Well, it's illegal for a parent to have more than one child. If our population grows too much, it would strain our resources to their breaking point."
Ah, birth control. It wasn't something the alliance had had to cope with. There had always been attempts to distance themselves from extinction with their diminishing numbers.
"Of course, we also can't allow our numbers to become too few. If our population is in decline, the rule against single births is temporarily repealed. In extreme cases of population decline, incentives are even offered to encourage multiple births. Though the Conclave hasn't had to take such measures in nearly a century," she added, making Akane eager to know what that Conclave she had mentioned seconds ago meant.
"Let me guess, it's some kind of government of yours?" Akane speculated aloud, letting the quarian fill in the answer.
"Close, but not correct. It is more like a civilian branch of our government. Each ship can elect a representative to serve on the Conclave and make decisions that affect the fleet as a whole."
Akane didn't miss how Tali's tone lightened up when talking about her people, a spark in her filtered voice. She seemed to be upbeat the more she delved into detail, switching from politics up to how they created the Geth.
Both of them were so engrossed in the topic that they've lost track of time until a familiar voice bellowed through the speakers of the spacecraft, "I hate to interrupt your little chat but the Commander wants you to come to the cargo hold. Looks like someone is going on a mission, kid."
"Thank you, Sir...?"
"It's Jeff Moreau, but call me Joker," he introduced himself properly.
"Thank you, Sir Moreau."
"Okay, no... drop that 'Sir' or we'll have a problem," he said in his sarcastic manner but underlying it with a threatening tone, "because I suddenly feel twenty years older when you address me like that."
"As you wish, Mister Moreau." She heard him groan in frustration, ending with Tali letting out a giggle.
"Whatever." Joker cut off the connection, leaving Akane alone with Tali again.
"If you'll excuse me, Miss nar Rayya." Akane bowed slightly, turning around to meet up with Commander Shepard when Tali spoke up from behind her, "Akane...?"
"Yes, Miss nar Rayya?"
"Just... be careful, alright?" Tali said quietly, her gaze fixed on the floor while fiddling with her hands. The sentiment made Akane warm around the heart. It had passed some time since anyone cared for her well-being.
"I will and your meal is on fire." Akane pointed out. Chuckling to herself as Tali called out, "Keehla!"
Seemed like she wasn't that hungry after all.