Chapter 15
Kel'Res Ruins – Haestrom
"Kal'Reegar is secure. Everyone start bringing that thing down, but DO NOT get caught in its line of sight! Especially if you're in the sun!" she ordered as she rushed forward across the battleground. The machine's head kept focusing and refocusing on Garrus's holographic distractions while its autoguns spun and focused on Grunt.
Both Grunt and Jacob started blasting it with fire from their weapons. With Jacob's automatic assault rifle and the massive punch from the claymore shotgun, its shields barely lasted. Unfortunately, the rounds did little to no damage against its actual armor. Growling, she waited for it to fire another one of its plasma bolts at a holographic clone before sprinting out of cover again. The sun basically kept their shields down at all times when exposed, making her heavier armor's shields useless, as well as her cloaking on her infiltration armor. Instead, she chose the sentinel set for the heavier armor. But now she was missing the agility that came with the lighter set.
She slid into cover as the machine began charging its blast again. "Shepard, we aren't doing a damn thing with these weapons," growled the krogan angrily.
"My tech abilities are also down with the sun. Even if we can't kill it, we need to get Tali out of the room behind it and evacuate her. I don't care if it actually dies or not," she retorted as she got as close as she could without exposing herself to its auto weapons.
Jacob immediately jumped out of cover and his biotics flared. Slowly, the machine began to drift from the ground. Unfortunately, he didn't see the potential consequences as its head spun around and aimed the glowing reticle directly at him. "Damn…" he hissed through gritted teeth.
Shepard, snapping into action, jumped up and used her own biotics on it as well. The combination of their dark energy exploded and sent the machine slamming against the wall, its plasma bolt firing off and slamming into the side of one of the nearby cranes. Unfortunately, it managed to hit a decaying fuel cell and caused an explosion that hurled Jacob out into the open. The soldier shook his head as he slowly regained his senses, unaware that the colossus was already back on its feet and now turning fully towards him.
"Dammit!" growled Shepard as she sprinted out into the open and threw forward a biotic shield in front of him. The autocannons fired, pelting her biotic barrier with repeated rounds, each one feeling like a pin prick in her brain. She continued to hold it despite the pain as Jacob slowly made his way to his feet. "Taylor! What's wrong?" she asked worriedly as she felt her biotics faltering.
"I… I don't…" he mumbled as he got up to his feet before falling to a knee again.
Shepard stared up at the machine, watching wide-eyed as its head focused on her. She knew her shield couldn't take a full blast from its main canon even if she were fully rested. But she knew if she moved, Jacob died. Gritting her teeth, she kept the barrier up, hoping she might be able to at least divert the blast.
Suddenly, the back end of the machine sagged and she saw Grunt's arm wrap around its neck. "Fight something your own size!" he snapped as he jerked the automaton's head back, causing its blast to fire straight up and into the ceiling.
Dropping her barrier, the spectre spun around and grabbed the woozy young man and dragged him off behind cover. "Grunt! Hang on!" she shouted as she dragged Jacob to safety.
"I'm hanging on alright!" he shouted back as the colossus swung its head around with the krogan clinging for dear life.
She set the soldier down in the shade with his back against the wall. "Stay here, and don't move!" she snapped before racing back up the ramp that led to the battle above. She slid around the corner and saw as Grunt was tossed aside like a ragdoll, causing him to roll several times before slamming into a barricade. Glaring at the machine, she activated her biotic aura again as the machine turned and focused on her.
"Shepard, what the spirits are you doing!? It's looking right at you!" snapped Garrus as he tried to fire his sniper again, only to be blocked by its shields.
The plasma beam charged again and fired just as she focused on something Wrex had taught her back before she even knew she was a biotic. She didn't realize she could do it until she reacted on instinct back in the prison. But now that she knew, she was going to use it to her advantage. As the bolt fired, she vanished from the spot and appeared on the other side of the mechanical menace. It looked around, seemingly confused as she used the spare time to figure out how to beat it. She had no way to use her omni-tool with the electromagnetic interference, her biotics weren't strong enough to damage it by themselves, and their weapons deflected harmlessly off its curved armor. Even if she had brought a heavy weapon with her and somehow the sun didn't fry it, she doubted it'd make a huge dent in its thick shell.
"Shepard, what was that?" asked the sniper in surprise.
"Questions later!" snapped Shepard as the tank spun around again and spotted her.
"Can you do it again?" he asked urgently.
As a proof of concept, she did it again just as the armored spider-like creature targeted her. She vanished and appeared back in her original position on the other side. "Seems like it."
"Can you lure it into the sunlight?" asked Garrus, his question practically slapping her in the face. "I can't hit the damn thing with my long-range weapon with its shields up. The sun will short its shields so we can damage it if it doesn't outright kill it."
"Good call," she said as she pulled her pistol off her side and fired at its head. The rounds pinged off its shield, but it did its job and got the machine's attention again. Instead of using her biotics, she ran and fired at it again to keep its attention. She slid behind a large stone column for cover, trying to egg it into following her. However, she had underestimated the power of its main cannon.
The plasma bolt fired and hit the column, blasting it apart and sending her slamming hard into the ground below the platform. "Shepard! You alright?" asked Garrus from across the yard.
"Breathing," she said with a groan as she flexed her back. "Barely."
"You need it in the sun? I'll get it in the sun!" shouted Grunt.
The krogan roared loudly and Shepard opened her eyes again in time to see the head of the colossus sticking out over the edge of the platform above. Her eyes widened as she saw the krogan's face underneath the colossus, his muscles and arms bulging as he lifted the back end of the machine up off the ground. "Grunt! Don't! I'm down here!" she shouted, but if he heard her he didn't slow down at all. She rolled onto her stomach and scrambled to get out of the way, but within seconds she felt pain like fire shoot throughout her entire body as something impacted her leg.
She gritted her teeth in severe pain, knowing that it was broken. Luckily, the impact was instant, which meant that it had bounced, and it wasn't currently grinding her limb into dust. Using her functioning limbs, she shuffled away from the machine before turning around and seeing it look directly at her with its main cannon lit. She let out a heavy sigh, her biotics flaring again as she prepared to make another jump, regardless of how painful it would be with her leg dangling behind her.
But her biotics vanished as something flew and blew the head clean off its frame. The glowing head clanked as it rolled across the shipyard before it finally darkened, and the body went limp. Turning her head, she saw the lanky figure of Kal'Reegar stepping out of cover with the rocket launcher over his shoulder. She sighed in relief before laying on her back and really taking in the pain she was in.
"That was a spectacular mess, Spectre," said the quarian as he offered her a hand up.
Garrus joined at her other side and the pair of them used their strength to lift her back onto her working leg. She hissed in pain as she oriented herself properly so as not to damage her leg more. Even then she could practically feel the medigel flowing through her body. "We came in without any idea of what we were fighting with a literal star disabling all of our best weapons and managed to get out with just a broken limb. I'll take it," she said giving the quarian a weak smile.
Then Grunt jumped down from the platform above with a giant smile on his face. "Guys! Did you see that? Did you see how I lifted that colossus and threw it off the platform?"
"Oh, we saw it," said Shepard, everyone around her noticing her icy tone. The fire inside Grunt even took a hit as he stood straight up defensively.
"W-Wait, are you mad at me?" he asked, almost sounding wounded.
"You threw a goddamn geth tank on top of me and broke my leg!" she snapped as she let go of the quarian long enough to point an accusing finger at him.
Kal'Reegar moved away awkwardly. "I'm gonna go ahead and free Tali'Zorah and let you all… talk," he said before sprinting off to do as he said.
"But we won…" he said as he looked at the ground, his hands now fidgeting worriedly.
"Yeah, nearly at the cost of my leg," she growled before hissing as another jolt of pain surged through her body. "You don't go into battle strung out on glory, Grunt. You have to have situational awareness so you don't end up getting someone killed!" she said with a glare. It was killing her inside to have to admonish him, especially with the sad puppy-like look on his face. But he had a lot of power, and that power could get her or one of her team killed someday if he didn't learn how and when to wield it.
"Can't you just let it regenerate?" asked the krogan bewildered.
She reached up and removed her visor before rubbing her face in frustration. "Grunt… humans don't have regeneration," she said with a heavy sigh.
"What?" he asked in surprise.
She snorted to herself before pointing to Jacob. "Get Chakwas from the ship down here to check on Jacob while I'm checking on Tali. Tell her electronic instruments are out of the question so she's going to have to use her own experience to figure out what happened. I don't want him moved until I find out if it's a neck or spinal issue," she ordered as Garrus helped her limp her way towards the door. Grunt didn't move from the spot, his blue eyes still staring at her. "Now," she snapped, causing him to turn and sprint his way back to the shuttle.
"A little harsh, don't you think?" asked Garrus as he helped her back up the ramp.
"The last two people that nearly or actually injured me on the old Normandy got the same treatment. Pressly after he nearly killed us with the Excalibur Cannon and Wrex after he went into a blood rage and literally used me as a blunt instrument of destruction," she said as she groaned in pain. "I know he's young and new, but he needs to learn that recklessness in combat is unacceptable."
As they made it to the top of the ramp, Tali sprinted up to her, already freed from her prison. "Shepard! Are you alright!?" she asked worriedly.
"Does being alive count?" asked the spectre as she wiped the sweat from her brow away.
"It's better than you had a year ago," said Tali as she placed her hands on her hips. Her comment caused Garrus to cough in order to hide a laugh.
"You've got me there," said Shepard as she eyed the woman back. "So, Commander. How about you? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Shepard. This bosh'tet," she said as she slapped Kal'Reegar over his helmet, "locked me inside that room before I even had the chance to fight."
"Sorry ma'am," said the quarian marine as he barely flinched.
"I'm sure you are," she growled before turning back to Shepard. "But, how did you find me? What are you doing here?"
"Your dad contacted me and said you dropped off the radar after two days here. He wanted me to come and figure out what happened," said Shepard, knowing the explanation wasn't going to land well.
"Keelah… he could have gotten you killed too," said the engineer as she fidgeted with her hands, an old trait of hers that Shepard had always found adorable. "We came out here to scout out and see if this planet was good enough to colonize as the geth had left it behind over a century ago. He wouldn't listen to me when I told him that even if the planet itself was good for habitation, it would still be far too dangerous being so close to geth controlled space."
"That does sound pretty dangerous. Even if the geth avoid this system itself, you wouldn't be able to hide your presence in the system for long from others like pirates or raiders looking for an easy score. There are half a dozen relays leading directly here," said Shepard, knowing the prospect of colonizing the planet was a failure even back when Rael'Zorah had told her about it.
"I know, Shepard. My father is just desperate. Our fleet is degrading at a rapid pace and one of our lifeships had a scare recently when one of the hydroponics bays ended up getting a blight, contaminating enough food for thirty thousand people. We managed to work around it, but it was a hit to our resources," said the quarian sadly.
Shepard sat down on one of the collapsed column slabs, taking the strain off her leg. "Thanks Garrus."
"Anytime Shepard," said the turian before he turned to Tali. "I'm glad you're safe, Tali."
"You too," said the quarian awkwardly.
Shepard almost immediately saw tension between the pair.
"It was good seeing you again. But I'm gonna go make sure Grunt doesn't end up crashing the shuttle into the Normandy's hull. I'll get Chakwas to check both you and Taylor out," he said before turning and strolling away.
Shepard watched him go before turning to Tali, who looked back at her. "What?"
"What happened?" she asked in confusion. "Aside from a few arguments we've all had aboard the last Normandy, you two were always on good terms. What happened between you two."
Tali sighed and waved to Kal'Reegar. "Please go and help them," she ordered.
"Ma'am." The marine crossed his arm over his chest in a salute, then followed behind the turian.
Once he was out of hearing range, leaving the two of them alone, Tali sat down next to Shepard. "After your death we had a falling out."
"How did that happen?" asked the spectre curiously.
"After it was reported that you had died, he came to me with his plan to go to Omega. He said that me and Liara were the only ones he told because he didn't want anyone else tracing his activities on Omega back to you," she said as she cushioned her head in her hands. "I told him he had lost his mind."
"He didn't take that well?" asked Shepard who had finally felt some numbing relief from the medigel.
"He expected it, actually. It was what I said after I argued that he shouldn't go," she said as she looked at the ground. "I told him he wasn't you."
"He isn't me?" asked the woman bewildered.
"Shepard, you act surprised at that statement. But you must understand, you are something extraordinary," she said as she finally turned to look the redhead in the eyes. "You killed Sovereign. Not me, Garrus, Liara, Wrex, or Ash. Not the Council, not the Spectres, not the Alliance. You did."
Shepard cocked one of her brows at the curious claim. "How do you figure that?"
"If me, or any other member of your crew had been in your position on Valkyrie, we'd have all taken the easy option. Especially me given I'm quarian," said the commander in amusement. Shepard recalled Valkyrie, but was confused about the choice she had made. "Garrus, Wrex, Liara, Ashley, the Alliance, the Council, not a single one of us would have seen Val'eda buried in the servers of that Alliance base and done anything but destroyed them." A look of realization dawned on the spectre's face. "But you didn't. You gave them a chance. You offered to let them live, and to let them grow."
"Right," said the spectre as she removed her helmet and ran a hand through her sweaty hair.
"Back when we were fighting… whatever that thing was in the Council Chambers, the Alliance and Citadel Fleet were losing ships by the dozens. I've seen the vids. They weren't landing a single scratch on Sovereign's hull and were getting annihilated in retaliation. If you hadn't made that choice in the Valkyrie facility, we would all be dead. Val'eda sacrificed herself to cripple Sovereign from within, and not a day goes by that I don't thank every ancestor that I can remember the name of that you were in charge when we went to Luna instead of me," she said with a heavy sigh.
"But what does that have to do with Garrus?" asked Shepard, her face burning slightly at the praise being slyly heaped on her.
"Garrus wants to be you. I see it in him. He wants to be a hero. He wants to lead the way you lead, but despite your best efforts, he hasn't grown a whole lot from our time back then. He's still reckless and angry, and quick to disregard rules if they don't suit him," she said before peering at Shepard again. "I thought if he went to Omega and followed through with his plan, he'd get killed. And given the state of his face, I'd say I wasn't far from the mark."
"Yeah," said Shepard as she leaned back. "When I found him every single mercenary on the station had him cornered and was gunning for him. He took a rocket to the face before we were saved by my other crew."
Tali sighed heavily. "Of course he did…" she said before finally standing again. "Well, I'm sure we'll get over our differences."
"Better hurry, because you're coming with me now," said the spectre as she too stood and put her arm over Tali's shoulder. The commander immediately assisted her in walking.
"This was the last mission I wanted done. I couldn't let someone else take a mission this dangerous. Now that it's done, I don't really care if the Admiralty Board likes it or not. I've already talked to my captain and he's given me a leave of absence," said Tali as she smiled at the spectre. Then her smile vanished. "I just wish my last mission for the fleet didn't result in two fallen marines."
Shepard nodded and patted her on the shoulder. "I know it doesn't help to hear, but even the best leaders lose soldiers," she said, knowing the pain all too well.
Medical Bay – SSV Normandy SR-2
"It's as I thought. A mild concussion," said Chakwas as she looked over the datapad. "Whatever hit you down there hit you hard. Most people who suffer one in the middle of a firefight don't end up making it out alive. Consider yourself lucky, Jacob."
"Yeah, feeling real lucky right now," he said as he reached back and massaged his neck gently. "How long am I going to be out of the game, doc?"
"Given the severity of your concussion, I'd say two weeks at least," said the doctor, getting a groan from the man. "Don't give me any lip, young man. Concussions are dangerous and if you don't take them seriously, they could result in long term brain damage or could even be fatal," she snapped at him before turning to Shepard. "As for you…"
"How far along is it with the medigel helping?" she asked hopefully as she eyed Grunt sitting on one of the medical beds with his nose buried in a datapad.
"The medigel helps with the pain and helps the bone knit back together easier, but it only cuts the time in half. Unless you use an orthopedic therapy tank you're probably going to be out of the game for a few months," said Karin as she crossed her arms and eyed the spectre.
"Therapy tank?" asked Shepard in surprise. "You can't use one of those laser therapy units like you used when Wrex fractured my ribs?"
"I'm afraid not. The leg bone is much deeper in the body. In order for the laser to reach the bone, we would have to surgically cut your leg open. And if we do that, then you're going to be down for just as long while the muscle itself heals," said the doctor as she put the datapad aside. "So, it's either the tank on the Citadel for a few days, or you're out of the game for at least a month."
"Great," she groaned before rubbing her head in frustration.
"In the meantime, I'd recommend avoiding krogan. They seem to be a common denominator when you come in here injured," she said with a smirk before walking away and patting Grunt on the shoulder.
Tali entered the medbay as Karin left and strolled up to Shepard's bed. "Why didn't you tell me you had another quarian aboard already? I don't feel half as special anymore," she said jokingly.
"Ah, you've met Lia'Vael then?" asked Shepard with a grin.
"Well, technically we've already met. Err… twice," said the commander as she brushed it off. "But it's good to finally have someone else who knows the quarian experience aboard."
Jacob spoke up and greeted her as well. "It's good to have you aboard, Tali. I've heard a lot about you and your skills. It'll be good to finally see them in person."
Immediately her cheery nature dropped as she looked over at the young man. Turning to him, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Let me make something blatantly clear. I'm here to help Shepard, and Shepard alone. I don't like Cerberus, I don't like anybody in Cerberus, and the moment your boss… whoever that is gives the order to take Shepard out, I'll be there with my shotgun to your back."
Jacob raised his hands defensively. "Fair enough. I'm not going to argue with anyone who was on the ground team that took out a reaper," he said, still giving her a smile. "That said, I understand your caution."
"It would be wise for you to be cautious around me," she said threateningly before turning back to Shepard.
"Wait… I know you helped me take them out years ago, but why the sudden dislike of Cerberus?" asked Shepard curiously.
"Not long after your reported death, Cerberus captured and killed the crew of a scout ship for the Idenna and then used it to infiltrate the Migrant Fleet. If it had not been for another human on the fleet, they would have blown the Idenna up to cover their trail. They killed my people, invaded my home, and nearly blew up my ship," said Tali, never taking her glare away from Jacob.
The young soldier sighed to himself as he rubbed his head. "What was the Illusive Man doing to allow that?"
"If he allowed it," said Shepard as she tilted her head. "He seems to have a bad habit of letting projects he starts get out of his grip. Perhaps he's not as organized as we believe."
"Either way, I won't be trusting any Cerberus crew members," she said as she glared at Jacob once more.
Jacob looked to Shepard. "So… what about… you know?" he asked as he pointed to EDI's terminal.
Tali eyed him, then the terminal near the door, then Shepard. "What is it? What's going on?"
Shepard sighed to herself, the thought of how Tali would react to an AI being installed in the ship completely slipping her mind. "EDI, please introduce yourself."
Tali looked up in surprise as EDI's voice filled the room. "Greetings… Tali'Zorah…"
Shepard raised an eyebrow as she looked up at the terminal. "EDI?"
Her holographic form glitched for a moment. "Apologies, Spectre," said the AI. "Tali'Zorah. My designation is EDI. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Tali's eyes narrowed at Shepard. "That… isn't a VI is it?" Shepard shook her head.
"I am a General Artificial Intelligence installed into the subsection of the Normandy. I control the cyberwarfare suites as well as the Normandy's defenses in battle," responded EDI cheerfully.
"Hmmm…" said Tali as she tapped her finger on her crossed arms. "Where did you get her?"
Jacob's eyes widened at the question. "Her?"
"Look Jacob, it's a long story," said Shepard before she turned back to Tali. "She came installed on the Normandy."
"The Normandy that you got from Cerberus?" asked Tali curiously, getting a nod from the spectre. "I don't trust her, yet. If she was a VI, then she could be coded with backup measures to take out you and everyone aboard in case you get too unruly. But an AI can think for itself. So, I won't be scrubbing her from the Normandy's core just yet."
"Your hesitation is appreciated, Tali'Zorah," said EDI, her voice sounding amused.
Tali chuckled to herself. "Alright, Shepard. I'm going to introduce myself to everyone on board."
"Show them all why you were on the original Normandy," said Shepard as she turned and left the room. Shepard smiled as she left before turning and eyeing Grunt who still had his face planted in a datapad. "What are you doing Grunt?"
"Studying humans," said the young krogan as he got to his feet and began walking across the bay.
Shepard and Jacob both watched him robotically walk out of the bay, never once looking away from the data pad. As he left, the two looked at each other before shrugging in confusion.
Orthopedics Wing – Council Medical Services – Citadel
Shepard yawned as she sat comfortably in the medical bed with her leg propped up in a medical brace. Once they had hit Citadel Space again, she almost immediately got a message from Rael'Zorah thanking her for her intervention on Haestrom, as well as wishing her luck in her ventures with Tali at her side. Tali had made a stir on the ship as she practically hissed at every crew member she didn't recognize.
As soon as they landed at the Citadel, a medical vehicle grabbed her at the Council's request, and she was set up with the best care they had to offer. Unfortunately for the spectre, she was in for a boring few days. The doctor had droned on explaining that an even stronger form of medigel that wasn't used in the field or even in rare cases like hers where she was wired to receive it was going to be used. They had to create an injection site and pump it directly into the wound. The bad part came when the body reacted.
Unlike the regular medigel consumed daily by the masses, this specialized form of it was a lot more aggressive, and one's body tended to not like it much, which resulted in a fever. As such, her body temperature would be regulated inside of a liquid cooling tank to make sure she didn't cook her brain inside her own skull. After she had finally signed all the wavers, all she could do was wait until the dive.
Luckily, Tali, Garrus, and Jack decided to keep her company in the hospital until her eventual dip. Shepard's eyes shifted between the turian and quarian curiously. "So…"
"What?" asked Garrus as he eyed her suspiciously.
"Have you two made up yet?" the spectre asked, getting a glare from the turian.
"We've made our peace, Shepard. I'm not about to alienate one of my closest friends over a spat we had a year ago," he said before turning and eyeing Tali. "So, you told her?"
Tali shrugged innocently. "I did," she said, getting a sigh from Garrus. "To be fair to me though, I was absolutely right."
"Oh here we go," groaned the turian as he leaned his head back in despair.
"It took the literal resurrection of Shepard to get you out of that mess on Omega," said the quarian with a cheeky grin. "If that hadn't happened, you would be dead right now as I said you would have been."
Jack immediately shivered. "Omega? Ugh…"
"Not a fan?" asked Shepard curiously as she saw the reaction.
Jack shook her head. "I love the place. Just hate the people. Still got some bones in the closet there," she said with a shrug. "Nothing to worry about. Nobody's hunting me down."
"That's more than could be said for Garrus," said Tali, her smile growing as Garrus groaned again.
"Spirits, put me out of my misery," he said before turning and headbutting the wall gently.
Then Tali looked from Garrus to Shepard. "With Wrex out of the picture being the leader of the krogan, that just leaves… two more." Shepard felt a twinge of sadness in her voice. "Ashley and Liara. Once they join, the team will be all back together."
"Unfortunately, Ash is off the grid. She's doing work for Anderson and Udina," said Shepard with a shrug. "Maybe when she comes out of the foxhole she's buried in, we can make her the offer. As for Liara, she's working on Illium as an information broker."
Immediately, Garrus looked up at Shepard. "Information broker?"
Tali eyed her suspiciously. "That sounded very impersonal…" she said before leaning forward. "Keelah, you bosh'tet, you haven't even talked to her yet?"
This time, it was Shepard's turn to groan before she hid her face behind her hands. "Shut up. I already feel bad enough."
"Why haven't you!?" asked the commander incredulously as she stood from her seat.
Shepard let out a long sigh. "Because it's been two years," she said, causing Tali to soften immediately. "I don't know what you all had to go through when I died. I don't know how you've mourned, how you got over me not being there. With you two, I felt like our bond as friends would be pretty easy to dust off. But… she was more than just a friend."
Tali's stance drooped solemnly. "You didn't want to seem like you were pressuring her into a relationship again?"
Nodding with a grim expression, Shepard continued. "Also, she was on the Normandy when it exploded. Besides Joker, she was the last one to see me alive. As I've learned recently, I still have tons of trauma related to that day. I can only imagine what it'd be like for her. That's why… I've been avoiding seeing her again. If she's made peace, I don't want to tear open old wounds again."
Tali sat back down and crossed her arms. "Alright. You get a pass for now. But if you don't call Liara soon, I will," she said defiantly. "Even if she has moved on, even if she did make peace with your death, she has to know you're alive given her profession. She deserves to see you again, even if it's only as a friend."
"Alright dammit," growled Shepard as she took a pillow and began smothering herself with it.
Tali chuckled to herself. "Besides, when the Illusive Man eventually turns on you, it'll help to have her biotics around to crush the life from him and every other Cerberus puppet aboard the ship."
Jack gave an evil grin as she pointed to Tali. "You and me, we get each other," she said before holding out her fist to pound. "Fuck yeah."
"Heck yes," said Tali as she high fived the young woman's balled hand.
XO Quarters – SSV Normandy SR-2
She sat at her desk eyeing the terminal, her inbox filled with messages from Oriana's family. She hadn't been checking them recently due to her new job as XO aboard the Normandy. She smirked as she thought about how quickly her life went from a normal day of surgery, then close monitoring of Shepard's body to gunning and destroying every menace in the galaxy. Shepard had been running them ragged for a while and she found herself wondering if things were this hectic on the original Normandy.
Clicking on the first message, she opened it and a smile immediately lit her face as she saw pictures of her sister dressed up for a formal dance in college. She had graduated from highschool with a bachelor's already on the way and was celebrating her meteoric rise into the galaxy. The XO sighed to herself as she leaned back and looked at all the pictures. Even knowing that they were genetic twins, it still stunned her how much the young woman looked like her. She knew that someday Oriana was going to be a big face in the galaxy, and she found herself wondering how she would feel seeing her own visage doing things she never thought she would.
Then again, Oriana was always more of a tomboy and preferred to keep her hair shorter. So maybe there would be distinguishing differences after all. She cycled through the pictures, one after another of her younger sister attending the dance, drinking from a ridiculously flamboyant glass of alcohol, to screaming at the band playing. She marveled at how different the two of them were. She knew that genetics had nothing to do with personality, but she still found it remarkable that a teetotaler and a party girl were direct genetic copies of one another.
Suddenly, EDI popped up at her door. "Operative Lawson, Grunt would like to speak with you."
"Grunt?" she asked, bewildered at the request. Reaching over, she minimized her screen and waved to EDI. "Let him in."
The door slid open and as EDI had said, the massive krogan was standing outside of her door with something in his hands. Even without his armor, he had to shuffle to squeeze into the doorway of her room. As he squeezed his way inside, she could see that something was bothering him. His typical indifferent expression now had a fallen tinge to it, as if he were sad about something. She found herself wondering what could make a massive juggernaut like him emotional.
Finally he turned to her with the object in his hand. "Uh… hi…" he said simply as he stared down at her with his crystal blue eyes.
"Hello, Grunt. I'd ask you to take a seat, but…" she said as she looked over at the chair, noting that it was far too small for his frame. "I think our budget would go over better if you stood."
"Huh, yeah. I don't get along well with furniture," he said awkwardly.
She chuckled lightly at his odd shuffling and decided to get to the point. "What can I help you with, Grunt?"
"Uh… do you know where Shepard is?" he asked nervously as he looked down, towering over her desk.
"I do but I'm afraid she's unavailable right now. They just put her inside the reconstruction tank and she won't be out for another two days," she said as she eyed the krogan curiously. "Why?"
"Oh, I just wanted to give her something. It's nothing important… I just…" he said, unsure of how to ask.
She could see him struggling with the question. "Would you like me to give her something for you?"
His face lit up immediately. "Could you? Would you?"
Her brows rose as she tried to analyze the situation in front of her, something she found herself doing a lot more since coming onto the Normandy. Shepard went to Haestrom and left Miranda and Jack on the Citadel with little more than a warning that they'd come back for them. The time they were gone was hell on her nerves from having to watch the young convict, but then Shepard comes back with a broken leg and an extra quarian. Then out of nowhere, Grunt begins moping around the Normandy and gets awkward when bringing up Shepard.
"Oh," she said to herself as the puzzle pieces slid themselves into place in her head. "You broke her leg, didn't you?" asked the XO.
"Look, it wasn't my fault. I just… got a bit excited and threw a geth colossus on top of her…" he said getting quieter with each word until he eventually trailed off. Snorting, he glared at her. "Can you give it to her or not?"
"I can, yes," said Miranda with a smile. Grunt passed what he had been holding across the desk to her and she had to reach up and grip her throat to keep from letting a laugh escape. It was a hand drawn picture of Shepard in her armor with her leg entirely detached from her body instead of just being broken. And written in very crude English lettering was written [sory I br0k leg]. It was at this that she found herself startled. "Grunt, where did you learn English?" she asked as she looked up at him incredulously.
"Okeer's training taught me very little about humans. I thought with how effective Shepard is at fighting and how much chaos she had survived that humans must have regeneration as well," he said with a heavy sigh that nearly blew her hair back. "She said humans don't have that. I asked Mordin for study materials on humans and I learned enough of that alphabet to make that," he said as he pointed at the picture. "Does Shepard know English human language?"
Miranda looked back down at the picture in startled realization at the fact that the krogan was everything Okeer wanted him to be. Deadly in combat, quick to learn, and inquisitive, but still very much krogan. "I believe she does, yes," said the operative as she took the picture and stared at Shepard's cartoonishly angry face. She then noticed that he had attempted to draw himself beating up the geth colossus in the corner of the page but had quit when he found the geth too hard to draw. She smiled at him and nodded. "I'll take it to her in the hospital."
"Alright," he said awkwardly again before turning and beginning to squeeze out again. She watched him exit the room, feeling somewhat bad for him. She knew that he was more similar to herself and her sister than she wanted to admit. They were all created to become someone else's legacy. It was a weird new feeling to have some solidarity with the young krogan grunt.
As the door closed behind him, she looked at the picture again before frowning. "I'm going to have to get Shepard a refrigerator for her quarters…"
Citadel Private QEC Communications – Presidium – Citadel
Garrus entered the room, his glare set as he closed the door and activated the privacy shields. He had burned through every contact and connection he had left with the exception of three. Liara, Shepard, and the Shadow Broker. He considered going to the Shadow Broker several times since leaving Omega. He considered every angle of how to work around the cost of the information he needed.
He visited Barla Von, who he knew was an agent of the Shadow Broker's through Shepard. But after a single visit, he found the cost of the information to be far more than he anticipated, and far more than he could afford. He wasn't bad with money, of course. But the salary he had saved from C-Sec was a pittance in comparison to the fee the Shadow Broker sought. And most of the money he earned on Omega had gone up in smoke along with his base. Rarely did they trade electronically on Omega.
Unfortunately, that meant that his best source for the information was locked off behind a steep price tag. He considered doing work for Barla Von to pay for it over time, but he knew for a fact that Shepard would find out what he was up to long before he ever paid the debt off.
Then there was Shepard. He knew she could get the information. Even without the Spectre status, she was one of the most skilled intel keepers in the entire galaxy. Her entire career revolved around breaking into databanks structured in a language she wasn't fluent in and filtering out information. With her Spectre status giving her privileged access to information, he could almost guarantee that she could get it for him. But the question was, would she? He didn't know the answer, and he didn't want to take the chance that she'd pull the same stunt she did with Doctor Saleon and try to turn it into a life lesson. He knew what was best for his men, he knew what was best for his own mental health, and it wasn't something she was going to like.
He had been in a foul mood recently, thinking that he was going to have to try his hand with Shepard. But then he found out from Shepard herself that Liara had become an information broker on Illium. It was his last chance, and he needed to take it before he resigned himself.
He put the call through and listened as it connected. Liara and Tali were the only ones he really kept up with after the Normandy had been destroyed. Ash got extremely busy after the news hit and Wrex had his own plans back on Tuchanka, where communication was extremely difficult. So, he at least had kept ties with the asari woman. It took a few moments before she finally answered.
"Garrus? It's been a while," said the woman in her nearly monotone voice. He knew that despite her lack of expression, she did actually care, however.
"Sorry. Was taking care of business on Omega. Didn't have much personal time," he said as he spun his hand in a circle. "And once I got out of there… well, we've been pretty busy on the new Normandy." He saw her face twinge slightly. He might not have noticed it a year ago before she had gotten the alteration to her appearance. But he was so used to it now that he could tell she was conflicted, even through the messy light display of the QEC.
"Ah, I'm glad to hear you and Shepard are working together again. How is… everyone?" she asked, failing horribly to hide her real question.
"Shepard is doing well. A bit high strung, but I don't honestly know if she's ever not moving with purpose," he began, noticing Liara give a small smile at the mention. "Tali is now mocking me consistently, so we're back on good terms again. And the new additions are pretty good on the team. It never fails to surprise me how such a chaotic bunch could work together for the greater good," he said with a small chuckle. "Kinda reminds me of us back in the day. You and me spying on Shepard, Tali crawling around on the roof and taking out snipers as we acted the part of gangsters, Wrex nearly going catatonic after eating Garam Masala at that wedding reception…" he said as he realized he began reminiscing. "Sorry, it's hard not to go back to those days."
"I know, Garrus," said the asari regretfully as she looked to the ground as well.
"I suppose I should get to the reason I called you," he said as he straightened himself up. "I heard from Shepard that you're an information broker. Is it true?"
"You would be correct. I am in the business of dealing information. Is there something I can help you with?" she asked curiously.
"I'm looking for a turian named Lantar Sidonis. He left Omega days before I did. I managed to track his movement back to the Citadel, but then he just drops off the radar completely. I burned through every resource I had at C-Sec and none of them have a damn clue where he could have gotten to," he said as his eyes narrowed. "It looks like the work of Fade."
Liara nodded dutifully. "Making people disappear is his trademark, yes."
"If you are able to, I want to find Sidonis. And if you can't find Sidonis, then I'd like your help finding Fade. Maybe I can convince him to help me find that traitor," said Garrus, his voice filled with poison as he spat the name. Liara had always been honest with him and he was determined to return the courtesy in not hiding his intentions.
The asari was silent for a long moment as if thinking, then finally spoke. "I might be able to pull some strings. But I'm a broker on Illium out in the Terminus Systems. Don't you think Shepard would-"
"Shepard can't know anything. If she even gets a sniff of me trying to find him, she's going to shut down the whole thing," he said desperately.
She sighed and nodded. "I understand. But consider for a moment, Garrus. Shepard is your most trusted companion. If I didn't know her on a whole different level than you, I'd say you were even hurt by her death more than I was." He stood straight in surprise. "You know her and respect her above everyone else in the galaxy. Is going behind her back really the best idea?"
He flinched slightly at the question. He knew what she was asking, and her words burned him. She was absolutely correct about Shepard being a best friend to him. He respected her above anyone in C-Sec, anyone in the Council or Spectres, and even his own father. He loved her to the core and knew that he would die to keep her from suffering the same fate she had on the previous Normandy. The asari was asking why, if Shepard was such a trusted friend, was he going around her back. He didn't know what to call it, honestly. Lust for revenge, retribution, justice, nemesis.
Apparently, he had taken so long considering her words that she decided to continue. "I will do what I can from here. But I wouldn't bet money on me finding information on the Citadel," she said before stepping up to him fully. He looked down at her holographic form. "But if you truly want help, you know where to find it. Never forget that." With those words she walked out of view and the communicator closed down.
He stood staring at the spot she had stood in for a long moment as he struggled with himself. But eventually he turned and left the communication room, his head spinning as he began questioning himself from every angle.