"What?" Rigel said, dumbfounded.
"Shepard is alive." Tela said again, seeming to have trouble believing her own words.
"Nova, check–"
"Already on it." the ghost said, disappearing from view.
Rigel's eyes were wide as his brain ran at a thousand miles an hour. If Shepard really wasn't dead… Setting aside the rather hard to ignore implications, her knowledge of the Reapers and the threat they posed alone would be able to greatly aid him in preparing for their inevitable arrival.
But the implication… If Shepard, a human, really did come back to life…
"Where is she?" Rigel said, firing the Blind Well's engines, directing the ship into a beeline for the Mass Relay system.
"The Citadel." Nova said, reappearing in front of Rigel. "I broke into their security systems and am looking through their cameras. She's just leaving a meeting in Councilor Anderson's office."
Nova projected an image in front of her. Metallic gray floors led away from a closing office door. Three figures turned and started down a staircase, conversing with one-another, serious, determined expressions on their faces.
Two of these walked a step behind the first. A human woman with shoulder-length black hair in a tight-fitting, black-white bodysuit, and a turian in blue armor sans a helmet. Rigel was surprised to find that, aside from the still-healing scar on his face, he recognized the turian.
"Garrus? Word around Omega was that Archangel was dead." Tela said, her shock mirroring Rigel's own.
Rigel hummed in affirmation, acknowledging Tela's words, but far more focused on the figure leading Garrus and the woman down the stairs.
She had red hair and sharp green eyes. Sturdy armor reminiscent of the Titans of Rigel's home universe adorned the woman's form, a proud N7 symbol emblazoned upon her chestplate. A pistol rested on her hip with more weapons held on a carrier on her shoulders.
"This is a live image?" Rigel said, his eyes fixed on the woman returned from death.
"Yes. I'm going to have to bail soon unless I want to let C-Sec know I broke into their systems. Again."
"It's fine. We know where she is. Now it's just a matter of making it back before she leaves."
The image faded as Nova cut off her projection. "So long as we hurry, we should be able to meet up with her. It looked like she was heading towards the Wards. She's probably going to the commercial areas to get supplies."
"Or I can just do this." Tela said, dramatically tapping a control on her omni-tool.
Rigel's eyes looked between Tela and her omni-tool. "What did that do?"
Tela smirked. "I'm a Spectre. Shepard is a Spectre again. I just asked her to wait on the Citadel so we could have a sit down. She's not obliged to accept, but if she's shopping anyway, she'll probably hang around an extra hour or two to see what I want."
Nova maneuvered over in front of Tela. "Can you not tell her we'll be there?"
Chuckling, Tela said, "Relax, lightbulb. I remember what happened last time someone knew where you two were going to be on the Citadel."
Nova's shell shook as she shuffled back through the air, recoiling. "Lightbulb? Lightbulb? You did not just call me lightbulb!"
Tela grinned challengingly. "What? Can't take a joke?"
Nova's eye narrowed. "Okay, crater face. I guess we're doing this now."
Tela tilted her head, confusion apparent on her face. "Crater face? What does that–oof!" Tela fell backwards off her chair as an empty crate from the cargo bay teleported directly above her and fell on the Spectre, an amethyst barrier shining into being around her body moments before the crate connected.
Nova, looking exceptionally pleased with herself, floated up in front of Rigel. "Because she has a crate on her face. Get it?" The top of Nova's shell pulled up in a wave like she was mimicking waggling eyebrows.
Despite the speed at which he was piloting the Blind Well, Rigel couldn't help but grin. "Not where I saw that one going. Points for originality if nothing else. You good, Tela?"
Beneath the rummaging sound of the crate atop her, Tela's grumbling voice said, "I'm gonna use that bitch to power a Nerve-Stim Pro."
"Yeah, she's fine." Nova said happily.
Rigel shook his head as the crate glowed amethyst and lifted itself off Tela. "Now I'm convinced that is something sexual. Nova, please don't drop objects of potentially crippling mass onto our Spectre friend. Tela, please don't use my ghost to power a self pleasure tool. Void, when did I become the adult here?"
Tela huffed as she stood and threw herself into the copilot's seat, crossing her arms over her chest. "See if I give you another affectionate nickname, bitch."
"I'm just keeping you on your toes, Tela." Nova said, flying over in front of Tela's face. "Anytime we do a boring mission, I'll drop something on you to give you some action!"
Tela stared at Nova through half-lidded eyes. "My hero. Now shoo, fly." Tela made a half-hearted swatting motion at the floating ghost.
Shaking his head in bemusement, Rigel said, "How long until we get to the Citadel."
"A few hours if we push it. Longer if we conserve fuel." Nova said, hovering next to a panel on the wall.
"Fuel is on the Council." Tela said, her biotic barrier bleeding off of her. "Punch it."
"Yes, your Spectreness."
Tela glared sidelong at Rigel. "Don't you fucking start too, you zombified prick."
Smirking, Rigel punched it.
X
Walking down the Blind Well's loading ramp, Rigel made a mental note to only land on the Citadel when Tela was with him. Free fuel, no standoff, C-Sec parting before him like a school of frightened fish – the perks to having a Spectre on your ship were pretty damn nice. Speaking of ships…
"Where's your ship, Tela?" Rigel asked. "You said you had one that got blown up on Illium. Is it still destroyed? Is that why you keep tagging along with me?"
Tela shook her head. "Shot up, not blown up. It was fixed up around a week after that Minagen X3 fiasco. Goddess, that feels like a year ago. Anyway, I brought it here while you were off wherever it was you disappear to when you aren't blowing stuff up. I just tag along with you because your ship's much nicer. Mine's a sparsely-armed kodiak. It's not as fast or as…yours as yours is."
Rigel nodded, understanding her meaning. He appreciated her attempt to discreetly hint at his tech without outright saying it. "Next time I head to that place I disappear to when I'm not blowing stuff up, you can tag along if you want."
Tela stopped walking for a moment, seemingly shocked as she stared wide-eyed at Rigel. "Really?"
"Really. If you were going to stab me in the back, you'd have done it by now. I trust you, Tela."
Tela blinked, opening her mouth to say something but closing it just as fast. Shaking her head, she stormed past Rigel. "Shepard said she'd meet us in Purgatory. We need to get there before she gets bored and leaves."
Rigel fell into step behind Tela and followed her through the security checkpoint. The two walked up to a transport terminal and Tela pulled open the door to a rental skycar, motioning for Rigel to get in the other side.
Rigel shot a glance at the salarian standing by the cars, but the salarian was carefully looking at anything other than Rigel and Tela. Whether he was scared or following policy by ignoring a Spectre's movements, Rigel didn't know.
The Risen climbed into the car next to the Spectre, and Tela lifted off, piloting the car towards Purgatory.
"Did Shepard say anything other than where to meet her?" Rigel asked as they flew.
Tela shook her head. "No. She said she was looking forward to talking to me, but that isn't all that noteworthy. I think she's desperate for anyone willing to listen to her about the Reapers and sees me as another Spectre who can potentially be an ally."
"I guess we'll see when we get there."
Tela grunted, but didn't say anything else.
A short trip later, Tela landed the skycar outside Purgatory and the two passengers disembarked. Tela scanned the crowd for a moment before her eyes locked on a C-Sec officer.
"Hey! Take this back to Docking Bay D." she ordered, leaving the door open behind her and not waiting for a reply.
Rigel watched in amusement as the asari C-Sec officer looked around, searching for anyone else Tela might have been talking to before slumping in on herself and dejectedly walking towards the skycar. It was then that Rigel's eyes caught on something else.
A young, blonde, human woman, she couldn't have been older than twenty-five, was staring at him in something resembling awe. Her eyes were wide, jaw agape. She jolted when she saw Rigel looking at her and quickly hurried away.
Rigel's eyes narrowed as she disappeared into the crowd.
Nova, keep an eye on here would you?
I've got her. Go meet with Shepard.
Rigel stared after the woman a moment longer before turning and jogging to catch up with Tela. The Asari Spectre had already reached the door to Purgatory and was staring at him, leaning against the wall.
"Something wrong?" she asked, looking over his shoulder in the direction the woman had gone.
"For now, no. That might change. I'll let you know if my friend turns anything up. Be ready to run and shoot if someone tries something."
Tela sighed, shaking her head as she pushed off the wall and turned to walk into Purgatory. "If nothing else, your presence always makes things interesting, Rigel."
The two stepped into Purgatory and were immediately hit by the oppressive volume of synth music pulsing throughout the club. Humans and asari danced half-naked on tables with individuals of every species in Citadel space milling around the dance floor or at tables.
Tela and Rigel drew a large number of interested glances and shocked gasps as they made their way across the floor. It was as if the people around them had spotted celebrities – celebrities that had big guns and were therefore too scary to approach.
"There." Tela said, motioning with her head towards a booth along the wall.
Three people sat at the table and watched intently as Tela and Rigel approached. Rigel recognized them from the camera feed Nova had hacked. The table's occupants quickly zeroed in on their approach and ended a hushed conversation, turning to focus on Tela and Rigel completely.
Rigel's eyes locked onto the red-haired woman. He directed every sense, physical and metaphorical, he possessed towards the woman, but found nothing he was looking for. She had neither Light nor Dark. The only unusual features he noticed were glowing cybernetics scarred into her face. She wasn't a Risen. Based on the cybernetics, whatever kept her alive was machinery. She was more akin to an exo than a Risen.
Despite his disappointment, Rigel forced away the loneliness threatening to assault him. Risen or not, she was an ally in the inevitable fight against the Reapers – something he had far too few off.
Tela led Rigel to the table, stopping at the table's head. "Commander Shepard. Last I heard you got sucked into space, never to be seen or heard from again."
Shepard's eyes were focused, but she allowed a small smirk to pull at the corner of her mouth as she said, "Death got boring. It's good to meet you, Vasir. Have a seat."
Tela exhaled irritably as she sat down opposite Shepard and her companions. "Name's Tela. Use it. This is Rigel." Tela pointed out the Risen as he sat down next to her.
Rigel nodded minutely at Shepard, his attention having been pulled away by one of her companions. The woman in the skin-tight jumpsuit hadn't looked away from him since she'd first laid eyes on him. Even now, her eyes were wide in disbelief as she stared at Rigel. Things started making sense once Rigel saw the Cerberus logo on her chest. The Illusive Man must have either told his people about their interactions, or this woman was a high-ranking agent in Cerberus and was therefore privy to need-to-know information.
Turning his attention to the only turian at the table, Rigel said, "It's good to see you again, Vakarian. We heard you got attacked."
"I got through it. Though, my handsome looks will never recover." He motioned towards his scarred face.
Rigel leaned in to get a better look and said, "Not the worst I've ever seen, but it's on the list. Just tell the ladies you took a rocket to the face to make yourself seem more badass."
The turian grinned. "I did take a rocket to the face."
Rigel raised an eyebrow, impressed. "You're one tough son of a bitch, Archangel."
"Interesting as this discussion is, I have places I need to be. Why did you ask to meet?" Shepard cut into the conversation to address Tela.
Tela leaned back and rested her arm on the top of the booth. "We're after the same cybernetic pricks. Figured it would be a good idea to compare notes. We've been fumbling around in the dark without anyone to talk to."
Shepard's eyes widened before quickly narrowing as she looked around the club. Several patrons ducked their heads and shuffled away from the booth as Shepard glared at them. When the immediate perimeter surrounding the booth had been cleared, Shepard leaned towards Tela. "The Reapers. Last I checked, everyone on the Citadel still thinks I'm insane. How do you know they're a genuine threat?"
"That's not important. What is important is us sharing information so we know what to expect. What do you know about them?"
Shepard's lips pulled into a line. It looked as if she wanted to press the issue. She sat back with a sigh and said, "There's a massive armada of them hiding out in dark space. They're due to arrive soon."
"How soon?" Rigel said, focused on Shepard's words. "Do we have a concrete time table or is that up in the air?"
Shepard shrugged. "It's kind of up in the air. From what Vigil told us, they should be here already but the protheans screwed up their recall functions."
"Vigil?" Tela asked.
"A prothean VI. We ran into him right before Sovereign hit the Citadel." Garrus said, leaning his arms against the table. "We got out of a meeting with the Council a few hours before you showed up. Apparently Vigil is currently offline."
Shepard grew irritated as she said, "And without Vigil to corroborate what I reported, the Council refuses to take any overt actions. Anderson and Tevos are doing what they can, but Valern and Sparatus refuse to even consider the Reapers a genuine threat."
"What did Vigil know? If we can get him back online, would he be able to convince the Council the Reapers are coming?" Rigel said, intently focused on Shepard's words. If Nova was able to reactivate Vigil, he may be the proof they were looking for to convince the galaxy of the impending invasion.
Shepard turned a calculating gaze towards Rigel as she said, "He was an assistant of the Prothean researchers who sabotaged the Citadel. He knew more about the Reapers and the cycles than I do."
"Where is he?"
"Ilos, but the Council already tried to reactivate him. They sent an STG team and a pair of Spectres specialized in tech."
"They're not him." Tela said, nodding her head to indicate Rigel. "What are you up to currently? Do you have any leads you're following?"
Shepard turned to her and said, "The Collectors. I don't know how, but they're working for the Reapers. They've been kidnapping humans across the Terminus systems. Entire colonies have gone missing."
Tela fixed her with a complicated look. "You're going to take on the Collectors, an entire race of technologically advanced scumbags, with three people." Tela made a show of looking between Shepard, Garrus, and the unnamed Cerberus Operative.
The Cerberus agent scoffed, offended, and said, "There are more than three of us. We're not stupid enough to attempt something like this without preparing. We've been recruiting and upgrading our tech, and we won't risk the Omega 4 relay until we're ready."
Tela lazily looked at the woman. "Who are you again?"
"Miranda Lawson." the woman said arrogantly.
Picking up anything interesting from her, Nova?
No. Her omni-tool looks like it was scrubbed recently. All I've got is data from Shepard's about her being Shepard's Cerberus liaison.
Better than nothing.
Shepard shot Miranda a look, and the Cerberus agent sat back. Turning back to Tela, Shepard said, "Like she said, we're recruiting. I'll need as many skilled teammates as possible. I did some reading about you while we were waiting, and Garrus filled me in on when he worked with you. You and Rigel are welcome on the Normandy. I need all the help I can get."
"I'm not too keen on following another Spectre's orders. Rigel?" Tela said, turning to her companion questioningly.
Rigel smirked. "Thanks, but I'm not too great about following orders in general. Besides, it would likely be better for us to split up. Divide and conquer. Keep filling your roster. I'll probably head to Ilos or towards one of those colonies that went missing. Can you send me a list of colonies the Collectors hit?"
Miranda leaned forward once more, intently focused on Rigel. "The Collectors themselves are only part of the problem. Their technology is leagues beyond what we have to combat them. Unless we upgrade the Normandy and our personal equipment, we'll fail before we even make it to the relay."
Rigel furrowed his eyebrows as he met the woman's gaze. Tela watched him seriously, waiting to see what he would do while Shepard looked between Miranda and Rigel in confusion.
Leaning forward, Rigel said, "What exactly do you need?"
Without missing a beat, Miranda said, "Better armor; stronger weapons, both for the ship and ourselves; more efficient engines; better shields; better scanners – anything you can give us will give us a better chance."
"That freezing tech you used on Jaroth would be appreciated as well." Garrus added.
Miranda's eyes snapped to Garrus calculatingly before quickly panning back to Rigel.
She doesn't ask for much, does she? Nova said dryly.
If they're really going to launch an all out assault on the Collectors, should we really hold things back? We don't know enough about them to know how much of a threat they pose.
So ask her to send you a data package. I'll look over her intel and everything the Broker had while you talk and we'll go from there.
"Send me a data package on everything you know about the Collectors. I'm willing to help, but I can't spread anything too dangerous around until I know no one is going to use it to kill everyone else." Rigel said non-committedly.
Miranda opened her omni-tool and began to furiously swipe through screens, clearly sending messages to people and downloading data to her scrubbed omni-tool.
While Miranda went about collecting information on the Collectors, Commander Shepard leaned into the table, staring at Rigel in interest. "Are you a merc?"
Rigel shrugged. "I suppose you could call me that."
"He's been working with me for the last few months." Tela spoke up.
"Did you ever serve in the Alliance?" Shepard said, her eyes still fixed on Rigel.
Shaking his head, Rigel said, "Again, I'm not big on following orders. How many people are you looking to recruit for your team?"
Shepard pursed her lips as she leaned back. "At least twice the squad members I currently have. I have sufficient crew to pilot and operate the Normandy, but our number of combat personnel is lacking. Cerberus supplied dossiers on a slew of attractive candidates."
"I shouldn't need to tell you to be careful of them." Tela said seriously, her arms crossed over her chest as she shot Miranda a look.
'
"They're not my first choice either, but they're the only substantial organization willing to openly oppose the Reapers. Anderson and Tevos can only do so much being subtle."
"That's the second time you've mentioned her. She told you she was making preparations?" Tela said, sounding skeptical.
"Said she's being subtle. Building up the Council's fleet and Thessia's fleet to prepare for the Reaper's initial attack." Garrus said. "I'm skeptical, but I'll take any help anyone is willing to offer at this point. When I tried to get people to prepare, they blew me off. With Shepard back, hopefully that will change."
"Here." Miranda said suddenly, flicking a command on her omni-tool that sent a package to Rigel's.
Rigel opened his omni-tool and skimmed through the data while Nova flew through it magnitudes faster than he could. The Collectors had impressive shields, ships, energy weapons, and more, but, while it was better than most of what he'd seen in this universe, nothing he was seeing could compare to the technology he'd faced from the Vex.
The biggest problem I'm seeing are these Seeker Swarms. They'd be difficult to consistently counter if they have a large enough supply of them. That said, I'm not seeing much our tech couldn't help them overcome.
What are you thinking, Nova? They're working with Cerberus, so they already have access to Omolon ammo. We could give them some linear fusion rifles and look over their ship, but we wouldn't be able to make any significant changes without bringing it to Mercury.
Not necessarily. Here…
Rigel's omni-tool changed to a screen showing an image of the Normandy SR2, Commander Shepard's ship.
We can drastically improve their shields and engines without much issue. We'll have to forge everything back on Mercury, but we could transport it to them ourselves and install it without revealing the location of our stash. It might not be a bad idea to give them a transmat beacon either.
If we give them one, all of Cerberus will have them inside of a week.
Then we wait on that for a while, but they'll need one to hit the Collectors.
Rigel maneuvered the image of the Normandy until he was looking at the medical bay. Their medical equipment is lacking. We could hook them up with some cytomachines. It'll keep them healthy, and I really don't give a shit about medical tech becoming widespread. It'll just save more lives.
Rigel looked up, realizing Tela and Shepard had been talking while he and Nova went over the data Miranda had sent him.
"–can do to build a fleet. I've already called in every favor I have and it's only going to get Thessia enough protection to stall." Tela said, frustrated.
"Believe me, I get it. Before I got sucked into space, I shouted about the Reapers from the rooftops. Everyone just ignored me." Shepard commiserated.
"They won't be able to ignore any of us for much longer." Garrus said severely. "We're running out of time."
Shepard nodded. "That's why we need to hit the Collectors as soon as we can. Are you sure you won't join us?"
Tela shook her head. "Rigel's right. It's better for us to stay split. Keep building your team. While you do that, we'll get to work trying to find some proof the Reapers are coming. I think we'll head to Ilos and try to wake up Vigil. Can you send me a map so I know how to get to him?"
Shepard opened her omni-tool, then cursed under her breath. "My data was wiped after they recovered me."
"I got it." Garrus opened his omni-tool and sent a data package to Tela. "Good luck getting that VI running. If you can get it operational, it'll make all our lives much easier."
Sensing a break in the conversation, Rigel met Miranda's gaze and said, "I've got some ideas to help you guys out, but I can't do anything right now. Once we're done at Ilos, succeed or fail, I'll get some stuff made for you. We'll contact you once we have everything so we can meet up again. Let us know when you're planning to hit the Collectors. I won't help you recruit because I can be doing other things, but when you're ready to go, I'm coming with you."
"That goes for both of us." Tela said immediately. "Give us a week or two worth of warning so we can get to know your team, then we'll all hit them together."
Shepard nodded. "Thank you. It's good to know I've got more allies working the problem."
"Pretty soon, the whole galaxy will either be working with you or dead." Tela said, a smirk on her face.
"Let's hope it's the first one." Shepard said as she rose to her feet, her companions following her lead. "I'll keep you updated on our progress. Let me know if you manage to get anything from Vigil."
"Will do." Riel said, standing across from her and extending a hand.
Shepard grasped and shook it with a smile. "Welcome to the madhouse." With a respectful, parting nod to Tela, Shepard led her team away from the table.
Rigel watched her go before turning to Tela. "Is there anything else you need to do here?"
Tela shook her head. "The only thing would be to talk to Tevos, but according to Shepard she's already working the problem. I'd rather get to Ilos."
"We've got one stop to make first, but we'll head there immediately after."
An intrigued light shone in Tela's eye as she stood up and followed Rigel through the club. "Where are we going first?"
"That place I keep disappearing to." Rigel said with a conspiratorial smirk on his face.
Tela's eyes widened. "You mean…?"
"Yes."
Tela smiled excitedly. "Well what the hell are we waiting for?"
The two walked out of Purgatory and froze. Rigel idly noted Shepard, Garrus, and Miranda were similarly frozen a few feet away from them.
"The hell is this?" Tela said, bewildered.
"I was hoping you could tell me." Shepard said, sounding completely lost.
"The angel!" a human male called, prompting the assembled crowd of humans to cheer upon seeing Rigel. There were dozens of them. Adults, elderly, children – all ages and ethnicities, all staring at Rigel in awe.
Two Spectres, a turian, and a Cerberus agent followed the crowd's gaze to look at a slumped-shouldered Risen.
Fuck you. Rigel said to the laughing voice in his head. Nova knew they were gathering but didn't tell him.
Rigel's eyes narrowed in irritation as a human male in a white toga reminiscent of ancient Greek philosophers stepped ahead of the crowd, raising his arms to quiet everyone down. "Peace! Peace!" he called. "Allow him space!"
"Michael." Rigel greeted the man he'd saved from batarian slavers dryly. "The fuck is this?"
Nova's laughter turned into a cackle as she drew amusement from Rigel's irritation.
Michael smiled warmly. "It's alright, Rigel. I told them about you. How you saved us, how you saved me. They only want to–"
"Nope." Rigel grabbed Tela by the shoulder and dragged the slack-jawed Spectre forward, bulldozing past Michael and around the corner.
"The angel is–" Whatever else the woman was saying was lost as Nova, still laughing like a maniac, transmatted Rigel and Tela to the Blind Well.
"Did he… He thinks you're…?"
"An angel. Yes. Apparently he built a cult around himself. I do not need this bullshit right now." Rigel said as he sat down in the pilot's seat and started powering up the ship. "You can stop laughing directly into my brain now, Nova."
A red ghost appeared in a shimmer of white and began convulsing, merry laughter ringing forth from her. "You should have seen your face!" Nova roared before cackling again.
"Why the hell does he think you're an angel?" Tela said, perplexed as she sat in the copilot's seat.
"Do you remember how I saved you when you were injected with that Minagen X3 serum?"
Tela's eyes widened. "You used that fiery, golden sword?"
"It's called a Well of Radiance, and no. I used a much weaker, different power called a rift. I still call them wells because they're essentially baby wells. Either way, he apparently thinks I'm an angel as a result."
Tela tilted her head as she studied Rigel. "I mean…is he wrong?"
Nova, who had just begun to get herself under control, spun backwards through the air as she began howling.
Sighing, Rigel said, "Care to explain that?"
"Well, you said that a giant sphere god called the Traveler resurrected you to be its immortal warrior. From what I've seen of human religion, that sounds pretty angelic to me."
"Biblical angels are messengers. They relay words between God and mortals. They don't spend their every waking moment fighting an unyielding foe hellbent on the annihilation of all things."
"They why the hell does every illustration of an angel have a flaming…sword…" Tela blinked, then leaned in closer to Rigel, a grin slowly forming on her face. "Holy shit. You really are an angel."
A rhythmic clanking sound emanated from the ceiling as Nova repeatedly slammed her shell into the metal, still laughing like a mad woman.
Rigel slumped in his seat, eyes fixed out the viewport. "I hate you."
"Nah, I'm an attractive alien, a badass, and you like hanging out with me. You don't hate me."
Rigel raised an eyebrow as he tilted his head to look at her. "Well don't you have a high opinion of yourself."
Tela shrugged. "An earned opinion of myself."
Rigel pushed out of his seat as the Blind Well cleared the Citadel and began burning towards the relay. "Sure. I'm getting a drink. You want something?"
"Just grab two of whatever you're getting."
Rigel waved an acknowledgement over his shoulder as he left the cockpit.
"Tela?" Nova, who had suddenly stopped laughing, said, her shell shifting uncertainty.
"I'm not going to press anything, Nova." Tela said placatingly.
"Tela, he–"
"Deserves to be happy. I won't press him. But I'm not giving up. I'm an asari. I can afford to be patient."
Nova seemed taken aback by the steel in Tela's voice, the gaze that was almost challenging. "You've thought about this a lot, haven't you?" the ghost asked.
Tela nodded. "If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out, but I'm not going to give up on him just because he was hurt before."
Nova slowly floated up to Tela's eyeline, her shell rotating at sporadic intervals as she thought. After a long pause, Nova finally said, "You'd better not die, Tela." The ghost disappeared in a white shimmer.
Tela allowed a joyful smile to grace her lips with the ghost's departure, taking the statement as approval.
"The red menace still here?" a voice behind Tela said, causing the Spectre to school her features.
"She vanished a few seconds ago. Is she not still laughing inside your head?"
"No, but that just means she's probably trying to find a way to bankroll the cult following I apparently have. Seems like something she'd do for no reason other than the hilarity of it." Rigel said, handing Tela a beer as he sat back down in his seat.
Tela took the drink and pulled the top off with a little assistance from her biotics, an amethyst energy gathering in her hand for a brief moment. "So you're finally showing me wherever it is you keep disappearing to, huh?"
"Yep." Rigel said, taking a sip from his bottle.
"And where exactly is that?"
"Mercury."
"That wasteland?"
"Where better to hide out than somewhere only a maniac would live?"
"Fair enough. I'm looking forward to it."
The two fell into companionable silence as they finished their drinks. The relay was soon in sight, and they felt the satisfying slingshot effect as they were launched through the stars.
