Deovan- Thanks bro. Banter, as I'm sure you've noticed, is, to me, an important part of the series. It's a fantastic way to really get to know the characters you love and helps flesh things out with them more. As for Tali hopping along for the ride, I thought it was a great idea to show that antagonists aren't always racist or stupid. Donovan is a smart guy.
Darkmosmos- I take your compliment with great honor. It really brightens my day when people tell me that my story is among the best for the TalixShepard relationship. As for JuelxOlasie, they're probably going to become a thing. Who knows. :)
StealthSaber2- I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I try to ship everyone in the series as realistically as possible. When you have your run of the mill douchebag villain, the one where you wonder how the hell this guy even got to where he was with their stupidity, it almost gets tiresome. That makes their incompetency feel forced and unnecessary, and almost downplays Shepard's role in a way, when he's fighting idiots 24/7.
Also, I wish, I wish, I wish I could update faster than I do. It would improve my views and get me more reviews. But I keep myself to a standard now to ensure that what I write is good and fun. Quality over quantity I suppose. :)
Chesta1982- To think fully grown adults don't jab, jest, and make raunchy jokes is rather ridiculous. You read something completely serious all the time, and that stuff gets boring and old. The End of Dawn and Fall of Normandy isn't about heroism or bravado. It isn't always about being serious or uptight. It's about a bunch of people who happen to be good at what they do and what they go through along the way.
Jeffsny- I hate how I do that. Writing as much as I do, I really believe that I suffer through like... writing fatigue or something. Even though I read over my work and grammar check with Microsoft word, I still make dumb mistakes. It would be great if people could point them out in PM so I can go back and fix them. Because I'm fixing things I find all the damn time! Aside from that though, I'm really glad you find that the story is a good read. I really try hard to make everything you read enjoyable. Here's to hoping for many more!
EroSlackerMicha- Happy new year to yourself! Donovan probably won't know anything. ;)
Guest- Glad you've enjoyed what I've offered friend. Get an account or make sure you sign in next time!
|Chapter 24|
|0400 HOURS|
|Date: 2/28/2185|
|Location: Serpent Nebula/Boltzmann System/Bekenstein|
|MISSION: Asset Retrieval.|
Today was the big day. If everything went well, Mr. Hock would be none the wiser, they'd have the graybox, and would leave with nothing but bellies full of wine.
He sipped his coffee and took a slow breath. As often as he did it, John was never much of a morning man. Waking up at 0400 sucked ass. With a pursed lip, he yawned and stretched slowly. At least it was in the company of his lovely future wife and steaming cup of joe.
Tali yawned and smacked her lips before turning over slowly and smiling.
"Hi boo."
"Hi to you too." John said softly. He set down his mug and gave her a long kiss on the forehead, "How'd my wife sleep?"
She smiled at that and rose the bed's comforter up to her nose. "I like it when you call me that."
"I know." He cooed.
"Come here." She said beneath the blanket.
He slipped back under the covers and sighed at the warm embrace of the bed and his fiancé.
"I just want to go back to sleep, Tals."
"I know." She hummed, giving him a sleepy kiss on the cheek, "But we have to get ready."
"They should've had Jacob be Solomon Gunn."
Tali laughed. "That man couldn't act to save his life."
"And what makes you think I can? Kasumi should've picked Zaeed. He's a way better fit. Hell, he used to be the Blue Sun's leader."
"That would make him more qualified wouldn't it?"
He shook his head and smiled at the irony. "Yeah. It probably does."
She lay on her side and put a hand over his chest to cuddle him while he took in her beautiful scent and sighed. "You'd think we'd feel a bit more nervous, given what we're doing today."
"We've done so much worse." She answered with a drowsy murmur before deciding to put a leg over him too. It wasn't long before she started snoring again.
"You are just so adorable." John whispered as he played with her beautiful hair. There wasn't a man in this galaxy that wasn't as lucky as him.
Tali stood next to John, closer than normal, and yawned. Hunched over with her arms crossed, she lazily smacked her lips and looked up at the elevator's camera.
"EDI. If you could take us to the hangar bay, please."
"Yes Ms. Zorah."
John glanced at the beautiful woman next to him and cleared his throat awkwardly. "Hi there."
She gave him a lethargic and sleepy look. "Hi."
"What's your name?"
"Tali." She answered, playing along.
He looked at the contents of his mug and bit his lip like he was nervous. "You're really pretty."
"Keelah," She drawled, "What's your name?"
"Hugh."
"Hugh what?"
"Hugh Mungus."
"Keelah," She drawled, "Are you hitting on me in the workplace? That's sexual harassment."
He kept staring ahead with a wide eyed look on his face.
"EDI. This man sexually harassed me." She said with a nasty tone before looking at John again, "I'll have you know that I have a boyfriend."
"Oh?" John said, pretending to be surprised, "And did you know I have a ship collection?"
"What? What does that have to do with anything?"
"I thought we were talking about stuff that doesn't matter."
"Oh my god," Tali laughed, finally breaking character, "That joke is so old."
"Yeah. I know," John said with a dumb grin, "It needs telling though to stay alive."
"Ms. Zorah, at your request, I will file a report of the commander's attempt of sexual misconduct to Mrs. Lawson. Cerberus retains and enforces a zero tolerance policy for sexual infractions."
"No EDI. It's okay." Tali said with a stupid smile, "We were just joking."
"Understood, Ms. Zorah. Though I regret to inform you that I wouldn't have reported the incident anyways. The commander has established that the rule of law aboard the Normandy is as follows: 'Bros before hoes'."
John just took a sip of his mug and cleared his throat. "Holy moly."
"That is a joke."
Tali still didn't much like EDI, but she had to give the AI some credit. "Wow... that was pretty good EDI. Raunchy jokes are the best jokes."
"I do my best." EDI said before pausing, "Stand by descending party: Mr. Vakarian requests that you please be prepared for what you are about to see in the hangar bay."
With a quirk on their brows, they shrugged and waited for the lift to descend. When the elevator arrived, the doors opened and they stepped out.
EDI wasn't kidding. There was a giant golden figure standing right in front of them. The look of disbelief in their eyes was almost palpable. When they stepped up next to Garrus who'd been watching Kasumi polish the thing, he crossed his arms.
"I fucking hate it." The turian uttered.
The smile on the thief's face only grew, and it only made everything about the statue all the harder to swallow.
John and Tali gave the golden likeness of Saren another long once-over. And agreeing with Garrus' opinion, John stared at the brazen face of the dead ex-spectre before sighing and taking a sip from his mug of coffee. "Jesus Christ." he intoned with a breath as he put a hand on his hip, "That's a goddamn nightmare."
"Hey Kasumi," Tali called out, "You forgot to add the bullet hole I added to Saren's head."
Kasumi just laughed and finished wiping down Saren's legs with her microfiber cloth. "You may not like it, but you'll like what's in it."
The little woman jumped down from the base of the statue and pressed some buttons on her omni-tool. At the last press of a button, out popped three drawers chock full of Tali's, Shepard's, and Kasumi's gear.
"Huh. An arsenal in a box." Garrus noticed.
"Okay, that's kinda cool." Tali thought aloud.
"Alright. Tell me how the box is going to hide this from their scanners." John decided to ask.
Kasumi spread her hands apart. "Magic."
John took a swig from his mug and shrugged. "Alright."
"How'd you sleep?" Kasumi decided to ask before handing John one of his weapons from the drawer.
"Dandy." He answered, inspecting the gear he'd been handed, "You?"
"Didn't sleep."
"Understandable." Tali nodded, kneeling down to take a look at her drawer of stuff, "Let's hope we never use any of this."
"Speaking of that," Shepard thought, "What happens if we don't actually need our gear?"
"Then it stays in the statue forever." Kasumi shrugged.
"Acceptable loss."
"Come on over here Shepard." Garrus said, waving them over, "You too Tali."
They followed him to a corner to where Sidonis and Folly stood waiting.
"We're leaving in about ten minutes," The turian started, "We're getting a head start to the vantage point. Did I tell you the view is fantastic where we're holed up at?"
"No." John replied, "Where's Zaeed and Olasie's team? They leave already?"
"They left an hour ago."
"Makes sense," He said before taking another careful sip from his mug, "They had more of a ways to go. You have your list?"
Garrus showed him and nodded. "Yeah. Right here."
"Garrus, I know I don't have to remind you, but not one innocent. If you can't take the shot, don't take it."
"I know."
"Good luck Garrus."
All Garrus did was nod and turn around to put on his ghillie suit.
With the last of everything figured out, John and Tali decided to head back up to their room and get their clothes ready.
Eleven hours later...
John turned onto the straightaway and gunned it.
They were fifteen minutes away from arriving and John felt strangely calm about it all. With Kasumi to his left in her beautiful red dress and four inch heels, and Tali in her beautifully decorated realk, he smiled at them both.
"I have to say you two look very lovely." John said to break the silence.
Kasumi gussied herself up in the mirror and adjusted the top of her dress before perking up her boobs. "Thanks Shep. Glad it doesn't go unnoticed."
"How do I look?" John asked.
"Really good." Tali sighed as she stared lovingly at him, "Black is such a good color on you."
Kasumi nodded. "You should wear this stuff more often. What say you dear?"
"Yes," Tali agreed, "Very much so."
"This is bagger-1 to partyman-1, how copy, over." Olasie called over everyone's comm.
"This is partyman-1, go for message, over." John answered.
"We're in position and have sight over the southern compound. We'll keep you posted of any developments. Guests are already arriving, over."
"Acknowledged bagger-1. Interrogative: See anything interesting yet?"
"Partyman-1, the food platters look really good. I'd head there first if I was you."
Everyone in the car laughed.
"Thanks, bagger-1. We'll eat for you, over."
"Acknowledged Partyman, bagger-1 out."
John, Tali, and Kasumi all stepped out of the car and took a breath of air.
"You know the drill, Tali," Kasumi said quietly as she tucked a hand around Shepard's arm, "We're gold-digging bimbos with an Electra-complex."
Tali flanked John's side and smiled. "Got it. Tramps with daddy issues."
John laughed at their jokes. "You guys are making this too easy."
They began walking toward the front gate and joined the small and growing congregation of guests waiting in line to go in.
Soon enough, it was their turn.
"Name please."
"Solomon Gunn. RSVP for three."
The man at the podium looked at his list and nodded. "Yes Mr. Gunn. An honor to have you here. Please enjoy the festivities."
They walked through without incident. Just before they entered the foyer of Solomon's home, the three saw their statue of Saren being loaded onto a small transport wagon by a group of Donovan's security detail. Confirming that it was their gift to Hock, they let the wagon follow behind Shepard and both his dates to present it to the host.
"Tagger-1 to Partyman-1," Garrus said over the three's comm beads, "We have visual on you. Confirm copy: Someone kiss Shepard's cheek and look at the statue, over."
Given that Tali was wearing a helmet, Kasumi delivered.
Garrus saw the confirmation. "Acknowledged, Partyman. We'll keep you posted, out."
Mr. Hock stood at the doorway of his mansion and greeted guests one by one. When it was John's turn, the man took a sip from his champagne glass and dipped his head.
"I don't believe we've met. Donovan Hock." He extended a hand to shake with John's.
"Solomon Gunn," Shepard greeted, "And my lovely company: Ms. Aiko Kazaki and Fay'Zerr."
He shook hands with both the women and smiled graciously at them. "A pleasure," He said before finally looking up to the golden sculpture of the ex-spectre. To say Hock didn't look pleased with the poised look of the golden likeness of Saren would be an understatement. "This is quite an exquisite piece."
"A martyr for a cause." John strained to say, "Fought to the end to upheave the people working against men like you and I."
Tali turned green from the how stupid that sounded. She knew it was all an act, and she knew that John felt just as sick saying it; but hearing it come out of his voice was absolutely nauseating.
And just to make it worse, she half expected Saren's ghost to whittle up right next to her ear and mock them for having to drop so low as to flatter the bringer of society's doom. It was all impossible of course. But if it ever happened, she'd probably humor the psycho's ego before asking him what it felt like to get your brains sucked out from the back of your head.
Tali sure did like using hollow points then. Pretty sure she still did now. And just to make a stark point, she faced Saren's likeness and tried to burn a hole in his forehead in the same spot she did with her hand-canon all those years ago with her eyes.
Didn't seem to be working.
"And his death was far from in vain." Donovan passed a glass of champagne to Shepard from his conveniently placed butler before rising his own, "First impressions are important Mr. Gunn, and I believe you've impressed well."
They clinked glasses and took their respective sips.
"Enjoy the party."
They passed through the wide door and into the entrance hall.
"I hate champagne." John muttered, dumping the bitter spirits into a passing planter, "And god did I fucking hate saying that shit."
"So much swearing!" Kasumi hushed, "I know what'll cheer you up."
"Going home."
"No." Kasumi chided before guiding them both over to the wide array of high-class treats, "This."
Kasumi showed with a hand what had to be the biggest attraction of the party. Olasie wasn't joking. The platters here were out of this world. A beautiful array of meats, cheeses, appetizers, and full entrees.
It didn't take long for John to pick out what he wanted.
"Baby carrots." Kasumi said flatly, astounded by his pick, "Delicacies from the furthest reaches of space and you pick a baby carrot."
"Nothing else fits my macros." He said between a crunch and shrug, "And it's healthy."
Kasumi pinched her nose.
"All the same to me," Tali shrugged, "and I can't even eat any of it."
"We cater to all cultures and nationalities, ma'am." A chef from behind the counter said before reaching under his serving space and retrieving a stak-aid-4 utensil packet, "The dextro signatures are labeled. Please select whatever you wish."
Tali noticed the suddenly very apparent dextro options and bit her lip. "Uhm... oh my."
She glanced around her and realized that there were several quarians intermingled amongst the guests. No doubt freedom seekers and their outright abandonment of the flotilla, or the more rare, exiles who'd made a name for themselves in the corporate parts of arms design and dealing.
She wondered if any of them were on that hit list that Garrus and Olasie had. Who knew.
"I'm alright, thank you. Maybe sometime later." Tali said finally, deciding she wasn't that hungry.
"Of course ma'am." The chef said between a slight bow, "Feel free to return at any time. We serve only the best here."
The three calmly made their way to a secluded part of the party before taking a seat on a sofa and relaxing. To keep up appearances, the women each put a hand on his chest and smiled at him.
"What's the plan Kasumi? What do we do next?"
"We find out where his vault is. Bypass any security measures that happen to get in our way, retrieve the graybox, and leave." Kasumi whispered into his ear like a lover would.
"What do you think our chances are of leaving this place without having a gun fight on our hands?" He said with a smile.
"Slim."
John faced Tali and caressed her shoulder romantically. "Hear that hun? Kasumi said we're probably gonna have to shoot up the place."
"I heard." Tali said, "Unfortunate."
"Tali dear," Kasumi whispered, "I'm going to try and find that vault. Maybe you should head to the buffet and keep a lookout. Look natural. Eat something. Make small talk if you can."
"Got it."
John kissed Tali's hand and let her go do her thing. That left Kasumi and John alone.
"Alright," John murmured, "What do you want me to do?"
"To follow me."
They got up and passed by several guests studying an art piece before surveying the area. Taking a glass of wine from a passing server, John took a sip as they kept studying their surroundings.
By now, Tali was already back at the bar. Taking a seat, she watched them from across the extravagantly sized parlor before deciding that she'd go ahead and try out that scrumptious looking purple filet she'd eyed earlier. It didn't take long for one of the chefs to prepare the meal accordingly.
When the chef handed her the meal, she accepted with both hands and nodded to him graciously.
"Thank you."
"My pleasure, ma'am."
She spun around in her chair, studied the space around her, and waited. Seeing as how John and Kasumi were still wandering around, she decided to start eating to pass the time.
Halfway to preparing her packet, a quarian woman sat next to her before ordering something herself.
"Reena'Wahl." The quarian woman greeted, nodding to Tali.
"Fay'Zerr" Tali answered in kind, "Nice to meet you."
"What's your play for Hock's party?" The woman asked.
Tali took a breath. "Pardon?"
"What's your facet of business?"
"Security." Tali answered, feeling a slight sweat grace her brow at the prodding question. Was she going to have to start talking about a business that didn't even exist? Keelah. That was not going to work.
"Security? Interesting." Reena said.
"What about you?"
Reena swirled her drink and took a sip from her straw. "Oh. The occasional contract for weapons development. Usually larger scale stuff."
"What kind of guns do you make?" Tali decided to ask, hoping to keep the topic on her, "Anything that stands out from the rest?"
"Not particularly." Reena answered, somewhat disinterested.
Tali was at a total loss of what to say next, so she took a breath and decided to look around for John and Kasumi again. Unfortunately, they weren't in sight of her anymore.
"Security contracting sounds dangerous." Reena said, "I'm sure you've got something worth telling."
Tali mentally took a breath to prepare herself. As long as she talked about what was true, she'd could talk. "Well... it's not good to talk about our work. But why not."
"Oh please tell." Reena said before leaning in slightly and smiling.
"Have you ever heard of Nassana Dantius?"
Reena nodded. "She was killed last week."
"We did that."
"Oh my." Reena feigned with a slight laugh, "I suppose the woman had it coming."
"Doesn't matter if she did or not," Tali said in an attempt to sound like a sociopath, "We get a contract and we fulfill it."
Tali turned to face the woman, and dipped her head. Insofar, she actually felt pretty good about her act. "Your turn."
Reena tapped the counter with a finger and looked up at the ceiling. "My work isn't as exciting as yours, obviously."
"No?"
She stared Tali right in the eye and shook her head. "People don't expect me to be what I am."
The way Reena said that made Tali shift uncomfortably in her seat. Something was off about Reena, and she couldn't tell what.
"Ms. Wahl," The chef said to grab their attention, "your meal is ready."
"You might tag along eighty million credits worth of gear and backup, but you never forget the little things." Kasumi said quietly. John gave her an impressed smirk as she kept working on whatever it was she was doing with her bobby pin and the chained lock.
"Well. You can't keep everything on electricity." John said with a small sip of his wine.
"Almost done. Then we'll head back up to talk to Hock."
"Really think you'll be able to get a good enough sample of his voice?"
"Yes."
John nodded and took a breath. "I can't be for certain, but I really think we might pull this off without having to fire a shot Kasumi."
"Starting to think so too." She said before finally popping the lock. Opening up the pad, Kasumi revealed a DNA scanner.
"Welp. Guess we're going to have to grab a sample of his DNA too."
"Where are we going to find that?"
"Definitely not in the party room. Too many people that could compromise a sample."
"Then what do you have in mind?"
"His bedroom."
John sniffed and put a hand on his chin at the complication. "This still child's play to you?"
"Absolutely."
"Need my help for this?"
"No. Go up and spend some time with Tali. Make her feel special."
"Alright. Keep me posted."
Kasumi took off her heels, rolled her dress up to her thighs, and disappeared into nothingness. With a huff, John downed whatever was left of his wine and walked out.
Tali gave Reena a sideways glance and bit her lip. Taking care to turn off her voice, she called Garrus.
"This is partyman-2 to tagger-1, need you to run something for me, over."
"This is tagger-1," the turian replied, "go for request, over."
"I want you to run a background check on a quarian named Reena'Wahl. She says she's a weapons development contractor, over. "
"Copy. Pretty sure she's already on the hit list for some nasty shit, but EDI's already running a search, break."
"There's something about you," Reena said, taking a breath and staring at her untouched food, "A lot of humble pride in the way you walk and talk."
Tali took a sip of her drink, swallowed hard, and looked at her. "What do you mean?"
A cold look graced her. "You're not who you say you are."
Tali felt her neck and back dampen.
"You might be security. But I think you're more than that. You're something else and I can't put my finger on it." Reena said in a way that sounded like she definitely could put her finger on it.
"Is that so?" Tali asked, frowning at the possible implications that were in play, "I'd like to know why you think that."
Reena took a good look at Fay. This woman was not Fay'Zerr. Fay'Zerr didn't exist. She was Tali'Zorah vas Neema. And, given the sudden magnitude of the situation, Reena knew Tali had to be the one that was supplying illegal quarian arms to the underground. Who else could have as much pull as her? She was Admiral Rael'Zorah's daughter with unrestricted, unconditional, and unregulated access to the fleet's resources. And it just so happens that she takes a leave of absence with her boy toy just to end up here at the cornerstone of privatized weapons development and trade? This giant 'party' was as much of a business opportunity as it was a celebration. People didn't give a shit about the deviled eggs. They came here to make money and settle contracts. And here Tali'Zorah was, doing just that. All Reena had to do at this point was to keep the camera running and let Tali seal her own fate. And when it was time to report this to Daro'Xen, there wouldn't be a body for Rael to bury. Hell, he might not even get to, given how involved he might be too.
"Fay," John said with his smile, interrupting their conversation, "There you are. Was looking all over for you."
Reena'Wahl, or better yet, her real name, Iwia'Vara, faced John and recognized who he was as well. This was turning into a damn goldmine.
Tali looked at him with the beading sweat on her brow and nodded. "Hey."
"Please, introduce me to your new friend."
"Oh," Tali said with a mumble, "This is Reena'Wahl. She's a weapons research contractor."
"A pleasure," John said, shaking Reena's hand.
"Now, as I was saying," Reena continued with her fake smile, "I think I've got an idea of what you really are."
"Oh?" Tali wondered with an unsettled breath. John gave them both a raised brow.
"You're into weapons acquisition aren't you?" Reena asked in a hushed but excited voice. John kept his brow up, but decided that the best answer to give would be one this quarian wanted to hear.
"We're keeping it a secret," John decided to say to play along, "Why does it interest you?"
"I need tech. From my people." Reena lied, "I regrettably lack the knowledge to acquire it. Top end. Stuff that isn't even in the books yet."
"I was saving this deal for Mr. Hock," Tali said, feeling hugely relieved in knowing that Reena wasn't out to get her cover blown, "But I suppose we could make something work."
"That's excellent news. You won't regret it. I promise."
"Do you have a business card?"
"Oh, I do!" Reena said, reaching for her purse and retrieving said card, "Here you go. Please do keep in contact."
With a devilish smile, the quarian woman got up after Tali took the card, and left.
"This is tagger-1 to partyman-2," Garrus said over the comm to give Tali her update, "Heard everything. She's gonna be pissed when she doesn't get what she wants. Well, she's not getting anything but a bullet in about two hours."
Tali stared on as Reena walked away and chewed on her tongue. "Is she as bad as we think she is? Over."
"Your run of the mill corporate crime," Garrus replied, "Reena does a lot of the same stuff Nassana did, over."
"Copy, tagger-1, anything else you have for us?" Tali asked.
"Negative. Out."
Tali couldn't help but feel for her neck and feel sick to her stomach with everything that was going on here. The stench of how rotten all these people were was starting to take its toll.
"Mind filling me in on the loop?" John decided to ask, leaning in next to Tali, "You seem a little lightheaded."
"I thought our cover was blown for a moment. Just catching my breath."
He gave her a really concerned look. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah." She nodded, "Dead serious."
He looked around as calmly as he could. "...Alright. But look. If anything comes of it, it probably won't matter. We don't have much longer here anyways." He said as he took a seat down next to her. He ate some more carrots and chewed with some level of indifference on his face.
She looked at John dipping his veggies in ranch and smiled, albeit only slightly. "I love you, Solomon."
"Love you too, Fay." He said with a smirk, "I'm gonna spank your ass tonight."
Tali blushed really bad. John wouldn't normally say that out in public, but it was oddly appropriate, given the nature of who Mr. Gunn was. And funnily enough, she knew he wasn't joking about it either.
"Oh stop it." She said with a bashful giggle.
"Come on," John said, "Let's find a place a little more private.
Tali shrugged. "Alright," She said with a grin, "Anything for you, Mr. Gunn."
As they stood up from the bar, she slipped a hand around his arm and squeaked when he pinched her ass.
"Sorry Tals," He said with a devilish grin, "Gotta keep up appearances."
Kasumi was proud to say that if she wasn't breaking a sweat in the middle of a heist, all was well. Wearing a strapless dress with nothing on your feet helped. Add the timid evening weather and chilly floor tiles, and she'd say she was almost cold.
As she took the hallway down, tip toeing passed several unsuspecting guards, she finally made it to Donovan Hock's bedroom.
Slipping inside, she nodded thoughtfully to herself, and started searching through his belongings for the things she needed.
"This is Bagger-1 to Partyman-3, how copy, over." Olasie said over the COM.
"Can't talk much." Kasumi said, skipping the radio discipline.
"Copy, partyman-3. Just wanted an update. Don't know where you're at, over."
"Ground zero," Kasumi whispered, taking a kneel beside his bed and going through Hock's nightstand, "I'm cloaked."
"Roger that. We'll keep a lookout and see if anything's coming your way, out."
Kasumi stood up, carefully closed the cabinet on Hock's nightstand, and sighed. His bedroom was huge. A library, office, lounge, and bed all in one room.
She decided to check his office. Walking across the soft carpet to his large desk, she nearly tripped over herself from what she just saw.
There, just lying there next to a stack of neatly filed papers, was Keiji's graybox.
"Oh my god." Kasumi's voice barely left her.
"Just like last time." John croaked as he looked distantly at his third but half empty glass of wine.
"Us waiting on her?" Tali laughed, "Maybe we should talk about jellies again and how they bang."
He scratched his nose and put an arm around her, all while shaking his head. "I'm good."
Tali laughed and snuggled in closer to him before putting a hand on his chest to look romantically engaged with him. It wasn't much of an act at this point really. She just did it because she loved him.
"I'm tired." He grumbled.
"It's the wine."
"Don't even feel a buzz."
"That's good."
"Yeah. Wouldn't be good to be drunk on the job, now would it?"
"Yeah." She conceded while she pat him on the chest, "Really wouldn't."
Kasumi reared the corner with a fat smile and sat down next to John.
"It's done. I have it."
They both look at her with surprise.
"Really?" John leaned in, "You're joking."
"No. We can leave if you want."
John gave Tali a very pleased look, downed his glass of red wine, and set it aside.
"Ladies," He intoned before standing up, "I think it's our time to bid Mr. Hock farewell."
"What, we're actually going to say good-bye?" Tali asked with a scowl.
"Oh no. Not a chance in hell."
"That's rude." Kasumi said.
"So is crashing a party." John shrugged.
Both the women stand up, hook an arm around John, and begin to leave.
"This is tagger-1 to Partyman, I see you're leaving... are we a go for fire-mission? Over."
John looked out into the distance, roughly to where Garrus' position was at, and nodded.
"This is Partyman-1. Kasumi got the package early. You're a go when we're in our car and gone from this place, over."
"Copy Partyman-1, HVTs tagged and marked, out."
John opened a door for Tali and let her step inside. He did the same for Kasumi before settling down in the driver's seat, turning on the ignition, and driving off.
When they finally got on the highway, John gave Kasumi a sideways look and frowned.
"...You alright?"
"Yeah..." Kasumi said distantly while her eyes stayed fixed on the graybox, "Just... weird holding this."
Tali looked at the thing in her hand and said nothing. She couldn't help but agree that it was unsettling to be holding something that was supposed to be attached to your dead boyfriend's brain.
"I'm sorry you had to go through what you did to finally get that back." John said quietly.
A tear welled in her eye as the graybox lay delicately in her palm, "Hock tortured Keiji to death for this."
"What's in it that Hock wanted so badly?" Tali decided to ask.
"I'm not sure." Kasumi answered lamely with a small shrug, "He never told me. All he said was that it was too dangerous for anyone to know."
"Then you should destroy it." John suggested.
Kasumi graced him with a glare. "Absolutely not."
John kept driving and didn't say anything for a long moment. "Then you need to find out what it is and tell us."
"It's not your business Shepard." Kasumi shot back.
John stared straight at her. "It damn well is when you involve me, my resources, and my crew."
Tali knew that look. It usually cut out the bullshit they dealt with.
Kasumi looked back at her hand in defeat and nodded solemnly. "...Okay."
"—you're a go when we're in our car and gone from this place, over."
"Copy Partyman-1, HVTs tagged and marked, out." Garrus said over the radio. Olasie got her rifle ready and nodded to Zaeed.
"Ready to do this?"
"Yeah." Zaeed answered. Talukh and Juel just nodded.
"This is Tagger-1 to Bagger-1, how copy, over." Garrus called over the radio.
"This is Bagger-1, full copy, over." Olasie replied.
"Primary targets are listed. Remember: no innocents. You're a go. We'll mop up whoever comes running to their cars, out."
Olasie glanced to everyone on her team. "Alright. Tell me when you're on target."
"On it." Zaeed murmured.
"I've got positive ID." Juel said.
"...Ready." Talukh answered.
Olasie put her eye behind her optic and settled her breath before resting a finger on the trigger. When she saw Reena'Wahl fall in line behind her crosshair, she bit her lip and sighed. This was going be her first time killing one of her own. Oddly enough, it didn't faze her much.
"Fire."
They all fired. All of their rounds hit home, killing Donovan Hock, Tera Gayle, Derek Zimmerman, and Reena'Wahl.
Olasie watched her target's faceplate shatter from the passing bullet and drop like a wilted flower. Strangely, Olasie felt nothing of it.
They reacquired and fired again.
Yaler Tinson, Arthur Mcdowell, Zara Y'noa, and Maer Zola.
"This is Bagger-1 to Tagger-1, targets down. We're bugging out, over."
"Copy Bagger-1, we're preparing to engage, we'll meet you back at exfil, out."
That's a wrap, crew. Let's go." Olasie said as she placed her rifle back into its soft-padded case.
Juel knelt down next to her and did the same.
"How do you feel?" Juel decided to ask, glancing only for a moment to her.
"About killing one of our own?" Olasie said, taking Juel's hint, "I don't know. Nothing really."
"Yeah..." Juel nodded, shrugging, "Didn't think you would."
She smiled, only slightly, and hugged him. "I'm fine. She was a rotten and nasty son of a bitch. Doesn't matter who or what she was."
Their moment was juxtaposed by the sounds of distant rifle fire.
Codex Entry:
Freedom Seekers- Not all quarians who leave pilgrimage come back to the flotilla. The galaxy is a dangerous place, and casualties to the cause are expected and accounted for. What would arguably be a bigger problem, however, are abandoners. To mitigate the chances of these occurrences, quarian youth are trained and borderline indoctrinated for years to understand the quintessentials of the 'one for many' societal axiom. For the species to survive, quarian culture retains its paradigmatic principles of selflessness, sacrifice, and altruism.
Sometimes, regardless of their many years of inculcation, quarians do not return to the flotilla after leaving for pilgrimage. Even more rare are quarians who decide to leave even after their pilgrimage is complete. The term 'freedom seeker', what could be considered an insulting colloquial created to give name to those who abandon the flotilla, are exactly what they are: free. Often times, quarian freedom seekers will abandon their ship and surname entirely to preserve the respective party's reputation.