Buried Beneath ch6: The Thief And The Credit Chit

Normandy, 2185, August 29th 9:17 AM

I step out of the bathroom, towel in hand, drying off my hair. Riley was already gone by the time I got up, but that's been normal the last few days. Though, she probably has a lot on her mind today since we're docking on the Citadel.

Dumping my bathroom stuff into my open bag, I grab a clean jacket off the end of the couch. It's been interesting living with Riley here. I'm not quite used to it, but I think it's been good for me. However, she did mention something about me needing to wake up earlier. At least she hasn't made me talk to Chambers yet.

With a shrug, I leave the room and head for the elevator. Riley is most likely in the CIC, so I'll just go there and see how close we are to docking. I've never been to the Citadel before, I'm kind of curious if it's anything like Omega.

The door opens to the CIC. I can see Riley talking to Chambers by the galaxy map. Yay. It's not that I don't like her, or maybe it is. She just came off as nosey the first time I met her. She hasn't left me alone since.

Riley notices me, but I wait patiently for her conversation to end. The last thing I want is to interrupt when Chambers is involved. Though, Riley seems to get along with her.

As Chambers leaves, Riley makes her way over to me. "Morning, Vex."

I give a small wave. "Morning. How long until we reach the Citadel?"

She glances at the map. "We should be there shortly. Any other questions?"

I step aside as someone tries to slip past me for the elevator. "What are we doing there? Besides what you've told me about meetings and whatever."

"So, you mean, what are you doing there?" Riley raises an eyebrow. At my nod, she continues, "I don't mind if you take a day of shore leave. Just don't go causing trouble."

"Sounds good." I lean against the map railing. "It's my first time there, I'll try not to get lost."

She gives me a small, teasing smile. "Don't worry, Miranda will keep an eye on you while we're there."

I let out a laugh, but when her expression doesn't change, my face falls. No, no, no, no. I will not be babysat by Miranda of all people. No fucking way. "You're kidding, right?"

She shakes her head, oh come on Riles. "Think of it as probation. You need to show you can be trusted."

I sigh in defeat. There's no arguing with her once she's made up her mind. Even if I wanted to, there's nothing I could really say. I fucked up the other day, I'll have to own the consequences.

The elevator door opens, and I glance over to see Miranda and- Archangel. He looks like shit, that rocket really did a number on his face. It's all sorts of fucked. Serves the fucker right. I'm starting to feel tense just thinking about him. What I wouldn't give to end him right here, right now.

Stepping over to him, I can feel the tension in the air. Like the whole room stops to watch. Riley's eyes feel like they're burrowing into the back of my head.

He looks at me and we both just glare. This is the first time I've seen him since Omega, so I just need to keep cool. Relax.

"You better live through this," I mutter, just loud enough for him to hear. "Because we're settling this when it's over."

He matches my tone. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Good." I step back, turning to see Riley staring at me. "Just a friendly chat."

She sighs, rubbing her temples. "Fine, just go get ready. And Miranda-" She turns towards her. "You'll be keeping an eye on Vex while we're on the Citadel."

"What?" Miranda exclaims before catching herself and calming her features. "Yes, Commander." She gives me a cold look as if it's my fault.

I just shrug in response.

The Citadel, 2185, August 29th 10:42 AM

We docked on the Citadel after Riley gave me a speech about how I wasn't allowed to take my weapons with me. Which I mean, is justified, I guess. But like, why was I the only one to get the speech?

Once she let me go, I left the ship. Now, I'm just standing on the docks, watching everyone else leave. I notice Archangel with the Cerberus lackey, known as Jacob. They're talking, probably about something lame. Mordin is behind them, he seemed cool the other day, if a little sporadic.

Zaeed leaves next. I haven't seen him on the ship, so I have no idea where he's been. Following him, Riley steps out with a group of people, some I don't know all that well. No sign of Miranda yet.

I've only been on the ship for a few days and I've tried to meet everyone I can. The pilot is funny, the engineers are nice, and the doctor is well, a doctor. I think I'm doing well and I'm curious to see who else we can recruit.

For now, I don't really have to worry about all that. I'm standing on the Citadel, I just want to explore. This place looks massive. And when you look up you can see the wards with buildings bigger than any I've seen on Omega. It looks amazing.

"Admiring the view?" I hear Miranda ask behind me. I would recognise that voice anywhere.

I turn to face her. She's standing there in typical Miranda fashion with her hand on her hip. She's wearing the same outfit as her usual uniform, just minus the Cerberus logo. I guess it's a precaution to not get recognised. She looks good.

"I am now," I joke, like an idiot.

Her expression hardens. "I thought you'd be past all the bad flirtatious jokes by now."

Oh, now I feel kind of silly. "You're right."

"I know." She gestures somewhere behind her. "Now, let's go."

"Listen." I give the most charming smile in my arsenal. "I'm 26, I don't need a babysitter. Take the day off, have fun."

"No." Her voice is stern as she glares at me. "Shepard ordered me to watch you."

"Worth a shot." I shrug before noticing Riley in the distance. Is she talking to an advertisement? "Is she umm, is she okay?"

Miranda glances over her shoulder but doesn't seem bothered by it. "She's fine. We should get moving."

Uh, okay? "She's talking to an ad, and you think she's fine?"

Without a word, Miranda turns towards the entrance. I look back at Riley for a second before following Miranda into a long, well-lit corridor. A guard is standing on the other side with a scanner. Security here seems pretty high.

Fuck. I don't know what I'm going to do. He's going to find all the files from Earth. I could make a run for it, try to make it out of here unnoticed. I can just wait on the ship, that sounds like a great idea.

Just as I turn to leave, Miranda grabs my arm. "They won't find your record. Cerberus took care of it."

I freeze. "What?"

"We knew the Citadel had extra security after the Geth attack," she explains. "So, we took precautions. We can't have members of our crew being arrested. The mission is too important."

I wasn't expecting Cerberus to be so, I don't know. I know it was just for their benefit, but still. It's nice nonetheless. I don't really know what to say. "Uh, thanks."

She releases my arm, and we continue towards the guard. I tense up as he starts to scan me, but it seems Miranda was true to her word. I easily get through without any hassles.

We end up in what appears to be a shopping district or something. There are a few places around and a bunch of people, but nothing overly exciting. It's kind of a drag.

"Disappointed?" Miranda inquires.

I shrug, glancing around. "I just expected something more impressive."

She seems amused by that. "Well, it's nothing compared to the Presidium."

"You see, that sounds cool," I agree. "Let's go there."

"No." She's doing that stone-face thing again. Honestly, still attractive.

"I see I won't have any fun unless I lose you." I start walking off towards what looks like a souvenir store.

I hear the sound of her heels behind me and I turn to face her, still walking backwards. Her expression is- I don't know. Angry? With a hint of embarrassment maybe. I almost feel guilty.

"Do you think I enjoy being responsible for you, Vex?" Okay, she has a point, but I don't want to be treated like a child.

I stop walking. "I'm not going to get in trouble."

"You can't be trusted," she counters.

I place a hand over my heart. "Ouch."

She sighs, placing a hand on her hip. "You should consider yourself lucky that we're not leaving you here."

"I get it." I turn around to continue walking. "I'm stuck with you."

The Citadel, 2185, August 29th 11:13 AM

Losing Miranda wasn't easy. I had to go into a bar called the Dark Star Lounge on the twenty-eighth floor just to lose her. It's way harder than it sounds, that woman is dedicated to her job, but I'm good at not being seen.

She'll eventually come looking for me when she realises I'm no longer there. Riley might be disappointed in me, but I had to do it. They both think I have to be watched like a child, but I can prove them wrong. I can stay out of trouble, I've been doing it for years.

I'm on the twenty-sixth floor, I think. It should be enough distance between me and Miranda for now. It's interesting to see the difference between here and Omega. The design, lighting, culture, and even the people. You never see interesting races, like that volus over there.

He's talking to a C-Sec officer and a quarian girl. And where C-Sec is involved, I'm going to be nowhere near it. So I'll just scoot past them, but it's hard not to listen to their conversation. He's accusing the quarian of stealing his credit chit and she's pleading with the officer to believe that she didn't do it.

I pause. No, I can't do this. I can't get involved. It's none of my business. This shit happens all the time. Quarians get blamed for shit, it's just how it is. I have to ignore it and walk away.

But, the way she's acting and talking. I think she's telling the truth. If I walk away there's no way she doesn't get blamed for this. No one else will stand up for her. Fuck, I'm an idiot.

I sigh and approach the group. "You lost your credit chit?"

The volus stares at me and takes a really deep breath. "Yes, Earth-Clan and she stole it." He points at the quarian.

She raises her arms defensively. "I didn't take it."

The C-Sec officer interrupts, giving me a stern look. "Please, we don't need civilian assistance, move along."

Ignoring him, I focus on the volus. "Maybe you dropped it?" I can literally feel the officer's gaze on me.

Another deep breath. "I doubt it."

It doesn't sound like he's lying, but she doesn't either. He must believe his own story. Even so, she deserves the benefit of the doubt, not to be condemned without evidence.

"Can I have twenty minutes to look around before you make a decision?" I give the C-Sec officer a pleading look.

"Fifteen minutes," he concedes with an annoyed sigh.

"Got it." I look at the volus. "So, where did this happen?"

"She bumped into me outside the Sirta Foundation, that's when she stole it," he explains. Okay, that last part isn't helpful.

"I didn't take it," the quarian chimes in. "He bumped into me when I was headed for the used ship dealer. Then he comes running up with C-Sec talking about his damned chit."

Nodding, I excuse myself and head to the Sirta Foundation. I'm lucky I saw where that was during my escape from Miranda. It wasn't a big store and there weren't that many people besides that arguing couple.

Looking at the store now, it might be some kind of health store or something. I sigh, I don't have time for that. I need to start looking. If he did drop it, it should be lying around here somewhere.

"Ward? What are you doing?" a voice says from behind me.

I instantly turn to see Zaeed staring at me. His usual shit-eating grin plastered on his face. I don't really have time to stand around and chat with him.

"Some volus lost his credit chit," I explain. "I'm just helping out."

He lets out a laugh and smirks at me. "So you can take it for yourself?"

Ouch. "I'm not a thief."

He shrugs. "I know you aren't. But, you don't usually help people either."

Ouch again. "I can help people." What does he know anyway?

"When it benefits you." He stretches and cracks his neck.

Is that how people see me? Whatever, he's probably just shit-stirring me. "You're lucky I don't mind your company, Massani."

"You know," he muses, leaning against the store. "You should probably start by asking a few people if they've seen it. Bystanders, merchants, those sorts of things."

Did he just say something actually helpful? He has a point too. Considering I don't really have that much time, it would be better to do that.

"Thanks," I offer, rushing into the store and asking the people inside if they've seen it. The asari behind the counter informs me she hadn't seen the chit, but she did see a volus come out of Saronis Applications, a small store across from hers. I thank her and leave, checking the time on the way out. Barely five minutes left.

I run across, checking the ground along the way. Saronis Applications is a small store, weapon mods by the looks of it. There's not many people here, just a salarian behind the counter.

"Can I help you?" he asks, concerned.

"Have you seen a credit chit lying around?" Come on, this is my best shot.

He nods. "I have. A volus came in here not too long ago, he bought some stuff and left the credit chit here."

Suck it, you stuck-up volus. "Great, I'll let him know."

Rushing back, I spot the group in the distance. Luckily, they didn't give up on waiting for me. I can't wait to make that volus feel stupid.

"Well Earth-Clan, did you find it?" the volus asks as I approach.

"Yeah, you left it at Saronis Applications. Just go and get it," I state triumphantly.

The volus stares at me, taking in yet another deep breath. "Oh well, the quarian could have stolen it." What? The nerve of this piece of-

"I'll close this event report," the C-Sec officer says, pulling out a datapad. "But I'll be watching you." He turns to the quarian. "Get a permanent residence or I'll run you in for vagrancy."

Is this for real? What the fuck are they talking about? She didn't do shit and they treat her like a criminal.

"Are you fucking serious?" I exclaim, drawing everyone's attention.

"What?" the volus asks in disgust.

"I found your chit, you jackass." I glare at him. "And all you can say is that she could have stolen it? You're a joke."

He stands up straighter. "How dare you-"

"No." I shove him and he falls back on his ass. "How dare you."

The C-Sec office takes a step forward. "Calm d-"

"And you," I cut him off, jabbing a finger at him. "You watched this whole thing go down and you're still an asshole to her?"

He becomes flustered instantly. "Maybe I should run you in for obstruction of justice."

I throw my arms up exaggeratedly. "Then fucking do it."

The Citadel, 2185, August 29th 11:47 AM

After sitting in a holding cell for the last fifteen minutes or so, I realise I may have gone a little overboard. Especially when my actions also got the quarian girl in trouble. I didn't think he would arrest us both.

I've never been arrested before. I've come close, back on Earth. But, to be arrested on an obstruction of justice charge after all I've done? That's pretty laughable. It's all bullshit anyway. I was trying to help someone.

I glance up at the quarian. She's fidgeting with her hands. "Hey, umm," I say, getting her attention. "I'm sorry about all this. What's your name?"

She seems surprised. "Lia'Vael nar Ulnay, you can just call me Lia. And it's okay, I know you were only trying to help."

She's nervous. "You were headed for the used ship dealer?" I just want to get her mind off this whole situation, at least for a bit.

"They have a lot of nice models, I'd like to buy one and take it back to the fleet, but-" she trails off.

"Short on credits?" I supply, leaning back against the wall.

She nods, "Yeah. I came here thinking there'd be a lot of work after the geth attack, but everywhere I went there were signs saying 'Not Hiring Quarians' and other people would just give me mean looks."

"That's rough." I give her a hopeful smile. "I'm sure things will get better, once we're out of here that is." I want to help her, it's my fault she's in this mess. Not much I can do from here though.

A few minutes pass before a door opens. A C-Sec officer approaches the cell with a very pissed-off-looking Miranda in tow. I give her an awkward smile and wave, but she just glares at me. Fuck, I'm so dead.

"Is that her?" the officer asks, gesturing to me.

"Yes, that's her," Miranda confirms, eyes burning into me.

The officer unlocks the cell, holding it open. "All right, you're free to go. We're sorry for the misunderstanding."

Miranda motions for me to follow her. "Come on, we're leaving."

"I'm not leaving without her. " I nod towards Lia. "Get her out too."

Miranda gives Lia a glance before her gaze finds mine again. "No, I'm not here to negotiate with you. Let's go, Vex."

I shrug and cross my arms. "I'll stay here, thanks."

The look Miranda shoots me could literally kill someone. I've never seen her this pissed off. I'll admit, it's actually a little scary. I have no choice though. I have to stand my ground.

Miranda turns on her heel and storms off. The C-Sec officer quickly closes the cell to follow after her. Well, I didn't plan for that. Is she actually going to leave me here?

"You didn't have to do that," Lia mutters.

Giving her a small smile, I shrug. "It's okay. I wanted to."

A few minutes later, the C-Sec officer returns, unlocking the cell door again. "You're both free to go."

"Just like that?" I ask, failing to hide my shock. Miranda actually did it after all the shit I pulled.

"Come on before I change my mind," the officer replies, causing Lia and me to shoot out of our seats.

He leads us to another room, where a still annoyed-looking Miranda is waiting for us, her angry eyes locking onto me instantly. She's actually going to kill me. Riley is going to kill me.

As the three of us leave the station, Lia stops walking, causing both of us to turn toward her.

"Thank you for helping me," she murmurs.

Miranda just nods.

I open my omni-tool. "Lia, I want to give you some credits for a ship." Before she can decline, I send her fifty thousand credits and my contact details, just in case.

She stares at her omni-tool in silence for a few seconds. "I-I can't accept this- this is too much."

Shaking my head, I hold a hand up. "It's the least I can do. Keep in touch, Lia'Vael nar Ulnay."

"Thank you, I'll never forget this." She springs forward and hugs me.

I glance at Miranda just in time to see a curious expression on her face. "You're welcome," I say as Lia pulls away.

We say our goodbyes and she heads off towards the used ship dealer once more. I'm glad I was able to help her. She didn't deserve that shit earlier.

"What did you think you were doing?" Miranda demands, gaining my attention.

I turn to her, she looks so mad. I knew this was coming, but I'm just not in the mood for it. "They treated her like a criminal, she was innocent," I explain, hoping she lets it go, but I know she won't.

She shakes her head and scowls. "It wasn't your problem."

"I made it my problem." Did she want me to just ignore someone being treated like that?

"How can you be so incompetent? The mission comes first." She puts a hand on her hip, something I notice she does a lot. "Shepard made a mistake trusting you."

Oh fuck this and fuck her. I'm not in the wrong here. "It wasn't a mistake. I did the right thing."

She scoffs at that. "What would you have done if I hadn't found you?"

"I don't know!" I take a step forward, my voice raising. "I was improvising!"

"Seriously?" She sighs. "You don't think, do you?"

I'm trying not to, but I can feel myself getting so, so angry. "I'm putting my life on the line for this, just like everyone else. I'm trusting Riley and even your fucking organisation, to an extent. Just give me a break. I'm not some stupid kid, and I sure as hell don't need to be treated like one."

Without giving her time to reply, I just turn and storm off. I don't need to hear any more of her bullshit.

Normandy, 2185, August 29th 3:29 PM

I'm relaxing on the couch in the Port Observation Room, just moping about my fight with Miranda, when the door opens. I sit up, no one's there? I'm not in the mood for pranks. I sigh and lay back down, closing my eyes. "If this is a prank, I'm going to kill someone."

A woman appears wearing a skin-tight bodysuit with a hood covering her face. "Aw, you're no fun," she jokes. Something about her seems familiar.

"I can be." I smirk, but my heart isn't really in it. "Who are you anyway?"

She lets out a quick chuckle. "Kasumi Goto, you must be Vex." She extends her hand towards me, and I reluctantly shake it.

"Yeah, that's me." I've definitely heard the name before, still not sure why though.

She saunters over to the bar, casually leaning against it to face me. "Shep recruited me. Seems we're in this thing together, once Shep helps me with a certain something."

Oh, now I remember. "You were on that advertisement Riley was talking to." She wasn't crazy after all.

"Clever," she remarks, seeming impressed.

The way she's dressed along with that line on her lips. I have a pretty good idea who she is. I've heard her name in passing once or twice. "So, Kasumi Goto, master thief?"

She smirks at that. "Very good. Vexenna Ward, hitman."

Well, that's a surprise. Finally, someone who gets it. "Want a drink?" I point at the bar behind her.

"Sure thing," she agrees, turning to the bar.

Nice. I walk over and grab a few glasses. It's good to have someone else on this ship that isn't Cerberus or- Archangel. It makes me curious about who else Riley's going to find out there.

Normandy, 2185, August 29th 8:32 PM

It felt good to just drink with Kasumi and not have to worry about all the shit going on. But now, I find myself waiting in Riley's room, staring up at the endless galaxy through the spacelight. I don't think I'm ready to face her, but it's only a matter of time before she finds me here.

The door opens a few minutes later and I squeeze my eyes shut, here goes. "Okay, just say what you came to say and get it over with, Riles."

Her footsteps stop, and she speaks from the top of the stairs. "That I'm proud of you?"

My eyes shoot open and I sit up to lock them with hers. "What?"

She smiles and walks over to settle on the couch by my feet. I rest my elbows on my knees, entwining my fingers. I'm ready to listen to her.

"Apart from getting arrested, of course, I am," she begins. "Vex, you tried to do the right thing." She pauses for a second and sighs. "Miranda told me what you said. I get it, I do. You're new, not everyone can trust you as much as I can. But I need you to trust me."

I get where she's coming from, but she has to be fair about this. "It's a two-way street, Riley. If you're asking me to trust you, you have to be willing to trust me too."

She considers it for a moment before nodding. "Okay Vex, I can trust you."

"Thanks, Riles." This really does mean a lot to me.

"Don't mention it." She pats the side of my leg. "Now hurry up and go see Miranda. She requested you."

I scoff. "I don't want to talk to her."

"It can't be that bad." She smiles and nudges me. "Get out of my room."

I roll my eyes. "Fine, just don't touch my stuff."

I give her a casual goodbye before heading for the elevator. It stops at the crew deck, the door opening to reveal Archangel. I freeze at the sight of him.

There's a moment of surprise on his face, but it's gone just as quickly. "Vex," he greets calmly, waiting for me to leave the elevator.

I stare at him, waiting for the anger to subside. Come on, just breathe. Get a hold of yourself.

I nod. "Archangel."

"You can call me Garrus," he offers.

"I'd rather not." I cross my arms.

He nods in acknowledgment. "That's okay, can I pass?"

I step out of the elevator. "All yours."

"Thank you." He passes me and I don't take my eyes off him until the door closes between us.

I release a sigh of relief. Being in the same room, let alone talking to him, takes way too much work. I can't stand him, and speaking of which, I still have to go see Miranda.

I turn the corner, Miranda's room now in view. What does she want? We don't get along, so whatever it is, it's probably not good. Though, Riley didn't hint at it being something bad.

Once at her door, I take a moment before knocking. It opens a few seconds later to Miranda sitting at her desk, like usual. She looks up and motions for me to sit across from her.

"Why am I here, Miranda?" I ask, taking the seat.

"The Commander and I talked about what happened." Well, I know that part.

"And?" I prompt after a few seconds of silence.

"And," she sighs before making eye contact. "What you did was admirable, but there's too much at stake to be focusing on anything else."

"Someone had to step in," I argue, leaning forward.

"We need to stay focused." She crosses her arms on the desk. "The mission is what's important. Do I make myself clear?"

Well, she definitely made herself clear. I can see exactly the type of person she is. "Crystal."

"Good." Her fingers return to the keyboard. "You can leave."

I rise from my seat, rolling my eyes as I leave the room. What a bitch.

Author Notes:

Thank you for reading.

And to answer some questions. No, she's not on every mission and I did something similar during Zaeed's loyalty.