The entire ship vibrated as we neared the end of our FTL hop around. Dell sat quiet in the Admiral's chair with damp cheeks and reddened eyes, Drutus hovering by her shoulder and I on the other. My mandibles clicked, a gentle sound that jolted the human. My eyes squeezed shut, my hand squeezing her shoulder in silent apology. Dell reached up, squeezing a finger. It was just after midday, the fleet leaving Citadel space in the small hours of Galactic standard. The fleet guarding the Citadel mirrored us as the ships sailed to the Mass Relay. But the ships still didn't let any within a click of us. Only the essential crew travelled on the Constellation Fleet, the rest on the Citadel resting, guarding or recruiting. Dell heaved a sigh as we dropped from FTL, now at the Vallhallan Threshold. The Mikal system is not populated in any substantial way, but the volumes of ezzo attracted ships. And where they were ships, there was James creaming a small fortune off anyone needed repairs, maintenance or services. He stuck to the clusters in and around Omega, his massive dry dock travelling the stars to avoid being jumped by pirates or irate customers. The Quarian Fleet had passed through here in the last few years, mining down much of the ezzo from the larger asteroids in the system.
They were only a stone throw away from Paz, what with the wasted Garvug and the ecoengineering firms trying to revive the krogan-stripped planet. They paid good money for quality ship builders, though James said he was putting orders back for the Constellation. I took a glance at an email between him and Dell after she sent him the full damage report. There were an awful lot of cap locked words in there. We approached Dumah, the crimson gas giant swelling under the light from Micah. Pirates patrolled and worked around Elohi, a little too close for my liking, but James had his own small army and his portable dry dock was better armed than the fleet in some regards. You would've missed his dock amongst the moons, masking so well into its surroundings the navigators needed to wait for a response to their hails to track down the dock. An array of large liveships – old quarians ones repurposed from the looks of things – surrounded the 10km long dock. The mined out asteroid gave them the space to hide the dock inside, safe from solar rays while giving them enough solid rock wire up a hospitable atmosphere and bio dome all around the dock. Two massive walls of metal and machinery greeted us as we turned into the maw of the asteroid, gangways withdrawn to allow the ship access inside. People lined the docks, waiting and watching. A mass effect field ran the length of the asteroid like a donut, sealing up behind us. Kala straightened the ship with reluctance. It wasn't wide enough to take the Constellation with the list. She sealed off the flooded rooms as best she could, but she feared the leaks of ezzo, water and fuel would penetrate deeper as the flooded rooms aren't designed to hold fluid. Safe within the dock, Dell dragged in slow breath, rising with caution as she meandered down from the Admiral's platform and into the waiting elevator. Drutus and I followed, disappearing down 20 floors before Dell led us along the maze of corridors. The ship trembled as massive clamps held her in place. After 15 minutes of walking, an airlock. Yes, believe it or not this ship had people sized airlocks on it. For the very rare times it could dock with something.
A gangway extended out with more moving out with those dockside barking orders by the dozen. The Andromeda waited by the entrance, one of the many ships still with the ship, though many would now make their way to their docks now. Their docks were a cluster or two away from here, and refused to leave the dreadnaught without her protections. Once in dock, James' fleet would look after her. Hundreds of thousands of people fell upon the ship, orders already to hand as they assessed the damages for themselves. The crew remaining onboard tidied up, preparing to get to work themselves. Mostly engineers or flight crews. Anyone else would piggyback with the Starquake back to the Citadel. Once dockside, a hover-car waited for us, the exterior covered in oil and scratches. It looked like they had dragged it from Tuchanka, all heavy metal and banged up bodywork. There was no roof, only four beams and a square of metal pipe above our heads. Yet Dell climbed in without question, Drutus and I a step behind with more reluctance. The driver, an oil-slick salarian, popped the machine into gear and drove us down the dock towards the bow.
"Fucking hell, Shaik. What happened?" the salarian asked.
"Reapers," Dell mumbled. The salarian glanced at her, the black oil stains hiding the green skin below. He breathed hard through his nose as a fat building sprawled beside us.
"Then I pray to the Wheel they stay away from here," he said. The car grunted as he slowed down, parking up outside a set of tall double doors. "James is in his office, he's expecting you,"
"Thank you, Kal," Dell said, sliding from the chair. We followed, the salarian studying us with a harsh frown.
Inside wasn't much better. They tried to keep it clean, but anything the engineers handled daily – doors, chairs, cleaning equipment, pens, datapads – all had a thin layer of grease to them. Dell didn't mind, she didn't mind the thick smell either, although that lessened as we took the elevator up 4 floors. Here, the teal carpets worn but clean, the walls off-white from age but well lit. 5 doors greeted us in the oval room. Dell walked to the one straight ahead. She knocked with gentle taps before the door parted. The office inside was almost immaculate. I say almost because he filled the corner beside the door with used paper towels, oil-cleaning soap and stained overalls. That and the man in question had a black smear on his cheek. The dark haired man looked over his shoulder from the floor to ceiling windows, grey dotting it like sprinkles. His pale green eyes softened as he saw Dell, a clean blue t-shirt on, with the oil stained working shirt thrown over a chair in the dirty corner. He moved around the massive desk, filled with screens and paper and yanked the smaller woman into a hug. Dell trembled, fingers grasping for something to cling to. He was a broad man, as broad as Julian but he didn't have the harshness to his eyes.
"Oh fuck me sideways, Delly. I'm sorry," James mumbled. Dell's trembling worsened.
"…Even you can'tto call me that," Dell said, her voice trembling and watery.
"Ach, maybe one day," James said with a cheeky grin. He sobered, keeping a firm hold on her shoulders as if she'd fall. "You holding up?"
"…I don't think so," Dell said. James sighed as he herded her to a chair by the desk, Dell landing with a thump on the worn cushion. He sat down behind his desk, kicking his legs up on a nearby stool. He studied us hovering nearby. "Which one of you is her man?" he asked.
"I am," I said, Drutus chuckling beside me.
"You keep her close, y'hear me? I owe these two more than a few favours," James rumbled.
"As close as she'll let me," I said. Dell managed a slight laugh, weak as it was. James looked over his shoulder to the Constellation, massive flood lights bursting to life to reveal to true scale of the exterior damage. Massive hull breaches clung to her flanks like gloomy spots. At least she wasn't smoking anymore.
"We'll get this bird up and going again. She's still nowhere near as bad as when they first brought her in. We're draining the excess fuel and ezzo just now," James said. "Don't worry about the cost, Delly. You and Julian have always paid in full and/or on time. I don't know what the war has done to your assets,"
"They're fine. Some shrinkage, but we have a lot of money coming in within the next month," Dell said, fidgeting. "How long do you think she'll take?"
"With this level of damage?" James whistled, flicking through a screen with a lazy finger. "Well, it might look like a lot of work, but it's not that bad. We built her to last when she came in the first time, and we made our lives simpler with the modular components. Honestly repainting will take the longest. That or the blood removal. A few weeks if my boys and girls work full out. And I've got you booked in for the next month just in case,"
"So soon?" Dell asked.
"Aye, when you sent over the damage reports, our engineers were already preparing everything. We do already have the new stairs and patches for the exterior hull are half done. Your AI always was very picky about putting every tiny fault in the reports," James said. My mandibles flapped. So he knew about Marshal.
"Marshal was careful, that's all. Kala's not so different," Dell said. James frowned.
"Wait, what happened to Marshal? Who's Kala?" he asked.
"…Marshal's gone. He was… The Reapers got to him, warped his logic," Dell said. "Kala is the new AI. My son's been working with her for just over a year now. She's a bit of a character, you must excuse her,"
"Christ, Dell…" James heaved. "…Well, so long as she doesn't space my people. Oh," he flicked on another screen. "We're doing that other quick job you asked for. The ship painters are ready,"
"Thank you. I know she's not the easiest to paint," Dell said.
"Ach it's an extra challenge, shouldn't be more than an hour or two," he said.
"What's getting painted?" I asked. Dell fiddled with her hands.
"…What's the point in being owner of a ship that isn't part of the fleet I also own?" I asked. My brow plates flicked up. "I'm bringing the Starquake fully into the fleet. New paint job, new uniforms… I should've done this years ago. I'm not changing the name though. It doesn't… feel right,"
"You didn't have your memories back. You were still angry," I said. Dell bit her lip. "Do the Council know?"
"…I'll talk to them while we're dropping people back in the Citadel," she said. James laughed.
"What would you call her if you were to change the name?" James asked. Dell scowled.
"I dunno, there's too many Cs in the fleet as it is. Libra, maybe. Vela would make sense, Sagitta at a push," Dell said. She stared at James. "…You're distracting me,"
"Any minor distraction is better than drowning in grief," James said. Dell dropped her gaze. "Right, let's haggle price, grab some coffee and I'll let you be on your way once the ship and shuttle paints dry,"
"…I'm not paying extra for the coffee machines," Dell said.
"Oh come on! They're marvellous quality machines!" James whined. Dell flicked a slight smile.
"I'm addicted, but not that addicted," Dell said.
Drutus and I got comfy as we waited, only partially listening to Dell and James banter about pricings for the repairs to the Constellation. My eyes trailed over the docks, over the multiple screens hovering everywhere. The Starquake and her shuttles were getting painted inside the Constellation, since she had the right dock to hold the Starquake with the rotary up. That and any leakage would be repainted over when they did the inside. Drutus sat with his datapad, preparing his lessons for the trip back for our new Admiral. Throughout the day, Drutus answered calls from the fleet, saying they had arrived at their dry docks. The crew not staying with the ships – but had to come in case we got ambushed – were all aboard the Constellation, waiting for the taxi back to the Citadel. No doubt they would be on the Starquake now, getting comfy. 3 and a half hours after arriving, Drutus nudged me. A frown crossed my face, glancing to Dell. She and James shook hands.
"Don't forget the Titanium," James said.
"Don't forget the coffee machines," Dell said.
"How the hell do you Shaiks cream so much off of us?" James grumbled.
"We're hagglers. Remember when Julian haggled the black market for the Draco?" Dell asked. James laughed, a belly shaking chortle that threw him back in his seat.
"He always wanted Julian in is bed for that one. Or in general actually," James said with a cheeky grin. "What was it again, 380 Million credits down to 4.5 million?" Dell flushed.
"…Tannin wanted the pair of us at the same time in his bed when we tag-teamed him for the Aquila and Corvus," Dell said, shuffling in her chair. James gawked.
"…I'm amazed he's still alive. Julian didn't kill him?" James asked.
"Julian threatened to change brokers. I've never seen Tannin back-peddle that fast before. You know him, he gets a hard on when he meets someone who can haggle better than he," Dell said, though her face was still red. James laughed.
"Does he know about Julian?" James asked, voice soft. Dell dropped her gaze. She nodded. "How's he taking it?"
"…He's heartbroken. He's so angry he's scouring the black market for another Draco or even an old dreadnaught for us to smash a few Reapers with," Dell said. James sighed.
"I can imagine. Now that we resources and blueprints made out, we can modify the Constellation's docks. Who did you send the Vulpecula and Virgo to?"
"Outiana's," Dell said.
"I'll ask her to change the keel. Make it retractable so we can get the Vulpecula inside the Constellation easier. If my engineers' plans are right, we should be able to get every single ship in your fleet inside," James said. Dell perked.
"You could do that?" Dell asked.
"Consider it my gift to you. We can squeeze the frigates to the stern, have the fighters and shuttles at the bow, the cruisers can hug the top decks. Can't have them blocking the entrance and exit. The only reason we didn't do this before was because all you had at the time was the Andromeda. All other modifications were quick patches to help capacity. You were still in your coma," James said. Dell shuffled.
"Thank you…" Dell mumbled, shoulders sagging.
"Your ship is ready to depart, we'll look after the Constellation. I'll give you bi-weekly updates," James said, standing.
"Appreciate it," Dell said, standing. We joined them. "I'll see you soon. Stay out of trouble,"
"Will try," James said. His eyes trailed over us. "Keep her safe,"
"We will," I said, rubbing Dell's shoulder as she shuffled to my side.
With one last parting, we left the small building, Kal waiting for us in the 'car' to take is to the nearest airlock in the Constellation that would take us to the interior dock. Once inside, we made our way to the nearest working elevator to go down. For the first time since the attack, the halls were bustling with people. Mostly people assessing the scale of the damages, or preparing. Mostly freeing up loose panels so they didn't fall on people's heads. In the docks, the chaos was worse, with people working on the massive cranes hanging overhead to haul away the shattered metal. My plates fluttered, keeping Dell close to my side as we approached the Starquake. What was once dark grey now gleamed white, the top half of the ship now blue instead of purple, the lower have now dark grey rather than purple. Blue, dark grey and white striped down her sides past the rotary. Just before the tail, the stamp of the Constellation Fleet; a dark circle with a crescent of white in the NW side. A shower of white and blue stars, interconnecting lines between the blue ones. The decorative 'C' had a stripe of blue and dark grey below it. Every ship in the fleet had this marking. Though the swirls on the tail were still purple. My eyes glanced down to Dell as we approached the airlock. She saw my flicked eyes.
"…To remind me where I came from," Dell said. "That and changing your markings is too much of a pain in the ass," Laughter burst from me, a surprise explosion leaving me coughing through the gagging smell of paint and oil. We slid inside.
A massive hum hung in the air, the chatter of who knows how many people, all crammed into a frigate. The upper decks would be full, people sitting on the floor or on any surface. Dell waved a hand towards a camera, the engines humming. Dell sighed as we entered the bridge, sitting on the Captain's chair through instinct. Mat'al glanced over from his datapad.
"Sorted?" he asked. Dell nodded. "One drop off to the Citadel, then what is the plan?" Dell stared, eyes on the Galaxy Map.
"…The Council will have orders for us, I need to speak to them regardless," she said.
"Need backup?" I asked. Dell sighed. She nodded. My hand squeezed her shoulder, sharing a look with Mat'al over Dell's head.
It took half a day to return to the Citadel. And it was impossible to move for people. The crew onboard had tripled, to the point if we had an emergency, we wouldn't have enough escape pods. But Lanster and Kala kept the ship safe. It helped the Reapers aren't dispersed well yet. During the journey, Drutus sat with Dell, beginning the lengthy journey to Fleet Admiral. While Dell concentrated on her lessons, captain duties fell to me. Not that there was much to do until we reached the Citadel. Mostly sorting out fights breaking out between the overcrowded crew. And keeping the peace turned into a massive chore. During this time, a new permanent crew member settled in. Kalika Eralcha was a simple salarian, orange with a sprinkle of yellow on her crown. She'd bring the Intel team back up to 10. But before she could settle in fully, a collective cheer rang around the ship when the purple haze of Widow flashed through the windows, people preparing to march from the airlocks. Mat'al scowled at my side, keeping the rowdy crowd away from the airlock as we docked, the hallway was swollen with people of all races, each cranky and eager to stretch their legs and rest after a hellish couple of days. My shoulders sagged as the docking clamps rattled the ship, the crowd inching closer. My biotics flared, the crowd yelping and backing off, keeping the 3m distance between us and them.
"Keep out of trouble. If you drag Dell back here for anything other than an actual emergency, you're getting an ass kicking. Clear?" I thundered.
"Yes, Captain," a hail followed. Mat'al and I waited another moment, just for badness, before Mat'al thumped the open button with the side of his fist. We stepped back towards the cockpit to let the crowd rush through in the packed groups for decontamination. It took an hour to empty the ship, the Starquake crew heaving a sigh of relief as quiet fell upon them. Mat'al rumbled as he checked his omni-tool, sending out a fleet-wide message just in case no one heard or paid attention as to the behaviour protocols. Kala forwarded the handbook, just to ensure no one could pull anything. My eyes fell on Dell as she shuffled down the halls. My brow plates flicked up. For once, she wasn't wearing purple. She didn't have a full set of formals in her size yet, so the dark leathers and blue and grey cameo trousers clashed with the white, blue and grey long sleeved coat. The Fleet Admiral stripes from Julian lay on her shoulders. She was still holding her arms, hugging herself. Dell did that a lot these days. She slid into my hug without complaint.
"You sure you don't want me to deal with them?" I asked. Dell trembled in my hold.
"…I need to do this. I need to make sure they don't get their paws on the fleet," Dell said. Mat'al clucked his tongue.
"Kala, watch the ship, Phentos is in charge until we get back," Mat'al said. For once, I welcomed the man's decision.
"You don't need to come," Dell mumbled.
"Dell, you are not in any condition to be battling the Council. They want the fleet. Normally you could deal with them, not now," Mat'al said. "Shall we?"
"The sooner, the better," I said. Dell dragged in a deep breath as we went through decontamination.
"Let me know when the requisitions are in and distributed, Kala," Dell said.
"Of course, Admiral," Kala said. Dell's shaking worsened.
The Citadel was the oddball of the galaxy. No sign of the war at all. Sure, the air felt a touch tense, people weren't so happy go lucky, but life continued as if nothing else in the galaxy was going on. My mandibles pinned to my cheeks, Mat'al tutting as laughter and 'first world problems' rattled around us while waiting for the skycab. Nothing seemed out of place, other than the damaged ships and bustling docks as we got inside the cab and soared towards the Presidium. Dell's eyes latched onto a turian cruiser, smoke still billowing from her flanks. Signs of the war concentrated around the docks, but once free, it seemed like the old days. The cab landed in the Presidium, the quiet giving us time to recollect before meeting the Council. My hand squeezed Dell's, the human trembling. We took an elevator to the council offices, Mat'al rolling his shoulders back, jolting Dell. She dragged a breath in, straightening as the elevator dinged open. The area was busy, people rumbling with receptionists. Angry eyes followed us as we climbed the stairs, bypassing the reception. But no one dared stop us. Dell may have forgotten her pistol, but we didn't. Dell tapped on Councillor Valern's door. After a moment, the door parted and we strode in. Valern rose his eyes from his screens. He eased himself back into his chair, weaving his fingers together as we approached. We saluted, though Dell's back wasn't straight.
"Captain Shaik, XO Autillin, Commander Delern. Good afternoon. To be honest, I wasn't expecting you for another few days," Valern said as we sat down.
"We were just dropping the ships off. I already had agreed everything before arriving with them," Dell said, forcing her shoulders back, but she was still hunched. "And… it's not… Captain anymore," Dell added, dropping her gaze. Valern frowned.
"Has something happened?" he asked, noting Dell's collapse in demeanour. Dell came in with fight and fire. But she was too quiet, too hidden away.
"…Julian's dead. I'm Fleet Admiral," Dell said, her voice hitching.
"Ah," Valern said, folding his hands on his lap. "We had suspicions after seeing you once you all arrived in the system, but we did not wish to assume. The jump to Fleet Admiral however…" he frowned, finger tapping on his thigh. "Was no one more qualified?" Dell licked her lips, working hard to find words.
"The Saboteur killed all of the higher ranks. The Captains, XOs and surviving Commanders escaped only because they were on their own ships, not the Constellation. Everyone rallied around Dell, she has a lot of sway even before all of this. That and Julian didn't trust anyone else. We have Drutus teaching her, and we're filling the upper ranks for when the fleet comes back into service," I said. Valern hmmed. He tapped at a console, the silence stretching.
"Councillor Udina is in meetings with the Alliance, Sparatus is no doubt dealing with Palaven as best as he can. Councillor Tevos may join us though. Twould be good to have a second opinion. And I feel that Capta… Admiral Shaik would prefer as little grilling as possible right now," Valern said.
"I thought you would be happy with this news," Dell mumbled, slouched in her chair. Valern sighed.
"While we did not like the uncertainty surrounding Julian Shaik and his fleet, he was still an ally against the Reapers. That he has now passed means that we are technically a Saboteur down. One less threat to turn on us without warning. But he was of a significant asset to you in more ways than I may ask. And his passing has left you in a state detrimental to what we need. He was an issue we would deal with once the war was dealt with. Our current issue, however, is your sudden promotion," Valern glanced up as Tevos entered the room, keeping herself straight as she walked in with smooth, quiet feet to join Valern at his desk. "Yes, we wanted you to admiral his fleet. In the future. The step from Captain to Fleet Admiral should be a gradual progression, a progression we were planning on promoting as you surmised before the Reapers struck Earth and you departed for Khar'shan. We wanted to give you the training and experience before pushing you up the ranks. As of right now, we need you on the front lines. You cannot be on the front lines while babysitting an entire fleet," Valern said.
"How long do we have before Endellion takes control of the Fleet?" Tevos asked, caught up to speed from whatever message Valern sent.
"In theory, now. In practice, once the ships are out of dry dock," Mat'al said. "We've already sent warnings around the grounded crew. Any issues, direct them to us and we'll deal with them," Dell's eyes squeezed shut.
"We'll let C-Sec know. When will the fleet be ready?" Valern asked.
"A month, maybe less," I said. The two Councillors looked to each other.
"That isn't a lot of time before you take over as Fleet Admiral," Tevos said. Valern rubbed his chin, thinking. "Who will fill the Admiral ranks?"
"I don't know," Dell sighed. "I'm meeting with Yumesa to discuss just that," Tevos perked.
"Yumesa has been in touch?" she asked.
"….We reached out to her. She knew Julian," Dell mumbled. "He… told me to contact her, before he…" Tevos' softened her eyes.
"Yumesa has gentled since retiring from the Council. Fret not, she'll simply need to know your experience, captaining style and a few other questions. If she is already familiar with Julian, then she'll know the fleet," Tevos said. "You are meeting her here or on Thessia?"
"Here. But not for a few days," Dell said, fidgeting. "I may… need stay here until then, while the Starquake does her thing. I would normally use this time as shore leave but with the war…"
"Drutus said he'd like some time to train you without the duties of on a ship bothering you," Mat'al said. Dell moaned, scrubbing her face.
"I am certain we can put you up for a few days, Endellion," Tevos said with a smile.
"Tis unfortunate, but perhaps for the best. We were hoping to send you to Irune. After Dekuuna and Kahje however, extreme planets might be too much right now," Valern added. Dell rose her eyes, a glimmer of relief sparkling. "Once the war is over, we plan to give you training for traversing more inhospitable planets. For the time being let us focus on our current situation," his gaze slide to Mat'al and I.
"Captain Autillin, it would appear we are working together once more," Tevos said. A slight smile flicked my lips up. "As Councillor Valern said, the next objective is on Irune. For once, we are not sending you to evacuate civilians, we already have people doing that. We've found a Saboteur. We need it removed before it goes to ground again," My mandibles pinned to my cheeks.
"I've done training on Irune, I'm already familiar with the planet. What do we know about the Saboteur?" I asked. Dell sat limp in the chair, chewing her lip.
"Irune is overrun with Reapers and their soldiers, not as bad as Khar'shan, but they built Irune upon trade routes, not defence. Without the turians guarding them, the Reapers are cutting right through. They spotted the Saboteur in a spaceport near the capital after causing a carrier to crash into the main terminal. Despite this, the spaceport is still bustling with people trying to escape," Tevos said. Mat'al clucked his tongue.
"The Saboteur won't be easy to find. Give us all the details and we'll let the tacticians deal with it," Val said. Tevos nodded.
"Please be careful, Irune is invested. And we cannot afford to lose you or the crew," Tevos said.
"On that subject," Valern said. "With your promotion, what is the status of the fleet?" Dell glanced up, a flicker of her normal fire in her eyes.
"You have me, you have the Starquake and her crew, but you do not have the fleet. They will mutiny before submitting to you," she said.
"Is that for certain?" Tevos asked, keeping her voice gentle.
"It was the first thing the captains said to me during our meeting," Dell said.
"I struggle to see how this will work, Shaik. If we have you, by extension we have the fleet," Valern said.
"If you give me orders, it is the Starquake that will investigate. The only time the fleet gets involved with anything is if it of absolute importance. And I will judge whether it is important enough," Dell said. "Once the war is over… things will be more complicated,"
"We will worry about that in the future, perhaps we can arrange something, give the fleet special status. But that is for another time," Valern dropped his gaze to a screen, typing away. "We'll book you into temporary accommodation for the next few days. For safety's sake, we'll have you put in one of our Spectre's housing wards within Tayseri Ward. Admiral Drutus will already be familiar with it. The Vinus Strip is large and well patrolled," Dell rose her eyes.
"I know Vinus Strip. Satrino stays there. Julia… I have property there too, though everything is full. Good for getting the fleet repaired at least," Dell mumbled. Tevos tipped her brows up.
"If you require any extra funding, Endellion, let us know. I realise the fleet wishes to stay as independent as possible, but we do not wish to stress you with financial issues on top of everything else you are going through," Tevos said.
"Thank you… we're alright. Still plenty of money coming in," Dell said. She sagged in the chair. She shivered under my touch.
"We'll discuss this further after you have met with Yumesa, and once the Starquake returns from Irune," Valern said, sharp eyes on me and Mat'al. We nodded. "Dismissed," We stood, Dell more shaken, before we saluted and left the room. Dell moaned once free, leaning against me as we joined the queue for the skycar. Mat'al was already messaging Drutus, and no doubt someone else judging by the look he gave Dell earlier. Dell released a shaking breath.
"I should go with you to Irune," Dell said.
"Why? We got this under control," I said, keeping my voice light. Dell swayed.
"…And Gideon?" she asked. Mat'al glanced over. I sighed.
"No movement?" I asked.
"He's not leaving the Starquake. Gideon said he will eventually, but not for another couple of months. He won't tell me why, don't bother asking," Dell rubbed her eyes. "And here I thought we were used to talking to each other again…"
"I'll watch him, Dell," Mat'al said as we stepped into the skycar. Dell flopped her head back against the front passenger seat. The skycar soared over the busy Presidium, aiming for the temporary accommodation. There was no way we were abandoning Dell on her own until we were certain she was settled. Within moments, the skycab dropped, reaching Vinus Strip. The area wasn't blinding like Silversun, but more subdued, more leafy than techy. We stretched our legs, studying the large park nearby, the quiet, boutique shops on each end of the leafy avenue. Dell breathed a slow breath.
"…I can see why we charge so much for rent in this area," she said. A soft chuckle rumbled in my chest. Mat'al frowned at his omni-tool, mumbling about maps and addresses. After a few moments he waved his hand, a huff of frustration soon following.
"Let's grab coffee while we wait," he rumbled, marching towards a little coffee shop hidden down a narrow lane. "This place is a Wheel forsaken maze, I'm waiting for Satrino to appear," he rumbled as he sat down at a table. Dell scrubbed her face, moaning quietly as we waited for Satrino to arrive. She sipped her coffee, lost in her throats. Mat'al and I kept quiet conversation, if anything to keep Dell occupied. Half an hour later, movement caught my eye. Satrino marched down the narrow lane, the blue C-Sec armour catching the sparse sun in the hidden street. He paused by the table scanning our faces. He heaved a breath, rubbing Dell's shoulder.
"Come on, missus, Ioanna is waiting with cake," Satrino said. Dell fluttered her eyelids, looking up.
"I thought she had work," Dell mumbled.
"She had the day off. You two can rant about your children until I finish my shift. You got the keys to your flat?" he asked.
"Yeah, I have the codes," Dell said. She stood, waving her credit chit towards a pay feature in the table. Satrino patted her shoulder, leading her back on the wide street. We followed behind.
We weaved through narrow streets, up small lanes they curled up and over little bridges and meandered along high promenades overlooking the district. A glass building sloped upwards, a small, blocky building built on tiers as if the terrain was hilly. Dell scanned her omni-tool, the pristine doors parting. We followed her throat, watching the odd figure move around the apartment block. Only 15 floors high, it covered large footprint, hugging the ground to not intrude on the views of the stars and other arms. Up to floor 8, we walked down the bright, airy hallways, plants of vivid colour in tall, delicate planters. We stopped by Dell's room, Apartment 58/8. She scanned her omni-tool, the door whisking open. The apartment was small, a living room with a two seater sofa and a small single seater by the window. A fireplace and TV shared the same wall. A little kitchen, perfect for a single person, with all the amenities. The fridge was already filled with basic levo-amino food. And a single room with a double bed. This wasn't meant to be a place you stayed in long, a temporary stop before the next mission. Dell rubbed her hands as Satrino, Mat'al and I checked over the place, just in case.
"Alright, I'll take over from here. You head off and do what you need to do," Satrino said.
"I don't want Dell on her own," I said, noting both time and the uniform on the turian. He snorted.
"I'll drop her off with the wife, they can gossip until I get off shift, then we'll go for dinner somewhere and keep her busy for tonight. Tomorrow, Drutus will look after her," Satrino said. "My place isn't too far, 20 minute walk. We'll be in the area," My shoulders sagged.
"Much appreciated," I said. Dell melted in my hug, struggling to keep her breathing stable. "I'll keep you in the loop,"
"Stay safe. I can't… I can't lose anyone else right now," she mumbled.
"I'll be extra careful. We'll keep Gideon safe too," I said.
"Thank you," she said. One last tender moment, one more encouraging kiss before we parted. Dell held herself, Satrino a sentinel beside her as Mat'al and I left her in his care. My shoulders sagged as we traversed the narrow streets, all bright and homely. Mat'al grunted, relieved to be in the skycab and flying away to the docks. We glanced to each other, finally alone.
"I'll speak with Gideon when we get back," Mat'al said. A grunt rumbled in my chest as I stared at the towering skyscrapers around us. "I told him to tell her more gently," A frown tilted my lips down.
"So it's your idea to keep him on the Starquake?" I asked.
"No, his. He wanted advice on how to break it to Dell once she became Fleet Admiral," Mat'al sighed. "Why did he have to die now?"
"Well he did, and we're just going to get over it. We're going to Irune, I'll leave you on the ship to keep Gideon safe," I said.
"Understood, Captain," Mat'al said. "Drutus has left the Starquake, we can leave immediately,"
"Good. It'll give us time to check the new uniforms as well," I moaned. Mat'al chuckled.
"Standard Constellation uniforms, like Dell, Julian coughed out for the higher quality material. Same supplier," he said as we landed in the docks. It wasn't a long walk back to the Starquake. My eyes glanced over my shoulder, along the arms of the Citadel with a heavy heart. She'd be fine, Satrino and Drutus would look after her. It didn't stop the tension in my neck when the airlock closed behind us.
"Let's get to work. Lanster, chart a course to Irune," I called.
"Aye, aye, Captain," Lanster responded. With reluctance, I sat in the captain's chair, staring up at the galaxy map as the Citadel shrank behind us.
The Fact Sheet and Galaxy Map have been updated for this chapter. Please see profile for link to archive.