The hum of the docks surrounded me, but it gave me little comfort. The mission ahead was as far as I could see, and I knew that wasn't a good idea. Always have to be 3 steps ahead, always have to be prepared. But this mission… this mission I needed. My throat tightened for a moment, staring up at the honey crested krogan before, decked in her blue, dark grey and white casuals. She stared down at me, those once warm eyes now cold with resolve. Behind me, the last of the forklifts backed off from the Starquake, three aliens waiting patiently by the airlock. Inside, just before I stepped dockside, the tension creaked at the breaking point. Further along the dock on my right, almost out of sight, the Normandy made its final preps as well. And to my left, a turian frigate waited, filling with people in blue, grey and white armour and clothing. A turian strode over from that ship, his sharp steps echoing through the din. He was always a tall turian, but with these new stripes on my shoulder, he seemed taller. Imperious paused beside me, eyes flicking to the turian frigate as it refuelled.
"We're almost good to go. My crew are enjoying shore leave while your crew looks eager for a fight. Be grateful I pulled a few strings and got a transporter. Looks like you're packing heavy," he said, watching people file into the turian frigate, an endless stream of people. I nodded, eyes never leaving Raisha.
"I've given them the warning of what happens should they piss you off. Treat them like you would your own, they'll get over it," I said. Imperious smirked, eyes drifting to Raisha before us. "If anyone kicks up a massive fuss, send them my way and I'll straighten them out… either that or one of my admirals," my traitorous eyes glanced behind me, to the turian, asari and batarian waiting.
"Oh I intend to, Shaik, I wouldn't worry," he said. His grin sagged, the soldier emerging once more. "My condolences on your promotion," he said. A sharp cough ruptured from my chest, gagging on the oil filled air. Imperious smirked once more.
"You are the first to say it like that," I said, clearing my throat. "Thank you," I said.
"We'll catch up after we deal with the krogan. You bring enough men?" he asked. A cold stone formed in my stomach.
"Only one way to find out," I mumbled. "I'll see you groundside,"
"See you groundside, Shaik," he said, saluting as he gave Raisha one last glance before marching down the dock to the waiting frigate. The Normandy cast off, easing back from the dock. My attention focused on the krogan before us.
"...Let's go, Jorgal. It's time to end this madness," I grunted, turning on my heel and aiming for the Starquake. Raisha snorted behind me, easily keeping pace with her longer legs. The three aliens waiting saluted. Out of courtesy, I saluted back. "Let's head in, I'll show you around," The pale asari smiled, her face wrinkling. Delicate pale blue lines like butterfly wings arched over her eyes. She certainly was aging gracefully, but make no mistake, this Admiral was not afraid to tell you where to shove it. None of them were.
"The crew are tense, Admiral," she said. A growling sound rolled in my chest.
"I know, Admiral T'Vaala. And I know why," I sighed, diving into the airlock. Kinaye T'Vaala smiled at the other Admirals, a knowing look passing by all three of them. Pravon Khasrerr snorted, the chocolate coloured batarian folded his arms, off-blue eyes scanning the dock once more before stepping in. Darker stripes ran around his neck, scars pocketing the man's face. He was the harder of the Admirals to impress. And get along with. Beside him, Katus Dexcius watched, a permanent smile on his face as he watched the antics around him. The gunmetal grey turian's green eyes studied my body language, yellow marks fanning on his fringe, eyebrow plates and two simple stripes on his mandibles. Even though he fought in the First Contact War, he found humans amusing. No idea why. Raisha kept pace behind me, the Admirals behind her.
Without thinking, my lungs dragged in a slow, deep breath. The smell of home, the taste of familiarity. Tension crept from my shoulders, a blissful bubble surrounding me. It popped the instant the decontamination finished. The inner airlock slid open. Shual, Utren and Savanor waited, shoguns at the ready. My shoulders bunched, eyeing the krogan, but their eyes flew above my head. Raisha growled behind me. My teeth found my lower lip. This may have been a mistake… Too late now. With effort, my shoulders rolled back, walking into the ship. The krogan surrounded Raisha, her eyes narrowing. Inside the bridge, Val stood tall, mandibles pinned to his cheeks, his Tempest at his hip. In fact everyone was armed. My heart fluttered a beat. My chin rose an extra notch just in case, trying to keep my back straight. We walked around the bridge, walking down the hall to the elevator. Eyes peered from every glass wall, eyes narrowed and hands inching to their guns.
"Are we ready for take-off, Kala?" I asked.
"We are, Admiral. However, Captain Autillin has held the procedure until Ms Jorgal is secure," Kala said. Raisha snorted, a cold smile on her face.
"Mmm, he still fears me," she said. Utren rumbled on my right.
"Enough, Jorgal," I snapped. "Not another word from your mouth. We'll have plenty of time to talk once on Tuchanka," Utren settled somewhat, content I was back in charge. We stepped into the elevator, every fibre of my being begging to shuffle, to look uncomfortable. But with Raisha here, and my new Admirals, and without Julian's protection… Can't show weakness… can't break now.
In the cargo hold, the initial sight staggered my steps. Searte, Laegan, Cathleen and Zeedra stood guard at the doors to the armoury, more people crowding the area, lounging against walls, brandishing their weapons. We turned, maybe a snag too quick, towards the doors to the stern, towards the storage rooms. Eyes followed us the whole way. Inside, containers piled on massive shipping shelves, automatic cranes stowed to the side. This was just food and medical supplies. The next one was raw materials for engineering and the labs. The starboard side held any weapon stores, though we tried to keep everything in the armoury if we could. Hardened hull and whatnot. Through the maze of containers we went, until we entered the secure holdings. 8 little prisons, glass secured with mass effect fields, 5m by 5m. The same size as my old prison cell. We paused by the first one, using my captain… Admiral codes to unlock it. Raisha raised her chin, sauntering in on easy steps, her eyes never leaving me. My hand hit the lock button, the prison securing, the mass effect field coming to life. Raisha sat down on the bunk, her duffle bag dropped in the corner. Her armour case was already aboard after scans. Only now did the krogan relax. In the distance, the faint voice of Val rang, but it didn't echo here or in the storage rooms.
"You will remain here until we reach Tuchanka. Once we land, you leave via the cargo hold door and you will not step foot on another ship belonging to the Constellation Fleet. Do I make myself clear?" I asked.
"Crystal, Admiral," Raisha said. I nodded, turning on my heel to leave. The krogan kept the shoguns loose in their hands, letting the Admirals file in behind me before following. My turian Admiral clicked his mandibles, but otherwise said nothing. Back in the main area of the cargo hold, the crowd had eased. And there were a lot less guns floating around as well. A slow breath escaped as the Starquake vibrated, the docking clamps releasing. The elevator took us back up to the bridge. And people here had begun to disarm as well. We entered the bridge, Val leaning on the back of the Captain's chair. He saluted as we approached, noting the admiral stripes on the three aliens behind me.
"We're on course to Tuchanka, Admiral," he said formally. A smile tugged on my lips. Well, he was helping my first impression.
"Much appreciated. I'll be eager to get this mission done and dusted," I said. Val snorted.
"We all are," he said, voice dry.
"She's secure, Val," I said. Val rose a brow plate.
"I've broken out of those cells, Admiral. I won't be content until she's off my ship… our ship?" he frowned, pondering. My tongue wetted my lips, smothering the grin.
"Not ours until I have a ring on my finger," I said. Val's eyes glittered.
"Ah ha, so it's a ring you humans use, eh?" he asked, not even bothering to hide the grin. My cheeks flushed pink.
"Don't you dare tease me, Autillin. We'll see if you can break out of those cells twice," I threatened. He laughed, the final tension in the bridge easing away. The normal hum of activity surrounded me.
"Good to have you back aboard," he said.
"Good to be aboard," I agreed, soaking in the quiet electricity around me. Behind me, someone shuffled. Blessedly, I hid the jolt. "Admirals. my apologies. This is Captain Valérien Autillin, he has been serving under me for… oh just over 3 years now,"
"As long as that?" he asked.
"I know, I can't believe I haven't thrown you out the airlock yet," I said. Val burst out laughing.
"So, this the… partner we have been warned out?" Katus asked. My cheeks turned red. His smile widened more. "I shall take that as a yes. Yumesa gave us a crew breakdown. Though I will presume the best and assume Autillin has earned his star?" Val frowned, mandibles clicking.
"Valérien is my boyfriend, yes, but I did not promote him. I was out of action for at the time. And then… Raisha happened," I sighed, eyes trailing over the stern door of the bridge. "The Council rose Val to Captain in my and Mat'al Delern's absence,"
"Of course, you'll forgive me. I've seen it too many times before. And it never ends well when it does," Katus said with a chuckle.
"No, no, it's good to clear the air early," I said. "Can you get everyone in the war room in an hour or so? I'll show the Admirals around and let them dump their stuff in the rooms," Val saluted.
"Aye, aye, Admiral," he said. I smiled, leading the three alien on a tour of the ship, if only to pass the time.
Katus was the more open of the admirals, he asked a lot of questions, sometimes too technical for my limited knowledge. Especially in the combat department. Blessedly, Phentos was there to help out, noticing me struggling. Kinaye was content to watch me and the crew interact, never saying more than a few words here or there as we moved around the ship. Of course, unlike Val, Indira had no such fears of making first impressions when we entered the Intel department. In a blink, she whisked me into a frantic pirouette, my eyes spinning in the back of my head while waiting for her to finish. There really was no point in ordering her to stop, she never did. Katus' laugh filled the room, Kinaye smothering her smile with effort. Pravon rose a brow as he watched. It only rose higher when he noticed the Commander stripes on her shoulders. But after a dragged tour - no, I didn't get a chance to speak throughout the Intel department tour - she finally released me to flee into the labs. Most of the experiment rooms had amber lights on their locking mechanisms. Mostly to force people to knock. Only Isolation Room 7 was red, the third starboard room from the bow. Red usually meant a one way trip into Engineering if you disturbed them. Nalirn actually managed to terrorise one poor man down into the cargo hold to flee her wrath. Anthon was transitioning from Intel to Science and from the looks of things, he wasn't struggling too much. He had filled Commander enough times now to know what to do. And Mat'al was on board this time, so he had someone to bounce off if he was struggling. The scientists working on the anti-Reaper rounds and guns occupied isolation lab 1. It was the largest and quite frankly, the crew were happy to sacrifice the space for the new weapons.
Mat'al himself wasn't around, and Gid wasn't in Intel either despite Kala's mech sitting by his normal console. But the tour finished after they examined every floor in detail. Pravon said a ship mimicked its captain, seeing everything was important. Val wasn't long enough in the position to transition from my organisation and no doubt he would keep much the same for simplicity for the crew. Of course, Engineering didn't go as well because Shayan still hadn't cleaned the damn deck! God, there were times I could strangle him, but he'd look down with those big puppy dog eyes and… goddam it all. We ended on the top deck, the Admiral's gear waiting in neat bundles by the elevator. Pravon took the old Spectre room, Sitoln's old room. He didn't much like windows, so an inner room was ideal for him. Katus took a spare room in the stern side of the corridor, one of the spare rooms we kept. He'd no doubt meet Saria as well when she came back from her duties in the bridge. Kinaye took the room opposite Katus. Gideon recently moved into Raisha's old room, mostly to be closer to mum. And not because he was afraid and needed his hand held. He felt I was the one who needed a hand held. I helped carry their things inside so they could organise them later before leading them back down the war room. Katus had already memorised the layout and was content to follow beside me. It was impossible to know if Kinaye and Pravon had memorised anything either. The War Room opened before me. Val and Mat'al stood inside, mumbling to each other with Gideon hovering beside them. Shayan had dragged himself up, Indira sitting on the table. Phentos and Anthon looked up as we entered, Marruns, Drutus and Rosmeni rising from their seats to salute. It triggered everyone else to do the same.
"At ease," I hailed, moving to my normal seat. "Grab a chair everyone, we need to discuss a few things," I emphasised chair, eyes aimed at Indira. She winked and slid from the table to grab a chair between Anthon and Shayan. Val sat beside me, Mat'al beside him and Gideon squeezing himself in. Pravon raised a brow in Gideon's direction.
"Yours I presume?" he asked, lowering himself down. Gideon blinked, bewildered. I nodded, understanding. "Do you normally bring your son in on meetings then?" A stillness settled over me, eyes flicking to Gideon. His eyebrows sunk, not much but enough. But he kept his tongue and simply leaned back into the chair, Mat'al smiling beside him. My eyes closed for a moment. God, he'd been through so much already… Sitting there, that little frown on his face. He was getting older. Older and more mature than he had to be.
"Yes," I said. Gideon flicked his gaze to me, eyebrows high. "The only reason I am here today is because of him. He has been through some of the worst life can throw at you. Besides, I cannot have my AI Handler out of the loop," Gideon played with his lip for a heartbeat, rolling his shoulders back as he glanced to the Admirals sitting before him. And he held his tongue. He didn't even look smug. Pride burst through my chest. Pravon frowned, but otherwise seemed to accept my words, even if 'AI Handler' didn't suit a teenager.
"I will keep this brief. Commander Shepard has forwarded me what plans he has and what intelligence the krogan have on the area. Our target is Jorgal Innot, confirmed Saboteur who survived our previous attempt to remove her last year. She went to ground soon after. She was last seen near The Shroud, the target of Shepard's mission. We'll have a clearer idea of the battlefield once we arrive, I do not trust data streamed through any sort of connection this weather. Innot is Mind Manipulation, as such I will be putting Gideon in charge of the mechs," Gideon frowned, churning my words. His eyes widened, a clarity to them. He nodded, jaw set.
"You'll forgive the interruption, why may I ask?" Kinaye asked.
"Gideon is uncontested in terms of hacking and mechs. He's the AI Handler for a reason," Phentos said. "The combat team has full confidence in his skills. He has not failed us yet. And that is before we even mention his mission into the heart of a Reaper… solo," Gideon shuffled in his seat, the palest shade of pink staining his cheeks.
"And hopefully he does not need to repeat that. Can you control them from the ship, Gideon?" I asked. Gideon blinked.
"In theory… but the lag would be annoying. Kala can act as a relay," he said.
"I have a different job for Kala," I said. Gideon's eyes popped open. "There are going to be Reapers everywhere, I need her to deal with crowd control of the big guys. That will include any Capital ships the Reapers send,"
"Oh…" Gideon said, still recovering. A thoughtful frown spread over his face. "Then… then no, not really. The closer the better," My eyes rose to Mat'al. The salarian smiled.
"I'll be with him, Admiral," he said.
"I expected as much. You two have been very paly the past few months," I said. The pair shared a look.
"Well, my latest student has graduated. Time for a new one," Mat'al chuckled. A flutter ruffled in my chest. When the hell did I graduate?
"Kala will be focusing on Reapers, especially with any Behemoths. The Behemoth specialists specifically asked for her help and I will not deny them it. Gideon you're on helping us with Innot and dealing with any servants she has. You're also on sniper duty if we need an Anti-Reaper shot. Val, you'll be watching the ship and giving us air support with Imperious. I'll have Phentos lead the ground crew to help with Innot. The fleet forces will be protecting the Behemoth specialists, aiding with ground support and acting as a backup if we need help. Admirals, I do not know if you wish to join in or watch how we operate,"
"We can assist with the ground crew management. You'll have your hands full with the krogan in the cells," Katus said. A hard breath rushed from my nose. Oh yeah. That issue.
"I appreciate it. An extra pair of eyes never hurts," I said. "Rear Admiral Imperious will be directing the air support, Val, so get on his good books," Val rolled his eyes.
"Does he have good books?" he asked.
"...No, probably not," I sighed. "Just don't fight," He grinned in answer. "Alright, get the teams briefed and ready to go. Kala, Gideon, make your preps. Mat'al, make sure they haven't missed anything. Indira, watch the comms. Prepare a biotic team in case they bring Wraiths," Indira nodded. "Shayan, get the ship ready for atmosphere combat," He nodded, hands fidgeting. "Dismissed all. I'll speak to you later. We have a day and a half before we touch down,"
"Aye, aye, Admiral," the voices hailed, hands rising to salute. All but the Admirals left, the trio left lounging in their chairs. Katus chuckled once silence settled on the room.
"You have a well-oiled machine, Admiral Shaik. Your commanders know their work," he said. A taut smile flicked my lips up.
"Most of the commanders have been here since the start, Admiral. They're used to the havoc," I said.
"Yes… though you'll forgive me for being cautious," Pravon said, kicking a leg over his knee. "You do not have a full fleet, hiring to bring your numbers back up is barely started and we are about to charge neck deep into the enemy. And yet you seem not to care about throwing you or your young son into the heart of it all," Tension held my stomach, my tongue desperate to spit fire. But my composure held. Just.
"This mission is too crucial to wait upon. Commander Shepard's intentions are clear. No genophage cure, no krogan boots on Palaven. No boots on Palaven, no turian navy to help push back the Reapers from other planets. I fret, Admiral. I don't want Gideon anywhere near the warzone - hint why I asked if he could control the mechs from the ship - but I will need to trust XO Delern to look after him. Mat'al should be used to it by now," I said, voice tight until my own words wanted to choke me. "I have no choice, my son has specialist skills no one else has. And specialist tools no other can use,"
"An AI isn't necessarily a specialist tool," Pravon said.
"His sniper is. It's biometrically linked to him, and it's the hardest hitting gun we own," I said. "It's the only gun I know of that can reliably punch through Saboteur armour first time,"
"Then I suggest you mass produce it," Kinaye said, sipping her tea. "There are many people out there who could utilise such a weapon better than a 12-year old," My brows snapped down.
"14-year old, and I'm sure there are. Sadly, the scientists who created it are either dead or working on making other weapons capable of firing Anti-Reaper rounds. The Shadow Broker was not kind to them once they had done what he wanted," I said. "And even then, they do not have the blueprints. They say it was destroyed when the Shadow Broker attacked their previous lab. A lab then overrun with a Reaper and hordes of husks. The only way for them to reliably replicate it would be to take the Daemon apart. We cannot afford to have that sniper out of action," I said. "Admirals, if I could keep him out of this, I would. I want to… but we're all dead if we can't free up the turians. Besides, I don't think I can stop him even if I could," Katus laughed.
"He has that stubborn jawline coming through. You have it as well, Admiral," he said. My hand leapt my jaw, cheeks flushing pink. What did he mean by that?! He only laughed harder. My flush burned hotter.
"Dismissed, Admirals," I said, proud only the faintest of snaps entered my voice. Kinaye shared a grin with Katus, the pair standing. Pravon was less impressed, but stood all the same. The trio saluted and turned to the door.
"I told you she was the vain type," Katus chuckled, keeping his words quiet. Kinaye elbowed him.
"Leave the poor girl alone, tis not the worst flaw all things considered," Kinaye scolded gently.
"My hearing isn't that shit, thank you very much," I added with more fire. Katus just laughed, Kinaye had the courtesy to look sheepish. My head flopped on the desk when the door closed. What a day… what a week. And there was no going down this hill for a long, long time.
Sleeping in my own bed was euphoria. Like a long lost security blanket. It even came with a cuddly turian. Don't tell Val, but turians aren't all that cuddly truth be told. The plates scratch when you least want them and getting comfy is hard until you got used to the damn chest ridge they had. It was a welcome inconvenience. Best part is, if you do get a scratch in your back, a quick shuffle will take care of that and your turian partner will only think you're snuggling in closer. Win-win situation. Morning brought the usual routine, the usual noise. But it all ran straight to Val, while Drutus and the Admirals dealt with me. I almost missed the morning rush of reports, always half an hour after my coffee. The crew hadn't broken out of that habit, much to Val's grumbles. Maybe they would never, just to annoy him.
But my workload was different. It wasn't just little engineering reports, or the odd personnel updates. This was so much more, and yet so much less. The granular detail of individuals in the ships vanished, only numbers and 'bins' they dumped people into; sex, species, class, equipment use, age brackets. There was nothing personal, the Fleet Admiral only seeing individual ships, their captains and XO and no more. Even the commanders sunk down into the mass of numbers and labels. It wasn't my job to drill down that deep, though. That was a captain's job, or one of their chiefs or lieutenants. That was the hardest thing to get over, to be given a report and not see everything you expect, only to be told this was all I needed. I couldn't keep track of 56,000 people, I knew that… but I longed for it.
More ship updates waited for me. More ships getting ready to begin repairs, more ships in the midst of work, the odd ship already up and patrolling. That the Draco was finished in just over a week brought a bit of comfort. Even though two cruisers outsized her, no one hit harder. My eyes lifted, Saria taking her spot beside Val as they began the morning discussions. Orders from the Council, I managed to pick up, along with word from my contacts. My brows curled up. Did I even have time to keep touching base after inheriting the endless abyss of Julian's contacts? Shadow broker agents - though I knew the Shadow Broker herself so… - and Black market dealers, business owners and stock brokers, ships and haulers, the odd military ship here and there, accountants and housing agents. The list never ended. The admirals assured me they would be taking over most of them. There were a few reserved for me. My head shook at one email, Tannin had been touch, our-… my Black Market broker. He found a new cruiser. Certainly impressive, salarian design to challenge the Draco. Not for 87million credits though, bloody hell.
The day whizzed by. Being Fleet admiral is a busy job, especially when you are learning how to admiral in the first place. Gideon never surfaced the entire day apart from mealtimes, Mat'al too in and out of the labs. I presumed he was preparing for Tuchanka, but he'd been doing this for months now. Mat'al was the only person who seemed to know what he was doing, and only smiled when asked. Damn salarians and their secrets. Later that day, Imperious called to talk. It started as normal conversation, friends catching up. Then Shepard join at some point as the topic moved from gossip to work. My admirals attended, Val did eventually when he freed himself from captain duties. Shepard was taking a krogan convoy towards the Shroud, some turians were giving air support via fighters. Imperious would be in charge of the aerial assault. Between the Normandy, Starquake and the turian frigate, they should have enough firepower to make any small walker Reapers nervous. We'd seen one on Irune, but Shepard had yet to meet one. Pravon and Katus would lead the ground teams with Katus working with the Behemoth Specialists, Kinaye would manage the teams and communications from both sides of the battle; from Shepard and me, to us and the ships and any krogan. The last sighting of Innot was in the ruins near to the Shroud. We had to assume she had already messed with the structure and was keeping guard. For me. My teeth nipped my lip as the call ended, butterflies exploding in my stomach.
That night, sleep didn't come easy. I spent most of the night staring at nothing and what little sleep I did get only exhausted me. I stared at the ceiling, Val snoring beside me. My mind churned like a storm, unable to find rest. Trust me, there wasn't any coffee left on the Starquake that morning by the time I was done. In the armoury, my teeth nibbled once more. It wasn't purple armour in my hands anymore. It was a base of grey with blue and white stripes and blue lights. It didn't feel right… no, that wasn't right either. I used to wear this, or something similar at least. A long, long time ago. A bubble swelled, wetting my eyes. My eyes squeezed shut, counting the seconds until it faded. With shaking hands, the armour snapped on. The Fleet Admiral plates upon my shoulders. The warmth bursting through me to hold the Paladin and Locust at my hips was indescribable.
The ship rumbled as we burned through the atmosphere, the teams rallied and waited. Val gave them the pep talk while I finished up, the Admirals decked in grey, white and blue armour. Minutes later, the ship docked. I turned towards the storage rooms. Lanster noticed it on the cameras, his voice ringing "Krogan coming out, get ready,". My jaw snapped shut to stop my teeth catching my lip again. Raisha looked almost serene in the prison cell, sitting cross legged on the floor, facing the glass. Her eyes opened as I stopped before her, the sky blue eyes blinking once. She was still in her slacks, her armour case waiting outside her cell.
"...It doesn't suit you" she said. My shoulders bristled. "I presume tis time," I nodded, jaw still clamped shut. She rose to her feet, grabbing her bag from the corner. "Then let us be done with it," My fist smacked the open button.
"Walk out, Jorgal. And make a move on," I said. Raisha smiled, striding out without a care. She grabbed the armour trunk and followed me through the storage rooms and into the main area of the cargo hold. Once again, the armoury was blockaded by people, the shuttle deck doors were already open and hot, Tuchanka air swept dust up the cargo door ramp. Raisha's eyes swayed around the group, now all decked in similar grey, blue and white armour. But she didn't stop, kept following me out until our feet touched the dust. She was barely 2 steps away when the cargo door creaked up, well above our heads but not yet closed.
"That's it, Raisha. No more taxis for you from us," I said. Raisha chuckled. I jumped as the grey top from her casuals flew past me, crumpling on the dust. My teeth ground as she moved towards a pile of steel crates, disappearing behind them.
"Then I won't need these anymore," she said. My arms folded, waiting with fire in my veins and knots churning my stomach. Yes, the discarding of Julian's symbol lowered the red haze, my frayed temper worsened. She emerged, smothered in charcoal and crimson armour. So she never even packed her Constellation colours.
"Comfortable?" I asked.
"Well, you did specify that I was no longer part of the fleet once we touched down on Tuchanka," she said. My eyes narrowed.
"...Let me guess, you aren't going to be following orders anymore," I said.
"I do believe you have an apt phrase for this, Endellion," she said. She glanced down at me, a frown on her face. "Kindly go fuck yourself,"
It happened in a flash. I saw her twist, the leg raise. My body was already mid jump backwards but she was so close. Pain ruptured from my stomach, the ground leaving me. My vision blanked for a heartbeat, my lungs frozen. But the rest of the body was already attuned and roared with fury. Instinct grabbing the reins, seeing a threat. A hard landing, rolling along the dust until my mouth parched and tasted of earth, a foot catching itself to straighten me, to stop the roll and heave me into a crouch, the Paladin straight in my arms, the bullet already fired. A cut sliced by Raisha's face, red blood running from her cheek. She growled, the whole air vibrating as her biotic aura flared.
"Maybe put some fucking shields on before you get cute," I hissed. The ground rumbled beneath Raisha's growls. But a series of loud whines caught her attention. Her eyes narrowed as she turned to the Starquake. The Cargo door was open enough for people to take position, the secondary cannons on the front aimed down towards the krogan. She turned her burning blue eyes towards me for another moment before taking a step back. The guns followed her as she turned from the little canyon we hid within, vanishing behind the towering cliffs. A hot breath rushed from my lungs, finally able to breathe through the pain. With tentative care, my knees straightened. The armour was undamaged. Not even a scratch. The cargo door whined more as it lowered back to the ground. Mat'al approached, the Admirals not far behind.
"Well, we did predict this," he said, resting a hand on my shoulder. The instincts roared again, the shoulder snapping up and throwing his hand off. Mat'al flicked his brows up for a heartbeat before lowering his hand to his side. "You are unhurt?"
"...Rally the teams. We're moving to the meeting point. Shepard is already getting the krogan," I muttered, teeth refusing to unclench. Mat'al blinked once, the coolness returning to his demeanour.
"The teams are ready. Imperious has landed and the crew is mobilising," he said. My feet demand to move, to march on with the mission. But the weight of the stripes on my shoulders pinned me down.
"I need all the teams out of the ship and shuttles flying. We have equipment drop-offs," I said, folding my arms and staring down the rust red canyon Raisha vanished down. It wasn't a big canyon, but already the fake rock canvases overhead pulled shade over the slit in the earth, masking the frigate from sight for a time. All sandstone and dust, barely a trace of a dead plant. Mat'al departed, the Admirals waiting nearby. Perhaps they noted the expression, the attitude. But they waited quietly all the same. One last happy ending… assuming she didn't kill herself before then.
The Timeline and Galaxy Map have been updated for this chapter. Please see profile for link to archive.