Chapter 32

Nos Astra – Illium

The last few weeks of his life had been the busiest he'd ever experienced. Pitne For drove him like a slave, but he also didn't get a lot of business which lead to lots of loitering in waiting rooms and warehouses. Ever since he started his new job, he'd been moving around so frequently that his legs were sore for days. He mostly used a company car, but with the pay he was receiving he just put down his first payment on a species-friendly apartment near work. And for the first time in his entire professional career he had three days off, allowing him to visit the Illium night life. He had even met a cute bartender at one of the nearby clubs.

So, while his shorter legs were sore, he marched on through the pain happily. It was also easy work for the pay. Currently he was sent out to get lunch for him and Zan-Liara. Nyxeris had gone out for lunch so it was just the two of them for the moment, and he decided to go to a restaurant that served good volus food as well as servicing other species. He set the company car down in the parking structure and made his way inside to place their orders.

As he picked up one of the datapads on the order counter, he looked up and was surprised to see Nyxeris sitting at one of the tables nearby. She held up a receipt pad for the turian waiter. His eyes looked at the cost and the tip of her meal and he felt himself reeling as he saw she had spent over ten thousand credits, and tipped over twenty-three thousand. He found himself stunned after seeing the numbers before he remembered his manners. Turning away from them he began to put the order in.

After a few minutes he finally finished and then swiped the company chit to pay for it. As he set the pad back down he turned and nearly jumped out of his suit as he saw Nyxeris standing over him. "Hello Niftu! I didn't know you were coming," said the asari woman as she gazed down at him firmly.

"Noble Liara was feeling hungry… but didn't want to leave the office until she… closed her latest report. I came here because they have good volus food and I… was feeling peckish myself," he replied to her, wondering if he should even ask about the absurd prices he saw on the tablet. He decided quickly that it wasn't any of his business.

"I eat here often. It has an amazing vegan menu," she said as she stared down at him.

He wasn't sure why she was staring at him, but after serving with Pitne For for most of his career, if she was trying to intimidate him or be pushy, she was failing miserably. "Did you want me to get something for you?"

"That won't be necessary," said the asari as she smiled at him. Asari always smiled, so he wasn't able to discern a genuine smile from a fake one. But she ended up turning and leaving while he waited for the food to come out. After another ten minutes, the food was given to him. He trundled towards the door and opened it, heading outside to the parking structure. As the door to the parking structure opened, a turian walked out past him.

Niftu looked up at him as he walked by and noticed it was the same turian that had taken Nyxeris's payment in the restaurant. He looked at the vehicle he had brought here, then back at the turian that was heading to the restaurant. Immediately his stomach began to turn and his instincts told him not to get into the car. Instead, he walked back out of the structure and used a terminal to order an aircab. Luckily for his nerves, the cab came quickly and he beelined it for the office.

He didn't know what he was feeling at the moment, but it felt like everyone was watching him now. He had been the target of many angry gangsters after one of Pitne For's business mishaps, but he had never felt his instincts screaming at him like this. He began to feel paranoid as he stepped out of the cab at the other people walking down the sidewalk. Lifting the bag of food, he made his way back to the elevator. When he arrived at the floor of Liara's office, he trundled inside with his heart pounding.

He approached Nyxeris's desk and waved to her, getting a look of surprise back from her. "Back already? They usually take longer with making to go orders."

He nodded and scratched his head. "Guess I got lucky," he said as he looked towards the door to Liara's office. "I'm gonna go now…"

The asari's brow furrowed as he walked over to the door and opened it. Inside, Liara was at her desk typing away at her terminal. She looked over and saw him, then smiled. "Thank you for bringing lunch," she said politely. But her face shifted to concern as he set the food on the desk and sat in one of her chairs. She seemed to notice that something was off. "What is it?"

"I… don't know," he said nervously as he looked around. "Just had my paranoia… kick in really bad. I felt like someone at the restaurant… was watching me, or was after me. It was probably just all in my head, but I don't know if I've ever been that on edge."

"Do you know what set it off?" asked Liara as she leaned onto her elbows on the desk.

"Not really. Like I said, it's probably all in my head," he said as he shook his head. "Sorry, but I left the company car at the restaurant. I got too nervous to use it."

"That's fine. I'll have Nyxeris go collect it later," she said with a smile. "After everything you've been through with Pitne For I'm surprised you're as level headed as you have been. Honestly with how many gangs were out for Pitne's skin I'm surprised you weren't jumpier."

Niftu thought for a moment before speaking up again. "By the way, how much do you pay Nyxeris?"

Looking at him in surprise, she tilted her head. "It's roughly about twice your pay given her experience and the information work she does for me. Why?"

He turned his head and then shook it. "It's nothing. She just tips really well."

"She was at the restaurant then?" she asked, getting a nod from the volus. "Was she throwing down an extra fifty credits for a cute waiter?" asked the asari doctor with a smirk.

"Not quite. She tipped 23,522 credits," he said, getting a look of shock from her.

"I don't pay her that well!" said the woman as she looked towards the door up front. Then she looked down at her desk in deep thought. "Wait… what were those numbers?"

"It was 23,522 credits," he said as he eyed her curiously. "Why?"

Liara looked up with her eyes wide as she began to type on her terminal again. "Did you see any other numbers?"

"For some reason the cost of the… meal was 10,109 credits," he said as he scratched his head thoughtfully. "That's a lot of food."

Immediately any humor vanished from her face as she began clenching her fist. "It's not food. Those are security ciphers for my reports," she said as she pondered for a moment. "Who was she giving the pad to?"

"I don't know who it was," said the volus as he tried to recall. "He was a turian, very tall. Dusty brown carapace, and I think he had a scar in his left brow plate."

The doctor's brows furrowed. It was strange to him to see an asari with eyebrows now. That had always been a human thing as far as he knew. But she turned and opened a datapad and brought up a picture before showing it to him. "Is this him?"

He looked at the picture and saw the turian man staring at him through the screen. It looked like some kind of mugshot. "It is! He was also the one in the… parking garage when I left the car!"

"Probably for the better," said Liara as she set the datapad down. "I was just about to hand her these reports as well. They're potential… well," she said as she stopped her explanation. Then she turned to him and smiled. "You're my guardian angel, you know that?"

"What's an angel?" asked Niftu in confusion.

She chuckled as she shook her head. "It's human mythology. But I'll save the explanation and tell you that you may have just saved my life."

"I did?" he asked, bewildered at the claim. "I was just hungry."

She chuckled and nodded. "Me too. So," she said as she turned her swiveling chair towards him. "How would you like to earn Nyxeris's salary and job?"

"You're firing her?" asked the volus as he twiddled his fingers. "I don't want to cause a stir…"

"I need an answer now, Niftu," she said, causing him to look up at her. "Things are about to move very fast and I need to know if you're with me for the long run or you're just here for a paycheck. If you're just here for a paycheck, then I'm going to put you in hiding for a long while."

"Hiding?" he asked, realizing what she was actually asking him. She wanted to know if he was willing to walk into danger with her and benefit in the end, or just take the paycheck and go into hiding. He sat thinking for a long moment before finally looking up at her. "You gave me my dignity back. I'm with you til the end."

She smiled at him brightly before nodding. "I'm happy to have you along, Zan-Niftu Cal." She turned in her chair and took her food out of the bag that he brought with him. In it was a container of hot soup that she loved from Earth. It looked slimy to him and he hated foods with that texture.

She popped the lid off and stood up from her desk. "Where are you going?"

Stopping, she looked at him with a cold stare, her warm smile from before now gone. "You might want to cover your eyes." He sat confused for a long moment. The door to the front opened and Liara donned her smile again. "Hey Nyxeris, have you tried this soup?"

Niftu watched her go and the door closed behind her. He wondered what was going on when suddenly he jumped in surprise as an ear-splitting cry of pain sounded outside of the office. The door opened again and Nyxeris flew inside, slamming face first into the ground. When she was able to look up, he saw numerous burns forming on her face from the boiling soup he had brought back from the restaurant. She tried to get to her hands and knees, but she didn't get much of a chance as Doctor T'Soni walked in again with a look of sheer ice and held her hand up.

"Feel free to collect your severance in hell," said Liara as she warped the woman in the back. Niftu gasped in horror as her skin was disintegrated from her body. Her screams echoed in the office as the biotic attack peeled her like a morbid fruit and left her bloody and gored, but dead. Activating her omni-tool, she contacted someone and began talking very pleasantly again. "Yes, I'd like to schedule a dry cleaning, one suit." She looked down at the dead asari carcass on the floor. "Velvet wine. Lots of velvet wine stains." She nodded once, then again before finishing. "Thank you. Your payment will be on the desk when you arrive."

She pulled out a credit chit, transferred credits, then threw it onto the corner of the desk. Turning to him, she smiled again, gently signaling him to come with her. He got off his seat, avoided the growing pool of purple blood, and trundled after her. "Where are we going?" he asked as they entered the elevator.

"We're going to the restaurant," she said with a grin as the elevator closed. He nodded and let out a heavy sigh, realizing that his life just took a turn he did not expect.

Omega Landing Dock 42 – Omega Station

"Are you going to be okay?" asked Shepard as she escorted Samara back to the ship. She stopped just off the dock where the Normandy was currently moored.

"What should I say, Shepard?" asked the justicar as she turned around and looked at the ground. "I just killed the bravest of my daughters. The only one who would not suffer the injustices thrust upon her. I have completed the goal I set for myself from the moment I became a justicar. I feel grief, sorrow, sadness, and I feel relief, purpose, and pride."

"Going through a lot then," said Shepard with a small smile. Samara's lips curved upwards only slightly in return as she nodded. "Go get some rest and talk to Kelly if you need to. She's a lot more helpful than people realize."

"I shall do as you ask," said the woman as she turned and headed back for the ship. "Please come talk to me after I have had time to process everything."

"I will," said Shepard with a smile. Samara entered the airlock on the ship and Shepard's smile vanished as she looked around her. "Alright, whoever the hell you are. You can stop skulking in the shadows and come say hi already."

She looked around and suddenly heard clapping coming from the shadow of a large cargo container unloaded from a nearby freighter. In the darkness a pair of glowing red orbs appeared. "I'm starting to believe you really are Shepard," came the entity's voice as they finally stepped out into the light.

Her eyes widened as she saw the tall, armored form. He wore light black armor and a helmet that covered his head leaving nothing exposed to the light. The only discernable detail about his armor were the two glowing red eyes on the front of his helmet. Her memory flashed and she immediately recognized him. "Toombs? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Tut tut," he said shaking his finger at her. "That's actually my question. See, a while back we made a deal. Then you tried to go back on that deal by dying." He stepped forward until they were face to face with only a few meters between them.

"Didn't really have a choice on that front," said Shepard with a glare. "But I'm alive again, so our deal's back on."

"Is it?" he asked in an almost saccharin tone. "Because if I recall correctly, our deal was that I hand over the asshole, you crush Cerberus. Now, I've fulfilled my end of the bargain, but there seems to be a slight hook up on your end," he said holding his fingers up to show how small.

She suddenly realized where this was going. "Alright, Toombs. Let's hear it. You've been stalking me for the last half hour now. So, hit me with your best shot," she said spreading her arms wide. "Which is it? That Cerberus brought me back to life? That you think they control me now? Which one of the dumb ass false rumors did you fall for?"

"Adorable, but unconvincing," he said as he pulled a pistol off his belt. "Cerberus brought you back to life and that tells me there's a zero percent chance that you're not working with them."

"And what makes you say that?" asked Shepard as she pulled her own pistol free.

"Oh, I don't know. How about the Cerberus Operative Miss Lawson you have working with you on your ship? Or maybe the soldier, Mister Taylor," he said with a shrug. "Forgive me, but even if I thought there was a chance that they left you as you were before you died, I wouldn't believe for a second that Lawson would work with you if you weren't some Cerberus drone. She's a Cerberus dog to the core."

"Miranda and Jacob are my crew, and they follow my orders," snapped Shepard as she glared at him. "Regardless of what you think of me, you're going to keep your hands off my crew."

"I believe you… or, I believe that you believe that. It's adorable that you think I would though," he said as he jumped back into the shadows. His red, glowing eyes vanished from sight.

Shepard looked around frantically, trying to see where he had gone. But he was too good at melding into shadows for her eyes to be of any use. He'd had years of practice while she had been dead. Instead, she kept her biotics in check and just flexed her body all over and activated her omni-tool. Quickly, she fired a small device at the ground and continued to look around for him.

Several shots were fired from cover and she activated a standing shield that put up a bubble around her. The forcefield blocked the bullets which she noted were coming from the direction of the opposite side of the crate. Aiming her weapon, she fired in that direction through the field. "You're not going to take me out with a pistol, Toombs. I'm insulted you think it'd be that easy."

"You want it hand to hand then?" he asked from the darkness. "That'll do just fine."

She barely saw a blur flee from an entirely different shadow towards her. Her omni-tool beeped and she bent backwards as his movement was betrayed by her shield. A long dagger was extended and aimed for her throat, but she bent just in time for it to miss. Using her momentum, she lashed out with her foot and caught him with a kick to the side of the head that sent him tumbling.

But he easily caught his balance and flipped back onto his feet. He chuckled as he stared at her through the shield. "Very smart, Shepard," he growled as he reached up and rubbed the side of his head and flexed his neck. "Use the shield to kill long range options, and then lure me up close where you're able to tell where I'm coming from."

"People accuse me of a lot of things. The council for favoring humans, the Alliance for betraying them, and now you for joining Cerberus. But nobody has ever accused me of being a bad fighter," she said as she raised one of her hands into fists. "You gonna keep talking?"

"No," he said as she rushed in again, this time not keeping his presence hidden. Instead, he sprinted straight for her. He swung the blade again, but instead of dodging this time she used her elbow to block the swing and slammed her fist directly into his gut. He gasped and bent over, making her think she had stunned him long enough to disable him. But she had miscalculated as he bent further than expected and swung his foot forward to smash into her face. Knocking her off balance, he reversed his swing and drilled his knee directly into her gut.

She gasped in horror as the wind was driven from her lungs. She fell forward to her knees, but instead of staying still while he backed off, she rolled forward and launched both feet forward in a double kick that hit like a bus. She blasted him in the ribs and sent him flying backwards before rolling to her feet and gasping in gulps of air to try and regulate her breathing again.

He rolled back to his feet as well, groaning in pain as he rubbed his now injured ribs. "Sorry, Shepard. But breaking my ribs isn't going to work on me. Pain no longer slows me down, it fuels me!" he snapped as he sprinted forward again, thrusting his dagger up towards her gut. She knew she was getting slower and his attacks weren't. She recalled him saying that he hardly felt pain anymore after the experiments Cerberus did on him, which meant that he wouldn't be slowed down by the pain she caused him.

She knew she was going to have to spring her surprise if she wanted to make it out of this encounter alive. She side-stepped the attack with the blade, and he flipped it around to try and stab it into her back. But as he spun he missed her completely. He looked around in confusion as she had absolutely disappeared on the spot. The toe of her boot then smashed into the back of his head and sent him flying across the ground, head over tail before he flipped back to his feet again.

Reaching up, he stared at her with those glowing red eyes and rubbed the back of his head gently. "What was that?" he asked curiously as he spun the dagger in his hands.

"What was what? Looked to me like you were too slow," she said with a smirk.

"You think you're clever," he growled as he crouched and prepared for another assault. "Let's see you vanish from this one!" He dashed forward again and thrust once more, but instead of just thrusting the dagger he also reached out and grabbed her by the jacket. She flinched and vanished again and causing him to fall onto his back. Reappearing above him, she fell with the aid of gravity and slammed both of her knees into his gut, causing him to let out an excruciating gasp of air. She rolled to her feet again, grimacing as he got up seemingly unscathed by her attack with the exception of his breathing. When he could finally find his voice again, he chuckled. "Shepard is a biotic now?" he asked as he spun the blade again. "Was that something Cerberus added in when they put you back together? Or did you always hide that from me?"

She didn't say anything. She knew that attack would put most people in the hospital with a ruptured organ or worse. But he walked it off as if it barely registered for him. She didn't like her odds against him as he was, even with her biotics. Unfortunately, if she wanted to survive, she was likely going to have to kill him. Reaching back, she gripped her pistol again, ready for the next attack.

But suddenly, both of them were startled by the sound of a warcry off to the side. A massive drunken krogan charged out of the shadows towards the assassin. Toombs saw him coming and prepared to counterattack, but then biotics lit up around him and kept him from moving at all. He held up his arms as the battering ram of a creature finally collided with him and charged head first into the shipping container. He impacted the side of the crate, crushed between the metal sheet and the krogan and creating a crater from the force.

Shepard saw Grunt's attack, then looked over as Jack stepped out of the shadows as well. "You were having a party out here and you didn't invite us, Shepard?" asked the young convict as she stepped towards the spectre.

"Didn't know where you were," said the redhead as she scratched her head. "Speaking of, where were you two?"

"Grunt wanted to drink and you were off diddling Samara I guess," said the woman as she turned and spied the man that Grunt had just tossed onto the ground. "So, who's this then?"

Shepard chuckled as Toombs groaned in pain. It didn't matter how dead his pain sensors were, he wasn't taking a blow like that from Grunt and shrugging it off. "This would be Corporal Toombs. Former Alliance turned assassin who hunted down Cerberus scientists that were hidden within the Alliance."

"For real?" asked Jack in surprise.

"Subject Zero?" said Toombs as he got to his feet with one of his arms dangling uselessly at his side.

"I ammm… the champion!" grumbled Grunt as he turned and took another loping run towards the assassin.

"Grunt wait!" snapped Jack, but it was too late. Toombs raised the dagger he was assaulting Shepard with and stabbed it down into the krogan's head before getting smashed to the side. Grunt fell forward and landed face first on the ground.

Shepard thought the worst until she heard the loud snoring from the krogan. Toombs got to his feet again and stared at the dagger handle now missing its blade before throwing it aside. Jack glared at the assassin. "How do you know who I am?"

Toombs reached over and held his limp arm. "Anyone who knows Cerberus knows who you are. What they did to me for months they did to you all your life. I'm probably Subject Three or Four."

Jack looked him up and down. "I guess. But if you're after Cerberus, why are you here trying to kill Shepard?"

Even under his mask Shepard could tell he had a look of incredulity. "Why am I…? The question is, why are you working with her after what Cerberus did to you?!" he snapped back at her. "You should be wringing the blood out of her like a rag for working with them!"

"She's not working with Cerberus!" snapped Jack again before looking at the ground. "Wait… Oh, I get what this is," she said before shaking her hand. "Look, shit's complicated, alright. She's not working with Cerberus any more than I am. We're both working to stop the collectors and reapers."

"Then why is Lawson on your ship?" growled Toombs as he pointed accusingly at her.

"What, the Cerberus sex doll? She follows Shepard's orders just like the rest of us," she said before stepping up towards him and glaring directly into his helmet. "You look at my face and tell me you know me, and then accuse me of working for some Cerberus lackey!"

"Look, Corporal," said Shepard as she held up her hands to show she wasn't fighting any more. He focused on her with those glowing red eyes. "I'm using Cerberus resources to fight the collectors and the reapers. Resources that are currently not being put towards torturing kids."

"So, you think that's good enough? You're not personally killing and torturing innocents, so I should just let you go?" he asked with a shrug, as if to emphasize his point.

"No," said Jack as she pointed at him. "You should let her go because you don't want me to crush you into pulpy grape juice. Whatever kind of hate boner you have for her is irrelevant. She's my ticket to killing Cerberus, and you're not going to touch a hair on her goddamn head!"

"You really think she's going to turn on Cerberus after they brought her back to life?" he asked sardonically as he planted his good arm on his hip.

"What I really think doesn't fucking matter," snapped Jack as she glared at him. "She promised to help me and she's going to help me. And if she tries to protect them, then I'll destroy her too. But ONLY when the time comes!" she said as she snorted at him. "Quit trying to kill one of the few goddamn people doing anything good in the galaxy just to satisfy your childish grudge."

He stared at her for a long moment before looking up at Shepard again. "You're lucky your little mascot here showed up to vouch for you."

"And you're lucky Grunt didn't eat you to help with his hangover," said the spectre as she gave him a glare.

"I'm gonna keep my eyes on you, Shepard," said the man as he took a step back from them both.

"You got away from me once, Toombs. You think I'm going to let you go again to try and kill me later?" asked Shepard as she lit her biotics again.

"I think you don't have a say in the matter," he said as he raised his hand. Shepard looked at it and immediately realized that he was holding a chain attached to multiple grenade pins.

"Jack! Grunt! Close your-" she shouted as she covered her own face with her arm. But a loud boom sounded and punished her for not being able to cover her ears as well. The concussive sound disoriented her, but at least she could see.

"AH! MY EYEBALLS ARE ON FIRE!" shouted Grunt angrily as he rolled on the ground.

"Bastard! Next time I see you I'm shoving your head so far down into your body that it comes out your ass!" shouted Jack as she had her eyes closed and her ears covered from the flashbang.

Shepard sighed as she knew he had escaped again. She'd have trouble keeping up with him without her biotics, even if he wasn't injured. So, chasing him across Omega while Grunt needed medical care wasn't an option anymore.

Shepard walked over to check on the large krogan as Jack wiggled a finger in her ear. The krogan was now sitting on his butt and rubbing his eyes groggily. "You okay there, big guy?" she asked as she knelt down next to him.

"When did I become a unicorn?" he asked as he reached up and touched the blade lodged in his dome tenderly.

Shepard chuckled at his question and reached up, then pulled the blade free. There was no blood or even raw skin. It had snapped off after lodging into one of the armored spikes on his head that would one day grow together into a plate. "You're gonna be just fine," she said as she looked up at Jack. "You alright?"

"I'll be better once we get off this rock. After dodging the blue bitch all day and now having tinnitus I think I've had my fill of this place," said the convict as she finally stopped and sighed at the ringing in her ears.

"Blue bitch?" asked Shepard as she cocked an eyebrow. "You know Aria?"

"Oh…" groaned the biotic as she reached up and scratched her bald head. "Right. Look, I'll tell you about it another time. Let's just get going," she urged before grabbing Grunt's hand and guiding him back onto the ship.

"Pretty stars…" slurred the krogan as he was steered towards the dock.

Shepard watched them go, then turned to where she had seen Toombs pop up again. "I tremble at the thought of the progress we would make if everyone in the galaxy would just listen to a goddamn word I said," she said before shaking her head and turning towards the Normandy.

Mess Hall – SSV Normandy SR2

It had been a long few weeks. Her training under Spectre Vesina and the grueling field work she had seen. They stayed mostly in asari space and did surveillance, surveillance, and more surveillance. A few times, Ash had nearly fallen asleep while on duty because of the massive time gap between daytime on the Citadel and daytime on Thessia. They were almost polar opposites at this point. But she pulled through and managed to keep her wits about her with plenty of coffee.

After nearly two weeks of surveillance work, they finally got the information they need. That was when the action kicked in and she got to do what she was used to. On the asari world of Hyetiana there was a hidden war criminal among the student body of the college. Ash was told that she had been a notorious type of private investigator that was hired to extract information out of certain victims. Her modus operandi would be to drug someone and then use her biotics to invade their minds. She had used this tactic on many government officials who had woken up groggy and not even understanding what happened, which was why she got away with it for so long.

Spectre Vesina didn't know who the thief was currently after in one of the galaxy's top ranking asari educational institutes, or whether she was there to extract information at all. What he did know was their location and their plan. This then led to a grueling battle where the entire university locked down, the criminal's backup tried to stop the spectre candidate with biotics, and she ended up smashing through them like a wrecking ball as she dodged and used her mechanized suit to make power moves unthinkable of a normal soldier.

Once she had finished the goon squad, the criminal herself was a quick cleanup once Ash and Vesina himself cornered her in the hallways. She ended up giving herself up and getting turned in to Thessian authority. After the eventual takedown of the spy as well as a number of other minor diplomatic excursions, Vesina approved her spectrehood and now she was on the Normandy again. Despite being energized to see everyone aboard once more… or at least the people she already knew, she was also exhausted from the time delay and the battle itself.

She had slept the entire way to Omega and after Shepard released her back onto the Normandy to do her own thing, she decided to take a shower. It was then that she found herself in the mess hall with numerous other humans as well as other species. She looked around with the towel around her neck as her hair continued to dry. "Wow, things got a lot busier around here," she said with a grin as she saw Garrus at one table taking his rifle apart while Tali stared at her from the mess counter.

"Bigger team, bigger guns, bigger enemies," said the quarian as she looked her up and down. "So, what's your story?"

"My story?" asked Ash, curious as to what Tali was asking her.

"Of course! Me and Garrus were part of the old team, Lawson and Taylor are former members of Cerberus…" she started the quarian.

Miranda immediately glared up at her. "We're still members of Cerberus…"

"Yes dear, of course you are," said Tali as she patted the woman on the shoulder. Then she turned back to the spectre. "Anyway, everyone is here for a reason. What's yours?"

Ash stared at her for a long moment before turning and looking at Garrus. The turian sighed and stood up before walking over to her. "Tali…" he said as he gently grabbed Ashley's long, dark, and now clean hair and held it up so that it looked like a bun.

Tali stared at her for a long moment before her luminescent eyes widened. "Ashley Williams!" she shouted before covering her faceshield with her hand. "Oh Keelah, does that make me racist that I didn't recognize you without your hair up?"

"Don't quarians have hair too?" asked Jacob from the tables.

"Ugh. That just makes it worse…" groaned Tali as she stepped over to Ash. She gripped her tightly into a hug. "I apologize Ash. It's been two years and with so many new humans around my brain hiccuped."

"It's alright Tali," said the woman as she squeezed her old friend back and released her again. Then she turned and eyed Garrus up and down. "Vakarian."

"Williams," he said as he returned the look. "Still lugging around the inferior M-8 Avenger?"

Immediately her eyes narrowed. "Vakarian, I'm gonna put the butt of my superior M-8 upside you're your damaged head," she snapped back playfully as she stood face to face with him.

"Oh, I'm wanting to see that," said the turian as he faced off against her in return.

Suddenly, Shepard walked into the room and looked at them all with a tired expression. "You two go get a room. The rest of you get ready for liftoff."

The two looked over to Shepard and Garrus shoved Ash playfully before walking off. Ash sent a kick to his behind, but he was too far to hit without her chasing him across the mess hall. "Where we headed now, Skipper?"

"We're going to Alchera," said Shepard solemnly.

Ash took a step back, remembering the last time they visited the world. "You sure about that, Shepard? The last time we went to Alchera together…"

"I know," said the redhead as she looked up at her sternly. "Something has been bothering me about Alchera and it's about time I figured out what it was."

"You're in charge, Shepard," said the new spectre as she looked down at Miranda, who she noticed was looking back at her. "What?" she asked as Shepard stepped inside the medical bay at the far end of the crew deck.

"You're our new human spectre?" asked the XO curiously as she leaned back in her seat.

"One of the two, yes," said the former N7 as she looked the alleged former Cerberus crewmember over. Tali was pretty adamant that she was no longer with Cerberus, but Ash wasn't about to trust her right off the bat. "Why?"

"No reason. I just hope you don't get confused about who is in charge around here," said the raven-haired woman with a cheeky smile.

Immediately Ash's brows furrowed in annoyance at the statement. "It'll be hard to forget that Shepard is in charge, but I'm sure you'll be up her ass reminding me if I ever do."

The Cerberus operative's eyes glared at her as her own glared back. The entire room was looking between the two before the tension was broken by Grunt stumbling into the mess hall rubbing his eyes with a young bald woman wearing fatigues and a tank top leading him towards the medical bay. "Rrrrgh… Bloody assassins and their sparkly grenades…"

"Don't worry Grunt, it'll wear off after a few hours," said the woman as she guided him clumsily towards the med bay.

Everyone watched him go before Ash finally chuckled to herself at the antics. Some things never changed, and she doubted the Normandy would ever be less than one giant family. Garrus patted her on the shoulder and Tali hugged her tightly again. "It's good to have you back, Ash. Let's see how the years have treated you on the battlefield."

"I look forward to it, Garrus," she said as she patted his hand and hugged Tali back. "It's really good to be back here…" she said, feeling tears begin to sting her eyes as she recalled the last time she saw the crew deck on the Normandy. It was torn apart by a lancing beam of destruction and she was hefting Liara's weightless body across the chasm to get to the escape pods. Being here now with her old friends reminded her how alone she had felt since that day. She simply reached up and rubbed her stinging eyes to hide the sorrow.

Zanchan Eatery – Nos Astra – Illium

She had always enjoyed the hybrid Japanese Human and Volus restaurant. One the one hand, one of the stereotypes of asari was that they were hungry for mythology and culture. She supposed this had a lot to do with her species' inclination to take partners of other species. But she supposed it did make sense. Other cultures were very interesting and foreign, making them have a certain allure. She imagined the humans felt the same way about the asari as well.

But this allure to human cultures was especially strong in regards to the Japanese, who for centuries had gone out of their way to put their culture and history on display. The many ancient buildings that were constantly upkept and repaired, the upkeep of traditions like the Geisha and tea ceremony, as well as the endless number of movies devoted to the samurai and their slightly watered-down version of honor. It was hard not to be drawn to such reverence. But it also helped that the food was incredible and included a lot of seafood, something that was a staple in asari cuisine.

That said, it was also inclusive of the volus who had a hard time finding accommodating places on the asari worlds. She was proud to support a restaurant that helped with the spread of diversity on Illium. But the extraordinary service of the restaurant was the last thing on her mind right now. She watched from the shadows as Niftu Cal trundled up towards the counter and alerted the manager on the floor.

The human woman looked down at him and donned her customer service face. "How can I help you sir?"

"Two things. First, I would like to alert you that your soup is too hot. A… erm… coworker got some spilled on her today and now she's… um… no longer capable of eating it."

The manager glared at him sternly. "Is this some kind of lawsuit threat?" asked the woman as she crossed her arms.

"Of course not. I just recommend lowering the temperature about five degrees Celsius so that it doesn't burn skin on contact," he said as he handed over a credit chit. "Also, this is a tip for an amazing lunch."

Looking bewildered, the manager took the chit then looked at him. "Alright. What was the second thing?"

"Oh, right. My employer, one Doctor Liara T'Soni would like to speak with an emoloyee of yours. Tall, dusty brown carapace… erm… a turian…" he said, noting that he had forgotten to mention the species.

"Tanus? He's already gone home," she said as she suddenly stood straight and became far less casual. "D-Did Doctor T'Soni want me to call him in?"

Taking out another chit, he set it on the counter. "She would be very grateful."

Nodding, the manager looked around before taking the chit and heading into the back. She watched him for a long while before the manager came back. "He should be on his way. I told him it was an emergency."

"Thank you," said the volus as he went to go sit down.

"Please just… don't conduct your business in the store," said the manager nervously. "I know what it means when T'Soni wants to talk to someone."

"I have been advised to tell you that she will not be destroying your property… or at least she will try not to," he said in return as he held up a finger. "Mind if I get something to drink?"

"Really reassuring," she grumbled as she went to fetch him his beverage.

It took around ten minutes for the turian to walk into the building again. He strode up to the counter and started questioning the manager. "What's so important you couldn't tell me over the phone," he complained before looking down at the volus sitting in the chair. He seemed slightly taken aback at him being there. "Wait… ain't you… naw…" he said waving the matter off.

Liara moved smoothly from her spot in the shadows of the restroom and appeared behind him silently. Taking the device out of her pocket, she smirked knowing she was doing things Shepard's way for once. Reaching up, she slapped the adhesive strip inside the collar of his cowl. The turian spun around in surprise at her touch and as soon as he saw her grinning face, his carapace turned a shade darker. "Hello Tanus."

"Shit…" he said as he stumbled backwards. She tilted her head at him, still smiling politely as he turned and began running out of the restaurant.

"Niftu," she said as she turned and smiled at him. "Wait here. I'll be back shortly," she said before turning and following the turian out of the restaurant with a haunting smile on her face that made the closest diners give her a wide berth.

CODEX ENTRIES

Species-Friendly | Technology | Habitat
Many species, such as hanar, volus, and quarians who need to stay on colony worlds or space stations outside of their homeworld often have to either stay inside suits or have modified room and board with their preference of pressure, atmosphere, humidity, and cleanliness. Many of these apartment blocks are catered towards a certain species, both trying to be inclusive of different species, and sometimes inadvertently leading to segregated communities of them.

Velvet Wine | Food | Thessia
A wine made from the fermentation of the theya, a similar fruit to grapes but much larger in size. They grow in bunches in temperate zones of Thessia and asari colonies and is created into a wine with a deep purple color and a smooth taste of sweetness over the palate. Sometimes called the "blood of Serrice" for its similar color to asari blood.