Shepard had departed her vessel, leaving it in drydock for the time being as she and Garrus went to investigate a potentially hostile situation. Garrus had requested to meet with Shepard in order to discuss a matter regarding his old squad from during his Archangel days, which led to them departing nearly an hour later through the Mass Relay toward the Citadel.
Rhasits had watched this development from his, Kyra's and Samara's side of the ship, the three of them simply regarding the burgeoning station outside and its escorts having finally arranged a proper escort pattern and schedule for their craft, ranging from fighters to light Corvettes and Frigates, while the main fleet, Chimaera, Shadow of Intent and the UNSC flagship included, remained centered around the Waystation itself.
The Sith Lord hummed, feeling the presence of the Jedi around much the same as he assumed they felt his. Yes, they didn't call themselves 'Jedi' anymore as per their little theocratic schism, but that did not mean any of them liked him or even cared for his presence around fellow allies. He did tend to remain relatively calm. One of his favored pastimes during the days of the Old Republic and the Galactic Cold War was pretty much causing their Order's members indelible rage by acting far more to the light side of the spectrum than them.
Kyra was no different. Though her attachment to the force was much stronger than that of normal-seeing beings, she was a restrained kind, very calm and warm despite being a Sith Apprentice, many of which one would expect to be cold, calculating and brutal depending on their masters. Which was not particularly wrong, but that wasn't Rhasits's style. Again, he preferred fooling the Jedi.
It always paid off.
Though… He could not read Samara for the life of him. Though he felt a small storm raging within her soul, the Justicar remained an actively calm and coalesced being, connected by her centuries of life as given by being an Asari. That internal struggle also helped him see the surface of who she was, however. That, and to feel the Force within her, almost as if the Galaxies' linking meant that the Force had seeped through in small pockets.
It was one of the many reasons he and the Sith guards in this Galaxy were present at all with Darth Nox. Among other items of study, such as the ideations of the Forerunner Librarian and the development of the Krogan as a potential shock troop force for a much later Imperial resurgence that never occurred, understanding the Force's presence in these new Galaxies via the link provided by the Star Roads was paramount.
He let out a deep sigh, then took his mask off and stood to his feet, feeling an approaching and familiar figure at the door. Sliding a hand over the emerald haptic lock, he watched the wheel spin in place before the door unlocked and slid apart, revealing Ahsoka. Rhas spoke, "General," mildly surprised by the arrival of the young woman.
She spoke, "Lord Rhasits, Kyra, Justicar," and crossed her arms, "I hear you asked the Commander to set a course for Korriban of all places?"
"Indeed…" The alien nodded, "I and Kyra wish to seek something we left behind there," then he looked at a confused Samara and said, "Items of interest to us. And technology that might aid us in defeating the Reapers when they inevitably arrive."
"Lack of trust from my end aside, do you really think it's a good idea to travel to our home Galaxy right now?" Ahsoka asked, staying at the door more out of respect for their privacy than anything. As Kyra stood to her feet and walked over to the door, visibly confused, the girl continued, "We're in an open Galactic War against the CIS…"
"I've read the reports," Rhasits nodded. Though he felt little surprise from General Tano for trying to remain relatively civil, he continued calmly, "And the Normandy's upgraded Stealth Suite should be more than capable of getting us in and out without being spotted by any major hostile force. The UNSC provided her with Prowler active camouflage systems."
"Fair," Ahsoka hummed, then sighed and said, "It's a forbidden planet, though. IF we get found there, the Republic Navy pretty much won't hesitate to shoot at us. Very little of the Galaxy even knows we're here, save Generals Skywalker and Kenobi and, obviously, the Chancellor. We're about as Black Op of a project as any…"
"And all the rest of the Galaxy knows is that you're all on a faraway front," Rhasits spoke, voice a little quieter now, "Familiar, though the Gateways shouldn't close in our faces this time, thankfully," before stating, "I am acutely aware you don't trust me, General. Me or Kyra. Which is understandable to a point… But I do only wish to retrieve some trinkets I and Kyra left behind and see my homeworld one last time."
The girl stared at him for a moment, then sighed and nodded, "Alright. Well, Rupert's making lunch, by the way. Some Earth delicacy called Tacos, seeing as it's Tuesday. Figured I'd let all three of you know," before she looked at Samara and asked, "I hope they haven't been much of a bother, Justicar?" which garnered a short giggle out of Kyra. The mischievous girl 'looked' at the General and smiled.
"Quite the opposite, General," Samara spoke as she slowly stood up. She put her hands behind her back and said, "I and Lord Rhasits have actually been debating the positives and negatives of Biotics and the Force. He seems to think I have a latent Force ability," only to see Ahsoka visibly perk up. She told her, "It is… Quite interesting to learn what your powers can do."
"Just as interesting as it was for all of us to read the Codexes on Biotics and see them in action," Ahsoka answered back, smiling. She looked at Rhas and commented, "Try to keep it balanced, please. I don't think anyone's seen a red Asari before," which actually got a short laugh out of the Sith Lord, this time.
She told them, "I'll leave you to yours. Feel free to tag along to lunch whenever," before cracking a grin and stating, "Also be careful where you enter by mistake. Jack and Fives might be making out in there," only to dodge a biotically-thrown cup of coffee that splashed against the window, surprising everyone but her, and to hear several dozen English expletives from the aforementioned Biotic kid.
Miranda had stopped dead in her tracks and looked at Jack and Fives, noticing the former with an outstretched arm and the aura of her biotic powers dissipating off her body. She sighed, rubbed her eyes and mumbled, "I swear I'm dealing with children some times," as she walked off. Ahsoka cracked a proud smirk, then bid a quick goodbye and walked off.
A level above, in the armory, Zaeed, Linda and Jacob were tending to the unit's firearms, especially some of the new equipment being brought aboard. Linda tapped Vakarian on the shoulder, causing him to turn around, before making him pause as she handed him an MA40 rifle and said, "Here. We requisitioned a few extra kinetic rifles specifically because we overheard you all talking about wanting some. Fred's delivering Tali an M90 right now."
"One of your shotguns, huh?" Jacob asked as he looked over the MA40 assault rifle he'd been handed, then at the DC-15 carbine laying on the table. He picked that one up and set the MA40 down, before adjusting the weapon's stock and extending it. He peered down the strange sights and said, "What do you think?"
"We've seen what the Clones' blasters can do," Zaeed quipped as he looked over the SRS-99 he'd been given as a gift, then smirked, "Could be good for ya. Especially since you're a biotic and like going a bit more light on the gear. Those things have a hundred shots per pack and you can carry them even more easily than the goddamn thermal clips we get."
"Blaster it is," Jacob nodded, closing the stock and setting the gun down before turning to face them. He asked, "You two heard the Republic's deploying its own Commando team over to help the guys Halsey sent to the Colonies?" while he crossed his arms to his chest and leaned against the table. It was honestly no surprise. There were even rumors afoot of a planned reconquest of the Colonies later down the line.
"Doc briefed us as much, yeah," Linda replied as she set her own rifle down onto a table. She took her helmet off and told them, "A squad named Sierra…"
"Served under the General whose giant flagship's floatin' out there today," Zaeed jabbed a thumb backward and toward the window, where allied vessels which included General Cheyeli's massive command starship. The 476th's veterans' home that now kept a dutiful watch among the Home Fleet of the Waystation.
"Y'know," Jacob started, sighing, "When I started this job, I thought we were gonna be fighting against mostly just the Collectors, maybe a few Mercs and slavers here and there. Then you all came around and life just decided to really turn for the weird with highly-modified biomechanical war machines, Supersoldiers, Clones and plasma rifles worth a damn, plus aliens from two other Galaxies…"
"Shit really has hit the fan," Zaeed admitted, though he seemed mirthful about it, "Makes everything a hell of a lot more interesting, though, that's for sure. After this is done and dusted, I might actually go visit the General's little Galaxy, see what kinda odd-jobs I can find myself there for a few of their creds. Explore the place, maybe set myself up somethin' of a cottage somewhere."
Jacob and Linda exchanged a glance, then nodded affirmatively to Zaeed. Best not to contradict the man that was never all there at any moment of the day, they both thought, before hearing their familiar Krogan stomping over with his shotgun in hand. He spoke, "I need assistance calibrating this thing," before looking around, "Is the Turian here?"
"Garrus and Shepard just left, big man," Zaeed spoke, arms crossed.
"I can help," Linda spoke calmly, "Shotguns aren't my thing, but I've been studying your Galaxy's weapons a bit," and she walked over to help Grunt bring the Claymore to one of the tables. The carapace-clad alien huffed, then nodded as a thank you to the Sniper, who simply began working on the alien weapon.
… Meanwhile, two levels lower, within the confines of the engineering and cargo deck, Frederic walked through the door immediately to the right of the elevator, entering it and seeing Tali sat at her station, tapping away codes as she spoke with slight exasperation, "I'm fine, father… The Normandy's treating me just fine. How are your injuries?"
"Healing, thankfully," The man replied kindly, his hologram on Tali's left showing him as bedridden. He told her, "I'm honestly glad to know you've got a crew like Shepard's behind you. Your mother would be extremely proud of the young woman you've become," and that caused Ken and Gabby to let out an 'aww' in the background. Tali cast a glance their way, shutting them up, then smiled.
"The Commander is nothing if not a good person magnet," She told her father, then coughed and said, "Ugh… Damn cold isn't letting up any time soon…"
"Ha…" Sighed Rael, "Don't I know the pain of a cold, dear…" before pausing. He saw Frederic approaching with the new gift weapon, gave him a quick nod while Tali wasn't looking, then hummed thoughtfully and told Tali, "I might have to log off, Tali. The staff of the Waystation wishes to ask me about the Research we were doing on the Geth, so they'll be sending someone soon."
"Very well, father," The girl said, a bit sad "Get well soon… Keelah Se'lai."
"Keelah Se'lai," The man replied before the com winked off. Tali let out a deep sigh, then paused as she saw the shadow looming over her and swiveled about. When she saw that the shadow was Fred, she visibly relaxed, breathing a heavily modulated sigh of relief. She straightened up and looked right up at him, thankful her mask basically shielded her face because she felt heat rushing to her cheeks.
He spoke, "Sorry for the scare," his voice cool, calm and collected as usual. Ken and Gabby started giggling like schoolkids, to which he spoke, "Let's go talk over there… Better there be no eavesdropping," to which Tali gave a quick nod of approval. Walking out of the line of sight of the two Scotts meant the Spartan could draw the weapon he had clipped to his back via magnetic locks and hand it to a surprised Tali, grip first.
He told her, "I know you kept asking for our shotguns and the Commander signed off on providing all active members aboard spares and extra equipment and ammunition, so I figured I'd bring you one of our new M90s," all while Tali positively beamed as she looked over the weapon, maintaining trigger discipline as she racked the pump and checked the mechanics of the M90 shotgun.
She giggled excitedly, then said, "Thank you very much for the gift, Fred," before she slid it onto one of her own suit's back-mounted magnetic slots, letting it sit there and feeling the slight weight. She blushed a little when she realized that this was his own way of giving her a gift. Spartans were known to be very socially awkward according to Doctor Halsey, so…
"You'll need to carry a lot more ammo for it," He spoke, then noticed the belts around her waist and body before commenting, "Though that shouldn't be a problem…"
She averted her gaze, rubbing her shoulder shyly as she said a very quiet, "Thank you…" and breathing in. She looked up at him again, peering right into his visor before coughing. She started to ramble, "... You know… It's almost weird how this all came to be. First, a young girl is rescued by an awesome captain and her team of crack soldiers from certain doom… She helps them stop the destruction of the Galaxy once, then joins up with her again two years later to do it once more."
"Throughout it all," She scratched her neck, "She meets a lot of new and interesting people, many of them from new Galaxies, whom she grows to trust over the span of a few short weeks of working together and which includes a dashing soldier. She gets to see a bunch of amazing new technology and works with those people to save her father and her kin! It's… Awe-inspiring, really. How easy I started trusting everybody that's new and…"
As she saw Fred take his helmet off, simply sliding it under his right arm and listening to her with a very calm expression on his face, she stammered, "... T-The most intimate thing Quarians can do to show how much they trust each-other is link suit environments. It will make us sick for a little while, certainly, but it… Makes us feel closer to the person we care about…" before blushing and yet again starting to stammer incoherently.
Fred hummed, scratched the back of his neck and said, "I trust you, too, Tali…"
Taking yet another minute to process what she'd just heard, Tali started up again, "I, well… I, um… I…" before letting out a breath and fanning herself with her hand, "It's… Gotten a bit warm in here. I'm going to go check the core to make sure we aren't facing a meltdown…" then let out a squeaky, "Thankyouforthegiftgoodbye!" and she ran off, much to Fred's confusion.
He sighed, slid his helmet back on, then turned around. He would never understand women, especially not those of a whole other species, but regardless-he stopped as he saw a small blue figure in the corner of his eye, present on one of the holographic emitters in the place and wearing a smug grin, hands on her hips.
She spoke, "My, oh, my, Spartan," with a tone full of mischief, "Didn't think that'd happen, did you?"
"Cortana," Fred replied in a deadpan, "... Where's the Chief?"
"With the Arbiter on board the Waystation, catching up," She chuckled, then raised a brow and asked, "So… 'Suit linking', hmmm?" trying to tease the man. He simply stared back at her, not answering. She scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Anyways… You and the others will be happy to know EDI's little checkup is going well."
"Good to hear," He replied, "Anything you can tell us by peering through her Source Code?"
"It's advanced enough that I have some doubts about her being just an AI written by Cerberus," The girl answered as she linked herself to Fred's suit, allowing him to walk freely back to the elevator and hit a button to descend to the Hangar deck, where he saw Kelly actively training her hand-to-hand on a reinforced dummy, all while the members of Jester bet on her skills and Karl and Sharon watched.
Noticing the new arrival was also the Drell assassin, Thane, who greeted, "Spartan Frederic. Welcome," and offered a kind, if curt smile. He spoke, "We were just observing Spartan Kelly's combat skill… I have to say that what they've taught you is quite impressive," before pausing as he saw Kelly visibly kick a chunk of concrete out of the training dummy, causing Jesse's boys to cheer and Karl to laugh with Sharon.
Fred replied, "Good to see you're keeping in shape, Kells."
"Thanks, boss," She chuckled, then stopped and bowed to Thane, who bowed back in return. She took her helmet off and scratched the top of her head, stating, "Thane's been giving me some pointers on a few new stances. If we get up close and personal with anything, I'm gonna use them…" and Fred gave a nod of approval.
Aboard the Waystation, the Concourse was as busy as ever, a mix of military and civilian personnel milling about and talking with one-another. Business transactions and communications continued as normal and a few of the former Covenant vassal species were also present, much to the surprise of both Humans and Elites and the local garrisons.
Among the crowds, the Hero of Humanity that was the Master Chief walked with the gold-clad Arbiter. Sangheili of the Swords put their hands to their chests in salute as the two walked by, Chief stating, "At least there ain't any cameras…" in a low tone. A small gurgle that was meant to resemble laughter came from the Arbiter.
He replied, "You were never one to care much for the limelight, Spartan," a hint of joy in his tone. As they strode through the Concourse, watching Civilian and Military vessels passing by through the thick transparisteel windows that shined the light of the System's star down upon them, the Elite inquired, "How go things on Earth?"
"Considering everything?" Chief asked rhetorically, then answered, "Pretty well. Though ONI decided it'd be best to keep the information about the Waystation sparse," to not give their enemies an idea of where a decent force of the UNSC's rebuilding naval power was currently arrayed. Certainly, a few dozen warships in the Waystation Battle Group was nothing to scoff at, but they were older models, currently being fazed out by the newer Ships of The Line like the Autumn-class cruisers, upgraded Marathons and more 'automated' craft.
"I understand," The Arbiter replied, having learned to read his friend's speech patterns by now.
Chief then asked, "What about Sangheilios?"
"Our home shows promise," The Arbiter offered as they stopped to let a few civilian contractors and their families pass them by toward the habitation areas of the inner station. He continued, "Ever since the taking of Sunayon, the Storm Covenant's, and by extension Jul 'Mdama's grasp on our people has eroded. Most of the Kaidons of Sangheilios have come to an agreement. That we shall seek cooperation with Mankind and all others who wish to join."
The Spartan understood, well acquainted with the fact due to having had to rescue a Sangheili ambassador during an ambush in Sydney. The alien had been touring UNSC space in an attempt to show that the Elites were truly and clearly apologetic about their actions. Well, most of them, obviously. Some dissident elements remained, like 'Mdama's Covenant.
Case in point about 'the others' that wished to join, however, was the presence of Unggoy, or Grunts, around the station, helping with menial labor willingly as they donned civilian-standard methane tanks provided by the UNSC and Sangheili. Mkalekgolo Hunters also patrolled the station in pairs, with the help of Clone Troopers, UNSC Marines and some hired-on security staff from the Colonial Fleet.
"Truly a strange sight to behold," The Arbiter mused as the Chimaera passed overhead on its internal patrol, blotting out the sun, "Almost a decade ago, our species killed each-other in cold blood. And here we are today," just as the light came back, showing the cooperation between their peoples, "... Joined in hand with mankind and its seeming cousins from across the Universe."
"It's somethin' alright," They heard a familiar voice, followed by the three clicks of a zippo lighter igniting and a deep, long drag from a cigar. The two men turned, with the Arbiter's mandibles moving to mimic a human smile. He put his hand up to his chest in greeting and bowed his head, while Johnson said, "Thanks for the respect, Arbiter, but that salute's unnecessary. I heard you two were aboard for the day and I decided I'd swing by to say hello. How's life aboard the Normandy, eh, Chief?"
"Fine," The Spartan replied, monosyllabic as ever, "What about the Galactica?"
"Their greenhorns are fast learners, I'll give'em that," The man replied as he took a drag from his cigar again and stopped in front of'em. He asked, "Gotta be fun, prancin' around this Galaxy and dealing with the Collectors… Meanwhile, most of us are stuck doing Politics or playing guard duty for some of the higher-ups."
"I suppose you'd wish to join the Spartan on his and Commander Shepard's voyages, then?" The Arbiter asked. Johnson grinned and gave an approving not, which made the Arbiter reply, "Indeed… I must say some part of me misses the times we've cooperated," and he rubbed his two lower mandibles, in thought.
Chief agreed. He did miss working with them, but Blue Team was the usual great company he'd come to expect. He simply answered, "I don't think the Commander's going to mind a couple of extra guns…" before taking a moment to think about it and adding, "Provided you two can convince someone to take over."
"I got just the man," Johnson quipped.
Thel nodded, "Indeed. As do I," and, before long, Chief had just realized he'd given Shepard two new people to take care of right after General Skywalker. It was going to be fine, however. The Arbiter and Johnson were great soldiers and even better team players. As the Shadow of Intent and her escorting fleet passed overhead, the men continued their small-talk, with Chief being as monosyllabic as ever without Cortana around.
Johnson figured that'd pass with time, though, considering the multicultural cluster that was the Normandy and her half-alien crew. Sure, he'd read up on Cerberus just like everyone else, but that didn't mean he would believe Shepard and her crew were workin' willingly with a bunch of weirdly self-hatin' aliens. Plus, the last time he'd met Shepard, she seemed like one of the smartest people in the room.
The fact she'd also warned the entire force about the Reapers gave her bonus points. Those squid bastards would have one nasty wake-up call whenever they landed in this version of the Milky Way, considering the kind of fleets all sides could easily muster to deal with'em. He also knew, however, that Murphy was a mean son of a bitch and some curveball was gonna hit them before that.