Buried Beneath ch22: The Rite

Normandy, 2185, October 19th 5:41 AM

"You slept with someone in Nos Astra?" Miranda asks as she pulls her uniform over her shoulders. "Why tell me that now?"

Sitting up in bed, I play with the edge of the blanket, watching her carefully. "I just didn't want to keep it from you. I felt guilty like I was hiding something." I know I can't trust Cerberus, but I can at least be truthful.

"You don't need to feel guilty." She fastens the front of her uniform. "What happened before our relationship has nothing to do with me."

I smile to myself. "A relationship. I've never been in one before."

"You never mentioned that." She walks over to her terminal, switching it on. "Why?"

That's a good question. I shrug. "I guess I never really saw the need. I've been with people before, but no more than once."

Miranda sighs as she settles into her chair and turns towards me. "If it's any comfort, I'm not very good at them either."

"Really?" Somehow, I thought it'd be the opposite. She's so put-together, so confident, that I find it hard to believe. But then again, her job would make things complicated.

"Of course." She glances away for a moment. "For one reason or another, they tend to not work out. Look at Jacob."

"Yeah, he seems to really care about you." I let out a sigh, lying back down and staring at the ceiling.

"Jacob's a good friend. You don't have to worry about him," she explains, her tone reassuring. "And I should admit, I don't have much experience dating women."

I prop myself up on my elbows, giving her a curious glance. "Not to sound rude, but I'm surprised to hear you have any."

She chuckles, crossing the room to stand beside me. "It's true, I've mostly been with men. But I feel good about this." She leans down, her lips brushing mine with a soft kiss, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Now, make the bed and get out of my room."

I lay back down with a groan as she smiles and returns to her desk.

Normandy, 2185, October 19th 8:22 AM

"What are you doing here?" Jacob asks, stepping into the armoury. "You're off today."

I glance up from the table, tools in hand. "Just doing some work on my carnifex."

He comes over, studying the gun on the table. "It's an interesting choice of sidearm."

I smile, tracing a finger along the barrel. "It was a gift... from my friend Nulan."

With a smirk, he says, "Don't you wish carnifex was at your side?"

I raise an eyebrow. "I'm impressed you know the slogan. Maybe that explains my luck with charging krogan."

He gives me a curious look. "With a statement like that, it's only natural you'd step onto a planet full of them."

I roll my eyes. "Sarcasm isn't a good look on you." I put the tools down and inspect my work. Yep, that's good. "So, how do you know it anyway? The slogan I mean."

He shrugs. "I've been to Omega. The charging krogan marketing was funny."

"I suppose it's all right." I lean back in the seat. "Why aren't you joining us on Tuchanka, anyway?"

"Got a mission with Mordin and Miranda tomorrow." He walks over to the terminal. "Shepard and EDI are doing recon today while Mordin sorts his stuff out."

I nod. I suppose that makes sense. "Well, I've never seen Tuchanka. I'm just going to look around a bit, and Jack said she'd come along."

He glances at his omni-tool. "Then you'd better get a move on. We're landing in under two hours."

I stand, holstering my carnifex. "Right. I'll leave you to it, then." I smirk as I head for the door. "Catch you later, boss."

He waves, barely looking up from his work as I slip out.

Tuchanka, 2185, October 19th 10:14 AM

My eyes narrow at Archangel, who's seated across from me in the shuttle. Why did he have to come? It's bad enough that Zaeed's here too. I swear, he does this shit on purpose.

I lean over to Riley, who's sitting between Grunt and me, and nod toward them. "Why are they here?"

"Same reason as you, I'd guess." Riley crosses her arms. "Get off the ship, stretch their legs, see the sights. Those kinds of things."

"Cool." I sit back, looking out the window at the sandstorm whipping past us.

"Lighten up." Jack nudges my shoulder from the other side. "If you're gonna sulk, I'll head back to the ship." Typical Jack.

Finally, the shuttle cuts through the sandstorm and touches down. As we step out, we're hit by a wave of dust and grit, making it hard to see. Ahead, a gate sits at the bottom of a slope, surrounded by krogan.

Stretching, I watch Riley take the lead down the ramp toward them. One of them steps forward, blocking her path. "Let's hope they even let us in," I mutter.

"If we wasted our time, I'm going to be pissed," Jack huffs, crossing her arms.

Riley waves us down to join her. "Change of plans. We're going to speak with the krogan leader. It seems Grunt has some issues to figure out."

This is the first I've heard about it. "Issues? Like what?"

She gives a half-shrug. "He's been feeling anxious lately. This might give him some answers."

"Okay." I motion towards the gate. "Let's go. Anything for Grunt."

He puts a hand on my shoulder, smiling. "Vex, thank you."

"Any time, big guy." I give his arm a light punch, which only makes his grin widen.

Riley just rolls her eyes and turns toward the gate. "Come on."

We head inside and down some rusty, old staircase, voices echoing from somewhere nearby.

"Someday we'll get off this rock and show those turians who's boss," one voice mutters.

"Damn right. Tear their scales off and let the pyjaks feast on them while they're still alive," another agrees.

"I feel so welcome here," Archangel comments.

I smirk. "Don't worry, Archangel. It won't be them who kills you."

Riley glances over her shoulder, sighing. "Vex, knock it off."

"Yeah, yeah." I wave her off, half-smiling.

We move through a hallway lined with cracked concrete and scattered rubble until EDI's voice comes over the comms. "Urdnot clan reports use weak encryption. I see references to a captured salarian in the logs of the chief scout."

"Noted," Riley responds. "Please notify Mordin."

"Affirmative." EDI pauses. "Additionally, I have been unable to access local medical records. I suggest asking the local clan leader for assistance with Grunt's problem."

"Already on it." Riley halts as we reach a steep pile of rubble. "Thanks, EDI."

We climb up and step into a massive, open area filled with dust and scattered tarped shelters with makeshift fire pits. At the far side, a huge pile of rubble sits, overlooking the area with a throne on top.

"This is the great krogan homeworld?" Grunt steps forward, scanning the area. "This is the land of Kredak, Shiagur, and Veeoll? This chunk of rock is barely worth standing on!"

"Hey, Grunt." I place a hand on his arm, leaning in close. "Maybe don't insult the place while the locals are right there."

He huffs. "Never thought I'd miss the tank."

Riley's already moving forward, squinting up at the throne. "Wrex?"

Without hesitation, she heads straight for it, leaving the rest of us. Archangel shrugs, trailing behind her with Grunt and Zaeed.

Jack nudges me. "Now what?"

I glance at her and shrug. "Guess we find something to do."

We turn to walk off when Riley waves us over. Well, so much for that idea.

Jack sighs, rolling her eyes. "Looks like Shepard's got something for us to do."

"Rain check, then," I mutter as we head over.

As we join the group, I see a krogan stepping off the throne and headbutting another krogan. He rubs his head, looking pretty pissed off.

The first krogan, settling back into his seat, eyes us with a grin. "Now, Shepard. What brings you here? How's the Normandy?"

Riley shrugs. "Collector's destroyed it. I ended up spaced."

"Well, you look good." He nods, approvingly. "Ah, the benefits of a redundant nervous system."

She folds her arms. "Yeah, humans don't have that."

"Oh." The krogan, who I'm guessing is Wrex, gives a nod of understanding. "It must have been painful, then. But you're standing here, and you've got a strong new ship." He smiles, a nostalgic look on his face. "Takes me back to the old days. Us against the unknown, killing it with big guns. Good times."

"Damn," I chime in. "We don't get to kill the unknown with big guns."

"Vex." Riley shoots me a warning glare.

"What?" I shrug. "We don't."

Wrex lets out a laugh. "Where did you find this one, Shepard?"

Riley glances back at him, smirking. "Omega." Ouch, Riles.

Wrex looks me over. "Ah. That explains a lot." Double ouch.

Riley continues. "Actually, I could use your help, Wrex. I've got a salarian friend who needs information. Think I could bring him here to talk with you?"

Wrex waves a hand. "Sure. Bring your salarian."

"Thanks. Just one more thing." She gestures over her shoulder at Grunt. "This is Grunt. Seems like there's something going on with him. Do you have any idea what's happening?"

Wrex narrows his eyes at Grunt. "Where are you from, whelp? Was your clan destroyed before you could learn what is expected of you?"

Grunt steps forward, chin raised. "I have no clan. I was tank-bred by Warlord Okeer, my line distilled from Kredak, Moro, Shiagur-"

"You recite warlords," the other krogan cuts in. "But you are the offspring of a syringe!"

Grunt faces him. "I am pure krogan. You should be in awe." You tell him Grunt.

Wrex gives an exasperated sigh. "Okeer is a very old name. A very hated name."

"He is dead," Grunt replies, his tone flat.

"Of course." Wrex nods as though that was obvious. "You're with Shepard. How could he be alive?"

Riley steps forward. "You recognise the name?"

"A vicious warlord responsible for many deaths. Who apparently toyed with genetics." Wrex's gaze shifts thoughtfully. "A clone undertaking the Rite?"

"You are considering it?" The other krogan steps forward, anger in his eyes. "Tank-bred allowed status as an adult? This is too far!"

Ignoring the outburst, Wrex turns to Riley. "There's nothing wrong with him. He is becoming a full adult."

"Puberty?" Jack groans, rubbing her forehead. "Grunt's growing up?"

Wrex waves it off. "I don't care what aliens call it. Krogan undergo the Rite of Passage."

"Too far, Wrex! Your clan may rule, but this thing is not krogan!" The krogan spits the words, storming off down the rubble.

Wrex watches him leave, unimpressed. "Idiot." He turns back to Grunt. "So, Grunt? Do you wish to stand with Urdnot?"

Grunt stares out over the dusty landscape for a few moments. "It is in my blood. It is what I am for."

"Good boy." Wrex grins and points toward a distant stairway. "Speak with the shaman, he's over on the second level. Give him a good show, and he'll set you on the path. Good luck."

As we turn to leave, he calls after Riley, "You too, Shepard. How many times have you stepped in a mess for your crew, hmm?"

"And always will." She throws a faint smile over her shoulder. "I'll be back, Wrex."

We head toward the second level, pushing through groups of krogan, until we spot that same angry krogan from before, shouting at another.

"You go beyond yourself, Gatatog Uvenk! The rites of Urdnot are dominant!" a new krogan, with red plating, growls.

The krogan, Uvenk I guess, snarls back. "How do we know it will challenge him? He's unnatural! The beasts of the Rite could ignore him like a lump of plastic!"

The new krogan dismisses Uvenk's protests with a wave of his hand. "They know blood, no matter the womb. Your barking does not help your case."

Grunt steps forward. "I'll speak for myself!"

He turns to Grunt, eyeing him carefully. "This is the tank-bred? It is very lifelike." Stepping forward, he sniffs towards Grunt. "Smells correct as well. Your protests ring hollow, Uvenk."

Riley crosses her arms. "Are you the shaman?" At his nod, she continues, "We have permission from Urdnot Wrex to seek clan status for Grunt."

The shaman raises a brow. "Permission? That is good enough. If lacking in spirit."

Uvenk cuts in with a scowl. "If this must stand on ritual, then I invoke a denial! My krantt stands against him! He has no one!" He's getting on my nerves.

The shaman sighs loudly. "My patience is tested, but Uvenk invokes correctly. Grunt, who is your krantt? Your allies willing to kill and die on your behalf?"

Riley glances at each of us. I know what she's thinking, she doesn't need to say a word. I'm in.

"We stand with Grunt," Riley says. "As shipmates and comrades."

The shaman shrugs. "Shipmates are not the same thing, but I grant you aliens your simple interpretation."

"Aliens don't know strength!" Uvenk snaps. "My followers are true krogan. Everything about Grunt is a lie."

Before anyone can respond, Riley steps up to Uvenk and headbutts him, sending him reeling back in shock. The shaman erupts into laughter. Riley steps back, rubbing the back of her neck, grinning. She's lucky she didn't break her helmet or something.

Uvenk glares at her. "You-you dare?"

"I like this human," the shaman chuckles. "She understands!"

Uvenk shakes his head, backing down. "I withdraw my denial. This will be decided elsewhere!" He pushes past Riley and storms off again.

The shaman watches him go. "You have provoked them. Reason enough for me to like you. They're your problem now." Oh, good.

Riley doesn't even flinch. "I don't think they'll be a problem. So, how does this Rite work?"

The shaman gives her a hard look, nodding toward Grunt. "For now, know that Grunt will be tested... and that you must adapt." Sounds ominous.

Riley raises an eyebrow. "Do we need special equipment?"

"To begin the Rite, only the candidate and his krantt is required," the shaman explains. "Bring your love of the fight to Grunt's trial, and he will succeed."

She glances back at us. "Are you all in?"

Zaeed smirks. "I'm always up for a good fight, Shepard."

"It does sound like fun," Archangel adds. "I'm in."

Jack just shrugs. "Sure."

"Vex?" Riley finally looks at me expectantly.

"Of course." I pat Grunt on the back. "Grunt's my friend. Besides, any excuse to use my sniper."

The shaman shakes his head. "A weapon with more kick would suit you better."

I shoot him a puzzled look. "Kick?" I don't like the sound of that.

"Right." Riley and the shaman exchange a glance before she turns to me. "Have you used an assault rifle before?"

A sinking feeling settles in my stomach. "Uh-yeah."

"Good." She smiles. "There's a spare harrier in the shuttle."

I knew it.

Tuchanka, 2185, October 19th 12:07 PM

So, this is what the inside of a tomkah is like... exactly how I imagined it. Cramped and uncomfortable. I can't believe I have to use a harrier. I still don't see what they were talking about. My mantis has 'kick.'

Across from me, I catch Zaeed's stare. He quickly looks away and I narrow my eyes. What does he want? I sigh, pushing myself to my feet.

"Jack, I'll be back." I use the handles on the sides to make my way over, steadying myself as the tomkah bounces over the rough terrain. "Hey."

Zaeed shifts, visibly uncomfortable, before finally meeting my gaze. "What do you want?"

I take the seat beside him. "We should probably talk." We can't just keep pretending like everything is fine.

He leans back, letting out a sigh. "All right. Let's get it over with."

I exhale slowly, holding his gaze. "You shouldn't have tried to use me like that, Zaeed. It was wrong."

He raises an eyebrow, giving a half-hearted shrug. "You've changed, you know that?" He gestures dismissively. "Seems Shepard's rubbing off on you."

Uh, what? I shake my head. "No. I think she just helped me see I was never meant to be-"

"Like me?" He finishes the thought.

"Something like that." I don't really know how to put it into words. "When Nulan died, the person I'd built for Omega fell apart." I look down at my hands, fists clenched. "I tried to put it back together. But now, because of Riley, I don't need to."

Zaeed falls silent, then lets out a rough laugh. "You've gone soft."

I pause, but I can't argue with him. "Maybe I have."

He nods, smirking. "After all this shit is said and done, are you hanging up the sniper?"

The question hits me harder than I expect. Am I really giving up the life I've known? The answer is so simple. "Yeah, I think so."

"Shame." Zaeed's smirk widens just a bit. "I should tell you, then, since you won't be out there anymore... you're one of the best snipers I've ever seen. Almost sad to see you go."

"Almost?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Yeah." He smirks, almost mocking. "You won't be getting in my way anymore."

I smile to myself. "Thanks, Zaeed."

He waves me off, and I make my way back to my seat, settling down between Jack and Grunt.

The tomkah halts abruptly, and I'm so glad I sat down just in time. The shaman opens the door, stepping outside, and we quickly follow, finding ourselves in front of a huge tunnel entrance.

"This is Tuchanka's most recent scar, the last surface city to fall in the rebellions. The keystone was at the heart," the shaman explains, leading us through the darkened tunnel. "It has survived years and the passage of centuries. It endures-like the krogan."

Riley nods, glancing at him. "What does this have to do with Grunt?"

The shaman ignores her question as we exit the other side and onto a massive, square platform surrounded by towering stone pillars and littered with debris. He gestures to a tower at the centre. "If you wish to join Clan Urdnot, you must contemplate the keystone and its trials."

Grunt steps forward. "What will happen?"

The shaman shrugs. "Who knows? You must adapt. You must thrive, no matter the situation. Any true krogan will." Oh, good.

With that, he turns and heads back into the tunnel with the krogan who accompanied us. I guess this is where we fight for our lives or whatever. How bad can it really be? You just have to ignore the worn armour half-buried in the sand.

Sighing, I unholster the harrier, holding it steady. "Well, let's do this." I'm trying not to think too hard about the fact that Jack and I are the only ones here not wearing armour.

"Agreed." Grunt approaches the keystone and slams a hand against it.

The tower comes to life, a voice booming from it. "First the krogan conquered Tuchanka and mastered a natural world only we are fit to hold."

A loud sound emits from the tower, sending dust swirling up from the rubble. I glance around, waiting for something to happen. Really, anything at this point. A faint scraping sound echoes from the tunnel, growing louder. I turn just in time to see a pack of varren emerging from the shadows.

Well, shit. Lifting the harrier, I fire, not expecting the recoil. Most shots go wide as the rifle jerks in my hands. Great. Taking a breath, I steady my aim, managing to keep the gun level this time, hitting most of the shots.

It doesn't take us long to finish them. I smirk, approaching Grunt with a nudge to his shoulder. "That was easy."

He just grunts in response, already turning to slam the keystone with an open hand.

The voice echoes again. "Then the krogan were lifted to the stars to destroy the fears of the galaxy, an enemy only we could chase to their lair." The sound appears again, louder this time.

It's quiet for a moment, before the ground shakes beneath us as a massive insect-like creature lands on the far side of the platform. Smaller, crab-like creatures scuttle from under its legs, heading towards us. What the fuck?

They're slow, but each one takes several shots to kill. By the time we've cleared the swarm, my shoulders are aching from keeping the harrier steady, and I'm almost out of thermal clips.

I could use a break, but Grunt's already striding toward the keystone. Surely he's not-

"Again," he says, slapping a hand against it. I hate it here.

The voice reverberates once more. "Now all krogan bear the genophage, our reward, our curse. It is a fight where the only goal is survival." The tower emits a strange, high-pitched tone, one that makes the air hum.

"Feel that?" Archangel asks, shifting his stance as the ground begins to tremble. "Everything is-shaking. I am ready!"

I roll my eyes. "I'm so happy for you."

He smirks at me. "Scared, Vex?"

Oh, he did not just say that. "Not on your life, Arch..." I trail off, staring as a massive green-blue tentacle slithers from the ground in the distance. "What the?"

"Get ready!" Riley orders, sprinting toward one of the pillars as the ground shakes again.

The tentacle retreats back into the ground before a massive worm bursts from the earth, revealing the tentacle to be its tongue. Great, a fucking thresher maw.

"Finally!" Grunt shouts, rushing forward. "An enemy worth fighting!" Seriously, Grunt? That thing will kill us.

It spits, launching acidic bile that splatters nearby. I run for cover, narrowly dodging as Jack deflects some of it with her biotics. Some lands close, bubbling on the ground just as I dart past. At least we solved the mystery on how all these krogan died.

The thresher maw tunnels underground, changing position and closing in. We focus our shots when it appears, following Riley's lead as she commands us to different positions, and for the first time, it feels like we're getting somewhere.

Suddenly, it surfaces by a pillar near Archangel, lashing out with its tongue. The pillar collapses, and rubble falls on him. Fuck no, he's not dying here to some oversized worm.

I rush from cover, scrambling over the debris. Luckily, it landed mostly on his legs. I activate my omni-tool, pressing it against his armour to turn on his medi-gel regulator.

"What are you doing?" He shoves some rubble aside, struggling up.

"Making sure you don't die here, obviously." I roll my eyes. "Now let's kill this fucking thing."

He gives me a hard stare, then nods. "Agreed."

We get back to the fight, following Riley's orders. We finally wear it down, and with a ground-shaking thud, the thresher maw collapses.

My arms shoot up into the air. "Holy fuck! We did it!"

Zaeed smirks. "Was there ever any doubt?"

"Oh, yeah." I step towards him. "Like you can believe we just did-" I pause, spotting a shuttle flying over us. "Who's that?"

"Seems we have company," Grunt says, gripping his shotgun. "Good, I want more."

Riley reloads, eyeing the shuttle. "Let's just see what they want." She starts heading in the direction of the landing spot.

We reach it as Uvenk steps out with a few other krogan. We all raise our weapons, just like his men. I don't trust this fucker.

"You live, and you brought down the thresher maw," Uvenk says, glancing over at it. "No one has done that in generations. Urdnot Wrex was the last." Glad to know we didn't disappoint.

Grunt's gaze sweeps over our group. "My krantt gave me strength beyond my genes. Which are damned good."

"True." Uvenk frowns, stepping forward. "I wonder-you say you are pure? Okeer constructed you? No alien meddling?"

I cut in, meeting Uvenk's eyes. "He's designed to be the perfect krogan."

"Being designed is the problem," Uvenk sneers. "But not made by aliens. And he is truly powerful. That is a tolerable loophole."

Grunt looks confused. "A what?"

"A reason to accept you," Uvenk answers. I hate this guy. "You are a mistake, but your potential could tip the current balance of the clans." Yeah, I really hate this guy.

Grunt growls, stepping forward. "You spit on my father's name! On my crew's names! But now you stop ranting because I'm strong?"

Uvenk shrugs as if it's nothing. "You could join us-with restrictions. You could not breed, of course. Or serve on an alien ship. But you'd be clan in name."

I shake my head. "That's not even slightly fair."

"Agreed," Riley adds. "You talk like he's a thing. You don't really want him in your clan, you just think he's powerful."

Uvenk points at her. "Of course not. I didn't really want to cooperate with clan Urdnot either, but I had to. Clan Gatatog is on the verge-either of greatness or of joining the dust."

Shrugging, I take a step forward. "Why are we even talking to you then?"

"Vex." Riley sighs, looking over to Grunt with a nod. "This is your choice, Grunt."

Grunt lets out a short, bitter laugh. "The problem is that I'm pure krogan. Uvenk, you are the pretender!"

Uvenk's face hardens as he unholsters his weapon. "Your head is valuable whether you're alive or dead!"

Grunt raises his shotgun. "Just try and take it."

Fuck. We scatter and I dive for cover as a burning pain rips through my side. I hit the ground hard, and the harrier clatters away from me. Instinctively, my hand presses against my side. I glance down, my shirt is soaked in blood. Fuck.

I hear heavy footsteps and look over to see a krogan barrelling towards me. Great. I brace for the impact, but a wave of biotic energy slams into him, sending him flying.

Jack's face appears above me, her eyes wide with panic. "Oh shit." Well, that's comforting. "She's been hit!"

"Man down!" Riley shouts. "Keep them back!"

The edges of my vision start to blur as Jack drags me toward cover. I try to keep my eyes open, hoping Miranda doesn't end up worrying too much about me. I wonder what she's-

Normandy, 2185, October 19th 7:24 PM

My eyes blink open, and I'm immediately met with blinding lights. I squint, trying to take in my surroundings. The med bay? Figures.

"I was wondering when you'd wake up." Chakwas appears, datapad in hand, and raises an eyebrow. "How are you feeling?"

I sigh, shutting my eyes for a moment. "Fine." There's barely any pain, she must've used medi-gel.

"Good." She steps out of view, but I can still hear her. "EDI, inform the Commander that Vexenna has woken up."

Carefully, I shift into a sitting position. "How bad is it?"

She gives me a quick glance, then sets down her datapad with a small smile. "You seem to be very lucky. It's just a flesh wound. You'll be fine in a few days, but I'd like you to stay here tonight."

"I can do that." I nod, then pause. "Did anyone tell you what happened?"

"No, not exactly." Chakwas shakes her head. "But I imagine the Commander can fill you in." She turns her head toward the windows. "And speak of the devil."

The door slides open, and Riley steps in, giving me a smile. "You're looking better."

"I'll leave you to it." Chakwas leaves the room, heading towards the kitchen.

I glance at Riley as she crosses the room. "How's Jack?"

She stops at the foot of the bed. "Jack's fine. She's more worried about you."

"Really?" I can't help but smile. "Think you could tell her I'm okay?"

Riley rolls her eyes. "Tell her yourself."

I laugh, wincing as my side flares slightly. "All right, but what even happened?"

She takes a seat on the bed. "Well, first off," she starts with a smirk, "you went down first."

Groaning, I give her a light shove. "After that."

She nearly tips off the bed but stays seated, laughing. "After that, Jack saved you from being charged, and we won. No one else got hurt." She gives me a pointed look. "Maybe you should have worn your armour."

"Hey, Jack and I weren't exactly expecting a fight." So much for a chill day on Tucha-no, I get it. "Okay, maybe you're right."

"Always am." She smirks as she rises from the bed. "Now get some rest."

"My favourite." I lie back down as she backs toward the door.

Normandy, 2185, October 19th 11:38 PM

The door to the med bay slides open. Expecting Chakwas, I glance over only to see Miranda slip inside.

She closes the door and makes her way over, stopping beside the bed. "You're an idiot."

I sit up with a grin. "Well, I think your bedside manner could use some work."

"This isn't the time for jokes," she sighs, hands settling on her hips. "I don't care why you were there. It's Tuchanka. Next time, wear your damn armour."

"I know." I reach out and take her hand. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

Her expression softens, a small smile on her lips before she gets serious again. "I expect a full report. You'll have time to write it while you're off-duty."

Yeah, yeah. "I'll do it."

"Good." She leans down and presses a kiss to my forehead. "I'm glad you're okay, but it's late, and we both need rest."

I nod, leaning back against the pillow. "Right, you have a mission tomorrow."

She smiles, squeezing my hand. "I do. But don't worry. I'll wear armour."

I roll my eyes. "Very funny. Now get out."

She laughs softly, leaning in to give me a quick kiss again before heading to the door. Then, with one last glance back, she disappears into the mess hall.

Thank you for reading.