![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
FIC: Architects of Their Own Fortune (8)
Title: Architects of Their Own Fortune
Author: Jewels (bjewelled)
Fandom: Mass Effect
Disclaimer: Mass Effect is Bioware's. And don't they do well with it?
Summary: Rumours abound: the Omega 4 relay has been used, and signs lead to Shepard being involved somehow. Someone has to investigate, and who better than one of Shepard's former crew? On top of all that, ship crews are disappearing, and it can't be the Collectors. So who's responsible, and why?
From The Beginning
~*~
Eight: Layers
~*~
Kaidan Alenko looked from the barrel of the pistol, to Commander Shepard's face, and back again. He tried to wet his lips, only to find that his mouth was utterly dry. It was an unpleasant sensation, like his tongue was made of sandpaper. So when he spoke, his voice was hoarse, cracking.
"I got your email," he said, because the other options for an opening statement that ran through his head ("hello to you too", "whatever it was, I didn't do it", "was it something I said?") all seemed glib and an invitation to getting shot.
For a moment, the pistol wavered, lowering a fraction. "I got yours too," she said, softly, before her resolve, and her aim, firmed. "Mind telling me exactly what you were doing sneaking onto the freighter we were meeting?"
"Suffocating, probably." He was no longer in his hardsuit. He'd tried to activate the small reserve supply of oxygen he'd brought with him before he'd lost consciousness. He had no way of knowing how long had passed since... whatever... had happened on the freighter, but the fact that he was still alive meant that he had probably been successful.
Shepard's mouth thinned. "I'm not in the mood for jokes," she warned.
"That's good, because I'm not up to making them." The world felt muted, like he was viewing it all from underwater. It took his sluggish brain a moment to recognise the sensation for what it was: the lack of a biotic amp. Its removal was standard procedure for any medical treatment, but, for a moment, it felt distinctly like Shepard simply didn't trust him.
"So let me ask you again," she said, "What the hell were you doing on that freighter?"
He lay there, for a moment, weighing what response he should give. He could think of several. "Looking for you," was what he finally, honestly, said.
The muscles around her eyes tightened, a flicker of anger passing across her face. "I didn't ask you to," she said.
"No, Anderson did."
She made a small, scoffing sound of disbelief. "The Council couldn't wash their hands of me fast enough. You're honestly telling me they sent you to keep an eye on me?"
"The Council," he said, slowly, still wary of the loaded gun which had its safety noticeably deactivated, "Didn't send me. Anderson did."
"To find out what, exactly?"
Kaidan reached up to wipe his lips. They felt encrusted, uncomfortable. "Whether or not you were still alive. Can I have a glass of water, please?"
Shepard frowned, and said, a little awkwardly, "Well, I am. Alive, that is."
"I'd noticed. You're far too beautiful to be a corpse."
As he expected, the left-field compliment seemed to disconcert her, as if she had a script in her head for how this conversation was supposed to go, and he was breaking it. He could see her drawing in her breath tightly, reinforcing her stern façade, and he couldn't help but wonder exactly what he'd done to piss her off, apart from being there.
And then, in a flash of insight, Kaidan realised exactly why she was so angry with him. She was Commander Shepard, big bad Spectre and saviour of the galaxy. She didn't fear anything, not geth, nor Reapers or tax collectors. She didn't get scared, she got mad. At some point along the way, she'd started to believe her own hype, so when confronted with him, half dead, in a ship that had been attacked, she'd gotten mad at him, at Anderson, at the pirates. But she wasn't angry, not really.
He wasn't sure whether to feel relieved that she did give a damn about what happened to him, or to feel sorry for her. What the hell had she been up to, these last two and a half years since she'd let the galaxy believe she was dead, to twist her about so badly?
Of course, actually calling her on her own behaviour would be suicidally insane. He pushed himself up on his elbows, forcing her to back off slightly to avoid pressing the gun into his face. "I'm not going anywhere," he told her, gently, "You can put the gun down."
Shepard hesitated a moment, then looked at the gun as if she wasn't sure why she was holding it, and lowered her arm. The pistol closed down to its inactive state, harmless. Kaidan felt the knot of tension leave his stomach. For a moment there, he really hadn't been sure whether or not she would have pulled the trigger.
Shepard set the pistol down on the edge of the bed, resting her hand on top of it. She stared down at it for a long moment. Kaidan didn't speak, letting her gather her thoughts. When she finally looked up, she was forcing a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "So," she said, with an artificial brightness, "How've things been?"
"Not nearly as exciting as they've been for you," he said, tilting his head. The position he was in was uncomfortable, but he didn't want to sit up while she was so close. She would back off, and he would have admitted, under duress, that it wasn't unpleasant to be so close to her. He could feel the warmth of her skin where her hand rested near his arm, could examine her features closely. He had realised on Horizon, with dismay, that his memories of her had started to fade. They didn't quite match up to the woman he saw in front of him.
When she gave him a quizzical look, he clarified: "The Omega 4 relay?"
"Ah yes," she said, "One of my finer moments, I think."
"It's the talk of the Citadel," he said, "On page twenty three of the gossip blogs listings."
Shepard actually chuckled, awkwardly though. "Nice to know my contribution to the continued existence of humanity is feted throughout the cosmos."
There was something she wasn't saying, and it wasn't the 'I can't talk about it, it's top secret' look he remembered from her Spectre days, when she'd come back from a meeting with the Council or the Ambassador and be unable to tell him what the topic of conversation had been. No, there was something she wasn't telling him, because she didn't like thinking about it.
It wasn't a look he'd seen often on her face. He'd witnessed it only once or twice, each time it had been related to her past. On Earth, on Akuze... when those subjects had come up, she just hadn't wanted to discuss it. He'd never pushed her for information, knowing their relationship was too new and fragile to survive him prying into her past. He had wondered at the time if he should be resentful at the fact that while he was so free with his history, she had said virtually nothing, but after she'd died... after he'd thought she'd died... he'd just regretted not knowing her better.
Maybe, he'd thought, she hadn't felt the same way about him as he had her. If he was honest, staring at her now, he was pretty sure that was the case. If Shepard had loved him, she wouldn't have hidden away for two years.
He reached out and touched her arm. The sleeve material was soft, rich-feeling, a fair cry from the standard issue military wear he remembered her in. "The Collectors?" he asked.
"Are no longer a threat," she said, firmly.
"I got that from your message," he said.
"I found out what they were doing, abducting colonists, destroying the old Normandy, what they've been up to all along." Shepard shook her head slowly. "I'm pretty sure if I told the Council they'd have me committed."
"So just tell me," he urged.
He watched her, closely, as she opened her mouth, a tense look on her face as she tried to think of what to say to him... then she shook her head decisively. "Not here," she said, "Later. In private."
At least she wasn't making noises about drop kicking him to the nearest planet with a breathable atmosphere. "Alright," he said, not willing to argue the point, "But just out of curiosity, how did you manage to strip out your email of all tracking information? I couldn't figure out where it had come from."
Shepard smiled, looking distinctly amused for the first time. "Thank EDI for that."
"Edie?" He echoed, and frowned in confusion, "Your... communications tech?"
"I am no simple technician." A female voice came over the communication system, sounding peeved.
Shepard smothered a laugh. "Kaidan, EDI. EDI, this is Commander Kaidan Alenko. Say hello."
A blue hologram sprung into life across the room. "Hello," the same female voice said.
"EDI is the ship." Shepard said by way of explanation.
"Edie?" he repeated.
"Ee-dee-eye," she said.
An artificial intelligence, then. "Huh," he said, "You've been up to a lot while you've been gone."
"You'd think," she said, and then moved, decisively, picking up the pistol and stepping away. "I'm sure the Doctor wants to take a look at you. I'll be back later, give you a tour of the place. You'll like it. Just like the old Normandy, only bigger."
"Can't wait," he said, dryly.
~*~
Shepard stepped out of the medical bay, to see Chakwas and Garrus lurking by the elevator in quiet conversation. They stopped and looked at her as the door closed behind her.
"We didn't hear gunfire," Garrus said, after a moment, "I take it that's a good sign?"
Shepard tossed the folded up pistol back to its original owner, who caught it one handed and attached it back to his side with a brief nod of acknowledgement.
Garrus took her silence for assent. "Good," he said, "I actually liked Kaidan. I'd hate to see his brain smeared over the deck."
Shepard ignored him and turned to Chakwas. "I think you should get back to your patient, Doctor. You can give him his amp back when he's ready."
Chakwas had worked with the military long enough to know when she was supposed to take a hint. "Of course, Commander," she said smoothly, stepping past her CO to return to the medical bay. There was a startled, "Doctor Chakwas?!" from inside just before the door slid shut behind her.
"Any word on the sensor data?" Shepard asked. She started to walk towards the kitchen station, where Gardner had left out tea, coffee and assorted snacks. Between meals, anyone in the crew could walk up and pick up something to eat or drink, and for the biotics in the crew, those bonus calories were nigh-essential.
"Tali and Legion are still working on it. It's so fascinating that she wasn't even bothering to glare at Legion."
Shepard tilted her head. "How can you tell?"
"You just know," Garrus said. If turians used winking as an expression, she was sure he would be doing so at that moment. "Jacob asked me to let you know that he's supervising the loading of the cargo from the freighter."
"Not Miranda?"
"She's in the CIC, obsessing over the tactical data from our brush with the pirates."
Garrus opened a cupboard, one labelled with the universal symbol for dextro-protein based life. Underneath, Gardner had stuck a label reading: GARRUS/TALI ONLY, EAT AT YOUR OWN RISK, IDIOTS. Inside were packets of mostly turian foodstuffs, and drinks containers. Some of them were sealed in sterile packets for Tali to insert into her envirosuit. Shepard had witnessed the scene when Gardner had shown Tali the food, and the variety he was making sure to keep in stock, she'd uttered a happy squeak and thanked him so effusively that Gardner had actually blushed a bit.
Shepard just poured herself some coffee and sighed, shaking her head. "I expect to see her studying every known treatise on ship-to-ship combat next. Miranda's determined to be an expert at everything."
"Oh, I don't think you've got to worry about coming after your job yet," Garrus said, then affected thoughtfulness, "Although, if you die we do all get a promotion."
"If I die, I'm going to come back again and kick all of your asses."
"Duly noted," Garrus said, taking a small sealed snack from the cupboard. He glanced at the large window separating the medical bay from the main eating area - currently greyed out for privacy - and nudged Shepard's elbow slightly as he moved towards the gunnery station, walking her in that direction. "So are you going to tell me what happened in there, or am I just going to have to guess?"
Shepard stiffened, tightening her grip on her mug and trying to affect nonchalance. "What do you mean?"
They were far enough away from the few crew members who were lurking in the mess area not to be overheard, but Garrus leaned towards her and dropped his voice anyway. "I mean you. And Kaidan. In the medical bay."
"He said that Anderson sent him to find out what I was up to." Shepard rolled her eyes expressively. "I'd say that man was worse than my father if I'd had one."
They'd entered the weapons area, and as the door slid shut behind them, Garrus just looked at her and said, "And that's all?"
Shepard sat down on the storage crates. "What do you mean?"
Garrus had torn open his snack. Shepard could have defined what it smelled like, only that it was unappealing. But, she supposed, she was biologically opposed to the food he was eating, so it would make sense that it didn't smell like apples and roses. She wrinkled her nose and pretended not to have noticed.
"Come on, Shepard, I'm not an idiot. I saw Kaidan after... well... after you died." Garrus shook his head, breaking off a piece of the pinkish foodstuff with his fingers. "A man doesn't get that torn up about his commanding officer, or his friend. What he said on Horizon was just a confirmation." He chewed thoughtfully for a moment and added, "And considering you spent four solid hours on target practice after we got back from that mission, I'm sure you felt the same."
Shepard clutched at her mug, willing herself to take a sip, but found that she instead just started at the surface, watching the ripples. "You're the best friend I have on this ship, Garrus, so answer me honestly. Am I an idiot for holding onto something that probably ended years ago, when he got over me?"
"How long ago was it for you?"
"Weeks." Her throat seemed tight; she coughed. "Only a few weeks."
"Then yes, you are a hopelessly romantic idiot and should immediately take to wandering the ship sobbing to yourself and reading elcor erotic poetry for comfort."
Shepard grinned in spite of herself. "Elcor eroticism? What's that like?"
"Drawn out," Garrus said, with a glint in his eye.
Shepard giggled, just a little. "You're useless, Garrus," she told him, not meaning a word of it.
Garrus finished off his snack, folding the wrapper neatly. "That's alright," he said, "I still like you anyway."
"Garrus! Is Shepard-! Oh!"
Tali burst through the doors, babbling as she moved, and almost tripped herself up when she came to an abrupt halt. Garrus, as used to Tali's occasionally moments of geekish exuberance as Shepard was, looking only fondly amused as Tali continued speaking a mile a minute, waving a datapad for emphasis. Shepard wondered when she'd gotten so good at reading turian expressions.
"The analysis the weapon which attacked the freighter," she said, "It's fascinating, combined with the data from Lieutenant Alenko's suit, which provided a wealth of information. It's not a new weapon, not by any means, in fact, it seems to have been derived from certain geth technology, at least according to Legion, who was surprisingly forthcoming with information-"
"You know, he's Commander Alenko now," Shepard said, mildly.
Tali hesitated. "I... I didn't mean... that is..." She cleared her throat nervously. "You've seen him then?"
Shepard decided to take pity on the poor girl. "What were you saying about the pirate weapon?"
"They weren't pirates," Tali said.
Garrus's mandibles flared slightly. "You sure about that?"
"Positive. No pirate would have the technology needed to create this sort of technology." Tali handed her the datapad, which was covered with graphs, spectral trace lines and an awful lot of technical language that was far past anything Shepard understood. There were even a few words in the original quarian that Shepard could guess were concepts that didn't translate into English.
She was saved from the necessity to ask what it all meant when Tali kept on talking, explaining.
"The weapon delivered a powerful charge, one that was designed to penetrate a ship's hull. A missile, containing some sort of capacitor was fired at a low speed from the attacking ship. Because of that low speed, it did not trigger the freighter's kinetic barriers. It impacted on the freighter's hull and delivered a charge. Most of that was absorbed by the hull, and what was left was sufficient to disrupt ship's systems. From the data from Lieu- Commander Alenko's hardsuit, it would have been sufficient to disrupt the motor nerves in most species, within a certain margin of error. It probably wouldn't be as effective against elcor, and might be lethal to hanar, but batarians and humans it would certain render insensate."
Shepard frowned, rubbing her finger along the edge of the datapad.
"A new sort of slaver weapon?" Garrus wondered.
"I doubt it," Tali said, folding her arms.
"Why don't you think that this could be pirates?" Shepard asked.
"Because the technology to deliver this sort of charge without killing everyone on board hasn't been developed yet. Not officially, anyway." Tali pointed to the datapad. "Legion says that the geth had intercepted some communications over secure networks indicating that research was underway. About two years ago, however, a lot of the scientists involved in the research stopped publishing. I've been conducting searches, and haven't been able to find any trace of them in public record."
"Perhaps they have been continuing that research in private?" Garrus sounded thoughtful.
"These were Citadel scientists," Tali said, "With a long history of working for official organisations, researching and developing technologies for Council species under contract from their governments. Hardly freelance weaponeers. Scientists like these don't stop publishing, unless there's a damned good reason."
"Like security," Shepard mused.
"So what," Garrus said, looking sceptical, "The Council is running pirate raids in the Terminus systems?"
"It'd be as good as declaring war," Shepard said, shaking her head, "They wouldn't dare, on the off-chance it'd be traced back to them."
"Maybe the scientists involved were kidnapped? Or their research stolen somehow?" Tali fingered the edge of her hood thoughtfully.
"Maybe," Shepard echoed, "And maybe there's someone on board who can give us the answer."
~*~
Part Nine
Author: Jewels (bjewelled)
Fandom: Mass Effect
Disclaimer: Mass Effect is Bioware's. And don't they do well with it?
Summary: Rumours abound: the Omega 4 relay has been used, and signs lead to Shepard being involved somehow. Someone has to investigate, and who better than one of Shepard's former crew? On top of all that, ship crews are disappearing, and it can't be the Collectors. So who's responsible, and why?
From The Beginning
~*~
Eight: Layers
~*~
Kaidan Alenko looked from the barrel of the pistol, to Commander Shepard's face, and back again. He tried to wet his lips, only to find that his mouth was utterly dry. It was an unpleasant sensation, like his tongue was made of sandpaper. So when he spoke, his voice was hoarse, cracking.
"I got your email," he said, because the other options for an opening statement that ran through his head ("hello to you too", "whatever it was, I didn't do it", "was it something I said?") all seemed glib and an invitation to getting shot.
For a moment, the pistol wavered, lowering a fraction. "I got yours too," she said, softly, before her resolve, and her aim, firmed. "Mind telling me exactly what you were doing sneaking onto the freighter we were meeting?"
"Suffocating, probably." He was no longer in his hardsuit. He'd tried to activate the small reserve supply of oxygen he'd brought with him before he'd lost consciousness. He had no way of knowing how long had passed since... whatever... had happened on the freighter, but the fact that he was still alive meant that he had probably been successful.
Shepard's mouth thinned. "I'm not in the mood for jokes," she warned.
"That's good, because I'm not up to making them." The world felt muted, like he was viewing it all from underwater. It took his sluggish brain a moment to recognise the sensation for what it was: the lack of a biotic amp. Its removal was standard procedure for any medical treatment, but, for a moment, it felt distinctly like Shepard simply didn't trust him.
"So let me ask you again," she said, "What the hell were you doing on that freighter?"
He lay there, for a moment, weighing what response he should give. He could think of several. "Looking for you," was what he finally, honestly, said.
The muscles around her eyes tightened, a flicker of anger passing across her face. "I didn't ask you to," she said.
"No, Anderson did."
She made a small, scoffing sound of disbelief. "The Council couldn't wash their hands of me fast enough. You're honestly telling me they sent you to keep an eye on me?"
"The Council," he said, slowly, still wary of the loaded gun which had its safety noticeably deactivated, "Didn't send me. Anderson did."
"To find out what, exactly?"
Kaidan reached up to wipe his lips. They felt encrusted, uncomfortable. "Whether or not you were still alive. Can I have a glass of water, please?"
Shepard frowned, and said, a little awkwardly, "Well, I am. Alive, that is."
"I'd noticed. You're far too beautiful to be a corpse."
As he expected, the left-field compliment seemed to disconcert her, as if she had a script in her head for how this conversation was supposed to go, and he was breaking it. He could see her drawing in her breath tightly, reinforcing her stern façade, and he couldn't help but wonder exactly what he'd done to piss her off, apart from being there.
And then, in a flash of insight, Kaidan realised exactly why she was so angry with him. She was Commander Shepard, big bad Spectre and saviour of the galaxy. She didn't fear anything, not geth, nor Reapers or tax collectors. She didn't get scared, she got mad. At some point along the way, she'd started to believe her own hype, so when confronted with him, half dead, in a ship that had been attacked, she'd gotten mad at him, at Anderson, at the pirates. But she wasn't angry, not really.
He wasn't sure whether to feel relieved that she did give a damn about what happened to him, or to feel sorry for her. What the hell had she been up to, these last two and a half years since she'd let the galaxy believe she was dead, to twist her about so badly?
Of course, actually calling her on her own behaviour would be suicidally insane. He pushed himself up on his elbows, forcing her to back off slightly to avoid pressing the gun into his face. "I'm not going anywhere," he told her, gently, "You can put the gun down."
Shepard hesitated a moment, then looked at the gun as if she wasn't sure why she was holding it, and lowered her arm. The pistol closed down to its inactive state, harmless. Kaidan felt the knot of tension leave his stomach. For a moment there, he really hadn't been sure whether or not she would have pulled the trigger.
Shepard set the pistol down on the edge of the bed, resting her hand on top of it. She stared down at it for a long moment. Kaidan didn't speak, letting her gather her thoughts. When she finally looked up, she was forcing a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "So," she said, with an artificial brightness, "How've things been?"
"Not nearly as exciting as they've been for you," he said, tilting his head. The position he was in was uncomfortable, but he didn't want to sit up while she was so close. She would back off, and he would have admitted, under duress, that it wasn't unpleasant to be so close to her. He could feel the warmth of her skin where her hand rested near his arm, could examine her features closely. He had realised on Horizon, with dismay, that his memories of her had started to fade. They didn't quite match up to the woman he saw in front of him.
When she gave him a quizzical look, he clarified: "The Omega 4 relay?"
"Ah yes," she said, "One of my finer moments, I think."
"It's the talk of the Citadel," he said, "On page twenty three of the gossip blogs listings."
Shepard actually chuckled, awkwardly though. "Nice to know my contribution to the continued existence of humanity is feted throughout the cosmos."
There was something she wasn't saying, and it wasn't the 'I can't talk about it, it's top secret' look he remembered from her Spectre days, when she'd come back from a meeting with the Council or the Ambassador and be unable to tell him what the topic of conversation had been. No, there was something she wasn't telling him, because she didn't like thinking about it.
It wasn't a look he'd seen often on her face. He'd witnessed it only once or twice, each time it had been related to her past. On Earth, on Akuze... when those subjects had come up, she just hadn't wanted to discuss it. He'd never pushed her for information, knowing their relationship was too new and fragile to survive him prying into her past. He had wondered at the time if he should be resentful at the fact that while he was so free with his history, she had said virtually nothing, but after she'd died... after he'd thought she'd died... he'd just regretted not knowing her better.
Maybe, he'd thought, she hadn't felt the same way about him as he had her. If he was honest, staring at her now, he was pretty sure that was the case. If Shepard had loved him, she wouldn't have hidden away for two years.
He reached out and touched her arm. The sleeve material was soft, rich-feeling, a fair cry from the standard issue military wear he remembered her in. "The Collectors?" he asked.
"Are no longer a threat," she said, firmly.
"I got that from your message," he said.
"I found out what they were doing, abducting colonists, destroying the old Normandy, what they've been up to all along." Shepard shook her head slowly. "I'm pretty sure if I told the Council they'd have me committed."
"So just tell me," he urged.
He watched her, closely, as she opened her mouth, a tense look on her face as she tried to think of what to say to him... then she shook her head decisively. "Not here," she said, "Later. In private."
At least she wasn't making noises about drop kicking him to the nearest planet with a breathable atmosphere. "Alright," he said, not willing to argue the point, "But just out of curiosity, how did you manage to strip out your email of all tracking information? I couldn't figure out where it had come from."
Shepard smiled, looking distinctly amused for the first time. "Thank EDI for that."
"Edie?" He echoed, and frowned in confusion, "Your... communications tech?"
"I am no simple technician." A female voice came over the communication system, sounding peeved.
Shepard smothered a laugh. "Kaidan, EDI. EDI, this is Commander Kaidan Alenko. Say hello."
A blue hologram sprung into life across the room. "Hello," the same female voice said.
"EDI is the ship." Shepard said by way of explanation.
"Edie?" he repeated.
"Ee-dee-eye," she said.
An artificial intelligence, then. "Huh," he said, "You've been up to a lot while you've been gone."
"You'd think," she said, and then moved, decisively, picking up the pistol and stepping away. "I'm sure the Doctor wants to take a look at you. I'll be back later, give you a tour of the place. You'll like it. Just like the old Normandy, only bigger."
"Can't wait," he said, dryly.
~*~
Shepard stepped out of the medical bay, to see Chakwas and Garrus lurking by the elevator in quiet conversation. They stopped and looked at her as the door closed behind her.
"We didn't hear gunfire," Garrus said, after a moment, "I take it that's a good sign?"
Shepard tossed the folded up pistol back to its original owner, who caught it one handed and attached it back to his side with a brief nod of acknowledgement.
Garrus took her silence for assent. "Good," he said, "I actually liked Kaidan. I'd hate to see his brain smeared over the deck."
Shepard ignored him and turned to Chakwas. "I think you should get back to your patient, Doctor. You can give him his amp back when he's ready."
Chakwas had worked with the military long enough to know when she was supposed to take a hint. "Of course, Commander," she said smoothly, stepping past her CO to return to the medical bay. There was a startled, "Doctor Chakwas?!" from inside just before the door slid shut behind her.
"Any word on the sensor data?" Shepard asked. She started to walk towards the kitchen station, where Gardner had left out tea, coffee and assorted snacks. Between meals, anyone in the crew could walk up and pick up something to eat or drink, and for the biotics in the crew, those bonus calories were nigh-essential.
"Tali and Legion are still working on it. It's so fascinating that she wasn't even bothering to glare at Legion."
Shepard tilted her head. "How can you tell?"
"You just know," Garrus said. If turians used winking as an expression, she was sure he would be doing so at that moment. "Jacob asked me to let you know that he's supervising the loading of the cargo from the freighter."
"Not Miranda?"
"She's in the CIC, obsessing over the tactical data from our brush with the pirates."
Garrus opened a cupboard, one labelled with the universal symbol for dextro-protein based life. Underneath, Gardner had stuck a label reading: GARRUS/TALI ONLY, EAT AT YOUR OWN RISK, IDIOTS. Inside were packets of mostly turian foodstuffs, and drinks containers. Some of them were sealed in sterile packets for Tali to insert into her envirosuit. Shepard had witnessed the scene when Gardner had shown Tali the food, and the variety he was making sure to keep in stock, she'd uttered a happy squeak and thanked him so effusively that Gardner had actually blushed a bit.
Shepard just poured herself some coffee and sighed, shaking her head. "I expect to see her studying every known treatise on ship-to-ship combat next. Miranda's determined to be an expert at everything."
"Oh, I don't think you've got to worry about coming after your job yet," Garrus said, then affected thoughtfulness, "Although, if you die we do all get a promotion."
"If I die, I'm going to come back again and kick all of your asses."
"Duly noted," Garrus said, taking a small sealed snack from the cupboard. He glanced at the large window separating the medical bay from the main eating area - currently greyed out for privacy - and nudged Shepard's elbow slightly as he moved towards the gunnery station, walking her in that direction. "So are you going to tell me what happened in there, or am I just going to have to guess?"
Shepard stiffened, tightening her grip on her mug and trying to affect nonchalance. "What do you mean?"
They were far enough away from the few crew members who were lurking in the mess area not to be overheard, but Garrus leaned towards her and dropped his voice anyway. "I mean you. And Kaidan. In the medical bay."
"He said that Anderson sent him to find out what I was up to." Shepard rolled her eyes expressively. "I'd say that man was worse than my father if I'd had one."
They'd entered the weapons area, and as the door slid shut behind them, Garrus just looked at her and said, "And that's all?"
Shepard sat down on the storage crates. "What do you mean?"
Garrus had torn open his snack. Shepard could have defined what it smelled like, only that it was unappealing. But, she supposed, she was biologically opposed to the food he was eating, so it would make sense that it didn't smell like apples and roses. She wrinkled her nose and pretended not to have noticed.
"Come on, Shepard, I'm not an idiot. I saw Kaidan after... well... after you died." Garrus shook his head, breaking off a piece of the pinkish foodstuff with his fingers. "A man doesn't get that torn up about his commanding officer, or his friend. What he said on Horizon was just a confirmation." He chewed thoughtfully for a moment and added, "And considering you spent four solid hours on target practice after we got back from that mission, I'm sure you felt the same."
Shepard clutched at her mug, willing herself to take a sip, but found that she instead just started at the surface, watching the ripples. "You're the best friend I have on this ship, Garrus, so answer me honestly. Am I an idiot for holding onto something that probably ended years ago, when he got over me?"
"How long ago was it for you?"
"Weeks." Her throat seemed tight; she coughed. "Only a few weeks."
"Then yes, you are a hopelessly romantic idiot and should immediately take to wandering the ship sobbing to yourself and reading elcor erotic poetry for comfort."
Shepard grinned in spite of herself. "Elcor eroticism? What's that like?"
"Drawn out," Garrus said, with a glint in his eye.
Shepard giggled, just a little. "You're useless, Garrus," she told him, not meaning a word of it.
Garrus finished off his snack, folding the wrapper neatly. "That's alright," he said, "I still like you anyway."
"Garrus! Is Shepard-! Oh!"
Tali burst through the doors, babbling as she moved, and almost tripped herself up when she came to an abrupt halt. Garrus, as used to Tali's occasionally moments of geekish exuberance as Shepard was, looking only fondly amused as Tali continued speaking a mile a minute, waving a datapad for emphasis. Shepard wondered when she'd gotten so good at reading turian expressions.
"The analysis the weapon which attacked the freighter," she said, "It's fascinating, combined with the data from Lieutenant Alenko's suit, which provided a wealth of information. It's not a new weapon, not by any means, in fact, it seems to have been derived from certain geth technology, at least according to Legion, who was surprisingly forthcoming with information-"
"You know, he's Commander Alenko now," Shepard said, mildly.
Tali hesitated. "I... I didn't mean... that is..." She cleared her throat nervously. "You've seen him then?"
Shepard decided to take pity on the poor girl. "What were you saying about the pirate weapon?"
"They weren't pirates," Tali said.
Garrus's mandibles flared slightly. "You sure about that?"
"Positive. No pirate would have the technology needed to create this sort of technology." Tali handed her the datapad, which was covered with graphs, spectral trace lines and an awful lot of technical language that was far past anything Shepard understood. There were even a few words in the original quarian that Shepard could guess were concepts that didn't translate into English.
She was saved from the necessity to ask what it all meant when Tali kept on talking, explaining.
"The weapon delivered a powerful charge, one that was designed to penetrate a ship's hull. A missile, containing some sort of capacitor was fired at a low speed from the attacking ship. Because of that low speed, it did not trigger the freighter's kinetic barriers. It impacted on the freighter's hull and delivered a charge. Most of that was absorbed by the hull, and what was left was sufficient to disrupt ship's systems. From the data from Lieu- Commander Alenko's hardsuit, it would have been sufficient to disrupt the motor nerves in most species, within a certain margin of error. It probably wouldn't be as effective against elcor, and might be lethal to hanar, but batarians and humans it would certain render insensate."
Shepard frowned, rubbing her finger along the edge of the datapad.
"A new sort of slaver weapon?" Garrus wondered.
"I doubt it," Tali said, folding her arms.
"Why don't you think that this could be pirates?" Shepard asked.
"Because the technology to deliver this sort of charge without killing everyone on board hasn't been developed yet. Not officially, anyway." Tali pointed to the datapad. "Legion says that the geth had intercepted some communications over secure networks indicating that research was underway. About two years ago, however, a lot of the scientists involved in the research stopped publishing. I've been conducting searches, and haven't been able to find any trace of them in public record."
"Perhaps they have been continuing that research in private?" Garrus sounded thoughtful.
"These were Citadel scientists," Tali said, "With a long history of working for official organisations, researching and developing technologies for Council species under contract from their governments. Hardly freelance weaponeers. Scientists like these don't stop publishing, unless there's a damned good reason."
"Like security," Shepard mused.
"So what," Garrus said, looking sceptical, "The Council is running pirate raids in the Terminus systems?"
"It'd be as good as declaring war," Shepard said, shaking her head, "They wouldn't dare, on the off-chance it'd be traced back to them."
"Maybe the scientists involved were kidnapped? Or their research stolen somehow?" Tali fingered the edge of her hood thoughtfully.
"Maybe," Shepard echoed, "And maybe there's someone on board who can give us the answer."
~*~
Part Nine