Summary:
Shepard's driving does not impress her squadmates.

Notes:
For the Mass Effect Sunday Sprint Drabble on 12 Mar 2017
Prompt: "The high pitched whine was growing in intensity..."
Written as part of the "Cari'ssi'mi" continuity

The high pitched whine was growing in intensity.

"You've grazed the lava again, Shepard. You have to shut down and let the self repair protocol run before the damage gets any worse."

"Keelah, how can she dodge every last volley of Geth fire, but still hit each lava pool," Tali muttered to herself. "It must be a talent."

The muted comment was not quiet enough it seemed, given the glare from the commander before she responded. "I can hear the alarm, Garrus. I just want to get to the top of that ridge first. We have to make sure no Geth can sneak up on us while we can't defend ourselves."

"So you want to put us at the top of a hill where we'll be line of sight for any enemy from here to the horizon?" The Turian did a poor job of hiding his amusement. "There's nothing on scanners. We should be good for a few minutes."

"Fine," hissed the commander through clenched teeth as she disengaged the drive. "But this is the last of our omnigel. If you want any more repairs you'll be doing it the old fashioned way."

"We wouldn't have used so much Shepard, if you would have avoided the lava. This is the third time we've had to stop for damage."

"It's a bloody tank, Tail. I should be able to drive it through anything!"

Tali and Garrus just looked at each other knowingly. Most of Garrus' work on the Normandy had devolved to just keeping the Mako functional. The vehicle had only been deployed four times so far, and he had already needed to completely rebuild several primary systems. Therum was the machine's first planetfall on a Council mission, and so far the level of damage seemed consistent with previous deployments.

"The repair protocol is almost complete, Shepard. It looks like we'll still have a little omnigel left." He looked up. "Not that you should take it as a challenge."

"Har, har," replied the commander. "You must have been the funniest Turian in C-Sec." She engaged the drive and again started up the hill, slightly more carefully this time.

They'd only driven three more minutes when the trail ended at a pyramid of boulders. When Shepard started backing up to change their angle of approach, Tali reached out and placed her hand on the Human's shoulder.

"Don't try it Shepard, there's no room. If the boulders stay in place, we'll roll into the lava," she pointed out the flow to their left. "If they move, we'll be buried." She indicated her scanner. "We aren't far from Liara's position, according to the navpoint. We'll just have to continue on foot."

Shepard turned from her console, and ended up looking directly at Garrus. His expression seemed to demonstrate curiosity as to if she was going to try scaling the rockfall anyway.

"Fine," she sighed. "Everyone out. Tali's right. It isn't much further." She unsealed the hatch.

"Aren't you going to put your helmet on Shepard?" Helmets were a foregone conclusion for Tali

"We already have to walk the last kilometer, and face however many Geth we'll encounter between here and the mine. I'd rather not add to my aggravation."

She waited for a response. When none seemed forthcoming, she continued.

"This mission's probably a bust anyway. I haven't even met Benezia's daughter yet, but she's already managed to annoy me. What the hell is she doing out here in the middle of nowhere? It's just going to piss me off if I have to wear my helmet too." She looked again to Tali and Garrus for potential commentary.

"Let's go."

A/N: Assumptions here include:
Early ME1

Shepard is:
Colonist / Vanguard / War Hero

As always, feedback is welcome and desired.