Shepard looked around the bar at his crew. They were all there. His squad and the ship's crew. They had defeated the Collectors about a month ago. The Illusive Man was still hounding Shepard for the Reaper IFF –– which Shepard pointedly refused to do.
But this wasn't a time to think about that. This was the first real down time any of the crew had gotten since the Normandy SR2 had launched. Now they all sat in the brand new cantina the Zhu's Hope colony had built. Shepard had talked to Shiala on Illium, after helping her with a small problem. She had later sent an invitation for them to stop by Feros.
Now that they had a bit of free time, Shepard had decided this would be a great stop to get in some shore leave for the crew. Now they laughed and drank and told stories to each other and the colonists, though the civilians gave some of the crew a wide berth.
Grunt and Jack sat off on their own, more than content to arm wrestle and drink the hardest liquor they could find.
Mordin had gotten into a medical discussion with Dr. Chakwas and Elizabeth Baynham, and seemed to be having a great time… as long as you could follow the salarian when he got going.
Garrus –– being one of the crew with Shepard the first time through Feros –– had a small crowd of children clustered around him as he told them stories of the first Normandy and the Thorian's control of Zhu's Hope. Now that it all seemed like a bad dream, it was a lot easier to hear.
Miranda and Jacob sat in their own little corner, talking quietly when they did talk. It looked awkward.
Samara and Thane were in a similar, more brightly lit, corner. Shepard found it mildly amusing and ironic that the justicar and assassin were getting to be quite good friends.
Tali and Legion had chosen to remain on the Normandy. Legion did not want to intrude –– at least that's what Shepard translated 'heavily intoxicated beverages serve no purpose to my stimuli' as. Tali said she had some data to run. Shepard suspected she didn't hate Legion as much as most other Geth, though as to why, he did not know.
Zaeed and Joker sat at a round table with Ken and Gabby from engineering, all seeming to be content with playing Skillian Five.
Shepard sat by himself at the bar, happy to be watching his crew relax and unwind. They had been through a lot.
Of course, they had some more to complete, but with the Illusive Man unable to track the Normandy after what EDI had done to the systems, they had the time to relax before undertaking the mission.
"Another one, Shepard?"
Shepard turned to face Shiala, the asari commando turned colonist. "Please," he said, smiling. "Good to see that your skin is returning to that beautiful blue."
"Thank you, Shepard." Shiala poured him some more neon blue alcohol. "You don't seem very lonely sitting here by yourself," she said, smiling kindly while sipping her own drink.
Shepard studied the glass' depths. "I have my memories. Besides, they don't want their commander breathing down their necks."
"But you are much more a friend than a commander." Shiala grinned. "I would compare you to a Matriarch, save that it is a female title in your language."
"Why do you say that?"
"You are like… you are a father to them. That is the best I can say it." Shiala sighed. "I see the way even the toughest of them look at you, Shepard. They look to you for leadership. They follow your example. Garrus, especially. I see a lot of you in him. The krogan, Grunt? Never have I seen a krogan look at a Human with such respect. Even your friend, Wrex, looked at you as a friend, an equal. Grunt…"
"Sees me as his Battlemaster," Shepard said, smiling. "That's what he said. What Wrex commented on. I'm not just his commander, I'm practically family. I don't know how to think of that. I know what krogan do with their families."
Shiala laughed. "But you know what I mean?"
"Yes. I think I do."
They sat in silence for a time. The cantina buzzed with the sounds of drinks, of laughter, a few stifled swears from the card table where Zaeed had just taken some more of their money. It was… just like a family. Shepard shook his head. "You're right. We are a family." He looked down at a small scar on his hand, between his left hand's forefinger and thumb. "I just wish they were all here."
"Do you mind if I ask…?" Shiala asked, gesturing toward the scar. "It is so small. Surely you could have it fixed. Why do you keep it?"
"It's a memory. Not the best one… but it's a nice one."
Shiala leaned back, realizing that he would not let her know, and not wishing to press him. If he had something he wanted to tell her, he would.
The night came quickly and the crew stumbled back to the Normandy, a few more drunk than others. Zaeed was particularly happy –– who wouldn't be with three people's weekly wages under his belt. Grunt and Jack had passed out from their drinking games and it took seven of the crew to carry Grunt back, while Thane and Samara helped Jack.
Shepard sat on the bench by the docking station waiting for the crew to get on board.
"Hey, Shepard," Joker said, hobbling up to sit down next to him. "Could you spot me five thousand credits?"
"Joker, you lost your week's wages fair and square."
"Eh," Joker said, shrugging. "Worth a shot."
They sat for a while, watching the stars slowly creep into the sky.
"Do you remember the old crew, Commander?"
"Yes."
Joker took off his cap and ruffled his hair. "I remember Ashley threatening to give me a haircut and a shave if I tried to hug her again."
"Joker, you 'fell' into her chest and pretended it was a cripple's attempt at a hug."
"You caught that, did you?"
"I am a man, Joker. I know all the tricks."
"You?" Joker laughed. "Forgive me, Commander, but you are far too much of a goody-goody for me to think you know any 'tricks.'"
Shepard glared good-naturedly at Joker. "Go to sleep."
"I need to run some calibrations."
"Sleep. EDI needs your help like I need Jack hitting on me."
"I'd love to––"
"Joker," Shepard said, his tone good-natured but warning. "I meant that EDI, Tali and Legion have been checking every system possible since we docked the ship fourteen hours ago. EDI could not wait for you to leave. She finds your presence… 'most unconstructive' and 'a pleasant, but persistent, distraction.'"
"I am not a distraction… am I?"
Shepard stood, shaking his head with a grin on his face. "Go to sleep, Joker. Honestly, I think you sleep in that cockpit. You are going to a sleeper pod and getting some rest. No buts."
"Yes, Mom." Joker stood and gave Shepard a cocky salute. "See you in the morning, Commander."
Shepard watched Joker limp back to the Normandy and the hatch cycle closed. Then he looked at the digital readout on his omni-tool. He turned away from the Normandy and walked quickly back into the Zhu's Hope colony.
"Where is Shepard-Commander going?" Legion asked Tali.
"What?" Tali asked, looking up from her work. "Shepard's going where?"
"That is my query."
Tali looked around the AI core. "How can you tell Shepard is going anywhere? There are no windows," she exclaimed, exasperatedly.
"EDI relayed the data to me."
Tali sighed, rolling her eyes behind the breather mask. "Legion, do you want me to help repair you, or not?"
"Your assistance is received with varied levels of positive reaction."
"Legion, it is easier for me to help you than it is for you to repair yourself. And if I fix that hole in your chest, Shepard will stop getting after me about wanting to reduce you to holes with bits of Geth around you. So, for your sake, stop keeping tabs on Shepard. I might… 'accidentally' cross-wire you and make it impossible for you to speak."
"Auditory output is an imperative function. That would impair our ability to engage in combat effectively." Legion paused then added. "The function is also very much… desired."
"Then learn when to shut up."
"Suggestion taken under severe consideration."
The next morning Legion, Tali and EDI were the only ones awake to see Shepard come on board and quietly make his way up to his cabin. He looked as he always did –– calm, in control, strong –– but with a bit of a haggard, not-much-sleep weight to the eyes.
"Shepard-Commander," Legion said as Shepard passed the Geth. "Were you successful in your mission?"
"Huh?" Shepard turned bleary eyes to Legion. Those cold blue eyes suddenly widened in surprise. "What mission? There was no mission, Legion. I have no idea what you are talking about."
"I am concerned that you did not take another with you, Shepard-Commander. The danger of undertaking a mission with a single unit is 87.394% higher than normal ratings. The chances of surviving decrease exponentially."
"Legion, I didn't go on a mission. I haven't left the Normandy all night. I just went out right now for a breath of fresh air. Now, I have armor to polish." And with that Shepard hurried to the elevator and took it up to his quarters.
Legion wandered to the cockpit and stood looking at EDI's empty platform.
"Yes, Legion? Can I assist you?" EDI asked, several minutes later from the speakers.
"This unit has a query."
"Ask away Legion."
"This unit has two queries."
"Legion, I have 367 calibrations…"
"Why did Shepard-Commander falsify his recent activities?"
"I do not know, Legion. Can this wait for a bit? I have… a problem to take care of."
"That is my second query."
"Yes?"
"Is there a significant problem with your holo-display terminal? I could attempt to fix it…"
"No, Legion. I… Joker somehow fiddled with my holo-display and I have yet to work out the replicate virus he has running the interference program."
"I could––" Legion started to say, but EDI cut him off, agitatedly.
"That is nice of you Legion, but it has become a… an exercise between myself and Jeff. I will not give him the… I am pleased to have a challenge that matches my programming power."
Legion left the cockpit, still with the strange compulsion to learn what Shepard had done alone that he would report false data to cover up.
Legion's expression flaps tilted in a way that indicated happiness. He could process EDI's need to fix the problem herself. It presented a challenge. Legion appreciated a challenge.
Legion stood in the AI core –– his 'home' as the crew put it. He replayed his conversation with Shepard-Commander and laid out in his mind the important aspects.
One, Shepard-Commander was wearing the same clothes as the day before.
Two, Shepard-Commander had falsified his data to form the conclusion that he had not left the ship.
Three, Shepard-Commander's short-cropped hair had lost a hundredth of an inch since the last recording of one of their conversations. This meant that Shepard-Commander had gotten a 'hair-cut'. Legion knew this was inaccurate. Human's did not get a single dead epidermis strand removed; they got all of them shortened. It was a strange why to phrase data.
However, all these factors added up to Shepard-Commander not transferring the whole data cache to Legion.
Legion quickly arrived at the conclusion that the hidden data would have to be retrieved by an alternate route. This meant 'keeping tabs' on Shepard, which Tali'Zorah vas Normandy had strictly forbidden under the retribution of severe dismemberment.
This merely meant that Legion would have to implicate Infiltration protocols and not get caught following Shepard-Commander.
The second day of shore-leave was met with subdued enthusiasm by the crew, most of which was content with lounging in bed for several hours. Legion waited for Shepard-Commander to exit his cabin and leave for Zhu's Hope. While he waited, Legion practiced his Infiltration protocols on members of the crew, EDI's systems and most of Zhu's Hope colonists.
Nearly the whole day passed by before Shepard even moved from his room. Legion hid behind some crates as the Feros' sun lowered in the sky and Shepard-Commander wandered into the colony.
Legion followed him through the colony, exercising extreme caution. He knew that Geth caused irrational fear among most colonists.
Shepard-Commander walked through the whole colony, stopping to talk only briefly with a few people he knew. Legion kept close enough to record audio, if not visual. He still did not understand the processor incentive to understand why Shepard-Commander had falsified data. But Legion had to keep focused. All processor power was needed to keep himself undetected.
Shepard-Commander eventually walked out onto the sky-bridge, well away from Zhu's Hope. Legion followed, keeping even better track of his detection level now that there was even less cover.
Suddenly Shepard-Commander stopped, sitting down on a ledge that looked out over the clouds of the Prothean supercity. Legion settled down into cover-mode, realizing that Shepard-Commander had stopped moving.
Several minutes passed.
Legion had run startup check lists four thousand and sixty-three times and was in the middle of four thousand and sixty-four when a second Human appeared.
Legion transferred processor power and studied the new Human.
It was a female.
Tall, dark-haired, body structure in accordance with above average physical fitness.
Shepard-Commander stood and the two traded a greeting by wrapping their arms around each other's torso and pressing oral cavities together. The greeting continued as the two started to divest the other of clothing.
Legion lost visual as they moved into a catacomb under the skyway.
"And where were you, Legion?" Tali asked the Geth as it came back into the Normandy.
"Gathering data on Human mating rituals. Do all organics have such complicated anatomy? And do all organics engage in such drawn out mating procedures? These are queries the collective would like to study. A most fascinating subject."
Tali remained frozen to the spot as Legion moved past her.
"On second thought," she said to herself. "I do not want to know."