---

“Yes, mother… No I haven’t. No mother, I am being careful. For the hundredth- Mom! Please I’m begging you to not make me say it out loud.” Dex spoke exasperated with her mother over her omnitool. Outside the Borealis on the docks at Elysium. The start of their temporary shore leave. Dex took the opportunity to stretch her legs outside the ship and take advantage of the chance to call her family. Away from eyes and ears on the ship.

Talera Noratus was well aware of her daughter’s dangerous line of work as well had been exceedingly worried as of late. The check ins were coming few and far between now her daughter was running with a mercenary group. Anyone would have noticed the years pulling at Talera’s eyes. How proudly she wore her facial tattoos, especially after she had been redone the month before. It gave her face a fresh look while celebrating her home and colony. It was to mark 25 years spent voting and campaigning, courtroom debates, Hierarchy peaceful protests for the lawful separation from the Hierarchy for Taetrus. One of the many proud and quietly rebellious turian colony worlds.

Talera appreciated Dex’s honesty but it worried her endlessly. The connection wasn’t very strong but she could make out her daughter’s features over the projected screen. A pair of her husband’s light honey brown eyes rolled whenever she asked if she was using protection. While even through the bad quality of the projection she could clearly see her dark green facial tattoos spiraling along the length of her mandibles and under her eyes. Dex was the oldest of Talera’s children, always the most outgoing and boldest among the four. Even as a child Dex set a wild example for her younger siblings. Despite the awful turns Dex’s life had taken Talera was proud, the drive Dex had showed was unprecedented.

“Dexuret do not give me that tone. I worry for good reason, your siblings lead normal lives. They’re not rubbing elbows with criminals and working in the Terminus Systems.” Talera replied scolding Dex. “As we have been telling you for months to come home. If Medus is dead then there’s nothing to worry for, not anymore.”

Dex’s mandibles flicked irritably having already explained to her mother several times why she stayed away. “You know it’s not that simple. The moment I step foot on Taetrus the Hierarchy’s counter-intelligence will be watching me, not to mention the extremists. The Hierarchy will track me but the extremists will be all over me and then you guys. They’re pissed-”

“Language, Dexuret.” Talera snapped.

Dex sighed rephrasing, “They’re mad after what I did to Medus. After accepting the pardon for selling me out he reconnected with the extremists to dig new moles deeper into the Hierarchy. They relied on him and needed him alive. They have no evidence to pin anything on me, but they know it was me.”

“Mom, don’t you think I’d be there if I could?”

Talera paused in her retort then agreed reluctantly. “Yes I do know… We miss you.”

Dex’s voice softened considerably as did her eyes, “I miss you too. I miss you everyday I can’t be there. Just believe me when I say that working in this merc group will be good for me. I won’t be on my own anymore.”

“That’s true. I was more worried when you were wandering alone.” Talera said.

“See? Silverlining.” Dex said brightly hoping to ease her mother’s concerns. “I have a few more calls to make before we head off again. Love you, tell everyone I said hi. Especially little Jin, tell him his Aunt Dex loves him and loved the vid of his monologue reading that Vesca sent me. Oh and tell Yara I’m sending her some money. She was late on her loan payments last month.”

Talera fumed, “She said she was fine when I asked, Yara never wants to ask for help.”

Dex laughed her sub vocals hummed happily, “She’s proud that way. I would be too if I just bought a housing unit.”

Talera smiled and hummed contently, “Of course. We love you so much and miss you. Please be careful.”

“I promise I’ll try my best.” Dex assured then said another goodbye ending the call.

Sighing heavily leaning back looking off at the Borealis, she saw the crew filing in and out of the ship going about their own business. The cockpit was cohesive, Iosif and Haze knew what they were doing and made for great company. Between the three of them the Borealis was in good hands. She tried to catch up with everyone on the ship to some degree. Leaving dinner plates outside Vellios’ room, giving him his space. She kept a close eye on Khosin. Serena had leveled out her intensity when she wasn’t running around with severe injuries and pain medication.

Drono was a wild whirlwind. She suspected his enthusiasm was probably attributed to the very stark reality of his spinal bullet wound, the pain growing worse until the day he saw his doctor. However she never said a word. Providing distraction was something she was willing to do.

In spite of running headlong into some serious issues with Khosin especially, joining the crew had helped her feel the closest to normal she had felt in months. Holding the pilot position on the Borealis kept her focused while restlessness was held at bay with spending time with the crew. For once being apart of a crew meant actually being apart of it and not infiltrating it.

Her eyes tracked down to the long list of missed calls and messages from Galentos Lorthan. Her previous employer and ex boyfriend. He had consistently been trying to contact her after joining The Jury Riggers. Dex had all but avoided him after they broke up and now months after the fact suddenly he was desperate to speak to her.

“Fuck, may as well get it over with.” Dex grumbled reluctantly calling Lorthan.

He picked up immediately with a growl, “Finally.” Bright yellow eyes glared at Dex through the projection backed by deep teal face with yellow Palaven facial tattoos.

“Hello to you too.” Dex replied drily. “What do you want?”

“Are you serious right now? You haven’t spoken to me in months and I gave you all the space you could want. Now that I need to talk to you about something important you ignore my calls and messages. What the fuck, Dex.” Gal went into a rant like she had expected. He rarely lost his temper but ignoring him was usually the sure fire way to piss him off. She let him rant and get it out of his system while her mind wandered back to the night before spent with Drono. Accidently letting out a warm sigh.

“I’m glad I have your full and undivided attention.” Gal snapped.

She shook her head letting the images of them tumbling in the sheets recede. “I’ve been busy. I joined a mercenary-” She replied then he cut her off.

“I know. I’ve been keeping tabs on you.” Gal said. “It didn’t take you very long to move on with someone new either. Vellios Malkai, turian mercenary and former soldier. An impressive service record within the Hierarchy, unfortunate thing about his family though-”

Dex growled, “How dare you spy on him!”

“I worry, so I need to know the people my ex girlfriend likes to fuck. I’m surprised you don’t know any of this. Didn’t you do background checks on anyone?” Gal said curiously ignoring her obvious ire.

“No! I’m not infiltrating this crew, I joined it which means respectfully not digging through their shit!” Dex yelled irritably pacing her fist clenching.

Gal smiled smugly, “You decided to fuck the turian with the most issues I have ever seen. His entire family was slaughtered in a single night. Wife, two kids. Seven or so years ago. Some Krogan became the main suspect after evidence revealed it wasn’t Malkai himself. His files after that were heavily classified. I feel like you would be able to crack it.” The information broker laughed, the noisey shift in an old office chair, the squeak of unoiled hinges grating further on Dex as her fury built with every word.

Gal carried on, “The drell too, huh? Fucking nuts career criminal, not sure what possessed your dead Captain to hire him. You should read some of the shit he got himself into.” He paused then shrugged with a condescending flick of his mandibles, “I hope you enjoy sleeping with a paraplegic-to-be.”

Dex’s face contorted into something ugly and incredibly angry.

“Gal, you can go fuck yourself. You jealous prick.” Ending the call, her mechanical fist shook with restraint then letting out a singular roar, turned on the spot she punched the steel crate she was leaning against leaving a dent. She earned herself a few glares and curious looks from passerby’s.

Stalking away from the ship allowing her anger to cool. Dex’s teeth were clenched and her mandibles flared. Gal knew how to get under her skin and hated that she allowed him to do it. A gun held to the back of her head wouldn’t be enough to force her to go back to him.

---

Galentos Lorthan stared at the screen, DISCONNECTED flashed brightly in red, he heaved a deep sigh. “Smooth, Lorthan.”

He stood up from his seat safely tucked away into one of his many safe houses littered throughout Palaven, the safehouses were officially off the grid stocked with emergency supplies and small comforts. A handful more were in key systems throughout the galaxy, his cells and spies were free to take advantage of them when they were working. Gal and Dex would often meet in the safehouses, shut behind doors for days between weeks of seeing the other.

Dressed rather formally in a deep blue suit, expensive at first glance but a rather traditional choice for turians living in the homeworld’s capital city. Cipirtine’s horizon was dawning a new day, another day to flounder with his remaining assets battling against the weight of a Specter’s scrutiny and investigations. It was a terrible mistake to send T’Kaula and Xerxes, convincing them they could easily infiltrate the asari’s councillor housekeeping team. They were caught and grilled by a Specter. The last organization he wanted to have investigating him.

His omnitool pinged with a new message, it was surprisingly from Dex.

If you spent less time rooting through my crewmates histories you’d get your head out of your ass. I’ve been keeping tabs on you too, I have to say I’m very impressed. You lost two spies to fucking Specters. 10 out of 10 would highly recommend Lorthan Brokerage to fuck over your life.

Sincerely

Dex
Your fucking EX

P.S I’m still going to fuck Vellios

P.P.S Drono too

P.P.P.S GO FUCK YOURSELF!

Galentos was a businessman, rarely on any end of a gun. Happier navigating through cyberspace than on a starship. Patient by trade while pragmatic. Jealous sure, it’s not easy to move on after spending nearly four years with one person.

Dexuret Noratus had him wrapped around her mechanical talon tighter than a wound spring. A grin and flush through the turian’s face was distinguishably blue.

Spirits, he missed her.

Mother had told him to hide.

When the alarms blared, Vellios was abruptly shoved into the galley food cabinet and left there while she investigated the source. She was only supposed to been gone for a bit. However, with anxiety building in his chest the boy counted as the moments turned into minutes and finally hours, causing him to shift within his cramped spot. His ears picked up voices outside his hiding spot. Curious as to why they hadn’t opened the door and gotten him out, Vellios’ talon cautiously edged open the sliding door then peered out. His eyes caught three shapes passing by. Panicked, he jerked back and blinked, shocked by the sudden movement for a moment. Shaking off his tension, he bite back his fear then once more edged toward the slotted opening.

Light barred across his eye while it flickered to absorb the scene unfolded in front of him. The sounds were louder, more violent while things were ripped from cabinets and the strangers began to rummage within the food stocks. There were three culprits, a Krogan and two Turians, each seeming to be wary of each other during the search. It was only going to be a matter of time before they discovered him there. Terrified of what might happened, Vellios’ talon examined his hiding place and its contents with a wandering hand, coming to rest upon the sealed canister. He picked up to examine it then an idea filled his mind.

Carefully opening the sliding door more, he then tossed the canister across the room and farthest from his. It smacked into the Krogan’s back leg just when Vellios jerked his hand back inside on seeing one of the pirates note it. The Turian, distracted by his action, didn’t notice the Krogan’s irritated figure draw dangerous conclusions at the source of the canister. His fingers tighten on the gun then pointed it at the Turian’s back, Vellios able to spy it over the male’s shoulder while the pirate bent down and observed him with a wicked delight in his eyes. Vellios froze. The Turian’s long arm reached out to nab him when suddenly he was jerked backwards by the leg. The Krogan shoved him to the side, the victim’s side smacked into the ship’s wall as Vellios took his chance and bolted out of his hiding spot. The two pirated, distracted by one another, didn’t even see the boy dart down the corridor toward the bridge. His figure vanished like the shadows on the ship before either knew it.

Quietly and carefully, Vellios darted down the corridor. His talons tapped along the empty hallways and past the blue smears decorating the walls, bodies hauled away to where his wildest imaginations lurked. Wide eyes scanned the evidence of struggle left over while he made his way to the bridge, the last known location of his mother and cautiously his anxiety grew with each step. There shouts and gunfire in the background caused him to pause for a moment, inwardly debating to either check it out or continue onward. The ability to chose didn’t last long when his ears caught footsteps approaching. Immediately his head jerked to the side and noted someone coming, an asari pirate. Her crest and left side was scarred down to her neck, her slender figure covered in blood splatters while she gracefully swaying into view, taking her time going down the corridor. The pirate’s head was down and checking her worn gun, noting the sink was overheated from recent fire. It sizzled for a moment causing her to tsk in irritation then look up.

Vellios was gone.

At the last moment, and in sheer panic, he darted into the nearest quarters. There he shoved against the door frame, his thin body pressed tightly against the cold steel stiffening his spine. His breath seized within his chest where it rattled and became thick, nearly suffocating him as he counted down the seconds. The Asari’s steps drew closer and closer causing the panic to edge in to his core. Vellios’ head turned, seeking a fast hiding spot for the worse case scenario: being discovered. Through he knew very little of the pirates onboard, he had a gut feeling if they found him then he wasn’t enjoy what was about to happen.

When the steps hit their climax, Vellios braced for the worse. His eyes shut and breathing swallowed in preparation for the gun to sound off near his face, ready to shoot it off the moment the trigger was pulled. Or worse. Pop! Pop! Pop! Three shots went off down the way he came, his figure jerking in fear from what he assumed was his life ending. It took a moment for his mind to realize he was still alive. Abruptly the asari’s footsteps started to fade when they turned off down another corridor, her feet picking up speed toward the gun fire with a slightly mad look in her face. Carefully, he edged out then bolted toward the bridge.

His talons smacked the bridge button when...



Vellios’ eyes fluttered open suddenly. Something was off as his figure gradually lifted within his makeshift hammock, his eyes briefly closed off to the scene to collect himself. A sense of haze washed over his attention and threatened to blur his sense of reality and memories, something that tried to add to the budding panic in his chest. His heart thumped relentlessly within his chest and threatened to shatter his few unbroken ribs while he just sat there adjusting his rattled mindset.

'It was a dream...wasn't it? Vellios questioned.

Creak...creak...creak.

Sounds of his bed gently swung in place, the foggy sensation faded slowly. Exhaling deeply, the scarred turian dropped his hands in relief. His heart stilled raced feverishly within his chest from the aftermath causing him to get up. Vellios leaned into the hammock then lowered his feet down as he hopped onto the floor catching himself before his legs collapsed underneath him.

Steadying himself on the nearest cabinet, he made his way toward the hobbled together sink. Mainly it was just an oversized kitchen bowl with a pitch of water next to it. Pouring what remained in the pitcher into the bowl, he set it back down and shifted the tiny mirror left there, he used it to examine himself. The thing easily framed his head and showing the slight discoloration underneath his eyes as he looked himself over.

Vellios knew it was pointless to look for physical symptoms and merely did it to make himself feel better. However, it didn’t work. Gradually his hand placed the mirror back in its place and leaving him to glare at it. He reflected on the knowledge he knew about Haides survivors and felt a sour taste edge to his throat back.

Walking time bombs. That was the first thing that often came to many health professionals who treated such patients from that filth ridden ship, their mental warped beyond being mended and eventually would have to be put down. Vellios bitterly chuckled at the saying every shrink knew about survivors like him. 'It wasn’t if they lost their grip on reality, but when.' It was difficult to explain how or what triggered a survivor’s denotation switch, some taking days while others taking years, and greater mystery was how to prevent it. In the end… some believed it was best to be put out of their misery instead of fail and cost lives.

For a dreadful moment, Vellios thought he had lost his grip on reality. His talons dipped into the bowl of water then splashed it into his face letting the chill sooth his rattled nerves. He wiped his forearm across his lower face as he reached for a towel to mop up the rest. Leaving it beside the remaining water, he casually walked back to his other bed and flopped down on it.

Serena slipped into the room and stared at Vellios in minor amusement. “You know, for someone who has been so concerned with their recovery in isolation recently, you seem to have been slipping up recently. Coming down from your nest, eating, and now this? Tsk tsk Vellios, next thing you know you might actually be joining us for dinner rather than lurking in here. It’ll shock the entire crew into heart attacks!”

“I did shower a day ago but I made sure you all were asleep when I did. However don't expect to see me at the dinner table any time soon,” Vellios admitted truthfully as his head turned toward her standing in the doorway to his quarters. He thought it was nice to see her smirk at his condition.

Serena closed the door behind her and walked closer. In all honesty, how are you doing? No one outside of me has seen you conscious in four days.

“It's been that long?” Vellios asked, his expression confused for several moments, “Mostly healing and sleeping. This isn't new for me and I figure you would happy I'm actually taking care of myself for once,” he said, shrugging as he leaned his head against the back wall. His eyes studied her then patted his hand on the bed’s other end for her to sit and talk.

Serena sat down, leaning against the back wall. “Lets see. I’ll update you on what happened to the crew while you were gone. Drono’s spine is getting worse, and I think he’s getting dragged to a doctor soon. Haze has been drinking himself to blackout every night for two days because of guilt, I managed to talk him into stopping. Tanya is trying to pretend your incident with her didn’t happen, though an apology would go a long way to making things better. Dex is on her side but slightly more understanding. Iosif is largely unaffected, just wants it to be clean air with the crew. Tonka is a krogan and is enjoying the drama. Khosin seems depressed, but that might be because of the shitstorm last mission was.”

“You already know my thoughts on that subject with Tanya,” Vellios pointed out as he shifted in his seat, the first thing he addressed before moving on, “It sounds the crew looks about as bad as I felt with my ribs busted. Is there anyone you haven’t pestered with your positive aura yet? As for the mission, I’m not surprised. It was a harpix’s nest mess when everything went to hell.”

“And you know that I’m going to have you apologize after you’re done hibernating in your room.” Serena replied cheerfully, before moving on. “Just about everyone who needed it I’ve pestered. Besides all that, people are going on shore leave. Tanya, Dex, and I are going to go to a club and I’m probably gonna screw everything up because that’s what I do, I think Haze is getting his leg checked, and I have no idea what anyone else is doing. So you might have the ship to yourself, you might have others who decide to stay and lurk. Khosin, probably. I doubt he’s going to risk his life here.”

Meh. I might actually get a chance to stretch my legs and overstuff myself before crawling back into bed. Truthfully… I actually don’t recall the last time I ate more than a meal. Not that is a bad thing as I’ve had worse,” Vellios said in a light tone, “I slept like a rock in my make shift nook earlier.”

His arms stretched as he left out a yawn, deeper than he intended, then let it fade gradually. His figure continued to prop against the wall while he looked at her, “Have you been sleep alright lately? I know you nearly got yourself killed after all and that doesn’t get brushed off.”

“Yeah. It’s not the first time and you get used to such experiences after a while.” Serena replied, pulling a VI slate out of her pocket and beginning to fiddle with it, tapping her foot. “Besides, the crew has all dealt with much worse, so I imagine they’re sleeping like rocks as well.” She paused before making a quick adjustment to her VI, still not looking at Vellios. “I might try to make Bot death battles take off on this ship. It seems like every other crew likes them.”

“Isn’t that right,” Vellios said with a light chuckle as he absorbed her words, his eyes shifted over toward her. He lingered in watching her fiddle with some VI and her foot tapped to an imaginary beat, a slow and steady one, within her head. He inhaled while he added another comment, “You aren’t like the rest of us however and far too sweet to be truthful. As for bot battles, I’d be more content to watch than actually participate in it. It’s too complicated and I prefer to feel the adrenaline rush myself, not let some bot take all the fun.”

“Vellios I’m fine. Honest.” She insisted, still focusing on her VI as she swiftly tried to move the conversation to something else. “You always did prefer to watch. Who knows, maybe it’ll help people destress. Or it’ll get ignored and I’ll sigh and find something else to do with all my scrape mech pieces.” She shrugged. “One of those two at least.”

“You’re also a terrible liar and that’s not making me feel any better about the situation,” Vellios replied then leaned toward her, pulling closer to the human. His head pulled over her skull top and planted his bony chin into it while he idly watched her pretend to be alright. He knew better. It wasn’t hard to see through her mask whenever someone really wanted to or purely ignore her suffering when they didn’t want to add more shit to their own emotional baggage. Then again, Vellios never gave a damn about the stress.

“I’m sure everyone will love them. Or Tanya will cheat and put shithead in the fight instead, blowing the competition away literally with heavy metal krogan music.”

Serena was quiet for several long moments. “I’m having nightmares.” She said softly. “No one notices because I sleep in the hangar and I stifle the screams almost as soon as I wake up. I see everyone I’ve killed. They’re back, glaring with blood draining from their eyes. ‘Why do you get to live? Why did you live when we died? Why are we dead and someone weak like you is alive?’ Then they-”

”Survivor's guilt. Trust me, not easy to live with or get over. Even worse when you’ve actually took their lives with your own talons and watched the very light leave their eyes. However, it’s not your fault and it’s just your guilt blaming yourself for something out of your control,” Vellios said, using words similar to T’Vynas’, as he recalled her explanations about the subject, “It gets better when you learn to forgive yourself really. I sort of accepted it and moved on, mainly because I couldn’t have that shit haunting me with Armis. She also knew what she was getting when I told her.”

“Yeah, I tell myself that too Vellios. They’ll eventually go away. They just pop up every time I nearly get myself killed.” She gave a small smile towards Vellios. “I’m fine. I promise.” She looked at her omni-tool and cursed quietly. “I’d better get going before Dex and Tanya run off without me.” She stood up and glanced at him. “You’re sure gonna be okay?”

“You know, that’s a stupid thing to ask me. Namely as we both know the answer to that,” Vellios said, through his voice was kind in his statement. It wasn’t a matter if he would be alright, but when he would crack. Thankfully, at least he hoped, that day wasn’t today, “Have you ever considered the reason they show up isn’t because they want you to die, but to scare you from meeting them in the afterlife? What better way to keep you alive than stir your instinct to survive after all?”

Serena smiled sadly. “Yeah. I know.” Chuckling softly she added, “I think if they wanted me to live, they wouldn’t be people I’ve killed. People I’ve let die, maybe, but definitely not people I’ve killed.”

Vellios shook his head.

“How many times do I have to tell you? You didn't kill them,” he said and frowned at her, his expression unhappy at her self blame, “Guilt and fear is a surprising motivator to stay alive for anyone. Namely as you know if you die, you have to face those individuals you feel feel responsible for getting killed and it's terrifying.”

He inhaled as scratched his neck lightly, his mind drifted toward his childhood memories. Those upon the Haides haunted him as his eyes drifted to his suit case, “Before you leave, mind passing me my medication?”

“How many times do I have to tell you? You’re only a monster if you let people convince you that you are.” Serena retorted, reluctantly going to his bag and getting his ‘medication’.

“What do you think that's why I want my medication? My side is flaring up again and it helps with the pain,” Vellios lied.

Serena raised a skeptical eyebrow at the turian, clearly not buying it, but wordlessly handed him his medication anyways. “You’re sure you’re going to be okay? I can stay here. Really.”

“Go, I'll be fine. I'll be sleeping all day and so you'll just be bored. Have fun,” Vellios waved her off as he reached for his case and pulled it into his lap. He knew she could see through it as he didn't try that hard to hide it, his back propped against the wall. He flashed her a smirk when added, “You deserve it.”

Brought to you by: @Fallenreaper and @Mortarion

---

After their debriefing on Elysium, Khosin had stayed confined to the Borealis. The scathing remarks that their former employer had said, plus his recent chat with Dex, had left him with little desire to go out towards the human city of Illyria. Plus, he doubted that the sight of a Batarian walking amongst the city -no matter the fact he was in civilian clothes and unharmed- would be a welcome sight to any of it’s inhabitants after the recent Skyllian Blitz. As such, and without much else to do, Khosin did little more than staying in his room passing the time as best he could sans those few times he got out to either check on the ship’s engine or went to the kitchen to eat something, as was the case at the moment.

However, just as he was starting to prepare something for himself, he remembered Serena asking him to check on Vellios, who had decided to remain on the Borealis as well while the rest of the crew decided to go out to Illyria. Turning back towards where the crew quarters where, Khosin made a beeline towards Vellios’s door “Hey, Vellios, gonna prepare something for myself to eat, you want anything?” He asked as he knocked on the Turian’s door. While he wasn’t an amazing cook, he still knew how to prepare a dextro meal (courtesy of his time amongst the Blue Suns).

Vellios groggily raised an eyelid, his vision clearing quickly despite the blurriness of his mind between the past and present. From high up in his makeshift hammock, he tilted over the edge to holler back. His stomach rumbled but he ignored it, knowing the sleep would tame it, as he balanced himself from falling haphazardly.

“No, I'm sleeping. I'll eat later.”

Khosin sighed as Vellios told him that he was sleeping and that he’d eat later. He had half the mind to go back to the kitchen but knew that if he did that he’d, most likely, get an earful from Serena, plus he had noticed that Vellios hadn’t come out of his room since they had come back from Virmire from what he could tell. “C’mon Vellios, don’t be stubborn, all I’m saying is come out to take a meal and then you can come back to sleep, not to come out and help me do maintenance to the ship’s engine.” Said the Batarian as he crossed his arms, waiting for an answer from the Turian.

Vellios grumbled and leaned farther forward on the edge, dangerously so, as he frowned at Khosin’s answer. He had been about to say no when his body’s weight caused him to lose his balance. His hammock’s unsure support immediately gave way causing him to topple from the roof and into the floor with a loud thump. On the way down, he curled his body so he landed hard on his back to spare his ribs any more damage.

Clutching his side, Vellios gingerly say upright when he spoke through gritted teeth, “Shit, I said I was sleeping Khosin! Can't you just let me and lie to Serena? I know she put you up to this.”

Khosin tensed when he heard a loud thump coming from Velios’s room, somewhat relaxing when he heard the Turian speaking to him again. He shifted slightly under Vellios’s accusation that he had been told to do that by Serena, debating for a second whether to lie or not before deciding to be honest with Vellios “Alright, you got me there, yeah Serena put me up to this.” Said Khosin as he pondered on what to say next “And normally I’d lie like you asked me to, believe me I understand wanting to be left alone, but I know you’ve been cooped up in your room since we got back from that shithole known as Virmire.” He said as he sat on the ship’s floor, his back rested against the wall next to the door to Velios’s room “So forgive me if I don’t believe you when you say that you’ll get something to eat later.” He said with a sigh “If you are that determined to be in your room, just tell me what you want and I’ll bring it here.” He added at the last second, waiting for an answer.

“It wasn't hard to guess since you never checked in on me before. Through I have to admit, you remind me of Bamis a bit, though you've been a little gloomy lately,” Vellios commented as he edged onto his feet, his arm used the wall to keep from falling down. Gingerly he made his way toward the door and popped it open, his head popped out to spot the Batarian slumped against the wall, “Even got the same depressed look as him too when I last saw him.”

“Heh, lots on my mind lately admittedly.” Said Khosin when Velios mentioned that he had been a little gloomy as of late, chuckling softly at what he had said earlier about it being easy to deduce that Serena had sent him since he had never checked in on him before. He looked as Vellios opened the door “Damn man, you look like a mess.” He said as he looked at the Turian before shrugging a little when he mentioned that he had the same depressed look as this Bamis he used to know “As I said, lots in my mind and none of it pleasant.” He said as he stood up, dusting his hands slightly before looking at Velios once more “Come, grab a shirt and let’s head to the kitchen.” Said the Batarian, motioning towards the direction of the ship's mess hall with his head as he waited for Velios to grab a shirt.

“You do realize my carapace covers more than human’s body hair, right? It’s not like I have those pink nubs they call nipless exposed,” Vellios replied as he retreated back into the room. He left the door open revealing him padding back to his suitcase and snatched up a discarded shirt from the floor, his nose sniffed then hauled it on over his head. Letting the thinner cloth cover his carapace, he turned to face the Batarian. He paused long enough to grab his last bottle of Turian brandy before exiting his quarters.

“I’m pretty sure there’s some rations still left in the kitchen freezer unit. Unless you’re aiming to cook because I have only enough skills to make the meal edible and that’s it,” Vellios said, stepping into the hall.

Khosin chuckled at Velios’s words “Alright, you got me there, but still, best to put something on unless you wanna get sick. And I’m pretty sure that where that to happen we’d both get an earful from Serena.” Said the Batarian, his lips twitching into a light smirk as he looked as the Turian went into his room only to return shortly after wearing a shirt and clutching a bottle of -what he guessed- was alcohol “That’s better.” He said, opting not to comment on the bottle of alcohol that the Turian was carrying with himself, as he made his way towards the hall.

“Eh, can’t be worse than the trash that they served in the Hegemony’s forces or in the Suns for that matter.” Said Khosin unthinkingly when Vellios mentioned that he had enough skills to make the meal edible and nothing more “But yeah, I do was planning to cook. Nothing too fancy, my cooking skills ain’t that much better than yours admittedly, but it’ll do.” He said as he knelt in front of the counter, searching for a few ingredients and opening the fridge to grab a bottle of Batarian ale alongside what few ingredients he needed that were on the fridge.

Vellios followed, his head swayed side to side to keep an eye out for Tanya. Eventually they would have to have their discussion but for now, the Turian wasn't in the right mood. Especially after the last dream. Shrugging the dark thoughts off, he tilted his head at the lowered Batarian and his comment. His right side of his lip curled up in a smirk.

“Keep in mind, I'm a dextrose so I can't eat the same food as you and I don't think me sitting on the toilet all day will make anyone happy… Correction, Tonka would love it and likely pat you on the back.”

Khosin laughed a little at Velios’s comment on what would happen if he accidentally gave the Turian something else than dextro food “To be fair, I think Tonka would be just as happy if I was the one who ended up eating a dextro meal and ended up sitting on the toilet all day.” He said with a low chuckle as he double-checked that he had correctly picked up dextro ingredients. Once he was satisfied that he had the necessary -and correct- ingredients, Khosin began to cook a simple meal which was done after a while “Well, here it is, nothing too big and, honestly, I haven’t cooked a dextro meal in years so hopefully it’ll be alright.” He said as he handed Velios his plate before settling in front of the Turian with the meal that he had prepared for himself, taking a swig of the nearby Batarian ale once he had sat on one of the kitchens stools.

Vellios took the bowl and examined the stew like meal. There was chunks of harpix meat, juspin, and various other meat like vegetables floating in a murky broth. His fork jabbed a greyish chunk then eyed Khosin as he frowned questionably at the meal, “I don't know why someone would want to learn to cook a food they can't eat. Seems rather pointless and fruitless because you won't know if you got it right.”

He stabbed the bobbing meat chunk then popped it into his mouth. He chewed the soft meat and absorbed the taste, grateful it didn't have the same texture of leather or worse like his own cooking. He swallowed then dug into one of the vegetables. He decided to idly chatter while he ate, “So, regretting how the last mission came out or something else bugging you about the crew?”

Khosin chuckled softly when Velios asked him why he would learn to cook food they couldn’t eat “Ah, you see, I was in the Blue Suns and I picked it there along the way..” He said with a light shrug, no need to tell Velios that he had once been sent to prepare food for the entirety Blue Suns group that he was part of as a punishment due to an altercation with a comrade “And, as I am sure you know, they have quite the number of Turians so it was an inevitability.” Said the Batarian as he took a bite off of his meal.

“Hmmm, not regretting per say but I do think we could have performed a bit better. And I mean this both as a team and on the personal level.” He said with a slight frown as he stabbed a piece of meat with his fork, popping it into his mouth and chewing on it as he ate “I’m also worried about Kasyra, that seems like a loose end that might end up badly. Nothing against her, but I’m worried over her disappearance.” He thought with a frown “But I’m just being an idiot, this sort of stuff happens all the time, forgive me.” Said Khosin with a sigh, taking a swig from his ale to calm himself “Though, I do find it worrying that half or so of our initial crew has left the team by this point., probably says something about us or maybe this bolt of buckets scared them off.” He said, letting out a chuckle in self-deprecating humor.

Vellios busted out laughing at the mention of being worried over Kasyra, “HAHAAA, you and Serena. Both of you worry over nothing and I swear, you’ll run yourselves rugged before you’re both grey and rocking on chairs if you keep it up.”

Letting his laughter die down as he continued, “Kasy can take care of herself and honestly, when she wants to turn up again then she will. We weren’t gang pressed-well correction, you weren’t- into this life and she’s lived this long. I’m sure we’ll cross paths but not for a while and until then, no point in worrying. As for mission… well, yes it could’ve gone better or worse. Why focus on the future or past when the present matters the most?”

He inhaled then scratched his itching neck with his right talon, caring less if he drew blood or not, “And yea, I miss a few of them too but I like to think they are doing better with their share then before. So knock off the gloom and worry or you’ll turn grey.”

Khosin couldn’t help but laugh alongside Velios after the Turian mentioned that he, alongside Serena apparently, would run himself rugged before he was an old man “True enough I suppose.” He said, letting out one last chuckle as his laughter started to die down. He listened in silence as Velios continued to speak “Yeah, I do suppose you are right, no sense worrying over the past or the future when it’s the present that matters the most.” He said, nodding in agreement with the Turian’s words.

“Yeah, I suppose that is true enough as well. At the very least they aren’t in this rusted bucket of bolts.” He said with a chuckle, his eyes briefly glancing towards the Turian’s neck and inwardly wincing when he noticed the tell-tale scars that slave collars left “Shit, someone else is a former slave.” He said inwardly, his thoughts briefly wandering towards Iosif before threatening to shift towards Mindoir. Grabbing his bottle, he took a long swig of ale before nodding at Velios’s last words “Ain’t that the truth.” He said with a chuckle as he continued to eat, deciding to focus on his meal -for the time being at least- rather and in his past and the mistakes he had made.

“If the scars make you uncomfortable, I can get a scarf to cover them,” Vellios stated, his head turned to spot the Batarian reach for his drink then take a ‘long’ drink. When he was younger, he had done that often enough to avoid thinking of it or shooting himself up with something to numb the emotional stress brought on by it. His fork continued to stab more food through only about every three out of five stabs made it to his maw. He decided to add another thing he hoped would’ve eased the Batarian’s discomfort, “It also wasn’t a Batarian that put it on me but a rather fucked up turian captain and his krogan first mate. I’m pretty sure the krogan had a thing for me, despite me never asking before I escaped.”

He scratched again then commented, “Still itches like hell through.”

“Nah, it’s fine, sorry, it just took em by surprise is all.” Said Khosin, shaking his head slightly as he settled down the bottle of ale. He listened when Velios said that it hadn’t been a Batarian who had put the slave collar on him, helping to ease the discomfort that Khosin was feeling although he was surprised when he explained that it had been a turian captain and krogan follower of the same captain that had put the collar on him. He was silent for a few seconds, struggling for what to say “Must have been hell.” He said quietly after Velios has mentioned that the scars still itched like hell, stabbing his dinner with the fork in his hand although he was quickly losing most of his appetite. Reaching for his bottle he took another swig of it as Khosin struggled for what to say next “If you don’t mind me asking, how did you meet Serena? As far as I know you two are the only ones that knew each other previously, weren’t you?” He asked after a while, hoping to guide the conversation away from possibly sensitive -and not to mention rather dark- themes.

“About a year ago, she was hired onto the same merc crew as I was. Being friendly and my usual charming self, I flirted a bit with her. Oh, boy did she turn redder than that fruit they call a tomato. I swore all the blood rushed to her face and I thought it was the cutest thing which only made her become more flustered. It got me laughing so hard I literally collapsed into a heap of giggles,” Vellios answered with a wide grin on his face over the memory, his talons lingered on the brandy neck before he rose up to get himself a glass. After a few loud clanks and shuffling, he produced a glass and lifted halfway upright. His eyes noted the ale was nearly down to three-fifths causing his eyes to tighten over it. He sighed and snatched another glass, pausing long enough to fill it with water on his way back to the bar counter.

Sliding onto the stool, he carefully gripped the Batarian’s ale and replaced it with water. Setting the ale at his left where it was farthest from his crew mate, Vellios explained his actions, “Might want to ease up over the ale. You’re doing maintenance over the engine after all after this and if you can’t see straight, you might bolt a screw in your hand. Something that’s not very fun as I say from a first hand account and I think I’m injured enough for both of us, don’t you agree?”

Khosin chuckled softly as Velios recounted to him how he had met with Serena “Sounds like quite the meeting.” He said, letting out another soft chuckle while shaking his head slightly. He looked on as Vellios rose up, brandy bottle in hand, and made his way towards the counter to get a glass for himself before turning his gaze towards the bottle in Khosin’s hands, the way he looked at the bottle not going unnoticed by the Batarian. When the Turian approached him, Khosin didn’t resist when Velios took the bottle from his hand and replaced it with a glass full of water

“Yeah, you are right on both accounts.” He said with a sigh, somewhat ashamed that he had drank enough ale from the bottle to the point that Vellios had felt the need to take it off from his hand “Thanks.” He muttered as he took a sip from the glass of water, his four eyes widening when he noticed that he had drank two-fifths of the bottle’s content “Wow, hadn’t realized I had drank so much.” He muttered somewhat sheepishly, not having fully realized the extent of how much alcohol he had downed already “Guess it’s a good thing I was eating while drinking, huh? Otherwise pretty sure I’d be completely drunk by this point.” He said, shaking his head before taking another sip from the glass.

“Than that would make you a lightweight, Khosin. Through honestly, I understand. Done it myself a few times just to forget things, but I think keeping busy is more productive than drinking. How much hand to hand combat do you know? I could use a sparring partner in a few weeks if you’re up to it,” Vellios offered as he sat back down and shuffled a bit to situate himself comfortably. His torso leaned against the counter to hear Khosin’s answer before pouring himself a glass of brandy and sipping it.

“Heh, haven’t drunk seriously in a while so, yeah, I’m a bit of a lightweight right now admittedly.” Said the Batarian before nodding in agreement with what Velios said next, grateful for both the fact that the Turian understood and for the offer of sparring with him, “Hmmm, not much really. I mean, I know how to throw a few punches and defend myself, but I do not have much finesse in how I fight, mainly hope that I get a good opening to throw a punch with my enforcement gauntlet or a biotic punch in case I can’t use the former.” He explained as he finished the glass of water

“So, yeah, I could definitively use a few sparring lessons.” He said as he stood up to refill his glass of water while waiting for Velios’s reply.

Vellios smirked then took another sip, his eyes watched the Batarian a bit over the explanation. He nodded his understanding as he popped in another mat chunk into his mouth and chewed the bland meat. Already he was missing Kasyra’s cooking but managed to swallow it down, thankful the food was softer than his own attempts to replicate something edible. Even Armis thought he was trying to tan a shoe the last time he tried to cook a Bryno steak and had to topple over at his confused expression over the statement.

“I could always use a challenge either way. Through I admit, I often avoided biotics as they tend to break more bones than I was willing to accept and I hated nearly starving to heal. It was annoying,” Vellios admitted and off handedly added, “I hope you’re at least sleeping better than me. I personally need a different outlet and I’ll take your comment as a yes for both of our sanity.”

He took a deeper drink of his brandy, draining it but didn’t refill it immediately.

“Don’t worry, I only pull the biotic punches on missions, not while sparring. I was merely explaining to you how I fought.” Said Khosin before he took another chunk of meat into his mouth, chewing the bland meat while Velios spoke “Hmmm, normally yes but as of late I haven’t been sleeping too well.” He admitted to the Turian, shaking his head somewhat, “But yeah, don’t worry, that was a yes because, honestly, I could use an outlet that isn’t performing maintenance to the engine every day. So I guess we are more or less on the same boat.” He said with a light chuckle.

Vellios hissed quietly at his own situation, “Yeah, it’s not hard to recognize someone who is like you. Granted through I think I’m a little better off in the recovery and acceptance place,” Vellios bit his lip for a moment in thought then propped up from his seat. His arm reached for a pad of paper and a pen, his talons struggled to hold it upright in his thicker digits. Hastily he scribbled a extranet address for Dr. T’Vynas over it before he passed it over to Khosin, “If you’re ever looking to talk to someone that’s not actually on ship and has experience in dealing with some fucked up individuals, try her. She’s the one that helped me recover after Haides and honestly, while I don’t know what’s eating at you… she can at least help if you’re not able to handle it alone. Just tell her Vellios Malkai suggested it.”

He settled into his chair again and poured his brandy again into his glass, this time to the very top. Vellios gave another cocky smirk then sipped his glass, “As for my part, best I can do is give you another outlet and keep your drinking in check so you haven’t any more regrets. Through for this to work… you’re going to have to resist drinking when I’m not around. You’re not as cute as Dex or likely as light sadly.”

“Yeah, I suppose that’s right….still, thanks Vellios.” Said Khosin, feeling relieved to find a -somewhat- kindred spirit aboard the ship. He looked as the Turian reached up for a pad of paper and then for a pen, his surprise only growing when he handed him an extranet address “Dr T’Vynas….thanks Vellios, I appreciate it.” Said the Batarian as he looked at the piece of paper “T’Vynas, and Asari probably….who knows maybe she can help me.” Thought Khosin, a small smile forming on his lips.

“Don’t worry, I promise you won’t find me passed out in the middle of the mess hall.” Chuckled Khosin “But thanks for your help Vellios, I appreciate it.” Said the Batarian as he reached towards the Turian, giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder and then settled on the stool again.

“I couldn’t save a friend on the Haides, but I can help you here and now,” Vellios treating the hand off as nothing much, his mouth still fixed in a pleased smirk, and reassured the Batarian again, “She will try and honestly, isn’t that all you need in the end? She’s also able to do mind melding therapy if you visit her in person. It’s had some positive results and high success rate, but never been brave enough to try it myself. Mostly because I believe no one should live my hell but me.”

Khosin nodded in silence when Velios mentioned that, while he couldn't help a friend on the Haides, he could help him now, a fact for which the Batarian was immensely grateful. He nodded when his Turian explained to him that Dr T’Vynas offered mind melding therapy in person if he found himself able to visit her in person “I understand, thank you Vellios” He said as he sipped his glass of water, his mind still processing what Vellios had told him.

Vellios continued to scoop the watery broth then chewed and swallowed it, the food sliding down into his gizzard. It warmed him but only filled him half way causing his figure to rise and move toward the makeshift stove. He scooped another round before he flopped upon the seat to continue eating. His head perked when he heard footsteps coming from the crew’s quarters and headed into his directions his eyes turned to spot Iosif.

Their co-pilot wearily ran a palm along his face, rubbing at his eyes - it didn’t take a genius to tell that the man had taken their shore leave as an opportunity to grab some shut-eye. Unlike the others, Iosif didn’t find any comfort in the notion of sharing sleeping space with the likes of Khosin, however much the others might’ve grown to trust the batarian by this point, so he’d instead found rest in the confines of the cockpit, if only for a few hours.

For a moment, he didn’t take any notice of the turian enjoying his broth, instead turning towards the sink unit and releasing a stream of lukewarm water which he began to splash across his face.

“Rough night?” Vellios asked as he paused on his eating, noting Iosif washing his face to wake up. His figure leaned back in his seat and studied the human.

”No,” Iosif grunted, ”Just needed some rest.”

After another moment of splashing water on his face, he tugged at the collar of his shirt and used it to dry himself off.

”You? Had a chance to visit the Alliance’s defining colony?” The tone he’d used was a dry one, not entirely endearing to his old life.

“Not really. Only colonies I've visited, aside from brief stops, were Turian and for supplies and men,” Vellios shot back easily.

”Guess the military culture does that to you. Don’t take this the wrong way, but eh... don’t you turians have some kind of equivalent of a tourist hotspot, or whatever?”

Vellios gave Iosif a look as he replied, amusement in his tone, “Likely but I've never been there honestly for a long time. I didn't do too well in those types of scenes some times and preferred more hostile ones.”
That earned him an amused snort from the slav. ”You ought to try my hometown. Nothing like a UV sun-tan to lighten up your day.”

Vellios tapped his hard carapace, reminding Iosif the UV rays would not get through it, as he continued, “I don't think I'll be getting a tan with this. However, I am curious about what type of place might've produced a hardened individual like yourself. Mind sharing?”

Yet another amused snort was produced through Iosif’s nostrils as he heard Vellios’ choice of language. ”Does Lowell City ring a bell with you?”
Vellios shook his head.

”Didn’t think so. It’s a population center on Mars. Y’know, the dustbowl planet where my species first discovered Prothean tech - nothing particularly interesting unless you’re a fan of low gravity, endless dust storms and a freezing, red desert which stretches out for hundreds of kilometers in every direction. Unless you’re wearing a suit, you’re gonna be freeze dried in seconds. Not exactly the most hospitable homeworld, I guess, but it wasn’t so much dangerous as it was boring.”
“Better than hopping from ship to ship with no ground under your feet, or plundering for living. It explains why you left, but not why you joined up here,” Vellios pointed out and continued, “I'm sure there's likely something you miss back home? I know I do.”

”Yeah, there are shittier places to start.” Iosif conceded, before continuing to address the turian’s subsequent question, ”Back there? Nothing especially, I’ve made a life out here for myself.”
“You still could've went anywhere and done anything. Now, I got a reason to want violence and thrive in it, but as far as I see… You don't,” Vellios commented and leaned into his table, his arm toyed with his spoon in his stew. His head still studied his crew mate for another answer.

”At the time, I wanted the Alliance. Or, if you’re interested in the specifics, I wanted to be a pilot. Remember, when I left home, aliens were wholly new to our species. I’d never even met a turian in the... flesh, until just after I’d been given my first posting in the Terminus Systems. Enlisting was a means to the end, really...” Iosif gave pause for a moment and shot a glance towards his own prosthetic arm, his fingers gently twitching, ”I suppose the violence came with the territory.”

“It's usually the ground troopers, not the pilot, that often suffers the physical evidence. What happened to cause that if you don't mind me asking?” Vellios asked and pointed to the slav’s cybernetic prosthesis.

”Story I’ve told enough times.” Iosif flexed his wrist for just a moment, [color=steelblue]”Shot down, arm pinned down by the fuselage. From what I was told by the medical staff who treated me, I was lucky to leave just that behind.”[/color=steelblue] Sniffing, he pointed his artificial index finger at the turian. ”Your guardian angel, Serena, would probably have a thing or two to say about misuse, but it turns out having a cybernetic limb is helpful when you need to apply a little extra force.”

“More like that human story, Beauty to the Beast, without the love interest. And you're right about that. She has a passion for machines of any variety so I suggest bring earplugs for that conversation,” Vellios confirmed and smirked at the thought, “I can't disagree that that cybernetics pack a hell of a punch when used by the right people.”
”Speaking of Beauty and the Beast.... how’d you two wind up working together?” Iosif hunched forwards with a quizzical gaze, stretching his neck as he turned a question towards his turian crewmate.

“As I told Khosin earlier before he went off to do an extranet call, we met when we both were assigned to the same job. She had been the only other none female Asari, so being my normal and charming self. I flirted with her. She went redder than that fruit called a tomato and I busted out into a fit of giggles. It was adorable.”

Vellios smiled at the memory, one of his few he cherished, as he scooped up another mouthful and swallowed quickly. His eyes drifted to note the barcode on Iosif’s neck and tightened his brow in his attempt to place it. Between chews, he then asked something he hope he wouldn’t result in a fight, “I didn't realise humans branded their military personnel.”

For a moment, the slav’s face seemed to harden, like stone. ”They don’t.” Then, after yet another pause, Iosif’s expression softened. He reached around to the back of his neck, then gave it a scratch, like some kind of phantom itch. ”I got this when the batarians put me to work in the mines.”

“That explains the tension around Khosin,” Vellios said then downed his glass of brandy, something he hadn't touched yet. Mainly since he wanted to see how long he could go before he needed it and drained it in one swallow, “They made some crude and cruel devices for that shit, but at least a brand could be burned off. However, you didn't.”

”You’re observant,” Iosif remarked, with a grim expression. ”It keeps me on my toes, reminds me of how I wound up in that situation. As for our batarian colleague, it’ll also be a good reminder for him to stay in line.”

“I figured as much, through honestly you're best putting that behind you and moving on. Just my opinion, but I also know it's easier said than done,” Vellios stated and poured himself another drink, his bottle about a fifth empty. He sat there, ignoring his stew and thinking a bit, before he reconsidered his next question, “Part of me wants to ask you how you got away but I think I already know the answer. So I'll just let it rest and change the topic. Your choice on what we talk about.”

Part of that was appreciated on the slav’s part, to which he gave the turian an affirming nod. ”So, you ever visit Earth?” He asked, with genuine curiosity.

“Hell no, according the hierarchy humans are a disorganized, crazy race,” Vellios teased then got serious, “Seriously though, I haven't and for good reason. I served during the 314 incident and I highly doubt my kind are accepted with open arms.”

Iosif couldn’t help but stifle a chuckle. ”Honestly? With the history of war in our species, I think you’d be more a point of fascination than anything.”

“I doubt that. I just sort of focused on the individuals rather than what race they are. If I wanted to be bitter, I would be pretty lonely myself and likely dead,” the dark carapace Turian pointed out as he couldn't name a race he wasn't wronged by in some fashion.

”I guess you’re right, to a point.” Iosif conceded yet again, though his thoughts on their four-eyed crewmate remained the same.

“Besides, I'm fucked up mentally as it is. Why do I want more shit to deal?” Vellios took another sip and stared at his glass for another moment.

”For what it’s worth,” Iosif began, treading cautiously as he ventured onto what could’ve potentially been thin ice, ”Relying on those non-prescription meds of yours won’t help. Trust me there, I know.”
“Armis would agree with you on that but she understood my condition. One of the few females willing to put with up my baggage and still love the shit out of me for all my flaws,” Vellios’ tone had a wishful and loving tone in it. Not one of mourning or regret, but fondness over a memory he held close.

He straightened up, then looked Iosif over with an approach that he knew Serena would've smacked him for later, “You're how old Iosif? Have you ever considered finding a mate or someone to share your time with? I'm pretty sure that cybernetic arm doesn't get the job done or talks back.”

”Thirty-one.” He answered, albeit he’d been caught unprepared for such a question as that, at least from someone like Vellios. ”And... well, I’ve had my share of relationships, I guess. Nothing that would’ve been called serious, guess I never had time for it.”

“I was curious was all. I'm surprised no one tried to snatch you up since. My wife didn't hesitate to tie the knot when I explained things,” Vellios chuckled, swirling the brandy in his glass bottom, “I often wonder what my mother would've thought of and if she would've been proud of me.”

His eyes shifted over to Iosif and added, “I don't suppose you have thoughts like that time to time, do ya?”
”Sometimes, maybe. I’ve had other things on my mind, in truth.”

“It seems like that's something common with everyone on ship. Even Serena,” Vellios said, letting the topic fall flat for the moment. His eyes stared at this stew a bit longer then slid it away, half eaten, and focused on his drink. Part of him wondered what Serena was likely doing and if she was getting into mischief or keeping the other girls out of it.
He chuckled softly, “I hope Serena isn't running herself ragged looking after Dex and Tanya.”

”If she can babysit you, I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Iosif pointed out.
“Doesn't mean I can't worry about her. She does have a knack for getting into trouble or rather, it finds her.”

”Perhaps, perhaps not - this is Elysium, nothing like Omega or Illium - with all due respect, our batarian crewmate is more likely to be found by trouble here.”

“I thought the same thing when we were anchored on a planet with a human colony. All I know, for sure, is one moment I'm sipping brandy and next she comes running up saying she needs my help. It seems one of her bots exploded near their drilling machines and I needed to climb down the vent to haul up individuals from the wreck,” Vellios mentioned as he recalled the incident in his mind, his mandibles wiggled in amusement followed by a low hum in his throat, “Still think I worry too much?”

The slav couldn’t help but crack a thin smile. ”Maybe so, though you’ve given me a better understanding of your perspective.”

Vellios downed the last of his Turian Brandy in his cup and slid it to the side with his bowl. He sat upright then glanced at his quarters door, mentally debating on retreating back to the confines of his room or stretching his legs. The slight pain in his ribs decided it for him. Twisting his legs to the other side and hopping off, he excused himself, “I better get my ribs checked out and make sure I didn't break something when I toppled out of bed. If you'll excuse me Iosif, I need to go to the medical bay. It was nice talking to you and I wouldn't mind doing it again soon.”

Iosif gave his turian crewmate a nod, but seemed content to remain in the mess for a little while longer. ”Agreed, you make good conversation when you’re not trying to commit suicide by proxy.”

Hazan knocked on Drono's door. Out of the entire crew, the drell was the one he'd conversed with the least. Other than occasional chats during mealtimes, he barely even saw him around. The fact that he'd been knocked around on Virmire concerned him, since they didn't have a proper medic. Currently they were on shore leave, so he at least hoped to find the drell a doctor.

"Whozzat?" Dronos voice came, somewhat slurred, from the other side of the door. Followed with a thunk as something hit the floor and plenty of Drell cursing. "Give me a sec." There was more noise, more cursing and then the door slid open. Drono looked a bit sluggish, and his room smelled of gun grease and cleaners.

"It's Hazan. I'm taking you to a doctor."

There was a moment of absolute silence. Then the Drell slowly began to close the door. No words, just, inching the door close as if Haze would not notice him doing it.

A firm talon slapped against the door, stopping it from closing.

"I'm not joking, Drono. You need a doctor. Those painkillers won't fix that injury. Y'know I haven't forgotten what you sent to all of us before Virmire."

His tone was firm and insistent. Hazan didn't want to spend his shore leave rotting in the ship, beating himself up over his mistakes. If he had to do something, at least he could show the drell he cared.

"I am seeing a doctor. At Lafayette. But fine. I seem to have fucked up my cocktail. Perhaps they can help me with that." Drono said, the false conviction in his voice fooling nobody. He turned and got his jacket. "Let's go get this over with."

Hazan stood at the door, dressed rather plainly in a shirt and jeans. With his visor still on.

As drono pushed past him, he grumbled "Fucking do-gooders" HIs jacket as it were, had the logo of a famous Turian Rap group emblazoned on the back. Proudly proclaiming that the Drell had been and bought it at one of their concerts.

"C'mon. Nearest doctor's just a block or two away. If we don't get you in working order by our next contract, there's gonna be hell to pay. 'Sides, I gotta see someone for this leg that's not some military medic."

The slender gray turian led the way off the ship, still limping slightly on his left leg. The injury he'd gotten way back on Omega hadn't healed the whole way, even with the gel cast. He walked down the shuttle bay ramp and onto the cool, sunny streets of Elysium.

The human colony stood proud and tall as an example of how hardy the humans were. After the blitz all those years ago, they'd rebuilt. Now Elysium was a shiny colony that spoke of prosperity and progress. But all that bullshit didn't interest him. Hazan was looking for a clinic, more specifically a clinic he'd found on his omnitool while searching for medical stations.

"As I said. I am going to Lafayette station. They will know what to do. For me it isn't as easy to just walk in and go "Hey, take a look at my back" you feel me?" Drono explained exasperated. But even as he spoke, the fresh air seemed to bring some livelyness into him. As they walked past a small stall selling some kind of fried food he motioned for thme to stop. "Hold up." He approached the stall, eyeing the delichius smelling food.

"Seriously? Snack break?"

Hazan couldn't help but make a wry smile as Drono immediately diverted towards a fried food stall, and just like the drell he couldn't resist the temptation of fried treats, especially after the past few days' worth of MREs.

"Yeah. We've lived on basic stuff. I need some grease in me." Drono complained. The stall owner, a portly looking human rubbed his hands and offered them a smile. "What would it be today?"

"Fair point. Fuck MREs, seriously."

"What do you got that a Turian can eat. And what greasy, godforgotten ball of deepfried meat do you got for a hungry drell?" Drono inquired, hungrily eyeing the little charchoal grill and frying wat.

"Hope you got something dex-amino based, friend.

"Oh. Yes yes. We do we do. Plenty of Turians pass here." He said as he fished out what appeared to be some sort of lizard meat on a stick. "Fried in dex-amino based frying batter. The meat is from Hedgemony approved sources. All Dex-amino certified I assure you."

Looking to the drell he said. "And you good Drell, you were after the juicy stuff?" Drono looked at him, he might have been drooling and his stumach gave a growl. The man handed him a plate of something that was practicly drowning in fried fat.

"Oh... man.. " Drono payed the man his money without a word then set to wolfing the food down.

"That's...actually pretty cool. I'll take two!"

Hazan eagerly paid in credits and took two sticks of the fried meat, moving away with the drell so they could eat in peace. While Drono hungrily wolfed down his food, the turian took his time, savouring every bite.

"Fuck MREs, man. This shit is the best."

"Agreed" The drell said as he wiped his chin. The food nad fresh air had done wonders for his disposition. Albeit the fact they were seeing a doctor did put a dampener on things. "You do realize that I am to fucked up for any ol' clinic right?"

"I realise. But if they can get your drugs right, then that tides the trip over some, right? Lafayette is still some time away. Aren't you worried about the interim?"

"Of course I do. I may be the most chipper son of a bitch you'll ever meet. But I am not dumb. Of course I worry. I wake up thinking I am paralyzed in the middle of the night. Compared to that, the trips aint that bad." He pondered for a little while. "Ok, I lied. The trips are really bad when I screw up the dosage. Has to do with us drells and our memories."

"I can imagine. That's why we should get your dosages squared away. Can't have one of our best scouts not at a hundred percent, hmm?"

Hazan eyed the drell while chewing thoughtfully.

"Ah. But I am our only scout besides you." Drono chuckled. "I was hoping we would head for Lafayette next actually. Last I heard, Doc had gotten into trouble with some local thugs or something."

"I'd hope so. Then maybe I can get my leg checked out as well. This gel cast just isn't working..."

He gestured to his left leg, pulled up his jeans leg to show the blue medi-gel cast there.

"Oh man,. That is starting to smell." He said half jokingly.

"Hehe. I think so too. But it keeps my leg from hurting a lot, so I'm keeping it on until I can get a proper doctor to look at it."

"Speaking of." The drell stopped short infront of a pair of doors. "Seems we are here." The drell was visibly nervous and mumbled to himself. "Doctors are good, but I don't know if I should."

Hazan finished off the last of his meat sticks and tossed the empty sticks into a nearby bin.

"Well don't be nervous. It's just about your meds, nothing more."

He strode to the doors and they slid open noiselessly. The turian stood by to keep the doors open.

"Usually I am high" He mumbles as he walks inside. His eyes darted about, fingers twitiching. The smell of disinfectents washed over him suddenly and he almost turned right there and then. Memories of a similair lobby, dragging himself inside flashed before his eyes. But he steeled himself and kept moving. "Ok... Ok I am good. Lets go."

Hazan kept by Drono's side as they walked into the lobby together. He approached the counter first and attracted the attention of the lady there.

"Hey, uh, miss. We were looking for some medical attention? I've got a bum leg, injured a while back. My friend here's got some meds he needs looked at?"

"Does it seem to require surgery or is the damage more surface related?" The woman spoke with a pleasant tone.

"That's the thing, I'm not sure? I had a pretty bad fall, got a cast on it and everything but I don't know if the inside's injured."

"Xray and bonescan. Very well. The waiting room to the left, at the end of that corridor." She pointed to a corridor leading off to the right.

"After you Haze." Drono said, looking down the corridor.

"Right then."

Hazan nodded to the drell and limped down the corridor, going to the last waiting room at the end of the hall and disappearing inside.

Drono was left standing. He glanced at the door. He could leave, claim he saw something of interest. But no, that would be wrong of him. Instead he asked the nurse. "Do I need to follow Hazan?" and slumped down next to him on a chair that seemed to be built for aesthethics rather than comfort.

The nurse shook her head and smiled.

"No need, sir. The procedure shouldn't take that long. Meanwhile, your friend said something about...medication?"

"Ah yes. I have been taking this cocktail"

"Cocktail?"

"You know. Complex condition, needs a precise mix."

"Ah. And you are unsure whether or not you are doing the right amount."

"Lady. I ran out of the right stuff two months and a half ago. Been supplementing as I go"

"Um...Right... DO you have a list of what medicines you been taking the past, say half a year?" She asked, She looked at him with some concern. When he produced the list her eyes grew wide. "I... Wait right here." She was quickly walking away to grab the closest person, there was several loud discussions, some gawking at the list as they find a new name on it that made no sense. When she retured she cleared her throat.

"You... You do realize several of these are considered illegal narcotics"

"Depends on who you ask and what race you are lady."

At that moment Hazan stepped out into the lobby, stretching his shoulder as he limped towards Drono.

"Everything alright? I heard a racket out here."

"Ah. It appears my cocktail isn't strictly legal."

"No, Mr Drono." A male voice rang out. "But it isn't a problem. the original components of said medication, while higly unusual for a Drell to imbue, are fully legal." The man that approached them looked old, greying hair and a scraggly but not entirely unkempt beard covered his chin. He was portly gentleman. He took Dronos hand.

"I am Doctor Joel Axelson. This clinics toxicologist. I would like to make a quick medical examination. Mainly to check your blood for any traces of some of these... unique medical components on the list. Do not worry, this is not going to wire to any authorities or get you slammed for posession." Drono hesitated, the mans voice was enjoyable, the kind of grandfatherly tone that made you instinctively trust a person.

"Alright doc. No names or incriminating evidence in your report, alright." Drono said as he followed the man. Once inside the office, Dr Joel frowned deeply and crossed his arms across his chest.

"First, Mr Drono. I would like to know what in stars names you thought when you mixed in hallucigens." He said the last part with extra emphasi while he drew a vial of Dronos blood.

"Well. Ever wanted to escape reality?"

"Yes. I think we all have Drono. However, hallucigenic drugs are a exeptionally poor choice in both health regard and the whole escape reality situation. Your memory store sensory input on a level unique to your race. You simply have to much shit on your mind to ever do hallucigenics safely."

"Ohh..."

"Ohh indeed. Now. I can only imagine the pain you have to be to take some of these. But Zanhalixide is downright lethal in bigger doses for a human." Joel stared him in the eyes.

"Oh that. I was only once. I puked for like, nine hours. Never again." He said with a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his head.

"Well. I can provide you with the clean mixture your doctor actually prescribed you. In fact. I can do you one better."

"You can score me some Androma?" Drono said before he could stop himself. It was a good natured joke, and his tone reflected such. But the silence that fell of the rumor made him glance at the exit. Then Joel chuckled.

"No. But I can switch some of the mixture for more efficient medicine, meant for your reptilian like biology. I am guessing the people who helped you with your back."

"Wait. I didn't mention my goddamn back." Dronos eyes shot wide in alarm. His hand grabbed for a gun wasn't there. Dr Joel simply rolled his eyes.

"You told me not to put anything on the records Drono. And I haven't, but I ran a search in the medicinal database on your blood. The clinic you go to are mainly for humans, but its part of the same network as mine. I believe they have been working on getting you a specialist, am I right?"

"Yes. I am still a bit thrown at the fact that you clearly know about me."

"Call it destiny. But I know Dr Marcella from several medical conferences. She talked in vague terms, as to not break confindentiality. But whne I heard we had a Drell here with a curious list of drugs and medicine. I put one and one together. " He tossed three bottles to him. Drono looked at it with suspcion.

"This feels... a little... light."

"They will do the job better then the hellish mix you call a cocktail. Trust me. Your liver will be thankful. Now get out of my office before I discover something in your that is downright explosive." He said. Drono didn't need a reminder to get out. He looked to Haze.

"Alright. I will admit. That wasn't too bad." He eyed the pill bottles. There was a note in one of them. He took it out and read it slowly.

-Don't mix with alcohol. You will really die.-

"I swear. That Doc is a spectre or something."

Hazan chuckled and shook his head.

"I told ya. I got my cast changed and now it's back to working order, by the by. Doc told me to lay off any serious running until the fracture sets. Now, you wanna continue wandering around? Maybe we can get some more food. Real food."

"Sounds like a plan."

---

Dex opened the case for her M-97 Viper, by far her favourite rifle to use a hum of content as she closed it hiking it up over her shoulder effortlessly. The day had picked up after they had landed on Elysium, had an embarrassing debriefing with Captain Donnelly, then everyone was given time to relax. She knew of at least one person she wanted to drag along to practice. No questions, no emotionally wrenching conversations waited. It was a relief. She shrugged on a light jacket anticipating the cooler weather from the morning.

The turian made her way through the ship, the afternoon was open. Sliding down the ladder to the hangar she heard the music first before she saw Tanya standing at an easel, a tarp covered in paint. “Hey! Tanya!” She shouted over the music.

”Shithead, lower volume to 15%.” she shouted to her drone, which motionlessly complied with the directive as it hovered unwaveringly nearby, casting an orange globe on the surrounding work area as if it were a small sun. ”Dex, how’s it going? I assume you are itching to get off the ship.” She asked, dipping her brush into a water jar.

“Yeah, more than you know. I’m heading to the shooting range, get some practice in. You want to join me?” Dex asked stepping to the edge of the tarp, paint spotted and splashed the mechanic in a similar way grease or oil did usually.

Tanya didn’t take long to decide. ”Playing with guns and not breathing recycled air. You sure know how to show a girl a good time. I’d like to taste something that hasn’t been frozen or baked in sixteen layers of preservatives for space flight for a change.” she said, capping off her paint jars and standing up from the stool with a stretch. ”Give me 20 minutes to freshen up, and I’ll meet you back here?”

“Sure. Digging yourself out of layers of paint would take a few minutes.” She commented. “I’ll meet you outside the ship.”

Dex hammered open the hangar doors, taking in a long breath of cool fresh air. Still too cold for her liking but she didn’t mind. The spaceport was busy with ships arriving and leaving, the sky filled with movement. There was precious little where Dex felt at home or comfortable but local ports with busy traffic was one of the places she felt centered. She called a taxi. It wasn’t long before Tanya reappeared toting her own gun case, conveniently the taxi had arrived a few minutes before Tanya did.

Tanya reemerged washed up and hair fixed up, eliminating all traces of her hobby or mechanical handiwork on her body, save for some barely noticeable black stains within her fingerprints and under the nails. She wore simple thick blue cargo pants, a pair of brown leather hiking boots, and a black jacket, made of similar materials as the pants. She had her Vindicator and Predator already stuffed inside a hard case, which was strapped over her shoulder.

She looked at the taxi with a frown. ”What, wasn’t going fast enough for your tastes?” she asked.

“Not nearly.” Dex joked. “Let’s go, been looking forward to the range all day.”

They unloaded their cases into the trunk of the cab then hopped in themselves. “Maximilian's Gun Range, please.”

The taxi took off crossing the city, dipping in and out of heavy traffic. The ride was a comfortable silence, Dex didn’t feel an awkward shift while the background radio played. Reiterating her relief in asking Tanya to join her. Neither of them held any real expectations for the other. Just their first chance to spend any time outside of crew dinners, the odd visit down to the hangar, Dex didn’t know much about the human beyond her need to go back to Terra Nova for the memorial.

They arrived to the gun range, it wasn’t much time to get registered and pay for their slot of time and admittance. The range was set outside, deep pits of dirt were dug out. Bright orange markers showed the distance of some large scrap metal targets with red bulls eyes. Dex settled her case against the wooden benches, she opened her case plucking the rifle up out of the soft foam, unfolding it full size. She checked the sights, then turned to Tanya.

“What rifle did you bring?”

Tanya plopped her case down on the bench next to Dex. ”Only one I own. And my sidearm.” she said, pulling the blocky M-15 from the case and strapping a holster to her thigh with the M-3 Predator sitting snug within it. ”Truth be told, if the rifle didn’t do all the calculations in the scope for me, I’d be buggered if I tried to hit anything past 300 meters, and even then it’s a bit of a chore.” she said, the rifle extending in her hands and power indicators coming to life. ”Was never much of a marksman. So tell me, what does a spy like yourself need to be a crack shot for? Isn’t most of your old job hiding behind a desk and cackling evilly?” she askedTa with a teasing grin.

Dex laughed easily, “Most of my old job was field work. Cackling evilly behind a desk was my boss.” Settling down and straddling the bench, “Sounds like you need some practice. My military years were spent primarily in the cockpit, even with other… uh hobbies keeping me occupied I always found time to get my hours logged in at the range. Even after that it was habit by the time my military service was done. Much like exercise. Routine, consistency that lacks in so many other areas in my life.” Dex hummed pleasantly through her sub vocals, eyeing down her scope trying to find a good word to describe what it was she liked about spending time at the shooting range. “Comfort, yeah.” She took careful aim of her target.

“My hobbies have a habit of saving my life in one way or another,” She took three consistent shots at the target mid range, warming up. Two hit the inner rings of the bullseye. “Or causing trouble. Depends who you ask.”

She grinned at Tanya opening the conversation. “I remember you mentioning the trip to Terra Nova would be for your father’s memorial. He participated in the Relay 314 Incident? I was only...” She paused calculating the years, “17 CE years at the time, I think. Everyone was shitting their pants over some new aliens.”

Tanya was prone on the mat beside Dex’s bench, adjusting her optical settings. ”Were said hobbies the reason one of your arms attracts fridge magnets?” Tanya asked, taking aim at the 200m target, watching the little red circle adjust to the weather conditions and range. She put this on top of her target, which still looked large enough in the 3.5x magnification. Her thumb flicked up and knocked the fire selector to semi-automatic and inhaling, she put pressure on the trigger as she began to exhale, the rifle barking almost unexpectedly as it hit within 4 inches of the center of the target. ”18? I didn’t know you had nearly a decade on me. I was 9 when that all happened… when I lost my dad.” adjusting the scope’s settings, Tanya reacquired her target. ”Lieutenant-Commander Eric Carson, 4th Frontier Division, 6th Fleet. Commanded a cruiser that went down during the turian counter-attack, the reaction before you guys could mobilize your entire fleet. To think he only missed the ceasefire by… what, a week or so?” she asked, her rifle barking once more. The shot landed a couple inches higher and an inch closer.

“Nah, pirates did me in. Took a shotgun blast point blank at my shoulder. There are easier ways to get a new limb, shotguns are low on that list. My best friend is my engineer, he built the current model from scratch. Owe him my life.” She said lightly, peeking at the targets Tanya hit. “Not bad, I can see what you mean about the range for your rifle. A different barrel might help that accuracy some.”

“You make it sound like I’m ancient.” She commented with a chuckle. “For whatever it’s worth, I’m sorry you lost your father to that stupid fucking battle. I think I’d lose my mind if anything happened to my family.” She said making eye contact with Tanya, sincerity hummed over her sub vocals but she hoped Tanya picked up on it.

”Barrel’s fine, thing’s rated out to 1.5 kilometers for an effective range. I just have squishy flesh that doesn’t lock in place like certain cyborgs do that help with my shot placement.” Tanya said, sighing, setting her rifle down and looking back at the turian. ”Yeah, I won’t lie, kinda sucked. I remember my dad pretty well, even though I was so young. I definitely wasn’t ready to say goodbye, you know?” she shook her head. ”Dad was the reason I got into the whole military thing, it’s been a long-running tradition for the men in the family going back well before the 20th century on Earth. He didn’t have a chance to have a boy, so I felt like I needed to take up the mantle, as much as that killed my mom. Well, partially that and home didn’t feel like home after my fiance died, so I wanted to get away for a while and figure things out.”

“Yeah I think I can understand. No real closure. Things that made home - home - disappeared for you. Here’s hoping whatever shit we run into out here in the black won’t fuck us up much worse than we are now. Generally speaking for myself of course…” Dex trailed off her mind wandering to the handful of stories she’s heard so far.

Dex aimed again breaking eye contact, moving her target past the 400 meter mark. “Your father sounds like an accomplished man. If you don’t mind my asking, what was your fiance like? I can imagine someone who could keep up with you.” She squeezed the trigger hitting the bullseye and subsequently two shots following that were blown off course by the stray wind. She muttered, “Fuck you, wind.”

A slight smile creased Tanya’s lips. ”Gary was colourful, full of life. Had a sense of optimism and invulnerability that made him seem immune to hardships, and nothing kept him down for long. He’s the one who really got me into vehicles, since he worked at the same shop I got hired onto and spent most of his time teaching me all of my basics. He was funny, crude as fuck, and we teased each other relentlessly.” Her smile faded and she stared at the ground, her chest rising and lowering in a slow breath. ”It felt like all the colour left the world after I lost him. Been trying to find it again, but it’s tough. I don’t know what he’d think of me if he saw how I turned out.” she admitted.

Dex didn’t take her eyes off the target, partially knowing if she looked at Tanya now she’d lose her train of thought. “If you were set to marry him I’d say he’d understand. People get married to people they don’t like all the time, by the sounds of it you two loved each other. Some understanding comes from that naturally.” She shot again hitting the target in the same sequence of three with success. “From the mess I saw earlier in the hangar with your painting, I’d say you’re well on your way.”

”Yeah well, he sure as hell didn’t sign on for a borderline alcoholic PTSD suffering asshole who ran away from home rather than try to stay home and try to do right by his family. I let a lot of people down. I just… I just think if he saw me now, he wouldn’t recognize me. I’m a different person now.” Tanya said, picking her rifle up and flicking the fire selector to burst. She let off a string of shots, not caring much if they grouped nicely. ”I only really started painting to kind of cope with shit, y’know? I’d always had an eye for details, and I took to it well. Sometimes it’s easier to come to terms with things that happen when you can pluck them out of your head and throw them onto a piece of canvas and sell them off to someone who thinks it has some sort of meaning. Fucking weird, I know.”

Dex let her Viper cool before taking aim again. “Convenient more than weird, spending money in exchange for your problems painted on a canvas. At least with your family, showing up for the memorial will be the right thing to do, help patch things up maybe. Fuck if I know. I hope it does for you.” She paused adjusting the magnification on her scope, peering for a target at 500 meters. “Can’t say much for Gary and what he would think about you, but change is inevitable. If you had met me twelve years ago, you would have met a turian with two organic arms. Some of us internalize that poison, paint it on a canvas or drink it away. We’re all coping in one way or another, right?”

“It’s sometimes easy to forget that everyone carries poison inside them in one form or another.” She thought about Galentos, sometimes she wanted things to go back to the way things were before. When she woke up everyday knowing what she had to do. It would mean swallowing his poison and saying thank you. Ignoring her own as well. “Regardless… I don’t have to tell you that.”

”I don’t think any of us doing this kind of work are really healthy, not really. We’re all coping with some serious and unsolvable shit, y’know? I know change happens, I accept that, but most of the time it’s… progressive, healthy. I don’t get through a night without having nightmares. I drink way too much because a numb mind helps me from thinking about this shit. I try not to let people too close to me so I don’t have to bring up the dead… it’s just one thing after another, and some really shitty coping strategies.” Tanya said, biting her lip. She decided to move her sights out to the 300m target.

”Mom kind of disowned me. She reluctantly gave her blessing for me to join the Alliance, and I left her back on Terra Nova alone, no family or anything. It took her husband from her and when I came back… well, I wasn’t the same person. It basically destroyed her and she never learned how to cope again. I don’t know if I’ll even see her at the memorial. I don’t care… I just want to say goodbye to my father.”

“Yeah, can relate to all too well, keeping things at arm's length. Came with the old job of course, couldn’t get attached to any of the crews I infiltrated. Thank you by the way, for not making this conversation a quid pro quo. Can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.” She punctuated her sentence with a shot, the wind blowing off the shot again. “We’ll get you to Terra Nova for that memorial.” She leaned back and looked to Tanya.

”Look, I don’t like when people pry into my personal shit, so the courtesy goes both ways. I figure you’ll tell me what you want to when you’re ready. Besides, way I see it, you could have dug up all my dirty laundry given your history, but you chose not to because you want to respect boundaries and that. I respect you for that… and thanks.” Tanya said, popping off another pair of haphazardly-aimed shots. She really wasn’t trying; she was just enjoying the atmosphere.

Dex focused back onto her scope then smiled, her mandibles stretching. “You can wash your own dirty laundry. Fucking gross.” She joked, the equivalent of cackling rumbled out of her sub vocals. “I do try to respect boundaries. Somehow managed to find out more than I bargained for, at least in such a short amount of time. Vellios, Serena, Kho-” She rhymed the names off on her talons stopping herself before getting much farther. “You get the idea. Have had my fair share of emotionally draining conversations lately, even if I was digging for information on purpose this would have been an easy mark.”

“Then again it’s a sign of trust, at least… I like to think so. Can’t read minds.” She said chuckling along. “Maybe one day you’ll hear one of my esteemed secrets. They’re pretty juicy, sex scandals about strangers and cheating spouses. That’s just the entrance to the silver mine.” Hoping to distract away from her mention of Khosin.

It was impossible to miss the Khosin slip-up. Dex could have mentioned his name casually and Tanya wouldn’t have thought it off, but the fact she immediately tried to cover up her mention of the name aroused Tanya’s curiosity and a lingering sense of dread in her chest. Had Khosin confided something in Dex that would have been troublesome to know about? She wanted to believe he was a good guy who had the misfortune of being the same species as a shitload of literal monsters, but now there was that lingering doubt again… ”God, I really hope Iosif’s wrong about him… she thought pleadingly. Still, she decided to let it slip for now. It wasn’t worth wrecking a perfectly fine day with paranoia and suspicion.

”I’m pretty sure you name drop half the galaxy and I still wouldn’t have the foggiest clue of who the hell you were talking about. If you ever decide to share some deep dark secret, I hope it’s something about yourself rather than deflecting some billionaire tycoon with a VI fetish.” Tanya replied, setting herself back in behind the rifle.

Dex shrugged relaxing when Tanya didn’t jump on her slip, “My deep dark secrets are boring as it gets. Now that you mention a billionaire with a thing for VI’s... ” She set her Viper down and opened up her omnitool bringing up a picture of a Krogan from her archives, “Trudtar Qraxxi. A rival big wig wanted to out him and bring him down a couple pegs with some ridiculous secret. That secret was… a fetish for VI’s.” She sat cross legged then laughed remembering the mission. “It was so bad, his focus was on glitchy dirty talking VI’s. When I broke into his house on… I think it was on the Citadel. Yeah, his software was motion activated and I was greeted by the VI. I thought it was broken at first. Then when I went digging for hard evidence it just followed me everywhere telling me how much it wanted to-” Dex made a robotic glitching noise, “To f-f-fcksh-fuck me.” The turian laughed and hooted, much like she did the first time discovering it.

Tanya snorted, shaking her head and popping off another burst, the rounds smacking against the plate like someone threw a handful of marbles against it. ”The galaxy’s just full of all sorts of delightful assholes, isn’t it? Why in the hell did you hang onto that?”

“I hang on to every piece of information I have, usually the really important stuff and sometimes the completely ridiculous. It’s like a bad case of information hoarding now that I think about it.” She minimized her omnitool window and shrugged. “Some people collect heads, ears or objects as trophies and I collect data trophies I guess.”

”Uh-huh. Some people might think that’s serial killer behaviour.” Tanya chipped in with a grin.

“Databases beware! Dex will extract all your figurative data mines, reap what she shall sow.” Dex laughed taking up position again. “I’m the ghost story security techs tell each other on all nighters.”

Tanya smiled, propping herself up with a push up and returning to her feet, collapsing the rifle. She moved back towards her case, where there was foam cutouts for her rifle and sidearm, which she decided to get some trigger time on. ”I’m headed to the pistol range, care to join in? she asked, setting her rifle back into its spot and pulling out her Predator by the frame. ”So, Dex, all of this chatter and I never thought to ask you, what’s your family like, any siblings, things good with your parents?” she asked.

Dex nodded collapsing her Viper as well sliding it into its hardcase. Her pistol was on her hip in its holster. Grabbing the handle of the hardcase she lead the way over to the pistol range, there were a few other humans concentrating behind walled off single sections but there was a row of open paper targets.

She placed her hardcase against the wall behind them, pulling her own Predator out of the holster.

“I’m good with my parents, they’re alive and happy on Taetrus. Still doing what they’ve always done. I keep in touch with them when I can, they’re well aware of my dubious career choices. The only real thing I’ve ever been able to give back to my family has been good security.” Dex checked the thermals on her pistol before extending her arms and taking aim. “I’m the oldest of four, I’ve got two younger sisters and a brother. One sister is paired off and I have a couple nephews.”
“Family is really important to me, my priorities over the years have shifted pretty heavily but they remain near the top for me. Always.” Dex said her shoulders relaxing a little as she fired away at the targets.

Tanya considered this, wondering what it would be like having siblings, or if things would have been different if her relationship with her mother wasn’t so strained. Tanya double tapped a close target, 10 meters, and was decently satisfied with the shot placement. Pistols were a bitch to use at range. ”So, why not go home then? Do something closer to your family that doesn’t toss you out in the middle of nowhere where there’s a chance to getting killed and your body never returning home?” she asked, continuing firing in 2-second intervals, aiming for center mass.

Dex paused waiting for the thermals to cool and for Tanya to finish her shots. Considering her reply, “I miss them but not enough to live under their roof again.” Dex told a half-truth, squeezing out a chuckle. “Taetrus isn’t a hub of turian activity. It’s one of the many colonies that feeds the Hierarchy collective force.” She commented, hints of venom seethed through her sub vocals at mention of the Hierarchy. “Not much work for someone like me outside of the military.” She didn’t take her eyes off the target. She really did miss her family, she’d give her other arm to sit and have dinner with her family again. To breathe humid Taetrus air again, even help with chores she groaned about doing when she was a kid again. Like cutting back the overgrown vegetation. Return to something familiar. “Besides, I’m a bit too restless to settle in one place.”

”I… actually know exactly what you mean. With my skills, I could have taken over the shop like I was supposed to, or even do something on another world but… I chose this instead. I had to leave that life behind because it just doesn’t feel like home anymore. I guess I’m still figuring myself out.” Tanya replied, a frown creasing her lips.

Bringing her pistol down, Dex smiled relaxing considerably after talking about her family. Tanya didn’t need to know all the details but she was still on the same page. It was nice. “It isn’t easy but we have time yeah? Dodge a few bullets, get knocked around by some asshole biotic, then maybe get paid. Somewhere in between all that we might figure it out.”

”I guess we’re still trying to figure out that last one, huh?” Tanya asked, re-sighting her sidearm. The two fell into a comfortable silence, save for the chorus of sporadic gunfire, as they continued their drills well into the afternoon.

---

Serena quietly left Vellios in his room, sleeping again. She had already sent Sarah and Del to Khosin with a request to keep an eye on the Turian. Now all she needed to do was find Tanya and Dex. A simple enough job, given the fact that she knew they had headed to a gun range, and her tracking was still able to be activated in their omni-tools. A brief glance before shutting them down again, and she knew exactly where they were. Serena made her way out of the ship, walking smoothly now. The only remnants of her injuries was a discolored nose, a dark red cut on her neck, with a thin layer of medi-gel over it, a shoulder brace on her dislocated (right) shoulder, a similar application of light medi-gel on her stabbed shoulder, and discoloration over her body from where she smacked the ground particularly hard as she flew backwards.

She paused in front of a mirror on her way to the hangar, eyes lingering on the prominent burn scars on her face and arms, and briefly glancing at the rest of her injuries. She briefly tried imagining herself in a beautiful dress, before she gave up with a sigh and walked to the hangar. Who was she kidding? She wasn’t a dress person. Or any pretty clothing for that matter.

She walked through the Elysium spaceport, her Predator close at hand on her hip. Just because it wasn’t Omega doesn’t mean she trusted it to not have it’s own fair share of crime. She walked through Elysium enjoying the feeling of not having to be on edge or in pain. As she made her way through the city (Ilyira? She didn’t know) She made note of various art, knick knack, and gift shops on her way there. She’d need to stop at them before coming back to the Borealis.

In a few short moments she was at Maximillion’s Gun Range. After talking to the human at the counter, Serena got directions to the correct area her companions were in.

Dex and Tanya were there, firing into targets. Serena waited till there was a lull in the gunfire to speak up, looking appreciatively at Dex’s accuracy. “Hey, I’ve got plenty of things to work on and you probably don’t want me ruini-”

“Shut up you’re coming with us. We need a night to relax and take a break from the bullshit.” She said over her shoulder keeping her pistol in position. “Besides, you’re not getting a choice in the matter. We’re dollin’ up, might get some free drinks that way.”

She flicked the safety on her pistol and stood up. Holstering it while faced Serena. “Alright?”

“But I don’t do ‘dollin’ u-” Serena began to protest.

“No, shut up. Tanya can help you.”

Serena opened and closed her mouth in frustration, looking to Tanya for aid. “I mean, look at me.” She gestured vaguely towards her various wounds and scars. “These don’t make for good ‘Free drinks attracting’. Maybe to go away.”

“We can handle that. Are you even hearing me? You don’t have a choice.”

“Right. You’ll handle the looking pretty part and I’ll work on a VI in the corner, out of the way and out of sight. Everyone wins.” Serena lifted up a blank VI slate, as if to prove it was the plan.

“All I’m hearing are excuses.” Dex collapsed her rifle, squinting down at Serena. “Scars are pretty sexy, I’m sure there’ll be someone in the crowd who thinks so too. I’m going to get a ride for us.”

Dex sauntered away to call a taxi.

Tanya had been listening to the conversation as she was packing away her M-15 into the hard carry case she had brought it in. ”I thought you wanted to drink with us, not try to go find a one night stand.” Tanya pointed out, leaning up against poll that was supporting the covering roof. She gave Dex a lazy wave as she took off. ”You’re talking to someone who still manages to look presentable even after getting my share of battlefield injuries and covered with machine-guts for a living. Scars can be faded with make-up, and I honestly don’t see what you’re worried about; scars tell a story. You’re out in the frontier of space, it’s dangerous. It just means you’re at the leading edge of it all.” she said with a shrug, slinging the case over her shoulder by the strap.

“It’s just- I just-I don’t want to ruin the night for yo-I don’t know.” Serena finished miserably. “I just feel like that I’ll screw tonight up and I really don’t want to do that to you guys.” She sighed. “Ah, fuck it. Lead the way. I’ll let you guide me through getting prettified, and if I ruin tonight we’ll never do it again.”

Tanya playfully cuffed Serena on the back of the head. ”Are you always this depressing? Only thing you’re going to ruin is your self-esteem if you keep going on like that. We’re going out, not to impress anyone, but just have a good night away from the bloody ship. Think you can pull that off?” she asked, walking towards where the exit was. It was a short walk back to town from there.

Reluctantly Serena smiled at Tanya, ducking her head instinctively. “Only when I’m doing something I have no idea what’s going on or what I’m doing.” Serena replied,quickly following. “Sure. I think I can pull it off. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen? I get drunk and flirt with a Krogan this time?” She paused. “Did I mention I’m not drinking? Because I’m not drinking alcohol. It leads to...regrettable actions.”

Soon they were back on this ship. Serena looked around, a tad uncertain. “So what now? We go to a dress shop and hope they have my size?”

”You’re drinking unless you want to be the one who hails us a cab. Dex and I are going to be hitting it hard. But you don’t have anything nice on the ship?” Tanya asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I told you. I don’t have anything nice enough to go dancing with. It’s all variations of work clothes. Clothing to wear under armor for combat, clothing for working on things, and clothing for those rare times I have to relax.” Serena shrugged, blushing in minor embarrassment. “When you’re busy hopping from one shit hole to the next, you don’t exactly pack fancy clothing.”

It was something Tanya could relate to far too well. There wasn’t a lot of freetime where she wasn’t digging into some repair and retrofit project or painting to keep herself busy. Still, there were occasions where a dress worked better than something that was meant to get utterly wrecked in the line of duty. ”Trust me, Serena. If you never take time to just breathe and enjoy the small things in life, you’re not doing yourself any favours. I’m sure there’s a thrift store around here that is full of unwanted dresses around here somewhere. Probably after-prom virginity busting specials that act as shameful reminders of why minors shouldn’t drink.”

Serena blushed harder at Tanya’s colorful description of the dresses. “Remind me to carefully check those dresses before trying them on then.” She muttered. “Lets go before you make any more disturbing descriptions of them.”

Tanya reached over, throwing an arm over the younger woman’s shoulders. ”You are delightful when you’re ashamed and embarrassed over regular old bodily functions. Remind me to take you on a back alley tour when it’s after closing time, then you’re going to see some real shit…”

“I’m not ashamed! Embarrased, but not ashamed!” Serena retorted, ducking her head and hiding her increasing blush, if smiling slightly.“Note to self: never let Tanya take me to any back allies. Come on, lets go get Dex. You’re enjoying this too much.”

The two quickly gathered the turian and made their way back into Elysium, hopping aboard the rentable segways to make their trip faster (and far more enjoyable in Serena’s opinion). Soon they were walking into Lantar, Nosina, and Kav’s Emporium.

“Alright...now where are the dresses…”

“I think I see some clothing off in that direction. Maybe there’s some nice turian dresses as well. I can’t remember the last time I went shopping just for clothes.” Dex commented taking a look around at the large department store. “I’m sure there’s some deals here, if not I’m great at haggling.” She grinned at the humans.

”Turians wear dresses? Forgive my ignorance, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a thing. I just can’t imagine how that works, what with your legs and hips so much wider out from your torso than a human.” She said, leafing through a row of hangers and a small sea of fabric. ”Besides, this is a human colony, your pickings may be a bit meager.” she pointed out.

Something caught her eye, and Tanya plucked a rather hideous yellow and black checkered dress from the rack. ”What bloody century did this thing crawl out of?”

“Actually, half the population of the colony is alien. So the odds are she’ll find at least a good selection of dresses, somewhere if not in this shop.” Serena said, somewhat absentmindedly as she perused the dresses. She was examining a bright shiny blue one (a tad too gaudy for her tastes) when Tanya’s exclamation caught her attention. “I don’t know...but something tells me it’s been here longer than the shop itself.”

She pulled a simple pink flared dress from the line of clothing, holding it against her chest and giving a speculative look to her two friends. “Yes? No?”

“Different angles, colours and the obvious focus being in other places for our clothing but yes. Turians can wear dresses.” She looked at both dresses and noted, “Is… it supposed to reveal the fleshy lumps on your chest? Or just the skin?”

”Depends if you plan on bringing someone home that night.” Tanya chipped in, hanging the abomination dress back on the rack. She looked up at Serena and shook her head. ”Pink dresses really bring out the after prom special I was talking about.”

”Of course it does. Serena muttered under her breath, putting the pink dress back on the rack as Dex reached past her.

Dex tilted her head hoping her chances at understanding it would improve at a different angle. Then saw a two piece dress behind Serena, reaching past her she grabbed it off the clothing rack. The top piece was a tube top, strapless silver and reflective in colour. While the bottom skirt was long and the very same silvery colour. Holding it up, “Um, maybe this…?”

Tanya walked over to Dex, grabbing the end of the skirt to feel the fabric. ”I think it’d go well with her complexion and hair, alright. Only thing I’m worried about is miss self-conscious fretting over having her back, shoulders, and chest bare… if she wants to cover up her injuries and shit, that is.”

“Hmm…” She hummed. “I’m still confused on the scars point. Scars are objectively attractive. I suppose we could find something one piece with a back and sleeves.”

Serena looked at the dress Dex was holding, very skeptically. “It’s very pretty...but also a bit...revealing.” She glanced over at Tanya, crossing her arms somewhat defensively. “It’s less self-conscious and more…” She grasped for the word, waving a hand vaguely. “..I can’t do pretty. I’m a grease monkey who has spent most of her life in oil, shit, and blood.”

“I thought Tanya being here makes a point that you can clean up to go out and have fun. Spirits Serena, it is possible to polish a turd.” The turian laughed, “Interestingly, getting cleaned up to go out isn’t a problem. Soap has been around for centuries.”

”So, you’re saying someone who spends her life covered in oil, grease, and bloody gibbets is incapable of looking attractive?” Tanya asked with a raised eyebrow.

Serena, shoulder’s slumping slightly, ignored Dex. “You can Tanya. You’re gorgeous.” Blushing slightly, she continued on. “I’m not. I’m just-”

“I was kidding about the turd comment-”

”Less awkwardly making passes on me, more trying on pity-fuck dresses.” Tanya said, making a ‘shoo-shoo’ gesture with her hand. ”You ask us for advice, and then you whine about our choices because you think you look like something a varren upchucks after binge-eating. You don’t, so stop worrying about impressing people who don’t fucking matter.” she shrugged, wondering if anyone was wondering about the gun case on her back; so far, nobody seemed to think it amiss.

Serena blushed a vibrant red, a flush seeming to go from the tips of her toes to the tops of her ears. “I wasn’t-I wouldn’t- I- No- Passes-? What-” She stuttered out, then took the only option left to her and quickly retreated to the dressing rooms towards the back of the store, the dress held in one hand.

Dex nodded along to what Tanya was saying, then called after Serena retreating to the dressing rooms. “We’ll hunt down the soap while you change!” Laughing as Serena shot her a look. “This is fun, trying on dresses and shit talking Serena into a better self esteem.” She commented to Tanya. “Can’t wait until we get to the bar.”

“Nay,” Vellios shouted back jokingly at Iosif, “that’s a hobby!’

Then the turian vanished into the medical bay without another word.

Upon entering, a chemical sterilizer scent washed over him, his nostrils crinkled and caused him to flinch. Vellios immediately raised his hand to his nose, the flesh filtering the smell out, allowing him to focus. As if to remind him, his side started to flare in pain drawing a soft hiss from his lips. Huffing in irritation, Vellios went to work.

His figure strolled to the nearest cabine. As he by passed a mental tray, his hand reached and rolled it along by his side. The wheels creaked with the movement before grinding to a stop. His talons causally plucked several things from the shelves: stitches, medi gel and fresh bandages, all before setting them on a tray with a ting. Wheeling them over to the single bed in the room, Vellios then turned his back to the edge and hopped onto it.

Use to the scent, he removed the gel cast tom his torso. The thing came off with a hiss and was set upon the tray’s surface. Forgotten for the moment, the Turian moved into to examine his current condition. His crested head leaned down to glance at his ribs, his eyes tightened when he noticed the tinge of blue along the center.

Vellios inhaled deeply. Taking his knife slashed the bandages off his torso, careful not to wound himself more, with a vertical motion. A memory slipped through his defenses and suddenly flooded his mind, every muscle froze in the moment half way down.

Blood covered his side from one large gash, about a few centimeters deep. Vellios blinked in confusion. He forced his blade to finish cutting him free and then tossed the rags upon the tray. He seemed unsurprised at the new wounds, assuming he had cut himself, through there was no pain. Vellios then took the fresh medi gel and applied it.

Lathering up the injury with his talon, Vellios applied the stitches next. He started from where the gash’s edge started and followed down to where it ended. Retrieving the bandages, the Turian went to wrap them and stopped.

The gash was gone.

A sharp intake of breathe was his only reaction. Vellios noting where he had used the medigel and stitches on his carapace, realizing it was a figment of his mind. All that remained was a small, discolored area along his ribs. In a few days, it would be completely gone.

He was lucky the stitches were liquid or he would've ended up literally stitching up healthy carapace. Something that would've hard to explain to Serena.

Pushing aside the incident, Vellios wrapped up his upper chest and sides. Finally he then placed and secure the gel cast to protect it from additional damage. Wordlessly he proceeded to clean up his mess and hopped off the bed, his talons promptly tossed the yellowed bandages into the disposal.

After he had replaced whatever he hadn't used back into the shelves, he made his way toward the exit. He needed some fresh air and quickly.

>Shadow Broker File:
>Recording, Yestins office. Grabbed of a compromised security server by one of sources on the Yestin File.
>Relavance: Yestin / Drono conflict.
>Possible Outcome: Mayor shift in illegal biotic research from loss of Yestin, Possiblity to install a Project leader in his place.

"Alive?!" The salarian stared at the still picture of a bluefaced, grinning Drell. It had come to them by means of a old ‘friend’. And Yestin had been pacing back and forth in his office ever since. This had not gone unoticed by the stoic Krogan that stood on the other side of his desk patiently. Brosk had worked for crazies before.

"Afraid so boss." The krogan said, unmoving as he weathered a storm of angry salarian saliva.

"This is to dangerous. That little shit won’t let it lie either. I mean, for fuck sake. He drag himself to some shitty clinic and survive on pure fucking spite? We should weaponize that son of a bitch.”

“Why didn’t you make sure he was dead. Like a bullet to the head?” Brosk said, approaching the situation with his trademark krogan logic.

“Becouse…” The Salarian sighed. “Because he asked me not to. Besides, I wanted the little shit to suffer. ” Yestin all but growled.

“I never understood that part Boss. I thought you two were close as thieves” Brosk once more questioned. Prodding at the issue with the rhetorical equivalent of a sledgehammer.

“Thick as Thieves. ANd yes, we were at first. But Drono became increasingly brazen and annoying. We were constantly put at risk because his need to be flashy or simply due to his overall insanity. All of that would have been fine, but he had to go and think himself morally obliged to stop me from doing my job.”

“Hm? I am not sure I follow boss?” Brosk inquired, a look of confusion on his face.

“It is Drono thing. I’ve seen the drell crash a shuttle into a hangar door, spacing a odd 15 people without blinking. Because they were all Eclipse merc, he wouldn’t even give them a second thought. He would laugh and crack wise doing it to, like some kind of psychopath.” The salarian rolled his shoulders tiredly. “But I as much threaten some two rookie c-sec officer with torture he would lose his shit. Get all up in my face about how we didn’t do that. Not to ‘civvies’ or ‘good guys’.”

“Perhaps he really didn’t like torture.” Brosk muttered. He didn’t like torture either.

“Who does. No, he clung onto some twisted morals as if it made him any less of a criminal. Then again, I guess it’s what kept him from going full on terrorist. The damn Drell has an anarchist streak a mile long.” Yestin dismissed the Krogans statement with a wave of his hand before turning to look out his window. Below her the rocky surface of some Libera IV stretched out, dotted with little salarian manned workshops and labratories. His handy work, his lifes ambition.He was legit. Only one thing remained it seemed.

“And I guess you, as a natural born Authoritarian, hated that.” His ever astute krogan bodyguard commented dryly, bringing him out of his reverie.

“ When did you pick up a book on politics of all things? Go fetch my dossier on available external assets. If Drono is running around. I want eyes on him so I know when I should kill him.” Yestin scowled.

“Roger that Boss.” The krogan made the univeral sight of “Loco” as he left.

“Drono..” Yestin crushed the glass in his hand as he stared out into space.

HAHAHA WOOPS.

Jumped the shark.

Ignore plz.

Recent online activities of Serena Mathews

-18 multiplayer games of Total War: Rachni Invasion (Top two most played factions: Quarians and Rachni)

-2 Campaigns ofTotal War: Rachni Invasion

-23 games of the MOBA Supremacy: Myths and Legends of the Galaxy. (Top two most played characters: The Asari Goddess Tevura, and the Salarian legend The Silent Step)

8 hours clocked on Universal Impact

4 Hour clocked on Dusk of Suen

2 hours clocked on Disgraced

Various products bought online from Elysium stores. These items are:

-Twenty Classic paints And Paint Brushes For The Enterprising Artist (Shining Art Emporium).

-101 Gags and Jokes To Play On Your Friends! (Pull My Tentacle products)

-Various tools typically used in armor refitting.

-Space Jams (With Emphasis: Thuna Supplies)

-Quarian Live Ship Model (Janus Ship Models)

-Our Galaxy; A Collection of the Best Books From The Past 990 Years (Translated by Voira Shialla)

-Rock'em Sock'em Grill! The Hardy Grill For Any Enterprising Cook On The Go! (Vokan Grills)

-Blank VI slate and drone parts (Valar's Virtual Palace)

-Taetrus Flowers and Herbs bargain deal (Javeed's Galactic Greenhouse)

-Various Colored Scarves (Mura'Nam's Craft's Shop) (Side Note: Order Cancelled)

-Various supplies to make explosives (John's Armory)

-How To Not Blow Yourself And Your Friend's Up! (John's Armory)

Drono spotted Vellios make a beeline for the exit while he himself was headed for the medical bay. His new concoction of fully legal and carefully measured drugs had the discerning effect of not affecting him at all. He wasn't entirely sure it was suppose to work that well, in Drono's world nothing worked that well.

One thing Drono did know, was a sour face. His third or second, depending on his mood, turian looked not all like he usually did. When a natural born sociopath like Vellios lost his casual swagger and confident stride, something was up. Drono, ever the concerned citizen, gave chase. Keeping his distance, he followed the pale looking turian, saying nothing for now, he would find the moment to interject. For now he was just keeping an eye on his crewmate.

Vellios needed to move. Where to, he wasn't quite sure yet and merely kept his relentless clip in his step in order to increase the growing distance. His breathing was shallow and stuck in his throat, a subtle reminder he would run himself ragged at some point. Gradually his pace slowed until he came to a nearby tree far enough from the ship he assumed nobody would hear him breaking his knuckles.

Drono saw him slow down and his own steps followed suit. He stood, waiting for the inevitable. He would punch that tree. No man, drell or turian ever stared at nature that way without punching it.

"So. You gonna punch it or what?" He asked out loud, keeping voice glib and light as he sat down on a stone to watch.

Most individuals jumped at being startled. Vellios threw a blade and as predicted, his talons swung lower at his hip and gripped...air. Blinking for a moment, realization of where he was came into focus gradually. With well practiced ease and some forcefulness in his muscles, Vellios pulled himself back into a stiffen, relaxed stance once more.

"I didn't see you there, Drono. How long have you been standing there?"

Dronos eyes crinkled with mischief. He knew Vellios had forgotten his knives, you didn't follow an armed person so casually otherwise. "Looking for one of these?" He said, waggling his own knife at Vellios. "As for your question. Since you got here. Saw you leave the ship looking like a storm with dementia. What got you all up in a tussle?"

"Issues I'm hoping to resolve and honestly, I'm hoping they are nothing," Vellios glossed over smoothly, his hands braced against his narrow hips and continued to watch Drono.

"Uh huh. And that is why you were about to go all knuckles with a deathwish on that tree." Drono deadpanned, leaning onto his his hands, elbows on his knees. "Things don't just go away. Let me be a reminder of that if you ever question it. Now punch that goddamn tree, I didn't come out here just so you could stiff me on a good Man vs Nature punchout."

"I know that far too well," Vellios commented, his heart continued to pound despite his calm visage across his face. Ever fiber wanted to unleash some hidden fury and energy building within him. No longer focused on talking, he twisted on heel as his talons fisted tightly. His arm swung into a wispy tree with all his force. Knuckles made a hard thunk and the trunk rattled, stilling when the vibration died. Another thunk echoed when his other fist came in for another swipe.

A bit of blue dropped scattered across the ground. A large split edged across the flesh and talon, his blood leaked across the carapace. He didn't stop. His torso jerked back. Again... again... each strike found its mark, leaving more blood in its wake.

Drono flinched inwardly as each punch hit the tree with a resounding 'thunk sound'. "Man. You hit like a cripple. I should know!" Drono said as he got up on the stone. Rolling his shoulders as he eyed Vellios. Standing on the stone had the effect that it let him stare the Turian straight in the eyes.

"Considering I have a rib cast on, that statement isn't far from true." Vellios retorted, ignoring the sting in his torso.

"Yeah. True." Drono said with a chuckle. "Still, you punch like a Turian so one can hardly tell the difference." He shot said turian the biggest, most aggravating shit eating grin in his arsenal.

"And you have weak insults, a blind Krogan could get under the carapace better than you at the rate you're going," Another thunk, harder this time, and an indentation began to form.

Drono raised a single eyebrow at that. He noticed how the punch was harder this time, quite a bit harder. "You are right. I just don't wanna break you too bad, I can't leave Dex with emotional cripple AND a physical one." He raised both eyebrows at that.

"I think that's more her choice, there drell," Vellios reminded him, his fists kept going harder and harder, reality mixing with memories. His breath became faint but determined while he pushed on, his eyes fixed on the tree truck and the mark he was making. Bones seemed to tingle in protest and then gradually became numb, something he didn't care for right this moment.

"I think the tree had enough Vellios, I ain't gonna stand here and watch you break your hands. One, while fun to watch you spiral into violent lala-land, it's completely stupid. Two, Dex would kill me or worse, refuse me private time. Should I just stand here watching you put yourself in an even worse state. 3; Trees don't hit back, where is the challenge in that you pussy."

"Stay out of it, Drono. I'm warning you," Vellios growled.

"What. You gonna hit a cripple?" Dronos voice dropped into a half taunt, half challenge. Something inside him snapped in place. His posture shifted ever so slightly. "Fucking dare ya."

"Drono, as much as I like you, you're a pain in the carapace right now." Vellios snapped then toss his right at the tree, the hook flying pass and instead of stopping... it came right at Drono's chest side.

Drono was prepared for the punch. Not quite the feint however. He managed to pace back half a step, bringing his arms up in a guard. He was smaller, and the turian was a brawler with skills that Drell didn't have. So he stumbled. When he looked back at Vellios there was a snarling grin.

"Yeah. Yeah. I thought so. Punching like a goddamn granny." He said, he shook his arms out. "Lets see what they teach you kiddies these days." Drono had courage in spades. Self persevation? Not so much.

"Back off Drono, or I will pop that jaw of yours." Vellios glared as he felt the satisfaction of the drell retreat, "I'm having issues as it is and you're not helping."

"And I might be paralyzed for life in a few, so I could give less of a fuck." Drono said as he moved toward the Turians right. "Now quit bitching about what ifs, and back your words up scaley."

'And I could be shot down like a rabid varren at any moment," Vellios mentally commented, the thoughts never reached the air. About the only one that actually knew this tidbit, aside from Dr. T'Vync and other medical professionals, was the one individual that wouldn't accept it (Serena). "Damn it, Drono. Think with your instincts, not your head. We both know it's full of bullshit ideas!"

Vellios figure moved forward, cutting the distance, with his fist crossing over his chest and aimed at Drono's shoulder.

This time Drono was ready, he rolled under the punch, using his smaller stature to his advantage as he took a cheap jab at Vellios ribs. Before dancing away. "My bullshit ideas tend to work." Drono said. He was surprised at the speed with which Vellios punched and moved. He was not gonna last to long in this fight. Cripple or not, he would still be outmatched.

Vellios took the hit, letting the sting wash over him, but he didn't go down. Thankfully it was at the side not damaged as he grunted it off, his face turned toward Drono's cheap jabs followed by his insults. Vellios' left arm raised then popped back on reflex just when Drono started to dance away in an attempt to clip the annoying Drell and catch him off gaurd.

The sudden punch blindsides Drono who was moving in that direction already, taking it squarely on the shoulder he winced inwardly. The Turian could throw a punch all right. Maybe he should't have agitated him so much.

The hit vibrated through Vellios' arm and into his ribs, still stinging, as he gritted his needle like teeth in his jaw. At the moment, he didn't give a shit. All he wanted to do was hit something and release the emotional stress. Vellios' left foot stepped back then to the side, his body twisted on the toes of his right to face Drono's direction.

"What's the point of provoking me? If I break my knuckles, I'll just patch them up like I've done hundreds of time before. You really don't think I've not learn any tricks through hell?" Vellios growled while he moved toward Drono, cutting the distance between them gradually, "Now what do you want Drono? Tell me now before I decide to actually take this fight seriously and fuck us both up."

[]"You are not the only one looking to blow steam off. This is your problem Vellios, you act like you are the only psycho here. Newsflash, there are two of us. And who even broods like that anymore." Drono spat back, not backing off. "You got issues. I got issues. Dex got issues." He lifted his hands in a guard position, readying himself "Grow the fuck up you selfcentered bug."

"I at least got the courtesy to keep it to myself," Vellios retorted, his hands on his hips as he came to a stop just into the Drell's personal zone, "Is that all you have to say? Um? I found a way to blow off steam that didn't hurt anyone but me, and here you are trying to take its flipping place. Are you kidding me or this some twisted need for attention?"

"We are crewmembers now. If you think holding your shit in and dissappearing without a word helps us, you are as stupid as you are crazy. Besides, I told you. You aren't the only crazy person onboard." Drono said, a grin threatening to break out on his face. "I don't know about the others, but If someone keeps randomly dissappearing without a word, I get antsy. You see, I have trust issues. Real bad ones. The bullet in my back bad ones." Drono exhaled. "And that is w- SUCKER PUNCH" He suddenly launched forward, clocking Vellios on the jaw with rather well placed right.

As Drono's fist connected, Vellios' head tilted to allow the blow to impact on the side and lessen the effectiveness. His arm snapped up in almost alien speed, the talon gripped the forearm in a vice grasp. "That hurts. And Drono, you don't have a bullet waiting for you one day. I do."

Without giving the drell a chance to react or digest the words, Vellios' jerked the punching arm down as his knee tried to plant into the middrift of Drono's now exposed belly.The force wasn't held back, intending to send Drono on his back.His grip let go when the knee made contact.

Drono saw it coming, exhaled, or rather shouted out and twisted. It hurt like a son of a bitch none the less and the shorter Drell felt his feet lift of the ground from the impact. But, not being robbed of his oxygen, he landed, moved and pushed to the right in a tackle, freeing himself. Dancing away with a wince, he gasped. "Again with the drama. Again with the me, me, me bullshit. You are waiting for a bullet? Motherfucker, I already got mine." He put all his power into the tackle, ready to beat some sense into the brooding Turian.

Vellios gritted his teeth and his mandible twitched in annoyance. He felt the impact of his knee into guts numerous times in the past. Each time, he knew when it hit or didn’t. It didn’t take long for him to realise Drono had twisted the moment his knee shot upward, the end buried into the hard muscle and no gasp had escaped the drell’s lips. The force taken and then shook it off.

Not falling backwards, Drono pushed against his right side. Vellios knew he had to put Drono down and fast before the drell actually pissed him off to the point his patience would be completely gone. When Drono’s shoulder and neck area smacked his side, Vellios’ side jerked to the left and lessen the impact resistance. However, he didn’t completely avoid the tackle. His right arm wrapped about the drell’s head while his hip twisted about, his left knee plowed into the drell’s unprotected side right. Any attempt to wrench away would’ve been meant by a tight, almost suffocating squeeze on the windpipe and the fact Vellios’ other hand took a handful of the drell’s shirt back.

They both would likely hit the ground.

Drono winced as the knee impacted his side. He groaned as there was no avoiding it. A normal person would have given up, a normal person would have realized how badly outmatched he was. Drono however, sucked it up untill he felt a arm around his throat and neck. Whether Vellios had intended to or not, he had just put Drono in a ddt, smashing the Drells face into the dirt. Another groan escaped him and he lifted a shaking hand. "I.. Give.."

Vellios didn't let go. His eyes narrowed and carefully debated on the words being geniune or a lie. Drono, while not a bad individual, had a knack for being an oppotunist. This was a bad combination with insanity, a fact Vellios knew far too well from experience. Cautiously, Vellios spoke in a warning, "If you start up again, I'm going to choke you until you pass out. I don't often take a fight serious and that is why. I don't want to kill you Drono, but I will put you down."

There was no light hearted or playful tone in his words. Just a cold, dead serious warning that seemed to hint of the turian's patience finally being run dry.

"No Tricks. No choking. Got it. Killing bad. Yes yes. You are so very scary. Now, please let me chew some air, dirt is not easy on the palette." Drono groaned, his words muffled by the ground.

Vellios talons released Drono's shirt to check for any hidden blades before he released the drell and flipped him onto his back. Vellios' ribs hurt like hell while he inhaled deeply, slightly out of breath.

" Good, I haven't taken anything that serious since my spectre tryouts," Vellios commented and shook the memory from his head.

"Yeah. Well. You sure rattled my skull." Drono wasn't gonna try anything, he had tested the Turian to his limits, as was his intentions more or less. Perhaps, Vellios would learn from this and understand what Drono had done for him. Or perhaps not. Turians always did seem a bit thick headed. Drono sure had confirmed the Turian had a real meanstreak, but enough control that Drono wasn't too worried. This Turian would not shoot him in his back.

"Sweet moves." Drono groaned as he started to push himself of the ground. "I was outmatched. I don't think I'd be able to take you even when not crippled."

"Only cause I took the fight seriously. Usually, even back on our first mission and the one afterward, I never take them seriously or they would've gotten done. When I set my mind to something, and actually have the drive to get it done, I'm rather dangerous At least that's what Yinso told me," Vellios smirked then recalled the spectre's last words toward him, "If I didn't, you might've won and I would be laughing my ass off at it."

Drono chuckled "Man, if before was you being lighthearted and not serious? We really gotta get you out more often." Drono got to one knee, wobbled a bit then got up to standing. "I am going to get a earful from Dex. I can just tell.."

"I'm not going to volunteer information, are you?" Vellios pipped up, his head turned toward the drell.

"And sign my own death warrant. If asked, I started it. Since you know, I did." He grinned foolishly. "And hey, no broken knuckles."

"Just bruises everywhere and likely my ribs got no benefit from it," Vellios hiss as he cradled his side, then sat upright. His arm reached out and requested aid up, "I think I preferred the tree honestly."

"Yes. But that is because you have a irrational hatred for nature, I am sure." Drono said as he helped pull Vellios up to his feet. "Sorry about the ribs. Thanks for not cracking my spine. It has enough problems as is."
"It was tempting, but considering I might end up killing you doing that... I thought better of it. Your corpse would've hard to hide," Vellios joked as he came to stand, then sighed, "Now I have to patch myself up... again. I don't look forward to this and really don't want to come out here to punch another tree."

"Could punch Tonka. The result would be the same in regards to your knuckles, plus the benefit of me getting to watch you get ragdolled around by a Irate Krogan." Drono laughed slightly. For a person who gotten his ass handed to him, he was incredibly upbeat. Truth was that all the pain got his mind of the real pain. "And are you kidding me. To a Turian, I am like... pocket sized. My body would be easy to hide!"

"Tonka might try to gloat me into breaking my hands before getting pissed. Why do you think I get alone with Krogan's so well?" The turian pointed out.

"Becouse you make the same kind of faces when confused?" Drono quipped. "No but seriously. Who doesn't get along with Krogans. Aside from you know, everyone. I think It is time we head back. If anyone asked, you saved me from a angry sentient tree."

"Will do," Vellios nodded then wrapped his arm around the drell's neck, his weight leaned against Drono on their way back toward the ship.

From outside the bar and dance club, the evening arrived with a cool breeze sending the likes of Dex shivering. She wore a white cropped top, stylized with dark thick lines dipping low over her belly. A cowl of fabric of similar design to match her top wrapped snuggly atop her fringe sitting comfortably along her carapace. A little green pin in the shape similar to that of a fern was pinned to the right side of her head. Her shoulders were exposed fully, scars and the full mechanical components of her arm were visible. On their trip out she had a difficult time finding bottoms to match her outfit defaulted to a pair of black pants, but finished with a white belt.

The three of them entered through the lounge, where it was admittedly quieter but the thrumming dance music was rather loud regardless. Low lights, tables with small tealights of various colours, most of the tables were occupied while the bar was fairly busy as well. Dex led the way through the crowd gently pushing aside the odd person to get past them. The crowd was mostly human but the odd council race dotted the crowd.

The dance floor was through some curtains at the west side of the bar, again providing some distance from the noise of the dance floor. Most of the patrons were dressed in various forms of casual to formal. No real distinction was being made.

“Let’s order some drinks and grab a table.”

Serena followed Tanya and Dex into the club, unconsciously pulling at the lower edge of her tube top. The skirt fell below her knees, shimmering in an eye catching way as she walked. It wasn’t that she didn’t like it, she did (not that she would admit that without being asked) she just felt...uncertain. She had never done this before, and wasn’t certain she deserved too. Rather than voicing her concerns, as they seemed to only mildly irritate Dex and Tanya, she simply followed them into the club, her eyes growing a bit wide at the sight.

This wasn’t the first time she had been in a club, but it was the first time she hadn’t been using it as a cover for her operations with the Alliance. She was actually taking in the sights this time.

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll even have one drink of alcohol. That I’ll need the two of you to help me pick since I have no idea what is and isn’t good.” She held up a finger. “One. It will be low alcohol content. Got it?” She glared at her two companions, making sure they understood her.

”What was that, Serena? You’ll have one of each on the menu? Atta girl.” Tanya said, smacking Serena on the rump while walking a bit behind the others. She wore a knee-length cobalt blue dress, smooth and form fitting, barebacked and high necked as it fastened behind the nape of her neck. Instead of wearing heels she simply wore high black leather boots, laced in a similar shade to the dress. It was also one of the few times she wore make up, keeping it mostly minimalistic with very pale blue eye shadow and some foundation. Her hair, however, remained about as wild as it usually was.

”Don’t you da-” Serena’s threatening tone was suddenly replaced with a loud yelp as Tanya smacked her butt. She immediately flushed red and glared at Tanya in what she hoped came across as dignified silence, rather mortified embarrassment.

”Fuck me, the music here is garbage. What is this, Excel 10?” Tanya griped, gesturing at a crescent-shaped booth with thick padded seats around a circular table that was being vacated by an asari dragging her human partner to the dance floor, to which the man looked none too enthusiastic about the prospect. ”Target acquired. You two secure the objective, and I’ll go get us our first rounds. Dismissed.” She said, shooing her friends off as she made her way to the bar, which was circular, not unlike Chora’s Den on the Citadel, and a bartender with a dreadlocked-top knot and a lumberjack of a beard was finishing up with another customer. Tanya shimmied up, credit chit in hand.

”Hey. So I got a new girl who’s in need of letting loose in as few ounces as possible. What do the locals get shit faced on, usually? The girly fruity cocktails, I mean.” Tanya asked, leaning up against the well-polished hardwood counter.

The bartender looked Tanya in the eye, impressively not taking in her figure. Probably wasn’t that hard of a thing; she was hardly the best looking girl in the joint, nor the one flashing the most tit. “Locals usually go for something called ‘blood of the blitz’, which is strawberry schnapps, grenadine, a bit of vodka, and a local spirit called Frostflower, which… I’d say kind of tastes similar to if rhubarb and kiwi had a bastard lovechild? They also like one called ‘serendipity’, which is Frostflower mixed with mango vodka and tropical punch. How’s that strike your fancy?” The man asked, his accent vaguely African, from what Tanya could remember. It was particularly striking as the man had bright blue eyes and other than a tanned complexion, looked somewhat Nordic. It was hard to find anyone from Earth who wasn’t a melting pot of ethnicities.

”Perfect. Two of each, and I’ll take three shots of whiskey, whatever you recommend. Also, I need something comparable for my turian friend, since I’d rather metaphorically kill them rather than literally pull it off.” she requested, taking a seat on a stool.

”Aye, aye Cap’n.” Serena threw a mock salute as Tanya walked off. She and Dex quickly secured the booth, sliding across from one another.

Dex took a seat, adjusted the cowl a little then went about scanning the crowd. She spoke to Serena while her eyes roamed, mostly out of curiosity and habit. “Low alcohol content means you’re not going to taste it.”

She made eye contact with a couple human men then spotted a salarian, the eye contact lasted a few seconds then they moved on. “You’ll loosen up before you know it, then actually have fun. Weird, I know.”

“Oh no, I won’t taste alcohol, whatever shall I do with my life.” Serena deadpanned, a small smirk working it’s way quickly past her impassiveness. “And! I can have fun! It just so happens that my fun doesn’t include getting drunk and clubbing and sex.” She paused for a moment, considering. “Well, I don’t know about the clubbing part. Haven’t really done it before. Besides, you’re one to talk.” Serena gestured at Dex, noting how the Turian kept scanning the crowd. “You’re acting as if you’re playing a spy game against ten other spies, and the losers get killed.”

Dex glanced at her smirking herself, “That’s the fun part, why it’s called a game. Old habits die hard, my young virginal friend. I’m also simultaneously scooping out the crowd for our ticket to free drinks.”

Over the sound of the bass came a slightly accented, moderately angry, and very drunk voice from nearby. “I’m telling you, you snobbish fop, that crap you call ‘world class cuisine’,” Firuzeh half laughed, half yelled at a slightly balding man sitting across from her, putting on the best French accent she could as she did so, “is nothing but butter, garlic, and a bunch of overly thick sauces made of butter and garlic.” She pointed a finger in his general direction before pausing for a moment while she tried to recall a word. “Oh, and snails.” She took a long draft of a beetroot red cocktail before continuing, “You do have snail and frog legs.”

The bespectacled man sitting across from her raised an eyebrow, sipping at a small glass of wine. “And what, pray tell, makes you think that? I traveled all across earth to study culinary art, and everything I saw in Iran was a disappointment! None of your food has any flavor. Persian rice is fluffy rice, should I be impressed?”

Firuzeh narrowed her eyes at him, draining the remnants of her cocktail, “I think you mean we don’t cram flavor down your throat with all the tact and skill of a bayonet charge.” She raised an eyebrow of her own, “Something tells me you went to some overly fancy restaurant in Paris and called it good?”

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the recently arrived group and stood to get their attention, wobbling slightly with the excess of alcohol in her system. “Hey!” She called over to Dex and Serena, “Could one of you explain why French food isn’t the be all end all of cooking to my acquaintance here?”

Serena looked over at the person shouting, presumably at them. It was like she had been struck with a lightning bolt. Her mind stalled. Her jaw dropped slightly. She stuttered something unintelligible.

Trying again she babbled out “Sorrycan’thelpyouI’veneverbeentoFrance.” Then, for what seemed like the five hundredth time that day, she blushed a bright red and looked away and down, desperately wishing she had an omni-tool or something to occupy her attention.

Dex opened her mouth to reply but Serena’s stuttered sentence came rushing in. The turian turned to eye her friend, in the ambient lighting Serena’s face was a different shade while she fidgeted on the spot, flustered instantly.

Dex looked back to the human that had asked about food. Noting she had a prosthetic arm as well, looking like how they hoped to have Serena in an hour or so.

Oooohhhh…

Dex slung her own prosthetic arm over Serena then whispered, “Let’s go over there and talk to her. She seems very interesting. Even has a prosthetic too.” Standing up she beckoned for Serena to follow approaching the stranger.

”Lets not. We shouldn’t abandon Tanya. Lots of people have prosthetics. No. No. Stop it. What are you doing?” Serena hissed under her breath, helplessly glaring at and then following Dex as the Turian stood up.

Dex stuck out her left hand to shake, “I don’t know much of anything about human cuisine but my friend over here would love to hear all about it from you. Name’s Dex, the robotics and VI specialist in the silver dress is Serena.” Looking over her shoulder at Serena and winked at her.

Serena replied with a mute glare that was half pleading.

Firuzeh quirked an eyebrow at the antics of the other two as they made their way over - reluctantly in the case of the woman just introduced to her as Serena. She stifled a small laugh, instead casually raising her middle finger towards the French man she had been arguing with and grabbing another glass of the same dark fuschia cocktail she had ordered right before finishing her first.

Normally she wasn’t quite so overt, but alcohol had a strange way of turning introverts into extroverts for an evening, and so she sashayed her way over, bumping into her recently vacated chair as she did so.

Extending her right arm, she offered to shake both of their hands, idly sipping at her drink as she did so. “Nice to meet you. Name’s Firuzeh, and if you’re wondering we were basically arguing over the merits of subtle flavor and texture compared to ramming a bunch of grease and spices down your throat and calling it world class cuisine.”

She grinned, “So, waiting on some guys to get you drinks, I assume?” She gestured at their clothing, nodding at Serena, “Nice dress by the way. Celebrating something?” Without waiting for a response she shrugged, “Well we’re all alive so that’s something to celebrate anyway. To hell with it, want a drink?” She offered her mostly untouched glass to Serena, “I’ve probably had too much as it is…” with a nod towards Dex she offered an apology, “I’d offer you some too but I figure you’d prefer drinks you can actually y’know, drink.”

Dex shook her hand then plucked the drink from Firuzeh’s hand and placed it in front of Serena. “Thank you, she’s pretty thirsty.”

She replied to Firuzeh’s other comments, “Nothing special, just a girls night out to relax. My friend is already taking care of our first round but holding out hope for some free drinks.” Dex replied showing a winning turian smile then pointed at her arm. “That’s quite the model, looks brand new. I’m sure Serena has tons of questions, she’s something of a robotics expert.” She elbowed Serena gently to encourage her to speak up.

Serena shook Firu’s hand, avoiding eye contact. She smiled nervously and muttered I“Thank you.” For the compliment about her dress. She couldn’t think. She didn’t want to be here. Yes she did. But she shouldn’t be here, playing with fire like this. Should she? She wasn’t making any moves to leave, despite all her misgivings.

It was with almost pathetic gratefulness that she saw the alcoholic drink being placed in front of her. A quick glance to ensure that both Dex’s and Firuzeh’s attentions were on each other, and she downed the cocktail in a heartbeat, quickly emptying the glass. She started feeling the effect almost before she set the glass down.

A warmth spread through her, washing away her misgivings and bolstering her tattered confidence. ”It’s a custom model. Extremely new tech. Mostly prototype if I had to guess. Couldn’t properly tell you what it was without scans, but I both lack my omni-tool and have been informed that scanning someone’s prosthetics without permission is rude. Regardless,” She waved a dismissive hand, swaying slightly. “It’s a beautiful piece of machinery. Almost as beautiful as you, Firuzeh.” She smiled at the other woman, noting the various details of her face but mostly staring at her eyes.

Firuzeh gaped at Serena, even muddled through the haze of intoxication she currently found herself in, the previously shy and stammering woman’s sudden complete and utter 180 caught her completely off guard. “I… you… what? Yes it’s a prototype and it’s very nice but...” She stuttered, trailing off uncertainly. She was positive her drink wasn’t that strong - even if it was strong nonetheless. Or at the very least, she would’ve thought the effects wouldn’t be quite so pronounced.

Firuzeh didn’t know how to proceed from here. Perhaps it was just the company she had had growing up, but most people she knew had rarely if ever commented on her appearance. Given her a look occasionally? Absolutely. Straight up called her beautiful, even if… - she looked up at Serena - heavily intoxicated. Despite it being so sudden, she couldn’t deny she liked it. “Thanks…? You’re uh, nice looking yourself.”

”Oh, for fuck’s sake, I leave for five minutes and we already have the prom queen wanking off to some tech gizmo. Should I leave you lovebirds alone for a few ticks?” Tanya proclaimed, arriving with a tray and setting it down on the table. She slid Dex some kind of purple cocktail she didn’t elaborate on the ingredients but was assured it wouldn’t murder turians, and one of the ‘serendipity’ cocktails to Serena, where it clanked against a glass that was already there. For her part, Tanya plopped down carelessly into the chair and immediately knocked back two of the rum shots before eyeing the third and the tanned-skinned woman whom Serena was eye-fucking her prosthetic before electing to slid the third and final shot to the mystery woman. ”Iosif, Dex… and now whoever you are. I’m starting to think by the end of the month, 80% of my acquaintances are going to be bloody cyborgs. I heard Serena call you Firushah?” Tanya asked, not entirely sure on the pronunciation.

Serena smiled at Firuzeh. ”Why thank you.” She turned and rolled her eyes at Tanya. “Oh hush Tanya. Just because I appreciate beautiful machinery and the beautiful women who have them doesn’t mean I ‘wank off’ to it. Thank you for the drinks.’’ Serena replied, taking the drink. Rather than downing it all in one go, as she had previously, she merely sipped it.

Dex squinted at the drink suspiciously. “If I get an allergic reaction and my throat starts swelling up blame the barkeep then send my arm back to my engineer.” She joked then took tentative sips.

Firuzeh looked over at Dex and the new arrival, mildly concerned. “Is this uh, normal?” She looked between them apprehensively, “Or has she never had a sip of anything remotely alcoholic before now, ‘cause it seems that way.”

“First time we’ve been drinking together. How- ehm, how strong was that drink?” The turian asked eyeing Serena’s flip in attitude. Liquid courage at its finest.

“Well. I think it was 90 proof vodka mixed with some fizzy thing that tastes like cherries…” She trailed off, realization dawning - at least she wasn’t hugging everybody yet. Two minutes before Firuzeh would have said she’d had plenty to drink for the night, but now she had few qualms about accepting the shot of rum suddenly slid across the table towards her, downing it without a second thought. “And uh, close. Last time I checked I wasn’t the king of Persia, but y’know, Firuzeh, Firushah, close enough I suppose.” She sat back, eyeing them. “So, bunch of tech people I gather?”

”Yeah, recent business associates, I guess you’d call us.” Tanya said, settling down into one of the fruity cocktails she’d picked up for her and Serena. ”Considering the piece of crap we fly, we need everyone who knows which side of a wrench works to make things run, at least somewhat smoothly. Kind of had a bloody awful job, so we figured fuck it, we’re in a secure sector of space, might as well enjoy ourselves until we get back at it. Decided to drag the kid along because she was being a mopey wanker and needs to loosen up. You one of the locals?” she asked Firuzeh.

Firuzeh raised an eyebrow, “No, not at all actually. I’ve lived here… maybe half a year? Haven’t bothered keeping track. I was here as part of a research team…” she trailed off, sighing. “Then, Blitz. Team is dead, I’m out of work, and I don’t feel like going back home to be some random doctor.” She didn’t know why she was suddenly sharing this with someone she’d never even seen before now - probably the alcohol. She raised her mechanical arm, “This is all that gets me hired for temporary jobs here, with the humanitarian presence there’s a lot of highly qualified doctors around so nobody needs me for that either.” She shrugged, sipping at a cup of water that had largely gone untouched until now. “So here I sit, drinking lots of booze and waiting for jobs. Yourself?”

”As much as I like the climate here, it’s too damn cold for my blood. Grew up on Terra Nova, although I was born on Earth, just don’t remember a damn thing about it. Among the first wave colonists and all that, so that’s home to me. What exactly were you researching? And… sorry about your team, I truly am. I lost a lot of good people in my life in rather sudden ways, myself.” Tanya replied, downing a bit of the drink.

Firuzeh raised her glass of water, nodding in inebriated agreement. “I was born in Iran, but frankly I’m okay with it being cold. Never took much to the heat. Came out here as part of a biomedical science initiative, field testing a new line of prosthetics - bleeding edge tech, cool features, the whole shebang. That’s why this arm looks so fancy - it’s not even technically done with testing, though I can attest to how strong it is at the very least.” She shrugged, taking another sip of water, “They wanted someone with surgical skill but who also understood the workings of the wetware side of cybernetic enhancement - I managed to fit that bill and I was looking for a little adventure.” As an afterthought she added, “Daresay I got more than a good helping of that.”

“Sorry about your team, Firuzeh.” Dex added sincerely. Dex glanced at Tanya and had a few thoughts about Firuzeh as it were, looking for work and having a resume filled with medical experience. The Jury Riggers needed someone with those skills, any medical skills. Considered briefly to vet her papertrail make sure her story matched up... but decided against it. At least for tonight. Instead she said, “You’re welcome to join us this evening if you want some company.”

Dex took another drink it tasted particularly sour, the concoction didn’t lend itself to anything she had tasted before. She peered into the glass, some fruity pulp floated to the top of it. Maybe if I drink it fast enough I won’t taste the filmy… whatever that is.

Firuzeh grinned, “Sure, why not? Not as if I have anything else to do anyway. Except try to find jobs that aren’t ‘cyborg girl pick up this heavy thing and put it over there’.” She raised an eyebrow, eyeing Dex’s own hardware. “Interesting model you have there by the way, looks custom. How are the connections? Looks like whoever did it knew his stuff but there are plenty of people who can make it look pretty on top while there’s serious neural atrophy underway. I swear it felt like half of my job here was emergency surgeries on people with permanent nerve damage from some incompetent fuckup.” She eyed Dex appraisingly, not caring for any discomfort it might cause for the moment, “Though you seem to have pretty good movement so I reckon they knew their shit for the exterior and interior.”

Dex grinned lifting her left arm up for a better view, “Built from scratch by arguably the best engineer on Palaven.” She said proudly, her mandibles flickering happily. “I am horrifically biased but it’s hard to hide great work. This current model is about…” She calculated CE years in her head, “Three CE years old. By far my favourite, my engineer was able to work a small blow torch into the talon. Best idea he ever had, saved my life more than once.” She demonstrated by flicking it open, the small area lighting up from the small flame.

“I’ve had my arm for about ten years now. Owe my life to prosthetic engineering and people like yourself, Firuzeh.”

Firuzeh smiled, inclining her head. “Why thank you - though I’m hardly comparable to some of the people out there.” She eyed the blowtorch, a small frown creasing her face, “Why a blowtorch, though?” She quirked an eyebrow, “Seems like it’d be pretty inefficient to me. You’ve gotta keep the fuel somewhere too.”

”Not if you reroute some of the power from your omnitool’s microfabricator. Same juice that assembles drones and lets them use flamethrowers and rockets can be directly routed into a mechanical prosthetic with pretty minimal amount of tinkering.” Tanya said, noticing the table had a built in display with a menu and began to skim through it idly. ”Works the other way, too. I’ve rigged my combat drone to also be a music player based on non-microfabricated tech.”

Serena was content to merely follow along with the conversation, getting used to the alcohol pouring through her system and watching Firuzeh. When the conversation turned to mechanics and the various little loopholes you could do, Serena chimed in with her two credits. “Yeah. With a little bit of know how, time, and the right tools you can just reroute, build, and jury rig just about anything. I managed to cram decent caliber mini guns into Del, one of my drones, so he can split apart. It’s never really difficult. Just tedious.” Serena paused and restrained herself before she could go into the technical details, lest it turn into an unending ramble.

“So, Firuzeh, your surgical skills. Are they just human or do they extend into others species? Turians, Drell, Krogan, and the like.”

As Serena chimed back into the conversation, Firuzeh turned around to look at her, somewhat amused and somewhat confused to note she was still looking at her. “Um, yeah. To some extent. I can’t perform a heart bypass, on a human or anyone else, but if there’s a bullet somewhere it shouldn’t be I can get it out for you.” She paused, sipping at her drink and noting Serena was still watching her. “I’ve got cybernetic neurosurgery experience on humans, but any other species would probably be better off hiding in a cryogenic chamber until we got to someone actually trained for their biology.” She shrugged, “Sorry, not a whole lot of Turians or something on Earth. Plus I’d probably be well over a hundred if I trained for advanced surgery on multiple species. But if you’re bleeding out I can certainly help with that.”

Dex laughed into her glass, “Jury rigging describes most of what we do.” Taking a longer sip of her drink, stomaching past the pulp. “Regardless, it sounds to me like you have a good solid skillset, Firuzeh.”

Tanya rolled her eyes at Dex’s coy name drop in the sentence. She spotted calamari on the menu for appetizers, but did Elysium even have cephalopods? Most items on the menu were probably made up of things that sounded familiar to Earthborn citizens, but were in fact gross approximations of said items geared towards people who either forgot what the original tasted like or just didn’t know any better. It was breaded, so it couldn’t be horrible, could it? She tapped the screen, highlighting it as she continued browsing through the menu.

”Almost too solid to be slumming around looking for work. If you’re as talented as you say you are, you should have an easy time having a fellowship at just about any university in human controlled regions, or hell, anywhere in Council space. The salarians and asari would probably pay ridiculous amounts of money to anyone who could expand their knowledge of human biology and medical prognosis.” Tanya observed, not looking up. Ostrich breast? Not bloody likely. She thought, the rather exotic dish catching her eye as she skimmed past it.

Serena perked up suddenly as a familiar song began to play through the speakers. It was an older one, incorporating violins with the heavier bass.

“Ooh! I love this song!”

She suddenly grabbed Firuzeh’s hand. “Come on! Lets go dancing!” She began to pull the other woman to the dance floor, smiling winningly with pleading eyes. “Come on, it’ll be fun!” She coaxed as Firuzeh seemed hesitant. Soon they were on the floor, beginning to dance. Serena’s eyes were shining as she danced with Firuzeh, movements flowing and graceful, encouraging the other woman (who was clearly uncomfortable). “You’re doing fine! Loosen up a bit more, you’re hardly the worst dancer on the floor.” She giggled. “Hey, that rhymed.”

“Serena dancing? That’s a shuttle crash I want to see.” Dex said booting up her omnitool, opening the camera. “For posterity.” She said to Tanya chuckling as she focused on Serena now she watched ready for the clumsy drunk equivalent to dancing but was shocked to see her actually dance with Firuzeh. She was good, way better than Dex would admit to being able to dance. “I… uh- stand corrected.”

She sipped her drink again, finishing off the glass. She let out a sigh, letting the alcohol do it’s good work.

“I think I’m going to get myself another drink. Or…” Her eyes roamed the bar again looking for prospects to get free drinks. Her eyes landed on another turian, his eyes were roaming the bar too and they made brief eye contact. She winked. “See how generous the local patrons are.”

Firuzeh, for her part, was doing her best not to trip over her own feet. She’d been caught completely off guard by Serena’s grabbing her hand - and before she had a chance to react she was “dancing” in the middle of the floor. “I don’- no I can’t dance what are you doing?” she blurted, awkwardly trying to keep in time with the other woman and with the music. “I don’t even recognize this song!” She cast a look around in search of salvation from her predicament, making eye contact with Tanya, “Save me pleeease!” She called over, half jokingly, half seriously.

”Nonsense! Serena insisted, practically twirling around the other woman. “You’re doing fine!”

”No way in hell is anyone getting me up there. Two right feet and absolutely no sense of physical rhythm.” Tanya remarked, shaking her head at the pink-haired blur that went from being the frontwoman of an emo band to someone actually taking initiative to having fun. Her eyes followed Dex’s as they locked on one of the few male turians in the establishment. ”Pickings are slim, it would seem. Sure you want to run the risk of having that guy follow you home?”

Dex glanced at Tanya, “Slim yes, risky? Nah. If he tries anything he’s gambling against my mean left hook. He might know the dextro menu better than the bartender.” Dex smiled at the male turian in her sights, moving her empty glass in his line of sight. “Have some faith Tanya, if I can handle sleeping with the two self proclaimed ‘crazies’ on board then I think I can handle one possibly sleazy guy at a bar.”

”Thanks for making my argument for me, Dex. You are the paragon of wise life decisions.” Tanya pointed out deadpan, downing half of her glass. It was a bit sugary for her tastes, but fuck it. ”Besides, wasn’t the purpose of coming out to this dive to be bonding and not running off with strangers?” she gestured to Serena and Firuzeh. ”You bugger off and I’m stuck here on my lonesome. Always looks good to be the boring problem woman in a bar with entirely too many empty glasses and seats.”

“I’m trying to get free drinks, completely different. Relax I’m not going anywhere.” Dex said taking her comment in stride. “Oh! There he goes, ordering me a drink.”

She saw the turian she was making eyes with motion to the bartender and gesture toward them. Dex turned a winning smile on the turian and then winked at Tanya. The bartender passed off two drinks to a waitress, she sauntered over with her serving plate held above heads. Placing a refill on what Tanya had ordered and for Dex something light blue in a frosted shot glass. A little note taped to the bottom of it.

She plucked the note off the glass and read it, letting out a groan. “Never mind.” The note read distinctly, I AM MARRIED. She looked up and he gave her a cheeky nod then turned back to his own drink.

Tanya picked up the note from Dex’s clawed hand and glanced over it. ”I get the impression that he means that as a challenge. Most guys don’t send over drinks unless they’re interested.” She said, folding the note into a small paper airplane and throwing it towards Serena’s head, where it promptly nosedived moments after leaving her hand.

“I am not going anywhere near someone married. That’s one sleazy line I am never going to cross…” She said then thought and added, “Unless I’m getting paid to expose their cheating ass to their spouse. Then and only then, do I approach them.”

A loud exclamation from off to the side interrupted their conversation. Firuzeh, by no means a skilled dancer even sober, had successfully managed to actually trip over her own feet, falling gracelessly with a flurry of muttered curses. In an attempt to break her fall, she reached out for something to grab - that something happening to be Serena, but only succeeded in dragging her down with her.

Serena, her attention caught by Tanya’s failed air plane, didn’t notice Firuzeh falling. She was too busy sticking her tongue out at the other Rigger. She went down with a yelp, twisting as her dancing partner grabbed her.

It was a soft landing at least - despite managing to tangle herself with Serena in a mess of flailing limbs, she’d managed to avoid hitting anything hard such as tile floors or metal tables - instead she had faceplanted into something unexpectedly soft, a moment later realizing that, in the process of knocking down Serena as well, her head had landed squarely on her chest.

”Now, forgive me if I’m wrong, but aren’t there other steps before this? You know, drinks, romantic walks, dates, serenading? Or is it the norm in Elysium to begin courtship by shoving your face into your partner’s boobs?” Serena asked the other woman atop her, smirking.

Blushing fiercely she rolled to her feet, offering a hand to help Serena up as she stammered apologies, “I’m so sorry for that I can’t dance and I’m drunk and stuff sorry!” She made to help straighten out her dress, but realized a second too late that it would probably only make the scene more awkward. Frozen in mid step, her face flushed an even deeper shade and she muttered under her breath, “this is why we drink at home...”

Serena took the offered hand, grinning as she was pulled up. “It’s fine! I enjoy having sexy women throw themselves atop me.” She winked at the blushing Firuzeh, whirling around on her heel to look at the other two. “Can’t leave them on their lonesome, can we?” She practically skipped over to Dex and Tanya. “You two said tonight was supposed to be fun and all the two of you have done is eye fuck failed prospects for one night stands and throw sad attempts at paper airplanes at me. Remind me to teach you how to make a proper one Tanya.” She suddenly clapped her hands, reaching for Dex’s talon and Tanya’s hand respectively. “Come on! Let’s go dancing!”

”If you still want fingers to function come morning, you will not drag me up for the show trial. I don’t dance. Your display thus far has only further entrenched that sentiment.” Tanya replied, pulling her hand back away from Serena’s in a rude gesture. ”My embarrassment quota is being saved for a big cash out for a later date.”

“What’s the harm? Or would you rather be here on your lonesome guarding the drinks?” Dex said elbowing Tanya playfully. Getting up from her spot, she downed the free shot. It was leagues better than what the bartender picked out. Alcohol would not be enough to convince Dex to bat her eyes again for another shot. She caught the married turian’s eye, it looked like Tanya’s instincts were right on that. Mouthing at him across the room, Asshole

That earned her a glare.

She joined Serena and Firuzeh looking at Tanya expectantly.

What’s there to be embarrassed about?” Serena’s brow furrowed in confusion. She looked out at the crowd still on the dance floor, speculatively going over them. Most of the people out on that floor don’t know how to dance either.” Serena gestured towards a man and woman dancing close together a distance away.

Except for that couple over there, they’ve most likely taken lessons for their upcoming marriage. Shiny new rings, exceptional closeness, constantly touching, etc etc.” Serena scanned the crowd again, gesturing to an Asari on the other side of the floor. “And that asari. But goddamn I swear, asari and quarians are both naturally born able to dance.”

She watched the blue skinned alien dance appreciatively for a few seconds before turning her attention back to Tanya. ”Besides, no one cares here Tanya. And those that do, you don’t know and aren’t trying to impress them. So, to quote you ‘Stop worrying about impressing people who don’t fucking matter.’ And loosen up to have fun!”

”Ten out of ten speech, would follow onto suicide mission.” Tanya replied with a slow round of claps. ”I just don’t dance. You guys can go have fun, I’d rather just people watch.” Tanya replied, taking another drink. ”Besides, Dex put it best. Someone’s gotta guard the drinks from ne'er do wells. Rather avoid people like Dex’s married paramour over there stopping by.”

“If you insist.” The turian shrugged. “If the asshole makes a move over here let me know. I wouldn’t mind telling him to fuck off myself.” She winked at the human mechanic then patted the stubborn Serena on the shoulder. “My dancing skills are plenty embarrassing for the both of us. Come on, back to the dance floor with you.”

Serena tsked, eyes rolling, then sat by Tanya. ”Very well. I’ll sit here with you and see if I can make the world stop spinning for a second. Besides, I’m not gonna abandon you to sit here by your lonesome while we all dance...again.” Serena waved an encouraging hand towards the other two. ”Go on, have fun! I’ll probably critque your form Dex, because someone with your grace should be able to dance better than you claim, but I’ll forget by tomorrow so it’ll only be tonight with no teasing!”

”Spins usually mean you’re getting close to emptying your stomach everywhere. Get some water.” Tanya gently instructed, watching Dex march off with their new friends. ”But seriously, I really don’t mind if you guys want to dance your little, or in Dex’s case, big, feet off and have a good time. I’m enjoying myself, so don’t feel you have to entertain me. I just wanted to enjoy a night with the three of us, get to know each other better… new lady kinda threw a wrench in that particular gear.” Tanya said, tapping the screen a couple of times to confirm her order. ”Thing is, I don’t want to ruin your guys’ fun. I just know what I enjoy doing and what I don’t enjoy doing, and I guarantee I’d suck the fun out of it if I went up there.”

Serena smirked as she quickly ordered a drink of water. “‘I don’t want to ruin your guys’ fun’. That’s my line. I’d quote yourself at you, but I can’t recall what you said in response to that. I like you, Tanya. Not in the same way I like Firuzeh, as I’m sure you’re relieved to know, but as a friend. So you want us to know more about each other. Fair enough, so let’s play twenty questions. You go first. I’m an open book and pleasantly drunk enough to not be super depressed if we touch upon depressing topics. Go.”

*There was 20 questions. For length’s and time’s sake, Dervs and I will show you in a mini collab*

Dex hid a laugh behind her mechanical talon at Serena. Noting Firuzeh’s expression redden.

The turian tapped on Firuzeh’s arm pointing back to the dance floor, commenting lightly, “Now that I have you to myself, I’ve got a proposition for you Firuzeh. You see we’re in a very real need of someone with actual medical skills and education. The job’s yours if you want. Come check out the ship tomorrow, it's a trash heap but we’ve been working on knocking it into something decent. The crew is a fairly mixed bag, there's a couple more turians, krogan, drell. We’ve been chasing after jobs in the wake of the Skyllian Blitz. Think on it, we're on Elysium for another day.”

Serena, setting down her now empty water glass, glanced over at Firuzeh and Dex dancing. This may be the alcohol talking, but I think we should hire Firuzeh. If she is half as good as she says she is, she’ll be able to keep us in near perfect condition from mission to mission. Besides, she’s better than Vellios as a main medical professional on the ship. His bedside manner is terrible and his skills only extend to stitching and popping things back into place.” Serena smirked. ”The fact that she’s absolutely gorgeous is just a bonus.”

Tanya shrugged. ”Seems you two already made up your minds. I suppose we do need to make up for lost numbers, and it’s better to have someone with a medical degree rather than trying to hop from system to system in an effort to save someone’s sorry ass. I can think of a few people on the crew who could use some relief.” She replied, electing to overlook Serena’s drooling eyes. ”So, yeah. We’ll give her a go and see how long it takes for her to realize she’s made a terrible mistake.”

Firuzeh, having just returned from the floor in search of her water, raised an eyebrow, deciding not to comment on Serena’s last sentence. “Well, it’s not as if I have any other work lined up anyway, and it’s not work that’s nothing but heavy lifting, so I’d be happy to take the job.” She grinned at the two of them, “And hey, so long as you don’t have any angry slavers with Kishocks to blow my other arm off, I don’t mind a diverse crew, meeting new and exciting people is most of the reason I left Earth in the first place, after all.” She raised her glass of water in a halfhearted attempt at a toast before pausing, “You don’t happen to have a cook do you? Because I can also cook in addition to stitching holes in people closed.” Sipping at her drink, she added after a moment, “Levo and dextro. Hell, that’s half the reason I was arguing with Frenchie over there.” With a nonchalant gesture she waved her arm in the general direction of her previous seat before sashaying back onto the floor to continue her spastic attempts at dancing.

The ladies and their newly hired medic, Firuzeh continued to drink and dance well into the evening only stumbling back to The Jalopy at last call. In the morning they would wake to their own respective hangovers in time to give their new hire a guided tour of the ship and its crew.

The spaceport was busy as ever, late into the morning. Outside of the Borealis two turians sat among their rifles pulled apart and cleaning solution close at hand. Dex and Haze were chatting occasionally while they slowly worked through the clean. Neither in any real hurry.

Hazan sat on a crate, idly cleaning the inner workings of his shotgun. His pistol sat hooked on his thigh, and a conspicuously long, black case laid by his side. He slowly ran a rag over the chamber assembly and barrel, laid bare after he'd removed the outer casing and front grip assembly.

"Ever wonder what goes into machining one of these things, Dex?"

"I've been curious but not enough to look up blueprints. I know how to take it apart and put it back together." Dex replied eyeing down the barrel of her Viper. She had a few bags under her eyes and an insistent headache just behind her eyes. The hangover was relentless.

"Yeah me neither. These things are so similar though. And you'd think that with a mass driven gun, there'd be little residue. But nope!" Hazan chuckled as he ran his rag down the outer length of the barrel. After that, he stared down the long metal tube, grimacing a little at the amount of carbon and powder there was within. With a piece of cloth attached to a long metal stick, he cleaned the inside of the barrel carefully.

Dex grunted, "Should have cleaned this after we went to the range yesterday. This shit isn't budging." Dissatisfied she plucked up the wire brush and started scrubbing away.

"Try getting a bit of lubricating oil on those build-ups. Helps to loosen the gunk."

"Mm, thanks. It'll probably do the trick." She reached for the bottle of oil and squeezed out a couple drops on the brush before getting back to work on it.Making conversation she asked, "How does our navigator spend his evening on shore leave?"

"Eh, a night or two on the town. Drink and eat myself silly. Then a day on the range. After that, it's working out to get rid of all the shit I ate. Sometimes I drink more if the mission was really stressful. You know how I black out in the cockpit."

Dex squinted at him, "We have beds you know. My ass is a testament of why I prefer the lumpy cot to those terrible seats." She shook her head then winced a slight hiss coming through her sub vocals.

Exhaustion weighed down Vellios' bones, his balance wobbled slightly with each step from the ship.

He felt oddly lighter than before. Any guilt, pent up violence or unsettled emotions had long been pounded into a distant tree, otherwise known as Drono, with marks left to tell the tale. Included in the exchange were several layers of his carapace from his knuckles and talons to decorate it. The turian had grinned in amusement at the grisly thought then had walked back to the ship before Serena worried too much over his well-being and sent out a search party for him, his hands wrapped up to stifle the bleeding for the time being.

It felt good to pound something until the numbness came and finally collapse on the ground, something that long overdue since the incident with Tanya. Though he was tired, it showed in his posture something had changed. Each step held a slight hint of grace and bounce like before as he flashed a grin at Dex.

Dex looked up seeing Vellios approaching, looking in a better mood but worse for wear. She tossed a clean rag at him and said, "So he graces us lowly peons with his presence." She glanced at Haze, "Am I going to have to play mediator?"

"That's what you get for leaving me alone. Easier to get back to normal when I've inflicted some violence, either on myself or others," Vellios uttered while he leaned into the catch and snatched up the thrown rag in one hand. His blood had leaked through the makeshift bandages during his walk and now left a dotted trail in his wake.

He tilted his head at Dex's comment then spoke in an obvious matter of fact manner, "If I wanted him dead bad enough, he would already be. So no, you don't. Serena already made me promise not to anyways."

Dex placed her scrubbing brush across her lap levelling a steady gaze at Vellios, squinting while she listened. Not feeling tension like she anticipated.

"That makes me feel much better, Vellios. Though I'd probably deserve it, but whatever floats your boat."

Hazan hopped off his crate and set aside the pieces of his shotgun. With the source of his guilt approaching, he did little more than meet the taller turian halfway. He stopped, sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Look, Vel, it's my fault, yeah. I know how much Serena means to you, and I can't apologise enough for failing to protect her. I... I..."

"Personally, I have two things to say on that matter: one," Vellios held up a single talon, ignoring the blood still on it, "you don't have any idea about her value to me. It's more complicated than you think and highly beneficial that I die before something happens to her. Two, I'm mad but I'm more pissed at myself for not just going with her. She attracts trouble and always have which is something I should've warned you about."

He inhaled then added one last statement, his tone oddly serious with each word and spread to his expression, "It's also true about what I said. If wanted you dead, nothing would stop me. It's not bragging or anything, but it also means I can get over my anger with time."

"Yeah... I know. I'm sorry. I should've been paying more attention. I feel awful for letting her down, and letting you down too."

Vellios chuckled then continued.

"No, you're not. My suggestion is instead of feeling awful, learn from it and adapt. You know what happened and next time, don't let it. Think of ways to improve either by using what you know or skills you have used in another way. I've had to in order to keep her safe," Vellios commented, "It's not easy but doable. I use to simply rush in during the first time I knew her, but when our first group left her to die... I stopped that."

"I'll... Keep that in mind. Thanks, Vel..."

"Now that is settled. You can join us for a bit or did you have plans to continue punching trees...?" She picked up her scrub brush again and used it to point at his knuckles, the splinters visible. Truly what he said in regards to Serena gave her pause to worry. Was Serena aware how much Vellios depended on her as an anchor? She must be, how could she not be aware?

"Between you and me, I find flesh and bone is better on the talons. I just pretty much pounded it until I collapsed last night."

"Between you and me, flesh and bone is better for more than just talons." She flashed a grin in turn no hints of her thoughts in her expression.

"Careful, I might take you up on that offer sooner than you're ready for."

"I've been itching for a cure for this hangover all morning." She hummed pleasantly for the first time all morning.

A lustful and hungry glance danced in his eyes before he averted his eyes, noting that Haze had been rather...quiet. Smirking in a mischievous manner, Vellios then turned to comment on it, "As humans say it, Haze does the cat got your tongue? You've been rather quiet over there."

"Well... What else can I say? I still feel like shit, so... If y'all wanna go back in the ship and fuck or whatever, it's cool. I'll pack up the stuff out here. Maybe I'll take my shit elsewhere to clean."

Hazan shrugged, noting the clear intentions between the two.

She glanced at him her mandibles flickering a little then noted, "What's the hurry, I've still the rest of my Viper to clean." She shrugged, then hummed happily. "Vellios can hang out here with us while we carry on. The hermit needs to be aired out before I drag him back behind doors."

"There's another thing that also needs sorted before play time. Mainly first an apology to Tanya and likely an explanation for my reaction. Serena thinks it will help but considering everything, I don't think any sort of words from me will make a difference," Vellios left off the reason why his statement to prevent too gloomy of a topic from raising up.

He shrugged again and made his way back to his crate. In a few smooth motions he assembled and stowed his shotgun on his back plate, then he moved to the case.

"You're going to make me break out the Turian brandy stash I have, aren't you?" Vellios hollered back at Haze's retreating back.

Before his talons touched the case's clasps, he stopped.

"...a glass or two wouldn't hurt."

"On one condition, you enjoy yourself and get the hell out of your mood. I want to enjoy your company and honestly, you might be more fun being drunk right now," Vellios teased then ducked into the ship quickly.

"It isn't even midday..." Dex commented drily.

"I need something to numb the pain and I don't like drinking alone!" came the holler back from Vellios.

Hazan nodded to himself silently and reached for the clasps on his case. They popped open with a soft snap, and from within the padded case, he pulled out an old, aged sniper rifle. The scratched, worn Mantis rifle with bipod sat in Hazan's hands like it belonged there, and as he set it down on his crate, he smiled wistfully.

"Besides, I still need to clean this old thing."

"A Mantis, nice. Powerful rifle. Used it a few times now but much prefer the Viper. A bit of a sniper in your Omega years...?" Dex left the question hanging.

"You read the message about Omega I sent, right? This thing is the reason why I sent that message." He hefted the sniper rifle in his hands and held it out. From that distance, the small notches on the side of the rifle's body were visible.

"I see. We'll get you sorted, I can hack a bounty board. Luck permitting of course things go well. Put that past bit of your life behind you." Dex said sincerely. "Until then you'll be stuck with us."

"It's not the bounty board I'm concerned with, Dex. It's the people behind it that I'm concerned about. That's why I still have this thing. Y'know how Omega is, run on reputation as much as it runs on credits."

Hazan replaced the sniper rifle on the crate and got to work stripping it down for cleaning.

"I figure, if I can keep this rifle running for just a bit longer, I can show those people who's the real boss. Maybe find out who killed her and attacked my crew."

She pointed at him, scooping up some small parts from the trigger mechanism. "This sounds like it's more than clearing your name, I heard a her in there. I just hope this doesn't evolve past clearing your name and some revenge. We’re not equipped for taking on Omega or its problems."

"I'd much rather stay below the radar as we are now, instead of dodging other crews hunting for your ass."

"You...do have a point."

"Of course I do. It goes without saying that you'd lose whatever support from the crew if you wanted to take things further." She paused then amended, "You'd lose whatever support I was willing to give."

“But it isn't just about the bounty hunters. It's about finding out who ambushed my team, and who killed...her.”

He sighed and emptied his glass into his gob, wincing at the burn of the brandy as it traveled to his stomach. The pain from Omega was still fresh in his mind, though it'd been months since.

”When I was still working in Omega I was with a smaller team of mercenaries. Called ourselves the Valiants, after our team leader’s nickname. There was...a lady there that I fell in love with. This turian, Jori was her name.

We were on a job, our team, and we were finishing up and prepping for extraction. Then a team of bounty hunters hit us. They were gunning for me, and in the fight, Jori got killed. That's why I'm here. I couldn't take any more so I upped stakes and left.

I figure...if I find the people who put up the bounty board, I'll find the assholes who killed Jori.”

She paused over the mechanism, her sub vocals rumbled with thought. “I suppose using the bounty board to find the asshole who pulled the trigger would be one method. I just... I don’t want a mission to put us right in anyone’s crosshairs. Our crew barely has it’s legs under it yet.”

Vellios had heard quite a bit of the conversation between Haze and Dex when he arrived back holding his last bottle of Turian Brandy in his talon and three glasses. His eyes shifted to Haze then back to Dex, absorbing the information before he spoke, "Uh, well that’s a hell of an insight on you then Haze. However, I can understand well why you did it as I sort of did it myself after Armis and my children died. It’s funny how the past can come up and bite you in the carapace when you least expect it, isn’t it?”

His family. What the hell did Galentos say about them again? She thought squeezing her eyes shut, Fucking hangover…! Armis must of been his wife, and his kids… they were all slaughtered. Right. Fuck. She felt a pang of guilt for knowing that. Fucking Galentos, the jealous prick.

Plopping down on a stump, the black turian paused to think a moment.

“Back to the bounty thing, I want to point out something: you do realize, when they find out the bounty has been removed... they will simply put up another right? We can't keep tabs all the time on the bounty board without them tracing that and I don’t think you want history to repeat until after we find this bastard,” Vellios continued, his mouth turned up into a wickedly delighted grin at his wheels churning in his head, “I suggest we shoot the bounty computer with a specialized VI virus, one that can detect select words in a single document and immediately delete it. Use your name and aliases for those keywords, it would likely prevent anything associated with you from being seen."

Determining that Haze needed a drink, he turned to the other two turians, "Dex, a shot for you while Haze and I will take a full glass." He said while he filled up the two glasses fully then partly for Dex, even before she had the chance to protest. He then passed the brandy to each individual.

Hazan accepted the glass of brandy and smiled. He took a rather long, slow sip and huffed softly.

"Mmm...I guess that could work. But avenging Jori is my top priority when I return to Omega. "

“One thing at a time. You go from one job to the next, when you reach the end… you’ll be unprepared for the end game then lose it all. A lesson I learned very well.” Vellios assured.

The headache behind her eyes throbbed at the sight and smell of the brandy. "It's not even midday yet. Whatever, one shot." She repeated herself then shot it back, her sub vocals rumbling discomfort. "That is a good idea, Vellios. I can get through the security and plant the VI. There'll be some planning to do."

She tapped the bottom of her chin.

"I have my moments," Vellios smirked at Dex and then turned toward Haze, his expression dropped back into a somber one.

Vellios' talons swirled the brandy a bit in thought before he spoke outloud to the gray Turian's earlier comment, "I'm not in a hurry to accomplish this mission, no offense Haze. For at least one big 'ol reason: If we fuck it up and are discovered, every merc from Omega to only the spirits know will be on our ass. Not to mention what other trouble we might attract from the stunt It will take time to plan out until we're ready to strike."

He took a swig from his glass of brandy and sighed softly.

"Thanks...guys. I think, I think maybe I'll get over it soon enough. If you wanted to stay out here, 'n keep me company or something before you bang, it's cool. My rifle's gonna take a while to clean and test."

Taking a sip himself, Vellios then commented, "Good, if you don't get better than I'll give my therapist's extranet number through you'll have to share her time with Khosin."

"I'm not too much in a hurry and I need time to figure out how to phrase things. Tanya doesn't want any history that explains shit, but I doubt a quick, forced apology would make it clear I'm sincere," His talon reached back to itch his neck while he then mumbled something softly, "It's times like this that the Haides was so much easier to survive. I just had to make it to the next day without dying."

Dex kept her eyes on the rifle running a rag down the length of it, thinking on what Vellios had said. Noting he kept in touch with a therapist enough to suggest Khosin talk to them, which was a little relief but she wondered if Khosin opened his mouth. What did he say to Vellios to prompt a discussion on therapy? It made her nervous that he could have possibly told someone else, but that someone being Vellios didn't worry her too much at the moment. She'd have to check in with Khosin the next chance she got. Judging by the turian's nonchalant approach he still doesn't seem to know much about the batarian's horrible past.

At least not all the details.

Vellios at the moment seemed more focused on wanting to make a proper apology to Tanya.

Even distracted by her thoughts she picked up on his mumbling to reply, "Now I know you're exaggerating. A hard apology isn't comparable to life on Haides. You know you fucked up, listen to what she has to say and actually work on ensuring you don't do something like that again. It's way more simple than you're making it out to be, Vellios." Dex said evenly, again keeping her eyes on her rifle while her thoughts carried on. "Trust me, Tanya wants to put that shit to rest as much as you do."

"Not really, Dex. After years of it, some things are easier than others especially when you excelled at them," Vellios stated, his tone more serious than before, as he set his cup aside.

"Tanya could explain but I can't fully understand or empathize with her feelings, no matter how hard I force myself to. Usually, I tend to redirect people like Khosin, or her, to people who can help them better," He chuckled a bit at the thought, "Does that help in seeing why it's so hard? The funny part, I know I'm broken and fully accept it because the other choice is to be miserable."

She shook her head at him, "Sounds more like you have a difficult time empathizing than you do apologizing. The important part is that you actually listen to what she has to say and don't do that shit again. Like I said, simple and straightforward."

"That's the main issue. If it came down to her life and hurting her pride, or whatever, I wouldn't think twice because I rather her pissed and breathing than happy and dead," Vellios admitted.

"You do understand why she's mad? If you at least get that the apology will ring true." Dex asked, hoping she wouldn't have to spell it out for him.

"She assumed I was amused by her situation if I'm understanding it right," Vellios stated, despite the fact he was more amused by the fact Tanya jumped to conclusions and would've kicked herself over it later. However, that didn't seem to matter and people could believe what they wanted of him.

Dex sighed. Close enough?

"Close enough. She'll tell you when you talk to her. Sure, you can use sex as incentive to getting the apology done and out of the way." Dex shrugged putting the rag aside and assembling the clean trigger mechanism. It really wasn't her place to step between Vellios and Tanya, they were adults and would figure it out one way or another.

"I respect you more than that. Besides, pain clears my crest better and," He lifted up his talons, "I've already done that. Personally, I don't think it will matter if I did or not as she might not move on from it. A fact that I have to accept either way and I'm stumped on."

She nodded putting the trigger aside and picking up the rifle. The three of them lulled into a sort of comfortable silence. Haze and Dex carried on with their cleaning.

Dex glanced at Haze studying his tattoos for once, the bright white tattoos spiking and circling from his eyes down to his chin. Palaven, homeworld definitely. She couldn't quite place where exactly. Typically not traditional tattoos unlike Vellios. She glanced over to him and noted the icy blue marks under his eyes and along his mandibles.

"So, Haze. Can't quite place your tattoos. Palaven...right?"

"Palaven, yeah. Family tats."

Hazan looked up from his sniper rifle at Dex, racking the heat sink into place while he slowly reassembled it.

"Born on Palaven, trained there too. Next thing you know, I'm on a shuttle out to the family business on the Citadel. Dad and his siblings ran a private security firm there that aliased with C-Sec. I worked there for a few years until I got swamped with paperwork. That's when I jumped ship. Well, figuratively."

He shrugged and attached his viewfinder onto the top of the rifle. The two devices clicked, and the rifle powered up as it began syncing with his visor.

"After that I ran to Omega, and that's been my home, up until the Borealis happened."

"I like to think I'm pretty good at guessing. Can usually spot homeworlders light years away. If not by the obvious tattoos." She said placing the trigger mechanism back in its place. She tapped her mandible for emphasis. "Want to venture a guess where I'm from?"

"I'd bet 100 credits you can't guess without a hint." She grinned. "Either of you." She couldn't contain the hum of smugness.

"Hmm... Those spirals definitely aren't Palaven... Omega? Or...were you spaceborn?"

Vellios paused in his drinking, which he had resumed while the other two cleaned their equipment, and leaned forward. His eyes studied her spiraling tattoos but for a moment couldn't place them. They were similar to Syberus', with the strange pattern darting over the head sides and mandibles, but appeared more uniform in design over all.

"How many hints and questions do we get?" Vellios asked calmly, then added, "Because I can eliminate about ten planets at least from what I recall. It's not Pavalen or Omega as Haze pointed out. Not Gothis, Bostra, Gelix, Thracia, Rocam, Chatti, Citadel, or Digeris."

"One hint. Definitely not spaceborn, a colony infamous for it's 'Quiet Rebellion.' That's almost too big of a hint, but nobody is usually able to guess it without a hint. I'll be a little lenient because I like you two. The 100 credits are still up for grabs for who can guess right." She hummed, cocky.

"You realise I don't know every colony planet, despite raiding a good portion of them," Vellios replied then continued to think.

"You two are smart, if you use your heads you might get it."

"Haze, how many more colonies can you list? I have about five more then I'm out."

"Uh... Pheiros? Magna? Epyrus? Taetrus? Syglar? Altakiril?"

"Well, about three of my guesses were eliminated out of those," Vellios commented, then thought back to the 314 Relay incident. One of the older turians had given a history lesson over his planet as Vellios struggled to recall the name.

She pointed at Haze, "Narrow down those six, you're really close." She playfully elbowed Vellios.

"I try to forget it honest and wasn't much for learning the names of places for obvious reasons," The male turian commented when he let her nudge him, his arm reached to rub the still tender area and tried not to recall the hallucination he had earlier over it. He didn't like lingering reminders of the future, "I knew an old turian during the 314 Relay Incident that had unique tattoos. Though they were hard to identify the shape since he had a close encounter with a few blades and gun barrels. He was from Taetrus."

She turned to Haze playing it cool, not giving away a single thing, "How about you? What's your guess?"

"Uh....Magna or Syglar?"

She paused for dramatic effect then opened her omnitool up, transferring the credits to Vellios.

"Taetrus. Quiet Rebellion is referring to the ongoing Separatists movement against the Hierarchy. You were getting close there, Haze." She said.

"You could keep the credits, if you do me a favor instead," Vellios stated, his talons already flickering the account amount back with a small message: ‘After Tanya, find and distract me.’ He smirked letting her guess how to distract him as he knew it could go either way and in the end, forgetting it was best. "Think that's possible?"

"Aww damn. I was just guessing blindly, really."

Hazan shrugged and finished off his glass of brandy, motioning to Vel with the empty glass.

"Pass the bottle? I need another hit."

She read the message across her omnitool her cocky grin subtly shifting her sub vocals quieting. The playful flirting earlier held nothing to the intensity in her eyes at that second. She sent her omnitool to sleep, her mandibles flickered.

"It's alright, Haze. It's a weird colony, fiercely proud of their roots in rebellion."

"Don't drown in it," Vellios requested then passed the bottle, nearly empty between the three of them. Enjoying the vibration that danced across Dex's sub cords, his mandibles wiggled in eagerness and knowing something waited to take his mind off of it.

He leaned into listen to Dex speak about her planet, "I'm surprised considering it failed and I don't think everyone was proud. The vet I talked about had roots that died during that time and seemed to be trying to distancing himself a bit. Though I could see he wasn't good at it."

"It's not really encouraged as you guys can imagine. Separatism has a lot of..." She struggled to find the appropriate words, she held no attachments to it any longer and to explain it wasn't something she did often if at all. "Idealistic notions to put it simply. I don't count myself as 'fiercely proud.' At least not anymore." She slowly put the rest of her Viper back together. "Grew out of it."

"So...you're not a separatist, are you? I was never really too deep into that whole conflict. Busy trying to eke out a living on Omega to pay attention to otherworldly politics and stuff." He accepted the bottle and poured himself another glass, setting down the bottle on the nearby crate.

"Not anymore. It's not just politics when you're in the thick of it. The idealism is poisonous. Sucks you in and you start thinking completely different. Always, always us versus them." Dex replied a little solemn.

Vellios looked back at Dex and commented something he knew well, "I wouldn't count on that, hun. Some things you never outgrow, even when you really try."

Dex scoffed at that, "It's pretty fucking easy to outgrow it when you hate both sides for what they did to-" She stopped herself feeling the anger boiling, her feelings of betrayal came roaring back with ferocity. She took a deep breath in through her nose, managing to stop before going into a full rant.

"There are somethings you can outgrow. Apologies, just remembered I have some calls to make. I gotta go."

She stood abruptly and began storing her M97 away, needing to make a quick exit. Dex thought she could talk about the Separatists, trust that she had put it behind her. Clearly, not the case. Vellios was right to some degree, she hadn't outgrown her spite or rebellious leanings. She definitely wasn't ready to share anything else. She hoped she'd never have to.

Vellios tilted his head, and curved his eyebrow upward in a 'point made' gesture at Dex's retreating backside. His eyes naturally watched her move as it lured his attention in, even when lacking any type of sway or seductive allure, quietly loving the way she moved. Only the knowledge of knowing she had retreated from his correct statement had spoiled it. The turian cautiously wondered if she was going to still meet him after Tanya or leave him hanging after his comment.

"Thanks Haze for keeping me company while we cleaned. I'll see you around. We're leaving bright and early tomorrow so you better be there." She pointed at the navigator. "You." She said to Vellios.

She turned to face Vellios her organic talon brushing up under his chin tipping his head up, "Good luck with the apology, if you're lucky we might make it behind bedroom doors. No guarantees."

Mending wounds ft. Fallen & Dervs

Vellios edged into the hanger cautiously. His ear canals followed the Elcor metal blaring vibrations as his eyes flickered low for Tanya's peering boots underneath some bulky vehicle or shithead nearby. All the time, he navigated through the chaotic mess within the work space. He balanced an old ale bottle from the bar, his own drink, and a few mixed snacks so if Tanya wanted to throw something at him then it might be survivable at least.

Being an alcoholic, he figured the ale would make the conversation go faster with any luck. Or at least keep him from farther digging an hole as humans put it. Upon finding Tanya, his foot tapped hers gently then shouted over the blaring noise, "Hey, you got a moment? We need to talk."

The sound of a heavy bolt hit the deck, followed by a muffled. "Fuck!" Tanya slid out from under the front of the Yolac, one of the front suspension struts in tow. She looked up at Vellios. "Wasn't geared at you, by the way. You just startled me. I tend to lose myself in my work." she said, taking a knee and carefully lifting the part of one of the work benches where it settled with a sizable thud. "I can talk shit about batarians all day, but they sure as shit know how to make things robust. Anyways, what about? I thought we squared the shit with the chompy little wankers away already. Don't tell me you want to dredge that up again?" she asked, opening up one of the work bench's drawers and finding a long, narrow fork-like apparatus that she set down next to the strut and a pry bar.

"Yeah, you should see some of their older stuff.” Vellios scratched his neck again, thinking of the ancient collar he had on and how difficult it was to rip off. It was like ripping off his carapace, a mild description, as he shifted the food and drink to the nearest work table.

“More like Serena thinks if I explain things, it might help. Honestly… I doubt it. Hence why I’m been scarce, but she won’t let it lay until I do. You’ve seen how she is,” he answered then offered the ale and gestured for her to sit down, “However, that’s not what finally decided it. Besides, I brought you food and drink so at least it should help make this more tolerable. However, the choice is yours.”

"I'm not a gal to say no to refreshments when at work." Tanya replied, activating her omnitool and turning down the music volume before hopping up to take a seat on an empty crate she was beginning to see as her "therapy session" crate, since it was where she ended up most of the time when discussing private matters with others. "And yeah, I noticed she can be rather persistent. She practically begged me to teach her how to throw a punch or two on account of my being a marine and probably easy on the eyes." she said, grabbing for a clean rag and detergent to clean her hands off.

“She has a heart of gold despite it. Makes me worry sometimes since trouble seems to always find her no matter how hard I try to stop it,” Vellios agreed while he pulled up the tray and footed a crate himself. He then plopped down into his makeshift seat as he reached for his own drink. It would make this easier as he popped the top, then took a swig down his maw. No glass or anything this time. He didn’t want to count the drinks, but merely let the familiar buzz numb those jittery nerves filling the back of his attention.

"But I said before, yeah, I was pissed off about how everything went down... still am to an extent, but I think I understand where you're coming from. Top marks for intent, bullocks for execution. Can't expect everything to go smoothly when you're getting to know a new group of people thrown into some pretty stupid situations. There's a reason military combat units train constantly before they're deployed into combat, tends to iron out the shit we went through, the trust's there. We all kinda rushed into this gig like a bunch of dipshits. So really, and truthfully, I'm willing to put it behind me. You don't have to explain yourself." she said with a deep breath, looking at the tray Vellios brought.

[color] “I know but as I said, I have another reason for doing this. I’m just trying to do it without going into a long winded explanation and defeating my purpose,”[/color] the turian stated as he thought about it more, his breath inhaled a moment and continued, “Not expecting much, but how much do you know about the Haides? I know it was most a turian ghost story, but I might be able to skip over some key details and background story making this a lot quicker.”

"I'm afraid I don't know anything about it, or really the nitty gritty shit that the Council Race myths and legends or even military events and so on so forth have going on in their history. I'm afraid I'm not super knowledgeable on those fronts. All I know is it was a bad place for you and made you the wonderfully sketchy person we have today, kind of like my Mindoir." Tanya said, picking up the ale and looking over it, more to give her hands something to do than anything.

“Actually, I was much worse. Had you reacted that way in front of me in the past, I would’ve smirked and provoked you into attacking me so I could slice you up at key areas designed for bleeding. Then I wouldn’t have batted an eye while I crippled you and left you out in the hull of the ship to die slowly,” Vellios spoke in a blunt and very serious tone. His eyes didn’t look at Tanya because he knew they lacked the remorse and guilt over his past, something he knew would disturb her and break whatever trust reminded. The turian took another deep draft of his alcohol before he continued, “I have trouble empathizing since because in order to survive I had to shut it off. I’ve been gradually turning it back on ever since but T’Vync says it’s not uncommon for people like me never to be able to.”

He reached for a snack to keep him from getting drunk too fast, then popped the dried meat into his mouth. “So I react often to situations without thinking.”

"Charming. So save someone only to dismember them because you were a sociopathic ass? I'm not sure if this revelation is exactly reassuring. Kind of why I don't tend to, you know, pry about things people have been up to. Almost prefer you didn't decide today was show and tell." Tanya replied, rolling her eyes and hopping off her crate to return to the job at hand. She needed to focus her emotions into something productive before anger overtook her. The hell did he need to bring this up for? "So, what? I'm supposed to be thankful that you only laughed at my fear of being sexually assaulted on account of being bound by fuzzy handcuffs while unconscious by a self-professed playboy rather than butchered because you had a shit time in your life where you were a bad person?" she asked, a dark tone seeping into her voice.

Vellios knew things would take a darker turn, he just didn’t realize it would’ve happened this soon. He quietly hated for being pushed into this situation and his talons tightened about his bottle in frustration at his inability to explain, careful not to crack it. He lowered his crested head into his talons for a moment while he considered just digging them into his carapace to ease his discomfort. Naturally her comment cut to the bone harder than he wanted but he knew correcting her would only lead to more arguments.

“No, that’s not what I meant and I said that was how I use to be. It was an example over how Haides changes you and not an excuse for my actions, please let me finish. I act before considering the situation or how it looks out of habit,” Vellios inhaled then hoped his next words would help ease the anger he had caused, “I was laughing over the fact you assumed something and how you mentioned you hated people that do that, not because you were frighten or upset. That didn’t even cross my mind until after the fact. I want to promise it won’t happen again, but I know I can’t because it might and not intentionally.”

He let a subvocal sound of irritation at the situation while he added one last thing, “I thought explaining it might help you realise why it might happen rather than expect you to take my word for it and think I’m being an asshole. I’m sorry I couldn’t empathize fully with your situation when it happened, but it's not for lack of trying.”

Tanya stopped what she was doing, standing rigid. After a short spell, she finally spoke. "Remember how you once told me that nobody should try to wake you up because you might attack them? Imagine what it was like in my situation. I had some kind of toxin flowing through my system that more or less made me numb and put me to sleep and I wake up, dazed and confused and a bit terrified because the last thing I recall is being swarmed by dozens of flesh carving teeth, and the next I wake up, somewhere that still isn't familiar to me, and bound with fetish gear. And you laughed. I wasn't in my right mind, and all you had to do was reassure me. Trust is a two-way street. You give me shit about me assuming, well... there you go." she said, although her tone had softened somewhat at the end.

"Look, Vellios." She said, turning to face him, her eyes wide and her mouth locked in a perpetual perturbed frown. "You think anyone on this boat came from somewhere happy? What idiot in their right mind would sign on for this operation unless they were desperate or trying to escape something? I'm not going to pretend I understand what you went through, but don't think for a moment that you're the only one who's lost a large part of their humanity... or whatever the fuck the turian equivalent is." She said, placing a hand on her chest.

”I lost everyone I ever cared about, and before I found this lot, I was alone. Not how I wanted to carry on my life, but here I am, trying to start over with a bunch of strangers who seem to have largely come from the darker side of grey on the morality scale. I got abandoned by the system I swore to serve and uphold, and my own mother discarded me because I came back too damaged for her liking. Great homecoming for a girl who got to watch children get gutted by batarians while having her face coated with the inside of her best friend’s head, wasn’t it? The difference between us is that I still believe I can find the woman I was before I lost everything, and I sure as shit don’t want to take my trauma out on others. I just want to get better.”

“Sanity in our case, which I’ve already lost a long time ago,” Vellios quietly said then thought about his next words, deciding against opening key tidbits for Tanya’s sake and likely request, “Another difference is that we prioritize things differently. Mine tends to be more self-focus first than others in the aftermath, a fact I’m not proud of, but it is what it is. If it’s worth knowing, I envy you for being able to get better. I know what my future holds at the end and while I’ve accepted it, I don’t think Serena will.”

He took another drink to let the words settle on the air, his eyes spying her reaction before he then commented, “I figure if we knew how each other ticked, it might make things better next time. However, maybe I just made things worse instead. It isn’t the first time.”

"For what it's worth, I appreciate you coming to talk to me, and try to explain things, as ass backwards as they might be. I forgive you for what happened; I just want to move on. This Jalopy is way too small to hold a grudge, anyways." she said, picking up the bottle Vellios brought for her. "Bit weaker than the usual, but I'll take it as a peace offering. And I don't believe anyone's beyond finding better. I'm not going to fool myself and pretend I'm going to be the same person again, but I'd like to at least reconnect with it, you know? I don't think you're as doomed as you think you are. Notice how you decided not to chop me up and instead try to talk to me after the fact? Progress." She smiled. "Recovery isn't like turning on a light where suddenly there it is, it's recognizing the small little victories and steps forward. If you ask me, you're going down that road whether you realize it or not."

Vellios nodded, letting it rest for now, as he tilt his head back for another drink. The bottle was lighter than before, drawing his gaze to note it was empty and then tossed it into the nearest compactor. He still had no buzzing in the back of his head showing how much tolerance he had developed over the years, both a curse and blessing. Shrugging off the result, his head turned up at Tanya’s comment about the ale being weak causing him to tilt his head to the side and his brow arched in question, “I couldn’t taste it so I can’t really judge if it was worth it or not. It’s also from the Jalopy’s pantry as the last time I got off the ship, I did this.”

"Oh, god, I hope it's not one of the bottles that came with the ship..."

He held up his bruised and now less bleeding talons on his right hand. Bandages were haphazardly patched and slipping down, each swollen knuckle revealed after using a local tree with his bare fists. Each reflex made them sting but nowhere on the level they had originally. Setting his hand back down to lay across his thigh, he chuckled at Tanya’s comment about not being as doomed. “Now you’re sounding like Serena. People like me tend to relapse often, resulting in… How do I put this? We never get the chance to die of old age, so far.”

"No time like the present to break the mold. Feels like half the reason I decide to do things is because it's not what's expected. Point is, don't worry about what hasn't happened yet and just take it a day a time. Just remember it's never that there's people like you, there's only you. You never have to accept the trends and go with the flow, even if said trends are disturbingly Nihilistic. One foot before the other, you know?" Tanya replied, deciding to set the bottle down.

"I'm not worried about myself. I had a hell of run so far and lived a wonderful life, so if the end comes... I won't stop it." Vellios looked at complete peace with the future he knew was likely, a playful smirk darted across his mouth and the usual playfulness colored his expression. It stayed there for only a moment. A dark cloud of worried and foreboding clouded over his icy blue irises before he turned his head, avoiding looking at Tanya, "Haides survivors tend to get violent in very heavy relapses, similar to when I fought that Krogan in the pits. Only one day, I might not be able to tell the difference between memories and reality. A scare I had today."

"What happened?" Tanya asked, furrowing her brow.

"I've not told Serena and I don't want to because she'll be watching me like a hawk," his eyes looked up and made a request, "Promise you won't tell anyone else?"

Tanya rose a hand as if she were taking an oath. "I promise. What's told to me stays with me, kind of like how I expect the same courtesy in turn from anyone else." Tanya said earnestly. "Never was one for gossip. But if talking helps me understand you better, and maybe gives me the chance to step in when warning signs are coming up, then yeah, I think it's worth knowing about."

"You know how I cracked my ribs, right?"

"After the incident and fact I hadn't released pent up frustrations over what happened between us, I slipped back into old habits. Making myself very scarce and ended up shifting my bed into a makeshift hammock in one corner of my room," He held up his talon for a moment in case Tanya decided to interrupt and ask him how he managed to do that, "If you're still curious, I'll show you later. I think I swiped at least a bolt gun to insert a crude hook. Anyways, after talking with Khosin and Iosif, I went to see if I had hurt myself after falling out of it during a nasty dream."

"At the very least... I'll take a gander at whatever you rigged up to make sure it holds. Least I can do." she said, blinking at the revelation he'd decided to make a hammock out of all things.

Vellios paused for a breathe then continue, "When I took off the cast, I noted there was a large gash running down my ribcage. Thinking I had actually cut myself, I grabbed some stitches then started to patch myself up. If they hadn't been liquid stitches, I would've ended up puncturing through healthy and healing carapace without knowing it."

"Y'know, there's all sorts of medical facilities here that probably can do a better job than you at that in the bathroom with a needle and thread and less of a risk of infection. I'd offer to help but," she held up her grimy hands for inspection. "There's a reason you don't ask the janitor to also be the cook."

Vellios lifted up his arm for her to see, "Yea, but do you know how confused the doctor would look at me if I told him about a gash instead of a bruise? I'm not very aware or myself when I'm put on meds for hallucinations. They also tend to warp my personality into something I much rather avoid."

He carefully lifted up his shirt then detached the cast. He finally gestured for her to take it before he dropped it, as he let her see the vivid, healing purple coloring his ribs, "You can still look at least. Dr. T'Vync and I had tacked down at least few triggers: the nightmares and isolation for long periods. One of the main reasons I like being around others instead of alone."

Tanya carefully took the cast, trying not to touch the inside. Was she crazy in thinking she just said her hands were too dirty for sterile work, or was Vellios just suffering from a terminal case of 'dontgiveafuckitus'? "I can relate to nightmares. Pretty much every night is the worst sleep of my life. I pretty much relive the trauma I went through every single night, so I can appreciate what you're going through. But damn, that does not look good. Trust me, hospitals have the weirdest shit walk through their doors. Their job is to fix you up, not ask questions. As for the company, well... you found it."

Vellios hissed when he replaced the cast back on with a snap. Pain jarred through his sore area for a brief moment and faded into a dull numbness, his figure still hunched in to rest his elbows upon his thighs, "Well, that's why I use the drugs. However, I'm careful and usually only buy from one dealer who has lots of repeat customers rather than new buyers. Mostly they just numb then I fall into a dreamless sleep. As for the self-patch jobs, it's more habit and harder to break."

Adjusting the cast once more to a more comfortable setting, "What was the coloring? Was it deep blue or purple?"

"Shit's purple. I... have no idea what that means."

"Means its healing. If it was denim blue, I am bleeding internally and we need to move quickly."

"Hooray for small victories. And I'm not going to say anything about your drugs, I mean, I drink way too much, but I kind of wish there were less shady alternatives."

"So do I, but I can literally count the number of still living patients like me on one hand. A turian hand. They don't mass produce the drugs that won't mess with my mind unfortunately because the Hierarchy doesn't find much point in spending money for a less than .0000-whatever percent to live semi-normal lives," Vellios snatched a bag then popped in another snack into his mouth and chewed a moment. Upon clearing the bite, he resumed, "Next time I patch myself, mind being my spotter? I much rather not be digging into my wounds for something that isn't there. Just in case this wasn't brought on by me isolating myself in my quarters."

Tanya nodded. "Of course. I'll be there when you need me, but wild idea... ever looked into what the quarians have to offer? Considering they deal with a constant state of medical crisis, maybe they have something that might be a bit more advanced than what the Hierarchy has on offer for the reasons you outlined. We're a team, so I'm here when you need it. I promise."

"Do you know how hard it is to find a quarian for that or in general?" Vellios asked, "Kasyra was the first quarian we've stumbled across and I've not seen many besides her. Odds in that might be a bit slim. However, if we cross one then feel free to remind me."

"I can paint it in writing on the bulkhead in your quarters if that helps." she grinned.

"And can I spam the picture I have of you drooling in your sleep all over the extranet," Vellios retorted, smirking back.

"You'd use what limited extranet packets we can afford on that? How sweet. It's not like it would matter; I'm one of literally billions of people online. Gonna have to do harder than that to blackmail me." Tanya retorted, reaching for the snack tray. "So, what exactly did you bring here?"

"High calorie snacks that could block an artery if you do a steady diet of it. Also don't encourage me, I've gotten pretty good at photo manipulation and could use more stock photos to practice with or put it on a turian dating site."

Tanya took one of the packets and tore it open with a smile. "And there goes my plans for making things awkward for Haze. I was going to sign him up for an interspecies gay dating site with a preference for hanar and krogan without him knowing about it and wait until he starts telling us about the traumatic things people are promising to do to him in his inbox the next time a packet comes through. And if turians are into drooling unconscious humans, gotta say you guys gotta work on that whole standards thing."

"And that's something unique only to humans?" Vellios commented, daring her to deny they could be into some fucked up shit.

Tanya munched on some of the snacks, eyes widened somewhat, and she set it down, reluctantly swallowing what she'd already committed to. "Oh, we're a horribly depraved lot. We just tend to keep that on the down low. And I promise you, I am a very resourceful person. That image goes up, and you've opened the floodgates to some rather unflattering situations, starting with me painting up something regarding you and selling it for a tidy profit so it can have the run around some online gallaries for a bit, and I have probably 500 credits worth of prank materials that I have stowed away that I haven't found a use for... but I may be looking at it." she said with a teasing smirk. "I promise, if you want to start this dance, you'll be begging me to let you go to sleep or use the shitter without incident within days."

"Don't worry, I don't start shit. I only finish it." He winked in reassurance, "Though keep in mind, I have enough lady friends to keep the story straight and I'm use to pushing the boundaries of things."

"Might be singing a different tune if every time you take a seat, you get a bit of a shock... oh, speaking of which, a peace offering." Tanya said, heading to one of her containers with a thumb scanner that popped open after a few seconds. She pulled out a handful of thin strips with paper backing. "Been meaning to put these up. Take off the protective sheets and it completes a circuit that basically gives anyone who touches it a bit of a jolt that's like one of those joke buzzers you use to shake people's hands with clowns used to run around with. Attach them to handles, ladders, whatever surface people can't see but tend to touch, and we'll have ourselves a good laugh as the rest of the crew spends the next week trying to find out if there's any more lurking about."

"There's many places to shit...and I've been in less sanitary situations," Vellios stated then spied her walking away, "Make people think they are crazy if you can disconnect the look and make it stop whenever key people touch it. Personally, I think it might be funny to sabotage someone's seat."

"So like an interrupter relay? I can pull that off, I'd have to head into town to pick up some parts from a hobby store, but with about 12 credits worth of parts, I can put together something that's pretty harmless but will drive them mad for a little while until they find it." Tanya grinned. "Strips are still happening, though. That's my freebie to you. I have a few other things planned, but it's all about pacing it out."

"Try not to push too many buttons. As you pointed out, none of us came from 'somewhere happy'. The shock stripes don't bother me much because of two years wearing a collar that seemed to be shock happy, but I can't say how the others will react or if it will set them off into a panic attack." Vellios said then pulled up a clock in his omnitool and thought for a moment then tapped a few things across th display, sending a message toward Dex to start heading his way.

Tanya crossed her arms and cocked her head. "You're allergic to fun, aren't you?" she pouted, still fully planning on carrying out her shit-headed operation. It was simply fair play that Vellios be warned of the opening salvo. It's what friends were for. "Places to be?" she asked.

"If I was allergic to fun, I would be stopping you, hun. Instead, I'm just asking you be careful with your fun is all. I'm not even going to speak a word of it to Serena though it might only work once, her droids likely can detect it after you get her once," Vellios chuckled as he paused and considered how much detail to give Tanya,[/color=rosybrown] "Yeah, in a bit. I've been neglecting Dex thanks to my relapse, and I sort of want to change that. Might end up taking her out later after a bit of sheet fun. If she'll let me come up for breathe that is."[/color]

Her hands went up to her ears. "Ugh, nope. What you freaky bird monsters do in your private time is something I like to lock away in the horror genre and not the reality it happens a few doors down from where I sleep." She said teasingly, hoping Vellios understood she was being flippant. "I'll stick down here with nuts and bolts that slot into holes that don't end up contaminating the bedspreads... god, I'm sounding like Serena, who might as well be Amish at this point."

"I'm pretty sure you 'apes' do some freaky things on your own. Kissing for example as I've heard numerous Turians say is gross." Vellios replied then chuckled and noted, "I actually suspect she's into girls so you might want to watch your pretty ass, she might be eyeing it up when you're not looking."

"Oh, I have no doubt she's probably eye fucked me at some point. As long as it remains an art gallery and not a sculpting class, we'll be fine."

He rose upright onto his feet, stretching out, as he looked at Tanya carefully, "Mind if I leave the rest of this," he gestured at the levos snacks, "with you? I'm going to swipe the dextro variety for the road."

"Be my guest. I'll probably send them off to Tonka. He seems to eat literally anything and likes it." She replied. "You guys have fun tonight. I'll just make sure I sleep with headphones."

"I might suggest putting in a gas pill then lock him in the mess hall, I believe Iosif is still eating there and it might be humorous." Vellios suggested as he moved off to find Dex, his mouth smiled at the through.

*Tap, tap tap*

Serena knocked lightly on Dex’s door. ”Dex? You in awake there? I have something I want to give you.” She called, glancing back to make sure nothing had happened to Del. Sure enough, he was still floating patiently behind her, omni-ropes tied around the box that he carried. It was a store box, as Serena didn’t have time to make it a proper gift with wrapping and such, but it did the job and hid what was inside.

Her head pounded lightly, but the water she drank seemed to be helping. She had woke up earlier in the day, cursing everything and anything. Last night was mostly a blur of lights and drinking, with only a few small memories coming through. Much to her delight, however, all of her gifts had finally arrived and she could start delivering them. First was Dex, which was why she was knocking on the Turian’s door.

She knocked again. ”Hello? Do you want me to just leave it out here?”

Dex squinted at the door from her bed, long legs bent up to accommodate for the short bunk. It had been a little bit since she beat a quick retreat from Haze and Vellios, she wasn’t expecting Serena. Dex had assumed she’d be nursing her hangover for the rest of the day. Her strange mood had ebbed considerably since her retreat.

“One second, leave what?” Dex moved, her little space held no real personal touch. She carried everything she needed digitally, a few wet clothes hung up along some pipes. A pile of snack packet papers were in the wastebin. While her armour was collapsed at the foot of her bed. The door opened and Dex leaned against the frame looking down on her. “Hey Serena. What did you need?”

Serena craned her neck up to look at the Turian, suddenly embarrassed. She looked down as her cheeks flushed, hands clasped behind her back. ”I’m bringing gifts to the crew, and noticed that your room didn’t have any particular personal touches, and I remembered that you’re from Taetrus.” She mumbled, kicking her feet slightly.

”So,” She waved Del forward, and the drone dutifully moved forward and gently set the box down. ”I got these.” As Del moved away, Serena opened the box and pulled out two plants. One was a brilliantly blue bush of flowers, seeming to stretch towards the light now that they were free, set firmly into dry soil. The other was less brightly colored, set in marshy soil. It was a small, scraggly, cluster of dark green leaves, and they seemed to shrink from the light.

”I can’t pronounce the names, but I’m assured that one is for aesthetic and the other has many medicinal uses. I didn’t know what you’d prefer, so I got both.”

As Dex merely stared at the plants, Serena became more embarrassed. ”You’rerightstupidideaI’lljustgokeeptheplantsifyou-” She began to retreat backwards from the turian.

Before Serena could make a run for it a long arm caught her by her sleeve. “No, it's a lovely idea.” Dex said quietly, staring at the plants. Her organic talons brushed through the soft petals. “Used to cut these back as overzealous weeds when I was a kid. The undergrowth was always so persistent. Felt bad because as invasive as these flowers were they were pretty.”

“Thank you, Serena.” Dex looked to her, warm hums of content vibrated through her sub vocals.”This is a bit of home I didn't realize I missed.

Serena looked up cautiously as she was stopped, smiling slightly as Dex spoke. ”Everyone needs to carry home with them. Something to remind them of a good time, especially when things are shit. I’m just glad I could help you with that.”

Dex saw that Serena was acting rather cautious, did she think she was lying or putting on a polite face? “Of course, really Serena, thank you. I love them.” Dex pulled her into a one armed hug, her sub vocals still humming away.

”Good.” Serena replied, her voice slightly muffled. ”For a second there I thought I was bringing up bad memories for you.

She cocked her head letting Serena go, thought for a second and sighed. “My bad, all that emotion was in my sub vocals. I keep forgetting that other species can't hear them.”

Serena hummed for a moment. ”You know, I could probably fix that. Create something that would pick up on subvocalization. It would vibrate and be able to translate the information allowing you to communicate to other species without having to constantly explain yourselves almost like the elcor but on a smaller level obvious because you don’t rely entirely upon smells that most other species can’t even register much less differentiate between-” Serena suddenly cut off her excited babble with a small grin. ”Sorry. Got excited.

“I love them, they're going to make my bunk smell less like old volus breathing apparatus. At least… that's what I hope the smell is.” She said now flashing a grin and a wink. She scooped up the other plant walking inside her bunk, looking around for a good place to put them. “I can probably hang them up here. Catch some of the fresher recycled air.”

”It’s probably all the sex you have in here without venting the room.” Serena looked up where Dex was pointing. ”That should work. I probably set up something where they recycle their own air and can be placed anywhere, given enough time. Buuut, this is probably the simpler solution.”

Dex laughed at Serena, “Yes because fresh recycled air isn't the least bit strange.”

“Why are you so nervous?”

Serena paused, then the realization dawned on her. “Ooooh. Very funny.”She shrugged with forced nonchalance at Dex’s question. ”I didn’t want to screw this up. I like making people happy, not making them feel worse about things because I made a mistake.” She shrugged, making herself try to appear casual about it. ”I screw up a lot, so I try to make those things I really care about screw up free.”

Dex smiled and shook her head at her, “You can relax, even if I didn’t like them I would have still managed to be polite.”

”Oh thank you that makes me feel so much better.”

“You’re fine Serena, although you can’t rely on liquid courage now with Firuzeh on board full time.” Dex commented, patting her shoulder.

Serena frowned in confusion. ”Liquid courage? Firuzeh? What are you talking about?”

Dex stared at her for a few moments then her mandibles spread into a big grin. “You don’t remember a thing about last night?”

”Not much. Tanya promising to help me with Barat and build a mech for a robot fight league if we ever beach and there’s one. Drinking. Why?” Serena’s eyes grew wide. ”Oh god did I do something stupid like flirt with a krogan or something?” As Dex’s grin only grew wider, Serena only grew more worried. ”Dex! Please tell me I didn’t make a fool of myself.”

Dex threw her head back to laugh, “You’ll find out, I’m going to message Tanya and ask her not to say anything. Oh Spirits… that is amazing.” Serena’s apparent horror pulled more chuckles out of her. “You’re not going to hear what happened from me, not even if you beg.”

”Dex what did I do. Dex answer me. Who is Firuzeh? Did I do something stupid? DEX.

She pulled up her omnitool her eyes twinkling with mischief, sending off a message Tanya.

Don’t say anything to Serena, she doesn’t remember a thing!

Dex dragged Serena out of her bunk, “You’ll find out in due time, my youthful lightweight friend. Thanks for the plants, they’re great.”

”Dex! I brought you gifts and you treat me like this? Who the hell is Firuzeh and what did I do with them.” As she was drug out of the room she rounded on the turian, glaring up at her. ”Answer me!!

Her only reply was cackling and a closing door.

Shadow Broker File 04KB32-08182176
Location: Elysium, Illyria, Jackal’s Hideout Tavern
Timestamp: 2432
Source: Surveillance Camera CF-03
Type: Video Feed
Subjects: T. Carson (Scott, Terra Nova), S. Mathews (San Pedro Sula, Earth)



”You sure you want to go through with being grilled with questions when you have non-existent judgement?” Tanya asked, the faintest upturn of her lips. ”I should record tonight for posterity. Alright, let’s start with something simple. What drove you to become a mercenary?”

”Part necessity, part desire. I needed to keep on the move because the Alliance was angry with me, and I had grown bored of the same things around me. Wanderlust, I suppose you would all it.” Serena replied, pressing ‘order’ on her menu as she found the water. ”My turn!” She beamed at Tanya. ”What is your favorite style of paint? I’ve noticed that you paint a lot and you’re really good, if prone to alternative styles. So, which style is your favorite?”

As Serena finished her question, the server came along, an asari, and brought Tanya’s order to the table. She smiled, thanked her, and popped one of the cactus fries in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully before replying. ”I can’t say I have a style, per say. Didn’t have classes or anything, I just started doing it one day after mild curiosity and it just stuck. I mean, I go through different type and brands of paint on a regular basis, it’s just mainly what’s cheap and easy to get shipped around without absurd customs fees. I guess I like Kees brand best, it’s what a lot of the guys back in the 63rd like to use to decorate the Mantises and Makos with.” she replied, chewing another fry. ”Okay, gotta ask. Why the hell would the Alliance be mad at you, did you piss in some Admiral’s shoes and go for a joyride in a Grizzly?”

Serena made a quick note on a napkin, tucking it into her dress, smiling. At Tanya’s question, she paused a moment, gathering her thoughts. ”You know the blue print I have? The one that’s a Krogan Mech? It’s design is based off of a Krogan Merc I used to run with. We did missions for the Alliance. Our last one went to shit and we had to bail. Problem was our exit was cut off so we had to take an alternate route. Which lead to a dead end. We were trapped in a room, with no way out.”

They were going to throw grenades in, since assaulting a Krogan with his back to the wall is a stupendously bad idea. So Barat sacrificed himself for me. Covered me with his body while jarring me to shield myself. The grenades went off, and he died. I panicked, lost my cool, and ran. When I ran...I sorta took the VI they sent me to recover. So they’re really pissed at me. All in all, it was a disaster.” Serena smiled sadly at Tanya. “There was some good that came from it. I met Vellios and you guys.” She drummed her fingers on the table. ”Onto less depressing topics, Weekly Robot death battles on the ship. Yes or no? You and I would have to build everyone’s robots, of course, but I think it’d help for stress relief.”

For once, Tanya didn’t know what to say; it was not the answer she was expecting out of Serena. [color=cyan][I]So that’s why she’s building the mech like a krogan, in memoriam of her friend.[I][/color] she thought, exhaling slowly as she took it in. It was one thing to lose a friend, it was quite another when they gave their lives to save your own. ”I’m… sorry. I didn’t mean to have you drag that up. I don’t know if it means anything, but if there’s some way you want to pay your respects to Barat, even if it means helping finish that mech, I’m here for you.” she replied with a smile. ”Going to have to put that as a hard no for robot death battles; last thing I need is to find my parts going missing and people nagging me to get their shit together. But I’ll tell you what; if you find something like that going on when we have shore leave, we’ll build one together.” she said, drumming her fingers in thought.

”So when you aren’t crammed on a ship with a bunch of wankers, what kind of hobbies do you have, or what did you like doing before signing up?”

”You’re sweet and not nearly as tough as you make yourself out to be. If I wasn’t drunk I’d be crying and hugging you. Don’t think I won’t take you up on that offer.” Serena returned Tanya’s smile, gratefully taking glass of water she ordered.

She gave a dramatic sigh. ”No one ever wants to do the Robot death battles. As for hobbies...well, hmmm.” Serena drummed her fingers on her chin. ”Well, you know chess, you still owe me a game by the way, and that I like to make things from scratch like chess boards and drones. So, I guess I should throw in the things you don’t. I like to dance. Classic, newer styles, any and all. It was part of the way I escaped the mess in San Pedro Sula.” Serena giggled. ”But you won’t get me to admit that sober. It doesn’t seem like something a mercenary mechanic should know how to do it. I could even teach you how to spin and dip me, if we ever need to blend into a high class place.” She winked at Tanya, smirking slightly. ”What else...” Serena hummed. ”I also like to garden, though not much. A few pretty flowers here and there.”

”What about you? What drove you to the Alliance?

”Usually people who are drunk are the ones who start bawling and clinging to people, not the other way around. Remind me to keep you nice and liquored up, keeps my personal space intact.” Tanya replied with a laugh.

”And sure, I haven’t forgot my promise. You have to admit, it’s been a shitty couple of weeks trying to even sit down and relax. We’ll make time for chess sometime in the next couple of days. And I don’t think there’s anything particularly weird about a ‘mercenary mechanic’ liking to dance… I’m pretty sure asari are born knowing how to work a pole for credits and they’re the ones who founded Eclipse. Your dancing is my painting; it’s an expressive outlet. Yours just draws more attention.” she observed with a dismissive wave the the hand.

Running a hand through her hair, she continued. ”After my little misadventures at Mindoir, to say I was a mess was an understatement. I wasn’t deemed fit for frontline combat anymore, and they shuffled me to backwater assignments far away from any potential hotspots where I basically was transferred to the mechanical engineering divisions between therapy sessions. Didn’t really take to it; I got taken away from my surviving friends, what was basically my family, and being more or less told that they don’t trust me to do my job just soured the whole experience for me.

“The Alliance used to be everything for me, and it was my original escape from being reminded of home. I guess I was selfish when I enlisted, I left my mother behind alone to do what my father did, and when I left the Alliance and came home, I must have resembled everything she hated about the Alliance because she pretty much couldn’t stand to look at me at that point. I guess I’m just running away from more problems.” she concluded with a frown.

”Oh, shit, Tanya I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring all that up. Fuck, I’m an idiot. Maybe I shouldn’t tag along on that trip to the memorial. Since I’m just gonna open up my mouth like that.” Serena muttered, going to hug Tanya then suddenly pulling back. ”Personal space, right, forgot.” Serena sighed. ”We’re pretty shit at staying away from depressing topics. Lets try for round 3.” She tapped her fingers along the edge of her glass.

”Favorite class of ship? So help me if you don’t say Yasis C-23…..”

Tanya grinned. ”We work in an industry where we kill people for money. What part of that seemed cheerful to you? Besides, you’ve nothing to apologize for. I’ve made peace with what happened, it’s the only way I’m going to get over it. If I tried to pretend it didn’t happen and refused to talk about it, I’d just be running away from my past instead of learning from it, something as we’ve established I’m rather rubbish at. Small steps, yeah?” she capped off with a wink.

”So shut up, you’re fine. I want you to come. Anyways, for ships? I’d be amiss if I didn’t give asari Ahlatania-class dreadnought design a nod because they’re bloody well the pinnacle of technological innovation for military warships in the galaxy, but I’ll always have a soft spot for the SX3 Interceptor. It’s sleek, maneuverable, and there’s something a lot more interesting and romantic about fighter pilots rather than some stuffy commander standing at the helm of a cruiser ordering batteries several hundred meters away to launch munitions at something that’s 300 kilometers away. Compare it to rally racing verses long-haul trucking, I suppose.”

Finishing off her fries, she asked, ”If you could live, expenses free, on any planet, where would you go?”

”Progress. You’re right. And for the record, I’m rarely depressed.”

Serena scoffed. The Ahlatania-class, overpriced Asari craftsmanship. They like dodging and poking at the enemy. Yasis-C23 ships are built like Krogans. Tough, dependable, and they hit like dreadnoughts on steroids. The pinnacle of Volus engineering at the time. Only problem is they guzzle ship fuel like alcoholic whores in debt. Damn things could barely get across one system without needing two refuels. They were completely ran out production once the Rebellions were taken care of. No more need for something that could take the beating of Krogan ships. If I could only get my hands on one of them…” Serena rubbed her hands gleefully together. ”I’d make them the pinnacle of military ships again.”

Serena tilted her head as she considered Tanya’s question. ”Hmmmm. It’d have to be Manus, the Volus colony. Pinnacle of engineering and mechanical creations. It’d be heaven. If you could jump to any time in history, it doesn’t have to be human, where would you go?”

Tanya burst out laughing. ”Now I know you’re fucking with me. Volus engineering is like seeing a “made in China” stamp on just about anything. It’s usually crude affordable reverse engineered knock-offs for much better designs, and I don’t trust a species that asked the turians for protection in exchange for doing their taxes experts in designing military hardware. Want to know why the Yasis ships never went anywhere? It’s because they were utter rubbish that lacked in just about every category that mattered for a military vessel. If your entire promotion line is ‘can take a shitload of shots because it sure as hell is incapable of getting out of the way or intercepting enemy fire’, you need to rethink your priorities.” she replied.

”And honestly? I can’t really imagine wanting to be anywhere but where I am now, timewise. Space exploration is full of endless possibilities and I’d think being stuck on one world would just be too confining. Plus all the wars and civil rights violations and general ignorance, and I’m happy here in the 22nd century, not back in the stone ages of a century ago. Your turn; what’s one thing you want to get done before you die?” Tanya asked.

”No, no, I’m serious! You haven’t seen the stuff the Volus keep for themselves. Top of the line, only bested by maybe the Salarians and the Quarians in their heyday. The Volus rely entirely upon technology. They’re good at it.” Serena insisted, rolling her eyes at Tanya’s laughter.

Serena didn’t hesitate. ”Aside from from building Barat? Make Vellios understand he’s better than what everyone tells him, and better than what he thinks he is. That he can be more than just ‘a Haides survivor’ Serena ran her hand through her hair, sighing. ”It’s going to be a long fight.

She paused, sticking the tip of her tongue out as she thought. ”How’d you get Shithead? Built him, bought him, won him in a close game of dice against a drunk Krogan?”

Tanya downed her drink, sliding the empty glass across the table so it clinked against another glass. She didn’t really buy the ‘volus are the best’ speech, but she would let it slide for now. ”Yeah, he’s a stubborn ass, but at least he has you. Maybe he’ll figure out how to stop hating himself for five minutes and smell the roses or whatever at some point, but it’s something he’s going to have to want to do for himself instead of having a giant pity party. Anyways, Shithead is just a regular old combat drone that comes with the usual microfabricator suite for combat engineers. All his extra bits and bobbles are just physical alterations I’ve made to the omnitool using non-proprietary parts so it can do things like play music, respond to voice commands, use a flashlight, that kind of thing. The microrockets and flamethrower are all stock accessories.

“Only hard part was figuring out how to stuff all that extra memory and processing power into something that’s relying on the relatively small amount of power from the omnitool wirelessly without it either dematerializing or becoming non-functional. I had to figure out a way to have it automatically reroute power from other functions depending on a priority algorithm and to have the functions that aren’t immediately being used put into a bare minimum background mode that wakes up when it’s called for. Takes about two, three days of tinkering every time I alter my omnitool to get Shithead up to its usual self because of so many little factors it honestly hurts my head to think about.” She explained, looking up at one of the clocks mounted to the wall. ”It’s getting late, I’ve got some shit I have to get done back on the ship before the morning. I trust you can see those two back to the ship in one piece?” she asked, gesturing to their two shipmates.

Serena’s eyes seemed to shine as she listened too Tanya describe what went into Shithead, seeming to be disappointed whenever her fellow mechanic stopped talking. She glanced over at their crewmates, and grinned. ”If I can keep Vellios in line, surely I can drag these two back to the ship in one piece.” She got up, waiting for Tanya to do the same. ”You’ll be safe yourself on your way back?” She gave the mechanic a quick hug as she affirmed that she would be fine.

”I’ll corral the two of them and drag them to the ship later." she promised, waving Tanya off as she went to rejoin her two companions for the evening.

Keyword: Shevchenko, Iosif
Location specific: Sol - Mars - Lowell City

Immediate Relatives: Father (File #M8178-C) - Vasily Shevchenko, current Director for Systems Alliance R&D Operations within the Lowell City Facility.
Mother - Nastasha Shevchenko (Maiden name Pavlychko), R&D Project Manager within the Lowell City Facility.
Brother - Artyom Shevchenko, currently Assistant Technician Supervisor for R&D within the Lowell City Facility.

Date of Birth: 20th February (Solar Calendar), 2145 CE
Place of Birth: Lowell City Medical Facility, Mars

Notes: Former Systems Alliance pilot, enlisted in 2163 CE - served in 21st Airborne Divsion. Medically discharged in 2170 CE following injury in service which necessitated amputation of Shevchenko's left arm at the shoulder, veteran's compensation covered cost of a replacement prosthetic.

Later served as freelance mercenary until altercation with colleague Jedrah Vargus (Refer to File #92348-KBE9), entered custody of Batarian slavery ring with ties to Hegemony. Sentenced to penal servitude under the Batarian Hegemonic Judiciary System as per standard procedure with Systems Alliance veterans.

Reported missing following rioting in Aratoht mining sector, suspected responsible for theft of cargo shuttle (NOTE: Reports confirm this following Sevchenko's re-emergence on Illium shortly after a vessel of the same description was reported abandoned in local salvage yard).

Possible point of leverage for assets currently operating within Lowell City and surrounding region?

Shadow Broker File 18ML-98124
Location: Mars, Lowell City, Residential Apartment A012
Timestamp: 2163CE - 03/03 (Earth standard) - 1421
Source: Personal Omni-Tool
Type: Audio Transcript
Subjects: V. Shevchenko, I. Shevchenko

Below is an audio transcript of a conversation between Vasily Shevchenko and his son, Iosif Shevchenko.

VS: "Iosif, it won't be long before the deadline for you to accept your invitation is here, I'd suggest you make the arrangements soon. Time is of the essence, here."

IS: "Dad, we spoke of this before... I'm not interested in the Academy, so why do you keep trying to push it on me?"

VS: "Iosif, this, again? Why do you torment yourself with such low aspirations, especially to become what's a glorified chauffeur - someone with your gifts, your intelligence shouldn't be squandering them so. Why do you think we've gone to all the effort to get you a place there?"

IS: "I didn't ask you to pull any strings for me, and besides, it won't be necessary any more."

VS: "Why do you say that, Iosif?"

IS: "Because, dad, I've decided that my future will be with the Alliance - and I've booked a shuttle for Armstrong Outpost in a few weeks' time to seal that. I was going to tell you and mom later, but I guess I should come clean now."

VS: "What?! Why, why, why-"

IS: "I've explained this before, yet you don't seem to ever listen."

VS: "Is that so?! Fine, explain away."

IS: "All my life, I've been staring at the spaceports, watching the shuttles arrive and depart, day after day - I remember, if only barely, when we first discovered the Charon Relay and the great expanse beyond it and I wondered. I remember all the talk of exploration and more, and I wondered. Even after the war with the aliens, I wondered. Perhaps only once in my life I've ever seen an alien face-to-face, and yet I wonder what else I'll find out there. More than what's here, there's nothing but sand and dust and old, dead ruins here and I feel like this place will suffocate me if I have to stay any longer. I am... I'm grateful for everything that you and mama have done, but I want to choose my own path in life, for a change."

There is a brief pause, along with a faint breathing sound as footsteps are heard with someone pacing around around the room.

VS: "I'm... I am-.... it's unfortunate that you feel that way, Iosif, but nontheless... you are just a boy, with a boy's understanding of the world and its harsh nature - you are blinded by these notions of yours. Myself and your mother have worked hard, all our lives, with the intent of raising you to take a greater place than us in society. If we had half of the opportunities that you have had, we would've shown our gratitude by using them to achieve our potential, not walking away from them. What of all the efforts we've made to gain you a place at the Academy, the people we've spoken to..."

An argument breaks out between the two. Some of the audio from this footage has been rendered indescernible but this commotion between Shevchenko and his elder son continues for several minutes. Eventually, they move back within range of the recording device.

VS: "I simply don't understand!"

IS: "Then let me spell it for you, dad - I've tried to be calm, tried to be easy on this, because believe it or not, you're still family and there was a part of me that cared because of that, but I'm going to say it now. You're not in this for me, you're doing it for yourselves. You and mama are as bad as each other, you just want to raise up someone who's the mirror image of yourselves. Well, I won't have it! You had your chance to live your lives, I won't do it again for you - give your gifts to Art if you must, assuming he doesn't figure he's being played too."

VS: "Fine, then. Go. Squander your potential if you must, but know this - if this is your choice, I won't support this ridiculous endeavour of yours. Don't expect me to be there to dry your eyes and wipe your ass for you if things don't turn out how you expect. I wouldn't presume to try and go behind my back with this either, your mother would agree when I say that I speak for the both of us on this matter. I'm sure your brother would gladly take a spot in the Academy in just a few years' time."

IS: "Spasibo, dad. Proshchay."

The sound of a door opening, then closing rather firmly is heard. The elder Shevchenko male mutters a few indiscernible words beneath their breath.

---

Vellios was the first to wake naturally.

His crested head turned and absorbed the scenery around, his mind letting the memories surface. The feel of Dex's carapace, her determined movements, and her teeth nibbling gently at his neck stood out like blinding light in the foggy mist of drowziness. He stirred into awareness. They barely made it to the bed after Vellios shut his quarter's door, making sure Serena didn't interrupt or complain of their adult activities which seemed to spoil her 'innocent' mind.

His arm gently and smoothly slipped from underneath Dex's wrapped torso, the touch and closeness warming him pleasantly, before he began to sit upright on the edge of the bed. He had always been a earlier riser than his bed mates. It never failed no matter how exhausted he was or how long the night had become, it was like some hidden instinct made him get up. It was a fact he didn't mind since it left him to do things. Like focusing on giving his partners additional attention, gifts or treats when they rose.

With that in mind, the black turian idly recalled he rarely did such a thing for Armis. Not because he didn't love her, but he never wanted to leave her side until her pretty amber eyes came to life with the morning. It had been the best part of his day and often a luring motivator to see her happy to see him too, enjoying the sense of being wanted.

Casually he continued to get off the bed then padded off toward his clothes. He snatched up a still clean one, giving a brief sniff to check he was right, then pulled it over crested head. After getting his pants on, he left a note for Dex in the event she woke up sooner than he planned and asked her to remain in bed for a special surprise. With that, he left for a bit.



Dex roused from her deep sleep. Automatically she checked her omnitool for the time, the orange digits reading she was awake a little later than usual. Clocking in about six hours of sleep for once. Stretching fully, now aware of the missing weight and crinkle of paper from Vellios' note. Digging the heel of her organic hand at her eyes, it read he'd be returning with a surprise. She hummed a little, deciding whether she wanted to move or not. Nothing comparing to how at ease she was. Her eyes roamed his room, their pile of clothes strewn about. She reached lifting up her shirt and pants and saw some stray knives on the floor.

Dex squinted, "Really?" Plucking the knives off the ground and placing them on the nightstand. She flopped back with a huff finally noticing the hammock high in the corner. She sat up squinting again talking to herself, "You can probably take a good couple guesses as to why but do you really want to know?"

She sighed swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, looking for her boots noting again off toward the corner a suitcase instead of a gun case was unlocked and open. Her first instincts were to open it up and go snooping but she resisted, her foot bouncing as she stared down the suitcase. Debating how much time she had left before he came back and how mad would he be if she was caught. Her mandibles flicked uncertainly.

A little peek wouldn't be a crime. She stood up pulling her pants on, hopping in place with the legs. Crouching before the suitcase she checked over her shoulder at the door, guilt hummed quietly in her subharmonics. "Just a little peek." She promised herself.

Lifting the lid of the case open, she looked down at the objects inside. A broken toy turian spaceship lay ontop of some stray pieces of clothing, she checked over her shoulder again then lifted some of the clothing to see a datapad displaying a small video, its backlight lit up when she lifted it out to see. It displayed a female turian with her two children, the children were young and being chased by who was behind the camera. A young boy, remarkably looking like his father while the young daughter was all smiles as well. It shakily caught the female turian smiling, speaking, the video on mute. Dex paused it, Armis... then let it play again to see the two children. Their names unknown to her. The video continued to play, the camera catching Vellios briefly. He looked genuinely happy. The vid got a sad smile and hum from Dex.

"What are you doing... I shouldn't be seeing this..." She whispered to herself pausing the vid and placing the datapad back into the suitcase.

"I've been waiting for when you'd ask, Dex," Vellios' voice came through the doorway as he quietly entered, the entrance completely open as his figure blocked the view to the rest of the ship. He had in his arms an elegant display of some unknown, high quality food dangling from his hands, "Could you help me a moment?"

His tone held no sign of hurt or anger, but surprisingly a hint of acceptance.

She froze with a start at his voice, turning to look at him over her shoulder. Guilt humming loudly through her sub vocals, her face flushed blue with embarrassment. "I am really sorry."

She stood from her crouch and replied, "Help with what?"

"Nay, don't worry about it. You aren't the first nor the last, and Serena did the same thing when I refuse to tell her what was wrong. I rather you merely ask though, because then you can get the story from my point of view and not have to fill in the blanks," Vellios replied then gestured to the bags, "setting this up? I mean, if you're still hungry that is."

"Starving actually." She said relaxing a little. "I've got a little something to confess actually. I uh-" She began, guilt humming through again. "First you'll need some context I suppose."

She took the bag of take out, sitting with her back against the bed legs stretching out against the floor. She patted the spot beside her, taking out the silver wrapped food, still warm. "Thanks for breakfast. Pretty sweet of you." She said with a smile.

Vellios, despite the awkwardness of the earlier bust, needed very little encouragement as he plopped down beside her with his own food choice. It had been a dextros chinese verison of sweet and sour chicken, though the taste had a bit more meaty flavor according to humans who braved it. He didn't bother with chopsticks since it would've been an exercise in failure due to them not being built to suit three fingered beings. He nodded, "Well, considering you gave me a hell of a distraction, I thought you needed it. Two, I couldn't cook anything beyond edible according to Armis."

He chewed a bit then added, "So, let's get your bit out of the way then you can ask your questions. I think it might be best for you to have the air cleared about me before you find something that pretty much gives you bad assumptions."

She winced at that, but chuckled a little. "I deserved that. You're not so bad yourself." She grinned taking a bite, ripping off a long piece. "As for bad assumptions, we have my terrible ex to thank for that."

He lifted his brow plate at that and she continued resigning to revealing a bit more about herself. It was only fair with resolving the shit Gal told her about him, "When we landed on Elysium I made some phone calls to check-in with family. My ex, Galentos Lorthan, had been calling and messaging me every day since I joined the crew. I've been ignoring him, but decided to rip off the bandage to get the conversation over with. What a fucking mistake that was." She said with disdain. "I used to work for him and his information brokerage as a spy, the jealous asshole decided to spy on the crew, figured out who I was sleeping with then vetted both you and Drono." She tore off another piece of meat, anger rumbled through her sub vocals now.

"How he figured it out is beyond me, he might have hijacked the local network for the ship remotely or found some old vid or audio bugs on the ship. Remind me to do a sweep."

"That will not end well for him," Vellios said off handedly, then added, "Especially when I was involved with people that would like to keep one secret buried and never come to the surface."

"He mentioned he found some classified shit but never elaborated if he cracked it or not. He's already in hot water for messing with the Asari Councillor, a specter is investigating him now." She commented with a satisfactory laugh. "Idiot. He took his temper out on me for ignoring him, then promptly revealed some personal shit with what happened with your family. Said you were the first suspect for the murders..." She stared down at the food in her lap.

"That is true. They first originally believed it was since I was a Haides survivor and considered I might've lost grip over reality, then murdered them." Vellios said calmly, his breath paused to watch her reaction and knew additional questions would came from that simple statement.

Idly poking at her food, "I know you're not stable, but I knew you didn't murder your family during an episode. Whatever the initial reports assumed your mental state was like during the investigation. I know you draw some deep lines and hurting family isn't one you'd cross, no matter what."

Vellios set his food aside for a moment, his focus on her, "Honestly, I really wished I had that much faith in myself. Haides surivivors are known to relapse and pretty terribly. There have been reports of recovered patients killing their families when they can't tell their memories apart from reality. It gets so bad, nearly all cases are put down when they reach that point. They never wanted to kill their families when you can't trust your mind... things happen."

"It's not what happened. You found them, then a krogan became the main suspect..."

"You're right, but I'm still responsible for what happened. The Krogan killed them because of me and if I had remained on the Haides, killed him alongside Syberus then they would still be alive," Vellios commented in a stoic tone while his back leaned back against the cold metal, letting the temperature fill his carapace.

She paused squinting at him, she put her food aside to. Crawled forward to reach the suitcase digging out the datapad she was looking at earlier, playing the vid unmuted. She watched the datapad a little before replying, "I don't think they'd feel that way or want you to blame yourself. Easier said than done, of course."

Pausing the vid she said, "I spoiled the morning afterglow but as guilty as I feel, I'm glad I saw some evidence. A little slice, you were happy and probably have a chance at being happy again." She looked at him, "It'll be different."

"Avenged them, but blaming myself will never stop. Part of the reason I didn't want Haze to make the same mistake. When I killed the bastard, I think I pissed off a spectre who thought I was tossing away my potiental," Vellios chuckled at the memory then nodded, "I'm actually not sure about happiness. Being content is something I'm willing to live with, but happiness? Nah. In addition, no Haides survivor has ever died of a natural life span. There's only three remaining and at least two of them are hinting toward insanity."

He gripped the side of the vid that Dex showed, his eyes softened then continued, "There's nothing that makes me different from them and so I know what is waiting for me one day."

"There's always hope at breaking the mold." She said softly. "I can't see into the future."

"Nor can I, but getting a bullet between my eyes isn't what bothers me. It's hurting Serena or you, or hell any of the crew, without meaning to.'

She noted his mood had taken a nosedive as did hers at the solemn conversation, her mandibles flicked then elbowed his arm, "What are friends for if not for giving your head a shake or kicking your ass when you fuck up. Besides, progress is a real thing, the galaxy doesn't stop moving for anyone and neither should you." Dex remembered distinctly what Tanya said about coping and moving on. She had the right idea.

"Why do you think I'm here flirting with you, though I admit rather badly right now." Vellios piped up to try to get a smile to surface from Dex, "What do you want to know about me? Only one topic is off limits due to the fact, I think the Council would be a bit pissed over it being shared."

She shrugged playfully, "I'm much better at keeping secrets than Lorthan. I actually want to know more about Armis and your kids, their names, what were they like."

"Tiberan," His hand pointed at the vid of a cheeky version of himself, "My son who I believe tried to make his mother's carapace grey before her time when he mimicked everything he saw off the extranet. She wanted to limit his viewing but I pointed out boys will be boys, especially those related to me."

Dex leaned against Vellios looking over his shoulder down at the datapad, smiling warmly.

He then pointed to Killia, her carapace was lighter in color and pretty, "That's Killia, my little girl. She was a year younger and followed after her mother, though much more timid. I have no idea where she got that but according to Armis, it was from her grandmother. Armis' parents couldn't tolerate me, but she didn't care. We settled on Gothic when she wanted a more stable place before we started a family."

For a few hours, he talked animately about his children and wife, how Armis knew what she was getting into to the worries they had to look forward to in the future. His tale, gradually, tappered off when their murder had brought their lives to an abrupt end. During which he had started to eat his meal, now coolled, and enjoy the time spent with Dex.

"Very lovely, your family." Dex said having finished off her breakfast while he spoke. "It surprised me a bit when I first heard you had a family, considering your being here and our arrangements. Certainly doesn't point to former-family man. Fairly... I should know better than to assume anything about anyone. Never have the full story at first impressions." She said. Reaching behind her to grab a shirt checking her omnitool for the time. "Fuck, is that the time? I still need to talk to Firuzeh and do some pre flight checks, ah fuck me. Iosif is probably looking for me-""

She had gotten up getting her boots on, rambling away.

"I discovered individuals will surprise you. Both in good and terrible ways, something that can drastically affect your life or destroy it," Vellios commented while he raised up, collecting the empty cartons then wrapped about Dex's waist with his arms. He nuzzled her neck and lingered there a moment, absorbing the scent then nudged her cheek in a loving gesture, "If Iosif gives you a hassle, tell him it was my fault because I refused to let you leave. A fact I'm heavily considering trying to make real right now, but behaving on."

She twisted in his embrace to face him. "Don't tempt me, Vellios. I can almost guarantee another hour spent with you is preferable to a grumpy co-pilot and navigator. Alas-" She dramatically sighed, "I must go. I'll let everyone know when we're leaving." She winked giving him a squeeze, then nibbling just beneath his mandible.

Vellios squeezed tighter, then roamed down her well shaped rear before giving it a good run down. The temptation gnawed at him and in his youth, he would've taken her on the offer and the consequences be damned in the end. However, harmony on a ship like this was preferred and he let go ever slowly, "I'm not done with you but I don't think we want a drunken slav hauling his ass in here or doing a nose dive with the ship just to get your attention. Though can't say the change in gravity will ruin my aim much. So, date for another round later?"

She chuckled, her face flushing a little blue stepping away putting a firm mechanical hand against his chest. "We'll have to see, I feel like you've paid your dues for being a hermit. See you at dinner." She said and he had paid his dues. He patched things with Tanya and Haze yesterday, things were in a good place. Winking again making her exit, jogging off to the medbay looking to speak to Firuzeh firstly.