Re: Variations on a Theme, with Tank and Gunfire, 3/?
anonymous
June 27 2012, 14:34:09 UTC
She’s lost count of the number of iterations she’s been through-more than ten, probably fewer than twenty, but beyond that she couldn’t say. She heads down to the cargo hold for the first time this loop in a cheerful mood, glad to be away from the Citadel and its politicking for a while. She tries to remember which planet they’re dropping onto. Oh, right, they’re picking up Liara. “Okay,” she says, “Garrus, up front with me. Wrex, you take the cannon in back.”
The krogan grins and hops into the vehicle, but Garrus balks. “Is that really necessary, Commander?”
This is different. He’s never done this before. Except jokingly, to complain about her driving, her first time or two through the loop. Shocked at the novelty of it, she stops and stares at him. “Are you refusing an order, Vakarian?”
“No!” he says hastily. “No, not at all. I, uh, just wasn’t sure you really needed me for this mission.”
She stares at him some more. He blinks, not quite meeting her eyes. What the hell is up with him? “I think I’m the one who makes that call,” she says.
He blinks some more and ducks his head. “Right. Sorry, Commander.”
She heads toward the Mako and he follows, but she thinks he heaves a sigh before getting in.
She would just file it away as an idiosyncrasy, but he’s odd on the drive, too. He braces himself inside the tank. She knows it’s coming, so she’s ready the moment he shouts, “Geth!” She swerves away from the lava flow, fires the thrusters so the geth rockets pass under them, and veers back so Wrex has a better shot with the cannon. They tear through the geth along their way with ease; at one point she sends the tank over a tongue of lava, with no harm done to it, and hears a stifled gasp beside her. When they finally stop in front of Liara’s dig site, Garrus looks at her with something approaching shock.
“What?” she says.
“Nothing,” he says, too quickly.
“Don’t give me that,” she says. “That was definitely a something face.”
“I-” His expression goes carefully neutral. “You're better at reading turian faces than most humans.”
“It’s good to be familiar with other species,” she says. “Don’t you think?”
His eyes narrow slightly. “Of course,” he says. “Here I am, after all.”
“So you seemed surprised. Why?”
He shifts in the seat. “Nothing. You’re just, ah, very skilled at maneuvering this vehicle.”
Shepard shrugs. “Why shouldn’t I be?”
Out of the corner of her eye, she watches for his reaction. He looks away. “Of course. You, ah-” He glances back at her, sideways.
They stare at each other for a few moments, before Wrex grumbles impatiently from the back seat, “Don’t we have an asari to acquire?”
They hop out and proceed into the mine, and she puts it out of her mind for a while. Back on the ship, everything seems normal. They have the same old conversation about C-Sec and rules. But she remembers his odd behavior when she checks in with him after a ground mission and he’s standing back, looking the tank over. “If you keep treating the Mako so nicely, I won’t have much to do between missions, Commander.”
“I’m sure we can find you something to calibrate,” she says, absent-mindedly.
He stiffens and turns toward her with an unreadable expression. “What?”
She thinks about what she said and cocks her head. “I said, I’m sure we can find you something to do,” she says, watching. “What did you think I said?”
His shoulders relax slightly, but his expression remains wary. “I wasn’t sure. I just didn’t hear you well enough.”
She knows perfectly well his hearing is better than the average human’s, and she wasn’t exactly mumbling. “I’m sure the ship’s weapon systems could use some work,” she says.
His expression tightens up. “I know that wouldn’t be protocol.” He glances toward Ashley.
She’s gotten cynical about the Alliance after all these loops, but his gesture reminds her that they aren’t alone. “My ship, my rules,” she says. “Talk to Adams about it.”
Re: Variations on a Theme, with Tank and Gunfire, 3/?
anonymous
June 28 2012, 19:20:07 UTC
love this! finally garrus is n the time loop to at least shep wont be going through the motions with her anymore.. well when they both figure it out anyways.
The krogan grins and hops into the vehicle, but Garrus balks. “Is that really necessary, Commander?”
This is different. He’s never done this before. Except jokingly, to complain about her driving, her first time or two through the loop. Shocked at the novelty of it, she stops and stares at him. “Are you refusing an order, Vakarian?”
“No!” he says hastily. “No, not at all. I, uh, just wasn’t sure you really needed me for this mission.”
She stares at him some more. He blinks, not quite meeting her eyes. What the hell is up with him? “I think I’m the one who makes that call,” she says.
He blinks some more and ducks his head. “Right. Sorry, Commander.”
She heads toward the Mako and he follows, but she thinks he heaves a sigh before getting in.
She would just file it away as an idiosyncrasy, but he’s odd on the drive, too. He braces himself inside the tank. She knows it’s coming, so she’s ready the moment he shouts, “Geth!” She swerves away from the lava flow, fires the thrusters so the geth rockets pass under them, and veers back so Wrex has a better shot with the cannon. They tear through the geth along their way with ease; at one point she sends the tank over a tongue of lava, with no harm done to it, and hears a stifled gasp beside her. When they finally stop in front of Liara’s dig site, Garrus looks at her with something approaching shock.
“What?” she says.
“Nothing,” he says, too quickly.
“Don’t give me that,” she says. “That was definitely a something face.”
“I-” His expression goes carefully neutral. “You're better at reading turian faces than most humans.”
“It’s good to be familiar with other species,” she says. “Don’t you think?”
His eyes narrow slightly. “Of course,” he says. “Here I am, after all.”
“So you seemed surprised. Why?”
He shifts in the seat. “Nothing. You’re just, ah, very skilled at maneuvering this vehicle.”
Shepard shrugs. “Why shouldn’t I be?”
Out of the corner of her eye, she watches for his reaction. He looks away. “Of course. You, ah-” He glances back at her, sideways.
They stare at each other for a few moments, before Wrex grumbles impatiently from the back seat, “Don’t we have an asari to acquire?”
They hop out and proceed into the mine, and she puts it out of her mind for a while. Back on the ship, everything seems normal. They have the same old conversation about C-Sec and rules. But she remembers his odd behavior when she checks in with him after a ground mission and he’s standing back, looking the tank over. “If you keep treating the Mako so nicely, I won’t have much to do between missions, Commander.”
“I’m sure we can find you something to calibrate,” she says, absent-mindedly.
He stiffens and turns toward her with an unreadable expression. “What?”
She thinks about what she said and cocks her head. “I said, I’m sure we can find you something to do,” she says, watching. “What did you think I said?”
His shoulders relax slightly, but his expression remains wary. “I wasn’t sure. I just didn’t hear you well enough.”
She knows perfectly well his hearing is better than the average human’s, and she wasn’t exactly mumbling. “I’m sure the ship’s weapon systems could use some work,” she says.
His expression tightens up. “I know that wouldn’t be protocol.” He glances toward Ashley.
She’s gotten cynical about the Alliance after all these loops, but his gesture reminds her that they aren’t alone. “My ship, my rules,” she says. “Talk to Adams about it.”
He nods. “Thanks, Commander.”
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MORE!!!!
PLEASE
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If I think what is happening is HAPPENING I am going to die from happiness!
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I really love this idea. Also, this fill taught me about jumping over geth rockets in the Mako.
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY MASS EFFECT PLAYING LIFE?
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