Mass Effect: Another Time, Another Place

Chapter 15: Feros: How I Learned To Stop Resisting And Love The Thorian

Summary:

Now that the team are inside their main objective is to detach the ship and find The Thorian before it can cause more harm to the colony. They also find some logs and records to follow up on at some point... Once they're out, the team must quickly race back to the colony to save it... But tragedy strikes.

Chapter 15:

:Tali's POV:

I saw Wyatt come to a stop and turn his head to a rather steep set of steps leading to another part of the building... There was a bright light at the very top, stopping us from seeing what was at the end. "Wait here a minute..." Wyatt said and climbed the stairs. I made to follow him, but Shepard put a hand on my arm and shook his head, stopping me. I reluctantly complied... We then heard frantic shooting... And then... "FUCK OFF ME!" came Wyatt's voice. Before we could follow him up to help, three Krogan bodies came tumbling down the stairs, riddled with bullets, blood and newly formed bruises and cuts...

We all stared at them slack-jawed... Garrus then snapped his gaze up. "Commander, if for some reason, I ever get the idea to piss Wyatt off, do me a favour and break my arm. It'd be less detrimental to my health and remind me it's not such a good idea." Garrus said to Shepard, always with the wit. He and Wyatt got along very well with that, the two of them going back and forth.

I smiled at the connotation of seeing the Krogan dead. He'd be fine up there. Despite the fact I know he can handle himself, since he had done long before I was born and longer than I've been alive, he was still... New to the universe. I couldn't help but feel a bit protective and worried about him. Not only that, but... Well... He was very sweet. I enjoy his company, his stories.

Maybe I have a bit of a crush on him as well... Okay, a big crush. I've always thought of myself as above such things for the good of the Fleet, yet here I am, falling for an alien. A human, no less. Keelah, feelings are hard. I don't even know if he'd feel the same way, or if he's just being friendly to me... But that kiss earlier... Oh how it made me melt... It's almost like the movies.

We heard a clattering and then loud armoured steps descending the stairs. I put my reverie on hold and pointed my shotgun, hoping that it was Wyatt who was coming down... I saw the silhouette of the figure and it was him. Of course it was. He reached the bottom and the other two nodded. He turned to me, took my shotgun, took the mods out with one hand like a professional, threw it away, put the mods in a new shotgun and flipped it so he held it out to me with one hand by the barrel...

It was a Sokolov X... One of the best shotguns on the market. I was speechless as I took it from his grasp slowly. "Thank you, Wyatt..." I said to him. He gave me a smile... That smile. The smile that somehow makes my heart go aflutter... It really does seem like the movies when I feel like this.

He took something out of his pocket... An OSD. He tossed it in the air, caught it, then threw it to Garrus, who also caught it. Garrus looked at it, confused. "Keep hold of that for us, would ya?" Wyatt asked with his grin, pointing to Garrus from the hip.

Said Turian then looked to the OSD, then to Wyatt again... "But... But I had this before... You gave it to me. How did you get it back?" Garrus asked him.

Wyatt shrugged in response. "While we listened to the VI drone on, I nicked it from your side pocket thingy. Wasn't 'ard like." he smirked at Garrus, who instantly checked his suit, the storage compartment opening up... Empty.

He seemed very shocked. "You're just full of surprises..." Garrus shook his head as he replaced the OSD and chuckled at Wyatt.

Shepard seemed impressed by it. "Well... You're certainly becoming more useful." he stated simply.