Voice Testing

[space_batman]

So. Let's make sure I have this right. Out of all the people in the galaxy you could've chosen...

An admiral of the Quarian fleet, a Spectre halfway to saving the galaxy (not for the first time, I might add), the infamous Shadow Broker.

... And you settled on this worn out C-Sec drop out?

Hm. Can't say I'm not flattered, but I would've chosen ... differently.

Anyway, there's no going back now that we're both here. I'm not the type to sit around for long. There's a whole galaxy full of places that would be better off with an extra gun, and a person behind the trigger who gives a damn.

Wherever you take us, just make sure I've got a good rifle in my hand, and an even better teammate at my back.

Comments

[cannotrest]

From what I remember on the SR-1 [alas, she's from early ME3], you're a solid choice, Garrus. Don't sell yourself short.

[space_batman]

[Forgive the amused chuckle. It's just a little ironic to be hearing that from another Spectre. Well, a future spectre in Ash's case.]

Sure, if there husks that needed clearing from a thousand meters off, I'd be first pick. And I am pretty useful if you wanted to- [What's that human saying...] 'ruffle the feathers' of any Turian Heirarchies.

I just don't think that's what the mun has in mind.

[After a moment-]

Williams. Good to see you.

[And he means it. Where Garrus is from? She's definitely a welcome sight. And if Shepard were here, it'd be doubly so for her. He's fairly certain the commander misses the hell out of you.]

[cannotrest]

[Very fresh Spectre! Nothing like becoming a Spectre and promptly ending up in a jamjar.]

It never is. [With a grin.] Doesn't seem to be many Hierarchy reps around these parts, anyway.

It's good to see you too. [Three years ago, she wouldn't have thought she'd ever say this to a turian, but here we are.

[Though speaking of the past...] ... No hard feelings about Horizon?

[space_batman]

[Isn't that something? Now that he thinks about it... maybe it's not so crazy. Shepard does have a habit of making the impossible possible. As diverse and unruly as they all are, Shepard would've found a way to make them all get along eventually.]

Ah. Horizon.

I could think of a few ways that day could've gone better. For one, maybe a little less Cerberus talk and a little more 'Shepard, doesn't Garrus look sharp today?' or 'That's a mighty fine sniper rifle, Garrus.' Or how about, 'Nobody pulls off explosive impact scarring like you, Vakarian.'

[No, Ash. There's no bad blood, no grudges.]

How's this sound-

The next time we have a reunion between the three of us, let's stick to a salute or a handshake. Maybe even a pat on the back if we're feeling really brave.

[cannotrest]

I did wonder about the scars, you know. And the rifle. I was just... distracted.

[Your dead CO and alien ex-squadmate turn up working for human supremacist terrorist. It's very distracting.]

Could be a while before a reunion with all three of us, or with anyone else - you might have to settle for just me.

[She offers him a hand to shake, relieved.]

[space_batman]

[Oh, he knows exactly how that can be. Garrus had his own version of the 'You were dead' and 'You're with Cerberus?' conversations with Shep. His involved a lot more more gunfire in between.

Ash, this is some life they lead.]

By our dead commander? She has that effect.

[He won't hesitate to reach in and grasp her hand. The hesitation comes after.]

To be honest, this isn't a reunion I ever expected to have.

[Because, Chief... he may have some fond secondhand stories of Ash from his mun, but his Ashley never left Virmire.]

[cannotrest]

[She pats him on the back with her free hand once he's in close enough for the handshake, the perfect ambush, but she pulls her hands entirely to herself when he says that, mouth twisting, her voice small.]

You too, huh?

[He can't mean anything but her being dead; just because she's been in hospital for weeks doesn't mean he couldn't visit or she might not come back to the Normandy. It occurs to her after a moment that her reaction might make no sense.]

Where I am now - Tali said the same thing. And Kaidan... [Is alive, so that seems explanation enough.] Our undead commander's the only one who remembers saving me.

[space_batman]

[Ash gets exactly what she wants from him: a surprised flick of his mandibles and a wide blink. Can't keep his eyes off her for a second.

That earns her the Turian equivalent of a smirk. After what she says next, however, it's short lived.]

That can't be easy news to hear...

[Translation: You all right, b?]

[cannotrest]

It wasn't. [Just layin' it out there.] Not the only hard news I've been getting lately, what with the war, but it's definitely the weirdest. Shepard's been good about it. And it's definitely nice seeing Kaidan again.

[Translation: Hanging in there!]

But hey - you get another reunion with the dead, and I'm not even working with Cerberus. [A weak smile, valiantly aiming for teasing.]

[space_batman]

[Nice try, but if Vakarian's sharp enough to spot when Shepard is unsettled, he can definitely see it in Ash now.

Still, he picks up the teasing, if only to play along.]

Right. Between you and Shepard, I'm starting to feel downright spoiled.

[In a way that is utterly Garrus, he shifts his weight onto his other leg and contemplates her for a second. He has the beginnings of an idea. It isn't anything monumental or inspiring, but it is what it is.

He doesn't explain a thing. Not yet. He just detaches a single weapon from the holster at his back. By the time he brings it forward, it's already unfolded into a sleek Black Widow V, maintained and modded to damn near perfection (if he says so himself).

He's holding it in one hand by its barrel, not to brandish it himself, but to toss it Ash's way.

Catch.]

[cannotrest]

[Ready to tell him off for that blatant breach of gun safety, Ashley catches the gun (oof, heavy), but is quickly distracted by the model.]

Is this a Black Widow? [As if she hasn't been poring over extranet articles about it while cooped up in hospital. Still, it's different having one in her hands that she can examine up close.] Shepard told me Spectre Requisitions has them now - haven't had a chance to check now that I'm a Spectre.

Not that it'd be much use where I am now, but maybe in that other place, uh, Personnel Command [the player]'s sent someone from our galaxy.

[space_batman]

[Not the first time he'd be called out on regulations and protocol, but he knows his rifles well enough not to put them in any real danger. Still, apologies, Ash.

A single nod, with just a hint of approval. Since Thane and Legion's... absence... there's been a shameful lack of teammates who could truly appreciate it for what it was.]

Extended barrel and concentration mods installed just this morning. Was planning on taking it for a trial run at a range.

I could always let you have a go at it first.

[Garrus isn't going to assume the two of them are close enough to bare their souls to each other, even if they'd trusted each other implicitly on the field once upon a time. Especially when it involves something as upsetting as your team insisting you're a dead woman walking.

This? This is something they both understand. This is common ground.

Besides, while she's running the Black Widow through its paces, he can take his time and ask all about the trouble her mun's gotten her into. After all, a place where this wouldn't be of use? That's just dicey.]

[cannotrest]

[Her fingers find the mods as he names them, and she nods along.]

I'd love to - thank you.

[Understated words, but completely sincere. She's missed this, talking about guns with someone who knows them this well. Her sister's been good company in hospital (except for the whole "worrying about and then grieving her dead husband" thing), but sometimes you just need to talk to a fellow soldier. Since specializing in rifles, she's usually been put onto squads of people with pistols or SMGs or shotguns who don't know how to appreciate anything further out, and since being promoted, she hasn't quite managed Shepard's easy balance of authority and personal chatter.

[In the Clock? Well, it's not as if anyone on the old squad there uses rifles either.]

[space_batman]

[Garrus doesn't have Ashley's fancy title, so the Spectre's Office shooting range isn't an option. The two of them will have to settle for something a little more informal.

Feel like taking a jaunt on a nearby planet? Out here in headspace/dear_mun space, there's really nothing stopping them from taking that rifle for a test spin anywhere in the galaxy.]

Now, you've got to tell me what trouble you've gotten yourselves into.

[When any number of the team gets deployed somewhere, calamity isn't far behind.]

[cannotrest]

[As she sets up some targets - armored, since the reviews say the Widow punches through it - Ashley makes a face.]

Very little, actually. That's the weird thing. We - Shepard, Tali, Kaidan, and I - are in clockbox, or the Clock. Lots of different kinds of rooms: A library with real books, someone's science lab from back home, I found this cool looking obstacle course. People from different worlds. And the place grants wishes: I just think about, say, a sweater, and it's in my hands. Or one time I thought about a butter yellow sweater and it gave me butter, but it tries.

So far, it seems really... safe. Haven't run into anything I'd want this girl [the Black Widow] for. Kaidan and I threw around a few conspiracy theories, but it doesn't seem within anyone's resources, or like anyone's MO.

[Pause.

[Dry:] You know you've been cooped up in hospital too long when you're complaining about safety. It is nice to catch my breath and slow down without having to bust my ass in physio, and I've met some interesting people.