Batarians Aren't All Bad

"Teshan... you may have noticed we have two nice new people sleeping in the other room..." He pointed out the obvious, kissing her cheek, face locked close to hers.

   Any thought or question was lost as Teshan’s insides turned to mush under his lips. She pushed him back gently, heading toward the bed. Breaking the kiss to come up for air she smiled before biting her lip. “I really fucking love you. And I love fucking you. And you! Haven’t said it nearly enough today. Do you love me?” She questioned. Her hands ghosting up his arms to rest on his shoulders for a moment before shoving him back on the bed.

     Pouting Teshan’s smile turned to a dramatic frown and she rolled her eyes, purposefully not looking him in any of his stupid eyes. She knew what he was up to. Putting on the charm. It would work, always did, but she still knew.

    Grimm took her hands and her smile slowly crept back onto her face with every step towards their bedroom. By the time they were inside the room and the door was closed behind her she pulled him close. The movement aggressive but the look in her eyes soft and filled with love. “I love you Grimm… But I don’t know what you just said. Sounded sexy though, like everything you say.”

He threw his coat across the chair at the foot of the bed, swiftly unbuckling himself too.

Tesh gave him a confused look. “Last night? Why? ” Rolling her eyes she shifted Léon’s sleeping body and put the cuffs away. “True orphans are few. More on Voeld with the fighting but they still sleep in a bed. They’re not animals. “ Chuckling she shook her head. ” They’re just tired Grimm. They’re kids. Kids get tired after a long day”

"I think 'noise' would be a problem, wouldn't it?" He said softly, reaching around to grab the cuffs from her pocket and sneak them into his own. "I think I'll save them..." he insinuated, kissing the top of her head lightly and sighing.

"I don't think either of us are cut out for a life of simplicity, even if we try to pretend it." He kissed her again, tired of the day's past upheaval.

"Though I'm not sure if the judiciary will have to wait before exacting their punishment of the accused, here." Grimm riddled, smiling at her even with the snide judgment.

He missed the levity and spoke more seriously. "Resistance policy against the Roekaar has become more divisive. Deaths in the field are more common... put down to extraneous circumstances. But you can read between the lines. ... It's unlikely anything would befall you because of this."

---

The shuttle stopped at their housing district. He stood up gently, accommodating Isol still snoring in his arms.

“Ryder’s Homecoming” by Lazare Gvimradze

Finally finished with my big-ass Andromeda tribute. Initially planned it as a companion piece to my Shepard’s Journey, but it kinda went its own way with the colors and layout. Super-duper proud of this one.

I hope Mass Effect returns soon. 

"I could shout at you... but what would be the point, Tesh? Stern words, berate you, shake the room with my voice... You already know why I was upset..." He sighed, pausing a little before going on.

"Those cuffs are militia property though... I might need to take them back." He spoke more ironically, adjusting slightly to accommodate Isol still sleeping in his arms.

--

The children both remained asleep, snoring just audibly over the din of the shuttle's drive core with cute little huffs. More tired than they'd shown.

--

The shuttle ride seemed longer than it was, the dark expanse of space flying by slowly out the window... but they soon enough arrived back on the station.

     Giving Grimm and Isol a softer look Teshan turned for the door. “Let’s go then. I hate these places.” Heading for the door she gently patted Leon’s back, seeing if he was awake or if he was falling asleep. Asleep it was as he didn’t move. Shaking her head she couldn’t help but smile.

     “He’ll like you don’t worry about it.” Tesh said, giving Grimm a smile as he came up on the shuttle. Avoiding any sort of talk at the moment. “Crazy day for them. He just needs a little space from you.” She snorted. “Kind of like me when I first met you. I hated you because of what you were. Now I love you enough to live with you. Even when you give me the look.”

They walked out of building into the cold, towards the shuttle bound for the Nexus. Isol continued her quest to investigate Grimm's face, failing miserably against the impenetrable defence of Grimm's ever-returning hand, thwarting her efforts.

"Well I hope the boy's 'rehabilitation' will at least be a fraction of the time you took." He jested, looking with more focus at Tesh. He nodded at the navigator stood outside the shuttle... who quietly opened the doors for them.

"And it's Alf that has to deal with the paperwork from today... that might amuse you but it's not what I want to burden him with..." Grimm spoke with a cheer to his voice, but had the obvious, serious insinuation.

-

Isol had soon grown tired of poking Grimm and started to doze off - leaning against his arm. The shuttle would be a couple hours, and it would be late by the time they got back...

     Isol was the first to stand up and walk over to Grimm. Taking his hand before realizing he had more than two fingers. Little blue eyes went wide as she fidgeted with his hand. Pulling fingers apart and curling them individually.

     Teshan looked to Leon, canting her head to the side. “We holding out for something better?” She asked quietly as if the two other people in the room couldn’t obviously hear them.

     Leon looked down, shrugging.

     Edging closer Teshan leaned forward to look at his face, her tone serious.“What is it really?”

    Leon pressed his lips together, glancing at Weil and then Grimm, a sour look on his face. Looking back to Teshan, a silent message being said between them. Isol stopped looking at Grimm’s hand and looked over at Tesh and her brother.

    Sighing Teshan stood up, picking him up and resting him against her hip. “I can’t do anything about that. Iced cream and vacations won’t change that. You can only change how you see them, not the way they are.” 

   “I don’t want to go with him.” Leon cried, his deep blue eyes swelling up with tears. “I don’t want to!”

  Teshan glanced to Grimm with a slight frown on her face before heading for the door for some privacy. She hadn’t really expected it to be a big issue. Perhaps a small one, a little hurdle they had to get over but nothing like this. She didn’t think the kids would have such strong opinions on the matter already.

   As Teshan left to talk to Leon in private, let him cry it out. Isol lifted herself up and onto the desk. Using it to climb up and be eye-level with Grimm “He doesn’t like aliens.” She said, touching Grimm’s face and poking at his ears. “I think you look cool. I wish I had four eyes. Then I could see more things at once. Like behind me! Or in the dark. Can you do that?”

   Teshan stepped back into the room a moment later with a settled down Leon in her arm. He had his face hidden against her neck and looked up at Grimm when she walked over. “I’m.. sorry.” His face looked apologetic but his voice said he wasn’t quite over it yet.

     “For?” Teshan prompted, her brows raised.

     “For calling you a bad word and saying you’re mean.” Leon finished and burried his face back into Teshan’s neck.

"Ow. No. Hahaha." He laughed heartily as she poked at him. "No, sadly I can't see behind me. I can see *just a little* better in the dark though... ... And Alf doesn't smell like feet. He's fine."

Weil smiled, amused at the sustained curiosity. But remained still and quiet.

At Teshan's return Grimm looked a little forlornly at her, putting a gentle hand against Isol to stop her prodding.

--

"Yes. Home. Even if you don't, I want to sleep like a hibernating Salkurt." He immediately realised nobody would get the reference - it wasn't as if Khar'shan's fauna was a well-known subject - but he continued. He picked Isol off the table, holding her hand...

"Thank you, Anges." He spoke to Operative Weil, her nodding back in-kind. "I hope I didn't drag you too far away from your duties?"

"Not at all, Sir. It was my pleasure."

"I'm not a 'Sir', now, Anges. Grimm will do."

"Of course, Sir. Um. Grimm. Yes... Grimm."

The rich blue eyes of Léon stared up at her and his grip tightened.

“ I would never knowingly put them in harm’s way Grimm…” Lacking her confidence to send him an angry look she stole a glance at him instead.

The twins looked at each other then at Teshan as 'the adult’. Looking up, still avoiding looking at Grimm, she shook her head. “ I didn’t tell them anything yet… I… WE are the ones who adopted you. You were supposed to arrive without a rescue but -hey! No!” Teshan grabbed Léon’s hand as he threw a punch at Grimm. “No.” She said more firmly. They exchanged a tense look before the child pulled his hand away to smack her instead.

Teshan let him, looking at him with a sad expression as Isol burst into a fit of laughter. Their brother plopping down on his butt and crossing his arms. “I don’t want to go with him. He’s mean. ” He said stubbornly.

"And don't be facetious, Tesh..." He spoke with more seriousness before returning to comic levity.

"You know..." he continued still squatting at the children's level, "if I was *really* a mean person... I wouldn't bother to give you 'Ice Cream' freely when we get back. A lifetime's supply... Heaven. And silly grumpy children don't get to go on nice vacations to Havarl, either... It would be awfully sad if you chose to stay here with along with moody ol' Teshan... when you could come home to a nice cosy bedroom... have your new Uncle Alf take you around the Operations centre on a fancy tour... Oh... and it's actually warm... ... But if you all want to remain as little grumpys... then go ahead."

   “Huh? Oh….Are you two alright?” Turning to the kids she got a nod from each of them in turn. “Yeah. They’re good.” She said with a shrug, ignoring the disgruntled turian behind her. Putting her firaan up she unbuckled them from her thighs and handed them over to Weil. “Yeah I know the drill…Handcuffs in front or back?” Teshan asked, mimicking the motion with her arms jokingly despite the serious tone in her voice.

    Shoulders sagging Tesh lead the way to one of the vehicles. Situating herself in the back as the twins followed her and sat down next to her. Her head hit the widow with a thunk and she waited to be ‘escorted’ back to Taerve Uni.

   “Why do you look sad?” The blue angaran child spoke up now, concern on their face.

    Turning to look at them she was a bit surprised they weren’t traumatized by her current state… then again they were exposed to war. If they were going to be traumatized they’d be so already. “ ‘Operative Vallack’ is either going to be A.mad,B. relieved…or Possibly even C.”

   “What’s C?” The pink child spoke up again, nearly climbing over their sibling.

   “C is the look.” Teshan said with a sigh. Dismay and sadness clear on her face.

   “The look?” The kids said in unison confusion.

   “If you see it you’ll know. It’s this look he gets in his eyes. It’s like he thought about what he was going to say but then he see’s you and it just hits him. For a moment he’s just staring at you with all four eyes. It’s not scary.. it’s just sad and heartbreaking.” Putting her face in her hand she huffed again. Her eyes drifting back to the window.

   “He has FOUR eyes?” The pink angara asked in disbelief.

   “Yeah.” Teshan spoke with her chin still sitting in her hand. “And every one of them is looking at you with The look.”

   She felt a tug on her sleeve and her hand was pulled into the blue angara’s lap so he could hold her hand.

   “We’ll protect you.” The cheery voice of the pink angaran child did little to lift her mood. The hand holding did help though. She was dreading the moment that door opened and he was standing there, arms probably crossed trying not to look annoyed or mad or…anything. Professional and guarded. Never emotional.

   Eventually their fun little joyride through Voeld countryside was over and everyone filed out. Teshan hanging back until the the twins came back to pull her out. The frosty air didn’t help anything as she was slowly lead into the Officer’s office by the ignorantly fearless children on either side of her. Each of her hands taken by a small hand who refused to be separated even though they couldn’t quite keep up with the pace with the others.

The hard, patrician's glare... unnerving in its disappointment. Quiet and brooding. The silence sparing any need for cruel words. But thankfully, for Teshan, Grimm didn't maintain the cold stare for long. The sight of blood and a nasty bruise gleaned more sympathy than frustration... and he was now more mindful of the children.

He squatted to be at their level, extending a hand and a brief smile.

"Hello." He spoke softly, though with a noticeable gravel in his voice. "My name's Grimm. And who are you two?"

"Léon." said the slightly larger of the two. His blue skin flushing slightly. His answer brief and meek.

"I'm Isol." said the other, a little more confidently. "Are we in trouble?" He asked back, bluntly, still staring at Grimm in curiosity.

Grimm smiled briefly again. "No no. You're not in trouble. Of course not. Nor is Teshan, here. Not really." He looked up at her as he said her name, sustaining the look before refocusing. "I'm just... a little sad. With her. I was scared you were all in danger. But it seems you're all okay now."

He spoke clearly, with no ulterior message or guise in his voice. If anything he sounded more condescending. Though unintentionally if he did.

Operative Weil stood in the back, remaining quiet and uninvolved.

    Five Roekaar, two small scared children, and an annoyed looking turian sitting beside them, hands bound behind their back. The Trick was how did she take down all five without one of them taking the hostages? She had to thin the numbers.

     Picking up a rock she tossed it, letting the rock bounce off the cave walls behind her. Almost as if it was scripted, two of the five looked up, stood up, and began walking over. Two for the price of one. What a bargain.

    “I thought you said you cleared out the wraiths?” The mossy colored angara snapped, glaring at the lighter colored green angara next to her.

    “I thought I did. Why do you always assume i’m the one who didn’t do my job corr-” Her eyes went wide as she stopped, falling behind as the other kept walking. Teshan’s blade buried deep into her back. Piercing her internal organs, nicking her heart too if teshan’s aim was true.

    Before the other one could even turn fully around to look Teshan shoved the blade up and underneath their chin. The blade easily cutting through flesh and bone. Yanking it free the dark green angaran woman fell to the floor with a thud soon followed by her companion.

    Putting her foot on the woman’s back she slid the blade from her back. Angaran blood soaking her blade. She didn’t have to kill them sure..but it was easier. Two of the three remaining looked up at the thuds.

     They gathered together, exchanging looks before two more stood up and walked over. A similar treatment followed but they went down fighting. Tesh was splattered in blood and took a few punches before they went down. Made her final appearance a bit more frightening though.

     “You want to fight too or just leave?” Teshan asked, her breath a bit heavy as she walked toward them. Blue blood dripping from her blade. “I don’t have much patience left. You shouldn’t over-think it.”

     The Roekaar glanced to the kids, the turian, Teshan, and to the blood trail leading back to four dead bodies hidden behind the bend. Standing up slowly they nodded and walked around Teshan. They picked a path around her and out of the cave, bolting for it once they were around the bend.

    Cutting the group free she smiled at the kids and looked down at herself. “Let’s get you out of here and warmed up. How does that sound?”

    The two nodded, holding the other’s hand whilst staring at her. “That’s not your blood is it?” One asked, a light pink face with a dark mauve crest.

   Teshan scoffed. “No. I’m invincible. Nothing can kill me.”

   “Well thank you Invincible. For a minute there I thought you weren’t going to-” The turian began but quickly shut up when Teshan glared at her. “Right.. uh.. Sorry..?”

"Teshan Vir Jilan?" Weil asked, her rifle aimed defensively, though not in any provocating way.

"I'm Anges Weil. We were sent to these co-ordinates to assure your safety by Commander Heyerdahl; he said you'd know him..."

Behind them, the two guards bundled the other angara into the back of their reconnaissance vehicle with minor fuss, though with audible cursing.

"Are the children okay?" She asked, seeming to lose the professional air slightly... though it could have just been the cold and its effect on her voice. Pushing the concern aside she continued. "We've orders to take you to Taerve Uni... Operative Vallack will be waiting for you there. Will that be okay?"

Her question was phrased rhetorically, and she had more personal questions about Teshan's doings, but otherwise there was little need to question the orders.

---

   Her leg bounced uneasily as she sat next to the window. Teshan was mentally kicking herself over her own stupid choices. The smuggler ship meant to carry the kids back to the nexus had been grounded, crashed, by Roekaar. A mix of them not wanting Angara to go off world and the assumption they were going to aliens she bet.

    Either way Tesh had the cords and was ready to kill someone for putting her future children in danger. The shuttle ride was long, hours really. Running out of thoughts to keep her mind off of the worst case scenario Teshan shot off a quick message to Grimm. “ I hope your day is going well. Did the apex people give you to much of a hassle? How’s Alf?”  Sending the message off she immediately regretted it. Asking about Alf? Really? That was going to send off red flags like crazy.

   The air on Voeld was..noticeably warmer than she remembered. Still frost-bitingly cold but less intolerable. With the shuttle on the ground Tesh took off and hitched a ride with a supply transport passing by the cords she mentioned.

   Another half an hour and she was there. No shuttle though. Thanking the woman for the ride Tesh jumped out and went to tracking. Faint and a fading fast but there were tracks leading off toward a cave.

He reeled off a message to the man in question.

'Odd message from Teshan. Asks how you are. And sincerely. Is everything okay?'

He didn't need to wait long for the reply.

'Um, the fuck? Do I have a problem...? Wait...'

Grimm waited a moment before the speedy reply. Predictably brusque.

'Okay, your lass has done some shit. I know it. I'm checking her whereabouts now.'

''Goodness... Alright. Something was arwy with her this morning. Keep me updated.'

--

Grimm contiued his walk to the Ice Cream🍦shop, the lingering worry starting to fester like a bad wound. Like toothache he couldn't ignore... Inopportuntatly, Alf replied just as he reached the door to the shop.

'Fuck you, Grimm! Teshan is off-station. Shuttle Bede 713. You aware? ...And I have a grand vanished from my fucking account! What is this?'

He stopped in his tracks. 'Great. Just great. Secrets now?' 'Borrowing'? After all the talk of wanting more transparency of feeling?

'No. Unaware.' Came the short, firm reply. Composing himself in digital form... 'Where's she headed?'

'Voeld. Early hour-flight 6. We doing anything about it?' Alf's words, even just in type, conveyed more serious concern than his usual Inkonsequence.

'Operative Weil is on Voeld. Liaise with her to send an attaché to shuttle's last co-ordiantes. Anything else you think prudent...'

'On it. Damnable woman..'

---

A few hours past, no word yet from Alf - or Weil... Grimm had set up shop as usual. If anything an attempt at distraction. His inability to do anyhting, the unknown... 'Why, Tesh?' kept repeating in his head like a record. A turian with two small twins wished to show them around the shop, which Grimm did happily enough. The family took advantage of the cheaper children's menu...

Then the second message came: fears confirmed. Grimm dropped what he was doing and left the shop in a huff. Thankfully Mrs Glenndall was the only customer present, and she could at least be trusted to mind the place peacefully.

He called Alf on his comm. "Alf. Yes. Get Weil to Tesh ASAP. Code E1. Scramble a shuttle too. I'm going."

Alf coughed. "Real shit? Well okay then. Go to bay 4 and don't worry. Weil's on her way already."