Mess Hall
Normandy
Uncharted Space
"So then I told him that due to some long forgotten village custom, the fact that he put a garland of flowers on my head actually meant that we were married! You should have seen the look on his face!" said Kasumi Goto, laughing at the memory.
She was seated at a table in the Mess Hall, sharing a drink with Gabrielle "Gabby" Daniels, a young woman from Engineering. Gabby was wiping away a tear of mirth as I walked by. Kasumi saw me and waved cheerily.
"Hey Shep," she said casually. I sat down next to her.
"Hey. Hi Gabby. What's Kasumi been telling you?"
"Oh Commander, you have got to hear this. It's too hilarious for words."
"Just a little story of how I stole this ship from her captain," said Kasumi modestly. The Japanese thief cradled a steaming mug with her hands as she looked at me with dark eyes from underneath her hood. She kept the hood on everywhere she went. I asked her once why, and all she did was shrug and reply "Force of habit." I guess some things came naturally with being the best thief in the galaxy.
Cerberus had recommended her to my team. Again, I had some hesitation before deciding to make contact. Despite my reservations, I found that I got along really well with Kasumi. She had a friendly, easy-going personality and possessed tremendous infiltration and hacking skills. More than once I'd be facing down some particularly stubborn enemy hunkered down in some hole where my sniper rifle couldn't reach, and Kasumi would turn on her cloaking field, calmly walk right up to him, and take him out of commission.
Plus, I helped her retrieve a valuable and personal bundle of information from the notorious crime boss Donovan Hock, and she was grateful for my help. I still had unfinished business with Hock, somehow it didn't seem right to me that the original head of Lady Liberty was holed up in his luxury mansion. But that could wait.
"Sounds like a good yarn. Care to share?" I asked. Kasumi was happy to oblige. She launched into the tale of how she stole the poor captain's ship right from under his nose while pretending to be an innocent, naive farm girl.
"...I stripped naked, waited in his bed and made up some phony Bible verse about how a man should work his wife like a farmer works his plough. He fell for it so hard! I kinda felt bad about stealing all his clothes and leaving him stranded on some desert though. He was a cutie."
I laughed and shook my head. "Remind me never to get on your bad side, Kasumi..." My voice trailed off as I detected a familiar aroma. "Wait a minute...that's...are you drinking coffee?"
"I sure am."
"But that's not the Coffee of Death that Rupert makes! Have you been stealing Kelly's coffee?"
"Please Shep, you don't expect me to drink that engine oil Rupert calls coffee, do you?" said Kasumi, wrinkling her nose. "Amazing thief, remember? I swiped Kelly's secret stash of beans, and if you want more, I'm sure you'll find my prices reasonable."
"This is outright extortion!"
"Just keeping my skills polished. Besides, we're billions of miles away from the nearest plantation. Your choice."
I growled in mock anger and stood up. "If you were a sailor I'd court martial you. Gabby, did you know anything about this?"
"Not me sir," replied the engineer. "Although Kasumi was kind enough to make me a cup."
"Why can't I have one?"
"I like Gabby. We're BFFs," said Kasumi, smirking. "You give me credits, and then we'll talk."
"I'll deal with you later, Ms Goto. I need to go punch the hell out of Jacob." I had ordered Miranda to convert part of the crew quarters into a small gymnasium, and placed requisition orders for every kind of exercise equipment imaginable, including a small ring closed off with ropes. I had gotten the idea from Garrus, who mentioned that the crew of Turian ships let off steam through physical activity.
Although everyone on board was in perfect physical condition, the gym still offered a way to kill some time when they didn't have other duties to attend to. Most of the crew members appreciated the idea, and you could usually find someone bench pressing weights and running on the treadmills at all hours.
"What? Why?" she asked, sounding genuinely shocked. "What did he do?"
"In the boxing ring," I clarified.
"Oh, silly me. Hmm...this means he won't be wearing that Cerberus suit of his, right?"
"I usually spar in training gear, but Jacob prefers to work out bare-chested," I said deliberately, knowing that it would get her attention.
Even half-hidden by that hood, there was no mistaking the sudden flash of interest in her eyes. "This I've got to see for myself."
"You know, I still haven't gotten round to asking Jacob his opinion of nice Japanese girls with kleptomania..." I teased her.
Kasumi punched me in the arm. "Stop it! You'll ruin everything!"
"Trust me, he doesn't know a thing."
"I know," she sighed dramatically. "It sucks. Gabby, want to watch two muscular men getting all hot and sweaty?"
"Sorry Kasumi, I really need to get back below deck," Gabby said apologetically. "Ken's run into some trouble with the warp core again, and as usual I need to hold his hand while he fixes it."
"Aww, doesn't that sound sweet, Shep? I bet she'd stick around to watch if you were boxing with Engineer Donnelly instead," Kasumi said wickedly, glancing at her friend.
"It's not like that!" protested Gabby. "Kenneth and I are just friends."
"I've heard that line before. Can't fight fate, I'm afraid," said Kasumi. "Hurry up Shep, let's start already."
I laughed again as we headed to the gym. I was feeling better, hanging out with Kasumi. Despite her checkered past, she was a great person to talk to. I suspected Kasumi hadn't really had the opportunity to make a lot of friends during her time as a master thief, and I was glad that helping her out with Keiji's graybox had gotten her to open up a little.
Besides, I was looking forward to kicking Jacob's ass. I always enjoyed an intense sparring bout, and maybe it would help me forget about Purgatory and 'Subject Zero' and Billy the homicidal maniac.
Jacob was leaning against the ropes, red boxing gloves on his hands, wearing nothing but a pair of black shorts. He'd apparently worked up quite a bit of sweat before we arrived and his muscles were shiny with it. Beside me Kasumi drew breath very sharply, and then brought her fingers to her mouth. I knew she was doing all she could not to squeal in delight.
"Commander!" Jacob called. "Ready to get beat down again?"
I ducked under the ropes and stepped into the ring, shrugging off my own shirt and tossing it to the floor. "I've blown up bases and gone one on one with krogan, Taylor. I just hope you won't cry too much once I'm done with you."
"Big words for a little man," sniffed Jacob. "I'm the greatest of all time. I float like a butterfly and sting like a rachni. Oh hey Kasumi, didn't see you there."
"Story of my life," she muttered under her breath. "Hi Jacob!" she added, in a more normal tone.
"I don't usually see you in the gym," Jacob said.
"Oh you know, I don't know much about bodybuilding. I'm just here to um, lift some weights," Kasumi replied.
"That's cool. If you like, I'll join you once I'm done humbling this punk," Jacob said confidently.
"That...would be very nice," said Kasumi, after recovering. She sat down on a bench and watched the two of us go at it.
I grinned and danced around, light on my feet, keeping my eyes on Jacob. He swayed slightly from side to side to match my movement, not taking his eyes from me either. He suddenly lashed out with a quick jab that I barely dodged. I responded by slamming a right hook into his abs, but he acted like he barely felt a thing. My hand hurt like hell, however.
"Holy God Jacob, what kind of drugs are you on?"
"That's a slanderous accusation!" he replied, letting loose a wild haymaker that I again avoided by inches. "This is all natural baby, none of that gene modification here, no sir!"
"I'm glad to hear that," remarked Kasumi. She was watching us with rapt delight.
I spun this way and that, trying to land more blows on Jacob. He didn't let many through, and the punches that did connect didn't seem to faze him at all. Meanwhile I was having trouble successfully avoiding Jacob's own blows. I decided to taunt him further.
"No way in hell that can be true. What was it Jacob? Secret science experiment? Cerberus upgrade? Come on, you can tell me."
"I've had enough of your disingenuous assertions!" Jacob whirled around, and landed an uppercut right on the point of my chin. I saw stars and slumped to the mat, dazed. Kasumi whooped and clapped. Jacob sketched a polite bow before offering me a hand. Rubbing my jaw, I took it.
"And the winner by way of knockout, Mama Taylor's baby boy! Better luck next time Shep," exulted Kasumi.
"Protein and iron, sir. Eat one and pump the other. Nothing to it," said Jacob.
"I guess I deserved that," I said ruefully. "Come on, I'll get you a beer."
"We have a lounge now?" asked Jacob, following me out of the gym, Kasumi trailing behind us.
"We do now that Kasumi's on board. Where exactly did you get all those rare and expensive liquors again?" I asked.
"Oh, you know. Here and there," she said, with her signature shrug.
We passed by the Mess again on our way to the Port Observation deck. Suddenly the elevator door opened up, and out stepped Jack.
She was still wearing her ridiculous outfit of convict pants and a belt harness, although she'd added a vest of some kind that covered up her breasts. Her tattoos and near nakedness instantly made her the centre of attention, almost everyone on deck was staring at her. Annoyed by the scrutiny, she scowled and stomped towards Rupert. The poor Mess Sergeant looked terrified as the biotic came up to him.
"Hello miss - " he began.
"Cut the bullshit, you Cerberus piece of crap," Jack said. "Give me some food."
"C-certainly. Whatever you want. I've got rack of lamb, lobster bisque, grilled swordfish steak..."
"I don't give a damn. Food's food. Something I can carry with me back to the cargo hold. No way in hell I'm gonna eat here, with all these morons eyeballing me."
She snatched a loaf of bread and a hunk of cheese from Rupert's hands and headed back to the elevator. Along the way her eyes met mine and I found myself wishing I'd put my shirt back on. I looked like a total ass in my boxing gear. Her face became an unreadable mask once more and she disappeared back into the elevator as quickly as she arrived.
"Um guys, you go ahead and have that drink without me. I'm gonna go talk to her," I said. I saw an opportunity to speak to her without any Cerberus members present.
"You sure, sir? She might be dangerous," said Jacob in a low tone.
"Jacob, everybody we meet and everything we do nowadays is dangerous. I need to find out all I can about this girl."
"If you say so," said Jacob doubtfully.
"I'm sure Shepard knows what he's doing," said Kasumi, gently tugging on Jacob's arm. He allowed himself to be pulled away in the direction of the lounge. I ducked into the bathroom, had a quick shower and pulled on a fresh shirt. Then I took the elevator down to the cargo hold.
The belly of the ship was drenched in harsh red lighting, less power intensive than the full illumination used on the other decks. People hardly ever came down here anyway. In one corner, tucked away amidst rows of piping and bulkheads, Jack had made her own place of sorts. It had a mat and a thin blanket, heaps of Cerberus datapads, and nothing else. She obviously didn't care much for material comfort.
Jack was sitting on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest and ravenously chewing on the bread and cheese she'd taken from Rupert. She ate like a wild animal, gnawing on her food as if someone would sneak up and steal it, eyes darting in all directions. When she saw me, she swallowed the last mouthful of her food and edged away, watching me warily.
"Hey Jack," I said cautiously. "Got a minute to talk?"
"It's your goddamn ship, you can go where you please. But I'm not talking to you."
"Why not?" I asked, sitting down on an empty crate.
"Isn't it obvious? You're a fucking Cerberus agent. I'm not talking to any of you."
"I'm not a part of Cerberus," I said.
"Don't fucking lie to me," Jack spat back.
"I'm not lying," I insisted. "I used to be an Alliance man, then a Spectre. Saved the Citadel Council a couple of years back."
"Yeah, I heard about that," said Jack dismissively. "Personally, I'd have let those alien bitches burn. But that's not the point. You're wearing a Cerberus uniform now, flying a Cerberus ship."
"Why is it that you hate Cerberus so much?" I asked. I had to ask. Having a teammate on board who detests every part of the operation you're trying to run represented a significant drawback, to say the least. I needed to understand the source of her anger.
"What would you think about people who kidnapped you, tortured and drugged you all in the name of creating the most powerful human biotic that ever lived?" Jack asked, her tone losing none of its hostility.
"Miranda maintains Cerberus has rogue cells, teams that don't report to the Illusive Man," I said, and as soon as I said it, I realised how weak it sounded.
Jack's eyes suddenly blazed with anger. "That's a bit fucking convenient, don't you think? Miranda's a Cerberus bitch to the bone who swallows every last bit of crap the Illusive Man feeds her. Jacob's less of a dickhead, but he doesn't know who he is and that's not my problem."
I had to admit she had a point. The stock explanation given for Jack's torture seemed too convenient for my liking. The memory of the twisted Cerberus experiments that I had broken up long ago, while serving with the Alliance, only served to deepen my suspicion.
"What are you looking for in those files I gave you?" I asked, changing tack.
"You're friends at Cerberus are into some fucked up shit. But you knew that already, didn't you?" she said slowly, looking at me.
"I do. I helped shut down some of it. With extreme prejudice."
A hint of a smile touched her lips. "Ha! Wish I was there to see it. I'm not looking for answers or reasons in these files. I know there won't be any. I'm looking for names, dates, places."
"Let me guess, you're trying to track down the people who did all this to you?" I asked.
"Shit, you must be a fucking genius. I'm going hunting. Everyone who ever hurt me pays. Their friends pay. Their families pay. Anyone who ever spoke a word to them pays," Jack declared.
I stared at her for a good long while, trying to decide whether or not she was being serious. "I'm afraid I'll have to stop you. There's been a lot of death in this war. I'm not letting any more innocent people get killed."
"I signed up for your goddamn mission. After that, what I do is my business, Commander," she retorted. I knew she was right.
"You think about this all the time, don't you? About your plans for revenge."
Jack wasn't one to play coy. "Yeah, I do. I go to sleep with it. I wake up with it. Every time I kill someone, I pretend it's the people who did this to me. Judge me if you want to, Shepard. I couldn't give a fuck."
I looked down at my hands. I wasn't sure that I wouldn't be doing the same had I been in her position. Compared to lots of others, I had a great childhood. I may not have set foot on solid ground until I was two years old, but my mom and dad were always around when I needed them. I couldn't imagine growing up subjected to the tender mercies of morally bankrupt scientists, caring only for the continuation of their project and less about the damage they were doing to a young girl.
"You don't have to live in this pit, you know," I said after a while. "I could give you a room in the crew quarters. Private one, even."
"This place is fine. Dark, quiet and hard to find. That spells safety to me," she said. She suddenly stood up and walked over to me until her face was inches from mine, a feral grin etched upon it.
"You know, this ship is a powerhouse. You could go pirate, live like a king." She smirked. "I could help."
"You'd be my first mate?" I asked. Despite myself, I actually liked the sound of that idea. Stealing the Illusive Man's finest ship and cruising the galaxy? Sounded like fun to me.
"I'd lead the boarding parties. And handle the executions," she said casually.
"What is it about killing that fascinates you so much?" I asked.
"A bit rich coming from a soldier like you," she said, with a touch of derision.
"That's different," I said. "I have a duty to protect the people I serve. And I'm not a soldier."
"Yeah, and there's a god who loves us all and if you try really hard you can turn lead into gold," mocked Jack. "I figure every time someone dies and it's not me, that's one less asshole trying to kill me."
"You'd kill the entire galaxy just to feel safe?" I asked.
"If that's what it takes," said Jack, indifferent.
"That's not what I'd do," I said, because I couldn't think of anything better to say.
"That's because you're not me. Walk a mile in my shoes, Soldier Boy. See how cool you can be then. See whether you believe in any 'duty' after that," she said, the derision sharper now.
We clearly weren't getting anywhere, and if I said what I really felt I'd just end up pissing her off. I stood up and prepared to leave. "Let me know if you find anything in those Cerberus files," I said.
"Oh don't worry your little head over that," said Jack, stretching out on a makeshift bunk. "You'll know."
I climbed up the stairs, paused, and turned around.
"If you don't want to eat in the Mess with the rest of the crew, you don't have to. I'll get someone to bring you your meals."
"Don't even think about it," said Jack, her eyes closed. "Any Cerberus bitch could slip something in my food, drug me up. I'm not letting that happen again."
"Okay then, I'll bring it down myself. Do you think you can trust me?"
Jack opened her eyes and stared at me suspiciously. I got the distinct feeling I had surprised her, something which I sensed didn't happen often.
"I don't think you're Cerberus. Cerberus dogs get up to all kinds of shit, but the Illusive Man won't tolerate someone blowing up his experiments," she decided after a long moment. "You're an asshole, but at least you're not Cerberus. You want to drag down lunch trays, knock yourself out. Like I said, it's your goddamn ship."
"It is. I'll see you soon," I said, going up the stairs. I could feel her stare on my back, recalled the look of confusion on her face. It wasn't much, but I'd opened a crack in the door. I just hoped there wasn't a backdraft of flame awaiting me when I got it open.