"Skipper?" Ashley appeared in the doorway of Shepard's quarters, spotting the redhead seated at her terminal with her head in her hands. "Is it alright to come in?"
"My door is always open, chief," Shepard smiled wearily, spinning her chair around to look at the concerned marine, noticing the pair of boxes resting under Ashley's arm. "Literally, I haven't been able to get the door to shut after the hit we took from that Reaper."
"Yeah, that was a little too close for comfort," Ashley calmly walked into Shepard's office space, setting the boxes down on the desktop. "Joker and EDI have spent the entire time that we've been on Tuchanka reworking the Normandy's shield array, that last encounter spooked the both of them."
"They're not the only ones," Shepard sighed, shutting down her terminal, frustrated by the never-ending messages that piled up in her inbox. "I thought that our shields were configured to withstand a glancing blow from the Reaper's main cannon, but it almost sliced right through."
"We're still here, that's what counts," Ashley said, tapping a finger on the glass containing Shepard's collection of model ships, highlighting the miniaturized version of the SR-1. "You and I both know that it could have been worse."
"I know. You can say what you want about Cerberus, but they know how to build a ship."
"And you knew how to steal it right from under their noses," Ashley grinned, relieved to find a small smile crossing Shepard's face. "I would have given every credit I had to have seen the look on the Illusive Man's face when he found out what you did."
"I doubt he cared too much, he's become far too unhinged," Shepard said, glad to have something to distract her from the weight of the stress resting on her shoulders. "What are you doing here anyway, chief?"
"Checking up on you," Ashley replied bluntly, knowing that Shepard favoured the direct approach just as much as she did. "EDI's been keeping an eye on you using the cameras she hid in here."
"I knew it!" Shepard looked around, trying to locate any spots where a camera could be conveniently hidden. "I became suspicious when she complimented me on my choice of Nerve-Stim models. Any idea where she hid them?"
"EDI swore me to secrecy," Ashley held her hand up in scout-like fashion. "But she said that you looked as if your head was about to explode at any moment, and it definitely looked that way from what I could see. I take it that everything's piling up at the moment?"
"You can say that again," Shepard gave a hollow laugh, dropping her head to look up at the exposed ceiling, still left in a state of disrepair months after the Normandy was forced back into service mid-refit. "I just got word back from Anderson, the Alliance had to pull their forces out of Germany, and France isn't doing too well either."
"Things sound pretty bad back on Earth," Ashley nodded solemnly. "But knowing Anderson, the Reapers are in the fight of their mechanical lives if they think they're taking the planet so easily."
"Oh, I don't doubt that. Anderson said that Harbinger made an appearance in London last week, overseeing some project the Reapers have been working on for the last month or so," Shepard faced Ashley with a bright grin on her porcelain face. "When the Alliance found out, they shelled the area from orbit. Harbinger escaped, but the reports suggest he was missing a couple of legs and a mandible."
"He'll think twice about returning to Earth after that," Ashley chuckled, imagining the behemoth beating a hasty retreat with his tail tucked between his legs; his remaining legs at least. "I'll give it to Anderson, age hasn't lessened his fighting spirit."
"I wouldn't be surprised if he wins the war on Earth singlehandedly," Shepard nodded, propping up her head with the palm of her hand as she gazed at Ashley. "So, now that we've gotten the war report out of the way, are you going to tell me what you're actually doing here? Because I have this feeling that this 'check-in' of yours isn't as innocent as it seems."
"Am I really that transparent?" Ashley coughed.
"You're one of the best soldiers I've ever met, Ashley," Shepard gave the lieutenant-commander a meaningful look. "But lying has never exactly been your forte. So, does it have something to do with those boxes you've brought?"
"We're going to be grounded for the next few days, Joker refuses to take off until the Normandy is back in shape," Ashley started, drumming her fingers on the lid of the top box. "That gives us enough time to have a face-to-face discussion with Wrex about the distribution of the Krogan forces throughout the galaxy."
"The Turians have been hounding us all day about that, they're determined to take back Palaven and use it as a staging ground to launch a counter offensive," Shepard said, narrowing her eyes. "But I have this feeling that you have more in mind than wargames, chief."
"I checked the calender a few weeks ago, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that Halloween was just around the corner," Ashley gave Shepard a devious look. "So, I decided to put together a little surprise for you, something to take your mind off the war for a bit. When I found out that our diplomatic mission on Tuchanka coincided with Halloween itself, I figured that this would be the right time for it."
"And that box has the key to all my problems?" Shepard gave the white box a sceptical look.
"One of the keys," Ashley picked up the top box and handed it over to Shepard, grinning mischievously when the redhead placed it on her lap and placed a finger under the lip of the lid. "The other depends on how long it takes for Wrex and Grunt to make it here."
"Wrex and Grunt?" Shepard slowly repeated.
"Yep," Ashley winked, seeing Shepard beginning to catch on to her plot. "Open the box, it gets even better."
"I bet it does," Shepard hesitated, but eventually raised the lid up, raising an eyebrow at Ashley when her emerald eyes landed on the contents. "Really, Ashley?"
"Really, Skipper," Ashley responded brightly, retrieving her own box as she stood, moving in the direction of the en suite. "Now, I'll get changed first. That will give you time to let your thoughts run wild with the possibilities of things we'll be getting up to for the rest of our time on this dustbowl."
"Ashley, the door doesn't even work," Shepard pointed out, realising it was pointless to talk sense into her stubborn friend. "What if someone walks in while we're..."
"Busy being diplomatic?" Ashley opened the door to the bathroom and hopped inside, already in the process of unzipping her navy blue thigh-high boots. "Well, that's a risk we're just going to have to take."
"I always knew you were a troublemaker, Williams," Shepard shook her head as the bathroom door slid shut, daring to sneak another glimpse of the outfit Ashley expected her to wear. "But I guess it is Halloween, you can't have a treat without the risk of a trick."
~•~•~•~•~•~
"Good morning, Urdnot Wrex," EDI inclined her head respectfully, watching Wrex stomping across the platform leading to the landing platform with Grunt in tow. "I trust that you had an uneventful journey?"
"I wish," Wrex brushed his shoulder, wiping off a layer of flesh dangling from it. "Damn Thresher Maw jumped us about half a mile back, it wrecked the Tomkah that was transporting us."
"We had to get out and introduce ourselves to the best," Grunt rumbled, with a satisfied smile plastered on his face. He raised his jagged blade and gave it a sharp swing, flinging away the traces of acidic blood coating the steel surface. "The fact that we're here gives you an idea of what happened to the Maw."
"Tuchanka is a most interesting planet to visit, everything here seems intent on killing you in the most imaginative ways," EDI said, with her point being proven when a flock of leathery birds of prey soared overhead, warned off by a sudden blast from a claymore belonging to one of the Krogan guarding the platform.
"EDI, you don't know the half of it," Wrex joked, stopping short of the open hatch of the Normandy to assess the AI. "And I've gotta say, I never would have gotten anything done on the SR-1 if we had you walkin' around. Talk about a distraction."
"I have calculated that productivity amongst the male crew members suffers a 12.7% decline whenever I happen to be in their presence," EDI stated, inviting the pair into the decontamination chamber. "Shepard suggested that I should wear a uniform to cover up my mobile platform, but she faced immediate resistance from Jeff and Lieutenant Vega."
"Gotta keep the troops motivated," Wrex fully understood where Joker and Vega were coming from, giving EDI his own appreciative look. Using his experience abroad the Normandy, Wrex waited for the exterior door to seal itself, then held his arms out wide as a wall of light passed over his bulky form, cleansing any potential contaminants from his scales and armour. "So Shepard managed to steal this ship from Cerberus, and then a body for you to use. The Illusive Man's gettin' sloppy."