"Me?" She raised a brow, bringing up a hand to tap her long fingers against the soft curve of her chin. "That's a lot to condense into just a few minutes, but for you? I'll do my best." He was facing her, body intent and focused. She brought up a leg and draped it over the other, letting both hands settle in her lap as she turned her head to him, silently taking in Cole's earnest bright blue eyes. Looking into them felt made her feel both hot and cold at the same time, a freezing burn like pressing one's palm against dry ice. Her body tingled. Her gaze quickly shifted down to see the small, thin hairs on her arm stand on end as little bursts of electricity leaped up her limbs.<br/><br/>"My crew is... my crew is my life," she began, lifting her head to stare blankly out the lounge's windows. The view of the Citadel's artificial skies beyond was pleasant enough, but she missed the deep velvety richness of space. "They're an unusual group. Were it not for this gig, I don't know if any of us would have found one another. They all have their obvious flaws. Suni is angry and aggressive, Pol is a bit of dolt, Faustus is stuffy and too strict on non-existent regulations, Calypso is wild and unpredictable, AIDEN is an artificial intelligence who still doesn't quite understand the nuances of conversation, and Talyet, well. Let's just say I always perceived drell to be a romantic, beautiful species before I met Talyet.<br/><br/>"Despite all that, each member of my team is an expert at what they do. Each person has a history, a drive and motivation. A heart. Too often, the people I collect here are outsiders. Either cast aside by their own families, like Suni and Pol, or they left their lives of their own accord, like Calypso. Even Talyet has elements of that. Kid was practically tearing his skin off to get off of Kahje. But they're here now. All of them. And without them, I couldn't do my job. I don't have any family back on Earth. But I have my crew."<br/><br/>The Commander cleared her throat, twisting her hands up in her lap. "As for how I got here? Not so different from you. Former Alliance military. I was stationed at a burgeoning colony in the Horse Head Nebula. Not exactly the safest place. The whole area is legal nightmare, but the Alliance wanted to start establishing a presence, help extend Citadel space and gain some favor with the Council. Our team and the colonists were only out there for a couple months when we were hit by Cerberus.<br/><br/>"To this day I still have no clue what they wanted. Some planetary resource, I guess. The whole thing was a disaster. We managed to evacuate most of the colonists, but not everyone made it. Most of my team died in the process, and I was injured in the fight. Passed out from blood loss, woke up in a sick bay on some ship I didn't recognize. Was kept in the dark for a bit of time until I was strong enough to be brought in front of the Council. Despite what had happened, they were impressed. Told me they'd been watching me for a long time, already made the arrangements. I'd been reported killed in the fight. All evidence of my survival scrubbed away. I'd been given the opportunity to live again, this time as someone entirely new.<br/><br/>"I didn't really want to go back to the Alliance. I always rubbed against my superiors the wrong way. Besides, it'd be difficult to explain how I had somehow come magically back to life. No one would believe that. So, I took the job. And here we are."<br/><br/>She laughed, lowering her head and covering her eyes with her hand. "Jesus. I didn't mean to get all reminiscent on you, Vanes." In truth, Reese was grateful for the distraction. "Hit me with whatever else you got."<br/><br/>The Lieutenant's further inquiries knocked her off-guard, but not unpleasantly. She smiled at him, large brown eyes finding his and holding his gaze. "I encourage all my crew to fuck before a mission," she replied bluntly. "Sex is healthy. Helps keep you sharp. Besides, no matter who or what you are, one of the things the various species have in common is their craving for intimacy, even if it's just for one night. Even if all someone does is lie there and cuddle, it helps keep them mentally sound. Especially in a job like this, never knowing what chaos will befall us tomorrow.<br/><br/>"And for the record, yes. I did skip out on sex in order to play tour guide for you. But a little roleplay never hurt anyone." It was impossible to ignore her Lieutenant's purposeful stare. She could feel his eyes glide along the length of body, admiring the way the denim clung to her long thighs, or how her top rested lightly against the peak of her breasts. She didn't mind the attention, instead feeling emboldened at Cole's obvious interest.<br/><br/>Her hand snaked its way from her lap to his thigh, sliding halfway up before halting its advance. "What if I told you to follow orders now, Lieutenant? What would you do?"