Planet Therai
Salarian union
Year: 2181

She was beautiful. Not many aliens could say that about a different species, it just wasn't natural. The turians weren't very attracted to krogan usually due to their giant waists or large heads, the humans weren't attracted to them due to their scales or horns. It was against their nature, but even so, that's the best word that Cadel Tuzz could describe the being that rested in the tank.
Her eyes were softly closed in a easy slumber, still as a mountain for years. Like a book that's pages have been sealed for life times, the very idea of turning them caused her to be the most magnificent sight he's seen in a long, long time.

Two years, sixty-five days, four hours, and nine minutes she's been sleeping. He felt like a human father waiting for the birth of his first child. He was anxious, tapping at his data pad as he chosen to lean against the polished walls of steel, her tank right in front of him, his reflection of tired eyes and dark red skin just at the surface, looked back at him. The screens and machines working around the clock to tell him that his charge was still comfortable. They were the few things he knew about her, he knew her weight, her heart rate, an idea of her age, but nothing that he really needed for his project.
Again like a father, he couldn't help but wonder what she was going to be like. Was she a farmer? A noble woman? A scholar? What about a beggar or a drunk, a mad beast or a soldier? With so little tissues able to have been found on Presrop, they could only learn so much. A moon that once held vast amounts of life, incredibly, powerful life forms, that he had to learn the secrets of. Secrets that were sealed away in the dead rock of space, and the woman that slept beside him, she had to have them, she had to,

He studied her face, fine features, her jaw was sharp, cheek bones high with soft lips and long lashes. The perfect portrait for an artist, with a scar that ran right over her left eyelid that seemed to only add to her character. Her hair, was very human like, a mane of charcoal strands that danced around her body like a cloud. The slow movements were oddly comforting to some of the team and himself, something they could get lost in for a few micro seconds as they passed by before they would get back to work.
Despite her very human like appearance, she had to be grown in a larger tank made for a turian. She was going to stand a little taller than six feet. Towering over most, especially here. He didn't care though, only gave him more to study. Her silver skin glistened in the lab's light that danced over her body as his eyes trailed starting from her toes, studying every scar, every bump or dot or hair until his gaze rested on the proud head piece that grew from her very skull. Long elegant horns, the color of the midnight sky curved like a styled blade, back and up in waves. He could see the details in them, vein like marks that pulsed through the appendages, yet when he tested to see if there were nerves in there, he found none. He'd have to try again when they could finally meet.
"And we'll meet soon."

The salarian gave a smile, black eyes blinking at his prize. Her arms crossed over her chest like a resting empress, she gave no indication of hearing him, and he was going to keep it that way. He entertained the idea of feeding her information about himself, so that she could establish a bond with him before she even leaves the tank. But against the other's judgement Cadel decided not to, he wanted her to be in her purest mind set, untouched, or muddied by their hands. She was here so they could learn about Presorp and the culture that was destroyed. He'll take his chances, and develop what little of a bond he could the old fashion way, with trial and error in a controlled environment.

Punching in the last of the information he gained from her today in the main terminal. Cadel logged out. He could have had hired an intern to do this for him so he could analyse their findings later, but he had an issue with not being the one to see everything himself with his own eyes. This was the biggest project he had ever gotten the funding for from the main houses. His matriarch even giving him, her blessing which made the salarian even more determined to get everything right.
He's often heard that it was a fools project. Bringing back a species to raise and learn from it? Sounds suspiciously like the krogan, upraising a species that should not know of this galaxy yet. No, he would make sure she did not end up like the krogan, she was his charge and he would make sure that this project would go off with perfect results. No room for error, no room for rest. And so, he decided to go through another round of testing late into the night.

"How is she doing?" Cadel just watched as a old salarian stepped into his lab unannounced, Merson Gax, an elder scientist that Cadel had looked up to over the years. With a pale yellow body covered in scars, and an air of authority he wasn't someone that could be told no very often. A older biologist that could have rivalled Mordin if he tried. With crinkled scaring around his eyes, color fading and his horns a fragile twisted mess, Cadel couldn't help but notice just how far along the older salarian was in his years. Was he thirty? If so, he was surprised to realize that the old beast could still move around with such an air of trained power.
His hands behind his back, he stalked to his charge with the grace that screamed of his time in the salarian task force. His gaze was steady, harsh as he took in every detail like a scope on it's target. "How long will she be in this stage?" He asked with mild curiosity. "Not long now, few months, slowly getting her accustomed to less pressure." He was tired, it was often that Cadel would work through the night, but as he typed at his terminal, he found that he was slow to recognize that the biologist had raised his hand and rested it on the tank. The warmth from his body seemed to stir the woman inside, her heart rate increasing a few beats as her brain activity tried to flare up. He watched in amusement as Merson backed away from her, confusion on his features as he looked at her signals that burst to life at such a small change.

"Like I said, almost ready, have a feeling she's predatory, like a turian. Can sense when the tank is touched and is sent into frenzy, though not enough to actually wake, probably just trying to defend." He couldn't wait for the final stage. He's taken to sleeping in the room now, shifting her holding lab into his office/bedroom where Cadel slept, worked and even ate his meals. Socializing was only done when someone came to him, and he only left to relive himself, permitting the luxury to only last one minute and thirty seconds. He was so engrossed in his work that he actually reprimanded himself when he took one minute and thirty two seconds yesterday.
"I want to be here when you let her out. See her first reaction." Merson kept watching her, placing his hands behind his back while he spoke, craning his head up to look at her face. "You'll have to be behind the security wall. Can't have any risk to her, could be carrying disease that her species hadn't built an immunity to." He was actually working on that right now, slowly admitting his charge a few different vaccinations while she still sat in the tank to give her the best chance he could. It was round the clock care, four sets of coffee cups sat on the counter behind him, he was tempted to ask for some more from downstairs in an hour.
Merson didn't seem to mind, it was normal for one of them to be this dedicated to work, they had short lives, and enough ideas to last a assari's life time. He refused to let them get scattered to the winds when his ashes are thrown, so sleep had quickly became a unwanted rival rather then a welcoming friend.

Merson decided to stay for another hour, a strange change in habit. But that could have just been because he had taken an interest in his charge. He didn't want to give her a name yet, she could give herself one. The two scientists decided to just sit back and talk about nothing and everything. Ways to get her to learn their language, getting living arrangements set up, only to switch to the topic of nothing. Like how they had to go and get a drink sometime or complaining that Mordin, despite having left this lab years ago, could still be heard through some of the coms as he sang his songs from wherever his is. Someone had to be a fan of the guy to actually want to tune into that annoying hum that tauntingly danced through the halls once a month.
He missed this, the strange distraction, it was a love hate relationship. In the back of his mind he thought about how he was wasting time, how he needed to work on his charge to make sure everything was ready so he could safely release her. But the more Merson spoke, and how they shared stories and ideas made him ease into the plastic chair a little more. A smile on his features while the same expression crinkled into his friend's eyes. That's right, he could call the old salarian a friend. They been in this lab together for years, and Merson had a soft spot for the younger scientists. New minds, new ideas he would say. And Cadel was one that invited the older male in his lab and not be intimidated by him, it gained him respect and they been working together on and off sense.
Even then, it didn't matter how much he respected the man. He was not going to share this project, he grew protective over his charge these last few years. He can see the nature becoming so much worse, when he can actually speak to her, watch her and study her as she interacted with her new world. Salarians didn't make families really, even less so when they choose this life, but whenever he looked at the woman who rested in the tank he couldn't help but feel a need, a duty to guard her and give her the best life possible. And with the way he spoke about her, he was sure Merson noticed. Yet the older man didn't object to his attachment to his test subject, only giving his shoulder a squeeze on his way out of the lab. "Be careful Cadel, would hate for you to get hurt in this." He would say as he left.

It was early in the morning, most of the lab had been clocked out and back home so they could rest for another day. The halls were strangely empty, only the low hum of the industrial lights sang, the beeps of machines feint through the heavy security doors, while only a handful were unlocked due to someone working late into the hours to get their jobs done. Paperwork, data, conferences, they all had their reasons, reasons that Cadel really could care less of right now.
It's been almost three months since Merson visited. His charge was fully developed, her room had been crafted, and he had finally sent his request to the head of the lab, she was ready. She was finally ready to leave her tank. He was pacing, waiting for a conformation from the lab's head that he was allowed to finally release his charge. A few of the medical staff offered to stay in case she managed to get sick, despite the entire room she was in having been sterilized. The air smelled of a thick chemical and the smallest hint of lemon that stung his nose in familiarity. He looked over his shoulder, Merson kept to his word, staying in the observation room to keep himself from harming what could be the most curricle part of this entire experiment.
He turned on his omni tool, tapping away at the commands before scanning his charge to see that she was still fine. All her vitals were normal. Her brain showing strong signs of activity that only made him more impatient to get her out. If she waited too long, he had a feeling she would wake herself up unless heavily sedated and that was the last thing he wanted to do to her.

Just as he was about to send another request though, he heard his terminal flare to life. Almost bounding through the lab, Merson forgotten, Cadel turned on the orange screen to find that his request had been approved, relief and excitement filled his very being as he looked over the orders to see that all was well. That due to the fact that most of the lab was empty aside from security, that this was the best time to allow a new life form to take her first breath in a long, long time. The ones that were here however were pooling into the observation room, expecting eyes, their own data pads or omni tools in hand as they watched in silent respect. It was no secret what he dedicated these last two years for, and it wasn't unusual for others to watch key parts of an experiment to make notes of their own later for future work. Still, he didn't give them much mind, not even Merson as he walked back to the tank. Looking at her peaceful expression one more time as he rested his hand on the tank to see that familiar snap in her senses.
"I'm here" a soft chance at comforting that he hoped would get the idea across that he was not a threat.

"Initiating release, taking down sedation and memory support." He was working alone, skilled hands going through the machines as the room flared with life. Screens asking for activation codes as he took down her security, sealing the entire room in the process, doors sliding shut in a quiet click, the green light turning to red, as he began to drain the tank. The liquid was slowly lowering, each second ticking by as it passed her horns, her crown, her brow. He watched with baited breath, ready to spring into action at the slightest sign of something wrong. Her eyes began to open, he never knew what color they were before. A vibrant hue of violet. So striking that he was sure it could cut through a dark room, or seen from across the ship, soon she was coughing, trying to get a gasp of air, real air as her lungs expanded and took it in with greed. She was tossing her head, her arms uncrossing despite the cords at her wrists of IVs. The sound of her horns banging against the glass was a dull thud that snapped his attention to them for only a moment.

Two moments, and she was looking at him, the tank hadn't even finished draining when she was able to take in her surroundings. Though her gaze for him made him step back, it was sharp, cold and seething with anger as she locked it on him. She was no beggar, or scholar, she was no noble or farmer. No, he didn't entertain the idea much due to how little scars she had, but all doubts were deleted now. There was no room for argument with the way she pulled her lips back in what he saw as a warrior.
She slammed her hand on the glass, a motion he wasn't expecting to have any effect. Yet his attention was jerked away as the machines began to scream in help, malfunctions from short circuiting as she slammed her hand again, the tank groaning under the strain while a loud pop echoed through his ears, the glass, almost three inches thick shattering in large shards that clattered to the ground, the thick green liquid pooling on the floor, slick under his feet.
Her IV's ripping from her arms, snapping like twin, while he watched a silver hand grab the edges of the glass, ignoring the crimson that leaked from her fingers when she pulled herself onto the ground with a raspy scream of desert sand. He had to act fast, she was unlike any of his previous projects where the subject would be exhausted after leaving the tank for the first time. No, here, she was a like a shot gun, a burst of power, angry and confused as she swung her head at everything like a enraged animal. Her words were eloquent, stringing in strange curves and hums that went up and down as she asked a question he had no hope of answering. All he could do was hold up his hands when she lunged herself to him.
Grabbing those hands and twisting him around with such force that he yelled out in pain. He wasn't a fighter, he knew how to use a gun but he was no fighter. She however knew what she was doing, his back was to her, he could feel her heart beat, notice how she wasn't breathing hard, forcing it through her noes and calming herself down despite the chaos that she created. The tip of his horns reached just under her chin, muscles rippling with every move as she screamed out "tar bas, fenzah thrain!" In such a battle hungry cry that Cadel had to think she died in battle. She was still fighting in her mind, but instead of a war zone, she was in a contamination room, one that only angered her even more as she held his arms with enough force that he was sure she was going to bruise him. At least she didn't out right kill him, there was hope for that.

"I'm not a threat, I'm a friend, I'm a friend." He tried to keep his voice calm, but with the way he listened to her breathing forcing out of her nose like a ragged beast was causing his thoughts to go light years a second. His words caused her to flicked her gaze down at him for a moment, a gaze trying to figure him out in any way she could. A unmasked curiosity flashed for a second before it went back to that cold stare that tried to bore into him. It gave the guards enough time to open the doors, her head shooting up as she pulled back her lips in that same snarl before they shot her with a tranquillizer. The needle stuck right into her side as she hissed at the shock. Her grip immediately loosened, yet she still held him, a growl escaping her as she let out a string of what he could only assume were insults when she brought him to face the pair, using his body as a shield as she backed up. He could feel her steps becoming shaky, weak, another step and she was on the ground, taking him with her, a few more seconds as she was out cold.

He was panting, bewildered, his palms sweaty as he untangled himself from her limbs. The guards, two members of the task force ran to him, helping him stand as the other reached to check her pulse. Yet Cadel shook the officer off, going back to his charge to make sure that she was okay himself. His fingers reaching under her jaw as relief washed over him, she was okay, she was calming down. "Subject was in fight or flight the moment of her death, possibility that she was killed, murdered even? Must make sure to break her from that when she wakes again."
He sat back down on the floor, adrenaline was pumping in his veins as he let out a smile. Merson finally coming inside, yet he did not approach. "Are you well?" The worry was in his voice despite the mild disinterest in his stance, Cadel just nodded, ordering for a stretcher to be pulled in so he could have her moved to a more comfortable place, even asking for the halls to be decontaminated before she leave the room just in case. "That was...Amazing, such movement, extreme training. Tried to regulate her own breathing and responds to us with curiosity despite believing she was in danger." He looked to the tank once more as he waited for the halls to be decontaminated. The shattered glass still laid on the floor, the liquid pooling around the space, the terminals all destroyed, static popping and spazzing from the shorting as blackened desks fringed below them. He had no idea what happened, but he wanted samples of everything. It wasn't clean, but it was better then he could have ever hoped to imagine.

He made sure to be there when she woke up, he used everything he had to make sure that she was okay. The bed she was in was plush, soft blankets and the lights were not as bright as the rest of the lab, splurging on paintings to hang on the walls, and even a rug so she would have some texture to keep her senses in check. The salarian found himself checking and rechecking everything as she slept, before finally settling on a office chair at her desk. He flipped on the terminal in her room, it was just basic functions so she could call someone if she needed to once he let her figure out the tech, but that was a ways off. Instead, he used it to re-watch the vid of her waking up, it was only an hour ago but he couldn't stop thinking about it. The way she moved, it was so fast, the words she said, "tar bas, fenzah thrain!" He wanted to know what that meant, so badly, he could taste it. He wanted to learn everything. Quickly he saved the phrase to use for later, maybe one day he could build a translator for her.

He watched her stir, violet eyes snapping open in a frenzy, and already she was up and on the other side of the room. Her shoulders back, jaw set as she watched him like a predator. No, she was a predator, he had to remember that, her eyes went to the door, then the terminal and finally him, searching his person as she tried to figure a way out. He just held out his hands, offering a smile, yet when he opened his mouth she took a step back, quickly making him close it. So, that gesture was a negative one, yet when he splayed his fingers, he watched her relax a little, the universal gesture for showing no harm. Still, she was in that fight or flight response, breathing through her nose, one leg slightly bent so she could lunge or dodge at a moment's notice. Slowly, the salarian sat back down, hoping that would help her, relief washing over him when he finally saw her stance ease up, but her shoulders and jaw remained tense, eyes daring him to move.
He couldn't take his own eyes off her, every curve, every scar, the way she was breathing as her chest moved so little, one would expect she didn't need oxygen at all. He quickly realized that she was like a human and held modesty, her arms trying to cover her chest as her eyes narrowed at him, even then she wouldn't turn away, he was going to stay in her sights whether he liked it or not. "Right, I'll get you clothes." The words were only meant with confusion, the salarian quickly grabbing his own lab coat to repeat the word "clothes" before mentioning to her. That seemed to win him a few points as she nodded her head. Quickly he reached into the closet he had for her, basing the garments on a larger version of an assari since she reminded him of them so much.

She was quick to learn however, in a bound she was beside him, her hand pushing him away, not nearly as harshly as she was before so she could look inside herself. He noticed that she still didn't turn her back on him, only looking at things with one side while she kept a violet eye poised on him at all times. Like a thief, she grabbed a robe of black fabric, wrapping it around her body and tying it tight. It was obvious she was used to something else as she grabbed at it, only to settle for the garment for now.
Covered up, he noticed that he managed to get her a step closer to being at least trusting enough to blink for the first time. He tried to think of her, of what she was going through. What was going on in that head? She was screaming when she woke the first time, skilled hands subduing him with ease, she was skilled, and she thought she was in a fight. Now she's here, in a new place, thousands of years past the destruction of her entire world. She would have no idea what he was, what anything was, it made him respect her so much more when he realized that instead of destroying everything, she was listening, searching, she was a soldier, but she held an air of curiosity that caused him to feel as though he had gotten the perfect subject. Slowly he pointed to himself, "Cadel" right, start with a name. Something simple as he gestured to her, seconds of silence ticked by, her brow raised in the same manor as a human or assari before she finally mirrored him. "Dulan."

Dulan, what a wonderful name, it made him beam as he quickly brought up his omni tool to categorize the information. Her name was Dulan. The glow of his omni tool however seemed to upset his guest, the moment the light snapped on she jumped back, crouching as she narrowed her eyes on the object, right, anything was a threat to her. He shook his head, showing her the device by craning his arm as best he could. She watched with a deadly intensity at the screen that appeared, scrolling through the information he had on her. He was expecting her to stay there, frozen in caution, yet nothing about her seemed to really fit as she slowly approached him with a grace that he couldn't match.
A slender hand reaching out, she touched the screen, jumping again when it flared to life and turned to another page. He couldn't help but feel sheer excitement at the find, this was amazing!
He let her scroll and play with it as much as she wanted to, minutes ticking by as she switched from screen to screen, pulling up a hologram of herself as she turned it this way and that, already getting the hang of it. He didn't need to ask her anything yet, he was content with just watching, watching how she studied everything that shown before her with as much determination as he seen any salarian faced with a puzzle. She knew nothing of the language that darted in front of her, yet her eyes scrolled through every word, no, she wasn't a soldier, she was a scholar.

The fallowing weeks with Dulan were some of the best had had. Every morning was something new, something dangerous. Every time he wandered into that room he wondered what else he was going to find out about her. She called her race, Tal Vashoth, she wanted to be a bard, not a soldier, and she was from a land called Thedas, a harsh place that made the need to defend oneself a must. She was quick to pick up his own language, her mind was extraordinary, it soaked up everything he gave her. Before long she was greeting him in his own language, and explaining how she wanted to see the lab in it. He couldn't tell her no, still she was under guard during her walks. Something she was not fond of, but she still took in everything with confusion and wonder. The gardens that held the open sky of white and steel walls, while screens played the news along the halls, the waiting rooms where different aliens would come and go trying to get deals or visitation, he couldn't help but laugh when he saw her reaction to a ship for the first time, screaming in her native tongue, when he asked what it meant, he saw her skin grow flushed like a humans would.
The others were quickly drawn to her, even more so when they realized she was beginning to understand what they were saying and actually answering their questions. He began to bring things to her, books, pictures, vids. He was barred from bringing her any weapons due to the history of the krogan. But he would make due, he found that her planet was very similar to earth, many of the animals holding a resemblance and giving her a familiarity, only to find that there was a race that looked and sounded exactly the same as the humans in the alliance.

Today, was different though, today he was holding a lute and guitar. Old instruments from earth that he hoped she could recall. Knocking on the door, instead of pinning in a request for her to open since she wouldn't respond any other way, he was met with Dulan at her desk. Using the terminal as she tried to make sense of the images of planets, her face twisting into confusion as she furrowed her brow only to growl. "You can't read in our words yet." She turned to him, frustration in her gaze as she rested a arm on her knee and leaned forward. "I need to learn, to get home"

He smiled to himself, pride and sorrow in his chest when he sat the instruments down. She was determined, he'll give her that. Though her words still stung, she had no idea her world is gone, she has no idea she was dead for a few thousand years, and honestly, he had no idea how he was going to give her that information without causing a tremendous amount of strain on her mental health. The very idea caused him to feel as though he were at gun point, the safety of his charge was held hostage. She wanted to go home more than anything, she wanted to find a way to go back to her family, what person wouldn't? And the truth on his tongue always tasted like grains of sand and lodging in his throat.
So, he lied, reaching over and turning off the screen, only to make her frown. "No worry, you'll find your home, I show you things?" He kept his words simple so she could remember them later, her gaze fallowing his own until they rested on the gifts he gotten her. Sleek wooden creations that sang of history. Strings threaded down their necks with simple yet elegant designs. He picked them out when she told him she wanted to be a bard, using his knowledge of the human equivalent, he thought it was the right step to their discoveries.
Dulan wasted no time, she almost rushed to the prizes, grabbing the guitar first and running her hands over the creation before plucking the strings. She sat down, her eyes holding familiarity as she almost lovingly strummed a sound that moved through the room. "Songs...I made songs." He could tell she wasn't used to this kind of instrument, but something similar, within moments she was playing music, true music that seemed to warm his very soul. She paid him no mind, for a second he'd think that she forgotten him entirely as she played.

And that was when she started singing, singing in her own language. It was a sound that reminded him how beautiful the culture she came from must be, it was like a summer wind. The words engulfed him, entranced him as he recorded her, Cadel was not expecting such a response. Far better than anything he would have been expecting as he sat down, and just enjoyed the sound. When the song finally ended, he began to clap, the gesture making her give a mock bow when she set the instrument back down on her bed. "What was that about?" He already had his omni tool out, ready to have a full translation for her, this was a huge step, one that made him cut his time in making a translator for her by almost a quarter. Yet as he watched her eyes go wide, he began to realize something was wrong when the look of utter horror crossed her features.

"I don't know..."

Hello my friends! Just wanted to say, thank you so much for reading. I recently gotten into mass effect and the moment I realized that the back story for Garrus's team is not fully fleshed out, I knew I wanted to try to jump on it. I been playing around with the idea of a Qunari for a long time now, and really hope you guys enjoy the story too.

i took a little bit of this from my animal bio studies. Sadly I work with animals more then people so it's a little hard to get the science of everything rolling, but I ran with the idea of Dulan waking up thinking she was fighting due to a really sad story in the horse world. Ruffian, a race horse broke her leg on the track and after surgery she woken up thinking she was still running due to the adrenaline keeping her brain in that state of mind despite her being under for almost a full day.

If you say anything you'd like me to notice, please give me a review. I'll do my best to keep this up, but if people don't like it and won't tell me why then it would be pretty hard to continue you know. Anyway, hope to see you here again!