The alarm was humming it´s annoying tune; beep beep beep beep. Slowly she turned her head towards the sound and let her hand drift over the nightstand hitting the bottoms to turn the dammed alarm of. Following the slowness of her hand the young woman swayed her legs off the mattress and put her bare feet on the hard floor. Pulling the soft and warm cover to the side she let her right hand search the nightstand again but this time her fingers found a metallic bracelet. A soft click and she felt her omnitool reach its full potential. Still as if she was a sloth she stretched and arced her back to let her senses adjust to all the information emitting from her omnitool. She got up from the bed and sidestepped to the right, two precise steps, and her hand felt the chair she lifted her hand and her fingertips could feel the smooth surface of the wall. Following the wall tree, fore, five steeps and the texture changed to cool glass. A soft swishing sound and the doors to the wardrobe opened to her touch.
Today was an important day. Today she would get her diploma and with any luck her first assignment on a star ship as an engineer. To think that this was the same girl that been rescued from a science lab all doped up on drugs and savagely operated on by a mad salerian scientist was not possible. So much time had past that even the deepest wounds from that past life had dulled down. She had accepted who she was and she had gotten the best of help when the asari spector had turned her in to one of the finest hospitals on the citadel, she even got adopted and her new family had given her a full life, a purpose and opportunities for a future. And today she would show them that they were right.
A sharp knock disturbed the silence of the room.
"Nadjmo, are you awake?" a voice asked throw the door
" Yes" she answered moving her hands over the clothes on hangers feeling small vibrations on the hand with her omnitool, two short for shirt and two long for pants.
"Can I come in?" the voice from the door asked
" No, not yet" Nadjmo answered "I can dress my self thank you"
A soft scoffing laugh was herd from the door "I'll put on the kettle then, see you in a bit"
Nadjmo snorted and put her selected clothes on her right arm and backtracked to the bed. Getting dressed had always been a struggle for her so she took it slow and was very methodical. Clean underwear and socks, she had too sit down to put on her pants and after an incident a couple of years back when she had gone to class with her skirt inside out and backwards, Nadjmo made an extra effort to find the seams and make sure they were on the inside and that the label was in the back.
"Nadjmo the coffee is ready and I made you some toast"
"Thanks, I be right there." Nadjmo said and reacted for third time that morning towards the nightstand and found her glasses.
Placing the shades on her nose she rose from her bed and summoned a prototype drone with a physical interface. She placed a hand on the handle and walked slowly toward the door.
As the door opened Nadjmo could smell the sent of coffee and toast.
"Clarie what do you want?" Nadjmo asked suspiciously. Her roommate had a tendency to be extra nice when she wanted something, usually something to do with tech since Clarie worked as an administrator and organizer at the docking bay office and didn't know anything about tech.
"Well" Clarie began making sure Nadjmo got her cup of coffee and a piece of toast. "You know your friends at the academy said there would be a party and well... Can I come too?"
"You want to rub shoulders with Justin and Gus?" Nadjmo asked amused
"When you put it like that I sounds like I am man crazy. I like them, they are funny, I will miss them and I will miss you."
Nadjmo put her hand on the table palm up and Clarie took it knowing how important physical contact was to Nadjmo for expressing and interpenetrating feelings.
"Having an engineer student as a room mate has had it perks" Clarie said with a small smile.
"Having one that is blind probably made it entertaining to"Nadjmo joked.
"Well that is not how I SEE it" Claire said and squeezed Nadjmos hand.
Nadjmo snorted at the weak pun.
To be fair Nadjmo never likes parties. They were unpredictable and loud, there were drunk people there and dancing. Not a suitable place for someone with no sight and artificially enhanced hearing. But Gus and Justin had convinced Nadjmo to go since this was the graduation party and maybe the last time they meet for a long time.
" You are welcome to join us" Nadjmo said. Claire squealed happily.
"Do you know were you will do your introduction year as a engineer yet?"
"No not yet, I believe I will end up on a colony or space station, the alliance doesn't have that great many option for us who are interested in old alien tech. If I could have my pick I would chose the migrant fleet. I heard they have ships that are over 300 years old. I would love to hear those engines"
"Well after the first year you can pick what ever you want right"
" More or less yes, however the alternative are mostly human orientated"
" I hope you end up on the citadel", Claire said "They have alien ships there and the alliance has an office I believe. One day humans might even be in the council and have spectors."
" That would bee awesome, me on the citadel, but it will take years before humans sit in on the council, haven't the Batarian and the Krogan waited longer then humans for a spot?"
"Batarians and Korogans, you are kidding right, they don't care about diplomacy."
The rest of there breakfast was spent in comfortable silence with the occasional clink of the coffee mugs on acrylic and the crunch och bead crusts.
"Are you taking the rapid transit?" Claire asked still sounding happy.
"Yes, wanna share?"
And so the day went
Gus had never been a social butterfly until he met Justin. He had spent most of his nights with a pad full of star ships specks and massive amounts of data. During a practical instruction on how to calibrate a masseffekt field he had been teamed up with Justin and the weird girl with shades. They had the best result on that assignment and had been inseparable ever since.
" Did you hear about the Normandy?" Justin asked as they searched for a table in a quiet corner.
" Yes, it sound soo cool, a human/ turian ship with stealth tec. How I loved to see that, or work on that.." Gus mused as he puled out a chair for Nadjmo.
The loud music from the bar was bearable in this corner and you had a great view of the dance floor half a floor down. Gus didn't dance but he had a weakness for dancing girls. There was a couple of freshmen tec students dancing, swaying to rhythms he didn't hear.
"Are they looking for engineers?" Nadjmo asked and put her hand on the glass wall separating the corner from the dance floor below. "It's that asari band Claire listens to" she informed Gus.
"shimmering blue sunset" Claire said as she took a seat next to Justin. " They are pretty good maybe I will join the tecgirls and show them some moves" she added with a wicked smile at Gus who tried not to blush.
"By the way, Normandy has a skeletoncrew that much I've herd. They have an xo pressly something and a pilot, some guy named joker. Most of this is secret"
"Jeff Moreau, I've heard of him", Justin said, "He is fucking good but he has a bad attitude probably because he's a cripp.. aaou.. what was that for?"
"Mind you words Justin", Nadjmo said, "I have a soft spot for cripples in the alliances"
"So It's ok for you to say the word", Justin rubbed his shin.
The drinks came and the banter continued and as the night grew the consumption of alcohol slowly made Gus judgment weaker and suddenly he heard himself agree to a slow dance with Claire. She took his hand and puled him enthusiastically down the stairs to the floor. Gus felt panic creep up on him but Claire smiled and stepped relay close and she smelled so good, her eyes where so big and blue and he couldn't look away. Her hands were resting on his shoulders and her she held her chin high.
"Gus are you leaving?" swiftly he thought he saw sorrow in her eyes
"No," he admitted," I'm not leaving. There was a nice offer at the university as researcher. I have 4 weeks till I start so I will go home to Eden visit my folks.
She leaned closer and slowly they started to move to the music. Her smile was buried in the crock of his neck but he could feel her joy. He held her close as they slowly swayed.
"He told her his staying"Nadjmo told Justin. They were both sitting close to the glass wall.
"Yeah, I relay didn't need you super power to understand that", Justin smiled, "they are practically making out right now"
"Well they deserve it don't they, you are going into construction and I will leave fore C-sec and the citadel."
"Yeah yeah, alien spaceships, you will have a field day every day."
Nadjmo took the last sip of her drink. "Justin will you take me home?"
"Sure thing, pretty princess. Oh you will not believe who just walked in, that cripp.. aao.. for a blind person you have perfect aim."
Nadjmo stood up and tried to find her bearings but she had had some strong and delicious drinks and her leggs felt like spaghetti. Justins strong arm pulled her up and helped her out from the corner. Staggering throw the tables Nadjmo felt that something was wrong. Sure she was drunk but not more then she ever been but something was interfering with her sensors. Like a crackling electricity messing with her perception. As they moved she felt a wave of the unknown energy hitting her senses and overloading them and to her panicked mind making her blind. She screamed not because it hurt in anyway but because losing her enhanced hearing made her feel relay helpless and scared.
Justins voice sounded small and flat without her audio enhancement and there was two other people there who she didn't recognize. One voice was dark and hoarse the other sharp and bitter. A new wave of the unfamiliar power hit her and overloaded her omnitool.
"Justin, take me home."