Title: Nomads.
Summary: After the quarians have fled Rannoch, Nina'Haeris adjusts to life confined aboard the Migrant Fleet.
Notes: Part 2 of "A Beautiful Walled Garden."
Rating: K+ (the aftermath of war seen through the eyes of a child around 10 years old).
Disclaimer(s): Mass Effect and its characters belong to BioWare; I, however, own my quarian and geth characters.
1895
The ship is cold, crowded, and noisy. The cold bites through Nina'Haeris' clothes into her skin so she curls up with a blanket. The crowds keep her huddled in a corner with her guardians. The hum of chatter burns her ears. She is tired, annoyed, and sad.
She looks up at Sheli'Fora, her nearest neighbor on Rannoch, who escaped in the chaos of the war between quarian and geth. She sits against the wall, her legs stretched out awkwardly in front of her. Her hand rests on her stomach, swollen with child. Shadows hang beneath her eyes but she is alert, observing the disorganization around her.
On her other side is Kel, Sheli's husband. He is engaged in conversation with another quarian man. Nina can't help but overhear some phrases: "Where will we go?" "What will the Council do?" "What will happen to Rannoch?" "What about Haestrom?"
She doesn't think on these questions, except for Haestrom. What about it? Were there geth there? Had the war reached that far? Was her grandfather, a resident scientist, alive and well? Would she see him soon? They'd never met except in photographs, would they recognize each other?
Aside, her mind is flooded with memories of the last week: the military men walking into her home without invitation, threatening her family, her parents' deaths, Shenn taking her to the dock of ships that would leave Rannoch.
And Rannoch, her home. She'd grown up with a traveler's heart, but she wants nothing more right now than to go home.
Unable to confront annoyed and sad immediately, she settles on sleep, so she lies down with her head on Sheli's leg. The quarian woman places a hand on her shoulder, providing a bit of comfort as Nina drifts into slumber.
She was given to Kel and Sheli the day the quarians departed Rannoch. With her parents gone and no other family accounted for, she was relieved to find two familiar faces in her neighbors, who had lived less than half an hour away. They offered her their attention and care, and she accepted.
They are not a replacement. She wants and misses her parents with an ache she can't understand. Often she thinks of her mother's smile, her father's laugh. If she could, she'd give anything to bring them back but she can't, and she hates it.
"You're too young to feel hatred," Sheli says when she tells her this.
"I know. I just miss them." To that, Sheli pulls her into her arms and lets her cry.
To distract herself, she wonders what happened to the geth and quarians left behind. Had the war continued? How many more had died? Was their peace being made? Was this peace what the fleet waited for in orbit outside the Veil? She asks these questions to Kel, who has no clear answers for her.
"Hope for the best," he says. "There were good relations between our races before, and there can be again."
She prays for that, because if there is anyone she can see again, it is Shenn, the geth she befriended in the months before leaving Rannoch.
Some nights, she dreams of her parents. She remembers her mother teaching her to draw; she was never as good but she was learning by the day. She recalls her father instructing her in mechanics; that had enabled her to tend to Shenn's injuries. She imagines Shenn, sitting with her near the cliffs and gardens, on the roof of her home, telling her stories while they were trapped in the house on rainy days.
Some mornings, she wakes up crying. The others take notice, and give her sympathetic glances. Sheli wakes up with her and holds her hand until she's calm again. She's glad to find she's not alone; other children cry as well, not knowing how to handle their circumstances. Even some of the adults don't always hold themselves together.
In the middle of one night, she's dreaming of tree-climbing with Shenn when she's woken by a sound of pain.
She opens her eyes to see Sheli doubled over, a hand clutching her stomach, the other holding the wall for support. Kel and another quarian are helping Sheli to get comfortable. Nina doesn't have to ask to know the baby is coming.
She stays out of the way and watches. She wants to help but knows she'd be more of a problem if she tried. Sheli screams, prays, her breathing is harsh. Nina sits a few feet away, knees pulled to her chest, hoping Sheli and the baby will be okay.
And they are. Several hours pass, until Sheli holds the baby, wailing but healthy, in her arms.
Nina stays away for the moment, knowing of a newborn's fragile immune system, more so for a quarian. She doesn't want to be the cause of any sickness. Only Sheli, Kel, and the present doctor are allowed close.
When it's permitted, she holds the baby. He is pale, a violet hue to his skin, his eyes white and clear, hair dark. He has his mother's sharp nose and round face, and his father's thin mouth and short chin.
To Nina's surprise, Sheli and Kel ask her opinion for a name. She considers, and an idea comes to her quickly.
Leeto, named for her father. Sheli's eyes water and she says, "That's wonderful, Nina."
A week passes before the fleet arrives on the Citadel.
Nina doesn't leave the ship but waits with Sheli and Leeto, while Kel joins those who speak to the Council. She wonders what will happen from here: will the Council help them? Do they have a new home here, or will they be forced to find a safe place elsewhere?
The questions are answered when Kel returns and informs Nina and Sheli the Council has refused help and stripped the quarians of their privileges in the Embassies.
"We were part of Council Space," Sheli explains when Nina asks why. "There are laws against creating AIs, such as the geth. We broke that law, and this is the price we pay."
"But dad told me the geth were never meant to be AIs," Nina protests. "It was an accident."
"Accident it may have been, but we were careless," Kel says. "Our actions must have consequences, even if those consequences don't suit us."
"What happens now?"
Sheli responds honestly. "We don't know."
So many unknowns. Nina hates that too.
Their next stop is Haestrom. When Nina hears this, her heart leaps with joy. There, she has family waiting for her. She'd always wanted to meet her grandfather, and that moment is here now.
She's not allowed to leave the ship. Children were to be kept inside under supervision for the time being. Sheli waits with her while Kel leaves to look for Loto, Nina's grandfather. She has a hard time waiting patiently, so she plays with the other children to pass the minutes.
She's not given a second to ponder on new questions: What will her grandfather think of her? What would he say about Shenn? How would he take his son and daughter-in-law's deaths? Would he somehow blame Nina for it?
"Hello," he says simply to Nina when he sees her.
"Hi," she replies.
"Do you remember me? I visited on the homeworld soon after you were born, but haven't been able to get away from work since then."
He is nervous but Nina is unsure why. "I don't remember."
He heaves a sad sigh. "Your father always meant to bring you to Haestrom when you were older, but. . ."
He trails off, unable to say any more. The rest is said when Nina jumps into his arms and hugs him, an embrace he returns. He's trembling, tiny sobs escaping him. Nina cries too, for their shared loss in the wake of war.
1896
Months go by, turning into a year. The quarians do not return to Rannoch, nor do they stay on Haestrom. They are without a homeworld or a safe place to land permanently, so they are forced to adjust to life in space. They eventually come to be known as the Migrant Fleet. Despite their situation, Nina likes the name, even if she despises their new way of living.
With a decent number of survivors, new ships are bought to make room and spread them out. Nina moves into one known as the Jako, a former salarian vehicle. There, she lives with her grandfather, while the Fora family stays nearby, still her neighbors.
Some ships are kept military. Others are turned into living quarters, while some function as farming structures. Their is a system, a method, to their standards. Nina adjusts as well as anyone because that is the only thing she can do.
Years go by. Sickness sweeps through the fleet, killing Sheli and sparing Nina and the others. Kel raises Leeto with the assistance of Loto and Nina. She visits as often as possible, growing to see Leeto as her little brother.
After the sickness, the quarians take better care to prevent such an incident happening again, and so they begin living in suits. Nina hates this at first, feeling even more trapped and constricted than she already does, but learns to tolerate it. Beneath her helmet, she keeps the braid she always loved.
1902
In Nina's teenage years, the Conclave and Admiralty Board, the governing bodies of the Fleet, are born. New laws are made preventing more than one child per family to control the population within an already cramped fleet. Family, loyalty, and community are more important than ever.
Most significantly, a new proposal is put forward, one that requires young adult quarians to prove their worth to the Fleet, one that passes unanimously.
Still only sixteen, Nina looks forward to this journey. Despite her homesickness, she keeps her traveler's heart. The so-called Pilgrimage, when a young quarian sets out to bring back something of value to the Fleet, will give her a chance to see more than Rannoch and quarian ships.
"Where would you go?" Loto asks. He is afraid for her but knows she will make the Fleet proud.
"I have a few ideas. Maybe Sur'Kesh; the salarians are an interesting people. Thessia would be a pleasant place to go; the asari are beautiful, I'm sure their homeworld is too. Tuchanka seems like it'd be an adventure."
"Tuchanka? Too risky. It's a wasteland. There are varren, klixen, thresher maws. Not to mention it is the krogan homeworld. They are not welcoming to aliens."
"I'm putting my life at risk already just by leaving the flotilla. As for the krogan, maybe I can change their minds. Besides, I always wanted a varren."
"You have quite the imagination, child."
1904
At eighteen, Nina begins early preparation for her Pilgrimage. She does as much research as possible, gathering information about her target destinations.
Sur'Kesh is the furthest homeworld from dark space. Curious what kind of relevance that has.
Thessia is a gold mine for element zero. Could be useful for developing biotic abilities in quarians.
Tuchanka was turned into a wasteland by its own dominant species, who turned it into radioactive rubble. Maybe could improve relations with krogan to help them restore their world so they can destroy it again, as is their custom.
"Reminds me of our people," a friend of hers, Shaan'Koris, says. "We doomed ourselves because of a foolish decision. Look at us now. Homeless, possibly forever wandering, and with no allies."
"Which decision?" she asks for clarification.
"Turning on the geth," he confirms. "We asked to be driven away. If I were in their place, I'd have fought back and removed the threat as well."
She realizes his opinion on the geth isn't much different than hers. That brings her to thoughts of Shenn, and she tells Shaan about him.
"I found him on his own," she explains, "broken and abandoned. His creators were the Gera family. I never knew them, but he never had a bad word to say about them, no matter what they did to him."
"Yet, they chose to try to terminate their geth servant," Shaan said. "I assume you took him to them eventually?"
"No. I kept him secret for awhile, until I introduced him to my parents. They were wary of him at first but they grew fond of him. They even, well, adopted him, for lack of a better word."
"Your family sounds nice."
"They were. Shenn thought so, too. Shenn was also nice."
"Do you think we were wrong to attempt terminating them?"
"Yes. Dad and Mum thought so, too."
"And Shenn?"
"He. . .well, he understood both sides. I thought that was wise of him."
From there, she finds her heart aching for her father, mother, and Shenn again.
1907
Nina is twenty-one when she is sent off on her Pilgrimage.
The night before she leaves, she looks through an old photo album, one of the few things she took with her when she left Rannoch. She feels a pain she can't explain within looking at the pictures of her father and mother. She closely resembles her mother, with thick dark hair in a braid, a soft mouth, high cheekbones, and a sharp chin. She had her father's nose, small and straight. When she sees herself in the mirror without her suit, she always sees her parents staring back at her, too.
There is only one photo of Shenn. In it, they are sitting in the yard outside the house, Nina showing Shenn her newest drawing. She can't tell what is on the paper, but there's no mistaking the joy upon her face. She could see the places on Shenn's arms, leg, and throat where she and her father repaired him. The ache inside increases, until she's crying, her tears bittersweet.
Before going on her way with Shaan, she spends what time she can with her grandfather, Kel, and Leeto. She doesn't know when or if she will ever see them again.
"Remember all Kel, your parents, and myself have taught you," Loto says. "Keep your research in mind and close. Stay armed and supplied. Ration what you have. Don't take unnecessary risks. Do what you can on your own; don't let Shaan do all the work for you."
"Thank you, grandfather," she says, embracing him.
"Make us proud, kid," Kel says simply. "Take care of yourself, and be careful."
"I will," she promises, hugging him as well. "I'll make Sheli proud."
"Come back, won't you?" is Leeto's request, voice choked as he tries not to cry.
"I will come back, I swear it," she declares, kneeling and pulling him into her arms.
"Keelah se'lai," her grandfather, Kel, and Leeto say together in farewell.
"Keelah se'lai," she repeats as a goodbye.
Nina and Shaan are dropped off on the Citadel, where they begin their Pilgrimage.
The first thing Nina does is attempt research on the geth. Her people have information themselves but she wants other perspective. Perhaps other races have new knowledge somewhere the quarians lack, something they may have missed.
"Doubtful," Shaan says. "The Citadel did not even know the geth existed until we went looking for help."
"That was eleven years ago," Nina points out. "You never know."
Shaan's words ring true when she searches the Presidium and the Wards, but finds nothing.
This doesn't stop her. She's determined to do whatever possible to help her people regain their homeworld, and knows the geth are a part of that, will always be a part of that.
"If you're so determined," Shaan says, "we may have to go underground."
"Underground?"
"Find the information illegally."
"How's information illegal?"
"Because it may mean returning to the homeworld to find out for ourselves if peace with the geth and taking Rannoch back is an option. Both have been forbidden."
"You think peace is possible?"
"Don't you?"
She does, even if the chances are slim.
So she and Shaan venture to Chora's Den, a club in the Wards, where they meet an asari informant named Alissi.
"My partner and I can provide transportation to Rannoch for a decent fee," she says. "There and back. You're on your own while you're on the ground."
"That's fair," Nina agrees. "We only ask for a way there. We don't expect you to risk yourselves against the geth."
Alissi gazes at them, her expression flat. "This isn't smart, you do know that, at least?"
"It's for us and our people," Shaan says. "What worth are we to ourselves and them if we don't try?"
"Fair enough," Alissi says. "If I may make a suggestion, I wouldn't share this Pilgrimage idea with too many. That goes for your people in general."
"Agreed," Shaan says, "but we have to make exceptions sometimes."
1908
For twelve years, Rannoch has been held by the geth. During that time, they have honored those that died for them, and forgotten those who condemned them.
At a once quarian-controlled military station, a lone geth tends to a worn turret. They defend Rannoch, living in isolation and holding any who approach it at bay until they are warned away. For that, weapons stations must be properly maintained.
This geth is small, with black armor, a low level trooper. It is weak compared to the newly formed Hunters, Destroyers, and Primes, but it is resilient, resourceful, intelligent, and knows how to use a weapon to defend itself. What appears to be stitching at its arms, one of its legs, and its throat distinguishes it from other geth. It also wears a locket around its neck.
An alarm is set off within the geth's programming. Turning away from the turret, it stands to its full height and looks up at the sky, where there is a disturbance in orbit.
An intruder has broken through their defenses. The geth picks up its assault rifle and moves to join its comrades to prepare for battle.
Notes: That's it for Part 2. Part 3 coming soon.