Authors Note: Welcome! Welcome, to Foreign Relations: Chasing Saren. This is part two of four and follows the events of Mass Effect 1. Sidda gets a swanky new ship but, of course, things don't go as planned. This chapter underwent some revisions and additions. Once again a shout out to my tireless Beta, Pint-sized She-Bear, who suggested some additions and helped the chapter flow a bit more.
The first few chapters will have a lot of game dialogue in it but after I set the stage and what not I will deviate greatly. Please enjoy and let me know what you all think, as always feedback, comments, and suggestions are always welcome.
geminidragon76: I have a master plan (muhahaha) hang in there. Mija002: She will most definitely see them again. Gimme a few chapters and your wish will be granted and I love Sidda and Adrien as a couple too. Georgia Jackdaw: ask and you shall receive.
Thank you to those who read my drabbling and to all the favorites and follows.
I give you Chapter One of Part Two: Muscle Car of the Stars
Mass Effect
"Foreign Relations"
Part Two: Chasing Saren
Chapter One: Muscle Car of the Stars
The success of the Sidda's mission was evident in the prototype war machine the two militaries created. The SSV Normandy was one of a kind…faster, tougher, and more powerful than any other Alliance frigate in service perhaps ever built. Built within a year of Sidda's completion of her assignment the ingenuity that went into the design of the ship showed what Humans and Turians could accomplish when they worked together. Sidda was teaching at the Academy when she received her orders, first officer of the brand new ship. That was either a pat on the back for a job well done or a publicity stunt seeing as how she was one of the people instrumental in getting it built. Once again serving with Anderson was a relief; she wasn't the best officer to get to know. Even before her time with the Turians she was a little hard on CO's, she was strong willed and knew how to get things done. At least Anderson knew how to deal with that.
Over the past year Sidda was given no active assignment, she spent time at the academy as an interim instructor and the rest was a much needed and well-earned vacation. Before being sent to Earth to take her place on the swanky new ship she spent a week on Palaven with Victus. She was pretty sure that Victus had never taken so much leave in his whole career since every time he ran into someone he knew they looked at him like he was crazy when he said he was on leave. Aside from Victus, Sidda hadn't seen anyone else from the Lante.
The room full of academy cadets watched from the sidelines as their instructor demonstrated how to fight like a Turian. The Brass had decided that her now extensive knowledge in hand to hand combat was worth placing her in charge of the Close Quarters Battle or CQB class in addition to a Combat Tactics class she taught.
She employed techniques that she'd learned and dropped one of the cadets on the floor with a hardy thud. "Staying out of a Turian's reach is the best defense when engaged in hand to hand with them." She stated and helped pull the cadet to his feet.
"Aren't the Turians our allies now?" one of them asked. "Why do we need to know how to fight them?"
"Because not all Turians are allies, plenty of Mercs and slavers are Turians and damn near all of them have military training." She stated. "You don't have to be fighting a Turian for their techniques to come in handy."
"You spent a year on their ship, Commander, why would they teach you how to fight like them?" another cadet asked.
"The Turians taught me more than just how to fight but their goal with me, as with any member of the crew, was create a battlemaster than can hold out in any fight with or without weapons." Sidda explained. "Trust me, their training is extremely efficient."
The chime went off indicating that the class time was over and she saw her class begin to collect their things. "Commander, we hear you've been assigned to the prototype frigate…you won't be teaching us anymore." A cadet stated and Sidda shrugged to him.
"Until Adm. Anderson gets tired of me and gives be back…or the prototype explodes because it didn't work right." She replied dryly causing a group of her students to chuckle.
"Who's taking over the class?" another asked and Sidda shook her head.
"I'm not sure." She replied. The class had always been over the moon about Sidda being their instructor, after implementing a heavy fine for anyone who referred to her as the 'Hero of Elysium' all of her classes began to gel. "Just try not to give me a bad reputation for misbehaving." She requested and the group laughed again.
"Commander, by your reputation I think we should be asking you that." A female cadet with short black hair stated and Sidda chuckled to them. She was going to miss teaching, at first she didn't really want to but when she got into a groove she actually found it kind of fun, but things were different now. Now she was the first officer on the newest ship in the fleet.
A few hours later she transferred all her duties and made her way to her temporary quarters to pack. As she squared away all her belongings she chatted with her Turian lover. She would have preferred to talk to him in person but seeing his face spread across the monitor would have to do. "So you get to be the first officer on the prototype our governments created." Victus stated and Sidda nodded as she folded up the clothes and placed them in the bag.
"The SSV Normandy; she's supposed to be pretty bad ass." She stated. "Top of the line in everything. I can't wait to see it."
"I can't imagine you as an executive officer." Victus replied as he sorted through a few datapads that had accumulated on his desk.
Sidda paused and looked at the screen. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.
"You're beyond stubborn, opinionated, hardheaded, and trouble finds you wherever you go…I certainly wouldn't want you as my first officer." He stated bluntly and scoffed. "I have enough problems with Damar…as independent as he is."
Sidda laughed as she went back to what she was doing, filling the duffle with her clothes and trinkets. "Then lucky for you I'm in the Alliance not the Turian Military." She smirked. "There's no way you could handle me as an XO."
Victus grunted an agreement to that. "I can think of many ways to have you under me and that's not one of them so you'll get no disagreement from me." He stated and Sidda turned to him with a cock of her head.
"Wow, too bad you're so far away." She stated with a smile. "Where are you anyway?"
Victus purred to the thoughts that were running through his head. "You know I can't tell you that, Sid." He stated.
Sidda knew his reply even before she asked the question and nodded, changing the topic. "So, these 'ways of having me under you'…care to share?" she asked with a flirty smile and a suggestive tone. She really should pack but having a dirty conversation with her lover sounded like much more fun.
He purred again and was about to regale her with every dirty little thing he'd like to do to her but their conversation was interrupted by Maridus' voice over the Lante's intercom. "Gen. Victus, please report to CIC. Gen. Victus, please report to the CIC."
Sidda groaned. "He always did have epically bad timing." she droned and Victus chuckled.
"Hmm…" he replied. "I'll see what I can do about that." He said and he tapped a few keys on the pad he was tinkering with. "Until next time, Sidda, I love you."
Sidda smiled and few her cheeks flush a little. "I love you too. Be careful, Adrien."
"You as well." He said and tapped the screen making it go black.
Sidda lingered looking at the blank screen and sighed. She really did miss him and would prefer to be with him rather than packing up for a new assignment even if it was on the brand new frigate. She resumed her task and then headed to the shuttle that would take her to her new home.
On her shuttle ride to the prototype Sidda observed the ship as it came into view, she could see the Turian aspect in its design though its outward appearance was predominantly human in design. Inside she felt like she was at home, the Normandy was set up almost exactly like the Lante was but nearly half the size. She may have been a small ship but she was designed to pack a punch. Her claim to fame was the drive core. Oversized and stuffed into the back like the souped up muscle cars of old, muscle car of the stars…that was the Normandy. She was also equipped with a stealth system, which was going to make Special Ops missions a hell of a lot easier if it performed like they said it would. Overall Sidda was as excited as a kid on Christmas to see how the prototype performed.
Anderson handed Sidda a cup of coffee as he briefed her on what was going on. "We'll also be having a Turian observer along." He stated and knew Sidda was the one crew member he knew wouldn't be angry or offended by a Turian presence on the ship.
Sidda took a gulp of the hot cup of bad coffee. "Who's the Turian?" she asked, wondering if it was anyone she knew.
"Nihlus Kryik." Anderson answered and Sidda grinned. This mission kept getting better and better. "I take it you know him?"
Sidda chuckled lightly. "Yes, Sir, he's a Spectre. I met him a few times when I was on the Lante." She replied. "Good man…hell of a soldier if not a little bit of a disaster magnet."
"On par with you then." He stated and Sidda scoffed.
"Funny." Sidda replied. "You sent me into that snake pit, don't forget about that." She added making Anderson laugh. "Shouldn't be a problem with Nihlus, he's quiet, driven, don't expect him to throw a party or anything."
"Well, he should be here around 0800 tomorrow morning." Anderson said and Sidda nodded with a smile. Outside she was professional but inside she was jumping for joy, the chance to see Nihlus again was like a shot in the arm for her. This past year had been downright boring and she knew that if Nihlus was coming there was a better than average chance of seeing some action since he was exactly what she had described…a disaster magnet.
After her quick briefing with Anderson Sidda sat in the Mess sipping some coffee and reading a letter from her mother, typical stuff really; her mother was keeping her up to date on life, hounding her about meeting Victus and informing her that her father would go nuclear if he was still alive and knew his daughter was seeing a Turian. Sidda wasn't trying to keep Victus from meeting anyone but she was trying to preserve the relationship, she didn't know how 'meet the parents' was supposed to go with Turians.
"Commander?" a voice said drawing her attention from what she was reading. She looked up to see a quite handsome man standing before her. He was about 5'11" with black hair and brown eyes with a voice that had a husky voice that nearly made her toes curl. She may have been ruined for Human men but that didn't mean she didn't find them attractive, especially this one.
"Yes." She answered looking him up and down. She could tell that he was fit by the way his clothes fit him but quickly shut down the inquiring side of her brain.
"Lt. Kaidan Alenko, Commander." He introduced with a salute that Sidda returned and gestured for him to sit.
"Siddalee Shepard." She replied as Kaidan sat down across from her.
"It's truly an honor, Commander." He said and Sidda tried to stop herself from rolling her eyes. She was proud of what she did on Elysium but was frankly irritated with the fame it brought her. Kaidan chuckled sound almost embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Commander, I'm sure you hear that a lot."
Sidda was the one who should be embarrassed, or at the very least a little shamed, by her eye roll to the junior officer and blushed a little. "Yeah, a little bit, I'm even famous among the Turians for it." She replied. "I'm sorry."
"No, don't be." He said waving her off. "I've just never met a living legend before. I always thought the 'Hero of Elysium' would be different somehow. You're an inspiration to biotics."
Sidda cocked her head. "You're a biotic?" she asked her curiosity peaked.
"Yes, ma'am." He replied proudly. "Biotic, Marine, and Medic."
"Jack of all trades, huh?" Sidda smiled, it had been a while since she served with another biotic. Desala was the last and those she instructed at the academy didn't really count. She was actually looking forward to working with another biotic.
"Cdr. Shepard to CIC. Cdr. Shepard to CIC." Joker's voice said over the comm cutting their conversation short.
"Sorry." She stated her tone friendly and her smile sweet. "I look forward to working with you, Lieutenant." She said and offered to shake his hand.
Kaidan nodded to her giving her a firm handshake. "As do I, Commander."
Sidda waited at the airlock door for the guest to finish cycling through. When the door opened she grinned seeing the red and black armor of an old friend. "Nihlus Kryik." She greeted and he looked down at her, his huge frame looming over her.
"Commander." He greeted in a light tone and extended his hand out to her.
"Been a long time, Nihlus." She stated shaking his hand with a firm grip. "How the hell are you?"
"Fine, Commander, just fine." He stated and Sidda couldn't figure out how to wipe the smile off her face, she was really happy to see him.
"It's nice to know that you could go a year without me having to rescue you." She sniped and Nihlus adjusted the bag he had slung over his shoulder.
"It was tough, Commander, but I managed." He stated and Sidda chuckled.
"And he cracks a joke." She laughed. "We're off to a great start. Welcome to the SSV Normandy, Nihlus. Care for a tour?"
Nihlus nodded. "Of course."
As they walked and Sidda pointed out various things on the ship she also found it necessary to catch up with the long lost friend. The last time she saw him he was leaving the Lante after nearly being killed by a creative form of torture. Over the year she had gotten a few tidbits of information on him and one really big thing that she was stuck on Earth for and wound up missing.
"How's Delaih?" she asked and Nihlus as they walked down the steps to the crew deck.
"She's fine." He replied simply. "She's on the Lante and asked me to say hello."
Sidda nodded and looked up at him. "I'm sorry I missed the ceremony. They had me at the academy and I couldn't get away."
Nihlus waved it off. "It's alright, the General was there. Told us where you were."
Sidda groaned, it still pissed her off that she missed it. She tried her best to get away from the Academy for a few days but the Brass wouldn't have it. "Would have loved to see how a Turian wedding goes."
"I've seen your Human…weddings, as you call them, nothing quite so lengthy." He stated and Sidda narrowed her eyes.
"No party?" she asked and Nihlus scoffed.
"Oh, no, there was a party…a very long party." He stated and his tone made Sidda chuckle.
"So what you're telling me is that your people have a short ceremony and long ass reception?" she simplified and Nihlus chuckled.
"Yeah…honestly, I don't remember a lot of it." He stated and Sidda chuckled.
"A drunk Nihlus…on his wedding day…that would have been a sight." She laughed and Nihlus rolled his eyes with a snort. So many people saw him as ridged and serious about his work…if she only knew the side of him that most of the Lante crew saw. The fun prankster that gave Nov a run for his money and the guy who joked with Maridus day in and day out until there were so many inside jokes floating around only they could keep them straight. The Lante was the only ship where he felt accepted but being a Spectre was what he was born to do.
"Oh, Commander, you have a lot to learn about me." He stated and Sidda looked up at him with a furrowed brow.
"Just how long do you plan on being on this ship?" she asked and Nihlus snorted.
"Not that long, Commander." He replied as they made it to the bottom step and entered the Crew Deck.
"Officer on deck." She heard someone announce and everyone dropped what they were doing and stood at attention.
"At ease." She stated. "Carry on." Military protocol never used to bother her but since serving a year on a slightly more relaxed ship she didn't see the point of having people drop what they were doing simply because she walked into the room. She approached the officer who announced her presence. It was Kaidan, the officer she'd met earlier. "Lieutenant, you don't have to do that every time I walk in the room."
Kaidan seemed to blush when she smiled to him and Nihlus narrowed his eyes. He may not have been an expert on human relations or even his own for that matter but he could tell Kaidan was attracted to her. "Sorry, Commander, habit."
Sidda nodded to him, she preferred the relaxed atmosphere she'd gotten used to on the Lante. "Lieutenant, this is Nihlus Kryik, Council Spectre. Nihlus, this is Lt. Kaidan Alenko."
Nihlus simply nodded to Kaidan. "Lieutenant."
"Sir." Kaidan replied both of them be brief but respectful to the other.
Nihlus surveyed the ship, small compared to other frigates he'd seen or served on. The design was somewhat familiar because of the Turian side but parts of it still seemed alien. The stealth drive was the aspect he was very curious about but then again so were the rest of the Alliance, Turians, and the Council. If it worked like it was supposed to it would drastically change covert missions for everyone who had access to the technology.
They stepped off the slowest elevator in existence and she could see Nihlus' irritation about how slow the freight elevator was. Engineering was an interesting stop, Nihlus was no engineer but he marveled at the Tantalus Drive Core. Top of the line and twice the size of a normal frigates core, it truly was a stroke of engineering genius.
After that, it was the Cargo Bay, not much to look at as it was supposed to be functional not aesthetically pleasing. Nihlus cocked his head to the vehicle parked in the bay. The Mako, a human APC that was as tough as they came. "Well, what do you think?" Sidda asked as she showed Nihlus to the locker that he could store his stuff in.
"It's an impressive little ship, Commander." He stated and stored the small bag in the locker.
Sidda huffed and shook her head. "Nihlus, if you don't start calling me 'Sidda' I might have to kill you." She stated and she could have sworn she saw Nihlus smile.
"Many have tried…Commander." He stated and Sidda's expression turned to slight surprise. He was playing with her. She'd heard that he had a sense of humor but figured he was one of those that only joked with people he was comfortable around.
"And none were me." She replied and paused looking to her then back to the locker. "I could do with a little physical exertion kicking your ass."
Nihlus scoffed. "How about a little physical exertion now, Commander?"
Sidda's expression narrowed as she cocked her head to him. "Poor choice of words for a dirty minded Turian lover like me." She stated and Nihlus dropped his gaze to her and followed it with a grumble. She figured he wouldn't find that amusing but she sure did. "Alright, Spectre Kryik…let's go. I haven't sparred with a Turian in a year."
Nihlus moved out into the middle of the bay near the Mako. "Not even with Victus?" he questioned and Sidda snorted as she stretched out her back before they began.
"Umm…generally that's not the type of 'sparring' Adrien and I do when I finally get to see him." She stated and received a chuckle from the stoic Turian.
"Believe me, I can understand that." He replied. For the better part of his life he had random encounters of companionship and intimacy and he was okay with that. Nearly dying in the Batarian pit caused him to reevaluate his life and he came to the stark realization that he was all alone. Yes, he had friends but no one that loved him or that he loved in return. Since that day he could not think of anyone else other than the woman who kept him alive. For as long as he'd known her he never gave a relationship a thought, now he kicked himself for being so blind.
Sidda giggled to his tone as she backed up a little to give him some space. "Aww…do you miss Deliah?" she teased and she saw Nihlus narrow his gaze.
"Stop that." He stated and Sidda mirrored his fighting stance.
She had no idea what she was getting into, she had never sparred with Nihlus, she had seen him fight on both Nebewa and Terra Nova and understood all too well just how devastating he was. A few minutes into their spar she discovered that perhaps it was a bad idea to spar with him. Nihlus was good…really good. Sidda had sparred with enough Turians to pick apart his fighting style; he was calm, calculating and very precise. His accuracy was vicious but he wasn't as downright brutal as Cerrus. After being on the Lante long enough she was also able to rank who hit the hardest. Ruvvak won that prize by a light-year, his hit felt that she had been smacked by an anvil, that being said Nihlus was a rival. The power he put into his hits were controlled but carried his full weight behind it, and for as big as he was he was quite nimble, but Sidda's size was her advantage.
Nihlus was impressed with her prowess but expected nothing less from her. If she came away from a year on a Turian ship and didn't learn how to fight like one his opinion of her would have dwindled to zero. He knew who taught her and had a general idea about her moves but he was happily surprised by how unpredictable she was. Sidda wasn't controlled like a Turian, she fought with tenacity but skilled tenacity, she never gave up and didn't back down.
Sidda was a little rusty but Nihlus' advance quickly shook the rust off as she matched his strikes with perfect blocks. Her string of precision ended when Nihlus swatted a block away and spun his back toward her decking her with a controlled elbow hit to the right side of the head with his right elbow. She staggered away her hand going to the now sore side of her skull. That was a light hit from him but it still hurt like a son of a bitch.
"Fuck…" she growled hissing away the pain from the impact site.
"Had enough?" Nihlus asked, his tone reflecting a smrik and Sidda's expression turned to an almost insulted glare.
"Cerrus couldn't beat it out of me so I'm reasonably sure you can't." she replied dryly as she returned to her position in front of him setting up for another attack.
Nihlus mused slightly. "Don't be so sure, Commander." He stated knowing that still not using her first name like she asked who infuriate her.
Several hours after Nihlus came aboard the mission got underway. Sidda still had no idea why they were heading to Eden Prime and Anderson hadn't told her anything. She got the sneaking suspicion that there was something going on between Nihlus and Anderson that they weren't telling her. First of all she really didn't buy Nihlus coming along as an 'observer', why would the Council send their best Spectre to babysit the SSV Normandy's shakedown cruise? And what was this mission to Eden Prime all about? Eden Prime was a simply farming colony; it flourished like Terra Nova and never really had any issues to speak of. All things being said none of this mission made any sense, she liked seeing Nihlus but she would like to have the whole story.
Sidda made her way up to the cockpit of the Normandy as Joker piloted the prototype through the Charon Relay. She appeared next to Nihlus who was quietly observing and said nothing to him. He was a stoic guy and didn't care too much for chit chat unless he had something to say. Although he hadn't said anything since he arrived to observe Joker's piloting skills and operation of the technological marvel his people helped build his presence was almost menacing. His size and predatory appearance made him hard to ignore.
"Thrusters: check. Navagation: check. Internal emissions sync: check. All systems online. Drift: just under 1500k." Joker stated as he ran through the checklist after the jump. The ship's paint was barely dry and she was already on a mission so making sure everything was functioning normally was a high priority, especially with the oversize drive core and the experimental stealth system. Both things could blow the Normandy and her crew to cosmic dust if something went wrong and Sidda didn't survive this long with all the things that she'd been through just to be taken out by experimental technology.
"1500 is good." Nihlus stated, satisfied with how Joker handled the ship. "You're captain will be please." He added turning away to leave the bridge.
"Nihlus." She greeted as his eyes found her while turning away from Joker.
"Commander." He replied, the man was nothing if not predictable. She had decided to make it a point to get Nihlus to call her by her first name this mission, a daunting task. "If you'll excuse me."
"I hate that guy." Joker stated a few seconds later, counting on the Turian to be out of earshot. Sidda's brow furrowed to the comment but she said nothing, everyone was entitled to their opinion and Nihlus did have that effect on people. He didn't project a very friendly demeanor.
Kaidan shook his head from his seat at Navigation to the right. "Nihlus gave you a compliment…so you hate him?" Sidda was content to listen to the exchange between them, she was still learning about the crew and so far she had no issues. She felt that the biggest issue was going to be Nihlus and people's opinions of Turians. After her year on a Turian ship he felt like she owed Nihlus the same hospitality that they showed her when they finally accepted her as an equal.
Joker was aptly nicknamed though Sidda didn't know him well. She knew that he was the one who piloted the Normandy during its test flight at Arcturus. The story was that Joker's application had been snubbed by the Turian General Invectus who discounted him because he was a cripple. Joker then took it upon himself to hijack the prototype, locked the real pilot away and took the ship out by himself leading the Alliance escort on a merry chase to catch them. Joker was eventually caught and damn near got court martialed but Invectus defended his skill and prowess as a fight. The tale was one told a lot on the ship. If Joker knew about it he said nothing and Sidda had never asked him directly. "You remember to zip up your flight suit on the way out of the bathroom that's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pin head…that's incredible." Joker defended and Sidda let out a quiet, airy chuckle to that analogy. He was cocky, but she'd never known a pilot who wasn't. "Besides, Spectres are trouble. I don't like having them onboard. Call me paranoid."
"You're paranoid." Kaidan replied without missing a beat, he took the words right out of Sidda's mouth so again she remained silent. "The council helped fund this project; they have the right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment."
Joker grunted as he tapped a few more buttons on his console. "That is the 'official' story, but only an idiot believes the 'official' story."
"Joker, Nihlus is a good man…you don't have anything to worry about with him." She stated and Joker looked over his shoulder quickly then back down to the screen as if she startled him.
"I'm telling ya, Commander, there's more going on here than a simple shakedown run. I know Nihlus is your friend but why would the Council send him to babysit us?" he said making a valid point but before Sidda or Kaidan could think up a response the comm line activated.
"Joker, status report." Anderson said, sharply.
"Just cleared the Mass Relay, Captain, stealth systems engaged. Everything looks solid." Joker reported back quickly and Sidda grimaced to a few aches in her body from sparring with Nihlus. This was what she didn't miss.
"Good. Find a Comm Buoy and link us into the network." Anderson ordered. "I want mission reports relayed back to Command before we reach Eden Prime."
"Aye, aye, Sir. Better brace yourself; I think Nihlus is headed your way." Joker warned but his warning wasn't received with gratitude.
"He's already here." He informed now sounding rather annoyed with his pilot as Kaidan shook his head to the hot water that Joker might be in now. "Tell Cdr. Shepard to meet me in the Comm room for a debriefing."
Joker sheepishly cleared his throat. "Did you catch that, Commander?"
Sidda snorted and shook her head to Jokers antics. "Well, see, now you pissed him off."
"Captain always sounds like that when he's talking to me." Joker replied, seemingly unbothered by the embarrassment he may have caused himself at Nihlus' behalf.
"Can't possibly imagine why." Kaidan replied and Sidda chuckled to the Lieutenants tone.
The Normandy was set up a lot like the Lante, in all honesty it was set up like a Turian frigate and they were identical in design. The Lante was bigger than most but they all had the same design. Cockpit up front, CIC in the middle and then the War Room, or at least it was the War Room on the Lante, on the Normandy it was the Briefing/Comm Room. She was able to chat with various crew members on the way by; there was Pressley, the Navigator who was just as uneasy about Nihlus being around as Joker. So long as she didn't hear any racial talk against the Turians or Nihlus specifically she was content to let people's opinions be. Dr. Chakwas was an interesting woman, the ships chief Medical officer and quite seasoned at her job. Then there was the hot headed soldier named Jenkins, fortunately he was from Eden Prime, which might just come in handy for whatever reason they were heading to Eden Prime, which she still didn't know. Hopefully, all her questions would be answered so she could put the crew at ease, so far she'd heard a dozen different theories as to why they were going and taking a Spectre with them. She was curious to figure out who was right and who would cash in on the bet that had to be floating around the ship. Someone had to have a bet going, hell it's what she'd do.
She opened the door to the Comm room and found Nihlus pacing back and forth, he did like to pace but as she noticed…all Turians liked to pace. None of them liked to stand still for very long, they had to be doing something which she guessed was the reason for both galactic peace and war. As a general rule a bored Turian was very bad.
"Commander," he greeted and Sidda grumbled, she may just have to break his arm to get him to call her by her first name. "I was hoping you'd get here first."
That statement made her eyes narrow. "Something wrong?" she asked stepping toward him as the door closed behind her.
"Not at all." He assured and started to pace again. "I'm curious about this world we're going to. Eden Prime. I hear it's quite beautiful."
Sidda nodded with a slight shrug. She couldn't speak from firsthand experience but she told him what she knew. "It's a paradise…so I'm told; I've actually never been there." Being born on ships she's been most places but that didn't mean every colony.
Nihlus stopped moving and looked at her. "Yes…a paradise. Serene, tranquil, safe…Eden Prime has become something of a symbol for your people hasn't it, proof that not only can you establish colonies but you can protect them as well?" he said and turned from her clasping his hands behind his back. Sidda wasn't sure where he was going with this and her expression narrowed further. "But how safe is it really?"
That was it that was the straw. She was through dancing around this. "Alright, what are you getting at?"
Nihlus heard her suspicious and slightly irritated tone and turned toward her with the truth. "Your people are still newcomers, Sidda, the galaxy can be a very dangerous place." He said a folded his arms across his chest. "Is the Alliance truly ready for this?"
She blinked, both at the fact that he used her first name and what he said made very little sense with a lack of context. "In Spectre school is there a class you take to become this vague or is it a gift?"
Nihlus let out a chuckle to that. "Gift." He replied making another joke. Sidda was slowly peeling back the layers on him and he was starting to open up more.
"And he cracks another joke…Nihlus, I'm impressed." She giggled.
The door opened behind Sidda as Anderson strode in. The two tall men dwarfed her and she felt like she did when she was surrounded by Turians. "I think it's about time we tell the Commander what's really going on."
Sidda groaned, that was not the way to start a conversation. Who started a conversation like that? "Yeah, that doesn't wound ominous at all." She droned sarcastically.
"This mission is far more than a shakedown run." Nihlus began and Sidda put on her best sardonic tone to match her expression.
"No, really?" she replied quickly, she'd already come to that conclusion long ago. "First of all you're here…I know you missed your favorite human, Nihlus, but not enough to babysit the Normandy on her maiden voyage."
Inwardly, Nihlus was amused by her statement but maintained his stoic professionalism. "We're making a covert pick up on Eden Prime, that's why we needed the stealth drive." Anderson informed, moving past Sidda's sense of humor and prodding toward Nihlus.
"And the reason why your first officer was shut out of the loop, Sir?" she asked, Anderson knew that question was coming and had lobbied for her to be brought in on this a little earlier so he didn't spring it on her all at once.
"This one came down from the top, Commander, strictly need to know." He replied. "A research team unearthed some kind of beacon on Eden Prime, a Prothean Beacon."
Protheans…the race that gave the humans interstellar travel with just a small data cache found on Mars. They were the advanced race in recorded history that vanished 50,000 years ago but their legacy remained, all the races that existed were built on Prothean tech. This was important, especially is this 'beacon' was still intact. "Prothean…huh…well I can see why they sent someone to pick it up."
Nihlus was impressed by her quick deduction of the situation; he was expecting a question about why the Humans didn't keep it for themselves. She truly wasn't like any human he'd ever heard of. She thought about the big picture not just about personal gain and he respected her for that. "Obviously this goes beyond mere Human interests, Commander. I think you know that."
Sidda nodded. "Prothean technology benefits everyone." She stated and Nihlus kept his arms folded across his chest. It was time for the other news.
"The beacon isn't the only reason I'm here, Sidda." He said and she had to smile at the two for two use of her first name.
There was a pause as Anderson spoke up next. "Nihlus wants to see you in action, Commander."
She raised her eyebrows; did he lose his memory after his torture? "What? More action?" she asked, her question more directed toward Nihlus.
"He's here to evaluate you." Anderson continued.
Sidda's expression narrowed, Nihlus had already seen her in 'action' three times…well, two and a half since he was teetering on death the third time. "Evaluate me for what?"
"Humanity has been pushing for this for a long time. We want a larger role in shaping interstellar policy. We want more say with the Council and the Spectres represent the Citadels power and authority. If they accept a human into their ranks…it shows how far the Alliance has come." Anderson explained, he was still beating around the bush and if someone didn't get to the point soon Sidda was going to start beating someone until they did.
"Wait a minute, what are you saying?" she asked, he was talking about the Spectres. Why would he be talking about the Spectres? There were no Human Spectres and probably wouldn't be for a very long time.
Now it was Nihlus' turn to speak up. He stepped toward her and looked down at the small human. "You held off a staggering enemy force during the Blitz. You showed not only courage but incredible skill. Your Biotics prevented Maridus and I from being killed, you adapted to the situation on Terra Nova, and you saved my life on Ihm'Shal. That's why I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres."
Sidda blinked, surprised colored her face. "You put my name forward? But I'm Human…why would you do that?" She kicked herself for that question. "Well, that was dumbest thing you could have asked a man you call your friend." She thought to herself.
Nihlus saw nothing wrong with the question and happily answered it. "Not all Turians resent humans. Some of us see great potential in your species. Your mission on the Lante did its job, Commander, an entire ship of the most highly trained people in the Turian military looked to you like a comrade in arms who was willing to lay down her life for them and I for one can vouch for your skills. The Spectres are an elite group; it's rare to find an individual with the skill set we seek. I don't care that you're human, Sidda, I only care that you can do the job."
"Humanity needs this, Commander, and you're the best person for the job." Anderson put in and Sidda shifted her eyes from Nihlus to Anderson.
She scoffed and scratched her forehead. "Sir, the last time you said those exact words to me a week later I was on a Turian ship for a year." She said and Anderson let out a chuckle.
"I'll need to observe your command and combat skills. Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together." Nihlus said and Sidda returned her attention to the tall Turian.
"Nihlus, you've already seen me in combat." She stated.
She had a point but he was like to see her do more than a wild goose chase, a political mess, and a rescue mission that he honestly didn't remember much of. "I want to see more."
With that Sidda nodded and Anderson continued the briefing. "You will lead the ground team, Commander, go in and secure the beacon. Quietly. The Attican Traverse isn't the friendliest neighborhood and this might just be tempting enough for the Terminus system start a war over."
"Captain, we've got a problem." Joker cut in over the comm.
"What is it, Joker?" Anderson asked the disembodied voice.
"Transmission from the planet…you gotta see this." Joker stated and the view screen came alive as Anderson gave the order to put it through.
The screen changed to a distorted recording, there was obvious gunfire and what looked like a Marine squad. As expected things were chaotic but the general gist was that they were under attack by something. Sidda watched as both Anderson and Nihlus did the same, her eyes narrowed to a confusing image as it flashed across the screen for a second and then disappeared, it looked like a giant black hand reaching down the from the sky. The transmission lasted less than a minute and it cut out to static and white noise.
"That's all there is, Captain, everything cuts out from there. I'm not getting comm chatter from the planet at all." Joker stated.
"Reverse and hold at 38.5." The screen rolled back and paused on strange looking ship that was shaped like a giant hand.
"What the hell is that?" she said out loud and glanced over to Nihlus, his eyes were fixated on the monitor and she could hear his mandible click and sign that the Turian was uneasy about something.
"Suit up, Commander, I want that beacon on board as soon as possible but do it quietly." Anderson ordered. "Tell Alenko and Jenkins to gear up, you're going down as soon as we get there."
Sidda nodded and patted Nihlus' arm indicating she was ready to go. The two of them left the comm room and Nihlus headed for the cargo bay as Sidda collected her men. She ordered Jenkins to follow Nihlus and trotted up to the Bridge to grab Kaidan. They all geared up and prepped for their first mission together.