A small story of how Dr Chakwas survived the destruction of the Normandy.
Dr Chakwas was still a bit euphoric, she glanced on the red and white painted medal she had on her desk. The medal she received after the siege of the Citadel, she didn't care about it but when she looked at it all the memories of what she had been through before flooded her head. After the battle of the Citadel she had realized she had survived yet another galactic incident. The first contact war she had served on the frigate SSV El Alamein who was one of the first reinforcements to arrive at Shanxi. She had later been posted on the cruiser SSV Stockholm who together with the SSV Agincourt had fought slavers during the Skyllian blitz.
She was abruptly disturbed in her thinking by the intercom alarm.
EVASIVE MANOUVERS BE READY. Chakwas knew that practically meant "get a good grip of something and hold on for dear life".
A large explosion was suddenly heard and the whole ship started to tilt to portside. Everything on her desk flew through the medbay and hit the opposite wall. She had managed to get a grip on her desk and luckily it was attached to the floor.
Something must have hit the portside stabilizers, she thought but before she could think how to get out of the medbay with this heavy list, the whole ship went dark for a second then the emergency light lit on the floor.
She realized she had to somehow had climb to the door to the mess hall and after that climb up the stairs to deck 1 where the escape pods where,, in a 30-40 degree list.
Dr Chakwas then remembered that Liara was still in her room behind the medbay.
Dr Chakwas had developed a deep friendship with everyone aboard the Normandy, Liara included. Of course the Normandy had got 15 more crewmembers after the attack on the Citadel which hadn't the same bond as the old part of the crew who had been through so much together.
She managed to crawl while holding the handles on the wall, to the door to Liaras room. When it opened she peaked in and saw Liara trying to climb her way to the door. But the heavy list made it nearly impossible.
-Thank the goddess you're here doctor, it's impossible to get up! Liara shouted.
- If you get as close to me as possible I think I can pull you up. She shouted back.
The list was now so heavy that it was possible to stand with one foot on the portside wall and one on the floor. Liara climbed slowly upwards by stacking the chairs in her room on top of each other. By doing so she had something to climb on and she soon came in reach of dr Chakwas who managed to pull her up.
They climbed through the medbay using the handles on the starboard wall. When the door to the mess hall opened they grabbed the handles there and slowly started to move towards the starboard staircase.
Two other crewmembers were also pulling themselves towards the staircase, but one of them, who Chakwas recognized as mess sergeant Emerson lost his grip and tumbled through the whole deck and hit the portside wall with a loud crash.
There is nothing I can do for him now, Chakwas thought sadly.
When Liara and the doctor hit the staircase, the ship suddenly stabilized and they didn't had to hold on to the handle anymore.
-They must have fixed the stabilizer! Liara shouted to her.
Before she could answer another explosion shake the ship.
-We still have to get up to the escape pods, the air is getting thinner maybe life support was hit too, shouted engineer Meyer while she was running towards them from the sleeper pods.
The small group ran up the stairs when they got through the door to the CIC. Chakwas saw Ashley Williams help people into the escape pods. The Normandy had 6 escape pods which could take 5 people. Meyer, Chakwas and Liara climbed into pod number 2, which took of only a few seconds after they all had entered it. She saw the Normandy crumple through the small window of the pod, she also saw that four other escape pods leave the ship.
She caught one last look at the SSV Normandy, she saw how an orange beam cut right through it and making it explode.
-Please let the rest of the crew be unharmed, Liara whisperd while tears flooded her eyes. Her stress caused her bioticts to flare up and making her shine light blue.
-You seriously think Shepard will let anyone die on his watch? There is bigger chance I will work for Cerberus than that happening. Chakwas joked calmly while she consoled Liara.