Author's Note: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.

Chapter II: Awakening

Commander Eilene Shepard sighed inwardly as she headed for the combat information center after the conference call had ended. The call with the Council had been as expected. All three councilors were surprised to hear about this new alien species. She had had to explain in detail to them the operation that led to the discovery and while it was unanimously agreed to be unconventional, the councilors agreed that the outcome outweighed the risk.

The turian councilor Sparatus had been blatantly opposed to the idea of bringing the alien into the Citadel. He cited the dangers of bringing an unknown alien into the capital. Councilor Valern had been more inquiring and wanted to bring the alien in to gather information about him. Councilor Tevos agreed with the salarian councilor. Before they ended the call, the three councilors had given Shepard permission to bring him to the Citadel as soon as possible.

Before speaking with the Council, Shepard had left Kaidan to supervise the return of all cargo and equipment to the cargo bay. She asked Garrus and Wrex to take the alien to the medical bay. She knew she had left the procedure in capable hands. She then headed to the combat information center to update chief navigator Pressly on their new course: the Citadel in the Serpent nebula.

After they had charted the course, Shepard had a brief conversation with Joker where the flight lieutenant commented on her bringing a mysterious and potentially dangerous alien onboard. She had had to reassure the flight lieutenant that from the coldness of the body, the alien was most likely a cadaver by now.

Her instincts were niggling at her to verify that claim so she headed for the medical bay to get a professional opinion from the ship's resident physician, Dr. Chakwas. The dignified looking doctor looked up from the papers she was perusing and smiled as the commander entered.

"Commander, you had them bring in quite a fascinating "patient"." The doctor said jovially.

Eilene returned her smile. "How is he, Doctor?"

"That is actually a good question, Commander." Dr. Chakwas led her to the cot at the end of the med bay where the alien was now lying. "I did some physical scans of the body and I cannot confirm that he is deceased. All of his organs seem to be in good condition but they are not functioning as well as I would expect in a conscious organism. I have recorded a few instances where I caught what I thought would be considered heartbeats but they were too few and far between. Without any knowledge of this species' physiology, I cannot confirm whether they were or not. I can however say that he may currently be in a state of suspended animation."

"In other words, Doctor, you're saying he is alive but he is sleeping very deeply."

"Commander, only his most vital organs seem to be functioning. His suit seems to be aiding him in sustaining them. The question now is when he would come around from this state of hibernation."

"Thank you for the info, Doctor. I'll have someone stationed outside in case your "patient" does wake up."

"Thank you, Commander."

Dr. Chakwas was at her desk in the medical bay a few days later. The commander had had to take care of a hostage situation caused by some L2 biotic terrorists before they had left the Farinata system. The doctor had sympathized with the biotics and was grateful that the commander had handled the situation without any losses.

While the commander had been away, the doctor had been making notes in her medical log about the new alien species. This was all new and truly fascinating to her. She was now able to confirm that the sounds she had recorded on her Omni-tool were heartbeats but, despite a noticeable frequency in the number she heard, they still were too few to be able to say that he was reviving.

She was however glad for the guard posted outside. They knew next to nothing about this new species and it eased her mind to know that she had back-up in case he awoke before they reached the Citadel. Staff lieutenant Kaidan Alenko was also nearby.

Despite being one of the busiest members on board the Normandy, the commander had come by when she could to check up on her and the male alien. The doctor had given her medical reports and had reassured Shepard that there was nothing to worry about. In the event that he did wake up, they had agreed that the doctor could activate the alarm installed in the medical bay to warn them.

Despite her interest, Liara, being an archaeologist not a biologist, had been unable to give any insight on the "patient". The asari had, however, taken the time to watch Dr. Chakwas and observe while she did her daily scans of the alien and had been spending some time down in the cargo bay studying the pod they had acquired.

As she continued making notes, the doctor had not noticed the talons twitch or the slight shifting of the body on the cot. The alien's heart was beating faster and more frequently until it had established a rhythm. He breathed in and tested his limbs. Each one was rigid from lack of use but they were slowly responding to the mental signals as his body began the revitalization process. His suit had done its job. There weren't any serious injuries as he could tell.

Within moments, his eyelids opened slightly, allowing him to see a bit through the narrow opening although his vision was still blurred. Where was he? He thought as he slowly opened his deep green eyes. The black pupils narrowed to slits from the light of the fluorescent tubes. He averted his eyes from the glare. As his eyes readjusted to the light, he saw that there were various books and apparatus around the room. He was in what looked like a medical bay.

His eyes fell upon a being seated not too far away. He guessed that this being, a female he noted, was the physician. He slowly sat up then shifted to the side of the cot and stood up. His legs were able to hold his weight although they were unsteady. He moved a little awkwardly. Each step made no sound.

The door to the medical bay slid open. He jumped up and clung to the ceiling, the pads on his hands and feet sticking to the surface. A male holding a pistol entered the room and greeted the female doctor, clearly checking up on her. The soldier saw him and aimed the gun at him as the doctor stood and looked behind her. He leaped towards her just as she activated the alarm. She screamed in shock as he grabbed her. He hissed at the sound. The scream alerted someone outside and a door behind him opened as well.

Meanwhile, Commander Shepard was looking over the galaxy map in the CIC when the alarm of the medical bay sounded. She immediately ran down the stairs, pushing down the fear that was building up because of the worst case scenario playing out in her head.

Private Fredricks, the one stationed by the med bay, was not at his post. Shepard took out her heavy pistol from its holster, taking cover by the door. There was only one reason why the alarm still blared.

"Let her go." It was Kaidan's voice she heard inside.

Eilene looked inside, maintaining her cover. She was shocked by what she saw. Inside, the alien that had been hibernating was standing, holding Dr. Chakwas with his talons. He was pinned to the control panel beside two cots. The skin flaps she had seen had expanded and fanned out, revealing a brighter display of transitioning golden yellow and grayish-blue pleats. He was also hissing and baring his fangs, his reptilian eyes were glaring at Kaidan.

The staff lieutenant had his heavy pistol aimed at the alien. The private stood beside Kaidan. He was clearly unnerved; his hands were trembling as he gripped the pistol. The alien was making sounds that might have been words but the translators they had equipped could not interpret them. The alien's green eyes shifted from him to Fredricks.

Liara was by the door to the back room, the blue aura of her biotic abilities was glowing but she was helpless, unable to perform any biotic ability that would not harm the doctor as well as the unidentifiable alien.

The commander, her gun at the ready, moved into the room behind the two soldiers. Dr. Chakwas turned frightened eyes to Shepard at her entrance. "Commander, help."

Shepard turned her purple eyes away from the doctor and looked at the reptilian. The sound of the alarm was clearly irritating him as he hissed louder at the continued blaring. With his size and strength, he could have easily killed the doctor if he had wanted to. He hadn't. He was probably just using the doctor as a shield because of fear. She slowly moved forward.

The reptilian alien turned his attention to her then. Shepard heard an onslaught of what could be words in her mind. She did not know how she could hear them nor could she understand them. She could somehow sense the uncertainty, distress and annoyance of the telepath. She lowered her weapon.

"Stand down." The words were a command. The two soldiers looked back at their commanding officer, perplexed at the order. "Stand down." She repeated, loud enough to be heard despite the alarm. This time, Fredricks lowered his weapon but Kaidan's remained pointed at the alien. He hissed again.

"Lieutenant, lower your weapon." Kaidan gritted his teeth at her words. "Kaidan, please." She spoke more softly, a request this time.

Kaidan sighed at those words then did as he was asked. The look on his face told Shepard he did not understand and did not like the situation but he trusted her.

Keeping her eyes on the alien, Shepard slowly moved to the desk and turned off the alarm. The reptilian seemed to relax a bit after it had stopped. The pleated flaps folded down partway and he had stopped hissing but he was still looking at them warily. His hold on Dr. Chakwas had not loosened as he turned his attention to Liara.

Shepard looked at Liara, wordlessly asking her to do the same as the two Alliance soldiers had. The asari saw Shepard's look and nodded. The blue glow faded away but she remained standing at the ready.

Shepard looked back at the alien. The memory of her mother Hannah's calmness in the face of adversity came to her then and she tried to emulate it, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "I don't know if you can understand me but none of us here want to hurt you. Please let the doctor go."

As if he understood her, the reptilian let the doctor go. She moved to stand beside Kaidan. The alien's flaps folded completely. They reached down to his chest. He began to make sounds again. It was clear he was trying to speak to her verbally.

Shepard now was sure he was the telepath who had spoken to her but she still could not understand anything he said. "I'm sorry. I don't understand what you are saying."

He stopped then, realizing that she too could not understand him despite his efforts to speak to her. His mouth formed a thin line. His scaly brows furrowed. He was very frustrated by the situation he was in.

"We want to help you." Shepard continued. He moved towards her. There was a strange kind of grace to his movements. She did not break eye contact with him. Kaidan and Fredricks raised their guns at his approach but Shepard raised her hand palm out and shook her head. They complied.

He stopped mere inches from her. He easily towered over her five feet and eight inches. He then touched her arm. Just as she had touched him before, a myriad of memories went through her mind but this time, they were her memories flashing through at rapid speed. She could make out only a few. After a few moments, they had gone. The dizziness caused her to look down. She was thankful she was still standing.

He let go of her arm. He opened his mouth again. "W….Where...?" His voice was hoarse from disuse. He had gleaned the knowledge of this female's language from her memories and nothing more.

Shepard was surprised. She looked up at him. "What did you say?"

"Where…am…I?"

"You're on the SSV Normandy."

"Who…are…you?"

"I am Commander Shepard of the Systems Alliance navy."

"She…pard..." Her name rolled off his forked tongue.

"Who are you?" It was her turn to ask.

"M…Merric. My…name is Merric Tamar."

"Commander…" Shepard turned to Kaidan at his call. "It's alright, Lieutenant. I can handle this situation."

Merric watched the exchange and watched her as she dismissed the two soldiers, who reluctantly left the room and returned to, he assumed, their posts. He had rarely seen a female commanding officer but she was clearly a respected one.

She returned her attention to him. "Where did you come from?"

The question she posed brought back a memory for him. He closed his eyes. His face contorted in a scowl. After a moment, he let out a sigh. "I…came from Oavad." His home world…

Shepard had never heard of the planet. She wondered if it was even in the Milky Way galaxy. "What brought you here?"

"We…my people and I were searching for a new planet to call home when our ship was attacked." His legs were threatening to give out, still recovering from disuse. He sat down on a nearby cot. The attack on their ship, the Tamar Amitek, replayed in his mind in perfect detail. They had been in the midst of repair when…

"Commander, I think he needs rest." Dr. Chakwas spoke up at that moment. Despite her earlier scare, she had recovered enough to see what her now conscious patient needed was not an interrogation.

Shepard looked at Merric. He was clearly distraught by the memory. "We'll continue this later after you've gotten some rest."

"…Yes. Thank you, Commander Shepard." He was truly grateful the commander had chosen not to continue with her questioning. He understood why she had to question him. He was just as foreign to her as she was foreign to him. He lay down on the cot after he had promised her he would rest and not do anything unwise.

Shepard said goodbye to Dr. Chakwas before she left the medical bay. The doctor walked to Merric's bedside.

"Is it alright if I do a quick physical check?" She asked politely. Merric nodded once in response.

The doctor used her Omni-tool to scan him before she left him to rest. He soon drifted off to sleep...