A/N: Edited as of 3/8/18
How Are You Feeling?
Ugggghhhhh… fuck my entire existence. Everything hurts, including things I didn't know could hurt. I think my brain is trying to escape out my ears. I had absolutely no idea that it would be this bad. That vision burned itself into the very fiber of my being, and the fire still hasn't gone out yet. I wonder if it's gonna be like that every time the vision flares. God, I sure hope not; otherwise the melds with Liara will suck.
…
Wait… oh shit. Oh shit oh shit ohshitoshitohshit! I'm the one with the Prothean vision, not Shepard! Fuck! I'm not even here a day and I've managed to fuck up one of the most important pieces of canon in the entire series! Ok, ok… just keep breathing. I'm pretty sure this isn't the end of the world… galaxy… whatever. I mean, when I think about it, Shepard can still become a Spectre without the vision. In fact, without the vision, the council might be more inclined to believe Shepard about the Reapers!
Ok, maybe I didn't fuck up so bad after all. And thinking about it even more, this is practically my ticket to staying on the Normandy. They need me now. Liara needs to meld with me so we can figure out where to go.
But wait… how much of my mind is open during a meld? I can't have Liara learning my extra-dimensional-ness before I'm good and ready to tell everyone. Maybe I can block off that part of my mind.
GAH! This is so confusing! Is it a good thing or a bad thing? I don't know. I guess I'm just gonna have to roll with the punches.
I slowly open my eyes, thanking any god that might be listening that the room is dark. I don't think I could handle a brightly lit room at the moment.
"Doctor Chakwas! I think he's coming around!" Huh? That's Shepard's voice. I slowly turn my head towards her voice to find her sitting in a chair next to the bed. You know, I kinda thought Ashley would be here when I woke up. I wonder where—
"Thank god. I was afraid he wouldn't wake up." Oh, there she is. I look to the other side, finding her in a similar position. They're both in here? That's odd, though not exactly unwelcome.
"Good morning Dylan," says a soothing British accented voice. There's the good doctor stepping into view. "How are you feeling?"
"Wondering if falling into a black hole would hurt this much," I groan. God, that beacon absolutely wrecked my body.
"It's my fault," Ashley says, sounding pretty guilty. "I must have triggered some kind of security field when I got close to that thing. You had to save my sorry ass… again." She says that last part with a small smile.
"You couldn't have known," Shepard says. "It wasn't your fault."
"We don't even know it that's what set it off," says the doctor. "And now we may never get the chance to find out."
"The thing blew up. Maybe something got overloaded," Ashley says to fill me in. "The blast knocked you out stone cold. The three of us had to carry you here to the ship."
"Thanks Ashley," I say, looking at the marine. Then I face the commander. "You too Shepard." Looking back at Ashley, I ask, "You mentioned a ship. Which one am I on?"
"You're on the SSV Normandy. Oh, and don't call me Ashley: It's either Ash or Chief."
I smile at her. "Sounds good, Ash." I turn my attention to Dr. Chakwas. "So how am I doing, doc? Not dying, I hope?"
"Well, physically you're fine," she says, consulting a data pad. "But I've detected some unusual brain activity: an abnormal amount of beta waves. I also noticed an increase in your rapid eye movement, signs usually associated with intense dreaming."
"I don't think that was a dream," I say. "It felt more like a message—a warning of some kind. I saw death and destruction, synthetics slaughtering organics. But I honestly couldn't make heads or tails out of most of it."
"Hmm, I'll have to add that to my report. Now what can I…" The med-bay door opening interrupts her, and she looks over at the noise. "Oh, Captain Anderson. What can I do for you?"
In walks the famous Captain and, hopefully, humanity's first councilor. Wow, I never realized how buff and just… physically imposing he is. Though I guess you don't become a Spectre candidate by being weak. His Alliance uniform only accentuates his figure.
"Just checking on our guest," he says. And hello Keith David! I swear that man is my generation's James Earl Jones.
"All the readings look normal. I'd say he's going to be just fine," Chakwas says.
"Good, good. Now… I need to speak to our guest and the commander—in private." He adds that last part while looking pointedly at Ash and Dr. Chakwas.
Ash rips off a smart salute and says, "Aye aye sir. I'll be in the mess if you need me." She seems to say that last part while looking at me. Chakwas simply nods. With that, the two exit the med-bay, leaving me with two of best soldiers humanity has to offer. Wow… I feel slightly intimidated to be honest.
Feeling better now that I've been awake for a bit, I sit up and move to sit at the foot of the bed. Anderson stands right in front of me while Shepard stays off to the side a little.
"It sounds like the beacon did a real number on you, Mr. Owens," Anderson says. "You sure you're feeling alright?"
"I'm angry and confused about everything that's happened, but I'll live," I say. And honestly, that's the truth. I am angry and confused, just not quite for the reason he probably thinks I mean.
"Glad to hear it. Now, while you were unconscious, we ran a quick background check on you."
…Say what? They did a…? Oh… that's probably not good. My eyes widen as my brain goes into overdrive, trying to think of a plausible—
"We just need you to confirm it," he continues. Wait, what? He looks down at his data pad. "It says here that you were born in the capital of Constant on Earth date April 13, 2165." He raises his head and gives me a questioning look. I simply nod, not trusting my voice. With the exception of the year, that's totally my birthday! I wonder… "What were your parents' names?" he asks.
"Judy and Bill Owens," I say, hoping that, somehow, my records have been adapted to fit the Mass Effect universe. The captain nods at my answer and looks back down.
"You graduated from Hawking High School in the top 5% of your class and got accepted into Vanderbilt University back on Earth. What were you majoring in?"
"Mechanical engineering." Once again, he nods. Oh my god, it's all basically the same. Granted a few minor details are different, but the basics are exactly the same. How the hell did this happen? I wonder if Death did anything. Or maybe it was the person/group that hired Death to bring me here? Can someone just hire Death to do something? I'll ask him if I see him again.
The little Q&A continues until, finally, Anderson looks satisfied.
"I told you he could be trusted, captain," Shepard says. What? She already trusts me? Wow. That's awesome! I guess saving a marine twice and fighting a metric shit-ton of geth is all you need to do to earn her trust.
"I never doubted your judgment, Shepard. I just had to make sure he checked out before we let him stay on the Normandy." With that, I snap my head up to look straight at Anderson. Did he just say…? I turn to Shepard with a questioning look.
"After we brought you back to the ship, I recommended that we keep you around at least until the issue with Saren gets resolved," she says. "You're a firsthand account of what he did to Eden Prime. And now with that vision the beacon gave you, I'll be putting in a request to bring you on in some sort of official capacity. You handled yourself well in combat, and your education can land you a spot in engineering. You're welcome aboard, assuming you want to stay." She finishes her explanation with a smile.
Holy shit… is this really happening? I mean, I knew I wanted to stay on the Normandy and be part of Shepard's crew, but I still can't believe they're just offering it to me. I thought I'd have to plead my case for any chance to stay. My stunned expression slowly transitions into one of pure joy and excitement. Anderson and Shepard smile back, clearly amused by my excitement.
"Absolutely I want to stay," I say once I regain my composure. "Thank you both so much for this chance. You can count on me to do whatever it takes to bring Saren to justice."
"That's what I like to hear," Shepard says, still smiling. I gotta say, it's nice to see her smile. That doesn't really happen in the game very often.
"If that's the case, I'll get started on the paperwork to keep you aboard officially," Anderson says. "Now, if you're fit to walk, I need to speak with the commander."
I take his not-so-subtle hint and gingerly place my feet on the ground. Upon attempting to stand, I realize that the pain from earlier has gone away and that I can stand just fine. Still taking it slow, I walk out of the med-bay, giving Shepard and Anderson a nod. I figure since I'm not Alliance that a salute is unnecessary. As the door closes behind me, I take a second to survey the area in front of me.
Wow, this looks exactly like the game! Granted, seeing pixels on a screen does this no amount of justice, but at least it's familiar. There's the mess with that weird little divide that separates the table from the rest of the second deck. I can see the walkway that leads to the sleeper pods and the forward battery. There's the computer that Kaidan's always working on, which he's at right now, and there's Ash sitting at the table. She looks up at the sound of the door and smiles, waving me over.
"Hey Ash, how ya doing?" I ask, standing on the opposite side of the table.
"I should be asking you the same thing," she replies with a smirk. That doesn't last long, though, as her expression turns somber. "I'm angry, to tell the truth. When those geth showed up, I couldn't do a thing to stop them from…well to stop them. Not until you and Shepard showed up." I couldn't help but notice her hesitation there.
I sit down across from her. "Do you wanna talk about it?"
"No…. Maybe? I don't know." She sighs and looks down at the table. "I lost my whole unit during the attack. I couldn't save them, and I ran, like a coward. Why am I offered a chance to live my dream for running away? For failing them?"
Ooooohhhhhh boy, that is survivor's guilt if I've ever seen it. God, she just kind of brushes this off in the game, but of course this would affect her in a pretty major way. Jeez, I've never been super great at comforting people, but I can't just do nothing. I stand up and move around the table, sitting back down next to her. Hesitantly, I reach out and put a hand on her shoulder. She looks up at me, obviously not expecting that.
"Ash, you can't blame yourself for what those geth did," I say. God, that sounds so corny and disingenuous. There's gotta be something else I can say. "I don't think your squad would want you to feel guilty—especially not about getting a chance to live your dream. I bet they'd be happy for you. So be happy for yourself." I pause for a second. I know she loves poetry, so I try to scrounge up a quote that would be appropriate. "'To live in the hearts we leave behind is not to die.' As long as you carry their memory in your heart, it's like they're here with you the whole time."
We sit in silence for a minute. Ash sniffles a little before straightening her posture. I remove my hand from her shoulder.
"Thanks, Dylan," she says. A rueful laugh escapes her. "I guess you saved my sorry ass again. Keep this up and you'll ruin my image." We share a smile at that. "Can't say I pegged you as a Thomas Campbell fan."
"Since you obviously recognized the quote, I could say the same thing. I didn't know you liked poetry," I lie. Obviously I did know that from the games, but I can't let her know that. "Seems like that wouldn't really help your image, either."
"Just because I can drill you between the eyes from a hundred meters, doesn't mean I can't like the soft stuff," she says with a smile. I barely suppress a laugh. "Seriously though, thanks. I needed this little kick in the pants."
"No problem, Ash. If you ever need someone to save your sorry ass again, you know where to find me."
"Bastard," she says, laughing and punching me in the arm.
"I'm gonna go before you do any serious damage," I say, playfully rubbing my arm and standing up. "See you around, Ash." She nods at me, opening her omni-tool as I walk away. I wonder when I'll get one of those.
After only a few steps, the med bay opens, and Shepard and Anderson leave. Anderson heads straight to his quarters while Shepard walks towards the stairs up to the CIC. I actually just thought of a few questions for her, so I hurry over and catch her attention.
"Hey, Shepard. If you've got a sec, could I ask a few questions?"
"Ask away," she says.
"First off, where are we headed? Second, where are the showers on this ship? And finally, any chance I could get some clothes besides the ones I'm wearing?"
She chuckles a bit before answering. "We're en route to the Citadel. Should be there in an hour. Showers are two decks below on the crew deck. Just take the elevator." Wait, I thought there was only one more deck below this? The hangar and engine room? "Clothes are a bit trickier. We've got a set of armor for you, which you might as well put on after your shower. Captain wants us suited up to meet with the ambassador. It's waiting for you one deck down in the bank of lockers in the hangar. Yours is the farthest from the table. As for actual clothes, we'll make sure our requisitions officer gets you some while we're docked."
"Thanks, Shepard, I appreciate it," I say, taking a few steps towards the elevator.
"Oh, one last thing," she says, making me stop to turn back towards her. "Here on the ship, it's Jenny, not Shepard." She smiles.
"Ok, Jenny," I say, smiling back. "I guess I'll see you in an hour." She nods and heads up the stairs while I step into the elevator. God, a shower is gonna feel amazing right now.
Even though this bottom deck wasn't in the game, I find my way around easily enough. It seems to be mostly a few crew quarters and hygiene facilities. As much as I would love to take a long, hot shower, I don't really know the etiquette of showering on a spaceship. For all I know, hot water is rationed or something. So instead, I opt for a quick lukewarm shower. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but it got the job done.
Once out, I head up a deck to put on my new armor. From what I can tell, it's standard Alliance light armor, which is probably for the best. I'm not exactly the strongest guy around, and I don't think I could handle much more. Maybe I should work on that….
Anywho, the armor is a little confusing at first. There's a sort of rubbery undersuit, almost like a diving suit. Then all of the individual pieces just clipped right on to my body. It took a few tries to get the order correct, but eventually I got it on.
That's when I notice it came with an omni-tool already synced up to the armor. I spend a good half hour just playing around with it, learning how to use it. Functionally, it's really similar to a smartphone: touch interface—though it's holographic instead of physical, which trips me up at first—extranet access, communications devices, and plenty of downloadable apps.
I glance at the clock on it and notice that the hour is almost up. I should head up to the cockpit and watch our arrival to the Citadel. I hop in the elevator and endure the painfully slow ride up. I seriously can't believe this thing is actually as slow as in the game. Once the door finally opens, I walk through the CIC and up towards the front.
Jenny, Kaidan, and Ash are already there by the time I arrive. I guess we'll get to experience this together.
Kaidan notices my approach first. "Hey, kid," he says. "How you feeling?" Why am I not surprised he's calling me "kid?"
"About as good as expected, considering an ancient piece of alien technology basically had its way with my mind," I say with a smile. I hear a small snort of laughter from the pilot's chair. I guess Joker found that funny.
It looks like he's about to answer when Ash exclaims, "My god! Look at the size of that ship!"
We all crane our necks to look out the window at where she points. "That's the Destiny Ascension, the flagship of the Citadel Fleet," explains Kaidan.
Wow, I can see why Ash got so excited. The ship really is massive, even across the vast distances of space. The engine that takes up most of the center of the ship could probably fit a dozen Normandies inside it, and the four arms that radiate out easily double the overall size.
"Hey, size isn't everything you know," quips Joker. And hello to Seth Green.
"Jealous Joker?" Ash teases.
"I'm just saying, you need firepower too."
"That thing could probably rip apart any ship in the Alliance fleet!" Kaidan says, probably just to irritate Joker.
"Yeah, but I'd like to see that behemoth run silent," I say, taking Joker's side. Even in a battle of wits, two on one is unfair, so I figure I'll balance the teams.
"Exactly!" the pilot says. "I like this guy already. He knows what's what."
"Well I'm honored to have your approval. I'm Dylan."
"Joker. Now can everyone please be quiet? I'm trying to make sure we don't die while we're docking." That shuts us up. "Thank you."
With the banter ended, I take the opportunity to really look out the window. At first, all I can see is the Serpent Nebula itself. The purple gases of the nebula radiate with an ethereal light, flowing along some unseen interstellar currents. That by itself drops my jaw, but the next sight renders me speechless.
The Citadel, heart of galactic civilization, seems to materialize out of the nebula. Its size dwarfs anything I could have ever imagined seeing. The five ward arms extend from the Presidium ring like the fingers on the hand of God. As we continue our approach, more details come into focus. The lights from countless buildings illuminate the wards. Ships of all shapes and sizes fly in every which way. The whole sight is nothing short of overwhelming.
Joker guides the Normandy through the crazy three-dimensional traffic and pulls into a hangar near the Presidium ring. A shudder runs through the ship as the docking clamps engage.
Holy shit. I'm on the Citadel.
A/N: Ok, first interaction chapter is done. I promise, next chapter will be the Citadel, along with a little... surprise. As always, thanks for reading!
