Memories of Bysorrn: A Different Beat
Cadrina's mother, Staff Lieutenant Hannah Shepard, is an Alliance officer that has proven herself in combat and has a reputation for being aggressive and bold. Her latest assignment: the Palturma Beach precinct, where she must now adapt to deal with a civilian population…
Morning traffic moved at a moderate clip along the highway by the shore. Some vehicles were bound for the beach, others continued onward into the city limits. A faint whining noise grew into a loud roar as an unusual ground-based vehicle weaved around and past other drivers at great speed, making all on the road take notice. It was held up by only two black, silver rimmed wheels. The dark blue, aerodynamically styled body resembled the head of a fearsome predatory bird, with a roaring kerium-ion engine providing its call. Astride the vehicle was a humanoid figure wearing a black helmet, brown leather jacket and somewhat baggy blue pants and boots. Some drivers sighed in relief when the speed demon finally took an exit ramp off the highway.
Winding through a few more cross streets, the vehicle came to a stop just in front of an austere fountain placed just outside of the Palturma Beach police station. The humanoid figure deployed the vehicle's kick stand to rest and extended its legs to touch the ground. It removed its helmet to reveal a light-skinned human female in her thirties with short, auburn hair. She shook her head and combed a few strands back into place as she regarded the slightly weathered two-story building for a moment. She then hung her helmet on the side of her motorcycle, started it up again and maneuvered to an empty parking spot around the side of the station. After powering down, she shouldered a black duffel bag and proceeded towards the station entrance. Along the way, she saw a drunken salarian stagger up to the active fountain only to keel over and vomit into it.
That'll mess up the pH balance, she joked to herself as she entered the building.
The hallway leading up to the station's reception area was fairly long and lined with doorways to briefing and interrogation rooms along to the human woman's right. There was also a Tupari vending machine placed midway to her left. So far, it was not much different from an average human police station. The woman found the similarities between non-humans and her kind amusing and troubling, but also reassuring. Several feet ahead of her a door slid open and out flew a turian, hurtling back first towards the opposite wall. He slammed against it and slid down to the floor as a batarian ran past him and headed straight for her. Another turian stepped outside of the door and called out:
"Hey…! Stop him – he's getting away!"
The batarian stopped within inches of the human female. She released her hold of the straps on her duffel bag, letting it hang freely on her shoulder. Calmly her arms went to her sides, waiting for the batarian's next move. The second turian tended to his partner on the floor while he kept watch on the human. The batarian suspect was cocksure and promptly assumed a defensive posture, trying to intimidate her into letting him pass.
"Out of my way, human!" he threatened in his species' characteristic bass tone "You've never dealt with the likes of me!"
He focused all four of his eyes on the auburn-haired woman and began to hop around on his legs, shifting them back and forth and throwing a couple of fake jabs. The woman just stood there, unimpressed and almost emotionless.
"I'm wanted in three systems!"
In actuality, the batarian was only a petty thief and not much of a fighter. The turian officers that brought him in failed to properly secure the suspect's binders. He got loose and surprised them, sending one of them into the wall. Little did the batarian know that this particular human sensed that he was all show and was planning a surprise of her own; she had little patience for braggarts.
The batarian continued to make threatening hand motions. "I'm a master of Hopjaru… Nekaaz… and a whole host of other fighting techniques you couldn't begin to…"
Suddenly and with no fuss, the woman stepped within the suspect's reach, quickly grabbed his head and thumped it into the wall to her left. He let out a groan as he collapsed unconscious.
"He's all yours, boys!" she announced to the two turians ahead of her "You can put him back in his cage now!"
She took hold of her duffel bag straps again and resumed walking down the hallway past the two careless officers as they dashed up to collect the batarian. Near the end of the hallway, the human female spun about and called out to the officers as she continued walking backwards.
"By the way… you're welcome!"
The reception area had a desk lined with terminal screens at its center and four larger screens overhead televising community bulletins, notices and alerts. Seats off to the left side were half filled with citizens who were there to seek assistance, file complaints or just hang around. Yellow morning light rays came through the windows bordering the room. Sitting at the desk was a nervous brown-colored salarian. Hanging over his shoulder much like a hawk was a metal gray turian with cracked mandibles and frills wearing dark-purple face paint. As the human approached the desk, she caught the end of the turian's lecture.
"…I don't care how bored you are; personnel files are for need-to-know basis only, not reading and gossip material! I catch you in Archives again without a research request and I'll have you counting and grading grains of sand to keep you busy!" The turian backed off from the salarian receptionist before addressing the woman in the brown leather jacket.
"Yesss – what can we do for you?" he groaned with an attitude left over from dressing down his subordinate.
The woman ignored his tone; it was not the first time she had dealt with people of his ilk. "Hi. Maybe you can help me? I'm looking for Captain Dojhen…"
"And you've found him," the turian completed, looking her over. "Captain Prage Dojhen. You must be the other exchange from Systems Alliance, Miss…?"
Hannah stood at attention and saluted "Staff Lieutenant Hannah Shepard, reporting for duty, sir."
The salarian squealed happily and smiled then immediately switched to a professional demeanor, glancing at his captain and then to Hannah. He keyed in commands to his console, activating the overhead camera which zoomed in and confirmed the Alliance officer's identity against the mainframe records.
"Welcome to Palturma Beach, ma'am" he greeted her politely in a clipped voice that sounded almost as if he had inhaled a helium balloon. "I'm Sergeant Huran Panish. We've received your personnel file and authoride code from the Hierarchy and you've been cleared and approved for access and use of station facilities, equipment and vehicles. Please feel free to contact me if you should have any questions or issues."
Hannah thanked Huran for his efforts to get her set up and followed Captain Dojhen's directive to follow him into his office. As soon as they were out of sight, Huran bounced happily in his seat. The person that had so captured his interest of late had finally arrived. Hannah was one of only three humans assigned to the precinct. Huran found one of the human males was personable enough, but a bit too careful; careful to the point of being dull. The other seemed to be in his own space and a touch jittery. Reading over Hannah's service record filled the salarian with excitement. Crime in the precinct was not rampant, but there were a few problematic elements that could use more attention. The special attention that Hannah was capable of giving…
"Hey! Huran! Make sure our prisoner is logged for transfer to Berdo. It's his third offense..."
Huran awoke from his daydream and acknowledged the two turian officers in front of him. One of them squirmed slightly and rubbed his neck.
"What happened to you, Ras?" the sergeant asked.
Ras was a little reluctant in his answer "…damn batarian punk… jumped me and tried to make a run for it…"
"Loose binders, again?" chided Huran "Sooner or later, Dojhen's going to get wind of your foul ups! We're not running a catch-and-release program here…"
"We got 'em before he could get away, alright?" interjected Ras' partner. Huran moaned in pretended agreement as he keyed in commands to his console to verify their report was properly filed.
Ras rubbed and rotated his shoulder. "…that human had some stones, she did…"
His partner cut in again "Ras!"
Huran folded his hands in front of him and grinned smugly at the two bumbling officers. "Ahhh… I see you've met her!"
"…That was 'Hellcat Hannah?'" exclaimed Ras "The one you've been going on about?"
"The very one - made short work of your batarian friend, didn't she?"
"What work? She just tossed him into the wall like nothing!" revised Ras' partner.
"Formidable and quick," Huran commented and tapped on his console some more. "Indeed! She'll give this place both the spark and the muscle it needs!"
Hannah sat down in front of Dojhen's desk after removing her jacket, setting it down on her duffel bag by her chair. She was eager to get started, but she tolerated the formality she currently endured as the precinct captain acquainted himself with his new recruit via her file up on his terminal. He read off key items aloud:
"Hannah Shepard… Earth age, thirty-two years… married to one Captain Dylan Matthias Shepard, also with Systems Alliance… one child, female… enlisted in CE 2150… received officer's commission in 2158… specialties: tactics, coding… hmm, two reprimands for disobeying orders… three commendations for valor… former member of strike unit deployed for high-risk incidents, pirate incursions… last assignment was patrol of Alliance trade lanes along the Tannis Cluster… heh, heh… you earned the nickname of 'Hellcat' for your… initiative…"
"Some people just don't know how to follow a simple order to stand down, sir," commented Hannah with a subtle smirk.
Dojhen read further down. "…your mother was diplomat Olivia Consley, co-author of the Consley-Schacter Accord which brought about this exchange program…" He looked up at Hannah. "My sincerest condolences for your loss."
"Thank you, sir. I'm taking it day by day."
The turian captain rose and paced to the front of his desk. "You're a person who believes in what humans call 'straight talk.' You value candor above political correctness…"
Hannah became a touch defensive, readying herself for a xenophobic rant "Meaning…"
"Meaning that I think it's a mistake for this kind of program to be taking place. It's too soon after the Incident!"
Exactly what most other turians and humans say, Hannah thought and then quoted "'If we do not act now, it will be too late!'"
Dojhen snorted "So said your mother. She was a firm believer in building a lasting peace between our peoples. And it's out of respect for her beliefs that I'm going along with this." He leaned on the front of his desk and crossed his arms. "As for your part, from what I've read you are a highly effective, if occasionally overzealous, soldier. Your skills and abilities are what my people respect and value. But remember: you will be dealing primarily with civilians. You'll be the first of your kind to patrol these streets with a sidearm. Meaning you'll have to tone down your approach. They don't need any more reason to suspect and fear humans than they have now."
"I can behave… if they can listen," pledged Hannah. "Now that we know where we each stand, can we talk about who I'll be partnering with?"
Dojhen uncrossed his arms. "I asked for volunteers shortly before you arrived. No one was willing, unfortunately…"
Hannah exhaled and shook her head. Then there was a knock on the office door.
"…Except one – come in!"
Hannah slowly rose to her feet as the door slid open, suppressing a conditioned response to go for a weapon. In walked what had to be the most massive and intimidating krogan that Hannah ever laid eyes on. He was massive even by krogan standards, his footsteps echoed throughout the room. Clad in the blue armor of the turian police officers, the black and yellow krogan stopped just in front of a miniscule Hannah.
"Hannah Shepard, meet Lieutenant Commander Deveg Wulger. He'll be supervising and assisting you in the field."
Deveg's red eyes met Hannah's wide eyes as he extended his hand. Even his deep timbered voice seemed to cause the room to vibrate. "Shepard… a pleasure to meet you…"
Hannah blinked twice, willing herself to shake his hand. Her past experience with krogan had always been violent. She had clashed with pirate and mercenary groups that employed them for their berserker tendencies and the sheer terror they inspired. But despite his fearsome appearance, he projected a genuine air of welcome and accommodation. Wulger could see that his new partner was a bit uneasy and closed his lips over his toothy smile to put her more at ease.
"S-s-sorry about that," Hannah stuttered "Last time I was this close it wasn't to shake hands; nothing personal!"
A chuckle resonated in Wulger's throat "I completely understand. Restraint is not usually a quality associated with my people." He released her hand and pointed a thumb towards the door. "Come on – I'll give you a proper tour of the station."
Wulger first took Hannah to the personnel lockers to stow her gear and change into her uniform and vest. Their next stop was the station armory to pick up her gun, which she found a bit smaller than she preferred, much to the master of arm's chagrin. Wulger interceded and assured Hannah that her weapon would be more than adequate if needed. As she was shown around to the cafeteria, she came across the two other Alliance officers. She learned that one was assigned to Archives and the other to traffic control. The latter was pending reassignment to patrol duty should Hannah's foray into the streets work out.
"And this area here is Dispatch…" said Wulger as he neared the end of his tour, bringing Hannah to a row of consoles with a map of the precinct on display. Working the consoles were a hanar and a turian who keyed off three red markers from the map after hearing back from units that those marked areas were clear. Nearest to Wulger and Hannah was a pale grey elcor wearing a harness-like covering with what resembled ornate earrings hanging by the sides of its head. Wulger cleared his throat to attract its attention. The elcor pivoted its head carefully towards the krogan after keying off its earpiece.
"Enthusiastic greeting: Wulger, dear. I was wondering when you would stop by. I certainly hope no one else has become the object of your affections…" The elcor studied Wulger's companion.
Wulger placed a hand on his chest and bowed playfully "You know I'd never do anything to displease the flower of the station!" He grinned and motioned to Hannah "This is Lieutenant Hannah Shepard, my new partner."
"Polite salutation: Greetings. I am Kessile. I oversee the station's emergency call center for the daytime rotation. Sincere endorsement: you are in good hands, Lieutenant. Deveg Wulger is one of this precinct's finest officers. You can learn a lot from his example."
Hannah failed to subdue a snicker which the elcor was quick to catch. "Concerned inquiry: What is so funny, madam. Do I have something on me again, Wulger."
Once more, Hannah found herself in an uncomfortable spot "Sorry, I… you… field calls?"
"Defensive justification: Yes, I do. Throughout my life, I have always been able to relate very well to others. I have been cited by the captain many times for my ability to reassure callers and keep calm in a crisis."
"I didn't mean to imply that you weren't good at your job" blustered Hannah "It just… struck me a bit ironic, that's all!"
"Sly commentary: I see. It is much like Wulger's current situation. Before he joined the police, he used to oversee a varren kennel back on Tuchanka. I am sure he thought he had left a life of tending animals far behind him…"
Hannah sucked in a breath. This lady did not just compare me to damn fishdogs!
Kessile's earpiece chimed an incoming call tone "Excuse me; I need to take this now…"
Wulger quickly led a sputtering Hannah away from the dispatch section, apologizing for his friend's rude comment as the elcor attended her latest caller.
"Salutation: Palturma Beach Precinct, how may I be of assistance… Stifled exasperation: Yes, Madam N'Chol, what appears to be the trouble this time… Elaboration query: Are you sure it is not just a mist, does it have arms or legs…"
As Wulger and Hannah entered the station's motor pool, she continued to fume at her ill treatment by some of the staff.
"To be fair, you did imply that you thought Kessile's being an elcor meant she was too slow to handle a call console," Wulger pointed out as he walked towards his aircar.
"I know… and I'm sorry," acknowledged Hannah as she kept pace. "But where does she get off calling me an animal? What gave her that impression of me?"
Wulger grumbled as the answer came to him. "Panish! Kessile probably heard about you from Sargeant Panish. He's only been here a few months; tends to bore easily. He does this every now and then, reads through personnel files and records, looking for tidbits. Humans have a funny name-phrase for his kind, people that like to disclose and discuss private matters…" Wulger snapped his fingers as he tried to recall.
"Security risk? Tattle-tale? Blabbermouth? 'Chatty Kathy?'" Hannah suggested.
Wulger pointed a finger at her last term. "That's the one. He seems to be your biggest fan. Word around the station is that he's hoping you'll bring a little excitement to life around here."
As the two officers stopped in front of Wulger's aircar, Hannah folded her arms and asked pointedly "What have you heard about me?"
The huge krogan became sheepish "…only what others said they heard from Panish…"
"Like my strike unit days, eh? Yeah, they were exciting… every time my team got called in and we set down on a landing pad, we all stood a good chance of being blown away before we even stepped off the shuttle! And yeah, I can be rough! You have to be when lowlife slavers and pirates are trying to take you out every step of the way! I'd usually give them a chance to surrender, but eventually you can tell who's not about to go down without a fight. Sometimes time is really against you. And sometimes the safety of your men counts more than some academy grad's battlefield assessment!"
Wulger's friendly smirk faded as Hannah gave her side of her service history. She lowered her head, exhaled and continued "I was the one they sent in when everyone got tired of talking, or when the regulars were underpowered or too scared. I'll admit that part of me does get a kick out of it; otherwise I would have quit this life a long time ago…" She looked up to Wulger.
"Just be honest with me; you didn't volunteer, did you? You were volunteered. They stuck you with a filthy, troublemaking human because no one else wanted the job!"
Wulger's even tone became a bit agitated. "Shepard… I just took you all over this station. Did you see –any- other krogan officers here?"
Hannah moved her head to respond in the negative.
The krogan thrust his arms out and let them drop. "Exactly; I'm the only one! The only oversized krogan in the whole damn place and if it wasn't for my shield, I'd only be just that! I have to put up with a lot of crap as well being what I am, knowing what my people have done. I work alone because no one else here will be my partner. Probably think I'd eat them or get blood rage and tear them apart! Hell, Kessile's the one real friend I have here; the only person who's even bigger than me!"
Wulger leaned in to further make his case. He spoke more calmly "I volunteered to be your partner because I thought 'Finally! There's someone who'll understand! Someone just like me who pushes on and does their job, does what's right despite what anyone else says or thinks…' Maybe I was wrong. If so, then why be a part of the exchange program, then?"
"It's a bit complicated," explained Hannah, shifting her weight and lowering her arms "…But it has to do with family. I'm here mostly for my family."
Wulger stood up straight again "My situation is a bit complicated as well. And like you, I'm also here because of family."
Hannah reconsidered her morning at the police station. She could have been a bit more gracious, but felt the effort then would have been wasted if people were only going to be condescending. But she was no less guilty than anyone else in making a snap judgment on the elcor operator. And of momentarily assuming that Deveg Wulger, the only officer in the station that didn't have any problem with her besides the two Alliance men and the sergeant, would only live up to the stereotypical krogan, more so due to his size.
The warrior-mother shrugged in apology "…You weren't wrong, Wulger…" She then placed her hands on her hips and chuckled.
"Hmph… you dance your whole life around one kind of people and suddenly you're out in the galaxy and now it's a different beat! You promise yourself you can deal with it, but you'll surprise yourself more often with what you actually do!"
Wulger's toothy smile returned along with a throaty chuckle of his own. "Let's say we just put this morning behind us, okay? We'll chalk it up to first day jitters!"
"Good call..." agreed Hannah.
Wulger palmed open the aircar doors. Hannah took her seat on the passenger side while Wulger settled himself in front of the controls. Only after he was seated that Hannah noticed that the front seat on his side was removed and his rump actually extended to the seats in back. She said nothing, only raising an eyebrow to him. Wulger shrugged and smiled, reminding her to strap on her safety belt. "Yes, father…" she smirked in response. Wulger powered up the aircar's drive. The vehicle's doors swung downwards and shut as mass effect fields enveloped it, raising it off the ground. Slowly the aircar moved towards the main gate of the motor pool.
Wulger turned to his partner. "So, ready for your first day on the street?"
Hannah thought for a moment and answered "I'd say I was born ready… but a sucker says that just before it's born!"
Wulger tapped on the control stick. "Shepard, I think this may be the beginning of a productive partnership!"
As the aircar left the motorpool, Hannah got in one last wisecrack before the aircar hit speed:
"Why, Officer Wulger; I think I may find myself falling in like with you…"
END
Author's Notes and Thoughts:
- Hannah's head-thumping move on the batarian suspect was taken from the first thirty seconds of Nigahiga's YouTube video "How to be Emo"
- This story was largely inspired by the first few minutes of the movie RoboCop, when Officer Murphy (Peter Weller) first arrives at the police station and gets his first taste of what life is like in the Old Detroit precinct
- Actor Clancy Brown was the basis for the krogan Deveg Wulger
- Authoride – portmanteau of authorization and override; a unique biometric combination code based on an individual's DNA , heat signature and nervous system electrical pulses