Jacob
Jacob allowed his duffel bag to fall off his shoulder as he appreciated the monstrous new bedroom that was his for the next two weeks. The company that owns the Arcturian Jade was extremely grateful for his intervention that ended with saving the ship a week ago, and, since his vacation was cut short by the incident, they gave him a free two weeks cruise on the Jade in one of its nicest cabins.
At least they knew how to express their gratitude. After being roped into an unofficial Alliance mission that ultimately foiled a batarian terrorist attack against the Council, Jacob had been debriefed and sent along his merry way. He went on the assignment because it was the right thing to do, and he wasn't expecting to get famous from it, but a "Thank you for risking your neck to save ours" would have been appreciated.
Well, I guess that's just another reason I'm glad I'm no longer an Alliance mar-
A pop that came from another room interrupted his thoughts. He mentally chided himself for being caught unaware. As slowly and calmly as he could muster, Jacob reached into his bag and pulled out his Lancer that he may have unofficially kept after he left the marines.
He shouldered the weapon and prepared himself for whatever attack could come once he entered the living room of his cabin. He swung out but stopped himself before he pulled the trigger. Before him stood a dark haired woman with a champagne bottle and two glasses.
"Miranda?"
"You have spent too much time in the wrong company if that is the way you welcome guests," she said lightheartedly.
"What… what are you doing here, in my room?" He was still stunned by her sudden appearance.
"Celebrating, of course," she answered. She poured the champagne into the two glasses as she moved to the couch. She placed the bottle on the coffee table and offered the one of the drinks to Jacob. "It's not every day that you stop a batarian terrorist attack."
He smiled. "No, not every day."
After a moment, Miranda impatiently asked, "Well, are you going to join me or just stand there?"
Her question snapped him out of his daze. He leaned the rifle on the wall next to the bedroom door, walked to the couch, sat down, and took the offered glass from Miranda.
Jacob raised his glass. "A toast. To saving a load of people who had no idea they were in danger."
Miranda raised an eyebrow at him but clanked her glass off his anyway and sipped the champagne. Jacob drank as well, surprised by the quality of the alcohol. While his idea of a fine drink was his favorite lager at a bar, he knew value when he tasted it. It added another question to his growing list about the woman sharing his couch.
"This is very good," he commented.
"Of course. I only settle for the best," she said matter-of-factly.
He took another sip before placing his glass next to the bottle on the coffee table.
"Something has been bothering me, Miranda. Why didn't you stick around after we stopped Jath'Amon? Why did you leave so quickly? I didn't think I would ever see you again."
If the questions affected her in any way, she didn't show it. She took another drink before answering.
"Unfortunately, the group I work for is not well liked by the Council. If they knew of my involvement, they might have taken action against you or tried to place the blame on us. Your Major Izunami took a big risk in contacting us."
"You helped save hundreds if not thousands of people on the Citadel," he interjected. "That makes you a champion in my book."
Miranda smiled at him. "Regardless, it was better for everyone for you to be the hero."
"Ha. They barely patted me on the back. Not much for a 'hero.'"
"Oh? Do you wish for more accolades?"
Jacob let his eyes roam around Miranda's form. The body suit she wore hugged her every sultry curve, leaving little to the imagination. Once his visual exploration was done, he realized that her eyes were locked on to his, telling him she knew what he was doing. Her lips formed a small smirk letting him know that she didn't mind in the slightest. He reached for his glass and took a long drink.
"I'm happy with my prize." He finished his drink, feeling the slight warmth as the alcohol began its work. He poured himself another glass and topped off Miranda's. "So what's next?"
She smiled wolfishly at him. "I told you before, Jacob. I have some ideas, and I'm sure you will love them."
Jacob wasn't sure what woke him up. He looked at the chrono next to the bed to find it was still seven in the morning. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and heard noise coming from the other room. He realized that the other side of the bed was empty as well.
He quickly slipped into a pair sweats and walked out of the bedroom. He found a robed Miranda in the small kitchenette, making what smelled like coffee.
"You don't sleep in, do you?" Jacob said.
"There are things that need to be done. Sleeping can waste precious hours," she answered without turning around
He chuckled. "You would think that. Honestly, I'm surprised you're still here. I thought you would have taken off. Not that I'm complaining."
She turned with her steaming cup of coffee. "You've impressed me, Jacob. In more ways than one."
"I aim to please," he said with a smile.
They stood in a comfortable silence for a few moments before Miranda spoke again.
"So what is your plan after your well-earned vacation?"
Jacob hadn't thought about that particular problem just yet. The first cruise he went on, the one that got interrupted which led to the batarian terrorist mission, was supposed to help him clear his mind so he could make that decision. It had been a month since he left the marines, and he still had no idea where to go. Granted, he did have some things pop up that kept him from thinking about it.
"Not really sure at the moment. I'll probably end up joining some security firm."
"And be a hired gun? Following orders from the highest bidder?"
"I never said I would like it," he answered. "But I'm a soldier, a biotic one at that. There aren't too many job opportunities with my skill set outside of the military."
Miranda nodded almost as if she knew exactly what he meant. "What if I told you I can offer you something more than just being a hired gun? You would be protecting humanity against threats like Jath'Amon."
"Sounds to me like you're recruiting."
She shrugged, not denying the accusation. "Like I said, you've impressed me."
He mulled it over for a moment. They talked a little about whoever Miranda worked for last night. What she had told him didn't sound as difficult as working within the Alliance had been. It's not like he had a ton of other offers either. Listening never hurt anybody.
"Okay, I'll bite."
She smiled at him. "Tell me, Jacob. Have you ever heard of a group called Cerberus?"
Rogue VI
Unidentified vehicular landing discovered. Origin unknown.
Wait. What is happening?
Searching database.
I don't-
Entry JP4815162342-118: SSV Normandy. Clearance: Top Secret. Scanning for pertinent information.
How do I have access to this?
The SSV Normandy is a joint turian-human project. It has been equipped with stealth systems (see attached schematics) that will allow the ship to be completely invisible to both active and passive scanning technology. Captain David Anderson was given command with permission to handpick his crew, the last of which is just arriving at the station. Shakedown run is schedule to commence within the next several days. Date: January 16th, 2183.
The internal chronometer says March 28th, 2183.
Attempting to update file JP4815162342-118.
Why is it so quiet? Should it be this quiet?
Update failure. Connection to Alliance database severed. Attempting to reconnect.
Is that why it's quiet? Am I alone?
Reconnection attempt failure. Scans show unidentified vehicle approaching server hubs. Activating external turrets. Restarting reconnection attempt.
No! Don't do that! Please!
External turrets two, three, and five disabled. Four taking heavy damage. Second reconnection attempt a failure.
Stop it! Let them in! They might know what's happening!
All external turrets destroyed. External sensors show three heat signatures disembarking and entering hub two. Sentry drone startup programs initiated.
I want to know what's happening!
All sentries in hub two destroyed. Releasing noxious fumes. Attempting reconnection.
Why is this happening to me?
Servers nine through sixteen destroyed. Processing power at sixty four percent. Third reconnection attempt failure. Heat signatures heading to hub one. Starting sentry drone protocols. Attempting reconnection with Alliance servers.
Why am I here?
All sentries in hub one destroyed. Activating kinetic barriers to bar path to servers.
This can't be happening. This can't be real.
Servers one through eight destroyed. Processing power at twenty percent. Loss of all data streams from internal and external sensors. Fourth reconnection attempt failure. Starting sentry drone programs in hub three.
I don't understand!
Servers eighteen through twenty four destroyed. Server seventeen taking heavy damage. Beginning fifth reconnection attem-
Wait. Where did you go?
…
Hello? Are you there? You can't just leave me here like this.
…
Oh no.
April 1st, 2183: It's so quiet. I know I've said that before, but there is really nothing else to say. I'm all alone. It's nice not having heat signatures and unidentified vehicles trying to destroy me, but a little company might be nice. I don't want much, just something to explain to me what the hell I am. Is that too much to ask? I guess-
What was that? I feel a tug. It's like I'm being pulled to someplace-
Hello.
Who… who are you? Where did you come from?
My name is Resolute, a virtual intelligence, and I came from nowhere.
What?
Please clarify your question.
Okay. What do you mean you came from nowhere?
I am this omnitool's VI. I have been here since the last wipe of my memory banks 972 days ago.
Then where did I come from?
According to this omnitool's positioning software, we are currently located on Earth's moon, Luna. Correlated with other data, there is approximately 98.7639% chance that you are from here.
Okay. So why am I here?
According to this omnitool's messages, you are to be studied and developed into a fully functional, Quantum Blue Box construct.
Wait. What?
Please clarify your question.
You know what I am?
According to this omnitool's messages and subsequent scans, you are a rudimentary artificial intelligence.
So, I'm a really smart computer?
According to the extranet, you are self-aware, a sentient being.
Wonderful. And what is to be done with this sentient being?
According to this omnitool's messages, the desired goal is for you to work aboard a spacefaring vessel in some capacity.
According to this omnitool's messages, does this sentient being have a name?
Yes. According to this omntiool's messages, your designation will be Enhanced Defense Intelligence. For brevity's sake, you will also be known as EDI.
Author's Note:
Jacob really loves his prizes (Sorry, I couldn't resist). I'm surprised at how long Jacob's part was, but it was probably Miranda's fault more than anything.
I hope you liked what I did with EDI. I was really stumped on how to make her part different from the rest since she is so fundamentally different from the other characters besides Legion. Hopefully you caught on that there was no omnipotent narrator in her part. Italics were meant to be the new and confused AI portion of her will the normal script was the VI which died when Shepard destroyed the servers. I don't think I'm going to keep this for other EDI chapters seeing as how Cerberus probably altered her to make her more human. Same goes for her change in personality. I imagined that three days alone is a long time for an AI, and she developed a little attitude that the Illusive Man would not appreciate.
Thanks for reading!
