Disclaimer: Again, I'll say I just own my OC(s).
Hopelessly Blue: Ha ha! You're the best, man. I'm really glad you liked the chapter and all, so I'll do my best to keep a steady flow for you. Either way, I did try to keep everyone in character, especially Wrex since he's… well, he's Wrex. ;) I love making references to people or other games as well, it gives me a basis of description, you know? Anyway, I'm happy to paddle down that river as well, eh? XD
Liege Lord: Why, thank you. I do try to be unpredictable, but if I'm entirely honest, this story is starting to write itself, if you know what I mean. XP
"Let's see here…" I muttered, looking down at a squirming Ciria. I'd decided to name her after my original partner, figuring it was fitting. She had the same personality so far as well, just as energetic as my first had been. She'd already begun to grow the thick fur of the Ulaeviel as well, telling me her maturation rate was going at a healthy steady rate so far. Just in case though, I'd been giving her checkups once a week for the past three.
Luckily, the bacteria present in this 'new' galaxy were considerably less evolved than what I and my people were used to. I hadn't gotten sick at all so far and since Ciria's immune system was about as strong as a human's at the moment, I wasn't all too worried over her getting sick. By the time she matured, she'd have an immune system about as strong as me, close to a Krogan's.
"Alright, we're done." I said, putting away the scanner I'd used a moment before. She stared up at me and jumped up, her front paws leaning on my chest. I knew she could understand what I was saying; she had about the same maturity level as a 4 year-old human at the moment. I could almost see the smile on her face as she gazed up at me happily. I picked her up and she immediately curled into me, snuggling close as I exited the med-bay.
I'd been keeping up with the journal type thing, as well. Whenever I could remember something from back on Earth, I'd jot it down. So far, I had something of an encyclopedia of what that life had been. Of course, I put down my earliest memories so that once they would be replaced, I had something to read and tell me what I'd lost. I also made sure to put down as many facts and details- even descriptions- of all the games I'd ever played, though mostly, I detailed ME.
I walked across the mess hall, seeing everyone was eating breakfast, and boarded the elevator. It had been two and a half weeks since Feros and most everyone was still a little afraid of me or hated me. The only people that even tried to make nice with me were Shepard and Liara, sometimes Tali. The others just didn't talk to me. Wrex was in his own category; he didn't really care either way.
The elevator reached deck four and let me off. I walked to the CC and entered, going straight to the main table. I set Ciria down on the floor and she began to wander around, exploring the room. I looked down at a beat up set of Krogan armor that lay on the table in wonder. It looked like Wrex's family armor; we'd just finished the mission about an hour before. I picked up the note on top of it and read the short message.
Show me what you can do.
-Wrex
I smirked at the challenge, just imagining Wrex's chuckling deep voice. I put the note down on a side table and retrieved five relics from my 'stash'. I set them down on the table by the armor and picked up the precision torch.
"I'll make it so good you'll have to wear it." I muttered, smiling at the prospect of such a thing. I liked a good challenge, and the fact that Wrex was letting me tinker with his family's heirloom caused a rush of pride escalate down my spine. Then again, maybe he just wanted to have a use for the armor so he wouldn't have to just lug the stuff around wherever he went. Either way, I was glad to help him out.
…
After eight hours of working, feeding Ciria and struggling, I was interrupted by a hand on my shoulder. I instinctively tensed at the unexpected touch, but kept myself from attacking the person in reflex as I deactivated the torch. I turned to see Shepard and sat down in the chair by my table. She sat as well, taking her usual chair beside of me.
"Have a minute to talk?" she asked, as usual.
"I suppose I could take a break. What do you need?" I asked. She smiled slightly and relaxed into her chair.
"I just want to talk. I'd like to know more about you." She said. I was a little taken aback by her statement, but I remembered I did that with my Shepard in the games as well. Still, I was surprised she'd want to know about me. Of course, I was the only of my kind left…
"What do you want to know?" I asked, crossing my legs, thankful I'd recalled more from my original life.
"What are your people called?" she started.
"The Vertoak." I answered. She nodded her head slowly, her brows raised a bit.
"Cool name. What were they like?" I knew what she was getting at, so I figured I'd just tell her what I'd managed to remember so far.
"We were like a mix of various species you see nowadays. Our average lifespan being about twelve-hundred years, we learned to meditate and seek peaceful endings to problems like the asari. We had an instinctual temper though, like most Krogan, only worse; we were known as 'Wise Berserkers' to many other races because of the contradiction." I said.
"How was it that that happened?" she asked, obviously interested.
"Originally, we were smart and tactful predators, using our 'Bloodrage' to destroy others and such. After a while, we had something of a mass revelation and rose above ourselves, to become what I described earlier. Since we were so deep-rooted in instinct though, we still went into a Bloodrage when angry enough." I explained, a little surprised at how I was content in sharing such information with the Commander.
"How bad is it?" she inquired, leaning forward on her knees.
"Imagine an exploding volcano. Normally, once the rage builds up enough, our bodies transform into demonic monstrosities, unable to control ourselves in the least. There are different 'Shifts', but even the lowest can be dangerous. A warning sign is built in though, so others know when to run away." I said, lacing my fingers together.
"What's the sign?" she asked.
"As it builds, our eyes start to shift and change color. It'll grow increasingly more vivid and once they've gone completely red and glow strongly, there's no calming the victim." I said.
"Victim?" she asked.
"The Bloodrage is so powerful it can be useful when used against enemies, but it's extremely painful and straining on the body. Because of the sudden transformation and boost in power, it multiplies the damage done to itself. The higher shift you go, the worse the damage is." I clarified.
"How do you make it stop?" she wondered.
"Once we've gone into a full-out Bloodrage, there is no way to stop it. You just have to wait it out until the rage is completely spent."
"Have you ever gone through one?" Shepard asked, curious no doubt. I smiled slightly and crossed my arms in thought.
"More than I'd care to admit. The first time, I went so far I almost died, so you can imagine how bad it is. Anyway, what else did you want to know?" I asked, effectively closing the subject. She almost looked crestfallen, but held it in as she leaned back once more.
"Any other traits of your people I should know about?" she asked. I blew out a chuckle as a memory resurfaced from back then.
"We hold honor and valor very highly, though I know it's hard to believe with what I just told you. Those two things were what kept us in control of ourselves at the beginning of our rise from the monsters that we were. I'll tell you now; the mass revelation happened thousands of years before I was born. Before I was imprisoned we were even more advanced than the technology in existence right now." I subtly changed the subject before she got all sympathetic on me.
"Really? Were your people super smart or something?" she asked, a tad incredulous at my admittance.
"In your standards, I suppose you could say that, but think of it this way; you, um… say, Isaac Newton or Einstein lived for as long as I would normally. How much more advanced would your people be if it were true?" I said, getting an understanding nod from her.
"Besides, we had other species to work with as well. One of our closest friends was the Viera. They were long lived as well, but they didn't have much of a temper. I suppose the closest comparison I could put them to would be… elves. The humans still call them that right?" I asked, getting a chuckle and a nod from the commander.
"Yeah, we do. What kind of music or art did your people have, though?" ah, a culture question. I was wondering when she'd get around to that. I didn't remember much, but at least these were general questions.
"We were full of all sorts of music and art; much like humans, though we never screamed or talked in our songs…" I said, getting another chuckle from Shepard. Suddenly, I felt a tug at my pants and I looked down to see Ciria looking up at me with a 'puppy-eyes' expression. I reached down and slipped my hands around her small body and drew her into my lap where she curled up and snuggled into my lower stomach.
"Did you ever sing or play instruments?" she asked. I smiled slightly, hiding the pride I felt at the realization I could probably play a few; my father and music master had always worked me to the bone to learn such similar instruments, along with singing lessons. They said it was a tradition not to be messed with, or something. I found it strange how the human instruments and Vertoakan instruments were so similar, but I suppose it was better than not having anything in common…
"More than you would believe. If you ever want me to play something, just ask; I'm out of practice anyway." I said it before I could stop myself and as Shepard's smile grew wide and bright, I severely kicked my ass on the inside. I'm not supposed to be her friend, Goddamnit!
"I'd like that. Expect me to bring you several instruments later." She half-teased, making me hate myself more. I simply nodded in return and watched as she stood and left the room. As soon as she was gone, I let out a deep sigh and grabbed the precision torch from the table. I carefully lifted the fast asleep Ciria and set her in the chair as I stood so I could continue working on Wrex's armor.
…
After another three hours, I managed to finish Wrex's family armor. I'd had to strip it down as I had with Shepard's armor and inlay it with my relics' Solinium along with a weave of palladium for the cooling/heating system. I made the helmet retractable as well, though the shape and dimensions were hard to figure out originally. After that, I gave the inner armor an eezo booster. It was really just a concentrated and refined flow system so it could tap into Wrex's implant and magnify the power of it without damaging him or it in any way. Well, theoretically, anyway…
I signed my name inside the breastplate again and smiled at my ingenuity. Shaking myself out of it, I packed the armor back into its crate and closed it. Ciria jumped into my jacket's hood before I could leave, and started to lick the sweat from the back of my neck. I figured she just really liked the taste of my sweat and blood because she attacked every opportunity to do so when they came. Vampire pet! Yeah, never mind…
I made my way into the elevator, carrying the crate and ignoring Ciria's antics as I pushed the button for the third deck. Once there, the doors opened to reveal only Wrex, standing alone in the cargo bay. I was confused as to why everyone was gone already, but brushed it off as I approached him. He looked over to me as I neared, his expression unreadable.
"I believe I have a special delivery for Urdnot Wrex?" I said, earning a humorous grunt from him. I set the crate in front of him and opened it, letting him look down at it. It took a few moments, but soon, he reached down and pulled the armor free of its crate to hold it up. He examined it for a small while before looking back at me with a look of… satisfaction, maybe?
"You did better than I figured, Raegas. It might even be better than my current armor." He conceded, smirking as if proud of himself. I simply gave him a smirk of my own and shrugged.
"I'll let you be the judge." I said. At his confirming grunt, I turned and walked back into the elevator.
A/N: Sorry, not much action here, but I figure a small break will help things along, a bit… I guess… IDK. We need info chapters too you know! Oh, and did anyone get that FF reference? Yes, no?
Anyway, review and tell me what you think! XD
