Now isn't this exciting? Another chapter up! I'm quite proud with myself and I'm starting to feel the fire again.
Thank you so much for your kind reviews. They have given me the motivation to continue. Truly and really.
I realize that the past few chapters all have been about getting to know the characters, etc. I think it is time to start on a plot. A real plot. I'm jumping up and down in anticipation since after this subplot I want to start on the Mass Effect 1 story line.
Finally! But of course, I will be replaying the whole game at the same time to try to be as realistic as possible. I'm a stickler for details.
Do enjoy, and review at the end if possible. I want to know your thoughts!
################################################
To say I am bored would be a dire understatement.
I cross my arms and rest them on the railing, admiring the Citadel skyline below. Even at this late hour the hover cars zoom constantly in all directions, as though the drivers have no regard for their own safety or any traffic etiquettes whatsoever. But having live here for so long I know better, the rules for transportation are complicated and aplenty, so much so that I never bothered to learn how to drive. Still, the way the bright lights flew here and there reminds me of one of those traffic videos on fast motion. It is rather pretty.
A cold draft blew and I force myself to suppress a shiver. It is a cold night and I had left my scarf inside. Not to mention this outfit gives the wind much to prey on.
A movement to my left causes me to turn slightly when I found myself being covered with a suit jacket. The strange shape and feel of the tuxedo told me I am in the company of someone that wasn't human.
"Cold night huh?" resounds the double bass of a familiar voice. My shoulders relax at the sound and I lean further out the balcony.
"It is." I reply as he adopts the same position as me on my left. A somewhat awkward silence settles between us and I shoot him a sideways glance.
I haven't spoken a word to my partner since he appeared in my apartment two weeks ago, bearing news that I already knew about. It was strange, not having his presence beside me, to guard my back, daily. But with the Elysium incident, we were both swamped with individual work, not to mention neither of us really had anything to say to each other. He thought I was acting like a coward and I could not really say or do anything to prove him wrong. So I had let it be.
"You look good tonight."
I raise an eyebrow. Chellick isn't one to be loose with his compliments, especially with the true sincerity laced within his voice. I glance to my right at the reflection in the tall dark glass window and wonder if he was right. Next to the turian I look tiny in comparison, even with the four-inched heels that grace my feet. I am dressed in a tailored crimson gown that sparkles lovely under the dim lighting. It is a beautiful piece with a halter neckline and an extremely low back that loops just to end right above my tailbone. My hair is done up in an elaborate up-do that allows tresses to frame my face while my makeup is left simple, but classy. I won't lie, I am proud with how well I cleaned up tonight.
My gaze then shifts to the person next to me. It is the first time I have seen him outside his uniform. Chellick has some strange habits about what he wears and when. He usually refuses to go anywhere without his CSec armor, claiming that he has to be ready for trouble at any time of day. But now in place of the standard bulky blue armor he is dressed in black slacks, a white shirt, and a green tie that matches his wonderful eyes. I don't doubt that he would look very smart with his jacket on, the one that I am currently occupying.
"So do you."
"Are you enjoying the party?" he asks, gesturing to the door behind us.
Am I? That is a rather difficult question to answer. Someone somewhere had decided that it was a good idea to throw a party to congratulate and welcome those from Elysium and the soldiers that were involved. It was a better reason than any I suppose, and a lot of people turned up, probably just to get away from it all for a while.
I hesitate, "Well… This isn't exactly my scene." My partner shoots me a look that I could only label as incredulous. If he had a human face, he would probably be raising an eyebrow at me. "I just don't do big parties and big crowds. I can act like I enjoy them fine, but I think I would rather be at home, in bed, and not in these shoes."
"Then why are you here?" I groan in response. There is a simple four-letter word to explain this all. "Jane dragged you here didn't she? How is she doing?"
I smile softly as I nod my head. To be honest, I didn't mind coming here with her. The past three days had been somewhat strange. I still stay at our 'fathers'' place. It is a comfortable three bedrooms, two bathrooms apartment equipped with a fully furnished kitchen, dining room, living area and a training room. And since Anderson was not around often, I basically have the place to myself. I took the past three days off work, opting to spend time with Jane instead. She has been given two weeks of break before she has to return to the Alliance. I guess even War Heroes have to earn their keep.
"She's getting better." I didn't lie. Jane is getting better. But the incident on Elysium has left her scared beyond comparison. There are only so many times you can watch the people you care about die before you break. Chellick and I both know that. "I'm still worried though. I don't like how her eyes look sometimes. She is a little different now, more… ruthless. For the lack of a better word."
The turian nods his head, understanding what I mean. It happens a lot in our line of work, where an officer or soldier would come across something so bad that they lose the will to continue: the death of a family member, gang wars, losing friends in battle, the list is endless. More often than not Chellick would point out an acquaintance he used to know and explain to me their heart-breaking story. And these people all have something in common, eyes that no longer sparkle, that tell us even though they live, breathe and eat, they are dead inside.
We sit on the couch in the living room, an awkward arms length apart from each other. I am not sure where to begin, or even what to say. I glance at her stoic, expressionless face and I feel a sharp pain in my chest. Have I lost her? Yet I school my features so that I don't reveal the inner turmoil inside. The last thing she needs now is my pity or worries.
I remember that being declared a War Hero made her 'gain extra points' in Paragon mode in the game. But I've learnt that what applies in that third person shooter does not really apply here. This is as real as real can get. People get hurt, people die, and people lose the things that are important to them. It would be a stupid mistake to assume everything would go as Bioware had planned.
"I didn't kill him." Jane's voice filled the silence and I look on, giving her the time to compose herself and continue. "At least, not at first."
"The pirates hit while we were asleep. It was a well-planned attack, taking in consideration that it was the batarians behind it. They open fired at the Alliance dorms, hoping to take out most of the soldiers on paid-leave before moving on I suppose." I turn to have a better view of her face. Her eyes still remains lifeless, and her voice, so monotonous that it strikes a deep fear within me. "I was lucky, I had drank too much the night before and fell asleep on the floor instead of the beds. They aimed for the beds."
I close my eyes, trying to push away the thoughts of the blood and body matter that I know would splatter throughout the room from the assault. But still, I said nothing, willing her to continue.
"I had no choice. I tried to grab whoever I could to the floor but by the time I realized what was going on, most of them were dead. I crawled through what was left of my squad to get to our weapons and then the door." She closes her eyes, features slowly filling with pain as she recalls her dead comrades. I struggle to maintain a façade of distance. "I knew what I had to do." She continues. "So I took the precious minutes the batarians gave us to warn the Elysium civilians via radio."
Her voice turns hard, her eyes no longer holding pain but fury and weariness. "And then I went out and killed every single one of them."
I move slightly towards her, not wanting to make too much movement. Right now she is much like a frightened, injured animal that is slowly emerging out of her shell. I can't do anything to jeopardize that. She needs to get all of this out before it rips her apart inside.
I give her my hand and she takes it. Her grip was tense and strong, mine equally so. She holds on like I am the lifeline away from her dreadful memories, and I let her.
"But I didn't let them die easily. I was cruel, ruthless, unstoppable." The fear within me grew. "I let go of my control over my biotics, and it felt so good, so satisfying and exhilarating to tear them into pieces, to let their screams and blood wash over me. For once, I felt free." Her breathing quickens and her pupils dilate slightly. She is living in her memory now, words flowing without a pause. I tighten my grip, praying with all my heart that she will come out of them unscathed. "There was this one batarian, who had just finished gutting the body of an eleven year old girl. I recreated his artwork with his own body parts, ensuring that he stayed awake and alive long enough to feel every cut, every incision, every bullet and every broken bone."
Her last words come out as a whisper. A heavy stillness settles between us. Then she turns to me, coming out of her memories with tears in her eyes. "What is happening to me Sky?"
I say nothing, because I did not know what to say. Instead I wrap my arm around her and draw her into a tight hug with her head tucked underneath my chin. I kiss her crown as I feel her silent tears being absorbed into my shirt.
But still, as damaged and distraught as Jane was, she owed it to the people to attend this party, and because she didn't want to come alone, I got dragged along with her. She was quickly swept up by the crowd and fit right in amongst the Elysium citizens that were clamoring over each other to thank her. When I had left her she seemed to be enjoying a chat with another of the locals. Deeming her safe and entertained enough to get some air, I walked out.
"She'll come around. She's a very strong girl."
I nod my head thinking, 'you have no idea.' How could he when I myself momentarily forget? Over the years it has been getting more and more difficult to remind myself that I do not belong here. It is so easy to be swept away with all the action, the training, the story. It has been almost 6 years since I have seen my family and yet I still think about them every day: mom, dad, my brothers. Is time at a standstill there? Or have I died in some freak accident? Or am I stuck in a coma? I try to imagine what I would be doing now if I were there, probably in college, finishing my psychology degree.
Yet instead I am here, next to an alien who would look like the stuff nightmares to the children back home.
I shift slightly, taking in his entire form- from his six-feet tall silhouette to the mandibles around his mouth; turians always remind me of a crossbreed between an overgrown lizard and a bird. But despite their strange and unnatural shape, I still consider them weirdly attractive. Or maybe it is that age-old phenomenon of being attracted to arrogant bastards.
I sometimes wonder if coming to this world has made me a xenophile. I don't find turians or asari anymore attractive than humans, but maybe that is the problem, the fact that I can find them equally attractive. I can name several other aliens that I think are good-looking enough to bed, although I admit my experiences in that area are extremely limited.
Chellick sighs, breaking the peaceful silence that had settled between us. "I'm being reassigned." I nearly recoil in shock. "Apparently the higher ups believe that I would be more of use tackling drug and illegal trades instead of acting as a bounty hunter." His shoulders tense, adopting a stature of obvious discomfort.
After a moment of contemplation I find myself nodding slowly, trying to get used to the idea of no longer being around him. Chellick has been my friend for a very long time and is, outside of Anderson and Jane, my closet friend. There is no one I trust more to be upfront and honest with me. I sigh, cursing whatever Gods that have put me in this position. "A promotion?" I ask.
"Of sorts. They are being very vague, but there are talks of how I could someday replaced Pallin."
I raise an eyebrow to that. I have always known that Chellick has the potential for greatness. But to be in charge of C-Sec? Now that is a surprise, although a pleasant one. "Wow… Congratulations."
"Don't run before your horse to market." He quips, quoting one of my much-used Richard III lines. I stifle a laugh, shaking my head as I place a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"I'm going to miss you so much Chellick." My voice trembles slightly with enough emotion that surprises me. It is not like he is leaving to another planet. In fact, I would probably see him at least once a week. But still, who else can accept me, with all my strangeness and idiosyncrasies except for this one different turian?
He pats my hand lightly. "Don't worry Sky, I'm not going anywhere. Plus, what kind of gentleman would I be if I left you alone?"
"That is the problem though, you're not one."
"Oh don't be petty." He says, laughing slightly. Then he sobers up a little and I can tell that he feels the same.
I turn and wrap my arms around his neck. He flinches a little, still not used to being so physically close with another person. But just as I am about to let go I feel his arms circle around my waist awkwardly at first, and then tighter.
I resist the urge to smile into his shoulder, before letting go. "Oh we are such a bunch of wuss aren't we?" I push the emotions away for now. "How about we end this little drama scene and head back into the party?"
Chellick's mandibles flare in sheepish agreement. "Alright. After you." He offers his arm out and I take it, resting my forearm against his. This is a very human custom, but it is something he has grown used to after being my partner for so long. Like I said before, I am a very physical person.
As we re-entered the room we receive several strange looks. It isn't often to see a human and turian getting along so well, especially after the war. As per usual, we both ignore them all.
"Wait." I say, suddenly remembering his words. "What do you mean by you're not leaving me all alone?"
"Hmm?" he questions, briefly distracted by a very provocatively dressed asari. "Oh. Yeah, about that. I found you another partner." He lets go of my arm and I roll my eyes. Men. They never change no matter the species.
"Who?" I ask, curious.
The occupied turian mutters a name before giving me a wink and walking off in the opposite direction, following after the blue-skinned female, leaving me very much stunned and alone. The irony of the situation isn't lost on me for he had said:
"Garrus Vakarian."
################################################
Badumdumdummmm. So now Garrus gets drawn into the picture.
I am tres excited. Although I'm wondering if this should be a GarrusxOC pairing, or ShepxGarrus, or any other pairing. I quite like the idea of Thane, or even Kaiden. Let me know what you think would be best?
Also, to explain why I added that scene with Shepard (if anyone really cares to read on) I'm thinking I need to switch up her personality a little bit more. I don't think I want a 100% paragon Shepard. Again, let me know what you think?
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And I pray that you'll stay tuned for more!
Love,
Fee
xx
ps. Over 20,000 words! YAY!
