Shepard's POV
I wandered through the city for awhile before finding an apartment building that was still intact. It was incredible how all the power still worked, it got me excited for a possible hot shower. Leave it to the protheans to build something to last. I walked down the white washed halls. Black stained a wall or two and a few skeletons of long dead protheans were there.
I finally found an apartment that was open. I closed the door behind me. I looked around at the blank walls and simple design of the apartment. I suppose art was never their strong suit. I found a blinking panel in an otherwise seemingly empty room. I touched it and It opened up to a selection menu. I touched the "box" option and a dresser of sorts popped out of the wall, with clothes in it. I found some simple black pants and a black shirt with pockets on the arms. Luckily they even looked like they would just fit. It would certainly beat my torn, ragged and singed clothes I was wearing. The pants were snug through the thighs and hips but not too bad, not even close to the skinny jeans I used to wear back on Earth. Clean clothes felt nice. I even found a small pack to carry things in.
I went back to the panel and selected the "sleep" function. The dresser folded away and a bed folded out from the opposite wall. I jumped onto it, and sighed. It felt good not to lay on the ground. I could say with confidence that sleep comfort was important to them.
I didn't mean to doze off, I didn't even realize I had been that tired. I slept soundly with only dreams of Garrus and I. They were good dreams, restful ones.
I awoke some time later, according to my Omni tool I'd slept for 14 hours. I got up and wandered around the apartment. I seen a flashing food symbol in one of the rooms. There was no way that still worked...was there? So I pressed a few buttons, selecting the manual. Apparently it used just water and radiation to reform atoms into food. So I made a selection that looked appetizing with something called "Boro" meat. By the looks of it, it was those furry chickens I'd been eating.
It was delicious, a hot meal, and the flavors were definitely unique. I almost didn't want to leave. Id definitely have to come back to the apartment, that bed was after all, worth the trip. I found the bathroom, the shower was fabulous.
I felt like a whole other person. I spent a few days resting and eating good. The local food definitely didn't digest well as the intermittent nausea continued.
I spent more and more time checking out and scavenging through the town. The nicest part was that most of the tech worked still. I was able to hack a few personal computers and search through some of the journals that folks kept. Apparently after the relay was pushed into the planet this place froze.
Some of the journals were useful and gave me information on some locations to check out. I was trying to find a garage, something with a vehicle or ship that could handle interstellar travel but so far, nothing yet.
Time passed one day at a time. I was definitely putting on weight from the having steady meals. The nausea wasn't so frequent anymore so it seemed my body was adapting to the food.
I shouted with joy as I found the personal computer from a "general Ya'ajak" from a few descriptions I could figure out a 2 block area where their local military worked out of.
It took me a couple days to discover it was not a building, it was under their 'united town hall' was the closest translation. I hacked several doors before getting down into the base's proper. The one thing that caught my eye was gems, lots of them on the floor by a machine. I picked it up, I peeled away the strange plastic coating, upon touching the gem; a scene flashed before my eyes.
The ProtheanWar. I watched first hand as someone I loved was cut down by a beam weapon. There was a scream as I ran up to her, begging for it not to be. Blood covering the womans body. I shook her but she didn't move, her eyes glassy, empty. the sobs in my chest shook my body as I cried over her lifeless body.
The room faded back in. And I dropped the gem. I looked at the machine. It stored memories in these little gems. What a cool gift it would be to give to Garrus, if I ever got to see him again, every memory and emotion I felt for him. plus they were so real it was like they were happening, so if I missed him, I could always just see him in my memories. He'd actually get to see, first hand, how much I loved him. I typed away on the screen and followed the machines prompts.
I put my hand in the machine and proceeded to think of every memory, every moment of Garrus and every moment I'd thought of him. After a moment, a chime went off. I stepped away from the machine, a little dazed, I looked at the machine curiously. I was confused and not sure exactly what I was doing in that moment. I took the pretty blue gem from the dispenser. It was the only blue one, the rest were black. It was cool looking, so I tied some wire around the gem and put it on a string around my neck. I wasn't sure what I'd been doing at the machine but the gem was really unique. I shrugged it off and continued my investigation the base.
I looked around the base hangar but all the vehicles, shuttles and ships were gone. What a pointless day. Well at least I found this cool gem...I walked all the way back to the apartment rather glum that the whole thing has been a bust. Well, there was always tomorrow. Time was one thing I had. Nothing was going to stop me from getting home though.
The next morning I went back to the general's computer and kept digging through the journal. It took a few days but I found something. He mentioned a flight base that was accessable via tram from the inner city base.
I went back to the base the very next day. I started looking for some mention of a tram. I searched everywhere but the only unaccounted for was a high security blast door. I'd tried hacking it with no luck. What I'm looking for was probably behind that very door. So again, I started a hack. After the fourth try, the bolts slid away and sure enough, inside there were signs directing to the tram. I made my way through the dirty tunnels to the tram. I threw the breaker for the tram and waited for it to power up. I poked around a bit but didn't find much of anything. I got on the tram and flipped the switch. The trip took almost an hour.
I readied my pistol. The lights were out. I looked for a power panel. After a few pyjaks scurrying about, scaring me a little, i finally found the panel. I turned on the power and everything hummed and it all started up. It must of been a experimental station by the looks of all the machines.
I looked through some of the data pads left out. I brushed the thick layer of dust from the pad. It seemed they had completed a survey ship meant for long distance trips but didn't work with the relays, they were attempting to work around it somehow. One data pad said they changed the new drive core to dark energy and mass effect based. It didn't NEED the relays anymore. The only thing I remembered about dark energy was that it had killed the sun on haestrom. So a drive core made with it was something new to me. The protheans actually harnessed it to use as energy for a drive core?
I sat and read what I could on the ship. The design it's self was elegant. Finally my curiosity got the best of me. I went in the airlock. I frowned, the ship would definitely require a full crew. A VI popped up and scanned me. It chimed "post reaper cycle, human, synthesis stage 3"
"Do you know how I can fly this ship?"
"Yes but it requires a crew of 12"
I sighed. I guess I could start building some mechs and in about 5 years be able to use them to fly it. I frowned, honestly Id been hoping for a more instant solution.
"Is the ship complete" I asked hoping I wouldn't have to try and fix something with tech i knew nothing about.
"Yes"
I was about to turn and leave when I remembered it's scan of me and questioned
"What do you mean stage three"
"Database on the Reaper weapon are locked and require a level 9 clearance"
Oh, well, at least I found the ship.
Relieved at finding a ship I headed back to the apartment, tomorrow I start looking for some mechs, a society as advanced as this has to have something related to a mech.
As I was walking back my omni tool pinged. I touched it and opened the app. It said that "Garrus", Tali and Liara were not more than a half mile east. I just shook my head at it. This synthesis must have fried the sensor. Besides I don't even know a "Garrus" let alone be someone on my team.
