Chapter Eight: Who Dares, Wins
Username CosmosWiz (Eric Grimes) EG: [LOGIN][ONLINE]
Username: CoppaCop (Natalie Clay)
NC: [LOGIN][ONLINE]
10:31 EG: Hey, Nat.
10:36 EG: You there? Did you get my message?
10:36 NC: Yeah. Sorry about that. Long meeting.
10:37 EG: Oh good. I didn't want to reiterate.
10:37 NC: You were a little vague in the email. Something up?
10:38 EG: Not at all! Just figured you might need a break, away from the Citadel.
10:38 EG: Got something in mind?
10:38 NC: Well…
10:41 NC: I always want to visit India. It's where I grew up. My parents would be more than happy to see me again. My father, especially.
10:41 EG: Sounds good. I suggested avoiding taking a vacation on the Citadel. Too expensive IIRC
10:41 EG: What's he like, if you don't mind me asking?
10:42 NC: Like any other dad, really. He wanted to leave behind a better world for his child.
10:45 EG: Sounds better than *my* dad.
10:45 NC: Eric, don't sell yourself short.
10:45 EG: Geez, sorry!
10:45 NC: So why don't you come with us?
10:46 EG: Gonna be on my tour soon, remember?
10:46 NC: Oh! Well, in that case: stay safe, okay?
10:46 EG: You too. Dangerous galaxy out there.
10:46 NC: lol
10:47 NC: Don't get paranoid on me! I'll be fine.
10:47 EG: Right.
10:47 EG: welp gotta go instructor incoming! D:
10:48 NC: Be seeing you. :)
Year: 2183
Location: Rhode Island, Earth
Several months had passed by, and Eric had just completed his training as a combat engineer. It was hard, and it was frustrating, but it was worth it. Even with all the training he received, he still had a little bit of trouble seeing himself serving in the Alliance Navy. Luke did say being an engineer would be more his style, and his superiors often remarked he had high marks in his proficiency in omni-tools and understanding of Vis in comparison to his handling of firearms, but still.
After his little holiday break, Eric was sent off to Aeternitas Station, where would-be engineers like him at the time go to train. With being instructed by people he didn't know and training with peers he didn't recognize on a station in outer space, it sure made him feel rather lonely. Missing out on seeing Natalie's newborn twins Florina and Helene and not being able to get in touch with Garrett, as he was at a separate station, did not help. But at least Garrett was with him now, also having completed his training.
However, he couldn't help but have this sense of dread hanging over him. He knew the Reaper, Sovereign, would come knocking on the Citadel's door with a fleet of geth behind it and Saren as his avatar. It could happen at any moment, he realized, but at least he was there. These reassurances didn't put his mind at ease. He could only hope Natalie heeded Eric's advice about going away from the Citadel for a vacation.
He couldn't help himself imagining serving under Shepard's command, playing a role in saving the galaxy, but he also found the prospect terrifying. Life-and-death situations at every turn and killing scores of people just to reach the objective? Maybe fixing comm relays in far-out colonies would be more appealing to him.
But right now. All he could do was wait and hope for the best. Perhaps it would be best to spend some quality time with Garrett. He mentioned a party going on in the facility.
"Hey, do they have that one weird series up and running?" Eric asked.
"Which one?" Garrett replied, a little confused. "There's, like, thousands of those online."
"The one with the quarian spiders and vorcha bats! That one!" Eric answered, gesturing with his arms in a comedic fashion. "And for the life of me, I could not remember the name of that show."
Garrett's lips broke into a smile. "And thank God for that. I got some weird dreams from that show."
"Yeah, I got them, too. No thanks to you."
"How weird are we talking about here?"
"Like… weirder than yours. Weird-weird, all right? So, like I asked just earlier, do they have that show on?"
Garrett answered that with a shake of his head, which brought a little bit of relief to Eric. They were walking down the hallway in the military facility and reached the end, meeting up with a closed door. Playing a pleasing sound, the door parted opened and they stepped inside.
The room was large and circular, with the window being the entire wall. The floor they stood on was a gray carpet, blue-rimmed by the window. At the center of the room were four TVs set next to each other into a square, blue couches circling around them. Outside, it was late in the afternoon and the sun was just about ready to set behind the buildings for the night.
The other occupants were also graduates, looking to spend some time having fun before being deployed to places elsewhere. Some were chatting with their peers and friends, and others were eating and drinking their merry way. A couple grunts were playing a game, and Eric recognized these three were his old bunkmates back in Brazil. Vera had her head leaned against Melek's, and Alban Alder was quite into the game. The game they were currently playing was a sequel to Redeemer, judging by the UI and the graphics.
As Eric approached the three on the couch, Alban turned around to see him with a warm, friendly smile on his face. The game had paused by then. "Hey, Eric!" he said after giving Eric a fist bump. "Been over a year! How's it been, my friend?"
"It's, uh… it's going," Eric answered. "What about you guys?"
Melek shrugged. "Same here. I'll be heading out to my new unit soon."
"What's your unit gonna be?"
"Echo Squad of the 8th Frontier Division. Somewhere in the Atticus Traverse. What about you, Eric?"
Eric shrugged. "No idea yet."
"Alban?"
"Gonna be assigned to Sixth Fleet." It was a straightforward answer from Alban.
"Oh, cool!" Vera commented.
Eric couldn't help but find it strange they all were quite blasé about being in the military. It might just be him, though.
"Anyway, Eric, want to play with us?" Alban asked. "It won't be as fun with three of us."
Eric considered passing up on this opportunity for a moment, but he relented. "Okay," he said and joined him, sitting on the couch with a fourth controller in hand.
Melek was the first player, being Casmira the demon knight from the first game, while Alban and Vera were Rosta the exiled priest and Zita the psychic outlander respectively. Eric chose to play as Goran, a monster hunter specializing in alchemy and combat magic.
It was a good time he had, as the four traversed through an abandoned city, fighting off wave after wave of werewolves and vampires, who according to the narration, made an unusual alliance for reasons that were not clearly specified. It didn't take much for Eric to be taken out of the experience when someone placed a hand on his shoulder. Melek had paused the game as Eric turned around to, much to his surprise, see Arthur Mallon.
Everything about him was the same. Same curly blond hair, same hawkish face. What was different about him, however, was his demeanor. He was sullen like he had something on his mind.
"'Ey, Eric," he spoke. "Can we talk? Just the two of us?"
"Err, sure," Eric replied hesitantly. Garrett was just walking by and stopped as soon as he saw Arthur, eyeing him with suspicion while his former bunkmates looked on, not sure of what could happen next. "You're not… gonna make fun of me, right?"
"If you're gonna bother him over some stupid bullshit…" Garrett warned Arthur.
Arthur sighed as he rolled his eyes at Garrett. "I know, I know. You don't trust me anymore, I get it. But it's nothing like that."
Garrett crossed his arms out of skepticism. "Sure. Do what you have to do, but if I find you laying a hand on Eric…"
"Yeah. Got it," Arthur acknowledged.
Eric stood up and set aside the controller. He still wasn't sure if it was a good idea, but he figured it couldn't hurt. Hopefully. "Hey, think you can put me on AFK for a bit?"
"Sure," Melek replied and did just that.
With that, Arthur and Eric sauntered out of the lobby, just stopping at the entrance.
Eric leaned against the wall behind him, skepticism and a little bit of impatience palpable on his face. "So what's going on?"
Arthur looked down at the floor, his hands tenting between his fingers. There was an uncomfortable silence that befell them. He pressed his lips together as he took a sharp intake of breath. It was clear he had trouble finding the words. "Why is this so damn hard?" he asked, almost to himself.
"What's going on?"
"Yeah, okay…" he said to himself. He took another sharp intake. "I'm sorry for being such an ass to you, Eric. Maybe someday I can make it up to you. Don't know how, though." By the look on his face and the tone of his voice, he probably meant it.
Eric nodded with a small and appreciative smile. "The apology's enough, thanks," he said with a casual gesture of his hand.
Arthur's eyes lit up as he looked back at Eric. "Really?"
"Yeah, really."
"Okay, that's… good to hear." Arthur nodded along.
"So why the change of heart?" Eric asked, curious.
"Disciplinary action and my parents calling me out sure helped, but all in all, the decision's my own," Arthur answered. He hesitated a little. "I… I hope that's okay."
"Yeah, it sure does," Eric agreed. "Again, thanks. It's good to hear that from you."
Their conversation ended abruptly as the door parted open, and Garrett quickly stepped in with them. Eric couldn't help but notice the sudden nervous look on his boyfriend's face.
"Garrett? What's going on?" he asked. A dreadful feeling took hold of him. Something must have gone wrong. Something he wasn't looking forward to the moment he came to this universe.
"You need to get in here," Garrett exclaimed. It was difficult for him to find the words he was looking for. Or trying to wrap around whatever situation was going on. "It's all on the news. The Citadel's under attack by the geth."
Eric's heart dropped. He had to will himself into following Garrett and Arthur back to the room.
Everyone had gathered around the screens, all showing images of a space battle between two fleets. One had ships of varying sizes and shapes, most of them the sharp, angular turian vessels with the Destiny Ascension towering them. The other fleet had ships that were insect-like in appearance with tiny appendages at the front. Among them was a massive cuttlefish-like ship leading the charge, encased in a material made of a dark metal. That was a Reaper. Sovereign. He could see why the Council and everyone else would dismiss the Reaper as a geth ship.
The Citadel itself had closed off as the Reaper flew in, undeterred by the opposition before it. It was clear the Citadel forces were losing badly to the geth. Although it would be obvious Shepard would arrive on the Citadel, open it, and bring in Alliance reinforcements to turn the tide, it wasn't what made Eric worried.
The scenery had cut to a woman with predominant Asian features backing away from the crossfire between the geth and C-Sec forces, the camera following her. The woman, credited as Emily Wong, looked scared despite her efforts to stay calm. She talked about the rising casualties in wake of the attack and that C-Sec had urged the denizens to evacuate the station.
Eric tapped on his omni-tool. Natalie, this is Eric. Are you off the station? I'm worried about you, he typed. He pressed the send button, only for his omni-tool to display: ERROR! CONNECTION LOST.
Eric cursed under his breath. Of course communications would be down. That would be the first thing everybody would go after in times of war. And soon enough, the "Please Stand By" message was on the screens with the rainbow background behind it.
Everyone was scared, and nobody said anything. Some could only look up in horror while others silently wept. Eric could only remember the terror he felt when he hadn't heard from his brother and father at the time of the Boston Marathon bombing until much later in the day.
He could feel that terror, that feeling of powerlessness wash over him. If only he could…
A sudden realization came upon him as his eyes lit up. He could make a difference. He could save lives, just like his father had done. And no one would be here to stop him like his mother.
He clenched his fist and turned around, sauntering past the crowd and made his way out of the room. He could only a few steps in the hallway before someone called out, "Hey, where do you think you're going?"
He turned around and jerked as Garrett stood with his arms crossed in front of him. The door slid shut behind him, and a glance told Eric there were several people who noticed Eric walking out.
"The Citadel," Eric answered hesitantly, grasping his arm as if in shame.
"So you want to be a hero, then?"
"I just…"
It was then, much to his surprise, several other people emerged from the room. Arthur, Melek, Vera, Bristol, and Ami and Alban were all here.
"What's goin' on here?" Bristol wondered.
Garrett turned toward Bristol. "Eric wants to be a hero."
"So… you're all here to stop me, then?" Eric asked, his voice cracking a little. "Is that it?"
"Why not?" Vera asked, leaning against the wall to her right. By the tone of her voice, it was clear her question was not condescending but rather curious.
"Because…" Eric exhaled sharply. "Because as cliché as it is, it's the right thing to do."
Arthur pinched his nose and stopped himself from laughing. "Oh, right. Sorry 'bout that. Go on."
Eric paused. "It's something my f… friend told me. It's about doing the right thing, setting the right goals. Even if things would drag on with no progress in sight, we focus on the little things. They're the ones that matter, making up the big picture. They can give us purpose even when our superiors couldn't."
He sighed, tears welling up in his eyes. "And, well… my friends, Luke and Natalie, are probably on the Citadel. They have two daughters born not long ago. I couldn't get a hold of them since communications were down. I know it's dangerous going to the Citadel and stuff, but I can't—"
"You're not the only one, you know," Ami butted in. "Do you that sense of uncertainty you have, whether or not someone you care about would make it through this?"
"Yeah."
"I got that feeling too. My mother is on that station, and she's trapped somewhere over there."
"So is my aunt and uncle and my cousins," Vera added.
"And my friends," Alban said. "Well, more of my friends."
Eric didn't know what to make of this. "So what are you saying, then? You want me to sit on my ass and do nothing while the galaxy's coming to an end?"
"No, we're not." Garrett made that cheeky smile on his face.
Eric was taken aback. "What?"
Garrett walked up to him and gave him a warm kiss on the lips. "We're all here to help. That speech of yours sure helped."
Eric was speechless. There was a lump in his throat. He did not see this one coming, but he knew deep down he wanted this. "A-are you sure?"
"Yeah, probably. We'll get in trouble, that's for sure," Vera replied.
"A lot of trouble, actually. We've all been ordered to stay put," Melek added and she received a look nothing short of serious from Vera. "But it'll be so worth it."
"So what's this plan of yours, exactly?" Arthur wondered. "Got something in mind for us?"
That was when Eric hesitated for a mere second. He expected to find a ship, jump through two relays, fly to the Citadel, and hope for the best. But a plan? He'll be more likely to get them all killed. "I'll explain on the way. If you don't wanna go, I'm not stopping you."
"Okay." Garrett pressed his lips together. "Well, I'm here for you. Till the end of the line."
Eric smiled. "Thanks. Thanks, guys."
With that, Garrett nodded and followed Eric. Alban and the others trailed behind them.
"Certainty of death. Small chance of success. What're we waitin' for?" Arthur grinned to himself before catching up.
They all arrived at the hanger bay, clad in Alliance standard-issue armor and weaponry. It was risky for them to defy orders to stay put, but snatching weapons and armor from the armory? That would earn the ire of their superiors, to say the least. Should the worst come to pass, and Eric hoped it wouldn't, he doesn't think some missing equipment would matter when compared to the end of galactic civilization.
All of them were clad in camo-blue armor from neck to toe. Even with a bit of muscle Eric gained over the past year, it still felt like there was a ten-pound object weighing him down. His armor was the lightest of them all, and he only had a pistol to his name.
Hope I don't have to use this, Eric thought. He knew he was obvious, and it was a little obvious to others. His fingers had constantly tapped on his thigh.
"Don't worry; we don't have to fight anything," Garrett reassured him.
"Yeah, I hope so," he replied.
Garrett went back to inspecting each of the shuttles by the walkway they stood on by hand. Not only did he have the heaviest armor of the bunch, he also had an assault rifle and a shotgun attached to his back, both standard-issue equipment. Garrett always said he wanted to be Tanky the Tank when he was a child.
Somebody spent way too much time playing D&D, Eric thought in amusement. He did hear many weapon and armor manufacturers considered diversifying and overhauling their weaponry in light of recent geth attacks, streamlining armor designs, and upgrading said shield systems. The wonders of advancements in technology never ceased to amaze him.
Aside from Eric and the other recruits, it didn't look like there was any other soul in this well-lit hanger. There was even that fresh car smell wafting about, so that meant these things were commissioned here recently.
Bristol folded his arms in front of him, his mouth wrinkled into a frown. "Does anyone know how to fly this thing?"
An awkward silence fell among the group. Arthur brought his balled hand up to his mouth and coughed; Ami darted her eyes left and right, not uttering a word in hopes of not making it even more awkward.
"Uh, no?" Melek answered, meek and nervous.
Melek broke away from her patrolling and joined the rest. "Don't you have a plan in mind, Eric, or do you actually have any idea what we're about to do?"
"Well, yeah, but—"
"Hey!" someone called out.
Everybody turned to a man with a shaved head approaching them, his icy blue eyes making his gaze even more piercing and noticing.
"What are you all doing here?" the man in a crewman's outfit asked, somewhat demanding. Eric couldn't help but recognize his appearance and his voice. Had he forgotten that much?
Garrett crossed his arms and stepped toward the crewman, trying to come off as authoritative. That would really end well for him. "Mind telling us who are you?"
"2nd Lieutenant Steve Cortez," the man simply stated.
Eric nearly gasped, and he could have sworn that Steve and the others have noticed his reaction. Steve Cortez was in the third game, being the Normandy's shuttle pilot as well as a romance option for male Shepards. Eric really took a liking to him during his playthrough of the game. Dios, he felt really dumb.
Garrett immediately saluted, as did Ami, Alban, Bristol, Melek, and Arthur for a moment.
"Are you okay?" Steve asked Eric.
Eric nodded profusely. He followed along and saluted as well. Raised eyebrows, wide, darting eyes, and constantly flaring nostrils. Yep, he was screwed big time. "Y-yeah! Just… wasn't expecting someone of higher rank to be here. We, we uh…" Oh fuck! Shit! What to do, what to do, what to do, what am I gonna do…? Fuck me sideways.
"Sir, we're defying orders to stay put! We intend to take a shuttle and pull an improve rescue op on the Citadel!" Garrett barked at the top of his voice, neither flinching nor squirming. "It was Eric's idea and we complied with him, sir!"
"Eric?" Steve inquired with an arched eyebrow. "Which one of you is Eric?"
"That would be me, sir." Eric turned his head to his boyfriend with a seething look. "What the hell?"
"Sorry! Bit of a habit I have lately," Garrett admitted, not looking back at Eric.
"Your plan sucks," Arthur chided.
"Oh, shut up," Eric snapped, taking a glance at Arthur.
"So… what happens now, sir?" Ami asked nervously. "Are we in trouble?"
Cortez sighed deeply and leaned against the railing to his right. "A good friend of mine, Robert, on the Citadel. I couldn't get a hold of him, nor alone anyone else for that matter." A small chuckle escaped his lips. "I'm sure you all friends and relatives stuck at that place." His voice trailed off and fell silent.
"Yeah. We all do," Eric sympathized.
Cortez stood up straight. "But I'm not here to turn you in, no. I'm here to help. Does anyone else know how to fly a shuttle?"
At first, the group didn't know what to think of the lieutenant's offer. They exchanged looks before most of them struggle to come up with an answer.
"No, I don't think so," Eric admitted sheepishly. "Alban?"
"Only one training course, in fact," Alban answered. "Not entirely sure that counts."
"So you're looking for a pilot?" Steve asked, stepping forward before crossing his arms in front of him with a confident smile. "Well, I'm your man."
"Okay, so why'd you want to help us all the sudden?" Eric asked, confused and curious at the same time.
"The obvious answer is that you need a pilot, as none of you have the training," Cortez explained. "And at the time, I thought there wasn't anything I could do." His voice trailed off for a moment. "But now that you're here, maybe you've heard the Alliance is moving out to Citadel space."
"Oh, really?" Eric's eyes lit up. So Shepard had taken back control of the Citadel from Sovereign after all. Maybe there was hope after all.
"Yeah, heard it from the news."
"Okay, yeah! Cool! That makes sense!" Eric exclaimed after a taking a sharp intake. "Permission to steal a shuttle and fly to the Citadel with you?"
Cortez nodded. "Permission granted. You're not here to fight the geth, are you?"
Almost immediately, Eric shook his head, making that an affirmative no. "We're not doing that! No, we're not. I know all of us are armed, but it's only for those just-in-case situations, you know. We're here to save people."
It only took a second for Eric to freeze in his place as the rest of the group, Steve included, opened the shuttle and stepped inside. He had to wonder: what if they accidentally get in the crossfire between the geth and the other fleets? Would they have to avoid the gunfire from practically everybody? Accidents happen, and he'd rather not have everyone, including him, pay with their lives.
"Oi, you coming or what?" Bristol called out, his head poking out of the shuttle door. "This is your stupid idea, after all!"
This snapped Eric out of his thoughts. "Oh yeah, sorry!" With that, he was the last to step inside.
Username CosmosWiz (Eric Grimes) EG: [LOGIN][ONLINE]
Username: CoppaCop (Natalie Clay)
NC: [OFFLINE]
17:38 EG: If you're still at the Citadel, my friends and I are coming to help.
17:38 EG: We got someone to fly a shuttle for us. We're getting there ASAP.
17:39 EG: Stay safe, okay?
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