Additional notes at the end!
"You ready to go?"
"Sure am!"
Shepard stood by the airlock with Garrus and Miranda at either shoulder, all of them kitted out for a combat surface mission despite us only visiting the Citadel.
I was struck with how weird it felt me standing around with a group of highly trained professionals and having no weapon or anything really on my person. I felt kind of naked without a bag slung over my shoulder or a phone in my pocket, I just had my omnitool strapped to my wrist and a smile on my lips.
"You're wearing that?" Shepard said, raising a brow at my civilian attire. I'd changed out of my uniform and back into my old camp shirt and ragged jeans.
"What? I'm comfortable," I said with a shrug.
"You're not used to operating within the structure of a company are you?" said Miranda with a dry sigh.
"I haven't worn a uniform since I worked retail," I said.
Miranda opened her mouth, most likely to state uniform protocol, but Shepard cut in.
"We'll worry about it later." She said and a mischievous smile tugged at the edge of her mouth. "I'm just worried that they won't survive decontamination."
My mouth fell open and, before I could ask if she was joking, Shepard turned away and called Jacob. The Armory Officer snapped to attention and strode over.
"Set us up, Jacob," Shepard said holding her arm out to him.
"Sure thing, Commander." Jacob's omnitool blinked to life around his arm as he booted up a program, waving his hand over Shepard's.
I absently fiddled with a loose thread as I watched her omnitool blink to life. She pressed a few buttons before nodding confirmation to Jacob about whatever they were doing.
Jacob moved over to me and asked to see my omnitool next.
"What's this?" I asked as I lifted my arm and he pressed more buttons.
"Proximity detector," Jacob said.
An alert popped up on my wrist asking me to accept a software invite. I squinted at the text box, perplexed.
"Hit, 'yes'," Jacob supplied helpfully.
"What am I hitting 'yes' to?" I asked, frowning down at my omnitool.
"Like I said, proximity detector," Jacob explained. "A basic positioning program. While on the station you will stay within 30 feet of the Commander. You go any further, you're omnitool will give you a warning and alert Shepard.
I narrowed my eyes. "So, like, prisoner GPS?"
"We could set it so that if you go further than 30 feet, you get a shock," Garrus said, fiddling with the scope on his rifle. "But we'll see how we go."
I eyed my omnitool nervously. "30 feet is just under 10 metres, right?"
"That is correct, Miss Morgan," EDI piped up.
"Right." I hit accept and tucked my hands into my pockets so I wouldn't fiddle. "I can't believe you guys are still using the imperial system," I said. "Isn't there a more accurate, universal system?"
Jacob shrugged. "Force of habit, I guess." He tapped at a few more things then sent a nod to Shepard.
"Let's go," she said. The Commander stepped into the airlock followed closely by her squad, myself included.
"Hold for decontamination," said EDI and a blue light flowed into existence. A web of light swept forwards and back, checking us over for any dangerous contaminants. After just one sweep, the light shut off and the outer airlock decompressed with a hiss.
I breathed an unconscious sigh of relief and Shepard looked over at me.
"Glad your clothes are still on?" she said with a subtle smirk.
I felt my ears heat up. "Maybe," I replied.
She raised a brow. "You'd rather them off?"
"No!"
"Pity." She shrugged and Garrus gave a wry chuckle. I felt heat spread into my cheeks and jaw. Bloody hell.
The airlock whooshed open and I took a deep, steadying breath. This was going to be my first time off the Normandy since I arrived just over a week ago; my first time standing on an alien station and seeing other aliens that weren't Garrus up close.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and followed the others down the walkway and out into the Citadel docking bay.
Immediately my sense were assaulted by the chaotic mess of broiling colours and voices and smells that filled the place. I stood frozen as aliens and humans ran around with data pads, shouting orders to workers and machinery. C-sec officers equipped with rifles interrogated ship captains and inspected documents.
The culture shock was real.
I felt a helpless laugh bubble up in my chest that fell weakly from my lips. A nudge at my shoulder brought me back to myself. I looked up as Garrus strode past, nodding his head at the Commander who was already hailing a transit shuttle. "C'mon, kid," he said. "Try not to fall behind."
Kid? He can call me that. He is older than me.
I hurried after him, dodging the lumbering form of a Hanar as it crossed my path.
Miranda stood waiting by the open shuttle door, Shepard having already claimed shotgun. "Get in" said Miranda, one hand on her hip. "We're wasting time."
"Yeah, yeah." Garrus waved her off and climbed into the back seat. I climbed in after him and Miranda started up the shuttle.
I stared out the window as we flew. The arms of the citadel extended out above our heads, buildings growing from their surface at physics defying angles. Everywhere I looked the Citadel teemed with activity with people scurrying around, talking and working like insects in a hive.
The sheer scale of the station could put even the biggest city back home to shame.
"How many people live here?" I asked.
"Just over 13 million," Miranda replied.
That's half the population of Australia in an area roughly the size of Brisbane City.
"I'm guessing you've never been to the Citadel before?" asked Shepard.
"Not in person," I replied. "It's an impressive sight."
"That it is."
The shuttles landed after a quick minute and we all piled out. Shepard lead the way towards processing but she didn't get far because a familiar, accented voice called from the nearby advertisement column.
"Commander Shepard. Enter the password and receive a free gift.
Kasumi. Of course.
Shepard stopped in front of the flickering image of the thief and crossed her arms over her chest. "Silence is golden," she said sounding unimpressed.
While Shepard was busy interrogating everyone's favourite thief, I shifted my gaze up to the walkway to the right where I knew she would make her appearance.
I shuffled a few steps over to get a better view and peered into the empty space, searching for that tell-tale glassy shimmer of the thief's optical camouflage. I could feel Garrus and Miranda watching me with curious eyes as I gazed up at the walkway.
Soon enough, the tell tale shift of light gave away Kasumi's arrival and I grinned up at where I guessed her face to be, wiggling my fingers in cheeky greeting.
The thief shimmered into existence, the dark gleam under her hood focused on me.
"You've got a sharp one there, Shepard," she said. "No one has ever spotted me before."
Shepard spun around, finding Kasumi standing on the maintenance grating before looking at me.
I still hadn't taken my eyes off of the thief, but I grinned a little wider when I saw Shepard's surprise out of the corner of my eye. "I'm can be exceptionally perceptive on occasion," I said to Kasumi.
"We'll see about that," Kasumi said turning her attention back to the Commander. "I'll see you back on the ship, Shepard. You look pretty silly talking to an advertisement for so long."
She walked back along the walkway, her optical camouflage once again rendering her almost invisible to the naked eye.
To my left, Shepard heaved a sigh and rubbed at her forehead. "Of course," she said, sounding resigned, before heading for C-sec processing.
My grin faltered a little as myself and the rest of the squad followed after her.
Just like in the game the officer at the door stopped Shepard from passing due to her deceased status. We were lead through to the desk area and Shepard got talking to Bailey about not being dead, leaving the rest of us to stand around and wait.
Garrus and Miranda stood nearby while I stood a little to the side. They waited patiently, trained eyes taking in their surroundings and searching for potential threats, and I just did my best to take everything in.
It's strange knowing everything about somewhere or someone and them knowing nothing about you. You already know the answers to all the questions you can ask, so you don't ask. That can be a problem because you can look antisocial and mistrustful. I needed to eliminate that barrier between the crew and me.
"You used to work for C-sec, right Garrus?" I blurted out, turning my head to look at him.
The Turian fixed me with his strange, dark eyes, mandibles twitching with what I assumed to be surprise. "I did," he said after a moment.
"Do you ever miss it?" I asked.
"No," he replied. "I definitely don't miss the red tape, but I suppose after spending so long working for them I can appreciate the work they do."
I nodded. Back home, my roommate had been studying criminal justice so she could join the police force. It always struck me as something of a noble pursuit; certainly not for the faint of heart.
Shepard stopped talking to Bailey and gave us a nod. "Alright, let's move," she said.
She led the way past the pair of Krogan arguing over fish in the Presidium to the next transit vehicle. We all piled in, Miranda again taking the wheel which, by all accounts of Shepard's bad driving, was a good thing.
This trip was significantly longer than the one previous which meant I had longer to appreciate the wonders of the Citadel. From the slope of the artificial sky to the sleek curved glass of the Presidium towers, I was in awe.
"Did they change much of the Presidium after Sovereign's attack?" I asked no one in particular as we came into view of the main tower.
"Nothing major," Garrus replied. "A few changes to layout and wiring, here and there but everything is essentially the same. Why do you ask?"
I shrugged, keeping my eyes glued to the view. "Just curious."
We landed in view of the Presidium reception desk, all of us following after a swift moving Shepard as she inquired after the human embassy. We'd walked past a few Asari already, but now I had a moment to look closer at her strange, scaled skin. Ocean blue, shining iridescent in the light, captivating. I could definitely see the attraction.
I coughed awkwardly, realising I was openly staring and distracted myself with taking in the alien perfection of the surrounding area.
The few trees in nearby garden beds looked almost artificial with how unblemished the leaves were. They were too green, the soil beneath them too clean. There were no birds chirping or insects buzzing. The air was too crisp without being fresh. It was… odd.
I wandered a few steps towards the gardens to get a better look but my omnitool gave a harsh beep that was echoed behind me.
"Where are you going?" Shepard called over her shoulder from the desk.
Startled, I spun around pointing at the garden behind me. "I was just looking at the trees," I explained.
"Well look at them later," she said walking towards the stairs leading up to the left. "I have someone to meet."
Shepard led the way up the stairs and down a corridor. We walked past a number of doors, and I barely noticed when Miranda disappeared from my peripheral vision. A few moments later, Miranda called, "Shepard," and we all turned to see her standing, arms crossed, by a door marked with the Embassy symbol.
Shepard did a double take at the door. "Ah, of course," she muttered and strode back to her second-in-command.
I raised a brow and exchanged a look with Garrus, but said nothing.
Shepard stood stiffly in front of the door for a moment. Her shoulders rose with a breath before she stepped forward, the doors wooshing open to make way.
We followed her in, interrupting Captain, or rather Councillor, Anderson and the rest of the Council.
Garrus, Miranda and I stopped at the base of the steps while Shepard stepped forward to greet them.
"Shepard!" said Anderson, moving to meet the Commander. "We were just talking about you. It's good to have you back"
"Good to see you too, Anderson."
The pair exchanged a handshake and proud, soldierly smiles. Anderson looked older, more worn, in person; like he had been chiselled from the stress of politics and war. His voice rumbled with command and precision, it was easy to see why people like him and listened to him. As for the other Council members, they looked like the originals so Shepard must have saved the Destiny Ascension during the Battle of the Citadel.
The wide, reptilian eyes of the Salarian Councillor flickered over to Shepard's companions and myself before he address Shepard. "We've heard many rumors surrounding your unexpected return. Some of them are… unsettling," he began, and their conversation went on to discuss the Collector attacks.
I was pretty sure Udina showed up during this scene. Speaking of the ambassador, I hadn't really thought about what to do with him yet. He gets indoctrinated and lets Cerberus onto the Citadel, right? Something had to be done about that. But what?
As if on queue, Udina strode through the door saying, "Anderson, we need to talk about" He cut himself short upon seeing Shepard standing by the Councilman. "Shepard! What are you doing here?"
"I'm visiting an old friend," Shepard said.
Udina's eyes flicked to Anderson. "Is that so," he said slowly.
"You sound displeased, Ambassador," Shepard said, leaning back on her heel and crossing her arms.
"Do I?"
"What did you need, Udina?" Anderson cut in.
While they spoke, I turned to Miranda, drawing the operative's attention away from the conversation at hand. "Does Udina currently have ties to Cerberus?" I asked.
"Not to my knowledge," she replied. "Why do you ask?"
I frowned. No current ties to Cerberus, and he's not yet indoctrinated. Not a lot could be done without evidence that didn't exist yet. What I didn't get was how Udina got indoctrinated in the first place. When was he exposed to Reaper tech for an extended period of time? Or was he not indoctrinated in the first place, just acting on what he thought was best?
I tuned back into the the conversation in time to hear Anderson deliver a solid burn to Udina
"How's Council life treating you, Anderson?"
Anderson huffed a laugh and said, "It's a job that needs doing, so I'll get it done."
They moved further up the balcony and out of earshot to have a more private chat while the rest of us hung around and waited. After a few minutes, Shepard shook hands with Anderson once more and returned to the squad and me. "We're done here," she said, leading the way out to the Presidium.
I sent a smile and a wave to Anderson on my way out receiving a look of pleasant confusion as he almost unconsciously waved back.
"Do you have to wave at everyone you meet?"
"It feels polite."
On our way back to the Normandy, Shepard requested we stop at some vendors to look for some new gear. I stuck close to Shepard and the others, more for fear of getting lost than because of the proximity program, as we disembarked the transit and plunged into the busy market place.
It was louder and brighter than the Docking Bay by far. Merchant haggled with customers of all races, signs flashed with different advertisements and played audio clips that overlapped with each other, fighting for attention.
A Hanar lumbered into my path and I stumbled away, backing straight into Miranda. She gave an irritated scowl and walked on leaving me feeling sheepish and overwhelmed. I closed my eyes for a moment before opening them and finding Shepard's distinct armour in a small clearing up ahead. I closed the short distance to where she and Garrus were talking while Miranda stood to the side, tapping away at her omnitool.
"If you don't mind, Shepard," Garrus was saying, "I'm going to check out that weapons vendor we passed by earlier."
Shepard nodded. "Meet back at the Normandy by 1400 hours," she said.
Garrus nodded and disappeared into the crowd.
"Anything you need, Morgan?" She asked me.
I shook my head with a shrug. "How do I pay for things?" I asked. "Do I even have money?"
"Cerberus provides you with an allowance as part of your employment," Miranda said without looking up from her screen.
"Huh."
"If you don't want to buy anything now, we can put in a requisition order for anything you need later," said Shepard.
"Alright." I bobbed my head and watched as a pack of Volus wheezed by, debating trade routes. "I think I'm good for now," I said.
"In that case, I need-" Shepard paused and looked past me, concern slowly overtaking her face. "Miranda?"
"Commander," Miranda's voice was grim as she looked up from her omnitool. "We've got a problem."
Shepard's frown deeped and dread crept into my chest."What is it?" Shepard asked.
"It's one the dossiers, Zaeed Massani," she said. "He's dead."
Holy butts I am so sorry this took so long! There was a flood (my house is fine) and a camp (it was fun) and my mum is off chemo (hooray!). Thanks to all of you who have stuck around and to all those new followers (141!) who didn't let me forget about this story. An even bigger thanks to all those reviews on that last chapter!
KrystylSky: Glad you're enjoying it! And yeah, I wanted an 'everyman' (or everywoman) story that was relatable and a bit laid back. There will be a little action eventually.
CSSisSaved: I've honestly been laughing at the Uranus joke since ME2 came out. As immature as it is, I think it's hilarious. I'll try not to make you wait too long for the next one :)
shipwreck321: lol to you too.
SchmokeyDaBear: Glad you're liking it so far! I did the no gender reveal thing on purpose as a personal style choice. I don't really like straight up character description - it feels cheap. I like it when you only get pieces of a character over time that have meaning and get stuck with you and build a full picture over the course of a story.
Toothless is best: Good to hear from you again!
Saria Skye: Thank you so much for your review! It made my day. As for love interests… I'm undecided. I think her being 19/20 for the duration of the story she's a bit too young… What do you think? Who would you pair her with?
fan-rei: Solus? I think you have the wrong Bioware game… but thanks for the review anyways!
As for bloopers (just for you SchmokeyDaBear):
Shepard: Glad you clothes are still on?
Jaime: Maybe…
Shepard: You'd rather them off?
Jaime: Only if yours go too.
Shepard: What?
Jaime: What?
I always love hearing from you guys, so leave a review and I'll give you a reply in the next chapter. If you'd like to leave more specific feedback, I'd like to know what you guys think of Jamie as a character - like or dislike? What you think she looks like? Would you like to befriend her? Etc etc...
See you next chapter for the aftermath of that news and some unexpected developments in preparation for Priority: Horizon!