Chapter 10:
Therum
Author's Note: Just so everyone is aware this chapter will not be canon to the games. Shepard will go and recruit Liara while Patrick and whoever remains behind stays on the ship. I have yet to think of what will happen so this chapter is written without any plans… hopefully it makes for a good read.
The Normandy was completely unlike anything Patrick had ever seen because of the machinery and the crew. Joker was probably the funniest fucking man, Patrick had ever met and as they had left Citadel, Joker's skills as a pilot matched his humor. There was also Navigator Pressly who seemed very serious about his job and Engineer Adams who Patrick had only spoken with briefly as Shepard guided him, Garrus, Wrex, and Tali around the ship. Pressly didn't seem to trust the aliens, but welcomed Patrick with open arms- so to speak. Dr. Chakwas, who Patrick already knew, had wasted no time to inquire if the Serviceman had had any more visions caused by the Prothean beacon. Patrick said 'no,' but admitted that it continued to play in his head, sometimes outside of his control. There was also the Alliance member, Jacob Walters, who resided at the bottom hull of the ship and Shepard had explained that Walters sold equipment for the Normandy crew. Wrex had complained that since they were crew it should be free, but Patrick understood why Walters charged things. Everyone had to make a living and since Walters wasn't a fighter, his only income was from his sales. (A/N: I don't know if the salesman on the Normandy had a name so I just gave him a random one.)
Out of all the places on the Normandy, Patrick chose to hang around the mess where other crew members dined and shared past adventures. Patrick found this place the most interesting because of the crew members that had invited him to join them- in the Mass Effect game they had been nothing more than nameless faces.
There were two Corporals who usually hung around the mess: Sam Jackson, a muscular blonde who had been born to a strict Alliance family, and Olivia Carter, the only girl Patrick knew who could drink more than she weighed- or so she said. Tim Carter, Olivia's younger brother, was a Serviceman like Patrick and always questioned Patrick about where he trained or other things that Patrick couldn't quite answer. He knew he was making Tim suspicious of him, but it was just another name added to the list. Kaidan sometimes stared at him as though he suspected Patrick's secret and Patrick had sworn he heard his name mentioned when the lieutenant talked to Shepard when they first boarded the Normandy.
"Honestly, Carter," Jackson was saying as he rolled his eyes at Carter, placing his cup on the mess's table. The cup was filled with water. Shepard had declared that there were to be no alcoholic drinks on board when the crew was on duty. This had raised a lot of angry mutters although no one dared to show their displeasure to Shepard's face. "I don't see what the big deal is. So what if you have to work with a couple of aliens? They should be the ones feeling awkward. They are the ones aboard the biggest fucking ship in the Alliance fleet with a bunch of humans."
"My father died in the war with the turians," Carter said simply, glaring at Jackson with sharp amber eyes. "I was fourteen. You sure as hell right I got a problem with the aliens." Carter paused and then added, "I don't mind the quarian, but the turian and the Krogan shouldn't be here. The turian is part of a mission that involves hunting down and killing another turian so he can't be trusted and the Krogan is just a time bomb. Mark my words that Krogan will turn on us eventually whether it will be on Therum or on some sunny beach planet in the Traverse."
"You're crazy," Jackson snapped before turning his attention to Patrick, "What says you Hamilton? Do ya trust the aliens?"
"I would trust any of them with my life," Patrick answered simply before standing up, his legs half asleep from sitting down for so long and listening to Jackson and Carter argue non-stop. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to stretch my legs."
Patrick bid them goodbye before heading towards the elevator and taking it down a floor, thinking about asking either Garrus or Wrex to talk about some of their most memorable adventures. Garrus was pleased to talk about the strict boundaries that C-Sec had while Wrex pretended to be annoyed whenever Patrick asked him about his past, but his black eyes seemed to glow as he told about crushing a turian's skull or snipping off the head of a Salarian. Some of his stories made Patrick wish he could pour bleach in his mind and forget all the gruesome details, but other tales of adventure never ceased to amaze him.
As the elevator doors slid open, Patrick decided that talking to Tali, the only one out of the aliens who he had not talked to in their brief flight towards Therum, would be the most beneficiary. After all, there would be plenty of other times to talk to Garrus and Wrex and hear the stories of their past adventures. Patrick knew he wouldn't be disturbing Shepard since the Commander had requested Kaidan to come to his room and the two of them had been in there for the past half hour. What they were talking about Patrick had no idea, but he prayed to whoever was watching him- after being zapped into a video game he no longer denied the existence of a god- that they weren't talking about him. He loved being a part of Shepard's crew, but he didn't want anyone talking about him behind his back. What if someone was to get suspicious?
Patrick walked off the elevator, grinning at Ashley who was cleaning some rifles and giving Garrus and Wrex a curt nod. Garrus returned the nod before examining the Normandy's Mako while Wrex just grumbled something and resumed his post glaring at anyone who dared approach him. Patrick walked towards the core that glowed blue in the dim light of the hull and nodded towards Adams before approaching Tali who glanced up at him. Whether she was looking at him or not, Patrick didn't know. All he could see were two blue orbs that were her eyes.
"Serviceman Hamilton," Tali said with a polite nod of the head, "What can I do for you?"
"Call me Patrick," Patrick said with a smile.
"Alright Patrick," Tali said before repeating, "What can I do for you?"
Patrick shrugged, "I'm just trying to get to know everyone."
Tali nodded, "I know. I heard you talking with Garrus and Wrex."
Tali paused and then added, "You're the only member of the crew other than Shepard and Engineer Adams who has talked to me. I don't think the rest of the crew trusts me."
Patrick shrugged, "I trust you. Shepard trusts you. The rest of the crew just doesn't know you yet. Give them time. After all, would the Migrant Fleet be so open to strangers?"
"I guess not," Tali sighed, "You're the only human who has ever openly talked to me about the Migrant Fleet, you know?"
"What's it like?" Patrick inquired. The quarians were probably the most mysterious out of all the species to Patrick for they were the ones he knew the least about. He knew that Krogan had the genophage unleashed onto them by the Salarians and that the Asari was the first race to discover the Citadel and sit on the Council. All he knew about the quarians was that they created the geth and he knew they had a history much more than creating a race of sentient machines that would stop at nothing from destroying humans.
"The Migrant Fleet?" Tali asked, "Our ships are much different than the Normandy. Our ships are old and have mismatched parts."
"Mismatched parts?" Patrick asked, "Wouldn't that cause the ships to malfunction?"
Tali shrugged, "Sometimes, but sometimes they are just what we need. We don't really expect much. It's how we are raised. We don't expect to live on classy ships." Tali then laughed before adding, "Ask me about a week ago if I thought I would be on the most advanced ship in the Alliance fleet and I would have said you were crazy."
"You really like ships?" Patrick observed.
"It comes with being a quarian," Tali said simply and Patrick imagined her smiling at that. Despite the hardships that the quarians faced, Tali was still proud about her species.
"I'm not much of a ship person myself," Patrick said with a smile, "Too complex for my tiny human mind."
Tali laughed, "At least you can fight."
Patrick shrugged, "I'll get better with practice."
"Then what are you good at?" Tali asked.
"Talking I guess," Patrick grinned, remembering his brief schooling as a lawyer. He was a charismatic person at heart, not like Shepard, but as a practicing lawyer he had always done well in court. He had loathed all the paperwork though.
Tali nodded and seemed to be on the verge of saying something else when Shepard's voice was heard overhead,
"We're approaching Therum is ETA ten minutes. Garrus, Wrex, suit up. Let's pay Doctor T'Soni a visit."
Patrick excused himself and headed towards the elevator; surprised that Ashley was there, holding it open for him. She grinned at him and asked, "Want to see the planet's surface?"
"Not much to see," Wrex growled as he and Garrus squeezed on the elevator beside the two humans, "Just rock and more rock."
"And lava," Garrus added as he reloaded his sniper rifle before looking into it and throwing it over his shoulder.
"Have you two ever been to Therum?" Patrick asked, glancing at Ashley who was staring at the floor, amber eyes narrowed. Patrick knew better than anyone how much Ashley loathed aliens.
"No, but I've seen vids of it while on C-Sec," Garrus said, "Not really in our jurisdiction, but our bosses wanted us to know about distant planets in Citadel space."
Patrick turned to Wrex who nodded and growled, "Once. Took out an old turian general who pissed off a couple wealthy batarians. As a mercenary, you see every planet this goddamn galaxy has to offer."
Patrick nodded and the elevator doors slid open to reveal Shepard talking with Kaidan and Navigator Pressly before turning to the new arrivals, the lieutenant right behind him. "I do believe I only requested Garrus and Wrex, but I'm glad you are up here, Chief. You too, Hamilton."
Patrick shared a glance with Ashley, glad to see he wasn't the only one confused.
Shepard seemed to sense their puzzlement because he explained, "While Garrus, Wrex, and myself attempt to locate Dr. T'Soni, Alenko offered to take you out for a little combat training. Williams, I'm sure you will be able to help him. You have more than proven yourself since arriving on the Normandy."
Ashley seemed surprised by Shepard's praise, but she merely nodded calmly and said, "Thank you, skipper."
Patrick glanced away, unable to hide the knowing smirk that was dancing on his lips. While Liara had always been a good ally to Shepard, in Patrick's games at least, Patrick had always chosen Ashley as the romance option. Patrick wondered if this Shepard would be more like his own.
Or was this a Renegade Shepard?
Patrick couldn't further this thought because Shepard had begun to lead them out of the ship and onto Therum's surface. Patrick realized he had missed the end of whatever Shepard had been saying, but all thoughts of disappointment left his mind as he took in Therum with wide blue eyes.
This was the first true alien planet Patrick had seen. Eden Prime resembled Earth- all except for the swarms of Geth- and the Citadel was just like an Earth city. Therum was something completely different: the red rock was soft underneath Patrick's boot and when he shoved his heel roughly onto it, a couple red particles floated around his ankle. The sky was a scarlet red and as Patrick leaned over some rocks, he was saw lava bubbling and snarling as it flowed over rock. Needless to say, Therum wasn't a paradise.
"Hey, you want to be burnt to a crisp?" Patrick felt Wrex shove him away from the rock, growling, 'Don't be so curious." Wrex gave him a glare before snorting, "Human."
"Easy you two," Shepard snapped, "Garrus, Wrex, let's get going. Alenko, Williams, see if you can get Hamilton to use a shotgun without blowing someone's head off."
Wrex snorted and Patrick glanced at the Krogan, realizing that for some reason unknown the alien wasn't fond of him. Patrick shrugged and glanced away. As long as he stayed out of Wrex's hair- or scales, Patrick shouldn't have to worry about the Krogan taking a shot at him. At least not while Shepard was around.
Patrick watched as Shepard hopped into the Mako with Garrus and Wrex, leaving the three humans standing underneath the Normandy's shadow. They stood in silence for a moment before Kaidan turned to Patrick and asked, "You ready?"
"For what exactly?" Patrick asked.
"Combat training," Kaidan answered simply, "Pistols are good if you are in close combat, but you can't rely on them all the time."
Patrick stared into Kaidan's brown eyes, "You use a pistol most of the time."
Ashley laughed, "He's got you there, LT."
"Yes, but I have biotics to back me up," Kaidan said simply, "Unless you aren't telling us something, Hamilton, you don't have that luxury so weapon training it is."
"Here," Kaidan continued, taking his shotgun out of its holster and giving it to Patrick whose arms bent as he felt the weight of the weapon. A shotgun was very different than a pistol and Kaidan seemed to sense this because he asked, raising an eyebrow, "You okay there, Hamilton?"
Patrick nodded and Kaidan scanned the area around them before noticing someone, giving whoever it was a curt nod. Patrick turned to see Tali, walking towards them; long fingers kneading together nervously as she explained, "I heard Navigator Pressley and Engineer Adams talking about showing Serviceman Hamilton some battle training. There is only so much you can look at on a ship and I thought- well I was hoping that…" Tali's voice trailed off.
"You can stay and watch," Patrick offered simply, "If the lieutenant doesn't have a problem with it, of course."
"If you won't get distracted," Kaidan said, nodding at the shotgun that Patrick's fingers were still curled around, "An inexperienced soldier wielding a shotgun could have dangerous results. In fact, we should be asking Tali if she's sure she wants to be around you."
"It's okay," Tali said simply, "Even on the flotilla, you meet inexperienced quarians. It's a lot more dangerous there since we are all held up in such a confined space."
"Don't you ever leave the flotilla?" Patrick inquired, generally curious. The Migrant Fleet and the quarians who resided there had always interested Patrick and he wondered if one day, he might be able to visit the group of ships that the quarians called home. Shepard hadn't in the game, but Patrick wondered if by accidentally joining his crew, they would be forced to visit the Migrant Fleet.
"Only on our Pilgrimage," Tali explained, her voice sounding generally happy and Patrick wondered if anyone other than Shepard and himself had asked the quarian about her life in the Migrant Fleet. Despite not being a part of their world, Patrick remembered everyone saying about how quarians were mysterious… unknown.
"Are we going to sit here talking or are we going to actually follow the Commander's orders?" Surprisingly this order didn't come from Kaidan, but from Ashley whose voice had an unusual edge to it. Patrick turned away, unable to hide his smirk. That sounded more like the Ashley, he knew from the game.
Kaidan nodded, "Okay, Hamilton, I want you to aim at…" Kaidan's voice trailed off as he realized there was nothing really around them… well except for the Normandy and even Patrick knew that Joker wouldn't be grateful if they started shooting up his baby.
"Rock?" Patrick offered and Kaidan shrugged,
"There's nothing else. I would prefer if you tried to shoot at something moving."
"You can stand in front of him, LT?" Ashley suggested and Kaidan shook his head,
"After the kid gets more practice maybe." Kaidan then glanced at Patrick and nodded, "Okay fire away. Aim at that rock over there." Kaidan waved towards a pile of stone and Patrick glanced at him, raising an eyebrow.
"I haven't the slightest idea as to what you pointed to, but okay," Patrick said, aiming at some rock and pulling the trigger.
Everyone was surprised at what happened next.
Kaidan shook his head in disappointment.
Ashley laughed out loud although she tried to hide it behind a hand.
Tali bent down beside Patrick who had been thrown backwards due to the force of the shot, landing on his back.
"Are you okay, Serviceman?" Tali asked.
Patrick laid there for a couple more seconds.
Okay that hurt, Patrick thought to himself. Great my first injury during this mission wasn't from Saren or the Geth. No. I had to get taken out by a shotgun.
Patrick pushed himself up, his shoulders aching slightly. The ground was much harder than it appeared at first glance.
"I'm fine," Patrick said, taking Tali's hand as she helped him up, "That thing has quite a kick."
Patrick tried to laugh and only Ashley joined him. The Chief walked towards the shotgun where Patrick had thrown it in his fit and laughed, "I guess the shotgun is out, right LT?"
"I'm almost scared to give you an assault rifle," Kaidan said, shaking his head slightly.
"Here," Ashley said, giving Patrick her sniper rifle, "Maybe heavier weapons aren't really your specialty. You're pretty deadly when it comes to a pistol so maybe you will be able to use a sniper."
Patrick took it, surprised that a weapon much larger than a shotgun was so much lighter. He placed it on his shoulder before glancing at Kaidan, "Okay, lieutenant, what do you want me to take out?"
Kaidan glanced towards Patrick and then towards a pile of rocks, nodding at a small one on top of a boulder. "See that small one? See if you can knock it off the larger one."
Patrick nodded and glanced through the lens of the sniper, surprised at how the world seemed to shake as he tried to steady his hand. Normally he was very calm around other people, it had helped during his brief practice as a lawyer, but he was very aware that everyone was staring at him. Kaidan was probably already looking at him with a disappointed glint in his amber eyes; Ashley was probably hoping that he would do better than before; Tali… who knew what the quarian was thinking behind her mask? Patrick had always found strength when he looked into the eyes of whoever he was talking to. He couldn't do that with Tali and wondered if that was why he felt so uncomfortable around the quarian.
Patrick finally got his hand to stop shaking and fired his first shot, unable to hide his grin as the rock practically jumped off the boulder. He removed his face from the lens and turned to look at his allies.
Kaidan nodded and Ashley gave him a thumbs up. Tali was the first person to talk,
"Good shot, Serviceman."
"I think he's found his two skills," Ashley added with a grin, "Don't you agree, LT?"
Kaidan nodded, "You can have my sniper, Hamilton. I've always preferred biotics and pistols to actually taking the time to aim down my enemy." Kaidan paused and then added, "Shepard will be pleased too. He has never been one for patience. He prefers to take things head on."
"How long have you been serving under the Commander?" Patrick asked.
"A couple months," Kaidan answered, sitting down on a rock and everyone followed in suit, "Not that long at all. I was assigned to the Normandy two missions before we went to Eden Prime."
"Do you like serving underneath him?" Patrick asked curiously.
"Beats doing paperwork for the Ambassador," Kaidan said and then his lips curved into a small smile, the first smile Patrick had seen the lieutenant give anyone.
"So what about you, Hamilton?" Kaidan asked, "Do you like serving under Shepard?"
Yes. I've played as him for so long that it's like a dream come true.
No. What if I ruin the plot of the game? After all, Shepard was supposed to receive the vision. Not me.
But Patrick couldn't say either of those things so he merely nodded and grinned, "Beats being a farmer."
Ashley then glanced at him, "You know whats funny? I met a lot of farmers on Eden Prime, but I just can't remember you. It was like you just showed up out of nowhere during that fight."
Patrick could feel Kaidan's eyes on him so he said simply, "Eden Prime's a big planet."
Ashley nodded, "That it is." She then sighed, "I can't believe all those people died. I've never seen so many dead civilians."
Patrick grunted in agreement, glad that their topic was moving on. He wasn't positive, but every time Kaidan looked at him, he had a sinking feeling that the lieutenant knew something about him.
Before anyone could say anything, the Normandy's airlock doors slid open and Navigator Pressly came running out, the sight of him propelling everyone to their feet, "Get in the ship, all of you!"
"Pressly, what's going on?" Ashley asked.
"Our genius of a Commander may have accidentally collapsed a whole bunch of Prothean ruins," Pressly grumbled with a roll of his eyes. "Now come on. Shepard made it quite clear that he wanted Joker there as soon as possible."
Everyone followed Pressly onto the ship and immediately headed towards the cockpit, not even bothering to take off their armor or remove their weapons.
"What's going on, Joker?" Ashley asked, "Is Shepard okay?"
"He should be," Joker said as the Normandy lifted into the air and headed towards another part of Therum.
"What's that?" Tali said and Patrick joined her as the two of them stared out one of the Normandy's many windows. There was a white shape, stuck in between two rock formations.
It took Patrick a moment, but he realized what it was.
"Joker," Patrick exclaimed, "It's the Mako!"
"Shit Commander," Joker said with a roll of his eyes, "Why can't you leave anything close to you?"
"Get me low enough and I'll get in the Mako," Kaidan said, "I'll meet you at the landing zone after you pick up the Commander."
"I'm sorry, Alenko, but Shepard would have my skin if I sent you alone," Joker said with a shake of his head, "Especially since we know there are geth here."
"The Commander probably cleared them out," Kaidan argued.
"I'll go with the lieutenant," Patrick offered, surprising even himself.
"Can you drive a Mako?" Kaidan asked.
"Er… no," Patrick said with a small smile, "But I can cover you."
Kaidan glanced at Joker, "Good enough for you?"
Joker sighed, "Okay. I'm going to take us down fast so be ready."
Patrick and Kaidan nodded and headed the airlock, bracing themselves against the wall as Joker dropped them down nearly a hundred feet in two seconds. Kaidan glanced at Patrick, "Ever jump out of a ship before, Hamilton?"
"No," Patrick grinned, "But there's a first time for every time."
"Okay, you two. I'm opening the airlock doors. Be prepared to jump." Joker's voice sounded from over head and sure enough the airlock doors slid open.
Without even thinking about what he was doing, Patrick followed Kaidan's lead and stepped out of the plane, nothing catching him.
The sense of freefall only lasted for about ten seconds before Patrick felt solid ground underneath his feet, but his stomach had still lurched slightly. Patrick could feel his face pale and focused on the Mako in hopes of avoiding Kaidan.
"Okay, Hamilton," Kaidan said, "Let's get in."
Patrick obeyed and awkwardly climbed into the Mako, sitting down in the copilot's chair while Kaidan got behind the wheel. "Hold on, Hamilton. This might get a little rocky."
Patrick braced himself and Kaidan hit the gas, propelling the Mako forward. Patrick clung to his seat, closing his eyes slightly. He had gone racing before, with friends from high school, but even the fastest car Patrick knew couldn't compare to the speed of the Mako as it roared, heading towards the landing zone where moments before Patrick had been practicing shooting with Kaidan and the others. It was odd. In Patrick's eyes, that moment with his new friends had felt like hours ago.
As they approached the landing site, the Normandy was already there, hovering over the ground. Patrick wondered how Kaidan was going to get them aboard when the lieutenant hit a button, causing the Mako to fly briefly and roll roughly into the Normandy's garage. Patrick felt himself lurch out of the seat and onto the floor, wondering how many times he would fall before the day was over.
Kaidan seemed to be thinking the same thing because he laughed, his laugh low and rough, "You okay, Hamilton? It seems like you are taking quite a beating today."
"I'm fine," Patrick answered as the two of them climbed out of the Mako, Engineer Adams waiting outside for them.
"The Commander has asked everyone to meet in the debriefing room," Adams said simply before walking back to his post.
"That was short," Patrick observed.
"Adams has never been much of a talker," Kaidan explained, "Come on. We best not keep Shepard waiting."
The two of them headed up in the elevator and within two minutes were standing in front of Shepard who had just finished introducing Liara to Ashley and Tali.
Shepard turned as Patrick and Kaidan walked in before turning back to Liara and explaining, "These two fine gentlemen are Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko and Serviceman Patrick Hamilton. Alenko, Hamilton, this is Dr. Liara T'Soni."
Kaidan nodded at Liara and Patrick stepped forward to shake the Asari's hand. Her grip was smooth and completely alien, but he liked it. No human hand could be as soft… no matter how much lotion they used.
"I was just telling Liara about your vision, Hamilton," Shepard explained, "And about the Reapers."
"I'm a Prothean expert," Liara explained unnecessarily, but Patrick listened patiently. After all, how was she to know that he already knew exactly who she was? "That's what I was doing on Therum."
"Consider me your test subject," Patrick said with a grin before realizing what he said. True in the game Liara had joked with Shepard about him being a test subject, but this Liara just looked confused. "Wait that didn't come out right."
Liara nodded, "I'll enjoy talking with you, Serviceman Hamilton."
"Call me Patrick," Patrick said simply.
"Okay… Patrick," Liara said before turning back to Shepard, "Commander, if it's alright with you, I'd like to rest for a little bit."
Shepard nodded, "Take all the time you need, Liara. We'll take later. The rest of you, dismissed."
Patrick left, walking with the others down to the mess where they all took a seat.
"So what was Therum like?" Patrick instantly asked, once everyone was sitting down.
"Rock, rock, and more rock," Wrex growled simply while Garrus added,
"The Prothean ruin was interesting."
"You're interested in the Protheans?" Patrick asked surprised. He didn't know Garrus even knew anything about the Protheans.
"A little, not as much as the Doctor," Garrus said simply.
"Speaking of the Doctor," Wrex added, "She thought we were a hallucination. It was quite amusing to see an Asari so lost."
"She's a child," Tali said.
Kaidan glanced at Tali and asked, "How old is she?"
"One hundred and six," Tali answered and Kaidan blinked in surprised,
"I wouldn't consider that a child."
"It is. In Asari years," Wrex growled, "Like Krogan, Asari live for awhile."
"So how old are you Wrex?" Patrick asked interested.
"None of your damn business, Hamilton," Wrex growled.
"That old, huh?" Patrick laughed and Ashley joined him, but she was the only one. Everyone else seemed to notice Wrex's annoyance towards Patrick. The Serviceman had hoped to lighten things up with the Krogan, but it appeared that things had only gotten worse.
"If you excuse me," Kaidan said, standing up, "I want a few words with the Commander."
"I'll be going too," Garrus said, following Kaidan's lead, "I want to make sure you two didn't damage the Mako all that badly with your rough landing."
Soon everyone left and Patrick sat alone, thinking about everything.
What was happening in the real world? Patrick thought to himself as he pictured his father and siblings out looking for him. I've been here for what? Patrick quickly counted the days in his mind. Almost two weeks. Is time the same here as it is there?
Patrick's thoughts then turned to more urgent matters. How am I even going to get home? I can't go the same way I came. Unless there was some game called "The Real World." Patrick thought about that. So far that was the only option he saw.
Patrick was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't hear Shepard and Kaidan walk nearby. Patrick almost called out to them until he heard his name mentioned in the conversation.
"Serviceman Hamilton did well with a sniper rifle, Commander," Kaidan said, "I wouldn't trust him with a shotgun though."
"That's good," Shepard said and then paused, "I've checked over the files on Eden Prime like you asked me to, Alenko. You were right. There is no Patrick Hamilton listed as a farmer there."
Patrick felt his stomach drop and his head sway. Shit. Shit. Shit.
Kaidan paused and then said, "I've been thinking about what I said before, Commander. I think that perhaps I misjudged Hamilton. I actually think that maybe he could really help the team."
Shepard nodded, "It could always be a mistake?"
"Yes it could, Commander," Kaidan said and the two of them said there goodbyes before leaving for different parts of the ship.
Patrick felt his body relax with relief and he placed his head in his hands, sighing. Maybe things were turning around for him…
A/N: Hmm… not a big fan of this chapter, but I thought it was a nice way to get the crew interacting and everything. I'm pretty sure I made every character talk in this chapter. Anyway this is my longest chapter yet so cheers to that. Please review. It only takes a second and means a lot to me.