A/N: Happy N7 Day, everyone! Did you miss me? Regardless, I offer my sincerest apologies for such a long delay - there's been a lot going on, and I never had much time to begin with. Also, a large portion of this chapter had to be rewritten - I was reading Mass Effect: Ascension and realised that the way I was describing the quarian people wasn't entirely correct - so I had to scap a section of this ch. and finish the book first, just to be sure. Anyway, tell me what you think about this uncharacteristically long chapter in the review section!
-agardner99
"You think you should stick with me? I guess I could try… I'll have to discuss this with the admirals."
Tali turns away, looking out into the window. "Tali, I don't know anyone here apart from you and the commander. If I get taken to the Systems Alliance, they'll put me in an orphanage, and I'll be stuck in there until the Reapers hit Earth. This way, I might even get to meet Shepard, maybe help him along." Tali turns back to me: "I don't doubt that it's a good idea, but the admiralty board might disagree. I was on a top secret mission, after all," - She looks out of the viewport - "I could try bringing it up only with auntie Raan, or maybe my father - he's an admiral,by the way - instead of the whole board. His say is almost as valid as their unanimous decision concerning this type of matter."
I smile; this is working well. far better than my eyes are though: They don't seem to be improving, and the doctor hinted that the damage might be permanent. That really shook me; I couldn't even imagine life without being able to see well - books, art - would all be lost to me. But he quickly assured me that there are ways to treat the damage. He said that when - if - I come along with them to the fleet, he might be able to fit me with a set of implants. If he has the necessary equipment there, that is. At first, dr. Zear'Thaal was a bit of an ass, but I got to know him as a rather decent person, if a rather strict one.
We entered the system that the Migrant Fleet was in the next day. The whole time, I was restrained to Sick Bay, but at least they gave me back my stuff. Tali checked up on me every few hours, but apart from those short talks, I was bored out of my mind; without being able to see much, I wasn't even able to study the room I was in, which is a shame; I would like to find out about the tech used here. Tali had to help me find a power source to charge my phone; surprisingly difficult to find a 220 watt alternating current source on a starship. Eventually, she had to make one from an old power cell.
Food was also somewhat problematic; they only had some emergency levo-amino rations, which tasted rather horrible - like fish mixed with eggplant. I freaking hate eggplant.
To sum it up, the trip was less than pleasant; not a good start to a new life in a new world, first impression and all that stuff. At last, we dock to one of the ships of the fleet. Sadly, Sick Bay has no windows, but soon after, Tali came around and told me to suit up; We're going to travel to the Rayya, one of the Flotilla's largest - and oldest - ships, to see her father. I put on the envirosuit, which I have grown used to. Beyond the door I am greeted once again by a couple marines. We are escorted to the airlock, which runs a full decontamination cycle before opening the door before us.
The interior of the ship looks - and sounds - pretty much like what I saw outside my room on the Sur'Tan: Lots of quarians talking, working or simply hurrying along somewhere - just like a busy city at rush hour. Cargo crates hung from the walls and ceiling, loosely attached with large nets. All of this I observe while Tali walks me along the halls, the two red-suited marines following closely, almost stepping on my heels. And then they say we don't trust them.
Soon after, we stop in front of a door. Tali turns to me, concern creeping into her voice: "Look, let me handle this. Just try not to talk unless asked, look smart and not… you know… well, just keep quiet." I respond, somewhat annoyed: "Tali, I know how to blend into the backdrop when required; comes in handy when someone is talking to an authoritative person." Yeah, like my old school principal.. Man, she was a pain. Tali nods, and presses a few buttons on the orange panel floating before the door. "Come in." - comes from the panel in a commanding, slightly stern voice. The door slides open, revealing a large room, slightly larger than the captains cabin on the Sur'Tan, and definitely better-lit. In the centre of the room stood a large dull-metal table, atop of which stood an open computer terminal, it's semi-opaque orange screen illuminating the room and reflecting off of the tabletop. Behind the table stood what I could only imagine is an office chair in the future. On it, facing the door, sat a quarian in a dark - red suit, his elbows resting on the armrests as his hands connected under his chin.
When he saw Tali enter, he stood up. "Tali, it's good to see you again." He said in a more relaxed tone. Tali took a few steps forward, standing closer to Rael'Zorah, replying: "Hello, father." Rael sat down again, opening something on his terminal "I got vague reports of you arriving, but not on the ship you left on... and then there's the human you brought aboard," - He points to me - " Just what happened?" Tali sat in a chair opposite the table, and told the story of how she - and I - ended up here, while I stood off in the corner.
The whole time she spoke, Rael'Zorah listened without interrupting her, only shifting in his seat from time to time. It was otherwise difficult to judge his reaction, both because of my hindered vision and the tinted visor. When Tali finished, he sat quietly for a while, thinking over what she just said. Then, he spoke: "Well, that must have been quite an adventure." He turns to me - "I guess i should thank you for saving my daughter. It's a pleasure to meet you, Alex *******. You must be rather confused as to what to do next, and frankly, I don't know what to do with you either." I look to Tali, which also glances back at me. Que the question I've been waiting for her to ask: "Actually, I was thinking I should take him along for the next mission i go to. Think about it, Father; he has no identification, no family - not even anyone to contact! Doctor Zear'Thaal and I are basically the only ones he knows here." Thanks for not mentioning the Mass Effect video game part.. "I would need your permission to allow him to travel with me to my next assignment, as well as levo-amino acid rations."
Rael'Zorah mulled over this question for a while, probably weighing the security threat I might present versus the usefulness I might provide, whatever it might be in. Then, snapping back to reality, He simply asked me: "Is this what you want, Alex'******* nar Earth?" I responded immediately, maybe even a little too fast: "Yes sir. Tali is right: until a better option arises, this would be the best course of action." The admiral turned the chair back to face the terminal, and began typing away as he spoke: "Then I shall grant this permission, and may whatever consequences follow be on you, Tali. I'm sending you the necessary documentation."
I tried my best not to exhale to sharply, but the breath i held since speaking was beginning to sting my lungs, so he probably heard it anyway. regardless, he continued typing until he finally sat back in his chair, hands folded. Tali's omni-tool lit up and pinged, visibly startling her. She brings it up and presses a few things, nodding and lowering it once more. Her father spoke up again: "Tali, I have an assignment for you while you are away; however, I would like to discuss it in private, so Alex, if you would.." He pointed with his upturned palm to the door, leaving no room for misinterpretation, so I exited, greeted by the now-familiar two red blurs, who didn't seem to acknowledge that I was even there. With nothing else to do, I leaned against the wall of the narrow hallway we were in, opposite to guards.
Awkward silence.
"So… How's life on the Flotilla?" I tried to start a conversation. More silence. "I bet you don't usually get people teleporting in from other dimensions and eras… that you know of, at least." - I smiled, the smile quickly fading away as the guards simply glancing to each other briefly and then resuming their watch. Finally, the one closest to me sighed: "Look, human, we're under orders that under no circumstances are we allowed to speak to you. So why don't you spare both of us the trouble and just be quiet, ok?" - he deadpanned. I was about to respond, when the door slid open and Tali re-emerged from the room, the door immediately sliding shut behind her and cycling to orange. "We're in luck; I don't have any active duty scheduled for at least a few days, which means we'll be staying on the Rayya for now. I'll contact the doctor once we get to the temporary quarters granted to us during the stay." She nods to the guards and sets off. I follow, the silent guards trailing behind me, making sure i don't go anywhere but where Tali leads us. We travel through more busy hallways, not much different from the ones we came through.
Finally, We stop in front of yet another door - I'm not sure how Tali could even distinguish it from the rest of the doors lining the walls of the corridor. She waves her hand in front of the panel, and the door slides up and out of sight; inside, when Tali turns on the lights, is (from what I can make out) a couple bunks, a table plus some chairs, and some other unidentifiable furniture. Also, there was a small viewport, the sight of which made me resent my condition yet again - beyond it I could see only vague gray shapes of what must be the giant fleet. "You're free to go - I'll watch him from now on." - Says Tali to the guards, who immediately leave. I sit on one of the bunks - its pretty hard, only a thin mattress between it and the metal sheet below, and no blanket - only a small pillow. Probably hypoallergenic stuffing, haha.
"Um, Tali? Is there anything to eat for me around here? I don't know 'bout you, but I'm pretty hungry." - I ask. I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday, and it was approaching midday, according to my omni-phone, which I asked Tali to set to local time a few days ago - the holodisplay had large enough numbers for me to at least make out the time. Tali sits on one of the chairs and answers: "We don't have free access to food or medical supplies on the Flotilla - they are carefully rationed out. I have access codes for levo-amino rations, so we can go down to the shuttle bay and get some." I respond, nodding: "I guess. You should send a note to Thaal, see when he's free." Tali brings up her omni-tool and starts typing. She soon finished. "So, are you always so nervous when speaking to your father, or is it just me?" - I ask. Tali shifts in her seat: "Well, not usually, no, But he isn't exactly what i'd call a model father, either. I mean, he loves me, don't get me wrong, but he never really showed it like other dads do - the last time he gave me a hug was way before i even left for my pilgrimage, and he always had high expectations of me. He rarely had time to spend with me, always working away - for the wellbeing of the fleet, no doubt. Hell, he never even took the time off to reserve a clean room and show me his face" She set her hands on the table, folding them and laying her chin on her palms. Wow, that must have been hard for her.. "I bet he only has your best interests in mind though; he probably-" I was cut off by Tali's omni-tool bleeping - the doctor must have responded. Tali sits upright again and checks her mail. "He says he's free tomorrow around twelve. Let's go have lunch, and then.. well, I'm not sure what we should do then." I chuckle: "Well, no point in going sightseeing for me, right?" - I point out. Tali stands up and we exit the room, turning the lights out as we go.
Again, we travel through numerous hallways and elevators, making our way to the shuttle bay. I'm a little confused as to why food is dispensed there, but who am I to ask? They probably have their own reasons for it. At last, we get there, and my god is it crowded - there are people everywhere, digging through crates of stuff. I guess this is their way of trading - From what I remember, they brought any unneeded things here and everyone just takes what they need, returning it once they're done. What an interesting way to share... It is surprisingly quiet considering the amount of quarians present, though. Tali doesn't lead us into the crowd, but rather along the sides of the room to the far corner, where a line of people stand, waiting for their turn to receive supplies from the man behind the desk. each one would present him with something on their omni-tool and the male quarian would hand them a container, which I assume contains meds, food and other necessary things. We line up, and I have time to listen in to some of the conversations happening around me, though only a few were loud enough for my phone's translator to pick up. A couple of quarians standing in front of in the que, discussing my arrival, apparently unaware of my presence…
"I said it once and I'll say it again: having a human on board is a bad idea! we already did that
once, on the Idenna, and remember what happened then? an entire squad of human terrorists boarded and slaughtered over twenty of our people!" the other one vigorously shook his head: "Yes, but this one isn't a fugitive from Cerberus - if you remember, that was the only reason that happened. anyway, Admiral Zorah's daughter brought him, and I'm sure she wouldn't do it if she thought he was a security threat." The first on folded his arms and looked away: "Yeah, but i still think the captain should toss him out of the airlock or something… as long as the human is on board, the whole ship is in danger." The more rational quarian responds: "You don't really mean that. besides, the Gillian Grayson incident was…" He stops when I cough loudly, bringing my fist up to my mouth - a meaningless gesture with the helmet, done mostly out of instinct, but also to bring their attention to who's behind them. They snap their heads toward me, and just as quickly turn away, remaining silent. I don't know who Gillian Grayson is, but I remember Tali saying something about Cerberus attacking the Fleet. I'm pretty sure they won't be coming after me.
Eventually, our turn to receive provisions comes, and the man behind the desk glares at me while handing Tali the box with food and other things… I'm going to be getting a lot of that here, aren't I? "Thank you." - Tali says, turning on her heels and starting back to the room, motioning for me to follow. Tali and I return to the room we were living in, setting the contents of the box out on the table. Let's see here, we have… some sealed containers - Tali's meals, I imagine, and some meds - probably antibiotics, and some containers that looked suspiciously like the food I had on board the Sur'tan. Damn it, eggplant again! I sigh, waving the box to Tali: "Guess I can't complain, considering I'm probably lucky they even had levo-amino food." Next box, I assume, contains some form of medication… Penicillium, maybe, or something more modern? "What's in here?" - I ask Tali. She looks it over: "General Purpose medi-gel. It's a form of emergency band-aid, antiseptic and tissue regeneration booster. Also helps battle infections in small doses. It's actually more of a battlefield emergency medication to treat heavy wounds. I guess they had no other human-compatible medication available." "Yeah, great thing to tell someone about to undergo surgery…" - I huff under my breath. "I'm sure you'll be fine," - says Tali reassuringly, - "the doctor wouldn't go through with it if he wasn't sure that you're safe."
Eventually, we've emptied the container and placed it under the table, both of us sitting at the table. Tali attaches one of her food-paste-tubes to the under-part of her helmet, muffled suckling noises emanating from behind her faceplate. I, on the other had, have no clue how to eat my meal without taking off my helmet. at least back on the Sur'tan, I had the whole Sick-bay to myself, freely removing my suit at will. Here, I'm not sure if I can do that; aboard the Rayya, some quarians walked around suit-less, not fearing a hull breach or a virulent disease on board one of the Flotilla's oldest ship. I haven't seen one during my stay here, but I was told there were some reckless enough to do that left. And I'm pretty sure this room isn't airtight. I draw Tali's attention: "Tali? I've, uh, got a question. I can't take off my mask here, right? So just how am I supposed to eat this?" Tali stops consuming the contents of her tube, and replies, tilting her head to one side: "Well… I hadn't thought of that… the only thing I can think of is using one of the clean - rooms, or maybe a decontamination chamber. Maybe we could fix that later though." I roll my eyes. Seriously?
After Tali Finished her meal, we made our way to the decontamination chamber, which was conveniently placed only a short walk from where we were. It felt rather awkward, standing in a small empty room eating crap-for-food and having Tali leaning against a wall, patiently waiting. I finished as fast as I could, making sure nothing was left in the package - I don't want to get hungry any time soon if I have to go through this ordeal for every meal. Once that was done, I re-sealed my helmet and we ran a full decontamination cycle before returning to the room.
I need to discuss something with Tali, before It's too late.