Chapter 13

Checking in

Shepard looked at the mess that Wrex left behind and shook his head. Some things never change he thought.

Glancing over at the med-bay he could see Mordin and the female chatting. Shepard decided he'd check in on his new guest.

Mordin never even looked up from his datapad, but as soon as the door to the med-bay opened the Salarian greeted him.

"Ah Shepard. Was hoping you'd come visit." Mordin seemed to be enjoying himself, the man had always been a little odd when it came to hobbies.

"Well I was hoping to meet our friend, without gunfire interrupting us." Shepard looked the female over. She looked haggard, even by Krogan standards. He clothing was in one piece, and it looked quite clean. But it didn't fit her correctly, it looked the right size, but she was so sickly. It seemed like it would slide right off.

She jumped off of the table she was resting on with surprising agility however, Krogan were always surprising when it came to physical capabilities. Walking over to her Shepard shook the hand that she offered.

"Thank you for saving my life Commander, I hope that I have a chance to return the favor."

"Don't mention it, but I feel awkward talking to you like this, I don't even know your name." Shepard replied.

"I gave my name up when I became a shaman of the female clan Commander."

"What does becoming a shaman entail?" he asked, curious.

"I let go of all of my possessions, including my name and my former clan. I had only my sisters, and they had me. I was their guide and their protector, I served as one of the chief negotiators with the male clans." She retold. "I didn't follow the same doctrines as the male shaman, but we were counterparts in most respects."

"How did you go about becoming a shaman?"

"When you wish to become a shaman, you are placed in a cave by your sisters. You are given supplies, and then the cave entrance is blocked off. You have enough food to last for seven days, after that, you'll starve."

"I can't imagine going through something like that." Shepard said.

"It was excruciating, but 10 days after I ran out of food, I clawed my way out. I made my way back to my sisters, and I became shaman."

"That's brutal, even by Krogan standards."

"Harsh, overdramatic and unnecessary waste of life, but not out of line with average Krogan traditions." Mordin commented.

"He is correct Commander, we have to prove our strength and endurance, else we fall victim to our enemies, both natural and alien."

"Still….alright." Shepard conceded. "But what made you decide to become a shaman in the first place?"

"When I had my first stillborn. When I held my dead child in my hands, I realized that I had to help my sisters cope with what I had gone through."

"Is that why you went to Maelon?"

"Yes. He promised us a cure to the Genophage. It was an opportunity that my people could not afford to miss."

"I saw his lab on Tuchunka, he didn't seem to care about his patients' wellbeing."

"We didn't learn that until it was too late. Maelon meant well, but his methods were extreme." She said sadly. "When we escaped, we were so weak. It's a wonder that we managed to survive as long as we did. Eventually an STG team found us, and that's how I ended up on Sur'kesh."

"Well, at least they were able to keep you alive." Shepard observed.

"Yes, and now I have a chance to bring a cure to the entire Krogan people, I'm appreciative of this opportunity." She said, nodding.

The female hopped back on the table, looking ready to fall asleep.

"Well, I need to talk to Mordin, I leave you to rest up." He said, smiling encouragingly.

"Very well Commander, I haven't had much experience with talking to humans. I look forward to meeting more."

Turing away Shepard walked over to Mordin, the scientist was talking aloud softly.

"Hmm, yes yes, that might work….no wait, can't combine those gene sequences, causes mutations in newborns…" he murmured.

"Any idea where to start Mordin?"

"Some idea Shepard, Maelon's data thorough, will be a significant aid in curing Genophage."

"So it was the right idea to save the data?" Shepard inquired.

"Absolutely, Maelon's data, years of work. Gives us a significant time boost, would be extremely difficult to create cure without it. More than likely would be impossible before too much time had passed. Reapers advancing too quickly."

"That's for sure." Shepard agreed. "But does it justify what Maelon was doing?"

"Maelon's tests horrible, but would not be able to create cure without his data, not justified, but still needed." Mordin replied, not looking him in the eyes.

"What about Maelon?" Shepard asked.

"Would kill him now if he was here, unless he could make himself useful." Mordin spat, scowling.

Shepard didn't doubt it, Mordin had nearly killed Maelon on Tuchunka when the squad had investigated his lab. "Have you heard from him since we raided the lab?"

Mordin paused for a moment. "No. Requested STG find him, but little success. Maelon still knows STG tactics." He reported.

Mordin took a deep breath. "With Reaper invasion; unlikely he will be found."

"Well, there are more pressing issues than Maelon."

"Yes, of course. Still would like to kill him. Closure. But this task far more important."

"You can say that again." Shepard agreed. "The end of the Genophage, I never thought it would happen in my lifetime."

"Indeed. Quite exciting."

"Mordin, back when we were going after the collectors you defended the Genophage to the death, you said it was in place for the best reason. Do you still think the same way?" Shepard asked after a pause.

"Yes. At the time Genophage was the best decision, Krogan were great threat to galaxy and didn't have a leader at all. Nothing close to one who wanted peace either." Mordin said with conviction. "Reapers posed new variable. Threat of galactic extinction if Genophage not cured; best decision for galaxy is to cure Genophage for the galaxy."

"And you're the best person in the galaxy to make that happen." Shepard affirmed.

Mordin didn't say anything at first. "Getting old Shepard, have seen many things in my life." The Salarian sounded almost pensive. "Genophage modification project, Collector Crisis, Reaper invasion, and now Genophage cure. Have done many things, changed many lives. Would like to change something for the better, just once."

"You helped me stop the Collectors; that was a good change wasn't it?" Shepard asked, surprised.

"Yes, but it was your mission, your command. Genophage modification was my work, cure is my responsibility."

"Your responsibility eh?"

Mordin nodded. "Had to be me, someone else would have gotten it wrong."

Shepard cracked his neck. "Well, what will you do after it's all over?"

"Hmm. Will fight against Reapers of course, but after that, will retire. Go somewhere sunny, maybe a beach. Will walk in the evenings, collect seashells." Mordin smiled.

He always likes sunny places Shepard thought. "A beach? Mordin you'd go crazy inside of an hour."

Mordin smiled again and looked back to his work. "Might run tests on the sea shells."

"Well, I've got to go Mordin, but keep me posted about the cure."

"Will do Shepard, will be here with Eve if you need me."

"Eve?" Shepard asked.

"Krogan female has no name, felt one was needed. Normandy a human ship, name felt appropriate."

Shepard looked over at the woman, who was softly dozing on the bed. "Yeah, it's definitely appropriate."

(**)

Vega hummed softly as he cracked open the eggs on the side of the frying pan. He threw them into a bowl and added some cut up onions. He had no idea what kind of eggs they were, but maybe that was for the best.

Looking over his shoulder he could see the Commander talking with the Krogan woman and Doctor Solus. Another hero, Vega wondered if all of Shepard's friends were war heroes and geniuses. It certainly seemed that way.

His "companion" shifted slightly. Vega closed his eyes and sighed. He had no idea how to deal with this man, so he just fired off randomly.

"So…Prothean hunh?" he said awkwardly.

Javik gazed at him. Batarians had never bothered him, but the Prothean's four eyes made him uncomfortable. It felt like the alien was staring directly into his soul.

"Yes"

"Alright, cool. You uh…drink ever? You know, like alcohol?" he asked, looking back at the eggs, which were beginning to sizzle and harden. They smelled amazing.

"No."

Shit. Vega thought. "Cool, cool. You ever play cards? Or dice?"

"Games of chance were punishable by death in the empire." Javik replied.

Come on man. "Sounds…reasonable" Vega said awkwardly. This had gone past total awkwardness, now it was some previously unachievable level of sheer awkwardness.

"So, smoking. You ever do that?" he tried again.

"Only when my armor caught fire." Javik continued to lean on the wall nearby, not moving a muscle.

Vega forced a laugh. "Oh, heh heh, "smoking" heh, that's funny. So you're a joker then. Know any good ones?"

"No….yes." Javik said, standing up straighter.

"Give it to me." Vega asked, somewhat enthusiastically.

"The Tulomorian spy entered the enemy's camp and said to the Vanksher. "I didn't know your parnaps could glow." Javik said emotionlessly.

"Oh…uh yeah. Ha ha. That's a good one." Vega concentrated on the eggs, they were almost done; he just had to get them onto the plate and into his stomach and this awkward as hell conversation could be over and done with.

"No it isn't. I just made it up. The joke was on you, human. You will believe anything." Javik laughed then, a deep venom filled laugh.

Vega decided that the Prothean scared him. The realized that he had already been afraid of Javik.

"You two playing alright?" a voice asked from behind him.

Looking over his shoulder again he saw Commander Shepard standing there, arms folded.

"Yeah Commander, I was just crazing some of my abuela's huevos quesos, I started cooking them up and Javik decided to join me." Vega informed the officer.

"Hmm, learning about the food Javik?" Shepard asked.

"It smells terrible. I am certain that it tastes the same. This cycle does not have many foods that are palatable to me."

Vega shook his head. There isn't anyone out there that doesn't like cheese and eggs. Everyone likes cheese and eggs! Well except for that one Swedish guy but he doesn't count.

He had missed the next part of what the men had said, but he heard the last thing Javik said before the alien returned to his quarters. "I do not understand this soldier, James. He seems to want to be my friend, when he should be judging whether or not I am worthy of being a member of this crew. There are many things I do not understand about this cycle. I do not care."

That alien was one cold son of a bitch.

"I take it you haven't quite gotten used to our guest have you James?" Shepard asked casually.

"Hey Commander, if there's one thing I've learned about this ship is that you attract all sorts of interesting people." James responded smoothly.

"Oh?" Shepard raised an eyebrow.

"Well, you've got two galactic leaders, a Genophage cured Krogan woman, and an advanced Artificial intelligence just to name a few."

"You flatter me Mr. Vega." EDI's voice came over the intercom.

Vega hadn't gotten used to that either.

"You were in the marines while I was hunting down Saren and the Collectors, what did they think of me and my crew?" Shepard asked.

That…wasn't what he was expecting. Vega munched on his eggs for a moment, considering what he was going to say.

"You really want to know?"

"Yeah, it's not often that I hear about myself, not unless it's some damn news story that is." the Commander affirmed.

"Well, you were a hero. You were the first human Spectre, you represented humanity earning its place while also being our symbol for fighting the Geth. Only you weren't just a symbol, you were actually out there, hunting down the son of a bitch that had attacked out colonies." Vega began.

"It wasn't long before people started looking at you differently, you weren't just a soldier anymore; you were a true hero, someone that we all looked up to. When the Geth hit the citadel it wasn't the council fleet that saved it, it was the human fleet that saved it. And at its head it was the Normandy, your ship.

"I'm still a normal soldier James, I just did my duty."

"You did your duty, but you weren't normal, still aren't." Vega replied. "When the Collectors destroyed the first Normandy, we were stunned, there were a lot of sad faces those days. You were a role model for all of us, and it hit a lot of the guys pretty hard when they found out that you had died."

"Trust me, it wasn't an altogether pleasant experience for me either. " Shepard said, shaking his head. "What did you think when I went after the Collectors?"

"Well, the Collectors were taking thousands of us, maybe even a few million from what you said. The Alliance wasn't doing anything, so it was great to see you out there fighting them. Even though they kept coming." Vega thought back to when his squad had been wiped out. Fucking Reapers, fuck them and whoever fucking made them.

"So in general the enlisted men supported the Normandy? I know there was a push by Alliance Brass to have me brought in for working with Cerberus, they thought I was a traitor."

"For the most part, yeah. There was a lot of anger at you though." Vega was getting to another awkward moment, there were too many of them happening today.

"For what?" Shepard asked curiously.

"Consorting with aliens. In the beginning a lot of us didn't want aliens on our ships, especially one as advanced as the Normandy. It rattled more than a few when you let so many onboard. And a lot more were angered when they saw that you had an Asari girlfriend and were close friends with a Turian, two races that didn't respect ours too much."

"Wait. How was my private life public knowledge?"

"The Shadow Broker had spy cameras aboard the original Normandy and had agents follow you everywhere you went. Based on data gathered from Dr. T'Soni's archives, there were half a dozen individuals who bought information about your private life and then sold it to news outlets." EDI popped in again. "Your relationship with Dr. T'Soni was given a special article in Fornax entitled "Commander Shepard likes his ladies blue. At the time; her name was not widely known, so she was referred to as "Shepard's blue girl"

Shepard's expression was one of horror, the man couldn't even get any words out.

"Yeah, well it if makes you feel any better, any woman you dated would have gotten a lot of attention either way." Vega offered meekly.

"Remind me to go hide in a cave after the war Vega." Shepard put his face in his palm, sighing.

(**)

Udina drank deeply form the glass of wine in front of him. It had been a stressful morning and he needed the relief that the alcohol offered. It had a good strong taste, one that helped to take his mind off of the events going on around him.

Earlier he had been informed that Shepard was attempting to cure the Genophage, yet again the man was rewriting galactic history on what seemed like a whim.

Then he had to deal with a mess of reporters trying to find out what Udina was personally doing for the war effort, was he actually leading humanity? Or had he delegated that duty purely to Hackett who now had direct control over all of the Alliance forces, and had no requirement to answer to the Councilor directly.

He had assured each and every one of them that he was in fact doing everything that he could to help humanity through this dark time, but the press would have none of that. According to them, he was the worst leader in history, someone who wanted to stay up in the Citadel and get fat, all while gaining more power and ignoring the plight of his own species, which was being systematically exterminated.

Udina growled, thinking once again of Shepard. That man had made Udina's life hell since the first day that they had met. That damn soldier shot his way across the Citadel to bring him information about a rogue Spectre that was trying to exterminate humanity. Then Shepard broke out of the lockdown that Udina had put him in, after that idiot Anderson had punched him out, and saved the galaxy.

And instead of rewarding Udina for putting up with all of his bullshit, the man has endorsed Anderson as councilor. Anderson! A man with no political bones in his body!

Then he had to go and join Cerberus to fight the Collectors, yet another race trying to exterminate humanity. Udina almost blamed Shepard for this, almost.

Even now when he was in his rightful place as Councilor, Shepard didn't respect him, he couldn't order the man to do anything even though he should have been able to. He was a god damn Councilor!

Slamming his fist on the table Udina shouted. "He's an ignorant jackass who can't do what's good for him!"

A sudden chuckle made him freeze.

"Now Donnel, acting like that is no way that a man of your standing should behave."

There, standing in front of him in hologram form, was Henry Lawson.

"Hello Donnel. Just checking in." Henry said with a smile.