…
"Heading back to Sol. Hmph. Maybe we'll get some vacation time after the mission. I'd like to see my mom and pa after we deal with that thing on Luna."-Kaiden Alenko said to Doctor Chakwas as she finished examining her scans of his L2 implant. It had been a nuisance for a long time, constantly giving him brutal headaches. Luckily, not only did it seem as if he was taking it pretty well, the doctor had good news for him.
They were both down in the Normandy's medbay, which had been their first stop after returning to the ship from the Citadel with the other crewmembers. Kaiden had had a breakdown and collapsed on the ground after a severe headache, so he went to the medbay with Chakwas to get treatment.
"Great news, Lieutenant. Seems as if your body is now finally adapting to the changes brought by the element zero."-she cheerfully said as she ran new data through her medical programs. Kaiden was left dumbfounded and surprised at this sudden revelation.
"Wait, you mean to tell me that my body as adapted now of all times? What changed?"-for Kaiden, this was truly a big moment. His biotic powers had always come at a cost, sometimes rendering him defenseless on the face of unbearable pain, but now they might just finally begin to be less of a burden on his physical and mental health. Even though he didn't show it too much, Kaiden was utterly overjoyed.
An uneasy voice came from behind him.
"Perhaps I could explain."-Liara took a step forward and silently gestured him as if greeting him. Kaiden wouldn't admit it to anyone but Shepard, but he found the asari to be quite the piece of eye candy. Her suit fit her perfectly, she had beauty without having to try and a pale blue skin he found to be particularly appealing. Plus, she was a biotic.
However, that was besides the point at this moment, so Kaiden decided to just go back to his casual self. He figured he should probably probe her for more info, so he did.
"Hey, Liara. What did you mean by that?"
"Well, I gave her some non classified data regarding your medical condition and the human-element zero coalition after your latest breakdown earlier this week. She figured she could try and help, since she owes a debt of gratitude towards the crew for harboring her from Saren's goons, and most recently, she found something very interesting…"-Chakwas said before Liara could elaborate on her sentence, earning a small stare from the asari and an approving nod as she reached the part about her gratitude.
"It was the very least I could do after your bravery back on Therum. I heard your Commander nearly died trying to save me and your frien… I mean, alien companions, got very close to meeting their demise because I needed to be carried out. I am ashamed I was no help back then, and promptly offered to return your kindness when you fell ill."-she said a bit meekly, but with an uncertain conviction to her words. She was clearly a very different kind of person from whoever Kaiden had met before.
"Why, thank you, Dr. T'soni. Could you please say what you were able to find?"-Kaiden replied giving her and Chakwas a kind smile. Both women seemed t smile back and soon, Liara had pulled her omnitool up to project a chart representing the human anatomy in front of her. Chakwas then began to explain.
"As you most likely know, asari are well known throughout the galaxy for being natural biotics. Such is a power that has eluded humans thus far, which means biotics could only be found amongst those of our people who where preemptively exposed to element zero, be it in the womb, more rarely at a very young age, or through extensive gene therapy, as is the case with the majority of races in Citadel Space. With the aid of doctor T'soni, I was able to compare the specifics of asari physiology, which are remarkably… 'compatible'… to that of humans, and further analyze your specific case."
Liara stepped up when the projection changed to a detail analysis of an L2 implant's schematics and application procedures.
"As you know, the implants in your body, which are outstandingly similar to early prototypes used by the turian military in the early 'Cabal' programs, serve to channel and amplify your ability to create and manipulate mass effect fields to serve your desired purpose. By tampering with the way your body processes the presence of element zero, the Alliance was able to create a weaponized implant and ended up creating a new kind of troops: human biotics. But the original implants were flawed, even more so then your own, so the project was scrapped in detriment of your current implant, the L2."-she said as she prepared a new image.
"Wait a second, doctor, I have an unrelated question. How come you have access to turian military records of early biotic implants?"-Kaiden asked out of sheer curiosity, which prompted Liara to respond.
"My people have always historically had a proficiency in biotic and mass effect energy manipulation. It was only logical that when a new, powerful species such as the turians entered Council Space for the first time, we would share our knowledge on the matter, specially given the context of their timely arrival."
"The Rachni Wars…"-Kaiden gently muttered as he grabbed his chin. Liara looked at him decisively and nodded.
"Precisely. I am glad you know the story. What you may not know, is that turian biotics were, and still are, ridiculously rare, outstandingly so. Out of every reported case of exposure to element zero, only a fraction of 0.01% report signs of potential biotic ability. Early salarian scientists theorized it was a side effect of their dextro protein build, but we know understand the problem to be far more deeply rooted in their genetics. But I digress. What you need to know is that all of this happened many centuries ago, and all records of this era were made public long ago after the turians joined the Council. Even though the Hierarchy protested, those of the Council found it to be wise to provide free access to these documents to new species, so they too might adapt the technology to their own people. And though many have tried, only a few, such as the volus and the batarians, have ever managed to fabricate physiologically compatible models. The quarians were on the verge of completion when the Morning War began, and since then no further research has been made… at least, none that we are aware of. I hope I have answered your question."
"Yes, thank you very much Doctor. One last detail though."-his thankful expression suddenly turned a bit more gloomier. –"Why was this technology never shared with the humans? And how come we developed biotic implants so fast?"-Kaiden asked in a mix of confusion… and anger at already knowing the most likely answer.
"Well…"-Liara hesitated as she searched for words that would not sound offensive. –"Not to be rude to you, Lieutenant, but… humanity has come across the galaxy as some sort of bully."
"What do you mean?"-Kaiden asked with an air of surprise on his face.
"Do not act so naïve, Kaiden. You know perfectly well what the doctor means."-Chakwas said as she smacked him on the head with a gentle punch. She looked at him with an air of superiority, like a teacher trying to get a stubborn child to learn something after explaining it many times over. –"After the battle of Shanxi, the whole galaxy as feared the humans. We gained a fierce reputation of being thick headed bullies with a knack for violence and disorder. Further studies of our culture and history only served to boost the other species' resolve that we are nothing but new bullies who are pampered by the Council do to how military and expansive prowess. All species, except for the krogan, who'd never had to use implants, refused to hand over the schemes. There was also not a single chance the turians would have handed over the information they had taken decades to obtain and given it to their newest, least trusted ally. And like I previously said, the rest of the species simply did not wish to improve human power in the galaxy, fearing it may grow too big and smother their own. The most adamant species to have something to say about it just so happened to be the batarians, which greatly increased animosity between their Hierarchy and our Parliament."
Liara eagerly stepped in to fill in the rest of the details.
"As for why humans were able to master biotic energy manipulation on such a short time, it's clear that not only your species as an affinity towards it, your biology is surprisingly volatile. Many salarian scientists have hypothesized great breakthroughs in modern medicine would be possible through the extensive study of human biology, but the Alliance has always intervened and prevented any bodies or civilians from being relinquished to any extraterrestrial organization or group, which as not abided well for your reputation either."
A moment of silence loomed over the room, a chilling sensation of uneasiness coursing through the three of them. They had never given much thought about it, tried avoiding the topic as much they could, but the truth was right there in front of them: allof humanity was shrouded and partaking in an immense charade, an overwhelming amount of prejudice and fear rendering even the easiest of cooperation between races into an near unavoidable impossibility. Only with the Councils intervention could the humans ever manage to strike a deal with the turians and create the ship they all flew on right now. Like it or not, it seemed the lack of comprehension between species posed a great hindrance to their full cooperative potential.
"Well then… you could cut the tension here with a knife."-Chakwas said, not in the least intimidated by etiquette or the inherent awkwardness of the situation. Aiden took the opportunity to pry for more details on his own problem, which was what had begun this conversation in the first place.
"Liara, if it is that I may call you so?"
"Yes, you may. Please, speak your mind."
"I feel as if you have both forgotten a very important detail in your ramblings."-he said, now determined to get answers.
"Oh? And what might that be?"-Chakwas asked, her motherly appearance imposing over Alenko's rashness. However, he was not dissuaded and proceeded to investigate further.
"You are still to explain why my headaches are going to disappear."
Chakwas and Liara looked surprised by his conviction. They looked at him in suspense, then exchanged a glance between themselves, and finally, Chakwas turned to her patient and said to him:
"My dear… who gave you that ridiculous idea?"