Hello everyone. My apologies about yesterday, but I fear I have bad news. My computer is broke. Yup, you heard it, broke. Apparently, the joints between the visor and the lower part of my laptop were busted due to stress and now it needs new parts directly from the producer. I'll be borrowing a friend's machintosh while I wait, so no worries about the chapters, but you might just end up finding grammar errors or letters out of place because the symbols in the keypad are all messed up when compared to a normal pc. Also, this thing only had the 2010 version of Word, and I use the 2007, so I had to get my friend to install it for me (part of the reason why I was only able to start writing at one A.M.), and there's a thunderstorm outside, and if it wasn't bad enough, this mac's battery doesn't work right, which means it ha to be plugged on all the time. Remember. Thunderstorm outside.
So anyway, sorry about that.
Once more, thank you for all your support and critics, you guys are the best!
…
Blood. It had come rushing into his mouth as he crashed to the ground, smashing his lower lip into his teeth and opening the flesh to reveal a gush of red, nauseating liquid. He felt his head was spinning. Dizzy from the fall, he tried to get up and managed to do so after only a few tries.
He looked around him and saw that the CIC was intact, which meant the fall couldn't have been too hard. Which meant the crew where probably safe. He hoped.
"Shepard!"- a familiar, distressed voice came from the haziness, a voice on which he focused on to regain control of his body. He had no difficulty whatsoever recognizing the voice. Regaining his stability and collecting his thoughts, Shepard replied:
"Yeah, I'm ok Joker. You in the pilot's seat still?"-Shepard said as he stumbled a bit while heading towards his friend, then moving at a more regular, steady pace and finally arriving near the pilot. He was clearly in pain when the Commander reached him, but his face lightened up as he saw his commanding officer get close. He was clenching his inner leg, right underneath the knee, and Shepard realized that blood was dripping from it.
"Thank goodness, you're alright…"-the pilot gleefully
"Joker, you're bleeding. We need to get you to Chakwas fast."- Shepard said, worrying for his friend. He knew about Joker's condition, and feared what would happen if a shattered bone was left untreated for too long, nevermind the fact that Joker was the only person on the ship who was trained to actually fly the Normandy. Without them, they'd be trapped on the Moon for all eternity, or until a ship arrived. In the latter case, the hostile A.I. would just steal the other ship and do with it as it saw fit. Either way, they lost, and most likely died. But Joker took priority right now, so Shepard went to pick him up and help him walk.
"Hey, hey, easy there! It's fine, everything's fine! I have leg braces, remember? The impact may have caused a few minor fractures, but the bone's still intact and this is just a flesh wound! Relax!"-Joker said, making Shepard hesitate before hauling him up anyway. –"Hey, did you not hear what I just said?!"
Shepard looked at him with the same kind of look a father gives to a whining child who refuses to see reason.
"I couldn't care less. For all I know, you're not only injured, but also the only goddamn person that can get us all out off this rock. You're getting medical attention now, even if I have to carry your ass down there myself."-Joker looked in his eye with a mix of defiance and understanding, and finally made a "tsk" sound with his tongue and tried to get up. After a bit, he got his arm around Shepard's shoulders and they both started heading to the medbay. In an attempt to lighten the mood, Joker started talking.
"You know, even though communication is down, life support isn't. I checked the console, and there's a big concentration of life signs in the emergency pods and some others scattered around the medbay, the cargo bay and lower Engineering. The others probably made it all out alive."-he said with his happy grin stamped on his face, but with an unusual, hesitant air to it.. He was clearly still very shaken by the experience, and thinking about the good possibilities was keeping him up. Shepard knew that either he tried to comfort Joker, or he'd find the pilot to be afflicted with guilt if anything happened to a fellow crewmember. He'd done that song and dance far too many times not to be familiar with it.
"Let's just focus on making it down there, flight lieutenant. One step at a time."-they both neared the galaxy map, and Shepard thought of a way too keep Joker entertained. He'd need to get his mind off of things when they went down the stairs, since it was sure to be a painful experience. –"How did you manage to pull the ship up so fast? I thought we were goners, but you managed to get us down safely."
"Yeah yeah, I'd say it was easy, but then you'd probably call me out on it later on. So no, it wasn't easy, it freaking hurt a lot, but thanks to my pristine piloting skills, a light knowledge of gravitational forces and dumb luck, neither you, nor me, are dead."-Shepard noticed his hesitation at speaking about neither of them being dead, so he decided to give him another morality boost.
"Well, us, and the rest of the crew. If you said there were life signs in the medbay, that means that Chakwas should probably already be taking care of the injured crewmembers. They'll be fine. Besides, you can finally say you're as good a pilot as you always boast to be!"- both of them laughed a bit at what he said, and they finally reached the stairs. Joker understood what that meant and looked at them with a bit of dread.
"This is going to hurt, isn't it?"-he asked, looking at Shepard seeking words of comfort, but inwardly, he already knew the answer. John knew that he knew, so he decided to just be straight forward about it.
"Probably a lot. All I can do is help distract you and say it won't last long. Does your leg hurt that much?"- Shepard asked and Joker instinctively grabbed his wound to hide it.
"It burns like hell, but like I said, it's just a flesh wound. Probably. Let's just go through with this, ok?"-Shepard smirked a bit before replying.
"Sure, let's go."
They took the first few steps. Joker's leg was filled with a sudden, intense peak of pain, rising all the way down from the bottom to his thigh. He stumbled a bit on his feet, but Shepard was there to prevent him from falling.
"Thanks, Commander. That was unpleasant."
"Don't mention it. Let's just get you to the doctor."-Joker nodded at hearing Shepard speak and moved on slower than before, fearful of another jolt of pain, but gaining more and more confidence with each step. Soon enough, they got to the lower deck, right next to the elevator.
"HEY! Anyone out there?"-Joker shouted as he gently pushed Shepard away to stand against a wall. He seemed to be bearing the pain well enough to walk on his own now. –"Doctor Chakwas? Doc? Anyone? Karin, are you there?"- Shepard was surprised that Joker knew Chakwas' first name, which she mentioned only on extremely rare occasions. Then again, it did make sense. They must have been well acquainted, if the good doctor had to treat him for Vroliks whenever a problem appeared. In hindsight, it even made sense for Joker to want to become a spaceship pilot: with only the need for small movements and no outstanding physical demands, the job was practically tailored for him.
"Any crewmembers in the vicinity, please respond! …"- Shepard and Joker waited for an answer for a while, but they heard nothing. Shepard then tugged at Joker's shoulder and spoke. –"Come on Joker, if they're not responding, that means at least one of us has to go check it out. You're badly hurt, so just stay here while I go see in what condition the medbay is."-Joker instantly raised his finger and shook his head from side to side.
"Sorry, Commander, but that's not happening. If anyone else is ok, I'll want to see it with my own two eyes. I owe Karin that much."- Shepard thought about dissuading him, but looked at Joker's decided expression and realized he was determined to seeing this through. Sighing, he replied:
"Ok, I respect and understand what you mean, so I'll let you have it your way. But this is a one time thing. Don't disobey direct orders without a damn good reason again. Ok Joker?"- the pilot then sarcastically smirked and saluted his commanding officer.
"Sir, yes sir."
…
Elsewhere, undisclosed location, unknown time
The smoke reached his nostrils and he instantly huffed it away with satisfaction. He loved the way the cigar felt on his hand and the pleasure of inhaling and exhaling the substance that composed it. But today was special.
He'd brought up a special brand, old Earth made, twenty first century cigar pack to celebrate the occasion. The package said "Marlboro" and it felt divine. Everything about it felt right. The textures, the warnings on the package, the cigar itself, it's size, scent and smoke all aligning to what was a truly memorable experience.
He sent a ring of smoke flying towards the ceiling and saw it move up steadily, dispersing gradually and leaving before his eyes only the sight of the large blue and red star in front of him. Could there be anything more human? This truly was a relic from the past, a relic from when humanity stood alone and was self sufficient, without alien races meddling into its affairs.
He took another cigar from the pack as he finished his current one and lit it up with his omnitool. At least the aliens had supplied humans with some useful tech… for a while. Then, they'd begun fearing that humanity would take its rightful place as the dominant species of the galaxy and started capping off our advantages.
But this newest discovery could change everything. He turned on the communicator that was by his side. Detecting the sudden motion, the panel he had had installed so many years ago lit up to reveal the enormous, truly vast array of operations he overlooked: the exploration of secrets, infiltration into alien communities, and finally, scientific research and advancement. He'd had troubling news about a man taking Cerberus' programs out from within, and soon discovered it to be a certain recently promoted Commander. A shame the Council had gotten to him before they did, as the man's record stated that he would have been a most valuable asset to the cause. But now that his loyalties were with the aliens, it would be troublesome to convince him of their righteousness. Truly, a waste of potential.
However, Shepard was not one to disappoint. When trying to hack into his ships' systems, their engineers and tech experts had had great difficulties. It seemed as if their network was covered in protective measures far beyond anything they'd ever seen. It had taken them three entire weeks to discover links with a security program inside the standard quarian suit, which lead him to believe that the quarian they'd previously been informed about, this Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, had more too her than met the eye.
The same went for the rest of Shepard's unorthodox crew: a turian, specially selected to enter Spectre training. He was amongst a thousand candidates, but what set him apart was that he was chosen as the prime candidate. The only problem some instructors saw was his attitude, but most ruled it off and passed him with excellence. Dropped out due to his father's demands. A potential exploit right there, if ever needed. He took another smoke.
The krogan mercenary. There was already a file on him, due to a prior involvement with him and an STG spy. He'd been hired by their association to eliminate the spy without ever knowing who it was he was truly working for. A skilled biotic, heir to a krogan tribe, exiled from his home. A true berserker and an expert with a shotgun. If need be, they could probably buy him off with enough credits and a few other eccentricities he might have.
The asari. A new find for the Commander, this one was hard to get a read on. Someone, either her, her mother, or her absent "father", had hidden her past behind a wall of security clearances, fake files and political chitter chatter. No matter. They'd get to her eventually.
The Alliance crewmembers where all already covered due to their well placed spies within the Alliance networks, but a few stood out: a certain Ashley Williams and Kaiden Alenko. He soon learned that they too were a part of Shepard's ground team. He was not surprised: the Commander clearly had a knack for spotting talent. He also figured they'd be ferociously loyal to the Alliance and Shepard, Kaiden due to his friendship with the man, and Ashley due to her family name, which she would try to redeem until the bitter end. He eagerly bit his lip when he read the rest and found a week spot. Alas, they too had exploits: loving families who were either fragile or numerous. Ripe for the picking, child's play, even.
All that they needed now was Shepard. Appealing to his sense of duty was out of the table, since the man knew and made it clear where his allegiances lied. His family was dead, safe from his mother, who was too well guarded for any conventional assassin. Besides, killing a ship captain would bring along a lot of heat now that Kahoku had been killed at the hands of that stupid cell which had started to experiment with rachni and thorian creepers. Disgusting. It revolted him to know he'd employed such incompetent nincompoops. At least they'd been dealt with by Shepard, and their intel said that the Alliance believed Cerberus to be destroyed.
What they needed was a way into the Normandy's computers. A vulnerability in the system, a small crack from which they could watch from the shadows, waiting, prowling.
Such an opportunity arose when a strange signal emitted from Luna, the Earth's moon. And with it, not only opened countless possibilities, but a new goal as well.
Obtaining all they could for themselves.
