Chapter 7

I could only stare in surprise as I looked at what surrounded me.

It was small.

It was cramped.

There were no windows. A single fluorescent light in the ceiling gave the only illumination and only a single ventilation duct in the upper right corner of the room recycled the air. It was essentially a janitor's closet. There was hardly room for a cot, a locker and a desk. However, that was what got me so excited. There was hardly any room for anything or anyone else.

"I know this isn't much," said Dr. Chakwas as she stood just outside the door to the room. "However, I will need you close in case of an emergency and this was the best they could do on short notice."

"This is mine?" I asked, my smile growing as I looked around the small room that was to be my new home for who knew how long. I looked at the doctor and went toward her to grab her hands. "You're not kidding, right? I have this all to myself? No crew quarters?"

"You'll have to share the ladies' bathroom," said the doctor as she started to laugh at my enthusiasm. "But yes, you will be alone in here. I am right beside you in the next room. My own room is not much bigger so you don't need to feel bad. Outside of the captain's quarters, they don't always think much for comfort when building these things but it is efficient to be right outside the medical bay."

"I don't care," I said with a smile as I released her hands and turned quickly to sit down on my tiny bed. "This is all mine. Me. By myself. No annoying snores. No sleep talking. No terrible foot odor. Just me. I'm happy."

The doctor started laughing outright at this point. She looked so happy. I think she was glad to finally be back in an environment in which she thrived. The Normandy had been home for her and being back again must have been a balm for her. Sure, it was not the original ship, but there were a couple of familiar faces she knew. I was glad I was among those new faces she liked well enough.

"Well, get comfortable and then change into your uniform. You are officially on duty as member of my medical team."

"Yes ma'am," I said as I got to my feet and offered her a proper military salute. She could only laugh even more at that before she turned and left my tiny room, the door swishing closed behind her. The moment she was gone, I looked around the room once more before I went over to the locker to pull out my uniform. Some of my personal clothing had already been placed inside but I pushed those aside to grab the out-of-place ensemble. It was similar to the doc's outfit, a black and white affair with a high collar, long sleeves, a hem line that ended to about mid-thigh, and matching black gloves. The black pants were form fitting and the black boots were standard issued. It looked great on the doc. On me though...

I nearly groaned at the thought but went on getting dressed.

I was going to be getting those looks again...

-o-

The Medical Bay on the Normandy SR-2 was like an on-the-go hospital.

It had everything state-of-the-art from surgical equipment, medication and supplies for treatment of nearly every known species, to comfortable gurneys and beds. The moment I walked into the room my eyes darted to the washing station to the right, to the equipment and beds on the far side of the room. The fluorescent lights from above gave the Medical Bay the feel of a surgical room but not anything that made it too uncomfortable. There were windows that lined the left hand side of the room; it looked out into the mess hall, the kitchen area, and the stairwell that led to the cryogenic pods that lined the corridor that led to the main battery. In front of the windows was a very long desk that gave enough room for two people to work comfortably.

Dr. Chakwas was sitting on the right hand side of the desk, looking over a data pad and occasionally moving over to type something on her console. The moment she heard my footsteps, she turned around and set her pad aside. "Ah, Moreno! Always timel-" She cut off the moment she caught sight of me and her gray eyes flicked over me before focusing on mine. "Ah- Dear... Have you always been so naturally- er- well endowed?" She caught the frown on my face and she hastily threw up her hands in a gesture of peace. "My apologies, I meant no offense. It's just that... I- I had only ever seen you in your civilian clothing and they hide much..." She hesitated, looking as if she were trying to find the words. She cleared her throat and offered a sheepish smile. "And I don't recall any of the uniforms giving that much lift..." She quirked an eyebrow when I turned to walk to the only available seat. "Or giving that much support..."

I took a seat in the chair beside hers and groaned as I slumped down, trying to hide as best I could. I had caught her gaze lingering on my behind and I knew it was bad. "I warned you doctor. My body was not meant for these clothes. I can't believe I'm saying this but I miss the good ol' days when scrubs were non-flattering and bland. Just plain old pants and a shirt of thin, rough material that hid everything and anything."

Dr. Chakwas started to laugh at that and she leaned over to give my thigh a pat. "Oh, you don't look bad Moreno. You just caught me by surprise. Stop slouching. There's no shame in being a shapely woman. Granted, there are not many shapely women around these days with better healthcare and food as in compared to your time but... there are certain people... Well, let's just say you will not want for company should you wish it. So buck up and let's get started on your new training."

"Oh geez, Hacksaw, really?" I said with an embarrassed smile, a startled giggle escaping me as I sat up a little straighter. Surprisingly, I did feel better. The woman had a knack for it. "Thanks for the pep talk."

"My pleasure," she said before she turned in her seat to grab her data pad. "Now, last we left off we were going over the respiratory system of turians..."

-o-

Studying for my nursing exams were but one of my normal routines. The fact that it was now on a state-of-the-art space ship made it a slightly difference experience. Dr. Chakwas was working me a little harder than usual. It seemed being a part of the Normandy crew was going to be an interesting experience to add under my belt. It was a guarantee that I would be helping to heal people of the non-human variety just based on Shepard's record. The doc was doing a severe rehash on all I had worked on the past year but, the goddess willing; I had retained all I had learned and then some. She was pleased with the results and was confident I would fare just fine here in the medical bay.

That didn't stop my doubts though and I kept on studying even when she was done with me and told me to take a break. I had ignored her and continued on studying my turian medical pages. She had told me twice again before finally giving up and resuming whatever work she had done before I had shown up. In all honesty, I was anxious to prove myself. Getting everything just right in regards to the health and care of this crew was essential. I couldn't afford to make a mistake. Taking a break at this point felt like a potential malpractice in the making to me.

Still, I was excited at the prospect of seeing new worlds and actually meeting the species of people I had studied about. It was going to be a new adventure in the chapter of my new life. I wasn't going to waste it by being inept at the job that I had been given...

The hours had passed since the Normandy had taken off from the station. I have to say, this ship was definitely state-of-the-art. The ride had been so smooth and there was very little noise. It didn't feel as if we were in a ship at all and that's saying something. I continued on studying while the doc worked on whatever charts she had handy. Once in a while, she would ask me a random question about one of the topics we had covered and I would respond in turn with little hesitation, the answer being what she was looking for. I had not noticed the surprised and slightly curious glances she had given me at those times at first but when I did, she would simply smile and go back to work.

It was some time after that Commander Shepard had found her way into our cozy little area of the ship. I knew that she was taking a tour of her new ship. In all honesty, I didn't blame her. If I had the free time, I would be going up and down all over this ship to see what it had to offer. I was a curious woman by nature and technology was one of my most favorite things. It was like showing any other woman a beautiful piece of jewelry. For me, you show me a piece of the latest technology and I would be like putty in your hands. I did not have the flare for knowing how the stuff worked on the inside but I loved to play with it and figure out how it worked on my own. Shoot, the moment Randa had first given me my omni-tool I had been locked in my room for days just playing with every feature the thing had to offer.

As expected, Shepard's eyes had danced around the medical bay, taking in everything at once, before her gaze had settled on Dr. Chakwas and me sitting at our stations in front of the long desk. She glanced at me with a smile before she focused her gaze on the other woman. "Hey Doc!"

Dr. Chakwas had turned her chair to face Shepard, a welcome and bright smile on her face. "Hello Commander, it is good to see you."

Shepard had walked further into the room and stopped right beside my chair, her gaze still on the doctor. "Likewise," she said, her smile growing warm. "It is nice to see another familiar face on board." She focused her gaze on me and, to my surprise, her smile stayed warm. "How goes your studying Moreno?"

"Filled to the brim with data and more data," I said in reply, my smile filled with general affection as I set my pad aside. "It's a lot of info to take in but I'm managing."

"She hasn't taken a break since we boarded the ship," said Dr. Chakwas said, turning around in her chair to focus her attention back on her computer. "I advised her to go for a walk around the ship, get the blood flow back in her legs. She refused to listen."

A slight frown touched my features as I looked at the doc, knowing the game she was playing.

Really, Hacksaw? Really?

"Oh, is that so?" said Shepard, her gaze focusing back on me as her blue-gray eyes sparkled with mischief. I knew that look. I knew that look better than anyone alive today. That was the same look Alice would get in her eyes when she was planning something that meant a lot of bullshit for me. My alarm bells began to sound off in my head as it had in those long ago days. Whatever she was planning, it meant something that was not going to be a good experience for me.

"No," I said, not even acknowledging whatever she was thinking. I turned my chair away from her and picked up my data pad, focusing back on my studies.

"I didn't say anything," said Shepard from behind me, though I could feel her gaze on me.

"You don't need to," I said in reply as I continued moving over the files on my pad, looking for something else to occupy thoughts. I had had enough of turian anatomy now. I think the krogans were looking mighty appealing...

I continued moving through my files but the silence wore on. I finally sighed, set my pad aside, and turned around to face her. "I know that look. Alice always had that look on her face just before she would talk me into something stupid that I didn't want to do. It didn't matter how much I protested or complained. For some oddball reason, she would always find a way to string me along on one of her inane plans. I think it was the guilt trips. It had to be the guilt trips."

I clasped my hands in front of me before I brought them against my right cheek, putting on a puppy dog look that would have made Joker laugh his ass off, while my voice took on a higher octave. "'C'mon El, let's try that roller-coaster! It'll be lots of fun! Please? Oh, c'mon, don't you love me?' Or it was, 'Estella! There's a wet t-shirt contest at the bar tonight! Let's try it! Please, El? Pretty please? If you were my best sister you would try it with me!" I dropped my hands and frowned, pointing a finger at her as I shook my head. "It always, always, ended up with me being in some embarrassing situation that I could not live down for weeks." I turned away from her and went to type on my console, bringing up my recent studies. "170 years later, not much has changed. The answer is still no."

I did not see Shepard's face at that moment. If I had I would have seen the surprise, the sadness, and the slight smile on her face. I did hear her steps as she moved closer behind me and reached out to shut off my console. I frowned as I looked at her, my eyes throwing daggers at her. If only looks could harm...

"Well," she began, that smile was on her face. That horrible smile Alice always used to wear just before I would regret ever having going along with her. "Seeing as I am the Commander of this vessel, anything I say must be acted upon by my crew. And since you are now a part of my crew, as your Commander, I am telling you now: Ms. Moreno, you are going to need to suit up. We have a mission on Omega and you are coming along with us. Whether you like it or not."

I blinked once and then twice, my gaze flicking between hers, before I let out a huff and slumped in my chair. "Fuck me..."

-o-

Seriously, the universe was having a laugh at my expense.

The goddess had allowed me to come back to this plane of existence simply to laugh at me. There was no other reason for it.

I was standing here, dressed in my med tech's uniform with a few additions in regards to armor, gaping like a fish out of water. Apparently, Shepard hadn't thought too much ahead in regards to my joining her party. Randa was with us of course and laughing her ass off in that very soft, choking way that never allowed a person to breathe. I would get her later for this. Of course, she had every reason to laugh. I was out of place no matter where we went. I was going to get attention, be it the negative or positive, who the hell knew? But attention being brought on my person was the most likely to happen regardless. Oh how right I was...

I was in the basic armor I had when Shepard and I had first met back on the research station. Which meant it physically covered very little save for my immediate area, which was my torso, my arms, and my thighs. My breasts were not accounted for in this fact and a nice sized bump was on display thanks to the tight outfit. The shields on my armor were divine, the very same that Randa used so she could show off that genetically perfect body of hers. I had the armor just in case the obvious situation would present itself in regards to combat and my shields would fail. The armor defended me well enough from basic shots to get the job done. Too bad the shields and armor didn't cover from vieweverything else that was on display. It was one of those situations that made me wonder if there was an all-powerful being that was writing my life in such a way to make me fall into these situations. No, seriously. If there was, I would shoot them in the face right now.

The reason for my clear frustration was from the moment we had arrived on Omega – which literally smelled like a pisshole – we were accosted by a less than notable gentleman of the salarian variety. He was an ill kept gentleman who was looking for an easy way in to whatever path he was trying to find on this rock. Queue the muscle: a batarian that smelled even worse than the salarian that he chased off, who greeted Shepard by name and advised us to head to a club called Afterlife. When Shepard had questioned how the batarian had known who she was, the male simply said she was not as subtle as she thought and had been tagged the moment she came into the Terminus systems. From there, he advised us to head the club, where the "leader" Aria would be awaiting us.

The smelly ass had gone on his merry way but not before Shepard's eye had caught a particular figure at the end of the corridor we were standing in. Shepard had recognized him from whatever dossier she had been given and immediately went over to him. Randa and I, being her ever faithful party members, followed after her. Her target was a human just from the look of him. He was beating up on some batarian with the accuracy of a street thug. The batarian had caught sight of Shepard and pleaded for her help before the human male kicked him.

"No one said you can talk jackass," was the voice that spoke at that moment. It was an accent that brought to my mind of a person growing up in some part of England. The "Queen's English" I believe was the term for the proper way of speaking, almost in the way the doc spoke, though I could be wrong. He spoke more from a working class dialect, a type of person who knew hard labor and wasn't afraid to get dirty to survive.

"You Zaeed Massani?" asked Shepard, catching the attention of the man before us.

He had raised his head, his hair closely cropped to the scalp and bearing some silver among the brown, before he turned to face us. "Yeah, that's me," he said in reply. Goddess, this was a man who had lived a hard life. He was an older human male compared to my physical appearance of thirty-one. He looked somewhere in his early to mid-fifties but who the hell could tell for sure. He could have been in his thirties or forties and it would be hard to tell. There were scars all over his face. A particularly nasty one that went around his right brow and ended just below his right cheekbone. Whatever wound that had been appeared to be the cause of the milky whiteness of his right eye. His left was the color of a soft brown. Alert and clear. Still something told me that, though he was blind in one eye, he could aim well enough.

His gaze had traveled over all of us, though it lingered slightly on me, before he looked back at Shepard. "You must be Commander Shepard. I hear we have a galaxy to save."

"I've assumed you've been briefed?" Shepard had asked, her blue-gray eyes studying the bounty hunter with interest.

Massani didn't even blink as he shifted slightly on his feet, taking a more relaxed stance. "I've done my homework. Cerberus sent me everything I needed to know," he said just before his gaze traveled over to me. "Although... not everything."

I had ignored it. It was a simple enough statement that could have pertained to anything he had spoken of. It was just coincidence that he had looked at me the moment he said it. At least, that was my hope.

"My contacts told me we were picking up one man, not two," said Shepard, focusing her gaze on the batarian that was still pleading for his life.

"Batarian delinquent," said Massani. "Pissed off someone rich enough to hire me to go after him. And for my bringing-him-in-alive rates even." The batarian continued to plead for his life but the man had turned right around and shoved his boot in the batarian's face. "I said shut it!"

"What's your relationship with Cererbus?" asked Shepard, the doubt and curiosity could be heard in her tone.

"Easy," said Massani, taking a step forward to Shepard, though his gaze had quickly flicked to me with interest. "Cerberus is paying me a lot of money to help you on your mission. That's the long and short." He had paused slightly, his gaze lingering on me with even more interest the moment he had gotten closer to Shepard and, by default, closer to me. I couldn't stop the shiver of unpleasantness that ran through me. The man was eying me like a piece of meat freshly cut from the deli.

"Not many mercs would take a suicide mission for the pay."

"Most mercs don't get an offer like the one Cerberus sent me," he had said as he took a step away and focused his attention on the batarian. "This mission doesn't sound like good business but... your Illusive Man can move a lot of credits."

Shepard had taken a step forward then, reaching out a hand to shake the merc's. "Good to have you Zaeed." The man had reached out and shook her hand in turn. "We have a lot to do."

"That's what they tell me," said Massani as he pulled out his gun and looked at his prisoner. "I assume the Illusive Man had told you about our arrangement?"

Of course, this started a completely different conversation where it turned out that Cerberus had agreed to help the merc on a mission he had before had. Apparently, Massani was given the task of taking out the head of a group called the Blue Suns. Apparently, this leader had taken control of some group of people where he was using them as his own slave labor. Massani had to take them out and was told he would get the help by Cerberus. Without telling Shepard...

I swear, at that moment, I had brought my palm to my face and slapped it hard in annoyance. The noise had caught the merc's attention and it was that moment his prisoner had tried to make a break for it. The batarian barely made it several steps before he was shot down by the merc. I was right; he had great aim for being blind in one eye.

"I better get this thing in before it starts to stink," he had said, walking past us with barely a glance. "I'll be locked and loaded next time you're ready to get some killin' done." I had thought that was all he would say. I had thought that I had been imagining the interested looks he had given me.

I was dead wrong.

It was at that point the merc had turned his attention to me and allowed a smile to touch that weathered face of his. "By the way sweetheart, gotta say. Haven't seen a woman shaped like you are in nearly 25 years. Just enough cushion... Goddam'..." He had ignored the blush that must have been on my cheeks, and the gaping of my mouth, since he turned right around and continued on walking to the now dead prisoner. "This mission may have more perks than I thought..."

The universe was laughing at me at that moment. The goddess was rolling on her celestial floor and barely breathing.

I know that Randa was right now.

She was holding onto her sides and laughing so hard she had tears coming down her eyes. Shepard was a little more dignified about the whole thing but she was still fighting a smile.

I hated them both so much right now...

Well, I had to look on the bright side. It couldn't get any worse than this...

-o-

No.

I was wrong.

It had gotten worse.

Miranda Lawson, my friend and trainer, for whatever reason, had suddenly declared she had received an important message and there was something she needed to attend to at that very moment that could not wait. She had looked at Shepard then and asked if she would mind if she sent along a replacement party member. There was something in the look that passed between them because Shepard had smiled and given a nod in agreement. Before I could even get in a word edgewise, Randa was off on her merry back to the ship and the Commander and I were standing in the smelly corridor waiting for Randa's replacement.

"I'm going to get you back for this," I said as I looked at Shepard, not liking the amused smile on her lips.

"I don't know what you mean," she said, her smile growing a little wider the moment I turned my back on her and muttered under my breath.

It didn't take very long before a familiar voice grated on my ears and I cringed.

"Sweetheart, I haven't been gone an hour and you're already missing me?" Zaeed had come to a stop beside me, his gaze focusing on my behind before moving its way up to meet mine. I was frowning something fierce. He simply smirked before casting his gaze to Shepard. "Your other lady friend met me on the way to your ship. Said you wanted my help with recruiting these Archangel and Mordin fellas." His smirk had grown then as he focused his gaze back on me and settled himself into a relaxed stance. "I was wonderin' why the sudden change when I remembered this shapely sweetheart with you. Figured she wanted me on board so who am I to deny a beautiful woman?"

I stilled for a moment before I turned to look at the merc, my eyes blazing with indignation. "First off, the name is Moreno. Not sweetheart. Not beautiful. Don't look at my ass. Don't look at my breasts. Keep your hands to yourself and your eyes on any potential targets that mean to kill us. Do that and we'll get along just fine."

He had the nerve to smile even more at that but he did take a step back. "Got a temper. I like that in a woman..." He winked at me before he passed a glance at Shepard. "So, are we ready?"

"Ready when you are," said Shepard, passing a glance my way and looking as if she wanted to laugh so badly.

"Shepard, I'm always ready," said Zaeed. "Though from what I hear, sweetcheeks over here doesn't have much in the way of experience. This'll be a good run for her. I'll help her how I can."

I turned away from them and started walking down the corridor, following the thumping base of what could only be music from a local nightclub. I was groaning and wishing I had never left the ship by the time I heard this:

"Goddam'... That's a right sin... No offense Shepard but my eyes are gonna be focused on Moreno's backside from here on out. Nothing personal but gotta make sure nothing harms that sweet, juicy arse of hers."

Oh just shoot me...