Episode 33-Placidity

Much time later, Jewel found herself back within the void.
Jewel: "What? I'm back here again. But…why…am I here?"

From there, she saw something appear before her.
Jewel: "Wha…? That's…"

Before was the Milky Way galaxy.
Jewel: "That's…our…new friends'…realm….But…why do I…"

Just then, she heard what sounded like someone who was softly sobbing.
Jewel: "Huh? Who's there? Who are you? Why are you…?"

She looked back towards the image of the Milky Way galaxy before her as she continued hearing the sobbing.
Jewel: "Is there…is there something about this realm that makes you…? Why are you sad about it? What do you know about this…realm?"

At that time, Jewel was laying on one of the medical beds in the medical bay, still unconscious. Garrus, standing by her side, was staring down on her, he was melancholy.
Garrus: "Jewel…"

Within the room, Ashley, Liara, Miranda, Ms. Shepard, Samantha and Samara were standing beside each other, looking at him from the other end of the room.

Traynor: "Oh….Garrus…"
FemShep: "There he is again."
Liara: "He's been standing by her side since he brought her back here."
Miranda: "I know, he's been so worried about her, as always."
Ashley: "He really does care about her."
FemShep: "He's been like this for a long time, hasn't he?"
Liara: "Ever since they arrived within our galaxy. He's always been very attentive towards these girls, including Jewel."
FemShep: "Yeah, especially from how he talked to Aria about wanting to have them help her out with resolving whatever issues on Omega."
Ashley: "I'm not surprised. He's always protected them, so that is to be expected."
Miranda: "What I found even more surprising was that Aria didn't lash out at him for "defying" what she wants. She seemed to have a lot of respect towards his wanting to protect them."
Liara: "I don't think we will have any problems with her mishandling those girls and their powers. She did give the impression that it's not in her best interest to make them do anything."
Miranda: "She also made a valid point with allowing them the freedom to decide if they would like to help her. They are old enough and mature enough to understand that as well. He also realizes that, or at least he should."
Samara: "It must really be hard to be at that age and to believe that so many would count on you, so I can understand why he would want to look after these girls the way he does."
Liara: "Yeah, it does put pressure on him as well, but he doesn't seem to mind or even care about that for that matter."
Ashley: "I know. His only concern is their well-being."
Traynor: "I really feel bad for all of them. I would have given anything to, at the very least, alleviate some of that pressure for them."
Liara: "We all do, but we don't know what else we can do for them."
Samara: "At the moment, just being there should suffice as well as what we have done for them so far, as well as what we can provide for them."
FemShep: "Yeah, I feel the same way. The first time I heard about how he was towards the girls, I was worried about him. I spoke with the admiral, asking if there was some way I could help. He also knew about the kind of pressure that he would be going through because of them, so it made it easier for him to arrange to have me stay here with you guys to help out as he had other reasons for me to take on this position."
Liara: "I'm really glad that he did. We can't tell you how happy we are to have you here, Jane. It means so much to him to have you here and that's not regarding the girls."
FemShep: "I know…"

The women stood by and continued looking towards Garrus as he stood beside Jewel.

Meanwhile, the other girls were within the cargo bay with Tali and Mordin. They were nearby as the duo were building their devices. Aera was sitting next to Steve. Star and Splash, were helping out with building the devices. Flare sat close to them on one of the crates.
Star: "Things seem to be going well so far. Everything looks like it's coming together very nicely, if I do say so myself."
Mordin: "Indeed it has, Star."
Splash: "Yeah, at this rate, we'll have these devices up and running in no time."
Flare: "Hmm, my, my, we really have accomplished so much. And here I thought we would be at this for a very long time."
Tali: "Thanks so much for the help. I didn't think I would have all of these put together in such a short amount of time."
Splash: "Neither did I. I thought it would be hard to figure out how to put these together."
Star: "Thankfully, Mordin is really good at telling us how to put these together as he was figuring this stuff out along the way, of course."
Splash: "Not to mention that he was handling all of the complex, technical stuff. I couldn't even figure out half of the stuff that he was installing into them."
Mordin: "Maybe, but you did a good job with helping out regardless. Believe we've done plenty, perhaps now would be a good time to take a break."
Star: "What? No! I want to keep at this till we're finished! I want to see these new devices up and running!"
Mordin: "We will, but not worth straining ourselves over."
Tali: "Yeah, we've been working on this for almost 2 hours already. I think we have done enough for now. Besides, don't you girls want to check on Jewel?"
Star: "Um…well…"
Splash: "I think we should. I haven't seen her since we returned to this ship. I just hope she's OK."
Tali: "Yes, um, let's get right to it. I would like to get back to watching more of those Pretty Cures, but first, let's check on Jewel and, uh, see if she's up yet."
Mordin: "Yes, indeed."

Both Tali and Mordin seemed suspiciously smug. Flare seemed a bit concerned.
Flare: "Oh, dear."

Aera looked back towards them.
Aera: "Oh, brother. I know what they're up to."
Steve: "Huh, is that why they're acting so strangely? Care to tell me what they're planning?"
Aera: "Um, well, how shall I put this? I get the feeling that they're wanting to check up on Jewel is a ploy. We should know by now that it's because Garrus had been standing by her side since he brought her back to the medical bay."
Steve: "Really? Should we…try and stop them?"

Aera groaned a little.
Aera: "Probably not. When they're like this, I feel as though…it's really not worth it. Besides, I just can't bring myself to be in the mood."

A little afterwards, Mordin and Tali arrived at the medical bay. There, they saw Garrus, still standing by Jewel's side. He looked down at her as she still lied unconscious. Both Mordin and Tali exchanged looks with each other, then walked up to him. Mordin walked up next to him and Tali stood on the other side of the medical bed.
Tali: "Hey….you…doing OK there?"

Garrus still stood silent as he continued staring at Jewel.
Garrus: "She…still hasn't woken up, yet. I hope….there isn't anything wrong with her, but…I don't know why…she still hasn't…her energy hasn't been depleted too much, has it?"

Mordin shook his head.
Mordin: "No…energy levels are normal, no sign of depletion. Overall health has yet to drop below average."
Garrus: "Then, why is she still unconscious? I just don't understand."

Tali and Mordin looked at each other again, then back at Garrus.
Tali: "Don't worry, we will figure this out."
Mordin: "Yes, of course, overall health is normal, but…still analyzing what is causing her to remain like this, or what caused her to lose consciousness in the first place. Will try to figure this out."
Garrus: "Hmm….the last time this happened, she said something about having…a weird dream…could that be related somehow, to her…being like this?"
Tali: "Probably. She did also mention something about some unseen voice talking to her and saying some strange things. There's no telling what that could mean."
Mordin: "But…all will be revealed in time, could be a number of things that would cause all of these things. Could be connected, could not, but have a strong suspicion that they are very much related."
Garrus: "Yeah….maybe…I just…I don't want this to affect her badly…you know?"
Tali: "Yeah, we're hoping the same thing, too."
Mordin: "Indeed. She is a good girl. Would indeed not want anything to happen to her."

Garrus still stared down at her for a bit longer without saying anything. Tali and Mordin stood by as they stared at him. Then, Mordin placed his hand on Garrus' shoulder.
Mordin: "Come, time to go."
Garrus: "Go? Where are we going?"
Tali: "We're starting up some more episodes of the Pretty Cures and you're coming with us."
Garrus: "What? Oh, no, not this again."

Garrus was fighting to break free as Mordin was pulling on him. Tali also stepped up to him, grabbed him by his other arm and pulled him out, too.
Garrus: "Come on, guys."

They were soon able to successfully pull him out of the medical bay.
Garrus: "Don't I at least have a say in this?"
Tali: "Nope, this is for your own good, Garrus."
Garrus: "You know this counts as kidnapping, right?"
Mordin: "Wouldn't think so, but wouldn't care either way."

Garrus groaned.

Some time later, within the mess hall, several members of the crew were sitting around the table. Some were while a few others were just sitting around, sulking.
Liara: "Hmm, Jewel still hasn't woken up, yet."
Miranda: "I know, hardly anything has changed with her, especially since Ash and Jane left to speak with the admiral more than an hour ago."
Liara: "I wonder if she's…"

Liara paused a little.
Miranda: "Hmm, yes, she's been out of it much longer than usual. I hope her health hasn't declined badly."
Zaeed: "Poor girl's probably been through a lot. Perhaps she could use the time to rest."
Kasumi: "But she seemed just fine, so I didn't think she would pass out so suddenly."
Jacob: "Say, isn't this the second time that this has happened to her?"
Liara: "Huh, yes, she did pass out like this mysteriously when we were on Fehl Prime. When she came to, she mentioned something about having a weird dream. Could that be….hmm…I wonder?"
James: "What? You think these weird dreams have something to do with her passing out suddenly and without any warnings like this?"
Samara: "It may be a possibility, but who can really say for sure?"
Miranda: "Yes, it may be the case, actually. I mean, the other girls didn't seem to have anything like this happen to them, only Jewel."
Liara: "The only thing we can do is count on Mordin to figure this out."
James: "Heh, no kidding, if there's anyone who could figure out why this happened to her, it would be him."
Javik: "Hmm, yes, he seems to have been able to figure out so much about them and their magical origins, so there would be no doubt in my mind about that."
Traynor: "Hmm….by the way, didn't I see him just now? He was working on building those devices with Tali for those girls, if I'm not mistaken."
Miranda: "Probably, they've been at that for more than an hour and I believe the girls are helping them, too."
Traynor: "Actually, I did see them both come here earlier. They went over to the medical bay."
Kasumi: "Isn't that where Garrus is? He's been standing by Jewel's side since he brought her to the medical bay."
Traynor: "He was there, but then I saw them leave with him. They were hauling him out with them."
Jacob: "What? Again?"
Zaeed: "What are those 2 doing with him? Why go through all that trouble just to lug him out with them?"
Kasumi: "They've been making him watch their magical girl show with them."
Traynor: "Hah, hah, it was almost hour ago that I saw them pulling him out. And they had such a tight grip on him, too."
Javik: "Hmph! I do not understand what it is with those 2 and their magical girl show; that is strange enough, but to also include the turian into this? It is just baffling."
James: "I know, he wouldn't be someone who is into those kinds of shows."
Liara: "Well, I would not think that Tali would be so hard to understand."
Miranda: "Hmm, true, those 2 are practically the best of friends. Mordin, on that other hand?"
Wrex: "Heh, that salarian is as complicated as ever. I don't know what his motives would be."
Kasumi: "Not to mention that him and Garrus aren't exactly "close friends"."
Miranda: "I know, they're colleagues at best. Although, they seem to be interacting with each other a little more after the arrival of the girls, so…ummm…."
Kasumi: "Perhaps their shared interest in wanting to help out the girls have cause them to develop a bond."
Jacob: "Yeah, perhaps it is that, otherwise, they would rarely converse with each other; perhaps a little more than that if they had to."
Liara: "Yeah, I've noticed. As Kasumi had mentioned, they do have a shared interest in wanting to help out the girls. Mordin, especially has developed his own personal relationship with the girls, so…maybe…"
Miranda: "Maybe they have been trying to communicate with each other a little more because of that."
Jacob: "I know Star would really like that."
Samara: "Yes, indeed."

Traynor giggled a little.
Traynor: "I would believe that. She did mention that she really has taken a liking to both of them. I think it's adorable. She only wants her closest friends to be just as close with each other as she is with them."
Miranda: "I don't think she should get her hopes up. I mean, yes, they are willing to develop a bond with each other through their shared interests over the girls, but…"
Jacob: "Her expectations shouldn't be too high; the disappointment of not having her way would be all the more devastating for her, even if it's for good intentions."
Liara: "It's hard. What she's been through, it was a terrible ordeal and it's very clear that they do care about her a lot."
Miranda: "Yes, we all do, her and all of those girls."
Zaeed: "Yeah, no child should ever go through such terrible trauma and no father in his right mind should ever enforce his daughter to take on interests based on the fact that she's a girl. That ain't no father in my book."
Miranda: "No, that's a controlling, manipulative monster. Just because he took part in creating a child, that doesn't give him the right to control every aspect of their life I should know."
Jacob: "Yeah, we're all familiar with your back story."
Kasumi: "I wonder what other forms of trauma those girls have been through."
Liara: "We are well aware that Jewel has had some horrible experiences with her mentors berating her."
Miranda: "Hmm, yes, something tells it that it also involves her Gemma Kinetic abilities. She said she did struggle a lot from developing her powers and it had something to do with consisting of very small amounts of that Gemma Kinetic magical energy."
Liara: "Yeah, I would guess that she had been abused horribly. I would like to hear that story, but…I don't think I should force her to if she doesn't want to."
Samara: "Hmm…poor girl. She is an incredible Gemma Kinetic, although, I am unaware of what a Gemma Kinetic would be like at their peak."
Javik: "Hmph! The amount of such magical energy one would have when so young should have nothing to do with prowess. She seems to also talk as though having whatever amount of said prowess that they contain would give them any privileges to learn and develop the power."
Liara: "Yes, I have looked into the Intel Crystal regarding the Gemma Kinetic power. It is confirmed that anyone with the magical energy can learn the power if they so choose. Another, however, seemed to have talked as though it should be a privilege based on the amount of the magical energy within them."
Miranda: "Another contradicting Intel Crystal?"
Liara: "No, it's not like that. It was just telling me that some believe that such a privilege should be enforced."
Traynor: "But why would they do that? Jewel is clearly a strong and capable Gemma Kinetic and she would never give up that power."
Jacob: "No, she wouldn't and she shouldn't."
James: "Damn right she shouldn't! It's her powers, it's her choice! I don't care what those kinds of magical beings would actually be like at their peak, I think she's exactly what a real Gemma Kinetic should be: strong, capable, dedicated, a powerful resolve that's almost as fortified as the crystals that she forges with her powers. Those other a******* can say whatever they want to believe their kind should be, they have no right to decide who or what she should be."
Samara: "Yes, I agree. Her powers and determination truly are that of what a Gemma Kinetic should be; indeed a resolve worthy of such a title."
Zaeed: "Yeah, here, here."
Javik: "Hmm, as much as I don't like to admit it, I am in compliance with this. Her powers truly impress me and not much does. Her and her friends truly are….formidable."
Miranda: "It's very clear that we must be there for those girls, because no one else will."
Liara: "What do you think will happen after we're able to defeat the vigilante?"

Everyone sat quietly from there, contemplating what is to happen in the long , Tali, Mordin and Garrus were in the Recreation Room, watching more of those Pretty Cure shows. Tali and Mordin were enjoying the show. Garrus, however, was annoyed over being made to watch with them against his will.
Tali: "Well, this has been a lot of fun. I really do miss these shows and I'm so happy to be seeing them with you guys."
Garrus: "Yeah, great, glad you enjoy them."
Tali: "What's the matter, Garrus? You're not miserable, are you?"
Garrus: "It's not these shows that's the issue, it's having the 2 of you making me watch these shows with you. I mean, I know you like having me here with you to watch them, but…must I be dragged out here every single time that you put them on?"
Mordin: "Not a lot of time we have to watch these shows together. At least at times when we're not busy, especially when my analysis needs to process on its own and not tending to the girls, felt like there was no other way to go about it. Not a lot of room for options."
Garrus: "Yeah, OK, maybe plan these out a little better, you know, whenever it's not an inconvenience."
Tali: "When would be a good time to have it not be an inconvenience for you?"
Garrus: "How about whenever I would feel like it. I mean, you guys can watch these shows without me since you 2 magical girl fanatics love watching them so much, but this really isn't my thing, you know?"
Tali: "Oh, Keelah, fine, we can watch these shows without you since we have seen them before, but…"
Mordin: "Perhaps a better coordination of our free time would be in order. Again, not a lot of room for free time, given our busy schedules, but may work something out…probably."

Mordin and Tali looked at each other, almost as though they were about to snicker with each other. Garrus seemed a bit suspicious towards their demeanor.
Garrus: "Alright, what are the 2 of you plotting this time?"
Tali: "Umm….nothing…don't worry about it."

They looked like they were trying to hold in their snickering, to which Garrus seemed annoyed as well as suspicious.
Garrus: "Right."

Garrus stood back out.
Garrus: "Since we're pretty much done with this mini-marathon of yours, maybe we should go back and check on Jewel to see if she's regained consciousness."
Tali: "Yeah, maybe you're right."

Tali stood up, as did Mordin.
Tali: "I just hope she's at least doing OK."
Garrus: "So do I."

They proceeded to walk out of the room.
Garrus: "Hmm….this whole thing is just really strange. If there's clearly nothing wrong with her, then why did she pass out? Is there something else going on with her that we just can't see or….let's just hope that we're able to figure this out before something worse happens to her."

Much time later, Jewel finally woke up. She sat back up and looked around a bit.
Jewel: "Huh? I…I'm back here, but what…oh, I must have…"
Star: "Jewel!"

She looked over and spotted her friends standing by her.
Jewel: "Huh?"
Splash: "You're awake!"
Flare: "We were worried about you?"
Aera: "You feeling OK? You seemed to be out of it, like longer than the last time."
Jewel: "Where is everyone? I thought…they would be here."
Star: "Everyone's just doing other things within other parts of the ship. They were waiting for you to finally regain consciousness. We all were."
Jewel: "Oh…um…I…I'm sorry, I guess…I…wait, I thought Garrus would be here, too."
Aera: "He was, but Mordin and Tali dragged him out to make him watch their show with them…again."
Jewel: "Heh, well…that clarifies things."

Soon afterwards, she heard the door open again. She looked over and saw EDI entering.
EDI: "It's good to see you awake again, Jewel."
Jewel: "Oh, EDI. I…is everyone….I hope I didn't…cause too much stress on anyone."

EDI shook her head.
EDI: "No, not at all. We were all just worried for you. It's good to see you're still OK."
Jewel: "Yeah…for the most part…will they…will they be coming to see me?"
EDI: "I already informed them. They're on their way now."

The door was heard opening again.
Liara: "Jewel!"

She looked over and noticed Liara, Miranda, Samara, Samantha and Kasumi.
Miranda: "Well, look who's finally up."

Liara rushed over to her.
Liara: "Thank the goddess. We were worried about you!"
Jewel: "I'm OK now. I didn't mean to worry everyone."
Liara: "It's fine. We're just happy that you're doing well."
Kasumi: "You don't feel tired or anything like that, do you?"

Jewel shook her head.
Jewel: "No, in fact, I don't remember feeling tired when I lost consciousness."
Liara: "Oh, is that so?"
Samara: "Did you…feel anything else before you passed out?"
Jewel: "Well…there was…something…that I remember…"

Just then, the door was heard opening again.
Jewel: "Huh?"

Before she knew it, Garrus just entered. Behind him were Mordin and Tali.
Garrus: "Jewel…"

He rushed over to her side.
Garrus: "Oh, good, you're finally up. What happened to you? Do you feel OK?"
Jewel: "Yeah, I'm fine. I just….I had another weird dream. I….I saw your…realm…"

Garrus stood by, bewildered for a bit.
Liara: "You mean…the Milky Way Galaxy? This galaxy?"
Jewel: "Um…yeah…or…at least….an image of it. It was…the first time that I…I saw anything…in one of those weird dreams. I then….I then heard a voice."

Flare, seeming to take this seriously, walked up to Jewel and stared at her.
Flare: "The voice, did it say anything to you?"
Jewel: "No…not this time. I only heard sobbing…from it…shortly after the image of this realm…was seen…before me…."

Flare pondered for a bit as Garrus glanced over towards her. Several other crew members walked closer to Jewel.
Liara: "The voice in your dream, it was…sobbing?"

Jewel nodded.
Jewel: "I think it's….sad about…what's been happening to this realm…for some reason….I don't know how…or why…or even who this unseen voice is…but it…it knows about this realm….I can sense it…"
Kasumi: "Another question, why is it you're receiving these dreams? Why not Flare?"
Flare: "Hmm…I am uncertain of that. While I am able to sense out any unseen entities, much like the mysterious one who knows where we are at all times, I have yet to receive such dreams. I do wish to ascertain this most inexplicable occurrence, as well."
Miranda: "I wonder if this entity that Flare can sense out and that mysterious voice that Jewel heard in her dreams are connected somehow."
Mordin: "Hmm, a possibility, but too early to tell. Will need to analyze this further. Have been collecting data of these mysterious readings, but may need to obtain more data before determining anything."
Garrus: "Hmm…we will need to figure this out. I can't believe I'm going to say this but…Jewel, I hope you continue to have those weird dreams of yours. Perhaps that voice will be able to tell us something useful."
Jewel: "I hope so, too. Perhaps one of these days, I will be able to make sense of what it's trying to tell me. It's all so confusing, but I know that it has something important that it's trying to tell me. What does it all mean?"

Everyone exchanged concerned and confused looks with each other.
Star: "Well…at least you're back here with us. If anything were to really happen to you, we wouldn't know how to deal with it."
Splash: "Oh! Absolutely!"
Aera: "But we knew you would come around sooner or later. This doesn't even come close to the worst thing that we've ever had to deal with."
Jewel: "Yeah, I know. I know. So, Garrus, where were you? I thought you would be right by my side when I came to!"
Garrus: "Ah! Hey! I was, but then these 2 magical girl fanatics just had to drag me away from you just to have me watch their shows with them….again!"

From there, the girls began to burst out laughing. A few of the women did the same. Garrus seemed embarrassed and annoyed. But then, he looked towards Jewel, who was smiling and laughing. From seeing that, he began to smile, content of seeing her happy.
Jewel: "Alright, I think that's enough of that."

She jumped down from the medical bed.
Jewel: "Come on, I want to see what everyone else has been up to."

She proceeded to walk out of the medical bay, her friends followed after her. Several of the crew members stood by and watched as they left. Garrus still had the content look on his face.
Samara: "It is, indeed, a relief to see her doing well."
Traynor: "Yes, truly. We can all relax knowing that she's fine. I'm so happy."
Kasumi: "Yes, but it will be a matter of time before this happens again."
Samara: "Yes, I am well aware of that."
EDI: "Until then, I think it would be safe to say that she needs to be monitored. Thankfully, that won't be too much of a hassle to any of us."
Traynor: "Some of us wouldn't think of it as one, anyway."
Kasumi: "I know I wouldn't."

As the girls were walking out, they stopped in front of Ashley and Ms. Shepard. They were a little startled to see them.
Ashley: "It's good to see you finally awake, Jewel."

Soon enough, a few of the crew members approached them and stood before both women while standing behind the girls. They seemed a little shocked to see them.
Liara: "Oh, Jane, Ash, what's going on?"
FemShep: "We have been chatting with the admiral within the QEC, he wishes to speak with some of you as well as the girls. He said it's important."
Garrus: "Yeah, sure, we'll be right there."

They eventually arrived within the QEC. There, they stood before the holographic image of the admiral.
Hackett: "It's good to see all of you again. Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice."
Jewel: "No problem, admiral, so what's up?"
Hackett: "I need you and the rest of the Normandy crew members to meet with me back at the Citadel. The council wants to arrange another meeting with all of you."
Star: "What!? Again!?"
Flare: "Oh, dear, how troublesome."
Aera: "What is it, this time?"
Hackett: "I'm not sure, all I'm told is that they wanted to meet with you again. Please return here as soon as you can."
Splash: "But…I don't want to meet those mean people again."
Jewel: "I don't think we have a choice in the matter."
FemShep: "We'll be right there, admiral."

His image deactivated.
Aera: "Great, what do they want with us this time?"
Ashley: "I don't know, but I don't like how this will turn out. When Jane and I were talking to the admiral about it, they spoke as though they wanted to meet with us during the last time that we were at the Citadel."
Splash: "But…but…I thought we didn't need to when we were there last time!"
Ashley: "I thought so, too, they didn't say anything about it to us, at all."
FemShep: "Hmm…something about this doesn't seem right."
Aera: "Great! So, does this mean we have to see them every time we return to the Citadel? What, do we have to report to them every time we blow our noses or something like that? I mean, what gives!?"
Flare: "Yes, it would be courteous to mention beforehand that they wish to speak with us."
Splash: "Oh….I don't like this."
Star: "Garrus? Mordin? Please tell me that you'll be here with us to meet with them again!"
Garrus: "Don't worry, Star, of course we'll be there. No way we'll allow them to continue patronizing you girls, at least not without me being around."
Mordin: "Wouldn't miss it for anything. We care about you immensely."

From there, Star looked like she was about to tear up. She then grabbed both of them and embraced them closely.
Star: "I don't know how we could ever make it through so much of these terrible hardships without you."

Both of them exchanged looks with each other, they then placed their hands on her back as they embraced her as well.
Garrus: "We know. I wouldn't dream of walking out on any of you."
Mordin: "Nor or I."

Star seemed very happy as tears were pouring down her face.