Civilization (I'll Stay Right Here)

By Kachimoochi

Chapter XII

I Won't Go Back

On Freedomain, Altair had fabricated a new uniform for his new, alien house guest. He wasn't familiar with Quarian fashion, so he simply gave a template to Hakon to design his own. Perhaps he wanted to offer him some new age Civilization hospitality, or perhaps he didn't want his tattered suit leaving dust prints, the results were the same. After designing the suit, and Altair placing the order through the GECK, in no time flat, Hakon soon changed into his brand new outfit.

Coincidently, Freedomain was germ-free environment, by order of Altair, leaving no risk for Hakon to change in a changing room.

The tall and thin humanoid appeared from a set of burgundy curtains, from a changing room located in a Greek market stall, concealed in his new skin, so to speak.

The suit was a common Quarian bodysuit, save for a few customized changes. The body and leg pieces were the standard black and grey, serpentine in texture, so as to maximize space, materials, and to be as sterile as possible. The arm and leg clothing were a dark purple in color, the color was so dark and vivid, it seemed as if Hakon was lost within a purple-velvet sea. Hakon retained the green hue of hid previous helmet, though it no longer flickered, and glowed brightly, whereas most Quarian helmet lights were so dim, the outline of their face and features were as plain as day, the hue from Hakon's disguised his entire appearance.

A custom choice of his own was his "Realk" or hood, and a small cape-like fabric adorning the back of the bodysuit. The Realk was the same material as the clothing, a deep and dark purple mesmerizing his face. His cape on the other hand was a darker green than that of his helmet-light. It was attached to the shoulders of his suit, and carried down to his lower back, not taking up as much space as it seemed, Quarians were masters at that.

Altair was only too happy to make an assumed smile upon the alien's face, he'd never admit it, but some part of him still desired to make others happy, he was quite literally trained to.

Hakon was only too happy to accept such a gracious gift, he was at first suspicious as to Altair's intentions, but being that all Quarians stay within their only bodysuit their entire lives, he was simply to desperate to indulge in a little retail therapy.

The pair made their way back to Altair's Greek mansion, passing by the bustling marketplace, and stopping for a moment by a mountaintop to admire the beauty. Altair did most of the admiring, Hakon was too nervous to speak unless absolutely necessary, not only from the story Anaximander had told him, but also of his stutter.

Before long the pair returned to the mansion, seating themselves in the living room, whilst the android servents brought them refreshments.

Altair guaranteed that Hakon could catch no germs on his planet, but Hakon insisted on keeping his helmet on and drinking through his emergency induction port. One of the only perks about being a Quarian, was that they had an invincible poker face.

"So Hakon, what do you think? A man could get used to this life, am I right?" Altair said, after taking a sip of his Arnold Palmer.

"Ohh yes…quite…a person's imagination is lim-lim-limitless here, my mind is frazzled with ideas as we speak" Hakon exclaimed, not recalling a time in which he'd had been happier.

"I suppose you're wondering why I don't include all races in this paradise. Or maybe you've figured it out by now?"

Hakon considered the question, and tried to stall for time by slowly sipping his dextro fruit cocktail.

"That's all right, I don't know how much Anaximander told you, so I'll just keep talking, and let me know if I need to fill in any blanks"

"He told me a couple of things, but he was also pretty cryptic. Let me hear your version." Hakon replied, holding his drink to his port.

"So…for countless thousands of years humanity has been slaves to its instincts, fight, protect, breed, and repeat. Though things seem to have changed now, they really haven't, we just concocted elaborate rituals to mask them" Altair began.

"I used to believe that we were just slaves to our nature, but then I asked myself a question: Why do we have these instincts in the first place?" Altair asked rhetorically.

"Well to survi-vi-vive, obviously" Hakon answered honestly.

"So did I until…well…I'm really not at liberty to say…but let's just say that one day I found out that these instincts weren't developed, they were created. That was also the day my brothers and I were given the first GECK, which my older brother used to lead the first exodus"

"Anaximander said something similar, but I still don't understand" Hakon stated.

"Put simply…we discovered that a force exists…it could be a person, a ghost, energy, a god, an alien, or who knows what. Either way, this force manifests its energy from control and subjugation, and for whatever reason it chose human men to farm, at least we thought initially"

"Initally?"

"When alien contact was established, I suppose we all took turns analyzing one another, their culture, their beliefs, their attributes, et cetera. We initially thought this force was only present in humanity, or at least human men, then we studied alien men, and found that nothing was different"

"Like?"

"Like Krogan being sterilized and brainwashed to defend their females to the death, like Asari, a semi-female race nearly controlling the entire Milky Way, and even like teenage Turians forced into the front lines of the latest war, it is no different than what humanity does, they just have different words for it"

"So the entire instinct of protecting females…is the force acting upon us?"

"I know I sound like an insane misogynist, but I am truly not able to disclose how I know this information, I've seen things you couldn't imagine, it's also why we were given the GECK"

"Who gave yo-ou-ou the GECK?"

"Another force…that is all I can tell you…for now anyways" Altair spoke finishing his Arnold Palmer, and ordering another from the servant.

The pair sat in silence for a while after the dubious line uttered by Altair. Altair glanced at Hakon periodically, in a vain attempt to read his face, a feat that was simply impossible, as the faceless Quarian sat as still as a rock. The Quarian didn't accept everything Anaximander and Altair said at face value, but as he thought more about it, the less his mind could deny the truths he always suspected.

"Then that's why you didn't "Civilize" non-humans right?" Hakon began again.

"Correct"

"What about Quaria-ia-ians?"

"Hmm?"

"How are we controlled by this…force?"

"Well I know that 3 of the 5 Admirals of the fleet are women, all of your kind are sent to foreign lands to acquire trinkets and such for your ruling captains, and your equally dysfunctional bureaucracy prevents you from reclaiming your homeland, or at least negotiating it back, but that's just what I've observed, you know your species best after all"

Hakon sat silently for a minute longer, even Altair could tell the alien was entranced in thought, Anaximander, Soham, Joe and Zach, and even himself felt much the same way, when they found that everything they thought and felt was a lie.

"Can I tell you something?" Hakon finally said.

"Yes…please"

"When I was on my pilgrimage, failure wasn't an option for me, er I guess it still isn't an option for me" Hakon spoke, stutter disappearing.

"Why, I know that great things are expected from pilgrimages, but even a battery-charging pack could be accepted, I thought?"

"My father's pilgrimage lasted only 4 galactic days. He left to Thessia on his twentieth birthday, no celebration like you humans, only a luggage bag and a chit of 500 credits, not even enough for a decent meal"

"Go on"

"When he arrived, he found work as at a junkyard almost immediately, and worked for two days hauling scrap, any one of which could have pierced his suit and killed him. Ancestors be praised, he survived. On the third day, he went to the owner of the yard, an Asari, and she refused to pay him. She said that because he wasn't a Thessian citizen, he couldn't be legally paid, she used a loophole that not many Asari were aware of, as it hadn't been used in hundreds of years"

"Hmm"

"My father was furious, when he threatened to go to the authorities she used her biotic powers to choke him near to death. He could hardly talk afterwards, but he thought it was all the proof he needed, he went to the authorities, and they only laughed at him. We're the most hated race in the galaxy, and they didn't even give him the time of day"

"Sounds horrible" Altair said, beckoning a servant to refill Hakon's cocktail.

"He was penniless and starving; his only chance was to go to the Quarian embassy, back when we were still allowed to have an embassy. It was far away, and he had to smuggle himself on a Turian military shuttle to the main city. They found him almost immediately after they landed and beat him near to death. His suit was exposed and he had internal bleeding"

"Jesus"

"He was able to break away from their beatings and sprinted to the embassy, where he was thankfully given medical attention. They shuttled him back to The Flotilla, and instead of welcoming him back with open arms, he was met with ridicule. It's true what you said, bringing back a battery-charger is passable, bringing back nothing is unacceptable."

"What happened?"

"The captain of his vessel ripped his Realk from his helmet, it is tantamount to being disowned my your nation, or your family, they didn't even care about his injuries, they just cared about their traditions"

"Then…?"

"He was a pariah; he was given the most menial of jobs, with the least respect. Eventually my mother met him and felt pity on him, they fell in love. She was able to excuse bonding with him by bringing back the most extravagant of gifts to The Flotilla, a Drell Space Serpent: The Lorrcraff"

"Your mother brought back a Serpent? That's one of the most powerful ships in history"

"Yes, as if to permanently punish my father, his captain ordered him to take my mother's new vessel name, Lorrcraff"

"I think I see where you're going with this"

"My father didn't stop stressing the importance of being successful on my pilgrimage, even though my mother brought back a gift worth 10 pilgrimages; they insisted they stick to Quarian values. Both of them insisted that the honor of my father and my entire bloodline rested in my hands, that I couldn't fail them"

"But then?"

"But then I met Anaximander, in Hong Kong, he told me much of what you told me, but it was then that I realized it. The Flotilla doesn't care about me, or any of us. We are pawns to the galaxy and to our captains. I can't tell you how many friends I've lost to Geth battleships in needless conflicts just to prove the captain's prowess. I won't go back. I WON'T BE A PAWN ANY LONGER" Hakon concluded, shouting to the sky in pride.

This was it.

He was Free.

"Hakon…my new friend…you've found your home" Altair said.

Altair approached the now seated alien, winded from his tirade, and knelt before him. He beckoned him to reach out his hand to meet with his, and held it with both of his. Hakon felt a strange sensation tickle his body and mind, as if it was being copied and pasted in to something.

"Open your hand"

Hakon opened his hand to find it covered in a black glove with a blue crystal in its center, he didn't need to be told what it was, it was a GECK. He raised his head to meet Altair's, who was now standing, and smiling down at him.

"Welcome to Civilization…you're staying right here"