The year was 2186 according to James and she was a passenger aboard the Normandy; the same ship that had traversed the galaxy in all of those heroic tales her mother had recited with painful accuracy.
The ping of the elevator caused her to jump and James arched an eyebrow before skirting around her and leading the way back to the med bay. Dr. Chakwas turned in her seat as the door released to grant them entry and removed a pair of spectacles from the bridge of her nose, placing them gently atop a small stack of paperwork. "Back so soon?" She offered a smile and Niali hesitated. She needed more answers and she hoped that this woman would be able to provide them without asking too many questions of her own in return.
"I'll, uh, leave you to it then," James didn't wait for a proper dismissal before ducking out of the med bay and disappearing behind the air tight door. Alone with the good doctor, Niali rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet as the woman stood and gestured towards the table her inert body had occupied not ten minutes ago. Nodding in acknowledgement, she crossed the room and climbed back up, crossing her ankles while trying not to squirm beneath the doctor's cold hands.
"How do you feel?" That seemed to be the question of the hour and Niali considered her answer. She felt fine, all things considered. Her arm still troubled her but everything else seemed to be in working order and she still had all ten fingers and toes.
"I feel alright," her voice sounded strange to her own ears and she turned her head as the doctor nodded, feeling along her collarbone and down the length of her injured arm.
"Your range of motion should return soon. Best practice is to keep it moving but don't overdo yourself," she instructed and Niali murmured a quiet thanks as the examination drew to a close.
"I don't remember what happened," she said finally said, quietly lacing her fingers together and letting them rest in her lap.
"I was afraid of that," the woman exhaled. "When we found you, you were the only soul on board the wreckage. It was a miracle the seal held for as long as it did, I imagine you were out there for quite some time. By all rights you should have been dead. But here you are with little more than a scratch on you."
"So my crew...?"
"There was no one left when we got there. I'm sorry," the sincerity in her voice was crushing and Niali bit down on her bottom lip with a nod. Sorry didn't even begin to cover it. She had risked all those lives, and for what? To end up in some twisted time warp of a nightmare?
"You suffered no head trauma and no trauma to your internal organs. As I said before, everything checks out fine," Dr. Chakwas placed a gentle hand on Niali's forearm before moving away and returning to her seat. Picking up her glasses, she pushed them back up onto her nose and lifted a piece of paper.
"Do you have a name?" She could hear the curious suspicion in the doctor's voice and she braced herself. As she opened her mouth, she couldn't bring herself to tell the truth and she faltered.
"Niali... Jones," the surname was painfully generic and hopefully would not raise any red flags.
"Niali? Such a lovely name," the doctor complimented, turning her head around and Niali offered a forced smile. She could have explained that her mother had been indecisive and had mashed two names together to make one, but she doubted the doctor would care to hear that story and so she kept her mouth tightly shut.
Once more the door opened and Niali felt her stomach drop to the floor as Commander Shepard swept into the room. Her presence demanded attention and the asari felt her muscles tighten in anticipation.
"Ah, Commander. I was just about to send for you," Dr. Chakwas crossed one leg over the other and swiveled around to face them fully.
"Everything alright?" The commander asked. Dr. Chakwas nodded.
"Of course. Everything is fine, my dear. Niali and I were just having a little chat," the asari refused to make eye contact now and instead stared at the scuff mark along the toe of her right boot.
"Right," Jane sounded less than impressed and Niali cringed. "So, Niali... what were you doing all the way out here in Reaper space?"
She let her shoulders rise and fall in a small shrug. "Testing out the mass relays," she tried slowly.
"Testing out the mass relays?" Jane echoed back, arching an eyebrow and folding her arms across her chest. "Testing them for what?"
Niali squeezed her eyes shut. She was digging herself into a hole she knew she would never be able to climb out of and she opened her dark eyes as she lifted her head. "To make sure they were working. Look, it's... difficult to explain," her voice wavered despite her best efforts.
"Try me," Jane was staring at her expectantly but Niali was unable to meet that piercing gaze. She swore that she could see straight through into her soul and she shivered. A part of her was still expecting to wake up on the floor of her ship and she pinched the back of her hand hard enough to make herself wince.
"I..." She wasn't waking up and panic bubbled up in her chest, quickening her breathing and accelerating her heartbeat. "I can't. I'm sorry. I just... I need to..." She pressed a hand to her head and closed her eyes, screwing up her face in concentration. This was all too much and she could almost feel Commander Shepard and Dr. Chakwas exchanging looks. "I don't know what went wrong," she mumbled, more to herself than to either of them.
Another hiss of the door had her groaning internally and she cracked a single eye open to peer at the figure striding towards them with purpose behind each step. He wasn't as bulky and broad as James, but the hard lines and rigid posture painted him as Alliance too. "You wanted to see me, Commander?" His tone was light and familiar, and the asari opened her other eye as he scrutinized her.
"Keep an eye on our guest until we reach the Citadel. Show her around and make sure she has a bunk in the crew quarters," the commander instructed. She could have offered to stay in the med bay, but those beds were less than comfortable and she rubbed at her shoulder as Commander Shepard turned back to face her. "Major Alenko will be your point of contact if you need anything. Once we dock at the Citadel, we can see about locating the rest of your crew. There are other refugees there that might know something."
"Kaidan Alenko?" Niali questioned, giving him a once over. The Kaidan Alenko she had met once had been... old. This version fit better with the grand tales she had heard as a child.
There was another bewildered exchange and Jane nodded. "Yes. Do you know—"
"No," she said quickly, shaking her head. "I've just heard stories. People... talk," she said lamely. It was not a total lie and she cleared her throat as Kaidan fidgeted uncomfortably.
"Right, well... I can take it from here, Shepard," though he sounded like he would rather be anywhere else on the ship and Niali chewed on the inside of her bottom lip.
"Let me know if you need anything," Shepard gave a curt nod of her head before turning on her heel and leaving without another word, leaving the asari gawking after her.
"So, what are people saying about me?" His voice pulled her from her thoughts and she nearly choked on her own breath as she scrambled to throw together a response.
"Uh, well... you know... just how you... helped defea— Helped defeat Saren. That was a big deal," she feigned a cough and slid down carefully from the examination table once more. "And you, uh... did... other things?" She blinked at him, inwardly wincing as a dark eyebrow crept closer and closer to his hairline. She needed to stop talking and the asari licked at her lips.
"Other things?" He echoed, but she shrugged and gestured towards the door.
"I, ah... think I need to stretch my legs a little if you don't mind..."
There was a brief pause before Kaidan crossed and uncrossed his arms, clearly still riding that wave of discomfort. Dr. Chakwas was watching them over the rim of her glasses and Niali gave her a feeble smile before following the major towards the door and stepping out into the heart of the Normandy.