A/N: Following a recent review I have decided to rewrite parts of this chapter because it really is appalling how little thought I bothered to put it in.
Admiral Dodonna walked down the pristine hallways of a Republic capital ship, as she passed soldiers saluted her and moved out of her way. Parts of the hallway had been damaged in the attack and were being repaired by droids as she walked by. She stopped by a smaller door and typed a code onto the keypad, a mechanical voice uttered "Briefing room access granted. Welcome admiral Dodonna." The door opened with a whir and the confident admiral stepped into the room. Inside there was a very large table with nobody sat down, as the Admiral sat at the head of the table she input some codes into the keypad when suddenly an entire board materialized into the chairs. They were clearly holograms, but they lacked distortion and they seemed to be live feeds.
Dodonna was the first to speak up, "Thank you all for attending this briefing. You all received my message?" She spoke with an air of command and certainty.
A rather gruff looking officer spoke up, he had a large scar on his left cheek and spoke with a deep, gravelly voice, "Yes, we did. And might I be the first to say how ridiculous it sounds!" The officer almost shouted. "You say that this ship is from another galaxy? This is obviously a Sith tactic to get behind our lines and deep into the chain of command, if one of them holds a gun to your head and steals your ship, don't say I didn't warn you."
A lighter voice spoke up, this one belonging to a young female officer sat opposite the last speaker, "I concur, we've already lost too many lives to take a chance on some strangers. They could very well be associated with the Sith." The officer said with an air of uncertainty in her voice, as if she were unsure if she even believed herself.
Another officer quickly interjected, "Yes but, as you say we have already lost too much. Maybe these strangers could hold the key to defeating the Sith, after all they are from another galaxy they may hold advanced technology." This officer looked almost untouched by the war, possibly just a ship captain on guard duty.
A Republic soldier quickly entered the argument, taking the side of the young captain. "You're not down here, you don't know what the Sith have been doing to our troops. We need all the help we can get even if it comes from complete strangers."
Another officer, this time a pilot entered the fray "We lost so many ships and people trying to evacuate these guys out. If we had ignored them then maybe we could have fought the Sith far more effectively!" The pilot shouted clearly aggravated by the recent battle. "We lost the Endar Spire during that battle, it was carrying both Bastila and Carth Onasi, and they may not be dead if we had ignored the strangers!" This last sentence raised a few eyebrows, Carth and Bastila being seen as heroes meant that their loss could not be taken lightly.
As Dodonna watched the pointless bickering unfold in front of her, she looked to the other end of the table to see a robed figure sitting at the desk, he was old and had an air of wisdom about him. He looked straight towards the admiral and simply nodded, Forn nodded in response. "Now is not the time for this bickering!" The admiral bellowed, quieting the other officers "Every day we lose more ground to the Sith, we are becoming desperate!" She continued her small rant "Master Vrook, what do have to say on this matter?" The admiral addressed the robed man on the other end of the table.
"The dark side is strong, it is... difficult to see with these strangers. Their actions are shrouded in mystery." The Jedi master replied keeping the other officers in line. "However these strangers could hold the key to stopping the Sith and ending this war, I would use caution as I sense that they have fled something far greater than even the Sith." The master said, none of the other officers dared interrupt. "You say Humans are with them?" He finished.
"Yes… we are just as baffled as you all are." Dodonna said, confusion written on her face "They can also speak Basic which is equally strange – even the aliens know enough to understand us."
"And that is why we cannot trust them!" The officer from earlier interrupted "This is clearly Sith deception, you should just kill them!" The other officers and captains looked on in surprise and shock, garnering a humiliated reaction from the officer who sank away as Dodonna glared at him.
"Where are the 'Guests' now?" Vrook asked as he rubbed his temples in a state of deep thought.
"We have them quarantined on the medical deck, they haven't seen our faces. They probably have no idea that we are human." Dodonna replied as she held a datapad in her hand which fed her live results of tests being carried out on the crew of the Normandy.
Vrook frowned as he places his hands on his lap "Keep them in the dark then, it may work to our advantage." He said as he contemplated what to do next, in his mind he admitted that even with all his knowledge he had no idea how to deal with the situation, the force had seemingly abandoned him; he could get no reading on these strangers. "They may help us yet, but I sense that they will have questions – far more than we may have for them."
Not wanting to disagree with a Jedi Master, most of the other officers simply nodded or gave a rough salute. Without a word, Dodonna disconnected from the transmission and continued down to the medical deck. She was going to have a word with these strangers.
The quarantine sector was located on the medical deck behind the highest clearance levels, there were two checkpoints set up with soldiers guarding regularly. Inside there were multiple labs and decontamination chambers, all personnel were required to wear airtight and sealable suits with gravity boots anchoring them to the ground. Entire sections of the sector could be opened up to the elements allowing contaminants – be it people or objects – blasted out into space in the event of an emergency.
The crew of the Normandy were inside one of these chambers under heavy guard while scientists and soldiers prodded and tested them for contaminants, the humans were not targeted as much, Liara and Garrus were at the mercy of the scientists inside a chamber directly beside the one containing the human crew members. Soldiers watched their every move and Garrus flinching at a poke from one of the scientists had all guns trained on his head. The crew did not like it for one second and the fact that their weapons had been carted off as soon as they were brought on board added to their apprehension.
Eventually the scientists stopped their work and Garrus and Liara were allowed to return to their fellow crew members. The military presence died down significantly until it was only two guards: one by the entrance and the other by the exit.
"This is bad." Ashley said in a hushed voice, hoping that the soldiers didn't hear her.
"Is it?" Garrus snidely asked, using sarcasm to his advantage "I think it's rather pleasant."
"Now is not the time for sarcasm, Garrus." Liara chided him to which Garrus responded by holding his hands up in a universal 'calm down' gesture.
"This is your fault Joker!" Ashley said quite angrily, "We wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't co-operated!"
"Me?!" Joker replied loudly, garnering the attention of one of the soldiers standing guard, noticing this, Joker lowered his voice "They weren't the ones shooting at us, remember?! They gave me a choice and it seemed like a good one… at the time."
"It doesn't matter whose fault it is, all that matters is getting off this ship." Garrus said, dissipating the argument "Any ideas?"
"Our best course of action is just to comply." Liara stated obviously, "Without weapons and information we stand little chance out there. After all, it is a new galaxy."
The crew mostly nodded while murmuring to themselves, Garrus quickly shot up as he realised something "Hey… where's EDI?" He asked as he noticed the absence of her mobile platform.
"Jeff was unsure what this 'Republic' would do upon finding me, so I pretended to be a simple VI program in an attempt to fool them." EDI's voice rang through Garrus's ears as the AI answered his question.
"Hey… it worked on the Alliance after we took out the Collectors. I thought it could work here." Joker said, answering Garrus's question. "Besides, we need someone outside to help us -"
The door to the quarantine chamber opened with a large siren and red emergency lights. Steam was pumped into the room through valves on the floor and ceiling, the steam created a smokescreen blocking their vision of anything behind the door. The door creaked as it slid open, bright lights on the other side allowed the crew of the Normandy to see a figure silhouetted by the steam and the light.
"Goddess…"
"Spirits…"
"What the hell…?"
As Dodonna walked into plain view, the crew of the Normandy sat wide eyed and mouths agape, she was human.
"That's…." Liara started, Dodonna turned to face the Asari after hearing the alien language.
"Impossible…" Joker finished, Liara looked at the Joker as if she was comparing the human crew of the Normandy with the humans of the Republic.
"Just what we were thinking." Dodonna stated in an unintentionally aggressive tone, the crew of the Normandy stopped their murmurs as the admiral approached. She waved her hands and the nearby troops lowered their weapons. The admiral inspected the new arrivals; she looked at Garrus and Liara with the most intrigue. "We have an awful lot to discuss, but not here." Dodonna looked at the two guards "Escort them to the crew deck, I shall join them shortly.
Down on the crew deck of the strange ship, some of the crew of the Normandy were stood or seated around the deck. The rest of the crew were on the Normandy while Republic technicians and Scientists analysed their equipment and technology. The crew of the Normandy were kept largely secret from the rest of the crew, only high ranking officers knew of their origins and even less were allowed any contact with them. The rest of the crew at least knew that refugees had been picked up during the battle.
Most notable among the Normandy crew were Joker, EDI, Garrus, Liara, Shala'Raan, James and Ashley. Both the Asari and the Turian were being poked and prodded by the medical deck staff. Joker was sitting with EDI while Republic scientists analysed her body while she explained her core programming to them, Joker eyed the scientists but they assured him they only wanted to look. James and Ashley were talking to each other about something or other, mainly trying to ignore the fact that they had lost two major parts of their crew.
Dr Chakwas was also on the deck, speaking to the head medical officer about the application of Kolto while the doctor explained the application of medi-gel. "Most blaster wounds cauterise the arteries and veins which is extremely painful and creates terrible burns, submersion into a Kolto tank can heal severe injuries in a matter of hours. There are also handheld medpacks which are essentially small health kits that contain a Kolto spray and a variety of medical equipment." The medical officer explained.
"Sounds like application of medi-gel, this kolto is more effective against burns, medi-gel is more effective against lacerations and bullet wounds." explained after looking at both in depth. "Would it be possible to merge both formulas?" Dr. Chakwas asked.
"Well, Kolto requires a very special formula that can only be found on one planet; both sides are scrambling to gain as much as possible. Essentially we have a kolto shortage, your medi-gel formula could lend aid as an emergency back up, it would also be useful against melee weapons." The republic officer replied.
"Melee weapons." Dr. Chakwas inquired, "You mean swords and knives?"
"Oh yes, this war has seen the onset of personal shields. A traditional vibroblade or long sword cuts right through these shields so our soldiers are being trained in unarmed and swordplay in order to counter the enemy and their shields." A nearby lieutenant interjected hoping to correct the Dr. He wore heavy armour that was adorned with the Republic Marines logo.
Suddenly the large doors opened and Dodonna entered the bay, everyone on the deck, except the Normandy crew, stood to attention and saluted their superior. She quickly put them at ease before dismissing the crew in order to have a private word with their 'guests'.
As the crew of the Normandy relaxed a little after the crew had left, Dodonna eyed them without a word. She wasn't entirely sure if she trusted them, but desperate times call for desperate measures. The crew all noticed that the admiral was staring; they began to stare back before the admiral finally began to address them. "Hello. You have a lot to explain to us, do you have a moment?"
"Well... we are on your ship so whenever you want I guess." Joker remarked cracking a nervous smile, the admiral raised an eyebrow, not expecting such a crude remark. Seeing how the admiral reacted, Joker retracted himself letting someone else speak. "I'm sorry, we almost got destroyed out there... I guess I should thank you for bailing us out."
"Really there is no need, the Sith may not be willing to use diplomacy but the Republic is. However we did lose a lot during the battle." Dodonna replied trying not to sound intimidating, she began to walk closer to the crew.
Liara stepped forward eyeing the admiral nervously, "Sith? Do mean the ones who attacked us?"
Dodonna looked at the alien with a sense of intrigue, "I'm sorry, I cannot understand your language, you can understand me though?" Dodonna put a hand on her chest.
"That's what we've been wondering, how come our language is almost exactly the same?" Dr. Chakwas perked up in the conversation, drawing the attention of Admiral Dodonna.
Dodonna started to pace from side to side while the crew watched her. "I don't know what to say, our language – basic – has been the official language of the Republic since its beginning." Dodonna walked towards a nearby sign post, "But, can you read our writing?"
"Yes… it is a strange coincidence of biology. How is this possible?!" Dr. Chakwas was finding the most interest in their strange situation, finding that she was learning more and more with each word that the officer in front of her uttered.
"We don't know, but we can understand your writing as well, but that is not the most pressing matter on hand." Dodonna shook her head as she observed the group in front of her. "Why and how did you come to this galaxy?" The crew murmured unconvincingly, they looked as though they could all use a good rest. The admiral stepped backwards away from the crew and crossed her arms "I understand that you have sustained losses. I apologize that your first contact in this galaxy was so... violent, we are sorry for anyone that may have been lost during the battle and we will help you in any way that we can. I recommend that you sift through our archives and catch up on galactic history while we escort you to the core worlds." The captain stepped forwards an handed a datapad to Liara. "We ask that you provide us with adequate knowledge of your galaxy and the species you have brought with you so that we can learn more about each other."
Liara reached out and grabbed the datapad, it was larger than her hand to hold a large screen. The datapad had entries dating all the way back to the formation of the republic. EDI spoke up as Liara handed took the information calmly, "Our ship, the Normandy, possesses a codex with information regarding any topic, I shall unlock it for you now."
James stepped forward for a second, "Wait, you'll need a way to understand some of our alien compadres." He reached into a compartment on his armour and pulled out a small device with a speaker and microphone. "If you put this in your ear it'll auto translate every known alien language." Dodonna looked at the soldier in front of him as if to politely refuse, James sensed her reluctance "It's cool, I can deal." He stated as he held the device out. Dodonna took the device with a smile and held it close to her ear.
"Can you understand me?" Liara asked, Dodonna smiled at the Asari and nodded in awe at the technology.
"Interesting, how is this normally integrated as I cannot see having a device in your ear as very safe or convenient?" Dodonna asked, her curiosity getting the better of her as she knew that the group in front of her needed some time to process everything that they had experienced.
"Normally it's an implant or attached to an omni-tool, but me an Liara can understand some of the human language." Garrus replied, bringing a little confirmation to Dodonna, she would have to find out what an "omni-tool" was later.
The admiral stepped back and put her hands to the side, "Thank you, shortly I will have you escorted to your quarters where you will remain for the remainder of the journey back to the core worlds. I have spoken to the other captains in your fleet and-"
Joker quickly sat up and interrupted "Wait! Why can't we return back to our ship and continue the journey from there?!" Joker stood up while the rest of the crew tensed up.
"We have analysed your technology and results show it as inferior to our hyperdrive technology, your FTL drive is not fast enough to contend with our speeds." The admiral handed over another datapad that compared the specifications of both forms of space travel. "An FTL jump from here to Coruscant could take days, a hyperspace jump would take an hour tops."
"Jeff, I am watching their every move. The Normandy is in impressive hands." EDI said reassuring Joker that his ship was still intact.
Joker sat back down more relaxed, "Well, looks like we could use an upgrade then!"
"Once we arrive, we will make the necessary changes to your engines and install a hyperdrive for hyperspace travel. We will also upgrade your weapon systems as currently they are vastly inferior to even the weakest laser cannons." The admiral replied in a calm tone.
"That's all for now, I will take my leave and return to the bridge. Should any of you need anything, simply ask." The admiral turned and left the room, keeping things professional. As the door shut behind her she breathed a sigh of relief.
As soon as the admiral had left James spoke up from the other end of the room "I don't like this, that display was far too cold to be considered friendly."
"Hey, what's not to like? They're gonna upgrade the Normandy... FOR FREE!" Joker replied in a light hearted tone while turning to James.
"Well I see they got to you pretty quick." Ashley turned to Joker with a cocky grin. "They obviously want something from us, they wouldn't go through all this trouble just to be friendly to a bunch of strangers, they are at war after all."
"I don't know... I kinda like them." Garrus interjected, "At least they didn't shoot at us because we were different. That's a plus." He smirked, or at least that's what it looked like.
As the crew bickered, Liara weighed up the possibilities in her head. This Republic obviously wanted to help, but so soon after escaping the Reapers she doubted whether anyone would enter into another war that could be as difficult as the last. "I think we should go with them." The rest of the crew toned down as Liara spoke up. "I will have to research them, but I believe they could do good for us and we could do good for them."