…
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect."
(Mark Twain)
…
MFV Discovery, March 31st, 7:56 AM, 2185
…
Sitting in the Captain's chair of my ship, I tapped my armrest in thought, mulling over Mara and I's encounter yesterday. While the initial shock was gone, the implications were still a major personal concern. Old Dan, as I had settled on calling him, had done the unthinkable, though I couldn't suppress some of my… less desirable thoughts. The same ones I had shortly before destroying the SDD on The Barn. While I had made a great, personal promise to never again pursue my SDD research, seeing Old Dan did one thing, and one thing only. It proved that not only did it work, but could be used with accuracy and precision. No matter how many times I fought my urge to return to my research, I'd always eventually come back to it in one way or another. It was like a curse.
The only difference is, this time it came to me. Old Dan might as well have been the SDD incarnate, like the Red Death when it comes in human form to Prince Prospero's party, killing him and all in attendance. While my version of the story isn't anywhere near as macabre, it still felt like a dagger in the chest, piercing straight through my heart.
I knew, at least emotionally, that my feelings weren't really about what he had done, but what I "had done". If what he said was true, and I had no reason to think he'd lie to me, well… even in the darkest times in my life, I had never gone so far into the dark as to consider suicide, let alone go through with it. The fact that I was capable of such a horrible thing left me with a void in my heart. I loved Dan like a brother, but this world, no… his world, had warped him into something hardened and bitter. He seemed to lack any sense of inhibition in his old age, and if his lack of a stutter was anything to go by, he had changed considerably. I realized that if I was going to work with him, I had to treat him as a separate entity. Old Dan and the Dan I know are completely different people, that much was a fact.
I wiped fresh sweat off of my forehead, quickly popping my neck as I forced my attention back to my datapad.
Today, we'd be going on a trip back to Reach, though only for a week. On the 4th, we'd be attending a meeting between Shepard, Hackett, and the Conclave where'd they try to warn them of the coming Reaper threat, though I didn't think anything would come from it, at least in the beginning. Gerrel was set on retaking Rannoch, Reapers or not. Koris and Mal believed something big was going to happen soon, likely in the next two or three months.
Right when the Reapers would be on our doorstep.
As if that wasn't enough to handle, we had another problem to deal with. The Raloi were sending their own representative to Reach to observe how we handle things. Even though I wasn't against the idea, quite supportive of it actually, I didn't really think now was the best time for them to visit. Despite this, Amisen and Iolin have been pushing for the last three days, and I finally relented today with approval from the Admirals. They chose Orontid from House Delmos, one of our regular visitors. He would join us later this afternoon, accompanied by one of Ocari's Artsruni warriors. We'd have to enforce rules on space usage until we were back on Reach. Luckily, with the pipeline established it would only take a few hours.
"You OK, honey?" Mara asked, walking up from my left and putting her hand on my shoulder. "You've been quiet ever since yesterday."
"Yeah, just… mulling over things." I nodded, reaching over with my right hand and putting it on top of hers. "Still trying to wrap my head around it all, you know?"
"Have you decided how to give the detector design to Richard yet?" She asked in a hushed tone, despite the fact that we were the only ones currently on the ship.
"Yeah, I've gone through and inserted some Cerberus signatures into the design specifications. I'll tell him I found it on the agent we picked up on Ferris Fields, and just finished decrypting the whole thing." I replied, looking up at her.
"You think he'll buy it?" She questioned, giving me an unsure look as I glanced away at the trees outside.
"Whether he buys it is inconsequential. All that matters is that he builds it and it works." I shrugged, knowing what the end goal was. "Getting Biss involved probably wouldn't hurt, either."
"If even an inkling of his theories hold weight, I'll take back every word I've said about the man." She joked, leaning into me as she put one of her fingers through my hair. "I won't lie to you, I'm scared… with all of this. The Reapers, Cerberus, and now your old research. Seems like a never-ending nightmare sometimes."
"Tell me about it. This is only the beginning, that much I can tell you." I nodded, leaning in and giving her a kiss before the sound of Elle crying could be heard coming from the crew quarters. "I do believe it is your turn, is it not?"
She let out an amused huff, climbing down from the bridge as I stared back out at the trees.
A nightmare… no. I've seen real nightmares before, and they paled in comparison to what we'd likely be seeing in the near future. Whether all of those nightmares came to fruition or not, that was the real question.
...
MFV Discovery, March 31st, 11:20 AM, 2185
…
Standing at full attention, I watched Orontid walk over to the ship, carrying several cases with him as his Artsruni bodyguard quietly followed him, carrying nothing but his spear and a small bag over his chest.
"Good to see you, Orontid." I greeted with a handshake as he set down one of his cases, leaning in towards me and accepting the gesture.
"The pleasure is mine, please believe me." He nodded, adjusting one of the nodes on his suit as he spoke. "Please forgive me if I seem a little… rambunctious. I'm excited to see what's out there."
"I completely understand, no need to apologize." I returned, cracking a small smile as I looked up at his bodyguard. "So… what's your name?"
"I am Largos." He answered plainly, immediately coming off as someone who wasn't much into conversation.
"Alllllright then, if the two of you will follow me into the airlock, I'll get you situated inside." I went on, walking up the platform with them following closely behind.
As the door closed behind us and the airlock began its decon cycle, Largos whipped his head around and pulsed with a biotic field, spear at the ready as he attempted to properly wield it in the tight space.
"Woah woah woah, it's OK! It's OK!" I attempted to calm as my adrenaline spiked, holding up my hands in fear that he'd break something. "That's normal! That's just decon spray for killing germs and smaller, harmful organisms."
He stared at me for a few seconds before turning to Orontid, who gave him a single, reassuring nod. He relaxed his weapon as I breathed a sigh of relief.
"You'll have to forgive him, the Artsruni are a little… high strung when it comes to the unknown." Orontid apologized, sounding more embarrassed than anything else.
"I don't need many more surprises like that, especially around the Admirals." I warned, knowing that if he acted like that near them, we'd have a serious incident on our hands.
"I'll keep an eye on him, don't worry." He reassured as the cycle finished, giving us access to the inside of the ship. Everyone was already here, waiting on our guests to get settled before we flew back to Reach.
Orontid looked around like a kid in a candy shop, craning his neck at everything to get a closer look. Largos did the same, though he did it in search of possible threats. I led them to the back of the crew quarters where we had set up large mats for them to use during their stay.
"This is magnificent! You can exist on this ship without the need for vacuum suits?" He began questioning, running one of his hands along the ceiling.
"We've got extensive life support systems, even for smaller ships such as this. Some Quarian ships even supplement their life support with plants grown in the walls as a form of hydroponics." I explained as he set down his cases. "This is actually one of our newer ships, built for numbers and efficiency."
"I can only imagine the number of materials that make up the structure alone." He shook his head, clearly thinking a million miles per minute. "You mentioned titanium as one of the construction materials, did you not?"
"Titanium-A to be spe-specific. Reinforced and treated for increased strength." Dan chimed in, walking over and crossing his arms. "It's good for hulls due to heat efficiency and w-weight."
"We lack significant quantities of titanium, mostly iron and aluminum deposits." He lamented, tapping one of his nails against the wall before turning back to me. "Sorry, curiosity gets the better of me too often."
"It's fine. Get comfortable, I'll go over the itinerary for the week once we're in the air." I nodded, walking away from them as Dan and I walked back to the middle of the ship, giving Mara a nod as we climbed up and took our stations.
"Beginning launch prep, let's make it a quick, smooth trip." I said as I sat down in my chair, opening up a holographic display to check the pre-flight list. Dimitri checked it with the rest of the team as the reactor rumbled, revving up to full operational capacity.
"Sean, we are good to go." Dimitri confirmed, looking back at me as I switched the screen over to my playlist, putting it on random and cycling through several tracks before settling on "Something Dark Is Coming" from the Battlestar Galactica soundtrack.
"Hit it." I ordered, feeling the acceleration as the engines roared to life, the bass line from the track barely audible as we soared into the sky, blue peeling to black as we left the atmosphere. "Nice and smooth, just the way I like it."
"Come on, you h-have to let me do the thing." Dan urged, looking back at me from his chair with a smile on his face.
"Are you sure you can pull it off?" I chuckled, leaning against my arm as he gave me a vigorous nod. "Alright, I'll indulge you. Mr. Gaeta. Prep the ship for jump."
He cracked his knuckles in front of his screen, charging the Gravity Drive as I smiled at his enthusiasm.
"Jump prep complete." He confirmed as the sound of the centrifuge could be heard vibrating through the hull. "The board is green, we're ready to jump, sir."
"DRADIS is clean, no contacts. All Vipers and Raptors accounted for." Tony piped up from his station, getting an immediate grin from me in response.
"Initiate jump." I ordered, leaning back in my seat as Dan fired up the FTL, giving me a gentle feeling of acceleration for a second before going away, the magnetic field picking up the slack and isolating us from normal space. "Nice, I'm glad we all remembered that."
"It's hard to forget when it's all you've watched for a week." Tony joked as I hopped out of my chair and walked over to Dan's piloting chair, putting both my hands on the back of it as I watched the stars shift outside.
"I think we should design our own Battlestar one day." I suggested in a hushed tone, as Dan turned his head and smirked. "Might be a nice way to properly deploy our smaller ships."
"Well, c-considering we've already got a ship called the Viper, I sup...suppose it would only make sense." He remarked with a smile, as the thought dawned on me.
"That's crazy. You know, I wasn't even thinking about Battlestar Galactica when I named it." I shook my head, blown away by the coincidence. "Well… I suppose we'd have to design separate launch tubes for the Vipers and Pythons."
"Or we could just enlarge them, make them universal." He countered as I furrowed my brow and nodded, accepting his solution. "T-that would take a lot of resources to build."
"Yeah, well… we can dream, I suppose." I shrugged, walking away as I made my way back downstairs.
Richard, Hans, and Mineko were all gathered around Orontid, as they exchanged questions with one another. Richard hadn't interacted with him as much as I had, so this was more or less a new experience for him.
"...and these nodes, you say. They improve control over biotics?" Hans asked with his thick accent, placing his finger along the node attached to the shoulder of Orontid's suit. "I've done some work with biotics, though we've never had success with suits intended to mimic or boost biotic abilities."
"The nodes in the suit interface with my nervous system, affording me much greater control than I would otherwise have." Orontid nodded, charging his biotics as the nodes glowed a dull, bluish color for a few moments.
"Is there a mechanical element to it? Any surgical implants beneath the epidermis that directly link with the central nervous system?" Minkeo pushed, just as interested as Hans. "Or does the higher level of eezo enrichment on your planet simply offer more power in regards to biotics?"
"There are no physical connections involved, the nodes are simply placed at points where the element zero in my body is at higher concentrations." He went on, obviously doing his best to translate his terms clearly. "As for the second part of your question, I wouldn't honestly know. I've seen no examples of the biotics utilized by your race or others."
"Sira comes from a planet where element zero is found naturally in the atmosphere." Richard pointed out as she shot him a side glare from her capsule bunk, busy reading a datapad. "If your recordings of history are correct, then your race hasn't evolved alongside the element as long as they have."
"So what are you suggesting then, Doctor Richard Karpyshyn?" He inquired, pulling his head back slightly as he spoke.
"I'm suggesting that due to your physiology, your race may have adapted to eezo in different ways than the rest of us. Hollow bones, avian diets, there could be dozens of possible explanations and potential permutations." He went on, getting a quick, but noticeable head cock from Orontid in response.
"Alright, that's enough. Break it up, you three." I interjected, walking into the circle and ending the conversation. "No need to bombard our guests with questions all at once."
"Oh no, Captain Michaels, it is quite alright with me." He insisted, holding up one of his "hands" in light protest.
"Trust me, if you indulge their curiosity for too long, I've got to hear them talk about all of it for the next week of my life." I joked, speaking to him quietly as so the others couldn't hear me.
"I understand." He agreed, looking back up at the ceiling of the crew quarters. "How long can one survive on this ship? Without resupply, of course."
"Well, at our current capacity, only a few days. The Galleon-class is only really designed to comfortably crew twelve people, though our maximum rated capacity is twenty." I explained, looking through the crew quarters into where Dan's laser was supposed to be mounted. "When we first entered your home system, we had enough supplies to last another two months."
"So ships such as this aren't designed to move people far distances?" He surmised, confusing me slightly.
"No, what I mean is depending on the mission profile and crew complement, we can support X amount of people for X amount of days." I clarified, leaning on one of the support struts separating the crew quarters from where the medical station was. "Theoretically, with the right number of people, supplies, and fuel, you could spend years in space without risk to yourself or those around you. At that point, your only real limiting factor is the reliability of the mechanical parts the ship is built around. The quarians are prime examples of that, keeping ships running far past their projected lifespans."
"Hm… interesting." He nodded, sitting down on the folded "mat" he had brought with him. "Thank you for speaking with me, Captain Michaels."
"Any time, Orontid." I trailed off, nodding to his guard as I walked back to The Pit. I called Richard over to the storage compartment, getting a confused look from him before he accepted my order, following me into the secluded room.
"What is it? You've already deprived me of my Q&A session with our guest." He immediately began, making his anger known as he crossed his arms, his cybernetic eye piercing straight through me.
"Yeah, about that… I might have something here to occupy that time you were planning on spending with him." I redirected, opening up my omni-tool and wordlessly scrolling through the schematics Old Dan had given me.
"What am I looking at here?" He inquired as his anger immediately subsided, adjusting his glasses to get a better look.
"Mara and I cracked the encryption on the OSD I swiped from that Cerberus agent back on Ferris Fields. It seems he knew much more than he was letting on at the time." I lied, leaning in to give him a better look. "We believe this first device is some kind of detector, called a "Snooper", and the second some kind of stealth suit. For what, we're still not exactly sure."
"Based on that bulky sensor on the front of the first device, I'd assume its some kind of EMF detector." He focused as I sighed internally, happy he was understanding it. "It has a power source, scanner screen… looks like a 3D holographic visualizer too."
"What would they want to build an EMF detector for?" I asked, trying to lead him on. "Seems awfully specific, don't you think?"
"It could have something to do with the Reapers, maybe." He theorized, rubbing his neck as he looked down at the floor in thought. "The Geth believe they use electromagnetic signals broadcast on a frequency undetectable by most devices to indoctrinate people. If Cerberus has a specialized detector… well, that could mean some pretty nasty potential things."
"Such as?" I pushed, doing my best to sound as much like a layman as possible.
"Well, they could be experimenting with the remains of Reaper devices, or pieces of Reapers themselves. Such experimentation would likely pose a risk to the researchers involved, necessitating the creation of a device capable of detecting these Reaper frequencies." He concluded, nodding to himself as he stared at the schematic.
"That seems to be the most likely explanation. It would explain that Quantum Entanglement Communicator we ran into back in the Teltin Facility." I supported, rubbing my goatee as I mentally noted the very plausible connection and concern he had brought up. "Think you might be able to reproduce one of these?"
"Are you kidding? I could build something this simple with a box of scraps. The trick is tuning it to these specific frequencies and knowing where to look for said frequencies." He assured me, opening his omni-tool as I copied over the schematic. "As for that suit, that's not out of the realm of possibility, but it'll take much more time to reproduce."
"In that case, I want all your attention on this "Snooper" first and foremost." I ordered, closing my omni-tool as he did the same. "If we can find indoctrinated agents, maybe even track the Reapers themselves, it'll be a massive advantage for us in this war."
"Powell and I will have one for you in less than a day once we've got access to our lab again… along with another little surprise we've been cooking up during our extended trip from home."
"Surprise? I don't like surprises, Richard." I bemoaned, shooting him a stern look as he smiled.
"You'll like this one. Once we're back in the lab, I'll call you down to take a look yourself." He remarked, rubbing his hands together quickly before walking out of the storage compartment.
I knew Richard after several long years. I knew full well that his surprises were never usually things I took on with songs of praise. Even so, seeing the look on his face as he teased it told me it was something he was incredibly pleased with, more so than many of his other projects.
Maybe this time, it would be something I'd enjoy being surprised by.
…
MFV Discovery, March 31st, 1:39 PM, 2185
…
As we approached the hard, flat granite near our home, I felt an odd sense of emptiness. I realized this had been the first time since we'd used this landing area since the destruction of the Explorer. Despite the problems many of us had with it, we all came to see it as our "home away from home" after all the time we spent aboard it. Either way, it was gone, and the Discovery had taken its place.
Hitting the ground with a heavy "thud" as our landing gear made contact, I breathed a sigh of relief knowing we were back home. I was looking forward to sleeping in my bed after over a month of sleeping in what often felt like a sardine can.
"Engines off… reactor sp-spooling down… controls are locked. Welcome home." Dan finished, unhooking his flight harness as he hopped out of his chair and walked over to where I was still sitting. "You have anything sp-special planned?"
"No, just want to see my dogs and eat some real food. After that, I'll be giving our guests the grand tour." I explained, still feeling tired after the events of the previous day. "Why don't you help Dixon, Tony and Morgan get situated? One of those prefabs should already be ready for them over by the edge of the forest."
"Now w-why do you have to punish me like that?" He groaned, slouching his shoulders as I rolled my eyes and leaned to the side, getting a better look at Dimitri.
"Dimi, can you help Dan get our three musketeers situated at their new prefab?" I asked as he flipped around, hefting a duffel bag with assorted items he brought from Turviss.
"Da." He replied with a single nod, of which I returned.
"Happy now?" I deadpanned, getting a silently displeased face from Dan.
"Damn it, one day I'm g-going to design a building or ship that looks just like Mars City in Doom 3. Just you fuck with you." He cursed with a sudden burst of energy as I smiled, holding back the urge to slug him playfully on the shoulder.
"You'll have to do better than that. Try the Catacombs beneath Wulfburg in Return To Castle Wolfenstein, that'll give me plenty of nightmares." I shot back as I held in a chuckle, getting a quick smile from him.
"Stone structures aren't r-really my style, but I'll hold you to that." He promised as he walked off, leaving just Lenlo and I on the bridge as I sat in silence for a few moments.
"I suppose Kirva and I will stay here, keep an eye on things until this meeting." He spoke, getting a silent nod from me. "Anything we should expect?"
"Other than a lot of political bullshit? I doubt it." I shrugged off, hopping out of my chair. "Either way, just abide by my standard policies, and everything will be fine."
"Always expect the worst so when it does happen, you won't be surprised?" He quoted word-for-word as I smiled, unable to blow that off.
"Good to know you've learned a thing or two from my pessimism." I joked, patting him on the shoulder as I walked off, leaving him alone on the bridge.
Below, the only people still left on the ship were Kirva, Mara, our daughter, and our two guests. I knew Orontid expected a lot out of the next few days, and I honestly didn't want to disappoint him.
"Well, how does it feel to be the first two members of our race to travel outside of your home system?" I asked, holding my hands together behind my back as I usually did.
"Feels… interesting." Orontid nodded as I smiled. "Where will we be staying during the duration of our visit?"
"We've had one of our colonial prefabs set up for you ahead of time. We've done our best to make it as accommodating as possible for the two of you, but… well, if you run into any issues that need addressing, just let me know." I explained, letting a smirk slip onto my face. "You ready to head out?"
"Indeed we are." He nodded as he, Largos, Mara, Elle and I piled into the airlock, going through a much… calmer decon cycle this time around.
Outside, I was surprised to see Raan, Zadie, and Gerrel waiting for us, with several armed Marine guards in Gen III exos flanking their sides.
"Admirals… I wasn't expecting to meet you all again so soon." I spoke with slow caution to my voice, knowing that this was in no way normal. "You hear to meet our guests?"
"That, and to discuss several other matters." Gerrel answered, sounding about as neutral as he could after our last face-to-face meeting.
"Greetings Orontid, I am Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay. As a member of the quarian Admiralty Board, I speak for all of us when I welcome you and your companion to Reach." Raan immediately took over, very clearly trying to keep Gerrel and I from talking to each other too much.
"I'm humbled, thank you Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay." He kneeled in respect as Largos mirrored him, holding up his staff as he bent towards the ground. "This is a beautiful world. We're looking forward to seeing all you have to offer here."
"We're looking forward to showing it to you." She nodded, looking over at Zadie who was holding a box about the size of a milk crate. "As a sign of good faith, Admiral Mirna'Zadie vas Havvano has prepared a welcome package for you."
"We've taken the time to build customized omni-tools for both of you." Zadie spoke, opening the box and removing two enlarged versions of the device. "I've worked with a small team of designers to construct them, and they should be compatible with your… unique physiology. Unlike our standard ones."
"Ooh, how exciting! We gladly accept this gift." Orontid gushed, walking forward and holding out his wrist for Zadie. She carefully attached the straps, being careful not to pinch any of his feathers as she demonstrated the process in real time.
"He seems real excited." Mara commented, whispering to me as I smiled.
"Like a kid in a candy shop. Or a redneck in a hardware store." I joked, taking a moment to admire a soundly sleeping Elle in Mara's arms before focusing back on the conversation.
"Now, to activate it, you hold it to your chest like this." She demonstrated, reminding me of when Dan and I had bought our old Nexus omni-tools back on the Citadel, asking that volus shopkeeper how to turn them on for the first time.
I smiled, knowing we were both still using the same old discontinued model all these years later.
As Orontid listened to Zadie's instructions, Gerrel walked over to me with the obvious intent to speak to me. Knowing he'd want privacy, I walked away from the group, underneath the Discovery where we could speak in relative privacy.
I loathed the idea of even looking at the man, but I had to swallow my dislike and work with him.
"Captain, I've got excellent news to share with you." He started speaking in a softer voice, as to not be heard by the others. "We've recently finished excavating the remains of Rael's lab, and we've recovered something that might just secure our victory in the war against the Geth."
"And what would that be, sir?" I sighed, crossing my arms as I braced myself for whatever was coming.
"We've recovered partial code from one of the damaged server mainframes. I believe Rael and his team were developing a countermeasure that would, in theory, temporarily overload Geth systems. A sort of… digital flashbang, if you will." He explained as I did my best to not look in his eyes, leaning against one of the Discovery's landing legs. "I've tasked Captain Daro'Xen and her team to reconstruct and finish the countermeasure, hopefully in the next month or so."
"And… how do you expect me to take this?" I inquired, not at all pleased by what he had just said to me. "You want to start a senseless war with the Geth when the Reapers are right on our doorstep? You expect me to be impressed? Happy?"
"Captain, I've said it dozens upon dozens of times, but you just don't understand." He chastised as I rolled my eyes, shaking my head at his thick-headedness. "We will retake our homeworld and destroy the Geth once and for all. Your stories of mass paranoia and cosmic horrors hardly hold any weight in the face of reclaiming what we've lost."
"You truly are a dangerous fool." I shot back, struggling to keep myself from getting heated again. "The Geth aren't interested in waging a war with you that your ancestors started decades ago. If you would just swallow your pride and realize that, you'd save thousands of people from the suffering, horror and senselessness of a pointless conflict."
"I won't stand here and listen to a human speak ill of my ancestors. You know nothing of what they suffered in the genocide of our people, and I won't have it." He immediately shot down, sticking one of his fingers in my face as I stared stoically at him. "We'll win this war, and when we do, you'll have wished you'd listened to me."
"And when the Reapers arrive and begin hunting all of us down, you'll have wished you had pulled your head out of the sand long enough to heed our warnings." I said, getting a long, hard stare from Gerrel before he broke eye contact, walking off by himself as Mara shot me a worried look from where everyone else was standing.
Koris and Mal were right. I doubted there would be any coming back from this, and in the end, we'd suffer.
If what Old Dan said was anything to go by, I didn't want to have a "repeat" of our "potential" future.
No, this time it would be different. The lives of my family and I depended on it.
…
A/N: Sorry this one took so long to come out, been busy doing doubles at work lately. The heat has been killing me, and having to take a shower afterwards every day leaves me feeling lazy and unproductive. Luckily, Fall is upon us, so hopefully the weather will improve soon and I can focus more on writing again.
I've got something special planned for the next chapter, something some of you who've been paying attention might see coming. I won't give anything away, but I think it'll add an interesting new twist to one of the characters.
As always, I'm always up for suggestions or constructive criticism. Please leave a review telling me what you think so far, and stay tuned!