My week has been exhausting. I feel like I can not catch my breath. First, We lose Jenkins and the relic. Encountering Ashley and ********* was a welcomed surprise. Next, the role of spectre is bestowed upon me from the council and my job is to bring in one of the most dangerous people in the galaxy. There is no pressure there. Now I have to work with aliens on my team. I have no prejudice towards the other races, however humanity is supposed to stand on our own. My biggest concern is how this will affect ship morale. The crew is still mourning Jenkins. He had this light inside him that gave everyone energy. His sense of humor could have been too much at times, but we loved him for it. The times are more than difficult enough and bringing in all these aliens will no doubt create friction.
Captain Anderson stepped down as captain and handed the keys to the normandy over to me, before we found out he was the first human spectre candidate. I was obligated to accept. ********* begged me to get a paint job. He said it would make the normandy really feel like mine. The alliance had given us startup funding once they heard I became a spectre. I will be using the funds to purchase better equipment. I am grateful for the alliance for their aid, but it feels like I am always given things.
Growing up on alliance ships, you are told everyone on the ship is your family. We work together and earn our keep. My family has a long history with the alliance and while we were never quite near the top, my mom had enough influence to get me a spot in the N7 program. I worked my ass off training. I rose to the top of the program. I needed to be the best to redeem myself for getting in unfairly.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
"What is it?" Shepard asks.
"That was a good speech you gave. The whole crew is focused on stopping Saren. Now is the boring part of the job. The paperwork" Anderson gives me an electronic pad. "I already filled out Ashley's. We do have some forms for when we hire aliens. We usually label them as independent contractors."
"Thanks. I'll need your help filling these out. Do the aliens have their own government ID numbers?" Shepard asks.
"Turians use a different system. Krogan do not really have anything. I have no idea about the quarian." Anderson replies.
"Ok. I guess we just fill them out the best we can. When I talk to them, I can find out their dietary requirements" Shepard says.
"Already thinking ahead of yourself. One step at a time" Anderson states.
When I invited the aliens to my pseudo office, we filled out the paperwork and chatted about their strengths and Weaknesses. Garrus the turian was very knowledgeable about Saren. He knew so much about him, the things he knew made him seem like a creepy stalker. His sniping skills are adequate in a firing range and left to be seen in the field. Wrex the krogan is a brute with a healing factor, normal for his race. He is also a biotic, which he mentions is rare for one of his kind. I should bring him along when I am expecting a lot of enemies.
Tali was difficult. Not in the way as in dealing with, more sorting out. Not being able to see her face to gauge her reactions was a challenge. Judging from her tone of voice and body language suggests nervousness. That is to be expected from what has happened to her very recently. She mentions she is smart and would like to work on the drive core. Her talks about living on century old ships made me question if it was a smart idea for someone to help repair something much more advanced than anything she has worked on before. Her weak immune system alarms me to allow her in combat but she says she can take care of herself.
********* is a mystery. When I invited him to my office to sign paperwork he asked me if he needed to sign real paper along with digital records. That is only found in some books and crafts these days. He then asked me how he would make a privacy sign for when he needs to meditate alone. After the interview I showed him the panel next to the door. It is like he is a caveman thrown into modern times. He told me to use his paycheck to buy supplies for animal shelters and send it to them. Claims it will "Force them to use all of his money for animals and no taking out administrative fees." Also, he wanted me to buy from small family-owned stores and not from large corporations. I am not putting in the effort to do that. If he needs something specific, he will ask for it.
He did not know his ID number. I am running his DNA through the bank and will find out within a few days. Besides some combat experience, he offered to be a counselor. He claims he knows how emotions really work and how they are perceived by our minds. I think a trained professional would be better. Besides that, he is offering to be our cook. He requested basic ingredients for his dietary needs and some cooking equipment. He likes to cook. Human food items were limited at citadel markets, so I sent him to the market with Kaiden. It will be nice to have real food instead of the military food packs we are so used to swallowing, and only swallowing.
"What are you looking for?" Kaiden asks.
I am on one knee. I open the cupboard door to examine my tools. The ship's kitchen had everything you would find in a normal kitchen. The very basics. Everything is larger to cook for the whole crew. We should probably find another smaller set for Garrus's food. I do not want to risk an allergic reaction. I note they do not have a steamer. I could always make one from scrap metal. Drill a dozen holes and bend the metal to shape. I just need it to keep the veggies out of the boiling water.
"Just seeing what we have. Do you have the list?"
"Yeah, it's on my omnitool and Shepard gave me the ship's credit chip" Kaiden pulls out the chip from his pocket and presents it to me. It is larger than a quarter. A golden octagon with markings to prevent counterfeit.
"Do you know where the market is?" I ask.
"Kinda. I have been there before, but it has been a long time. When I was stationed at the citadel for a while to learn how to control my biotics, we ate a lot of asari food. I know what is good and what is to be avoided" Kaiden answers.
We make our way to the exit and pass Wrex.
"Hey Wrex. We are heading to the store. Do you want anything?" I ask.
"Do not get krogan food. Asari food tastes better. I'll eat pretty much anything" Wrex said.
"Ok, but what do you enjoy eating?" I ask.
He takes a moment to consider.
"If you can find pyjak meat and this asari sauce called the blue eternity get it" He replies.
"Adding it to the list" Kaiden mentions.
We walk out the door and head to the elevator to C-sec. We exit the station and hail a skycar. It is a short drive… or fly to the marketplace. We walk around a bit then Kaiden asks me a question.
"What do you think about working with Aliens?" he nonchalantly asks.
"I am excited. I always liked aliens from fiction as a kid. Now I get to really meet some" I answer.
"Really? Most people are frightened by aliens. Fear of the unknown"
"That is the fun part. I am curious about how they work. I mean we all work the same but different cultures have different outlets. I want to see how they manage" I reply.
The marketplace felt like a giant indoor farmers market. There were carts for us to haul our supplies. I am not sure the skycar will be able to carry everything. We walk around and find most of what we need. We found the pyjak meat and are trying to find the sauce. Kaiden occasionally stops and grabs some strange looking asari fruits or vegetables. He asks me which ones I want. I told him to get the colorful ones. Life is so much more fun with color. Kaiden asks the asari saleswomen with pale blue freckles and leaf green eyes about the sauce.
"Oh yeah, that is very popular. People put it on almost everything. Here are a couple of bottles. You are going to want more than one" she states.
"If Wrex likes it, we may need an entire cart" I joke.
Kaiden picks up a bottle and looks at the ingredients. Blue eternity he mumbles.
"That is the mind melding thing, right?" I ask.
"Yeah, that is right. You into it?" she asks.
"I am curious how it feels. What is it like?" I ask.
"Wanna try it?" she asked.
"Isn't that a private thing?" I am getting unsettled.
"Some asari like it that way. It is no big deal really" she replies.
"Would you be able to see my memories?" I nervously ask. Kaiden glances at me when he hears that.
"Probably. It happens sometimes" she calmly states.
"Pass. Pass. Pass." I quickly decline.
"What is the matter?" Kaiden said.
"My mind is private. I do not want anyone inside" I do not want her to see what I know or bring up any painful memories I actively suppress.
"Ok no big deal. I didn't mean to cause problems. Just trying to bridge the gap between species" she said.
"Thanks, but no thanks. I am sorry if I was rude. I am very particular about who I let in" I reply.
"No problem. Did you want to purchase that?" she points to the bottle Kaiden is still holding. We bought six bottles just in case. Our cart was overflowing, and we decided to head out. The skycar was tightly packed but we were able to make it all fit. The real issue was when we got back to the presidium and had to haul everything back.
"So why didn't you want the asari to meld with you?" Kaiden asked.
"The real reason?" I asked.
"The real reason" Kaided replied.
I take a deep breath in. "The real reason is because I am scared, she could make me relieve some very painful memories that I cannot go through again." I explain. Kaiden nods understandingly.
"I know how you feel. I dated an asari briefly and the melding brought back memories from when I killed a man" Kaiden said.
"You are a soldier. It happens" I said.
"No. When I was a child, the asari and turian governments insisted on teaching humans how to use bioitcs. They only did it because untrained biotics are more dangerous than skilled ones. There was this one turian instructor who was awful to all of us. He kept hurting us for being unable to lift a spoon. He seriously harmed my friend, and I lashed out of him. I killed him." Kaiden confessed.
"Killing out of malice is one of the worst things you can do. How did you handle it?" I ask.
"I felt so guilty that I mastered my biotics. Before then I treated it as a cool magic trick. Then I knew how dangerous we are. I never killed anyone with biotics again" Kaiden explained.
"Sometimes guilt is to remind us how to act properly. It is how our body guides us. As long as you never succumb to your malice then it is, well it is not alright, but you avoided something than could have gone south for the rest of your life. If you never, did it again, then I think it is fine for you to let go of your guilt. You shouldn't have to carry it around" the car ride was silent the rest of the way. We arrive at the presidium; I get out and push a button to open the trunk.
"Uuuuhhhh. I'll carry as much as I can." I slide as many plastic handles up to my elbows as I can. I am probably carrying at least ten grocery bags. Kaiden looked like he was about to say something then closed his mouth. We quickly walked back to the elevator. Trying to limit the amount of blood being cut off. He is carrying five bags. When we get to the door of the Normandy, I put the bags down and try to get the feeling back into my forearms.
"You forgot I could have used biotics to carry most of that" Kaiden said.
I lean over and rest my defeated head against the steel hull of the ship. I lightly bang my head against the cold metal.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I ask.
"I thought it would be funny" Kaiden replies.
"You made me work for no reason. I may not look like it, but I am lazy. I am also smart. I exercise to get stronger so everything else feels easier. I shouldn't have to work harder than I have to. How could you do this to me bud?"
"To be fair, if you forget I am a biotic in combat, we could end up in trouble if you forget" he states.
"I am letting it slide just this once."
We enter the ship and haul the groceries to the kitchen. By we, I mean I make Kaiden use his space telekinesis to put everything away. That is enough socializing with another human today. I wanna talk to aliens. I go down and see Garrus working on the Mako.
"Hey Garrus. Do you know what you are doing?" I ask.
"Yeah, like the ship the Mako was also partially designed by turians. I am doing basic maintenance. What's up?" Garrus asks.
"I just got done with putting groceries away. We found everything you wanted. I thought I'd come talk to you" I said.
"Thanks. It is nice to have someone friendly. I do not have many human friends. Tensions are still high between our people but are much better now" he said.
"I don't really care. I think the whole thing was a big misunderstanding" I said.
"Same. Things could have gone a whole lot worse if we didn't go easy on you guys" the famous turian sarcasm.
"Please. We let you think you even had a chance" I really do not know. I am just matching his blows.
"Why do you hate Saren so much?" I ask.
"On my homeworld, we are taught to help each other. Rely on them as if we are soldiers on the battlefield. Saren is selfish and the opposite of what a turian should be. I never liked him and when I saw him disregard the lives of others to make his mission easier, I just knew he must have done things that should have had consequences. He threw their lives away so easily. People like him never stop crossing the lines. I always tried to find something to make the council reign him in but found nothing. Now he is leading the geth. I never thought he could do that. Now we have to stop him" Garrus said.
"I can see that. I admire how you want others to do their best. Unfortunately, we can't force people to do that. Any trouble settling in?" I ask.
Garrus grows quiet for a moment and whispers "I do not like Wrex staring at me all day. I think he wants to hurt me. The turian krogan relationship is much worse than what it has ever been with humans. I don't know if you know but my ancestors did some horrible things to the Krogan but they live so long it is still fresh to them."
"Want me to go talk to him and report back?" I ask.
"That would be great" he replies.
I walk over to Wrex and see him leaning on the wall with his arms crossed. His face looks tense although it is hard to tell. It could be his resting face.
"Hey Wrex"
"What is it?" He asks.
"We were able to find the meat and sauce. I thought I come say hi" I said.
Wrex looks at me curiously and tilts his head. "Why?" he asks.
"Just wanted to talk. I want to spar with you one of these days but will let you get settled in first" I am so generous.
"Trust me kid, you do not want to mess with me" he warns.
I think back to all the people and monsters I fought over the years in all the universes I visited. I am not intimated.
"I'll prove to you I can handle it. I like the feeling of accomplishment when I win a challenging fight. I do not want any trouble. I just want a sparring partner." I explained.
"You are a strange one. You do seem different from the other humans. A bit stronger but a lot more confident" he observed.
"Yeaaaaah, I've done a lot" I lean closer to Wrex and whisper "I know about the sensitive issue. Would you like me to tell everyone else, so they do not bug you?"
"What issue?" He looks at me irritatingly.
"Your swagger dagger can't function" I said. He looks confused. I will try again. "The thresher maw can't shoot out" I said. Wrex is lost. I give up. "The genophage" I said.
Wrex leans back and rolls his eyes. "Oh that. Swagger dagger?" he raises a krogan eyebrow, if they had one.
"It rhymes" I defend.
"I don't really care. My race is killing itself. Other people knowing won't make a difference" his words hide a hint of sadness.
"I won't mention it. While we are on the subject, Garrus is scared of you. He doesn't like what is ancestors did but understands you taking it out on him" I explain.
"I do not trust turians but he is young. I'm not mad at him. His ancestors were alot worse. They fought us like we were… it's like we were just entertainment for them. They were itching for a fight to prove how brave they were. They got a lot tamer as the generations passed but I don't like them. He has nothing to worry about from me" Wrex said.
"I'll go tell him" I start to make my way back towards Garrus when I have an idea.
"Or we can screw with him. When I turn around look scary" Wrex smiles.
I walk over to Garrus and he looks at me wondering what I have to say. I put my hand on his bony shoulder and say "you are going to want to lock your door at night" I look over to Wrex who makes an intimidating face. I desperately try to keep it together and look back at Garrus. His mandibles slowly widen in horror. I step away and hide my face from his eyes and look towards Wrex. I show him my face expressing silent laughter and see him smirk a bit. I leave to go talk to Tali.
"Hi Tali" I said. She turns around and looks at me.
"********* What are you doing here?" She asks.
"I wanted to talk to everyone and saved the best for last. Wrex and I are pranking Garrus. He is not going to sleep for a while" I laugh.
"Don't be a bosh'tet. What did you want to talk about?" Tali asked.
"I wanted to make you feel bad for shooting me" the other engineers glanced at our direction. Tali catches this, puts her hands out and says "I did not shoot him."
"You shot me with your eyes and I know you enjoyed it" just then I actually noticed her eyes. The whites are moving.
"What's going on with your eyes? Are they moving?" I shuffle side to side and they follow.
"Oh, the eyes are actually lights from the visor. When we had to start wearing the suits, we needed something to make it feel like the other was paying attention to the conversation. You are the first to notice" she explains. That is different from the game.
"Interesting. How do you like the ship?" I innocently ask.
"It's amazing. The ship's drive core is wah wah wahwah wah. The field generator is wah wah wah. And the…'' these words are English but not English. I do not understand this at all, but she is very passionate about it, that much I can tell. The lead engineer speaks up.
"She also has a state of the art thermal ventilation system that allows for …..….which incorporates the ….."
"Ok ok all is fun and games, but can you stop speaking in your fake language and go back to English?" I jokingly request.
"I'm sorry. Growing up on a ship you and your family takes care of makes you a little passionate" Tali said.
I raise my eyebrow "only a little. Also don't be sorry for doing something you love. I'm going to head out. Talk to you later" I wave goodbye and head out. I hear upstairs and try to find my room when I am stopped by Shepard, Kaiden, and Ashley talking about the aliens.
"Do you really think it is a good idea to be giving them free reign on the most advanced alliance ship?" Ashley asks.
"The turians helped design the Normandy and have a right to know how we are managing their investment" Shepard replied.
"I just talked to all of them. Want my opinion?" I offer.
"What do you think?" Shepard asks.
"Garrus is pretty passionate about taking Saren down. I think he sees him as everything his people shouldn't be but yet he is rewarded with a position of power. Wrex is a warrior. He wants to fight but knows Saren needs to be eliminated. Tali may be a problem" I said.
"Tali? Seriously? What makes you think that?" Ashley asks in surprise.
"She loves the ship. I do not understand what she is saying. I don't speak tech but she is going to take some trade secrets back home" I explain.
"That won't be an issue. Are you happy Ash?" Shepard looks towards her.
"I think so. I'm uncomfortable around them" Ashley states.
"You should talk to them" Kaiden said.
"Hey Ashley, you need to remember they are a lot like humans. They all look the same, act the same, think the same, and one bad apple is a representation of the whole population" I sarcastically put it.
"I get your point. You don't need to mock me"
"But it is so much fun. Hey Shepard, when are we going after Saren? I am itching for a fight" I ask.
"These things take time. Saren will make a move eventually and we will be there to catch up. Until then I need everyone who will be a part of the ground team to meet me in the cargo hold. If we can't trust each other in the field, we will make mistakes. We can't afford that" Shepard said.