Chapter 2:
The Illusive Man wanted to talk after we'd gotten back, and I soon found myself in the empty room again. The scene formed, with him sitting in his chair.
"Shepard." A nod. "Good work on Freedom's Progress. The quarians forwarded their findings from Veetor's debriefing." Things sure happened fast around here. "No new data, but it's a surprising olive branch, given our history." He gestured with his hands. "You and I have different methods, but I can't argue with your results."
So, he chose to go the rough route, then. Cerberus was sounding less and less appealing.
"Maybe you should try being nice."
"Diplomacy is great when it works, but difficult when everyone already perceives you as a threat." Well, if the shoe fits. I mean... "But more importantly, you confirmed the Collectors are behind the abductions."
Confirmed. He'd already known.
"So, you already knew." I raised an eyebrow.
"I had my suspicions, but I needed proof. The Collectors are enigmatic at best. They periodically travel to the Terminus Systems, looking to gather seemingly unimportant items or specimens. Usually in exchange for their technology. When their transactions are complete, they disappear as quickly as they arrived; back beyond the unmapped Omega 4 relay. Until now, we've had no evidence of direct aggression by the Collectors."
I had questions. "You still haven't said how the Reapers are involved."
"The patterns are there, buried in the data. The Council and the Alliance want to believe the Reaper threat died with Sovereign. You and I know better." His gaze felt as if he were staring through me. "I won't wait until the Reapers are on the march. We need to take the fight to them."
Was this what the quarian woman had worked with me on? Sovereign, the Reapers, whatever I'd done before dying?
"I can't do it alone." I hedged, not outright agreeing.
"I've already compiled a list of soldiers, scientists, and mercenaries. You'll get dossiers on the best of them." A puff of his cigarette. "Finding them and convincing them to work with you could be challenging, but you're a natural leader." He paused. "I'll continue to track the Collectors. When they make their next appearance, I'll notify you and your team. Be ready."
My heart started pounding. "And the people I worked with before?"
"That was two years ago, Commander." He shifted, and I wondered if the question had made him uncomfortable. "Most of them have moved on... or their allegiances have changed."
"Give me dossiers on them." I demanded. "I'll reach out to them myself. Maybe they'll listen to me."
He regarded me for a few moments, before nodding. "Alright. I'll have them sent to you, as well."
"Anything else I need to know?"
"If you think you can convince the Council and get your Spectre status renewed, then I suggest you give it a try." A pause. "Just remember- you've been gone a long time. Things have changed."
I mulled over everything I'd learned and experienced since waking up, slowly nodding. "I'll do it."
"Good. Two things before you go: First, head to Omega and find Mordin Solus. He's a brilliant salarian scientist. Our intelligence suggests he may know how to counteract the Collectors' paralyzing seeker swarms. Second, I've found a pilot I think you might like. I hear he's one of the best. Someone you can trust."
Someone I knew before I'd died, he means.
Footsteps sounded behind me, approaching as the scene around me faded. Turning, I saw a man, who was limping toward me.
"Hey, Commander. Just like old times, huh?" He grinned.
I followed him out of the room, mentally scratching my head. "I didn't think I'd see you here."
"Look who's talking. I saw you get spaced."
So, he'd been there, when I'd died.
"Ah. Yeah." I smiled a little. "What are you doing here?"
That was a safe question, right?
"It all fell apart without you, Commander. Everything you stirred up, the Council just wanted it gone." A shake of his head. "Team was broken up, records sealed, and I was grounded." I frowned, indignation filling me at his words. I didn't remember this man, but my emotions certainly made it seem as if I did. I was upset on his behalf. "The Alliance took away the only thing that mattered to me. Hell yeah, I joined Cerberus."
We stopped at a large pane of glass. I eyed him subtly.
"Do you trust the Illusive Man?" I asked quietly.
"I don't trust anyone who makes more than I do. But they aren't all bad. Saved your life. Let me fly- And there's this." He paused, and the lights on the other side of the glass flashed on.
A large ship was on the other side, and it was beautiful.
"They only told me last night." He grinned again, making a sweeping motion toward it. "It's good to be home, huh, Commander?"
Something was missing. "Something's missing."
"Right? They're gonna put her name on the sides later. We just need to wait a couple more hours before we can fly her out of here." He puffed up, proud. "The Normandy's back, baby. And looking better than ever."
Normandy. I liked the sound of that.
A chime on my omni-tool drew my attention to it, and I opened the message to find the dossiers for the new team and my previous one. I started with the latter.
...
Miranda and Jacob walked with me as I stepped onto the ship, looking around- hoping I wasn't looking out of place with how I was staring, in awe, at everything.
"Welcome aboard the new Normandy, Commander." He said, gesturing around us.
"She's beautiful." I murmured.
"I've been looking over the dossiers. I'd strongly recommend starting by acquiring Mordin Solus, the salarian professor on Omega." She advised. "We know the Collectors use some type of advanced technology to immobilize their victims. We'll need him to develop a countermeasure to protect us."
"Acquiring Professor Solus seems like the most logical place to start." Another voice chimed in, from a speaker somewhere.
"Who is that?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
A blue light behind me had me turning around, finding a little image of a humanoid... being.
"I am the Normandy's artificial intelligence. The crew like to refer to me as EDI."
I smiled at her. "It's nice to meet you. I've got to say, I like your voice."
There was a pause, silence settling over us.
"Thank you, Shepard."
"So, what do you do, exactly?" I asked.
"During combat, I operate the electronic warfare and cyberwarfare suites. Beyond that, I cannot interface with the ship's systems. I observe and offer analysis and advice. Nothing more." She disappeared, and I turned back to the other two.
"Going back to earlier- while that is a good point, I want to get Archangel first. If he's really being targeted by the gangs on Omega, we should recruit him first, before they get to him." I'd looked into everything I could about the situation.
With what I'd read, he might not last much longer.
They exchanged glances, before the pilot's voice came over the speaker.
"Final preparations for takeoff are complete, Commander. When you're ready to go, just pick a destination from the galaxy map in the CIC and I'll plot a course."
I looked behind me, wondering where the map would be.
"Jacob and I should return to our posts. Come find us if you have any questions." She walked away.
He saluted me, before following suit.
With no other guidance for direction, I wandered toward the other side of the room. Ah. Found the map. While I was looking it over, picking different systems and familiarizing myself with the technology, the woman standing closest to me welcomed me aboard the Normandy. Said her name was Kelly Chambers. After picking Omega on the map, I turned my attention to her.
She said it was her job to be my personal assistant, basically. Unofficially, she was also something of a therapist. I made a mental note of that.
"Is there anything I can do for you, Commander?" She sounded so eager to be helpful.
"I want dossiers on everyone on this ship. Doesn't matter who they are." I held my breath.
She nodded, typing something into her computer. "Right away, Commander."
I felt my shoulders relax. "Thank you." A glance toward the elevator. "If you need me, I'll be in my quarters." Hoping that was something I could do.
Another nod, and I turned away from her, getting in the elevator. EDI appeared once again, filling me in on which floor was for what. Once the door to my room shut behind me, I let out a deep breath.
"EDI, whatever gets spoken of in this room, stays in this room. The Illusive Man isn't to know what happens in here. That also includes whatever I look up."
"Yes, Commander."
"And, please. Call me my first name."
A long pause.
"Yes, Alessia."
Alessia. I liked it. I'd been so busy looking into everyone else, that I'd forgotten to research myself. So, with nothing to do between now and getting to Omega, I settled in to learn about myself.
...
I was impressive, to say the least. With everything I'd done, no wonder I was a Spectre. And I wanted to get that restored, if for nothing else than to have access to the Council's resources for this. It would be difficult, given who I was working with, but surely, if I stayed out in the Traverse- out of their hair- they would secretly support me. Right? They'd supported Saren, in all that he'd done.
There was nothing about my personality, though. What had I been like? What had I liked? Disliked? Were my old teammates friends of mine? Or just that- teammates?
After a couple hours of that- and reading most of the dossiers Kelly had sent me- I left my room, wanting to wander around. Get a feel for the ship. Meet the people on it.
I found Jacob first.
"Commander." He saluted as soon as he saw me. "I want to say that working with you is a great opportunity to do something that matters. It's a privilege to serve on the Normandy, Commander."
I leaned my hip against the table opposite him, eyeing him. "From what I hear, this could be dangerous."
He was adamant. "Maybe. As long as the Illusive Man walks his talk, and you do the same, I'll do my best to make sure we succeed. That's been the condition for my service so far. I have issues with certain actions Cerberus has taken in the past."
I smiled. "I think we'll get along just fine." A slow nod. "I look forward to working with you, Jacob."
He dipped his head. "Likewise, Commander. Let me know if you need anything."
"Ah. I do, actually. Call me Alessia. Please." Without giving him time to respond, I left the room.
I mingled with the crew, getting to know them a bit, on each floor. I even got the cook to tell me what he'd need to provide good food for everyone. Something I was proud of myself for- he'd been reluctant to talk to me. Actually, a lot of them had been. But I'd won them over in the end.
And then, I entered the medical suite. And came face to face with another of my old team. Doctor Chakwas.
"Commander Shepard. I watched the Normandy crumble with you on board. It's good to see you alive."
"I wasn't aware you'd left the Alliance." I tilted my head.
From her dossier, it didn't sound like she'd just up and leave to join something like Cerberus.
She didn't speak, just stared at me, for several minutes. My heart was pounding, but I managed to keep my expression blank. Giving nothing away.
"The kind of trauma you endured would've changed most people," I held my breath. "but not you, I see. Welcome back, Shepard."
Something to distract her. "Do you need anything?"
"This medical bay seems very much like the sick bay on the original Normandy." A glance around. "Only thing missing are my private reserves." A slight smile. "I even had a bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy that I was saving for a special occasion."
"If I see one, I'll get it for you." I offered.
A strange expression crossed her face, but it was gone quickly. "Oh, you needn't. It's expensive and we have much larger concerns ahead."
More silence settled.
"So." I wasn't sure how to broach it. "Why did you leave the Alliance?"
Was there something I needed to know? What had Cerberus offered her?
"After the Normandy was lost, the surviving crew was reassigned." She started. "I was stationed at the Mars Naval Medical Center. A very respectable position, but it wasn't on a starship. I've spent most of my life on war ships, never knowing what the next mission might bring. I'm used to the hum of engines, the creaking of bulkheads, that subtle vertigo when the momentum dampeners kick in. Life planet-side is just too static, too boring."
"I just... I can't see you working for Cerberus." I frowned, shaking my head.
With what was in her file, I just couldn't see it.
She leaned forward in her chair. "I don't work for Cerberus; I work for you- on a mission that may be crucial to the survival of the human race. And I trust you, Commander."
I left quickly after that. And found myself in Miranda's office.
She told me about how she was genetically modified, and how that helped her in everyday things. That it was why she was handpicked to be assigned to me- both rebuilding and working with me. Oh, and she also knew everything about me that she could possibly know. Because that wasn't daunting and wouldn't make me feel as if I needed to be extra careful around her. Not at all. Still... I felt for her. She was under enormous pressure to be perfect and get everything done perfectly, and that was impossible for anyone to do.
Next, it was Gabby and Ken down in engineering.
"You came all the way down here to see us?" I thought his jaw would hit the floor.
She saluted me, shooting him a glare. "You're speaking to our commanding officer."
"Please, relax." I waved away her words. "And I'm making the rounds, getting to know people. I think that's important."
He was more than eager to introduce himself. "I'm Engineer Ken Donnelly, handling the power control systems. This is Gabby."
"That's Engineer Gabriella Daniels, actually. I'm responsible for the propulsion systems."
"What can we do for you, Commander?"
"You can start by calling me Alessia." I smiled. "And, actually, I was wondering if you needed anything- while we're talking, I might as well ask."
"Well, we could do with-"
"Kenneth, you're complaining." She interrupted him.
"Please, tell me what you need." I encouraged.
"When they upgraded the Normandy design, they got a bit sloppy with the FBA couplings." He started. "I won't bore you with tech, but there is an array of attenuators in the primary power transfer system that channels the field bleed-"
"Kenneth, you're boring the comma-" She paused, glancing at me. "Alessia with tech." My smile grew, and she looked relieved. As if she wasn't sure if that was okay or not. "In short, if we had T6-FBA couplings installed, it'd save us a lot of maintenance time each day."
"The T6 model can be hard to find. Nashan Stellar Dynamics discontinued them."
"We could probably find used ones in the Omega markets. But we have no time for shore leave."
I bowed my head in thought. "Well. We are heading to Omega first. If you think you can find them, go ahead and take the time to do so. It won't count as shore leave- you'd still be working, technically."
Surprise flitted across both their faces. I was essentially saying they'd still be paid for the time they needed to look.
"EDI, do we have funds we can set aside for this? It's for the ship." I asked, slightly louder, unsure what volume was needed to trigger her.
"Yes, Alessia. I will make the arrangements."
"Thanks, EDI. You're the best." I clapped my hands. "That's all settled, then. I'll leave you to it. Sorry for taking up so much of your time."
"It's no bother, Com- Alessia." Ken caught himself.
It would take time, before people grew comfortable enough with it to do it naturally, it seemed.
As the door closed behind me, I overheard them talking. He was surprised I'd come down to see them, while she stated that she'd known I would. That she'd told him so.
