Had a few people start to follow so figured I'd keep going. Nice to see others out there who thought 'Hmmm, the older woman. Why not?'
Straw poll – How old do you think Chakwas is? I have an idea of what her age is, in regards to this story, and I may reveal how old she is in a later chapter. I'll put it like this: Shepard is approx. 30 years old in Mass Effect. She is not going to be more than double his age (or more).
"Is this really necessary, Doctor?" asked the turian.
"All new crew members must undergo a medical examination, Mr. Vakarian. It's a standard procedure," the doctor replied, "Miss Zorah is completing her questionnaire with no complaints."
"Just call me Garrus," the turian replied gruffly.
"And please, Doctor, just call me Tali," added the quarian cheerfully.
"Besides, I'm sure you're used to all these procedures, Garrus. I'm more than aware of how regimented and procedural the turian military is."
"That's precisely why I joined C-Sec. To escape that. Though C-Sec turned out to be not much better in the long run," Garrus muttered.
"It's all for your own well-being, the both of you. As I'm sure you're aware, this is an Alliance vessel and, while I have knowledge of most alien physiology, it would help me immensely to have your medical histories, in the event of any emergency."
"Have you any experience with quarians, Doctor?"
"No I don't, Tali. But there is plenty of material available which I have made sure to research over the years, particularly since first contact with both of your races. And I'm also aware of your basic requirements as a quarian. Nothing you tell me would be of a great shock."
"I'll admit you're the first group of humans I've had dealings with. I've only been on my Pilgrimage for a couple of weeks. Would have ended on the Citadel if it wasn't for the Commander."
Chakwas couldn't miss the tone in her voice. Someone has a crush on the Commander already. No surprise considering he saved her life. She was surprised by the arrival of both on the ship to begin with, even taking into account the Commander's elevation to be the first human Spectre. Never thought I'd hear that in my lifetime. But his speech prior to their departure from the Citadel had put fire in the bellies of all on board the Normandy. Humanity would be at the forefront of the chase for the rogue Spectre, but humanity would not do it alone. There were people out there, of many races, willing to help. Chakwas was ever more impressed by the Commander that he was so willing to accept the help of other races.
"What do you know about the Commander?" asked Tali, handing over the datapad which was now completed. Garrus repeated the action, still muttering away to himself.
"What would you like to know?"
Tali shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure. It's just I actually don't know anything about him except his name, the fact he's human, part of the Alliance Navy and that he's now a Spectre."
"He's a war hero, isn't he?" Garrus asked.
"That he is, Garrus. Saved an entire colony almost single-handedly. Though he'd never say that. He's far too modest. But he was awarded one of our highest military honours for his actions."
"Wow!" Tali whispered quietly, awe clear in her tone.
"As for your question, Tali, all I can suggest is that you speak to the man yourself and see if he'll talk about himself. The basics, apart from what you know, is that he comes from a very long line of Shepard's who have served humanity, either back on Earth for the armed forces from which his family originated, all the way to the present day. I'm aware that his mother also serves the Alliance and is currently a Rear Admiral. Blue runs in the blood regarding the Shepard's."
Garrus stood up, appearing eager to escape. "Will that be all, Doctor?"
Chakwas nodded. "Yes, Garrus. And thank you." The turian bowed slightly and made haste towards the door, Chakwas turning to watch him escape, before turning back towards Tali, who was doing her best, but failing, to stifle a chuckle.
"I don't think he likes med bays. Unfortunately it's part of life being a quarian. Even though we're in our suits all the time, we still get sick very easily. Will you have facilities available to help if I do suffer from sickness or injury?"
"It won't be an issue, Tali. I can quite easily turn this into a clean room to prevent any sort of infection."
"Good. Is there anything else you need from me?"
Chakwas shook her head. "No, I have everything I need on the datapad. You can head down to engineering now if you wish."
The quarian hopped down from the bed and walked out of the room, not forgetting to cheerfully say goodbye and she'll pop by again soon to chat. Again it was quiet in the med bay, Chakwas simply got to work, inputting all the data she had gathered from the pair into the ships medical database. She liked Tali immediately, as she was clearly very friendly and apparently rather sociable. She didn't know much about quarian society but figured it had something to do with being stuck in environmental suits. As for Garrus, his attitude wasn't too surprising. She hadn't had much to do with turians but she was aware of their reputation. She figured they would eventually warm to each other. Plus, even most humans' hated being in medical bays. It was no surprise that he wanted to escape as soon as possible.
Alone with her thoughts, she barely registered the door opening, only looking up when she felt a presence approaching her. She turned her eyes away from her terminal to see the Commander come to a stop nearby. She stopped typing and made to stand, Shepard simply gesturing for her to remain seated.
"So how are our two recruits? Anything I need to be concerned about?"
"Both are in near perfect health, Commander. The doctor who helped Tali on the Citadel did a terrific job in regards to her wound. You wouldn't believe she had only recently been injured. The only concern you will have with Tali is that she does have a weak immune system."
"Should I be concerned about taking her on missions? I think she'd be an asset on the ground, particularly when dealing with geth, but don't want to put her in danger."
"No. I mean, she's willingly signed up for this mission so she must be confident in her own abilities to provide assistance. She's certainly very enthusiastic about joining the crew. And I get the impression that she is someone who wouldn't appreciate being coddled. I would just treat her like any other crew member."
Shepard grinned slightly. "I'll keep that in mind, Doc. And Garrus?"
"No issues there, Commander. I get the feeling he's just like a lot of soldiers. Doesn't like doctors."
Shepard was quiet for a moment, appearing to be deep in thought. He clearly had something on his mind but she stayed quiet. He would eventually say whatever was on his mind, or ask about whatever he wanted to know. She figured if he was anything like her former Captain, he would care greatly about those under his command and would take the time to get to know everyone on board. Eventually he appeared to make up his mind as he took a seat on the opposite side of her desk. Chakwas put her elbows on the table and leaned forward, expecting a question.
"I like to get to know people under my command. It's just… something I learned from Anderson. So, doc, what can you tell me about yourself?"
"What would you like to know, Commander? My life story? My future ambitions?" Chakwas then stared straight at him. "My age?" she asked, completely deadpan.
Shepard shook his head, a slight chuckle. "Just the basics, doc. Like, I don't know, how did you end up joining the Alliance and here on the Normandy?"
"I take it you have everything on file? Why not just get everything from that? Not that I mind the questions."
Shepard chuckled slightly again. "I do have quite a bit of information on file, but I don't like just reading about someone from a datapad. I like to speak to people to get to know them," he finished with a slight grin.
Chakwas nodded, leaning back in her chair. "Let's see. I enlisted with the Alliance right out of med school. Earth was too boring. Too safe. The colonies seemed to be teeming with exotic adventure. What I really wanted to do was travel the stars. Children for the past two hundred years have probably shared the same dream. Being a doctor, I wanted to tend the wounds of tough soldiers with piercing eyes and sensitive souls. Turns out military life isn't quite as romantic as I'd imagined."
"How so?"
"I've seen a lot during my service, Commander. I've seen a lot of good young men and women lost as humanity expanded. And as humanity expands, the Alliance will always need good doctors, so I've stayed on to do my part."
"Do you ever get tired of the travel, of being out in space all the time?"
"In some ways I'm just like you, Commander." Shepard raised an eyebrow, Chakwas simply smiling in return. "I'm aware of your personal history, Commander. It's all in your file. You're what we call a spacer. The only time you've been planet-side is during your birth and while you're on mission. Other than that, you're on a ship somewhere in the galaxy. As for myself, I've thought about leaving at times, perhaps opening up a private practice on Earth, or perhaps a position at a medical centre out in the colonies."
"What's stopped you?" Chakwas raised an eyebrow at the question, causing Shepard to smirk. "I don't want to get rid of you, doc. Just call it an interest."
"As I said, the Alliance needs good doctors, and there's something special about working on soldiers. Helping them all the way from surgery to recovery. Being there for them, physically and psychologically. Of course you lose some along the way. Too many, in all honesty. But that's the result of being part of the armed forces. That is the role. And, in the end, I'd feel as if I was abandoning all of you if I were to leave."
"Well, colour me glad that you're still here, doctor. I think we're all in very good hands."
"What about yourself, Commander? New Commanding Officer of the Normandy and first human Spectre? How does it all feel? Your speech was impressive, by the way. Everyone has the appearance of walking a foot taller. Spirits are high."
She couldn't help but notice the slight grimace at the mention of being the new CO. Is it guilt about Anderson? He's a good man. He'd understand why the decision had to be made. "Anderson chose to relinquish command simply so I could have this ship to chase down Saren. He was honest and said it was his choice, but I still feel guilty about taking his ship. This was the sort of command he'd been waiting his entire career for."
"That's not your fault, Commander. And everyone on here supports you one hundred percent."
"I know that, doc. And the sentiment is appreciated. It's just not the way I wanted to earn my first real command. Anderson's a good man. As he said, it's not the way to end a career, stuck behind a desk, filing away papers."
"Well, as you said, Commander, we have a very important mission. Saving the galaxy. It's what we've all signed up for. And the Captain would be aware of that."
"That it is," Shepard replied as he stood up, "Guess I'd better go see how everyone is settling in. Did Wrex come up for a medical?"
Chakwas shook her head. "No, haven't seen him."
Shepard was quiet again for a moment. "Well, I'll go talk to him and see if he'd be willing to come up. Not sure how receptive he would be to a human doctor prodding and poking him."
"Tell him there won't be any of that. A simple questionnaire. I may run my omni-tool over him to take some of his stats. Though I'm sure he couldn't possibly grumble as much as Garrus."
"We'll see, doc. I'll leave you to it for now."
Chakwas smiled as the Commander turned and walked out of the room, the tell-tale sign of a whistle echoing back through the medical bay. All she could do is chuckle and shake her head before she re-focused on her work. As silence descended again, she was left wondering if the giant krogan would actually come up and co-operate.
