Just warning that this will be the last chapter of interaction and development. Next chap, some more interesting little things will happen.

"Luminosity 170, relays 4…" I repeated the strange message several times, trying to memorize it at the same time that I immediately put on the externet to see if I could find something.

To no one's surprise, I found absolutely nothing that could give me a hint. Even fucking ads for quality motels, but nothing about it.

The largest information network in history cannot tell me anything about a kind of message with hidden meanings. How wonderful…

"Hey!" A blow to my head took me out of my thoughts, and I had to rub the area when it caused a little pain. "I'm paying you to work, not to spend the day messing with this thing. Go do it kid."

"Hi to you too Harris." I said in a drier tone than I would have liked when the throbbing in my head started to bother me. "Couldn't you just yell at me like a normal boss?"

"I never considered myself a normal boss." He responded with obvious amusement before taking on a serious expression. "What the hell is holding your attention? I have vehicles that need repair."

"Well…" I could say, but I don't think I need to disturb others with my problems. "Nothing much. Just ... advertising."

"I'm sure someone is looking at one of those website subscriptions with certain ... entertainment." Drerk spoke of where he was working on a kind of motorcycle with a little grin.

"Wow, you could have just told me you were going to the bathroom if you needed privacy, kid. We sure would understand."

"Fuck you both." I mumbled, taking a pill and swallowing. The two just laughed in my face.

That was one of my new problems: headache. It was already punching a hole in my head when I woke up this morning, but I just shrugged and took it for granted as it was quite tolerable until Harris hit me suddenly. Now, I really need this pill to take effect soon so that I don't lose consciousness.

Dr. T'zena, god bless you for these pills. Or maybe Kalahira… I don't remember the Asari religious belief in the game very well.

"Anyway, get back to work. Today we're going out to grab some drinks kids" Harris said as he made his way to the office.

"You pay it?" Drerk asked, smiling widely. I think we have a drink lover among us.

"I pay, but I can't say the same thing about the advertisement there if he doesn't start work." Harris replied, gesturing in my direction before disappearing into the office. I just shook my head and waited for the pill to take effect.

"What's the medication you are using for?" Drink asked me, set of lower eyes looking at the pill bottle in my hands and the upper one still looking at me.

"Headache." I replied, massaging my still slightly sore temple. "Since I woke up, my head hurts. It's like they've stepped on it badly inside."

"Looks painful." He said, going back to work on the bike. "What did Dr. T'zena say about it?"

"Something about abnormal activity in my brain waves or something." I replied, going to the skycar I was about to work on before I realized it. "Wait, you know Dr. T'zena?"

"Are you kidding? She fixed my eye. Well ... the best she could." He replied, taking a probe and mending a part of the bike. "Of course, this was only after she offered to completely remove it."

"How this happen?"

"They took me by surprise. "I could see on his face that it was a very delicate thing, so I decided not to insist on it. It wasn't mentioned in the games, but I think the eyes are valuable for a batarian, much more than for a human. "The last thing I know is that she is offering me half the earnings that would be received by my eye. Apparently there are enough sick bastards out there who collect them."

"Well ... at least she gave you a choice. If I hadn't woken up when I did ... it would be an empty shell now. " I said, wincing as I remembered how casual she was about taking my organs out for monetary compensation.

"I prefer to be an empty shell than to be partially blind when my soul goes towards the pillars."

"I thought you weren't religious." I opened the hood, finding an engine producing a small cloud of smoke. What crap huh.

"I'm not, but ... I don't know. It brings some comfort to believe that we will not be just dead meat when our time comes. I prefer to think ... there's something good waiting."

"Something good waiting huh…" I think this is a good definition of faith. Believing that in the end we will have something better than what we had in life. It's nice.

"This is very spiritual."

"That's all I have." He shrugged.

"Do you know what I have? An engine that looks like it was used to grill meat instead of putting a car in motion. This thing sucks."

"We all have our first scrap, I think it's your turn." He said, coming to the vehicle with the steaming engine." Pillars… fuck that! I don't even know why I care. "

I couldn't help but laugh at his reaction. One of the things I noticed about Drerk is that he had cars in high regard, just as an artist has a good picture. And when you marginalize that picture, he gets outraged pretty bad.

A great source of humor, let me say.

"Well, look at it this way. At least you won't have to worry about me blowing this one up…" My statement was interrupted by the steaming and unstable engine that produced a small explosion.

Not the type that caused damage, more the type that sent a lot of smoke in our face.

"Were you saying?"

"Forgets."

"500 credits that we can still fix."

I gave him a long look before sighing and saying, "I'm a novice mechanic, not stupid. Besides, 500 credits is my week's salary."

"Is this a no?"

"Just shut up and help me dude."


A few more cars and several light insults exchanged later, I was leaning against the entrance to the workshop, now out of the dirty mechanic uniform and back in the same clothes I wore when I arrived. I need to take time to spend at some clothing store. I thought, without taking my eyes off the now dark sky.

The truth is… wow! I didn't realize how reclusive I was for three whole days. All I did was work, think about my cloudy memory and sleep and then wake up and do it all over again. This empty routine makes something like seeing the night sky much more significant. Although there was nothing different in essence, the stars were certainly far more visible than they would be anywhere on earth.

It's beautiful.

"So, what did she say? If you touch my baby in an unkind way will I kick your ass?" Drerk asked, appearing beside me and locking the place. Using his version of a jaquet I guess.

"It was actually more like, 'I'm going to gouge your eyes out,' the kicking ass thing was for me." I replied without taking my eyes off the view above.

"She knows it's just a car, right? Not a real child." I could see him checking the entrance out of the corner of his eye before he turned to me. "I mean, it's not like she can't find another one."

"Sentimental value." I shrugged. "Some people really manage to create affection for their assets."

"You humans are strangers."

Another shrug was my answer before we both started to distance ourselves from the workshop.

What is happening is that after our break to eat something, a lady who couldn't seem more sulky even if she wanted to, appeared with a skycar full of holes. After several insults and threats saying that if we didn't do a good job it would destroy us in the Jack style, I was about to tell her to fuck herself before Drerk looked at me with a look that begged me to shut up.

It turns out that she was related to the head of one of the big gangs here on the planet, and Drerk said something about her already making her nephews or whatever they were going to behead a guy for her to watch simply because the poor guy hadn't arrived with her coffee in time.

After that, we can say that I will choose much more carefully what to say to the parish.

"I thought he was going to meet us at the exit." I said, looking around and noticing Harris's lack of presence anywhere as we walked.

"That was before. While you were busy with that damaged gravity exit, the old man texted me to wait for him in front of the place."

"The place being?"

"An old bar from a friend of his. Great place to get drinks for a good price if the owner likes you." He replied. I noticed that his tone was incredibly low and less relaxed and I soon realized why as we continued.

Unlike when we passed the first blocks of our neighborhood, we were no longer completely alone. Among the various neon-colored signs that illuminated the street and the dirt and smoke of substances, were presences that clearly could be a problem.

Although everyone on that block was doing nothing but taking care of their own affairs or just walking around, you could see and feel their eyes on you. Searching, hunting. If you asked me what? I would just say any sign of weakness. Like lions assessing prey.

It's amazing how much you can forget you're in a place where any of these people would probably kill you for a handful of credits.

Looking at my Batarian companion, I could see that he was just as indifferent as he could be. Although his hand was close to the waist where there was possibly a pistol.

"You know, if I had one of these it would be very nice, considering the warm welcome we are having." I whispered low enough for him to hear. If I knew how to handle it, but ... it would still be good have it.

"Nervous Kane?" He asked with a smile that earned him a sharp look from me.

"I just don't want to end up with a knife in the back or anything." I said, looking a little nervously out of the corner of my eye at a Turian passing by with several knives in his belt. "Or worst."

"Relax. Just don't act like a ... 'pussy' like you humans say and you'll be fine. They won't want to start a fight, they're not stupid."

"If you say." I said, looking briefly at an alley and then averting the brutal view of a small group of humans in an alley beating someone. "Charming place."

"Welcome to-"

"If you finish that sentence, I'll punch your eyes."

"And I would love to see you try." He said giving one of his broad smiles, probably amused by the prospect of me trying to hurt him. I just shook my head and kept walking.

Ignoring the looks ... it was problematic. It took a lot of willpower not to look or look over my shoulder every now and then. Don't judge me, judge Chalkhos. It is difficult to be at ease when you feel that the entire planet wants to assault you. This walk through pairs of mischievous eyes gave me a better understanding on the other hand. Gangs ... crime in general here is something to be on alert. I think the only reason they didn't try anything with me was Drerk's presence. Because even with a height of 1.85, I would not say that I am intimidating.

Especially considering the fact that I am still partially lame, even though my bruises are not so bad anymore.

My discomfort ended when we approached an establishment with a large neon sign with "Kratus bar" written on it. The girls who work across the street and some boys inhaling something in the alley seemed distant, as if no one wanted to get close.

Strange.

"Here we are, the place where your conscience and any inhibitions are dissolved if you have enough credits to pay." Drerk said, and I swear all he needed was a microphone and a suit to pass himself off as a presenter.

"Right." I suppressed a laugh as I imagined a Batarian actually doing a commercial. "I'm still not seeing Harris anywhere around here."

"So maybe you should look again kid." I jumped in response to the sudden voice, casting a sharp look at Harris, who seemed very pleased with himself.

"Lets go in?" He asked, keeping that smile from him. We both just nodded and let him lead the way until he suddenly stopped.

"You better get back a little." He said, walking away.

"What-"

I didn't have time to ask, because the clothesline window was suddenly destroyed when something, or more precisely, someone came flying out of that window. A brief glance confirmed that it was a rather battered turian, blue blood coming out of the various scratches and cuts on his face, giving him a rather defeated appearance.

This was nowhere near as shocking as the big, tall, imposing figure that crossed the window, tall footsteps echoing in the now silent street. Intimidated, scared and even impressed, I was unable to move and just watched the big krogan rise over the fallen turian.

Holly… shit!

"COME IN MY ESTABLISHMENT, PROOF OF MY DRINK AND STILL DARE TO TRY TO STEAL ME?" He grabbed the turian by the windpipe, lifting the palaven native without difficulty. "WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? YOUR VORCHA FOOD WITHOUT VALUE!"

"I…"

"SILENCE!" The krogan snarled, tossing the turian across the alley. Which resulted in the escape of the street kids who were too terrified to do anything but run.

I was walking slowly backwards, but I stopped my steps when the big walking dinosaur turned his attention away from where the turian was lying to look at me. I thought seeing a krogan was intimidating, I was wrong. Looking into the eyes of one was worse. The completely white scale-like skin, similar to an albino next to the red crest on the head, gave this krogan a frightening appearance. His hard eyes seemed to look at me in a kind of assessment before he looked past me, his expression lit up.

Really lit up… what the fuck…

"BAH! HARRIS!" He passed me, almost knocking me over in the process. Approaching Harris and giving him a… handshake? I didn't know that krogans understood the gesture. "So, you finally decided to come visit me after months. How are you?"

"In Chalkhos." Harris didn't even try to hide his disgust. "But I would say that I'm fine, as far as possible."

"Kane?" Drerk snapped his fingers in front of my face, taking me out of this 'intimidation-induced paralysis' moment. "Are you still with us?"

"You could have warned me that we would be going to see a giant dinosaur." I said, low enough that the albino krogan wouldn't hear.

"I could, but where's the fun in that?"

"You can be a dick sometimes you-"

"Anyway, we had time to kill so I thought I'd take us all over to taste one of your drinks." Harris said, turning his attention to me. "This is Mike Kane, he's one of the good guys."

"Hmm…" And there is the appraisal look again. Considering that krogan values strength, I tried to make my face neutral. The best I can, since his gaze gives goosebumps. "Warrior face, but behaves soft and fearful. I give you a few days."

There goes the good first impression. I shot Drerk a deadly look, who wasn't even trying to hide his laughter.

"You know, they weren't optimistic either when I showed up with my broken bones, but I showed them that I'm not as soft as I look." Ok… that was a bad one. But I think I got something, because it seems to be a smile that we have there.

"Huh, maybe you will prove me wrong. Anyway, any friend of Harris is my friend too. So I say well met, friend. Ganar Kratus." He held out his hand to me, which I shaking it.

"Come, I'm sure you could use some drinks."

"Yeah…" was all I managed to say as I followed the big krogan inside.

"You were lucky kid, that means he likes you." Harris said beside me.

"If you say so."

"Seriously. When he and Drerk meet, he throws him out the same window he threw that turian at." Oh I really need to hear that.

Especially to use as mockery material later.


Ok… I think Harris was right after all, Kratus seems to like me. I say this because he was a lot more receptive than I think most krogans would be. If I had to describe the guy, I would say that he is a very interesting and good person to laugh with.

And he was also not the only receptive, we can say that the bar was also. Although it is quite… simple compared to the ones you visit in Illium during the game, it has a certain calm air compared to the streets outside. Perhaps part of this is due to the fact that a giant krogan will throw you out if you cause problems.

And the drinks are not bad either. Thanks to my co-worker with a dick in the ass I got to know the Batarian version of a beer, which I was enjoying while listening to our host tell about the reason for the fight before.

"I was cleaning the glasses when I saw the bastard trying to steal a bottle of ryncol. I grabbed him and showed him what we do with thieves in Tuchanka." Kratus said, swallowing all said drink and tapping the now empty glass on the table.

"Why would a turian steal ryncol?" I asked. Batarian alcohol had done a good job of putting an end to my nervousness. What the hell do they put in these things, does Tuchanka really have thieves?

"Don't know, Don't care. You steal anything from my bar and you'll be lucky if you can still walk after."

"Welcome to Chalkhos." I said, taking a small sip of my beer. "The place where if you fuck around, Kratus will eat you."

"Don't give him ideas." Harris spoke with mild amusement, drinking his own drink. A quick glance at the krogan showed me that he was really considering the idea.

Funny, I always thought it was more of a Wrex bluff than as if krogan could actually eat people.

"Bah, that would make a good slogan to put on a sign outside. I will write this down." Kratus said, giving me a light slap on the shoulder that almost sent me to the floor when he got up and went to the counter.

"He looks funny."

"He's, really, really fun. He makes some great varren jokes. Although I can't say the same about the kid here." He gestured to Drerk with his thumb. And I needed to agree, he was strangely quiet during the conversation.

It didn't take me long to understand why, just follow his gaze to see that he was looking with all three eyes at a blonde girl sitting in front of the counter just a few meters away for our table. The black dress gave a revealing view of her shapely legs and the leather jacket hiding an arm probably covered in tattoos gave her a different look.

And quite attractive I have to admit.

"Look at this: pretty, young and with no visible marks or signs of drug use." The batarian now practically drooling, said as he continued to stare at the girl enjoying her drink.

"She looks like she was in a motorcycle gang." My statement earned me both confused and questioning looks.

"Do you know … bikers? Gangs of people who used to drive motorized two-wheelers in the 2000s?"

"That's the crap you've been learning in your free time."

"Hey, knowledge is power. "Harris's answer to that was to shake his head. I turned my attention to Drerk, who was still staring at the girl. "Are you going to talk to her or just face her until she leaves, so we have to comfort you when we're actually going to pretend we care?"

"You're an idiot." He murmured, before getting up from our table and going to the counter.

"You know, he's… a lot more open about us than I thought." I was a batarian and human hostility in the games if I am not wrong, that was not something that I felt around Drerk.

Of course, he is an idiot. But I wouldn't say there's xenophobia or anything like that. Just his way.

"I think the best way I can explain it is to simply say that he 'likes aliens,'" Harris said. "I've never seen him with a Batarian girl, but I've seen him go with Asari, human and so on."

"Was there hanar too?" I asked with chuckle. I don't know what he was saying, but the two were really talking.

"Not yet."

Being content with just watching things unfold in silence while sipping my beer, it took me a moment to open my omni tool and look again at the pointless message in the email box.

It is unsettling, not knowing. It is unsettling to have literally on your wrist what can be the first step in getting answers about who you are. The restlessness and the little frustration derived from it is something that alcohol cannot completely erase.

Not even batarian alcohol.

"It's already the second time today that I see you looking at your omni tool with the face of someone who had sex and didn't like it." Harris said, pulling me out of my thoughts and making me close the omni tool way too fast. "This isn't advertising, or anything like that, is it?"

I wanted to say no, I wanted to deny it and just give some excuse. But… screw it. I have nothing so far, telling him it won't make a difference.

"No. This is ... one of several messages I have in my email box. They are all the same, with only one difference here and there. But they all have some hidden meaning or something."

He looked at me for a moment before sighing and saying, "Let me see."

"Huh?"

"Let me have a look, kid."

"These are just messages Harris, I don't think you can tell me anything that the extranet hasn't already said." In this case, nothing.

"Don't underestimate kid. I'm old, not ignorant. Just show me what you have."

OK, why not?

Opening the omni tool, I displayed the latest most recent message for him to read. He stared at it with a thoughtful expression for a long moment before speaking: "These are coordinates."

"Are you sure?" I asked, somewhat surprised. He just responded with a nod.

"Luminosity, number of relays and planets. They are coordinated, we used that a lot in the alliance."

"Okay. I still need to find out where ..." my words were cut off when my brain registered what he just said, and I found myself looking at him with wide eyes.

"What?"

"Have you been in the alliance?"

"You bet. Second reconnaissance division of the alliance navy boy."

I'm feeling pretty stupid for not having noticed this before. Although the ease with which he can sneak up on me and Drerk should have been enough for me to at least suspect. Damn… I'm sitting with a marine here.

"What were you, Lieutenant?" He nodded.

"Harris… you… how the hell does an alliance lieutenant come to fix cars on the terminus system everywhere?" I think my question triggered a nerve, because his expression became quite dark.

"This is a very, very delicate subject, kid. You don't know me as well to ask, and I don't know you well enough to tell. Let's keep things in the dark, okay?" Ok… it sure was a nerve.

"Okay… sorry." I took a deep drink of my beer. The air so thick you could cut it with a knife. "So ... how far do you think these coordinates lead?"

"Who knows, it could be anywhere." He shrugged. "I think it means that the memory loss hasn't improved?

"No… I just…" I let out a long breath before proceeding. "I have flashes, smudges. like it's behind a window that I can't spy on, because the glass is very foggy. But ... I'm sure I had at least one house somewhere out there. " Somewhere outside that world better said, but he doesn't need to know that.

"With time and commitment we reach practically anything kid. Just hold on to that window and never let go. If it's really what you want, I'm sure you'll be able to see what's on the other side. "

"Here's to it." I said, lifting the bottle and slamming it against his whiskey-filled glass. Hold on to that window ... I can work with that.

"This is getting very depressing. Kratus! Bring us the bottle of the strongest thing you have! Just make sure it isn't going to poison us."

"Bah! Now you are speaking my language!"

I just shook my head and drank the rest of the batarian liquor from the bottle. A quick glance towards the counter showed that the little chat between Drerk and the motogirl was quite lively. I don't know if they really took things anywhere else, because the last thing I remember was waking up on the shop floor the next day after I took a few sips of a unknown drink.