Me: I'm banging these both out, Cuz I think I've made my chapter too long. So If I got any fans in the short 5 minutes it took to upload and approve the second chapter, you're in luck. Anyway last chapter we left off right before Shepard gets to Veetor and talks to him, Tali and our newest friends. Let's see how that turns out shall we?

Delta Effect: 1st Changes and 1st Impressions

Well now that was an interesting extranet search. It was nice though, Shepard is a slight paragade, so I can expect her to be the nice, understanding and empathetic sort who isn't unwilling to be an ass to whoever deserves it. She saved the Council, so she's likely to be reinstated as a Spectre and my novice infiltrator skills have allowed me to see that it was Ashley she rescued. Guess she has a preference for snipers. Anyway it seems Shep is walking over to Veetor and Navi, so I better move my ass on over there too. I move to step outside, casting a glance at Tali as she takes care of the other Quarians, when the one woman I rescued grabs my shoulder. I turn back towards her as she says

"Hey, My name is Nala Kureina vas Qurait. I just wanted to thank you, you saved my life back there with that stupid stunt."

I chuckle "Yeah, well, I wouldn't have just let someone die if I can help it. My names ***** ******** but my friends call me Delta."

"Delta? Hmm, that's odd."

"Yeah, it is unless you know the specifics of a few things." At this point I see Tali head over to Veetor's little bunker, "I have to go Nala, goodbye."

"Ok, and thanks again." Nala says as she waves once before turning to her squadmates.

I walk over to the security bunker and get there just as Tali does. Before I can say anything She opens the door and we hear Miranda say

"- We can send him to a Cerberus facility, they might be able to get more information from him there."

"Great idea, lets send the alien to a facility of belligerent xenophobes." I say as we step in.

"He's right Veetor doesn't need to be interrogated, he needs help, help that he can get on the Migrant Fleet." Tali puts in her two cents, prompting Shepard to make her choice which I'm pretty sure is-

"Tali's right, Veetor needs help. He's all yours, get him some help soon." Yep, totally called it in my mind.

"Thanks Shepard, I'm glad you're the one still giving the orders." Tali says this with a telltale note of relief in her voice. Veetor moves to Tali's side and then stands outside as Tali halfway turns around, both stopping as a certain someone yells out-

"HEY!" please don't tell me she's trying to get my attention. I turn away slightly and chuckle at Shepard who seems temporarily surprised by the outburst.

"HEY, what the hell were you doing back there, you could have gotten yourself killed!" This was accompanied by two quick stomps and a push on my shoulder. Hn, she closed the distance pretty fast considering she was by the console Veetor was using.

I look at Navi then bring my left hand up to my helmet to tap the polarization button, showing my face through the now-clear visor. I fold my arms before replying, "I was helping them what did it look like? You saw the mech it almost stomped on one of those marines and that rocket was probably intended for another."

"You barely got that armor and gun! What made you think you'd do anything I mean seriously what the hell is wrong with you!"

"Well, apparently I'm a quick learner, so any more objections?" I say this as I smirk and take off my helmet. It's a comfy fit too, I mean, my face and head is kinda egg shaped with a wide top and my hair is cut low and I have some chin hairs but nothing gets caught and iit cradles my head rather well this ODST helmet. Hah, her frown is so funny how it's all tiny and looks like a-OW

I'm interrupted by a smallish fist coming down on top of my head as the girl leans up to reach that high, and I am surprised at how strong she is despite her frame cuz that hurt more than it probably should. Then again due to a childhood accident the plates that made up my skull never fully fused together in one part so its rather sensitive. Maybe she hit me there. Anyway I step back and scowl at Navi as she pouts out of anger and, something else, I don't know what but its in her eyes while her body says 'I'm mad at you'. Whatever, maybe I'll figure it out later, right now it's time to find a way to broker passage on the Normandy with Shepard.

"So Shepard," she looks toward me with a questioning glance, "any idea how to get us off here, because the collectors took everyone except us two and we can't do much."

"Really?" she asks, sarcastically.

Nullify sarcasm with realism. "Yeah, I can shoot stuff well, but Navi here-" and cue her trademark-"HEY!"-there it is, "is only good at nagging me, apparently."

"Well we might be able to take you somewhere before we head back, but first things first, introductions. Soo…"

"Right well my name is ***** ******** but I prefer to be called Delta."

"Delta?" Confused surprised and skeptical. That is a funny amalgamation of emotions coming from Shepard.

"Yes, it was a nickname my friends made for me and I rather like it."

"Don't like your real name?"

"It's gotten to the point where my family and elders use my real name, whereas my friends mainly use 'Delta'. I've had no problem with it, so I don't see why I should change it." Miranda and Jacob both have slightly offput looks on their faces. Hmm, wonder what this'll be like later, if I end up joining the Normandy crew.

"Ok then Delta. And what's your name?" Shepard asks, turning to Navi.

"My name is Naviana Hyelean. I was visiting this colony to see my aunt and uncle. My mom and dad are on a different colony, Safe Solitude. It's inside Alliance space so hopefully it will be safer there."

"Well you're a brave girl if you are able to get out of this unscathed."

"I'm not very brave."

I lean closer to Shepard and lower my voice, "She's largely been in denial about this whole thing. Your arrival and my attacking the mech are probably her two main distractions so she doesn't confront this whole situation entirely."

Shepard nods in agreement, "Come on, we have a shuttle to send you both home back at the station."

Oh Shepard I think I'm too far away from home to get back by any shuttle Cerberus has.

Now how do I tell her that? Butterfly effect Delts, Butterfly effect. Always keep in mind the Butterfly effect.

So an hour later we have entered the shuttle and are now approaching the Cerberus station that houses the Normandy. Wow, space stations scattered across the terminus systems, all with some form of stealth systems so the Alliance doesn't find them. The Illusive Man must have more money than fucking Bill Gates. Ah well, we're docking now so I should wait for Shepard to finish her debrief with TIM. Naviana has gone straight to a bench and is now staring out into space. Jacob is by a reinforced window-pane and Miranda is at a computer typing something. What the hell does she type anyway? Reports I bet. Maybe she checks in on Oriana, looks at her records, latest health exam, latest test scores, researches classmate backgrounds. Yeah, let's not bother her before that mission, then I deal with Bitch Miranda as little as possible. If I want to get on the Normandy though I will have to talk to her at least once. I can't just sneak on there, EDI will likely notice me with the ship sensors as soon as I step on. Speaking of sneaking, I better get that tactical cloak set up on my armor. I'm glad that I research the possibilities of the different tech in the sci-fi stuff I like, then I actually have an understanding to work off of, and with this future tech I have a few ideas that can come into play here. Alright, tactical cloak made and installed, spare unit created and finally a third unit for experimentation. This'll be fun. I pocket the cloaker units before turning and walking over to Jacob. He's a cool dude, so I'm pretty sure we'll be quick friends. Besides, I think the armory would be a neat place to set up for my bunk. Anyways I step up to Jacob and he takes notice as he turns towards me, still leaning against the window. We make eye contact and I nod in greeting as I stop and fold my arms while leaning on my left leg. I smirk as I see Jacob return the gesture, a small smile appearing at the corner of his lip.

"What's up?" I ask.

"Ohhh a lot. Collectors are taking out human colonies, Freedom's Progress wasn't the first but it's the one where we found the data to prove our culprit."

"Well damn, not hard to believe if what I saw from their entry and exit is to be believed. I'm glad you finally caught a break with Veetor."

"(amused snort) Yeah, no kidding."

"…by the way, uh Miranda wasn't really going to send him to a regular Cerberus station was she?"

"Miranda… just might've honestly. We don't see eye to eye on everything but the lady's known for the best results with the most efficient methods. I honestly would've done what the Commander did and take the omni-tool with the intel. Omni tools are replaceable, not time or sanity."

"Hehe, we'd probably get along pretty well if we hung out more." I assume a contemplative look. Jacob chuckles at my comment before noticing my look. He arches his eyebrow slightly, and I take this as my cue that he's expecting a question.

"So your mission involves stopping the Collectors right?"

"Yeah, that our mission." Jacob answers this almost hesitantly pushing himself off the window and keeping his arms folded as he balances his weight on both legs so he's standing tall. Huh, he's a good 3 inches taller than me so he's probably around 6' 2".

"Can I help?" I ask.

"I don't think so. True what you did against that mech was rather smart, but it was as stupid as it was brave. How old are you anyway? 18? 19? You should be with-"

"I can't. I'm not from Freedoms Progress, but my family is… not in this world."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"Naw, it's cool, I've had enough time to come to terms with it. My mom always did say I was especially adaptive. Besides, my brain is wired to focus on the good, not the bad. I don't think of them as dead, I think of them and pull out as many good memories as I can." Yeah, and if I really can't get back to them I hope the wires in my head don't get crossed. I'll get back to them, I know it. I have to.

"I know how you feel man, my dad disappeared a long time ago. I've buried everything but a body," replies Jacob.

I try to give the feel of a comfortable, contemplative silence. Wait, that's part of his loyalty mission speech. Maybe my 'dead' family was useful in gaining good ground in our relationship? How old is Jacob anyway? 28? That's about ten years older than me. I always was good at making friends with older people, something to do with a surprising amount of intelligence and wit for my age, at least when I was younger. I look over at the door that goes to the quantum communication thing and see Shepard and Joker walk out of it together, chatting and laughing together as they walk down a hallway to the hangar bay opposite the Kodiak's.

"Willing to help me get on board for this mission?" I ask Jacob. He looks back at me and I can see the gears in his head turn as he considers this.

"No, we cannot have him join us, we don't know anything about him, besides, he's just some kid who survived the attack. He has no military experience and is likely undisciplined. On top of that, you saw what he did against that mech, that was as likely to get him killed as it was to work."

"But it did work, and I made your job easier in destroying it while saving two lives on top of that." I rebut.

"It was a huge risk you took, and if you did that so willingly you likely have many more high risk ideas you will be willing to implement."

"Miranda he changed the situation for the better for everyone. That Quarian woman was going to get stomped to death and that rocket the mech prepped was pointing at another quarian standing further off in the open. He saved them both and heavily damaged the mech in one fell swoop. He was also aiming carefully, not just shooting at the missile and hoping for a lucky shot while still moving the quarian. He is definitely smart enough to make and even pull off these plans, even if they do have such a heavy risk.

But the priiizzzeeeee.

Miranda and Jacob both turn to me as I make a snorting sound but I school my face into a hopeful determined look and turn slightly towards Shepard for the final verdict. I couldn't help it the thought appeared just as soon as Jacob finished. Shepard seems to be thinking, scrunching her brows slightly as she considers the idea. Shepard's taken off her armor so now I can see her clearly and I'm kind of surprised. She's the female Shepard I made, oval shaped face with her hair kept in a neat bun and a glossy well conditioned natural black. Her face is velvety smooth, and her eyes are a nice mahogany color with light brown eye shadow and lipstick a shade darker than her skin, a soft milk chocolate. She seems rather au natural, with little daily maintenance necessary, what with only wearing lipstick and eyeshadow, and while her eyes are hard, they are equally soft, displaying a firm method with a kind disposition. Altogether, Shepard is rather attractive. Until I see the cybernetic scars, then I feel like punching Wilson for not letting Cerberus fully insulate her face, cuz those are creepy.

"I think we'll give him a chance. But if he does anything really stupid, no matter how ballsy, we're dropping him off."

"Once chance is all I need Commander." I reply smiling at her. She smiles back. It's not as big but hey, I'll take what I can get. Besides, I plan on becoming friends with everybody! I already can't wait for the epicness that will be Legion. It'll be really cool seeing him in real life. After this, the meeting is adjourned with us walking onto the Normandy. Shepard goes to the cockpit to talk with Joker, Miranda frowns/pouts slightly as she enters the elevator to head to her office on the crew deck, and I follow Jacob as he heads to the armory. Once we enter he goes straight to his console to start cataloguing the weapons. I walk over to the weapons locker and look at those available. I'm a mix of Soldier and Infiltrator so I think I'll leave the heavy weapons to Shepard and just take a shotgun, sniper, assault rifle and submachine gun, along with my pistol. So lets see, Mantis sniper, Avenger for assault, Katana shotgun, Predator pistol and finally the shuriken machine pistol. So the SMG and pistol can both go on the thigh plates, while the shotgun will be lodged in the small of my back, with the sniper and avenger folded and on my shoulder blades. I walk over to the elevator and get there just as Shepard does, and she heads to her cabin. So I decide to walk over to Joker and see how he's doin.

"Hey Joker, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine but who are you?"

Wow, he sounds just like Seth Green. Ah I miss Chris and robot Chicken already.

"I'm Delta, an apparently unexpected addition to the Normandy crew."

"Delta? Who gave you that name?"

"It's a nickname my friends made for me a while ago because of, well, various reasons really. Anyway, I'm not going to get into a nickname discussion I just came introduce myself and see what you're doing. Speaking of which, you're the only pilot right?"

"Yeah"

"It doesn't seem like you do much up here"

"Yeah this is 98% of my job. I just watch little blue buttons flash. Sometimes I press one." Joker says this sarcastically as he turns his chair around.

Hah, he does have some of the dialogue from the game. I look behind and see the commander walking towards us and apparently she's changed into the captain's suit. I nod to her and bid goodbye to Joker as I walk towards the elevator the commander raises an eyebrow at me since im still in my armor and carrying my new guns, so I just reply "Cargo Hold, Practice." She nods and turns to talk to Joker. As I get close to the elevator I see that Shepard plotted a course for Omega, so I'm assuming that we're gonna pick up Garrus and Mordin first. This ought to be fun, I wager I'll get a good hour, hour and a half of practice before we dock. I am now in the elevator heading for the cargo hold. Waitaminnit, isn't the elevator supposed to be slow as-

…

goddamnit.

Me: Yes, so Delta is now on the Normandy, heading for Omega with Shepard. I think this is going to soon become my longest story yet, and longest lasting as well since it basically took me two chapters for one mission. On a final note, review with praise, comments and most importantly criticism. Be constructive though, if all you do is try to flame me, I will rise like a phoenix and unleash my fire of retribution upon you. I use your criticisms as a foundation to build my good skills and demolish my bad habits. A good reader enjoys good work but the better reader helps the writer. Please, be the better reader. And I also want feedback on that prize joke, I thought it was funny but it's really the masses that decide.

Arrivederci