0600 Hours, February 25th, 2683
SSV Normandy
Undisclosed location in the Exodus Cluster
...
Master Chief's eyes snapped open. "Time." he said.
"0600, on the dot." Cortana announced. "I think you've got your groove back."
Chief smiled. Indeed he did. He'd only been asleep for about four hours, but it was the most comfortable four hours he had in a while. He looked forward to when he'd get to enjoy full seven hour sleep shifts. He got up out of his bed and went to work putting on his armor, which made Cortana raise her eyebrow as she materialized on the computer.
"You're putting on your armor?" Cortana asked.
"Yup." Chief replied.
"Why? We won't be reaching Therum for at least another sixty hours." Cortana pointed out.
Chief opened his mouth to give an answer, only to find he couldn't give one. Instead, he stayed silent and resumed putting on his armor.
"You didn't answer my question." Cortana noted.
"I like being prepared." Chief said as he put on his helmet.
"Prepared for what?" Cortana said. "We're in the middle of nowhere."
"No. We're in the middle of the Traverse where pirate attacks are very common. If we get boarded, I'd like to be ready for them." Chief explained.
Cortana sighed in defeat. She learned a long time ago that getting a spartan to walk around without their armor was kind of like trying to get a little kid to eat broccoli. Cortana went into her AI chip and Chief slipped it into the back of his helmet.
"So, what are we gonna do today?" Cortana asked.
"First, get some breakfast." Chief replied. With that, he left his quarters and went out to the Mess Hall. Several servicemen greeted him as he entered.
"We expecting action, sir?" one of the servicemen asked.
"Not right now." Chief said.
"Then why the armor?" he asked.
"See? I'm not the only one." Cortana teased.
"I like being in my armor." Chief said, answering both Cortana and the servicemen. "Is there a problem with that?"
"Uh, no sir." the servicemen timidly replied.
"Good. Back to your meal." Chief said as he walked up to the paste dispenser. As he punched in his selection, Chief noticed Staff Lt. Kaidan Alenko working on a control panel of some kind by the sleep pods. He wiped some sweat off his brow, which struck the spartan as odd since it wasn't that hot, at least not to him. His paste tube came out; chicken.
It soon called Chief's stomach its home within thirty seconds. He then threw the empty tube into the garbage bin. He then stood there for several seconds.
"Well, NOW what are you going to do?" Cortana asked.
Chief thought about it for a moment. "Might as well check our progress. See how we're doing." He then turned around and headed up the stairs towards Deck 1. Cortana mentally sighed. Poor Chief. It was the two-day journey to Eden Prime all over again; her spartan was bored and was desperate for something to do. Chief ascended the stairs and arrived on the CIC. The marines standing guard by the door saluted Chief, and he saluted back. With that out of the way, Chief walked up to XO Pressly. He was the Normandy's navigation and executive officer. He was Anderson's second-in-command, and is now Chief's; at least as far as the ship goes. Kaidan was head of marine detail so he was the Chief's right-hand man on the battlefield. Still, Chief felt comfortable with Pressly as XO. He was good at his job. Speaking of which, if anyone would know what their progress was, it would be him.
"Chief." Pressly said with a salute, which Chief returned out of habit. "I never got the chance to properly congratulate you on making Captain. I know you'll run this ship as tight as Anderson did sir. Very good speech earlier too. It really raised the crew's spirits."
"How's our progress?" Chief asked.
"We're passing through the Exodus Cluster right now, but Therum's still a long way off, I'm afraid." Pressly replied.
Chief nodded in reply. He figured as much. "Uh, sir? Permission to speak freely?" Pressly asked.
"Granted." Chief said.
"Well, I'm not entirely sure if bringing non-Humans aboard the ship was a good idea." Pressly began. "Humanity's always taken care of its own problems. Saren attacked one of OUR colonies, we should be the ones to handle it. Plus...well...you're the Master Chief. You don't need any help from aliens, do you?"
"I don't normally work with aliens." Chief replied. "But the aliens on this ship volunteered for this mission. I recognized their skill-sets so I let them on board. I don't like the idea of serving with aliens anymore than you do, Pressly. But I'm not going to turn away help when it could be useful. To do otherwise is stubborn and stupid."
"Noted sir." Pressly replied with a nod. "It's just my grandfather fought in the First Contact War and...well, you fought in the great war so you know how it is."
Chief nodded. "Don't worry Pressly. If any of the non-Humans on the ship deliberately do something to compromise the mission, I plan on kicking them off the ship...via the airlock if necessary."
Pressly chuckled at that. "THAT'S the Master Chief my kids look up to!"
"In all seriousness though Pressly, I don't expect the non-Humans on the ship to impede your duties." Chief sternly said.
"Of course not sir. I'd never let personal feelings get in the way of a mission. I can keep myself in check, you don't need to worry about me." Pressly assurd the spartan.
"Good to hear." Chief said with a nod. With that, he walked towards the helm where Joker likely was.
"So wha-"
"We're going to go around the ship." Chief answered after turning off his speakers, answering Cortana's question before she could finish it. "Make sure everything is running the way it should." Cortana decided not to raise any further protests or questions.
The spartan eventually arrived at the helm. He looked out the windows and saw naught but empty, black space dotted by stars. "Chief." Joker said, noting the spartan's presence. "Something you need?"
"Just checking in. Making sure everything's going smoothly." Chief replied.
"Smooth as smooth can be, sir." Joker replied.
Chief nodded and walked away.
"...Alright." Joker said, a little off-put by the spartans' sudden check-in and equally sudden departure. "See ya."
...
Chief decided to pay Dr. Chakwas, the ship's head medical officer, a visit. He needed to make sure everyone on board was in top physical condition. He entered the med-bay and found Chakwas typing something on her PC. She looked up to him and smiled.
"Chief." she greeted. "Do you need me for something?"
"Just a medical report on all crew members. Any health problems I should be made aware of?" Chief asked.
"None that would effect the immediate mission Chief." Chakwas said.
"What about the aliens?" the spartan pressed.
"I gave Garrus, Wrex and Tali clean bills of health after they came aboard." Chakwas replied.
"I take it you're familiar with alien biology?" Chief asked.
"It's part of basic training in the medical branch of the Alliance, just in case." The doctor stood a little more erect. "If anyone on this mission, Human or otherwise, receives a serious injury, I'll treat them as best I can. You have my word on that, Chief."
Chief nodded, satisfied with the physical state of the crew. He turned and went out the door.
"I take it we're going down to Engineering on Deck 3 next?" Cortana asked.
"Yup." Chief replied.
"Well, while we're down there, I think you're going to want to have a chat with Tali." the AI said.
"Why?" Chief asked.
"Well, you know our new buddies the Geth? A race of androids isn't just spontaneously born. They have to be created by someone else. I'll give you three guesses who created them." the AI explained.
"The Quarians?" Chief asked.
"Got it in one!" Cortana declared.
Chief scowled a bit. "You think Tali's going to betray us to the Geth?" he asked as he hit the elevator call button.
"HIGHLY unlikely. The Geth rebelled against the Quarians and banished them from their own homeworld." Cortana explained. "They've been living in a ramshackle nomadic fleet ever since. They call it the 'Flotilla' and alternatively the 'Migrant Fleet.' So I don't see why she would sell us out to the machines that banished her people. Hell, I'd bet she's got more motivation to kill Geth than anyone else on this ship."
Chief nodded in understanding as the elevator door opened. He walked in and hit the button, beginning the annoyingly slow descent to Deck 3. When it finally hit the garage, Chief found the place sparsely populated by his new crew members. Wrex was leaning against a locker of some kind, and gave the SPARTAN-II a nod before going back to...loitering apparently. Chief scowled at the Krogan. He made a note to have a chat with him regarding the term 'productive use of time.' He looked over Ashley, who was seen polishing weapons by the weapons lockers. She immediately noticed him, dropped what she was doing, and saluted him. He saluted back. Ashley nodded at the spartan and went back to work. He looked from the left side of the garage to the right, where Garrus Vakarian was tinkering around with the mako.
That set off some alarms in the spartan's brain.
Chief took stock of the situation. Garrus was currently kneeling in front of one of the tires, pressing some buttons on his omni-tool. Data collection to send back to the Turian Hierarchy? Unlikely. Garrus was just some hotheaded cop. He doesn't have the connections to send information that high up the chain of command, and even if he did, it was doubtful his government would take him seriously. Besides, he seemed very intent on helping Chief on his man...alienhunt for Saren, so it was doubtful he would do something to compromise that mission.
Still, Chief decided he had to make sure.
He walked over to Garrus who looked up to Chief upon hearing him approach. "Hello Chief." the Turian greeted as he stood up. "Is there something you need?"
"Just wondering what you're doing." Chief gouged in a neutral tone.
"Just giving the Mako a tune-up. The suspension seemed a little off to me." Garrus answered.
"You have mechanical experience?"
"A little bit. First job before the military was as a mechanic's assistant. I learned a thing or two about kyrone rovers. They're not that different from the mako in design, actually. They're similar enough that I feel I can make some adjustments." Garrus explained.
Chief nodded in understanding and then headed off towards Engineering. "Chief." Garrus said, garnering the spartan's attention. "I just wanted to thank you again for letting me on. I'll do my best. You can bet on it."
Chief only nodded at the Turian again before resuming his trek to Engineering.
He had never been in that part of the ship before, so when he arrived, he was impressed. The Engineering crew were all working on various control panels, data pads and omni-tools, but what really got the spartan's attention was the core. It looked like a three-clawed prong of some sort, holding a glowing blue ball of pure element zero energy in its talons. The circular, semi-cone shaped walls around it slowly rotated with the prong itself, and every so often there would be a streak of light pulsing from the walls to the core itself. It was then that Chief Engineer Adams walked up to the spartan and saluted.
"Master Chief. Wasn't expecting you to come down here." he greeted. "What can I do for you?"
"Is the core working alright?" Chief asked. That big ball of energy unnerved him. Do ALL ships have glowing blue cores like that one?
"Drive core's working just fine, Chief." Adams replied. Chief then spotted Tali on the far left of the railing that overlooked the core. His eyes turned back to Adams.
"How's the Quarian acclimatizing?" the spartan asked.
"She's doing good. But she sure does ask a lot of questions about our engines." Adams replied.
Questions? About the engines? Maybe the Quarian was a security risk after all. "Don't worry. I'll make her stop."
"What?" Adams said. His eyes widened when he got the gist of what Chief was saying. "No! She's amazing. I wish my guys were half as smart as she is. She's got a real knack for technology, that one. Give her a month on this ship and she'll know more about our engines than I do."
Chief was aware of that, and it's exactly what concerned him. "I need to talk with Tali for a minute. Think you can spare her?" the super-soldier asked.
"Of course, sir." Adams said before stepping aside.
Chief walked up to the Quarian. She turned and saw the Chief coming. She faced him and started babbling like a schoolgirl. "Chief, this ship is AMAZING!" She proclaimed. "I can't believe a ship this small would have drive core THAT big!" she went on, gesturing to the core behind her.
So, she did have an interest in the ship. And she wasn't shy about it. Either she was genuinely and innocently fascinated with the inner workings of the Normandy, or she was a lousy spy. "I take it the Flotilla would be interested in this ship?" Chief asked, hoping his question came across as innocent enough.
"Definitely!" Tali replied. "This ship could solve so many problems on the Flotilla!"
"Problems?" Chief asked.
"The Flotilla has many. Engines always getting caked with muck, defense systems need constant re-wiring, and we're locked in a never-ending struggle to keep Life-Support online. Many of the ships in our fleet date back to the Geth wars three-hundred years ago. They're falling apart." Tali explained. "That's why we Quarians are so interested in ships. It's the only thing keeping our species alive."
"Alive? You mean the Quarians face extinction?" Chief asked.
Tali dipped her head in sorrow. "We're...closer to it than most species are, I suppose. There are only a few hundred million of us left after the Geth Wars." she said. "It's why the Pilgrimage is so important. Anything we bring back to the fleet must be something to be treasured, something that HAS to be useful."
"She's not kidding, Chief." Cortanna interjected. "According to the codex, calling the Quarian Flotilla a 'fleet' is generous. It's more like a caravan. A caravan of really old crappy ships."
It was the third time Tali mentioned the pilgrimage to Chief. The spartan didn't know what it was, nor did he really care. He had no interest in alien cultures, just how aliens fight, what kind of weapons they use, and how they can be bested in combat if need be.
As for the Quarians, Chief eliminated them as a significant threat to Humanity. Their lack of numbers, combined with the sorry state of their fleet, meant that they were hardly in any position to wage war on Humans, or any other species for that matter. Course now that made him wonder about the Turians and the Krogan. He had little love for the Turian Hierarchy, but he eliminated Garrus as a probable breach of security. The Krogan were another matter though. Cortana had been studying the details of the galaxy by reading through the codex. Maybe she can provide some insight on whether or not the Krogan are a threat. If Wrex was a spy, Chief needed to know.
But that was neither here nor there. For now, the real reason Chief wanted to talk to Tali.
"Tali. I need to talk to you about something." Chief said.
Tali was a little taken aback by the sudden change in topic. Not that she was complaining. The plight of her race was hardly something she wanted to openly talk about. "Sure." she said. Chief nodded and lead her away from the rest of the engineering crew, wanting a little more privacy. They arrived in one of the two hallways that connected the engine room to the garage. Chief stopped and turned towards the Quarian.
"Tell me everything you know about the Geth." he said.
Tali was surprised by the spartan's bluntness. Out of one awkward topic and in to another, she mused. "Excuse me?" she asked.
"You're Quarian. Your people created the Geth." Chief said. "That means you're the closest thing I've got to a Geth expert."
"Er...I doubt I can tell you much more than what the average Quarian knows..." she replied, unsure.
"Which is still more that what I know." Chief pointed out. "If I'm going to be fighting more Geth, I need to know more about them. Start talking."
"Well...I don't know that much...All I know is the story of their origins. What they were when we created them, and how they turned on us." Tali said.
Chief considered this for a moment. Origins? How would THAT help in a firefight? Then again, one of the first things Chief ever saw in basic training was the history of the Outer Colonies; how and why they were threatening civil war. Understanding the why's behind the fight can help with the how's in some situations. Keeping this in mind, Chief nodded at the Quarian to begin.
Cortana could've told Chief the history of the Geth herself. She read about it on the codex. But she wasn't about to do anything to give her spartan an excuse to not talk to someone.
"The Geth were originally created to serve as an automated manual labor force." Tali began. "Initially, their intelligence was as limited as any VI. Over time, we made small modifications to their programming to allow them to perform more varied and complex tasks, bringing them closer and closer to true AI status."
"I thought AI's were illegal in Citadel Space." Chief interrupted.
"This wasn't true AI research." Tali replied. "We may have been skirting the bounds of the law, but we never did anything that was actually illegal. The changes were so insignificant, so gradual, that we were able to control them...or so we thought."
It was then Tali said something that caught the spartan's attention. "But one thing we underestimated was the power of the neural network. A million Geth thinking simultaneously created an inherently unstable matrix."
"Neural network?" Chief asked.
"Many of the Geth's logic systems were designed to work in concert with other nearby Geth. Basically, the more you have of them in a group, the smarter they are." Tali replied.
Chief furrowed his brow in thought. "So, this neural network is some kind of hive mind?" the commando pressed, bad memories of the Flood coming to mind. He'd rather not fight an enemy that was even remotely like those parasites.
"No, nothing like that." Tali corrected. "The Geth cannot share sensory data or information. Their programming cannot handle that much simultaneous input. Each Geth maintains a vague, individual awareness and identity. The neural network only works on a process-based level. It's basically the synthetic equivalent of a subconscious. But when they're in close proximity, they can coordinate low-level functional processes, freeing up more capacity for original or independent thought."
Cortana silently listened to Tali's explanation with interest. She had read it all before, of course, but it was still interesting to hear the Quarian explain it. The Geth seemed to be completely different from the smart AI's the UNSC used. Cortana found the Geth fascinating, dangerous as they were. Chief, however, was having trouble following.
"I...don't really get it." Chief said. He didn't like having conversations with engies like Tali. They had a tendency to use needlessly big words.
"I'm probably over-simplifying." Tali said. "The Geth are extremely complicated and advanced creations. All you need to know is, they get smarter when they gather in large numbers."
"So, I take it the Geth eventually turned sentient through the neural network?" Chief asked.
"Yes." Tali confirmed. "As we built more and more Geth, their effective intelligence became more sophisticated, more abstract. One day, a Geth began to ask its Quarian overseer questions about the nature of its existence. 'Am I alive?' 'Why am I here?' 'What is my purpose?' As you can imagine, this caused a near panic among my people."
"What did you do?" Chief asked.
"It was inevitable the newly-sentient Geth would rebel against their situation. We knew they would rise up against us. So we acted first. The Quarian government sent a general order across all Quarian-controlled systems to permanently shut down all Geth. The Geth reacted violently. After a long and bloody war, we were forced to flee our own homeworld, lest we face extinction by their hands. We feared they would pursue us, but for some reason, they never ventured beyond our home cluster, the Perseus Veil."
Chief nodded in understanding. "The information you've given about the neural network should be useful on this mission. It was good of you to share it."
"My pleasure." Tali said with a nod. "The Geth exiled my people. It is because of them that we now drift through space without a homeworld to call our own. They pushed us to the brink of extinction. So I just want you to know that, if we do encounter Geth on Therum, I'll fight with fire, right by your side, Chief. You have my word on that."
"I appreciate your dedication, Tali." Chief said. "But you're an engineer, not a soldier. Your place is right by the drive core."
Tali paused, then nodded. The Chief then turned and walked away. Tali watched him go, then went back to her post with a sigh as the door behind Chief closed.
The Neural Network. Interesting. The more Geth there were in a given area, the more complex tasks they could do. That meant the more Geth there were in a given area, the more complex tactics they could employ. A single patrolling squad of Geth shouldn't be too hard to outwit, but a whole battalion would be another issue entirely. They'd be capable of flanking, drawing enemy fire, suppressing fire; hell, get a whole division and it's like playing Chess against a regional Chess champion who has more pieces than you do.
The Geth brought new meaning to the term 'strength in numbers.' Chief actually saw the Neural Network in action on Eden Prime. The small squads of Geth were fairly simple, but the larger squads employed slightly more advanced tactics. It was subtle, but it was there.
As Chief walked back into the elevator, a new thought crossed his mind. He had about 68 hours and 12 minutes left before the Normandy reached Therum. Everything on the ship was as it should be, and required no further checking. The ship has no proper excersising facility. Not even a gun range. They WERE in the Attican Traverse, so an attack by pirates was possible, but given the Normandy's stealth systems, not very likely.
NOW what was he going to do?
...
"Chief was asking you about the sleeping pods?" Ashley asked.
"Yeah. Specifically, he wanted to know how long they can knock you out for and if they had one in his size." Kaidan said on the other end of the line. The two marines were using the computers at their stations to talk. "I told him the sleeper pod is just a bed that administers its own sleep-aid. Wouldn't knock him out for much longer than seven hours. He walked away after that."
Ashley sighed. "I think he was looking for a way to speed up the trip."
"What do you mean?" Kaidan asked.
"Back in the Great War, SPARTAN-II's were either on a mission, or in cryo-sleep waiting for a mission." Ashley explained. "The phrase 'down time' wasn't in their vocabulary. We've got a three-day trip ahead of us, and all this waiting is probably pure torture for him. He's looking for a way to make the time go by quicker."
"You think?" Kaidan asked.
"I know." Ashley replied.
"Huh. You seem to know an awful lot about spartans, Ash." Kaidan observed.
"What can I say? I'm a fan." Ashley said. And she was right. She read history books on the SPARTAN-II's almost as much as she read the bible. She studied their tactics and fantasized about employing them herself in combat. The Charge 'n Barge, the Rain of Fire, the John Woo, the Homerun, the Ghost-Jack, the Peekaboo, Ashley knew them all by heart. She even watched the Master Chief Saturday morning cartoon show when she was a child. She had no idea why it was canceled after only one season. That show was pure gold.
Though that Unggoy sidekick Chief had in it WAS kind of annoying...
"Huh. Well, if Chief's looking for a way to kill time, maybe I can send him an invite to the next Poker game in the garage." Kaidan said.
"Yeah well, if you do, don't forget to send one to me." Ashley said. She was fond of the idea of playing poker with her childhood hero. "Talk to ya later, LT." she said before signing off.
She went back to work, cleaning the various weapons in the armory, taking an occasional glance at Wrex and Garrus. Garrus was still tuning up the mako, and Wrex was just lounging around, not doing much of anything. Their presence unnerved her.
If there was one decision of Chief's the marine questioned, it was letting these two on board. Turians and Krogan were currently on Humanity's 'naughty' list. The former because of Shanxi, and the latter because well, Krogan were on everyone's 'naughty' list these days. She was willing to acknowledge that they were pretty good in a fight, but there are other factors to consider when recruiting people for a mission. She made a note to talk to Chief about it when she had the chance.
It was then that she noted the Quarian coming out from Engineering. She, on the other hand, Ashley had no real problem with. The Quarians were no threat to Humanity. Hell, if anything, the marine pitied them. Just a few hours ago, while cleaning the rifles, she was flipping through extranet broadcasts when she stumbled upon a talk show owned by one of those Terra Firma bigots. He was spouting some anti-Quarian speech, saying the Quarians created the Geth, meaning they were responsible for what happened on Eden Prime. Ashley didn't believe that. Yeah, Quarians created the Geth, but the Geth rebelled, pushing the Quarians off their own homeworld. Yeah, she was mad about what happened on Eden Prime, but she didn't blame the Quarians. She blamed Saren and the Geth. It's not like the Quarians deliberately created a homicidal machine race so they could take over the galaxy or anything. Ashley just didn't think they really deserved all the bad press they got.
The suited alien walked past Wrex and up to Ashley. The marine raised her eyebrow at this. She didn't think any of the non-Humans would want to talk to her.
"Ashley. Right?" she asked. Ashley nodded. "We've never been properly introduced. My name is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, but you can just call me Tali."
Ashley smiled at her and held out her hand. "Good to meet you Tali. You acclimatizing well enough?"
"Very well, actually. Your Chief Engineer gave me a break." Tali replied as she cautiously shook the marine's hand. "A month ago, I was patching a make-shift fuel line into a converted tug-ship in the Flotilla. Now, I'm one of the most advanced ships in the in Citadel space! I mean, I STILL can't get over that drive core. I'm starting to understand why you Humans have been so successful."
"Yeah, well, we've been at this whole 'space exploration' thing for a few centuries now." Ashley said with no small hint of pride. The council thought banning slipspace would impede Humanity's progress, but all they really did was give the species another challenge to overcome. Humans were pretty good at overcoming challenges. "So, what can I do for you?"
Tali then looked around, unsure as she fidgeted her hands. "It's Chief." she said. "He...doesn't trust me. Does he?"
Ashley was a little taken aback by that question. "I wouldn't know. He never mentioned his opinions of you to me." she honestly replied. "But I'm pretty sure he doesn't think you'd betray him or anything. He wouldn't have let you on board this ship if he did."
"I know." Tali said. "That's not what I meant. I told him that I would fight by his side on Therum...but he told me my place was at the side of the drive core, amongst the other engineers." she shook her head. "He doesn't think I can fight."
Ashley raised an eyebrow at this. "Well to be fair, you ARE a civvie."
"Civvie..." Tali said, as though testing the word. "Chief used that word before. What does it mean?"
"Short for civilian. Non-combatant." Ashley promptly replied.
Tali shook her head. "I'm no soldier, but that doesn't mean I can't fight. When I took self-defense training before leaving the Flotilla, the instructor said I was one of the best shots he had ever seen. Said I was a monster with a shotgun. If I ever join the Migrant Fleet Marines, I'd be a shoe-in for Sergeant, and I know it. Hell, Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema all but BEGGED me to join the marines when I got back! I'm not just an engineer! I can hold my own in a fight and I want Chief to recognize that!"
Ashley was a little surprised by how fiery Tali was. Seemed like she was eager to show the Chief what she was really made of. Ashley didn't blame her. She wanted to prove herself to the Chief on Eden Prime; it's part of why she fought as well as she did. Looks like she succeeded in that endeavor. Chief asked for Ashley by name once he was made a spectre.
"Maybe I can teach you a little bit?" Ashley suggested.
Tali's eyes seemed to shift. Ashley guessed she was raising an eyebrow, but it was hard to tell with the visor on. "How would that help?" Tali asked.
"The reason Chief doesn't think you can fight is because you never received any proper military training." Ashley began. "Maybe if I give you a crash course in how Alliance marines fight, he'd think differently of you. Hell, maybe I can even teach you a few spartan tactics."
"Spartan tactics?" Tali asked.
"Yeah. You know, the tactics used by spartans like Chief." Ashley replied.
"Oh." Tali said. She paused. "This is going to sound stupid but...what's a spartan?"
"Human super-soldier from a century back." Ashley said.
"You mean Chief is over a hundred years old?" Tali asked. "I didn't know Humans lived that long."
"We don't. Well, not usually. Chief was frozen and was woken out of cryo a couple of weeks ago." Ashley said.
Tali just stood there. Silent.
"I'll give you the whole story later." Ashley said.
"Yes. Please do." Tali replied. "So...you can really teach me how to fight like one of these...'spartans?'" Tali asked.
"I've been studying spartan tactics for years." Ashley said. "Trust me. When I'm done with you, the Chief won't think of you as just another engie anymore."
...
For the next several hours Master Chief, for lack of a better word, meditated. He sat in his chair with his door closed, going over all possible strategies that can be used against the Geth, over and over in his mind. He then headed down to Deck 3 and practiced assembling and disassembling weapons. He had to be as familiar as he could with them for the campaign that lied ahead. This cycle repeated for the rest of the trip. Check the ship's progress. Meditate. Practice assembling weapons. He'd eat when he needed to eat. He'd sleep when he needed to sleep. And he'd go to the bathroom when he needed to go to the bathroom.
One time, Kaidan invited Chief to join a few other crew members for a game of Poker. The spartan declined. He failed to see how it was relevant to the mission.
Not long after his chat with Tali, Chief had Cortana follow up his suspicions regarding the possible security risk that the Krogan mercenary Urdnot Wrex posed. Thankfully, the risk turned out to be minimal. According to the codex the Krogan Rebellions, a war that was fought about a thousand years ago, utterly devastated the Krogan to the point where their organized government was shattered, and that they still lack one today. So Wrex was no spy for his people, but he might still be a spy for the Shadow Broker. Cortana doubted it. Wrex was a hired gun, not a covert agent. If anything, the Broker would've hired Wrex to kill Chief, not spy on him. Spying was a task better suited to someone more...subtle. It did little to ease the spartan's nerves, though. He still planned on keeping a close eye on the merc.
About a day before arriving on the planet, Chief asked Cortana to look up information on Therum in the codex. According to her, Therum was a dry, arid planet with a lot of volcanic activity. The crust was rich with various minerals and heavy metals ripe for the mining; likely why the Sangheili were interested in it. Their various mining operations on the colony have played a large part in fueling a recent manufacturing boom on Sangheilios, their homeworld. Although, calling Therum a colony was a little generous. 'Frontier Oupost' was more appropriate. It was considered a very small settlement, by Sangheili Empire standards anyway. Cortana also said the elites have been studying the Prothean ruins on the planet, apparently having taken an interest in them. Probably why they enlisted the help of Dr. T'soni. They knew she was a good archaeologist and that Protheans were her specialty.
Chief already had the mission all planned out. Dr. Liara T'soni had been labeled as a VIP; her safe retrieval was the main objective of the mission and was to be accomplished at all costs. There was no word of any Geth presence on Therum, but Chief always assumed the worst. Saren wasn't stupid. He knew that Benezia's daughter could provide some insight on the Conduit, so there would likely be Geth on the planet, assuming Saren hadn't taken her already.
They would approach the planet with stealth systems active, and make a covert drop on the planet with the mako. They'd slip in, grab Liara, and slip out. The elites would likely be up in arms about losing her, but as a spectre, Chief was above the law. It was within his power to take Liara, and he would, whether the squidheads liked it or not.
Chief thought a bit about squad composition. He'd take Kaidan and Ashley, no debate there. They proved themselves against the Geth on Eden Prime. Garrus and Wrex, on the other hand, were a little more uncertain. Chief knew they were capable in a fight, but that was just a small firefight in a sleazy strip club. Therum, assuming the very worst, would be a full-blown battleground. That will be the REAL test of their skills.
Chief sighed. The plan was laid out. All he had to do now was wait until they actually get to Therum.
Chief hated waiting.
...
Next chapter will cover the Therum mission. And yes, it's a Sangheili colony world and yes, Chief will be encountering them during the course of the mission.
Hmmmmmmm...I wonder why I re-wrote the mission like that. Hint hint. Wink wink. Nudge nudge