Now seeing a Krogan walk towards you without looking at you? Might put you slightly on edge. Same situation but now the Krogan is actually looking at you? Might cause you to start worrying. A Krogan running towards you without looking at you? I'd probably step out of the way. A Krogan running towards and looking at you. One might try to escape. These are all pretty standard responses to four way more common issues then they should be. Now a Krogan coming towards you while half running/half walking with a look of pure rage in his eyes directed at you? That is an uncommon situation where most people would probably feel frozen and await a painful future. Marc himself had faced down similar situations and survived which was what made him not inch towards the safety of his ship.
Wrex as well had no delusions about what could happen following his next actions. He was getting some answers from that being but he was not under the illusion that trying to force answers out of this guy was easy. He very much knew that if it came to a fight between them then he could very much end up dead, the little episode of the being earlier only cemented that for the old Battlemaster it had after all been many decades since his blood had boiled in anticipation like that. So when Wrex came up to Echo he had no problem with putting his face as close to Echo's as their height difference would allow.
"You will tell me how you know anything about our rite and then you will tell me how you knew there was a Thresher Maw on that planet" said Wrex in a dangerously low growl
To Echo's credit he didn't seem fazed at all by the Krogan right on front of him. But if one factor in that Echo has been fighting with the Stalker most of his life then perhaps it makes a bit of sense. It didn't take long for Echo to realize that this was a conversation that shouldn't be held somewhere where people could be listening in.
"Let's take this conversation in my ship" said Echo while pushing past Wrex and walking into his ship.
Wrex gave a grunt but nodded and followed. Once inside the ship Wrex took in the simple design and he didn't miss the fact that Echo placed himself within reach of a weapon, the open weapons locker on his left while a weird thin looking sword was on his right and yet Wrex couldn't shake the feeling that the lone blade was the more dangerous of the two. Echo then gave a gesture for Wrex to sit which he with another grunt accepted.
"Now tell me how you knew" said Wrex
"I know many things Wrex and one of them is how your rite of passage is conducted" Echo was about to continue when Wrex cut him off
"Do not believe me a fool and assume that I cannot tell you are lying" the anger in his voice was clear
Echo gave a low sigh 'He is right I shouldn't attempt to lie, at least not to him' however Echo was not going to tell him the whole truth, rather instead he was going to use an old trick he was going to lie with the truth.
"Very well" started Marc "Many years ago I came to Tuchanka to inspect the veil on your planet as well as looking into the Genophage that is plaguing your people" Wrex eyes widened a little at this "When I was there I witnessed the rite of a young Krogan. As for how I knew there was a Thresher Maw on Edolus? I cannot tell you that Wrex, some things are never to be spoken"
Wrex grunted but accepted his explanation since he couldn't detect any lies coming from the strange being in front of him, so he pressed on with other questions.
"How where you not detected? I know that no Krogan would allow an outsider to witness his rite" asked Wrex
"My ship has a stealth drive so I merely witnessed the events from in here" replied Echo offhandedly
Wrex eyed the being suspiciously before accepting the answer since he couldn't come up with a better explanation himself. That then led him to what he considered the most important question he had.
"Tell me what you found out about the Genophage" said Wrex
Echo gave a crooked smile "I found a great many things Wrex. I could not get too close to the Shroud itself since it is guarded by Kalros herself and I dared not risk approaching even with my stealth drive. The Genophage itself I can only tell you so much about that you don't already know. As for a cure? It can be made, make no mistake of that Wrex" Echo then saw something in the old Krogan, something he hoped one day could be seen in his own eyes, hope "I warn you now Wrex, the experiments it will take and the lives lost to make this cure will be horrendous and before you ask I cannot create this cure"
Echo then fell silent as he pondered with himself whatever he should inform Wrex about Maelon's future experiments 'Perhaps not about Maelon himself, but perhaps this can bring him more hope than his species has ever had'
"I can tell you this Wrex" started Echo and Wrex listened intently "Right this moment one Salarian is thinking if not already starting on a cure for your people. It will be years underway but perhaps he can succeed. Before you ask I cannot tell you his name, he will stand under my protection until it is complete"
Echo looked with interest at the old Battlemaster as he rose from his seat and with what Echo almost believed was held back tears in his eyes held out his arm. Echo didn't hesitate and grabbed the Krogans arm with his own.
"Today you have given more hope to my people then I ever thought possible. I will not fault you for protecting this Salarian as his research will make him a target. But know that from this day forward you will be known as a friend to clan Urdnot!" shouted Wrex.
Echo had a smile on his face that revealed how much he actually valued this honor. He had always liked Wrex in the games and was disgusted when he first learned of the Genophage and loved every second of curing it in ME3. 'Now perhaps Wrex will accept Maelon when he comes to him…' it was a long shot as Echo had indeed reminded Wrex that there would be casualties during the creation of the cure, but he hadn't mentioned that it was the females.
"It is an honor Wrex. As a friend to your clan I shall stand by your side in any matters, merely call for me and I shall stand by your side on my honor as a warrior this I swear" said Echo with a voice that brokered no argument.
Wrex simply grunted and gave one last shake of his arm before letting go.
"Now all we need is a bit of Ryncol to celebrate!" shouted Wrex
Echo then proceeded to go over to the corner of his ship where he pulled out the second of the two bottles he kept hidden in there. The first one he had shared with Shepard was strong for any human, this second bottle would probably bring them crashing down after a single glass but Echo figured that Krogan were made of sterner stuff. When Wrex spied the bottle he got a smile on his battle-scarred face.
"I hope that is some potent stuff there, or it won't do much!" said Wrex with humor
Echo simply poured to full glasses of the quite clear liquid, it looked almost like water. He then handed one glass to Wrex before taking his own.
"Take a sip and try" said Marc with a sly grin "Might be too strong for you"
Wrex just roared with laughter before taking a good swig of his glass, only for his eyes to bulge open and cause him to stare at the drink with renewed awe, this was way stronger then Ryncol!
"What is this?" started Wrex with glee "this packs ten times the punch Ryncol does!"
Echo just gave a smile and held out his glass for Wrex, after a brief salute they both downed the remains of their glass before refilling then. The next few hours was spent between the two old warriors sharing stories of their many battles. The respect one had for the other only grew with each story as they both recognized the other as a fellow warrior. Though in Echo's case on particular title and event was never mentioned. Eventually they stopped their stories and Wrex got up to leave, neither were drunk by any stretch of the imagination since they had been drinking at a steady pace, meaning Echo's nanites had stopped him from getting drunk and Wrex… was Wrex. As Wrex made to leave he stopped in the door and spoke over his shoulder
"You are good enough, whatever you are"
"Tenno, of everyone Wrex you have earned my respect enough to call me that" replied Echo with a somber look on his face
Wrex gave an approving nod before leaving and the door closing behind him. Echo stared after Wrex with a calm look in his eyes 'You say I have given your people hope, Wrex. I have given you nothing but a horrible choice to make… I hope you forgive me when the time comes' Echo then put away both glasses and the now empty bottle before staring into the mirror. It was good to have someone like Wrex aboard, someone who had lived as long if not longer than himself and had seen the same things; he needed someone like that around. By now Echo figured that Shepard must have calmed down so he would go see her and perhaps learn of what happened down on Edolus at the same time. On his way to the elevator he gave Ashley a nod in greeting as she was busy cleaning her rifle 'I wonder how many times a day she does that…'
Stepping out the elevator and turning the corner met Echo with quite a surprising sight, sitting at the table next to the locked door leading to Shepard's quarters was Kaidan and he looked to be close to panicking. Echo figured that Shepard must have been hit harder than he thought so he decided to go ask Chakwas if she knew something. Echo had barely taken two steps into the Med-bay before Chakwas turned from a concerned looking Garrus to him.
"Ahh Echo good timing" Chakwas gestured for Echo to take a seat with Garrus, so he did "It would seem the Commander is a bit down right now"
"If she has been in her quarters since they returned then I would incline to agree Chakwas" started Echo "But what has caused it?" He then turned towards Garrus "can you shed some light on this Garrus?"
Garrus rubbed his rather tired eyes before looking at both of them with a sad and concerned look
"I really don't know what could have caused it" Garrus said while looking down
"Go through the mission for me Garrus, maybe I'll catch something you didn't" said Echo while placing a hand on the turians shoulder.
Garrus gave a nod "We landed down on Edolus and I took the gun while Kaidan took the navigator's seat. It didn't take us more than ten minutes tops to locate the beacon, when we arrived we all exited the Mako to inspect the bodies on the ground. It turned out to be alliance as was expected but they were all dead and some of them were missing limbs, Kaidan also commented that there seemed to be a few missing from the squad. Wrex kept patrolling around like he was looking for something; Shepard and Kaidan gathered the dog tags of the soldiers while I was working on the beacon"
Garrus stopped for a moment and looked out of the window in the med bay towards Shepard's quarters
"Then it all went to hell in a matter of seconds… Shepard came up to me and asked how it was doing; I had just finished shutting down the signal when Wrex suddenly yelled for all of us to get back to the Mako. When I turned around I barely managed to see Wrex running at full speed towards Kaidan, when he reached him he lifted him off the ground and kept going towards the Mako and not two seconds after Wrex had grabbed Kaidan a Thresher Maw sprung out from where Kaidan had just been standing"
By now Chakwas had taken a seat and was looking alarmed, while Echo seemed completely calm
"I turned towards Shepard only to see her frozen, but as soon as I called her name she ordered me back to the Mako and we both ran. I don't know how we managed it but all of us got inside the Mako just in time. It took us a full half hour to kill that damn thing since it kept popping up and going straight back down… Then we drove over next to the beacon and I jumped out and rewired it to send out a warning signal instead. As soon as we had been picked up again and the hangar was pressurized Shepard jumped out and went straight for her quarters" finished a now drained Garrus
Chakwas looked completely mortified but quickly composed herself and gave Garrus something calming and send him away to relax. Echo on the other hand now had a thoughtful expression on his face, the mission had gone more or less as he had expected, perhaps with the exception of a few key details. 'If Shepard froze then the only explanation I can think of is that she was on Akuze, but Eva would have caught that when I first asked for her information…' Echo's thought process was interrupted by Chakwas
"What do you think Marc?" said Chakwas
"I think Karin" started Marc with a somber look on his face "that Shepard has been through something similar in her past, it is the only explanation for her freezing which is the only abnormality I can think of with Garrus story" Marc then sat down in front of Chakwas and looked at her with determined eyes "Karin I know that you shouldn't reveal certain things to me, but I need to know if there is something in Shepards past that could have caused this?"
Chakwas shook her head "There is nothing in her medical records or physiological evaluation that confirms your theory"
"Then all there is left is to ask the person herself" stated Marc
"Good luck with that, Kaidan has been trying to get her to open the door since she locked it" said Chakwas
"Indeed? Perhaps she will speak to me, I have found that speaking to people with experience on the matter greatly helps" said Marc with a warm smile at Karin who returned the smile
"Good luck" said Chakwas to Marc's back as he left the med-bay.
Upon exiting the Med-bay Marc managed to catch Kaidan sitting back down with a sigh from trying yet again to get Shepard to open the door and speak with him. Marc could only shake his head at the lieutenant while stepping up to the door himself. Right before he managed to knock however, a voice called from next to him.
"If she won't open the door for me, then what makes you think she will for you?" asked Kaidan with a hard voice.
Marc ignored him and proceeded to knock anyway. Little did Marc know that at the same time a now very angry Shepard had just sat back down after being inches from opening the door to yell at Kaidan, so when another knock reached her ears it didn't take her five seconds to step up to the door and open it ready to yell Kaidan's block off only to see Marc standing there instead. A few awkward seconds followed as Shepard stared with an angry look at him but that ended as she grabbed him by the collar of his clothes and pulled him inside her quarters and locked the door again, leaving a confused and now quite angry Kaidan staring at the locked door.
Inside Marc let himself be led over to the couch and sat down after which he then looked on as Shepard went over to a small cupboard and pulled out a glass, she then filled the glass with whatever was in the bottle she herself was in the process of emptying and then handed the glass to Marc who took it but had no intention of actually drinking.
"So…" started Shepard "by now I guess someone has told you about the mission?"
Marc nodded his head "Garrus filled me in a few minutes ago, brought up some interesting points. One of which was the fact that you froze, Sarah"
Shepard stiffened a little in her seat before she started swirling the liquid in her glass in hope that Marc would ask another question but after waiting a few seconds in silence she let out a loud sigh.
"I did" Shepard then fell silent for a few seconds while looking at Marc with calculating eyes "You ever heard of Akuze?"
Marc gave another nod "Colony of the Alliance, went dark without warning in 2177. Any other information is blacklisted by the alliance"
Shepard was slightly surprised that Marc seemed to have access to Alliance Intel but calmed by telling herself that some of that information must have leaked at some point.
"Well what you are missing" began Shepard "is that an alliance team was sent to investigate. When they arrived they were attacked by a thresher maw and the entire squad was killed"
Marc looked Shepard deeply in her eyes and saw the anger and sadness in the hazy eyes.
"There is more isn't there?" asked Marc
Shepard made the smallest of nods "My best friend Elaine was part of that team"
It was barely above a whisper but Marc heard it clear as day and with all the information now there the puzzle fell in place in front of him. Shepard didn't freeze because she had seen her entire squad die on Akuze, she froze because she was remembering and fearing that she was going to lose another friend to a thresher maw.
"You have my condolences Sarah" started Marc while putting a comforting hand on her leg "What was she like?"
Shepard looked over Marc for a few seconds before refilled her glass and moved over to sit next to Marc on the couch, a trace of a smile on her lips.
"I grew up with her on Mindoir" started Shepard while Marc had a confused look on his face "We would play together all the time and when we didn't play we would beg my dad to teach us how to shoot…" a small tear appeared in the corner of her eyes which didn't go unnoticed by Marc "then around my tenth birthday my parents were assigned back into the navy along with Elaine's parents. From there we both grew up aboard various ships and stations" the last bit was said with a warm smile "Then we both turned eighteen and enlisted straight away to the "joy" of our parents. We finished boot camp together and then I was shipped off to N7 while Elaine went on to her first assignment"
At this point Marc had, despite his choice, taken a small sip of his drink it didn't really taste like anything and would do as much to him as water would have.
"Then Elysium happened" continued Shepard "Elaine showed up when I was given the Star of Terra, I only managed to see her one time after that before she was sent off to Akuze"
Marc gave a slight nod but didn't say a word; he figured he didn't need to. Shepard took another large gulp of her drink before leaning her head back and giving a sigh with a smile on her face.
"She was so much fun to be around. Always a crazy idea for what to do in the nearest city we could reach… so many drunk trips out and around that you wouldn't believe" said Shepard
"I do believe I don't want to know either" replied Marc
Shepard barked a laugh "You know what is funny? She helped me deal with my dad disappearing just two months before she went and disappeared herself" her voice had been breaking throughout the whole sentence an at the end she finally broke and began crying.
Marc who hadn't dealt with a crying woman in almost 75 years didn't really know how to react to seeing one of the strongest women he knew break down crying, so he took a play out of Chakwas book and pulled her into a light hug. It surprised him even further when Shepard put her arms around his mid-section and continued to cry lightly into his shirt. 'How do I end up in these situations?' Marc asked himself, the only other woman he had ever had to deal with like this was Sivra and she was fairly easy to deal with once she started crying. Eventually Marc chalked this little episode up to the amount of alcohol that Shepard must have consumed before his arrival and the fact that she probably has kept this in for god knows how long.
When Shepard finally stopped crying she released Marc from the hug and sat back with a small smile on her face "Thanks for listening to all this…" she started "I really don't have anyone else around who listens like you do"
Marc just gave a small smile "It comes with getting old" this got a small laugh from Shepard "You must really have loved them both" finished Marc
Shepard gave a nod "They were what grounded me and kept me going in my toughest times and now they are both gone, one disappeared without a trace and the other got herself killed!"
Shepard looked like she was about to say something she was going to regret so Marc stopped her by putting his hand on her shoulder
"Elaine couldn't have known Shepard, don't blame the dead for their misfortune only make sure to honor their memory. As for your father I cannot say why he disappeared" said Marc
Shepard gave a small scoff "I don't think he chose to" this caught Marcs attention "He was on his ship when it happened. His captain went down to his quarters to look for him only to find him missing, the entire ship was searched yet there was no sign of him and there was nothing missing from the ship either, no shuttles or any fighters… he just vanished into thin air"
Had Shepard not been looking away to try and hide her returning tears she would have caught the dangerous look on Marc's face 'Disappeared into thin air? I don't think so… if it happened to one, then why not another?' Marc however schooled his features back into one of concern when Shepard turned back to look at him with some control regained.
"Tell me about him" said Marc with a small smile
Shepard looked with him with a quizzical expression on her face "What do you want to know?" she asked
"Whatever you feel like telling me, I recently learned that talking to someone about lost loved ones is good for the soul" replied Marc with a knowing smile
It took a few moments for Shepard to realize what he meant and it brought a warm smile to her face as she got a faraway look in her eyes 'Trying to choose what to say probably' thought Marc
"He was a good father" started Shepard "He was always there when I needed something when I was a kid, he did end up teaching me and Elaine how to use guns in the end, no matter how much it infuriated my mother who had a different idea what her precious little girl was going to do" the last bit was said with a laugh "When we were on the ships I learned just how much I wanted to be like my father, I wanted the same respect he had. It didn't matter who he spoke to or about what but when he spoke people listened and they liked him. That was what I wanted back then for people to respect me and like me for being me I guess, it all seems so far away now" finished Shepard
"I would say you have done a pretty good job of that Sarah, Staff Commander at 29, N7 graduate and a Spectre? Trust me Sarah, when you talk people listen" said Marc
Shepard just gave him a playful punch to the shoulder in reply
"You know what I mean" she started "So you can see how it wasn't so great a time to have your father and idol disappear without a trace and some even speculate that he ran away?"
"I can understand partially" said Marc
Shepard emptied her glass and when she tried to refill it she found the bottle empty which caused her to put on a frown before she turned back to Marc and stared at him for a few seconds.
"How about your family?" she asked
Marc's face instantly darkened and Shepard thought she might just have hit a landmine "I don't remember them…" Marc began slowly "Tenno have near perfect memory and yet all I remember is that I have a Father, Mother and a Brother. I remember their names and a few things about them and a few good moments but beyond that I remember nothing"
This time it was Shepard who placed a comforting hand on Marc's own "You are only half Tenno aren't you?" Marc nodded "Then perhaps it is your human side that has forgotten"
Marc gave a pained smile but could see the logic he simply chose not to respond to it. A few more minutes in silence passed before Marc wanted to even say anything more but when he turned towards Shepard he found her leaning against the couch with her breathing steady and eyes closed.
"Just how much did you drink before I came in here?" whispered Marc
He then lifted her up bridal style and walked over and placed her down on her bed and pulled the covers over, he then walked over to the table and inspected the bottle and read the percentage 'She emptied this by herself? How did she stay awake until just then?' thought Marc before shaking his head at Shepard's apparent good alcohol tolerance. Stepping over to the door Marc took one last look at the sleeping Shepard before dimming the lights and stepping out the door which somehow managed to lock itself behind him again 'Self-locking?... Handy'
The door barely managed to close behind Marc before Kaidan was moving, he first went up to the door thinking that now he could perhaps finally speak with Shepard only to find the door locked again. He then turned his sights on the newest addition to the ground team with an angry scowl before deciding it was time for some truths. Kaidan not exactly knowing just how big part of Marc's daily training consisted of training his reflexes, attempted to grab his shoulder attempted
His hand was perhaps a millimeter above Marc's shoulder when the hybrid's reflexes took over and he spun around grabbing the arm of Kaidan before turning it within a fraction of the breaking point and then pushing whoever attempted to grab him onto the floor. Had Marc's eyes not caught up to the fact that it was Kaidans arm he had grabbed before he decided to finish the maneuver Kaidan might very well have found himself incapable of walking again.
It was with a low sigh and a shake of the head that Marc addressed the downed Kaidan "Lieutenant I thought it was quite clear from the previous showing of my reflexes against Shepard that you would know not to attempt grabbing my shoulder or anywhere else while I was not looking"
Kaidan had begun standing back up as Marc spoke and when he finally found his footing again his anger had taken over the rational part of his mind.
"Why?... Why does she trust you over me? I have known her for years and yet she refuses to speak to me, but you she speaks to without even knowing you!" yelled Kaidan
Marc just stared at the Lieutenant before shaking his head again 'Perhaps it is because she doesn't know me'
"I have no intention of answering that question and I have no wish to talk with you Lieutenant. Good day" said Marc while turning to walk away.
"Hey! We are not done!" yelled Kaidan before stepping up behind Marc "Ever since we met you I could feel something wrong about you, I don't know what it is yet but I will find out and I won't let it get us all killed! Because I am damn sure that that is just what you are going to do!"
'Perhaps my estimations of Kaidan's intellect are a bit off' thought Marc while turning around to stare down at the shorter man
"And one more thing! I am not letting you get Shepard killed because you can't control yourself which has been clearly visible since we met you! So you better stay away from her or you'll regret it!" yelled Kaidan inches from Marc's face
Now Marc doesn't usually get angry on other people's behalf and he certainly doesn't get angry over someone yelling at him, which happens all the time anyway. But when Kaidan started yelling about him getting Shepard killed something inside him woke back up, something that had been sleeping for 70 years. Without twitching Marc brought his arm up and grabbed Kaidan by his jaw and begun lifting him up, Kaidan started flailing his arms and tried to make him release him but it didn't help, once Marc has a hold of you he isn't letting go until he feels like it.
"Listen here Lieutenant" started Marc in a dangerously low tone which caused Kaidan to freeze in his grip "if I ever want your opinion on anything then I will be sure to ask for it. As for what I am? What I am is a 354 year old trained killer whom is capable of killing in such ways that there is no trace left of my victim so don't ever think that a lieutenant who acts more like a dog than anything is ever going to scare me. As for Shepard? Whatever you might think about her I can tell you that she has a far better chance of killing me than you ever will, add that to the fact that she has enough of my respect so that should I ever choose to kill her I will do it when she can see it coming. As for you Lieutenant? If you continue with your antagonizing of me and repeat confrontation like this then I am going to kill you. Am. I. Clear?"
The last bit was said with added strength to his grip thus threatening to break Kaidan's already strained jaw. Everyone else who was in the mess hall at the same time as this confrontation took place were frozen on the spot, no one wanted or were dumb enough to interfere. Kaidan did try to get an answer out but with Marc keeping his jaw closed he could only make a motion that slightly resembled a nod which finally made Marc put him down. As soon as Kaidan's feet touched the ground Marc in a swift movement grabbed Kaidan's right arm and twisted it until it popped out of its socket which sent Kaidan screaming to the floor.
"Let that be your first warning Lieutenant" said Marc
The screaming attracted the attention of Chakwas who came running out of the med-bay to check on what was going on, when she saw Kaidan lying there with a clearly dislocated arm she quickly got him up and helped him towards the med-bay. She did however turn her head to give an angry stare at Marc but when her eyes met his she quickly turned her head, she had dealt with enough veteran's and other soldiers to know what the look he had in his eyes meant "Not. Now"
It was a quite angry Marc who stepped into the elevator. 'What was that?' thought Marc 'I haven't lost control like that in almost 67 years…' Marc stepped out of the elevator while shaking his head hoping to clear it a little. Marc missed the look of recognition in Wrex's eyes as he passed him, Wrex knew the look too well it was usually on someone's face when the mask they had spent years building somehow crumbled, leaving the person confused, Wrex only shook his head at the Tenno.
When Marc finally managed to reach his ship he stepped inside and closed the door behind him while sealing the entire ship as well. He then proceeded inside his engineering department and found a particular piece of metal which was attached to the wall. With an angry and thunderous roar Marc smashed his fist into the wall which sent a jolt of pain up through him but left the wall unscathed, with a minimal amount of his tension relieved Marc went to his bed and decided to not wake up until tomorrow 'What is happening to me?' was his last thoughts before sleep claimed him.
When Shepard awoke from her alcohol induced sleep she immediately felt the extreme headache which comes hand in hand with said alcohol induced sleep. Luckily for her she had already begun to build up her alcohol tolerance when she was young with some late night drinks with her father (for god's sake do not tell her mother!) so she could work through it with some medicine from Chakwas. It was a small battle for Shepard to make her way into the shower but as soon as the cold water hit her body she relaxed considerably. While letting the water wake her up Shepard gave some thought to the previous night 'I drank way too much… and I cried in front of Marc… and in his arms'
"urgh…" moaned Shepard at the memory
'I will never drink that much again after a mission and I won't look Marc in the eyes for the next ten years' vowed Shepard while she finished her shower, despite the last bit being only a half joke. When she was once more fully clothed and a little more awake she dared make her way out of her room.
Shepard had barely taken two steps out the door before a private was already on his way over; the poor man was stopped dead in his tracks by two things. One was the raised hand from Shepard indicating whatever he had to say could wait, the second was the death glare Shepard was currently sporting due to the lack of caffeine in her system. The private wisely waited for Shepard to make her way over first to the coffee machine and then into the med-bay for something against her headache. When she finally came back out the private stepped up to her and gave a questioning look to which Shepard waved her hand in a "go on" motion.
"Thank you ma'am. I was told to report a small altercation that took place yesterday afternoon" said the private
Shepard took a little larger swig from her cup before she spoke "What happened and with who?"
"Lieutenant Alenko and the newest member of the ground team was seen and heard debating loudly which evolved into a physical altercation as Lieutenant Alenko found himself with a dislocated arm" spoke the private
Shepard gave a loud sigh and rubbed her tired eyes before half glaring at the private "What were they arguing about?"
The private seemed to debate with himself whatever he wanted to be the one to tell the Commander this but he relented under her glare "They were arguing about you, Commander"
Shepard found herself rubbing her eyes a little harder in the hope that when she opened them again the private would be gone and all this turned out to be a hallucination, sadly she was in no such luck.
"The specific points of the argument, private?" asked Shepard
"Lieutenant Alenko complained about the newest member of the ground team…" the private looked at Shepard to fill in the name
"Echo" said Shepard
"about Echo, Commander. Claimed that he would get the ground team killed and there was something wrong about him. Lieutenant Alenko then proceeded to say that he didn't want Echo to be around you as he believes he will get you killed, Commander and if he didn't stay away that Echo would have to deal with him personally" replied the Private
Shepard wanted to get angry but it was too damn early in the morning for this.
"How is the Lieutenants arm?" asked Shepard with a tired voice
"He should be fit for field duty again in three days according to Doctor Chakwas" replied the private
"Good. In what manner did Echo reply to the Lieutenants accusations?" said Shepard
"He ehm…" the private hesitated for a second "grabbed him by his jaw and lifted him off the ground, Commander" Shepard's eyebrows rose a little before gesturing for the private to continue "He then informed the Lieutenant that he wasn't afraid of him and never would be, followed by an ultimatum that if the Lieutenant kept being antagonistic towards him and instigated further episodes with him, he would kill the Lieutenant" said the private
Shepard didn't miss the private freeze up a little at the mention of a death threat. Sadly she knew that Marc was probably serious and that would mean she needed a talk with Kaidan about this, as much as he could be annoying and persistent in chasing her, he was still a good soldier and not worth losing over his own jealousy. Shepard turned her focus back to the private
"You seem well informed about all this, private. Who told you to report to me?" asked Shepard
"XO Pressly, ma'am" replied the private
"And he gave you all this information?" continued Shepard
"No ma'am, he told me to report that the Lieutenant and Echo had an altercation and then report on the Lieutenants current condition" said the private
"Then where did the rest come from?" asked Shepard now a little more awake
"I was here yesterday afternoon ma'am, I witnessed the entire thing myself while I waited for my shift to start" replied the private
"Good work private and thank you for the extra information; it is appreciated" started Shepard "Now go hit the sack, private. You look like you are about to fall over" said Shepard with a smile
The private's shoulders dropped slightly as his posture relaxed "Thank you ma'am" said the private with a salute before he turned and walked off towards a comfortable bed and good dreams, hopefully. Shepard had on a small smile as the private walked away 'I should keep an eye out for him, if he keeps a level head he could go far' with a final swig of her coffee Shepard set out to start the day.
Down in the hangar aboard the Shadow a very different morning was taking place, namely a still angry hybrid woke up from his self-induced sleep. Though he probably shouldn't work on his stances when he was angry Marc still took his Nikana and stepped outside his ship. Clearing a small area next to the Shadow of boxes and parts left him with a small circle that just about measured the same as a Tenno training circle. Marc then closed his eyes and brought every bit of focus he had and condensed it all to the circle around him, ensuring that if anyone or anything stepped into the circle he could react to it long before they even made a move.
Inside the armory Garrus was currently cleaning his sniper rifle alongside Ashley whom was doing the same simply with an assault rifle. Wrex was standing by his boxes but looked like he was listening to something, this eventually caught Garrus interest so he too walked away from the table and the minimal amount of noise that Ashley made and used his turian hearing to listen.
Small sounds entered the turians ears and he focused more and more on figuring them out, at least until what was the clear sound of air getting cut shot out through the armory, the sound was quickly followed by a crash. Both Garrus and Wrex stepped into action at this and almost ran towards the hangar alongside Ashley who also heard the crash. When they stepped into the hangar the followed the sound to the side of the Shadow and three pair of eyes widened at the sight in front of them, one of the heavy transport boxes was lying sliced cleanly down the middle a little away from Marc.
Ashley who had no practice with swordplay wasn't able to follow half the moves that Marc made simply because of the speed of the blade, while Garrus had gotten used to fast moving objects due to his active sniper role and Wrex simply had the experience to follow, were speechless at the display. Marc's blade was moving in what seemed like random directions with such speed that the blade seemed to blur every so often only to appear again on the opposite side of Marc. Ashley was about to call out when Wrex put his arm in front of her and shook his head with a hard stare.
"Don't. If you break his concentration there is no telling what he will do" said Wrex
Ashley simply nodded and stood back and watched along with the two others. When Marc finally seemed to slow down he stepped off the left side of the circle only to jump and spin in the air while swinging the Nikana at the same time. To the spectators the sword formed a full circle before Marc landed and swung the blade in a manner resembling the way the Samurai of old would swing their swords the clean off fresh blood from the blade.
With the blade now back in its scabbard Marc relinquished his focus and let it spread back out which alerted him to his three spectators. Marc then mentally cursed himself for the glaring flaw in his fighting style 'What good will a fully condensed sphere of focus do me in a world where no one fights in melee any longer?' it was a glaring fault that could end up costing Marc his life so he opted to learn a new fighting style which made use of a more spread focus.
Marc then turned around to face his three spectators, Garrus looked impressed and a bit curious, Wrex looked like he wanted to fight 'Why am I not surprised?' and Ashley looked scared but in awe. Marc made a point to ignore them as he stepped back inside his ship and sealed the door.
Marc's Point of View
As the small ping sounded in my ears alerting me that the ship was now sealed I stepped over and opened my weapons locker and gazed inside. My eyes locked onto something I had long since stopped using, the glaive, it had been my favorite weapon for a period and I had been good with it… but I soon like so many other Tenno found it painful to carry it with me, though I never knew Hayden myself the part of me that was Tenno still respected him but like everyone else the glaive felt so much heavier on your arm then it should.
I reached in and grabbed it and opened it up and gave it a few swings 'Still sharp as ever' a sad smile sat on my face as a gazed over the weapon before I shook my head and put it back where I knew it belonged, as far from my hands as possible. The second weapon to catch my gaze was the Angstrum, fantastic weapon by my own opinion it served well.
"Eva, how many missiles do I have left for the Angstrum?" I asked
"You have nine left Marc" was the answer I got
'Nine huh? So nine more shots or three full charges… with what I am planning I should only count that as six' I unfolded the weapon and gave it an inspection, everything seemed alright except for the obvious signs of use along the body of the weapon, luckily the Corpus build their guns to last. Next on the list for inspection was the Soma, damn thing has saved my ass more times than I want to admit. This I knew was clean as it was one of the few weapons I was very matriculate about cleaning.
Sighing I turned my head and looked out the window and into the hangar bay doors. I wasn't okay anymore, my recent episode was the most violent it has ever been. Soon my restrains won't be able to keep me down and the door on the Shadow is strong but even that will buckle under too much strain. I am okay with dying but now it feels like I should at least finish what I have begun before I die.
With my thoughts already in that part of my mind it wasn't long until my conversation with Shepard came to the forefront. At first I will admit to being surprised over her past, but it only goes to show that I might know a good deal of what is going to happen in this world but there is also a ton of stuff that has already happened or happened differently from what I know. Then there was the crying… I really wish I had dealt with that better but I haven't had to comfort a crying woman since Sivra found out our child died before she was even born… I never told you that did I? No I didn't, too painful to mention and remember but me and Sivra were about to have a kid. What happened you might ask? I happened. We didn't know how the child would turn out with me being a hybrid but we found out when she was six months pregnant… among all my memories getting that call from Alcor is still the most prominent and heartrending one I have.
I had barely stepped off the Shadow from my mission when I got a call over my personal com, as soon as I picked it up Alcor yelled at me to come down to the medical wing, Sivra was apparently in great pain and he feared for our daughter. When I arrived a part of me already knew what was going to happen, so for me the shock was lessened when they tested Sivra and found the problem, our little girl was slowly killing herself and taking her mother in the process. It turned out the merging my DNA with Arcks only worked because the nanites was already in my bloodstream, so when the new DNA was introduced and properly merged the nanites could keep me alive through it.
My little girl didn't have those nanites; the nanites are programmed to stay away from fetuses so they don't cause any damage by accident. We discovered through the tests that our daughter's body, while developing, had two sides of her fighting for genetic supremacy. My side which was human and Sivra's side who was Tenno, according to Alcor had I been 100% human our daughter might have become what I am now, a hybrid, but since I already am a hybrid the small amount of human DNA that was inside our girl turned into a virus of sorts. This virus was slowly being expelled from the fetus which then ended up corrupting the entire womb and from there it seeped out and was now slowly killing Sivra as well as the child since the nanites recognized the virus as coming from the fetus so they left it alone.
When Alcor delivered the two options available to us it broke Sivra completely. There was two choices open to us, one was aborting the child which was dead anyway and then purge Sivra's systems. Or we could introduce one small cluster of nanites into Sivra's bloodstream which would then reprogram all the other nanites to no longer ignore the fetus and rather see it as a target. The first option could potentially kill Sivra, while the second option would in effect render her sterile at least with me but she would live. It took a great deal of convincing on my part but I managed to make Sivra agree to the second option, I stayed with her through the whole thing even after they had put her into an artificial coma to ensure the nanites worked undisturbed for the full 36 hours it would take for them to finish their work. I had never, nor since sat still for so many hours on end and go so long without food or any nourishment, in a way I grew afraid of ever sitting still for that long again...
A knock on the door brings me out of my memories, though it doesn't prevent me from shaking my head a few more times to clear it completely or at least attempt to. I release the lock on the door and watch it open to reveal a still tired looking Shepard standing in there.
"Shepard, do you need something?" I ask
She steps inside and sits down in the passenger seat like last time, I ignore the fact that she is tiringly rubbing her eyes.
"If the damn stuff didn't nearly kill me I'd ask you for some of that booze you gave me last time. However I am here to talk with you about what happened yesterday with Kaidan" she said
I had begun looking through my weapons locker when she had sat down and was now sorting the ammo to its correct places as well as checking the amount. I hadn't given the little episode with Kaidan much thought, back on the citadel a death threat usually got people out of my hair.
"What about the Lieutenant? His arm should be fine again in a few days' time" I asked
"You know I am not here to talk about his arm, rather the subject of which you were arguing about as well as how it all ended" she replied
I had an evil grin on my face which was thankfully hidden behind the door of the locker so Shepard didn't see it, I couldn't help the grin it was something that had been there since the colony and it kept returning whenever I talked about potential kills.
"Our subject as you seem to know was you; I simply expressed my disregard for the Lieutenants opinion on certain matters. The death threat still stands and is very much real, if he tries to start something again I will break his neck before he blinks" I said
I didn't need to look to see Shepard tense up. I am not sure what thoughts are running through her head but I am quite sure that she is trying to figure out a way for this to work out. When I heard a small cough I stuck my head out from the cabinet and looked her in the eyes
"yes?" I inquired
"If I keep Kaidan on a short leash do you think you could stop putting him down when you get the chance?" she replied
"I can do as much" I replied and went back to the cabinet. 'Though on missions… good point' I stuck my head back out "I am not watching him on missions, when we are out there I am concerned with only You, Garrus, Wrex, Tali and maybe Ashley" I then returned to my sorting.
There was a rather long silence where I thought I might have missed Shepard leave, but her presence in my mind confirmed that she was still in her seat.
"If I might ask have you talked with Kaidan yet?" I asked
I heard a rather loud sigh that made me stick my head back out, Shepard was now looking extra tired and was rubbing her eyes.
"I have spoken with him yes" she replied
"How did that go?" I returned
"How do you expect?" she countered
"You most likely told him to either get his head out of his ass, or maybe you told him that he needed to get off his jealous streak. He then either got angry or pouted and then proceeded to come with stupid arguments for why I shouldn't be on the ship or perhaps he tried to convince you that he wasn't jealous. And I am almost certain he tried one last time to convince you to date him" I said with a flat tone
Shepard blinked a few times before laughing
"Hahaha! Got it in one. He did just about all the before mentioned, he did however not try to convince me that he wasn't jealous. Why did you say "one last time" about him asking me out?" she said
"I figured you would have had enough by now? Or did I overestimate your intelligence?" I replied with a smirk
I saw Shepard's eyes widen, probably at the fact that I just made something that could resemble a joke to some and an insult to others, from her laughing I think she took it as a joke.
"No you didn't. I think I finally got it beat into his thick skull that I wasn't interested" she said
I gave a nod in accept. I figured the romances would walk along with the games just like most events have done, but as I asserted earlier then I really don't know what could happen since the past seems completely different from what I ever knew. 'If Kaidan is out that leaves Liara as a possible Romance… or maybe Garrus' figuring it couldn't hurt I decided to ask.
"Since you aren't interested in the lieutenant" I began "is that perhaps because you simply aren't interested in men? Or humans at all even?" I asked
Shepard stared at me for a few seconds before getting a thoughtful look on her face. When she finally looked back at me there was a slight carefulness to her look
"I really only care if you are a good person at heart. I don't care if you are man, woman, human or alien. As far as I see it I just want someone who I can trust" she replied with a shrug
'That could mean Liara this time around or perhaps she will not find anyone before we reach the SR2' was the thought passing through my head before I tried to formulate my reply.
"How about you?" she asked, interrupting my thought process
"I am straight and do not care much for race either" I replied hastily, this was a subject I didn't want to enter. Luckily Shepard seemed to pick up on that and didn't pry.
After a few more minutes of sorting I was finished and made my way into my engineering compartment and started looking over my materials in the same manner as my weapons, sorting the various kinds and sizes. When I felt Shepards presence moving closer I thought of a problem 'I have some materials here that doesn't exist in the Mass Effect world… not something Shepard should be seeing' before I could close the door however, Shepard stepped in and started looking over the small machines I had inside. One of which was going to be building her sword in the future.
"I don't recognize any of these machines but I assume they are for working on or fixing your armor?" she asked
"Correct. Most of them are indeed for creating or maintaining my armor, the machine in the corner however is for personal projects like the sword I am making for you" a stray thought passed my mind "Which reminds me, do you have any preferences for materials?" I asked
Shepard got a curious look in her eyes while she thought it over, or at least I think she thought it over and didn't just daydream about the sword itself.
"I have no actual experience with swords so I wouldn't know what works best, do you have something special in mind?" she asked back
"Perhaps. Are you a biotic Shepard?" I asked in return, when she shook her head I simply nodded "Okay, an Eezo blade is out of the question" I could practically see stars in Shepards eyes as she thought of the uses it could have "I will not make one Shepard, forget it" she started pouting and crossed her arms over her chest which only made me smile "I see no reason to go beyond standard materials like reinforced steel or perhaps slightly stronger materials" I said
A few ideas did pass through my head, like a Silaris blade but getting the materials for that would be incredibly expensive not to mention equally difficult. Though I said I won't build an Eezo blade it still makes for an interesting idea. Forging the blade out of pure Eezo while lacing its inside with a conductive material and then attaching it to a grip with a small cell that is capable of giving of negative and positive electrical currents separately. This could potentially give a person a blade the size of small dagger but the mass and power of a great sword; likewise it could allow the creation of a great sword with the cutting power of a well forged katana and change the method of cutting from raw strength to that of extreme speed.
"I guess that will work. So will it be anything like your blade?" she inquired
"No it will not. Nothing will ever match my Nikana, Shepard. It's forging method has long since been lost and mine is one of ten currently in existence, even I don't know all the components that went into forging it" I replied.
I saw the disappointed look in Shepards eyes at the news but it couldn't be helped I really don't know how the Nikana is forged, I have attempted multiple materials and forging method but nothing works. I once had in mind building an old fashion forge and try my hand at smiting instead, figuring that maybe that would be the key.
"I will think about some extra modifications for your blade Shepard, in the mean time you can try and think of some useful modifications you might want" I stressed the word useful since Shepard seems like the type of person to ask for ridiculous and useless modifications.
Shepards answer as a small pout but nodded regardless.
"If that was all Shepard then I have some more things to go over before we find Dr. T'Soni" I said
Shepard nodded again and gave me a wave before leaving. When I heard the door to the Shadow close shut I gave a sigh of relief that she didn't look around on the various materials in here. I finished cataloging my materials and went back out to the main part of my ship. I walked over and opened the terminal and started sorting through my various files on all the different subjects I had discovered in my four months after leaving the Tenno, I also started writing down potential ideas for new blades. It had been about an hour and I was almost finished with a new blade design when I got interrupted by the sound of a message; I opened it and let it run.
"Get ready for a mission Echo, we have found Dr. T'Soni down on Therum we will be arriving landing in 30 minutes when we find a decent landing spit" said Shepards voice
I put on the alpha frame and went to collect my weapons, I chose my Angstrum with three rockets which I already had a target for. Attached my Nikana to my hip and slung my Soma over my shoulder and then walked out of the Shadow and over to the Mako to wait. I couldn't help feeling a little exited at the prospect of finally get out and doing something again, the last few months were awfully dull. After a few minutes Garrus came over and climbed inside the Mako to make sure everything was ready for the volcanic planet of Therum. After a few more minutes I saw a fully armored Ashley step up next to the Mako she gave me a small smile and a nod in greeting, I returned the greeting with a nod of my own.
"Looks like I am finally going to see what you can do" said Ashley
"Indeed. I look forward to see your skills for myself Miss Williams, your family have military history after all" I replied
I noticed Ashley flinch a little and look away with a sad look in her eyes when I mentioned her family's military history. I never saw how it could be seen as something bad that her grandfather surrendered at Shanxi, he saved countless lives on both sides and yet his family is forever branded for it… humanity is stupid.
"How do you feel about this mission Echo?" asked Ashley
"How do you mean Miss Williams? It is a mission like any other, regular locate and extraction" I replied with a shrug
"I meant about the prospect of getting another alien aboard the ship. We already have three and that is more than enough if you ask me, this is an Alliance vessel after all" said Ashley
'I am stopping this Xenophobic streak right now…' was all I could think after she was done speaking and did I have a few words to say.
"Miss Williams" I began "May I ask what species you think I am?" Human was her short reply "That is where you are wrong, I am only half human the other half of me is of a species named Tenno I am a hybrid" Ashley's eyes widened a little at the information and she looked slightly appalled to be honest "Now before you go on another xenophobic rant I have a few truths to speak. Let's start with a big misconception you have in your head right now, the misconception that what your grandfather did was wrong" Ashley snapped her head to stare at me so fast I thought her neck would break "He surrendered and it was the right choice, he saved lives on both sides and I assure you that it is only in human history that it is portrayed as a mistake. If you ask any Asari, Salarian, Turian and hell even some Krogan then you will see that they believe he did the smart thing and saved his people" I ranted
"He is right Williams" came Wrex's deep voice "If you humans see surrendering in the face of those odds as a weakness that your species is a lot dumber then I first thought. Among the Krogan General Williams is seen as a smart man who saved his people, an act that among the Krogan is worth more than most people think" he finished as he reached us.
Ashley looked torn now that she was being double teamed and even informed that among other races her grandfather's actions were actually seen as a good choice. I might have laid it on a bit thick with adding Salarian and Asari to the list but I know from my own sources and from the games that the other species saw it as the right call.
"Keep that in mind in the future Miss Williams. As for your general dislike and distrust of aliens I have a question. Before that however you should remember this vessel was built alongside the turians" I began "As for my question, you are a Christian aren't you?" I asked
Ashley gave a quiet nod and looked thoughtful
"Then I apologize if I get something wrong but I haven't held a bible for over three centuries. But didn't your god preach love and understanding? If you are his creation then wouldn't that extend out to the other species as well? If you truly believe in the message of love that god is so known for, then perhaps you can tell me how that love shouldn't reach all his creations and not just be extended to humans?" I asked with a harsh tone
Now I never was much of a religious man, in fact I was and still am a firm atheist though I am now quite open to some form of super beings since something must have placed me in a different world. I saw Ashley thinking it over deeply before she seemed to get confused.
"I… I never thought about it like that" she said
"Then perhaps now is the time to start. If you tried to spend some time with Garrus, Tali or Wrex then perhaps you would find yourself in good company. Never judge a book by its cover Miss Williams it deceives more than you think" I said.
Ashley gave me a nod before she climbed into the Mako with the same confused yet thoughtful expression on her face. I gave Wrex a thank you for the help and he simply nodded before climbing into the Mako himself, leaving me alone while I waited for Shepard to arrive with the mission details. She arrived a few minutes later with a serious expression on her face; I gave her a nod in greeting and followed her inside the Mako. I climbed up into the navigator's seat alongside Shepard in the driver's seat while Garrus sat under the turret and Wrex and Ashley took the two opposite seats.
"We are dropping in 2 minutes" said Shepard
It was two silent minutes as we waited for the drop but when the light inside the hangar finally turned green I simply steeled myself as I felt gravity take hold and the Mako dropped from the ship and we were sent hurling towards the ground.
A/N: I know I was supposed to do Liara's recruitment mission but then all this other stuff came before it and it ended up filling WAY more than I had anticipated, if I added Liara's mission onto this I would have reached somewhere between 16-18k words on this chapter alone. I know some of you like long chapters but I have a limit to how much I will keep in one chapter. More character bonding and stuff in this part and a bit more about Marc's time with the Tenno is revealed, this will be an ongoing thing and more will be revealed in the future.
I realized I haven't said thank you to everyone who has Favorited and Followed or left a Review in a long time so I will do it now. You all have my most heartfelt thanks for it, it really helps me keep writing and producing a good story for you guys.
As per usual I don't really have any scientific or medical background so anything I write is made from guess work or made up functions when it comes to science and the like.
As a little extra bit. Generatedname has begun a story called "Secrets of the Void" which is based on the same idea as my story, namely a guy going the Warframe Universe and then into Mass Effect. You should go read it, it only has two chapters but it's shaping up to be a fantastic story and I will wager when both his and my story stands done, his will be better. Read it at s/10486038/1/Secrets-of-the-Void or find it under my favorite stories.
Till next time.
-Bundlejumper