A/N: So I figured I'd have the dignity to at least finish this chapter. I'm on school break and sick, so that gives me some free be new chapters relatively soon, but no guarantees.

I slowly come to my senses. The first thing I feel aware of is a dull, throbbing pain in my skull, enveloping most of my prefrontal lobe and face. My eyes are closed, and - apart from the pain - I don't feel any different from before. Not much else I can think about… not with the anesthesia still not fully worn off.

A shrill, monotonous voice buzzes next to me:

-Doctor Thaal, the patient is displaying signs of consciousness. Advise application of analgesic to counter pain.

Hearing faint footsteps to the left of me, I turn my head and open my eyes - only to find that they are covered with some sort of fabric, obstructing my vision. Despite this, however, i can see splotches of colour - violet, yellow and green, like after looking at a bright lamp, - floating before my eyes and changing, swirling into spirals and odd shapes. This acid trip-like display is brought to an end when the fabric is lifted by a three-fingered hand, and i'm blinded by bright lights.

My eyes snap shut, because damn does that light burn!

-Ah, Alex, you're awake, good. How do you feel? - asks Zear'Thaal.

-Uhm… like i'm tripping balls?

-What?

-I mean… whatever. Frankly, my head is about to explode through my eye sockets. Or so it feels.

-Oh, I see. One moment.. - Zear slides a needle into my exposed forearm, holding it still with his other hand when I instinctively jerk. - This should soothe the pain.

- Hey doc, am I supposed to be seeing all sorts of weird stuff?

- I believe you're brain is adapting to the new form of input. I understand this is your first implantation?

- Apart from a dental filament or two, yes. Twenty-first century Earth, remember?

- Of course, yes. Then the visual hallucinations you are experiencing must be your brain forming new neural patterns to adapt to the ocular implants… Don't worry, they'll go away in an hour or two. for now, you should sleep some, your body needs rest to heal. I'll switch off the lights for now.

And so he does, leaving me in the pleasantly dark room. I soon fall fast asleep.

Man, my throat is really parched... Oh, I'm awake, I guess.

I open my eyes. Woah.

The room is pitch black, and yet the panel near the door and the turned off lights emanate a faint glow, not enough to identify any colour, but just enough to let itself be seen. I get up, stretch my legs and arms.

*Crack, pop*

What time is it? where is Zear'Thaal? All I can hear is the buzz of the air vents, the low, steady hum of the engines and a distant hubbub of voices. I look around for a switch or something, something to activate the lights, or somehow call for the doctor.

Actually, I should probably re-seal my suit in case someone opens the door.

I find the missing elements of my suit - the rebreather system and helmet - and put them on, a faint *Click!* signifying a tight seal.

- Doctor? Tali? Hello?

A rustling comes from behind me as a door - one that I failed to notice - slides open, and Doctor Zear'Thaal, formerly known as Green Blob, walks in. Now that I can see - very well, in fact - I study his enviro-suit in detail: It's fairly standard - looking Quarian attire, with the exception of also sporting rubber gloves and… an apron of sorts.

-One moment, let me get the lights, - he flips a switch by the door and the room is illuminated by an orange glow - There we are.

- What's with the apron? - I ask.

- It's a medical apron, not just some kitchen dress. Haven't had the time to take it off; I was running a whole plethora of diagnostics and tests on your new wetware. Feeling well, I hope?

-Meh. Tell me, do these oculars support a wider range of light waves? 'Cause I think i can see shades of ultraviolet - or infrared… Not entirely sure.

-How insightful! as a matter of fact, they do; it started as a design flaw in the early stages of the implant's development. When they saw the benefits that it provided, however, the techies quickly incorporated it into the complete design.

- Another case of "It's a feature, not a bug! I swear!", huh.

- Maybe. Let's sterilize the room and go find Miss Zorah. Last I heard, she was being briefed on a new assignment. She's probably in the meeting room on deck three.

We head for the door, and Zear presses a few buttons on the door panel.

"Sterilization in progress. Please stand by."

The opposite end of the room is cut off by a wall of bright blue, almost white light, which swiftly crosses the room and disappears.

- we exit, leaving the surgery room and start down another one of the ship's endless halls. This time,I can make out a lot more detail - and it looks kind of shabby. The walls have long since lost their polish and the brown paint is discolored in a lot of places. The low ceiling is made even lower because of the net after net of cargo crates and boxes stored in them. Quarians walk in and out of rooms, hurrying to wherever they are going. Something is missing…

- Where are the red guys with the guns? Am I even allowed to be wandering around by myself?

Entering an elevator, Zear turns to me, shrugging his shoulders:

- You're not by yourself: you have a trained military doctor accompanying you. Now hurry up unless you want the elevator to leave without you.

I pop inside just before the door closes and feel my gut lurch down as we begin ascending up the shaft.

After a few minutes of walking through more corridors, Zear'Thaal halts in front of a set of double doors, a single armed quarian standing guard next to it.

- Identification, please.

Zear loads up his omni-tool, presses a few buttons and the guard checks his own.

- Wery well. Is the human going in with you? - he nods his head towards me.

- Yes. I have permission to accompany him from admiral Zorah.

The quarian nods again and steps to the side, allowing us to enter. The doors open, and we walk in.

- ...Veetor has never been out of contact for so long. The fact of the matter is, the entire colony hasn't sent any transmissions in the last three hours. That's unheard of for a human colony.

- Maybe they are having trouble with their communication array, or were hit by an electromagnetic pulse. - I hear Tali say.

- That's up to you to find out. You already know about his... condition, don't you?

The room we're in is a conference hall of sorts; a large oval table in the middle of the room with a projection of a planet in it's center. Around it stand three Quarians: Tali, who I recognise immediately, a male and a female. The discussion ends abruptly as Zear and I walk in.

- Admiral Xen, miss Zorah. - the doctor says with a curt nod.

- Doctor Thaal. And this must be your latest patient, Mr. *******. - says the female.

I repeat Zear's action and follow up with a "Hello". The female quarian continues:

- As I was saying: Although the data we got from your mission to the Dholen system was barely salvageable from your pod, we managed to learn more about the dark energy that was destabilizing the star. However, I'm sending you to investigate Veetor's situation: although your current mission is important, this is an urgent matter.

The male quarian speaks up:

- The admiral is sending my squad along with you as a security detail. The colony is situated in the Terminus Systems, no one knows what could have hit them. of course, we'll be under your command.

Tali responds:

- In the event that the colony was attacked, i think it would be better if we brought a medical officer along, in case Veetor is injured. - she turns to Zear - Doctor, are you up for the job?

Zear'Thaal looks over at me, then back at Tali:

- Well, my only current patient is in no danger of complications, so I'm free at the moment. I'll join you.

Daro'Xen shuts off the holographic projection and states:

- Then it's settled: Tali'Zorah, you will go to Freedom's Progress. Dr. Thaal, Prazza and his team will accompany you. Your ship is being prepared at docking port 9. Dismissed.

Tali, Prazza, Zear and I exit. Just before the door closes, the admiral calls out to Tali:

- And miss Zorah? - we all stop and turn to her - Make sure that human isn't going to be a liability to your mission.

The door closes.

Tali shakes her head, and we continue on our way to the docks.

Crap. Freedom's Progress. As I remember, Prazza and his team get slaughtered by a reprogrammed YMIR mech. I don't remember if there was someone like Zear among the corpses... On the bright side, It'll be a chance to meet Commander Shepard! I wonder if he'll be Paragon, Paragade or full-on Renegade. Should I warn the team to trust him despite his Cerberus ties? should Prazza and co. even know about my knowledge of the events about to unravel? I know I can trust Tali, and most likely Zear'Thaal too, but there's no telling how the Cerberus hate-club leader will react to me telling him he's going to die. I think I'll inform Tali, she can make sure Prazza stays in line without blowing my cover. Now I just need to get a chance to speak with her one on one.

We soon reach docking port 9, where the pilot informs us that the ship, a small scout vessel called "Porthos" (I guess it used to be a human vessel) is almost ready, and that we should gear up. A group of well - armed marines arrives as he speaks, saluting Tali and Prazza. I guess they are his squad.

- Alright, ladies and gentlemen, the mission is simple: Locate a young Quarian on his pilgrimage - Veetor - and, if necessary, recover him. It might be just a problem with their comm beacon, but in the Terminus Systems that's about as likely as a generous volus.-

Prazza informs the quarian soldiers.

Tali gestures to me and Zear, calling our attention to a storage locker.

- Doctor, grab a pistol and SMG. I'll take an M-9 Tempest. Alex, Time for you to start pulling your own weight, those implants are not cheap. You'll be in charge of the thermal clips - make sure everyone is well stocked.

Oh great, I think, what an important and interesting job. Well, beats being a dead weight, at least there's some purpose for me coming along. I respond, taking a container filled to the brim with the long, glowing red heat sinks:

- Yes, ma'am.

Carrying the box over to the marines, I hand out a few clips each, getting a few "Thanks" here and there. Refilling the crate and sealing it, I ask Tali:

- So... do I get a gun?

She shakes her head in a negative response:

- You won't need it. You're not even trained in using one, anyway.

One of the quarian soldiers, a muscular woman who overheard my question, laughs, saying in a mocking tone:

- Yeah, You'd probably shoot yourself in the foot or something... Miss, - she says, addressing Tali, - I wouldn't recommend trusting the human with one, you never know when they might betray you.

I'm about to spout an insult back at the quarian, but Tali interjects before I can say anything:

- That's up to me to decide, Vael. To be fair, though, she has a point - you'd most likely end up hurting yourself. - She raises her hands in front of her, - Uh, no offence.

I sigh.

- None taken. Let's go.

And with that, we board the "Porthos".

On board, The marines and I get seated in the main compartment, while Tali and the pilot head over to the cockpit. One of the quarians, soon after we take off, addresses me:

- So, human, how did you end up being dragged along? Are we dropping you off at the human colony?

I shake my head:

- Nope. I'm with Tali'Zorah, she was assigned to keep an eye on me until we come up with a better place for me. Or until I get a job.

Another quarian, the distrustful female - Vael, was it? - scoffs:

- So you're just another thing for her to worry about. Don't you think miss Zorah has enough concerns already - without having to bother with watching over you?

I parry in an indifferent tone:

- I can watch over myself. We've been through some shit you have no clue about, lassie.

Vael rolls her eyes.

- Whatever, kid. Just don't get in the way,and maybe we'll get along.

The Pilot comes on over the intercom:

- Approaching mass relay in T minus ten seconds. next stop - Freedom's Progress.

A/N: And there you have It. I've been thinking over a few things, such as whether I should change my writing style to use past tense instead of present, that might improve things somewhat. Also been considering redoing first few chapters,i'm not really satisfied with them - now that I have some experience. Tell me your thoughts in the review section, I really want to know what you guys think. One last thing - I really enjoyed all the wonderful things you wrote when I said I was stopping for a while. Peace out!

Again, thanks to user "Wolfund" for pointing out a formatting error in the text, fixed it now.