"The patient really needs rest, miss. I'm sorry, but you can't visit him."
"Not even just to say hello?"
"Nurse, I'm sure he's not getting any rest with that Salarian."
"He's a Spectre, and we couldn't deny his entry. We have warned him that he needs rest…"
Kisa was furious, yet shivered as her sweat evaporated into the cold hospital air. She sat down on the chair nearby, calming herself without much success. She was a qualified nurse, so she knew the importance of resting. She also knew that this so-called "rest" was usually for the nurse, not the patient.
Thea was next to her, carrying a bag full of training gear. They had been in the gym, with Thea trying to bring Kisa up to the new standards of physical supremacy. She had gladly took the position of power, declaring that she will "whip a soldier out of" Kisa. But her new position did not grant her the power to hold Kisa back when they heard about the news.
Poison, was Alli's short message to the crew.
Kisa had come at once, and found him in the critical patients section of Heurta. He was conscious by the time they had arrived, but was being questioned by an unknown Salarian. Another one waited outside, curiously eyeing their presence.
Thea nudged Kisa with their bag. No response.
Nudge.
"I'll be waiting at the lounge." Thea declared, and walked out of the busy hallway. She sat down on one of the fluffy cushiony chairs, dumping the bags next to her. She looked back down the hallway, and saw Kisa still sitting, her eyes fixated onto the door.
Thea smiled. It was rare to see her cousin so determined, even to the point of annoying others.
The Salarian, who had been waiting outside, approached her cautiously, artfully avoiding the medical staff and their delicate instruments. She recognised his armour design as one from the Special Tasks Group. He was just as tall as Jackson, and had oily green skin and brown eyes. He seemed to have a small face, making his eyes bulge out. If you ignored his gun and squinted a little, he looked cuddly.
"Greetings. My name is Coron Zenzin. Are you an acquaintance with Captain Jackson?" He asked when he came close enough. Thea motioned him to sit down, which he did.
"Emmhhhmm. A bit more than an acquaintance, but I guess that's right. Do you know him? I'm Thea by the way." She held out her hand, and Coron shook it firmly.
"Yes. It seems that he wanted to recruit me."
Oh! So this is our Salarian crewmen? STG is a nice choice. Better than the one I had in mind… We can tick that one off the list.
"So… do you know what happened? Why he was poisoned?"
Coron shook his head.
"I only arrived to find him attempting to attack me and Spectre Bau. He just collapsed after that."
Jackson tried to attack him? Why?
Thea was suddenly alert, poised to fight the man in front of her. Jackson's battle instincts were rarely wrong… there would be a reason why Jackson attacked this Salarian.
He has a gun in the hospital. Out in the open, too. Of course he's dangerous.
They both turned their head back towards the room. The door slid open, and a grim-faced Salarian walked out. Kisa jumped up, and attempted to walk right in, but was confronted by the nurse. Before they could start arguing again, a voice from the room called out, and they both rushed into the room.
Thea and Coron both stood up, and walked to meet the Spectre. The Spectre Salarian gave her a quick nod, then motioned Coron to follow him. They both left the building on an elevator.
Leaving me out? Whatever. I've got secrets that neither of you will understand anyway.
Thea thought as she returned to her seat. She knew that Kisa would rather spend time alone with Jackson. She opened her omni-tool, browsing through articles on the news headlines.
…
Kisa stood up when the Salarian finally came out. She wanted to get in, to see if Liam was alright. Curtains were drawn over the room, hindering Liam away from her sight. She had to at least meet him, say hello or perhaps even hold his hand.
The human male stepped between her and Liam, and she felt her anger spark up.
"I'll be fine! I am a trained nurse too! I'll just stay back."
"Miss, the fact that you are a nurse does not matter. I've told you already. The patient needs rest, and I can't let you in. If you are really a nurse, then you should know the importance. He will be exhausted after that questioning."
"I'm exhausted?"
Liam withdrew the curtains, smiling cheerfully at Kisa as he slid out of the bed. He was wearing the standard hospital gowns and had bandages across his neck and shoulder. There were two intravenous hoses leading out from his left arm. His hands, which were swollen a little, were also wrapped in tight bandages. Thin trails of blue smoke rose between the gaps. He did look tired, but otherwise in a good mood.
"Liam!"
"Sir! You shouldn't be standing up!"
They both entered the room in a rush. The human nurse forced him back onto the bed, which Liam complied. But he refused to lie down, claiming that he was better off moving around.
"But sir, you have severe cases of muscle trauma. They need time to heal."
"I think they already had plenty." Liam said as he reached for a small bottle on the bedside. He unscrewed the lid and drank from it, much to nurse's surprise. Kisa suppressed a giggle.
"What? But… how? Your muscles needed time to regrow…"
"You did give me wonderful treatments, and my body took them very well. Thank you. Now, would it be okay if I get a little time with my friend over here?"
"… I guess so. Let me check your vitals first."
The human checked the machines and his omni-tool, whispering surprised remarks every now and then. Both Kisa and Liam watched him with amused expressions. Eventually, he left the room looking shell-shocked. A comfortable silence filled the room, occasionally interrupted a whine of a car flying too close to the building. Kisa sat down on the bed, next to Liam. They both stared out the window, watching the rivers of life flow by.
"Are you alright?" Kisa eventually asked.
"Wouldn't mind some rest." Liam replied.
"You seem to have a knack for getting yourself hospitalised."
"Ha! You weren't the first one to say that."
As their ears got used to the silence, other noises started to get louder. The drip of the liquids, the low mechanic hum, their slow breathing, their regular heartbeat.
"Poison?"
"Not really. It was something like an Elephant Tranquiliser."
"Oh… Elephant?"
"It's an animal from Earth. Come to think of it, I haven't seen one in real life."
Liam opened an omni-tool and searched up the animal. It looked similar a Gwa. Gwas were native Thessian mammals, notorious for eating huge amounts of plants. They lacked tusks and the large ears, but they both had the barrel bodies and trunks. Gwas had a translucent-orange skin, and slightly shorter legs. Kisa opened her omni-tool and got up a picture of a Gwa. The couple spent lazy minutes comparing the two animals.
"It's funny how similar animals are, even when they evolved uniquely, half a galaxy away." Liam concluded.
"Like us?"
Liam thought for a moment.
"I think we have more in common than elephants and Gwas."
Kisa smiled and put her hand over Liam's.
…
Zenzin knew something was wrong when he saw Spectre Bau tap his thighs. It was an expression of nervousness, which was rarely done amongst Salarians. Expressing one's emotions was usually detrimental to whatever the social relationship they had.
So something was wrong.
The elevator closed, with Avina's voice chiming in on their status.
"Spectre Office." Bau asked.
Zenzin punched in the locations, and looked curiously at the Spectre. The Spectre Office was arguably the most secretive location in the Citadel, so there was usually a very good reason when a Spectre allowed an outsider into the Offices…
Something was definitely wrong.
The elevator arrived at the Embassies. Zenzin had always thought that the name was misleading – the whole building, which housed various other diplomatic offices and Spec-Ops headquarters, shouldn't be called the "Embassies". They stepped out and walked briskly up a flight of stairs, soon arriving at the secured entrance of the Spectre Office. Zenzin realised that he had never been inside that room before, having walked past it numerous times but never really thinking about its secrets. What went on beyond those vaults? What duties and sacrifices did its users make?
The door beeped, then asked for the access confirmation – Zenzin's presence had thrown it off. Bau tapped the holographic message impatiently, giving Zenzin a temporal access into the Offices. The program accepted, then opened.
Behind the doors was a dark, metal-covered corridor, setting a hostile message to all visitors. Zenzin unconsciously moved closer to the Spectre, who seemed unfazed by the atmosphere. They turned left at the first intersection and into another corridor of similar design. Each room in this corridor was marked with a nameplate – one for every active Spectre. There were fifty rooms, but only twenty two were being used right now. At the far end of the corridor was a Wall of Honour, listing all of the past Spectres' names and origins (even Saren Aterius' name was there, though his name was crossed out in red light).
Spectre Bau opened his own room and ushered Zenzin inside. It was a small office furnished by a Minimalist artist. The room had a wall of screens, a table, two chairs, a fridge and a computer, all carefully arranged with mathematical precision.
"Take a seat."
Zenzin sat down, his hands coming together in a respectful grasp. He was shocked when Bau offered him a drink, since it was an act normally reserved for important meetings (i.e. marriage contracts). Zenzin accepted, and received a cup full of purplish liquid. Bau took his own seat, his cup already half-empty.
"That human... planning to recruit you?"
"Yes. Doctor Solus asked, I can't really refuse."
"Understand your position. I will also ask you to join him."
Zenzin hadn't expected the conversation to flow like this.
"Is there a particular reason?"
"Yes. That human… dangerous, sharp, smart. You saw what he was capable of."
Zenzin remembered the horrific scene back in room 101 – seven Salarians slaughtered in a fight. Four with a neat gun wound in head, two punched to pulp and one without a head after an unstable biotic slam. He took a sip from his cup.
"Also doing very dangerous things. Claims to be fighting the Reapers."
Zenzin remembered another horrific scene – the aftermath of the Geth Invasion in the Citadel. The human Spectre, Shepard, had claimed that it was only the beginning of a real thing, a galaxy-wide extinction by being called the Reapers. He, and most of the STG had been discouraged from discussing that in public, but many still talked about it in the back stages, fear imbedded deeply into their hearts. Zenzin personally didn't believe it – nothing could be powerful enough to wipe out the entire Galaxy. Nothing.
"Spectre Bau. These "Reapers" are just conspiracies."
"Disagreed. Spectre Shepard had claimed of their forthcoming. I am inclined to believe in a man as dedicated as him. He saved the Citadel, too."
"The Council…?"
"Council afraid of repercussions. Afraid of diplomatic pressure of dealing with such a threat. Understandable. Still unacceptable."
Zenzin knew only too well exactly what he meant.
"This male… also dedicated. Perhaps more dangerous than Spectre Shepard… Not sure. Still, his work crucial. Only one with the clue against the Reapers. Would like to help him myself if I can."
There was a short break in the conversation where both Salarians emptied their cups.
"So join him. Ethically clean, politically correct but suicidal at best. Be careful. Very dangerous. Very very dangerous… But yes."
Zenzin nodded, fully knowing that he is hurtling towards certain death. Yet he wasn't afraid… just dull. Death was an enemy, but one that was so close, it almost felt like a friend. He sighed, letting the brutal reality overwhelm him just this once.