Hello readers, and to answer one of the reviewers questions, Ethan has always been twenty in the story, as was Rory. Anyways, enjoy and review!
Ethan's POV
Ethan sat there staring out of the observation windows of the Observatory Room, watching as a place called the Citadel came into view in the far distance, fast approaching. Ethan was amazed by it, somewhat smiling to himself as the Normandy made it's way through the black void of space towards the colony. That's when he felt a hand on his shoulder as he turned his head and saw Shepard standing there looking at him.
"Beautiful isn't it? It was built by the Protheans centuries ago. Now it's inhabited by many species and forms of life, even I call it home when I'm not on the Normandy." Shepard said as Ethan nodded his head and turned to look back at the space colony, slowly revolving in a circle.
"Where I'm from, we never had anything like this before. We had buildings but they were all steel or brick. I've truly never seen anything so beautiful as this...I guess it's time to get ready to board isn't it?" Ethan asked as he hung his head low.
"Yes, the Councilor is waiting for us. We will start the Identification Process in the Citadel Embassies." Shepard responded as Ethan nodded his head, taking one last look at the Citadel before standing up and joining Shepard as they walked out of the room.
A Hour Later
Ethan walked among the halls of the Citadel, taking in all it's beauty and splendor as he cautiously avoided some of the other species walking about the halls with them.
"What's that?" Ethan inquired as Shepard and him passed a alien in a environmental suit. Ethan looked at the alien, which in turn looked at him briefly before waving.
"That's a Volus, they have to wear suits off of their home world. The gravity of other worlds is too much for their body so the suits keeps them all together and keeps them protected." Shepard said as Ethan smiled and frowned at the same time as his mind tried to wrap around the thought. He waved back to the Volus as they continued down the hall before Ethan saw a big sign on the wall with the Human Councilor's name on it.
"Here we are, after you." Shepard said as he let Ethan go in before him as Ethan hesitantly walked forward towards the door, jumping back slightly as it opened automatically before walking inside.
"I'm still not use to that, we had to open doors where I was from." Ethan said as he entered Obelski's office where he saw her sitting at a desk typing into a holographic keyboard.
"The Councilor will see you now." said a Asari female as she walked up to both of them, smiling at them both with pearly teeth and glistening blue eyes. Ethan stepped back into Shepard before he felt Shepard push him forward gently.
"Don't worry, no ones going to hurt you." Shepard said as the Asari female waved them through before walking out of the office.
"Welcome Mr. Morgan, Commander. Sorry I had to rush off so quickly when we boarded, I had to take care of some business. Please, take a seat and we will begin." Miranda said as she began to type away at her keyboard, a holographic screen in front of her.
"Now Mr. Morgan, what I'm doing here today is creating all your documents you'll need. I'm sure you had something similar back where and when your from?" Miranda asked as she shifted her eyes to Ethan, staring at him from behind her glasses.
"Yea we did. I had a birth certificate, drivers license, and other forms of identification." Ethan said, watching the Councilor nod her head as she typed away on the keyboard.
"Well, I'll be creating your documents from scratch. Only the crew of the Normandy, the Salarians, and I know of where you come from and how you got here. The documents I create today will make it look as if you were born here on the Citadel twenty years ago. Based on the tests done by Dr. Chakwas, everything from your medical records to your birth records will be created." Miranda said as she kept typing into the computer before reaching over and grabbing a instrument and pressing a button on it, a light flashing out of as it began to scan Ethan's face.
"Wait...where...where will I live? I've got nowhere to go here on the Citadel." Ethan said as he looked over at Shepard and then back to the Councilor.
"Your right...you don't have any place of employment or residence...that creates a problem." Miranda said as she stood up and began to pace back and forth, her gown draping behind her.
"He can stay with me back at my apartment. It's got a second bedroom and bathroom, and I'll help him find a job over in the Presidium Commons." Shepard said, Miranda clasping her hands together in delight.
"Perfect, he can stay there while your off serving on the Normandy. I'll be able to keep a eye on him while your gone and make sure everything goes off without a hitch." Miranda said, sitting back down at her desk.
"I'm still here guys, you can talk to me too ya know." Ethan said as he crossed his arms while looking at Shepard before looking back to the older woman.
"My apologies, but that is how we will set it all up then. You'll stay with Shepard while he helps you get your new life on track." Miranda said before turning around and walking over to a machine as it started to make a noise. Moments later, Ethan watched as Miranda pulled out a small little chip before turning around and inserting it into a small cylindrical box. She handed it to Ethan as he stared down at it dumbfounded.
"Oh right." Miranda said as she pressed a button on the small box before a hologram popped out displaying Ethan's photo and information.
"This is awesome!" Ethan said excitedly as he held the device in his hands and inspected it, smiling at the profoundness of this new technology. Ethan didn't notice the small smile Shepard was giving him as the other man sat there and watched him.
Shepard's POV
Hours Later
Shepard walked through his apartment as he came up to Ethan's open doorway, peeking inside at the twenty year old as he sat down on his bed and looked away at the wall. Shepard knocked on the doorway before getting no notice and walking in.
"You okay? You've been quiet ever since I brought you here." Shepard asked as he watched Ethan lift his head up to look at him momentarily.
"Yea, I'm...fine. I know I said I'd try my hardest to live this new life but I'm just adjusting is all. I still miss my family...I mean don't get me wrong, all this new technology would be a nerds dream come true back from where I'm from. It's just going to take...some adjusting to. I'll warm up to all of this...soon enough. I mean, back where I'm from, the only other things walking the sidewalk were other humans. Here, it's different kinds of aliens and animals and it's just all so much all at once." Ethan said as he shook his head back and forth as Shepard crossed his arms and thought of something to do to let Ethan loosen up a little bit.
"Glyph, ring the crew and tell them to meet me at Purgatory." Shepard said, a small holographic ball floating into the room and looking at Shepard.
"Yes Commander, shall I set a dress code?" the Virtual Intelligence globe said as it hovered there.
"No need, tell them to meet us there ASAP." Shepard said before the VI hovered back out of the room and began making calls.
"What's Purgatory?" Ethan asked as he stood up and turned to look at Shepard.
"It's a nightclub over in the Presidium. I'm going to take you out tonight, let you loosen up a bit and distress. All of this stress can't be good for your new body, it's still recovering from the transfer." Shepard said as he waved Ethan out of the door as he grabbed his coat.
"Ya know, we had something similar to Glyph back in my world and time, it was called Siri, and she was the dumbest thing I'd ever talked to. She mispronounced everything and couldn't hear worth a crap, plus she was in a phone." Ethan said, getting a weird look from Shepard as they both walked out of the apartment together.
Fifteen Minutes Later
Shepard stepped out of the hover car as Ethan raced out and ran to the railing of the hall, hugging it tightly.
"I'm so nauseous!" Ethan said as his face turned a pale green as he began to hear the faint beat of techno music radiating from behind him. Shepard watched as Ethan turned around and saw the massive nightclub, strobe lights flashing around the outside as spotlights moved through the sky.
"Come on, lets go." Shepard said as he saw the rest of his teammates standing at the entrance all waiting for them. Shepard noticed how Ethan looked at him and then the club before hesitantly letting go of the railing and following him towards the entrance.
"You ready to party my friend!" came Tali's voice as Shepard smiled and nodded his head as Liara and Kaidan smiled at him, Joker and his girlfriend EDI standing there waiting.
"Yea, let's tear it up." Shepard said as the rest of the teammates moved ahead through the doors as he turned around and saw Ethan standing there.
"It'll all be okay, I promise. I know it's been hard the past few days since you woke up but just forget about everything for tonight. My teammates have been dying to get to know you and talk with you, so let's go in there and have a good time okay? Just stay by my side." Shepard said as he put a reassuring hand onto Ethan's shoulder as the smaller of the two finally cracked a smile and followed him into the doors.
Ethan's POV
Ethan walked into the nightclub as flashing lights met his eyes, the beat of techno music loud and reverberating across the floor and walls. He looked up and there were many different floors to the club, all of them jam packed with people. Ethan felt a surge of excitement fill his body as he headed to a dance floor with Shepard and the rest of Shepard's teammates. He looked over at Tali, the Quarian, who wore a environmental suit too. He knew hers was to protect her fragile body from germs and any kind of viruses. Ethan stopped as his feet met the dance floor, a sense of shyness kicking in before he saw Shepard turn around and grab his hand before leading him into the middle of the dance floor.
"Dance with us Ethan!" Shepard said as he stopped and let go of Ethan's hand as Ethan stood there and watched Liara start throwing her hands up into the air wildly as Tali and EDI began to dance together. Ethan never thought he'd ever see a robot and alien dancing together, but here they were, right in front of him. Ethan began to move his legs slowly but steadily so he wouldn't stand out in the crowd and make a fool of himself. That's when he felt a hand take his and pull him over as Liara pulled him over to where Kaidan and her were dancing. Ethan froze up momentarily before he began to dance with them both, a smile creasing his lips as he just focused on the beat of the music.
"How are you adjusting Ethan?" came Liara's voice as Ethan looked up into the scientists face, her blue skin almost glowing from all the of flashing lights.
"I...I think well for now." Ethan replied before Kaidan stepped over and smiled at the two of them.
"Don't worry kid, you stick with us and you'll be just fine!" Kaidan said loudly over the beat of the music as he began to laugh with Liara as they both enjoyed themselves. Ethan then felt a tap on his shoulder as he turned around and saw Tali standing there with a cup in her hands.
"Here, have this!" Tali said with a chuckle as she pressed a small blue glass into Ethan's hands, a red and blue liquid floating around inside it.
"What is it!" Ethan hollered over the loud music as he brought the glass to his nose and sniffed it, it smelled pungently sweet.
"It's called a Krogan's Lullaby! It's very strong!" Tali said from behind her mask as she began to dance again, Ethan still inspected his drink. Ethan knew he probably shouldn't, but he tipped the drink back and pressed it to his lips as the warm and yet cooling liquid washed past his lips. Ethan instantly felt the kick from the drink as he began to cough multiple times before handing the glass back to Tali who just smacked his back as she chuckled.
"Your only suppose to sip it! I've never seen anyone down it like that!" Tali said, Ethan's eyes going wide as he felt a electrical surge through his body as his insides grew very cold. Ethan felt a smile come to his lips as he began to sway his hips with Tali and Kaidan at his side, finally letting loose. Ethan started to wave his arms into the air wildly as he began to laugh, the whole room becoming one big blur as the techno music radiated in his ears. Ethan looked over at Shepard who was dancing with EDI and Joker who were both conversing with Shepard as they danced. Ethan smiled before he felt the room begin to spin around wildly, continuing to laugh as it did so.
Shepard's POV
Shepard moved through the hall towards the door to his apartment, Ethan in his arms as the smaller of the two snored lightly. Shepard couldn't help but smile lightly as he struggled with to put his hand to the scanner to unlock the door. With a mechanical chirp, the door finally opened as he walked in and used his leg to shut it.
"Welcome home Commander. Our guest seems sick, is he well?" Glyph said as he hovered over to Shepard's side.
"Yes Glyph, he's fine." Shepard said as he walked over to Ethan's doorway before walking into the man's room and dropping him into bed. Shepard watched as Ethan curled up into a ball and began to smile as if dreaming about something pleasant. Shepard picked up a blanket and draped it over Ethan's body before turning to walk out of the room, turning his head to look at Ethan sleeping once more before walking out and turning off the light.
For any of you who don't know the races of this story and can't picture them well. Google Asari, Salarian, Krogan, Volus, Turian. It'll help you get a better picture of what these people look like. Review!