Thank you Liege Lord.
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Chapter 20
Transformation
By the time she made her way to the Med Bay it was already getting late. The sleeper pods at the far end of the deck hummed from use, occupied by the Normandy's larger 'day' crew. Kneading the tensed muscles on her right shoulder she reached out to open the automated doors, only to come face to face with a member of her ground team leaving the room.
Sky's hair was down for the first time since she saw her on the Citadel: long dark strands cascaded messily down her back, wavy from being tied up for so long. Her hazy brown eyes twinkled with laughter and her cheeks were unnaturally flushed. Upon seeing the Commander her wide, easy grin formed into a knowing smile. She nodded at her in greeting, "Shepard." Her voice slightly hoarse from what seemed to have been a long conversation.
"Sky." She breathed out in surprise, not expecting to see the woman in such a state. Frowning, she took in her disheveled, exhilarated appearance and asked, "Have you been drinking?"
Sky winked, "maybe?"
"Right…" The thought of reprimanding her crossed her mind, but she quickly swept it aside. It had been a long day: duty rosters, talking with the crew, familiarizing herself with the ship; it left her more exhausted than she thought it would. Plus, Sky wasn't on duty, and as long as it didn't affect her performance when she was needed, she could live with that. "You should get some rest. We have a meeting in the com-room at 0900 tomorrow."
She nodded, "Got it. Goodnight Commander."
Jane watched as the dark-haired woman walked towards the bathroom with a little skip in her step. Shaking her head she sighed, before heading into the Med bay as she had originally intended.
"Commander." The Normandy's doctor lifted up a large crystal bottle alcohol as soon as she came into sight. "Would you be interested in some?"
As tempting as her offer was, the blonde knew that it wouldn't be wise for her to be intoxicated on her first day as CO. Smiling apologetically she shook her head. "No thank you."
"Suit yourself." Dr Chakwas capped the bottle tightly, before placing it into a small fridge located underneath her table.
"I would never have tagged you as a drinker." The Commander said, amused slightly by the reddened face of their usually elegantly composed doctor. "Late night relaxation?"
"I don't honestly know. Sky had came in a two hours ago-" She turned to look at the bright display of '22:24' on her screen and frowned. "Make that five hours ago for her check up and to talk. And somewhere between blood tests and bone scans she managed to convince me to bring out my bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy. Sprouting some wise nonsense about the possibility of dying the next day."
Huh. She wouldn't have expected that from Sky. "Morbid. But you gave in."
The doctor shrugged as she sat down on her chair. "That girl can be very convincing when she wants to be."
You've got that right. Pulling up the seat she was sure previously occupied by her slightly inebriated sister she moved to sit next to other woman. "I came here to see if you have ran the routine checks on the crew. Are you in the mood to discuss it?"
Chakwas chuckled softly, "No worries Commander. It takes a lot more than just a cup of Brandy to take me down." She replied wistfully, recalling the days where she used to drink younger recruits underneath the table. Tapping away at her terminal she drew up the data gathered from the afternoon. "All the new members have been to see me. Nothing out of the ordinary, each is in his or her prime physical state. Quite impressive really."
Jane nodded, eyes scheming through the information on the screen. "What can you tell me about Alenko's biotic abilities? I don't actually know much about L2s."
"Well, sometimes there are complications... But Kaidan's fortunate, he only suffers from migraines, although they can be rather intense at times. Other than that, he is probably one of the most powerful human biotics I've met thus far, with the exception of you of course."
Not for the last time, the Commander counted her lucky stars to be an L3. During her biotic training many years ago she heard some speculations on the downsides of being an L2, death being the most prominent one. The skills Alenko displayed on Eden Prime and the Citadel were second to none. Knowing that he managed to achieve all that while suffering from his migraines made her respect for him grow. "Will they affect him during a mission?"
Dr Chakwas shook her head. "No, they don't pounce on him without warning, thankfully. He can normally feel it a couple of hours before an onset so he will be able to tell you if he is functional or not for battle."
Good. So that removes one worry from her list. "And what about our resident psychologist? How is she doing?"
The doctor reached to her right to pick up a datapad and handed it to her. "Surprisingly well. You can tell that she had been doing some hardcore training. Her physical showed that she is more an infiltrator-type than a soldier. Smooth, flexible muscles; strong, but not incredibly dense. Made sense, considering her small frame."
Nothing she didn't already know. "What about her little… Biotic problem?" The blonde asked, scanning quickly through the data.
"According to her, and Dr Robertson, she no longer feels that crippling pain she once did. Nothing more than a tingle, although I do not recommend setting her up against a biotic since we still don't know the effect an actual damaging power will have on her."
"How is that possible? I thought she was incurable?"
"She is. The virus will never fully go away. But she has taken certain steps to ensure it wouldn't affect her performance."
Jane frowned, why did she sense something fishy going on? "What kind of steps?"
"Ah…" The doctor looked slightly hesitant. "She never told you?"
"Never told me what?" Another secret about her supposed 'close' sister that she didn't know? Had the girl been actively hiding things from her all this while?
"I don't think I'm in the right place to tell you Commander. But of course if you insist on knowing it is my duty to inform you. However, I do believe it might be a wiser course of action to ask Sky herself."
Chakwas could not have given a more cryptic answer. But as much as her curiosity was eating away at her, she knew that there was certain information that was best extracted from the source itself. Making a mental note to get the answer out of Sky, she moved on. "And the rest of the crew?"
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Sky hummed softly as she made her way to the female bathroom located at the far end of the mess. It had been a while since she consumed any amount of alcohol and being so small, it didn't take much to get her slightly tipsy. Giggling, she couldn't believe that she managed to convince the good doctor to allow her a couple of sips of the famous brandy. She had always wondered what it tasted like, and why it was so important to her. Unfortunately, being quite the alcohol virgin, she didn't really know enough to make suitable comparisons.
Strolling casually into the washroom she almost didn't notice a figure hunched over the sink. Long dark-hair very much like her own swept across the stranger's face like a curtain, preventing Sky from identifying her. But at the sound of the metal doors swishing shut, she stood at attention, back ram-rod straight.
"A- Williams?" Sky immediately recognized her familiar face.
"Dr. Skylar." She greeted in return, hastily running her fingers through her short hair. Sky had never seen her with her hair down before, even in the game and it added more personality to the 2D character that she knew. Ashley turned to the side of the sink and ripped her towel from the hanger. "Sorry, I'll leave you to it." Before rushing pass her towards the door.
"Hey…" Sky called out, placing a gentle hand on her arm to stop her. "Are you okay?"
###
"Are you okay?" The psychologist asked, genuine concern enhanced in her soft brown eyes.
The female soldier hadn't had much opportunity to interact with the doctor, having made to return to the Normandy in place of the krogan back on the Citadel. She didn't necessarily agree with the Commander's choice of ground team, but she was prepared to swallow her discomfort and do as she was told. She owed Shepard her life, and she trusted her immensely. But that meant she didn't have much of an impression of the woman before her.
Was she okay?
She was in a state of limbo between numbness and pain. A coin so perilously perched that it would dip, but never fall to either side. The frustration hurt her brain, her heart, her core; she wanted to just get the tears over and done with. Deaths of your teammates were not uncommon in her line of work. Same story, different day, but why couldn't she vent?
Many a times had she lost a friend, an acquaintance to enemy fire. What angered her most was not that the fact that she lost them, but that she had lost them so easily. She could recall with perfect clarity the moment the synthetics tore through their camp. Shepard was right; despite their stupid light-bulb heads they were quiet, skilled infiltrators that need not even breathe. Maybe they never stood a chance… But to see her team ripped apart so quickly before her eyes, to see how no matter what she did, she didn't even put a dent on their reinforced shields… It killed her. She was supposed to be a dedicated, qualified Alliance soldier, but she was useless- utterly and completely useless.
The 212 deserved better.
Both the Captain and the new CO had told her that they were in a happier place, that she need not blame herself for their demise. Contrary to what most might think, the Chief did not blame herself. She knew she did all she could and pure dumb luck was the only reason she was the one that survived. And yet… She was the last sole survivor. The only one left, how could that be? Why was she spared? She didn't deserve it, Hell, she didn't even really want it at the moment. It wasn't that she wasn't glad to be alive, it was just… There were many more deserving souls in the 212.
Shit. And the bloody geth had to mess with her head by making her choose between her own life, or taking down the tainted bodies of her friends. Had the Commander not shown up… She didn't think she could pull the trigger. Damn, she could still see John's blue eyes in that monster the synthetics cooked up.
Swallowing with great difficultly, she turned her face away from the doctor's gentle searching gaze.
She didn't need her sympathy, and knowing the psychologist, she probably thought she needed some therapy sessions or something. She didn't like mental health professionals; she hated how they prodded and probed at personal issues, issues that the soldier would prefer to keep locked tightly in a titanium case. The memories of her unit, and their deaths, were not things she was willing to share with just about anyone.
With the exception of their Commander of course.
But that was because their Commander had been through more than anyone she had ever known. Everyone in the Alliance knew about Commander Shepard, War Hero of Elysium, owner of the Star of Terra. She had to be blind, deaf and dumb to not hear rumors about the vanguard's history. To be able to serve on the Normandy with the crème de la crème of Commanding Officers, was the greatest honor bestowed on her in her entire lifetime.
And all at the cost of losing 212. She thought bitterly to herself. And Corporal Jenkins. Rewarded in place of a punishment, she couldn't figure out how the world worked.
Bringing her mind back to the present, she wondered how she was to reply the doctor. What did she expect her to do? Blurt out all of her feelings and secrets at a simple question? She was far stronger than that.
She was stronger than all of this.
Bloody hell, losing friends was not uncommon, but admitting defeat certainly was, at least where she was concerned. If the geth, and Saren, thought this was all she could take, they were going to be proven very wrong.
Ashley Madeline Williams, Gunnery Chief of the SSV Normandy, was going to take them down. She was certain about it.
Her eyes shifted from the small, pale hand on her arm, back to the kind eyes of the dark-haired woman before her. She could feel her own heart-rate strengthen: her blood sang for vengeance and she would deliver exactly that, if not more.
"I'm fine." She replied at last. Voice clear, confident and powerful.
The doctor redrew her hand back to her side and studied her, before nodding, lips turning into a small smile. "Alright."
She hadn't expected that. She didn't think that she would give in so easily. Pleasantly surprised, she bid the woman a goodnight, before walking swiftly out the door, her shoulder feeling significantly lighter.
"Goodnight Williams." Was the last thing she heard before the doors slid shut.
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Sky wasn't very sure what just happened. Over the course of many years she made a living out of being an expert at decrypting expressions, so it was safe to say that her assessment was fairly accurate.
She had watched the storm of emotions tore through the soldier's eyes, and once again she was struck by the notion that she was real. That unlike a random character in just another story: Ashley Williams was a real person, with real depth and real problems. She could see the pain, frustration and anger in her raging brown depths, fighting to escape; and she also saw the transformation that occurred: back stiffening, lips forming a grim, but determined line, and her eyes, hardening with the promise of continuity. It humbled her to see this change, realizing that the Gunnery Chief was more than just the lamb to slaughter, as she had imagined her to be in ME1.
The reality of her situation scared her more than she dared admit. Sobering from the little alcohol that was already being cleansed from her system, the psychologist turned to look at herself in the mirror mounted above the metal sink. She was not one that could distance herself from people; she could see herself coming to care for the various people currently on board the Normandy, Williams, Alenko and Pressly included. How was she going to deal with their imminent deaths?
How does anybody?
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Special thanks to Liege Lord about the Brandy idea. Good thinking. ;]
I always felt like the game didn't put enough emphasis on Ashley losing her entire unit. There was a little about it here, and little about it there, but not enough elaboration yknow? I wanted to portray Ashley as an actual person, and therefore this chapter. In both my play-throughs I let Ashley die on Virmire. I'm trying to show how Sky would feel after actually getting to know the girl. However, we still don't know of Shepard's decision. Ashley or Kaidan? Hmm... We'll see.
Either way, I'm gonna feel horrible for killing either of them off. IF I kill someone off. Decisions decisions. Thankfully, still a long way to go.
Let me know what you think. A more character depth chapter this one. I've decided that I'm going to try to make this SI more about everything else, other than just the OC. I want you to get a feel of the characters, and not just Sky. Don't worry though, she will be the main character either way.
Good portrayal of Ash? Sky's situation? Jane? Chakwas? Looking forward to hearing from you guys.
Once again, thank you so much for reading, subscribing, favouriting this story. It really means alot to me to hear feedback from you lot.
Thank you S058, Rosiegirl52, PlutoAn, Liege Lord, Helljumper 1337, CuHnadia and Nanobot5770 for reviewing. =]
And yes, as you can already tell. Kaidan wasn't the mystery man. But no worries, all secrets will be revealed in due time. Due time I say!
PlutoAn: Most likely, but I haven't decided yet. Gotta wait and see. As for the ground team question, that will be answered either in the next chapter or the one after. =]
Rosiegirl52: It's not Kai Leng. Ahahaha. Especially since he wasn't described as Asian.
Thank you again! Looking forward to hearing from you guys.
Much love,
Fee
xx
ps. If anyone knows anything about the Berkeley (San Francisco area) do let me know what it's like. I can't seem to find many thing about it. =[