Well, that took long enough. I apologize for the wait, but college has been a bear, and coaching, exams, and writer's block haven't helped. I had a lot of trouble on this one just because of the new direction that I felt it was taking, deviating more from what was explicitly in-game and more of the way I imagined things to go. I have to say, once I got over the writer's block, it was pretty fun to write. I don't think I'll have any more issues when it comes to writing in of itself, but as midterms and finals are approaching and I'm writing a second story in tandem it is best to check my profile for news on updates.
Just looked through it again, and made a few minor edits. Hopefully there aren't too many errors in here, though in my eagerness to get it posted before the end of the month I may have overlooked some things. Thanks for your patience! Let me know if you have any suggestions on improvements!
Update 12/23/12: Edits complete. Thanks laure for the help!
Chapter 5: Settling In
"Stand by, shore party. Decontamination in progress." The ship's VI announced as the decontamination process began, the doors to the airlock sealing shut behind the newly formed squad.
Not one of the six crew members said a word, deafening silence pervading the small room. The animosity from the conversation in the elevator still hung in the air, and the confines of the airlock did little to ease the tension between them. If this is how things are going to be, this is going to be a short mission, Shepard thought, hoping for the decon process to end before either Wrex or Garrus started a fight. Judging from what Wrex was capable of, getting the krogan angry in close-quarters was not the best choice if you valued your longevity.
A ping signaled that the decontamination was at its end, allowing the doors to the Normandy's bridge to slide open and for Shepard and his "team" to proceed uneasily.
Taking the initiative to break the silence, Shepard looked back to Wrex, Garrus, and Tali. "All right, feel free to take a look around before you settle in. As you're not part of the Alliance, I won't hold you to the same protocols. All you need to know is to just stay civil with the crew and everything will go smoothly. Captain Anderson let them know you're coming."
"Understood, Commander." Garrus said with a curt nod. Putting some distance between Wrex and Tali he walked through the bridge and into the CIC. Wrex shrugged his shoulders before following suit. Curiously, Tali hesitated before leaving, her hands fidgeting in front of her as she looked his way before she too left for the CIC. Probably thinking about the alley, he thought with a frown. She was in a pretty tight spot back there.
With the non-Alliance crew attended to, Shepard gave a nod to Alenko and Williams. "You already have your stations. We'll have some time to talk soon enough, but I feel I need to say some things to the crew beforehand, let them know what we're up against. Until then, dismissed."
"You bet, Commander. I'll be down in the mess if you need anything." Williams replied, giving him a salute before she turned back towards the CIC.
Alenko simply returned his nod with a small grin. "I'll think I'll take her up on that. I'd almost be willing to eat the MREs we have in store if I could get them faster than the stuff we have served here." His face fell, replaced by a grimace. "Although there isn't really much of a difference, come to think of it. If I have to eat that "meatloaf" one more time…"
"Yeah, you weren't the only one. I mean, seriously, if Barkley didn't eat it himself, I'd say he's holding out on us." Joker quipped from the pilot's chair. "I wonder if I could requisition a bucket seat with a button that said 'Press in case of the runs.' Be pretty useful when you're flying the ship around with food poisoning threatening to send choc—"
"And there goes my appetite. We'll catch up later, Commander," Alenko said as he walked towards the CIC, leaving Shepard and the Normandy's pilot alone at the helm. Shepard gave Joker a disapproving glance, to which the pilot only shrugged as he looked back to the screen before him.
"Hey, all I'm saying is that it would be nice to have. Gotta prepare for these kinds of things."
"Give it a rest, Joker. Technically, we haven't left the station yet, and Captain Anderson did speak about hiring a more 'appropriate' pilot," Shepard said, though his threat held no malice. Joker was one of the best in the Alliance, and he knew it.
"Pssh, yeah, but I bet they wouldn't be able to handle the ship. Or Barkley's cooking." Joker snorted, but his demeanor fell at the mention of Anderson. "I heard what had happened to the captain. The guy survives a hundred battles, only to be taken down by backroom politics. Doesn't seem right."
"Yeah, I hear you on that," Shepard agreed, the conversation taking a solemn turn. He was nervous at the prospect of living up to the captain's expectations. Anderson had kept the Normandy under control, and had been a captain for years. How am I supposed to command a ship if I don't have any experience with it?
He let his thoughts go unvoiced. "Joker, bring up the intercom. I think a few words need to be said here," he said in a voice that sounded far more confident than how he actually felt. Joker tapped a button on-screen. "She's all yours, Commander."
Shepard leaned in, deciding to lay out the truth as he took a steady breath. "This is Commander Shepard speaking. Our mission is to find Saren before he finds the Conduit, and stop him. I won't lie to you, crew. This one isn't going to be easy."
"The eyes of the galaxy are upon us. Our actions will reflect on humanity as a whole; now is the chance for us to prove ourselves as a species." John felt his confidence grow as he spoke, the glint of determination in his eyes. "Our enemy knows we're coming. When Saren attacked Eden Prime, he declared war on humanity. Saren and his geth wiped out the 212th marine brigade stationed there, and claimed the life of Corporal Richard Jenkins. This fight is personal. When we go into the Traverse, Saren's followers will be waiting for us. But we'll be ready for them, too. We need to do this, not just for our own sake, but for the sake of every other species in Citadel Space. Saren must be stopped, and I promise you all… we will stop him!"
A few cheers could be heard from the deck. He didn't find the speech particularly inspiring, but he believed his own words and no longer felt the small anxiety that had affected him moments before.
"Our first destination is in the Artemis Tau cluster, which we will be arriving at in…" he checked the astrogation charts on Joker's screen, "…fifty-two hours upon our departure. Until then, it's business as usual. That is all."
Closing the com, Joker looked over to Shepard approvingly. "Well said, Commander. The captain would be proud."
"Everyone's depending on us. We won't let them down," he said, no doubt in his words as he walked on towards the CIC and the lower decks.
"Yes, sir!" Joker nodded with enthusiasm as he started up the Normandy's engines.
As Shepard walked away, he couldn't help but realize that they were on their own, now. Anderson and the Alliance would be providing some intel, true, but there wouldn't be anyone to help if they got into a skirmish or a battle. For everyone to make it home, this mission will need careful planning, he thought, and ventured towards the lower decks.
Didn't think someone would be able to mess up a cheeseburger, Kaidan thought. Well done, Barkley.
The mess hall wasn't very crowded at the moment, and Kaidan and Williams were the only people at the table. Williams, for her part, seemed to be eating her sandwich with gusto. Kaidan made a mental note to get what she was having next time.
"Never would have thought the Commander was much for speeches," Williams said after inhaling her food, grinning across the table.
"He normally isn't. Must have figured the crew needed some reassurance on the mission," he replied. "Don't see why he would, though. He must know the crew is behind him on this. He was practically ready to become commanding officer as it was after being X.O. on board for so long with Anderson mentoring him."
"Just wish that the Captain was here with us, instead of being stuck back on the Citadel," Williams agreed, putting her plate aside. "Although I'm not so sure about the… newer… crewmates, we have aboard."
Kaidan looked up, not sure if he heard her right. "You mean the aliens? What about them?"
"Well," she began, "I'm not sure what the Commander's plan is on this, whether it's an outreach to other species or not, but we need to put humanity first. This is an Alliance ship, and I'm not comfortable with them just walking around. A krogan is a nightmare in close quarters if it went into a rampage, and that quarian, Tali, said she was looking for something to bring back as a… what's the word she used? Pilgrimage gift? What better gift than the schematics of a prototype stealth ship?"
Kaidan gave her a frown. "I think you might be overreacting, Chief. I mean, do you really think that the people Shepard brought aboard intend to harm us?"
"All I'm saying is that it doesn't hurt to be prepared. I'll be happy if they prove me wrong—"
"Wrong about what?" a flanged, dual toned voice asked. Kaidan turned around to see Garrus standing a few paces away, a plate of orange meat and some purple substance that looked like mashed potatoes in his hands. How long has he been standing there? He looked at Williams expectantly, who suddenly appeared uncomfortable.
"Oh… I was… uh, placing bets on the Pirates this year. I'd like them to win the series, but from the looks of the last few games, they'll have a hard time with it."
"Ah…" Garrus said, a look of understanding crossing his features. "That's for… what's the name… faceball, right?"
Apparently, he had only come in on the end of the conversation. Kaidan watched as Williams' mouth twitched into a smile, both in humor and relief. "It's baseball, actually, but close enough."
Garrus shook his head in some amusement. "Never quite understood the point of that game. Contact sports are far more entertaining than swinging a bat around at a ball." He stopped and looked around for a moment, as if searching for someone. "Speaking of contact, I think I need to find Wrex. We didn't really get off to a great start, and I was thinking I should… apologize."
Williams raised her eyebrows. "Really? After what you guys said to each other in that elevator, I thought you'd be coming to blows by now."
"That might still happen," Garrus conceded as he sat down at their table, "but Shepard was right when he said we need to work together. I just don't have to like it. I've worked with plenty of people in C-Sec who I didn't like, but we got the job done then."
Kaidan frowned. "I'd think you'd get more done if you got along."
Garrus shrugged as he cut into the meat on his plate. "Maybe. As long as he doesn't try anything, I'll be okay around him."
"And what about Tali?" Kaidan asked. "She didn't deserve what you said back there. Hell, nothing should've warranted that."
The turian's mandibles twitched. "I was thinking about that. I'm sorry that I gave her the blame, but I won't apologize for what I said about her species. If they hadn't created the geth, we wouldn't be in this mess."
"You see, that's where you got into trouble the last time. You can't just generalize an entire species over what they had done in the past unless you want others to do the same to you." Kaidan said, his patience starting to wear thin. "Besides, Shepard invited you all aboard. The least you can do is to try to keep things peaceful between yourselves."
"Trying is the word," Garrus replied, swallowing a forkful of the purple substance. "I see your point, though. Until then, I can only hope we get to Saren as soon as possible."
"Well, at least we agree on something." Williams said, getting up from the table. "I'll go check on the shipment that we received, take stock on the weapons. I could also get to tinkering on some of the rifles that we're going to be using, although I think that Wrex and Tali would prefer their shotguns."
"Come to think of it, where are Wrex and Tali? They haven't come into the mess yet." Kaidan mused.
Garrus nodded his response. "Tali went exploring the ship, mentioned something about the ship's drive core."
Williams tensed, shooting a look towards Kaidan that said "I told you so" before she went to the ship's elevator. He just shook his head. She's a little too paranoid about this, he thought. Hopefully she lightens up soon enough. With her departure, Kaidan went back to his "cheeseburger," silently lamenting that they hadn't been able to eat on the Presidium before they left.
"So, we have eight M-15 Vindicators, five M-96 Mattocks and M-5 Phalanx pistols, three Argus rifles and Tempest submachine guns, two Crusader shotguns, a Valiant sniper rifle, along with two ML-77 missile launchers and forty missiles. And this is in addition to the weapons we already have on board?" Shepard asked the requisitions officer.
"Not to mention the restocked medical stores," the officer replied. "Captain Anderson has supplied us with enough equipment to fight a small war."
Shepard was visibly impressed. "Wow. Anderson must have spent a small fortune on this."
The man nodded. "Most of these weapons fall under five thousand credits, but the sheer bulk that the captain purchased… this must have been over a hundred grand."
"Well, we'd better show that we're worth it. Good work, Emerson."
"Thanks, sir." The servicemen gave him a smile and a nod before turning back to his data-pad, going over the rest of the inventory.
John Shepard turned back to the elevator, having gotten an idea of what the team would be using. The number and variety of the weapons Anderson had provided them was amazing, and he looked forward to trying out some of the models he was less familiar with. True, he was proficient in all classes of weapons, but the prospect of getting to use one of the newer Vindicator or Argus rifles in particular was certainly something he was looking forward to.
The cargo hold was mostly empty, save for the various crates of supplies and the M-35 Mako that was stationed near the cargo doors. An armored fast insertion vehicle, the Mako had served him well on several occasions before, and was the transport that they would be using on the ground when they located the planet Dr. Tsoni was on. His thoughts turned back to the mission, and of the crew. Both Williams and Alenko he knew and trusted, but even as he was trusting of those he had recruited, it seemed as though they did not do the same for each other. Which probably is the normal reaction to this situation, he conceded to himself. Wrex and Garrus seemed like they would be the most prone to trouble for each other, but he didn't see Tali going out of her way to pick a fight. He smiled at the sudden image of Tali trying to punch the hulking krogan, her fists bouncing off of Wrex's armor as the krogan chuckled in amusement. Come to think of it, where were they?
He hadn't seen the newest members of the crew since he dismissed them earlier, but he made a few guesses as to their whereabou—
"Shepard." A voice rumbled from his right. He turned in surprise to find Wrex walk out from behind a crate.
"Wrex," he said, returning his greeting as he situated himself. "Didn't see you back there. Looking for anything in particular?"
The krogan shrugged. "I saw those sleeper pods of yours on the second deck. Didn't think I'd be able to fit inside one, so I looked for a spot I could rest my hump. These crates here will do."
Shepard raised an eyebrow. "You're going to sleep down in the cargo hold?"
"I said it," the krogan stated plainly. "Don't get a whole lot of stares down here, and I have some space to myself."
"Fair enough," Shepard replied. It seemed the krogan wasn't much for conversation. Still, he made an attempt anyway.
"You haven't mentioned much about yourself since you joined us. What's your story, Wrex?"
The krogan frowned, which may have been deterring enough for anyone else. "There's no story. Go ask that quarian if you want a story."
Still determined, Shepard pressed on. "Come on, krogan live for centuries, and you've been a bounty hunter for some time. Don't tell me you haven't been through anything interesting."
Wrex's expression seemed almost… sarcastic. "Well, there was this one time when the turians almost wiped out our entire race. That was fun."
Shepard winced inwardly. Definitely sarcasm, then. "So that's why you went after Garrus in that elevator. The… Genophage, right?"
"Yeah." Wrex's reply was short, indicative of him not wanting to pursue the subject.
Shepard sighed. "Look, I know that what Garrus said about the Genophage was out of line—"
"Really?" the krogan cut him off. "Because if I had someone patronize my species in front of me, telling me that a genetic mutation that was used to infect your entire race so that only one in a thousand of your kind survive until birth, dooming your race to a slow extinction, was the right thing to do, then I would take it a little more personally than that." Wrex had slowly begun to tense, his reptilian jaw set as his eyes became narrowed.
Shepard hadn't known the extent of the damage that the Genophage did to the krogan. He'd heard about some of the events from his high school history class, but he honestly had no idea. Wrex was starting to get angry, and an angry krogan in a cargo hold full of weapons would be bad news.
"I'm sorry, Wrex. I didn't mean to offend you," he said, genuinely sorry.
The krogan stared at him for a moment without speaking. Before Shepard could say anything else, the krogan relaxed, judging him to be sincere.
"Your ignorance on the matter doesn't upset me, Shepard." The krogan breathed out heavily. It seemed that krogan sighed as well, although on a far greater scale than humans. "As for the krogan, I gave up on them long ago. The Genophage infected us, but it isn't what's killing us."
At this, Shepard was intrigued. "So what is, then?"
The sound of the lift coming back down the elevator brought the two out of their conversation. Wrex faced Shepard again, his features unreadable to the human. "Another time, maybe. Like I said, go talk to the quarian if you want stories. I'll be checking those new guns that were brought aboard, see if I can't grab a good one before whoever on that elevator takes it."
Seeing that the krogan's mood had changed for the better, Shepard took the initiative. We'll talk later, Wrex."
"Shepard," Wrex said as he passed him, walking over to the weapons positioned by Emerson, the requisitions officer.
Shepard looked on for a moment, still curious about the krogan's conversation and his history. It would have to wait, however, and so he moved towards Engineering. As he had said, it would have to wait until another time, he thought. As Shepard reached the doors, he realized he hadn't seen Tali or Garrus yet to see how they were settling in, but he wanted to check in on Chief Engineer Adams first to talk things over. As the engineer was a good friend of both Captain Anderson and himself, he was wondering how he was handling things now that—
He stopped at the sight of Tali pouring over the console to the left, her three-fingered hands making fast, calculated motions on her omni-tool display. Adams and the other two engineers worked on the right, apparently both aware and accepting of her presence. His momentary confusion was noticed by the Chief Engineer, who stepped aside to greet him.
"Commander Shepard," Adams said warmly, shaking his hand. "You look like you're doing well. Fancy seeing you down here."
"You know me, Adams. I like to know my crew and to see how things are going." He gestured over to Tali, who now appeared to be comparing diagnostic charts from the console and her omni-tool. "Speaking of which, how's our new addition doing down here? I didn't really expect to see her working in Engineering."
"Yeah, she came down about a half-hour ago, asking all sorts of questions about our engines."
Shepard frowned. "I'll talk to her about it if she's bothering you."
A look of surprise crossed Adams' features. "What? No, it's not that. She's amazing! I wish my men were half as smart as her. Give her a month on board and she'll probably know more about the Normandy than I do, and I can definitely use an engineer with the talent that she has. I can see why you brought her along."
This was certainly a pleasant surprise. Shepard hadn't considered bringing her along for that reason, but if she was also an expert on tech, all the better.
"Well, I'm glad to hear that, Adams. Do you have her busy right now?"
"Well, she did just come on board around two hours ago. I haven't had much time to discuss any real work or maintenance that she could help with."
Shepard grinned. "Fair point. I'll talk to you later, Adams."
"Commander." The chief engineer nodded, turning back to his console.
Shepard approached the quarian team member, who was practically bouncing on her toes at the console she was scanning. He cleared his throat, causing her to turn to him in some surprise. He smiled warmly at her. "Enjoying yourself, Miss Zorah?"
She nodded in earnest. "Keelah, your ship's amazing, Shepard! I've never seen a drive core like this before! It must be large enough to power a cruiser! I'm starting to understand why you humans have been so successful. I had no idea Alliance vessels were so advanced!
Shepard grinned at her enthusiasm. "Well, not all of our ships are like this. The Normandy's a prototype, built with cutting edge technology."
"And to think that a month ago I was patching a make shift fuel line on a converted tug ship on the Flotilla. Now, I'm on one of the most advanced vessels in Citadel space!" She paused for a moment then, no longer bouncing in excitement as she took on a more somber stance. " I have to thank you again for bringing me along, Commander. And for… what you did in the alley. If you hadn't come along…"
Shepard noticed her change in mood, shaking his head at her thanks. "Hey, it's okay. I'm just glad you made it out of there all right." He saw her fidgeting in front of her again, as she had done before. Probably a nervous habit, he thought. Well, she didn't seem very nervous when talking about the ship.
Changing the subject, Shepard went back to the original topic. "You know you seem really interested in the Normandy's design, Tali. Are you into ships?"
Her hands stopped their movements. "Oh, well yes, actually. Though mostly it comes with being a quarian. As the Migrant Fleet is the key to my people's survival, ships are our most valuable resource. We don't have anything like this, though. Instead, we usually make do with cast-offs, used ships and second hand equipment, and just try to keep them running for as long as we can. Some of the Fleet's larger vessels even date back to our original flight from the geth and our homeworld."
Shepard blinked in surprise. "I can't believe you're still using ships that are over three hundred years old."
"Well, they are being constantly modified and refitted, like the patch I mentioned on the fuel line. They aren't pretty, but they work… mostly," Tali conceded. "We try to make ourselves as independent as we can; grow our own food, mine and process our own fuel. But there are some things that we just cannot make on our own, and the raw materials needed for making new ships or repairing our older ones we just don't have. That's why our Pilgrimages are so important."
The quarian seemed far more relaxed now, having something to discuss about her people.
Shepard nodded encouragingly. "You mentioned the Pilgrimage before back on the Citadel, a rite of passage of sorts. How does it work?"
"At its basic level, the Pilgrimage acts as a way to increase the genetic diversity among the fleet. When my people reach maturity, we leave our birthships and seek out another ship to join on the Flotilla. To do this, we must seek acceptance among the new crew, and to prove we will not be a burden to our new crew members we embark on a Pilgrimage. We venture out alone, leaving the Flotilla and our families behind, only to return once we have brought something of value back to the fleet. This is presented as a gift to the Captain of the ship we wish to join, and if the gift is accepted, we are welcome to join the crew."
"So, at what age are quarians considered mature? Humans normally become adults around twenty or twenty-one… Earth years, anyway."
"The age can vary, but those ages are most common for quarians as well. In your terms, I'm actually twenty-two, but I'm by no means the oldest to go on Pilgrimage." She giggled suddenly. "There oldest we've had on record was approaching thirty before he left. The Captain nearly had to force him off the ship."
"They just send you out alone?"
"It's not like they just cast us out, or at least, not in most cases." Shepard swore he could hear a smile in her voice. "Before we leave, we are given lessons about how to survive outside the Flotilla, as well as blessings and to help us on our journey. All quarians also receive basic combat training and implants to fight off sickness and disease. While are immune systems were never really very strong, generations of living in a sterile environment have devastated them, which is also why we wear these suits."
"By the time we leave, we are well prepared for the Pilgrimage. This is a rite of passage for all quarians. If it were dangerous, our numbers would suffer. Virtually every Pilgrimage ends with a triumphant return, and the ritual presentation of the gift to one of the fleet's Captains. When a Pilgrim is successful, they are presented with a new realk and enviro-suit," she said, gesturing to the cloth that wrapped around her suit and acting as her hood.
Shepard had been smiling up to where she ended her discussion. Wrex was right on his guess of her wanting to tell stories, it seemed. "That all sounds fairly rehearsed, Tali. Do you get asked about the Pilgrimage often?"
She looked down for a moment. "Not really. You're actually the first person to ask about my people since I reached the Citadel."
"Well, don't be discouraged. You're an interesting person, Tali." He saw her stiffen suddenly, but continued anyways. "Adams said that you're an expert on technology, and from what you've told me you have a lot of experience with ships. I think that you'll be a very valuable part of the crew here on the Normandy, and you're welcome to work here in Engineering if you'd like."
"I… thank you, Commander." Tali said, her voice managing to sound flustered even filtered through her mask.
"We should really be thanking you. Without your help, we wouldn't have even been able to go on this mission." Shepard said, noticing the tilt of the quarian's head as she looked away from him for a moment.
"Keelah… thank you! Y-you don't know what that means to me for you to say that!" she stammered, her hands once again dancing with each other at her waist.
"It's the truth," he said, still smiling at her while her eyes darted around behind her mask. He couldn't see it, but if he were to guess, he would say that she'd be blushing. I guess she isn't used to compliments, he thought. Although she does deserve them, after all.
He thought he heard voices in the cargo hold, and realized that he'd been talking to Tali for a while. He wasn't sure how long he'd been on the Engineering deck, but he'd guessed it been at least a good fifteen minutes. Still, he enjoyed listening to the young quarian speak, and while he didn't want to end their conversation, he did have a few other things to take care of. Like the situation that might be brewing between Wrex and Garrus, from the sound of things.
He gave her a nod. "I'm going to check up on the others, but I've enjoyed our conversation down here. We'll talk later, Tali."
"Of course!" she blurted. Shepard raised an eyebrow at her sudden outburst. "I-I mean of course, Shepard. See you later."
Feeling like he was grinning like a fool, Shepard left for the cargo hold in a good mood. The energetic quarian's enthusiasm rubbed off on him, it seemed. It's good that she's enjoying herself, he thought as he approached the door to the next room. And I'm definitely looking forward to talking with her again.
Tali couldn't help but watch the human as he left, the door to the cargo hold closing behind him. Keelah, Commander Shepard came down to Engineering to talk to me. She thought she'd die of embarrassment from her outburst, and Shepard's praise of her skills. She didn't really deserve it; after all, it was expected of a quarian to excel at their skills. Even so, she couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth and pride at Shepard's praise, and his appreciation of her being on board. Whether he was just being nice or genuinely curious about her and her people was yet to be seen, although it certainly seemed like he was the latter.
Feeling happier than she had in some time, Tali went back to the console, looking at the data and power readouts that were displayed on-screen. I don't know about the rest of the crew, she thought, thinking of Garrus, but I definitely want to talk to him again. Pulling up her omni-tool, she went about making calculations on the drive core. Hmm, I wonder if I can convert some of the power from here to improve the drive core output…
Her fingers flashing on both the console and her omni-tool, Tali went about trying to solve the complex problems on her screen, humming softly as she worked.