In Ruins
03. Settling In
A/N: I'd just like to take this brief moment to say thanks to Zero612 for reviewing. To those of you still reading, thanks for taking the time to do so!
"Captain," Callum felt as though his breath had abandoned his body completely, leaving him feeling cold and suddenly uncertain of what to do. The events of the last few days had been in preparation to see if he would be able to join Anderson's crew and now… Now Anderson was being forced to surrender his control of the Normandy and her crew. A small surge of panic was beginning to build in the back of his mind, but he did his best to try and mask it, "What am I to do then? I was meant to join your crew.
Anderson rubbed his eyes, "That's true, but the Normandy and her crew are now Shepard's. He's a spectre now. It's his choice whether or not he wants you to join him now."
Damien nodded his head with heavy eyes, "If that's the case, consider yourself part of the crew, Callum."
A tinge of hope and pride began to swell up in his chest that managed to draw a faint smile to his lips, but when he caught a glimpse of Damien, he felt it fade away. The other man seemed… distraught, shaken maybe. He wasn't the best when it came to gathering what someone was thinking, but he had to guess that Damien wasn't taking Anderson's departure well. It made him wonder how well his new CO's relationship was with the former captain of the Normandy.
There was a short silence before Damien spoke up again, "Are you sure about this, Anderson?"
"My time is done, Shepard. It's time for someone new to take charge, and this time it's you. You're ready for this." Anderson smiled with a hint of pride as he walked over to Damien and gave him two good pats on the shoulder.
"I'll do the best I can, sir." Damien gave a quick salute.
"I know you will."
Callum found himself leaning on one leg with his arms folded across his chest as he watched the departure go on. It was a strange sight to watch. Never had he had the experience of serving under someone who earned his respect in the manner Damien seemed to have with Anderson. Part of him was envious of him for actually being able to have that sort of bond with a commanding officer. Another part of him felt pity for the man.
Anderson strode over to Ashley where he received a quick salute. Before he could speak, she interrupted him, "Captain, it's been an honor serving with you"
"Williams, you're a fine soldier. Do me a favor and keep Shepard's ass safe." Anderson shifted towards Kaidan, "Kaidan, I trust you'll keep things in line like before."
"You've got it, sir."
"Good," Anderson turned to face humans and aliens alike, "This mission is your main priority. Stop Saren and keep him from finding the Conduit. The fate of the galaxy could very well rest on your hands. Shepard, if you ever need to speak with me, I'll be here."
The gentle hum of the nearby ship drowned out his ears as the silence that loomed amongst them was almost overbearing. His introduction to Anderson was his farewell. But now, now he had a goal. He was to fight alongside Damien, Hero of Akuze, to bring down Saren and it felt good. For the first time in almost a decade, he felt as though he had a purpose. It made him want to fight and the feeling was exhilarating.
"Shepard… Are you all right?" Tali chirped from her suit.
Damien shook his head as he withdrew himself from his thoughts, "Yeah. Sorry. My head's somewhere else right now."
"What?" Garrus tilted his head questioningly.
"Right," Damien seemed to mentally punch himself, "It's a human expression. I'm just a bit distracted right now, but I think I should be giving you guys a tour of the Normandy."
"Try not to hurt yourself in the process, Commander. I have orders to watch your ass." Ashley's lips quirked in a manner that Callum didn't understand. It seemed friendly, but… more than that. It was a reminder to him that he was a bit inexperienced in dealing with others.
Damien, though, seemed to smirk at her comment but said little of it. If anything, it was Kaidan who spoke up with a smile and a shake of his head, "Ashley…"
"What?" Ashley's lips widened into a smile, "I'm just stating my orders. Nothing wrong with that."
Ashley broke out into a laugh as the group followed behind Damien into the airlock of the Normandy. It was only then that he realized what a large group they were, particularly when he found Garrus's elbow... thing poking at his side. The airlock didn't seem to have been made to hold such numbers, or at least the amount they had with a krogan in the mix. It was a terrifying thought to wonder how krogan mating went.
After what felt like an eternity, the ships VI seemed satisfied with its 'decontamination' and allowed the airlock to open swiftly. After about three steps in, a voice called out to them.
"Commander, I was expecting a souvenir or something, but this? Wow. I don't know what to say. I'm grateful."
Damien shook his head with a laugh at the man in the corridor, "That excited, Joker?"
"Definitely. So, uh… What's the deal, Commander?" The scruffy, green-eyed man named Joker raised his eyebrow at the extra bodies behind Damien.
Callum tried his best to maintain his face neutral while he observed the other man. The first thing he noticed was the fact Joker was using leg braces and crutches to keep himself standing. It was curious, especially if the Normandy was an Alliance warship. It made him wonder what the man's position was on the ship. Hell, it made him wonder if he was really capable, but he managed to remember that this was Damien's crew he was talking about. If he was here, he had to be one hell of an ace at something.
"Picked up some 'recruits' for our mission, you could say. I need to give them a tour of the Normandy and help them settle in. I'll explain the rest later."
"That's always fun. Well, I got up to take a piss so... I'll be getting to that now."
Callum watched the man limp down the corridor before Damien spoke up, "In case any of you were wondering, that was our helmsman, Joker."
Callum made sure to take note of the name so he wouldn't have any awkward moments should he run into him any time soon. If anything, his humor had made him a candidate of interest.
"What a strange human…" Tali thought a lot, shifting her weight to one leg.
Kaidan spoke out from behind her, "Don't worry, you'll get used to it."
Callum couldn't hold back a whistle as he walked down the corridor of the Normandy. The technology that surrounded him at all angles was enough to impress him. If he were to guess by the way Tali was looking at everything as well, she probably was as intrigued as him. Never had he the honor to actually step aboard such an advanced vessel. He was barely able to listen to Shepard's words as he watched the number of crews discussing readings and outputs by some terminals. From what little he did manage to catch, he was at the CIC. 'This seems to be the busiest place.'
The rest of the tour passed by quickly as he tried to log the locations into his memory. The top deck seemed to be the largest as it went lower down to where the mess hall and sick bay could be found. Apparently Damien's quarters were also there. The deck beneath contained the crew quarters and showers. Beneath that were the engine room, the armory and storage. Almost instantly, the group dispersed with everyone heading to different areas.
Ashley nodded at him before heading over to some lockers and packing away her weapons. Garrus seemed enthralled by the presence of the Mako and went to do… something with the vehicle. Techs were never his forte. Tali followed some engineers to where the eezo core was located. Wrex was… Callum wasn't sure what Wrex planned on doing, but the krogan found his spot on a wall and scowled at most passing by. Eventually, Damien's voice drew his attention,
"Settle yourself in, Callum. I'll see about fitting you and the others into the sleeper pod schedule."
Callum sliced his hand through the air, "No can do. I don't deal well with pods."
"The crew quarters are already full. Where do you expect to sleep?" Damien seemed annoyed by his rebuttal.
Callum peered around the deck and spotted a dimly lit corner, "There," he pointed to the spot, "I can set up a cot, with your permission."
Damien seemed to mull the idea over for a few seconds, "All right. Speak with our requisitions officer, Kevin, to set up."
"Understood, Commander."
"If all's taken care of, I need to address the crew. See you around." Damien nodded to him before stepping into the elevator with Kaidan.
Callum stared at the closed doors for a few seconds with his hands dipped into his pockets before shifting his gaze to various parts. It was surprising to him how everyone else seemed to have fallen into synch to easily. What exactly was he to do? He knew little more about techs asides from what was taught during training. He found himself poking the inside of his cheek with his tongue as he realized he would have little to distract himself with during travels. 'No one ever said life in space was easy.'
Fighting back a sigh, he turned to where Damien had pointed before turning to leave. Sitting beside a table littered with datapads was a man dressed in your standard alliance uniform buried into yet another datapad. Truth be told, there was little to actually identify him as the requisitions officer other than through referrals. It made him raise an eyebrow at how irresponsible it seemed. Pushing the thoughts aside, he strolled over to the table.
The man peered up from his datapad, "Can I help you?"
Callum wasn't sure if he detected annoyance or if the man was just being casual, "Commander Shepard told me to speak to you about getting a bed."
"A bed?" 'Kevin' put the datapad down.
"Yes."
"They're not as comfortable as the real things, but I think there's one or two in storage." 'Kevin' stood up and gestured for him to follow. A few steps in and the intercoms came to life, bringing the two of them to a halt. Glancing around, he noticed that everyone stopped what they were doing to listen.
-This is Commander Shepard speaking. We have our orders, find Saren before he finds the Conduit. I won't lie to you, crew. This mission isn't going to be easy. For too long our species has stood apart from the others. Now it's time for us to step up and do our part for the rest of the galaxy! It's time for us to show them what humans are made of! Our enemy knows we're coming. When we go into the Traverse, Saren's followers will be waiting for us. But we'll be ready for them, too. Humanity needs to do this, 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! We're all in this together, each and every one of us. Make me proud, make yourselves proud. Shepard out.-
Callum laughed with a wide grin, "I knew I made the right choice. It's nice to feel reassured."
"You never did say who 'he' was, Callum,"
Callum found himself stopping midbite and staring at Kaidan and his question. It seemed it was too much to hope that Kaidan and Ashley had forgotten about his little slip up. He suddenly felt incredibly self-conscious as most of the eyes at the mess hall turned to him. A guttural groan came from him as he finished chewing his meal and setting down his fork. Wiping his mouth with his forearm, he glanced at all the curious eyes. At least Damien wasn't there.
"So, you all want to hear a story? I'm telling you now; it's not all that interesting."
"Psh," Ashley punched his shoulder, "It didn't seem like that when you tried avoiding it before."
Kaidan spoke up as if on cue, "Not to mention you said you'd tell us later, anyway."
Callum sighed with resignation. It looked as though he wouldn't be able to worm out of this one. His eyes adopted a weary look as he began to speak, "Well, I joined the Alliance when I was just a bit past nineteen. I don't like to admit it, but I mainly did it just to get away. I wanted to leave everything behind. The galaxy had so much more to offer. It was my opportunity to adopt a new life and escape from my past."
"What past?" Tali spoke up, leaning closer to the conversation.
The question caught him off-guard.
"Just kill 'er, Cal. You know how these things go. They get cornered like rats and then they try to weasel their way out. Pathetic. Just end her now and let's get on with things."
"P-please! I have a son!"
"Bah. She's just making it up. They always do. Kill 'er."
"Please!"
"Kill her now!"
"No!
"Now!"
He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and brought a hand up to the back of his neck. He felt himself growing distant, "I… That's not a conversation I'm willing to have."
"Oh." Tali seemed a bit confused but decided not to push the matter.
Callum hadn't noticed Garrus at the table until he spoke up, "What happened after you joined the Alliance?"
He was grateful that the turian helped him bring himself back to speed, "Right. Well, turns out that being a biotic in the Alliance isn't one of the most comfortable positions out there. I'm not sure if you ever ran into trouble, Kaidan."
Kaidan nodded in acknowledgement, "It isn't easy."
"Why? What does the Alliance have against biotics?" Tali chimed up.
Callum jabbed his fork into some artificial corn, "It isn't the Alliance. Not really. It's the… older soldiers you have to worry about."
Ashley chuckled, "You mean the old guys who seem to be stuck in the past, right?"
"Yes. I had the misfortune to land myself under the 'leadership' of a prejudiced bastard. He had it out for me since the moment he found out I was a biotic. He often berated me in front of others, turned others against me, and just made my life a living hell in general. I felt as though every day I was with him I was getting further and further away from my goal of getting away from the city. I signed up to go spaceside, but he tried his hardest to keep me groundside."
"No wonder you have trouble taking orders," Damien spoke up with a laugh from his position against the metal post, drawing most eyes to him.
'Great.' Callum felt the blood rushing to his ears as he tried to ignore the comment, "So… as you could imagine, putting up with that kind of treatment for two years can grow overbearing. I got fed up and literally starting breaking doors to get to his office and I demanded he do something. I guess he was tired of having me under his command seeing as he didn't hesitate to toss me off to someone else. Though, I do think he was hoping I would die."
Damien pushed himself away from the post and stepped over to where he sat. To his surprise, Damien put his hand on his shoulder rather than reprimanding him, "Not with us, you won't. We watch each other's backs here.
Callum shook his head with a smile, "I sure hope so."
Damien pulled his hand back and cross his hands behind his back as he shifted his attention to everyone, "Tomorrow we'll be in the Artemis Tau cluster. Our mission is to find Dr. T'Soni and determine whether or not she's working with Saren. If she isn't, then she may prove to be a valuable asset to the team. If she is, well… Let's hope not. Get some rest tonight. I need you all ready and able. Who knows what we'll find."
