Author's Note: Sorry for the long loong loooong delay getting this story published. Many things happened in Real Life ™, including the birth of a 2.9kg bundle of joy: my son :-)
Before getting to the story proper, here are some information for you:
■ For an Intro to this story: mcaf. ee/e1fab (remove the space after the dot)
■ Disclaimer for the whole story: Mass Effect, the Mass Effect Universe, and the characters within, all belong to BioWare.
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The cockpit was bathed in eerie orange emergency lights.
"EDI, what's going on?" Shepard barked a question to the ship's AI.
The familiar blue orb appeared beside Joker's console, its glow dimmer than usual.
"We have experienced complete power failure, Commander. The dampener system caused a massive power feedback that has taken out our primary and secondary power distributors. We are currently on emergency power supply," EDI explained.
"Tali, how bad is it?" Shepard asked over the ship-wide intercom.
"Very bad, Shepard," the quarian replied. "The distributors blew, and we'll need at least six hours to hack together a replacement for the less-damaged secondary distributor."
"We do not have six hours, Commander," EDI added. "Due to damages sustained on the Collector Base, our emergency power supply can only sustain approximately three hours of continuous use, four hours at best."
Shepard, Joker, and the rest of the crew on the bridge looked at each other. Nobody said a word.
They knew there was no escaping the situation this time.
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Lazarus Cell —
— The Series
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Season 1 Episode 01
══ Rebirth ══
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Life is rather a state of embryo, a preparation for life;
a man is not completely born till he has passed through death.
~ Benjamin Franklin
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The big frigate floated in full stealth mode near the Valhalla Threshold relay - not too near to risk a collision, but close enough to monitor ships coming and going through that relay.
"Are we positive that they will pass through this relay within the next four hours? Because I'd certainly hate it if the heat sink overheats and cook us alive," the captain of the frigate asked his surveillance officer on the bridge.
"Affirmative, sir. Our scouts reported seeing them approaching the mass relay with sublight speed, ETA approximately two hours," the surveillance officer remarked.
The captain grunted. "Very well, I'll do a final inspection on the crew's readiness. If the reports are correct, we must act swiftly when they arrived this side. Failure is not an option. Page me when the mass relay indicates an incoming vessel of their size."
"Aye aye, sir," a chorus of affirmatives replied to his order.
The captain nodded, smartly turned around, and left the bridge.
Thank God the quarians have left; would be hard to watch the mass relay and intercept the Normandy otherwise. [1]
·
~ o ~ O ~ o ~
·
"Commander, we're ten minutes from the relay," Joker called out from his pilot's seat.
Shepard nodded in acknowledgment and turned on the ship-wide intercom. "This is the CO speaking. We will be attempting a transit through the Sahrabarik Mass Relay in ten minutes. All crew, report to your emergency stations."
"Well, then, I guess I'll go to my station at the shuttle bay," said Miranda. Earlier, the squad had agreed that those with biotic abilities should gather there, where the structural damage was the greatest; no thanks to the Oculus attack and the crashlanding on the Collector Base.
As a precaution, Deck 1 had already been sealed, just in case 'the roof' - as the crew had dubbed the top pressure bulkhead - would crack and breach.
Thankfully, the engine room was mostly unscathed. What was worrisome was the damaged cabling. Tali and Garrus, assisted by Kasumi, Ken, Gabby, and all crewmembers able to crawl in claustrophobically small spaces, had replaced, shunted, or otherwise jury-rigged the cables. The hasty repairs were fairly successful, but they had to operate without safety limits in place.
Shepard tried hard not to sigh. If he thought carefully about it, this jump should actually be less horrific than the jump they made from the galactic core, what with the full complement of crew, and the fact that they had actually been able to do some repairs.
Still, he felt uneasy.
He hid his feeling well, however, donning that emotionless business-as-usual façade, and exuding an aura of a relaxed, in-control commanding officer, in the hope that his crew would also remain calm and confident.
During the next ten minutes, one by one the standby teams reported.
"Engineering ready. All power readings within limits," the exotically-accented voice of Tali spoke through the intercom.
"Life support *cough* within operational parameters." Shepard winced as he heard Thane reporting.
"Crew's quarters. All loose objects secured," Gardner reported. "Observation decks and sleeping quarters are also vacated and sealed."
"Cargo area secured, vacated, and sealed," Zaeed reported next.
"Airlocks secured and sealed up tight." That was Jacob reporting.
"Shuttle bay crew ready. All materials secured but can be fetched quickly," Miranda reported.
"Alright. All teams in position and ready," Shepard affirmed. "Shut down the elevator."
"Elevator shut down," Kasumi reported.
Shepard nodded, then turned to the pilot. "Joker, take us in."
"Aye aye, commander. Transmitting activation sequence... now!"
There was a familiar lurch as the mass effect field of the relay grabbed the Normandy and slung the frigate across the galaxy.
Except... the lurch this time was uncharacteristically rough. Shepard almost lost his footing on the bridge.
He had just regained his balance when all hell broke loose.
"Primary dampener failure. Switching to secondary dampeners," EDI sudddenly reported.
Immediately after the AI's announcement, the Normandy started to shake and vibrate.
Screams and shouts were heard over the intercom. "This is the shuttle bay! We got injuries!" Garrus' voice was frantically heard. "Not enough inertial dampening! Struts buckling and failing. Need medic! I repeat, need medic! Miranda is down!"
The last sentence stabbed Shepard in the heart. Before he could ask any questions, more urgent reports flooded the bridge.
"Shepard!" Tali's voice urgently called over the intercom. "The dampener's started a power feedback over the main and secondary lines!"
"Outer hull breach on Deck 3!" Gardner practically yelled. "We lost starboard side pressure!"
"Outboard thruster 4 failing!" Matthews yelled. "We lost control of thruster 4! It's gonna break!"
"Emergency shutdown of thruster 4!" Joker yelled back. "EDI, cut the fuel line to thruster 4!"
"Fuel line cut. Thruster 4 stabilizing. Starboard wing integrity holding."
Shepard terribly wanted to run all the way down the stairs to the Shuttle Bay to check up on Miranda, but he knew as the commanding officer he must stay at the bridge.
The consoles to the left and right of him started glaring red, and the warning klaxons blared loudly, adding confusion to the already chaotic mix.
"How long til we reach the exit, Joker!"
"I don't know, Commander! I don't know!" the pilot replied.
"We will reach mass relay transit exit in approximately five minutes," EDI explained.
"Five minutes? We don't have five minutes! The ship's breaking up!" someone exclaimed.
"There is nothing we can do! Once mass relay transit is started, we must see it through to the end!"
The next five minutes would probably be the longest five minutes in the lives of most crew on-board.
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~ o ~ O ~ o ~
·
"Captain, the mass relay is aligning itself with the Sahrabarik mass relay."
"Picking up energy surges within the envelope of the Normandy."
The captain nodded. "Alright, let's prepare the welcoming party. Teams Alpha and Bravo board the shuttles!" he commanded through the intercom.
A chorus of "aye aye, sir" replied back.
Any moment now... and finally we'll meet face-to-face, Shepard.
"Captain!" the recon officer yelled urgently. "I am picking anomalous readings from the mass relay!"
The captain ran to the officer's terminal and leaned over her. "Explain, Roberts!"
"It seems that the payload is maneuvering within the mass relay carrier. Mass increase detected."
That can't be good. The captain thought. There's no reason for maneuvering when in transit. Unless...
"This is the captain! Team Charlie, board the shuttle immediately! And bring all supplies you can grab!" he yelled to the intercom.
"Aye aye, sir! Medical and technical scrambling!"
The recon officer looked at the captain, worry clearly etched on her face. "Mass keeps increasing, and maneuvering is getting more erratic. That can only mean one thing, sir..."
A chill crept up the captain's spine. "Clarify!"
"The Normandy's dampeners are failing and they're breaking up in transit."
No.
~ o ~ O ~ o ~
·
"Exiting transit in ten... nine... eight...," EDI's voice was heard, counting down.
Garrus braced with his good hand as he looked around the shuttle bay. It was... a mess. His other hand, bandage-wrapped, had been bleeding profusely minutes earlier. He had managed to cut his hand while helping the crew lift and hammer a support strut in place.
But he didn't really care about his injury. He was standing near the casualties, beside the elevator, keeping a respectful distance from the frantically-working medics.
Tomlinson... Parker... Johnson... Savalas... He silently repeated the names of the downed crew.
Miranda.
His mind went back to the accident that had downed the XO.
When they had started the transit, the ship had shuddered mightily, making the crew in the shuttle bay lose their footings. He was standing back up when the port strut behind him had started to buckle.
"Garrus, behind you!" Miranda had shouted.
He had glanced back, and seen the strut broke, swinging toward him. He had just stood there, frozen.
She had acted immediately. With her biotics, she had pushed him away from the falling girder. Then another girder behind her snapped and hit her head hard.
Blood... blood everywhere...
He had shrieked into the intercom, knowing that as second-in-command in the shuttle bay, lives depended on him taking decisive action.
He had quickly barked orders to move the casualties to the empty space near the elevator. Then he ordered the crew to jack up all other buckling struts with the materials that Miranda had prepared.
Samara, Jack, and Grunt had immediately lent their hands, doing the heavy lifting while the crew rushed to weld, bolt, hammer, or tie the materials in place.
He himself had been doing some lifting when he cut his hand. He had not realized he was hurt until one of the crew had mentioned it.
"Sir? Your hand's bleeding, sir?"
Garrus looked at his hand, surprised.
"Just a small cut, Pearce. I'm okay."
"No, sir. You're the Person-in-Charge now. Please, just let us do this. We can't risk losing another executive."
Garrus had to admit, Pearce had a point.
He walked away from the strut, somewhat depressed.
Because of him, a dear friend, who was also the mate of yet another dear friend, had been injured.
·
~ o ~ O ~ o ~
·
The Engineering room was a mess. Granted, thanks to its location deep in the bowels of the Normandy, there had been no structural damage.
But it was still a mess, what with all the emergency jumper and shunt cables lying around. And spent parts and cannibalized parts. And conduit covers and pieces of duct tape.
Tali, however, was not paying attention to the mess. Her eyes were transfixed on her consoles. Her biggest concern was the wildly fluctuating power indicators, especially when the ship began the mass relay transit.
A mass relay works by enveloping its mass effect field around the ship's mass effect field, effectively reducing the ship's collective mass from its point of view, then pushing the 'lightened' ship down a wormhole it creates with its opposite partner.
Within the enveloping field, the ship's own mass effect field provides a counteracting effect, making all things maintain their relative mass to each other. Without which, the crew will be floating around the ship helplessly and uncontrollably. But this also means the ship and its crew would feel inertia/momentum effects upon entering, transiting, and exiting the wormhole. That is why ships - especially big ones like The Normandy - need inertial dampeners. Which again employ yet another mass effect field to be projected.
The problem with the Normandy is that the primary dampener, at that critical moment during entry, decided to give up its ghost, leaving behind a parting gift of an energy surge when its mass effect field collapsed. And the energy surge overloaded the already-damaged secondary dampeners, causing oscillating mass effect fields to ripple through the ship, stressing its superstructures.
That was the technical explanation that instantly crossed Tali's mind. But she couldn't draw any satisfaction out of deducing what had happened, as she also realized the grievous effects to the ship. And she immediately lost all train of coherent thought when she heard Garrus' shout over the intercom.
Her gladness that Garrus was okay was immediately tempered when she heard his last sentence.
"Miranda is down!"
She gasped...
... then Ken grabbed her shoulder. "Boss! The secondary dampeners are failing! Too much current! What to do?"
Tali quickly racked her brain, and came up with a solution. Crazy, but it might just work.
"EDI, is it possible to route the oscillating surge to the stealth heat sink?"
The blue orb appeared and answered, "It should be possible, but the emergency shunt lines to the heat sink are all damaged."
"Can we jury-rig a cable?"
"Yes, but there's a danger of electrocution if not timed right."
"Alright! Ken, keep monitoring the oscillations! Gabby, grab that end of the cable! EDI, tell Gabby where to plug her end! I'll plug the other end at the power regulator!"
Gabby ran as quickly as she could, and plugged the two-centimeter thick cable on a heat sink feed terminal.
Tali climbed the ladder into the crawl space above the engineering room, and approached the power regulator, cable end in hand.
"Ken! You got the frequency of the oscillation?" she yelled to Ken.
"Yes, boss! Four-second waves, give or take a few!" the engineer replied.
"Tell me when it's at nadir!"
"Okay boss! Steady... steady... now!"
With all her might, Tali jammed the cable onto the emergency shunting port of the power regulator.
A bright arc of electricity sparked at the connection. Something got caught in the arc and ignited. Tali screamed as the shockwave threw her back against a truss, nearly knocking her unconscious.
Frantic steps could be heard, and within seconds Gabby's head appeared. "Tali! Tali! God, Tali, are you alright?" she asked in a near panic, before regaining sense enough to help the quarian get back to her feet.
"I... I'm alright... A bit dizzy, but nothing serious," Tali tried to calm Gabby down. "My suit's computer said no damage. Some dents, perhaps, but it's holding up. What about the shunt? Did we succeed?"
Ken hollered from downstairs. "Aye, boss! EDI has started shunting excess power to the heatsink. But the secondary dampeners are already toast. We can only hope they'll stay good until we exit the transit."
"All this ... For nothing?" Tali asked with dismay in her voice as she descended the ladder.
"Oh, no, boss! If you hadn't shunted the power, the dampeners would fail right here and now. As it is, we can still eke some life out of it."
Tali nodded to Ken as Gabby joined her. There was nothing else they could do but wait.
And hope that the secondary dampeners lasted until the exit.
·
~ o ~ O ~ o ~
·
Thane was watching the terminal of the life support system, looking for signs of leaks or breaches. Nothing bad, everything was green and well within working paramateres.
Then all of a sudden, the ship shuddered and vibrated, and the terminal began showing rows of red and yellow.
■ Starboard Observation: TOTAL LOSS OF PRESSURE
■ Starboard Sleeping Quarters: TOTAL LOSS OF PRESSURE
■ Mess Hall: PRESSURE LEAK DETECTED
There was a commotion outside. He stepped out of his room.
The crews were busy, running around, shouting, coordinating activities. Severeal were welding shut the gaps to the Starboard Observation. He looked around, saw Mess Sergeant Gardner, and approached the human.
"Sergeant Gardner," he asked calmly. "What is happening?"
"Mr. Krios! We lost the windows to the starboard side, and the pressure hull above and below the windows are leaking as well - they must have cracked! Can you lend us a hand?"
Thane suppressed a cough, and answered, "I will do my best. What do you need?"
Gardner gestured to a trio of crewmembers standing beside him. "Rolston and Patel will go into the sub-deck crawlspace, and I need you to accompany Hawthorne into the ceiling crawlspace. Seek out any cracks, and weld them shut."
Thane nodded. "Let's go."
The human and the drell immediately ascended a ladder into the ceiling crawlspace, and made their way to the starboard side of the pressure hull.
Shining a polarized light torch against the hull, they identified several cracks. Immediately, a pair of welding torches flared to life, and the duo went down to work.
Although Thane was busy doing a commendable weld-job, his mind wandered to a place millions of miles away, and settled on the face of a young drell, the memories of whom jabbed fear into his heart.
Kolyat.
As he finished up welding his crack and started work on the next one, he prayed a silent prayer.
Arashu, please grant me my wish. No more disappointment for Kolyat. I was not there beside him as he grew up, I was too eaten by my desire for revenge. But let us be together for the few moments available before Kalahira beckons me to the ocean.
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~ o ~ O ~ o ~
·
"Imminent secondary dampener failure. Exit will be rough. Exiting mass relay transit in forty seconds," EDI reported.
"All hands! Prepare for rough exit! Mind loose objects! Keep the injured crewmen safe!" Shepard shouted over the intercom.
An idea suddenly leaping into his mind, Joker began to prime the remaining three thrusters. "EDI! Time the maximum thrust of engines 1, 2, and 3 as we exit! Make sure that the thrust counteracts the inertia!"
"Affirmative, Jeff."
There were commotions in all decks as the crew scrambled to secure themselves.
"Exiting transit in ten... nine... eight...," EDI's voice was heard, counting down.
"All hands! Brace! Brace!" Shepard shouted into the intercom as he himself grabbed the nearest chair.
"Five... four... three..."
Joker tapped his console and started pushing the sliders for the thrusters to halfway.
"One... Exiting."
The Normandy exited the transit and immediately tumbled. At the same time, the thrusters roared to full military power. The counteracting acceleration managed to mitigate the deceleration of mass relay transit somewhat. But the deceleration was still felt by everyone, sending all unseated crew, Shepard included, toppling forward. Screams were heard all over the deck and through the intercom.
Joker maintained his cool and gradually decelerated, when, all of a sudden, the lights flickered out, leaving the cockpit eerily bathed in orange emergency lights.
"EDI, what's going on?" Shepard barked a question to the ship's AI.
The familiar blue orb appeared beside Joker's console, its glow dimmer than usual.
"We have experienced complete power failure, Commander. The failing secondary dampener system caused a massive power feedback that took out our primary and secondary power distributors. We are currently on emergency power supply," EDI explained.
"Tali, how bad is it?" Shepard asked over the ship-wide intercom.
"Very bad, Shepard," the quarian replied. "The distributors blew, and we'll need at least six hours to hack together a repair for the less-damaged secondary distributor."
"We do not have six hours, Commander," EDI added. "Due to damages sustained on the Collector Base, our emergency power supply can only sustain 3 hours of continuous use, 4 hours at best."
Shepard, Joker, and the rest of the crew on the bridge looked at each other. Nobody said a word.
They knew there was no escaping the situation this time.
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~ o ~ O ~ o ~
·
The shuttles waited a respectable distance from the Mass Relay. They had been instructed to hold their position by the mothership frigate, due to the possibility that the Normandy will not be able to 'brake' upon exiting the Mass Relay transit. As it happened, this was a wise instruction; when the Normandy exited the transit, the shuttles' crew saw with horror how it tumbled and accelerated, before finally decelerating... and then its lights went out.
"Captain, we have visual on the Normandy," the Alpha team leader reported.
"Affirmative. We have the Normandy on sensors. Approach slowly, all weapons down. Maintain peaceful stature. I will hail the Normandy."
"Aye aye sir," the team leader acknowledged. "Shuttles Bravo and Charlie, maintain in-line formation. Approach the Normandy slowly." [2]
·
~ o ~ O ~ o ~
·
The Normandy's bridge was as scene of utter confusion. On one hand, the crew were glad - to the point of disbelieving - that they were still alive. On the other hand... the darkened interior did not give them much hope of surviving afterwards. Shushed talks could be heard in the disconcerting silence, when the AI's voice suddenly blared.
"Commander, we are being hailed," EDI informed Shepard.
Shepard and Joker looked at each other, puzzled.
"Patch them in," Shepard finally gave the order to EDI.
A disembodied voice spoke over the speakers, video transmission was no longer available with the reduced power profile they were in. "Captain Shepard, this is Captain MacLeod of the Cerberus Frigate Descartes. We are here to offer our assistance."
There were whoops as the crew expressed their relief. Shepard smiled, but felt a pang to his heart.
"Descartes, you have no idea how glad we are to hear you! We've lost power completely, and we have injuries on board."
"Acknowledged, Captain. Shuttles Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie are approaching with assistance. Where would you like them to dock?"
"We'd love to welcome them in our shuttle bay, but that's where the majority of the damage and the casualties are. We can't risk opening the bay doors."
Another voice joined the conversation. "Captain Shepard, this is Lieutenant Haileselassie, Team Leader of away teams Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie. We can enter through the airlocks, using extravehicular transfer. Just open the doors for us."
"Affirmative, Lieutenant. I'll have the crew open the doors for you guys."
"Very well. I'll order the Descartes as close as possible to the Normandy. MacLeod out."
There was a bit of pause before Joker finally piped up, "Captain, huh? Boy, you're rising rapidly in your career, Captain Shepard."
Shepard rolled his eyes, and shot back, "Joker, if I wasn't so worried about Miranda right now, I'd have your cap."
Joker replied, "Oh! Uh, sorry, captain. I, um... forgot..."
Shepard just waved as he walked to the stairs. "Alright. Forgiven. Jacob," Shepard said via the intercom, "assistance from the Descartes will be coming in the airlocks. Please help them."
"Understood, Shepard," Jacob acknowledged. "Opening outside doors and hatches now."
Shepard descended the stairs as quickly as possible, skipping two, sometimes three steps at a time. Within minutes he ran onto Garrus on Deck 5.
"Shepard," Garrus greeted.
"Garrus! How's Miranda?" Shepard asked, no more able to hide the anxiety in his voice.
Garrus gestured to his left, at Dr. Chakwas who was kneeling beside a woman on a stretcher.
As Shepard approached the doctor, she rose and greeted him. "Commander."
"Doctor," Shepard returned her greeting. "How is Miranda?"
The doctor glanced down at the unconscious woman on the stretcher. Miranda's head was wrapped in a bandage and her neck supported by a brace, but Shepard could see that her breathing was easy, if a bit shallow.
"She'll live Shepard. Superficial injury, slight fracture on the back of the skull, and possible concussion. Luckily, her neck did not snap, her spinal nerve is intact. We immobilized her head just in case. But she'll survive. She'll need at least a week of bed-rest, though."
Shepard sighed in relief. "What about the others? Any other casualties?"
Chakwas dropped her gaze. "Savalas didn't make it. Parker... his spinal nerve was severed. Tomlinson and Johnson in same condition as Miranda."
Shepard closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Alright doctor, there will be assistance from the frigate Descartes. They are boarding right now. Please coordinate with them. What about injuries on the other decks?"
"No one else was seriusly injured. Some sprains and bruises during the rough deceleration, nothing too serious."
Shepard nodded grimly when a commotion erupted in the stairwell.
"Medic coming in! Medic coming in! Please give way!"
Shepard turned to see five medics rushing down the stairs, all dressed in Cerberus extravehicular armor, and each with a white armband bearing the sign of the red cross.
The lead medic stepped up to Shepard, doffed her helmet, and saluted smartly.
"Captain Shepard? I am Lieutenant Carla Marston, team leader of Medical Away Team Charlie. Ready to assist."
Ignoring Chakwas' raising of an eyebrow upon hearing the rank 'Captain', Shepard introduced the doctor to Carla. "Lieutenant Marston, this is Doctor Chakwas, Chief Medical Officer of the Normandy. She'll coördinate your team."
Suddenly, Joker's voice rang out from the intercom. "Captain? The Descartes requested a private conversation."
"I'll take the call in the Comm Room, Joker," Shepard replied. He was dying to be by Miranda's side, but duty called. "Doctor..."
"Don't worry about Miranda. We'll arrange a transfer to the Descartes with emergency medical pods," Chakwas calmed Shepard down. "Now, go. I have a feeling this is very important. Captain."
Shepard just nodded, choosing to ignore the doctor's intonation regarding his newly-found rank. He knew he was leaving Miranda in good hands, but that still didn't manage to lift his gloomy feeling as he ascended the stairs.
He entered the Comm Room and locked the door behind him. Again, the disembodied voice of Captain MacLeod greeted him.
"Captain Shepard?"
"Yes, Captain MacLeod. Just 'Shepard' will suffice."
"Alright, you can also call me Duncan, then."
"Very well, Duncan. Now, what is it?"
The man on the other end of the transmission sighed, then continued with a grave voice. "I have seen the report on the extent of the Normandy's damage."
Shepard steeled himself. "And?"
"We don't have the necessary equipment or supplies to fix her. We have to evacuate all crew."
"And the ship?"
"We will shut it down and tow it."
Shepard closed his eyes. "We can't do that. Shutting down the ship... means shutting down EDI."
"I know, Shepard. The AI on your ship is extremely advanced. We hope we can put it in hibernation mode, or standby. Hopefully that will extend the emergency battery life."
"That is not possible," suddenly EDI interrupted. "My neural networks have evolved to a level of complexity that no longer allows standby or hibernation mode. However, there may be a solution."
"Go ahead, EDI. We're listening," Shepard said, intrigued.
"Without any crew, the life support system can be shut down completely, including all emergency lighting and the barriers. Based on my calculation, this will extend the battery life up to six hours. In addition, if a shunt can be made between the Kodiak shuttle in the shuttle bay and the power lines, I may be able to extend the battery life for an additional two hours."
"That gives us eight hours. I think that would be enough time for the tow ship to reach the Normandy and provide external power," MacLeod said with excitement. "What do you think, Shepard?"
Thinking quickly, Shepard agreed. "I think if we want to save EDI, that's the best plan we've got. Let's get to work."
·
~ o ~ O ~ o ~
·
The crew worked quickly and purposefully.
With the help of Ken, Gabby, and the mechanics from Descartes, Tali quickly jury-rigged the Kodiak to serve as backup battery.
The serious casualties were safely secured in med-pods, loaded into the Descartes shuttles, and shipped to the Descartes waiting nearby.
After taking care of the injured crewmembers, the rest of the crew quickly and orderly boarded the escape pods, and ejected. One by one the pods were gathered and towed to the waiting Descartes.
Everyone had left. Shepard, Joker, and Kelly were the last ones to board the pod attached to the bridge.
"Funny. It's ... déja vu... except that now I have this redhead with me," Joker noted as he entered the pod.
Shepard smiled. He'd known that Joker - and himself - would be the last to leave the Normandy. He did not expect, though, that Kelly would dare to threaten him with 'grievous physical injuries' if he tried separating the yeoman from her fiancé.
"I've learned my lesson, though. Never break your arm. Last time I did that, it cost me my life," Shepard grinned as he helped Kelly enter the pod. "And I am afraid the same thing will happen if I break your - or Kelly's - heart. So, I'm not going to risk it."
Joker laughed while Kelly blushed. Stutteringly, she tried to apologize, "I... I... I am sorry, Comm... Captain. I... I... I just want to... to be beside Jeff..."
Shepard lifted a hand, chuckling as he entered the pod. "Just kidding, Kelly. Now both of you, buckle up!" he ordered the couple as he himself buckled up and manned the pod's controls.
He punched the eject button.
As the pod sped off and distanced itself from the Normandy, Joker's eyes started to glass over. With a hoarse, cracking voice he whispered, "Take care, EDI. We'll come back for you..."
·
~ o ~ O ~ o ~
·
EDI watched through the cameras on each escape pod bay as the last of the pods sped away. All crewmembers had safely exited the ship. No lifesigns remained on board. She started to shut down the life support systems, the artificial gravity generators, the external sensors, and finally, the emergency lights.
She checked the level and drain rate of the emergency battery. It was as expected. Next, she checked the level and drain rate of the Kodiak-turned-battery. Also as expected.
Then she heard Joker's words.
"I know you will, Jeff. I know you will."
·
~ o ~ O ~ o ~
·
The Descartes' shuttle bay was in chaos. Shuttles kept exiting and parking, retrieving the Normandy's escape pods one by one. An escape pod had barely stopped skidding in the bay when the shuttle released its towing, did an about-face, then launched again for another one.
The ground crew was similarly busy. As soon as a pod was released, they winched it to the back side of the bay to provide space for the next one, before opening the pods and allowing the Normandy crew to step out.
It was chaotic, but not a mess; more like a very intricate modern dance or ballet.
The Normandy crew, understandably, had no time to appreciate this amazing choreography. They were busy crying and laughing and hugging each other as they regrouped at the back side of the bay, before a Descartes crewmember suggested that they *really* need to go upstairs to the Mess Hall, because they must make room for more incoming pods.
The crew obliged, except for Tali and Garrus who insisted on waiting for their best friend.
Finally, the last pod was towed in, and the shuttle bay shut.
The pod's door opened, and Shepard exited first to assist Joker; Kelly took up the rear.
"Hi Shepard," Garrus was the first one to greet. "Glad you could make it. Last time we had fun with escape pods, you were late and the train left without you -Oww!"
"Please don't make me remember that... that horrific moment!" Tali said, retracting her leg after stepping hard on Garrus' feet.
"Tali dearest, I think this new hobby of yours, stepping *hard* on my toe, needs to stop," Garrus muttered.
Shepard smiled, watching his two friends. "Hi guys. Yeah, glad I could make it this time. Thankfully, Joker's got a better half this time, and he listened to her," said Shepard, nodding his head to Joker and Kelly.
Said pilot just pulled down his cap, hiding his eyes, while the yeoman stood there awkwardly, hands behind her back, and tried to avoid the amused gazes of three pairs of eyes.
Shepard's happiness quickly ebbed away as the euphoria of escaping alive gave way to a feeling of loneliness. Garrus had Tali. Joker had Kelly. He...
Tali, ever the most sensitive person to read Shepard's body language, approached him and gently hugged him. "Miranda's already here. They took her to the med bay. Let's go see her."
The quintet arrived at the med bay. Through the undarkened glass window, Shepard watched Dr. Chakwas - and a man he didn't know yet, but who he guessed to be the Decartes' Chief Medical Officer - busily moving from bed to bed doing ... medical procedures. He also saw Carla inside, assisting the two doctors.
Shepard leaned against the window, partially because he wanted so badly to see Miranda, and partially because he felt exhausted, and needed something to lean against.
"Don't worry, your XO is in good hands. Dr. Karlsson is one of Cerberus' best, and based on the reports on Dr. Chakwas, she is also," a deep baritone voice from behind startled Shepard.
"Captain Shepard? I am XO Trinidad. Welcome aboard the Descartes. Sorry to have to meet you under such a dire circumstances."
The XO was a big guy. No, *huge* would be more precise. Shepard guessed that Trinidad was at least 20cm taller than him, with a huge, well-muscled body.
"Nice to make your acquaintance, XO Trinidad. Just call me Shepard," he said, extending his hand.
Trinidad enveloped Shepard's offered hand in his own huge one. "My pleasure to know you, Shepard. In that case, I also have to insist that you call me Pierre," the XO replied, smiling warmly.
"Alright. Pierre," Shepard returned the smile.
"If you would kindly meet Captain MacLeod with me? He is very anxious to see you. Not many survive a mid-transit break-up, you know."
Shepard nodded. "Lead the way."
When Shepard finally met MacLeod face-to-face, he couldn't help noticing the contrast with Trinidad.
MacLeod was only as tall as Shepard. His body was not muscular like Trinidad, in fact one might consider him lanky. But whatever he lacked from mass, he more than made up in charisma.
"Shepard! Finally we meet face-to-face. I'm *very* relieved that you made the transit alive," the Captain stood there ramrod straight, offering a hand to Shepard.
Shepard grabbed Duncan's offered hand. As he did that, he felt somewhat light-headed, but he just shrugged it off. "The pleasure is mine, Duncan. Without your timely arrival, we would've all perished. But somehow I don't believe it's a coincidence that you were there to assist."
"Nothing escapes your sharp observation. Yes, it was no coincidence. We have ... the same employer. It was a direct order from The Man himself to provide you an escort, just in case. And as it turned out, his hunch was right."
Shepard nodded. Silently he promised himself that he would thank The Illusive Man the next time they met.
"So, I guess this is the 'surprise' The Illusive Man said when he told us to make the transit."
Trinidad just chuckled. "Yes, but there will be more. You will know it when you see it."
Before Shepard had a chance to ask Trinidad about that curiosity-inducing statement, MacLeod continued.
"I have sent out words about the condition of the Normandy. A tow freighter will be coming with spare cells. ETA is four hours from now. The Normandy should be salvageable."
Shepard nodded, "Thank you Duncan."
Then, his adrenaline surge no longer giving him an energy boost, the events of the past hour caught up with him and struck him hard.
"I... feel... faint," was Shepard's last words before he collapsed.
·
~ o ~ O ~ o ~
·
Shepard woke up in the med bay.
"Captain. You gave us a hell of a scare back there," Chakwas reprimanded, although the worry in her voice was evident.
"Glad you collapsed in front of XO Trinidad. He managed to catch you before you hit your head on something," a male Scandinavian voice added. "Had it been Captain MacLeod that caught you, *both* of you would be here with head injuries."
"Y-yeah," Shepard commented, chuckling, as he tried to sit up on the bed. "Glad you have a body-builder as XO."
"How'd you know my previous profession before I joined Cerberus?" A baritone voice boomed from the med bay entryway. "It's supposed to be a secret," Trinidad said, clearly joking, as belied by the wide grin on his face. "Glad that muscle-power helped save the mission at the most critical time."
Shepard chuckled again. Then, remembering where he was, his eyes darted side to side before finding the one woman he was looking for.
Miranda! He jumped off the bed, and quickly made his way to hers, totally ignoring his less-than-fit condition.
She was sleeping. Her neck brace had been removed, and the bandage around her head had been replaced. In was now tidier, and clean of blood.
"I've given her sedatives, Shepard," Chakwas explained. "Let her rest. She's alright."
"She'll have a big headache when she wakes up, for sure, but nothing serious."
Shepard nodded gratefully to Drs. Chakwas and Karlsson as he gently caressed his girlfriend's cheek. "What about Parker, Tomlinson, and Johnson?"
"We have put them under sedatives as well," Chakwas replied, gesturing to two beds and a med pod across the room.
"In addition, I have put Parker in stasis. We do not have equipment for spinal cord regeneration. He'll be immobilized and sleeping until we reach a better-equipped neurological operating room," Karlsson added.
Shepard nodded again. "Thanks for your help, Dr. Karlsson."
"Please, just call me Olaf."
"Alright, Olaf. So, what about the rest of my crew?"
"Oh most of them are resting in the sleeping quarters. The Descartes' crew have been very understanding of what ours went through, and voluntarily gave up their sleeping pods for them to rest in," Chakwas replied.
Olaf just nodded in affirmation. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have some cuts and bruises to attend to."
Shepard and Trinidad left the med bay. Shepard asked the XO, "How long was I out?"
"About two hours. In the meantime, the good Captain MacLeod managed to find a long lost friend."
Shepard raised an eyebrow. Then he turned a corner, and -
The Mess Hall was chaos. It was understandable, as in a space of one hour the number of hands on board had effectively more than doubled. The crew of the Descartes who had voluntarily given up their sleep shifts were milling about, talking among themselves, some milling with the Normandy's crew.
In the midst of the chaos, though, was a ring of people standing enraptured by what looked like two men trading war stories. Shepard and Trinidad approached that group.
"... so there I was, hauling his sorry ass out of the wreckage, complaining, 'That's it! I'm gonna get your driver's license revoked!'" Shepard heard the unmistakable voice of Gardner from the middle of the circle, followed by a hearty laugh from the spectators.
"Hey, c'mander! Or should I say, cap'n! Why don'cha join' in!" Gardner called out to Shepard when he caught a glance of the commander-now-captain among the bystanders.
"Ah, Shepard! You're up! How nice," MacLeod said, smiling. "I was just catching up with Gardner about the old days. He was once my crew, you know."
"Yeah. Cap'n MacLeod here was my first XO. Remember my story?"
"Yeah, now I remember," Shepard replied. "No wonder the name MacLeod somehow sounded familiar."
Shepard was about to sit down when the intercom blared. "Captain MacLeod, XO Trinidad, your presence is requested on the bridge. We are approaching the MacArthur."
"Oh, that's our cue to end the show, I believe," MacLeod said apologetically. "Sorry, Gardner old chap, let's continue again sometime, okay?"
"Alright," Gardner said. "I'm gonna teach yer cook some cookings then."
MacLeod led Shepard and Trinidad to the elevator. Entering the elevator, Shepard commented. "This ship looks mighty similar to the Normandy."
"Why, in fact, it *is* the twin of the Normandy," MacLeod said to Shepard. "The only difference is that we don't get an AI like yours. Only a VI. Then again, our missions were never as harrowing as yours."
Shepard raised an eyebrow as the elevator reached Deck 2.
MacLeod again led the trio to the cockpit area, striding purposefully.
"MacArthur hailing, sir."
"On screen."
"This is the Descartes requesting berthing. I have with me the crew of the Normandy including Captain Shepard."
"Go ahead Descartes. You have Berth 2H. And for your information, the tow-freighter Hot Potato left for the Normandy about an hour ago."
"Thank you MacArthur. Descartes out."
Shepard looked at MacLeod quizically. "I'm sure you have questions you're dying to ask, Shepard. So, shoot."
"MacArthur," Shepard began. "Is a space station? Or space port?"
"Why do you ask that?"
"Because we needed to ask for berthing."
"No, to both questions," MacLeod chuckled. "Rogers, show the MacArthur on-screen."
Shepard stood there mouth agape as he finally saw what the MacArthur was.
Its sleek hull gleamed in white. The name MacArthur was boldly emblazoned on its sides, beside the ubiquituous orange Cerberus logo. Guiding lights showed berthing docks. At a glance, one could count off at least 8 large-ish berths on the side the Descartes was facing. There were also uncountable smaller berthing doors, undoubtedly sized for fighters. A guess confirmed by the fact that there were at least six fighters were patrolling its perimeter.
It was not a space station. And definitely not a space port. It was -
"A dreadnought..." Shepard finally managed to find his voice.
"Courtesy of Cerberus. Welcome to your new home, Shepard. This shall be your mobile base, allowing extended missions without need of visiting non-friendly spaceports for repairs and resupplies."
Shepard just stood there dumbfounded.
"Ah, berth 2H has fully opened. Hawthorne, take us in, if you please," Trinidad broke the silence, giving an order to the pilot.
"Aye aye, sir. Taking the Descartes in," she replied.
Wait. "Hawthorne? Your name is Hawthorne?"
"Jessica Hawthorne, sir," the pilot answered politely, without taking her eyes off her console. "I am Robert Hawthorne's younger sister."
Two pilots in a family. Wow.
The Descartes slid easily into Berth 2H, guided under the apparently very skillful hands of Hawthorne. It glided to a stop, then the magnetic clamps of the berth grabbed the ship and held it steady as a boarding ramp extended to the ship's airlocks.
"Parked and," Hawthorne tapped the general engine shutdown button, "secured. Welcome to the MacArthur."
"Come, Shepard. I'm sure Captain Van Persie is dying to meet you. You're a legend. Pierre, you have the bridge. Arrange for the crew's shore time."
"Aye aye, sir," Trinidad replied, giving the captain a smart salute.
Shepard followed MacLeod across the boarding walkway. He noticed that there were two men in Cerberus uniform waiting. One of them looked to be in his mid twenties, while the other one... well, it was a bit difficult to guess his age, but with his full head of grey hair, and the crease marks all over his face, Shepard guessed he couldn't be younger than fifty.
"Captain Van Persie, Captain MacLeod of the Descartes requests permission to board the MacArthur."
"Ah, Duncan. Like you don't know me already. I hate formalities you know. Well, here's to humoring you: Permission granted. Now off with the formal crap, already!"
MacLeod laughed. "You know I always like to rile you up, Jaan. Here's Captain Shepard."
"Ah, the man who escaped from Death, and then flashed him the bird for a second time at the Collector Base.
And in the process, saved the galaxy, twice. Welcome aboard son! Oh, and you can call me Jaan... sorry, I meant I *insist* you call me Jaan. There's no place for stinking formalities aboard the MacArthur."
This time, it was Shepard turn to laugh. "Nice to meet you, Jaan. Then, I have to insist that you call me Shepard. Or Theo."
"Nah, I'll call you Shepard. Theo's taken. By the way, this here is Tommy, my aide."
"Thomas White, at your service, sir," the young man saluted the captains.
MacLeod saluted back before ribbing the older captain, "Aide? So, age finally caught up with you?"
"One more joke of my age and I'll duct-tape your mouth, Duncan," Van Persie shot back with mock anger. The glint in his eyes, though, completely showed that he was amused.
"Yeah, I guess your aide must be carrying a whole load of duct tapes for you," MacLeod retorted, drawing a laugh from all four men.
"Come on," Van Persie gestured to Shepard and MacLeod. "Let's walk. Big Boss wants to talk with us all."
A dreadnought was really too big to walk around in, so if someone said 'walk', that meant taking a ride an electric cart. And the MacArthur had carts on the ready, at least for the higher ranks.
The gang of four hopped on a cart nearby, and off they went to the bridge.
"Just to rest your worries, Shepard," Van Persie said as his aide expertly wove around the traffic. "Your team will be taken care of. We have enough room to board ten Normandies at once. Also, your casualties are, as we speak, being taken to the ship's hospital. And we're on our way to pick up the Normandy."
Shepard nodded. "Thank you, Jaan."
"Aaah, no sweat. The least we can do for the ops-dir of Lazarus Cell."
"Ops-dir?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
Deciding to let the matters lie for awhile, Shepard took the time to admire the MacArthur.
The ship was big, that was for sure. That, in itself, was not enough reason to be awed. After all, Shepard was born in a dreadnought, and spent his childhood there.
No, the things that had amazed him had been the completely different design of the dreadnought. Instead of the sleek, elongated shape of the Alliance's dreadnoughts, the MacArthur was more stout. It looked more like... the Destiny Ascension rather than any Alliance dreadnoughts he had ever seen. Granted, the Alliance had only two dreadnought classes, but they looked generally similar to each other.
The other thing that had amazed him was the existence of berths, big enough to dock a ship the size of the Normandy or the Descartes fully *inside* the MacArthur. Which meant that, width wise, the MacArthur was much wider than any Alliance dreadnought in existence.
There was another question bugging his mind.
"Jaan, can I ask you something?"
"Yeah, what?"
"It's quite unusual you know, for a dreadnought to be so... informal. What do people call you for respect?"
Van Persie mulled the question for a while, before answering, "I had told the crew to call me Uncle Jaan. And they did. Until my daughter, her husband, and their children came."
White could hardly suppress his smile, while MacLeod was already shaking trying to suppress a laugh.
"Okayyy... then what happened?"
"My grandkids called me Opa Jaan, and before you can say 'grandfather', *everyone* called me Opa Jaan," he said, huffing resignedly. [3]
At this point, MacLeod broke out in laughter, as did White.
Before Shepard could say anything, Van Persie turned to him, and looked dead straight into his eyes. "And if you ever call me 'Opa', I'm gonna string you up, then have you drawn and quartered!"
Shepard, out of politeness, just grinned. "Alright, I won't call you Opa, Uncle Jaan."
The other two men broke out in laughter again as Van Persie huffed. "That's better!"
·
~ o ~ O ~ o ~
·
"Your turn," MacLeod said to Shepard as he exited the Comm Room.
Shepard sighed, then entered. The usual holomatrix scanning took place, and then he was once again face to face with The Illusive Man.
"Shepard. Glad you made the transit," The Illusive Man said calmly.
"We almost died there. And without the timely arrival of the Descartes, we would have died. Thank you."
"It is just wise business acumen to protect one's investment, Shepard," The Illusive Man played down the fact. "I don't like spending billions credits to rebuild something that could be prevented from being destroyed in the first place."
Shepard just nodded.
"The total cost for building all these easily outsizes the annual budget for Illium. But again, it's money well spent," the billionaire spoke nonchalantly, while looking at a datapad he was holding, totally ignoring the shocked look on Shepard's face.
"I've seen the preliminary reports on the extent of the Normandy's damage. And I have to say, it's really serious," he spoke gravely. "At least four weeks of downtime for repair. *If* it's repairable," he shook his head nearly imperceptibly.
Shepard raised an eyebroow. "'If'?"
"We won't know the full extent until the Normandy docks."
"I see."
"So, what do you think, Shepard?" The Illusive Man asked, as he set aside his datapad and leant back in his chair.
Shepard smiled. "This is the surprise you mentioned a couple of days ago? Nice. I'll live."
The Illusive Man nodded. "I have also decided to appoint you the Operations Director of the Lazarus Cell."
"So, that's the 'ops-dir' Captain Van Persie spoke about," Shepard affirmed.
"He told you already? That takes some edge off the surprise, then," the Cerberus leader said, feigning disappointment.
"Not really. I mean, okay so I am an ops-dir. What's that supposed to mean?"
"Simply put, the Descartes and the MacArthur would be under your command. I have assigned them to support your missions. You will use these resources strategically, Shepard. You're going to need field-tested strategic skills to face the Reapers. This will be a good opportunity to learn."
Shepard just nodded. After lots of discussions with the Cerberus leader, he had to admit that, even though he was a tactician par excellence, he was not a great strategist. Yet.
"Have lots of talks with Captain Van Persie and Captain MacLeod. They are veterans. You can learn lots of strategies from them."
"Won't they feel slighted? I mean, they're much more senior than me," Shepard replied, some worry evident in his face.
The Illusive Man just shook his head. "I wouldn't worry, Shepard. They know their duties. They know our aims. They will set aside their seniority if that will help Cerberus' mission. And I do believe you have the inter-personal skills to treat them respectfully."
Shepard nodded. "Thanks for the trust."
The Illusive Man just waved aside Shepard's thanks. "You've earned it. Now, I still have one more surprise for you."
"Oh?" Shepard raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"
"Later. Now, I've received report of Officer Lawson's injuries. She will be out of commission for at least one week. Too bad. She's going to miss the party."
Shepard tilted his head. "What party?"
"The farewell party for Mr. Krios of course. You think I've forgotten that?"
"Oh."
"You'll need a fast, lightly armed ship. One without Cerberus logos. Ask Captain Van Persie. You'll be pleasantly surprised," The Illusive Man again said enigmatically.
"Alright. Thanks again."
"The least I can do for a fellow father. I have nothing more at this time. We need EDI for further planning."
"EDI? Why?"
"I can't say right now, Shepard," The Illusive Man brushed Shepard's question aside. "Just focus on on retrieving young Krios. You'll need to plan. The Alliance are alarmed that the Omega 4 relay has been activated twice. The security around the Citadel has been increased significantly."
Shepard pondered that news for awhile. "Hmm... why are they that alarmed? I mean, the Collectors have been using the Omega 4 relay back and forth."
"They are not alarmed because of the activation itself. They are alarmed because of *who* activated the relay. They've put out a low-profile search order for you," said The Illusive Man, emphasizing his words by gesturing at Shepard.
"Me? What?" Shepard asked increduously.
"You, or maybe because you're now associated with Cerberus. I have no further information, so I won't speculate further. Suffice to say, be careful, Shepard."
"Alright, I will."
"Anything else you'd like to ask, perhaps?"
"Nope. Oh wait, yes. Since when am I a captain?"
"Why not? You're the de facto captain of the Normandy."
"Uhuh, well... it's just... I don't know... I guess I still felt like an Alliance commander..."
"That will pass. Anything else?"
"Nothing."
"Alright. Please prepare your team then. Time is of the essence. And don't forget to check your next present from me. Cerberus Command out."
Shepard walked out of the Comm Room and joined the two captains talking outside.
"Ah! So, the boss told you already of your next present?" Van Persie asked.
"Hm? Oh yeah. He told me to ask you about it. Sorry, my thought was for my next mission."
"Alright, let's walk to berth 3M then. You coming, Duncan?"
"I think I have to go back to the Descartes. The modifications The Illusive Man sent have just arrived, and knowing Pierre, he'll be insisting on my signature for all modification plans."
"Pierre, hah! Such a stickler for formalities. Why'd you keep him as XO anyway?"
"The same reason you kept Pamela Barnaby as XO."
Van Persie's eyes went extra wide. "You slept with Pierre?"
"Good grief, no!" MacLoud grimaced. "I'm straight, thank you. What I meant was, he's very tidy in all administrative matters. Just like Pamela."
"Oh. Sorry. Well, you've been breathing for forty... something years and never set your eyes upon a girl, it's just natural, I think, for people to start wondering about your sexual orientation."
MacLeod just shook his head. "Pervert old man... well, Shepard, I've got to go. Trust me, despite his lecherous tendencies, Captain Van Persie is one of the best when it comes to hospitality. You're in good hands."
Shepard smiled weakly. The two older captains' bantering had reminded him of Miranda, who was at the moment lying on a hospital bed somewhere in this humongous ship.
A hard slap on Shepard's shoulder brought him out of his reverie. "Come, let me show you your Christmas present."
·
~ o ~ O ~ o ~
·
As soon as the Descartes docked, Dr. Karlsson was busy coordinating for 'ambulances' to transport the injured crewmen to the MacArthur's hospital. In the meantime, Dr. Chakwas maneouvered the gurneys - and one medic pod - to queue just inside the airlock.
Soon enough, eight paramedics came running down the ramp, and started moving the pod and the gurneys to the waiting 'ambulances', which, in this case, were four electric carts with covered backs. The pod carrying Parker went first, followed by the gurneys bearing Tomlinson and Johnson. Dr. Chakwas ran along the gurney carrying Miranda.
When they were loading Miranda's gurney on the ambulance, she stirred and murmured in a plaintive voice, "Th... Theo... Theo?"
She sounds like a small girl, lost, crying for her father. Dr. Chakwas' heart reached out to Miranda. The doctor leant over Miranda, grabbed her hand, and softly spoke into her ear. "Theo's okay. He'll be here soon. Now go back to sleep."
As Miranda drifted back to unconsciousness, Dr. Chakwas couldn't help shaking her head and caressed Miranda's hair.
·
~ o ~ O ~ o ~
·
The rest of the crew gathered on the cargo loading ramp, as a MacArthur crewmember performed a roll call and assigned their quarters. Upon receiving their assignment, the crew left.
All of them except Joker, Kelly, and the squad.
The roll call guy, a private in his early twenties, approached the bunch and nodded to Joker and Kelly.
"I have been told to handle you personally, and I can see why," he smiled, noticing Joker and Kelly holding hands. The pilot just pulled down his cap, while the yeoman got herself busy inspecting her boots. "Mr. Moreau and Ms. Chambers, you've been assigned quarter 1-C01."
"Wait," Joker interrupted. "The '1' is the berth number. What's the 'C'?"
"It's the Couples' quarters, sir." [4]
A chorus of hoots and applauses managed to make the pair beet red in their face.
"As to Captain Shepard's squad -"
"Wait, he's a fucking captain now? When did he get promoted?" Jack wondered out loud, cutting the private's sentence.
"Yes. Per standard Cerberus protocol, commanding officers of ships are Captains, post facto."
"Yeah, right. I forgot. We're with Cerberus now. Fuck me," Jack commented, rolling his eyes.
Jacob continued, "Okay. Joker and Kelly got one couple's room. Who got the other?"
"It's us!" Kasumi squealed in delight, making Jacob looked *very* shell-shocked.
"No, I'm sorry, Ms. Goto. The other couples room is for Mr. Vakarian and Ms. Zorah," the private said, checking up his datapad. "Complete with double seals, sterilizers, dextro snacks and drinks, and some restraining equipment."
Ten pairs of eyes bore down on the turian and quarian. Like Kelly, Tali suddenly found her boots to be very interesting. But lacking a cap like Joker, Garrus could only stutter, "Um." [5]
The private coughed. "Excuse me, I'd like to inform you of your assigned quarters please."
The squad murmured their agreement as the private started reading out his list.
"Ms. Goto, your berth is1-Oscar-01."
"What's Oscar?" Kasumi asked.
"That's military speak for 'O'," Jacob replied, earning him a smack on the arm.
"I know that, dummy. What's it stand for?"
"It signifies the Officer's quarters, ma'am," the private explained.
"Oh, wow! ... Wait, Jacob's surname is 'T', does that mean he's not in the room next to me?"
The private glanced at his datapad. "No, ma'am. In fact, he'll be quite far away, in quarters CO-22. That's the Cerberus Officers quarters, near the bridge."
No conscious person could miss Jacob making a 'victory pumping' motion, his mouth hissing 'Yesssssss'. Especially an extremely annoyed Japanese girl, who proceeded to fold her arms and pout.
"Mr. Grunt, you will have quarters 1-O-11."
"Wait, why the numbering jump?" Grunt asked.
"The female officers' quarters are separate from the male officers' quarters, sir. The female quarters are numbered one through ten, while the male quarters are numbered eleven through twenty." [6]
Grunt huffed. "Ah, like the separate female clan in Tuchanka. Speaking of which, you have physical training equipment that can stand the might of a krogan?"
"A shipment of krogan-grade gym equipment is on its way, sir."
"Good," Grunt exclaimed. "What about the ship's library? Does it have the biographies of great earth battlemasters?"
The private stared at the krogan blankly upon hearing the word 'battlemasters'.
Grunt shook his head. "I mean, generals. Great earth generals. And their battles."
"Ah, our library is quite complete with those, sir."
"Wonderful!" Grunt bellowed. "I'm beginning to like this ship already!"
The private nodded. "To continue, Ms... Jack, you will have quarters 1-O-02."
Jack nodded.
"Mr. Krios, you will have quarters 1-O-12. We have installed dehumidifying equipment for your needs."
"Much appreciated, thank you," Thane replied.
"The Big Boss did not spare a dime for you at all, sir.
"Next, Mr. Legion-"
"Technically, we are not a Mr.," the geth replied. "We are a gestalt entity of 1'083 processes, which for the purposes of identification aboard the Normandy, are called Legion."
"Uh...Of course... You will be located in Research Lab-"
"Wait!" Jacob exclaimed, stepping forward. "Legion is part of the team. He is not to be experimented upon, and no negotiating about that!"
"Uh... why, of course, sir. The Man himself had personally ordered that."
"He did?" Jacob raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. He gave us the order to *not* disturb Mis... um, Legion *at*all*, and to allow him to exchange data with the ship's AI. And, at his discretion, share the AI's workload in a grid manner. That is why Legion will be located in the Research Lab Hub Alpha, where the ship's AI core is."
"That is acceptable," Legion declared. "The willingness of Cerberus to cease all hostilities toward us is appreciated. We calculate an 80% increase in the probability that geth will partner with Cerberus in defending against the Old Machines."
The private just dumbly nodded. What had just happened had gone straight over his head. Not knowing how to reply, he continued with his list.
"Mr Massani, you shall have quarters 1-O-13-"
"Thir-teen," Zaeed drawled. "Not a good number. Say, you have a good pub onboard?"
"Yes, sir. We have Ten-forward, The Watering Hole, and-"
"Ten-forward? Ten's a good number. I think I'll spend more time there than in bloody room number thirteen," Zaeed said.
"Yeah, like you're going to spend your time off-pub anywhere but my place," Jack added, licking her lips.
"Uh... okay... next would be, Ms. Samara. You will be assigned room 1-O-03."
"Does it have a view of the stars?" Samara asked.
"I'm sorry, it doesn't. There's an observation deck nearby, though, ma'am."
"Private deck? I need privacy for meditation."
"There are private booths there, ma'am. If you want, I can arrange with the security guys to assign one permanently to you, so whenever you need to meditate, you can use that booth."
"That will be much appreciated."
"Finally, Professor Mordin."
"Actually. Proper way to address salarian when using honorific, is to use given name. Not clan name. Clan name shared by many. Given name chosen using random function over a database of given names," Mordin paused, taking a breath, "thus ensuring low probability of name collision." [7]
"Uh, okay, sorry about that, Professor. You are assigned quarters R-29, that's in the Research Lab section."
"Waste of space. Most likely, will be busy *in* research lab. Salarians only need one hour of sleep."
"Maybe so, sir. But it's also standard Cerberus policy that everyone have a private - or semi-private in the case of non-officers - place of their own."
"Still, a waste of space. Only need a cot, a public bathroom will suffice for hygiene purposes. Can put cot in lab?"
The private sighed. He had thought his job would be easy: Come, do a roll call, assign rooms, leave. Now he understood why this bunch wasn't grouped with the rest of the crew.
"I'm very sorry, professor, that is against Cerberus regulations."
Mordin huffed. "Wasteful. Still, will not argue with employer. Alright, will take room. But, note my displeasure at such wasteful allocation."
"I will, sir, I will," the private quickly answered. Anything to get this over with. "Alright, for directions to your quarters, feel free to use the terminals. The ship's AI will guide you. Any other thing I can help you with?"
The squad collectively shook their heads.
The private saluted them all, clicked his heels, and left, thinking of only one thing.
Aspirin.
~ o ~ O ~ o ~
·
Shepard, Van Persie, and White arrived at berth 3M. Disembarking from their cart, Van Persie led Shepard to a window overlooking the berth.
"Beautiful, isn't she?" the old captain said, smiling.
Shepard couldn't help but smile as well.
Docked in the berth was a brand new spaceship, its hull painted in gleaming pearly-cream. Its four thrusters were installed at the ends of four 'wings', extended around the ship making a flattened 'X' cross-section. The thrusters and the wings were painted in titanium metal tint.
The sides of the hull were lined with two rows of silver-tinted windows. Between the two rows was the inscription, in bold red capitals, "CORD-HISLOP CATAMARAN XS-3020L".
"Cord-Hislop's newest X-wing sport catamaran. In luxury configuration. Can't take many people, but it will deliver you anywhere quickly, in comfort and in style. People all over the galaxy have been drooling over this baby. This one just arrived two days ago, straight from the factory," Van Persie explained.
"What's her name?"
"Why, she's yours to name, Shepard! When you've decided upon a name, we'll paint it on the hull. Without Cerberus logo, the Boss is explicit on that."
Shepard nodded. "What do you think? Take her for a spin?" he asked Van Persie, grinning stupidly like a seventeen-year-old given his first aircar.
The older captain laughed heartily. "I thought you'd never ask! I'll page my private pilot, and he'll drive that girl. Um, mind if I ask you a favor?"
Still grinning, Shepard asked back, "No problem. What?"
"When the Normandy's back to full capacity, and you're not riding the catamaran, can I borrow her for ... personal business?"
That was one of the hardest decisions Shepard had had to make in his entire life.
·
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