The ship was silent except for the light hum of the engines as the blue tunnel of FTL speeds streaked past.
Everyone was silent, all doing their jobs. But they were all thinking about the same thing, the colony that was just wiped from existence.
Ivea turned and looked at Sam as she sat in the Captain's seat with her face hidden behind her hands.
I should say something but…He looked around at the crew with a frown. She's thinking of the crew before herself. A very Quarian attitude.
Ivea smiled at the thought that even though someone was a different species they could have the same attitude, but the smile wore away as the crushing reality of what had occurred rushed back into his mind.
Suddenly Ivea realized he was the only one who was standing around, he had no job.
He took a step forward and cleared his throat.
"Excuse me Captain?" He asked as he stood stiffly upright with his hands behind his back.
Sam looked up with a drained look on her face. The day's events wore her down.
"I was um…I was wondering what I should exactly do?" She frowned as she rubbed her eyes.
"Officially you're not an Alliance Soldier so you shouldn't even be up here but seeing as we have a mess in the mess hall go clean that up." She replied with an exhausted tone.
Ivea blinked and stood in place. Clean that up? Those are the bodies of Soldiers down there! He slowly nodded and managed to step off the bridge and start walking towards the elevator.
. . . .
After turning five tables back over and setting them where they originally were Ivea came upon the two Soldiers who were killed by the woman whose body lay on the ground across the mess hall.
Footsteps caught his attention and caused him to turn. Before him was Sam who stood in the doorway.
Ivea gave her a nod then looked down at the two Soldiers and began dragging them toward the wall so he could continue moving the tables until he could think of what else to do with them.
"Ivea listen before when you tried to comfort me…I was just still caught up in the Captain's death and-"
Ivea released the Soldiers and straightened himself up and looked behind him at Sam.
"Private Richards and Corporal Jenkins." He said and went over to the nearest overturned table.
"What?" Sam asked in confusion. Ivea flipped the table and turned around to face her.
"Those are the name of those" he pointed his finger at the two Soldiers against the wall "men. They died during this attack. They're not just 'messes to be cleaned up' they were people." Ivea growled with a deep frown etched in his face.
Sam blinked in surprise of the outburst.
"Those men didn't sign on to just be considered pieces of meat to be cleaned!" He yelled with clenched fists.
Sam held up her hands, "Whoa Ivea what're you talking about?"
"You wanted me to 'clean up the mess'. And I'm telling you that they're not just some mess to be cleaned up!"
Realization dawned on Sam's face as she stepped forward.
"I'm sorry Ivea I misspoke before I didn't mean-" Ivea shook his head.
"I understand it's been a difficult day for us all but for your crew's sake you cannot afford a slip up like that." Sam sighed and rubbed her eyes.
"You're right, I wasn't cut out for all this command stuff I've been a grunt my whole life then suddenly this all happens." She said shaking her head as she sat on a nearby table and put her feet on the chair.
Ivea walked over and stood before her.
"I understand how you feel, I've always been the 'grunt' my whole life as well. But then I became the head of engineering in my liveship the Lavenya. At first I wasn't good at it like you now but you have to earn that leadership. Some are born with it of course but people like you and I must strive to become great like those people." Ivea said with a smile as he lifted her head up with his right hand.
"So don't be so down on yourself alright?" He asked as she smiled.
"Looks like you're saving me this time rather than me saving you." Sam said with a chuckle as Ivea's hand dropped to his side again.
"If only you knew how much you saved me Sam. When I was forced out of my home I felt lost." Sam's face twisted into confusion.
"Kicked out? Did you do something wrong?" Ivea shook his head as he sat beside her on the table.
"No, when my people become of age we're forced out of the Flotilla and pushed into the galaxy whether we want to be or not. We're not to return without bringing a gift of worth for a ship's Captain. If they accept the gift we are then able to join their crew." Sam listened intently but still had that strange look on her face.
"So you guys are pushed out with no combat experience and no training to go and find…something just to impress some Captain?"
"Well most of us are given training it's just…not all Quarians are exactly equal. I mean there are a lot of us so that will happen it's just…not many will tell you that." Ivea's face burned with the embarrassment of having to tell someone one of the many flaws of his people.
"So what, are you saying that you're not worth as much some other Quarians?" Ivea's head spun to face hers.
"Not at all! I'm worth the same as any Quarian no one is worth any more than anyone else it's just the others in the Fleet need to learn that." He looked down at the ground and sighed as he clasped his hands together.
"I think everyone could learn that lesson. Back on Mindior we were treated the same as everyone else because we were all almost the same thing, farmers just hoping to make it on a new colony world. So your people live entirely on ships?" Sam asked looking over.
Ivea nodded as he looked back over at her.
"Yes and we spend our entire lives in these suits. The only way we could ever even see each other is in a clean room and those are reserved for those who wish to become erm…intimate." There was his burning again.
"Really? I've read a bit about you guys while we are ground side. Geth drove you guys off? You must really hate them." Ivea was silent for a full minute before he shook his head.
"Honestly no, I feel that we wronged them, we were the ones who struck first. If anything we declared war on them…they won." Sam certainly was surprised by that.
"Really? The Quarians that I've read about had nothing but hate towards the Geth. I guess you guys are all different huh?" Ivea's eyes narrowed a bit.
"Why wouldn't we be? We're no different than you. Well…except physically of course." Sam's eyebrow arched. Something that truly puzzled Ivea.
"Then you guys do look different from us?" Ivea's breath caught in his throat.
"Well...we're not the same I mean…we're not too different…except…some I suppose…" He stammered as he tried to think of a way out of this conversation.
"Then what do you look like under that mask?" Ivea's heart skipped a beat.
"Well I can't exactly take my mask off in a non sterile room unless I wanted to die."
"And if we had a sterile room?" She asked as Ivea's eyes shot open. Did she just suggest…?
"I…I don't think that that would be very…oh Keelah I…I wasn't prepared for something like that." Sam was confused a moment before she realized what she said.
"Oh no! I wouldn't suggest something like that! Sorry about-" Her omni-tool beeped causing her to look down.
"They need me up there it seems, we'll talk again." She said with a nod as she walked off leaving Ivea sitting on the table with nothing but the quiet hum of the ship.
"Of course you wouldn't suggest something like that…" Ivea muttered as he curled into a ball on the table.
. . . .
The ship had docked on the Citadel with Councilor Anderson standing at the dock waiting for the crew to walk out.
Sam began walking out still in her armor. Ivea stepped to follow her when one of the men pushed Ivea to the side and followed behind Sam as the others followed swiftly.
Ivea stumbled and bumped his head against the wall causing his head to swim for a moment before he stood back up and jogged to catch up.
The men and Sam stood at attention before the Councilor.
"Greetings Chief Johnson." The Councilor greeted with a nod. Sam slowly held out the datapad the Captain had given her.
"I suppose it's Captain now isn't it?" The Councilor asked after he read it.
"Afraid so sir. I also have the debriefing here sir." She gave him another datapad. The Councilor took it with a nod.
"I'd rather you come with and tell me your account personally." Sam nodded and looked to the crew.
"You all stay on the ship, I'll be back in a few hours." The men gave salutes and walked back to the ship, one of which pushed through Ivea.
Sam looked at Ivea. "You too Ivea." That confused him, he'd always gone with her except when he was under watch in his room.
"I…yes ma'am." He said with a nod and walked back into the ship.
. . . .
The crew all sat in the mess hall at one table while Ivea sat in the corner. Alliance personnel had already taken the bodies of the Soldiers and the Cerberus agent Ivea shot.
As Ivea scrolled through his omni-tool he could feel the glares he got from the other men.
He peeked up once and saw two of them glaring his way. He immediately peeked back down. Then he saw he'd received a new message from Rana.
A colony? Sounds fun to finally get off the ship! The new head of engineering is slowly but surely learning the ropes except…yesterday one of the fuel lines blew and we lost Aerz. I guess our new head of engineering forgot to turn off the damned fuel first before telling Aerz to torch up and seal the hole. Aerz got a puncture and was incinerated inside his suit. Liva came over the other day and asked what had happened since you were gone. I swear she just misses you more and more. I hope you return to the Fleet soon.
Rana
Ivea's eyes widened as his heart skipped a beat. Dead? One of my team dead? He never really knew Aerz but he knew that Aerz had his parents and a brother. I need to return to the Lavenya I need to get back! These damned Humans don't even want me here anyways! I can just book passage on another ship then I-
He was brought out of his thoughts by one of the men calling over to him.
"You called Cerberus to the colony didn't you suit?" Ivea's throat burned with rage, not from the Human but from the fact someone died because he wasn't there.
"It's all your fault isn't it?" The same man yelled. Ivea's whole body throbbed, he could feel the rage and adrenaline flowing throughout his body.
The man stood up from his table. Don't even walk over here.
The man had a frown on his face as he began to walk toward him.
"Because of you our friends are dead." He reached Ivea's table and leaned against it while Ivea stood on the opposite end staring down at the table.
"All those Turians are dead. All those people are dead!" He screamed. In that single moment Ivea made a decision. It is a decision every creature in the galaxy makes every day. Fight or flight?
Ivea swept his hands under the table and launched the side up causing it to fly in the air and spin so the top of it was facing the man who was thrown off balance.
He then pushed the table at him, hitting the man straight in the face and knocking him to the ground.
Without wasting a moment Ivea pounced on him and punched him with his left then his right then his left again and again until the man's face was a bloody wreck.
Other crew members stood up and were about to charge him when he pulled the survival knife he kept strapped to his back out and stood up but crouched low to the ground in an animalistic rage.
It was as though Ivea was pushed deep inside his mind as a rage took over he'd been hiding since the day he'd been conceived.
An actual growl like that of an animal caused the men to stay in place as Ivea slowly began stepping towards the door while facing the men and keeping low to the ground.
The moment he reached it he sheathed his blade and ran to the elevator.
. . . .
He had been running for so long his legs hurt. All he knew, all he cared about was that he could hear ships. He began to stumble as he panted hard and finally fell over.
The many people around him not bothering to take notice in fact some went out of their way to kick his arm as they walked past.
This pilgrimage, this universe, these people I hate all of it!
He closed his eyes as he thought back to his father, one of his only memories of him, finishing the pistol. How proud his father was that day.
His father actually hugged him and said, "Great job son, I'm so proud."
Slowly Ivea's eyes began to water as he lay on the ground in the middle of the Citadel being kicked every once and a while simply because he existed.
There was nothing here for him. No future, nothing but hatred so why even bother trying to understand these other races? Ivea used to have hope, that inside everyone was equal but if anything all he learned was that Quarians were all equally trash in everyone else's eyes.
"You nearly kill one of my men then you run off to lay in the middle of the walkway?" He heard the familiar voice of Sam. He didn't move or reply at all. He just wanted to go home and leave this damned galaxy behind.
"I don't know why you're here but I'd like an explanation as to why one of men is in critical condition right now." She said as she went around by his head and crouched down in front of him. "Well?" She asked.
She wasn't in her armor anymore but in the formal wear of a Captain.
"I'm going home." Ivea finally replied. He simply stared at the ground through his watery eyes.
"Are you being called back? I thought you needed a gift?" She asked in confusion. Now no one seemed to want to kick him with a Human here. Disgusting.
"One of my crew died yesterday because I wasn't there. I won't let that happen again. I don't belong out here. I don't want to be out here." He quietly replied.
Sam's face softened. "I thought you loved learning about the other species, back at the clinic you were so energetic about finally meeting a Human."
Ivea scoffed. "I've realized you Humans see us as garbage same with the damned Turians and those pretentious Asari."
"And the Salarians? Tell me how they hurt your feelings." Sam scoffed as she shook her head.
"The galaxy is a nasty place sometimes but you can't run home because you don't like people and you damn well can't judge an entire species because a few men got angry and turned that anger towards you." Ivea looked up at her.
"So you already knew what happened? Why are you here?" Sam scratched the back of her head.
"Well we've been with each other for a while now and hell I guess I've grown to like you. I don't want to lose a friend because some assholes decided they didn't like you." Ivea looked back down at the ground, still laying there.
"Now you started down this journey with me and by God you're gonna be there at the end with me. Now come on let's get back to the ship." Sam said with a smile as she stood up and held out her hand.
But Ivea didn't take it. He laid there and thought to himself for a long while. Aerz died because I wasn't there. Is it really alright for me not to be there?
He couldn't possibly go back not like this. Not to such an ugly species who have done nothing but try to harm him. But then again… He looked up at Sam as she smiled. This woman was the one person in this galaxy who was not a Quarian that had actually helped him and did so with no thought of her own well being. She was the one non Quarian in this galaxy that Ivea actually felt positive toward. This woman…was the woman that Ivea had began to fall for since the day she saved him in that alleyway and she was a Human. Maybe they're not all bad.
He knew whatever Cerberus was planning was bad and if he didn't help stop it, a lot more than Aerz would die. With that he grabbed Sam's hand and stood up.
"The one who came at you will find he was discharged from service from assaulting a civilian. So no worries. Turns out he was the asshole that kept egging everyone toward being anti-alien." Sam explained as they walked back toward the ship.
"By the way you Quarians must have some damned strong legs to run that fast." Sam said as she shook her head. And once again Ivea's face began to burn.