Marissa was thrilled that Captain Marshall said she could tag along and meeting aliens would be a very exciting adventure. Being a resident of Arcturus Station meant she had seen aliens from time to time, but she never had the opportunity to meet them. The school's curriculum included learning about aliens; what they looked like, their biology, technology, government, religion, and other stuff. She looked forward to the alien language courses and hands-on alien tech workshops that would be taught next year. Marissa was in her first year of high school and she was already well educated about weapons, ships, and how to prepare for a variety of situations. Marissa was glad she knew how to pack her backpack for emergencies. The Alliance was good at training military kids what to watch out for and how to stay safe.
Marissa was sitting in the mess using her omni-tool to look up information on their destination and the various aliens she might encounter. She was fascinated by all of them. The Asari were so beautiful with their blue skin and head tentacles. She knew they lived to be a thousand years old and had three distinct phases in their life. They worshipped either the Goddess Athame or believed in polytheism. They were able to mate with any species or gender in the galaxy and Marissa could just imagine how awkward that might be with some. The idea of an Asari with a Hanar seemed a little weird.
The Salarians reminded Marissa of amphibians her mother showed her pictures of from Montana. They were far better at spying and intelligence operations, which gave the Alliance trouble sometimes. Marissa had several instructors complain about how "they can't seem to get anything past the newts". The Salarians were also into science and technology, something Marissa appreciated.
The Salarians also talked fast so it was important to pay attention. Marissa was grateful she updated her real-time translator before they left. A few years ago, her father thought it would be a good idea to get the language translator and haptic interface chips installed sub-dermally and Marissa was more than willing to get the implants. It was easier than trying to keep track of devices and gloves.
Turians were the third species to join the Citadel Council and they were the first aliens humans met. It didn't turn out so well considering they thought humans were doing something illegal and humans didn't even know there were galactic rules. That turned into a two month mess. The Alliance lost people and so did the Turians. Marissa felt bad for all the kids that had lost a mom or dad because of that incident; Marissa knew what it was like to feel sad like those kids now. Turians, on the whole, were born and raised military. Marissa understood that since almost all Alliance kids eventually signed up for service themselves. Marissa was planning on doing just that when she turned 18.
Marissa was about to look up information on Batarians when her mother walked into the mess. "There you are! We'll be arriving soon, so head back to the cabin and get your gear." The ship they were on was designed to transport diplomats and had several small cabins for privacy. Captain Marshall let them take the smallest one available and she thought that was nice since most Alliance personnel slept in pods and didn't have much space or privacy.
"Hey, Mom, what are your orders for while we're there?" asked Marissa before her mother could send her away.
"Once we get situated on the Citadel, I'll escort the diplomats to the Embassy and meet with Ambassador Goyle. Then I'll have to attend the settlement conference with the Turians. My job is to make sure no one gets unruly or violent. So you'll probably be on your own most of the time; I expect your best behavior!" Her mom tilted her head and lifted one eyebrow. "I should have the evenings open though."
"That doesn't sound like much fun for you, but I bet I can find something to keep me occupied," said the younger Shepard slyly. Marissa was already plotting to get into a little trouble. How could her mom expect her to just sit around while they were on the Citadel? There was too much to see and do.
"Best behavior, I mean it!" said Hannah sternly. "Now, off you go."
Back in the cabin, Marissa gathered her things and made sure her backpack was filled with food rations, water, her knife, and of course she never went anywhere without her tool kit. Her omni-tool was set to go with her flashlight, scanner, and maps of the Citadel and places of interest marked. Now... "What should I wear?" wondered Marissa. She looked through her clothes. "What about…" she said as she pulled out a few items, "No, might get dirty." She thought about it and pulled out a few more items. Then she decided on something easy: pants, a blue undershirt, a grey jacket, and her boots. She folded her cute dress into her bag too, in case her mom wanted to go somewhere nice on one of their nights together or if Marissa met a really cute boy. Marissa packed several other items of clothing, shoes, her toothbrush, hairbrush, and make-up applicator.
Marissa was ready to go, but one more hour and they would be there. The ship was buzzing with excitement as most of the crew would have shore leave and that was always a big deal in the Alliance. Marissa decided to email a few of her friends back at Arcturus; she planned to take pictures and would try to pick up some souvenirs. Her friends were excited for her and a bit envious of her trip. Even Tony, her easygoing, carefree bud, was jealous. Tony and Marissa had met when they were in grade school and at first he was mean to her, always picking on her about her clothes, hair, and her grades. She tried to be the best and that irritated Tony. After a year of being picked on, Marissa finally confronted Tony and told him he was being a jerk and she didn't deserve it. When Tony tried to fire back with some smart mouth comment, Marissa held up her hand and walked away. After that Tony was decent to her and after some time they became best friends. Marissa found out that Tony didn't have any friends and the only way he knew how to be social was by being mean. Marissa showed him better ways of interacting and now Tony had many friends. Tony's dad was Alliance but his mom was a civilian and they were divorced. He had the option to live with his mom on Earth, somewhere in London, but he and his dad decided that it was best for an aspiring recruit to live on Arcturus and attend its school.
About 45 minutes later, Marissa heard over the intercom that they'd arrived and were docking. Her mother walked into the room and grabbed her gear. "Time to go."
On their way to the airlock, they approached Captain Marshall talking to another crewman, but before they passed, the Captain gestured the elder Shepard over. Captain Marshall was a tall man about Marissa's mother's age, blonde hair, brown eyes, and dimples. He asked Hannah to take the diplomats to the hotel and he would catch up with them at the Embassy since he had some tasks to finish before leaving the ship. The usual salute and "aye, aye, sir" was given, then the two ladies walked through the tunnel that connected the ship to the docking station. Once they were clear, Marissa was in awe.
The docking bay was huge. With so many ships and so many people, Marissa felt small and unimportant. Her mother and she followed the diplomats through customs where Citadel Security checked their credentials. Once they were cleared, all six of them made their way to the nearest rapid transit station where Hannah requested two skycars to take them to the next stop. The clamshell doors opened wide and they all piled in. The skycars pulled out of dock and seamlessly glided into traffic.
En route to the hotel, there were two skycar trips and several long elevator rides. As they went, Marissa ran all kinds of searches on the various aliens she saw. She looked into what Elcor liked to eat, what chemicals were used in Hanar's bioluminescence, why all Volus bio-suits looked like they had mustaches, and where the Keepers lived on the Citadel. She was so enthralled by all the activity she forgot several times to get off the elevator and out of the skycar. It was a good thing her mother was there to grab her arm or bump her to keep her moving.
They made it to the hotel and got their omni-tools registered for their rooms. Her mother advised the diplomats they would be leaving for the Embassy in two hours and she would meet them at the transit station at that time. Marissa grabbed her stuff and followed her mother into the elevator, the door closed and re-opened on the 50th floor. Marissa excitedly ran into the room, threw down her stuff and ran to the balcony. "Wow! You can see the whole Citadel from here."
Her mother dropped her stuff on the bed and cautioned her daughter, "Please be careful. I don't think the Keepers want to shovel your butt off the sidewalk."
Marissa came back into the room and unpacked her bags. She put her clothes in the closet and laid out her tools making sure all were in order. Her mother put her things away too and then pulled out several datapads.
"Mare, I'm going to be buried in this data for a little while. You can go exploring but in the hotel only," said the older Shepard. 'Stay out of the way and don't cause any trouble, please."
Marissa gathered her backpack and left. She took the elevator up to the top to check out the view from the 200th floor. She could see skycars gliding along invisible paths like the drivers intuitively knew where the lines were, lights as far as the eye could see, and tiny beings scurried to and fro. It was an amazing sight and it left her breathless. This place was amazing!
Back down in the lobby, there were several stores and Marissa scoped out all of them. One store sold travel essentials for the various species: toothbrushes, eye drops, three fingered and five fingered gloves, levitation pack eezo batteries, carapace cream, and so much more. Marissa was curious about a package that contained several smooth rocks. The language on the label had script characters that she couldn't read so she took a picture with her omni-tool and did a search. For all those tough meals scarfed down without regard, follow with Gizzard Grinders to make the transition more agreeable. "Turian digestive stones…nifty," thought Marissa.
Finally, Marissa sat down and watched the vids playing in the lobby. She saw a movie preview for Blasto, the Jellyfish Stings, advertisements for stores, products, and venues, and a show featuring an Elcor reciting poetry. She was talking with a few human teens when her mother came down to collect her.
"Mare, come with me to the Embassy; I want you to know where it is and how to get ahold of me. You ready?" asked her mother.