A/N: All right, so we're back with some more Mass Vexations.
So yeah, if you haven't heard of Vexations before... well, now you know pretty much all there is to know about it. It's... kind of hard to play for those reasons, although most people that tried to play it stopped when they saw elves dancing on top of the piano.
So, you're all probably wondering how I plan to get into Shepard's group, right? Well, look no further than this chapter, in which I show you how I do that. Takes a spin on a certain person's recruitment, so yeah. Beware, as this is a pretty long chapter. (As will the rest of the installments, I think...)
Enjoy!
"Today I bent the truth to be kind, and I have no regret, for I am far surer of what is kind than I am what is true." -Robert Brault
Chapter 1: Sessions: Symphony no. 6
I've been hanging around Chora's Den. And there is a hell of a lot on my mind that I've found out.
I checked my cell phone in the alley, and noticed that no matter where I walked, I did not get any bars, even when I discreetly checked outside of the alley. Well, shit. I'm cut off from everybody I knew. I'm... I'm really alone now.
Alone. That's... terrifying, really. I mean, I lived by myself, but I was never alone. I had people I could trust. People I could talk to. People I could go to if the situation was right... Shit... This is a bit hard to swallow.
I'll hang on to the phone, however. As a memento of a life gone by so I can think of all the people that will probably miss me most. I wonder. If I got teleported here, then what happened to my body over there? Did I die? Did I disappear? Did I get found in an alley somewhere in the city of Boston? I don't know, and I never will. Well, you never know. Knowing my parents, though, they're extremely paranoid, and they would throw a fit when they find out I'm no longer there. I just wish that I could somehow send them a message. Let them know I'm okay, that I'm still alive, and that...
Damn it, I'm getting all misty in public. Not good form.
Seeing as how I wouldn't need my wallet, though, I emptied it of everything in there, including my bills, my drivers' license, my fraternity membership card, all my rewards cards... I figured the wallet would be useless, but I decided to try anyway. When I went to a salarian vendor with it, though, he saw something vintage that would look good in there, so I got a good three thousand credits for that. I dared not give away my identification, however, knowing that I would never live it down if I did (especially since I'm trying to blend in here). Apparently, it's a good deal, as I've found out that it'll buy me enough food to last me for five days.
I also held on to my pack. Or... tried to, at least. I got robbed by batarians before I was able to sell my wallet, and they stole my backpack and therefore all of my sketches and manuscript paper. Well, there goes that. I get the feeling it'll bite me in the ass one of these days, but unfortunately there's nothing an unarmed human who's wearing clothing worthy of the Illusive Man can do in a situation with armed batarians. God... Just looking into those four eyes was way creepier than I thought it would be.
So now that I'm officially somewhat invisible (to be completely invisible once I can get rid of these clothes) I've been hanging around outside Chora's Den, waiting for something to happen. I've already come up with an elaborate cover story. I'm a pretty terrible liar, so I'm pretty sure someone will be suspicious, but where I lack in telling lies I'm a little better at holding back vital information and making things extremely hard to track. So hopefully, that'll save me.
I've also resolved never to tell anybody about Mass Effect the video game. The only people who wouldn't think that me being in another world was sane are self-insert authors, and even then... that's fictional, so they won't help me now. People would think I'm nuts if I told. That's partly why I came up with a cover story, actually: it gives me a reason to be on the Citadel without really seeming odd.
At least I didn't wind up on Eden Prime: that would have screwed any efforts on my part to make up that cover story, especially since I needed time to do so.
I guess also that since I know the events of the game, I can always just sidle along. Hiding it will be the tough part, though. Especially when we get to Virmire. Dear Jesus, I am not looking forward to seeing who gets offed in an incredibly tragic manner once we get there. I should say something, but... it'll give me away. And people will think I'm insane. And then I'll have no place here. It's... Now that I think about it a little more, it's actually a bit scary. It's just... so wierd... Here I am, expecting prettyness and rainbows and all that, and in my first day here I'm robbed by batarians. The irony is palpable. Not like the Mass Effect universe was totally bright and happy anyway, but still, I was expecting it to be a bit more... civilized than this.
It's just... I need to get used to the fact that this isn't a game. I need to think of it like Heavy Rain. You fuck up, you die. No plot armor here. No second chances. No continues. No dying a lot. No becoming the object of the Angry Video Game Nerd's rants, even if he wouldn't do something this recent anyway.
John, I wish I could give you a pat on the back now. At least in the Fire Emblem universe you were able to definitively prove that you were from another universe. Here, I have no way to prove it, except maybe via what is most likely a vintage cell phone. And my glasses. Those too, but then again, if the Illusive Man can have that suit, chances are there are people in need of glasses. So I salute you. Also, because you've given me a tentative survival guide on how to survive being in another universe, and how to make friends in said alternate universe.
I'm just waiting for something eventful to happen. It's been eight hours since I first got here, and all I can say is that being in the Citadel is incredibly fucking surreal, especially with all that's happened.
But I know one thing's for sure; the mindfuck has just begun.
I got lucky when I returned the next day, for then I saw a quarian at Chora's Den speaking with one of the bouncers.
I really wouldn't have minded in any other event, but I noticed that she wore a black and grey suit, her movements seeming quite desperate as she talked to the bouncer. Seeing this, I knew I had to do something.
And so, I moved closer to the conversation. I manage to get close enough to hear some of their conversation without being noticed by either of them. I lean against the wall and notice that the quarian seems a little exasperated if her breaths are anything to go by. I of course can't look, or they'll know I'm listening in. Still, I steal a couple of glances at them before turning away. It's a bit of a wait, but finally, I hear the doors opening, and another bouncer whispers to the bouncer that the quarian was talking to.
"Fist is a little busy right now," says the bouncer once I hear the door open again. "But he's agreed to meet with you in an alley in the Upper Wards. It'll be close to the markets there, and it's the only alleyway visible around there. You can't miss it."
All right, thanks for the recap. And if memory serves me correctly, Conrad Verner will also be just outside of it, so we'll see how that goes.
"All right," says the quarian. All right, there's that kind of thick accent that we all know from her! To be honest, it reminds me a little of my Russian friends back home. "Who can I expect to be there to hand the information to?"
"Before Fist shows up, you'll meet up with a turian and two salarians," replies the bouncer. "After that, Fist will show up with the Shadow Broker."
Pah, anyone that knows the Shadow Broker knows he doesn't meet up with clients personally. Unfortunately, that'll work to her disadvantage.
It'll also work to my advantage if I think of everything correctly.
"All right," the quarian says. "When?"
"Head to the alley in two hours," replies the bouncer. "The turian and salarians will meet up with you ten minutes after you tell us you're there. Then Fist will arrive with the Shadow Broker around five minutes after that."
"All right," she says. "Thank you! You have no idea how important it is that I get this information to him!"
"You're welcome," says the bouncer.
As the quarian leaves, I see her go right past me. She seemed to be in good shape in being able to get whatever it was out, but I know otherwise. I'll make stuff up as we go, but...
I did pick up a piece of a rather old metal pipe from the vendor I sold my wallet to. And as I feel the cool metal against my leg, I know I might be able to make this plan work. After all, improvised crowbars are pretty fun, since the end is fashioned a bit like one.
Now I just need to wait for two hours. Turning on and checking the clock on my cell phone, I make a mental note to check it every so often as I leave the outside of Chora's Den to get myself something to eat. Something... tasty, preferably.
I've got it covered, though. For now, I'm gonna check my cell phone clock every so often, see that I don't show up late. Once I get Citadel time, it won't be so hard.
I walk to a cafe, and scan its menu for something nice and spicy...
Around an hour and forty-seven minutes later, I catch sight of Urdnot Wrex.
His crimson face is kind of hard to miss, really. Especially since he's a krogan and all that, and it's kind of hard not to notice the big guys of the Citadel's populace when they show up. Shame they have the genophage affecting them and all; It would be pretty awesome to see a krogan with a child.
I stood against a wall, watching the krogan harrass the bouncer about Fist. It was kind of easy to tell how well the conversation was going, given that their body language was quite violent. I was pretty afraid Wrex would pull out his shotgun.
But if I know him, he won't do that. His target is Fist, after all; since Wrex does believe in honor I'm confident that he won't try to kill the bouncer.
Their conversation gets louder, though, such that I don't really need to be close to hear their words. I think the Shadow Broker was just mentioned, but that is probably just me. I shifted a little closer and was rewarded with a shouting match between the two of them. The one needs to get to Fist, the other trying to keep him safe. I'm aware of why he's trying to get Fist killed. Betraying the Shadow Broker is pretty serious business.
Hey, are those C-Sec officers? Hm. They're taking Wrex away now, although the krogan is suprisingly not putting up a lot of resitance. Hm. Maybe he's more turian than krogan... Makes me wonder...
Well, he's going with them, telling the C-Sec officers what he was doing. And he made a mention of Fist betraying the Shadow Broker.
All right. I've got my confirmation. Now all I need is to hope that he got the odd feeling that someone was boring holes into the back of his armor and I'll be all set.
I check my cell phone's clock again. An hour and fifty-five minutes since the conversation between Tali and that bouncer.
Well, I better make my way to the upper wards. I haven't caught sight of Kaidan or Ashley yet, so I'm pretty sure that Shepard hasn't gone to Harkin or Barla Von yet. I hope they're not running behind; I'd hate to have to rescue her on my own...
But, I'll make do with what I have.
I leave the area surrounding Chora's Den, feeling the makeshift crowbar against my leg as I took the elevator to the Upper Wards, making my way past the marketplace to see the alley I was sure I had right. I hid in the shadows, looking after the entrance to the alley.
Just before the mark, I see the quarian I caught sight of earlier making her way into that alley. I've come to the right place. Now all that's left is to make sure she gets out of there alive.
I wait a few seconds, and check my cell phone clock for the last time.
It's exactly two hours. She's probably deep in the alleyway, and she's probably radioed the bouncer about it. Great timing.
I rub my eyes briefly, taking a deep breath. I've only got one chance to do this. No pause screens. No reloading a save. If I mess up, I die. No turning back from there. I also only have a crowbar as a weapon. Tali only has a handgun, from what I've seen. And I can't just press X to not die; this is serious shit. And to be honest, it's kind of scaring me a little.
But it's something I've gotta do.
It's time to get this show on the road.
Pushing myself off the wall I was leaning against, I follow Tali into the alleyway, knowing that once I was there I would have less than ten minutes to tell her it was a trap.
Here goes nothing.
Barely ten seconds later, I see the quarian. I advance quickly, knowing I only have so much time to move. The quarian looked at me, and I think I sense puzzlement behind her mask. It's hard to tell at this distance. But everything's exactly as it should be, bathed in crimson light. Oh, hey, there's an extra crate over by where the salarians are supposed to stand. Pretty small one, too, up to maybe my waist. Good thing I brought the crowbar along.
"A human?" she asks me, accent thick with worry. "I thought I was supposed to be waiting on a turian and two salarians."
I approached then, running down a short flight of stairs before letting a hand fall through my pants.
"You are," I say. "And you're looking to give information to the Shadow Broker, right?"
She rears her head back as I get a hold of my imrpovised crowbar. She said nothing for a few seconds as I produced it out, tucking it under my armpit.
"What... how did you know?" she asks. "Are you with... Oh... Oh no..."
With this, she raises her handgun at me, prompting me to raise my hands slowly, the crowbar hovering above my head.
"Saren found me, didn't he?" she says, voice etched with worry. "You're here to kill me before I can hand the information to the Shadow Broker... Choose your next words carefully or I'll shoot!"
I move over to a nearby crate, leaving the crowbar on there. She leaves a hand on her pistol as I do so. Honestly, I can't blame her.
"Yeah, he heard," I say, patting the metal object lightly before turning back to face her with my arms crossed. "But I'm not here to kill you. I'm here because I'm good at eavesdropping."
Tali eyes me oddly, and I can feel an inquisitve glance on my person from behind the face mask. "You're good at eavesdropping?" she asks. "What does that mean?"
I shrug, walking away from the crate. I hope she doesn't plan to shoot me. "I overheard your conversation with the bouncer from Chora's Den," I say. "About how you were supposed to meet here. And how the Shadow Broker himself would meet you here."
Nodding, she seemed to understand what I was saying. "Of course," she replies, nodding. "Y-you're definitely good at eavesdropping. But why come here? You're going to kill me before I can get this information to him?"
All right, here's the moment of truth. Press the X trigger, and here we go.
"I already told you, I'm not here to kill you," I reply, shaking my head. "I'm here, because I'm a good Samaritan. And being a good Samaritan, I'm here because you're in terrible danger."
I don't let her attempt to form a question as I walk around. "The Shadow Broker doesn't meet anyone in person," I continue. "He only works through agents, and even they don't see the Shadow Broker. Anyone who's got even a small amount of knowledge about this galaxy's underworld knows that."
At this, the quarian's hold on her pistol falters, shaking slightly. "So... You mean... Why should I trust what you say?" she asks. "Are you telling me Fist lied to me?"
"Unfortunately," I say, nodding as I lean against one of the alley walls. "That's a problem on its own, but around five, ten minutes ago there was a krogan harrassing one of the bouncers out there. When they called C-Sec on him, I overheard something about how Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker, and that the Shadow Broker hired him personally to take Fist out. So it's safe to assume that this 'Fist' person is working for someone else. Probably this 'Saren' guy you're so afraid of."
Her grip falters even more on her gun. "Y... You mean... He was planning to kill me here?" she asks.
"I think so," I reply. "I think it's pretty reasonble to think that. At any rate, I overheard, and came along partly to see what someone would want you dead over, and partly because it sounds like it's too vital a piece of information to let simply disappear."
Tali shook her head, lowering her pistol and attaching it to her person. "I knew he couldn't be trusted!" she says suddenly. "I knew it from the moment he refused to speak to me in person!"
I raise an eyebrow at this, shaking my head as I make my way back to my crowbar. "Really?" I asked. "If that was true, why didn't you just cop out? Say you had gotten an infection or something like that?"
The quarian shrugs as I take a hold of my crowbar again. "This was my only way to get the information to the Shadow Broker," she replies. "Its... You know the spectre Saren?"
Oh, dear, here we go. Pointless exposition. I'll take the trigger to keep it going, though. It'll make it easier to maintain my cover like that.
"Not really," I say. Half-truth, go! "I grew up on Earth my entire life, and I've only been in the Citadel for a few days, partly against my will. So I'm not too familiar with him. But, I know that Spectres are the Council's best soldiers, and that they're above Citadel laws."
"You have that right," replied Tali. "I encountered him during my Pilgrimage... Keelah, I'm shocked that I'm still alive after that..."
Understanding this, I nod. If that's true... God help us when we have to fight his Sovereign-imbued implants at the end of all this...
"Okay," I said. "And why would he be trying to kill you?"
She looked down at the ground before I felt her gaze into my eyes. "I've got... information about him," she says, tilting her head to the side. "He's a very evil man, and I have to do something to bring him down. He's working with the geth, and he needs to be stopped!"
"I see," I say, wondering why she didn't just go to the council with that information but deciding to ask that later. "Listen, I need you to trust me. I'll try to get you out of this alive, and if that happens we'll be in good hands. But please, I hope you can work with me here. It's for your survival."
She iss silent for a brief period of time. I can feel her gaze on my shoes, and she mulls over the information. I of course know that if we don't hurry we're going to be in big trouble, but she seems to understand that this kind of decision had big implications for her survival. After mulling it over, she nods.
"All right," she says. "I'll trust you for now. I think it's a little suspicious that you'll do something for a total stranger who you only know, but this sounds serious, so I'll work with you."
I nod, smiling softly. "You've made a good choice, madam." I had to fight the urge to say Tali. Fortunately, I didn't blunder, which I would have expected myself to do. "With that done, we only have... how long before your friends show up?"
She glances at me and an orange glow surrounds her hand. Ah, her Omni Tool. "Four minutes at the least."
Shit. I was hoping to get her out of the alley before then.
"Shit..." I say, shaking my head. "If we leave the alleyway now, they'll know, because we won't be too far away. And they'll try to kill you on the spot."
Tali shook her head, glancing around nervously. "Did you have any ideas, then?" she asks. "You had an idea to come, but you didn't come to me without a way to get out?"
I had already thought of that possibility, though, knowing the layout of the alleyway, where people could take cover, all that crap. "Not exactly," I say, taking my crowbar in my hands. I'm not that stupid; I scanned this area before coming and thought of a battle plan. "I'll go hide in this crate. When the turian gives the signal to kill you, I'll jump out of it and attempt to get them with this piece of pipe."
She glances at me as I walk to a crate, bringing my makeshift crowbar to it as I pry it open. It was a little hard, but I put my full weight on and the crate pops open with a slight hiss. I lift the cover slightly, scanning it briefly and finding nothing of note in there. I nod, facing her.
"Projectile attack, I suppose?" she asks.
I nod. "Plus a swipe if any one of them is close enough," I add, lifting the lid of the crate and realizing that it conveniently seemed to hinge on the back. Perfect. The salarians will stand close to this crate unless real life decides to be a bitch and position them somewhere else.
"Doesn't sound very useful if you ask me," replied Tali with a shrug.
I shake my head, chuckling. "If nothing else, it'll provide a distraction that's just long enough for you to pull out your gun and shoot everything in sight," I say. "Either way, I'll probably miss if I toss it since my aim is terrible. Yours shouldn't be so bad, though, and even if I don't hit anything the action should give you just enough time to take a few shots at them and take cover."
She nods in confirmation. "I see your point," she says. "What do I do in the meantime?"
"Play along with them," I say. "When the time is right, say 'the deal was off before you got here', and I'll take that as my cue to do stuff."
At this, she jerks violently, facemask facing me. I step into the crate, bringing my crowbar with me as I hold the lid up with my body.
"All right," she says as I step in. "I don't know who you are, and you're a complete stranger, but... thank you anyways. I'm not sure I would know many humans that would do something like this for no reason."
Before I sink into the crate, I look at her, nodding. "I'm doing this because I've got nothing else to do," I reply. "But it's always a pleasure. And we'll get the introductions out of the way once this whole mess blows over."
With this, I quickly but steadily assume my hiding place in the crate, letting the lid settle over me softly. Darkness surrounded me, and I gripped my crowbar in my hand. My heart is racing a mile a minute. It's like a challenge straight out of Heavy Rain. Don't press the R1 trigger to shoot the poor bastards, and we'll be in good hands. And when the X trigger appears, don't wait to press it. And no jumping up and down in your giddiness. That will give everything away and Tali will be dead before you can say 'shit pickle'. Shifting my crowbar slightly so that it doesn't poke out, I hug my knees together. I could fall asleep like this, with my knees up to my chin, but my heart's beating so fast I can't help but stay awake.
Finally, I hear the faint sound of footsteps.
"Tali'Zorah nar Rayya?" asks a voice. Turian.
Well, there goes the face to face introduction. "Yes, that would be me," she replies. "You were sent ahead by Fist?"
"Yes," he says. I can't see in this darkness, but I know that he's probably looking at her lecherously, just like he did in the game.
Wait... If that son of a bitch has necrophilia on his mind... Ew... No... Don't think about it. Don't think about it. I've already undressed enough people with my eyes. No. Don't think about-
"So we just wait here until he comes around."
Ah, thank you Tali. That certainly saved me some awkwardness.
"Yes," replies the turian. "You're in good hands."
I could imagine Tali's smug look under her facemask. Good thing that people can't actually read emotions behind that thing; it makes being smug that much more fun, I should think. Especially for her, since she gets to enjoy all the screentime before she says the line.
Of course, I'm getting a bit restless in here. I know I can't shift around, though, because that would suck.
"So if I am in good hands, why are your friends still hanging on to their weapons?" she asks.
"Ah, good point," says the turian. "Guys, you can leave your weapons on that crate over there. Keep them within reach though, just in case we need them."
I suddenly hear a pair of pistols being dropped on my crate.
Ah. Good thinking, Tali. Good thinking. Separate them from their weapons. It'll make it all the better with the pivot on this crate, since it'll put distance between them and their firearms, and it'll also be a better distraction when they go around to reach for them. Better for me, because I won't be dealing with point-blank range when I knock their weapons away. Thus, the distraction works.
I like the way she thinks...
And now it's making me even giddier. Shit. Breathe in slowly. Breathe out slowly. In. Out. Think of it like Wii Yoga.
Another few minutes go by before I hear something again.
"Where's Fist?" she asks, pretending to be agitated. "He was supposed to be here two minutes ago!"
"Relax, Tali," says the turian. "He'll be here soon. I promise you."
I hear the soft slap, and I know that the turian's tried to caress Tali's arm.
"Funny thing about that," she said. "The deal was off before you even got here."
All right. Press the X trigger, and let's not fuck this up.
As if on cue, I hear the turian grab his firearm at the same time I heard Tali grab hers. That's all the time I give myself before I burst from the crate, startling the salarians who were just reaching for their guns. They look at me in surprise as their weapons clatter away behind me.
I don't give any of them time to react. Jumping out of the crate shortly, I bring up one of my legs in a kick. It hits the salarian to my right, sending him stumbling back. I don't give them any time before I hit the other salarian over the head with my crowbar, my other foot leaning against the edge of the crate as I swing the metal object. It won't be enough to incapacitate them given their armor, but it's good enough for a distraction.
I overestimated my plan, as the turian suddenly noticed that I had appeared out of nowhere, stalling for a few seconds. Gunshots ring out, and I briefly see the turian fall to his side, facepaint partly marred by blue blood as holes formed in his armor. Okay, so I won't have to toss the crowbar, after all.
I will have to deal with the salarians, though.
The salarian on the right dove for his firearm, but I had already stepped out of the crate by then. I tossed my crowbar at the alien as it came for its firearm.
Of course, I missed, the projectile clattering to the side. It did crack the glass on the rebound from the wall, though, helping the distraction. Taking this as an opportunity, I leapt onto the alien, scrambling on top of it. After a few seconds, my hand extended to the pistol that was there, hearing another set of gunshots ring out.
Thinking quickly, I brought the pistol to the armor of the salarian's head. Poor guy is still struggling against me, though, as he's trying to wrest the thing out of my grip. He cracks the glass on his helmet at one point, such that it would probably shatter if done again.
Heh. He's fighting a hand battle with a violist, who is required by nature of his instrument to have strong arms and stronger hands. I come out of that victorious, putting the gun to his head and firing.
Oh God. The recoil. I fired at an angle such that my entire arm swung back the slightest bit. I can impersonate the Venus de Milo, so it's not that much of a problem, but still... My funny bone... Ow...
Can't let it get to me, though; I gotta do the double tap. I quickly fire it again, and the bullet goes into the helmet. I know Salarians have small heads, so I shoot it again, satisfied when I see blood seeping out from the cracks of the glass on his face-mask.
Taking a few deep breaths in, I realize what I've... Shit, I just killed someone. Someone who was going to kill someone else... but still... Shit, now I know how that guy from Southland must feel about this. The fact he was going to do wrong doesn't change much. But... still... Fuck, I can't believe I'm killing people in an alternate universe. What would Pupa say if she saw me doing this?
Shit. I haven't got time to dwell on it. I'll think about it later...
Gathering my composure, I stand back up, breathing in and out quickly. I look behind me and see that the other salarian and the turian are both dead. A pool of blue blood surrounded the turian, and the salarian was still, its face armor having shattered to reveal a few bullet holes in its head.
Quite full of carnage.
Now all that's left is to hear Brad Pitt's comically exaggerated Southern accent from above and this will be straight out of the bar scene from Inglourious Basterds.
"All right," I say. "That was... intense..." I roll my arm around, feeling a small sense of discomfort in my shoulder. It'll go away, though. I'm confident of that.
Tali looks at me inquisitively. "You've never used a gun in your life, have you?" she asks.
Shrugging, I shake my head. "I'm a musician, not a soldier," I replied. "The recoil doesn't seem so bad elsewhere. Makes me wish I hadn't spent all of my life on Earth, honestly..." I then feel the nerves along my forearm as I think about my funny bone. "Actually, now that I think about it... Ow..."
She nods understandingly. Tilting her head to the side, she holsters her gun back. "A musician?" she says earnestly. "I knew humans did quite a lot of that, but I was never certain that one would help me out here. Where's the tool of your craft?"
"It's..." I say, hesitating as I try to decide whether or not to wait to give my cover story. I give up, throwing my arms up. "Complicated. It's very, very complicated."
"I see..." says Tali. "I guess introductions are in order. You heard my name in the crate, I take it?"
"Tali'Zorah nar Rayya," I recite, smiling. "It's a lovely name. It's got a ring to it."
I can feel the nervous energy from her as her face mask seems to point down. "Oh... thank you," she says. "And you are...?"
"****** *********," I reply, holding out my hand to her. "My good friends call me Art."
"Very well then... Arch?" she asks. "I want to make sure I have that right."
Oh, dear, I mispronounced my own name again. Blame that on the fact that my 't's sound a lot like 'ch's if they fall at the end of a word. "Spelled A-R-T," I say, clarifying my name.
"Ah, okay, Art," she says. She takes my hand and shakes it. "Thank you for saving my life."
Speaking of which... This is a little odd. Shepard and her crew haven't shown up yet. This... is a little jarring. So they are running behind. But... But where does this leave...
Shit... Dr. Michel...
Thinking of this, I nodded, having a tough time masking my agitation. "You're welcome," I say.
She seems to catch the wary tone in my voice. "What's wrong?" she asks.
Dr. Michel, of course. But I'll feed it to you another way. "Uh, Tali..." I say. "I don't know, but... was there anybody else you told about this information about Saren?"
At this, she's taken aback, and I can feel the horror emanating from her body language.
"Oh, no..." she said. "Dr. Michel..."
Playing along, I raise my eyebrow. "Dr. Michel?" I ask, trying to sound convincing. "Who's that?"
"Oh, she's the one who sent me to Fist!" she said, almost breathlessly. "Oh, no... Fist must have sent some men after her! We have to make sure she's all right!"
"Well, let's not stay here any longer!" I say, knowing that time is of the essence. "Come on! To the-... wherever she is!"
"Follow me!" she said. "She's in a medical clinic, so we can probably still save her!"
We don't hesitate a second longer after that. We're both bolting out of the alley, myself following Tali as she leads the way through the upper wards.
A few seconds later, we encounter a few turians and one, two humans in C-Sec uniform. They're gathered outside of a small little clinic that Tali leads me to. The quarian seems to shake a little bit at the sight of the C-Sec officers. I can't say I blame her: if what I think happened happened, then it would perfectly explain Shepard's absence. And to think that if I hadn't been where I was when I was there, Tali would be dead...
Shit, that's a thought. What would have happened if Tali died? Nobody would have found out about Saren until it was too late. And then the reapers would have come and destroyed the galaxy... Fuck, that's a really frightening thought.
But I don't get to contemplate that, as one of the C-Sec officers turns to us. It's a turian with odd face paint on him, and he regards the quarian and I.
"Excuse me, sir, madam," he says, looking at me. "Do you have any business here?"
I blinked. Tali was too afraid to say anything, so I spoke up after clearing my throat. "Well, kind of," I tell him. "Do you know what might have happened to a certain Dr. Michel?"
The turian regarded us with some kind of dismay, and I realized what had happened. "Unfortunately, I do," he says. "She was shot and killed by three human attackers barely three minutes ago. One of our detectives had gone to her to get something when she was killed."
I can feel the air around Tali tense, and suddenly she brought a hand to her mask. "Oh, no..." she said.
The turian seems to sense the worry in her voice, and she looks over to her. "Madam, are you all right?" he asks.
"N... not really..." she says. "Oh... Oh no... This is..."
The turian gave us an odd look. Tali seemed like she was in mourning, such that she cannot reply. So I decide to reply for her.
"I think we know why she might have been killed, officer," I said.
"So did our detective," replied the turian. "He was following a lead on Saren Aertius when Dr. Michel contacted him about a quarian that had information about Saren that he could use. Personally, I think he's chasing after a wild goose, but... he insisted on seeing this case to the end. He met up with an Alliance lieutenant and her gang, and they're off in Chora's Den investigating the cause." Ah, so this is a FemShepard here. Sweet! I'm so going to play matchmaker with her and Thane when ME2 rolls around. "And yet... why do you say you know why she was killed?"
"I... I was the quarian Dr. Michel was talking about!" exclaimed Tali suddenly.
At this, the turian regarded us with surprise. "So you're still alive," he said. "Our detective told us he doubted you were all right. And yet you're still breathing! He'll be overjoyed to hear this! Do you have any comments you might want to share about that?"
"Not exactly," she says. "Do you know where the detective is?"
"He should still be in Chora's Den," replies the officer. "They met up with a krogan we were detaining before they left for there, though, so go there and you should still be able to catch them. When you get a chance, tell the detective what happened that you're still alive now, as that will fall under his report, not mine."
I rose an eyebrow, a little confused at this. "Wait wait wait wait wait," I say, gesturing with my hands. "If you're documenting the murder and this is related to that, why do we have to go to him?"
"We'll merge the reports later," he replies. "You should get going. Detective Vakarian won't be sitting in Chora's Den much longer.
I nodded, turning to Tali. "All right," I say, facing the turian one last time. "Thank you, officer." Looking to Tali, I gesture. "Come on! To Chora's Den!"
We both ran over to Chora's Den as quickly as we were able to.
We're both back in front of the circular club, and the first thing we notice is that the bouncers are unconscious. Seeing this, we both run up to the door to Chora's Den.
Oh God... All this running... Out of breath...
"Art, are you all right?" asks Tali.
I nod between breaths. "Yeah," I manage to wheeze out. "It's been a while since I've run this far, though... Shit, I'm out of shape..."
"You're certainly in better shape than you think you are if you were able to stuff yourself in that tiny crate," points out Tali.
I shrug, looking at the bouncers. "Good point," I say, catching my breath with my hands on my knees. "Okay, we're here. Next question, how do we get in?"
Tali looks at me briefly before the orange glow surrounds her hand again. She types something on her Omni Tool, and then the door to Chora's Den opens with very little resistance.
When the door opens, we find a bunch of people lying there dead. Holy shit! I jump back, bringing a knuckle to my mouth as I do so. Shit... A lot of death happened here.
Wow. Shepard's enemies do have a very high probability of dying...
"Shit... Well, looks like Detective Vakarian left a lot of damage in his wake," I say. "You don't fuck with him indeed..." Especially so since he survives a missile to the face in the sequel. Now that's awesome.
"He's probably still in here," says Tali. "Let's find him before he disappears on us."
I nod, and the two of us enter the circular bar. We see the line of bodies around the den, all with bullet holes in them. I shudder, thinking about what must have transpired there. I look around, wondering had happened here. It was obvious, but still, I was curious as to exactly how Shepard did it. Must have been a hell of a time.
We walk around the circular bar, and eventually we hear the sound of gunfire from behind a few doors.
"Oh?" I say, looking around. "Are you hearing what I'm hearing?"
"Definitely," replies Tali. She points at a small hallway just a short ways away. "It's coming from in there!"
"Of course," I say. "Let's go!"
Tali and I both walk over to the hallway, looking inside to find more dead guards. As we walked, Tali gave me a look, looking back at the bodies. It's uneasy in here. They're all... dead... It's like Rambo ran straight through here and tore the place up. Sylvester Stallone in the future? I'd totally buy it.
"Wow, there are a lot of dead people here..." she notes.
Feeling a chill run down my spine, I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, there are," I say. "It's... a little unnerving, honestly."
Tali gives me a look behind her face mask that I can hardly read well. "I take it this is another thing that musicians can't exactly take?"
I shrug. That's true, but... "Not like it makes a difference," I reply. "After all, I do have an imagination that's either sick or demented in some way or another. Like, I'm thinking how badly Fist will burn when he winds up in the eighth bolgia of the eighth circle of hell. Also, how much flowery language will be needed to make it seem almost humanistic. Or wait, he might freeze at the bottom of hell... Hm... What would be his sin...?"
I can feel the confusion behind her glance. There is silence as we draw closer to the gunfire.
"Uh... Inferno reference," I say. "Dante? Human poet from the 1300's?"
Tali shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't know any of the human poets," she replies. "Or the human composers. I have lived on the flotilla all my life..."
I shrug, an expression gracing my face that clearly told her of my displeasure. "Oh, dear," I say. "We'll have to rectify that."
"On your end as well," replies Tali. "I doubt you know the quarian equivalents..."
Okay, now here is something I can be completely honest with. All these races have to have a culture somewhere, yet all we know about the quarians are that they have their Pilgrimage as a rite of passage, and that they never think of themselves all that often because their race is living in a bunch of space ships. But I'm pretty sure that the Mass Effect universe didn't go into the proper culture.
Ah, well.
"You've got that right," I say, chuckling. "We'll both have to do that once all this happens."
Tali nods in agreement. "I look forward to it," she says.
Before I can reply, the sound of gunfire abruptly stops. We're halfway down the hallway, and we turn to each other.
"Huh, I guess either they got Fist or they reached an agreement..." I say.
"I'm personally hoping it is the former," replies Tali.
I shake my head. "Nah," I say. "He probably thinks you're dead by now. It'll be much better if they reach an agreement so that we can rub his loss in his face."
Tali's vision came right on me. "You're sadistic, I'll give you that much," she says. "Remind me never to ask how you would torture someone..."
Oh God... Saw franchise... Help!
We come to a door directly in front of us. It's thin, and it's glowing with the slightest bit of blue energy. We both look at it and nod.
"Should we wait here and see who comes out?" asks Tali.
"Of course," I say. "And then we'll just roll with the punches. Or bullets, depending on what greets us."
Tali is silent, regarding me. "If you're trying to be funny, you're failing," she replies bluntly.
Oh. There's my cue to shut up.
"Sorry," I mutter quickly, turning my attention back on the door.
And we just stand there, waiting for something to happen. Tugging on my jacket, I cross my arms as Tali does the same, a pistol in one of her hands. Eventually, we hear the sound of a door whooshing open.
"-if you try anything funny, you're a dead man."
Ah, Wrex. Good to hear you again.
"Of course, of course," says a different voice. "I'll get you to it and-"
Cue the opening of the door. Tali and I just stand there, and I see two women, two men, Wrex, and a turian. All right, darker skin, black hair, that's Ash. The guy who looks sort of like an Asian is Alenko... Damn, he's taller than I thought he'd be... The turian is Garrus, as evidenced by the blue facepaint, and the female... is a female Shepard with dark red hair that falls down her head. Also complete with green eyes. Uh huh. Yep, this is definitely gonna be fun once ME2 rolls around.
The only man I do not completely recognize jumps at seeing us there, and even more so upon seeing Tali. I assume he's Fist. He lets out a short squeal as the others look at him.
"Hello, Fist," intones Tali, her accent hiding a trace of smugness. "I'm sure you recognize me..."
"W... W-w-what...?" asks the human, an absolutely flabberghasted look adorning his features as he speaks. "How...?"
Same thing I asked myself when I got here. "Thanks to myself."
All eyes are on me. Oh... oh shit... They're all looking at me...
Focus. You can be suave. Somehow.
"Well..." I say, suddenly losing my composure. "What I mean is that... well, your bouncers do a really, really bad job of keeping their volume down."
"Or did, seeing as how we killed them all," quips Ashley. "What's this got to do with the matter at hand?"
"Well, I did manage to save her life, and she is standing in front of you..." I point out. "So... You do the math."
"Eavesdropping?" asks Garrus, looking down at me and nodding. "I see..."
"Actually, I think I did the same thing to a krogan earlier," I say, indicating Wrex. "I believe you were talking about how Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker?"
If Wrex is surprised, he doesn't show it at all. Good boy. "I was... actually..." he said. "Actually, thinking back, your clothing does look a little familiar..."
I shrug, Tali uncrossing her arms as I do the same. "So it seems your plan to kill me failed," she said.
"But... but this is insanity!" he says. "Nothing... This is... How...?"
"One word too many on your count," I say, shrugging. "You know what they say. What comes around goes around. Now... uh... Your name, krogan?"
"Urdnot Wrex," he replies. Good, wouldn't want to seem like I know too much.
"All right, Urdnot," I say, getting a scornful look from him. I glance at him, and shrug, knowing he'll probably explain it later. (Not like he'll need to, but I'm just playing along here.) "I believe you've got a contract to fulfill?"
He nods, bringing a shotgun out.
Oh no. This is gonna be messy. I can't help but cringe a little bit, knowing that whatever happens next is not going to be very pretty at all.
"Wait, are you-?" begins Kaidan.
"Of course," says Wrex, pulling the shotgun and Fist. "Thank you for reminding me."
"N-no!" shouts Fist as he is grabbed and dragged out. The human has no time to react as the krogan throws him down on the floor, cocking his shotgun. There is no further warning before he fires it at the human, blood plastering the walls behind the human as I cringe. Wow, I am not going to be able to unsee that... It's just so gory. It's definitely a lot worse than it seems in the movies, and especially in the game... Ugh...
Before I get any more time to think about it, Ashley and Kaidan have both drawn their weapons. "Put the gun down, krogan!" shouts Ashley.
Without dropping his firearm, Wrex replies in kind. "The Shadow Broker gave me a job," he replies. "I don't like to leave jobs unfinished."
"But still..." says Kaidan.
I jump to Wrex's rescue. "He was useless anyways since 'the quarian' is still alive," I point out. "Besides, I bet it'll be fun watching him squirm in the ice at the bottom of hell... And then watching as Dante kicks his face a couple of times."
I'm given incredibly odd looks over this. All right, I think something got percieved as out of the ordinary.
"All right, you definitely have a demented imagination," says Tali.
Shepard speaks for the first time. "You don't say," she says.
Why hello there, Jennifer Hale. I was waiting for you to speak up!
"Either way, I'm glad you at least managed to save the quarian," says Garrus. "I was worried about losing my lead."
I nod, looking at the turian. "So you're Detective Vakarian," I say. "We ran into your buddies from C-Sec when we went to check on Dr. Michel. They directed us to you about the evidence since you're looking for a lead on Saren."
The turian nods. "Indeed," he says. "So, I guess you have evidence you would like to present?"
Tali nods simply. "But not here," she says. "We should find somewhere safer. Somewhere far less out in the open."
"We could always use the councillor's office," says Shepard. "It is small and private, and we are not in danger of being overheard."
I nod. "That's always good," I say. "So, to the ambassador's office?"
"Of course," says Shepard. "Let's go. I'm beginning to get sick of this place."
Nodding, we slowly exit the building. A thought suddenly occurs to me as we move along, and I turn to the commander. "Say," I say, nervously. "What about introductions?"
"We'll get to those in a second," says Kaidan.
"Or we could just do them on our way there," replies Shepard. "It'll save a little time if you to get moving quickly."
Yeah, that's not happening. At least, not if I can help it. "Actually, I've got quite a dilemma that's led me to a realization that I want to talk to someone about once we get this whole Saren business settled," I reply with a shrug. "That said, I think it's a better idea to get them out of the way now."
"Then let's get started," says Shepard as we move along.
All right. I wonder if these guys have noticed that suddenly I'm bright and breezy because of all the beautiful and new things I'm learning about them. Most likely day by day.
We arrive at the councillor's office sometime later. Two dark skinned people are waiting, and one of them is clearly not pleased. And there's Udina. I don't like him all that much, honestly, because he's a squabbling politician like the rest. Never trust squabbling politicians to run anything, especially if that whole health care bit that had taken over Washington was any indication. Standing to the side is Anderson. Oh, sweet! I get to talk to the Shadow Man, who hopefully won't turn me into a frog.
"Shepard, there you are!" he says, his tone obviously angered at something we did. "I have much to discuss with you! What is the matter with you? You go around the citadel, tear up Chora's Den, and fail to save a doctor! Do you have any idea-"
And then he notices Tali and I standing there with our arms crossed. "What's this? A quarian and what I would assume to be an earth-born?" he asks.
"Believe it, sir," is my concise and rather snarky reply. "I've got a rather crazy story behind myself. As for Tali, she's got intel on Saren. Intel I think you'd like to check out."
"Oh?" asks the ambassador. "And what are you doing here? Earth-borns aren't allowed in Citadel offices, and yet-!"
"With all due respect, sir, he did save the quarian's life," says Shepard. Thank you, Shepard! It'll make my favor a little easier to ask later. "He has just as much of a right to be here as the rest of us."
"Besides, it's not entirely my fault I'm here," I add. "And it's not like I have anything else to do." All right, cover story, launch!
"See, around a week ago, me and some friends on Earth were messing around, and somehow I got really high on stimulants and other things," I say. "Trust me, I don't know what I was thinking either. I don't know exactly what happened, but I think I must have stowed away on a cruiser or something, because next thing I know I'm passed out in an alleyway in the Citadel with most of my belongings taken away except for a few items that could be considered family heirlooms. I don't think I got enough to head back to Earth from selling a wallet, though, so I got stuck here. Then today I eavesdropped on a bouncer at Chora's Den and Tali here, and before I know it I'm involved in all of this. So... yeah."
Udina nodded. "I thought stimulants were illegal on Earth," he says.
I shrug. They're still banning drugs in the future? When will these hotshots ever learn? "Just because they're illegal doesn't mean you can't get your hands on some," I say. "By now, though, I think they're out of my system, so here I am. But we're getting off topic. Tali, I believe you had evidence to show us?"
"Ah. Of course," she says, her hand glowing orange yet again as her omni tool comes to life. She types a few things on it, scanning around.
"How did you get the data?" asks Shepard.
"I preserved it from a geth's memory core," replies Tali. "When I heard that the geth had moved beyond the Perseus Veil, I was curious. I tracked a geth patrol to an uncharted area and salvaged its memory core."
This raises some eyebrows. Mine raises a half second after everyone else, but if they notice, they don't say anything. "How do you do that?" asks Kaidan. "I thought geth memory cores erased their data when a geth died?"
"My people created the geth," Tali is quick to point out. "If you are fast and careful, you can preserve a small portion of a geth's memory just before it wipes itself clean. This geth had most of its memory wiped clean, but I was able to salvage something from its audio banks... here we are."
And with this, we hear the sound of air particles bouncing around.
"Eden Prime was a major victory. The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit."
Aha, there's Saren's voice! It's... a lot grainier than I remember...
"That's definitely Saren's voice," Anderson declares, stepping closer. "This proves he was involved in the Eden Prime attack!"
"But this doesn't answer one of our questions," points out Shepard. "What is the Conduit?"
"It must have something to do with the beacon," Anderson replies. "Maybe it's some kind of Prothean technology, like a weapon."
I shrug. "Or it could be some kind of odd technology," I say. "You never can tell with these oddly named objects."
Ashley gives me a glance that successfully gets me to shut up. Shit, I didn't think she could glare at me like that to make me all unnerved. Then again, this is real life now and not a game, so yeah...
"There's more," says Tali. "Saren wasn't working alone." She continues playing the audio file, and what we hear surprises us.
"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers."
That would be Matriarch Benezia. I'm not going to say anything yet though, because that would give stuff away. Damn, there's a lot of stuff I'll be thinking about when I see events unfold. It's just... insane...
"I don't recognize the other voice," Udina says, rubbing his chin.
"And just what are the reapers?" asks Ashley, crossing her arms.
Tali seemed to acknowledge this, and going through her omni tool, she read a few things. "According to the geth's memory core, the Reapers were a hyper-advanced machine race that existed 50,000 years ago," she explains. "The Reapers hunted the Protheans to total extinction and then they vanished."
Shepard slowly brings a hand to her head, her fingers just resting over her temples as she ponders something.
"Seems a little far-fetched," points out Udina.
Oh, boy. The skeptic is gonna be proven wrong on waaaaay too many accounts now that he's said that. You'd think a boy coming in from another universe would be far-fetched. You might not know that it's what really happened, but trust me, if I'm here, the Reapers exist.
"The vision I had on Eden Prime..." says Shepard suddenly. "I think I understand it now. I saw the Protheans being wiped out by the Reapers."
"The geth revere the Reapers as gods," Tali replies. "They believe Saren knows how to bring them back. It would explain why he would use them..."
Udina shakes his head, a hand covering his face. "The Council is going to love this," he says sarcastically.
"They're also going to love the whole bit about Saren," I point out.
"Either way, they need to hear this," adds Shepard. "It proves that Saren is a traitor to the Citadel."
The councillor seems to really dislike where this is going, but I think he agrees with us on Saren. "You're right," he says. "We need to present this to the council right away."
"And what of the quarian and the earth-born?" asks Anderson, indicating the two of us.
"My name is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya," reiterates Tali for the third time since I've known her. "Please, Shepard, I would appreciate it very much if you could take me with you."
Shepard crosses her arms, looking at both of us. "We can't be sure of your combat skills," she says.
I shrug. "Well, when I saved her life, all I really did was provide a distraction that could give her more time to draw her gun and shoot. I only got one guy in as opposed to her two, really," is my reply. "So I think she's a good warrior."
"Hm..." says Shepard, rubbing her chin. "Well, all right. We could use the help against Saren in the future."
Tali seems quite happy at this, bowing politely. "Thank you!" she says. "I'll do my best to assist you!"
"Which leaves the earth-born," adds Udina.
Jeez, what's with this Earth-born thing? I do have a name, you know! Ah, we'll get that out of the way eventually.
"My name is ****** *********," I reply, crossing my arms. "And... well, to be honest, I was going to try to find my way to earth, but by now I'm so deeply involved in this whole Saren business I might as well see it to the end."
Ashley gives me an odd look. "According to what you've told us so far, you have no military training, are a little out of shape, and used your first firearm barely two hours ago," she replies. "What can you show us to show that you can get in shape fast enough to help?"
"I don't have anything," I say, shaking my head. "But sooner or later Saren's going to find out that I helped you guys out. And I don't know if he'll have time or not, but he'll probably be coming for me when he does. I don't think I could stand up to Saren in my current state, and I'm one of a very small amount of people that knows the specifics of all this..."
"Protection..." mutters Kaidan. "He's got a point Shepard."
"That he does," comments the commander. "But we can always take you on as a non-ground unit. You don't have to go down and fight things with us."
Well... "I don't want that, though," I reply, shaking my head. "You guys are going off to do great things, I can tell. I know I can't exactly do much right at this moment, but this sounds like an opportunity that's too incredible to pass up. And... I don't know, ma'am. But I'd like to help you guys any way I can, and I don't think sitting on a ship waiting for you to come back is going to do it. I'll work as hard as I have to to make sure I can help you out if you take me on, you have my word on that."
"Sounds like he really wants to help," says Garrus.
"He doesn't have combat training," reiterates Ash as she crosses her arms. "But he's got a strong will Commander."
"Yes, that he does..." says Shepard. She pauses then, looking at me intently. Okay... she's scrutinizing me now. This is a little unsettling, but hey, what can I do? Finally, she straightens up, nodding. Oh... that's a good sign.
"Very well," she says. "We'll take you on the team and have the Normandy's physician do a physical on you so we can gauge how long you have until we can let you onto the battlefield."
I nod, bowing politely. "Thank you," I say. "I'll work very hard to make sure you don't regret that decision."
Anderson nods at this, looking at all of us. "We shouldn't delay any longer," he says. "We should take this evidence to the Council!"
"My thoughts exactly," replies Shepard. "Come on; let's go to the council."
Nodding, we all walk out of the ambassador's office.
All right, I'm part of the Mass Effect crew right now! Sweetness! I get the terrible feeling I'll be the worst member of the squad, but we'll see how things turn out. Right now, I can imagine Chakwas going through with me and seeing what is going down with my physical health. It'll also be interesting to see what the crew does when they're not standing in one place waiting for you to go talk with them. And also, what do we do when we try to get some sleep?
Ah, well. Right now, it's just me, Wrex, Ashley, Kaidan, and Garrus waiting around the elevators to the council. Tali and Shepard went up with Anderson and Udina to present their evidence.
Garrus crosses his arms. "So, Art," he says, crossing his arms. "I take it this is all surreal for you, seeing as how you were born on earth and your trip on the Citadel ended with you joining the hunt for a Specter."
For once, I can indulge in the truth. "You have no idea," I say, shaking my head. "This is quite a transition from being a musician..."
"I can imagine," says Kaidan, shrugging as I look out at the view of the Citadel. "Since you're a musician... what did you do before you came here?"
Looking back, I nod. "I was primarily a composer," I say, shrugging. "I wrote stuff. And on the side, I also played the viola." I better not mention my musical taste. Not until I can tell which composers the two universes share in common. I already know that Carl Nielsen is here thanks to that conversation after Miranda's loyalty mission in the second game, and I'm pretty sure Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven are here, as I heard excerpts of Beethoven and Mozart works in a few vid advertisements. We'll have to see.
"So you wrote and played," replies Kaidan, interest lacing his voice. "Interesting..."
"It's pretty crazy, actually," I say, shrugging. "I'm actually kind of interested to see what the music scene is like over here. I bet it's interesting, given that there are also chances to hear the music of other races... That said, I wonder if krogan have any music. It would be... interesting, to say the least..."
Wrex gives me an odd look. "We used to," he replies. "But now, things have... changed."
He's a bit monotone in his reply, but I can sense the depression in his voice. Nodding, I look at him. "I see..." I say. "It's a real shame that... I've heard about the genophage and all that, and... Well, I honestly never thought I'd ever meet a krogan to say this to, but... I hope someone can reverse it."
Wrex nods his head, scarlet eyes looking at me. "We don't need your condolences," he says. "But thanks. It's good to know that some peope sympathize with our race."
I nod in reply, thining about the Normandy. Well, being aboard the Normandy will be fun. A turian, a quarian, a krogan, and four humans. That'll be interesting, to say the least. Especially when we throw the asari into the mix. Hoo, boy. Talk about being a ragtag bunch of misfits... Especially since we have a former C-Sec officer, three soldiers, a mercenary, a mechanic, a musician, and a scientist all working together to bring down Saren Aertius.
We continue the conversation, but my mind can't wander away from that little bit. This really is a very interesting squad. And for my money, I honestly can't wait until we get back to the ship. That's when the real fun will begin.
As they say, "let the good times roll".