Chapter 11:
Feros
Author's Note: This chapter will dive a little deeper into Patrick's past, bringing up his mother, and we will also see some compassion from our favorite Commanding Officer. While I want to remain as canon to the game as possible, this chapter may differ because Feros was a long mission and things might be changed to make it a bit briefer. In addition, I don't remember every small detail that occurred on Feros.
Space was incredible. That was Patrick's opinion at least and as he stared out of the Normandy's window as it cut through the dark abyss, he thought about his mother. He hadn't thought about her since her death months upon months ago yet since meeting up with Shepard and joining the Alliance, his thoughts returned to her more than they did his still living members of the Hamilton family tree who were probably still out looking for him. Out of all the Hamilton children, Patrick looked the most like his mother. His hair, when he didn't wear it short, was wavy and during his brief years as a punk in high school, his curls had framed the side of his pale face and draped down his narrow neck. He had Dorothy Hamilton's face… their noses were turned up slightly; only noticeable if it was pointed out and their eyes were the same almond-shaped even if he had the same color irises as William. Patrick touched the glass of the window, an icy chill climbing up his back and raising his hairs before he turned around, wanting to be down in the hull with everyone where the sounds of friends talking and engineers breathing as they worked warmed the cool, metal ship.
Dorothy Hamilton was dead. As Patrick summoned the elevator, he realized he never really accepted her death. He had merely distanced himself from the rest of the family, wanting to never remember his mother's long blonde hair or her pale gray eyes. Now as he leaned against the metal interior of the Normandy, he brought his hands to his face and tried to recall every detail of his mother: the way she had moved and the way she had laughed when her children teased her about her West Virginia accent that had been passed onto the eldest Hamilton son, Joseph who forced it to leave his mouth after his mother's death. Most of all, Patrick tried to remember his mother's smile when she looked at William and the small, hesitant smirk that would dance on his lips. Dorothy Hamilton was the only person who could make William smile, a feat that since her passing has been impossible. Even with William's joy at Joseph when he became a lieutenant like his father, the old man hadn't given one smile. Patrick realized he missed his father's happiness more than he had originally thought and if- when he got home, he would go to Dorothy's grave and thank her for giving William almost three decades of laughter and smiles.
As the doors to the elevator slid open, Patrick looked up, dark eyes widening as he caught Shepard's gaze. The Serviceman stepped to the side, allowing Shepard passage out of the elevator, and greeted his Commander with a curt nod, trying to follow Alliance procedure as much as possible even if he was unfamiliar with some of the actions, "Commander."
"Hamilton," Shepard said in response and took a step out of the elevator, but his hand rested on Patrick's chest, forcing the younger lad to stop. Patrick glanced up at Shepard, worrying that the Commander had chose to interrogate him about his none existent life on Eden Prime despite what he had said to Kaidan, but the older man merely stared at the Serviceman before asking, his voice holding no jeering tone and only showing the deepest concern, "Are you alright?"
Patrick nodded, wiping his hand across his face that had begun to feel damp. It was only then did Patrick realize he had been crying. Shepard seemed to sense Patrick's surprise because he clasped Hamilton on the shoulder and said, his commanding voice for once softening to a small murmur, "I know I may be your Commanding Officer, Hamilton, but that doesn't mean you can't confide in me. There's no rule that says you can't be friends with your Commander."
"Thank you, Commander, but I'll be fine," Patrick said, sidestepping Shepard and walking into the elevator. Shepard seemed to take this as goodbye for he began to walk away, but Patrick stopped the elevator doors from closing, pushing the metal doors open so he could call out to Shepard, "My mother died a year ago."
Shepard stopped for a moment before turning around to face Patrick and Hamilton thought he could see sympathy swimming in the Commander's blue eyes as he said, "I'm sorry to hear that, Hamilton."
"She died a year ago," Patrick repeated before looking at Shepard, clenching his hands in anger as he remembered his mother's death. He had been there when her heart had stopped breathing… when the light left her gray eyes. He had held her hand as she whispered that she loved him and his family and he had called the hospital to beg for assistance. That was one of the reasons Patrick had been so absorbed in the virtual world. It was safer- and cheaper- than alcohol and drugs. "She died because some asshole wanted the pieces of paper in her purse. I was there when she died."
"Damn, I'm sorry, Hamilton," Shepard said and moved forward to place a comforting hand on Patrick's shoulder as the younger man shuddered underneath his touch. "I never knew my parents and I guess that made life easier for me. I never had to lose them."
Patrick stared up at Shepard in surprise, learning something he never knew about the Commander. "I was born on Earth and raised in an orphanage until I was nine. Then I lived on the streets with a bunch of petty criminals and human mercenary gangs, none that you would know, until the Alliance offered me a chance to join them. I did. Best damn decision of my life."
Shepard glanced down at Patrick and asked, "You alright, Hamilton?"
"Yes, thank you," Patrick whispered before stepping back into the elevator. Before the doors closed, Patrick asked, "Commander, I don't mean to intrude, but were you down in hull with Chief Williams?"
The doors slid shut before Shepard could answer, but Patrick thought he saw a faint pink color appear on the Commander's neck. This thought made Patrick smirk to himself and when the elevator doors opened, he saw Ashley, bending over some rifles, very pink in the face as well. Not wanting to disturb whatever thoughts the Chief might be having, Patrick walked over to Wrex and asked, "How are you keeping, Wrex?"
Wrex glanced down at Patrick, black eyes narrowed, and growled, "Don't bother, human. We both know you really don't care."
"You're a pleasure to talk to," Patrick snapped sarcastically. He knew that Wrex didn't like him… he probably loathed him although he wouldn't admit it, but the Krogan loved to tell stories of all the killings he had done. He just wouldn't say anymore.
"Listen, human," Wrex growled, raising a fist to Patrick and shaking it at him. Patrick was momentarily afraid Wrex was going to pick him up and throttle him before he realized that the Krogan wouldn't want to disrespect Shepard by killing a member of his crew. He also probably enjoyed his life and either Ashley or Garrus, whoever was quicker with a pistol, would probably fire at the enraged Krogan. "I put up with your never-ending questions because you are a part of Shepard's crew, but our relationship doesn't have to grow past two fellow soldiers who just so happened to follow the same orders. We don't have to like each other."
"What if I don't want to dislike you, Wrex?" Patrick asked, staring Wrex straight in his black eyes. Two weeks- hell two days ago, Patrick would have been terrified of the Krogan, but his conversation with Shepard gave him courage. Probably false courage, but courage none the less. "You say we don't have to like each other, but we also don't have to hate each other."
"I don't hate you," Wrex growled, "I hate all humans! You're all soft. Humans, Salarians, Asari, all soft! Quarians not so much and turians are the only ones that put up a real fight. Shepard is the only one of your species I can stand so unless you want me to blow off your head with a shotgun, I would advise you to leave me the hell alone, Hamilton."
Patrick didn't need telling twice- he had seen the anger in Wrex's eyes- and he walked deeper into the ship towards someone who hopefully wouldn't put up as much of a fight. Tali was bent over a computer, like she always seemed to be whenever Patrick came to visit her, and as he walked towards her, she turned around to look at him. Patrick didn't need to look into her eyes or see the frown tugging at her lips to know that she was unhappy.
"Hello, Serviceman Hamilton," Tali sighed.
"You alright, Tali? You seem a little down," Patrick asked with a gentle smile, a thought playing on the edge of his mind. Maybe knowing the future could have its advantages. "Is the Normandy too quiet for you to sleep?"
"It's just- wait… what?" Tali seemed extremely surprised about Patrick's knowledge of her feelings, all trace of despair momentarily absent from her voice. "How did you know, Serviceman?"
"I told you, Tali, there is no need to be informal. I'm not your Commanding Officer. Just call me Patrick," Hamilton said with a small smile, "And lucky guess, I expect. You're usually so cheery. The only logical reason I could think of that would explain your unhappiness would be that you were unhappy on board the Normandy."
"I'm not unhappy on board the Normandy, Ser- Patrick," Tali explained, "You, Commander Shepard, and the rest of the crew have been very good to me and the Normandy is amazing, it's just- so quiet as you said before. With the Migrant Fleet, we are always worried about a silent ship because it means something has died and Shepard has such a small crew! With the Migrant Fleet, it is so crowded yet I- I have begun to…" Tali's voice trailed off.
"You have begun to miss the crowds?" Patrick offered and Tali nodded.
"Exactly," Tali sighed, "This must be what the Pilgrimage is really about. I never realized how much I missed everything-" Again Tali's voice trailed off, leaving Patrick to step in again,
"Until it was gone?"
Tali stared at Patrick, "You really have a knack for finishing people's sentences, don't you Patrick?"
Patrick grinned, "Just tell me when it gets annoying."
"Will do," Tali said with a laugh just as Shepard's voice sounded overhead,
"Alenko, Williams, Hamilton, suit up. We're about to land on Feros."
Patrick jumped at the sound of his name and glanced at Tali, fear taking over his tongue, "What? Me? What the hell is Shepard thinking? I'm not ready to join him on a mission! I- I…"
"Relax, Patrick," Tali laughed again, "I saw you practicing with the lieutenant. If Shepard thinks you're ready then you are. The Commander wouldn't make this decision lightly."
Patrick nodded, "I guess you're right. Well, I'll be seeing you around, Tali."
"Try and stay alive," Tali advised.
"I'll do my best," Patrick grinned and walked slowly to the elevator, meeting Ashley on the way. "Chief."
"Farmer," Ashley greeted, with a smile playing on her lips. Patrick rolled his eyes at the old nickname that had somehow stuck even after he became a Serviceman. Ashley then nudged Patrick with her shoulder and asked, "Are you nervous about Feros?"
"Me? Nervous?" Patrick laughed and then added, "I'm terrified."
"Don't be," Ashley said, "Shepard wouldn't have chosen you if he didn't think you were capable and plus, you have the lieutenant and myself to watch your back. Just aim and fire and don't try and play the hero. The last thing we need is two Shepards."
"I heard that, Chief," Shepard's voice sounded in the elevator and Ashley grinned at Patrick,
"Oops. Sorry Commander."
Patrick returned Ashley's grin and together they headed towards the airlock where Shepard and Kaidan already were waiting, already suited in their armor. Patrick took his from the storage bin by the airlock and started putting it over his uniform, still not used to the weight of the armor. It weighed roughly around fifteen pounds and that didn't include the sniper rifle that he had to throw on his back. The armor was uncomfortable too. It was hot against his body and a little big, mainly because he wasn't as "beefy" as other Alliance soldiers like Shepard and Kaidan, but he supposed it could be worse. Patrick was lucky to have gotten free armor at all.
"Okay so according to Captain Anderson," Shepard said, bringing everyone's focus on him, "There is a small human colony on Feros: Zhu's Hope. They have reported seeing numerous geth activity and a big corporation, ExoGeni, has lost a building to the machines. We're going to help the colony as much as we can and find out why Saren came to Feros."
"I think it's pretty obvious as to why Saren attacked Feros," Kaidan said, "He hates humans. Captain Anderson said it himself. Does there have to be something special about Feros?"
"Why would he single Feros out though? There are a dozen other human colonies," Surprisingly it wasn't Shepard who disagreed with Kaidan, but Patrick and his neck darkened as everyone looked at him- especially Kaidan- but he continued, "There has to be something here. Commander, did ExoGeni say anything about what they were studying on Feros?"
The Thorian?
"No," Shepard said, "ExoGeni claimed that they settled on Feros because it would give the colonists new job opportunities. They didn't release any findings or anything. Until the geth attack, they've actually been pretty quiet."
"So the official story is that ExoGeni wanted to spend money to open up a facility on Feros out of the good of their hearts?" Kaidan asked and it seemed like Patrick and the lieutenant were for once on the same side.
"Yes," Shepard said with a curt nod.
"Only an idiot believes the official story," Joker's voice sounded in the airlock, vibrating off the walls of the small room, "Shepard, we're descending into Feros's atmosphere. ETA two minutes."
"Take us in, Joker," Shepard said.
The Normandy bounced a bit as it went from its smooth space surroundings and onto the unstable atmosphere below. Patrick held onto the silver wall of the airlock to keep from being tossed to the ground while the Alliance soldiers stared at him, their arms crossed as they kept perfect balance. Patrick felt his face color and was grateful when the Normandy docked and the airlock slid open, everyone's attention switching from him to the unfamiliar world outside.
"Good luck, Commander," Joker said before he signed off, leaving the shore party to brave Feros on their own.
"After you, Chief," Patrick said with a grin, nodding for Ashley to go first who shook her head, smirking softly,
"Oh no. After you, Serviceman."
"After me," Shepard said and walked out, everyone else following him. The Feros landing zone was very large although most of was just empty space, ready if a ship ever docked. The dust that clung to the stonewalls were clear evidence that Normandy was the first ship to have arrived in quite sometime. As the shore party continued to walk ahead, Patrick spotted a colonist strolling towards them. Shepard saw him too because he lifted his hand and everyone stopped.
"Hello?" Shepard called and Patrick saw one of the Commander's hands edge towards his pistol. Ashley and Kaidan had also taken a defensive position and Patrick found his finger brushing against the hilt of his sniper rifle.
"You!" The colonist shouted, pointing a finger at Shepard, "Fai Dan wants to speak to you."
"Who's Fai Dan?" Shepard asked and the colonist was about to respond when something caught Patrick's eye. A thin white form with a glowing head was walking towards them, a rifle in their hand.
"Get down!" Patrick shouted, grabbing the colonist's shoulders and practically shoving him to the ground before leaning down beside the man. Shepard, Ashley, and Kaidan had all ducked underneath crates and other stone structures and everyone was firing off round after round. Patrick leaned forward and saw a geth shock trooper, two normal geth soldiers, and two snipers. Some greeting party.
Patrick took out his sniper rifle, excited to use his newly acquired weapon in actual combat instead of just shooting rocks with Kaidan. He put the end of it on his shoulder and stared into the lens, everything slowly coming into focus. Patrick bit his lip as he pulled the trigger, but instantly relaxed after one of the geth soldiers went down. He was getting used to the weight of the weapon, but what he was not used to was the ringing sound that thundered in his ears after he shot the rifle. Unlike the pistol which had been clued to his hip, the rifle was right next to his ear.
"Well done, everyone," Shepard praised as they all stood up.
"Good eye, Hamilton," Kaidan said with a nod, "I didn't see those geth until you spotted them."
Patrick merely nodded before bending down to help the surviving colonist. In the game, whoever he was had died. "Excuse me, are you okay? I didn't mean to throw you that hard."
"I am alright," The colonist said, taking Patrick's hand as the Serviceman pulled him so that he was standing. "Thank you."
"What's your name?" Shepard asked, stepping forward so that he was next to Patrick.
"Michael Dan," Michael said, pushing a strand of black hair off of his dark face. Patrick couldn't tell if he had naturally dark skin or if it was just dirt clinging to his face.
Shepard raised an eyebrow, "You're Fai Dan's son?"
"Nephew," Michael said, "My father was Fai Dan's brother. He died during the first geth attack."
"I'm sorry," Shepard said and Michael just shrugged,
"I wasn't close to him. He forced me to come to Feros with him and Fai Dan." Michael said simply with a shrug. "Fai Dan's a much better parent than my father ever was."
Shepard nodded while Kaidan suggested, "Should we go see him now?"
Michael nodded, "That would be a good idea. I know he will be anxious to see you all."
The five of them- a commander who would go down in history as one of the greatest soldiers in history, two Alliance soldiers, a colonist, and some kid who was just lucky to be there- headed up a flight of stairs. Patrick walked behind the group with Ashley who kept looking behind her.
"What?" Patrick whispered after Ashley had done it for the third time.
"I feel like someone- or something is watching us," Ashley answered and suddenly she whirled around again, firing two shots. To Patrick's surprise, a geth dropped down from the wall.
"Everyone get behind something," Patrick warned loudly and everyone got behind the stonewall, Shepard dragging Michael with him. Patrick leaned over and fired, but his eye caught something. The geth that was firing at them was attached to the wall, making small noises as its face lit up.
"That's not like any of the geth we've seen before," Patrick heard Kaidan whisper, his low voice cutting through the gunshots.
After a couple more moments with everyone firing clip after clip at the strange geth, the white body fell to the ground with a crack. Shepard was the first to stand up and everyone soon followed, watching the commander as he looked down at the deactivated geth, "When we were on Therum, a group of geth like this attacked us during our search for Liara. They must be a more advanced model that the typical geth troopers."
"No machine should be that flexible," Ashley muttered and everyone nodded in agreement before continuing their walk up to the colony and to Fai Dan.
As they reached the top of the stairs, Patrick got his first look at the colony and was surprised when it looked much different then it did in the game. The first thing you saw when you got a glimpse of the colony was a man leaning on an electrical wire, his entire right leg soaked in blood. Two soldiers hovered around him, their guns trained on Patrick and the others before they relaxed. Their faces were black with dirt and their clothes were torn, signs of the hard life that the geth had unleashed on them. The sight made Patrick sick to his stomach.
"People signed up for this?" Patrick asked Michael who nodded,
"People either want adventure or a new life." Michael paused, "Earth isn't the best place to be anymore with all its crime and gangs and most other planets are run by other races. Human colonies are the only places we can really relax. Here I take you to meet Fai Dan. He's just through these buildings."
Patrick and the others walked through the metal structures, more and more dirty colonists meeting their eyes. There were people on the ground, either sleeping or bleeding, while the med bay, or what Patrick assumed was the med bay, was filled with a dozen people all seeking treatment. One woman, her brown hair streaked with strands of blonde, black, and gray, moaned, "Evil is here! The stink of evil! From below! From below!"
Patrick felt himself slow down as he stared at the woman, golden blue eyes blinking rapidly as she tried to see everyone at once. Was she talking about the Thorian? Patrick didn't know, but he did know that in a few hours, every member of Zhu's Hope would be indoctrinated, serving the Thorian… or a giant plant.
"This way," Michael said as he led them down a stone corridor where a man and a woman were standing side by side.
"No, I'm sure they're here to help us," The man, who Patrick instantly realized was Fai Dan, argued with his companion, "If you don't trust them, you might as well make yourself useful around here!" And with that Fai Dan dismissed the woman with a wave of his hand before his black eyes noticed Patrick and the others.
"Greetings. I am Fai Dan, the elected leader of Zhu's Hope," Fai Dan walked towards them, his hand outstretched as he shook Shepard's hand, "Are you with the Alliance? Did they send help? Its been weeks since we saw a friendly ship dock."
"Commander Shepard," Shepard said with a curt nod, "We're with the Alliance. We were sent to examine the geth attacks that have recently been reported. We hope to help your colony, Fai Dan, but our mission must take priority."
"I understand, Commander," Fai Dan said with a polite nod, "We all have our respon- " The sound of geth cut Fai Dan off and the five humans stared up a stairwell where six machines stood, armed and ready to fire.
"Shit its those damn machines again!" Fai Dan swore, "They're in the stairwell! Everyone take defensive procedures!"
"Ready to kill some geth?" Shepard asked, a smile twitching on his lips despite the severity of the situation.
"I'm always ready," Ashley challenged, a grin on her own face.
"Less talking, more shooting," Kaidan said as he stood up, a blue energy wrapping around him as he threw a geth shock trooper into a nearby wall, the machine hitting the ground with a loud thud.
"Nice," Patrick grinned at Kaidan before taking out a geth sniper with his own sniper rifle.
Patrick felt Shepard's hand on his back as the Commander took out two geth troopers, Ashley getting the last one, "Nice work, Hamilton. You really are getting the hang of this."
"Thank you, Commander," Patrick nodded at Shepard who turned to look at the rest of his team,
"There are bound to be more. Come on!"
They raced up the stairs- Patrick had to take two at a time to compete with the soldiers' long legs- taking out a couple geth every few seconds. As the team of four drew closer, Shepard signaled them to stop as a problem… two problems presented themselves: there were two staircases and the sounds of geth came from both of them.
Shepard pointed at Kaidan, "Alenko, take Williams down those stairs and see what you can find. Hamilton and myself will go up a flight." Patrick blinked as Shepard picked him to accompany him. Usually it was Kaidan or even Ashley, but no. For some reason unknown, the Commander had picked Patrick.
"Yes sir," Kaidan said with a salute as the teams split up, Patrick crouching behind Shepard as they moved up the stairs. Patrick had his pistol out and he felt his fingers tense every time a sound was heard. After walking for a couple minutes, Shepard signaled for Patrick to stop and the two of them crouched outside a doorway, the sounds of geth reaching their ears.
"One…" Shepard whispered, reloading his shotgun.
"Two…" Patrick added, making sure his pistol was ready.
"Three!" The two of them shouted, jumping into the other room and shooting up everything that moved. A geth destroyer was the first thing that went down and Patrick grinned as he brought down a shock trooper. Shepard was still the best, dropping five geth with three well-aimed shots. Soon the geth cleared out and Shepard leaned against the wall, breathing quietly.
"I'm getting too old for this," Shepard panted, smiling softly, "Too bad for my body this is the only thing I will ever want to do."
Patrick stared at Shepard and as he watched his Commander wipe a bead of sweat from his forehead, he started thinking about William. His father had served in the navy for almost thirty years since the time he was twenty. Even after meeting Dorothy, William had continued serving his country and would until he took a couple shots in his shoulder. He was fine, but after receiving the purple heart, he had been forced to retire.
"Don't you ever want a family?" Patrick asked as he followed Shepard out of the stone room.
"Sure," Shepard said with a laugh, "But I don't need to quit the Alliance or stop being a Spectre just because I have a family. Captain Anderson has two sons and he is still a valuable part of the Alliance."
"What about Spectres?" Patrick asked curiously, "Do Spectres have children most of the time?"
"You're forgetting that I am the only human Spectre," Shepard said, "The other species don't really focus on breeding as much as we do. Salarian fathers don't really play a big part in their child's life and since they have such a short lifespan, their children aren't really children for that long. Salarians reach the age of adulthood on the fifteenth birthday. Turians… I guess parents are encouraged to bring their kids on their ships. Almost every turian grows up to be a soldier. Asaris… I don't know. I guess a lot of them have kids, but not a lot of Asari become Spectres. Its mostly turians and Salarians."
"And humans," Patrick said with a smile.
"Hopefully in the future," Shepard said with a nod.
Their conversation was cut off as Kaidan and Ashley met them outside Zhu's Hope camp. Shepard stared at them and asked, "Did you two find any geth?"
"A couple geth troopers," Kaidan explained while Ashley added,
"There were some varren too, but they seemed to pose no real threat."
"Except for a giant brute," Kaidan said, "We tried to take him down, but he disappeared before we could get a good shot."
Patrick stared at Shepard, memories of the game flashing in his mind, "That giant varren could be causing problems for the colonists. Maybe we should ask about it around the colony."
"Good idea, Hamilton," Shepard said with a nod, "But first, let's see if Fai Dan needs anymore help."
Patrick nodded and the four of them walked into Zhu's Hope, Fai Dan meeting them halfway, Michael close behind his uncle. Fai Dan stopped a couple feet away from them and asked, "Did you get all the geth, Commander?"
"All the geth have been eliminated," Shepard said simply.
"Not all of them," Michael said, nodding towards the hallways that moments before were swarming with geth, "There's still the geth ship at the ExoGeni headquarters."
"Michael is right," Fai Dan said, "Until those geth have been dealt with, more and more will keep on showing up."
"We'll take care of them," Shepard promised.
"Is there anything else we can do to help?" Ashley asked.
"The geth is your main concern," Fai Dan said, but Michael added,
"There are so problems around the colony, but Fai Dan is right. The geth are the more urgent issue."
"None sense," Shepard said, "I think a team of three would be enough to penetrate the ExoGeni headquarters not to mention any workers that might still be there. One of my own will stay with you and help you."
"Who?" Kaidan asked and Patrick already knew who it was going to be,
"Serviceman Hamilton, would you mind?"
Patrick glanced at the faces of Fai Dan and Michael. In a couple hours, the Thorian would take control of them and turn them against their allies. Patrick would probably have to fight them unless… Patrick's next thoughts scared him. What if the Thorian controlled him as well? How long did it take for someone to become indoctrinated? Patrick didn't know, but he did know that he couldn't let this people suffer and by staying at the colony, he could help them.
Patrick stared Shepard straight in the eye, never blinking, and said simply, "I'll do whatever I can to help them."
Author's Note: Hey sorry for the delay. I've got a lot going on right now and I'm finding it harder and harder to finish chapters with my time schedule. Hopefully in the next few days, I'll be able to manage my time more efficiently. I'm also going away for the spring holiday so I don't know if I'll be able to post another chapter before I leave. I just want to say: Happy Easter! Happy Passover! And if you don't celebrate those holidays just Happy Spring!
PS: Another long chapter. J