Darn humans, they just don't know how to take care of themselves. First they ticked off the Turians on their very first blunder into space. Then they got into a war with said Turians. After that, they fumbled their way through the galactic government. By some miracle they just got their first Spectre and by yet another twist of events, they got their first Council seat. Now, after more forays into the great unknown, here in the Exodus Cluster, they seemed to be getting sick. The only thing to their favor? No one else had a clue what was making them sick.
The Salarian Council agent, Eulias let the mental rant vent through his brain. The last thing his Asari comrade wanted to hear was more of his ramblings on humans and their current incompetency. Granted, Siera was certainly more compassionate than he was, but honestly. Why didn't the humans thoroughly research this place before up and building up a whole village out in the middle of nowhere?
"What are you thinking about?" Siera asked, her dark mahogany eyes glancing on him as they continued walking towards their destination.
"Why couldn't the humans make sure something like this wouldn't happen so that we wouldn't be here in the first place?" Eulias reported. Siera rolled her eyes.
"Oh, Eulias. How could they have possibly foreseen this?" the Asari sighed.
"They could have at least tried." the Salarian grumbled.
"You can be such a cold stone sometimes." the taller Asari chided her amphibian friend. Eulias was at least two feet shorter than her, a lot more lithe, with black and yellow patterns running over his mostly deep green skin.
"Hey, it would have been for their own good too." Eulias defended, emphasizing his point with an outstretched finger.
"Yes, but accidents do happen. That's why we have a job, Eulias. We help when accidents happen." the Asari explained.
"Hmm...I suppose..." the Salarian mumbled.
These two had been working for Council space for several years. Their jobs laid more with medical investigations, both having more training in field research rather than actual lab work. The two had been partnered up at the beginning of their career so now the two knew each other's personality fairly well. Of course, they also received minimal training in the use of pistols, as evidenced by the Striker pistols on their hips. Just in case.
"So what are we suppose to do again?" Siera asked, her voice as soft as the breeze that slowly ruffled past them.
"That little settlement over there is the only one within ten miles from the village and just outside the quarantine zone. We're suppose to ask anyone living there if they know anything about what happened." Eulias explained patiently.
"Gotcha."
The two agents walked up to the rather secure looking mechanical door of the compound. There was a rather awkward moment as they both tried to figure out what to do. Siera cleared her throat while Eulias squinted, trying to figure out how to best open the door.
"Identify yourselves." an electronic voice suddenly called to them. Siera and Eulias tried to hide their shock.
"We are agents Eulias and Siera V'lieri of the Council government. We are here to ask you a few questions." the Salarian agent explained. The electronic voice made a strange noise.
"Did it just say...'hmph?'" Siera muttered to Eulias. The latter simply shrugged.
"Fine. If you must." the electronic voice declared and the door easily slid open.
"Well, here goes nothing." Siera muttered as they walked inside.
--
Dr. Pelona Sivini had worked for Citadel Extreme Medical Situation Response for exactly half of her two hundred year life span. The serious looking Asari woman had spent the majority of her career stationed on the Citadel studying in the state of the art labs. Her specific wing dealt with research in pathogens, basically the things that make organics sick, whatever that may be. Poisons, toxins, bacteria, viruses and parasites; name it, she probably had dealt with it. She could even tack the retrovirus Apollyon S1 strain on her macabre resume. She could probably also thank the virus for putting her in this current situation.
She had been one of the first physicians on site when the first breakout occurred in the Citadel Central Bank. Having been able to work (and survive) with such a devastating organism put an unspoken badge of merit on every single individual involved, at least in the eyes of the superiors above them. The Asari's analytical eyes scanned the paperwork in front of her through her small glasses. She decided the reasoning of her superiors was that if she lived through a ravenous virus that was hard to identify, then clearly she would have no problem getting shoved into another mysterious pathogen drama far from the Citadel where no one had a clue what this pathogen was this time. Oh, the logic of bureaucracy.
So now here she was in a makeshift lab just outside of what was the human frontier colony of Uruk in the Exodus Cluster. Continuing to study the papers in front of her, she read off the specimens that were detailed in the writings. For each report there was the appropriate body bag just to her side. She glanced to the other side for a moment to spot her longtime assistant and friend walking in before returning to the data.
"How are you, Harrvok?" the Asari asked.
"I'm still alive, which is more than can be said for these poor souls." the Turian muttered. Pelona let a crooked frown furrow her lips before shooting an apologetic glance at the Turian. Harrvok had been serving for the Citadel Extreme Medication Situations Response for several years and was also with her during the Apollyon outbreak. Pelona remembered when he first got onboard the team. He had been a Turian battlefield medic who had seen at least three tour of duties through pirate infested areas. At first, she was in agreement with her peers that Harrvok was a little cold and caustic. However, she later learned that underneath those tough Turian scales was a big heart. Harrvok's hard exterior and attitude was the only defense he had against something that he had to face on a daily basis with his work: death.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Pelona inquired, placing a comforting hand on one of his talons which was preparing to unzip a body bag. The Turian hesitated.
"Eh, you know how much I wish people could live forever." the Turian muttered.
"In our line of work, how is it that you keep on wishing?" the Asari teased as only a friend could.
"Because I'm stubborn...Now, what do we have here?"
"Human female, between the ages of fifteen to nineteen standard years. Records are still trying to get an identification. She was found in one of the houses near a computer terminal, the same one we recovered the electronic journal." Pelona read without showing any emotions. You just couldn't do that in this line of work.
"Cause of death?" Harrvok asked.
"That's what we're hear to find out."
These first six bodies laid quietly, neither holding tightly to their secrets nor freely giving them. They would only give up their stories if they were persuaded the right way. Harrvok decided to start the biological dialog with a simple, archaic but effective instrument as he asked Dr. Pelona for it.
"Scalpel."
--
Eulias and Siera found that the outside metal casing of the home was a good deception to what was inside. The furnishings were actually warm and welcoming with a lot of ornamental chairs, tables and other objects made of the local wood. Scattered all over the habitation were what appeared to be sketches and notes scribbled down in a hurried fashion.
"Hello?" Siera called curiously.
"What do you want?" a voice asked them rapidly, as if lacking in patience.
Stepping from the side appeared yet another Salarian, this one looking even more smaller and frail than Eulias. Regardless, the amphibian still commanded an air of purpose about him. That purpose also seemed to be lacking in patience.
"What do you need?" the Salarian demanded. Once again, Eulias and Siera were at lost with what to say.
"We are agents of the Council on an investigation. Are you familiar with the village seven miles east of here?" Siera asked. The newcomer seemed to cock an eyebrow in a dissatisfied way.
"Of course I am. You came all this way to ask me about that?"
"Of course not, now change your attitude or we can let things get rough from here. Who are you, what are you doing here?" Eulias demanded.
"I am Chroso. I'm what you would call a hermit and archaeologist. I've been studying the local history around here." the Salarian explained, calming his tone.
"Interesting. What do you know about the village?" Eulias stated quickly, clearly showing he was not in fact interested at all with Chroso's research.
"You mean Uruk? Confounded pain in every cerebral hemisphere I have. That human shanty town has been interfering with my research for years." Chroso growled.