Pre-note:
radiogirl79, CommanderHawke667, Morum98: Welcome to CelestialLight stories :)
Better late than never but better never rushed.
Sender: Shepard
Receiver: Anderson
Well we are all settled on the Normandy. Still feels weird being in charge...
The crew all settled into the ship. Some picked up jobs, maybe to take their minds off things. The Lieutenant is working right outside my room (Still not used to saying that) on the terminal in the mess hall. Probably going through combat situations. Chief Williams is tending to the weapons and armor downstairs. I'm not sure if she knows how to fix scratches on armor with omni-gel; maybe I'll show her. The Quarian quickly volunteered to work under Adams in the drive core. Glad to have her with us; she's found a way to reduce heat emissions when the Normandy is in stealth drive. Garrus is calibrating the Mako's gun and Wrex is mulling over things that happened centuries ago.
About that kid... the one in Barla Von's office? We subdued him but...
Four hours earlier
The C-sec captain grabs some lackey's megaphone, "Come out kid!" he calls, "You're surrounded!" Captain Bryhl had led Shepard on a short trek from the academy, across the Presidium's river and into the Financial district. Scores of officers surround the door to Barla Von's office, guns drawn, omni-tools prepped and biotics lit as the tension grows. "Last chance kid."
The tension grows minute by minute as the "kid" remains unresponsive to the captain's demands. It is when the captain issues the order to storm the office does the door hiss open to reveal a boy dressed in ripped jeans and an equally ripped hoodie who can in no way be over twenty, his hands wrapped securely around the Volus's shoulder piping. His eyes hold a fierce sapphire blue to them; his messy ebony hair reflects the Citadel's artificial daylight. The boy's face holds a look of confusion or frustration, maybe both. "Need", he says.
The captain lowers his pistol slightly, "Need? What do you need, boy?"
The boy lifts the struggling Volus into the air, "Need", he says again. "Need... to know."
Shepard levels Faith at the kid. "Put him down", the Spectre says, "We can figure out what you need but we need you to put Barla down."
The boy hesitates a second, clearly thinking about the outcome of what choices he was given. He looks around nervously before unceremoniously dropping the Volus to the ground. In that moment Bryhl squeezes the trigger of his pistol. A shot rings out, shocking everyone as the bullet buries itself into the boy's stomach. The kid screams in pain as his knees collapse from underneath him. A lone paramedic rushes the Volus away from the scene as a group of officers hold the boy to the ground.
"What the hell?"
"Don't trust biotics. Nothing personal." Captain Bryhl motions for Shepard to follow him. "Impossible to trust someone who can kill you with a thought. No offense intended of course."
"I understand the Turian military doesn't appreciate biotics as much as other races but that doesn't justify shooting someone who was willing to cooperate!"
"Look Spectre, I doubt the kid's gonna die. Probably just unconscious." The captain and Spectre look down at the unconscious boy; blood pools from the boy's stomach, puddling onto the floor. "See? Probably the best sleep the shit's gotten in a long time."
Shepard pushes the officers aside as she kneels down, applying medi-gel to the boy's wound. "And the fact that he's discharging an overwhelming amount of blood?" she asks.
"I thought all Humans bled more than other races", he says with a shrug, "My bad", he says, not even attempting to feign concern.
Shepard has always hated the fact that other species see Humans as useless or less sentient than them. This Turian doesn't actively disprove this theory.
The Spectre stands to the captain, face close to his as she holds Bryhl by his bony collar. "You might regret saying that to the first Human Spectre who also happens to be a biotic." A grunt comes from the boy, catching both of their attentions as he wakes with a start, kicking and screaming against the officers holding him down. A thin veil of light envelopes the boy, slowly getting brighter and brighter.
Bryhl shakes free from the distracted woman's hands, "Spirits!" he breathes as the boy starts to lighten with white energy.
"Hold him down!" Shepard shrieks, pushing down on the flailing kid's healed stomach. "Dammit! Hold him down!"
"I! I! I DON'T KNOW!" The kid screams, completely enveloped in his blinding white light. The kid gives one last scream before a powerful force explodes everyone into the dark recesses of their minds.
The kid is an extremely powerful biotic. He discharged a couple walls of pure white biotics. I think the part that chills me the most is that it seemed as if he didn't mean to. He might not have control over his dark energy output. When I woke up, the officers were spread out within thirty feet of where we were initially. All were okay, mind you, a couple of people sustained concussions... Including me
Shepard massages her sore skull.
Dr. Chakwas is helping with it... Other than that we were fine. It was about half-an-hour before we found the kid. He was running around the Wards- completely healed. No amount of medi-gel can close that wound so quickly. It's not natural for someone of his age to be shot (obviously), pass out for about five minutes before using unbelievably powerful biotics to knock his attackers out and then run two miles away. There's something about him. I would say 'wrong with him' but it's definitely not a disability. I had to put a few rounds into him to get him to sleep. I then had Dr. Michel (who thankfully works just minutes away from where we were) overload his body on medi-gel. He's in an induced coma in the Normandy's sick bay but Dr. Chakwas says he's recovering faster than he should be. She says he has an incredibly high metabolism and something like a healing factor. We're keeping him under observation for a while... Well... We don't know how long a "while" will be; Karin says she has to continually increase the dosage to keep him under... I hope when he wakes up we'll be able to reason with him.
Not much else happened after that... Well... Except that you left me a ship to captain! Dammit, Anderson. It's not that I'm ungrateful, it's just... So weird... I even gave a speech to the crew.
One hour ago
"Intercom's open if you want to say a few words", the pilot says, leisurely leaning back in his chair. His hand glides over a few screens in front of him. A blank terminal pops up, a silhouette of a microphone glows slightly on the hologram.
"Looks like I don't have much choice", she mutters under her breath. She moves closer to the terminal, twitchy lips looking for the right words. "Crew", she starts, "This was originally supposed to be another routine shakedown run. Well, we all know that's no longer the case. Things spiraled out of control on Eden Prime and we were thrust into a political shit-storm by the Council's assumption. We cleared things between us and I became the first Human Spectre assigned with the mission to take down the real renegade, the rogue Spectre Saren Arterius. We enlisted the help of several non-Alliance specialists; all will be treated with the utmost respect." She pauses, not sure where to go next, "...We're going after Saren. He's not going to get away, not after all he's done. I will not rest until he's apprehended or dead. I expect the same out of you." She closes the terminal, breathing deeply as she steps back, still not used to the feeling of even higher authority.
"Nicely said, Comm- Captain... Spectre... Spectre-Captain-Shepard-who-commands", the pilot sputters.
"Let's get this bird in the air, Joker", the Spectre-Captain-Shepard-who-commands says, "Set a course for Pinnacle station, Phoenix system, Argos Rho cluster."
I tried to be "nicer" like you had suggested. I still don't understand the point in doing so, but it seems to work so why the hell not; this whole mission has been pushing me outside my comfort zone. I just...
Never mind. Sooner we catch that Turian bastard, the sooner I'll be able to return home with a family. God, I hope my stomach doesn't start bulging before I'm done. Imagine the armor.
-Shepard.
x Message sent x
Shepard sits back in the chair, rolling the knots out of her neck. That made two messages sent tonight; one for Hackett and one for Anderson. The most frustrating part was the fact that the terminal didn't have copy & paste abilities. There was only one last thing she had to do before she could call it a night. Her fingers glide over the holo-keys, a document bearing confidential information from the Migrant Fleet expands into the screen.
"Shepard" vas Normandy,
We approve the transfer request procured by the daughter of Admiral Rael'Zorah.
The fleet trains its pilgrims for all sorts of dangerous scenarios and events that could possibly befall them on their journey. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya joined the engineering division of training. She is a brilliant technician even among the Quarians. She's got a knack for developing machinery of all kinds, hacking, technical supports and problem solving. We equipped her with three drones: a defense drone that will glide around her head and shoulders, the defense drone- Navie, as she likes to call it- provides shield support and an application that electrocutes hostiles via neural command, a sentry turret named Mabaren which activates and fires like a common assault rifle, and the combat drone, Chiktikka which reacts to the user's thought process and can be manipulated into providing ground support. Tali is also equipped with a shield boost all on her Nexus omni-tool. The app disperses a positive field of dark energy that instantly repairs shields. It's a useful tool that unfortunately overclocks the omni-tool's mainframe; the cooldown time grows between each use.
The fleet welcomes the idea of mixing experiences with other races during the child's Pilgrimage. However, should news of Tali'Zorah's harm or death come to us, you may be tried for fleet endangerment. Keep her safe.
- Adm. Shala'Raan.
Shepard closes her terminal, yawning wearily as she drags her feet to her new bed. She lays upon the firm leather, sheet-less and blanket-less bed.
She can't explain it but instead of feeling resentment or frustration about the last few days or the days to come; instead she feels... hopeful... Hope... She likes that word. She feels a few taps from inside her stomach. She folds her hands on top of the sensation and closes her eyes.
Looks like Hope likes it too...
The fires and screams from her home town of Edge dilute and dissolve around her as a repetitive noise echoes through her secluded space of mind.
"Shepard?" a warped voice calls, pulling the woman from the dark recesses of her mind.
"Whaaat?" She calls, gingerly rubbing the flare of pain in her skull.
"It's Kaidan."
"Yeah I figured."
"...We're going to be docking at Pinnacle station in about an hour... I was wondering if you wanted to have breakfast together."
Shepard pinches the bridge of her nose. This Lieutenant wasn't technically breaking regulations since this was now a Spectre mission. "Sure. Anything good?"
"Cold oatmeal and protein bars."
"Sounds fun."
The woman draws up from the cot, stretching her arms as Kaidan leaves to prepare a "meal".
The cool silky material glides down her leg. She shakes her foot free of the clothing as she steps over the cold tile to her new closet. She snugs the light Alliance blues around her waist, suit tightening as she fastens the belts and straps.
She steps into the mess hall. Kaidan stands at the far end of the room, quickly tossing food together.
"This isn't a date, Lieutenant", says Shepard.
Kaidan chuckles in response, "Never said it was, Shepard. Just thought we'd get to know each other a little better. We'll be working together for a while." He sets the food on the table and pulls a seat for his commander.
"Kaidan, I've told you before-"
"I know, Commander. But there's nothing wrong with knowing the people who serve under you, is there?" he says.
"Not other than it's against regulations to fraternize."
His brow quirks up in amusement, "It's a Spectre mission now, right? It's now just a moral thing. Nothing wrong with knowing the people who put their lives on the line."
"Fine Kaidan", she says, "You win." She sits down bitterly in her seat as the man drops a bland protein bar, a bowl of equally bland oatmeal, and a water bottle in front of her.
"Not my favorite but good conversations are just as worthwhile, eh Shepard?" The man props himself up in his own chair, setting his folded hands upon the table and smiling at the beautiful woman. "So... Where are you from, first of all?"
"Mindoir."
"Tell me about that place."
"No."
Kaidan pauses, obviously taken aback, "Alright... Hobbies?"
"None."
"Absolutely none?"
"Yep."
"Well... Family?"
"Nope."
"Can I know your real name?" He asks as he leans back in his chair, a quizzical look across his face.
Shepard stands from the table, taking her water bottle in hand and walking towards the elevator. "Sorry Kaidan but I'm not a big fan of personal questions."
"Later Shepard."
Sociable the dossier says; hell if they hadn't hit the description spot on.
"I just don't think we should allow aliens access to the most developed frigate in the Alliance, Commander", says Ashley, her oil-stained arms cross as she leans back against her workbench.
"I can understand your concern, Williams", Shepard says, Anderson's nagging voice reminding her to play nice to those underneath her. "As I understand, you haven't had a lot of experience with non-Alliance races?"
"It's a little more than that, Shepard, but yes that's the short version. I just wanted to let you know that I think we should watch ourselves around them. They're a dangerous bunch." The girl rubs her forehead with the back of her hand, smearing grease and oil across her skin as she huffs, "I just wanted to make sure you were in charge, ma'am."
"I am", the Spectre says, "But it's necessary that we work alongside others on this mission. Even if we don't want to, we'd still be pressured by Udina, Anderson—hell; even the Council would scold us for not bringing them along."
"I guess that makes sense... Do you?" the Soldier asks.
"What?"
"Do you want aliens aboard?"
The question catches the Sentinel by surprise. She takes a moment to ponder. "I think it's beneficial for all sides. It shows that Humanity is mature enough to handle more than themselves."
"And the fact that they're aliens?"
"I honestly don't care about what a person looks like. If they're not civilians, they're behind me on the battlefield or torn apart in front of my gun. Anyone who betrays my trust dies. Anyone who upholds it lives. It's as simple as that."
Ashley pauses and then nods, "I... That's a good way of thinking, Shepard." The girl looks at the guns on the table before turning around and disassembling Kaidan's Judgement pistol. The girl begins to clean the grime from the venting chamber, "Thanks for the talk, Commander. I have some duties to finish but I wouldn't mind talking later, ma'am."
"As you were, Chief."
Shepard walks by Wrex, promptly pulling free the Tuchankan cigar from the Krogan's rough lips as she strolls to the drive core, "No smoking on my ship, Urdnot"; she says as she crushes it in her hands and lets the dust spill through her fingers. The Krogan mumbles some choice words under his breath as he huffs and leans back against the storage boxes.
She steps into the engineering deck, momentarily dazed by the light radiating from the Tantalus drive core. Before Eden Prime, Shepard had a chance to chat with most of the crew when they boarded; they had all treated her with respect, but there was one who stood out to her. Engineer Gregory Adams, took charge of the core. He single-handedly set up Tantalus, fixed his co-workers' mistakes and explained to her how it worked to mask the Normandy's heat output during stealth drive all at the same time. In less than a minute he had finished a day's work as they talked. She had to salute him.
Shepard walks by Adams, nodding and receiving a nod as she passes. She sees a dark exo-suit huddled in the corner of the room, rapidly tapping away on a terminal. She flinches as Shepard taps her shoulder. "Dammit!" she cries, "You scared me, Shepard."
"Sorry Tali. Just wanted to see how you were settling in."
"Oh good. I'm good, Shepard."
"You sure? You seem a bit antsy to me?"
The Quarian turns around, "...antsy?" she asks.
"Human expression; sorry. It's the same as anxious."
"Oh I just haven't had a lot of experience with Humans or technology this advanced."
Advanced?
"You think we have advanced technology?" Shepard asks, genuinely confused. "I would've figured that Quarians would have every other race trumped in technology."
Maybe not the Salarians...
"That seems to be a common misconception about us. We're not nearly as advanced as most races. Most of our time spent studying technology is dedicated to learning more about the Geth or refurbishing and repairing our ships."
"Refurbishing and repairing your ships? You need to study that?"
The Quarian sighs and leans against the guard rail, "Did someone tell you we have the biggest fleet, Shepard?" she asks. The woman nods. "That's only about half of our ships. The other half varies from Turian cruisers to Batarian fighters."
Shepard flinches at the mention of that race.
"And so we still need to learn a lot about them to repair them. I imagine we'd have the Salarians tied if we hadn't created the Geth..." The Quarian visibly saddens at the thought. "We would have done a lot if we didn't... But that's in the past, Shepard. We're on a mission to break apart an alliance between a Turian traitor and the Geth." The sad mood dissipates as the girl laughs, fogging up her visor, "And who knows", she says, mouth dripping with mirth, "Maybe we'll get lucky and blow them all up."
Shepard shares in the light-hearted humor, "Maybe Tali", she says, "You never know what's out there."
"You must be Shepard", an Asari clad in heavy blue armor says, her back turned to the blonde as she stares out the observation glass. The planet Vebinok floats softly in space. The window captures its beautiful glow and shine of the planet's rings. "Heard you were made the first Human Spectre. Good job."
"Thank you", says Shepard, "It is an h-"
"But", the asari interrupts, turning to her. Her eyes are dark brown. Dark purple paint accents her light blue face, giving her a fierce and wicked look, "The real work starts now, here at Pinnacle station, the Spectre training ground. You will be put through all sorts of hell every day, and after you wake up each morning, you'll be put through it again. I am your trainer- your torturer. My name is Tela Vasir. Hope you're ready, Shepard, at the end of the week, you'll be wishing the Council had executed you."
"Saren."
The turian huffed and turned his head, he looked back and saw the Matriarch. She stood at the entrance to the room. "What do you want?" He hissed. Spirits, he hated this woman.
"The Council is calling again."
"Ignore them."
She nodded. "I also have some information on the Commander."
"Shepard?"
"Yes." Saren waved for her to come in. "It seems that in light of what she exposed, she has been offered the position of a Spectre. In addition, she's been given the SSV Normandy and her crew. It's apparent that she's planning to find you."
"With just those two Alliance marines?"
"No. She has just recently recruited the help of a C-sec agent, a krogan bounty hunter and the quarian hacker."
"Get me background checks on all of them. See if we have anything on them that we can use against them."
"What do you want to do about Shepard?" she asked.
"Depends on where she goes. If she just became a Spectre, she'll be at Pinnacle station for training. Find out where she's headed afterwards." The woman nodded. "And what about the kid? The biotic?"
There was silence.
"What happened to the kid," he demanded.
"The Commander took him before our agent could-" Saren screamed and bolted up from his seat. He charged towards the asari. Her chest and neck were already covered in scars from her last punishment. He sweeped a talon across her face. Three thin, purple lines appeared on her face. Slowly, the blood began to travel down her face. Benezia just looked at him. He hated that. She was already so far gone that she had no reactions anymore. He shoved off of her.
"Find where she's headed."