This was it. The genophage that had plagued the Krogan for thousands of years was finally going to be put to an end. For thousands of years the Korgan had not been able to breed, their whole race was at stake…But now it seemed like that maybe the Krogan would have a chance at a future.
They would repopulate fast, in fact they would probably have to find another planet for all of their new kin just in the first few years or so. Not to mention the anger issues that they had going on…But Wrex had his head on straight. He would make sure the Krogan stayed in line.
It seemed like it was only fitting that Mordin would be the one to make the cure…It was a way of atonement for everything. Besides, he has said it himself many times, it has to be him making this cure. Anyone else would get it wrong.
I smiled to myself. Things were going good and hell that never happened. Sure there was the attempted bribery with the Salarian Commander, the mix up with the tanks, the Turian air raid without ground support, the whole reaper and thresher maw ordeal, but it wasn't really that bad. The Reaper was dead and Mordin was already inside of the tower with the cure.
That tower sure wouldn't last long though…And I really didn't want to be accountable for anyone but myself in there. With the way that place was looking it would be going down in a matter of minutes. Nothing I couldn't handle at this point though…
"Garrus, tell Wrex and the others to get out of here and to a safe distance, you all can't stay here anymore! I'll make sure that Mordin gets the cure distributed and we'll be out soon! Be ready to go as soon as you see us coming" I called out to my squad mate as an explosion came from the tower. I of course wasted no time running towards the tower.
"Alright Shepard…Be careful ma'am" Garrus yelled as I went running off, shaking his head. He knew I always had a way of throwing myself into the most dangeroussituations…He had stopped trying to stop me at this point. He gave the signal to Wrex and they drove off a bit farther away so they would be out of harm's way if the tower was to collapse.
I burst through the front doors to have electrical wires spark and hiss, dangling in front of my face. I waved my hand to clear the way, the air was a mesh of ash and smoke with small bits of smoldering sparks fleeting through the hair. Luckily the ground level was pretty clear…It was up on the higher levels that the supports were starting to fail.
I made my way to the elevator in the corner of the room, punching the highest number that was on there. I knew that you had to ride another elevator to get to the very top level of the tower. But surely Mordin wouldn't be up there without me…He would wait…Hopefully.
The elevator light flickered and I could hear the sound of wires buzzing, cracking, and snapping. Perhaps the stairs would have been a better idea. Just as the elevator gave a stopping lurch, it let out a very out of pitch and unstable ding as it hit the top level. I got out of the death trap deciding that Mordin and I would have to take the stairs on our way back down.
I hadn't even sighted Mordin on the level yet, but we didn't have much time.
"Mordin! Are you gonna be able to distribute the cure?" I asked out into the open room before spotting Mordin across the room at a terminal, trying to get the final elevator open.
It would be just my luck that something would go wrong with the cure now…But I had faith in Mordin. He wouldn't ever let me down, and he wouldn't let the whole race of Krogan down either.
"Yes, everything working as planned, Shepard" he started, not looking up from his vigorous tapping.
"Ha! I don't think I have ever heard those words before!" I walked over to where he was standing. There was a small explosion from behind me, electricity bolts sparking out and the sound of crackling flames from the corner of the room.
"Yes…Well, will still need manual launch, will be going up to top of tower" he said before stepping away from the terminal, the elevator sliding open shortly after.
"Alright let's go we don't have much time left, this whole place is going down" I said before starting into the elevator. Mordin pulled me back though, facing me across from him. He didn't think he would be going this one alone did he?
"You're right. Place will be going down at any time...Galaxy still needs Shepard" he said pausing.
"Me, not so much" he said before smiling ever so softly.
I got a sinking feeling in my chest. I knew I would lose people but…
"Of course they need you! You made the cure and-"And that is all I need. Was supposed to make cure, was what I did. Only I could do it…Anyone else could have got it wrong. Have to go and finish this alone to do it right, Shepard" he smiled at me.
"No, I'll go up with you! You make the calculations, I'll cover your back and then we should still be able to get back to the elevator-"Thank you, Shepard. You gave me a chance to make mistakes right. Thankful you chose me though. Had to be me. Anyone else would have gotten it wrong. Wish I could have run tests on seashells though" he reached into his pocket before pulling out a small object. It seemed to be about the size of a sand dollar.
"Had one just in case, to run tests on…But circumstances show I will not be able to. Run for me Shepard, record results" he smiled at me nodding a few times while placing the flat object in my hand.
I looked at him slightly wide eyed. What was he doing! He wasn't just a Doctor, he was an amazing soldier too! He couldn't just throw his life away like this. I had to stop him! I glared my eyes and went to grab him.
"Mordin I-" I grabbed his forearm and started to speak, but he cut me off before I could say anything.
"My life not for lost cause, Shepard. Remember, cure has to be distributed to win against Reapers" he nodded before taking my hand off of himself self and stepping back into the elevator slowly
"Been an honor Commander. Better go before place collapses" he said before pressing the up button, the doors dinging.
"MORDIN!"
"Goodbye Shepard"
The doors shut before I could say anything more. I gritted my teeth and punched the elevator doors.
"DAMMIT!" I let out a shrill scream that was nearly lost in the sound of the steel bending and snapping, the roar of the flames spreading behind me. I wanted to hit thing and scream some more, but I couldn't right now.
I turned around, knowing that the elevator I came up on would be little more than a death sentence now. I would have to take the stairs…If they weren't already ignited. I ran over to the other side, leaping over one of the metal beams that came crashing down from the ceiling in front of me.
I finally made it to the stairs and bounded down them, nearly tripping over myself a few times. Ugh this wasn't going fast enough I would never make it down! I looked over the edge of the railing. I was about half way there…I would be dead before I made it down unless…
I leapt over the side of the railing, flicking my wrist to form a biotic shield around myself, I tried to mimic what Samara and Liara did when the levitated down from high places.
Mine didn't work as well, seeing as how I landed on my side. I was still alive, nothing was broken and most importantly I could get the fuck out of here. I scrambled to my feet, pushing off with one of my hands and made a straight for the door. I sent a biotic shockwave to the doors with a fling of my arm before raising it in front of my face as the door blew to pieces in front of me. Metal and glass shattered as I ran out, the tower hissing, smoking, and exploding behind my footsteps.
I ran out across the land to where I finally saw the tank, where Garrus, Wrex, Bakura, and Javik were. I waved my arm at them.
"What are you doing! Get in there, this place is going down!" I shouted as I still ran towards them, waving my arm once as a sign to go. Sure they were a far enough distance away, but if that whole thing went up in flames and exploded on the ground, there was no telling what the radius of that explosion would be.
Wrex quickly got Bakura in the tank before getting in himself followed by Javik. Garrus stood outside, waiting for me and waving his arm. I jumped, grabbing his hand as he pulled me inside, closing the door behind me once I got there.
"Shepard where's-"
"He's not coming"
"But Shepard we can't just-"
"GET US OUT OF HERE WREX" I shouted, swinging one of my arms out to the side, not responding to Garrus now.
"Don't have to tell me twice!" Wrex said as the tank roared to life and sped off, Bakura sitting across from Javik with myself and Garrus in the back two seats sitting opposite of each other.
I was still panting heavily as I looked around the tank, a wild, frantic look in my eye for a moment. We bumped over the surface as amazing speeds, surely we were at a safe distance now…But we still had to get to the LZ before any Reapers showed up.
I turned around to look out the window and saw as the tower shot a bright green light out from the top, feeding into the Shroud. An exuberant, wildly, happy smile came to my face as I started to laugh.
"Yes! Ha! Yes we did it!" I said punching a fist to the air.
"Yes! Your Salarian did it Shepard! Our race will flourish now thanks to you! And the name of Shepard will be reserved for only the best of the best warriors, for the heroes!" he declared as everyone in the tank clapped and cheered. I smiled a bit.
"You flatter me" I rolled my eyes a bit at him. I was so caught up in the moment that I actually jumped when I heard the deafening explosion from the area behind us. We all looked back out the windows again to see the tower tilting, slipping. There was another blast of sound as the tower seemed to break right in half, the top part slipping off and hitting the ground in a fiery explosion.
My face fell, and that sinking feeling in my chest came back…Only this time it was accompanied with a bit of shakes. I looked away from the window…He was dead. No emotion became clear on my face for a moment as I finally uncurled my fingers that had been clutched in a death grip around the small object Mordin had given me. I stared at it for a moment before sucking in a breath.
"Garrus, check in with the admiral. Tell him it's safe to go, we're out and they can pull out their fleets. Javik, radio Cortez, get us a shuttle at the LZ" I survived the Reaper's beam, hell we took it down! We cured the genophage that plagued the Krogan for centuries, and we had united the Turian and Krogan forces….But why did this still not feel like a victory?
I felt sick. I felt too hot, dirty, and this knotting feeling in my chest was something that I didn't picture myself feeling after saving a whole race of people…
"You know…Your Salarian friend saved us all…Not to discredit you Commander Shepard" Bakura said. Ah yes, of course the only other female here would be able to read my thoughts.
"No…No you're right…I didn't do anything…Without him this whole operation would have failed. There would be no cure without Mordin" I said. I couldn't bring myself to look at the female Krogan across from me. My eyes were dry; my voice strong as ever. Yet somehow she could sense this weakness within me.
"I plan on naming my first born Mordin if that is of any condolence to you" she said. I nodded once.
"Thanks"
The rest of the ride was filled with Wrex going on and on about his plans. Not that I blamed him, this was almost the equivalent of the Reapers just disappearing all of the sudden, just like the genophage...If only there was a cure they could distribute to just shut down all of the Reapers.
We drove to safety, Wrex saying his goodbyes to me and saying that he would see me on the battle field. I had a final word with Bakura, she was going to go back with the rest of the Krogan women to spread the word and continue her work. It was interesting to finally meet a female Krogan…I never saw too many female aliens around, besides the Asari of course.
It wasn't long before Cortez landed. I knew Wrex was on a high and had a lot to do, so we said a quick goodbye and agreed to at least speak once more face to face before the final onslaught.
I could hear the Krogan voices all cheering, Wrex egging them on to celebrate, breed, but most importantly have my back at all costs. I smiled and gave them a salute and a slight wave before we flew off into the sky while the bands of hundreds, thousands of Krogan started chanting my name like a war cry.
I knew I made the right choice turning down that Salarian ambassador.
Back in the shuttle it was just me, Garrus, and Javik. The farther and farther away from Tuchanka we got, the quieter it got, until all that could be heard was the low rumble of the shuttle. The heroic feeling I just had was leaving me…I wasn't feeling like any kind of hero now.
Wrex lost a lot of troops out there…And sure he didn't seem to care but it was because I didn't expect the unexpected…If I had been more prepared, maybe if we had just prepped a bit longer then maybe Mordin wouldn't be-
"You are going to lose comrades, Shepard. I lost all of mine; you may very well lose all of yours" Javik spoke, seeing me grip at my knees unusually tight.
"Do you take me for a fool Javik?" I snapped at him, my eyes in a glare as I sat there.
"I'm fine, Cortez, radio the Normandy and tell Specialist Traynor to have Admiral Hakett ready for vid com" I said.
"Right away Shepard" he replied. More silence befell.
"…You know if you need to talk Shepard…" Garrus shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"I am FINE Garrus"
"Okay, okay, just checking Commander…" he said before settling back and looking the other way.
The rest of the shuttle ride was silent until we touched down. The minute we did I was the first one to get off and I made a straight way to the War Room before anyone could say another word to be. I walked in and through without as much as a glance to anyone.
"Is Hakett ready?" I asked into the empty space of the vid com room.
"It will be just a moment" Traynor's voice came into the room just moments before the pixels started to assemble into the image that was Admiral Hakett.
"Shepard! Good to see you in one piece. You made history today…The Krogan will become a stronger race now…I just hope this doesn't come back to bite us in the ass later" he said crossing his arms.
"Wrex is a good leader. Besides, they respect me too. He won't let us down. I am sure of it" I said with a sure nod, leaning forward on the railing, still looking up at him.
"You didn't lie when you knew someone with a cure to the genophage. Mordin was it? I am sure that name will be remembered among the Krogan for years to come. Along with yours of course!" he chuckled.
"Yeah I want people to know that it wasn't just me. We did it together" I said, still keeping my official tone and cracking a light smile at Hakett, though he just still gave me a petrous look.
"Stay strong Shepard. This is only the beginning" he said.
"I know" I pushed back from the railings and stood up straight.
"You stay strong out there too…I'll report when anything new comes up" I said. Hakett nodded.
"Hakett out" he said before turning as the pixels faded away, leaving me in an empty, dark, room. Alone.
I stood there in the dark, vid com room for a moment before exhaling and running my left hand through my hair.
I headed up to my quarters, no one tried to stop me. Even Traynor didn't look back with any news about my terminal as I walked by and into the elevator.
I placed the object that Mordin gave me on my desk. It had left little dents in my right hand from where I had been griping in since he gave it to me. I hoped the sheer force of my grip hadn't damaged it…
I took off my armor and underclothes, standing in my underwear in front of the mirror to survey the damage on my body.
My body was a mess of scrapes, cuts, soot, dust, and blood. It always looked like this though, some kind of giant bruise or scarring across my stomach. What I wouldn't give for nice, clean, undamaged skin. I was a soldier, but I was also a woman…Which meant I was conscious of my looks from time to time, even if it was just for a few seconds.
I jumped into the shower to get the initial grime off and down the drain before walking back out and starting up a bath. I added the bubbles and got in, hissing lightly as the cuts from my body reacted to the sudden soap and water.
I breathed through my teeth as I got used to the feeling in the water before finally settling down, allowing my mouth to slide under the water as I relaxed. I blew some bubbles and closed my eyes as I allowed my body to finally relax. I felt like I earned it this time…Just for half an hour or so. Then I would get back to work…
"So kinda like Broadway?"
"Well the Salarian equivalent of that yes"
"You were in Gilbert and Sullivan on the Salarian equivalent of Broadway?" I laughed leaning forward now interested. He stood there for a moment before giving me a slight grin, but yet no reply.
"I am the very model of a scientist Salarian - I've studied species Turian, Asari and Batarian - I'm quite good at genetics as a subset of biology - because I am an expert which I know is a tautology! My xenoscience studies range from urban to agrarian - I am the very model of a scientist Salarian!" He finished in a crescendo holding his arms out to the side before stopping. He got what I swore was the equivalent of a human blush before standing up straight in front of me, letting out a slight, awkward cough.
I laughed a laugh of surprise and utter amusement as well as I clapped wildly.
"Bravo! Bravo! Encore!" I laughed happily. He gave a sheepish shrug.
"Well…I suppose it does beat the Elcor Version of Hamlet" He said rather modestly.
"Well duh! I mean, come on! That is just 16 hours of Elcor stating their feelings with a bit of old English thrown in" I laughed. And for the first time since Mordin had been on my ship, Mordin laughed.
"I suppose so Shepard" he chuckled a bit, smiling now, something I had also never really seen of him since he came aboard. He paused for a moment.
"Though it might be fun to go and see…You tend to like to make fun of things…And would be good opportunity to study Elcor behavior in front of large crowds" he said placing one hand on his chin in thought.
"You mean you would actually want to go and see that thing?" I laughed a bit.
"Would be fun…But watching Elcore for 16 hours? Not the most productive use of time with Collectors stealing humans…No, no, must stay focused. Just silly ideas" he said
shaking his head a bit and typing away on his computer.
"Well…What if I streamed it on here on a projector on the wall…You could just work with that being background noise" For once he had shown interest in something that wasn't science…And seemed rather excited about it. I wasn't just going to let this thing go!
"Would be distracting. Best if you just forget-""How about if I stayed in here with you? We could get the whole crew to come in!"
"Thanks for offer….But cannot afford to take breaks anymore." he said. I sighed and let out a slight smile shaking my head.
"I guess I understand…I can't keep you from your work. And I still have a galaxy to save" I said.
"No. We have a galaxy to save Shepard…We're in this together" he placed a hand on my shoulder and I smiled patting his in return.
"Thanks" I would sometimes forget that I had my crew to back me up.
"Maybe when everything is over. Maybe when Reapers disappear, all of us can go watch Elcor together" he said smiling.
"I'm holding you to that" we shook hands smiling at each other.
I opened my eyes with a slight gasp as my nose hit the water. I must have dozed off a bit. I rubbed my head focusing on what I just dreamt about…
Not two seconds later everything finally set in. I was in a fit, letting a slight screech before swinging my arms up out of the water, splashing it everywhere as I grabbed my hair and flung my head back. I smacked my arms back into the water and pushed myself up and out of the water.
I stormed out of the bathroom, kicking my desk still dripping wet with another yell and grabbing the object off of the desk that Mordin had given me. I stormed back into the bathroom, but not before slipping on the slick floor and falling to the ground in a heap. I scrambled so I was at least sitting up and scooted myself over to the bathtub once more, resting myself up over the side of the bathtub and dunking the object into the water.
The dust cleared off with the help of my thumbs rubbing over it in the soapy water. I pulled it up seeing a red shell start to take the place of the previously brown, lumpy rock. I dunked it again and it became more shapely and bright, until finally I was holding a bright red shell, no bigger than half of my pinky finger.
I gripped it in my hand once more and got up, grabbing a pair of black pants and a black shirt and threw them on, my body still dripping wet. I just needed something descent to wear to go down stairs. I got to the third level and headed straight for the medbay where Dr. Chakwas was sitting.
Upon seeing my dripping wet form in her doorway she shot up.
"Shepard! Are you alright!" she asked quickly walking over beside me.
"What is this?" I held the shell up in front of her face. She knew by this point to not continue asking about my personal state when I was clearly on some kind of mission, literal or mental. She gingerly plucked it for my fingers and looked it over.
"It's a Noble Pectan Scallop Shell" she said with a slight smile.
"Where did you come upon this?" she asked, obviously pleased with what I had brought her to look at.
"Mordin" I stated simply. I didn't want to elaborate anymore.
"Ah well that makes more sense…These are only found on the shore of the Salarian home world. And even then they are very hard to come by. They are a symbol that their olden royals used to wear on their finest robes. It was a symbol of courage and strength" she said pausing.
"It is a very nice specimen. Well of course Mordin would only get the best" she chuckled lightly. Even in death he was incredibly smart. He somehow picked up a pile of dirt that just had this kind of shell in it…Of course it wasn't a mistake. Somehow Mordin knew what he was doing…Even now I couldn't figure him out.
"Well…Uh…Thank you Doctor" I said with a nod. Dr. Chakwas' smile faded a bit.
"Commander…I could make this into a bracelet or something if you want. Put it on a string so you could always have it on you" she offered. She was like a mother to me.
"Yeah…Yeah do that. Please" I nodded slowly before heading back out of the medbay….I probably looked like a fool running down here all wet, I couldn't afford to let my team see me like this. I walked back to the elevator and eventually my room, careful not to slip again this time.
There was still an uncomfortable knot in my chest, but in a weird way it was good to know what Mordin left me…I got washed properly, scrubbing the grime from my nails and skin, washing my hair twice and shaving everywhere that needed it.
I got out normally this time, throwing a towel on the ground to soak up the water I splashed out previously, then wrapping one around my hair and the other around my body. I dried off, placing lotion my legs and then put on my dress I liked to wear around the ship. I blow dried my hair before making sure I cleaned up the floor properly.
I applied medigel to all of my cuts, and now to the newly forming bruise on my hip from my fall. I was feeling calmer now. And though there might be a bit of water in the elevator and medbay, there was no real harm done.
I looked at the clock on my desk. My thirty minutes was up…Time to get back at it again. I read through my private messages at my terminal. I got a snippy little message from that female Salarian. I didn't even finish it before moving on to the next one. She was the last thing on my mind right now.
I got in the elevator and headed downstairs back to the galaxy map. I had to be strong now, if they saw their Commander upset there would be no hope for the rest of them. I smiled at Traynor.
"Any news for me" I said in my normal tone of voice
"Oh…Nothing really Commander" she shrugged looking up from her terminal with a soft smile.
"Alright, let's make way for the Hades Gamma then. I think I heard news of some Asari troops being trapped there, we can send a probe down to check their coordinates then get them on shuttle" I said clicking my way through the galaxy map.
"Of course, Commander" she nodded.
I spent the rest of the day running around through the relays, finding for resources and relics that I promised some people back at the Citadel. I never slept much anymore…What with the nightmares and all my time was better spent working than asleep.
I had run the last of my errands on the Citadel and got some good people to have on my side. But now the Citadel was going dark and people were getting ready for bed. I stood outside in the Presidium, looking over the city as the night sky laid over head, the numerous stars twinkling as usual. I was taking a moment before heading back to the Normandy.
Just as I was going to push away from the railing to go, I heard footsteps behind me and turned to see Dr. Chakwas with a bag of her purchases from the Citadel in her right arm.
"It's getting late Shepard" she said. I nodded.
"Yeah, I know I was just getting ready to go back to the Normandy actually…Cerberus is holding Grissom Academy hostage in the Petra Nebula. We have to head there next" I said pushing back from the ledge.
"Shepard…Even you have limits…" she said. I shook my head.
"Not now…I'm not allowed to have limits at a time like this" I said. Dr. Chakwas sighed shaking her head.
"You just come in for check-ups okay? You're only one woman" she said. I paused before sighing a bit.
"No. I'm not. We're all in this together after all" I said.
"Well…You are right about that" she smiled before rummaging around in her purse and pulling out the red shell attached to a golden chain. She placed it in my hand and I examined it carefully at eye level.
"And Mordin is still here watching your back too" she said. I nodded.
"Thanks. This means a lot" I said sitting back on the bench to attach it around my ankle. That was a good place for it, out of the way and completely safe under my armor.
"Well. I have all I need now so…I'll be waiting for you on the ship" she turned slowly and walked away. I smiled to myself and looked out at the horizon, then up at the sky once more before turning and hurrying after Chakwas to the elevator. She looked over as I caught up and we stepped into the elevator at the same time.
"Good to have you with me Commander" she said. I nodded before we both went rather quiet. I subconsciously started to hum that song Mordin sang for me…That fast little melody from Gilbert and Sullivan, the soft humming turning in to little do's until it slowed in the end.
"He was the very model of a scientist Salarian" I finished very softly, a dazed look in my eyes as I looked straight ahead at the elevator door. Chakwas stood there before responding to the little melody.
"That he was"
"….Anything I can do, Shepard?" she asked. I paused before nodding.
"Yes. Tell Joker to make course towards Jon Grissom Academy. I want to be there and ready to go in the next hour" I said as the elevator doors opened and I walked back out onto the Normandy.
Mordin was right. The galaxy still needed me. And that was something that I could never lose sight of. Not now. Not ever.