A Woman and her Wolf
Ok then. We got Garrus and Tali right in front of me, and apparently Shepard is not too far off. Got to keep my cool here, make sure they don't suspect me being an AI. Just be chill, act natural, and everything should come out golden. Hopefully.
"What is it Garrus?" Why hello Jennifer Hale! So it looks like we have a femshep here. Not my normal choice, but the fact I'm meeting a Shepard at all is already crazy. I wonder what she looks like? Probably the basic design, but who knows, they might have bright pink hair or something.
"Seems like somebody got those smugglers before we did" Garrus's flanged voice is really weird. Kind of cool though, it's the sort of voice that doesn't get tiring listening to, like Shaun Connery or Christopher Walken.
And strolling in, without a care in the world, comes Shepard. It's quite obvious that it is Shepard too, with the N7 hardsuit, with the iconic red stripe on black plating. She looks like the vanilla design, except the one from the third game instead of the first. This meaning she has the parted red hair that's long at the back but short at the front. Her facial expression is one of shock and what I think is disgust.
"Has that guy been cut in half?" Yeah, that's disgust all right. She sounds like she is trying not to gag. Which is fair enough, I did make a bit of a mess, which I'm still not freaking out about it actually. Perhaps it's like robot adrenalin or perhaps I was just a psychopath and I didn't know it. Who knows? Better yet why bother caring? I'm not panicking yet so that has to be a good thing right?
"Seems that way." Garrus doesn't seem as shocked, but I guess he might be more used to this kind of thing, I imagine C-Sec get to deal with all types of axe-crazy maniacs. "Looks like that mech had something to do with this, it's covered in blood" Oh, they are looking at me now! I just have to play the role of cute robo-dog and I should be fine. I realize that I have already been wagging my tail and that my 'tongue' is lolling out my mouth. That should help my case, shame about the blood though.
"Think it's hostile?" No way Shepard, I am so not hostile. I'm just a cute robot dog. Beep Boop. They have to do something eventually and I'm not going to be the one to start, as that might make me already suspicious. And if they find out I'm an AI then its game over for me.
"I could check, but I need to get closer to it" Well, Tali just spoke up for the first time. I can tell why though, with how she is pointedly avoiding looking at the guy I cut in half. It's probably a bit too much for her, considering how new she is to this compared to the other two.
"We can cover you" Shepard replied "if something goes wrong, we can fight one mech." I feel a bit insulted there; I just took out five people about six minutes after waking up. Though I guess my opponents were not exactly up to scratch, I took most of them out due to surprise anyway.
Tali takes a loud audible breath before moving slowly towards me. I wonder what she is planning to do exactly. Her omnitool lights up and I gotta say, it looks really cool. I wish I had one. At this point, she is close enough to reach out and touch me. She almost does as well, but keeps her omnitool hand inches away from my face, filling my view. I realize this means that she is scanning me which is bad news indeed.
I get filled with a strange, alien sensation. It's like something is pushing at my brain for information, and it won't leave until it gets what it wants. I wonder if it's possible to lie to it, because that might work fine. I attempt to send it fake information, saying that I am a combat mech and robotic pet named Bladewolf, using advanced VI programming. Half-truths are the best kind of lies, after all.
It seems like I managed to do something, because Tali pulls her omnitool away and looks at the screen for a little bit, before turning to the rest of the squad and hopefully relaying what she just got. "Shepard, something is strange with this VI" Oh Shit. Well she said VI, so that's got to be a good thing right?
"What's wrong with it?" Ok that's just mean Shepard; there is nothing wrong with me.
"I just tried to hack into its data banks to get information on it, but it completely resisted my hacking attempt, and it's coding is different to anything I have ever seen." Tali looks a bit sheepish, I think it might have something to do with failing a hacking attempt, which might make her feel upset.
"Did you manage to get anything at all?" Shepard says this quite softly, so it sounds less accusatory and more of a question between friends. Possible evidence towards paragon Shepard, which I will need to live.
"Well, I got something, but it's…" Tali pauses for a second, trying to find the right word "a bit like a sales pitch, it doesn't really tell me much" Seems like she did get the info I sent her. That's good; I just wish I knew how to do that properly.
"What did it tell you about it then? Any information is better than nothing right?" Spoken like a true optimist Shepard.
"According to what it says, it's a one-of-a-kind mech designed both for combat and as an interactive pet." Tali explains this, sounding annoyed that that was all she was able to get.
"Why would somebody make that?" Garrus pipes in. Well, rich people with more money than sense, they exist in every universe right? I hope the pet part wasn't too much, I only added it in so I could act a bit more expressive than not at all.
"I don't know" Tali admits. "The model is apparently named 'Bladewolf' too. That's all I was able to get from it before it locked me out." So it appears I'm unhackable. Or just really resistant to hacks, either one is good.
"Why would these criminals own this?" Shepard ponders "And why would it kill them?"
"Well, these criminals were smugglers, perhaps they stole it, but it got loose?" Thank you Garrus, that's a decent enough excuse. I would buy it.
"Perhaps" looks like Shepard buys it too "What should we do now though? The smugglers are already dead and now we have the VI to deal with." Deal with in what way exactly? Hopefully not deal with in the shooty smashy way.
"I would like to take it" Oh, it appears I have Tali's attention at least, which is good, means I'm almost in the clear.
"Are you sure that's safe Tali? We barely know anything about it, and you want to take it with us?" Garrus does not trust me, it seems. He just lost a few points in my eyes, but he still has like a million points, so it's all great.
"I think it looks cute, aside from the blood." You know what Shepard? I can take that, that's better than 'agh it's an AI shoot it' and similar reactions. "And besides, I can keep an eye on it encase It starts acting weird" Deal accepted. I slowly move towards Shepard, and let out a small bark. Like the howl, I can't tell if I can actually make that noise or if it's pre-recorded. "I think he likes me" Shepard gives off a little snicker after saying that.
Garrus quickly gives me a hard stare, before walking back towards the exit they came in from. Shepard pats me on the head, which feels a bit condescending, and motions for me to follow her out. So, I decide to follow her, she is probably the only person I'm safe around anyway or at least for now. Before they open the door, Garrus and Shepard start to put helmets on, which means air is likely toxic or a vacuum on the other side. I don't have a helmet though, what if I choke and die? Or if I- I keep forgetting the whole I'm a robot thing. It's going to need some getting used to.
A little hiss comes from their suits when the helmets are attached, which I imagine is some sort of vacuumed seal, to keep their oxygen from seeping out, and whatever is in the air outside from getting in. I'm quite excited actually; I'm going to see a completely alien planet for the first time! That a big deal, or at least for me anyway, I imagine for the people in this universe that's the equivalent to driving down to a different city or town for shopping.
Shepard presses down on the holographic lock, making the ring go green and the door make a little chime and whoosh noise, revealing my first sight of an alien planet. It is… disappointing. I mean, it looks nice, with its large rolling valleys of green grass and what seem to be small flowers, but it doesn't look alien. I wanted to see weird animals and purple grass, and all kinds of crazy stuff. Not a planet that looks like New Zealand.
Might as focus on what is cool. In the middle of this peaceful vista is a large APC, which I recognize as the Mako. Everyone hates on the Mako for its awkward controls and weird physics, but I love the dumb truck that could. It has pluck. I can see the little doors on the side, which Shepard opens for everyone. Shepard clambers in first, followed by Garrus and Tali, who leaves the door open for me. The entrance is about at my head height however, so I have to pull off a little jump to actually get in. I do a perfect little hop into the mako, with a perfect dismount and everything. An Olympic gymnast would rate it an eight out of ten, most definitely.
The inside of the mako isn't going to win any awards; it's got a single seat at the front for the driver, which Shepard is currently sitting in. Right behind that is a sort of harness thing so somebody can operate the turret, which nobody is using for some reason. Then there are three seats on either side of the mako, making a total of six. Tali and Garrus are sitting opposite to each other, both looking at me; I think they are waiting for me to sit down.
I sit down on one the chairs next to Tali, and attempt to strap myself into the seat. Through a mixture of stubborn determination and dexterity, I manage my goal of strapping myself to the seat. I'm glad I cannot feel this properly, because the position I'm in looks awkward as all hell.
"Alright Joker, we are ready for pickup" Oh hey, Joker is on call. Nice.
"Loud and clear Commander, coming to pick you up now" So I guess we just wait for a bit then. About five minutes later the Normandy comes into land and picks us up. Shepard drives the mako into the cargo bay and it locks into place with a few clanking noises. Shepard gets out the driver's seat and leaves the mako, with Garrus and Tali following shortly after. I sorta wriggle out my seat, land face first on the floor, regain my composure, and leave after them. It appears they are on the other side of the mako. Just before I move to the other side I hear them talking, and I decide to listen in.
"Did everything turn out ok commander?" That sounds like Kaidan Alenko.
"Well…" Shepard pauses to think about what to say "they were all dead when we got there, actually" Wow; she doesn't pussyfoot around the point does she?
Anyway, that's kind of my cue to show up, so I might as well play nice. I walk around the mako and take a spot a few paces behind Shepard. Kaidan saw me, or at least got a glimpse of me, and looks past Shepard to get a better look, and looks at me, puzzled. "Shepard, what is that?"
"It's a VI we found in the building, that killed all the smugglers before we got there. It's pretty cool right? It's called Bladewolf, which sounds a bit silly, but I think he could be useful to have around!" Shepard seems to like me quite a bit.
"Shepard. If you wanted a dog I don't think anyone would stop you" Kaiden says this with a grin, clearly as a joke between friends.
"A dog is nowhere near as useful as a mech" Damn right Shepard. Damn right.
"A varren then" Kaiden is having quite a bit of fun with this, isn't he?
"Ugh, varren smell horrible. Plus I think I have fought too many to see them as pets"
"I hear you" Kaiden nods in agreement.
Shepard points her thumb over her back "Anyway, I should go" Oh my god. She said it. This is looking like it's going to be entertaining.
Author's Notes
I plan to rush through Mass Effect 1's story, due to reasons that will (hopefully) soon become apparent. So expect me to gloss over quite a bit of this part of the story. Please review this story with positive or negative feedback, so I can get better at writing.