Blurry vision was the least of her worries as Erica slowly came to, her entire body trying to decide whether it wanted to scream at her in pain or go blissfully numb at the same time. After experiencing what she had thought were to be her last moments of life, Shepard was surprised she was still breathing, let alone conscious. Maybe her wounds hadn't been as bad as she had feared? With all the hardware Cerberus put into me, maybe I got lucky and their implants saved my ass again? The mere thought of Cerberus sent a chill down her spine, as the memory of waking for the first time, defenseless, in that lab rushed to the forefront of her mind. Rubbing a hand across her forehead and through her platinum blonde hair, Shepard stopped when her emerald eyes fell on her right hand, where she was glad to see there was no strange glowing green ring. The only ring that was there was the one Liara had given to her that night before the Normandy made its fateful trip to Earth. While it was a simple band of palladium, it was far more precious for what it represented to her.
"I almost feel like I'm intruding on something." Erica's thoughtful expression turned to one of surprise as she snapped her gaze to the strange woman that was leaning against the white sterile wall, her arms crossed under her chest. "Have a nice nap?"
Having dealt with and befriended nearly every race in her galaxy, the fact the woman was an alien didn't bother Shepard in the least. It was the fact the stranger wasn't among the races she knew that troubled her. Standing about five foot seven by human standards, the alien had yellow eyes, a flowing mane of tan colored hair, and a pair of knife like ears that also jutted out of the top of the helmet she wore. Almost quarian looking legs and a rather large tail gently swaying behind her, as she watched Shepard intently, didn't escape the marine's attention either. Overall, Erica thought her appearance was fairly reminiscent to that of a sentient kangaroo. "Trying to decide if I'm dreaming or if I've lost my mind completely." Erica replied, but no amount of blinking her eyes did anything to change the strange view.
"What's the matter, never seen an alien before?" Regardless of her answer, the cocky alien continued on without missing a beat. "Trust me rookie, I don't like this assignment anymore than you do."
"Rookie?" Erica raised a quizzical eyebrow as her emerald eyes flashed with a hint of annoyance. "Where am I? And what assignment?"
"Do you want the full briefing or just my short and sweet version?" This woman was really starting to get on Erica's last nerve as the mostly green suited being cast her a beaming grin.
"How about the one where you tell me what the hell is going on, and stop wasting my time." Erica lifted herself off what must have been a medical bed, judging by the the odd equipment surrounding it. If the woman obviously assigned to guard her noticed a slight flinch of pain as she stood, she didn't say anything about it.
"Short and sweet is is then. Welcome to Oa, smack near the dead center of the universe. When you arrived through a spatial rift, I was incidentally the closest person and wound up saving your life. Somebody accidentally opened that thing, near you obviously, and I hear that you were supposed to stay wherever it is that you came from. Instead of, you know, drifting in space until you died. You're welcome, by the way. Of course, I suppose I should be thanking you too, because the moment I got close, some really nasty customers, Shadow Demons, attacked us. I had to make the choice to fight or carry your unconscious ass back to safety." The alien gave a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders, as if that type of life and death situation was a daily occurrence. She had no idea just how true that assumption was.
Erica gave a slight nod of thanks, noticing for the first time what had to be small tears and cuts on the woman's arms and legs. Not only that, but she could have sworn she saw some kind of black energy around the wounds, but when she looked again, it was gone. "Nice to know that you're actually smart, and not just a smartass with a tail." Shepard replied, knowing she stood in the presence of a soldier from that story alone. It helped that she held herself with the easy confidence of someone that had seen her fair share of battle, and still lived to tell about it.
"I try to impress when I can. Name's Ardakian Trawl. Nice to meet you, human."
"That's Erica Shepard to you." Shepard's annoyance seemed to fade as she stepped a few paces closer to Trawl and held out her hand. "Guess it's only right to thank you for saving my life." The Lantern stared at it for a moment, a sly grin pulling at her lips, as she leaned forward to shake the offered hand. In a flash, Shepard had her pinned against the same wall she had been leaning against, right arm bent sharply behind her back. "Are we being watched, how many guards are in the hall? Are they armed? Start talking!"
She could have at least been subtle about her plan to escape. "For starters, I think we have to work on your definition of 'thank you'." She's quick and pretty strong, for a human. She'd give Hal a run for his money, maybe even Kilowog. Hiding her awareness of her charge's desperation, justified as it was for her from what Trawl had heard, the Lantern went along with the show for now. Her tail wasn't just for appearances after all, and she could have easily escaped by slamming it into Shepard's still slightly injured side if she had had a mind to. Having served alongside fellow soldiers and civilians alike from every walk of life, Ardakian knew a lot about both sides of the coin, having been where Shepard was now, to a degree at least. "Would it help if I said I know what you're going through?"
"No, but it'd be a nice effort to try and distract me." Shepard tensed, dragging Trawl out in front of her as she heard the unmistakable sound of the door to the small room opening. "Damn. I don't want to hurt you...but I will if I have to. Got it?"
"I don't doubt it Shepard." Too bad you're far outmatched, rookie. Trawl rolled her eyes when a petite young woman entered the room. Oh wonderful, another green horn poozer. This must be my lucky day.
"Oh God! Ardy, what did you do?!" The elfish looking young blonde held out both her hands towards the clearly suspicious, yet at the same time mildly amused Erica. "I know she can be a little annoying sometimes, but what ever she did, there's no need to hurt her!"
"Arisia, how many times do I have to tell you? It's Ardakian." Ignoring the dumbfounded look on her would be captor's face, Ardakian turned her gaze to the human that had entered the room right behind the young recruit. "Hal, do you mind collecting your kid before she ends up in the crossfire?"
"I don't know Ardy, I think this is a good learning opportunity for our respective rookies." The rather handsome tall human put a gloved hand on his chin as he seemed to ponder the current situation. "Let's see how long it takes them to learn Common Sense 101."
"Is everyone on this damn planet sarcastic by nature?" Shepard asked, torn between being annoyed and embarrassed with a kid present in the room, and that same kid's friend held hostage. So much for making a good first impression with the locals.
"Well, most people tell me I'm not a very sarcastic per-" Erica's stern emerald glare let the girl know that was a rhetorical question. "Right, sorry."
"Dammit, you're making this worse kid." With a heavy sigh, Erica let Ardakian go, not about to make her situation worse by doing something rash in the presence of a kid that couldn't have been older than fifteen, sixteen tops. Ardakian merely rubbed at her arms for a moment while Shepard held up her hands to show she didn't plan to do anything further. "I just want some answers that make sense."
"Waking up in a strange place would throw anyone off their game, believe me, I know." Hal responded, putting a hand on Arisia's shoulder before stepping forward. "Name's Hal Jordan, daring test pilot and Green Lantern of Earth. From what we've heard about you, we share a common home planet Commander."
"That's funny, I don't recall seeing an arrogant jackass in a green mask and white gloves before." Erica tried not to grimace at someone's very odd idea of what uniforms should apparently look like between the three mostly green clad people.
"You aren't the only one to say that about flyboy, Shepard. The mask is his idea of protecting his identity, you know, since his race lives on a blue rock twenty billion light years away." Trawl chuckled, and Arisia was torn between laughing at the expression on her mentor's face and keeping her smile to herself.
The man sighed in mild irritation, and Erica had the feeling this wasn't the first time he had to explain his strange attire. "As you can probably tell... every Green Lantern's uniform is slightly unique to that person. I like a little bit of style, what can I say?"
"I'm guessing from all the green, that's this group's name huh? I think you need a fashion consultant, but that's just my opinion. And you..." Erica turned her gaze on the young blonde, angered by the skimpy little outfit her apparent mentor let her wear in what seemed to be a military organization.
"Arisia Rrab, ma'am." The young girl dutifully informed her.
Jordan's eyes widened when Erica turned her disgusted glare on him. "Is this a military academy, or a frat house?" Shepard gestured vaguely in the girl's direction. "How's that going to stop enemy fire?"
"Appearances aren't everything around here Shepard. It might not look like much, but it's not the outfit that makes a Green Lantern. It's their ability to overcome great fear, their wills made into physical substance capable of annihilating armies." Ardakian crossed her arms again, displaying her ring hand for good measure as a skin tight energy field surrounded her. "Knock yourself out."
Erica crossed her arms and smirked at the confident alien. "Really? I think I've made it pretty clear that I'm not going to fight you unless you give me a good rea-" The very tip of Trawl's tail snaked out and whipped Shepard in the face. "Alright, you've made your point. Let's get this over with." Running a hand through her hair, Shepard only then noticed that her amp wasn't in place any longer. Not only that, but Erica was mildly terrified to find that the back of her neck felt as if the amp slot had never been implanted in the first place. It must have been damaged by Harbinger's attack. It's the only reason I can think of for removing it altogether.
"You missing that hunk of junk already Shepard? I'll admit, when the Guardians showed us a sample of your biotic ability, I was impressed, but that power is limited and dangerous if combined with the light of Will. It was one or the other, and personally, it'll make training you easier as a Lantern since you already have some of the fundamentals down." Ardakian replied, her grin having yet to falter.
"I would have liked some input on that before you decided to rip my amp out of the back of my head." Shepard growled in reply, her hands involuntarily clenching into fists at having her biotic ability stripped from her without so much as a 'please'.
"Um...Ms. Shepard?" Erica barely contained the outright rage building in her as she looked to the naive young girl, Arisia, she reminded herself, just in time to see her raised hand shoot back to her side. "Ardy- Ardakian could have put that a little less bluntly, but she left something important out." Trawl just huffed and crossed her arms, until she noticed Shepard standing in a similar posture, and dropped them behind her back. "Your 'amp' as you call it, and its implanted housing on your neck were badly damaged. They had to be removed in order to prevent additional damage to your nervous system. Also, from what the Guardians were able to deduce after thorough analysis, allowing you to use your amp and a ring would have resulted in both overloading, causing catastrophic damage to anything within two point five light years."
"Oh." It was all she could say after being told that dark energy, and whatever it was these people used would have been a bad combination. I could have destroyed the entire Solar system...and most of humanity with it.
It wasn't hard for even Arisia to pick up on the woman's sudden mood change. The cheery young student decided it might be best to focus on the positive side of things right now. "So...in a way, it's a good thing that your 'amp' shorted out when it did." Arisia did her best not to frown as Trawl placed her hands together and thrust them apart suddenly in a 'BOOM!' gesture, behind the now distracted Shepard. Hal just shook his head at the woman and her smirk suddenly changed into a more somber expression.
"Guess you have a point. That does raise a question though. How'd you even find me to begin with? I've never heard of Oa before, and I've been all over my galaxy." That was the understatement of the century since she had flown from one end of the Milky Way to the other in her fight against the Reapers.
"Well um...we don't know how you got here actually. You'll have to speak with the Guardians." Jordan grimaced slightly as he continued, not exactly one to always agree with the ancient beings he served. "All I know, is that they were testing a new form of transportation, and there was...an accident."
"Figures, I get rescued by mistake." Erica lurched forward as she was punched in the shoulder.
"Hey! Enough with the self pity crap Shepard." Before Erica could even bother getting mildly annoyed with her, Trawl stuck her marked left arm in front of the marine's face. "You want to know how I got these cuts and burns?"
Shepard looked at the limb for a split second before flicking her eyes to the now dead serious alien woman standing in front of her. "Something take a bite out of your furry ass?"
"Near enough. I know myself well enough that if you hadn't just popped in when you did, I'd be dead. Never one to back away from a good fight, even if I should." Letting the gravity of her words sink in, Ardakian slowly lowered her arm before speaking further. "When an anti-matter being touches you, like a Shadow Demon, the place it hit ceases to exist. Now imagine being swallowed whole by such a creature. I was lucky to just get grazed a couple times before a few Lanterns showed up and took care of our little 'escort', while I managed to get you here."
Erica could only stare at the woman for a moment, having taken in a lot in a mere minutes. Then the fact hit her full force that they were obviously in a hospital and Ardakian still had what looked like minor wounds. Whatever hit her must be damn nasty if they couldn't heal the damage by now. "I'm kinda hoping those aren't permanent, since you got them saving my ass after all. Thanks for pulling me out of there." Erica had to smirk as Trawl backed away 'cautiously' at her gratitude.
"So is this a real one, or are you going to have your foot on my face if I take my eyes off of you?" Trawl burst out in laughter at the confused looks on her fellow Lantern's faces, not to mention the embarrassed grin on Erica's. With a quick shrug, Ardakian gestured for Shepard to follow her out of the medical facility. "Some species like scars, and in our line of work, they just come with the territory."
"You and a friend of mine would get along great." Looking away as Garrus's face flashed before her eyes, Erica sighed and fell in with Hal, Arisia, and Ardakian.
"Oh, by the way, as glamorous as that lime green hospital gown is on you, here, try this on for size." Trawl smirked as she reached into a pocket and produced the small symbol of all Green Lanterns, the ubiquitous green ring. "Try not to lose it Rookie. To quote a silly old human vid Jordan forced me to watch, 'This weapon is your life.'" With that, the woman quickly tossed the 'weapon' at Shepard as if it was a plastic toy and not an icon of peace and justice.
"At least I'm surrounded by more sci fi buffs. We're gonna get along great." Leaning forward to catch the ring in her left hand, the memory of her fight against the Reapers, against Harbinger itself, flashed before her eyes, and the force of the memory made Shepard stumble before she managed to recover. When she did, it didn't take her three companions long to figure out what had happened as Shepard's cheeks burned red. "Holy shit, it's real?! Jesus...I must have made a damn spectacle of myself before I got pulled into that rift. I can only imagine what the people back home must be thinking."
"In moments of desperation and intense stress, the ring has a tendency to take over the first time out in an effort to protect its host. Your fight against your extinction minded Reapers was just the catalyst, your indomitable will, even at a subconscious level, did the rest." Hal spoke as if he had had something similar happen to him when he had first gained his ring.
"So you telling me I was...controled by this thing?" Shepard had to fight the sudden urge to throw the ring across the room as if it were a poisonous snake.
"It's more that it was looking out for your life Commander. Besides, what you wanted and what the ring wanted coincided to some degree, and I'd be willing to bet my ring that you turned the tide before you wound up here." Hal said as he approached a door that opened up the moment he got close.
"From what I know ma'am, no Green Lantern was ever forced to serve. Any member of the Corp is free to leave if they want to, right Hal?" Jordan smiled down at Arisia, knowing her actions had far more to do with Shepard taking this as well as she was than anything he, or especially Trawl, had done. "Just yesterday, I was trying to figure out a physics problem. Today, we can learn how to become guardians of the universe. I certainly wouldn't mind having someone to train with who's as new to all of this as I am." The hopeful gleam in Arisia's huge blue eyes was enough to put a subtle grin back on Erica's face
"Your universe maybe, but I get the idea kid." Whether it was Arisia's naive nature, or the fact she was far too honest for her own good, Shepard couldn't help but smile at the light in the elfin being before her. Taking a final look at her ring in her open palm, Erica shrugged before slipping the green ring onto the same finger she kept Liara's wedding band. That way, I'm always reminded of where I came from, and it'll give me a reason to fight all the harder. When the green light disappeared, Erica wasn't all that surprised to find her subconscious mind had shaped her new Green Lantern uniform into something reminiscent of her armor back home. Although it was now in green, black, and white hues, a white N7 symbol still adorned the 'armor' which seemed to glow with a life of its own, while stripes of black and white ran down the mostly green sections of armor on Shepard's right arm.
"Heh, guess I'm not the only one that likes to advertise I'm a warrior." Ardakian nodded her approval of Shepard's new uniform, impressed by just how streamlined the whole thing appeared. "No unnecessary fins or oversized guards to drag your speed down. Not only that, but you wear it like you were born to it."
"Got a point Trawl, it fits her well. And it does look intimidating, gotta give you that Shepard." Hal smirked, liking the new look as well.
"Wasn't going for intimidating, but thanks." Erica said as she crossed her arms over her chest, liking the feel of the suit. Not only did it look durable enough to take a direct blast from a Reaper, but it didn't feel like heavy armor at all. It felt more like a second skin to the battle hardened marine, and she had no doubt her freedom of movement would be much greater thanks to whatever the suit was made out of. With an experimental thought, Shepard's grin widened when a matching helmet appeared over her face, completing the overall image. A green flash caught Erica's attention as she turned to stare at a blushing Arisia, giving her an instant nod of approval. "Much better."
"You really think so? This feels...a little strange, but I feel protected at the same time." Hal was doing his best not to grin at the lighter version of Shepard's armor that Arisia had chosen to try out.
"It takes some getting used to kid. I had a similar thought when I decided to join the Systems Alliance when I was old enough. But you shouldn't copy me Arisia." Shepard said as she put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Maybe I'm just getting jaded and set in my ways in my old age, but you should enjoy your innocence while you can. Armors like mine aren't suited for someone like you. Always be true to yourself Arisia, wear what makes you feel strong, confident."
"I suppose you're right..." With another flash, Arisia had returned to a simpler uniform, albeit, much to Erica's approval, a slightly less skimpy one, more in common with Hal's than the armor she or Trawl wore.
"That was rather inspirational Commander. Almost as good as some of my speeches." Hal ignored the playful glare Shepard threw his way as they finally exited the hospital, and found themselves on an open air metal walkway. Despite the sight of the massive metropolis before them, Shepard's attention was still focused on group around her. "She is right though Arisia, finding your own way is the best thing you can do for yourself."
"Now ladies..." Hal glanced at Trawl when she gave him a huff of irritation. "Ardy, you know what we should do? We should introduce our new recruits to Drill Sergeant Kilowog, I'm sure he's dieing to meet them."
"Someone will be dying soon enough if he has anything to say about it, Jordan." Ardakian's smirk at the horrified expression on Arisia's face only widened as she turned to see Erica glaring at her in return.
"Do I even want to know?" Shepard rolled her eyes at the obvious exaggeration they were throwing around. It seemed to be working on Arisia since her blue eyes were as big as saucers. "I wouldn't trust a word these two gas bags say. It's pretty obvious they can't lie convincingly to save their lives."
"I have a gorgeous girlfriend back home, who owns her own aircraft design company. I'm also her chief test pilot, thank you very much." Hal had picked up a slight swagger as they continued walking.
"See, he's terrible at lying. I doubt a woman could stand even being on a date with you for more than five minutes if she didn't have to. No offense Jordan." Erica shrugged her shoulders as they continued heading for wherever it was that Hal intended to take them.
"No offence taken. Might want to watch your step there Shep." Before Erica could ask the man 'walking' next to her what he meant, Shepard found herself plummeting off the top of one of the many high rise structures around them.
OH SHIT! Okay...um...ring help. Anytime now. Now would be good you useless green piece of SH- Erica was starting to wonder what the odds were she was going to end up as green armored street pizza before Arisia and Ardakian 'caught' her in mid air.
Clap. Clap. Clap. "Nice acting Shepard, I was almost convinced you were terrified." The truth suddenly 'dawned' on Hal as he floated in front of them, facepalming in 'embarrassment'. "Oops. You actually were scared out of your skull. I forgot to mention the flying part. How careless of me. Looks like the basic training your ring gave you got wiped out when your tech overloaded. Quick, tell me your home address, favorite color, and the name of your third grade math teacher."
"If that's your attempt at a joke, you really need a new line of work." Shepard growled, Trawl and Arisia holding her aloft between them. The dirty looks they were giving Hal did put a small smirk back on the marine's face. "You want to lead the way to this drill sergeant friend of yours, or do you want me to pull your spine out of your ass the first chance I get?"
"The leading one, definitely that one." One look at Shepard's righteously pissed off face had Hal darting away at top speed, as the three women attempted to keep up, Trawl and Arisia giving Erica a few helpful tips as they went.
"I didn't think flyboy could move that fast Shepard. You even had me shaking in my boots for a second there." Ardakian chuckled once they landed in front of the training center for new Green Lanterns. Just as Hal was racing ahead of them into the complex, they were stopped when a brief flash of green dropped in front of them. From the way Ardakian's eyes widened in pleasant surprise, Shepard had a feeling the dark red alien before them was important, famous, admired, or all three. "Sinestro? What brings you here?"
"I wanted to see the new recruits for myself before Sergeant Kilowog got done with them. At least they are still capable of holding a conversation, for the moment." The man nodded his head slightly towards the two recruits. "Thaal Sinestro, a pleasure to meet you both." A slight grin appeared as he turned his gazed towards Erica. "Hal Jordan almost looked as if he was trying to find a place to hide a few moments ago. I have a feeling you are behind this rare feat, and so I must congratulate you Commander. It's not often the so called Human-Without-Fear shows any sign of it."
"Flyboy? He was easy compared to some of the aliens I've seen in my home universe. If you're able to make a battle hardened krogan shake in their boots, then you've done something rare." Shepard grinned, taking an immediate liking to the man before her.
"I'll take your word for it." Sinestro chuckled, as he gave the human a casual salute before flying off to deal with more important matters. The Lantern paused for a moment however, as a large green hand was seemingly created from the glowing ring he wore, lifting a nearby crate and setting it to the side, exposing a surprised fellow Lantern. "Why Jordan, you look positively pale. Perhaps you should go to medical?"
"I'm not going to hear the end of this am I?" Hal asked, dusting his uniform off as he grinned at his friend even as Sinestro chuckled again before making his exit. "I thought not." The sound of someone cracking their knuckles immediately got his attention.
"So, was my little trip down the side of the building just 'haha prank the FNG' funny, or a real gut buster Jordan? I'd really like to know."
"Can I plead the Fifth?" Hal asked, having a pretty good idea that gut busting was more than a passing comparison judging from the look on Shepard's face.
Erica dashed his slim hopes of getting out of this without any bodily injuries with just one word. "No."
Deciding then was the perfect time to save the human from a brutal and messy ending, Ardakian pushed between them before they could come to blows. "Did you just get the most famous and admired Green Lantern to actually chuckle on a first meeting Shepard?" Ardakian asked, amazed by what she had seen. "Huh, the guy is usually a bit more of a hard ass."
"Is he really that famous?" Shepard asked, falling back in line with her three companions once the door had slid open. The interior of the training grounds looked like one massive arena, but upon closer inspection, Shepard soon saw it was far more than that. Rings and holographic targets floated all over the area, some so close to the ceiling that they'd be impossible to reach without the ability to fly.
As Arisia bounced off a massive creature that was standing in their path, Erica quickly reached out to keep her from stumbling. "Whose ancestors' ashs did I piss on to deserve a couple of brain dead poozers like you two."
Shepard knew better than to say anything to the drill sergeant before her, having already gone through boot camp years ago. The kid on the other hand, didn't have such knowledge or experience, and made the age old mistake of talking back to a superior officer. "I don't think-" Arisia never got a chance to finish as one of the ugliest aliens she had seen that day stomped right up to her.
"THAT WASN'T A QUESTION ROOKIE! Give me your ring! Now!" Arisia couldn't get the green band off fast enough as Kilowog snatched it from her grasp. "Now drop and give me fifty!"
"Fifty sir? Fifty what?" Arisia's blue eyes somehow widened even more as the giant drill instructor got directly in her face, no doubt about to give her a scream filled lesson on training vocabulary.
Oh boy. This could take a while. Shepard shook her head and dragged Arisia to the ground with a well placed hand on her shoulder. "He means push ups kid. Keep up and shut up. You'll live longer." Crap. She had inadvertently made the same mistake, and knew it a second later when Kilowog rounded on her next.
"Since you're such a helpful little poozer why-" Kilowog felt a large brow rise in a measure of surprise and annoyance, as Erica had already dropped next to Arisia, reminding her to count as they went. "Where'd you dig up this piece of work Jordan?"
"All I'm getting besides rumors in the Corp is 'Classified' from the Guardian council. So your guess is as good as mine buddy." Ardakian nodded at Hal's comment, having only picked her up. She had nothing more than Hal did.
"Maybe she's a badass leader from some distant war torn future universe." Kilowog huffed at the loud laughter coming from the man next to him. "What's so funny?! Well let's hear your idea then!"
"Ah buddy, lay off the old sci-fi films will you? You're laying it on a little thick, I mean she's probably interesting, but not that interesting." Hal knelt next to the now more familiar looking uniform on Shepard, apparently that armor had been as heavy as it looked. "So, settle a bet between me and my buddy Kilowog here Shep. What's your day job?"
"What Drill Sergeant...Kilowog said...more or less. Commander in the….Systems Alliance….Navy and….Council Spectre. N7 rated marine….best of the best….where I come from." And this is just a walk in the park, but I won't say that out loud.
"Whoa, that'd explain how you knew better than your partner here." Kilowog grinned as he rubbed at his massive chin, the cogs in his mind fast at work as he looked to his buddy. "Might want to take a few notes there rookie."
Neither man missed how Shepard took a moment to whisper something to Arisia. "Yes Drill Sergeant!" Was her curt loud reply, and Kilowog had to admit that Erica Shepard was impressing the hell out of him.
"On your feet, botha ya!" Kilowog shouted, having come to a decision on the best way to see what these two new poozers were capable of.
"But I'm only on thirty-one Drill Ser-" This time Shepard had to put her hand over Arisia's mouth in order to protect the naive young girl from herself.
"Sorry rookie, I didn't catch that. Now...whaddya say we have a little fun? Jordan, wanna help me out here?" Kilowog grinned, noticing that his friend had caught onto his train of thought, and he wasn't looking forward to where it was going. "Shepard! Hand over that ring, you aren't worthy of breathing my beloved Corp's air, let alone wearing its symbol!" Now he suddenly liked where this was going as Kilowog stepped over to the marine and held out his hand.
"Yes Drill Sergeant!" Erica immediately did as asked, knowing exactly why a training instructor would strip you down to the bare essentials. How else would they know what you were truly capable of otherwise?
"Well I'm game for a little bit of fun Kilow-" Hal's new found confidence crumbled like a sand castle at high tide as his 'buddy' grabbed his arm and pointed to his own ring. "Wait a second, I thought the point was to-"
"Ya really got a lot to learn Hal. You tellin' me you can't take on two rookies in a fair fight? Come on, show 'em what I taught you in hand to hand!"
"But you mostly just taught me how not to get hurt when crashing into a solid objects. Repeatedly." Jordan rolled his right shoulder, still fairly certain there was a bruised muscle or two remaining from his time under Kilowog's less than gentle mercies.
"Good enough! Rookies! GL Jordan here has generously decided to give you a lesson on hand to hand sparring techniques. I suggest you pay attention and learn from this experience!" Kilowog sternly glared at the two, crossing his arms over his chest impatiently.
"Yes Sergeant!" Arisia and Shepard replied, and Erica had to smile at Arisia since it seemed she was starting to get the hint. Glad to see she's a quick study. Gives me hope for her future here.
"Guess I ain't getting out of this one that easy." Hal sighed in defeat, but he took it in stride like he took most things in stride.
"Not a chance in Hell, flyboy. " Erica said under her breath, as the five of them walked over to a nearby sparring mat.
"She's got your number Hal. Good luck, you're gonna need it." Ardakian knew he had no chance, and was tempted to leave the training area before she had to witness his embarrassing defeat.
"Who's side are you on Ard-" He never got a chance to finish as Erica took that moment to plant her fist across his jaw. Hal wound up spinning in place before falling on his back.
"Never take your eyes off your opponent! Good job taking advantage of his momentary distraction Shepard! Okay, Arisia you're up, let's see what you can do!" Kilowog sighed in annoyance at Hal, who was still on the mat on his back. "Come on Jordan! You're making me look bad here by association!"
"Yes Sergeant." Arisia meekly replied, as Hal slowly got back to his feet. "You can go first sir." Hal just hung his head in shame before walking over to the young girl, her arms at her sides.
Kilowog fumed at the very idea of one of his recruits being nice to anyone in the sparring ring. "What is this, Chess?! Attack him already rookie!"
Erica dared to place a restraining hand on the still fuming instructor's arm before he could stomp into the mat. "Hold on drill sergeant. Sometimes a good offense is a better defense." Chalk one up to Thane for that little lesson.
"And you'd know that how poozer?" Kilowog grunted, as his eyes flicked to the offending limb holding onto his arm.
Getting my ass handed to me repeatedly by a master assassin. "Just watch, Sergeant" Shepard grinned at the doubt filled expression on Kilowog's pig like face.
"Alright Arisia, I'm just gonna show you a simple move. See, first you grab your opponent's shoulder, like so, and- UUMMPPHH!" On his back, again, all Hal remembered was a flash of green as Arisia jabbed her left hand into his neck, two fingers outstretched. Her accuracy was pinpoint precision at its best as she hit a nerve, shutting Hal off like a lightswitch.
"That is just scary." Kilowog replied, unsure if he was referring to what he had just witnessed, or the fact that Shepard had seen it coming long before he did. "Did you even know she could do that? Because I didn't...and Hal certainly didn't! Ha!"
"Nope, but I always trust my gut, Sergeant." Erica's grin couldn't have been wider as she nodded her approval of Arisia's move. The girl beamed widely before turning back to her downed opponent.
"Must be a hell of a gut, Shepard." Kilowog walked over to a still spread eagle Hal as Arisia knelt next to him. "Jordan, you're just pretending to be terrible right, to get 'em by surprise later? Right? Hal?"
"I might have overdone it. I think he isn't breathing! I only meant to paralyze him." Arisia blushed crimson as she jabbed the same spot she had hit moments ago, and Hal sat bolt upright, gasping for air. "Sorry Hal, it's the first time I've ever used that nerve strike technique, I found it in a self defense book back home."
"Can I...borrow it...sometime? I'd kinda...like to skim...through it...if you don't...mind." Hal managed to say between labored breaths, the spots in front of his eyes disappearing one by one.
"I….didn't get a chance to pack before I found myself here." Arisia replied, hanging her head in shame.
Damn, why does everything I say make her look like I just kicked a puppy? "No worries Arisia, hey maybe you can grab it for me...and get a chance to say hello to your folks, if you survive Kilowog's basic training that is."
"Of course! Thank you Hal!" Hal marveled at the fact, half numb and stumbling to his feet, that he could still get the girl to smile.
Kilowog was already loudly tapping his foot next to Erica as he glared at her and stuck his arm out towards Hal. "Okay, he's on his feet! Round three, get moving Shepard! What is this, a youngling school dance?!"
Ignoring Kilowog's shout, Shepard turned her attention to Hal. "Books can only get ya so far flyboy. Experience has always been the best teacher for me." Erica settled into a defensive stance as the next match began.
"Uh huh." Hal was honestly just hoping for Shepard to knock him out at this point, but he knew he wasn't going to get off that easily moments before he was bent over at the punch that impacted his stomach. Before he knew what was happening, he was once again choking for air as Erica wrapped her arm around his neck. Flailing around helplessly, Jordan could barely speak as his windpipe was squeezed by her muscular arm. "Too tight, can't breathe!" Hal repeatedly slapped his arms uselessly against Shepard's side, having no effect other than the disappointed frown on her face which he just knew was there. His somewhat inverted position made it impossible to be sure however.
"Don't panic and you might actually get out of this flyboy." She let up ever so slightly on her grip around the man's neck, she wasn't about to let Jordan get out of this so easily by wimping out and losing consciousness. "I'd be taking notes Arisia. Now come on Hal, where's that 'Human-Without-Fear' your friend, the one with pointy ears and the bad mustache, was talking about?"
"Right….here!" Jordan shouted as he lashed out at the back of Shepard's right knee, making her stumble which in turn, loosened her hold on his neck. Slipping free, Hal tried to bull rush her, but his charge was easily diverted as Shepard locked her arm around his shoulder and pushed him forward. Once again, Hal wound up on his back as he tripped over his own feet, unable to compensate in time for the sudden shift.
"It's like watching a Calrissian Water Dancer. She's all fluid movements and grace..." Arisia couldn't believe just how easily Shepard positioned and repositioned herself around her opponent. It was as if Hal was moving in slow motion compared to the lightning fast accurate strikes Erica had swiftly rained down on him.
Kilowog grinned as his barely conscious friend slowly lifted his right hand. "Not bad Shepard. Guess your earlier talk wasn't all talk after all, ya poozer."
"Shep...little help." Erica sighed in disgust as she leaned over to help the man, still gasping for air after getting the wind knocked out of his lungs this time. "Thank you."
"Jordan, you aren't going to stop an actual enemy from killing you by saying th-" Ah shit. Erica's back slammed into the mat, realizing she had fallen for the oldest trick in the book a split second after it was too late to do anything about it. "It figures that you'd stoup to dirty fighting, but whatever works I guess." A hand grasped onto her's as Hal pulled her up off the mat.
"I knew what you were doing Shepard. For the record, I wasn't afraid." Hal rubbed the back of his neck while Kilowog shook his head in disgust. "I just suck at hand to hand is all."
"That's an understatement Jordan. She made ya look like a waterlogged grub worm. Where'd you learn those fancy moves Shepard?" The battle tested instructor looked down at his new pupil with a subtle gleam of admiration in his eyes.
"You want the whole list...Sergeant?" Erica asked, deadpan as she could get, which earned her a collection of bemused stares. "Let's just say that if you want to be good enough to be a Spectre, you never stop picking up new skills."
"So you're a woman of many talents..." Hal's smirk vanished as Erica cool emerald gaze slammed into him like a freight train. "...that I'm sure are mostly related to combat and special tactics."
"And you were doing so well, Hal." Ardakian rolled her eyes, shaking her head at the human before deciding she had seen enough for the day. "This has been the second biggest highlight of my day so far Shepard, be sure to let me know the next time Hal has a death wish. I'll bring the popcorn."
"Will do...Ardy." Erica grinned at the sarcastic salute thrown her way as the Lantern finally got back to her original patrol duties.
"Here, catch." Catching the ring with a casual flick of her wrist, Shepard didn't waste time in slipping it back onto her finger. "I already got the feeling basic training is well behind ya poozer. Let's see how well ya do with the ring on."
"What about me sir?" Arisia asked, hopeful baby blues tugging at a heart string that Kilowog definitely did not possess.
"You still got a long way to go kid." The grizzled instructor told her, flicking her ring over as well. He tried not to groan too loudly as the teenager managed to miss catching it, only to have Shepard snatch it out of the air and plop it into her palm. "For the love of Nortz...why me?" Kilowog cupped his massive face in his equally large hand as he started heading for the ring slinging section of the field.
"You're just lucky old friend." Hal replied, his smirk firmly entrenched once more on his face.
"Shut. Up. Jordan." Kilowog instantly lifted his head as an evil smile crossed his face. "I think you just volunteered again Hal, least this time you won't get your butt handed to you."
"I survived boot camp once, I think I can handle whatever you have in mind Kilowog." You're on my turf now Shep, this should be good.
"Is it just me or did he suddenly get more confident now that he has his ring back?" Arisia wasn't sure she liked where this was going, but one look at Shepard quelled her worry on the spot.
"Let the baby have his rattle. He's had years to master using one of these rings, unlike us. I'd be disappointed if he wasn't more confident wearing one." It was the truth in a nutshell, and while she doubted this next part would be easy, nothing worth doing ever was in her experience.
"Kilowog, wanna start throwing a few rocks? Whaddya say buddy?" Erica suddenly thought that Hal looked decidedly too confident for her liking.
"Ah...Jordan, that's a little advanced, don't you think?" On the other hand, Kilowog had just seen Hal be tossed around like a rag doll. Maybe letting him have his way would be entertaining as well?
Hal rubbed his hands together in apparent glee as he stared at the recruits. "Okay, I think we'll start with a team building exercise. Shepard..." Jordan quickly grabbed the irked marine by the arm, flying her over to a hovering platform near the center of the field. "Now, your job is simple Shep. Just don't move from this spot. Have fun!"
"Uh huh. Your definition of fun needs some work." Why do I get the feeling this is going to suck? Crossing her arms in annoyance, Erica sighed and waited for whatever Hal had in mind to be over and done with. Three minutes later, she was still waiting, and the horrified look on Arisia's face and the constant head shaking didn't exactly fill her with confidence. Why does it look like they are giving her the worst pep talk ever? "Oohhh shit."
"Ready or not Arisia, the 'enemy' is fring on your partner, what are you gonna do? Cry about it?!" Kilowog shouted as the first of many gigantic green boulders appeared in the air over Hal's and the instructor's heads. Before the men could so much as flinch, Arisia spotted movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to look at Erica.
"Arisia!" Shepard frantically waved to get the young girl's attention, knowing the best location would be near or directly in front of her if the elfin blonde was going to have to act as a living defense turret. The blonde instantly zipped out to her, not even asking permission first, which Erica might have scolded her on, if she wasn't more concerned about taking a twenty ton projectile to the face right now.
"I-I can't do this! I've only been here a day! They just told me to use whatever construct I wanted to, something about 'clay pigeon shooting' from Hal...maybe that's some type of hint or-" Before the kid could continue her panic filled rant, Shepard placed her hands on the girl's shaking shoulders
"Arisia, calm down! Now, this is what you're going to do. You are going to turn around, hold your ring out, and calmy blast anything they throw at us into vapor." If only I felt as confident in her as I sound right now... "You can do this."
"Y...yes ma'am!" Whether it was the look in Shepard's face or the fact that something in her voice helped the young student push aside her fear just enough to allow her move, she couldn't say. The only thing Arisia did know was that she was willing to try if nothing else. Her eyes widening at the large and rapidly approaching constructs, Arisia concentrated only on the targets in front of her, and not the woman quietly hoping she didn't screw this up behind her. A beam of concentrated emerald energy lashed out from her ring, hitting the nearest boulder dead center as it exploded into a cloud of harmless green mist.
Yes! Nice shot kid! Now I just have to make sure she doesn't get cocky. "One down, twenty to go. Don't lose sight of the task at hand Arisia."
"Right!" Firing off another blast, Arisia swept the beam across three closely packed boulders before steadying her arm, and letting loose a ball of energy of her own which detonated upon impact with a fourth.
"Might have to switch it up Hal! Shepard's cheating with her motivational speeches!" Despite the accusation, Kilowog was grinning widely at how easily the human had turned the tide against them with an untested Lantern on her side. The power behind her words wasn't lost on the drill sergeant, nor was it lost on Hal as he tossed another boulder at the platform.
Hal grinned as his student managed to take out six more targets while Kilowog had been grousing. "I think we're taking it too easy on her with these large, slow moving targets. Time to mix in some ring blasts."
"Haha! Now you're talkin'!" Kilowog's squinty eyes gleamed with delight as he and Jordan leveled their rings directly at the platform and started shooting off blast after green blast while Arisia was still focused with the last of her slower targets.
This could be problematic. "Forget the boulders, and concentrate on the smaller ones now!" Erica could tell Arisia was starting to panic again, not sure on how to deal with this new threat. "Create a shield! NOW!" Erica demonstrated by forming a large solid barrier of her own, and gave an internal sigh of relief when Arisia copied her instantly.
"Okay, what do I-" It was all Erica could do not to facepalm in front of the frightened teen.
Really? It's a shield kid... "Just keep it up in front of you at all times!" No sooner had the girl followed her simple order then a rapid series of blasts smashed into the large green shield. Erica took notice of how the blonde started to grit her teeth in determination as the emerald construct began to crack from the constant onslaught. Shepard watched as the first volley started to dissipate, the remaining boulders almost on top of them. "And...lower it...NOW! Focus on the rocks!" Dropping the shield, Arisia's ring seemed to glow brighter and brighter as she let a massive wave of green energy burst forth at the last moment, obliterating the last of the incoming objects.
"So much for that plan." Hal grumbled, earning a grin from Kilowog despite how easily they had been blindsided by a pair of recruits fresh off the boat.
"Not bad kid, maybe you'll survive boot camp after all." Kilowog shouted with a laugh, as Erica put her hand on the shoulder of a cheerfully jumping Arisia.
"Ok, time for you to earn your stripes Shepard. Arisa, you're the target, Shepard, defense duty. Let's go!" Hal had something special in mind for the clearly experienced soldier as he whispered to his grinning friend.
"You're down right cruel sometimes, Hal. I like it!" Kilowog said with a laugh as he decided which ordinance package would be best for this occasion.
Jordan shrugged as he cracked his knuckles, grinning as he got ready to put on a show Shepard wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon. "I have my moments. Okay, operation 'Make Shep Sweat' in three...two..."
That grin is going to be disappearing real quick if I have anything to say about it. Forming her helmet just as Hal reached the end of his countdown, Shepard didn't wait for the go ahead as a shimmering green blade appeared over her right wrist, reminiscent of her omni-blade. Having observed just how easily different objects could be formed, she had no doubt she could switch out to something far more effective depending on the situation at hand. "Arisia, whatever those two have in mind, you couldn't be in better hands."
"I wasn't worried." And Arisia found she truly wasn't, especially after Shepard's earlier demonstration.
"Show time." Hal darted away from Kilowog's position, flying high off the ground, orbiting around the central platform as he laid down a sweeping fire that would distract Erica while Kilowog sent in the heavy artillery.
Throwing a barrier up around herself and her charge, instead of engaging Hal directly, Shepard merely crossed her arms in annoyance, having seen through their tactics with ease. Flankingme? Is that the best they could come up with? Kilowog was the real threat here, at least for the moment. She knew the fluidity offered by the ring could change things quickly, but for now she kept her eyes on the drill sergeant unless Arisia gave her a reason to let her gaze fall on Hal again. "Keep an eye on Hal. If he looks to be up to something, give me a shout."
"Got it ma'am." Arisia replied as dozens of small pellets harmlessly impacted against Shepard's powerful shield.
Jordan spoke into his comm, almost feeling sorry for the two trainees as he continued peppering Shepard's Barrier with multiple hits. Even a thousand bug bites could wear down the most powerful of barriers, but that wasn't the plan here. "Bring the rain buddy."
"You got it Hal!" The gigantic battery of missiles and gatling guns that appeared on the Lantern's shoulders could have easily made him the GL poster boy for the word 'overkill.'
You have got to be kidding me... A big ass missile launcher as part of a training exercise?! Keeping her calm visage, Shepard merely clenched her fists tighter as she tried to decide how to deal with this latest threat. "This was what I was waiting for. Just focus on Hal." Arisia's eager nod gave her all the motivation she needed. Okay, let's see how smug they look after this...
"Fire in the hole poozers! Hehe." A variable smarm of green projectiles raced towards the platform, the missiles and rounds barely more than empty holographic projections, but Kilowog didn't feel the need to inform Shepard of that fact.
"Thicken your shield Arisia!" Shepard shouted, wanting to be safe than sorry just in case her plan backfired. Dealing with energy and forces unknown to her and thrusting her into a combat simulation was liable to end badly, but there was little choice in the matter now as Shepard gathered her new power around herself before letting it loose. The spherical Shockwave she generated shattered her barrier, but it was a small price to pay as the missiles Kilowog sent their way were obliterated moments before they made contact with either of them. The smoke and small explosions that followed obscured her from sight, allowing Shepard to fly forward. Kilowog only had a split second to realize he was in trouble as Shepard unloaded an assault rifle construct in his exposed chest just enough to see a flickering in the glowing shield around him. "You're dead Sergeant, have a nice day."
"You forgot me Shepard." She barely had time to pull up as a jet crashed into the wall where she had just been moments ago. Kilowog shot an angry glare for having been used as bait, but grunted his approval nonetheless at Hal's successful tactic. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a defenseless young Lantern to knock off of her pedestal."
"Who said she was defenseless? Arisia, now!" Arisia grinned widely as she sent a blast of emerald light directly into the smug pilot's chest.
"Ow. Wait...you cheated..." A huge grin split Hal's face as he gave the young blonde a thumbs up while still holding his chest with his other hand. "Nice work kid!"
Enthusiastic clapping reached their ears once the smoke cleared. "Bravo, bravo! I haven't seen such initiative or quick thinking from one of our young recruits in years!" Jordan sighed before quickly joining the others as Ganthet approached the group. This was just what he needed right now after being pasted twice in a row. "It truly is amazing how many recruits never realize that there is no prohibition against the 'target' defending themselves during that particular exercise."
"Hey Ganthet, what brings you down this way?" Out of all of the Guardians, Ganthet was the one Hal, by far, liked the most. He was the one that you could talk to no matter what time of day it was, and he'd always have a friendly and inviting smile on his old face. Not only that, but Ganthet made an honest effort to connect to the Green Lanterns under the collective Guardians' care.
"Why, to check on our newest arrivals, of course. Hello Arisia Rrab...and Erica Shepard I believe?" The small Guardian's bright blue eyes almost looked guilty for a moment as he gazed up at Shepard, quickly floating up to eye level with her. "I feel I must apologize for the current predicament you find yourself in Commander. One of our more gifted scientists ran an unauthorized experiment on a GL ring which had just returned to Oa. Apparently, in an attempt to seek out a new source of Will users for the rings, or so I am told. Let me assure you that we will not automatically expect you to serve the Corp, as with all new recruits, and we will do our utmost to return you to your original galaxy and reality." The look of guilt returned as Ganthet hesitated for moment before continuing. "But I fear that might take quite some time to accomplish, as the initial results of the experiment were far more accidental than intended."
Appreciating Ganthet's blunt honesty, Shepard looked at the ring on her finger for only a moment before looking back to the small Guardian before her. "While I do want to get home as soon as possible, I'm here now, and it wouldn't be right for me to take advantage of what your people have done already. You came down here as a sign of good faith, and admitted to a mistake made by one of your own. That tells me you're trying, and that's enough for me to trust you."
"Very well then, as we are always in need of willful warriors..." A slight grin appeared on the Guardian's lips at the obvious pun. "I would like to officially welcome you to the Green Lantern Corp, Lantern 147, even if this is to be, hopefully, a short posting for you."
"Oh I don't know, I might find I like it out here by the time you do get it figured out." Shepard chuckled, before her smile disappeared and she nodded her head to the Guardian. "I'd appreciate it if you could keep me informed of any progress however, sir. I did kind of got pulled out here in the middle of the worst war you could imagine."
"Sadly, when it comes to war, I can imagine quite a great deal Commander. Please, continue enlightening your so called 'instructors' with your new and exciting ideas. I'm sure the entire Corp could benefit from them, if you would be willing to share some of your wisdom?"
Okay….just how old is this guy? Something in those blue eyes says far older than any asari Matriarch. Instead of pursuing that line of thought further, Shepard changed the subject. "I think I can help you out Ganthet." Shepard replied, getting the distinct impression that Ganthet was doing more than giving her something to occupy her time with. He's a born diplomat, or I'm still an FNG. Whatever his reason for being so generous, there was something that she wanted to ask. "Excuse me sir, but what do you know of anti-matter?" Remembering Ardakian's wounds and her timely arrival, Shepard wanted to know just what was capable of doing that kind of damage. Not only that, but with the power generated by the rings, how it had gotten close to begin with.
"Anti-matter eh? May I assume you mean the Shadow Demons which wounded Ardakian Trawl when she was able to rescue you from them? If so, anti-matter is the highly volatile material of which they are composed. I highly suggest never letting one of them touch you if it can be avoided. Perhaps you would like to attend the briefing later tonight on this dangerous enemy we face at our doorstep?"
What in the hell have I gotten myself into now? "Um...I'll keep that in mind. And what do you mean by doorstep sir?"
"Oh Ganthet here just means that a giant evil force is massing to strike Oa from the inside of this system's star. Honestly, I kinda figured that might be a bit much for you two to handle right now." Hal's rather sheepish expression showed how much he liked the idea of having kept the information from them until now.
"I won't even ask how it's possible anything can survive that kind of heat and radiation." Shepard's head was spinning at the very idea, but with everything she had seen lately, it didn't seem so outlandish either. "I take it evacuation of this planet, and the system, is already proceeding?"
"Indeed, when it comes to threats to destroy Oa, we take such potential catastrophes very seriously." With that, Ganthet floated away, leaving the small group to ponder what was heading their way.
"How long do we have before the briefing Hal?" Arisia finally said, as they all watched the concerned Guardian depart.
"Five hours, tops. Oa's got a twenty five hour cycle. Makes time zones a pain to remember when jumping between galaxies."
"I bet." It only took Shepard a moment to come up with what they'd be doing for the next five hours. "Then I guess we better get as much practice as we can before the briefing. Sergeant, where are the advanced courses?"
"You're looking at 'em." Kilowog grinned as his missile pack and gatling guns formed around him once more.
An emerald sphere of energy launched itself from Erica's palm and crashed into the construct, shattering it instantly. "No really, where are they? I'm smart enough to know that I know almost nothing at this point. Arisia and I can use any advice and practice you can throw at us."
Hal took one look at Kilowog's dumbfounded mug and glanced back at the impatiently waiting woman. "Ah...new plan. Kilowog and I just throw everything we can think of at you, including the kitchen sink. Sound good?"
Erica nodded in appreciation as she turned to the famous Lantern duo. "I'll do my best to make sure I don't injure either of you. But, we're on a tight schedule, so no promises." Hal noticed an odd sound to his left and tried to remember the last time he had heard Kilowog gulp in fear. Today it seemed, was going to be one of their worst days in the Corp.
"Don't worry, I'm sure Erica's just joking. Right?" Arisia's answer was provided when a pair of pistol constructs appeared on Shepard's hips as well as a shotgun in her hands. "Or not..."
End notes: Vergil1989; When did the instructors become the students exactly? Were you expecting that partner? I certainly wasn't. 'Snickers.' In all seriousness, making Hal and Kilowog look like fools was fun, I'll say that.
Archer83: The circle is now complete. The student has now become the one who kicks Hal's ass repeatedly. Oh and poor Kilowog too, can't forget him now can we? All in less than a few hours, but it's Shepard, did you really expect anything less from an N7 rated marine and Council Spectre?
Vergil1989; Nope, I certainly didn't anyway. Even so, a couple of instructors and a being the size of a moon are two different things.
Archer83: I'm sure Mogo would politely ask if someone else could train Shepard anyway. Anyone who could come up with a Cain Construct would probably make him slightly nervous.
Vergil1989; As always, feedback is welcome. Keep the light burning strong!