Cure the Genophage. That was Wrex's condition to helping the Turians with Palaven. End the millennia long "sterility plague" that was slowly driving the Krogan extinct. The Dalatrass was...adamant that such a thing never happen, her inability to see the big picture infuriating. They needed the Krogan to help fight the Reapers, and if this is what it took, she needed to put her pride aside and cooperate. For some reason, Shepard doubted she would.
Try as she did otherwise, her thoughts kept going down to the woman in the bottom of Engineering. There was something slightly...off about Persephone. A nagging feeling in the back of her mind. It might be just because of what she knew about her upbringing, and that Persephone knew close to nothing. She asked Adams to let her know if Persephone wandered into Engineering, and while the door automatically opened as she went past on her way down the stairs, she didn't actually go into the area, staying away from the drive core and the more sensitive systems of the ship.
But she had more pressing things to think about; Krogan females immune to the Genophage were being held in an STG Research Lab on Sur'Kesh and needed to be rescued so a cure could be synthesized. The Dalatrass tried to deny it, but for a politician, she wasn't a very good liar and folded when video footage of the females was displayed. Wrex had an inside man in the STG, something that might cause more stress between the Salarians and the Krogan.
Shepard gave a sigh as she stepped up to the Galaxy Map, popping her neck as she brought it up, setting their course for the Salarian homeworld. It was going to be a long war.
Persephone didn't fail to notice how everything went still the moment she entered the mess hall. The corner of her lips perked almost imperceptibly as she fought the urge to whip around and yell "Boo!", but that would probably just get her shot. Going over to one of the cabinets, she unlocked it and pulled it open, looking through the different boxes before she found the energy fruit bars she had taken a liking to. Specifically designed for a biotics' metabolism, high in natural sugars and protein. Strawberry Pineapple was her favorite.
She could feel her biotics thrumming under her skin and she rotated her shoulders, popping her neck as she let herself leak just a little bit, just to take the edge off the current running through her. Pale wisps of dark energy bled from her clothes and she felt some of the tension leave her muscles before she reined it back in again. At the facility, she used her biotics almost daily, and extensively. She couldn't remember what for or in what way, but she had vague memories of collapsing into bed exhausted, head pounding and implant searing.
Unable to sleep, she had wandered out of the medbay last night, giving herself a tour of the ship and found her way into the Starboard Observation Deck, the sight of the stars just outside breathtaking and relaxing. Recalling a meditation technique taught to her by a scientist as a way to expend excess biotic energy nondestructively, she went there, finding it thankfully empty and went about collecting small items no larger than her fist, taking them from shelves and cupboards, clearing an area on the floor and sitting with her legs folded, setting the objects around her.
Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly as she closed her eyes, her biotics never far out of reach as she concentrated on her breathing, reaching out with her abilities to the room around her almost like a strange sonar. She could feel the hum of the engine under her and could "see" the objects scattered on the floor. Expanding out, she "touched" each one, lifting them into the air one by one until they hovered there at random levels. Then, with another deep breath, they started to spin around her slowly in eclipsing circles, dipping and weaving through the air around their center, orbiting her like planets would orbit their sun. It took extreme concentration and clarity to be able to do this and maintain it, also extreme endurance to maintain it for any length of time.
A feeling of weightlessness gathered in her chest, a strange, almost empty sensation as all the nervous tension and doubts from the last twenty-four hours started to melt away. It didn't matter what the crew of the Normandy thought about her, or what Shepard and the Alliance Brass planned to do with her. Whatever happens, happens.
"Holy-Jedi." Her concentration broke and the objects fell to the floor, a few breaking on impact. Biotics still swirled in her eyes as she opened them, the aura retreating back into her skin and she blinked a few times, focusing on Lieutenant Cortez standing there, looking at her with wide eyes.
"What's a Jedi?" Persephone asked, regarding him peacefully. She hasn't said more than two words to the man since setting foot on the Normandy, having thanked him upon leaving the shuttle before Shepard ferreted her off the medbay to get checked over.
"You've never heard of-forgot, raised in a lab." He said, "One moment." He brought up his omnitool. "Vega, you up for a movie marathon?"
"Always, Esteban." Vega said, "What're we watching?"
"The Star Wars series with Persephone, she's never seen it or heard of it. Despite the fact that apparently she's a Master Jedi. I swear I just watched her use the Force."
"That was biotics." Persephone said, scowling slightly.
"The Force." He insisted. "What do you think, James?"
"Hell yeah, I'll make the popcorn and bring the beer!" His excitement made her give a small smile and she took the hand Cortez offered, the pilot helping her to her feet. He was nice enough to help her clean up the small mess created by her broken concentration, and she was unable to dissuade him of the notion that she was a "Jedi". To be completely honest, the whole thing amused her slightly, he was the first human crew member outside James and Shepard that didn't regard her with suspicion, or walk on eggshells around her as if she was going to snap.
Once the area was cleaned up, they made their way down the hall to the Crew Lounge, finding James already there with a large bowl of what she was guessing was popcorn and a small container of six bottles. He was already setting up the screen, the large observation window going opaque.
"A New Hope, or The Phantom Menace?" He asked, turning around as they came in. Cortez must have given him a look because he shrugged, "A New Hope it is."
"How about this: Episodes Four and Five first," Cortez started, "Then One, Two, and Three, then the rest of them starting with Episode 6."
"Nice, add a bit of suspense after Han gets-nevermind." James said, catching the frantic motions Steve gave him. "Sound good to you, Persephone?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, so okay." She said and he snorted, grabbing a bottle and popping the cap off.
"Have you…" he paused, "Ever had beer?" She gave him a look, "That's a no. Here." He handed the bottle out to her.
"Vega!" Steve barked.
"What?! She's an adult! Chakwas estimated her age at about twenty! Besides, would you rather she try it here, or if she goes to Purgatory?" They exchanged a look, but Persephone gave an exasperated sound, grabbing the bottle from his still outstretched hand.
"I'm not a child." She muttered and took a sip, but pulled it away from her lips as the bitter taste filled her mouth. Swallowing the sip regardless, she pulled a face, making a disgusted sound as she handed it back to him. "This is all yours, no thank you." James took the bottle from her, a wide smile pulling at his lips.
"I'll go get you a Tupari." Steve said, rolling his eyes and chuckling.
"You don't have to, I can-"
"No, no. Sit while Vega starts the movie. Preference to flavor?" Steve asked and there was a pause.
"Lime, if you have it. Anything, if you don't." Persephone said a bit sheepishly.
"You and Shepard." He muttered as he walked out of the Lounge. Moving around the couch, she sat in the middle with her legs folded, hands holding her ankles and James sat next to her, setting the large bowl in her lap.
"You're keeper of the popcorn." He said, "Try not to eat it all, I know how you biotics are." He gave her a wink and she looked away with a smile, a small blush coming to her cheeks. Taking a few small pieces, she looked at them before popping them into her mouth. The texture wasn't what she was expecting, but it was good, buttery and salty and was that...garlic? "Good?"
"Good." She confirmed, eating a few more pieces. Persephone thanked Cortez when he came back, handing her a bottle of bright green drink as he sat down on the other side of her. The lights in the Lounge dimmed as James put in a command into his omnitool and the screen activated.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...