The Aspect of Fire - Book I - Interventions

by Roku - Molester of Science

What was once known as the legend of the Shepard, might very well become something entirely different, when a certain Aspect decides to intervene in the happenings of mortals. The Aspect of Fire will make his move, and change the face of the Galaxy, forever. REWRITING IN PROGRESS, CHAPTER 5 NOW OUT.

6. All hail the Chief

All hail the Chief

15:12

Presidium Tower

"Sparatus!"

Oh Spirits, it was her again. Sparatus steeled himself for the coming onslaught of swearwords and annoying innuendoes as the red-haired admiral marched up to him, lightning in her eyes.

"You… ignorant… bunch of ass-kissers, pacifists, nerf-herders, idiots!" She sneered, pointing an accusing finger at him, the wrath in her voice easily heard. Spirits, why, oh why did she have to go to him every time she disagreed with the Council? By all rights, the way she always behaved with the Councilors was unheard of, and even though Sparatus had the patience to overhear it, he knew Tevos was about to pop a gasket whenever she was assaulted by Vestergaard.

"Admiral, we have been over this. The hearing concluded-"

"The only thing concluded in that hearing was that you and your council is a bunch of blind cowards! Saren has you by the balls, and when you see hard evidence, hear his voice say that he was on Eden Prime and had 'won the trust' of the colony, you don't even have the mental capacity to piece things together?"

"The evidence was clearly fabricated. Saren has no associates by the name of 'Sovereign', and even if he did, the geth would never follow the words of an organic. You deal with the Migrant Fleet on a weekly basis, you of all should know why the geth rebelled 300 years ago. If they wouldn't follow their creators, why would they follow Saren?" Sparatus asked, for once knowing he had the upper hand in their arguments. Didn't mean they were any less uncomfortable, but he could win this.

"That's what I don't know… yet, but I'm getting there. The Normandy team has new evidence by the way. They found miss Zorah before I did, and she had a much more… condemning piece of evidence. And I swear, if you just go and dismiss this shit again, I'll make your lives a living hell."

"Are you threatening me, Admiral?" Sparatus growled, leaning forward. The admiral just smirked, one of her more sinister smirks, copying his leaning while her arms were crossed over her chest;

"Oh believe me, you'd know it if I threatened you, Councilor. No, what I am saying is that life on the Citadel, for everyone, will be much more… exciting, should you ignore the evidence put forth. Now, go to the new hearing, and bloody listen to the evidence. Which reminds me, seeing as we now agree Saren is guilty."

"I have not agreed-"

"So, remember the people I mentioned before? Alenko, Shepard and Kryik? I'm thinking we form a joint-species op to get Saren, make those three the commanding officers of the show and send them off in the Normandy. I'll talk to Anderson about letting the ship go. He knows me, he should understand."

"Admiral, I do not think-"

"No, that was made painfully clear in the last hearing. Try thinking this time around, okay?" She said, her voice changing from menacingly low to a girly-sweet. She then turned and headed back to the lower levels. With any luck, he wouldn't see her again for the foreseeable future.

---

15:32

Citadel wards, Doctor Claude Michelle's clinic

Finding the private in the midst of an urban warzone was… not what Ashley had expected, if she was to be perfectly honest. She might have suspected he could get into a fight, what with the pent-up anger she herself was feeling after the Council had just brushed them off. Even the sole proper Turian so far, Nihlus, had been dismissed when he had started having doubts in front of Saren's holographic representation.

Now though, her mind was on a whole other thing than politics, namely why the clinic containing their informant was filled with dead or unconscious thugs, a panicked doctor hiding in a cleanroom, a female Quarian toting a military-grade Alliance-issue shotgun, standing above the corpse of a man with the clear signs of having met said shotgun far too close. There was also the question as to who the other youth Thomas seemed to be so familiar with was, since he did not wear any Alliance colors.

And finally, there was one Turian too many in the room, with Nihlus being there too. She looked to the side as she strode in, weapons at the ready after seeing the carnage, but holstered them when no hostiles seemed to have remained. The Turian though, he seemed to be from C-Sec, judging by his armor, yet didn't make a scene out of the number of bodies on the ground.

"Tali?" Her attention was pulled to John, their Quarian buddy, as he stopped dead in his tracks, starring at said female Quarian. While Ashley's knowledge of most aliens was limited, she had some background on the Quarian people, if only what she had picked up in her free time. From what she could gauge, the Quarian was a girl, hardly adult yet. That she was here on the Citadel must mean she had undertaken the Pilgrimage. Still, Ashley was out of the loop as to how John knew her by name. And it wasn't just her.

Most chatter and activity in the room ceased as the attention was turned to the two Quarians, especially the young girl who seemed taken completely aback at being called by name. The girl whipped around with a speed only Salarians ought be capable of, and stopped all movements as she looked back at Shepard.

"…John?" Her voice was, if possible, even smaller than what John had used, and held the bottled-up emotions and grief of years of separation. Ashley was starting to get a vague picture of what was going on here, but decided to keep her ideas to herself. Mostly because it seemed like she wouldn't need to say anything. As if in a movie, all sound and movement in the room ended, all except for the pair of Quarians as they took slow, hesitant and frightened steps toward each other, as if they were afraid of the other simply vanishing into smoke.

The girl, Tali, held a small hand out, one finger reaching all the way and touched John's shoulder, then his arm, then ended up in his hand, where the two other fingers then joined it, slowly intertwining with the man's. The gesture was mirrored by John, his fingers locking in-between Tali's with a tenderness like she was the frailest of flowers, afraid he would bump off pedal.

"Tali? Is… you…it's…" It seemed like John had suddenly contracted a speech disorder, only firmly solidifying what Ashley had suspected from the beginning. Just the way the two looked at each other, even through their visors, told it all.

Ah, young love… Who the fuck said romance was dead anyway?

A few minutes later, when both Quarians had somewhat retreated to a corner of the clinic for a small amount of privacy, Ashley marched over to where Thomas was talking to the new Turian and the other young man. She had to admit, Thomas's friend did look a lot more like a proper soldier than he did. They had the same scars and burns from what she could see, and they were the same age, more or less. However, that was where the similarities ended. Where Thomas did have a fit physique, this new guy was a powerhouse of muscles. Not like those steroid-pumped maniacs, but the underlying ropes of thick muscles were hard to miss, and stood out in contrast to most other soldiers she had seen in the 212th. Genetic augmentations most likely, but there was still a more soldier-like appearance to the guy. It could be that his knuckles and forehead was bloodied, as well as his nose broken from the fight that had taken place.

"So, Rookie. I expect two things now. One, introduce me to your friend here. Two, tell me… where and what the heck were you doing while we were at the hearing?" She demanded, copying their stance as she leaned against the wall across from them. God, did she love seeing Thomas get this red in the head when he was blushing. It was simply so adorable she couldn't help but feel warm inside whenever she saw it.

"I… I thought the Council was probably going to root for their Spectre anyway, so I thought I… right, this is Nicolai Tengberg, an old friend from Denmark. I actually didn't even know he was here,, just happened to bump into him, all wrapped up in gauze and plaster in the clinic. Nicolai, meet Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams. Chief, meet Nicolai Tengberg." Thomas said, regaining some courage in the face of his awkwardness.

"A pleasure ma'am. I've heard a lot about you." Nicolai, the well-built guy said, smiling at her. It was the same type of smile Thomas would send her when they had been off duty in the colony, but it didn't do the same things to her as whenever Thomas would do it. Not that she understood why, but she would probably just have to get to know Tengberg better. Still…

"Heard about me?" She asked, vaguely remembering Thomas saying the same thing when they had met the first time. Or, well the second time, seeing as he fainted on the floor in the hospital when she shook his hand.

"Told ya, you're quite a figure back on Earth." Thomas offered, smiling. There it was again, thát odd, warming smile of his. She really liked seeing it though, so that it was 'odd' didn't bother her much. She just shook her head gently;

"Fine, fine… I believe you. Now, what happened after you found Tengberg here?"

---

16:01

Office of Ambassador Donnel Udina

We're standing in Udina's office again. And the guy in mention is standing, supporting himself against the railing that prevents him from falling to the bottom the Presidium. He's looking ten years older since we saw him last time, and that's only one or two hours ago. He's putting both hands against his tired old face, and lets them glide across it. He turns to us;

"Well captain, looks like your crew has increased since I saw them last time… then it was only two aliens, now it's four." He grumbles, looking at Tali and Garrus. Especially Garrus, from what I can guess, is upsetting him. I suppose the Turian-Human relationship is still a bit sore with some people, Udina apparently being one of them; "And, to add to my pile of work, we have assaults on officers, firefights and abductions reported from civilian clinics too. What's next, shooting up a bar just for the hell of it?" I really can't figure this man out. His voice is laden with anger, but angry people wouldn't use 'for the hell of it' in a sentence… would they?

"Hey not fair! Nicolai is practically in tip-top shape! I just had him out of there a little sooner than the doctor had it planned. And besides, that turian bastard was a racist, called Quarians suit-rats and me a filthy primate!" I give Udina a stare, starting to understand just why someone really has it on for this man. He is getting pissed about everything!

"Well I don't know what the tone was where you come from, but here on the Citadel, you have to get used to Quarians being seen as lesser people. A lesser race, like so many others…" He grumbles the last part, looking like he's forced to bite down on his tongue to refrain from saying something he could regret.

"Is there a problem Ambassador?" Anderson asks. Thank Stendarr for that man, or something might have gone wrong here. What matters is that we have hard evidence against Saren, and if they name it a fabrication this time, I'll shove it up their collective asses.

"No, as long as you have a reason for bringing all these new aliens to my office." At this, John steps up. He's already quite assumed the leader-role, and he apparently speaks for the group;

"Yes we do Udina." He doesn't bother with the Ambassador title, probably because Udina isn't the ambassador for the Quarian people, and continues. "Tali'Zorah and Garrus Vakarian are both willing to help us take down Saren, and Tali here…" He turns toward Tali and looks at her with, I could almost swear, a smile. And when I say 'almost', it's because I can only see the vaguest outline of his face; "-has some new evidence against Saren".

"Is that so? Well, then maybe you better show us this evidence miss Tali…?" apparently, he wants to address her by last name only.

"Zorah. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya." And she steps forward, and presses some digits on her Omni Tool, and suddenly, the well-known voice of Saren Arterius emerges from her arm. Man, 'glad they didn't hit the tool when they shot her.

"Eden Prime was a major victory. It has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit." Suddenly, another voice speaks up. It's that Asari… what's her name, I can't remember it… but I'm pretty sure she's the mother of Liara… what the heck was her name though?

"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers." Damn, that's a cold voice. I mean, yeah Saren is evil and sounds like the Sith Lord himself, but the woman… she sounds like she just picked her heart up from the deep freezer.

"That's Saren's voice!" Anderson almost shouts. I'm almost tempted to call the captain 'obvious', but even if they understood the meaning of the words, I doubt it would be well-received.

"This proves he is involved! Tali, you are the most awesome girl I've ever known!" John exclaims. He gives her shoulder a squeeze, taking her hand in his, but not the "friend" kind of holding hands…. Something more. Well, I guess this decides it: I have to keep Nicolai away from Tali in that sense. Not that he can't be her friend, I would applaud it if that were to happen, but I've gotta make him know that she's taken. I, in turn, look to my right. Nicolai is standing there, and he saw it as well. There is a short sad look on his face, but his usual good mood soon returns.

I still can't get over seeing him so… infuriated, earlier, like it was a whole other person when they threatened Tali. I mean, I've known him for Talos knows how many years, and I've never seen him… well, go full-out rage on someone. The way he just swept the floor with the thugs, it looked surreal. Had I been knocked out in the fight, I'd probably have assumed the whole thing was a dream when I woke up. I wonder… it could be the need to vent somehow, having lost his family and ended up here, trapped in a hellscape of future, death and war. My kind of heaven, more like his kind of Limbo.

"Yeah, good thing they didn't shoot your Omnitool." He says, giving her one of his usual, cheery smiles. Still, having seen the beast within him… it has changed the way I look at him, as well as myself. How could I claim to know him when I had no idea he was capable of this?

"What or who are the Reapers?" Kaidan speaks from behind me, and I mean, literally right behind me. Odd, seeing as I never noticed him being here. I mean, for a biotic, and a heavy one at that, the man is surprisingly silent when walking.

"According to the geth's memory core, the reapers were a hyper advanced machine race that existed 50.000 years ago." Tali says, looking at the biotic.

"So, they existed at the same time as the Protheans?" I ask. Well, I know this, but would be cool if the others knew it as well… just so I don't end up in some weird situation where I have to explain how I know about them. Of course, the Protheans are known, so if anything it'll just mark me as a history-lover.

"Yes. They hunted the Protheans to total extinction, and then they vanished. At least, that's what the geth believe." She doesn't sound sure herself, but who can blame her; a returning race of super robotic space squids, capable of destroying a civilization more advanced than this. Hell, I would wish I didn't believe it either. Though, thát hope was dashed when Sovereign was mentioned. Despite having no clues as to what happened in the Saren campaign, aside from what Genesis revealed, even I know that Sovereign, or Nazara as Legion said its name was, is a huge Reaper.

"So… the vision I had on Eden Prime… I saw the Reapers wiping out the Protheans!" John jumps in. Good. Was wondering when he'd put two and two together.

"Do you doubt his intelligence?"

"No, not at all… I was just hoping he would be able to see a connection. Hell, I would probably not have been able to figure it out if I didn't know what I do…"

"Probably not, no…"

"Bet the Geth's worship them; one race of machines worshipping a bigger race of machines" Nicolai adds in. I look at him. He's not afraid to challenge pre-set conversations, I'll give him that. And why should he be? I mean, it's not like canon could be more messed up than it is, just by asking questions.

"We've got to present this to the Council." Udina says, for once actually looking like things are working out for him, a rare upward-going curl of his lip showing rare satisfaction; "They can't ignore thís evidence! But… we will leave out the part with the Reapers. It will be good enough if they believe Saren attacked a colony, and then get his status removed. We will tell them all we know, but try not to talk about ancient machines of doom." Udina is… nervous? Paging up and down the room. "All of you meet me in front of the stairs to the Council in one hour. Then we'll see if they can deny this!"

"Well, this time we might actually convince them" I add. If all goes according to plan, we will. Still, with the fact added that the group already presented one piece of pretty damming evidence, only to be dismissed, I leave room for some pessimism. I turn to the rest of the group, Anderson in particular;

"Sir… I have a request." He looks at me, then at Nicolai. I think he's already guessed it, but he seems like he'll let me try and sell it.

"Well, out with it Fisher."

"You see sir, I managed to get a look at the food on the Normandy while we were en-route to the Citadel, and it didn't look like something that would heighten the morale of the crew… So I thought of my old friend Nicolai Tengberg, and I said to myself; "Thomas, the food here isn't worth writing about, and you know Nick is on the Citadel right now, and that he's a damn good cook." So I considered offering him a place aboard as the ships cook… and perhaps come with us on some missions… of course, Sir, you have the final saying here." I just pray Nicolai can cook Dextro, and that the time he spent in Baboon City's paintball-hall will be enough to get him hired. I mean, he has the regulations and the army-stuff down to boot. Two years in the navy's officer school kinda made sure of that, but I don't know how well he handles the military aspect of the job, fighting and seeing things die. Hopefully enemy things.

"Hmm… ha… yeah, you are right at least that the food could be better. It's all dried provisions from last time we stocked at Arcturus, and we are low on manpower… but why don't you let him speak for himself?" Oh crap, this is what I feared: Nicolai could not sell a diamond for a dollar, let alone himself for a job. I still wonder how he survived the interview at the Zoo… but Nicolai steps forward. I can see the nervousness in his eyes, but also something else… fright? No... Courage? No way… willpower? Well, that could be what it is, but let's see what he's got to say;

"Well sir. I have a good reputation back home when it comes to my food. I've served with the Danish navy for a few missions, so I know how to make due with limited provisions. Just never cooked for Turians and Quarians before. But I can almost guarantee that at least the human crew along with whoever else can eat Amino- food will be content. As for the combat… I figure I can learn on the way. Hell, from what Thomas told me, he nailed geth after less than a week of training. Shit man! Anderson doesn't know I've only had one week in boot camp!

I sometimes hate his bluntness…

"Well, I guess we can afford one more man. Especially if he can make as good food as he claims." He gives Nicolai and me a long stare, but it isn't a hard one. It's more of a scrutinizing one, to see if there is deceit or… something, in my friend's eyes.

"Anyway, we'll see if there even is a mission when we get back from the hearing. If there is, you are welcome aboard. If not, there is no mission…" Okay, that was a little negative, but I know we'll get the Council won over this time, so no worries there. At least, that's what the optimist in me insists. The realist says we're going to get screwed, and the pessimist… agrees with the realist.

"If that is all captain, I need you to have a closer look at these evidences with me." Udina says. Guess that buys me some time to figure out a way to replace my armor... do we even have any money yet? We also have to get some armor for Nicolai, if he is to join us. I turn towards said guy;

"Nicolai, we've got to get you some proper armor, and I've got to get some new as well. My old… didn't quite make it of Eden Prime."

"Sure, but I've got to find some cookbooks as well… you know where there is a bookstore around here? Something in Danish or English? 'Cause there is no way I'm reading anything in non-human letters… I mean, come on! I can't."

"Danish? Oh crap that's right. I keep forgetting you're not actually an English speaker Thomas." Ash suddenly stands next to me. She's right…. I haven't even tried to speak English, and everyone seems to understand me anyway. Better ask now;

"Yeah, about that Ash… how come that I haven't had to even try and speak English when talking to you guys? I mean, I could always understand you, you ARE English, but how could I understand John, Tali or Garrus?" She then gives me this weird look;

"Are you joking Thomas? Do you not know what a translator is? What the hell did you think it was I gave you, day one on Eden Prime? It wasn't for deaf people, let me tell you that." Oh yeah. Now that I think about it, she handed me some small earplug-thing when we walked the colony. I just figured it was some kind of headphones for music from the Omnitool. Shows what I know…

"Uhhrr… would this be a bad time to say head-phones?"

"Phhhrrrttt… Ha! Christ Thomas, sometimes one would think you were from the last century! Oh God…. But honestly, what did you think; that it was for music?" She laughs, flashing me first her bright smile, then a questioning look.

"…. No… Data available?…."

"Jesus…" she throws out her arms, and then proceeds to give me a knock on the shoulder. I fake pain;

"Ouch Ash, that really hurt my feelings… and my arm. Especially my arm, but the feelings too."

"Should I give you two some privacy?" Nicolai asks from behind me. I swear, I could have hit him right then and there… but he doesn't mean anything by it. 'Guess he's always been like that. Just because he used to get all the girls back home. And… I used to tease him with them… and he teased me with not having any girl. Son of a bitch… he hasn't changed a bit!

"In his dreams. And by the way" she turns towards Nicolai; "We need to get you into the navy's pay book if this works out. We need some armor too, a proper hardsuit would do. And, I am pretty sure I saw a weapon-shack on the Normandy, so weapons are covered."

"Fuck yes! The Normandy!" He exclaims, fists raised into the air in victory.

"Amigo, I'll tell you all about it later, but now, we've gotta find you some gear… and some for me as well."

"Oh right, you kinda took a beating on Eden Prime…Well, what about 'Miller & McCarthy's'? They are supposed to have a large selection, plus its right next to what you could call a bookstore." Ash says.

"So…. Where is this place anyway?" I have no idea, so we just follow Ash out the door. Nicolai tags along behind me, casting the same kind of long looks around him as I did, and still do whenever we pass something awesome on the Presidium… which, I suppose, is the reason for it to be thát clean.

"Oh, not far. We just have to take the stairs down to the Presidium reception, and then head in the direction of the Rachni Wars Memorial." Ashley says, pointing at where we can just make out what looks like a giant stone Krogan. I think I've heard something about that statue… something about the Krogan winning the Rachni wars for the Council. As we head out the door, and down the stairs, this Indian guy speaks up;

"Excuse me! Excuse me, but are you Alliance military?" We stop and discover that he's actually speaking to us. He looks really worn down, like someone who's been robbed and can't get the police to help him;

"Yeah, we are… but why are you asking? Is everything alright?" The man somewhat brightens when he realizes that we actually pay attention to him. I'm getting the notion that´s a rare thing to happen…;

"Yes. My name is Samesh Bhatia. My wife was in the 212th on Eden Prime."

"212th … Ash, wasn't that our unit?" I hadn't really paid attention to the number before, but I guess that means there were more than one unit on Eden Prime. At least, I didn't see anyone else than the guys in the barracks, but maybe they had the teams divided? Ash never slept in our barrack, that's for sure. So, our unit must have had more people than the ones in that barrack. Makes sense I suppose. The soldiers that were in our barracks would never have been enough to defend an entire colony in the case of say, a slaver attack. Or… a geth attack.

"Yes, Bhatia… Nirali Bhatia; short dark hair, with a red mark on her forehead?" so Ash knew her? Dammit… I hope this doesn't add more to her survivor's guilt. Not that I would mind another hugging-session, but it can't be easy for her. I look at Ash, and as I thought, I do see the lines of, not guilt, but sadness and regret. I can feel a sharp twinge of guilt in my stomach, twisting around down there, knowing that I am as much to blame… no, more actually, for the deaths of so many people on Eden Prime.

"You knew her? Then please, you must help me." Man, poor guy if his wife was killed when the geth poured in. I just notice something, although the timing is horrible; pretty much every human man I've seen so far is wearing the same clothes. That beige-white thing that looks like a jacket, but isn't… man, fashion really took a dip… so to speak. But I'm losing focus. I can worry about fashion when we don't have a psychotic turian to hunt down;

"So what's the problem? Do you need to know if she's alive, MIA or dead?" I ask. I seriously can't remember this guy from any play through, so either everyone avoided him, or he's another canon-break.

"… No. I know that she was killed in the defense of the colony, but when I went to have her body delivered to me for cremation… they just turned me down. They wouldn't even tell me why or where she is. I just want to take her back to Earth for a proper ceremony, and give us both peace." Man, Alliance brass can't be that insensitive. There has to be a good reason for them to deny this man the body of his own wife.

"Don't worry. We'll take care of it." Ash is suddenly in a determined mood, as in way more determined than before and ready to pummel her way to her goal. 'Guess I'm not really surprised; if I had had a good friend on Eden Prime, I would probably be the same way right now...still, losing almost the entire team, that was hard. Is hard…

"Thank you. The man you need to speak to is up the in the expensive café." Bhatia points towards a door on the right side of the reception, just up a staircase. "His name is Bosker. He has short brown hair and big lips." Big lips? What kind of description is that?

"Alright. We'll go have a chat with him." Ash says. And then we leave the man to wander around while waiting for us to return with good news… I hope. I don't really feel like having to carry down a shot-up body to her husband. Or returning with empty hands.

"Ash, I didn't know there were other marines on Prime? How come we never saw them?" I jog alongside Ash as we head for the stairs.

"Thomas, you were only there for a week, and you spend only five days in active service. The two sections used to train on different days, seeing as the shooting range wasn't big enough to hold the entire 212."

"Sounds logical, I guess… so, did you know her?"

"Yes…" Ash bites her lip. She looks borderline driven to the brink of her patience with this, something I can't imagine, but at least try to understand; "She agreed to take over training with Able-squad while I headed Dog-squad in the fields that day. Only because of her, because she agreed to that, did I even have a chance to escape. Her group… was right where the geth started their attack. And it's just because I wanted to be in the fields for one day, not cooped up…" She kinda cuts herself short there, as if she had said something she didn't mean to say. I wonder why.

"Ash, I -" what I was about to say, that she shouldn't feel guilty, is cut short when I spot the guy we were looking for; inside the bar or café, I really can't tell the difference here, a man is leaning against the wall. He's not really doing anything, so I'm guessing he's waiting for his food or drink to be ready. And oh man! The description was in no way inaccurate; his lips looks like someone glued two large snails on them, and then painted them pink. Imagine a monkey doing the duck-face thing, and you're close;

"Hey, you!" Ash is on the move, striding towards the man who is, by now, looking at the oncoming female warrior in her navy blues, with a slight worry in his eyes. I suppose Ashley has spotted the 'big lips' appearance too;

"Are you speaking to me ma'am?" well, you are the one she is about to collide with buddy, I think that qualifies.

"Yes. Are you Mr. Bosker? The clerk in charge of Mr. Bhatia's case?" Ash is now standing in front of the man. She has her arms crossed in that 'Don't even think about pissing me off' kind of way. If that was me, standing in front of her… I'd be scared. 'Looks like he is a little too.

"Yes. Is there some way I can help you?" his entire being just screams "Bureaucrat!" So I'm sure he and Ash will have fun. Me? For now, I'm content with simply watching.

"Well, you can start by giving him his wife back!" at her angry tone, several customers turn around to see what's going on. I almost wish Ash had kept her voice down, but there are times when I don't dare talk against her. This is one of such times.

"Well, I can assure you that the Alliance has the best of reasons for holding on to the body. It is a valuable asset to them, and she may end up saving more lives in death than she could in life. So, no. I am afraid he cannot have the body at the moment." Oh crap, I better break in before Ash tears him a new one. The way he's talking about one of her fellow marines, my fellow marines too, I guess, like she is nothing but an object… Is bound to end up with him on the floor.

"I'm sorry, but why do they need her? What is the damn good reason for the brass to hold on to the body of this man's wife?" he turns his gaze towards me. Suddenly, he doesn't look that scared anymore. Probably because I'm not in armor, and since I don't have the stripes that Ash does, he takes me for some ensign or something;

"I'm sorry, but I don't believe I was speaking to you, pal. Why don't you stop following this officer around and go play -"He doesn't really get to finish his speech, as Ash slaps him across the face. Wow, did she just stand up for me? He looks at her, with the expression of surprise, a little fear and possibly arrogance. It changes however, when he sees the look in her eyes;

"What the - What was that for? What did I do to you?" he honestly looks like he's serious.

"Don't you dare speak like that, not about my deceased colleagues, and not to my fellow marines. I ought to drag you away, but I need you to release that body, so fucking release it!" by now, pretty much every single person in the place is following the scene. Man, glad Ash isn't in politics. The diplomat-clerk or whatever that arrogant bastard is, seems to take Ash seriously now. He fumbles with his Omnitool, and then looks at us;

"Of course. It - it's already done. You can tell Mr. Bhatia that he can collect his wife's body, and that all fees have been taken care of." On a second thought, maybe Ash shouldgo into politics. She certainly get's results.

"That's what I wanted to hear. Now piss off." He obeys, backing off with both hands raised in a surrendering fashion. When he's out of the door, Ash looks at me with a very serious look in her eyes. Then, she just starts laughing. At first, I wonder what the hell is going on, but then I think of that arrogant guy's lips, and the way they almost started dancing after Ash slapped him, and I can't help but laugh as well. Oh dear, that was just too good. 'Should have taped it. When I finally look around, the entire place seems to have forgotten about us. No one seems to be staring at us anymore at least. I then notice that Nicolai is still standing where he was sort of "dumped" when I jumped into the discussion. He just looks at us with a smile, and shakes his head;

"What?" I ask him.

"Never mind. I'll tell you later. Now, why don't we get back to Mister Bhatia and let him know that his wife is free to go… so to speak."

"Right. Let's go." I look at Ash who nods and we return down the stairs. When we reach Bhatia, he looks at us with an anxious look in his eyes;

"Well, what happened? Why are they holding my wife?" he asks pleadingly. Almost makes me sad, even though I know we bring him good news.

"Never mind that. She's free to go… be collected. We had a little chat with Mr. Bosker, and convinced him to see things from your point of view." The Indian man just stares at Ash, like had she said that his wife had risen from the grave and was now waiting for him.

"You… how?" then he seems to pull himself together, and almost smiles. We brought him good news, but he still lost his wife. "Thank you. All of you. Thank you so, so much. Now I can give her a proper funeral, and get to say goodbye." He then lifts his arm, but instead of extending his hand, he turns on his Omnitool and presses some… buttons? He then looks at us with a smile. "There, for your trouble… and your help. And … now I must go. I must find my wife." When he's gone, Ash looks at her Omni-tool;

"What the - he just gave each of us 1000 credits!"

"Not to be the "ten-questions-guy", but isn't that quite a lot of money, especially times three?" Nicolai asks.

"You bet. This should easily pay for the kind of armor you guys need." Ash says with a smile. It's more of a happy smile, different from the ones she sometimes gives me.

"Do we even have the time to go shopping" I ask. I have to buy an old watch, or not old for me, but Mass Effect old… Dammit, there I go again. Perhaps I should just learn to use the fragging piece of software strapped to my arm.

"Now that you ask, no. We have about ten minutes before the hearing starts, and I want to be there, watching John and the captain rub the evidence in the Council's noses." Ash seems… rather optimistic about this. Well, Nick and I are too, but we know that it's gonna work out. Ash on the other hand? How could she know?

"Well, we've better get there then. I think the elevator to the Citadel Tower is right over… where?"

"Don't worry, I'll check on the station-map. Hold on a sec." she pulls out her Omnitool again, and a large 3D-map of the Presidium suddenly appears in front of her, hovering over her left arm. Okay, I definitely have to learn how to do that! "Well, seems to me we have to walk about 100 meters along the reservoirs, and we'll see an elevator that takes us to the Tower." Thank God for Ash and her ability to actually use the Omnitool. We would be screwed without her.

"Well, I'd say we should get going." Nick says, and we leave for the tower.

"What took you guys so long?" Kaidan asks when we arrive, three minutes late.

"Sorry, bureaucracy got in the way…" Is the only thing Ash says. Well I can't really argue with that

"Thát, and a slow as hell elevator" Nicolai says, shrugging. It earns a smile from Kaidan, though it vanishes just as quickly again when he speaks. Still, there's a hint of satisfaction in his voice as he speaks;

"Well, the others are already up there, and the hearing is underway. From what I can tell, it's going the right way. Udina is still angry, but it's more of an "why don't you do more?" way of angry than earlier. Now let's get up there." He says, copying Nicolai's shrugging. Gods, I haven't made a mistake introducing those two, have I? As we proceed up the stairs I can hear Udina's voice;

"Send your fleets in!"

"A fleet cannot track down on man. We would also risk a full-scale war with the terminus systems. Something we are not inclined to do for the time being." The Salarian councilor says.

"Send me. Saren's a threat to the Humanity and the Quarian people. I'll take care of him." What the… did John just volunteer to take on a psychotic, Reaper wielding, geth controlling biotic gunslinger of a turian ex-Spectre? Well, I guess that means he is the one who's made Spectre, seeing as the real Shep - no… I can't think like that anymore. He is the real Shepard, and he needs our help if this is going to end well. But this could be difficult: if Shepard didn't become a spectre, how should he get a ship. I doubt Anderson is just gonna give him the Normandy.

"Normally" the Asari Councilor said "when a Spectre goes rouge, we send another spectre after him. Nihlus Kryik, Kaidan Alenko, John'Shepard, step forward please." Kaidan sends the rest of us a look of confusion. Yeah, I really have no idea what's going on now either…

"The Council has found Saren Arterius guilty in all charges…" Sparatus says, for some reason glancing briefly towards the audience that always seems to be gathered along the sidelines; "And it has been decided that a joint-species operation will be undertaken in order to bring Saren to justice. Nihlus Kryik, you will represent the Spectres, the Turian Hierarchy and the Citadel Council on this mission. Kaidan Alenko, you will represent the Human Systems Alliance on this mission. John'Shepard nar Rayya, you will represent the Quarian Migrant Fleet as a sovereign entity on this mission, operating on equal footing with Lieutenant Alenko."

I'm numbed by this, the surprise simply too much for me to take in. What… I am sure that this is not what happened in Hudson's version. First of all… where's Wrex? I'm pretty sure we should have found him by now.

"So, what did we miss?" I ask Garrus, guessing that Tali isn't in the mood for small talk with strangers right now If she were, it would probably be with John. And I'm almost close to being pretty sure that something is going on between those two.

"Well, nothing much. The Council was finally convinced that Saren is a bad guy, and they stripped him of his Spectre status. Then they agreed to send John, Alenko and Nihlus after him. And I'm guessing we just tag along for the ride. 'Should be fun." Damn Garrus, your sense of humor and sarcasm is the same, I see. Good. This wouldn't be the same without it. John comes over to us. I wish I could judge his facial expression, but the glass only makes his eyes visible.

"Wait… you're coming?" I ask him, once more having to feign surprise and confusion. Gods, I am glad he is coming though. Without his kind of humor, calibrations and just overall his jovial nature. What I am worried about, is what Joker meant when he said 'stick up his ass' in 2184… or was it '85?

"I am, yes. I've asked Nihlus Kryik for permission to join the mission due to the nature of Saren's crimes, as well as the fact that he's a Turian."

"Turian? But…" I ask, now honestly confused; "…You're a Turian, Garrus."

"Exactly. Saren's a traitor to the Council, but more important, he's a galactic disgrace to my people. If I can help bring him down, I will. By the way, I don't think I ever caught your name. Things were kinda hectic in the clinic back there." He says, his sub-harmonics going from a growl to a more friendly tone.

"Right… was too busy seeing if my friend was… I'm Thomas. Private Thomas Fisher, of the SSV Normandy." I say, smiling. Odd, it's only now when I say it with a more casual tone that I really realize the ramifications of being on the Normandy. I mean, being on it, it's not like a ship I have been on before. It's more like a large facility that just happens to have windows into space.

---

Citadel Security, Presidium

17:38

"Hey Officer. I was told I could find a Krogan here… one, Urdnot Wrex?" The woman asked. It was unusual, certainly, for a cop to be asked by a Systems Alliance admiral where she could find a Krogan mercenary. The again, he had recognized her the second she exited the lift from the Presidium.

"Officer Chellick, ma'am. And yes, we have him here… well, for as long as he keeps bothering the owner of Cora's Den anyway. May I ask why?" The Turian asked, looking up from his place at the desk. He loathed being stuck in the reception, but Tarquin had taken the day off to soothe his ego after a human had slapped him. Chellick still didn't know why. Still, there were the occasional events to take his mind off of the annoying press that constantly came down there.

Such as the unannounced arrival of one of the highest ranking officers of the Systems Alliance. She sent him a smirk as a response. With most officers, that would have been unusual and surprising. With Vestergaard though, it was entire normal;

"I'm here to take him off your hands."

"Well then… he's over there, actually." Chellick said, pointing at where a large, red-plated Krogan battlemaster was being escorted down some stairs, arguing with a group of human officers who seemed to be ready to bail the moment he looked at one for too long. Yeah, Wrex was like that. An old customer who kept scaring the crap out of the newbies. In a way, Chellick liked that about Wrex… even if the Krogan was only in C-sec because they had to haul his ass in there each time he made trouble.

"Thanks." The Admiral said, nodding before she turned and headed for the old Krogan.

Wrex, battlemaster and former clan chief of Urdnot, now mercenary for the Shadow Broker, was arguing with a group of newly hatched officers, seeing which one he could make wet his pants first. From the smell of it, one of them already had.

"This is your last warning Wrex. Stay away from Fist." One of them said. Not the one with human urine down his leg though. Wrex scowled, leaning towards the human.

"You should warn Fist instead. I will kill him."

"Do you want me to arrest you?" The human asked, leaning towards Wrex in return. The old Krogan almost cocked a brow plate at that, surprised that the human had the balls to stand up to him. He was in the process of answering the officer, probably something along the lines of daring him to try, when he picked up a new smell in the air.

It was human, that much was certain. But it held… a new air to it. He turned at the smell, noticing the human female striding towards him. It took a few moments before he recognized her. Damn, how long had it been? Ten years? He hadn't seen her since she had hired him and Aleena for that raid on Omega's slums. Good times, but it didn't explain why she had disappeared at the same time as Aleena. Still, he figured it wasn't in his place to ask, seeing as he had just been a hired gun at the time.

"Wrex? That you scaring the panties of the guys again?" Yep, that was her. Anna was the only human he had ever met who seemed to have actually contemplated head-butting him when he had argued with her. Couldn't remember what about, but the impression lasted.

"Heh, what do you know. I thought you stayed at that big station of yours Colonel… or should I just call you Admiral now?" He replied, pushing his way through the officers, most of whom took it as their chance to get away without losing face. Upon reaching her, she grabbed his hand, shaking it with a strength surprising for a human.

"Just Anna will be fine. Listen, you're after Fist, right?" She asked, smiling at him, yet with an air of professionalism that belonged to a woman of her position. Had she been a Krogan, she could have led a clan with that personality of hers.

"I am, yeah. Shadow Broker sent me after him since he turned to Saren instead. Why?"

"Don't bother with Fist then. Far as you need to know, he's already dead, dumped in a protein-vat and forgotten. By the way, here's the money he had on him. I hope that's sufficient." She said, transferring a rather hefty sum from her tool to his, causing the Krogan to stare at her in confusion, the annoyance.

"Why'd you kill Fist? And when? I just came from there, his guards had me kicked out." He demanded, not sure if he believed her on this. If he couldn't get to Fist, there was no way she could. Still, the smirk on her face was that of child-like pride, not a liar.

"I know a lot more than people tend to think Wrex. Is why I'm alive today. I knew you were going after Fist, so I simply used the commotion you used. You don't really need to know how. I prefer to keep a few secrets." She said, crossing her arms across her chest in a way that was so inheritably hers.

"Uh huh… alright. I guess that's the how, but then there's the 'why'."

"Short version: I need you for a job. You'll be working with a team comprised of freelancers, former C-Sec and Alliance marines. It's a manhunt, and I want you to be my eyes, ears and gun on the team. Quad too, if it comes down to it."

"Okay… I'll bite. What's the mission, what's the team and what do I get from it?" He asked, leaning against the wall to the elevator.

"First, the mission is former Spectre Saren Arterius. I want him dead, and you're good at getting people dead. Second, the team will come to Dock 2-D on the Presidium. Look for a bunch of marines following a Quarian around. You won't have issues working with Nihlus Kryik, right?"

"The Spectre? Not really… I've never met the guy, so I dunno."

"Good. Now, as for your payment, funds will be transferred to you upon the start of the mission. Also, remember Aleena?" She asked. Wrex took a double on that one, blinking to make sure he had heard right. Yep, she had mentioned Aleena in a way that suggested she knew something about her. Instead of speaking, he just nodded;

"Good. Because I've tracked her down. When all this is over, I'll tell you if you want." Oh yeah, she was definitely smirking now. That was a thing he was always dumbfounded about with her. She just seemed to have eyes and ears everywhere, as in more than even the Shadow Broker had. The fact that she had known about Fist was just another proof of that.

"Dammit… how do you find out all that shit anyway?" He growled, giving her the stink-eye. With Krogans, that could easily be mistaken for the 'I'll pull your intestines out your ears'-look.

"No go Wrex. A woman has to have her secrets." She said, lightly punching him on the armored shoulder. Great… yeah, she would definitely have made a great Krogan clan leader. The only female leader he remembered having some of the woman's grit, was maybe Toka Beifohng, leader of Clan Toka. Odd ones, those people. They were the single most zealous clan on the planet, revering the Thresher Maws for having given the Krogans the Gift in days of old. As in, 'before Wrex himself had been born' old.

"Right, right… 2-D was it? Will be there. Is there anything else I should know about the team? They do know I'm in as well, right?" He asked with a bit of uncertainty. Anna did have a habit of letting important details slip when she assumed they were not… well, important.

"Not…yet. But don't worry, I'll get to that part. I just have to track them down… so, Wrex… any progress with winning back Tuchanka?" She asked, seemingly wanting to change the subject. She could have chosen a better one though, seeing as said subject was constantly nagging him.

"I've given up on my people years ago… we're dying out, and no one, especially no Krogans, are trying to reverse thát fact. We either die for turf or credits these days…" He scowled, sending nasty glares to any Turians and Salarians who happened to be in the room.

"Hey, cheer up now, eh?" Anna said, punching his shoulder hard enough for her knuckles to apparently hurt. Wrex hardly felt it though, though his mood did improve with the gesture; "I'm sure things will come around eventually. If nothing else, take some joy in knowing you'll outlive any grandkids I get."

"Only if I don't die for credits first…" He muttered, shrugging. Anna's smile became a thin, thoughtful line instead.

"Yeah, okay there's that too." She said. Then, as neither seemed to know of a way to continue the conversation through the awkward silence that had ensued, the relatively older admiral bid Wrex goodbye and headed back for the elevator.

---

Presidium tower

17:57

"Who's that woman? The one speaking to the captain?" Nicolai asks, gesturing at where Anderson and Udina are having some sort of discussion with an older woman, an officer by the looks of her uniform to go from. Udina seems to be less than pleased at her presence, while Anderson looks more like he is talking to a person he respects on both a professional and a personal level.

"Hell if I know…" I mutter, shrugging before continuing down the stairs.

"I've seen her before, I think, on posters. She's the 'Neuter' Admiral, Anna Cologne Fisher." Garrus says from behind us, sounding somewhere between amused and confused. Not sure why though. Funny, I don't think I ever heard about this woman in the games, and seeing as she is apparently an admiral, wouldn't it have been something of a big deal?

"Neuter?" Nicolai asks, giving Garrus a worried glance before sending one at the admiral. To his evident fear, seen in the color leaving his face, she looks at us in that exact moment, sending a smirk that is just entirely too happy to be normal. It's a bit like what an anime-character would flash while sharpening a knife. Thát, and the fact that she looks to be at least fifty, makes it an awkward moment as we just try shuffling past the officers.

"Yeah… don't know if you watched TV some years back, but she made quite a name by publically castrating pirates, slavers, mercs, terrorists… I think she cut the balls off the leader of the Red Sands once too." Garrus says, causing my fingers to grow numb with worry as the woman now looks directly at me. Her eyes… even from here I can see they are an iridescent green, like emeralds shining with an almost unnatural light. Tied into a bun beneath an officer's cap, auburn hair just adds to the image of… I'm not sure, actually. If I was to make a joke I'd say she looks like a fifty-year old Jane Shepard, the default one. And the eyes she is sending at me… like, a curious predator.

"Damn, sounds like a hardass. Still, I like her style." Nicolai says, forcing me to look at him, to see if the fear he displayed just before has just vanished. Nope, still there, but with something else too. Resisting the temptation to ask just why he was scared, or seemed scared of the woman, I shake my head, looking away from Anderson and this 'Neuter' Admiral Anna Cologne… Fisher? Funny, just how ordinary a name I have. I mean, yeah it was common back in the twenty-first, but still now? Huh… though, why not?

"Rookie, are you two done playing around yet? We've only got an hour before we have to be at the Normandy again, and I don't think we'll get another chance to shop for some time." Ash barks, drawing my attention back to the bottom of the stairs, where Ashley is waiting, hands crossed in front of her as she leans against the railing, looking up at us. Kinda scenic, now that I think about If everything goes as I hope… then you have no idea how right you are.

"Is the plan to let Shepard die or to tell them the truth, including what happens above Alchera? Could it just be to let everything play out?" Hmm… was wondering what had become of the voice-guy. He's been awfully quiet for some time. Which, in retrospect, was actually enjoyable as the concept of having a voyeur in my mind is… well, it's a tad weird. "Welcome back… and no, I don't plan on letting him die, neither am I ready to let Ash know yet… as for the last one? I don't really know. I'm pretty blind on everything except for the big missions mentioned on wiki and in the Genesis thing in ME2."

"So… it's just letting things play out then?"

"In the overall picture? Yeah, I think so. But no dying. That's a rule."

"I think I can abide by that. Remember I would feel your pain too." Well, at least there's a light side to when I'm eventually going to get my ass handed to me.

"Yeah, really adds new meaning to "I feel you bro", doesn't it?" I think, trying to fight the smirk from appearing on my face as I make the last steps, stopping at the foot of the stairs.

"I wouldn't know."

"How can you not know what that means? I thought you shared all my knowledge?"

"Your knowledge, yes. Not your weird sense of humor."

"Hey! It's not -"

"Thomas, why are you just standing there? The others have already left for the ship." Ashley says, giving me a wondering look, as if to judge if I am mentally unstable. Considering the fact that I might be schizophrenic, she wouldn't be thát far off the mark;

"Oh… sorry about that. I guess I kinda zoomed out there" I look around to notice that she's right; the three of us are the only ones left. Well, that was weird.

"Never mind that, let's just get going." And we head towards the elevator. One thing that has not changed since the year of our lord 2011, is the crappy elevator music… Divines, kill whomever directed that foul appeasement to Namira…

We stand in front of a large shop. Actually, it's more like a small mall with the front wall removed. There is a wall of glass expanding from one side of the entrance to the desk at the opposite side. A tall dark-haired guy is idle by the counter, reading in a magazine. I'd guess he's either Miller or the other guy. Forgot his name. There are long shelves filled with armor behind him, and the entire room, about the size of my parent's house. Not that big, but not that small again. The whole place is, like the rest of the Presidium, all white and a bit of black at some points. In the front of the place, just above the entrance, is the big "Miller and McCarthy" sign oh yeah, that was it, McCarthy. It's in holo, like most other signs around here. As we enter, a faint piece of music is heard. It's the same as in the elevator… oh god that was an awkward trip;

I thought that since I liked Ash, and Nick is one of my very best friends, the trip wouldn't be as awkward as people say it was in the game. But Jesus! We just stood there, no one really knew what to say, and the slightest cough made the other two turn on you with "What?" and "Huh?". I hope I never have to go through that again. At least, not with anyone but Ashley, or Nicolai. Can't have those two together near me apparently. I can't talk to him about Earth, and I can't be "Me" with her. Could be funny though, to watch John's reaction to the elevator ride. He might even enjoy the quiet… or he might start seeing faces again. Besides, from what I've heard, Garrus and Tali are a good combination in the elevator. Something about a shotgun. But… back to shopping.

"Well, I guess this is it. They are a lot… bigger than I'd have thought" Nicolai says. The guy at the desk hears him, and looks up. When he gets a look at Ash, he immediately gets the magazine away. I wonder why he looked nervous when he saw Ash. She's not gonna rob the place… what was he reading, I wonder?

"Welcome to Miller and McCarthy. How can I help you?" he asks, quickly changing into a more… friendly attitude.

"We're looking for some new armor. He" She gestures towards me "need a new hardsuit. I need a new helmet, hydra model, and he," She points at Nicolai" needs a whole set too. Same model as us. Three Hydra models, but I'm going for the medium helmet, if you have those."

"Yes, certainly. Who wants to go first?" he smiles, looking at us with eyes that betray the fact that the old saying 'I do what I love and love what I do' seems to ring true for him;

"Well, that'd be me." Nicolai steps up.

"And why is that?" I ask him, a little teasingly, I admit.

"I've still got to shop for cookbooks, so I figured I could do that while the two of you got yours done."

"Touché. I see your point there. Ash, where is that bookstore?" I turn towards her, and she takes a hand to her chin and uses the other to support it. Kind of a thoughtful stance. It looks good on her… then again, most things do.

"Hmm… let me see… I think it's outside and to the left. Down the way a hundred meters, and then that should be it on the right side. Just keep the lakes on your left, and you should be fine."

"Okay, thanks… well, let's get this over with, hydra it is my good sir." Nicolai says, striding after where the sales clerk has started off for what is undoubtedly the stockroom.

"Well, if you would just follow me sir, we'll set you up with the appearances."

"Wait… appearances? As in what the armor should look like?" Nicolai asks, glancing back at Ash and I. I shrug, gesturing for him to just pay attention to the sales clerk.

"Yes. The prices are one thousand credits for a hydra-combat suit, and fifty credits extra for the customization of the armor. It is, of course, completely optional to have the customization."

"To hell with that! Let's do this with all marks on!" he is a little too ecstatic to act natural. Also, I can't help a little chuckle, hearing one of his trademark lines. Odd, really, that that sort of thing actually exists.

"Nicolai… calm the heck down, it's just armor. Hopefully you won't even need it."

"I know but…" he leans in close and whispers; "This is Mass Effect armor. You may have become used to it, but this is a first timer for me."

"Fair enough. We stay here, in case you need help." I can't help but smile.

"Yeah, yeah, you two just keep your hands to yourselves while I'm gone" I hate that guy! Dammit, my cheeks are red-hot, and I really feel the hornets' nest in my stomach. Why did he have to say that while Ash is here? I mean, come on! He knows I haven't told her that I… kind of like… well, you know… she is very pretty… and she can kick some ass… damn, I can't even argue with myself.

"I am to your disposal if you need a partner in this inner argument of yours"

"No thank you, it was not actually intended" I swear, sometimes this guy… thing, being, is just a tad too annoyingly personal, like some personal therapist.

"Hmmm… then I'll just go silent."

"You do that Hansi."

"Ahh… now that's the kind of humor I like. "The Julekalender". Too bad, you won't ever watch it again.

"You don't think I can just find it on the Extranet?"

"Well, you can try… but I wouldn't get my hopes up. That would be like finding the original programs for the first Mackintosh ever made… but go ahead."

"Nah, I… have a good memory. I'll just make do without."

"Suit yourself." And with that, he's quiet again. I know, because the… humming is it? It disappears whenever he "leaves" and comes back just before he says something… I actually only noticed that now.

"Fuck you Tengberg!" Ashley laughs, causing me to look back at her. She catches my eyes, and for some reason, quickly looks down… was that flushing? I am almost sure I saw something read on her face… I wonder if... No, not now. We still have to find out if canon has been fucked up more than already revealed.

"He does that…" I shrug. Nicolai always have had a sort of… personal way of getting involved. I suppose some could find it annoying, but honestly it's great for starting conversations… or to have a legit reason to punch him in the shoulder.

"Yeah, he is a little… odd, isn't he?" Ashley says, looking at the door Nicolai went through. Odd? You could say that, I suppose…

"Maybe. Still, he's actually just trying to be nice, believe it or not."

"Trying?" She asks, giving me a raised brow, as if to say 'well he is nice'. I know that, of course, but the scene in the clinic is still kind of nagging me. I've never seen him so pissed off before, not once. To see him beat the shit out of an armed thug, was somewhere between unpleasant and awe-inspiring.

"I think he still feels a little… strange, having been in the clinic for gods know how long. Hell, from what the doctor there told me, he was found in pretty much the same state you guys found me in."

"Drunk, burned and battered?" She asks, disbelief evident in her voice… wait what?

"Drunk?" I ask, turning my full attention, the one that was just divided between her and the door, to her. I was drunk?

"Yeah…" She says, rubbing her neck; "You had alcohol-poisoning, from what I understand."

"But… I haven't even started drinking yet." I exclaim. Which, since I was just brought back from the apparent dead at the time, is partially true. I used to enjoy a good beer now and then, before, but I haven't had a drop of alcohol since getting here. Ashley shrugs, giving off an 'I dunno' before resuming to look at the door, a sort of awkward silence settling in between us. I don't really know what else to talk about now, which is a little annoying; "Also, you should see Nicolai when he is drunk."

"I can't believe you two are actually friends… the way you threat each other… is more like two guys who really hate each other." I shrug and smile;

"Yeah, but that's just how we are. We were always called weird back home." I reply, shrugging. Man, I really do a lot of that, now that I'm paying attention to it. It's probably due to me not really having a lot of answers, and instead of constantly replying with 'I don't know'.

"Right, I can't imagine that. Oh wait, I can imagine it. Seriously, are the both of you brain damaged or something?"

"Well… define brain-damage."

"As in 'mentally retarded'?" Ashley asks, a smirk having started to appear on her face. Intentional or not, the way her lips curl when she smiles compels me to stare, for as long as it takes me to realize said action and look away. Still, the amused look in her eyes, of recognition, betrays the fact that she noticed it. Well, I suppose I'll just go hang myself in embarrassment now. It doesn't get any better from the fact that I am rendered unable to say a thing at all now, my speech having clocked up somewhere between my heart and my throat. After what seems like forever spent in an awkward silence, as for some reason neither of us can pull it together to approach the counter, Ashley finally speaks;

"So… I've been wondering for some time now Thomas…" I perk up, not even intentionally as she uses my name in a far more familiar voice than whenever she shouts or barks orders at me; "Where'd you live? You know, before coming to Eden Prime?"

"Oh… Well, You know I'm Danish, right? Well, second-biggest city in Denmark, Aarhus, is where I grew up. Not much to talk about really, didn't find much… I guess you'd call it 'adventure' with what's happening these days and all… but, it was my life." I say, feeling a tug in my chest as I remember what was lost. What I'll never see again.

"You're doing it again." Ashley says, a tone of sympathy in her voice.

"What?"

"I don't know, but… it's like your mood just goes down the drain when you look like that. I noticed you looked a bit depressed back in the colony too. Something connected to why you left Earth?" She asks, her deep, hazel eyes displaying a degree of concern that, honestly, I have never seen in anyone but my parents and what few friends I had back then. To see it from someone new, Ashley in particular, is a good feeling.

"Right…" I mutter, the heaving in my chest serving to drown whatever good feeling Ashley's sympathy gave me. Worst thing is, I can't even tell her the truth; "The reason I… am not on Earth anymore, is because there was a train accident. I'm not sure how, or… or why, but…" I press out, taking a deep breath; "Whole family, gone, just like that…"

"…You… I… God, Thomas I'm so sorry."

"Hey, it's… okay... You didn't have anything to do with it, and besides…I hated my old job" this earns me a small giggle from Ashley, and she looks up again. The concern and worry is still in her eyes, but… there shouldn't be any, because I just lied to her.

"'Sounds like a hardass, your old boss... Like me?" She asks, forcing me to smile, just a little. It's really odd, but just seeing her smile or speak, it helps me. I'm not sure how, it just does.

"A bit, yeah… still, not as much as you were back on the Colony." I reply, wincing at the punch she sends at my shoulder.

"Yeah well, I kinda had to be. Someone had to drill some actual skills into you, else you'd have died on… on…" Ashley's smile vanishes, replaced by her lips becoming a thin line instead. Her entire posture changes, going from relaxed or sympathetic, to slumping. She just… radiates vulnerability, something not at all fitting her. It's tempting, but at the same time frightening due to possible consequences, to give her a hug. I want to, but at the same time, the anxiousness I somehow didn't feel on the ship, hits me here.

"Alright guys…and girls… now wait, just folks; how do I look?" Nicolai's voice cuts through, ending the uncomfortable silence, since he pretty much forces the both of us to look at him. And look… look we do. Seeing his return, at least for me, helps banishing the feeling of anxiety and sadness.

"Nicolai, what the hell did you do with yourself?" I demand more than ask. While the new, complete set of Hydra armor is structurally identical to what I had on Eden Prime, there is one substantial difference when it comes to appearances. Where a simple, bare surface should have been over the torso, a large, yellow smiley adorned with a horned helmet is press-printed or painted on, taking away all seriousness of the armor.

"So, you don't like it?" he says, his mood souring a bit.

"Amigo, I love it. You will bring cheers to the battle, a welcome boost to morale." I say, forcing happiness into my voice. No use for him to start asking if I'm okay or not, seeing as explaining would likely end badly.

"Well, as long as I'm not the one who's gonna wear it, you could have dressed pink for all I care." Ashley says, her lips still the thin line it was before, though not with the same amount of sadness it held. And I understand her reason too. We lost people, really good people down there, and almost didn't live ourselves. And Hillary might not even wake up again, meaning that whatever differences I have made so far would be negated by that.

"Ahh, I think that one belongs to Thomas here, he's so much more in touch with his feminine side than me" he says the last words with a pout-mouth, making him sound like a spoiled teenage-brat. It earns him a kick in the Greenlander;

"Hey, stop that, I haven't even paid for it yet… speaking of which" He looks at Ashley. "I'm…. a little rusty with digital transfer of money, plus I haven't even been paid yet… can you help me out here Chief, maybe with a loan?" he looks at Ash with big doggy-eyes. Borrowing money already? Damn, how long has he been conscious, what, five hours? And he's already stacking up loans.

"Only if you put that face away, before I do it for you." Ahh, her witty remarks are a Spartan worthy… I think. Still, if she's willing to lend him money

"Can do ma'am." He smiles, and Ash leaves her spot to go help the poor sod pay for his armor. You know, it's really a weird thing, to see all this happen and have to take it seriously. Not that I don't, mind you, seeing how traumatic and fucked up Eden Prime was.

"Who are you talking to?" Damn, the voice again, gotta start listening for that hum. He always makes a humming sound when he shows up, so to speak.

"Uhhrr… you?"

"Oh, fair enough, and yes, I know you are joking about Ash. Ahh, mortal behavior, it is a never-ending source of amusement."

"Yeah… I don't even want to know what that means."

"Hormone-induced behavior and thoughts are thoroughly entertaining. You want to… let's say 'enact carnal activities' with Ashley." I am not sure what is creepier. The fact that he is speaking like an emotionless… thing, or that he is trying to push me into something that would surely mean my death.

"You are thoroughly creeping me out."

"Am I not correct then? You do not desire Ashley?" Okay, the way he speaks is definitely creepier.

"Fuck! I mean- that's none of your fucking business. And why are you even interested in that?"

"Call it personal curiosity. Answer, and I will drop the subject." I swear, Talos! Why, of all possibilities, did I get stuck with a completely creepy voice as my personal guide? I would have accepted an ethereal hamster, if it came to it, just not whatever this guy has going.

"Fine! Yes, I think I like her. Maybe. Probably… I do, okay? Now cut it out." I end up scowling, having an internal fight with voices in my head. Well, 'voice'. I wonder, if at some point he'll tell me to burn them all. Gods… can't he at least be talkative on normal subjects?

"Then, why don't you tell her?"

"Because…Gaah! It's not that simple. You don't just waltz up to a girl and say; "Hey, I like you, wanna date?" You just don't. And you said you would drop it."

"I could do it for you" I… That was so completely, utterly disturbing that I end up flapping my jaw for a moment, also hitting the wall with a resounding clank, causing Ashley to glance at me from the counter, probably wondering why I'm suddenly looking pissed… or creeped out. I'm not sure which is better, actually. Will you please, please in the name of Stendarr, shut up?

"Alright, that'd be one thousand and fifty Credits for the entire suit and the customization." There is a sound of digital cash being transferred, a sort of ping, and then Nicolai turns around and waltz nonchalantly towards me;

"Well, Imma take dis baby out for a spin" he says in his best slang. It's really horrible. He heads for the entrance/exit and looks back at me, the cockiest smirk on his lips. Why did I bring him again? Oh right, he's awesome, that's why.

"Don't take too long you two. I might get ideas." And he ends his comment with an evil laugh. As a repayment for the snarky comment, I kick him over the armored shin, seeing as it now is paid for. Yep, he is the same horker-humper as always. Good thing too, or I'd be worried. Frowning at the exchange, Ashley sighs, rubbing her brows. Whatever she seemed to be about to say is interrupted by the sales clerk.

"Ahem… if you would like, we could get on with your armors?" The Miller guy is standing like he's been watching us for some time. Probably thinks we're together… and why not? I mean, I like her… and I think… hope she likes me too. It would just be awkward if he made some comments based on that.

"Yeah, sure. I'll go in first, and then I'll wait for you out here Chief."

"Hah, no way Rookie, I'm your superior officer, so I go first in." Dammit Ash, I hate it when you pull that crap about ranks. At least Kaidan doesn't appear to do that. But Hell, I can't be mad at her… unless she drugged me and cut of my… well, I think even mentioning that particular part would bring bad luck.

"Alright Ma'am. I'll wait here." I put as much sarcasm into the word "ma'am" as I can without making it sound negative.

"That's better. I'll be right out." And she and Miller leave for the armory. Or shop. I guess it is an armory, since it's got armor and no apparent weapons.

"So, if you can refrain from creepy or perverted, intrusive or disturbing subjects and comments… how am I doing so far?" I might as well have a conversation with my mind while I wait. There is nothing absurd about that, is there?

"Well, you avoided the fact that you were the one killed in the train accident, and not your family. That would work, since they are dead anyway"

"Yeah, I know that. No reason to elaborate, okay?" He's straying into thin ice already.

"I apologize. But other than that… why did Ashley hit you?"

"… You mean, you don't understand?"

"I know the knowledge, the facts in your head. Not the things you understand about women. Logic for you mortals is… different, than for the Divine and Ethereal."

"Oh boy… Well I'm not gonna explain those things to you right now."

"Do you have anything better to do? Think about Ashley perhaps?" I swear, I can almost hear a smug in his voice. Which just adds to the fact that he doesn't seem to know a thing about social etiquette.

"Bastard… okay, Nick and I hit each other for fun, you know?"

"Where is the fun in that?"

"Well, I don't really know… I guess it just is fun… you know?"

"Moving on, what about Ash hitting you?"

"Eehhhrrr… not really sure I understand the question?"

"Is it fun having her punching you?"

"…. You wouldn't understand that. It's because… well, it's… I like it because… urhhg, you wouldn't understand it!"

"… I see. So… it's that kind of "funny" when she hits you?"

"I… guess so. Look, this is really awkward talking about. Can we please drop it?"

"Acceptable, and by the way, it's your turn now…"Ehh?

"My turn to wha- oh" Ash is out of the armory again with an almost white helmet in her hands. It has that pink stripe down the front, the same from the cover of ME1. Why is it I keep thinking in games? Considering the fact that I nearly got my legs shot off, I should be able to tell.

"Wait, how could you know that? I wasn't even looking in that direction?"

"Who said I was limited to your sight? I can see perfectly well on my own."

"That would have been nice to know earlier…"

"Alright Thomas, your turn." Ashley says, thumbing at the door where Miller is waiting.

"Oh, yeah right. I'll get going then. Would you mind checking up on Nick over there? Make sure he doesn't get lost?" I refrain from mentioning the part that would warn her to keep him from starting to drool the moment he runs into a Hanar or an Asari… Gods, I wonder if he would start crying if he met a Krogan.

"Sure. 'Think you can find your way over there?" She asks, gesturing for the direction to the shops Nicolai went for.

"Hey, I'm the Flying Rookie right? Sure I can. You just get going."

"Alright. Think you can handle the transactions yourself?"

"Yeah, I'm not a baby you know." I smirk, instantly regretting the refusal as I myself have just as much experience with this sort of transactions as Nicolai, meaning none at all. Still, I'd rather spend half an hour fumbling with the systems than admit to not being versed in paying for my own gear. Besides, even if I hadn't been given those Credits by Anderson, I'd still have a thousand Credits from… what was his name again? The Indian husband? Samesh, I think, actually. Even if I hadn't been paid already, figures why though, I'd have enough to pay for the standard armor. As it is, I have… I'm not really sure, actually. I bet I have an account somewhere, but I have no idea as to where, and if so, what my passcode is.

"Oh, that can be discussed." Ashley says. With that, she gives me a soft punch on the arm, smiles and leaves the building. When I look after her, I notice her forms moving under the clothes… okay brain, I'll give you that one. It does look good.

Oh Gods… I didn't just agree with my perverted mind, right? ...Nope, I did. Blast, that means hormones are now my number one enemy, seeing as they mess up… no, fuck up my thought processes. Still, have to thank whomever designed the uniforms to be so… fitting.

"Well, last call before closing'" I hear Millers voice behind me. "Nah, not really. We've got plenty of time." He then says with a smile, thumbing at the doorway to the armory.

"Oh, okay" I was nervous for a minute that we had been keeping the guy at work. Though, it really is his job. I'm just not good with confrontations. Paranoid at times, yes, but I haven't really ever been fond of taking a confrontation about it.

"Now, since you are looking for a brand new hardsuit, have you considered going from light to medium? It doesn't have that much flexibility as the lighter version, but the overall durability more than makes up for it." He is already in the 'friendly salesman' mode. I fight down a snicker, having seen something like this from so many movies, I have lost count.

"Right… I don't think I can afford that." I admit, rubbing at my neck.

"Oh. Well, the Hydra is a good model then too, as it has some of the higher-end statistics of withstanding incoming rounds, even the light version." Yeah… except they don't do crap against plasma. Miler leads me into the department marked with a 'Hy-L', probably meaning Hydra, Light. At least, that would make sense. Odd, now that I think about it, that one can shop for military grade combat armor in a store like this.

"Now, we have the Hydra in several colors, not just the dull black one. We have green, blue, white, brown, camouflaged, striped if you prefer it, yellow, though it remains the least popular choice, and finally we have red. All colors and patterns are available in mixes, at aforementioned price. Only the personal touch, like say, a logo, your name, an emblem or a symbol will cost you the extra fifty." He goes on, explaining this and that advantage and disadvantage of the different pieces of armor, how they are all around the same, though the neutral colors will give better camouflage, and the red and yellow will make you easier to spot. All in all, there is just one line I can think of to sum it all up;

"Well Shit! Det var ligegodt Satans!*"

"What'd you say?" He looks back at me. Apparently, that didn't translate to English. Figures, that Danish was low on the list of languages needing to be translated with the annoying earpiece. Funny, unless I'm conscious about it, I really don't notice much that I have a small piece of soft plastic stuck in my ear.

Okay, so I am at this panel, and the Miller guy has just inserted my armor, a regular Hydra hardsuit with a tint of green to it, on the machine meant for making symbols and customizations to it. I press a button, and the whole thing starts making sounds like some cheap sci-fi movie effects. Then an image of my armor appears on a big screen, or actually, it's one of those floating holo-screen-things. I am then presented with a wide array of possibilities and other stuff, like color, patterns, symbols and you name it. It takes some browsing, but when I'm done, I do dare say I don't regret my choice.

The symbol I end up settling on, I'm not even sure why I do. It's a tri-pointed, green flame, printed upon the shoulder pads of the armor. It's like… there's something about the symbol that just struck a chord with me, even if I'm not sure why yet. Still, against the weaker tint of the armor in general, it looks good.

"How much?" I ask, having forgotten the total in all the hype, plus the surge of adrenaline and wonder that sort of comes with walking among this much military hardware. And to think I used to fawn over the single Leopard tank we had in the compound back home.

"Thousand and fifty. Wanna pay cash or digital?"

"Well, seeing as I don't have any physical credits on me, I'd say digital… but… I haven't done this in a while, so perhaps you could help me out here?" I mutter, rather sheepish if I have to be honest. Not knowing how to spend money is a major handicap around here.

"Huh, you too? What's up with you and your friend? One should think you've never spent a credit in your life." You've got no idea how right you are.

"Alright, you just need to smack in your account, withdraw the said amount from it, and then hold your Omni-tool over the counter. Then I'll take care of the rest."

Okay. I have to find out just how I do that. I open the standard menu for the Omni-tool; Okay, how hard can this be? Let's see here... okay, that one's called financial, so that should be somewhat the right thing, let's log into that… okay, now I've got allowance, banks and different shops in my near vicinity. Let's go with banks… oh… this is interesting: there are some different options, one being rent -adjustment, another loans and another payouts. There are a lot of these, but I find the one I'm interested in; the account. Okay, first time user… set up password? Hmmm…. 'Mass Effect is real'.

Should anyone figure that one out, I'll have bigger problems than an empty account. Okay, funds ready for transfer; 10.000 credits from Alliance Enrollment payout, nice. And there are the 1000 credits Mr. Bhatia gave us. Okay, how to withdraw money… there is a little icon in the bottom, spelling "Payouts". I click it. I then set the amount at '1050' Credits, and press enter.

'Connect to partner.' Guess that must be Mr. Miller here, so I point the tool at him, and he pulls out his own tool. A few moments of buzzing passes by, and he shuts down his tool.

"That'll be all. You can just collect your wares, and meet your friends in "De'Nanga's bookstore, just down the street" Nodding my thanks and wishing him a good day, I haul the container with my armor over my shoulder, starting down said street.

When I reach the bookstore, I find Nicolai and Ash starring at some books in the 'History of Humanity' section. Yes, there is an actual section dedicated to our history. Kinda cool actually, since the one about Asari is much smaller.

"Hey girls, found anything?" I hail them, making them stand up and turn my way.

"Don't know Sissy." He says, putting down a book, instead picking one of the shoulder pads from my pack, eying the symbol with mild amusement; "Still, nice emblem. Still loving the 'Avatar thing' I see." Right, that's where I've seen the symbol before. It's the tri-flame of the Royal Fire nation family… odd to find it here though.

"Yeah, Yeah. You'd wish you had chosen this, you know it." He shrugs and gives me a smile. Ash just shakes her head.

"You two really are something else, you know that?"

"Told ya, we werealways called weird back home" I say with a grin. She just sighs, her complexion changing to someone feeling like she is dealing with children. I suppose I can understand that, but still, being proven correct in something, even if it is as odd as confirming our weirdness, is a good feeling.

"Well, Tengberg apparently only knows how to make human food from the "good old days" as he says. He actually managed to find some old cookbooks from the 21'Century, do not ask me why or how. We just need the dextro cookbooks now, but then we stumbled over this, and now he wants to buy a lot of history books, even if he can just read about that stuff on the Extranet… never figured him for a nerd."

"Hey, it's… a personal thing I have. I'm just really interested in the 21'Century… call me sentimental."

"Okay, you're sentimental, but did you even get to look for a Dextro cookbook? We have to be by the ship in…" I look on my timer, another function I've learned while walking from the shop to here. "Seventeen minutes". Nicolai looks up.

"Christ, it's been an hour already? Better help me look then." He exclaims, setting about to scour the shelves for books. Still, with the outrageous prices some of these books have, I understand why most people simply download books.

"No worries, found it!" Ash's voice sound from behind some bookshelves.

"Ahh, you've really scored there mate" he whispers while puffing me with an elbow. I retaliate by hitting him on the shoulder;

"Ow! What was that for?" He says in his fake-pain voice. God, I miss those wrestles we used to have. Even though he usually ended up the winner. He had reach, I had… Wait a second; this thought is going the wrong way… I don't wanna sound like Garrus describing a hot date.

"Alright, let me see that… Ash, this is in Kheelish or some other language I can't read… so how should Nick be able to?"

"Thomas… have you seriously never heard of the translator add-ons?"

"….Would it tremendously decrease what you think of me if I said no?"

"Does that mean you don'tknow? Thomas, how did you think you were able to speak with Garrus or Tali? 'Think they just learned English?... remember that little earplug I gave you, which I specificallystated was a translator?"

"Oh… yeah, that's right. By the way, do you have an extra one for Nicolai? I think he might have been a little weirded out by the fact that I spoke well to the others, while he couldn't understand a thing."

"Crap that's right… ehh, let me see… I know I had one somewhere around here…" while she starts going over her pockets, Nicolai just looks at me with a sheepish smile.

"What?"

"Dude… you actually forgot how you can understand them?"

"Well… I've had a lot on my mind lately, okay?"

"Or someone is -"He doesn't get to finish the sentence, as I give him a hard punch on the shoulder.

"OUW! What the hell was that for man?" I then lean in close to him, my voice as menacing as I can even make it;

"Don't talk about that when Ash is around! You're gonna make me flush again!" He then get's that really annoying smile on his face again;

"Sooooo… I see… don't worry, my lips are sealed." Man… sometimes he's… wouldn't say idiotic, but his sense of humor could really be better.

"If you two are done, maybe we should pay for this and get out of here?" Ash is standing with her arms crossed, looking to the world like a annoyed mother with two annoying kids.

"Yeah, sorry ma'am." Nicolai says.

"For the last time; call me Ashley or Ash. I hate it when someone calls me "ma'am" outside of duty."

"Suits me just fine Ash, but Nick may have trouble with it?" I say, smirking at the Bosh'tet. Honestly, whenever I can take a jab at him, I would be a fool for not jumping for it, seeing as he prods me, always has been prodding me, for information, teasing or just whenever one of us grow bored.

"Douche… No Ash, I have no problems with that."

"Good, then move out! To the counter! March!" What the hell? Did she just go all Chief on him? Oh well, as long as it isn't me. Nicolai does seem a little bewildered as well, but I think he gets the joke… or I hope it's a joke.

"Yeah son, what'd it be?" the old guy behind the counter looks at Nicolai, and the combination of Ash's commands and his somewhat bored stare… it's just priceless.

"These." He then smacks the books on the counter, four in total; "Cooking for Turians", "Human evolution into space", "First Contact-War" and "Human tastes; a guide to a happy belly" that last one sounds more like a children's cookbook, but if it's good, then screw the title.

"Alright, that'd be… 2010 credits." Damn, that leaves him with some debt if he's to pay for the bloody books himself. I think that if we're too have something descent to eat, we've got to make the Alliance pay for it, or extend the shore leave and get him more pay… actually, I don't know if he has to pay for the raw materials and such himself, or if the job covers it.

Instead of speaking outright, Nicolai turns a pair of big, sad puppy-eyes, a thing I didn't even think him capable of, towards me and Ashley. Right, he hasn't got any money.

"Good day sir." And with that, our ship's new cook has achieved the first goal; getting his cookbooks… along with some other things. We walk out of there, Nicolai hauling books, while I am hauling my new hardsuit. Guess it's only fair; I let go of a thousand Credits to help pay for those books, so he can bloody well carry them. For people around us, it must look like we're Ash's personal slaves, hauling goods while she walks. Oh well, at least it's only books and armor. At least she carries he own stuff. Her own stuff only amounts to a helmet, but still.

"You know what I'm gonna do the second I get on the Normandy, Thomas?" Nicolai asks while we walk.

"No, what?"

"I'm going to use a space-toilet. I wonder if they… God, please tell me the SR-1 has walls separating the loos." I can't help but smile at the horrified look in his eyes. But yeah, the last time I checked, there were booths.

"There are, don't worry. Now the first thing I'm going to do… I'm gonna pay the gym a visit. Just don't forget that you've got a job now. Better make some good food, or Anderson will have your ass… or is it Nihlus? 'Point is, make some good food."

"Don't worry, if the Normandy actually has a kitchen, then I'll just need to write a list and either send someone to fetch the stuff, or go there myself."

"And what, Oh mighty and good cook, might that be?"

"Oh, nothing special, but I'll give you a hint. It's something I've made for you before."

"Is that a hint? You've made tons of different kinds of food for me before."

"Yeah I know, and that's why you know that what I'm gonna make is gonna be good"

"Come on mate! What IS it?"

"Na ah, not gonna tell…" Dammit, sometimes he's such a Horker. But only sometimes. Bottom-line he's a good guy.

We arrive at the ship to find a familiar scene; Anderson and Udina are, together with Nihlus, John, Tali and the rest, standing by the ships docking tube. There is a new one too, an alien who looks like a two-meter toad in armor. I guess that's…Oh Gods and Aedra, is that Wrex?

"It would seem so."

"But… Gods, he is…"

"Ugly?"

"Would have said 'gruff looking', but…" I shrug. The others seem fine with the presence of the old Krogan, meaning I probably missed out on something good. We were gone for a good hour, lots of things could have happened in the meantime.

They are in some kind of discussion, and it appears that John is pretty surprised. He takes a step back from Anderson and leans against the rail. Funny, now I can call John "Commander Shepard" without penalty. And with penalty, I mean someone asking why the heck I salute a Quarian.

"Wasn't this what you hoped for?"

"Yeah, but I'm still a little… nonplussed, I suppose one could call it."

John and the rest turn around when they discover our arrival. Tali almost jumps at us while yelling;

"EEEEEE! Can you believe it! They made John the commander of the Normandy, along with some others, and he's an officer now and it's a new ship and not an old one and it's the most advanced ship in Council Space and I get to work on it's drive core! I. get. to. work. on. a. Tantalus. drive. core!" She's completely ecstatic… Man, you never saw her like this before the romance in the second game… she's so happy that it's hard not to be infected.

"Calm down Tali! You already knew you were coming along, why is this surprising? From what I've heard of your people, we couldn't get a better engineer than you… or perhaps John, but he's one of the commanders now, so I guess he won't be doing the dirty work." I smile. If Tali was cute in the game, she's just adorable now. Talos, if she had been my little sister, we would never have had an argument. Even though her current suit doesn't have that purple… Realk I think it's called? The head-cloth thing. It's more of a dull purple right now. Guess that's the Zorah color. Can't remember if Tali's father… oh boy… she's gonna loose her father on that ship…

"If you start worrying about those things already, you're gonna go crazy… you know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know… but you can see how devastated she was in the second game. 'Don't know if I could handle that in real life…"

"Which is what we're doing right now. So stop worrying about the future, and worry about the now. Or I will reveal your secrets to the entire assembled crew right at this moment."

"Wait! Wait can you just do that?! I mean, how?" as if to answer, my mouth suddenly begins to open and close, and I have no fucking power over it!

"Okay! Okay… I get it; no worrying about the future… but don't ever do that again. It was really unpleasant."

"I am sorry, but I felt it was necessary in order to show you how critical it is that you focus on the here and now. And remember, I'll know it if you falter in this." Sigh… why did I have to get a perverted, intrusive, morally self-righteous voice? Again, I would have settled for the hamster.

"Damn… well, I suppose this means we go… what, under Alliance or Council jurisdiction?"

"Alliance, I think, seeing as the ship belongs to the Alliance" Ash says, no doubt in her voice at all.

"You know, I saw some sparing mats in the gym earlier. Feel like taking a few rounds, get you up and running right?"

"What, you mean you're going to kick his ass?" Nicolai asks from next to us, eying Wrex in the relative distance.

"You know" Ash suddenly gets that devilish glint in her eyes, smirking at me. "That can be arranged. Meet me in the gym when you've got the time Rookie, and we'll see just how far I can kick your ass."

"Whoa, you'll go easy on me right?" I hold up my hands in defense.

"What makes you think that?" she has a really devilish look in her eyes now. I really hope she's just yanking me around.

"Well… I'm your savior in shiny armor, taking rockets to the feet and books to the face."

"Hmmm… nope." Oh come on Ash!

"Warn me when you embark on this train of pain, and I'll shut down my nerves."

"Can't you shut down mine as well? Please?"

"That would kill you… so no"

"Rats."

"Oh, this I gotta see." Nicolai exclaims from next to us, a gleeful smile broadening across his face.

"Nope, you cook us food. I have no intention of getting my ass kicked for your sole entertainment." I reply, sending him a glare. Bastard just shrugs it off, still smirking.

---

When Nicolai finally enters the CIC, I swear; I've seen him react to some pretty messed up shit; Me getting thrown off a horse, landing on his face, him swimming right into a jellyfish, one of the nasty ones, face first. Or the time when I told him about how my crush had slapped me for saying it looked like she had a moustache, she was Turkish, and I think it was my comment rather than the response that made him gape… but this?

Man, his face is like "OH MY GOD!" and his jaw could have hit the floor. It doesn't get better, or actually, it get's way better, when Joker himself swings around to greet our new guests. The second Nick lays eyes on him, he drops the books and damn near faints on me. Oh Hell no Amigo! Not in front of Joker, or you'll never hear the end of it! He does manage to stay on his feet and picks up his books;

"Something wrong with your friend Fisher?" He asks.

"No, he's just… not used to being on ships… don't worry, it'll pass. By the way, he's also the guy who's gonna make your dinner, so you better keep on his good side or he might slip in some laxative." I give Joker an evil smile.

"Oh yeah, well I'll just turn the ship when he's working, or turn off the gravity." Really? Was that the best he could do?

"Again, no dinner." I just state.

"Yeah well, when you put it like that, maybe I should go easy on him. You know, for the crew's sake."

"Sure, the crew. It's not like you would be hungry? He makes a good Curry Chicken." Suddenly Nicolai turns and looks at me;

"How the hell did you guess?" He looks a little sour. Oh, so that was the surprise dinner.

"Well, you just told me, right now. I just mentioned some of the food you've made in the past."

"Help me carry these down, wherever the kitchen is, then buzz off." Oh, is he mad?

"Wanna listen to some "Two steps from Hell" instead?" I ask him. It's a joke, of course. I have no idea where to find that right now.

"You go two steps from Hell, then take two steps towards it and bugger stay… blast it." And it may not sound like it, but that sentence is proof that he isn't really mad. "Now help me find the kitchen. I have no idea where I'm going."

As he proceeds down the CIC, I can see him go into what I've identified as the room where they saw the attack transmission… but Ash was with me all the time, so who sent the transmission? I wonder…we couldn't get a simple transmission to any other teams, so how did someone manage to send an SOS to the Normandy, a spacecraft well away from the planet? I'd better ask Nihlus later, but in some way that doesn't tell him I knew about it from the start. He then proceeds to quickly march right out the room again, taking a turn to the right and finally discovering the stairs to deck II. Well, that is if the CIC is on deck I. I don't know if they added another floor, since they already added a small gym.

"Hey Amigo, you lost already?" I am a bad guy, I know, I know… but this was just priceless. Only thing that would make this better would be… while my thoughts go on, Nihlus sticks his head out and looks at me; "

Fisher, if you don't mind, please tell our new chef not to disturb me while I'm writing my reports." Why is Nihlus writing reports in the comms-room? I look at Nicolai and he's just… he looks like someone who dropped right into a scene from SAW. I jog up alongside him, still clinging on to the books;

"Dude, are you okay?" he turns his head, and looks at me. Crap, he must have seen some really disturbing shit. Or, he just saw his first Turian… no wait, he already met Garrus.

"Those… vids… those vids…. He watched… vids…." Nicolai is trembling… Nihlus, just what the hell did you show him?

"Biting… screeching… biting… pain…. It was horrible…."

"Nicolai! Talk to me! Was he watching a horror vid? A report on cannibalism? What happened?"

"Don't want to talk about it… gotta find the bathroom first. Where are the toilets?" I can't make myself laugh at him anymore, so I just grab his shoulder and guide him down to the crew quarters. When he sees the WC sign, he simply drops the books, and proceeds to run inside and sacrifice in the bowl. After about a minute or so, he looks up, face all slimy with… well, I don't really wanna know;

"He… he was watching… it was… Turians… making out… so horrib-!" and with that, he continues to sacrifice. Okay, I am almost losing my hunger for the Chicken now.

Someone knocks on the door;

"Who is it?" Nicolai manages to lift his head out of the bowl, and even more fantastic, he can speak.

"It's Ashley. Are you guys alright in there? Noticed Nicolai was white as a sheet when you dragged him down here… what's wrong with him Thomas?" oh, she's asking me… probably thinks Nick is too weak to answer right now… and looking at him, I'd almost say she's right. He looks like shit.

"Well, our new cook apparently walked in on Nihlus watching a… Turian romantic movie. Don't ask."

"… Okay. Are you gonna be alright in there Nicolai?" she sounds a little worried. Makes sense; one of the crew has just, for no apparent reason, gone under and started puking.

"Yeah, he just needs some time. We'll be out in a minute" I look at Nicolai; "Won't we?"

"Yeah, I… I think I'm done… I need something to drink" he must have seen my expression, because he quickly adds; "Water, of course. Just, something. I'm thirsty as hell, and I need to blow my nose… 'Think there's some puke stuck up there…" okay, think we'll change the conversation here.

"So, what did you plan on making for the Dextro's tonight?" I am curious; I don't know if he'll end up applauded, or with Johns hand around his throat, while Tali and Garrus are in the med bay.

"Well… haven't really thought that far yet. I still haven't had a chance to get a look at the Dextro books, but I can make the chicken in my sleep."

"Please don't."

"'Was only joking… hand me that cookbook, the one with gibberish written all over it… now, I had Ash show me this while you were still getting your armor on, so take a good look at what I do." While he speaks, he presses some digits on the small box on his arm, and the Omni-tool flares up. He then presses some other digits, something in the menu called visors, then translator. He then starts moving the hand over his face, and a pair of blue, holographic… glasses? emerges out of nowhere. Must be part of the earplug-thingy. He then picks up the book, and starts reading out loud! In English, from a book written in turian or something. Man, and he called me a nerd?

"There, now I can read it." He just states. Oh really? I thought you had just taught yourself Kheelish or Turian-ish, in a moment.

"So… what are you gonna make for them today?"

"Hmm… nothing special, I'll start out easy. I think this, qy'ed… qu'edda… Qu'eda… Arrhh... just this one."

"Are you gonna make them Al-Qaeda?" I chuckle.

"Yeah yeah, you laugh, but then you try reading this out loud. I'm just gonna make something I can pronounce… here, Sradis root, or what about Xemna? I wonder what's easiest to make."

"Have Garrus help you there, 'because I have even less of an idea than you do Amigo… by the way, what were those things you just mentioned?"

"Hmmm… says here that the Sradis root is kind of like a side dish, while the Xemna can be compared to a steak. I think I'll go with the steak anyway. Just better use gloves."

After we finish up in the bathroom and exit, I find Ash going to town on one of the punching-bags. Nicolai looks at me and actually smiles;

"Well, seems to me you've got more important issues than helping me. Go ahead, I'll just catch one of the ensigns and ask him to help me out." Still, the look of disappointment in his eyes betray the fact that he would have loved to stay and watch Ashley beat the crap out of me.

"You're sure?" I glance nervously over my shoulder, and, just my luck, Ash has noticed us, and is headed our way with a… is that a kick-boxing helmet?

"Rookie! Get your ass over here a.s.a.p.!" Ash's officer voice is back on. Damn, thought we got rid of that after Eden Prime…Horker-shit…

"Yup! I'm sure. Now have fun. I'll make sure Chakwas is ready for you." Oh that son of a…

"Rookie! Here! Now!" Oh God, please let something happen, Shepard's speech, Joker mutinying, anything!

"Yes Chief! On my way!" and the pain train has left Los Angeles…Or, well it is more akin to the fact that in about one hour, I am going to be sore as all hell.

The next hour is spent with me being a human punching bag for Ash. It's a sparring match, so we train on a mat. The room is quite big, I'd say about the same size as the shuttle bay in the SR-2… I think. You could never actually go down there, so it's a little hard to compare. There are all sorts of training equipment in here; weights, benches, treadmills and other stuff. And of course, there are the sparring-mats. There are four of them in total, so there's room to spare. Funny though, we're the only ones down here. I regret never having learned any martial arts, because the first time Ash goes for me, she gets me. I try to evade or parry, she just yanks my left leg away from under me, and I'm down.

"1-0" she just states.

"Dammit! Go easy on me in the start Chief, I've never done this before!" I already feel a headache rising from the last fall. She extends a hand, which I grab. Then I get an idea. I grab the hand and, before she can pull me up, I place a foot under her chest and lift her into the air. I then let her fall down flat, and start getting up;

"1-1" I state in a similar fashion. Then I see Ash twist he body, as if in pain. I couldn't have hurt her that much… could I? when I approach her and start helping her up, she snatches me, fast as lighting and I'm on the floor again, only this time, she plants a foot on my chest;

"2-1. Good one Rookie, but you made one mistake. Care to guess?"

"Ehh… I fought back?" I ask vaguely. Having gained a somewhat understanding of how she thinks, I wouldn't be surprised if this turns out to be the right answer.

"Ha! That's a good one, gotta make that a rule. No, you let your guard down. Unless I'm actually bleeding heavily, or my limps are broken, don't let your guard down. Understood?" Well… that's a little radical, if anyone's asking my opinion. Then again, given the fact that I'm talking to myself, no one probably will ask my opinion on the matter. Also, ow. I knew I'd be sore, just not thís soon.

"…Yes Chief" I reply, a bit hesitant to really stop for nothing but serious injuries.

"Then come on! Let's see what you've got." Oh now I'm gonna kick your ass. Your pretty little ass will feel my boot very soon. And then, I'm going to-

"Arch!" Or not... I'm on the mat again, sent to the floor by a kick to the chest. Gods, it hurts! I think she bruised a rib, and I'm not even sure because I've never had a bruised rib before.

"3-1"

"Fuck! That hurt like hell you psychotic -!" Another kick, right in my behind, interrupts me. The flaring pain as her heel connects with my tailbone forces my eyes shut in pain, my jaw set in a grimace.

"What's the matter Thomas? 'Can't get up?" Oh you're gonna get it now!

"Oh I'm just getting started here!" I retaliate, with as much vigor in my voice as I can muster. I'm getting beat the crap out of me by a girl. A beautiful girl no less. Doesn't matter that she's a hardass marine, she's still a girl!

I get up, and breathe in. Ash is awaiting my move, jumping lightly on her bare feet. We're both just wearing casual clothes, me wearing my jeans and somewhat torn t-shirt, her wearing… whatever it's called. The dark clothes she wore before. I feel my sore arms, a burning pain in them, from the glide across the mat I made when I took her down. My back and ass hurt like hell from the ass kicking earlier.

"That's good. I was afraid you were getting exhausted." Dammit Ash, give me a break here. If I turn around, I'll be in the mat before I can blink. Gotta stay focused. I move to the side, my feet crossing each other. I make a feint, but she doesn't move. I then make a move for her legs, a kick. But just before I impact, I jump to the side and grabs around her stomach. She turns this around by lifting me in the air. Huh… how did she do that?

And proceeds to smash me down on the mat. What the Hell! Fuck that hurt! I must have broken some ribs!

"AAAARRGGG! For Fanden I helvedes ild og alverdens dødssynder!*"

"Oh, sorry Thomas… a little too harsh?" She says while panting hard herself. At least I got her pulse up. So I can't be that bad.

"To harsh? You've probably broken at least one of my ribs! Fuck it hurts!"

"Take a breather, I'll check with my tool." She doesn't need to say twice. I just collapse on the mat and try to breathe in without causing too much pain. Ash picks up the small wrist box, and turns on the Omnitool. She then moves it across my body and gives out a small chuckle;

"4-1. Get up rookie, you haven't broken anything." She then turns of the Omni-tool and grabs my shirt, pulling me to my feet.

"How the hell did you do that last one? How could you even lift me?" I ask, completely baffled by the earlier show of hidden strength.

"It's called martial arts dumbass… and I used to watch a little wrestling when I was a kid. Uncle was one of the best, they called him a Krogan in human form, and he used that on my dad when we had the family dinners."

"Your uncle used to beat up your dad during family dinners?" That's just weird. I mean, have traditions changed so much so that physical violence is well appreciated during dinner?

"Nah, we had a small gym nearby, they always went there. Dad wanted revenge, and my uncle just played along. Plus, my mother and aunt Cecilia used to make wagers. Usually that was what got dad back into the ring, seeing just how much he stood to lose. Looking back on it, it really was pretty stupid." She admits, though her smile betrays the fact that she would go through it all again if she could.

"What does your dad do?" Could he be a soldier as well, or perhaps a boxer? With the moves Ash pulled before, I wouldn't be surprised of either. Still, there is the name Williams, suggesting that since her dad's dad was the general of Shanxi, her dad might still be a soldier, if the 'Curse' didn't cause him to drop out of the military.

"He was a soldier, like me. I come from a long line of soldiers, you know. Grandfather was General Williams, Commander of Shanxi. First human commander to surrender to an alien force." She says this with something that sounds like regret. "He was disgraced, and since then my family hasn't been able to get above Serviceman third class, well, before me that is. Just like my dad used to do… you know, the first thing he did when I became Chief, was to salute." She says, the hinting of a tear in her eyes.

"When you say "was"… does that mean…" I ask, as carefully as I can.

"Yeah, he… passed away six years ago. Left me and my sisters to take care of mum. I was already grown up by then, and it wasn't like I hadn't taken care of them while he was on tours of duty. Still, it… became another thing entirely when he wasn't there to return from duty anymore."

"I'm… Mara, I'm sorry Ash. If it means anything, I… then I know what it's like to lose your family." And I do, really. I am glad I can at least be honest here, in this.

"Yeah, I keep forgetting about that. How long ago was it? Two weeks?" She asks, a smile through the pained expression, pain brought by the memory of her dad, most likely.

"More or less, I… left Earth right after, then arrived on Eden Prime, and you guys found me." I say, looking down at my feet. Gods, I hate it whenever I have to lie to her, even if it is by omission, it is still lying.

"I'm kind of amazed at how well you handle it. You're younger than me, but a month after dad's death, I was still smashed up. You… I haven't seen a single tear. How do you cope with that kind of thing?" While we've been talking, Ash has sat down in front of me, arms around knees and facing me. She has a compassionate expression to her, something that warms my heart, trivial as it sounds.

"I… honestly don't know. I haven't given it that much thought. I'm… perhaps I'm afraid that remembering them too much will bring some kind of trauma. It does help though, to have my old friend here. Even though he may be an ass at some points."

"Yeah, he constantly mentions you and me being-"she starts talking with a teasing smile.

"I think I'm good to go. Should we continue?" I don't really feel like talking about that just yet.

"Sure thing. I was just waiting for you to get off your ass anyway." What the? She was intentionally egging me on?

"Okay, THIS time, I'm gonna give you a beating young lady!" I say, ignoring the fact that she is at least three years older than me.

"Oh, I'm so scared!" really, she should be.

I take the same step as earlier, and make a move to grab her again. Then, while she must be preparing to counter the grab, I go for the leg. She wasn't prepared for that, and I swoop her off the ground and she lands on the mat with a soft clask. I extend my hand to help her up, and only narrowly avoid the kick she send at my side.

"4-2. I'm gaining on you Ash"

Another kick, this time it hits me on the ass.

"Ash! Come on! I thought this was only training! Do you actually intend on permanently damaging my body before the first mission?" I mean, come on. It's great with some competitive spirit, but she's taking it a little far. She cringe and use her momentum to jump up on her own, not needing my help at all. Man, I'm beginning to feel a little tired here.

"A little?"

"Okay, I'm bombed! But I can't let her win!"

"Then you should wa -"Ash tackles me, sending me to the ground and then proceeds to sit on me and hold me in some sort of deadlock. "…watch out..." the voice finishes. Ash is on top of me in this, literally. I can't escape now, but actually, I don't want to. The way she's sitting on my back, I can really feel her… I mean, I feel close to her right now. I'm just glad she's not on my chest… she might see something embarrassing in the opposite direction of my face. At least she's panting as well… might mean we're about to sto -

"Normandy. This is Commander John'Shepard speaking. I trust you all know of the command-arrangements, so I'll jump straight to the mission" Suddenly, Shepard's voice can be heard from all over the room. 'Guess there are lots of speakers in here. "I, Lieutenant Alenko and Spectre Kryik have been given command of this ship in our hunt to chase down the rogue Spectre Saren Arterius. Captain David Anderson has stepped down and the three of us are now in charge. This began with an attack on a human colony in the Traverse, which was also where I witnessed the death of your former commander Dawson. He was gunned down by the geth following Saren. When we corner the bastard, we will put a bullet in him for every man, woman and child he has caused the death of." John takes a short break, and then continues. "I'm not gonna lie to you; this mission will be long, difficult and most likely bring us pain in ways we've never experienced before. We may lose people, we may all die trying, or we may succeed. It is all up to you. Whether or not you do your jobs with valor and dignity will decide if we all survive this mission or not. Ancestors be with us all. Joker… take us out"

And with that, our hunt begins.

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1 The Julekalender - A Danish Christmas Carol about a couple of midgets (Nisser) traveling from America to Denmark to find an old key to a contraption keeping the oldest midget alive.

2 "Det var ligegodt Satans = "Bloody Hell", or just "In the name of the Devil".

It's a Danish term of curse used when surprised.

3 For fanden I helvedes ild og alverdens dødssynder = A very severe term of curse in Danish. Translates to "In the name of the Devil and all the fires of hell!" Not something you wanna yell for fun.

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Right... Divines, this one took since monday to correct... that's four days, by the way. Anyway, yeah this is the longest chapter in the entire story. I would split it up, if I knew how without totally butt-raping the chapter order of the entire story in the process of doing so. So... yeah, since I have gone back to correct this one, a lot of changes have been taking place. For new readers, I won't spoil what or how, but... keep the 'Neuter' in memo ;)