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.

8. Keeper of my heart

Alright. Some major... things in this story, and we will get a reveal; "What happened to Rookie?"

Enjoy, it will be some time before I post again, as school starts again tomorrow.

Keeper of my heart

"Sure thing… …Chief… I'm just… glad, no one died." I get up, straightening out. I then notice Tequila waiting at the bottom of the ramp, leading to the entrance. I nod to Ash, and we walk down the ramp. Man, still can't believe she is here… Nick is gonna have field day with this. I can already imagine him eyeing her the second she steps aboard the Normandy, then practically jumping her with questions and propositions, what she did when, and what he thinks she should have done instead, what happened to the Rookie and… wait a second… where is the Rookie? I didn't see him down there, and he survived the game, along with that android lady, right?

In the background, John and Garrus has set down the two women, and John is speaking into his Omni-tool. 'Guess he's telling Joker to come pick us up. I can't wait to get the hell off this rock. Tequila looks at us, her face a mess. Now, in proper light, it looks even worse. She has more scars in her face, than I think Wrex has got on his entire body. Must have been hell down there, and she was in the thick of it long before we came along. How the hell did she survive down there?

"Corporal Tequila, you alright?" I ask, jogging down the ramp towards her. The corporal drops down on a rock on the slope as we approach her. You don't have to be Sigmund Freud to figure out she's shaken;

"Well, you people pulled my ass out of the fire, along with the girls over there. We didn't die like… another marine somewhere out there, but we would have been slaughtered if you hadn't shown up..." She sighs and looks down at her feet, her socks visible through the holes in her boots, then she looks back up again;

"But… all of this, the blue lady, the weird alien with the head-spikes and a gun, the two weird people you are with, the… commander? You said he was the commander, right?" She asks, looking between us in mild disbelief. Not knowing how to really answer that, I just nod; "The Commander included… I don't know what the fuck to make of all that…" I sigh and breathe in;

"So… what happened? I mean, just what the hell were you down there for in the first place? Also, what happened to the other marine who used to be with you?" I ask, trying to gauge a reaction from her as I pry off my helmet, feeling a need for fresh air, even if it's filled with the smell of sulfur and hot as hell. Still, compared to the closed confines of the helmet, the fresh air is bliss.

The fact that I am even alive to breathe it is… it helps.

Now that I think of it… how can I breathe on a planet with nothing but barren wasteland and lava?

"I… I don't know. He's probably still out there, somewhere. I'd guess the colony, but… I don't know." She mutters, looking both emotionally and physically devastated. Gods, the things she has been through. Ashley turns to look at me, confusion in her eyes;

"Therum has a colony? Since when?" She asks. As confused as she is, though for different reasons, I shrug, turning my attention back to the corporal. Teresa Aquila, I think her full name is.

"Since never, would be my guess." I say. At Tequila's confused look between us at the name of the planet, I sigh; "Look… Corporal, how long were you down there? How'd you even get down there, or why?"

"I said that earlier: We were shot down over the jungle." She exclaims, rubbing the bridge of her nose, dried blood showing beneath it.

"Jungle?" Ashley asks, looking as much in disbelief as her voice gives off. The corporal looks at her;

"Yes. Jungle."

"On Therum?" The Chief continues. Teresa's eyes grow a little narrow once more, the name of the planet obviously not familiar to her.

"Dunno what 'Therum' is, but here, yeah… I just don't know how the wreck ended up in a cave. Dragged alone, I could understand, but the bugs having hauled the entire gunship?"

"So… I don't know. Do you feel, like, nausea, dizziness? A slight headache?" Ashley asks. For now, I'm fine with letting her do the talking, as I maybe should try to say as little as possible. Tequila stands from the rock, swatting away Ashley's attempts to check her for skull-fractures or maybe other signs of injuries. It is not like I was trained to look for signs of injuries caused by xenomorph-attacks.

"Cut it out, I'm fine. Hungry, but fine. I need to get back to the colony. Which way is it?"

"Colony… just, what colony are you referring to?"

"Freya's Prospect, of course." She replies, her tone tilting towards annoyance. Great, how come every time we meet someone new, they end up pissed at me?... Well, this time it's us, but still. Ashley turns to look at me;

"You ehm… know any colony of that name, Rookie?" She asks. Even when I'm looking at Ashley, I can see the impact the word 'Rookie' has on Tequila. Still, best to try and act calm.

"Can't say I do… then again, it's my first visit to Therum. 'Join the Alliance' they said. 'See the galaxy' they said. Guess a lava-filled planet was high on the list, eh?"

"Lava-filled…planet… wait, what are you talking about? Who are you? Where are we?" The corporal snaps at us, drawing the gazes of the rest of the team. Seeing how Tequila reacted to aliens earlier, I don't question why Ash waves them off. Though, waving off a superior officer, that was a new one.

"What do you mean? Where do you think we are?" Ashley asks, turning the question at Tequila instead.

"BG-386, of course." Tequila says. Ashley, still with her helmet on, suddenly talks into my ear-piece;

"Thomas, she's obviously confused. I'm guessing a concussion, plus dehydration." She says, her voice blessedly only audible to me. I shake my head, turning to look at the corporal as she stares at us, like a pair of lunatics trying to coerce her.

"Right… right… Okay, Corporal Tequila. You are on Therum, a small… okay, big ball of rock and lava in the Knossos system. We are Systems Alliance Marines. I am Private First Class Thomas Vestergaard Fisher. This is my superior, Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams." Gods, why do I just know I'm not leaving this planet with my secret intact?

"Okay, just wind all that back to when you said Therum. I… right, superior and all." She growls, then snaps to a salute; "Corporal Teresa Aquila of the United States Colonial Marines, ma'am." She says. At the 'ma'am', I can practically see the scowl in Ashley's eyes. Right, she never liked being called ma'am.

"At ease corporal." Ashley says, then returns to the private channel in my ear; "Thomas, I have a really bad feeling that I know this woman."

Right… great, of course Ashley would know her. It stands to reason that she would, considering she knows Ridley Scott's movies. I just hadn't expected Ashley to know the game as well. Talos, how do I even get out of this mess again. Worst thing, I can't even answer her without speaking aloud.

"Corporal, I… we need to know something. What do you know about those hostile aliens, the xenomorphs?" I ask, looking from Ashley to Teresa. Or, Tequila. I don't know… Gods, everything is so messed up.

"Not much. Parasitic life form that really likes wiping out human colonies. Don't know how they spread beyond Yutani's facilities, seeing as we've seen them on other planets too, but… first sighting was on LV-426, I think. Hadley's Hope was destroyed by a nuclear explosion set off by the remaining crew of the USS Sulaco. I... am afraid I don't know much else, ma'am." Tequila says.

"Oh fuck me…" Ashley sighs, slapping her forehead on the helmet; "I mean… come on!"

"Dear Gods… Well, I suppose we maybe should take this away from the others." I say, wanting to get away before the term 'game-character' gets out in the air. Ashley seems to know who Tequila is, meaning there's a real risk the term may just come up. Gods…

"Good idea." Ashley says through the channel. She then turns to Tequila.

"Fisher has a point here, corporal. I think we need to discuss… some things, away from the others." Ashley says, sounding like she is really struggling to keep her voice at a normal level.

"Discuss… some things? Away from the aliens, I… since when have we had contact with friendly… we've had first contact?" Tequila rants as we guide her towards the back of the slope, out of eyesight of the rest of the group. A thing that has changed, and thank Talos for that, is that no eruptions of lava and magma spewing forth from the ground.

"Ehm… Yeah, we have." Ashley says as we more or less push Tequila to sit on a rock, facing us with a clear frown on her face. Stendarr… we're going to get so much yelled at in a moment, I just know it. Also, the yelling might just be directed at me solely, in the case of secrets exposed.

"Ashley, we might as well tell her. With the xenomorphs here, we… I suppose we can't really afford having her in the dark." I say, rubbing my neck. Gods this is awkward and just borderline uncomfortable.

"Right. Okay. Fine, even though this is bound to end in yelling."

"My thoughts exactly. Still…" I shrug, looking back to Tequila, the corporal getting increasingly annoyed from the looks of it; "Okay. Corporal, what year do you think this is?"

"What? Why?" She asks, looking even more annoyed, now focused at me. Great.

"Just answer the question. It'll make sense, I promise."

"Fine. 2521, satisfied?" She says, crossing he arms across her armored chest. The regular pattern-armor looks like it's a lot sturdier than whatever even Wrex packs as protection.

"Damn… okay. So, this might come as a surprise to… it will come as a surprise to you, corporal, but… Thomas, help me out here." Ashley says, looking at me with pleading eyes. Despite the situation, I can always feel a warmth spreading through me at looking into her eyes. Even now, of all times.

"What? Why me, you were doing so… you're in 'officer-mode' again, aren't you?"

"Only if you refuse." She says, a bit of her regular cocky persona shining through. Gods I… I need to focus. Can't start contemplating the feelings stirring up in me when she speaks like that. Not now, of all times at least.

"Can you please just get on with it?" Tequila snaps, glaring at the two of us. Right, I just realize we had started looking at each other for too long, instead of focusing on the corporal. Still, Ashley's eyes are… I don't know, but they hold a certain warmth in them.

"Sorry. Fine, I'll spill the beans. But then you get to explain the 'how's of this." I say, turning from Ashley to Tequila. Before the Chief can retort, I continue; "Okay. Corporal, good that you're seated, because… you're in the year twenty-one eighty-three, on the planet Therum in the Knossos-system. The USCM doesn't exist here, instead the Human Systems Alliance does." I say, taking a breath, but fast enough that Tequila doesn't get to cut me off before I speak again;

"Humanity here is somewhat more advanced than what you might remember. Also we have made contact with several alien races, such as the Turians, which is the spike-head alien you say in the cave, and the Quarians, the people with those odd suits and masks covering their faces. There are a lot-

"What?!"

"-a lot more. What?" I ask, trying to keep my voice level. By the Gods, it's difficult, speaking of things like this.

"What do you mean by twenty-one eighty-three, and 'doesn't exist here'? Where the fuck am…" She just stops herself, seemingly unable to finish the line.

"Well… we don't know, exactly. It's… really awkward actually and…Ashley, this one was yours." I sigh, desperate to get Ashley to take over, preventing me from doing or saying something utterly stupid. Again, with my luck I might end up doing it anyway.

"Corporal. Do you know of the multi-verse theory?" Ashley asks, surprising me more than Tequila. Since when does Ashley know of… wait, does this mean revealing my own secret might be easier than I thought?

"Of course, but I don't see… you've got to be shitting me." She says. Ashley just sighs;

"I'm afraid not, and… that's not even the-"

"You. Are. Shitting. Me."

"- worst part. Again, afraid not." The private channel gets activated again; "Thomas, how the fuck do I tell her the movie-part? Or, the game-thing?" She asks. It's not like I can answer her like this, which I suppose means I either get to watch Ashley struggle through an explanation, or she might force me to be the one to do it. So, in lack of options, I give her a small shrug, to show that, hey, I don't know either.

Depending on how this turns out, I might actually spill my own secret here.

"Right… Okay, so there might be another way to say this, but… Corporal, you want the sugar-coated or the hard-fact version?" Ashley asks, scratching the side of her helmet.

"Just fucking tell me." I notice, as does Ashley I'm guessing, that Tequila dropped the rank.

"Hard-fact it is. Right… and you're seated? Good. Well… you…I… don't even know how to word it. Thomas for God's sake, help me out here."

"Talos… fine. To put it short, you've crossed over, corporal. Not as in 'gone to Heaven', but as in 'crossed between dimensions'. Also, we know your story because you're a videogame-character from a game I used to play. There, said it." I look to Ashley; "That was easy enough."

"I… what?" Tequila says, allthewhile she's slumping forward onto the ground. Before either of us can react, the corporal has hit the ground, unconscious.

"Well… crap, really." I mutter, looking at Ashley. She as well is less than thrilled-looking, but at least she is nodding instead of shaking her head. A bonus, in my eyes.

"Still, you handled it better than I could have." She says.

"Personal experience…" I shrug, then slap hands over my mouth as horror and realization dawns and I realize what I just said. Oh crap in my… Oh fuck me!

"Come again? Personal experience?" She says, eyes wide in confusion and disbelief. She narrows her eyes, taking her helmet off. Oh Gods, this was not how I wanted to brace it at all. I really just want to die right now. If the ground could just swallow me up, that'd be nice.

"I…" I start, completely unsure of what to say. I mean, what do you say when something like this comes up?

"Thomas? Is there something you're not telling me?"

Oh shit… do I tell her now?

"I guess it's come to either that, or have her being suspicious towards you until you do tell her…."

"So… I'm practically dead, right?"

"Well… you might get off with some shattered knee-calf's…"

"This really isn't the time to make a fucking joke!"

"Then listen to this; you tell her now, or I start singing "Daisy Bell" from your mouth."

"Crap!"

"I… yes. Yes there is." She gives me a look… I'm not sure how to describe it. It's a look of utter confusion, perhaps mixed with a bit of… fear? No, never from her… anxiousness? That might be it… Well, considering what I'm about to say… I really should be the anxious one here. I sit down on the hill, taking my helmet under my arm and letting my fingers run through my hair. Damn… this is much too soon… Ashley sits down in front of me, to the left of the unconscious corporal and with a look of concern in her eyes. Do I really look that nervous?

"Okay… okay, so… Ashley, do you trust me?" This is bad, I wanted this to be my choice, when I told her, I should hold all the cards…

"I…do. Yes, I trust you with my life Thomas, but… I want to ask, but I don't know if I want to know or…"

"Okay… Okay… Ash, you remember when you found me?"

"Yeah, you were lying under the monorails, dressed in really old-fashioned clothes… those you still use when not in uniform. Your breath stank of alcohol, and you had drunk enough to down an elephant, if the blood analysis were to be trusted…"

"Was there… anything else from the analysis? My age for example?" She gets a very odd look on her face here.

"Yeah… the machines couldn't determine your…" Her eyes narrow; "How did you know that?"

"A qualified guess. I think… I… actually I'm glad we found Tequila. It could make what I'm about to say… I'm the same as her, Ash."

"You… You what?" Ash's voice comes out strange, full of confusion and… fear? Yeah, now… it is fear.

"I'm from the year two-thousand eleven. Kinda like… like Tequila, my death sent me here." I admit, closing my eyes while silently praying to whatever divines would have a hand in this.

"I don't… understand. What… you're like her?" She asks, her voice small as she points at Tequila; "From a game or a… I just…"

"No, no, no… no, I… at least don't think so. But… do you remember what I told you, that I lost my family in a train-accident on Earth?" I ask, trying to speak as soft as I can, trying to keep her calm.

"Yes, you… it wasn't your family in the accident, was it?" She asks, her voice starting to sharpen, to gain an edge to it.

"No…" I mutter, shaking my head; "It was me. I was killed, and ended up in a limbo of sorts. I was… allowed, sort of, to choose what would then happen." I say. Ash has stopped speaking, instead just staring at me with disbelief in her eyes. Gods I wish I was joking.

"So… I'm not the only one who's fucked over here, then?" Tequila's voice suddenly comes from the ground as the marine starts sitting up; "Only I didn't get a choice, just flash, instant cave."

"I was… a voice gave me options, said I could return to life, as a cripple. I… said no. I could go to Heaven too…" I mutter, looking down on my hands.

"So Heaven is real… Van Zandt owes me fifty… right…" Teresa mutters, stopping herself again.

"The third choice… I could be reborn in a new place. The voice said it should be a place I knew, since apparently he had a sort of bad habit with misplacing people and wanted someone who could avoid screwing up… see how that went." I say, looking at my right hand, where the gauntlet has been scratched at some point, the green tint decorated with a set of white scratches from ruined material.

"A place you knew? But… you ended up on a different planet altogether." Ashley exclaims, her voice a few . Yeah… I think I know what she means. I mean, from her point of knowledge, and the truth, the human race hadn't found a single planet to colonize back then. Well there was the thoughts of Mars, but…

"I… did know Eden Prime though… I knew you and Kaidan and Garrus, Tali, Wrex and… I… I didn't know John or Hillary though. I knew the Normandy too, and the captain and…" And I knew Saren was going to attack Eden Prime, yet did nothing to prepare.

"…And?" Her voice, sharp, is going towards interrogative, the very thing I feared aside from the obvious fright in it that currently is audible and easy to pick up on.

"And… I… I chose the third option." I finish, looking back down at my feet. Gods, this is… this is one of the most uncomfortable things I've ever tried.

"Wait… how did you know those… how did you know about me and Kaidan and Tali and everything?"

"I… I can't… I don't… know… I don't know how to…say it." Can someone just please kill me? I really cannot do this. The confusion, the fright, the awkwardness and the hurt is all just too much. I wish I could go back and come up with another answer that wouldn't lead to this sort of… revelation.

"Thomas, talk to me here!"

"It was a game, alright?!" I snap, actually breaking enough to shout at her. I slap my hands over my mouth the moment I realize my words, but too late. Damage done.

"I… it… what?" Ashley asks, her voice so small and vulnerable that I can't help cringing at the hurt in it. There's so much disbelief and confusion that I feel like my heart is eating itself out of shame and guilt, being the cause of those emotions flashing across her face.

"A guy named… a company named BioWare, its boss, or one of the bosses, I think… named Casey Hudson. Somehow, he went here, in another dimension or universe or, I don't know, and then he returned after… years, I think. He made a game, but failed to mention that it was based on his own experiences. So… in a way, I know all this from a game, fucked up as it is."

"Just- Just what? I mean, this… did you suffer a concussion or- I just… Thomas, I really want to believe you, to trust you, but…" She exclaims, her voice shifting between hurt, angry, disbelieving and apologetic.

"You don't believe me, do you?" I mutter, not looking away from her eyes.

"I just… I can't. What, am I just pixels to you then? Everything… we've been through, it was just a game?"

"I think I'll be better suited to answer that question miss Williams." Holy shit!

"What the fuck are you doing!?"

"You will not be able to fully convince her without my help. So be quiet!" I look at Ash; The woman's features has turned to something close to stone, her eyes wide with fear and surprise. Her mouth then starts moving, at first no words escape;

"Wha- wha… what- what THE FUCK WAS THAT!?" She almost falls backwards, her arms seeking support but fails, and she ends up lying on her back. Tequila just sits there like she's frozen in place, her eyes just as wide as Ashley's.

"No, no, no, no, no! I was just about to get her to-!"

"I am Thomas's guiding hand, his conscience so to speak, and he is telling you the truth!"

"What… what… how?"

"There is something you must understand miss Williams; Thomas only partly choose this himself. He was sent from his own dimension following in the wake of an accident that left him dead. He then had a choice; He could go to what you know as Heaven, or Paradise. He chose not to.

He could have chosen to return to his own world. This, however, would have left him horribly crippled for the remainder of his days. And in that time, being crippled is not something that could be cured.

The third choice was to be reborn, if you will, in another world. Another dimension, as you call it. He chose this option. I left him on Eden Prime, under the very rails that you found him by. His new body sustained severe injuries during this change in time and space, and he was hurt in ways hard to cure in his own time. But here… he stood a chance. That is how he ended up here, but not why." Ash seems to have regained her speech during this. My head is being used as a speaker, somehow he speaks from my head, and I can do nothing about it.

"What about the whole "This is a game" thing? What the hell is up with that?!" Ash sneers at the voice. Fucking fantastic! I was just about to win through it, to explain everything without anger… or, too much anger, and then he decides to speed things up, in his moronic manner.

"In the world from where Thomas comes, a man named Casey Hudson worked on and created a virtual source of entertainment; a videogame, as you call it. He must have been able to travel between the dimensions without my knowing, as I did not assist him in this. This world, as Thomas mentioned earlier, is therefore not fake, but simply located in another universe!"

"Why didn't you tell us before!?" Ash directs this question to me, as much as to the voice currently emitting from my head.

"I hear all thoughts that Thomas creates, excluding those about you, miss Williams. These he has ordered me to avoid. The reasons he has not told you, was because he feared the reaction you just exposed him to. That you would reject him and break his heart…frail and weak as that excuse is, it was what he feared all along."

"You really didn't have to say that…" I mutter through my teeth. Not only is my secret out, but the voice just fucking spilled my love, or at least crush on Ashley, to her… Dammit!

"Break… his… your heart?" Ash stutters. Suddenly, the anger and fear in her voice is gone, replaced by what sounds like sadness and a little regret.

"Yeah… well, I… well, from the moment you stood above me on Eden Prime, smiling even though I must have smelled of puke, from the time we spend together in the colony… I… well, I guess you could say that… I kinda… I just couldn't help it...I'm sorry…"

"So miss Williams… You have heard his secrets, and his feelings towards you, as frail and mortal, flawed as they are. What will you do now? His fate on the Normandy, and the sanity of his mind… depends on what you do now. Personally I rather enjoy watching the events unfold, in the case that you accept my host" The word 'host' sends a negative chill creeping down my back, like I was carrying a parasite, not a divine being, in my head.

Ash looks deep in thought for a moment, her brows furrowed, and her mouth small. She then looks up again, and the faintest hint of a smile can be seen on her face. I… does that mean?

"I… I guess all this is kinda hard to just accept… but considering you just spilled your heart to me, while I shouted at you… crap, Thomas, I… don't really know what to say. I mean, these things… they are not what family or the Drill Sergeant makes sure you know… and about the other…thing… where you said you…" she pauses, taking a deep breath. "Fell for me… I don't know… I mean, you are one of the nicest guys I've met in years, but… I'm gonna need some time to think about all this. My head really hurts right now, and I can't really make any decisions right here and now… it's not that I don't like you, I do… but to take all of this in… it's really… confusing. You know? So… let's just… take all this slow, work out how to handle… well, this." All traces of anger has left her voice. I dare look her in the eyes again, and my gaze is met by hers.

"Thank you, Ash… you don't know how much I've feared a different outcome than this… that you would hate me, or even lose your mind if you believed me… thank you…" Her smile widens a bit.

"Hell Rookie, if something you did could drive me insane, I think I would have gone under the first day I met you."

"Well seeing as this turned out we- Miss Zorah, you can stop eavesdropping and step out now!" Crap! Tali was listening?! OH SHIT! OH SHIT! OH SHIT! A stumble and a muffled gasp is heard behind one of the stones, and the figure of Tali emerges from behind one of the big rocks. She looks into the ground and comes towards us, her fingers intertwining at the speed of light;

"Sorry… I didn't mean to… I mean, I just followed you to see where you were… Keelah, is it really true?" She lifts her face, and looks at mine.

"Tali! Were you eavesdropping!?" Ash asks, her voice full of surprise more than anger.

"I'm afraid it is… I'm not from around here Tali… and I would have told you eventually. I know you're not the type to spread gossip." I try to make my voice as soft as possible, but she's still on the brink of a nervous and shameful breakdown.

"How do you know… oh right… the Hudson man…" She says, her voice more nervous than ashamed right now.

"Tali… listen to me. I was wrong when I first thought of this universe as a game. I was slowly convinced otherwise when I started feeling things like fear and… and love."

"That voice… did that really come from your head?" Now there is some fear in her voice, 'guess it can't be helped. She did just hear an eternal being use my head as a microphone.

"Yeah, he's been sticking around ever since I got here. Sometimes he's been a real pain in the ass, but he's also helped me out of some situations."

"But… there is still something I don't understand…"

"I would be surprised if you could just take all this in, in an instant… what is it?"

"If you already experienced all of this in a… game… how come you didn't know about the men in the clinic?" oh shit…

"I… did know about them. I was just so focused on getting you back with John that I almost forgot about them. Ever since you stepped through the door to the clinic, I knew it was you. Admitted, you looked a little different than you will in two years time, but I knew it was you."

"TWO YEARS!? Are you saying you even know what will happen in two years?" Ashley suddenly breaks in.

"Well… if neither me or Nick had been here… and there is one other thing… and this is gonna be hardest for Tali I think…" I gesture a Tali to sit down; "Where I come from, in my dimension. The John Shepard everyone knows, the "Main character" of Hudson's story… is human. I don't know what happened when I came into this world, what fabric of reality I distorted… but it made him Quarian instead…" I'm glad for once, that I can't see Tali's face. She must be completely messed up right now. Why the hell didn't I just stop talking?! The wasn't even necessary for her to hear!

"Indeed, this is what you would call a 'fuck-up' as that piece of information can do nothing good and only harm."

"Yesssss… I think that was just confirmed that I should have shut my mouth instead."

"Are you saying… what are you saying? That John, my John…. Isn't real?" I can hear her being close to tears, her voice has that subtle sound of crying pressing on. "Any help here?"

"No. This is your mess. You chose to tell her about the Shepard issue, so you fix it."

"Gee, thanks…"

"I aim to please."

"No Tali, of course he's real. It's just that so many things has been changed, I don't know what to expect anymore. John is every bit as real as you and me. He's just a different person than the one I had expected when I woke up in the Normandy's med bay, is all." Tali looks at me again, sighs and rubs her neck;

"Okay…. I still don't understand any of this, but you saved my life, so I trust you Thomas. You and Dr. Michelle were the first humans not to treat me like filth, so I trust you. I just need some time to take all this in… can I… tell John?" Okay, guess I should have expected that… what do I do? If I say no, she'll probably end up feeling bad for not telling him, then she'll tell him, and he'll be pissed at me for not telling him… but if I say yes… He'll probably still have a fit… ohhhh crap, my head hurts like hell.

"Talos… I guess… but can you wait till the two of you are alone, or at least if it's just the three of us? I would really prefer he didn't shout up and down the deck to have me restrained and sent to some kind of dissection… for study, you know…"

"Oh… but John isn't like that at all… he can actually be really calm even through the worst of situations… like when those Cerberus Bosh'tets caught us, he was calm and made sure I got away. He… he's just been through a lot during the past years…" Tali's voice has risen. I guess it comes from defending John. I'm not really surprised, as Nicolai told me earlier that the two of them were practically bonded before John was taken. Or at least, that's how he understood it. He seemed okay about it though. Like he said before, he wouldn't know how to treat Tali properly anyway, to follow traditions and the like. Not that he wouldn't try, but he would quickly have some serious problems with her immune system… I think… Anyway, it probably wouldn't work, so I'm glad he's taking it well. It would suck to see him and John fight…

"Then I guess I don't have a problem with it… just don't tell Joker yet. If he's anything like what I remember… he's gonna go crazy about it…"

"Sure, I won't tell anyone else." She actually sounds happy again. Damn, girls and their shifts in emotions… one second, they are on the verge of crying, the next, they are happy again…

"Okay…" this is going to sound stupid… "Any other questions?" Tequila immediately gets up, and approaches me. I should have known this would come;

"Yeah I have one." Tequila says, alerting us to her presence. I sort of forgot she was even here, with everything else going on; "Why did you guys even come here? Also, how?"

"We came for Doctor Liara T'soni actually. She is the blue woman, alien, who did the Jedi-crap, as you called it. As for how? We make use of the SSV Normandy, that… somewhere, in orbit over us, there is a frigate called that. We came here by one of the Mass Relays, and we are hunting a Turian… A spike-head named Saren Arterius for attacking human colonies. Did… that answer your questions?" I ask, feeling as the rapid pulse I've been suffering under for some time now is starting to calm down.

"Okay… let me just get all this straight… I've jumped from one dimension to another, this place has lots of friendly aliens, we use sci-fi space relays to get around, crazy guys called Saren are attacking humanity, and you know all about me… is that correct?"

"Pretty much… because it's a game here."

"…. I….. don't really know what to say… I mean, even though this has to be true, it just seems like a lie… I remember every bit of that mission, as clear as I remember being stranded in that fucking cave…"

"I'm sorry… I know it can't be easy to find out about that…"

"So… if you finished the game, let's say you are right, and it is a game…what happened after the typhoon was shot down… considering I wasn't jumped to this place?"

"Well…. You were actually lucky to end up here. If you had remained in the ga- on the planet, the bugs would still have killed the other marine, dragged you away and planted a bug inside you. Then Rookie would come crashing in, after having killed tons of bugs and the guy who shot you down, freeing you and taking you to the Wayland Yutani headquarters nearby, where an android named… fuck, I can't remember, a female android, would try to operate it out of you, but…" This is gonna be a bitch to know…

"But what?! What happened?!" By now, the corporal has gotten to her feet, and is letting bother her hands glide through her brown and dirty hair. Meanwhile, the Normandy has touched down across from us, at the other end of the industrial clearing

"Well… Wayland stopped it. Cut of power to the surgery machines. Then Rookie placed you in a stasis pod to stop the fucker from erupting, and he went off and killed Weyland's ass. Along with blowing the entire building to Hell. Then you were all placed in sleeping pods, and the android got you aboard Weyland's personal shuttle… beyond that… I don't know." Tequila stands straight, sighs and turns towards Tali;

"So… Tali right? Would you mind showing me this "Normandy" while we let those two work this out?" She has her back to me and Ash, pointing at us with a thumb over her shoulder. I swear, it almost sounds like she smiling. But so quickly after that hellhole? Mara! What's up with women in this place?

"Eh… Sure… come with me then… Tequila?" And the two of them walk off in the direction of the big frigate that's just touched down a few hundred meters from where Garrus and John were talking before. Now, they are looking in our direction. They are probably interested in hearing about this new marine. I notice Ash has gotten up as well. She rubs her neck, looking like she has something to say, but doesn't quite know how to say it;

"Ash, listen. About all that's just been said and done… about what the voice or whatever the hell his name is… what he said about… well, how I feel about you… oh crap this is hard for me… I'm really not good at this stuff, but as I said before… before he barged in I guess… I meant it. While Nicolai may have helped, you've been the main reason I haven't cracked yet. Every time I see your smile, every nice word you've said to me… Hell, even the ass kicking… just being near you have stopped me from going over the edge… and I understand if you, especially after all this, doesn't feel the same way, or even hate me… but I just wanted you to know that… Hell, might as well just say it; I really like you. Very much. I can't imagine my life here without you in it, whether it's with me or not…"

Okay… I just spilled out my heart like a chest turned upside down. She looks a little sad though;

"Thomas… I'm sorry… but I'm with Kaidan, and he's a really nice guy." Something just made my innards freeze, like Jack Frost kicked me in the stomach. I bite down on my lips.

"Yeah… sure. I'm just glad you found someone and why are you smiling like that?" Seriously, she just smashed my heart, now she's smiling? I realize that she might be angry still after the revelation, but… I do not know how much emotional distress I can take. And being turned brutally down with a smile is… it's not something I know if I can cope with. Nevertheless, the secret is out, and… I suppose time is needed to see if I will still be accepted.

"You idiot! Can't you tell the difference when someone's joking or not being serious?!" She looks like she's about to laugh, but I'm still just standing here, probably looking like an idiot;

"So… you're not with Kaidan? Then… what-"I don't even get to finish that sentence, as she gives me a quick kiss on the mouth. Just a light peck, brief and soft and gentle and... and she kissed me! Mara! She kissed me! I feel my entire body melt, my heart skyrocket through my head, and my legs give away. She kissed me on the mouth… kissed me… Ash kissed me… she kissed me…

Ashley Williams kissed me on the mouth! I think I might pass out…

"Gah, mortals and your flawed emotions. Reproduction is all that is needed to carry on the species. Why bother with emotions?"

"I…" I start, then realize that I don't even want to dignify that with an answer. I am also starting to suspect that the voice has a split personality of sorts. Has to, with the way he goes from love guru to… cynical pragmatist.

She steps away and smiles. The warm smile I've grown to love and cherish more than anything else in my existence.

"I…I…." I manage to utter; "Does that mean that…." She hits me on the shoulder, looking at me in a… playful manner. What divine suddenly took pity on me there? Mara? The entirety of the Divine assembly?

"Come on you cross-dimensional idiot, we've got to get back to the ship." I couldn't have been happier right now. Ash accepts me, and she even kissed me!

"You've got it kif… I mean Kief… Cif… Cheap, I… mean Chief!" I shake my head, trying to get the brain back into working order, jogging up to her. We pass by Garrus and John, the two having some kind of discussion about who killed more than the other. Talos, those two have nothing but destruction in mind. Wonder if they even heard the voice booming off like thunder before.

"Yeah, but running them over doesn't count as killing them. The Mako did all the work." Talos, they are having the Gimli/Legolas discussion. Never thought I would experience that. Then again, I never thought I would live to see any of this. Not to mention finally getting kissed by a girl. I mean, who'd have thought my very first kiss would come after having scared and angered the living hell out of my crush?

"Well then, how about down there? I killed dozens at the time, you killed one at a time. I think I beat you there Vakarian." I look at Garrus, and he looks like he's trying to come up with a good remark, but he just sighs;

"Yeah, well next time, I'll be able to use my Mantis, and then we shall see who the better soldier is." He sounds proud that he found something good. I just have to, I mean, it's too tempting, and my mood is in the Heavens right now;

"Garrus" I start; "You are talking about being the better soldier with a guy who took down a Thresher Maw from the inside… think you can match that?"

"Well… I…. Why did you have to get involved Thomas? I had him!" Ashley must have overheard us, because she is laughing at the whole conversation. Divines, I missed that laughter.

"Ha! Yeah he's got a point there Vakarian, come back to me when you've been inside-out on a Thresher. Then we'll talk badassry." Garrus just shrugs, and we walk as a group towards the Normandy. Only people I don't see are the two unconscious ones, along with Tali and Tequila. Could be funny if they became friends; I could call them the T's.

"No… no you couldn't."

"Nah, you're right… that would be stupid."

"Looks like the girls are onboard, should we get the fuck of this planet? I'm not calm until we're in the atmosphere. And we should make sure to check the ventilation shafts." I say, stealing a glance at the sealed-up entrance to the mines… caves, Prothean thing-place.

"What for?" John asks, not stopping his stride. Thank the Gods, he seems in his normal mood, which means he doesn't know yet. I should probably make myself scarce when Tali reveals what she heard to him. I am not sure what he'll do, but I'm doubting he'll just say 'fine'.

"Well, those bugs love the ventilation shafts. It's how they get around in facilities and such."

"Oh… I'll have the ships VI run an analysis of the ship, see if there are any non-registered life forms aboard."

"Bueno, now I'm hungry as hell, and I'm sure that goes for the rest of you as well." I exclaim upon feeling and hearing my pit growl for food. The prospect of curry chicken is probably helping too. Also I really just want to stay in the bright mood. I mean…

Ashley kissed me. She bloody kissed me!

"Your friend better be as good as you promised, or else… well, let's see what he's got for us before throwing him in the brig." John says, keeping his voice so casual that I simply cannot determine whether or not he's serious.

"I second that one Shepard." Garrus says; "Would be funny to see if he can make Dextro-food, or if he's just handing out tubes. Personally, I've had enough of those." Yeah Garrus, then imagine being John, never eating anything else.

…

SSV Normandy

Deck 2. Captain's quarters, mess hall and med-bay

(19:21) ship time

The whole place smell of curry and the mess hall is filled with people waiting for a decent meal. I guess I can't blame them; the last time they had that was when they had a shore leave long enough to visit a restaurant. Nicolai is in his element. In the kitchen, he has home. Made some jokes about that back home on Earth, like "Get back to the kitchen woman!" or "get out of the kitchen, you are not a woman!" I sometimes miss those times, but I guess it's almost better here. I spot Ash, standing by the kitchen table, chatting with Tali and Tequila. She smiles at me. Who am I kidding, this is better!

Another crewmember is helping Nicolai in the kitchen, finishing off the curry chicken, while Nick is messing around with another meal, gloves on his hands, and a small mask over his mouth and nose. Guess that is the Dextro's' meal. He really takes the whole "a bacteria could kill them" thing seriously. 'Guess that's a good thing. If Tali got ill… I don't even want to imagine what John would do to him. And speaking of John, the commander is leaning against the wall next to the kitchen. It looks like he is trying to give Nicolai advises on how to cook. I guess I can understand it. The Turians can eat what he makes, but Tali and John… they need to have their food purified, then blended and put in a tube, or eat in a clean room. 'Must really suck to have an immune system that weak.

With nothing better to do, I sit down at the table. With the large amount of crewmembers, we realized that there simply wasn't enough room at one table, so I asked Kasumi, and Divines know how she did it, to get us a new table. When we got into the mess hall, it just stood there, nailed to the floor and everything. Jesus, sometimes I wonder if she's even human… she must be getting help from somewhere… or someone. Now, I just need some bloody tea, and I could be in Heaven and not be as well off as right now. My best friend is the Normandy's cook, about to serve food worth killing for, the woman of my dreams is smiling at me, returning my feelings, and we got a kickass-USCM marine onboard, along with our two new residents. Speaking of which, they are currently both in the med-bay. With nothing better to do, I might as well check in on them. I get up and stride over to where Ash is standing. I stand behind her until she notices me, then flash the brightest smile I can. Not really thát hard, considering the person.

"Hey there Rookie." Gods, I love that smile. And those brown eyes… I could get lost in them. My heart is instantly beating a hundred miles an hour, sweat cooling my palms as I'm in her presence. Gods… I don't even know why she likes me. I mean… Donkey had way more to offer, and she knew him for a longer time and still turned him down. What… have I got that makes me… worthy? Still, I suppress those thoughts as she smile at me, finding that fright and anxiousness gets sent to the bottomless pit.

"I'm gonna check up on our two hangovers in the med-bay, wanna come?"

"The med-bay? Not right now, I think I've spent far too much time there already for one week."

"Oh well… will you save a seat for me then?" I ask, still smiling at her. It's… it actually takes conscious effort not to smile when near her. I guess this is what being in love feels like. Butterflies and wasps in my stomach, sweaty palms and nervous breakdowns and easy smiles.

"Sure, have fun starring at sleeping people." She smiles, the same warm smile she gave me after the kiss… Divines… the kiss. I have never been so happy, and yet so confused as when she suddenly kissed me on the mouth… and now I'm nervous as hell. I mean… does this mean we're in a relationship? Or, dating or something? I've never dated anyone, what if I fuck it up completely?

I opened my heart to her, half expecting a barrel in my face, because of the big revelation. Instead, she kissed me. I still can't get over it. She tricked me at first, telling me about her and Kaidan being a thing. Could that have been to test me? To see if I would be willing to let her go? To see if I would be jealous? To get some payback for scaring her? Whatever it was for, I guess I passed.

She kissed me… I've never been kissed by a girl before, and my mother doesn't count, and suddenly, the most beautiful, kickass, hardcore yet soft woman in both dimensions, falls for me as well… what are the odds of that? On further thought, I don't wanna know…

I then leave the gathering, walking towards the med-bay. When I open the door, I'm surprised to find Doctor Chakwas still at work. Well, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised; she is the ships medic, and responsible for those aboard it. She's kind of like a mother to the entire crew. God that's a strange thought.

But she really cares for her patients like a mother hen. It's kind of creepy at times, I think, but mostly it's just very sweet. Sometimes, even the most hardened marines aboard need a little "care-time" where a sweet elder lady almost acts like his or her own mother. When I enter the room, Chakwas acknowledges me with a smile and a nod. On the beds in the right side of the med-bay, our two new residents are resting up. Liara is still fast asleep, so I'll let her be. The other soldier really gets my attention. Having removed her armor, Chakwas uncovered a Systems Alliance marine's uniform clothing the soldier. The top of her head is wrapped in gauze, so it's hard to see the hair. Some red does stick out here and there though. I grab a chair and pull it up next to hers. There is something unpleasantly familiar about this N7-soldier, like she forebodes a serious shitstorm. Her face has a small scar, going from the top of the left brow, to the bottom of the same cheek. She wears no makeup… I think. I've never been able to guess it when a girl is using a discreet amount of makeup. 'Never understood the reason for it either. She looks like she's having a bad dream, her eyes constantly moving under the closed eyelids, and her face distorted in what looks like an unpleasant thought or memory. I wonder just who she is, as she seems eerily familiar, but just slips through my mind, just as I'm about to remember her.

"You've got any idea who she is?" I decide to ask the voice, seeing as he is supposed to be my memory, he should know.

"You really don't remember her?"

"No, why should-"As I'm about to finish, the woman suddenly opens her eyes and her head goes up. She leans on one elbow, using the other hand to rub her eyes. Thát's when I notice the green in her eyes. The very sharp and clear, emerald green. She looks around her, moaning softly as she massages her temples. I suddenly remember where I've seen her before. Mother of Shit! It… it can't be! This is impossible, even by this place's standards!

I close my eyes and pray to see someone else when I open them again. However, by the time I do open them, the same woman is now looking around the room. I have to do something, and bloody fast. I get up, and hurry to where Chakwas is seated. Luckily, she doesn't seem to have discovered the awakened woman yet. Have to get her out of here before that changes!

"Ehm… Doctor, why don't you go out and get something to eat. I'll keep an eye on these people in the meantime…"

"Why that's very sweet of you Thomas. I'll do just that. But call for me if something happens, I'll never be more than a few seconds away." and with that she smiles at me and walks out through the door. Okay, phase one is complete, now to next phase. I just hope I know what the hell I'm doing… I activate my Omnitool and send a message to Ash. I don't want to be in here with a pissed off and confused biotic Spectre;

"Ash, come quickly to the Med-bay. Thomas." I just hope she doesn't misinterpret it. Some guys would take that chance, but I'm not really in the mood for that. A few seconds later, Ash walks through the door to the med-bay. She smiles at me, the same warm smile as before.

"Well Thomas, here I am. What's the hurry?" I just point at the red haired spectre, who has managed to sit up in the bed, her arms supporting her weight.

"We've got a problem."

…

Her mind, despite the smile as she looked after Thomas, was in turmoil.

There were so many things to take in, Ashley was afraid her mind was going to blow up, brain splattering all over the room. God, why was all this suddenly happening to her? Life was fine and simple before today. As simple as it could be that was, seeing as they were hunting a rogue spectre, something that usually was a rather dangerous assignment. So far, it seemed that was true as they had already faced down the geth twice now. And… what else had been in the cave.

Xenomorphs… they should just be a fictional thing, something from a movie. Why the hell would they suddenly become real? And how even? There was no scientific explanation for it, none at all. And then there was the corporal, Teresa Aquila.

"This is all so weird" Tequila noted, a tone of wonder in her voice as Ashley caught the corporal studying every detail of the ceiling and the crew with awe.

"You don't need to tell me." Ashley said, huffing as she thought back to the revelation Thomas had put her through. At first, she had been frightened, of course, when the god-like voice had suddenly started talking. Then, as the information started sinking in, settling down, she started realizing that she had been less disturbed by the arrival of someone she knew was from a game, than the fact that a man she had known for about a week, turned out to share her perspective, only on herself instead. She had, as Thomas was practically, and in a way that was simply adoring for its shyness and anxiousness, yet honest delivery, spilling his heart to her, realized that maybe there was a reason for her different reaction. Tequila had just made her pale, while she had shouted at Thomas.

"I mean… being here, is so weird. What, you find it weird too or is it something else?" Tequila asked, causing Ashley to look and bring her attention back to the corporal.

"It's… something else."

To see someone like her, a woman she had often wanted to be like back when she was a little girl, was… it was strange. Of course, the strange part was the fact that the corporal was not supposed to even exist. She was just pixels, a product of a game…Like myself…

Ashley stopped the thoughts before they got any further, shoving them from her mind. No, no she was not a game, neither was there anything 'game-ish' to what happened. This, in turn, brought her mind back to Thomas Fisher, the young private who had just left her sight.

"Ah, I saw that thing planet-side. Explains the shouting too." The corporal huffed as she fished out a coffee-mug marked with a big yellow smiley.

"Keelah, are you even understanding- do you even… this breaks science, and you are calm about it?" Tali exclaimed, yet managed to keep her voice low enough that only those paying attention would hear and understand her.

"Science has always been broken. Just about finding enough duct tape to cover the problems." Tequila shrugged, keeping her eyes from wandering to the huge space-toad leaning against one of the far walls. He hadn't attacked them, or even sneered at her, meaning humanity was not at war with whatever his species was called. At least that was something, considering their sheer size.

"Maybe, but with a voice like that? I think this goes more into theology." Ashley said, thinking back to the revelation once more. Her mind fast-tracked to the moment where she, not sure why, had pressed her lips against his for just the briefest of moments. A blush crept up through her cheeks, causing the newest addition to the ship to raise a brow, looking from Ashley to the med-bay.

"Mmm hmm, I bet. The two of you, you know, are you…?" Tequila asked, gesturing at the med-bay. Ashley was fairly certain the blush was showing strongly now, and desperately attempted to combat it with all the willpower she possessed.

"What? No! No I… I don't know… I mean… I think… I… mean, he… and I just…Besides, it's none of your business." Ashley managed to stutter out, finding she was having one of her rare cases of pesky-and-troublesome-speech, usually caused by being worked into a fit by an incompetent superior. She was therefore grateful when her Omnitool suddenly flared up, the words 'Ash, come quickly to the med-bay. Thomas' called her away from the awkward conversation like a beacon of salvation.

Still, Tequila's question roamed her mind. What do I feel for him?

…

"Is it something else that's been changed from how it was supposed to be?" I still can't be thankful enough for that she could accept it so fast. That I'm a time-traveler, that is. The whole game-thing is… I doubt she has accepted that part yet. I know I would have difficulties wrapping my mind around it, were the things turned around.

"You could say that..." I walk over to the woman, now looking at us with strange eyes. It looks like she recognizes Ash, but I get the "Who-the-fuck-are-you?" eyes. The woman then opens her mouth;

"A-Ashley? What's going on? Why am I in the med-bay? I had this insane dream that I was trapped back on Therum those months ago, in a cave with ungodly monsters, and another marine and... She started yelling over her comm. speaking with someone with the same name as me, and then everything went black… and who's that?" Finally, she points at me. I can feel my legs getting weak. The "real" Commander Shepard… wait, I still have to ask the final question;

"Are you Commander Shepard?" She looks at me like what I said was incredibly stupid. In retrospect, it is, seeing as her presence here is bound to screw something over. Gods, why can't we have one day without something fucked up happening?

"But, Thomas, John is-"

"Yes."

"Commander Jane Shepard?" I press.

"Yes… Who the fuck did you think I was?" Ash takes a step backwards when hearing this. I can understand why too, seeing as this must be surreal to her still, with not knowing just how much I know and what has already happened and is bound to happen. It's really strange, but we can't have the luxury of just letting Jane do her thing and create chaos on the ship. Her ship, in her mind, which could turn ugly, I fear. Now I have to determine just how stable she is, and how well we can trust her.

"The Lioness of Elysium?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Which means the best option is out. Great…

"The sole survivor from Akuze?"

"What happened there?" Hopefully she just means more than her survived and… wait no, that leaves…

"That's a no then?" crap… that leaves only one option left.

"The butcher of Torfan?" At this, she opens her eyes a little more, recognizing the name.

"Yes… that is… the name they gave me after that mission… I still see them when I sleep. People think I don't regret anything, but I see them… the children, their eyes…. horror… That's not something you forget…"

"You… Batarian children? How could you kill children?" Ash's voice is very quiet, almost a whisper.

"Why is that a surprise Ashley? I thought I was already known and loathed for that enough that everyone knew… and who is that guy you're standing with… never seen him before and I hired the entire crew myself." She doesn't sound pissed, but I'm guessing that's about to change. I give Ash's hand a gentle touch and look into her eyes. They actually seem to understand the situation. I swear, this woman… Divines help me if I ever lose her. Of course, I still don't even know if I 'have' her.

"I'm Private Thomas Fisher. Ash and me serve under Commander John'Shepard. We were hired by Captain Anderson and Spectre Nihlus Kryik. The two of us were, with the addition of Corporal Hillary Pennyloafer, the only survivors from the 212th on Eden Prime. That's where Shepard saved our asses, and received the Prothean vision. As far as I'm informed at least". Ash nods, as to confirm what I've just said. Gods, I can't believe the shitstorm this will cause…

Jane just looks at us dumbfounded. I have no idea what she's thinking right now, but the haze and shimmer of blue that surrounds her body at the moment… probably doesn't mean she's happy. Not that I blame her, considering the fact that she has somehow ended up… just where did she come from anyway? I mean, how did she even die? If, that is how people jump. Gods I hate the science of this shit;

"We've just returned from Therum after having retrieved you, Liara T'soni and the marine-corporal Teresa Aquila from the ruins there. The 'monsters' you refer to were not in a dream, but belong to an extremely hostile race of bug-like aliens. We call them Xenomorphs… but, I get off track. What's the last thing you remember… before Therum, and the cave?"

"I… I was helping Kaidan defend the nuclear device on Virmire, then there was an odd sound, like a warning signal from the bomb, and a white light. Next thing I know, I'm standing outside the Prothean barrier where Liara is trapped again… I was sure it was a dream… but… if it wasn't… what the hell happened? And why does this commander's name sound Quarian, not to mention containing my last name?"

"Okay… First, we have no idea what happened to you Jane, although I might have some ideas… sort of. But I need some time to figure this out. You are just no longer in the same version of the universe you belong in. Don't ask me how or why, but so far this dimension seems to be more or less a stop for random people who just happen to get offed at the right time."

"Second, in this dimension, you were never born, and a Quarian named John'Shepard nar Rayya, helped us on Eden Prime, and received a vision. The same vision, I'm merely guessing, you are currently carrying. He was then given command over the Normandy along with Kaidan Alenko and Nihlus Kryik in a three-part operation to bring down Saren. I'm still not sure why he was given command though…" Jane looks like I've just hit her. Granted, had I just hit Jane Shepard, I would most likely be suffering from a bad case of dead right now. Why is it like that with all the women in this universe?! Kasumi, Tequila, Ash and now Jane-fucking-Shepard… Wait… how the hell do I explain this to the rest of them? I highly doubt Jane will just sit around or use a false name while another person commands what she sees as her ship. I walk back and whisper to Ash;

"Ash… she knows you. I know this may sound fucked up, but remember what I told Tali, that her John was not the same Shepard from my dimension? Well… back where I come from, in the universe Casey Hudson showed the human race of the early 21'th century, a person could choose between a male and a female Shepard… this woman… is the female… she comes from a future version of this place, a version where she has already experienced far more than we have, and I am pretty scared of what will happen when she tries to take back control over the Normandy…" Okay, so my delivery of bad and potentially disastrous news could be better, and I seriously need some work on working bad news right, but at least the message got through

"But… it's John's ship, the captain said so himself… and you owe me an explanation for the things she's just said, this Virmire for once. I know it's a planet beyond Citadel restrictions, but why would she nuke the planet?"

"You're right, I do owe you an explanation for that one, but… but that can wait… right now we have to make sure she doesn't go to town on John… or the other way around. They're both biotics, a fight between them… could tear a hole in the ship. And that's not something I'm looking for either." I say, then turn to look at Jane as she, to put it mildly, glares daggers at us. Well, mostly me, for some reason.

"Alright… but what do we do about her?"

"Well, we've already told her the truth as we know it, so… perhaps just ask her to take a false name till we have had a little chat with the rest of the team?"

"You think that would work? She could just say "Fuck that!" and storm out and kill someone..." Ashley says, biting her lower lip in what seems to be… I'm not sure actually. But, it's not a look of 'oh Joy!', but more like 'fuck me sideways…'.

"It has to… unless you've got a better idea?"

"Nope… sorry, nothing here… it just seems… naïve to assume she won't go on a rampage when he has to work for a Quarian… I mean, do we even know if she's… you know, racist?"

"She shouldn't be, none of the options in the game were racist, so she shouldn't be either."

"Alright… but if this goes to hell, you restrain her. I get help." She says, her voice bears some of that cockiness I learned to like on Eden Prime. Also I suspect she still has some payback for me, from the shock and scare I gave her earlier. See, this is why I hate keeping secrets.

"I guess that's fair…"I turn to approach Jane Shepard, who's by now started to get out of bed.

"Jane?" I ask tentatively. Okay, scared would probably be more the right word here, as I'm mentally preparing myself to brace for a biotic charge. Whatever that does to a human body in this close space… okay, I don't really want to start imagining that.

"Yeah?"

"Listen… I know this… what I'm about to ask you, won't be easy on… for you, but this ship already has two commanding officers, John'Shepard and Kaidan. And John's just as set on killing Saren's ass as you are… so… could you try not to cause a shitstorm and not go out there and proclaim yourself commander of the Normandy?"

"Perhaps… but you are being awfully calm about this, and you seem to know a lot about me and where I come from… you're not just a private, are you Mr. Fisher?" She's good… I mean, did I seriously give her thát much information? I think I only said my name, that's all.

Still… can't help but admire her intellect. I figure that's one reason people follow her, because she's both plenty smart and plenty deadly.

"No… I guess not. Just as you don't… come from this dimension or time, neither do I. the difference is that while you travelled back in time, about a few months I travelled forward in time, about two-hundred years. And I'm not from this dimension either. Where I'm from, a man named C. Hudson made your galaxy known to our galaxy by travelling here and back, then making a game about what he'd seen."

"Bullshit, even if I was to believe that thing about you being someone from the past and another dimension, there's no way someone back then could do that!"

"Well, then how the fuck do you think I'm here Commander?" Ash steps in;

"He's telling the truth… ma'am. He was brought to this dimension by some creepy divine voice thing. I've heard it speak myself." Ash is standing up for me, on something she at first was scared shitless over… what did I do to deserve this woman actually giving me a chance?

It looks like what Ash said makes Jane stop and think, seeing as she isn't shouting insults or calling us on our bullshit. Not to mention the lack of biotic attacks.

"Let's say I do believe everything you've just said… what happens now then?" Okay, so we're not stuck on the ceiling, that's a good sign. Jane lies down again and sighs. I can kind of understand her. Everyone she knows, none of them will know her when she steps out of here. Still, this thing, her not going on a rampage… could prove to help us in the long run… I think.

"Alright Jane, the first thing we do is to let you get some rest. And then perhaps someone will come over with some food. We've got an actual cook on the Normandy now. And you can tell him what you want; he's the same as me and the new corporal. Long story short, the Normandy is starting to seem like a place for breaking science. Now… just, try and get some sleep."

"Fine… not like I can argue much…" Jane grumbles, pointing at the wrappings covering her head. I'm guessing a concussion is likely to be making her life a living hell right now; "But there'll be hell to pay if you screw me over."

"Right…" I mutter, resisting the suicidal urge to roll my eyes at her attempt at a threat. Okay… so Commander Shepard just threatened me… and I'm not scared shitless?

"I would ponder as to the fact that you seem suicidal, but you have found that one out yourself it seems"

"Great, you're back. Tell me, do you have schizophrenia or something?"

"A mortal suffering? No, I do not. The complexity you refer to… my kind is far too intricate and complex, too far beyond your understanding to even attempt an explanation."

"Right… you're still in douchebag-mode. Call me up when you turn back into love-guru/guide again." I huff, this time rolling my eyes at the surrealism of the situation.

Ash and I step out of the med-bay again, leaving the room in dark, and Jane to her own thoughts. I can see that everyone is standing in line at the kitchen table, so the grub must be finished. John is still bickering with Nicolai who appears to be purifying and putting on tube, a large portion of partially blended Turian cuisine. Or whatever he called it. Garrus is already at the new table, chatting with another crewmember. I was kinda hoping he would be talking to Tequila, get her over her xenophobia. But I guess stuff like that takes time. As more and more people leave the kitchen area, I can see some bowls are still left on the table. Four, to be specific. Ash and I grab a bowl each, and head to the guy in front of the large pot containing the yellow mass that we know as curry chicken. It smells just wonderful. My stomach tries to kill me when encountering the smell, as it has been empty for nearly twenty-four hours, if you leave out the coffee. True to military rumors, the guy by the pot slaps a lump of the paste-like food in my bowl, and says "Next!" with the same voice you'd expect to hear in a boot camp. Upon receiving my portion, I glance at Nick who's busy pumping out some kind of yellow and brown sausage in a tube. It really looks weird, but I guess it's the only way Quarian can eat outside a clean-room.

Ash tabs me on the shoulder, and seeing as Nicolai is too busy discussing food properties with John, I follow her to the table. Tali has saved us two seats, and a seat to her left. I don't have to think to guess who that seat is for. Really, it sometimes seems like the Normandy is turning out to be more of a love boat than a warship. We sit down, and Ash gives me a smile. But honestly, it can perfectly fine be a love boat, I don't mind. And if I have to haul ass to keep things like this, I will. "You hear that Universe? No one dies on my watch!" I mentally shout, grinning a bit at the idiocy of it.

"That's quite a promise"

"So what if it is?"

"What happens if you have to choose between yourself and Ash down there?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

"Just to be sure. Remember, I've locked myself out of Ash-related feelings and thoughts."

"Let me put it like this; I would take a bullet for her and go down happy. Answer enough?"

"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that for a few weeks yet. I would be out of job in that case."

"Yeah, so you better do your part in this." I am tempted to ask why he said 'weeks', but something tells me I should just keep quiet instead.

"Meaning what exactly?"

"Like stop popping out of my head without asking first for a starter."

"We'll see…" And the buzzing stops. Meaning he's gone somewhere else.

John sits down next to Tali, and hands her a tube. Nicolai then joins us, taking a chair across from where Ash and I are seated. He takes a forkful of the curry, and he seems satisfied with himself. I haven't tasted it yet but… Mmhmm… fucking delicious!

I let the food stay on the tongue for as long as possible, before it would just be weird. Hey, I haven't eaten in twenty-four hours, cut me some slack here;

"Nicolai, amigo. I've gotta say; I don't know if it's the hunger, but to me, this is the best thing you've ever made."

"I can second that." Ash says, having just swallowed a mouthful herself.

"But you've never tasted my food before?"

"No, but if it's all like this, then I'm looking forward to." A lot of "I hear that" and "Agreed" sounds from the nearby crewmen.

"Aww, I'm getting all emotional here. Thanks guys" he says, and wipes away a fake tear. I turn towards John and Tali, Garrus too;

"So how's your food guys?"

"'Been long since I've had something that didn't taste bland, but… this is delicious Tengberg…Nicolai. Where the hell have you been all our life?" John adds the last one in a mock tone. Good thing too, or I think Tali would get a little confused. John then leans over to me, speaking to me behind Tali's back;

"So…. Thomas… Tali told me your… well, unusual story. At first I didn't really believe her, but she's never… lied to me before, so… I just wanna ask; is it really true?" Oh man… did he have to say that in here? Well, he's still taking it better than I feared, not shouting or fainting.

"Yeah… it is… sorry to break it to you… commander… but… I'm not really your definition of a normal guy."

"Keelah… well, I figured as much. The way you carried yourself, like you knew more than anyone else, yet still knew close to nothing about this place, and how you just happened… to bump into Tali in the clinic… but… there is something else, something I would like to talk to you about. Your friend Nicolai is welcome as well; I understand he's the same as you?"

"Yeah, ended up in an alley and was carried to Doctor Michelle's by a turian. And Ash knows as well… but what is it you wanna talk about?"

"Not here. After we've eaten, meet me in… say the med-bay. Somewhere we won't be disturbed."

"Okay…. Then… I'll see you there… Commander…"

"And Thomas?"

"Yeah?"

"When we're not in the field, just call me John."

"Can do… commander," I add with a sly smile.

After the dinner, I, Ash and Nicolai meet in front of the med-bay's door. We've already told him just who is lying in there. He damn near fell over and fainted when he heard it. Well, I guess I was pretty shocked when I found out as well. But honestly it was funny as hell, seeing as he was taking a bite of his leftovers when I told him, leading to the almost cliché scene of him nearly choking on his food. Not every day you happen to meet the supposed non-existent real commander Shepard… even though it's a girl, and not the… what am I even thinking about? In this place, Shepard is the real Shepard, no matter if it is a human or a Quarian. Well, I guess I would have had an easier time accepting the human Shepard from the beginning, but that's not the point. The point is that Shepard is the right one, even though he's a Quarian. It just might raise hell when the two meet each other… wait a second… I agreed to meet in the med-bay with John. That's where Jane still is! Oh for the love of Mara! This is not gonna end well, I can feel it!

"Would you have me intervening?"

"Hell no! The last thing I need right now is to spook the lot of them, and even though they know about you, it doesn't mean your voice ain't scary as hell!"

"Isn't* scary as hell…"

"What?"

"Never mind…there is John… and Tali?"

"Hmmm…"

For some reason, John has brought Tali with him. Well, I brought Ash, so I guess it's even. Besides… Why is Tequila here too? The marine has showed up as well, now wearing a naval uniform she must have found in a locker or depot somewhere… never thought I should see her in that kind of clothes… well, I saw her without armor, but that was just…. Undergarments? It wasn't formal clothes like these… Nicolai turns to look at our new arrivals, and his eyes stop dead at Tequila.

She has managed to get a shower before we met, which surprises me, as she shouldn't even know of the meeting… and how the hell did she manage to make herself ready in seven minutes?... women… her hair is tied up in that ponytail she had before… well, before everything went so shit I guess. Her face is clean of dirt and all the scars looks like they've been cleaned as well. … I'll never understand how they get it all done so fast… well, it's not like she can't be here, she knows as well, and she kept Jane alive along with Liara down there, so I guess she's earned it… by the way, I wonder if Liara has awakened yet…

"Corporal, I wasn't aware you would be here as well… have you found a bunk?" John asks.

"Yeah, I've got myself settled down there, so I thought I would check on my soldier… something tells me I'm not the only one?" She looks at the group. Well, here goes nothing.

"Ehm John, can we discuss that important stuff before we go inside? It would kinda fall to the ground when we meet the soldier."

"We can, I guess…" the mess hall is actually clear, well, except for us that is; "Tali told me, you know, of the… well, encounter you people had around the hill… of your, well how you ended up here. But it's not that I wanted to ask you about… it's Ahh… well, Tali told me that one of the things you… and that voice… had said, was that… in your eyes, or in the dimension you come from, I'm not supposed be here… or at least, the Commander Shepard you expected… should be human…" Nicolai widens his eyes, obviously surprised that John knows this, and is taking it so well. Hell, I would be curled up on the floor crying like a baby if I found out something like that…

"Oh shit! John… I…" He raises a hand, and I shut up.

"It's not that I wanted to say. Hell, that wasn't even a question, was it?"

"I… guess not…"

"What I wanted to ask, and please don't take this the wrong way; I'm not doubting your locality or something… what I want to know, and I want an honest answer here… if you were to find the "real" commander Shepard… could you still follow my orders?" Oh… now that's a… well, I guess I should say it's a no-brainer, but the way he said it also makes me think. I mean, John led us all in and back out of Therum, through a horde of Hell-spawned bugs, he's a real leader, despite the lack of experience... But what he asks… if I had to choose between him and Jane, assuming he doesn't know about her yet, what would I choose? Who would I follow? Still, John has saved my life more than once, so it's a no-brainer;

"As long as you don't order me to shoot myself, I would follow you into human Hell… why do you ask?"

"Oh… just with all the weird shit going on, it wouldn't surprise me if the person you know as Commander Shepard suddenly dropped from the sky… but I'm glad you said that."

"Any time sir."

"Thomas, call me John."

"I'll work on that, Sir."

"Keelah… let's go in there..." he says with a more cheerful voice and a shrug.

"Yeah, I've got something to show you… you in particular John… and you may not like it, but you know where my loyalties lie." I say as I lead him through the door.

"You know Thomas, you almost sound like you have found the human Shepard…"

"Yeah… that's… a little…" I turn and look at Jane who is sitting on her bed, dressed in a uniform like Tequilas. Chakwas is sitting on her chair and typing something on her laptop. She looks at us.

"You know John; I think she's had a harder knock on the head than I thought at first. She keeps asking about you, and what happened on Torfan and on Akuze. I don't know why, but she seems insistent that a massacre took place… I recommend keeping her in here until she is more… clearheaded." Holy shit! How much has Jane told Chakwas? I'm about to ask, but John beats me to it;

"Has she said anything about who she is doctor?" Ashley asks. Chakwas shakes her head at this;

"No… apparently she has no memory of her own identity… I just don't understand why. The scans show no damage to the parts of the brain that controls memories… what's odd though, is that she appears to have the same kind of abnormal brainwaves as you… very strange…"

"Thank you doctor Chakwas… would it be possible for you to give us some time alone with the patient?" John asks. It's a question in words, but his voice pretty much says 'out', in a friendly way. I don't actually know if John can even rock the 'hardass commander' style.

"Of course. Just call me if there is a situation." She smiles and walks through the door. I resume where I left;

"Uhm John, there is someone I'd like you to meet…" I point at the woman on the bed, her gaze now fixed on John and me; "I… I… give you, Commander Jane Shepard…" at this, John stops dead in his tracks, almost falling and grabs for support at the desk. Jane looks at him in what I guess is wonder, probably pondering just who has replaced her on the Normandy.

"So… this is Commander John'Shepard? I heard how you guys got us out of there, saved our asses when we were doomed by the fucking bugs" Okay, she swears, but she doesn't open up with a racist remark… That's a good sign.

"Yes… that' me… and you are… Commander Jane'Shepard? I… don't quite know what to say, never imagined this… But why exactly do we have the same last name… we're not family, and the name isn't that common among the Alliance military… what am I even doing, asking you this… what is should be asking, I guess- aside from the obvious 'how and what the fuck?'-is what happens now?" He manages to get back his posture, and leans on a bed next to hers. His arms crossed, and his gaze turned downwards… I think. His visor has been downplayed a bit, so you can see more of the face. I can actually see a nose, much like my own. I guess if they've got two eyes, and a nose like us, Quarians aren't that different from us. But, I'm zooming out, Jane is just sitting there, looking at John with surprise in her eyes. Breaking the silence, Tequila speaks up;

"Damn… you are… Commander Shepard? Or are you both… this is really confusing….on top of the pile of shit we're already dealing with here…"

"Tell me about it…. But… Shepa-Jane… are you sure that… Thomas, are you sure that… sorry, I just need to understand this… so… I'm not really supposed to exist, but something changed so that I did exist… and you didn't or…. but… what happens now?"

"I… don't really know… I mean, we're still after Saren, so it's not like I'm gonna fight you or anything" Pheew… okay, so no biotic Jedi-fights… that's good. "And I want to be a part of it… but do I have to use a fake name?" okay, not the simplest question, but a good one.

"I… don't really know. I mean, if you go out there and pronounce yourself Jane Shepard, some will start to wonder… then I'd rather explain my team the whole situation before you make someone panic…Could you just use your first name?"

"I guess that's fair…. But do you know about your friend there" she points at me; "Thomas Fisher? That he's… well, kinda like me?" 'glad I told him, that would have been awkward to explain if not.

"Yeah, I know about private "cross-dimension" here. He's part of the crew, so I don't give a damn if he's from another world. And neither do I care or at least it doesn't bother me about your past either, if you want to be part of the crew as well." Well, that wasn't unexpected, but I feared he wouldn't include her. I mean, she's Jane Shepard, human biotic and badass… wonder if she had something going with Kaidan in her old dimension…"

"Want me to have a look in her mind and find out?"

"What the… no! I didn't even know you could do that, and you are not sneaking into other people brains… I think you cause enough confusion as it is, being inside mine."

"Sorry, sorry…"

Jane looks at John again, and… smiles… she's talking to the guy who replaced her in this universe, and the guy who's the reason she can't be in command… and she smiles… as I said before; Women!

"Yet you wouldn't leave Ash for anything on earth… or out here."

"Damn straight I wouldn't. Besides, I still have to figure out if she even wants… you know, me."

"Yes… I would like that. Even though it may take some getting used to, I can't imagine being anywhere else. Besides, I can't let bone-face just look after himself."

"Bone-face?" I ask.

"Well… Garrus, of course…" Oh…. Now that was unexpected. I wasn't aware one could romance him in the first game… another proof that this is real life… not a game.

"Oh… well, he's certainly available… I think…" Jane gives me a weird stare at this, like she doesn't know what I'm talking about...So... she's not with Garrus?

"Well, let's not waste any time. I'll get the team together and tell them a little story. I think it's best if the time-travelers on the team stays here. Well, that's everyone besides me and Tali, so… just stay here… it would be hard to keep them from bombarding you with questions… besides, we need someone here in case T'soni wakes up. Oh yeah, Liara. I had completely forgotten about her…

"Alright Sir, give 'em Hell… I think. I don't know if that's the right thing to say here, but just, break a leg." He stops and looks at me;

"Is that some kind of treat Thomas?"

"What?... Oh Hell no, it is… a human way of saying good luck…"

"Keelah… I'm gonna need it, I fear… Tali, you coming?"

"I'm right behind you John." Well, that speaks for itself…

Then, we're all that's left in here; Me, Ash, Nicolai, Tequila and Jane. It could have been an awkward silence, but luckily, Nick remembers something, it seems;

"Well, seeing as no one in here have to worry about hearing freaky shit… what was it that kept you for so long down here when Nihlus and John called for a meeting?"

"Oh… yeah, that one…Uhm… well, you're probably the only one who's gonna know who I'm talking about, but I… was held back by someone… I guess you could say I met an old friend… who didn't know she was my friend."

"Who?"

"Well, I'll give you a hint; She loves ramen, and she's like a child at times." Nicolai get's a wide shit-eating grin on his face.

"No way man, my sister was here?" Eh?

"What the… No! I didn't even know you had a sister!" I exclaim, causing Tequila to snort with laughter at the exchange.

"Relax amigo, I'm messing with ya… are you saying Kasumi was here?"

"Spot on. Scared the fuck out of me, playing ghost and poking me."

"Okay… but that isn't really that freaky, and my brain hasn't blown up yet…" Oh yeah, I told him it would blow his brain… well, listen to this;

"Alright, but that isn't the freaky part. She knew about my inner voice, and she had been given some kind of code by… Brace yourself… Casey Hudson The glorious and magnificent asshole who showed our dimension Mass Effect, has actually been here. He just made the game on memory, not fantasy. And the code he gave Kasumi allows her to bring stuff back from other dimensions." Now even other men look like I slapped them when I tell them something… what is wrong with me?

"Mother of…. Shit! Are you fucking kidding me?"

"'Afraid not mate, she practically jumped when I showed her a pic of Hudson himself… oh, and I told her that I knew her universe as a game… she didn't take it as well as I had hoped…"

"No, that's because it's kind of shocking to be told you've been seen as a game by billions of people in another dimension… they could have looked while I showered!" Ash breaks in. Guess she has point there. Though I wouldn't mind that sight... No! Bad brain! She trusts me, so shut up! Besides, it's clear that my feelings towards her are sort of returned, so… are you spying? Right, he can't hear me… Gods, I don't even feel safe in my own thoughts anymore…"And Thomas, you still haven't told me about Virmire. I exchange a look with Nicolai. We both know what could happen on Virmire.

"Yeah, I know… sorry about that. But about the part where I promised to explain the Virmire thing to you… I never actually saw that much of Virmire, only know what the Genesis told me… anyway; On Virmire… something will happen. In the original game, we would arm a nuke and blow the place to hell and back."

"Which is where I was lost." Jane cuts in.

"Right… but before you… they… the bomb can be blown, the person making the choices will be forced to decide who to leave behind to die…" I swallow and look at Ash; "…You or Kaidan…" but there's no way in Hell I'm gonna let it play out like that. Not if I can help it!

"You've already said that, you know?"

"Shut up…"

"Bu- but… that's bullshit! I mean, the commander would be able to get us all out of there… or what?" That last question was turned at Jane. The redhead looks pretty miserable right now…Oh shit! She chose Kaidan!

"This could escalate…"

"You don't say!"

"Actually… no. I tried, but we couldn't get to your group Ash… we… had to leave you behind if the mission were to succe-"She is interrupted by a hard smack to the face. Ash is fuming, her eyes filled with a rage like I've only seen once, with Bosker, and then it was a smile compared to this.

Ash lifts her hand again, this time in a fist. Oh shit! I was so worried about her and John fighting... That I forgot about the "one-dies" part of Virmire! The fist comes down, but I rush in and stop it before she costs Jane a tooth. When I grab the arm… Krosis, she's a hard hitter. Ash keeps pressing down the arm, apparently obvious to the fact that I'm holding it. Tequila and Nick has stepped in as well, the marine checking on Jane while Nick helps me stop Ash. I look into her eyes. So much… anger. She has just been told that this woman would let her die before failing a mission… this is bad. Tears start streaming down Ashley's face. She still stares at Jane who just sits there, dumfounded;

"How the fuck could you do that!? Just leave me behind like that!?" She almost screams at the other woman.

"Ash…I …I…" Jane manage to utter.

"Don't fucking "Ash" me! Don't even say my name! You left me, the other version of me, to die on some fucked up planet! Don't give me that crap about how important the mission is! John would never leave anyone behind. Neither would anyone else in here!"

"Williams… I… I had to choose… there wasn't enough time to…."

"Don't give me that! There's always enough time! You just didn't try hard enough!" The woman sneers, her voice suddenly low and menacing. I think I actually preferred it when she shouted. Low and menacing is just… creepy. And really scary.

"Listen Godammit! I tried my hardest Ashley! I really did! I'm sorry, but I couldn't save you both! Believe me, I wanted to, but there wasn't enough time! You both begged me to save the other, to ignore your own needs… in the end I just couldn't save both of you! Okay? I'm sorry Ashley! I truly, truly am, but I couldn't save you both!" Jane has actually got tears in her eyes now… just like Ash.

Jane's are tears of regret, of sorrow. She just yelled at the same woman she would leave for dead on Virmire, if she hadn't been dragged here. She must feel like shit…

Ash doesn't look much better. But where I can't really help Jane, I can help Ash. I've let her arm go, and she just stands there and heaves for breath. I pull her into a tight embrace, and after some seconds of thinking she might reject it, as her body stiffens at the touch, Ash responds to it, suddenly clinging to me as if her life depended on it. I don't really know what to do here, so I just hold her tight and whisper;

"It's okay, it's okay… I'm here… You're… you're safe…" She just hugs me tighter, the heaves and sobs making her body quake. I feel… powerless. My rock, the woman I always thought indestructible, the one who stood strong against geth and aliens… is crying on my shoulder. After having stood there for a minute, stroking her cheeks and her hair, she breathes in and let's go off me. She sighs, and turns towards the shaken Spectre;

"Well… then consider this a second chance to right the wrong." She says, and then leaves the room, leaving the rest of us to look after her.