Alright, I'm back again. I know, "How did he manage to make new chapter so fast?"
The answer?
"A wizard did it"... or was it a lizard? Damn, I can't remember... anyway, he was armed with a potato and told me to get off my ass and finish this before the weekend. So I did.
And, by now most of you have probably figured out that I don't really have the weekly release date. Rather, I just write, correct and publish the crap. Crap! I cursed! Crap, I did it again! Cra- why does this feels like the Knights of Ni?
Anyway, there will be something in this story that none of you had expected, I guarantee it. And some... (to me) kind of weird and such situations... but heck, I'm not gonna try and spoil the story for ya.
One last thing though; I try out something in this story which I think will help me a lot in the future, so just give the unexpected a chance, and tell me about it in the Reviews. Hell, if it turns out to suck donkey, I'll have to think of something else.
And as an answer to Anonymous: "Sorry dude, But the only thing I know about Dr. Who is that som robot called Dalek is in it... that's pretty much it. And DA will not be included. I'm sorry if I gave you that impression. Hope you will continue to enjoy the story even though."
Anyway enjoy the story.
Humor and Tears
Normandy med-bay: 22:39 (ship time)
The med-bay is dark. I would guess the time is about 22: -something ship time, but I have no idea. Ash, when she made the gauze and plaster, was so brilliant as to leave on my Omni-tool, which therefore now is encased in five centimeters of plaster and cloth. I can hear the heavy breathing belonging to my "room mate" Kaidan, as he is sleeping due to the painkillers and the melatonin applied to his dinner. The stillness and the quiet in here… is almost unnerving. I have never been good at these situations, waking in the middle of the night, total silence and no one around. My ears always become so fine-tuned that I can argue with myself whether or not I just heard a burglar break in. Even here, on the Normandy with Garrus and Liara standing guard, I can easily imagine some horrible creature like the ones from my… hallucination, break in here and eat my eyes. Actually, there is a sound apart from the lieutenant's breathing. A small clock is tinkering away in the mess hall. Even to me, it sounds ridiculous that I should be able to hear it, but I have found myself listening to the same clock for almost… gods, how long… an hour? I can just hear it; tik-tok tik-tok tik-tok… and it just goes on and on. I can scarcely make out details in the room, mainly due to the fact that I have been here some times now. The thought makes me chuckle to myself;
"Imagine that I should spend one of the main missions… in the med-bay."
"Well, at least you are still alive… and t'is a good time to think…"
"Hey Roku… I know, but… I just feel…"
"Left out?" his voice hides a faint chuckle.
"That… yeah… was there anything you wanted to… you know, say… just until I fall asleep again?"
"Well, first; do you think the name fits?" Hmpf… not the first thing I had expected…
""Well… I don't think any name would fit you, but… there certainly are worse names than that… so, yeah… I would consider it okay."
"You could also just call me the love guru…" I swear, he is laughing now.
"Not going there again… and by the way… I have noticed something about you for some time now…"
"Oh, this should be good… what is it?"
"You have… become much more… guess I should say 'human'… "
"That so?"
"Yeah, I mean… when I first met you… you were this cold and un-feeling void… and now… hell, I would almost call you a friend… you have saved my life a few times now… not counting the train-thing…"
"Guess I have… "friend"… that is… a strange, yet… positive term… well, strange to me at least… it is funny to think of though… you were just supposed to be another job, another assignment… but now… I really don't want to part from you again…" he really sounds like he means it.
"Okay, hold again on the touchy feely stuff, okay?" Damn, that was probably a stupid thing to… think, but… I have never really been good at these kinds of talks…
"No, it's okay… I know your psyche, your person… even your soul… not much to get there by the way…"
"Say what?!"
"Just kidding, just kidding!"
"So… my soul is okay?"
"Jesus man, I was telling a joke! You know, "ha ha"?"
"Sorry, it's just hard to get used to you telling jokes… especially since I'm the only one to hear them…"
"So… to change the subject… I… kind of have a confession to make…" Why does he sound… ashamed?
"What's wrong? I mean… as long as it isn't because you are the one who drove that car… then I think I can cope with it."
"Well, it's not that… though it does have something to with you getting here…"
"Well, come on spit it out… I won't be mad." So, I'm telling a divine being that I won't be mad at him… when did logic die?
"So… remember when I told you that I was the one who brought you back, just as I did with Ellehammer?"
"Yeah…?"
"Well… I said that… the part about bringing you back… and…"
"Will you just get to the point?... sorry…"
"It's okay… well… it… wasn't me… who brought you back…" What… is he talking about?
"What exactly do you mean by that? You are the f**king eternal being here!" I almost shout at him, though I immediately regret it.
"I know! But… I am not the eternal being… so to speak… do you remember I talked about my predecessor?"
"Yeah, the guy who brought back… or forth, Attila the Hun?"
"Same guy… well… he was not just a predecessor, he was actually fired… or, more like evaporated from existence…"
"Can we just stop for a minute? My brain is starting to hurt…" and his tales really are insane… I mean, he is telling me there is someone above him?
"That's the main… thing, I suppose… I serve a being on a plane much higher than me, a being capable of dusting entire universes, simply by thinking it… and he does not look kindly to power-hungry servants…"
"But you don't strike me as power-hungry…"
"I was referring to my predecessor… or actually, we were… you mortals would compare it to working next to each other… colleagues? We were what you would call colleagues, although we never existed at the same time, and yet always have we been… are you following so far?"
"Honestly? You lost me at "colleagues"… but… you do realize that sounds pretty messed up… and what did your… college do? I mean, that was bad in the eyes of your boss?" there is a slight pause before he resumes speaking.
"Mortal men have a saying; "Deal with the Devil, and you shall meet him…" I think…"
"So… he traded with the devil?"
"In a way… in exchange for certain… services, he brought back one man from the early Middle Ages… a man of such hardship and… some would say evil, but I do not know… and planted him in the 20'Th century. He also brought a man from the future, although his knowledge of technology was erased, his visions of total world dominance were not… do you know who I speak of?"
"Well, the second one I can guess must be… Hitler?"
"Correct… and the first one?"
"No clue…"
"Let me give you a hint; big moustache…, killed millions of his own people?"
"Hmm… 20'Th century…big moustache, mass murderer… did he have political power?"
"Quite so, yes."
"I'll risk it and say Franco…"
"What the- Franco didn't have a big moustache!"
"Then who?"
"By Me… it shouldn't be this hard!"
"Just tell me."
"Who did Hitler wage war against?"
"The British?"
"D'oooorrrrhhh! The Russians you… incompetent… Stalin, he brought back Stalin… or forward, I guess…"
"But… why would… what would he gain by that?"
"Remember the deal with the Devil. In exchange for all the atrocities committed by these men, the other being would be granted power. It was his illusions that he would gain enough power to replace his own master… really stupid, if you ask me…"
"But he brought back Stalin and Hitler himself, so what do you mean by this? Other than scaring the hell out of me…"
"No… you haven't been listening close enough then… it was due to the deal with the Devil that he could do this… otherwise it had to be the "boss" that did the dimension and time jumps…" This is a bit… 'Don't know if I should say humbling or a boost to my pride…
"So, the master of all… took interest in little me?"
"Well… not really. It's kind of random who get's chosen for resurrection… I just decided where to dump you…"
"Well… you dumped me here… so thanks…"
"You are not pissed at me for holding this back from you?"
"Yeah, a little perhaps, but truth be told, I'm closer to wetting my pants than to shout at you." For the entire conversation, I've been completely still, not even opening my eyes again. I let out a sigh.
"Hmmm… try lifting your right arm…"
"I'm sorry?"
"Just do it, you may be startled, but you won't regret it…" and he's gone. Well, that was… what should I say, awe-inspiring… terrifying? But I comply, and raise my right arm in the air. Immediately, I hear the sound of footsteps, almost to light to be detected, but they are there;
"…..Kasumi?" I whisper, careful not to wake up Kaidan. It has to be her; everyone else is asleep or on the mission. And as I thought, I hear the tell-tale sound of her cloaking being deactivated near me;
"God, I hate it when you do that!" She says, not very careful not to disturb Kaidan who turns over in his sleep. I open my eyes again, and I can make out two small dots of light in the darkness. Seriously, she's got some creepy eyes…
"Can't help the way I am, can I?"
"Did the voice tell you I was here?" She asks, irritation obvious in her voice.
"Not this time, he didn't. Just told me to raise my hand… and that I wouldn't regret it…"
"How would he know that? Never mind, that wasn't why I came here… I overheard some talking in the engine room… did you have some kind of nervous breakdown?" She drags the chair to the side of my bed. Someone must have moved it while I slept. I just sigh again;
"Wouldn't call it that… and neither did Chakwas… it was some kind of… either a hallucination or vision… though I hope it was just a fucked up hallucination…"
"Well, what happened?"
"How much did you hear?"
"Just that you tried offing yourself… so, that made me curious…"
"Wait… who exactly did you spy upon now?" I ask. I really hope she didn't-
"Just the commander and Tali. They were alone in there, and he talked with her about you having pulled the gun on yourself, discussing how they should handle it… and then she said something about breaking your arm…" -she did…
"Kasumi… people on this ship tend to have a thing called privacy… heard of that?" I am answered with a childish chuckle. Damn, I hope she doesn't wake up Kaidan.
"Might have… but don't worry, they were only chatting for a short while before they had to go back to the planet. I think they are camping under the stars with the rest of the ground crew… well, minus Kaidan here…"
"Right, right, it wouldn't have made any sense if they had been down there now, makin- I mean, I am not surprised they are still at the colony…"
"You know, you still haven't told me what happened to you…"
"Right, right… well, to put it short; John, Tali and the rest of the gang had been transformed into zombies when I tapped his shoulder… and then he brought his gun to my head, and I fought against it… then Tali bit my arm, tearing through the armor, and John was closing in on my temples… then, I saw the clones, and I thought they were zombies as well. Then I discovered John and Tali weren't monsters anyway, and I was the one pulling the gun at myself… that's pretty much it…" She doesn't answer right away, but after some seconds of silence, she speaks;
"Hmm… sounds like you need a shrink… or two…"
"No… it was nothing like that… according to both the doc and Roku, it wasn't anything normal… Roku said it was foreign…"
"I'm sorry, did I miss out on someone? Who is Roku?" Yeah, she is probably thinking "Is there a person on this ship I haven't spied on yet?"… Bloody thief…
"Nah, you've already met him, sort of… my "guide" named himself after a character in a cartoon series I once watched… and I have to admit, it fits…"
"Kind of funny that it would be an Asian name…" She says, and I feel like this has gone on for long enough. She is starting to pry into matters not even Nic or Ash knows about;
"Wasn't there anything else you wanted to discuss?"
"Oh, right… let me just get the… where did I put it?... ehh… in this pocket?" She is going through her suit at the moment, checking every pocket she has… and probably some non-existent as well for something;
"Ahh got it." She says, and places a small… what looks like a chip on the sheets covering me. I fumble a bit in the dark, and manage to find the little bugger again;
"Kasumi… just what is this?" I ask, holding out the chip for her to see.
"Me earning my keep, I'd say." Try inserting it in a tool or a lap-top, and you'll be glad you chose me for the job…" and with that, the sound of her cloaking reactivating emits from her location, and she's gone. I try and examine the chip in the darkness, but I can't see anything but the outline of the small square piece of… whatever metal it's made of.
"You know Kid… you make some pretty interesting friends…" Kaidan's voice suddenly comes from his bed. I look to my left, and he is lying on his back, starring into the ceiling. I just stare at him for some time, and neither of us speaks. Then he speaks again;
"It's… kind of funny, you know… I would probably be suspicious of you, thinking just who were you working for and so on… and yet, because of the fact that you told us the truth… well, and saved my life, I suppose… I trust you…" I don't really know what to say. Kaidan has been such a bro to me while I've been here, that he could beat Garrus in the bro contest… funny, thinking about how people called you gay if you saved him on Virmire, how much hate he received for his way of treating Shep on Horizon.
"I… thanks Kaidan… I don't suppose I need to tell you that the feeling is mutual?"
"No, you don't. Although I am glad to hear that I've saved your life at some point, though I don't really remember it very clearly…" I chuckle at his response.
"Ha ha haaaaa…. You are so funny Alenko; I think it makes up for me getting shot in my ass while helping you."
"Well, I do my best... No offence kid, but I'm gonna hunt down this Kasumi and teach her not to mess with my sleep."
"Sure, if you can find her…" there is a pause where none of us speak, though it isn't an awkward pause like most of the conversational pauses I had in my time. I then speak again;
"You know Kaidan… when I first got here… I knew I had to tell you guys at some point… what I…"
"What you went through? What you knew?" he asks, a hint of sympathy in his voice.
"Yeah… but… I was always afraid… afraid of… spilling the beans, so to speak… because… because…"
"Because you were afraid we would shoot you or lock you up?" he says, a faint chuckle following his question.
"Yeah, that may have been part of it… but also the fear of rejection… the fear that you would dump me on the Citadel, and I would be forced to just follow your adventures in the news, maybe even the occasional casualty… like what almost happened to Ash on Eden Prime…"
"Or me some hours ago…" Kaidan adds, his voice still happy, but with an undertone of something else.
"Or you, some hours ago… what would have happened if, and I'm not trying to promote myself or anything… and now when I've said that it will sound like I'm trying to promote myself and… eh, to start over; if I hadn't been there, Tequila or Nihlus would have had to break cover and get you… then one of them could have been injured… or…"
"Killed…" He states very as-a-matter-of-factly…
"That… and… what would have happened when they met Delta Squad? They may have started shooting at each other… or when found out about Jane?"
"I wasn't there… what happened? How did the commander react?"
"How do you think? He met a human version of himself, a female even. He damn was close to fainting, but the fight I had feared never came, and we didn't lose hull integrity due to biotic death-throws or something…"
"So it went well?"
"I… wouldn't say it went that well… tell me Kaidan… how much of, well my history, do you know?"
"The stuff you and the commander told us in the conference room, that some eternal being transported you here and that you know all this from a game some guy named Hudson made… why?"
"Well… where Jane comes from… she… she fucked up a mission… got the other version of Ash killed… and when Ash, our Ash, heard that…"
"She went to town on Jane…"
"Almost did… it took me, Nic and Tequila to stop her, and then she just left the room…"
"What happened then?" he asks, his voice is now partially curiosity, and partially caution.
"Well, I went after her, and found her in the gym… if you will call it that… she were hammering away at the punching bags, almost knocking them off the hinges… I asked her if something was wrong, I know it was a stupid question, but I'm not used to dealing with that kind of problems… I can shoot geth, Varren or perhaps even krogan… but that kind of thing… I'm honestly not very good at it…"
"So… how did it go?"
"Eh… we talked for a bit, and I… well, I confirmed to her how I felt… and eh… we… eh…"
"I understand, not prying further." He says with a smile in his voice.
"Smile in his voice? That sounds strange…"
"Yeah well, how would you have me describe it?"
"He has the sound of happiness for others in his speech."
"Yeah, that really sounds better…"
"I can sense some sarcasm…"
"You don't say?"
"So… to change the subject back to that Kasumi girl… what did she just hand you?"
"Oh… that's a… I really don't know… I would need some light to see it properly…"
"Oh well, we're gonna be in tomorrow as well… might as well wait till then…" He says. And I'm pretty tired, so waiting does sound like a good idea. Man, good chats can really tire me out.
"Sure, let's… let's do that… (yawn) if you…" I'm asleep before I even finish the sentence.
Normandy med-bay: 09:24 (ship time)
"Now mister Alenko, try telling me if this… hurts." Chakwas says, before she presses down on the place where Kaidan was shot in the foot.
"Auaaouch! Yes, Doc, that hurts…" Kaidan says through clenched teeth. Chakwas just shakes her head like a mother in disbelief over her children;
"Really, you marines surprise me at some points. You can have your hand shot through, and you just look at it and say "Oh well, they can grow me a new one." But the moment I touch you like… this, you become small fussy babies who thinks everything hurts."
"Ha, yeah you just keep ranting doc, I'm not one of your small scared ma-riines!" She just swept over and gave me a soft touch on the place where the bullet was taken out. Well, actually it was five slugs, but she just shut me up with a soft touch. Fuck! That hurt!
"Did you say something Thomas?"
"N-no… Chakwas… I didn't…"
"That's what I thought. Now, none of you are in a position to walk out from this room today, and I still need to do some more scans on you Thomas. The last ones were… inconclusive… at best…"
"So… can't Liara help?"
"Why, I don't see how Dr. T'soni's education could help us here…"
"I meant some kind of… never mind… So… what do you mean that the scans were "inconclusive"?"
"They seem to shift and change constantly… but that's not something I should trouble you with dear. Now, I'll go get some breakfast, and I'll have Thompson send some over here as well."
"Thanks doc. I'm actually a bit hungry. 'Guess biotics need more energy than normal people…"
"Quite right Alenko… now, I bid the two of you a good morning, and try not to let the bedbugs bite you, hmm?"
"That's something you tell small kids Chakwas…" I say, mostly to myself as she has already left the room. I just lie back and stare at the ceiling, contemplating what Chakwas just said. Shifting… inconclusive…Liara… I wonder if Liara's mind meld couldn't help us figure out just what is going on here… but as far as I know, mind melding is pretty damn personal and not something you just do with strangers… or friends… by the way, I wonder if Garrus told her about my background…
"So Kid… we're all alone now…" If he shouts "Rape time!" I'm the fuck out of here! Ahh, but he would never do that.
"Yeah?"
"Should we take a look at that chip?"
"Oh… yeah, right…" I begin to check my pockets, as my armor is being repaired in the armory. I left the chip in my right breast-pocket, in my navy-uniform. My own clothes are only for when I'm just chilling on the ship. Right now, I only own three sets of clothes; my casual clothes, being my own and old from another world. And my navy blues, the official uniform of the Normandy, with its stitches and patterns and the small sigma of the Normandy; the SR-1 in white script with the red line under. Every time I wear this, I get so damn proud of it. Granted, I've only worn it once in public, and then I got to be insulted by a bureaucrat, doubted by a doctor, and shot at by hired guns… but still, it's a fine thing to wear. And lastly, what I wear right now, the casual uniform of the Normandy crew. The black and relatively but not too close fitting blouse and t-shirt, the dark blue pants with lots of pockets, and the solid shoes for walking around indoors. The shoes, of course, are placed on the floor, as I'm on the bed, but that's it. My wardrobe. And I'm content with it.
I fish the chip from my breast pocket, and place it on a small table that's been placed between us sometime while I slept. We both take a good look at it, as it is something I've never seen before. Then again, until a week ago, the only kind of ME-tech I had seen was the Omni-tool and the datapad… and this is neither.
"What do you think is on it?" he asks. I am pondering as well, but I'm pretty sure it's the schematics I sent Kasumi to retrieve in the Aliens universe… God that sounds strange… better not say that to Kaidan… but why not? He already knows about the whole inter-dimensional thing, but it was the idea that only I should know about Kasumi… then I told Nic, and then I told John… and why the hell not tell Kaidan as well… who is he gonna tell? Nihlus? Nah, Kaidan is solid.
"If I have to guess…" I say, using my right hand to scratch my chin, now covered in black stubs after not having shaven in almost a week. Don't know if the docs on Eden Prime shaved me, but I was clean when I came to after the train-accident. I've really gotta get a shaver… unless Ash like beards… no, I'm getting a shaver. I wonder what people use to shave these days…; "I would say it's the schematics I asked her to… acquire… before we landed on Feros."
"Well… let's see… wait, you asked her to get them? As in, you ordered her?" I just shrug and nod.
"Ha! Oh man, to imagine you as someone's boss… that's just priceless. Did you remember to tip her?"
"Hey, can we get back on track here?"
"Right, sorry… sooooo… do you want me to, or can you read something through the gauze?"
"Eh, you can have this round; I'll just direct and explain…" I grab the chip and toss it at him. He catches it and turns on his Omni-tool. He then, and by Mara, I have no idea how, uses the tool to read the chip, scanning it with some strange function… the tool lights up and gives a small ping! When it's done. Kaidan then looks at the tool again, and his brows furrows;
"Something wrong Alenko?" I ask.
"Just… it says "Property of the USCM here… what's that?"
"That my friend, is where the corporal is from."
"Oh right, she's a USCM marine… so what are these… data?"
"Let's have a look, shall we?" I say, and he presses the hologram-button. Almost immediately, a large screen, similar to the one I used to explain the Xenomorphs with, activates and hovers across Kaidan's tool. He takes it off and places it on the table, so that he can move to see better. I just stare: Kasumi has more than earned her keep, she's got us hardware… well, schematics for hardware, enough to take down Godzilla if it came to that. I ordered Smartguns, Sentries and plans for the UD-4L dropship… and she got us that… she's also got us plans for grenades, sniper rifles that, with a few tweaks, would outgun the mantis, Pulse rifles and even the APC… what we'll use it for, I have no idea, but she has covered us in gold!
"What… are these?" Kaidan asks, pointing at the schematics. I feel like I'm beaming;
"These, my good lieutenant, are hardware from 200 years into the future… tweak them to use mass accelerators, and heat sinks… and we have ourselves something that would make the geth crap fluid."
"Well… I'll be damned… and the big one here? The one that says UD-4L Dropship?"
"Uhhhuuhuhu! The jewel in the crown my friend. This dropship, if equipped with shields and a proper mass effect engine… is the fastest, deadliest and toughest motherf**ker of a gunship you'll likely ever see. Let me show you… here… equipped with air-to-air, air-to ground and guided rockets, miniguns and a 24mm main gun, seven cm of titanium plating, capable of going from zero to 200 k/h in ten seconds … give it an armature, and the fucker will tear the geth a new one. Besides, I plan to equip it further with some tech I'll have Kasumi collect next time."
"You sound rather… proud, don't you?" he says, a grin obvious in his face.
"Well hell yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
"Not that these aren't better than the mantis, if we can get it… but that's just it… who will build it?" Oh…
"Oh… I… eh… hadn't really thought about that…"
"Do you think the Alliance will?"
"Well, they will probably be interested, but they wouldn't be able to build enough of these fast enough for it to matter… still… they've got the resources…"
"You're gonna sell it to the turians?"
"The turians? The most warmongering race in the galaxy who tried wiping out mankind? Why, I don't see why not."
"That was… sarcastic, right?"
"Yes…"
"Then who? Asari?"
"Last time I checked, the Asari wanted to make love, not war… not that the Ascension isn't a big badass ship… but they would take too long… people who live a thousand years tend to take their time…"
"The Salarians then?"
"Could be… Valern seems to believe me… about the whole Reaper thing that is… are there other options?"
"Well… the Quarians are master shipbuilders… have to be to survive…"
"Yeah, they were among the first I was considering, but they barely have the materials to keep themselves floating, not to speak of starting to build a big fleet of gunships and such…"
"Wait… none of these things classify as more than gunships… what exactly do you intent on making that Kasumi retrieve?"
"Oh, wouldn't you like to know?"
"Oh come on!"
"Kaidan… I'm not even sure if it can be done… so I don't want to go and get people hope up only for it to be smashed to tiny bitsy pieces when the big space squid attacks…"
"Alright, I guess I can accept that… but what about the gunships then?"
"'Don't know… neither humanity, the Salarians or the Quarians can do this on such a short timer…"
"Has it occurred to you to propose a joint effort?"
"Say what again?" I stare at Kaidan. Did he just say something really smart? Or am I hallucinating again? I look around… Well, no monsters around…
"Thomas… you do know that this ship, for an example, was a joint effort and project by the turians and humans… right?" I could smack myself… actually, might as well… and I do ye ol' facepalm. Kaidan just looks weird at me in return.
"Kaidan… if it wasn't because my ass would kill me for it… I would hug you!"
"Hey bro, no offence but I like girls."
"Sure ya do." I say and start laughing. Kaidan may just have solved a problem I've been fighting for some time now. Make the three races fucking cooperate!
This solution could also solve another problem, namely the issue with racism. If at least humanity saw that the Quarians not only could be trusted, but also were master shipbuilders and navigators, the view might change, and the Migrant fleet would find an ally in humanity. As for the Salarians… are they actually racists? When I think about it, I don't think I've ever actually seen a racist Salarian in the game… I wonder if the whole "suit-rat" thing went by their noses… or whatever they have…
"Well, that is a good thing."
"Damn right it is! Now the only issue I can think of, provided I don't get anymore hallucinations, is to find out more about Jane… I'm sure something happened that wasn't supposed to. In the game, Torfan was a moon, if memory serves, and there were no children there… the name "The butcher of Torfan" was given to her because she slaughtered all the prisoners, even the janitors. But… what is Torfan here?
"About girls…" I say.
"Yeah? Need some advice with Ash?" he asks, his face lit in a smug smile. Damn, I hate that kind of smile, but I guess I started this…
"Probably at some point, but I'm not talking about Ash…"
"Who then?"
"Jane…"
"Ahh…"
"What do you know about her…? I mean, on a personal scale?"
"Not much, haven't had a chance to really talk to her yet, but she seems… at a loss. Almost like she's missing someone… know who that might be?"
"Nope, both you and Liara are aboard…"
"I'm sorry, what?"
Never mind… I have another question."
"Shoot"
"Back where I come from… and Divines, this still sounds strange, Torfan is a moon… a military base… no civilians or anything…"
"A moon?"
"Yeah… What is Torfan… here?"
"Well, as far as I know, it's a garden world somewhere in the Terminus… why?" Oh for the love of Mara! A garden world!?
"That would explain some things…" Roku says. I can't help but give a small nod.
"How… how many people live on that planet?" I ask tentatively. I pray he says something like seven people, or a hundred millions… something that would make massacres impossible;
"Hmm… there are a couple of colonies… each I think has about a couple of hundred residents… "
"Military?"
"With Batarians… what isn't? But as far as I know; no. I believe it's all civilian… Thomas, you don't look very well…" he says, concern in his voice. Hundreds! Hundreds of people! Hundreds! HUNDREDS! By the Devil, Jane has better have some explanation for this! If she… if she killed… I'm going to…
"To do what? Beat her up? Shoot her?"
"I was thinking more along the lines of reporting her!"
"Reporting what? Nothing has happened on Torfan in this universe… this version of it. Technically speaking, Jane hasn't done anything wrong."
"So I just forget about it?!"
"Would the Batarians care if some Batarian commander had massacred a human colony?"
"That's not THE FUCKING POINT HERE!"
"Thomas… your face is really red…" Kaidan says next to me.
"Is it? I really hadn't noticed…" I say. I think I may sound a little mad, because he looks at me with concern in his eyes;
"Was that a chat with the voice… or another hallucination?"
"Drop it mate… I'm not going to tell… but yeah, it was the voice…" my voice is deadly still. I wasn't trying to, but I think I actually scared Kaidan. Crap, that wasn't my intention… he was just concerned for me…
"Sorry… I didn't mean it like that… it's just… I think there is something I must do… and I doubt I'll be happy with the outcome…"
"Is it about Jane?" I just nod. I guess Kaidan decides to drop the subject, and we descend into silence. After about two or three minutes, Kaidan breaks the silence;
"So… you and Ash…"
"Hmm?"
"You are together?" his question takes me by complete surprise. Even though the conversation started out with that… or was that last night? I really can't remember…
"Hmmm… yeah, you could say that… wait, actually; yes, we are together, and I bloody love her mate!" I wasn't planning to shout it like that, but I'm not regretting it either. It's true; Ashley Williams is the love of my life. The cynical would now say "the love of your life so far…" but if someone told me that… I'm not sure if I would punch him or laugh at him. She may be four or so years older than me, but hell; that doesn't matter a shit's worth to me.
"Glad to hear it. She seemed very distraught when you were brought in here, almost started crying and then she slapped your face some times. Nicolai mentioned that you never were the fastest with the girls… back home, but here you must have changed. How long have you known her…? I mean, as a person?" God, that sounded weird coming from him… a person who only some weeks ago was nothing but pixels… just asked me how long I've known Ash in reality…
"I didn't know her till I ended up on Eden Prime… apparently drunk as a mule… the docs said I had had enough to down an elephant, and then I saw her… actually she saw me first. It was Ash who brought me from under the rails to the medical facilities in the colony. So in a sense, she saved my life from the moment I got here… but I've known her about as long as I've known you… plus a day or two…"
"And you've fallen for each other in that short time?"
"Yup, miracles among miracles, right?"
"You could say that. I'm still kinda impressed with what I heard about you down there…"
"What did you hear? That I spent the first day talking to ghosts? That I sucked at the shooting range?"
"You threw her out of harm's way and took a rocket meant for her…" oh…
"Well, actually it was meant for us both, but… yeah, I didn't… I didn't want her hurt."
Kaidan looks at me in a way that makes me feel… I don't really know… it's not a negative feeling, but also it's one I've rarely felt before… it's… hard to explain… while Nic has been an almost lifelong friend, Kaidan with his older age and bit more experience in all matters… is almost acting like a big brother. Yes, I know that sounds unbelievably cheesy, but it's something about his way of speaking to me, and probably others as well, that just makes you want to trust him with your life…
"I am really beginning to suspect that I am not the person you are telling this…"
"What makes you think that?"
"It's hard to be concrete, but the way you are speaking to yourself… almost like… nah, never mind…"
"Oh… okay…" That was close…
"So… I know this is probably gonna sound incredibly stupid, insensitive and prejudiced, but is there something between you and Jane? I mean, is something blooming?" He looks pretty much like I would have expected; a big "WTF?" written in his face. I feel how my blood starts boiling with embarrassment;
"Why the hell would there be that? Do you have some weird plan of making everyone on the Normandy a couple?" He says, a really strong tone of wonder in his voice.
"Eh… no… and never mind… just forget I said anything…"
"No, come on. Tell me about this plan of yours." Plan?
"There is no plan… I had just noticed that Liara seems to… nah, that's probably just my imagination… and then there is Nic and… crap, I'm not supposed to tell anyone…"
"So… Liara is something, and Nic is something with someone… that's pretty solid…" He says, his voice has an undertone of sarcasm and a hint of humor. He bloody thinks I'm trying to play Amor here! So, if that was true…
"Lol Kaidan, if that was true, the Normandy would be either a love boat or a flying circus… speaking of which, I think I just came up with a name for my gunship… if we can even get one…"
"First… what the heck does lole means?" I may look calm, but inside I'm laughing my ass off. Never thought I would meet someone who didn't know what "lol" means.
"Lol, my dear Kaidan, is an, to you, old expression. It dates back to the early twenty-first century and is short for "Laughing Out Loud"… funny that you didn't know that."
"Weird language you Danes had…"
"Oh no, you misunderstand me. It was American by origin."
"Oh… well, the second thing is… what do you mean "Your gunship"? I was under the impression that John was in charge here…"
"Yeah, well I thought that since I have some simulator experience from Homeland Security, and it was me who came up with the idea to get these things… I would get to name the aircraft and paint its logo… or symbol or whatever it's called…"
"Alright, next question… what is "The flying circus" you mention? I suspect it isn't just because Nihlus called the Normandy a freak show and such…" I stop smiling and become dead serious. I look Kaidan deep and hard in the eyes before I ask him;
"Kaidan… have you NEVER heard of "Monty Python, and the Flying Circus1"?"
"No… are they some kind of circus in a spaceship?" I slap my own face, and regret it. Kaidan couldn't possibly know what they are. Well, time to educate my superior.
"Kaidan… we have work to do." And by work I mean download and watch every single M.P movie ever made! "Life of Brian", you're up first!
Elsewhere - same time
Sergeant Olafur hadn't really had the best two months in his life, more like the two shittiest months of his life…
He had been walking down the halls on the Citadel when some fucker stopped him and his girlfriend. Before any of them could react, the asshole had overheated his gun into the Sergeant. While his girlfriend had used her biotics to throw the man to hell and back, Olafur had collapsed on the floor. While she was bended over him, trying to apply medi-gel and call for help, the darkness had taken him. Swept him away like a warm blanket. He didn't feel any pain when the life disappeared from his body, when the medics tried to revive him. He could only watch from above as the red head of his love was planted on his chest, crying out to the world. At last, the turian medic had just given up, looked at Jane and slowly shaken his head. This in turn made her begin to punch Olafur's chest, desperately trying to wake him up. The pool of blood he had been lying in had been growing steadily until it just stopped. He still remembered her words, while she screamed and cried at him… or rather, his corpse. He had been forced to watch from above as the woman he had known and served under for the past five years were battering his corpse, crying her heart out. He just couldn't answer her. He could feel the tears pressing, but none appeared. He was without a body, so how should he be capable of crying? Then, the medics carried the corpse away, leaving the Jane to her grief.
"THIS WAS NOT IN THE PLANS" He had, body or not, nearly pissed himself when he had turned around to look at the embodiment of all people's fear. The Grim Reaper, in all his repulsive appearance. The bony fingers gripped his scythe with a strength that showed on the wood. His face could not be seen, and Olafur was quite content to let it remain that way;
"Who the… what the fuck is this?" He had screamed, his own voice echoed over the Citadel, but no one seemed to hear him. The woman was still kneeling where the pool of blood was, occasionally touching it with a finger, stirring the dark red mass of fluid. Olafur looked at her, wanting to tell her that he was still here. But he could not.
"Jane… please look up! Hear me!" it didn't work. His commander was more destroyed than he had ever seen her before. Her mascara was running, drawing long dark lines down her cheeks, and her entire body shook with waves of grief and sorrow. Running feet could be heard, and a turian as well as a Quarian arrived from around the corner. They stopped dead in their tracks when they spotted the commander;
"Shepard! What happened? We heard you had been shot!" Garrus shouted, quickly closing the distance between them. He stopped when he noticed that it wasn't Jane's blood;
"Wait… where is the sergeant?" He asked very slowly. His eyes never left the pool of blood Jane was crouching on. At his question, Jane had broken. She started violently getting sick and crying at the same time. Tali rushed to her side to hold her, and even though the woman did her best to comfort her commander, the only thing she had gotten out of it was human puke on her legs.
"Jane!" Olafur had shouted one last time before the scene grew dark. He had turned around, facing the being in front of him;
"THERE IS ANO-"
"Shut up! Get me THE FUCK BACK THERE!"
"THERE-"
"I SAID SHUT UP! I don't care who or what the fuck you are! I am not doing this crap again! Get me back to her! NOW!"
"THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE!
"No! No! No! This can't be happening! Not again!"
"BE QUIET MORTAL!"
"What?!"
"THERE ARE ALREADY THINGS SET IN MOTION. IF YOU DO NOT PLAY YOUR PART, ALL THAT THERE IS IN THIS GALAXY WILL END!"
"And I should care right now because?" At that point, Olafur could have told the universe to go fuck itself. And he probably just had.
"YOU WILL PLAY YOUR ROLE IN THIS, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!"
"Like hell I will!"
"YOU DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE! EMBRACE IT!" And before Olafur could respond, or even flip his now non-existent finger, the entire void became a bright white light.
When he had come to, he had been lying in one of the small public toilets in some kind of bar. Then he had noticed that he had been stripped of his uniform, and dressed in that weird coat that, for reasons unknown, was so popular these days.
And that was how he had ended up here. Sitting in his chair at the bar, he looked over Nos Astra's skyline. It was really quite a sight to behold, and one he had learned to appreciate during his time here. He wanted to get the hell of Illium though, but he couldn't afford the bloody ticket for even the lousiest piece of crap space ship.
Hmpf… what a turn in the world… from renowned Alliance marine… to damn near a beggar in this… "New life"…didn't even get drunk on the job like Harkin…well, not too drunk… well, I was allowed to… Hell, Jane drank more than me!
The screen in the bar turned on, and the Asari owning the place, a nice woman named Atheyta, had allowed him to stay, even though he hadn't bought anything the entire time he had been there. Something told Olafur that she could sense his downfall, how it wasn't even his fault. And the fact that he never ordered a drink must have made her believe that it wasn't because of drunkenness either. And it wasn't, but how would he be able to tell her that he had been re-incarnated or some shit like that. Fuck it… I'm gonna get something strong… I need it…
When he signaled Atheyta, she came over with a puzzled look on her face;
"What'll it be babe?"
"Give me the strongest… no, the second strongest thing you have…I'm not really feeling for the whole "being sober" stuff anymore… hasn't helped me so far…"
"Sure thing babe… Batarian shard wine?"
"Sure… just as long as it isn't Ryncol… I've heard it does nasty stuff to non-krogans…"
"Yeah… here you go. On the house…" He was surprised, to put it mildly.
"But… aren't "on the house" drinks for people who come here all the time to drink?"
"Yeah well, you seem like a nice young lad… well, young for an Asari, and it's not like you will drink me out of business."
"I… thanks Atheyta…"
"Ahh heck kid, cheer up. Go find yourself a girlfriend, get a job, start a family. Don't know how long it is you humans have…"
"Hmpf… I am only twenty eight, you know. That's… well, I knew this Asari once, name was Liara T'soni. She was… I can't remember, but she was in Asari years what I am in human years… Atheyta, why are you looking so tense?" The matriarch had stiffened along his line of speech, and he didn't really know why. Was it something he had said?
"It's nothing babe, you can tell me about her some other time. Right now I… I think I need to… get something to drink… water, that is…" The Asari left the bar, leaving her assistant to deal with whatever costumers that may arrive. Olafur looked at his glass; the green fluid swirled within, giving off a faint aroma of spice. Well, down with it. And in one breath, he had emptied the beverage down his throat. Man, it burns!
Sighing, the young Icelandic dark-blond-haired man placed his glass on the desk and looked at the screen. It was that ungodly annoying reporter; Ke'sani… Kalisa… or something. Westerlund News really had a poor hand when it came to choosing their reporters. At some point, a guy had actually thrown his glass at the screen when she came on, only to have it hurled after him by the biotic bartender. She may not like the woman either, but it was entertaining when a person had enough and hit her… or as a krogan once did; threw her ten feet across the street.
Now, however, Olafur was starring at the screen with a dull expression. He had been in this situation so often, he couldn't really remember. It was always the same. Trying to find some news about Shepard. He hadn't dared asking anyone, as he feared they may have said something like; "Shepard? The commander? Yeah, he is… and that was the word he feared; "He". At some point though, Olafur knew he would see Shepard in the news, and he would either be crushed by the sight of a manly and masculine Shepard, or he would hijack the nearest ship and go wherever it was she was, if he saw Jane on the TV.
"Guð fjandinn!2 I can't just sit around like this!" He sneered under his breath, causing the nearest patron to shift his gaze from the screen to him. He noticed that other than the turian patron next to him, no one paid him any attention.
He got up from his chair, thanked the bartender and left for the main floor. Somehow, he had to find his way back to the Citadel, even if he had to make real on his promise of hijacking a ship. Wasn't like he hadn't done worse things in Jane's company…
He noticed, out of the corner of his eye, a few turians and a volus were talking to a female Quarian. It wasn't like Olafur had anything against the Quarians, hell; he respected them and had served with one who he had considered among his best friends. Tali… I wonder where you and Garrus are now... are you helping Jane come to terms with whatever the fuck happened? Am I just back in time? Will I meet myself? All these questions raced though his mind, and he hadn't noticed that his had stopped walking all by themselves. For some reason there was something about the situation with the Quarian that caught his attention. Why does this seems so familiar? He asked himself as he eyed the group. One of the turians left the group, looking somewhat distasteful with what was going on. When he had made it some ten meters away, the Sergeant caught up with him;
"Hey! Turian! I saw you leave that group. What's going on?"
"Stay out of it human, it's not fun business." Within seconds, Olafur had the guy against a wall.
"What exactly do you mean "not fun business"?" his voice had become very low and threatening, and couldn't be heard unless people listened in on him.
"They… she has made some debt with the Volus, Samor Kun, and now he wants his money… with interests…"
"Does she have the money?" Olafur now made his voice a bit friendlier. A thing he had observed from Jane on one of their missions, interrogating a Batarian.
"She has the amount she burrowed… but not the amount he wants…"
"What will happen when she can't pay?"Olafur was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol now, and it might have an effect on the way he fared with the turian.
"Why do you think there aren't any women in the group?" Oh hell no! The Icelander thought.
Now he knew why the scene looked so familiar. He had seen the same thing with Tali in the back alley all those months ago. The way the turians crept up on this girl was the same that the pervy bastard had tried on the Citadel.
"That'll be over my fucking dead body!" The man said, letting go of the turian who hurried away, grapping his throat in the meantime. He might have lost his weapons and his uniform, but this marine had not forgotten his training. Let's hope to God I can actually pull this off!
As he hurried back to the scene, he scurried the hallways looking for… bingo! He found what he was looking for in the shape of a metal pipe, about the size of a normal bat. This will do… I hope…man, I wish I hadn't taken that Batarian shit… I feel a bit… angry…
When he returned to the scene, he realized just how good it was that he had actually gone back when he did;
"So (tsk) do you have my money (tsk) girl?" the volus looked very confident surrounded by his guards.
"Yes… but I can't pay the rates. You didn't tell me there were rates when you borrowed me the money!"
"(Tsk) Learn your lesson girl. (Tsk) There are always rates… especially for your kind." This was when Olafur stepped in. Whether it was because he missed a purpose in life after having lost Jane, and didn't care about dying, or the fact that this scene reminded him so much of what had happened to Tali, he really didn't care. It could also simply be a combination of those two, adding to it the fact that he was pretty close to being drunk.
"And what do you mean by "her kind" Volus?" he asked, stepping into the light but keeping the metal pipe on his back. The group turned to face him, and the girl used the opportunity to slip away. Well, that's phase one… what was phase two again? He was soon reminded as the volus now noticed that his "friend" had slipped away.
"I really hope you did (tsk) that because you wanted to pay me…"
"That depends, and I ask again, mole man. What did you mean by "her kind"?"
"Quarians. Suit rats, thieves and vagrants. This one refused to pay me back the money I (tsk) so generously borrowed her (tsk). Now, are you going to pay the (tsk) seventy-five thousand credits she still owes me?" That is a lot of money… she didn't look like she was very rich, and Quarians usually don't spend that much money on themselves…
"Hmm… I don't really think I have the currency… how about we figure something out, and no one gets hurt?" at least he still wasn't drunk enough for his speech to be hindered. That was good- if he slipped up here, he knew, even in his less than sober state, he could end up in the gutter.
"Hmmm… (Tsk)… I don't know… (Tsk). Those money would have paid my… (Tsk) friends here (tsk) to avoid violence… (Tsk)… but now…" The volus simply turned his back to the man, and stated to his buddies;
"Search him."
Ohhhh…. Crap... it did come to that. Well, let them try.
As the turians nonchalantly walked towards the sergeant, everything seemed to freeze. He took in the looks on their faces, if one could call them that, how their eyes beamed rage from being denied their fun with the Quarian girl, how some of them actually were armed. He didn't see any guns, as guns would probably make too much noise, but he noticed more than one small blade.
Well, I do seem to make friends real quick, don't I?
As the first alien moved in to grab a hold of him, one of those with a knife, he moved. The guy didn't even realize what happened before he was on the ground, clutching his face and screaming with pain and rage as the blood seeped from the gash Olafur had made right above his mouth, almost breaking one of the mandibles. The others seemed to stop, looking at the now pipe-armed man and their wounded friend. It was only for a moment though, as they suddenly launched at him, trying to pin him down and some even tried stabbing at him. When the first turian came to close, he received a smack on the head and a kick in the groin, if he even had one. The next one got the same treatment, minus the kick in the groin. Olafur didn't remember if it was like with humans, and he didn't really care either. It looked like it hurt, and that's what mattered. When he looked away from the lizard, trying to concentrate on the rest, he could feel the alcohol starting to do its job. Things became a little blurry, and while he tried regaining his focus, another pair threw themselves at him. One of them managed to stab him in the thigh, but was knocked out before he could retrieve his blade. Olafur cried and cursed in pain, pulling out the small blade and wielded it in his left hand, while his right hand kept a firm grip on the pipe. There was some blood on it now; a blue smear stained a large portion of the metal.
"Come on! I've got all day bird-brains!" He shouted at them, causing one or two to look at each other before one of them simply drew a pistol, a small wimpy piece of crap from his back, and fired a shot into the human's right leg, just below the knife-wound. The pain and shock caused him to almost collapse, though he remained in a crouched position, swinging his deadly bat at anyone stupid enough to come close. The turian seemed like he was taking aim again, this time at his other leg.
Oh hell no you fucking bone-face!
Switching hands, he now held the knife in his right, keeping the blade between his fingers as he stared the turian in the eyes. The alien suddenly realized what the human in front of him was going to do, and took aim at his leg. Before Olafur could even do something, let alone throw his knife, the turian fired his gun, sending the troublesome human to the ground. Now on his knees, Olafur cursed and blindly tossed his knife towards the turians.
He was actually rewarded with the sound of someone crying out in pain, and looked up to see the very same turian who had shot him, now holding a hand to his face. He seemed to be bleeding from a wound on the side of his head, clutching it while he shook from the sudden attack. There was also something else about the guy now, and the human realized what it was when his eyes were forced to the ground by two other turians who had moved in while the man was down, holding him in a tight grip, then pressing him towards the floor.
A mandible… take that… you bastard…
Olafur had discovered that by some insane amount of luck, he had managed to slice of one of the bastard's mandibles and the knife had continued through it and given the asshole a deep gash on the side of his head.
"Hold him!" The turian said, still clutching the left side of his face.
While the two turians held him down, the sergeant could see the approaching turian raise his gun at him again.
I wonder if this is how it ends… I wonder if I'll just be spirited away again, or if I just blew my only chance of finding Jane again… provided… she was ever even here…
He could follow the eyes of the turian as he picked up the knife from the floor where it had fallen after being removed from his face. He then looked back at the restrained human, an evil smile upon his face;
"That really hurt, what you just did… let's see if you like it the same way…" as he said this, he knelt down in front of the man, looking at the two turians who restrained him. Having made sure that there was no way the arrogant primate could hit him again, he moved closer in. Only to receive a kick to the head. The restrainers had not, for Spirits knew what reason, thought about restraining the human's legs. Simply because Turians didn't use their legs in martial arts, they had assumed it was the same with humans. In return, the turian placed his foot on the human's throat, almost blocking of the airflow.
Fu- fuck! Was this part of the plan as well? Olafur thought, desperately fighting against his restrainers. The turian with the one mandible leaned in closer, still keeping a foot on his throat and allowed him to get a good look at the knife in his hands.
He is gonna slit my throat now… and it will all be over… Guð fjandinn…what I wouldn't give to have Wrex here right now…
But the turian wasn't going to slit his throat. Instead, he pointed the tip of the blade at the humans cheek, letting it rest there for a few seconds, looking into the eyes of his victim… and he wondered, why they weren't full of fear, but of hatred and defiance. This pissed him of, as he usually liked to look at the fear in people's eyes before he had his fun with them. He then started pressing down on the blade, causing the soft human skin to break and allow small droplets of their weird red blood to pour out of the small cut. Having made sure that the human knew what was going to happen, he then pressed harder, finally completely penetrating skin and flesh.
Is he… Is he gonna- Arrrghhhhh! Guð fjandinn! Fjandanum!3 The pain he was experiencing now was even worse than anything he had tried since arriving on this over decorated hell-hole of an Asari world. The knife continued its course through his cheek, opening it like a scissor through paper. After what seemed like hours of torture, he hadn't screamed once. He wouldn't give the fucker that pleasure. After the turian must have realized that he wasn't going to enjoy this guys screaming, he retrieved the knife and delivered a hard kick to Olafur's head. Then all was black.
The Normandy: 12:37 (Ship time)
"Alright kid, I've gotta admit it; you do have a good taste in comedy."
"Of course I do! Who else, other than the Flying Circus could come up with Arthur's knights being slaughtered by a rabbit?" man, I don't think I'll ever get tired of this film. We've just watched the last scene in "The crazy knights" Honestly I still don't know the English title, as I simply asked Kaidan to search for the Danish title.
"I was more surprised by the police suddenly stopping a medieval army and arresting the king. Damn, gotta love the Brits and their humor."
"You don't say. And that, my good lieutenant is why they call it"the Flying Circus"… reminds me I've to cross something off on my "to do" list… I say, and make an imaginary mark on an imaginary piece of paper in the air. Kaidan just laughs at me, and then asks;
"So what was the "To do" thing you just crossed off?" I look at him and chuckle;
"Educating people from a future universe in the finer arts of British humor… I just wish "the Duck" was as easy to translate…"
"What's "the Duck"?" Chakwas asks. She joined us for some of the movie, and got a good laugh from many of the scenes.
"Not "what", but "who". "The Duck", aka. Anders Mattesen, is… or was…the single best comedian in my country. Seriously, I usually couldn't watch five minutes of his show before I had to leave the room due to insane laughter."
"You know Thomas; I'm not really having such a hard time imagining you laughing like a maniac." Kaidan says. I look at him;
"Oh Kaidan, you hurt my feelings!" I say in a mock sad voice. All the while I'm using my free hand to clasp my forehead in the "damsel in distress" kind of way. As Kaidan is laughing, Chakwas returns to her work and I just lie here. You know, considering the fact that I got shot in the ass and got those freaky hallucinations; perhaps this isn't such a bad thing. I'm spending some time with Kaidan, getting to know the guy a little better, and teaching him and Chakwas about humor. Seriously, they like some rapper-type standing on a scene yelling jokes about black dudes… Humor sure has degenerated since the 21'st century…
"Hey Kid, I'm receiving an incoming call. It's from Williams."
"Huh… wonder why she called you…"
"Could be my wining personality…" I send him a glare; "Or the fact that your Omni-tool is encased in gauze and plaster…" Yeah, that sounds more like it, you cheeky bastard…
"Catch!" He says, before tossing me his tool which I then continue to drop and catch a few times before I get it under control. I just hope I didn't turn the piece of crap of in my fight against gravity. I'm relieved to see that the thing is still beeping, so I press the receiver, or whatever you wanna call it, and hold it to my face. Don't know why, but you seem to have to have it in front of your face when you are speaking into it… or, what I mean is… ahh, sod it. I open up the call;
"Mjallo?" I say.
"Hey there Thomas, I was hoping to catch you awake. I stopped by earlier, but Chakwas said you needed rest. Fair enough, she's the doc here."
"Good to hear your voice Ash. 'Was starting to be afraid you had dumped me for Garrus." I say, chuckling while I'm speaking. While chatting with Kaidan is a good way to pass the time with both Ash and Nic out on some crazy mission, it can't beat hearing Ash's voice;
"Yeah well, I figured I would, but then I smelled his breath, and let me tell you, a real romance-killer" I can hear the smile in her voice, and it boost my… well, my mood.
"You were about to think something else, weren't you?"
"Shut up Roku…"
"Awww… I'm sure he is feeling terrible now. Maybe I should go up to the entrance and see if he likes men?"
"Screw you Thomas!" she laughs. That wonderful happy laughter…"I was… I was just calling in to… hear if you were alright… I mean, have you had any more… episodes?" her voice has changed now. It's more serious. She cares about me, and even though I don't want to be reminded of that… nightmare… it is good to hear that she cares for me.
"Nah, I've been good. 'Been spending the day teaching Kaidan and Chakwas about proper British humor."
"British? I thought you were Danish?"
"Born and bred. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy some proper entertainment when I find it, even though it was in English." She sighs into the speaker, but it's a happy sigh;
"Figures… we are out here risking our asses, while you dally away in a bed, watching comedies. So, what was it?"
"Ahh, you probably don't know them, way before your time… literally…" I say, trying to sound like one of those annoying hipsters, as they called themselves. Hipsters… I wonder what that even means…
"Come on. Try me."
"Well alright, but don't be surprised if I could as well have said "Apple pie" or something like that."
"Come on Thom; don't keep me in the dark like this!"
"Sure, fine. Does the name "Flying Circus" mean anything to you?"
"Besides what Nihlus called the Normandy, while he forgot about the radio?" whoops! Nihlus, you better watch yourself around the Delta's if they were listening in on that.
"Yeah, besides that?"
"Hmm… I remember mom had some old disks with that name. Said they were something she had found on the extra-net, and then downloaded."
"You're getting hotter Ash… I mean, in the search…"
"Ouh, I was hoping that was meant about me…" she says, her fake sadness not very good at hiding something more… sultry? Nah that must be wishful thinking.
"Oh… well, that was… I mean… Stop looking at me like that you idiot!" Kaidan is just looking at me with a smug grin. I swear if I could reach him…
"Are you calling me an idiot now?" Ash says. I can hear some skepticism in her voice. Oh snap!
"No! No, no, it was just that cheeky bastard to Kaidan who is looking at me in the most… well, not a very gentlemanly way… what I meant was… well, I…" Oh crap, I'm not very good at this… I mean, do I even have the permission to call her "hot"? Not that she isn't, but we haven't even had a real date yet… oh screw it, might as well;
"Well, yeah Ash… I was talking about you. Or, I was only talking about you if you don't find it… offending…"
"Crap Thomas, you can take bullets and kill monsters, but you can't talk to girls! Man, this is just glorious and awkward at the same time!"
"Well, I am only one guy!"
"Yes handsome, you are a guy. You are supposed to be able to talk to girls. That's kinda how the world works." Did she just call me handsome?
"Handsome and handsome, I haven't shaven for over a week you know?"
"And I like the rugged and somewhat primitive look of you with a beard, but I also meant under the beard… which actually tickles when you… is Kaidan and Chakwas still in there?"
"Yes…"
"Oh… then… Well, I can see the commander signaling me. Gotta go."
"Alright. And Ash?"
"Yeah?"
"Take care out there. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you while I just lay here…"
"Don't worry, I will."
"'Guess that means I'm free to die right?" What the-
"Nic, you bastardo! Did you listen in on us?"
"… No…."
"Alright Ash, keep both of you alive, but feel free to put a bullet in his ass."
"Will do. I'll call you later Thomas."
"Yeah… bye." And the transmission ends. Kaidan has gotten his smug grin back;
"What?" I ask him as I glare and toss back his Omni-tool.
"Seems like I'm not the only one who finds your little chats interesting."
"Why- What the- Kaidan, you better hope I don't get out of this bed anytime soon!" I shout and toss my pillow at his face. Then, I just sink back down on my now pillow-less bed. Am I in Heaven or Hell? I can't really figure sometimes…
Normandy mess hall: 14:17 (ship time)
Where or how the heck Nic found sausages, I don't know. And frankly, I don't care. I found a plastic bag with discount sausages, probably for a lunch, in case he was out. Which, by some amount of luck, he is now. Splitting open the bag, I pour its contents on the desk and cut them in little pieces. A roast and some spices later, and I'm enjoying a hot meal. Mind you, preparing and eating lunch is kinda hard with only one functional arm. Anyway, I join Kaidan and Liara at the table, while they have already begun eating their lunch. Kaidan is having the same as me, and Liara… I have absolutely no idea what she's eating, but it smells great, and looks like I'll throw it right back out. she did give me a somewhat similar look when I explained to her what a sausage really is.
"So… yeah. A sausage is in principle a part of the guts of a pig, filled with its own meat…" She looked at me like I had just puked over her;
"Goddess! How can you humans eat such a thing?" man, I swear. The look she gave me. Shy or not, it was a look of complete fear and a bit of disgust at humans tastes.
"Easily; It tastes great. Want some?" I offer her one of the pieces of chopped sausage, whereafter she runs to the ladies room, keeping a hand over her mouth. I give Kaidan a confused smile, though I can't keep the laugh in for long;
"Was it something I said?" He just shakes his head at me, taking another bite of his lunch, flinching as he puts weight on his bad leg.
"Perhaps. You do realize that you may just have scared her for life… and Asari live long lives."
"Ahh, don't you think-"And as I'm speaking, the sound of someone throwing up in the ladies room can be heard across the room. I swallow, scratching me neck; "Okay… perhaps I did cross some line there… but Asari eat squid mate. That's almost even more disgusting than eating sausages… considering their, you know, head-thingies…" Kaidan just gives me a nod, and I look behind me. I'm practically scared out of my pants to see the Asari in mention standing right behind me. Oh crap!
"Eh… Hello Liara... sorry about that sausage… thing…"
"So… Shi'iani is disgusting?" Oh, so that's what they call it.
"Errhh… is that what it's called? I mean… of course it isn't disgusting, it's just the… principle. You know, like saying sausages are disgusting because it's basically eating an animal from its own… I mean, it's just... Errrrhhh… just forget I said anything… I… sometimes I don't really think before I speak…I…"
"Let's just forget about it, alright?" She says, her arms crossed in a casual manner. Did she just puke out the shy and awkward Liara?
"Sure… "
As I scoop in the last bite, I notice Liara starring at me, actually kinda like the doc on Eden Prime did. I freeze with the mouth open and put down the food;
"What?" I ask her, in perhaps a bit too annoyed. She looks down at her meal again; the embarrassment is clear on her face. Nope, the awkward girl is still there.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to stare… just, is what Garrus says about you true?" I swallow a lump. Oh… that…
"Errhhh… depends if he told you I'm a homosexual Elcor, or a time traveler…"
"What? Why would- Oh… that was a joke…"
"Yeah, he makes a pair of those… and normally they suck…" Kaidan bids in. I look at him in my best mock offended way;
"Why Kaidan! I am really very hurt right now." I punch him. It's funny; normally hitting your superior would get you thrown in the brig, but Kaidan just holds his arms up in defense;
"Hey, I'm just the audience. Can be a tough crowd at times."
"Tell me about it… but, yeah… I'm a little special in my own way Liara."
"I see… and these… nightmares you have been experiencing… the one where you tried to… shoot yourself… how many of those have you been experiencing?" I scratch my neck, averting her eyes. Damn, for a shy person she really knows how to make people nervous…
"Only one so far. It was scary, to say the least."
"And Chakwas told me that it seemed like something dormant had been in control of your nervous system, and I was wondering if I could help you… if you want my help, of course." Huh.. I wasn't expecting that, to be honest.
"Eh, sure… but aren't you an archeologist? I mean, I wasn't aware you were a doctor… in that way."
"Oh… that wasn't exactly what I meant…I have been giving it some thought, and… I could meld with-" Whatever she was gonna say is cut off as our comm. system crackles to life;
"This is Chief Williams updating available ground crew. We have been able to make the guy Nihlus's team found in the tunnels speak some more, and he seems to suffer from the same shit that got over Thomas. I'm gonna ask Fai Dan about it. This place is staring to give me the creeps. Also, the commander left in the Mako with Tali, Boss, Wrex and Sev. Tequila is tending to a wound inflicted in Fixer by one of those jumping geth things. He took some kind of slug in the head, but the armor stopped it. Jane is now in command of colony-based ground crew. Ashley out." Well, that was unexpected.
So the team has split up, and the toughest guys have left for somewhere else, and my girlfriend is starting to get freaked out over the colony. Great… still, feels good to be out of bed again. I think I was starting to develop some kind of rash on my… back. Probably because I'm not used to being in bed for over twenty-four hours. As crazy as it may sound, I want to go out there again. I need to go out there again, to do something, anything. Instead of just sitting here. I turn my head back at Liara, currently chewing on what appears to be squid. Oh man, I just can't get Gardener's words out of my head "Seems a little cannibalistic to me though, with their tentacle head and all. But they know good grub"… yeah… still looks wrong though.
"So… you were saying?" I return to her, resuming, or trying to resume our conversation from before. She gives me a somewhat startled look, almost like she was hoping I had forgotten about that.
"I… and don't take this the wrong way. I don't know how much you know of the Asari… I could… make a mind-meld with you, seek out the source of whatever is troubling you… if that sounds okay to you… or, if it doesn't, then just forget I said anything…" Well, this is even more unexpected. Wait, wasn't that mind-thing only meant for Shep? Or in this case, the Sheps?
"Errhh…. Isn't that practically considered… uhhrr… intercourse… among Asari?" I say, rubbing my neck as I feel my cheeks… and the rest of my body, heat up. Is it really hot in here? I can tell by my response that I must have gotten something right, as Liara shifts from the color blue to purple;
"I… well yes, but… it doesn't have to mean… what I meant was… Goddess, this was so much easier in my head."
"Oh, don't get this the wrong way! I mean… it's just that… I am with Ash, and… I would never cheat on her… and I know that you don't intend to… man, why can't I just finish one fucking sentence? I… would like to have this whole mess cleared up, but I'm just afraid of… well, the whole "melding-thing"… that it will freak me out or I'm gonna panic or something… what if I become addicted to it? That can't happen, right?" Oh Mara! This is embarrassing beyond belief. Why is it that every time I think that I can't climb higher on mt. Awkward, I just discover another hundred meters to the top? I mean, what will… how will Ash react to this? I'm practically considering sex with Liara… which some months ago would have made me jump, of course… but I just can't bring myself to cheat on Ash! Oh Fuck, fuck, fuck! What the Krosis do I do?
"I would suggest that you accept it. It would also give me a chance to meet someone else than you. I could show myself to her in the form of Avatar Roku, show her around your mind, talk with her. How does that sound?"
"So you want me to be nearly unfaithful to the love of my life… simply so that you can have a date with Liara?"
"Well… when you put it that way… but still, she could figure out what's wrong with you, since Chakwas and I can't."
"Sometimes I wish I was a Quarian…"
"Why?
"Because no words in English are powerful enough curses and swears to cover what I feel right now!"
"Was it something I said?"
"…Nnnnnoooo… it could just be the thought of having forced mind-sex with a girl who has only known me for half an hour altogether, plus the fact that I'm taken!"
"Oh… you could not just not tell Ashley?"
"Don't… don't go there. I've already kept secrets from her once, and that felt horrible."
"Sorry, sorry…"
"Fine… I'll fucking do it… for the love of Talos and the Devil's ass and !"¤!"¤!"%#&¤"…"
"I think it's a good thing I didn't catch the last bit…"
I look back at the two people at the table. Garrus is still at guard up by the airlock. Liara and Kaidan seem to have realized I was having it out with myself… so to speak…
"Well… have you… decided?" Liara asks me, nervousness in her eyes shining like someone had made her a Jack-o-lantern.
"What, does it have to be now?!"
"Well, the sooner the better for your sanity, I'd say." Kaidan adds.
"I'll remember that the next time you're forced to cheat on your girlfriend, Kaidan."
"Sorry, just trying to help…"
"Well I don't really need people in support of this right now. I need some kind of alternative here."
"If you see any, let me know. I have no more desire to ruin your relationship with the Chief than you do Thomas." Liara says. I can hear that she isn't very happy with this, but still, she proposed it!
"Fine… let's just get it over with so I can kill the memories with any alcohol we have aboard…"
"Kid, you're not twenty-one yet. Not old enough to drink." Kaidan says. God, right now I hate the big-brother act.
"Kaidan… Dane, remember?"
"So?"
"For fucks… Danes can drink, and does it, as early as age sixteen!"
"Well I'll be… why did I grow up on the wrong side of the planet?"
"Not my fault… now, shall we get this over with?" I grumble, and turn back to Liara. Great, my first time, and it's with a blue alien woman… whom I don't even happen to love… or know all that well.
Liara positions herself better so that she faces me completely. She takes my head in her hands and looks me in the eyes. Hey universe, remember when I said fuck you too? Well, now it's fuck you fucking Universe! And Liara's eyes go black. Oh Mara, have mercy on my soul! I never meant to cheat on Ash!
"Embrace eternity!" Oh Fuck!
1 "The flying Circus" is a British show with humor darker than a black hole in the shade of another black hole. Seriously, go check them out.
2 God Dammit!
3 Fuck!
Well... Shit... Thomas is forced to cheat on Ash, or at least, that's how I see it. If any of you guys can come up with something that would make him hate himself less, feel free to join in. Or, you could just sit back and wait and see what I've got in store for you guys.
Alright, I do hope you weren't completely thrown off by the sidetrack with that sergeant. Don't worry. As I said, it will make sense in due time.
As the last request, remember to review and share your thoughts at this, my first expiriment with two POV's. If it actually worked out, I've pretty much got this book and part of the next one planned out already.
And I kinda feel like I need to say this, as so many people have been telling me about this "issue". It's kind of a Spoiler, so just don't scroll down if you don't want to see it.
There will be no more new characters in this book. Can't speak for the next one though. Heck, the combination of John and Legion? Imagine the possibilities. That last part was purely imagination, so don't slaughter me in the reviews for revealing canon from ME2.