I
Am
So
BOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!
All I do is sit here all day and watch the electrode solution make bubbles. I average 10 minutes an item. It isn't mentally or physically taxing work, but it makes my cutey booty antsy after a while. There are no days off. Not that I have a boss yelling at me to get to work, but there is almost nothing to do. The first few days I spent in between dunks I scrolled through the extranet. If you thought social media was bad with facebook, twitter, instagram, etc… There are hundreds of different apps for the different species. There isn't a platform for all races. They expect me to generate an account and spend all day linking to all the other sites. Wrex has what I am calling a spacebook account, but he never posts anything. Kaiden and Ashley have to approve my friendship and who knows how long that will be. I had a break and looked up what Gorgo and Sartan's lives have been like. They're doing tremendously well. The baby pictures are to die for. First was a boy then a year and a half later a girl. Who would have thought a humanoid porcupine hybrid would have the cutest large eyes you'd ever see.
More time was spent learning the kesh alphabet. I repeat my mantra "you're doing this for Tali" to get me through this. Why can't they learn the omniversal vibrational language? It is easy. If someone is upset, they send off stay back signals and you are supposed to listen. I got bored again and watched the bubbles. I count how long it takes for the big ones to pop. Took a metal rod and made swirlies. The only good thing about this job is that I get time alone to focus on energetic maintenance and to examine my new body. I feel like a twig. A beautiful twig, but still a twig. Tali deserves a sexy mate, but apparently their diet prevents them from gaining muscle as it lacks certain nutrients. I wished she would have told me that before I did 50 squats. My legs are sore. "It is only a year" I tell myself. I have been working hard this past decade. Maybe I'm due for a break.
I sampled the nutrient paste they serve to all quarians. It is made from algae grown in hydroponics supplemented with turian protein powder and artificial flavoring. The taste is weak. Dilutions were done in order to spread the flavoring to as many quarians as possible. While it is not bad, I don't enjoy it. Thanks to Karla's cooking I copied, I created bites of her dishes in my virgin mouth. Quarian food hits different. New taste buds mean a new palate. It will be a while to understand what nutrients this body craves. I know what you are thinking, the ability to eat as much as you want, resetting to an empty stomach, and eating again sounds awesome, but like any sensation you tire of it after a while. The nerves crave other experiences.
The shift is variable. Some days I am finished in 6 hours or so, rarely it is 11 hours and that happens because the days before, I ditch work and I run away because Tali finally has free time for her man. The other quarians don't understand why she is dating the son of an exile or how an admiral approves of it. Oh, I forgot to mention Rael made up that story to explain why I am ignorant to quarian culture and that I lived with the humans. Rael also informed me a young adult is facing punishment and in the following week, I'll have an assistant for three days. I'll have to scare him straight.
Other than that, when my responsibilities are finished, I head over to where Rael and Rann stay. Since they are admirals, they have something that resembles a studio apartment. It feels cramped with the three of us inside. Tali has to get caught up to the changes they made to the ship while she was away. I don't get much time to see her. Maybe half an hour before she collapses to sleep. Does her work not understand she has a boyfriend in need of high daily doses of love? This is only supposed to be like this for a while. Currently we are modifying a mini fridge to accept the ship's power supply. The shape of the outlet and voltage is different from what I am used to. Rann is very excited to try real quarian food. My bribe to get on her good side. Rann takes a piece of toast with jam on it. She hides her face in the corner while she takes a bit. She moans with pure ecstasy then quickly inhales the rest.
"I'll need more... MUCH MORE" she said. Got her.
"Nanana. Hang on. If you want more… you are going to have to do stuff for me" I said.
"What do you request?" she said.
"I.,.. didn't think this through. I just now realized I got you hooked and when I think of something I want, I'll let you know" I said.
Rael asks "Does human food taste this good?"
I answer "there are so many different types of food and each body craves something different. The pleasing sensation of taste is more of a response to acquiring something you needed from your diet. Different bodies I've worn had different needs and therefore tastes."
Rael asks "what did you eat to cause your eyes to become… no other human I've seen had your eyes."
"Have you seen his face?" Rann asked.
"Yes. Humans freely show their faces. His is underwhelming" Rael said.
"HEY!" I'm insecure that my face is too wide.
"I keep forgetting that we have a human aboard. This is so strange" Rann said.
"You don't have a human aboard" I said.
Rael says "He said he was born and raised as a human, but likes to think of himself as conscious energy, but his body is that of a human male."
"No it isn't" I said.
"What?" Rael asked.
"I used to be a human but now I'm a quarian" I said.
"You're a real quarian?" Rann asked.
"WHAT! This isn't a holographic illusion? You're in an actual quarian body? Flesh and all? With everything?" Rael asked.
"Yes and I know what you are referring to and it is saddening" I said.
Rann says "I did not get the meaning of that."
"As a quarian, while my swagger dagger is a bit longer, I lost enough width to worry about performance."
"I'm sorry?" Rann asked.
"That is what he refers to as his reproductive organs. He calls them that because he believes it is funny. *********, our translators are not capable of making words rhyme in another language. I just realized this changes things" he said.
"I know it doesn't, but it makes me happy to say. What did you mean by changing things?" I asked.
"Umm… quarians consider children the greatest blessing they could have… and my daughter…" Rael says.
"Go on. You can do it. I believe in you. Take that thought to its conclusion" I said.
Rann said "Tali has said numerous times, she does not wish to have a child."
"That is not what she told me" I said.
Rann perks up and gleefully says "She did!"
Rael's energies are fighting within himself. Fear and hope clashing for the right to be expressed. Pride his line doesn't end with Tali. Anxiety it'll continues with ME! Like fire and water battling, it generates steam, traveling upwards to his annoying throat. A powerful expulsion releases the energy into a satisfying sound.
"ANCESTORS!" Rael sobs. His six fingers form a display stand for his lowered visor. I jump to his side and wrap my arm around him.
"Why do you say it like that? Are those tears of joy? Is it because you just now realized one day, my totally awesome genetics could silence those pesky annoying workaholic DNA strands you put in my dear Tali. Did you not realize we work to live and enjoy time with loved ones you work-drunk excuse for an admiral?" I said.
"ANCESTORS!"
HAHAHAHAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!