Tali and I stepped out of the war room to let Wrex and Ashley pick their jaws off the floor. As Tali carefully closes the door, I hear Ashley berate Kaiden for not telling her. Time to leave. In the meantime, Shepard said he wants me to meet some people. An old friend he made before he went on to N7 training. That will have to wait as I want to make sure I know everything I need to know.

"Hold up Shepard. Before we meet the new cast, I need some things cleared up" I said.

"Like what?" he asks.

"Like how it deviates from the game. First up what is the status with the thorian?" I ask.

Shepard answers "The thorian is afraid the Reapers will find it and kill it like all organics. In exchange for protection, it offered its spores. For whatever reason inhalation of the spores reduces the effects of indoctrination" he said.

"Won't they become those plant zombies? What if after the war it decides to mind control everybody?" I ask.

Shepard said "Those creatures were never human to begin with so that is not an issue and the thorian's ability to control works via special aromatic compounds. We're way too far away for it to have any influence. I'd offer you the lack for a better word vaccine, but I don't think you need it."

"Ooo my intervention paid off. What about the Rachni?"

"They are helping with construction of the crucible" he said.

Tali asks "Crucible?"

Shepard answers "It's a super weapon that is our only chance to eradicating the Reapers from the galaxy once and for all. I have no idea how it works but we can really use the quarians and geth help to finish it."

Tali said "I'll advocate to her people for a temporary alliance but no promises."

Shepard says "The clock is ticking, and I need as much help as I can get. Please let your people know that. A personal request from the spectre who saved their lives."

Tali says "I'll try."

I nervously ask "How's Thane?"

Shepard says "If you are asking if he is alive then yes and surprising, good. His sickness isn't completely gone yet. Mordin and him used what you taught him and are combining it with our medicine. They might have a cure soon. Other drells are reporting improvements in their conditions as I've been told. Currently, Thane isn't here and I have no idea where he is."

I wipe the sweat from my brow "Woo that's a relief. He could have died saving the council from Udina. Wait what happened there?"

Tali says "Udina tried what? He was such a nice man. Beside you my cherished he was one of the only humans on the citadel to be nice to me."

Shepard says "Most members of the various governments were forced to take thorian spores to prevent indoctrination. Udina fought really hard to avoid it. Turns out he was indoctrinated. So slightly no one had any idea. We think he came into contact with a shard of Sovereign somehow but that is a guess. When the docs injected him with the spores, it caused some kind of reaction making him incredibly violent and we had to put him in a medically induced coma. It's a shame too. He's a good man who sometimes let his job take over the best of him."

I said "I'm sorry that happen, but come on, he is a politician. What makes you think he wasn't willingly working with the Reapers?"

Tali tugs my arm "you shouldn't say things like that."

Shepard invades my bubble "Listen to your girlfriend. I know things weren't what they were supposed to be where you're from but Udina was not like that and for the record he's an ambassador, not a policy maker. As much as a pain he could be, he's earned more respect than this."

My essence trembles at the idea. A good high level government employee. Did I finally find one after all the universes I've traveled to? Eugh shivers everywhere.

"Geez man back up. Sorry but I assume the worst in politicians because usually that is the case. Glad to hear it is different here. I'll try fixing him after the war. Let's see what else. Let the gears in my head spin, it's getting rusty in this contraption. Need to Wd40 inside. GOT IT! Did you go to Thessia yet and fight Kai? The asian samurai dude with robo leggings?"

"I did. He's leading the group who broke off of Cerberus. Even for a moving target he is really hard to hit. I think he has some kind of light distortion technology like Kasumi in order to trick us. Liara is having a hard time. Turns out the protheans jump started their civilization and the matriarchs kept alot of information away from the other races. She's really upset her people lied to everyone."

"Isn't that a bit hypocritical for the shadow broker to want information to be free?" I said.

Tali looks at me "What? Liara's the shadow broker?"

Shepard says "We weren't sure if you know that or not. Not like it matters. For fun she tried finding anything about you in this universe and came up empty."

Surprised I ask "Really? You know my full name you didn't find anything? Was there a me in this Earth's history?"

Shepard said "Not at all. Liara definitely would have found it. You don't exist here."

Tali is curious about my relief and asks "Why do you look so glad?"

I explain "Because I hated that part of my life and my mind likes to wonder to 'if someone could have helped me why didn't they?' then I'll start feeling guilty and want to help the other me, but then I'd be afraid of him making the wrong choices and it's just not a good idea."

Tali asks "You wouldn't help the other you at all?"

I reply "you have no idea how nearly identical different variations of people can branch off to two totally different versions and with what I know could hurt alot of people. It's too dangerous."

Shepard asks "That didn't stop you from teaching Samara or Jack."

"Samara has a disciplined mind and the wisdom to use it properly and I'm only teaching Jack enough to heal her trauma. How are those girls doing?"

Shepard said "I rescued her daughter from a reaper attack and Jack might need help. The system where her facility she is teaching at has signs of a Reaper present. They shut down power only to maintain life support hoping it will go past them, but I want to stop there as soon as I can."

Tali asks "She's a teacher? Of what?"

Shepard explains "Jack had nowhere else to go and I referred her to the alliance for a teaching position to train the next generation of human biotics. Surprisingly she loves it. Jack said it gives her purpose."

I ask "Have you seen her? For some reason she only wants me to call and not video chat."

Shepard responds "I haven't, I've been too busy. Anything else?"

…

"Where's Legion?" I ask.

Shepard looks away, rubbing the back of his neck "That's our next mission. Sorry Tali but you should know, the Reapers are occupying Rannoch and they captured Legion and are using him to control the geth. We need to rescue him and stop the signal."

"MY GAMING ROBOBUDDY IS IN PERIL! I manifested one of the strongest weapons I've ever come into contact with. The shoulder catapult with dirty rusted blackened metal grabs the attention of a rightfully worried commander.

Shepard sensing something is very wrong cautiously "*********, what is that?"

"This is called the fatman" I said.

The name creates an itch in the commander's cyborg head of his. "I heard that name before but can't place it."

"It's named after the bomb that was dropped on Japan. My favorite aluminum bestie is in danger. I'm not holding back as much. I spent months in the fallout universe searching for this. It fires a miniature nuke." I said.

"PUT THAT THING AWAY NOW!" He orders.

I lower the weapon and wimper like a sad puppy. Why can't I use this in other universes? It is so fun to use.

"Fine I'll put it away. Why are people so against nukes? It just a larger explosion using uranium instead of gunpowder" I said like a sad kindergartener.

Shepard yells at me "DO NOT BRING RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS ON BOARD!"

"Fine principal Shepard. I'm sad now, cheer me up" I order.

"Well, I do have a surprise for you. Something not even you could predict" Shepard said.

"Is his name Javik?" My eyebrow raises.

"FUCK! I wanted to get you at least once. Ah follow me I'll introduce you" Shepard radios the prothean and we go to his room. We enter. The last prothean is washing his hands with some kind of black goo.

Javik waves his hands in the air. "Ah yes another human wants to see the last prothean. The great Javik. Invading my space once more for…" Javik sniffs the air and immediately turns to face me. He says nothing. He's just standing there. Almost menacingly. The atmosphere grinds to a halt and no one wants to cut the tense string in the air.

"What is this?" He asks. One set of eyes blink.

"This is *********. He's the special one I told you about. I thought it would be best to explain it to him" Shepard said.

"Is something the matter?" I ask.

"What are you doing? Your hormones are perfectly balanced, and your pheromones are the strongest I've seen. I can smell your meat is saturated with minerals and nourishment essential for life. How did you accomplish this?" he asks.

I give the last prothean an impromptu 5 minute spiel.

Javik says "Fascinating. Humans are capable of this?"

Shepard asks "You believe him?"

Javik replies "Why wouldn't I? Can all human accomplish this?"

I explain "Everyone is capable of this, but the price is great and training is intense as well as lengthy. Most people do not know this is possible."

Javik says "Are there others in this cycle capable of this?"

"I have no idea. People in futuristic civilizations are comfortable living so they don't normally choose this assuming they believe this is possible. I'm probably the only one in this galaxy capable of this."

Javik comments "How strange your pheromones disappear."

"What? Humans don't have pheromones" I said.

"Why do you primitives speak such foolishness?" Javik asks.

"Excuse me?" I said.

"Reality proves your words are false. How have the primitives advanced so far yet blinded to their senses" Javik shakes his head in disappointment.

Shepard says "When he first woke up, he grabbed my head and somehow downloaded my language but not everything transferred exactly. Like lying."

Javik says "I do not understand this lying. You humans tell me things which are obviously false. Do your own senses betray you?"

"Um Javik. Lying means telling something that is not true in order to manipulate people. Typically for personal gain" I explained.

"I can smell the indoctrinated ones. Their throat tightens slightly and affects their scent" Javik said.

"Javik… we can't sense that. Except me, if someone lies to us, we can't tell" I said.

Javik asks "What do you mean? Are you suggesting I can say anything I want, and the primitives will believe it?"

"Well no. Humans lie to each other all the time and we will learn to spot it. But if no one can prove you wrong then oh…" Javik's lips curl upwards.

Tali asks "what just happened?"

"I think I just gave him an idea" I said.

Tali shrugs off what I said. She steps forward to introduce herself to the living relic "Hello my nam-"

Javik yells "STAND BACK quarian female. Do not attempt courtship display. Your scent is leaking from your suit. I will not waste my seed on a field which will bear no fruit. I must save my strength for combat with the Reapers!" Javik angrily sits down on a chair. He grabs a tablet, resting it on his lap to hide his OH!

"I don't understand" Tali said.

"You never bathe, do you suited quarian? It has saturated the pheromones on your skin and leaking out through the vents. It is affecting the males near" he said.

"Javik I have no idea what you are sensing but humans don't have or can detect pheromones" I said.

"Strange you are the one who denies it. I do find it odd your pheromones are awakened when the rest aren't" He said.

"What are you talking about?" I ask.

"Repetitive endocrine glandular abuse, which seems common in this cycle, or chronic stress stops the production of pheromones, primitive. For energy allocation intended for repair or to signal the environment is not yet suitable for reproduction" Javik said. THAT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE.

I turn around and throw my hands in the air. I can't believe that's why I had issues in the relationship departments.

"What? What is it?" Tali asks.

The suit. The suit must have blocked it out. All this time I've been signaling it's go time to the ladies and you, you feel in love with me, not the chemicals. My Earth stressed us out every single day and the government kept saying we were overpopulated to guilt trip us into imposing totalitarian control measures and to continue mismanaging our resources" I said. That is why I feel so enthralled by Tali and why I feel so activated when she took off her mask.

"Oh is that why I feel so... you know when I take off my visor?" Tali asks.

Shepard asks "You really had no idea?"

"My Earth knew animals had them, but we didn't think humans had the ability. Wait Tali what do you feel when you take off the mask?"

Tali nervously looks away "I really want you. I mean REALLY want to. I thought it was normal." I really want her after this conversation.

"What would that do to others?" Shepard asks.

"Females naturally would be drawn to him, men would be submissive in his presence. Find him charismatic and tolerate normally inappropriate behaviors as their chance for domination is low" Javik said.

Shepard fiercely stares at me. That's why he put up with all my shenanigans. He knows I'm the alpha. Hehe I'm the alpha male. Wait alpha alpha or pick up street artist alpha? Wouldn't I rather be a sigma? What about sage? Sage *********. NO NO Rune GOD KING *********. I'll come up with my title later. I have needs to take care off.

"Well, Javik it was nice to meet you. I'm sure we'll be talking a lot. Shepard kindly please escort Tali and myself to our room. Now." I said.

Javik rises from his chair "HALT primitive. I have questions."

"There will be a group Q&A sometime soon. In the meantime, think of whatever you can think off. Bye J."

Please give us our own room. Please give us our own room. Please give us our own room. Please let three be the magic number here. PLEASE! I NEED PRIVATE SPACE!