"Stop! Everyone stop! Weapons down, please!" I cried, reaching out towards the group as far as my wired arms could go. Valérien positioned himself between myself and Shepard, Garrus and Tali. The tall turian gave Shepard heated gazes with murderous intent. The small army of turians trained their weapons on Shepard's team, surrounding them. What caused this whole stand-off didn't matter, Shepard, his crew and the turians outside had gun drawn and were ready to kill. The turians wished to protect me, but they would kill each other if no one stopped them! What to do, what could make them stop? Val struck me as an 'act first, deal with the consequences later' kind of man.

"So this is Shepard," Valérien said, eyes locked on the human. Shepard's eyes narrowed.

"Kid, lower the gun," Garrus warned. He wasn't bothered by the other turians around him. Val spared him a glimpse, but Val's gaze pinned on Shepard. He gripped the gun tighter.

"This is the guy the mercs wanted to use you against?" Val asked, hackles rattling. The guns twitched in the Normandy crew's hands as they assessed the situation. Shepard swivelled his eyes to me, frowning before turning to Val. Val's frame trembled, knuckles locked around the gun. My breath rasped, dizziness settling in as my eyes switched between Val and Shepard. My breath hitched when fingers twitched on the triggers.

"Valérien, it's ok! They didn't know! T-They had to leave me alone, they were forced out of the embassy… m-more or less!" I said. Valérien scowled, eyes burning.

"So why are they here now then?" he asked. My mouth floundered, struggling for words. "If they had finished what they intended, they wouldn't be here!" he growled. Tali stared over her shotgun at the surrounding turians, she turned to regard Val.

"Just who are you?" Tali asked, shotgun steady.

"The turians who saved her ass," Val rumbled, the growl in his chest rumbled in my throat like a base beat. My eyes flew around the room, frantic glances around the room. There had to be something, anything to stop them, to force them to disarm. Anything! My gaze latched onto the tubes taped to my arm. They fed me the painkillers and fluids, nothing vital but they didn't know that... My eyes flew between the groups and the tubes. My hand grabbed the tubes, eyes raised to the soldiers, wincing at the stinging pain as the needles wriggled in my arms.

"P-Put up the weapons I will pull these tubes out!" I cried.

My bluff was all my cowardly self could to. A certain trait called courage was required to actually pull them out. It would hurt like hell and they could be alarmed, sending nurses sprinting into the fray if the IVs attached to an alarm or something. Too many people around a group of trigger happy soldiers... the body count would fill this hospital. Val turned to face me, glancing down to the IV tubes. My fingers squeezed them for good measure, my stomach twisted, my body rocking from the trembles. He studied me for the longest time, mandibles clicking. Was he taking me up on my bluff? After several tense seconds, he lowered the SMG. My held breath released as Garrus and Tali put their weapons up. With great reluctance, the turians also dropped their weapons, following Val's example. Shepard kept his pistol at his hip, but it didn't point at anyone. Valérien and Shepard stared each other down before both holstered their weapons. Every other gun sheathed soon after. With the danger passed, my hand released the IV lines.

"Alright, everyone friends now?" I asked. Shepard and the crew remained still. Val snorted.

"Not even close," he muttered under his breath. Garrus narrowed his eyes, but aside from the turians and me, no one else seemed to hear. They weren't putting holes in each other, I had to be content with that for now.

Valérien turned to glance at me, reading me for a split second. His gaze shift back to Shepard. His posture straightened, mandibles set against his cheeks. What was he up to now? He crossed the threshold of the door, securing the door behind him. My heart sank. My upper body leaned forward in a move to test the limits of my body, and that of the IV lines. The wires tugged, stopping short from peering through a piece of unobstructed glass. My hearing focused, trying to pick up any sign of violence. Mumbled words leaked through, lots of talking and the voices sounded strained. A shout rang out, but the walls muffled the words. My heart thundered in my chest. Still no gun shots, which was good. What was going on out there? The minutes passed and still the muffled words and odd snap were just out of reach. Then silence. My breath stilled in my throat. A rumble of voices, discontented but not shouting.

The door slid open, my senses heightening as my spine straightened. Valérien strutted through, eyes twinkling. He looked smug with those raised plates and the wide toothy grin. What had happened out there? Whether that made me relieved or worried was another matter. Valérien stopped by my bed, leaning his elbows on the bed. My wide eyes locked on his emerald eyes, but his rough skin and the metallic shimmer was mesmerising with the golden hue from the sunset igniting his face. Val dropped his voice.

"I convinced Shepard to take you on as a temporary crew member as a scientist," he said. My eyes bulged jaw dropping. "It was easy, I played his guilt or as you humans say 'guilt-tripped him'," he grinned. "He's an ass but stupid in all honesty, 'You found her, you left her alone for 5 minutes and look what happened. Would never have happened had you done your duty and seen it to the end,'" he mimicked. "He didn't have a retort for that. He's stupid," A scowl creased my face, but relief flooded me, calming my anger. Although, what 'scientist' entailed in the military was another matter. "You'll be going on as a scientist, so don't worry about going the front lines... with any luck," he gave a dark frown to the door.

"The only thing to note is that his is a temporary matter. Shepard will get all your Alliance details sorted out. When a position has opened, then they'll be shipping you off to an Alliance research facility or something. So you may go back to Earth, you may not. You'll have do exams to test your competency, but you're a smart girl, you'll get through it. You are joining the army though, so expect physical training and basic combat exercises," he warned.

"T-Thank you..." I said, throat clogging. Tears threatened to spill, my teeth clamping down on my lips to stop it. Relief, gratitude? It made it hard to speak whatever it was. They wouldn't send be back to Earth, They would keep me on the Normandy for a little while. It wasn't Earth, but I'll be in the Alliance. A job, money, a chance to get back on my feet. Val grinned as my emotions overwhelmed me, he chuckled as my quivering breaths shuddered in.

"I couldn't let you go back to Earth with good conscious, not in your state. You'd do nothing but kill yourself out there," he shook his head. His mandibles clicked as his eyes drifted to stare at nothing. He shook his head, pushing himself onto his feet. "I need you to promise me something,"

"I-I'll be careful," I said, shuffling. Val managed a short laugh.

"No, no. Not that," he said with a taut smile. My brow scrunch up in confusion. "You will be on a military vessel, you'll visit planets for missions. But I need you to promise me this. I need you to stay off a planet called Noveria. The intel I have is... well, it isn't friendly. Promise me to avoid it as best as you can. It's a shady place, people go missing for saying the wrong thing," A shudder quaked my frame. Oh great, so whole planets were safe or dangerous. What was so bad about it? Was it a... slaving world? Did that exist? That didn't sit well with me.

"I promise," I said. His shoulders relaxed.

"Thank you, I know-" he glared at the door as a knock rang out. His mandibles clicked when it opened. He pulled his shoulders back as Shepard, Garrus and Tali entered. My eyes studied the group, concern rising like a spring tide. The tension in the room rose. Valérien brought out his orange gauntlet thing, frowning at it. He sighed, almost in defeat. He gave Shepard a sharp glare before turning gentler eyes back to me.

"I need to return to my squad, we have a shuttle to catch," he said. My eyebrows upturned, lips turning down as my hands fidgeted with the blanket.

"Oh... y-yeah, I understand, Val. T-Thank you, for everything," He smiled. "Will you keep in touch?" He blinked, drew back with flared mandibles. His mandibles clicked once, his posture relaxed.

"Sure. If you have an omni-tool, I can forward my contact details," he said. My expression blanched. Omni... tool? What the hell was that? My eyes flicked to Garrus, managing a nervous smile. The silver coloured turian chuckled, earning a glare from Val.

"She doesn't own one, I'm afraid. She didn't even have a translator when we first met," he explained

"I-I didn't k-know what you were when I saw y-you," I said. Garrus laughed.

"With a mug like his? I can't blame you," Val retorted, halting the older turian's laughter short. Garrus managed one gentle snort.

"Just watch that tongue, boy, you will get in trouble if you don't," Garrus grinned. Val chilled his gaze.

"As I am well aware," Val said with a chill to his tone. Shepard cleared his throat. It heated Val's eyes again.

"We'll have her kitted out," Shepard promised. My eyes diverted as my body shuffled in the bed. The gauntlet flared up on Shepard's arm. "I'll pass your details over when she gets one, if you like," he offered. Val didn't trust Shepard, judging from the look and general hostility he was exerting, but Val returned his attention to that gauntlet on his arm. Was that an omni-tool? 10 seconds passed before Shepard nodded. "Don't worry, I'll delete it when Dell gets it," Shepard smirked. Val nodded, but his mandibles pinned to his face. He gave my shoulder a sturdy pat.

"Get out of here soon. Try to not shoot yourself in training," Val grinned at me. A squeak sounded, aghast. My lips pouted. Val laughed, backing away should I take a swipe at him. He grinned before glanced at the Normandy party once more, his grin gone. "Keep her safe, she's hopeless on her own," My pout deepening, folding my arms. Val laughed. He cooled his engines as he prepared to leave. "Commander," he nodded his head as he passed Shepard.

"Cabal," Shepard returned the nod. Val threw him an inferno of a look before he stormed out the door, smoke pouring out his nose. Cabal? What the heck was a Cabal and why did it upset Val so much? Tali approached, taking my hand.

"We came as soon as Udina told us you got caught between Blue Suns and a turian unit. Are you alright?" She asked. My head nodded, glancing to the tubes in my arm. A brave smile spread over my face, but only painkillers stopped me from squealing in terror. Tali had always been pleasant, so to have the added knowledge that aliens weren't as different as humans gave me a small boost. Some were assholes while others were heaven-sent. Damn, I owed Val something hefty, didn't I? Maybe quarians weren't so different? Could I... trust them?

"Y-Yeah, I'm ok. T-They tried to kidnap me, they mentioned something about Shepard," I said.

"Hmm, we got the police reports. Blue Suns, huh? You were lucky someone helped you out," Garrus added. Yeah, I owed Val big time, thanks for the reminder. Another blockage tried to clog my throat, a cough cleared it.

"So… Val said you're taking me on the Normandy?" I asked, verifying the current status. Shepard nodded.

"You said you were a geologist right?" He asked. My head bobbed. "Then we can get you a position in the Alliance. We always need people to find resources... once I get you on board the ship," Shepard sighed, scratching his chin. "I'll try Anderson first, he'll be more sympathetic at least,"

"U-Uh, thank you," I said

"And we'll teach you how to fire a gun," Tali laughed. A flush ran up my neck. "You must train, so we'll give you a head start before you go into full training," she said.

"And we need a uniform for you..." Garrus added. Oh God, uniforms! The Alliance uniforms on the Normandy didn't look all that comfortable.

"How long… do you think it will take for me to get into the Alliance?" I asked. Shepard hmmed.

"If we push? A month, they'll do background checks though, so it'll take longer than that," he chuckled. "What with your non-existent records. Did you get that sorted?" he asked.

"A-Ah… kinda. W-We had to remake them," I said. Shepard frowned.

"Even they couldn't find you. That will slow down the process but don't worry, we'll just equip you with a flamethrower, damn easy thing to use," he smirked.

"Shepard," Tali scolded.

"What?" he balked.

We talked for a several minutes about the fine details. Well, they did, and added a hesitant comment every now and then. Tali admitted that the Normandy had been getting ready to take off when Udina contacted Shepard, asking him to check in on me after an 'incident'. That explained Kaiden's disappearance since they needed to scramble a team. The quarian then informed me of a decent clothes shop and Shepard agreed to give me the money, called Credits, to buy everything. In return, he wanted me to whip up a weird ass chemistry experiment that sounded more dangerous than necessary, you know, to test my 'science skills'. Tali reined him on at that point.

Then we got to the more nitty gritty part of the job. The job required a uniform and some formal gun training to go with joining the military. Made me wonder what the point of my choice at the embassy since they would not be sending me back to Earth, well immediately. It would be as a scientist but even scientists still needed to learn how to hold and use a gun. All that remained was to be discharged... Did they free healthcare here or if it was more like the American style...

The hazy dream summoned itself again. For the fourth time tonight, colours stained my slumber; oranges, red and dark mucky greens. Tonight was an improvement over the last few, fluffy clouds drifted above my head, a new feature. They drifted on the wind, high above me. The dream held me for days now. It was always the same dream. Everything felt disconnected, like the body was not my own. But the haze would fade each night, little by little, then blur once more until the colours blurred together. Nausea spun my head, knotted my stomach. Sensations felt real enough, but my commands to move my limbs were ignored. It moved like a boat with legs. The view turned, my stomach swayed with it, but the blend of colours threw me off kilter. There was no way to tell if everything had stopped, my inner ear refused to work. Sometimes, when the haze lifted, faint flashes of green light fly past my face, but beyond that, nothing.

Why did I feel helpless? Was my body pinned? My mouth opened to scream. Nothing happened.

My eyes flew open, my head rocketing off the pillow, my heart in my throat, beating for everything it was worth. As my lungs gasped for breath, my eyes darting around the room. The hospital room lay dark, but even in the cool room, sweat coated my skin. My eyes darted to the clock, watching it tick past 3am. My heart slowed, realising that it was a dream. My head flopped back against the mattress with a sigh, calm settling my sore muscles. These dreams, these god awful dreams made no sense. No control, the same blend of orange, red and dirty green every night. The clouds were new, but that was it. A slow breath eased free. It was just a dream, if only it didn't feel like more

It was another two days before the hospital cleared me to leave. It gave Shepard enough time to barter for my new position into those higher up the pecking order in the Alliance. While Shepard had me enter the Normandy as a crew member, Tali helped me do some shopping via her omni-tool. That's the orange gauntlet people used. For the first time since I awoke here, I owned new clothes, as well as an omni-tool of my own and Shepard insisted on a pistol, so Garrus concentrated on that. The Predator was a simple and easy pistol for beginners. Once we bought everything and verified the shipping arrangements to the Normandy, The thought of hauling my new possessions to the ship daunted my imagination.

Tali poked her head into the room, showing it was time to leave. We left the hospital, walking to the cabs just outside the elevator. Entering the cab sent my knees trembling, my hands gripped the seat. My eyes squeezed shut when Tali wove past traffic to make a turn. We made it to the C-Sec academy and the elevators to the docks. I thanked every deity on Earth that the cab bay was right next to the elevator to the Normandy. My knees knocked during the journey and they didn't seem ready to hold me weight for long. The long elevator ride gave me plenty of time to mull over the past week in great detail. To think just over 24 hours ago this elevator whisked me away with no idea what would happen. Now it flew me upwards with no idea what would happen. Oh I had a rough idea, but the details remained hazy. Call me pernickety. My feet stalled as the elevator doors parted, revealing the bullet shaped ship with its four odd engines.

This was my new home.

It didn't sink in at first. My mind never classed a boat…ship thing as a home. We waited for the decontamination to finish in the airlock, a strange mist surrounding us as a laser passed over us. It smelt funny, like ozone... Once cleaned and passed, we entered the CIC. Joker spun around on his chair, the dark brown haired man gave a friendly grin as he tipped his baseball cap.

"Morning, ladies," He greeted. A flush warmed my neck. Tali laughed.

"Morning, Joker. The Normandy ready to take off?" Tali asked with an amused catch in her tone.

"She's always ready to take off," he grinned. "Just waiting for you two slow pokes," he retorted.

"Thanks for waiting, Joker. That is sweet of you," Tali answered with a sarcastic tone. Joker just gave a shrug.

"Well, you know, it's rude to abandon a lady," he said as he spun back to the controls. Tali laughed, moving away from the cockpit and down the CIC, shaking her head. There were so many holograms, fear about breaking something held me close to Tali's side, When we passed the Normandy hologram in the back of the room, Shepard regarded us from the Galaxy map, looking over from that raised platform. He pushed himself off the rail, straightening.

"Good morning," he greeted. "Everything ready for departure?" he asked. He glanced to me. My body tensed.

"A-Ah, yes. I-I mean, yes sir," I said. Shepard chuckled.

"Relax, I'm sure you'll be fine," he winked. My lips mustered a small smile. He grinned as he turned to Tali. "Tali, can you show her where she will sleep and work? She'll get lost… or faint when she sees Wrex again,"

"Yes, Commander," Tali nodded, struggling to suppress laughter. The blush stained my cheeks. It was only once…

She led me down through the doors on the edges of the room, behind Shepard. Tali took me to the sleeping quarters at the back of the mess hall. Bunk beds pressed against the walls of the room. They were in pods of 4, each had a drawer on the bottom bunk and a locker at the foot. Between the bunks was a wall block with four doors, two large ones on the top and bottom, and two thinner ones between. These beds lined 3 walls of the room. At the bottom of the room were four tables, a computer on both of them. Chairs lined a circle around them. Tali tugged me to one pod, the third on the right wall.

"This is your pod. You can choose whatever bunk you want, since no one has moved in here yet. Garrus, Wrex and I are in the next one," Tali pointed to the 4th pod on the wall. "So you'll have familiar faces at least. Garrus insisted," Of course he did, bloody turian. "If you're on the bottom, you get the drawer and the locker, if you are on top, you get two of the cupboards. If you choose a top, you can have the two lower ones," she smiled. "Since you are a little..." she paused, pondering whether to use that word or not. A sulk fell over my shoulders

"I'm not that short," I muttered. Tali laughed. My shoulders pressed together. Fuck, I said that aloud! My hands fidgeted and shuffled my weight. Tali strode over to her pod, returning with a large box. She took several trips, but they didn't look too heavy…

"This should be everything," Tali grunted, lowering the boxes to the floor. "We kept it in our pod since we didn't know where to put you," My knees lowered me to the floor to check out the crates before me.

"T-Thanks, Tali. I appreciate it," I said, trying to free up my voice.

"Now don't forget to go speak to everyone, everyone is dying to meet you," Tali added as she brushed herself down. New people – let alone large groups of them – didn't get along too well with me, so this would be… an experience.

Tali helped me unpack the boxes. With lick, it would be a small bonding experience that would ease my nerves. One was just filled with clothes, uniforms, but there was plenty of casual clothes too, if the chance to use them arose. They went into the largest lower cupboard, the top bunk offered a better vantage point and it was more difficult for aliens to get me than the bottom should. The next box had a small bracelet. My omni-tool, Tali informed me. That snapped onto my left wrist. A datapad also appeared from the box, another tool to experiment with it later and see what it did.

Which brought me onto the work related goods. Reference books, some new pieces of tech that were not familiar to me, and a small book that had names and instructions of the other Alliance geologists. Inside the book, instructions on how to access the numerous databases the Alliance had. Knowing me, within minutes my curiosity would have me lost, drowning in the data like a chocoholic in a chocolate factory. My pistol had also arrived for me, located down on the weapons bench as that had arrived as a separate package. Tali helped me carry some of the stuff to the lab, found behind the medical bay through the second door no one used while I lay there recovering. It was easy to forget how bulky geological books could be. My teeth and bundled as many as my arms could handle. Dr. Chakwas looked up when we entered.

"Good morning, ladies. How are we today?" she greeted. Tali smiled. It would prove to be a challenge learning how to read her expression.

"Good, thank you," Tali answered. "Yourself?"

"Oh I'm doing fine, Tali. Thank you. And how about you, Endellion? Feeling any better?" she asked. My mind blanked, struggling to find a logical answer. Having your head smashed to the ground wasn't something you could explain in words.

"I-I'll be fine, a-a slight headache," I said.

"I have painkillers, if you need it," Dr. Chakwas offered.

"T-Thank you doctor, b-but don't like taking medication unless I needed to," I stuttered, jogging the rest of the way to the door. Dr Chakwas chuckled, amused by my stance on medication. Maybe it was more commonplace today than the time grew up in... ok, that felt weird to say.

"I'll see what I can scavenge for you, just in case," she called after me. A frown flitted across my face, aimed at the wall before me. There was no sneaking past this doctor if she wanted to prescribe you something. We entered the door at the back of the med bay. It lacked a window, which meant this would not be my favourite room on the Normandy.