The spare pen lid rattled between my teeth, eyes glowering at the map before me. Layers of information piled on top of each other formed a complicated geological map of Therum. My hand circled a vent, writing a note beside it with the last known activity and the magnitude of it. The data on the board made me cluck my tongue. A flick and the geological map of 40 years ago vanished, it was already out of date for this planet's aggressive structure changes. More layers vanished as I stood back, turning off a few more layers until only the bare bedrock and the active lava pools remained. The map before me weaved a tale of destruction and recreation. Evidence scattered the map for recent – as in the past few weeks – explosive volcanic activity; volcanic venting, lava flows, violent eruptions. The atmosphere clogged with sulphur and various forms of dioxide. Had the planet not suffered such intense volcanism, it would freeze from the albedo effect.
Shepard's mission included traversing this volcanic minefield to locate an asari named Liara T'Soni. My job, for now, was to help Shepard plan a route through, since the crew agreed he would just wing it otherwise. The geological maps for the area spread over the decades due to the intense mining operations in the area. That posed several problems; first, the lava pits and lava flows covered almost as much ground as solid earth did. The Mako could only take so much punishment. Second, the mining operations themselves caused subsidence as the crust deformed from the volcanic intrusions. The mine shafts could collapse at any minute. Then the active volcanoes which lined the only path from the only suitable landing spot for a Mako within 40 miles of where Liara was. Which was an active volcano.
The data from this ticking time bomb of volcano created a frown, my head shaking as I sat back down, away the charts. My hands rubbed my eyes, moaning as my mind switched off. Sleep was difficult at all these days, that strange dream dominated them each night, refusing to give me release. The dark reds, golds and greens swirling around me disorientated me and the haze that kept everything blurry had refused to lift. Even worse, now there was no way to wake myself up from it, despite my best attempts. They held me prisoner. Sleeping pills, saying the noise of the engine was keeping me up. They granted temporary relief, barricading them from invading my mind, but how long it would be before even they couldn't keep the nightmares away? The door hissed as it opened, forcing me to drag my face from out my hands. My eyes swivelled, but my body sprung to my feet when Shepard walked in. I shuffled under his gaze.
"Commander! Hi," That didn't sound right, however after everything my maps told me, my frazzled mind struggled. I should say 'sir' a little more too... Shepard gave a strained smile, leaning against the wall by the door. He glanced to the geological map on the board, my possible path highlighted on it.
"Good morning, Dell. What have you got for me?" he asked. After clearing my throat, my fingers swirled on the board. The remaining geological layers turned invisible to leave a basic topographic map that was easier to understand. The board rotated, the terrain model rising to show the complex mountains and lava lakes in 3D. Shepard frowned.
"W-Well, there are things I'm concerned about," I sighed. 'Concerned' didn't cover half of it. "Commander, this place is mined to the point I am afraid of subsistence into the old mining shafts. I've tried to look around the mining reports for any sign they reinforced the tunnels. But the planet's crust changes so often I fear that even if they were. All they are doing now is acting like a volcanic vent and pumping magma to the surface. Either that or build pressure until it explodes and forms a new crater. Then there is the active volcano you're going into. While my data suggests that the volcano is stable, it is showing signs of activity and pressure build up," Shepard pushed himself off the wall, studying the 3D hologram before him. He rubbed his chin as he followed the map. Whether he was listening was another matter.
"This is the safest path you have found?" Shepard asked. My arms around my chest, holding myself.
"No. It's the only path I can find," I said. Shepard hmmed as he spun the hologram, peering into some of the valleys. "Along this route, not only do you work around the lava lakes, but you avoid most of the unstable mine shafts. Every other route is too unstable to hold the Mako's weight,"
"Ah, so we're playing that little game are we?" he grinned. My eyes widened. He winked at me. "Piece of cake. Send a copy of this route to my omni-tool and I'll get it passed around. Wrex will keep me right," My expression blanked, a slow action. He sulked. "Fine, I'll give it to Ashley to do,"
"I-I didn't mean to-" I stammered. Shepard waved a hand.
"Ach, you're right, Wrex just likes to shoot things," he chuckled. "Well, to be fair, so does Ashley and me so… yeah. We'll be fine!" he laughed as he backed towards the door. "Nice work, Shaik. Oh and don't forget to do that work for that Keplar dude, something about an exam…?"
"A-Ah, yeah. I-I am aware. I-I'll be working on that while you a-are out," I stumbled over my words, taken aback. So he was getting copies of Keplar's emails.
Shepard gave a cheery wave as the door closed behind him. Back in the chair, my eyes stared at figures and images of rock samples, all to prepare for this little 'exam' required to test my geological knowledge. To be honest, the past papers proved that wasn't that difficult, nothing unusual or things not covered during my time here. That wasn't for another few days at least, but I sent my Trebin reports to the Alliance. Keplar seemed quite impressed, so there was the chance he would give me a harder exam to do. My eyes remained fixed on the data around me in preparation. The omni-tool chimed, a soft, quiet sound so not to give me a heart attack like it did on Trebin. My omni-tool colour had changed to purple to get rid of the glaring orange interface. A new message from Val.
Dell,
I'm glad to see Shepard has kept his word and passed my details on. Spirits be merciful he also kept the promise to delete it off his. I'm back on duty, so apologies that this took forever to reply to. I get little time with an extranet connection.
Now, I want to get this again, just to make sure I understood. A thresher maw tried to eat you on your first ground mission? Also, what happened on Casbin? Geth? Dell, if you aren't being eaten alive you are being shot at. I thought the military would, you know, put you onto safe missions. Ah well, at least we know if we get bored and need action, just drag you to a place you've never been before, we'll get all the entertainment in the galaxy! Blue Suns, thresher maws, geth. We might get lucky have you'll drag a few Spectres in while you're at it.
Just do me a favour and try not to get killed please. I realise that is difficult for you these days but if you can master it then you won't have to worry about trouble ever again! Good luck with the gun training... you'll need it
Cabalite Valérien Autillin
Turian Cabal Division
My glare wanted to melt the omni-tool in my hand, jaw popping. We had been exchanging messages when possible, to keep in touch and keep him sane, but this was ridiculous! He was so spoken and gentle when I was in the hospital. Now he wasn't holding back the punches. Although, in his defence, the geth were an unwelcome surprise on Casbin while my cowardly hide hid behind a deposit of uranium. Boulders of uranium the size of small cars are bullet proof but it didn't help that the geth camped just down the slope from where the rock deposit was. The ball of dread in my stomach refused to shift even now. Whenever a bullet came within 20m of me, a scream echoed down the canyon. My attention returned to Therum maps.
The radio chatter in my ear piece distracted my study attempt, pen tapping against a book as my eyes skimmed to the scientific paper before me. The crew were on the ground now, launched from the Normandy in the Mako onto the landing zone of choice. Everything was quiet, for now. My heart thumped louder, shoving the books aside, waving my hand over the computer screen to clear it. I was in no mental state to be doing work right now. Geological maps were one thing, but plotting a safe route for people who had squirmed their way into my heart – well, not so much Ashley. Shepard was... arm-distance ok while Wrex was still an unknown – and the success hinged on how well my estimates of the carry weight of the crust. My hands held my chin, staring at the blank walls to clear my mind.
"Incoming Geth drop ship!" the radio cried. Startled, my heart thumped in my chest. That was Shepard's voice. It took several moments before the initial freeze wore off. Geth, ok, Shepard can deal with that. It wasn't the crust falling to pieces. I shook my head, flicking my muscles out to release the knots building up.
If any help was needed, they needed real-time data. Back on the desktop computer again, the system picked up the Mako's tracking system and overlaying it on top of my 3D geological map. The icon pinged, they were in an industrial zone not far from the landing zone. My fingers drummed. The chatter continued, eyes watching the tracker move onwards on one of the many orange screens before me. They had to evacuate the Mako due to a lack of a clear path large enough for the tank to proceed through.
"Nothing like a good fight to brighten your day, eh?" Wrex laughed.
"I hear that!" was Ash's answer.
"We will take this nice and easy. Calm down, both of you" Shepard's voice sounded, for once he didn't appear to be going on a rampage. There was too much fire around him for his pyromania to kick in. My head flopped to the desk. A glittering pocked-marked rock on my desk distracted me.
"Colossus!" Ashley cried in my ear. My fingers twitched. They were still fighting, still trying to find this scientist. There was swearing above the shouted commands from Shepard. A Colossus was an unknown force, but judging by the name, it wasn't friendly. My foot tapped a beat while I waited for the all clear. There was no reason to be nervous now, they had cleared the path, they were at the dig site in one piece and nothing had happened. There had to be a way to distract myself, to keep my mind at peace or busy. The database on the Alliance network consumed my attention for anything related to Therum. The files joined a growing folder. No real-time data though,
"All clear. Let's move into the ruins," Shepard's said. They were safe, the tension in my shoulders could release. For now at least.
After about 5 minutes, the ground team found Miss T'Soni, however she appeared to be in some strange predicament, trapped in some Prothean safety feature. During this time, I found the database of real-time geological sensors for Therum, conquering the horrendous interface of this God forsaken database. Peering through the titles, the data for the volcano in question, looking through the activity charts. No major events, which is why they got access for the excavation.
A huge seismic quake shattered the stability. The spike widened my eyes, hands fumbling to discover a cause for it. The volcano rumbled, the delicate balance descending into chaos. My head couldn't stay straight long enough to find the previous earthquake data. Every earthquake had been below 3.2 until this point, this one reached 6.9. My blood turned cold. The coolness flipped a switch in my mind, the fumbling panic now tuned to a hard tirade of button mashing as the sensor data poured in. The epicentre appeared to be… in the main cavern with Shepard? Oh my God, what did he do!?
Several sensors pushed into the red; pressure rocketed skywards, the magma chamber shifted and churned and volatiles within the magma caused explosive pressure spikes. My mind worked like a machine as the data crumble before my eyes. There was nothing to do here. Joker needed data to fly low to spot potential dangers around the site before approaching and stay safe, After transferring the data to my omni-tool, I tore out of the lab, apologising like a Canadian as people dived out the way. My aim was the cockpit. Dammit, why does everything go wrong? Nothing ever goes well!
"Joker, get the Normandy airborne and lock in on my signal! On the devil, mister!" Shepard's voice rang from the cockpit. Well, at least Shepard knew he was in trouble. The pilot swung into action, ignoring my entrance as his hands flew over the holograms before him.
"Aye, Aye, Commander. Secure and away. ETA 8 minutes," he said. My brakes slammed me to a stop next to him. Joker grinned at me. "Hang on tight, Shepard's calling for pickup,"
"Shepard did something," I gasped. Joker stared. "Just get over there ASAP, the volcano's erupting,"
"It can never be easy with Shepard, can it?" Joker sighed as the Normandy swung into action. My hands gripped the back of his chair, watching the terrain bulge and vent. The dig site pulled into view. The Normandy was high enough above the ground to avoid any immediate danger, well, aside from volcanic bombs but we would have to move in that case.
"Dammit, where are they?" Joker grumbled as he steered the Normandy around the area, trying to find the exit to the mine.
We didn't know what exit they would use, the one they entered with or a new one. The dig site maps weren't on me to check. There was no sign of the ground team. A swollen flank exploded, the Normandy wriggled in the air from the shock wave. Joker's hands moved like fluid to correct for it, swinging the ship around to avoid the spluttering lava. My heart pounded in my chest. Did he not know how sensitive the volcano was earlier? The trembles down my spine worsened.
Then Wrex sprinted out from the entrance. Hope soared, weight lifting from my shoulders. Seconds later, Ash and a pale blue skinned asari ran out. Shepard was two seconds behind. He slowed down once he was out and away from the area. The Normandy, with Joker's expert hands, lowered itself towards the unstable ground, allowing the team to run into the cargo hold. When Shepard gave the ok, the doors secured and Joker steered the ship to pick up the Mako. They were safe, they were on-board and safe. The switch in my mind flicked back, my job done. My throat cleared as he lowered the Normandy to allow a team to pick up the Mako.
"N-Nice flying," I said with a tentative smile. Joker laughed and he threw me a cocky smirk.
"Nice flying? C'mon, that was amazing flying! How many other pilots could steer through flying lava?" He asked. A shaken laugh emerged.
"S-Sorry, b-brilliant flying," I said. Joker grinned. The ash cloud billowed as the Normandy powered away from Therum, back into the vast emptiness of space. My shoulders relaxed as I trekked down to the lab once more. A chance to see these different worlds, all their different environments. To have the opportunity to see such worlds, it was a gift but my mental state was also in question. Few sane people did a fraction of the things Shepard and his crew suffered through. At the end of the CIC, Shepard powered up the stairs with a wide grin on his face. He pumped a fist.
"I can now add 'Running out of an exploding volcano' to my list of things I have accomplished," he laughed. As my shoulders quivered, I mustered him a weak smile.
"Y-You were giving me a heart attack, Commander. You had me worried," I coughed out. Shepard smiled. "I-I suppose I should have told how sensitive t-the volcano was. D-Do you know what happened?"
"What? Oh yeah, I used a mining laser to break Liara free. It made a helluva bang!" he cheered. My jaw slackened.
"B-But I said the volcano was growing unstable-" I said. He waved a hand.
"Yeah, yeah, I remembered. But it was the easiest and quickest way. Oh, you should have seen the explosion. Glorious!" he praised. I nodded, biting my tongue. "We need to speak with Liara for a while, so I'll fill you in on the juicy details later. Oh yeah! We've got poker this weekend too!"
"O-Oh, I-I think I'll pass, I-I've never played-" I tried.
"What? Never… Girl, you've not lived! C'mon you can use fake credits if you want to chicken out so much," he smirked. My skin lost its colour. A squeaked sound responded.
Shepard tutted as my fear drove me from the room, scurrying back towards the labs. Was it my imagination or was Shepard becoming… more brutal? Within the safety of the lab, there was time to recollect myself. I lowered myself to the chair, scrubbing my face as the jumpsuit threatened to boil me alive. My fingers unbuttoned the collar, shaking my head out to release the tension. It took 10 minutes to shut down all the databases and saving information from Therum for a report before shutting them down too. About 20 minutes after the end of the mission, the computer at my desk rang. My eyes skimmed over the screen, buttoning up the collar once more as Arnold Keplar's name appeared on the screen. I sat straighter in the chair as my fingers touched the accept button. A grey haired man stared back at me, datapad in hand with the symbol of the Alliance behind him. He turned to me.
"Miss Shaik, good evening," he greeted.
"Professor, hello. H-How may I be of service?" I asked. Keplar sighed, laying the datapad down.
"I have been reading over some your reports; Trebin, Casbin and also the trial report of Binthu you helped Dr Catherine Saidler with," the man sighed, glancing to a screen nearby. "You… have interesting results,"
"You… d-don't sound pleased, sir," I said. Keplar, leaned back in the chair.
"Your conclusions, while with Binthu have been along similar lines to previous investigations, appear to spin in different directions. Without examining the exam results you are due to take in a few days' time, I am struggling to see your competency. You said you were an apprentice. With whom?" he asked. I couldn't swallow.
"A-A M-Mr Gordon Brown," I lied. Keplar narrowed his eyes.
"Can't say I've heard the name," he said.
"H-He uh, published nothing. H-He worked as an independent and w-worked with the British Geological Society sometimes before h-he retired," I said. The urge to lick my lips. wanted to overwhelm me.
"Ah, a 'freelancer', yes, now some of your conclusions make sense," Keplar lifted the datapad again.
"W-Well, i-in my defence, C-Casbin and Trebin h-have not had geologists on the ground yet. W-We only have remote sensing to t-test for these outcrops," I said. Keplar trained an eye on me once more.
"True… very well, I will send geologists out to investigate on foot. We have the date for your examination, Miss Shaik. Friday the 29th of May at 12pm Earth PDT, your computer will be able to covert that time into Galactic Standard," he said. I nodded, trembling.
"Y-Yes sir, I-I will be ready," I answered. With a nod and a 'dismissed', the line died. With silence encasing me, my stomach rattled from the butterflies. This test became all the more important…
The Timeline and Galaxy Map have been updated for this chapter. Please see profile for link to Archive.