Dozens of eyes stared up from the lower floor of the CIC, salarians, turian, krogan, asari, humans, drell and hanar. All waiting for answers, for clarification, some with battle-hungry stares, others with whimpers of fear. They gazed upon their captain studying them from the upper walkway of the CIC. My lungs filled with a slow breath, steady my nerves. Trust, that ever important asset, while stronger than it had been over the past few weeks, was still shaky with several members of the crew. And with the uncertainty of the future and their safety in question, trust proved to be all the more crucial. My commanders stood by my flanks, ever vigilant sentinels. My shoulders rolled back, preparing myself to conquer one battle I never had enough experience with; speaking to a crowd.
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I apologise for the short notice of this meeting, however the situation changes faster than we can plan for. Allow me to explain the whole fiasco of the past day. Most of you saw the video call from the STG Saboteur, the Reaper Sleeper agent. To those who worked so hard to get the computer banks up and running, there are no words to describe watching your hard work burning in a sun. From the reports on the test run of the systems, it appears the computer banks were rigged with viruses to transmit data. We can only assume it was to either indoctrinate you all or to give the Reapers targets to strike against, maybe even see how much we knew; your planets, your families, everyone was in danger. Anything to bring you down and ruin our attempt to stop them," I said, taking a deep breath.
"The STG will no longer fund us, so our mission to put an end to the Saboteurs will be put on hold and our focus will shift to setting a steady income to fund our R&D, crew wages and ship essentials. The commanders and I have been discussing our plans. With great regret, we have decided that the only thing that can pay the bills is mercenary work," a slight murmur rumbled through the crowd. "We have independent mercenaries in our ranks already and they have found work for us, guard or escort jobs for the most part. Commander Autillin and Commander Delern are arranging the teams for these missions as we speak. I have been assigned to one or two missions myself, so XO Jorgal will take over during my absence. Commander Shayan'Ernal will remain on board to ensure the Starquake has no more hidden surprises for us," I Shayan's shoulders sagged in my peripheral vision.
"Finally, I have been discussing with Commander Thermi'a," I began, frowning as several moans escaped from the crowd before me. Indira stood with a straight expression, but a quick glance revealed her lips had locked in a tight line. My stare hardened as my eyes traversed the crowd. "I have been discussing with Commander Thermi'a," I restarted with a stricter tone. "About the finer points of the mercenary band. This includes a name, uniform and reputation. There are many mercenary bands out there; Blood Pack, Blue Suns, Eclipse, Regrnar's Hounds. The list continues. So, in inspiration of my home, the band will be named Levon Roche. We are in the process of the final design for the uniforms however, we need money to buy them. Our priorities are as followed: Food, fuel, weapons and ammunition, uniforms, overhauls for the Starquake including new engines and servers and finally personal amenities such as new bedding, new appliances for the kitchen, TV and other leisure activities. Until money rolls in, it is impossible to allocate spending at this time. This means that there may be another few months before I can release a wage for you all, let alone back-dated pay-"
"Just tell us where to shoot, you can pay me later!" Verv cried from the crowd. Utren and Shual roared in delight. A smile lifted my lips, relieved at least the krogan still stood with me.
"Thank you boys, your enthusiasm never fails to cheer me up!" I said.
"I'm happy with the ship, don't worry about my pay so long as I still get my damn dextro-cupcakes!" Lanster added. Anthon laughed, the salarian grinning at me with a knowing smile. Tension eased off my shoulders. Saere Loras nodded her head in agreement. The quarians raised their fists to join the growing chant. Emotions swelled in my throat, but my wavering expression stayed straight. Kind of. The support from at least half the crew teared me into a molten-hearted child. My expression sobered upon studying the faces of those not as fond of me.
"Thank you," I said, although my throat coughed clear the emotion dripping through my voice. "I have... no words for how much I appreciate your support,"
"Aw bless, I think we're making her cry," Ferilsa cooed, the younger female krogan covering her mouth. My scowl lacked heat, causing a few chuckles. That only warmed my cheeks more.
"Settle down," I commanded, my voice stabilising. The rabble calmed down.
"Alright," I said, clearing my throat again. "So to summarise; the STG are pricks and- Don't give me that look, Mat'al!" I balked as the salarian cocked a brow in my direction, hand itching for the pistol at his hip. "Alright fine, some of the STG are pricks and also indoctrinated by a Saboteur working for the Reapers. So trust nothing that we are given that is from the STG. We have about four missions on the go and we have shuttles on standby to head out with the teams once we arrive on site. Autillin, Delern, sort the teams out. Ernal, get back in those tunnels," I ordered with a grin. "I need you more than ever," Shayan glowed at the words, someone taking pride in his work did that. "Jorgal, Thermi'a, walk with me," My gaze swung out to the CIC. "I will speak with you all later," I saluted.
"Aye, aye," the words thundered through the two story CIC. The crowd remained still while Raisha and Indira followed me along the gangway and into the elevator. Mat'al's voice called over the hum, clear and calm. He sounded calmer, but how long would that last? Once the elevator doors shut, my back collapsed against the wall, knees trembling.
"I hate speaking to so many people at once," I said. "If I didn't have so many crew members loyal..."
"You are doing fine, Endellion," Raisha soothed. "You'll grow into the position,"
"And how long before I fuck up and someone gets killed?" I asked.
"To avoid death, you would need the power of a God," Raisha answered. "We will lose people, how can we not if we are fighting the Reapers?" My mouth clamped shut, despite wishing to voice otherwise. Raisha placed a gentle hand on my shoulders. "Deep breaths, Endellion. You are doing better than you believe, even with the STG abandonment,"
"We didn't have much of a choice," Indira muttered. My gaze snapped to the drell, eyebrows drawn down. My brain tried connecting the dots, but after the near miss with the STG Saboteur, was my mind just jumping at shadows?
"Indira?" I asked. The drell blinked, jumping as she stared over to me. A quick widening of the eyes masked behind a cheery beam.
"What's up, Dellion?" she asked. A frown grew. The elevator dinged as we reached the top floor. "Oo! I know, I'll make pancakes! Gotta feed those cravings!" the drell dashed out the elevator. My head swivelled to follow her progress.
"Indira this is the top-" I started. The drell vanished down the engineering tunnels. My eyes narrowed after the biotic blue drell, concern rising. Something was wrong, but I wasn't blind. Stupid, yes but not blind. The crew's reactions to her, Indira's subtle changes in personality. Was her bouncing frustrating everyone? She could be endearing, annoying and in-your-face but she meant well. Maybe a quiet word with her was in order, to keep the peace. A sigh broke out as my feet crossed the threshold of my quarters, ignoring the krogan shadowing me. "When do the crews move out?"
"Lanster is on course to drop a small team on Thessia, bodyguard work as I recall. Another team will be deployed on Lusia to hunt for a wanted criminal," Raisha explained. A wanted criminal… better check who was assigned to that one.
"I've spoken with Liara, she gave me some details for contracts on the go. Once these two are done, we'll head off and nag a few of those," I said, sitting at my desk, glancing out the window as we travelled to the asari homeworld.
"Mat'al also has a... party for you to attend," Raisha added. My eyes swung towards her. Raisha smiled. "It is all about making contacts, Endellion. We must do this and as captain, it is your duty to make these contacts,"
"I know, Christ, parties always remind me the countless ones my mother dragged me to," I sighed. "Fine, tell Mat'al to wear his best attire for this... speaking of which-"
"You have already been sorted. It was an expense we had to make," Raisha admitted. My jaw slammed onto the ground.
"You spent money without my say so?" I gawked. "On clothes?!"
"We must have you looking your best for these events. We do not wish to give off the wrong impression," Raisha scolded. "Now no more complaints, we are an hour away from the ship that is hosting this gathering. Try to smile,"
"An hour? Why did you wait to tell me? Oh god, my hair takes ages to sort out!" I exclaimed, diving out of the chair and rushing past my XO, succumbing to my XO. Raisha shook her head as she moved to the wardrobe to find my outfit for the evening. My hand grabbed a pair of curling tongs and a bottle of heat protector. An hour to get this thing respectable for a gathering... dammit it all! And there was still the need to check over the teams and- a moan escaped. I still had such a long way to go...
Deep within the engineering tunnels, my feet clattered to a skipping beat. All the while, scowls and grumbles followed in my wake. The smile remained on my face, but my heart didn't hold the same warmth. Frowns followed me down the tunnels. The tunnels were cramped, but were emptier since Illium. A group of engineers sweared at a pipe. My shoulders perked, feet bounding over. Arthan'Weer vas Dreda, the blue-masked quarian with a green and navy enviro-suit, grumbled with Cassa'Avers vas Choria. The green masked quarian seemed to be frowning as she tried to screw something in. Maerk Arnhe, a black and yellow spotted salarian, cursed as something dropped.
"Hi guys!" I greeted. Arthan scowled over his shoulder at me. "Need a hand?"
"No, we don't. Thank you, commander," Arthan said, politeness strained. "Cassa, is that damn screw in yet?"
"What do you think?" Cassa grumbled. "The thread is useless on this thing. Pass me a new one,"
"You've ruined the thread on five of these already," Maerk murmured. "We don't exactly have these in vast quantities,"
"Then maybe we shouldn't have pipe grips with such shit fittings," Cassa snapped.
"Then tell Shayan to put it in a report for the captain!" Arthan groaned, annoyed with the arguing.
"I can tell him!" I said. Arthan glanced over his shoulder, desperate for me to leave.
"Thanks, commander. It would be welcome. Now, please excuse us," Arthan saluted as he turned his attention to the pipe. My smile faltered as someone barged into me, grumbling about 'hovering in the passageway'. My brows dropped as my gaze glared at his back, Aergus Navers, the pale brown/silver turian with the dark markings... asshole. My journey down the tunnels continued, the skip lost from my stride.
There was a no easy way to get along with me, there was no to get around that. People who were always so bouncy and happy and destructive were held at arm's length but was it that bad? My back pinned to the wall as Phylla'Quines vas Qwib-Qwib, the purple masked, blue and black quarian, and Eshoria Neldir, the silvery salarian with blue/purple stripes on her face and neck, carried a pipe down the tunnel. Well…maybe I was getting the way... My hands grappled with a ladder to free myself from the tunnels and burst into the CIC.
Shayan's red enviro-suit didn't appear on deck, so a visit to the cockpit would give me the answer. At least Sershin would be happy to see me if no one else. My head shook, forcing the façade back one once more. My feet attempted to skip. They refused to play along. The climb to the cockpit gave me time to compose my expression. The stairs melded into a ramp for the final few metres. Radio chatter and laughter radiated from the cockpit from here. My feet shuffled in, last thing on my list was to upset Dell by distracting the flight crew if they were busy.
The square room opened before me, the long stripe windows running up each side with the two nose windows before them. Lanster sat in the middle, the charcoal black turian busying his hands with floating hologram screens and ship controls. Sershin sat on his right, sipping some tea as he read the incoming space reports. One of the new asari members occupied the left seat, Mari T'Seir, acted as navigator. The pale asari with medium blue eyes looked up from a datapad. Her pale blue/white markings made thin lines dance over her crest like spider webs. Dellion and Mat'al had rearranged the teams after picking up the scientists.
"Captain, we're about 10 minutes from the MSV Glorious Gold. Looking damn fine if I may say so," Lanster laughed. Dellion scowled at him through the intercom.
"I'd love to see you in a dress, Lanster. Keep up your antics and it'll be an order," Dellion said. A peek around Lanster's head revealed a screen with a camera feed from Dellion's room. Decked in a knee length black dress, Dellion's hair curled around her shoulders and back.
"Better watch out, Lanster. She sounds serious," Sershin chuckled. Lanster scowled.
"Aye, aye, Captain," Lanster grumbled. Dellion laughed.
"But thank you, regardless," Dellion grinned on the monitor. "Made me flush a little," Lanster laughed, fist pumping the air.
"I still got it!" he cried. Dellion raised a brow.
"Don't get cocky, boy," Dellion said before turning to Raisha beside her. Lanster coughed, put back in his place. He glanced back to the monitors.
"Kal'san," I said. Lanster leapt in surprise while Sershin smiled at me.
"Indira, good afternoon," the mucky gold drell said. My grin widened before turning to Lanster. He settled his plates, grumbling about being caught off guard.
"You know where Shayan is?" I asked. "Got a message to pass to him,"
"Hmm? Oh, he's talking to Arthan just now in the engineer tunnels. Something about fittings," Lanster shrugged. My smile dropped. Did... he not trust me to deliver his message? Lanster tilted his head to the side. "Oh, well there's something I didn't expect to see. A sad Indira," My expression froze, mind in momentary meltdown before a laugh stumbled free, hoping it didn't sound as fake as it felt.
"Me? Sad? Silly Tweeters," I said, hand patting his head, earning a scowl from the blue-marked turian. "Why would I be sad?" I asked before springing back. "I'll leave you in peace, Kal'san," Sershin nodded. "Bye now!" My feet spun, skipping down the hall.
"Oi, Indira!" Lanster called. My hand waved above my head before vanishing from sight.
A skip through the CIC brought little comfort, despite giving friendly smiles to everyone in my path. They greeted with me a polite, if stiff, 'hello Commander'. Sometimes they glared into my back, only my position spared me from a face-on encounter. Dellion strode out of the elevator, Raisha and Mat'al on her flanks. Dellion looked pale, lips drawn tight. She ate her breakfast, right? She had a nasty habit of skipping breakfast at every opportunity, despite repeated warnings. She paused as I bounced next to her.
"Looking like you're on fire, girl! Wish I was coming, it would be so much fun!" I said. Dellion rolled her eyes and grinned at me.
"I doubt these merc leaders would be able to handle you," Dellion laughed. "Nor have enough alcohol," her words brought a grin to my face.
"I can get drunk! ...Just takes a lot," I said with a shrug, glowing under some friendly attention. Dellion tutted, but her eyes were smiling.
"You ok, Indira? I've noticed..." Dellion left the sentence hanging. My smile tried to stay alight. It was difficult to remember most people were not fond of me... not at all.
"Delly, I think you have some boys to knock flat. Worry about them and not little old me," I said with a wink. "Grab one for me, I like 'em with a good beard," Dellion coughed in surprise, giving me a stern stare.
"I'm not kidnapping a man for you," she responded.
"Aw, but Delly-" I moaned.
"And no 'Delly'. Christ, I've said it often enough," Dellion scowled. "Lanster, who's flying the shuttle?"
"Jhort has offered to chauffeur you," Sershin said. "He sounded eager to test the shuttles,"
"Awesome. Keep the Starquake in orbit around Thessia. Shuttle in those doing a job back here and then we'll move off into the new system when everything is finished," Dellion called up.
"Aye, aye, Captain. Oh and Liara got in contact, she said she got an invite for another fancy party. Looks quite high ranking. Not sure what that friend of yours is doing but she's doing a fantastic job!" Lanster said. Dellion strained a smile.
"Thanks. I'll look into it. All teams to your shuttles!" Dellion called. A cry of 'aye, aye, captain' sounded. Dellion spun on her heel towards the elevator. The crew around me stared once I skipped inside. Their expressions burned into my back. My expression opened towards Dell.
"Mind if I go to Thessia? Not for the mission," I asked, adding the final part when Verv raised a brow at me. "Only been there a few times, never got a chance to lift that necklace I saw!" I said, although most of my spring had vanished. Dellion sighed.
"Fine, but no shoplifting," she added.
"But Dellion!" I whined.
"No buts." she groaned, pointing a finger at me. My mouth opened to complain but she tilted her head in a way that warned me into silence. A sulk overcame my expression as we appeared on the cargo hold of the Starquake.
It wasn't full, the cargo door was towards to stern while all the goods we had were spread behind the elevator, towards the bow. Beside us, three shuttles sat. The two small shuttles, both 10-seaters, were old Kodiak UV-30's that the engineering team spruced up to do us until we could replace them. The larger 20-seater was on our right. It remained grounded until the checks had finished. Both the smaller shuttles were prepped for launch.
"Alright everyone, I want to see everyone back here in one piece, alright?" Dellion called as she followed Jhort to the first shuttle. Mat'al strode close to her shoulder, the strain marks fading with each passing day. He should keep Dellion from shattering into a million pieces. The Thessia crew saluted as the shuttled sealed and cast Dellion into the emptiness of space.
An uncomfortable decision, and ride, lay ahead of me.
The Fact Sheet, Timeline and Galaxy Map have been updated for this chapter. Please see profile for link to Archive.