The kettle boiled behind me, my mind lost in thoughts as the sharp edge of the counter dug into my back. The empty CIC lay dark, only the bare minimum of lights as the crew rested. Kelly rustled behind me as she mixed the military rations onto a small tray, a cup of coffee brewing. Mordin and Dr Chakwas stood by the computer, frowning at the screens before them. Just off to the side in the corner most bed, Endellion lay still, an IV line providing much needed fluids. The tray slid to my hand, jolting me awake. Kelly smiled as she returned to her quarters for the night. The frown of my face refused to lift, eyes trailing back to the girl in the med bay.
When Valérien called the Normandy, no one had expected the turian to scream at us, calling us backstabbing bastards. It took Garrus to calm the turian down enough to figure out why he was so upset. A shiver ran down my shoulders as I lifted the tray, moving towards the med bay. Cerberus had attacked Dell, had fired upon the crew and attempted to down their ship. The only reason they were there was because they had received a message from me saying I had cornered a Saboteur. Jesus, if a Saboteur smacked me in the face, I wouldn't know. The Starquake rescued their ground crew, bar their captain who Cerberus tore from their side. 2 days of attempted rescue for their captain, they retreated, the ship couldn't sustain any more damage. Miranda called the Illusive Man for answers, but received nothing. On the third day, we moved to the Quan Actia cluster as fast as the Normandy could. I thought it was sheer luck that when we arrived and launched a shuttle, Dell contacted us.
The med bay door reared before me, pausing my advance. I didn't know what to expect. Not the sounds Dell made, eyes glowing brilliant blue, circuitry radiating from the corner of her eyes. Whatever that ball thing was, it caused all of that. She had screamed as if she was a machine... When we flung that thing out the door, her eyes returned to normal but blackened scars stained the corner of her eyes where the circuitry once sat. That wasn't normal, not organic, nor even cybernetics. My mind knew what it was but refused to consider it as possible, yet here it was. The doors parted, Mordin and Dr Chakwas glancing up as I stepped inside, eyes trailing over the still human. My advance paused by the pair, dragging my eyes back to them.
"Patient stable, appears unable to move at this time. In no discomfort, however," Mordin said.
"We can't find her medical records," Dr Chakwas sighed. "We need Council permission to gain access to even basic information,"
"Yeah, and I think I know why," I said, eyes back on Dell. "Is she awake?"
"Yes, never lost consciousness, appears afraid to sleep," Mordin glanced over. "Armour biometrics show extreme cellular stress. Cannot locate reason," I travelled the distance, nodding as we parted.
Dell looked so peaceful, eyes closed, no sign of strain on her face. The tray of food and coffee found itself on an over-bed table. The woman remained still, unmoving, oblivious to the outside world. My hand slipped down to a hidden holster at my thigh, finding a pistol handle. The Carnifex clicked open. My arm straightened, pistol primed as it aimed towards Dell's head. My jaw tightened as I gazed at the red head. The pistol quivered.
"That will not work, Shepard," Dell murmured. A purple eye stared at me through the sight. "Although, Nyryntha might allow it," My eyes narrowed. The silence stretched, Mordin and Dr Chakwas watching on. "You know what I am, Shepard. If you don't, you're more of an idiot than I thought,"
"I want to know who you are and what you want," I said, finding the strength to speak through my teeth. The gun quivered again. Dell's head straightened, laden as she faced me.
"I'm Endellion Shaik, a human kidnapped by Collectors in the year 2016 and transformed into a monster for the Reaper's use. Before I lose my fight, I want to take down as many of them as possible," she said. My teeth creaked, my jaw refused to release.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because while the Reapers made my body for destruction, my mind is still human. I will not succumb to my Reaper. After surviving years of torment, 2 of them I can't even remember, I will not lose yet. Not until only my brother and I remain. We will deal with ourselves then," she said.
"Your brother?" I echoed.
"Asshole number 1, also a Saboteur free from his Reaper's control. We're Shaiks, we're too stubborn to be controlled and too stubborn to die," she managed a weak shrug. "We're trying to save the galaxy from these Saboteurs before the Reapers arrive. Or at least thin their numbers,"
"Are you dangerous?" I asked. Dell pulled a lopsided smile.
"Yes," she said. My body tensed. "I have Reaper tech inside me, Shepard. I indoctrinate people around me. Why do you think I keep mentioning something called RIT?"
"I presume this cures indoctrination," I studied her expression.
"Cure is a strong word, prevent is more reasonable," she sighed. "It descramble the indoctrinated waves, giving us more time. We can't save someone who has already fallen to indoctrination. A member of my crew can attest to that. We do what we can, but there's no guarantee RIT will work forever,"
"So what do you plan to do when that day comes?" I asked. Her lips lifted.
"Either send myself on a one way trip into a nearby star, or have someone or something rip my spine out. I am not exempt from a Saboteur death, I know that," she said. "I just need to do it where Val and Gideon can't stop me,"
Dell seemed at peace with her own death. Despite a family in her care now, she was determined to keep them safe, even from herself. My tongue clucked. The pistol compressed, slipped back into its holster. She either was a good Saboteur, or was genuine. If she wasn't, that would mean indoctrination had consumed the crew… Gideon included. The thought of indoctrinated children… Cooked military rations wafted through the air. My eyes drifted to the table. My hand pushed it towards her. Dell snorted, but only lifted her fingers. That machine on her neck may have done something to that Reaper of hers. And her body. Well, there wasn't much choice for me then, was there? I lowered myself down on the chair beside her, pulling the table closer to her. A scowl already lined her face as I picked up a fork of rice.
"Do I need to do airplanes?" I asked. Her eyes narrowed.
"Fuck you," she said. Laughter bubbled free, tension broken. Despite her glare, she took the offered food. Her face scrunched up. "And now I remember why I cough out for the more expensive stuff,"
"You what? How can you afford that?" I gawked. She grinned as she took another mouthful.
"I get paid better," she stuck her tongue out. My shoulders sagged. "Besides, I just got about 3 billion credits worth of mecs and mechanical weapons," She got… why the hell was I never paid this much!? "The perks of being used by the Council," she sighed.
"Bloody Council never gave me shit," I grumbled.
"You were with the Alliance. Doesn't count," she smirked. Her expression sobered. "I uh… have a favour, if I can," Mordin left the med bay, content everything was under control. Dr Chakwas returned to her duties. I hmmed as I gifted her a mouthful of curry. "Can you take me to my brother? That cryptograph did something to me, and you'll forgive me if I don't trust Nyryntha even after that deal,"
"Deal?" I asked, fork frozen in hand. Dell sighed, red hair flopping over half her face.
"The Saboteur I fled from is a Martyr like me, a commander of the Saboteurs, but he's corrupted. Nyryntha didn't want to be corrupted herself so she tried to strike a deal with me. However, I don't trust her as far as I can throw her, so I said no and fled without her. That cryptograph though…dammit, Shepard, she might use it as an opportunity to rewrite my code," she said, shaking her head. That ball thing on her neck probably was this cryptograph thing.
"Any particular code?" I asked, offering coffee through a straw. She didn't complain as she took a sip.
"The code that controls how much control the Reaper has over me. They use emotions as triggers to power the generators in our spines, when they reach full power, they Reaper can kill us and take control," her eyes diverted. "Mine is… fear. Or was. I don't know. That code is hardwired to ensure that that dominate emotion overrides everything," A sourness stained my tongue. "That's why I was always so afraid when you first met me. It wasn't me, it was the Reapers forcing me to be afraid,"
"Well… fuck," I said. Dell snorted. "At least you got better,"
"Thanks to Val and Mat'al, yeah," she sighed, finishing the curry. "Can you take me to them?" she reminded.
"Oh uh, sure, what are the coordinates," I coughed.
Dell nodded her head down to her omni-tool. I snapped the silver band off. Her purple interface boggled my mind. She guided me through, navigating through to a small galaxy map. The Starquake and a new name, the Constellation both blinked within the Hawking Eta cluster, inside the Verr system. Coordinates in hand, they fired to Joker to navigate to the location. Dell lay back in the bed, but refused to rest. Despite exhaustion draining her of strength, she sipped coffee for all she was worth. She had no intention of sleeping until we reached this brother of hers. Joker powered double time to the Hawking Eta system.
It was just a mass relay jump away; 3 hours to leave the Quan Actia cluster then another 2 to soar towards the Verr system. Dell's condition worsened, but the girl's stubbornness refused to give. Once verification came through that we had jumped to the Verr system, I decided it would be best for Dell to deal with the radio chatter. This guy was 'Asshole Number 1' for a reason. From what I had heard, the man wouldn't have a smile on his face for me. Dell made no complaints as I heaved her off the bed, ignoring Dr Chakwas cries to use a stretcher. Dell kept her eyes forward as we moved towards the cockpit.
Joker glanced behind us as the Normandy swerving around a stray asteroid. My eyes skimmed the sensors, navigation highlighting not only a substantial fleet waiting, but also a colossal ship. Just as tall as the Destiny Ascension but a good 7km long. The monster held small stabilising wings before an array of engines burned behind it. The front slopped in at the bottom, highlighting the swallowing mouth. With the damn size of the thing, it was a carrier if I ever saw one, but with the right guns could cut through whole platoons. Joker flicked up a holographic radio mic to her height. Dell's eyebrows knotted together.
"Mayday, mayday, mayday, DSST Constellation, this is Captain Endellion Shaik of the Starquake aboard a friendly vessel, the SSV Normandy. Requesting permission to dock with the Constellation, I require immediate medical attention," she wheezed.
Roger, Captain. What class is the Normandy," the controller asked. Dell's eyes scanned the systems before her.
"Human Alliance frigate, just over 200m long," Dell said.
"Roger, please report to Dock Orion," the controller answered.
"Go in through the bow, Joker. Orion will be the stern-most dock," Dell said. "Shepard, Julian will be waiting. Just hand me to him. Don't bother putting up a fight. He might shoot you otherwise," My lips turned down as I strode to the airlock. Garrus joined me, as did Miranda. Garrus tapped a hologram, granting me a view of the docking.
Fighters filled the interior of this carrier top to bottom. Thousands of them. Cruiser sized docks retracted high above us in the upper part of the ship, clinging to the port hull. The frigate docks lay near the bottom on the starboard side. All but one were empty. The Starquake sat docked in the 4th bay, her rotary in the process of replacement. Large holes dotted the hull and engineers crawled over the whole ship. I recognised a red masked quarian on a strut on the rotary. He recognised the Normandy. The quarian stumbled free from his perch, hands funnelled to his mouth as he called out. Dockside, a certain copper coloured turian spun around. The Normandy slid into the dock at the end of the ship, the largest of the frigate docks.
Once the ship pressurised, the airlock popped open. My eyes scanned the scene as we travelled down the ramp. The wall opposite me was a sheer cliff of fighter docks, each filled with an army. Lasers trained on my crew within seconds. No laser danced over Dell. My eyes narrowed as I journeyed down. Val sprinted down the docks, his voice echoing down the void. He called for weapons down. They ignored him. Another small army poured out of doors and hatches on the far wall opposite me. A whine dragged my attention up as interior cannons swung to aim at the Normandy. My jaw tightened as I reached the bottom of the dock ramp.
The army before me parted, a blond male with grey flitting the edges around his ears marching towards us. My eyes narrowed as I studied the scarred male, sapphire eyes burning as he tore up the ground before him. A pistol glinted too close to his hand. Val reached us, scowling at the blond human. The human's eyes skimmed Dell, eyebrows contorting. In the distance, Gideon cried out, trying to grab the man's attention. Val even pushed part of himself between the oncoming human and me.
"Shaik, calm down-" Val said.
"Fuck up, turian," he snarled. Val's mandibles snapped. "You're the reason she's like this!"
"What the fuck could I have done?! I had 50 other people to think about!" Val growled.
"You abandoned her!" Julian shouted.
"Still less times than you," Val snorted. "And Dell will forgive me for this one. Unlike you," Julian's eyebrows dropped, teeth bared.
"Stop fighting," Dell sighed. The men snapped their gaze to her. "Shepard, just pass me over, please," My shoulders rolled, eyes back on the blond beast before me. My chin raised as I offered her. Julian's gaze held mine as he took her from my grasp. He took 4 steps back the instant he had her. "Julian… be nice,"
"Not in my dictionary," he rumbled. He turned to leave. "What happened?"
"Namacuix," she said. Julian froze, heel off the ground mid-step. "And a cryptograph," My eyes narrowed as Julian's body trembled.
"Did he touch you? Did he hurt you?" he breathed.
"Of course he did," Dell mumbled. "That cryptograph got me though, only for a few seconds but my body can't move,"
"Did you get it off in time?" Julian asked.
"I don't know," she said. Julian's back contracted, revealing the hardened muscles below his uniform. He sprinted off.
"Get the RPAT! Now!" he thundered. A hasty array of 'yes Admiral' sounded. Admiral? This overpowering bastard was an admiral? Julian and Dell vanished from sight, an elevator carting the pair away. Val waved his mandibles. Gideon skidded to a stop, a FENRIS mech by his heel. He turned to me with wide eyes.
"She's all right, I think. Just making sure nothing happened to her," I said. Gideon frowned, glancing after Julian with narrowed eyes.
"She's not. Uncle Julian wouldn't call the Reaper Programming and Analysis Team otherwise," he said. My arms folded over my chest. There was no hiding anything from this kid. The FENRIS mech sat by his feet.
"New toy?" I asked. Gideon jumped, turning to the mech. A flush stained his cheeks.
"Ah, yeah, it's uh.., a mech I found. Rusted to hell, had to replace all the servos," he coughed. The mech wagged the tail plates in answer. My attention turned to Val.
"What happened?" I asked. Val glanced down to Gideon. Gideon glowered, raising his hands to his shoulders, tugging on the military stripes. Wait, when the hell did he get those?! Val sighed.
"Dell got a message addressed from you, asking for help with a Saboteur you had cornered. We landed at a Cerberus facility. Because of… command problems, I was the… am the CO of the ship," Val said, swaying at the thought. "I was left behind on the ship. The next thing I know, Cerberus opened fire on us with planet-based artillery. We knew something was wrong and came in to investigate and extract the ground crew. They rained hell on us. They destroyed our shuttle and by the time they got something to escape on, Dell was already missing. The shuttle had to crash inside the Starquake just to get out of fire. Any attempt we made to get people on the ground was met with heavy fire. We ended up taking too much damage. We… called Julian for backup. The Constellation usually has other frigates in here, but we were getting ready to attack the base before you sent us a message saying you had arrived in the system,"
"Wait, command problems? I thought you had that salarian-" I said. Val snapped his mandibles.
"I've said all you need to know, Shepard," he growled.
"CO!" a voice called. Val shuddered, sweat breaking out as he turned to a pale purple asari running towards him. He sighed.
"Excuse me," he grumbled. He slunk off towards the asari. My eyes followed him, narrowed. Command problems... I knew Dell's XO was down but... did something happen to the salarian?
"Thanks for saving mum, Shepard," Gideon said. My gaze snapped down, thoughts broken. "We tried everything, but we couldn't get close,"
"Automated turrets, they recognised our Cerberus call sign and didn't shoot us," I shrugged. "Is your mother going to be ok?" Gideon's eyes diverted.
"Depends on what the team find. With luck, nothing will have changed," Gideon glanced the army watching the ship. "Maybe… maybe you should head off. I-I'll let you know what happens," he said.
"Yeah, probably for the best. You stay safe. Make sure Asshole Number 1 pulls no shit," I warned. Gideon grinned.
"I've got Kala, I'll fine," he said with a puffed out chest.
"That your mech?" I asked. Gideon blinked before coughing.
"Y-Yeah," he stammered. I grinned and ruffled his hair. He whined and pulled away.
"Take care of yourself. And you take care of him, Kala," I patted the mech's head. The mech's tail wagged again. "Now, we're off to find a Reaper IFF in a dead Reaper. Thankfully, it's only a few light years away," I grinned. Gideon perked.
"Dead Reaper? In this system? Do you mean Cassianus?" he asked. My eyebrows drew together. "In the Thorne system?" My head rocked, a slow action. "Ah, we were there, not long after mum first found me. Oh, here," he popped into his omni-tool. My omni-tool lit up, an internal map of the Reaper appearing. "A thank you for saving mum. And just so you know. It's not dead. It's just insane," he shrugged. "Its name is Cassianus. Tell him mum says to go fuck himself, then send him into the planet,"
"Ah… will do," I blinked, staring at the map. Well, this would be handy. However, my eyes scanned the army aiming in our direction, the cannons pointed towards the Normandy, Gideon was right. We were overstaying our welcome. My chin raised, eyes scanning the crew of this carrier before Gideon escorted us up the ramp, a poor attempt to shield us from the guns. My shoulders relaxed once inside the relative safety of the ship. While the Normandy backed out of the dock, the interior cameras fixated onto the ship, following us out. Another ship, a small asari like frigate, followed us until we hit FTL and escaped the system.
The cold wall failed to calm my headache, to chill me enough to stop the cold sweat that had consumed me for 3 days. The Normandy now travelled to the insane Reaper, the examination on Dell continued and the Starquake repairs were nearing completion. Why the position had fallen to me, well, I was stick of asking it. Why did I let Dell convince me to do this shit? A moan slipped free as my arms shoved me off the wall, stumbling towards the ship. To make the call to abandon the captain, to abandon the only woman who had wormed their way into my heart... No, no, I had to be strong. Dell depended on me, she would rather I save the crew than risk them for her... right? My head shook as the threshold of the ship disappeared behind me.
Flashbacks from failed missions rose whenever someone called my name, or directed 'CO' towards me. How many people died because I didn't have the skills to manage a large group, because I couldn't remember everyone's skills and weaknesses? Dell had coped with it, overcame whatever fell before her. Even during mass loss of crew, she adapted. Spending as much time as I did with her, it was impossible to place a finger on any one thing that allowed her to do that. If anyone could pin point what trait caused that, it would solve my own problems. She moulded herself into a leader, whether she liked it or not.
On the top floor, my plan to retreat into the Captain's quarters for some privacy, to wait out the examination on Dell, delayed. Mat'al stepped out of his room, uniform snug on his lithe frame. His silver speckled eyes slid towards me, a Black Widow compressed on his back. His back straightened, hands folded behind his back. He crossed the distance between us. His eyes landed on the CO stripes on my shoulders. He raised a brow.
"You are CO? Where is Dell?" he asked.
"She's on the Constellation, getting examined... Cerberus attacked her. Then the Ravager appeared," I sighed. Mat'al's eyes narrowed, "She had a run in with a cryptograph too," Mat'al's lips locked downwards.
"And what were you were doing?" he asked. My jaw tightened.
"Keeping the ship and rest of the crew alive," I growled. "I had to retreat to the Constellation, we couldn't get close to rescue her," Mat'al blinked once, studying my expression.
"Good, the whole crew needs to be considered. Colour me impressed that you chose the crew over Dell," he said. My mandibles pinned to my face. "I understand that it was a difficult decision, but the majority rules. Now, I presume we are captain-less until she get a clean bill of health then,"
"For now," I said.
"I see. Well, do you wish to continue as CO?" he asked. My head shook.
"The sooner I pass this onto someone else, the better," I sighed. Mat'al lifted his lips.
"I am ready to return to duty. Now, I assume Raisha is still down," he said. My mandibles flared at his words, but I nodded all the same. "Hmm, you must XO until Dell is back on her feet. However, once she is, then you can return to the commander position," he pulled out some rank stripes, swapping out his XO bands for CO bands, securing them to his shoulders. His hands rose to remove mine, slipping his XO bands on. "Get an update on Dell. I'll see what else needs done here. Indira and Shayan can fill me in,"
"Ah... a-aye aye, sir," I saluted, backtracking to the elevator. When the doors closed, my brain kickstarted. Mat'al was back in action, back to work. I was no longer CO. He had removed some responsibility from my shoulders. They sagged. To have him back in a position over my head, well, under normal circumstances, I would be furious. Now, he would get all the salutes he needed. My hand rand along my crest, sucking in deep breaths. We could return to normal, assuming Dell was all right...
Right, check Dell. My head shook, getting my head back into gear. There was still work to do, still things to worry about. Dell needed to get back on her feet ASAP. Then I could stand down, take time to relax. My hands rubbed my face, the rough pocks ignored. With luck, Dell would be on her feet in the next day or so. The engineers crawled over the ship, patching the last few holes in the hull once I stepped free from the Starquake. Side stepping the remains of the broken rotary, the elevator to enter the belly of the Constellation awaited me. The packed elevator was a warning of things to come.
The halls swelled with the crew of the carrier. Navigating the maze of the corridors, covering kilometres just to reach from one side of the living area to the other. The medical bay, thank the spirits, was located near the hanger elevator. White halls blinded me as I weaved around the doctors, several scientists wandered the halls. The swell of people died once in the medical bay. My eyes focused on the upcoming hall. 4 security guards waited, armed and armoured. The turian, asari, salarian and drell stared me down as I approached. With reluctance, they granted me passage.
The new section of the medical ward was more lab than ward. Holograms, computers, labs and research stations littered every room. Some rooms contained beds, but the computers coated the walls. In this section, I heard Julian's voice echoing down the hall. Turning the corner, Dell's room appeared before me, door open with a doctor waiting in the threshold. The blond man spoke with a male quarian, Dell lay on a bed with an array of sensors and cables connected to her limbs. The blue eyes snapped to me within seconds of approaching them. His eyes narrowed.
"Admiral. How is she?" I asked, eyes scanning over the panda eyed woman. She offered a small smile. Julian snorted.
"Recovering. Be thankful we copied her Reaper Code to as near perfect as we could before we vanished. That damn Reaper tried to salvage what uncorrupted code it could get from that cryptograph and alter Dell's code. We reversed it," a smile lifted his lips. "Her Reaper will have a difficult time trying to control her now. Although, it means that she must be more careful around Saboteurs," he sobered. "While we used the crytograph's code to weaken Nyryntha's influence on her, she is more susceptible to their specialisations as a result. Possibly even to the Reapers themselves. That means," he said. "Anything happens to her, turian, and I will kill you. I'm already against you two being together. You're not even the same amino-acid type let alone species," he warned. His frown deepened at my snort.
"I don't swallow," Dell scolded. My mandibles locked, Julian's glare froze on his face. A purple flush stained my cheeks. Julian closed his eyes, dragging a breath in as his cheeks turned rosy.
"I didn't need to know that, Delly. Thank you," Julian breathed. Dell glared.
"Then get your nose out of who I date," she grumbled. The blush burning my cheeks. "Now piss off, I'd like to speak to Val," Julian straightened, cheeks turning tomato red. He abandoned the room without a sound, leaving me with the sleepy Dell. "Ass," she sighed.
"He's your brother, he's meant to be a pain in the ass," I sighed, lowering myself beside her. "You'll be happy to know Mat'al has just taken over," Dell's face lit up.
"He's up?" she asked.
"Up and working. He's CO until you get the all clear," I said. Dell smiled, relaxing into the bed. "What about you, you're the one I'm worried about,"
"I'll be fine. Nyryntha shut down my neural system after the cryptograph got me, but the guys here have repressed her. I just need to sleep off the effects and then I'll be walking again tomorrow. I just need to be more careful around Saboteurs," she sighed. "Depending on how I react, my ground missions may be restricted to non-Saboteur fights. They don't know how serious it can be. I may have pain for a few days, they could floor me for weeks," she shook her head. "We must wait and see. How is the crew?"
"They're fine, a few bumps and bruises. I'm... sorry for leaving," I said, mandibles sagging. Dell scowled.
"You had to save the crew. How can I be angry at that?" she said. A smile twitched my mandibles. "You'll be happy to get back into the commander position. Sorry for forcing this all on you. I know you hate it," she said, voice dropping. A tut slipped free, leaning on her bed as I leant closer.
"I don't like it, but it may be necessary. I'm glad you're ok though," I smiled. Dell smiled back.
"Yeah, note to self, make sure Namacuix doesn't find out about you," she sighed. A frown creased my plates. "He's maniacal, Val. Completely insane. His insanity has corrupted his Reaper and everything. He... he terrifies me. God, there's no good way to describe him, but that 'ceremonial' room he prepared for me..." she shook her head. "No, I don't really want to think about it. His reaction to Julian was bad enough. If he ever learns of you..."
"I'll be careful, Dell. Don't worry. Just you worry about yourself for a change," I patted her hand. She stared into the distance, eyelids flopping down.
"How can I? Too many lives depends on me succeeding," she sighed. "I will take a nap. Tell Mat'al I want a full report by the time I'm on my feet,"
"Of course," I said, kissing her forehead. A smile lit her lips. "I'll let Shepard know too,"
"Thank you," she mumbled, exhaustion winning the long war. The plates around my eyes tightened, a growl submerged beneath a façade of calm. The Illusive Man was dead as soon as my hands reached him. I'll strangle the life out of him… My head shook, pushing myself to my feet. No more than ever, Dell needed my protection, or protection in general.
Dell felt secure enough to sleep, leaving me with the chance to return to Mat'al and report. My shoulders felt lighter striding down the halls. Dell would be all right for the near future, the CO position no longer hung over my head and we could return to normality. Or, as normal as we could be. This war was draining us, a slow bleed that wore us down a little more each time. My head shook as the docks opened to me, the hum of the Constellation engines ringing through the hold. The clangs of metal and wielding peaked as my feet crossed the threshold of the Starquake. My eyes caught sight of Shayan speaking with Mat'al, although the quarian flailing his hands with Gideon and Kala shuffling nearby. My mandibles clicked. Another complaint about the AI? The doors parted.
"We have to go, this is crucial!" Shayan cried. "If this is true, then the entire flotilla will be in danger!"
"Shayan, we will move towards the Migrant Fleet as soon as Dell is well enough," Mat'al grumbled. "There is nothing we can do here now. We can have Kala examine-"
"I am not letting that thing anywhere near the flotilla!" Shayan snapped. Gideon glowered, Kala remained silent by his heels.
"Then we do nothing until Dell is back on her feet," Mat'al ordered. Shayan whined, but the cold stare of Mat'al shut the quarian up. Mat'al's eyes slid towards me as I stopped beside him.
"Dell will be fine, she just needs to rest for a few days," I said. "Something wrong with the flotilla?"
"Kala has picked up some strange messages between the quarians here and on the flotilla, in particular on the Moreh. Something to do with abnormalities with the agriculture systems. Just as well we have an AI now, we would never have caught it," Mat'al said.
"AI?" a voice asked. My head snapped around, eyes landing on Raisha as she shuffled through the door. Her eyes scanned the room, the brilliant light catching the scar slicing her face diagonally in half. Her throat was a mess of criss-crossing scars. Sky blue eyes met Mat'al's.
"Raisha! Are… how are you feeling?" I asked. Raisha frowned as her eyes flicked over me once.
"What AI?" she asked, a loss of reverberation in her voice. Gideon shuffled, looking down to Kala as the FENRIS mech wagged the tail. Raisha's gaze turned to Gideon, studying the boy, his new stripes and the mech before returning to Mat'al.
"Gideon acquired an AI from Julian. Dell has allowed him to keep it so long as he can control it. Gideon and the AI are digging through the intel to cut out the noise and filter information together," Mat'al explained.
"Endellion has allowed it?" she asked. Mat'al nodded. Raisha blinked once, a slow movement. "Then it is all right," she said. My mandibles sagged.
"You're… ok with this?" I asked. Raisha scowled.
"We are at war, Valérien, we do not have time for pleasantries. We require every edge possible. If Endellion is comfortable with Gideon being in possession of an AI, then there is no problem," she said.
"Are you here to retake your position, Raisha?" Mat'al asked. Raisha shuffled, glancing around the room.
"Not… now. I require proper training before I am comfortable to take the position from you, Mat'al," she said. "I also need to complete the combat training,"
"You want to go out on ground missions?" I gawked. Raisha frowned.
"No," she said. "There is only one ground mission I wish to partake in," he voice dropped, venom dropping like waterfalls. "The Reapers have soured my daughter's body. It is a mother's duty to free their children then they otherwise cannot," she hissed. "Innot was like Endellion at one stage, but unlike Endellion, she did not have the help or understanding to fight her Reaper. I will end it, with my own hands,"
"As you wish, I can bring you up to speed if you like," Mat'al said, unruffled. Raisha nodded.
"I appreciate it, Mat'al," Raisha said. The Reapers had made an enemy, I realised. They had stirred the darker side to Raisha. Now she wanted blood. I didn't want to be between her and her foes.
It took 4 days of sick and weakness before Dell was well enough to leave the Constellation. Shepard had received no word from the Illusive Man himself either, most of their Cerberus connections now out of reach. The turmoil was reaching breaking point.
The Fact Sheet and Galaxy Map have been updated for this chapter. Please see profile for link to Archive.