Tiberius Romana suffered from severe head trauma, cardiac arrest and strokes until entering a coma for 12 years- No, no, that was nothing to do with being brain dead. He never even died! Dammit, there had to be something… people came back from the dead, they had to! The article vanished under my fingers, hands scrubbing my face as my brain rattled for answers. There had to be a way to bring someone back, there had to be someone! With frustration burning my bones, my legs demanded to march. By the time the anger faded enough to see sense, my feet pacing below me. The mountain piled high above me. So few people came back from the dead, so damn few. And those who did were never 'dead', not like this. My eyes landed on Kala, the mech sitting by the chair of the PC with her light ebbing and glowing in a steady rhythm. Her head lifted, the light solidifying.
"I have found nothing that matches the situation, Gideon," Kala said. "If someone survived brain dead like conditions, they did not publish it on the extranet,"
"Look harder! There has to be something!" I said.
"But Gideon, I have searched every medical database available-" Kala said.
"No you haven't!" I snapped, wheeling around to face her. Kala flinched, the short tail slipping under her. My expression waned, eyebrows upturning. My stomach twisted, pain souring me. A few shaken steps forward, my knees caved before her, arms wrapping around her neck. "I'm sorry, I-I didn't… mean to snap," I said, emotion swelling, threatening to clog my throat. Kala beeped, leaning into me. "I had a mum, a mum who gave a fuck about me, someone who helped me and wouldn't sell me to pay for her high. Now she's… she can't be dead, she can't," I sobbed.
"I'll keep looking, Gideon. But such feats are so few. So many people claim to have come from the dead but trying to verify how and why is impossible or false," Kala said.
"I know… thank you," I said, rubbing my eyes, wincing at the dampness. My head shook, shaking the grief off, shoving it into a bottle. "Ok, I-I need a break,"
"You have been awake for three days, Gideon. Rest," Kala said.
"I can't sleep," I sighed, pushing myself up to my feet.
Kala beeped, jumping onto her feet to pounce after me. Out of my room, the halls felt cold like the life had drained from the ship. My eyes drifted up towards the Captain's quarters, but to date, only Cops dare traverse the threshold. The pain caused by that door drove my eyes away, back down the hall to the elevator. Inside the elevator, my hands shoved deep into my pockets, bare of anything for the first time in forever. Out on the bridge deck, my feet scuffed up the hall, only the most essential of people wandered the halls. My eyes stayed down, away from the blank bands tied to their upper arms. Every now and then, a hand would pat my shoulder as they passed. My eyes glanced to the side, catching sight of Raisha in the war room, the holograms of the Councillors before her. My mouth trembled, fingers touching the hologram to enter the room. Raisha's rumbling sigh sounded as she rubbed her eyes.
"...therefore we will require time to assess the situation," Raisha said.
"I see, this is unfortunate. Are you still able to hunt the Saboteurs?" Tevos asked, fingers rubbing her lip with more force than necessary.
"We can. Captain Shaik used her time to gather as much data as possible for us to analyse. She has granted us the locations of possible hit sights. But I must repeat my warning, Councillor Valern. We cannot save the STG base in the Upsilon Steppe. Allow us to detonate what the remains. The Hunters and indoctrinated servants are too dangerous. If Nyryntha returns, she may recollect them to cause terror elsewhere," Raisha said. The salarian Councillor breathed through his nose, a heavy breath.
"Very well, destroy the base as necessary. Salarian husks… send us what data you have on them and we will make preparations for the Reaper War," Valern said.
"Thank you, Councillor, we will do the best we can,"
"We reiterate our offer for sending specialists, Captain Jorgal," Sparatus said. "We cannot afford to have Endellion Shaik out of action like this,"
"With the strange behaviour of Nyryntha, Councillor, we cannot risk civilians. Our medical physicians do not wish to upset her coma. Disturbing her now may cause severe brain trauma," Raisha said.
"If you are certain. If in doubt, the offer still stands," Sparatus said, casting an eye as I stepped into view. "Good hunting, Captain Jorgal. We wish for a speedy recovery for Captain Shaik,"
"As do we all, Councillor. As do we all," Raisha saluted, the holograms vanishing. My eyes drifted up to Raisha.
"Why didn't you tell them she was…?" I asked. Raisha turned, stalking towards the door. She forced me to trot by her side.
"We cannot weaken our position. Endellion is our only link to the Council. Without her, they may abandon us. We cannot risk it, we would do a disservice to Endellion should our mission fail. Then we must fret over Julian's wellbeing to think of. If he learns of Endellion's passing… he'll lose his war with Palalrian, we need him. We cannot risk losing him,"
"But they'll find out," I said.
"Yes, but we must delay it for as long as possible. Keep the allies we have before the end," Raisha said, walking onto the bridge. "We must continue Endellion's missions. It is the minimum we can do for her,"
"But what about bringing her back?" I asked. Raisha's breath rushed out, a blue eye turning down towards me.
"We cannot raise the dead, Gideon. Despite what we may wish for, we cannot reverse the damage. Let her rest in peace," Raisha said.
"But-" I said.
"Captain," Shaul said, grunting at the title. Raisha lifted her gaze. "Nyryntha is moving away from the system. Big Shaik says keep moving until we see what's happened,"
"Good, Lanster, make a run on the STG base. We have permission from the Councillor to destroy the base for security reasons. Once complete, get the ship back on track. Despite Nyryntha's behaviour, we cannot relax yet," she ordered. "Shaul, prepare the batteries,"
"Roger that, Captain," Lanster said, downtrodden. Shaul grumbled as he stalked away.
With my presence forgotten, the crew fell into routine, into something that didn't remind them of the loss the hot tempered captain. My arms wrapped around myself, slinking back into the shadows as everyone meandered around their duties. Kala cast her head up towards me time to time, ensuring those ahead of me noticed me and walked around me. My eyes trailed over the med bay, an area darkened to hide what… remained, held masked from view. Tears swelled, but my will forced them down. There had to be a way to bring her back, there had to be! She couldn't be… she always said she was too stubborn to die! She had pulled herself out of every situation, every mess and survived. Why not now? Why, why, why?! My nails dug into my arm, but the pain never registered. The noise of the labs surrounded me, pulling my eyes up. A rumble of voices led me to one of the isolation rooms where the science teams gathered. The air snapped my hair straight.
"This makes no sense! She would want this!" Quin snapped.
"No," Sassy said, voice frozen.
"She's a Martyr! We've never had the chance to examine one! She would want us to use her body to help us! Without her, we can't say with certainty who is a Saboteur!" Quin pressed. Wait… they wanted to… what?
"I said no!" Sassy snapped. "She has been dead 3 days and you want to rip her to pieces already?"
"We need her! Commander, you are letting your own emotions blind your reason. She wouldn't want us to just let her body sit in cryo storage when we could see what differences there are between the Commandos and the Martyrs. We need this!" Quin said.
"And what the fuck do you think Admiral Shaik will say when he learns we sliced his sister up while under the guise that she is in a coma?" Sassy asked, the barest of snarls on his lips. "Until we clear up the situation with Nyryntha, we will do nothing,"
"But-" Quin said. Zdenka cleared her throat, snapping their attention towards her. Over her shoulder, their eyes found me in the doorway. My body trembled, knuckles white on my arm as blood pooled under my nails. They wanted to cut mum up, tear her to pieces like… like every other Saboteur. That… why did… this… Emotion swelled. Dozens of eyes snapped towards me, frozen, judging me. My fingers tightened by a fraction, the pain snapping my legs free. My feet spun me around, sprinting back down the hall. Kala bounded after me, casting looks over her shoulder as voices rose.
"This is why we aren't doing anything-" Sassy thundered over the cry of voices before his voice vanished with the closing of the lab doors behind me.
My hands scrambled over the elevator button, securing the doors from whatever awaited me on the other side of the doors, Kala chimed, quizzing my mood but my brain never registered it, pressing my forehead against the cold metal wall. They didn't care, they didn't care and yet assumed to know what mum wanted? She wanted the Saboteurs dead, but herself? Not when she could save herself! There had to be a way to bring her back! Kala nudged me, snapping m, The elevator door lay open. Kala jumped between the closing doors to give me time to escape before whoever called the elevator appeared. Retreating into my room, the heavy silence wore me down. Kala beeped as she watched me flop on the bed, hands in my hair. She trotted over, front paws and head on the edge of my bed. After a moment, she trotted away, vanishing from sight.
Three days… three days since Nyryntha stole my mum from me. The crew existed rather than survived. When news broke of mum's death, the humans wore blank bands on their arm, to show solidarity, grief and respect. The only reason I didn't wear it was because it reminded me of mum too much. She wanted me to grow up and be a pilot, she wanted to do so much for me. She pulled me from a disgusting escape pod, an escape pod I killed 2 batarians to get into during the fire, and gave me something no one had given me. Hope. Well, hope, a home, food, safety, attention. She gave me everything no one else wanted to. All because she wanted to give me a chance, to help me. She never cared about my past, if she did, she would've asked. She cared about me now. My fingers tugged my hair. I wanted her back… I wanted to hear her say she was proud of me again, to see her smile. She gave everything to help me, to give me every chance. She saved me. I wanted to give her anything I could. Did she know that before she… before she… a hand rested on my back, tensing the muscles under it. My head lifted, looking over my shoulder. Cops sat beside me, Kala sitting by the door with her head hung low. Cops wrapped his arms under me, pulling me onto his lap. His chin rested on top of my head.
"How are you holding up?" he asked. My teeth nipped my teeth.
"Fine," I said. Cops blinked once before sighing. His hold on me tightened, pressing his face into my hair.
"Spirits, I don't know what do… Dell asked me to look after you if anything happened but… spirits," he sighed. My hand tightened on his uniform.
"I miss her," I whimpered.
"I miss her too," he said. "She always made… made the ship more energetic. I can't help but feel this is my fault. I was meant to protect her,"
"No… no it wasn't your fault. You had those things everywhere and explosions to deal with. The Saboteur is the one we should blame," I mumbled. Val snorted.
"I was… going through some of her things. We never got you a pistol of your own so… I thought you might like to hang onto her Paladin," Cops said.
"You're giving up on her too?" I asked.
"Gid, the only person I know of who has come back from the dead is Shepard, and who the fuck knows how he managed it," he said. "I miss her and want her back, but you can't raise the dead. Spirits, if she could come back… no, my heart can't cling to that hope. It'll kill me, Gid. I don't know what she would want, but she wants the Saboteurs dead. I can do that at least. C'mon, I hear you haven't slept in a while,"
"I'm fine," I muttered.
"You think Dell would forgive me if I didn't look after you?" he asked. My teeth found my lip again. "I'll call Saere, see if she can give you something to help you,"
"I said I'm fine!" my voice quivered, snapping, pulling back from his hold. Val blinked, eyes bagging as his brow plates shifted up. My hands pulled me off his lap, curling up on a ball to face the wall. "No one wants to bring mum back. No one,"
"Gideon, we can't bring back the de-" Cops said.
"I've heard that 5 times today alone, I know and I don't care!" I shouted. Cops clicked his mandibles, eyes diverting. He sighed before pushing himself to his feet. He stuffed his hand into his pockets before skulking out room. Kala beeped as he left, walking over. "Why does no one want to help bring mum back?"
"Death seems to be a permanent state for organics. To go against it may be difficult for organics to comprehend," Kala said. "I'll keep looking, Gideon. Please try to sleep. I do not wish for you to get ill,"
"I'm fine," I said, bitterness sinking in. Kala chimed, the mech jumping up beside me to lie down at my back.
No one wanted to help. No one wanted to help bring mum back. Why did no one want to help, or even try? She sacrificed everything to destroy the Saboteurs and everyone gave up on her? She was no longer useful so just forget about her? My blood boiled. There had to be a way to bring her back. Cops said Shepard came back, right? They didn't know why but he was dead. He got spaced and crashed through the atmosphere and landed on the planet. He was dead and yet he came back. Mum went into a flurry because of it. How did he do it? I had to find out, I had to figure out how he got back. The problem was so few people knew. Shepard would… would he tell me? My eyes blinked, an idea forming. Shepard said he would help me, he said he would do everything he could if mum needed help. But where was Shepard now? The last thing mum said about Shepard destroyed a relay and system in batarian space. Then something about returning to the Alliance. That meant he must be back at Earth… Could I convince them to go to Earth? No, not with Nyryntha.
Nyryntha complicated everything. The past three days, Nyryntha had wandered in the general vicinity of the Upsilon Steppe and nearby clusters, but she has not attacked or made any moves against us. Mum was dead, she had no reason to chase us now. But what would she do now? The Reapers were so close that using the Citadel relay was pointless. Would she just destroy or weaken the races she could before the Reapers arrived. Regardless, she would cause so many problems. I had to do something, everyone else just didn't seem to care! Mum said I was a Shaik, we were stubborn to the core. I could find something to bring mum back, somehow. After everything she had done for me, it was my time to do something for her. Shepard lived after dying, he must be able to help mum too! My answers lay on Earth… but what about mum? They'd cut her up if she stayed! No, she had to come too. When Shepard saw her, then he could help her too. My jaw set, eyes turning to the clock on the bedside table. It ticked 2am. No, don't think about that. Had to move! My arms pushed me up, noticing the glint of metal beside me. Kala raised her head in a jerk, the cameras on the computer picking up movement. The mech moved, the yellow light blinding me for a few seconds while my feet struggled around her to reach the floor.
"Gideon?" Kala asked.
"I'm going," I said, grabbing a bag and stuffing clothes inside.
"Going? Going where?" Kala said, jumping off the bed.
"Earth," I said, pulling out my armour and clicking it into place. The FENRIS froze.
"G-Gideon, a-are you going to ask Captain Jorgal-" Kala asked.
"No," I said with a tight jaw. "I'm taking a shuttle. I can fly that,"
"Gideon, you can't!" Kala exclaimed. "You are too young to be flying out in space alone,"
"Don't care, did it before," I growled, clicking the shields on. "No one else will save mum. Shepard is my best bet so I'm heading to Earth," Kala watched me as I gathered my things, the FENRIS quivering with each second. The bag slipped over my shoulders.
"Take my servers with you," Kala said. My eyes snapped to the mech. "Gideon, I will not let you wander the galaxy alone in a damn shuttle. I can hijack a small frigate from a pirate or something to give you more security,"
"Kala, I don't have time to move your servers over-" I said.
"You either take my servers or I tell everyone on this ship what you are planning," Kala threatened. "I am not letting you go out there alone!" My jaw floundered.
"But it… I… fuck it, fine!" I sighed, bending down to the servers under my bed.
The servers weren't hard to take out, carrying the 6 servers down would be the problem. Each was about the same size as your average large storage box. To save time, my hands strapped one box onto the FENRIS mech while the others slipped free. Kala took the elevator down the cargo deck to get a shuttle prepared. When the other 5 servers freed themselves from under my bed, the matching cables folded up and piled on top of the servers, Kala returned with a hover transport table for the other servers. Wow, she was prepared… With care, the other 5 servers piled onto the table with the cables. My head poked out of my room, checking the situation before easing the table through the door. Kala opened the elevator for me to push the transporter in, moving down towards the cargo hold. On the shuttle deck, Kala picked the one of the smaller shuttles, the square server already inside. The servers could click together in any arrangement. A 3 by 2 seemed more stable between the chairs on the floor, using the cables to connect them to the electrical network of the shuttle.
But while Kala calibrated her servers with the shuttle, one thing remained missing from the shuttle. With the hover transporter in hand, my eyes locked to the elevator. Inside, my hand hit the bridge deck. My skin tingled, knowing what was coming. When the elevator doors parted, the empty hall sent chills down my back. As the med bay crept closer, my stomach twisted harder. Kala followed my progress through the visor. The shuttle was ready. The med bay doors parted. Antiseptic stank the air, the darkened room setting my teeth on edge. Through the doors into the long stay room, the darkened corner of the room sent tremors down my knees, feet struggling to move. The square sided, rounded top box sat on an empty bed, frost growing on the domed glass. My hand reached out, touching the cold box. My visor turned night vision. Mum lay in the box, frost clinging to her snow white skin, her red hair dulled from the cryo-stasis. My eyes squeezed shut as my omni-tool opened, hacking into the security alarms on the pod. The cables powering the pod slipped free. With care, the transporter raised to the same level as the bed. The cryo-stasis pod hovered off the ground by a few millimetres, allowing me to pull it onto the transporter. Pod on the transporter, it followed me back towards the cargo hold.
Inside the cargo hold, Kala waited in the shuttle. When she saw my cargo, she caught a power cable with a front paw to prepare for powering the pod. My arms strained as the pod slipped into the shuttle, sliding between the chairs. My hand grabbed the power cable and slotted it into place. The pod hummed to life. Content that mum was safe, my hand grabbed straps from a storage box under the floor. The pod couldn't move around, we couldn't risk it. My shoulders sagged when everything clicked together.
"And where are you going?" a voice asked. My heart crashed against my ribs, eyes wheeling around to the door. Sassy stood by the entrance to the shuttle, arms folded. My stomach plunged to the floor. My throat dried before summoning what stubbornness mum instilled in me.
"Kala!" I squeaked. The shuttle engine rumbled. Sassy snorted.
"Kala, disregard that order," Sassy ordered. Kala froze, the engine faltering. My shoulders squeezed together as the engines dropped to idle. Dammit, she wouldn't go against a superior officer! "Now, I will repeat, where are you going?"
"S-Saving mum!" I said. Sassy rose a brow.
"And how do you plan on doing that?" he asked.
"Shepard! He came back, he can help bring mum back! He promised he would help me if I ever needed it so I know he'll help!" I snapped.
Sassy blinked once, studying my expression. He turned to the shuttle, spying Kala's servers and the cryo-pod. He raised a chin, a small smile lighting his lips as he stalked towards the armoury. Despite my attempts to get the shuttle airborne again, Sassy cancelled the order. It left me sitting inside the shuttle with dread forming in my stomach. In the Armoury, he pulled open the Sniper box, sliding a Widow out and securing it on his back. He then pulled several pistols out and a shotgun that went to his lower back. He left the pistol box open as he picked up a bag of grenades, heat sinks and medi-gel. The last box he opened was the experimental science equipment ready for ground testing.
"Planning on staying there all day?" he asked.
A frown spread across my lips. Before my mouth opened to respond, Sassy's eyes trailed towards the cargo holding area. My eyes followed him. A snort rang out. Marruns stepped into sight, arms folded over his chest. His amber eyes snapped to the shuttle, mandibles pinned to his cheeks. Sassy grabbed a pistol, sniper and assault rifle from the Armoury before tossing them to Marruns. The Spectre caught them, slotting them into place. Sassy smiled as he returned his attention to the shuttle and me. Marruns snorted, again, following the salarian. My eyes bulged.
"Shall we?" Sassy asked, stepping inside the shuttle and entering the cockpit. My eyes followed, body frozen in the passenger area of the shuttle. Marruns stepped inside, kicking me to the side. Kala growled, sparks dancing over the mech as Marruns sat down in the chairs, legs stretching out over to the other side. "Well?" Sassy called, a pistol clicking in his hand. My legs moved, stumbling into the cockpit. My eyes found an empty pilot's chair. Sassy's hands danced over the controls at the co-pilot's chair, preparing the navigation points and the exit from the Starquake. His eyes drifted over, pistol on his lap. My ass landed on the pilot's chair, Kala closing the shuttle door as the Starquake cargo door opened. "Pilot us out,"
"B-But I'm not licen- OW!" I yelped as my thigh stung, a loud pop next to my ear. Sassy reloaded. My jaw set, hands moving over the interface as the shuttle lifted up, coaxing itself out of the ship and into the darkness of space. What the hell just happened?
The Galaxy Map has been updated for this chapter. Please see profile for link to Archive.