Citadel Space

Karin and I only went through a few more articles and posts before I got sick of hearing my friends being dragged through the mud. Everybody that put there lives on the line to stop John and end the plague were labelled terrorists. To be honest, I didn't even like that John was in that pool. He was just on the opposite side of the shit stick that I was stuck on. Not that any of the outlets seemed to know or want to know the truth about how we weren't in bed with each other. They wouldn't have survived to lie about us if I was working with him.

Whatever.

I stormed out of the conference room, already aware of where everything was on the Normandy because of Nihlus and his memories. I just didn't know where I should go to cool off. I'd really like to unleash some of my power right now to blow off steam, but I don't think the crew of the Normandy would appreciate me knocking their ship out of space. Actually, causing them to blow up while docked at the Citadel.

"Why don't we get you an Omni-tool like I stated earlier? Take your mind off things?" I turned to Karin, giving her a curt nod as my only response.

"I don't have money. Or a job." The older woman chuckled as she waved her hand.

"Of course you don't. You, for all tense and purposes, were born yesterday when it comes to living in the 22nd century. It's on me this time." I smiled, glad to have somebody watching my back at a time like this.

"Karin, have I mentioned-"

"That I'm an angel? Yes, and I'll definitely let that go to my head." I laughed.

"Damn, I should be more careful with my compliments." I joked with her while we walked up some stairs and towards the front of the Normandy.

"Don't you dare hold back on those compliments." As Karin stated this, I noticed that the crew of the ship were giving me weird and suspicious looks. Undoubtedly already knowing that I was cause for the scuffle downstairs. I had no idea how much they knew about my appearance on Eden Prime or about my status as a Conduit. Either way, I didn't care. I still wasn't planning to stay on this ship. I just hope Karin forgives me after I get what I need and take off.

"Hey, Doc? Where are you taking our guest of honour?" A man dressed in military garb was walking towards the cockpit of the ship. He was carrying himself with crutches and wearing leg braces. He had a trimmed light brown beard and a military cap on his head.

"To get some supplies and show him around the Citadel. He's never been." I decided to let Karin do the talking to get a feel for how much any given crew member might know about me.

"Right, mother hen energy if I ever saw it." The man stated. Turning towards me he braced a crutch against his side and lifted his hand towards me. "Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau. Most people call me Joker."

"Cole MacGrath. People call me Demon. You fly?" I took his hand and gave it a firm shake. He raised a brow at my nickname but otherwise didn't acknowledge the unwanted moniker given to me by the media and TV Jack. He replaced his hands to the crutch and motioned to the cock pit.

"Flying beats walking if you ask me. For the record, I don't fly with my feet, so yes, I can fly just fine. Better then fine actually, I'm-"

"The best damned Pilot in all of the Alliance fleet and the only one born to fly this ship.' Did I get it all?" Karin interrupted the plucky Navy pilot, apparently having heard his bragging before. He just shook his head and chuckled.

"At least somebody listens to me. Though you missed the part about me being the best pilot in all galactic space, but that can be forgiven." Karin rolled her eyes and gave a small laugh.

"Kind of hard not to when I have to hear you mention it every time you break your legs." Karin retorted with a teasing playful tone.

"How often do you break your legs flying a space ship?" By this point we made it to the cockpit. Joker slowly lowered himself into his seat, which looked to be a process in itself, folded his apparently retractable crutches and placed them in a slot that was placed on either side of his seat.

"I don't break them flying, genius. I just gotta be real careful when I get up to use the bathroom. By the way, 'Space-ship?' Man you really are fresh out the colony. Is this your first time in space?" Crap. Gotta learn the lingo.

"Yeah, spent most my life on Eden Prime. Not really been one for travel... off planet anyway. Sooo... yeah." I can't believe I ended my lie like that.

"Wow, I almost believed you, until the end there. Next time buddy, just say I've never been off world before, and you'll be fine. Unless you want to pretend that you are socially awkward 24/7. Actually I guess you technically are by default given your specific set of circumstances. Boy do I not envy you, and I have creaky legs." I could see now why they called this guy Joker. I was somewhat confused on whether or not he knew the truth about me, or just knew I was lying.

"I can see why they call you Joker. Thanks for the tip." Joker shook his head as he turned to me.

"Your welcome, and no, my delightful sense of humour isn't why they call me Joker." Karin sighed, deciding to take a seat in the co-pilot seat, clearly seeing that I was interested in the man and the feeling was mutual. "Do they call you a conduit because you... well basically channel electricity?" Ah, so he knew the truth.

"Yes? No. It was more a generalization. I can see the connection though. So spill, why do they call you Joker if not for your witty banter." Joker groaned as he recounted his origin story.

"Old instructor said I didn't smile enough, so she called me Joker and it stuck. By the time I graduated, I outclassed everybody at the academy including my instructors. Guess who was the only one smiling like an idiot that day." My respect for him I think just went up a few notches.

"Don't forget to brag about how you did it all while being crippled." Karin stated.

"Hey, I earned everything I have. Commendations, metals, all the honours, earned through being better, no, the best there is. I wasn't going to get that going through life grinning like an idiot for no reason." I noticed this entire conversation that not one smile, nor a smirk, was cracked by this man. I then made it my mission, even if I wasn't staying, to make it happen as often as possible.

"Do you have an alter ego that doesn't stop grinning like a maniac, has green hair and wears clown make-up?" He looked at me with a bit of confusion, not really getting the comic book reference. Damn, maybe they didn't make them anymore. "Never mind."

"Will do. Now, I'm not one to get in the way of a budding romance between two dinosaurs, so why don't you guys go on your date so I can get some work done." His light-hearted interaction with us ended with Karin standing and pulling his hat down over his eyes.

"See you later Jeff." She opted to use his real name and led the way out of the ship.

"See ya Joker. When I get back, I'll teach you how to get all the ladies."

"Whatever you say, Demon." Welp, flash of Nix just went through my head.

"I like him, he's going to be fun to mess with." Karin laughed at my take away from that conversation.

"As do I. He is a good man, and a hard worker. He has earned all of our respect, but doesn't seem to know how to relax."

"Oh, I'll be sure to cha-... change... that, is... wow." I stumbled over my words as we walked out of the Normandy and I saw for the first time an arm of the Citadel from my spot on the docking bay. Karin, decided to lead me to the end away from the Citadel entrance and show me... well more of it's immense size.

"Cole MacGrath. Welcome to the Citadel. Population, 13.2 million of all sorts of species across the Milky Way." I wasn't sure what I was expecting, I think even if I had pictured it correctly that I still would be just as stunned. The thing was enormous. I of course missed witnessing it on the way in, but I could still see the arms of the damn thing spreading so far out that they were almost disappearing in the... were those purple clouds? No, they were something else. A Nebula.

"No, that can't be a Nebula." Karin looked over to me, confused.

"Yeah it is?" I threw up my hands in exaggerated disbelief.

"I just got told by a smart ass cripple not to use the phrase spaceship, but your space-faring society doesn't know that nebulae don't get this dense? I may have dropped out of university but I remember the time in astronomy class. Despite how they're often depicted in sci-fi, nebulae in real life are actually very, very, VERY diffuse. If you were to fly out into space in the middle of a nebula, you wouldn't see any fog at all. The gas molecules in a nebula are so far apart, they wouldn't create any visible haze between you and any object for millions of miles - you'd be able to see any nearby object clearly. The nebula itself would create a glowing haze way off in the background, in any direction you looked. But here, I can barely see those ships hovering around out there, or the ends of the Citadel's arms." I was confused. Was science wrong 100 years ago? This seemed off to me.

"Well, the codex you'll receive explaining much of life in the 22nd century will explain many things such as the nebula and how certain cultures operate. For the nebula however, it reads; The Citadel is surrounded by a blue-tinted reflection nebula. The light of the nebula is actually light from the Citadel, scattered and reflected back at the station. At first, the Serpent Nebula was assumed to be made of microscopic construction debris. Prevailing theory holds the Protheans used molecular nanotechnology to manufacture the incredibly durable materials used to make the Citadel. But unlike other nebulae, the Serpent does not dissipate over time. Therefore, it must be replenished constantly. The current popular theory is that the non-recyclable waste collected by the Citadel's keepers is somehow rendered down to the atomic or molecular level, and ejected into the clouds.

The thick nebula presents a navigation hazard unfortunately. Beyond the relatively clear areas around the Citadel, electrical discharges are common. These are not blocked by kinetic barriers, and can severely damage metal-framed star ships. In addition, some dense knots of dust can overwhelm the repulsion of kinetic barriers on smaller ships. If such a vessel is moving fast enough at the time, the effects are similar to being hit by a sandblaster. Attempting to reach the Citadel through open space navigation is inadvisable."

"Then how did we get here?" No matter how good Joker was, what Karin said made it sound like nobody could get here without basically dooming their ships. I don't remember experiencing any severe turbulence.

"Mass Effect Relays. Right, haven't told you about those yet. So, there's this new element, called Element Zero."

45 minutes later

The Citadel is insane. Where to begin?

Well, for starters, because of my predicament, it would have been a problem getting out of the docking bay, if not for the fact that Captain Anderson called the embassy ahead of time, explaining my situation of losing everything on Eden Prime, and needing to get my affairs in order at the human embassy.

We passed said Captain and another older... well I would say gentlemen but I could tell that man had a foul attitude which rendered him undeserving of such a designation. I was right to think that too after learning he was a politician and a prick. Shortly after passing them Shepard and her cohorts crossed our paths, no words were exchanged, only a scowl from the good Commander and a nod from Kaiden while Ashley just avoided eye contact. Awesome.

Again, thank God for Anderson. He pulled strings and I already had personal info getting set up for me. All I needed to do was fill in the blanks for date of birth, blood type, etc. D.O.B was the same month and day but I changed the year. Name remained the same, not uncommon for some humans to have the exact same name, glad it had been nearly 200 years since the besmirching of mine, and the fact that almost nobody wanted to remember it. After that, a birth certificate, a personal I.D, and a bank account was ready to go. Everything else was up to me to hand in terms of online presence and what have you. All complete with my very own omni-tool.

These things were wild. Basically very small devices that graft to your skin, and are capable of so much. Video, audio, and text communication, which in turn meant it could record with a camera if I wanted to shoot videos. It had holographic projectors with sensors to register manual inputs. A mini-fabricator, which was basically a hardware add on that I could carry with me on my belt or arm or wherever to produce small items and break down items into omni-gel. It could dispense medi-gel for first aid, it could be used to repair and modify all kinds of equipment, as a scanner, and could be used to play video games, for programming, and hacking. I'm not that great at the latter two things (like at all really) but I do like me a good video game every once and awhile... or I did. I hadn't really played anything since before I met Moya.

Oh it had a flashlight to.

If I was to wear a jacket or armour, I'd simply replace the omni-tool and put it onto said article of clothing or armour. This thing was so far my favourite thing about he 22nd century.

I played around with it for a while. Going over the onboard manual and getting acquainted with how everything worked, minus the fabricator. Was going to save that for later.

We had gotten a bite to eat while she gave me a brief tour of the Presidium, basically the mid to high-class area of the Citadel, which revealed to me a harsh truth.

It appeared that even though Anderson and Udina were intent on setting me up with everything and gave me a bank account, I had practically no money. 200 Credits was barely anything according to Karin, and she graciously passed over 50,000 Creds.

"What?!"

"Don't worry about it, Cole. I've got plenty of money working for the Alliance as long as I have." She stated nonchalant.

"Wouldn't you rather give this to your kids, or dare I risk offending you, grand kids?" She put on a mock scowl, but I could tell she was just playin with me.

"No, I'm good." Maybe she didn't have family, or maybe they were estranged, God forbid she did have family and they died. I decided not to push the subject.

"Karin, I was just mentioning the amount because I can tell they are trying to trap me into working for them."

"I know." Again, nonchalant as ever.

"Wha- wait then why are you giving me so much?" I was worried this woman took too much of a liking to me, or that she was trying to buy my loyalty. She didn't need to. She was slowly earning that. If anything this risked breaching that. I"m not looking for bribes or special treatment. I just want to be left alone.

"Listen Cole, I don't know about you, but this Saren business is starting to sound very serious. Humanity was attacked, and the Geth are enough of a cause for concern. Add in that Spectre and what Shepard's vision... I don't know. I'm not superstitious but I think you're her-"

"Stop. Please stop." I turned away from her. She hadn't seen so much as two or three of my abilities, heard some basic generic info on what I actually did in the 21st century, and now thinks I was destined to be here.

"But-" I cut her off again before she could protest.

"That's enough." Whatever Karin wanted to say was has halted by my last warning and she just closed her mouth and turned away from me. After a few seconds she spoke again.

"A fight is coming Cole. My old bones can tell. We could use you." I started to get angry. I didn't want this friendship tarnished by the idea that it was only created to recruit me to the military.

"What? You want me to be a lap dog for yet another branch of the government? I've been there, I've done that, and it's always ugly. I'm always the one paying for it. You know what I've done since I got my powers? Fight. All I've done since I activated the Ray Sphere is fight. I fought mind controlled gangs, homeless fanatics, clandestine organizations, military, lunatic conduits, monsters, The Beast, and what did it get me? My girlfriend killed, my best friend betrayed me, Kessler showed me the end of the world, and my city was destroyed in minutes. I still fought. I fought so hard that I technically won, but I didn't get anything. I didn't get rest, I didn't get my life back, I was supposed to die in New Marais, but instead, I'm here, in the fucking future, somehow showing up on another planet through some relic, and I'm stuck with military personnel who are uncomfortable around me. I've never felt more alone in my life, and you were alleviating that until now." I was getting close to blowing a gasket. I hadn't actually talked about any of this in such a way before.

"Cole I'm so-" Karin started but I wasn't having any of it.

"Look, I never got time to grieve properly, about anything. There was no time for complaining, because there was one crisis after another. I had a job to do, and I did it. It was a shit job, and nothing was fair, and I did it anyway. With very little if any complaints. Oh, and I had plenty to gripe about. So, thanks for the creds, I'll pay you back at some point. You should probably go back to the Normandy, or do whatever, I'm going to walk around for a bit. See ya later" Without waiting for a response I left her on the bench.

Though the memories of what I went through is what set me off, I had been constantly on edge since we got here. I kept thinking back to Nihlus and how he died, Saren and how he looked, the weird energy coming from Shepard and Kaiden, and how that same energy was coming off of some of the people here on the Citadel. Practically every one of the blue skinned aliens known as asari had that feeling about them.

It felt familiar but not distinctive enough for me to figure out why. Then there was the Alliance, Anderson, and Shepard. It appeared they didn't want me going anywhere without supervision. It made me worried that I would have to spend the rest of my life in this era running from them. I did not look forward to being hunted for the rest of my life.

I was so lost in though about my predicament that I didn't notice the woman coming out of a shop right in front of me as I bumped into her. She was carrying a bag that she let go of when we collided, and the contents spilled out to reveal lotions, blindfolds, cuffs... oh.

"I am so sorry miss." I wasted no time in reaching down and hurriedly collecting her belonging and placing them back in her bag, before standing up to hand them back to her.

"I should be paying more...attention." My hand was out stretched and I almost went slack jawed. Luckily I was keeping my composure... mostly.

Before me was probably the second most beautiful woman I've seen in the 22nd century. She had light blue skin, cartilage-based scalp-crests instead of hair, with deep blue eyes and purple lips. She was lithe, and wearing a number that was revealing but still classy. I think anyway.

"It's quite alright. Thank you for things." The woman gave me a smile, that bordered on polite and seductive. She exuded sexual energy and still demanded respect. She seemed professional, yet still relaxed and not too formal. Had to admit, I was somewhat stricken by her. Didn't help that she was a hot alien.

"Where are my manners, I'm Cole." I stuck out my hand and she took it.

"Sha'ira. Pleased to meet you." She let go of my hand and continued. "Hope you don't mind my saying, but you don't look to be from around here. Do you need any assistance?" I chuckled a bit as I rubbed my chin.

"Nice to meet you Sha'ira. Believe it or not I'm not from around here. Born and raised on Eden Prime. You're the first asari that I've run into." Her eyes softened at the mention of the recently decimated colony. Indicating that news travels fast. Really need to stay low profile.

"You have my condolences Cole. It was very upsetting to hear your colony was attacked in such a manner. Perhaps I understand why..." She stopped mid sentence, her eyes had never left mine, but she then broke the contact to look at other parts of my face.

The asari woman almost seemed to be studying me. Her hand slowly came up as she lightly clasped onto my skin with her very soft and ultra smooth hands. She tilted my head a bit, then let go and locked eyes with me again.

"...Perhaps the tragedy of your colony isn't the only thing bothering you." I was alarmed that she had gotten so much from a read of me. I tended to have resting grump face, something Trish and Zeke used to tease me for. So reading me isn't supposed to be easy.

"Uh, I mean..."

"Don't fret, I can not read your mind, but I make it my job to be able to read people so I can accurately provide for them what they need, when they need it." I quirked a brow, this woman was pretty interesting.

"You don't say? That's a pretty useful skill you got there Sha'ira. Don't use it for evil, okay?" I grinned a bit at my stupid joke and she, surprisingly, gave a small giggle.

"Oh, I have many other skills to supplement that one." My small grin became full blown.

"Oh? What kind of skills?" She looked at her omni-tool briefly, I think sending off a text message before motioning for me to walk with her. I did.

"That depends on your needs." I nearly fell over. "I provide advice to some, comfort to others." That wasn't very specific.

"Oh, cool. Um... just to clarify. Are yo-"

"I am the Consort." She stated. I just pondered that word for a moment as we entered a building. It was branded as 'Consort's Chambers'.

That didn't sound sex dungeony at all.

We walked in, passed her receptionist who gave me a knowing look, past the other guests, who were of various species sitting in booths and other plush seating talking with mostly asari women. We made our way up a flight of stairs and into what must of been Sha'ira's private room. Once we got into the room, she placed bag on a table and began removing it's contents. Then my response to her earlier statement came back to me.

"You're the Wife of the monarch?" At this she laughed out right, just as the door behind me closed an locked.

"You are a funny man Cole." She placed her bag on the counter and began to carefully remove the contents. I looked around the room while she did this, Sha'ira offering for me to make myself at home, and decided to go sit on her couch.

Her room was pretty decent size. It was probably as big if not bigger then my dinky apartment back in Empire City. It was definitely well put together and 'modern' then where I had lived at the time. She had some bubble chamber thing that was transparent, and inside was a circular cushioned seat. That had to be a sex thing. What the hell else would that be used for. Sensory deprivation? You could see through it so it already fails there.

"You like?" Sha'ira joined me on the couch, two glasses of wine. I wasn't one for wine but I decided to not be rude and took the glass.

"Yeah, uh, do you have sex in that thing? Sleep? It can't be sensory deprivation becau-."

"Because you can see through it. Yes, you can have sex in it. Sleeping... I've passed out in there before, but not often. Isn't the most comfortable for a full sleep, maybe a little nap cuddling up to somebody." When she said this she moved a bit closer to me on the couch. I was leaned back, and she was sitting with her legs curled under her. She moved closer and pressed one knee against my thigh. We clinked glasses and I drank half the glass of wine. Surprisingly it was really good.

"So, I've gotta ask. I don't take you for the type to just take any John Doe off the streets and into the sheets."

"I'm not. Normally you pay a handsome fee, and the wait list is... extensive." She smirked as she took another sip of her wine. Her hand slid over to my chest, and began rubbing circles around my pecks through my shirt. I liked it, but after awhile I put my hand on hers to stop her.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" Her smile faded slightly. She took in a deep breath and let out a long sigh as she placed her glass on the table.

"The way you hold yourself, I noticed you walk like the rest of the Alliance soldiers that docked not to long ago." My sat forward and felt like getting up and jumping out the window. I'd survive the fall no problem and I'd get away from her as fast as possible.

"Please, don't be hasty." She grabbed my left forearm and bicep with both her hands. When I snapped my head in her direction I nearly snarled at her. I hesitated when I saw the sullen look in her eyes.

"Make your case, and it better be good." She released a held breath, apparently being a little more scared of me then I realized she was. If I had been paying attention, I probably would have realized that my eyes were glowing golden-yellow. Something that happens when I get all up in my negative feelings.

"R-right. I'm sorry. You likely don't like being followed. No record of you until today, and despite what I said about you and the soldiers being similar, upon further inspection I did see how you were different. You are no soldier, but you are a fighter. One has seen too much already. I wish to help with that in anyway I can, but I ask a favour in return." I stood up, crossing my arms as I faced her, staring her in the eye.

"20 seconds." She stood up and turned on her omni-tool, sending me info on a turian named Septimus.

"I have a friend, Septimus, a retired turian general. I won't discuss the details, but he wanted me to be more then I could be." I rolled my eyes.

"He wanted to go steady and you said no. Let me guess, lovers quarrel. 14 seconds." She nodded

"Yes, he now spends his days in Chora's Den, getting drunk and spreading lies about me. If you would speak to him as a fellow warrior..." She lifted her hand to touch my face, but I moved away from her. She retracted the arm, but didn't slow down her speech or waste any time. "...perhaps he'll listen to you and let the matter be." I sighed.

"If he doesn't listen do you want him beaten into a hospital? 5 Seconds." Her eyes went wide.

"No! Just... appeal to his honour, remind him of his station." I turned on my heel and headed for the door. "If you get him to stop spreading lies about me, I'll be very grateful." I didn't even look back at her as I left the room.

"If I see him while wandering the Wards, then maybe. You better remember from now on that I'm not an errand boy." Nothing else was said between us as I left.

Once I got outside I asked an Avina terminal to point me in the direction of the Wards, too which the terminal so kindly reminded me that I have a gps map of the entire Citadel on my omni-tool, before giving me directions.

I can't believe I'm doing this to bang an alien.