Chapter Eight: The Few and the Brave
Username CosmosWiz (Eric Grimes)
Username: CoppaCop (Natalie Clay)
EG: [LOGIN][ONLINE]
NC: [LOGIN][ONLINE]
10:31 EG: Hey, Nat.
10:36 EG: You there? Did you get my message?
10:36 NC: Yeah. Sorry about that. Long meeting.
10:37 EG: Oh good. I didn't want to reiterate.
10:37 NC: You were a little vague in the email you sent. Something up?
10:38 EG: Not at all! Just figured you might need a break, away from the Citadel.
10:38 EG: Got something in mind?
10:38 NC: Well…
10:41 NC: I always want to visit India. It's where I grew up. My parents would be more than happy to see me again. My father, especially.
10:41 EG: Sounds good. I suggested avoiding taking a vacation on the Citadel. Too expensive IIRC
10:41 EG: What's he like, if you don't mind me asking?
10:42 NC: Like any other dad, really. He wanted to leave behind a better world for his child.
10:45 EG: Sounds better than *my* dad.
10:45 NC: Eric, don't sell yourself short.
10:45 EG: Geez, sorry!
10:45 NC: So why don't you come with us?
10:46 EG: Gonna be assigned to a post, remember?
10:46 NC: Oh! Well, in that case: stay safe, okay?
10:46 EG: You too. Dangerous galaxy out there.
10:46 NC: lol
10:47 NC: Don't get paranoid! I'll be fine.
10:47 EG: Right.
10:47 EG: welp gotta go instructor incoming! D:
10:48 NC: Be seeing you. :)
Year: 2183
Location: Rhode Island, Earth
Several months passed by, and Eric had just completed his training as a combat engineer. It was hard, and it was frustrating, but it was worth it. Even with all the training he received, he still had a little bit of trouble seeing himself serving in the Alliance Navy. Luke did say being an engineer would be more his style, and his superiors often remarked he had high marks in his proficiency in omni-tools and understanding of Vis in comparison to his handling of firearms, but still.
After his little holiday break, Eric was sent off to Aeternitas Station, where would-be engineers like him at the time go to train. With being instructed by people he didn't know and training with peers he didn't recognize on a station in outer space, it was a lonely experience. Missing out on seeing Natalie's newborn twins Florina and Helene and not being able to get in touch with Garrett, as he was at a separate station, did not help. But at least Garrett was with him now, having completed his training.
However, he couldn't help but have this sense of dread hanging over him. He knew the Reaper, Sovereign, would come knocking on the Citadel's door with a fleet of geth behind it and Saren as his avatar. It could happen at any moment, he realized, but at least he was there. These reassurances didn't put his mind at ease. He could only hope Natalie heeded Eric's advice about going away from the Citadel for a vacation.
He couldn't help himself imagining serving under Shepard's command, playing a role in saving the galaxy, but he also found the prospect terrifying. Life-and-death situations at every turn and killing scores of people just to reach the objective? Maybe fixing comm relays in far-out colonies would be more appealing to him.
But right now. All he could do was wait and hope for the best. Perhaps it would be best to spend some quality time with Garrett. He mentioned a party going on in the facility.
"Hey, do they have that one weird series up and running?" Eric asked.
"Which one?" Garrett replied, a little confused. "There's, like, thousands of those online."
"The one with the quarian spiders and vorcha bats. That one!" Eric answered, gesturing with his arms in a comedic fashion. "And for the life of me, I could not remember the name of that show."
Garrett's lips broke into a smile. "And thank God for that. I got some weird dreams from that show."
"Yeah, I got them, too. No thanks to you."
"How weird are we talking about here?"
"Like… weirder than yours. Weird-weird. So, do they have that show on?"
Garrett answered that with a shake of his head, which brought a little bit of relief to Eric. They were walking down the hallway in the military facility and reached the end, meeting up with a closed door. Playing a pleasing sound, the door parted opened and they stepped inside.
The room was large and circular, with the window being the entire wall. The floor they stood on was a gray carpet, blue-rimmed by the window. At the center of the room were four TVs set next to each other into a square, blue couches circling them. Outside, it was late in the afternoon and the sun was ready to set behind the buildings for the night.
The other graduates looked to spend some time having fun before being deployed to places elsewhere. Some were chatting with their peers and friends, and others were eating and drinking their merry way. A couple of them were playing a game, and Eric recognized these three were his old bunkmates back in Brazil. Vera had her head leaned against Melek's, and Alban Alder was quite into the game. The game they were currently playing was a sequel to Redeemer, judging by the UI and the graphics.
As Eric approached the three on the couch, Alban turned around to see him with a warm, friendly smile on his face. The game had paused by then. "Hey, Eric!" he said after giving Eric a fist bump. "Been over a year! How's it been?"
"It's, uh… it's going," Eric answered. "What about you?"
Melek shrugged. "Same here."
"Anyway, Eric, want to play with us?" Alban asked. "It won't be as fun with just the three of us."
Eric considered passing up on this opportunity for a moment, but he relented. "Okay," he said and joined him, sitting on the couch with a fourth controller in hand.
Melek was the first player, being Casmira the demon knight from the first game, while Alban and Vera were Rosta the exiled priest and Zita the psychic outlander respectively. Eric chose to play as Goran, a monster hunter specializing in alchemy and combat magic.
It was a good time he had, as the four traversed through an abandoned city, fighting off wave after wave of werewolves and vampires, who according to the narration, made an unusual alliance for reasons that were not specified. It didn't take much for Eric to be taken out of the experience when someone placed a hand on his shoulder. Melek had paused the game as Eric turned around to, much to his surprise, see Arthur Mallon.
Everything about him was the same. Same curly blond hair, same hawkish face. What was different about him, however, was his demeanor. He was sullen like he had something on his mind.
"'Ey, Eric," he spoke. "Can we talk? Just the two of us?"
"Err, sure," Eric replied hesitantly. Garrett was just walking by and stopped as soon as he saw Arthur, eyeing him with suspicion while his former bunkmates looked on, not sure of what could happen next. "You're not… gonna make fun of me, right?"
"If you're gonna bother him over some stupid bullshit…" Garrett warned Arthur.
Arthur sighed as he rolled his eyes at Garrett. "I know, I know. You don't trust me anymore, I get it. But it's nothing like that."
Garrett crossed his arms out of skepticism. "Sure. Do what you have to do, but if I find you laying a hand on Eric…"
"Yeah. Got it," Arthur acknowledged.
Eric stood up and set aside the controller. He still wasn't sure if it was a good idea, but he figured it couldn't hurt. Hopefully. "Hey, think you can put me on AFK for a bit?"
"Sure," Melek replied and did just that.
With that, Arthur and Eric sauntered out of the lobby, just stopping at the entrance.
Eric leaned against the wall behind him, skepticism and a little bit of impatience palpable on his face. "So what's going on?"
Arthur looked down at the floor, his hands tenting between his fingers. There was an uncomfortable silence that befell them. He pressed his lips together as he took a sharp intake of breath. It was clear he had trouble finding the words. "Why is this so damn hard?" he asked, almost to himself. "You'd think disciplinary action and my parents calling me out would make this easier…"
"What's going on?"
"Yeah, okay…" he said to himself. He took another sharp intake. "I'm sorry for being such an ass to you, Eric. Remember when Garrett came up to me last month and I was a wreck? Well, he was my friend. Over the past several months, he wouldn't shut up about you. I thought you took him away from me at the time." He pursed his lips. "Maybe someday I can make it up to you. Don't know how, though." By the look on his face and the tone of his voice, he probably meant it.
Eric nodded with a small and appreciative smile. "The apology's enough, thanks," he said with a casual gesture of his hand.
Arthur's eyes lit up as he looked back at Eric. "Really?"
"Yeah, really."
"That's… good to hear." Arthur nodded along.
"It sure does," Eric agreed.
Their conversation ended abruptly as the door parted open, and Garrett quickly stepped in with them. Eric couldn't help but notice the sudden nervous look on his boyfriend's face.
"Garrett? What's going on?" he asked. A dreadful feeling took hold of him. Something must have gone wrong. Something he wasn't looking forward to the moment he came to this universe.
"You need to get in here," Garrett exclaimed. It was difficult for him to find the words he was looking for. Or trying to wrap around whatever situation was going on. "It's all on the news. The Citadel's under attack by the geth."
Eric's heart dropped. He had to bring himself into following Garrett and Arthur back to the room.
Everyone had gathered around the screens, all showing images of a space battle between two fleets. One had ships of varying sizes and shapes, most of them the sharp, angular turian vessels with the Destiny Ascension towering them. The other fleet had ships that were insect-like in appearance with tiny appendages at the front. Among them was a massive cuttlefish-like ship leading the charge, encased in a material made of dark metal. That was a Reaper. Sovereign. He could see why the Council and everyone else would dismiss the Reaper as a geth ship.
The Citadel itself had closed off as the Reaper flew in, undeterred by the opposition before it. It was clear the Citadel forces were losing badly to the geth. Although it would be obvious Shepard would arrive on the Citadel, open it, and bring in Alliance reinforcements to turn the tide, it wasn't what made Eric worried.
The scenery had cut to a woman with predominant Asian features backing away from the crossfire between the geth and C-Sec forces, the camera following her. The woman, credited as Emily Wong, looked scared despite her efforts to stay calm. She talked about the rising casualties in wake of the attack and that C-Sec had urged the denizens to evacuate the station.
Eric tapped on his omni-tool. Natalie, this is Eric. Are you off the station? I'm worried about you, he typed. He pressed the send button, only for his omni-tool to display: ERROR! CONNECTION LOST.
Eric cursed under his breath. Of course communications would be down. That would be the first thing everybody would go after in times of war. And soon enough, the "Please Stand By" message was on the screens with the rainbow background behind it.
Nobody said anything. Some could only look up in horror while others silently wept. Eric could only remember the terror he felt when he hadn't heard from his brother and father at the time of the Boston Marathon bombing until much later in the day.
He could feel that terror, that feeling of powerlessness wash over him. If only he could…
A sudden realization came upon him as his eyes lit up. He could make a difference. He could save lives, just like his father had done. And no one would be here to stop him like his mother.
He clenched his fist and turned around, sauntering past the crowd and made his way out of the room. He could only walk a few steps in the hallway before someone called out, "Hey, where do you think you're going?"
He turned around as Garrett stood with his arms crossed in front of him. The door slid shut behind him, and a glance told Eric several people noticed him walking out.
"The Citadel," Eric answered hesitantly, grasping his arm as if in shame.
"So you want to be a hero, then?"
"I just…"
It was then, much to his surprise, several other people emerged from the room. Arthur, Melek, Vera, Bristol, and Ami and Alban were all here.
"What's goin' on here?" Bristol wondered.
Garrett turned toward Bristol. "Eric wants to be the hero."
"So… you're all here to stop me, then?" Eric asked, his voice cracking a little. "Is that it?"
"Why not?" Vera asked, leaning against the wall to her right. By the tone of her voice, it was clear her question was not condescending but rather curious.
"Because…" Eric exhaled sharply. "Because as cliché as it is, it's the right thing to do."
Arthur pinched his nose and stopped himself from laughing. "Oh, right. Sorry 'bout that. Go on."
Eric paused. "It's something my f… friend told me. It's about doing the right thing, setting the right goals. Even if things would drag on with no progress in sight, we focus on the little things. They're the ones that matter, making up the big picture. They can give us purpose even when our superiors couldn't."
He sighed, tears welling up in his eyes. "And, well… my friends, Luke and Natalie, are probably at the Citadel. They have two daughters born not long ago. I couldn't get a hold of them since communications were down. I know it's dangerous going to the Citadel and stuff, but I can't—"
"You're not the only one, you know," Ami butted in. "Do you have that sense of uncertainty you have, whether or not someone you care about would make it through this?"
"Yeah."
"I got that feeling too. My mother is on that station."
"So are my aunt and uncle and my cousins," Vera added.
"And more of my friends," Alban said.
Eric didn't know what to make of this. "So what are you saying, then? You want me to sit on my ass and do nothing while the galaxy's coming to an end?"
"No, we're not." Garrett made that cheeky smile on his face. "We're all here to help. That speech of yours sure helped."
There was a lump in Eric's throat. He did not see this one coming, but he knew deep down he wanted this. "A-are you sure?"
"Yeah. We'll get in trouble, that's for sure," Vera replied.
"A lot of trouble. We've ordered to stay put. Including the graduates," Melek added and she received a look nothing short of serious from Vera. "But it'll be so worth it."
"So what's this plan of yours, exactly?" Arthur wondered. "Got something in mind for us?"
That was when Eric hesitated for a mere second. He expected to find a ship, jump through two relays, fly to the Citadel, and hope for the best. But a plan? He'll be more likely to get them all killed. "I'll explain on the way. If you don't wanna go, I'm not stopping you."
"Okay." Garrett nodded. "Well, I'm here for you. Till the end of the line."
Eric smiled. "Thanks, guys."
With that, Garrett nodded and followed Eric. Alban and the others trailed behind them.
"Certainty of death. Small chance of success. What're we waitin' for?" Arthur grinned to himself before catching up.
They all arrived at the hanger bay, clad in Alliance standard-issue, camo-blue, armor and weaponry. Even with a bit of muscle Eric gained over the past year, it still felt like there was a ten-pound object weighing him down. His armor was the lightest of them all, and he only had a pistol to his name.
"Don't worry; we don't have to fight anything," Garrett reassured him.
"Yeah, I hope so," Eric replied.
It was risky for them to defy orders to stay put, but snatching weapons and armor from the armory? That would earn the ire of their superiors, to say the least. Should the worst come to pass, and Eric hoped it wouldn't, he doesn't think some missing equipment would matter when compared to the end of galactic civilization.
Garrett went back to inspecting each of the shuttles by the walkway they stood on by hand. Not only did he have the heaviest armor of the bunch, but he also had an assault rifle and a shotgun attached to his back, both standard-issue equipment. Garrett always said he wanted to be Tanky the Tank when he was a child.
Somebody spent way too much time playing D&D, Eric thought in amusement.
He did hear many weapons and armor manufacturers consider diversifying and overhauling their weaponry considering recent geth attacks, streamlining armor designs, and upgrading said shield systems. The wonders of advancements in technology never cease to amaze him.
Aside from Eric and the other recruits, it didn't look like there was any other soul in this well-lit hanger. There was even that fresh car smell wafting about, so that meant these things were commissioned there recently.
Bristol folded his arms in front of him, his mouth wrinkled into a frown. "Does anyone know how to fly this thing?"
An awkward silence fell among the group. Arthur brought his balled hand up to his mouth and coughed; Ami darted her eyes left and right, not uttering a word in hopes of not making it even more awkward.
"Uh, no?" Melek answered, meek and nervous.
Ami broke away from her patrolling and joined the rest. "Don't you have a plan in mind, Eric, or do you have any idea what we're about to do?"
"Well, yeah, but—"
"Hey!" someone called out.
Everybody turned to a man with a shaved head approaching them, his icy blue eyes making his gaze even more piercing and noticing.
"What are you all doing here?" the man in a crewman's outfit asked, somewhat demanding. Eric couldn't help but recognize his appearance and his voice. Had he forgotten that much?
Garrett crossed his arms and stepped toward the crewman, trying to come off as authoritative. That would end well for him. "Mind telling us who you are?"
"2nd Lieutenant Steve Cortez," the man simply stated.
Eric nearly gasped, and he could have sworn that Steve and the others have noticed his reaction. Steve Cortez was in the third game, being the Normandy's shuttle pilot as well as a romance option for male Shepards. Eric really took a liking to him during his playthrough of the game. Dios, I'm dumb.
Garrett immediately saluted, as did Ami, Alban, Bristol, Melek, and Arthur for a moment.
"Are you okay?" Steve asked Eric.
Eric nodded profusely. He followed along and saluted as well. Raised eyebrows, wide, darting eyes, and constantly flaring nostrils. Yep, he was screwed big time. "Y-yeah! Just… wasn't expecting someone of higher rank to be here. We, we uh…" Oh fuck! Shit! What to do, what to do, what to do, what am I gonna do…? Fuck me sideways.
"Sir, we're defying orders to stay put! We intend to take a shuttle and pull an improve rescue op on the Citadel!" Garrett barked at the top of his voice, neither flinching nor squirming. "It was Eric's idea and we complied with him, sir!"
"Eric?" Steve inquired with an arched eyebrow. "Which one of you is Eric?"
"That would be me, sir." Eric turned his head to his boyfriend with a seething look. "What the hell?"
"Sorry! Bit of a habit I have lately," Garrett admitted, not looking back at Eric.
"Your plan sucks," Arthur chided.
"Oh, shut up," Eric snapped, taking a glance at Arthur.
"So… what happens now, sir?" Ami asked nervously. "Are we in trouble?"
Cortez sighed deeply and leaned against the railing to his right. "A good friend of mine, Robert, on the Citadel. I couldn't get a hold of him, nor alone anyone else for that matter." A small chuckle escaped his lips. "I'm sure you all friends and relatives there." His voice trailed off as he fell silent.
"Yeah. We all do," Eric sympathized.
Cortez stood up straight. "But I'm not here to turn you in. I'm here to help. Does anyone else know how to fly a shuttle?"
At first, the group didn't know what to think of the lieutenant's offer. They exchanged looks before most of them struggled to come up with an answer.
"No, I don't think so," Eric admitted sheepishly. "Alban?"
"Only one training course, in fact," Alban answered. "Not sure that counts."
"So you're looking for a pilot?" Steve asked, stepping forward before crossing his arms in front of him with a confident smile. "Well, I'm your man."
"Okay, so why would you want to help us?" Eric asked, confused and curious.
"You need a pilot," Cortez explained. "And before you got here, I thought there isn't anything I could do. Maybe you've heard the Alliance is moving out to Citadel space."
"Oh, really?" Eric's eyes lit up. So Shepard had taken back control of the Citadel from Sovereign after all. Maybe there was hope after all.
"Yeah, heard it from the official channels."
"Okay, yeah! Cool! That makes sense!" Eric exclaimed after taking a sharp intake. "Permission to steal a shuttle and fly to the Citadel with you?"
Cortez nodded. "Permission granted. You're not here to fight the geth, are you?"
Almost immediately, Eric shook his head. "We're not doing that! No, we're not. I know all of us are armed, but it's only for those just-in-case situations, you know. We're here to save people."
It only took a second for Eric to freeze in his place as the rest of the group, Steve included, opened the shuttle and stepped inside. He had to wonder: what if they accidentally get in the crossfire between the geth and the other fleets? Would they have to avoid the gunfire from practically everybody? Accidents happen, and he'd rather not have everyone, including him, pay with their lives.
"Oi, you coming or what?" Bristol called out, his head poking out of the shuttle door. "This is your stupid idea, after all!"
This snapped Eric out of his thoughts. "Oh yeah, sorry!" With that, he was the last to step inside.
Username CosmosWiz (Eric Grimes)
Username: CoppaCop (Natalie Clay)
EG: [LOGIN][ONLINE]
NC: [OFFLINE]
17:38 EG: If you're still at the Citadel, my friends and I are coming to help.
17:38 EG: We got someone to fly a shuttle for us. We're getting there ASAP.
17:39 EG: Stay safe, okay?
MESSAGE RECEIVED
As the shuttle moved closer to the relay, many of the Alliance ships converged and made the jump, one after another.
Eric approached the cockpit and leaned forward in anticipation as Steve piloted the ship towards the relay. The others were in the back of the shuttle, some sitting down while others were standing about, weapons at the ready.
The shuttle was the last to make the jump. An arc of lightning enveloped the tiny ship and it zipped from the Sol system to another area in the galaxy. They found themselves in the Horsehead Nebula, and Eric stared at the clash of clouds and dust. He smirked. That sight would never get old for him.
Cortez noticed his reaction. "It's beautiful, you know. Wish Robert would've been here to see it," he said.
"Sounds like you two are a perfect match," Eric replied.
Steve looked at Eric, a little surprised and a little confused. "I mean, well…" He caught himself chuckling. "I'm not so sure myself."
"Did you ask?"
"Haven't got the chance." There was a sad, wistful look in Cortez's eyes. He sighed. "Maybe. Sounds pretty crazy, though. If he makes it through this…"
"Hey, don't knock it till you try it," Eric said.
Cortez chuckled a little. "Guess you can say that. No harm, no foul, right?"
Eric nodded, and they turned their attention back to the front view. He smirked, if only a little. He couldn't believe it himself; he made the idea for Steve and his future husband, Robert, to be a couple. All mirth faded from his face, his heart dropping like a bag of rocks. Cortez would lose Robert about two years from now at the hands of the Collectors. Would Cortez blame him for the idea in the first place, getting them together like that? Or would he say Eric wouldn't know, predict the future and all? He wouldn't exactly find comfort in either scenario.
The massive fleet was well ahead of them, barely visible to the naked eye. If the shuttle would get any closer, it would be detected by any of the Alliance's scanners. Eric had to admit, it was nerve-wracking, catching up to the fleet as they all quickly moved from one relay to the next.
The fleet reached another relay and jumped through it, the shuttle following suit. Beyond the fleet, the dots in the pink cloud slowly became the flagship and the Citadel, its arms slowly opening. Among them were two fleets exchanging vast, rapid firepower, one run by the geth, the other the turian vessels guarding the Destiny Ascension.
Ami's eyes lit up as she and the others gathered around Eric, all in awe at what they saw. The fleet had gathered behind one frigate.
"Is that the Normandy?" Garrett asked, looking at the frigate with awe.
"Yeah." Arthur had the same look on his face as Garrett's.
The transmission cracked and pinged. "Alliance ships move in! Save the Destiny Ascension!" a man's voice, old and grainy, came out of one of the haptic interfaces.
"Hey, that's Admiral Hackett!" Ami exclaimed.
"Sounds like he's leading the charge," Malek replied.
Eric let out a deep, relieved breath. Looks like the Citadel had opened. Shepard did it. I knew she would.
Any sign of relief on his face soon faded as the Alliance fleet and the geth soon opened fire on each other—and they would be in the crossfire sure enough.
By the look on Cortez's face, he kept his cool as his arms moved about, going from one haptic interface to another. The shuttle swayed in random directions, somehow avoiding the gunfire. Despite everything spinning around outside the shuttle, Eric and the others didn't land on the ceiling when it happened. Eric had to remind himself the shuttle, as well as any starship, had inertial dampeners for a reason.
He looked back and saw some of his friends weren't taking it as well as he hoped. "Oh God, we're all gonna die here!" Arthur yelled out, his eyes filled with panic and distraught.
"Shut up! Shut the fuck up, man! We're not gonna die here, you hear?" Melek shot back. "Do we need this right now!?"
The panic in Arthur's voice grew worse. "It's his fuckin' fault, y'know!" he cried out, pointing at Eric.
A feeling of dread swept over Eric. He had brought his boyfriend and others to a situation where anyone could die, either abruptly, horribly, or both. It wasn't a pleasant thing, taking responsibility for the lives of others. At that moment, Eric wished he hadn't brought them along. At least it would be him doing something stupid and suicidal.
Ignoring the increasing bickering among his comrades, Eric turned back to the front view. They were close to the Citadel, its arms now wide open as ships of all shapes and sizes swooped in, bringing the battle closer to home. A stray ship flew close by, smoke and fire trailing behind it. Eric's heart almost leaped out of his throat as Steve turned the shuttle away, dodging the spiraling ship like a fly against a wrapped-up newspaper.
"Dios!" Eric exclaimed. "How soon can we find something to land on?"
"We should be at a landing zone at C-Sec Headquarters! It's the closest one we got!" Steve answered.
A series of heavy grunts and thuds made Eric turn back around. What he didn't expect was Arthur coming at him, his arms stretched in front of him with hysteria in his now widened eyes. All the others came to pin him down as he was mere inches away from Eric's throat.
Startled, Eric stumbled back and bumped into the controls, surprising Steve. Frantically, their pilot tried to get the shuttle to stabilize, his hands tapping on every spot of the interface.
Worse yet, the shuttle shook once again, this time violently. Alarms blared out of every system as the lights turned a harsh, hellish red. That could only mean one thing to him: something had hit the shuttle. But what hit it? Was it some geth ship that got a lucky hit? Stray shots from some other ship?
Eric took deep breaths, in and out, in and out. That didn't stop his heart from beating so hard it became desperate enough to break free from his ribcage. No, he can't panic. Not yet. Stay calm and it will be alright.
He peered out once more and saw Sovereign clinging onto a monolith at the center of the Citadel's inner ring. It raised one of its tentacles as a beam of hot-red plasma cut through several fighters engaging it like a hot knife through butter. Little remained of these ships. Maybe he should count himself lucky that Reaper didn't seem interested in them.
"This is going to be a rough landing! Hang on!" Cortez called out.
The shuttle swooped onto a hanger. The impact from the landing as it skirted along the edges, caused everyone besides the shuttle pilot to lose their balance. Eric had the worst of it. He stumbled in his steps and slipped.
Cortez was dazed for a second before taking several sharp breaths. "Is everyone okay?" he asked the others.
Eric struggled to get up, using a nearby seat as support. "Yeah. I think so," he said between heavy breaths. "Didn't feel anything break on me. Garrett? You okay?"
Garrett looked unscathed aside from a shocked look on his face, rising to his feet with no problem.
Eric let out a small smile, relieved to see his boyfriend on his feet. "Wow. You are okay."
"You're one tough son of a bitch, I'll give you that," Bristol commented.
Everyone else seemed to turn out unscathed as well. Everyone else except for Arthur. The impact of the landing knocked him out cold, a dark bruise forming on his forehead.
"Oh no. Oooooh shit, this isn't good," Ami gasped, her anxious eyes widened as her hand covered her mouth.
Eric stood up. He had to stay calm, help the others. He had to for everyone's sake. "Does the shuttle have an ice pack or something?"
"Should be one in the medkit along with some medi-gel and other stuff." Cortez stood up from the pilot's seat and opened a red-and-white cabinet with a glowing red cross on a screen. It hissed, cold mist emerging, as it showed a bag of ice, thick as his wrist, along with other first aid equipment.
Eric approached Arthur's unconscious body and lifted one of his legs. Somehow, Arthur felt heavier than he looked. It must have been the armor. "Hey, guys. Think you can help me out? He needs to lay on something comfortable."
Garrett, Vera, and Melek joined in and grabbed the rest of his arms and legs.
"Okay, ready?" Eric took a sharp intake. Okay, remember your training, Eric, and you shouldn't screw up. "One… two… three!"
Slowly and carefully, the four lifted him off the floor and carried him to the seats.
Garrett sat down next to Arthur's head and watched Eric catching the ice pack that Cortez had tossed. His lips curled. "Hey, how come you never told me you got first aid training?"
Eric looked up at his boyfriend with a cocked eyebrow. "Didn't I send you a message?" he asked, blinking in confusion. "I swear I did…"
It was then Cortez placed a medi-gel container along with a clear, full bottle of pills by the seat. "I'll see if I could find anyone outside."
Eric looked at Cortez with a nod. "Yeah, sounds like a good idea. You do that."
"I can help you with that," Bristol insisted, stepping in. "Worth looking for my folks."
"Same." Alban looked back at Ami, who had little trouble standing up. "Ami, wanna come?"
"Yeah," Ami answered.
Cortez, Ami, Alban, and Bristol gathered at the door as it parted open. When they left, Eric had knelt and pressed the ice pack gently against Arthur's forehead. It didn't take long for Arthur's eyebrows to start twitching as his eyes opened.
Arthur groaned and tried to sit up, only for a firm grip from Garrett to keep him down.
"Hey, take it easy, Arthur! You might have a concussion, so try to lay down, okay?" Eric told Arthur.
Arthur groaned and placed his hand on the ice pack. Eric and Garrett stepped away from him, clear that Arthur had no intention of getting up. "Fuck my life," Arthur complained. "Fuck your life and fuck everyone else's."
Eric's nostrils flared out, and he did his best to resist the urge to smile. Thinking about it, Arthur had no idea how true he would make it out. Then again, if the end was indeed coming, then helping people should matter more than ever.
"How're you feeling right now?"
"Like I was in a pinball machine or something," Arthur replied, not looking at him.
Eric sighed. "Look, just… try not to fall asleep or move, okay?"
Arthur nodded.
Exhaling a strong sigh of relief, Eric stood and moved to another seat. He flopped down on it and laid back, relaxing his posture. "Can you guys keep an eye on him? Y'know…" He waved his arm. "…make sure he's alright and stuff."
"You got it," Vera replied.
Eric checked his omni-tool. No messages from Natalie or Luke. He started to get worried.
Where are you guys?
The door opened, and Cortez and the others were accompanied by a middle-aged man in a C-Sec uniform, sporting a bright buzzcut that complemented his square-jawed face well.
"Is everyone alright?" the officer asked. There was a twang to his voice if Eric could call it that. Something clicked in his mind, and he realized it was that one guy whom Shepard met in 2 and 3. What was his name again?
"There's one who might have a concussion," said Cortez. "Eric did the best he could, but he needs further medical treatment as soon as possible."
"Okay. We'll make sure to bring him to a hospital ASAP. Alban here told me about Eric Grimes."
"That's me," Eric answered. "Who are you?"
"Sergeant Bailey. You're the one who brought them all here, then?"
"Yeah," Eric replied. He was a sergeant back then? "I… came up with the idea to be here. We're all here to help."
"Uh-huh." The sergeant crossed his arms and focused his gaze on Eric. "Explains why you had brought a bunch of guns here. And that big fella with you." He directed his head toward Garrett.
Garrett took a deep breath. "We're not here to kill any geth," he said. "We're here to find our friends and relatives. Do you know Natalie Clay? Is she okay?"
"Natalie?" Bailey replied. He curled his lips for a second before nodding once. "Yeah, I know her. We've met a couple of times while off duty. Smart woman. Last I checked, she opted to stay behind coordinating rescue efforts in the Zakera Ward while her husband and kids went on vacation on Earth."
Eric exhaled in relief. "Oh, that's good to hear!"
"I'll bet Natalie will be glad to see you. Anyway, I gotta take care of your friend here." Bailey knelt beside Arthur. "Son, I need you to look at this." His omni-tool emitted a flashlight and focused it on Arthur's eyes.
Arthur obeyed and looked back at the captain, his eyes still groggy.
"Right, look here." Arthur's eyes followed as he moved it to another spot in his peripheral vision. "And here." The process was repeated several times before Bailey turned off the light with a nod. "Alright. His eyes are dilating, and he seems to follow instructions pretty well," he said as he approached the rest of the team and placed two of his fingers on his earpiece. "Hey, I got someone with a concussion here. Human, male, wears an Alliance standard armor. Best send him to a hospital, you hear?" After getting a response that Eric and the others didn't hear, Bailey lowered his hand. "They'll come around, don't worry. Anyway, we'll take any help we can get."
Just moments after they all left, Eric saw two more C-Sec officers, one an asari and the other a male turian, enter the crashed shuttle with a stretcher in hand. A few moments later, they emerged with Arthur lying on the stretcher. His gaze followed the officers as they passed by, and Arthur gave Eric a weak, shaky thumbs-up before laying back down.
That gave Eric some reassurance, that he didn't screw this up and everyone would be alright.
His omni-tool pinged, and his heart skipped a beat. He turned his device on to find a notification on the display. It was a message, a reply from Natalie. He opened his private message thread.
NC: [LOGIN][ONLINE]
18:15 NC: I'm safe, Eric. Thank you for checking in on me. :)
At the time, I had a bit of trouble with what to do regarding ME1's endgame. Fortunately, my brother, Silikin Tyth, suggested Eric and a couple of people would pull off an improv rescue op, so that's that. Be sure to thank him for coming up with the idea.