Post by Shala'Bekk vas Neema on Jan 24, 2014 8:40:16 GMT -6
The shuttle emerged from the mass effect relay, and Shala got her first look at the Citadel.
“Keelah,” she whispered, awestruck. She had certainly heard about it, had seen pictures of it, but those paled in comparison to seeing it for real.
The size of it staggered her mind. It could house all of us, she thought as she looked at the five massive arms protruding from the central hub. She thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
“Remember, you are just to listen to the human,” her mother said, ruining the moment as always. “Ask for half up front, and if he doesn’t agree, refuse him. And by the ancestors don’t go wandering anywhere, go straight to the meeting and come straight back.”
“Yes, Mother,” she said, rolling her eyes. It’s as if I never even went on Pilgrimage, she thought. I wish Father was here instead of…
She choked back a sob. It had been six months since the Alarei incident, and still the pain was there, raw and unforgiving and filling her every waking moment.
“Incoming shuttle, this is Citadel Docking Control, identify yourself,” came a voice over the communication system, snapping her out of her reverie.
Her mother replied, “This is Lieutenant Feda’Bekk vas Idenna of the Migrant Fleet Marines, we request permission to dock.”
“What is the nature and duration of your visit?”
“We have come to drop off one of our own for work, we will be here no more than two hours.”
There was a moment’s pause as their request was processed. “Permission granted, you may land at Docking Bay 1138.”
“Thank you,” her mother replied.
*****
As she and her mother exited the shuttle, they were met a human female in a blue uniform, accompanied by several security mechs.
“Citadel Security,” her mother whispered to her. “Watch out for them, especially the human ones. They all hate us.”
“Lieutenant Feedback?” the human asked.
“Feda’Bekk,” her mother corrected.
“Whatever,” the human said. “So you’re here on your Pilgrimage?”
“I have already completed my Pilgrimage, I could not have joined the Marines—“
“Whatever,” the human said again. “Good luck finding work here, people here haven’t forgotten what your geth did here two years ago.”
Her mother said nothing, but she saw her clench her fists. She had made no secret of her hatred for the geth and the desire to wipe them all out, and then the Alarei incident…
“Welcome to the Citadel, enjoy your time here,” the human said, though her tone said just the opposite. She left, the security mechs falling in behind her, and Shala heard her mutter under her breath, “Robot-loving bucket heads.”
Her mother waited until the human was gone, and then turned to her. “Still want to meet that human?” she asked.
“Might as well,” Shala said. “Otherwise we just wasted fuel.”
“Remember, go straight there, ask for half up front, refuse him if he doesn’t agree and come straight back,” her mother instructed.
“Yes, Mother,” she said and made her way to the elevator.
*****
During the long ride to Chora’s Den, she got to see most of the major species in the galaxy: asari, salarians, turians, elcor, hanar, volus, even a keeper. The hardest to deal with were the elcor; there were two of them, taking up most of the elevator, forcing her to press herself against the wall as hard as she could. The others mostly ignored her, though she did hear the volus mutter, “Clanless,” as he left.
Then the human got on. It was a female, perhaps a couple of years older than her, with pale skin and dark hair, wearing grease-stained coveralls. A fellow mechanic, Shala thought to herself.
As soon as the woman caught sight of her, she froze at the entry to the elevator. Shala knew she was the object the human’s gaze, as she was the only passenger. The doors started to close, and the human sprang in at the last minute, standing against the opposite wall as she pressed the button of her desired floor.
*****
Just a few more floors, she thought as the elevator climbed. Other passengers had come on and got off, but the human female remained, staring at her. Has she blinked? Shala thought.
Suddenly the elevator stopped, almost causing her to lose her balance. As she righted herself, she looked over at the human; her finger was on the emergency stop button.
“Today’s my birthday,” she said quietly.
Uh, Happy Birthday,” Shala said.
The human laughed, a short bark of scorn. “My father died on my birthday,” she said. “Actually he died a few days before my birthday, but it was on my birthday I found out. He had promised he would be there. When the time came to blow out the candles on my cake, I wished he would show up. And then…I got my wish.”
She laughed again, an ugly sound. “After the cake, I started opening presents. We had just started when there was a knock on the door. ‘My wish came true, Daddy is here!’ I thought. I sprang up and raced to the door. I opened, expecting to see Daddy…and instead I got two very polite Marines who told me my father was dead, killed on Eden Prime.”
Keelah, Shala thought. The past two years since the geth attacks on Eden Prime and the Citadel had been some of the most difficult for her people, at least in terms of relations with other races. Many more young Quarians had returned from their Pilgrimages with barely adequate gifts, reporting increased hostility from the other races, particularly humans; many more had not returned, and the worst was feared. Leaving on Pilgrimage was always difficult but now even more so; would this be the last time they saw the Fleet? But still they left; the Fleet’s welfare demanded it.
“It’s all your fault, you and the rest of your kind,” the human continued. “I wish your geth had finished your people off. Or maybe that your whole damned flotilla would fly into a system with a star about to go supernova.”
She had approached Shala as she spoke, and by the time she was done, she towered over her.
“My father was killed by geth too,” Shala said calmly, turning and looking her in the eye. “It is a custom of your people to put your dead in the ground, yes? My people can’t do that, we don’t have the resources for it. So you know what we do? We shoot them out into space. If they’re lucky, they’ll get caught by a planet’s gravity and burn up on entry into the atmosphere. If not, then their body just floats in the cold, dark, empty vacuum of space, alone, forever.”
The human’s jaw clenched, then opened, but no words came out. She stepped away, released the emergency stop and got out at the next floor.
Thankfully, no one else got on, so as soon as the doors closed, Shala hit the emergency stop and let the tears come.
“Keelah,” she whispered, awestruck. She had certainly heard about it, had seen pictures of it, but those paled in comparison to seeing it for real.
The size of it staggered her mind. It could house all of us, she thought as she looked at the five massive arms protruding from the central hub. She thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
“Remember, you are just to listen to the human,” her mother said, ruining the moment as always. “Ask for half up front, and if he doesn’t agree, refuse him. And by the ancestors don’t go wandering anywhere, go straight to the meeting and come straight back.”
“Yes, Mother,” she said, rolling her eyes. It’s as if I never even went on Pilgrimage, she thought. I wish Father was here instead of…
She choked back a sob. It had been six months since the Alarei incident, and still the pain was there, raw and unforgiving and filling her every waking moment.
“Incoming shuttle, this is Citadel Docking Control, identify yourself,” came a voice over the communication system, snapping her out of her reverie.
Her mother replied, “This is Lieutenant Feda’Bekk vas Idenna of the Migrant Fleet Marines, we request permission to dock.”
“What is the nature and duration of your visit?”
“We have come to drop off one of our own for work, we will be here no more than two hours.”
There was a moment’s pause as their request was processed. “Permission granted, you may land at Docking Bay 1138.”
“Thank you,” her mother replied.
*****
As she and her mother exited the shuttle, they were met a human female in a blue uniform, accompanied by several security mechs.
“Citadel Security,” her mother whispered to her. “Watch out for them, especially the human ones. They all hate us.”
“Lieutenant Feedback?” the human asked.
“Feda’Bekk,” her mother corrected.
“Whatever,” the human said. “So you’re here on your Pilgrimage?”
“I have already completed my Pilgrimage, I could not have joined the Marines—“
“Whatever,” the human said again. “Good luck finding work here, people here haven’t forgotten what your geth did here two years ago.”
Her mother said nothing, but she saw her clench her fists. She had made no secret of her hatred for the geth and the desire to wipe them all out, and then the Alarei incident…
“Welcome to the Citadel, enjoy your time here,” the human said, though her tone said just the opposite. She left, the security mechs falling in behind her, and Shala heard her mutter under her breath, “Robot-loving bucket heads.”
Her mother waited until the human was gone, and then turned to her. “Still want to meet that human?” she asked.
“Might as well,” Shala said. “Otherwise we just wasted fuel.”
“Remember, go straight there, ask for half up front, refuse him if he doesn’t agree and come straight back,” her mother instructed.
“Yes, Mother,” she said and made her way to the elevator.
*****
During the long ride to Chora’s Den, she got to see most of the major species in the galaxy: asari, salarians, turians, elcor, hanar, volus, even a keeper. The hardest to deal with were the elcor; there were two of them, taking up most of the elevator, forcing her to press herself against the wall as hard as she could. The others mostly ignored her, though she did hear the volus mutter, “Clanless,” as he left.
Then the human got on. It was a female, perhaps a couple of years older than her, with pale skin and dark hair, wearing grease-stained coveralls. A fellow mechanic, Shala thought to herself.
As soon as the woman caught sight of her, she froze at the entry to the elevator. Shala knew she was the object the human’s gaze, as she was the only passenger. The doors started to close, and the human sprang in at the last minute, standing against the opposite wall as she pressed the button of her desired floor.
*****
Just a few more floors, she thought as the elevator climbed. Other passengers had come on and got off, but the human female remained, staring at her. Has she blinked? Shala thought.
Suddenly the elevator stopped, almost causing her to lose her balance. As she righted herself, she looked over at the human; her finger was on the emergency stop button.
“Today’s my birthday,” she said quietly.
Uh, Happy Birthday,” Shala said.
The human laughed, a short bark of scorn. “My father died on my birthday,” she said. “Actually he died a few days before my birthday, but it was on my birthday I found out. He had promised he would be there. When the time came to blow out the candles on my cake, I wished he would show up. And then…I got my wish.”
She laughed again, an ugly sound. “After the cake, I started opening presents. We had just started when there was a knock on the door. ‘My wish came true, Daddy is here!’ I thought. I sprang up and raced to the door. I opened, expecting to see Daddy…and instead I got two very polite Marines who told me my father was dead, killed on Eden Prime.”
Keelah, Shala thought. The past two years since the geth attacks on Eden Prime and the Citadel had been some of the most difficult for her people, at least in terms of relations with other races. Many more young Quarians had returned from their Pilgrimages with barely adequate gifts, reporting increased hostility from the other races, particularly humans; many more had not returned, and the worst was feared. Leaving on Pilgrimage was always difficult but now even more so; would this be the last time they saw the Fleet? But still they left; the Fleet’s welfare demanded it.
“It’s all your fault, you and the rest of your kind,” the human continued. “I wish your geth had finished your people off. Or maybe that your whole damned flotilla would fly into a system with a star about to go supernova.”
She had approached Shala as she spoke, and by the time she was done, she towered over her.
“My father was killed by geth too,” Shala said calmly, turning and looking her in the eye. “It is a custom of your people to put your dead in the ground, yes? My people can’t do that, we don’t have the resources for it. So you know what we do? We shoot them out into space. If they’re lucky, they’ll get caught by a planet’s gravity and burn up on entry into the atmosphere. If not, then their body just floats in the cold, dark, empty vacuum of space, alone, forever.”
The human’s jaw clenched, then opened, but no words came out. She stepped away, released the emergency stop and got out at the next floor.
Thankfully, no one else got on, so as soon as the doors closed, Shala hit the emergency stop and let the tears come.