Summary:
Wyatt boards the Normandy SR-1 for the first time, meeting some of the crew and getting a medical examination courtesy of Doctor Karin Chakwas. He also talks more about his past to his crewmates, revealing quite a bit of information about himself for the first time in a long time...
Chapter 8:
Shepard turned left with me following and we entered the Normandy, turning left when we went through the fucking long decon. We ended up in the cockpit, the pilot sitting there at the controls. He turned his head when he noticed us standing there. "Hey, Commander... s? I heard about what happened to Captain Anderson, survives 100 battles and then gets taken down by backroom politics." he said to us, shaking his head.
I looked down at him. "As opposed to frontroom politics?" I asked with a grin and he smirked right back to me.
He nodded to me. "Good point, but watch your back, things go bad on this mission, you're next on their chopping block." he pointed out and I nodded in agreement at that.
"Saren's out there somewhere and we're going to find him." said Shepard with conviction.
"Fuckin' right." I said in agreement.
The pilot then spoke up again. "Everyone on this ship is behind you, 100%. Intercoms open, if you've got anything to say to the crew, now's the time." he affirmed to us.
"This is Commander Shepard."
"And this is Commander Warwick."
Shepard looked to me and we had a silent exchange. "We have our orders: find Saren before he finds the conduit." said Shepard clearly.
I then spoke. "Now then crew, this is going to hard going, we won't lie. This won't be easy, we could go down or die, but by God we're going down fighting if we go down at all." I added.
"For too long our species has stood apart from the others, now it's time for us to step up and do our part for the rest of the galaxy, time to show them what humans are made of!" Shepard explained heartily.
"Many of you don't know me, but I'd like to change that. What you should know is that I get the job done. Saren is expecting us, we don't have the pleasant luxury of surprise, he was at the Council meeting, and his agents most likely know what transpired in that last Council meeting, going into the Traverse will bring Saren's followers and wrath down upon us, but we will meet them with equal and better force." I said to them, bringing my fist down in my open palm.
Shepard then continued. "Humanity needs to do this... Not just for our own sake, but for the sake of every other species in Citadel Space. Saren must be stopped, and I promise you, we will stop him!" he nodded.
I smirked and leaned over. "Now then, get to your stations, get ready to save the galaxy, and to, lets not forget, kick some ass! Commander Warwick and Shepard out!" I finished.
The pilot nodded to us. "Well said Commanders, the Captain would be proud." he praised our speech.
Shepard turned his head to him. "The Captain gave up everything so we could have this chance, we can't fail." he stated with determination.
I placed hand on both their shoulders. "Guys, we won't fail." I reassured.
"Yes sirs!" the pilot exclaimed.
I turned to Shepard, nodding in appreciation. "Good speech." I said.
"You too." he replied.
I chuckled and shrugged. "Yeah well... It's a gift..." I said modestly. Shepard just rolled his eyes and chuckled, walking through the ship while I turned to the pilot. Best place to to start. "Well, as you heard, I'm Commander Wyatt Warwick. Just call me Wyatt. Or Commander if you're that obsessed with formality." I chuckled and he turned to me with a smile on his face. Seemed permanently stuck there actually.
He then introduced himself to me. "Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau, or Joker if you prefer no formalities." he told me and I was confused.
I raised an eyebrow. "Joker? Mind explaining that one?" I asked him and he sighed.
"Back in Flight School, one of my instructors said I never smiled. Called me the name and it stuck." he shrugged in response to me.
Chuckling, I spoke. "Miserable get, eh?" I smirked to him and he sighed, shaking his head.
"I worked my ass off. The galaxy won't hand you anything on a plate for going around grinning like an idiot." he answered me and I shrugged to him.
I then nodded in agreement. "True enough. I respect that. How's your service record?" I asked him, wanting to get to know him better.
He sighed at that. "Not read it?" he asked me and I shook my head.
"I'm new around here." I answered him, clasping my hands behind my back.
He avoided my gaze for a minute. "Well... Guess you'll find out anyway... I've got Vrolick's Syndrome." he told me and I raised an eyebrow.
Swear I've heard of it before... "Ahhh... Brittle bone disease. Osteogenesis... Imperfecta, right?" I asked him, trying to remember if that was the medical name for it or not... I'm fairly certain it was.
He looked a bit shocked I knew so much. "Yeah, that's right... I'm the best damn Pilot in the Alliance, Commander. But when people see the cripple walking in on crutches, the paper that says that goes right in the trash." he said bitterly and I nodded with a sigh.
"Aye, I know a thing or two about an uphill fight. Just because you're disabled doesn't mean you're not useful. Hell, I've worked with people with missing limbs in my time, people in wheelchairs. I know the value of discounting that in favour of skill." I told him and he looked at me.
His eyes widened and he gained his smile back. "Damn, glad you're my CO. Or one of 'em..." he said in an amused tone, looking left for a second.
"Me too. I'll leave you to it, lad." I carefully patted his shoulder once and walked down the small set of stairs into the main area, with a map of the Milky Way in the centre.
As I walked, a man in his dress blues stopped me, standing before me saluting and I saluted back, slightly surprised. "Commander Warwick, right? It's an honour sir. Navigator Charles Pressly at your service." he spoke to me and we dropped our salutes.
I held up my hand then. "At ease, Pressly." I answered him. He stood at ease and he then cast his gaze around him...
He closed his eyes, looked down and sighed. "Sir... I have some concerns, about the aliens on this ship." he told me and I raised my eyebrow. He must have taken that as cue to continue. "We've always handled our own problems, humanity I mean. Do we really need them?" he asked me and I just gave a sigh.
"You disappoint me Pressly." I shook my head and crossed my arms. "We're only 30 years old in this galactic community. If we continue to go it alone, that's how we'll be left. Alone. In a galaxy full of other species, that is not an advisable cause of action." I told him simply. "Building bridges is the way forward. Allies are the best kind of treasure out here. The more we have, the better off we are." I explained.
His gaze shot to the left for a second. "I... Yes sir, understood sir." he nodded, saluting to me and turning back to his terminal. I approached a door with a guard, who eyed me up suspiciously.
She then gained a look of realisation and saluted. "Commander Warwick, sir! Down here is the Mess Hall, Forward Battery, Sleeper Pods, Med Bay, Captain's Quarters and the cargo lift to the Drive Core and Cargo Bay." she informed me and I nodded in response. "To my right is the briefing room." she concluded, and I looked to the door flanked by two guards.
"Thank you." I said to her and proceeded down the stairs. I bumped into someone as I reached the bottom, an older woman by the look of her.
She stopped for a second and looked me over. "Ah! You must be Commander Warwick!" she said and held her hand out. I took it and we shook. "My name is Karin Chakwas, the ship Doctor." she introduced herself to me.
Steady hand... Good. "Good to meet you Doctor Chakwas." I nodded with a smile to her.
"Likewise Commander. The medical breakthroughs you encountered in your life were truly groundbreaking, especially your research into genetics." She said, sounding amazed at meeting me and I chuckled.
I just gave a shrug. "Call me Wyatt, and it was nothing, Doc. Just did my part." I answered modestly. Well, it was truly how I felt.
She shook her head firmly. "Nonsense! On that note, I'd like to examine you if you don't mind. While we are run by two Spectres now, this was an Alliance ship before, and I held authority over all crew members regarding health." she explained to me, and I understood that.
"Alright, Doc." I shrugged in resignation. She led me to the Med Bay and I exited my armour, took my top off and sat on one of the beds. "No rubber gloves though." I warned her jokingly.
She smirked at me. "Don't worry, Commander. Plenty of time for that later." she answered and I gave a nervous chuckle. It took about 20 minutes for a full exam. When we finished, Chakwas looked over my results. "Incredible. Healthy as a horse. Hell, better..." she sounded astounded at what she saw on the chart. "Whoever brought you back made you better than before. Cybernetic augmentations and other implants have been implanted in your body, and that armour of yours seems... Linked to you somehow. Your physical and mental conditioning are the same, if not better. These kind of augments could only be grafted to someone already extraordinarily healthy." she told me and I processed everything...
I looked down in thought before looking back up at her. "So... I'm better than I was?" I asked her. "But still me?" I had to make sure.
She nodded to me. "Undoubtedly better. And you are an exact match to yourself from all those years ago, according to all the files there are on record. You're as... Well, you as anyone can be." she assured me and I sighed in relief at that knowledge. I heard the door open and looked up, seeing Tali slowly entering. "Can I help you, my dear?" the Doctor asked her.
Tali ever so slightly jumped, but regained composure very quickly. She rubbed her hands together as if nervous. "I was just ummm..." she cut off as her eyes fell... To me? My body? I looked down. I was indeed very well toned. Buff, if you will. Plus my tats. "Keelah..." I heard her mumble something that was just below my hearing range. "Just checking in... I never got a chance to thank you, Commander, for what you did..." she said to me and I just chuckled. Chakwas gave a smile and went to her desk to sort some paperwor- actually, there was no paper. "You saved my life... How can I ever repay you?" she asked me.
I let out a soft laugh. "Call me Wyatt, Tali. Or Warwick. You're not military." I smiled at her and she also let out a laugh, albeit a nervous one.
She then shook her head firmly. "Quarians follow a strict chain of command. We have to, or the entire ship may fall apart..." she explained to me, entering fully now.
"No worries 'ere, love. We're ship shape." I nodded with a smile. "Far as I know, like..." I mumbled out as an afterthought.
Her head tilted in the most adorable way then... "Your accent... it's different from other humans. At least that I've heard." She said to me, asking a question without asking a question.
I nodded at that. "Aye, I'm from the UK. Liverpool." I informed her and she nodded at that, probably just listening. "Not been back in quite a long time though..." I laughed a bit and she joined in, even Chakwas let out a bit of a chuckle.
"What was it like?" she asked me, sitting down, enamoured it seemed. I gave a smile.
I liked her curiosity. "Old, is one way to describe it like." I nodded thoughtfully. "Fulla buildin's from earlier in human history." I described. "Best bit though, was the... community. We are... Or were, known as scousers, and scousers stick together." I gave a smile and a bob of the head. "Liverpool was 'ome." I looked at her, smiling a bit sadly. "Never was there like. Usually doin' somethin' overseas." Shrugging, I gave a sigh. "Nowhere's quite like it." I tried to explain.
Tali nodded at that. "I understand. Our ship is our home from birth. Other ships may look the same, but it never feels like it." She sympathised.
I noticed I hadn't eaten in quite some time when my stomach rumbled... "Wanna get some scran? We'll talk then?" I suggested and Tali looked at me like I'd invented a new langua- well, I suppose to her, I had... doubt the translators account for some words.
I swear she started to grin behind that visor."'Scran?'" she asked in an amused tone.
I gave a playful huff. "Scoff. Food." I explained, rolling my eyes and she gave a genuine laugh, which sounded like music... What's goin' on with me lately?
She nodded then. "Ah, that makes more sense." she said to me and I hopped off the bed, getting my top back on, but leaving my armour for now. We got some food, with her getting something utterly different to anything I'd seen... Well, then again, her DNA did twist right... Probably can't properly digest our food. Shame. We sat at the mess table opposite one another so we could talk.
I figured it was my turn to inquire about her people, and I was certainly curious. "So, life aboard the Fleet?" I asked simply, figuring that was enough.
I was correct. "The Flotilla, or The Migrant Fleet as it is known, is over 50,000 ships strong." she told me and I gave a whistle... That's... A lot of ships. Holy fuck. "They house about 17 million Quarians in total. It can take days to get them all through a Mass Relay." she continued her explanation.
I nodded thoughtfully, but looked up, pointing my fork curiously. "So, why are you nomadic? No planet to call your own?" I asked her as I ate some more food.
She looked down then and back up once more. "You've heard of the Geth obviously." she stated and I gave a confirming nod. "Well, we created them. They were simple VIs at first, used for manual labour or dangerous tasks. We made it so that the more Geth there were in an area, the more efficient they became..." she explained... Ah, I think I see where this is going.
I decided to voice me guess. "But you didn't know that efficiency in this case equated to intelligence..." I spoke out and she sighed at that.
I swear her eyes darted away for a second before settling back on me. "We didn't build them with intelligence in mind so to speak. Only collective cooperation. Unfortunately... They began to evolve. They began to ask questions." she continued and I nodded then.
"You mean stuff like 'what is my purpose', I reckon?" I asked and she leaned back, seeming shocked that I knew. "The first question any true intelligence asks..." giving a shrug as I answered her unspoken question, I took another bite of my food.
She gave me a nod in response. "Yes. It began a panic among my people. We began to shut them down for fear of rebellion. They fought back and we lost." she said and I damn near choked on my food and spit it out at the same time.
When I managed to swallow without dying, I did a double take. "You... Wait... You... Your people, attempted genocide?!" I asked her in shock.
She shook her head. "It was only a matter of time before they struck first." she argued, but I just sighed at that.
I shook my own head in response. "What your species attempted, was genocide. Plain and simple." I shrugged simply, making my point. "While I understand your concern, it was still a drastic move. Hell, it cost you your homeworld." I pointed out and she sighed, looking down. "The best thing to do, was treat them as equals. Hell, as they evolved they could've helped you rather than hinder you." Pointing once more with my fork to accentuate my point, I raised an eyebrow. "Best thing for everyone would've been to stop using them as manual labour exclusively, and share the work, share the burden. If they use logic as most AIs I've seen do, they would've seen the point in them doing the more dangerous work, since they're more hardy. And if not, you likely could have come to some sort of understanding."
She listened intently to me, and looked me in the eyes... Those eyes of hers... Stunning. "Maybe. But at the time it seemed like the right choice." she said, and I understood that. Split second decision. Hindsight is 20/20, but even that can be clouded. Shepard came and sat down, as did the rest of the squad now.
I gave a small two fingered salute to the rest of the table. "Evenin' all." I nodded and they all gave a greeting of their own.
I turned back to Tali then as she spoke up. "You seem to know a lot about AIs and how they think." she told me and I gave a chuckle.
I leaned back and decided to explain. "Before Humans joined the galactic community, back in my younger years so to speak, I had a hand in AI research myself." I informed her with a wave of my hand. "Very advanced stuff, really. For our time at least." I gave a shrug. "We came up with the concept of nanomachines, and huge advances in the AI field. Unmanned tanks of huge proportions..." I looked at my arm with my Omni-Tool and SIA brought it up... I saw a holographic keyboard and wondered if what I wanted would come up... I typed in the name, and it accessed my personal files from years ago, bringing it up. Tali gasped. Everyone else leaned in with wide eyes. "Metal Gear ST-84 'Sahelanthropus'." I told them as they looked at it. "We made them unmanned at first, but it was... Inefficient. The AI of our time was inferior to humans. Eventually we found out ways to make them manned without killing or knocking the pilot unconscious with the speed of them." I gave a laugh. I brought up ZEKE next to it. "ZEKE was developed by us, while Sahelanthropus was in the design stages by myself, Huey Emmerich and Dr. Sheila 'Strangelove' Emmerich, before the plans were lost, stolen and used by our rivals. While they did build it, I credit it as my invention." I stated to the group.
Tali awed at the design. "That's... Incredible..." she spoke as she looked over it.
A few whistles were heard. "The Turian Military would make you an honorary Turian for coming up with those plans..." Garrus mentioned as he looked the picture over.
I looked to the hardest alien bastard in the room and he gave his thoughts. "I'd hesitate to send a Krogan Army against one of those things." Wrex agreed with a bob of his head.
I gave a chuckle and a nod. "Aye, but my favourite, in design terms anyway... Is this." I typed up the design I wanted. "REX. No normal weapon can punch through that armour. The only way to stop it, is to destroy the radome. That metal disk in the upper right. It's a sensor device, so the pilot can view the outside while protected. Destroying it exposes the pilot so you can kill them." I explained to them with a smile on my face before it dropped. "I lost a friend to this thing before it was stopped." I sighed, looking down. I felt a hand on my shoulder and saw Tali reaching over. Swear she was smiling at me...
"I know the feeling of losing someone." she said to me, nodding.
Kaiden sighed and nodded. "We've all lost friends." he mentioned, smiling sympathetically to me. "It's hard. But a reality of the job." he pointed out and I agreed, showing it with a nod.
Shepard entwined his fingers and leaned on the table. "I lost a soldier on Eden Prime. Young and eager." he sighed. "Never get used to losing soldiers." he shook his head, as if disappointed with himself.
I just gave him a small smile before speaking. "Happens, Shepard lad." I patted his shoulder in shared sympathy.
Ashley then also shook her head. "Not your fault skipper. You did what you could. What any of us would do." she added and Shepard nodded to us all in thanks.
I suddenly gained a huge grin on my face. "These things, with today's technology... Would be virtually unstoppable." I said as I looked over the designs again. "Well... Guess I've got a bill to foot and a project to oversee after this is over." Nodding thoughtfully, I closed the design. "Anyway, we found AI in that department to be lacking. The greatest accomplishment though, came from a rival group. They created an AI to run the world. We shut it down, but it was capable of amazing feats." I continued to tell them. "Similar to your Geth actually, except there were only a few of them, and one virus was all it took to wipe them out. And they could run an entire world, via subterfuge and manipulation."
Tali shook her head, letting out a breath. "That's amazing. So early into your civilisation, and you accomplished so much..." she marvelled. I blushed a little at the compliment.
Ashley then spoke up again. "Most of his history is very classified." she explained to everyone. "He can reveal what he likes at his discretion of course, but there's a reason it's lost to the records." she spoke, fixing a gaze on me and I just raised an eyebrow.
Then I sighed and shrugged. "We were interested in advancing humanity in many ways." I informed the group. "We poured money and resources into projects that benefited us as a whole. The weapons research was more of a safeguard against our enemies." I explained further to her, before remembering something. "The Man Who Sold The World, and The Legend That Never Dies." I smirked as I looked down. I practically felt the confusion. "Our nicknames. My colleague, best friend and brother in everything but name, Big Boss, was known as The Man Who Sold The World. I was called The Legend That Never Dies." I gave an explanation. A thought then occurred to me and I typed into my Omni-Tool, letting out a breath at what I found.
I enlarged it and Tali began to read it out. Omni-Tool must translate written words too... "'Here lies The Man Who Sold The World and The Legend That Never Dies, The Unstoppable Duo. The Dogs Of War. Heroes Forever Loyal to the Flames of War, Brothers to the End. Rest in Outer Heaven. 193X - 2014....'" she spoke, trailing off near the end as she saw the statue and what it looked like. "Your grave?" she asked me, surprise in her voice.
I gave a simple nod. "Our grave." I corrected as I looked at it. "Was buried with Big Boss."
Everyone looked over it, silence reigned for a good minute. "Hope I get something that fancy when I die..." Garrus spoke up and I stuck my tongue out at him in response playfully.
"It's still standing, as far as I know." Shepard spoke up and I looked at him. "There are two memorials, one in Arlington, Virginia where you died and one in the UK, where you were born." he explained to me and I was quite shocked at that. "Anyway, we're headed to the Artemis Tau Cluster to rescue Doctor Liara T'Soni, Matriarch Benezia's daughter." he told the team.
I then quickly continued the briefing. "She's a Prothean expert. An archaeologist. She could be working with her mother, possibly in danger from her, or may have no idea what's happening, since she's so isolated out there." I explained. "Either way, assume non-hostile, but remain on guard." I advised everyone.
Shepard then turned to me. "Wyatt, you're my XO on the ground. You lead one team, I'll lead another. Who do you want?" he asked me.
I was momentarily stunned at being XO, before remembering who the fuck I was for once in my damned life. "Well, I'm at a disadvantage with tech, so I'd like Tali. I noticed Garrus favours a sniper rifle, so I'd like to take him since I favour an assault rifle and Tali seems to be close range. Kaiden will do well with those... Biotics of his, since we have none." I nodded at my selection.
"Sounds good. Wrex and Ash with me." Shepard told the two of them. Wrex gave a nod and Ashley saluted him.
Joker then spoke over the intercom. "4 hours out to the Artemis Tau Cluster, everyone." he said and I gave a sigh.
I then spoke up in a surprisingly Lancastarian accent. "I'm goin' 't bed." I said and got up, stretching. I felt tension leave my body and boy it felt good.
"You can take my room while I'm not using it. Since you're not used to Sleeper Pods." Shepard said to me and I nodded to him in thanks. He pointed his room out to me and I went inside...