Mass Effect: Going Dark

[White Haven]

I suppose it was too much to hope that my little twitch would go unnoticed in a group made up of protospectres...

Iona's lips quirked slightly even as she winced, her head inclining towards the Quarian who she'd noticed looking her way. There was, however, a barracks room with her name on it, and she had equipment to stow. She gave the nameless Quarian a slight shrug, then stooped to gather up both cases before trundling off towards the barracks. After the shuttle trip, she was fairly well-rested; there'd be time to get to know the other candidates once she had her own gear under lock and key.

[JD196]

"Glory and honor are good, but the chance to have one such as Shepard as a battlemaster is far greater. The great Urdnot Wrex and Urdnot Grunt both fought under her and are two of the galaxy's greatest warriors. So kid, why are you really doing this and don't give me the glory and honor bullshit.

[Soleimon Berserker]

Grinning behind his mask at the Asari's shrug, Sol'Amon gave a shrug and slight wave of his hand in return, it was a normal reaction for people who had been fighting Heretic Geth during the war to feel a bit of a quick twitch trigger finger at the sight of one. Even if in their head they knew the AI were on peaceful terms with the rest of the galaxy, in fact he'd had to pull back his slight urge to attack when Shaddai had been staring at him on Bastion.

Returning his attention to Tallos the Quarian biotic chuckled lightly as he continued walking, his barracks were in this direction anyway judging from his map. Golden eyes took in the Krogan's profile before speaking, it was normally easy enough to get the large race to accept the 'honor and glory' approach, though apparently their Spectre candidates were made of smarter stuff. Though it made sense, Wrex wouldn't have just sent a convenient gun wielding meat-shield to work under Shepard, he was one Krogan who knew that to be one of the deadliest warriors in the galaxy you had to fight smart.

Nodding his head to the sides, the Quarian sighed before answering, "Okay you got me, the main reason i'm here? I had nothing better to do, my girlfriend is running a shop on Bastion, but i'm a warrior, I don't find the whole 'sit and live a peaceful life' thing so appealing."

[rhoenix]

All the Spectre candidates' omnitools buzzed at the same time, notifying everyone of a new message.

Spectre Candidate: Day One of the trials will begin tomorrow morning, at 0800. Report to the messhall at 0700 for the first meal and briefing.

The evening meal is now ready. Proceed to the messhall for your meal, and an announcement by Spectre Commander Shepard.

The hallways quickly began to clear, as the many candidates began to proceed to the messhall, talking loudly with one another as they did so.

[Sabre72]

All the Spectre candidates' omnitools buzzed at the same time, notifying everyone of a new message.

Spectre Candidate: Day One of the trials will begin tomorrow morning, at 0800. Report to the messhall at 0700 for the first meal and briefing.

The evening meal is now ready. Proceed to the messhall for your meal, and an announcement by Spectre Commander Shepard.

The hallways quickly began to clear, as the many candidates began to proceed to the messhall, talking loudly with one another as they did so.

Receiving a message that its time for food, Junko woke from her slumber and groggily came out of her room with a simple black 2 piece body fitting workout outfit that has a N7 logo resting on the right side of her chest.

Anyone seeing her wearing this would notice scaring to the left of her abs, that somewhat resemble deep scratches.

Sleepy she eventually arrived at the messhall, she glanced at the menu while waiting in line and mumbled, "Jet lag is going to kill me"

[White Haven]

Stowing her gear didn't take long. After years of solo ops, Iona had long since learned how to travel light, even when that included a case of gear. She took a few minutes to doublecheck that everything was present and operational, at which point by the laws of Inconvenient Interruptions her omnitool buzzed a message. Calling up the display again to check it, she nodded slightly and sealed up her equipment case. Before heading out, she changed into a fresh dress, this one mainly white with deep purple trim. That done, she locked her bunkroom on the way to the mess hall and proceeded according to the simple station map loaded into her omnitool.

Despite having taken the time to change before answering the call, she was among the first of the candidates to arrive, simply because her quarters were closer to the mess hall than the landing bay. The asari nodded politely to the few candidates already present, joining the so-far short line.

[rhoenix]

To say the messhall was packed would be an understatement. The messhall, for the few of the candidates who had been to Pinnacle Station before this, always seemed slightly too large for the amount of people that usually stayed there. Tonight however, it seemed like the tables present might not have been enough.

A number of candidates had arrived early, and had already taken over multiple tables, though most seemed to stick with the sorts of people they were comfortable with. A table and a half full of asari and a salarian, who all looked and acted like current or former Eclipse members; two tables with turian military personnel from different branches; two tables had been taken over by quarians, and even a half-full table with all krogan, which nobody else appeared to want to sit nearby to.

The food, on the other hand, was superb. Though the supplies didn't trend too far to the exotic, the chefs were quite capable of making good-quality meals for any species, for all the candidates ate from plates, and not from MRE packs.

Even with all the raucous noise from the candidates talking, joking, and calling one another names in various languages, nobody missed that the table in the far corner only had two people sitting at it - Spectre Commander Shepard, and Admiral Ahern. More unbelievable was that the two appeared to be swapping stories and laughing, something few people had ever seen either of them do.

[Soleimon Berserker]

Working his way through the dinner line, Sol'Amon sighed as he glanced over his shoulder at the multiple tables full of single races, only the ones full of mercs had mixed members and still they were just as cut off. Turning back to pick out a plethora of different tubes of nutrient paste, he seamlessly worked his way to the front of the line with his food. Lifting the tray off of the serving table he glanced around the room, seeking somewhere to sit.

The Quarian's who'd grabbed their own table were watching him, their glowing eyes stand out behind the misty glass of their helmets. He could tell they were already feeling a bit of animosity toward him, but they still expected him to sit with them, some sort of species loyalty thing. The exact same species loyalty that the Omega raised Quarian didn't have, his life had been spent around far more Asari, Krogan, Batarians, and Turians than his own race, so much so in fact that he wasn't comfortable around them.

Spying an empty table at the back of the room, beside the door to the kitchens, the Quarian quickly worked his way over to take a seat on the empty bench facing the room, keeping his back to the wall. When passing the Quarian's he'd almost felt the daggers they were staring into his back, nevertheless he made it by without incident, not to mention found an entire table for himself.

'Though...a bit of company wouldn't be too bad I suppose, kinda sucks being the odd man out. I should probably be used to it though by now, being Aria's little going away present didn't actually make me popular with anyone but her or Tuila.'

[White Haven]

Iona made do with a $VAGUE_ASARI_FOOD_AND_DRINK, finally taking her tray away from the mess line once she wound her way through and taking another look around the tables. Her initial impression was...substantially reinforced. So much for the Great Alliance of Species, she thought with a shake of her head and a suppressed smile. And then her eyes drifted across a Quarian sitting alone, one she thought was the same candidate who'd noticed her slip earlier. With a slight shrug, she carried her tray over and slid it down across the table from him. Without even consciously thinking about it, she seated herself such that the floor-length asari-style dress she wore was't at risk of tangling with the table or her chair if she had to stand up quickly. With an amused grin, she nodded past the Quarian's shoulder towards the rest of the mess hall, commenting, "I've seen people still wearing face-paint who were less tribal than this bunch."

[JD196]

Tallos piled his plate high with smoked varren and walked towards the only table where nobody flinched away from him, which was Sol and Iona's. "Spectre candidates? I haven't seen such a rabble of scared vorcha since I was on omega."

Tallos tore into his meat quickly and ravenously, taking it apart with the ease that killing them for centuries will give you.

[rhoenix]

The nearly-silent turian, the one that had arrived with some of the other candidates on the Normandy, walked into the mess hall with his human wife and son, and looked around the room like he was spotting targets. After a moment, he led them through the line, keeping watch the whole time. When the three of them had at last gathered their dinners, they followed him over to the table by the kitchen, with Sol, Tallos, and an asari he wasn't familiar with.

The three of them sat down at the table, the turian nodding once to each person who was already sitting, but saying nothing. A few moments later, the boy looked up, looking hesitant. "Dad? Um... do you think you'll be working with anyone here?"

The turian gave the boy an almost-sad look, but one that was filled with certainty nonetheless. "No, first-son. Once this misunderstanding gets resolved, we'll be headed back to Bastion."

The boy almost seemed satisfied, but pressed on. "But... dad, wouldn't it be cool if you did become a Spectre?"

Giving the boy the turian equivalent of a small smile, the turian shook his head. "Not going to happen, first-son. Don't get attached to the idea."

His human wife put a hand on his wrist as they shared a look, but she said nothing.

A few moments later, the room fell to near-silence, as a new figure entered the room. Sings-to-the-Stars' large form seemed to stun most of the messhall into a softly-murmuring quiet. The brood warrior looked around, and maneuvered through the mess line. The tray he chose glowed a very faint bluish-violet as it floated in front of him, moving smoothly along with him as he loaded it with food. Once he'd finished, he seemed to look around the room again, seeing many of the candidates turn their backs as if they hadn't seen anything.

Giving what must have been the rachni equivalent of a shrug, he moved to the table near the kitchen, gently setting the tray onto a corner of the table, so he wouldn't take up much space; the subtle bluish-violet glow of the tray fading as it gently touched the table-top. "Greetings-songs," the brood warrior said in his mind-voice, looking around the table once before delicately beginning to eat.

[Sabre72]

After staring at the menu, Junko final decided to have Ramen, a Japanese noodle dish. To her surprise it didn't take long for the cooks to make the dish, since humans got into space, there always been a lot of Japanese culture around, probably due with japans overpopulation and space being a escape.

She got her tray with her dish that including chop sticks and a spoon, then reached into the cooler for a ice tea. Now she looked over the mess-hall trying to find somewhere to sit, getting eyed by several males of her own race, she frowned, then quickly looking for a escape, she noticed Iona sitting with what seems a Krogan and a Quarian, Junko mumbled to herself, "well, I may not know her well, but I still know her more then anyone else around here.

What made her make this choice was simple, she had been teaching biotics on Illium for a year to mostly Asari students, a few Krogan as well so she was comfortable with this choice to say the least.

She walked over to Ionas table, then with politeness asked, "May I join you?"

[JD196]

"Urdnot Tallos." The krogan said nodding to the two humans. "You've got a quad Turian, taking a human mate and son on. Bet you have to put up with a lot of crap because of that."

"Take a seat human. Candidates from almost every other race is here, why not add a human candidate to the list."

[rhoenix]

"Urdnot Tallos." The krogan said nodding to the two humans. "You've got a quad Turian, taking a human mate and son on. Bet you have to put up with a lot of crap because of that."

The turian was silent for a moment, as if considering the krogan's words. "After the greatest failure of my life, she helped me find light where I saw none. I could do no less for she, or Jason," he said, giving both his wife and son a fond look. "But no, turians in general aren't very accepting of the new or unusual."

[Sabre72]

"Urdnot Tallos." The krogan said nodding to the two humans. "You've got a quad Turian, taking a human mate and son on. Bet you have to put up with a lot of crap because of that."

"Take a seat human. Candidates from almost every other race is here, why not add a human candidate to the list."

Junko nods, takes a seat beside the Quarian, and starts eating her food with chop sticks, after a few bites she says, "By the way am Junko Mori"

Then noticing the Turian, and the other human women and boy, Junko gave them a smile, then asks the boy, "So how old are you sport?"

[White Haven]

"Bit of a change of pace for me...they're not called the Asari commandos for nothing." Iona commented with a wry smile. At the exchange between Turian and Krogan, she paused, blinking in surprise at the thought. As an asari, interracial relations were the norm, not the exception; she hadn't even thought anything of it at first glance. Now that the table was beginning to fill up, she spoke up again, "I'm Iona. I suppose you've all already met, I'm afraid I wasn't in much shape to hang around anywhere but a medical ward until relatively recently or I would have met the Normandy on Bastion Station myself."

She ate like a campaigner, putting away food quickly in case there wasn't time later. Not even a year's leave could break her of that habit, or many of the others she'd picked up through the course of her career. After finishing off a glass of...something green, she nodded towards the sole Turian, "So, you seem dead certain you're not staying." The statement became an implicit question on her lips, one eyebrow sliding upwards slightly.

[rhoenix]

Junko nods, takes a seat beside the Quarian, and starts eating her food with chop sticks, after a few bites she says, "By the way am Junko Mori"

Then noticing the Turian, and the other human women and boy, Junko gave them a smile, then asks the boy, "So how old are you sport?"

Looking to his father first, the boy turned back to Junko with a smile. "I'm eleven, as of a week ago."

The turian looked briefly abashed. "My apologies. I'm Lantar Sidonis, this is my wife Ellie, and my son Jason."

Looking at the table, the brood warrior looked at Iona and Junko both before speaking in the same mind-voice. "I am Sings-to-the-Stars - I am honored to sing with you."

The boy looked utterly delighted. "That is so cool! How do you do that?"

The rachni looked at the boy, feelings of calm emanating from the large brood warrior. "My people have no other way of talking to others, but not all can hear us. The Geth cannot sing back."

"Then... how do you talk to a geth?" the boy asked, curiously.

The brood warrior rustled slightly, seeming amused. "Usually, there must be others there who can hear our song, so that they may sing to the geth our song."

"Does that get confusing sometimes?" the boy asked, earning him a smile from his father.

The rachni tilted his head slightly for a moment before replying. "Yes - some have made comparison-songs of a deaf person singing of color to a blind person. It is not always easy to sing understanding."

[rhoenix]

After finishing off a glass of...something green, she nodded towards the sole Turian, "So, you seem dead certain you're not staying." The statement became an implicit question on her lips, one eyebrow sliding upwards slightly.

Looking back at Iona steadily, Sidonis was silent for a moment before replying. "I am responsible for something terrible happening to good people. Even years of service in B-Sec can't change or erase that. I am not fit to be a Spectre, and it's only a matter of time before I have to leave here, so I'm trying to make sure my family enjoys the trip while they can."

[JD196]

"Something tells me Shepard wouldn't have you here if she didn't want you. Besides doesn't you showing you want to atone count for something?"

[rhoenix]

"Something tells me Shepard wouldn't have you here if she didn't want you. Besides doesn't you showing you want to atone count for something?"

"I honestly don't know," Sidonis said, slowly shaking his head. "Even if Shepard does want me here for some reason, it still won't change the fact that her second-in-command would be far happier putting a bullet in my skull than seeing me around. Then again..." he trailed off for a moment, looking at his hands, resting on the table. "He must know I'm here, too. I just don't know."

[Sabre72]

Junko, with a smile, "nice to meet you Lantar, Ellie, and Jason.

She had a small flash back to when she was 11, however she didn't know better then, but now she shuddered in fear for her 11 year old self.

She took a sip of her iced tea, and dismissed the thought.

Noticing star at the table, Junko, surprising herself, mentally sang greens and blues, then chuckled, "seems am starting to understanding your cryptic but yet beautiful language star.

Junko continued speaking to star so everyone could hear, "even when you try not to be cryptic Star, it seems I still notice greens and blues or any other color combination coming off of you still, could that be, undertone? A example for us would be, am thinking in English or Galactic but speaking in Japanese or any other combination, or am just a crazy biotic that sees things differentially.

Junko, confused takes another bite of her food then continues, "Its my first time experiencing being around a rachni star, forgive my over curiosity.

"Something tells me Shepard wouldn't have you here if she didn't want you. Besides doesn't you showing you want to atone count for something?"

"I honestly don't know," Sidonis said, slowly shaking his head. "Even if Shepard does want me here for some reason, it still won't change the fact that her second-in-command would be far happier putting a bullet in my skull than seeing me around. Then again..." he trailed off for a moment, looking at his hands, resting on the table. "He must know I'm here, too. I just don't know."

Junko, looked at Sidonis then spoke firmly, "from what I've heard about Garrus, is that if he wanted you dead Lantar, wouldn't you already be dead?"

[rhoenix]

Junko, with a smile, " Nice to meet you Lantar, Ellie, and Jason.

The three of them nodded in return, Ellie and Jason with smiles.

Noticing star at the table, Junko, surprising herself, mentally sang greens and blues, then chuckled, "seems am starting understanding your cryptic but yet beautiful language star.

Junko continued speaking to star so everyone could hear, "even when you try not to be cryptic Star, it seems I still notice greens and blues or any other color combination coming off of you still, could that be, undertone? A example for us would be, am thinking in English or Galactic but speaking in Japanese or any other combination, or am just a crazy biotic that sees things differentially.

Junko, confused takes another bite of her food then continues, "Its my first time experiencing being around a rachni star, forgive my over curiosity.

The brood warrior was silent for a moment, as if considering. "With my people, this is known as the high-song. We sing thoughts and emotions with the same song. Learning to sing with those who do not is... a challenge," the rachni said, thoughtfully.

Junko, looked at Sidonis then spoke firmly, "from what I've heard about Garrus, is that if he wanted you dead Lantar, wouldn't you already be dead?"

Sidonis looked back at Junko, steadily and unblinking, for a few moments before replying. "The one and only reason it hasn't already happened was because Shepard stuck her head in his line of fire, and refused to budge."

[JD196]

"Listen Sidonis, I don't know what you did and I don't particularly care. Garrus is a professional, he will not turn down a good spectre for personal reasons. You seem like a good person Lantar. Don't let that one thing rule your life." Tallos looked around at the other candidates.

"If one word gets out about emotional chats and ruins my badass reputation, I will hunt you down."

[White Haven]

Gesturing with an empty fork, Iona riposted with a simple question: "Sheppard's second, that'd be Vakarian. He's honest, yes? To a fault, I've heard?"

[rhoenix]

"Listen Sidonis, I don't know what you did and I don't particularly care. Garrus is a professional, he will not turn down a good spectre for personal reasons. You seem like a good person Lantar. Don't let that one thing rule your life." Tallos looked around at the other candidates.

"If one word gets out about emotional chats and ruins my badass reputation, I will hunt you down."

"We'll see," Sidonis said, looking doubtful. "I will do my best, as I always do, and we'll see what happens."

"As for your reputation though," Sidonis continued, a small smile appearing on his face, "I think you're safe."

Gesturing with an empty fork, Iona riposted with a simple question: "Sheppard's second, that'd be Vakarian. He's honest, yes? To a fault, I've heard?"

Sidonis nodded. "He always has been, ever since I first met him in boot camp."