Mass Effect: Going Dark

[rhoenix]

"And it's also the same word in krogan for 'fun'," Sidonis replied dryly, as he ate another bite of his dinner.

[JD196]

"What can I say, we enjoy a good fight. Besides everyone loves a barfight." Tallos laughed.

[SirNitram]

Many peered at the exchange. "Does this limited vocabulary ever pose a serious issue in inter-species relations?" The Geth had been silent and largely ignorable until that moment.

[rhoenix]

Many peered at the exchange. "Does this limited vocabulary ever pose a serious issue in inter-species relations?" The Geth had been silent and largely ignorable until that moment.

"Not that I've seen, Many," Sidonis replied with a shrug. "Krogans do what krogans do - you have to learn how to meet everyone where they are if you want to communicate."

[frigidmagi]

Corporal Lysander heard the rachni brood warrior's mind-song as he sat down, though from the lack of reactions from the krogan, aside from the usual at having a human sit at their table, they didn't appear to notice. "I sing greetings-song, Coporal Lysander! Come to this table and join us, we sing collaboration-songs!"

"I'll be there in a bit Stars, let me finish eating. I don't sing to well with a mouthful of... potatoes?" Lysander said regarding his food for a moment before returning to finish it. It tasted food even if some of it didn't look right... Maybe it was alien food? Eh, if it was alien on a human tray worse that would happen is he would have the shits tonight. More then likely the chow hall couldn't get the potatoes just right as usual. Could be worse, Lysander would never be able to eat rice again for example.

The krogans looked at him interestedly, a few just chuckling roughly before going back to their food. One of them, the one he was closest to, looked at Lysander up and down before speaking in a deep, rough voice. "You got a quad to sit here, human. What's your name and specialty?"

"Andrew Lysander, Combat Engineer, you?" He asked, looking the Korgan in the eye. Damn he couldn't even tell if they were male or female.

[rhoenix]

"I'll be there in a bit Stars, let me finish eating. I don't sing to well with a mouthful of... potatoes?" Lysander said regarding his food for a moment before returning to finish it. It tasted food even if some of it didn't look right... Maybe it was alien food? Eh, if it was alien on a human tray worse that would happen is he would have the shits tonight. More then likely the chow hall couldn't get the potatoes just right as usual. Could be worse, Lysander would never be able to eat rice again for example.

The krogans looked at Corporal Lysander oddly for his comment. It seemed that they hadn't heard the brood warrior's voice. However, Sings-to-the-Stars had heard Lysander, and simply sent an image of agreement - though how Lysander understood that color green to mean "agreement," he wasn't sure.

The krogans looked at him interestedly, a few just chuckling roughly before going back to their food. One of them, the one he was closest to, looked at Lysander up and down before speaking in a deep, rough voice. "You got a quad to sit here, human. What's your name and specialty?"

"Jason Lysander, Combat Engineer, you?" He asked, looking the Korgan in the eye. Damn he couldn't even tell if they were male or female.

The krogan nodded at this. "Ulluthyr Tanek, Battlemaster. The Alliance would call me a 'Vanguard', probably," the krogan replied. "None of us expected to be here, that's for damn sure - but when I got the notice... well shit, you'd be an idiot to turn down the chance to become part of Shepard's krannt. You feel the same way?"

[frigidmagi]

The krogan nodded at this. "Ulluthyr Tanek, Battlemaster. The Alliance would call me a 'Vanguard', probably," the krogan replied. "None of us expected to be here, that's for damn sure - but when I got the notice... well shit, you'd be an idiot to turn down the chance to become part of Shepard's krannt. You feel the same way?"

"That's the damn truth. I wasn't expecting this either, thought I just get sent to another Marine Unit." Lysander replied.

[rhoenix]

"That's the damn truth. I wasn't expecting this either, thought I just get sent to another Marine Unit." Lysander replied.

Tanek chuckled roughly at this. "Yeah, if I don't cut it here, I may have to go back to Omega and rejoin the Blood Pack just to have some income. I always liked it, but compared to the chance to become a Spectre? Not even a choice."

Looking back at Lysander, Tanek had an expression on his craggy face that suggested he'd just thought of something. He leaned over toward Lysander, and said quietly (for a krogan), "You're alright human, so here's a tip - if a krogan ever offers you Ryncol, it ain't a complement. It hits non-krogan insides like ground glass. I'm saying this now because we're gonna have a toast after Shepard says her piece, and I won't be offended if you don't take part. Others might, but fuck 'em."

[Cynical Cat]

Mikhail got up and took his tray across the room and sat down beside the huge rachni.

[rhoenix]

Once all the candidates had arrived at the messhall and seated themselves, almost on cue, Shepard got up from the table - and immediately, the entire messhall went silent. It was almost eerie to hear the loud, raucous conversations going on suddenly switch to a silence so profound that Shepard's armored footsteps seemed unnaturally loud.

"Your trials will begin tomorrow morning," she began without preamble, after looking over the room once. "You're going to start with squads, and not the usual three-person fireteams you were expecting."

With that, she read from a list, naming the five squads of twelve each. Before naming the names of the last squad, she glanced upward to the table by the kitchen, with the greatest variety of different sapients sitting at it. "Last is Team Five, consisting of Junko Mori, Shaddai, Iona T'Shen, Kalis Maraka, Gabriel Cipriani, Mikhail Jager, Many-As-One, Sings-to-the-Stars, Lantar Sidonis, Urdnot Tallos, Sol’Amon Nar Tolshek, and Andrew Lysander."

She let the pad she was reading from drop to her side. "When your squad is called, you will proceed into the training area for your first trial. Once all five teams have gone through the first trial, we will have a review before going through the second. This will take you right up until the evening meal tomorrow, so you should eat well at breakfast."

Looking around the room once more, she finished with a nod. "Enjoy your evening. If you try to use the training area or leave the station before tomorrow morning, you will make Admiral Ahern very angry with you. Trust me when I say that's not something you want to do. I look forward to tomorrow, candidates."

With that, she sat back down at the table in the corner. Admiral Ahern leaned over to say something to her, which nobody could overhear - but everyone heard her chuckling in response.

[Soleimon Berserker]

Watching Commander Shepard return to her seat, Sol'Amon's eyes were wide before he glanced around the table, his jaw had actually dropped behind his mask but all anyone else would have seen were his golden eyes. In fact, once Shepard had named their entire table as a squad, the Quarian had actually lost his grip on the knife he'd been twirling between his fingers, though instead of the blade falling a light purple-blue mist of biotic energy held it aloft for a split second before he snatched it out of the air. Continuing his blade spins as though nothing had happened, the Vanguard's eyes traced over the others at his table, four Humans, an Asari, two Geth, a Krogan, a Rachni, two Turians and one Quarian. More than enough species to account for any amount of situations, as well as a large amount of surprising ability in more than a few of them.

Flipping the knife over his wrist, he quickly caught the blade before slipping it back into it's sheath.

"....Well....I guess my idea was a bit better than I thought...."

[White Haven]

"...Goddess, what does she want, a strike team capable of toppling an entire planetary government? Twelve Spectres, assuming this is the actual unit size she wants to end up with..."

Iona smirked and nodded back towards Sheppard as the human was seating herself again, "May I remind everyone that, special cases or no, it took one renegade Spectre to start the Reaper War, and another one to end it. Units of twelve?"

[Soleimon Berserker]

"...Goddess, what does she want, a strike team capable of toppling an entire planetary government? Twelve Spectres, assuming this is the actual unit size she wants to end up with..."

Iona smirked and nodded back towards Sheppard as the human was seating herself again, "May I remind everyone that, special cases or no, it took one renegade Spectre to start the Reaper War, and another one to end it. Units of twelve?"

"You were thinking the same thing? I was kinda freaking out about the fact that almost taking out an armada of ships single handed only gets you into the trials, then I realized that Shepard's kill count is in the six digits, even if you don't count the Geth from the Battle of the Citadel."

Glancing sidelong at Shaddai and Many, the Quarian sighed as he realized he might have made a small tactical error. Slapping his palm against the front of his helmet, the golden eyes behind the green glass closed for a moment before opening again.

"...Sorry guys, I meant Heretics."

Turning his attention back to the table in general he, leaned forward onto the table, resting his chin his palm as he glanced around the room. "So....if it's not personal, emotionally damaging, or covered in black ink. How'd you all get picked out for this? And who sponsored your choice?"

[White Haven]

"In my case, it's not classified, just..." the asari gave a lopsided smile, "Misrecorded. I'm in no hurry to set the record straight, either. I rather like the thought of existing in the records of various militaries and civilian news archives as 'unidentified covering force (est. Platoon/squad-level)." The smile shifted to a full-on grin as she added, "One Turian report even thought I was a company."

Sobering up, she continued, "I spent the first half of the Reaper war saving refugees and covering retreats by attacking Geth heretics or Cerberus or whoever else from enough different positions that they thought I was a full military counterattack. The second half I spent in a medically-induced coma while being smuggled off-world for reconstructive surgery." She shrugged once, "Most casualties didn't get treated that way, but there was a mixed Salarian-human unit totally convinced I was the only survivor of an Asari commando unit that bailed them out." Another grin disrupted her sober narrative, "Technically, that's even true."

"So," she went on, changing the subject, "If we're not supposed to train pre-trials, we should at least get a rough idea of our team's capabilities." She raised a hand, "Iona T'shen, Asari Commandos. Biotics and infiltration."

[JD196]

"Mine's a little more simple than most. Back in the reaper war I was part of a strike team with a few turian special forces. One of Shepard's team, Urdnot Grunt was in the area and was pinned down by Cerberus forces. I led my team in and rescued him, though he probably would have broken free on his own. This must have impressed Wrex somehow because here I am."

Tallos looked around the table. "Urdnot Tallos, soldier class."

[Sabre72]

Junko choked on her drink when Shepard called their table out, she recovered within a few seconds and listened to Sol and Iona, she added her bemusement, "well this is most interesting." She sat, still bemused while watching sol beside her lose it as well.

Turning his attention back to the table in general he, leaned forward onto the table, resting his chin his palm as he glanced around the room. "So....if it's not personal, emotionally damaging, or covered in black ink. How'd you all get picked out for this? And who sponsored your choice?"

Junko deadpanned, "LT Junko Mori, Alliance Special forces N7, Vanguard."

She added , "I was on earth when the Reapers hit," she hesitated and skipped to the end of her thought, "I helped resistance groups, I trained them, lead them, fought with them."

She fidgeted again,"then the Council forces arrived, I brought a lot of information to them about the reapers on earth and local information on resistance groups, and a lot of that information is still being used after the reaper war to figure what happened where. I made it my duty to make a audio or a video log everyday and or at key moments of my experience down on earth."

Junko blinked, and decided to not say anything more, her head looking down at her hands and the scar on her side, she then took a long drink of her iced tea, most of her life has been emotionally damaging and or draining, covered in black ink, or personal, but she left those details out or without further information.

[rhoenix]

The rachni brood warrior had watched the others after Shepard's revelation, and spoke up to who would become his team. "I am a brood warrior, and biotics are how we work with our environment," he said in his mind-voice, with a hint of confusion at how to convey what he meant. "Biotic-song for my people are as ubiquitous as electronics-songs are for most of the galaxy."

Sidonis nodded at this. "I've been trained as an Infiltrator. I'm a pretty good sniper, and not bad with electronics-songs," he said, with a small smile to the rachni.

Across the messhall, the krogans were all on their feet, loudly talking and laughing as they each took a swig of a large bottle, filled with a red liquid that had a whitish-silver tinge to it. After the krogan to Lysander's right took a swig, he took a look at Lysander, and laughed roughly. "Take a drink, human! Let's see how tough you are!"

Lysander could see Ulluthyr Tanek, to his left, shake his head, and motioning to Lysander to hand him the bottle.

(EDIT: Added scene with Lysander)

[Soleimon Berserker]

Glancing over at the Krogan's downing a container of ryncol, Sol'Amon winced as a few of the non-Krogan members of the crowd decided to partake, mostly out of the loop humans, even one Turian. What was going to happen to them later in the night was sad, but the Quarian still broke out into side splitting laughter at the thought, he was from Omega, and everyone on Omega knew if you didn't have a quad you didn't drink ryncol. Anyone who didn't, learned soon enough.

Attempting to stop the laughter as Lysander was invited a drink wasn't possible, so the Vanguard frantically shook his head before allowing his face to slam into the table, his shoulders still shaking as he grew silent.

[General Havoc]

Though nobody could see it, Shaddai was presently frantically searching through its own databases to try and figure out what could possibly have come over the Quarian. It was only by the slimmest of margins that Shaddai's conclave elected not to follow up on the matter vocally.

"Our conclave is highly experienced," said Shaddai at length. "We have an in-depth understanding of electronic and digital processes, including such elements of these processes as pertain to tactical settings. We are adept at long-range elimination of priority targets via anti-materiel weaponry. Our protoform is designed to infiltrate enemy positions without detection. We have various methods of accomplishing this goal."

A second's hesitation, before Shaddai contributed a clarification. "It is our understanding that the organic species believe that Geth do not infiltrate. This is an incorrect assumption. We are not of the primary Geth conclave. They do not infiltrate."

A glance at Many-as-One, with a brief flicker of headflaps.

"We do."

[White Haven]

"I suppose the stealth fields mounted by Hunter-type chassis are for some other purposes then. A fascinatingly easy mistake to make, I'm sure." Iona commented in a bone-dry tone.

"I'm glad to hear you've got no ethical aversion to turning yours on."

[SirNitram]

"Stealth systems onboard standard chassis: Ambush, not infiltration." The Geth spoke simply. "This chassis lacks stealth systems. Primary designation: Long range combatant. Favored weapons: M-98 Widow rifle, original design prototyped by mobile platform: Legion. Also experienced in M-920 CAIN particle accelerator for anti-vehicle, anti bunker combat. Armor status: Reinforced."

[JD196]

"I'm glad to hear you've got no ethical aversion to turning yours on."

"That's what she said." Tallos joked before polishing off the last of his food.

[White Haven]

"If nothing else, the humans certainly export their jokes at an excellent exchange rate."

[rhoenix]

Sings-to-the-Stars looked from Iona to Tallos, and back again, an expression of being utterly perplexed on his insectoid face. "What song is this, 'that's what she said?' Can you help me sing understanding?"

"Human joke. Refers to a woman in sexual congress, and how it could mean both things," Sidonis explained.

It didn't seem possible, but the brood warrior looked even more confused than before.

[frigidmagi]

Across the messhall, the krogans were all on their feet, loudly talking and laughing as they each took a swig of a large bottle, filled with a red liquid that had a whitish-silver tinge to it. After the krogan to Lysander's right took a swig, he took a look at Lysander, and laughed roughly. "Take a drink, human! Let's see how tough you are!"

Lysander could see Ulluthyr Tanek, to his left, shake his head, and motioning to Lysander to hand him the bottle.

Before Earth, Lysander would have chugged the damn thing just to piss on the Krogan. These days? Lysander didn't much care about showing off how tough he was or wasn't. He passed the bottle.