[FIC] Mass Effect: "Lineaments" (Shepard, Wrex) (1/2) [for yuletide 2009]
Title: Lineaments
Fandom: Mass Effect
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Jane Shepard, Wrex, mentions of the entire Normandy crew, original characters
Dedication: wickedtrue, for yuletide 2009
Prompt: The request was for Shepard & Wrex banter and/or a side adventure.
Description: Commander Jane Shepard needs a break from dealing with the Council. After a training mission on an uncharted world takes an unexpected turn, she begins to learn more about the member of her crew whom she understands the least: Wrex. Takes place between Noveria and Feros, and between Feros and Virmire. Only vague spoilers.
Rating: T for violence and slightly crude language
Word Count: 9,490
Status: Complete (It was finished mid-December but authors weren’t allowed to reveal themselves until after Jan. 1st)
Other Notes: This story is proof that I am completely neurotic about explaining how characters get from point A to point B. The whole point of this was supposed to be the encounter between Wrex and Zaj. Why does it take 5,500 words to get there? Because I am neurotic. This is my second attempt at writing in this fandom, and it was a lot harder than the first. It was fun, but coming up with a solid concept was hard - it was a lot like trying to find the right outfit for a date and changing clothes at least 3 times.
You can read just the story at the Yuletide archive here, or you can read the meta version (story plus writer commentary) below. As far as where to leave feedback, I have no preference.
Welcome to the commentary version of the story. Comments will be formatted just as you see here: indented, in blue, and italicized. This is my first "DVD-style commentary" version of a fanfic, but given how much thought and detail went into this story, I figured it to be a worthwhile pursuit. If you're disinclined to read my ramblings, the non-meta version can be found here.
A few things I'd like to point out off the bat:
* I originally planned to write this fic from Wrex's perspective, but chickened out because I didn't have time to do an extensive canon review and fully immerse myself in the krogan culture.
* Although the story is written from Shepard's perspective, I tried to keep her voice fairly neutral throughout, so that she could fit in with however the reader chose to play her character. However, when in doubt, I did err a bit on the side of Paragon, because I figure everyone who played the game probably did at least one Paragon play-through.
* My assignee wrote in her request that Shepard and Wrex's relationship could be 'more than just platonic' if the writer felt so inclined, and I wasn't sure if that meant she really wanted a shippy!fic or just saying she was open to it. I thought about it for a while and decided to keep it gen, since this fandom needs more gen fic.
* I did start a new playthrough (although I didn't have time to get very far) to refresh myself on the canon. My inspiration for this came when I noticed that Wrex actually cares quite deeply about the krogan, he just tries to act stoic and blasé about it.
* As with my last fic, I named Shepard 'Jane' because it is the canon's suggested name for the female character. I know I could've just referred to her as Shepard throughout, to avoid picking a name, but I like calling her 'Jane' in the parts where it's dealing more with her emotions and her as a person rather than as a soldier/commander. Referring to her as 'Shepard' makes it feel stiff and military, so I tend to use that when describing her actions and thoughts as a soldier.
“Logged: The commanding officer is aboard. XO Pressly stands relieved,” the VI’s monotone voice echoes through the chamber.
The airlock hisses open to let the shore party aboard the SSV Normandy. Jane Shepard takes two steps inside, allowing her eyes to slowly adjust to the semi-darkness of the ship, a sharp contrast with the bright lights inside the Citadel’s docking bay. She can sense her two companions following closely behind. A few more steps and they’re all inside, the hatch immediately sliding shut behind them.
Navigator Pressly nods at her as she heads toward the rear of the ship. She sees him open his mouth as though to speak but pretends not to notice and keeps walking. She knows he deserves a brief update on her dealings with the Council and more details about their next mission, but what she wants most of all right now is to unload her cargo. She will fill him in later.
So on my first playthrough of the game, I always went back to the Citadel after any major mission world. I kind of used that idea here by saying Shepard goes back to the Citadel for a lengthier debriefing than those short vid conferences she does with the Council in the canon. It isn't actually possible, but I thought it was not an unreasonable idea to introduce.
Jane descends the stairs one level. Moving toward her locker to put a few things away, she notes Liara detaching herself from the party and heading in the direction of the medical bay with a muttered apology that she is tired and wishes to rest. Tali remains beside her, stoic and unreadable as always. Setting down her luggage in front of her locker, Jane can sense Kaidan coming toward them.
“What’s with Dr. T’Soni?” he asks as he moves in behind her, pressing his hands on her shoulders and massaging her stiff muscles with his fingertips to relieve the tension there.
No, this isn't hinting at a relationship between them, just supposed to be another example of her crew members vying for her affection.
Shepard shakes her head and shifts her body to get rid of his hands. She knows he means well, but she isn’t in the mood to deal with the various members of her crew vying for her affections. Not today. Meetings with the Council always tend to put her in a bad mood, and their treatment of Liara was heartless, especially when the girl had just lost her mother.
“You know how it is. They grilled her something fierce, and then Ambassador Udina gave her his own interrogation. He made it seem like she’s suspected of terrorist activities,” she explains as she bends down to pick up the large duffel bag.
Again, not something that actually happens in the canon for as far as I can recall, but a tidbit I added myself that I felt was not out of line.
Kaidan slams his fist into another locker. “That-!” He drops his head and sighs. “I’m sorry, Commander, but you know how I feel about the Ambassador.”
“I know.” Jane reassures him with a touch of her free hand to his forearm. “Let’s go.”
The trio takes the elevator down to the cargo bay. Ashley greets them and takes the bag out of Shepard’s hands before she has a chance to protest. She follows Ashley toward the locker area so they can distribute the new weapons and armor. Her crew’s careful attentions are not entirely altruistic; they are eager to see what new supplies their commander has brought back for them. Jane smiles. She’s not angry; they’ve earned it.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to bring back more,” she apologizes as she zips open the bag and rifles through its contents. “Delan, Morlan and the Expat did not have satisfactory selections. Only the rare stocks were worthwhile, and at the price those run for, I didn’t have the credits to get a full set of gear to outfit each of you.”
This was supposed to be a fun reference to something I figure a lot of players did in the game: go shopping on the Citadel and then come back and distribute the new weapons and armor among the crew.
As she hands Ashley a new shotgun, she looks up, scans the room, and frowns. “Where is Garrus? I got him a new assault rifle.”
Kaidan looks around, perplexed. “I don’t know. And it looks like Wrex is gone, too. But I don’t remember seeing them go out.”
Shepard is on her feet in seconds and heading back toward the elevator. She searches the crew deck, the veins in her neck pulsing in agitation, but neither the turian nor the krogan are anywhere to be found. Ordinarily, she probably wouldn’t care. The members of her crew are responsible beings who can be trusted to follow their own initiatives without jeopardizing the mission. But today is not the day. Today is so not the day.
“Pressly,” she calls out as she approaches the bridge. “I can’t find Garrus or Wrex aboard the ship.”
Pressly scratches his beard, nods, and punches a few keys on the panel. “Let me check the logs for you.”
Pressly is getting quite a lot of screen time in this fic, which wasn't really intentional, but it turns out he's just really useful for moving the story along.
As the log’s contents are output line by line on a small screen nearby, Pressly examines the information, with Jane looking over his shoulder. Her eyes come to rest on the next-to-last entry in the log: Wrex and Garrus had exited the ship roughly four hours after her shore party had departed to meet with the Council. Their objective had not been logged.
I wasn't really sure if they would access the logs on a screen or only via a VI. However, although we hear its voice, we never see a representation of the Normandy's VI, so I didn't want to make any assumptions, and erred on the side of having the logs displayed on a screen.
“We probably didn’t stop them because we assumed they were acting on your orders.” Pressly shrugs his shoulders. “Sorry, Commander.”
Jane squeezes her eyes shut, massaging her fingertips in circles over her temples. The successive series of annoyances over the past two days aboard the Citadel have begun to manifest themselves as a physical headache.
The headache thing was also inserted kind of as a joke, because if you've played as female Shepard, have you noticed how much she crinkles her brow, right above her nose?? I once joked to a friend that her scrunching up her face so much must give her a big headache.
“We can’t leave without them, so we have no choice but to wait for their return. However, do continue preparations for take-off. I will be in the command room. When Wrex and Garrus return, please send them to me. Until then, I would prefer not to be disturbed.”
As her crew nods in acquiescence, Jane turns and makes her way to the command room, grateful when the door whooshes closed behind her to save her crew the sight of her fighting through the waves of the oncoming migraine.
***
Reclining in one of the command room chairs, Jane has been drifting in and out of sleep. She had spent some time trying to catch up on her written mission reports but gave up when the throbbing in her head had become too distracting. She is startled to her senses when she hears a loud chortling on the bridge that’s growing louder as its source moves in her direction. She recognizes the rasping, screeching sound as being a turian’s laughter.
Do we ever hear any aliens laugh in the game? I don't know. But I do feel like Garrus is the kind of guy who could be moved to laughter, and I like the idea of a turian laughing.
When the command room door slides open, however, only Wrex enters.
“Shepard.” He announces his presence in his usual gruff voice.
“Wrex.” Jane sits up and notes the absence of a turian in the doorway. “Where’s Garrus?”
Wrex comes further into the room and she could almost interpret his expression as a smirk. “Getting patched up by Doctor Chakwas. Don’t worry, it’s just a few scratches.”
Shepard jumps to her feet. “What!? ‘A few scratches’? Where the hell have you been?!”
She doesn’t usually raise her voice with her crew-she has the highest respect for all of them-but her patience has already been worn thin, and Wrex’s attitude, which suggests that he isn’t the least bit concerned about his commander’s reaction to his behavior, only serves to piss her off more.
“Training,” is Wrex’s matter-of-fact, one-word response, as though that should explain everything.
“Training?” she frowns. “Where? Why? Are our regular missions and side assignments not enough practice for you?”
Wrex shrugs one of his broad, armored shoulders. “Me and Vakarian, we like a challenge every now and then. We can move faster with just two.” He pauses, then adds, “No offense to your combat abilities, Shepard.” The tone of his voice isn’t quite as harsh, then.
I had this written as "Me and Garrus" first, but luckily I did a little more canon review after I finished writing the fic, and thanks to one of their elevator conversations I realized Wrex only refers to Garrus as "Vakarian".
Two things about that confession surprise her. First of all, it’s the use of the phrase ‘me and Vakarian’. When they had first met, Wrex had been quite frank about his dislike of Garrus, even though he had never let his personal feelings get in the way of the functioning of the team. Although she had sensed that the two aliens had since agreed to set aside their differences, she had not been aware of a significant change in Wrex’s attitude toward Garrus, let alone a sense of camaraderie and friendship. But then, Wrex is the member of her crew whom she finds the most difficult to read.
This was based on two thoughts/ideas. One; while I was reading a Mass Effect forum months ago, I came across a thread where people were discussing ME fanfics they would like to see, and one poster said they would like to see Garrus and Wrex going on a side adventure together. Another poster had responded asking why, saying they never seemed to like each other all that much, but then the OP responded saying, "I picture them kind of like Legolas and Gimli." That idea not only made me laugh but gave me actual ideas to write Garrus+Wrex friendship fic someday, and that's the whole reason why I offered Garrus and Wrex (in addition to Shepard and Liara, my OTP) for this year's Yuletide. Since my recipient requested Shepard+Wrex and made no mentions of Garrus in her request, I decided not to pursue my original Garrus+Wrex idea in this fic, but I couldn't help but include a little hint of it here.
Two; I hope I'm not the only one who's wondered if the characters you don't take with you in your shore party really just continue to sit there and wait for you, especially when you're going to the Citadel to shop. For somebody like Wrex, especially, that seems a little unlikely. I could totally picture him going and finding some action on his own.
The most disturbing part, however, is Wrex’s admission that they had gone into battle with a team of just two. The standing rule aboard the Normandy is that no one leaves the ship to go into combat with a unit of less than three combatants.
Yes, this is a reference to the fact that the game never lets you leave the ship with anything but 3 characters, no more, no less.
“Wrex, you know the rule. Three soldiers to a unit, minimum. To maximize our safety as well as the compatibility of our skills and talents. So no one gets hurt unnecessarily.”
Wrex doesn’t look impressed. “We have it under control, Shepard. There aren’t many things out there that could take out a fully-armed krogan Battlemaster and a turian C-Sec officer.”
“What if you were ambushed? No one on the ship even knew where you were. How would we have known where to send a search party?!” Jane closes her eyes, breathes deeply, and counts to three before she continues, hoping to get through this without losing her temper. “Where the hell were you, anyway?”
“Quaji. Small uncharted world. A few reported geth sightings. We took out an outpost.” Stoic as always, Wrex sounds neither excited about their success nor remorseful about their insubordination.
“Styx Theta?” Shepard asks, incredulous. “You flew all the way out to Styx Theta without clearing it with me?”
I wasn't sure if Shepard would've necessarily memorized which planets are in which systems, but given how much time you spend on the Galaxy Map, I feel like it's not an unreasonable assumption that after completing two of the mission worlds, she knows her way around the galaxy.
Wrex growls, the tension in his stance evidence that he is beginning to lose his patience. “We had it under control! No one was seriously injured. The kid gained some more combat experience, and we even brought back a few weapons mods.”
Though their ages are never mentioned in the game, I get the impression that Garrus is a lot younger (comparatively) than Wrex, and in my head Wrex always calls Garrus "the kid".
Jane falls back into her seat, sensing that she is starting to lose this fight. She’d anticipated running into this problem with her non-human allies at one point or another: they had volunteered themselves to aid her in her mission to stop Saren, and she is thankful for their lending her their strength. She can certainly use it, and she has already been taking full advantage of it; Wrex himself has won them several fights almost single-handedly, proving himself to be an invaluable ally. She wants to keep it that way. But since he is a volunteer, how far can she restrict his freedom while respecting his sovereignty? The fact that he refuses to call her ‘Commander’ like the others is a constant reminder that he doesn’t really consider himself to be one of her subordinates. Despite being in someone else’s employ, bounty hunters consider themselves to be their own masters, and she ventures a guess that Wrex is no different. The fact that he accepts this arrangement with the Normandy crew is probably nothing short of a miracle, and she knows better than to risk appearing ungrateful for it.
I personally thought this was an important part of their relationship that the canon never fully explored. Wrex seems like the character with the fewest reasons for staying with the Normandy crew, which ought to make their relationship a little uneasy. Restrict his freedom too much and he'll likely say "Screw this" and go off on his own.
“I hope you’re not planning to make this a regular occurrence. I need you in one piece and ready to go for the mission.” She gives him a stern look, hoping he’ll realize he hasn’t completely won her over. The safety of her crew is one of her highest priorities, and she’s not above restricting their movements if they get themselves in trouble.
“Shepard.” Wrex nods once, then turns and lumbers toward the door.
“Hey!” Jane calls out when he’s almost to the exit. “Take me with you next time.”
He scoffs, but he does come to a halt and turns his head in her direction. “Why would you want to do that?”
“It’s a commanding officer’s prerogative to appraise her crew’s training regimen,” she answers, a teasing edge to her voice. “And I could use the extra practice.”
Wrex keeps moving, giving no indication that he heard or acknowledges her response.
“Only if you can keep up,” she hears him grumble before the door hisses shut behind him.
Dun dun dun. Foreshadowing. And yeah, this was an incredibly lengthy way to set up this plot device of explaining why Shepard and Wrex would go off on a side mission with just the two of them, but I wanted to make it realistic.
***
The minute Jane steps back on board the Normandy, she feels as though she can finally breathe again. She knows it’s just an illusion, but the air inside the Citadel feels stale and oppressive. She would probably see it in a more positive light, glorying in the splendor of the Presidium or energized by the liveliness of the Wards, but the fact that she’s generally there on Council business more than takes the edge off the glamour.
The mission on Feros had been a success, but the Council wouldn’t see it that way. Returning to the Citadel to give them a more detailed report and debriefing had been a waste of time that she should have just left Ambassador Udina and Captain Anderson to deal with. She doesn’t have the stomach for diplomacy, and she could have done without their criticism and derision. Bringing back the Thorian for further study had not been a part of her objective, and any attempts would have been unsuccessful at best or hazardous to the crew any ship used to try to transport the creature at worst. But the Council doesn’t share the military’s philosophy of not second-guessing decisions made in the heat of combat.
Again, I used this same plot device of Shepard returning to the Citadel to give the Council a lengthier debriefing than just the vid-conference, which wasn't actually in the canon. However, I assumed that such a conversation would've gone the same way, with them criticising her decision to kill the Thorian.
“Shepard?” Liara places a hand on her shoulder, concern evident in her voice.
Jane shakes away her thoughts; she hadn’t realized she’d stopped walking and caused her companions to worry. “I’m sorry. Please, continue on inside.”
She moves out of the way to allow Kaidan and Liara to enter the ship and return to the crew deck. She had chosen these two to accompany her to her meeting with the Council because they were among the most diplomatic members of her crew, but it hadn’t helped. She knows Kaidan probably feels guilty for failing to defend her actions better, and Liara is likely concerned about the mental strain the encounter caused her. Both will be eager to give her what comfort they can, but she isn’t in the mood to deal with that right now.
Making her way toward the bridge to check in with Pressly, she considers going for a walk in the Wards. Maybe some time away from her crew would help to clear her head and calm her temper. But that would be dangerous; she’s become too recognizable, and law enforcement in the Wards is too slack for her to safely move about on her own. Besides, she realizes that she just wants to get the hell away from the Citadel.
“Commander,” Pressly greets her as she approaches. “Shall we begin preparations for take-off?”
“No,” Shepard instructs him. “I gave the crew two days’ leave, and it’s only been half a day. Garrus and Williams are still on the Citadel. We won’t depart until they return.”
I'll talk a little later about the timing in this fic and in the ME 'verse in general...
“Understood. May I at least ask our next objective so I can enter it into the ship’s computer?”
“Virmire. We have a lead on Virmire,” she explains, a shiver of foreboding crawling up her spine.
I purposely situated this fic before Virmire because, again, I wanted to keep this fic as open to the way a player played the game as possible, including getting Wrex killed.
“Very well,” he responds as she turns and heads down the stairs.
She pauses when she reaches the crew deck, still undecided as to what she wants to do. At a loss for other ideas, she waves her hand in front of the lighted panel to summon the elevator so she can descend to the cargo bay. If all else fails, she can always do a brief inspection and examine the Mako for needed repairs.
It’s dark and quiet inside the cargo hold, and with Garrus and Ashley on shore leave and the requisitions officer gathering supplies in the Wards, she mistakes the chamber to be empty at first. It isn’t until, running her hands over the side of the Mako and saying a silent thank-you for the many times it’s saved their lives, that she hears a soft shuffling in the corner and realizes that Wrex is still in his usual spot.
“I gave all of the crew two days’ leave. That includes you,” she says as she walks in his direction. “You could go out into the Wards, buy some new gear.”
I mean, it seems unreasonable to expect Shepard to do the shopping for them all the time, and I imagine Wrex to have quite a few credits stashed away. But anyway, that isn't really relevant...
Wrex moves his head slowly to look at her and growls. “Not interested.”
Suddenly, Shepard remembers the incident and the conversation she’d had with Wrex right before their last mission. She supposes that he did not leave to go train because Garrus had elected to spend his shore leave catching up with Executor Pallin at the C-Sec headquarters, but she’s also grateful to him for deciding not to go into combat all on his own. However confident the krogan mercenary might be of his own durability, it would’ve been a suicide mission that she could not condone.
“Would you be interested in training?” she asks, her hand lingering on her pistol holster as the urge to enter battle and drive a few satisfying bullets into a geth trooper’s armored skull washes over her.
Basically, the idea is supposed to be: get off the Citadel, get away from the Council's watchful eyes, kill some geth, clear her head.
“Training?” Wrex smirks, like he can’t believe she’s actually serious. “You sure?”
She shrugs. “Why not? I have no desire to stay out on the Citadel for another day, and we can probably use a little practice before the next mission.”
Wrex is turning his head from side to side in slow, halting movements but otherwise showing no indication of either a positive or negative response to her request. At last, he scratches his head and lets out a low grunt.
“If that’s what you want. I don’t really care.” He turns around and grabs his gear off the rack behind him, then heads toward the elevator, Jane falling into step behind him.
:D I have to admit I love this bit. Wrex doesn't show any excitement but I bet he's secretly quite pleased.
She knows better than to pester him with questions, but she does begin to wonder where they’re going as they disembark the Normandy and move through the hangar. Wrex summons the elevator but makes no effort to explain his actions while they wait.
“Um, Wrex? Where are we going, and how are we getting there?”
“I have a ship,” is the krogan’s gruff reply as the two of them enter the elevator.
“You have a ship?” Jane repeats, startled. This was the first she’d heard of it.
But then, when she stops and thinks about it, it does make sense. In fact, it probably wouldn’t make much sense for a bounty hunter not to have his own ship; Wrex needs the freedom to come and go as he wills it. Passenger transport is too slow, not to mention having the added risks of detection or civilians being caught in the crossfire. It’s just surprising that Wrex had never mentioned his ship before, or offered it to the crew of the Normandy to make use of. An extra vessel is a valuable asset.
I mean, really. A bounty hunter needs his own ship. I was so glad when I realized this because it helped me flesh out the plot for this story.
Instead of descending all the way to the C-Sec headquarters, the elevator stops about halfway, on floor 278. The door slides open, and Jane follows Wrex into a hangar about the same size as the Normandy’s docking bay. However, this one isn’t dedicated to a single ship. At a glance, she counts about ten ships docked on this level, most of them small frigates.
This is based on Wrex's comment in the Normandy's hangar that it's obviously a special ship because it gets a hangar all to itself.
Wrex comes to a halt in front of the third ship from the right. It’s the smallest vehicle in the hangar, but Shepard finds it to be astoundingly well-maintained. The ship itself is of an older model, but it looks like it’s been recently retrofitted with a brand new mass drive and modern fusion torches. The ship’s body may not be as sleek as some of the newest vehicles being designed today, but the construction is sturdy and the hull shows no signs of damage. She whistles appreciatively.
One of the things I was most nervous about when I started writing this was having to describe Wrex's ship, since I know nothing at all about spaceships. I'm not sure if it's reasonable for a single person to own his own frigate, but it's the smallest class of ship described in the Codex, and I didn't trust myself to come up with a class of ship from scratch on my own.
“You have a ship.” All her misgivings momentarily fade away.
“Well,” Wrex scowls at her, already moving through the open airlock, “are you just going to stand out there and gawk all day?”
Jane grins and follows him inside. “I’m just surprised, that’s all. You never struck me as much of a mechanic, but you must be, for your ship to be in this good of a condition.”
Wrex turns back to her and scoffs. “When you’ve got credits, you can afford a good mechanic.”
One of the things I love about this game and the interactions between the characters is that Shepard sometimes makes comments that are a little naïve, and the other characters aren't afraid to call her out on it. It's more... real, and makes Shepard seem more human.
“You’re right,” she mumbles, hurrying to catch up with him.
Wrex has moved into the cockpit and is programming the ship’s controls. He seems to know what he’s doing so she decides to leave him alone until he asks for her help. As she takes a look around, she notes that the ship is spacious enough to hold a crew of at least a dozen men. However, she decides to settle into the co-pilot’s seat, figuring that if she sticks close to Wrex, she might have the opportunity to get to know the enigmatic alien a little better. To test what kind of mood he’s in, she props her feet up on the dashboard in front of her, but the krogan doesn’t react.
“So where are we going?” she asks him the question he wasn’t willing to answer before.
Wrex doesn’t look up from the controls. “Almacrux. After we hit the relay network, it’ll be about two, three hours. Maybe you should try to sleep, Shepard.”
Okay, so first off: Almacrux isn't a visitable planet in the canon, but I purposely wanted to pick a planet that wasn't visitable, since I'm not writing this fic about a specific assignment in the game. I picked Almacrux because out of all the planets that you can't land on, it seemed like one of the most likely candidates for a world that could've been made visitable, due to atmospheric conditions etc.
Anyway, one of the things that worried me the most and still bothers me about this fic is the timing. In the canon, we are given absolutely no sense of how long it takes to travel between places; as far as we can tell it happens almost instantaneously. There isn't anything written anywhere that I could find that talks about how long FTL travel actually takes. I read Mass Effect: Ascension as part of my canon review but it wasn't much help. It suggested that it takes days to travel between systems, but the book mostly referred to passenger shuttles, and I'm not sure if those would be able to travel as fast as military class-vessels, which is what I assume Wrex would have.
For that reason, I ended up being about as vague about the timing as possible, but I still ended up worrying that the timeline is too short to be realistic.
Jane isn’t stupid; that last bit is Wrex’s way of warning her that he isn’t interested in making small talk. She could push him, but it’s more likely that she’ll piss him off than find out anything new and useful about her taciturn companion. As the ship’s engine hums to life, she sinks back into her chair and lets the ship’s gentle movements rock her into a light slumber.
***
Shepard is surprised to find the ship safely on the ground when she opens her eyes. She expected that their descent into Almacrux’s atmosphere would’ve woken her up. The fact that it didn’t attested to the fact that Wrex must be a trained and talented pilot. The krogan is just full of surprises today.
Okay, I know the whole "Shepard slept through the entire flight" thing probably seems like a really cheap way to move the story along, but the whole point of this story is supposed to be what happens to them on this planet, so I didn't want to delay any further. Also, not describing the voyage at all is kind of in keeping with the canon, where you never see anything of the voyage in between systems.
Wrex is fussing with the ship’s computer, so they must not have been on the ground long. Feeling refreshed and energetic, she hops to her feet and readies her gear to go outside.
“What are the surface conditions like?” she asks while strapping her weapons to her back.
“Low pressure. Mild temperatures. No known hazards. Just,” Wrex stands up and taps on the glass of the cockpit to direct her attention, “fog and rain.”
She hadn’t taken much notice of their surroundings yet so she had failed to see the thick mist that seems to be rolling in in waves. It looks mystical and mesmerizing, but her soldier’s instinct identifies it for the danger it truly poses. To go aimlessly wandering out into fog that dense would be suicide.
I kinda wish they'd have included a foggy world in the canon. It would've been quite exciting, and something different.
“Do you have a map? Or even a destination objective?”
Wrex takes a step toward her and smirks. “That would be too easy, Shepard.”
Squeezing around the armored lizard’s large body in the small confined space, she worms her way into the seat that Wrex has just vacated. Thankfully, the ship’s controls follow the galactic standard, and it doesn’t take her long to locate the functions she needs.
“I’m programming the ship to send an auto-distress call to the Normandy if we’re not back here in six hours,” she explains. “I’m not going to risk us wandering forever through the fog.”
She also programs the location of the vessel into the tracking device she wears on her wrist like a watch. Without a satellite to calculate its exact position, it’s not highly accurate, but under the circumstances it’s the best she can do.
Since Almacrux isn't inhabited, I assumed there would be no satellites orbiting the planet. No satellites, no GPS.
When she’s finished with her preparations and heads toward the rear of the ship, she finds that Wrex is already waiting for her by the outer door, his gear strapped on and the vizor of his helmet covering his face. “Let’s move out.”
Wrex opens the hatch when she’s put on her helmet and closed the visor, and not a minute sooner. Aside from the difference in atmospheric gases, you never know what kind of contaminants might be in the air on a foreign planet. The sensors on her suit aren’t picking up anything hazardous, but until she has a compelling reason to go in without a sealed helmet, it isn’t worth the risk.
It’s warm outside, and probably damp, although that’s just a guess since her body is completely covered. Shepard can’t see the sky through the cloud cover, although plenty of light filters down to the surface, and she calculates from what she knows to be the approximate angle of the sun that it won’t be night for a while. Wrex takes five long strides outside and the mist already rises up to engulf him.
“Visbility is about… twenty yards,” she estimates. “We’d better stick together or we’re going to separated.”
And Shepard gives the 'Rally!' command!
She can hear Wrex chuckle over the radio. “That’s sweet.”
He gives no indication of slowing his pace, and she has to quicken her own steps to catch up to him. The ground is rocky and firm, not giving under their feet at all. It’s easy enough to walk on, but it’ll be hard on the legs to sustain a rapid pace. Wrex’s strides are twice as long as hers, so if he insists on continuing at the current rate, it’ll wear her out.
She considers chiding him but knows it’s of no use. Instead, she tries to press for more information about their objective. “What are we looking for?”
“My intel informed me that a merchant vessel passing through the Caspian system reported the sight of geth ships. If they set up an outpost, this would be the most likely planet to do it,” Wrex replies. It’s probably the longest explanation he’s given her all afternoon.
To be a bounty hunter, Wrex definitely has to have his own information sources, and it's reasonable to expect him to still stay in touch with them even though he's with the Normandy now. In fact, I'm a little surprised that never gets used as a plot device in the canon.
“If they set up an outpost,” she repeats. “And even if they did, we don’t even know for sure in which direction to begin looking.”
Jane turns to look behind her as she continues to follow Wrex’s lead, noting that their ship has already been swallowed up by the dense fog. Forcing herself to concentrate on what lies ahead, she can only wonder how they’re supposed to find a geth outpost in this mess. She can only hope that the geth aren’t sending out a jamming signal to block their scanners, or else they’ll be sitting ducks.
I mean, imagine how much fun that would be! Fog AND jammed scanners! :D
“Exciting,” Wrex says, his lips splayed out to reveal a wide toothy grin that’s anything but endearing, “isn’t it, Shepard?”
She just shakes her head and continues to scan for energy readings in their surroundings.
***
“It’s been two hours and we haven’t found a single thing.”
Jane is starting to sweat underneath her uniform, the oppressive humidity of the environment weighing on her like a heavy blanket. The fog hasn’t lifted, although it’s gradually grown less dense as they’ve moved away from the ship. However, in exchange, the rain has changed from a light sprinkling into a more steady drizzle, so overall visibility has improved little, and they now have the added annoyance of periodically needing to wipe rain from their visors.
Wrex hasn’t said a single word and if it weren’t for his heavy breathing she might’ve forgotten he was with her. Well, maybe not. It’s a little hard to forget about a big armored lizard walking beside you.
“This is pointless, Wrex. We don’t even know for sure if there’s an outpost here. Maybe we should just head back,” she continues, her breathing ragged with exhaustion.
I know she never gets tired in the game, but damnit, I want to keep this kind of realistic. You spend two hours walking around on the surface of a humid planet you've never been before, you're going to get tired, okay?
Wrex grunts. “Are you giving up, Shepard?”
“It’s not a question of giving up or not. It’s a matter of having the prudence to realize when a course of action is futile.”
He doesn’t stop. She just assumes that he’s being stubborn, so she’s startled when he suddenly comes to a halt and calls out her name. “I think I see something up ahead.”
“What?” Jane fights the fatigue in her legs and quickens her gait until she’s level with him.
She peers into the mist ahead of them but at first she doesn’t notice anything unusual. She’s about to ask Wrex what he was talking about when she begins to make out forms in the distance. It takes her a minute to identify them, but they appear to be rock outcroppings, a sharp contrast with the rest of the landscape which up until now has been completely flat.
I kind of pictured this like that place on Therum where the path gets too narrow to keep driving in the Mako, and you have to walk, and there's a bunch of rock outcroppings and walls and such. I really suck at describing it; I feel like I use the word 'outcropping' like 20 billion times.
“The ground seems to be angling upward,” she mumbles, not sure what, if anything, that means but glad to break up the monotony of the fog.
In another ten minutes, they find themselves at the foot of a series of treacherous-looking crags and hills made of rock. The ones in front of them are relatively low and wide, but a little further down, steep outcroppings jut at least a hundred feet into the air. The area looks inhospitable, but Jane isn’t fooled: it would be the perfect place to hide a geth outpost.
Without saying a word, she takes the lead; she’s more limber and can wind her way around the rocks more smoothly. Aiming her pistol straight out in front of her in a strong two-handed grip while moving slowly but deliberately ahead, she checks her scanners every few seconds for any indication of life. Holding his shotgun in a tight grip, Wrex falls back to provide cover, less agile but also more able to blend into the environment.
Man, Wrex is such a badass with a shotgun. I mean, he's great with assault rifles too, but the shotgun? Badass.
About fifty yards further down, the outcroppings widen into a small clearing. On the far side, she can see two very large rocks wedged together at an angle. When the mist momentarily clears, she is surprised to find a familiar sight: a ramp with metal railings leading into passageway below. There must be a cave or an excavation site down there.
I mean, we've already seen a zillion of these, we know what they are by now, so I felt like it was not unreasonable to not describe it in more detail.
Motioning toward the passage with her pistol, Jane makes her way over to the entrance, followed closely by her krogan ally. Her sensors still aren’t picking up anything. She pauses for just a second to weigh her options, then stops hesitating and follows the ramp down into the cave. The rain has started to pick up so at least it’ll provide them with a little relief from the weather.
As her eyes fight to adjust to the darkness, she carefully places one foot ahead of the other, grateful that the ramp provides her with a steady base for her footing. When she begins to be able to make out what’s inside the cave, she sees that the ramp continues for only about five more yards. They’re not really below ground, and the cave is no larger than the Normandy’s hangar aboard the Citadel. Her radar is silent.
Yeah, we've also seen a billion of these caves already, and the layout is always about the same, so...
When they move off the ramp and into the cavernous chamber beyond, Shepard gestures for Wrex to take point, reversing their previous roles. While it seems unlikely that there’s an ambush awaiting them, an attack could come from all sides, and the krogan, with his large armored body and stronger kinetic shields, is simply better-equipped to handle it. One could accuse her of taking advantage of her alien ally, but she knows Wrex knows better than that and harbors her no ill will. They’ve performed this dance many times on previous missions.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who sent Wrex in ahead in most areas. I mean, he's just such a tank. He can take the hit.
“Clear,” Wrex announces when he reaches the center.
She relaxes her muscles just a little, although she continues to hold her pistol in a death grip. Something doesn’t feel right, but she’s not sure if her apprehension has grounds or if it’s just one of those bad feelings about everything that come with the territory. Then she realizes what’s bugging her. There are two lit lamps hanging at the back of the cave, which means it was, at one point, inhabited, most likely not too long ago.
That was an intentional reference to the "Bad feelings are an occupational hazard", but since that was Joker's saying, not Shepard's, I didn't want to quote it verbatim.
Wrex follows the direction of her gaze and moves toward the rear of the cave, with Jane covering him from behind. The chamber grows narrow as they go in deeper, then widens into an alcove at the very back. She takes note of two small passageways that had been hidden from view at the entrance, one at three o’clock and one at nine o’clock. She motions to the left with her pistol, and Wrex leads the way down the passage.
The corridor is just large enough to fit them both through single-file. It ends abruptly into a high-ceilinged chamber roughly the size of the Normandy’s cargo bay. If this cavern was indeed inhabited, she guesses that this room served as personnel quarters or a supply room. However, if it did at one point contain supplies or furniture, all its contents had since been cleared.
“All clear,” Wrex confirms.
Squeezing their way back through the passageway, Shepard ponders who could’ve been staying here. Resources on Almacrux are scarce enough that the planet hasn’t been considered for active colonization, and from her short time here she can gather that while conditions are within acceptable parameters, no one could seriously want to live here for long periods of time. She wonders if asari or salarian scientists have been conducting illegal research here. It seems the most logical explanation.
Probably the salarians, those sneaky bastards...
Wrex is already inside the second corridor and Jane is about to follow him when she hears the sound of a gun being cocked behind her and freezes.
“Don’t move!” the owner of the gun barks out.
While she doesn’t recognize the specific voice, she’s all too familiar with the tone and the accent. It’s krogan. Wheeling around on her heels, she hopes to get a glimpse of her attacker, but she’s too slow: the opponent’s pistol comes crashing down on her helmet as she turns, and she finds herself falling to the ground.
The idea is that Jane thinks she can at least turn around to face her opponent, but she moves too quickly and her attacker decides not to take the risk and knocks her out.
For a moment, everything goes black.
***
Continue to Part II.
Fandom: Mass Effect
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Jane Shepard, Wrex, mentions of the entire Normandy crew, original characters
Dedication: wickedtrue, for yuletide 2009
Prompt: The request was for Shepard & Wrex banter and/or a side adventure.
Description: Commander Jane Shepard needs a break from dealing with the Council. After a training mission on an uncharted world takes an unexpected turn, she begins to learn more about the member of her crew whom she understands the least: Wrex. Takes place between Noveria and Feros, and between Feros and Virmire. Only vague spoilers.
Rating: T for violence and slightly crude language
Word Count: 9,490
Status: Complete (It was finished mid-December but authors weren’t allowed to reveal themselves until after Jan. 1st)
Other Notes: This story is proof that I am completely neurotic about explaining how characters get from point A to point B. The whole point of this was supposed to be the encounter between Wrex and Zaj. Why does it take 5,500 words to get there? Because I am neurotic. This is my second attempt at writing in this fandom, and it was a lot harder than the first. It was fun, but coming up with a solid concept was hard - it was a lot like trying to find the right outfit for a date and changing clothes at least 3 times.
You can read just the story at the Yuletide archive here, or you can read the meta version (story plus writer commentary) below. As far as where to leave feedback, I have no preference.
Welcome to the commentary version of the story. Comments will be formatted just as you see here: indented, in blue, and italicized. This is my first "DVD-style commentary" version of a fanfic, but given how much thought and detail went into this story, I figured it to be a worthwhile pursuit. If you're disinclined to read my ramblings, the non-meta version can be found here.
A few things I'd like to point out off the bat:
* I originally planned to write this fic from Wrex's perspective, but chickened out because I didn't have time to do an extensive canon review and fully immerse myself in the krogan culture.
* Although the story is written from Shepard's perspective, I tried to keep her voice fairly neutral throughout, so that she could fit in with however the reader chose to play her character. However, when in doubt, I did err a bit on the side of Paragon, because I figure everyone who played the game probably did at least one Paragon play-through.
* My assignee wrote in her request that Shepard and Wrex's relationship could be 'more than just platonic' if the writer felt so inclined, and I wasn't sure if that meant she really wanted a shippy!fic or just saying she was open to it. I thought about it for a while and decided to keep it gen, since this fandom needs more gen fic.
* I did start a new playthrough (although I didn't have time to get very far) to refresh myself on the canon. My inspiration for this came when I noticed that Wrex actually cares quite deeply about the krogan, he just tries to act stoic and blasé about it.
* As with my last fic, I named Shepard 'Jane' because it is the canon's suggested name for the female character. I know I could've just referred to her as Shepard throughout, to avoid picking a name, but I like calling her 'Jane' in the parts where it's dealing more with her emotions and her as a person rather than as a soldier/commander. Referring to her as 'Shepard' makes it feel stiff and military, so I tend to use that when describing her actions and thoughts as a soldier.
“Logged: The commanding officer is aboard. XO Pressly stands relieved,” the VI’s monotone voice echoes through the chamber.
The airlock hisses open to let the shore party aboard the SSV Normandy. Jane Shepard takes two steps inside, allowing her eyes to slowly adjust to the semi-darkness of the ship, a sharp contrast with the bright lights inside the Citadel’s docking bay. She can sense her two companions following closely behind. A few more steps and they’re all inside, the hatch immediately sliding shut behind them.
Navigator Pressly nods at her as she heads toward the rear of the ship. She sees him open his mouth as though to speak but pretends not to notice and keeps walking. She knows he deserves a brief update on her dealings with the Council and more details about their next mission, but what she wants most of all right now is to unload her cargo. She will fill him in later.
So on my first playthrough of the game, I always went back to the Citadel after any major mission world. I kind of used that idea here by saying Shepard goes back to the Citadel for a lengthier debriefing than those short vid conferences she does with the Council in the canon. It isn't actually possible, but I thought it was not an unreasonable idea to introduce.
Jane descends the stairs one level. Moving toward her locker to put a few things away, she notes Liara detaching herself from the party and heading in the direction of the medical bay with a muttered apology that she is tired and wishes to rest. Tali remains beside her, stoic and unreadable as always. Setting down her luggage in front of her locker, Jane can sense Kaidan coming toward them.
“What’s with Dr. T’Soni?” he asks as he moves in behind her, pressing his hands on her shoulders and massaging her stiff muscles with his fingertips to relieve the tension there.
No, this isn't hinting at a relationship between them, just supposed to be another example of her crew members vying for her affection.
Shepard shakes her head and shifts her body to get rid of his hands. She knows he means well, but she isn’t in the mood to deal with the various members of her crew vying for her affections. Not today. Meetings with the Council always tend to put her in a bad mood, and their treatment of Liara was heartless, especially when the girl had just lost her mother.
“You know how it is. They grilled her something fierce, and then Ambassador Udina gave her his own interrogation. He made it seem like she’s suspected of terrorist activities,” she explains as she bends down to pick up the large duffel bag.
Again, not something that actually happens in the canon for as far as I can recall, but a tidbit I added myself that I felt was not out of line.
Kaidan slams his fist into another locker. “That-!” He drops his head and sighs. “I’m sorry, Commander, but you know how I feel about the Ambassador.”
“I know.” Jane reassures him with a touch of her free hand to his forearm. “Let’s go.”
The trio takes the elevator down to the cargo bay. Ashley greets them and takes the bag out of Shepard’s hands before she has a chance to protest. She follows Ashley toward the locker area so they can distribute the new weapons and armor. Her crew’s careful attentions are not entirely altruistic; they are eager to see what new supplies their commander has brought back for them. Jane smiles. She’s not angry; they’ve earned it.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to bring back more,” she apologizes as she zips open the bag and rifles through its contents. “Delan, Morlan and the Expat did not have satisfactory selections. Only the rare stocks were worthwhile, and at the price those run for, I didn’t have the credits to get a full set of gear to outfit each of you.”
This was supposed to be a fun reference to something I figure a lot of players did in the game: go shopping on the Citadel and then come back and distribute the new weapons and armor among the crew.
As she hands Ashley a new shotgun, she looks up, scans the room, and frowns. “Where is Garrus? I got him a new assault rifle.”
Kaidan looks around, perplexed. “I don’t know. And it looks like Wrex is gone, too. But I don’t remember seeing them go out.”
Shepard is on her feet in seconds and heading back toward the elevator. She searches the crew deck, the veins in her neck pulsing in agitation, but neither the turian nor the krogan are anywhere to be found. Ordinarily, she probably wouldn’t care. The members of her crew are responsible beings who can be trusted to follow their own initiatives without jeopardizing the mission. But today is not the day. Today is so not the day.
“Pressly,” she calls out as she approaches the bridge. “I can’t find Garrus or Wrex aboard the ship.”
Pressly scratches his beard, nods, and punches a few keys on the panel. “Let me check the logs for you.”
Pressly is getting quite a lot of screen time in this fic, which wasn't really intentional, but it turns out he's just really useful for moving the story along.
As the log’s contents are output line by line on a small screen nearby, Pressly examines the information, with Jane looking over his shoulder. Her eyes come to rest on the next-to-last entry in the log: Wrex and Garrus had exited the ship roughly four hours after her shore party had departed to meet with the Council. Their objective had not been logged.
I wasn't really sure if they would access the logs on a screen or only via a VI. However, although we hear its voice, we never see a representation of the Normandy's VI, so I didn't want to make any assumptions, and erred on the side of having the logs displayed on a screen.
“We probably didn’t stop them because we assumed they were acting on your orders.” Pressly shrugs his shoulders. “Sorry, Commander.”
Jane squeezes her eyes shut, massaging her fingertips in circles over her temples. The successive series of annoyances over the past two days aboard the Citadel have begun to manifest themselves as a physical headache.
The headache thing was also inserted kind of as a joke, because if you've played as female Shepard, have you noticed how much she crinkles her brow, right above her nose?? I once joked to a friend that her scrunching up her face so much must give her a big headache.
“We can’t leave without them, so we have no choice but to wait for their return. However, do continue preparations for take-off. I will be in the command room. When Wrex and Garrus return, please send them to me. Until then, I would prefer not to be disturbed.”
As her crew nods in acquiescence, Jane turns and makes her way to the command room, grateful when the door whooshes closed behind her to save her crew the sight of her fighting through the waves of the oncoming migraine.
***
Reclining in one of the command room chairs, Jane has been drifting in and out of sleep. She had spent some time trying to catch up on her written mission reports but gave up when the throbbing in her head had become too distracting. She is startled to her senses when she hears a loud chortling on the bridge that’s growing louder as its source moves in her direction. She recognizes the rasping, screeching sound as being a turian’s laughter.
Do we ever hear any aliens laugh in the game? I don't know. But I do feel like Garrus is the kind of guy who could be moved to laughter, and I like the idea of a turian laughing.
When the command room door slides open, however, only Wrex enters.
“Shepard.” He announces his presence in his usual gruff voice.
“Wrex.” Jane sits up and notes the absence of a turian in the doorway. “Where’s Garrus?”
Wrex comes further into the room and she could almost interpret his expression as a smirk. “Getting patched up by Doctor Chakwas. Don’t worry, it’s just a few scratches.”
Shepard jumps to her feet. “What!? ‘A few scratches’? Where the hell have you been?!”
She doesn’t usually raise her voice with her crew-she has the highest respect for all of them-but her patience has already been worn thin, and Wrex’s attitude, which suggests that he isn’t the least bit concerned about his commander’s reaction to his behavior, only serves to piss her off more.
“Training,” is Wrex’s matter-of-fact, one-word response, as though that should explain everything.
“Training?” she frowns. “Where? Why? Are our regular missions and side assignments not enough practice for you?”
Wrex shrugs one of his broad, armored shoulders. “Me and Vakarian, we like a challenge every now and then. We can move faster with just two.” He pauses, then adds, “No offense to your combat abilities, Shepard.” The tone of his voice isn’t quite as harsh, then.
I had this written as "Me and Garrus" first, but luckily I did a little more canon review after I finished writing the fic, and thanks to one of their elevator conversations I realized Wrex only refers to Garrus as "Vakarian".
Two things about that confession surprise her. First of all, it’s the use of the phrase ‘me and Vakarian’. When they had first met, Wrex had been quite frank about his dislike of Garrus, even though he had never let his personal feelings get in the way of the functioning of the team. Although she had sensed that the two aliens had since agreed to set aside their differences, she had not been aware of a significant change in Wrex’s attitude toward Garrus, let alone a sense of camaraderie and friendship. But then, Wrex is the member of her crew whom she finds the most difficult to read.
This was based on two thoughts/ideas. One; while I was reading a Mass Effect forum months ago, I came across a thread where people were discussing ME fanfics they would like to see, and one poster said they would like to see Garrus and Wrex going on a side adventure together. Another poster had responded asking why, saying they never seemed to like each other all that much, but then the OP responded saying, "I picture them kind of like Legolas and Gimli." That idea not only made me laugh but gave me actual ideas to write Garrus+Wrex friendship fic someday, and that's the whole reason why I offered Garrus and Wrex (in addition to Shepard and Liara, my OTP) for this year's Yuletide. Since my recipient requested Shepard+Wrex and made no mentions of Garrus in her request, I decided not to pursue my original Garrus+Wrex idea in this fic, but I couldn't help but include a little hint of it here.
Two; I hope I'm not the only one who's wondered if the characters you don't take with you in your shore party really just continue to sit there and wait for you, especially when you're going to the Citadel to shop. For somebody like Wrex, especially, that seems a little unlikely. I could totally picture him going and finding some action on his own.
The most disturbing part, however, is Wrex’s admission that they had gone into battle with a team of just two. The standing rule aboard the Normandy is that no one leaves the ship to go into combat with a unit of less than three combatants.
Yes, this is a reference to the fact that the game never lets you leave the ship with anything but 3 characters, no more, no less.
“Wrex, you know the rule. Three soldiers to a unit, minimum. To maximize our safety as well as the compatibility of our skills and talents. So no one gets hurt unnecessarily.”
Wrex doesn’t look impressed. “We have it under control, Shepard. There aren’t many things out there that could take out a fully-armed krogan Battlemaster and a turian C-Sec officer.”
“What if you were ambushed? No one on the ship even knew where you were. How would we have known where to send a search party?!” Jane closes her eyes, breathes deeply, and counts to three before she continues, hoping to get through this without losing her temper. “Where the hell were you, anyway?”
“Quaji. Small uncharted world. A few reported geth sightings. We took out an outpost.” Stoic as always, Wrex sounds neither excited about their success nor remorseful about their insubordination.
“Styx Theta?” Shepard asks, incredulous. “You flew all the way out to Styx Theta without clearing it with me?”
I wasn't sure if Shepard would've necessarily memorized which planets are in which systems, but given how much time you spend on the Galaxy Map, I feel like it's not an unreasonable assumption that after completing two of the mission worlds, she knows her way around the galaxy.
Wrex growls, the tension in his stance evidence that he is beginning to lose his patience. “We had it under control! No one was seriously injured. The kid gained some more combat experience, and we even brought back a few weapons mods.”
Though their ages are never mentioned in the game, I get the impression that Garrus is a lot younger (comparatively) than Wrex, and in my head Wrex always calls Garrus "the kid".
Jane falls back into her seat, sensing that she is starting to lose this fight. She’d anticipated running into this problem with her non-human allies at one point or another: they had volunteered themselves to aid her in her mission to stop Saren, and she is thankful for their lending her their strength. She can certainly use it, and she has already been taking full advantage of it; Wrex himself has won them several fights almost single-handedly, proving himself to be an invaluable ally. She wants to keep it that way. But since he is a volunteer, how far can she restrict his freedom while respecting his sovereignty? The fact that he refuses to call her ‘Commander’ like the others is a constant reminder that he doesn’t really consider himself to be one of her subordinates. Despite being in someone else’s employ, bounty hunters consider themselves to be their own masters, and she ventures a guess that Wrex is no different. The fact that he accepts this arrangement with the Normandy crew is probably nothing short of a miracle, and she knows better than to risk appearing ungrateful for it.
I personally thought this was an important part of their relationship that the canon never fully explored. Wrex seems like the character with the fewest reasons for staying with the Normandy crew, which ought to make their relationship a little uneasy. Restrict his freedom too much and he'll likely say "Screw this" and go off on his own.
“I hope you’re not planning to make this a regular occurrence. I need you in one piece and ready to go for the mission.” She gives him a stern look, hoping he’ll realize he hasn’t completely won her over. The safety of her crew is one of her highest priorities, and she’s not above restricting their movements if they get themselves in trouble.
“Shepard.” Wrex nods once, then turns and lumbers toward the door.
“Hey!” Jane calls out when he’s almost to the exit. “Take me with you next time.”
He scoffs, but he does come to a halt and turns his head in her direction. “Why would you want to do that?”
“It’s a commanding officer’s prerogative to appraise her crew’s training regimen,” she answers, a teasing edge to her voice. “And I could use the extra practice.”
Wrex keeps moving, giving no indication that he heard or acknowledges her response.
“Only if you can keep up,” she hears him grumble before the door hisses shut behind him.
Dun dun dun. Foreshadowing. And yeah, this was an incredibly lengthy way to set up this plot device of explaining why Shepard and Wrex would go off on a side mission with just the two of them, but I wanted to make it realistic.
***
The minute Jane steps back on board the Normandy, she feels as though she can finally breathe again. She knows it’s just an illusion, but the air inside the Citadel feels stale and oppressive. She would probably see it in a more positive light, glorying in the splendor of the Presidium or energized by the liveliness of the Wards, but the fact that she’s generally there on Council business more than takes the edge off the glamour.
The mission on Feros had been a success, but the Council wouldn’t see it that way. Returning to the Citadel to give them a more detailed report and debriefing had been a waste of time that she should have just left Ambassador Udina and Captain Anderson to deal with. She doesn’t have the stomach for diplomacy, and she could have done without their criticism and derision. Bringing back the Thorian for further study had not been a part of her objective, and any attempts would have been unsuccessful at best or hazardous to the crew any ship used to try to transport the creature at worst. But the Council doesn’t share the military’s philosophy of not second-guessing decisions made in the heat of combat.
Again, I used this same plot device of Shepard returning to the Citadel to give the Council a lengthier debriefing than just the vid-conference, which wasn't actually in the canon. However, I assumed that such a conversation would've gone the same way, with them criticising her decision to kill the Thorian.
“Shepard?” Liara places a hand on her shoulder, concern evident in her voice.
Jane shakes away her thoughts; she hadn’t realized she’d stopped walking and caused her companions to worry. “I’m sorry. Please, continue on inside.”
She moves out of the way to allow Kaidan and Liara to enter the ship and return to the crew deck. She had chosen these two to accompany her to her meeting with the Council because they were among the most diplomatic members of her crew, but it hadn’t helped. She knows Kaidan probably feels guilty for failing to defend her actions better, and Liara is likely concerned about the mental strain the encounter caused her. Both will be eager to give her what comfort they can, but she isn’t in the mood to deal with that right now.
Making her way toward the bridge to check in with Pressly, she considers going for a walk in the Wards. Maybe some time away from her crew would help to clear her head and calm her temper. But that would be dangerous; she’s become too recognizable, and law enforcement in the Wards is too slack for her to safely move about on her own. Besides, she realizes that she just wants to get the hell away from the Citadel.
“Commander,” Pressly greets her as she approaches. “Shall we begin preparations for take-off?”
“No,” Shepard instructs him. “I gave the crew two days’ leave, and it’s only been half a day. Garrus and Williams are still on the Citadel. We won’t depart until they return.”
I'll talk a little later about the timing in this fic and in the ME 'verse in general...
“Understood. May I at least ask our next objective so I can enter it into the ship’s computer?”
“Virmire. We have a lead on Virmire,” she explains, a shiver of foreboding crawling up her spine.
I purposely situated this fic before Virmire because, again, I wanted to keep this fic as open to the way a player played the game as possible, including getting Wrex killed.
“Very well,” he responds as she turns and heads down the stairs.
She pauses when she reaches the crew deck, still undecided as to what she wants to do. At a loss for other ideas, she waves her hand in front of the lighted panel to summon the elevator so she can descend to the cargo bay. If all else fails, she can always do a brief inspection and examine the Mako for needed repairs.
It’s dark and quiet inside the cargo hold, and with Garrus and Ashley on shore leave and the requisitions officer gathering supplies in the Wards, she mistakes the chamber to be empty at first. It isn’t until, running her hands over the side of the Mako and saying a silent thank-you for the many times it’s saved their lives, that she hears a soft shuffling in the corner and realizes that Wrex is still in his usual spot.
“I gave all of the crew two days’ leave. That includes you,” she says as she walks in his direction. “You could go out into the Wards, buy some new gear.”
I mean, it seems unreasonable to expect Shepard to do the shopping for them all the time, and I imagine Wrex to have quite a few credits stashed away. But anyway, that isn't really relevant...
Wrex moves his head slowly to look at her and growls. “Not interested.”
Suddenly, Shepard remembers the incident and the conversation she’d had with Wrex right before their last mission. She supposes that he did not leave to go train because Garrus had elected to spend his shore leave catching up with Executor Pallin at the C-Sec headquarters, but she’s also grateful to him for deciding not to go into combat all on his own. However confident the krogan mercenary might be of his own durability, it would’ve been a suicide mission that she could not condone.
“Would you be interested in training?” she asks, her hand lingering on her pistol holster as the urge to enter battle and drive a few satisfying bullets into a geth trooper’s armored skull washes over her.
Basically, the idea is supposed to be: get off the Citadel, get away from the Council's watchful eyes, kill some geth, clear her head.
“Training?” Wrex smirks, like he can’t believe she’s actually serious. “You sure?”
She shrugs. “Why not? I have no desire to stay out on the Citadel for another day, and we can probably use a little practice before the next mission.”
Wrex is turning his head from side to side in slow, halting movements but otherwise showing no indication of either a positive or negative response to her request. At last, he scratches his head and lets out a low grunt.
“If that’s what you want. I don’t really care.” He turns around and grabs his gear off the rack behind him, then heads toward the elevator, Jane falling into step behind him.
:D I have to admit I love this bit. Wrex doesn't show any excitement but I bet he's secretly quite pleased.
She knows better than to pester him with questions, but she does begin to wonder where they’re going as they disembark the Normandy and move through the hangar. Wrex summons the elevator but makes no effort to explain his actions while they wait.
“Um, Wrex? Where are we going, and how are we getting there?”
“I have a ship,” is the krogan’s gruff reply as the two of them enter the elevator.
“You have a ship?” Jane repeats, startled. This was the first she’d heard of it.
But then, when she stops and thinks about it, it does make sense. In fact, it probably wouldn’t make much sense for a bounty hunter not to have his own ship; Wrex needs the freedom to come and go as he wills it. Passenger transport is too slow, not to mention having the added risks of detection or civilians being caught in the crossfire. It’s just surprising that Wrex had never mentioned his ship before, or offered it to the crew of the Normandy to make use of. An extra vessel is a valuable asset.
I mean, really. A bounty hunter needs his own ship. I was so glad when I realized this because it helped me flesh out the plot for this story.
Instead of descending all the way to the C-Sec headquarters, the elevator stops about halfway, on floor 278. The door slides open, and Jane follows Wrex into a hangar about the same size as the Normandy’s docking bay. However, this one isn’t dedicated to a single ship. At a glance, she counts about ten ships docked on this level, most of them small frigates.
This is based on Wrex's comment in the Normandy's hangar that it's obviously a special ship because it gets a hangar all to itself.
Wrex comes to a halt in front of the third ship from the right. It’s the smallest vehicle in the hangar, but Shepard finds it to be astoundingly well-maintained. The ship itself is of an older model, but it looks like it’s been recently retrofitted with a brand new mass drive and modern fusion torches. The ship’s body may not be as sleek as some of the newest vehicles being designed today, but the construction is sturdy and the hull shows no signs of damage. She whistles appreciatively.
One of the things I was most nervous about when I started writing this was having to describe Wrex's ship, since I know nothing at all about spaceships. I'm not sure if it's reasonable for a single person to own his own frigate, but it's the smallest class of ship described in the Codex, and I didn't trust myself to come up with a class of ship from scratch on my own.
“You have a ship.” All her misgivings momentarily fade away.
“Well,” Wrex scowls at her, already moving through the open airlock, “are you just going to stand out there and gawk all day?”
Jane grins and follows him inside. “I’m just surprised, that’s all. You never struck me as much of a mechanic, but you must be, for your ship to be in this good of a condition.”
Wrex turns back to her and scoffs. “When you’ve got credits, you can afford a good mechanic.”
One of the things I love about this game and the interactions between the characters is that Shepard sometimes makes comments that are a little naïve, and the other characters aren't afraid to call her out on it. It's more... real, and makes Shepard seem more human.
“You’re right,” she mumbles, hurrying to catch up with him.
Wrex has moved into the cockpit and is programming the ship’s controls. He seems to know what he’s doing so she decides to leave him alone until he asks for her help. As she takes a look around, she notes that the ship is spacious enough to hold a crew of at least a dozen men. However, she decides to settle into the co-pilot’s seat, figuring that if she sticks close to Wrex, she might have the opportunity to get to know the enigmatic alien a little better. To test what kind of mood he’s in, she props her feet up on the dashboard in front of her, but the krogan doesn’t react.
“So where are we going?” she asks him the question he wasn’t willing to answer before.
Wrex doesn’t look up from the controls. “Almacrux. After we hit the relay network, it’ll be about two, three hours. Maybe you should try to sleep, Shepard.”
Okay, so first off: Almacrux isn't a visitable planet in the canon, but I purposely wanted to pick a planet that wasn't visitable, since I'm not writing this fic about a specific assignment in the game. I picked Almacrux because out of all the planets that you can't land on, it seemed like one of the most likely candidates for a world that could've been made visitable, due to atmospheric conditions etc.
Anyway, one of the things that worried me the most and still bothers me about this fic is the timing. In the canon, we are given absolutely no sense of how long it takes to travel between places; as far as we can tell it happens almost instantaneously. There isn't anything written anywhere that I could find that talks about how long FTL travel actually takes. I read Mass Effect: Ascension as part of my canon review but it wasn't much help. It suggested that it takes days to travel between systems, but the book mostly referred to passenger shuttles, and I'm not sure if those would be able to travel as fast as military class-vessels, which is what I assume Wrex would have.
For that reason, I ended up being about as vague about the timing as possible, but I still ended up worrying that the timeline is too short to be realistic.
Jane isn’t stupid; that last bit is Wrex’s way of warning her that he isn’t interested in making small talk. She could push him, but it’s more likely that she’ll piss him off than find out anything new and useful about her taciturn companion. As the ship’s engine hums to life, she sinks back into her chair and lets the ship’s gentle movements rock her into a light slumber.
***
Shepard is surprised to find the ship safely on the ground when she opens her eyes. She expected that their descent into Almacrux’s atmosphere would’ve woken her up. The fact that it didn’t attested to the fact that Wrex must be a trained and talented pilot. The krogan is just full of surprises today.
Okay, I know the whole "Shepard slept through the entire flight" thing probably seems like a really cheap way to move the story along, but the whole point of this story is supposed to be what happens to them on this planet, so I didn't want to delay any further. Also, not describing the voyage at all is kind of in keeping with the canon, where you never see anything of the voyage in between systems.
Wrex is fussing with the ship’s computer, so they must not have been on the ground long. Feeling refreshed and energetic, she hops to her feet and readies her gear to go outside.
“What are the surface conditions like?” she asks while strapping her weapons to her back.
“Low pressure. Mild temperatures. No known hazards. Just,” Wrex stands up and taps on the glass of the cockpit to direct her attention, “fog and rain.”
She hadn’t taken much notice of their surroundings yet so she had failed to see the thick mist that seems to be rolling in in waves. It looks mystical and mesmerizing, but her soldier’s instinct identifies it for the danger it truly poses. To go aimlessly wandering out into fog that dense would be suicide.
I kinda wish they'd have included a foggy world in the canon. It would've been quite exciting, and something different.
“Do you have a map? Or even a destination objective?”
Wrex takes a step toward her and smirks. “That would be too easy, Shepard.”
Squeezing around the armored lizard’s large body in the small confined space, she worms her way into the seat that Wrex has just vacated. Thankfully, the ship’s controls follow the galactic standard, and it doesn’t take her long to locate the functions she needs.
“I’m programming the ship to send an auto-distress call to the Normandy if we’re not back here in six hours,” she explains. “I’m not going to risk us wandering forever through the fog.”
She also programs the location of the vessel into the tracking device she wears on her wrist like a watch. Without a satellite to calculate its exact position, it’s not highly accurate, but under the circumstances it’s the best she can do.
Since Almacrux isn't inhabited, I assumed there would be no satellites orbiting the planet. No satellites, no GPS.
When she’s finished with her preparations and heads toward the rear of the ship, she finds that Wrex is already waiting for her by the outer door, his gear strapped on and the vizor of his helmet covering his face. “Let’s move out.”
Wrex opens the hatch when she’s put on her helmet and closed the visor, and not a minute sooner. Aside from the difference in atmospheric gases, you never know what kind of contaminants might be in the air on a foreign planet. The sensors on her suit aren’t picking up anything hazardous, but until she has a compelling reason to go in without a sealed helmet, it isn’t worth the risk.
It’s warm outside, and probably damp, although that’s just a guess since her body is completely covered. Shepard can’t see the sky through the cloud cover, although plenty of light filters down to the surface, and she calculates from what she knows to be the approximate angle of the sun that it won’t be night for a while. Wrex takes five long strides outside and the mist already rises up to engulf him.
“Visbility is about… twenty yards,” she estimates. “We’d better stick together or we’re going to separated.”
And Shepard gives the 'Rally!' command!
She can hear Wrex chuckle over the radio. “That’s sweet.”
He gives no indication of slowing his pace, and she has to quicken her own steps to catch up to him. The ground is rocky and firm, not giving under their feet at all. It’s easy enough to walk on, but it’ll be hard on the legs to sustain a rapid pace. Wrex’s strides are twice as long as hers, so if he insists on continuing at the current rate, it’ll wear her out.
She considers chiding him but knows it’s of no use. Instead, she tries to press for more information about their objective. “What are we looking for?”
“My intel informed me that a merchant vessel passing through the Caspian system reported the sight of geth ships. If they set up an outpost, this would be the most likely planet to do it,” Wrex replies. It’s probably the longest explanation he’s given her all afternoon.
To be a bounty hunter, Wrex definitely has to have his own information sources, and it's reasonable to expect him to still stay in touch with them even though he's with the Normandy now. In fact, I'm a little surprised that never gets used as a plot device in the canon.
“If they set up an outpost,” she repeats. “And even if they did, we don’t even know for sure in which direction to begin looking.”
Jane turns to look behind her as she continues to follow Wrex’s lead, noting that their ship has already been swallowed up by the dense fog. Forcing herself to concentrate on what lies ahead, she can only wonder how they’re supposed to find a geth outpost in this mess. She can only hope that the geth aren’t sending out a jamming signal to block their scanners, or else they’ll be sitting ducks.
I mean, imagine how much fun that would be! Fog AND jammed scanners! :D
“Exciting,” Wrex says, his lips splayed out to reveal a wide toothy grin that’s anything but endearing, “isn’t it, Shepard?”
She just shakes her head and continues to scan for energy readings in their surroundings.
***
“It’s been two hours and we haven’t found a single thing.”
Jane is starting to sweat underneath her uniform, the oppressive humidity of the environment weighing on her like a heavy blanket. The fog hasn’t lifted, although it’s gradually grown less dense as they’ve moved away from the ship. However, in exchange, the rain has changed from a light sprinkling into a more steady drizzle, so overall visibility has improved little, and they now have the added annoyance of periodically needing to wipe rain from their visors.
Wrex hasn’t said a single word and if it weren’t for his heavy breathing she might’ve forgotten he was with her. Well, maybe not. It’s a little hard to forget about a big armored lizard walking beside you.
“This is pointless, Wrex. We don’t even know for sure if there’s an outpost here. Maybe we should just head back,” she continues, her breathing ragged with exhaustion.
I know she never gets tired in the game, but damnit, I want to keep this kind of realistic. You spend two hours walking around on the surface of a humid planet you've never been before, you're going to get tired, okay?
Wrex grunts. “Are you giving up, Shepard?”
“It’s not a question of giving up or not. It’s a matter of having the prudence to realize when a course of action is futile.”
He doesn’t stop. She just assumes that he’s being stubborn, so she’s startled when he suddenly comes to a halt and calls out her name. “I think I see something up ahead.”
“What?” Jane fights the fatigue in her legs and quickens her gait until she’s level with him.
She peers into the mist ahead of them but at first she doesn’t notice anything unusual. She’s about to ask Wrex what he was talking about when she begins to make out forms in the distance. It takes her a minute to identify them, but they appear to be rock outcroppings, a sharp contrast with the rest of the landscape which up until now has been completely flat.
I kind of pictured this like that place on Therum where the path gets too narrow to keep driving in the Mako, and you have to walk, and there's a bunch of rock outcroppings and walls and such. I really suck at describing it; I feel like I use the word 'outcropping' like 20 billion times.
“The ground seems to be angling upward,” she mumbles, not sure what, if anything, that means but glad to break up the monotony of the fog.
In another ten minutes, they find themselves at the foot of a series of treacherous-looking crags and hills made of rock. The ones in front of them are relatively low and wide, but a little further down, steep outcroppings jut at least a hundred feet into the air. The area looks inhospitable, but Jane isn’t fooled: it would be the perfect place to hide a geth outpost.
Without saying a word, she takes the lead; she’s more limber and can wind her way around the rocks more smoothly. Aiming her pistol straight out in front of her in a strong two-handed grip while moving slowly but deliberately ahead, she checks her scanners every few seconds for any indication of life. Holding his shotgun in a tight grip, Wrex falls back to provide cover, less agile but also more able to blend into the environment.
Man, Wrex is such a badass with a shotgun. I mean, he's great with assault rifles too, but the shotgun? Badass.
About fifty yards further down, the outcroppings widen into a small clearing. On the far side, she can see two very large rocks wedged together at an angle. When the mist momentarily clears, she is surprised to find a familiar sight: a ramp with metal railings leading into passageway below. There must be a cave or an excavation site down there.
I mean, we've already seen a zillion of these, we know what they are by now, so I felt like it was not unreasonable to not describe it in more detail.
Motioning toward the passage with her pistol, Jane makes her way over to the entrance, followed closely by her krogan ally. Her sensors still aren’t picking up anything. She pauses for just a second to weigh her options, then stops hesitating and follows the ramp down into the cave. The rain has started to pick up so at least it’ll provide them with a little relief from the weather.
As her eyes fight to adjust to the darkness, she carefully places one foot ahead of the other, grateful that the ramp provides her with a steady base for her footing. When she begins to be able to make out what’s inside the cave, she sees that the ramp continues for only about five more yards. They’re not really below ground, and the cave is no larger than the Normandy’s hangar aboard the Citadel. Her radar is silent.
Yeah, we've also seen a billion of these caves already, and the layout is always about the same, so...
When they move off the ramp and into the cavernous chamber beyond, Shepard gestures for Wrex to take point, reversing their previous roles. While it seems unlikely that there’s an ambush awaiting them, an attack could come from all sides, and the krogan, with his large armored body and stronger kinetic shields, is simply better-equipped to handle it. One could accuse her of taking advantage of her alien ally, but she knows Wrex knows better than that and harbors her no ill will. They’ve performed this dance many times on previous missions.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who sent Wrex in ahead in most areas. I mean, he's just such a tank. He can take the hit.
“Clear,” Wrex announces when he reaches the center.
She relaxes her muscles just a little, although she continues to hold her pistol in a death grip. Something doesn’t feel right, but she’s not sure if her apprehension has grounds or if it’s just one of those bad feelings about everything that come with the territory. Then she realizes what’s bugging her. There are two lit lamps hanging at the back of the cave, which means it was, at one point, inhabited, most likely not too long ago.
That was an intentional reference to the "Bad feelings are an occupational hazard", but since that was Joker's saying, not Shepard's, I didn't want to quote it verbatim.
Wrex follows the direction of her gaze and moves toward the rear of the cave, with Jane covering him from behind. The chamber grows narrow as they go in deeper, then widens into an alcove at the very back. She takes note of two small passageways that had been hidden from view at the entrance, one at three o’clock and one at nine o’clock. She motions to the left with her pistol, and Wrex leads the way down the passage.
The corridor is just large enough to fit them both through single-file. It ends abruptly into a high-ceilinged chamber roughly the size of the Normandy’s cargo bay. If this cavern was indeed inhabited, she guesses that this room served as personnel quarters or a supply room. However, if it did at one point contain supplies or furniture, all its contents had since been cleared.
“All clear,” Wrex confirms.
Squeezing their way back through the passageway, Shepard ponders who could’ve been staying here. Resources on Almacrux are scarce enough that the planet hasn’t been considered for active colonization, and from her short time here she can gather that while conditions are within acceptable parameters, no one could seriously want to live here for long periods of time. She wonders if asari or salarian scientists have been conducting illegal research here. It seems the most logical explanation.
Probably the salarians, those sneaky bastards...
Wrex is already inside the second corridor and Jane is about to follow him when she hears the sound of a gun being cocked behind her and freezes.
“Don’t move!” the owner of the gun barks out.
While she doesn’t recognize the specific voice, she’s all too familiar with the tone and the accent. It’s krogan. Wheeling around on her heels, she hopes to get a glimpse of her attacker, but she’s too slow: the opponent’s pistol comes crashing down on her helmet as she turns, and she finds herself falling to the ground.
The idea is that Jane thinks she can at least turn around to face her opponent, but she moves too quickly and her attacker decides not to take the risk and knocks her out.
For a moment, everything goes black.
***
Continue to Part II.