[audio]

[hows_the_knee]

[The device turns on, audio only, but for a long moment there is silence, as if the person on the other end is rethinking the wisdom of sending any message at all

Comments

[savor_last_shot]

A lot of humans, actually.

I think I'm still the only turian. Aside from Saren, that is.

[hows_the_knee]

[...Okay, either she misheard him, or it's some kind of code...

...Or aliens and dinosaurs wasn't a metaphor, after all.]

Can you repeat, please?

Audio

[savor_last_shot]

I think I'm the only turian, aside from Saren.

[Garrus fiddles with his omnitool.]

Bad connection?

[There's a flange in his voice.]

Re: Audio

[hows_the_knee]

Loud and clear.

[Well, maybe not, but clear enough to confirm that she hadn't misheard him.

Oh hell. She might as well just go for it.]

...That some kind of dinosaur?

[Audio]

[windowsftl]

You must know by now that you're not alone. And I'm hoping you have help on the way...

...But do you feel okay? I don't mean physically.

Re: [Audio]

[hows_the_knee]

Yeah, help is coming. But thanks.

[She doesn't, really, but she's not thrilled with the idea of broadcasting that all over an unsecured line, either.]

...Is there anything in particular I should be on alert for?

[She wouldn't put it past Skynet to pump gas in here, mess with her perceptions, something. But as far as she can tell, she's unaffected.]

Re: [Audio]

[windowsftl]

Well...

There are monsters here. The man-eating kind. ...I've never seen them in person, so they must be hiding well. B-But I've seen them over the network.

There are a lot of helpful people here, though. Soldiers, I think. If you have to get into trouble somewhere...I think this would be the place to do it.

Re: [Audio]

[hows_the_knee]

[Some spaceship orbiting a planet no one knows anything about sounds like a pretty shitty place to get in trouble, actually. But she's not going to argue.

How many kids are there here, anyway?]

What kind of monsters?

[The man-eating kind, right.]

You mean the - aliens and dinosaurs?

VIDEO/TEXT

[woobietrope]

IUUUUM-AAANNN.

[A cheerful bloop.]

lots

sorry wall-e :(

[hows_the_knee]

[...

Shit.

The tiny robot clearly isn't a Terminator, but who knows what it reports to.

There's no way she's striking up a conversation with this thing.

Thumbs the button to close the connection, and hopes it doesn't call back.]

[woobietrope]

owoo?

[Huh. The human's gone. Weird. But it was definitely a human voice and a woman voice and that's what he's looking for!]

[Pushes some buttons and sends another message. This one is Delta's voice saying:]

"Commander Shepard"

?

Video. Accidentally Encrypted.

[cmdr_renegade]

[Her omnitool gave out a short alert and Shepard glanced at it. Someone was sending...a heavily encrypted message to her? Not the first time, but still unusual.

The ident didn't make any sense, but they'd asked for her by name.

She pressed the accept and activated the video feed.]

Go ahead?

[screeee]

[Another female? She gets her eye suuuuper close as if that will make the owner of the voice visible.]

Hello? Not alone. Can find.

[hows_the_knee]

[The voice sounds human, but the sentence structure - or lack thereof - makes her wary. It sounds more like a low-level AI than a person.]

That's not necessary.

[And then, to allay suspicions:]

But thanks.

oh yeaaaah... video forever

[screeee]

Are very sure? Am very good at finding. Could show the safe-water!

Re: oh yeaaaah... video forever

[hows_the_knee]

[She looks human. But that doesn't mean anything.]

I'm sure.

...Safe-water?

Is there...not-safe water?

[Not that Sarah's necessarily going to trust anything she says, but more information never hurts.]

audio;

[quitethewarrior]

If I'm not human, don't know what else to say I am.

audio

[hows_the_knee]

Yeah, sounds like the place is hopping with us.

[or at least, her wrist device is.]

It's good to know I'm not alone.

Re: audio

[quitethewarrior]

Truth be told, I'm glad to hear someone who's not part robot.

Re: audio

[hows_the_knee]

[HA. Whoever this is, she's a woman after her own heart.]

I know exactly what you mean.