[Mass Effect: New Genesis] 4.5: Hiring new teammates and recovering

Astila just listened as Aashe explained about the bug. She wasn't sure if now was the time to hit up the pissed-off Quarian for a favor, but she knew it would keep him busy. "This man knows too much about us already, Krieger. Can you find the bug?", She watched as Kreiger threw his hands in the air, in nearly an aggressive yet surrendering matter. Astila could tell that something had happened between Aashe and Corwin and she knew that probably upset Kreiger that one more person was trying to protect Corwin. "i'll see if i can run a feedback through the cam, should give us time to leave...", Kreiger left abrupty, Astila following right behind him as she gave a nod to Aashe and a gentle wave to Corwin as she left the room.

Outside the room, Astila shyly kept her distance from Kreiger for a moment as he ranted under his breath.

"It is nice to meet you Mr. Brandt, from the sound and look of it, I have my work cut out for me. But I will get everyone patched up and back on their feet in no time., said Meera, putting her hand out to Nick.

He shook her hand and laughed, saying, "Well, I'll try not to increase your workload too much, Doctor, by doing something inconvenient. Like getting shot."

"On the topic of payrolls though, whose am I on? In fact, I haven't been given a lot of details regarding the mission."

"You're on my payroll,Mr. Brandt.", said the man lying on the hospital bed. He extended his hand to Nick, who took it and shook it, careful not to cause the man any further discomfort. "My name's Corwin Havens. Both you and Jorgal are on my payroll. It's a dangerous mission, but one you'll find is more than profitable. 20,000 credits up front. The team will split 30% of the profits from whatever is salvaged on our trip together. Though...from what has been going on, I think a 50% split would be far more fair."

His curiosity sated...at least for now, Nick replied, "In that case, I'm at your service Mr. Havens. Just let me know when to be ready to ship out."

Nick stepped back and leaned against the room's wall, observing his new crew mates. He watched the Quarian's apparent confrontation with Havens and DeWinter with interest. He noticed the vial the Quarian gave to Havens, and eyed it curiously. Then the Quarian left, after a hushed conversation with DeWinter. "Did I hear something about a bug?", he thought with some concern.

He noticed a kid looking into the room from the hallway. Nick looked at him with curiosity, wondering what his place in all this was. Then Nick heard someone shout, "Doctor!".

He turned his head to see Meera taking the vial, now empty, from Havens, asking what it was. Everyone in the room was tense, their attention on Havens. "Definitely one of my weirder days.", Nick thought, "And why do I have the feeling that there's more going on here than I had initially thought?"

kreiger began running scans just outside the room. he was pacing frantically, mumbling to himself, all the while Astila stood shyly aside, almost avoiding him in, was that fear? kreiger had actually shown a side to himself that scared Astila. He stopped pacing and approached her slowly, placing his arms around her waist.
"look, i...i'm sorry. I'm never usually like that, and i had no intentions to kill Corwin... but i am SO damn close to finally figuring things out..."
he paused. Astila still seemed upset at his actions, he simply sighed and hugged her for a moment.

"You'll have to ask Kreiger about the name, Doc."

Meera eyed Corwin curiously. She waited to see if any effect would make itself apparent, but he just went on to talking to Aashe, who looked about as shocked as everyone else. She did a quick scan with her omnitool but came up with nothing. As far as she could tell, whatever he just drank did absolutely nothing. She was slightly relieved, but still unsure as to what this would do in the future. She figured she could not do much to help out anyway; it seemed Corwin was set on doing what he would do no matter who objected. She finished with her omnitool, and took a step back, toward the door.

"Well, I suppose we will see what this is eventually, if anything," Meera said as she shook the vial around, "In the meantime, Ms. DeWinter, if it is not too much trouble, I need to go speak to Aivar's physician and get him cleared from this hospital. I can begin patching up whoever needs it back on the ship later. Shall I just meet you there, or will everyone be here for a while longer?"

"I like the look.," Corwin said teasingly. "Did you do that for me?"

Aashe glanced to the Doctor before responding. The doctor seemed to be convinced it wasn't some sort of toxin or poison. As the moment started to pass, she glanced back to Corwin, shaking her head a little bit - stunned with a sort of disbelief.

"Yeah, I thought 'Drowned Rat' would be the next big thing in fashion, I figured I'd test the look on you first, see what you thought about it." She joked. She seemed to relax a little after that, taking a step back toward the bed, smiling a little sheepishly.

"Well, I suppose we will see what this is eventually, if anything," Meera said as she shook the vial around, "In the meantime, Ms. DeWinter, if it is not too much trouble, I need to go speak to Aivar's physician and get him cleared from this hospital. I can begin patching up whoever needs it back on the ship later. Shall I just meet you there, or will everyone be here for a while longer?"

Aashe glanced over to Meera. "I'm not currently sure where we'll be, Bones. Here...." Aashe raised her hand and her Omni Tool transmitted it's contact details to the Doctor. "Call me whenever you're done, I'll let you know where we are, and what our plans are from there. Jarvis will let you on the Eris if you make it back to the ship before we do. It'll be good to have a professional on board, I've probably been doing more harm than good."

EDIT: Thanks to RG for spotting that I was an idiot and missed Shapper talking to me! (Should not post pre-Monster)

[No problem.]

Well, at least I know that my employer didn't commit sucide just now. Aivar thought, even though 'he' was still convinced that Corwin would drop dead at any moment. Slow acting poison perhaps? 'He' didn't see how Corwin had gotten the stuff; 'He' had not been paying attention at the time as 'he' worded in 'his' head what to say to that all-powerful bitch. Damn 'him' to hell if 'he' had to do another favor for her if this crew had to hide on that hellhole of a station for a while.

'He' let go of the breath 'he' was holding, wincing a bit as the sudden motion made 'his' cracked ribs ache. "Call me whenever you're done, I'll let you know where we are, and what our plans are from there. Jarvis will let you on the Eris if you make it back to the ship before we do. It'll be good to have a professional on board, I've probably been doing more harm than good." 'he' heard Aashe say. 'He' guessed that was the que for 'him' to get going as well. If 'he' was going to be... under the care... of this doctor, 'he' had better let her know the function of 'his' biotics, especially the electricity part. There were other things as well that 'he' needed to let her know about 'him', but from there on out 'he' didn't plan to see the doc often. 'He' didn't like them at all. They were too nice for their jobs.

'He' stood again, though did it slowly, and was awarded not see stars this time. 'He' looked to the doctor having trouble what to say. "Doctor, if I may come with you? I need to, eh, inform you about a few things, er, about..." 'He' paused for a half a second, clearly a bit uncomfortable, though 'his' face didn't show it. "... just about a few things." 'He' then looked away to Corwin, seeing if he dropped dead yet, and so 'he' didn't have to look at Meera.

Meera started to walk out the door when another voice came to her.

"Doctor, if I may come with you? I need to, eh, inform you about a few things, er, about..." "... just about a few things."

She turned around, but Aivar was looking over to Corwin as he spoke.

"Of course, I am sure the doctor will want to see you before he completes the transfer anyway. We can talk while we walk, if that is okay with you."

Astila watched Kreiger pace, he seemed like a whole different person. She sighed and lowered her head, getting lost in her thoughts. He had been so gentle with her in the past, even last night and this morning. It was like the second he saw Corwin, he turned into someone she didn't know. "look, i...i'm sorry. I'm never usually like that, and i had no intentions to kill Corwin... but i am SO damn close to finally figuring things out...", His words broke her thoughts, but she knew they had no meaning if he was just going to go and do it again. She heard him sigh, her eyes glanced up at him right before he pulled her in to embrace her. She laid her head against his chest, wrapping her arms around him. She said quietly, "...I forgive you."

"...I forgive you."
the words echoed through Kreigers mind a moment. He let astila go as his head began to ring and he staggered back slightly, catching himself on the wall. his vision became a blur of colors and the halls seem to warp around him, shifting as he tried to regain some balance. a figure appeared before him, almost in a flash. It looked quarian, but it was hard to tell. Kreigers breaths became hectic and unstable. the figure reached out and placed a hand on his arm. it began to speak in a hallowed echoed tone.
"kreiger.......i forgive you...."
"No....I..."
the world seemed to snap back to reality.his head throbbing, but otherwise he was okay.

Nick watched, mystified, as whatever Havens had just drank appeared to do....nothing. "Am I as in the dark as the others about what just happened?", he thought.

He looked at Havens, studying the man for any clue concerning what was going on here, until Dr. Lahiri excused herself to get clearance from Aviar's physician and received contact information from DeWinter. He watched her and who he assumed was Aivar, leave the room to conduct their business. "Wait, the Doc said Aivar was a he, but if that was Aivar following her out, 'he' doesn't really look like a he.", Nick thought, "Man, getting to know these people is going to be one hell of an experience."

Nick pushed himself off the wall and looked back at Corwin. "If that'll be all, Mr. Havens, I'll take my leave as well. I need to collect my effects before I'm ready to travel. If you could forward me all the details pertaining to the job, as well as where and when to be when you're ready to depart, I would greatly appreciate it."

[Corwin's reply]

Nick nodded and made his way out of the hospital, glancing at the Quarian and Asari standing in the hallway. Once outside, he hailed a taxi and directed it to the building where he had rented storage space for the possessions he had brought along for this job. After paying the fare and entering the building, he unlocked the small room where he had stashed his footlocker. He sat down on his footlocker and began studying the data Corwin had sent him on his Omni-tool, reviewing it with fascination. "Noncnistu's Glory eh? I've heard that legend whispered between spacers and smugglers...but this data looks solid. Amazing.", he thought as his interest and excitement for the mission suddenly increased.

"That would be." 'he' said and followed her out. once they were well away from the room 'he' began talking rapidly "I must warn you that I am not one of the most stable of individuals. My lifestyle has dictated for me to be a little more paranoid then others. I also do not identify myself as a woman. I am a man." The words came easy to 'him', as 'he' was not afraid to admit those things. Why should 'he' have to hide those facts? There were far more worthy things to hide about one's self.

Astila watched as Kreiger lost his balance and leaned up against the wall. She reached out and caught him, putting her arm around his waist to steady him. "Kreiger!", She called out as he seemed to lose sense of reality. "No....I...", He muttered out, putting his hand on his head and groaning. She supported him. "What was that? Are you okay?", her voice soft and her eyes full of worry as she looked at him.

"no..i...wait...where did...never mind, i have a bug to track..." he supported himself, still in a slight daze. he checked his tool once more and found an outgoing signal, it was week but he found one at last. He began running a trace, seeking a source and tapping into the network to place the feedback vid. after a few moments, it was set, his trace was running and all the vid would show from now on is the same loop of Aashe pacing and corwin sleeping.it wouldn't fool anyone long, but maybe long enough to leave illium with out being followed. he still couldn't find the bug, but at least it was disabled.

"I must warn you that I am not one of the most stable of individuals. My lifestyle has dictated for me to be a little more paranoid then others. I also do not identify myself as a woman. I am a man." Meera listened to Aivar's admission with patience and understanding. She had not dealt with many psychiatric cases in the past. She wanted to help Aivar, but she always was not sure she had the experience for this.

"Aivar, its okay. I don't have to be your psychiatrist. We can make this a simple formality in order to get you out of this hospital, or we can actually talk about it. Either way, it is up to you. I just want some more medical background on the crew. I do not know how I fit into this crew, but, I figure the crew will dictate that." Meera paused for a moment, wishing she had a bit more experience with psychology. "I will always listen, and try to offer you the best advice or guidance I can, whatever you need." She walked into the now unlocked elevator that they had ridden up to the ICU floor. "Well lets see what this doctor wants." She pushed the button after Aivar had gotten in and they began the descent.

"No, I am telling you as fair warning because that is the least I owe you if you are going to be doctor of the ship." 'he' said as they made their descent. "Not only that but I must tell you of my physical condition. My biotics are a bit..." he tried to find the words for it "... are a bit abnormal, I'll just put it at that. Normal biotics produce small bits of electricity, like a starship and is discharged by touching something, but not enough to harm something. Because my implant is fried in a certain position and because of my mind is never relaxed, I can produce enough electricity to fry someone or myself alive if I'm not careful. I have taken out entire platoons of those useless mechs and heavy mechs by just that part of my biotics alone. It took me many years to figure out how to control it to the point where I can channel it without shocking myself." 'He' actually liked talking about this. It was as if 'he' was bragging about it, which someone could hear through 'his' voice rather then 'his' face, which was calm and emotionless. This 'he' almost never did.

Corwin engaged in small talk with Aashe as Aivar and Meera left. They weren't talking about anything in particular. But Corwin was happy for the chance at making a little small talk and banter after everything that happened. He was so engaged in the conversation that he almost missed Nick walk up to him.

"If that'll be all, Mr. Havens, I'll take my leave as well. I need to collect my effects before I'm ready to travel. If you could forward me all the details pertaining to the job, as well as where and when to be when you're ready to depart, I would greatly appreciate it."

Corwin turned his head toward Nick and nodded. Corwin extended out his left arm and touched his forearm with his right hand, activating his omnitool. He hit a couple of the buttons on it and waved his hand towards Nick's omnitool, completing the needed data transfer. He then waved his hand towards Jorgal's omnitool next, to make sure he had the same information. "Just head to the Eris after you're ready to go. Jarvis will assign you a room."

After the last person left, and when it was just Aashe and Corwin, he laid his head back against the pillows and closed his eyes. "Hell of a start to the mission, don't you think?"

Eri had no idea what had just occurred. One moment she was shouting for the doctor, the next moment Corwin seemed to be carrying on as if absolutely nothing had happened. The doctor seemed as dumbfounded as the rest of them regarding the strange green concoction, but she couldn't find any harmful side effects thus far.

With the doctor and Aivar seeing to the legal paperwork, Brandt and Jorgal heading off to gather their things for the mission, and Kreiger having disabled the bugs, there was really nothing left to accomplish at the hospital.

Aashe and Corwin even seemed entirely lost in their own private little world and Eri smirked to herself. She suspected there was more there, the way Aashe had been acting...

"I'll just go... uh... prep the ship," Eri said out loud to no one in particular, feeling awkward now that everyone had started to depart. She knew Jarvis could pretty much handle the pre-flight checks on his own, but there was certainly no reason for Eri to keep standing around here. She was glad Corwin seemed to be recovering nicely and was anxious to get underway again - she felt as if they'd been here a bit too long for comfort, especially with a mysterious enemy potentially on their tail.

With a wince, she made a mental note to alert her parents to be cautious... This was exactly why she limited contact with them, but with bugs placed in the hospital, who knew what their enemy would resort to.

Eri headed for the hallway, quirking an eyebrow at Myn in an unspoken question to see if he was coming back to the ship as well, or staying here to assist where needed.

"If you're sure ...", Astila said, watching as Kreiger stumbled about until he started focusing on the bug. That's the thing about Quarians, give them something to tinker with and they'll be satisfied for hours, even improve on what you wanted in some cases.
"That won't fool anyone long." She said, drumming her fingers against the wall.
"We have to get out of here soon."

kreiger poked his head back into corwins room briefly.
"there's a feed back running through the bug, you have about an hour before anyone will notice, so i suggest we move out."
kreigers omnitool pinged again, his trace had completed.glad i kept that coding ran through kreigers mind as his auto trace program finished it job.the source was coming from the citadel. was C-sec following them? there was more, a second filter, drawing infomation and sending it through unknown, untraceable channels. someone else was watching.
he would inform the others later, right now they needed to move. without a word he turned and headed back to the elevator to head to the Eris. he was only a few meters down the hall when his head span once more, the room blurred as his world skewed. the Quarian returned, a more feminine shape took hold. Kreiger strained to make out who the figure was.
"kreiger.......i forgive you...."
He reached out to touch the figure and reality snapped back once more, his hand had met the face of Astila, who was in front of him, a look of worry in her eyes. Kreiger was still bewildered by the ordeal.

Aashe watched the room begin to empty. She had wanted to tell them all so much more about what she knew... but there would be time, they'd all be on the ship eventually, and she'd already warned them to be careful. She only hoped they remembered that warning.

"Hell of a start to the mission, don't you think?" Corwin said, drawing her attention. Aashe turned her head toward him, then moved so she was standing right beside his bed. She leaned back against it, her body turned slightly, so she was half facing Corwin. She crossed her arms over her chest, shaking her head a bit in response to his statement phrased as a question.

"You sure know how to show a lady a good time, Corwin." Aashe said, a laugh in her voice. "Look... I want to say... I'm sorry about how all of this landed... It's not one of my more gossamer landings. I expected to have more time, to tell you about the Doctor. I just... can't... I'm not qualified to patch people. I've probably done more harm than good already. All the same though, you got kind of a lot of shocks all in a row... and I... eh... saw it going differently in my head. So, I'm sorry."

((Corwin Reply, if he should want one.))

"This man... The one who called himself your brother... he concerns me. He knew a bit about me, and Aivar... and we have a joke in my profession, loosely it states that dealing with Evil is one thing... but no one wants to deal with Crazy." Aashe said. "He's not sane, to say the least... and I don't think this is the last we've seen of him. Which brings me to another point - thank you for sending Aivar. I don't know what I would have done alone. Though I got a little bit out of him, I got what I wanted to learn... I just don't know how much longer he would have put up with my stalling."

Aashe unfolded her arms from her chest and leaned back a bit, resting her hands on the bed as she looked at Corwin. She was glad to see that the liquid seemed to have no immediate ill effects, but it didn't stop her from searching his expression and movements to try and understand what he was feeling.