[Open] Former heroes who quit too late

[dreamofakuze]

Who: Shepard and Anyone
Broadcast: Yes
Action: Yes
When: Over the course of a week or so

Video
[The video broadcast opens to a man who acts with the authority of a man years older than this man looks. He’d always looked younger than he was, it just meant he had to make up for it with presence.

His expression is an even and perfectly practiced neutral, the countenance of a military man.]

Hello. I am Commander Shepard of the SSV Normandy of the Alliance Navy. I understand this isn’t a...typical fleet of ships, but I would like to know if anyone in particular is in charge or if each ship is responsible for itself.

I would also like to know if anyone else from the Alliance or the Milky Way galaxy is in this fleet.

[Perhaps it was a bit of a wide net to cast, but they clearly weren’t in the Milky Way anymore, so it seemed a fair enough question. Plus, he didn’t think it would necessarily be a good idea to simply name off the people he was hoping to see or close his request off to just Alliance. Besides, if his friends or crew were here, they’d find him. He had no doubts.]

Thank you for your time.


SS Vanquish
[It had been a few years since he'd been assigned to a new ship, but he was fairly certain confetti wasn't usually part of it. Outwardly, he seemed barely fazed by the 'celebration' of his arrival, his reaction limited to a gruff brush off of the stuff from his jacket and an absent-minded snatch of a pudding cup as he left the transporter room.

You didn't turn down free pudding, especially in space-life.

Karman moves through his new home with an ease and purpose that makes him seem as though he'd been there the whole time even as he explored and took stock of what he could see of the ship's specs. From cargo bay to mess hall to bridge, he explored every inch of the ship. If he came across someone, he was quick to offer a friendly smile and a greeting.] Commander Shepard. Pleasure to meet you, I just arrived.

[He finally ended at the engine room, eager to see what kind of drive this thing worked on. Only to be horrifically disappointed. Of course it was too much to ask for a ship that could at least resemble his. Nothing could match the Normandy except the Normandy herself, but there could have been a compromise between 'perfect' and 'I think dinosaurs might have used this kind of ship.']

Around the Iskaulit
[There were a lot of things people could claim Shepard had too much of. Foolishness, bravery, recklessness, compassion and ruthlessness, but also curiosity. If Karman Shepard set foot in a place, you could be certain he'd go and explore every inch he could get to.

That didn't stop with the Vanquish.

If there's a nook or cranny to be found on the 'community ship' that is the Iskaulit, then Shepard finds it. He pokes his head into every room, empty or otherwise and spends more time in the ones that have more to offer than what a quick glance around can give. He stays to have a drink in both the Space Bar and Malum, drops into The melting pot long enough to get a feel for the place, he also hangs around the gardens and especially the gym with it's obstacle course. He'd probably be coming back to that one quite a bit.

But every room from the Interfaith Center to the pool to the abandoned classrooms gets an inspection so Shepard can commit it all to memory.

At the end of the day, he finds himself back at one of the bars to take some notes and process it all, preferably with something somewhat strong.]

Comments

[mongoosecrow]

No shit, the Commander Shepard? You look different than I remember from news holos.

[dreamofakuze]

They can never get my good side.

And you are?

[mongoosecrow]

[More like the Shepard he saw on the news was a woman... but hey the mutli-verse is confusing like that.]

Name's Gil Brodie. Nice to meet you.

[dreamofakuze]

[Whoops. He hasn't learned about those options yet.]

And you, Brodie. Where are you from? Back home, I mean?

Video;

[onlyanapple]

Chalk one up from the Milky Way here- Earth, specifically. [Not originally, of course, but details. ]

You'll find a few of us from there. Different time periods, but still. Earth in particular is very popular.

Video;

[dreamofakuze]

I find Earth is often a dichotomous subject back home, so I'm not really surprised this place is grabbing people from there.

What part are you from? [If he had to guess, he's say London, but he's definitely basing that on the accent and that's hardly trustworthy. Anderson grew up in London and he doesn't sound like it.]

Video;

[onlyanapple]

I guess everywhere just really likes it.

Last time I was there? London. But I've been all over, London i just where I...go back to when I'm going back to anywhere.

Video;

[dreamofakuze]

I had a feeling.

Do I get to know your name?

private video

[bi_otic]

[Kaidan doesn't reply immediately because the face on the comms hits him like a physical blow. He's already had to deal with someone stealing Shepard's name and face once already, but at least it was the same face. Hell, at least it was the same gender. The only thing even remotely similar is the blonde hair and...he has the impression that might not be genuine either. Well...maybe the features aren't too dissimilar...if he squints.

He's forced to consider at least two possibilities: One, that this man is a fraud attempting to profit from Shepard's notoriety but in a galaxy that in all likelihood wouldn't have any idea of who he is anyway, or two, that this really was Shepard, and some kind of alternate Earth or Atroma trickery was involved. Maybe that was three options. It was starting to make his head hurt, more so because he wasn't sure which of any of them was the least unlikely.

Still, he isolates the channel because this was going to get personal in one way or the the other, takes a deep breath, and turns on the feed.]

Look...I don't want to make a scene, but I'll come right out and say it...you're not the Commander Shepard I know. But...things are...strange here. So if you are who you say you are...you can set the record straight right here and now.

[It's not unfriendly or threatening, but there is the quiet undercurrent of a promise that the wrong answer will go very badly for the man on the other line. There's purposefully no mention of his name or rank or anything else. How this Shepard fills in those blanks are what matters here, and he can start to pick out any possible lies.]

private video

[dreamofakuze]

[There's definite surprise and then happiness and then confusion that runs their courses through Shepard's expression as soon as that feed turns on and Kaiden starts talking.

He hadn't let himself hope that maybe one of the others would have been brought here as well, he barely knew enough about 'here' to know what the requirements might be for someone being here. Apparently 'dead' wasn't one of them, not unless something had gone horrifically wrong with the Normandy's escape. And considering the state of things at the time, it couldn't really surprise him if something had happened.

But here was Kaiden, looking at him like he was a stranger and possibly even a threat, but here nonetheless...and Karman couldn't help but still feel a little glad for it.]

Major Kaiden Alenko. Recently promoted from Lieutenant commander and the second human Specter. We served on the Normandy SR1 until it was attacked by Collectors and I got spaced. Cerberus rebuilt me to fight the collectors and we met up again on Horizon.

[His lips quirk up in a slight smirk born from pain of a healed wound as he proved their history.]

Where you basically told me to shove it, and I'm pretty sure you've been mad at me ever since, even after you joined me again on the SR2 to fight the Reapers.

I don't know what 'other' Commander Shepard you knew, but it's me.

[And that was two people now who outright said or implied he didn't 'look' right, so he might need to look into what that meant exactly.]

[bi_otic]

[Shepard's answer to that would be coming shortly. Meanwhile, Kaidan sorts this out, quietly weighing out the options as he was prone to, even in conversation. He didn't like to make hasty decisions. Most of that was easily accessible enough information. His face and rank weren't exactly a secret, given how much the Alliance publicized his ascension to Spectre, and the details of their major missions were often the subject of news reports.

But Horizon was deeply classified, and even if someone had been able to access that information, the content of their exchange following the Collector attack never made it those exact terms into his reports.

He frowns, still suspicious but now considering this possibility]

The Commander Shepard I knew was a woman, for starters. So you see where I might have some issues with your claim.

But...[He sighs]...none of that is wrong, either. Except maybe the part about me still being mad.

[dreamofakuze]

Oh...well, I can see where that would be confusing.

[He was certainly confused. He'd need to process that one...but maybe later. After whatever conversation this was about to be.

What Kaiden says last, however, has Shepard smiling.]

Yeah? Well, I'd be glad to be wrong about that. We agreed to just not talk about Horizon again, though, so I couldn't really ask without bringing it up.

[His smile fades a bit and he shakes his head.]

That's all I can think to offer you, Kaiden. I'm Commander Karman Shepard and while I understand where your hesitation comes from, your doubt isn't going to change that. I'd like to know I still have one of my oldest friends here, but I'll understand if it's not that simple for you.

[He spent a year with Kaiden outright pissed at him, he could certainly deal for a little while if someone he cared about needed time.]

Unless you can think of anything that could help?

[scanninggaydis]

[He'll find Felix in the mess, one hand curled around a cup of coffee as he seemingly idly toys with his comm device.

The greeting gets him to look up. He's still a little tired from being trapped down on the planet, and there certainly is that air about him. A tenseness he hasn't shaken off yet.

Still. He can afford to be welcoming. Shepard seems friendly enough. Felix puts aside his device and hauls himself up so that he can offer his hand.]

Nice to meet you. I'm Felix Gaeta, the ship's pilot.]

[Even though he left the military behind years ago now, there's a certain way that he responds to someone who introduces themselves with their rank. A brisk tone that might be distinctly recognizable as military-esque.

[dreamofakuze]

[Karman takes Felix's hand firmly and nods in response, his small but easy smile still in place.]

And you, Mr. Gaeta. I'm the new engineer.

I hope you don't mind me asking, but you sound military.

[Sound and look. Even if someone hadn't served in years, there were some things that just couldn't be shaken, whether it be a tone or an expression or a squaring of the shoulders, there was always a tell.]

[scanninggaydis]

["Mr. Gaeta". That definitely cements the way he responds to Karman. As a Lieutenant, it'd been his chief form of address. (His commanding officers rarely called him Lieutenant Gaeta.)

He nods at Karman's assessment of him. He's had some time, also, to mellow out when it comes to his experiences with the military. It means that his acknowledgement is matter-of-fact, rather than bitter.]

I was a tactical officer, in the Navy. Essentially.

["Essentially", since they hadn't had the concept of a navy back home. It was simply the Colonial Fleet. But Felix assumes that Karman comes from a culture at least attached to Earth. Most humanoids he's met have. At least ones who seem completely unfazed by being in space.]

[dreamofakuze]

Really?

[He knows he should be branching out on connections, that any particular army doesn't matter here, from what he can tell, but it's solid and familiar ground and he isn't yet comfortable enough to leave it if it's there. Plus, he was kind of curious to hear about the differences, if his own universe can very enough that he's him in one and a woman in the other, who knew what other kinds of differences there were out there.]

I'm Navy too. How long did you serve and was it on a fleet or planetside?

[If he had to guess, though, he'd say fleet. He liked to think he was a good judge of character and Felix seemed like the type to get his hands dirty and go where the action was.]

I know it doesn't matter much here, but call me curious.

Action on the Iskaulit

[wolfehawke]

[Spirit healing and creation magic are amazing and everything but they have their limits. Wolfe may be whole again but he'd been neglecting his physical regimen for the time that he wasn't able to put his full weight on his leg. That, paired with the... discomfort aboard the Tourist at the moment has Hawke using the space around the course instead of using the treadmills in the hold of his own ship. He's not running the course itself at the moment, thinking that's probably more high impact than his still marginally healing leg can handle, but it's enough to get his blood pumping and work up a good sweat.

A new face enters the room and has Wolfe slowing as his lap nears the door.]

Hello.

[He waves, walking to a side bench and grabbing a small towel to wipe down his face and neck with.]

[dreamofakuze]

[Karman can't help eyeing the obstacle course with a touch of admiration. He'd definitely be using that later. Hell, he might give it a go sooner than later. He could just take his shoes and jacket off and run it, right?

His thoughts stuttered to a halt as someone came along the path next to him and stopped nearby with a greeting.]

Hello to you. I hope I'm not interrupting, I'm just trying to learn my way around the place.

[wolfehawke]

No, not interrupting. I was just getting a jog in.

[He flicks the towel around his neck, holding either end as he faces the newcomer.]

Adalwolfe Hawke, at your service. You're new to the Fleet, I take it?

[dreamofakuze]

[Shepard offers his hand to Hawke all the same, he was hardly one to be fussed about shaking a sweaty hand.]

Commander Karman Shepard, a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hawke.

[He nods.] Just trying to get my barrings. Have you been here a while?

video (misunderstandings ahoy!)

[touchallthebooks]

Commander. [Carefully polite.]

Each ship handles itself, mostly, but the Atroma are in charge of everything. Good luck getting in contact though, they just bring us here and give us the augments really.

I'm Khadgar and, ah... I guess I'm part of the Alliance? I don't really know about the Milky Way Galaxy though.

video (this'll be fun)

[dreamofakuze]

Ah, I see. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, if they wanted to make this easy, someone would have beat them by now.

[He's still probably going to try, but at least now he can be realistic about his levels of frustration.]

I don't think I follow. If you're part of the Alliance how can you not be in the Milky Way system? Unless you know it by some other system.

[After all, only humans called it 'the milky way.']

video

[touchallthebooks]

[At least there's a bar on the Iskaulit. And he's sure there are a few stashes on each ship.]

Azeroth hasn't really reached a point where we can do... [His arms are outstretched.] well, this. I'm a human though so I'm a part of the Alliance, along with elves, dwarves, everyone that's facing off against the orcs really.

video

[interstices]

[A small-looking redhead with a grumpy expression almost glued onto her face clears her throat for a response.]

Every ship has a captain. They're as self-reliant as they can be.

[And then, after a pause--]

I think most people here are from the Milky Way galaxy. You're being way too broad.

video

[dreamofakuze]

[So, it was like the Floatilla then, that made sense.]

I see. Thank you for the answer.

[But he shrugs a bit.]

The little infovid said they brought people from everywhere, the Milky Way is hardly everywhere, the universe is unending.

Not that you can trust an entertainment series to be accurate.