Mass Effect: Origins

The Citadel: Disappointment Followed By Slivers of Hope

Ashley: Doctor Chakwas! Doctor Chakwas! I think he's waking up!

Karin Chakwas: Thank you, Chief. Shepard? Commander, can you hear me?

Hearing the faint voices of two females, Y/N Shepard, the executive officer of the SSV Normandy SR-1 began to stir after what had been like a four to six hour nap after being subjected to terrifying images of war, blood, death and the universe ending. Fighting against a killer migraine, the Akuze survivor wakes up, springing up damn if he threw his back out alarming the chief medical officer and lone 212 survivor of Eden Prime.

Shepard: Uh.... what happened?

Now in his usual Alliance Naval uniform, having been changed out of his combat gear, he tried not moving so fastly in the event he open any new wounds after the mission which ended in disaster with Richard Jenkins and turian Spectre Nihlus both being KIA'd by different means and the Prothean Beacon he and the Normandy were tasked in retrieving being destroyed after he rescued Ashley from that grim fate. Once he sits to a base, the veteran medical officer looks at Shepard.

Karin Chakwas: You gave us quite the scare there, Shepard. How are you feeling currently?

Shepard: A mixture of both having my ribs playing demolition derby with one another and the morning after I had shore leave as a private once again. How long was I out for?

Karin Chakwas: More or less about fifteen hours. I believe our new guest and Alenko said it had something to do with the beacon, that's about the gist I got out of it when they brought you, Nihlus and Jenkins back on board.

Shepard: Nihlus.... Richard..... I'm sorry, you two. My inability got you two killed. I'll never forgive myself.

He grips the metal bar of his bed hard as to express the bubbling rage over the loss of a dear comrade and subordinate in Richard as well as someone while he didn't have a deep connection with, a level of professional respect with someone like Nihlus having had some conversations about each other's military history was very much existent. Them both dying at the hands of the geth or whoever killed Nihlus was a massive blow to the usually sturdy and relaxed XO of the Normandy.

Ashley: It's my fault, Commander Shepard. When I got too close, I triggered some sort of security field and it began pulling me in like a black hole. You had to grab and throw me into Lieutenant Alenko.

Shepard: No, don't do that to yourself, Chief. You had no way of knowing that was going to be the end result. Don't impose blame on something you couldn't control.

He doesn't see it, but she begins to flash something like a small smile with her cheeks flaring up.

Karin Chakwas: That's the thing actually. We don't know what happened with the beacon, we don't even know if you two being near it is what caused it to react the way it did, unfortunately with its sudden destruction, it appears we'll never get the chance in finding out why?

Ashley: It self destructed, possibly a system overload. The blast knocked you out cold though. The Lieutenant and I had to carry you back onto the ship.

Shepard: I appreciate that, Chief. Thank you. I'll be sure to be pass the same sentiments Kaidan's way too.

She once more blushes, looking down to the floor, just as Karin concludes her do-over of Shepard.