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Marked Effect (AFF Edition)	By : unrealuniverse Category: +M through R > Mass Effect Views: 22185 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Mass Effect characters, species, locations and the universal setting are owned by Bioware and not myself. Any other brand names mentioned are property of their respective owners. This work is and always will be free for anyone to read.

Chapter List
- 12
- 13
- 14
Chapter 13 - Working Together
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After a few hours Kriana stirred. "Where am I?" She asked not knowing there was anyone in the room. Emala ran over from the chair to stand by Kriana's side.
"You are in your bed mother. How do you feel?" Kriana held her head.
"I have a headache. How did I end up here?" Emala wondered whether to tell her but thought it would be best to do so.
"Shiala protected you from Adastra." With that a renewed anger seemed to wash over Kriana.
"Protected me? Where is she now?" Emala opened the door and asked Shiala to come in.
"Kriana." Shiala was trying to be formal without calling her captain.
"How dare you undermine my authority and injure me in the process." Her voice was a little weak but still had a determined note about it. Shiala just continued however.
"Kriana, I stopped you of doing something stupid. Sam is fine excluding a couple of small pieces of memory and is working with Adastra in engineering."
"He should not be working on the ship with a raging headache." Kriana clearly had not listened to the fact he is with Adastra and is fine.
"There was no headache." Shiala ensured that Kriana noticed the emphasis on the no this time.
"You what?" Kriana had clearly heard what Shiala had said but it threw her rage right into confusion.
"He had a minor headache at worst Kriana." Shiala attempted to make the point perfectly clear before going to get Fosanta from outside. The two of them walk back in a few seconds later. "Fosanta spoke to Sam after the incident about the headache." Kriana gestured for Fosanta to give her input.
"He said the incident was accidental and had no malicious intent, so Adastra agreed neither person should suffer."
"How did he manage to get her to agree to that?" Kriana was still confused and now had more questions than answers in her head.
"Well she did willingly strip while in the same room as he was in." Shiala added to point out that she would have been in danger had she had moved Sam.
"She was naked in that bed?" Kriana looked overly confused towards Shiala who just nodded in response.
"I hope you do not take this the wrong way but I am keeping you in this room until you have recovered and no longer want to provoke Adastra, or we reach the Citadel, whichever is first." Shiala stated before leaving the room with Fosanta.
"Emala, could you get Sam up here for me?"
"Sure." Emala gave her mother a smile before leaving the room and making her way down to engineering.
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"These drive circuits have been blown clean off their mountings. How much power did you put through them?" Sam looked towards a blackened mounting and thought to himself that it must have been one hell of an explosion.
"I have no idea, probably a few Petajoules." Sam attempted to work out that amount of power in his head only to give up and leave it at some number with fifteen zeros on the end. "Only the source drive has been damaged on this thruster, what about on yours Sam?"
"Erm, it is difficult to tell as which ever one was damaged no longer exists, looks like it could be the drain though." Sam was starting to thank that he had done electronics at school. "Are you thinking of trying to make one working one?"
"Yes as the waste heat these thrusters created was used for hot water."
"Sam. Could Kriana have a talk to you?" A quiet voice asked from entrance to the maintenance area. Sam looked over to Adastra.
"I will be a while getting this board off this thruster. You may as well see what she wants." Sam nodded and then left.
------
"I was busy Kriana, what would you like to know?" Sam wasted no time with formalities.
"How you managed to talk Adastra out of harming you?" Kriana was adamant she would get to the bottom of this.
"I did not. Next question?" Kriana did a double take. This was making less and less sense, her reputation was for cold ruthlessness, but this was different. She would dwell on that later as she quickly remembered another part of the conversation that had irked her.
"Adastra said that I was not special." She scrunched her nose up as if she had smelt something bad. "Do you know what her intention was with that statement?" Kriana hated being called nothing special.
"A warning. She told me a well known Asari that helps people on the citadel refused to help her because she thought she was stronger than her. Adastra did also tell me that you think that she could not harm your mind but you were mistaken. Anything else you wish to ask?" Kriana suddenly went from feeling relatively safe to a little scared as she shook her head at Sam. He quickly left the room to go back to engineering, leaving Kriana to mull over how an Asari who was barely in her matron years was quite so strong.
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"I am back." Sam shouted to Adastra through the entrance to the maintenance area as he climbed in. "Kriana no longer thinks she is safe." Adastra remained expressionless as she concentrated on the job at hand.
"She never was. Anything else?"
"I think she is also confused as to why you decided not to forcefully remove my memories." Sam was now kneeling next to Adastra and the plasma thruster.
"She may think it is guilt from last time and that I am softening up. That would be a bad assumption for her to make." Adastra smiled at Sam as she pulled off the undamaged part of the drive circuit. "Got it."
"We should get this fixed as I could really do with a shower that will not induce hypothermia." Adastra laughed a little as she moved to the thruster Sam was looking at earlier. She placed the board where the absent one had previously been before beginning to fasten it in place and wire it up.
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"Fosanta, would you rather have basic sensors or basic communications? I am only asking as there are not enough undamaged wires here for both." Kate really wouldn't be your first choice for technical things, but given the right tools, and the manual, she seemed to do well.
"If there was some balance that could be found with a slight preference to communications then that would be best. I can live without the FTL comms, but everything else is good to have." With that Fosanta pulled off another panel to allow her to attempt to fix some instrumentation in the cockpit that was not right.
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Kriana had been let out of her room by Shiala after realising just what danger she had put herself in earlier on. Everyone was in the seating area having bland mush with a bland mush dessert.
"Everyone. Tomorrow morning we will depart for the Citadel as all the major repairs have been completed. Sam and Kate. This means that you need to make your decision tonight as to whether you wish to go back or not." Kriana was clearly back in her role as captain.
Sam looked at Adastra who was next to him, "Kriana, I am staying." With that Adastra nearly flattened Sam in her enthusiasm to give him a big hug. Kate looked around and wondered if this was the right place for her. "Kriana I will get back to you later." Kriana nodded before sitting back down to eat her meal.
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Adastra walked into Sam's room to find him attempting to connect his computer up. "You do have a console already fitted that should be adequate, if it was not broken in the discharge." Adastra noted as Sam banged his elbow again.
"It is adequate if you can work the thing." Sam sounded a little muffled with his head under the desk. He backs out to sit on the floor. "This computer has all my files on from Earth and I am guessing, but they probably will not work on that." Sam pointed towards the console in the corner.
"True. Are you ok if I take a shower?" Sam nodded.
"Go for it; tell me if it is warm." Adastra laughed a little before quickly making her way into the small shower room.
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Sam finished wiring everything up just as the shower stopped running. "Well all this cable certainly adds something to the room." He said aloud to himself as he looked down to see the plug of the power strip taunting him. "Just a pity its only use is an aesthetic one at the moment." Adastra opened the door to the small shower room. "What power supply do these rooms get?" Sam asked before looking to Adastra who was looking bluer than normal again.
"500v DC, and yes the shower is still cold. Evidently the thruster we thought we had fixed is beyond that."
"Great. I was looking forward to a warm shower and a film this evening." Sam then had an idea but wondered if it would be possible. "I have had an idea, is there a way to get a cable from engineering into here?"
"There is a ventilation duct that a cable could be laid into, what are you thinking?"
"I have a 240v AC generator in engineering that I brought with the gas turbine. I am not sure if Kriana would like the idea of having something like that running on-board though." Sam looked towards Adastra to see if she thought it was a good idea or not.
"There was an extra part between the engine and the generator, if I remember correctly. Was that to cool the exhaust gas Sam?"
"Yes, why?" Adastra suddenly expressed a little enthusiasm.
"I will give you a hint; it begins with hot and ends in showers." Sam got a large grin on his face once the penny finally dropped. "We should go now as it may be possible to complete the install before bed time."
"That sounds like a good idea." Adastra left the room with Sam following just behind. He stopped outside Kate's door and the lack of footsteps behind her caused Adastra to look around.
"What is wrong Sam?"
"Do you think Kate would like to join us?"
"There is only one way to find out I suppose." Adastra walked towards Kate's door and gave it a knock.
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Fosanta knocked on Kate's door and she is greeted with the door opening a few seconds later to reveal Kate standing there. "Is there anything that I could help with regarding you staying or not Kate?"
"Come in." With that Fosanta entered and sat down on the side of the bed. Kate took a seat next to her. "I am a little afraid of leaving Earth Fosanta. I know I will be accepted there and there is no way to know how we will be welcomed out there. I have however sort of said goodbye so it would look silly to go back." Fosanta put her arm around the red haired human.
"I appreciate that this is a big decision for you Kate. However, since you are quite similar to Asari I can see no reason why most individuals would not welcome you Kate."
"This has got to be the biggest decision I will ever make as it is unlikely we will ever make it back."
"If you decide to stay I am sure everyone who is on the ship would help you in any way that they can. You would not just be thrown off at the other end and left to work everything out for yourself."
"Would I be safe enough to go about my life without getting hassled?"
"I am sure if you stayed on Asari worlds or the Citadel then security would not be an issue. You will probably feel a little like you are being watched, as you would be a minor celebrity out there. If you are friendly but keep as much as you can a secret I do not see it as a big problem."
"Right. Are there any pictures of anywhere that I could look at?"
"I am sorry I cannot help you with information like that as it is wrong to bias your decision Kate. I hope that you do not feel any pressure from us for you to stay. We would of course like you to do so but if you decide not to do so then we would accept the decision wholeheartedly."
"I understand. I think Sam trusted everyone from the first minute on-board, I am still finding my legs so to speak. It is however easier when you have a fairly good grasp of the language you need though. Thank you again for helping me with that."
"That is no problem Kate." Both of them heard a knock on the door and wondered who it could be.
"Come in." Kate decided that moving from the bed was pointless.
Adastra and Sam walked in, "Oh, sorry if we interrupted anything."
"No it is fine. What did you want?"
"Sam wondered if you wished to help us setup his jet engine in engineering Kate?"
"What is a jet engine?" Fosanta had clearly not heard of them before.
"It was a technology we had up until about four thousand years ago, but quickly felt out of use in favour of element zero cores. It does look suitably impressive though."
"I am up for that, as it sounds interesting. What about you Kate?"
"It sounds like something different to do." Kate actually sounded fairly happy for the first time today.
"We should get this done so we can have some hot water." Sam seemed to forget that Kate and Fosanta still thought that it was fixed.
"I thought you fixed that this afternoon?"
"Evidently not as Adastra looked like an icicle again after her shower. I am not having a cold shower so that is even more incentive to get it working."
------
Fosanta dropped a thick alloy plate close to the ventilation duct to the rooms as Sam and Kate lifted the engine from its box.
"It seems very busy down here all of a sudden. What is happening?" Kriana was evidently wondering where everyone was and had appeared in engineering with Emala and Shiala.
"Sam brought this engine onboard with him that should give us hot water and allow Kate and Sam to power their technology." Fosanta tried to be as descriptive as possible with the small amount of knowledge she had gleaned from the lift journey down. The engine was partially in place and they were now in the process of connecting, fuel, water and power.
"That thing is going to make enough hot water for a shower?" Kriana looked at the device on the floor with a little suspicion as it was much smaller compared to the rest of the equipment in engineering.
"If the load is low it might be more warm than hot but that is still better than cold." Sam explained as he dragged a hydrogen pipe from the manifold. The other six were plumbing the cooling water and a tank that was used on the shuttle onto the engine.
It only took four hours from start to finish with everyone working together. Sam wired the last sensor to the control unit and then looked at Adastra and Kate. "It ideally needs two people to start it. Kate and Adastra if you wish to?"
Adastra had a childlike glee written all over her face and Kate a wide smile. "What do we do Sam?"
"Open the air line until its running as fast as it will go. Then open the fuel line and press the ignition button. Once the engine starts speeding up turn off the air line."
Kate opens the compressed air line and the turbine immediately started spinning up. The high pitch began to get annoying just as it levelled off at its full speed.
"Is it always this loud?" Kriana shouted to Sam who was stood next to her.
"No, this is quiet. Adastra open the fuel." With that Adastra opened the hydrogen valve and both of them go for the ignition button at the same time. The two of them looked to each other, shared a smile. Adastra held her finger above the button and Kate put her hand on Adastra's allowing them both to push the button together. It looked like nothing happened, Kate and Adastra turned to look at Sam. "Stand back and wait for it." All seven of them watched this lump of metal as it suddenly started to spin faster than all except Sam thought was possible. The noise was well past hearing range and was like a high frequency static. Sam turned off the air line as the engine throttled itself back due to there being no load on the generator. He waved them all to the lift as it was impossible to hear anything. With that they all piled into the lift, grateful when the door closed.
"That was, impressive." Shiala said with a smile, seemingly impressed at the overcomplicated method to get hot water and power. Adastra had a massive grin on her face with Kate and Fosanta not being far behind.
"I am actually happy it worked but even if it did not we still got something out of this evening, all of us." Everyone except Adastra and Kate looked confused at what Sam had just said, with Kate and Adastra just having a more subdued smile. "We might have mistrust and differing opinions amongst us at the moment, but we can put those differences aside to work together. Kate I thought you might like some help in showing that Asari are not all that much different to ourselves. We can work together with them, and they with us, to achieve good end results for everyone's benefit." Kriana was just about to say that there is a big difference between the two species when Emala gave her a nudge to keep quiet. Sam was sure Fosanta was starting to get a touch watery eyed and Adastra's grin had subsided appreciably.
"We as a species tend not to work in larger groups Sam, but I can see it can sometimes have a large benefit." Shiala remembered back to her time as a commando, not too many years ago, when it was usual to work in pairs or threes at the most.
"This was for my benefit?" Kate added looking at Sam.
"I believe it was for everyone's benefit Kate. It did have the unintended side effect of showing you what I said earlier though, that everyone on-board will try to help anyone else out if they need it." Fosanta seemed to be trying her best to keep Kate on-board.
"This is making the decision harder and not easier." Kate held her head as if it would make decision making easier. She after a few moments sighed. "I have to go for the opportunity of a blue moon. Kriana I am staying." Fosanta gives Kate a hug, as she still seemed unconvinced that it was the correct decision.
"I am glad you have decided to stay Kate." Shiala voiced her satisfaction of keeping Kate and Sam together.
"Kate, I know it was a tough decision, even after basically saying goodbye to everyone yesterday. I am however glad you are staying." Sam added with a smile as it was quite difficult to get to Kate at the moment.
"I think some drinks after the day we have had would be a good idea." Adastra looked towards Sam knowing that he had brought several bottles of sloe gin with him.
The lift doors opened to allow most of the lifts occupants head to the seating area. Sam went to his room and Adastra went to the kitchen area to get some glasses. It wasn't long before Sam reappeared with two bottles of red liquid.
"Kriana, Emala, Fosanta. We had this back on Earth, they call it sloe gin. If you do not like it then give it to Sam." Adastra had remembered how Sam had worded his delivery when she and Shiala tried it back at his house. This got a bit of a laugh from Sam as he filled up several glasses which got handed out.
"This tastes like fruity paint stripper." Kriana noted after taking a sip and not quite expecting its strength.
"Did I pick up the wrong bottle?" Sam picked up the bottle to look at the handwritten label on it. "No, it is not the paint stripper." With that Sam breaks into a smile at the round of laughs.
"It is good Sam." Emala was a touch cautious when her mother called it paint stripper but it was the agreeable taste that took the edge off.
Fosanta had already cleaned out her glass, "I have never tasted something quite like it. Any more going?" Fosanta will probably suffer tomorrow but it was a celebration if it was a little subdued given the small number of people and the lack of music.
"Sure." Sam said before draining the last of bottle number one into her glass.
It wasn't too long before they all turn in, after finishing a second bottle and a bottle of some Asari fizzy wine. The taste reminded Kate of passion fruit, it wasn't quite the same but that was the closest she could think of, and Sam could not describe it any better either.
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Notes.
Awww it is nice they can all work together even after the mornings antics. One more chapter then we will be back in familiar Mass Effect territory.
This is the last chapter of the 18/02/2014 edit. There will be more forthcoming over time. :)
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Marked Effect (AFF Edition)