005 ⌥ TEXT; ANONYMOUS [god, i feel like i'm spamming]

[femshep]

If anyone's got a minute to spare, I was wondering if you'd tell me about wherever it is you come from.

The world or worlds, the level of technology, the political hierarchy, your culture and society and how it functions, etc.

[But a few minutes later, a second part is tacked on.]

Forget it. Forget all of that. Don't worry about getting technical.

Just tell me what it was like for you. Your ship or city. Your job. Your friends or family.

If it's not a problem.

Comments

[text]

[waspromisedcake]

Earth. Underground. Test subject. No friends or family.

[audio - private]

[femshep]

[She knows. They talked about this. And Chell's not military, so Shepard doesn't feel like the anonymous is quite as important.

So she switches to audio.]

It's me.

[audio - private]

[waspromisedcake]

[She'll switch too.]

Shepard.

[That's her way of greeting. Not a 'hi,' or 'how've you been.']

[audio - private]

[femshep]

Chell. [A return-greeting in the same fashion.

Then after a pause, she's asking:]

You lived there your whole life?

[audio - private]

[waspromisedcake]

No. There was a time before, but I can't remember it.

[Text]

[truth_is_cold]

Three wives. Twelve children. Ship with a sentient AI.


[Scant information is scant, but he's wondering what it is she's looking for.]

[Text // perma-Anon]

[femshep]

[That's exactly why she posted anonymously to start with--if she posted as Shepard, everyone would try to read some sort of strategic meaning into things, when really it all just comes down to the fact that Shepard's feeling contemplative, and back on the Normandy that always meant it was time to sit on the couch or a crate or the floor with one of her squadmates and listen to them ramble about their complex life.

It's therapeutic, when done right. This is likely not going to end up being one of those times.]

Is that common? The AI.

[Because the geth (a sentient AI race) and her own ship's AI, EDI, are the only true AI in Citadel space, so she's a little curious about how they're treated elsewhere.]

[truth_is_cold]

The AI are, yes. They have the same rights as any other soldiers.

[Except the oath they swear includes the stipulation to be a part of the ship, if they are in a state of endangering the Commonwealth they must be reset.]

They are on board almost all Commonwealth ships.

[femshep]

And people trust them?

[Voice]

[buckingauthority]

[Kara is in a pensive!drunk mood today]

Lived in Delphi on Caprica, one of the Twelve colonies before we got nuked. But the Galactica's pretty much been my home for the past few years. Viper pilot, flight instructor, 2IC to the CAG. Mother deceased, father might as well be. Friends from before? Um...Lee, I guess. Helo. Boomer. Crashdown. The old man, past tense.

[Perma-text]

[femshep]

[Well that definitely sounds a little familiar. Colonist-then-nuked, years in the military. Family's gone. The familiarity's almost uncomfortable.]

'21C to the CAG'?

Pretend I'm stupid.

Perma-voice

[buckingauthority]

2nd In Charge to the Commander, Air Group.

[femshep]

[She'd figured as much for the '21C', but they used a little different lingo back in Alliance.]

Your commander. What were they like?

[Text]

[hunt4commonwealth]

Andromeda, my ship, was my home as much as any place. I was born on Tarn Vedran, the capital of the Systems Commonwealth, but after the Fall the slipstream routes were lost. Andromeda and I lost our original crew, but the little crew we've pulled together are like family. They don't quite get military discipline, but they're very good at their jobs.

As for me, there's no longer any High Guard Command for me to report to, so before I was pulled here, I was just trying to help bring back civilization where I could.

[permatext, perma-anon]

[femshep]

[A thorough answer. She definitely appreciates that. It gives her something to think about. 'My ship was my home as much as any place,' he's saying. 'Lost our original crew.' 'Crew we've pulled together are like family.' Even the bit about 'High Guard Command', to a degree. Between he and Kara, they were pretty much feeding her life story right back to her, or large chunks of it anyway. It's unnerving, but enlightening in a sense. Because now she's wondering how many left in the pods fit these same criteria, too. If her new-forming theory is correct? A whole lot of them.]

And were you succeeding?

[hunt4commonwealth]

Two steps forward, one step back.

I've managed to pull together the beginnings of a new Systems Commonwealth, but it was still pretty new and tentative. Not all the signatory planets trust each other yet. And there was a Magog invasion on the way that might break the whole thing apart.

That's why I have to get back.

[femshep]

Are you the only one who can do it?

[Text]

[timesbureaucrat]

[Narvin thinks about how to answer this. He knows all about Earth politics from his era, but he doesn't know much about the *experience* of Earth. On the other hand, other than the Doctor, there's no one here who knows about his time and his universe who could call him out on any mistakes he might make. But he'd like to remain at least moderately accurate, just in case a human from his time and universe does show up. And simultaneously keep it close enough to things from his own life to make the lies easier to maintain.]

I'm a technician, first class. My specialties are temporal mechanics and computer engineering. My job required me to travel quite a lot so I wasn't on Earth much.

[Text]

[femshep]

[Narvin. She may have her suspicions about him, but this is one of the few things she does that legitimately isn't a strategy move.

So believe it or not, her questions are pure curiosity.]

Travel where?

[Text]

[timesbureaucrat]

All over. Colonies, alien planets, space stations. My job could take me anywhere there was advanced technology.

[Text]

[femshep]

Did you have any preferences?

voice;

[fireofunknown]

Well then, I am from the beautiful state of Texasssssss. Originally at least. Been a bit around everywhere...Oklahoma most recently.

I worked in a traveling circus troop. Had cotton candy for every meal.

text;

[femshep]

['State' means America, if she recalls right, but that's about all she can glean from that first bit.

As for the second, though:]

'Cotton candy'?

voice;

[fireofunknown]

Yeah, cotton candy! Light fluffy spun sugar of deliciousness? Typically dyed blue or pink?

It's the best. Melts right in your mouth-- man I never thought I'd miss cotton candy...never thought I'd miss the circus.
[A beat.]

Anyway, the government is a democracy? President and the House and Senate in Congress and all that jazz.

[femshep]

What's it for? Quick carbs to burn?

[She's still on cotton candy, and she's also still in the shipboard mentality that everything you put into your body has to benefit you somehow. There's no room on a starship for garbage food.]