[VIDEO, shifting to ACTION potentially | 001: Arrival]

[standsentinel]

[By the background, Kaidan, outwardly a normal-looking dark haired man in his mid-30s, is still on the ship. Still beside the pod that's disgorged him even, as a blurry nameplate can be made out behind him if you squint. His own communicator has come to him in the form of a datapad, which he's currently holding out in from of him with the slight abstracted furrow to his brow commonly seen amongst iPad users as they try to make sure the camera's focusing. Some things carry down across centuries, apparently.]

Look. I don't know where the hell I am, but this sure as hell isn't the shuttle down to Vancouver. Everything's saying 'ship', but I'm not hearing engine noise and what little I've seen says this thing is way too big to be stealthed.

And there's another thing--

[He turns the datapad to let its camera pickup take in the pods along the corridor.]

That's not normal cryostasis like I'd call it. It looks more like prothean tech. So if anyone's picking up on this frequency, I could use a few answers.

[After a moment more, he stares at the camera and awkwardly rubs at the back of his neck with one hand as he's recalled to manners and lets the irritated command slide out of his voice.]

Uh. Please?

Comments

[standsentinel]

Biotic barrier.

[The answer is quick, clipped, and Kaidan doesn't let it drop just yet, although he does crack half a smile from within it.]

Wasn't quite sure what was behind that light show you had going on.

Re: [video]

[standsentinel]

Ah, right. Guess... you're not from where I am. Or, uh, when I am, maybe. We don't really have any true machine intelligences that are, uh, friendly when it comes to organics.

[One hand lifts, Kaidan scrubbing only slightly awkwardly at the back of his neck with it.]

I'll have to see if I can get in touch with them... and defenses are good. What are we defending against, here?

[flowing_kinetics]

I'm psychic.

[Akira pulls his hands out of his pockets, cupping them as if holding water. The reason why is obvious after a moment -- his eyes and the scar flicker once again, blue fire erupting into his hands, burning merrily despite the fact that it doesn't seem to actually be damaging his hands.]

Can do stuff like this, but... what's a biotic barrier?

[video]

[knightoflight]

No, very few of us are from the same place. It is confusing because there are many from Earth, but...not the same Earth, apparently.

[Confusing for Wing, at any rate.]

Unfortunately, from the Authorities. They attacked us before, unprovoked. They seem to think we are part of their war.

[standsentinel]

Ah.

[There's a lot of wary watchfulness crammed into that syllable, and a hairy eyeball is well and truly given from amidst the barrier. It intensifies as he feels the heat of the flames, but he manages to make a quip of the question]

Get anything interesting off me, then?

[He doesn't wait too long before answering Akira's own, however, and even lets the barrier drop to do it.]

Biotics... well... I haven't heard of anyone in my time being able to generate fire. Maybe you're from further along in the future, I don't know how old these pods are.

Basically, a biotic's someone with nodes of element zero in their body. You get an implant put in your brain and then you learn how to use the nodes to generate mass effect fields. Barrier's one where you throw up a really dense mass effect field round yourself, so it catches damage being flung at you.

Re: [video]

[standsentinel]

...right.

[Cue a puzzled but grim-faced Kaidan at that.]

I think I need the version with helpfiles, Mr.--

[Do you even call a robot mister? He scrubs the back of his neck again.]

Who are the Authorities, and what's this war?

[flowing_kinetics]

You're a good guy. Ain't much wrong with your head.

[Despite the color, the flame doesn't seem to be giving off as much heat as it should, and Akira closes his hands around it to snuff it out, causing the glow to fade once more.]

Dunno. I'm from 2011 and I ain't ever heard anything like that. I ain't surprised you never heard of it, though -- I'm the only one I know of who can do this stuff.

[standsentinel]

2011? Well, that kills my idea about you being from the future. Are they doing human genetic modifications then, or is it still too early for that?

[Belatedly, Kaidan thinks to add some useful information of his own.]

It's 2186 for me, which makes this whole alien stasis pod thing confusing as hell if you're early 21st century and still here.

[flowing_kinetics]

I've got a friend from around there, I think. [Granted, said friend is a ROBOT, but...]

No modifications. Shit, they just melt people down. I was just born like this. Hell if I know why.

[standsentinel]

Melt people-- are we talking alternate realities, here?

[He'd read enough history to know that life on earth in the years leading up to eezo and H3 solving the energy crisis pretty thoroughly sucked for some people, but this was a bridge farther than that. Hell, this was a mass relay jump farther than that.]

That's a crappy reality, kid.

[video]

[knightoflight]

[Wing laughs again. ]

I told you it was confusing!

[He ducks his head, apologetically.] Wing. Just Wing.

And the Authorities are those who live in the City domes. They are apparently at war. And we--this ship--is a relic. We were brought here for a reason, but no one seems to know why.

[flowing_kinetics]

Hell if I know. Maybe? Seems like it with everyone here.

[He shakes his head, shoving his hands in his pockets and averting his gaze.]

It is shit. Ten thousand people got melted down 'cause some government bastards wanted to summon a god.

[standsentinel]

Gods... generally aren't that tangible, where I'm from. But still... ten thousand.

[Kaidan shakes his head sharply.]

Shitty reality. What's this one here like?

Re: [video]

[standsentinel]

Just once I'd like the messages pointing me at some big bad to be something other than cryptic...

[The mutter is sotto voce, probably more for Kaidan's own musing than for other ears. (Or aural sensory apparatus.) He gives a brisk nod, soldierly.]

What do our resources look like?

[femshep]

[Oh, she noticed. That's the least of her questions right now. In fact, she's talking to Liara for a second, but other than that she's done with the conversation until she arrives. Until she confirms this face-to-face.

Maybe 15 minutes after the talk with Liara ends, Shepard's on her way down the pod-lined corridors toward where she remembered his specific pod being. He can probably hear her coming, but she hasn't quite reached his row yet, and there's a tiny and irrational part of her that isn't quite sure she wants to.]

[flowing_kinetics]

It possessed a statue.

[And that's all he'll offer on the matter. He doesn't disagree, though, Kaidan. Not at all.]

Real bad. Old City's the only real good place around here. Everything else is desert or something worse.

[At least from what he's seen.]

[Audio]

[femshep]

If anyone can, it's you. [And with that vote of good faith, she's ending the conversation, unless Liara has anything else to say. Sorry, Liara, she's got undead lieutenants to attend to.]

[standsentinel]

[When and if Shepard screws her courage to enough of a sticking point to reach him, it's to find someone who is unquestionably Kaidan Alenko, if a couple years older than when she last left him. There's silver at his temples that wasn't there before, and the guns that he's crouched down to pull from his duffle and field strip to inspect in right-and-proper soldierly fashion are a Phalanx and an Avenger with modern thermal clips in use.

And then there's the jump in his rank bars.

But it's very much Kaidan still. His eyes lift to meet hers, a mix of searching and expectation.]

Shepard.

[Audio]

[femshep]

I know where it is. [She's seen it before. And lost more than a little sleep since, not that she'll admit it.]

[standsentinel]

Great. You guys OK on food and water? Any problems with raiders, that sort of thing?

[Does Kaidan need to get off this ship with his gun in one hand and warp ready in the other?]

[video]

[knightoflight]

I'm...sorry? [He's not quite sure what he's done wrong, but it never hurts to apologize.]

Right now, Loki is attempting to create a bridge back home--and there is trading in the Old City for food and supplies, should you be willing to assist them.

Enough to survive, but not enough to feel...comfortable.

[flowing_kinetics]

Dunno. I don't hang around often. They seem to be okay, though.

[Well, no one's asked him for help, so that's close enough, right?]

[standsentinel]

That's something.

[Leaning himself against the door of the pod he's so recently occupied, Kaidan braces himself with an arm and resumes tudying Akira.]

You hang out on this ship, then? See if there's new arrivals?

Re: [video]

[standsentinel]

What? Oh-- that wasn't to your address.

[He's reassuring an apologetic robot in some far-future or other-reality or something environment. His life, man. Kaidan lifts a hand and massages his temples again.]

This all just seems... really familiar, in some ways. That's all.

[flowing_kinetics]

...My sister. Keep coming to see if she's here.