Part 34

Jenkins

Even if the Normandy had half its staff running around Zhu’s Hope providing basic aid and repairs now that the colony was safe, the ship itself was still chaotic. Every communications officer left aboard was in a conversation contacting different organizations or giving reports to different agencies. Exo-Geni wasn’t a small company, and they even sold goods in Citadel space to the other races. Word getting out about them receiving an attack from the geth would put more pressure on the Council to offer direct aid at least, although I already knew how that attempt would go.

Zhu’s Hope was the second human colony to suffer an attack from the geth, and the second to be saved by Shepard. The Council would treat it as their Spectre protecting a human settlement despite its position in the Attican Traverse. It’s part of why there was such a scramble aboard the ship to get the message out to the Alliance. Pressly didn’t want the Council claiming the Human Spectre's actions as their own. If he could get the word out first then the Council would have to position themselves as having approved Shepard's support of the colonies, as opposed to them ordering it.

Pressly was someone I’d have to talk to at some point. The man carried a grudge from the first contact war, and while he didn’t let it interfere with his work I could imagine some of those reports on the colony's rescue neglected to mention everyone involved, and how nearly half the ground team were aliens. He wasn’t going to give bad orders to our team, but he wasn’t going to give them extra, or even necessary credit, if there was a human it could go to.

It wasn’t an important distinction, but the races needed to be united for what was to come in the future. Any message of cooperation could help with that, and Pressly leaving it out would be a place I could start. At least after I got some treatment, as good as the Alliance’s painkillers were, they wouldn’t last forever. The blissful numb feeling was beginning to fade into more of a dull ache. Not as bad as I would be feeling without the painkillers, but still not a good sign.

Tali helped support my weight as we made our way down to the medbay. There were looks of concern as we arrived, and Luthor quickly moved from his Terminal to support my other side. A quick warning about my dislocated shoulder stopped him from trying to move under my other arm, instead allowing me to make the movements myself in the way that caused the least amount of pain.

“Jesus Jenkins, what happened to you?” He asked the question as we made our way across the desk, a look of concern from Sam as we passed by her terminal, but a nod from Luther kept her seated at her job.

“Oh, you know how it is, had to blow up an evil plant, proximity be damned.” I chuckled to myself as I half walked and was half carried to the infirmary.

“Well, if you’re joking about it I’m going to assume you won.” Luther just shook his head, not bothering to question it further.

“So this really is just standard behavior for Jenkins then? To make light of every situation, no matter the personal stakes or harm?” Tali’s question startled Luther as we reached the stairs to the lower deck, but he managed to recover fairly quickly.

“Oh, uh, yeah. There’s actually a running bet among the communications staff on who’s going to stop joking around on this mission first, Joker or Jenkins. Although still joking around after getting blown up is going to shift the odds in your favor I think.” A short chuckle escaped Luther’s lips as he mentioned a bet I had not heard of. Shame anyone betting on me was a fool, Joker was uncrackable, I knew this for a fact.

“Please, the man’s bones are made of glass and he still acts like he’s the lead performer of a comedy club. At best all I’ve done is even the playing field.” We both take the chance to chuckle at that while I can just feel Tali glancing over, seemingly confused.

“I swear you humans are all crazy.” We reached the doors to the medbay, which slid open to welcome us.

“Just the ones worth knowing Tali.” I end the phrase with a soft smile as they help me into the back room, and up onto one of the medical beds.

I don’t bother laying down just yet, since it was likely once Chakwas got here I would be put under and kept that way until my wounds were mostly treated. Luther stood for an awkward moment, glancing from me to Tali with a questioning look I had gotten used to.

“Ah sorry, Luther I’m sure you know Tali since she was recruited for Shepard’s team. Tali this is Luther, he’s one of our communication grunts.” I gesture with my good arm from one to the other. Tali gives Luther a polite nod.

“Nice to meet you, Luther. Thank you for the help.” Luther flushed for a moment before responding with a similar nod.

“Ah, of course, it’s uh, a pleasure. I need to get back to my post but keep me posted on your recovery Jenkins. You look like shit.” He gave me a light smile, and I returned it.

“For sure man, thanks for the help.” He gave a nod before turning and walking out of the room.

The door slid shut behind him and Tali and I were left alone in the room. She watched the door for a short time, before turning back to look at me. She fidgeted with her hands, the two fingers and one thumb on each playing with each other, betraying her anxiety. I had my concerns causing me a similar level of discomfort. I needed to tell her about Beta, and I had a pretty strong feeling that wouldn’t go well. We were silent for a while longer, both of us avoiding direct eye contact before we finally locked gazes. The pale glow of her eyes was all that was visible to me through the purple tint of her visor.

“Tali I need to-” “Jenkins I just wanted-”

We both spoke at the same time, our words stumbling over each other for a moment. We both stopped and took a second before sharing a laugh.

“Okay, you go first Tali.” I gestured with my good arm and leaned back slightly where I was sitting on the side of the medical bed.

“Right. I just wanted to thank you. For saving my life that is. You put yourself in harm's way to keep me safe, and likely suffered more injuries because of it. I allowed myself to be caught by surprise, and it nearly cost me my life, and almost cost you yours in the long run.” She had turned away avoiding looking at me, I went to speak but she cut me off, continuing with what she had to say.

“And I know you will say that it was no big deal or something of the like, but it is. I… My people do not receive the best treatment throughout the galaxy. And while I know that what you did is something you would have done for any of our squadmates, I need you to know that I appreciate you extending that respect to me. While you might not think anything of it, I do. So thank you.” She turned to me, giving me a full bow, lowering her head and shoulders before standing again and letting out a sigh of relief.

“Um, yeah. Feels weird to be thanked so heavily for it, but you're welcome. I was never going to just let you fall. You’re a part of our team, and we need you.” She flinched at my words before tucking her head in. I could hear her whisper a thanks before she stood at attention once more.

“Anyway, I just wanted to show my gratitude for your efforts. I sincerely hope that Dr. Chakwas can treat your injuries.” She turned away once more at the mention of my injuries, and I could see it plain as day from her body language. She felt guilty.

“Tali. You can be as thankful as you want for me helping you and everything, but don’t start feeling guilty okay? You didn’t cause these injuries, the Thorian did. Well technically I did but it was the Thorian's fault that happened, not yours.” She turned to look at me quickly, shocked by words before stammering out her response.

“What. But it… If you hadn’t been stuck trying to hold me up you could have helped fight it off. You might not have had to detonate the explosives like that.” Oh, I needed to sort that out right away. I couldn’t have her tearing herself up over what-ifs like that.

“And for that to happen I would have had to let you fall. Not an option. Things happened the way they had to for everyone to get out alive.”

“But if I had managed to catch myself or-”

“Or if I had managed to stun her and break free of biotic control. Or if Shepard hadn’t been injured and was fighting with us. Or a million other potential things. All we have Tali, is what actually happened. Sure certain things could have gone better, but they could have gone worse too. Nobody died. Let’s just be happy with that outcome.” She stared at me, silence filling the room and her expression as she processed what I had said.

“How… How are you okay?” The question is almost a whisper, only barely audible and she looks down as she says it.

“Okay with what?”

“Everything. You almost died, you suffered severe injuries, even if they aren’t life-threatening. How can you just be, so unaffected? Like you’re ready to move on to the next thing without any worry. I almost died, and thinking about it makes my heart race. I can feel the panic and fear and it makes me scared to risk that again. And that was a situation outside of my control. You had control over your situation. You chose to almost die instead, and you look… fine. How?” I can hear her voice crack as she speaks, the emotions of her situation rushing the the front as she explains.

“Tali, do you want the honest answer?” Her nod is all I receive as an answer before I begin.

“It’s because things are going to get worse.” She is silent as she stares at me for a moment, the question visible on her face even through the visor.

“Saren wants to bring back the Reapers. The Geth and even the Thorian regard the Reapers as creatures that wipe out sentient life in a cycle. The Protheans weren’t the first. If Saren is trying to bring them back then that means the time has come. Another cycle is nearing its end which means it's not a matter of if, but when.” She is shaken by my words, before sitting beside me on the bed, looking at the ground in clear worry.

“But, we are trying to stop Saren. If we stop him he won’t be able to bring the Reapers here! Isn’t that the point of all of this?”

“It is, but all that will do is buy us time. The fact is the Reapers exist, and eventually they will arrive in force. The only way this ends is in a direct conflict. War.”

“...”

“Yeah.”

“How does that make you act without fear… doesn’t it just make things more terrifying?”

“Because we are going to win.” She turns to me, a look of surprise on her face.

“But… what you just described. How are we supposed to beat that? How can you just say we will win?” Her voice is pleading. She’s searching for an answer, something to reassure her and abate her fears.

“Because there isn’t any other option. We will stop Saren, we will gather forces, and prepare the galaxy. We will fight the Reapers, and we will win. We will do it because there isn’t an alternative. That’s how I act without fear Tali. If I make every choice with the intention of doing everything I can for our victories, then I have no fear of the consequences of those choices. There's no time to waste worrying over if it was the right decision or not, I just have to accept what happened and get ready to face the next challenge.” Tali was looking at me, her expression hidden behind a tinted visor, and her body language subtly hiding her thoughts. After a moment she looked away, staring ahead as she spoke.

“You sound like my father.” It was my turn to be surprised, as her words caught me by surprise.

“Oh? I hope that’s a compliment.” Tali chuckles lightly at my joke, before continuing.

“He always said that his goal is to return to our homeworld, to take it back from the Geth. That even if it took centuries of the smallest actions, or the riskiest gambits, as long as it helped towards that goal it would be worth it. I don’t think he would be afraid of the Reapers either. It would just be another obstacle between him and our home.” I could hear a smile in her voice as she spoke fondly of her father's words.

“Sounds like he would be a good friend for us to make, once we are done stopping Saren.” Tali’s Father ended up dying by the second game, but given what Tali says, and the fact that he’s an Admiral of the Flotilla, It would likely be worth trying to prevent that outcome. The Quarians would make powerful allies if I could get them on board early.

“Hm, maybe I’ll have to make some introductions once we are done here. Coincide it with the end of my pilgrimage.” I smile at the thought before we just share a moment of silence. Eventually, the moment ends though, as Tali turns back to me.

“I’m so sorry, you had something to say as well. I entirely took over that conversation.” She sounded embarrassed for a moment, but I only laughed.

“No no, it’s fine. You had to get that off your chest and hopefully talking about it helped.” She turned back away before standing off the bench and standing in front of my face once more.

“Heh, yeah it did actually, thank you for that. So what did you want to say?” Her question was innocent but it made my mood somber once more. I still had to explain Beta, despite how poorly she was likely to take it.

“Right. Yeah um. God this is going to be a tough one to explain.” I half spoke aloud and half muttered to myself as I tried to find the best way to go about this. In the end, I figured the best option would just be to rip the bandaid off and go for it.

“Okay. I’m just going to go for it. But I need you to promise to keep an open mind and not freak out first okay?” She leaned back lightly and crossed her arms, looking a mix of confused but prepared.

“Sure, that's the least I can do. You saved my life Jenkins there’s very little I could hold against you at this point.” She sounded so sure of herself, I only hoped it could be true.

“Ah. Alright, let’s go then. Beta, say hello.”

There was a look of confusion on Tali’s face, as the omni-tool on my right arm made a sound and sparked, before projecting a glowing orange sphere just above its surface. The sphere flickered and glitched in its presentation, and audio came through the speakers, warped but still audible. The damage to the omni-tool would need to be repaired after my treatment, just another thing on the list of shit I had to do.

“Hello Tali’Zorah nar Raya. I am the one designated as Beta.” Beta’s words filled the room, and Tali stared forward, her arms dropping once more to her side as she stared at the flickering form Beta made to represent himself.

“...” She was silent as she stared, inspecting every inch of the sphere, her eyes darting from it to me.

“Now, I can explain-”

“I knew it! I knew there was no way the upgrade you handed out was enough to do some of what you did. The speed of those shield boosts, the strength of that overload on the Armature? It was far too advanced for any coding upgrade, even assisted VI. I had some moments of insecurity thinking that you might have just been some sort of prodigy but no, you were using an actual AI the whole time.” Her voice seemed to be filled with more excitement and joy at being right, as opposed to anger. It had me confused.

“Wait, you’re not- You’re not mad?” This was not the reaction I was expecting.

“Indeed, this reaction is unexpected. I had predicted a 78% chance of an immediate hostile response.” Beta managed to sound as confused as I was.

“I mean, I’m not happy you chose to keep this secret, but I understand. I, along with most Quarians would only naturally be hostile to most AI, even if we can admit their practical uses. But you’ve earned my trust already Jenkins. Besides it’s not easy to get a shackled AI, so if the Alliance trusted you enough to provide one then I can only do the same and trust you as well. It will be incredibly beneficial to our team I’m sure.” She looked it over as she explained, and my dread started to build as I realized why she was so relaxed. She thought he was shackled.

“Oh man, aha. You’re going to find this very funny.” She was not going to find this funny.

“What?” She glanced between me and Beta’s projection, reading my expression. She took in my expression and took a step back as she started to put it together.

“No…” She spoke softly glancing between us again.

“So, Beta isn’t exactly shackled. But I-”

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU THINKING YOU BOSH’TET.” Tali began shouting, and I could only sit back and take it as she began tearing into me.

“This reaction was much more in line with my predictions. Open acceptance was unlikely, and misunderstanding is a valid explanation for what was seen.” Beta spoke, eliciting another round of cursing from the angry Quarian. This was going to be a long conversation.

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Jane Shepard

When Jane had first woken up her first instinct was to charge out into a fight. She had a vague memory of the end of the fight, but it all kind of blurred together after her attack. She shouldn’t have tried to focus the Biotic energy’s release around her fist itself. The backlash had hurt like hell and almost cost her the arm according to Dr. Chakwas.

Speaking of, Chakwas was surprised to even see Shepard wake up. The dose of sedative the Doctor had used was enough to keep her out for nearly a day after the treatment was done, but she had only been unconscious for a few hours. She of course advised that Shepard remain in the medbay to rest until the arm healed, at least another 16 hours, but Jane didn’t have time for that. It was only Kaidan’s reassurance that kept her from charging right out of the Normandy and rejoining the fight.

It was a relief to see him alive. The last Jane had remembered was him being blasted by that damn machine’s cannon and going down. She had worried he had been killed, but according to him and the Doctor he had gotten up a shield to protect him from the shrapnel, so it was mostly blunt force trauma that had taken him down. He was still recovering himself but was in far better shape than even Jane was.

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Further questioning of the two made it clear the situation as it had unfolded. The team had spent two hours aboard the Normandy recuperating and planning what to do next. Ashley had taken command of the situation professionally, and they planned to continue the mission without Jane. Jane for her credit, wasn’t upset by the decision in the slightest, it was the right choice and the same one she would have made in that position. What Shepard was upset about was everyone telling her to stay put.

Her ground team had left nearly an hour ago, leaving behind only herself, Wrex, and Kaidan. During that time a scuffle occurred with the colonists, but one that was suppressed rather quickly. After that, there was no word from Ashley’s team until roughly 5 minutes ago. They received word from her after Joker reported the Geth dropship was seen evacuating the planet. He was able to connect with Ashley at that point and discovered that they had found what Saren was after and had to kill it to free the colonists. Unfortunately, the killing was done by an explosion set off by Jenkins. He was caught in the blast, and while he was alive he was in rough shape.

Shepard ignored Chakwas’ request to let Kaidan and the regular crew take over the recovery. She simply asked that Chakwas seal her gauntlet in a way that would allow it to be protected and held in place while she healed, as well as still let her go look after her soldiers. Getting that, albeit reluctant, approval was all Shepard needed as she made her way down to the cargo bay. Kaidan followed suit, prepared to suit up and help, recovery aside. He was a good soldier and the fact that his first instinct was to rush to his squadmate’s aid spoke leaps and bounds about his value as a person.

Shepard was surprised to see Wrex was also in the bay, suiting up in his armor and weapons. He had claimed a disagreement led to him staying behind while Jenkins and the rest of the ground team deployed, and Wrex felt some responsibility for his injury. He said it was only expected for someone to get injured without him there to back them up. How much of that story was true Shepard couldn’t tell, but it was clear Wrex felt some obligation to come help. He hadn’t even heard Jane was awake and headed out yet, he was simply doing this on his own. For what wasn’t the first time, Jane felt thankful for the quality of people she had on her team.

Shepard led her ground team, as well as a contingent of basic staff into the colony. With the Geth gone, and whatever Saren was after supposedly dead there was work that needed to be done. Chakwas followed in suit, claiming that she would need to check on Jenkins before they risked moving him, in case of internal injury. As they made their way into the colony her priority had to be shifted. There was a good deal of injured civilians in a mix of pain and confusion scattered throughout the colony.

While Shepard had wanted to check on Jenkins immediately, they received a notification from Ashley that Jenkins was stable, and that the situation underground was under control. Relieved to know that much, they were able to take their time dealing with the situation above ground. Despite their confused and injured states, many of the people of the colony had surrounded a hab unit and were shouting for whoever was inside to come out.

It didn’t take long for Jane to find Alicia on the edge of the crowd, neither joining in nor trying to stop things. She reluctantly explained what had happened to the colonists from her perspective. The grating voice of the Thorian, it set people’s nerves on fire if they tried to resist and used them to attack the squad once they learned of its existence.

She explained how the colonists learned through the Thorian connection that Fai Dan knew all about the Thorian, and kept it secret to protect his position and to respect Exo-Geni’s wishes. Even Alicia didn’t know about it, so she was impartial about the crowd's anger. She felt as betrayed as they did, but she understood better than most how someone could make those choices. Exo-Geni wouldn’t tolerate someone ignoring their orders, telling everyone in the colony about the Thorian would have created conflict with the company, either getting everyone kicked out and replaced, or causing Exo-Geni to pull their funding. The colony couldn’t survive either way, so Fai Dan did all he could.

Her explanation made sense but still made Shepard angry. Not at Fai Dan, but at the company Exo-Geni. Their actions had put the entire colony at risk without their consent, all for some research that could have been conducted with the colony at least aware. It sickened her. She was about to make the crowd clear so she could confront Fai Dan when their attention was drawn by something else. Or rather someone.

From the east of the colony, a group of individuals in Exo-Geni scientist uniforms were making their way to the center of the colony. A glance at the front of the party revealed a familiar face, one Shepard recognized. Ethan Jeong.

To say their confrontation was tense would be underselling it. The crowd wanted answers for the Thorian, but Ethan refused to explain things before he had a chance to speak with Jane and her team privately. Jane managed to calm the crowd by having her communications crew begin working on repairs, while Chakwas set up a triage station to help with treating those who were injured. Distracted from their anger by some positive work the crowd was easily managed, and Ethan Jeong got his private conversation.

Much to Jane’s surprise and anger, Ethan immediately requested Shepard's help in terminating the colony. Their exposure and knowledge of the Thorian was now considered a liability to the company, and for the site to continue receiving funding there would have to be a guarantee of no bad press. That meant no survivors.

When Shepard made it clear, in no uncertain terms that she would not be helping with that plan, and instead had every intention to scour this colony for every piece of information that would mark Exo-Geni as culpable for the damages to civilians, Ethan Jeong reacted poorly. Perhaps he thought that himself and four armed guards were enough to take on only three soldiers. Perhaps he noticed Jane’s injury and believed it would hamper her ability to fight lending strength in his favor. Perhaps in his panic to clear his company's name he neglected to notice one of Jane’s squadmates was a Krogan.

Whatever his reasons for the poor decision-making, Ethan ordered his guards to kill Shepard and her team and wipe out the colony. Wrex and Kaidan did not require orders from Shepard to respond in kind, and unlike Ethan Jeong's guards, they didn’t hesitate. Jane tried to feel remorseful that Ethan had to be killed, but she found herself having little room for that sort of care. Her soldiers got injured trying to save this colony, she was not going to undo that work and wipe it out to protect some company's bottom line.

She was about to order her group to move on to the underground, to help recover Jenkins when she noticed Ashley and Garrus approaching, along with an Asari she didn’t recognize. Ashley was quick to give a sitrep and explained things in detail. Jane was relieved to know that Jenkins was alive and stable, and currently being treated by Chakwas. Knowing Tali was with them and would help Jenkins get back to the ship took a weight off her shoulders that Jane didn’t notice she was supporting. When had she become so worried about him?

Ashley also introduced the Asari as Shiala, a follower of Matriarch Benezia and Saren who was interested in changing sides and providing information. As much as Jane wanted the help, she had difficulty trusting the woman. Her story was convenient in many ways, and while she had to agree with Ashley in that Shiala seemed more truthful than not, it didn’t mean Jane was interested in letting the Asari into her head. For now, she had Ashley escort her to the Normandy to be kept in the brig. Shiala’s willingness to cooperate was a point in her favor, but Jane had other things to focus on.

She shook the thoughts from her head and focused on the other tasks at hand. Taking temporary command of the colony and leading the basic repairs and treatments of civilians that needed to be handled. Thankfully the other scientists that had come with Ethan Jeong were against his plan to wipe the colony and start from scratch. With their help, it was relatively easy to convince the colonists that everything that had happened was Ethan’s fault. Even if Fai Dan knew about the Thorian, he never knew the extent of its danger, and he did everything he could to keep people safe.

With the mob relatively calm, and Fai Dan feeling comfortable enough to take control of repairs, Jane finally felt comfortable returning to the Normandy. It had taken nearly two hours of work, but things were stable enough that she didn’t have to worry about active casualties, so she now had time to worry about her team.

That led to where she was now, sitting in the Medbay beside Chakwas, looking over Jenkins’ medical report. The Doctor had come back to the ship an hour ago and had already done a full assessment. Jenkins was still conscious and was waiting to hear his options for treatment. While he was injured, he wasn’t at risk of active death, and his injuries left him in a place where certain riskier surgeries might be needed. As his Commander, Jane wanted to know how bad it was going to be, and whether he needed to be sent home.

She had hoped the injuries were superficial at worst, or something that could be repaired easily enough, and just needed time to heal. The situation was much more complex. His two worst injuries were his right arm and the right side of his face. He was suffering from a broken forearm and a dislocated shoulder, as well as second-degree burns across his hand that faded into the first-degree climbing his arm.

Chakwas had managed to remove most of the damaged armor well enough, and it at least appeared that it protected him from the worst of the explosion. Only where the armor was weakest on the hands did his burns get serious. That left the injury on his face. Before the detonation of the explosive his helmet had been torn into, the front visor fully removed and peeled off. It left a large section of his face fully exposed to the heat of the explosion, and it suffered the price of that.

The burns were third-degree and would leave permanent scarring across the right side of his face. He could get skin grafts to remove them, however, that would further lengthen any time he spent out of commission as they would need to grow the cells before performing the graft, and then allow time for it to heal. It was an option he could go with, but the largest concern was his eye. While it was still in his head, Chakwas described the damage as though the organ was essentially flash-broiled by the heat, and blinded by the flash. His left eye was only so protected as his position placed his nose between it and the source of the explosion.

The right eye couldn’t be salvaged. Chakwas said it would never see again, and would likely cause only pain if it remained. Removal was the best course of action, but it would be a lengthy process to readjust to working as a soldier without depth perception or full range of vision. There was the option for a cybernetic replacement at some point, but those were expensive and took time to fabricate and procure.

“How long before he would be clear to fight again?” Jane asked the doctor the question, her concern bubbling again. She wanted what was best for her team, but the idea of not having Jenkins fighting with them upset her. He had been by her side since the start of this whole thing.

“Jane, that’s… It’s a complicated question. Technically I could clear him for combat as soon as his burns were healed appropriately. Two days give or take, if we kept him on a steady dose of medi-gel. The problem is that even if two eyes and perfect vision aren’t required for combat clearance, he wouldn’t be anywhere near his proper fighting capacity. He would need days to weeks, possibly even months of physiotherapy to be able to function as well as he did with both eyes.” Chakwas looked sad as she said it, but kept her tone even and professional.

“You said perfect vision isn’t required for combat. Even if he wouldn’t be optimal, could he not still fight alongside us.” Jane remembered Jenkins’ speech, the first time they had properly talked. How he felt it was his place to fight alongside her against what was coming, how it was a chance to be a real hero, like from the stories. The thought of him not being able to fight was upsetting.

“It’s not about not being optimal. Moving around, much less fighting or shooting are things he’s going to have to relearn to do properly. He will have lost all ability to use depth perception, the central point of his vision is now full inches off center. While I can’t withhold him from fighting once he’s physically healed, I won’t be able to recommend it either.” Chakwas sighed as she looked over her report.

“What about cybernetics? You said that had potential.” Jane wanted to know every option before they talked to Jenkins.

“Yeah if you have tens of thousands of credits to spare buying one. There are cybernetics of high quality out there, but they aren’t cheap, and neither the Citadel nor the Alliance’s medicare programs cover cybernetic replacements. Prosthetics yes, but eyes aren’t considered under that category.” It seemed to Jane that there weren’t a lot of options available for treating the kind of injury Jenkins had, at least to the normal public. But Jane wasn’t part of the normal public anymore.

“What about Spectre’s? Do they receive any benefits in the case of cybernetic replacements in case of injuries? Surely they can’t have their Spectre’s losing eyes and being out of commission for weeks.” At this, Chakwas paused to consider the idea.

“Hm, I suppose it’s possible. The extent of medical coverage for Spectres isn’t known, but they do have access to top-of-the-line military equipment. It would be fair to assume this extends to potential treatments they may require. It’s not something I would be able to confirm here, but it would be worth looking into when we return to the Citadel.” With confirmation of the potential Jane breathed a sigh of relief. At least they had some potential good news to give Jenkins.

A return trip to the Citadel wasn’t ideal, but at this point it was necessary. Shepard needed to replace her gauntlet for her armor, as well as look at picking up some new weapons for her team as well. It was clear that C-Sec and Alliance standard wasn’t going to cut it anymore, given the Geth enemies they could be facing. This wasn’t even mentioning that a night or two in a proper hospital would do wonders for Jenkins' recovery. The medbay on the Normandy was good, and Chakwas was a great doctor, but there was only so much one woman and their limited space could do.

“Definitely. Now for the hard part, let’s tell Jenkins.” Chakwas nodded and stood from the chair, and Jane waited for her to lead the way.

As the doctor, she would be the one to tell Jenkins about the severity of his injury. Jane’s only job was to decide how that affected his place on the team for future missions. As they entered the private room however they were surprised to see Jenkins wasn’t sitting quietly, in fact, he was having a conversation.

“I’m aware that breaking through Geth jamming isn’t a simple process, but if we are linking two external devices to a private frequency there isn’t any need for us to use traditional radio wavelengths. If we work well outside those parameters we could just go around any traditional jamming software.”

Jenkins was lying on the hospital bed. His armor and fatigues had been removed, and was left in a hospital gown. Bandages covered nearly the entirety of his right arm, stopping only just below the armpit, while he had half of his face covered in white gauze. His voice was raspier than normal, but still carried the same excited energy it always did.

“Your assessment has merit, but my scans of the Geth’s jamming frequency show it covers nearly the entirety of the radio-wave spectrum, and the areas that would be clear for transmission would have severely limited range. You wouldn’t be able to broadcast over any distance greater than 200 kilometers without significant delay.”

A second, slightly warped robotic voice followed, and what could be seen on the table next to Jenkins was his damaged omni-tool, and a holographic orange sphere floated above it. When Jenkins noticed they entered the room, he turned to face them. His position had the door on his right side, so to be able to see them he had to turn his whole head so his unbandaged eye could face them. Jane could see even from here, that the undamaged part of his face was still red and had skin peeling in some spots. It had burned too, just not as bad as the rest of him.

“Ah, Shepard. Dr. Chakwas, you’re here to give me the news I suppose. How bad is it?” Despite the wounds, Jenkins gave a smile that appeared genuine. That was secondary to Jane’s first concern.

“Jenkins… What is that?” Jane pointed at the hologram that flickered once more.

“Huh? Oh right, yeah we had debated keeping him hidden until we could have a full discussion explaining everything, but in the end, we decided just doing introductions as they came up would be easier. This is Beta.” His response was casual, and another flicker from the hologram made it clear it resided within the damaged omni-tool resting on the table.

“Greetings, Commander Shepard. Dr. Chakwas.” Jane’s first thought was that Jenkins had been talking to someone over a distance, but that response from the device made it more than clear that it was a program within the device. Jane hoped it was a VI, but its communication abilities led her to assume worse.

“Jenkins. Please tell me that’s not an AI.” She hoped he had some kind explanation, one that went beyond just yes.

“Well. Yeah, he is.”

That was not good.

“Unshackled too actually.”

That was worse.

“I know, I know it’s concerning and our whole deal with the Geth makes it tough to trust an AI right now, but I promise you he’s on our side. He’s the reason I was able to stun the Armature as well as I could, and him boosting my shields was the only reason I survived that explosion. I’m aware that trusting him won’t come easy, but I’ll explain everything to everyone soon enough. For now, I just ask you to trust me that he’s safe.” Jane’s instincts screamed at her to disregard his words. AI had destroyed Eden Prime and had nearly killed them not more than a few hours ago. Yet she couldn’t help but trust Jenkins. She just had a feeling that if he wasn’t certain this AI was safe he wouldn’t have it.

“Fine. But that explanation better be good. And… Beta.” She faced the hologram of the AI directly.

“Yes, Commander?” The voice had very little emotional inflection, and what sounded like an English accent. It was border-lining the uncanny valley in how human it sounded while missing the inflections that people would normally expect.

“I want it understood that if I consider you a threat to my crew or mission then I will be forced to remove you from my ship. One way or another.” She didn’t like making threats, but while it appeared the AI was stuck in that omni-tool, Jane wasn’t going to gamble on that without knowing. If the AI was a threat she would destroy it herself.

“Of course Commander. I have no interest in conflicting with your mission. I merely wish to experience the galaxy firsthand and learn. Conflict will only occur if it is deemed necessary.” That wasn’t reassuring, but given Jenkins’ reaction showed more exasperation than worry Jane chose to leave that at well enough. However, she would be lying if she said she wasn’t interested in hearing how Jenkins even found an unshackled AI or got it to travel with him. She hoped he didn’t create it, she doubted even as a Spectre she could protect him from that law.

“Dammit Beta, we need to talk to you about what sort of things put people on edge or not. Ugh, deal with that later. Anyways, you all were here to tell me about my eye?” Jenkins shook his head before turning to look at Chakwas, who for her credit didn’t even spare a second glance at the AI as its hologram floated and flickered in space.

“All your injuries, but given severity, the eye is the most pressing issue. To put it simply, there won’t be any salvaging it. You will never see from your right eye again.” Jenkins, who had been sat up at attention when they walked in, laid back against the bed, closing his eye.

“I see. Okay, any other long-term complications?” He asked the question without opening his eye, seemingly focused on what was being said.

“There was nerve damage to the skin around the eye as well, but regular treatment should repair any long-term issues. You will likely find the area numb for some time. Other than that, medi-gel should repair most damages.” Chakwas ran through the list from memory, while she had her assessment in hand she didn’t glance at it, keeping her eye on Jenkins instead.

“Scarring?” He still hadn’t opened his eye.

“Treatment will repair most of the burns, but those third degrees will require skin grafts if you desire to avoid scarring. So it should only be centralized to the area around your right eye.” Jenkins breathed out a sigh, before chuckling.

“Well, it should add character at least. I always heard I had a rather boring appearance. Now I have a kick-ass scar to show off. You know what they say, chicks dig scars right?” He opened his eye, looking over at Jane and Chakwas, cutting a smile that somehow seemed genuine. Jane couldn’t help but chuckle herself for a moment.

“Yeah Jenkins, the scar will be a good look for you I’m sure.” She smiled at him, and he returned it in kind, before laying back down, looking up at the ceiling.

“So what does this mean for the mission? When will I be combat-ready?” There was a moment of silence, and Chakwas glanced at Jane, as the Commander it was her job to explain how that would look, as much as she disliked it.

“Well. You’ll need several days for the burns to recover before you would even be considered physically able. The problem comes with your eye. We are looking into options for a cybernetic replacement through the Spectre program, but without a replacement, you would need weeks of physiotherapy to be cleared to fight.” At this Jenkins’ smile faded. He sighed heavily, closing his eye once more.

“So… I’m done then. No more combat missions?” Jane felt the sadness in his words. He hated hearing that and hoped he would hear something to counter it.

“I’m sorry. We will return to the Citadel to resupply and get you proper treatment there. If we can get the cybernetic then we can have it installed while we are there. From there it should only take a few days to finish healing and get used to it. As opposed to weeks. But that’s still our best time frame.”

Jenkins was silent for a while, likely considering her words for a while. Eventually, though, he opened his eye and spoke, looking right at Jane.

‘You’re not kicking me off this ship. Even if we can’t get that eye, I’m still part of this team and I can help. I’ll focus on research and upgrades for our gear, and Beta and I were debating a way to maintain communications despite Geth jamming. That way even when you guys are out there I can stay in contact and back you up.” Jane was surprised by the intensity in his look. He had already considered his injury might make him unfit for combat. He had already been thinking of alternative ways to be useful to the team, she couldn’t help but feel a flare of respect. He knew of the potential limitations and was already looking to work around them.

“Don’t worry Jenkins, you aren’t going anywhere, replacement eye or not. Besides, I think losing you would be bad for morale, given how everyone was acting after seeing your injury.” She gave a smile as Jenkins breathed what must have been a sigh of relief.

“Good. And Shepard?” He looked at her, a request visible in his gaze.

“Yes?”

“Before we go to the Citadel we need to find Liara. The Matriarch’s daughter. If what Shiala said is true then the Matriarch is being indoctrinated and is under Saren’s influence. She could be key to snapping her out of it. And if we know that then I’m certain Saren does too. He will send people after her.”

There was no question in his gaze. He wasn’t running a theory she could tell he was certain. She agreed it made sense, but the extra time it would take to find Dr. T’soni first would pull on their mission. Combine that with the time needed on the Citadel, they were risking a lot by leaving Saren free to run around. Still, she couldn’t argue with his logic.

“I still have to speak with Shiala. I’ll see what she has to say and decide from there. But I’ll take it into consideration. For now, you should rest. There’s still lot’s that needs to be done, take time to recover, then we will talk about… that.” Jane gestured to the hologram that flickered lightly and waited for Jenkins to nod in acceptance.

She took the chance to stand and make her way out of the medbay. Chakwas would discuss the details of Jenkins’ options, and how cybernetic replacement would go compared to leaving it in or just removing it in general. As she left Jane couldn’t help but feel more relaxed. In spite of everything Jenkins was staying strong, and even if things could have gone better they did well here. The colony was protected, and with Fai Dan in charge, they should be able to stay functioning, even without Exo-Geni support. All that was left was for her to talk with Shiala, and figure out what to do about this genetic marker she supposedly needed. Hopefully that much would stay simple, Jane needed an easy afternoon at this point.