//------------------------------// // Resolve // Story: Mass Effect: Element of Kindness // by CommanderApplejack //------------------------------// Chapter 78 Resolve Go see Chakwas 53% With a huff, Dash paced past the commander, Jacob, and… that bitch. She had better things to do, like visiting Chakwas and taking a nap. Dodging a few officers who were moving between consoles as they relayed information about the status of the Purgatory in their flight, she flew over the head of a deckhand before entering the elevator and going down to the crew quarters. Dash paid no mind to the glances of the crew as she trotted into the med-bay. Chakwas already had her tools ready just in case she'd have to perform an emergency operation. “Doctor Chakwas?” Dash asked to get her attention. Chakwas' eyes went wide as she saw the state of Rainbow and her armor. “My god, Dash. I thought Shepard was going to keep you in the back!” Chakwas said, immediately connecting her omni-tool to Dash's armor to get a readout on her vitals. Meanwhile Dash just stood there looking at herself. Her armor had various dents in it and spots where rounds had glanced off, her mane was singed at the tips, some of her feathers were missing, and she could now start feeling pain running through her body as the adrenaline began to fade. Ponyfeathers, I must have lost shields a couple of times throughout that… If some of these had gone through… just like that turian that I… Dash shuddered at the thought as Chakwas connected two tubes to ports on a slot on the armor's flanks. “The omni- and medigel reserves in your armor have been completely depleted. You should be thankful that you didn't get seriously hit,” the human doctor warned. “Your current injuries can easily be fixed by the medi-gel I’m pumping back into your reserve.” “T-thanks,” Dash stammered as her legs started wobbling and she felt nauseous. “D-doctor, I k-killed… a-and…” The med-bay's doors opened again just as Dash's legs gave out and she collapsed, crying. Shining Armor who'd just entered rushed towards her curled up form. “Is she hurt doctor?” Shining quickly asked, Chakwas shook her head and crouched down next to Dash to comfort her. “Not physically, no, but…” “I killed s-someone Shining, a lot of p-people actually…” she sniffed, Shining's eyes went wide. “Dash that's-” “I'd do it again,” Dash said not skipping a beat, wiping her tears away. “I-It was horrible, but I'd do it again. If I have to choose between letting my friends die or the people trying to kill them…” Dash fell silent, staring into nothingness. Shining carefully put a hoof around Dash's armored back, Rainbow's stare into nothingness slowly turning into a vicious snarl. “…They'd wish they never crossed me.” Dash was gazing out of the observation window in the room she'd claimed for her own. She'd been admiring the view while the Normandy cruised to its next destination. The distant star of the system they were in was still so dim that Rainbow could directly look at it without the window lowering the light's intensity. Dash had briefly taken off her armor to clean it but quickly put it back on after. She felt safer wearing it. The door behind her slid open as Shepard came walking in, a drink in either one of his hands, one of which he passed to Dash before silently sitting down across from her on the other couch. Rainbow tasted the drink and found that it tasted a lot like mango. Not my first choice, but not bad, but he's definitely not here to give me a drink… “I'm still going to come with you on Omega,” she stated without moving her gaze off of the stars. “That's not your call to make Dash,” Shepard calmly replied. “So you're going to leave me behind?” Rainbow asked, her tone of voice suggesting a hint of desperation. “Commander, I want to help. Please, Sir, don't leave me behind.” “This station has the single biggest population of criminals in the galaxy. It's very dangerous there. More so because you're a unique species.” “Purgatory turned out to be dangerous too, got through that, and I'm no regular civilian. I graduated the Wonderbolt academy and spent a year in the Cloudsdale militia. I can handle myself.” Shepard silently scrutinized Dash, a bead of sweat forming on the pegasus' forehead as she wasn't able to gather anything from the commander's hardened expression. “Alright, you're in.” Dash let out the breath she had been holding, having expected to have to fight the commander on his decision. “Just like that?” “I've seen what Fluttershy was able to do after she set her mind to acting, and it's almost as if all this fighting comes natural to you just as it did to you friend, but you have to be careful that you're fighting for the right reasons. I think you are. So, yes, just like that,” Shepard answered as he finished his own drink. “We're arriving in an hour. I'd tell you to get ready, but you seem good to go already.” “Thank you, sir!” Dash shouted with conviction as she saluted with her right wing. Shepard gave her a nod before taking his leave to get dressed himself. The moment the commander was gone a smile crept onto Dash's face but it fell again as she also realized the consequence the decision had. I hope the girls will forgive me for what I'm going to do… and for what I know Fluttershy already has done. The first thing that hit the squad as they left the Normandy's airlock was, once again, the smell, though this time it seemed to be slightly worse. The second notable thing was the group of three heavily armed aliens standing nearly directly at the exit of the docking tunnel. Dash tensed up slightly, knowing how the last time ended up going. “What's the matter here, gentleman?" Shepard asked as he approached the three aliens, batarians if Dash was right. “Aria wants to speak to you. Follow us.” “And what if we don't want to follow?” Dash asked skeptically, not feeling particularly trusting. “Then I suggest you quickly get the hell off her station before we toss you out of the airlock,” the batarian growled before turning around and marching off, expecting them to follow. Shepard gave Dash a look that told her to take it a notch down before signalling the others to follow. The commander, having taken into account the dangers of the station, had taken Dash, Jacob, and Miranda with him. Jack had been left on board to acclimatize to the Normandy a bit better. Dash flapped her wings into a hover, wanting to make sure that she could react instantly if things went south, but was immediately flagged down by their escort. This only served to put her more on edge but even so, Rainbow still took the time to look at her surroundings and take in some details. There were vast open areas with long towers coming down from the roof and up from down below that had walkways surrounding them, but that wasn't what caught Dash's eye… There's air here. I can fly everywhere! Dash smiled as she was lead into Afterlife, the establishment of this 'Aria', and walked through the lobby to the main room where they were lead to an overhang. “That's far enough,” an asari, most likely Aria, ordered as Shepard was stepping forward. A merc took a quick scan of the commander and gave a nod to the asari. “Can't be too careful. You wouldn't be the first person to claim he's the reincarnation of, well, you.” “Aria, I presume?” Shepard asked, getting a nod as he sat down on the couch Aria was leaning back on. “Now what’s a dead human spectre doing on Omega?” Aria asked getting straight to business. A lot of the tension that had been building up within Rainbow was lost now that the guards had relaxed a bit and Shepard was talking, though this didn't mean she didn't notice the strange little glance from Aria at her. “I'm looking for three people. One of them I'll be able to easily find, the other two not so much,” Shepard explained and pulled up the first personnel file on his omni-tool. “The first one's Mordin Solus-” “The doctor?” Aria interrupted. “I'm rather fond of the crazy bastard. He's just as likely to heal you as he is to shoot you. Currently he's fighting a plague in one of the housing sections of the station. I'll tell the guards at the entrances that you're cleared to enter so they won't start shooting. Something tells me that'll spare me some manpower.” Shepard nodded. “That would be appreciated.” The commander swiftly pulled up the second personnel file. “The other person I'm after is Archangel.” Aria shifted her position on the couch a bit as she looked Shepard in the eyes, herer voice grave as she spoke again. “Commander…” Aria paused for a moment. “…Archangel is dead.”