Leaning against what remained of the Mako, Shepard stared at his omnitool . "Why am I still here?".
--Check in overdue. Please respond.-- J. Moreau.
Stepping out of the shuttle had felt like a punch in the gut. The first dogtag had been worse. "I knew there was only twenty. Why did I expect more?"
The N7 helmet was a surprise, and the few mineral ingots salvaged would be useful.
Glancing at the memorial now placed near the sleeper pods, he briefly considered linking with EDI to scan the planet for more.
"Wait...What?". Scanning for minerals? Really?
The scanner 'upgrade' from Miranda had been a letdown. Faster. Not even a VI algorithm a Quarian child could write.
Asking EDI had been even more bizarre. "Are you telling me you won't do the scanning without me?"
"Your presence is required."
"What if I log into my terminal while you scan?"
"Your participation is required."
"Why can't you do this EDI?"
"That function is restricted."
"What is it about scanning for targets and launching ordinance that you can't....".
He wondered if Joker would ever let him forget that.
Another message. Miranda this time.
--Do you require any assistance?-- M. Lawson
Assistance. How many times had that word appeared in the files Cerberus collected on him.
Akuze. Assistance requested. Unavailable.
The Council. Assistance requested. Refused.
The Normandy. Immediate assistance required! No answer.
--Checking in. No assistance needed.-- J. Shepard
"How much longer do I intend to stay?". He could have been here forever. What if Kahoku had exposed Cerberus? Tracking them had been easier then. A few more days and the entire network would have been revealed and shutdown.
No Cerberus. No Lazarus. No Shepard.
"What more is there to find here?". The file on his omnitool was short and to the point.
--Normandy crash site found.--
Could they salvage the Mako? It was mostly intact. Easily repairable. Mint by Quarian standards. The Hammerhead was a bad joke.
"It flies."
"It looks like ass Jacob."
"It's more maneuverable and able to traverse terrain the Mako couldn't handle."
"What about combat capabilities?"
"All simulations have been positive. The offensive systems are state of the art."
"It's offensive alright." He had reached back and grabbed the weapon on his back. The yellow symbol on the side made Jacob's eyes widen.
"Wait. You can't fire that in here!"
The concussive shot had been too much. The gaping hole in the side belched smoke and electrical discharges. A Geth rocket would have destroyed it and everyone inside. He had briefly considered firing the main round into the new opening. The hull would contain some of the blast, but he was sure his point was made.
Loitering on a frozen graveyard, the urge to leave had long since faded. He suddenly wished for a cigarette. "Why would I want to stay here?"
What was there to go back to? Another struggle. More indifference. Shepard against the universe, again.
--When are you coming back?-- T. Zorah
He pushed off from the Mako tire and walked back to the shuttle.
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