Jason felt confusion.
Then panic… as he felt the pressing weight of his home against his body. He couldn't see anything, only feel.
Like the protruding rut of the metal bar that pressed against his lower stomach. The young man's breathing was shallow, blowing warm back against his face from the closeness of the debris to his face.
"H-help!" He tried to yell out, though he only spoke in ragged gasps, the rubble pressing down with each subtle movement he attempted. Then he froze, hearing movement outside.
"Looks like we missed one of them," a gruff voice snarled - muffled from the debris. "Set your guns to kill - whoever's under there is likely a bloody pulp already."
As Jason tried to utter another choked gasp, a slither of light broke through the darkness, bringing forth the burning sensation of fire.
+
"Nooo!!"
Jason screamed, the covers flying right off as he shot straight up in the bed. Digger, who had been sleeping on the floor, perked his head up in alarm.
"Jason? Are you alright in there?" The woman's voice came from the far side of his quarters' door. Digger perked his head. Growling softly, his tail wagged. Jason wiped the sweat from his brow, struggling to remember the woman's name. She'd been the ship's doctor… right?
"I… I… I'm f-fine," Jason stammered, realising that he'd been gripping the edge of the covers tightly. He didn't let go.
"Are you sure? It's okay to be scared…" A moment of silence passed, before the woman spoke again. "Can I come in?"
Jason didn't answer, only for Digger to jump on the bed. Whining softly, the cavalier began to and lick Jason's hand. Jason relaxed it, but he couldn't shake off the nightmare. The ugly face of what he'd soon come to know as a batarian had become permanent in his mind's eye. It was almost as if there was one in the room right with him… glaring at him from the end of his bed.
"H-he… H…!"
Without another moment's waste, Doctor Chakwas slipped the door open, rushing past Digger and curling her arms around the young man in a tight hug. Digger's tail began to wag faster, joining the doctor in the embrace.
"It's okay, Jason," she whispered, the scent of her perfume added to a calming sensation which her enveloping arms provided. "It's okay. You're in space, and it's safe."
"Th-they're g-gone…" Jason stammered. He curled into a ball, leaning into the woman's arms. "Th-they're all gone…"
Doctor Karin Chakwas could only hug the young man tighter, as if hoping to bring him to a better place.
+
The ambience of the Hastings' command bridge was that of an early-morning canteen, a combination of muffled conversations mixed with electronic hum filled the filtered air. Huddled to the side in his small, personal office, David's eyes narrowed down on his screen as he typed a stuttered report on the Mindoir event.
His finger hovered over the 'send' button, wondering if sending the report would garner conflict between the actual captain of the Hastings and himself. Captain Belliard was the most stuck-up, self-centered individual that David had ever met. It was like a heavy blanket had been lifted up whenever Belliard had left David in charge of the Hastings. And he wasn't alone in that opinion - many of the crew felt the same way… not that they would dare say it to the captain's face.
In the end, David decided to send it ahead. Not only just to Belliard, but to the human Council as well. It would be nice to have a second opinion on things.
"Heya, Cap," Melissa's soft voice came through the office's PA. "Jason and Digger have arrived on-deck. Should I send them your way?"
"No need, Mel," David replied into his intercom speaker. "I'll come out and meet them in a bit. "What's the estimated arrival time to the Relay?"
"Give or take an hour, sir."
"Thanks. Find a way to entertain Jason while I make my way over, yeah?" David said with an arching smile. "Make sure it's tame."
"You got it!" Melissa chirped back.
+
Jason Shepard walked in a timid manner beside Doctor Chakwas, holding Digger tightly in his arms. The medic had suggested he talk to the pilot, while David Anderson finished his report. Digger decided to trot off with the doctor to explore the sections of the Hastings' that weren't restricted to dogs.
"How are you feeling, kid?" Melissa asked with a flashing smile, her eyes sparkling as she glanced over her shoulder, swivelling the pilot's chair slightly to face him. "Sleeping in space can be a bit rough the first time. Trust me, I speak from experience."
"It… was a little bit cold," Jason admitted quietly, his nightmare still vividly fresh in his mind. "And I had a…"
Melissa nodded a slight nod in understanding, tilting her head solemnly as she beckoned him over.
"Hey, it's cool, Jay. We don't have to talk about what happened. The XO decided I should teach you how to shoot. How does that sound?"
"How to shoot…?" Jason echoed, blinking slowly.
"Let me rephrase that," Melissa said, clearing her throat, her hands returning to the yoke and controls. "I am to teach you how to fire starship batteries. Nothing harmless, it's just us out here and the cold void. Interested?"
"Sure…" Jason said, stepping over in the tight space beside the pilot's chair.
"Have you ever been on a starship before, Jace?" Melissa asked, shifting her chair to the side; the mechanisms clunking underneath. "You don't mind me calling you that, right? Or I can do Jay…"
"I don't mind," Jason muttered, showing limited emotional hints. He briefly wondered if Melissa had the attitude of a big sister. He'd been an only child, after all. "Um… I don't know if I have been on a starship before. Are… you here all of the time?"
"Heh, yeah - mostly," the woman shrugged, gesturing for Jason to move in for a better look. "You see this trigger? Move your hand to where mine is. Don't feel rushed, just take your time."
Jason glanced back down the gangway as joyful exclamations filled the combat room. It appeared that the rest of the crew had taken a liking to Digger.
"That dog of yours looks like a very good boy," Melissa commented, following Jason's gaze. "Don't worry, he'll be in great company."
"He… Digger wasn't mine," Jason confessed sadly. "He belonged to a close friend," Jason said sadly. "She was looking for him before… before…"
"Shh, it's okay," Melissa smiled, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Want to choose a star to shoot at? We can pretend it's a batarian if that makes you feel better."
Jason flinched as a violent image of the aliens flickered by in his mind's eye, though he reached out for the trigger, gazing out of the viewport.
"What now?"
"Run your finger down over the button," Melissa instructed, reaching over in case Jason needed help. "Just a light press will do. Focus on what you're doing, as if the ship is a part of you."
Jason nodded, glancing from the trigger to the Hasting's viewport. He felt anticipation and nerves brew, building to a climax with the forcefully squeeze of the trigger. A rapid volley of cannon-fire shot out into the void. He only stopped when he felt the reassuring touch of Melissa, pulling him back into reality.
"Woah, Jace," she said with an exhale, mirroring the young man's slowly-relaxing muscles. "Are you alright?"
"I… I don't know - yes," he quickly corrected, stepping back from the starship's console, just as the XO returned to the cockpit, a concerned expression on his face.
"Is everything alright?" David Anderson asked cautiously, his gaze flickering between Jason and Melissa.
"It was my fault," the pilot confessed. "I thought showing Jason the way around the cockpit would help… ease his nerves."
"I-it was cool," Jason added with a quick stammer. "Th-thank you, captain."
David arched an eyebrow, curious to the premise of his interruption.
"Please, Jace," Melissa grinned. "Call me Mel. Everyone else does."
"Glad to see that you're adjusting to temporary starship life, son," David smiled, giving Melissa a dismissive nod, turning to walk down the gangway alongside the boy and dog. "We are currently enroute to a Mass Effect Relay that will give us enough boost back to the Sol regions. I can get you an audience with a council representative."
"Are they going to help find my mom and dad?" Jason asked quietly, glancing by at the various crewmembers. "And Talitha and everyone else who was taken?"
David paused, trying not to bring awareness to the possible, and horrific fate the Mindoir colonists could have been bestowed.
"I'm… sure they'll try their best, son," was all the man could say. "But for now, I've let the crew know that you have full access to the main decks on the Hastings'. With the obvious exception of the engineering deck. Would you like a tour?"
"Maybe in a bit, sir," Jason muttered absent-mindedly. David couldn't blame the kid. So much had happened in the last twenty-four hours… or however much time had passed in their duration of space-flight. "What is a… Relay?"
Before David could answer, Melissa called from the pilot's cabin.
"Sorry to interrupt, sir. But we're approaching the Sol Relay now."
"Why don't we have a look, Jason?" David said with a light smile. "I remember my first time taking a jump through a Mass Effect Relay. It's quite the experience."
"Yes sir," Jason nodded, turning back to the cabin with a hint of eagerness in his voice.
+
Jason glanced out the Hastings' viewport with a keen eye, scanning for the device that would take him further away from home than he'd ever been. As Melissa banked the starship into a steady, downwards arc, the Mass Effect Relay crept into view.
From an appropriate distance, Jason could see that the mysterious vessel was huge - much larger than their own. Built and shaped like a pair of intergalactic tweezers, a large rotating mass of energy occupied the centre of the device, bathing the entire Relay in a cool, blue glow.
Jason leant closer to the window. "Woah…"
"That was pretty much my reaction the first time I saw one up close," she chuckled, flashing him a proud grin. "Might want to hold on to something, the launch gives quite a jolt."
Jason grabbed hold of Melissa's chair, watching closely as the vessel grew even bigger. A low hum and rattle could be heard from the lower decks of the Hastings, as Mass Effect energy was transferred from the Relay to the starship.
"Here we go…!" Melissa exclaimed, and Jason felt his stomach lurch the way it would if he was going down a drop in a roller coaster. Punching down the Hastings' hyperdrive, a lightshow of bright, swirling colours engulfed the viewport - a second just before the vessel was propelled with a force greater than Jason had ever felt - into the great expanse.