Pangusman — Roleplayer Guild

A long beep issued out from the sound system of the Citadel Rapid Transit, calling the attention of the man inside away from the dreary white corridors of the Wards outside the window of the little shuttle and to the small screen on the wall opposite him. A human woman came on the screen sitting behind a desk, with the logo of the Citadel News Network.

This is the Citadel News Network, here with all the latest news from around the galaxy. Today's top story is the controversial announcement by the Citadel Council regarding the exploration of the dormant Titan Nebula Mass Relay. Critics of the decision to activate the Relay claim doing so may result in another catastrophe like the Rachni Wars. They say the danger is too great, as they have no knowledge of what lies on the other side. However, when questioned, Councillor Udina of Earth had this to say:

"As a united galaxy, we must make every effort to continue to move forward, to explore what is around us and continue to grow. It is the duty of civilization to always continue to advance, and we shall not back down in the face of fear. The potential discoveries and their benefits are great, and we will take every precaution to avoid the mistakes of our past.

Jacob Ryker, the man sitting in the Rapid Transit shuttle, leaned his head, covered in messy brown hair, back against the head rest of the seat behind him while the news droned on. The news had just echoed his thoughts just then.He was still in disbelief of the events of yesterday, even as he sat here on the way to the briefing room in the Presidium. That morning he'd gotten a message from none other than Councillor Udina, the same man who he'd heard speak moments before, telling him something utterly incredible: they needed him, Jacob Ryker of Earth, top Alliance researcher and physicist, to come to the Presidium in the Citadel to join a team of scientists in exploring the Titan Mass Relay. When he first heard the news, he was in shock. It took him a few minutes to even realize what had happened but the next thing he knew, two stoic turians were at his door telling him to get ready to get on a ship to the Citadel.

Jacob was a tall, thin man, aged 32. He took after his father, with the same hair and green eyes, the difference being that his father was a giant compared to him, although he never really had a chance to get to know his him. Jacob was brought up in an orphanage in Chicago as a child after his parents died as a result of a terrorist attack on the plant where they worked. Early on he found he was drawn strongly to science, and his natural ability put him far ahead of his classmates. At a young age, he was recruited by the Alliance for his talents. While he was not exactly patriotic, the opportunity to put his gifts to work for the good of the human race was a calling he wasn't about to deny. He worked mostly with molecular physics, designing improvements for particle weapons and defense systems for Alliance cruisers. Soon after the Alliance realized his talent, they put him to work on only the most top-secret projects that required the brightest minds they could put to the task. He was different from the rest of the researchers he knew, however, in that he never took anything seriously. He would crack jokes and play pranks on his superiors whenever he could. That was why it was so unbelievable to him that the Council would have actually picked him for something this important.

The thoughts continued tumble around in his head until finally he heard the speaker come to life once more. An automated feminine voice spoke in the silence of the cabin:

"You have arrived in the Presidium. Please watch your step as you exit the transit shuttle."

Jacob stepped out of the shuttle confusedly as there seemed to be electricity in the air. The Presidium was completely packed with people. Diplomats, politicians, a crowd of people trying to shout over each other. All around him he heard bits and pieces of different arguments, presumably about this decision from the Council. As the shuttle behind him lifted off into air and back into the depths of the Citadel once again, Jacob heard a voice calling his name distinctly over the sound of the crowd, and when he turned his head to face the source of the voice, he saw an intimidating-looking turian standing only a few feet away. The turian was much taller than Jacob, and he could tell from the rifle on his back that he was most likely C-Sec. However, as he took another moment to look him over, Jacob realized that this was no C-Sec officer. The instant giveaway was the worn black and red armor he was wearing, whose colors matched those of the clan markings on his face, which formed a large "X."

"Are you Dr. Jacob Ryker?" he asked, to which the human nodded his head hesitantly.

"Uh, yeah, that's me. Who are you?"

"My name is Raius Sorenthian," the turian began. From the sound of his voice, he didn't sound too thrilled to be there. "I'm a Council Spectre, I'm here to escort you to the briefing room so you can get filled in on the mission. Follow me."

Without another word, Raius turned around and pushed his way forward through the packed crowd. "W-Wha- a Spectre?" Jacob repeated, but his words were lost in the noise. Quickly so he didn't lose the turian, he followed quickly, muttering apologies as he pushed past a crowd of salarian protesters.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand," Jacob said, jogging slightly to keep up with Raius's brisk walking pace, "what's a Spectre doing here? I thought you guys are supposed to be out saving the galaxy, what are you doing with a bunch of nerds like me?"

Raius turned his head to look at the human with a look of exasperation. "Don't worry about me, Ryker. You'll have all your questions answered when we get there."

"Guess you're not one for small talk, huh?" he asked, but his question fell on deaf ears. Jacob rolled his eyes and realized it was hopeless to try and talk to this guy. So, he kept his thoughts to himself until they finally reached the briefing room.

Raius stepped up to the door which opened automatically for him and walked inside, nodding his head to gesture for the human he was escorting to come inside as well. He leaned against the wall and exhaled deeply, wondering just exactly what he was doing here. Were they expecting him to babysit all of these people? Of all the assignments he could have gotten, all the things he would've been so much better off handling, here he was with all these defenseless brainiacs. He just hoped those barefaces in the Council wouldn't try to stick him with some useless "backup." He worked better alone, but he would do what he had to.

Jacob followed, but as soon as he stepped into the room his mouth fell open in awe. There, around a big round table surrounding a hologram projector were the faces of some of the most brilliant scientists and researchers in the galaxy. He recognized them all by name from various publications on their works. It was a major shock to his system to even be in the same room as these people. He may have been the Alliance's top scientist, but he had nowhere near the recognition they did. These men and women were renowned throughout the galaxy for their work, and here he was, feeling more than a little inadequate.

They were all absorbed into their own conversations, leaving Jacob alone in more ways than one. He was not only relatively unknown, but he was also the only human in the room. He wanted to believe that here he was among equals, but being the only human there made him think that the rest of them thought he was only brought on through some kind of pity vote. Unable to make up his mind on how he could strike up a conversation out of the blue with the smartest people in the galaxy, however, Jacob simply stood aside and waited for whoever was going to be briefing them to arrive.

Let's hope this guy gets here before I can embarrass myself in front of one of my heroes, he thought with a sigh. Note to self, though: get Tala'zha nar Nurren's autograph before we leave.

Pangusman Member

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