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[protohistory]

[Liara had taken her time to get familiar with the most immediate areas of the ship before deciding to ask questions, choosing to get her bearings and do some firsthand investigation first and foremost. She hadn’t gone terribly far, not yet, but so far it had become clear to her that wherever this ship was bound, no one she’d spoken to seemed terribly familiar with any of the planets, galaxies or major trade routes she had mentioned, nor had anyone but Shepard shown any knowledge of mass effect relays. That alone raised countless questions, even more than had already come to mind since she’d awakened in the medical bay.

First things first. She needed to find a niche here, a way to be useful, play to her strengths.]

Pardon the intrusion-- my name is Dr. Liara T’soni, though I’m certain that this place sees so many new arrivals, committing names and faces to memory must be quite an undertaking.

[She smiles faintly. She can only imagine how exhausting it must be, seeing so many people come and go.]

I’m interested in speaking to someone about assisting in the science department, particularly xenobiotics and genetics, though I’m uncertain of who, precisely, I should contact.

[The communicator is quite different from the omni-tool interface she’s become so accustomed to over the course of decades, and juggling everything on a tiny screen as opposted to projections is more trying than she’d like to admit.]

Aside from that, if there is anything that anyone on board would be willing to share with me about planets they may have visited during their time with the Tranquility, I would greatly appreciate it. I’m curious to see if I might be able to draw parallels or find some kind of connection between these worlds and the systems I’m familiar with. Thank you for your time, should you choose to give it.

[That said, she gives another smile, warmer than the first, and the feed ends.]

Comments

video

[forsometimenow]

Welcome aboard, Dr. T'soni. [Jennifer smiles warmly, not seeming to find her appearance odd at all.]

I haven't actually visited any planets during my time on the ship, to tell you the truth- maybe people who have been here longer have. I'd be willing to talk about the ones I saw back home, though, if you'd be interested.

[protohistory]

Thank you.

[Jennifer gets an appreciative smile in reply; any response is helpful, after all, even if it's to say that she doesn't have exactly what Liara's looking for.]

If you have the time, yes, I would be. Along with whatever I can learn from others, it could prove invaluable.

[forsometimenow]

Sure. [A distraction would definitely be nice.] Well, for starters, have you ever heard of Earth? That's where I'm from.

[video]

[circumitus]

So far our only stops since our trip began were on colonies and outposts. Could tell you about those if you're interested.

[Shrug.]

Also, there is a particular department that's right up your alley. Don't necessarily need to speak to anyone... You only need to sign up for it.

[darkart]

My name is Professor Severus Snape and I'm the chief officer of the Xenobiology and Genetics department. If you'd like to speak you can come to the science labs.

[ Screw the network lately tbh. ]

video;

[servator]

[ For having ultimately chosen to lie to the person who is her closest companion on the ship, Shepard looks... well, normal. The lie regarding her own fate had been done in (what she considered to be) Liara's best interests; after putting her team through one death of their commander, she didn't at all want that again. Especially if it would be permanent this time (and she very much suspected that it would be). ]

I've only been here two months; I've heard about one colony, but it didn't sound... promising. [ As in, everyone from the colony apparently hated the ship's residents for reasons that still eluded Shepard. ] I've got some notes stored away on this communicator that I can send over.

[ She pauses, tone even. ]

You okay?

[protohistory]

I have. Humans are a relatively new addition to Council space, but we've had contact with Earth for some time. I have friends from Earth, as well-- one of them arrived onboard months before I did.

[video]

[protohistory]

Any information you can offer me would be valuable.

[Colonies and outposts can still tell her a great deal, potentially.]

And thank you-- I'll be investigating.

[protohistory]

Thank you for contacting me. When are you available?

video;

[protohistory]

Promising or not, it could still be useful.

[She's glad to hear from Shepard, as always. Even having only spent two months onboard the Tranquility, Liara trusts her to help however she can.]

Thank you, Shepard. I'm sure I'll find something there that's worthwhile.

[A pause, and her smile fades just the tiniest bit.]

As well as could be expected, I believe. What about you, Commander?

[darkart]

Presently for the next four hours.

[video]

[circumitus]

Well, can tell you a lot, having been to pretty much all of them. [But words suck and she hates saying them!] Anything specific you'd like to know about?

[She nods.] Otherwise, someone may be in contact with you shortly.

[And not a moment too soon. Hello down there, Severus.]

» Action

[protohistory]

I'll be there shortly. Much appreciated, Professor.

[She's good to her word, arriving in the labs within the hour, once she's finished conversing with a number of other passengers -- or is it residents? -- via the network. She appears tentative when she enters, though there's a very frank appreciation for the facility as she gives it a quick once over. Not what she's used to, but still reasonably well-equipped.]

Professor Snape?

[video]

[protohistory]

I'd be interested in hearing about the inhabitants, first and foremost. Races, origins?

[Colonists come from all over, after all.]

video;

[servator]

No problem. [ And through the clumsy (in her opinion) communicator, she sends the information. ]

About the same. Just seems like a lot of confusion and fear around here. I wish I could do something for these people.

[ It seemed they'd accomplished next to nothing... and that didn't sit well with the Commander, not at all. ]

[darkart]

[ The science labs are split between the departments that use them, the original Genetics laboratories destroyed long ago - and then removed entirely by the ship itself, as if there had never been space for them at all. They make it work as they can.

Professor Snape is here, as he said he'd be, stepping out of a workroom to meet her promptly. Average height, less than average aesthetics, pasty-pale human. He doesn't seem to be taken aback at Liara's appearance, though in truth it's because he's used to elves and centaurs and mermaids, not ~aliens~. ]

Doctor T’soni. [ Yes, hello. His expression remains stoic. ] You're hired, firstly. There's not much to it. If you're a medical doctor, however, I'll let you know now that you'll be required to pull shifts in medbay during emergencies.

[video]

[songofhappiness]

[ It's a good thing she gave herself a second before replying, because her initial reaction was you're blue. Something she actually sound out loud before answering. ]

We haven't visited any yet. [ She's peering at her screen, keeping herself in check for the moment. ] So, are you like used to the whole spaceship thing?

[ Blue lady clearly means she's been on a spaceship before, right? ]

permatext.

[culver]

Are you a geneticist?

[video] haha it took me a moment to get my facts right. it's been so long.

[circumitus]

Mostly studied the inhabitants from a distance at the time, but from what was seen -- and what others have reported, as it's also been recorded in timelines -- the people of the Strela outpost were humans who exhibited a hivemind mentality, sharing in the same thought process and moved in synch with one another. Wherever they came from, they didn't speak for us to ask.

Arima used to be a mining colony, which by the time we arrived had since become a hub for crime and deficit. We can only assume that the people who were living there were not from the original population.

The inhabitants were less hospitable and turned violent after a few days, not too much unlike the citizens of Strela. Some people were also kidnapped and almost forced into assimilation, but rescue attempts were made and successful.

In addition to that, we've boarded a luxury station called the Cyllene, where the previous crew were seemingly missing until some of us started seeing strange shadows in the hallways, possibly resembling the missing people. We were likewise unwelcome and forced to leave.

Those are probably the most noteworthy incidents to date.

[She huffs, obviously not very used to exercising her speech but there you have it, Liara.]

[forsometimenow]

That's good- I've encountered people who've never heard of Earth. Or who are from a future where Earth is no longer inhabited. Things like that.

On my version of Earth, though it's unknown to most of the population, the U.S. military discovered devices called Stargates that enable near-instantaneous interplanetary and intergalatic travel. Mostly interplanetary, since from what I understand, they require an enormous amount of energy and we don't fully understand their operations yet. So the Milky Way has been pretty thoroughly explored, and I was part of an expedition to the Pegasus Galaxy, though since I'm a doctor I didn't do an awful lot of exploring.

[video]

[protohistory]

[It's a fair assessment, honestly. How many Asari do you see on Earth, after all?

... well. A fair number where Liara comes from, actually.]

Yes-- though this particular model is unfamiliar to me, and the technology is a bit different from what I'm used to, the concept itself is not new to me. Asari have been spacebound for as long as anyone can remember.

[They're incredibly advanced, after all.]

[protohistory]

Primarily an archaeologist, but I have experience and interest in other areas as well, particularly xenobiology. They tend to go hand-in-hand.

[video]

[songofhappiness]

Asari.

[ She says it slowly, trying it out. It's not so hard to wrap her mind around the concept of an alien race - considering magic is real, there's not a lot she won't believe. ]

That's the first time I've heard that word. What kind of ship were you on before?

video;

[protohistory]

[Liara would agree with her on the 'clumsy' assessment-- it's not quite as efficient as the omni-tool applications they're used to, but with hers out of commission, this will have to do.]

I'm sure you're doing what you can, Shepard. That means something.

[Even if it's not as much as Shepard herself would like.]

[video]

[protohistory]

This system seems to be far removed from my own, if they're connected at all. It's difficult to imagine a system where the council races are unknown, but I realize the situation is not quite so simple.

[Hence her searching for connections, to see if there's any link at all to the clusters and systems she is familiar with.]

The Normandy. An Alliance starship under the care of Commander Shepard. She has found her way here, as well-- some months before I managed to.