Déja vu, that fleeting sensation when one's perceptions of the immediate, present scene, find themselves eerily overlapping with record already committed to memory. Some would regard it as a glitch of the mind, others as an ephemeral brush of something more; few would go as far as to liken it to a glitch of the universe itself.For yourself, Henri Ford, xenoarchaeologist by calling, freelancer by circumstance, the sensation or perhaps something similar surfaced at various times, both during your stays in civilized systems as well as when delving into ancient precursor structures, your mind primed to recognize familiar patterns as well as to discover new ones. It was not that often that these two broad categories would overlap.Right now was one of those times, as you clung to outside of the skycar as Kris was gently guiding it down the streets of the Citadel, structures still showing battle damage yet dark and eerily deserted. Before the Reapers came, you did not expect to see the Citadel, seat of galactic civilization, in this state - although you were far from dismissing such a notion in some distant future. Then the Reapers did come, and then you did not expect to see the Citadel again at all, instead throwing yourself into the fray of the desperate fight for survival against the ancient machines - or perhaps synthetic amalgams, as it turned out.Be that as it may, the Reapers have been unmade, but Citadel's troubles have not. And after going through a wild sequence of disparate adventures, you found yourself and your crew recruited to solve yet another puzzle, this time on ground that just months ago was a bustling metropolis suspended in the haze of the Serpent Nebula.Between the tumultuous recent history, swinging wildly between despair, hope, elation and revelation of a new possible crisis and new looming threats, some brand new, others resurfacing with the common enemy gone, between more personal guilt and elation at learning that your family - your mother and father - both survived the galactic crisis, you decide to take matters one step at a time, starting with the one that is right next to you, across the canopy of the car.
The mysterious swordswoman you have encountered when you both arrived to intervene in a confrontation that turned out to be between your father and his companions and the mysteriously corrupted Keepers. One that had fought with a masterful combination of biotic powers and swordsmanship, one that you have seen and fought against before, yet showing no signs of brutal huskification Cerberus seems to have been subjecting its forces to. Intrigued by that, as well as by the notion that she seemed to have at least passing idea of what she was up against, you resolve to strike up a conversation.She is quick to sense your attention, returning your look with her own with a neutral expression."Henri Ford, Citadel Institute for Xenoarchaeology. Pleased to make your acquaintance."She blinks, and you tell yourself you see a ghost of a smile twitch on her lips, and then she says something that derails whatever idea of how this conversation would go."I understand you're one of professor Stahlberg's men?"You take a moment to collect your thoughts. Perhaps she was familiar with CIX from before the war? It was not that much of a stretch, her customized armour would not look out of place in a society the professor was attending when delivering lectures on long lost civilization and asking for funding few new expeditions - it was a sleek, form fitting suit with unobtrusive decorations that would not look out of place among formal coveralls or robes."You've heard of us?""I've… yes." She says after a brief hesitation. You keep looking at her, hoping she was looking for words. After a few seconds it becomes increasingly apparent that this was not the case."May I know your name?" You decide to ask directly. Frustratingly, she looks away and you begin to worry that you've consigned yourself to the awkward silence after all, left with more questions than before."Yoake." She says so quietly that you almost miss it."Thank you." You say, recognizing reluctance with which she had volunteered the name.There it was again, that shadow of a smile. "He spoke well of you." Yoake drops another bombshell."When?" You ask the question that jumps to forefront of your mind.
"During evacuation. Professor was instrumental in organizing it.""He's… here?" And he's alive? The news was somewhat dulled next to learning that your own parents made it after you've more or less - no, there's no point in going down that path. You need to get your thoughts back on track."He and some of your colleagues have been studying equipment left behind by Cerberus. They will be pleased to see you alive." Yoake explains, some of the tension seemed to have left her. You meanwhile latch onto that thread and muster another question:"Cerberus… pardon me my directness, but would you mind saying what is your connection to them? You used to work with them?"There is another pause and again you wonder if you overstepped, or how badly, in your inquisition. But eventually there is a soft sigh."I did. I... don't like talking about it.""I can understand that. I've met ex-Cerberus before." You nod, recalling brief encounters with the occasional engineer or support staff you've met in between deployments with the faux-N7. Only few of them were not visibly stricken by guilt for their past judgment, especially after a clash with Cerberus forces, some telling themselves the Cerberus they had joined was simply a different one from the one they had left."I... see." Yoake says, and there's another pause, but before you can press on or change direction, she adds. "I regret every drop of blood drawn by those blades."She says this with a finality that tells you she's not ready to pursue this topic further, leaving you guessing and spinning possibilities - you put a stop to that.Rather than navigate this minefield, you could ask about something else - you probably have time for one question before you reach the hideout…>Ask about the evacuation - what was Presidium like when they left it?>Ask about the hideout - what sort of facility Cerberus was running here?>Ask about the district - has she been patrolling it?>Ask about her background outside of Cerberus - there must have been something else, perhaps with Alliance?>Ask about her past interaction with CIX?>Ask or tell her something else (specify)>Don't ask anything else for now.
Once again I apologize for my slowness. Story thus far summarized:https://pastebin.com/RMXUsvkrThread 1:https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2019/3369286/(most of) Subsequent threads:https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Henri%20Ford
>>6417600>Ask about the district - has she been patrolling it?>>6417602All good, QM.
>>6417600>>Ask about the district - has she been patrolling it?>>6417602Its okay Wanderer, worth the wait for a quality quest.
