A Mass Effect Adventure: The Story of Captain Jay C.

Feelings For the Unprepared

The young man stood before the court, tears in his eyes. He wasn't prepared for the next part. It's not fair, but it was simple. Young Jay was not happy about what the grown-ups around him were saying to the Krogan that had pacified him on the night that Jay's whole life had changed. He didn't understand what the problem was with the promise that the old battlemaster had given him about three years or so before this day. Jay couldn't understand why they were telling him that that Krogan was unfit for raising a child like Jay. Tears fell like a torrent, flowing like twin rivers.

The Krogan in question, Jorgal Ruyak, was as close to tears as he could be, biologically, and he was filled with rage that any parent would feel if this was happening to them. This, The Post-Reaper War Orphan Committee, had already deemed it necessary to place Jay in with a Human family, before even once considering the little Jay's feelings, and was now telling Ruyak that he was not capable of, nor fit for raising a Human child. If it had been one of the Krogan hatchlings that were born or even laid after the Cure had been administered, then they wouldn't even be considering bringing the battlemaster to this meeting.

"I don't understand what I did wrong!" Little Jay cried.

The main man at the center of the others standing behind the elevated podiums, held his hand out, and the members and spectators behind the boy and his Krogan friend, fell silent. In the next moment, another man stood up to speak.

"It is the strongly held belief that all species should be raised by their own kind," The committee member said to the little child, with a racist undertone that only the other adults in the room could understand.

"We both know why you're doing this to us." Said the enraged Krogan.

"I was a good boy though." Jay said with tears falling to the ground, almost forming a puddle. "I was...I swear. Please don't take me away. Papa Ruyak, why can't I stay with you?"

This caused a storm inside of the heart of the battlemaster, a storm that called for a rampage. However, the considerably older Krogan was wiser than his body, which was similarly strong, and his rage subsided. This is mostly because Ruyak knew that the committee wanted nothing more than to get a rise out of him, to further justify their decisions, and to also put him down, verbally and/or lethally. The old Krogan knew all too well that they were hoping to put him out to pasture. His pride in himself was what kept his hand and shotgun.

"I know little one," said the old battlemaster that had seen the terrors of the battlefield and never flinched, now faced with this, he determined was the hardest thing that he had ever been forced to endure. The cries and screams for help and desires to be taken back home was almost too much, even for Ruyak. On multiple occasions throughout this ordeal, he'd like nothing more than to lay siege to this hall and run away with this little Human to the farthest depths of space where they'd be left alone. Maybe I'd even called in for a favor with Aria and hide out there. I could do that, but no I shouldn't. He thought to himself.

All that was going through the too-young-to-understand mind of the little one known as Jay was, "I thought that I was being a good boy for mommy and papa Ruyak." The mind-bending notion that this was his fault was the only conclusion. This was interrupted by Ruyak.

"I know what you might be thinking right now, but stop it!" Ruyak said. "This isn't your fault at all. We are all doing this for you to have a better life."

"That is rich coming from the likes of you." Said a Salarian Dalatrass and another member of the committee, of whom clearly had a stronger disdain for Krogans than anyone else in the hall. "Perhaps though, you do agree with us then? He'd be better without your influence?"

"Everything will be okay, little Jay," Ruyak said, ignoring every single word that came from the Salarian. Looking back towards the committee, it was clear that the Salarian was far less than pleased at that blatant disregard and disrespect.