If It Meant Living: Mass Effect 2

26: Grunt

 PERSONAL JOURNAL OF COMMANDER GRACEYN SHEPARD

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CATEGORY:  SR-2 Team Members

SUBJECT:  Grunt

LAST UPDATE:  1 hour before Activation of Omega-4 Relay

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FIRST ENTRY:  1 months, 27 days until activation of Omega 4 Relay

So I have a Krogan in a tank.  Have had one for about a week, actually.  But I’ve been…otherwise occupied.  In fact, I’m still otherwise occupied, which is why the Krogan is still in the tank.

Things that do not require my attention: 

1.   I have a “Gunnery Sergeant” – of sorts – with a powerful sense of honor who despite eight years of exemplary service in both the Alliance and Cerberus was not recognized as the prize he was by either. 

Things that do require my attention:

1.   I have an XO with a self-loving/self-loathing, superiority complex about her inferiority complex, tangled mess of daddy issues.

 2.   I have a kleptomaniac invisible girl with a broken heart who is rapidly becoming my best friend.

 3.   I have a scarred-up, banged-up Turian with a hero complex and a death wish.

 4.   I have a genius Tasmanian devil scientist with a God complex and genocidal guilt issues.

 5.   I have a disfigured former mercenary leader holding a powerful twenty-five-year grudge and who I’m halfway convinced is going to (try to) kill me or (try to) rape me every time I see him.

 6.   I have a batshit-crazy tattoo-covered biotic killing machine with revenge issues – a lot of revenge issues.

 7.   I have an infuriating, cocky cripple of a pilot who I think is falling in love with an AI.

 8.   I have an AI.

When, exactly, do I have the time for an embryonic-yet-fully-grown, educated-by-the-voice-of-a-sadistic-madman, Krogan?

Unless Jacob is willing to take on new duties and raise a Krogan, he’s staying in the tank for now.

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SECOND ENTRY:  1hour until activation of Omega 4 Relay

Oh yeah, I opened the tank.  And now I have a Krogan.

We’ll be at the Omega 4 Relay in about an hour, and we’re going through it.  The Collectors attacked my ship, abducted my crew.  We have the Reaper IFF, we can get through; luck, skill and my father’s talismanic words willing, we can get back.

I’ve done the soul searching; I’ve done the deep thinking.  I’ve sent messages to Kaidan and to Anderson letting them know we’re going through the Relay.  I’ve thought about what I’ll say to the team in about half an hour.  I’ve got nothing left to do.  So I sat down and opened my Journal.

And realized that I had forgotten to say anything about Grunt.  Oops?

I opened the tank.  And I met Grunt.  As a result of meeting Grunt, I got to kill a thresher maw.

Grunt is a valuable member of the team and will surely kill a metric shit-ton of Collectors this day.

Grunt is not Wrex.  For a long time I tried to make him be Wrex.  He…resisted.  The simple fact is, he’s not Wrex.

I miss Wrex.