Ellis decided that now would be the best time for something he'd been putting off, cold dread seeping into his heart every time he thought about it. "NERO, prepare a message. For my brother."

[i]"Recording."[/i]

"Deactivate external speakers."

[i]"Muted."[/i]

"Jeb. It's been a while. Ummm... How's work? Oh, that's idiotic. Jeb, you have every right to be ashamed of me. You have every right to hate me for what I became and who I followed and what I believed in. I- I think I may have been wrong. About it all. I met people. Non human people. They've shown me kindness and courage. I never saw that before. Not like this. Pity, yes. Respect in their fear, yes. But never like this. An Asari woman bought me drinks last night. I went to nightclubs with her and her friends. I never had friends before. Not like this. I joined up with an Alliance force, a team of peacekeepers. They're headed up by a Turian. He is... forgiving, to say the least. I didn't deserve to be a part of this. Hell, I thought it was the opposite. The message was so secretive, I was certain it related to an assassination or some kind of terrorism, or, fuck, I don't even know. 

[i]Tell him about the Krogan.[/i]

There's two Krogans on the team, too. They are nothing like I was always told. They are kind, they are understanding, and above it all, they have a sort of... wisdom that I cannot ignore. 

[i]Tell him about the husks. The Cerberus mech. The battle. [/i]

I... I wanted to impress them. I ended up throwing myself into more trouble than I could handle. We fought Husks yesterday, Jeb. I fought Husks. I'd never seen them like that. They were so... aggressive. I'd never seen them much outside of the holding tanks we kept in the labs. I never realized how... terrifying and endless and hopeless and unstoppable they were." Tears welled up, stinging his eyes, to be absorbed into the aerogel that held his body afloat. "We sent them to civilian settlements, Jeb. We indoctrinated children. We killed innocent people just because we had the power. Now I understand. Now I've seen our works thrown back against me." Ellis leaned against the banister in front of the station steps, to the world, a silent mass of black metal with a white kneecap and arm, a panda bear of sorts. Inside, he sobbed to the recording. "We were monsters, Jeb we were monsters... All I ever wanted was a normal life back. I just wanted my chance back. I never wanted this. I NEVER WANTED THIS, JEB. YOU HAVE TO KNOW! YOU HAVE TO! Fuck... I don't know why- I just... Please forgive me, Jeb. You're my brother. I miss you." His choking sobs subsided, and he regained his composure, slowly but surely. "End recording. Send message."

[i]"Transmit successful. Receipt successful."[/i]

A Turian woman approached, arms crossed and a look on her face like she was vaguely disgusted at what she'd found, asking about Partinax and Anderson, identifying herself as a medic. "NERO, reactivate external audio output. Volume at twelve percent." Then he addressed the newcomer. "They aren't here, yet. They should be soon." He said, plainly, if a bit curt.

He turned toward the forklift, and gently, tenderly, lifted Vella from her friend's lap. He carried up the steps, and into the station, to wait at the landing pad with her for the rest of the team, wizard hat and cape flowing in the breeze. 

[i]Better wash your carapace when you're done.[/i]

Ellis did not respond.