I will never forget the first time I truly understood the extent of the gift that was given to me in the Citadel. 

The first task I was given by the Overseers was to find a way to improve the circuitry of the Ethereal optical augment. I was having some issues getting a nano circuit to correctly pass a current and thought that I needed a better flux to solder the circuit properly to get the energy to flow efficiently. Looking through the Citadel stores I realized that we did not have anything finer in storage and decided to see if there was anything available in the foundry district bazaar. The idiots in charge of stock were going to get a piece of my mind, and perhaps the pointed end of my dagger.

I had not been outside of the Citadel since my inauguration into Guardianship and was caught slightly unprepared to meet the masses of commoners teeming in the squares of New Paris. 

Inside the Citadel special treatment is predicated on the grade of your Halo bestowed by the Overseers. My Halo was a lowly level one grade and I was treated as lesser for it. However on the bustling streets of New Paris, where guardians rarely tread and often left behind a trail of blood and tears when they did venture out, even a level one grade was given a wide berth. Out of terror or respect it did not matter.

I noticed that each of the commoners had a flurry of energy coursing through their systems, especially fear as I drew near, and was intrigued. The energy seemed to be tied into emotions and each emotion had a different “flavour” where the energy would concentrate into a certain part of their brain and would grow with the intensity of their myriad emotions.

This came as a revelation to me as the other Guardians in the Citadel were often so coolly intent on the tasks they had been given that strong emotions were an extreme rarity within the Citadel walls.

As I was pondering what this epiphany could mean I came into the foundry district bazaar. Quickly I located a vendor that was selling the quality flux I was looking for and began to barter with the man.

Initially I did not pay much mind to the energy inside the man’s biology. That is until I noticed that the energy that was initially present in his brain  seemed to shift to another part of his brain as he was haggling. I put the pieces together and realized that the energy would shift whenever the vendor made a statement regarding the quality of his product.

Was this energy shift due to pride in his product? I thought it best to test my hypothesis.

During one particularly boastful statement I cut the man off asking if he had a family perhaps. The energy that had been growing in his brain was instantly extinguished and the part of his mind I had associated with fear flared to life with a blazing intensity and he vehemently denied any such relations. That was interesting.

I asked the man if it would be upsetting if something were to happen to his children. He instantly offered the flux I had been haggling for as a gift to the Citadel. With his eternal gratitude for the protection offered by the Guardians.

I pondered the exchange as I walked back to the Citadel. This ability that had been given to me had potential and I was determined to use it to its maximum.

Alexander Motus, Guardian # 51