Chapter 173: Locusts and Quail

### Summary

Dr. Chakwas has no insights into why Shepard has been having visions, but her advice is the same as many people trying to keep Shepard herself from imploding: *Don’t Push It:* a mantra Shepard is slowly starting to doubt.

On board the rachni ship Complex Melody in Rushing Wind, the assembled group discuss the logistics of Shepard’s covert trip to Earth. Shepard reluctantly accepts the need for a decoy and for Garrus to stay behind given the anti-alien sentiment would make a turian stick out like a sore thumb. That evening’s visions show Shepard the destruction of a nameless people, and Shepard prepares to catalog the lost race using the memory shards.

Escorted by Miranda and Jack, Shepard first visits a raloi aid shelter in the South American continent. After assisting with unloading supplies for the refugees, Shepard speaks to those who have come looking for assistance. Ik’ran wisely does not allow too many from any political group to gather in an effort to prevent trouble. Not all are happy to see her, but only one person speaks out against her.

That evening, the trio visit the Sunrise House orphanage, located in the North American continent, deep in Minos territory. Shepard greets some of the children: young Annabel (who gives her a hug), teenaged Tyrell DeMarcus (who dreams of working on the Citadel one day), and five-year old Rosie- who wants to know what Shepard is going to do about saving them and Minos. Shepard’s child-friendly talk about why she doesn’t kill everyone who disagrees with her is interrupted by the human-centrist group in question, having gotten wind of Shepard’s presence there.

Headed up by Lieutenant Sentzke, a force of at least two dozen demand Shepard be turned over to them. At their refusal, a firefight breaks out- one which Shepard is forced to join without her hardsuit. When Minos attempts to fire on the orphanage, Shepard intercedes- with prejudice.

### Title Meaning

Locusts and quail show up as food sources in the Bible for those wandering . John the Baptist ate wild honey and locusts, while the Israelites in their fourty year journey in the desert were provided quail by God after his people became frustrated with only having manna to eat. It is notable that in both cases that while the food was provided, there was still work required by those for whom it was given to gather and distribute to those in need.

Locusts also show up in the Old Testament/ Torah as one of the plagues unleashed by God unto Egypt in Exodus 10: 4-6:

> 4 If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow.
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> 5 They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. They will devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields.
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> 6 They will fill your houses and those of all your officials and all the Egyptians—something neither your parents nor your ancestors have ever seen from the day they settled in this land till now.’ ” Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh.
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Locusts are seen over and over as devouring creatures- causing huge damage but leaving mysteriously. John the Babtist eating locusts is a reversal of this- instead of the crops he has sown being eaten by insects, John traverses the wilderness and eats the locust instead.
Quail precede the first arrival of manna in the book of Exodus. In the book of Numbers, quail are used to provide meat to the Israelites, but also are a precursor to doom. When Moses complains to God about the grumbling of those sick of eating manna, The Lord tells Moses in Numbers 11:18-20:

> 18 “Tell the people: ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The LORD heard you when you wailed, “If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now the LORD will give you meat, and you will eat it.
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> 19 You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days,
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> 20 but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it—because you have rejected the LORD, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?” ’ ”
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The people are further cursed with a plague while eating the quail.

Much of the chapter of "Locusts and Quail" have to do with the cost and the fallout for getting the refuges supplies for their survival.