Dr. Karin Chakwas

Dr. Karin Chakwas is the main doctor on board the SSV *Normandy*, and has served on all of her iterations. Chakwas appears to be a cool and clever thinker under pressure, but as Shepard has said repeatedly- "Everything is scared of Karin Chakwas".

## Mass Effect

### Mass Effect

Dr. Chakwas was chosen to serve on board the *Normandy* SR-1, being an accomplished and seasoned doctor who had survived through the liberation of Shanxi and the Skyllian Blitz. She kept herself abreast of all the crewmembers health, keeping a special eye on Kaidan Alenko due to his L2 configuration complications, and Joker's Vrolik syndrome.

### Post Mass Effect

Dr. Chakwas survived the destruction of the first *Normandy* in 2183. Afterwards, she was assigned a post at the Mars Naval Medical Center- a prestigious post, but she missed life aboard a starship. When Cerberus contacted Chakwas to recruit her to serve aboard the new *Normandy* SR-2, she took a proper leave of absence. She also reached out to the first Normandy's Chief Engineer Greg Adams, but Adams refused to join her.

### Mass Effect 2

Dr. Chakwas met the recently resurected Commander Shepard on board the new Normandy and explained to her that the good doctor didn't work for Cerberus- she worked for the commander, and that she trusted Shepard would be ethical in her dealings with Cerberus.

Shepard would later pick up a bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy on Omega to replace the private reserves Chakwas had lost with the original *Normandy*. The two women would enjoy the bottle together as Chakwas opened up about why she had agreed to work with Cerberus, and that Joker and Shepard herself provided stability to Chakwas. After recovering, Chakwas asked Shepard to make sure that they would share a bottle together every year from then on.

Chakwas was one of the crew kidnapped when the Collectors ambushed the Normandy while Shepard and her squad were away. Shepard and her team immediately pursued the Collectors beyond the Omega 4 Relay to rescue them. Chakwas would later tell the Commander that she and Jeff were "the truest friends" she'd ever had.

### Post Mass Effect 2

When the *Normandy* SR-2 was impounded, the Alliance found that they had no clue what to do with Chakwas. Although there was the possibility of charging her as an accessory if Shepard was convicted as a war criminal, she had never officially been a part of Cerberus and she had a proper leave of absence from her previous job. Eventually, Chakwas ended up working at an Alliance R&D lab in the Citadel's Shalta Ward.

### Mass Effect 3

Hearing the news regarding the Reaper's invasion of Earth and that Kaidan Alenko had been taken to Huerta Memorial Hospital, Chakwas rushed over to provide assistance. The newly reinstated Shepard discovered her there, speaking to Dr. Michel. Shepard immediately invited her to return to the *Normandy*, which the doctor gratefully accepted. Chakwas had no regrets about using Cerberus' resources- depriving them of their best ship and some of their most talented personnel in the process, but the war placed an incredible strain on her. Chakwas being the last in a long line of medical professionals watched many friends she had throughout the Alliance fall as the Reaper War ground on. She later admitted to Engineer Adams that she lied about how her abduction by the Collectors affected her to try to put on a brave face.

Though a full year had not yet elapsed, Chakwas insisted on sharing their bottle of Ice Brandy early, though she more wisely tempered her drinking this time, having learned her lesson on Shepard being able to drink a krogan under the table.

Dr. Chakwas had intended to attended the party Shepard threw at the apartment Anderson had gifted her, but a last minute medical emergency consult elsewhere on the Citadel demanded her attention. Samantha Traynor relayed her apologies Shepard for missing the party, and sent along some alcohol for the party- which Traynor drank.

Chakwas was on board the *Normandy* during her escape from the Crucible firing at the end of the Battle of London.

## Every One That Asketh

While the landing was rough, Chakwas was able to care for the crew to the best of her ability after the *Normandy* crashed on an uncharted world. The doctor tested the local flora and fauna for thing that were safe to eat, and dug through Mordin Solus' old files to piece together an enzyme cocktail to supplement their dextro-amino rations.