Mass Effect 2: Vindication
**Author's Notes:**
I must make a few things clear to everyone who is kind enough to take a look at my novel.
This is the third version of this novel but actually the secondary publishing. Secondly, although the key characters are Miranda Lawson and Shepard, everyone else on the squad does have a fairly decent amount of dialogue. Thanks to some new filters the site installed, that option is now available. Thirdly, there is some infidelity that occurs at a few points in this novel, however, if you would like some context into why this happened, I urge you to read "Cultivation". It will enlighten you as to why some of these decisions were made; a character that does not have flaws is rather lackluster.
So for those of you who do not like Miranda Lawson and are reading, there are some sections you can gloss over without doing a disservice to yourself.
Please excuse the naughty language every now and then, but it was quite necessary for a character like Jack.
The battle scene that happens later on…um…I'm not sure how far in advance the writers of ME3 had their stuff planned, but I swear, this was completely coincidental. I actually finished writing "Vindication" in early 2011 but couldn't get around to editing it until later. And I hope I do the characters justice. Thanks for reading and the reviews given are duly appreciated.
Chapter One
Orbit of Mindoir, Normandy SR-2, Shepard's Quarters, 1930h
Yeoman Kelly Chambers swept her strawberry hair behind her ears and rapped on the entrance three times. She didn't expect to be invited up to her commanding officer's quarters. Although he remained cordial and sanguine with his crew in public, it was seldom that he requested anyone's presence in private. About two weeks before they went through the Omega 4 Relay, she had finally been able to convince him to a têtê a têtê. She was the one who initiated about seventy-five percent of the conversation during the dinner, and it was only when she spoke about her previous career on Omega that he even showed any keen interest.
Finally, she had something extensive to write about to the Illusive Man about Shepard's character. He definitely was focused on the mission and would certainly have no qualms about sacrificing himself for the good of humanity.
There had previously been quite a few messages from Miranda Lawson regarding her lack of reports to him about Shepard's psychological state, but…for some odd reason…her communications tapered off after they had made a second trip to Nos Astra on Illium. As the ship's unofficial psychologist, Kelly launched a subtle investigation. Why would Miranda Lawson suddenly change her priorities? She chose only the best informants for the task, namely Kasumi and Hawthorne.
The shuttle pilot Hawthorne gave her his reports in the crew mess just after a mission and his habitual pint or two of batarian ale. Kelly caught Kasumi when she could after a mission in the med bay. The thief joked about every little flirt she witnessed the two of them make and stated that they'd make a fine couple.
Every now and then, Dr. Karen Chakwas also dropped a few hints about the change in Miranda Lawson and the Commander's behavior, but whenever Kelly directly questioned her, Chakwas never said more than one or two sentences at most afterward. The doctor held the utmost respect for Shepard's privacy. Kelly had more than enough facts to connect the dots together; the two of them were certainly surpassing their professional boundaries.
She was about to send confirmation of her suspicions about Miranda and Shepard's relationship to the Illusive Man…until the Collectors boarded the Normandy.
Chambers immediately deleted the detailed account from her terminal once she learned why Shepard cut his ties with Cerberus.
The hydraulic doors opened with a hiss, and she tentatively took a step forward. One second later, she found her voice. "Commander, you wanted to see me?"
Shepard turned around from his personal terminal to face her and smiled briefly. "Please, come in, Chambers. Actually, we all did." He motioned her attention to Jacob Taylor and Miranda Lawson, who were sitting around his table on the couch. She sat across from them, while Shepard stood.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of this friendly little chat?"
"Camouflage it however you'd like, Chambers, I wouldn't exactly call this a social occasion," Miranda argued.
"Then what do you call it? She is the shrink the Illusive Man hired to keep us in line so that we don't go whacking one another off," Jacob retorted and crossed his legs. "If you call it a tea party, I want whatever you're smoking, Miranda."
"Apparently, a few of us still have some issues."
Shepard chuckled at their banter. Even though Jacob and Miranda's relationship soured long ago, he enjoyed hearing their banter. It reminded him of those fencing matches he had when he was training at the Alliance Academy. "Easy, people. We're all friends here." He scratched the back of his head nervously. "Yeoman, I've never been really one to sit down and talk about my feelings. I've bottled them up for so long, and it seemed like enlisting with the Alliance would end all of my troubles back in the day…"
"But your past has still followed you," Chambers finished.
Shepard sighed in surrender. "Yeah, and visiting home didn't help out as much as I thought it would." He began to pace the room back and forth slowly. "They made a memorial to me, for crying out loud."
"You sacrificed a lot. Mindoir wanted to recognize it the best way that they could." Kelly tilted her head to one side as she studied him. "Does it embarrass you?"
"A little. I'm just still angry that I couldn't save my parents…I failed them."
"Failed them? You were just a kid back then. What could you have done?" Miranda butted in.
"I…" Shepard trailed off and rubbed his forehead. His pacing became more intense.
"Well, my parents are both dead. I know what you mean," Jacob nodded.
"Jacob, your father is still alive, rotting in an Alliance prison," Shepard spat and made eye contact with him. "Doesn't he send you messages?"
"He's dead to me, Shepard. Whoever he is now doesn't concern me, and no amount of stupid letters from him could ever make him a father to me."
"Have you thought about forgiveness, Jacob?" Chambers' tender voice suddenly cut through the bitter conversation like a machete. "While you still have the chance to speak to him?"
"We're done now," Jacob stated and set his teeth angrily. He rose from the couch and stormed out of the room to the elevator.
Shepard stopped pacing and sat down next to Miranda on the couch. He shook his head in wonder and amazement. "Did he ever speak to you about what we found on Aeia, Yeoman?"
"He wouldn't elaborate past saying that his father played king of the castle for way too long," she informed them and shook her head dejectedly. Kelly decided to shift the conversation tactfully in a new direction with a bold question. "Might I ask, sir…have you been able to speak with any other relatives or survivors? Maybe sharing your feelings with them would help you."
"I was an only child, and all my parents' siblings lived off-world. I met my dad's sister once on Eden Prime when we took a vacation." He hung his head. "She didn't survive the geth attack two and a half years ago."
"You've seen so much loss. I wish I could truly do more than…I'm truly sorry, Commander." The therapist arose and touched his shoulder. Miranda's stormy irises followed her hand, made contact with Kelly's verdant tones, and that was enough to make her quickly withdraw it. The mood was so tense and emotional that the sound of a pin dropping to the floor would likely have set everyone upon edge.
Chamber's voice brought him back to reality as she realized that her presence was not so welcome anymore. "Are we finished for this session, Commander?"
"I believe so, Yeoman, thank you. That'll be all," Shepard's baritone voice enveloped both women. He lifted his head and gave her a beam. It was nearly as welcoming as a cup of hot chocolate on a cold night-that smile of his could melt any woman's heart.
"All right, then. If you'll excuse me, I'll be joining the others in the mess for Sgt. Gardner's latest masterpiece. I'm so glad you bought those supplies on the Citadel last month. Who knows what fire we'll be stepping into tomorrow?" She laughed and pressed the button for the elevator.
Once his quarters' doors closed, Miranda's hand tapped Shepard's thigh. "Actually, some food does sound rather tempting at the moment." Her eyebrows raised. "Shall we join her?"
Shepard's lips pursed together in thought, and his gaze lingered upon her genetically modified but nearly too damn perfect body. Is this truly mine?
"No," he gave her a lascivious grin, "I'll order in tonight."
"Oh really? Something on your mind that you'd like to discuss, Commander?" she returned his rogue smile.
He strolled over to the intercom on his desk next to his private terminal and pressed the button. "Hello, Commander, Mess Sergeant Gardner here. What can I do for you?"
"What's on the menu tonight?" Shepard questioned him.
"Oh, just a few things. I made some tapas with pesto sauce and mozzarella cheese, salmon stuffed with goat cheese, Italian wedding soup with meatballs, and if you don't care for the seafood tonight, I made some pesto chicken with extra garlic, just the way you love it," he added. "Can I expect you down here in the mess soon? Everybody's here asking about you."
"Please send some of that up to my quarters…for two, along with my apologies to everyone in mess for not being there tonight."
"Oh-ho! Anything else…perhaps you're thirsty for something of the grape or grain?"
"I trust you, Gardner. Your taste hasn't let me down yet."
"Coming right up in five, Commander."
"You know, I have my suspicions that he's re-installed those bugs I cleaned out from Cerberus two weeks ago," Miranda shook her head.
"What makes you think that?"
"This is a small ship, and he's a lonely man away from his family. Need I say more?"
Reality dawned upon Shepard like a bad hangover, and he wished he hadn't brought up the subject. He cleared his throat nervously. "No, that won't be necessary. I have a good imagination…a little too good, sometimes. You uh, wanna take a sweep before the food gets here?"
"Why bother? He'll probably have some more stashed in the serving carts," she said with a noncommittal shrug.
"Okay, now you are way too paranoid."
"That, or I don't care what other people think of us." She got up from the couch and came exceedingly close to his ear. "Not since our relationship was made a public broadcast, at least," she whispered.
He rolled his eyes as he remembered their first encounter.
The hum of the engines still sent shivers down his spine, and he never really recovered from that one last blow she dealt the both of their bodies. He wasn't sure if it was that coupled with the drive core or if he had let his guard down because he treated her like a member of the weaker gender. Thanks to the miracle of biotics, physical strength was no longer an issue between men and women. In a way, it made him start to ponder just who was really in charge of their relationship?
Joker's annoyed voice had come over the entire ship's P.A. asking why the hell the aft thrusters' drive outputs suddenly spiked, and Tali sarcastically asked him to check with Miranda, since she insisted upon clearing the engine room for an hour.
Before Shepard's mind could delve further into the topic, the doors opened to his quarters, and in walked Gardner with a linen covered serving cart with silver plated lids and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc in an ice bucket. Two chilled glasses sat across from two perfectly set pieces of fine China with silverware.
"I…uh…almost feel like I should give you a few credits or something. Thanks a lot, Gardner," Shepard sheepishly smiled and patted Gardner on the back.
"I'm glad you mentioned that, Shepard. I've got a favor to ask." The bald-headed man straightened up and put the cart in the center of the room.
"Name it."
"Next week, my sister is due to be having her third kid, and well, I'd rather not have to spend it in deep space, Shepard…"
"How long do you need for a furlough?" Shepard wondered and poured the wine into the glasses.
"Three weeks, if that's all right with you. That's not too much to ask, is it? I could make some extra rations if need be..." Gardner wiped his hands with a dish towel from his back pocket.
"Take four, if you'd like it, Gardner. We'll miss your grub, though."
"You're the best, Commander. Tomorrow, I'll make whatever you'd like for all three meals." Gardner shook Shepard's hand firmly and left.
One wine bottle later…
Shepard asked for another libation to come up to his cabin-this time, Kasumi brought it up. It was almost a little too disturbing, actually, because she appeared right next to his bed with it. "Care for a bit more inspiration, Shep?" she joked as she made herself visible.
Both Miranda and Shepard nearly spilled their glasses over in shock. Thankfully, Kasumi had the reflexes of a panther, and she caught them both with one hand. "Sorry. I couldn't help myself. Promise I won't interrupt you again like this," she laughed and returned the glasses to the table in front of the couch.
"Just how long does that cloaking field of yours work?" Shepard called to her as she started to leave.
She snickered even more and disappeared. "You'll never know, will you?"
"She hasn't stolen anything from anyone, has she?" He eyed Miranda, who shrugged nonchalantly.
"If she has, no one's reported it. I had Mordin install a cloaked trip field that activates itself in my cabin when I hit the lights at night." She pulled the cork out and refilled their glasses to the brim again.
His words started to pour out more slowly. "Have you ever thought about…going back home…to Earth?"
"Why do you ask?" Miranda took a long sip from her glass and studied its contents.
"Because it's been a few years for me. I know you're from Australia. That place sounds exciting. What were the name of those animals that hop around the wilderness with pouches?"
"Kangaroos, Shepard," she nearly giggled. The wine was starting to go to her head now as well. "And they're a blight on the cities, too, unfortunately. They're still a problem, so much so that in fact, the authorities will give out cash rewards to anyone who brings them in." She paused to think for a moment and put her glass down away from herself. "You're saying that you actually want us to go there?"
"Well…is there somewhere else better?"
"Yeah, actually, there is. How about New Zealand? It's right next door and three times as scenic, especially in December." Miranda crossed her legs and reclaimed her glass. "Besides, none of my father's cronies can afford to live in New Zealand. It's very expensive."
"Sounds good, Miranda. Let's set a date. What time of the year is it in Earth now?"
"It is the month of October, and the current day is the 19th. The Earth week makes today a Thursday, named after the mythical Norwegian god Thor," boomed EDI's voice from the intercom system.
Miranda rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Don't you have a damned mute button for that thing, Shepard?"
"I must apologize for the disturbance, Ms. Lawson and Shepard. A rather urgent message has just been sent to your private terminal."
"Reason number 65 why Joker shouldn't have unshackled the bloody AI," Miranda grumbled as Shepard arose from the sofa. "Doesn't she know the meaning of the word propriety?"
"It's my fault, Miranda. I gave Chambers the night off; she must have asked EDI to assume her duties," he reasoned.
"Propriety, coming from Old Middle English, French, and Latin roots, meaning social graces, formalities, conventional behavior, decorum, respectability, protocol, politeness…" EDI continued.
"Thank you, EDI," Shepard raised his hand to cut her off and sighed happily. Not only has this AI saved my life multiple times but also my sanity. "I'll read it right now." He went to his terminal and typed in his password to his mail account. His new message was flagged in red and apparently had an audio attachment. "Open file," he demanded in as flat of a tone as possible.
"Shepard, it's Liara. I must apologize for the tardiness of my report, but quite a few more unusual things happened this week. Cerberus just tried and failed to construct a human Reaper to a man by the name of Grayson. They called it the "Darwin Project". Fortunately, he was killed before he could endanger the galaxy, but your former superior, David Anderson, quit the Council as a result of this incident. Ambassador Udina has immediately begun to campaign for Anderson's seat, as has the Terra Firma party," the audio recording began.
"Idiots," Miranda mumbled and Shepard hushed her with a finger to his lips.
"Charles Saracino's name has come under their banner under traditionalist or as you would say, conservative support, while another name, Elias Kelham, has come up for non-traditional or liberal support. If you could drop by the Broker base tonight, I can give you some more information. I'd just rather not discuss it over unsecured channels. I look forward to seeing you again, Shepard," her husky voice cooed.
"Shepard, don't take this the wrong way, but," Miranda sighed, "I'm still not a fan of that asari. I don't think she's moved on from you."
"Are you worried that she's going to try and steal me away from you?" Shepard's eyebrow cocked upward.
"No. I have the utmost confidence that she wouldn't dare." The folds of her mouth came together, and she ran her lower set of teeth along her upper lip. "Or that you'd even think about doing something like that."
"Uh…" He ran his hand over the back of his neck. "Believe me, that ship has sailed, so to speak."
"Good to know that I've got the savior of the galaxy right where I want him." She finished her glass while making complete eye contact with him. "She said she wanted to meet with you tonight, didn't she?"
"Yeah, if that's okay."
"Of course," her expression lightened briefly, but then went completely dark. Miranda got up from the sofa, sashayed over to him, and snaked a hand down his chest. "Dessert," she rustled, "can wait until later." Her hand traveled further downward and made him slightly gasp. The wine was now starting to go to his head.
With two very swift movements, one hand covered hers, while the other seized hold of her arm, and closed the distance between them. Their mouths were literally centimeters apart as he flicked the tip of his tongue over the top of her lips ever so slightly. "Keep the coals stoked, Lawson. I'm not done with you yet."
Her fingers closed around him possessively and squeezed just enough to elicit a short growl from him. "Nor I you." She whispered this last statement into his ear and gently pulled his lobe in with her lips. His body responded subtly with his biotics, titillating her tongue as she rolled it on his flesh. She activated her own implant but focused her energy solely upon her hands. With that action, the back of his throat rumbled again into her jaw.
Suddenly, she released him and pulled away from his embrace. Before she strolled towards his cabin door, she turned to give him one last sultry stare. "You…might want to wait a few minutes before going down to the shuttle bay, Commander. I believe the southern province has arisen in high hopes." He followed her gaze and chuckled. "And I would recommend taking someone with you this time."
"Always concerned about your pet project, Ms. Lawson?"
"Caution is not cowardly, Commander. Carelessness is not courage, and you damn well know that I don't have the patience for a reckless attitude." Her smile disappeared, and her jaw twisted to one side.
He sighed in defeat and agreed. "Can't argue with Lawson logic."
"I'll win hands down every time, you know that."
"Oh, yeah?"
"Don't you remember our last quiet moment?" Miranda stepped into the elevator.
Shepard wiped a hand over his forehead. "Wow, it's hot in here."
"The temperature is a mild twenty-three degrees Celsius, Shepard. The air-conditioning systems have full functionality," EDI suddenly announced.
"Glad to hear it, EDI. Get a message down to Garrus and Jack. I'd like for them to come with me ASAP."
"As you say, Shepard."