Mass Effect: Post Bellum
A pair of Alliance soldiers were walking along the Citadel, searching for any survivors who may not have been found yet. They sighed, as they found yet another unchecked corpse pile. The first one shouted, "Is anyone alive in there?"
When no response came the first one sighed, and said, "Guess we're going to have to move the bodies to make sure that it isn't just someone not talking to us." before lifting the first corpse. They continued to move the bodies for ten minutes, before moving on, having found no survivors.
They continued to walk through the mostly abandoned station. They were wearing standard Alliance armor, except they had their breather helmets on because the life support on the Citadel was unstable following the firing of the Crucible.
According to both the geth and Shepard's ship's AI what the Crucible had done had been it sought out anything producing the Indoctrination signal, and when it came into contact with that, completely destroyed the source.
The two continued to walk through the dark hallways of the station, when it shook a little. The severity of its damages had been made worse when they had moved it through the relay network back to the Widow System.
As they continued to walk through the hallway, they found themselves standing in a small alcove which overlooked the wards. Sitting there, looking as if they were just sleeping, were Commander Shepard and Councilor Anderson. The second man said, "See, I told you it was a good idea to check that tunnel."
"God, look at what happened to Shepard's armor. It looks like it melted." the first said, examining the woman. After checking for a pulse on both, he said, "They're dead."
"We should tell Command we found Shepard and request a pickup."
"I already sent the Captain a message. He's sending a shuttle for pickup."
-=0=-
Thirty-five minutes later, Hackett stood quietly in a conference room with the few other Alliance Admirals who had survived the war. He said, "We just received news about Shepard. Her body has been recovered, but she died from injuries sustained during the final run."
"What about Anderson?" Admiral Forsk asked.
"Shot by the Illusive Man." Hackett said, turning to Hannah Shepard, and saying, "I'm sorry, Hannah."
She said, "This isn't the first time Cynthia has died. Cerberus found a way to bring her back. So can we."
"With the recovery efforts, we can't divert resources to do that." Hackett said, looking at Hannah apologetically.
Then, Admiral Dodonna said, "What if we don't put Alliance resources towards restoring her, but rather put individuals who worked with Cerberus on the task?"
"None of them could be trusted." Hackett said.
Hannah said, "There are some that Cynthia trusted. One of them, the former second-in-command, Miranda Lawson, restored her before. If we can find her, we can offer her pardon for her crimes in exchange for restoring Cynthia."
Hackett said, "Shepard trusted this woman?"
"Yes, Steven." Hannah replied, "When she and I spoke while she was imprisoned on earth, she said that if she was going into hell and could only have one person watching her back, it would be Ms. Lawson."
Hackett was silent for a moment, then said, "That's enough of an endorsement for me to trust her. I'll send people out to find her.
-=0=-
Miranda sighed, as she collapsed into the small home she and Oriana shared, struggling to hold back tears. She had just checked the news, and Cynthia's body had been found. Her body, not her. The Commander was dead again.
As her little sister walked into the room, Miranda just broke down. Tears flowed freely down her face. The younger Lawson asked, "What's wrong, 'Randa?"
"I'm just being a bloody fool." Miranda replied.
"You don't cry over being dumb, 'Randa. What's wrong?"
"Shepard's dead."
"Oh no..." the younger Lawson said, "Wait, didn't you resurrect her before?"
"Yes, back when I had four billion credits to pour into her. Now I don't have anywhere near that much."
"What about the credits lying about in... his accounts."
"I'm not going to take that bloody bastard's money again, Ori."
"He's dead, 'Randa. Why not put your inheritance to good use? I know how close you and Shepard were."
"What are you talking about?" Miranda asked.
"Oh please, you two were so obvious it was painful. You tried so hard, but neither of you could hide the fact that whenever you laid eyes on the other, you would just start smiling. You love Shepard, so why let your stubbornness ruin your life by leaving her dead?"
"I'd still need to get her body to resurrect her again. And a team to help me with the process. And resources that are currently being reserved for the restoration of th galaxy."
"You're smart, 'Randa. You could figure something out." Oriana said, as someone knocked on the door.
"I'll get that." Miranda sighed, as she stood up.
"Okay." Oriana said, as she shook her head.
The former Cerberus Agent walked to the door, and opened it. Standing on the other side was a large Alliance Marine. He stood there in standard Alliance dress blues, and said, "Hey, Legs, the Alliance brass want to see you."
Miranda sighed, and thought, 'Of bloody course, it's that Vega idiot Shepard had on her team. And the Alliance brass are after me? I guess that this time they decided to start working on destroying everything that Cynthia cared about right at the start. And, it bloody figures her pardon of all of the Cerberus personnel who worked on the SR2 would be where they start.' before saying, "So, they confirm she's dead and immediately start going after her friends who used to work for Cerberus, is that it?"
"Nope. Hackett wouldn't say much, but I think it's about Shepard. He did tell me that the Alliance is not going to come after you. Something about not wanting Shepard to return as a god to destroy the Alliance. He seems to think Lola really likes you."
Miranda sighed, and said, "Just take me to Hackett. But let me warn you, Vega, if this is a trap. I will kill you and hang your corpse from the top of the Statue of Liberty. Are we clear?"
"Yeah, Legs. No need to be so grouchy."
"I've been on the run from the Alliance for the past six months because they thought it was a good idea to arrest Shepard and anyone who worked with her in Cerberus just because Cerberus is turrurist organization. The fear mongering of your leaders has somewhat tarnished my image of the Alliance."
"Did you really just say turrurist?"
"If you ever mention it to anyone I will flay you alive." Miranda replied.
-=0=-
Vega stepped into Hackett's office with Miranda, and said, "Sir."
The Admiral turned around and said, "Good work, Lieutenant Vega. You can return to your post."
"Got it, Sir." he replied, before walking away.
Once he was out of the room and the door closed, Hackett said, "Ms. Lawson. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"I was told you wanted to see me, and that I wasn't going to be arrested. So, that has me wondering what you want from me."
"The Alliance wants you to resurrect Commander Shepard again. Since she already exonerated you for your previous actions, we don't have anything to really offer you, other than the opportunity to work with unlimited resources again."
"Where will I be working on her?" Miranda asked, looking Hackett in the eye.
"This way, Ms. Lawson." he replied, opening a second door in his office.
-=0=-
Miranda stood silently in the small room, where Admiral Hannah Shepard was sitting. The awkwardness of the situation so potent that you could cut it with an omni-blade. The Admiral sat behind her desk, simply looking at the young woman. Then, she said, "Ms. Lawson, Cynthia spoke quite highly of you."
"Why would Cynthia talk about me to you?"
"She was quite miserable when in that prison on earth. I often visited her, because she's my daughter. You were the only thing she would talk about was you. Nothing else even crossed her mind. She practically begged me to find a way to let you visit her."
Miranda sighed, and said, "I see. And you want to speak to me before I get to work on restoring her, why?"
"I wanted to meet the woman who my daughter fell in love with. To be sure that you could be trusted."
"What are you afraid I'll do?"
"I'm worried that you may still have some loyalty to Cerberus. That after all they'd done for you, that you will feel a debt to the few who remain, and give them control over my daughter."
"I'd sooner fight an entire army of krogan on my own than put a control chip in her." Miranda replied.
"She mentioned that you wanted to when you were originally reconstructing her."
"Back then I was a Cerberus loyalist. After what the Illusive Man had done for me I was blindly loyal to him and his organization. It was Cynthia who opened my eyes to what he was really like. That he was a power hungry maniac, instead of someone trying to advance humanity."
Hannah said, "I see. You can go to work in a moment. But first, I'd like to ask you something."
"What?"
"Do you actually have feelings for Cynthia, or was it all physical to you?"
"Why would you ask that?"
"Because, Cynthia loved you."
"I know, I'm asking why you would even question the fact that I love her." Miranda replied, sounding irritated.
"Cynthia's been hurt before, I want to be sure it won't happen again. If I didn't believe you're teling me the truth, I would put a bullet in your head the instant Cynthia is alive."
Miranda nodded, and asked, "Where is the operating room, and who will be my assistants?"
"Head down the corridor and you'll find a security door. Use the keycard you were given when you arrived, and it will scan your retinas and put them in the database. You'll need both to get into the area where Cynthia is."
Miranda nodded, and said, "Reasonable protocol. But, retina patterns can be copied fairly easily. And, even if you're being careful about the keycard, it could still get taken."
"What are you suggesting for security purposes?"
"Armed guards at the doors who couldn't be bought off."
"Everyone has a price."
"Not the people I have in mind." Miranda replied.
"Who are they, I'll see about having them brought here."
"One is a krogan by the name of Grunt. Another, a geth who goes by the name of Legion. Next, Garrus Vakarian. Ashley Williams, Tali Zorah Vas Normandy, an asari Justicar named Samara- she'll keep the others in line if they somehow forget their loyalty and consider accepting a bribe- and Zaeed Massani."
"The team from the Suicide Mission." Hannah said, "Smart. I'll send for them. Is there anything else you will need?"
"I'll need you to bring Professor Mordin Solus here from Tuchanka. He'll make an excellent assistant. And, make sure that the security mech mainframe is guarded day in and day out. The last time I brought Cynthia back, the mechs were sabotaged and I had to wake her before she was ready."
Hannah nodded, and said, "You'll have everything you need. Now go and see what you can do before they arrive."
"Of course." Miranda replied, leaving the room.
-=0=-
Stepping into the operating room where she would be fixing Shepard again was difficult for Miranda. As she walked in, and saw the Commander's burned and broken body, tears welled in her eyes. She forced herself to walk closer to the corpse of the woman she loved, and examine it. Immediately, she could tell that the armor Cynthia had been wearing must have melted into her skin, the outer layer of skin looked like it was almost entirely gone.
She sighed, it was going to take a while to put Cynthia back together. At least a year. She walked out, and started working on a list of medical supplies she would need.
-=0=-
A week later all the supplies and people Miranda had requested arrived. After explaining to them what was going on, and what they would be doing, she took Mordin to the operating room and explained to him that she had put clear instructions on how to work on Cynthia. The processes and procedures she had put the Commander through in the original Lazarus Project, she left to get some sleep.
-=0=-
She had spent nearly a year and a half working on the Commander. Rebuilding her. And, she still hadn't woken up. Her body was alive, there was rudimentary brain wave activity, but nothing else. Only the most basic functionality had returned to the woman. Miranda sighed, as she turned to leave the room. For eight months Shepard had been int his state. For eight long months Miranda had sought to restore her, but there had been nothing. No improvement whatsoever in the woman's mental activity.
So, she walked away. Turned to leave the room, and she planned to never return. Planned to go back to the house she had shared with Oriana and drowwn her sorrows in a bottle of ryncol.
She walked out. Left the building. When asked when she would return by Tali, she replied, "Later."
When she returned to the house she shared with Oriana, she sat down and opened the large bottle of krogan liquor she had purchased on the way back, and was about to take a swig, when she heard a voice say, "Miri, don't." she looked up, and saw Shepard standing there.
"Why not? Your body is alive, but you won't wake up. You're effectively brain dead. Only kept alive by machines."
The Commander laughed, and said, "Miri, you've always been so brilliant. Yet you don't see what mistake you've made? I'm shocked it's taken you and Mordin so long, and you haven't noticed it."
"What are you talking about?"
"Well I can't actually say what it is, I don't know. I'm just a figment of your sorrow, and almost-alcohol muddled mind. You know depe down that it's a simple mistake that you should notice. Something you did at the start to keep me from waking up too soon. So, why don't you put down the booze, and wake me up?"
Miranda was silent for a moment, then said, "Of course. Your implants sustained severe damage in the battle, and had to be replaced. The new ones I put in had an inhibitor mode that would keep you asleep until you were ready. That would explain the minimal brain wave activity."
Cynthia smiled, and said, "See, you just needed to have a little nudge in the right direction. Now come on, being comatose isn't very much fun."
"I'll be at the base in fifteen minutes." Miranda replied, leaving the bottle behind and sprinting into her skycar.
-=0=-
When Miranda sprinted into the facility, talking to herself, Tali asked, "Miranda, are you ok?"
"I'm fine." the Operative replied, her voice rushed as she went through the security checkpoint, and into the operating room where Shepard was.
Inside, she saw Mordin scanning Shepard, and the salarian said, "Hmm. No sign of anything keeping Shepard in this condition. Commander should be recovered."
"Mordin," Miranda said, "the inhibitors in her new implants. We forgot to turn them off."
"Surely we wouldn't have. Not amateurs."
"Trust me, Mordin, I know what I'm talking about." Miranda said, activating the terminal. After hunting down the folder where the controller for the inhibitors was, she opened it and said, "See, all of them are still active. If we shut them down steadily, she'll wake up."
The salarian looked at it, and said, "Getting old. Need to retire. Shouldn't have made that mistake."
"Neither of us should have. It just slipped our minds." Miranda replied, "Let's get to work on waking her up."
-=0=-
Two days later, Cynthia opened her eyes, and saw Miranda sitting beside her, smiling. She said, "Hey,"
"Hey." Miranda replied, the smile on her face growing larger.
"Miss me?" the Commander asked, her throat feeling dry.
"Immensely." Miranda replied, handing Cynthia a glass of water.
"It safe?"
"I've put it through a thousand or more tests, Cynthia. There isn't a single bacteria in this. And, with your new implants, you could survive drinking a bottle of anthrax water."
The Commander nodded, and said, "Can't be too cautious. Cerberus tried to assassinate me twice during the war. How's the galaxy?"
"Well on the way to recovery. The Citadel will take another decade or so to fix, since the Keepers were wiped out when the Crucible fired. Earth will take... a while longer. Probably somewhere around thirty years for complete recovery." Miranda said as she handed her love the glass of water. Cynthia took a drink, and said, "How are you?"
"I'm fine, now that you're up."
"How long did it take to fix me up?"
"About eight months. And then Mordin and I spent another eight months being fools who forgot that we had used inhibitors to keep you from waking up prematurely, since sedatives didn't work very well on you last time."
"That they did not. Can these inhibitors be used on me again?"
"No. They were extensions of your new implants, and were broken down by the repair nanites in your body after they were de-activated. I wasn't taking any chances that someone could hurt you."
"Are these based off reaper tech?"
"Only as much as most of modern technology is. It won't Indoctrinate you, Cynthia."
"Good." The Commander said, before scooting to the side on her bed, and asked, "Care to join me up here?"
Miranda laughed, and asked, "Wouldn't you rather go to where I've been staying, it has a much more comfortable bed."
"After being separated from you for so long, I just want to spend some time with you." The Commander said, extending a hand for the Operative to join her.
Miranda laughed, and accepted it. When she snuggled close to Shepard, the Commander said, "There, isn't that better?"
"Much." Miranda said, unable to keep the smile on her face a reasonable size.
Seeing the huge, almost idiotic, grin on Miranda's face, Cynthia laughed, and said, "God, you're gorgeous when you smile."
The Operative laughed, and kissed the Commander, before saying, "Thank you. With most people I'd just assume it was them only caring about my body."
Cyntha said, "You could be fat and disgusting, and I'd still love you for who you are."
"I know." Miranda replied.
"But, having you be gorgeous inside and out is definitely not something I'm gonna complain about."
"So, I don't have your permission to purposefully make myself morbidly obese?"
"With your genetic modification and biotics, could you even do that?"
"It would take a lot of effort." Miranda said, "But probably."
Cynthia closed her eyes for a moment, then said, "I can't imagine a fat you."
"Good." Miranda replied, kissing Cynthia again. "But, this bed is incredibly uncomfortable. Come on, I'll take you back to my place."
Cynthia laughed, and said, "Most women I've been with have demanded at least three dates before taking me to their place."
Miranda laughed, and said, "The great Commander Shepard can't close?"
"I'm too nice for my own good. I look for actual relationships, instead of just emotionless sex." Cynthia said, before she stood up, and picked Miranda up, carrying her bridal-style.
The raven-haired Australian smiled, as she buried her face in the crook of Cynthia's neck. They walked out of the room, and when Cynthia saw Tali, she said, "Tali! What are you doing wherever they've been reconstructing me."
"Making sure no one assassinates you to the point where you can't be resurrected again, Shepard." the quarian said. "It's good to see you back on your feet."
"It's good to be back on my feet. How's Kasumi?"
"She's been busy. Helping with the recovery efforts. I can tell she's really tired." the quarian replied.
Cynthia nodded, and said, "That's too bad. Tell her I said hi, and that in a few days Miri and I might pay you two a visit."
"Sure thing, Shepard." The quarian replied.
-=0=-
When they reached Miranda and Oriana's house, the younger Lawson said, "'Randa!"
"Mmm?" Miranda asked, her voice sleepy, as Cynthia picked her up.
"Shepard, what did you do to 'Randa?" Oriana asked, a playful smirk on her face.
"She's had a long day. Her endurance is way down from what I remember."
The Operative sleepily slapped Shepard, and said, "Don't talk to Ori like that."
Meanwhile, the younger Lawson just laughed, and said, "Shepard, you really need to clean that mind of yours."
"Awww... do I have to do what your little sister says?" Cynthia asked Miranda, who simply responded with the gentle sound of her breathing, having fallen asleep again.
"So," Oriana asked, "What actually happened to 'Randa?"
"It took us eight hours to get past everyone who wanted to talk to me at the place I was being restored. Then, there was another three hours talking Hackett into letting me retire. So, between that and the fact that she'd only slept a couple hours since they started doing what they needed to in order to wake me up, she's beat."
Oriana nodded, and said, "This way. I'm sure you two will want to get some rest."
Shepard nodded, as she followed Oriana into the house. Inside, the young Lawson guided her to a room, and said, "This is 'Randa's room. And yours too now."
Cynthia said, "Thanks. Sorry for showing up in the middle of the night just about to pass out." before stepping into the room.
"It's no problem. It was really sad to see 'Randa so depressed when she thought you were never going to come back."
Cynthia grimaced and said, "I made a mistake. I should have come at the Conduit from a different angle, so I didn't get shot by Harbinger. Then, this wouldn't have been necessary."
"Don't worry about it, Shepard. I think everyone is just glad that you're alive. Not many people have saved the galaxy."
"True." Cynthia replied, as she closed the door, and lay Miranda down on the bed, before lying down beside her.
-=0=-
When they both woke up, Miranda said, "Cynthia?"
"Yeah?" The Commander said, her voice inquisitive.
"Just making sure that yesterday wasn't just an incredibly good dream." The Operative said, turning to kiss Cynthia.
"It wasn't. I'm back, Miri. And this time, we don't have to worry about saving the galaxy. Just, let it rebuild on its own, while we live our lives."
"That sounds great." Miranda replied, then after looking thoughtful for a moment, said, "Let's get married."
Cynthia laughed, and said, "Aww, you beat me to popping the question."
"What?"
"Before I got shot by Harbinger, my plan was to propose to you when I found you like you told me."
Miranda nodded, and said, "So you aren't afraid to do it?"
"Not at all. I've known I want to spend the rest of my life for you since before we went through the Omega 4." Cynthia replied.
"Well, I suppose we should start making preparations. And, it might even help morale, to know that the hero who saved the galaxy is alive, and getting married."
"It might." Cynthia agreed. "And, even if it doesn't, it'll make us happy."
"So, any ideas on where you'd like to be married?"
"I know a place." Cynthia said.
-=0=-
Six months later, the two shared the first kiss of their married life in Shepard Memorial Plaza on Elysium. After they walked down the path, Garrus insisting that they let him provide the turian part of their wedding, as they'd agreed on having it include something from every galactic culture. A show of unity amongst the races of the galaxy had been Miranda's explanation for it when Cynthia asked why she suggested it, they were showered in ice cold water.
The two, now bitterly cold, women turned to the turian still wearing his tuxedo, and he said, "In turian cultures ice cold water is poured over the couple so that they have even more reason to get out of their clothes quickly. It originally came about during a time of severe population decline."
The two woman grimaced, and nodded at the turian, before slipping into the sky-limo which would drive them to the hotel they'd be staying at during their honeymoon.
Once they got inside, their clothes were quickly discarded, but before Miranda could slip into another outfit, Cynthia pinned her to the wall, and began kissing her passionately.
A few hours later, they fell asleep in each other's arms, exhausted. The next day they woke up, stepped out onto the balcony, and Cynthia said, "I love you, Miri."
"I love you too." the Operative replied.
-=0=-
Three years after their wedding, Cynthia and Miranda welcomed their first child into their home. They named him John, after Cynthia's father. Through the years he would grow into a strong young man, and join the Alliance military just as his mother had.
Garrus and Nyreen Kandros eventually met, and became quite close, eventually having three children together. Two daughters and a son. All three became career soldiers, who served in the turian armada until they were too old to be of any use.
Ashley and Jacob were together for a while, but she eventually left him for Kelly, who she spent the rest of her life with. Shortly following their separation, he rejoined the Alliance, and spent the rest of his life handling pirates from the Terminus Systems who got too bold.
Mordin Solus spent the final two years of his life living on a beach on earth, performing strange experiments on seashells that eventually lead to them evolving into a new kind of intelligent life that sped up the galactic study of the mass relays exponentially. A few years after their creation, their natural affinity for Mass Effect physics enabled the construction of the first new relay since the reapers were first created.
Jack spent some more of her life teaching at Grissom Academy, but eventually found herself no longer qualified to teach the students with how much biotics had changed. So she left, and began journeying with Samara. Over time, the two became lovers, and even had a child together. The little girl, who they named Jennifer, after Jack's real first name, proved to be a powerful biotic. And, while she was not an Ardat Yakshi, there were similarities between her and them that enabled asari researchers to find a cure for the condition.
James Vega went to N7 training, but ended up dying when some of the equipment at the training facility unexpectedly exploded. Investigation into it found that the explosion was simply a tragic accident.
Liara T'Soni continued to work as the Shadow Broker for a few years, before while visiting Rex, she was eaten alive by Urz. The varren was given a place of honor at Wrex's table for having killed someone who had greatly annoyed the krogan leader.
Javik spent a few years living amongst the hanar as a king, when another prothean cryo-stasis vault was found. Inside, all of them were dead, save for a single child. The young girl was raised by Javik, and through cloning both of them, the prothean race was eventually restored and they peacefully integrated themselves into galactic society.
Samantha Traynor spent a couple more years working with the Alliance, until she and Diana Allers got married. Together they had four children, two sons and two daughters. They spent most of their time traveling for Diana's work, but eventually were able to settle down in the outskirts of London in the kind of house Samantha had always wanted.
Legion spent the next several thousand years working with the galaxy to prove that the geth were not a threat. Eventually, it was successful, and a lasting peace between organic and synthetic life was formed. After that, it joined a crew, led by the great grandchildren of Shepard and Miranda to travel to the nearby Andromeda galaxy. The mission was a success, and a network of relays that enabled travel between galaxies was eventually established.
Lastly, as for how Shepard and Miranda spent their lives after their children grew up, they did too many things to ever describe. So, let it just be known that they lived happily together, until they both died of old age.
The End.
A/N: Thanks a ton for reading this. I really hope you enjoyed it. As for how sickeningly happy the ending may seem to some of you, I apologize. However; I will say that I did it this way because I wanted to give most of the characters a happy ending. I feel they needed it. And, I tried to work in some comedy too(Mordin creating a race of intelligent sea-shell people/Vega getting blown up at N7 training, Liara getting eaten by Urz etc...)
Lastly, thank you very much for reading this, if you enjoyed it please leave a review and a favorite. And, maybe go check out my other stories. I have three longer stories, and a couple of other one-shots. So please give them a read. I would greatly appreciate it.