"Hey Shepard," Kasumi said as the commander entered the port observation deck for a drink.
"Kasumi," he replied. "Are you holding up all right?" He started to pour himself a drink but ended up just taking whole bottle and sitting next to the thief.
"I'm not really sure what to do with myself," she said. "Not much call for thievery aboard a ship."
Shepard chuckled dryly and downed a mouthful of the whiskey.
"Long day?" Kasumi asked.
"Jack and Miranda at each other's throats, sick Krogan destroying the entire cargo bay, pilot's feuding with the AI... If you ever get a chance to run a ship, don't take it."
Cerberus had supplied his new ship with a counselor, but Shepard always found himself talking to Kasumi instead. Her idle chatter about the affairs of the crew were always amusing and did much to lighten the stress. Whenever he felt it all about to catch up to him, one evening with Kasumi would have him refreshed. It was almost like having a friend.
"I don't think you'll have to worry about that, Commander. These extended missions don't really agree with me."
"You feel too restricted?"
Kasumi shook her head. "No. Well, maybe a little. I mainly just miss Christmas."
Shepard blinked a few times as he tried to place the word. He had definitely heard it before, but where?
"You mean the ancient Earth holiday?" he asked.
"That's the one. Keiji and I always made sure to celebrate it. We'd decorate with wreaths and holly, and have a nice dinner in front of a roaring fire while listening to Christmas music. Then, when the meal was finished, we'd go steal a painting, sell it, and donate the money to an orphanage." Kasumi closed her eyes and sighed. "Looks like we won't have time to celebrate this year."
Shepard made himself comfortable in the squishy sofa and placed the bottle of whiskey down on the table in front of him. "I never really celebrated any holidays. Nothing to celebrate when you're in an orphanage. Afterwards I was too tied up with the military to care."
"You're missing out Shepard," she replied. "Everyone should celebrate Christmas at least once. Here," she said, suddenly getting up and going over to the sound system. "I'll show you." She fiddled with the controls a bit, and then the room was filled with a gentle melody of strings.
"It's not the most traditional music, but it captures the spirit of the holiday better than anything I've ever heard."
Shepard sat back and took in the music. It was so pure and soft. He glanced over to Kasumi and saw a rare smile on her face. Then the music ended and was replaced by a powerful voice.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, full of grace and truth."
"I'm afraid I don't understand," the commander said.
"It's simple," Kasumi replied as a heavenly chorus of female voices began singing. "God created someone who would shine through the darkness and lead us to salvation. A child, a son. A Prince of Peace. That's what Christmas is all about."
Shepard wasn't sure he liked that idea. Just waiting for someone else to come and solve all your problems for you... it went against everything he stood for. Problems get solved by taking action.
"You don't like it?" His distate must have shown.
"It's dangerous. If people believe this, they will just keep waiting for their mythical savior to come. It will breed the laziness we see in the Citadel. And as they wait and wait for the hero who isn't coming, the universe falls into ruin."
"Not total ruin, Shepard. We still have you."
"Midnight's solemn hour is tolling.
His chariot wheels are nearer rolling.
He comes; prepare, ye virgins wise."
He forced a smile. "I can't save everyone. But if everyone acted, maybe we could."
"Is it really that horrible to pretend there is a God who loves us, just for a day?"
"It is a beautiful idea," Shepard admitted.
The singers began an impressive melisma on 'Alleluia,' four different melodies blending together in perfect clarity and tone, and Shepard couldn't help but feel exhilerated. Then the bases and tenors entered, strong and deliberate providing a foundation for the descant.
"No vision ever brought.,
No ear hath ever caught
Such bliss and joy."
He sat there with the thief for over an hour, uplifted by the music in spite of himself. He had never heard anything like it before. The music ranged from the sweet tones of the opening to vast and glorious. One was even highly dissonant and employed rhythms found in the Zero-synth metal music he enjoyed. But all the songs told of a heavenly being who loved humanity so much he became a man and died so everyone could live. He wasn't exactly sure how it was supposed to work, but he was somewhat surprised that the holiday wasn't more common with Cerberus. Maybe it was too obscure.
"Hodu lo, bar'chu sh'mo.
Ki tov Adonai, l'olam has'do,
V'ad dor vador emunato."
They listened in silence until the powerful narrator spoke again.
"In days to come, the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, raised above the hills. All the nations shall stream to it, saying "Come. Let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways, and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem. The Lord shall judge between the nations, and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. House of Jacob, come. Let us walk in the light of the Lord.
"Here comes my favorite part," Kasumi whispered as the cellos entered with a rising melody. "It always makes me feel... hopeful."
"The world needs more hope," Shepard agreed. The melody continued climbing and growing, until the violins were screaching at the top of their register. And then the choir entered.
"Nation shall not lift up a sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.
And none shall make them afraid,
neither shall the sword go through their land.
Mercy and truth are met together;
righteousness and peace
have kissed each other.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and righteousness shall look
down from heaven."
"Do you think it's possible, Shepard?" Kasumi asked. "Peace? Everywhere?"
"Let all the nations be gathered together,
and let the people be assembled;
and let them hear, and say it is the truth"
"Maybe," Shepard replied. "If we all work together."
"And it shall come, that I will gather
all nations and tongues."
"But if it happens, it will not be because there is a God who loves us, but because everyone, every human, salarian, turian, krogan, and batarian fought to make it so. Great things do not come through hope and prayer, but because people like us make it so."
"For as the new heavens and the new earth,
which I will make, shall remain before me,
so shall your seed and your name remain forever."
"It requires a complete overhaul of society. Admission that we are wrong, that we do not yet know how to think. Vast forays must be made into the methods of rationality until we can overcome those biases that keep us from making the right decisions."
"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace, good-will to all."
"It will take hours and days and years and centuries of negotiation and treaties and promises by the politicians in the Citadel while warriors like us will be forever striving to quell those who are blind to reason."
"Dona nobis pacem."
"It seems impossible, but so did killing Sovreign. We will get there one day, and war will just be a fairy tale told to children as they go to sleep."
"Dona nobis pacem."
"But only if we try."
"Commander, we're about to dock at Illium and Miranda's breathing down my neck so hard she's about to blow me out of the cockpit," Joker's voice came through his earpiece.
"I'd better go," he told Kasumi. "Miranda's not going to leave me alone until I take care of this."
"Thank you for visiting me Shepard," the thief replied. "Maybe I should start praying to you instead."
"Glory and honor, praise, adoration,
Now and forevermore be thine."