December 2185
Attican Traverse, northern regions
Several weeks have passed since Shepard's victorious return from the mission on the planet Aite. Despite the fierce resistance of artificially controlled geth forces, Project Overlord has been successfully shut down and David Archer – the young prodigy with an autistic mind, who involuntarily became a part of the hybrid AI, which Shepard managed to deactivate – was placed under protection of the Alliance at the Grissom Academy.
However, the shadow of the project and its horrific legacy has been affecting the lives of the Normandy crew ever since. Especially Miranda found this experience particularly hard to swallow. Overlord was the project of Cerberus, so Cerberus was to be held responsible for everything that transpired on Aite – not only for the disaster caused by the rogue geth, but also for the suffering and pain, that David Archer had to experience.
Operative Lawson and Commander Shepard had several heated arguments because of all this – immediately after the end of the mission and few more times after that. No matter how ardently Miranda tried either to defend herself or to decline the possible responsibility, the ex-Cerberus officer has been hit pretty hard by all this. And all of this in spite of the fact that she refused to obey Illusive Man's orders back at the Collector Base, resigned her position and virtually left the services of the mysterious head of Cerberus.
Hades Nexus cluster / Hoplos system
A single shot rang out. Pulling the trigger more times wasn't needed at all – at the distance like this it was nearly impossible to miss the target – especially with such an accurate sniper rifle, like the Mantis. Large head of the Collector drone, armed with a beam rifle, simply vanished.
The armored person not far away got surprised by some sudden cracking and its wearer heard a deep, turian voice in his ear-piece.
"I've got a problem, Shepard...seems I forgot to properly calibrate this gun."
"But you hit the collector anyway, Vakarian." replied Shepard with some added amusement.
"Yeah, about that...I have to admit I wasn't very sure about the shot before. Oh well..." The turian was just thinking out loud.
"...anyway...that was the last one, commander."
"Thanks, Garrus...we're going in."
The soldier, clad in a full set of N7 armor, looked over his left shoulder.
"Tali?"
"I'm with you, Shepard." spoke a female modulated voice from underneath the shining purple face mask.
Commander didn't say anything. He decided to pick up the pace instead, darted to the nearest cover and prepared himself to enter the imminent firefight. Shepard subsequently targeted a lone Collector and held his breath for a brief moment. The Mattock in his hands let out a few lethal rounds and yet another Collector drone has been gunned down – and died almost instantly.
Small turret near the Collector defense perimeter managed to release a barrage of fire aimed at the sniper's elevated position, from where the sharpshooter provided his two friends with fire support. His location has, apparently, been compromised.
ʻAh...it's probably time to leave...ʽ thought Garrus to himself and set out to the place, which he memorized before and which provided better cover. During the relocation, he contemplated the question as to How were the enemies able to discover his previous location so easily? – could it be that his robust body and silhouette have given him away?
"Keelah!" heard Shepard a distinct feminine cry behind him. The human soldier himself continued advancing towards the target and, mainly with the help of his accurate shooting, brought down two more Collector drones in a relatively short amount of time.
"Shepard, on your right!" Tali's warning voice pierced the air behind him – the young quarian noticed another pair of Collector soldiers; who, up until now, remained hidden behind a small rock formation and because of that haven't been spotted yet – neither by Shepard, nor by the rest of his strike team.
However, this was no longer the case – Tali was the one, who noticed both of them. And after a few loud blasts from her shotgun, the situation got stable again. Nevertheless, the incoming fire became suddenly a lot more stronger and Shepard was forced to take a dive behind some lower barricade, standing conveniently around here.
"Garrus, he pinned me down!" informed Shepard his sniper support via the intercom a little more hastily than usual.
"The one at 2 o'clock? One moment..." responded his turian teammate, who kept his distance well behind the advancing human-quarian duo and has frequently been switching ideal firing positions.
"All clear." A little later, two shots from his long-range weapon were able to quickly and effectively solve Shepard's sudden worries.
These three squadmates and good friends have already met and fought together during the Eden Prime War more than two years earlier and today's mission wasn't their first of this kind either. Since Shepard and his Normandy SR-2 crew accomplished the impossible and succeeded in blowing up the main Collector Base at the galaxy's very core, several remnants of the Collector forces still remained – mainly around the few worlds in Terminus Systems and on the planets in the less frequented parts of the galaxy. Although not particularly swell in numbers and in mostly isolated, disorganized groups, which have shown only limited hostile activities against nearby human colonies; these Collectors needed to be wiped out nonetheless – despite all those facts, they still did pose a threat. If not right now, then probably in the near future – as soon as some innocent beings should come into contact with them.
"Clear!" shouted Shepard after he dispatched a cowering Collector with only its large head sticking out.
"Yes. No more Collectors." added Tali, who was clearly satisfied with an outcome of this mission.
"Not here either." a turian chuckle chimed in. "We're going back?"
"Location secured." confirmed Shepard as soon as he narrowed his eyes one more time and finished searching for any enemies left. "Yes, we're returning."
"RV?" Garrus then asked his commanding officer for the specific location of their last meeting waypoint (or rendez-vous point).
"Hammerhead." was Shepard's brief answer to that.
IFV-Combat hovercraft – their means of transport while on the ground – was located not further than 1 mile from the team's current position. Although the combat has taken its toll on the three warriors and everyone was a little more fatigued and tired than before, the trip back was over surprisingly fast.
"Shepard..." asked Tali with a little bit of shyness in her modulated voice. "...do you think we shall encounter some more Collectors anytime soon?"
"Maybe." shrugged her human friend. "Who knows, how many of them are still left? Even though we destroyed their base..."
"Oh, yeah...that was several months ago..." sighed Tali's muffled voice.
Near the Hammerhead craft, a turian figure has been already standing and waiting patiently.
"You know, Shepard..." began Garrus. "...at times like these I'm feeling like a little kid, waiting for his parents to let him into the car already..."
"Garrus...hmmm..." wasn't Tali able to suppress the giggle that came from behind her purple helmet.
"Parents?" raised Shepard his eyebrow and shot a quick glance at the quarian technician, standing beside him. Then he tried to feign a frown on his face. "Shut up, Vakarian."
"Joker, we're finished." radioed the team leader his brittle-boned pilot, so that he could get ready for the extraction and the following departure.
Mission complete – aboard Normandy SR-2
Shepard jumped out of the M-44 interior – this reliable hovercraft has brought them back on board with ease, as always.
The Normandy's captain was about to finish the tough mission by going to his cabin on the first deck, getting out of his battered armor and collapsing on the bed – thanks to his weariness. He then remembered that he probably won't be able to evade the watchful eye of Dr. Chakwas, who was often quite adamant in her requests and refused to let Shepard go, at least until she's gotten absolutely sure that his health and medical conditions are fine. There could've been something wrong after all – and there was always a possibility that the commander won't know about it at all. Shepard, however, was generally not too enthusiastic about this whole necessary check-up thing.
At that moment somebody coughed behind Shepard's back. The human soldier turned around.
"Umm...Shepard...you humans have that strange holiday of yours, don't you? How do you call it again, Christmas?" began Garrus mumbling awkwardly.
ʻAlready?ʼ asked himself Shepard. It seemed that the coming of Christmas has caught him by surprise and that he was slowly losing track of time. That can happen sometimes – especially when you're serving on a warship in the middle of an empty space. Shepard was glad to know what year it is – that was enough.
Yeah...maybe it's Christmas...I mean – probably...looks like it...
"Well, I...don't know much about your customs or traditions, actually...but I thought I'll let you know that I know..or something like that. About the holiday. So...yeah."
Shepard had to smile, when he heard his turian friend struggling with what to say and how to wish him merry Christmas. Garrus wasn't apparently accustomed to the human culture well enough. Normandy's captain made a mental note to introduce Garrus to some of the new things later.
"Thanks, Garrus. And thanks for reminding me...I actually forgot that this time of year has just arrived." admitted Shepard. "Merry Christmas!"
Another note to self: Get a present for Garrus later...if there's someone, who truly deserves it, it's him.
"Shepard!" The quarian ran up to the commander. She was the first one to get out of the Hammerhead and was in the middle of a few technical inspections, when she overheard her two friends talking. Tali then immediately stopped, spun around and ran to her squadmates. She literally jumped, pounced on Shepard, threw himself around his neck and hugged him.
"Merry Christmas!"
" Likewise...merry Christmas to you, Tali..." replied the commander joyfully, smiled and looked at her face mask. He got the impresion that, underneath his quarian friend purple helmet, he saw her sparkly eyes flicker with joy.
The commander returned the hug.
"Tali...my favorite quarian...my little sister and best friend..."
...and a present for Tali as well.
Deck 2 - CIC
ʻThat isn't so bad after all...ʼ contemplated Shepard the Christmas situation. As he walked around around the ship, he got stopped by several groups of crewmembers, who wished him happy holiday. He returned his wishes in similar fashion...and again and again did he remember, that it was his crew who made the destruction of the Collector Base possible – and not just a wishful thinking. Without them; he wouldn't have made it at all.
He used an elevator and reached the CIC. After having exchanged some warm Christmas wishes with Kelly Chambers, the commander made his way to the cockpit.
The nearer Joker's seat he walked; the more intensive, albeit strange smell was assaulting his nose.
"Joker..." began Shepard curiously. "...what's that smell?"
A small, blue, holographic Death Star appeared next to pilot's leather seat and a female robotic voice spoke up.
*It's an aromatic incense, coming from charcoal and a resin mixture, Shepard.*
"I see." The commander was slowly getting the whole idea.
*Jeff suggested that some of our funds be set aside for its purchase.*
"Is that so?"
"It smells good, doesn't it, commander?" chimed Joker in.
"Joker, it is really burning in here, somewhere? Wouldn't it be better if EDI just imitated the smell somehow?"
*Jeff said that nothing beats the real thing, in this case a certain aroma.*
Shepard sighed and waved his hand.
"Okay, you two...you overruled me."
"Everything's fine and dandy, commander." tried Joker to assure his superior officer and decided to leave the subject for now. "How was the mission?"
"Tali and Garrus came along, remember? With those two by my side, I'm invincible." explained Shepard. "I'm going to lie down and fall asleep...don't you dare wake me unless we are being attacked, okay?"
Miranda's debriefing report will have to wait...
EDI interfered shortly after. It was like she knew, what was the commander thinking...
*Shepard, may I remind you that executive officer Lawson requests a regular debriefing report? She said that today, it's of utmost importance.*
Or not, probably...
"Executive Lawson is in her office?" asked Shepard.
...let's get this over with, then...she's probably still upset about the Overlord business...
Contrary to her usual quick responses, EDI took her time with that one.
*This information is not available. Part of my internal monitoring sensor appears to be temporarily blocked.*
"EDI?" frowned Shepard. Then he realized the possible reason: Miranda is one hell of a clever woman with good knowledge of EDI's functional algorithms and subroutines – he imagined that it took her little time to enter a correct command and to "make sure" EDI won't be spying on her office.
Nevertheless; he decided that it wasn't a bad idea to take a small jab at the ship's resident AI.
"EDI; you may be an unshackled AI, who's in control of the whole ship with everything on it and all that, but sometimes, you kinda suck." decided Shepard to verbally poke EDI a little. "I'm going to find Miranda, so have fun in here – and merry Christmas."
...and before EDI was able to say something in her defense, Shepard was already gone.
Deck 3 – Crew's Quarters
"Where the hell could she be?" mumbled Shepard aloud as he found out that his XO's office is empty.
"Rolston!"
Shepard stopped one of his subordinates, who was just passing by. The sailor gave him a quick salute.
"Haven't you seen officer Lawson somewhere around here?"
"No, sir." answered Rolston. "Or actually, yes...she left her office and went inside the elevator. Just a few minutes ago..."
Just like that?
Only after a brief moment, which Shepard spent rethinking the situation, did the commander respond.
"Debriefing after the mission, you know..."
"Yes, sir...may I ask, how did it go?" mustered Rolston some courage to ask.
"The Collectors didn't stand a chance...surely you can imagine..."
"Yes, sir."
"That'll be all. Carry on." closed Shepard and released Rolston from that questioning. "Have a merry Christmas!"
"Thank you, sir." The sailor repeated his salute. "You too, sir."
That was it. Shepard wanted to be sure and for the sake of certainty asked several other sailors, who were present on the third deck at this very moment. They more or less confirmed the information, that Rolston gave him. Mess Sergeant Gardner, Normandy's chef, offered Shepard a taste of some special Christmas meal...something with mushrooms, which he ordered from the Citadel. Truth be told, it didn't seem to taste very good. It was a nice idea and sentiment nevertheless...
"EDI?" Shepard decided to contact the omnipresent AI.
*Yes, Shepard?*
"I'm going up to my cabin. If you find executive Lawson, inform her that she'll have the report as soon as I get up."
*As you wish, Shepard. Logging you out.*
The commander turned around and began pacing towards the elevator, but before he got in, he heard some quiet humming behind him. He though that maybe, someone was standing behind him and remained hidden – until now.
"Hey, Shep!" greeted him a young, hooded girl and smiled widely.
"Kasumi?"
"You're searching for Miranda, aren't you?" asked the girl playfully.
"How do you know that?"
"Well, I notice things." winked the thief. "And maybe, just maybe, I was standing behind you for a while."
"Snooping around the deck again?"
Kasumi leaned closer and placed her lips next to the commander's ear.
"I'm watching Gardner cook." she whispered. "I enjoy watching him prepare food. Those festive meals..."
"I've eaten better food." replied Shepard.
"I noticed that." giggled Kasumi. "Shep! I actually forgot to thank you properly for helping me with Hock...and, with the Christmas about... Wait here!"
The asian girl turned around and ran towards the Port Observation. She returned a minute later and literally dashed back and carried with her something wrapped in a beautiful wrapping paper.
"Merry Christmas, Shep."
The thief handed over a small package. Shepard unwrapped it and saw a small book in his hands.
"ʻThe Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashiʼ?" read the commander its title aloud. "Thanks, Kasumi."
"Have you read this before?" asked Kasumi "It was written by a samurai swordsman...it's about the philosophy of a warrior, the way of fighting. I like it very much."
"Sounds interesting..." thought Shepard. "...but nope, I didn't know this book from before. My knowledge of the asian literature revolves only around the ʻArt of Warʼ and nothing else..."
Kasumi suddenly changed the subject.
"Have you recently been to the Armory, Shep? Me and Jacob – we made a little Christmas tree there...it's actually just a few branches put together, not a whole tree...but that doesn't matter that much, right?" babbled the cute, hooded woman.
"There's a tree in the armory?" asked Shepard with mild suspicion.
"As I said – not an actual tree, just some branches..." The young and bubbly thief smacked her forehead. "They're decorated, even. And we have some Christmas meals there as well...Gardner was kind enough and brought us something..."
"More food?"
"Well...it's more like...we had some food there before, okay?" sighed the asian girl. "...and then, Grunt came along. Now there's only a few leftovers...but if you promise you'd stop by, I'll save you some, yes?"
"That'd be nice of you, Kasumi."
"And gimme this!" snatched the master thief the japanese book back. "It'll be waiting for you under the tree. Hehe."
Shepard just sighed with apparent resignation and looked Kasumi in the eye.
"What about Miranda? Haven't you seen her?"
"I know nothing more than the others." chirped Kasumi. "She went in an elevator and then left. I haven't seen more, because...well...Gardner was just about to finish one of his dishes."
"Alright..." nodded Shepard. "So...in case you see her, tell her she'll get the mission report from me soon. After I'll get my bearings..."
"If EDI doesn't tell her first..." mused the thief.
"Exactly. Well, Kasumi...merry Christmas."
Commander and the young girl hugged.
"I shall be going, too..." informed him Kasumi.
"Using the elevator as well?"
"Yep...I'll get off on the second deck." Kasumi apperaed to be in a good mood – as always.
"Okay, just...wait a minute..."
There was someone else for Shepard to speak with first...
Deck 3 – Crew's Quarters – Starboard Observation
The door panels slid open and Shepard stepped quietly into the room. It was dominated by a huge window into the vast, infinite space. The rest of the room has been decorated only modestly – in the left corner, there were a few benches for someone to sit on; and some of the library shelves stood on the opposite side of the room.
On the floor in the middle of the room sat an asari with her legs crossed, in a velvet black armor – with a few gilded plates on it. As usual; she was concentrating on her meditation and enveloped in her deep thoughts. But was she able to feel her surroundings as well?
"Shepard." The human was greeted by a serene voice that came from her mouth.
Yes, she felt her surroundings indeed – and was very good at it. Shepard came into her room a few times earlier before...and wasn't surprised by this at all. The asari knew exactly who entered – and didn't even need to look over her shoulders or to move. Amd yet, she still remained in her deep trance.
"I didn't expect to find you meditating here..." Shepard stated casually. "I didn't think you'd avoid the bustling holiday..."
Had Shepard looked at Samara from the front side, he would notice that his alien friend's eyes "turned back to normal" – up until now, Samara's mind found itself on a higher plane of mental activities and her eyes functioned as one of the few gates back into this simple universe. Her eyesight no longer needed to be protected by the distinct, glowing white veil.
The asari justicar gracefully stood up, turned around and faced Shepard.
"I know of the events that occur on the ship...alas, I prefer to stay in this room and enjoy its tranquility. And the crew respects my seclusion."
Samara's face didn't change one bit as she spoke to Shepard after that.
"You look tired, Shepard. It's in your best interest to go to sleep."
"That's my plan, yes." nodded the commander. "I wanted to pay you a visit before that..."
"Very well, Shepard." answered the justicar with her own nod and, after some contemplating, made a few steps towards the huge window.
"This Christmas holiday reminds me of one of our own festive occasions – during those days, the asari all over the galaxy shall uphold and honor the legacy of our goddess, Athame. Like Christmas, they are often accompanied by pleasant mood, memorable moments and our peace of mind."
"Really? That goes for all the asari?"
"It concerns mainly the younger asari, I have to say." explained Samara. "Us matriarchs and matrons usually live through this time in quietness – and we spend this event in our memories."
Samara wasn't finished yet.
"For me, however – this holiday has an even deeper meaning than that. It was a long time ago, during that holiday – when I met a justicar, for the first time in my life. It was around the time humankind entered their Middle Ages.
"That's interesting." commented Shepard "Please, continue, Samara."
The noble justicar kept talking – while carefully studying Shepard's facial expressions.
"I was very young back then. On Thessia, there existed one remote place – it was a nice, scenic view – very calming – and I've been going there from time to time. And at that particular day, a justicar came there as well."
"She had her own name, but everyone knew her as Spica – bright and shining star of the asari heaven...everyone talked about her like that."
"Everyone? How well-known has she been?"
"There probably wasn't an asari in the whole galaxy that hasn't heard of her...during a specific time. She was mighty as a powerful biotic storm, strong as a thresher maw and determined to right all wrongs in the galaxy – at once, if necessary. But..." All of a sudden, Samara hesitated.
"What happened?" prompted Shepard.
Samara closed her eyes and trailed off...
... ... ...
Samara wasn't that grown yet and the justicar, that came and stood beside her, looked both magnificent and terrifying. The young asari watched her in silence and observed the very tall and old member of her own race.
"You're the justicar that everyone speaks of?" Samara managed to slowly utter a few words.
The armored asari warrior did something unexpected – she kneeled down to be able to look at Samara from the same height, looked into her face and spoke with her calm voice.
"Do you like the view here, my child?"
"Yes...it's beautiful here..." confirmed young Samara.
Spica stood up and laid her hand on Samara's shoulder.
"There's quietness here...peace..." ...with those words, she watched the horizon and then turned her gaze on the little asari girl. "Only here, there is a true peace..." and her lips widened a little.
Samara looked at the justicar's face and stretched out her small hand. Spica understood; she held Samara with both of her hands and picked her up, so that the young girl could be closer to her.
The petite hand of the young asari touched gently the justicar's cheek and caressed it. However, the little Samara frowned moments later – when she noticed a small tear run down Spica's left cheek.
"You're...crying..." said the child with her innocent voice.
"Yes, darling, I am..." sighed Spica. "But I want to be sad...I need to be...it's the right thing for me to be..."
Both asari watched silently the crimson skies and the horizon for a few more minutes. After that, the experienced guardian of peace put Samara on her feet once more.
"What's your name, little lady?"
Young child stared in awe and it took her a while to attmept to say something.
"...Samara..." whispered the small one.
"Let's be friends...what do you say?"
... ... ...
Shepard listened carefully. When Samara finished, he smiled and nodded his head – as a sign of admiration, perhaps.
"Very fascinating story, Samara...thanks for telling me..."
"The pleasure is all mine." replied the justicar courteously. "When I chose the life of a justicar, I made a promise to myself – I will always honor the memory and legacy that Spica left in our society – and in myself."
"Pardon me for saying this, Samara..." began the commander. "...it's only based on this story of yours, but...you seem to me as you keep Spica alive – through yourself, through your conduct and through your actions. You look like you still maintain a piece of her within you."
"Thank you, Shepard." Samara bowed. "It's truly a great honor for me to hear that from you..."
Normandy's commander scratched the back of his head.
"Well, I should go...I need to rest, anyway."
"Of course." Samara nodded.
She then sat on the ground, crossed her legs and resumed her meditation.
Deck 1 – Captain's cabin
Shepard has been growing more and more eager to lie down after the exhausting mission down on the surface of Hoplos. To him, that was more important than Miranda's report or even Christmas. Nevertheless, he decided to visit the armory soon – if anything else, he'll také a look at the degree of shenanigans going on there, which Kasumi mentioned.
ʻHow did no one manage to forget about Christmas – except me?ʼ he wondered.
After the panel door to his cabin on the first deck opened, a surprise awaited him: His private room was only dimly lit by a weak light. Shepard's first glance would normally fall upon the giant aquarium, built in the wall. But not today...
From the radio on his nightstand, festive tones and melody crept in. The whole room smelled - on the commander's table burned a scented candle and there were coloured chains, made of paper hanging from the ceiling and pine-tree branches on the walls.
"I presume the mission was successful, commander."
Miranda Lawson appeared and was heading toward the room entrance and Shepard standing there. She wore her standard black jumpsuit with Normandy's emblem – without the now-redundant Cerberus logo next to her neck; she got rid of it some time after the return from the core as a sign of her having left the organization's ranks.
"Miranda!" was the first reaction of the startled commander. "What's going on...why is all of this in my..."
"Just making sure you actually know what day it is." replied Miranda playfully.
Shepard spent some more moments just looking around himself, partly in disbelief.
"You made all this?"
"That's not entirely accurate..." smiled Shepard's XO. "Yeoman Chambers was a big help in arranging all this. Enginner Daniels stopped by as well and lent a helping hand..."
"Well..." Shepard tried to think about what to say. "...I hate to break this moment, but I'm really beat and I have to rest. Not before I hit the showers, at least."
"Of course, I can imagine." Miranda responded and threw him another of her smiles. "Allow me to show myself out."
"You want the debriefing report after the end of the mission, correct?"
"The report will wait – it's not going anywhere." waved Miranda her hand...
… walked right past Shepard and was gone shortly later. As soon as the door closed behind her, Shepard took off his armor, clothes and stepped into the shower.
Shepard used the large towel to dry himself off – as much as he could – and put on his boxer shorts. He threw the towel over his shoulder and exited the shower. Often did he walk around his cabin after the shower only in his shorts – if there are some wet spots on his skin, they'll be exposed and will dry up better.
He glanced over his table and, specifically, over several datapads with reports from his team of engineers. He recalled that Tali (with the help of Donelly and Daniels) has recently begun to optimalize the output of ship's drive core and Shepard requested that he be regularly updated about their progress. Having felt a little guilty, he scratched the back of his head; he read the first two reports but the later ones – including the final summary – he just skimmed. Maybe so, because he respected the skills of her quarian friend, knew she'd do a good job and didn't need any written confirmation of that.
All of a sudden, his thoughts got interrupted – the door to his cabin hissed and opened.
Miranda walked in – only this time, she wasn't dressed in her jumpsuit but "only" in the red, short and fluffy Christmas gown, tied together with white silk string.
"Commander..." she spoke seductively.
Shepard just opened his mouth and stared.
"Miranda...Miri, you look gorgeous..."
35-year old black-haired woman approached her superior officer, leaned next to his ear and whispered:
"It's Christmas, John..."
Having said his first name made Shepard give her a warm, pleasant smile.
"Come with me..." teased him Miranda with her gaze and stepped down a few small stairs, that led to the bed.
"You're the one giving orders now, miss Lawson?" raised Shepard his right eyebrow.
"Maybe I am, commander..." provoked him Miranda some more. She smiled and laid on Shepard's wide bed. Two people could lay there without problems..."
Shepard hesitated for a brief amount of time and then decided to come closer. He sat himself on the other side of the bed and admired her voluptuous figure for a while.
"I wanted to tell you something..." Miranda told him. "What happened on Aite..."
"...was not your fault. I realize that by now. And I don't know if I did the right thing – not only about Aite – when I tried to blame you for everything the Cerberus has done..."
"It's good you did, though – I appreciate it." Miranda showed him a sincere smile. "A lot of people I know would simply brush it off after some time – as if nothing ever happened and nothing was ever wrong. But even I make mistakes...actually, I make a lot of them – maybe more of them than I should – and I need someone to remind me of them. We all need that...without such feedback, we have no chance to improve ourselves in our lives..."
"I'm glad you feel that way, Miranda..."
"I have something for you – a present." the raven-haired woman purred.
"A present?" And once more, Shepard wasn't expecting something. Something like this, for example.
"I was thinking about...what I should give you for Christmas...and I realized that I have a perfect gift for you, after all."
"Hmmm?"
Miranda continued by running her hands along her body and taking hold of a white string around her red gown.
"The present won't unwrap itself, you know..."
Shepard's mood grew better – fast. A wide smile appeared on his face and the commander took the edge of the silken white belt into his hands. He pulled it and untied it happily.
"Merry Christmas, John." Miranda winked.
"Merry Christmas, Miri."
Okaaay...a little late to the party with this Christmas stuff, oh well...
A little intro to this story ("behind the scenes"-like) is in order, I believe:
First of all...English is not my native language (I live in Czech Republic - I have written some of the pieces like this in Czech and my most extensive work to date is also written in my mother tongue), so..this story probably isn't by all means perfect (any criticism whatsoever - not only regarding grammar or style - is helpful. You know, the praise is welcomed but the criticism is what's truly needed).
And secondly...this translation has been done solely by myself and it's my first foray into "writing" an English text...and this is what came out. Why did I opt for this? Simple...I wanted to try the translators' work; see how easy or difficult it can be. The fact that I could reach out to the english-speaking community with this is just an added bonus. :-)
P.S.: If translating some literary piece looks really like this...then, let me tell you, - it's an awful work. Translating this story took me twice the time I spent writing it in Czech...my English vocabulary got exercised pretty well, I was looking for an appropriate expression one too many times etc. So, bottom line: Respect your translators! Their job takes some guts and skills (at the very least).