Elysium was the perfect place for a shore leave. What Jon Grissom, Alliance hero, had described as a place "where the sun has the decency to set at a reasonable time", was so much more: It beckoned humans and aliens alike to relax on its surface. The only downside to the colony was that it was located in the Terminus systems, meaning it was in pirate and mercenary territory.
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Commander Shepard took in his surroundings. The military station where he would be spending his shore leave as a large complex made of elegant swooping architecture. The base itself was at the base of a large mountain, with only a short bridge to connect it to the outside world. It was said that wherever one went inside the complex, the sound of waterfalls could be heard. Shepard did not know of a better place to spend his shore leave. Rather than wait to figure what he could do first, he immediately hit the bar.
He ordered a drink from the bartender, and as he waited he checked out the other patrons. To his left was an asari. Shepard had never seen an asari before, and the only thing he knew about them were from his shipmates. He knew that they lived incredibly long lives and had some kind of magic mind reading. In addition, what he's heard of their commandoes is something for the book of legends. This particular asari had blue skin with some kind of purple facial markings. She also wore a tight fitting dress, which Shepard figured was to make an impress some of the soldiers, as the rumors suggested. Nonetheless, Shepard did feel attracted to her, but did not want to dwell on it, because for all he knew, she could be reading his sub-conscious or whatever the asari do. He turned his attentions to the patron on his right.
To his right was a salarian, another race which Shepard had never seen before. The salarian reminded him of a gecko with horns on their heads. This one had particularly pointy head horns. He was a brownish red color. In between drinks, the salarian would study his glass. He seemed to be deep in thought. Salarians were known to be incredibly smart.
Shepard lost interest and waited for his drink. Humans were good at everything in fact weren't there some humans that were as smart as salarians and others that were as powerful as the asari commandoes. And didn't the humans defeat the great turian military over Shanxi? Shepard began to make himself feel smugly superior to the other alien patrons. I wonder what other races the humans are better than he thought.
After his drink, Shepard approached the dance floor. Many people were dancing; it was a truly hopping place. Shepard, wanting in on the fun, found a particularly attractive human officer and asked her for a dance. As Shepard attempted conversation, it became apparent to him that she was incredibly drunk. In fact Shepard was amazed that she was still upright and dancing.
"She doesn't know where or even who she is." Another female officer stated. She had a brown ponytail, vibrant blue eyes, and was a little shorter than Shepard. "Might a girl who could actually talk take you for a dance?"
"I thought it was the guy that was supposed to ask the girl for a dance." Shepard replied.
"Well deal with it, Shepard." She teased.
"How do you know my name?" Shepard asked.
She laughed. "I work in engineering on your ship. All the girls think you're so cute." She rolled her eyes. "I'm just showing them that you're nothing special."
"Is that a challenge?"
"Maybe." She bit her tongue and looked away.
"Well then let's make all those other girls in engineering jealous." Shepard replied. "Let's dance!"
As they approached the dance floor, the club DJ walked up in front of the crowds. "Who's up for a DANCE COMPETITION?" He announced. A thunderous roar of approval emanated from the crowd.
"The rules are simple, those couples out there who can dance the longest survive to the final round, where the final 3 couples will be judged for their dancing skills. Are you ready? SHOW ME YOUR MOVES!" and with that, the music changed and people began dancing. Shepard took to the floor like a professional but Sam hung back. "I can't really dance Shepard." She whispered into his ear.
"Nonsense!" Shepard replied "Just let your body free, and forget everything in the world! Its just you and me right now." Shepard grabbed her hands and they began to dance.
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"WOOO! Those were some dance moves Shepard!" Sam exclaimed. "I can't believe we won! Dancing king and queen… I like the sound of that. What I like the sound more of is the free drinks for the night that we got…. HELL YEAH!"
Shepard laughed. They were both at the bar drinking away. "And this is coming from the girl who said she couldn't really dance… You were tearing it up just like me."
"But I didn't have those crazy moves that you had… Tell me your secret!" She begged.
"Well there's not much to tell, back on Earth I was in a gang, and whenever we were going to fight another gang, but there was a side with too many wounded, we would instead rap and dance battle. That's where I got those moves." He answered.
Sam punched Shepard in the arm. "You liar… How could someone like you be in a gang?"
"Well I was I might not like remembering those times, but I learned a lot of life lessons." Shepard stated.
Sam laughed. "First you're some hot shot soldier driving all the girls crazy, and now I find out you were in a gang back on Earth. You are full of surprises…" She teased, putting her head on his shoulder. "Thanks for an amazing night." She kissed him on the cheek and began to set off.
"Wait a sec, the night isn't over yet. Want to stick with me, the moment I find someone pretty awesome, she's going to leave… Please?" Shepard begged.
"Well since you said please…" Sam sat back down at the bar. "This is probably some elaborate plot of yours to get me in bed, so I'll play along, for a little bit at least."
"Well, want to get away from the music and take a walk with me around the complex?" Shepard asked.
Sam got up. "Lead the way Shepard."
As he got up, she grabbed his arm and began to lead him past a table of female officers. She displayed a look of triumphant glee as every girl from the table stared her down with angry eyes.
"Sorry I just had to do that." She said once they were out of earshot. They both laughed.
As they walked randomly around the complex, Sam and Shepard talked about everything. Shepard found out that Sam joined the Alliance navy because she wanted to see the universe. She also liked cherry soda, and was a vegetarian. She could never eat animals, not when they are so cute, she had said. Shepard told her all about his adventures on Earth, and that he ultimately joined the Alliance Navy to get away from Earth. They talked all through the night. Shepard customarily went to bed with girls that he met on shore leave, but this one was different, he remarked, as she stimulated another part of his heart than any other girl.
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The next morning, Shepard found her again and they spent the day together. Both were thoroughly enjoying themselves. When it came to be night again, both decided to skip the bar, instead they opted to walk around the complex again. Shepard and Sam were sitting on a bench in the indoor park, chatting away happily with each other, when a violent tremor struck the complex. Both looked at the other.
"What was that?" Sam asked.
"I don't know… but I don't like the sound of it." Shepard replied.
Another tremor rocked the complex. Sam pressed herself against Shepard, also grabbing his arm. They then saw an explosion coming from one of the hallways in the direction of the bar. Screams of the injured then reached their ears. Both rushed to the bar.
But they were too late. Bodies lay all over the place. As Shepard and Sam stood taking in the scene, several armed men entered the room. Shepard and Sam both ducked and stayed out of sight.
"You'd think they'd be more prepared with a colony in the Terminus systems." One said to the other.
"Well it's our colony now. It will show them for setting up a colony on our planet." The other replied.
Shepard approached the duo from the shadows. In a flash, he knocked the front of one of their legs, causing one of the men to fall into the other. Shepard grabbed one of their pistols and promptly took out the two men.
"They're pirates." Shepard stated. "I've fought men like this before."
Sam grabbed the other pistol. She inspected it, and it was clear to Shepard that she didn't know how to use it. "So I don't know how to shoot, but I figure if I just let my body free, and forget everything in the world I'll be fine like I did with dancing."
Shepard laughed. "Yeah, I guess it's like that." He said, inspecting his own pistol. It was of an unknown make to him, but as long as it did the job he didn't care.
More explosions rocked the complex, and Shepard figured it was time to leave. They ran down a hallway leading to the entrance lobby, and were greeted by a battle raging between surviving soldiers on shore leave and the pirates. The entrance itself was an open space with a welcome desk running perpendicular to the bridge. A half cone roof was held up by several pillars, and plant boxes were scattered about. Shepard and Sam were in position to flank the pirates, which they did to great effect. The battle was quickly won.
Shepard surveyed the survivors. Some were wounded, others were just scared. Many civilians numbered among the battle hardened soldiers. Shepard checked outside, he could see the smoke and explosions and hear the battles going on in the port and city of Illyria. It looked like he wasn't leaving the complex just yet.
Shepard knew that they needed someone to take charge, otherwise no one would survive. Since no one had taken charge yet, Shepard decided that he would fulfill the role. He began ordering people around, and they listened. He made people raid the armory that was located on the complex. He sent Sam to man the communications system and alert any survivors in the city to come to the complex. She also was going to attempt to call for reinforcements. Shepard himself decided to go to the armory as well, and he left a small force at the entrance just in case.
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The armory had a limited number of weapons. Shepard made sure that every soldier was given an assault rifle, while every civilian was given at least a pistol. Also present in the stash were 4 mobile manned turrets, which Shepard gave to the strongest soldiers to carry and man. He had them set up to defend the entrance. Finally, he sent the civilians to wait as a reserve in the center of the complex. That way they would be safe and could reinforce the soldiers if the situation became dire.
Many survivors hearing Sam's communications came to the complex, and Shepard promptly geared them up. Shepard himself grabbed an assault rifle and took cover with the other soldiers in the entrance. Everything was ready for the defense.
And then they waited.
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As if coming from thin air, large waves of pirates rushed the entrance. They were promptly mowed down by the defense Shepard had set up. Despite the best efforts of the defense, each wave managed to get closer to the entrance than the previous wave. After around 8 or so waves of fighting, the pirates regrouped.
More pirates began storming the bridge, and the defense went back to work. A lone civilian approached Shepard as the fighting occurred.
"There are pirates in the complex! They're scaling the walls!" He cried.
"Then we will send some troops to clear them out." Shepard replied.
With a quick order, Shepard sent two squads each with a mountable turret to each of the exposed sides to deal with the intruders. Shepard stayed at the entrance because that was where most of the fighting would happen. As the enemy was forced to regroup again, Sam came up to Shepard.
"I've alerted the Alliance, and there are several ships here that are already dealing with the pirate fleets around the planet. But it will be some time before ground reinforcements can get in." She stated nervously.
"Thanks Sam, now get back inside with the civilians." Shepard ordered.
"Whoa I can handle myself thank you very much." She replied.
"Sam, you aren't trained in those weapons… I doubt you'd even know how to look down the scope!"
"Shepard, sometimes just the right conditions will make you fight like a commando even if you don't know how."
"And you call these right conditions?"
"I'll be fighting next to you." Sam replied.
Both got silent, and Sam grabbed Shepard's hand. "I had the most amazing shore leave with you, and you've proven me wrong. You really are a special guy." She kissed his cheek.
"Don't talk like we are going to die. We will talk later, we have pirates to kill." Shepard replied. Moved to a new position, not realizing that Sam was silent, and had never answered back.
More waves began coming, this time they were backed by a gunship. With its repeater and its rockets, it managed to absolutely destroy one of the manned turrets. That wave was held back, however the pirates had made more progress before they were stopped. The gunship had disappeared as well. The next wave the pirates began to deploy snipers. Soldiers began to panic when several of them were killed after peaking out of cover. Those soldiers that attempted to run were killed as well. Another wave came, and this time the other manned turret was taken out. The turret still remained, but the headless body of the soldier manning it scared off any other soldier that Shepard ordered to man it. Shepard knew that the turret needed to be manned, and since everyone else was scared off Shepard knew he had to take it himself. With Sam following him, he manned the turret and began mowing down the advancing pirate wave.
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Shepard lost track of the amount of time spent firing in the turret, but the pirates just kept coming. Shepard could see on the other side of the bridge pirate medics fixing up soldiers to send across the bridge again. He checked how the other soldiers were doing, and was shocked to find that most of the defense was dead. In fact he couldn't even see Sam.
"Sam! SAM!" he called out while he fired. Then he felt a tug on his pants, near his boot. He checked what the disturbance was, only to see Sam, covered in blood, her hand still grasping his pants. He stopped firing and grabbed her hand. It was shaking. This meant that she was still alive, but just barely. Shepard had no medi-gel on him nor did he know where any would be.
Despite the dire situation, yells from the other soldiers brought Shepard back onto the turret. He also ordered the civilians to come to help defend the entrance. As the pirates regrouped yet another time, Shepard lowered himself to Sam, who was still bleeding out. He took her body in his arms. He could see her struggle to look up at Shepard.
"Hang in there Sam; I'm going to go find some medi-gel for you." He brushed some dirt from her face. He began to leave, but she refused to let go of his leg.
"Don't go." She forced out. "If you leave, these civilians will die. You can't do that to them, they have no idea what they are doing."
Shepard stroked her hair, and he stared into her deep blue eyes. "Are you saying that this is it then?" He asked.
"Yesterday, you made my life complete Shepard. In the right conditions, I can die in peace. With you here of course." She coughed up some blood. "First we win a dancing competition together, you show yourself to be an awesome guy, and now here we are together in the end, just two days from where we started… And I'm giving a touching romantic goodbye. The girls would be so jealous." She smiled and Shepard tried to laugh. The sounds of battle began again, and Shepard could hear the return of the gunship. But he did not turn back to the turret. "You have a duty to these people. You yourself left Earth to get away from all the violence from the gangs. Don't let any other innocent die without you giving it your all. Do it for me." A proud smile materialized on her face. Shepard held back tears. "I promise Sam. I promise and I will do whatever it takes." Sam struggled once again to look at him. "Good. Score one for the girl who won Shepard." And with that, she exhaled her spirit and her body became limp.
Shepard held her for a little longer before manning the turret again. The situation was dire; without the turret, pirates had crossed the bridge and were fighting up close and personal with the civilians. Once back on the turret, Shepard made short work of them. The gunship was again nowhere to be found.
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The soldiers that Shepard had sent to the walls finally came back. Only four soldiers in total from the two four man squads survived. They described to Shepard how when they each went to secure the walls, they were ambushed by the pirates that had already infiltrated the building. It was an uphill battle from there. Both turrets were lost as well.
They took up defensive positions around the entrance again. Shepard attempted to order the civilians into the complex.
"But we are not going to do that" one citizen replied. The others yelled in agreement.
"You shouldn't be giving your lives when we are just sitting around doing nothing. We can fight, and we will." Another shouted.
Shepard was surrounded by a chorus of riled up citizens of all races. He was impressed by their displays of courage.
"I can't let you all do this. We are the professionals here." Shepard replied.
"Sometimes, just the right conditions will make you fight like a commando even if you don't know how." Another citizen answered back.
Shepard was taken aback by that statement, and let them stay. He stared at Sam's corpse for a while, wondering what their life would have been like had this attack never happened. The sound of the gunship returning reminded him of his promise, and he quickly manned the turret yet again.
Shepard's defense was failing. The pirates were taking out the defenders with the help of that accursed gunship, and Shepard knew that if they were to survive, that gunship needed to go down.
Shepard on the turret set his focus on the gunship. Streams of bullets arced and swayed through the air as the gunship tried to outmaneuver each bullet. Unfortunately for the gunship, a big hulking metal flying machine is an easy target for bullets. The gunship pulled out yet again… only to return firing missiles. Several of the pillars became damaged, but Shepard was unfazed as he kept firing at the gunship. At this point it didn't even attempt to evade the bullets anymore; it was trying to do as much damage as possible.
Finally to Shepard's satisfaction, the gunship began to envelop itself in its own smoke. But the gunship would have the last laugh. It set itself on a crash course straight at Shepard. Shepard dove out of the way, only to see the gunship smash into Sam's body.
This triggered a sort of blood rage in Shepard similar to a Krogan. Since his turret was gone, he grabbed two assault rifles and proceeded to gun down the pirates approaching the bridge. He checked his defenses and could see that only one other soldier was left.
"We're the last ones left!" He shouted to his comrade. "Let's give them hell!"
The comrade let out a vicious cry and jumped out from his cover, gunning down anyone and everyone that attempted to cross the bridge. Shepard took his lead and followed suit. Both stood at one end of the bridge firing at the others.
A bullet hit Shepard's right shoulder, causing him to fall and forcing him to drop one assault rifle. He saw the other soldier go down, but a bullet in the head made it clear that he wouldn't be getting up. Shepard crawled to and put his back against one of the pillars. He kept gunning down pirates that made it in his sights.
The amount of pirates crossing the bridge slowed to a small amount, and then became non-existent. Shepard tried to stand using the pillar as a support. From his standing position, he could make out a great volume of armed men approaching. Shepard readied his gun. As the men approached, they did not fire like the pirates would. With great relief, Shepard realized that the reinforcements had come. And with that, he collapsed onto the floor, lying in a mix of blood from every race… even Sam's.
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Shepard awoke in a med bay. He didn't know where it was, or how he got there. He tried to shift around, but his body protested enough to keep him down.
"You gave them one hell of a fight, Shepard." A voice said. Shepard looked up. He saw a man in a captain's uniform leaning against the doorway to his room. He had a round face, and his dark skin gave him a sort of wise complexion.
"My name is Captain Anderson, and I've come to debrief to you." He continued. But Shepard didn't want to hear any of it.
"What is there to debrief? So many people died back there." Shepard challenged. "I shouldn't even be here, I failed!"
"You cannot change the past Shepard. Instead move on to the present, and make those that have died proud." Anderson countered.
Shepard lowered his head. "Sam…" As he started to recall everything, he tried to hold back tears.
"Ah Sam, yes Samantha Henderson. I remember her case." Anderson grabbed his chin.
"What do you mean her case?" Shepard snapped back.
"She had some terminal illness, something along the lines of an advanced heart disease…" Anderson thought harder and grabbed his chin. "Yes it was heart disease. The navy took her in because she wanted to see the universe. That was one of her final wishes."
Shepard couldn't hold back the tears. "So she was going to die anyway…" He realized.
"Yes, but if I remember correctly, she refused transfer onto another ship to continue her sight-seeing."
"Why would she do that?"
"Maybe she found something better?"
Shepard paused for a moment. He was deep in thought.
"She said all the girls thought I was cute…" He thought aloud.
"Huh. For all I know, it sounds like she had a crush on you… Maybe you became the last thing on her bucket list." Anderson theorized.
Shepard closed his eyes and leaned his head back against his pillow. It hurt him to think any longer.
Anderson came to the edge of the bed. "She really must have fallen in love with you." He consoled.
Shepard let out a yell, his heartbeat monitor sky rocketed. Several doctors came rushing in, but Anderson waved them off.
"How selfish of her! I fell in love with her!" Shepard cried.
"Shepard, sometimes you need to remember the time you had with her, instead of everything else. Don't you think she would have wanted it like that?" Anderson answered but Shepard rolled over and yelled some more into the pillow. "Get a grip soldier! She knew she couldn't be with you forever, but she wanted to take that risk! She was terminally ill; you should at least let her be a little selfish!" Anderson yelled into Shepard's ear.
At those words, Shepard went silent and lay still. It was a while before he raised his head again. "Anderson… I'm sorry. It's just been a long shore leave." He choked out.
Anderson put his hand on Shepard's shoulder. "I realize it must be hard and I have an offer for you… to get your mind off of things. I'm bringing together a crew for a top secret Alliance mission. You've become a freaking legend Shepard, the last stand on Elysium, and only in a few short hours!" Anderson threw up his arms. "The council is interested in you, but the Alliance is more. Join my crew, and it will give you something to do while you sort out what's going on in that head of yours."
Shepard sat contemplating the idea. He really didn't want another shore leave, and the seriousness of a top secret mission would get his mind off of things and bring them to the things that really matter. He had a promise to Sam that he had to keep, and no innocent was going to die without him going down too.
"I need to think." He answered, dropping his head back onto the pillow and he closed his eyes.
"And I will wait for your answer." Anderson replied. He left the room, leaving Shepard alone to his thoughts.
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Shepard healed enough in a day to be able to walk around. The med bay where he had stayed was at the hospital in Illyria. It seemed that the pirates had not ravaged the building, presumably so that they could use the hospital once they had taken the planet. Shepard walked around the city, attracting many stares. Shepard just kept walking; all he wanted was to drink. In order to keep the people happy and not worrying about their troubles, many of the clubs remained open for business. Shepard entered one and promptly ordered several drinks for himself and as he waited, absorbed himself in the thumping music.
As soon as the drinks arrived Shepard let loose.
A neighbor sitting next to him tapped his shoulder.
"I just wanted to say thank you. You're last stand caused the pirates searching our house to leave to fight you. If they had checked only a little longer, they would have found us." Shepard was touched and he faced the speaker. It was another female, the same height as Shepard. She was a redhead, with her hair arranged in braids. She was younger than he was, but not by much.
"It means a lot to hear that." Shepard replied.
"So many people lost everything, and yet here we are cleaning up the mess." She continued. "It's so depressing isn't it?"
"More than you can imagine."
"You know, when I get stressed out, a little dancing will make me forget my worries. Would you like to join me?"
Shepard liked the prospect of forgetting his worries. "I would love to" He answered as he got up.
Both of them approached the dance floor, and the girl began to dance. But Shepard couldn't get into it.
"Come on! Just dance!" She beckoned.
Shepard tried to, but it wasn't coming as easily to him as it used to. He looked up in desperation.
"Just let your body free, and forget everything in the world! It's easy!" She laughed.
When those words hit his ears he knew why he couldn't dance. Everything carefree in his life had died with Sam. Every good thought he had invested into her was gone. He just couldn't forget everything in the world, and he couldn't truly let his body be free, not when his guilt for the dead innocents weighed him down.
"I'm sorry. I just can't" He replied. He left the club and wandered back to the hospital. He found Anderson waiting at the hospital.
"I accept your offer Anderson." He stated, and saluted him. Anderson saluted back.
"Good, you ok son?" He asked.
"Let's just get off this planet." Shepard replied, and both headed for Anderson's ship.
Shepard shifted himself on the couch in his cabin on the Normandy. On his coffee table lay his Star of Terra, the source of his flashback. In his hands was his helmet, which he was inspecting for cracks. A single tear ran down his face. He couldn't help but think of all the innocent that he couldn't save, and every single time he couldn't keep his promise to Sam. He turned the helmet in his hands, he was no longer inspecting for cracks, and he was just lost in thoughts. The door to his cabin opened and he heard someone approach. He looked up to see Liara coming down the ramp.
"I wondered where you were." She said. Her hand trailed on the hand bar.
"EDI didn't tell you?" Shepard responded. He looked back down to the helmet. The depressing feeling of his flashback still lingered on.
"She respects your privacy. Not like me." She responded, putting her hands on her hips. "What are you doing?" She asked, taking a few steps forward.
Shepard raised his helmet up, shifting it to and fro in his hands. He stood up. "I thought I heard the casing crack in that last fight." He threw the helmet to Liara. He walked to his bed, sat upon it, and looked up at her. "Bullet must have just grazed me." He added. They shared a moment of silence.
"Feel ready Shepard?" She approached him.
"How do you get ready for something like this?" He replied.
"You cajole, and threaten, and make tremendous sacrifices until the galaxy realizes that it has someone worth following." Liara sat down next to Shepard on the bed. Shepard leaned back and stared up through the window on the ceiling to the multitude of stars in the galaxy.
"You think so?" He answered, turning his face to hers.
"There's no doubt in my mind." She leaned back and both looked at the stars. As they did that, Liara interlaced her hand in Shepard's. He gave it a squeeze. Liara sighed.
"It would be easy for a single ship to get lost up there… wouldn't it?" She asked.
"Yeah… it would." As he stared, Shepard realized how insignificant everything was in the galaxy. As time moved on, everyone, even the asari were only tiny dots on the timeline of the universe. Liara moved closer so that their bodies touched.
"To find someplace very far away… where you could spend the rest of your life… in peace..."
Both lovers looked at each other. "And happiness." Liara finished. Shepard kissed Liara on the cheek and sat up. He didn't say anything for a while; Sam just kept popping back up in his head… Shepard sighed. If everything was so insignificant, why was she coming back to him, almost haunting him? Shepard knew that he had to let go.
"And now, there's no place I'd rather be." He stated. His answer was definite, almost a challenge to Sam. He felt terrible on the inside, almost as if he had betrayed himself.
Liara sat up and stared into Shepard's eyes. "Neither would I." She responded. They kissed, and all the doubt, all the fear of letting go disappeared.
"Whatever happens out there Shepard, I'm glad we are doing this." She told him.
"You're special Liara; I wanted you to know that." He replied. Again, his answer definite, another unanswered challenge to Sam.
"Then show me." Liara challenged.
And Shepard gladly answered that challenge.
As Shepard lay falling asleep next to Liara, his head was finally clear. With that came the realization that Sam was right:
Sometimes when the conditions are right, one can do impossible things.
And when you're loved ones are beside you, you can do the things that you fear most, face failure, and let go of the ghosts that haunt your past.
As he closed his eyes, Shepard envisioned himself, Liara, and his little blue children. They were all huddled together laughing… and then they started to dance. And Shepard then drifted off to sleep.