2290
Chapter 1
In the year 2286, the once pro-human group known as Cerberus made a re-emergence after it was thought to be completely dismantled for nearly a century. It sought to infiltrate all society, not just humanity, to take it over as a whole. The leader of the terrorist organization believed that there was more to the Reapers than already believed and used their technology against them. Spectres Alex "Rex" Williams and Kota T'soni worked to dismantle Cerberus once again eventually receiving help from the thought to be dead Savior of the Galaxy, Commander Shepard.
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"Hi, I'm Rex...and I'm addicted to narcotics."
"Welcome Rex," the circle of about ten people around her replied in unison.
Rex fiddled with a small circular sliver of metal between her fingers while gazing down at the floor. She seemed a bit troubled and this raised a bit of concern from the group leader.
The leader, a female, tilted her head and asked, "You seem troubled Rex. Is there anything on your mind?"
"Today," Rex said with hesitation, "Today is my first re-birthday..."
"Congratulations," the woman said with a smile, "You should be happy and proud of yourself."
The soldier glanced up to the leader with a worried look and said, "What happens from here? I mean...I feel like I should feel different...but I don't."
"You keep moving forward. This change is a slow process and because of that it may seem like nothing is different, but in fact things are very different. With hard work and strong will, it will get better."
Rex simply nodded, her front paying off to seem like nothing, but simple worry for her big day. She managed a fake smile. No one would realize the nightmares had returned. With that, they moved on to the next person who felt like they had something to share, and so on.
After an hour or so, the meeting concluded and Rex stood up and slid on her leather jacket. She shook hands with a few people who congratulated her on a year of sobriety and thanked them for telling her how great of an accomplishment it was. She played it off well for them. In all honesty, she just wanted to get out and go home, but she had to act as if she were actually interested in what addicts thought of her.
Finally, the pleasantries were over and she walked out to her car. The door opened automatically upon sensing its owners presence and she sat inside, the door sealing itself once again. Rex let out a heavy sigh before deciding to return home.
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Day was breaking on Thessia. Sunlight gleamed through the cracks of the shades in Shepard's and Liara's bedroom. Neither of the two occupants of the bed stirred. Liara's back was turned towards Shepard with the human's left arm draped over her side and the other making a pillow beneath the asari's neck, blue hands clasping the one closest to her face. Every night they would be cuddled up in a different position, but every morning they woke up like this, the retired soldier holding her asari bondmate protectively.
Little blue feet lightly tiptoed into their room, headed carefully to their bed. The small blue child climbed up and promptly plopped down on Shepard's side. The human only stirred slightly.
"Daddy," the child said softly at first. When this did not receive an acceptable reply, she began poking Shepard in the cheek to get her attention. "It's wakey wakey time!" She shouted.
Liara, awake now, smirked and lifted up a bit when she felt Shepard trying to pull her arm away. She turned over in time to see Shepard grab the small child and pin her to the bed before attacking her with a barrage of tickles. Their daughter let out a wail of laughter as she was tickled.
Alex chuckled and let up with her attack, sitting back on her feet. "Reza, I suggest you run," she said to the child with a mischievous smile.
Reza was Alex's and Liara's second child. She was conceived not that long after Cerberus' demise. The child was a small ball of enormous energy and sometimes she wiped her parents out. Her laughter was contagious and her hero was her father, though not for the same reasons everyone else had.
Reza blinked innocently at Shepard. "Why?" She asked.
Alex lunged forward as if to tickle her again. "Because I'm gonna getcha!"
The child half giggled and screamed before tumbling off the bed and bolting out the door. When she realized her father hasn't chased her after all, she carefully made her way back to the room and peaked in. That's when Shepard suddenly jumped towards her. Reza screamed again and ran, all the while laughing. This time Alex really chased her, catching the little bundle of joy.
Liara had also gotten out of bed and stood in the hallway smiling as she watched her wife scoop up their child and proceed to throw her in the air and then catch her. This used to frighten her and she used to plead with Alex not to do it, but in time she grew accustomed to the act. No one could have pegged Shepard to be the type of parent she was. That was because everyone else only knew the way Shepard was on the field. Liara saw a completely different Shepard as a lover and as the father of her children. Alex wasn't the same cold and calculated person in this light. She had a gentler touch and approach to things. A few years back, Liara could not have even dreamed for this moment and she smiled every time she saw her family.
Shepard ended her assault and set their little blue child down before stepping to her wife. They gave each other a quick kiss on the lips before Alex asked, "Want me to whip up some breakfast?"
Liara smiled and gave a gentle nod. Thankfully, Shepard's cooking was not like her driving.
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The construction of the Galaxias Relay was the biggest undertaking since the Crucible. Every intelligent race in the Milky Way was hard at work on it. Now, with Cerberus out of the picture, it wasn't such a big secret. This relay would be the door to new frontiers, if it worked. It was only a few months from completion, which meant it would be tested soon, and hopefully they would have successfully sent the first immigrants from the Milky Way to Andromeda. It was risky, but with the help of the Reapers, everyone was confident.
Kota stood behind Ivy's pilot seat, arms crossed behind her back. She gazed out on the sight of the enormous relay as they got closer. For the moment, she was the commanding officer of the Normandy SR-3.
After battling PTSD and addiction for three years, Rex stepped down temporarily. The Alliance did not strip her of her rank even after she threw her tags in the face of military brass, nor did the Council take away her Spectre status. Rex was a hero as far as they were concerned, and even heroes have their troubles. Commander Williams was simply on hiatus until she gave further notice.
The red head cleared her throat to break the silence and asked, "So, how is Rex doing these days?"
"She's actually doing a lot better," the asari replied with a smile, "Her anxiety has calmed down quite a bit. It's almost nonexistent." As far as anyone else knew, Rex had only suffered from PTSD. The only people who knew her other problems were Kota and the group Rex went to, not the Alliance, not the Council, not even their parents. Rex had made Kota promise to never tell them. She was too ashamed.
"That's great," Ivy said happily, "Shit happens to the best of us. I'm just glad she's pulling through. Will we be seeing her any time soon?"
"Yes, actually," Kota replied, "She's planning on taking back her spot next week."
"Really? Awesome! Uh, n-not that you're bad at what you're doing or anything."
"I know, I know."
"So what are we doing here today?"
"Well, Admiral Vega wanted me to join him in checking up on this relay. The Alliance and the Council both want to know how soon they can get this thing running."
"Ah, I see," Ivy said as her comm chimed, "Oh, speak of the devil. The Admiral wishes to board the vessel."
"Let him in," Kota said with a nod. She turned to go greet James upon his arrival.
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Xavier Mason was making rounds to ensure everyone was at work, doing what they were supposed to be doing. He had taken a special part in the construction of the new relay by consulting directly with the Reapers. After his rounds, he met up with his assistant, an asari.
"You know what to do when they get here, right? You know everything they're going to be asking about?" Mason asked.
"Of course," the asari answered, seeming less enthused about her job than he was about his. In fact, being a secretary/assistant was not her profession. She had degrees of all sorts in anthropology. This was just her foot in the door to exploring new things first hand.
"Good, good," Xavier said as he caught a glimpse of a shuttle from the corner of his eye. "They're here. I'll leave you to it." Mason walked off, leaving the asari to herself and the visitors. He had more important business to tend to.
The shuttle door opened and out walked Kota and James. Mason's assistant almost dropped her data pad and at the same time James' jaw dropped. Kota stood there with a look of confusion.
"I'll be damned," Vega said.
"James," the other asari said, "Is that you?"
"Yeah," James replied, "This is Treeya. She helped me out a long time ago in a stint with the Collectors. What are you doing here?"
"Well, I'm Xavier Mason's assistant," Treeya answered, "But I'm really here because I want to be one of the first to go through this relay to explore a new galaxy."
"I see," James said as if he were considering something. Treeya seemed as frosty as ever. He turned to the asari next to him. "Treeya, this is Spectre Kota T'soni. She's here with me to represent the Council. We just want to see how things are going."
Treeya's eyes met with Kota's and she stepped forward to shake her hand, a human gesture she never thought she would become accompanied to. "T'soni? Really? Any relation to Dr. Liara T'soni?"
"Yes," Kota nodded as she shook the other asari's hand, "She's my mother."
"Really," Treeya said amused, "She was my mentor for a while, years back of course. I haven't kept up with her. I had no idea she had a child. Well, that's great."
"So, how are things going here?" The Admiral inquired.
"Very well actually," she replied, "We are expecting it to be at completion in two months and eight days from today. Come, I'll give you a tour." Treeya turned on her heel and began to walk. It was certainly a surprise to see James Vega again. She had heard of his ascension of rank, but never expected to run into him again after Fehl Prime. Maybe she would catch up with him later. Right now was not the time to get caught up in thinking if he ever thought of her still.
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Rex threw a few outfits into a rather large duffle bag along with some toiletries. She heard the door to her apartment swish open and knew Kota had returned home from her day of work. They were lovers, but they had not gone as far as to consider themselves bondmates like Shepard and Liara were, even though they lived together in a spacious apartment on the Citadel.
"I'm back here," Rex stated loud enough for the asari to hear her.
Kota walked to the room and stood in the doorway. "Hey, what's up? What are you doing?"
"I thought I'd head down to Earth for a few days," Rex replied, "Probably go visit Mom."
"Is everything ok?"
"Yeah," the human answered assuringly, "This whole re-birthday thing is just...I dunno...with you having to work so much, and I don't blame you at all for that, I just don't want it getting to me."
"Baby, if it's bothering you that much, I can take some time off."
"No, no. It's ok. Really. I just want to go see my mom for a bit."
Kota seem reluctant. "You promise nothing's wrong?"
Rex walked up to the asari and kissed her gently. "I promise. Everything's fine."
Hey guys, I know I've been out for a very long time and I apologize for that. Life keeps kicking me at every turn. I lost my previous job and got a new one. I have been going through anxiety and depression as well. But I have realized that when I can write I don't have so much anxiety. It's a nice distraction. So hopefully this will keep moving forward. Thank you everyone who has stuck with me. I can't wait to read to your reviews.