Mass Effect : Shepard's Letters
Chapter One – Players and Pawns.
In Between Systems, Silean Nebula, Normandy SR-2
Six days before the Strike against Cerberus
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The Normandy drifted between systems Kypladon and Nahuala at the Silean Nebula Cluster.
The quarian freighters who volunteered for the pickup of the Elcor Warriors and civilians rescued from Reaper forces attack at Nekuuna were not longer visible. Tali had chance to enjoy a brief contact with her people before their departure, and things looked brighter considering the still too sore loss of Thessia, and all that gory experience at "Sanctuary".
The pinpoint location of Cerberus secret main base was close at hand as it seemed. This was something to lift Shepard's spirits a bit, something to fight back again. Always looking after him, Garrus and Tali were worried… They and the few who had seem his worst after that solo mission months ago when Shepard disappeared for days at the Bahak System, and the aftermath of that cursed mission… Commander Shepard did not falter; however, he was there as a rock for Liara when she needed most and went on missions' matters quite normally.
Tali knew better, however…
Miranda sent news about Orianna being placed at a safe heaven, obviously not mentioning where it was, as much as the former Operative's location anyway…
To have saved the Elcor was nice too. They were in shock, traumatized, but alive, and that was good. That you couldn't know their spirits with their characteristic lack of obvious emotional traits, at least to other species, became in fact a problem to the crew. Normandy's big Cargo Bay, filled to the brim of Elcors? Some full armored, with back mounted side cannons?! In an educate manner asking about Shakespeare? Shepard had to almost punch himself but James was worst. Vega never spent time around that race in particular; he stood drop mouthed at times and then, red-faced, struggling desperately to not burst in laughter, again.
Garrus was C-sec, used to the pachyderm species; he was fairly amused by the humans' redneck antics, as he certainly pointed at for them. Suddenly, a burst of laughter just coming from nowhere, but the Turian knew that flower scent would be around… "Kasumi…" and his talons would meet his faceplates in disbelief.
The others didn't have much to do there. Tali thought Elcors were ok. She met rather nice ones in her travels. After the Aliens had left she suggested using the ship actual coordinates for some updates. Their meeting point with the quarians was far off from regular routes. Ships in FTL speed wouldn't spot them, and in low energy operations they would be out of reach even for long-range scanners.
The ship was at relative peace then. However, at his quarters, Shepard was facing a very personal showdown…
"Oh, yes, of course! Sorry, you are absolutely right, Commander! Err ... If you allow me I just remembered I have to ... Add Geth and Quarian Fleet´s navigational data to the Tactical Map!? But ... Maybe we can resume where we left tomorrow at 2000... You should at least be entitled to a rematch, Sir" - This last part said in a more steady tone again.
"Or just too flippant again, in my opinion…" - the Spectre thought, staring the Specialist with a grim look.
"And maybe you could have a rematch against my shower, couldn't you?" - The grimness kept with effort watching the Technician, already blushed, turning purple with the comment -"We'll see to it later, Traynor. Dismissed!"
A quick salute and the Officer quickly disappears saying her good nights.
The Savior of the Citadel finds himself alone again at his "Loft". "I should reeeally be better at this game ..." He sighs and stretches his arms above his head until a snap sounded from his back and he relaxes on the couch.
On the table in front of him, the board he was presented as a souvenir after he "relived" Oleg Petrovsky of his position on the throne of Aria T'Loak on Omega. With a gesture, the virtual white pieces automatically repositioned themselves and Shepard mutters through his teeth: "That goddamn smart girl..."
A member of the Alliance should know better than venturing to kick her Commanding Officer ass so often! But it was fun to torture her a bit, presenting the situation in these same terms... The Communications Specialist Officer Traynor had proved being invaluable to the success of mission after mission, but although showing efficiency and vision above that demanded by her position (and being a ruthless beast in chess) she was completely lost and unsure of her value regarding the "military" aspect of her role on the ship. Much improved now, however, and actually a small smile of pride came on his lips while thinking on the quality of the Officer growing slowly under his command. Still, she could act in such an endearing way, sometimes...
What made him ask himself where would be that other one, whose, at times, innocent and shy ways had so completely captivated him on the last four years. But also someone at same time so confident at disassembling the most advanced Core Engines of the Galaxy as while pouring tungsten at relativistic velocities against Geth Primes at close quarters...
"EDI?"
The synthesized voice of the AI was heard when the calling of her name reactivated her monitoring of the cabin.
"Yes, Shepard?"
"Tali is still in Engineering? I believe her shift had ended a few minutes ago."- He said, giving the holotimer a glance.
"Admiral Tali'Zorah is currently assisting Chief Enginner Adams's team to implement the changes suggested by Engineer Daniels on my Drive Core. She and Engineer Donnelly are in the process of dismantling an apparently very tenacious component from one of my eezo capacitors."
He frowned: "Apparently tenacious? They need extra hands? "
For a moment, he thought to have listened Joker's voice in the background, a long "noooooooo..."
There was a bit of a pause in the response of the AI: "The proposal of you helping in the disassembling of one of my main systems ...concerns me, Shepard. But by my records of previous interactions between members of Engineering, in particular the use of colorful language by Engineer Donnelly, and similar quarian terms beyond my translators capacity by Tali'Zorah, I believe they are... having fun."
That made him laughs loud: "Well...I think I have experience to validate your diagnosis, EDI. But if my stubborn and beautiful quarian girl falls to a corner at Engineering to sleep after working to exhaustion as she used to back in the old SR-1, notify me and I'll carry her from there myself. Ok?"
"Of course, Commander. Logging you out"
"Well, a few more hours before she decides to show up here then..."
He leaned upon the chessboard, studying where was the wrong move when he served his sorry ass on a platter for Traynor to kick...
Now repositioning the black pieces that Traynor had used. "Nothing like the feeling of real hardwood between my fingers, er... This did not sound right ..."-He chuckled of her slip.
Fixing his eyes on the virtual white pieces (He never discovered who had the original ones, maybe on another matching holo chessboard ... maybe with The Illusive Man, but like hell Shepard would ask Petrovsky about it... Asking TIM personally was a more appealing idea. "Shotgun personally" close... even better...), the Spectre mused a little...
Probably his sense of strategy was too hardwired to the decisions and reflexes from a real battlefield... He sighs, even before his life had become a mad race against time with lives of millions at stake, jumping nonstop from a massacre to another, his military training, especially the N7 program was all about it. Survive, thrive in extreme situations, adapt and change, never surrender. He could not even relax from this mindset on a simple game, based on strict rules and on thinking just a bit ahead!
"Mordin was probably great at this..." He holds a bishop thoughtfully.
Mordin Solus was a good friend and a brilliant mind. When he sacrificed himself for a race other than his own, at the Shroud's explosion at Tuchanka... He knew it. That maddening and wondrous Salarian knew of the STG´s sabotage on the Shroud's temperature release processes, knew he would die fixing it, deduced that Dalatrass Linron would try to stop him, and even, for Shepard's eternal shame, that for a moment the Spectre did consider doing it... He trembles at the memory. Mordin would not judge, trusted him to make the right decision (surely had anticipated the outcome as well... Shepard allows himself a rueful smile). Mordin Solus saw the Big Picture with a detachment like no one else the Spectre ever met... and he sometimes envied that. But Mordin always chose for life, for kindness when possible, and nothing prevented him from ensuring his future contribution for the sake of all Life in the Galaxy, even if his death was a step ("Regrettable but necessary") in carrying out his plan...
"Even in death, he made it..." Shepard thinks running his eyes over the datapads and archives the old scientist (and theatrical performer) left for him after his passing.
The wooden chess piece is put back in place slowly..." In chess all the fuss is about that king guy. Other pieces are sacrificed, them being officers or recruits. But, in the end, the King falls and it's over! No matter what was done, who or what was sacrificed... Not just the battle, the War is lost." Maybe, deep inside him, this would be striking too close home for comfort. If she had accepted to return, Chambers would be making a number about it…
"No surrender offered, no quarter asked..."- and in a somber tone staring at the chessboard:"A real war does not end with the loss of a commander... "
The cabin felt suddenly too quiet and empty. The shadows elicited by unconcerned fish on the usual soothing blue light of the tank passed over his eyes. That light seemed now dim…and cold. Shepard presses his temples strongly, pushing back furiously those damned non-voices, the howling, menaces and demands, to that dark pit at the bottom of his mind. "HIS" mind, yet at least...
As far as this bloody idiotic messy thing of a war went on, what was his role? "Savior of the Council", "Paragon of Humanity". His smile is bitter and tired… The people he had sworn to protect were often the same ones backstabbing him! Pushing him back as a terrorist or keeping him at an arm's distance as a dangerous liability... Someone too damn eager to pull their so wise heads from too deep into their respectable and comfortable asses to see the coming fires of ultimate extinction...
A pawn? Maybe a pawn... Reacting more than acting, pushing when pushed, but not much else. A pawn loyal to the Alliance sometimes, an annoying one to the Citadel Council and a really expensive and tremendously backfiring one to Cerberus... The few successes he had are explainable by his unbelievable stubbornness (as Garrus faithfully would point out) and the few and good ones who followed him no matter what...
The time of reckoning was coming. Cerberus would fall, soon, by his hand. All Illusive Man's schemes would not shield him... Then, the Reapers... Talk about impossible odds ... Their forces were closing in each day, thousands dying by the hour...
Defeat, even in death, is not an option.
He thought about Liara and her time capsules, "writing his name on the stars" ... The meek archeologist he once knew maybe was pushed by the events to accept the violent reality he came to know as normal. Nowadays, however? She was one of most influential and powerful beings in the Galaxy. Not giving up the current fight, nevertheless, she had left to eons to come a message of hope and victory. She became a major player in this "game", like Mordin, like even Kaiden... in his last moments...
He had too much to lose... and lost too much already. Upon his shoulders, the impending doom of an entire Galaxy... He breathes deeply...
"No... Not on my shift ..." "EDI?"
"Shepard?"
"I need your help, your discretion and…even more "
The AI waited ... intrigued. She could read the stress levels in the Commander movements and telemetry signs, but had not enough data to postulate an immediate cause. Nevertheless, EDI silenced external calls and locked the deck for privacy.
"I need your assistance for some research, and to elaborate some records and instructions... Those are to be delivered at very specific conditions. You must understand that."
"I may need connection with Hackett, the Migrant Fleet and... The Geth Consensus has QEC connection with us?"
"The Geth are not limited by the monetary aspects of the establishment of QEC connection. They're only limited by the time and difficulties of acquiring the necessary materials. Presently I estimate the Geth being the race with the most extense QEC connection network among those of the War Coalition. But answering your last question, yes, we acquired QEC connection to some of the major operating Geth hubs while on Rannoch."
"Good …"
"However, Wouldn't you prefer those calls made from the QEC terminal?"
"No, patch them here as I require them. They'll be text or audio only. No need for video feed for now. And, I must ask you..."
"Yes, Shepard?"
"I want you not to keep memory of whatever being said here in the next hours, erase them if you must. Just keep the needed for the execution of the instructions I'll give you as necessary."
"...Acknowledged, Commander."
He senses a change, and says in a soft tone: "Understand, EDI. It's not a matter of trust. It's a personal thing and a dire military move of sorts at the same time. You may not get it now, but I ask you to trust me about it. As much as I trust you to see it done if the time becomes due."
"Of course, Shepard... I'll deviate VI processes for what you need, they and any of my higher functions needed will be erased of non-relevant data as you see fit."
"Thanks, EDI..." While gathering his plans in his head, Shepard summons his omnitool on a thought and start hacking the holo chessboard.
"Shepard?"
"Huh?"
"...Need help to fix it? What are you doing? The board seems operational."
"I'm fine, not quarian engineer here, but I can manage to make this VI release the virtual pieces to allow me to move them as I want. I'm trying to prove a point, in fact."
"Which is?"
He smiles, trying and managing to "pick up" a white Knight, the hologram following his fingers. "A strategy proposed once by one of the greatest strategists of humanity, EDI. About how to beat a game not just difficult, but in fact designed to be impossible to win."
"And who would be this strategist?" EDI asks, curious about this new data.
"James Tiberius Kirk."