Sword Art Of War
By: Archer83, Vergil1989 the Crossover King, and Nomad-117
Summary: Nearly thirty years after the Reaper War, the Milky Way galaxy has by and large healed from the wounds of the conflict. Life goes on, but a new generation will be called upon to leave their own mark on history as they fight to survive. Only this time, the battle will be fought in a virtual world, where the threat is just as deadly as any faced during the war.
Disclaimer: We don't own Sword Art Online or Mass Effect. Lucky for you dear players, otherwise you'd be stuck in a life and death struggle on launch day right about now.
Authors' Notes: Archer83: I blame Vergil entirely for this one, he introduced me to SAO after all. I'm just here for the wild ride!
Vergil1989: After introducing Archer83 and Nomad-117 to SAO, we decided to do this, together as one. For the longest time, I hadn't finished the show, but I have fairly recently and started watching SAO 2, so you can no doubt understand the craze as we do if you're here, reading our latest idea lol. That said, this is going to be highly AU given the mixed setting, but there might be a few familiar faces in the crowd from the show popping up in this. We'll see what happens. In the meantime, enjoy fellow Beaters, cheaters, and players alike. It's time for the Death Game to begin!
Chapter 1: Life Goes On
Thessia, The Grand Arcade Mall
November 7th, 2216
Surrounded by a horde of shoppers, the lone young turian scratched at her fringe as she glanced around for her missing friend. Why does she always do this to me? If her mom doesn't kill me, my dad will for letting her slip away. Suddenly, a far worse thought occurred to her, stirring her into desperate action. Oh Spirits. I don't even want to think about what her dad is going to do to me if she finds out.
The now very nervous teenager grumbled to herself, shuddering at the very idea as she cast her gray eyes from right to left, trying to locate her small, easily excited asari companion. This was the last thing she needed. Not only was she in one of the busiest malls on the asari homeworld, she was in the center of the giant, monolithic shopping mall on the day of the biggest neural net game release of the decade, looking for her best friend. To coin a human term, a 'needle in a haystack' would have been preferable to the mass that crushed her on all sides. "Valara, where are you?! You know your mom's gonna be upset if we're late for dinner! Valara?!" Talons already tapping at her omni-tool, the turian girl stopped short of running the tracer program her tech minded mother had insisted on installing when she caught sight of her friend at last. "Spirits! You stupid bosh'tet! You scared the crap of me, you know that?!"
"Sorry! But hurry up already!" Valara shouted back, grinning from ear to ear as she waved her arms and jumped as far as her legs allowed her in an effort to get her friend's attention. The young asari was all grins and bright green eyes as the turian youth caught up at last. Val hardly stopped for breath as she turned back to the front, so close to the end of the line she could taste it after waiting for nearly two hours. "This is it Lenn! Today is the day!"
"Seriously? It's just a game Val. I don't see what the big deal is." Lenn groaned, having absolutely no idea what said big deal really was as a krogan rudely bumped into her back once she had squeezed into line behind Valara.
"Hey! No cutting in line turian! Go to the back of the line! Now! After all, you should be used to retreating." The krogan said with a chuckle as he went to shove the girl aside.
To his surprise, Lenn side stepped him and pushed the off balance krogan in the side, making him stumble out of line with all the grace of a headless varren. By the time he'd recovered, she was right back where she'd started with Val at her side. "I'm with her sackless. Why don't you go look for your quad instead of bothering us?" Lenn drawled in response, unaffected by the krogan's attitude. She'd been around at least two that were far more intimidating than the one that had bumped her just now. "Unless you'd rather be introduced to my father? I'm sure he could scope and drop you from a mile off easy. Want me to call him for you?"
The krogan gulped and held up his hands, his red eyes falling on the blue markings on the turian's face. It didn't help any that he could see something in the asari's face, a dangerous fury brewing in her emerald eyes, that told him in no uncertain terms that she wasn't bluffing. No one had unnerved him with a mere glance before, but the krogan wasn't stupid enough to find out the hard way. "I uh...I apologize. Heheh….I didn't know who you both were. Of course you can cut in."
"Good boy. Now run along." Val said, her gaze neither softening or hardening further as she continued to glare at the krogan alongside Lenn.
"B-but, I've been waiting just as long already." The krogan started to protest, but he had to swallow the nervous lump in his throat.
"It's not worth your life sackless. It's just a game." Val stopped mid step and glared over her shoulder at her oldest friend once the krogan had slunk away like a whipped varren. Her emerald eyes narrowed to slits as she glared, making the temperature drop like a stone between them. "Dragon Age Inquisition Remastered. That was just a game. Bioshock Infinite Anniversary, that was just a game." Val proudly pointed to the final destination of her little quest, namely the small kiosk in front of them. "This? This is a life changing experience Lenn."
"Yeah, a couple of old boring ones. As for this new game being a life changing experience, you'll forgive me if I have my doubts about that." Lenn said with a snicker, not into the whole retro and, ironically, bleeding edge gaming that Val liked. Or Val's dad for that matter from what Lenn knew about her from talking with her. And it wasn't like she was going to waste another rare opportunity like that to have a dumb chat about vid games.
Val was lost in her own little world though, and missed Lenn's thoughtful look altogether. "They were classics, my father loved them, and I could see why she was so raving mad about them when she was our age. But you're missing the point Lenn. Sword Art Online is the biggest, and first, completely neural net exclusive game! It's got Common Sense(s) 3.7 built in! Imagine being able to feel a sword in your hand, the wind on your face, smell the salty sea air or the dirt under your feet, and the taste of the food! Everything!"
"You can feel the wind on your face in reality too Val. It's called taking a walk. And eating? We do that every day. As for the smell-ugh!" Lenn rolled her grey eyes and covered her nose when a volus behind her opened his redundant exhaust port. "Seriously? You couldn't hold that in?" Lenn grumbled aloud, and only received an annoyed scoff for her trouble. "Dough boy just let one rip and you hardly bat an eyelash."
"That's not the point Lenn!" Val grumbled and threw her hands in exasperation at the turian's usual lack of understanding. "If you decide to play as a huge armored krogan in this world, then you feel like you are a huge armored krogan. Just imagine walking arround and headbutting things like Uncle Wrex showed us."
"Right, because butting heads with random people is the height of fashion." Lenn deadpanned and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Lennoria, you sound just like your dad when you do that." Val giggled in reply, a small blue hand over her mouth before she gasped when she realized there was a straight shot to the Galactic Games kiosk at last.
"You know I hate it when you call me that!" Before Lenn knew what had happened, Val had ran ahead, leaving an overly excited biotic flash of dark energy in her wake. "This is my life. Chasing after Val." She mused in feigned annoyance, but couldn't help the wry grin on her face since she wouldn't have had it any other way. They had grown up together, had fought together on the school playground against the bullies that had plagued them, and nothing had changed since. Just like their respective parents had done during the Reaper Wars, only their bullies had been ancient five kilometer tall killing machines.
"That'll be forty seven hundred credits please." The bored looking salarian behind the counter told Val as he pointed to the shop terminal.
Lenn's gray eyes widened in shock, having just caught up with Val as the shopkeeper rattled off the cost for the game. "What?! Val, that's nuts! Your parents are going to kill you! ... And then kill me for not talking you out of this." Lenn protested, but Val was already reaching out to swipe her omni-tool through the kiosk terminal.
"Who do you think is letting me buy it?" The young asari said with a wink as her transaction was accepted. "The benefits of having two famous parents, they netted quite a hefty bank account by the time it was over."
Lenn ran a taloned hand down her face in exasperation. "And you waste it on a game."
"Just like you wasted your allowance on a sniper rifle / visor set." Val retorted as the salarian grumbled something about kids and too much time on their hands as he ducked under the counter to grab her purchase.
"At least mine was practical." Lenn retorted, grinning despite her usual protests about Val's less than respectful antics, which she endured anytime she was around the asari. Which was nearly every day she was on Thessia, and every day Val happened to be visiting Rannoch.
"Whatever Lenn, and I'm not wasting credits on a game. I'm wisely investing in three copies before the price goes through the cosmic roof." Val retorted with a huff.
Lenn's mandibles dropped to her chest at the revelation, just as the salarian came back up and slapped down three small OSDs containing the same game on the counter. "Three?! Why in Spirits name would you need three?!"
"One for me, one for you, and one for dad." Val said with a knowing smirk as she reached out to collect her vaunted prize.
Lenn's eyes brightened as Val tossed the turian one of the three OSDs while pocketing the other two. "Oh… Have I told you what a great friend you are?" The turian asked, and caught the OSD, contained within a transparent box covered in artwork with a deft flick of her wrist. She might not have been into the gaming scene like Val and her father, but she liked them all the same.
"At least twice today, but I never get tired of hearing it. I'm just that awesome, as my dad would say." Val replied cheerfully before making her way out of the busy game shop with Lenn right behind her.
"Ha. Ha. What type of simulation is this one anyway?" Lenn curiously asked as she glanced over the old fashioned cover art on the protective case. "Looks a little too sword and sorcery for me."
"No magic involved. It's completely realistic, set in a medieval fantasy type world." Val explained, having been surprised at the time that any game developer would take out magic from a fantasy based world. But from what she remembered of the beta, it had actually worked out pretty well for the system they had put into place. It was completely level and skill based fighting, unreliant on a mystic force that could stack the odds against those unable to contend with it. "It is called Sword Art Online after all. Hence the swords. Spears, axes, maces, daggers too, basically anything with a blade or a pointy end."
That took Lenn by surprise as she grimaced, her mandibles flaring in annoyance. "Wait. You mean you don't get to use a sniper rifle? Sorry, I'm out."
But Val wasn't hearing it as she spun on her heel and put her hands on Lenn's shoulders. "No you're not Lenn. I can't go into this without my wingwoman. Besides, you can make your own stuff outta anything you can get your hands on, if you have the materials and the skill required. Besides, I think it would be cool to see you chopping a monster's head off with a big ass battle axe."
"Really?" Lenn's gray eyes gleamed as she gave the box a second look. "Well, I guess it can't hurt to give it a test run." No sooner had the words left her mouth did Val squeal loudly and wrap her arms around the turian's waist, all but crushing the air out of her. "Easy! Choking, not breathing."
"Sorry." Val blushed and jumped back, but her grin was as wide as ever. "But I was honestly worried you wouldn't give it a try. I betaed it with dad, so I know all the good beginner hunting spots. We'll be fine!"
"Hunting spots?" Lenn asked, suddenly unsure about the upcoming gaming marathon.
"Monsters respawn, but there's going to be roughly a million players all in one game world. That means you have to be willing to go out fast and hard, out into the more dangerous spots once the beginning areas are picked clean. You either get the experience first or you get left behind in one of the beginning areas to grind your exp up on leftovers. Been there, done that, and I don't recommend it." Val explained with another shrug. "It makes resource management that much more important. But it also makes it that much more challenging. Personally I get bored with anything I can crush in a couple days."
"Great. Resource management. Sounds exciting. Plus the fun of being attacked at any moment. I get enough of that in the schoolyard." Lenn drawled, hating the idea of having to watch her back in possible hostile territory. She knew enough about games to know that in RPGs and the like, you only got as far as the level of your character, your avatar. You got those levels by earning experience and money to buy equipment, often by taking out hordes of progressively harder enemies and monsters. If there really was going to be that many people around, then all the good 'hunting spots' were going to be hard to come by in the late stages of game.
"You're gonna love it, trust me!" Throwing her arm over her taller friend's shoulder, Val held up one of her OSD's with pride. "This is going to be the best thing you've done in your entire life. At least with clothes on that is."
"Skinny dipping was a one time thing, and I wish you wouldn't bring it up at every chance you get." Lenn grumbled as she looked away in annoyance. "Valara, you're going to be the death of me yet." Lenn grumbled further, but even as the words left her mouth, she couldn't help but look at her own copy of SAO in excitement.
Taking a public aircar back to the small, quiet settlement she called home, she sighed as the pair got out. Val mostly called it boring, her father called it 'rustic', but her mother called it a nice secluded piece of paradise, far from the noise and crowds of the major cities. Val loved the city personally, but then again, she wasn't a galactic hero. She didn't have hordes of rabid fans begging for her autograph or asking for pictures.
Speaking of the city, it was hard to imagine the entire planet, the entire galaxy, had faced total extinction at the hands of the Reapers thirty years ago. All but the most isolated communities had been fully repaired after the devastation, and even then most of those were all but cleaned up. Yet Val knew it had, having been born almost right after the War was over. She had seen enough holo vids and pictures from that time, and she was truly grateful, let alone glad, that her parents had been part of the reason they were able to enjoy life now. As 'airheaded' as she acted, Valara was far from stupid, let alone spoiled rotten despite what some of her less favorable acquaintances from school said to the contrary.
Val was drawn out of her thoughts when her turian friend nudged her gently in the side. "You know, I really like it out here." Lenn mused as she stared at the wide, green hills all around them once they had gotten out of the aircar on the front lawn of the estate.
Val snickered as she tapped Lenn on her forehead before turning to her home and leading the way towards the biometrically locked front door. A quick scan would admit them, a measure her mother had insisted on, along with the sophisticated network of security cams, laser trip wires, motion sensors, and a number of combat drones that would only activate under certain circumstances. As annoying as it was, Val wasn't about to argue against her mother, who could be downright terrifying given her knack for knowing everything that went on in the galaxy. "You would. Turians think survival training is a fun hobby."
"It is!" Lenn protested. "Remember when we went camping with my mom and dad? It wasn't just camping, it was extreme camping."
"Exactly my point Lenn." Val giggled in retort as fond, if slightly painful memories flashed through her head. "Your idea of camping involves being shot at with rubber rounds by a 'funny' ex-vigilante at all hours of the night. And Chitika almost singed my face off!"
"Oh come on, I thought it was funny. Mom was just messing with you, she wouldn't actually let Chitika hurt you. Not on purpose at least." Lenn retorted, smirking widely at her asari friend.
"Lenn? Bite me." Val grunted and left her on the other side of the bulletproof glass door that shimmered with a kinetic barrier for good measure.
If only I had the nerve... "Nah, asari are too salty. Plus I break out in hives." Lenn continued once she was on the other side of the door as if Val hadn't just slammed it in her face.
"Gah! I'm not listening!" Val groaned and covered her ears.
"I could stand to hear a bit more. I find they tend to taste sweet myself." Val forgot her disgust at her nervous friend's sick joke when she looked up and saw her 'dad' standing at the top of the stairs, a goofy grin on her face. "Hey Val, Lenn. I see you two have come back the conquering heroes."
"I learned from the best dad." Val chuckled as she tossed her father one of the OSDs, laughing when it stopped mid air with a blue glow and gently floated into the woman's hand.
"Need the practice." Vivian Shepard-T'soni said with a casual shrug as she dashed down the stairs to wink mischievously at her daughter and her best friend. "And you're damn right you learned from the best kid. I was crushing Hurlocks before I even knew how to read, let alone walk. Of course, I traded my controller for an amp when I was old enough, but I never forgot my roots."
Ain't that the truth. Val mused, knowing the story quite well. "So, was operation 'Don't Let Mom Know' a success?" No sooner had the words left her daughter's mouth than Vivian's face started to go pale, about the same time Val saw her mother standing at the top of the stairs, coolly staring down at them. "Uh….hi mom." Val managed to squeak out.
"You should know by now Little Wing, I know everything and anything worth knowing, especially when it comes to my daughter." Liara Shepard-T'Soni, former Shadow Broker, archaeological professor extraordinaire and Shepard's bondmate, stated dryly, her deep blue eyes twinkling in amusement. "I'll admit, you had me going up until you asked to 'go for a walk' with Lenn this morning. You need to work on your subterfuge. I would have suggested telling me you were going out to shop, just not for what. The best lies contain the most truth."
"You'd know." Val muttered and rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment.
"If it makes you feel better Professor T'soni, she didn't tell me either until we were halfway to the mall." Lenn stated, earning her an annoyed glare from Valara for her trouble.
Vivian coughed and straightened the collar of her asari styled robes, having taken to the local attire after living on Thessia for the past twenty eight years. "She also might have 'tortured' me for information the moment you left."
"I didn't hear you complaining at the time Vivian." Liara replied, grinning sultrily as she leaned in and kissed the woman on her cheek on her way down to the kitchen.
"Does screaming count?" Shepard asked with a twinkle in her eye.
Val's green eyes widened in horror as she looked away, flopping down on the couch in annoyance. "Ah, gross dad! Seriously?!"
Vivian chuckled and grinned as she sauntered down the rest of the stairs, her arms crossed over her chest. "When you find someone you're madly in love with, I'll be happy to return the favor."
"You two are such children." Liara stated and shook her head in amusement as she carried in a tray laden heavily with food. "You won't be going anywhere until you eat something, all three of you. Consider that an order."
"Yes ma'am." Viv saluted sarcastically and grinned up at Liara before picking up a bowl of what looked like an exotic form of calamari. Asari might have been alien in their preferences for food and drink, but Vivian had grown used to the delicacies that were the norm for them. Besides, it was a small sacrifice to trade in greasy hamburgers and cheap soda for what she consumed these days.
Lenn didn't make it two steps towards the kitchen before Liara waved the turian girl over. "I took the liberty of preparing something for you as well, I figured Val would talk you into staying the night again."
"Sorry to be a pest Professor T'soni, but I appreciate it." Lennoria replied gratefully.
"Lennoria Vakarian, how many times must I tell you to call me Liara?" The asari softly asked, smiling warmly at Lenn as the turian turned around and situated herself next to Val. "At least you have proper manners, I don't feel quite so outnumbered with you here." This she directed at Viv and her daughter, as both stopped and stared at each other when they realized they'd been slurping down the side of noodles that had been included with the sushi.
"What?" Val muttered as she loudly slurped up another noodle. "I like to eat mom, what can I say?"
"There's eating and then there's what you and your father do." Liara countered, smiling despite her slight annoyance at their immaturity.
"You're right, need to slow down and enjoy things. Took me forever to stop giving myself a three minute time limit for every meal." Shepard stated, remembering all the hurried meals she and the rest of the old crew had partaken in between battles against the Reapers and their enthralled allies. "But, in my defense, I am curious to see what this SAO thing is all about. That and it'd be a good, safe, proving ground for our future Spectre here." Shepard told her with grin, nodding her head towards the pair sitting across from her.
"Whoa dad, let's not get ahead of ourselves." Val protested and held up her hands to curtail her father's enthusiasm.
Shepard blinked, tucking a strand of graying auburn hair behind her ear. "Hmm? Wasn't talking about you sweetheart, you're a lover, not a fighter. And I wouldn't want you any other way. Lenn on the other hand-"
Oh Spirits, this is really happening right? I just know I'm going to wake up any second now... Lenn seemed to sink deeper into the plush couch, desperately focusing on her meal and not the fact the legendary Spectre, Commander Shepard herself, thought she was Spectre material. It was clearly a losing battle judging by her wide gray eyes and drooping mandibles.
Oh goddess, I know that look. Lenn, you are such a geek. "Says you." Val cheerfully retorted as she stuck out her tongue at her dad, while ignoring the wide eyed glaze overed look on Lenn's face. "Or did you forget all those times I organized the kids in the school yard during my grade school days anytime the bullies tried their crap?"
"She does have a point Vivian. I remember many times you rallied us with your words alone." Liara intoned, shaking her head in amusement yet again.
Lenn wasn't listening, having only heard Shepard's comment about her possibly being the next Spectre in her family. "You really think I might be a Spectre one day Comman- Mrs. T'soni?"
"It's Viv to you Lenn." Vivian said with a smirk as she scooped up another sushi roll and shoved it in her mouth. "And if you're anything like your old man, I'd say..." Shepard was clearly getting way too much delight out of torturing the poor teen by drawing out her answer. "Yup. I think you'd do just fine." In about twenty years. Don't need to tell her that quite yet though.
"Vivian. Please don't talk with your mouth full….again." Liara grumbled, but let it slide since she wouldn't have had Vivian any other way. It was just one of the many quirks that made up the whole package that was the love of her life. And the father of their one and only daughter, although it hadn't been from a lack of trying. A lot of enthusiastic trying. Shepard often mused that maybe it was desperation that allowed her to get into Liara's genetic code at the end of the war, as well as her pants.
"Love you too sweety." Kissing Liara on the cheek once again, Vivian got to her feet and beckoned the two young 'teens', mentally in Val's case, being that she was twice as old as Lenn chronologically speaking. "Come on squad, we've got ourselves an op to run. And some Noobs to PWN."
"I'm not planning on PVPing dad. It doesn't exactly make a great first impression if we want to start a guild right away." Val's voice took on a stern tone as she mock scowled, remembering a particularly aggressive Grand Theft Terminus session with her dad. "And I remember someone telling me, 'A Noob is just an ally you haven't made yet, now shoot that C-Sec officer in the leg, we're in the middle of a damn heist here.'"
"Good answer kid." Viv replied, glad she was so against the idea of taking down weak opponents just because she could. "I knew I raised you better than that, even if you are a smartass."
Sticking her tongue out, Val gasped when her eyes flicked towards a nearby holo chronometer and ran towards the stairs. "Come on guys, we'll miss the launch at this rate!"
Liara could only smile as she watched Lenn sigh and follow after her exuberant daughter, who had long since ran up the stairs with Shepard glancing knowingly at their retreating forms. She didn't need the vast network that the Shadow Broker had had access to, to know that Lenn and Val were all but bonded for life. They remind me of myself and Shepard when we first met, save for the slight personality differences. Goddess help us all. Liara mused, and saw that Vivian was thinking the same thing when their gazes met.
Guess I can save the 'hurt my daughter and they'll never find the body' speech for when Lenn gets up the courage to ask her out on a date. Hmm. Third, nah, make it a fourth date, don't want to scare her off. Besides, Val could do a lot worse than Lenn. With that thought in mind, Shepard was about to follow after the pair until her omni-tool went off. "Crap. Go ahead you two, I have to take this. It's your Aunt Ash and Uncle James."
"Tell 'em we said hi!" Val called over her shoulder, Lenn trailing after her like a reluctant shadow. A shadow that was forcefully yanked into Val's room with a surprised yelp a moment later. "Come on, we're gonna miss it!"
"Those two might as well be attached at the hip." She mused aloud, grinning as she tapped at her omni-tool and nodded to the image on her right arm. "Hey Ash, how's domestic life treating ya?"
"Vega got me knocked up again, the charming bastard. How do you think it's going?" Ashley mock growled, grinning despite the fact she felt as big as a whale for the fifth time in thirty years.
In the background Shepard could see the rebuilt Vancouver skyline through the windows of Ashley's apartment, giving a subtle nod of approval to her fellow marine. "Let me guess. Morning sickness, irritability, and a craving for... I'm gonna say peanut butter this time."
"Wiseass. Vanilla ice cream, but yeah, you got the gist of it Skipper." Ashley replied as she crossed her arms over her chest and glared, before her expression softened slightly. "God, I don't know what I'd do without James. Man obeys my every whim, actually, I think he's gotten a lot better at this whole pregnant thing. Even if I want to kill him anytime I pop."
"What was that my glowing Flor de la muerte?" Vega sweetly asked from somewhere off screen.
"Nothing honey! ... I'm just going to put one between your eyes in about a month from now is all." Ash quietly whispered this last part just loud enough for Shepard to hear. "I'll give him 'Flower of death' alright."
"Been learning Vega's native tongue huh?" Shepard asked, chuckling at the scowl her question got from her fellow N7.
"Um yeah? It's the only way I can keep up when we're yelling at each other…. or screaming at each other, if you get my drift." Ashley replied, a sultry grin forming on her face the moment the words left her mouth. Shepard merely shook her head and smirked in response as her mind drifted towards the rest of their old crew.
Unsurprisingly, Ashley had decided to stay on Earth after the war, and naturally James had accompanied her. The other members of her crew and friends had spread throughout the galaxy, doing their respective best to help rebuild and maintain order. Miranda was often with Orianna, helping to rebuild old colonies or to establish new ones. Wrex and Grunt had fun on Tuchanka as far as she was aware, while Tali and Garrus enjoyed life on Rannoch though they called often and visited at least several times a year.
She wasn't sure what exactly Jack was doing, but Vivian was reasonably certain it wasn't anything too bad. Jack had been doing quite a lot of good with her teaching at the academy, even if her methods were a bit extreme. Samara of course still pursued her quest for justice in the name of the Justicar order. Jacob and his wife had gone to a small little colony where they lived far away from any danger or excitement. From what Shepard had last heard, it was certainly a peaceful planet, if a little dull.
Joker and EDI were another story. From what she had heard, they won the galactic lottery and built their own ship and used it to fly through the galaxy on a neverending 'booze cruise' as Jeff called it. Chakwas was with them, the old human doctor still stubbornly watching over Joker as she did in all the years before. The fact their 'cruise' often involved delivering medi-gel and food, among other much needed supplies to far flung colonies was the more likely reason for her presence.
All that aside, Shepard could only smile and shake her head at Ashley's mock anger. "At your age, I'm surprised you didn't break a hip marine."
"Screw you too, Skipper." Ashley said with a laugh. "Twins this time. Now I know how dad felt raising us back in the day."
"Sheesh. You certainly don't fuck around Williams... wait, maybe you do." Shepard replied, and raised an eyebrow for emphasis.
"Laugh it up Shepard. I'm dropping off the horde on your ass the next time we're in the neighborhood." Ashley retorted, grinning at the prospect of letting Vivian and Liara babysit for a few weeks while she and Vega took a much needed vacation.
If Ashley had hoped to intimidate her, she was sorely disappointed when Shepard merely smirked in response. "Good, we can have a few training exercises, teach 'em the basics. Maybe start with a nice game of capture the frag."
Jame's frowning forehead poked into frame, worry lines and all. "I heard that Lola. Better be a paint frag or we're gonna have problems."
"Oh, you know me, safety is my middle name James. I figure sparkles and confetti might make for a good explosion. Maybe give Erica a few driving lessons while I'm at it? She's what, sixteen now?"
Ashley's reaction was not in the least surprising as she glared daggers through the view screen on her side. "Hell no! I'd be better off taking care of that myself. I still have nightmares about all the times you jumped the Mako over giant canyons and impact craters."
"Turning that weird pyramid we found into the perfect launch ramp was a personal favorite." Shepard's emerald eye glazed over for a moment at the happy memory. Well, it had been happy for her at least, she only remembered a lot of screaming and cursing coming from Ash and Kaidan at the time. "Good times."
"Damn. Wish I coulda seen that one." Vega said with a shrug before moving off camera.
"No you don't James. And Shepard, how could I forget? You only bring it up twenty times a year." Ashley grunted and Shepard was sure she was crossing her arms over her chest on her end again.
"Damn, am I getting that predictable in my old age?" Vivian asked, already knowing the answer as she walked partially downstairs, her gaze fixated on the image on her arm.
"Yes you are Skipper, but if you ask my girls, they'll say the same thing about me and James. Doesn't stop Liara from putting up with you. According to her it has a lot to do with your charm, but mostly your tongue."
"Ashley! That was a private conversation!" A mortified Liara yelped as she shoved her face next to Vivian's and glared down at the snickering marine.
"Says the ex Shadow Broker. The day you value privacy is the day I croak." Ashley retorted, grinning at the mortified look she caught from the asari.
"Ladies, play nice. I don't want another repeat of our last Christmas party. I'm still finding loose bits of plaster from when Grunt and Wrex had to pull Jack and Miranda apart." Vivian shuddered, recalling the damage and devastation they had wrought in one of their rare arguments. It had been real interesting, paying for their parole when they were arrested by the local authorities. By the time Vivian had gotten them out, they had kissed and made up. A lot.
"So, they still going at it? Last I heard, they were working on adopting number three. Cute little hanar, I shudder to think of how that's gonna work with Jenna and Bravis." Ashley stated as she repositioned the holocam on her end and sat down, her face briefly going out of frame in the change of position.
"They'll find a way. They say Stasis fields are a great parenting tool apparently." Shepard said with a shrug.
"I'm jealous. What I wouldn't give for a biotic babysitter." Ashley grumbled, and just as she was about to say something, she looked over her shoulder and glared at someone offscreen. "James, shut up."
"No way, you didn't say you were calling Lola, so I'm hijacking the rest of this conversation." James protested before sticking his head back into the frame. "Still looking as fine as ever I see. Gray hairs and all."
Liara rolled her blue eyes, possessively wrapping her arm around Shepard's as she pulled her towards the couch. "Commander Vega, I'm sure you're quite aware that I can flay you alive, with my mind. So I suggest you stop flirting with my bondmate, she's all mine."
"You wouldn't deprive the galaxy of all this finery." James replied and gestured at himself for emphasis. "Besides, I got my own love of my life. Lola's too crazy for me anyway."
"Kiss my ass James. Still as flirtatious as ever huh?" Shepard chortled as she sat comfortably next to Liara on the couch. "So, how's life at the Villa? Getting tired of scaring the shit out of the FNGs yet?"
"Nope, it's legalized target practice. I get to sit on the porch and take pot shots anytime they start lagging. Don't make 'em like they used to, but I try my best with the nuggets they send my way." James replied and leaned back on the sofa next to Ashley on his end.
"They broke the mold when they made us." Shepard chuckled just as Liara rolled her eyes out of the corner of her vision. "But someone had to step up, and I had enough with running drills twenty years ago Vega. I enjoy the quiet life."
"Is that why I keep seeing you pop up in the Armax Combat Arena?" Vega asked, ruefully smirking when Vivian didn't have a ready comeback. "At least you shoot up the place for a good cause. What was the last one, research for a cure for Ardat Yakshi syndrome? You already singlehandedly got the funding to cure Kepral's and Vrolik's, so I know it isn't those two."
"Figured I owed Samara a few dozen times over for everything she did back in the day. Same with Joker, despite his non stop mouthing off. Actually, considering I can kick his sarcastic ass guilt free now, that was sort of a present to me." Was Vivian's nonchalant response. Getting to drag Jeff onto the dance floor at our bondmate ceremony without hearing the sound of snapping shin bones wasn't too bad either. She quietly mused to herself with a grin.
"I always knew you had an ulterior motive." Ashley chuckled and grinned at the camera. "Same ol' Skipper, always three steps ahead of everyone around her."
"That's probably why I always beat Traynor at chess. Never wanted to challenge her to a game of Kepesh-Yakshi anyway." Viv mused before a thought occurred to her. Blade of the Night Winds... hmm, I think I just found my new avatar name. Pushing that thought to the side, Viv let her thoughts turn elsewhere. "Speaking of, how are Sam and Kelly doing?"
"Last I heard they were on Elysium, living in bliss while they kept the orphans they've taken in occupied. Just built a new dormitory too. Something about 'an amazingly generous donation from an anonymous source'. Anonymous my ass. Kasumi probably had a hand in that. Kelly always did talk about starting up a place like that while we were on the Normandy."
"And you didn't want her on the ship because she was with Cerberus. Good thing I didn't listen to you huh?" Shepard mockingly pondered as she tapped a finger against her chin. "Wait, what was the great idea you had again, giving her a new identity?"
Ashley grumbled something unsavory in the back of her throat before saying, "Yeah yeah bite me Skipper. You were right, I was wrong. Ya happy?"
"Yep. Good thing you weren't in charge of staffing engineering either." Vivian quipped with a gentle laugh, knowing that Ash would rather eat her helmet than admit she hadn't trusted Ken and Gabby either at first.
"I get the point already!" Sheesh, thirty years and you haven't changed a bit." Ashley grumbled, but she couldn't help the smirk on her face if her life had depended on it. Ken and Gabby hadn't turned out half bad in her opinion, although she'd never admit it to Vivian. Nor would she be telling her that the couple happened to be coming over for lunch tomorrow.
Ash rolled her brown eyes as James planted a kiss on her cheek. "What'd you expect from Lola? She's as stubborn as you darlin', my fiery-."
"Shepard!" Vivian's ears perked up immediately at the concerned tone in Liara's voice as her eyes darted to the terrified look on bondmate's face.
Ashley's gaze darted off screen as she and Vega turned on the Alliance News Feed on their end. "Skipper." It would have been a cold day in Hell when Ashley Williams ever showed true fear on her face, but from what Vivian could see on her omni-tool, that day had just arrived.
She wasn't smiling anymore, and Shepard was about to find out why as she followed Liara's horrified gaze towards the nearest vid screen in the house. The reporter, Diana Allers, an old... grudging acquaintance, was looking just as pale and doing her best to contain her horror at what she was already in the process of explaining. "-scattered reports are coming in. We are still trying to confirm what we've been told, but what information we have suggests that the new neural network game, Sword Art Online, has reportedly trapped every logged in player within the virtual world. It is strongly advised that no one attempt to log in or try to remove the neural headband of anyone already inside. We've already received scattered reports of attempts to manually pull people out of the game resulting in instantaneous death-"
Vivian had already crashed into Val's bedroom door long before the newscaster ever had a chance to finish her report. "Valara! Lennoria!" Even as the words left her mouth, Shepard knew she was too late as she saw Lenn and Valara fast 'asleep', securely rigged up in their respective sensory headbands, with the asari on the single bed and the turian sprawled out on the nearby futon. "Shit. Shit shit shit!" Vivian cursed and ran to grab her own headband, only to run into Liara. Shepard cut her off before the shaken woman could even open her mouth. "Don't. I'm not leaving them in there like that, terrified and alone."
"Think Vivian!" The asari physically stopped Shepard by pushing her back, glowing dark blue with dark energy from head to foot. "Just stop for two seconds!" Liara shouted, already fully aware of what Viv intended to do. "Don't think for even a moment that I'm not thinking of doing the exact same thing, but we don't know what's really going on. We need to think this through, gather intelligence, find out who or what is responsi-"
"There's nothing to think about Liara. There's no time to gather intelligence, no time to waste. This is what we do." Ashley stated firmly, drawing both Vivian and Liara's gazes to her omni-tool. "But if it makes you feel better, I've got the basic info right here, James found it posted on ANN's forum. The game creator, Akihiko Kayaba, is a damn psychotic freak going by the manifesto he left behind. It's already trending on the extranet. According to this, the only way for any of the players to survive is to play his sick game and finish it, all one hundred levels. Anyone does that, the game shuts down and the players are logged out en masse."
"I'm not letting you risk your life based on the rantings of a mad man!" Liara yelled in desperation, even as she scanned the same document for any clue as to how to free the trapped players some other way. "By the Goddess, Kayaba has clearly suffered a mental break if he believes half of this nonsense. But... I don't think he's lying about the endgame. The idea anyone could actually defeat his simulation has most likely never even occurred to him."
"Which means those already on the inside have a chance. Overconfident assholes are our specialty anyway. And I know how you are Skipper, you'll have an army going in no time." Ashley replied, and looked to her side only to see Vega had left the couch.
"On that note, before you guys even think about arguing, we're already making plans to get to Thessia. All of us." Vega stated, his voice carrying through the link even if neither could see him at that moment, save for the occasional thrown article of clothing, while making it clear he was planning to bring their kids along for the trip. "I'd ask you to wait Commander, but I know better. So do what you do best and kick some ass Lola."
"Just get here ASAP. The whole damn crew if you can swing it. We're totally blind, we need more intel even though I plan to jump right in, like usual. I'm probably going to be completely cut off so Liara's in charge of that." Even as the words left her mouth, Vivian turned and hugged Liara tightly against her chest and whispered in her ear. "I'm going to get them back."
"I know you will." Liara whispered, and didn't bother to wipe away the tears running down her face. "You always come back. Death couldn't stop you, a VR game will be a cakewalk by comparison."
Ashley waited until they parted to inform them of her intentions. "I'm already sending the message Skipper. We'll stand guard for as long as it takes, I'll handle security with James and whoever else that comes along for the ride. You and Val will be safe until the others can get here."
"Ash, James... Lenn is in there with her. Not gonna lie, I think I'm the one getting the safer job here. Go easy when you break it to Tali and Garrus, they probably don't know yet. Last I heard, Garrus planned some private time for the two of them out in the wilderness back on Rannoch."
Any other time, Ashley would have had a sarcastic retort on hand, but this wasn't the time for it. Instead she only nodded. "No problem Skipper."
"We got this Commander, go." James said with a somber nod as he turned back to filling the rest of their friends in on the current catastrophe unfolding before them.
As if on cue, Jeff 'Joker' Moreau's face filled Vega's omni-tool moments after he had sent the message. "What the shit?! What kind of sick bastard traps a bunch of gamer nerds in a meat grinder?! What EDI?! Can't you see I'm a little- No I didn't hit the damn mute button! ...Oh right. We're on our way to pick up the crew. There's no way we're leaving you to deal with this mess on your own Shepard."
"I know Jeff, thanks guys." Shepard replied sincerely, before deactivating her omni-tool with practiced ease. She slumped down on the side of Valara's bed and sighed heavily. This was yet another goddamn mess to unfuck, one that she was determined to fix or die trying. There was no other way to think about it. Looking up the asari and the love of her life though, Shepard felt her emerald eyes start to glaze over as tears started to form. "I thought we'd get a chance to live happily ever after the War was over. Now some insane jackass is going to get a lot of people killed, but Val and Lenn aren't going to be on that list. I promise you."
Don't think about anything else except protecting our daughter and Lennoria." In that order. Liara guiltily thought to herself, knowing better than to ask that of Vivian. She'd protect everyone she could equally or not at all. It was just her way. "I'll handle everything...on my end." Liara promised, her blue hand already rapidly flying over her omni-tool's interface. "I'll put in a call to Feron, have him access what he can on the company that created this Sword Art Online. Maybe we can deal with this problem at its source."
Shepard smiled up at Liara even as a tear rolled down her face. "You get us out without me having to do it the hard way... my new purpose in life will be worshipping the ground you walk on."
"You already do that." Liara managed a weak laugh despite everything that was currently unfolding.
"I'll just have to think of something else then." Shepard told her with a deceptively casual shrug as she settled the band on her head and took a deep breath. "I love you." Shepard softly told her as she was just about to activate it.
"I love you as well... my Commander." Liara replied as she took the headband in her hands and held it up just long enough to give Vivian a deep, smoldering kiss before gently lowering it back down. "Now go in there and show them how a Spectre handles a crisis." With that, Liara hit the activation button, having put her hand over Shepard's. They had vowed to see things through together, and nothing would change that, not even this.
"Right. Link... start." Shepard said, and jerked once before stilling where she lay, her mind mingling with the countless other players already within the realm of Sword Art Online.
"Goddess protect you Vivian. And if not, there will be Hell to pay." Liara vowed as she slowly stood to her feet. She had a lot to do to prepare for this newest war, one that would be fought on two fronts if Vivian had any say on the matter, and Liara knew she would be thinking along the same lines. The only difference was Shepard had gone where she couldn't follow, and it terrified her.
