A New Direction

Chapter 2

Of Mice and (Wo)men

The Commander of the Normandy tugged a long thin boot over her foot and sighed. Adjusting her new uniform, she rolled back her shoulders, testing the fit across her chest. Lunging forward in her customary battle pose she was surprised at the extra reach and depth the cut afforded her. Content, she left her quarters and headed to the CIC.

"There's a message for you Commander," greeted Kelly Chambers as the Commander stepped out of the elevator. The commanding officer of the Normandy stared blankly at the Yeoman. Kelly motioned to a terminal to the left of the galaxy map. "Its on your personal terminal Commander."

The Commander nodded. Stepping towards the terminal she opened a message marked urgent.

To: Commander Shepard/Lawson, Normandy

From: Admiral Hackett, Alliance Headquarters

Priority: Urgent

Mission: Shadow Broker intel suggests that Aria T'loak may have information about Batarian plans to build a weapon of unimaginable power. Alliance agents have confirmed increased Batarian troop movements within the terminus system. Diplomatic relations between the Alliance and the Batarians continue to decline following the Alpha Relay incident in the Bahak System. The Alliance fears war is imminent. The Normandy is ordered to Omega to gather intelligence from T'loak to determine if the Batarians are building a weapon of mass destruction, and if they are to stop them.

Time is short.

Admiral Hackett

Kelly watched out of the corner of her eye as the Commander appeared to read the message again and again, her face growing more concerned by the minute. The Yeoman approached her cautiously.

"Excuse me, Commander Lawson?" Kelly reached out a friendly hand and placed it on Miranda's shoulder. Miranda jumped, awoken from a deep thought she didn't care to share with the young woman.

"That will be all Miss Chambers."

Kelly watched as Miranda Lawson walked briskly to the elevator and the doors closed behind her. Glancing at the terminal, Kelly read the private message which Miranda had neglected to close. A worried gasp escaped her lips. She closed the message. Returning to her terminal she immediately started composing her own.

O O O O O O

Doctor Chakwas had dealt with her share of uncooperative patients but Sandra Shepard pushed her to her limit. "Sit down Shepard," she barked "Or god help me I will sedate you for a week."

Shepard growled and pulled her legs back up onto the bed in the medical bay. She watched as the doctor and the Yeoman nurse fussed about her.

"C'mon Doc," grumbled the Commander. "The arm is great and I can see just fine. It's already been three days."

Chakwas shot the commander a glare that would have stopped a charging Krogan.

"Shut it Commander," she spat, tightening the sling that held Shepard's right arm across her chest.

"The sling stays on another night and as for the eye..." Chakwas growled "Perhaps you'd consider wearing a helmet the next time you decide to go charging into a Batarian minefield?"

Shepard gulped and sat quietly; she wasn't going to push that button again.

The doors to the Med Bay opened revealing a striking Miranda Lawson. Shepard smiled, taking in the sight of Miranda in her new crew uniform. Her heart lifted as she watched Miranda walk purposefully towards her and quickly sank as she passed the bed without so much as a glance.

Miranda took the doctor aside to speak privately. Straining her ears, Shepard cursed Cerberus for not upgrading something useful when they rebuilt her. Focusing her good eye on Miranda's lips, she tried to copy her mouth shape in an awkward attempt to ascertain anything that she was saying. Gotta give a girl credit for trying she mused acknowledging her hopeless effort had only succeeded in establishing that her former XOs lips were the most alluring that she had ever seen. Her only clue as to the nature of the discussion was as insistent shake of the head from Chakwas and an uncharacteristically agitated Lawson. Whatever it was, the answer was clearly no and Miranda was not happy about it.

Several minutes later Shepard was released from the Med Bay on restricted duties. Restricted duties for a Commander she quickly realised meant no duties at all. Shepard rubbed at the bandage covering her right eye. If only she had ducked a second earlier. The shrapnel from the land mine had caught her in the open and unprepared. Chakwas was right about the helmet. Shepard had been reckless in her preparation and execution of the last mission and she was now paying the price. Still weary from the after effects of medication Chakwas had promised would not impair her ability to work, an out of form Commander Shepard dragged herself out of the Med Bay and headed straight to Miranda Lawson's quarters.

O O O O O O

Shepard found Miranda sitting on her bed under a pile of data pads. She laughed to herself, finding purchase against a wall to hold her as she watched her former XO scurry about in the bedroom looking for god knows what.

"Did you check under the bed?" offered Shepard in a genuine attempt to be helpful.

"Of course I looked under the bed Shepard," growled Miranda.

"Really?" teased Shepard. "You actually thought that the great Miranda Lawson could have made such a simple..." she struggled to find a word that could describe such an uncharacteristic mistake and settled on the most obvious thing in front of her "boob as to lose a data pad under your bed?"

If she had heard the comment she didn't show it. Instead, Miranda groaned, dropping to her knees to look under the bed. She emerged momentarily with a data pad, much to the commander's chagrin.

Shepard eyed the cluster of data pads in the room.

"Must be important," she mused, stepping closer. "Why don't you tell me what the fuss is about this data pad?"

Miranda looked at Shepard. "Doctor Chakwas said that..."

"Skip it Miri," purred Shepard, taking the data pad from her hand she squinted to read the urgent mission orders it contained. Miranda watched as blood rushed to the Commander's head and Shepard immediately gave the order that Miranda had delayed.

"Joker, set course for Omega and put your foot down."

"Aye aye Commander." The intercom crackled, "ETA 6 hours."

Shepard's single eye glared at Miranda. "You wanna tell me why I had to give that order?"

"Shepard, it's not like that."

"Well what the hell is it? Because humanity can't wait for you to make up your bloody mind princess."

Shepard stormed out of Miranda's quarters, catching her shoulder on the door alcove as she left.

O O O O O O

It wasn't that Miranda needed two hours to find the courage to go to Shepard's quarters but rather she calculated that the commander needed at least that time to calm down enough so that she could speak to her.

She found Shepard at her desk, playfully poking a finger at her model Turian cruiser and watching it sway before her. Miranda couldn't help but smile at Shepard's child-like behaviour. On the eve of probably her greatest personal battle, to not lead the next great battle, the Commander consoled herself by waging an imaginary war in the space above her desk.

Miranda intercepted Shepard's finger enroute to the Migrant fleet and redirected it to her lips. Shepard's eye followed the movement and settled on Miranda's face. She stifled a phaser sound that had almost passed her lips.

"We have a problem" Miranda whispered, lightly kissing Shepard's finger.

Shepard rose from her desk and followed Miranda to the lounge. Taking a seat she slipped her arm out of the sling Chakwas had tightened and produced two glasses and a bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy. They sat and sipped for a moment before Miranda finally spoke again.

"I can't do it."

"Yes, you can."

"This was never meant to happen," Miranda protested, cupping her hand against Shepard's cheek and inspecting the bandage over her eye. Shepard breathed in her scent, her eye staring at the raven beauty engrossed in her examination; an uncontrolled gasp left her lips and her jaw dropped.

Miranda smiled. Repositioning she launched a full frontal assault on Shepard's open mouth. Tongues twirled in a game of oral Command and Conquer, neither relenting to give in to the other. Several minutes later a reluctant Shepard pulled away, gasping for breath. Victorious, Miranda adjusted her uniform and wet her lips with another sip of brandy before looking Shepard in the eye.

"We agreed that you would lead the missions and I would run the ship."

"This will be your mission Miranda. Despite my best intentions I couldn't shoot for shit right now." chuckled Shepard, wondering if it might not have been such a good idea to drown her sorrow with brandy so soon after medication.

"I'm not a leader, I'm not a war hero, I'm not... you..."

Shepard put a comforting arm around Miranda's shoulders and pulled her close into a hug.

"You are a leader, and you are a war hero and you are Miranda Lawson" she smiled.

Miranda pondered this for a moment. "But they follow you, they won't follow me."

"Yes they will."

"She won't follow me."

"Yes she will," soothed Shepard. She had considered advising Miranda not to take Jack. She had been so worried about the mission going wrong that Shepard was concerned Jack might serve as more of a distraction than benefit. The new Commander would be focused on leading the mission. She needed a powerful biotic at her disposal and there was no one better suited to that job than the former convict. Shepard would skin Jack alive if she fucked this up just to piss off Miranda.

Sitting forward in the lounge, Shepard produced a data pad and motioned for Miranda to move closer. "Now, come and tell me what you have planned..."

O O O OO O

Authors note: So this was supposed to just be a one shot, but after some requests and encouragement I've gone outside of my comfort zone and expanded, more so as a personal challenge to see if I could do it. I don't think it is as good; nowhere near the standard of some of my fav authors on here. I'm such a moody writer and I hate planning, hence I don't do this! LOL! So what do you think? Continue or delete? *