A/N: Thank you for the reviews. I really appreciate them. :)
Thank you to Spyke1985 for beta reading.
Warning: Some light sexual content in this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
The cave was still some way off in the distance when the wind picked up and dry soil and dead plants began to swirl around in the air. Soon it started to take more and more effort to walk, as the strong air currents buffeted them. Even Garrus, despite his bigger bulk, had trouble walking straight. Before long, small particles of dirt and sand covered their bodies, and it was getting difficult to see where they were going.
"What happened to 'we'll get our asses out as quickly as possible'?" Garrus yelled through the wind.
"It's too late to turn back now, we're almost there!" Shepard yelled back.
Holding onto one another they struggled on, trying not to get too much of the dust into their mouths and eyes, and when they finally reached the cave they staggered in, coughing and wheezing, covered in dirt.
Slowly they caught their breaths and started to look around, examining their surroundings. The cave's entrance was nothing more than earth and rocks, with a few stubborn plants dotting the floor as far in as any light could reach. Beyond that all they could see was darkness that seemed to stretch endlessly into the belly of the mountain.
"Okay, let me check in, then we can proceed," Shepard said, then tapped her omni-tool to turn her comm system on. "Johnson, come in... Johnson, come in... Come in, Johnson."
All she got was static in reply.
"Dammit, the storm must be interfering with the signal. Fine, we'll just have to try later. Let's go and see what's further in," she said as she turned on her flashlight and headed towards the darkness, Garrus and Thane following close behind.
The cavern started out spacious, but got narrower and narrower the farther they walked. Soon they reached a tunnel that was so tight that they had to squeeze through one by one.
They continued on in the darkness, the earth and rock wall brushing against their armor and skin.
"I hope this is worth it," Garrus grunted as he pushed through another small opening.
"I'm starting to see some green light up ahead," Shepard said encouragingly.
"Hmm. I see it, too," Thane added, and the next moment they found themselves in a large underground chamber.
They stopped dead in their tracks, staring at the sight around them. The walls were made of luminescent crystals, there was a beautiful green pond at one end surrounded by sparkling, white sand, edged by the softest moss they'd ever seen, a tiny crevice in the ceiling introducing golden rays of light which made everything glisten like precious gems.
Shepard finally broke the stunned silence. "Wow. This is gorgeous." Her voice was thick with awe as she stared at the beauty before her.
"Indeed," Thane agreed.
They turned off their flashlights and started to explore the chamber, wandering around with excitement and appreciation for the magnificent sights they encountered.
Some crystals were smooth and angular, some were sharp and spiky, and there was a wall covered in small, squishy globules that glowed in strikingly beautiful fluorescent colors. It seemed like some of them had been broken off.
"I wonder if this is the stuff the Blue Suns were after," Shepard said, pulling one of them off and rolling it between her fingers.
"Maybe, but what is it?' Garrus wondered.
"No idea. We should take some samples and let Mordin analyze them."
They broke several pieces off and put them away in their gear.
"Maybe we should rest for a while. The storm is likely still raging outside," Thane suggested.
"Good idea... Shepard, what are you doing?" Garrus asked with a stunned expression on his face.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm really, really hot and covered in dirt, so I'm going to take a swim."
With that, she proceeded to remove her armor and undersuit, stripping all the way down to her underwear. Then she headed towards the pond, leaving Thane and Garrus staring after her in shock.
She slowly waded in the cool water until it was waist deep, then fully submerged herself to rinse all the dust off. The water felt amazing against her skin; she had been feeling overheated and anxious for some reason and it was wonderful to have all that drained from her body, if only for a few moments. She rose up and flipped her head back to get her hair and the water out of her eyes, her neck arching backwards, sending glistening droplets of water in all directions. She looked like a goddess rising out of the pond, her body sparkling with the tiny fluorescent bubbles on her skin.
Thane and Garrus were watching her intensely from the shore, mesmerized and frozen to the spot.
Thane was the first one to collect himself and break the silence.
"Rinsing off this dirt is a good idea. I think I'm going to follow the Commander's example."
"Yeah, you're right. We might as well," Garrus agreed and started to unclasp his armor.
Shepard watched them from the water, her heart pounding as they slowly peeled off their armor and clothing to reveal their alien bodies. Garrus was all angles and plates, broad shoulders and thin waist, with patches of soft leathery skin over his tight muscles. He stripped all the way down and she was surprised to see no... external equipment.
'Hmmm... It must be hidden inside. Interesting...'
Then she turned her attention to Thane, who was down to his short underpants. His body was sleek and muscular; honed into the weapon he was today by years of training and experience, his green scales decorated with delicate black patterns trailing along his form from his head to his toes. He was beautiful.
She smiled as they entered the pond, then playfully splashed them, eliciting a chuckle from both. Garrus quickly approached and unceremoniously dunked her under the water. She popped up, laughing, then dove back in, swimming around under the surface until she found his legs and pulled him down. She wanted to do the same to Thane, but he was faster and grabbed her instead, lifted her out of the water and launched her back in with a big splash. Soon laughter and squeals bounced off the walls as they hunted and dunked each other, delighting in the carefree joy of the moment.
After a while they quieted down and left the pond to settle down on the soft moss, Shepard in the middle and Garrus and Thane reclining next to her.
"Much better," she said, leaning back on her elbows. Her wet underwear clung to her body, two small protrusions hinting at her hardened nipples under her bra.
They sat in silence for a few moments but the calm didn't last long. Heat was spreading through her whole body again, her heart starting to beat faster, and she felt like she was crawling out of her skin. She missed the physical contact that she'd just shared with Garrus and Thane and wished that they had touched her... Kissed her... Caressed her.
To distract herself, she pulled up the interface on her omni-tool.
"Let's see if I have any data about this place on here," she said, tapping on some buttons.
Suddenly a vid flashed open on the screen and loud moans and cheesy music filled the cavern. The camera panned along a human woman's naked, writhing body down to her groin with a turian's head moving enthusiastically between her thighs, his long blue tongue licking her folds and pushing inside.
"Dammit, Joker!" Shepard yelled and frantically tried to shut the vid off. "I'm gonna kill him!"
"Sure, blame Joker," Garrus laughed.
"Very funny." Shepard fumed. "He said that he was going to put some useful files on my omni-tool. I should have known that he was going to pull something like this."
"Interesting," Thane said and she could have sworn that he was smirking - an expression she had never seen on his face before.
She finally managed to turn her omni-tool off and collapsed on the moss.
"Shit. As if I wasn't horny enough already," she muttered under her breath.