Chapter Three! We should finally be seeing some proper action in Chapter Four, although I'm still not sure whether to a short interlude in the story to help break it up, whatever I decide the next chaper will be coming soon.
So here's Chapter Three, written only for enjoyment of the fans of the greatness that is Mass Effect. Which is owned by the clever people at Bioware.
A small note for the American readers: the end of the second paragraph mentions jelly. Please realise that since I'm English, jelly here in England is actually what you guys call jello. I think, sorry if I got it wrong.
Also sorry about the tale I made for Shepherd's Pie. The first time I played Mass Effect I was eating it and I just couldn't keep this little day-dream out of my head.
R n' R for me. It helps make the story better for everyone.
Chapter Three: The Passage of Time
Captain Anderson had seen a lot of destruction and death in his career, it came with the territory of being a marine, if you weren't dealing it out than someone was certainly dealing it to you. But fleets of uncountable amounts of sentient, hostile machines, bent on eradicating all organic sentience in the galaxy; that was a first for him. While he hadn't doubted Shepard's explainations on the Reapers, a fact the Council didn't want to hear about despite the Spectre's sincerity, even he hadn't counted the firepower needed to bring down one of those monsters. The battle of Sovereign was still fresh in his mind, along with the images that had been recorded by C-Sec cameras in the Tower and Council Chambers, the fight between Shepard, her crew and the remote controlled husk that had once been Saren corpse.
His hands clenched into fists as he remembered the state of the Commander after he pulled her out from under the rubble of the Reaper limb. He had to wait for several others to help lift some of the wreckage that had been pinning her chest but he was finally able to free her, covered in blood, the front of her Colossus hardsuit's black and red armour and fabric ripped open revealing the torn, bloody flesh underneath, the Commander's crushed helmet noticably concave on one side of her head, blood coming from a head injury somewhere hidden under the destroyed helm. He hadn't dared remove it, Chakwas would've killed him if he did so without her there. Even the battle-hardened Captain could only see so much blood before it got to him, the fact it was all of Shepard's had only made his panic and dread worse.
The Captain jumped when he was brought out of his disturbing day-dream when his terminal began to sound a hailing message. It had been sent over a secure channel and was addressed from the Normandy, Lieutenant Moreau, to be more precise. David immediately opened the link and greeted the Normandy pilot. "Good day, Joker, if this isn't about the Commander then I'm hanging up."
"Sir, she's awake!" the Pilot sounded absolutely estactic, and upon the news registering to his own mind Anderson wasn't far from it as well. He sat forwards in case he had hadn't heard correctly.
"What? Joker, when?"
"A couple of hours ago, Captain. I tried to contact you earlier, Sir, but you weren't in your office." Joker said quickly before the Captain could rant at him for not informing him earlier.
"I was at a hearing with the Council." the Captain explained "Is she still awake Joker, is Chakwas letting people see her."
"Want to make sure I'm not pulling your leg, Sir?"
"Joker?" the Captain's voice was dangerously low and he could hear the pilot going pale.
"Yes, Doctor Chakwas is letting the crew see her, but you'll have to hurry. I don't think the Doctor will let anyone else in if the Commander starts looking tired."
"Fine, Lieutenant, please forward a message to the number I'm about to give you. It's a contact for the Councilours, they'll want to hear the news too."
"Yes Captain, I'll forward it the second you let this line go." With that, David shut the line and closed off the terminal.
With Kaidan's arm free from the old bandage, Chakwas was able to monitor the progress of his healing laceration, deciding whether or not she could do anything with the wound to help it heal quicker. Kaidan just wished he could give the skin surrounding the stitched wound a good, long scratch; he'd been dying to icth ever since he woke up from his sleeper pod knowing that he was getting the bandage changed. Seeing the pleading in the Lieutenant's eyes she sighed and finally relented.
"Very well, Alenko, but be careful of the stitching."
"You're an angel, Doc." With that, the dark haired liuetenant set about releving his irritated skin and, keeping to his promise, kept his fingers away from the cut and the stitching. A pleased look crossing his face while Doctor Chakwas sorted through the different dressings to find the one that Alenko needed and a container of medi-gel to coat the laceration. The wound was healing quick, he would probably be left with a scar, but scars were common for every marine. Chakwas even had a few herself. Besides there were surguries that could remove scars or at least make them more sightly, the doctor doubted if the Commander had even thought about having any of her scars removed. "Alright Doctor, I'm ready, it's feeling better today," the Luietenant said from the bed next to Shepard "not as itchy today either."
"Good, it's healing well, a few more days and I can take the stitches out, you just have to put up with it a little while more." Kathrine told the biotic as she crossed over to him and began spreading the cool medi-gel over the wounded area. "How's your leg today, you're still bit sore aren't you?"
"To be truthful, Doctor, I haven't really been noticing it. Ha, Kaylei's been getting the attention." Kathrine rolled her eyes and muttered something to herself which sounded very much like 'young love' to the biotic liutenant. Kaidan decided to try and distract the head doctor with some talk on the only other member of crew to have recieved wounds from the Citadel fight. Liara's wounds had already healed, the asari had got to cover during the fight with Saren and used her biotics to help strenghten the shielding of the himself, Tali and Kaylei; she had also been able to escape the damage radius from Soveriegn's limb. The quarian had been found with him when Captain Anderson had led a rescue team to get them. "How's Tali doing, she looks better. But I heard quarians are able to hide pain better than most other races."
"Tali's fine now, she's still a bit tender around her shoulder and ankle but as far as injuries, she completely healed." Kathrine explained, knowing the lieutenant was just choosing conversation and making small-talk to past the time as she wrapped the dressing she had placed over the medi-gel coated cut to his arm. "She had a couple of pieces of shrapnel in her thigh but the cuts are gone now, not even scars. I think it has something to do with her work." Chakwas explained, realising she was getting drawn into the conversation, she hadn't had a good chat for weeks; Shepard could've come out of her coma at any time and Kathrine hadn't left the Med-bay for more than a few minutes each day knowing the Commander could've needed care. "She's a workhorse all of her own, she threw herself into her work on the Normandy repairs and I reckon she just forgot she was injured."
"That certainly sounds like her." came a voice from the Commander's bed that caused both doctor and biotic to jump.
Kaylei was looking at them through half-lidded eyes and although Kaidan could only see the beautiful but tired smile that graced her face, Kathrine could tell there was a pained edge. Quickly finishing the dressing on Kaidan's arm she made her way to the Commander's bedside where Kaylei was now shifting, trying to alliveate the pain from her side wound.
"Morphine low?" Kathrine asked.
"Yeah, I'm starting to feel it now. Always know it's bad when it wakes me up." Kaylei said. The Commander often found it hard getting to sleep, when she was finally able to achieve slumber she was out of it until morning, nothing short of an alarm or an explosion would be able to wake her up.
"Stop squirming and I'll give you another dose, do you want me to include a sedative?"
"No, just the painkiller." Kaylei anwsered, she stopped shifting as the doctor prepared a needle and tucked the sedative she had been taking from the compartments above the Commander back into its place. Meanwhile, Kaidan was proving a momentary distraction to the Spectre's pain as he took his place back in the seat to the side of her bed. "How's your arm?"
"Getting better, my leg too." Kaidan said running a hand over her hair.
"I need a proper bath." Kaylei said, despite the washes she had recieved from the doctors she still felt like she needed a good soak in a proper bath or a shower. "I must look terrible." Kaidan just smiled.
"There you are Commander, that should take effect soon," Doctor Chakwas said as she disposed the needle, she made sure the drip in the back of the Commander's hand was still situated properly, a habit she had developed over her career. "Are you alright now Shepard? Comfortable?"
"Yeah, for now, thank you Doctor," Shepard said turning her head to look at the aging doctor "a bit hungry but I can hold out."
"You must be feeling better if you've got your appetite already." Kathrine said, smiling, obviously taking the news very well. "If it's not too hardy you can try, what's your fancy?" Shepard looked wistful and her eyes gained a far-off, dreamy look as she thought of the greastest dish, in her opinion anyway, Earth and humanity had to offer.
"Shepherd's Pie." Both the Commander's lover, and the doctor gave the prone warrior wide grins, thinking back to a conversation on how Shepard got her namesake; but niether were able to think on it for long.
As the Infirmary door opened, Kathrine's face hardened and she was about to turn the trespasser one eighty and straight out the door again, or at least that's what she planned to do until she saw who it was.
"Captain Anderson! Joker didn't say to expect you."
"The lieutenant is relaying a message for me, sorry I came unannouced but I had to see for myself if it was true." the Captain explained, his face couldn't hide the smile as he was able to steal glances over the doctor's shoulder to see the Commander's dual coloured eyes look back at him. Chakwas looked like she had half a mind to turn him out since Shepard was still tired and was in pain, but of course he was the Captain and the change of face may help distract Shepard.
"Fine you can talk with her, but if she gets tired again I'd appreciate it if you'd leave." With that the doctor returned to her desk and opperated her terminal as the the Captain approached Shepard's bed. Commander and Luietenant gave their ex-leader a firm salute, Commander Shepard holding the salute for less time than Kaidan, her fatigued form letting her strength fail; David Anderson understood and quickly returned their salute.
"When Joker contacted me I couldn't believe it, I had to come see." the Captain explained. "After dragging you from th... after getting you from under... " the words caught in the Captain's throat, the sight of the Commander he regarded as the best in humanity broken and bloody still too fresh in his mind "Well, it's good to see you're mending up well. The doctor's been treating you well?"
"Can't say much for the food, I could murder some of my pie, even that crap they're trying to pass off from the synthesizer."
"It's too much for your system at the moment Commander." came Chakwas' voice from her terminal, a grin on her face again.
"Liquidize it, I'll happily suck it through a straw."
"The best you can have at the moment is jelly, what with that injury to your stomach even I have no idea what else could've happened to the muscles of your stomach and intestines." Chakwas said, her eyes gleaming in a motherly way as Shepard pouted, denied her favourite food. Kaidan stood from his seat and made to the door.
"I'll get go grab some, I'm feeling hungry myself, anyone else want to join?" Kaidan asked.
Even though it wasn't Shepherd's Pie, Kaylei found herself enjoying the jelly more than she thought she would. After a week or so in a coma her body and tastebuds were singing with the first mouthful of the raspberry flavour. Protiens and nutrients given to her body through drips and various tubes had kept her from starving but her muscles seemed to have craved the workings of her own digestive system in action. The drips were alien to it, this was proper again, normal again, and Kaylei relished in it, the sugar from the sweet jelly rushed her system and the endorphins realeased from the simple pleasure relaxed and excited the tired and battered body of the Commander in a strange way.
It felt good to be eating for herself.
It felt good for muscles to finally spring back to life after being so long ignored.
In short, Kaylei Shepard felt good to be alive.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Shepard, Crew and Doctor Chakwas~~~~~~~~~~~~
The tomato soup was alright, and she guessed if you closed your eyes and didn't breathe through you nose you could pretend the scrambled egg was a rather nice porrigde. She didn't understand that either. The lasegne was surprizingly good and so were most of the pasta dishes, the salads were fine.''Why... why?' Kaylei found herself thinking as she looked at a dish she had abandoned a few seconds ago on the Mess table. The normally straight sitting Commander now sat with her back hunched, her left elbow resting on the table as the arm it belonged to acted as a support for the Commander's head. A dejected look graced the Commander's features.
She knew it was childish, but it was her favourite dish and it had to be one of the meals the synthesisers screwed up. A month into the hunt for Saren and she still hadn't got used to the taste of the Normandy's Shepherd's Pie, she never would because it tasted nothing like Sheapherd's Pie. The tiniest smile tugged the Commander's lips as she thought back to her travelling days and the times she and Bear spent with the Joyner family. The Joyners ran an organic farm in Newquay, Cornwall. Mrs Joyner had struck up a friendship with the young Kaylei and she and Bear had spent a couple of month or so helping at the farm. Mrs Joyner, afterwards known as Jane, had cursed poor Kaylei's tastebuds by making the most delicious Shepherd's Pie the young nomad had ever tasted.
Although she hadn't been to Cornwall's amazing beaches or beautiful coastal towns for a while she still kept in contact with the Joyners; she still stayed in contact with everyone she and Bear had met.
Maybe once the mission was over she'd see how everyone was doing. 'How big is Thomas now?' Kaylei quickly found herself thinking. Jane and John Joyner's grandchild. Kaylei had not seen that little boy since his second birthday; just two days after she had recieved her Star of Terra for the attack on Elysium. Time off for recouperation had been a good reason to be there at the little boy's birthday party. She still remembered the look on little Thomas' face when his 'aunty' Kaylei had turned up at his party; after a sleepless night and day of fast shuttles across the galaxy to be back at the Joyner farm. 'I only thought Salarians had eyes as big as that.'
Another little thought and she realised she had become an anuty to a lot of kids.
She had of course sent everyone messages and cards at Christmas, birthdays and numerous other special dates and occasions; she never forgot, her memory was something she always prided herself in. Kaylei was once again sitting straight in her seat and the hunger that had encouraged her to try the synthesied pie was forgotten, she felt full. "What do you know?" Kaylei said aloud to herself "You can live on love."
"Pardon, Skipper?" came Ashley's voice from beside her. Kaylei was knocked from her thoughts as she saw that sometime in her little daydream her whole squad had made it into the Mess hall. Most were now seated at the table with her, Kaidan and Liara were still choosing their meals and Doctor Chakwas was in line behind them.
"Sorry Ash, I was just thinking." Kaylei said, noticing even Tali was seated and eating with them, her breather, with the light mechanism that flashed on and off as she spoke, was placed beside her dish of something that looked like a turian meal and allowed the squad to see the slightest glimpse of a human looking mouth with thin lips, the top lip was spilt in the middle and this spilt, which Tali explained worked like a Jacob's Organ, stopped sharply at her nose. She could smell taste and taste smells. The implants the quarian girl had were strong enough to cope with limited exposure to the Normandy's recycled and decontaiminated air to allow her to eat in safety and clean out her breather.
"You were thinking pretty deep there, Ma'am. Feel like sharing?" Ashley pressed, starting her own meal, a hearty stew.
"Just about some friends back on Earth, met them during my travels with Bear."
"You've mentioned this Bear several times in previous conversations, Commander." Garrus said, shifting slightly to allow Kaidan to sit beside him. "Who is he? A partner of yours?"
"You could say he was something like that, he was never my pet. Bloody mongrel never listened to a word I said." the Commander explained, confusion setting over the turian, quarian and asari, the humans just continued eating.
"He wasn't a romantic interest?" Liara asked, the only thing that kept Ashley from bursting out in laughter was a well placed Commander's boot landing squarely on the Gunnery Chief's toes, hidden by the table. "Chief Williams! Are you okay!" Commander Shepard only looked at the Chief in a confused manner, knowing she'd have to make it up to Williams later.
"Oww... I-I'm fine, just... just a cramp. I'm o-okay. I-I'm okay... I won't!" Ashley's relief was evident as her sudden pain left her toes and the Commander began talking again.
"No. He was my dog, well, I say MY dog he was A dog. Like I said, he never listened to me, just stuck with me as I moved about."
"Umm... Commander?" Kaylei looked to Tali whose voice sounded exceptionally gentle without her breather in the way. "You said before that you grew up without a family, that you always remember being on the streets and travelling, but..." Kaylei gave the young quarian a kind look, she knew that this coversation would eventually come about, so she may as well get it out the way.
"Carry on,"
"Well... how did you earn your name?" The question had everyone listening as Tali pressed on, now she had the Commander's permission to ask questions she wanted to really understand. "You said yourself you had nothing on you to say who you were and that your most distant memory was when you were six, by then you were already on yourown. I was just wondering. Why Kaylei Shepard?"
"I gave myself the name Kaylei when I first enlisted into one of those voluntary schools the British goverment was setting up, it was a radical idea to try and keep the street kids away from drugs and gangs and whatnot, it work well for some and not-so-well for others." the Commander began to explain "I was about seven and had been using aliases up until then. I saw schooling as a new start, so I picked one of my aliases and stuck with it. They didn't ask for last names as it was afterall, a voluntary school, to make sure they couldn't use the second name as a way to track down parents." Shepard took a quick breather before continuing. "As of Shepard, well... I took it from something very close to my heart."
"Not to mention your tastebuds." Chakwas mumbled into her drink of coffee. The Commander shot her a quick look but turned back to Tali, Ashley had probably heard the doctor as she was trying to hold a humoured smile in check, fearing for her toes again.
"I named myself after my favourite food dish back on Earth, Shepherd's Pie."
~~~~~~~~~~~~Shepard, Crew and Doctor Chakwas~~~~~~~~~~~~
Although the Commander's legs had miraculously escaped serious injury, Doctor Chakwas had been reluctant to allow the Commander to stand up after just a couple of days. With Kaidan and the Doctor's help she had been able to stand up for the first time since the fight with Sovereign and the Doctor had been pleased when the Commander had just wanted to stand the first time she was allowed to get up. The Commander had proven long ago that she knew how far she could push her body and when she was able to push beyond her limit, the first time on her feet had made her feel light-headed and she had just spent a few minutes leant against her lover, the excuse to test her feet made a good excuse to get closer for the two.
Her arms were wrapped securely around his midriff and her head was resting on his chest, the two looked to be wrapped in an embrace, which they were, but they were also making sure Kaylei's legs didn't buckle from under her. Kaidan stroked her hair, which she had been able to wash, and felt her tighten her grip around him. "I was able to finally send a reply to a message from Ashley's mother this morning," Shepard said, listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat under her left ear "she wants us to attend a memorial funeral for Ash."
"What did you say?"
"That I would be honoured to come, but that I may not be able to make it, I told her that I'd only just got up from a coma and that Chakwas probably won't let me off of bedrest for anything."
"Well then you'll just have to heal fast won't you? I know you want to go, but the Saviour of the Galaxy must take it steady for a small while." Kaidan explained, his hand rubbing the small of her back.
"Saviour of the Galaxy? That's a new one."
"The news-vids somehow got footage of us fighting Saren below the Citadel chambers, they're hailing you as a Reaper Slayer."
"Do you think we'll ever have just a quiet life?" Shepard asked looking up into Kaidan's face. A smile graced his features as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"So... we are serious?"
"Of course we are, you should know I don't do things by halves. Even though I was nearly cut in half, but that's over now, we still have more Reapers to slay. I want to know that I've got a reward waiting for me when we're finished." the Commander said softly, giving her Liuetenant a pointed stare.
"You will, you already have." Kaidan said giving Kaylei another kiss. "You should sit back down now, I can feel your legs shaking. Still abit sore?" Shepard nodded her head as her lover lowered her to the bed and helped her get comfortable. "You should go. Ash would've wanted you to."
"I know, but I don't like going to funerals, bad memories from the Elysium aftermath."
"The Memorium?" Kaidan asked, remembering the day every human in the galaxy watched as hundreds of people were laid to rest, some of them not present for their own funerals. The black crosses that marked the empty plots where soldiers and civilians should have been placed for their eternal rest would remain empty. It saddened Kaylei, knowing Ashley would be one of those whose body would never be returned.
"Yeah, so many black crosses, too many of them civilians." Kaylei sighed and turned her attention away from the memory of the large hillside that had been chosen to house the many crosses, a place all could see from the main settlement. "How is everything on the Citadel, they must be nearly finished with the repairs by now."
"They only have to get some small repairs done in the Ward arms now, some of Sovereign's debris damaged some of the links that helped moved the arms into the defensive position. But with the Keepers they're predicting it shouldn't take too long before everything's back in it's place and working properly again." The unmistakeble sound of the Med-bay door opening was heard and the two turned towards it. Joker was approaching, his crutches and braces giving him a defined outline as he made his way towards them.
"Pull a chair for me Alenko? Be a gent." he told Kaidan "Here for my checkup, so I may as well have a natter with you two lovebirds before the Doc starts sticking things in me and pulling me about." The pilot sat down on the chair Kaidan got for him and placed his crutches by his side. "Good to hear you're using your legs again Commander."
"The Reapers aren't going to wait for me to get ready, I need to start moving, we haven't got time for healing."
"Although I agree with you Commander, what can you do, you were almost cut in half, you spent a week and four days in a coma, Tali, Liara and Kaidan are hurt and are still healing, and you're probably not going be able to go anywhere until every official power, news reporter and Alliance mind has had a bit of you once your five."
"Joker, you're meant to make me feel better, not give me a headache." Kaylei said with affection, she knew her pilot was just stating very true facts and probabilities but she hopefully wouldn't have to deal with for a time to come. With luck she could insist to the Council that she needed to get underway as fast as possible to track down a way to stop the genocidal machine fleet that was coming to destroy all life.
"I'm sorry Commander, but it's true." Joker removed his trademark cap and rubbed his hand through his hair. "By the way, what is Wrex wearing around his neck?"
"Wrex? I haven't seen him wear anything but his battle armour and weapons." Kaidan said
"Well he's wearing somesort of necklace now, looks like a turian mandable and teeth. He doesn't look like the sort to wear decoration so I thought maybe it was something else." Joker explained.
"He hasn't said anything, did you ask him, he's mellowed out a bit since first joining the Normandy, Joker?" the Commander told him.
"I did, he just said it wasn't my concern."
"Then it's not your concern. Wrex may be a krogan and they may be unpredictable, but I'm sure Wrex isn't the type to cause problems, at least intentionally, he's more of the person that 'takes care' of a problem." Kaylei said, Joker nodded his head and replace his cap back on his head.
"Yeah I know, it's just that, every so often, sitting at the helm, I see him on the screens from Engineering just touching it. It seems to mean quite a bit."
"Well, like he said, it doesn't concern us and Wrex can get a little put-out if you keep going on about something he doesn't want to talk about." Kaidan said "Best to just let it slide Joker, your bones are easy enough to break as it is, think about what a biotic, krogan battlemaster could do."
"Don't worry yourself Alenko, I have no intentions of becoming a punching bag." The Med-bay door opened again and Doctor Chakwas finally returned. Seeing that Joker was sat with the Commander she smiled at the pilot and beckoned him to lay on the neighbouring Med-bed. Their simple conversations continued as the Doctor checked the pilots bone structure and tested the sensitivity to his knees and ankles. Kaidan was content to be near Kaylei and talking about such trivial things like old Earth money.
But Kaylei's mind was everywhere, all at once, thinking about her crew, the Reapers, those awaiting news from her back on Earth and Elysium and a certain female turian, academy trainee on Palaven. She really would have to contact them, she imagined that details on who had saved the Citadel would be slow to reach Earth, but she knew that officials and reporters on Elysium would already spreading news about how Their saviour had ordered the Acturus fleet to defend the Destiny Ascension and save the Council. From Elysium it wouldn't take long to reach the Wepker turian colony who had strong trade links with the Elysians and from there, Pare's father would message his daughter.
She would be inundated with messages and she was already feeling the headache about how she was going to explain that she was alright to all of them.
Liara had left the a Normandy early that day, she had needed a little time on her own for a while and since the Commander was awake again and getting stronger by the hour the Doctor had encouraged her when the asari had explained her plans. '"Every so often, everyone needs a bit of time for themselves, to get a bit of thinking done and reset."' Chakwas had said, the young maiden asari was grateful for the 'older' doctor's words and indeed, she had done alot of thinking.
Looking out over the newly repaired Presidium she couldn't believe that only a week ago the brigde that spaned the lake from the Embassies to the Consorts Chambers had collasped, the elevator of the Citadel Tower had been sabotaged by Sovereign to stop Kaylei and her three-strong groundside team from reaching Saren, as well as the few collasped apartment complexes and the Emporium. It now looked like nothing had happened at all, everything was proper again, fixed, rebuilt and life carried on, although everyone did seem very quiet and somber. It had, afterall, only been a week since many of the people walking about on the Presidium below the Embassy Lounge balcony she was sitting on were fleeing for the evacuation capsules when Sovereign and the Geth fleet invaded. There were many more Keepers mixed in with the crowd than there was usually, but that was likely because they were still fixing wiring and areas of the Citadel that the other races couldn't reach. Still, Liara felt that they were looking for something.
Liara finished her drink and walked back out of the Embassy areas to the Presidium.
Yes, the crowds were definately more quiet. The young woman walked the rebulit walkways of the Presidium several times, picking up on all the little changes that had come about as a result of Sovereign's assault. Some of the buildings had used the excuse to changed their designs, some had become bigger, others smaller, and in the case of the buildings that collasped sturdier frames were added to ensure collaspe never occurred again. The Avina terminals were all working again as were the crafts of the Fast Citadel travel system, the Emporium was doing business again and the Hanar merchant, Delandindir, who had lost three of his floor-length tentacles when rubble from his collapsing Emporium trapped the three limbs, nodded to her as she past, recognising her as one of his regular customers that visited with the human Commander. Delan's tentacles would grow back in time, it wasn't uncommon for a hanar to lose some of its tentacles when it was involved in an accident and they were a hardier race than others thought. Delan would make a full recovery.
Others were not so lucky.
Outside the Consort's Chambers, there was a bench. Before Soveriegn's assault a human woman and a salarian, apparently very good friends, would always be sat there looking out over the lake as they talked about the most meaningless of things, the Keepers that would rearrange things in the human's office, or the reasons why Salarians had evolved such big eyes, or why humans had hair and even the way the water in the lake would lap at the bases' of the great collumns that suspended the bridges over the lakes witdth, even the music in the Embassy Lounge. When the Commander had brought her along in her groundside team while exploring the Citadel, they had often past this bench and the two friends. They were always talking.
This time, it was quiet, only the salarian sat in his usual spot on the bullet scarred bench. His body's posture and the black 'mourning' band around the sleave on his left arm told everything that needed to be told. One of many tradegies from all over the Citadel. The mourning salarian stayed silent as Liara past him.
Liara continued walking, crossing the bridge to the Embassies, back where she started her walk-round. Where the buildings had been rebuilt, improved and even enlarged, the population on the Citadel was quiet, many had decided it was safer to move away from the Citadel all together and she guessed they were right. From what Vigil had told them on Ilos, how the Reapers would first ravage the population found on the Citadel and then move out to the planets, but she knew that moving from the Citadel would only delay the inevitable if Kaylei failed to find a way to stop the machines. Liara felt her feet moving again, trying to stop herself from thinking these terrible thoughts, whenever she thought of the Reapers she didn't automatically think of the Galatic-wide Culling the Commander did, all she thought about was indoctrination and the way it had ravaged her mother, turned her into nothing but a slave for Saren's will.
She felt the tears in her eyes, but was able to blink them away, only just.
At least the Commander was still here. The races of the galaxy still had a chance with the Commander now making a speedy recovery under the watchful care of Doctor Chakwas and Kaidan, the biotic Luietenant had hardly left Shepard's injured sides. Then again, Liara herself hadn't strayed too far from the Med-bay once Kaylei woke. She imagined that she and Kaidan had not been the only ones, maybe Garrus, but she remembered the first time he had seen the Commader once Doctor Chakwas allowed the Normandy crew back into the Med-bay, his reaction was immediate. His mandables went slack from shock at the extent of her injuries and how pathetic Kaylei had looked just lying on the Med-bed. He had not returned to see the Commander during the time she was in a coma, because he didn't want to see the only chance for success against the Reaper fleet lying dead in the Med-bay.
Since she had recovered the turian visited frequently.
When Liara returned from her thoughts she found herself in the Citadel Tower elevator that went up to the Council Chambers which were now open to the public, namely for one reason since the Council Chambers proper were still off-limits. Most of the rubble had been cleared away now and the huge windows that were situated behind the Councilors' podiums had been replaced, the only thing that remained from Sovereign's attack was the limb that had been left in the middle of the chambers to mark where the Council's Spectre had been dragged from under it, the concrete and broken pillar had been left which had provided some protection from the machinery that had formed some protection for the Commander and although all effort had been made to clean the blood stain from the floor and the broken rubble which had held the Commander, a massive reddish, brown pale ghost remained, even a hand print from Captain Anderson was still visable on the pillar as he had pulled Shepard free.
This was the center of attention for all the vistors to the Chambers now, many civilians as well as diplomats from all races were crowded around the monument dubbed the Shepard's Sacrafice; since nothing had been said to the public about the Commander's health since those that the Spectre was in a coma had aired it was probable that many of the gathered humans, turians, asari, salarians, volus and hanar, even a few krogans, thought the Citadel's saviour dead. Especially since the many Citadel news-reporters had somehow got their hands on the security vids showing the fight between Saren's husk and the Commander.
Tributes of flowers, small trinkets and cuddly toys were laid around the monument and paper notes were pinned and taped to the concrete and Soveriegn's limb, everyday more notes would be added and more tributes would be laid. Liara watched as a salarian taped yet another note to the limb, as high as he could so as not to disturb the other notes, he then turned to a volus and took another to add beside his own. She recognised the salarian as Chorban, the salarian who the Commander had caught scanning the Keepers right here, in the Council Chambers, so that meant that the volus must be Jahleed. Once Chorban had placed their notes the two spoke quietly with each other before they both nodded to each other and left the crowd.
Liara made her way to where the two had been and read their notes. Both were quite simple, but held emotion.
Thank you for your compassion and your understanding, most of all, thank you for eveything you have allowed us to achieve.
A salarian you left an everlasting impression upon, Chorban'Keryhf'Beolfsedan'Qoane
Liara smiled as she finished the note and began reading the note she assumed Chorban had placed onto the monument for Jahleed.
You have done your clan greatly for the sacrafices you were prepared to give. I hope that whatever diety there is sees fit to give you a second chance as you saw fit to give me and Chorban. Hoping for your full recovery.
Jahleed the Volus
All the notes were much like this and Liara was soon reading other notes around Jahleed's and Chorban's. She had been here only a day before and now most of the first notes that had places by humans had been covered by other notes from other races, but Liara easily remembered other notes left by others like the salarian and volus. One had been a hanar preacher which had read:
Your words of wisdom shall never leave This One and It prays that should the worst and unspeakable befall you, that the Glorious Enkindlers see you as their own.
Lonrasidgar
For the different races, this new, recent focal point to the Council Chambers, meant different things. The humans paid respects for the Commander being one of their own and her previous rescue of Elysium, other races came for her saving the Citadel, other races for what she represented and others, like the preaching hanar, Lonrasidgar, to pray for her health.
With more and more details about the Reapers reaching the public the crowd was only going to get larger and the mountain of tributes would grow. The young maiden tired of the notes, though she would probably be back later to read them once the gathering had dispersed, and she took a seat away from the monument near the stairways that lead up to the Council Chambers. She had wondered about what would happen to all the tributes once the crowds stopped coming or once they got word that Shepard was still alive and planning to continue her hunt for the Reapers as soon as she was healed and had seen to other matters, but it didn't hold her mind for long.
"Liara T'Soni?" The scientist's head turned and Liara quickly found her feet as she came face to face with the asari councilor, Sidahn'na Adjara, her unique, rich purple skin and pale Matron markings making her instantly recognisible. The Councilour was accompanied by two other asari, most likely from her commando regiment bodyguard.
"Councilour Adjara, sorry, my mind is everywhere at the moment." Liara explained quickly. Sidahn'na smiled to the young T'Soni trying to get the maiden to relax in her presence.
"I only wondered if you would accompany me to the Normandy?" Sidahn'na asked "I recently recieved a message from my contact with Captain Anderson explaining the Commander was finally awake. If not for several other pressing concerns I would have attempted to see her for myself earlier."
"She is still rather weak, Councilor," Liara said "Doctor Chakwas may not even let you see her if Kaylei's having another bad day from the pain. Her ribs and sides took too much punishment from her fight with Saren. Its a miracle she survived."
"It's a miracle she survived Eylisium. It's a miracle she was able to reach you before the Geth, its a miracle she was prepared to risk everything she held close to her to prove that she was right and we were wrong. Shepard is well versed in miracles, Doctor T'Soni."
"Yes, it would appear that she was touched by the Goddess." Liara added and the Councilor nodded before her attention was drawn to the crowd gathered around the huge Soveriegn limb. Like everyone else she had seen the C-Sec footage and how Captain Anderson had manipulated the Commander's body to get her free, the footage had shown every detail to the Commander's rescue as it had her fight with Saren. She had heard people gasp at the state of the Spectre's torn hardsuit and cracked helmet, and of course, the blood.
Adjara had no idea there was so much blood in a human body, if the Commander didn't die right after Anderson pulled her from under the limb she should have died from blood loss; but she was healing now. Sidahn'na was in no doubt that if it had been anyone else, the force and the pressure placed onto the body would've killed them. She turned back to Liara whose focus was also on the monument again.
"Touched by the Goddess, and now she's touched millions of others, it is a running theme for the Commander, prepared to give up everything so everyone around her can live."
"Indeed. But she is with us now, and I best hurry if I wish to have an audience with her, you make this Doctor Chakwas sound rather fierce."
"She can be if you get on the wrong side of her, but she is a marvel in her own right." Liara said. As the three asari followed the youngest back to the Normandy, the Councilor thought back to the crushing embrace of the monument and the ghostly stain that stubbornly refused to leave the concrete it had seeped into to, all Sidahn'na could think about was one thing. 'Thank the Goddess it wasn't Liara.'
"The Reapers aren't going to wait for me to get ready, I need to start moving, we haven't got time for healing."
Yes, time is fleeting. It thought, feeling Its carers slowly course through It's still slumbering physicality, preparing organs for Its awakening and their movement caressing nerves dulled for hundreds upon thousands of years. Sleep was leaving It, but muscles still would not be used until the Shepard arrived.
Let yourself heal, Loji will not be able to call her children to your galaxy, not until I open the way. Not until you find what you have to find. It knew for certain, this had happened so many terrible times before It hadn't bothered to keep track, that's what the Collective and the Ja'loji did, they understood time passages better.
For this Being time was too quick; a Clane year wasn't even an eyeblink to It.
It measured passage in the birth and death of a single lifetime, of the rise and extinction of thousands of different spiecies and creatures and the birth and death of planets and stars, not by seconds or minutes and hours. Lifetimes were Its most precious measurement, as long as there was life, there was hope, there was time.
Your time is not important, only your Life is important.