Yeoman Chambers was at her station in the CIC when the elevator delivered a deeply concerned looking Shepherd onto the deck. She walked in, chin down and eyes hooded. What exactly was going on onboard her ship? Being so distracted that she was failing to be a solid Commander, that wasn't like her. "Chambers?" her voice was a tacit order as she passed behind the Yeoman and didn't even stop, heading for the communications room.
She stood at the door as Kelly Chambers entered, gesturing for her to take a seat before locking the door. The Yeoman took a seat as far from the door as she could, set her interlaced hands on the table in front of her and studied the Commander intently. She had extensive training in reading and evaluating peoples' moods and feelings, but she had to admit she had a difficult time gauging Shepherd correctly. The chair she was sitting in creaked as she shifted her weight uneasily. After asking Shepherd out unsuccessfully last week, she had really preferred just to avoid the Commander entirely.
The Commander sat at the other end of the conference table and leaned back in the chair, folding her arms across her chest and crossing her legs, ankle on the knee. Her entire focus was on the woman in front of her. Silence extended between the two of them until it became tense enough to feel on the skin. Yeoman Chambers was distinctly uncomfortable with being the person under study for once. Finally, Shepherd narrowed her eyes before speaking in a low, serious voice, "I need you to be totally truthful with me."
Yeoman Chambers bit her lower lip and then nodded. "Aye, aye ma'am." Her voice lacked its usual brightness, eagerness to please. She prayed this little conversation wasn't about her ill-conceived pass (really more like a feint, she tried to reassure herself) at the Commander earlier that week before the fiasco in the bar.
There was another long pause before the Commander spoke up again. "Is something going on around here?" Whatever Shepherd was hinting at, she looked positively queasy as she dodged around the point. "With the women onboard or something?" Her voice dropped t the end of her sentence making her question sound tentative.
"I'm not sure I understand what you mean." Kelly made a face and sat forward, scooting her chair closer to the table. With visible effort, and no small amount of relief that the pressure did not appear to be on her actions, she assumed her best counselor face. "Maybe you should explain what's going on."
For the first time, Kelly saw Commander Shepherd blush. "Well, Doctor Chakwas mentioned something about…harems or…something," the sentence trailed off lamely.
Recognition dawned in Kelly Chambers mind. Jack and Miranda – of course the Commander would be too dense to notice, wrapped up as she sorted out whatever had happened between her and Doctor T'Soni. She smiled a little. It was a happy fact of her personality that she was a gentle, outgoing person, not prone to jealousy so when she had realized that she was not the only woman with eyes on the famous Commander, she had actually been a bit relieved. She was, however, still a counselor and therapist, a position she took seriously. "Oh, well, Commander I'm not sure how much I should tell you. I mean – some people might not appreciate a breach of confidentiality in that manner."
"When did Cerberus get ethics?" The Commander snapped. Obviously this was bigger then she realized. The thought made her frown, she had been too distracted to do her job properly lately. "Names, Yeoman. If you aren't passing out helpful information at least spit out names. I'll take care of it myself."
"I have ethics. My mandate only goes so far as to inform you what you should look in on when it effects the mission, not help you pry into people's personal lives." Kelly was affronted, really this time the Commander had been too rude. Beautiful green eyes and the best ass in the Alliance didn't excuse this sort of behavior. "If you promise to be civil and not break anyone's ribs… Jack, I would talk to her and, my gut says Miranda too. I think that's what Chakwas is talking about."
Commander Shepherd was up and opening the door before Kelly could interrupt. "Commander!" Shepherd turned around. "Look, if you need anyone to talk to, I'm here for you. As a friend, just as a friend." Shepherd didn't speak, but she nearly had the door open when Kelly cut in again. "And! – And you should sleep on it before you talk to anyone."
***
Shepherd stood in the shower longer then was strictly necessary. The abundance of hot water was another of Cerberus' thoroughly appreciated luxury upgrades, but they still hadn't given her quarters a full private bathroom. She didn't actually mind, she'd been in the Navy since she was barely more than a kid. It had been decades since communal bathrooms had embarrassed her.
The warm water poured over her closed eyelids, caressing her face, her lips. Every time she closed her eyes, the first thing she saw was Liara, but that instinct was beginning to face. She let her mind wander and her body relax under the steaming jet.
Jack? Yeoman Chambers had startled her with that revelation. Jack hadn't even really been on her radar, not exactly to her usual taste. Of course, Jack would be stuck mentally at that age where punching someone in the face was a sign that you liked them. God only knew how Jack would escalate if she was in love. Surprising, but not entirely unwelcome Shepherd concluded. The tattooed biotic had some points to recommend her. Jack was probably a wild tiger in bed. Her modesty level was actually below zero, so Shepherd had been afforded a good look at her chest and she was rather partial to what she saw. Jack also had a way about her that made her feel easier for Shepherd to talk to, easier than it had felt with anyone else since she woke up, patched together like a space-faring Frankenstein monster.
She turned around and let the hot water fall across her shoulders, run down her muscled back and across her sculpted buttocks. Now, Miranda was a surprise too, more for her interest in the Commander rather than because she hadn't been the subject of similar thoughts on Shepherd's part. Jacob, poor confused guy, had said Miranda needed a better man than him, but it had been clear to Shepherd from the beginning that the only men Miranda liked were women. The Cerberus' agent was more to her taste, attractive and fiercely intelligent, but she'd been playing unattainable ice queen from day one, so Shepherd hadn't let her mind stray too far in that direction.
Chambers was probably right, a good night's sleep would illuminate the matter. She reached out and twisted the dials on the shower, shutting off the water and then snaked her arm through the shower curtain to grab her towel, hanging on a hook between her's and the adjacent stall. When it was firmly secured, folded expertly between her breasts to afford her a modicum of modesty, she pushed back the shower curtain and stepped out, running directly into Miranda Lawson who was in the process of stepping out of her bathrobe and into the stall beside Shepherd's.