Angel and the Demon
Chapter 7
Bioware owns the rights to all characters other than Samantha.
Shepard looked over her angel. Two days of IV fluids had returned Miranda's skin to normal. Her lips had healed, reducing the cuts to a few red lines. The wound in her shoulder was healing well after the application of several medi gel packs. The multitude of cuts on her back, from being kicked through a window, were almost gone; along with the small cut on her neck. The foot shaped bruise on her chest, something that bothered Shepard greatly, was gone.
Shepard stroked the bruise location through Miranda's hospital gown. This was personal. Whoever did this knew you, and hated you. When I find them, they are going to feel pain. Miranda was still unconscious after her near death experience. Dr. Chakwas assured Shepard she would wake soon. Then they would find out who did this to her.
"Commander, we're entering the Mesana system. Ten minutes to Lesuss." Joker announced.
"Be there in three, Joker." Shepard said. She leaned over Miranda, stroking her hair and kissing her gently. Then she pushed her face into her hair, breathing deeply. "See you soon, Angel." She said into her neck. She stood up and put her helmet on.
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Miranda found herself reliving the attack again and again. She knew she was back on the Normandy, even hearing the occasional word from Sam or Dr. Chakwas. She knew her ordeal was over, but her mind was forcing her to relive the events.
She felt the impact as Kai Leng kicked her, and the almost instantaneous second impact with the window. Sharp pains cut into her back and head from the sheet of glass. She flipped over the fall began. She soon faced the abyss below. It was dark, with a few structural braces crossing the chasm. She fell fifty meters in moments.
Wait! She kicked in her biotics, slowing her downward plunge. One of the structural beams was close. She thought she could reach it. The effort caused blood to surge from her sword wound, and the feeling shocked her enough to release her biotics for a second. Her fall resumed.
No! She forced her biotics to regain control, slowing her descent for a second time. She drifted towards the beam with growing pain in her shoulder. Her head also let her know it wasn't happy with her efforts. Pain started growing behind her eyes.
When the metal beam was mere meters away her biotics started to fail. Her downward movement sped up. She concentrated her efforts to keep her descent constant. I must reach the beam. Tears filled her eyes, blurring her vision. She knew it would be so much easier to just let go, but she wouldn't. She had to live…for Oriana…for Sam.
She reached out with both arms as she neared the beam. Upon grasping the metal her wounded arm screamed. It released its grip involuntarily. Her body twisted away from that side, rotating away from the beam. She clung desperately with her other hand. She briefly looked into the abyss before twisting herself back around to the beam. She clung to the beam with her good arm, and forced her wounded arm back up to grip the metal. Blood dripped down her front in rivulets. She pulled herself onto the beam using mostly her good arm, crawling to the middle of the beam. Her strength spent, she collapsed onto her back. A thought burst into her head. I must get a message to Sam, Cerberus protocol will designate them to destroy the communication hub.
She forced her right arm up, bringing up her omni tool. The pain in her shoulder was acute, though much less intense than the pain in her head. She quickly forwarded two messages through her comm link to the facility. They didn't contain much information, but it would be enough for Samantha to understand. Her arm dropped limply at her side. She looked up at the Cerberus shuttle. Kai Leng and the phantoms jumped in as she watched. They could look down at any moment. She decided it would be safer near the wall, and laboriously pulled herself into a sitting position against the wall.
She watched several gunships line up outside the facility. The shuttle left as the last one took its position. The gunships fired multiple rockets into the lab. Rocket after rocket smashed into the opening above her. A cacophony of noise assaulted her from above as explosions rocked the beam she was lying on. She curled into a fetal position against the wall. Debris flew out of the facility, some of which bounced off the beam around her. Several large objects fell out, burning as they flew past her. A particularly large piece come out, flames were leaping from each end. It's falling straight at me!
Miranda covered her head as well as possible with her good arm. The flaming debris crashed into the beam less than a meter from her, splitting into two with a huge cloud of smoke and sparks. Luckily the beam was not damaged.
When the smoke cleared she looked up to see the gunships taking off. She was stuck on a beam below a burning facility, and Sam was probably days away(assuming she got her messages at all). No food or water was available, and she was bleeding. Hopeless, but I will try, for Sam and Oriana. Shoulder is bleeding, but no arteries are punctured. I might as well deal with that first. She grabbed the hole the sword made in her suit. She touched her wound briefly, sending a spike of pain through her shoulder. She closed her eyes, then started pulling at the material. The material thankfully tore in a circle around her arm. She pulled off her sleeve with some difficulty. After resting for a moment, she wrapped it around the wound in her shoulder as well as possible, then tightened the knot with her teeth.
Miranda fought the dream's hold on her. She remembered living through it once already. She didn't want to keep repeating the experience. Wake up! Now! Sam needs you! Oriana needs you!
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A piercing shriek made the squad drop behind some concrete barriers containing plants. It seemed to go on longer than possible.
"What the fuck is that?" Shepard said from her crouched position beside Liara.
"No idea, Lola." James said from a nearby concrete barrier.
Liara peeked over the barrier to see an asari, or what used to be an asari. It was taller than normal asari, stretched and grotesque. Its skin was grey. It looked like a very tall asari that was half dead. The sunken eyes and desiccated body looked horrific. Biotics glowed around it. As she watched it jumped a couple meters towards them.
"Kill it!" Liara yelled in a panicked tone.
James and Shepard immediately started shooting at it. Liara threw a singularity at it, but the thing ignored it. She cowered behind the barrier.
"Liara? Are you all right?" Shepard asked.
"The Reapers could make me into that?" She asked, still crouched behind the concrete.
"Liara! Shoot it!" Shepard commanded.
Not like I can do anything else to it. Liara pulled out her pistol, but her hands were shaking. She was only able to get a good shot off every couple seconds. The thing went down after another minute, shrieking out a final scream.
"You ok Liara?" Shepard asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"I could really become one of those things?" She asked.
"Sure...if you're weak willed, and have nothing left to live for." Shepard told her.
Do I have anything left to live for? Liara looked at the embers left by the asari reaper.
"Hey!" Shepard said, turning her to look into her eyes. "The Dr. T'Soni I know is not weak, and definitely has a life to live."
Liara gave her a wan smile. I had something to live for...
The asari high command requested the Normandy run a sweep of the Ardat Yakshi monastery to look for survivors, and to find out why their asari commando squads never returned from the place. Shepard was noticeably nervous about the possibility of meeting Ardat Yakshi, but agreed to investigate.
So far it looked like the commandos were all killed by the Reapers; cannibals, mostly, but there were plenty of them. If the thing they just killed used to be an asari, then it was pretty obvious why they were here. They were harvesting.
The next room had several cannibals. Standard Reaper troops, Shepard and James hardly needed her help. She shot at a few of them, but knew she wasn't contributing much. She was still shaking enough to throw off her aim.
"Doc? You forget about your singularity?" James asked after the battle was over.
"You two seem to have the situation under control." She told them.
"Maybe, but it's still cool to blow these cannibals into the walls." Shepard said, clapping her on the back. Then quietly so James couldn't hear. "I don't have to bring you on missions, Liara. You can stay on the Normandy if you would prefer. I just thought you might like to see this."
"No, I appreciate this opportunity Shepard. I just feel less than useful if they can ignore my singularity." She told her.
"Liara, they might not be effected by the lift component of your singularity, but I'll bet they still feel it when blown up with a warp. Or you could just use a warp directly. They're not immune to biotics."
"Yes, you are correct. I apologize, Shepard." Great. Now she thinks I'm whining. Shepard nodded and headed towards the next room. Liara shook her head sharply.
Damnit! Snap out of this, Liara! Yes, Shepard did not fall for you like you hoped. Get over it. You cannot curl in on yourself. You are better than this. Shepard needs you. The asari need you.
The next room brought a welcome sight; a survivor. Unfortunately the asari was being chased by a cannibal, and was running away from them. Shepard raised her weapon to attack, knowing she had to be careful about the asari.
It proved unnecessary. In a whirl of biotic energy, another asari in full battle armor dropped from above and blasted the cannibal with a warp. It collapsed into a heap.
"Samara?" Shepard said, staring at the asari warrior.
"Mother? You came?" The asari without armor said.
"As soon as I was able." The asari warrior, told her. She turned to the squad. "Shepard, this is Falere, my youngest."
"The Ardat Yakshi." Shepard said. She took a step back. Her last experience with one left her with a shattered memory. She didn't remember friend or lover after the ordeal. Liara didn't know how, but Miranda broke through the hold the Ardat Yakshi put on her and restored her memory.
"Mother, they have Rila!" Falere told her.
"What do they want with her?" Shepard asked.
"They're harvesting us." Falere said. She led them over to the corpse of one of the Reaper corrupted asari. "They make us into these...these things."
"Where did they take Rila?" Samara asked.
"The Great Hall." Falere said.
"That's probably where they took the bomb." Shepard said.
"Bomb?" Falere said, backing away. "You're just like the commandos...they didn't want to rescue anyone either."
"Wait!" Shepard yelled, but it was too late. Falere leapt over a nearby railing, using biotics to drift slowly to the floor below.
"Head to the Great Hall. Through that door." Samara pointed before similarly leaping over the railing.
"Come on." Shepard said, leading them as Samara requested.
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The Great Hall was longer than it was wide, with a lowered section in the middle. The lowered section was separate from the upper by raised plant beds and pillars. Stairways on the front, back, and middle connected the two levels. The bomb was placed at the far end, where Samara, Falere, and apparently Rila were talking.
Shepard approached the bomb slowly. Liara followed with James.
"Rila? Rila, can you hear me?" Falere was crouched over her older sibling, stroking her cheek. Rila opened her eyes, looking dazed and weak. Falere helped her up.
Liara jumped back as Rila's eyes turned black. Rila tried to choke her sister. Falere threw her off.
"Why did she do that?" Falere asked. Rila collapsed on the floor, appearing very weak.
"She is not herself." Shepard said. That's putting it lightly. Indoctrination is hell.
"They've begun to turn her into one of the Reaper's creatures." Samara added.
"I'm sorry." Shepard told Falere. She turned to James. "Can we set off that bomb?"
A piercing scream cut through the quiet in the Great Hall.
"Another one?" Shepard asked, pulling her pistol off her back. They turned to see two of the corrupted asari at the doors.
"And another one." James added.
"Fuck." Shepard said. She immediately grabbed one's attention by tossing a warp to the other end of the long hall. It took a biotic jump towards her.
Liara slid into some cover, deciding to assist Shepard with hers. James could keep the other one busy. The creature neared Shepard in the middle of the hall. She threw her own weaker warp at it, watching as Shepard ducked behind a planter base. The corrupted asari's bright biotic attack slammed into the barrier. Shepard jumped up to renew her assault, moving down one side of the hall away from the biotic terror. Liara continued to shoot, hearing James' assault rifle fire off to her right. She rose from her hiding spot to follow the beast.
It jumped after Shepard rapidly. Liara had to move quickly to keep it within range. It reached the far end of the hall, turning the corner after Shepard. Liara decided to cut through the lowered area in the center of the hall. She hit it with another warp at the far end of the hall. Shepard added her own warp and it dropped to the floor, dying in a biotic flare out. She watched the corpse sizzle into a pile of ash for a moment.
She felt a presence behind her and turned. The other creature! It grabbed her with its hands, its sharp fingers cutting through her armor and piercing her shoulders. Liara shrieked. The claws cut deep into her shoulders and back. She tried to throw a warp and was unable. She found her pistol arm unwilling to move. Her hand went limp, dropping her gun to the floor. A headache burst into her head, followed by an image of a Reaper.
The corrupted asari was jerked forward and Liara was dropped. She collapsed into a heap on the floor. She looked up to see James smashing the butt of his rifle into the beast's back. Liara felt herself dragged away. The thing rotated to face James.
"Liara! Are you all right?" Shepard was checking her shoulders. The image of the Reaper was no longer in her head.
"I'm ok." Liara told her. The headache was fading. The pain in her shoulders was becoming acute.
"I'll be back." Shepard said. She got to her feet. James was enveloped in a biotic attack of some kind. He crouched on the ground in obvious pain. Shepard walked to the back of the creature, put her pistol to its head, and emptied the clip into it.
She ignored the creature as it disintegrated, checking on James. He nodded to her before standing up. Shepard came back to Liara, opening her armor enough to apply medi gel to each shoulder.
"How are you feeling?" Shepard asked, pulling her to her feet.
"Better." Liara said while zipping her suit back up. "Those things..."
"..are horrible. I know." Shepard told her reassuringly.
"I saw an image of a Reaper in my head." Liara said.
"Are you ok?" Shepard asked, concerned.
"I think so."
"Ok." Shepard said, turning to find Liara's pistol near the pile of ash. She handed it to her before returning to Falere, Rila, and Samara.
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Rila returned to her normal-self briefly, and told them to leave. She promised to detonate the bomb herself. Her fight against Reaper control reminded Liara instantly of her mother, bringing tears to her eyes. The few moments before Benezia died had torn her heart. At the very end the cold Matriarch that was her mother fell away to reveal the kind mother she had seen only a couple times. Tears dripped from Liara's eyes watching the two sisters interact. Seeing her cry, Shepard gave her quick hug.
Shepard had to forcibly remove Falere from the hall. Liara followed, making sure the confused Ardat Yakshi did not escape her grip, or try anything dangerous. Considering Shepard's experience with Ardat Yakshi, she was surely fighting against her own desire to release the asari and be rid of her. In the elevator Falere continued to pound against the door until noise of the explosion made her attempts meaningless.
Now they were in front of the former monastery, and Samara was spouting off nonsense about the code.
"The code demands an Ardat Yakshi cannot live outside a monastery that no longer exists." Samara told them.
"Samara, you can't really believe the code is comprehensive enough to cover a Reaper attack." Shepard said.
"I'm sorry, Shepard. By the justicar's code...there is only one way to save Falere." Samara pulled her weapon from her side and brought it towards her head.
"Mother! No!" Falere cried. Shepard was already in motion towards the Justicar.
"My daughters. You were all so much stronger than I believed." She pointed the weapon at her temple. Shepard leapt the last few feet, wrenching Samara's gun arm back. She grabbed the Justicar from behind, making sure she couldn't regain control of the weapon.
"Shepard! Release me!" Samara's biotics flared. Shepard's biotics flared involuntarily in response. Liara wasn't sure what Samara could do to someone behind her. She hoped Shepard could calm the Justicar.
"I won't let you kill yourself, Samara." She said. Their biotics sparked and popped where their skin touched.
"I must fulfill the code, and I will not kill my last daughter." Samara said. Shepard was obviously fighting her own biotics, which were surging and dimming in response to Samara. Liara could feel her own rising in response to the surges of power.
"Mother! Please!" Falere exclaimed.
"The code does not cover this!" Shepard said into her ear. Shepard's biotics finally shut down, and Liara felt the pressure of Samara's power in waves. It was pushing Shepard back.
"I will not..." Samara started.
"You won't have to!" Falere exclaimed.
Samara stopped fighting Shepard. "Falere?" Her biotics dropped. Shepard released her, but took the gun from her hand. Samara let her.
"I will stay here." Falere said calmly. "Home...no matter what's become of it."
"Without a proper monastery..." Samara again starts.
"I could have left at any time." She told her mother. "I don't need a building to honor my own code."
"Then the code permits you to stay." Samara said, pride in her daughter apparent in her voice.
"And if the Reapers return, they won't take me alive. I promise." Falere tells her.
"Once this war is over, and if I am able, I will visit. As a Justicar should." Samara smiled at her youngest. Shepard handed her pistol back to her.
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Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!
Miranda once again felt herself stabbed, the sharp pain making her wince. She once again pulled away from the sword, falling to the ground. Twisting, she threw a warp at her attacker. The phantom was tossed to the floor.
She grabbed her gun from the desk, switched it to her off hand, then killed the phantom. A pair of attackers grabbed her arms, then pulled her in front of a window.
Then something off script happened. Kai Leng kicked at her, but she yanked good arm away from one of the phantoms. It was thrown in front of Kai Leng's foot, and knocked back through the window. Its sword was flung into the air. Miranda slammed her fist into the other phantom, knocking it back against the desk. Miranda pulled away from Kai Leng, slamming her elbow against the phantom at the desk. Something crunched.
She surprised Kai Leng by hopping onto the desk…and grabbing the sword in the air. He was still in motion towards her. She brought down the sword in a quick arc. He couldn't stop in time. He tried to roll away, and lost an arm for his trouble. He howled. She hopped down and cut him in half. He looked quite surprised by the turn of events. She finished off the other phantom quickly, then took off towards their shuttle.
Sure, subconscious. Show me what I should have done…assuming I knew how to handle a sword, and could leap up from a military hold…
No one was more surprised than Miranda, when she woke up. She opened her eyes to a blurry haze. Her vision was filled with white, grey, and splotches of colored lights. She quickly figured out she was in the Normandy med bay.
"Hello?" She said.
"You're awake!" A blurry grey figure stood to her right. "Samantha will be pleased." Miranda saw the orange light of an omni tool light up. "Commander, she is awake."
"Dr. Chakwas? Where is Sam?" Miranda asked. "I can't see." The grey mass moved in front of her. A bright light filled her vision. She closed her eyes and turned away.
"Blurry vision is a temporary symptom of severe dehydration and blood loss." The light went away. "Your vision should improve soon. Samantha is returning from a mission right now. Do you feel any pain?"
Miranda attempted to rise. A sharp pain pierced her shoulder. Other than that, she felt achy all over. "My shoulder." She sat up carefully.
"Any nausea?" Dr. Chakwas asked. She checked Miranda over. "Your shoulder will heal in another week or so."
"No. Probably because I haven't eaten in a while."
"Very likely." The doctor opened her mouth, shining a light into it. Miranda said 'Ahhh' purely from experience.
"How long was I out?" She asked. Chakwas handed her a glass of water.
"It's been three days since Shepard pulled you off that beam. She didn't leave your side until this morning." She pointed to a chair next to the bed.
Miranda took a drink, then smiled. "I suspected as much. Sounds like I'm going to have to give her another 'the mission is more important than me' speeches. Not that I don't appreciate the thought."
"Take it easy on her. The two days after your messages were hard for her to handle."
"I will." The door swished open.
The grey mass of the doctor moved out of the way and the flaming red of Samantha's hair ran towards her. Miranda felt herself wrapped into an embrace, and lifted from the hospital bed. "Angel." Was all Sam said. She was still wearing her combat armor.
"Commander. Please be careful." The doctor interrupted. "She still has pain in her shoulder and her vision is unfocused." Sam put her down.
"What's wrong with her eyes?" Sam's green eyes filled her vision.
"A side effect of severe dehydration. It should improve within a day. Her shoulder will take longer than that." Chakwas told her. Miranda reached up and placed her hands gently on the sides of Samantha's face. She stroked her cheeks, then ran her fingers through her hair. She pulled her even closer, kissing her lightly.
"Oh Sam. I have missed you terribly." Miranda pulled her into a deep kiss that lasted several minutes.
"Me too, Angel. Me too." Sam told her once they separated.
"Doctor? Do I have to stay in the medical center tonight?" Miranda asked.
"Your shoulder still needs to heal, and it will be dangerous for you to be wandering around the ship with such poor vision." Chakwas said from her right.
"Please doctor." She said. The doctor paused for a very long time. She sighed.
"Miranda Lawson, purely because I shudder to think about what you two will do if I keep you in the med bay, you are now confined to the captain's quarters. You are not allowed to leave her quarters without my permission. Please stay on or near the bed until your vision improves, and please do not use your arm for anything. I will visit you several times a day to make sure you are following orders."
"Thanks, Doc." Shepard said, glee in her voice.
"Be careful walking her to your cabin, Commander. And for her sake, let her rest as much as possible."
"I promise, Doc." Miranda felt herself carefully stood, and guided out of the medical center. She clung to Sam, trusting her to guide her safely. Once they reached the elevator, she found herself growing tired.
"Sleepy, beautiful?" Shepard asked, kissing her temple lightly.
"Sorry Sam. I am really happy to see you." She leaned into Samantha and wrapped her arms around her, resting her head on her chest.
"It's fine, Angel. You have no idea how happy I am to see you awake." Sam caressed her hair.
"Commander, Admiral Hackett is waiting on vid comm." Joker announced. Miranda barely heard him.
"Give him my apologies, Joker. It's going to be a few minutes." Sam said from above her head.
As Miranda drifted off, she felt Samantha lift her into her arms.
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Miranda woke with the ships lights on 'early morning' setting. Her mind was rested and calm. Samantha was wrapped around her like the most comfortable blanket. Her wounded arm was propped up on her other side. Her dreams were peaceful. The universe is about to be purged of all intelligent life, and this woman still manages to put me completely at ease. It's hard to believe. She noticed her vision was almost back to normal. There was still some slight blurring, but nothing impossible to overcome.
Unfortunately she needed to get up to relieve herself. Trying to scoot herself without using one arm was difficult, and she inevitably woke Sam, who practically hopped out of bed.
"What can I get for you?" She asked.
"Bathroom." Miranda told her.
Samantha helped her into a seated position, then stopped. "Umm, it sounds like the bathroom is occupied." Miranda finally noticed the sound of the shower running.
"Who would use your shower?" Miranda asked. She was suddenly conscious that she was only wearing a long t-shirt. Samantha was similarly attired.
"Stay here. I'll take care of it." Sam left her sitting on the edge of the bed. Before Sam reached the bathroom the door opened, revealing a naked brunette rubbing a towel down her arms. Miranda's eyes almost bulged out if their sockets. The brunette noticed Samantha approaching.
"Commander! How are you doing this morning?" She continued drying off, not even attempting to cover herself. Miranda started to glare.
"Specialist. We need..." She waved towards the bathroom.
"Oh, certainly!" She backed out of the way. "Wait, we?" She noticed Miranda sitting on the edge of the bed. "Miss Lawson!" She practically ran over to Miranda, dropping her towel on the way. "I'm so happy you're feeling better!" Miranda's eyes opened wide again.
"Umm." Was all Miranda could get out. The naked woman crouched in front of her and took her hands.
"Everyone was so worried about you! The Commander here was crying your name while she slept. I'm glad I was available to soothe her back to peaceful slumber." Her English accent was completely throwing Miranda for a loop, it just didn't fit with the nonchalant nudity.
"Traynor." Samantha said. Miranda looked at Sam to see wide eyed terror on her face.
"Oh! Right!" Traynor said. "I'm Specialist Traynor, Miss Lawson. I'm the Commander's assistant. I'm sorry we weren't properly introduced the last time you were on board." Miranda was still too shocked to say anything. Her mouth hung open.
"Traynor." Sam had her head in her hand at this point.
Traynor looked up and down at Miranda. "If you don't mind me saying," Traynor gave her a sultry smile. "I can see why the Commander is head over heels in love with you. You are gorgeous!" Miranda felt red creep up her face.
"Traynor!" Sam apparently had enough.
"Right!" Traynor stood up, giving Miranda a direct view of her shaved privates. "I'll leave you two beautiful women alone." She turned and bent over to grab her towel, giving Miranda a compelling view of her other side. She quickly dried off, then wrapped a short blue robe around herself. "Commander, the offer still stands if you need another body to keep you warm at night."
"No thank you, Specialist. I will be fine." Shepard led the woman to the door.
"It was nice to meet you, Miss Lawson. See you below, Commander." With a swish of the door she was gone. Miranda closed her mouth.
"I told her she could use my shower." Samantha told her. "She likes it better than the crew showers."
"That's who you've been sleeping with?" Miranda finally formed words.
"Yeah. Liara didn't want to any more, for some reason." Sam looked sad.
"Does she sleep in anything?" Miranda asked.
"Ummm..." Samantha didn't realize how much she gave away with her lack of an answer.
"Sam!"
"I swear I never touched her!" Samantha exclaimed.
"You slept with a naked woman and never touched her? I find that hard to believe." Miranda crossed her arms over her chest.
"Most of the time she wasn't here when I fell asleep! I woke up and she was there."
"And you never told her to wear something to bed."
"No..." Sam ran her hand through her hair. "It didn't seem to bother her, so I let it go."
"And you didn't think it would bother me." Miranda gave her a blank stare.
"I..." Samantha looked at Miranda, pleading with her eyes. "…didn't think you would find out. That sounds bad. Ummm. I swear nothing happened."
Miranda looked at her skeptically.
"Angel, you know I only have eyes for you." Samantha said.
"Yes. I know. I trust you." Miranda looked at her feet. "Sam, I just don't know how to take this. You're assistant spends a lot of time around you... in the nude, and I find it hard to believe you would save yourself for me with that within easy reach." She waved a hand towards the door. Sam quickly walked to her, crouching in front of her. She took both her hands into hers.
"Miranda...my Angel. No one..." She looked deep into Miranda's eyes. "…could ever replace you." She kissed her tenderly.
"I'm sorry Sam. I can't stand the thought of losing you." Miranda threw her arms around her, instantly taking a sharp breath. Sam gently took her wounded arm and put it back in her lap.
"Are you ok?"
"I'm ok. I obviously still need some time to heal."
"It will be another day before we reach the quarians. I'm all yours until we reach their diplomatic vessel. Let me know what you need."
"Bathroom."
"Of course." She cursed at herself under her breath. "Here we go." She lifted Miranda to her feet.
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Oriana Lawson stared at her biological father in wonder.
"How could you possibly think friendship and kindness are bad things?" She asked.
"Friends will always betray you in the long run, and kindness is a crutch for the weak." Henry answered. She shook her head at him.
Once again she started to get just a little too amicable with a teacher, and they were summarily fired. Starting over with another teacher meant lost time and effort. She'd requested a meeting with Henry to discuss the needless tutor change. Still baffled she continued her questions.
"You can't possibly believe an adversarial student/teacher relationship is conducive to learning." She told him.
"A 'friend' is incapable of providing an unbiased opinion of your abilities, and would be more likely to give you the benefit of the doubt. Since the real world will not give you any leeway, your instructors should not either. Greatness comes from perseverance and the knowledge that you can't trust anyone but yourself." Oriana's mouth dropped open.
"You live in a very cold place, 'dad'. Commander Shepard surrounds herself with friends and trusts them all. You cannot pretend she isn't great."
"Even ignoring that she's been killed once already, Commander Shepard is fighting a losing battle. It's only a matter of time till she falls to the Reapers. They cannot be defeated. Our only hope is to assimilate them." He told her.
"Assimilate them? Are you insane? Surely you've read the reports about Saren and Matriarch Benezia. People get indoctrinated by the Reapers, not the other way around."
"You will see, daughter." He said, turning to the door.
"I have to get away from here...if the Reapers aren't headed here already, they will be." Oriana said. He stiffened.
"Oh, I almost forgot." He turned back towards her, the slightest of smirks gracing his face. "Miranda died a week ago." Oriana's heart dropped to the floor. "That's one less thing to distract you from your studies." He left.
"What?!" Oriana said to the closed door. "How?!" She asked the un-answering door. Confusion fought with sadness and anger in her head. Her eyes grew wet at the possibility. She collapsed into a chair.
Oh sis...please tell me it's not true. Could he be telling the truth? Would he lie just to gain my cooperation? Probably, though he would have done it weeks ago. And there was that smirk. If he was lying he'd try to appear somber. That was him telling me a secret he'd been saving. Tears dripped down her face. She pulled herself out of the chair and flung herself on the bed. Sobs wracked her body. She'd only known she had a sister for 8 months…and now she was gone.
Please don't let it be true.
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"Are you fucking insane?" Shepard exclaimed. The quarian Admirals gave a start, obviously not used to being addressed so crudely. "The Reapers are literally tearing worlds apart, and you decide the time is right to retake your home world?"
"You don't know what it's like. You have your home world." Admiral Xen told her.
"And as we speak it is being cleared of all life." Shepard threw her hands into the air. "Fine, in the hope that you will actually retreat from this stupid engagement, I'll help."
The quarians, against all common sense, decided to attack the geth in another attempt to retake their home world. They also unwisely used their liveships(civilian vessels) in the attack. Shepard could understand the desperation driving the quarians to retake their home world, but the timing couldn't be worse if the Reapers planned it themselves.
To allow the liveships to escape they needed to disrupt a reaper signal created by one of the geth ships. Unfortunately it was coming from the largest ship the geth had, a dreadnought. The Normandy's stealth drives were required to infiltrate the huge ship.
"Our newest Admiral also volunteered to offer technical expertise..." Admiral Raan started, turning towards the door. Shepard's jaw dropped when she saw who it was. Tali! Shepard couldn't keep a smile from her face.
"Tali'Zorah vas Normandy reporting for duty." Decorum demanded Shepard not act too familiar in front of the other admirals. It took some willpower to keep from giving Tali a big hug.
"Glad you could make it, Tali." Shepard turned back to look at the other quarians. "Admirals, I'll ready a team to infiltrate the dreadnought. Be ready to evacuate your fleet."
Shepard escorted Tali through security herself, making sure the security operatives knew she was allowed anywhere on the Normandy.
The instant she reached the main deck she pulled her into a tight hug.
"It's great to see you, Tali."
"You too, Shepard. I was worried while you were locked up."
"They changed their minds in a hurry when the first Reaper dropped." Shepard smirked. Tali looked sad.
"I'm sorry about Earth, Shepard."
"We'll get them." She said. She said through her comm link. "Joker, get us to the dreadnought."
"Aye aye, Commander."
"Admiral Zorah?" Shepard gave her a raised eyebrow.
"It's mostly a formality, since I'm an expert on the geth."
"That you are, but don't sell yourself short. The common sense of the admiralty board doubled when you joined."
"Thank you, Shepard. And just so you know, I was against the attack, but I can't openly oppose it. The fleet can't afford to be fractured right now."
"I figured as much, Tali. Let's worry about cutting off that Reaper signal. You're going to come on the assault, I assume."
"Wouldn't miss it." Tali told her, her smiling eyes showed through the visor.
Shepard activated her comm link. "Garrus? Suit up! Tali needs our help."
"Be there in five." Garrus answered. Shepard shut down the link. "Or will he be too distracting, Tali?"
"I will try to control myself." She said with a smirk. The smirk went away. "I heard Miranda was hurt..."
"She's doing much better, but I almost lost her." Shepard looked down and frowned. "Cerberus attacked the facility she infiltrated. Someone kicked her through a window."
"I'm glad you got her back." Tali said.
"Me too. I don't know what I would do if..." Tali clasped her hand.
"It's best not to think about it, Shepard."
"Yes." She smiled at her quarian friend. "I should let you get your combat suit on. We can catch up after the dreadnought."
"Of course. Oh, Shepard, I'd like to request Normandy access for my assistant, Lia'Vael."
"Lia'Vael? The quarian we helped on the Citadel last year?"
"Yes. She had enough of modeling after she got a severe infection, and has proven quite capable as my assistant ever since."
"That's fantastic! I'll give her clearance right away." She paused. "She doesn't want to go on the mission..."
"No, she has no combat training. She'll be quite happy analyzing data down in engineering." Tali reassured her.
"Ok, Tali. See you in a few minutes."
After Tali took the elevator down Shepard noticed Specialist Traynor looking at her.
"Specialist?"
"Commander, you certainly recruit the hottest people for your crew."
Shepard laughed. "It certainly seems that way, doesn't it?"
"I mean, I'd happily take more than half of them to..." She drifted off for a moment before returning her focus to Shepard. "By the way, the crew beds are not nearly as comfortable...and your bed is plenty big for three..."
"No. Sorry Traynor. I had plenty of explaining to do about you already. I don't think Miranda would..."
"But if she was there, she would know nothing was going on." Traynor said.
"No Traynor, sorry." Shepard left to get her gear, shaking her head.
"Bugger." Traynor said under her breath.
00000000
Kaiden was starting to question is choice to rejoin the Normandy. Shepard had yet to invite him on a mission, and with the heavy overlap of his skills and Shepard's, he was wondering if her ever would. Now it was even worse. The Cerberus agent was back on board, and his skills matched hers almost exactly. Would Shepard take him over her...ever? He knew the Normandy was doing very important work, and every mission was making a difference, but without any participation he felt he was little more than a janitor.
Shepard was on the geth dreadnought, helping the quarians to escape the geth fleet. She took Tali and Garrus with her, and even though they both make sense for this mission, he still wished he could be there. Listening in on the mission might be interesting, but he really felt more anxious than useful in the command room.
He considered visiting the lounge again, but decided against it. If the Commander ever found him passed out on the floor he knew he'd never get any mission time. He headed down and grabbed some juice in the cafeteria.
00000000
Dr. Chakwas released Miranda to the rest of the Normandy while Sam was away on the geth dreadnought, though she forbade her from listening in on the battle, for anxiety reasons. She had her arm in a sling to keep the stress off her shoulder. Without anything better to do, she headed to the cafeteria to see if they had any tea. Amazingly they had some of her expensive green tea, whether because Sam picked some up or it was left from her previous time on the Normandy, she didn't know.
She was sitting in the cafeteria sipping her tea when Kaiden entered. To her surprise he sat down right across from her. She thought he hated her, for several reasons.
"Miranda." He said.
"Kaiden." She returned.
"How is your shoulder?"
"Better." She told him, surprised at his concern. "It will obviously be a little while until I can participate in combat missions."
"At least there's a reason she's keeping you here." He said, taking a drink of juice.
"You haven't been pulled on any missions?" She asked.
"Not since Mars, when she had no alternative."
"I'm sure she has her reasons. You have very similar skills." She told him. He frowned. "I can mention it to her, if you would like."
"No!" He blurted out. "I don't want her to think I'm complaining."
"Ok." She said, uncomfortable in the role of confidant.
"You have the same skills as me." He said, looking at her face. "Want to bet she takes you on a mission before me?" Miranda didn't say anything for a minute.
"After my most recent trouble I would be surprised if she let me off the ship without armed escort, much less take me on a mission." She told him with a small smile. Kaiden scoffed.
The tense situation was broken when Liara ran up to the table. "Miranda! You were right. There is something strange going on at the Sanctuary facility."
Miranda refocused on Liara. "What have you found?" Liara sat down next to Kaiden. She smiled at him briefly before continuing.
"They have been getting massive shipments of scientific equipment. Much bigger than any refugee center would require, or even want. Also, the reports submitted to the Alliance changed in format and style recently." She looked at Miranda excitedly. "Like someone unfamiliar with Alliance reports was creating them."
"Anything else?" Miranda asked, her eyes wide.
"The facility has been under severe communication restrictions since its inception, but for the last couple days it has been utterly silent." Liara's smile vanished, and was replaced with genuine concern. "I'm worried the Reapers might have found them."
Miranda stood up. "We need to show this to Shepard."
"You know she's not going to leave until the quarians are safe." Liara said.
"I..." Conflict ran through Miranda. Her own mantra spoke in her head. The mission is more important than any one person, even Oriana. Even though she knew it was true, she couldn't sit around. But what could she do while wounded? She looked from Kaiden to Liara. I can't endanger other members of the crew. Thoughts coalesced in her head. "I need to think." She grabbed her tea with her good arm and headed for the elevator.
I apologize for the infrequency of my postings. I am getting more writing done recently, and will do my best to keep it up. I already have the next chapter written, and the next couple outlined. I'll also warn you that I'm mixing up the order of the last couple missions. Thanks for the reviews. I enjoy the complements and appreciate constructive criticism.
