Heyo! I'm back after so many days of silence. Long story short. Hectic time, first day I've had free for a while and may have for a bit. So, I'm going to squeeze out updates for all my stories while I'm free. Anyways, Read, Enjoy, Review.
The oily shadows taunted him, using the voices of those he had lost. Ash spoke to him, telling him to go save the Lieutenant and that she would be fine. Mordin spoke to him, accusing him of being too afraid of the krogan. But the worst was the boy. The boy that fled every time John grew near. The boy who would flee and burn, while John was too slow, too helpless, unable to save him each and every time. His arms and legs felt like lead and he felt he was walking through thick liquid. He moved too slow, he didn't act fast enough and the boy died. The boy would burn to nothingness before his eyes and he would wake up, to find his waking hours were no better.
When Johanna walked into John's room, holding underneath her arm a tin jar, she was surprised to find his bed empty, the sheets tossed about as if someone had been trapped underneath them. The sound of running water drew her attention to the private bathroom in her brother's cabin, making her realize what had happened. Garrus had already seen the wear and tear that Tuchanka had taken on John, combined with the death of Mordin and the temptation of the sabotage offered by the Dalatrass. An offer that Johanna may have taken. But it had caused her brother enough distress and the message that the Dalatrass had sent him had been no better, causing Johanna to leave a rather fun surprise in the Dalatrass's computer. Something that would be even more fun if the salarian didn't have backups of all her files and lost everything next time she opened her emails.
"John, you in here?" She asked, tapping lightly on the door to the bathroom.
"Yeah." Was the response she got in turn. It was low and grim, an unusual combination for her brother. She sighed and set the jar down on the table next to his personal terminal.
"Something wrong?" She guessed. It was more of a statement than a question. She had been upset about Mordin's death but she knew it had been necessary. Sometimes, the few must sacrifice themselves to protect the many. Her brother always had different views. If he had his way, everyone would survive and everyone would go home with nothing more than scratch. But war took away that luxury.
"Just thinking about some friends who aren't around because of this war." Was John's answer. His voice was heavy with sadness and guilt. Johanna shook her head as she heard this.
"Yeah, well that's the Reaper's fault John, not yours." She told him, walking over to the door and leaning on the wall next to it. She was glad that she had intercepted Liara on her way up to John, as she had planned on passing on a message. Johanna doubted that her brother would want the Asari seeing him in such a vulnerable time. "Anyone in particular?"
"No one I want to talk about right now." John said after a long pause. Johanna shook her head and knew who he must be thinking about. Ashley Williams. From how Garrus described her, she was a hardcore lady. Even managed to convince her that Ashley would have ended up her best friend if she had been in with her brother during the first time he ran interference against the reapers.
"Well, don't tell me then." She playfully told him, showing she understood his reluctance about the subject. "But I would like it if you come out of the bathroom. I have some things for you." She walked back over to the desk and grabbed the tin jar, turning around and shoving it outwards as her brother opened the bathroom door. He looked taken back at her direct approach but took the tin and opened it, revealing her present to be….a jar of dirt.
"Dirt? I don't know what to say." John joked half-heartedly, looking at it.
"Well, thanks, would be nice. I did dig around in the dirt for you. But that's not normal dirt." Johanna told him.
"Is it magical dirt?" He joked again. This one had more feeling behind it and Johanna smiled lightly as she realized her brother was coming out of his depressed mode.
"No, it's Tuchankan dirt." She told him. Her brother held the dirt a little bit away from himself as she said that, making her laugh. "Minus the toxic radiation. I just figured that it would be a helpful reminder, when you're feeling down and out."
"Of what?" John wondered as he placed the lid back onto the jar.
"Of the planet you saved. The lives that are getting better because of you. The growing number of people that see you as a walking example of a legend." Johanna told him. "This war is going to hard John. We're going to lose people and there's no way around that. But….it would nice to reminded about those we do save, those that are alive because of us. I just figured having this around would remind you when you forget. So put it some place easy to see." John paused as he looked at the dirt, his face a mix of emotions, most positive. She coughed and drew his attention back to her. "There's also something else." Her tone said all she needed to. The heartwarming moment was over and it was back to the reality of the war before them. John set the jar of dirt off to the side, on his desk before turning his full attention back to his sister. "The Salarian councilor has an 'urgent' matter to talk with you about."
"Let me guess, he called the comm room." John guessed, sighing with annoyance. She knew he preferred reading messages over his private terminal than the new QEC system that they had set up.
"Maybe the politicians are finally taking the Crucible seriously. A Reaper on Tuchanka is hardly something worth ignoring." Johanna shrugged her shoulders. "In any case, I'll be in the gun battery if you need me. But knock first." She laughed at her brother's narrowed glare before leaving him to discuss politics. Just because the galaxy was ending didn't mean she shouldn't tease her brother a little more while she had the chance. She may not have the chance to do so much longer. As she stepped into the elevator, she paused as a throaty cough reached her throat, causing her to pause long enough to get it out before hitting the button to the third floor.
Samantha laughed with happiness as she looked over the views that her latest episode on Battlespace had got. Everyone had enjoyed watching Kalros, the mother of all Thresher Maws, take down a Reaper. A worm destroying the most feared thing in the galaxy was certainly a sight to behold. And she was the only reporter in the entire galaxy with the footage. It was truly a wondrous thing. She kicked her knee onto storage container and looked over at her private terminal looking over her most recent messages. Most were of praises and blessings because of her footage, mostly from her editors, producers and some rather devot fans. A few of the fans asked her if she managed to get into John Shepard's pants yet, to which she laughed and deleted the message without answering. However, the final message caught the most attention. Getting up in the world, Bluejay? She paused as she considered opening the message. There was only one person in the entire galaxy that should know that code name. Taking a deep breath, she clicked the message and opened it.
So, I see that you managed to get yourself latched onto the Normandy. It's a powerful ship, even if it is an Alliance Ship. I saw your footage of the Tuchanka Reaper being destroyed and of the Salarian's sacrifice. He will be remembered for the days to come unlike those we have lost before. I…..I'm not sure what else to put. I'm not sure if we should continue where we left off or….if you've already forgotten and moved on. But, even without clarification, I suppose I can offer you this. The Asari Government may have declared all Asari Commandos back to Asari space but I don't owe them my loyalty anymore. Say the word, and I will send any support I have gathered over to Commander Shepard's service to use as he sees fit. And…..Don't be a stranger this time, okay?
-J
Samantha hesitated as she read the message over and over again, wondering if this was actually her or someone who had very good intelligence on Black Ops. But….what if it was her? Did she really want to chance it and find out that it was actually her? Samantha sighed and was about to type in a message when the door behind her opened. Quickly, she clicked the computer, powering it off and turned to her new arrival. It was merely John Shepard again, looking at her with expectance.
"Commander! I've been meaning to talk to you. Thanks to you, I'm the most well known war correspondent in the entire galaxy right now!" She greeted with a laugh.
"Glad to hear you're getting the footage you need." John told her with a nod.
"Yeah, well, just get me more footage of Reapers getting what's coming to them, and I'll be a very happy reporter." She told him. She paused for a moment, going through a few moments of indecisions before saying. "By the way Commander, I needed to talk with you about something else. I got a message, promising the support of an Asari Mercenary team ready to join the war effort. Give the word and I'll give them to Admiral Hackett."
"Do it." John told her. "Anything else?"
"Nothing that concerns the war." She told him before she stopped herself. Samantha paused and rubbed her head with annoyance as she realized she should have kept this to herself. But John's interest was already piqued and he tilted his head with curiosity at her. "Commander, I have a personal question if you have the time."
"Go ahead, Sam." He told her with a nod.
"Well…say you liked someone you worked with and the two of you entertained the idea of it being a possibility…..before you were forced to go your separate ways. And say that you got the impression that the other person wanted to try for a relationship once again. What do you do?" Samantha asked.
"Well, that would really depend on how I felt about them still. If I thought there was a chance that it could work out and if I really cared about them, then yes. But this is a question only….one of those two could answer." John told Samantha. She sighed nodded, thinking about his advice. Did she really think that it would work out well? This was not a question she could answer in a few minutes.
"Thanks anyways Commander. Hey, while you're here, care to do an interview for me?" She asked, typing into her omni-tool and calling Sparks back from where he was watching the garbage compact and be vented with some odd enjoyment. She was beginning to wonder if the Reaper gunk had shorted out some of his wiring back on Manae. After she managed to pull Sparks away from the garbage compactor, she pulled up the number of questions that had been put up.
"Commander Shepard, with the recent events on Tuchanka ending with the genophage being cured, many species are worried that humanity is starting another Rachni War and Krogan Rebellions. Do you have anything to say on this?"
"Yes. It's easy to remember the worst things in Krogan history, but many people are also forgetting the best." John told her.
"Meaning?"
"The Krogan were heroes once and they want to be heroes again. Humanity and the Turians are giving them that chance."
"Are you aware Clan Urdnot, the leading clan on Tuchanka, is petitioning the council for an embassy on the citadel and rights to a colony world." Samantha led him along.
"The Krogan are currently coming to the aid of one Council homeworld and are ready to aid another. That's more than some species could say." Samantha resisted her smile at the veiled shot at the Salarian and Asari, who were content with hiding behind their own forces instead of helping them. "It was my choice to help them get the genophage cure. Anything else is between them and the Council."
"And there you have it, straight from the mouth of Commander Shepard. This is Master Sergeant Samantha Crane with Battlespace, and until tomorrow, fight the good fight." She told the audience that would watch this later. Sparks deactivated his light a second later and began to upload the footage to her private terminal for editing. "Thanks Commander, it'll do the populace good to see your opinion on something. When we get on the Citadel, think you can use your Spectre status to get me near the Turian Councilor, it would increase our ratings and give an insider view."
"We're heading there now. We'll see afterwords." John told her. She nodded her thanks and went over to her terminal to begin the long process of editing, and then maybe type a message for a certain someone.
Ok, explanation time. I replaced Liara with Johanna because it made sense. Most of you know what I mean. Uh, with Samantha, I figured I give her an outside relationship with her remaining teammate as people are often the closest during Suicide missions. Anyways, I'll expand more on this later, maybe with a scene on the citadel.