DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MASS EFFECT OR ANY OF THE MUSIC LYRICS USED IN THIS FIC. ONLY THE PLOT OF THIS STORY AND MYSELF HAHAHAHA
Warning lots of Flashbacks and Author Insert.
Mass Effect the Immortal Series Part 2: Legacy of the Dragon
Chapter 9: To Punish and Enslave the Shepard
NORMANDY SR-2 YEAR 2185
"A Dragon? On Horizon? This is unexpected Shepard most unexpected indeed," The Illusive Man as he puffed on his cigarette.
Shepard stood on the Quantum Comm platform in the briefing room reporting to the Illusive Man about her findings. The Illusive Man is most troubled when he heard the news and not pleased at all.
"First Ashley Williams is on Horizon and what makes it worse is that there are Dragons with the Alliance. This concerns me Shepard," he said.
"Why would a Dragon be a problem for Cerberus?" Shepard asked
The Illusive Man puffed away on his cigarette, "You don't know the extent of the damage done to us by the Order of the Dragon. We have lost billions of credits because of them and they have killed more of my men then I would like to count."
Shepard smirked, "It seems as if you and the Dragons go way back."
"We did, nearly fifty years back and they have been in existence even longer. Those damn dragons and their queen deserve to die! You should have shot him when you had the chance!" the Illusive Man rarely lost his cool but in that moment Shepard saw the rage that the Illusive Man truly felt for the Order of the Dragons. At that last part of that comment he was yelling which is rare for him.
"Really? I think I struck a nerve. I guess to get under your skin I would have to spare more dragons then," she said smug.
It was then that a fiery pain shot up her back and into her body resulting in her going down to the ground on her knees. The pain was far beyond any torture that Shepard had felt in her life. It was as if someone has sent thousands of volts of electricity through every nerve as well as threw her body into a sun. She screamed when it intensified and kept screaming till she was hoarse and still her mouth kept screaming.
"You think that little stink will gain you points then think again," the Illusive Man said.
"I have more important things to take care of then the likes of you. The Collectors are out there and I did not spend six billion credits to bring a self centered bitch back from the dead to whine and complain just because things did not go her way. I installed this little insurance behind Miranda's back to make sure I remain in control of you. You might say it was her idea," Shepard at this time was on the ground moaning from the pain.
"Take that as a warning next time," he said and cut the connection.
Shepard lay there even when the table was returned to its normal height. Her body could not move as the shock of what happened came to her. Slowly she felt the numbness lessen and her body began to return to normal. Slowly but surely she began to rise and when she was fully awake she began to slowly walk out from the room.
She avoided the lab to fear that Mordin would notice immediately that something was wrong. So she headed to the armory where Jacob was. His back is normally turned away as he modified some guns so he would not notice her walking towards the main C.I.C. As she took her first steps she was careful to walk around Jacob and out the door. When she was out she headed towards the main elevator that would take her to her room.
When she finally gotten there she slowly made her way towards the shower hoping the hot water will help her sooth her over taxed muscles.
"EDI make sure I am not disturbed I am going for some shut eye," Shepard said.
"Understood, logging you out," she said.
Shepard slowly took off her clothes and she looked down at the various scars along her body. Most of it was from Miranda's operations, but others were recent from her battles with the Collectors. She washed down and the shock was still present but bearable. She then gotten dressed in some civilian clothes and headed over to the bed to rest.
When she gotten there she could barely stay on her feet as she collided with the bed.
NORMANDY BRIDGE
"Jeff?" EDI asked
"Yes, EDI?" Jeff asked
"Is it normal for a human to exhibit extreme stress and then extreme exhaustion after talking with the Illusive Man?" EDI asked.
"No, unless they gotten into a heavy argument why?" Jeff asked.
"Well Shepard was showing signs of extreme stress and then exhaustion. I thought it was disturbing since she never has shown this during her previous visits to the Briefing Room. I thought the talk with the Illusive Man did not go as planned." EDI said.
"Why would she be exhausted, pissed maybe that would explain the stress but exhaustion?" Jeff replied.
"I do not know and I am worried," EDI replied.
"I would not worry about it too much, but just in case keep an eye on her every time she talks with the Illusive Man," Jeff said.
"Yes Jeff," EDI replied.
Jeff became worried about Shepard when EDI mentioned this and he turned on the monitor feeds for the briefing room. EDI would have watched the same thing too had the Illusive Man not turned off the vid feeds from his remote location. He was troubled by the video feeds afterward of Shepard stumbling out of the briefing room as if electrocuted and hurt. He saw how she slipped past Jacob who was busy modifying a gun that he had asked to be placed under his seat.
He even watched how she had slipped past the C.I.C. Into the elevator to her quarters. EDI had even given him the live feeds into Shepard's room and saw that she was asleep.
Just not a good night's sleep.
That had him worried.
"Hey Jack could you come up here for a sec?" Jeff called.
"Shoot! What's up?" she asked
"Just come up here for a sec I have to tell you something," Jeff said
AN UNKNOWN LOCATION NEAR A RED STAR
The Illusive Man puffed away on his cigarette the smoke filled the room. He did not mean to shock Shepard like that but just the very sound of that bitch's name makes his blood boil to the extend that his eyes glowed even more unnatural then their usual glow.
The special implant he had installed in Shepard was an insurance policy that she would remain loyal. Any attempts to remove it would involve her death. Something he would wish to avoid should that situation come down on him. But desperate times call for desperate measures. He felt that if he had not tightened the situation now Shepard would break loose and he would have a hell of a time to get her back. He puffed again on his cigarette.
"Was that really necessary?" said a voice and slowly the Illusive Man turned his chair to find one of his most trusted and loyal agents standing before him.
Kai Leng is an assassin who had some improvements done to him to ensure that his current task of Dragon hunting would go unhindered. Improved cybernetics and biotic amps ensure that he has the cutting edge when it comes to killing dragons. By faking his death Kai Leng escaped with grievous injuries do to an encounter with at the time Lt. Anderson. He was accompanied by none other then the dragon queen herself. He too was looking for some payback at her for what she had done to him.
"It is necessary to make sure she stays in line. I did not mean for me to reveal that little thing too soon, but we can't have her straying from her mission," The Illusive Man replied.
"Understood, and what about the reports of dragons?" Kai Leng asked
"If they have allied themselves with the Alliance once again things are looking more difficult then I had fear. Martha is certainly not wasting time looking for her old acquaintances again. We just have to make sure that the number of her forces doesn't grow any larger then what it already has. With the appearance of that Drell with Ashley Williams, she is recruiting other species to her cause. We can't have her recruiting any more people. Did you manage to find a location on the treasure?" he asked.
"No, It is proving even more difficult then I thought. Martha, I have to give her credit hides her tracks well. Finding her treasure will take time and time we are growing short of," Kai Leng replied.
"That I have to agree with you. Martha went through great lengths to hide that treasure and we so far don't know what it is. All we know is that it is very valuable and without it Martha will be lost. We have to find it first and foremost before anything else. The location of her base is also cause for concern. She is very clever to hide the location of her base of operations from me. So I would assume she is going through great lengths to hide it from our best operatives. Be careful when confronting the grandmaster herself for she has nearly two centuries more on you. And if you do confront her make sure she stays dead," the Illusive Man said.
"As you wish," Kai Leng said before disappearing out the way he came.
The Illusive Man turned around in his seat and stared out at the burning star just outside his window.
"Eve if only you are here with me now. You and Ben are probably watching over me as we speak. I swear that I will avenge your deaths. You were the family I never had, partners in crime. I will kill her, you just wait and see." The Illusive Man said looking out the window. He pulled up a photo form his omni-tool. It was a photo of him forty years ago with his two friends smiling at the camera. He slowly touched Eve's face as a tear fell. The glowing orbs dimmed as he remembered their faces. Then they brightened again in anger at that memory of their deaths.
NORMANDY SR-2 BRIDGE
"You are shitting me!" Jack said as Jeff showed her the video feed.
Garrus was unable to show because he was busy trying to calibrate the main Thanix Cannon. The gun had shown signs of miss fire during simulations and so Garrus is working on fixing the problem. Dr. Chakwas was busy tending to Engineer Donnell because he burned himself trying to fix one of the hubs for the cooling systems. So he is in desperate need of some medical treatment. That left only Jack and Jeff alone on the bridge with EDI's holographic form just beside Jeff.
"I am worried just as you are Jack and there is nothing we can do until we figure out what happened. So far it was just one occurrence, but I want to keep an eye on Shepard just in case," Jeff replied.
"You know if you asked anyone else I would have said fuck off, but since it is for you I will do it. And besides I owe Shepard for taking us to Pragia." Jack said
"I can't leave the bridge for long because I am the only pilot available so that leaves both you and EDI. If you both can figure out how to hack into the observation systems in the briefing room then that would be great," Jeff said.
"I can set a counter program that would act as spyware in the Quantum Communications Program. There Jack and I can observe what is going on through your omni-tools to see if the Illusive Man has anything planned for Shepard." EDI said.
"Yeah I mean I am on her specialist team so I have to play nice for now. Besides I cleared my area of bugs and I can recruit Mordin into helping me when shit hits the fan." Jack said.
"I will let Garrus and Chakwas know as well and possibly Kasumi since we will need a tech expert on this, right Kasumi?" Jeff said smirking.
"Damn it! I almost had you!" she said giggling as she appeared next to Jeff and Jack.
"Fuck! You are good? Are you sure you are not a member of the Order?" Jack said.
Kasumi smiled, "No, the Goto Family has been allies with the Dragon Order for a century and a half. Some of my relatives had trained as Dragons. Besides this will be fun." she said as she sat down in one of the spare chairs in the cockpit.
"So it is settled then we will keep an eye on Shepard to make sure this does not happen again?" Jeff said.
"Yeah, and make sure the Cheerleader doesn't find out," Jack said.
EDI replied in a happy voice, "Leave that part to me,"
SHEPARD'S QUARTERS
Slowly green eyes began to open and Maria Shepard began to rise from her bed. The throbbing pain from her body is no longer present but the numbness from not moving for several hours is still there. Her muscles feel like lead and her body ached.
"How are you feeling Commander?" Chakwas said from the side.
"How long was I out?" Shepard asked worried.
"Three days, Miranda was worried that you never reported for duty and had me run a check on you. It seems as if you suffered from extreme exhaustion, probably from running around the galaxy trying to save it. Your body has not had time to rest so we let you sleep away your ride. Miranda has ordered everyone to leave you alone till you are fit for duty," Chakwas said and injected something into Shepard.
"What is that?" Shepard said slowly.
"Something that would help with relaxing your nervous system. Too much stims does that to you. I would lay off it for some time till you've recovered. We are near Illium so you can rest there before pursuing our next Dossier." Chakwas said.
"What about Grunt?" Shepard asked.
"Oh him he will be fine. In fact the young Krogan was the one who raised the red flag. Who knew he was worried," Chakwas said.
"Look Doc I know you worry but..." Shepard began.
"Don't give me that bullshit Commander, I have been summoned up here by your XO because you failed to show up for your duties. And when I came up here I found that you were nearly dead and non functioning. I had to convince EDI to let me through on doctor's authority. When I came in here to my surprise you are suffering from massive nervous overload and complete exhaustion. Now we've been going at it for nearly three months now Commander and right now I am worried. Your implants may have helped in improving your health but you are mostly human still. You need your rest to recuperate. You have been in a catatonic state for nearly three days!" she said.
Three days!
"Three Days!" Shepard said in shock.
"Yes, and I was afraid you had stopped breathing at one point!" Shepard said
"Fuck!" Shepard replied.
"Now you will be stuck here for one more day just so your muscles can at least return to normal function. After that I want you to report to Miranda to see if any of your implants have been malfunctioning understood?" she said.
Shepard reluctantly nodded as the doctor headed out the door back towards the medbay.
Shepard because of lack of movement was unable to move. She laid there staring at the window ceiling and out into the vastness of space. Her mind wondering about what sort of shit she had gotten herself into this time.
THREE DAYS LATER
Shepard walked out of the room slowly, but tentatively making sure her muscles were active. She was surprised to be able to move after her encounter with the Illusive Man. That conversation did not go so well and she needed answers. The only one who can give them is on the same deck as the Medbay. So with great reluctance she made her way down the elevator to the medbay. Once she entered Miranda was already waiting for her.
"Shepard," she said
"Miranda," was the reply.
"Here I got this bed ready for you so you can just hop on here and we can begin," she said.
Running her omni-tool along her body Miranda began to run a few scans on the implants. Her brow began to crease as she continued with her scans.
"How the hell is this possible?" she asked.
"What?" Shepard said.
"From what Dr. Chakwas told me you show all the signs of someone who has been exhausted from too many stims. However I found that your implants have been overloaded. Which is not possible given my experience with them," Miranda replied.
"What can you tell me about the implants?" Shepard asked.
"The implants serve to be the replacement for the bones and flesh that have been lost due to long exposure to space or to atmospheric reentry. From what I am seeing they are malfunctioning." she said.
"Can you fix it?" Shepard said.
"No, they are self repairing and will take a few days to reconfigure. So I suggest take some time off to enjoy Ilium before we seek out our next target." Miranda stated.
"You sure?" Shepard replied.
"Yes, if you don't and something like this happens again then we are in deep shit. The Illusive Man did not spend six billion credits to bring you back only to have you die due to a malfunction in your implants. So I want you to take it easy to have your nervous system reset itself and allow you to get used to moving again," Miranda said.
"Is that all?" Shepard said
"Yes that is all and I do hope that the next time you enter the room you make sure your implants are not malfunctioning again." Miranda said.
"Alright I take your word on it Miranda," Shepard said as she exited the room.
When the doors closed she waited till she had gotten a good distance before she turned to doctor Chakwas. "I'm worried," she said.
"Worried? Why?" the doctor said.
"Shepard does not realize it yet but that is a class one torture trauma." Miranda replied.
"Class one? Are you sure?" Chakwas said.
"Yes, I have seen it before when some of the interrogators used to bring live subjects into the labs to torture for information. Mostly members of the Order of the Dragon back in the day. I was just a child when my father used to make me watch as they tortured those people for information. Shepard is showing signs of that kind of torture so I would keep an eye out on her," Miranda said.
Chakwas nodded knowing she would have to tell the others about this.
ILLIUM
Shepard was ecstatic! Liara is alive and best yet she was the one who gave Shepard's body to Cerberus to bring back from the dead!
After hugging her friend, Liara was more then happy to help find the next person on their Dossier named Samara. Samara was from an ancient order of Asari called the Justicars. It was a simple enough job if you counted being shot at by Eclipse Mercenaries.
And she was supposed to take it easy.
Not happening,
She easily shot through the Mercs with Grunt and Garrus on her side. Jack and Mordin were busy getting the ship fueled and supplied with Miranda.
Well it was basically a walk in the park.
Yeah right.
The amount of Eclipse was staggering but not overwhelming. Thankfully most of them were Asari so they were easily dealt with. Grunt's brute force helped in that aspect as he charged head on distracting them. While Shepard and Garrus took them out from behind with sniper rifles. When the group was dispensed they entered deeper into the alley where the police woman said that Samara was lurking.
They managed to take out a few more mercs the gunfire was enough to alert the police on this sector about the disturbance. While they were looking Shepard found some shipping files that she found interesting. She knew that volus she talked to earlier was no good. Smuggling some sort of chemical additive for Red Sand was no good at all.
Walking further in Shepard could not help but feel twitchy.
She deliberately disobeyed doctor's orders to remain on shore leave. The chance to track down Samara was too much and not enough time was taken to prepare before she leaves again. After catching up with Liara and finding out that she is now an information broker. Shepard wanted to use this opportunity to gain Samara for her crew. The Justicar was on the planet which was rare since Justicars rarely leave Asari space.
Now however Shepard was convinced that the Illusive Man has done something to her implants. With or without Miranda knowing.
She then fired another round of shots even though her aim was no longer as steady as it was before. Shepard still could do her biotics so she let loose a single blast towards her opponents. The blast however was not as strong as it used to be. It still did the job however and the Mercs pulled back.
Garrus let loose another round of bullets knowing that Shepard was not functioning as she should. He was worried, and that was not good in a fight. Grunt however did not notice till he took out the rest of the Merc squad that something was off.
"Shepard are you ok?" Garrus asked as he helped Shepard up.
Shepard looked worse for wear as her green eyes which shown like emeralds changed to a darker duller green.
"I'm fine," she said as she slowly but painfully gotten up.
That last bit with her biotics did not help as now the pain had returned. Not as strong as the first time it happened but it was there. The residue from the shock treatment left Shepard vulnerable as they made their way through the alley to a construction site where one last Merc was being confronted by their quarry.
Stepping up with the grace one can describe as like a cat. A tall Asari walked up to the last Merc her biotics in full charge as she neared her.
"Tell me what that ship's name is?" the Asari said.
"Go to Hell Justicar!" she said and the Justicar's foot went onto her throat.
"May you find peace in the embrace of the Goddess," with that she snapped the Mercenary's neck.
She then became aware of those behind her. Slowly she turned, "I am Samara, a Justicar of the Asari. I see three well armed people behind me and none of them seemed to be working for the Mercenaries," She said.
Shepard then lowered her gun. Her hand became slightly spastic as she tried to hide it from Garrus. "I am Commander Shepard and I am on an important mission and I need your help. We are assembling a team to take on the Collectors," she said.
Samara raised an eyebrow, "The Collectors? A worthy foe, but I must decline I am in the middle of an important investigation," she said.
"I am sorry Justicar but I will have to put an end to it," said a voice and Shepard turned to find the same officer she was talking to earlier come into the alley.
"I have to take you into custody if you refuse to leave," she said.
"The code only grants me one day with you other then that I must continue on my investigation." Samara replied.
"Maybe we can help," Shepard said.
"Really?" Samara replied.
"Yeah, Garrus here is ex-C-Sec he can help you track down your quarry. That is what I over heard you saying," Shepard implied.
"That would be most helpful Commander thank you," Samara replied as she allowed herself to be placed under arrest.
"Find out what is the name of the ship the mercenaries smuggled my quarry on and I will be in your debt." Samara said.
As she was led away Shepard was at last able to let loose the breath she was holding.
And her shaking hand.
Garrus noticed this and his eyes hardened as he looked at his leader. Grunt was not worried as he was on the side investigating the body. Garrus however was worried as he had served with Shepard long enough to know what was not her best. And this was not Shepard's best.
"You alright Shepard?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Shepard lied.
Garrus was not so sure since he just heard Shepard lie to him.
They walked out of the alley a little worse for wear. They spotted the Volus they had talked to earlier named Pitne For standing just outside the police station. Shepard walked right up to him and kicked him to the ground. The Volus struggled to get up and his bodyguards already backed off when they saw Garrus and Grunt point their guns at him.
"Well lookie, lookie what I have here," Shepard said as she held the datapad in the air.
"Now if you would give that back, I'm sure we can come up with a deal," Pitne said.
"Sorry pal but your smuggling days are over," Garrus said.
"Look I only do business with the Eclipse ok? I smuggle in the goods and they pay me. In fact for good measure I can give you a copy of the access card to their base of operations. If you would give me the manifest," Pitne said in desperation.
"How about you give it to me now and I don't blow your head off," Shepard said pointing her gun at him.
"Alright, alright! Here just don't kill me," he said.
Smirking Shepard grabbed the card and walked off holding on to the Manifest. Pitne's voice begging her to stop came only as white noise to Shepard's ear.
IN THE POLICE STATION
"Wow I'm impressed! You managed to find out why those Eclipse killed Pitne's Partner and found evidence that he was doing illegal smuggling. That I can say is impressive," said Detective Anaya.
The detective herself is an Asari just like Samara who is sitting on the rail behind her desk. Her face is impassive as she listened to Shepard talk to Anaya about the evidence and the need to get to the Eclipse hideout.
"When you get there if you find any evidence of the killer that killed that Volus please let me know," she said.
Nodding Shepard walked out but not before Garrus put his hand on her shoulder.
"Shepard you need to calm down for a bit," he said when he noticed that Shepard was shaking.
"I'm fine Garrus just a bit edgy that it all," Shepard replied.
"Sure... you are," Garrus replied.
SOMETIME LATER
Taking care of the Mercenaries had been hard fought. Going into their base of operations was tougher then Shepard could handle given her condition. It was a good thing that Grunt came along. The poor Krogan was itching for a fight and now he was getting it.
It was tough fighting through all those Eclipse Mercenaries till at last they came to the main office. Their leader Wasea was a tough Asari to beat.
In the end though they managed to get her and the evidence they need to track down Samara's quarry.
Going back to the police station was rather tough since all the muscles in Shepard's body were slow and sluggish. When she gotten there Samara was waiting along with Detective Anaya. Giving her both the evidence of the volus's murder and the shipping manifest proved most useful.
Even the embarrassing part about Samara taking an oath to help Shepard. It was all too much for Shepard as she was walking back towards the hanger when she felt light headed. She barely noticed the ground when she met it first hand to the shock of her companions.
LIARA'S APARTMENT.
Slowly green eyes opened to find herself in strange surroundings. The bed was soft and firm under her body, and the clothes she wore were not the standard armor she was wearing.
"What the hell?" she asked herself as she slowly got up.
"What were you thinking?!" came the voice of Miranda as she sat there next to Shepard's bed.
"Miranda?" Shepard said.
"I told you to take it easy! Your implants needed time to reconfigure or else you would end up like that." she said.
"I could not help it the moment was too good to pass up," Shepard replied.
"And you could have gotten yourself killed!" Miranda was clearly angry.
"I am not a child Miranda!" Shepard was nearly shouting.
"But you are acting like it! Going off on that mission when both myself and Dr. Chakwas clearly told you to take some time off for some rest!" Miranda said.
"That is enough Miranda, I am sure Shepard is feeling sorry for overtaxing herself," the gentle voice of Liara T'Soni said to her.
Miranda backed off as the Asari walked in. She was carrying a tray of food.
"Shepard you took a great risk doing what you did out there. Then again I have seen you still walking while under fire. Samara, Garrus and Grunt has told me everything. You shouldn't have risked yourself like that," she said in a gentle voice.
"I had to find Samara before she left," Shepard replied.
"I know, and I did not risk my life to give your corpse to Cerberus just so you can kill yourself out of stupidity again," she said with a smile.
Shepard looked down, "I know," she said.
"Shepard, Maria look at me," Liara said.
Shepard looked up, "I know you want to help people the best you can, but you can't do that in poor health. You need to take care of yourself," she said.
"Yeah, and who is going to babysit while I am on shore leave then?" Shepard said smirking.
"I unfortunately can't and neither can your team. However I did find someone who can even though you will find it annoying," she said with a smirk.
The door opened just then and Jeff walked in with an extra pair of clothes. Both for him and Shepard.
"Are you kidding, Joker!" she whispered.
"He is not that bad," Liara scolded.
Blushing Shepard turned away from those blue eyes.
"Consider it a blind date," Liara then got up to walk away.
Joker walked up the stairs and delivered the clothes. Not bothering to look to see if the commander was descent. Luckily for him, she covered herself with the blankets when he deposited the clothes and headed for the living room.
Now feeling ashamed Shepard quickly gotten dressed and headed down the stairs to meet with Joker. The poor guy probably felt embarrassed for having to drop off clothes for his commanding officer. When she realized that she was naked she was deeply embarrassed. Good thing that the first thing that she saw was other females. So that part was good.
When she gotten down the stairs the others had left leaving Liara and Joker catching up on old times. When they looked up at her Liara waved her over.
"Shepard, Joker and I were just catching up on old times. He tells me that he had seen his grandmother after the attack on the SR-1 and she was deeply sorry for what had happened to you," she said.
"Joker's grandmother is still alive?" Shepard said with her eyebrow up.
"Yeah she is still alive and kicking. She helped me get back on my feet when they grounded me. She is old but she still spiteful. You should have seen her face when they announced that I was grounded," Joker said.
"Really? What did she say?" Shepard replied.
"She shot the message counsel," Joker said.
"Your grandmother is that spiteful of the Alliance brass?" Shepard asked.
"Yep, if she wasn't so old she would probably gotten a ride to Earth and shot everyone of them. That is how mad she was," Joker said.
"I did not know your grandmother could hold a gun?" Liara said.
"She was spacer before she settled on Eden Prime. She flew cargo frigates for some shady people. That is how we found Jack and the other kids on Pragia. I myself am a biotic but due to my condition I can't receive any implants because my bones are so brittle. We did trade for all sorts of people from the Alliance to Aria T'Loak. I mean my grandma is well connected. I don't mean to brag but if it wasn't for her I would have been dead to the world. After my parents were killed in that attack on Thessia she took me in and taught me the universe. I don't know how I would live without her." Joker said.
"Wow that is deep coming from you," Shepard replied as she sat down.
"Yeah well those memories were the best in my life. Growing up on a ship making your way across the galaxy; seeing the stars. That is how I gotten into wanting to be a pilot. I told my grandma this and she told me that if I want to live that dream I have to work for it." he replied.
"Yep, and if it wasn't for her I would not have had the best pilot in the galaxy sitting with me right now," Shepard said.
That made Joker feel good.
It was then that a sharp pain suddenly came to Shepard's head and she nearly fell over.
"Shepard!" both Liara and Joker said as they rushed to her side.
Shepard laid on the ground her hands on her head. She was moaning as the pain flushed through her system again. She was on fire as every muscle in her body protested to having been in such shock. Joker and Liara helped her to the couch and even though Joker can't lift her very well he used his biotics to help lift her instead. Liara felt it was best to do so.
Gently they laid her on the couch. She started to spazz out in full seizure. As soon as they did so Miranda came rushing into the room with a full medical kit along with Dr. Chakwas. Both began to work on Shepard as fast as they could. Her mind was on overdrive as she began to convulse and Miranda tried several sedatives to try and soothe her.
"Jeff do something!" Chakwas said.
Miranda tried but nothing seems to be working. Joker then did something uncharacteristic of him. He pinched her in the neck causing her to suddenly go limp.
"What the hell did you just do?" Miranda said.
"I used a pressure point that my grandmother's helper Javik taught me in case a biotic's implant goes on the fritz. We had a guy named Novus who was a biotic on my grandmother's ship he was an L2 and he would constantly go on the fritz. If you hit this pressure point here," and Joker showed them where the pressure point was. "You can set the implant to restart mode. That would cut off any chance of using your biotics while it was in that state. It shuts it down in order for it to restart. I don't know where he got the information from and I didn't ask but it helped a lot," Joker said.
"Well it certainly helped now even though the Commander is not an L2. You must have learned a lot of helpful tricks when dealing with different people on your grandmother's ship," Chakwas said.
"Yeah well it certainly helped," Joker commented.
"Well let's get her back to bed then," said Miranda and she used her biotics to lift Shepard back onto the bed upstairs.
"You keep an eye on her Joker and if she tries to do anything other then something relaxing then you call me, got it?" she said
"Yes, ma'am," Joker replied.
Miranda then walked out the door while the doctor was busy doing last minute checks on her.
"How is she doctor?" Joker asked.
"Not good, her implants are still on the fritz and her Biotics are going to be dark for the next few days. At least this will give us time to restock and get some much needed maintenance on the ship." she said.
"I understand and don't forget to get some dextro-amino foods for Garrus. I bet eating those protein bars are going to drive anyone insane after a while," Joker said.
Nodding the doctor left leaving Liara and Joker in the living room of Liara's apartment.
"Why didn't you tell her?" Liara asked.
"Tell her what?" Joker asked.
"That you are a Dragon," Liara replied.
"How...?" Joker asked.
"I have my sources plus you mentioning the attack on Thessia was the clue." Liara replied.
Looking down ashamed Joker turned to her, "You can't tell Shepard, that kind of information will get anyone killed on sight. It was bad enough the Illusive Man wants all Dragons dead. It is worse if you are the blood of the Dragon Grandmaster herself. I am her descendent and so I am a prime target. I don't want Shepard involved in this. It is bad enough Garrus knows about it along with the Doctor but to add you to it...how did you find out anyways?" Joker asked.
"Your grandmother told me herself," Liara replied.
"You've met my grandmother?" Joker asked.
"Yes, she would come to me to gain some really important information," Liara replied.
"That would be my grandmother for you. So she seeks you out instead of the Shadow Broker?" Joker asked.
"Yes, she told me that the Shadow Broker has outlived his usefulness and that he pissed her off to no ends." Liara replied with a smile.
"That sounds like grandma. So what do we do now? I mean Shepard is in no condition to continue doing our mission until her implants reconfigure and reboot," Joker said.
"She will remain here until she gets better," Liara replied.
"Yeah, I guess I am assigned to her while she is in need of some care," Joker said.
"You are the best man for the job Joker, you are the one who pulled our asses out of tough situations before you can do it again." Liara then got up and pat his back while she went to get something to eat.
Joker looked down at the data pads on the table. Many of them were news feeds and just random stuff. He however wanted to do something else so he decided to meditate for a while.
Slowly getting onto the ground he crossed his legs with much difficulty and started to clear his head. All this stuff with the Collectors has left him without any time to meditate so now is a good time as any. So he slowly started to clear his head and began to concentrate on breathing.
In
out
in
out
He could feel his biotics start to smooth themselves out as he had felt the rise and fall of his dark energy reserves. It was a constant electrical spasm that flowed through him. All biotics go through this it is the flow of dark energy that encompassed them due to their exposure to element zero. For Dragons however without implants such as biotic amps the electrical flow is not as bad as those that do. The reason is because there is no place for the energy to store itself and such it bleeds out easier. Constant meditation however helps when dealing with dispensing the energy of the universe.
As he concentrated his ears became more acute then they normally are. His senses reach out towards the world around him. From the water flowing in the decorative waterfalls to the sounds of the skycars outside Liara's apartment. He became aware of the world around him even the feeling of people walking on the floor to the sound of Shepard's breathing upstairs.
His mind became focused on one thing and everything. His energy flowing through him as it bleeds out into the world.
He was at peace.
Until it was shattered by Shepard's whimpering.
His eyes shot open as Liara ran up the stairs towards her. Joker quickly made his way up the stairs after her (or as quick as his legs can take him which is not very fast.) he managed to get himself next to Shepard's bed and held on to her as she shook. He held her close as she was whimpering and whispering for the Illusive Man to stop hurting her.
Joker held her close as she was struggling and he felt his shoulder become dislocated and cracked when she lashed out. The pain was something that Joker was used to as he held her. He whispered comforting words to her trying to calm her.
It doesn't hurt me
Do you wanna feel how it feels?
Do you wanna know that it doesn't hurt me?
Do you wanna hear about the deal that I'm making?
It's you and me, yeah
He did not know it but he began to sing much to Liara's surprise.
He held her close gently well aware of his arm.
And if I could
Make a deal with God
And let him swap our places
Be running up that road
Be running up that hill
Be running up that building
So if I only could...with no problems
Tears began to build as he poured his feelings into it. He began to glow unknowingly as he sang to her.
Don't wanna hurt me Is there so much hate for the ones we love?
But see how deep the bullet lies
Unaware I'm tearing you asunder
Oh, there is thunder in our hearts
Oh tell me we both matter, don't we?
It's you and me that won't be unhappy
Liara backed off as his biotics began to flare encircling Shepard. It was a healing energy that seemed to start to have an effect on her. She started to calm and snuggle in deeper.
And if I could And if I only could C'mon baby, c'mon c'mon darling And if I could
Make a deal with God
And let him swap our places
Be running up that road
Be running up that hill
Be running up that building
Make a deal with God
And get him to swap our places
Be running up that road
Be running up that hill
With no problems
Let me steal this moment from you now
C'mon angel, c'mon, c'mon darling
Let's exchange the experience
Make a deal with God
And let him swap our places
Be running up that road
Be running up that hill
Be running up that building
So if I only could
Make a deal with God
And let him swap our places
Be running up that road
Be running up that hill
With no problems...
So if I only could
Make a deal with God
And let him swap our places
Be running up that road
Be running up that hill
With no problems...
So when the song came to an end she was fast asleep with a smile on her face. She was content as he held her and snuggled in closer much to his discomfort. At this moment Liara silently dislodged Shepard from Joker's grasp and laid her gently on the bed. He slowly and tenderly gotten out of the bed and began to make his way to the living room.
"Do you want me to call Dr. Chakwas about that arm?" Liara asked.
"Just let me use your shower and I will be patched up. The water has healing abilities that we dragons harness." Joker replied as he made his way to the bathroom.
"I hope so Joker and if you need anything I will be at the store getting some food. I was going to shopping before you came in with Shepard," Liara said.
"I'll be fine just tell me where the shower is," he said and Liara pointed the way to the bathroom.
"Thanks" Joker replied before hobbling over to the bathroom.
SOMETIME LATER
Jeff came out of the bathroom feeling better. He used the water from the shower to heal his shoulder and soothe his ribs which were painful to move. He wore a form fitting undershirt with a loose pair of shorts. His leg braces were next to him, but at the moment he is using his crutches so his legs can rest after begin in those braces all day. He is currently reclined going over the latest in galactic news.
"Sinead is in town cool! I so wish I could go to that concert!" he said out loud.
"I can get you tickets if you like," said a voice.
Jeff looked up to see Liara come in with some groceries and lay them on the counter. She then proceeded to put them away.
"Here let me help," he said as he started to get his braces.
"No that is alright I have a set way of putting away groceries. And besides you and Shepard are my guests," Liara said.
It took her a few minutes to put everything away. When she did she then proceeded to make something for both herself and Jeff. When she returned she sat down on her love seat with Jeff on the couch.
"You look very different without your hat on," she said.
Jeff looked down at himself, "Yeah everyone gets that they say I look even more sickly without it on," Jeff replied.
"Actually I was going to say is that you look really handsome without it on. And you filled out quite nicely, do you work out?" she asked him.
Jeff looked up at her in surprise. This was the first time someone commented on his appearance other then his grandmother and Jack.
"You think I am handsome?" he said.
"No one ever told you that?" Liara said equally surprised.
"No, only my grandmother and Jack who is kind of like my adopted sister has ever told me that I look handsome. And I thought they were only teasing," Jeff said rubbing the back of his head.
"You hide your appearance well behind your hat and beard. Given the circumstance I would say that you are very handsome. But tell me how is it that you have kept a secret such as your linage for so long without anyone; not even the Shadow Broker from knowing?" Liara asked.
"I don't know I guess my grandmother has something to do with it. The Alliance Brass has probably known about me for some time given that they constantly ask the Order of the Dragons for Assistance. I was a well guarded secret and not many people know about me being the last descendent of Martha Kahalewai Grandmaster of the Order." Jeff replied.
"I can understand why you would want to keep it a secret for so long. Why hide it from us Joker?" she asked.
"If you knew then Cerberus would have tortured you into revealing that information and Martha would have to comply. I can't let that happen. My grandmother would literally burn the entire place down if it was to see me safe. If you remember Pragia that was her when she is pissed off," Jeff said.
"I have seen your grandmother pissed off thank you very much and I do not wish to repeat it." Liara said
"Really? What happened?" Jeff asked.
"Your grandmother killed the Shadow Broker," Liara replied.
"She what?" Jeff said sitting up.
"She killed the Shadow Broker. The original broker was killed and so his pet took over. Then he tried to sell out Shepard's remains until myself and my friend Feron tried to get it back. Feron is a Drell and a double agent to the broker. When he was sent to kill me after I tried to steal the remains he double crossed the Broker and we became buddies...and more," she said with a blush.
"Wow Liara you finally found yourself a man good on you," Jeff said.
"Ha, ha very funny. Now with your good looks any woman could fall for you," she said smiling gently.
"Nah, who would want to go for a cripple like me. That is all women see in me is the fact that I can't walk worth of shit, and if I ever get laid then I would shatter my pelvis. Not a good combo." Jeff replied.
"Must be tough to have that condition and still receive the training of a dragon," Liara said.
"My grandmother is ruthless when it comes to training. In fact she was the only teacher at the time. Well her and Javik her second in command, you would have loved him a total asshole, but one hell of a trainer for a Prothean." Jeff replied.
Liara's eyes lit up, "A Prothean? Alive and kicking here in our time?" she said.
"Yeah, he is over 50,000 years old. Martha dug him up on Eden Prime, he was the last survivor of his unit. Everyone else was killed by Reapers." Jeff replied.
"He must have been full so full of knowledge! I bet Martha is just enjoying herself right now," Liara replied.
"Oh yeah and she also discovered where the last remaining Protheans are kept. I don't know the coordinates but I know that they are hidden well away from the Reapers. They are completely off the grid on a planet far from any Mass Relay. Javik was more then happy to see that his people have survived and changed for the better. There are other races once thought to be extinct are also thriving on these worlds. I think that is one other reason why Cerberus is after my grandmother. She has the secrets hidden away in her head. They want to know how she is getting her technology and how is it that she is making billions of credits off such stuff. I mean don't get me wrong that is cool and all, but you have to admit it is coming from somewhere," Jeff said.
"Amazing! To have such beings still alive. It must have been something to be in the presence of live Protheans," Liara said.
"It is not what you think. Javik is a soldier not a scientist so he is a hard core asshole. And he worked us to the bone with no exceptions to your condition. I had to share my room on the Normandy with three roommates of different species. All of them with special needs. There was this one Krogan female who is blind. Javik made her run without her stick. She fell a few times till she started to use her biotics to feel her way around. That is what Javik was going for. It is part of the basic training in Dragon society." Jeff replied.
"Well that is certainly enlightening, tell me what is it that you did up there with Shepard?" Liara asked.
"Did what?" Jeff asked.
"You basically held her and started singing. (Your voice is beautiful by the way). Your biotics began to glow and you soothed Shepard down so she could sleep," Liara said.
"I don't know how I do it I did not even noticed it. I just felt Shepard's distress and reacted to it," Jeff replied.
"Well Shepard is sleeping soundly now so we can at least relax for the moment. There is a lot of catching up to do," Liara said.
"That I will have to agree."
TBC
A/n: There you have it folks now Samara has joined the crew and how Liara knew about Jeff. The Song is called Running up that Hill. I don't know who the original singer was and I am too tired to look it up but I used Karliene Reynold's version of it for this story. Well I hope you enjoyed that and please review just no flames like I said no like no read. Thanks!