Shepard was awake for quite a while before she managed to open her eyes. Her leg felt a little sore but this had been the most peace she had gotten in recent weeks, just lying there listening to Mordin carrying out his experiments and nobody demanding anything from her. It had also been the first rest she'd had which had not been disturbed by nightmarish visions of death.
"For the record," Shepard said to Bakara and Mordin after a while, "I was kicking Kai Leng's ass."
"No doubt, Shepard." Mordin commented.
She finally sat up and examined her leg, pulling up her surgical gown carefully. Chakwas came through the door with a steaming mug of coffee.
"Thanks!" Shepard said at the sight.
"This is for me, I was up half the night working on your leg." Chakwas laughed, sitting down.
"Oh, well...thanks for that, anyway." Shepard replied. "So what's the word on it?"
"The scarring will be minimal - if there is any at all. It might be a little sore but it shouldn't give you any trouble." Chakwas informed her.
"So I'm cleared for missions?" Shepard asked, grabbing some fresh clothes from under her gurney which she assumed Miranda, EDI or Chakwas had provided.
"Yes." Chakwas confirmed firmly, if somewhat reluctantly.
Mordin started humming 'a scientist salarian' in the background.
"He's a bit...well...Mordin." Shepard explained weakly to Bakara.
"Yes but he has also become a friend." Bakara replied.
"Why does he still call you Eve?" Shepard asked her.
"I think he just got used to it. I believe Earthlings use the phrase 'pet name'." Bakara stated.
"The day I give a krogan a pet name is the day I die." Shepard muttered under her breath and then bid them all thanks and farewell after she changed and she headed out.
She was immediately greeted with the sight of Vega chatting closely with Miranda and her partner giving him a soft laugh. Shepard rolled her eyes and headed on for the elevator in an evasive manoeuvre but Miranda spotted her.
"Hey," Miranda called and Shepard turned back slowly, "how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," Shepard replied.
"Hey, Commander. Glad to see you up and about." James said, coming over.
" Thanks, I got to go suit up to get these krogan scouts." Shepard said, making to go but Miranda gently grabbed her arm and she acquiesced to face her once more.
"You're not serious?" Miranda questioned, dismayed.
"Wrex asked me to go. I'm taking Javik and EDI." Shepard explained, annoyed.
"You've just had surgery on your leg." Miranda remarked hotly.
"And Chakwas cleared me. I can't leave those scouts there. It could jeopardise the whole peace process." Shepard replied.
"Then take me. Javik is completely untested and still getting used to actually being alive." Miranda insisted.
"No." Shepard shook her head.
"Shepard-" Miranda started warningly.
"You've just been through a major ordeal, you have only been back for one night, you need time to adjust and this is a completely different team to who you worked with last. I'd be less prepared going in with you than I would Javik so that's final." Shepard responded resolute.
"I'm glad Operative Lawson has returned even if she was never fond of my presence on the Normandy." EDI commented as they made their way down to what was left of the krogan company.
Miranda had not accepted being left out of the team easily. Shepard was relieved to finally get on the shuttle just for some peace. If she had been worried about any awkwardness then that had quickly dissolved with this argument. Now she was just fuming again. Miranda had followed her all the way down to the shuttle bay and while she did not criticise Javik or EDI in front of them as that would have endangered morale, it was quite clear how she felt about this line-up.
"She is the one made of manipulated genetic composition?" Javik questioned. "Quite unnatural but she will be an impressive fighter."
Shepard pulled a face at the comment that Miranda was somehow unnatural and found it particularly rich coming from somebody tens of thousands of years old who had spent most of that time in a stasis pod.
"Her father Henry Lawson designed Miranda to be suprieror in every way, from intelligence to fighting powers and even her looks." EDI answered.
"He designed her appearance? Silly primitives." Javik scathed.
"Can we talk about anything else?" Shepard asked, teeth grinding.
"Very wise, Shepard, as my systems tell me she is using my monitoring stations and devices to watch our progress." EDI informed them to a thoroughly unsurprised Shepard.
Shepard had a slight limp down the steep bank as they headed to the rest of the company but she found her movements as swift as ever so was not worried. She was delighted to see that it was Grunt who was the head of the company and he roared in joy at seeing his old commander who had provided him with the most epic battles, although she was slightly disappointed that his new responsibilities meant he would not be able to join her on the Normandy.
Shepard's strength and recovery was tested as she, EDI and Javik fell over a hundred feet into the cave below. Clinging onto the falling cabin for the majority of the descent had provided some coverage from damage but Shepard still got up gingerly, careful not to let on how she wanted to swear her head off when Miranda was watching her every move.
The caves were hot, humid, dark and revolting as they were covered in eggs that were being used to breed an army of rachni. Every so often swarms of reapers came upon them but Javik provided awesome fire power and Shepard was glad at her choice in squad, hoping Miranda would feel that Shepard had been vindicated in her choice.
Shepard cursed her own stupidity though when a swarmer from a fallen ravager went unnoticed and jumped at her leg, reopening the wound. She squashed it fiercely under her boot. It was a stupid error and Shepard vowed to tackle the rest of the caves with more care. She could feel Miranda's gaze upon her from the ship.
They carried on and found the fallen rachni queen and Shepard could have launched a tirade of swear words once more for yet again she was deciding who must die and who must live. The rachni would provide great power and diversity to their alliance against the reapers and she could not condemn an entire race to death, just like she couldn't back on Noveria. Wrex was probably going to murder her but she couldn't do it. The krogan she was trusted to save were now going to pay the ultimate price for Shepard.
Grunt led them to the exit but they were blocked by more rachni.
"Go, Shepard." He croaked strongly.
"No." Shepard shook her head furiously; she couldn't bear another friend dying.
"Shepard!" Grunt roared and Shepard knew she must go because there was a war and she couldn't just walk away from that even if it was for certain death.
As they climbed out from the caves they heard an almighty boom of rock against rock and dust covered them all as the caves fell in. Shepard coughed in the dust and covered her eyes. It was a few moments before it started to clear but in the distance she could make out a bulky form stumbling forwards up the bank. As the seconds past and the dusk cleared she realised it was Grunt, although he was completely covered in blood.
"Anybody got anything to eat?" He called before collapsing and they all rushed forwards and called the shuttle in.
Grunt was taken to the medical bay, probably onto the bed Shepard had just left but apart from a few cuts it looked like he was going to be fine. As Shepard left Chakwas to work, Miranda greeted her as she exited that awful room once more.
She stood stony against the back wall with her arms by her sides but she noticed Shepard's limp and Shepard remembered she had probably seen the damage it took.
"Come on," Miranda said to her, cocking her head slightly to indicate she should follow her to a quiet room and Shepard obliged.
Shepard immediately pulled off her armour and then rolled down her tight trousers, sitting on a table while Miranda looked over it. The wound had reopened slightly but Miranda seemed satisfied that it wouldn't need more than a bandage. She started to apply medigel before Shepard spoke.
"Stupid spider things." Shepard muttered.
Miranda said nothing and then started to wrap the leg up in a fresh bandage. Shepard, feeling deflated from Miranda's vow of silence, took some small comfort in the fact that she was being so careful and gentle with her leg.
"Are you going to stay on the Normandy?" Shepard asked her quietly.
"I don't really see how I could leave." Miranda sighed exasperatedly but there was a hint of a smile there.
"What about Oriana?" Shepard asked.
"She wants to stay." Miranda replied.
"You don't want her to?"
Miranda looked at her incredulous.
"Would you?"
"Yeah...kind of..." Shepard admitted. "I know we go to the worst places in the galaxy but this is the best crew that there is, it's the best ship, it has the best pilot, there's a spectre on board. Sometimes the safest place is in plain view."
Miranda actually smirked.
"Are you sure that's not just what you say to reason why you go on the most ridiculous missions you know I'll object to?" Miranda asked.
"Whatever works." Shepard smiled.
Miranda stroked Shepard's cheek sadly.
"Can't we just go back to what it was?" She asked quietly and Shepard struggled for a moment to meet Miranda's eyes.
"I don't know...I thought we were in everything together but we weren't really. It'll just take time for us to work out how to move forward, I guess." Shepard shrugged sadly.
"And can we?" Miranda asked hesitantly.
"Annoyingly, I don't seem to be able to get rid of you at this point so I'd say there is a chance." Shepard smiled.
"I should have let you make up your own mind about whether to come with me or not." Miranda admitted after a moment. "It wasn't just the war...I knew the Illusive Man knew about us and I thought he might use you to get to me or vice versa. I'm sorry."
"I know. I don't want to go through that fight again, really. We both screwed up so let's just work through things." Shepard suggested.
Wrex came through the door at that moment and quickly smirked at seeing Shepard with her trousers down and Miranda standing over her. Shepard jumped to pull them up.
"What is it, Wrex?" Shepard asked.
"Grunt is going to be fine. Tough son of a bitch. I know you had a tough call down there Shepard. Some of the krogans are pretty upset but they'll get over it. I understand your call and I respect it. As far as I'm concerned you're the best ally to the krogans we've seen for a long time." Wrex told her and Shepard nodded in gratitude. "Oh, and Mordin thinks the cure is ready."
Shepard turned to a stunned Miranda and, despite her leg, she jumped in delight that finally they could move forwards.