Hey there, it's been a while. I've been occupied with various things, the biggest being NaNoWriMo. I took a stab at it, but I wasn't able to complete it due to not being able to just write for the word count, not the content. I'll be developing that piece of fiction more but I figured I'd finish the Chapter of this I had before November. This is a Kallen free chapter as she's helping Garrus and I ahve no faith in my ability to write an accurate Garrus. You guys get some looks into how I think Ashley earns where she is in ME3's beginning and what keeps her from seeing sheaprd during the events of Mass Effect 2. I'm also expandnig on the sibling dynamic of having my Maleshep be the younger sibling instead of the only child. Enjoy chapter 28!
Ashley was tense. Even though she'd taken stealth training after the Normandy's destruction, she was never used to tight spaces. She was currently half a mile beneath the surface of the uncharted planet simply known as planet 256. It was just outside the border of Batarian space, but it was the headquarters of a known Batarian slaver ring. Liara had given her the intel as the first step in their partnership…
"Do you remember a Spectre named Tela Vasir?" Liara asked as Ashley scrolled through Kallen's dossier.
"Yeah, I had a mission with her to take out some mercenaries on Illium." Ashley responded, "Why?"
"Well she was working for the Shadow Broker." Liara handed Ashley a datapad with correspondence between the Yahg Broker and Vasir. "Kallen and I had to kill her to get the data Cerberus sent me on the Shadow broker's location."
"That bitch was trying to capture me!" Ashley tossed the datapad into the wall, "Why'd you show me this?"
"Because I need someone like Vasir for me. I need someone who isn't bound by local laws and can get jobs done when I need them. I can pay you well and get you things not even the Alliance can give you. So what do you say Ashley?"
Ashley cocked an eyebrow at Liara. "Are you going to make me do anything against the Alliance?"
"On the contrary, I have high level access to all the council's governments. I can give you missions to advance the Alliances interests. Plus, I already have a mission for you. Do you remember Balak?"
"You mean that bastard Kallen tortured for trying to destroy Terra Nova? Yeah I remember that guy."
"Well I have the location of his group, the one he mentioned was going to start the Batarian Rebellions. He wasn't kidding. They're planning an attack on some of the human colonies under the guise of thec ollector attacks. If you hit their hideout, you'll stop them before they can hurt anyone."
"Alright, send them to my ship and I'll hit them where it hurts."
"LT are you in yet?" Adam's voice said in Ashley's ear. She touched the comm. unit in her ear to signal a yes without speaking. Ashley had gone ahead inside and bypassed the compounds security. She told Danielle, Adam, and Dustin to come 10 minutes after she was in. They were currently in the ventilation so that they wouldn't attract attention. Ashley came to a corner and looked around it. Two guards.
Time to put these stealth upgrades to use, Ashley thought. She activate the tactical cloak Liara provided for her and walked lightly down the hall towards the guards. When she was half way to them she pulled her pistol from her hip, its shredder round setting activated before she entered the building, and the knife from her shoulder in her right hand. She shot the first guard in both of his knees and in the next second she jammed her battle knife into the second guard's neck and slammed him into the first guard and dragged them both into the wall with the same motion.
When silence fell again one guard was dead and the other had a broken neck and was unconscious. Ashley checked her radar and saw her team was in the vent above her. She tapped her comm. again and the vent cover shot down to the floor. Adam jumped down, followed by Danielle, and finally Dustin.
"Alright, their ships and mercenaries are though here." Ashley's omnitool projected views from four security cameras onto the wall over the incapacitated guards showing several fighter class ships and various Batarian slavers. "Dustin and I will board the ships and sabotage the engines. Adam and Danielle, you take out most of the men and Dustin and I will join you when the sabotage is complete. When their numbers get thin enough the shuttle will land and get us so that they have to chase us, and when they do they'll get what's coming."
Dustin hacked the door and both teams of two split.
"Alright Dani, I need you up high. I'll run in and do my biotic and shooting thing, but I can't always get them all. Plus, you can watch LT's back at the same time."
"Got it, so I'll watch your ass for when you pass out and keep an eye on LT."
"That's not what I… yeah that." Adam and Danielle split as well. She found a perch that overlooked the entrances to the two Ships in the loading bay and had a few clear sight lines into the mess where a big chunk of the slavers were eating. Adam stood at the threshold of the door and looked her into position. When she gave a nod Adam put up three fingers and counted down. Adam enveloped his fist in biotic power and slammed it into the door, sending it flying into the room.
"Free shot" Danielle said and sniped one of the batarians before his fork reached his mouth.
"Hello four eyes!" Adam shouted and flipped several tables onto the batarians sitting at them. He shot the spare batarians in the head with his pistol and hurled a shockwave at the squad heading for the Weapons locker and successfully timed it and sent them everywhere.
"Kill Him!" one Batarian yelled as he lunged at Adam with a machete, but he was cut down in mid air by Danielle and the blade bounced off of Adam's barrier and into one of his comrades' back.
"Sounds like the fun's started, how far are you?" Ashley asked as she checked every entrance into the engine room of the first Batarian ship.
"Almost done, this is child's play, the engines are crap." Dustin laughed as he rerouted power from the shields into the engines, setting the level high enough to overheat after a few minutes use.
"Intruders!" a batarian yelled as he entered the engine room and was promptly gunned down by Ashley.
"Let's move!"
Dustin grabbed his SMG and hit the next batarian he saw with a neural shock. Ashley and Dustin ducked back just in time to avoid a carnage blast as the rest of the batarians on the ship were now alerted to their presence. "Well this is great. Pinned down. This should take some of the heat off" Dustin reached his omnitool around the corner and Ashley could see a bright light coming from the corridor. "Let's go LT." Dustin rounded the corner and fired into the stomachs of the blinded batarians and escaped the ship.
"Flash bang?" Ashley asked once they were outside.
"Yeah and heavy on the flash." Dustin swiped his omnitool by the door and it sealed itself shut, preventing them from coming to the second ship and overwhelming them. "Nothing on the radar in the second ship, this should be in and out." Just as Dustin finished a batarian came flying passed him and Ashley and into the wall and down to the floor in a heap.
"Adam's faring well" Ashley laughed as she could see the mess hall glowing a brilliant blue from his active corona. They entered the ship in a dead sprint and were in the engine room in the next minute.
"This is easier than the Geth on the Citadel!" Adam roared as he slammed two Batarians into each other and then into separate walls. He was doing a good mix of biotics and his pistol. Danielle was sniping enough Batarians to keep the numbers in Adam's favor, not letting more than four Batarians take him on, and they were all doing was hand to hand since Adam's initial attack crushed their weapon locker, rendering them useless. She also took down any Batarian that was trying to escape and warn the rest of the compound.
"Danielle, I've found the entrance to the ship bay, be down in 3." The new shuttle pilot called into Danielle's comm.
"Copy." Danielle responded, "alright everyone, time to wrap it up." She said to the ground team.
"Damn. Alright, looks like playtime is over!" Adam said with his pistol now on his hip. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, focusing his mind on his biotics. With an aggressive yell he held his hand up to a kneeling batarian and enveloped him in a singularity that grew almost instantly. Everything in the room was lifted and swirled around the black ball of energy with the exception of its caster, who was firmly planted on the ground with his barrier. Batarians and tables and whatever else wasn't nailed to the ground were slamming into each other. When Adam's strength was starting to fade he cancelled the singularity and everything hit the ground with repetitive thuds. The Batarian that it was originally cast at was nothing more than a crushed chunk of flesh when Adam walked out of the mess and into the ship bay.
Ashley and Dustin were exiting the second ship and Danielle was climbing down from her perch. Right on time the shuttle flew down from the tunnel and opened its side door for the team to climb in.
The second ship was starting up as more batarians entered the ship bay to chase after the Alliance shuttle. The shuttle climbed the long tunnel at maximum speed and was almost to the end when both ships exploded, sending a wave of fire up toward them. The shuttle cleared the tunnel and was a safe distance away as the flames shot out of the side of the mountain that housed the complex and headed back up the Arcturus in orbit.
"That was seamless." Ashley breathed heavily and set her assault rifle at her feet in the shuttle.
"Yeah, surprise is a hell of an advantage. They couldn't even get any weapons. It felt like target practice for me" Adam laughed, "and of course Dani had my back with her incredible sniping skills." He did a mock bowing motion toward the sniper.
"You could stand to do a bit more of that" Danielle smirked as she undid her blonde hair from its bun and shook her shoulder length locks.
"Oh don't encourage him to flirt," Dustin added, "he'd flirt with the enemy if she was hot enough"
"Like when you were flirting with our Asari crewmates? I saw you the other day Levine don't deny" Ashley said to shut the whole exchange down with laughter. The shuttle finally got into the hold of the Arcturus and the ship headed toward the relay for a docking at the Citadel.
She walked straight to the comm. room and called Liara at her base.
"I take it the mission went well?" Liara said as she appeared. She was at her desk and visibly switching through files.
"Never saw us coming. We took out their ships and blew the compound. Are you sure this is...right?"
"What, you working for me? You're a Spectre Ashley. Technically you don't even belong to the Alliance. You freelance for the council. Also I think you'll want to work for me more often when you see what I have waiting for you back at the Citadel."
Ashley perked up immediately, "What is it?"
"Two dinner reservations at The Marquee" Liara said with a smile.
"The most popular human restaurant?"
"Yes, and I've already let Captain Bishop know, so I hope you have a lovely dress for your date tonight. I've got to go, I'm getting funds together to crush a blue suns unit before Shepard gets there." and Liara cut the call.
"Well I've got a hot date when I get back to the Citadel. I better go freshen up then." Ashley closed her terminal and locked her door with her omnitool. She cut the water on in her personal shower and shed her scuffed armor, she'd have Adam clean it later. She stepped under the hot water and relaxed for the first time in a long time.
"Come on sis, answer..." Adam groaned as he waited at his terminal. He was calling Kallen again to fill her in on their mission to wipe out Balak's goons. It was still ringing and finally it was answered, by Miranda.
"Oh it's you." She said, as if she was excepting someone else.
"Oh it's you Miranda" Adam shot back, "Where's my sister, I need to speak with her."
"She's on a Mission and since I'm here, I'm in command of the ship so call back later."
"Whoa whoa whoa, someone's a little miss bossy I see. If I know my sister, and I do better than you ever could, I think she'll want to know about what I have to tell her."
"I think I know her better than you, I did rebuild her after all." Miranda smirked.
"Oh really, what'd you do throw her in a vat of medigel? I heard you weren't even he head medical specialist, it was the guy who betrayed you." Adam shot his own smirk back his sisters paramour.
"He did the grunt work. I was busy putting her brain back together since that's the key part of making her who she is. And where were you when I was saving her life? hmm?"
"I was busy serving the Alliance and consoling my grieving mother, who you never bothered to contact to say, 'Hey I'm bringing your daughter back to life, come see!', or anything"
"It was a covert operation, what do want a giant neon sign saying 'Reviving Shepard come buy tickets'. You're being a thickhead."
"And you're being rude and abrasive to your girlfriend's brother. You think your months can't stand up to the 24 years I've known her?"
"Well, I am dating her and I'm actually here for her so yes I do."
"Are you naturally this bitchy, or is it just me?" Adam said with a slight glare, mirroring Kallen's exact sentiment a few months earlier.
"You're an ass. Do you now that?"
"And you know how to wear a night gown, do you know that?"
Miranda looked down and she was indeed wearing a very revealing black night gown and her chest was very visibly in Adam's window. "I see being a pervert runs in the family" Miranda hastily covered herself up
"Now I see what my sister sees in you. Rocking a rocking body and a quick tongue."
"I don't know how she survived with you all her life!" Miranda wouldn't admit it, but Adam was beginning to frustrate her, "Call back later!"
"whoa whoa, one more thing." Adam said before she cut the call.
"If it's another crack about my body I'll block your address."
"Nice try, but that won't work. I just wanted to say we're docking on the citadel so I wanted to see my sister since I can see the Normandy from the bridge."
"You can…what?"
"Yeah we're docking now and I see the ship."
Miranda's eyes widened. She was half tempted to order Joker to pull the ship out of dock and into orbit around the station, but she realized that Shepard could be done helping Garrus and Thane at any moment. "fine, you can come aboard and wait for her."
"Sweet, I'll be on board before you know it Miri."
"don't call me that."
"Beautiful?"
"No."
"Stunning?"
"No."
"hotness?"
"I'm actively changing my mind here."
"Alright Miranda. Gosh, you're no fun" Adam cut the call and headed up to the bridge to get ready to board the new Normandy.
When he arrived from the crew quarters he was stopped in his tracks by a woman walking toward his destination. She wore a dark blue dress, a single strap on her right shoulder, her brunette hair was down to her shoulder and she had a slight switch in her walk that was just perfect. The woman turned and looked at him and he immediately snapped into a salute as Ashley cocked an eyebrow at him.
"About a good 7 seconds, Ma'am" he said, "Got a date with that Bishop?"
"That's Captain Bishop."
"Fine captain Bishop. Ma'am. Permission to go ashore?"
"Granted, knock yourself out." Ashley laughed.
The airlock hissed and the two exited and went their separate ways. Adam hopped in a cab and it took him a few docks over. "oh my goodness." was all he could manage as the Normandy came into view. It was much bigger than the Arcturus, which was based on the frame of the SR-1, the paint job was different than he'd seen in the vids and it had an odd looking logo on it that he could only assume was the Cerberus. He took in all the features of the Normandy as he approached the airlock.
"Identifying" a pleasant female sounding voice said and Adam saw various scans crossing over his body.
"Gunnery Chief Adam Shepard, current military posting unknown, combat class Adept, Brother of Kallen Shepard of the Special tactics and reconnaissance branch of the Citadel." Adam responded.
"Confirmed" the doors hissed and opened to the decontamination chamber. Once he was clean the second set of doors opened and let him into a magnificent bridge. It was well lit and reminded him of the Arcturus immediately.
"Well if it ain't lil' Shepard!" a voice called from his left. He turned to see a man rotating toward him in the pilot chair.
"Hey Santa Clause!" Adam responded to Joker. He walked up to the pilot's chair and gently shook his hand. "Should have known this is where you disappeared to"
"Mr. Moreau did not disappear, technically he limped…that is a joke" the blue ball beside Joker's seat said.
"Ouch, owned by a VI."
"I am not a VI. I am an artificial intelligence, you may call me EDI."
"Well it's nice to meet you EDI, glad you're giving Joker a taste of his own medicine. I'm gonna go explore the ship, if that's alright."
"Knock yourself out, but I'd prep that barrier you have, just to be safe."
Adam shook his head and turned down the bridge and immediately saw how much he stuck out. He was wearing his blue alliance fatigues and every crewman on the ship was wearing white, grey, and yellow versions of his uniform. He was receiving strange looks and people began whispering to each other until a door opened up behind the galaxy map. A dark skinned man walked through the CIC (as Adam saw in big letters above the elevator) and saw him, "oh!" the man said and snapped to a crisp salute.
Adam stopped suddenly, obviously being taken aback by a salute on to an alliance soldier on a Cerberus ship, "Um…at ease." He said with a return salute. "wait, your name wouldn't happen to be Taylor would it?"
"Yeah, Jacob Taylor. You're the commanders' brother, and technically you outrank me in the Alliance."
"Dude, no salute necessary, I remember you from Eden prime and we're both Biotics!" Adam quickly focused biotic energy into his right hand and extended it for Jacob. Jacob followed suit and slapped his hand into Adam's making the air around them crackled. "So where's my sister? I called and Miranda answered."
"Oh, so you got the run around I take it?"
"Yeah, the run around the galaxy."
"Well she's helping Vakarian and Krios with some personal things. The Crew's tying up loose ends since the Collectors know how to stay hidden until it's necessary and we just did a hit and run on their ship so they aren't showing their face anytime soon."
"Oh sounds like a plan. Well I guess I'll meet everyone and wait for her to come back then. Show me around?"
"Sure, I just finished cleaning the guns Let's go."
Both men stepped into the elevator and rode it down a floor to the crew deck.
Once the elevator was open there were a crowd of crew members standing in front of the door. Just as Jacob had done they saluted when they saw Adam's alliance uniform as most of the crew was former Alliance.
"I could get used to this" Adam laughed as he and Jacob stepped through the crowd and out into the mess area.
"Hey Jacob" a voice said and Jacob's arm moved as though it'd be hooked. Seconds later a woman came out of thin attached to Jacob. "Who's your friend?"
"Oh, This is the Commanders brother, Adam."
"Oh, I heard she had a sibling." Kasumi snaked her arm off of Jacob and extended it to Adam, "Kasumi Goto, resident thief and stealth expert."
"Nice to meet you Kasumi…whoa…who is that?" Adam asked. His eyes ventured to the door at the end of the corridor under the designation of port observation deck. She was beautiful. Her steps were graceful and precise and made almost no sounds against the metal floor. Even with the exposure her outfit allowed Adam couldn't take his eyes off of her beautiful blue face.
"Oh her? That's Samara. She's an Asari Justicar we picked up. She's lethal in combat." Kasumi responded. "She's also a matriarch. I think her file said she's about 900 years old."
Age didn't matter. She was beautiful. The word Justicar meant she was some sort of law enforcement and she was serving on his sisters ship. Combined with the fact that all Asari were natural biotics and she was part of Kallen's crew and had her trust, it was easy to say that Adam Shepard had fallen in love.
