A/N: You know, I think I'm setting a record for the number of chapters I'm cranking out in such a short amount of time. But I digress.
I thought the crew could use one last relaxing chapter before the rest of the mission hits them hard. So this ones got a few plot twists while setting the stage for the remaining missions to come, so here we go!
I own nothing
Unknown Space
August 14, 2183 - 12:21 hours
The cold metal walls gave off a loud hum from the countless cybernetics contained in them. Saren sat in a chair in the center of a dark room, sharp talon tapping the arm of the chair as he glared into the darkness before him. "Benezia's been freed, she's most likely with the two Humans." he hissed menacingly.
A low bellowing horn resounded through the room, along with a bright red light. Saren cluched his head. "How is that possible?" he asked as the pain subsided. "How was he able to break your teachings from her mind?"
The sound and light resounded again. "You are right...he needs to be eliminated for our plans to come to fruition."
X
Alexander 'Maverick' Drake
SSV Normandy - Briefing/Comm Room
August 14, 2183 - 11:03 hours
The whole team had assembled in the comm room. Everyone who wasn't on the mission had already been briefed on everything that had happened at Peak 15, including freeing Benezia from Saren's influence and releasing the Rachni.
Wrex had been pretty pissed about the liberation of a species his kind had tried to wipe out centuries ago. But Jane and Alex calmed him down enough to settle for destroying the bugs should they rise up again.
The crew had been on pins and needles about Benezia being on the Normandy. But after explaining the situation, and having Chakwas check the Matriarch just to be sure, everything settled back down and the elder Asari could walk through the ship without having armed guards following her around.
"Sounds like things got pretty dicey out there." said Kaidan as they all got settled.
"It was, though we all got through it in one piece which is all that matters." said Jane as she and Alex stood at the head of the room.
"I still cannot thank you enough for freeing me. You've given me a chance to help put an end to Saren's plans at your side." said Benezia from her spot next to Liara.
"It's good to have you on our side Lady Benezia." said Alex. "Even more so now that you won't shoot us in the back."
"What's our next step, head for the Mu Relay?" asked Ashley.
"The relay could lead to dozens of systems. If we don't know where Saren's going, we would be wasting our time." said Garrus.
"He's right, we can't rush off blindly. We need to figure out more on Saren and go from there." said Jane looking at Benezia. "Benezia, is there anything else you can tell us about Saren's operations?"
"His mind is a field, it is hard to discern what is plans are. He revealed very little to me, but I was told of a secret research facility he has stationed on the planet Virmire. That is the most likely of places he would be." explained the Matriarch.
"Do you know what he was researching?" asked Liara.
Benezia shook her head. "I'm afraid not. But he has a large amount of security, both Geth and Krogan, protecting the facility. Whatever he is working on is very important to what he has planned."
"Then that's our next stop. We've already sent our reports to the Council, we can head out when we get confirmation from them." said Alex. "If we're hitting a heavily fortified facility then we might need a little backup."
Jane nodded, "Agreed. Until then the crew is allowed shore leave while we restock the Normandy. Dismissed."
The team all stood and filed out of the room, Liara and Benezia together as they decided to spend a little more time talking to one another. Ever since the two had reconciled they had spent a good amount of time together to make up for lost time.
The two Spectres stood together in silence for a few moments. Jane turned to Alex who was staring off into space. "You okay?" she asked.
Alex's thoughts had been a little chaotic since the end of the mission. The images that passed through his head when he was breaking Benezia free of indoctrination had plagued him every so often. Almost similar to the visions Jane was having, but they were going through his mind too fast to focus on at the moment.
"I'm good. Just coming down from everything that had happened back at Peak 15. Breaking indoctrination wasn't easy." he said rubbing his eyes.
"What's the situation with that?" asked the Commander.
"Like I said back in the main lab, I only had enough material for one attempt. So I won't be able to do it again. But Prophet was able to isolate the corruption in the brain wave patterns and will be able to detect it should we come across someone else who is indoctrinated." explained the nano soldier.
Jane nodded, "That's good. If Saren can control people's minds because of that ship of his it would be good to have a way to detect who is being controlled. The question is what to do with them if we find them."
"It all depends on the level of exposure. Benezia wasn't exposed very long which helped make it easier to take out the corruption." Explained Alex. "From what Prophet could gather, the longer you are exposed; the more permanent it becomes."
He looked at his fellow Spectre seriously. "As harsh as it is to say...they're better off dead. Their minds and bodies will no longer be their own. Just puppets to that bastard's will."
Shepard looked torn, the idea of someone controlling the thoughts and actions of others disturbed her to no end. And the thought of putting them down if they ever found more made it even worse. But she knew that Alex was right; there was nothing worse than losing yourself to the whim of someone else.
"We have shore leave for a little while until we hear from the Council. Do you have plans while we're still here on Noveria?" asked Jane as they headed out of the room.
Alex slipped his helmet on as they entered the CIC. "Take stock of my ammo supply. The last few missions have drained them by a lot. I've been thinking about picking up some new weapons until I can resupply my old guns." he said activating his voice filter.
"What about your bow?" asked Jane as they stopped by the galaxy map.
"Have plenty of arrows left. Just have to use the special ones sparingly for the time being." replied Alex.
Jane bit her lip, she looked a little unsure for a moment before meeting his gaze again. "You know, a lot of the crew are going out for drinks at the hotel bar we were at earlier. You more than welcome to tag along."
The nano soldier searched her eyes. She was calm, but he could see the traces of hope in her jade orbs. "Sure, sounds like fun. Just gotta take care of checking over my equipment first."
Her eyes lit up a bit as she gave a small smile, "Good, I guess I'll see you there." she said before heading off toward the cockpit.
Alex watched her go for a few minutes before stepping through the door that lead to the crew deck and into the elevator to the cargo hold.
X
Joker sat in his usual spot going over a few readouts of the Normandy's systems when he heard Jane approach. "Letting us off the hook for the night Commander? It's a good idea considering these stiffs owe us for saving their asses." said the helmsmen.
"True, and I thought everyone deserved a break before we go after Saren again." said Shepard as she leaned against the wall of the bridge.
Joker looked over his shoulder, "You sure this isn't just a way for you to get closer to a certain tall, dark and scary super soldier?"
Jane shot him a warning look making the pilot raise his hands in surrender and face forward again. "I'm just saying, the way you too look at each other is pretty damn convincing. I mean you can practically see the tension."
"He's my partner Joker, and a friend." said the Commander.
The pilot smirked, "I'm sure Shepard." he said going about his business.
Shaking her head, Jane turned and headed back toward the CIC. "Just let us know if the Council sends a message before we all head out." she called over her shoulder.
"I will. See you at the bar Commander." Joker called back. A grin forming on his face as the though bout what might happen with Jane and Alex in the same place with drinks involved.
X
Alexander 'Maverick' Drake
Hotel Lounge - Port Hanshan
August 14, 2183 - 16:09 hours
After checking through his equipment, Alex discovered that he had been right. His ammo supply was lower than he had originally thought.
He still had plenty of rounds and clips for his Hammers. But his Grendel and Jackel were only down to a handful each and he wouldn't be able to get a resupply until they went back to the Citadel.
Instead of running his weapons completely dry, he went to the requisition officer on the ship and went through the stock of armaments that Jane had ordered a while back. He went through the weapons and found the ones he needed.
A HMWA VII Master assault rifle and a Reaper X sniper rifle. Jane and Alex both had done everything they could to make sure that the team had the best possible weapons, armor and mods that they could afford. And with all the salvage they managed to find on each mission it made getting such supplies a little easier to get.
Once he had connected the mini-VIs for the new weapons to the nano suit, Alex put his equipment away and went to his quarters to change before heading to the hotel lounge to meet up with the rest of the crew.
He stepped off the Normandy a little while later in his combat boots, jeans and a red t-shirt under his leather jacket. The air was still frigid, but Alex was able to bare it as he stepped though the security checkpoint and into Port Hanshan after flashing his identification to the guards.
A short walk and elevator ride later the nano soldier was walking through the entrance to the hotel lounge and into the bar where everyone had already started having fun.
"Alex! Over here!" He looked to the back where the ground team sat at two tables in the corner. Jane, Garrus, Wrex and Kaidan sitting at one. Ashley, Liara, Benezia, Joker and Tali at the other.
He walked across the bar as Garrus waved him over. Taking a seat next to Jane as drinks were passed around. "I miss anything?" he asked taking a glass and drinking half it's contents. The familiar burn of whisky going down his throat making him grin.
"Just watching to see who will pass out first between Garrus and Wrex." said Kaidan as the Turian and Krogan were downing shot after shot in a contest of wills.
Jane smiled into her glass, "Glad you could make it."
Alex smiled back before finishing off his drink and ordering another. "I wouldn't miss this. A little time off between missions is good for anyone."
"Especially after the amount of fighting we've had to do." said Ashley before going back to the discussion she was having with Tali about the best way to upgrade certain weapon mods.
"Kind of makes you wonder how the rest of this mission is going to play out." said Garrus knocking back another Turian brandy. "Saren's gotta be running out of places to hid at this point. It's only a matter of time before we corner him."
"Until then we can kick back and blow the hell out of his little pet projects along the way." added Wrex as he drank his ryncol.
Jane raised her glass, "To another successful mission. And a quick end to Saren." Everyone raised their glasses in agreement.
"This is an interesting crew. I look forward to working with you all." said Benezia sipping the glass of Asari wine before her.
"It has definately been an interesting experience for me thus far mother." said Liara. "I admit I felt a little out of place at first, but we all seem to fit together well with one another on and off the field of battle."
"That's how friends and crewmates are supposed to be Liara." said Jane. "Almost like a family. We're there for each other when the others need it."
Wrex barked a laugh, "Great, I spend my time blasting whelps to pieces and you make me sound like some kind of weak princess."
"Aw Wrex, don't worry about that. We all still think your a badass Warlord with a license to kill." said Alex making everyone chuckle. The Krogan waved him off and chugged another glass of ryncol.
The night progressed from there. Drinking and conversations among one another as the crew had a great time. At one point Ashley had pulled the rest of the women to the nearby dance floor as a good song came on.
Benezia returned to the Normandy saying that her 'partying days' were behind her while the rest of them continued on.
Alex leaned against the bar as he watched the crew dance. He noticed that Ash and Garrus were getting a little close on the dance floor making the nano soldier wonder what might be happening between the two of them.
The Gunnery Chief's xenophobia had dropped by a lot since he first talked to her about it. Now she hung around Tali, Liara, Garrus and Wrex like any other crew member. Though she seemed to have a stronger friendship with Garrus over the others. He had seen the two of them either moding weapons or at the shooting range together every so often.
He looked across the bar and saw Joker and Tali sitting in the booth were everything started. Joker wasn't up for obvious reasons. As for Tali...well she seemed to be keeping the pilot company. The two were having an animated conversation about something, oblivious to what everyone else was doing.
Wrex was at the other booth still pounding the ryncol. Telling stories of his past conquests to a few of the crewmen that had come out. The Humans were both in awe and afraid as the Warlord slapped his hand on the table loudly and bellowed a laugh after telling them how he nearly scared a group of Eclipse mercs so bad they nearly shit their armor.
The Post-Human's eyes went back to the dance floor where they caught the sight of something that got his heart racing.
Jane was dancing with Ash, Liara and a few other female crew members. Her body moving like water, hips swaying in tune with the beat of the song as she got into it.
Alex felt his mouth go dry. Unlike how the game presented her, Shepard could dance and dance well. His eyes couldn't tear away from the Commander as she movements went from slow and steady to fast as the song changed.
"Enjoying the view?" Alex shook his head and looked to his left to see Kaidan leaning against the bar next to him.
"Uhh, yeah. I kinda was." said the nano soldier knowing he had been caught staring.
The Lieutenant grinned, "You know, you and the Commander aren't as subtle as you may think. The amount of tension between the two of you is so thick most can't breath half the time." he said taking a swig of the beer in his hand.
"Tension? What tension?" asked Alex playing stupid.
Kaidan gave him a look. "You're a soldier. The shit you've gone through would have scarred even the most veteran of N7 commandos. But you're a horrible lier when it comes to your emotions Alex. The whole ground team can see the chemistry forming between the two of you."
He shook his head, "Just admit it. You have feelings for Jane."
Alex looked back at the red-headed firecracker on the dance floor as he thought over the biotic's words. He'd be lying if he said that he didn't feel something for Shepard. But with everything going on it didn't seem like the time to be doing the whole courting thing.
"Maybe I do. But why would it matter?" asked the Post-Human drinking his own beer.
Kaidan rolled his eyes, "It matters, because I can see that she cares about you too. But anyone that knows her will tell you that it's normally hard for anyone to get into her heart. She's been through a lot in her life and forces her own problems away while helping people with theirs...until she met you."
Alex raised an eyebrow as the Lieutenant continued. "The minute you stepped on to the Normandy she's become more peaceful than she was before. Whatever you two talk about in private has really helped her. Your one of only a small number who have ever gotten through to her. And that is a very big thing."
"I can understand that Kaidan. But why are you telling me all of this? What's your stake in it?" asked Alex.
Kaidan sighed, "Me and Jane have known each other a while. Been on a few small missions together and became good friends. I've been there for her when she needed someone, but not in a romantic kind of way. We've been like brother and sister for a few years, always having each other's backs when the chips were down."
He looked at him in all seriousness, "That is my stake. If you truly care about her, be with her in the way she deserves. And if you hurt her in any way...I don't care how strong you are. I will crush you with my biotics and hurl you into the nearest star." his biotics flared around him for emphasis. "You understand?"
For a moment, Alex believed that Kaidan would carry out his threat no matter how stacked the odds were against him. The nano soldier just nodded seriously to the Lieutenant. "I get you Kaidan. And I would put a bullet in my leg before ever hurting someone like her. But I honestly have no idea how to approach the situation. I've been out of the game for a while."
The biotic chuckled, "As cleche as this sounds. Just follow your heart Alex. Take things slow and let it develop. But most of all, keep being there for her. She will never admit it, but Jane isn't as unbreakable as people believe her to be."
Alex nodded, "I know." he looked back out at Jane who was still dancing. Liara had gone over to the booth with Joker and Tali to take a break. Ashley and Garrus were no where in sight leaving the Commander on the floor among the other bar patrons.
Finishing off his beer, Alex stood up straight and walked to the dance floor up behind the distracted red-head. "Mind if I join you?" he asked into her ear over the music.
Jane spun around and looked up at him, her green eyes a little clouded by alcohol as she grinned up at him. "You got the moves to keep up?" she asked swinging her hips from side to side.
"I'm bold enough to find out." he said as he too got into the rhythm. Jane started dancing again. But her body started to migrate closer to her fellow Spectre to the point where she was almost pressed against him.
Alex took a few deep breaths as they danced together. The nanites in his system killed the effects of alcohol minutes after it entering his system making it hard for him to get drunk. The same could not be said for Shepard, who had several drinks throughout the evening and it could be seen clearly in her moves and her eyes.
The Commanders firm round ass pressed against his pelvis making him gulp. Her arms reached up and wrapped around his neck and she began grinding against him making it harder to focus as the beat pounded through the room.
Fighting against his arousal, Alex held her hips as they continued to move together.
Jane spun around, her arms snaking around his neck again. Keeping her body as close to his as possible allowing her to feel everything. She leaned up and put her lips to his ear, "Alex...am I getting you too hot?"
The Post-Human swallowed the dry lump in his throat. "Nope, I'm fine." he said keeping his voice as steady as possible.
Leaning back, Jane looked at him with drunk smoldering eyes. "You know...your a very attractive man. Any woman in the verse would do anything to be near someone like you." she said running a hand down his chest under his jacket.
"Strong, brave, compassionate, a good listener, and a big heart." she said keeping her gaze on his own. "You're a good man."
Alex felt touched at her words. But also knew that things could degrade out of control quickly while she was in her current state. "Thank you Jane." he said reaching up and stopping her hand from running up and down his torso.
The Commander grinned again, "I like it when you say my name." she said huskily reaching up with her other hand and stroking his cheek.
"She's Drunk! She's Drunk! She's Drunk!" he chanted in his head to keep his libido from taking over. "It's getting late. Maybe we should get back to the ship." he said shaking himself a little.
Eye's hooded, Jane nodded slowly as the nano soldier slowly helped her out of the lounge. Letting a few of the still sober members of the team they were heading back. Joker gave them a knowing grin and a thumbs up making Tali slap his arm gently in warning.
It was almost 1:30 in the morning by the time Alex got a stumbling Jane Shepard back on to the ship. It reached the point where he had to pick her up and carry her bridal style while she giggled in his arms.
Thankful the crew was either out having a good time or back on the ship asleep. So one one saw either of them as they passed through the empty CIC toward the crew deck. "Okay. Time for bed Jane.'' he said reaching her quarters and managing to get the door open with out jostling her too much.
"Don't...wanna." she muttered into his neck as the door sealed behind them. Alex's back went ramrod straight when he felt her teeth start nibbling on his skin.
"J-Jane." he groaned as she moved up his neck and licked the shell of his ear.
"Alex." she whispered sliding out of his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and rolled her hips into his. "I want you. I've wanted you for some time now." she slurred in between each stroke. "But I've been so afraid that you would reject me...but I can't help myself now."
Alex was living every man's dream at that point. A beautiful woman was grinding hard against him wanting him to take her in the most carnal of ways. And damn it to hell, he wanted to grant her wish in every way she wanted.
But his morals fought hard against his body. She was drunk and acting off of instincts instead of logic and he knew that it could cause problems between them if they gave in.
"I won't take advantage of her!" he screamed in his head fighting hard against the feelings coursing through him. Jane slid down his body until her feet touched the floor. Grabbing the hem of her navy blue shirt and peeling it off of her body revealing her breasts contained tightly in a red lace bra. "Oh my fucking god..." he thought, eyes zeroing in on her chest on their own accord.
"Come on Maverick." she purred, stumbling forward on drunk legs until she was pressed against him again. Reaching up and running her hands on his chest. "Take me."
Alex reached up and held her face in his hands. Resting his forehead against her's, "I'm sorry Jane. Not like this." he pressed a pressure point on her neck and she fell limp in his arms.
Slipping her shirt back on, he picked her up and carried over to her bed. Laying her down and covering her with the sheet before running a hand gently over her hair. "I'm not turning you down darlin. But we both need to be honest to each other before we start doing this." he said sincerely.
"I like you a lot Jane. And I won't jeopardize that until I know your ready." that being said he quietly left the room and made a b-line for the elevator. Riding it down to the cargo bay and heading for the shower room in the gym.
He needed a shower...a cold, cold shower.
Walking past the Mako, he heard giggling and what resembled purring. "You like calibrating so much? How about calibrating these." slurred a husky voice that sounded a lot like Ashley's.
Alex clutched his head and practically ran into the gym and into the showers. "Sometimes, I fucking hate my life." he thought quickly stripping his clothes and leaping into the ice-cold torrent.
A/N: Remember in a previous chapter that I was going to play around with the idea of couples no one would see coming? Yeah...I'm definately thinking outside the box on this one. If any of you guys have ideas about future couples let me know and I'll see if I can fit them in.
At this rate, you can bet another update ain't far away. So stay tuned!