Author's notes:
2021-08-10: Hey, I want to share a short preview of what I'm working on as of now. I have so much fun playing through Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. For me, it was like re-living games that I hold close to my heart. Even though there are some problems with that edition, I enjoyed it. The nostalgia, at least for me, is so strong for the Mass Effect trilogy. I'm slowly trying to convince myself to give it a try to play it once again with mods on this time. I really hoped they fixed some problems with the original games - mainly ME3. Even though I would most likely say that it's my favourite title from the original trilogy, I felt EA rushed it; so much content must have been cut off. For me, the legendary edition was an opportunity for devs to put these things into the game. Sadly, it did not happen. So, after so many struggles - mainly romancing Miranda/Ashley as FemShep - I decided to write something maybe a bit lighter regarding this universe. I hope you will like it. By now, you should know the drill, the comments section is for you :D
2021-08-11: Hey, managed to finish the chapter quite quickly. Let me know what do you think. I must say that I have quite a lot of fun writing this. And... possibly for the very first time in months, I haven't struggled to finish up the piece of text. Quite frankly, it was extended and I nearly did not notice doing it.
Note: Parrings will be added later. I would really like to hear out your suggestions :)
As always, I would like to thank you for everything. See you soon :)
Changelog:
[2021-08-10]: A preview was released.
[2021-08-11]: A full chapter was released.
Info: The winner of the previous poll was 'My home is where my heart lies'. From now on, I would like you to decide what will be written. The new poll has been already created, and the link can be found at the end of the section.
Schedule for the nearest future:
1. My home is where my heart lies (a long, possibly 10k + words chapter).
Bonuses' section:
A new story taking place in the Warhammer 40k universe.
A story regarding KaiKali (aka Akali x Kai'sa) (Will you look past my mistakes?).
Sometimes it's just better not to know (possibly rewrite).
Kiss the rain (more than likely rewrite).
Whispers in the Dark (extending beyond 2 chapters story).
Story of one lost soul (translation of 2 of my old texts - previously written in polish).
Story of one lost soul: The war call: rewrite.
*bonuses will be worked on when I don't feel like writing the chapters pointed out in the schedule :D
** It is possible for me to change the schedule a little. So stay tuned for the upcoming information.
Vote poll:
Service: strawpoll
Hash: fw9wf77ay
End of author's notes.
"Commander, Admiral Hackett requested you to move to the comm room. He wishes to speak with you privately, Sir," the voice of Specialist Traynor sounded through the open voice channel. "As far as he revealed, it isn't going to be conversation regarding the progress of our mission. It's quite strange, if I might add."
"I will be there in a sew, Traynor," Mia Shepard replied nearly automatically. Even if she wanted to sum up the events of the most recent weeks, she would not find a word describing them than hectic, chaotic.
"Commander?" Joker called through the voice link.
"Yeah, I am still here; what is going on, Joker?" the Commander responded, massaging her tired eyes.
"Wow… I didn't want to add pressure, Commander," Normandy's pilot uttered. A hint of guilt could be heard in his exhausted voice.
"No happened. What is going on?"
"The flight is surprisingly uninterrupted. So, we should reach Citadel shortly. I'll inform you as soon as the dock crew tries to contact us," Joker said.
"Fantastic job, Joker. Keep me posted," the first human Specter replied, slowly approaching the comm room. "But… for now, I have an urgent meeting with Admiral Hackett. Should be available in a couple of minutes," she added, sighing heavily.
"Sure, Commander," the pilot responded before closing his channel.
Mia was not the only one exhausted from the current situation. Even though the whole Normandy crew tried their hardest to pretend otherwise, they suffered the same damage as their leader. More than a couple of crew members were barely standing on their feet. Dark areas under the eyes were a clear sign of their exhaustion.
Within mere minutes, she got past the scanning point, then she crossed the war room. The Commander allowed herself to peek a look at one of many terminals located there. As always, the display was being flooded with a stream of notifications and data feeds. Combat reports, fleets movements, logistic intel, and many more subjects were streamed down into Normandy's War Room, giving the Commander a better understanding of the current situation. The sheer size of data that was being processed was overwhelming. It was so difficult to believe that the systems were still fully functional even under such an overload.
As soon as Mia reached the section devoted to the memorials reports, she proceeded to the vid room. Even after so many years of serving in the military, it was difficult and heartbreaking to see the name of hundreds, thousands if not millions of people slowly being marked as KIA.
"Sir, I have heard that you requested my presence," Shepard said as some of the greetings when the connection with Admiral Hackett was established.
"Yes, Commander; at ease, this time it is not debriefing," the head of human military replied back.
"What is the reasoning for this meeting then, Sir?" Mia allowed herself to ask. "We have discovered a couple of artefacts that could be of use on Citadel. We are currently on course there," the Commander informed her superior.
"Surely timed coincidence," Hackett replied, cupping his jaw. "I want you to take a short shore leave," he added after a couple of moments of silence.
"Shore leave? With all due respect, but we are in the middle of a galactical war, Sir. We can not take shore leave, not in the times like that. I would not feel content knowing that I am resting on my butt whilst millions or billions of others are fighting. These people are giving their lives away in the name of the cause," she added, picking her wording carefully.
"I understand your concerns, Commander; however, we all need some time to cool off," the Admiral uttered with an unobjectionable tone. "Anderson asked me to pass the authorisation token to his Citadel's apartment. He said that you should try to catch a breath whilst there is still time," he added. "After all, Commander, you have earned this shore leave. You have done wonders for our cause. So, do not underestimate the effect of fatigue. Even the strongest soldiers are affected by it."
"I assume it is a direct order, Sir?" the Commander asked, fixing her sore eyes upon the Admiral.
"You can consider it as such," Hackett replied, slowly brushing his thinned beard.
"I understand, Sir. We will take a couple of days off; but, after that, we are back in action," Mia exclaimed.
"I would not expect anything less out of you, Commander," the Admiral commented. "Try to catch a breath. Farewell, Commander."
"Thank you, Sir," Shepard uttered. She tried so desperately not to show how dissatisfied she was with the news. Whether she succeeded or not, it was hard to tell. If the Admiral read her out, he did not show any sign of it.
"I might suggest throwing a party, Commander," the synthetic voice of Glyph filled the vid room only a moment after the transmission was finished.
"What?" the surprised woman mumbled. "I do not know anything about throwing parties!" she exclaimed in a cold tone.
"Your previous experience is irrelevant, Commander. I have open access to millions of creative ideas. Let me guide you. Doctor T'Soni would really need a break from her work as a Shadow Broker. I have allowed myself to forward the list of the most crucial preparation to be made to your personal terminal. In case you need any help, please call me. In the meantime, I will put into motion the first batch of preparations. Have a nice day, Commander," the artificial construct exclaimed, then floated away.
"What just happened?" the dumb-struck Commander whispered, leaning toward the nearest wall. "How did I get myself into this mess?" she asked herself deep inside her mind.
With yet another heavy sigh, she decided to walk for a couple of moments. Maybe a little walking would help sort out her chaotic mind; however, she seriously doubted that. As soon as Mia lifted her gaze off of the floor, she spotted a pretty little blue thing that she knew as Liara T'Soni. The archaeologist was weaving her causal snowy-white outfit. A portable data reader could be seen in her right hand, filling with constantly moving data feeds. Asari woman's face seemed like a mask that currently showed a grimace of sadness.
"Oh, Shepard," Liara gasped softly. "I apologise for the interruption. I was looking over my data feeds; they're unmanageable without Glyph. So, I was looking for it. Have you seen it by any chance? I could have sworn I had heard Glyph's voice down here," the Asari was evidently sad. She was in no shape to control her voice or her subtle gestures.
"Yeah, Glyph was here a couple of moments ago," Shepard replied. "It suggested us to take a break and throw a party. But, you know what, Liara? I think it is a good idea. We all need some rest," she added nearly immediately. Of course, it caused Mia physical pain to see the archaeologist in such a state. She must have been beyond exhausted. Usually, Asari did not show signs of fatigue; however, Liara was not the case currently. Under her eyes, the black-as-night bags were visibly formed. Her blue-as-skies eyes were bloodshot. Shepard could not allow one of the people she held dearest to suffer like that. So, the decision was made nearly immediately, without much thinking or hesitation.
"Shepard… I do not think that it is the wisest decision for now," Liara replied, hesitating for a few short-lived moments. "This war has already cost millions of people their very lives. I can not… comprehend how many more will meet their end if we were to take this leave," she added thoughtfully.
"I know, Liara," Mia sighed. "But, we are not exactly in perfect shape as of now. We need to take some rest. And… additionally, it is a direct order from Hackett," she added, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "Truth be told, I am not a fan of this forced break; but, I can see a bright side of this situation."
"What do you consider a bright side, Shepard?" the Asari asked, hugging the wall for support.
"Well… you are one of the reasons why I am even considering throwing that party, actually," Commander uttered. "When was the last time you looked at your reflection in the mirror, Liara?" she asked the archaeologist, allowing her tone to be filled with concern.
"Is it really that important?" Dr T'Soni replied with a question of her own.
"Please, do answer my question," Shepard pushed slightly.
"Well," the archaeologist started humming. "I am not entirely sure, actually. Taking our chaotic schedule into account, I think it could be weeks. But, quite frankly, it could be even months since I looked into my own reflection," she whispered quietly.
"That is exactly my point," the Specter whispered back. "Liara, you look dead tired. Your kind does not usually show signs of fatigue. However, you are barely standing on your feet. We need to take at least one day off. I do not think you are the only one affected by the whole situation."
"You… might be right, Shepard," the blue-eyed beauty said quietly, pulling away from the wall. "So… throwing a party, you say, hmmm?" she hummed, flashing a small cute smile.
"Yeah," Mia started chuckling, scratching her nape. "I will definitely need some help with Glyph. So, why not start from that? So, please, try to restrain it even a little. I could sware that Glyph is more hyper about this whole situation than any of us will be."
"But, of course, Shepard," Dr T'Soni replied, winking playfully at the Commander. "In the end… it might be a good opportunity to wear a dress. It has been ages since I saw in a dress last time."
"Do not remind me of it," Shepard burst into laughter. "I did not mind the dress, though; it was heels that were sabotaging me. I could swear, these damned boots wanted me dead," the Specter allowed herself to laugh for a couple moments more.
"You looked beautiful," Liara stated. "Anyways, I strongly believe this time will be better. After all, some experience with heels had been earned during the last adventure."
"You can say that," the Commander agreed, nodding.
"It is time for me," the Asari uttered a few moments later. "I will try to calm down Glyph; however, I am not quite certain how will I achieve it, actually."
"You will the way; I believe in you, Liara," Mia assured her friend.
Without saying a word more, the archaeologist exited the vid room. The woman seemed to be in a much better mood than previously, which was a heartwarming sensation for Shepard. Despite the galactical war, Reapers' invasion, they needed to live on. After all, it was not set in stone how long would it last.
The Commander wasted a couple of moments more, standing still and doing pretty much nothing. Mia tried to get a hold of the current situation. The fact that she was put into this position pretty much against her will was not helping. But, what could be done aside from playing along? Not much, or at least, the Specter did not have any idea solving the presented mess. With a heavy sigh, she moved on. She would worry more about the situation once she got into her cabin.
It took her a couple of minutes to get there. Still, in the end, she closed the door behind her, locking them up before falling onto her bed. Truth be told, throughout a couple of last weeks, she had been a rare visitor in this cabin. Usually, she would have just crashed in any currently available bank or bench. The woman was exhausted beyond imagination, so falling asleep was not really a problem. However, the nightmares flooding her mind even time she closed her eyes were. Thanks to them, her limited amount of sleep was only further reduced, leaving her weaker and weaker day after day. But, unfortunately, she had not really come up with a magical solution for that problem. So, for now, she must have made it further with whatever she was left with.
Against her own will, she had brought a portable terminal to her bed. While lying on her tensed back, she was still checking reports and various notifications Traynor had transferred to her. Then, unintentionally, her eyes started closing themselves. She no longer was able to keep with the constant stream, flood of information. To counteract, to remain awake, she opted to log into her private inbox. To say that Glyph spammed the hell out of her inbox would be an utter understatement. Dozens, if not more unread messages from the little assistant of Liara, were filing her storage, pushing possibly more important messages further down the list.
With another sigh, she started reading them. After all, she had already made the decision regarding the party. She would throw it, invite all her friends, have a little too much booze, then wake up wasted. Sounded like a plan, not a good one, but a plan nevertheless.
Within minutes, she somehow managed to prepare a full list of people she wanted to invite. Of course, she would have had to lie if she had said that it did not hurt her to make that list. The sad realisation of how many people she had lost throughout these past years was overwhelming. Still, the one hunting her the most was Thane. She knew the Drell assassin only for a couple of months, and yet, his history, his dedication had moved her dearly. As soon as the mourning ended, she knew that the real killer of her friend was not Leng. It was the illness the Drell was fighting over the years. A hefty sum of her stored over-the-years paychecks was dedicated toward the Salarian's facility trying to understand the Kepral's Syndrome. Even though such an action had not brought back Thane to life, Shepard had felt that she at least added a brick into Thane's monument. She missed the Drell; she really did. What made his death even more tragic was the fact that despite his terrible health condition, the assassin still had tried to help them as much as he could. Even though in the very end it had brought him into the open arms of death, he had been spared the slow, painful death his illness had stored for him. Mia would have wished they had met earlier, so she could have helped her friend in a more meaningful manner.
"Commander, I wouldn't really want to bother you, but we're close to the Citadel," Joker's voice brought Shepard back to reality.
"Thank you, Jeff," Mia replied with an exhausted tone, followed by a loud sigh.
"Don't call me like that!" the Normandy's pilot protested. "You know I don't like being called by my first name."
"Uppss...," Shepard faked gasped. "I forgot that only EDI is allowed to call you 'Jeff', Joker," she added with a quiet chuckle.
"Ya, ya, very funny," Joker grunted back. "Flight control is requesting opening the channel for them. Should I transfer it to you, Commander?" he asked.
"Yeah, do it," the Specter replied.
"Citadel flight control here," the feminine voice introduced herself. "Would you like any assistance from us, Commander? Do you need to get somewhere specific?" she asked with a tone mixing politeness and respect.
"Actually… I would need to get into Admiral Anderson's apartment; the address should be accessible for you now," the Commander replied. "Is it possible for you to get me a cab that will take me there?" she asked.
"Not a problem, Commander," the flight controller responded. "Please, do proceed into the docking area, bay D24. I'll make sure the cab will be waiting for you there," she informed the Specter.
"Thank you, controller; I really appreciate the effort," Mia uttered with exhaustion hearable in her voice.
Without anything to add, the Commander shut down the channel, falling onto her bed once again. Unfortunately, she could only afford a couple of minutes of rest before they finally dock. It would mark the beginning of the unfortunately timed shore leave and the chaotic preparation before the party.
"I really thought it would be much easier to take some rest," Shepard allowed herself to complain a little before closing her eyes. "Just a couple of minutes, then I will handle whatever this damn world wants to throw at me."
A couple of minutes later:
"Who would have thought that our Commander is that heavy?" Garrus stated, laughing. "Wait… look, she will not allow you to move her without her favourite plushy pillow."
"What?! Are you kidding me, Vakarian?" James uttered, huffing heavily whilst trying to pick up Shepard from her bed.
"Too heavy for you, Vega?!" the Turian mocked, still laughing. "Where is all this strength you are constantly boasting about?"
"Stop mocking, Vakarian. Move here and help me with the Commander!" Vega demanded, red on his face.
"Oh, fine," the ex-CSec operative hummed, closing in. "Look, I think it will be much easier if you do it this way," he said, putting a big fluffy pillow of deep-blue colour into Mia's arms. Nearly instantly, the oh-so-great Commander clang into the piece of fabric, pulling it ever closer.
"Fuck!" the human soldier exclaimed loudly. "What happened? She seems to be lighter 10 folds over. What's this pillow btw?" he kept asking questions.
"Oh… this one?" Garrus started chuckling. "Shepard got it from Miranda; damn, I remember that day. I would not have expected Miranda to get her anything; but, there we were. But, it is a long story. It carries a little value now," the Turian added.
"You're shitting at me? Who's Miranda?" James wanted to know.
"Well, Miranda was initially Cerberus operative who had brought back Shepard from the grave," Garrus replied. "She seemed to be cold, calm, and calculated at first; however, after a couple of missions, she started opening up. At this point, we should thank Shepard's personal charm for that achievement. I have no idea how we would have made it out alive without her intel and skills," he continued talking the tale with a dreamy tone.
"So… did they hook up?" the human soldier utter a question.
"Not sure, Vega," the Turian replied plainly. "They were close, but they fought a lot too. I can not really say what was happening behind Shepard's closed doors. Maybe they did, maybe they did not," he added, shrugging. "But… let me return to the story. So, we were coming back from a trip to Citadel. It was a couple of days after the assault of Collectors' base. Miranda excused herself, telling us that she had still something to take care of. Shepard wanted to accompany her, but she asked her to come back to Normandy. She pretty much ordered all of us to go back to the ship. But, truth be told, we did not mind. All of us had a little booze inside our veins by that point. So, we did as we were told obediently."
"Damn, the woman had a leash on all of you? It's damn impressive!" the Alliance soldier commented.
"Yeah, you could say that," the ex-CSec replied, scratching his nape. "Miranda was really influential and could easily take what she wanted. But, as I said, we were all drunk; so, we did not mind. We did not think that she would return soonish, so we started looking for banks to fall dead onto. You should be able to imagine our surprise when she came back, carrying this very pillow close to her apple breasts. Miranda then came to Shepard, handed her the item, hugged her, and left without a word. The very next day, Mia informed us that Miranda decided to leave both crew and Normandy. We were all shocked, cause just like you, we thought Mia and Miranda were into one another. But, as you see, apparently it did not work out," the Turian finished his story.
"I'd say that the Commander didn't forget about her, at least not entirely," James uttered, dumb-struck. "After all, the Commander still has the pillow. And… based on what just happened, she's very possessive over it."
"Vega, Vega, Vega," the Turian hummed, shaking his head. "I said at least once that we do not really know what happened between Shepard and Miranda. So, any speculations are worth less than nothing. But, indeed, I must agree that she likes that pillow very much," he added, chuckling openly. "Anyways, let's put those muscles of yours into good use. We are heading for Anderson's apartment," he ordered.
"Vakarian! I'm not taking orders from you!" the human soldier huffed.
"But, you should, Vega," Vakarian uttered. "I am technically the second in command here. With my experience, I am only second to Shepard. So, let's go, shall we?" the Turian was mocking and making fun of the soldier.
"Damn you, Vakarian!" James uttered, followed by several Spanish curses.
"And… James, be gentle. We do not want Shepard to wake up, do we not?" Garrus burst into laughter. "Alright, alright, give me her," he added after a couple of moments of pause.
"Sleep well, Mia," the Turian whispered into the Commander's ear whilst carrying her bridal style. "You have more than earned it."