Samantha

Once again Samantha found herself standing nervously outside Shepard's cabin. Twice in the span of, what, three days? Had it only been a week since they left the Citadel? Since the Reapers attacked? Already she felt drained.

Come on, Sammy. That could easily be because you were attacked by a hostile AI program fighting for reign over its body last night. You know, a normal nighttime foray into the normal duties of a communications specialist.

Samantha sighed. If this was normal, then at least she'd have some good stories to share with her brothers. Thinking of her brothers steeled her resolve, and it was with a determined set to her lips and brows that she rang the chime on Shepard's door.

The door opened for her after a moment. Stepping through, Samantha stopped at the top of the steps, moving into a crisp salute. Shepard, sitting on her couch in fatigues and a loose t-shirt, smirked, returning the salute haphazardly from her seat. "At-ease, Traynor. Glad to see you're feeling up to being on duty. Having any residual pain?"

Samantha relaxed. "Yes, though it's nothing I can't handle. Chakwas gave me a… mild painkiller this time."

Shepard mock-pouted, setting down a cup of coffee on the low table in front of her. "So no morphine-induced hilarity this morning? I'm disappointed."

Samantha's face immediately heated. "I… wanted to apologize for my behavior last night, Commander."

The commander grinned. "So you remember it, then?"

Sam shuddered. "Yes. Every excruciating moment."

"Awww, it wasn't that bad, Specialist," Shepard said with a snicker.

Samantha shook her head, a small smile pulling at her lips. "Somehow I don't believe you, Commander. If I recall correctly, I told you in the most obnoxious way possible about my engagement to a good friend of yours, and then propositioned her in front of you."

Shepard nodded, her grin widening. "Yep, that's about how it happened."

"Christ Almighty, I make atrocious first impressions…"

"Nonsense. You made an awesome first impression – we geeked out for like an hour or something. It was great."

Sam just gave her a sardonic look. "Are you saying you'll magically forget last night?"

Shepard hesitated. "Good point." She winked. "But it's fine. You were on morphine. People say stupid shit when they're high. So long as it doesn't happen when you're not high – and so long as you're not high while on-duty – I can deal with a little weird behavior when you're prescribed narcotics by our doctor."

"I think I can manage that, Commander."

Shepard nodded. "Good. Though, I gotta say, I was surprised to find out about you and Ash being a thing."

Samantha smiled. "Yes, I… she asked me to let you know, but I completely forgot. We haven't had a chance to talk, really, since I officially introduced myself to you, ma'am. Not a lot of opportunities to just say something about my engagement."

Shepard nodded. "True. It'd be a hell of a non sequitur."

"Precisely." She hesitated before continuing. "Now that you know… will it be a problem?"

The commander's brows furrowed. "How would it be a problem? She's not even on the ship."

"Well, there are rules on the books…"

Shepard scoffed. "I don't give a shit about that, Traynor. You're capable and an adult. As long as you remain professional, I'm fine. I finally figured out why some nameless person was yelling over the comms on Mars, though…"

Samantha's face flushed, and she buried her head in her hands. "God, yes, that was me…"

Shepard's tone was gentle. "I can't imagine what that had to have been like, to watch that happen to your fiancée. It wasn't okay… but I looked in your record and saw that James already reprimanded you, so as far as I'm concerned, it's over and done with. You've been the picture of professionalism since, Specialist – minus last night, I suppose. And… to be perfectly honest, I think we all deserve to be let off easy for shit that happened the day the Reapers showed up. So… no harm done."

"I… thank you, Commander."

"No problem. Now, was there something else you needed?"

Sam's heart fell somewhere near her belly button. She'd managed to completely forget in her embarrassment. Stupid, Sam. Complete blithering idiot. "Actually, yes, Commander. I… I was doing some searching for various things this morning as my shift started, and…"

"You found something important?"

Sam nodded. "Yes, ma'am, I believe so. Do you know Grissom Academy?"

"I know it," Shepard said with a nod. "Sent a rather unfortunate victim of a bad Cerberus experiment there about eight months ago. Knew he'd be safe with them. What's up? Are they under attack?"

"I… I'm not sure, Commander. They've gone quiet, and it worries me."

Shepard's brows knit. "Lots of places have gone dark, Specialist."

"I- I know, Commander," Samantha stammered, knowing what Shepard was insinuating. Grissom, like those other places, was probably gone, which was unfortunate, but not worth investigating. "But this… this was different. The comm bouy in the system is intact, and the relay shows no sign of Reaper activity."

"Yeah, okay, that is odd…"

"I did some research, did a little digging, and I finally found a backlog from the day before yesterday," Samantha rushed, pulling up the distress signal she'd found that morning. It had nearly caused her to lose the contents of her stomach. "As you can see, it was answered by a turian signal last night, but… it's a fake, ma'am. EDI recognized the signal from a mission while a part of Cerberus last year?"

Shepard, now looking thoroughly pissed, nodded. "Yeah. It's not worth explaining. It's Cerberus. Fucking hell…"

{Commander, we're ten minutes out from Eden Prime,} Joker's voice announced over the speakers in the room. {Hopefully this time there isn't a rogue Spectre and a giant talking ship waiting for us. Given our luck in that arena, though, my money's on a giant space-faring beaver or something.}

"Dammit." Shepard laid narrowed eyes on her. "We're here dealing with Cerberus, too. Listen, add the location to the galaxy map with all the info you have. We'll head there as soon as we're done on the ground here, check out what the hell Cerberus wants with a bunch of biotic and techie kids. Good catch, Traynor."

Sam blushed. "Th- thank you, Commander."

"Just one thing."

Sam, just turning to leave so Shepard could get ready for the ground mission, turned back toward her commander. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Why so concerned about Grissom? It seems like something no one would've caught if they weren't specifically looking for it."

Sam's flush deepened. "I… admit, it was personal, ma'am. My brother is a first-year student in the new tech program with the Alliance. They receive their training and education at Grissom."

Shepard's expression of curiosity took on a definite frown. Nodding, she turned, heading for her equipment locker. "I'll do what I can, Specialist. Dismissed."

Blushing even further – she had forgotten to wait to be dismissed when Shepard had stopped her – Sam rushed out, somehow unable to shake the feeling she'd been chastised, and yet not able to really tell how.

She didn't make it very far, however, as on the other side of the door she ran face-first into a wall. Bouncing off of it with a yelp, she started to fall. The only thing that kept her on her feet were two three-fingered hands grabbing her arm.

"Whoa, gotcha!"

It wasn't a wall at all. It was a turian. In full battle armor, sans helmet. Staring up at him, Samantha was unable to process anything but just how tall he was. He had at least a foot on Ashley, if Sam was any judge, which meant he stood at least a foot and a half taller than herself. Blinking, her mouth open, she didn't realize she was being rude until the turian chuckled, his hand scratching the back of his neck almost nervously.

"I guess I was right, Shepard – the scars really do make the ladies speechless." The voice was male, dual-tone as turians' were. This was literally the closest she had ever been to any member of an alien species. Unless you counted Liara's hasty retreat a few days before.

Luckily, she remembered herself. Finally. Jesus, Sammy. "Oh, goodness, I'm so rude," she rushed, taking a step back and holding out her hand. "I- I'm Specialist Traynor. Thank you for keeping me from falling to the floor."

He smiled – at least, that's what Sam thought it meant when his mandibles moved in that way – and took her hand, utterly engulfing it with his own. He was gentle, however. For some reason that surprised the communications specialist.

"No problem. Garrus," he said. I suppose that's his name? "You humans always think everyone else knows your greetings," he teased with a wink.

Samantha flushed. "I-I- I'm so sorry," she stammered, pulling her hand back and taking another step back, bumping into Shepard. She looked up, the commander smiling down at her. God, her whole demeanor reminds me entirely of Ashley…

"Runnin' into everything today, aren't you, Traynor?"

Sam swallowed. "I… can I just go, ma'am?" she squeaked. "Stop making a complete arse of myself and get back to my station?"

Shepard grinned. "I dunno. Maybe I'll make you follow me around the ship, see what else you get up to. You've already got a foot in your mouth. Think you got room for a hand or an elbow, too?"

Samantha buried her face in her hands. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph I promise I will never talk to you again…"

Shepard laughed. "Go, Traynor! We have shit to do!"

"Roger that, Commander," Sam said, taking the opportunity presented to rush for the lift. "Good luck down there!"

Shepard smirked. "You're gonna see the whole thing, Specialist."

"Yes, but at least I don't have to talk to you except for official things." As the doors shut, she yelled out, "Bye!"

Like a bloody fucking idiot, Sammy. Do us a favor and just shut your damn mouth next time, all right? Jesus.

Sighing, Sam stepped off the lift at the CIC, trying to forget all her social faux-pas of the last twelve hours. Hopefully Eden Prime would provide ample distraction for her…

Samantha stared open-mouthed at her screen. She'd seen the entire mission, all of the fighting, the endless Cerberus troops, the lifepod that held an actual Prothean, still alive. She'd stared flabbergasted at her screen before a blinking dot on the galaxy map—showing a 3D representation of the settlement with the position of the troops on the ground—caught her attention. She'd interrupted the ground crew's conversation to let them know, and what had followed had been what felt like hours of constant, intense fighting. Sam saw it all. Everything Shepard saw, Samantha saw.

That's not true. She seemed to understand those videos of static. Something about a Prothean Cipher? What the hell is that? And why is Dr. T'Soni so… nervous when talking directly to Commander Shepard? Aren't they lovers? Or something? You'd think she'd be more comfortable with the commander, not… unsure.

Now Samantha stood at her station, watching as Shepard got off the shuttle, turning around. She saw the shuttle, saw James, Garrus, and Dr. T'Soni exiting it, holding guns on…

{Javik,} she heard a deep voice sound in her ear. Shepard had just asked the alien its name. If genders were the same for Protheans, he was male.

{Javik, I can't begin to understand how earth-shattering this is for you, but you need to understand that you can't just touch people and invade their mind without their permission.} Shepard spoke to the Prothean, her hands gesturing in front of her. Her voice was… Samantha was sure she heard anger and something else, tightly controlled. A glance down at her vitals showed an elevated heartbeat and rapid breathing. She was...

Shit, she's scared. The Great Commander Shepard is scared. What on Earth did he do to her on that shuttle-ride? It was clear something had happened, but the camera had been jostled a lot, and Samantha couldn't understand what the Prothean was saying. Nor could she understand Commander Shepard. No one understood her – she and the Prothean had started shouting at each other in a language no one recognized. It was chaotic and unclear, the Prothean grabbing Shepard, causing her to seize before James and Garrus both managed to make the alien let her go, and then they were shouting in that strange language, perplexing everyone.

Now, though, they were finally on the ship; Shepard had calmed down some, but was clearly still incredibly shaken.

The Prothean—Javik—seemed to hold great contempt as he answered her. {You are weak, Miriam Shepard. You fight the Reapers, but you will not win. I care for nothing that concerns you. You are insignificant, and I will not deign to obey one who is so frightened.}

{Watch your fucking mouth, Mr. Prothean Man,} James growled, stepping between them. {Commander, regs say he needs to be quarantined with an armed escort. With your permission, I'll take him. You should figure out what the hell he did to you before trying to talk to him again, ma'am.}

Shepard started to speak, but a soft blue hand found her hand, and Shepard's helmet camera turned to see Dr. T'Soni, her helmet now off, looking on Shepard with a slight frown. Concern was obvious in her eyes. It was… strange, to have the asari looking at Sam like that, as well. It made the communications specialist's heart pang for Ashley.

{He is right, Miriam,} the asari murmured, likely not heard by the others, but picked up by the microphone on the collar of her armor.

Sam heard Shepard sigh, then the camera bobbed. {Yeah, okay, take him, James. I'll figure out what to do with him later.}

There were a few moments of silence as Garrus and James escorted the Prothean to the lift. Then Shepard finally took off her helmet, placing it on James's workbench before she disappeared from view. In the distance, Sam saw Steve Cortez, a man she hadn't gotten to know despite having been on the retrofits together, begin his post-flight checks of the shuttle. Shutting out the screen, Samantha prepared to begin her own post-mission checklists.

{Miriam, what did he do to you?} Dr. T'Soni's voice sounded in Samantha's ear, vague, like it was being picked up by a mic other than her own. Pulling up the proper screen, Samantha saw that Shepard's mic was still field-active.

Shit I can hear them! The comms are still active; what do I do?!

Samantha tried to interject, let her commander know she needed to stop transmitting like she was on the ground, but Shepard answered before Sam could do more than hover her finger over the command.

{He… melded with me? I think? But it was… forceful. I feel… like he took from me. I don't know what. He forced his way in, took something or maybe saw something, and then yanked himself out. Once he had what he wanted.} A pause, and then, {I feel like I did after the Prothean beacon. Funny that it would happen in the same place.}

The asari's voice sounded aghast. {A forceful meld… it is the highest, most atrocious violation.} A pause, then, {Come. We will clean you up, talk in your cabin. If you will permit it, perhaps I can even piece together what he did. Just like I did after the beacon gave you its warning.}

Shepard sniffed slightly, more like she was exhausted than like she'd been crying. {Yeah, okay. Just… gimme a minute before you meet me up there.}

Oh thank God that wasn't too bad, Sam thought to herself. All she needed to do was wait a minute and then hail Shepard, pretend like she hadn't heard anything and had merely just noticed that the field-comm – which broadcast all communications to the specialist on duty – was still active. No harm, no foul, no more social awkwardness on Sam's part.

{Hey, Traynor. I left this thing on. I'm sure you heard all of that, didn't you?}

Samantha's heart sank. Shit. "Uh, yes, Commander. I apologize. I tried to interject, but then you were speaking, and I'm far too British to just interrupt like that."

Shepard chuckled. {Aren't you from a colony, Traynor?}

"Yes, ma'am. But my parents grew up in London. And it really did feel rude to just interrupt."

{I can see that. I trust you'll keep it to yourself?}

Samantha was taken aback. "Of course, Commander."

Shepard's voice sounded incredibly tired. {All right, good. I'll turn this thing off now. Then I'll only have EDI eavesdropping.}

Samantha let out a small chuckle. "Roger, ma'am."

The signal quit broadcasting, leaving Samantha alone. With a heavy sigh, she closed all but one screen. Getting to work on her reports, Samantha tried not to think about what was going on with Shepard and that frightening alien who looked remarkably like those god-awful Collectors she had seen on Horizon. I hope I don't meet him in the halls…

A/N: If you'd like more on this interaction between Shepard and Liara, check out Innocence Asunder, a companion one-shot to this story.