Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect, save the OCs you will encounter in this particular story. It will not merely be a re-telling of the ME story as we know it, so expect changes and (hopefully) surprising and enjoyable twists! This story is rated M for a reason and will contain future scenes of violence, gore, sex, and various other mature situations. There will also be copious amounts of wonderful, wonderful angst. Please consider yourself warned.

A/N: This chapter was actually part of the previous one, I just cut them in two because it was getting so long. Any and all reviews are appreciated! A big thank you goes out to everyone who has added this story to their alerts and/or faves :) It all means so much to me! – Fallon.

Chapter Twelve

"The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end there it is." – Winston Churchill

The door to the comm room hissed closed as Miranda and Jacob left him alone. Neither had been overly thrilled at his decision regarding Eira. Nor had either been entirely in support of his choice to wake Okeer's experiment, but 'Grunt', as he had opted to be called, had thankfully revealed himself to be less crazy than the Cerberus agents had anticipated.

Grunt was sure to pack a heavy punch and be a valuable asset to the team. Shepard was relieved that the mission had ended so well, considering Okeer had died and Eira had nearly died, it had almost had a very different ending. Now they had another heavy-hitter on their team.

They were stronger than they had been only hours ago, but that was no reason to slow down now. He knew they could not lose momentum, no matter how exhausted he was.

He was pouring over the remaining dossiers and reports he had strewn out on the desk, trying to determine their next course of action when the comm room door hissed open.

He looked up to see Eira standing in the doorway, looking exhausted despite how long she had slept but more alert than she had been when he'd found her in a daze in the hallway. She had her arms wrapped around herself and was shifting nervously on her feet. She seemed unable to look him in the eye and was chewing on the inside of her lip furiously.

Shepard stepped away from the dossiers and moved to the side of the long desk, his eyes fixed on her.

Somehow it didn't sit well with him that she was so uncomfortable to be in his presence. He understood it though. When last they'd spoken, he'd been seething with rage. Still, he remembered how warm she had been against him and how peaceful she had looked when he'd laid her down in her room and seeing her now, so close to fleeing or breaking down, made his stomach twist. It was all overwhelming, everything about her.

And that realization made him weak.

Just as she did.

"Eira."

She looked up timidly at the sound of her name, "Can I come in?"

Shepard nodded and Eira stepped into the room, allowing the door to hiss closed behind her.

"Did you sleep well?" Shepard asked awkwardly when Eira made no move to speak and the tension between them became too much.

Eira nodded, "Yes, thank you. My head still hurts though."

"Has Chakwas taken another look at you?" He asked, hoping his voice did not reveal the extent of his concern.

"Not yet," she admitted, "EDI said you wanted to see me, so I came straight here."

Shepard gave a nod, "I see." He took a step closer to her, pausing only a moment to gather his thoughts, "Eira…we need to talk about what happened."

Eira made to speak but Shepard raised his hand to silence her, "Let me speak first. Listen, then you can say whatever you'd like. Is that fair?"

He saw her swallow hard and shake for one brief moment, seemingly preparing herself for a tirade, but she remained silent and nodded.

"Your actions on Korlus were reckless," he began with as much calm as he could muster, "You did exactly what I told you not to do and it nearly got you killed. If I hadn't have gotten there in time, you'd have died, Eira. And I need to know you can hold your own if no one is able to swoop in and save you." He paused, "I should remove you from this mission…it would be a kindness that could very well save your life."

He saw Eira blink back tears.

"It's what I should do," Shepard continued, "It's what Miranda and Jacob think I should do…"

"I would not fault you for doing so…" Eira said in a whisper, unsure if she was yet able to speak.

He could tell she was sincere and that helped smother the anger that had threatened to resurface. That was something he knew she did not deserve.

"You are lucky your mistake left you with minor injuries," he continued without scolding her for speaking, "That being said…I am sorry you were injured at all."

Eira merely stared at him, surprised by his words and the sadness his voice held.

"We've decided our next step. We'll be recruiting a convict from a prison ship," he continued, "I've already decided to take Grunt and Miranda along with me. We'll be returning to the Citadel afterwards to resupply and recruit a thief Cerberus has secured for the mission, but then you and I are going to the shooting range."

Eira could not hide her shock but bit her tongue.

"Speak, Eira." He said gently.

She visibly relaxed, though it was clear something was still on her mind.

"I…I don't understand why you're bothering…training me, that is. And I don't understand why you aren't tossing me off the Normandy…"

"Do you want to leave?"

She shook her head, "But I think it's what I deserve. You can't trust me…"

"I want to, Eira. Despite what happened on Korlus."

It was an admission he hadn't been planning on making, but it escaped him before he could stop himself.

She looked flabbergasted, "Why?"

"You want to improve and you know you messed up. Those are admissions most are not strong enough to make."

Eira looked away from him, uncomfortable with what she saw as praise undeserved.

"I don't feel strong…"

"You are." Shepard assured her, "You need to be just as confident with firearms as you are with your biotics. I can help get you there. That's why I'm not removing you from the mission," he said honestly, "you have far too much potential to toss aside."

"But…what about Miranda and Jacob –

"They respect my decision," he said firmly, "and whatever doubts they have you're going to put to rest, right?"

Eira nodded quickly, "Of course, sir."

Shepard turned back to the desk of work he still had ahead of him.

"You should go see Chakwas, get checked out." He said over his shoulder, his back to her, "We'll be at the prison ship in a few hours; I want to hear that you've been to the med bay before we dock."

"I will, sir," she fidgeted where she stood, wringing her hands nervously as she debated whether or not to speak up, to risk souring the second chance she'd been given.

She looked at him and though his back was to her she could see the exhaustion and frustration hidden just below the surface. It was in the tension in his shoulders and the way his hung his head as he looked down at the datapads. Her gaze fell to the tattoos on his arm and she wondered why he had chosen images so angry, so violent. Whatever his reasons, they were beautiful but they were not what struck her about him every time they spoke. In fact she hardly noticed them. It was the cold blue of his eyes, the spanning expanse of his muscled chest his Cerberus issued uniform hugged so well…and the smallest hint of a smile he'd shot her only a handful of times since they'd met.

"Commander…" she began quietly, her voice wavering as she felt her cheeks flush. She looked away as he turned to face her so he'd not notice. "May I speak freely?"

Shepard hesitated only briefly before nodding.

Eira swallowed hard, "I want to thank you. I know this isn't a hand out; I have to work to earn back the trust of the crew…and you. I just want you to know that I'm grateful and I don't intend to disappoint you again…sir."

To her relief, he graced her with one of his half-smiles and for a moment he didn't look so beaten down by the weight of the task before him.

"I believe you, Eira…and you're welcome."

Eira grunted as Gabby heaved another crate into her arms.

"Are you sure you're okay to do this?" Gabbed asked, peaking over the package in Eira's arms to look her in the eye, "It's not like you can use your biotics right now. I don't want to overload you."

Eira smiled, "I want to help, Gabby."

"Hmm, well alright then, but only if you insist. Just leave them near the lift; I'll go wrangle Kenneth to help us with this. It's his damn fault the shipment wasn't prepped, he should be helping us fix his bloody mess."

Gabby hurried off, flustered and fuming as she set out.

Eira almost felt bad for Kenneth.

She made her way down the dimly lit corridor toward the lift, prepared to do as Gabby had instructed. She wished she could use her biotics, it would have made heaving the crates infinitely easier, but Chakwas had instructed her not to use her biotics for at least another two days.

Until then, heavy lifting had to been done the conventional way.

Just as she was about to enter the main corridor, a biotic field that wasn't her own enveloped the crates she was carrying and pulled them from her, moving them effortlessly and dropping them nearer the lift.

Eira turned and found the source of the biotics – a strange woman she'd never seen before wearing an angry scowl and little else. She blushed furiously as she registered that the woman wore belts for a shirt, leaving her breasts bare save for strategically places strips of leather, and averted her eyes but not before she saw that the stranger was covered in tattoos.

"Umm…thank you," Eira stammered when the strange woman said nothing, "My name is Eira, who are you?"

The strange woman scoffed at her, "Thought you were supposed to be some kickass biotic?"

Eira took a small step back, the anger in the woman's voice making her uncomfortable, and swallowed hard as she tried to find her voice.

"I…I was injured on the last mission," she explained in a murmur, "Doctor Chakwas has told me not to use my biotics until I'm better…"

The strange woman stepped closer to Eira and snorted in apparent disgust when Eira took a step back, trying to maintain a distance between them.

"I'm Jack," the woman said with a frown as she looked Eira up and down, sizing her up, "Didn't think I'd see another Cerberus experiment gone wrong here. Why the fuck are you helping them, princess?"

Eira hadn't a clue what the woman was talking about. Cerberus ran tests on her yes, but they had raised her and none of the tests harmed her. She had no parents, no family…only the lab techs and doctors who made up the team that cared for her. If it hadn't been for them, she'd have nothing.

She couldn't understand why Jack hated them. Hadn't they done the same for her?

"I was an orphan. Cerberus raised me and when people came to take me away they sent Shepard to save me." Her chin trembled as Jack's expression darkened with every word she said, "I'm here because I want to help. Cerberus thinks I can."

"How can you be so damn blind?" Jack demanded in a hiss as she closed in on her, "If you're an orphan it's because they killed your parents. And if they 'raised' you like they did me then you're weak for buying into their bullshit. That's how Cerberus works, princess. They take away all you have so you learn to be grateful for the scraps they give you."

Eira clenched her teeth so hard her jaw hurt. She shook her head, even as tears threatened to fall.

Her words hurt, but Jack was wrong. Corrine raised her, Cerberus saved her, the Illusive Man protected her…everything that went against those hard truths could only be lies. It hurt to even consider them being anything else.

Pain pulsed in her temples as her migraine flared. She clasped her hand to her forehead as the pain flashed behind her eyes and made her vision blur.

"You're wrong…" Eira managed in a pained gasp, "Cerberus saved me –

"Only so they could use you," Jack said with snort, "which they are."

"I'm here by my own choice!" Eira insisted, her body shaking as she stared down the tattooed woman.

Jack wasn't at all convinced.

"Where else would you be if you weren't here?"

Eira said nothing.

She had no one else in her life. Had the Commander removed her from the mission, she wouldn't know where to go. She'd be lost and alone.

She saw the smug look on Jack's face and felt anger rush through her. Her biotics flared and she was suddenly overcome with the urge to lash out, to hit Jack with everything she could muster.

Jack was wrong, she had to be.

Her biotics blazed blue on her finger tips and a stabbing pain shot through her skull.

She wasn't a tool.

She wasn't a failed experiment.

Corrine had cared for her.

Cerberus protected her.

"You're wrong…" Eira hissed as tears began to streak down her cheeks unbidden.

"Did they tell you the tests were for your own good?" Jack prompted, not at all deterred by the pain etched on the young girl's face, "That they'd make you stronger? How many times did they hurt you and say it was for your own good!"

"Leave me alone!" Eira screamed and turned on her heel, headed for the lift.

She wanted to get as far away from Jack as she could. If she couldn't, she wanted to blast Jack through the bulkhead to bring her the silence her pounding head demanded.

Her tear-fogged eyes fixed on the floor; she didn't see Shepard in her path until she collided with him.

Shepard grabbed her arms as they made contact, keeping her from falling backwards. He looked to Jack, who offered nothing in way of an explanation, before looking down at the trembling woman in his arms.

Eira's eyes were obscured by her bangs but he could see her chin quivering and tears running over her lips.

He looked back to Jack and scowled.

"She needs to know," Jack said with a shrug, "Call it tough love."

Shepard let go of Eira, leaving her near the lift, to pull Jack aside.

When they were far enough away from Eira, Jack jerked her arm out of Shepard's grasp and spat a curse at him.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Shepard demanded in a whisper, still mindful Eira might overhear something. "Are you out of your fucking mind?"

"Get the fuck off my back," she seethed, gesturing angrily at Eira's shaking form. "Someone had to let the little princess know the truth!"

"Not you, Jack, and certainly not now!"

Shepard knew there was something Cerberus was keeping from him about Eira, knew that there had to be something shady about how she came to be at Nafna. He'd expect nothing less from Cerberus. But they had no proof and until they did he knew it was pointless and cruel to try to convince Eira that her entire life was one big lie.

"Stay away from her, Jack," he said firmly, "This isn't your place and I won't have you upsetting her for kicks."

Jack eyed Eira then looked to Shepard and laughed.

"Don't want me messing with your play thing, Shepard?" She taunted none too quietly.

Shepard's eyes darkened.

"If you can't follow orders I have no need for you on this ship," Shepard said coldly, "And when I say 'stay away from her', it's an order, Jack."

For a moment, there was only silence. Shepard saw Jack's focus shift to Eira again before she finally spoke.

"Fine, whatever you say, Commander."