Disclaimer: The wonderful world of Mass Effect isn't mine. Original characters have been created for the purpose of this story. Eira is mine.
I had every intention of getting this chapter up sooner, however over the course of the last month more so I've been on stress leave, left my god-awful job, got the part time job of my dream, and prepped for and started college . Needless to say, creative juices weren't flowing – though I did want to get back at it!
That being said, I do hope you all enjoy this latest chapter! We're approaching a seriously pivotal event for Eira and Shepard...and I promise you all we really are getting closer to them getting 'closer' *clears throat*.
You, dear readers, are the very best!
Chapter Twenty-Nine
"If we deny love that is given to us, if we refuse to give love because we fear pain or loss, then our lives will be empty, out loss greater." – Oprah Winfrey
[…] You were right…you should have reached out to me sooner. I've begun making the necessary inquiries into your friend, but I've a feeling it will take some time to get real answers. My usual resources and agents are less forthcoming than expected. I'm applying pressure and will contact you the moment it pays off.
I have to warn you though; you are not the only one asking about Eira. One of my most trusted agents (the only one to bring me anything concrete) encountered difficulties in the Sahrabarik system in the form of an assassin. On his body, my agent recovered a data-pad recently wiped. I was only able to retrieve fragments but they are alarming. I've included a transcript of what was recovered with this message. Whatever you do, be careful. I've got a bad feeling about this […]
With growing trepidation, Shepard opened the link in Liara's message.
[…] it's imperative that we get a lead on the target. The boss is getting impatient, and Marin is laying on the heat. Current reports have her in the company of Commander Shepard, who is in the employ of Cerberus […]
His heart dropped as he stared at the screen, hoping that if he didn't look away it would somehow change.
"No fucking way…"
The moment he saw the name he remembered the exact moment he'd met the man and became immediately furious with himself. Eira had hit him with a biotic blast on Nafna that had sent him flying. Things had happened so damn fast after, with Eira passing out and the entire station crashing down around them. Still, he should have made sure the man was dead.
Not doing so was sloppy.
Shepard stood up abruptly, his desk chair slamming back into the wall, and shouted as he chucked the data-pad across the room. Everything within arm's reach followed in quick succession; empty liquor bottles, his boots, the scattered pieces of his armor. When he was out of ammunition, he took a shaky step and collapsed onto his bed with a long groan and immediately began wracking his brain, desperate to come up with a next step that would eliminate the threat to Eira's safety as soon as possible.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm the anger that had gripped him. He wasn't going to be able to think straight if he was pissed off and if Liara's intuition was right he needed to be sharp.
The Sahrabarik system…
Omega housed all manner of criminals. If there was a lead to be had it would be there, most likely to be found from Aria herself…
"Can you please tell me how this is a priority?" Miranda asked, not bothering to hide her exasperation.
"Miranda…"
"Have you forgotten about the Collectors? If it doesn't bring us a step closer to stopping them it hardly matters."
Shepard bit his tongue. Her tone pissed him off but he needed her help. Miranda had the contacts and the power to pull the strings he needed; it was why he'd cornered her in her office. If the price of her help was her attitude, he'd deal with it.
"Listen, I wouldn't bring you into this unless I had no other options. I need your help Miranda."
Miranda crossed her arms and sighed, "Fine."
"Thank you," he said with a sigh of relief, "Liara is looking into it on her end, but you know Cerberus. Do you know anything about the man who tried to abduct Eira back on Nafna station? Marin?"
She leaned against her desk, "Not much. I heard his name on occasion, might have met him in passing. He wasn't of importance. He may have been a doctor but he wasn't consulted on high level projects."
"He's clearly not working with Cerberus anymore."
"No," Miranda agreed, "I stopped hearing his name at one point. I just assumed he'd been moved to one of our more remote labs. Seeing him on that station was the first time I'd seen the man in years."
"Well I need to know more," he handed her the data-pad he'd repaired sloppily with Liara's message pulled up on the screen, "Liara retrieved a message, Marin was mentioned. So far all she can confirm is that someone out there is asking about Eira."
Miranda scoffed as she read Liara's message.
"Miranda…I need your help with this, please."
She sighed, tossing the pad down on her desk before rounding it to take a seat.
"Miranda –
"Fine," she said coldly, her attention focused on her terminal, "but then I'll need your help."
"So let me get this straight," Chakwas said as she pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to process the information he'd just spewed at her, "you help her secure her sister's transport and she digs through Cerberus records to find out what happened to prompt Marin to leave Cerberus."
"The hope is if we find out why he left we figure out who he's working for," he said, "we do that…we keep Eira safe."
Chakwas nodded.
"And you'd like me to do what exactly?"
"I've promised to help Samara with a personal matter that would take us to Omega. I've got to help Miranda out with her sister first so she'll have time to devote to Marin but right after that we'll be heading to Omega."
"And that's…a bad thing?"
"It's in the Sahrabarik system, where Liara's agent encountered Marin's. I don't want to bring Eira within a damn lightyear of that system, but I don't see a way around it. Aria T'loak knows everything that happens on that rock, she could have information that'll help us track him down."
Chakwas sighed, "Can you not leave this in Liara's hands?"
He'd considered it, if only to keep Eira as far away from Sahrabarik as possible. Marin's agent had been spotted there, but there could be others at every major port in the Milky Way. There was no avoiding it, no eliminating the danger to Eira in its entirety. Catching Marin as fast as possible was vital.
"I can't just sit here and do nothing," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "listen…you were right…"
She quirked her brow, eyeing him curiously as she waited for him to clarify.
When he said nothing, she probed.
"About?"
Shepard felt his throat and chest tighten uncomfortably. He averted his gaze from her and tried to will the feeling away.
"Her," he said in a tight, quiet voice, "Eira…me…how I…what I felt…"
Chakwas raised her hand to silence him.
"Don't hurt yourself there, commander," she said with a warm smile, "though I am beyond thrilled to hear you say that. What can I do to help?"
Shepard managed a small smirk.
"I…please keep this between us. I don't want to worry Eira until I have actual answers for her. Just…keep her busy. I don't want her even thinking about asking to come along when we reach Illium...or Omega for that matter."
He knew it was wrong, holding out on Eira after telling her he'd alert her the moment he heard back from Liara. He tried telling himself he had nothing to really tell her, Liara hadn't given him anything definitive. Still, it didn't sit well with him.
It's for the best…it's for her own good…
Chakwas chuckled, "You think that's possible? Eira hears you're going planet side she'll want to come along…she's awfully fond of you, you know."
Shepard cleared his throat.
"Fine, fine," Chakwas soothed, "I'll do what I can, but I can't make any promises."
Weapons loaded and secured to his back, Shepard snapped the last of his armor's clasps together as he headed to the airlock. He'd already called ahead to have Miranda and Tali meet him and he was in a hurry to make it to them before Eira happened to spot him.
Not telling her didn't sit entirely well with him, but he rationalized it by repeating over and over to himself that he'd be worrying her needlessly if he went to her with as little as he had. Tackling Miranda's problem on Illium gave Liara more time to do some digging; find out why Marin was still after Eira and who he was working for. If he had those answers, he could at least go to Eira with a plan.
Rounding the corner, Shepard saw Miranda fussing over her pistol as she leaned near the airlock door. Tali stood nearby…talking to Eira.
Oh for fuck's sake…
Eira saw him approaching and smiled brightly, though he could tell she was trying to rein it in. It was enough to draw a small smirk from him.
"Ah, Commander!" Tali piped joyfully, her hand on her hip, "Are we ready?"
"Yes, I'd hoped we'd have met with my contact by now," Miranda said as she glanced nervously at her omni-tool's clock.
"Of course, lead the way, Miranda."
She nodded, punching in the commands that began unlocking the doors. Tali followed her wordlessly, sneaking a playful wink at Shepard.
He cleared his throat, "I'll be right there."
Shepard turned to Eira, who watched her comrades leave with poorly concealed sadness.
"You're still on the mend," Shepard said softly, "I didn't want to risk your health by dragging you out on a mission too early."
Eira nodded, forcing a smile, "Of course…"
She looked forward, gaze fixed on the doors Tali and Miranda had just passed through. Shepard watched her closely.
She'd improved under Chakwas's care, despite not being the most obedient patient. Bruises and scrapes had faded and healed; and he knew from Chakwas that her headaches were not as frequent. He still worried that the revelations that came from Pragia weighed heavily on her though. Seeing her after her fight with Jack…it was unsettling. She was so angry with herself, so defeated...
"Hey…Eira…"
He wrestled with his doubts before tentatively reaching out and lightly touching her shoulder, hoping to reassure her.
Her gaze flicked to him immediately. He could tell she was surprised but she made no attempt to shake free of his touch.
If one good thing came from her fight with Jack it was this, being more open and honest with her. While he couldn't speak for her, he'd felt a weight lift from him after their chat in the med-bay. He felt as though anger had left the tension between them. What was left was…
Eira smiled and he suddenly found it hard to consider anything around them. All he saw was the full curve of her lips, so enticing and kissable, the shine of her eyes, and the curve of her neck…
"I'm just feeling stir-crazy," she said with a sigh, "I want to be of use. I…can I go on the next mission?"
Shepard lowered his hand and gave a groan.
Omega was next.
Eira pouted, "Shepard…please…"
He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away from her, unsure what to say.
Crestfallen, Eira crossed her arms and looked at the ground, "Alright…"
She turned to leave and Shepard quickly stopped her, grabbing her arm.
"Eira…don't be like that…"
She stubbornly refused to look at him.
"The next mission…is going to be very dangerous," Shepard said carefully.
Eira's expression soured and she jerked away from him.
"And you think I can't handle it?" she snipped, brow furrowed.
Shepard sighed, his chest painfully tight.
He reached out and brushed his fingers against her forearm, fighting against the urge to grab her and hold her but strangely desperate for even the smallest bit of contact.
"You can," he admitted in a whisper, "I just…care…and I-I'd feel a lot better if you sat it out."
Eira eyed him suspiciously as she mulled over his words.
He could hardly fault her for the doubt she felt.
"You want me to sit out this one and the next…"
Shepard nodded.
"Please just…trust me. I'll take you planet-side again, I promise, Eira."
Eira grumbled under her breath, her gaze shifting between Shepard and the airlock.
"Okay," she relented, though she was clearly not thrilled to, "I guess its okay…"
"Thank you," he said with a smile, "I promise the next one –
"I know," she said with a nod, "it's 'very dangerous'."
"It is."
She looked up at him, eyes strangely sad.
"This entire mission is, Shepard. I don't want to just sit aboard the Normandy for all of it; I want to be trusted to actually help."
"I trust you, Eira," he glanced at the airlock, "Miranda's probably steaming, I should go…"
"Of course, commander."
"We can talk more when I get back, alright? In the meantime, maybe see if Garrus or Chakwas need some help."
Eira nodded, "I suppose I owe Chakwas after how miserable I was to her these last few days…"
Shepard chuckled, "You're stubborn…but she's dealt with worse – me."
He managed to coax a smirk from her at that and he rejoiced, reinvigorated by the sight of it on her lips.
"Take care," he said with a grin, turning to head through the airlock.
Eira's voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Shepard?"
He stopped and turned, startled by how strangely quiet her voice was.
"Be safe."
He smiled at her, his heart beating wildly.
"Of course."
"Do you have last week's medical report for the engineering crew's check-ins in that pile, Eira?"
She flipped through the data pads she had in front of her and frowned.
"Sorry, Chakwas, I don't see anything mentioning the engineering crew."
For a doctor, Eira found Chakwas to be strangely disorganized; though she admitted the woman hid it awfully well.
"None of these files are backed up through EDI?"
Chakwas sighed, "I hadn't gotten to that particular report, and Operative Lawson had requested to review it prior to my submission of it."
Eira shrugged and continued with the task she had been assigned, "We'll ask her when she returns then."
Chakwas dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand.
"I'm not delaying any longer just so that woman can review my work needlessly – fetch it for me, will you?"
"Uh, pardon?"
Chakwas looked up from her desk, "It's likely in her office, by her desk no doubt."
Eira paled, "Miranda will flay me alive if she knows I was in her office when she was off the ship! Chakwas…"
"Nonsense, just pop in, grab it and leave. It will take four seconds. And if Miranda has a bone to pick with you as a result she can address her concerns to me," Chakwas frowned, "I do not have the patience to deal with her bluster today."
"Chakwas –
"Please, Eira," she said with an exasperated sigh as she looked up from her work, pronounced circles under her eyes, "I need –
Eira stood, "Alright! If Miranda finds out I'm sending her your way…"
She left the med-bay without waiting for a response, crossing the mess hall briskly so as to get it done and over with. Unsurprisingly, Miranda's office door was locked, but a quick request to EDI had them opened in a flash.
Eira stepped into Miranda's office and immediately felt uneasy. It was crisp and clean, very much how she'd imagine the space to be. The desk was positioned right in front of the door and as she rounded it, she spotted a few data-pads on it.
"Damnit…"
She sighed, looking down at them with her hands on her hips.
Her gaze fell upon one that stood out from the others. It was on top, likely the last viewed and someone had done a sloppy job of repairing the cracked backing and chipped screen, using what appeared to be electrical tape to cover the fractures.
Her curiosity flared to life as she held it in her hands. It clearly wasn't what Chakwas was looking for, so she should pass it by, and yet she was compelled to tap the screen. It flickered to life and she was surprised to find it had been left unlocked and opened onto a screen. It must have been the last viewed by its owner, she surmised.
She knew she should put it down and leave. It would be easy enough to merely tell Chakwas she was unable to find the exact one; maybe the doctor would have better luck finding it.
But something on the screen caught her attention and she read on despite her better judgement.
[…]I have to warn you though; you are not the only one asking about Eira. One of my most trusted agents (the only one to bring me anything concrete) encountered difficulties in the Sahrabarik system in the form of an assassin. On his body, my agent recovered a data-pad recently wiped. I was only able to retrieve fragments but they are alarming […]
It was…about her.
Shepard had found something out from his contact? They'd just spoken, why had he said nothing?
Eira read on.
[…] it's imperative that we get a lead on the target. The boss is getting impatient, and Marin is laying on the heat. Current reports have her in the company of Commander Shepard, who is in the employ of Cerberus […]
Eira clutched the data-pad tight, as if her life depended on it.
Someone was after her? Marin was alive?
Confusion and anger rose in her like a wave. She felt her biotic energy simmering just under the surface of her skin, her willpower the only thing reining it in.
She felt the lingering pressure of Shepard's hand on her shoulder, saw the small smirk he'd given her that made her stomach aflutter…
She trembled as she struggled to process what she had before her.
Why?