Mass Effect 30 Day Challenge: Day 20
Prompt 20: MaleShep or FemShep? Why?
SPOILERS: Mass Effect 2
Title: Resurrection
Derelict Reaper, Thorne System, 2185 CE
"This place gives me the creeps," Kasumi muttered as she knelt down and grabbed a pair of thermal clips.
"It's a dead Reaper," Garrus pointed out, catching a clip as she tossed it to him. "Did you think it would give you… what is it Joker calls them? Warm furries?"
"Warm fuzzies," Kara Shepard said, checking her own weapons. "And no, a derelict Reaper definitely would NOT give anyone the warm fuzzies. Hence all these recordings of scientists going crazy." She gestured to one of the consoles against a nearby wall. She shook her head. "The things Cerberus does to their people."
"It is pretty messed up," Kasumi nodded, leaning against the wall as Shepard began bypassing a wallsafe. "They did bring you back all right though Shep."
"And good thing too," Garrus said. "If they'd brought you back wrong…"
Shepard raised an eyebrow. "Like how? Like an undead monstrosity?"
Kasumi shivered. "Ooh, zombies, I hate those. I'm glad you aren't a zombie."
"Zombies aren't real," Garrus gave Kasumi a withering look.
"Husks are plenty real," Shepard replied, connecting the last two pieces of code before the safe swung open. "That's a zombie if I ever saw one."
"Sure," Kasumi nodded, fiddling with one of the consoles. "But they aren't really intent on a hunger for brains, they just want to eat your face."
Garrus shook his head. "Humans," he muttered. "I meant that considering the tech they used, Cerberus probably brought you back from nothing but some moldy bones and random DNA. What if they had screwed it up somehow?"
"You mean, bring her back almost the same but not quite?" Kasumi chimed in, dark eyes glittering. "Tell me Shep, are you behaving in ways that your Old Self would? Or have things changed?"
Shepard smirked. "I AM frequently overcome with the urge to punch a certain Turian in the face. I suppose that's new."
"That's not the only urge you have around me Shepard," Garrus smirked back, holstering his sniper rifle.
"Imagine if they'd just missed one thing," Kasumi mused, deliberately ignoring the blatant flirtation of her teammates. "Like the wrong eye color, or with red hair instead of blonde…" she trailed off, and then laughed. "What if they'd brought you back as a man?"
Shepard grimaced. "That sounds unpleasant," she said, closing the wallsafe and heading for the door in the far wall. They advanced forward, but the hallway was clear of hostiles. "That would just be all kinds of wrong."
"Come on," Garrus said, mirth in his voice. "Human males and females aren't THAT different. You'd still be able to save the galaxy, still throw a mean warp, still headshot a merc from across the room, still wouldn't be able to dance."
Shepard gave Garrus a look. "Would YOU be okay with waking up some day as a Turian Female?"
Garrus chuckled and checked his rifle again as they moved down the hallway. "Fair enough," he said. "Though from what I've seen of your species Shepard, you have far more in common with the men around you than the women."
"That's just a soldier thing," Shepard shrugged, checking her tech armor. "Everyone's bros with everyone. It's part of being a marine."
"So you wouldn't have to change much!" Kasumi pointed out, and Shepard caught sight of a grin under her dark hood. "You could still shoot, still curse, and hey, you'd never have to wear that dress again!"
"I'm still never going to forgive you for that," Shepard growled as the opened up the next door and inspected the next long corridor for hostiles. Still nothing. This really was getting creepy.
"I know that a certain Asari would still have a thing for you regardless of your gender," Garrus said, still smirking.
Kasumi giggled while Shepard rolled her eyes. "Don't remind me," she said. "I love Liara like a sister, but that's it. And she knows it."
"And hates it from the sound of it," Kasumi teased. "Don't they say every species goes for the Asari? Why not Liara, Shep?"
Shepard shrugged and paused just before the next doorway, staring somewhat blankly at the floor. "I guess I wasn't ready to get close to anyone back then," she said. "When I met her, I mean." She glanced over at Garrus, whose smirk had faded. "And by the time things had changed? Well, there was someone else."
"And he would have MANY problems with you coming back from the dead as a man," Garrus said, moving ahead of her and giving the pair a wink. "Sorry Commander. I prefer you as a female."
Shepard laughed and shook her head, pressing the seal on the door ahead to open it. "Believe me," she said. "That makes two of us."
*
Answer: Femshep
Mostly a silly little drabblefic, but it's all true. I've pretty much always played as femshep, which makes sense, being female in meatspace and all that, but even with my limited experience with manshep I prefer playing femshep. In my headcanon, it's hard to imagine Shepard as anything but female. Not to mention, how badly do we need more strong female characters in fiction, especially science fiction? SO badly. I love the idea of the added heroism of not just a human saving the galaxy, but a female human.
Also, Jennifer Hale is an amazing voice actress.
Team Femshep all the way.