Mass Effect 30 Day Challenge: Day 22

Prompt 22: Favourite Book

SPOILERS: Mass Effect 3

Escapism

Normandy SR-2, Shepard's Cabin, en-route to Rannoch, 2186 CE

"Had enough Commander?" Samantha Traynor gave Shepard a smirk as she moved her queen into a checkmate position on the holographic chess board.

Shepard sighed and leaned backwards on the couch. "In my defense," she said, holding up a hand. "I haven't been sleeping lately."

Traynor nodded. "Of course, that's what it is," she said, a touch of mirth in her voice. She pressed a button to deactivate the chess program. "I won't embarrass you any more then."

"Don't get too cocky," Shepard said to the comm. specialist, standing up and stretching. "I haven't played chess in a while. Give me the chance to warm up and I'll crush you."

"Uh-huh," Traynor chuckled. "I believe you." She picked up her datapad and made to exit Shepard's cabin, but stopped as she passed the desk, a look of surprise on her face. "Commander, I didn't know you collected books."

Shepard followed Traynor up the steps and stood slightly behind the young woman, who was gently picking up one of the old paper volumes she kept next to her computer terminal. "Didn't think I was the type?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Traynor colored slightly. "I didn't mean…" she held the book in her hand as if it were made of solid gold. "I just… most soldiers aren't much for literature Commander."

Shepard shrugged. "At ease, Specialist. Most aren't. But I wasn't always a soldier." She leaned past Traynor and picked up another one of the old volumes, most of them with yellowed pages and cracked spines. "And if you spend enough time around soldiers, you'll find that we like to keep around relics of our past."

Traynor gently opened the book she held and stared at it. "This is an original Heinlein," she said, her brown eyes wide. "From the Twentieth Century. It must be worth a fortune."

She passed the book to Shepard, who studied it with a smile. "And I wouldn't sell it for all the credits in the world," she said. "It's a family heirloom. My Dad gave it to me the day I enlisted, just like his father did to him. The Shepard family has a long line of bookworms."

Traynor laughed. "I honestly never would have guessed!"

"Few would," Shepard shrugged, gently putting the copy of Starship Troopers back on the thin shelf. "But I grew up a Spacer kid. Those first few years on space stations, I was a loner. Only child, awkward, bad with the other kids, and my parents wouldn't let me on the extranet. So I'd read their old books."

"They're certainly old," Traynor shook her head in wonderment, picking up another one of the old volumes. "Most places won't sell paper books anymore."

"Most of them are passed down from family," Shepard said, leaning against her desk and picking up one of the other books. "This one came from my mother."

Traynor took it and studied it. She laughed again. "Shakespeare. Really Commander?"

"I used to hate it when I was in high school," Shepard shrugged. "But I picked it up again after I enlisted. Sometimes when you want to get away from training, the best escapism is in stories of magic and intrigue."

"I can imagine," Traynor murmured, putting the book back on the shelf. She picked up another and gave Shepard an amused look. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban? You have to be joking."

Shepard smiled, no trace of embarrassment on her face. "Not in the slightest," she said. "I have a complete set of the series. I read them when I was in middle school."

Traynor smiled. "I always figured the great Commander Shepard would be more for reading the old science fiction classics," she said. "Asimov, Heinlein, Philip K. Dick, Vonnegut, books like that."

"Oh I did," Shepard nodded. "But I read a lot, and when you live in space, what's going to be more of an escape? Stories about space or stories about wizards?"

Traynor shrugged. "Understandable." She squinted at row of books. "I thought you said you had the entire set of Harry Potter books? The first two are missing."

Shepard chuckled. "That's because I lent them to Garrus."

Traynor blinked. "And he didn't laugh in your face?"

"Hey, I didn't think he'd like them either," Shepard smiled. "But I gave him the first one a couple of weeks ago, and then he asked for the second one, and he hasn't said anything about it since. Except that he guesses it's all right, for a story about a bunch of adolescent humans who know how to do magic tricks."

"That would explain it," Traynor mused, staring down at the books.

"What?" Shepard asked, tilting her head in confusion.

Traynor giggled. "A few days ago I went down to the Main Battery to drop off some rations – Officer Vakarian requested meals on the job – and when I went in he was reading something, but he hid it under the workbench before I could see it."

Shepard laughed and shook her head. "And people wonder why I love him."

Traynor smiled at the Commander, then reached over and pulled out a slim volume that looked older and more worn than all the others. "What about this one?" she asked.

Shepard's eyes softened as she took it from Traynor. "This one," she said softly. "This one's my favourite."

Traynor cocked her head to study the front cover. She blinked. "Watership Down?"

Shepard nodded and gently opened the yellowed volume, scanning the pages without really reading the words. "It was a gift for my tenth birthday. My Dad, he picked it up from a dealer back on Earth when he was away on assignment. After he got back my Mom went out on a six month tour, so every night he'd sit up with me and we'd read it together."

Traynor blinked again. "When you were ten?" she said. "It's really not a children's book."

Shepard smiled and shook her head. "It really isn't," she said. "But my Dad and I were close. He could already tell I wanted to carry on the family profession, even when I was that young. So he found me as many stories as he could about soldiers, even if the soldiers were anthropomorphic rabbits."

Traynor nodded slowly. "I've read it," she said. "But I never would have guessed it was your favourite Commander."

"Few would," Shepard shrugged again. She opened the front cover and looked at the faint pen markings scrawled across the title page. "But it has been for years."

Traynor leaned over the Commander's shoulder again. "'To Kara,'" she read the inscription. "'Something to read together. Happy Birthday. I love you. Dad.'"

Shepard closed the book and gently returned it to the shelf. "My Dad taught me a lot about being a leader," she said. "And a lot of it came from books. That book?" she pointed at the crumbling volume with the rabbit on the cover. "That was the last book we read together before he died."

Traynor stood awkwardly next to the desk. "I'm sorry Commander," she said.

Shepard waved a hand. "It was a long time ago," she said. "Right after Akuze. I went home for some shore leave and he suggested we read it again, for old time's sake, while I was there to visit. Even over a decade later, it was just as good, meant just as much." Her eyes hardened and she looked away from the small collection of books. "He passed away two months after I went back for my next assignment. I read the book every year on his birthday. At least I try to."

Traynor continued to stand awkwardly. She was at a loss for words.

Shepard leaned against her desk again and stared blankly at her fish tank. "Loyalty. Honesty. Friendship. Honor. Perseverance. Survival." She shook her head and smiled sadly. "I know it's just a silly book about rabbits in the end, but Watership Down taught me more about life than anything else I've ever done, seen or read." She sighed and sat down at her desk, picking the book up again. "It's a comfort, especially now."

Traynor nodded again. The Commander opened the book and looked down at the inscription, and the comm. specialist decided it would be best to take her leave.

"Thank you Commander," she said, saluting. "Let me know if you ever want a rematch."

"Of course," Shepard said without looking up. As Traynor left the Commander's cabin, she saw Shepard smile sadly again and, gently turning to the first page, begin to read.

Answer: Watership Down by Richard Adams

Credit to my boyfriend Jeff for helping me brainstorm books that Kara Shepard would potentially consider her favourites. And credit to my friend Caitlin for the Garrus reading Harry Potter idea. It was too amusing not to put in. Hopefully he'll stay off the extranet, I don't think he's ready to know what Shipping is.

I know the prompt is technically for favourite book in the series, but since we're kind of bending the rules in this fanfic interpretation of the challenge, I thought writing about Shep's books would be far more interesting, especially since she shares my love of dusty old tomes and books as mementos.