Author's notes can be found on my blog. Copy and paste this into your browser: (http:/)toomuchbrainfart(.)blogspot(.)com(/)2012(/)05(/)from-ashes-chapter-2(.)html (just remove the parenthesis so this doesn't get marked as spam. xD
Please read it I put a bunch of time and effort into it and don't want it all to be for naught because I put it on my blog. :D
Reviews are welcomed! Just a shoutout to one review in particular, chrizzle88 expressed interest in Shepard's internal strife. O yes, be VERY interested in that, it's a major part of this story as you will soon see. Answers will come in the next chapter though. :P (I'll be answering reviews of the previous chapters on my blog in the author's notes section just an fyi... another reason to go check it out!)
This is the second chapter of my From the Ashes story. From the Ashes is a continuation of the plot of my ME3 ending story A Little Ship Lost in Space. Just so you go into this story with no confusion, please read that one first! Thanks!
People looking for another chapter of No is for Naga, I got a little bit of a writers block, please forgive me! I'll be getting a chapter out soon though!
Bioware owns everything but the story... that's mine... I think (and hope).
BEEP BEEP BEEP
Shepard shut off the alarm at his desk. Liara began to stir. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and picked her head off of Shepard's chest.
"Did you sleep ok?" She asked him.
"I didn't sleep."
"Oh Shepard." Liara hugged him and gave him a kiss. "You never told me what the dream was about. I'm all ears."
"No, I was thinking it over during the night. I'm fine."
"Jack, I'm here to help."
"No." Shepard got up. "I said I figured it out, and that's that."
He went to pull clothes on while Liara slowly got out of bed.
"Is something the matter?" She asked, approaching him and putting a hand on his shoulder. Shepard shrugged her hand off.
"Liara. I said its fine, stop dwelling on it." He pulled on a shirt. He turned and looked at Liara. She looked like she saw something wrong.
"You're sure that you're ok?" She asked after a moment's hesitation. She ventured her hand back out to Shepard's shoulder. He shrugged off the hand yet again.
"I'm fine."
Once clothed, Shepard walked off without saying anything else.
Liara made her way down the elevator. Her mind raced. What is wrong with Shepard? Was it something I did? I should have stayed up with him after that nightmare. The elevator doors opened and Liara strolled onto the crew quarters level. She made her way to the kitchen. Garrus, Tali, and Javik were seated at the table eating breakfast.
"Just admit it; our 'primitive' cycle was better than yours because you were never able to beat the Reapers." Garrus teased.
"And yet I still stand here. You used the crucible to defeat the Reapers, which was of Prothean design. All your technology is based off of ours. Cease trying to look tough in front of the Quarian before I make you look like the fool that you are." Javik responded.
"Oh but he's my fool." Tali laughed. She hugged Garrus. Everyone then took notice of Liara, who had walked in rather depressed.
"Good morning Liara." Garrus and Tali greeted their friend. Javik eyed her suspiciously.
"The asari is not well, she is depressed. Was it because of the Commander?"
Liara did not answer. Tali stood up and went over to her. "Are you ok Liara?"
She let out a sigh. "I don't know. Last night he said he had a nightmare like the ones he was having when fighting the Reapers. This morning he was just... different." Liara opened the refrigerator. "Does anyone know where he even is?"
Tali shook her head. Garrus walked up to the two.
"I didn't see him at all."
"Commander Shepard took a shuttle approximately one hour ago off the ship headed for Earth." EDI's voice sounded overhead.
Liara looked up. "Thanks EDI." She closed the refrigerator without taking anything out. "I need to go find him." She began to make her way past Garrus and Tali.
"No you don't." Garrus stopped her. "I'll go find him. You should eat something." He went to his room to put on things suitable for outside.
"And I'll make sure that you actually eat." Tali put a reassuring hand on Liara's shoulder. She rummaged something out of the fridge and brought Liara and the food over to the table. She put the food in front of Liara and made her sit down.
"Now eat."
Liara did as she was told.
"In my cycle, a simple touch was all that was needed to convey feelings and to make sense of social situations." Javik stated. "I wonder how you manage."
Tali looked up at Javik.
"Shut up Javik, you're not helping." The annoyance in her voice apparent even to the most primitive minds, Javik folded his arms and faced the other direction.
Garrus, who was just exiting his room now all suited up, began to clap on his way out.
"That's my girl."
Shepard sat on a warehouse dock looking out on the Vancouver bay. He watched as a destroyer shot a deactivated Reaper to bits. A just revenge for the one we lost when I was last here. The Reaper's data had been downloaded for study, and Shepard wondered what it would tell them. His thoughts turned back to Liara, and how much of a jerk that he was to her that morning. Shepard had decided that he needed some time to clear his head and promptly went off the ship to be uninterrupted. He heard footsteps behind him. So much for behind uninterrupted.
"You know, it'd be wise not to make your bond mate who's also the Shadow Broker worried where you are." Shepard turned his head to see Garrus standing behind him. "If Tali hadn't stopped her, she would have sent every agent she had available on a search for you Shepard. She's barely ate anything and she paces the halls. We can't let her near any tech or datapads because she'll just hack them and contact her agents."
Shepard did not respond. Garrus moved up to sit next to Shepard.
"What's wrong Shepard?" He asked.
Shepard still did not answer. He just didn't want to hear it. Turning his attention to the destroyer, he could see that it had shot several holes into the Reaper corpse. Garrus grabbed Shepard's shoulder and brought his face closer.
"Shepard, listen to me. Liara is worried sick about you. First last night you complain about a nightmare that you had during the Reapers, and then this morning you totally buzz her off. She deserves an explanation... We deserve an explanation." Shepard sighed. "Talk to me Shepard. We can help you." Garrus pleaded.
Shepard looked down at his feet for a moment. After a small pause, Shepard turned and looked at Garrus.
"You can only help me if we know what the problem is. But I have no idea what's wrong." He looked away immediately and got up. He began to walk away.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Garrus stood up as well and began to follow him. After a few steps Shepard stopped.
"The Reapers attempted to indoctrinate me Garrus. They used an image of a little boy as their front to convert me. But that was before I activated the crucible. Last night I saw that kid again." He turned to Garrus, an almost desperate look in his eyes. "The Reapers are dead Garrus; I don't know why I'm still seeing him!" He pointed to the Reaper corpse in the bay. "Look, they sit helpless while we pummel them! They're dead! But then what is wrong with me?" He grabbed his head in anguish.
Garrus didn't know what to say. "At least come back to the Normandy. So we know that you're safe. We can figure it out there."
"Safe from what?" Shepard challenged. "The only thing I'm worried about is inside of me, I can't find a safe place from that."
"But you have friends that will watch over and help you Shepard. At least it's better than nothing."
Shepard calmed down with a deep breath. The destroyer finished up with its target and powered it's engines to move on to another Reaper. Garrus took notice of this.
"Look the shows over here anyway, let's go." Garrus began to walk. Shepard followed Garrus at a rather slow pace. Nonetheless he boarded the shuttle with a patient Garrus and they set off back for the Normandy.
Shepard stood in the comm room waiting for Hackett to connect. Hackett had sent Shepard an email telling him to contact him immediately. Upon seeing the email, Shepard went straight to the comm room, he would not let personal matters get in the way of his duty. Liara was working in the war room next door. When he had first entered he had tried to apologize to her. She had simply told him that she needed some time alone. I already gave you a lot of time alone when I was gone. Shepard rubbed his temples. The stress must be getting to me. Hackett appeared on the comm unit.
"Commander, good to see you, we have discovered a breakthrough. We have figured out how the mass relays work."
Shepard did not hide his surprise. "So quickly? How do you know for sure that's how they work?"
"When you have the minds that were working on the crucible working on this, it's no surprise how fast they figured it out. And with respect to the accuracy of their theories, so far the theories have held through in all of our tests."
Shepard crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Tests?"
Hackett got nervous. "We built scale models."
Shepard did not buy it. "Building a 'scale model' of a mass relay takes a lot of time Hackett. I call bullshit. You reactivated the Charon relay didn't you?"
Hackett avoided Shepard's eyes. "Now Commander, there are a lot of people here that want to go-"
"No!" Shepard banged his fists on the console. "We are not going to be using Reaper technology anymore!" He pointed his finger menacingly at Hackett. "We are finding our own ways home. We can't succumb to laziness. We can't let the Reapers have any influence over us at all!"
Hackett crossed his arms. "I see you are tired Shepard, and I know you didn't want reconstruction duty, but you do not talk to a superior officer like that!"
"I'm a spectre. Why don't you look at where that fits into your stupid ranks."
"Shepard! This-" Hackett never got to finish his statement as Shepard cut the line of communication. I should have done that to the council back then… Shepard stormed past Liara in a huff.
"I'm going to bed." He muttered as he left the room.
Shepard lay in bed. He didn't check the time, and he listened to the muffled sounds of the aquarium water. Part of him didn't want to go to bed as he just felt like he would have another nightmare. However another part of him wanted to sleep due to the lack of sleep from the previous night. His mind began to wander and he waited to see if Liara would eventually come up to the room. She always forgets to sleep and eat when she gets into Shadow Broker mode. Shepard was tempted to go get her, but he remembered her statement previous that she needed time alone. Shepard went back to listening to the aquarium. Eventually the latter part of him won over and Shepard fell asleep.
Shepard stood in a forest of burnt trees. Voices of his dead comrades all echoed around. A small distance away, Shepard could see a little boy hunched on the ground. I know this. The boy shivered from fear. Shepard ran to comfort the boy, but the boy ran away from Shepard before he could get to him. The boy disappeared behind a tree. The voices of his comrades got louder and louder. The boy reappeared in a different spot.
Instead of running over, Shepard stayed where he was. Time to change things up.
"Hey you!" He pointed to the boy. "I'm not going to play you're petty little game. If you want to taunt me, come over and do it to my face."
The boy disappeared.
"I don't have to play by your rules Shepard." The voice boomed overhead. "So many rules set up in your head. Don't kill the innocent, love thy neighbor, do what's best for the universe."
The boy materialized behind Shepard.
"So paragon... ever feel a need for the other side? Ever need some balance in your life?"
Shepard turned around and faced the boy. This time the boy towered over him, his glowing yellow eyes staring at him in hatred. "Here's what I say to your rules!" The boy lifted his foot and brought it down on Shepard.
Shepard woke up with a jolt. It took a moment for his senses to work, but once they did Shepard realized that he was on the floor half naked. The sweat from his body and the floor gave him shivers. Liara knelt over him, her face displaying the most intense worry.
"Shepard talk to me, are you alright?"
Shepard brought his body up.
"No." He managed to get out before he began to break down. Liara threw her arms around him and began to cry too.
They stayed together for a few moments. Shepard tried to pull away but Liara did not let go.
"I need to wash my face. I'm still in a daze."
"I'll be right behind you."
Shepard did not protest and they went into the bathroom. Shepard splashed some water on his face. When he was done he turned back. Liara grabbed his right hand.
"Shepard, let me merge with you and see what you saw." She put her hand on his cheek. "Let me help you."
"Showing you will not help." Shepard began to walk back to the bed.
"You can share the pain with me." Liara stopped him at the stairs. "I'm your bond mate. Let me help you... I love you." She caught him and kissed his cheek. "Let me at least try."
Shepard thought for a moment. He then nodded. Liara led him to the couch where both sat down. She grabbed his hands and looked into his eyes.
"Now clear your mind, Embrace Eternity!"
The room peeled away until just the two of them were alone in the dark void. Liara put her arms around his chest.
"Now show me." She commanded. Shepard nodded.
In the darkness the boy's face appeared, on fire and with its glowing yellow eyes full of hatred. Liara felt Shepard's body tense. Like little whispers at first the boy's voice began repeating what he had said before. They grew louder and louder.
"Hello Shepard, miss me?"
"You have never won on the inside."
"I don't play by your rules Shepard."
"So many rules set up in your head."
"Don't kill the innocent, love thy neighbor, do what's best for the universe."
"So paragon... ever feel the need for the other side? Ever need some balance in your life?"
"Here's what I say to your rules."
Faster and faster, louder and louder the boy repeated the lines. Liara couldn't take it any longer. Her grip on him began to loosen. Shepard realized that it needed to stop.
"ENOUGH!"
With a swipe of his hand, the boy disappeared. Only the quiet sound of laughing could be heard. Then both consciousnesses went back into their own bodies.
Shepard opened his eyes. Upon seeing Liara, he looked away in shame.
"All the time the boy is in my head. I don't know why, and I don't know how. I-"
Liara put her arms around Shepard. She put a finger to his lips.
"Shhhhh." She said and brought her lips to his.
"You are the strongest person I know Shepard." She said once their lips parted. "I love you so much."
Shepard sighed. "Liara I'm not going to go to sleep."
Liara smiled. "Well there are better things we could do."
With that, she removed her top and brought her lips to Shepard's again.
Once they had kissed long enough, Shepard brought his lips all over her body, searching for just the right spot as Liara took off his remaining clothes.
Liara stopped and made him pause. She looked at Shepard. "In the morning we will see Dr. Chakwas ok?"
Shepard murmured something of an approval. Then both picked up where they left off, consummating their love in a fit of passion lasting the whole night.