Missions continued, and no word came from Jack. The Reapers were still rampaging, though casualties against them slowed. Tactics were adapting, survivors getting used to what they were fighting, and help coming from unexpected quarters as what the universe knew as Shepard's Alliance began coming through on it's promises.
But the war came closer to home. Deals were made with the most unexpected of allies. The organized crime rackets made their own alliances, and presented themselves to Shepard, able and willing, ready to serve the armies of Life.
The crew were feeling the pressure. Though nobody out and said it, they were losing. Though nobody called him on it, Shepard was wearing down. Nobody wanted to bring more burden, but the war demanded it.
"The Rachni?" Ashley said for the eighth time since boarding the shuttle. "You let a Rachni queen walk?"
"It was the right thing to do." Shepard argued as they hung up their weapons.
"Of course it was, but if anybody had found that out, you never would have made it off the Citadel ever again..."
"Then it's a good thing nobody found out." Shepard returned.
EDI interrupted. "Commander, we have mission reports and latest updates coming in from the front lines.
Ashley peeked out of the corner of her eye as Shepard aged five years. "Bump it to my terminal." He told EDI.
The War Room was getting busier every day. As new members of the Last Alliance were added, they sent representatives. Shepard practically lived there now. Getting the casualty list on his Omni-tool was his one concession to the Doctor's repeated urges to get him out of the War Room for a while.
Ashley brought him coffee. She had quietly switched him to decaf before he hurt himself; and he hadn't noticed. "Y'know, Chakwas mentioned that relying on adrenaline to get you through instead of sleep can cause psychotic episodes."
Shepard indicated the report he was reading. "The Turians are still holding back. If they'd sent the entire sixth fleet, the casualty rates coming from earth would be so much lower."
"The Turians are gonna watch the Krogan. You can't overcome centuries of engrained training overnight."
"Watch me." Shepard said automatically. "I get the Krogan to send some of their forces to the earth perimeter, and the Turian will follow to back up the forces they already have there. Now I just gotta find them transport."
"Aria?"
"Who else could smuggle a huge team of angry Krogan past a blockade as tight as the Reapers?"
Ashley couldn't help the smile. "I love watching the gears turning."
Shepard tapped the report. "Yeah, I bet the guys on this list can't wait to buy me a drink."
"John..." Ashley started to say kindly.
"We have to figure out a better communication line so that we get this news faster..."
"Faster than Quantum level?"
"I'll put EDI on it. Maybe her new brain gave her a few ideas... But we can't let this go on. The casualty rates are at over 55%. You know what that is in real numbers? You break that down, and in the time it took us to get from the shuttle to the War Room we lost over ei-"
"All right, come on." Williams cut him off, and dragged him back toward his room.
She took him as far as the elevator, before hitting the stop button. Sealed in the motionless elevator, Ashley spoke. "This is what happens when I stay away too long." She said quietly. "You start to forget you can't save them all."
"I can try."
"You'll burn out." Ashley said, reaching out gently, cupping his face between her hands. "John, listen to me now. I know you. You'll weep for every name on every casualty list, and you'll wonder how many of them you should have been able to save. I know you: You become all things to all people. When the crew needed inspiration, you inspired. When someone needs money you provide it. When someone lacks food, you find it. When someone needs a wall torn down, you go. When someone needs a war won, you fight. But you can't save everyone." Her face softened, and she leaned forward, kissing him gently. "But God as my witness, I do love watching you try."
Shepard smiled a little at last.
They were silent for a long time that way. Like things used to be.
After a while, EDI's voice piped in. "Shepard, Jeff has completed his full spectrum scan. There has been no transmission."
Shepard sighed. "Understood."
"She might just not call in." Ashley said finally. "I know we're not... John, she strikes me as the type to come and go like a stray cat."
"Not that your objectivity is compromised or anything." Shepard teased, his tone lighter than it had been in days.
"Well, I won't deny that... But am I wrong?"
Shepard sighed. "No. She's done it once already. But then, she's in good company there." He said, a little pointed.
Ashley flushed. "Had to bring that up again."
"Sorry."
"Hey, I walked away, I'll grant that. It was two years since our last conversation. I was just... surprised." Ashley admitted. "You wanted to move on, you could have found a nice cuddly chainsaw and played it safer..."
"Ash."
Ashley waved that off. "Sorry, that was unfair. I don't... I just don't see it. Whatever you see in her, I don't see it. I walked away, I'll grant that; I did. I was just surprised that you... look, she's unstable, she's impulsive, she's dangerous, and frankly, I'm a whole lot hotter than she is."
"ASH!"
"John, you cannot be surprised by this reaction. First impressions are hard to shake, and the first impression Jack gives..."
"Is not necessarily wrong." Shepard conceded. "Ash, nobody sees it. There's a reason for that. But I see it, and that's because she wanted me to. If I see it and you don't then that's the way she wants it."
Williams looked down. "Thing is… the first impression I gave... I had a lot of fences to mend here. Funny thing, but most of it came from turning you down on Horizon."
"Hey, you know how it is." Shepard told her. "Band of Brothers right? Then you went and let us go to war without you."
Ashley bit her lip. "It was you who broke with me Skip. With the Alliance. Not by choice, I know that, but I had orders. I didn't have details, and it really wasn't the time for a sit down, was it?"
"No, I guess not." Shepard conceded. "But… If you had come back from the dead, and asked me to come with you? I would have done it."
Ashley just looked at him. "We both did, once."
Silence.
Ashley sighed. "We could have been great. Timing, you know? I looked at you and Jack, and I wondered what the hell you two could have after a few weeks together while the whole galaxy chased you and everything was burning all around you... but then it hit me: That's exactly what we had, isn't it?"
Shepard almost laughed. "Guess so. At least at first."
"Timing Skipper. We had everything we needed except timing. If we had that sorted out a year ago, we'd probably be married by now." Ashley drained her coffee, and rose to leave. "Yes, by the way. The answer was yes."
"What was the question?"
"When you asked me if things had been different, if Cerberus had resurrected me and not you, if I had come back from the dead on Horizon… yes, you would have come with me." She shrugged. "Is it too late to say I'm sorry for not doing the same?"
"Never."
Ashley squeezed his hand. "I should have come with you. I'm sorry."
"I stopped being mad a long time ago."
"I know." She squeezed his hand again. "Good night Skipper. Try to sleep."
Shepard went back to his room, pulled off his jacket, and sat on his bed to get his boots off, when the intercom chimed. "Commander! We're getting a signal!"
Sighing, Shepard got up and grabbed his jacket.
Ashley met him on the way to the bridge. "Joker, are we sure it's her?"
"The message is text only, but the frequency is exact. She sent co-ordinates and a message."
"What does the message say?"
"EDI?"
EDI translated. "It says: 'Zero calling Williams. Bring your favorite boy-toy. Cerberus is here! Bring lots of guns, and more booze.'"
"It's her." Shepard and Ashley said in the same breath.
"Message continues: 'Civilians and Children in danger. John, Teltin rises.'"
Shepard froze. "Joker, set a course."
The Team got ready, getting weapons together, gathering their gear.
Shepard briefed them on the way in. "We know that Cerberus has an interest in capturing young biotics. The younger the better, so that they can be studied and experimented on. Jack is a prime example. The facility is an Alliance run Academy to help train young biotics in control and use of their abilities. Their beacon went offline eight hours ago, we got the call from Jack an hour later. We don't know what kind of defenses Cerberus has set up, but if recent history is any indication, they'll be geared for a fight of attrition. They'll make us work for every room. We've had no contact with Jack since her first message, so we'll be going in blind."
"What are the odds Jack's already taken them all out and just wants a ride?" Garrus drawled. "Young biotics to save, and Cerberus to smash by the dozen? Her birthday came early this year."
"Believe me, nothing would make me happier." Shepard agreed. "Lock and load."
Liara took the opportunity to lean over quietly. "By the way Shepard, the other matter you asked me to look into? Mass Effect Traffic is virtually non-existent once the refugees managed to escape. Once people flee the Reapers a few days, they stop coming. My guess is, nothing else escapes. But the Relay traffic in the Far Rim is off the scale."
"Reaper reinforcements?" Ashley guessed.
Shepard shook his head. "Quarian Fleet rendezvousing for escape. James, you have the ship while we're gone. Tell Joker to prep for an emergency jump. We'll likely have civilians, and we need to treat them, drop them off and get to the Far Rim before the Migrant Fleet goes somewhere else."
"Aye Sir."
The facility was fairly comfortable. Despite himself, Shepard was expecting something like Teltin, or at the very least a military camp like Alenko had gone to. This was pretty nice. Lots of open spaces, lots of light... Expensive in a space station.
If not for the smoke and the torn apart bodies everywhere, it would have been lovely. Cerberus armor was everywhere, their weapons dismembered.
"Well, it looks like her work." Garrus said dryly.
"This is an Alliance Station, the security room should be centralized." Ashley volunteered. "We retake the security room, we can get eyes on everywhere else."
Somewhere they heard an explosion rumble through the station.
"Well, somebody's still fighting somewhere." Shepard observed. "Ash, the security room, Garrus, with me!"
They split up then, heading inn opposite directions. Ashley toward the Security Room, Shepard and Garrus following the sounds of violence.
"I found Jack. She's in the Main Hall with half a dozen students." Ashley reported over their radios a few minutes later. "Your nearest entrance is clear, but be careful; they're armed with bigger guns that you. If you can taken them by surprise, it'll be quick."
"And if not?"
"Don't worry, Jack is creating a big glowy diversion."
Shepard and Garrus didn't know what that meant until they crept into the Main Hall. On the second level, Jack was staring down a fully armed and ready squad of Cerberus warriors. There were six or seven kids, none of them over nineteen, some of them younger than eight. They had looks on their faces ranging between eager and terrified. They were all surrounded by a brought shimmering biotic Barrier.
The Cerberus guards were all aiming huge weapons, heavy particle weapons, rocket launchers and pulse rifles at the kids. The scattered array of bullets, casings, burns and debris around the barrier indicated the stand-off had been going for a while.
And there in the middle of them, hands raised as on the Collector base, grinning maniacally at the dozen Cerberus soldiers, was Jack.
Shepard and Garrus crept back and forth, moving from cover to cover, staying hidden. There was no telling if one of the kids would give them away.
"Now, remember kids, when your enemy can't get to you through a barrier, that's the time to make fun of his mother." Jack told the students, sounding eerily like a schoolteacher.
"Just drop the barrier, and we can do this painlessly." A gruff voice answered.
"Pragley, give it a try."
One of the Academy students leaned forward slightly. "Okay... Um. Your mother is so fat-"
"My mom is dead. Killed by a biotic." The gruff one shot back. "I'm looking forward to returning the favor."
"I thought you wanted us alive." A very young voice said from behind Jack.
"That was before this one started making cracks about my mother." The gruff one said smugly.
Beat.
"What now boss?" Pragley's voice asked finally.
"Ahh, you gotta do better than that." Jack sneered. "And you, Cerberus, bite me. This Barrier ain't protecting me from all of you. It's protecting all of you from me!"
"You can't hold out forever Zero."
"Anyone comes near one of my kids, I will make sure your lives come to a very sudden, very unnatural end." Jack snarled, completely feral.
Shepard traded a grin with Garrus. The soldier counted down on his fingers silently, and they both pounced, leaping out of their cover, and taking the Cerberus team from behind.
The kids behind the biotic barrier yelled in shock, but Jack barely blinked. The barrier came down an instant later. "Well it's about damn time!" She shouted, marching up to Shepard. "What took you so long?"
"We figured you'd have killed them all yourself by now." Shepard responded, looking her over. The belts were gone, replaced with a studded leather jacket, and an open neck top that belonged in an adults-only nightclub. It showed off her more glaring tattoos, but still more decent than her original style.
She posed for him a little. "Like my new look? Took the jacket off one of the student-instructors. I had to... upscale my wardrobe. Some of the older kids kept staring at my tits."
Rodriguez gave Pragley a death-glare at that. Everyone pretended not to notice.
Jack looked around. "Where's Williams? The SOS was sent to her, was it not?"
"Ash is back in the security center." Shepard said evenly.
"Shepard was worried about how you two would react to each other." Garrus drawled. Jack was starting to think it was the only tone of voice he had.
Jack considered that a moment, and turned back to her 'class'. "Pay attention kids, because this is how you really bug someone you don't like."
With that, she waved cheerfully to the watching security camera, marched the last two feet to Shepard, and planted a long, wet, grinding, full-bodied kiss all over him.
The kids burst out into a chorus of cat-calls and wolf-whistles.
Ashley saw the whole thing on her monitors and set her jaw forcibly.
Jack broke for air, and turned on her heel, marching away from Shepard toward the kids, while Shepard was still finding his balance.
"Alright Maggots, on your feet!" Jack barked. "Amp check! Rodriguez, your fields were weak. Get your head out of the clouds and stop perving on Pragley."
"Huh?" Pragley reacted to his name, sending a look at the girl in question.
"And Pragley, your smack-talk was beyond sh... lousy. I gotta find you some R-Rated movies to watch."
"Anytime coach."
"Grab juice. We move out as soon as Shepard yanks another rabbit out of his hat."
"You mean that's Shepard? The Shepard? Commander Shepard?"
"Eyes front Harker!" Jack barked, before turning back to Shepard with a grin. "Meet my new crew. They're good kids really. I've been training them into my own personal anti-Cerberus guns."
"I WILL DESTROY YOU!" The whole lot of them chorused brightly, punching the air as they echoed their de-facto teacher's familiar battle-cry. Garrus actually burst out laughing.
Shepard was grinning at them, including Jack, looking quietly thrilled.
"What?" She demanded.
"You. You're getting all protective and maternal." He grinned.
Jack smirked. "Anyone comes after my kids; I will rip them limb from limb. And then use the limbs to beat their corpse to bits."
"Auntie Jack!" The youngest boy called from the cluster of students. "The bad men are coming back!"
"Auntie Jack?" Garrus, Joker, Ashley and Shepard all repeated to themselves silently across three rooms.
"You heard Petey! Amp it up!" Jack roared. Cerberus was cutting themselves a way through the door, and everyone faced it, preparing.
Her kids got ready, and so did the Normandy crew. "Kids, stay behind us!"
"We can fight!" Rodriguez shouted. The voice of youth and eagerness, just green enough to be excited at the prospect of combat.
"You go where I tell you, or so help me, I will show everyone what's in the back of your sock drawer!" Jack barked.
"How the hell do you know what's in the back of my sock-drawer?"
"I don't, but thank you for confirming it." Jack grinned toothily as the door began to hiss.
"Screw you Ma'am!"
"Barriers up, angle to cover each other's fields!" Jack ordered as the door blew.
Mechs and teams of warriors came swarming in. Jack and some of the older kids were sending Biotic Bolts at them like artillery. When Cerberus fired back, their fields protected them.
As it happened, it was a serious advantage for Shepard's team, distracting every attacker that cared to target the civilians. Shepard and Garrus defended them with quick, precise shots.
Ashley's voice came over the radio. "Shepard, I got the fire control system working! It has a Co2 option for electrical fires."
"Do it!" Shepard ordered.
The fire suppression jets fired instantly, spraying them with heavy concentrations of carbon dioxide. A fire would be starved of oxygen, but the Cerberus crew in the way were suddenly choking, air vanishing under the barrage. Those that knew what was happening tried to get clear of the range, and were quickly caught by Shepard and Garrus.
That left the Mech, the pilot safe and sealed in his cockpit. He brought his heavy weapons to bear, and Garrus and Shepard quickly scattered, running in opposite directions as the rockets blew the cover apart behind them.
"Drop Barrier!" Jack ordered, and leaped at the Mech like a wildcat. Her leap was charge with Biotic power and covered a good thirty feet. Hands outstretched like claws, blue-fire flashing in all directions, and the fire seemed to leap from her to the Mech like static electricity.
The Mech shuddered for a moment, then lifted up off its feet, before being crushed inward, the pilot screaming as the Mech crumpled in on itself, squishing into a scrap metal ball, which dropped to the ground a moment later.
Breathing hard, Jack spun on her kids. "What the hell was that?"
Shepard was up too. "Anyone hurt?"
"Rodriguez took some fire, because she didn't keep her field strong!" Jack roared pointedly at the elder girl, who had the decency to look embarrassed.
Shepard took in the room at a glance and keyed his radio. "Ash, we need an exit!"
"They found our way in, and they're laying an ambush. They don't know we've got the control room back... I can see them all. They're leaving the shuttle-bays. All the Academy shuttles are locked down; but the Cerberus ones are still open. If you can get to the shuttle-bay..."
"That'll be a gauntlet." Shepard said grimly.
"Give me a minute, I'll play a few games with the passcodes and door locks, see if I can thin them out a bit." Ashley suggested and disconnected.
Jack slipped over next to Shepard. "They aren't ready. Not for offense. Not for Cerberus."
Shepard nodded, taking her at her word. "How are their Barriers?"
"Strong enough. I can carry the worst of it."
"Shepard, they're on to you!" Ashley called. "Coming in from the sunward side, get outta there! Move!"
Shepard turned to Jack. "We gotta move."
"All right, let's hustle!" Jack ordered the students, picking up the youngest kid, carrying the little boy on her hip. "By the way Shepard, when we get back to the ship, I'm keeping this one."
"No." Shepard said seriously, not sure she was joking.
"What? Why not?"
"You can't keep him, just because he follows you home."
"Why not?" Jack demanded. "I'll take care of him. Look at him. He needs me, don'tcha Petey?"
The little boy nodded, pressing his face into Jack's neck shyly.
Beat.
"Who are you?" Garrus demanded of Jack in disbelief.
It was a running fire-fight all the way to the shuttle. The kids flanked the Team, with Jack in the middle, as they ran full speed down the corridors, their Barriers protecting them as they ran. Every now and then, Jack would sent a shockwave out to clear the path, or knock down a Cerberus agent who held something heavy enough to hurt them.
Ashley joined them as they got closer, and Cortez had the shuttle waiting. It was by far the fastest exit they'd ever had from a battlefield. The soldier in Shepard was forced to concede how useful they were.
Joker was waiting for them when they docked. "Shepard, did I hear all of that right? Jack has a troop of boy and girl scouts?"
"I agree it seems unlikely." EDI said, in step behind them.
Jack saw the gleaming chrome body and snap-drew her shotgun. Shepard put a hand out and pushed the barrel up. "At ease. It's EDI."
"EDI?" Jack repeated, looking over the exaggerated curves, the flawless form. "That's EDI?"
"We've had a few changes while you were away." Shepard admitted.
"Seriously, this is EDI? Did Joker wish really really hard?"
"Every night, but I never thought it would happen." Joker agreed happily. "When your heart is pure Jack, miracles happen."
Shepard was grinning, glad to have her back. "Are we rigged for the Relay?" He asked the room in general.
Traynor slipped in at his elbow neatly, like she always did when needed. "Yessir. We've got a transport ready to rendezvous at the Relay after our first jump. They'll head straight to the Citadel, there'll be no chance for a counterattack, or another Cerberus attempt."
"All right, get the kids cleaned up, have Chakwas look them over, get them a bite to eat."
Traynor came along and smiled at their guests. "Well kids, welcome to the SR2 Normandy. My name is Traynor, if you'll come with me, we'll get you processed."
"They're fine where they are." Jack said simply, but the implied threat was clear.
"Jack, these are Alliance Grissom Academy Students. You're... not even close to being in the chain of command." Traynor said gently.
Jack turned to Shepard. "Draft me."
"Are you serious?"
"What, you let a Rachni in, but not me? Class Five Biotic, able and willing, ready to serve! You know I look good in a crew-cut."
"Is Jack gonna get bars on her 'uniform' or just tattoo them on?" Joker grinned. "Also, if you draft her a rank below me, does that mean she has to call me 'sir'?"
Jack turned to her class. "Kids, plug your ears and hum."
The students just blinked, confused.
"Right now." Jack told them seriously.
The Academy survivors obediently did so, and Jack calmly walked over to Joker and spoke eloquently in his ear for several seconds. Joker's grin slowly melted, and his eyes went to Shepard, to Garrus, to Jack, and finally to EDI, where he nearly passed out.
Once the brief but pointed conference ended, Jack came back to the class with Joker's rank insignia in one hand. "My good friend Jeffrey said that I may keep these." She said politely.
Shepard ruled on it and let Jack lead the kids around. They went through Med-Bay for a quick checkup. It was the first time their powers had been pushed that far, and the first time any of them had seen combat. Jack was overseeing the whole operation with a disturbing intensity, having a history with lab coats and doctors herself.
Eventually, Chakwas was satisfied, and they all trooped into the Mess Hall.
Jack smiled at Shepard, almost showing them off. "It'll be their first hot meal in three days." She said quietly. "We've been playing hide and seek with Cerberus across the entire station, coming out to grab food, kill cameras, knock down a few guards at a time..."
"How did that happen by the way?" Shepard asked with interest.
"I was hiding in the shuttle I boarded on Tuchanka. They went straight for the relay with their cruiser knocked down; thanks for that by the way; they rendezvoused somewhere, and pulled all the evac shuttles aboard one of their cruisers. It was waiting for them. They called in, I gave them the name and number I pulled off the dead pilot's uniform, and next thing I know the shuttle was on autopilot." Jack paused to grab a handful of napkins, and pushed them at Petey. "Chew slower; you'll get more food in your mouth." She told him quickly, and moved back to Shepard. "The shuttle landed, I picked my moment and dove for a hiding place. I got comfy in a supply closet for a while, killed a few stupid guards who picked the wrong place to get fresh batteries, and then I noticed a lot of people going to the shuttlebay. I picked a guard in my size, got a uniform and a helmet; stowed away. They were heading to the Academy."
Shepard nodded. "How'd they do?"
"Not so great. They're kids. Real kids, not like we were." Jack said forgivingly. "This time last week, their biggest problem was getting laid, now there's a war on, none of them have a clue where their families are, and then they start getting shot at." She shrugged. "I hit them on their way to the prison shuttle. I had almost twenty five, now I got seven." Jack looked at them all at the next table, smiling a little. "These guys... They learned a lot in three days. Second place meant death." She grinned toothily. "Jack do good?"
"Jack did real good." Shepard nodded. "Is it my imagination, or are they staring at us?"
"Every time they told me they were doomed I told them another war story about you. Every time one of them suggested surrendering, I told them another horror story about Pragia. It worked. They were thrilled to see you show up."
Shepard nodded. "They seem to like you a lot."
"I know. The Collector Mission, I got to be the hero for a bit. But... never been the savior before. Shepard, is this what it's like for you all the time? Cause lemme tell ya, it's better than sex."
"Hey!" Shepard objected automatically.
"Well; bad sex." Jack amended, as she stood up and turned to her crew. "All right brats, atten-shun!"
The kids quickly jumped up from the Mess hall tables and fell in before Jack, including little Petey, who stood straighter than all of them. Jack looked them all over. "Ya did a big thing, and you didn't suck at it. You weren't great, but you'll get there. We all lived, and they didn't, and that's how you play this game."
The kids whooped, running forward and surrounding Jack, almost hoisting her up on their shoulders. She grinned toothily, still on a high from the battle. "All right, all right, quit gushing! When Shepard finally docks this crate somewhere, you're all getting inked! My treat!"
The kids cheered again.
"All except you Rodriguez, you can't, because you f... messed up."
"That's not fair!"
"Well, tell ya what: You can get a tattoo, if I get to pick it." Jack grinned wolfishly. "Your call."
"Screw you ma'am!" Rodriguez said with affection.
Petey pointed at her. "You said a swear."
"We left the jar back at the Academy." Jack pointed out, until she noticed everyone staring at her in disbelief. "What? They're young. They don't need to be hearing my kinda talk till they're old enough to get fake-ID's and go hang around bars with sailors in them."
"I can have a replacement swear jar ready for you, just as soon as the crew gets done with that Keg they bought on the Citadel." Joker put in helpfully.
Jack actually laughed. It was like watching a terrified Reaper. It defied reality.
"Who ARE you?" Garrus asked Jack again.
Shepard traded a glance with Ashley, the smile falling from his face.
"You want to tell her?" Ashley asked softly. "Or shall I?"
"I'll do it. She's far more likely to kill you." Shepard quipped, but not really making a joke.
Jack saw the look on Shepard's face, and noticed Traynor coming in the doorway. The smile slipped a bit from her too, but she didn't let it on for long. She met Shepard's eyes for one second, the sympathy clear on his face. Her eyes widened, and she looked at them again, no longer on a high.
Shepard knew she'd got the message. They'd had the whole conversation with one quick glance. He didn't have to tell her, she knew.
The Normandy was a ship of war, and these kids weren't staying.
"There's no other way." Ashley commented to Shepard quietly.
"I know."
"Want me to take care of it? She already hates me." She offered. "It's gonna be bad."
It was awful.
The older kids were taking it on the chin, giving Jack sincere goodbyes, promising to make her proud, swearing to keep in touch.
The youngest were bawling, clinging to Jack for dear life. All the other grown-ups in their lives were behind enemy lines or dead on the station. Except for Jack, who had protected them so well.
Petey took it worse of all, and Rodriguez and Pragley had to physically pry the screaming kid away from Jack at the shuttle door.
"PLEASE! AUNTY JACK!" Petey was shrieking through his tears. "I'LL BE GOOD! I PROMISE! PLEASE! I DON'T WANNA GO!"
Jack was opening and closing her fists compulsively, keeping her jaw set and her eyes fixed in front of her until the shuttle door closed. Her eyes were clear, her gaze strong, her posture ramrod straight.
James Vega squeezed Jack's shoulder gently as the shuttle took off. "We all been there soldier. You evac refugees, some of them want to stay with you. Especially the orphans. We all been there."
Jack sent a glance around and saw them all nodding at her. Even Williams.
"You did good Jack." Ashley said gently. "You did real good."
Jack didn't answer for a moment. When she did, she just smirked cruelly and stretched her neck. "God, I am drowning in all the sap." She grated callously. "They need someone to look out for them a bit, I can do that for a few days; but ask anyone; I hate kids. Almost as much as I hate grownups."
With that, she turned on her heel and marched out. The rest of the core team followed, trading glances behind her.
"So, what else did I miss while I was away?" Jack asked.
"We cut a deal with Aria, got all the Mercs on one team, and got that one team ready to sign on." Shepard volunteered.
"Good move genius. Someone like Aria is probably trustworthy."
"Yeah, she was willing to shake on it and everything." Garrus agreed sarcastically.
"Aria mentioned you actually." Shepard told Jack as they walked through the halls.
"What did she say?"
"Keep the hellspawn away from my booze." Shepard quoted, and Jack grinned savagely.
Once at the elevator, she sent Shepard a short glance, and he gave her a tiny nod. Message sent, Message received. Hitting the button, she left them, not looking back.
Jack made it all the way to her Pit before she collapsed like her strings had been cut. Shepard found her several minutes later, bawling on the floor. He hauled her up and carried her the rest of the way to her 'bench'.
She put her face into his neck and wept. He just held her. They sat against the bulkhead, her fingers digging into his shirt, his arms around her shoulders, for a very long time.
"Three days!" She sobbed, speaking at last. "Three days! I was with them for three days, and I feel like I just got shot in the gut! Actually, I've been shot in the gut, this is worse!"
Shepard stroked her hair. Something he had never been able to do before, shushing her gently. "You did good Jack. I'm so proud of you."
"Petey called me 'Auntie Jack'!" She wailed, the words working her up again. "I'm not an auntie! I'm not! I'm not anyone's family!"
"You were today." Shepard told her.
"I was only there for three days! How can it hurt this much?"
"Because you cared that much." Shepard counseled. "You invested. You gave them what they didn't have and needed to find. You gave them you. You gave them a trained, smart, powerful biotic. A grown-up that looked out for them and taught them how to fight and protect themselves. While everyone else was dying, and trying to hurt them, you were the strong one that kept them alive. Welcome to parenthood. It's just like command."
Jack shivered. "I blame you! I never would have cared a year ago."
"Oh yes you would." Shepard said instantly. "A bunch of young, scared, biotic children, facing Cerberus imprisonment? Seriously: Name one person in the galaxy who could possibly care more for those kids than you?"
Jack was actually trembling; the emotion coming stronger that it did when fighting over Shepard with Ashley. "I... I was so proud of them." She sobbed. "They did so good. They wanted to impress me. Nobody has ever cared what I thought before! Why didn't they hate me? Why weren't they scared of me? Why did they like me John; why? WHY do they like me?"
Shepard shushed her gently, holding her close while she broke down. She straddled his lap, clinging to him for dear life, trying to climb inside him, desperate to gain that tiny bit more contact. He rubbed his hands up and down her spine gently, just the way she liked, and after a while, she settled.
"They're going to be drafted, aren't they?" Jack asked finally. "They're going to be put on battlefields. What they did, getting us out of there? They're going to do it again. Put them out there, even if they're young."
"Not all of them." Shepard said softly. "But some of the older ones, probably."
"God, they're babies! They're just babies out there in the war."
"Shh." Shepard whispered. "They're strong. They held it together, even with Cerberus coming at them. They did good."
"They'll be out there without me!" Jack yelled into his shoulder.
"Shh. I know." Shepard hesitated. "Jack... If you wanted, you could go with them."
Jack pulled back sharply. "What?"
"Yeah. Wherever they're going, the ones going into combat will stick together. If you wanted, you could lead their team. You got two Spectres that could make it happen."
For a long eternal moment, it almost seemed like she would say yes.
A second later, her face turned to stone, and she slipped out of his grasp, black streaks running down her cheeks again, but her eyes suddenly clear of tears. "Shepard, you moron." She growled. "Look at me. The brats made me fall apart in three days. It took you more than a week. You think I'm stupid enough to go running after them, begging for more? I'm crazy but I ain't that dumb. I'm keeping them the hell away from me."
"Jack..."
"Shepard." She stopped him, resting her fingers over his lips. "Don't ever forget my name. Don't ever forget what I am. Why I am. I know my part in this story, and it's not the story of a mother-hen. I'll kill them all until they kill me. It's what I was made for."
Shepard looked deep in her eyes for a moment, sympathy on his face, and she hated to see it. "Jack..."
She gave him a vicious painful kiss, their teeth smashing together roughly. It was not affection, it was a diversionary attack. It lasted all of two seconds before she jumped back, and turned her back on him. "Get. Out. Now."
"She okay?" Ashley asked, waiting for him at the elevator. "You were down there a while."
"She's okay." Shepard told her. "You waited?"
"I promise, I wasn't checking up on you. It was... I don't know. She's Team Normandy, whatever else she is, and if she's going to fall apart..." Ashley shrugged. "It didn't take a Spectre to see that she was barely holding it together once they pried her kid out of her arms. She loved those kids. Someone like Jack doesn't have room for subtlety. When she's mad, she's lethal, when she's sad, she's inconsolable."
"That's Jack in a nutshell, as far as it goes." Shepard nodded. "The kids make it to the Relay all right?"
"Citadel reported that they made it there safe. They actually asked me to authorize a space of them there. They want to reopen the academy. With the war, they want Biotic Artillery in the field."
"Don't let Jack hear that, or we'll have a whole new front on the war." Shepard said.
Ashley nodded. "No kidding. We're almost to the Far Rim."
"How long was I down there?"
"A long while."
"You waited the whole time?"
"Didn't have anywhere else to be." Ashley said with a slight smirk.
The Normandy came out of hyperspace, and found not the Quarian Fleet they were expecting, but one ship. The instant Normandy arrived, it began calling them.
"Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, calling Commander Shepard, please come in!"
"Admiral?" Blurted half a dozen voices.
Shepard got over it fastest. "Admiral, we're here."
"I have two of the Admiralty with me, we need to talk quickly Shepard, permission to come aboard?"
"Granted. I'll meet you at the airlock."
"No. The War Room." Tali said before disconnecting. "Seconds count."
"Well, that sounds bad." Ashley put in.
Liara came down to the Pit, glancing around. She had never been there before. "Jack?"
"Over here." Her whiskey-and-cigarettes voice called from the darkest corner.
Liara came over. "I was... surprised, to get your message."
"I don't want Shepard to know."
"I suspected as much. Why else would you have waited until he was off the ship?"
"I hear the Quarian got stupid and decided now would be a dandy time to start another war."
"Admiral Xen developed a new weapon, and that was enough to get one more vote on the Admiralty. And that was enough to move the Worian fleet to a total war platform."
"And Can I assume Shepard is already doing something about it?" Jack guessed.
"He's taken a team into the War Zone, to see if he can get the civilians out of the killzone." Liara said. "But even if he succeeds... They've taken heavy losses. They won't stop till they've won, and they won't win."
"That's what they keep saying about fighting the Reapers."
"That's different. The Quarian can actually go elsewhere." Liara countered. "But in any case, I doubt you walk to discuss the Quarian-Geth conflict."
Jack sighed. "I... I can't find any of my kids."
"The students from Grissom Acadamy."
"They won't let me talk to any of them, because... well, they don't let people with my kinda past talk to kids in foster care. Plus, some of the older ones have probably been drafted, and nobody will tell me where any platoons in combat are."
"That's for a reason you know." Liara pointed out. "A stray message to a team in a forward area could lead the enemy to them."
"I know. But I can't... I have to... Aw hell." Jack dropped her face into her hands.
Liara nodded gently. "I'll see what I can do. Jack... the news may not all be good."
"Never is."
Liara was about to answer when Joker interrupted over the intercom. "Liara, you better get up here!"
Jack and Liara traded a glance, and they both ran for the elevator.
"What's happening?" Liara demanded as they ran to the bridge.
"Shepard took Ash and Tali over to the Dreadnought... They shut down the Reaper signal, and the whole ship suddenly went dead. The Quarian Heavy Fleet decided to take advantage."
"Shepard's still on board?" Jack snarled.
"If he's not, he's really good at pretending!" Joker shouted, turning up the radio feed. Shepard's voice was coming over the speakers, with Gerrel responding now and then.
"Call off the attack! We're still on board!"
"Then you better get out. Qwib-Qwib, come around for another run!"
"One minute! Just one minute!" Shepard yelled. "You were supposed to get your people out of harm's way!"
"Thank you for the suggestion. Continue attack!"
"This is Admiral Tali'Zorah, all ships break off, friendlies on board!"
"What the hell are they doing?" Jack hissed.
"Trying to take out their enemy flagship with no casualties." Liara said clinically.
"Cortez! We're going Z-Gravity, we won't make the pick-up! Get clear!" Shepard shouted. "Normandy, we're going to head for the fighter bay, we'll be in Geth fighters."
Joker keyed his mike. "Copy that."
There were several seconds of numb silence. The war outside continued, laser fire going back and forth like beautiful fireworks, flares of igniting ships coming like an intricate dance of light and color. It was actually beautiful to watch.
The silence dragged on.
"We're clear!" Shepard shouted, just as the view-ports flared into blazing white, the Dreadnought going up in flames.
Jack let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding as Joker worked the controls. "Okay Commander, we're coming to get you. By the way, which one are you?"
Shepard was growling, under his breath. "We'll find you Joker, just don't shoot us down. Call the Admiralty, and have them come aboard once we're clear. Bring them to the War Room."
"What if they refuse."
Shepard was gritting his teeth harder. "Then ask them again, as politely as you can."
"Think anyone would care if Gerrel had an unfortunate accident on his way to the War Room?" Jack asked absently.
The Admiralty arrived soon after, full of congratulations for Shepard and his team for the decisive victory he had delivered to them.
Jack turned it out. She had received genuine thanks now. The kids had been grateful. The little girl with the flowers a year before was grateful. These guys were just covering for each other, filling up the air with words to make themselves feel better for almost killing the Captain.
The Crew were giving their guests hooded looks, especially Gerrel. Tali was offering him no support at all.
Then Legion walked in and things really got tense.
Liara came down to the Pit. "Meska'Jah?"
"What does that mean, anyway?" Jack asked.
"It's actually a variant of a very old phrase from-"
"I don't really care." Jack interrupted. "How long have they been in there?"
"About three hours now." Liara reported. "But that little matter you asked me to look into? I've..."
Shepard came down the stairs. "Liara?"
"John." Liara turned. "I take it things didn't go well?"
"How'd you guess?"
"If things went well, you'd be reporting positive progress to Hackett, and co-ordinate with the Citadel. For that you'd need Ashley. You came down here, so you either need moonshine, or someone to hit you in the face repeatedly."
Jack nodded. "Trust me, Vega's' moonshine is worse than a kick in the teeth."
Shepard sighed. "Yeah. I need a double."
Jack grabbed her flask, taking the opportunity to slide her stash of pills deeper under the cot.
Liara waited. "What happened?"
"The vote came down two to two. Tali sided with us because I told her to." Shepard growled. "There's more hate there than the Krogan had for the Turians and the Salarian put together."
"And the Geth?"
"Are fine with the idea. They aren't reprogrammed. They turned to the Reapers out of fear."
"Fear? The Geth?"
"Well, okay, not fear, but whatever the electronic equivalent of the emotion is; it drove the Geth to ask the Reapers for help when the Quarian invaded."
"You believe that?" Jack asked cynically.
"I believe the three teams of Geth Primes that begged to defect."
"So what's the next move?"
"I don't know yet. But we've got to stop the Reapers from getting a foothold in the Geth. Legion agrees." He threw back the rest of the drink. "I gotta get back to the War Room."
He headed up the stairs, and Liara started to follow, when Jack's hand clamped down on her shoulder. "You can go ahead and finish that sentence you were in the middle of when he showed up."
Liara suddenly blinked. "Oh, sorry. I forgot for a moment. I tracked down contact details for your students. Rodriguez and Pragley are attached to Alliance Support Unit, the rest are in foster care until they can be transferred to the Citadel, and the Academy restored." Liara reached into her jumpsuit. "I also have this."
It was a small digital photo frame. Every few seconds, the image would change to a new face. There they were, all of them. Smiling at the camera, not a care in the world...
Jack felt something obstruct her throat. "Hm."
"Your welcome." Liara said without prompting. "I messaged you the contact details."
Liara swayed up the stairs, leaving Jack alone.
So. Now I know where to find them. What the hell do I say?
"Hi."
Tali looked up and saw Ashley. "No." She said firmly, and returned to her console.
"I haven't said anything yet." Ashley retorted, nonplussed.
"Is it about Shepard?"
"No."
"Is it about Jack?"
"Not... necessarily."
Tali shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere near the three of you for anything less than a Reaper attack."
Williams sighed. "I got a lot of bridges to fix don't I?"
Tali shook her head. "Not as many as you think. After... We found the wreck of the Normandy 1." She waved at the console. "Shepard brought back the data-cores. I... May have read a few things that would have otherwise been personal."
Ashley blinked. "You found my logs."
"Not your logs..."
Ashley nodded, understanding. "My letters home."
Tali nodded. "And you said such nice things about us..."
Williams softened. It was hard not to love this kid. "I meant every word." Feeling a little better about it, she licked her lips. "So if I were to ask…"
"Thanks for stopping by." Tali cut her off, looking back at her console, though it was clear she didn't mean anything by it. She too was all about loyalty to Shepard, though for slightly different reasons than Garrus.
Ashley chuckled. "Yeah, okay; I'll leave it."
"What do you want Ashley?" Tali asked after her finally, and Ashley paused. "Look at her. She's not wearing a face-mask. What you see is what you get. She loves him. It's probably the first time she's ever loved anyone. We all saw it, so not a one of us was surprised when she walked away." Tali gave her a reproving look. "You love him too; so we were all surprised when you walked away."
Ashley didn't have an answer to that. "I think I may have screwed that one up big time. I wasn't kidding though Tali… I missed you too."
Tali's head tilted a little to peek back at her. "It's… good to have you back. Me and Garrus, and Joker and Chakwas… We were talking about the old days and… Felt like we were missing people on the Collector Mission. I missed you too."
"We should catch up? Trade some war stories? I'm buying."
"I'll be there."
Jack came off the elevator, looking for Shepard in the Mess Hall. He was at the captain's table, with Ashley. They were both laughing about something. It was too late for a meal, too late for coffee, so they had the place to themselves.
Jack hesitated, and went back to the elevator before either of them noticed her. She had just spent six hours trying to write a letter to one of her kids, and she couldn't get past the first line. Then she tried calling one direct, and the Alliance nicely told her that the 106th was on maneuvers, and could not be contacted just now...
Her hands were starting to shake, so she went looking for Shepard, and found him reminiscing about old times with Ashley.
Of course he is. A little voice nagged at her. They're old friends, the past is what they have to talk about. They talk about the future, they won't be laughing because nobody alive has one.
Jack shook that off as she returned to the Pit. She picked one of her stashes at random and swallowed a handful of pills dry. A moment later she felt her eyes roll back in her head. They didn't make her happy, didn't even make her feel normal, but when she took them, she didn't much care.
"You're not serious." Tali laughed. "The Geth? A Geth-Quarian cease-fire? Won't happen. It's impossible."
"The Reapers will come to the Geth homeworld-"
"Quarian Homeworld!" Tali interrupted sharply. "Not theirs. Ours. Where's Shepard? He'll back me on this."
"He's asleep. If you wake him, I'll throw you out the airlock."
Jack sat alone in the Pit, staring at the ceiling. Every few minutes she would pull the photo frame out and watch as it scrolled through the photos. She lived in the Pit. She didn't have a shelf or a table, or anywhere to put things. She'd never had... things, before.
She keyed her omni-tool, and started writing.
I need some sleep
It can't go on like this
I tried counting sheep
But there's one I always miss
I need some sleep
Time to put the old horse down
I'm in too deep
And the wheels keep spinning 'round
Everyone says I'm getting' down too low
Everyone says you just gotta let it go
You just gotta let it go
Jack stared at it for a while. The frustration made sleep impossible. She needed to sleep.
Reaching under her cot, she found the pills. She was running out...
Don't think about it, just do it.
Jack put them away, and all but ran for the elevator.
Shepard was staring at the ceiling, pretending to sleep, when he heard the door open. A moment later his bed dipped and he discovered he had company. Jack curled up under his arm, her head on his chest. His arms had gone around her automatically. "Jack."
"She's asleep." Jack whispered. "I checked. I know the score. I walked away. We got no hold on each other now, but… I can't sleep. I needed to sleep. That's all. I haven't slept in six months John. Please?"
She was like a frightened child again, expecting to be slapped when she asked for help. Shepard held her tightly, knowing exactly where and how to put his arms around her, even in the dark.
Jack settled, the tension vanishing from her instantly. "Arms." Jack rasped, almost silent. "Missed this."
Silence.
"Missed you too." He said finally.
Silence.
"You were with her at dinner, weren't you?" She whispered. "I saw you. You were laughing. How come we never laughed?"
"We laughed." John countered.
"So help me Shepard, if you tell your ex that I'm ticklish..." Jack warned.
Sheppard felt his face twist. "Damn it Jack, you just walked out. So did she. Everyone walks away, and then they get pissed at me when I'm left alone!"
Her fingers tightened convulsively on his neck, digging her nails in. "I know." She hissed. "I'm not jealous."
"Yes you are."
"Yes I am. But I'm trying not to be. There's no reason to be. I told you what was going to happen when we started. Good things come sometimes. When they do, there's no future in them. You and me don't work Shepard. We just don't."
"We seemed to work pretty well last time."
Silence.
"Yeah. Yeah we did." Jack admitted thickly. "I am not smart enough to figure this out. Just… shut up and keep doing that thing with your arms." Jack rasped.
"The words 'please' and 'hold me' just aren't in your vocabulary, are they?" Shepard teased.
She pushed her face into his neck and swore furiously and colorfully. "It won't work." She said again. "We can't work. I just need to sleep."
"Okay." Shepard said. "Jack, the universe is burning. Earth is burning. Now is not the time."
"Good." She said. "No more words. Sleep."
It was the best night sleep either of them had seen in months.
"Shepard won't make a deal with the Geth." Tali said. Her tone indicated that she'd had this conversation already, many many times. "My people will never be in the same universe with them, let alone the same team."
"I don't know Tali, that's what a lot of people said about the Krogan and the Turians." Garrus answered.
"It won't happen." Tali repeated.
"It's happened already. Legion wasn't a dream. He was here."
"It. Not he. It." Tali interrupted. "And that was different. That Geth wanted something. It left as soon as it got what it wanted. I'm still not okay with that, by the way."
"What?"
"Reprogramming the Geth." Tali explained.
"Tali, think about this for a second." Garrus pressed. "Shepard found out that the Geth fighting for the Reapers was a minority, and he had a chance to make that minority of millions fight the Reapers like all the rest. If he'd killed them, the universe would be short several million warriors that would fight Reapers. What do you call that?"
"Several million dead Geth? I call that a good start."
Garrus stared at Tali in jaded awe. Tali of all people, was never bloodthirsty. "Tali..." He said carefully. "He united all the Geth together under an anti-Reaper banner, and he pressed for cease-fire when he went to speak at your trial. Why would Shepard want to sort conflicts between the races unless he was... laying groundwork?"
"For a Geth-Quarian alliance against the Reapers?" Tali scoffed. "After what they did to us? I know why he did it. Shepard has a strong sense of... natural justice. A lot of heart too. That's why he'll never expect us to just... just forget what they did..."
"Tali... War changes things. You may want to prepare yourself..."
"I won't happen." Tali said with confidence. "I don't know why you're still considering this. Shepard is my friend. My Captain. We talked about this, about kicking the Geth out of my home and one day walking around on my world. The flowers, the grass... One day we'll do it, and I'll take this damn mask off and smell the air. He promised me."
"Oh, my dear Tali." Liara breathed. "Hasn't two wars and three life and death crusades on this ship taught you about promises?"
AN: The story won't go all the way to the end of the game. Mostly because I haven't reached it myself yet. I want to thank everyone for their reviews, and their opinions on the Jack-or-Ash question.
Also, the poem Jack wrote was actually the lyrics to 'I Need Some Sleep' by the Eels.
I would just like to remind everyone, that this is a Jack story. Even if she doesn't get the happily ever after, it's still the story of her journey. One way or another, she will not be pushed to the sidelines.