I noticed ch 12 'You did WHAT!' hasn't been getting as many readers. Was it posting more than one chapter at a time that's caused people to skip it I wonder? If you haven't I recommend it, has some of the first positive developments between Seph and Miri in it.
Posting earlier than anticipated, only early afternoon! I might even get the chance to post a third one or one for my DA story... Joys of holidays!
Shepard wasted no time searching apartments and inflicting the memories of more dead or murdered civilians into her already brimming mind. Instead she maintained her biotic vision, if there wasn't anything alive there was no point going in. It was her biotic vision that caught the blurred movement of around a half dozen beings in an apartment to their left.
The squad fell in behind Shepard as she motioned for them to take up entry positions. Jacob and Massani were either side of the door to burst into the room and take the occupants by surprise when ordered.
Shepard's eyes narrowed. She could clearly see the majority of the occupants were Batarian's but there was also a human male in there. "Four Batarians, one human. Probably a hostage so I'll go in first and secure him, soon as I take down the one holding the human Miranda take the one on the right, Jacob closest on the left, Massani outside on the left. Kasumi keep an eye out here." she quietly dished out her orders. There was no way she was taking chances, especially with Batarians.
Upon opening the door and striding into the apartment with her shields up and weapon at the ready it became apparent that things were indeed looking badly for the young human man. He was pleading for his life insisting that he was trying to help the Batarian's that he had the cure. The Batarian's weren't having a bar of it. Unfortunate for them.
Before the leader of the Batarian's could even turn to threaten her Shepard held out her right hand and sent a tightly focussed biotic pull, ripping the weapon from his hand. With her left hand she shot him in the center of his four eyes.
That shot had barely even finished ringing in the ears of the would be saviour of the Batarians when three more weapons fired and all four Batarians ended up dead on the ground. A clinical, clean takedown if Shepard ever saw one, which had her smirking with pride and great satisfaction. That little bubble burst as the man they'd saved finally registered what had happened.
"You killed them!" he exclaimed not in joy at all but rather horror as he looked down at the bodies appalled.
Massani snorted at him.
"Yeah, bad habit of mine I admit." Shepard scowled at him and put her hand on her hip, "I mean we've just fought our way through a district where scum like that have been having a real good time massacring humans just cos they're human. Then here you are with a bunch of Batarian's," she spat the name out in disgust, "holding you at gun point threatening to kill you. Of course I should have knocked and asked politely for them to let you go. Wouldn't you agree?" she glanced at Miranda who was standing beside her with a look of contempt on her face.
"No." Miranda asserted firmly.
Shepard looked back to the man impatiently, "Clearly you haven't seen how many little kids these filth have gutted." she scoffed at him then shook her head, "You're one of Mordin's staff then, to have a cure right?"
The man glared at her, "You know not every alien has it out for us humans and I have seen a lot of victims from the mercs. But if these Batarian's were like those mercs don't you think they would have killed me on sight!" he yelled at her angrily.
Shepard sighed, he had a minor point with that one.
"I could have convinced them if you'd given me time! You could have helped them!" he gestured to the bodies.
At that Shepard stiffened, "I will never help a Batarian who holds a human at gun point." she growled in response. "Get back to the clinic kid, Mordin needs all the help he can get and we're getting the cure in the ventilation system so you don't have to worry about giving out shots." she thumbed over her shoulder then turned and stormed out.
"What you did was wrong!" he called out after the departing human mercs, feeling sick to the stomach at what they'd done, what she'd done.
Shepard scoffed, "Anyone else find that particularly screwed up?"
"Little turd, should've left him to the Batarian's, done him a favour." Massani grunted in agreement.
Shepard's scowl deepened, "He can hate me all he wants, but I'll never leave another human to the Batarian's when I can do something about it." she growled back at him.
He merely shrugged and made no further comment.
"You really don't like Batarian's do you." Kasumi observed with a wry smile.
"Should you ever have the pleasure of seeing them rip open the skulls of your friends to shove control chips in them and raping every female in sight including your own mother I'm sure you'd like them just as much as I do." Shepard drawled, keeping her glare straight ahead and not looking at the generally perky woman behind her.
"Ah noted, can't say I'd like them much either." Kasumi cringed and vanished from sight as she stealthed away from them.
Miranda felt no need to add that she believed Shepard had made the right call considering their circumstances, those Batarian's were not being talked down by Mordin's assistant and he would have ended up dead. Wordlessly she followed the Commander, who was a lot calmer compared to earlier even with this little upset.
Shepard was sick of vorcha by the time they reached the environmental system controls.
"You no come here!" A vorcha who was a little bigger than the others which suggested he was an Alpha and the one in charge yelled at them.
"Too late for that." Shepard snarled at him.
"Collectors want plague. Collectors want fan break. Collectors free vorcha, give lots of credits." The vorcha yelled at the intruders.
"The vorcha planted the plague?" Jacob muttered, shaking his head and a little wide eyed at that particular revelation.
"Vorcha will die." Shepard returned coldly, squeezing the trigger and watching for only a fleeting moment as the vorcha's head snapped back with blood and brain matter exploding from it.
The fight was a short lived one as the five humans blitzed their way through the shoddily armed and weak pack animals.
"The controls for the environmental system are in the back of the room." EDI reported in.
"Thanks EDI." Shepard handed the pack over to Miranda, "You get the system online and insert the cure, I'll get the fans up and running." she ordered quickly.
Miranda accepted the pack and nodded.
"Jacob you're covering Miranda, Massani and Kasumi on me." Shepard knew it would be just plain stupid having Massani cover Miranda, he'd be too busy watching her arse and quickly led her team to the left passage.
Miranda analysed the system before her and had it prepped for the fans in short order. "Cure's in and the system is online Shepard." she reported once the gunfire to the left had died down.
"Copy that." Shepard acknowledged, "Fan one coming online now."
Sure enough the clanking of heavy machinery beginning to slowly turn over filled the area and a strong breeze began to flow around them.
"We've got incoming." Jacob warned suddenly, opening fire at a Krogan that lumbered up from the right passage which was to Jacob's left now.
The krogan didn't get very far as both Jacob and Miranda held it back, Miranda had already taken out its shields and Jacob was pounding its armour when Shepard's team burst out from the passage. With the additional three humans the small number of vorcha that had been following the krogan were cut down quickly. Shepard didn't bother engaging the krogan as between Miranda and Jacob it was riddled with bullets in minutes.
Movement on the upper level caught Shepard's eye, a puff of smoke indicative of a rocket launcher... in Miranda's direction and though she was in cover from the front of the room she was completely exposed to the sides.
Miranda felt a powerful biotic field encompass her and frowned momentarily before she was struck on the side with explosive force. The field absorbed most of it but the heat of it still stung her face. A second rocket struck her and a strong hand picked her up from where she'd been thrown by the blow.
Shepard sat her against the divider and held her steady as Miranda got her bearings, "How many?" she asked, holding a finger up in front of Miranda's eyes.
"One." Miranda grunted, not impressed with either herself at having being caught out or with Shepard shoving her hand in her face.
"Good, up'n at'em then." Shepard lightly clapped Miranda on the shoulder with a nod of encouragement that she wasn't going to coddle the woman.
Miranda returned the nod, minutely grateful that Shepard had moved on quickly and after a moment more she got back into the fight. The vorcha truly regretting their lapse in judgement at targeting the woman who furiously extracted her punishment from them just as ferociously as the other human female.
Massani was picking off the vorcha from the upper level with his sniper leaving the others spewing from the right passage for the rest of the team to deal with.
Kasumi was a wraith, her stealth field making her invisible to the enemy making it so easy to sneak up on them and thrust her blade up through their jaws into their brains permanently ending their pathetic existence. She had to be careful though that her team mates weren't firing on her target or she'd end up with their bullets so just before a strike she dropped her shields to make sure she wasn't on the receiving end of friendly fire.
There was one final vorcha between her and the fan. It carried a pyro-pack and was charging at her with flames billowing before it. Shepard didn't take cover, didn't raise her weapon. Instead she activated her omni-tool and overloaded the packs circuits.
The vorcha didn't even get the chance to scream as the pack exploded, rendering the creature into organic red mist and chunks of meat.
Shepard smirked, "That never gets old."
Massani laughed, Shepard was his kind of woman, if only he'd been a few years younger... and female apparently.
With the fans activated the cure began cycling through the system. It would take a couple days but the plague would be dealt with, the district wouldn't suffocate, Blue Suns, Blood Pack and the vorcha had all but been cleared out and Mordin had agreed to accompany them. All that was left was to pick him up, return to the Normandy and have a long, hot bath once she'd checked in on Garrus... she might even let Chakwas look at her hand while she was there.
Mordin looked up from his patient as the two human females returned. He nodded in approval, "Vorcha eliminated, environmental systems restored, plague symptoms declining. Well done Shepard."
Shepard gave a nonchalant shrug, "Hey, all in a days work."
The assistant glared at her, "She's the one who murdered the Batarian's." he informed Mordin like a kid tattling to his teacher.
Shepard rolled her eyes.
"Saved your life. Batarian's would have killed you. I would have done the same." Mordin wasn't put off by it in the least.
The assistant looked appalled, "How can you say that! You're a doctor, you help people!"
Mordin shrugged, "Lots of ways to help people. Sometimes cure them. Sometimes kill bad people to protect them. Now go finish diagnostics." he nodded to the door, effectively dismissing him.
The young man glared at Shepard who smirked at him and stepped aside to let him pass.
"Daniel. Good assistant. Bit soft." Mordin smiled with a touch of affection.
"So, ready to go Doc?" Shepard wasn't about to comment on the little cretin who was blaming her so angrily for saving his ungrateful arse.
"Indeed. Lead the way Commander Shepard." Mordin nodded to her, he'd taken the time they'd been sorting out the environmental systems to ready himself.
With that done they made their way back to the ship.
Shepard cast a sidelong glance at Miranda as they approached the ship. Last time they'd been more than a little distracted with getting a dying Garrus on board to truly take note of any 'changes'. This time, however...
Miranda stiffened and her sharp gaze shot to Shepard accusingly.
Shepard smirked, "Something troubling you Miss Lawson?"
Miranda clenched her fist at her side and glared at the woman. They'd finally started being able to interact without divulging into a fight and now this. Miranda's pride wanted to rail at Shepard to get the logo repainted, again but she also knew she had to pick her fights. Her more pragmatic side had recognized that Shepard responded more professionally and with a calmer perspective without the Cerberus reminders. She had proven it today by voluntarily removing the logo from her own uniform, Shepard had almost been a different person with her and much to her surprise she'd enjoyed the byplay. To further this dispute at this point in time would be childish and Miranda was not childish.
Shepard was waiting expectantly for the tirade. What took her completely by surprise was the very lack of expected tirade.
"No Commander." Miranda shook her head curtly and strode into the ship.
Shepard was left reeling more than a little at that, she scratched her cheek in confusion. Should she be really worried now? Following her XO onto the ship she led Mordin to the science lab while the others went their various ways to clean up and relax after the mission.
Mordin could see the ship was a Cerberus vessel from the markings all over everything inside, consoles and uniforms mostly, though not all the uniforms and he found that intriguing. His trained eye could also see that the sight of them put Commander Shepard on edge, it seemed she was not willingly working with Cerberus.
"Commander don't forget to have your hand properly looked at by Doctor Chakwas." Miranda reminded her as she headed towards the lift rather than the briefing room.
"What you don't think you did a good enough job? I need a second opinion?" Shepard couldn't resist, she was just waiting for something to be said about the paintjob.
Miranda turned and glared at her, "I did a perfectly adequate job in the field and since then you've taken on just about half the remnants of the merc bands on Omega. You might not be feeling it now but if something in your hand doesn't set right you'll be bitching about it and I won't give a damn." she shot back heatedly.
Shepard chuckled, "Of course you'll care, I'm expensive and hot off the press you just don't want me permanently damaged just yet." she winked.
"Indeed. So when you're done with Professor Solus seeing as you'll be in the medbay anyway to see how Garrus is doing you can have Doctor Chakwas see to it." Miranda didn't argue with her and was almost relieved that the amused sparkle in her eyes remained.
Shepard scoffed but was still grinning as she finger flicked her in their unique manner that was similar to that of a Turian gesture of 'get lost' or 'fuck you'.
Miranda rolled her eyes and strode into the lift to go up to her quarters and shower off the stench of Omega.
"If you'd accompany me Professor?" Shepard led him to the lab instead of the briefing room. "This is the lab which will be yours to work in."
"Well equipped." Mordin nodded.
"If there is anything lacking please place a requisitions order through Operative Lawson." EDI's avatar popped up.
"Hmm modulated tones, hint of human emotion, not VI. Must ask Shepard is it an AI?" Mordin mused quickly and out loud.
"Yes, her name's EDI." Shepard nodded, leaning against the central work station, arms crossed as she took in the Salarian before her.
"AI, non-human crew members, Illusive Man branching out." Mordin turned his astute gaze to Commander Shepard, who by all accounts was supposed to be dead.
Shepard scoffed, "Not at all. We're all tools in his elaborate schemes. He knows that to buy my loyalty he needs to appear less xenophobic and give me reason to be comfortable. Therefore he's allowing me to have non-humans on my crew, people who have no sympathies with Cerberus. But that's beside the point right now Professor. This is my mission now and I run things my way. At any rate if any of the Cerberus personnel cause you trouble just let me know and I'll throw them out an airlock."
"Thank you for concern. Can look after myself." he nodded confidently and moved to begin checking out the work station, still listening to her though.
Shepard nodded, "Understood, offers there if you want it though. Now," she walked over to a storage compartment and slid the cover aside to reveal the buzzing seeker inside, "these little buggers are called Seekers. The Collectors send them in to the colonies in massive swarms. Their sting paralyses the people for an unknown period of time but long enough for the Collectors to come in, load the people into pods and take them away without a fight." she explained.
Mordin had abandoned the work station to quickly come over to investigate the live sample.
"I need you to develop a counteragent or something that can keep us safe from these guys. We don't know much about them, there's recordings of them in action and EDI's been monitoring this bugger. I'd be interested to know if their toxin or whatever it is they use to paralyse their victims is species specific. It could be why the Collectors let loose a plague that killed everything else on Omega, clear them out to make the humans easier to abduct." she shrugged, "But I'm just a soldier, scientific theories and such are beyond my little brain." she smirked.
"An interesting theory. I shall investigate. It makes sense not to target humans. Humans have the most genetic diversity, make for excellent control group. I look forward to working with you Commander Shepard." he bowed his head respectfully.
"The Normandy's got four levels, below is the cargo hold and engineering, this level has the CIC, lab, armoury and briefing room. One up is crew quarters, mess and medbay then the loft is top floor and my personal quarters. I keep an open door policy if there's ever anything you need to discuss. I'll leave you to get acquainted and EDI can help you out with anything else." Shepard nodded to him.
"Thank you Commander." Mordin's brain was already analysing the sample provided him.
Shepard smiled and went out to the lift.
Kelly looked over at her, "You've got some new messages on your terminal Stephanie." she tried out using the Commanders first name.
Shepard's brow rose slightly, "Steph, only my mother called me Stephanie and that was when I was about to get my ears chewed off." she gave a little smirk, besides it was so close to her real name.
Kelly's cheeks flushed a little, "Steph it is."
"Then I'll check my messages after I've seen Garrus and get my hand fixed again, really should stop hitting things bigger than me." she chuckled darkly, "The looks on Garrus and Massani's faces when the Krogan embedded in the wall with his face coming out the other side of his hump was so worth it though."
Kelly paled a little wondering if Shepard was exaggerating, "I'm sure that would've been something indeed."
Shepard was still chuckling as she got into the lift. The mirth was gone however when she entered the medbay. Chakwas was cleaning up having only just completed the surgery to repair Garrus' face.
Garrus lay still and unconscious in his drugged state but alive and mostly whole.
"He's going to be fine Commander." Chakwas assured her softly.
Shepard nodded and removed her glove, she was still in her armour, "Knew he would. He's a tough old bastard and you're the best." she smirked and turned back to the motherly woman.
Chakwas crossed her arms skeptically, "What did you do?" she growled.
Shepard had the decency to look sheepish, "I may have punched a Krogan in the face at full charge which may have broken my hand again. But it was so totally worth it, you should have seen the other guy!" she grinned.
Chakwas rolled her eyes at the childish enthusiasm in the Commander.
There were a few of the crew watching from the mess, Commander Shepard was always watched. There were some chuckles as it became apparent that the Commander was being scolded and doing her best to look sheepish and contrite while at the same time pleased with whatever she'd done.