Chapter 131 - To Change Human Nature
"So, Shepard... you look healthy enough. How long are they going to keep you cooped up here?" Wrex asks, the question accompanied by his low, growling chuckle.
Shepard allows herself a small smile at the absurdity of the question. Wrex has come to visit her during a significant moment, this is the first time after regaining consciousness that she has been allowed to have solid food. Well, as far as a lean soup with only one or two vegetables in it can be called solid food. She has taken the first few spoonfuls herself, but her hand soon begins to hurt like hell and she drops the spoon with a pained grunt, Liara immediately picking it up and beginning to feed her like a small child.
"Any day now," she replies softly, looking at her old friend. Wrex himself doesn't look too well, wrapped in bandages that show marks of impatient scratching, the krogan obviously not making for the most understanding of patients. "I'd have expected you to have joined your people on Earth, Wrex."
"Eh... I will, make no mistake," Wrex grumbles, walking back and forth heavily. "Tempted not to listen to those damned doctors and just take the next shuttle down there, but..." he lets out a deep, unhappy sigh. "Well... all those stupid politicians also demand my presence here... wish we could feed them all to Kalros."
"Doesn't it feel good to be considered important, though?" Liara asks.
"Yes, the Council is visiting almost every day now, quivering in fear, trying to make nice," Wrex chuckles. "The turian is trying to act as if he has something resembling a spine, but I can see how worried he is. The salarian is the worst of the lot, I can see he still thinks you made a mistake in curing the genophage, Shepard. The asari... well, she's certainly trying hard to be friendly. I wonder... just how far would she go to improve asari-krogan relations..."
"Oh. Oh... no, Wrex, not Councilor Tevos, please, don't go there," Shepard slowly shakes her head. "Listen carefully, old friend. Don't make... any crude insinuations to Tevos, Wrex. I know something that you do not know, and believe me, to try something like that would be a big and possibly fatal mistake."
"Hmph... making me curious now, Shepard," Wrex gives her an inquisitive look. "But wasn't thinking of anything like that. She's just... easy on the eyes, you know? Makes it easier to tolerate those other two. I... might have mentioned that to them, too."
Liara groans quietly. "And what was their reaction?"
"Oh, those two fools looked even more frightened, while that asari... Tevos, was she? Just smiled and said that her people see great opportunities in establishing close relations with the krogan," Wrex repeats the exact words spoken by the councilor, looking amused. "Like I said, she certainly is very friendly. And it pleases me."
"Right..." Shepard says, having swallowed the last mouthful of the soup, watching as Liara removes the tray. I just hope Tevos knows what she's doing and we won't have to involve Aria to cool down an amorous krogan with an asari fetish. Ah, who am I kidding... Tevos has played this game for centuries, she'll probably have Wrex wrapped around her finger soon, I'm sure of it. "Are you keeping in contact with your people down on Earth? How are they doing?" she decides to push the conversation in a different direction.
"Grunt is sending me updates daily," Wrex replies. "Can't believe that girlfriend of his made out alive. Liara, your people are made of sterner stuff than I sometimes think, watching all those painted whores shaking their naked asses about in nightclubs. Then I remember Aleena... Kurin reminds me a bit of her, crazy hothead with almost krogan like penchant for violence. And damn it, she has taught the pup how to write properly. I no longer have to send each message of his to Tali so that she decrypts it first."
Shepard starts to laugh, then wincing in pain, finding all her upper body as if being stung with needles. "Damn it, laughing hurts so much..." she gasps, earning a sympathy wince and the softest of hugs from her bondmate.
"Sounds like you humans have given us the most remote lot of the land they could have found, Shepard, probably because they fear us so much," Wrex lets out a rumbling, bellowing laughter. "But it's all good. I hear there's a river running through the heart of our enclave, and Grunt claims he has seen fish swimming there. Fish in the river, Shepard!"
"Yes? That's... perfectly normal for Earth, Wrex," Morgan feels a little confused from all this fishy excitement.
"Really? I didn't believe him, now I absolutely must go down there and see for myself as soon as possible," Wrex sincerely resolves. "Fish in the river! Amazing. Who would have thought?"
"I hope your people don't just stand around the river all day in hopes of noticing the fish swim by," Shepard rolls her eyes.
"No, no, they take a few hours off to help with the rebuilding, too," Wrex answers earnestly. "But the humans are just so hard to work with. Crazy, but I must reluctantly admit that fighting alongside the turians on Palaven taught my people a... slowly growing grudging respect for those scaly bastards. Humans, though... complain and whine all day. They wanted us there to do all the heavy lifting, right? So, we're moving all the large debris and cleaning up the mess... so what if some excited krogan now and then drops something by accident? We're not the damned geth, we can make a mistake now and then! And sometimes a boulder or two might end up falling on some stupid human standing underneath. How is that our fault? They should have known better. But no, the next day, dozens of their friends and relatives are back, armed with guns, shouting something about revenge. So damned stupid."
"Well, it's just nice to see everyone working side by side in peace and harmony..." Shepard sighs.
"Yeah, no offence Shepard, but as soon as they get those relays back in working condition, we're catching a ride back with the turians or the asari. We're getting off this sorry rock, even Tuchanka is better... though, if Earth really has fish in rivers... hmm, tough call," Wrex muses.
"Not sure how the Alliance would react if you decided to stay, Wrex," Morgan points out.
"Sometimes you humans try my patience so much I'm tempted to find out," Wrex replies. "But anyway, I should get back to my bunk," he notes, checking something on his omni-tool. "It's almost feeding time and I'm starving!"
"Alright, Wrex... nice to see you stopping by," Shepard smiles at him as their old friend is about to depart.
"Oh, right... there was one more thing I meant to ask, Liara..." a slightly more subdued and almost hesitant Wrex turns towards Morgan's bondmate.
"Yes, she is alive, Wrex, and no, she has not asked for you," Liara replies with a roll of her eyes. "I'm sure you'll understand that she has more pressing issues to attend to, with Thessia lying in ruins."
"Right, right. Still good to know," Wrex nods, turning to leave. "I guess for now admiring the councilor's pretty painted face and her other... assets, will have to be enough..."
"I am still not in favor of this visit," Liara says sternly, crossing her arms on her ample bosom, attempting to look reprimanding, but to Morgan her posture simply feels extremely arousing and desirable.
"So you have said a few times now," she manages to reply. "And I still insisted that it needs to be taken care of without any further delays. Can't believe he couldn't find time in his schedule over the past three days. And he's late again, isn't he?"
Liara checks her omni-tool one more time. "Not yet... he still has a minute to show up... oh, and there he is," she looks up to face the man entering Shepard's room, wearing Alliance dress blues. "Admiral Hackett, a pleasure."
"Likewise, Dr. T'Soni," Hackett replies politely. "Commander. I'm sorry that I could not find time for you sooner."
"No worries, Admiral," Shepard says. "It's not like I'm someone important who couldn't be made to wait for days, right?"
"That's not fair, Shepard, you have no idea what my schedule is like these days," Hackett shakes his head sadly. "Between one meeting and another, I barely have time for eating and sleeping."
Upon further inspection, Morgan is forced to admit that the admiral probably is not lying about that, his face looks very gaunt and there are bags under his eyes from the lack of sleep. Damn, he's making this dealing with political bullshit incredibly unattractive. Is this the kind of future I want for myself? And Liara, and the baby? Oh, the urge to just say fuck to it all, and retire somewhere...
"Fellow admirals running you ragged, I hear?" Morgan asks instead.
"Don't tell me that Singh has come to pester you as well?" Hackett groans. "Seriously, sometimes I feel like a glorified firefighter, running after him and trying to douse the flames."
"He hasn't come to visit, no. Will he?" Hackett answers Shepard's question with a mute nod. "Why? What's his angle?"
"He's dreaming about the empty councilor's position, I believe," Hackett replies sourly. "He has been campaigning for it like mad. I think he plans to seek your approval, believing that support from someone like you would do a world of good for his aspirations."
"Why would Shepard support this man?" Liara asks suddenly. "Do you know him, Morgan?"
"I don't know him well enough to give him what he seeks," Morgan shrugs lightly, still feeling the pain in her shoulders. "Should I support him, Steven?" she asks, foregoing all the protocol and asking the man in front of her, not the glorified admiral of the Alliance.
"Not if you truly believe it is the best for humanity," Hackett replies. "Most still hope that you will express interest in assuming the mantle of humanity's representative yourself, Shepard. The popular opinion would be with you, I'm sure."
"I doubt that is something I want to do, Admiral," she replies. "I'm just thinking about this Singh. Who supports him? He couldn't be just making such a push all by himself!"
"Most of the surviving admirals of the Alliance appear to have his back," Hackett sighs. "This is where I miss Ines and your mother, Shepard. They would not have abided by this nonsense. Once again, my sincerest apologies... your mother died like a true hero, Shepard, her actions saved the galaxy as much as yours and mine."
"Thank you, sir," Shepard nods stiffly. "I don't like the situation you're painting, though. We were joking about hiring a food taster for Wrex back on Tuchanka, but now I feel we need to do something similar for you too..."
"Let's not overreact, Shepard," Hackett shakes his head. "Some of these people have been my friends for twenty, thirty years. We might have our disagreements, but they are always polite and cordial, and to imply that one of them would do something as heinous as that is to insult everything the Alliance stands for."
"But they have to be getting something out of supporting this Admiral Singh," Shepard muses. "Do you know what it could be, Steven?"
"Not yet... I cannot deny having this feeling that some sort of a deal has been struck behind my back, but that is... merely my suspicion," Hackett shrugs. "I'm sure that getting you out of here and up on your feet will make a lot of difference, Commander. A word from the savior of the galaxy and you'll get the people of Earth and all the other races working together as one again."
"Just how do you intend for me to achieve that?" Shepard asks.
"We could start by appearances on Alliance news vids," Hackett suggests. "We've restored the communications throughout the most of Europe and North America, so we could cover a significant part of the audience. We could do with one of the famous, inspiring Shepard speeches to bring all those warring factions back to their senses."
"You cannot complain about the lack of charisma, Admiral," Liara boldly points out. "You gained great renown by leading the galactic fleets in the final battle. Why have you not done something like that yourself?"
"I have tried," Hackett admits, unusually meekly. "I am sorry to admit it, but my attempts were embarrassingly ineffective."
"I can try, but I think you're asking me to do the impossible," Shepard says with a heavy sigh. "You are asking me to change the very nature of humanity. But what can change the nature of a man? It seems that not even standing on the brink of extinction will do so."
"There is no reason to be so pessimistic, Commander," Hackett says, even if his face does not reflect any encouragement regarding their current predicament. "We knew that rebuilding will be difficult. We just need to grit our teeth and keep working."
Haven't I given enough already? Shepard badly wants to exclaim, but she swallows those words, remaining silent. "I didn't think that rebuilding would include fighting our own people. Is there really no other way?"
"Shepard, if we hadn't stepped in, the situation might have become even worse," Hackett replies. "The vacuum of power was promoting looting, increase of crime and complete public disorder. We need to bring the situation under control, before we can talk about returning some of the authority in the hands of civilian agencies."
"I hope that your fellow admirals are on the same wavelength with you on this," Shepard grumbles. "Some of the stories I've heard suggests me that this is not the case."
"There... is a danger that the continued struggle will make my fellow admirals less... motivated to give up their privileged positions, once we do secure peace and order on Earth," Hackett reluctantly admits. "This is why we must bridge this division quickly. But between the growing local gang influence, the Terminus mercenaries, the rise of Terra Firma, there are not many civilians left who would be supportive and appreciative of the Alliance's harsh policies."
"You've imposed martial law, confiscated their food supplies and in many cases stripped them of private property, in cases when it was deemed to have military value," Liara quickly recounts. "I have difficulties imagining just how much support you could have hoped to secure in light of such actions. Morgan is a miracle worker, we all know that, but what is she supposed to tell the people of Earth that would suddenly make them accepting of even more sacrifices?"
"Martial law has protected those very same civilians from gang violence, it has been put in place for their benefit. Confiscating food supplies has meant that we have been able to set up countless supply depots where people can receive daily allotments of food without anyone having to starve because their neighbor is hoarding several crates of nutrient paste and energy bars. As for confiscating private property... such cases have been very rare and only when it has been truly necessary."
"I don't think that was the point Liara was trying to make," Shepard says. "You want me to appeal to the people of Earth, to make promises to them, to reassure them that the Systems Alliance only has their best intentions at heart. But how can I know that this is actually the case? I don't know any of these recently promoted admirals in charge, nor do I know of their motives. Maybe some of them campaigned against me after Aratoht and still hold a grudge? I can't make promises on behalf of people I don't know or can't even trust."
"You no longer have faith in that the Alliance wishes the best for its people?" Hackett asks, looking a little upset.
Shepard considers her answer for a while. "I trust people, Admiral. I don't trust organizations," she says eventually.
"I see," Hackett nods. "I hope that you at least trust me as your commanding officer. You are still a part of the Alliance, and I hope that it will remain so."
"I had no intentions on making any changes in that regard." Yet. Her lips quirk in a small smile. "I hope that you didn't plan to throw me into active duty just yet, oh commanding officer, sir?"
"That will probably have to wait for a while," Hackett agrees.
"I'm sure she will be itching to return groundside as soon as Dr. Michel clears her from bed rest," Liara gives Shepard a fond stare. "Thankfully, that will not happen for several weeks yet."
"What do you mean, 'thankfully'?" Shepard half-glares at her bondmate, then sighing in defeat.
"This will give us plenty of time to prepare suitable living quarters for you and Dr. T'Soni, Commander," Hackett says.
"We don't need anything special, just a simple prefab will do, Admiral," Shepard speaks up quickly.
"There is little need to be so modest, Shepard. Some of the suburban areas around the larger cities have escaped unharmed, even if their inhabitants have not been so lucky. We will find something comfortable for the two of you."
"Thank you, Admiral," Liara smiles with a small bow, and there is something about the way she does it that implies to Hackett that his visiting time is over and the admiral has no choice but to simply wish Shepard and Liara the best of luck, before taking his leave from the Shalta Wards hospital.
For a while, neither of them speaks. Liara takes a seat next to her bondmate, reaching out to link her hand with Morgan's, lowering her head on Shepard's shoulder, gently, careful not to hurt the still fragile human. Soon enough, Morgan feels the familiar presence pushing at the edges of her consciousness, the asari knocking on the doorway into her mind, gently requesting a permission to initiate a shallow meld, and that permission is granted swiftly, Morgan relaxing and dropping most of her barriers, letting the familiar, soothing essence of Liara flow through her very being.
'You're worried. Worried and anxious. It was a mistake to let him come here. It was too soon.'
'C'mon, babe, a little bit of bad news won't kill me. Besides, he didn't really tell me anything that I didn't already know or hadn't expected. So far everything has gone pretty much according to the cynical pattern I quietly predicted.'
'I'm not sure I understand... but what do you think will happen next?'
'This Admiral Singh will soon show up to visit us and he will try to talk me into supporting him. I will refuse. Then he'll use all of his available resources to discredit me in the eyes of the Earth's population.'
'They can't do that to you! They won't! You... you are a hero, Morgan! Everyone knows that!'
'Repeat a lie enough times and people will start to believe anything they are told. Besides... I have provided them with plenty of ammo over the years. The alien lover who sacrificed dozens of Alliance ships in order to save the Council during the battle of the Citadel. The literal alien lover who has chosen to bond with a beautiful asari, instead of a human male as she was supposed to. The Cerberus link. The terrorism charges. Oh... they could paint me in a very unflattering light if they so decided.'
'I... I find this idea deeply upsetting...'
'Sorry, babe. I knew you came to visit my mind to calm me down, and in turn I succeeded in upsetting you... let me be the one to turn these dark thoughts away.' She tries to focus on the intense, deep feelings for her bondmate, her love of Liara and their unborn child, letting it flow across their mental bond to meet an equally powerful response surging forth from the asari, their emotions clashing in a deeply comforting mental embrace that they can both draw strength and support from.
'You are becoming quite skilled at directing yourself during melding,' Liara sends out a thought of approval, Morgan feeling gratified by such high praise.
'I've had a wonderful teacher,' she replies mentally, having to exert a little more self-control for the meld not to stray into something of more intimate and passionate nature. Despite them both thirsting for it, in Shepard's state it is simply not recommended.
'One who had no clue whatsoever how it was supposed to go before trying it out with you,' Liara chuckles over their bond. 'But you were there for me from the very beginning, my love. We have gone through everything together... and we will continue to do so. Words cannot express how comforting it is.'
'Thankfully we don't need words...' Morgan returns the sentiment over the deepening link. 'And you are right about us facing everything together... always and forever.'