Departure

Disclaimer

Starcraft is the property of Blizzard entertainment.

Mass effect is the property of Bioware.

Any elements used in this story are used only in order to create a story for no monetary gain nor do I claim any ownership over them, beyond the names and characters unique to this story.

SSV Normandy - Citadel Port.

Joker.

This was too perfect.

"Had a wild week, Commander?" Joker stared at the group as the pilot tried to hide a chuckle as best as he could while Shepard and the rest of his team just glared at him while the only movement that occurred on their side was that of a strange glowing rock hitting the head of a particular crew member.

"..." Shepard's silence could have made it so any other member of his crew would disengage from such an attitude.

But Joker wasn't most of the crew.

"Come on, Commander. Lighten the mood will you?" Joker said with a smile as he saw that the commander was not particularly happy.

"Yeah John. Learn to smile a little" Said the mysterious person who Joker did not recognize.

"I have to agree with this stranger, Commander. What kind of example are you leaving for your colleagues?" Joker smirked as he saw that the rest of the ground team were departing and most likely going to their respective spots on the ship until Joker took them to their next destination.

"I like how you think. stranger" the redheaded woman in the navigator uniform said as she extended a hand to Joker "Name?".

"Most people call me Joker" he replied without stretching his hand "I would shake your hand but the threat of somebody accidentally breaking the bones in my hand makes it an unappealing gesture" he turned towards his console as he could not wait to pilot his baby once again.

"Understood…" she said with a disappointed look and retracted her hand "Name's Jane Shepard" she added.

…

Wait.

Shepard?

"Commander. Is she…" Joker looked over his shoulder to ask the commander if this was true but found that he had already left the cockpit and was making his way towards the back of the ship "A-Are you two related?".

She gave him a cold smile "So he never told anybody of me…" she looked a little bit disappointed "Figures" she approached Joker as he began to make some preglith checks "I'm his sister. But you won't see us getting chummy with each other while on the ship. Not sorry if you are disappointed".

Joker began to like her attitude "No disappointment here, ma'am" he made a salute at his superior officer "Just make sure that any bad air between you two doesn't get to my beautiful cockpit".

"Whatever" she shook her head at this last remark and turned towards the CIC and made her way towards her station.

Joker might have admired the view if he was a fool. But he understood that such a thing would earn him a one way trip out the airlock.

Regardless of that, he had a better view than any other crewmember.

He just needed the order.

Jane Shepard

So…

A smartass commander/Spectre who was her brother.

A good looking Lieutenant who just so happened to be the date of her friend.

A badass gunnery sergeant who had woken up looking as if she was about to die.

A bastard/handsome turian who she had coerced into a date.

An asshole krogan who burned down the only club who actually was somewhat friendly to alliance personnel.

A nervous quarian who apparently had just gotten out of jail.

An alien with no face who was capable of reading minds.

A shy Asari who clearly had something for John.

And a pilot who prefers to be called… Joker.

This was what had been given to her to work with.

She groaned inwardly as she made her way out of the cockpit.

What had the alliance stuck her into?

Oh wait. She asked for this assignment.

…

Fuck.

Jane Shepard could have been seen by others as an overbearing person with a devilish attitude and looks that hid her propensity to play rough with everybody, but she was first and foremost the daughter of Richard and Hannah Shepard and nothing else but the true successor to her father's legacy.

Ever since she was little Jane heard of the stories and exploits of how her father rose through the ranks of the navy and achieved the position of admiral almost as fast as the legendary admiral Hackett had done before him.

She always looked at her mother in wonder as she told her the story of how she and her father had met while also speaking of the exploits of her dad as the first contact war began.

And she remembered how she cried every time her mother told her about the battle of Shanxi with tears in her eyes.

Of how he had…

Only the notion that it was due to her father's sacrifice that the alliance managed to save the people of Shanxi and in turn save the family of her sister, Ashley, that she always held a smile when thinking back on him.

Jane focused once more and began to salute every crewmember she came across while making her way to her post. From the officers to every private she came across. From gunnery and stealth drive operators in the neck of the Normandy to every person she came across in the CIC who were responsible for the communication array or navigation like herself.

She was now their superior officer and as such she made it clear that she wanted a tightly run vessel but would not be above making mistakes herself and as such she intended to learn as much as she could from them and in turn she wished for them to learn from her.

She began to relate a face with every one of the functions that were directly under her in the CIC and the respective crewmember in charge of said station.

Alexei Dubyanski - Weapons officer.

Amina Waaberi - Communications officer.

Caroline Grenado - Sensor array major staff.

Raymond Tanaka - Stealth drive specialist.

These were the four members of the immediate crew who were directly under her in the chain of command and as such she called them to present herself.

"I thank you for complying with my request, it won't take much of your time. I am Jane Shepard, your new navigator and executive officer of the commander of this vessel. I served on the Einstein previous to my reassignment to this vessel and was subsequently promoted due to my years of service aboard that vessel" she began to pace in front of the gathered crewmates "But make no mistake, my current position was earned through my own merit and the service I gave to the alliance, just like every single one you. So do not expect me to be a foreigner to failure" she stopped her walk and turned to meet one of the officers on the eyes "Our greatest achievements as soldiers of the alliance is how we will learn from said failure. But make no mistake, failure in our duties means death for each and every single soul aboard this vessel and as such I wish to see your best in everything you do" She stepped back and saw the reactions of every one of them. No doubts or second guessing "Do I make myself clear?".

"SIR, YES, SIR" the expected answer. Jane smiled at this.

"Have this vessel ready for our departure at a moment's notice" they saluted her "Dismissed" she gave them leave.

She planned to run a tight ship and as such she needed her navy men in tiptop shape.

The grunts were her brother's responsibility.

Along with Vakarian.

Ugh.

Garrus

Garrus was glad that C-sec had allowed them to keep their weapons (Even if they were from the gray market).

He was glad that their mission to hunt Saren would continue in short notice.

And he was glad that his hand hurted like hell on earth.

Wait, no.

Garrus wasn't glad for that last one.

He was partially livid but understood that he had brought this upon himself.

The turian continued to slowly stash his new equipment into his locker and began to make an inventory of everything he had at his disposal.

His armor from C-sec had been modified to remove any signs that he had been an officer mere weeks ago, he kept the blue since it suited him.

His Equalizer rifle remained in its compact form as he stowed it into the small compartment.

The shredder rounds were an item that wasn't legal per say… but as long as he placed a rug over the container that held the upgrade none would be the wiser.

And lastly he stowed his carnifex pistol into the… no. He kept the gun holstered to his person.

Never know when you will need it.

Now onto his other task…

As Wrex and himself had forced the little quarian to aid them in their mission he deemed it appropriate to aid in storing her gear.

He placed the now closed bag into her locker as Dot had been given back to Xiltar just as they entered the vessel.

The reaction of the machine when it booted back up was quite the sight to say the least.

It had for some reason condemned the protoss as an abomination under the guise of Greed before it began to smash against the protoss' head for some reason.

…

Garrus refocused on his current task even if he had managed to crack a laugh at the memory.

Tali's Hydra shotgun was placed in its spot and to Garrus' surprise he found tungsten Rounds in a separate container to that of the shotgun. The block of the material would certainly be used by the quarian if they needed to shred some machines without much effort.

Even at that moment her mind was focused on the Geth.

"But your people created them…" he whispered his true feelings on that topic as to not alert the other members of the squad as they were in their usual spots.

All save for Williams.

He knew that the human had most likely gone to the infirmary as she wasn't looking good when they arrived.

Garrus made use of this opportunity to make this task while he saw that Wrex was reclining against the wall and Xiltar was on his work bench after he had managed to calm the floating orb somehow.

He finished his task and turned to the Mako as he was eager to fix and calibrate whatever the alliance had done to his tank.

As Garrus was about to lift the suspension of the vehicle and go under the tank he saw that the elevator opened to reveal…

"Shepard…" he whispered in horror as he saw the commander get out of the elevator and make his way straight to the turian "Ejem… What can I do for you commander?" he asked as the human stopped a meter from him.

The commander looked at him with a blank stare and after a few minutes he raised an eyebrow and spoke "Care to explain why you didn't tell me that your date happened to be with my sister?".

Garrus knew that this conversation was most likely a one way trip to pain city if he answered wrong "Because I didn't know you HAD a sister" he answered truthfully.

The commander did not look pleased with his answer "Yeah, that was on me" he began to rub his chin "But it's not like I knew she was going to be my new XO either…" he sighed "I can't hold you accountable for who your date was since it would have most likely be going to hell anyway" he approached the turian "BUT… I can blame you for turning the casino into an actual hell" he punched the turian in the gut "Anything to say?".

He knew he deserved this from Shepard.

And he deserved worse from Jane.

As he recovered from the strike Garrus began to consider how he would have reacted if it had been his sister.

…

He would have probably beat the perpetrator until his face stopped resembling a face.

He thanked the commander for stopping at just one strike.

"I know I'm in the wrong…" Garrus began with some effort "I shouldn't have put your family at risk and I regret how it spiraled out of control" he rubbed the spot where the commander had struck "And I would have done worse if it had been my own sister".

"Look" Shepard began "I'm equally disappointed in you and Jane. She acted like a toddler once again and most likely forced you into the situation like she has done before" he sighed "But I need you both to at least be at ease around each other" he patted Garrus on the shoulder "She is not a person who forgives easily, Garrus. But at least try to make peace with her".

The turian stood in shock at the words of the commander. He knew he had wronged the commander and their navigator, so he knew that his mistake would have most likely cost him his spot in the mission.

But above all he knew that Jane deserved an apology.

"I will try, Shepard" Garrus answered.

The commander nodded and made his way to the elevator.

He paused midway.

"Do not pick a fight with her, Wrex" he said to the krogan who had been watching them

He just snarled on his part.

"And do not blow up my ship, Xiltar!" Garrus turned to the protoss and saw that he was making something on his bench.

-Acknowledged, commander- answered Dot in place of the protoss.

Shepard finally arrived at the elevator and went up.

…

How would he apologize?

Shepard (John to clarify)

Why had they not fixed the elevator?

Shepard groaned as the slow ride went up… and up… and up…

"Joker" he called the pilot "Begin preflight checks and have the vessel ready".

"Aye, aye. Commander" Joker answered.

"Jane, begin to chart a course to the Attican Beta cluster. Intel has informed us of Geth movement in neighboring systems" he ordered the navigator.

"Yes, commander" Jane answered.

And just as he began to think of what else he should do in the meantime, the elevator finally arrived at his destination.

He exited the elevator and turned towards the stairs but a commotion from the clinic got his attention.

He approached the door and heard people screaming inside.

He made the mistake of entering.

"... I SHOULD REPORT YOUR ASS TO THE ALLIANCE FOR WHAT YOU DID!" The scream had clearly come from Ashley. But he did not expect this to be directed at Kaidan of all people.

"Ash, please. I did nothing, I swear" Kaidan tried to defend himself.

….

Oh shit.

After a moment, both of them turned to see that the commander had entered the clinic.

Shepard was surprised to find Doctor Chackwas sitting at her desk while drinking coffee and being a witness to what was transpiring.

"Good day, commander" was her nonchalant answer as she was glad that somebody else had entered this inferno "Would you kindly aid me with this matter?" she pointed to the pair who were shifting uncomfortably as their commander glared at them.

"Alenko, Williams. In the mess, NOW!" Shepards's order was followed and both of them exited the clinic.

"Thank's commander. I have enough experience with situations like this, but I wasn't sure that poor Liara would hold another second" she said while pointing to the door that led to the professor's room "And before you ask. Yes, she could hear everything from there".

"Fuck" Shepard answered "Remind me to talk to her, please".

"Yes, commander" Chakwas answered as she continued to drink from her cup.

Shepard sighed as he made his way to the mess hall and found that both his teammates were at opposite ends of the table.

"Could either of you explain what happened?" Shepard would regret his poor choice of words…

-Both Kaidan and Ashley scream at each other as they tell the story of what happened between them-

Shepard had his forehead planted firmly on the table as the five minutes retelling had most likely shortened his lifespan by 30 years at most.

What the hell had happened?

According to what he had been allowed to piece by himself. Both had gone to a double date with his sister and Garrus, both of them had drunk an obscene quantity that night and the both of them had woken up the next day with no recollection of what had happened.

This was a serious matter.

There were rules in the alliance that forbade any type of intermingling between soldiers (not like his parents cared) and as such he knew that they could be both discharged due to this if any of them raised this situation to the brass.

And the matter was even more serious for Kaidan as Ashley could have easily reported his misconduct during that night as an abuse by a superior officer and a man if what the three of them suspected was true.

What was he to do?

(This is a grave matter) came a voice that was heard in the trio's head (I would be willing to lend some aid) Xiltar appeared out of smoke as he stood there while the trio watched in shock and anger.

"Have you been here the whole time?" asked Kaidan in an irritated manner as he looked directly at the protoss.

(No. I came up here after Commander Shepard departed as I wanted to ask him for some information…) Xiltar explained (But in truth I began to listen to the conflict as the elevator brought me here. That device is a slow one).

He agreed with the alien on that.

"You said you could help us. How?" Ashley asked as she glared at the Protoss.

(An investigation into the memories of your time together. Each one separately, I would respect your privacy on that matter) Xiltar explained (Shepard knows that I am capable of this much) Shepard nodded to confirm this.

He knew that the topic was a completely personal matter and ultimately this was to be Ashley and Kaidan's decision. But he knew that should the answer not be what they wished then shit would hit the fan and both of them would face the consequences of what they did.

"But the images were blurry… How will they know if something happened?" Shepard asked as he recalled the experience.

(That was observation of the facts. I do not intend to do such a thing here) Xiltar began to explain what he meant (Memories such as these ones are better explored by being experienced. I will not participate in them, just channel them).

He saw as the two of them were not convinced by the proposal, but the need to know the truth outweighed their reservations as Shepard could perceive.

"Fuck…" said Kaidan as he nodded while looking down in shame.

"..." Ashley still looked sick but she steeled herself and nodded as well.

(This will be brief) Xiltar said as his eyes glowed slightly brighter for some moments (There. What did you see?).

Wait, was it that quickly?

"..." the both of them remained silent before answering in unison "Nothing…"

…

"But… I felt shame… and fear" Kaidan said.

"And I felt sadness… and self loathing" Ashley said after.

What had happened?

(...) Xiltar remained silent (You felt the perspective of the other… This was not my intention. I apologize) so the protoss had made a mistake but it being unintentional seemed to be more of a lie.

"No… I needed to see what I had… what I thought I had done to her" Kaidan answered "I'm sorry Ash" he apologized honestly.

"..." Ashley remained silent as she still remained angry "You did nothing, LT. I assumed incorrectly and decided to blame you" she lowered her gaze "I'm sorry" she got up from the seat and made her way to the clinic once again without another word.

Kaidan got up from his seat and moved towards his locker, he needed some time to think.

This had not been resolved in a satisfactory manner…

But he now knew that nothing had happened…

(On the contrary. They are most likely hurt by the whole experience) Xiltar said (Such a shame what happened to them…)

(I wouldn't know) Shepard thought so their conversation would be private (I could never see Kaidan as a person who would do such a thing. But I could never see Ashley falling for such a trap…) he contemplated for a moment (Did nothing really happen?) he asked out of genuine concern even if he was breaching their privacy.

(Indeed. That such a situation occurred was… new to me… but it was cruel nonetheless) Xiltar answered.

Shepard got up from his seat and began to make his way towards the CIC while Xiltar followed (Thank you for helping me. What did you need from me?) he asked the protoss.

(...) he sighed mentally (Nothing commander. I was aware of what had transpired and felt… pity) Xiltar answered to his surprise.

(When did you learn of this?) Shepard asked as he stopped right before reaching the base of the stairs.

(The regret of Kaidan Alenko was my first clue. The shame and anger of Ashley Williams made it more clear to me) Xiltar asked (And the fact that their thoughts only revolved around each other and what they had done together).

Shepard turned and glared at the Protoss (I thought you weren't reading minds after I told you not to).

Xiltar looked unamused at the commander's stance (Every single person I have met since the beginning of this journey has made it clear that their minds are unguarded deposits of knowledge for someone like me. Be it for better or worse, my abilities should not be censured, commander) he replied as he stared at the commander.

Shepard recoiled at the last statement and considered the position of his ally.

He had to admit that this skill of his was quite the advantage in either combat or acquiring information from unwilling sources without resorting to torture but he still felt conflicted by the moral dilemma that was the breach or privacy due to this skill.

(There are too many dangers to what you propose… or are even capable of doing with that skill of yours) Shepard began as he pointed a finger at the protoss (How can I be sure that you won't use that against any member of my crew or the people we fight for?)

Xiltar look down as he pondered this.

(Yes. You have a point, commander…) Xiltar replied back as he overtook the commander and began to walk up the stairs (My people are reserved and we tend to be untrusting of any who are not like us, so I can understand how we may look from your perspective) the protoss sighed and said something that surprised the commander (Just know that as long as I remain a member of your crew, I won't reveal anybody's thoughts without your permission or their consent. My loyalty remains with your people until mine are freed).

…

But after that?

(Even then I will hold to my vow should none of you betray me first) he replied in turn as they finished their trek up the stairs while remaining in silence.

(...) Sheaprd did not know what to think anymore… heh… what had his life turned into? "I'm sorry if I was inconsiderate to you… I just ask that you do not antagonize people with your powers. You intimidate us…" he answered truthfully.

(It was never my intention…) Xiltar replied (I promise only to do so against our enemies. But it is not for you to say where to use my skills…) he placed a hand on Shepard's shoulder (As it is not for me to say how you should best serve your people or inspire your warriors) Xiltar motioned his head to the crew of the CIC who were looking at him while awaiting orders (Lead them, commander).

Sheaprd nodded to the protoss and finally approached the CIC while Xiltar descended the stairs after a moment.

"Good to see you commander" Jane answered with the same respect as Pressley had done before her "We await your orders".

Shepard nodded "Joker, take us out of port and set a course for the Attican cluster".

"Aye, aye. Sir" the pilot replied.

The stars called.

Afterword.

So my shitty citadel ark is done. Do not expect something like this until I begin to write mass effect 2 or something else.

Answer corner.

Guest - No as far as I can remember. In the wiki it is only stated that she served in the Kilimanjaro as an XO in 2183 (ME1) and then being a captain of the Orizaba in ME2 as she refused a promotion to admiral so she must have got her captainship in the two year gap while Shepard was dead.

I only played as a spacer once in ME1 and I can remember that Shepard called the Kilimanjaro while looking for XO Shepard.