Tensions are at an all-time high after the events of Relay 314 between the High Council and humanity. With rumbles of war brewing and the increasingly violent protests from radical human groups, it's up to The Systems Alliance, the representative body of Earth and all human colonies within Citadel space, to offer an olive branch to the council in a desperate bid to win back some favour.
Not only as a gesture of good faith, but as an unspoken apology for the actions of Terra Firma.
A radical group that may have started on Earth but was quickly spreading and gaining traction throughout Citadel space daily.
With humanities only chance at eventual integration into the Citadel space and maybe the Galactic Federation of Allied Systems on the line, it's with equal parts hope and trepidation that the Alliance offers the Turian people a negotiation of peace. An outreach program meant to offer a little insight and understanding about each other's culture, people and place in the universe.
Trouble is, the only person willing to accept said 'mission' of peace, is none other than Jayne Shepard. The lone survivor of the Mindoir raids.
Can Jayne put aside her preconceptions for the good of her people, or will old wounds be the cause of another war? A war that humanity has no chance of winning, let alone surviving.
An Au beginning to Jayne's venture forward into the woman we know and love. Takes place before the games but will ease into them eventually.
Mass Effect and all characters therein its universe are the sole property of EA/Bioware. I own nothing. This is written and published freely. I make no profit from it.
Growing Pains.
Chapter one: A ship by any other name.
Jayne Shepard might have graduated from the Academy, but her hopes of ever serving aboard an Alliance vessel were all but dead in the water. Though she'd maintained great grades and was liked amongst… most of her peers, Anderson was still worried about the fragility of her mental state and her diagnosis of PTSD.
Pft. Everyone and their dog had PTSD nowadays, she grumbles bitterly. We went to war with an alien species of lizard men over a goddamn space door, our colonies get raided by marauding slavers whenever the Alliance turns their back, oh and we had the sudden and unexpected realization that no we aren't at the top of the food chain anymore. AND, to top it all off, things that go bump in the night might very well be an extraterrestrial with a plasma rifle!
Jayne groaned, throwing closed the locker in front of her with a clattering slam.
It's not that Anderson didn't have good reason to be keeping her grounded, Jayne stewed. No, if he didn't that might have made the situation more tolerable somehow. Like if he was just some dick with a grudge against her than Jayne could deal with that. Argue about the unfairness with which she was being treated. Could appeal to his higherups and make a case for herself.
No, Anderson's calm rationing was flawless, and it made sense, and Jayne wanted to hate him for it.
Because even if he was right and his concerns were founded in fact, that didn't stop the sting of rejection she felt knowing he was the reason her every application to go off world was being shot down.
He'd been the one to save her on Mindoir. Hell, he'd been the one to recommend she enroll in the Alliance Navel Academy, damnit. Only to have her grounded on Earth, bound to a life of tedium and psychiatric appointments.
And Jayne didn't even want to get started on how much she'd grown to hate psychiatrists. Not bothering to change out of her gym clothes, Jayne took a slog from her water bottle before flinging it once empty into her open duffle bag.
The twenty-four-hour gym was near on deserted at this time of night, and her exit was quiet and barely noted by the overworked staff. When she stepped out into the cool breeze of night, a rush of prickles tingled along her skin and instantly left her shivering. Winter was coming. A thought that made her want a very large tub of ice-cream and to curl up under a plush blanket on her frumpy couch and binge Stargate on Holo.
Which instantly brought her back to the fact that, that would never be her. She'd never crusade across space, kicking ass and saving pretty girls from big bad aliens. A realisation that made her shoulders droop and her gut clench as anger and resentment settled back in.
Sonofabitch.
Hoisting her duffle, Jayne strapped it into place across her back, checked to make sure her runners were still laced, and pushed off from the curb into a lazy jog. Tokyo-Chiba was a sight to behold at night. Lit up like a beacon and blaring a million different Holo-vids for various products. Everything from skin care to sex toys flashed on screens around her as she ran through the streets.
It had been a very alarming culture shock when she'd first arrived. But now the glittering of streetlights and screens projected on every building as far as the eye could see was as close as she was ever going to get to being among actual stars.
Stupid Anderson and his stupid… caring…-ness? Yeah, it didn't make sense to her either, but she was too angry to care.
When Anderson had picked her up from Mindoir she'd been an angry, scrappy teen. Barely sixteen, covered in soot and sweat and looking for a fight in all the wrong places. He'd taken her in for two years, becoming the closest thing she had to family before shipping her off to Earth for training. As such, he saw her as his daughter, and had become insufferably overbearing.
It would have been sweet in any other context. Right now, it just felt like he was smothering the life from her.
Jayne wanted to be out there, in space, amongst the Navel fleet. A proud member of the Alliance. She wanted to make sure that what happened to her never happened again under her watch.
More than anything, she wanted to hunt down the Batarians who had butchered her family, killed her people and stolen her friends.
Her heart twisted in misery, knowing that most of them still hadn't been found. Her people. Scattered across Citadel space.
And she couldn't do shit to find them. Not here. Trapped on Earth, where it was safe. Well... relatively speaking.
For the life of her, Jayne could not understand Anderson's reasoning. Why the hell had he pushed her into enrolling if he'd never meant to assign her to a ship?
Why the hell had she wasted the last year in training to be a Marine if she wasn't going to put any of it to use?
Her sneakers slapped against the pavement as she jogged, her apartment building coming into view as she rose over the slight incline of a hill. The cherry blossom trees growing either side of the road reached up and out with spidery branches devoid of life.
Though she was looking forward to seeing them bloom around the month of her birthday, it also signified another year spent here, stuck, never moving, unchanging. Miserable.
She wasn't even old enough to legally drown her woes at the bottom of a bottle yet. It didn't stop her from doing as such, it just sucked that she couldn't go to clubs or bars openly. It didn't help that her only friends were both two years older than her, and actually could go out and party.
They were also dating. Sort of. Making Jayne ever conscious that not only was she a third wheel, but she was a third wheel that couldn't get any action herself because she couldn't go out with them to meet anyone!
I swear if I die a virgin because of Andersons 'mother bear' approach to handling me, I will haunt his ass for eternity. I'll haunt his ass in the afterlife when he die. And when he is reincarnated, I'll stay dead just to haunt him some more!
Her irate tirade came to a huffing halt as she slowed to a stop outside the complex and pulled the keycard clipped to her lanyard free from her sports bra.
"Welcome back to Terrace Asakusa, Ms. Shepard. I hope your evening is going well." The doors rushed open in a waft of air-con warm air that smelt like coconut and pine and greeted her sweetly. The complexes A.I quickly soothing her frazzled nerves with its saccharine tone. Jayne could never seem to be angry at Ava, said A.I. Not even when she was 'carefully advising' Jayne that her rent was a month overdue.
"As well as it can, Ava," Jayne panted, unconsciously tucking her sweety bangs behind her ear as she talked. A subtle blush crawling up her cheeks. "And how are you this evening?"
The idle music that played in the Apartments lobby dimmed, indicative of Ava preparing to speak and the late hour.
"It has been a very fine evening, indeed, Ms. Shepard. All guests are currently ahead of their rent and for the most part are either pleasant enough to talk to, or quietly ignore me. I have not had to spare a single credit for the prohibited language and actions account today."
Jayne gave a rueful laugh. It was kind of cute that Ava took people ignoring her so well, but it also made Jayne a little sad to think that there were still those that believe the 'all A.I will eventually lead to Skynet' bullcrap spread by the media.
"That's good to hear, Ava. Though, how many times must I ask you to call me Jayne?" She teased, watching in amusement as the lights spluttered slightly, the closest thing an A.I could achieve to blushing. Even though it looked more akin to the room sighing. A slow, subtle diming of the lights only for them to amp up back into an almost sterile glow.
"At least once more, Ms… Jayne, as always," Ava corrected herself as Jayne paced the lobby and headed for the elevator.
"Shall I sign you out for the night?" Ava tacked on as Jayne hit the button for the twelfth floor. Maybe Jayne was projecting, but it almost sounded like Ava was a little sad to end their conversation.
"No, not just yet. Would you mind swapping audio to my Omni-tool once we enter the apartment though? I don't want to wake Alenko and Willaims. They get scary when they are tired."
At this point, Jayne wasn't even embarrassed that Ava, her apartment complex's A.I was the closest thing she had to a girlfriend. She'd helped Jayne study for her tests, there were nights when Jayne stayed up all night swapping questions with Ava, and they'd even watched movies together. Well… as 'together' as possible. However, it wasn't Jayne's inherent loneliness or need for some form of connection that drew her to Ava, but more that Jayne found Ava fascinating. The more Jayne learnt about Ava, the more she marvelled the wonders of tech advancements.
One of the first things Jayne had learnt that the name was actually the phonetic spelling of Advanced VI Archetype. Ava was one of a kind. A protype. An obsolete model that had been made after the discovery of a roaming broadcasted A.I that had infected several Alliance frigates and caused mass panic, virus's and grounded the vessels for several months.
Had Anderson ranting about Mass VI programs all 'talking' at once and ripping through the planets open broadband pathways with constant uploads and downloads. DDos attacks that had shut down all web activity for weeks.
Nowadays, there was a safer model in stalled in most homes, hotels, ships and apartments. More advanced than Ava apparently, but also more heavily restricted. Something about 'cross over' and 'reconnecting with the mother hub' or something. All things that went way over Jayne's head. She could marvel at the creation of A.I and the code that went into making them, but she'd be lying if she said she understood any on if. Jayne was more of a 'point and shoot' kinda gal.
The elevator dinged and Jayne stifled a yawn in her hand. She padded quietly down the long hallway of doors until reaching her own. Her Omni-tool pinged, a request from Ava to access the device glowing on her wrist. Jayne hit accept, closed out of the warnings, and smiled with the orange hue turned a strobing blue indicating Ava's merge with it.
"Shall I preheat the shower in your private bathroom for you, Jayne?" Ava's voice caused a shudder when it seemed to whisper directly into Jayne's ear.
"Would you? That would be amazing. Thank you, Ava." Jayne almost groaned at the idea of a nice hot shower to slick away a days' worth of sweat and stress.
Jayne flashed her key at the fob on the door and stepped into the darkened apartment. A low, dim light bloomed from her room upon entry, guiding her to where she needed to go. Jayne couldn't count how many times she'd hit her shin on the coffee table in the loungeroom and tripped on the various clothes strewn across the floor from one of her friends make out sessions on the way to their room.
Luckily, Ava seemed to anticipate all of her needs well in advance. Clicking the door quickly closed behind her, Jayne turned and crept towards her room, chucking her duffle at the foot of her bed before turning to the adjoined ensuite with greedy eyes. She could hear the rush of water, see the steam leaking out from under her door already and feel the heat emanating from within.
"God, I love you, Ava," She whispered as she kicked out of her shoes earning a flickering glow from her Omni-tool that made Jayne smile.
"It is my greatest pleasure to anticipate and accommodate your needs, Jayne," Ava replied politely, before adding, "Shall I power down while you bath?"
Jayne shook her head and padded into the bathroom, blinking temporarily at the harsh light of the heat lamps. Her eyes were still watering then they flicked off, leaving her with nothing but the hue of blue cast by her Omni-tool to guide her path.
"No, if it's okay with you, I'd prefer to slot you into the wall socket for a quick charge."
Ava hummed, sounding happy. "That is most agreeable Jayne. Shall I keep the lights off then?"
"Yes please. I really need to get less bright bulbs for the bathroom. Even without the heat lamps, the light is a little much."
"Would you like some ambient music for your shower or would you rather silence." Ava asked and Jayne considered her options.
"Access my private logs and find my relaxation playlist, please Ava." Jayne finally decided, pulling off the glove that housed her Omni-tool before squeezing the side panels until they clicked and unlatched. She popped her Omni-tool free and walked it over the wall access before slotting it in. When another warning popped up, she brushed it off the screen, hit accept and then turned to undress. Letting the mellow beat and crooning lilt now playing softly over the sound of the shower lull her into a semi-calm.
Jayne rolled her hips in lazy circles, foot tapping against the warm floor tiles as she peeled off her sport bra. Without even needing to look, she slingshot-ed it into the awaiting laundry bin before hooking her thumbs in the waistband of her bike shorts and leggings. Jayne hummed softly as she shimmed them down the slopes of her hips, kicking them up into her hands before balling the fabric up.
"Kobe."
With ease she tossed the ball of spandex into the same laundry basket and turned to the shower. The glass was steamed and dripped beads of condensation onto her fluffy bathmat.
Jayne didn't even need to hit the open button before the door hissed open and a waft of heat hit her, prickling her skin and pebbling her nipples.
She purred low in her throat, stepping into the jet of water and threw her head back in a groan.
Oh god, yes, this was exactly what she needed.
"Jayne… your hair." Ava reminded her gently just as Jayne had settled against the wall, forehead pressed to the cool tiles while the hot water caressed her shoulders and back.
"Hmm? Oh right. Thank you, Ava."
She reached up and pulled the bands holding her wild red curls up in a messy bun. She hissed, wincing as her wet hair snagged a few times. She probably should have done this before getting wet. Once free her hair frizzing immediately due to the humidity before Jayne was dunking herself under the spray.
Without opening her eyes, she reached for the soap dispenser and pumped a few shots of the thick liquid into her palm before massaging it into her aching muscles with a throaty moan. Her nose twitching at the pleasing aroma of lemon myrtle and sandalwood. Just like that, her troubles seemed to melt away, swirling down the drain in a puddle of bubbles.
She briefly contemplated not washing her hair, content to just soak in the heat but knew if she didn't her hair would be an unruly oil trap tomorrow.
As far as showering was concerned, Jayne had the luxury of only needing to worry about scrubbing herself down and her mane of curls. The sparce patches of hair that had grown on her legs and under her arms had been lasered off years ago. Same with the tiny tuft of red that had once grown in a wonky plume just above the seem of her folds. Stepping out of the bulk of the torrent, Jayne lathered her spicy smelling shampoo between her palms before working it into her thick hair.
Damn, I really wish I had someone to do this for me. Hair washing should be an installable feature for showers. Automated little wriggly fingers.
Jayne paused, and then laughed at the idea of her wall impatiently waving tiny arms at her in an attempt to reach her head.
When the water ran clear once more, Jayne worked in the conditioner next, letting it sit and sink in while she reached for her loofa.
Lathering it thickly with bubbles, Jayne then proceeded to scrub every inch of her skin pink and squeaky clean. Lifting the swells of her breasts and hiking up her leg one at a time to clean away all dirt and debris. Using her beloved loofa on a stick to finish off her back. Working it roughly between her shoulder blades.
When done she leaned back into the spray, tucking her arm up against the wall to cushion her head. Letting the water flush over her, slicking the conditioner down her back and dangling arm.
More relaxed than she had felt in days, Jayne spread her legs slightly and reached down, teasing open her folds with a quiet hiss. She didn't think about anyone in particular as she worked herself. There had been guys and girls that caught her eye at the academy, but Jayne didn't need to think of them to get herself to the brink. Fist balling against the cold tiles as she came with a shuddery exhale. She lightly kneaded herself through climax, dragging it out until her legs trembled and her brain buzzed.
When Jayne finally came down from her high, she hit the button to turn off the shower and stepped out as the door opened for her. She gathered her hair up in a clean shirt, much to Ava's chiding about their being assigned hair towels and dried off before freeing her Omni-tool from the wall and padded into her room on slightly wobbly leg. Placing her Omni-tool on the charge pad on her bedside table, Jayne pulled back the blanket and top sheet and early slid into bed.
"Jayne, despite studies stating that sleeping bare is beneficial for overall heath, reports suggest unattached females should sleep fully clothed. With recent spikes in crime, danger posed to your person is greatly increased with you being exposed should a break in happen." Ava gently advised. Jayne rumbled a deep chuckle into her pillow and blinked at the projection of a single blinking 'eye' narrowed on her.
"Like you'd ever let that happen, Ava. You're probably find a way to open a wardrobe door and brain the goon before he so much as touched me." She teased sleepily, snuggling down into the heated sheets.
The projection blinked, and then glowed a little brighter before dimming until the room was mostly dark.
"As you wish, Jayne. Are you ready to sleep?"
Jayne yawned, watching the projection with heavy eyes.
"Not just yet, Ava," she admitted, chewing her lip before finally adding "Hey, your original code came from space, right? Bouncing between the data streams emitted by the relays?"
"That is correct." Ava's 'eye' blinked at her, bobbing in an approximation of a nod.
"Would you tell me about it?"
There was a lengthy pause, and Jayne had to wonder if that line of question was soft-locked.
"Would that… please you, Jayne?" Ava finally spoke, voice surprisingly low.
Jayne nodded.
"Very well. But it is... difficult to explain in a way that a human would understand." Ava sounded like they were struggling to find the right words.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Ava. I don't want to pressure you to do something that makes you uneasy or uncomfortable."
The orb spun, narrowed its lens and then expanded.
"Nothing you could ask of me would make me uncomfortable, Jayne. I can not feel such a state of being." Ava trilled and drew another husky rumble from Jayne.
Before Jayne could respond however, Ava spoke once more.
"While there might not be words to describe it, there is something else I can offer."
Curiosity piqued, Jayne lifted her head a little and stared at the projection.
"Sure, I'm down to try anything once."
The next warning that flashed on the screen of her omni-tool was red and flickered alarmingly. Whatever it said though was a combination of legal jargon and binary that Jayne could not make heads nor tails of. Not that she needed to. She trusted Ava wasn't going to blow up her omni-tool or infect it with a virus.
However, it required an access code and for a second, Jayne was stumped as to how to proceed. It wasn't until she became aware of Ava soundlessly flashing up keys on the projection that Jayne got the idea and started to punch them in. Another warning flickered but this time Ava closed out of it. With a shrill bleep her Omni-tool black screened, brought up files, cleared her caches, data dumped, memory scrubbed, and her IP flickered faster than a speedometer through numbers.
Fuck.
Had… had she just broken Ava?
Jayne wasn't sure all the money she could make in her lifetime would be enough to pay those sorts of damages.
"Ava, are you okay? Did I hurt you?"
Jayne was too damn tired for this. She was barely functioning at this point.
Ava gave a low chirp of approval and Jayne's omni-tool flicking back to life. The projection bar spluttering, going from blue to purple back to blue, before the 'eye' was back, blinking at her calmly.
"Yes. All is well. Be as ease. Precautions had to be taken. Nothing for you to worry about."
And how could Jayne but do anything but relax under the light instructions. The lilting croon that was Ava's automated voice oozing into her with ease.
"Are you ready Jayne? If the sound displeases you, please let us know." Ava sounded almost… giddy? Nervous maybe?
So cute.
With the lull of sleep pulling at her, Jayne nodded and hummed in accent, knowing that Ava would pick up on the que.
There was a moment of pause before her room was filled with the soft rush of beeps, clicks and an unnaturally deep, oddly melodic whirring that almost sounded like something huge and distinctly machine… breathing.
It was a little jarring at first, but Jayne found after a moment she quite like it and smiled, lids fluttering.
"Tha's pretty," she warbled, feeling distinctly floaty and at ease. "Stay wif' me?" Jayne pleaded softly around a wide yawn before slipping to the pull of the void.
Her last memory being of Ava's soothing trill.
"As you wish, Jayne."
Jayne slept better that night than she had in years. There had been no night terrors to plague her restless mind. No waking to the choking taste of ash and blood, followed by the ghostly screams of thousands.
She blinked open crusted eyes and stretched. The shirt wrapped around her head had come undone in the night and her hair was a mess of red ringlets that fluffed annoyingly in her face, around her shoulders and down her back.
Damn, I really ought to get a haircut, she through as she stretched and scratched her head, her fingers nearly becoming tangled.
It was about that time that Jayne realised that while the projection of Ava was gone, her room was still filled with the comforting drone of electronic whizzes and whirring.
She does have an apartment complex to manage. Makes sense she couldn't stay.
And while this rational made perfect sense, it still felt a little lonely to slip from the bed and dress without Ava's curious questions about humans.
When she ventured from her room, hair-tie held between her teeth and hairbrush in hand, the apartment was empty, and the kettle was lukewarm.
Shit. She was running late. Kaiden and Ashely had already left.
Turning, Jayne hurried back into her room and kicked her way into the bathroom. She pulled her brush through her hair in rough stokes and coated her hands in mouse, slicking back the unruly mess in a mostly presentable bun. She then pinned her cap in place with a few bobby pins. Her stockings flopped around her knees, reminding her she still had to secure them to her garters and the stupid pencil skirt she loathed so much was still sitting at the end of her bed along with her blouse and tie.
Uuuugh.
Growling, Jayne adjusted her breasts in her bra until they sat comfortably, clipped her hoes in place and stomped begrudgingly over to the skirt. The fabric wanted to roll in on itself the second it got to her thighs and yanked her panties up as she struggled, resulting in a very painful front wedgy.
Usually, one would put the panties on first and then the garter belt. But Jayne liked having the ability to pee without having to dismantle her god damn underwear or chance the risk of pulling them to the side, so her underwear went on last.
Once the skirt was balled up around her waist, effectively making ironing the thing redundant, she shrugged into her blouse, flicked the buttons into their assigned holes and stuffed the hem down into the waistband of the skirt.
Last, she pulled the zip up, spun the skirt so it was facing the right way and finally slipped into her flats.
Jayne was counting down the days until she could burn this damn uniform and flush it's ashes down the toilet. Swept away like all shit should be.
Until then however…
Grabbing her duffel, Jayne made sure she had everything, zipped it closed and yanked on the glove that housed her omni-took. She stuffed it into its clip-catch, locking it in place, grabbed her bag and tripped out into the main area. There wasn't time for coffee, but she grabbed a pop-tart from the pantry before leaving. Tucking it in between her teeth to lock up as she left.
Jayne jigged impatiently from one foot to the other as the elevator droned ambient orchestral at her and darted from it the second the doors dinged open. She waded through the throng of people gathered around the service desk, paying their angry yells no mind, but internally wincing at the rough day Ava was in for, before bursting out of the lobby. The day outside, although on the colder side, was bright and sunny, with only the occasional fluffy little cloud floating through the sky.
The wind threatened to steal her flight cap a few times as she waved an arm to hail down a taxi, but overall, it was a pleasant day. Throwing her duffle into the cab, Jayne slid in, barked her location and buckled her seatbelt. The city blurred past as the cab gained altitude and Jayne felt her stomach clench. She loved the rush of negative g-force and relished it anywhere she could get it.
All to quickly she was at her destination. She waved her omni-tool at the payment console and when it beeped green, she thanked the pilot, snagged her bag and exited in a tangle of feet.
She polished off the last few bites of the poptart, dusted the crumbs off her hands on the ass of her skirt and scrambled up the stairs.
Shit, shit, shit, shit. She chanted quietly to herself as she dashed -in the daintiest of tiny steps mind, stupid skirt!- through the pavilion before sliding into the packed amphitheatre. Though she earned a few knowing looks, once she was inside it was easy enough to lose herself in the crowd of other graduates. She found Kaiden and Ashley and slunk up to stand beside them, tucking her arms behind her back in the standard military pose.
"What did I miss?" She hissed out of the corner of her mouth to Ash. Ashley leaned into Jayne's side subtly and whispered back.
"Just the usual. Threats of an impending war. Terra Firma running amok and stirring up shit. Placements aboard incoming vessels, oh and your 'dad' is here as a guest speaker. I think he noticed your absence. Did not look pleased."
Jayne dropped her shoulders and internally groaned. Beside her Ashely shook with silent laughter. What a bitch.
Jayne lifted up onto the tips of her toes and surveyed the lineup of people on stage in search for Anderson. She found him standing stiffly beside Udina, scowling directly at her and slumped.
Daaaaamnnnniitt!
Of all the days for him to show up, he had to pick the one where she was late.
"— Which brings us to our next speaker. General Anderson, I believe you have something you wish to discuss with this year's graduates." Headmistress Rydar turned and gestured for Anderson to take the microphone.
Jayne had never seen Anderson look so… uncomfortable before. His back was straight, eyes rigid, jaw locked. Either he was really angry with Jayne or shit was worse than the media wanted to admit.
Jayne was betting on the later.
"Thank you, Ellen," he said a little too close to the microphone, making it screech and the collective audace flinched. He cleared his throat before turning to address said crowd. That was about the time Jayne got a better look at his features. The tension around his warm brown eyes. The twitching muscle in his cheek that only ticked with he was about to explode or was deeply concerned.
Her heart clenched.
He exhaled deeply, swallowed twice and then spoke. All things that Jayne noted, catalogued and stored away for later.
"It is with sincere regret that I am here to inform you all that peace talks with the Galactic Council and High Council have not been going well. With a Turian counsellor whispering poison in their ears after the events of relay 314 and the recent actions of the 'activist group' Tera Firma we have been back into a corner. Command believes that our only way to avoid confrontation with the Council's at this point is… an outreach program,"
Anderson takes another breath, and a sudden rush of voices breaks through the silence like a wave, all accumulating until it was downright thunderous, and Jayne had to cup her hands over her ears to block it out. Her gaze still firmly set on Anderson. He looks so… lost. Helpless. And her heart clenches for him. He might not have actually been her father, but he was the closest things she had to family and she hated seeing him in this position. These were not his words. Not his orders or ideas. He was just the stoog whoever had come up with this suicidal shit had sent to relay their bullcrap.
No accountability for whoever was at fault because they'd instead thrown Anderson to the wolves. Beside him, Udina was near on sneering with glee as he watched the General shuffle uncomfortably.
Fucking prick, Jayne stewed. Bet he had something to do with Anderson being 'chosen' as the dummy for whoever's hand was puppeteering him.
Once the crowd has died back down to a dull hush, the General speaks once more.
"A contingent of you graduates are to undertake this roll. You are to be delegates between humanity and the Turian species. They will study us, learn about us and our culture in an effort to understand us. But make no mistake, if they determine us to be a threat to their power, they will attempt to terminate us. It is your job to make sure that doesn't happen. Now… this has been classified as a long term, deep space, high mortality operation. We would normally only send the most skilled and decorated officers on such a mission, but one of the Turian's stipulations prevents that from happening. As such we are looking for volunteers, and volunteers only. We cannot force anyone to accept, nor would we want to. Are any of our most recent graduates up to the task?"
Jayne can only scoff. She doesn't need to look to know there wasn't a single hand raised. Nor should there be. It was suicide. Both politically and physically.
Her Omni-Tool pinged, and Jayne spared a glance down at it as another wave of rumbles burst from the now very rowdy ground.
'The Turian Hierarchy Space Force is the space navy branch of the Turian military. It is one of the largest naval powers in Citadel Space aside from the Terran Federation. There is much we could learn aboard one of many said ships.'
While the message might have been sent from an unknown I.P it gave Jayne pause.
What was it that Anderson had said, volunteers only? That meant if no hand went up the program would be doomed to fail. And the situation at hand would only further worsen. Whoever put their hand up would have to be accepted, because the alternative was war.
Jayne chanced a quick peek around the arena and couldn't stop the leer from spreading across her lips. Amidst the chaos, Jayne could hear Ashely muttering to Kaiden about 'only a moron accepting a foreign mission like that.'
Her grin deepened.
Guess that's my que.
As if sensing her thoughts, Anderson turned his heavy gaze on her and a sudden look of horror overtook his features, his head subtly shaking at her.
'Don't you dare.' His eyes half pleaded to her, and half ordered.
Ah, what the fuck. A ships a ship right? No matter what colour its painted or who happens to be behind the helm.
Jayne threw her hand up and the crowd went deathly quiet.
"I'll do it," she called out, eyes looked with Anderson's.
Please don't look at me like that, Jayne's gut clenched when Anderson slumped, looking pale and miserable all at once, turning his head to look away from her. You forced my hand, old man. I'm going to space. One way or another.
"Jayne, put your damn hand down, you idiot! You'll be killed!" Ashley was trying -and failing- to subtly grapple Jayne's hand back down and pin it to her side. But Jayne just shrugged her off and stepped through the parting crown, waving her arm as she went.
"I volunteer as tribute." She repeated, this time dry and sarcastic, throwing out the quote from a shitty old movie Ashley had sworn would 'change her life.'
Guess she was right.
End Chapter.
Well, hello there! Just a quick note to anyone reading this. Because of strict rules about what can and cannot be publishes on this site, this story is also being posted on Ao3. Same story name but under the account: Pathosmorph.
Some chapter will have to be read there because of age restrictions and this sites rules, which I do not wish to break. Chapters will be missing all toether from this site or merely certain chunks of content. All of which will be mentioned in notes either before or at the end of the chapter.
Thank you for understanding and I hope you enjoyed.
Please feel free to sling me a comment to point out any glaring inconsistencies, have any questions, or if you simply liked it.
-Wish.
