XxX-XxX-XxX

Official Supporters:

Obsessive Readers, Laurel

Compulsive Reader, The Impossible Muffin

Commissioner, Gib, Death Daddy, Le Spork, Polemoduke

If you want to be on the Supporter list, PM me for details or join our private server for details. Hope you enjoy reading my stories, please leave me a comment to let me know if you did, or where I can improve. Link here, where able to be seen : /2UZncAm

Second link here, remove ( and ) and it SHOULD work : D(i) (slash)kfhkfUb

I have a kofi account now, too, under this name for those interested.

Beta(s) :

XxX-XxX-XxX

Requested By :

Espacole and Spork

XxX-XxX-XxX

Shepard felt the familiar 'thrum' and distant echo of momentum trying to bleed through the ship as it existed sub-light and decelerated all mix in the pit of her stomach, in the tiny moment of time before the Eezo generator cancelled it all out. Honestly, she wasn't even sure she was actually feeling it at all. On a purely technological base, she wasn't meant to, the inertial and kinetic dampeners on every ship made that more or less impossible unless something was broken or malfunctioning. And she knew better than to worry about something that basic slipping by her maintenance teams and EDI. Online, people suggested it was psychosomatic. A mental illusion.

All in her head…

She bit her lip and leaned forward, resting her armored hand on the back of Joker's seat and queuing the long-comm unit, "Forces of Rannoch, this is Commander Shepard. How are you receiving?"

"Clearly, and happily." A tired Quarian voice answered just over a minute later, as Joker eased them around a gas giant near their ingress point into the system. In the distance, shielded by the bulk of a dark, ruddy green moon orbiting an equally ruddy green planet, she could make out the fleet as the Qurian went on, "I'm on night-command here for the Fleet. We have a Liveship, emptied of civilians and fitted with additional power systems, ammo bays and kinetic barriers thanks to the space, and around three dozen assorted small ships."

"Size variance?"

"Mostly frigates and corvettes." He sighed, "But we have a half-dozen Geth destroyers, and a Geth carrier. As well as additional Geth fighters birthed on our hull."

"Smart." With the Quarians mostly off-loaded from the Liveships, and all the civilians from this one, gone they could use it more directly. And all the Geth ships had to really do was latch on to be carried along. Pushing on, she asked, "When did you come on-shift?"

"An hour ago."

"And we move come morning?"

"Yes, Commander." He answered, nodding as the Normandy finally reached secure vid-comm range and his blue and silver hooded mask appeared on-screen. Chuckling, he added, "It looks like our timing clashed."

"A bit." She chuckled, "How secure is this space?"

"We're a system and a Relay jump away from Rannoch herself, and the vast majority of our fleet." He answered simply, shrugging and gesturing at something off-screen, presumably a layout of the system, "The Batarians are in a nearby system. Or were last sighted there, at least. And we have standing patrols scattered across the system, reporting in every fifteen minutes. A mix of Geth and Quarians. If the Batarians cross from system to system, we'll know."

"Good." She nodded, straightening and offering, "With your permission, we'll join the patrol circuit. We're fast and stealthy when we need to be, and pack a hell of a punch."

"It's appreciated, Ma'am." He nodded, making another gesture with his hand and grunting, "Forwarding patrol freques and routes now. Wait one."

A moment passed and Joker grunted, "We're in the network, Ma'am."

"Good." She nodded, turning back to the screen and saying, "I'm going to put my alert to yellow, then, and rest while I can. If you have battle plans, we'll take 'em and I can see about integrating into them."

"Already have you in them, Commander." The other commander said, "We're treating you as… Cavalry, more or less. Shock. Move and hit where it hurts. We'll adjust around you, Commander. We're not entirely sure what all the Batarians have, so we're playing more than I'd like by the sounds."

"Understood." She said, parsing the Quarian idiom easily enough. It was more or less 'playing it by ear', as Tali had told her. "Quiet shift to you, commander…?"

"Talak vas Kalama." He answered, "And a quiet rest to you as well, Commander."

She nodded and, at a gesture, Joker cut the line, letting her deflate a bit and sigh. Shaking her head, she said, "Figures. We get ready for a fight, and it's 'see you in the morning'."

"Yep." Joker chuckled, leaning back and scratching at the stubbly beard he'd been growing lately and adding. "We brought the beds. Wonder if they brought the breakfast."

"Maybe for Tali." Shepard shrugged, shaking her head and turning to leave. As she stepped out onto the deck, she turned as Taylor pushed off the wall and raised an eyebrow and Shepard shrugged, "We go in the morning."

"Got it." He nodded, "What kinda action?"

"Fleet." Hopefully, she left unsaid for all the obvious reasons. Even so, she added, "Eight hours from now, I want us ready to go to primary-crew red. We'll need our best when we go up against the Batarians, whatever they have."

"If they decide to take a shot…"

"Mhm." She nodded, "If they decide to take a shot."

"Understood, Commander, I'll pass word along." She nodded again and turned to leave, heading for the lift, when he called after her. "Plans to kill time? I know Misses Shepard is down in Engineering going over internals. Will probably get deep in it, now she has time."

"I'm planning to-"

"Commander, a direct broadcast has been sent along from Aria T'Loak's personal terminal, on Omega." EDI cut in, voice chiming quietly and echoing faintly around the command deck as she spoke. "It will be available on your private terminal."

"-to go and see what Aria has to say, I suppose." She sighed, shaking her head, "At least that should give me something to do…"

The man shrugged and nodded in a very 'what are you gonna do' sort of way and turned away as she left, heading for the lift and punching in her floor. Without Tali, her room was dark and quiet, with lights that brightened as she stepped in before she dimmed them and got to work peeling off her armor, laying each piece out on her work desk neatly, so she could pull it on quickly when she needed to. Laying her armored bodysuit out over the back of her chair, she slipped into the bathroom, looking forward to a nice shower now she expected she had some time.

The cold water always did her good, colling the stretches of her body that always ran just a bit warm thanks to her implants, prosthetics and everything else Cerberus had packed into her to bring her back. Alone, she let herself slide down to the floor and leaned back against the wall behind her, sighing contentedly as the ever-present heat faded away and, with it, a bit of the ache in her legs and up along her spine. She almost let herself nap there, leaning against the wall and relaxing…

But then she felt agony slam into her head with all the force of a bullet and gasped, falling over and clutching at her head. The pain lasted minutes that felt like hours before, finally, it receded and she could have sworn she heard a dissatisfied voice rumble something that she swore sounded like 'Not you'...

Shooting up she scrambled, naked, out of her bathroom and grabbed the Carnifex laying on her desk, sweeping every inch of her room before she let herself relax again and collapsed on the edge of her bed.

"Commander?" EDI finally asked, no doubt paying close attention to her after her display. Or for… Other reasons that had her standing and padding over to get her undersuit back on. Regardless, the AI asked, "Is there a problem?"

"Did you hear anything?" She demanded hotly, "Detect anything in here?"

"No, Commander." She answered, "Only you. Even the… Specialised sensors scattered throughout the cabin detected nothing."

"What the fuck…" She murmured, turning and, eventually, looking up into the dark stretch of space they were cruising through. She'd heard Nikos's story, but…

Suddenly, she had a very dark feeling that she wasn't alone.

The thought was broken up by EDI before it could linger, though, as she said, "Commander, we have detected several warships of Batarian design approximately two hundred kilometers away. Stealth systems are engaged, but Specialist Moreau wants to engage."

"Reasoning?"

"One of them is fitted with long-range scanners and communications antennae. Displaying on your terminal." Shepard stood and padded over to look at it. The ship was blocky and bulbous, like most Batarian ships, and covered in radar dishes, antennae and who knew what else that passed for Batarian information gathering systems. "Joker believes it to be coordinating an upcoming battle action. Destroying it would cripple the Batarian efforts."

"I see…" She frowned, "Move to engagement range, but do not fire or break stealth. Issue a warning - they are to stand down and prepare to be boarded by myself and Quarian Marines when they arrive, on my authority as a Council Spectre."

"Aye, Commander." It was Joker who answered, sighing tiredly, "Giving up our element of surprise in fifteen."

XxX-XxX-XxX

"She knew that the Batarians would, eventually, come for the little haven you all had made." The Dark Brother told her, sitting in his throne and resting a hand on his fist as his arm withdrew from an odd little… Orb he'd summoned when she'd asked for her favor. "But for one to have an Aura? There is nothing in her mind that even suspects she believes it to be possible."

"I see…" Pyrrha sighed, turning and leaning on a long slab of stone laid out the middle of the room, with rough-hewn slabs of the same dark rock lining up to either side of it like chairs or stools. She sat on one and shook her head, "But… But who is responsible for this, then?"

"I would say the Batarians." She shot him an unamused look and he chuckled, reaching up to scratch under a Beowolf's chin as it clambered up his throne and onto his shoulder. A display that, once, would have filled her with dread…

But now just made her curious how soft Beowolf fur could possibly be?

"But how could the Batarians-"

"We both know the likeliest answers to that." Darkness answered lowly, "My brother, or the Lords of this Realm. Neither of which you can strike down. Even I cannot, particularly if the former is the correct answer."

"But… That isn't…"

"Fair?" Darkness sighed, turning to look through a ragged hole that served as a window. "No. It is not. But there is little we can do but grieve, and take what vengeance we may take."

"You want revenge…?"

"He may have lacked value to me, my child." Darkness answered, turning to her and reaching up with a hand, manifesting her spear. A moment passed and it came to life, burning a bright scarlet as energy suffused it before it faded to normal and he dismissed it and pointed a long finger at her. "But I see his value through you, through your pain. And give you a precious measure of power to rectify it."

"Power…?" She pursed her lips and frowned, "I had power. Power I could have shared. That could have-"

"Cease and desist." Darkness snapped suddenly, hotly. With enough fire she flinched and turned to look up at him, where the scowl she expected was instead replaced by… Pain. Shaking his horned head, he said, "Do not do this. You could not have known, and so, could only act upon your beliefs."

"But…"

"I am the immortal one here, Nikos." He pressed, voice gentle and kind. Almost fatherly. "Guilt is not what you should feel, as natural as it may be. If you wish to act differently going forward, this is fine. But neither he nor I would wish you to warp yourself for pain."

"I suppose you are right." She sighed, smiling in spite of the pain tugging at her heart. "I know what he'd say if I did it, too."

"'What in the goddamn made you think that was a smart play, ya dumbass'." Darkness chuckled, nodding when Pyrrha snorted a laugh and shook her head ruefully. Darkness sighed as she relaxed and went on, "Grieve and bury, Pyrrha. But do not let your scars define you. Not the ones on you, or in you. This is who you are and ever have been."

"You're right." She nodded, taking a breath and sitting a bit taller. Quietly, she asked, "The power you mentioned… What is it?"

"A single deathblow." He answered solemnly, "Guided by my power and your pain. Metal, armor, flesh, bone- Even Aura will part for it. Find the monster you seek, and drive your sword into his heart. Nothing will stop you."

"I see." She smiled, standing, "I suppose this is a sort of… Divine quest, hm?"

"Hah." He chuckled, "You could say that, yes. Now begone. Your little thief is worrying after you."

"Kasumi…?"

"Indeed." And with a flick of his hand, she was expelled from his realm - or her mind, it was hard to tell - and sat up in the quiet confines of the Kodiak, resting in one of Aria's landing ports. She looked up as, quiet as she could, Kasumi slipped in with a tray of sandwiches and something sweet smelling to drink.

She went still when Pyrrha cleared her throat, then sighed and held it up, stammering, "I-I thought you could eat, after everything? And being alone at a time like this is… Not good."

"You speak from experience." Pyrrha hummed, waving for her to join her on the shuttle's floor.

"I-I do, yeah." She nodded, setting the food down and plopping down with a sigh. "I lost… Someone I loved, not too long ago. Or, well, pretty long ago, but it doesn't feel so long. You know?"

"I do." And her mind swam with emotions. Zaeed, of course, but so much more as well. Beacon, Ozpin to an extent, her team, her entire world - lost to her, now. Her hand drifted up, thumb brushing across the scar over her heart, and she sighed, "I understand the pain plenty, even without… Even without Zaeed's loss. On that, you may rest assured."

"Figured, yeah, so…" She held her hands up and smiled awkwardly, gesturing at the bit of food and drinks. "Snacks! Snacks, uh, help."

"Indeed." Pyrrha smiled, reaching for one of the little sandwiches - simple lettuce and cheese, lacking even meat, though she didn't trust meat from Omega regardless - and nodding at the woman. "Snacks, time and good company help with almost any malady."

"Y-Yeah?" Kasumi nodded, reaching for a sandwich of her own and humming. "You'll have to teach me about the last. Normally, it's… Just me."

"Well," she smiled, "we have some time."

XxX-XxX-XxX

Darkness stood as, finally, his brother answered his summons and stepped into his palace. Around his feet flowers bloomed, dying as he left them, abandoned in his wake. A wondrous display of his wastefulness and arrogance, Darkness realized, standing to meet him as his Grimm clambered out of the shadows, snarling and snapping ferally. Wrathfully. His Brother ignored them all, standing at the foot of his throne with his hands clasped behind his waist.

When Darkness didn't speak, Light asked, "Why have you called upon-"

Faster than even his brother could react, Darkness lashed out, hand crushing across his face in a brutal backhand that sent him reeling. Growling and dropping onto his seat, he let his brother collect himself, one hand cupping where he'd been struck, before he said, "You dared to lay a trap for my child, brother? Yet another transgression…"

"You dare strike me?"

"I dare." He grunted, waving the other deity off. "And you are lucky that is all I do to you. I called you here for that, and for a simple warning."

"What warning?"

"My champion will butcher yours." He snapped, "And if you once more intervene against her, then I shall have no brother any longer."

Light was quiet, for a long moment, before he growled and vanished in a searing flash of furious light.

XxX-XxX-XxX

Krazyfan1 :

Zaeed yes, unfortunately. The first casualty of this war…

But only the first.

And yeah, she thinks about it. There's guilt there. But she's a strong person, and has strong people helping her.

Haldracc :

Yeah, I wanted my first death to have meaning. Weight. But hey, not a ton of other characters I've made you like that you need to worry over. Right?

Dr Killinger :

Yup. Friendly reminder these were proper Batarian special forces, too, lol. And he shredded 'em.

Captaindickscratcher :

Nah, it's not THAT. She just knew what they were doing and what to expect. But how far that'd go? She had no idea. She's a rough person, but not a VILLAIN, lol.

Lea :

Damn it, Lea…

Websplorer :

Tbf she DID sick a literal God on her to datamine her brain lmao.