AN: It's a Christmas chapter - kinda (not the story).
This one may contain stuff some people feel uncomfortable with (drug abuse, self-harm / suicidal thoughts, sex)
There are no breaks that announce these parts.
Just a heads-up, since I do not use many tags.
SALVATION
Copyrights 343 Industries & Bioware
Rated A for Adult
1856 hours, August 24th, 2303 CE (Galactic Standard Time)
Kelandion-class cruiser Unyielding Justice, Orbit, Gas Giant G-265348/3
Unknown System
Liara was a little worried. The Janiri-class stealth frigate was late. Not just one or two hours, but nearly half a day. The Janiri's Whispers was under the command of Captain Alares Sedesi an asari who served her Maiden years in the ranks of the Republic Intelligence Service before joining her mother.
The frigate was not a year old, constructed and built in the Parnitha Fleet Yards over Thessia. It was the peak of asari ship technologies. It was equipped with the most advanced stealth systems, an oversized Tantalus drive core to power it, the famous Asari-designed Silaris ship armor, a Thanix cannon, antiproton thrusters, and a bunch of other cutting-edge technologies that made it one if not the best reconnaissance ship available.
Irissa and her team had outdone themselves, that was indisputable.
The ship could travel for hours without emitting heat or drift passively inside an area for days without venting. It was undetectable to any sensor system in the known parts of the Milky Way. Sadly, the price of one was beyond good and evil.
She signed.
Her gaze returned to her mother, standing before her and behind the captain's seat. The matriarch's hand was clasped behind her back, her composure relaxed while she watched the spectacle on the surface of the nameless gas giant through the bridge window.
A storm of hundreds of kilometers in diameter was raging over the planet's exterior and yet it was tiny if just compared to the sheer size of the blue gas giant. It was as beautiful as it was terrifying.
While the view was breathtaking, it was not the main reason their small fleet of 12 frigates and three cruisers was orbiting the gas planet. The fleet needed to remove its static electrical charge and the buildup heat which normally accumulated when a vessel was flying in FTL for some time. If they didn't, the heat would destroy the electronics and fry the crew members.
In Citadel space you could either land on a planet if your ship is small enough, discharge it into a planet's magnetic field as they did for the last hours, or dock on a space station.
It was easier said than done in the middle of nowhere, far beyond the well-mapped and explored Citadel or Asari space.
Benezia refused to take the same way as Liara and Captain T'varis, goddess bless her soul, did months ago, fearing the Turians and Salarians would pick up their tracks. So, they had to find an alternative route from Thessia over the Citadel into the barely explored Orion Arm. An arm located between the Perseus Arm and the Sagittarius Arm.
It took them weeks and much preparation to finally arrive in a nearby system of Liara's first encounter with the alien species.
'Humans', reminded Liara herself.
Hopefully, it is far away from the system to be safe from detection through other ships, but close enough to make the final jump into human territory. Janiri's Whispers was currently scouting the human system called Eidera, which accommodated the biggest population if the data she took from the station was reliable.
It was not their species' home world, she knew that much, but neither the human chip nor the memories of the human she melded with contained any useful data about its location.
An image of a blue planet with withe clouds appeared in her mind. Earth was different from Thessia. Thessia was smaller and more greenish, the land masses were generally smaller and it had more islands than Earth. Still, it was a gorgeous garden world, easily beating Tuchanka or Palaven. She was sure it would become a highly popular traveling place for her people as soon as first contact was successfully established. The striking resemblance between their species would probably help as well.
The young matron paused for a moment, lost in her thoughts.
Humans were an aggressive species, much like the turians. They fought a 25-year-long war to the brink of extinction. Some of them hated everything that had to do with aliens.
She shuddered at the thought. Images and videos from the war flooded her mind.
Most of the memories from the human male were still hazy. Liara had a limited time frame and tried to figure out the most important things in a first-contact scenario, such as speech, locations, gestures, and everything that had some importance. History could wait.
She closed her eyes for a second. 'Maybe hated was the wrong word. Despised would probably be more fitting. They despised everything alien, they despised …'
"Liara!"
Her mother's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Benezia was watching her, as well as Captain Naryxa, a good part of the bridge crew and a new face on the holo screen. She needed a second to recognize Captain Alares from the Janiri's Whispers.
"I am sorry I was lost in my thoughts," the younger asari apologized honestly, trying to suppress the faint blush creeping into her cheeks, embarrassed they caught her daydreaming.
Benezia gently shook her head amused. "Captain please repeat what you found."
"Of course, peeress." The captain's voice was neutral. "The information we got from Lady Liara seemed to be correct. The system has a populated garden world and hosts a formidable size of ships. We also have scouted a possible location for a first contact scenario. Far enough from their planet, we will not appear as a threat and can retreat if necessary, but close enough to establish communication."
On the bridge screens an aqua-colored world appeared. Hundreds if not thousands of tiny black dots were around the planet. Ships probably or small orbital stations. It was hard to tell from that distance.
"We did not dare to get any closer, but as you can see it's a highly populated world. We do not know how many warships may be stationed around the planet, but I would advise another scouting mission to get additional information on their military capabilities."
Her mother nodded thoughtfully. "Very well Captain. I want a full report in 48 hours. The rest of us will use the time to prepare for any potential scenario."
2325 hours, August 28th, 2596 (Military Calendar)
Megabuilding M32, Calais, Arcadis
Eidera System, (Sector L-421), Outer Colonies
"Fucking hell!" the man hissed annoyed. He was annoyed about himself because he was too drunk to put his 8-digit code into the stupid door lock of his apartment.
Annoyed that the little chocolate-skinned Chica with the big tits was a fucking disappointment in bed and had a voice of a nail being dragged over a metal plate.
Annoyed that all the alcohol, pills and God knows what he swallowed that night didn't seem to help against the pounding ache in his head anymore.
He was annoyed by Doctor Lagarde who seemed to have run out of ideas on how to treat him. Subscribing him painkillers that normally would be able to kill a human, but barely showed some kind of effect on him. He was already glad if they let him sleep for two or three hours straight.
Shepard was annoyed at Grand, who put him on shore leave for an unknown period and let him make errand runs like he was his personal lap dog.
"Fuck!" the man slammed his hand on the enter button. He should have taken the time to program his eyes or fingerprints as an unlocking method into the door. Finally, the damn thing slid open, revealing the messy apartment behind.
The living space with the small integrated kitchen looked like a trash dump. Empty whisky bottles lay on the couch and tables, dirty dishes piled up at the sink and the garbage can was overflowing.
God how he hated it.
The tiny underground apartment on the 15th basement level was never a beauty with its windowless walls and small bedroom, to begin with - but it was cheap. Granted for a single guy, who was away for 90% of the time it was a real catch. He had never spent much time in it anyway. Most time when he was on leave, he went out with the team or visited his mum and sis.
But now it seemed as if the walls were going to suffocate him. Every day a little bit more.
He grabbed a nearly empty bottle of whisky from the refrigerator and dragged himself into the bedroom and the adjoining bathroom.
"Crap where are they?" he mumbled weakly while carelessly throwing stuff onto the floor. "Gotcha." He opened the small tin can.
"One pill maxes my ass!" John put two Sufentanil pills into his mouth and swallowed them with the rest of his whisky bottle. He looked into the mirror, but all he saw was a ghost with messy black hair, an unshaven face, dark circles, and bags under his eyes. The man in the mirror was a shadow of his former self.
'That's it,' Shepard thought bitterly.
He was done with all that bullshit.
Sick of all that pain.
He sat down on his bed. Hands on his knees. Slowly he opened the drawer from his nightstand. The magnum was as good as new, never used, but what was more important – it was loaded and the safety was off.
He looked at it for a minute. Or two. Or three.
Slowly Shepard opened his mouth and let the barrel slide in. Finger slowly pushed back the trigger until he hit the two-stage trigger.
'JUST DO IT!'
Closing his eyes, he pushed the barrel deeper into his mouth until it hit the back of his throat.
'DO IT!'
The muscles in his hand started to cramp and he began to gag until he couldn't keep it down anymore.
John threw the gun back into the drawer and sprinted into the bathroom. He vomited a mix of green and yellow fluids into the sink.
He sank to his feet. His heart was pounding like crazy from all the adrenalin and the overdoses of meds.
Finally, his head hit the toilet seat.
'YOU
FUCKING
PUSSY!'
0825 hours, August 29th, 2596 (Military Calendar)
Ministry of Defense, Calais, Arcadis
Eidera System, (Sector L-421), Outer Colonies
"Yes?" Grand answered the incoming call, cursing himself for a moment because he didn't look at the caller's ID.
"Admiral this is Captain Shariff speaking. We got a situation!"
"You found something in the files?"
It must be something important when the head of ONI in this sector made an unannounced phone call. Normally she briefed him every week. It was pretty impressive what the ONI science team had found out about the two alien species just through some videos, weapons, food potions, and other stuff he wouldn't even pay attention to.
"No, something found us. It is easier to show you." What looks like a live feed from a camera appeared on this Holo monitor. 15 bluish-purple ships could be seen. They all had an oval hole in the midsection and small wings on the side. Three of them had an additional bigger wing/pillar on the bottom. The three T-shaped ships were bigger than the nine others. He could not detect any weapon turrets but that's hard to tell when you're dealing with unknown alien ships.
"What am I looking at?"
"That is a 5-hour-old video from one of our satellites between Arcadis and Alizee."
"Fuck," Grand cursed under his breath. "How did they pass our RSOs without us noticing?"
"Don't know sir, but they seemed to have stopped. I sent word to the ships in orbit and ordered all civilian ships back to the planet. Captain Kayal will engage the enemy when she and the rest of the fleet are in range."
"She will do no such thing!" Grand barked at the ONI woman. "Tell her to form a defensive perimeter over the planet. I am going up there myself. Keep me updated if the situation changes."
"Of course, sir." The spook ended the call.
"Julia get me a Pelican asap!" he yelled into the seemingly empty room while dressing up. "And inform Shepard to get his ass over here in 20!"
"They are still doing nothing, sir," the captain of the Saskia answered again. It was probably the most asked question of the past 6 hours and she slowly became annoyed by it.
Truth be told they were rather uneventful hours. The aliens seemed to be completely satisfied staying where they were. They didn't move, which was good and they didn't shoot, which was even better, but neither did they seem to react to any sort of communication attempt, which was not so good.
Their tech seemed to be not compatible for some reason.
The only thing they did was launch three smaller transport ships an hour ago, which were now floating between his fleet and the aliens.
"I am pretty sure we are dealing with the blue ones," the ODST behind him muttered in a low hoarse voice. "Same color and ship design." The Chief continued without taking his eyes off the bridge screens. "And they didn't shoot at us – yet."
Grand turned halfway around. The tall Helljumper looked like he was dragged through hell his condition even worse since the last time he saw him a few days ago.
"How are you feeling Shepard?"
"Fine," he lied, his sunken-blue eyes not leaving the monitor. After a second, he took his eyes off the screen and their looks met. "I know you get a copy of Lagarde's reports on my health sir."
William clenched his teeth together.
He did.
"And you know his treatments and medicine aren't working!" The soldier's face betrayed no emotion. "You know my brain is slowly falling apart."
"Did you talk with your family?"
"No. They only know I am sick and recovering from a mission. Talked with my mom and sister a few times over the comms. Not in person, I prefer not to burden them with my current condition."
Grand nodded. He understood Shepard. He wouldn't tell his mother either. Or Charlotte. Maybe he should, but it wasn't his place to tell Shepard what to do and what not.
They looked at each other for an awkward second. He signed.
"I am sorry I had to drag you along Chief, but you are the only one with some sort of experience with them."
The other men just shrugged. "I am glad you did sir. Everything is better than sitting around and waiting for death to come and get you."
"Probably." The admiral turned back around looking at the busy bridge crew.
The aliens didn't want to fight. Everybody could see that. He came to the same result as most other Captains and most people he had spoken to. They wanted to initiate first contact or second contact in their case. Why else would they put three little ships between them?
"Captain, what's our status?"
"MACs are charged and firing solutions are coordinated with the rest of the fleet. Shields are full. All systems are green. Fighters can be launched immediately if necessary."
Of course, there was always a residual risk. It could be a trap. They could blow up the ships as soon as the fleet got in range. But why should they? They didn't believe he would ignore them and rush straight forward at the rest of their fleet, did they? Their guns could easily open fire and start ripping them apart from this distance.
Hell, they could have done that long ago before the human ships were even close in range to open fire themselves.
Grand had let Julia and the other AIs calculate different scenarios and different outcomes of what could happen, based on their likelihood and what they knew. The contact scenario was the most likely and the only one that made some sense to him. Their fleet was overall too small to possess a significant threat to his.
For an hour now the Admiral was trying to decide if it was worth the risk. The more he thought about it the more William realized that he had no other option. Either it worked and the UNSC was able to establish some sort of peaceful relationship with them in the long run or it didn't and humanity had another possible hostile alien race to deal with. Maybe even two if you count the birds in as well.
"Captain Kayal, move the Saskia towards the three alien ships. Stop at a 30km distance. Clear out one of the hangars for the vessels to land. The rest of the fleet will hold our current position."
The woman looked at him for a second. "Understood Admiral."
In the background, Grand could hear the low humming sound of the ship's engines coming alive. Turning to Shepard he said: "Go down and set up the hangar. Prepare for the worst-case scenario. If it goes south, I want as many prisoners as possible."
The ODST in black armor looked at him with a wolfish smirk despite the throbbing pain in his head, happy to finally do something in his area of expertise. "I will make sure they regret it if they do."
0956 hours, August 29th, 2303 CE (Galactic Standard Time)
Transport shuttle, Arcadis - Alizee
Eidera System, (Sector L-421), Outer Colonies
Liara could not tear her gaze away from the screen inside the transport shuttle displaying the alien ship in front of them. Her brain trying to analyze and compare every given detail.
The gray box-liked formed ship was over 1100 meters long, longer than the Destiny Ascension, but not as high or wide. It was made of the same grey metal as the station inside of the asteroid or the ship that was responsible for the destruction of three Turian frigates. If it possessed the same gun as the smaller one, just as an upscaled version, Liara did not doubt it could rip her mother's ships apart with terrifying ease.
But what made her skin crawl were the two other ships further behind, safely shielded by the alien fleet in front of them. The sensors weren't able to pick up much about these ship types. The first was roughly 2200 meters long and the other one close to 2600 meters. Both were bigger than any other ship Liara knew of and none of them seemed to need e-zero to function.
"Breath little one," her mother gently whispered from beside her. Benezia didn't look bothered or nervous, the matriarch was calm as always. The older Asari was typing on her pad for the past hour and reading reports from all the data her ships were able to collect.
She closed her eyes and let the air flow out of her lungs.
Her mother was right. There was no point worrying over the fact that they were outnumbered at least two to one. Or that the aliens were able to build ships bigger than the Destiny Ascension. Or that they were sitting in a 20-meter-long transport shuttle in the middle of two fleets and dozens of guns probably pointed straight at them, ready to fire at any moment. Their shields wouldn't ….
"Any reason you have chosen this particular dress Liara?"
She looked down. Did she need one? Was something wrong with her choice? She liked the dress, and Liara felt comfortable in it. Wasn't that the point?
It was the same one she had worn at the charity event at the hospital. Yes, it was far from being modest, some would call it scandalous. Most of them would be non-Asari, while the rest of her species seemed to care little about clothing or nudity.
The young Asari was fully aware that she looked strikingly similar to a human woman, except for her skin color and the nonexistent hair on her head. Maybe a part of her hoped to distract them ever so slightly. Or someone.
A much younger part of herself simply enjoyed the attention she got from others, even more so since the talk with Benezia. A few decades ago, she would have shied away from wearing such sort of clothing.
"No," she said smoothly. "At least none in particular."
"Hmm, you seem to forget that I was your age once Liara." Benezia didn't look up from her pad.
"Do you have any for yours?" she challenged with a raised eyebrow. Her mother wore a purple see-through dress with a matching veil. It only hid her most private part up to her breasts, while still showing a good amount of her cleavage. She never suspected her mother had a dress like this.
But it shouldn't surprise her. They had melded quite often over the last weeks, more than they had done in the century before. Her mother lived nearly a thousand years and more than once Liara got lost in her mother's mind while she looked through her memories.
Some of them were old like the Geth uprising and the fall of the Quarians 500 years ago. She could feel her fear of a full-scale war against a race of AIs, which made her a strong supporter of the AI laws put in place a few years after.
Others were way smaller but not less interesting. The Queen of Omega for example had a handful of daughters with different partners. The youngest, Liselle, was around her age and acted as one of her Lieutenants, completely unaware of Aria's part in Liselle's conception. Or that the Consort on the Citadel provides the Asari Republic with a constant stream of information and secrets extracted from the minds of her clients while they bask in astonishing pleasures and happiness.
"Like I said little one, I was young once myself." Finally, the matriarch looked up at her only offspring a smile crossing her lips without giving her a useful answer. "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree it seems."
The young Asari turned away from the Matriarch. Did her mother choose the dress for the same reason she had chosen hers? Liara mustered her mother a minute and came to the realization if her mother found an angle to use to her advantage of her house and species, she would surely not let it slip through her fingers. She also knew through their melds that Benezia had rather adventurous maiden and matron years and Benezia was far less modest in her youth than she could perhaps ever be.
And she realized that indeed the apple doesn't fall far from the tree in some cases. She scowled at the realization.
"Liara don't look so dim; your face is far too beautiful to taint it with such a dark expression," Benezia lectured her. "Besides you may want to hide these a little better, it may lead to a topic we try to avoid." She pointed at her breasts.
It took her a moment. The human's dog tags rested comfortably between her chest. She nodded in agreement and let them slip into one of the hidden pockets of her dress.
"We reach the human ship in five minutes Lady Benezia. Permission to land?" Shiala's voice interrupted their conversation.
"Yes proceed—no sudden course changes. Remember what we have discussed in our preparations. Stay calm and don't let impulses lead you."
"I didn't realize we were ready to board."
"We weren't my love, but it looked like you were distracted."
It suddenly dawned on her. Mother had tricked her! The whole discussion about her choice of dressing was just an attempt to keep her mind distracted and away from her anxiety.
"Don't scowl Liara!"
"Admiral, the three alien ships are heading in our direction," Julia informed them over the com.
"Finally. Thank you." Grand said as he and Shepard were waiting in the empty hangar. They surely liked to take their bloody time.
Well, better this way than doing something hasty and causing an interspecies incident.
"And Julia," Shepard interrupted before the AI could close the channel.
"Yes, Chief?"
"Keep the automatic turrets at the hangar ceiling on standby. Just in case."
"As you wish."
Grand looked up at the AI-controlled guns. He had witnessed their efficiency firsthand. Unfortunately.
"Everything ready Chief?"
Shepard stopped beside him after he had taken his hundredth stroll through the hangar of the cruiser.
"I know I repeat myself Sir, but you should have allowed the Marines to put up position inside the hangar. If the situation escalates, I may not be able to do much. I am far from combat-ready," John made one last effort to convince the Navy officer.
They had the conversation a handful of times in the last few hours. Grand insisted on keeping only the most necessary personnel inside the hangar. And that was the two of them. There was no honor guard, no 'welcome' envoy, and not even a few guards to keep the aliens from causing mischief if they wanted.
Shepard opened one of his many little pouches at his plate carrier and with a shaky hand he grabbed the small, silver tin box inside. He opened it and put a few of the pills inside his mouth.
The admiral didn't seem to be overly concerned about his safety. "We talked about it Chief. It is about making a decent first impression. They are coming to us; in an unarmed shuttle, I might add. I am sure they appreciate not looking into a dozen gun barrels as soon as they get out and I am sure they know damn well there is no way in hell they can get out alive if it all goes to shit."
"I will make sure they don't," he grumbled swallowing the pills down. He was sweating like a pig.
"I am sure you are prepared for the worst-case Chief. How many men did we get behind each entrance to the hangar?"
"Four Marine and one ODST squad."
"Should be more than enough." Grand shifted his weight slightly to the other leg. "Besides they may have a solution regarding your degenerating brain."
John stilled, looking down at his assault rifle. It was moving slightly. He couldn't keep his hands from shaking. He tried to, but the sickness was starting to affect his body every day a little bit more. His hands refused to obey his brain's command.
"With all due respect, I don't want to get my hopes up, sir."
Grand nodded gloomily staring out of the blue energy field into the space beyond. "Anyway, it seems our guests have arrived."
Three purple-blue ships came into view. Every shuttle was roughly half the size of a Pelican drop ship, but way more elegantly shaped. They seemed to put great concern into the design, unlike the UNSC which mostly didn't care for aesthetical looks. All three of them came to a halt right before the energy field shielding the hangar from the deadly space outside.
The left one started to fly slowly forward as if afraid it would be unable to cross the blue waving barrier and get crushed while doing so. Slowly its nose penetrated the shield without causing any harm. Confirming it would do no damage the others followed swiftly.
Shepard noticed that the shuttles were relatively silent while hovering over the grey titanium floor. The Longswords and Pelican pilots would be envious. He scoffed at the thought.
The middle was the first to land, while the other two turned slightly before landing close behind.
"Should I close the hangar doors, Admiral?" Julia's soft voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Leave them open Julia."
The doors of the shuttles opened simultaneously. Blue-black armored humanoids poured into the hangar carefully taking positions around the ships. Everyone was equipped with some weapon. Some he had already seen on board the abandoned ONI station.
John's eyes mustered every one of them and he came to a dreadful result. There was no chance if the aliens decided to open fire, he and the Admiral would live long enough to take cover.
Then he saw another one of the blue aliens gracefully stepping out of the opened shuttle door. His gaze lingered on the Asari wrapped in purple fabric for a second before it fell on the person behind her.
His gut froze.
For a second the universe seemed to stand still, while both of them stared at each other. A surge of pain swept through his brain, like the sapphire-blue orbs inside her eyes trying to tear a hole into his head.
It was her!
John nearly dropped the AR in his hand. For a moment, he considered raising his gun and firing at the blue Asari.
Diplomacy be damned!
Grand be damned!
Finishing what he couldn't at the asteroid.
But he didn't.
He couldn't! His body was unable to move. Unable to obey even the simplest command.
The two unarmored aliens stood together in front of their guard, waiting for a sign or permission to close the last dozens of meters between them.
"That's her!" he presses out in a painted whisper. "The one who escaped from the ONI base."
Grand's head snapped in his direction. "Are you sure?"
"Yes!" John was still looking at her. Her full lips started to move. She was saying something. Something he couldn't hear and he doubted even if he could he wouldn't understand it anyway - never taking her gaze from his.
Suddenly he realized he was at the center of their attention. The one clad in purple was looking at him - mustering him, as he did with the others before. Her face didn't betray much, but her eyes looked like she was ready to tear him apart.
The heads of the armored Asari were turning in his direction as well. Ever so slightly. He was unable to see their faces behind the silver visors of their helmets, but he could see how they visibly tensed.
Sweat started to pour out of every pore in his battered body.
'He should have worn his helmet!' the thought shot through his head.
It wouldn't have mattered much. They would have easily identified him anyway. The claw marks from the Turian he killed were still proudly visible on his chest plate. John had forgotten to replace the plate in the armory after the mission.
His combat training kicked in. Shepard would target the purple one first. She looked like she was their leader. Then the blue witch.
John grabbed the weapon in his hands even tighter than before.
The gears turning in his head came to a sudden halt when Grand took two steps forward.
That was the sign they needed. Both of them and one armored guard began walking in their direction. As the three aliens came closer John's tension skyrocketed. They were still a few more meters away as he realized who the other Asari was. A bunch of pictures and memories flooded his broken mind – making him hiss in pain and close his eyes for a split second.
He should have realized it sooner. The markings on her face were enough to give away who she was, but it was too late to let Grand know. Benezia was already standing a meter away from the Admiral. Liara was only a step behind.
She started to talk. Her voice was smooth as silk and strange as anyone could imagine an alien speaking a human language. It was not perfect, but better than he thought possible.
But he didn't listen to what she said.
He didn't listen to what Grand said in return.
All Shepard did was keep his rifle pressed to his chest, watching Liara behind Benezia, lost in her blue eyes.
There was something else that unnerved him about her appearance.
Maybe because she was blue.
Maybe because she was a fucking alien!
Maybe because with every breath she took her full breast moved freely up and down, barely contained by the silver piece of clothing. Not that it did a better job hiding the rest of her body.
To call this piece of fabric a dress seemed highly inappropriate. He had seen strippers wearing more modest clothing than her while dancing on the pole.
The Asari tipped her head slightly and graced him with an enchanting smile, which irritated him even more.
He had no problem with nudity. He had no problem with sex. John had seen so many cocks and cunts in his military life that he barely would have noticed someone standing fully naked beside him in the middle of Calais. At some point, you stopped caring.
Shepard suddenly remembered how easily she had thrown him through the corridor with her blue space magic trick. It unsettled him deeply.
What unsettled him even more was the fact that she was in his goddamn head!
The alien had seen every shitty detail about his life. Every argument he had with his mom as he decided to join the ODST. Every dumb shit he did in his youth. Every woman he fucked, while he was seemingly unable to keep a stable relationship going for more than a year.
Maybe because John was afraid that Liara looked like she knew him better than he knew himself.
"Chief, are you coming?" Grand's words forced him out of his thoughts. The Admiral and the Asari matriarch had already made their way to one of the hangar doors, leading further into the human cruiser and surrounded by a bunch of her guards and some ODSTs in full combat gear.
John instead was still rooted in the same spot as before. Liara was so close now in front of him that he could smell her intoxicating scent. Way too close for his comfort and she still observed him with that irritating smile.
As he turned around a gentle pull on his chest stopped him halfway through.
"I am sorry John!" Her voice was soft, barely understandable. Her face saddened. "Sorry to put you through all that pain." Her blue hand lay lightly on his armored chest.
"I am fine," he lied bluntly.
He did not want to give her the satisfaction to let her see how much the last weeks had brought him to the brink of collapse. They stood there for a few more seconds, unaware of the things happening around them.
She didn't remove her hand and neither did he have the strength to do it. Her fingers traced the deep notches from the Turian's claws, clearly lost in thought.
"Chief!" Grand's voice held a slight irritation in it.
"After you ma'am." Shepard made a gesture in the Admiral's direction.
The matron's hand snapped back. Nodding she started to walk towards her mother. John followed behind. They were encircled by her silver guard - silently watching.
To hell with Grand! To hell with the Admiral for forcing him to attend this fucking gala and to hell with the Governor who thought it would be a good idea to add him to the list. To make things even worse, he was late.
Two fucking hours late! John overslept.
He passed out from all the alcohol and meds he took after they landed in Calais. Back on the planet, Shepard could finally escape from the cursed Asari. He went straight to his favorite bar, getting wasted so hard that he hoped he would just forget all that happened.
But her face haunted him. He couldn't get her out of his brain.
And now he was standing here at the entrance of the large ballroom, which was currently used for the gala to welcome humanity's new friends. The room was crowded with people: politicians, militaries, lobbyists, and all sorts of high-society people wanting to meet and greet the Asari.
Grand was in the middle with Charlotte on his side, who was wearing a beautiful black dress talking to the Asari matriarch. To John's surprise Coats and Captain Enfield were there as well, talking to Brudell and his wife. Coats once told him that Brudell was utterly smitten by Enfield, maybe because the governor had three boys and she seemed to be like the perfect girl every father wished for his sons.
Coats noticed him and gave him a small wave. John smiled back. Besides a handful of messages and calls, he hadn't seen his team in a few weeks.
He recognized a few other people. Delany and to his astonishment, Captain Evans were chatting with a few other persons he didn't know and the guy from Lian-Dortmund was currently standing in front of the buffet refilling his plate. To his relief, he couldn't detect the fire-red hair of his mother and he thanked the gods that she wouldn't have to see him in his sorry state.
But the real reason he wanted to crawl back into his small apartment was the Asari standing in the middle of the room, surrounded by her guards who surprisingly didn't wear their helmets anymore. So many people surrounded her that he could barely make out her face.
That suited him perfectly.
Somehow Shepard had to make it through this evening while avoiding Liara like she had the plague, trying not to look rude.
A fine line to walk.
He tried to blend in with the crowd and it worked for a good amount of time until Liara spotted him. From there it was like a game of cat and mouse. As soon as she came near him, he immediately fled to the next.
While Liara was now forced to answer a bunch of never-ending and repeating questions Shepard on the other hand tried to disappear from her radar once more.
He felt like a coward.
After a few hours, Shepard couldn't see her anymore and he was convinced she had left the gala.
Unfortunately, the alien was far smarter than him and way more attentive. John's little game eventually had to come to an end.
He desperately needed a whiff of fresh air to clear his head. The alcohol started to affect him quite strongly.
He refilled his whisky glass for the 10th time and retreated to one of the many big balconies. The alcohol made his movement sluggish as he walked into the furthest corner he could find. Hiding behind a few decorative plants he finally got a moment to rest.
John put the glass down at the railing, watching the nightlife below.
Exhausted he fumbled open the first two bottoms of his white Navy dress uniform, hoping he could sleep at least three hours later.
"Damn button," he slurred annoyed.
He looked back at the glass. The alcohol would help, but the amount that he needed to drink would take its toll.
Shepard didn't care. Why should he?
Lagarde had given him a month, give and take a week or two. The alcohol didn't have the time to kill him and as long as it let him sleep a few hours every day, John was willing to pay the price.
It's time to go home. He reached for the drink, but before he could grab the glass a blue hand snatched it away.
"I think you had enough John," a concerned voice came from behind him smooth as silk.
He froze. "What do you want?" his question came out in a low hiss.
"You cannot avoid me forever John," Liara answered, ignoring his question.
He whirled around, swaying dangerously while doing so. She stood before him, wearing the silver dress she had worn on the cruiser. Liara seemed amused about his earlier behavior but could not hide the worry in her eyes.
For a moment he just stared at her damply.
The Asari looked breathtaking even more so in the pale moonlight. Her sapphire-blue eyes looked so enthralling.
"Yeah? Let me show you that I can," Shepard challenged her. Angrily he tried to step past her but was stopped when her free hand started to glow in a blue light. He instinctively backed away.
"I can help you, John." Her smooth voice washed over him. Making him shiver. "I just need another meld." He wanted to open his mouth and agree. Shepard wanted to agree so desperately while captivated by her pitch-black eyes. He could feel his will crumble, slowly giving in to her demands.
Liara took another step towards him. He felt her hunger to finish what she started weeks ago. Yet it felt different – wilder and more unrestrained.
"Chief where, are you?" he heard the familiar voice of the Admiral from somewhere in the building. The Asari threw the glass over the railing of the balcony and her hand flew to his mouth, but she was a second too slow.
He didn't need to think twice before he shouted: "Outside, on the balcony!"
Shortly after he saw Grand stepping out of the building, passing Liara's guards who were blocking everyone from getting close, her mother was following not far behind.
The blue alien in front of him stepped back, stroking his chin. "Lucky boy." Her eyes returned to their normal blue color. Her hands smother out some non-existent wrinkles in her silver dress. "Third time's the charm then."
He could breathe again.
Admiral Grand stopped beside her, looking at them with mild interest. His eyes flickered to John, noticing his disheveled condition and heavy breathing. "You look beaten Shepard. Everything all right?"
"I think the Chief is not feeling well Admiral," Liara spoke first. "It would be best if he got some rest."
"Hmm, yeah probably. What about his condition? Is there something you can do?" The Navy officer's eyes were still fixed on Shepard.
"There is nothing I can do. I am sorry," she lied smoothly, faking a mournful sign. "His brain needs to heal itself, but the chance it can is slim."
"How slim?"
"Near zero."
"Damn. That's not good," he heard William mumble. "Get home Chief, try to get some sleep. We talk in a few days. I will call you a cab." Grand didn't notice the glances Benezia and Liara exchanged for a brief moment.
John nodded still dazed, unable to speak. He just wanted to get away. Away from the blue witch and her mind fuckery. He wanted to sleep - sleep forever.
John gave the elevator door one last hateful glare before stumbling outside and down the dimly lightened corridor toward his apartment. He nearly ran into a few people coming his way. No one seemed to care besides one or two annoyed looks.
For them, John was just another wasted guy trying to find his flat. Apart from this, no one wanted to provoke an ODST even as heavily wasted as he was.
He leaned himself against the door to his apartment. Slowly he put the 8-digit code into the panel and pressed the button. Surprisingly, the door opened on the first try. Grabbing the door frame, he kept himself from falling forward. "Not this time you dump fucker," he snorted drunkenly.
John ripped open his dress uniform and threw it over the last chair not littered with trash and other shit. His pants and shoes followed a few seconds later.
He needed to wash it and most of his other clothing.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow he would clean up this mess. Just not today.
He stumbled towards the fridge. He ripped it open and noticed to his frustration that it was mostly empty. Angrily Shepard slammed the door shut.
He needed something to drink and he needed it now!
After minutes of searching, he found two nearly empty bottles. I mixed both of them into an already-used glass in addition to some pills and drowned it in one gulp. The man stared at the glass for a full minute, then threw it against the wall.
"Fuck!" he cursed furiously. Adrenalin was shooting through his veins. A minute later the pills started to kick in and John suddenly felt very cold. Breathing was becoming increasingly difficult and it was probably a good idea to finally get some sleep.
Only wearing his boxers, the ODST tumbled into the bedroom. He threw the door shut and fell onto his bed, not caring or noticing all the other pieces of clothing on it.
John opened the drawer of his nightstand, looking at the loaded magnum. His fingertips wandered over the cool metal. It looked so invitingly.
Out of nowhere the picture of the blue witch popped into his mind and he became angry. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction. Not yet. Not today.
He fell asleep with his hand on the opened drawer.
John woke with a gasp. Not of pain this time but from pleasure rolling through him. Two warm hands slowly traced down his body, wandering from his chin gently downwards over his muscled chest, before they stopped right above his belly button.
He kept his eyes tightly shut, refusing the pleasant dream to disappear. He felt something sitting below his groin at his upper thighs. Something hot and soft. Suddenly the hands were gone and replaced by a set of heated, moist lips kissing every scar on his lower belly.
Shepard's eyes flew open, starting at the naked blond angel sitting on top of him. She gave him a wicked smile and a wink. "Hi John, long time not seen." She bent down giggling, letting her tongue slide around his belly button. "You still taste delicious."
"Jenny, what are you doing here? Didn't you move to …. to uhm somewhere?" he couldn't remember the planet his ex-girlfriend wanted to move to a year ago after they broke up. The pleasure was not helping either – he could not think straight.
"I missed you so much." Both of her hands were gripping his cock. One was massaging his balls while the other slowly moved upwards, torturing him with her agile fingers. John couldn't keep his hands away anymore.
Gently he began to stroke the inside of her thighs. His right hand glided over her wet folds, parting them a little and revealing the treasure that lay behind. He slid two fingers inside and was rewarded with a needy moan escaping from her full lips. Her fluids ran down his hand, soaking the sheets.
"Goddess, I want you inside me, John!" Shepard put his hand on her hips and tried to lift her off him, but was stopped as she put her hands on his chest and pressed him back down.
"I want to ride you," the blonde drawled lifting herself, before putting the tip of his dick between the lips of her cunt. His head fell back into the pillow as his cook's fat mushroom disappeared inside her. She gradually sank on him. Her eyes closed and her lips slightly opened.
For a few seconds, none of them moved. 'Reach,' he thought 'Jenny moved to Reach last year!' The woman began to move sensually rolling her hips and suddenly he felt a little dizzy and the sudden thought flew from his mind.
The ODST tried to remember what he was thinking a few seconds before while letting his hands mindlessly wander upwards. His thumb brushed over the underside of the blonde's full breasts.
They looked way fuller and perkier than he remembered. Her nipples were proudly erected. He grabbed them with both hands, barely able to contain them.
'Definitely fuller than last time. Maybe she got a boobjob.' His eyes were glued to her beautiful tits completely mesmerized by their size.
"John look at me!" she demanded. Her pussy glistened with their juices while she rode him.
Shepard's eyes slowly traveled upwards, soaking in every little detail of her gorgeous body. Her hips, her slightly muscled stomach, her full breast, her unnatural silk-like soft skin, her flawless face, and overall, her gorgeous sapphire blue eyes.
The eyes made him freeze and it hit him like a train. This wasn't Jenny on top riding him like a stallion. Jenny's eyes were brown! A muddy dull brown and she had smaller breasts.
His hand moved further up, over her cheek toward her blonde hair. He tried to grab it, but there was nothing he could grip. John watched his right hand while it glided through the blonde mane like it was a hologram or an illusion.
Another wave of pleasure rolled through him nearly washing away his last thoughts. He tried to hold onto them with every strength of his remaining free will as long as possible. The woman on top slowly bent down, a mischievous smile on her lips. Their faces were only a hand-width apart.
'Kiss me, John!'
Her full lips didn't move as she leaned in for the kiss. Shepard closed his eyes.
'Just let go!'
She tasted like poison, sweet, intoxicating poison. Something not from this world. John's hands dug into her back, while her cunt clamped around his dick. Slowly sucking the life out of him.
'Cum for me! Embrace Eternity!'
The last tiny parts of his working mind were screaming at him. His eyes flew open in an instant, but it was too late. He had already lost control over his body, all he could do was stare into the coal-black eyes of the witch, while his body and the sorry rest of his mind drowned in pleasure.
The blonde human was gone, only to be replaced by a familiar blue demon.
His left hand was desperately searching for the gun in the open drawer beside his bed. John took it and pressed the weapon under the alien's chin pulling the trigger, but instead of an exploding head, he was rewarded with a defeating click.
The giggling Asari gave it a loving kiss before she grabbed the gun's barrel and pushed it carelessly to the side. It fell out of his shaking fingers onto the floor.
'Checkmate John' Liara whispered in his mind, kissing him deeply.
John couldn't scream, John couldn't move, but at least it was painless this time as she tore the last working pieces of his mind apart.