#jedirangerpenguin

[laelior]

☔?

☔Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it?

Thank you for asking! And I have just the one for you:

I want to write more stories about Peggy and her band of ad hoc guerilla fighters during the Reaper War on Earth. Given the amount of time I can devote to writing and the number of moving parts with this story, it may be some time before I can fully write it down.

But, in bare bones basics, there's a quarian in Peggy's group whose metabolic needs drive her and her fellow fighters into increasingly risky missions to keep her fed. This eventually brings the group north, to the Chicago area, where they run into a squad of First Biotics Division soldiers and team up with them for a while.

This, in turn, ends up tipping off Anderson that Shepard's grandmother is still alive and kicking, and he arranges for the two of them to talk when Shepard arrives in London.

ask game for teasing wips/upcoming projects

[tiberius-kirks]

🎁 and Break for the knightly duo and possibly the paladin?

🎁: What kind of gift-giver are they? Do they give thoughtful gifts? Expensive gifts? Practical gifts?

oh this can say so much about people!!! I would say that the princeking is good at giving gifts in the way that he will figure out what you don't have and then throw his money at the problem until you have more than what you need (no horse? here's the best one on the market, etc). this is not always the most thoughtful because it's rather overbearing but he's trying. I would think that the champion is very much just okay at giving gifts, but he's mostly selfless all the time so it balances out?

meanwhile my unnamed paladin is the best at giving gifts. he's always listening and will buy something he saw at some market five months before your birthday because he knew it would be perfect, and it is.

break: What would cause your OC to break down completely? What do they look like when that happens? Has anyone ever seen them at their lowest?

ohohohoho!! all three of them break down only after very much pressure. the princeking has been taught to have a will of steel, the champion would have never made it if he had been breakable. both of them break down more sad or clasically broken. honestly the unnamed paladin breaks down nearly instantly after his god abandons him but that's kind of his whole shtick, so it's fine. he breaks down into despair and anger though :)

send me oc asks!

[painterofhorizons]

@jedirangerpenguin you asked for something Anderson related, so here's a little something that'll be part of the bigger thing I'm working on.

Floating Day WIP, Shepard’s Birthday Edition

After @shadoedseptmbr got me thinking about Shepard’s birthday and that threw me dep down the post-Akuze feels spirale again, have Reda’s first bday post-Akuze for a bit.

She has barely turned her datapad back on at night when Anderson’s call rolls in. One moment she’s checking that there are indeed no other missed calls or messages from the day, the next she’s already seeing his face without having a memory of actively accepting the call.

“Anderson-“

“Happy birthday, kid”, he skips a greeting, and just gets over with what he knows she dreads so much right now before it can get awkward.

She has had enough training today playing happy little family with Cynthia to not flinch at his words and somewhat keep her posture. “Thank you. I missed your first call, sorry about that.”

That was one way to put her actively ignoring him earlier this day. He doesn’t seem to bother.

The transmission flickers and his image breaks for a second, replacing his voice with static noise.

“-good day?”

Her jawbones tighten at the hint of small talk he tries to make. She’s still not up for that, no matter how hard he tries, or how often.

She nods, and her neck suddenly feels stiff. “Yeah, sure. You know Cynthia. Full program, cake, beach, presents. It was nice. You know, I-“

She stops mid sentence, the polite smile fading from her face. So much for the cake and the beach and the presents failing at doing their part in the end.

His voice is low and steady. “I know.”

The datapad slightly trembles as her fingernails press into its backside. She tries to get back into the fake birthday mood, shaking off the 98 percent of her that’s not feeling it. Failing. “It’s been a good day, I guess.”

With all the cake, and the beach, and the presents.

She shouldn’t be here, eating cake, enjoying views.

Before he can dig deeper about how much fun she’d had – not that she expects him to, he’s just trying to play normal, and normal is that it is her birthday, and people are friendly on birthdays and talk about cake and presents – and because she’s too stubborn to accept that he only calls because he’s trying to be friendly and because he’s stuck with her because he picked her up from the dirt eight years ago, she asks the same damn thing she asks him for months now.

“News on your end? On mine? Any chance you’re about to tell me this ain’t the beginning of two weeks stuck behind a desk here on Earth because I swear to everything people believe in that it won’t take me more time to go rampage.”

Anderson chuckles, she can see that much over the bitchy transmission.

“I see you’re having a great day, Shepard.”

“As always, Sir”, she snarls, but can’t hide a tiny smirk.

Yes, it sucks. It sucks being stuck here, with no end in sight, not only today but all of the days. And a call won’t change that. But she still appreciates it – the cake, and the beach, and his calls. That he called twice today, even though it’s been only eight days since his last call and not fourteen as usual, because today happens to be the day she picked for a birthday eight years ago. And even if he’s just being nice to her – that’s still him being nice to her. And Cynthia. And even is she can’t really enjoy it, she can appreciate it.

[swaps55]

🌟 If you're still taking them, anything else you'd like to share from Cantata?

I will always take questions, especially from you!

Relevant to your interests: I almost didn't write Facing Giants - the N7 test.

It had the same fundamental problem that I had with sending Kaidan to N1: it sounded boring.

N7 was an important achievement for Sam, but from my perspective, the asteroid test itself didn't have a good source of narrative tension.

I also couldn't get excited about writing it. So, I looked for ways around it. I thought about revisiting The Words That Change Us and adapting it for Cantata, but that story is so precious to me as it is, and taking away the first kiss component of it doesn't make the story better, so what would I gain by recycling it? Not much.

I also had the Sam POV conundrum: He's alone on an asteroid for days. If I can't use his POV, how do I tell a story about the test? I couldn't think of a reason for anyone else from the 'Yang to be there, so they didn't have a role to play to help me pick up the narrative slack, either.

With all those challenges, I wondered if I could just get away with cutting the test entirely and acknowledging it after the fact. Several people (rightfully) informed me this was a terrible idea. The test had to happen.

Anderson provided me a solution to the POV problem. If I watched the test through Anderson's eyes, I could do two things: duck Sam's POV, and avoid having to do a play-by-play of the test. In essence, Anderson would let me cheat by only telling the pieces of it I found interesting.

Anderson also opened up a new opportunity. I had been looking for a chance to explore Sam's biotic training with his krogan mentor. It's so important to him as a character, and as you can guess, his love for the krogan plays a big role in future trilogy events. But there hadn't been room to play with it in Cantata.

Anderson, however, is one of the only characters who can provide the reader with insight into Sam's early years, so I thought this might be my window. What if I created parallel stories: the present day of the N7 test intermixed with Anderson's memories of Sam's biotic training?

(I had no idea how fucking hard that was going to be when I thought of it.)

Well, I still had to make the test interesting. @n0rmandysr1 had some excellent ideas on how a test like this could function beyond "hold your breath and don't die" that gave me some action to play with.

But as Sam was the first biotic to try for N7, I also needed to take a difficult test and find a way for Sam to stand it on its head. Real Life Romance Option and @sinvraal had some great ideas for how I could use biotics to give me the Cool Factor I was missing.

Once I had all the pieces, I still had to put them together. Getting the present day scenes synced up with the flashbacks was so frustrating I wanted to jump out a window a few times. But after much wailing and gnashing of teeth, I eventually got there. It was worth all the work; I can't imagine Cantata without this piece.

[theoriginalladya]

Everybody's favorite dadmiral...

@jedirangerpenguin this is for you! :)

[biotic-boshtet]

1, 6, and/or 11 for the prompts?

ok i have 1, but 6 and 11 will maybe come eventually so keep an eye out and tysm for the prompts

Aftermath

“I’d ask if you were ok, but the answer seems a little obvious.”

“Yeah, nope, nope, no. Doing bad.” No blood. No screams. Just the wind over the sand and a dead thresher maw. She clenches her fists in the sand and works on getting her breathing under control.

“Don’t worry, Alenko’s on his way over with his kit. Sent me with a full canteen though.”

“Thanks, Garrus.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Shepard rolls off her knees to sit in the sand, taking the canteen from him. Sticking it between her knees, she lifts her shaking hands to disengage the seals on her helmet, taking it off and letting it fall to the sand. She took a deep breath, trying to block out the scent of acid and blood. Only half of those smells were real. The stench of thresher maw acid almost makes her gag as she takes a sip of lukewarm water.

“Hey, I brought backup.” Kaidan’s knelt down in the sand next to her, rifling through his kit till he finds what he’s looking for. A juice pouch and a granola bar.

“I’ll see if I can’t get the Mako up and running, if you two have everything under control here?”

“Yeah, Garrus, we’re good.” Kaidan gives him a thumbs up, and Garrus makes his way back to the Mako.

She takes the offerings with a mumbled thanks, downing the juice in about 5 seconds, hands still shaking. “Sorry you had to see that.” She kept her eyes trained on her hands as she tore open the granola bar.

“Don’t be. You may have put on a more, uh, spectacular display than I’m used to seeing, but I have seen it before. And I know how to work with the aftermath.”

“Not your first 2.5? How lucky.”

“Yeah, we had two of them on the Shanghai, the most I’ve ever worked with other biotics. They uh, butted heads enough to set each other off, so we had to keep them separate or distracted on ground missions. Didn’t wanna risk wrecking more equipment. Kimball ended up getting reassigned to the Fuji a year or two back, but Benton’s still there, I think.” Kaidan was sitting next to her in the sand now. “One time they got into this argument, I don’t even remember what it was about, but Benton was pissed. Next thing we knew, Kimball and I were tossing up a barrier to cover the rest of the squad, because everything unfortunate enough to not be bolted down was flying through the air. Ripped a door right off the Mako, thankfully he didn’t have the juice to pull the whole thing. That one was fun to explain to the captain.”

That gets a laugh from Shepard. “I can only imagine going to Anderson and telling him we need a new door for the Mako, or worse a new Mako.” She crumples up the granola bar wrapper, shoving it in a suit pocket. “God, it feels like I was fighting off that meltdown all day.” She lets her knee fall against his, plating clacking together.

“You good?”

“Be better once we’re off this fucking rock.”  This place was a dead ringer for Akuze.

“Well, I’m glad you don’t have to ask the captain for a new Mako, at least.” He grabs her helmet and gets up, shaking sand out of the joints of his suit, and offers his hand to help her up. “C’mon, let’s go see if Garrus has made any progress yet.”

Prompt List

Read on AO3

[shadoedseptmbr]

10, 17, 21?

THANK YOU <3 

10. what would your non-perfume/cologne signature scent be?

Hmm. Good dirt and fallen leaves.  Find me in the forest floor :D

17. what would your superpower be? how would you use it?

Oof.  That one’s hard. I would very much like the ability to show people just how good they are, when they’re doubting.  A sort of...instant of insight.  Just a glimpse of “oh i’m actually quite talented.” Do my best to...light a path, when it’s too dark.  

21. the best ice cream flavour

Ah this one’s a bit easier.  Alas, it no longer exists, meh. Once upon a time, Ben and Jerry’s made their Coffee with Butter toffee Ice Cream with actual Heath Bars. It was one of their few non-fair trade items.  And it was perfect because, as the ice cream got soft, so did the toffee and they would bleed together into perfection! And while I do understand the change, it just doesn’t taste as good. (Haagen Daas made, for a limited time, an oatmeal cookie with cinnamon ice cream that was also divine.) 

[ripley95]

Winter prompt 13 for a pairing of your choice?

Thank you so much for the prompt! I really liked the prompt for sweater weather and this was a fun one to do. Probably unsurprisingly, I ended up going with f!Shenko.

-

What's Mine is Yours

Pairing: F!Shepard/Kaidan Alenko

Word Count: ~900

Summary: The rain is relentless in Vancouver, and the weather is getting colder. Shepard comes home seeking some comfort and warmth, and Kaidan is there to provide that for her.

Read it on AO3

-

Shepard walked through the front door of her and Kaidan's apartment. It had been a long day at work. Hackett had needed her to stay late to rush through an urgent project imperative for the next stages of the rebuilding efforts. Kaidan would have been home for hours already. Of all the days she's spent in Vancouver sharing an apartment with him, this was probably the most thankful she'd ever been to step through the threshold of their home. On top of the already long hours at the office, she was caught walking home in the rain. It was the first time she begrudged living within walking distance from Alliance HQ.

"Hey, you're home," Kaidan said with an excited lilt to his voice. He hadn't even seen her yet as he walked towards the front door. He was staring distractedly at his Omni-tool. "I was just thinking about ordering a late dinner. I wanted to wait fo-" he said, getting cut off as he finally looked at her. "What happened?! You're soaking wet," he said as he went over to her, grabbing her gently by the shoulders to check if she was okay. He felt her trembling under his hands.

"I forgot my umbrella," she said as her teeth started to chatter. "It's getting colder too."

"It is almost winter," Kaidan said with concern as he helped her peel her coat off. It was practically sticking to her, being slick with water. "Jees, it really must have been pouring out there. The water's soaked through your jacket. Why didn't you call? I could have come to pick you up."

Shepard cradled her elbows while she was still shivering and looked down at her sweater. Kaidan was right. Water had already started soaking into her N7 hoodie. "You know how much I usually like the walk. I wasn't expecting it to be this bad," she said, noticing the shakiness of her voice.

"Never underestimate how bad the rain can get here. Especially this time of year," he said as he took off his sweater. "Here, take mine."

"Kaidan, you don't have to do that. I have plenty of sweaters I can change into."

"I know you do, but mine is already warm. Take it," he said, holding it out, ready for her to put it on.

"Are you sure?" Shepard asked.

"Of course. What's mine is yours," he said with a gentle smile. "I can just go get another one. I'm not the one who's freezing."

Shepard took her sweater off and accepted his quietly with a smile of gratitude.

"Why don't you go change your pants and wait for me on the couch. I've got an idea."

"Okay," she said curiously.

She followed his direction quickly and went to put on a pair of her warm pyjama pants before going to sit on the couch. A few minutes later, Kaidan came out wearing a new sweater of his own with a blanket and towel in his hands. He handed her the towel.

"For your hair," he said as he sat down beside her and placed the blanket over top of them.

"They're warm," she said as she took a moment to dry her head off as best she could before looking at him questioningly.

He took the wet towel from her and set it flat on the armrest of the couch. "Yeah, I popped them into the dryer for a couple of minutes to warm them up," he said as he looked over to her, still concerned.

She couldn't believe how thoughtful that was. She never would have thought to do something like that.

"How did I ever get so lucky," she said as she leaned over and kissed him gently.

He wrapped his arm around her and nudged her to lean her head on his shoulder. "I ask myself that every day."

Shepard wrapped her arms around herself to try and maintain the warmth she was starting to feel. She couldn't help but smile at how far they'd come and how grateful she was to have him in her life.

"Were you saying something about ordering dinner earlier?"

"Oh, yeah. I wanted to wait for you, and now I'm glad I did. What do you say to something to warm you up? Maybe Pho?"

"Sounds perfect," she said, thinking that was exactly what she needed right now.

Kaidan brought up his Omni-tool. Shepard quickly moved to sift through the list of restaurants so Kaidan didn't have to relinquish his other arm that was providing her with warmth and comfort she needed after today. She put in their regular order from their go-to spot and hit the confirmation button. Now all they had to do was wait. She was about to get more comfortable but paused for a moment and looked back at him first.

"You know what you were saying earlier?"

"Hmm," he questioned.

"The whole, what's mine is yours thing."

"Yeah."

"I don't think any of my sweaters would fit you," she said, which elicited a laugh out of Kaidan, "But, the sentiment is mutual."

Kaidan smiled at her softly, clearly appreciating the gesture. He held on to her tighter, drawing her in to rest her head more comfortably on his shoulder. She pulled the blanket up closer to her chest and settled in. Kaidan kissed the top of her head gently as they shared a moment of solitude. Whatever shivers Shepard had left in her were gone, and there was nowhere else she'd rather be.

[pigeontheoneandonly]

Ooh, Nathaly childhood friends AU?

I’m so glad you asked!  This isn’t one I talk about a lot, because there are so many screwed up dynamics and emotions involved, and I expect it’s only truly interesting to me. :P

This AU is based on the premise that Nathaly and Kaidan lived on the same street in Vancouver from the time Nathaly was three until Kaidan left for BAaT.  (I fudge their ages a bit to make them closer in age.)  From Nathaly’s point of view, he just vanished one day-- his parents wouldn’t tell her what happened, and her mother’s career took them away from Vancouver not long after.

But Nathaly never forgot her best friend.  When she’s a teenager and BAaT dissolves, she spots Kaidan in the background of a news report about situation.  Her mother tells her to forget it, so she takes all her savings and buys a shuttle transport to Vancouver without telling anyone, and shows up on the Alenko’s doorstep without any kind of plan beyond “maybe it’ll be warm enough to sleep in the bushes”.  Everyone is angry except Kaidan, who remembers her, too.

They get reacquainted, and this leads to a relationship.  They wind up marrying fairly young and have a daughter.  Nathaly enlists to better support them while Kaidan is in college, and winds up in spec ops.  Kaidan ends up joining as well after he graduates.  

Then Akuze happens, and she abruptly files for divorce, without ever telling Kaidan the real reason, but instead blaming it on the hardships of her job.  Over the next ten years, the dust settles and they are on friendly terms, which occasionally crosses into friends-with-benefits, but it’s clear to everyone who knows them that there’s still love there, and for whatever reason Nathaly just doesn’t want to be in a relationship anymore. 

Eventually, because Anderson only knows her, he accidentally puts them in the same command when he puts together the Normandy crew.  And then Eden Prime happens, and there’s no chance to get it sorted out, and they end up on the same ship for the duration.  For the first time in a long time, they’re living together, working together, on a ship too small to escape, and it forces them to confront and deal with all their baggage.

She finally comes clean about what drove her to push him away (and in my defense, I never said it was a good reason; in any universe, a lot of Nathaly’s reactions in relationships are driven by fear and pain).  They reconcile! Everyone is happy! Their kid is like “FINALLY”. 

And then she dies.  Because this is Mass Effect.

Excerpt:

Nobody paid her any mind as she matched the placement of the shutters and the winding of the walk to her memories, and made her way to the door of 793.  For the first time, doubt overshadowed determination. There was every possibility they no longer lived here.  There was every chance they would not remember her even if they did.

But she hadn’t come all this way to not even try.  Before she could dwell on it any further, she raised her hand and knocked.

A small eternity passed before she heard the latch pull back.  The door creaked open, just enough for a woman to peer out.  “Yes?”

It was Kaidan’s mother— older, gray in her hair, more lines about her eyes and mouth. Nathaly breathed a sigh of relief, and broke into a grin.  

Nimura frowned. “If you’re selling something for the high school, we already bought from the girls across the street.”

“No.”  She realized she hadn’t spent so much as a second thinking about what to say after she got here.  “No, I’m— I know this is a surprise.  I’m Nathaly Shepard.”

Nimura’s brow wrinkled.  Nathaly wondered what she must be thinking— Nathaly Shepard, to her, was a young barefoot redhead running through her yard and upending her tulips, not a blue-haired teenager in ripped jeans and a too-small t-shirt.  She cleared her throat.  “My parents lived down the street, when I was younger.”

“Oh.”  Nimura seemed still surprised.

She tried to start over.  “I saw on the news that Kaidan had come home.  That’s wonderful.  I was hoping I could say hello.”

His mother continued to gape at her, at a loss for words.  Nathaly’s smile grew a bit fixed.  

At that moment, there was the sound of someone coming down the stairs, and then Kaidan was standing behind her, yawning.  His hair was a complete mess.  “I heard someone at the door—”

He stopped and saw Nathaly.  

“Hi,” she said after a second’s pause.  “I don’t know if—”

“Nathaly!” He shouldered past his mother, slipped out through the crack in the door, and pulled her into a long hug.  

Her grin became real, and wider, and she returned the embrace whole-heartedly.  She didn’t even mind that his mother kept clucking from the entry.  

He pulled back a bit.  “They told me you moved away.”

She tried to suppress her delight that he’d asked.  “I did.  I was in the neighborhood.”

It wasn’t a complete lie.  He looked her over with something like disbelief.  “It’s so good to see you.  I’ve only been back a few days.”

“That’s right,” Nimura said, her mouth a thin line.  “I’m sorry, dear, but this is a time for family, not visitors.”

“It can’t hurt to have her stay just a little while,” Kaidan argued.  He gave his mother a pleading look.

She held her ground a few seconds longer before capitulating with a sigh.  “If it’ll make you happy.”

Nimura held the door open wider, and they all went inside.

The house was as Nathaly remembered.  Not so much as a picture had moved, as if it’d been frozen at the moment of Kaidan’s departure.  The impression was downright eerie; it felt like there was no light in the house, as though the windows filtered out all the warmth of the sun.  She smelled dust in the corners.

[jicklet]

@jedirangerpenguin replied to your post “Unfortunately Wrex did not get his family’s armor...”

STARS THE FAILURE SCREEN

@shadoedseptmbr replied to your post “Unfortunately Wrex did not get his family’s armor...”

Critical failure ending quickly is THE BEST UPDATE

ME1 is approx 1052% more playable, not because of the combat or graphics, but because I am no longer constantly refilled with unfathomable levels of rage upon once again being forced to sit there and revolve around my ragdolled corpse for eternity, while Saren’s theme mocks my entire existence.

[laelior]

6 and/or dealer's choice for the end of year asks?

Thank you so much for the ask! <3

End of Year Fic Writer Asks

6. What’s your favourite piece of dialogue you wrote this year?

Hmm, tough choice, but I'm going to have to go with this exchange between Kaidan and Taylor (a.k.a. the Citadel Doctor) in Of Stars and Singularities.

“You need me to look in on your plant again?” Taylor lifted an eyebrow like he’d just said something suggestive. Kaidan grinned into his beer. “Thanks, but it should be fine this time. I gave Rufus the Jade plant away to a better home, to someone who’s actually around to care for it,” Kaidan said, then added, “You just want an excuse to rifle through my drawers while I’m gone, don’t you?” “And cry myself to sleep on your pillows each night while helplessly pining away,” he replied without missing a beat.  “I guess I should probably feel flattered you made time for me tonight.” “You should. I’m a very busy man,” Kaidan said, trying to sound as self-important as possible. “You joke, but you really need to take better care of yourself, Kaidan. Get more sleep, take more breaks, or you’ll end up back at my clinic with more migraines.” The joking tone was gone, replaced by the gentle, chiding bedside manner of a doctor. “Doctor’s orders?” Kaidan asked, taking a long, slow sip of his drink. “A friendly suggestion,” Taylor responded, then added after a moment’s thought, “It would be inappropriate for me to be out having drinks with a patient, anyway. Unless doctor-patient roleplay is your thing.” Kaidan’s mouthful of beer came into sudden conflict with the startled laugh that got out of him, resulting in him half-spitting, half-coughing it back into the glass. He set the glass down on the table and grabbed a napkin to dab off the rather undignified goatee of suds he now sported.

I don't consider dialog to be my strongest suit, and I am certainly not all that witty. But I still love how it turned out and, I think, shows that there's a genuine connection between them that could have, under other circumstances, become the start of something real.

[tiberius-kirks]

Night, coffee, or run for the WIP game?

night

Jim got his work done quickest here, late at night at the cramped kitchen table with one of his best friends.

coffee

The first day of fall arrived like cream poured into coffee -- offering only glimpses until the whole mug was an entire shade lighter than desired and looked uncannily like the color of dirty sheep.

run

They used to go running every morning that Jim woke up early enough, a trend he had broken some time ago.

wip weekend!

[painterofhorizons]

Ooh, can I ask about grounded?

From the WIP game list.

Thank you so much for the ask, my dear! I tagged you in this other post about "grounded" with general rambling about the idea, now how about a little snippet here from it? :) It's draft zero from ages ago, but it features Anderson so I thought you might like it! I like the bit about thechnically sharing ranks. Set after Shepard was locked up in a tiny cell for a week straight without anybody bothering about her.

This is Lieutenant Commander James Vega. He will be assigned to you. You mean he‘s my babysitter, Shepard replied to Anderson without flashing James even the shortest glance. From what I‘ve heard, watchdog is the better description, mam, James interrupted her unaffectedly. Shepard‘s head snapped in his direction. Call me mam once more, Lieutenant, and someone else can scratch your remains from the floor. Understood, Sir. And it‘s Lieutenant Commander. Shepard stared at him caught in surprise. She‘d expected a whole lot of things from him - that kind of backtalk had not been at the list. For a moment she fancied punching him right in that cheeky mouth of his, but couldn‘t stop herself from also being impressed by his attitude. Eventually, she just kept staring at him some more and hissed: Watch yourself, Lieutenant. Technically you two share ranks, Anderson intervened. Technically I‘m not Alliance anymore, so that can be hardly correct, she shot back sharply. Don‘t think the batarians care for that, sir. He‘s right with that, Shepard. the lieutenant isn‘t set up as a jailor for you. He guards a high value target. Shepard looked forth and back between anderson and james, rolled her eyes and shrugged. Awesome. I don‘t expect to have any voice in that matter, do I? No. Great. Don‘t expect this to be fun, lieutenant. I don‘t.

[swaps55]

You Just Might

For @jedirangerpenguin

~

The N program hadn’t covered teenagers.

David Anderson has only been alone with the kid for an hour, and he already has a new respect for the parenting skills of Daniel Shepard. He’s not sure a dreadnought would be a big enough space to contain Sam, and here they are stuck in the cramped passenger compartment of an Alliance shuttle with two hours to go before they reach Ares Station.

This is who Hannah Shepard wants to turn into a biotic soldier. The kid can’t sit still. Sam is like a walking, talking action figure, in a perpetual state of motion with no sense of his own body. According to Daniel he’d just hit a growth spurt, shot up to over 175 cm in the space of a month, and it shows. It’s like watching a puppy try to figure out what to do with four feet, and the Alliance is shipping him off to learn how to play with dark energy.

No wonder Daniel had called him. Without someone to keep an eye on him, this string bean of a kid might take out the whole system.  

“Do you think snapping my fingers’ll trigger it?” The kid has the most earnest eyes Anderson has ever seen. The kind that see right through you. Just like Hannah.  

“I’m assuming you’ve tried that,” Anderson replies. A hundred times, no doubt.

“Yeah, but maybe I’m doing it wrong. I can’t snap for shit.”

“I think that’s the whole point of learning. Figuring out how to control it without breaking your arm.”

Sam shrugs, rubbing his left arm. According to Daniel he’d hidden the fracture for three days before finally confessing to his father. “Sure, I guess.”

Anderson isn’t sure what’s more troubling, that Sam has already broken enough bones to have an aversion to bone knitters, or that he’d apparently spent those three days trying to replicate the lash of dark energy that had broken the arm in the first place.

The kid kicks his feet, squirming in his seat. Aside from the constant kinetic energy, everything about him screams Hannah Shepard. Except for the ears. He’s got Daniel’s ears. The grin favors him, too. But everything else belongs to Hannah.

“I hear biotics can fry people’s brains,” Sam says.

Heaven help them all. “Having been tossed around by a biotic a time or two, no, that’s not how it works.”

The kicking stops, and Sam’s eyes widen. “You’ve fought biotics?”

Anderson straightens, oddly pleased to suddenly have the kid’s undivided attention. “Fought a lot of things. But yes, biotics.”

“When? Where? How many? What was it like?”

“Which time?” he asks with a smirk.

Is he really trying to impress a fourteen-year-old?

“All of them,” Sam says, with a reverence that makes him wish he had kids of his own.

Apparently Anderson is indeed trying to impress the fourteen-year-old.

Why not share a few stories? Would be nice to have a captive audience for once. Someone who hadn’t heard the rumors about Dah'tan and already made up their mind.

So he tells a few. It’s the closest Sam comes to being still, though he constantly interrupts to ask questions. Apparently Sam can be either still or quiet, but not both.

The questions are unnervingly shrewd, too. Anderson tells those stories with some spectacle – why not, he’s earned it – but Sam never once gets lost in it. Instead he wants to know how biotics interact with kinetic shields. Asks about squad formations. Even interrogates him about the layout of that shipping plant on Ilium, to figure out how Aesir Fina’s mercs had managed to flank him. The kid is tactical. The gears turn in his head as he digests every answer. You can see it.

When there’s a lull in the conversation, Sam points to the red stripe on the right arm of Anderson’s shirt. He’s been eyeing it the entire trip. “You’re an N7.”

“The first N7,” Anderson replies, not without pride.

Sam tilts his head, and for a moment he looks just like Daniel, not Hannah. It’s not the only mannerism they share. The occasional twist of frustration in his lips. The lilt in his voice. That’s where Daniel lives in his son.

“I want to do that.”

“Never had a biotic N7,” Anderson says, thoughtfully. He can only imagine what ICT would do to someone with the caloric needs of a biotic.

“Good. I’ll be the first,” Sam says, smug smile on his face that belongs to neither of his parents.  

“It’s not easy,” Anderson cautions him. “Lot of hard work, especially for someone used to temperature controlled environments. Planets aren’t nearly as comfortable as ships, and ICT’ll put your face right in the mud.”

He scowls and crosses his arms over his chest. “I’ll figure it out.”

You know what, you just might.

Sam toys with a thread on his sleeve. Anderson has no doubt that if you left him in an empty room he’d be naked standing in a pile of thread before long. “So how do you know my dad, anyway?”

The sudden moodiness in his voice takes Anderson off guard. The kid hadn’t had any trouble looking him in the eye a moment ago.

“We go way back. Boot camp. Officer candidacy training. I know your dad well, actually.”

Sam’s expression turns skeptical. “My dad. Buddies with an N7.”

“Why is that so hard to believe?”

Sam shrugs one shoulder, eyes fixed on the loose string. It’s definitely longer, now. “Mom flies a ship, dad rides a desk.”

Anderson exhales through his nose. You’ve got no idea, do you? Does he even know his father is N1? It would be like Daniel not to tell him. Accolades have never mattered to Daniel the way they matter to Hannah. The way they matter to Anderson.

Hannah had wanted her career. Daniel had wanted Sam. Simple as that.

“Don’t sell your dad short,” Anderson tells him. “His proficiency scores were better than mine.”

Sam snorts. “Bullshit.”

“Suit yourself.” Anderson leans his head back against the headrest and closes his eyes. What are the odds he could get a nap in before they arrive?

Not good. That stare is like a directed energy weapon. Forget the biotics, the kid could fry Anderson’s brain with just that stare. He cracks one eye open. “Anyone ever tell you you’re a pain in the ass?”

“Yep.”

Anderson doesn’t doubt it. They eye each other for a while. Sam starts tapping the arm rest. First with his left hand, then the right.

“You still have model ships?” Anderson asks. Every time he’d seen Sam as a child he’d had some kind of ship in his hand, and a wide array of sound effects to accompany it. Usually a model of whatever cruiser Hannah was doing a tour on.

“Nah, that stuff’s for kids.”

“Nothing wrong with being a kid,” Anderson says.

“Then you go do it.”

He puts a fist to his mouth to stifle a chuckle. “Fair enough.”

After a few more minutes of tapping Anderson sighs. “So why do you want to be an N7?”

“To be the best.” Sam goes back to kicking the seat. Could be a good interrogation tactic to suggest. Stick a suspect in a room with Sam Shepard and see who breaks first. Safe bet it won’t be Sam.

“And why is it so important to be the best?” Every now and then, Anderson wishes someone had asked Hannah that question. He wonders what the answer would be.  

Sam shrugs again. That moody look is back. He pops out of his seat and strolls to the shutter. “Think we can see it yet?”

“No. And you’re deflecting the question.”

“So?”

“If you want to join up, better get used to orders, son.”

That gets him. He abandons the window, squares his shoulders and trades the moodiness for defiance. “Because someone’s got to be.”

Anderson hums. Big talk for a fourteen-year-old. That has to be Hannah’s influence. It’s a wonder Sam got to be a kid at all.

Sam returns to his seat and draws his knees to his chest. It makes him look…young. Far too young for where he’s headed. “Think mom’ll come see me at all?”

Well, shit. Shouldn’t be Anderson answering that question. Daniel said she’d been on tour for four months, either couldn’t get leave to see Sam off or chose not to. Even sent him a pre-recorded message for his birthday a few weeks ago. She hit the lottery with you, kid, and did nothing to earn it. But it’s not his place to get involved in family politics. Daniel decided a long time ago he wasn’t going to do anything to tarnish her name in his eyes.

“She can’t, Sam. Classified facility. She doesn’t have clearance.”

For the first time all trip, he’s both silent and still. “But you do.”

Anderson taps the N7 logo on his chest. “Yeah. I do.”

Sam nods. His brow furrows. He opens his mouth to say something, then closes it, turns that directed energy stare at the shutter and rests his chin in his hand.

Damnit.

Daniel had only asked him to take the kid to Ares. He doesn’t know anything about whatever insane plan the Alliance has to train biotic kids after cratering BAaTT. But looking at those hunched shoulders, the long legs he hasn’t grown into, the shoulders he hasn’t filled out yet…he’s a kid, damnit, out here alone with no one to look out for him.  

He’s not your kid. But someone’s got to do it, and he’s the only one here.

Hell with it. He’s got plenty of leave stored up. The Alliance can spare him for a week or so. Just to get him settled in.

He leans back in his seat and props a foot on his knee. “Think I’ll stick around a few days. Never been to Ares station.”

Sam picks his head up. There’s something hopeful in his eyes, and if Anderson had any reservations about staying they’re gone now.

“Yeah?”

“Sure. Besides, if I’m going to recommend you to ICT one day, need to see what you’ve got.”

There’s Daniel again, in the tilt of his chin. “You’d do that?”

“If you earn it.”

Sam straightens. “I’ll earn it.”

Anderson smiles. He’s got some growing up to do first, in more ways than one. But there’s a glimmer in his eye that could take him a long way, if he lets it. If someone sticks around long enough to help him figure it all out. And if he does manage to put it all together? Hell, you know what, kid? You just might.

[theoriginalladya]

The many faces of Dadmiral Anderson...

for @jedirangerpenguin

[biotic-boshtet]

2, 5, 12, 27 for the OC Headcanon asks?

oooooo so many! thank you so much <3

2. Has non stop puns

i know i don’t talk about him much, but probably Jamie Shepard

5. Likes rock music

probably also Jamie

12. Wants to run away from everything

oh, Norah Jean for Sure, she just wants some Peace

27. Loves children Norah Jean actually loves kids So Much, you can see the exact moment she spots a baby because her hardass Commander Shepard veneer softens up for about 5 seconds

ask meme