#thinking that garrus was on palaven and then seeing the ruin it was in made valerie assume the worst

[wrymbloods]

Good to see you again. I thought you'd be on Palaven.

[crackinglamb]

Fluff-uary Prompt 2 - Acts of Devotion

(ME - Shakarian)

Jayne opened her eyes in the gloom of their apartment and saw the glow from the direction of the kitchen, as well as clanking and muttering.  For a moment she groused to herself about missing windows, but she never did that for long.  Palaveni sunlight was no joke to an unarmored human.  She caught the sound of more muttering.  It was low enough that her translator couldn't make sense of it, but she smiled just the same.  Sounded like Garrus was doing the dishes, a task he loathed.  Turians were never meant to get so wet, he'd say with a scowl and she'd laugh, because he'd always change the subject when she asked how they'd washed anything on Palaven, including themselves, before the advent of sonic cleaners.

She shuffled to the side of the nest-like bed and sat up, taking a deep breath and waiting for the pain to set in.  It was quite mild today, she noted, and braced herself to stand on her 'good' leg.  Her right knee ached and she wasn't ready to put weight on the new prosthetic just yet. It still amazed her how much her already prosthetic limbs could mimic nerve response so faithfully.  It had its good points, but this was not exactly one of them.

The churp gifted to her by Solana as a companion raised his head from his spot on the far side of the bed's bowl shape.  He chirruped at her, his golden eyes blinking slowly.  She completely understood how the Palaveni equivalent of a domestic cat had gotten its name.  The Egyptians called them mau, for the sound they made, she thought.  She smiled and leaned over to pat his head and scratch under his chin. 

“It's just me, Fuzzilla.”  The churp blinked again and tucked his head back down between his paws, the rows of plates along his back rippling. Truly, he wasn't what she'd call particularly fuzzy, but he definitely reminded her of those ancient vids of Godzilla. Either way, he was a wonderful creature.  He even used subvocals, which had made her laugh probably harder than necessary considering all the times she'd teased Garrus for 'purring'.  It was funnier still how much Garrus doted on their pet when he'd always complained about her fish.

She reached for her crutches and swung herself with more confidence than she felt out of the bedroom and down the hall.  She leaned on the doorway to the kitchen and watched him.  His back was to her, his feet bare, tunic sleeves rolled back to his elbows, a towel thrown over his shoulder to lay bunched against his cowl.  All the picture was missing was an apron.  She could tell he'd been into the city, he was still wearing his 'uniform' as advisor to the Primarch.  Reconstruction meant long hours, and he had to be as exhausted by his day as she was just existing through it as she slowly recovered from her Crucible inflicted injuries.

“Whatcha doin', babe?”

He jumped, even though she assumed he'd heard her clumping down the hall.  When he turned, she saw his visor flashing with something.  She smiled.  At least he'd found something to distract him during the onerous chore. He must have been listening to it instead of hearing her come in.

“You were asleep when I got home.  I knew you needed the rest, so I just...” a shrug, “got on with it.”  He turned back to the sink overflowing with suds and dripping onto the floor.  She bit her lip to keep from laughing.  She didn't want to discourage him, after all.

“You hate doing dishes,” she pointed out instead.

“You needed the rest,” he repeated, his talons scraping along a plate with a screech that made them both cringe.  “And I wanted to do something for you, ease the burden.”

“Garrus...” she chided, only half-heartedly.  He turned his head but didn't take his attention off the dishes.  

“Don't think I don't know how hard it is for you stand here.”

“That's not...” she sighed and stopped.  He was right of course, it was hard for her to stand there.  And since the apartment was a temporary one it didn't have such amenities as a dishwasher.  She couldn't bitch; the Hierarchy was busy building them a home in Cipritine, but it needed better radiation shielding in the windows she was missing so much if she wasn't going to live her new life sealed constantly in a hardsuit.  Given the alternative, she could graciously deal with no dishwasher until then.  As it was, she was frankly embarrassed at how much care the turians were taking to make her feel at home on their world.  Especially considering how much of it was in ruins.

She sort of slid into a chair that stood just inside the doorway, next to the table. Garrus went on washing dishes, muttering occasionally and carefully keeping his talons from screeching on the ceramic anymore.  Fuzzilla came in and twined around her legs, his plates brushing her skin with a quiet rasp.  She leaned down and let her hand trail over him, tugging just slightly on his short tail.  A sort of peace came over her, watching Garrus as she pet the churp.  They'd been through so much together, for so long, she hadn't ever dared to dream of a time when they could be so...domestic.  After everything they'd survived, sitting here like this was pure bliss.

“Thank you, babe.”

He turned to her then, his mandibles flexing in a warm smile.  “Of course.  I want things to be easier for you here.  I know that means I have to step up.”

She smiled at him. “I appreciate it.”

“You up for a walk when I'm done?  The sun is setting and it's still lovely out.”

“Possibly.”

“We could always bring the chair.”

“You're going to push me too?  After doing dishes?” she teased.  “Who is this strange turian in my apartment?”

“The one who vowed for better and for worse.”

He didn't see her smile, since he was still facing away from her.  He didn't see the trickle of tears either.  Hell had been worth it to come out the other side with him still at her six.  “God, I love you.”

He wiped his hands on the towel and bent over her sitting there, pressing his forehead to hers, the churp twining between them and making a complaining noise that he wasn't the center of attention.  “I love you too.”

[incorrectly-quoted-queers]

Drunk Punch Love: INTERMISSION ARCHANGEL

Pairing: FemShep and Garrus Vakarian (Shakarian)

Rating: PG-13 (with some tossed F-bombs)

Summary: Their awkward, badass journey through saving the galaxy and accidentally falling in love

INTERMISSION ARCHANGEL: The End.

Shepard had been dead 232 days.

Garrus had been going over their new security measures when the apartment's front door pinged. It wasn't a sound he heard often, since all the crew had their own codes to the back door. But the Via siblings were new, and Butler's wife did sometimes stop by, so he figured it was just one of them.

What he didn't expect was a female turian with blue markings to have her arms crossed, looking at him like he just committed a crime. Before he could react, the glare faded and she smiled at him. Garrus' head still wasn't fully straight when she pulled him into her arms.

It only clicked together that this wasn't some damn fever dream when she started talking. "Happy birthday, baby brother!"

Oh. It was that day.

"I'd ask if I surprised you, but I already know I did." The second he shut his door behind him, closing off his vigilante world from his family, that damned brain of hers caught on and she peered at him. "I know you wouldn't have anything planned for your birthday, so what are you hiding?"

If it was his father, he could lie and say a woman and the man would happily walk away from the shut door, uninterested. But Solana was a different beast. She was curious, intrusive, and interested in damn near anything. It would be hard to keep her out of his apartment, lined with guns, gear, and a krogan casing the joint.

Also, she definitely would give him shit for his undecorated bedroom and that was a blast from the past he never wanted to deal with again.

So, his best shot was to go truth adjacent. "There was a break-in on my block. I have a consultant in there retrofitting my place with more security."

"You caring about your own well-being and safety is... new, but I won't complain." Solana snorted and shook her head at him, in her normal well-meaning but condescending way. "Only you would schedule a security consultation on your birthday. Were you going to do anything at all?"

Garrus leaned against his door and tried not to look too pissed off, because Solana knew the answer to that and was really just trying to push his buttons. Sure, that would be a stretch for anyone else, but his big sister? He knew how she operated. Probe for intel and then use that intel to make whatever point she was making infallible. He stuck with, "You know the answer to that."

"Doesn't the fact I know the answer to that speak volumes to the issue at hand?" Dammit. And he thought he said something neutral. Before he could spike back, she added, "It's been three years, Garrus, you're not dancing on mother's grave just because you dare to enjoy your birthday."

Now that one was a funny answer. "Really Sol? That's easy for you to say when she didn't die on yours."

"I've never liked the guilt games you and father play. Just yesterday he was messaging me about how it's his fault you react poorly to death and rebel. But do either of you do anything with that guilt? Because that's progress I'd like to see." Garrus almost laughed, because the one thing close to progress was also the one thing he really didn't want her to see. "Life happens. Death happens. Now, if I remember correctly, I begged for a sibling. So if not for yourself, let's celebrate the happiest day of my four year old life, meeting my little brother."

He wanted to stay mad and indignant, maybe even scare her off. But dammit, he cared too much about Solana for that. Groaning, he pushed off the door and conceded. "Fine, let's go get some food and see a flick or something. You did come all this way to see me."

"You're right, I did, so thank you for appreciating it." She walked forward first and he took the opportunity to cover his tracks. With a flick of his wrist he typed out a quick message to Jawth and Sidonis, asking them to hide the guns and clean up the place before he got back; that his sister came for a surprise visit.

They agreed without asking a single question. Which was good, because he'd rather off himself than tell those assholes what day it was.

Now the real landmine was keeping Solana from looking too deeply into the Archangel rumors. If that caught her interest, he was sure she could figure it out. He didn't expect her to snitch to their father, who would objectively hate what he was doing, but he also didn't know how she'd react.

Garrus just wanted his sister to remain his annoying, inordinately supportive sister. He didn't want that to get complicated.

Somehow, he managed to dodge all Archangel talk the entire time. His most impressive save was pretending to choke on something to be louder than and scare off a guy at the cafe who wouldn't stop talking about his crew and their latest hit. Solana definitely didn't need to hear about "That blue-ass sniper turian."

That was more than enough to get her curious.

When they got to his apartment door, he almost breathed a sigh of relief. They'd made it, all the way back to his place, and she still didn't know. She could spend the night here and then he could send her back off to her life on Palaven, no harm no foul.

But for all his attempts, he'd forgotten one small, terrible little factor.

Sidonis knew who he was, and that man had a lot of contacts.

The second the metal panels slid open, every single one of his team was there, grinning like mad, with a garrish looking cake stuffed with candles. And right in front of his sister, the fuckers yelled, "Happy birthday, Archangel."

There were a lot of times with Shepard he wished to kill a man, but this time, he wanted to kill nine.

Solana just glared at him with a knowing smirk. "I fucking knew you were hiding something!"

Garrus grabbed her arm and took her outside, where all his idiot team wasn't watching. He started talking, fast. "Sol, I-"

"If you say you're sorry, I'll know you're lying." She shook her head. "So you're the infamous merc-killer? Honestly, I should've known. It was probably just wishful thinking." He was too overwhelmed to know what to say to that, but luckily Sol was happy to fill in the blanks. "I won't tell father. He would hate you for doing this. Just don't keep secrets from me, okay? I love you."

"I can give you that."

"Good. Now, why don't we enjoy your party that your team set up?" Before she walked through the door, she squeezed his arm and frowned. A classic Sol look of distaste; last time he saw it, it was when a co-worker of hers tried to ask her on a date because "she had to say yes to someone eventually". If Solana was less composed, he was sure she would've punched him. "I'm not eating that cake, though."

"Don't worry. I would have told you not to."

/

Shepard had been dead 365 days.

All he could see were her eyes. Soft green, always laughing at something. Until she wasn't. But wherever things were good, she was laughing, and hard. Garrus couldn't quite get his head straight, but he hoped he said something funny. More than likely, what actually happened was that he did something awkward and dumb, but that was almost just as good.

When he started scanning the room, he realized they were by one of the observation windows on the Normandy. Despite all the chaos in their lives, they'd taken a moment to look at the stars. He always liked it here. Why'd he never bring her here?

Even when she stopped laughing, she kept smiling. Like she always did after a long day, she pulled her hair out of that tight bun thing and kept on shaking it with her fingers. Sometimes he wondered what it felt like, and not like when he accidently touched it during movie night. Like how she was doing, hands all in.

But it was safe to say that was a bit more than a CO and an ex C-sec officer should be doing.

He wasn't quite sure what he was saying, or why he was saying it, but he told her, "When I look at the stars, I think of you." Garrus wasn't really sure when he got all bold. Maybe it was this haziness he was feeling.

Shepard raised one of her hairy eyebrows at him. "We live in space. On a spaceship. We see stars almost constantly."

Garrus took a step closer to her, sometimes wondering how she got anywhere with how oblivious she could be. And god knows he normally wasn't this smooth but this time, right here, he said what he wanted to. "Exactly my point."

Blinking, it took her a few seconds to register what he said, and she even turned to look up at him. But when their eyes did meet? Hers softened like for once, she finally got it. Her cheeks even did that little blush thing when she was embarrassed. "Oh."

With that look, was like all of his normal discomfort came rushing back, all those feelings that always told him not to say stupid shit like that. He shouldn't have said that, right? All those things she said she felt were byproducts of a lonely, drunk night where he got too close and she was alone enough to get stuck on it. She didn't like it, she couldn't, and it was weird, he was ruining the whole friendship thing... "Shepard, forget I said that-"

But then, she did that human thing they always saw in movies. She got on her toes and pressed her lips against his. It was weird, soft skin against his plates, but it was her skin, and that was what mattered.

Maybe he hadn't ruined everything.

Shepard said, "I won't forget-"

Everything seemed so right, but just then the wall blew open and Shepard was being sucked out into space. Again. He tried to grab onto her arms, legs, anything to keep her there. No matter what he reached for, she slipped through his goddamn fingers.

When he woke up, his body was shaking and he wrapped his arms around his legs. He hated to admit this wasn't the first time he had a dream like that, one where Shepard wasn't gone.

Garrus had tried so hard to keep her at bay. One year later, but she was always still there.

As long as he could help it, though, his nightmares would be the only place she had left to live. Elsewhere, he had work to do. And as much as he felt for her, pined for her, his life didn't have place for stubborn, Russian spectres.

Garrus had a station to protect.

/

Shepard had been dead for 728 days.

He never should've left the apartment. Garrus figured his team could cover the last of the security measures while he helped Sidonis. It should've been easy.

But when he got there, Sidonis never showed up. And when he got back, there was blood everywhere.

He trusted Sidonis, from the first day he met him. The damned turian seemed honest about wanting to save people. But here they were, and Lantar fucked them.

They were all going to die here, weren't they?

Most everyone was down already. Their corpses were strewn all over the place, their faces locked in horror or dull emptiness. The only ones left alive were Ryel, Gibbon, and Butler.

But from the looks of it, Butler didn't have much longer.

He yelled at the crippled leftovers of his team and asked, "How's it looking?"

Gibbon answered, "Understandably terrible. We have a vantage point, but they have many waves of mercs."

Ryel added, "This balcony view is not as pretty with bullets and brains flying everywhere."

Before he could respond, Butler grabbed Garrus' arm. His abdomen was covered in blood and he could see his stomach lining. The guy normally wore gray pants, but they looked like they'd been dyed red. "I'm not gonna make it, huh?"

"Butler-"

"Nah, I know." He coughed. Garrus couldn't lie to him. "As much as I'd like to go screaming out Nalah's name, I want to hear about something that doesn't break my heart. Tell me about your Russian girl, Garrus. And for real this time."

For all the times Garrus shoved her away, maybe Butler was right. If he was going to die, he'd rather hear about her one last time. He said to the other two, "Hold the line and be careful."

Then, he sat down next to Butler and held his hand. After all this time, nearly two years, he just started talking about Shepard like she really was. "Her name was Anya. She was competitive to a fault and loved saying quotes while she watched movies. She loved to dance, but just by herself. She was a brave leader, but what mattered more was that she was... She was a beautiful, squishy human."

"A human? Never woulda guessed." He knew he already told Butler she was human, but it wasn't really the time to contradict him. Blood loss never helped make the brain a stronger machine.

Instead, Garrus just kept talking, his grip on Butler's hand getting tighter as the memories and feelings wound around his chest. "Me neither, but from all your stories, you didn't sound like you expected to fall in love with an Asari either."

"You're right. I didn't. Tell me more?"

"She was a classic soldier, until she wasn't. An infiltrator class, great with a pistol, terrifying, even. But sometimes she'd walk into debriefings with sweatpants and her hair a mess, swearing about something the pilot did to her toothpaste. And I wondered how that person was the same one that inspired a whole ship, every day. But she did."

"And?" Butler looked at him knowingly, deliberately.

Today, Garrus let the dying man win. "And you were right, Butler. I loved her."

With one final smirk, his hand fell.

When Butler stopped breathing, Garrus picked up his gun, got behind cover like Ryel and Gibbon, and started shooting.

If he was going to go down, he was gonna go down fighting. And this time, he wouldn't stop thinking about her. This time, if he was gonna die, she'd be the last thing on his mind.

No matter where he went, he was stuck with her. Forever.

///

After a little interlude into Garrus' two years without Shepard, we can finally start getting Anya awake and moving in his direction. I am SO ready.

I read on tumblr a couple weeks ago that apparently a lot of people write their own version of 4 things: their first meeting, the rocket-to-the-face, the night before the suicide mission, and "this is the best spot on the citadel.

I know it's stupid, but I honestly feel kinda proud that I ignored their first meeting entirely. And also that my suicide mission night will be VERY different. Is it a stupid thing to be proud of? Yes, but at my core I'm kinda a trash hipster and I can feel pride and shame in that.

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[crassussativum]

1, 6 and 7 for the Mass Effect OC question

((You didn’t pick an OC! ^_^ I shall pick. Aaaand I guess I pick.... Mav))

1. What would their recruitment mission look like?  ((Mav’s got a mind for tactical skirmishes and fighting with the reapers and subsequent indoctrinated has been an exercise in gorilla warfare. He’s made his way to Palaven and Menae to be of what help he can. Maybe he even already works directly with Garrus there. When Shepard arrives there and after they find the Primarch, he tags along.))

6. Is there any way Shepard or Ryder could get them to turn on them or betray them?  How?  Is there any way to get them to back down once the betrayal is triggered? ((The only way that I could think of would be if Shepard were to ask/order Mav to do something he considers evil. Such as unnecessary loss of innocent life, civilians in the cross fire. Shepard wouldn’t do that. BUT if Shep did, there’d be no talking Mav down after.))

7. What would their loyalty mission look like? (It would break your fucking heart. During the Reaper War, Mav gets word from Carthaan, his homeworld. His family needs him. Shepard, of course, goes with to help. When they arrive on Carthaan, there is nothing but ruin, they’re too late to do anything. The crux of the loyalty mission lies in one action: Shepard can escort Mav to his family home to see for himself that there’s nothing left which will resort in his loyalty. Or Shepard tells him there’s no point, lack of survivors is obvious, at which point Mav goes off on his own and doesn’t return.))

[thexgrayxlady]

Hey, for the prompt list. 12 for angst, please? For Shepard/Kaidan.

Notes: You asked for angst, and you shall receive.

12. “why do you keep bringing it up?” 

Garrus paused in the door. Shepard was at her desk, herpapers neatly stacked. Her uniform was neatly pressed and she looked far toowell put together for having narrowly escaped earth, then Palaven in such quicksuccession.

Her quarters on the other hand were still a mess from the half-finishedretrofit. There was exposed wiring by her bed and a stack of wall panels behindthe couch. Someone had hastily constructed a work bench out of her nightstandand a panel and there was a cluster of cables and a messy stack of tools on ithe almost couldn’t believe she hadn’t already organized.

The fish tank, once empty, now had a lone goldfish swimmingthrough the weeds. She still had the model Normandy in a bottle on her desk byher terminal.

“If I’d known you were going to just stare at me, I would havedone something more interesting to watch,” she said without turning around. “Whatcan I do for you Garrus?”

“Shepard,” he said. “When I ran into you at Huerta earlier…”

“I told you.” Her voice was cool and level with anair of condescension. “I was busy.” She didn’t look up from her requisitionforms.  “Why do you keep bringing it up?”

“Thane said you’d been there for hours.” He stood at theedge of the desk and tapped a claw to try to get her attention.

“I was,” she admitted. “I was working. When we left earth,the ship was not equipped for any sort of work. We had no medical supplies andKaidan was our only medic. By the time I finished with the requisite meetingsand paperwork to transfer Dr. Chakwas back to the Normandy, secured necessarymedical supplies and personnel, and finished the rest of my work at the hospital,visiting hours were over.”

“I know it’s important, but he asked about you,” he said. “Wantedto know how you were doing.” When he visited, Kaidan seemed, all things considered, in good spirits. If Garrus had ears, he would have talked them off about neurosurgery with as much enthusiasm as he could manage. He was far too excited about cadaver disks.

If he’d known that Shepard was down the hall,talking an administrator into speeding up Chakwas’ termination of employment,then finding another vital task to eat away the time he would have gone to gether. Instead, he told Kaidan that she wasn’t that busy and would show up soon.  

Both Kaidan and Shepard were his friends. He wanted them tomend things between them. But they were both stubborn and while Shepard saidshe wanted to talk things out, she would rather not. He was sure she intendedto go visit tomorrow, or the next day, or the next, but when that day came, she’dfind any excuse not to.

“I told Kaidan that ifI had time, I would be delighted to go see him. I didn’t have time.” Her voice carriedthreat of distant thunder and if he were a more sensible Turian, he’d let it go.“He’s a reasonable man. He knows that under these circumstances, my time is alimited resource. I can’t afford to spend it socializing.”

That was the worst part of that conversation. Kaidanunderstood. He hadn’t looked surprised, or even particularly disappointed, thatShepard had too much going on to make time to see him. Just resigned. Heremembered Mars only in bits and pieces, most of it hazy either due to the headinjury or the painkillers, but he remembered some of what he said to her. Enoughof it to want to apologize.

Her response was a far cry from when she came into the mainbattery after a fitful attempt at sleep. Visions of charred flesh and gentlewaves lapping at a ruined shore still clutched at her and Ash’s voice echoed inher ear. She sat down beside him on the railing, her shoulders slumped like sixmonths under house arrest and a Reaper invasion were only just now starting tohit her, and said in a small, shaking voice, “It’s my fault. I needed theIllusive Man to trust me. I didn’t…”

He didn’t think Mira Shepard had ever felt guilty aboutanything she’d ever done in her life. She didn’t know how to deal with guilt. Hetried to help, but he was distracted by Palaven. Trying to help the newPrimarch. Trying to find out about his family. He could only do so much.

She felt more than a little to blame for what happened, butit was easier for her to deal with it when she thought he was dying. She wasafraid to go see Kaidan again. Afraid of his response. Afraid of what he’d sayto her. Afraid he’d only hurt her again. And she responded to uncomfortableemotions by doing what she did best. Running from it.

“What’s your schedule look like tomorrow?” he asked. Maybeif they were together the prospect wouldn’t seem quite so daunting. “If you canmake time, I can go with you if…”

“Don’t worry about that Garrus,” she said, waving him off. “Iwon’t have time tomorrow. There’s a lot of preparations I have to make for the warcouncil. Then I have to secure the loyalty of the Terminus systems before weleave for Sur’kesh…”

“And when we get back you’ll find something else,” he said.

“That’s not fair. You saw Palaven burning. We need to doeverything we can to defeat the Reapers,” she said. She set one signed form offto the side before taking another to review. To anyone else, the smudge at theend of her signature wouldn’t have meant anything. “Kaidan understands that it’snot that I don’t want to see him, there just isn’t enough time.”

“You made time for a visit with Aria T’Loak in a night club,”he said. He tried not to spit the name. Tried not to let his own bitternesstowards Omega come into the conversation. “You could have found ten minutes whileyou were already in Huerta…”

For the first time since he came in the room, she looked athim. Still inscrutable and emotionless as ever.

“It wasn’t a priority,” she said. A sudden cold crack oflighting. If he were a sensible Turian, he would let it go. He was not asensible Turian, they were his friends, and they’d been treating each otherpoorly.

“Look, Shepard,” he said, gently putting his claws on hershoulder. He’d let it go after this. “You don’t have to have to talk to Kaidanif you don’t want to, but if you’re not going to, you can’t leave him waiting.”  

[kestrelsansjesses]

Stars for shakarian?

[SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG BUT I WENT A LITTLE HOGWILD. AO3 too!] 

They broke through Palaven’s atmosphere in the early afternoon, shuttle glinting and casting long shadows against the rocks and debris.

Logically, Shrike Shepard knew that Palaven had been hit hard by the Reapers. Fuck, they all had taken a beating. But seeing it all spread out before her really brought the scale of the destruction home. “Shit, Garrus. Is there anything left?”

Leaning and looking was not especially conducive to driving a shuttle. As she craned her neck to try and see a small city that now lay in partial ruins, Garrus grabbed the wheel from her hands. “Shepard, please don’t crash and kill us after we survived this much.” Right. Some things never changed, and that included her driving. Factor in two prosthetic legs and it may have gotten worse, if anything.

The journey passed by in silence, Shepard trying to catch sight of things through the windscreen without sending them into a fiery death spiral. She couldn’t drive with music on; something in those faint strains brought back memories both good and bad, pulling her into them until she couldn’t concentrate on anything else.

“It’s not bad. Compared to Earth, I mean. We’ll rebuild. If the hierarchy is good at anything, it’s bureaucratic bullshit that’s going to mobilize everyone left to rebuild.” Maybe Garrus had a point. It wasn’t as if Shepard had much of a point of comparison; she hadn’t seen Palaven before the war. Maybe it was always this… rocky. Maybe that wasn’t rubble, but just a cluster of natural landscape that happened to look slightly like something that was man made. Or turian made, such as it was. “Looks prettier than London.” Fair point.

With skill that would have made Joker proud, Shepard piloted the shuttle past the ruins onto a series of vast plains, for lack of a better word. It was relatively untouched out here; what little towns there were hadn’t been large enough for the Reapers to truly target. Some showed bullet holes and burnt battle scars, but they had suffered few casualties. Life here was moving on, even it was slowly. There was even tourism again, though travel had become almost impossible for most residents of the galaxy. At least it made it easier to book a place for a good rate, a thought that she immediately berated herself for. So many deaths and at least half of them her fault and she was making jokes?

“Hey, Shepard? Come back to me.” Garrus’ voice brought her back. She was still sitting in the driver’s seat, fingers clutched around the wheel, eyes sliding off the burnt remains of some small building. Back. Right. Palaven. That’s where they were.

Garrus could step free of the shuttle and take a deep breath of home air, something like relief coming over his face, shoulders sagging slightly forward. It wasn’t so easy for Shepard; Palaven’s natural radiation would shred through her skin in no time, leaving her stuck in a suit until they were safely inside. The layer against the world  made it feel less real, more isolated; if only she could have a barrier with her at all times.

Before them lay a series of glass geodesic domes, made of reinforced steel and something that prevented harmful rays from soaking through. There were eight of them neatly lined up, all unoccupied. Shepard and Garrus would be the only visitors for quite some time.

There were some privileges saving the galaxy granted you, one of which was automatic check-in through a VI, rather than having to deal with any officious hotel staff whose eyes tended to roam from her face down to her legs, twin, gently curved carbon-fiber limbs that held very little resemblance to the more typical flesh and blood appendages. There was no one here but them, and when Garrus held his palm up to a scanner, the door to a metal tube that connected to the first of the domes opened with a green light and a pleasant chime. Home sweet home, at least for tonight.

It was a relief to take her helmet off when the decontamination procedures were through. The place prided itself on cleanliness- ‘so pure that a quarian could visit!’ But the sun had sunk even lower, the first hints of something more appearing on the horizon. It would give Shepard enough time to strip off her armor, back to Garrus, refusing his help as her fingers went through buckles and straps with practiced ease, eyes resting on the N7 logo for a minute.

“Hurry up Shepard, or you’re going to miss the show.” As before, Garrus dragged her back to reality, already resting on a couch clearly designed more for turians than for anything else, the cushions slightly swayed to accomodate a carapace, so high off the ground that her feet were dangling almost comically.

Within the crux of Garrus’ arm, Shepard felt comfortable. “Do you think we deserve this?” she asked as she settled in, his warmth and his scent, gunmetal and some spice she couldn’t name, settling over her.

“I can’t think of anyone who deserves this more than you. Besides, it sure beats elcor Shakespeare.” Ah, yes. A production they hadn’t yet managed to catch, thankfully.

Unlike the stage show, this was one purely natural. On the far north of Palaven’s surface, the radiation and the magnetic atmosphere combined in a way that was only a shallow echo elsewhere. First there was the briefest suggestion of something red to interrupt the blueish green of the sky, and then it spread and spread until it was almost like a dense fog. Orange shot throughout, and then purple and pink. It was like a sunset on Earth, if it had been dialed up to eleven and attained some kind of density that almost looked as if she could run her fingers through it. Together, the two sat rapt, like children in front of a nature vid.

“You ever seen this before?”

“We never had the time to visit. Not with boot camp and then mom, and then everything else,” Garrus answered, arm pulling her closer until Shepard’s head rested on his shoulder. “Always wanted to though. I think Solana did once, but she wouldn’t tell me what it was like. Said you had to experience it for yourself.”

Within the red fog, the first pinpricks of light appeared. The show was far from over, but Shepard’s eyes grew heavy and she found herself nodding off, feeling… safe. What a strange feeling.

When she woke up, it must have been a few hours later. The smell of something burning reached her nostrils and she jolted up, reaching for a gun that wasn’t there. “Vakarian, status report!” The words were garbled from the haze of sleep.

“I, uh, may have burnt dinner Shepard. But look at the sky!” He was quick to distract her from the flames he was combatting on the stove and the… whatever it was he was scraping off a plate and dumping into a trash can. Only a turian could make an MRE look good.

Fires successfully fought, Garrus rejoined her on the couch, inviting Shepard to lay her head in his lap and simply stare upwards through the glass. There wasn’t a hint of red now, but a flicker of green and blue dancing and growing until the sky was streaked with it in a never-ending pattern that moved every time she blinked. Her hands found his, their fingers intertwining and resting on her chest. He wasn’t comfortable in a traditional sense, but there was nowhere in the galaxy she would rather be.

“It might have all been worth this,” Garrus said, and she found she couldn't’ argue with that.

[scars-of-the-hart]

Trash Panda Trauma

A friend had a financially horrid experience caused by a raccoon and a group of us discussed the fact that ‘the raccoon did it’ is a ridiculous explanation for a lot of damage. The conclusion was ‘I should have hit the trash panda,’ and I thought this would make an amazing pair of lines for a prompt. SO here goes!

Garrus leaned in closer to Shepard, the sweet lilac smell of her mixing with the scent of the needle covered trees around them and asked softly, “what are these things called? I’ve never seen anything like them on Palaven.”

The Vancouver spring wind tugged at the locks of her red hair. "Turian-trees." Shepard said. 

He gave her a withering stare. “Yeah, because your civilization renamed a plant after the Relay 314 incident. 

Shepard nodded emphatically. “Sure did.You barky-fuckers made a big impact.”

"I'm serious." He'd said. 

"So am I.” she said with a wicked grin. “Normal trees are soft, and have big nice shady leaves. These things have rough bark, they’re poky, and dangerous all over and don’t react well to getting hugged.”

He ignored the obvious jibes. “Why would someone hug a tree?”

“Phenomenon from a conservation based political movement.” Shepard said. “But, just like turians… they provide great cover…”  Garrus rolled his eyes. “And once you're up and close with one..” she stepped in towards him her face inches from his,”It’s hard to get away. End up with pointy things tangled in your hair and you can get... stuck on them.”

He raised a brow. “These trees impale you?” The minute he heard the words his eyes flashed wide and his face got hot. Shit, that sounded… he hadn’t meant to. “Ahh...I mean-”

But Shepard was grinning. 

“No.” She said. Slipping an arm around his waist. “But they have this nutrient filled matter inside called sap that is sticky and messy. Pretty hard to get off.”

He glared at her. “Are you suggesting the trees have *performance issues*.” He growled.

“No! No, no, no!” She said stepping back and waving her hands innocently “The sexy tree-man has *very* hard sturdy wood. Great on the floor, or table….or….desk…. No issues here!”

He cocked his head to the side, moving forward a little until she backed in to one of the trunks of the ‘turain-trees’ in question.  He didn’t press her into it though, worried that the bark would leave scrapes on her frustratingly unarmored golden skin. “Mmmmm…” he rumbled thoughtfully, “I don’t know if I believe you. You don’t sound so sure. And I’ve heard that different atmospheric conditions can...warp wood. I think we should make sure that everything's still fine down here.”

She bit her lip for a moment eyes narrowing at him. “On:, we are *supposed* to be shouting, and two; I am very confident that everything is just fine *down there*. It was all *three times* this morning.”

“Yeah.” Garrus said, brushing her ear with his lips, heart quickening as lilac filled his nose, “but if you don’t factor exposure time into your calibrations, you can end up in very very dangerous terrritory.”

She turned her lips towards his. “You share a tent with me. You seem to thrive in *dangerous territory.*” He chuckled softly and her lips neared his.

A loud crack rang through the mountain shadows, breaking the tension between them. Garrus and Shepard snapped into action. His rifle was off his back and in his arms in a flash and her omniblade shimmered into life as she sank into a crouch, their attention locked on the capsite and the direction of the sudden sound.  He could see a shadow moving on the inside of their tent, and he fixed it in the center of his cross-hairs as it neared the entrance and came into view. He started to pull the trigger-

“Hold!” Shepard bakred suddenly and he froze, his finger a hair's breadth from firing his rifel. Instincts honded from following the human female into battle a hundred times taking control. Something dark and furry shot out of the tent and up the trunk of a turian-tree. 

“The hell is that?” He breathed.

“Just a raccoon.” Shepard said quietly, her eyes still flicking around the capsite. “Local wildlife. Troublesome, but not dangerous.”

“And the sound we heard?” His eyes fell on a branch of another tree that was hanging at an odd angle, wood paler than the bark around it vissible at the point where the limb was broken. “Something snapped that branch and -”

“The racoon did it.” Shepared said calmly. “Must have happened while it was heading towards the tent. They are scavengers, eat food left by humans, they get called ‘trash pandas’ cuz they look like a garbage eating version of another earth species with a more lovable reputation. 

The racoon was out on another branch, fiddling with something in its dexterous paws, something blue in its mouth. It dropped the thing in its hands and there was a blinding flash. Shepared and Garrus both ducked, Garrus placing himself between Shepard and the blazing light and rush of hot air. 

After a moment, when he was sure he wasn’t dead or maimed he opened his eyes and stared at the remains of the campsite. The racoon had dropped a grenade front he branch and blown their tents and equipment to smithereens. 

“So much for not dangerous!” He raised his rifle, raccoon in his sights and fired.

“No!” Shepard yelled, shoving the barrel of the gun out of the way at the last second so that the bullet slammed into the trunk of the tree and not the raccoon that was somehow still perched on the branch above the decimated campsite. “Garrus, its just an animal - you can’t kill it just for following it’s instincts.”

“Yes I can,” Garrus said through clenched teeth, “because I’m a bigger animal following my own instincts. My visor was in that tent!”

“No, the racoon has it.” Shepard said, pointing to the offending mammal that was indeed chewing on the metal am of his visor. “I’ll leur it down with a ration and once it smells the food it will forget all about your precious visor and the damn thing will be perfectly -”

But her voice trailed off as the racoon tossed the 95,000 credit piece of blue and silver tech over its shoulder and the tinkling of shattering glass on the rocks below filled the air. 

Garrus released a long breath of air through his nostrils, a growl rumlbling through his chest, pointed teeth bared at the stupid rodent in the tree. 

The racoon hissed at him.

“You were saying?” Garrus asked through gritted teeth, raising a brow at Shepard. 

Shepard had a hand pressed to her mouth and her sides were shaking. 

 He scowled at her. “May I ask Commander, what exactly you find so funny right now?”

A wild cackle burst from Shepard's lips. “That thing survived Saren, Omega, a rocket to the face, the Collector base, the hit you took in London, *and* destroying the Reapers…...but just got broken by a raccoon!”

“I hate you.” Garrus hissed and stormed into the smoking remains of the camp. “I never should have boarded your stupid ship or listened to you!”  He squatted over the bits of broken glass and picked up the arm of the ruined visor and muttered under his breath. “I should have hit the trash panda.”

[imaginemasseffectandyou]

Mass Effect: Aftermath

This is a reader insert based on the Mass Effect trilogy. On this series, it will only look at the Destroy ending at which Shepard lives, Mordin died, Ashley/Kaidan lived through Mass Effect 3, you romanced a character and other. Aftermath also is in support of the Indoctrination Theory.

The story will change in perspectives and style: first person, second person, script, etc.

Chapter 1: The Legend’s Awakening

“Hey! Over here!” several footsteps rush towards the voice which is close to Shepard’s paralyzed body. A man that looks to be a simple builder checks the Spectre’s pulse on their neck “get a doctor” he ushers one person in the crowd and two other he tells them to grab a stretcher. The man mutters something inaudible to Shepard as they begin to feel themselves slip away into the abyss.

When Shepard opens their eyes again they felt a slight relief from their body, the ruins of war had been replaced by a small compact room with various medical equipment, an annoying beeping sound is synchronised with the Commander’s heart rate. Shepard, with their limbs still paralyse, manages a groan in the hopes to grab the attention of a non-synthetic life-form. A hand has set itself softly on Shepard’s cheek, with a quick glance they see none other than their lover, staring sweetly down at them: 

*Choose the character you romanced in Mass Effect 3*

Liara T’Soni:

“I got you Shepard, I got you” Liara assures you, her voice strong and soothing because at that moment she knows that she needs to be strong for you and every single species out there that are currently struggling to regain their normal lives. Her work as the Shadow Broker has been held off since the last thing this galaxy need is blackmail and distrust in the time of depression. Liara had settled in Earth since the Normandy managed to depart from the tropical planet, she hoped to get information on Shepard’s location with the feeling in her gut telling her that you are alive…and she is right. Her blue crystal eyes scans your face while her right hand caresses you, she is still unable to comprehend that maybe this is another dream and that soon she will wake up with that dreadful feeling of hopelessness thinking that maybe it was just a feeling in her gut and nothing more, she couldn’t bear lose you again, she already made a mistake of pushing you away which may or may not had led you to stray from her. She clears her mind and focuses on what’s in front of her daring not to blink, her mind tracing every scar, hair and curves of your face, this brings her a feeling of peace. She places a loving kiss on your forehead and whispering to herself “Thank the Goddess” then droplets of her tears slides down her beautiful face and onto her lap.

Garrus Vakarian:

“Shepard…” Garrus softly places his left gloved hand around your arm just below your elbow, his crystal aqua eyes darts around your face trying to observe what is causing you distress but due to his science inadequacy all he could do is comfort your groaning, wounded and burnt form through gentle strokes and hush whispers. After the Normandy SR-2 got up and running again, the crew immediately returns to Earth to see the aftermath of the war and to help with the rebuilding. Some of Shepard’s crew returned to their homeworld where they are needed and some stuck around hoping to find answers, was it really over? What happened at the Citadel? Those at the latter includes Shepard’s old friend Garrus Vakarian and every other earth-born crew members. Sure, he could’ve gone to the refugee camp where Solana and his father located, but he knows they don’t need him and the feeling in his gut that was telling him that Shepard lives makes him anxious…And then came the report that a bunch of builders found a woman’s body, wearing an N7 tag, Garrus wasted no time to get to the location and hell...words cannot express the relief that the Turian felt at that moment, feeling the weight of the world lift from his shoulders or that he feels as if his life re-awakens was an understatement. The room is eerily silent if you ignore the beeping life support system, though this does not bother the Archangel, he sits there recalling all the promises he made to Shepard and he recalls the dream of spending the rest of his life with his old friend, he smiles as he pictures himself and Shepard all well and happy surrounded by little krogans as they visit Wrex and Eve (or growing old if Wrex and/or Eve did not survive). There is so much to look forward to.

Kaidan Alenko:

"You're going to be ok!" the second human spectre assures the hero, their voice nearly cracking as they choke back a sob, completely relieve that the love of their life is safe and sound. Kaidan lowers his head so that his forehead is against yours, his skin warm whereas yours is cold but not deathly cold, you are still very much alive but Kaidan is as stumped as the others on how you survive the blast since you were literally at the source of the explosion. There is no need for a Spectre, there is no need for a Shadow Broker, there is no need for conflict so Kaidan’s status is put on hold and due to the Reaper destruction all hands are needed to rebuild may it be Thessia, Earth, Palaven or other colonies. Kaidan was stationed at Palaven but just before his departure for the planet he heard the news of the founding of Shepard’s body, thankfully alive, Kaidan rushes to the site and identified himself as one of your companions allowing him to join your transport to a better medical centre. Kaidan already made the mistake of pushing you away in Horizon, for not believing in you, and the result of this is you pulling away from him. Now he wants to be there for you, he’s going to erase the nightmares, love every scar, understand every choice even if he disagrees, he’s going to treasure every moment and make up for hurting you. “It’s over Shepard” he whispers—more to himself than you, he then closes his eyes his head still leaning against yours.

Ashley Williams:

Ashley catches Shepard’s slight movement on her peripheral vision, she excuses herself from the human doctor and takes her spot next to her lover. “Shh…” she coo lovingly stroking your cold paralyzed hand. Her brown eyes reassures your own, the war had taken its toll on you and the second-human-spectre can see it, your pupils dilated and your eyes tremble as it tries to grasp the reality before it. “It’s over” Ashley whispers more words of comfort. There is no need for a Spectre, there is no need for a Shadow Broker, there is no need for conflict so William’s status is put on hold and due to the Reaper destruction all hands are needed to rebuild may it be Thessia, Earth, Palaven or other colonies. Ashley was stationed at Thessia but just before his departure for the planet she heard the news of the founding of Shepard’s body, thankfully alive, she rushes to the site and identified herself as one of your companions allowing her to join your transport to a better medical centre. Staring at your frail body, Ashley knew that the coming times should be of peace for you and for this relationship to survive, she needs to be strong for you.

Tali’Zorah:

At Rannoch, Tali’Zorah has taken her spot as ambassador and had used its perks to rebuild her home-planet. Species from all over the galaxy had offered to help in return for the engineering skills of the Quarian be lent to them. Shepard has not left her mind through it all, so she had sent most of her skilled and loyal engineers to Earth in the hopes of uncovering Shepard’s fate and when news arrived of finding Shepard’s body she was the first to know in all of the Normandy’s crew, even before Liara. Unable to leave her post and travel to Shepard, Tali has relieved a couple of her agents on Earth and travel with her lover to ensure you safe arrival, not that anyone would dare sabotage a shuttle carrying the galaxy’s hero, but one can’t be too careful. There are rumours that there is still Cerberus operating and a religious group who believes that the demise of the galaxy is the way that it was supposed to end, worse of all none of them are indoctrinated. Tali  hopes to reunite with you at the medical centre.

Steve Cortez:

With both his hand clasp around each other he mutters something prayerful about you. “Please, please let him be ok…” his ragged breathing is loud and it looks as though he is about to cry, but who can blame him, his first love had died warning him about the collectors and he couldn’t do anything about it. Then now Shepard, who was ready to sacrifice himself for the sake of every living organism out there and for Steve to have a chance to live and grow old…and all Steve could do is deliver his lover to his death. With a groan from your writhing body, Steve immediately but carefull places his left hand under your head, his thumb stroking the top of your head and his right hand placed firmly on your chest, it’s not painful at all rather it’s almost comforting having his arms around you “everything’s going to be ok Commander, just hold on” he says choking back a sob, he catches your eyes staring at him and at that moment he understands what you had been telling him from the moment you met, that he needs to be strong and face every battle with no regrets. Steve was stationed at Earth once the Normandy had returned home, he was instructed to take leave but with much persuasion he got assigned to transport food and goods, and when the news of Shepard reached him he asked the commanding officer to be with him.

Miranda Lawson:

Priority: Earth shook the ex-Cerberus agent, she knew there was no way that Shepard was going to make it out alive so it was strange to her, after the massive red explosion engulfed the whole galaxy, that a feeling of hope that of all the odds you are still out there waiting to reunite with your lover. Miranda dyed her ebony hair to sunlight blonde and had trimmed it so that the edges of her beloved hair lightly kisses her shoulder, this way she is able to be reborn and walk amongst the people without getting identified as a Cerberus agent. Miranda played a big part getting you dug up from the debris of Citadel and Earth rubble, the specialist used her intelligence and charm to rise to the high ranks of central intelligence and used her resources to spread the builders enough to cover the whole area in London that was exposed to the Citadel’s destruction and organised the shuttle to deliver Shepard to the medical bay. Miranda doesn’t join you until the shuttle arrives at the Space Medical bay.

Jack:

Jack has taken shelter in a refugee camp along with her students, she can’t do anything but hope that Shepard lives because for everything that that motherfucker made her feel, he better not just ditch her. Jack is leaning against alloy crates thinking to herself, fuck the war, fuck the Reapers, fuck Cerberus, fuck waiting, fuck the politicians, fuck the husks, geths and all those motherfuckers, FUCK YOU SHEPARD…fuck me what the hell am I doing…Despite the struggles of the Reaper War and Cerberus, Jack is happy that all her students that got out of Grissom Academy survived, though most of them either lost a limb or contracted a disease. The refugee dock is busy with rations being delivered and shared as well as humans and other species either mourning or asking questions about the state of the aftermath. The radio by a soldier screeched before a man spokie, his words perking Jack’s interest “Commander Shepard has been found. He’s being taken to the Medical Centre at Zone 813”

“Well damn me to hell, nothing can kill that guy!” Jack immediately stands up and rush to one of the shuttles that are leaving to transport food to different Zones, she hops on with no one daring to tell her off, she mutters to herself “Alright Shepard, I’m coming.” The shuttle takes off and heads towards Zone 800-850.

Samantha Traynor: 

“I see doctor, thank you” you hear Samantha’s lovely voice echo in the quiet room then the soft whirr of the automatic doors closing, your lover then approaches you and takes a seat on the lonely stool by the bed. “Hey~” she coos sweetly while gently stroking your fringe up your head. “How are you feeling?” You attempt to reply but the life support and tube down your throat prevents you from muttering a single tone, you blink tiredly at Samantha letting her know that you are going to be fine. She understands this gesture and smiles sadly, the memory of losing you still fresh in her memory. When the crucible exploded, Samantha was in her original position praying deeply for your return, she cried no repetitively to Joker and Shepard’s favourite crew, begging them to wait for your return but she realized the dire situation and closed her mouth and mourn inside as the shape of Earth receded into the distance. Most of the Normandy crew was helping deliver goods and resources all around the galaxy, some went their separate ways to help their people, Samantha stayed on the Normandy and helped it function, but when news delivered of the retrieval of your body, she asked Steve to take her to Earth so that she could join you once again. And so there she is holding your cold rough hand, hoping to bring the life back in your eyes again, the amusement on your face when she enthusiastically borrows your shower and bath tub, she long for those moments of peace and enjoyment and she will do damn everything just to see you smile again.

Kelly Chambers:

With that the speaker of the shuttle emits a Salarian voice notifying his passengers that they were entering the medical centre, the group should be ready for transfer. Kelly rushes next to you whilst holding a white bowl of ramen noodles “Open your mouth Shepard, you have to eat to get better faster.” You open your dry cracked mouth slightly, you shake your head as she brings the plastic spoon closer to your face. “I’d have gotten you something better, but the doctors suggests only soft to liquid food for now.” It hurts to utter a single syllable but you must, you croak nearly a whisper: “water”.

“I’m sorry Shepard, I didn’t quite get that.” She says leaning setting the bowl down on the metallic table next to you and leans closer. You groan painfully but you understand you need to be patient so you say it again, slightly louder but more painful. You gasp trying to ease the burning sensation in your throat, you attempt to moisten your lips with your tongue but to no avail since your muscle is as dry as the Sahara desert. Kelly nods her head finally understanding and rushes to the nearby water tank and pours you a cold cup of water, she carefully makes her way back by your side, lifts your head with her left hand and gently tilts the cup to your mouth. You gulp down the whole content and lay your heavy head back down on the uncomfortable thick pillow, the burning subsides allowing you to smile and rest peacefully. Kelly grabs the bowl from the desk and begin to feed you, who obediently slurps the cheap noodle. As she feeds you, Kelly recalls the end of the war when the military began telling people to evacuate the Citadel. There were people protesting not to be displaced again and that the Citadel is the only refuge, that the people were throwing it towards the Reapers, and some were rushing to get to the front of the line, some returned inside their homes hopelessness setting in but who would blame them? Not too long ago news came in that the Turians finally left their home open for Reapers in order to aid Earth, Thessia has fallen, and many were dead. Then there was Kelly and everyone who gave their trust to Shepard to save the galaxy, they were being filed into cargo ships and any transportation that can exit the Citadel. Kelly saw a family ushers their kids back inside the house, no matter how much she wanted to pull the children to safety and out of the Citadel she couldn’t because she knows she shouldn’t. It didn’t take long for the noise to elevate as more people began to panic and attack the riot control officers, a Molotov was thrown across the docking bay; flying just above passing Kelly’s head and as quickly did it appear in her vicinity she ducked and the Molotov glass hits a wall smashing into deadly shards and exploding affecting a couple of bystanders at the front of the line, people immediately rushed to them and assisted in taking out the fire, luckily the spaceships was not damaged. An asari commando gently ushers Kelly into the cargo ship that was nearing its limit, Kelly couldn’t help but analyse this asari who was bound to the Citadel, she knows that she’s going to die yet she is gentle, smiling at crying children and comforting people both young and old, she is willing to save thousands of people…”She’s a lot like Shepard” Kelly thought, though deep down she hoped that Shepard does not die. Kelly gives Shepard another drink after finishing the ramen, she places the bowl in the sink, decreases the intensity of the light, and returns to her place by Shepard’s side.

Diana Allers

“Hey…” Diana says in her casual tone, but knowing her you hear the uncertainty in her voice. The life support clicks then hisses loudly in the quiet room, Diana was vulnerable without the company of her video camera and assignments. “So…the hero-*ahem* legend rises from the ashes.” She attempts to lighten the mood, you assure her that she’s doing fine with a small smirk. “You’ve been MIA for three days Shepard, you have no idea how great for morale your return is, everyone is determined more than ever to rebuild.” You listen attentively as your lover passionately explains to you the effect you brought to the lives of every single race in the galaxy, how people are listening to the news for update and something to bolster their spirits. Diana then begins to tell you what happened when you entered the Citadel, after the massive explosion that took down not only the reapers but also every single AI. The Normandy was just hit by the explosion as they had activated FTL causing them to crash in an unknown land that looks similar to a primitive Earth, unfortunately EDI shut down due to the explosion. Once the engineers got the engines of the Normandy rebooted they immediately went back to the Sol system, Diana was transferred into admiral Hackett’s ship where she and a couple of other journalists of different race got a new assignment, to report news and raise morale for the whole galaxy. “So that’s what I’ve been doing, hard work but nothing compared to yours.” She says, she lays her soft warm hands over your bruised and rough right hand. “By the way, the crew has a surprise for you once you can get back on your feet.”

A flash of light wakes Shepard up from their stasis, a male human doctor is waving his flashlight between one eye to the other checking their perceptual response. “Welcome back Shepard, you just came out of the operation and damn me for saying this but Cerberus’ implants and modification helped you survive.” Shepard thanks the doctor then sit upwards; in front of them are Garrus, Tali’Zorah, Liara, Dr. Chakwas, and Kaidan/Ashley, in unison they all stop what they were doing and walks to your bed. T: “Keelah, you have to stop killing yourself.”

G:“Nice to have you back Shepard, I gotta say I was gonna be pissed if you disband the Shepard-Vakarian team.”

T: “Why not Shepard-Zorah-Vakarian?”

G: “It..doesn’t have the same ring to it.”

L: *sits on your left* “I’m glad you aren’t leaving us yet Shepard.”

A (if alive): “Well damn Shepard, remind me not to get you mad.”

K (if alive): “Can’t expect less from the galaxy’s saviour.”

Dr. C: “Honestly Commander you can’t keep dying, it’s unhealthy.”

“I’ll keep that in mind Dr. Chakwas” Shepard says jokingly/annoyed. The doctor in charge of Shepard tells them that they can be discharged in a week after further post-examinations for their implants, physical and mental stability, he also notes that there are sleeping pills on the table beside Shepard to help them sleep before leaving the room. Curious to see what time of day it is, they turn their heads to the window showing the great black abyss of space, a small glimpse of a planet a couple of light years away, and billions of stars. “It’s 2100 hours commander” Dr. Chakwas says, “You should’ve seen Joker, he was bursting with joy when he heard the news.”

You: “What about EDI? I heard the explosion killed all AI’s.”

L: “You might want to ask Joker about that.”

T: “Unsurprisingly, my people are still debating whether to rebuild the geth or not.”

Y: “How long have I been out?”

A/K: “Three to four days, but so much has happened since; like every single race out there even batarians are helping every colony and planet.”

C: “Everyone, I think it’s time for us to go. We don’t want to overwhelm the Commander now, do we?”

Everyone agrees, says goodbye and begin to file out of the room, Garrus lingers back and walks towards the sleeping pills. He takes out two small pills and a cup of water, and hands it to Shepard who digests it immediately. “Miranda’s going to come by tomorrow morning, I don’t know what’s her business but if things starts to go south, press this button and we’ll be here” he hands Shepard a small rectangular device that has a single round button at one end and a tiny unlit bulb at the other. Shepard looks sceptically at their turian companion. “How’d you know all this?”

“Just looking out for my buddy, my times as Archangel wasn’t spent looking pretty at the hideout.” With that, he leaves Shepard in isolation in their empty sterile room, Shepard lies back down and closes their eyes and falls into a deep slumber.

[3rdstreetboss]

On The Shores of Kalahira.

“I cannot forget you. That is what humans say. With us, it is a state called ‘tu-fira’: lost in another.”

“I love you. If all else whispers back into the tide, know this for fact. By grace given me by the Goddess Arashu, I bid her divine protection to you, my warrior-angel, my Siha, to succeed in your destiny. To light your path through the coming darkness. To give you hope, when all seems lost. I will await you across the sea.”

- Shepard didn’t fear death after Thane left her. Death was her only chance at seeing him again.

Rating: General Audiences Tags: Spoilers for Mass Effect 3 Pairing: Thane Krios/Female Shepard Word Count: 1403

Read it on AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/9283676

[ Just a quick one shot! Thanks to anyone who decides to read! ]

Below the cut!

Shepard huffed, Garrus slung over her shoulders. He limped beside her as she ran as fast as she could with supporting a turian.

"Don't you dare leave me, Garrus. You're gonna survive this. You're gonna go home to Palaven and see Solana and her new baby. You're gonna marry Tali and... just live. Please, Garrus." She feels him chuckle in response, nodding his head. She drags him just a little further. She just needed to get him to the ship. She needed to get him safe. 

" 'Course, Shepard. Wouldn't dream of disappointing you." Garrus flinches and stumbled just a little. His armor is stained with blue Turian blood, and theres so much, and its so fresh and Shepard cannot delay any longer. She uses all her strength she can muster and breaks into a dead sprint, practically carrying Garrus.

The stomp of her boot on the ramp to the Normandy is drowned out by all the other loud, deafening noises. "Take him!" she yells, pushing Garrus into the arms of a waiting crew member. 

"Shepard!"

"Go!" Shepard violently points to the ship behind him and she looks at him, one last time. She mapping the planes of his face. This was her friend, her teammate, her brother. She'd loved him for so long, given him everything she could. She'd given him the love her family deserved, given him her time, and her words. In return, he'd given her the same love he gave Solana, his trust, his undying loyalty. He was the family she never had, and she loved him for it.

"Shepard, I love you..." He'd yelled out for her in such a desperate way, and she realized the heat  down her cheeks were tears. She was crying, because she was afraid she'd never see him again. "Come back to us, Shepard. Please!" She gave him a solid nod and turned her back to him. 

This was it. Her entire family was on her ship, and she was alone, like she had been at the beginning. But she loved them, and they all knew it. Her last wish, however, had been to see Thane one last time.

Shepard was drowning. She could feel the water fill her lungs as she inhaled. It burned her insides and then she was on fire, roasting from the inside out. She was burning and drowning at the same time and she couldn't stop it. This was her death. She was dying, she had to be.

Getting spaced was more painful than this, oddly enough, and it was so definite. She couldn't think about anything except the fact that she was freezing and suffocation. She didn't have time to think before he death the last time, like she did now. 

Right now, she wished she had an eidetic memory, so that she could remember and relive every moment she could with her crew, her team, Thane. She wished she;d had more time with him, and that he had gotten more time with his son. She wished she had gotten more time to get to know Kolyat, even after his father's death. He was a good kid and deserved more. Thane didn't deserve to die and Kolyat deserved a normal life. 

Her entire crew deserved normal lives. She'd dragged them all to this fiery black hole with her for so many years. Garrus was C-Sec, he could have done so more. Hell, he could have been the Primarch on Palaven. Mordin would still be alive if it hadn't been for her. She'd told him to release the cure but if she hadn't destroyed the Krogan breeding facility on Virmire, he'd still be alive. Tali, she felt most guilty about. She could have finished her pilgrimage and lived happy. Maybe she could have saved her father, and stayed on the flotilla with her family.

But Shepard ruined everything. She always had.

Her lungs contracted and she wanted to scream. She couldn't feel her legs anymore, and her chest grew numb. She couldn't  move, she couldn't open her eyes, and she couldn't think about anything except that she was dying, suffering. And soon, she felt nothing. She couldn't feel her lungs struggle for breath, or the fire in her head. Shepard was gone.

It seemed like a long time she'd laid there, unfeeling, unbreathing, unmoving.

Like a wave, a rush of unknown, she could feel. 

She inhaled a deep, gasping breath, and it didn't hurt. She couldn't open her eyes, but at least she could breath. She could feel her toes when she wiggled then, feel her fingers when she made a fist. 

She was in water, floating just above the sand that rubbed against her back. The water was warm, peaceful, and quiet. She'd had been there forever if it wasn't for the bright sun causing bright colors to dance behind her eyelids. She sat up slowly, opening her eyes gently to adjust to the brightness around her. She was in the ocean, she knew that much. She dug her toes in the wet sand beneath the water, relishing the soft feeling. The air was fresh, and Shepard took a relaxing deep breath... something she hadn't done in a long time.

Sitting in the sand, peacefully, surrounded by quiet, gave Shepard a different perspective. Her life had been so stressful, chaotic, violent, disastrous. For a long time, she'd never known peace and quiet. Not since Mindoir, and from there Akuze, Elysium, Torfan. She'd never been relaxed in her entire life. She'd lost so much in such a short amount of time, and she'd still kept it all from falling apart. 

And now she was on an empty beach, in shorts and a tank top. She rose to her feet slowly, water drops sliding down her skin. Her hair was still in its bun, which dripped down her neck. As she scanned the horizon, looking out across the forest of sand and palm trees, she spots a figure. It's so familiar that a pang runs through her heart.

The shores of Kalahira...

Thane.

Shepard breaks into a dead run, water splashing up around her. The figure develops shape, and she knows its him, she can tell. This was her final place... here, with her lover. 

She stops short, right in front of Thane. Her eyes swell with tears as she takes in everything. His eyes, the texture of his beautiful skin.  He's finally real again, not just a ghost.

"Siha." Thane whispers. She falters at the sound of his voice, and she starts to cry, burying her face in the crook of his neck. She hadn't heard his voice in a long time. His real voice, at least. She had the recording Kolyat had given her, but it was never the same. "You got my letter." She laugh, his thumb coming up to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

"Of course I did. I..." She looks down at her toes digging into the sand, taking a deep breath. "I put it on paper, kept it in my armor. It made me feel close to you, like you were right beside me once again." She sighed, resting against his chest, arms wrapped around each other.

"I am always right here, siha. Forever." He rests his head against her, breathing in deeply. Shepard instinctively waits for his cough, waits to him close as he struggles to breathe. He doesn't. He breathes freely, calmly. She closes her eyes, listening to his chest. She had everything she needed from now on, right in her arms. They stand in silence for a few moments before Thane speaks again. "And Kai Leng?" He asks it gently and quietly. Maybe he thinks it'll anger her.

"Dead. He tried to kill me. I broke his blade, and then I killed him. I shouldn't have, I know that now, but I couldn't stop myself." She crying again, he body shaking. Thane holds her tightly, shushing her gently. "I had more time with you, and he took from us, from Kolyat."

"Siha..." Thane slips a hand along her jaw, tilting her head to look at him. "You are here with me now, and we have time. We have all of time. We have forever." He presses his lips firmly to her. This was tu-fira, Shepard finally understood what it was like to completely and utterly love someone, to be lost in another.

They had forever, thank the goddess Kalahira.

[crassussativum]

Mass Effect Asks Masterlist- Mav

(Originally posted by thenerdcommander, credit where credit is due.)

1. What would their recruitment mission look like? ((Mav’s got a mind for tactical skirmishes and fighting with the reapers and subsequent indoctrinated has been an exercise in gorilla warfare. He’s made his way to Palaven and Menae to be of what help he can. Maybe he even already works directly with Garrus there. When Shepard arrives there and after they find the Primarch, he tags along.))

2. Would they be a romance option?  If so, who would the option be available to and what would their romance look like?  Would there be any special scenes? ((Mav is an equal opportunist in the art of romance. Male or female Shepard, it doesn’t matter. He flirts a little, teases some. Then straight out says he’s been serious the whole time and why not, right? Special scene would probably involve him talking Shepard on a date. Like dinner and dancing date.))

3. If there is one, what would their sex scene look like?  How would the scene change if Shepard or Ryder turned the sex down? ((Mav surprises Shepard in their cabin. He’s probably not wearing all that much, y’know. If Shepard’s into it, cool, if not, he puts his clothes back on and hey no big deal, you down for a drink, Shep?))

4. If left unromanced, do they hook up with another character?  If so, who is it?  Is it a canon character or another OC? ((More than likely and probably another OC though I couldn’t rightfully say who.))

5. Would they be available as a fling option?  What would that scene look like? ((Also probably and idk, something sexy.))

6. Is there any way Shepard or Ryder could get them to turn on them or betray them?  How?  Is there any way to get them to back down once the betrayal is triggered?  ((The only way that I could think of would be if Shepard were to ask/order Mav to do something he considers evil. Such as unnecessary loss of innocent life, civilians in the cross fire. Shepard wouldn’t do that. BUT if Shep did, there’d be no talking Mav down after.))

7. What would their loyalty mission look like?  ((It would break your fucking heart. During the Reaper War, Mav gets word from Carthaan, his homeworld. His family needs him. Shepard, of course, goes with to help. When they arrive on Carthaan, there is nothing but ruin, they’re too late to do anything. The crux of the loyalty mission lies in one action: Shepard can escort Mav to his family home to see for himself that there’s nothing left which will resort in his loyalty. Or Shepard tells him there’s no point, lack of survivors is obvious, at which point Mav goes off on his own and doesn’t return.))

8. Is there any way to lose their loyalty after it’s earned? How? ((Mav’s a little sensitive when it comes to familial bonds. He’d want Shepard to extend anyone the same courtesy that he got with his loyalty mission. He gets the need for closure, he’d want the rest of the crew taken care of.))

9. What would their relationship with Renegade Shepard look like?  Paragon Shepard?  If they’re from Andromeda, what’s their relationship with Ryder (pick any two alignments)? ((Mav’s easy going. He understands grey areas. Sometimes you’ve gotta do things the wrong way to make sure the right thing happens. Him and a Renegade Shepard would get on like a house fire. But at the same time, he knows when not to cross a line. Better things would happen with a Paragon Shepard.))

10. What phrase(s) would they shout during combat? ((Mav’s...er, a well educated man in profanity. Let’s leave it at that.))

11. Any squadmates they don’t particularly get along with? ((Um... I’m gonna say probably James. At least not at first, but eventually they get on fine.))

12. Are there any instances where rivalries between them and another squadmate could potentially jeopardize their loyalty or views of Shepard or Ryder? (Nah,)

13. Which squadmates are they likely to make friends with? ((Damn near everyone. He’s easy going, like I said, he makes friends pretty easily.))

14. In which game would they be introduced to the franchise?  ME1?  ME2?  ME3?  Andromeda? ((I think he’s always been kinda in the background, but ME3)

15. Would they make multiple appearances throughout the games or are they limited to one installment?  If they reappear, do they remain as a squadmate or do they become an NPC? (Squadmate in ME3, kicking around elsewhere.))

16. Which skills are available to them?  If they’re from the OT, pick four active powers and one unique passive class power (ex: Turian Agent, Asari Commando, Turian Smuggler, etc).  If they’re from Andromeda, pick three active powers and two passive (one of which should be a unique class power). ((Mav’s my Infiltrator! He’s got a Tactical Cloak, some Disruptor Amo, Incinerate on standby, and sticky grenades for kicks!))

17. Write a quick exchange of banter between them and one other squadmate of your choice. (( I can’t think of actual words bc I suck at banter, but I can totally see Mav teasing James about his fighting style on the mats. And that tiny turians are fast turians and he fucking told James he’d floor him in no time.))

18. What weapons would they use?  Pick 1 minimum, maximum of 2 firearms, 1 melee weapon, and/or 1 special or unique weapon. ((M-6 Carnifex, M-27 Scimitar- for his oh shit weapon- a knife he carries in his sleeve for close combat, and when shit hits the fan... He’s got a Cobra Missile Launcher))

19. Name one thing that players would remember them most by (ex: Garrus’ calibrations, “Lola”, Mordin’s singing, etc). ((The way he looks and sounds. Mav’s a small turian, standing at only 5′7″, his eyes are bright orange and so are his markings. And he’s got a good ol’ boy southern accent.))

20. If they’re from the OT, what ways could they be killed on Virmire, during the Suicide Mission, or the events of ME3 (pick one)?  If they’re from Andromeda, are there any ways they could die?  If so, how and how could Ryder prevent it if prevention is possible at all? ((Well, if Shepard doesn’t escort him in his loyalty mission, he presumably dies on Carthaan searching for his family.))

21. Can they be Indoctrinated or Exalted?  If so, what would they be like?  What options would Shepard or Ryder have to handle the situation?  Would there have been options to prevent it? ((No.))

22. How would they react to other squadmates, Shepard, or Ryder being Indoctrinated or Exalted? ((....He’d put them out of their misery.))

23. When on the Tempest or Normandy, where do they like to stay?  Do they roam around?  What about on the Citadel or Nexus? (Mav, a Blackwatch assassin by trade, would chill with Thane. To share notes, let’s say, or to talk philosophy. On the Citadel, there’s a few places he might hang at, a bar, the embassies, shops. He’d wander., ME3, he’d be at the docks.)

24. Do they have an opinion on the way Shepard drives the Mako?  Or how Ryder drives the Nomad? ((Nah, it’s not like Mav drives any better.)

25. Are they vocal about their opinions of the Council or Nexus Leadership?  If so, what is their opinion?  Do they make a passing comment to another squadmate or do they say it to Shepard or Ryder directly? ((He’s not, not really. He might say something nasty if he gets frustrated with the run around of the whole thing, but that’s it.))

26. What decisions could Shepard or Ryder make that they greatly disapprove of? ((Ok so....Siding with the geth. Sentient AI is a dangerous thing and will always be a dangerous thing and aren’t the Reapers literally proving that right now?))

27. What decisions could Shepard or Ryder make that they greatly approve of? ((Shepard doing everything they can to undue/fix what was done with the Genephage.))

28. Would they have any special scenes or dialogue in the Citadel DLC or for Movie Night? (Nah, he’s busy trying to drink Wrex and Grunt under the table. Mav loves his Horosk and that’s not too different from Ryncol))

29. Would they have any special scenes or dialogue in the final battle against the Reapers or the Archon? ((Just a moment to thank Shepard for doing all they could, a little pep-talk, a little let’s go fuck their shit up.))

30. How would they react to meeting Shepard’s clone?  Or Ryder’s twin? ((Mav would find the whole thing funny as fuck. He’s pretty sure he’s seen this B movie.))