#and do the Cerberus troops still feel fear?

[tenleaguesbeneath]

I feel like ME3 kinda leaves the revelation on Chronos Station hanging when EDI is like “oh yeah Cerberus is Indoctrinating civilians and augmenting them with Reaper cybernetics, that’s why they treat their soldiers’ lives so cheaply”

It comes really late in the game, after Shepard’s walked over a pile of Cerberus bodies. Maybe part of that is that by the time she has a chance to rest after having it confirmed, she’s done fighting Cerberus for good. But then, it’s pretty heavily foreshadowed. Grissom has datapads saying they plan to make Phantoms out of the biotic students if they can take them. Eden Prime has a thing where they’re pretending to the civilians they’re occupying that the people they’re kidnapping are being taken away for forced labor and hiding that they’ll never be seen again. fucking Mars has you see their Reaper-cybernetic-altered faces, though you don’t find out about them not being willing volunteers until later. Liara seems to be aware of this given her convo with Aethyta.

I’m not sure if it’s my copy of ME:Legendary or something else but sometimes when I throw them they get stuck ragdolled in a corner with hit points remaining but they’re not getting up, and finishing them always feels kinda grim.

The version of Shepard they portray who has no comment on either doing that or finding out that she’s been doing that to people who were taken from their families against their will and mind controlled is, like...

it says disturbing things about how inured she is to violence. the entire squad, really.

[n0rmandysr1]

Seeing as I just finished my own nightly descent into ME2 hell, a number 12 Shepley sounds quite refreshing, if you're so inclined. :)

Thanks for the prompt! Under the cut because it got a bit Long.

12. a hoarse whisper “kiss me”

The last time Ashley Williams had been in Joughin, it’d been for a funeral. Now the streets were littered with the debris of battle and what had been a park was now her unit’s defensive line - foxholes dug into gardens, overturned picnic furniture and skycars used for cover. On the other side of a swing set she saw the flash of Cerberus white as she crouched behind the barricade.

Then she heard it - an all too familiar whistling sound.

“Get down-” Ash’s voice was swallowed by the sound of the mortar round impacting - the roar of the explosion, the whistling of shrapnel, the thud of clumps of dirt falling back to earth. For a moment she thought this is it.

This was how she died, on a planet far from where she was born. Killed by the Illusive Man’s little side-show to the real war.

Then she was on her back, looking up at the yellow-orange Benning sky, legs throbbing in time to her heartbeat. Ash forced herself to sit up and looked down. A few pieces of shrapnel had sliced through her shields and armour, leaving bloody gouges in her upper leg.

Ow.

She could hear the low groaning of wounded.

“Williams!” Vega was suddenly looming over her, a mountain in Alliance blue armour, “You alright?”

“Yeah, yeah.” She pulled a tube of medigel out of her kit and started smearing it over the shrapnel wounds, “Casrep?”

“No one’s dead,” he said simply, “but we’ve got three seriously wounded. Ling wants to evacuate them.”

The mission had been simple on paper. Ash, Vega and the rest of the Normandy’s Marines had formed a blocking position to blunt the Cerberus advance while Shepard and the others evacuated civilians with the help of the local resistance fighters. Shepard was still running into pockets of Cerberus troops but if the Marines didn’t hold, she’d be drowning in them.

Shepard had paused, before they’d started loading up for the drop. She’d paused, her eyes tracing the lines of Ashley’s face like she’d wanted to say something. But all she’d said was good hunting.

It was easier when they were fighting together.

“Boomer!” she shouted as she grabbed Vega’s arm, levering herself to her feet. The medigel mercifully numbed her leg.

Lance Corporal Klein, better known as Boomer, appeared. “Ma'am?”

She jerked a thumb at a van left abandoned on the street. “Reckon you can hotwire it?”

“Uh. Yes. Ma'am.”

Before the Reaper invasion, Klein’s auto theft charges would’ve kept him out of the Marines. Now they were taking anyone who could hold a rifle. She was just glad his particular skills were useful right now.

“Do it. Vega, make sure the wounded get loaded into it and taken to the LZ.” From the LZ Cortez would be able to pick them up and ferry them back to the Normandy and Chakwas’ medbay.

He hesitated. “You’re hurt too.”

“I’m fine. Go on.”

“Boss won’t be happy.”

Ash scowled at him. “She can yell at me for it later. Get moving.”

As soon as he was gone she turned back to reorganising the defensive line and scanning her tacnet. She was going to blow the fuck out of that Cerberus mortar.

-

“Ow.”

“Stop squirming,” Chakwas said calmly, the cold light of the medbay glinting off the forceps she was using to pick little bits of metal out of Ash’s leg. “This wouldn’t be so bad if you’d gotten treatment when it happened and not three hours later.”

“I was busy!” Ash protested and then yelped as the doctor pulled another sliver of metal out.

“Marines,” Chakwas said with fond resignation. Once the last bits of shrapnel were out she efficiently stitched up the worst of the wounds, dressed them and then subjected Ash to a now familiar lecture on wound care.

“Thanks, Doc, you’re the best-”

“I believe the Commander wished to speak with you. She’s in her quarters.”

“…right. Yeah.”

She took the elevator up to Deck One with some trepidation. Not out of any real fear Shepard was going to shout at her - she wasn’t from the yelling school of leadership (more the quiet-but-excruciating-disappointment school) and if anyone could understand staying in the field with your people, it was Shepard.

No, it wasn’t that.

On the field it was easy. They were two Marines who got each other’s thinking, who watched each other’s sixes. They were commander and subordinate, interactions guided by efficient respect and understanding. Out of the field, the ground was less stable.

‘Friends’ didn’t quite encapsulate the whole 'ex-lovers who were in an armed stand off not even two months ago’ thing. Or the fact that Ash could admit to herself that she was still in love with Emilia Shepard.

Shepard was behind her desk, typing away at her terminal. Her dark hair was wet from the shower, sticking up in spikes. Ash’s fingers itched to smooth through it - she clasped her hands behind her back instead.

“Commander?”

Shepard turned. Her jaw was a hard line of tension. “How’re you feeling?”

“I’m alright. Couple of stitches but I’ll heal.”

Shepard’s eyes darted away from hers, shoulders squared just like whenever she had to go in front of the Council. “Good to hear.”

Ashley was too tired to try and interpret whatever was going on. “Skipper?”

A tremor ran through Shepard’s tense figure. “I heard the mortar round hit, and then over comms that you were hurt and…” She breathed out, rubbing a hand across her face. “For a moment there…it was Mars all over again.”

Ash’s throat closed. She didn’t remember much of the Mars mission - side effect of the brain injury, the doctors said. But Shepard clearly did. “I’m okay.”

Shepard shrugged, smiling weakly, “Guess that fucked me up more than I thought it had. I nearly lost you, and I couldn’t - I couldn’t stop it. I just watched it happen.”

“You haven’t lost me,” Ash insisted, taking a step closer.

Shepard’s eyes met hers, something close to resignation lurking in them. “Haven’t I?”

And God, Ash was sick of trying to tiptoe through this grey area between them, of holding back from what she still wanted - what she hoped they both still wanted. Her voice came out a hoarse whisper. “Kiss me.”

For a moment the words hung between them - long enough for Ash to consider whether she’d misread Shepard completely, whether she’d just fucked up their still fragile working relationship - and then Shepard’s hands were cradling her face, thumbs stroking along her jawline, and they were kissing.

Kissing Shepard was both familiar and unfamiliar. She felt the same, tasted the same but the lip and chin scars Ash had liked to run her mouth over were gone, replaced by slashes of raw red across her cheekbones.

It felt like discovering something and coming home all at once.

She pressed her hand into Shepard’s shoulder blade, felt the shift of her muscle beneath her uniform jacket, as Shepard pressed into her with her whole body - until Ash’s back hit the bulkhead.

Shepard pulled back, pressing their foreheads together.

“Miss me?” Ash teased, running her hand down Shepard’s spine.

“You have no idea,” Shepard murmured and kissed her again.

[the-last-ghost]

Well everyone, it's finally here! Part 6 as promised! Part 7 shouldn't take as long as I have been working both it and this Part together to make sure the story continues to flow together well. I hope you all enjoy it and as always, if you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know and feel free to like and share it away! I hope you all are doing well! ---------------------------------------------

It was just another routine cycle for Signals Officer Jes Tu’the. Another ship requesting clearance, more demands for fuel, and the usual list that comes in when a starship needs to dock. It was tedious but it was a job and got her off-planet so she couldn’t complain too much. “Ship designator 596A3-X2, your request for docking clearance has been approved. Please make your way to sector 17Echo, Pad 5 and await the ground crew who will relay further instructions.” I relay lazily over the comms and hear their reply, now onto the next request. “Ship designator A229R-O8, your request for docking clearance has been denied. Your ship needs further examination based on recent travel destinations. Please make you wa-” Suddenly all the signals get cut out as the alert frequency goes live. “What the…” The only ship we have out this way with the override clearance is Krii’s recon ship and he knows better than this… “Capitan Krii’utz, this is Tu’the; what is going on?” Maybe they burned too much fuel? Powers that be know that it wouldn’t be the first time he has pushed his ship too far… Still though, he has never activated the alert frequency. I notice that it is a repeating signal, so much for getting a direct reply from him; lets see what he felt so important to send. Hopefully I can get this cleared up before things get hectic for the ships awaiting clearance…

“…Station 119-X03, this…ii’utz of the reconnaissance vessel, Ithreal…1 jump to Sector Command on Harn’we. The Terrans have…again, the Terrans…ed.” Well that’s Krii’utz alright but what is he talking about. The Terrans? Is he still going on about them? And a “1 jump” to command? As if… A priority 1 jump is only granted for emergencies that would effect the whole USF. Well, I might as well clean up the message, hopefully I can make out what all he’s saying. Before I can start working on the signal, I heard the door behind me slide open and the distinct sound of boot-heels on the metal flooring. Krast. Without turning around I say, “Greetings Major, I assume you are here because of the alert frequency?” I can picture his face now; fiery red hair spiked up, ears flat against his body, and eyes full of rage at this breach of protocol. “Lieutenant Tu’the, you are correct.” His voice echoes throughout the office with the subtle authority of a mountain, strong and proud. He came up beside me and listened to the signal as I worked to clean it up. “That is Capitan Krii’utz, is it not? What is he going on about…” I hear the Major muttering to himself but put it out of my mind as the signal comes through clearer; we both listened with obvious shock to what the message said:

“Resupply Station 119-X03, this is Capitan Xulth’romash Krii’utz of the reconnaissance vessel, Ithreal Sanru. I am requesting a Priority 1 jump to Sector Command on Harn’we. The Terrans have returned and I am escorting them to the Commander. I say again, the Terrans have returned.”

I feel my body tense with shock as my mind reels with this new, sudden information. “Impossible…” It took me a moment to realize that it was I who had spoken. “Impossible indeed,” I hear the Major speak, his voice just above a whisper. “It would appear that we need to clear the sector now. Lieutenant, Cerberus Protocol is now in effect. Get these ships out of out sector now, use my authority if you must. I need to speak to the other Station Leaders, the Commander, and his staff.” As he turned away, I heard him speak into the secure channel in his suit, “This is Major Hawthun, I am implementing Cerberus Protocol. All Station Leaders, clear the High orbit docking stations and prepare to mobilize defense troops.” Hearing this come from him, I knew this was serious and that this was not the time to ask questions. “All ships in high orbit or awaiting clearance for Station 119-X03, by command of Major Hawthun you are all ordered to make your way to the rally points being sent to your navigators. Follow the sequence that is attached to this order. Any craft that deviates from this order will face immediate boarding and seizure by the Federation Security Force.” The ship Captains each sent their affirmation with various forms of enthusiasm, bickering, and outright aggression to this sudden order. Thankfully, the Major had gotten through to the FSF leaders and they were already on the way to the Stations to help with the clearing of the civilians from the sector. This cycle just got very interesting…

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“What do you mean ‘The Terrans have returned’ Major?” The voice of the Commanders’ aid speaks through the comm-link. “Sir, Krii’utz sent the message over the alert frequency. From the status of the message, it was just before his ship started a jump. Krii’utz may be a little out there for a Qualpar but his judgement has always been sound and I-” The aid swiftly cut me off, “No one has seen even the most remote trace of them in thousands of years, now all of the sudden Krii’utz has stumbled upon them? It’s impossible! You and I both know not to waste the Commanders’ time like this.” I look around the briefing room, looking at the holo-image of the other station leaders listening in to the conversation. “Station Leaders, you all know Krii’utz. Has he ever given a false report? Has he ever over reacted to a potential finding like this? No, in all his years being with us, he has yet to fail us. I don’t see why his judgment should be questioned now.” As I speak, I see the other leaders hesitantly nodding along. I can’t really blame them though, I don’t wish to believe this is true either but he hasn’t lead us astray yet…

“Hmm… So you are all in agreement then?” The aid slowly spoke over the comms. “Very well then. I’ll contact the Commander for you then but I warn you, he won’t take kindly for this if your trust is misplaced.” With that, the aid signed off and I let out a sigh of relief. “Do you really believe Krii actually found them?” One of the leaders asked, fear hidden just below the awe that was evident in her voice. “Yes, I trust him. If he says he found them, I believe him. That said, it has been so long, who knows what they are doing back here… I think it is best to prepare for the worst.” The realization slowly hits me that if Krii is telling the truth, then things are going to get very interesting… While we await the Commander, the other leaders and I drew together a few plans and were arguing over if we should authorize a Priority 1 jump or not, where we should meet the ships, if it’s a diplomatic meeting, military scouting, and so on. It was during this debate that I noticed we had an extra quest watching the proceeding, seemingly unnoticed until now. “Attention on deck! Greetings Commander Mash’tola!” I should out once I realize who it is and everyone else goes quiet and jumps to attention as well. “At ease, all of you sit. We have much to discuss…” The weariness of the Commander is blatantly evident and I can only imagine how he must be handling this news. “I have listed to your reports, response plans, tactics, and scenarios. They are all excellent, methodical, and just what I would expect from each of you. However, we must first establish the truth of Capitan Krii’utz’s report and, if it is true, the purpose of the Terrans sudden return.”

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“So… Vilantis, what all have you told them?” The Sage asked as we sat in the crew bay. Preparations were still being made and logistics sorted while we awaited a reply on if we can do the jump. Vilantis briefly recounts what all he has discussed and says, “…I’m not really sure how I should go about what happened after we got the news. Their records say we were banished and there is so little left that it’s as if we were never there to them.” Hearing this, I couldn’t help but interject, “With respect, everyone knows that you were there. We still have your artifacts scattered throughout the Federation and the stories that you all left with us.” I don’t want them to think that they have been forgotten over the years, but they do have a point… “That said, not many of them actually know any real truth behind the stories.” I see the Sage slowly nodding along, almost as if this news was expected. “That is understandable,” he says, though I can tell the loss of their history pains him. “Even we were notorious for forgetting, losing, or even outright destroying our own history in our past. Even if we didn’t, time is the greatest leveler. Nothing can outrun it, though we all try.” Hearing this makes me think about how it is that they have survived for so long. In the stories, the Terrans were known to only live for about 250ish years, standard. How is it possible that the ones before me have made it to several thousand…? “Sir,” I ask, the hesitancy in my voice slowly giving away to my curiosity, “I must ask, how is it that you have lived for so long? The stories I have heard only had some of your strongest living for maybe 250 standard years or so. Are the legends wrong?” I could hardly keep the awe out of my voice. As I awaited an answer, they both looked at each other and spoke briefly in a language my translator could not interpret. Then Vilantis turned to me and said, “As you said, we were never known to live past 250 standard. That part is true however, we Terrans are vain creatures and, especially with our loss of Terra, we knew that we would need to do everything we could to ensure our continued survival. We were given a blindingly stark reminder of our own mortality and we came to the realization that, by the time this ‘war’ was finished, we may not have enough people left for it to matter. So, that drive, coupled with out medical advancements made during our struggles over the ages, we were able to ever so slowly alter our DNA so that age no longer played a significant factor for us.” As he spoke, I couldn’t help but notice there was a… look… in his eyes; a look I realize is shame. “We changed our very being to ensure we were able to enact our vengeance on those who had wronged us so. In doing so, we ceased to be that which we were once so proud of: human.” Not sure that I understand, I decide to make that known. “Capitan,” the Sage spoke softly, “When we lost Terra, it reminded us who we were; who we are. Ships all across the sector made their way back home, fleets were recalled, and we then spent the next few years regrouping and trying to determine what we were to do next; and we settled on ‘war.’” Their was a fire in his eyes and yet, the shame was still there. “Sir, why does it seem that you are ashamed of your actions? You lost your home, surely that is a justifiable response?” The Sage merely sighed and looked away.

“Capitan, you must understand something about who we were back then.” Vilantis says to me. “When this occurred, we had been at peace for the longest time in our recorded history. No major conflicts, no major losses of life, crime was still prevalent but nowhere near as bad as it had been in our past and yet, we get attacked out of the blue and it then leads to our first major engagement in thousands of years. Then we lose our home and with it, our identity. We realize who we are and come to term with the fact that that isn’t who we truly are. For you see Capitan, our world was viewed a deathworld for a reason. We were born on a world where the way of life was and had always been survival at all costs. Empires rose and fell countless times over our history, wars on a global scale nearly decimated the planet several times, and every day there were people doing the impossible for the mere chance to survive. We were not meant to last this long, yet we did. Our world could not offer safety to her inhabitants, she could not provide for all of us herself, and she could not stop us from doing what was needed. So instead, she taught us how to survive, to live, and eventually to thrive; but this all came with a cost. This is a lesson we have learned time and time again, there is always a cost. Our cost to survive was to become killers, warriors, thieves, and butchers. Our history is littered with bloody conflict after bloody conflict and it was all done with the need to survive. When the weak fell, the strong would rise and that is how we lived for a long time.” As he spoke, I couldn’t quite believe how these people are the same ones that I read so many stories about. They were some of the most peaceful beings that we had back then. How could they have ever been what Vilantis is describing? Let alone what they are now…? He must have seen my expression shift for he said, “I see the look in your eyes, Capitan. This doesn’t quite add up with what you’ve been lead to believe, is it? I thought not. Well I have told you how Terra itself fell. Now let me tell you of how her people fell in turn.”