Omega
Two hours ago
"Nice place you've got here," I said, stepping into Morinth's apartment. Unlike most accommodations on Omega, it was lavishly decorated and furnished. It could have been a nice apartment from Earth or Ilium or even the Citadel. The presence of such luxury in the middle of the hell that was Omega was very disconcerting.
"Why thank you. Wherever I am, I always like to live with a little style."
I toyed with a few capsules of Hallex that Morinth had left on the coffee table, a drug that had a list of effects as long as your arm. She looked surprised.
"You can have a Hallex if you want, but wouldn't you rather have all your senses clear and sharp right now? I certainly would," she purred.
I ignored her overt flirting and instead moved away from the couch. I began walking slowly around her apartment, commenting on the various ornaments and pieces of art that adorned the place.
Morinth responded to my time-stalling tactics, expounding on her personal philosophy of individualism and giving in to her urges no matter the cost. Samara's warnings were all true. She was probably one of the most dangerous beings in the galaxy.
Where the hell was Samara? I had stalled all I could, and still there was no sign of her. Reluctantly, I returned to the couch where Morinth was waiting.
I wanted to think that it was because Morinth could kill me in the blink of an eye, if her powers were anywhere comparable to that of her mother's. But the reality was that I was afraid of the effect that Morinth was having on me.
Despite all of Samara's warnings, despite the fact that I knew she killed poor Nef without remorse, I was beginning to get more than a little hot under the collar. I was sweating, stuttering my words...hell, I even had a raging hard on the likes of which had not been seen since the awkward days of my adolescence.
Morinth exuded sensuality with every breath, and I was reverting to a teenager, hardened military man though I was.
"I just love clubs," said Morinth, trailing a finger down my arm. "People. Movement. Heat. I can still hear the bass, like the drums of some great hunt out for your blood. But here it's muted. You're safe here, Shepard. Is that what you want?"
Remember what Samara said. "No. I'd rather fight than hide," I said, managing to sound somewhat confident.
"Yes, better to take control of your fate. I've never understood the obsession with safety. Some of us choose differently. Independence over submission. I think we share that, you and I."
Morinth had edged close to me while she was speaking, and now she placed a hand on my chest and forced me to lean backwards on the couch, straddling my lap. Oh hell, there was no way she couldn't feel the bulge in my pants.
"You compare us, but you're nowhere near my league," I said dismissively, although my groin was sending a very different message to my brain.
"So strong," she breathed. "I need this."
She placed her hands around my neck. "Look into my eyes and tell me that you want me. That you need me. That you would kill for me. Anything I want."
Her eyes had turned a solid black, her voice ringing with a strange sort of power, most likely a hidden mental suggestion that would render me powerless to resist her commands. I felt strangely detached, as if floating adrift on some abyssal sea. I wasn't really sure of anything at the moment, only that I wanted to do anything this irresistible asari wanted me to do.
I tried to resist, struggling with all my might. The fate of the human colonists were at stake, all those lives. Samara's mission, her quest to end the atrocities that her daughter had committed. But they all seemed faint and far away. My limbs grew slack, my mouth hung open. My eyes glazed over. I wasn't going to escape this.
In desperation I called up memories of the people I knew and loved, trying to draw enough strength to break free. My mom, who had done so much to make me who I am. My dad, whom I thought of every day.
My buddies at the Academy, my brothers from N7, the crew of the first Normandy. Anderson, Pressley, Chakwas, Adams, Joker. Wrex and Garrus, Tali and Kaidan and Liara. Ash, my Ash. The girl I loved and lost. The moment I thought of her, I sank deeper into despair.
Names and places and times swirled around in my head. A pair of Cerberus agents. A mad salarian scientist. A couple of old friends, a baby krogan, a scarred merc, a Japanese thief, a millennia old justicar. The flash of light on Virmire, the devastation of Eden Prime, my last stand at Elysium. All fading.
"Give in to me," whispered Morinth in my ear. "You cannot resist, Shepard."
Then...something different. A young girl, covered in art. Her fury at a universe gone wrong. The pain she tried to bury under belligerence and profanity. I cared about her. I wanted to help her, protect her, help her regain the emotions she didn't allow herself to feel. I wanted to strengthen the connection we shared.
"Jack," I gasped.
"What?"
"Our name...is Jack," I hissed through gritted teeth.
"But you, who are you?" asked Morinth, with some confusion. Then her face hardened. "Oh no – I see what's going on. The bitch finally found herself a little helper."
With the last of my strength I pushed myself away from her and fell off the couch. I heard a door slam open, and the sound of footsteps.
"Morinth," said Samara, eyes locked on those of her daughter's. She glowed blue with biotic energy, and with a single gesture blasted Morinth off her feet and slammed her into the window.
Amazingly, the glass held despite the tremendous impact. Morinth was pinned to it in mid-air like some dark butterfly trapped in a display case.
"Mother," Morinth greeted.
"Do not call me that!"
"I can't choose to stop being your daughter, mother!" spat Morinth, making the last word a curse. Samara slammed her into the window again, expending more energy.
"You made your choice long ago!"
"What choice?!" yelled Morinth. She called forth her own biotics and pushed Samara back with a surge of energy. She landed on the floor and hurled an armchair at her mother, which barely missed the top of her head. "My only crime was being born with the gifts you gave to me!"
"Enough Morinth!" roared Samara. She focused harder, and sent a wave of blue energy crashing towards Morinth. But she was ready in turn, and repelled it with a shield of her own. The force of their biotic attacks created a swirling vortex, and everything that wasn't nailed down began to spin slowly around the room.
"I am the genetic destiny of the asari! I was born different, mother! Must I die just because they are not ready for who and what I am?"
"You are a disease to be purged, nothing more!"
They clashed again, and the shockwave was tremendous. The walls were shaking, and furniture was getting smashed to bits.
"Let me join you, I'm as strong as she is!" screamed Morinth to me.
"I am already sworn to help you, Shepard! Let us finish this!" declared Samara.
I tried to pull myself up and go to Samara's aid, but my mind was still reeling from Morinth's earlier attack. With a snarl of frustration she sent a huge stone sculpture rocketing towards my head. I couldn't duck in time, and my head bore the full brunt of the impact.
Before I blacked out, the last thing I heard were the screams of an asari justicar.
Omega
Now
There was no sound save the dripping of water, and that immediately grabbed my attention. You could always hear the dull background roar of the pulse of life on Omega no matter where you went.
The buzz of hover transports, the loud conversations of dozens of species and hundreds of languages, the occasional gunshot and anguished scream...they were as much a part of life on Omega as the smell and the criminals were.
I could hear very little, and see just about as well, with almost no light piercing the darkness. I tried to move my hands and feet, and found that I couldn't. My head was pounding with each heartbeat, and I could taste dried blood on my lips.
"You're awake."
It was that voice again, the voice that had promised so much. A hand roughly grabbed my chin and I find myself staring into her eyes, the only things I could see in the darkness.
"I should have known you were working with her. Commander Shepard, wasn't it? The saviour of the galaxy. You're exactly the kind of flag-saluting, baby-kissing idiot mother adores. I couldn't believe I ever wanted to have sex with you."
"The feeling is somewhat mutual," I said, unable to resist.
Samara struck me on the head, right where that chair had hit me. I slumped to the floor almost senseless, not even having the energy to cry out.
"Mother might have found out where I was. But things didn't go according to plan, did they? Now Samara the justicar is dead, after a thousand years of self-righteousness."
"You're lying," I mumbled to the floor.
"Say that again and I'll kill you."
"If Samara's really dead, you wouldn't be hiding. I'd be dead too. And you'd be off this rock."
"The bitch managed to crawl away," Morinth admitted. "But I sure as hell made her bleed. And there is absolutely no way she can find this hidden space of mine."
She ran a finger across my cheek, knowing I couldn't do anything about it. "We'll lie low for a few days, make ourselves comfortable, get to know each other. Then you'll die and I'll be on my merry way once more."
"Do your worst. They'll come for me," I said.
"Oh, do you really think so?"
"Yes. They will."
"Shepard, Shepard," Morinth mused, coming closer. I couldn't see her in the dark, but I could smell her scent and feel her skin. I tensed up, not liking the idea of what she was about to do to me.
"I stand by what I said – you are strong. Perhaps the strongest I've met. From what I've heard you are this absolute paragon of virtue, a genuine hero in these times of chaos. This couldn't be more perfect. I'm going to enjoy breaking you before killing you," she said, with some satisfaction.
"Ruining your spirit, dampening the fire that drives you, corrupting your sense of purpose and making you beg for my body before you beg for your death. Your inglorious end will be fitting tribute for mother," she declared.
"Bring it on," I managed to gasp.
Morinth laid a hand on my cheek. "You must know how I hunt. An Ardat-Yakshi kills her prey after mating and moves on, tougher and stronger than before. But simple skin-to-skin contact is enough to establish a connection."
I tried to jerk my head away from her, but Morinth held firm.
"I will give you pleasure, Shepard. Pleasure beyond what your feeble mind is capable of even comprehending. Then pain. Tearing off your own arm will not compare with what you will endure. You will scream. You will scream until your throat is bruised and broken from the strain. Then finally, when you think you can take no more, I will mount you and take you and give you both pain and pleasure at once. Your mind, Shepard, will be obliterated long before your body stops clinging on to life."
I couldn't stop myself from trembling as Morinth tightened her grip and forced me to look at her.
"Let us descend into hell together. Who knows how far down the steps go?"
Briefing Room
The Normandy
Jack
"I had to give her a sedative," said Dr Chakwas. Her arms and the front of her uniform were splattered with asari blood. "Her wounds are serious, but at least she's in a stable condition."
"That's no good," fumed Miranda. "We need to know where she left him. Are you absolutely certain the two of you don't know where she went?"
"They wanted to get it done alone," explained Jacob. "The last thing I remembered was leaving the VIP section of Afterlife."
"What the hell possessed you to abandon basic doctrinal security?" asked Miranda heatedly. "We should have more than two combatants engage this Morinth, and certainly not risk the Commander!"
"Hey, it's not his fault!" said Kasumi, coming to Jacob's defence. "You know how pushy Shep gets, he wanted to follow Samara's advice and go in solo."
But Miranda wasn't mollified. "And now we have Samara wounded, John taken prisoner, with no leads and no idea where to go next," she snapped.
"We could always wait until Samara wakes up and ask her for directions," suggested Zaeed. "Shepard's a big boy. He'll be sound."
"We're not going to just sit and wait while he's in danger!" exclaimed Tali, her voice trembling. "We have to do something now!"
"Based on anecdotal evidence, coupled with various biological data, Ardat-Yakshis are highly dangerous individuals. The Commander will not stand up to a direct assault as a result of her mind meld, no matter how genetically modified he is," Mordin pointed out.
"Dr Solus has made it clear. We must mount a rescue operation," declared Miranda.
"Who's gonna lead it? You?" sneered Zaeed. "I sure as hell ain't taking orders from you. Or prissy Mister Taylor over there."
"Do you want to run this ship?!" raged Miranda.
"Yes," retorted Zaeed simply.
"Well – you can't," said Miranda, wrong footed for a moment. "We have no time for petty squabbles while John's life is at stake!"
"I nominate Garrus Vakarian for squad commander," intoned Thane in his flat, dead voice. "I believe he will perform admirably."
"I'll do it if there are no objections," said Garrus, looking around the room.
"You'll do it alright, but with one objection – mine," said Grunt. "I'll walk into battle with you, but don't expect me to watch your back."
"Fair enough," Garrus allowed.
"So where do we begin, Archangel?" Zaeed challenged.
"Going back to Afterlife sounds logical," Garrus said. "We lock down the place, ask everyone for information on where Shepard might have gone."
"What about Aria?" Miranda asked.
"Yes, we'll have a few words with her too."
"Ok, sounds like a plan," said Jacob.
The team rushed out to get their battle gear. Everyone would be going, except for Mordin and Tali, who were assigned to guard the Normandy in their absence. No one noticed the slight form of a young woman lurking in the corridor outside the Briefing Room, nor her absence in the meeting.
She walked into the elevator and rode it to the Bridge. She stalked its length, eyes straight ahead, ignoring the curious looks and outright stares. She slammed the airlock open and took a first step onto the soil of Omega.
Coming here was like coming back home.
Omega
Morinth's Lair
"Jack. That's what people call you, isn't it? A common name among human males, I believe."
"John Kennedy Shepard, Staff Commander of the Humanity System Alliance Marine Corps," I said, giving her all the information I was trained to give while in captivity, and nothing else.
"And this habitual giving of nicknames. I mean, what is the purpose? Your name is yours. You can't run away from it, much like you can't run away from who you are."
"John Kennedy Shepard, Staff Commander of the HSAMC."
"You're beginning to get on my nerves," snarled Morinth.
"You get my name and rank. I forgot my serial number. And nothing more."
"Still so defiant? I promise you, the fall will only be further and faster," she said.
"John Kennedy Shep - "
"Enough! You're beginning to get boring. Let's see what kind of pleasures your feeble mind can come up with, hmm?"
Morinth touched her forehead to mine and I was thrust back into another world.
Ontarom Station
Before
"Jack, where are you?"
I had wandered away from my parents and was staring at a giant mural adorning a wall of the spaceport. It towered over myself, and although I craned my neck back as far as I could, I only could see part of it. The colours, the strokes and the lines were all magnificent, coming together to create something that was true art.
"Jack?" called Alan Shepard, sounding worried.
"I'm here, Daddy," I said, turning around and holding out my hands for a hug. My father wrapped me up and hoisted me into the air. I kicked and squealed, and he laughed, his big strong face creasing up in a mass of lines.
"Whatcha looking at?"
I pointed, and my father took a step back. He was a tall man, and carried me easily with one hand. Despite the crowds of people passing in front of us, we both had a good view.
"Do you know what that is?"
"No, Daddy."
"It's called a mural. Lots and lots of famous people from Earth, painted on this wall. Each in a different style."
"It's huge!"
"That's because we've got so many good people to choose from. Can you pick out a few?"
"There's Gandhi!" I knew him because of his bald head, big ears and smile. "And there's Lincoln and Mandela, Lee Teng-hui and Sanna Marin, Simon Bolivar and Sheikh Hasina!"
My mother took care of most of my conventional schooling, but it was my dad who taught me about history. Every night while he was at home he would tell me a story. It would never be a fictional story or fable, but rather an account of some great historical deed. I was always fascinated, and even at a young age I would be familiar with the stories of some of the greatest men and women in human history.
"Well done!" my dad congratulated.
"Thanks Daddy."
"Do you know who that guy is?" he asked, and pointed.
I squinted. It was a Caucasian man, with deep eyes and a big smile. I shook my head.
"That's JFK, son. He's the man for whom you were named. He chose to go to the moon. He started the space race. He made all of this possible."
"Cool!" I said, delighted.
"Alan?" It was my mom, coming to find the both of us. I waved when I saw her.
"Hi Mommy!"
"Hello darling. Did you run off again!"
"It's okay Hannah, I've got it under control," said my dad.
"I hope so. This is our first vacation together since God knows when, and our first ever to Earth. You'll be taking your first steps on the home planet real soon, Jack."
"That's so awesome! Can we go to a beach? And climb mountains and swim in lakes and cross deserts and camp in forests?"
"Well, not all at the same time."
My dad set me on the floor and gave my mom a kiss.
"I missed you. I missed us," he said.
"I know," she said, her fingers curled in his hair. "I've been so busy lately, assigned to so many details. There's even talk that they're going to make me a captain!"
"You'll be the best captain the HSA's ever had."
"Damn straight. But it means I'll have even less time to spend with you and Jack."
"We'll get through it. Together. But for now, a whole two months of utter relaxation. Decent food and art museums for me, trips to zoos and mountains and amusement parks for the boy, lounging around on beaches dressed in a string bikini for you - "
"Alan, stop it!" laughed my mom, swatting my dad lightly. Then they kissed again.
"I love you," my mom said to my dad.
"I love you too," he said back to her. "Let's go son. We've got a plane to catch!"
My mom took one hand, my dad took the other, and we were off to the home I had dreamed about for years, and would be finally seeing for the first time.
Omega
Now
I emerged back into the darkness, gasping and sweating. It had all been so real! For a few moments I was a kid again, wearing an oversized jacket and big shoes, with not a care in the universe.
"That was it?" asked Morinth. She sounded highly unimpressed. "Some pathetic family vacation is what you remember most fondly? For the love of the goddess, that was embarrassing. I feel sorry for you."
"I know what you're trying to do. It won't work."
"Why do you keep defying me? You know you'll die like all the rest."
Something my dad said occurred to me. "Because I choose to do the things...that are hard."
"Well then," said Morinth, her voice feral. "This should be exactly what you ordered."
Our skin made contact once more and I screamed.
Omega
Afterlife Club
Jack
"Bold challenge: You may not enter this place, human, if you lack an invi – ARGH!"
Very few people had ever seen an elcor hurtling through mid-air. The line of people waiting to get into the Afterlife turned their heads as one to see the elcor bouncer crash against a faraway wall and slump to the ground, apparently unconscious.
Jack gave them one of her go-to-hell glares. "Anybody else want to fuck with me?"
Utter silence reigned. Even the vorcha were staring with their mouths wide open.
"Good. I suggest if you don't want to die tonight, stay the hell away from this place."
Everyone fled as Jack ran up the steps to the entrance of the Afterlife and flung the doors wide open. She knew that even screaming her loudest wouldn't work, so she levitated a bar stool and sent it flying towards the huge cylindrical screen in the center of the room. It shattered upon contact, and people were screaming and diving for cover.
Jack always had an instinct for danger, and glancing up she saw a purple asari staring in horror at her. Then the security goons flooding into the room, trying to kill her as fast as possible.
This was going to be fun.
A short while later Jack advanced on a cowering Aria, the wreckage of her club all around her. She tried to charge up a biotic attack but Jack shrugged it off easily.
"Jack! You're supposed to be dead! Or on Purgatory!"
"I got sprung. Favour from some Alliance asshole."
"Shepard? I knew it! I knew he's behind this!"
"Shut up," said Jack, and Aria did. "Now, I'm back to return the favour. I heard some other asari bitch took him. I want to know where."
"I don't know anything about that - "
"Wrong answer!" yelled Jack, glowing blue.
Aria was suspended in mid-air, her arms and legs being pulled apart in opposite directions. The strain must have been tremendous.
"She only comes to the VIP section," choked Aria. "Ask the guard on duty!"
"I'm supposed to believe you don't know where this asari is?"
"No!"
"Aria, look. I'll level with you, ok?" began Jack in a fake-cheery voice. It was far more frightening than her real one. "I've had a really lousy couple of days, and I'm not in the best of moods. You can either choose to help me, or choose to piss me off and make me kill you.
"You, right now, get to choose whether you live or die." Jack added, smiling sweetly. "Isn't that nice?"
"500 Nelaya Building!" screamed Aria. "I know she's from there, I just don't know which apartment! Please, that's all I know!"
Jack let her drop to the floor. "There, was that so hard? I'm going over to check it out. If I find you're lying to me, you don't want to be here when I get back."
Just then the door slid open again and Garrus and the others walked in.
"Aria! We'd like a...huh?"
They took in the sights. Not a soul was conscious, not a bottle was left unsmashed, not a piece of furniture was upright.
"Holy shit!" yelled Zaeed. "What the hell happened here?"
"500 Nelaya Building," said Jack off-handedly, walking past them and out of Afterlife. "That's where Shepard is."
They stared at each other for a short moment, before hurrying to catch up.
Elysium
Before
Shepard
Gunshots. Explosions. The screams of both the wounded and the dying. Men, women and children. Civilians. People who should never have to see frontline combat. People who should never have to pick up a gun in their lives, be forced to take the life of another in exchange for your own. That was my job. This was supposed to be a rest from my job. So why was this all so horribly familiar?
This was Elysium, for the love of god. A peaceful colony world. Great beaches and hiking trails. I come down for one week on shore leave and the entire freaking Terminus Systems invade.
"Oh God! I can't take it! I can't take this any longer!"
I glanced at the guy next to me. He had a paunch, thinning hair, wore a sweater. He was a teacher of some sort, on vacation just like me. He'd never handled a gun in his life.
"Bendis, calm down."
"I can't do it any more, I just can't!"
"Yes you can. Watch this."
I took careful aim out of the window and fired. A batarian slaver pitched backwards and died. I ducked under cover again.
"Yes, but you're a soldier! I'm nobody!"
"That's not true. You're a survivor. We're all survivors. And we're going to get through this."
The rest of the people in the room gave me glances of varying levels of weariness. The plush hotel lobby I had walked into a few days ago had transformed into a room right out of boot camp. Guns lying around, ammo piled up, supplies strewn all over.
"Listen Bendis. We're not going to die, and do you know why?"
"N-no."
"It's because we are so very pretty. We are just too pretty for God to let us die. It'd be a damn shame."
Bendis chuckled nervously. I was relieved. Fighting from an indefensible position was bad enough, but having to do it while worrying about the safety of children and the resolve of civilians was gnawing away at me.
We were all in the hotel when the attack hit, and had no weapons other than those of the local security team. We had been fighting for a full day and night, trying to survive.
"Look. We held off an entire army of batarians and other bastards with little BB guns and homemade explosives. Hordes of them are dead. We aren't," I said. "I have it on good authority the SSV Agincourt is kicking ass in the sky above us, blowing up ships left and right. We've done the impossible, and that makes us mighty. We can get through this."
"Shepard!" called a voice from my communicator. "They've breached the defences, and they're pouring into the main compound! We need you here now!"
I holstered my handguns and got ready to leave. I was stopped by a hand on my shoulder. It was Bendis. He had a determined look in his eyes.
"You're going to need cover."
"I can get over there without getting shot. You stay here and defend this place."
"You can say whatever you want. I'm coming with you."
"Fine," I said. "Try to keep up."
We sneaked out of the lobby and into the grounds. Me and a bunch of other marines had managed to barricade the entire town, but it was proving to be a bloody difficult job patching up the holes. We didn't have nearly enough men.
We reached the last stretch. "Should be clear." I was hurrying a little faster, now that the destination was in sight. We needed to plug the hole in the breach as fast as possible.
"Shepard!" yelled Bendis suddenly. I jerked sideways on instinct, and sensed a slug whizz by my head. Bendis dashed in front of me, firing wild.
"NO!" I roared, but it was too late. A few rounds blew out his chest and he crashed to the ground.
I saw his killers, a batarian and a turian. I put a bullet between the batarian's four eyes in the next second. The turian saw me coming, and squeezed off a shot. It hit me in the arm, and the pain was intense. Trying to ignore the pain I fired blind and by some miracle it hit him in the throat. I was safe for now.
I knelt down beside Bendis, but it was clear he had died immediately. I grabbed his weapon and said a quick prayer. Another death on my conscience. I ran as fast as I could to the breach, blood streaming all over me, hoping against hope the compound wouldn't be overrun before I arrived there.
Omega
Morinth's Lair
Now
"Ah now, that was interesting."
"Go to hell."
"Skyllian Blitz, wasn't it? Where you first made your name."
"Go to hell."
"I'm sure I will. But you'll be there long before me. We've had pleasure. We've had pain. Let's try for a little of both, shall we?"
Omega
500 Nelaya Building
Jack
"Well, Shepard's not here," said Zaeed, looking around the ruined apartment. It was plain to see that a climactic battle had taken place.
"Morinth's gone to ground just like Samara said she would. We're running out of time," said Jacob.
"Do we have any kind of tracking devices or signature locator that we can use to find Shepard?" asked Garrus.
"They've been taken offline," said Miranda.
"That's it, he's dead," said Zaeed.
"Say that again and you're dead," snarled Jack, raising an arm.
"Not so fast, mercenary," growled Grunt. "I can track him."
"You can?"
"All krogan can hunt by scent, but I can do it better. I detect two asari trails, and one human. Shepard's trail is distinctive. I can find him."
"Then lead the way," Miranda ordered.
Amaterasu
Before
Shepard
"Oh God, don't stop. Don't stop. Please," Ashley moaned softly. Her long legs were wrapped tight around my hips, drawing me deeper in with each stroke. Her nails were raking long, deep grooves down my back. I was giving her long deep kisses, the kind that left you gasping for air.
With each hard thrust I bent down and nipped the skin around her collarbone, making her groan with unabashed pleasure. Our bodies were slick with sweat, our clothes lying abandoned and forgotten around the room.
I heard her exhale sharply, clench hard around me, let go for a little while and grip even tighter again. Her breathing became ragged, and she clawed at my back fiercely, shuddering with each wave that crashed through her body. Her eyes were half-closed, her mouth slightly open, her usually neat hair all in a mess. She was the most perfect thing I had ever seen.
My own desire grew more intense and I quickened the pace, switching from long, slow languorous strokes to harder, shorter, faster ones. I needed to release myself deep within this incredible woman, to make her mine as much as I was hers.
"John. I need you, John. I need you," breathed Ashley, gripping her thighs tighter and pumping her own hips to meet my urgent thrusts.
"Ash," I gasped. A deep shudder pulsed throughout my body, and it snapped tight in a single, final thrust. My mind was overwhelmed and I surrendered to the climax. I felt myself erupt, drawing out my release for what felt like forever. And then it was over.
I pulled out and we just lay on the bed, trying to get our breath back. Ashley's head rested on my chest, her hand clasping mine. The sound of the surf and the birds calling from high in the air outside our room could be heard once again.
We were on Amaterasu to visit her family, Ashley's mom and three sisters. They were very nice and made me feel welcome, even if the two younger girls were a little giggly. Then we took some time off to laze around on the nicest beach we could find. Saren was dead. Sovereign was scrap. It was time to recharge.
Ashley rolled on top of me and looked into my eyes. "Hey handsome."
"Darlin'," I drawled.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked.
"Amaterasu seems like a really nice place. We should come back more often," I said.
"It was so great to see my folks. Hope you weren't too embarrassed," she said teasingly.
"Not at all. I never had any siblings, must be fun growing up with three kid sisters."
"You mean the endless bickering, quarrelling and fights? Yeah, real fun."
"Knock it off, you know what I mean. And your mom's nice. Reminds me of my mom," I said.
"My mom reminds you of the great Hannah Shepard?" asked Ashley, puzzled.
I shrugged. "It's just that, you know, they share pretty much the same values. My mom might be an Alliance officer, but to her family always came first."
Ashley smiled. "That's true. I hope your mom likes me as much as mine likes you."
"Of course she will."
"Even if I'm the granddaughter of the infamous General Williams?"
"Hey, she understands there was nothing else he could have done. And even if she doesn't, I'll tell her otherwise."
Ash gave me a soft kiss. "Thanks John," she said softly. "I'm going to get us some more champagne."
She left the room, swaying her hips a little because she knew I was watching. I chuckled and leaned over the side of the bed, drawing out a little box I had hidden there the night before.
I had spent almost everything I had to buy what was inside. A beautiful, flawless little silver ring, topped with the most brilliant diamond I could find. Around the ring was engraved the words of Ash's favourite poem, by Robert Heinlein.
"Let the sweet fresh breezes heal me,
As they rove around the girth,
Of our lovely mother planet,
Of the cool green hills of Earth."
I had practised what I was going to say for a while. I thought about quoting something, maybe reciting something or singing. But it didn't feel right. I'd never been all that good with words. Something simple and straightforward would do for me.
"I love you, Ashley Madeline Williams. Will you marry me?" I said to myself quietly, testing it out. That sounded about right.
Ashley came into the room and I quickly stowed the box under the bed again. She was looking worried.
"Something wrong, Ash?"
"I just got a call from the front desk," she said. "Direct from Anderson. He needs us in the system of Amada. Something about a huge geth fleet being spotted there."
"Is he cutting short our vacation?" I asked.
"Afraid so," she said ruefully.
"Goddamnit," I sighed.
"No rest for the wicked, Skip," said Ashley, picking up her clothes from the floor. "There'll be plenty of time for us later."
Guess I'll have to wait, I thought, tucking away the little box.
"You get the rest of the crew onto the escape pods, I'll haul Joker's crippled ass out of here!"
The Normandy had been attacked by a mysterious, gargantuan alien ship, and was taking critical damage. I shoved Ashley in the direction of the escape pods. She grabbed my arm.
"I'm not leaving you!"
"I'll be fine, but you have to go NOW! That is an order!"
"Aye aye, Commander," said Ashley at last, and hurried away. I fought my way up to the bridge, where the emergency shielding had failed and a gaping hole had been torn into the hull.
Even with my Zero G training it was still fiendishly hard to move around. I crawled over to where Joker was still frantically working the controls.
"Joker!" I yelled.
"I can still save her!" Joker yelled back.
"You horrible little man, belay that and get the fuck out of here!" I roared. If I didn't rescue him in time, Joker would die a painful death. He didn't even have a pressure suit on, just the backup auxiliary oxygen generator mass effect field around his head. I heaved Joker out of his seat and helped him get into a pod.
A sudden explosion from the ship rocked the both of us, and suddenly I was hurtling away from the wreck of the Normandy, away from Joker's outstretched hand and look of horror.
I writhed in the middle of space. My suit's pressure lock had failed and it was venting precious oxygen into the black. The pain was intense.
Ash, I thought dazedly, before the suit failed for good. I never asked you to marry me.
Omega
Morinth's Lair
Now
"NOOOOOOOO!" I screamed, jerking uncontrollably. "No, no, not again!"
Morinth licked my forehead, her tongue wet and rough on my skin. "So that's what you're afraid of? The great Commander Shepard, lovelorn and heartsick as any other poor victim of mine. Your death will be a mercy."
Morinth ripped the clothes off my body till I was shivering naked in front of her. She stripped as well, and straddled my lap, forcing herself on to me. I kicked and bit and struggled, but she pinned me down with amazing strength.
"Now Shepard," she said. "Now we will join, and your strength will make me the most powerful biotic ever."
A huge explosion suddenly rocked the room we were in, and a brilliant shaft of light pierced the darkness. I squinted, my eyes unused to light of such intensity after spending hours not being able to see anything.
"That's me, bitch!" yelled someone, and despite my exhaustion and terror, my head snapped upwards with renewed hope. I knew that voice. Jack leapt into the room and charged Morinth, her biotics bathing her in a cascade of azure.
But the Ardat-Yakshi was as strong and as cunning as her mother. Morinth dodged her attack and sent a bolt of energy of her own. It struck Jack a glancing blow, but it was enough to spin her sideways and knock her off her feet.
The rest of my friends poured in, but they were having difficulty maneuvering in such a tight space, and not daring to use their guns in case they hit me. Grunt's own charge was halted as he was suspended in mid-air, kicking feebly and roaring with impotent rage.
Morinth telekinetically pulled the pin on every one of Zaeed's firebomb grenades, making the old merc go up in flames. Jacob and Miranda tried to move in and engage in close combat, but they were no match for Morinth's augmented strength.
Thane and Kasumi stepped in, working in tandem. He seemed to disappear from sight, while Kasumi's cloak shimmered and concealed her. They struck at Morinth several times, trying to wear her down. The fight went on for a long time, but Morinth connected with a lucky blow that took Kasumi out of commission. Thane tried to get in a position where he could deliver a killing attack, but Morinth's biotics overpowered his.
"So weak!" she laughed. "This is the best you can do, Shepard?"
"Not quite," said Jack, forcing herself to stand. She raised her arms again and was once more enveloped in a mass effect field.
They clashed again and again, Jack struggling with all her might. I saw blood dripping steadily from her nose, and understood she was reaching her limits.
"Jack, stop!" I croaked, trying to do something, anything. But I was still restrained.
"Give it up child. You know you can't win," laughed Morinth.
"Don't...have...to," grunted Jack, straining to withstand Morinth's attack. "Just hold you long enough."
A look of bewilderment crossed Morinth's face before I heard the sound of three sharp cracks. Then her head was blown off her shoulders.
The first two shots had blasted through her shields, the last one finding its target. All three were made within milliseconds of each other. Only one person could have done it.
"Thanks Garrus," I mouthed. I knew he would be able to see me through the scope.
Jack crawled over, and helped me break free of my restraints.
"Why?" I asked, close to the point of collapse.
"We'll talk later," Jack said. "Away from all of them."
"Just...tell me why," I gasped.
Jack stared at me. "Because when Samara said you were gone, the first thing I wanted to do was to get you back. No doubts, no question. I thought I was happy about leaving you to die. Guess I wasn't."