Mass Effect - a Hero Rises

Book 3, Chapter 16 - Tuchanka

*****

"Can I ask a favour, sir?" Miranda asked. I looked up from my plate. "Can we have a 'no anal agreement' for the next forty-eight hours please?"

"Uh-oh, is someone paying for last night?" Kelly teased.

"Look, I can admit I was a little arrogant when I tried taking two in my arse again. I mean, the orgasms were phenomenal but I am fucking sore this morning."

"Okay, Miri, no anal for two days. We'll just find something else to do until then," I said.

"Thank you, sir. I'll suck your dick once I'm done with breakfast."

Dinner had been a lot of fun the previous night, the table echoing with laughter the entire time. But the girls didn't want to go out anywhere afterwards, particularly as we had a fully stocked bar, and the fun continued from the moment we walked in the door until the middle of the next morning. Miranda wasn't the only one sore, but she was the only one vocal about it. I'd noticed Jack sit down carefully, while Kelly was almost walking like a cowboy at times.

But all good things had to come to an end, our bags already packed, ready to return to the ship and the war. After breakfast, we cleaned up the place one last time, laughing away as we had a bag that was just full of sex toys. Most would go in Miranda's bedroom, but I knew all my girls would be taking more than one to have fun with at a later time.

Kasumi and Jack walked with us to the docks, the pair receiving long hugs from all of us, both making sure they hugged me last. "Thank you, Shepard," Jack whispered. I knew why she was thanking me.

"Keep making me proud," I whispered back, "Always believed in you."

"Shit, there you go, trying to make me cry again."

"Nothing wrong with showing your feelings. At least they're good feelings nowadays."

"You'll be back soon?"

"Hopefully."

"Good. I'd love to have more time like we've just had."

"I think everyone can agree to that, Jackie," Kelly said. Though Jack loved being called Jacqueline, we'd already agree Jackie was a suitable alternative. Jack wanted to be known as Jackie or Jacqueline from now on. The persona of the mad and bad 'Jack' was now consigned to the past. She had plenty of reminders, whether visible to the eye, the tattoos and scars, and those that lingered in her mind, on her soul or in her heart, but she was not the same woman we'd broken out of prison.

After giving orders to Joker to take us back to Tuchanka, I headed with Kelly up to our cabin first, dumping our things on the bed and hugging each other in silence for a couple of minutes. "That was so much fun, Shepard," she murmured.

"It was. We'll definitely do it again too." I lifted her chin. "Game faces for the next few days. I'd love to keep the vibe going, but with what's looming..."

"But up here in private?"

"We'll keep it chilled like always."

Having spent nearly the entire time with my girls, I spent the next two days catching up with the crew I'd barely seen. Garrus had spent his time on the Citadel with Chloe. He was in a good mood as we chatted in the mess, and my friend admitted things were getting quite serious. When I asked how, he suggested he was thinking of marriage. I wasn't surprised and simply wished him the best, and assured him she would be overjoyed and definitely say yes.

Javik admitted to enjoying each visit to the Citadel. He'd never seen it during his own time, but he had heard of it and often wondered what had made it the centre of their civilisation. He obviously drew curious glances, and a few would even approach him, asking who he was. He didn't like to admit he was Prothean, so simply said he was a visitor from a 'new species' that was hoping to build a relationship with the species of the galaxy, calling himself an 'ambassador'. Thought it was a good idea, in all honesty.

Wrex and Grunt, along with his surviving soldiers from Aralakh Company, had spent time causing havoc, drinking, fighting and relaxing. Thankfully, I hadn't received any called from C-Sec about them running amok. Wrex had found himself visiting some old haunts, having spent centuries coming to and from the Citadel.

Mordin had been busy preparing the cure. He assured me that, by the time we arrived in orbit around Tuchanka, it should just be about ready to go. Other than that, he spent most of his time talking with Eve, who had no desire to leave the ship while we'd been docked at the Citadel.

Vega and Cortez had spent their time on the Citadel relaxing. I was aware Cortez was in the latter stages of grieving his lost husband, so Vega was taking it upon himself to cheer his friend up. Thankfully, most of his ideas were rather sound, not trying to force Cortez into anything that might make him uncomfortable. I did ask if he was trying to hook him up. Vega laughed, said that wasn't Cortez at all. As for himself, he said he was just unlucky in love, and didn't really worry about such matters, and wouldn't until the war was won.

It was no surprise Adams, Gabby and Ken had barely left the ship. I found engineers a rather curious breed at times, quite happy to spend nearly their entire time in the bowels of the ship. I guess it was the thrum of the core, or just the knowledge they were responsible for keeping the ship going. Didn't know, didn't really ask either. The trio were happy, worked well together, and if they didn't need or want time off the ship, I wasn't going to force them.

Joker and EDI had, for want of a better term, had a blast on the Citadel. From what I could see, Joker was falling in love with her. I figured he was setting himself up to be hurt but I was confident EDI actually seemed to realise, and would do one of two things. Either let him down easy, ensuring their friendship remained firm, or she might desire an attempt at courtship. Not sure how it would work, if she was even capable of physical intimacy, and it wasn't particularly something I wanted to ask either. But they were both happy, enjoyed their time on the Citadel, but were eager to get back into the swing of things.

Miranda and I happily worked together on the way to Tuchanka. The 'no anal agreement' also included toys, and I noticed during the second day that she was looking more comfortable when sat down. She still slid under my desk each morning to blow me like we agreed, but other than that, we focused on our professional relationship, though continued to tease each other, more through words than actions.

All my girls continued to wear short skirts without panties. I had a feeling that was never going to change. Kelly loved it when I stood behind her, gently pressing my body into hers, hot breath on her neck. I'd notice her shudder, and she'd lose concentration on whatever she was doing. Hands may or may not be involved.

What I did notice was Traynor started to wear exactly the same thing. I waited until the crew had disappeared for dinner the second night when I approached her from behind. She sensed me coming, glancing back and smiling. Kelly observed from nearby with interested. When I stepped against her, she immediately leaned back against me.

I said nothing as I ran a hand down her cheek and her neck, over her uniform down her body towards her skirt. Reaching the hem of her skirt, I reached down with both hands and lifted it up, exposing her lower body. I relied purely on touch as she turned to look at me, my hand brushing over... a shaved pussy. My eyes widened a moment as I ran my hand down further, feeling her legs part slightly so I could feel the warmth and dampness. Her breath caught as I wasted no time sliding two fingers into her.

"Shepard," she breathed.

"Wearing this for me?" She nodded. "And shaved?" She nodded again. "I love it." I removed my fingers, lifting them up towards her face. She sucked on them without hesitation, making a noise that made me rock hard immediately. I then lowered her skirt, brushing it down. "I'm definitely liking this new Samantha Traynor," I breathed into her ear, watching her shudder, almost needing to lean against the bench to keep herself upright. Pressing against her, she pressed back against me. "Can you feel me, Samantha?"

"God yes," she murmured.

"Like what you feel?"

"I do. I really do."

I stepped back and turned her around, leaning her back against the bench, stepping into her. She watched me intently. "Next time we're on the Citadel... If you want..." She didn't trust her voice, but the nod of her head was so firm, even Kelly laughed from nearby. "I'll eat your pussy the entire time," I whispered, "But if you want to make love, you just let me know."

Kelly scoffed. "Oh please, she's going to want your dick like it's going out of fashion."

Traynor blushed brightly, but she didn't deny it either. "Well, if that's how she feels, then I can only assure her that I definitely want her in return." I turned to Kelly. "Well, good thing I'm off shift. Want dinner?"

"I'm starving, Shepard."

"Want to join us, Samantha?"

"Um... yeah... um...."

"Bet she's dripping down her thighs, Shepard. She's completely turned on."

Despite the teasing, I only went to bed with Kelly and Gianna in the evening, and after our time on the Citadel, we spent the first two nights simply sleeping with each other. No sex whatsoever. I still didn't get much sleep, but Kelly and Gianna slept like the dead. Considering that last night, none of us had slept more than three or four hours, for those who slept at all, it was little wonder we all needed a little recovery time.

It was day four when we finally passed through the relay that led us towards Tuchanka. One of my ships, the

Bayeux

, immediately got in contact, letting us know the current situation on the ground. They and the

Rouen

had helped take back control of some planetary cannons that had fallen into the hands of Cerberus. Captain Kirk, Commanding Officer of the

Bayeux

, regaled me with the story of the Cerberus fleet wilting under the fire of the cannons once our forces had retaken control. The Cerberus fleet, which had remained hidden from us, had broken and departed for the relay. My other two ships,

Cherbourg

and

Caen

, were now in the area. They confirmed no sign of any Cerberus fleet in Tuchankan orbit, and little sign of any other fleets across the system. There was a minimal turian presence at best.

"Mordin, how long?" I asked that evening. I'll admit to a little growing impatience. Not with Mordin, who I knew was working his arse off to get the cure ready. Putting together this alliance between the turians and krogan was taking longer than I liked. Victus knew, with every passing day, his worlds continued to burn. And if his worlds were burning, mine was dying. The turians stood a better chance of lasting longer than we did. I could admit that.

Mordin took a breath. "Tomorrow at the earliest. Day after, definitely. Must ensure viability, Shepard. Don't want to fail."

"Like you could fail at this, Mordin. The only question I have is how to we ensure all the krogan are cured?"

"Already considered options, Shepard. Will notify you of my idea once cure is synthesised." He paused and breathed heavily again. "Will not be easy."

"Nothing ever is, Mordin. Keep me updated. Soon as you have a breakthrough, we'll get our plans in motion."

Eve remained relaxed but even Wrex was getting a little fed up with waiting. He'd sent Grunt and Aralakh Company on one of our shuttles to the surface, assessing the situation and helping form a forward base we might use. But while that was close to the land claimed as Clan Urdnot, which was now of a considerable size, as only a few larger clans remained outside his control, we had no real idea where we might end up heading once we journeyed to the surface.

Mordin wasn't ready the next day, though assured me, the next day it would be ready. In bed with Kelly and Gianna that night, I knew we were on the verge of changing and creating history. The krogan were going to be given a new lease of life, a little hope for the future. And I knew Wrex would keep his word. Not just about assisting the turians, but he'd make sure the krogan didn't make the same mistake of the past. Forgiveness would need to come from both sides. The past needed to be left behind. Once the Reapers were dead, we all needed a clean slate to work with.

"Just come back alive," Gianna whispered, cuddling into my side after the three of us had made love.

"I agree with my fellow lover," Kelly added softly, cuddling into my other side. We'd eventually swap positions when going to sleep.

"You'll be patched into the comm link as always. But we know this isn't going to be easy."

Mordin announced the cure was ready just after breakfast the next morning. The salarian had been working for twenty-four hours a day since leaving the Citadel. He didn't need sleep at the best of times, but if he felt even a moment of tiredness, he just dosed himself up with a stimulant to keep going.

Gathering in the war room a couple of hours later, Mordin explained his idea for dispersing the genophage. A tower they called the Shroud, which was actually used to disperse the genophage originally. It was a solid idea until EDI chose to be the bearer of bad news. We already knew the Reapers were present on Tuchanka, but they were using the Shroud for their own benefit, poisoning the atmosphere of the planet. Not enough to start killing krogan just yet, but it would certainly effect any non-krogan on the planet.

"What was the original use of the Shroud?" Liara asked, no doubt thinking something slightly untoward.

Mordin cleared his throat. "Original use was to stabilise atmosphere and environment of Tuchanka after constant nuclear war and then rebellions. Tower was then repurposed for genophage dispersal. Been used ever since for updates to the virus."

A few of us glanced at Wrex. To our surprise, he shrugged. "Comes as no real surprise, but if we're getting the cure, that's what matters right now."

"Okay, so that means landing at the tower itself is out," I said, "And we can't land close as the Reaper will just shoot us out of the sky. So we're going to have to land further back and go by transport."

"We'll meet at the Hollows, Shepard. It's the most sacred meeting ground of our people. I've already sent messages to the clans, letting them know something big is going to happen."

"We can't just rely on krogan ground support." I looked at Victus. "Primarch, we're going to need air support to at least distract the Reaper as we move in."

He glanced around the table before nodding. "There are fighters with the turian fleet in the system. Let me get in touch with the Commanding Officer. You'll have your air support, Shepard."

"Wrex, when will your forces be assembled?"

He checked ship time compared to Tuchankan time. "Six hours, Shepard. Tell the krogan we'll be fighting Reapers? They'll move so fast, it'll make your head spin."

"Any other items before we move?" I looked around, nothing but a sea of determined faces. "Then begin your preparations."

"Shepard, we are being contacted on a secure channel. Anonymous source."

"No idea where it's from?"

"One moment, Shepard." She paused all of three seconds. "I cannot pin the exact source, but the broadcast is from Annos Basin."

Everyone stopped and looked at me. "Liara. Miranda. Remain here with me. The rest of you, return to your duties and preparations. I'll take care of this." I made sure to look at Wrex and smirked. "I was expecting this, my friend. Don't worry."

Strolling into the comm room, I had Liara and Miranda standing to my left and right, out of view but recording the conversation with audio and video. EDI opened the link and Dalatrass Linron appeared.

"Nice to see you again, Dalatrass," I said, ever so sweetly. Miranda had to cover her mouth at my sarcasm. I think Liara nearly gagged.

"Commodore, I have been notified of your arrival near Tuchanka and your continued belief that curing the genophage is the best course of action. I am also aware Mordin Solus is currently aboard your ship to prepare a cure. And you no doubt plan to use the Shroud to disperse the cure."

"Correct on all points, Dalatrass. But the point of your call?"

"Commodore, you cannot let misguided sympathy for the krogan cloud your judgement. Do you honestly believe curing the genophage will bring lasting peace?"

"It's better than the alternative. And after a thousand years, all the krogan want is a bit of hope for the future. A new dawn will rise once the Reapers are defeated, Dalatrass. The old systems, the old ways of running things, they will end. Once we have all banded together to defeat the Reapers, it will continue into the future."

"You're an idealist," Miranda whispered nearby.

Linron went on about how the krogan were uplifted, called them violent by nature, basically called them a mistake of evolution and that another war was inevitable. Then she made her offer. The Shroud had been sabotaged to stop any cure being spread. Considering what I knew about salarians, that admission didn't come as any great shock. She didn't say it as much as insinuate, but I was to trick the krogan, 'deal with Mordin', and once it was confirmed the genophage hadn't been cured, the salarians would offer their fleets, soldiers, the entire STG and their best scientists to help build the Crucible.

"If I sabotage the cure," I stated.

"Think about it, Commodore. The choice is yours."

She cut the link as I leaned forward against the railing. Damn, I couldn't remember being as angry. Liara and Miranda both stepped forward, feeling a hand on each shoulder. "Shepard, you're... shaking..." Liara whispered.

I took a few deep breaths to calm down. Couldn't go losing my shit in front of them. "You get it?" I finally growled.

"Audio and video," Liara replied.

"Edit and release it as soon as the cure is confirmed. The galaxy will learn what depths certain salarians will go to."

I headed straight downstairs to the med-bay where Mordin, Wrex and Eve were making final preparations. I told them immediately what the dalatrass had offered. Mordin wasn't surprised and already knew about the sabotage. He assured me that he'd easily fix that before ensuring the cure was dispersed. Wrex wasn't happy but his trust in me only strengthened as I'd immediately told him. Eve simply touched my shoulder and thanked me for being honest. "A rare commodity most of the time," she said.

With time to spare, I headed back to the office, sending a message to Admiral Hackett about what was going to happen, though added I would contact him again once the mission was successful. He replied, a simple reply of 'Godspeed, Commodore'.

Miranda walked in with a smile on her face, shutting the door behind her, before she approached me, leaning down and giving me quite the kiss. I liked that quite a bit but had to ask, "What was that for? Not complaining, mere curiosity."

"You've changed."

"How? I hope in a good way."

"What you said before, about everyone coming together for the common good. You've changed. As I said, it's rather idealistic."

"If this war doesn't change us for the better, Miri, nothing will. Surely we've already learned that the way we've done things isn't the right way. We should already be coming together to fight. Instead, the asari dither and the salarians play politics." I stood up and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her tight to my body, leaning down to kiss her again. "Anyway, I'm not the only one who has changed."

"I've changed because of the man I just happen to be head over heels in love with." She kissed me again before leaning back just enough that she could meet my eyes. "Do we have enough time?" she whispered, her eyes suggesting she really wanted to be intimate.

"Always."