Man of War Ch. 07

A/N -- Thanks to everyone who left a comment at the end of the previous chapter. I think the opinion regarding what I asked was split between those who want a relationship or at least a sex scene, those who don't, and those who think I should just what I want since it's my story.

As I have a few chapters already written but still editing, nothing further will be added to the previous chapter regarding the relationship. Whether anything happens in the future, I'm really not sure. At the moment, let's just say it's a case of wait and see. If it does happen, it certainly won't be anything more than a small element within the grander story.

Anyway, as I said, cheers to those who left me feedback. Your comments are generally appreciated and it was heartening to see that so many are actually reading this!

And to those anonymous reviewers who 'complain' about realism, please note this is not meant to be an accurate representation of any particular era considering this is a FANTASY story.

*****

Year 2183 of the Empire (since Foundation Year)

Year 979 of the Third Era of Empire (Dragonheart Line)

Veneris, the twenty-third day of Sun's Dawn

Mid-afternoon

Dear mother,

You would never believe how vast the ocean is. The Normandy is currently tracking on a north-west trajectory, having passed through the Great Barrier Reef a month ago, and apart from one small uninhabited small island, which we spent a day surveying regardless, we have come across no sign of life whatsoever.

That is not to say life hasn't been interesting or we haven't made discoveries. You wouldn't believe the size of some of the animals that appear to reside in the oceans. Most of us who have been to sea have been witness to dolphin's swimming alongside our vessels, but I'm talking of monstrous creatures, the size of if not larger than our vessel. Creatures that blow water through holes in their bodies, that drench us if they come close enough. Spectacular, marvellous creatures, mother. We just don't know what to name them!

We are also visited by birds with wingspans double if not triple that of a human. I have no idea how they are so far out at sea, but they appear curious of our vessel, one or two having perched on the side. Some of the men wanted to grab them for fresh meat. Instead, we did grab one and kept it alive so one of my doctor's, Serana, could study it. She wouldn't have given killing and then dissecting it a second thought, though she would probably have learned lot more had she done so.

Jane is well, mother. We eat breakfast and dinner together more often than not. She has adapted well to life on the Normandy alongside me and has steadily built friendships with her fellow officers. I will admit that I adore having my little sister by my side at times. She helps keep me grounded, and for someone younger than me, is sometimes full of good advice.

My officers are a good bunch. No, not just good. They are fantastic. All of them are brilliant at their jobs. I cannot fault them one bit. What you would find interesting is that two of them have magic. They have had no opportunity to us their talents yet, but they may do if, or perhaps when, we meet someone. There is one particular person who...

Her name is Leliana, mother. She is a priestess of the Five. And as the Five as my witnesses, I'm in love with her. She knows. I know. But we haven't told each other yet. I guess neither of us want to rush it. Or perhaps we believe the mission is too important to be truly distracted, despite what my manservant, Jeeves, has told me about love. Or maybe we're just, I don't know, scared to admit those feelings, because then we'd have something to lose if the worst happened. But that's not to say we haven't spent a lot of time together...

*****

Leliana had just finished up her morning sermon, and I waited for everyone else to disappear before I approached her. She wasn't surprised to see me do so. We spoke every day. I tried not to go searching for her too often, but if we hadn't seen each other all day, she would generally come looking for me, even if we only talked for a few minutes about the most mundane of topics.

"Leliana, would you care to join me for dinner tonight?"

The smile was immediate, broad, and lit up her face. "I would be delighted, Shepard," she replied softly.

"Unfortunately we ran out of fresh ingredients a week back, so..."

She immediately stepped forward, taking hold of my hands. "I don't care about that, Shepard. Will you be at the table with me?"

"Well, yes."

"That is all that matters then."

I had a spring in my step the rest of the day, enough that even Pressly made mention of my rather happy demeanour. He probably knew the reason but knew not to say anything. And I think Moreau received a word in the ear from the Master, as he gave me a look, smirked, but kept his mouth closed.

Departing slightly earlier than normal, leaving Lawson in charge of the bridge, I returned to quarters and had Jeeves heat a little water. If there was one thing I was going to do before dinner, it was to enjoy a quick clean and ensure I didn't stink to high heaven. All I could do was have a good scrub, Jeeves having a few male perfumes I could wear, and wonder if Leliana would be going to the same lengths.

After a good scrub, I picked out my cleanest uniform and dressed, ensuring my boots were polished, using the same rag to give my teeth a quick scrub as well. Sounds disgusting, but better than nothing. Wandering out into the cabin, Jeeves had prepared the table. Only two places, a bottle of wine and some candles, two placemats with some cutlery. "I will ensure you have privacy while you dine, sire."

"Thank you, Jeeves."

I paced the cabin as I waited for Leliana to knock on the door. When there finally was a knock, I had to resist running towards them and throwing them open. Instead, I casually as possible walked towards and opened them. Leliana stood before me, a vision in white. She'd platted her hair, a ring around the top of her head, with a further plat to either side, almost framing her face. Her cheeks were slightly redder, as were her lips.

I performed a half bow. "Sister Leliana."

She performed a half curtsey. "Captain Shepard."

I stood to the side and gestured. "Please, come in," I said. She walked by and I closed the door. She stood nearby, waiting for me to walk her to the table. I pulled her chair out and she sat down, thanking me. I then offered her a glass of wine, letting her know Jeeves thought it would complement our meal perfectly. "I hope you like salt beef, biscuit and sauerkraut," I said as I sat down.

She reached across to grab my hand. "I don't care about the food, Shepard."

I couldn't help the smile that formed. "You look... absolutely stunning tonight, Leliana."

The colour of her cheeks increased. "Thank you, Shepard. I was worried that continuously wearing white would bore you."

I had to bite back one or two more unsavoury, ungentlemanly comments, clearing my throat for good measure. "Never. I'm just amazed they are still so clean."

"An old secret of mother's. The only difference is using seawater."

I could have added that her scent was divine as well, no doubt wearing some sort of perfume, but I thought that might be too personal. I didn't want to just lean over and inhale. She'd probably think I was being rather uncouth.

Jeeves walked in a few minutes later with a plate each for us. Placing them down, he wished us good night, and immediately departed for his quarters. "He is not standing nearby?"

"No. It's just you and I tonight."

Another one of those heart achingly beautiful smiles. Gods, I think they were teasing me sometimes. We ate in comfortable silence, not needing to fill it with mindless chatter. There were one or two questions about our current progress, but she knew as much as I did that it was just after day of ocean at the moment. Spirits were still high but the monotony was tough to take. But I had good officers who knew how to keep the men entertained, or at least busy enough so there wasn't trouble.

The meal was finished rather quickly, leaving us with a near full bottle of wine to drink. Having uncorked it, it would be rude not to finish it, and a gentleman does not dispose of good wine by pouring it into the sea. Rising to my feet, I escorted Leliana from the dining room into my private quarters, where there was a small lounge on which we could sit. I opened the window to allow in a slight breeze, taking a seat by her side, pouring her another glass.

Leaving my left arm along the back of the lounge, she kicked off her boots and curled her feet under her, leaning into me slightly. It was so comfortable already, it was almost scary. "What do you hope for, Shepard?"

"How do you mean?"

"Well, let's say from life. What do you hope to achieve?"

"That's a rather broad question with many answers. But I can break it down slightly. From a career perspective, I'd like to make the rank of admiral one day. I'm thinking that, if I lead this mission to success, I could immediately rise to admiral, though they could end up promoting me to commodore. I guess I won't mind either position. Being a commodore would mean continued life at sea and I would be in charge of an entire fleet. A lot of power, and a lot of responsibility. There's a chance, if I made admiral, I'd be posted somewhere on land."

"And what about your personal life, Shepard?"

"I'll admit my ambitions have changed recently."

"Oh, how so?"

"Well, speak to my sister, and she would tell you some rather delightful stories about my past."

She started to giggle. "I've heard, Shepard, as I... Well, I may have asked her some questions about you. Rest assured, I don't judge. You were single and desired some female company." She paused a moment. "One would think you were looking for love, just in the wrong places."

"No, I wasn't looking... I had a mindset at the time."

She turned to look at me. "And now?"

"Now I look at things differently."

I thought she might ask another question, or make some sort of statement, but my answer must have satisfied her curiosity, as she simply leaned into me and settled down. I moved my arm from the back of the lounge to rest it on her side. All she did was wriggle a little bit. We sat again in comfortable silence again, sipping at our wine. I finished my glass rather quickly, pouring myself another one, topping up hers at the same time. I would drink the next one slower. I certainly didn't want to be drunk, not that I expected anything to happen.

She eventually turned her body so she could look up at me. Her cheeks were still rather red, wondering if they were also flushed from the wine, and maybe something else. Her lips were still rather red too, I think a little colour from the red wine we were consuming. I didn't even think about it. Didn't comprehend the outcome of such a gesture. But I felt an overwhelming desire, if not need, to finally do it.

She must have read my mind, or maybe my eyes gave something away, or my face. Maybe my body language in its entirety. I'm not sure, but she met my kiss immediately. Hand on heart, it was the best one I'd ever shared to that moment in my life. Somehow placing the glass down on the floor, taking hers and doing the same, I turned my body slightly towards her as she did the same, wrapping my other arm around her side. I could taste wine and something extra on her breath, suggesting she had been prepared for this outcome.

We finally broke apart, both of us breathing heavily, staring into the eyes of the other. She ran a soft hand down my cheek and over my growing beard. "It's about damn time, Shepard," she said quietly. I couldn't help it as I laughed lightly at her tone. "How long have you been waiting?"

"About five minutes after you walked into my office that very first time," I finally confessed.

"Remember how I kissed you on each cheek when I left after our first meeting?" I nodded. "I didn't want to just kiss you there, but I thought that would have been rather too forward, and definitely surprising."

"So it was rather immediate for you too?"

"You were the answer to my prayers, Shepard." She kissed me again, but only lightly. "But I cannot give myself to you just yet. You know my feelings for you. And, most importantly, I trust you. But..."

"Say no more. You don't have to explain or justify. I will only ask only one question."

"Yes?"

"Would you have dinner with me again?"

"All you need do is ask, Shepard. I can promise that I'll never say no."

I returned her glass and we sat back to finish off the bottle. I'm fairly sure her heart would have been racing like mine. Certain other parts of my body may have also reacted at the same time. If she noticed, she didn't embarrass me by mentioning it. We talked a little more, though avoided obvious topics, Leliana mentioning how so many of our crew had the faith, and that her sermons were always well attended and very popular. I could have given her a million and one compliments as to why, but I simply said it was because the men would always retain their faith, no matter what.

We polished off the wine rather slowly, so neither of us were inebriated by the time the bottle was empty. We relaxed a little longer together before Leliana announced that she really should return to her quarters. Rising to our feet, I insisted that I would at least escort her to the door of the wardroom. Offering my arm as always, she looped her arm through mine, immediately resting her head against my upper arm as I walked her to the entrance of the wardroom. Standing on the threshold, she turned to me and I kissed her again with hesitation, damn whoever might see. Her hands ran up and around the back of my neck as I hand mine on her back, one high, one low, resisting the urge to lower one of them even further.

She eventually broke the kiss and leaned back slightly, her eyes looking only into mine. "Thank you for a wonderful night, Captain."

"The pleasure was all mine, Sister. I would like to do it again sometime soon."

"As would I."

I stood back. "Goodnight, Leliana."

"Goodnight, Shepard."

She turned into the wardroom and did her usual thing of looking back with a smile, before rounding the corner and disappearing. I definitely walked back to my quarters with a spring in my step. I'll admit, it was a wonderful feeling.

*****

In addition to my fellow officers, the enlisted men and women of the Normandy are just as magnificent. They work with little complaint and have contributed to the smooth running of this vessel so far. I am aware that a voyage like this can be rather monotonous. It is even for the officers, who then have to work incredibly hard to maintain discipline.

What has kept spirits high is the weather. In all the days we've been at sea so far, the winds have been favourable, and we've only had a day or two of rain at most. That rain was a godsend, though, as we immediately started gathering it to use as drinking water. Do not fret, we are not running short by any means. But any good captain knows that we should use such events to our advantage.

Unfortunately, despite the smooth running of the vessel, and the magnificence of the crew, discipline can still be a problem. I would like to run my vessel with a soft touch, but doing so would lead to anyone, if not everyone, trying to take advantage. As captain, I have expectations of command from those I serve. And those in my chain of command must meet the expectations I place on them.

One thing I will not tolerate at all is hands being placed on a fellow officer by an enlisted man. There are standards and rules of behaviour, and I will definitely not put up with an enlisted man near assaulting an officer. It was the first major breach of discipline during this voyage, but to prove such actions would not be tolerated now or in the future, I had to draw a hard line and remind all, officers and enlisted man alike, what is expected.

*****

I wasn't present when the incident happened. The first I heard of it was when Jane burst into my cabin, almost forgetting herself for a moment before she stopped and saluted. "Captain Shepard, there's been an incident."

Though she'd burst in without knocking, I didn't think too much of it, figuring it must have been urgent. "What happened?"

"Sister Leliana ..." That certainly grabbed my attention, rising to my feet immediately. Jane raised her hands to calm me. "It's fine, Johnny," she said softly, using her nickname to get through to me, "She's fine. Everyone is fine. But code of conduct has been breached."

"Explain," I demanded, albeit gently. This was not a time to fly off the handle, nor let my personal relationship with Leliana affect my decision making.

"Sister Leliana performed her usual Veneris evening service for the men below. As I'm sure you're aware, she's rather popular with the men and women. What happened is... She had wrapped up her sermon and was ready to depart. Unfortunately, one of the young seaman has grabbed her to stop her leaving. We're not sure of his intentions, but that is an immediate breach. Obviously, Sister Leliana reacted negatively to being grabbed, more out of fear than anything I believe, not understanding why she had been grabbed. That startled the young seaman, who then grabbed her firmer instead of immediately letting her go. And the situation spiralled from there."

"Sister Leliana, is she okay?"

"She is absolutely fine though has returned to quarters."

"And the young seaman?"

"Is being held on deck by Chief Aela. Obviously she disciplines the crew, but with an officer being involved, and also our spiritual guide for this journey, it is a serious breach."

"She wants my personal input?"

"Yes, sir."

"I'm not sure how objective I can be regarding this."

She smiled at my honesty, keenly aware of the relationship developing between the two of us. "Would you like the opinion of your Acting Lieutenant, Captain?" I nodded. "The seaman must be flogged. An enlisted man or woman must not, at any time, touch the person of a commissioned officer or superior. Such a breach of protocol must be punished. And you know, Captain, that not punishing him now will send the wrong message to the crew. Discipline is paramount and a hard-line against infractions must be shown."

She was repeating everything I already knew. Everything I already thought. It just sounded better when she was saying it. I nodded in agreement. "Very well. I will speak with Aela. Thank you for the report, Acting Lieutenant."

She saluted me. "Of course, Captain."

She turned about face and strode out. I grabbed my coat, ensured I looked the part, and followed her out a minute later. Aela was already on deck. By her side was a young man, no more than eighteen, hands tied behind his back and fear written all over his face and in his body language. Aela saluted as I approached.

Saluting back, I simply asked for her own version of events. She repeated almost word for word what Jane had told me. Once she was finished explaining, I glanced at the young seaman. "Does the Master-at-Arms tell the truth, seaman?" He nodded nervously. "Do you understand the serious breach of conduct you committed?" He nodded again. "And you are aware that you must now be punished for laying hands on an officer of the Imperial Navy?"

"Yes, sir," he said quietly. I think he was about to piss his pants.

"Punishment detail, sir?" Aela asked.

"Flogging, Chief Aela. Six lashes. Discipline will be maintained. Ill-discipline will not be tolerated on my ship. Ensure all those who were present at the time bear witness. There will be no second warning."

Aela saluted. "Yes, sir. Immediately?"