Mass Effect - A Hero Rises Ch. 07

I kissed her as I placed the head of my cock at her entrance, earning a small gasp. "I know what you mean," I said softly.

"Once you're inside me, Shepard, I know I probably won't want anyone else."

"But you just said..."

"I know what I said." She caressed my cheek again. "You saved me," she whispered before running her hand down to my arse, giving it a squeeze before I gently slid inside her. I took my time giving her my entire length, but once I was buried, she immediately wrapped her legs around me. Resting her head back, she started to giggle again, though I noticed... I leaned down to kiss her cheeks. "It's okay, Shepard. Just a big moment."

"Are you okay?" I just didn't want to even think I'd hurt her.

"Goddess, yes. I'm already wishing we'd discovered you a few thousand years ago!"

That made us both laugh as I gently started to thrust into her. She learned rather quickly what she liked, adjusting her body and also her legs, feeling her hands run up and down my back, appreciating the muscles across my upper back and shoulders. Otherwise, we continued to make out, only breaking apart when we needed to breath, moan or whisper sweet nothings to each other. There was no doubt we already liked each other quite a bit. She was gorgeous, and she'd already told me I was handsome, so it was a good match.

"Shepard," she breathed as I soon picked up the tempo. I'll admit, I wasn't going to last a lot longer. She was rather tight and felt fantastic.

"Shiala, not much longer."

"I've never felt a man cum in me," she whispered.

That was a suggestion as she wrapped her hands and legs tightly around me. "Hold on," I stated into her ear, hearing another giggle as I stated to thrust into her harder and faster. Hearing her moan into my ear was a complete turn on, and when I felt her pussy start to squeeze my cock, that was a complete surprise. I never expected...

"Shepard!" she cried, feeling her shudder as she squeezed her arms tighter, "Goddess, how... How is this..."

"Won't last..." I started to say.

We both shut up as I was now pounding her as she recovered from her orgasm. I think she was now rather emotional, not crying, but there was no doubting the connection. I breathed her name as I thrust into a final time before unloading. She squeezed me even tighter if possible before I buried myself and rested, Shiala still wrapped tightly to my body though resting hers on the bed. My forearms on the bed, there's no doubting we were coated in sweat and various other bodily fluids. Feeling her finally release me, I rested on my forearms as our eyes met.

"Is it always like that?" she asked.

I'll admit to feeling a little embarrassed. I'd certainly made an effort with her. Not to say I didn't with my lovers, but I wanted her first time to be somewhat memorable. "If you're with the right lover, every time is great. Just remember, sometimes the sex is enough. It doesn't need an orgasm to make that connection with someone." I stopped before adding, "But I love making my partner cum regardless."

Lying on the bed together, I lay on my side as she spooned into my body, snuggling into me, mentioning we should have a shower soon. I felt rather tired so suggested we should have a shower sooner rather than later. Finding myself dragged into my small bathroom, we cuddled under the hot water. "You make me feel safe already, Shepard," she said softly, feeling her fingers dig into my back.

"How do you mean?"

"To Benezia, I was always a tool to be used. I could understand why at the time, but even after that, I was never left feeling that she ever cared about any of us. I was left no choice regarding the Thorian. It was simply something I was expected to do. Trust me, it wasn't a choice. In the past couple of days with you, I already feel that my opinion is validated, that I can tell you what I think or feel, and that you will listen to me, take it into account, before making your decision."

I lifted her chin so her eyes met mine. "I will never sacrifice you, Shiala," I whispered earnestly.

That just made her lip quiver before she kissed me with as much passion as I'd ever received, eventually pressing her body against the side of the shower. "I will be by your side until the end," she whispered upon breaking the kiss, "Until we beat that bastard Saren."

After drying each other down, which seemed more intimate than anything we'd done before as we spent most of the time kissing and caressing each other, I took her by the hand and led her back to my bed. I'm not sure if she was expecting me to kick her out, but once she rested against my body, I heard her sigh deeply, shuffling back against my body again. "Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?" I wondered.

"For caring." I leaned forward to kiss her cheek. I'm sure I heard her sniffle, but I didn't question. I think everything we'd just shared was a big deal to her. "Shepard?" she whispered a little later.

"Yeah?"

"Can we do this again?"

"Definitely, Shiala."

I sensed she smiled before I felt her settle down and she fell asleep. I kissed her cheek again before I felt myself relax, continuing to hold her. She was a lovely young woman. I called asari women because, quite frankly, they were, biologically at least. Anyway, we'd made a connection and I'd fight hard to make sure it wasn't broken.

Waking in the morning, she was still asleep as I kissed her softly on the shoulder before moving up to her cheek. That made her giggle as she swapped onto her other side to kiss me properly. "Well, I don't mind waking up like that," she said softly.

"And I don't mind waking up next to you. But we'd better get up so we can have breakfast."

"What about..." she started to ask before trailing off.

"Never mind what they think. And I know they will be careful about what they say."

She got up first, and I watched her put on her leathers. By god, her body was fantastic, and she definitely appreciated me watching. As she put on her boots, I got up and quickly put on my uniform, only a shirt and trousers, plus my boots. Once we were ready, she wandered out first, following her out into the mess. Nearly everyone else was already sitting, eating breakfast, noticing the silence as Shiala walked out first, grabbing a tray, piling up some food, before we joined the others.

No-one said anything for at least a couple of minutes. I simply ate without a care in the world. I could see Shiala was nervous, barely able to eat a bite. I finally reached across to grab her free hand. "We did nothing wrong, Shiala," I stated, loud enough for everyone to hear. She smiled, but the rapid blinking I think was also a sense of relief.

Wrex simply burst into laughter, slapping the table. "You do work fast, Shepard!"

"Spirits, I wish I had your luck," Garrus muttered.

"Nothing to do with luck, Garrus. Have you spoken to that doctor since we rescued her?" He shook his head. "Well, I think you might need to."

"I wouldn't know what to say."

"You don't need to say anything. Just ask her out. If she says yes, fantastic. If she says no, then you move on."

"So you two..." Liara trailed off, looking between Shiala and I.

"Yes, Liara?" I asked.

"She spent the night in your quarters, Shepard?" Alenko wondered.

"She did. Why are you asking?"

"No reason. Simply curiosity."

I met everyone else in the eyes. Liara and Ashley simply met mine before looking away, while I think Tali was more amused than anything. "Have a good time?" she finally asked.

"Sure. Sex is always fantastic, Tali."

"Keelah, can't wait to find out one day, Shepard!"

Wrex burst into laughter, slapping the table again. "You are going to corrupt at least one woman on this trip, Shepard!"

"Look, I'm trapped in this suit, Wrex. All I can do is simply fantasise about... well, it."

Wrex stopped laughing and nodded. "I see what you mean, little one." He paused before asking, "But why stop at just fantasising?"

I thought the question would have made her uncomfortable. Instead, she replied, "While I want to feel the touch of another person, whether quarian, human, asari or otherwise, to just feel that would require... To be honest, I'm not really sure, Wrex. But just exposure to the air you all breathe could cause me to feel seriously ill."

"Bet you two are jealous," Garrus stated, no doubt meaning Ashley and Liara. I just groaned as Wrex burst into laughter again. "What? I mean, I'm usually oblivious to most things but even I can see it."

"Leave it, Garrus," Liara stated.

"Be glad I don't have a knife," Ashley muttered. The eyes of the turian widened and I'm sure he gulped, probably feeling a little fear. "Yeah, that's right. Something you like would find itself detached."

"Harsh, Ashley. Harsh, but fair. And fucking funny!" Wrex exclaimed. I couldn't help chuckle.

"You're just a bad influence, Wrex!" Tali added with a giggle of her own.

"Looks, I'm the oldest here by a good few hundred years. I've seen a lot of shit go down. Watching all this drama play out is simply humorous to someone as old as I am. It's clear the Commander likes company. And, sorry ladies, but it's also clear that you all like the Commander. Even you, lady doctor." I glanced to see Chakwas blush, which was a little surprise. "So while I understand all your rules and regulations, or the fact you're worried about this or that, let me give you some advice. I'm old enough to have lived through some bad shit. And when something good comes alone, grab onto it and enjoy it. If it happens once, remember that at least it happened. If it happens more than once, then by the gods, hope it happens again and again." He then looked at me. "Shepard, I'm going to be blunt. There are at least four females at this table who want to fuck you. I could name them, but I'm not a complete arse, so I won't name them."

"I don't think you need to as it's rather obvious," Alenko stated, and I heard the humour in his tone, "Got to say, Commander, anyone else would feel put out because of it."

I shrugged helplessly before clearing my throat, "Um, I think we have a mission or two to worry about."

"Nice deflection, Shepard, but I know I'm right. You won't even have to play your cards right. If you wanted, you won't go to bed alone," Wrex stated, "Even my little friend wants your company."

"Wrex!" Tali exclaimed to the amusement of everyone. I glanced her way and she at least met my eyes from behind her mask. She simply shrugged. "I do wonder, Shepard. I can admit it, at least." She then paused before looking at Shiala. "What was it like?" she asked not so quietly.

"He made me cum really hard," Shiala replied, Wrex slapping the table as he laughed again, "More than once!"

I finished up my breakfast quickly before standing up and leaving as Shiala thought then would be the best time to go into detail about what we had done. I didn't blame her. Considering I was her first male, I could understand why. But I felt more than one pair of eyes on my back as I headed back to my quarters.

Thankfully we had a distraction as we found ourselves in the Matano system, looking for the planet of Chasca. It was another ExoGeni lead, and after what we'd found on Nodacrux, I could only imagine what we were going to find on another planet. Considering this Cerberus organisation was also involved, it would either be for better or worse.

Once we reached orbit, the immediate concern was that the colony below appeared to be silent. Normally we'd receive some sort of signal, either simply to communicate with us or we would receive a message or messages about the status of the colony. I felt a chill down my spine, as if the colony was already dead. I ordered everyone to the garage. We probably wouldn't need a full team, but unless I already knew what was on the ground, I was going to take everyone.

We dropped in the Mako around half an hour later. From what I'd gathered about the world, only sections would ever be inhabitable, the planet being tidally locked to its moon, meaning one side was unbearably hot, the other freezing cold, with only a slither of habitable land. Why anyone would think it was worth actually living on beggared belief.

"I've got nothing on comms, Shepard," Tali reported, "But I have three possibilities. One is to the south, about one click. One to the south, around two. Then a third to the west at around five."

"Might as well just go with the closest and work our way out. Let's just be prepared for..." I sighed. "I don't even want to contemplate to be honest."

Heading to the first structure to the south, we parked up the Mako and headed inside. It appeared to be some sort of science facility, heading inside to find it infested with husks. As we mowed them down, I'm sure I wasn't the only one to have a bad feeling start to bubble up in their gut. We didn't find any sort of research station nor terminal we could gather information. Wandering back outside, Ashley grabbed my attention as we noticed the dragons' teeth, the same we'd seen on Eden Prime. I noticed her shudder. "This is wrong, Shepard," she muttered.

"We'll deal with it, Ash," I assured her.

We headed to the northern structure. Much like the first, it was infested with husks. We already knew how to deal with them by now, but we all realised that by killing them, we were killing what were once humans. And if the nugget in my gut was correct, they used to be colonists. We'd passed more than one pre-fab to realise that some people had been trying to make a life for themselves. I'm sure I wasn't the only one to walk out of the structure a little pissed off.

In silence, we headed to the third and final destination. Approaching it, more husks seemed to swarm towards us. I brought the Mako to a halt, ordering Garrus to open fire as the rest of us piled out. Once the husks were dealt with, I gathered the team. "Tali, Alenko, anyone else with knowledge. Find out anything you can about ExoGeni, Cerberus or whoever else is involved with what's going on here. I have a bad feeling about what we're going to find out but... I hope I'm wrong."

Much like the first two structures, the third was full of husks. But so many more than the first two, I think we almost hesitated killing them by the end. There was nothing that could be done for them, they were already dead, but the dragons' teeth around told us everything we needed to know. Once the husks were dead, we searched for information, and even I would admit to being shocked when we found clothing. Not just adults, but... children... What were these people capable of?

Ashley found the same, and that's what made her break, hearing her apologise as she dashed to the exit. Alenko met my eyes, nodded, and followed after her. Garrus walked to my side. "I really didn't think..."

"Humans can be complete and utter cunts, Garrus. And, to be honest, we love killing each other more than killing others. Have a whole lot of experience in the former."

"But children?"

"Means nothing to organisations like ExoGeni and Cerberus. All that matters is progress, no matter the cost."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Report it to the Alliance. But I will be having words with someone we currently hold on the ship."

That wasn't the end of it though. I found an office where they had apparently been recording the experiments they'd been carrying out. The Cerberus name and logo was everywhere. No-one was dumb enough to say their name, but it was obvious who they were working for. What I saw was... horrific. In fact, even that doesn't describe the horror I watched unfold. I waved away anyone else who was even intrigued as to what I watched. I could watch it alone and live with it, knowing I would get vengeance for all those that suffered.

After gathering all the information we could get, including the list of colonists that may have once inhabited the planet, we ended up back on the Normandy, instructing Joker to return us to the Citadel immediately, requesting Alliance representatives meet us there. I was quickly told the Alliance office on the Citadel would help us out regarding any issues going forward.

On our way back to the Citadel, the mess was quiet that evening. Even Wrex didn't crack many jokes, most heading off by themselves once their trays were cleared. Once I was alone, I requested that Doctor Ross be brought to the interrogation room for questioning. I waited for her arrival, two guards bringing her in, placing her in the seat opposite, before I dismissed them. She appeared to be in good health though no doubt intrigued as to why she'd been summoned.

"Just visited a rather interesting world," I stated.

"Which one?"

"Little planet by the name of Chasca. Ever heard of it?" She said nothing. I knew she'd probably heard of it. It might have been operated by Cerberus, but ExoGeni's name was all over it too. "Deny it all you want but I doubt you didn't know what was going on."

"Cerberus?" she asked quietly.

I slapped the table with my palm. "What do you know?" I shouted.

"Nothing!" she cried.

I stood up, kicking my chair back as I rounded the table. The fear in my eyes... It excited me at that moment. Grabbing her by the collar, I hauled her out of the chair, leaning her back over the table. "Bullshit!" I roared, "People like you always have the fucking answers. All through history, all people like you did deny. 'Oh, we were only following orders!' Bullshit!"

"I swear I don't know!" she whimpered, no doubt now fearing for her life. I held her collar with my left hand as I held her throat with my right. I met her eyes and I could see, almost taste the fear, as I gently squeezed. "Please, Shepard," she pleaded softly, "I didn't know... I'm a scientist trying to help humanity, not kill it!"

I squeezed for another couple of seconds before I relented. I placed her back in her seat before placing my left forearm around her neck, holding my right arm in front of her. "I'm going to play you some footage, Ross. Let's see what you think of it."

Pressing play, I showed her what we'd found on Chasca. The colonists that were... That were impaled on the spikes. Butchered like they were nothing. Turned into creatures most of us wouldn't see in our worst nightmares. Men, women and children, all sacrificed in the so-called name of progress. I made her watch until she simply couldn't take anymore, begging me to stop showing her. "I never did anything like that," she cried softly between her tears. Part of me empathised and believed her. We hadn't found anything like that on Nodacrux, but she was still ExoGeni, she was still one of them.

Switching off my omni-tool, she stood up and cried on my shoulder. I wrapped an arm around her waist and simply let her get it off her chest. I believed her now as it was such a genuine reaction. When she finally stopped and she was simply shaking from all the emotion, I gave her a gentle squeeze. I was still human.

"God, I can't believe..."

"That is the sort of people you work for."

"I thought we doing good. I thought we were helping our progress. I never believed we would..."

I could hear how heartbroken she was in her tone. I believed showing her that video had broken the trust she may have once had. I leaned back as she did, seeing her look at me with tear stained cheeks. I used a thumb to clear her right cheek. "Work for the Alliance," I suggested.

"But they don't... They don't give the freedom..."

"But look at what happens when left unchecked. The Alliance has their faults, but they would never, and I mean never, sacrifice human lives like you've just seen. Can you look at yourself in the mirror again if you were to work for ExoGeni?" She shook her head. I leaned against the desk. "I'll make you a deal, Ross. I've already figured out you're quite intelligent. So if you give me your word that you'll assist the Alliance, I'll see what I can do about getting some of the charges dropped."