Mass Effect - A Hero Rises Ch. 39

Ronald gulped, eyes looking around for salvation, but he had no hope of that whatsoever. "Jacob, please..."

Jacob simply turned and walked away. He was walking through the gate when he heard the sound of a gunshot. Stopping just past the gate, he was soon joined by the four others. "Are we done here?" he asked Shepard.

"We'll join Chakwas and the others. I'm not entrusting Cerberus to handle this. I'll put a call through to the Alliance and ensure they come pick them up. We'll talk to those who seem capable of understanding and explain what is happening. With any luck, they won't be here longer than another day or two before they're rescued."

"That's fair, Commander. And, despite everything, thanks. At least I've laid that ghost to rest now."

"Trust me, it felt righteous, Jacob. But I can understand why you walked away."

"The man I knew and loved died long ago, Commander. The man I met back there? No idea who he was. He wore his face but he wasn't the same."

Heading back to the female camp, he stuck to the edges, not wanting to frighten the women any more than they already were. The shuttle returned quickly and he took off with the others, only Miranda, Chakwas, Shepard and a few other women staying. Shepard was taking command but keeping distance from the females himself.

The crew was down there for at least most of the day, returning in the evening, ship time, Shepard reporting that an Alliance ship was already on the way, so he wanted to leave as soon as possible. Though he had relayed all the information possible, he had piled up all the datapads and anything else they needed near the camp. He had also informed them about Taylor and where his body could be located, though he figured the Alliance wouldn't actually bother with him.

Word spread quickly about what they'd found, and everyone was disgusted. But he appreciated the kind words he received from everyone, not judging him by the actions of Ronald. They seemed to agree with how he thought about. His father had died ten years ago.

The next morning, he was down in the gym when Shepard appeared. As usual, they worked out in relative silence, helping out each other when it came to doing weights. Shepard would not be weighed down with any guilt regarding shooting the man. Jacob had seen him hand out summary justice more than once, and knew he'd done it plenty of times before his death. Jacob would admit that he simply wanted to forget all about it.

"He ruined paradise, Shepard," he finally said once they were sat down, sipping at a bottle of water each, "Yeah, the food was bound to send them all crazy anyway, but fucking hell, the regime he instituted... not only how he treated his fellow officers, which verged on barbarity, but the women..."

"Situations like that effect people differently, and it seemed Ronald Taylor gave into his darker urges."

"He used them as sex slaves, Shepard. Each time he had sex with one of them, it was rape. Fuck, I know I'm going to look in the mirror and, in the back of my mind, see his face and know what he did."

"But you're not him, Jacob, that's what is in your favour. So all you can do is be your own man. Earn your reputation. For everyone woman on that planet, do a good deed in their name instead. Kind of like Thane, in all honesty. Bring light to the darkness."

"Didn't think you'd buy into all his mumbo-jumbo."

"I don't really, but I can see it brings him peace, so I'm not going to criticise. And I can also see what he means about light and dark, connect and disconnect. But, more importantly, he might have been your father but that doesn't mean you are or have to be like him. You are clearly your own man, Jacob. Forge your own path. Don't forget what he did, so simply work to put it right."

"Still want to know who sent me the information."

"You know who it was, Jacob."

"You think it was her?"

"Of course. No idea why, but it was definitely her."

So he went to talk to her about it later that day. Walking into her office, she seemed to realise straight away as he took a seat, hearing the door lock behind her. He sat and stewed for at least a couple of minutes before he simply asked, "Why?"

"I thought you would want to know, Jacob. I had no idea it would have ended like that, but at least it has resolved it, yes?"

"Well, it has, but I didn't think you'd even remember."

"I promised, when you told me the story, that I'd do what I could, Jacob."

"Part of me wants to thank you, Miranda. The other part really wants to hate you as it simply wasn't what I thought would happen. I didn't expect a happy family reunion, nor did I expect the horror show we discovered."

"But at least you do have closure, Jacob. Surely that was the point of going to find him."

"It was, and I do have it, but some of that shit is going to haunt me for a while."

"You're not the only one, Jacob. What some of the women managed to tell us... Your father wasn't the only one, but once he took complete control..."

"That's why I'm glad he's dead. If Shepard hadn't shot him, someone else would have killed him in the end. I'm sure Samara would have liked getting her hands on him."

"Possibly. But at least we rescued them. Shepard will let us know when the Alliance has collected them."

He paused again before he asked, "Why, Miranda?"

"We were once close, Jacob. You'd never told another person about it. When you told me, I knew I had your trust. And having earned it, I guess I just wanted to help. Despite everything, we were good together. But mixing personal and professional was never a good idea."

"It was fun while it lasted, I can admit that. Though if you claim that..."

"Once or twice at most, Jacob. Not that it's any of your business, but he's made it clear that... well, while he would like to more often..."

"Hey, I'm just wondering. I know the man has a reputation and all. Showed that sensitive side he rarely does today. I've never seen him so angry." He got to his feet and walked to the door, Miranda unlocking it so it opened, before he turned back. "Say, Miranda.... It was fun, right?"

The smile that formed surprised him. "It was, Jacob."

"You ever think about... having some more fun? Are you pining for Shepard or..."

"Are you suggesting something, Jacob?"

"Well, we were good together for as long as it lasted, particularly the physical side. So..."

"Jacob, are you asking your senior officer if she'd like to fuck?"

"Yes, ma'am."

She nodded. "Not tonight. Not after what we found. I'm going to need a good shower or two."

"Me too. Trust me, I was talking about later."

"Then yes, Jacob. Resuming what we started would interest me. You just let me know when you're willing, and we'll go from there. Are you after something purely physical or..."

"Just physical, Miranda. As Garrus says, got to pop that heat sink every now and then. And, well, I still remember how good it was."

"I'll talk to you later, Jacob."

"See you at dinner, Miranda."

Heading back upstairs, at least the issue was now resolved and he could focus him mind on the task at hand. Finding the datapad, he wiped the information and handed it to Kelly to be used again. Otherwise, he organised the weapons that had been taken out on the mission and began to strip them, getting them ready for the next mission.