Mass Effect - A Hero Rises Ch. 51

"Too long sat on your arse... Sir," Vega stated with a smirk.

"Good thing it's like riding a bicycle. Never forget. Okay, I'm going to head upstairs. We'll meet at the airlock when we approach the Citadel."

Heading to the elevator, Kelly must have already been upstairs as she wasn't in it when I boarded. Opening the door to my old cabin, I was surprised to see only a few subtle changes. Kelly was waiting for me, immediately wrapping me in a tight hug. Soon as I wrapped my arms around her, she had a little cry. I didn't blame her. "Was always going to happen, but still..." she murmured.

"I need a shower then a nap. I'm exhausted." I leaned back as she looked up. "I can't think about it all right now, Kelly. There's already so much to do."

She grimaced but nodded in understanding. "Want me to join you?"

"Absolutely."

Peeling off all my armour, I placed it on the desk before taking off the thin shirt and shorts I always wore underneath, then my underwear, padding naked into the shower, Kelly joining me second later, naked as well. She could obviously sense my tiredness as she seemed to just enjoy washing me down, not doing anything other than that, before suggesting I do the same thing to her. When all I did was wash her down, without doing anything overtly sexual, that's when she smiled and simply whispered, "You must be tired, Shepard. This always leads to sex."

"We'll do that after I've slept. Feels like I've been on the go for hours."

"It's early morning, Earth time, Shepard. It's been well over a day so far."

Turning off the shower, I grabbed us both a towel as I checked to see if the fridge had anything. Thankfully, there was water and some nibbles, sitting back on the lounge with Kelly alongside me. "Joker, how long until we're at the Citadel?"

"We're looking at mid-morning, Citadel time, at best, Commander. So around ten hours."

"Okay. I'll be up and about by the time we arrive."

Throwing off my towel, I took Kelly's away too, looking her up and down in all her naked glory. Despite the tiredness, I still felt the familiar stirring in my loins. She just had that effect on me. It simply made her grin as she pressed her body into mine, kissing me softly as I felt her hand grasp my cock. "Want to make love?" she whispered, "Nice way to end the day."

"You always make a good argument, Miss Chambers. But while the body appears willing..."

Her smile broadened. "So you just want snuggles?"

"For now. When we wake up..."

"I'm getting fucked?"

"Spoken so eloquently as always, Kelly."

"I know what I love, Shepard."

So despite the fact I was naked, with a raging erection, and she was naked, and definitely up for it, she spooned her body into mine and seemed to enjoy just snuggling up against me. I was asleep within a couple of minutes, no doubt to her amusement. But it was the first time I'd done anything that strenuous in months. I might have kept myself fit in the gym, but it wasn't battle-fitness. And it wasn't just the physical. Mentally, battle is perhaps even more exhausting, as it wasn't just my life in my hands.

Kelly was already awake as I woke up, and the colour of her cheeks suggested she was being naughty. When she lifted her fingers to my mouth, I could taste her, and figured I might as well help finish her off with my mouth. One orgasm turned into a few as I couldn't get enough of her. While she may have loved that, she wanted my cock even more, and we both made noises of appreciation as I gently slid it inside her, sharing a glance once I was completely buried. "Fuck, that's good," she muttered.

"It hasn't been that long."

"Shepard, we fuck twice a day." I couldn't help chuckle as she wasn't lying. Our sex life was sensational. Again, surprised she wasn't pregnant. "I know things will likely change, but I know we're both going to enjoy this."

She wasn't lying. Despite the situation, during moments like that, it was only about her and I. The feel of her skin in my hands. The warmth of her pussy around my cock. The taste of her lips on mine. The look in her eyes as I picked up the pace, lust, desire, love and need all in a glance. Feeling her body move as I pumped her even faster, her heels ending up resting on parts of my body, urging me on to go harder and faster.

Then I'd grunt and cum inside her, needing to relax as I found myself wrapped in her arms and legs, soft kisses on my cheek or body, whispers of love and affection, which I'd return after I'd spent a couple of minutes just getting my thoughts in order.

Once I rolled onto my back, she simply cuddled into my side for a few minutes. Though I'm sure she would like to ride me, I just appreciated her being next to me as always. "How bad is it going to get?" she asked quietly.

"This is just the start. It's only going to get a hell of a lot worse. We're not prepared. None of us are. It's going to take a miracle."

"I know one man who's capable of performing them."

"Going to be one hell of a Hail Mary attempt this time. Still, long as we win in the end. Almost a case of 'no matter the cost'. But a lot of people are going to die before that." I paused and sighed. "And that's a mood killer."

She gave me a gentle squeeze. "One thing you'll need to do is talk to me, Shepard. If not me, then someone else. Don't bottle it all up. And if you're angry about something, you know I'm always up for a really hard fuck." I met her eyes and couldn't help chuckle. She kissed me before adding, "No promises from either of us. But I'll worry about you all the time regardless."

After another shower, I realised Anderson hadn't exactly got around to emptying the cabin of all my stuff. The fish must have died, as the tank was empty, but nearly everything of mine was still around. The only clothing I did lack were Alliance blues, so I just threw on what I had been wearing when boarding the first time. Kelly also has some blues to wear as well. Before heading downstairs, I asked EDI to request everyone assemble in the mess so I could have a quick chat with them.

Heading down a few minutes later, Kelly holding my hand the entire time, as despite the brave face, I knew she was upset and simply needed my support, I headed out to find a half-empty mess. I knew that would be the case as I stood in front of them. After swapping a salute with them, I simply asked, "Is everyone okay? It's been rather hectic since this morning. You probably feel out of the loop right now. I'll tell you the basics. The Reapers have invaded Earth. We made a brief stop on Mars to acquire data from the archives. We are now heading for the Citadel to petition the Council for assistance. At the moment, I have no further objectives. I'm sure you have a million questions. I only ask that they wait until I have further information myself. Okay?"

A sea of heads nodded in my direction.

"Good. We should be arriving within the next couple of hours. I'll issue orders once we've docked. We obviously don't have a full crew on board, which needs rectifying, and I'm sure we all want more information. Once I have that, we'll debrief in here once again, hopefully with a full complement of crew and an objective on taking the fight to the Reapers."

I saluted, the gesture returned, and the crew was dismissed. I would have made introductions personally, but now wasn't exactly the time, though Kelly helped point out a few people I would like to know later. Vega approached, stating the armoury had been cleaned up but we'd need more supplies if we were going to fight. Liara was next to approach, immediately asking about taking over Miranda's old room. She added briefly the story of what happened to her old ship, and that she kept items in storage on the Citadel in the event of something going wrong. Since Miranda was no longer on board, I agreed to the idea immediately.

Heading up to the CIC, the immediate changes were obvious. My old terminal was still in place, though it looked like it was being used by someone else, sensing a presence next to me. "Um... Samantha uses my old one so... I've been using yours."

"That's fine. I can work upstairs."

"No... I'm sure we can figure something out."

"I might not be on here much longer, sir," the woman standing across from me stated before she approached us, stopping and saluting, "Communications Specialist Samantha Traynor. I was going to wait for introductions later, but since... Well... It's awkward already..."

"What brought you on board?" I wondered.

"The retrofits. Admiral Anderson was refitting the Normandy to be a mobile command centre. You'll see a few of the changes soon enough. Anyway, I have a feeling I'll be moved on soon enough. I've never been on a warship before."

"Shepard?"

"What's up, EDI?"

"Some of our systems require further testing, and Specialist Traynor has been extremely effective during installation. I would prefer that she remain."

"Got it, EDI. The Specialist will remain on board."

"Thank you, Shepard."

"Hang on, since when does a virtual intelligence make requests?"

I cleared my throat and leaned forward. "EDI isn't a VI, Specialist."

"Oh... Oh...." The instant reddening of the cheeks had Kelly chuckling next to me. "Oh god," she muttered. Then she quickly angered, which was rather cute, to be honest. "I knew it! I knew Joker was lying!"

"There was a good reason, Specialist. We like EDI and wanted to protect her."

"You knew?"

"Sort of. I knew enough. Well, the idea was always to keep EDI safe. But it was out of my hands anyway, once I'd handed the ship over. But Anderson knew as well, and he knew the benefits of keeping EDI as she is."

"Shepard and Jeff thought it was best that pretend to be a VI to protect myself, Specialist Traynor. I apologise for the deception."

"That's okay, EDI. Though I also apologise for all the times I talked about how..." She didn't meet my eyes and blushed even brighter, definitely wanting the ground to just open up and swallow her by now "How attractive your voice was..."

Kelly and I had a good chuckle before I replied. "You're good where you are. Kelly, we'll figure out something." Turning around, I noticed the old armoury had been boarded up. "What's the situation there?" I asked.

"It's now just an empty shell."

"Solution to the problem. Knock down the partition, I'll move a desk in there, few things to make it comfortable, and I can work in there. You're free to stay here, Kelly. I'll leave my door open."

"So you can look at my butt?"

"It's a very distracting, tight little butt, Miss Chambers." I paused before asking, "Are you officially part of the Alliance?"

"Not really. I wear the blues so I fit in."

"Then I might just have to induct you into the Alliance Navy, make you an official yeoman, just like before."

"What about fraternisation?" She paused and chuckled to herself. "Like that's stopped you before."

"Exactly."

Problem solved, it was a case of waiting to arrive on the Citadel. Ashley was brought up on a stretcher as we docked, and thankfully doctors from the hospital were already waiting for us, stating she would be taken to Huerta Memorial. Never been there but I'd heard of its reputation. Though I would have liked to follow her, there was nothing I could do until Liara suggested she would meet the approaching welcoming committee and I should go with Ashley. "You sure?"

"I'm the Shadow Broker," she whispered, "Trust me, I'll talk rings around everyone while we're waiting for you to arrive. Go with Ashley and make sure she's being cared for. I can handle this end."

I headed straight for the hospital, Ashley already taken into surgery, so I sat down and waited by myself until the seat next to me was occupied, glancing to see an old friend sitting beside me. I leaned across and gently kissed her cheek. "Nice to see you, Karin."

"Been a few months, Shepard. How are you?"

"Could be better, could be worse."

"Thought I should pop out and say hello. They're doing all they can for Ashley. She's not in any danger, I know that much." She paused before adding, "The news about Earth..."

"I hated leaving."

"But now you're in the fight again. That's important. What brings you to the Citadel? Will you petition the Council for assistance?"

"Yep, and no doubt they'll stonewall me completely." I sighed and leaned back. "I'm mostly wondering what I'm going to do. Anderson suggested getting help from the Council, but if they don't... What then?"

"I'm sure you'll figure something out."

"Want to join us on the Normandy? Or are you doing important work here?"

"I'll pack my things and head home immediately, Shepard. I'm not missing out on another adventure, no matter the dangers." She paused before adding, "Chloe is here too."

"Has she heard from Garrus lately?"

"I know they talk as often as possible. I've heard rumours the Reapers have headed towards Palaven though."

I let that news sink in. "Makes sense. Turian is the largest military threat. And I think the Reapers have taken all my attempts to stop them rather personally." I patted her thigh before standing up. "I'll go speak to one of the doctors then head off to see the Council. See you back on the ship?"

"Of course, Shepard. Is Kelly on board?"

"Aye."

"Back in your cabin?"

"Christened it again already."

That made her chuckle as she kissed my cheek and wandered off in the opposite direction. The head doctor treating Ashley couldn't tell me too much. Swelling of the brain. Still unconscious. Would be kept medicated until the swelling eased and a further assessment could be made, but other than the cranial injuries, she was otherwise uninjured. But anything to do with the brain was treated with caution.

Heading off to see the Council, I was already in a bad mood and knew the meeting coming up was only bound to make it worse. As I walked in, Liara was explaining the plans of what we'd found on Mars. It was some sort of wonder weapon that we didn't understand, but there was belief it was a possible way of stopping the Reapers. It already sounded like some sort of 'Hail Mary' weapon, but to defeat the Reapers, I didn't think we'd beat them by conventional means. I wondered why we didn't just try and nuke the fuckers but that would end up destroying Earth anyway.

Once Liara was done, I gripped the railing and leaned forward. "Earth needs your help. Anything you can provide to help take the fight to the Reapers."

That's when Sparatus confirmed that the Reapers had also arrived around Palaven. And I knew, for that reason alone, the turians wouldn't be able to assist. The salarian councillor was typically useless but when Tevos stabbed me in the back, I was ready to take the pistol from my hip and just start shooting. Through it all, Udina didn't say a word. Tevos ended by saying that Earth would basically be a sacrificial lamb as the other species could rally forces and prepare to counter-attack.

I swallowed down a number of scathing retorts. Instead, I turned on Udina. "Have you lost your voice all of a sudden, you spineless prick?"

"Watch your tone, Commander."

I flipped him the bird. "So much for being the fucking fourth councillor. Where are you balls, man? Do you even care about Earth? The other species have just stated that we are to be sacrificed but you don't make a peep."

"I already have plans in motion, Shepard. If you would give me a minute to explain them, you might not feel the need to bite my head off."

I groaned. "Fuck me gently, you're our beacon of hope now? I'd rather just head off now, fight who I can and see what happens."

"You're free to do what you want, Shepard. But if you come at least see me in my office, I might at least present avenues that would make gathering assistance for Earth easier."

"Shepard, maybe you should listen to him," Liara whispered, "I know you're angry but no point making him an enemy right now. Right?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Fine," I finally stated, looking in his direction, "Give me a few minutes to cool off. I'll come see you later."

"Very well."

He disappeared through a side door as I leaned forward, grabbed the railing, gripped it as tightly as possible. Then I yelled loudly, enough that it echoed around the chamber. Once I stopped, the echo continued for a few more seconds before there was near silence, only my heavy breathing. I turned to Liara and asked, "What are the chances of that weapon working?"

"It will depend on Hackett and his people. But I have hope, Shepard. If we don't have hope, we've already lost."