Mass Effect - A Hero Rises Ch. 54

Book 3, Chapter 5 - Academy Blues

*****

Walking into the war room, I came to attention and saluted. "Primarch Victus."

He looked my way and waved me away. "Please, Commander. I'm a guest on your vessel. Fine vessel that it is."

"Merely respect, sir. Already received information..."

"You mean my file?"

I grinned, earning a turian grin from him in return. "Yeah. I was expecting Fedorian, and I've already read his file back to front more than once, so figured I should get to know who you are, at least the dry facts on a piece of paper. Figuring we'll be working together so I'll get to know the man over the coming weeks."

He leaned back against the circular console in the middle of the room as I leaned against a railing nearby. "Anything specific you want to know?"

"No. Was just thinking a conversation, primarily about what we're facing."

He nodded, then gestured for me to step towards the console. He'd already figured out how everything worked. Keying a few commands, what must have been the situation in Palaven space appeared as holograms. "We've barely been fighting them a week, and already we've suffered catastrophic losses. Not even our wars against the krogan were conducted with such..." He paused a moment. "The strategist in me admires their brutality. The turian in me knows I'm watching the destruction of fifteen thousand years of civilisation." That's when he turned to meet my eyes. "My civilisation."

"I understand, sir."

"I know you do, Comm..."

"Shepard. We're going to be working closely throughout this, sir."

He offered his hand. "Most people call me Victus. I prefer Adrien but... well, guess we're both known by our surnames."

"Okay, Victus. Here's the question. What's the one thing on your mind that might immediately change the direction of this war?"

"We need boots on the ground. We need warriors." He paused a moment, probably wondering how I'd react to whatever he had to say. "We need the krogan, Shepard." I released a breath at that. "I'm aware of your relationship with Urdnot Wrex, Shepard. Some of us do have long memories, and history is rather bitter about our dealings with the krogan, but in a war of annihilation, I can't think of a better species as an ally."

"Salarians will freak at such a suggestion."

"That's why the summit is important. The four Council species must come together and figure this out."

"Heard about the asari?"

He nodded. "I'm hoping it's not true but, knowing what the asari are like, they'll hope to take a long term view. I don't think we have that long to deal with this. If we don't come together, the Reapers will tear us to pieces."

"Like I'm hearing myself," I admitted.

"I won't say I was entirely convinced, Shepard, but Vakarian argued a good game. That's how he managed to get the support he did. His father totally believed him and basically moved mountains to get his son the support he needed."

"Always thought he had a poor relationship with his father."

"Vakar... Garrus has always been his own man. His father has always known that. But when he returned to Palaven, both father and son had changed. Few years old. Few years wiser. Most importantly, both were willing to listen to each other for once. And the thing is, Fedorian was convinced. Helps that he and your Admiral Hackett managed to establish a quick rapport. We've been building ships like crazy the past six months."

"So were we, but that got us nowhere. Two fleets completely decimated. I'm aware Hackett has kept another couple in the field, but Earth and our home system is basically just cut-off now. Far as we know, everyone on Earth is fighting but there's not a lot of information coming out right now."

"We'll get there in the end, Shepard. It's just going to be ugly between now and then."

We discussed fleet movements and the latest situation across the galaxy, but we knew it was still early days yet, and for the moment, all we could do was fight where we could but preserve for the future. Losses were going to be catastrophic to start, but both we and the Reaper would adapt tactics with every battle. It was a battle of annihilation and attrition. Already Victus was planning to remove and preserve fleets. No point flinging everything at the Reapers now with nothing to fight them with later.

My office was now ready for use so I walked by the galaxy map, Kelly turning and smiling at me, Traynor somewhat surprisingly doing the same, though I think she was just a very friendly woman, but I think she was still a little nervous in my presence. It didn't surprise me. Seasoned veterans could be nervous in my presence. Was told I had this 'aura' more than once.

Taking a seat at my desk, I glanced left to look out the window. We'd departed Palaven space and were now, to be honest, flying aimlessly. I figured returning the Citadel would be best until the summit was convened, but I didn't particularly want to go there unless necessary. So I'd ordered Joker to basically take his time getting us there while negotiations with the salarians and asari continued. Glad I wasn't involved in that, otherwise there wouldn't be a summit at all.

"Nice office, Shepard," Liara said from the doorway, leaning against the side. I looked up and grinned. "No bed down here? Thought you'd want one so you could fuck Kelly whenever you wanted." I laughed as Liara rarely cursed. Or, at least, she had rarely. She walked forward and sat in one of the two chairs opposite me. "Have you read what I sent you?"

I couldn't help sigh as everything she'd sent me had been bad news. "Talked to Tevos?"

"I have. It's not only her decision, and the Matriarch's are not budging. As far as they're concerned, the humans and turians are on their own while they do their usual thing." She sighed herself. "Fucking idiots."

"Not used to you cursing, Liara."

"I'm angry, Shepard. This summit should have all the species of the galaxy involved. The way it's already looking, humans and turians will be there. Salarians might begrudgingly put in an appearance. But my people are being... foolish."

"Need to take the edge off?" I wondered. That made her grin, and my own broadened when she nodded. Standing up and rounding the table, I called Kelly into my office, locking the door when she was inside. Turning to face me, I said, "Liara needs a little something."

"Ooh, have you invited me to watch?"

"Would you like to join in?" Liara asked.

"No, I'll get naked on the couch over there and masturbate. Just bend her over the desk and fuck her, Shepard."

"That's what I was hoping he'd do. I'm so angry right now, Kelly. A hard fuck is just what I need."

"Strip. Both of you," I ordered, putting all the authority I could muster into my tone. Kelly undressed so quickly, she nearly fell over in her eagerness to please. Liara's suit had a zip in the middle that went from her neck to just above her pussy. She was wearing some rather nice black lingerie underneath which she quickly removed as well. "Damn, we fooled around the other night but I sometimes forget..."

Stepping towards me, I kissed Kelly first then Liara, and while kissing her, Kelly helped remove my clothes and boots until I was as naked as they were. Then I felt her lips wrap around my cock, smiling as Liara and I continued to make out, Liara wasting no time dropping to her knees as well. Kelly stood up and wandered over to the lounge nearby, sitting back and spreading her legs without hesitation. Normally, I'd just watch her but I looked down to see Liara looking up at me.

"You'll swallow a load first then I'll fuck you afterwards."

"Love hearing you just give orders to us," Kelly said with a giggle, "Liara, will you swallow his cum?"

"By the Goddess, I've thought about sucking his dick for months, Kelly. Would have done it the other day, but I just needed him inside me."

Liara proved how much she wanted to do it as she made sure the blowjob lasted a long time. While I did try to spend most of my time looking down to watch her please me, the desire in her blue eyes making me smile constantly, I did glance over at Kelly from time to time, and she was certainly getting herself all excited, her pussy looking very wet and... is succulent a word to use when a pussy looks good enough to eat?

Aware Liara always liked it when I caressed her crest, she almost shuddered when I did so, and that seemed to make her more determined to make me cum. When I groaned loudly, that was the first sign I was getting close. I didn't need to ask where I was to finish, Liara had proven time and again she only wanted it in one place whenever she blew me.

"Fuck," I grunted as her head was now bobbing up and down quickly. She almost giggled when feeling my cock throb and the first spurt would have hit the back of her mouth, but Liara was nothing if not determined, making sure she took every spurt of cum in her mouth, and like many of my girls, made sure her gulps were loud enough for us to hear before I was finished, feeling her tongue run up and down my shaft as I leaned back against my desk.

"Well, that was just delightful, Shepard," Liara said. Then she glanced over towards Kelly and laughed. "And I think Kelly loved the show."

"Fuck her, Shepard," Kelly breathed, "God, I want to see you fuck her."

Liara looked up at me with a smile. "Neither of you have changed, have you?"

"Why would we? Situation out there has changed. No reason why what we share can't continue otherwise." I helped her up and kissed her cheek. "I'm already of the mind to find Shiala and Gianna as quickly as possible. If necessary, they'll be here on the ship with us."

"They're safe, Shepard. I've been in contact with them already." That earned her a tight hug and a thank you. "Not sure if you've managed to communicate with them. Aware the Alliance kept you off grid for the most part."

I let her go as she stepped towards me desk, bending over it, resting on her forearms as she looked back. "Now, I believe Kelly asked you to bend me over this desk and fuck me." She shook her arse in my direction. "Would you like to do that, Shepard?" A loud slap echoed around the office. Liara shuddered as she had found a liking for having her butt slapped. She had a thick arse, just perfect for fucking from behind. I teased her with the head of my cock, even rubbing it along her arse crack a few times. "Want to fuck my arse later?"

"If you're getting anal, so am I," Kelly moaned from the lounge. I glanced to see her fucking herself silly with her fingers. Made me even harder.

I slid inside her pussy with one slow movement of my body. Liara moaned loudly, lowering herself down as I buried myself, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. "Remember this feeling," I whispered.

"Definitely missed your cock all those months, Shepard."

Once we were comfortable, Liara got fucked, just like she wanted. Kelly urged both of us on, and I'm sure everyone out in the CIC had a good idea of what was going on in the office. Kelly wasn't particularly quiet as she made herself cum more than once, while Liara was no longer the shy lover she'd once been. She knew what she liked and had no problem telling me what she wanted. Which is just what I wanted from a lover. I had things I liked, but my focus was on making my lover cum. Often, if possible. I was going to cum regardless. If I could make them shudder, quiver and almost pass out with pleasure, I could lie back with a smile on my face.

Liara eventually ended up laying back on the desk, keeping her legs spread wide while I could fondle her with my thumb at the same time. That definitely made her orgasm, and we kept on going until I finally left a load inside her, leaning forward as she met my eyes and smiled. "Well, that's just what I wanted too," she whispered, leaning up to kiss me.

Kelly moaned again, both of us looking across to watch her continue to masturbate. "Want to go eat her out?" I asked Liara. She smiled as I stepped back, removing my cock before helping her up. She happily trotted over, getting down on her knees before Kelly, who immediately removed her fingers as Liara wasted no time using her tongue on her. Watching that for five minutes just turned me on, so I quickly had Liara on her hands and knees, fucking her again from behind as she focused on eating out Kelly.

Once I came inside her again, Kelly wanted to swap positions, Liara sitting back on the lounge, Kelly eating her out and joking about the fact my cum dribbled out of her pussy, while I spent a long time fucking Kelly, considering I'd already cum three times by then. I heard my terminal continually ping with new messages, and really should have been concentrating on my job, but as it was still early days, I was going to take advantage of the down time when it was available.

I was done once I'd cum inside Kelly, who'd orgasmed so much herself, she was just as worn out. Liara sat back with a dreamy smile on her face as I sat next to her, Kelly sitting to my other side. "Well, if this is a sign of how things are going to be going forward," Liara murmured.

Kelly giggled. "I hope so if I cum this often. I'll barely be able to stand up once I head back out there."

The three of us eventually got up and dressed, laughing as Kelly's legs were nothing but jelly. Liara had a smile on her face I'd seen more than once, an asari that was completely and utterly satisfied with life in that moment. Once dressed, I hugged both of them before I unlocked the door. Liara was graceful as ever walking out, but Kelly practically limped towards her terminal. Chuckling as I returned to my desk, I switched on the screen of my terminal to see a list of new messages.

Traynor walked in and immediately stopped, sniffing the air. I looked up to see her cheeks immediately colour. But she cleared her throat as she walked to my desk, offering a datapad. "You hear anything, Traynor?" I asked. The colour in her cheeks darkened further but she nodded, so at least she was honest. "Apologies if..."

"Don't apologise, sir. Kelly had been... very honest about what to expect."

"Does it bother you?"

"Not at all. Liara looked very pleased with life when walking out of here, while Kelly..."

"That situation doesn't bother you?"

"Again, Kelly has been nothing but honest about your situation. It's none of my business anyway. And, far as I'm concerned, sounded like you were having quite a bit of fun in here."

I looked down at the datapad. "Okay, let's focus on work. What's this about?"

"Received this barely half an hour ago. Ever heard of Grissom Academy?"

"I have. Where all the geniuses and gifted kids are sent."

"Exactly. Well, this is a priority message from... whoever is in charge now. I'm assuming Admiral Hackett and whoever else remains. Figured you might want to check it out."

"Considering we're waiting for the summit to convene, I guess we can do just that. Thanks, Traynor. Good catch."

"Samantha, sir." I looked up to see her smile a little shyly. "I know you're known as Shepard, but I prefer my first name. If that's okay."

"Sure thing, Samantha." I paused and asked, "Sam?" The face she pulled suggested no, which made me chuckle. "Okay, Samantha it is. And call me Shepard. Only need to use 'sir' in front of the brass or important dignitaries." I held up the datapad. "And good catch on this. Keep your ear to the ground regarding anything we either need to investigate or might help us. Might be worth getting to know Liara if this is your sort of thing."

"Oh, you think she'd work with someone like me? She's..."

"Intimidating?"

She made a gesture with her finger and thumb. "Just a little."

"It's just a front. Get to know her and you'll realise she's very sweet. Don't have to do it right now. Perhaps chat with her in the mess during breakfast or dinner... if she comes out of her room, that is."

Following Traynor out into the CIC, I stepped up towards the galaxy map. Gauging our position in our current system, I pulled up the position of Grissom Academy. Once I'd ascertained how long the potential journey would take, I asked Joker to get us there as quickly as possible. "Better than aimlessly floating around space, Commander," he said, "I can get us there within twenty-four hours, all being well."

"We'll have to be careful upon entering the system. Report is that Cerberus is responsible for the possible attack."

I glanced at Kelly and her usual pale face seemed to go even whiter. "Is that true?" she asked quietly.

"Tim made his intentions clear to me on Mars. He's going to be a thorn in our side going forward. If it's not the Reapers, he's going to be a spanner in the works." I turned to Traynor. "Samantha, something to work on, by yourself, with these fine people around you, and also with Liara. I want to know what Cerberus is up to. Where are their operations? What do they have out in the field? What is their potential numbers on the field, particularly regarding troops and ships? And, finally, if at all possible, find their headquarters. EDI, open the comm to Liara's room."

"Done, Shepard."

"Liara, I've just given Traynor an assignment regarding Cerberus. I'd like you to use that network of yours to assist her."

"Of course, Shepard. Specialist, please pop down to my office whenever you have a moment. We'll put our heads together to find whatever it is that Shepard requests."

"I'll do so soon, Doctor T'S..."

"Liara, Specialist. First name basis if we're going to work together. So I should call you Samantha, shouldn't I?"

Turning to Kelly, she looked at me rather expectantly. "You have any contacts within the organisation?"

"I do. Not sure how trustworthy any of them would be though."

"Okay, give it some thought. If there is anyone you think you can trust, let me know and I'll make the decision. But if you're not sure..."

"I'll give it some thought, Shepard."

During our journey to Grissom, I spent half my time in my office, the other half down in the armoury, working with Vega as he continued to take apart each weapon, clean it, then reassemble it, while the armour was constantly checked the prepped. We had a squad of a half a dozen marines. Most ships would normally carry far more, but ships under my command had always been different. A small squad of soldiers, in and out quickly. Most of the time.

Joker got us to the system where Grissom Academy was located even quicker than he anticipated. Like always, I would take a large team with me. I'd always selected EDI as it would be first real test of her capabilities on the ground. Garrus would always join me, watching my six. Liara for her biotic abilities. And Vega would lead the squad of marines, as they'd secure the station while my team dealt with the threat.

Looking out the window, the station was still some way into the distance. I had good eyesight, but not that good. "Joker?"

"We're not the only ones who answered the distress call. Cerberus cruiser. And at least a dozen fighters on patrol. This won't be easy, Commander."

"Care to play the rabbit?"

Joker turned to me and grimaced. "Why do I have a feeling I won't like this idea?"

Before I could retort, EDI said there was a message. Nodding, she opened the comm. "This is Kahlee Sanders, director of Grissom Academy. To any Alliance ships in the area, please, we need your assistance!"

"Sanders, this is Shepard. SSV Normandy."

"Commander Shepard? Thank God!" The relief was palpable in her voice. "I would ask what you're doing here, but I won't look a gift horse in the mouth. Cerberus is attacking us. There are only kids here, Shepard!"

"How do we get aboard? I would assume they've taken the docking bays."

"Correct. But there is an auxiliary cargo bay I could give you access to. Don't think Cerberus has noticed that."