Mass Effect - A Hero Rises Ch. 54

"EDI?"

"Capable of taking a shuttle."

"Good enough. Joker, it's up to you to drag away as many of these fighters as you can."

We all loaded onto the shuttle, Cortez in the pilot's seat. As soon as we were away, Joker reported in that he'd head towards the station, attract their attention, which would give us a free run to the station. Worked a charm, as Joker reported in the Normandy quickly had the fighters on a wild goose chase. The cruiser wasn't interested, but didn't seem to notice our approach. I spent time going over tactic. I would lead my small squad in clearing the station. Vega and his marines would clean and sweep, while also getting any children to safety.

Stepping onto space station, Kahlee patched into our comms, letting us know she was barricaded in a server room. Cerberus troops were attempting to break in as we arrived. I charged into the one trying to pry open the door, ending him flying. Liara was already angry, grabbing another in a biotic hold and slamming him into either wall, then the ceiling, then the floor. Fairly sure she broke every bone in his body. Grabbing a second, she proceeded to just squeeze him until even I was a little taken aback by his screams before she just sent him flying backwards.

"Spirits, Liara," Garrus muttered.

"I'm already pissed off, Garrus, and they're just kids here."

She looked at me. All I did was grin. "Guess we're treating Cerberus with extreme prejudice, Shepard?" he asked me.

"Like the Reapers, Garrus. I might occasionally want a prisoner, but Tim pissed me off on Mars. He had proceeded to piss me off even more with his shenanigans here."

Kahlee opened the doors, greeting us with a relieved smile. What surprised me was when she stood up and hugged me briefly. Seeing the surprise on my face, she said Anderson had spoken to her about my recent house arrest. I knew the two were close but I figured they were closer than I thought. The slight grin on her face as I thought about it suggested I was right.

She gave me the rundown of the situation. Most of the students had been sent away once the Reapers hit. Approximately twenty students and staff remained on the station. Some of the kids were there because they were geniuses. Others because of their biotic abilities, apparently military recruits.

"Where am I going?"

Kahlee patched into internal communications. Cerberus had pretty much sealed the station and taken over but Kahlee still managed to find a back door or two. Finding a radio link, she told me to head towards Orion Hall. Apparently that's where the students were fighting back. I tried not to grin at the thought. I liked anyone willing to fight against Cerberus.

"Any students we find, I'll send them back here. The ones without biotics anyway."

"While you do that, I'll try and regain control, see if I can find us a way off this tin can."

"I'd offer you EDI but I think I'll need her help."

"I can assist while fighting if necessary, Shepard," EDI suggested.

"Any help you can offer would be gratefully received," Sanders said.

We found a couple of kids on the way to Orion Hall, while also dealing with a couple of small Cerberus patrols. The kids were surprised to see us, and when I told them who I was, there was the usual hero worship. Even Liara joked about one young woman who swooned as I helped her up, nursing a leg wound as she was. One of Vega's marines took her, helping her back to Sanders. Cue another joke from Garrus about liking them younger.

Hearing shouts ahead, we entered Orion Hall to find a group of students being faced down by Cerberus troops. Not just students, there was someone else I recognised. She'd grown out her hair, and was now wearing a leather jacket and jeans, but there was no missing the biotic power on display as she threw a trio of troopers into a far wall. Then she glanced my way and I almost snorted at the confusion on her face. "Shepard?" she called.

Before I could reply, our attention was taken by the giant mech that appeared through a nearby doorway. "Get the kids to safety!" I called as my team burst into action. Glancing to see Jack getting her kids into cover, my team got to work on the mech.

"Hacking now," EDI reported.

"The old biotic one-two, Shepard," Liara said.

"I'd attempt to charge it but not sure it'll work. Keep its attention, I'll do something else."

Liara, Garrus and EDI got to work as I flanked the giant mech. Its attention taken by the others, I managed to get behind it. I figured the armour would be thinned at its back, but I wasn't sure if it would actually destroy it. So, instead, I had the stupid idea of climbing onto it. Managing to make it to the top, I waved at EDI then gestured to the canopy. Soon as she managed to make that pop off, the trooper inside looked around then up to see my pistol.

"Hello," I said before pulling the trigger a couple of times. "EDI, overload the arm so it explodes." I jumped off, the four of us sliding into cover as the mech exploded behind us.

"You're insane, Shepard," Liara said with a giggle.

What surprised me was Jack. As Garrus checked to ensure we were alone, I heard her giving tactical and general advice to her students. And she knew what she was talking about. Liara and I shared a glance as she leapt down to our level. Her eyes glared at mine. Knew it was coming. Still, she didn't pull the punch at all. I'll admit, it hurt. Not enough to put me onto a knee.

"Fucking hell, Shepard. I warned you about these cunts, didn't I?" Then she grabbed the back of my head and gave me one hell of a kiss, feeling her body press into mine. Lasted long enough that Liara needed to clear her throat. "Trust you to save the fucking day though."

"Should have expected this sort of meeting," Garrus stated.

Jack stepped back and laughed. "Ah, where there is Shepard, there is Garrus. Still look like shit." Her eyes moved. "Ah, Liara, right? Fucking yet?"

"What do you think?"

"Definitely fucking already." Then her eyes moved again. "What the fuck is that?"

"It's me, Jack."

"EDI?" She burst into laughter. "Holy shit, Joker must have thought all his Christmases have come at once."

"Jeff approves of my choice to inhabit this body."

Jack snorted. "Yeah, I bet he has." She looked back at me. "Right, we can catch up later, Shepard. Right now, the only thing that matters is getting my kids to safety."

"Your kids?"

She smirked. "Yes, yes, my kids. Blah, blah, blah. You rubbed off on me a little bit, okay. Still not sure who got me the role here..." She glanced at Liara, before looking back at me. "Maybe the Alliance brass helped too. But I've enjoyed it here, and the kids seem to like my methods."

"I will destroy you!" one of them called.

"The psychotic biotic!" another called.

Cortez then called in, stating the cruiser was still showing an interest, and the shuttle simply couldn't chance an extraction. So I ordered him away and we'd find another route off the station. Jack asked what she should do with her kids. When I said all that mattered was getting them to safety, and not to jeopardise their escape, I think that nearly earned me another kiss. "Tell them to keep their heads down, but if you can help out while we're making our way out of here, I won't say no."

Cerberus was there in force. Complete overkill to kidnap a few kids, but it meant we could kill a lot of them in return. I was already annoyed at the fact Cerberus was now interfering. What we should have been doing is working together to eliminate the Reapers. Or, at least, not working together but they clearly had the assets to take the fight to them. Further proof Tim had gone off the fucking deep end.

So we laid waste to any group of troops we came across. I charged all the time, my shotgun barking constantly. Liara shimmered blue, amazed at the power of her biotics, particularly compared to when I'd recruited her three years ago. I noticed one or two different and new talents on display. I had nowhere near the biotic power she had at her disposal, but I thought about a new training regime. Garrus took out anyone at distance. EDI used an SMG but spent most of her time using her technical talents to make our lives a little easier.

There was one moment that I would remember for a long time, when we came across David Archer. Garrus had been present for that mission. So had EDI in her own way. Liara knew the whole story. Compared to the shell of a human we'd taken off Aite, he looked fit and healthy. He even apologised to EDI for trying to hack into the ship all the time while we were trying to help. She assured him he had nothing to apologise for.

"Have you been okay here at the Academy?" I asked.

"Yes. I've been counting."

"Anything in particular?"

"Yes. The number of days you lengthened my life." I felt a hand on my shoulder, recognising it as Liara's. "Goodbye, Commander."

"Goodbye, David."

I watched him walk away. "He looks well," EDI whispered.

I definitely grinned. "He does. Still think about what happened on Aite, what we found. I never considered joining Cerberus, but that was the day I promised myself I would end them, no matter the personal cost." I took a deep breath. "And someone with his mathematical talents would be perfect regarding what we found on Mars."

Cerberus didn't stand a chance after that. The four of us worked together as usual, but Jack certainly provided assistance, and the kids in her care proved to have plenty of talent. We left plenty of troops dead, EDI hacking into the comm links for information. We found a databank that had the histories of nearly every single student on Grissom Academy, and a message from Tim himself regarding Jack, though he still called her 'Subject Zero'. It was easy to figure out why he wanted her back in his 'care'.

Coming across a pair of troops next to a giant mech, we put them down before I climbed into the mech. There were one or two jokes about my penchant for destruction, but all that mattered was getting off the station. I didn't intend on destroying it as the Alliance would no doubt want to use it afterwards.

Controlling the mech wasn't something I was entirely used to but all that really mattered was learning how to use the cannon and missile launcher. Reaching the extraction zone, Cerberus threw everything at us to prevent our escape. We had to take control of the area, Liara, Garrus, EDI, Vega and his marines creating a killing zone, and with my mech, Cerberus didn't stand a chance.

Jack got her kids out first before the rest of us slowly withdrew. There was a moment of concern when Jack did a head count to find one missing, turning to see one of her students cowering behind cover. The trio of troops didn't stand a chance as Jack shattered the window and we just unloaded everying, the student crawling to safety, getting her onto the shuttle. Sanders was in control and she had us shooting back to the Normandy.

"Joker, we're on a Cerberus shuttle. Check your fire."

"Got you on sensors already, Commander. You'll be with us in a jiffy."

Jack was pumped up after the battle, I think only half-joking about taking all her students out to get a tattoo. A few jokes were cracked about what they would get before she asked what my intentions would be regarding them. Even Sanders glanced back at me. I didn't think it was entirely my decision but my word would carry weight.

"Your kids did well, Jack. But they're still just kids."

"We can fight, sir," one of them stated, many of them agreeing.

I crouched down to meet their eyes, meeting each set that looked at me in return. "You kids showed plenty of guts and determination just then. But this war is going to be something else entirely. You kids are the future of the Alliance. You need to survive this war to help train the next batch that'll come through. So you're going to support the front line troops, help keep them safe. Your time will come, I can promise you that, but right now, that's my decision."

There were grumbles. I expected it. Jack looked at me with nothing but a grateful smile. Back on the Normandy, I didn't want to keep the Cerberus shuttle so we put it on auto-pilot and sent it back out into space to drift aimlessly away from the station. With so many students, Jack and Kahlee, I ordered Joker straight to the Citadel.

Jack and Kahlee took the kids up to the lounge as the rest of us needed to get changed. "Totally wants to fuck you," Vega stated as I took off my armour.

"Better tell Kelly to watch out," Liara added.

"Not just Jack. Think all her female students are swooning right now," Garrus added.

"People still use that term?" Vega asked.

Thankfully Jack hadn't raided the liquor cabinet, her kids sticking to juice and soft drinks. Kahlee definitely wanted liquor to take the edge off. Jack wanted something too so Vega and I played the role of bartenders. "So, Jack, I do have a question."

"Shoot."

"What's with the lack of cursing? Whenever I've noticed you were going to launch into a good series of expletives, you've stopped."

To my surprise, Kahlee got the giggles. "Sorry, Shepard, that's all on me. Jack obviously arrived a little rough around the edges. Can't have her cursing too often around the students, so the easiest way to stop it was a swear jar. Whenever she swore, she put in a credit chit. Didn't take long for her cursing to almost stop entirely. Still let's rip whenever she gets a little excited, but she's been a model professional."

"I've been out of the loop so how'd she get the gig?"

"Recommendations from the Alliance, and also an anonymous benefactor." I glanced at Liara, who sipped at her drink and looked away. "We were a little taken aback by the diminutive, shaven haired, young woman who walked through our doors with her breasts almost on display. As you can see, she's grown into the role."

"I've enjoyed it," Jack said softly, before looking at me, "Thanks to you."

"Me?"

"Yeah. We'll talk later."

Kelly and Samantha wandered in as we were sipping at our first drinks. Kelly remembered Jack and the pair were surprisingly friendly. Samantha was introduced to Jack, who then made a joke about her obvious sexuality and my obvious disappointment at the fact I wouldn't fuck her. That's when Kahlee glanced at me. "Yes, Jack wasn't shy in describing at least parts of her life, Shepard."

"I live life to the full, Kahlee."

"Good. Life is short as it is."

The kids were soon exhausted, so we provided them with bedrolls as they spread around the lounge. Kahlee was happy enough to stay with them, nearly everyone else returning to their roles or quarters. To my slight surprise, Kelly invited Jack upstairs, the three of us perching ourselves on one of the lounges with the half-consumed bottle of liquor.

"So you're going to fuck her, right?" Kelly asked.

I glanced at Jack, who looked at me with such longing in her eyes, I was slightly taken aback. "I mean, if she wants to."

"Fucking right I want to," she murmured, leaning towards me. That first kiss was the same as that on the station. She quickly ended up on my lap, feeling Kelly shuffle closer to me. What surprised was Jack leaning over to kiss her, glancing to see Kelly grinning as the pair made out. "I can feel your dick," Jack murmured, "You're hard, Shepard."

"Of course I fucking am!"

Her fingers went straight to the buckle, button and zipper of my trousers before she pulled down her own with some urgency. She groaned as I felt my cock slide inside her, amused that she made sure I was buried as quickly as possible. "Oh fuck, that's the good stuff," she cried.

Hands on my shoulders, she wasted on time riding me. Kelly stood up and helped undress her completely so she was now naked, Kelly them stripping off as well, kneeling behind Jack, kissing up her back then her neck. Jack smiled at all the attention. "Always thought you beautiful," Kelly whispered.

"Always known why he loved you in return."

We needed to get onto the bed, Jack getting off me so I could undress. Kelly and Jack tumbled onto the bed together, Kelly ending up between her legs, giving Jack's pussy plenty of attention before I gently moved her out of the way, sliding my cock back inside her. "Sit on her face," I said.

"Great idea," Kelly said. Jack couldn't stop smiling, and I'm fairly sure I got harder as I watched Kelly lower her pussy down onto Jack's face.

I came rather quickly as I always loved watching Kelly being eaten out by another woman, while Jack certainly proved to have talent when it came to pleasing Kelly, as she made Kelly enjoy an orgasm. I moved out of the way so Kelly could lean forward and the pair were soon pleasing each other, though as I sat back on my knees, Kelly would lean forward further to give my cock a little suck.

We found various positions that meant we could all be pleased at once. The best, as always, was me on my back, Jack on my cock, Kelly on my face, but Jack loved it on her knees, with Kelly lying back, Jack managing to give her enough attention to keep her happy, though I was fucking Jack as hard as I could, just as she wanted.

We needed a shower, Jack barely able to stand up as we'd worn her out, though she had a constant grin on her face, giggling as I left it to Kelly to soap her up and wash her done. Definitely tried giving her pussy more attention as even Jack had enough, sleepily asking her she'd had enough.

Lying back in bed with a woman in each arm, Kelly kissed my cheek and relaxed. "Thanks for coming to rescue us," Jack whispered.

"Proud of you," I whispered back.

"Blame you for it. But I've loved every minute. They're good kids. Thanks for protecting them."

"We'll discuss what you'll do when we get to the Citadel."

"Good. I'm knackered and feeling very tender. And Kelly eats pussy as good as I remember."

"Hang around and I'll keep doing it," Kelly said.

"Tempting offer. But, right now, I need sleep."

No surprise Jack was asleep before Kelly and I. She kissed my cheek a final time, whispered she loved me, and we almost fell asleep at the same time.