Chapter 39: Book 2, Chapter 20 - SSV Daddy Issues
Heading away from the Citadel, the first person I made sure to reconnect with was Kelly. Though we had still talked every day, I'd been so busy with other things that, when I was finally standing beside her again near the galaxy map, I suddenly felt a pang of guilt, wondering if she had been feeling ignored. I glanced every so often, and she appeared as relaxed as always. Any time she glanced my way and saw me looking at her, she returned that sweet smile I knew so well.
Heading downstairs, I grabbed two mugs and filled them with coffee, heading back upstairs and placing one at my small desk, before walking over to Kelly's, placing the mug down as I stood behind her, gently kissing her neck, earning a light giggle. "You okay?" I whispered.
"Of course, Shepard. Why?"
"Just making sure. Been so busy lately, off around the galaxy doing other jobs."
"Shepard, I know who you are and what you might be doing from time to time. Trust me, I definitely spend more time worrying about you than anything else, and you know I definitely will not get jealous. We're back on the ship now so I know I have you to myself, most of the time."
Wrapping an arm around her waist, she leaned back into me, lifting her head in a way that I could kiss her. "I think you are far too understanding sometimes."
"I know I am. But I love you, and that is what matters in the end."
Wrapping both arms around her waist, she relaxed back into my body, but I wasn't planning on being naughty in the CIC. I just wanted to show her some affection, realising that I'd probably shown her some in recent days but I'd been distracted by other things. Now that we might have a day or two before the next crisis, I could focus attention on her once again. "Lunch upstairs?"
"You have plans, Miss Chambers?"
"Yes," she replied bluntly, glancing back with a look in her eyes I knew very well by now.
"Okay. I'll get some work done before we head upstairs."
She turned around, wrapped her arms around my shoulder, and gave me one hell of a kiss, the sort that found her backed up against her small desk, bodies pressed together, and she would have felt my rising erection because of that. It made her grin as we broke apart, our faces centimetres apart. "Very good thing we're not in the Alliance, Miss Chambers," I whispered, "Otherwise we'd both be in a lot of trouble. Constantly."
Figuring I would do my normal rounds, I headed into the armoury, expecting to find Jacob busy fixing up armour, or cleaning out and tending to the weapons. Instead, he was leaning on the workbench, brow furrowed as he appeared to be reading a datapad. So engrossed by it that I had to clear my throat to gain his attention. He looked up, blinking in surprise. "Sorry, Commander. I didn't see you come in."
"No problem, Jacob. Though I am intrigued as to what you've got there."
"I want to say it's nothing, Shepard, and it might just be that. But there's something in the back of my mind that won't let it go. But I'm not sure if we even have the time to investigate it."
Leaning back against another bench, I said, "Well, tell me what's going on and I'll see what I can do."
He looked at the datapad one last time before meeting my eyes and nodding. "Okay, Commander. Thanks. I'll give you the bullet points. My father was an officer of a ship called the Hugo Gernsback. Second in command. Still remember the day he told my mother about it. He was often gone for weeks, months at a time, but always sent enough credits home so my mother could support the family. Then, ten years ago, he disappeared. No-one had a clue what happened to the ship. The company the ship was registered to didn't bother sending out search parties to try and locate the ship. Honestly, after a few months, we just wrote my father off as missing, presumed dead. That was ten years ago now." He leaned over, handing me the datapad. "I received this just the other week. A distress call has been sent out by the Hugo Gernsback. First time in a decade anything has been heard from the ship. How is that possible? Does that mean there are survivors? Is my father one of them? But my main question is why it has taken so long?"
"What do you think?"
"Whether my father is alive or not isn't really the issue. I don't believe it's a faulty beacon or anything. I think there's a chance there are survivors that have somehow managed to get the beacon working, or maybe this is the first time in a decade someone has taken any damned notice. Anyway, there are co-ordinates provided. Apparently the ship was scouting a new planet when the ship went down."
I looked at the co-ordinates then headed outside to the galaxy map to punch them in. According to the data that pinged, little was actually known about the planet, named 2175 Aeia. The fact it still had a name like that meant it had only been located, perhaps probed, but never colonised. Turning back to see Jacob had followed me, I handed him the datapad. "We'll head there straight away. The Illusive Man still has nothing for me yet in regards to the Reaper IFF, so we have time to take care of business. Once we get the Reaper IFF, I would like to spend time installing that while ensuring the ship is ready to go through the relay."
"Thanks, Commander. I appreciate it. Guess you never stop wanting answers. I've written the man off as dead for years. Nothing but a ghost. Had barely seen him for years prior to his disappearance, so I wouldn't claim to being upset, more… curious."
"I get you, Jacob. Don't worry about it. Sometimes, all we seek is an answer to the mystery. If we can lay the ghosts to rest, then you can at least move on knowing the truth."
I carried on with work, Kelly eventually grabbing my hand, stating it was lunch. I was expecting to head downstairs to the mess first, but she pressed the button for our cabin. Once inside, she locked the door and was all over me in an instant, just kisses to begin with, but leading me to the bed. "So we're doing this first then?" I asked.
"I can do corny, Shepard, so I'm putting it how I want it. Lunch today is my pussy. All you can eat."
She was rather eager to get her clothes off, and she was definitely naked a lot quicker than me. Figuring that's all she wanted, I gently threw her onto the bed and only kicked off my shoes as I joined her. She simply spread her legs and pointed to her sex, surprised to see it already glistening. "I've been daydreaming about it since we talked earlier, Shepard," she admitted, actually looking a little embarrassed. For that, I did move up and gently kissed her. "The last time we were intimate was on Illium, with the others. Now I've got you to myself again."
"Just my mouth?"
"Maybe your fingers too, though I love your tongue, Shepard. Very talented."
"I get a lot of practice with you, Kelly."
That made her blush again before I kissed down her body. She was definitely already turned on and by the time I was faced with her sex, I took a moment to simply inhale her scent, making her giggle before I ran my tongue over her slit, making her gasp. She knew I loved going down on her like this, so simply relaxed my body before starting to simply enjoy myself, earning plenty of light moans and gasps as I teased her, making her body shudder occasionally, and I always loved a woman arching her back when she was really turned on. Most of the time, she had her head rolled back, enjoying what I was doing, her hands either balling the sheet, though occasionally she'd sit up on her elbows and watch me. Not for too long, before she needed to relax back again.
I made her orgasm the first time with only my tongue, as once I switched attention to her clit, she could barely stand a minute before she needed to release. After that, I slid a couple of fingers inside, hoping for an even better second one. By the time she was close, I'm sure they would have heard her downstairs, the amount of noise she was making. She'd never been quiet, and I definitely approved. Nothing worse than a quiet lover. Tell me what you love and I'll do it for you.
She needed me to stop after her second one, sitting back on my knees as she lay there, a heavy breathing, giggling, sweaty, exhausted but very happy woman. Leaning down to kiss her again, she did wrap her arms around my neck, the kiss very soft but meaningful. "Love you," she whispered.
"Well, love you too, Miss Chambers."
Laying down next to her, I found it amusing that I was still dressed with her naked next to me. Turning to cuddle into me, she asked, "Do you want any attention?"
"Not right now."
"Sometimes you're weird, Shepard."
"What? I get just as much out of that as you, Kelly. Trust me on that one."
We lay together for a little while before I suggested we do actually get something to eat. So she dressed as I slipped my shoes back on, and we headed down to the mess. It was empty by the time we arrived, though Gardner had noted our absence and kept two trays for us. Whether he knew what we were up to or not, he didn't say.
After lunch, Kelly headed upstairs, a brief final kiss, knowing I would likely spend time with the crew. I spoke with nearly everyone over the next few hours, mostly just chewing the fat regarding the mission or simply sharing stories about our lives. I was certainly not a closed book any longer. Everyone was present for dinner later that evening, and afterwards, Chakwas asked if I wanted to join her for that long awaited drink. She made it clear the bottle was only to be shared between us so we could toast memories of our time against Saren. I thought it sounded like a great idea, not giving it any other thought other than we'd probably get a little drunk.
Sitting in the med-bay, we sat next to each other as she poured a couple of fingers worth in each glass before raising it for a toast. I'll admit one thing straight away. She had excellent taste in liquor. Before either of us knew it, we'd polished off half the bottle and we both had a slight buzz going.
"So, Commander, may I be so bold as to ask a personal question?"
"Sure."
"How many women are you sleeping with right now?"
"On the ship or…?"
"Just in general."
"I'm not sure, to be honest. I'm not really keeping count."
"I've been thinking, Commander…"
"Call me Shepard, please. At least when we're here in private and especially if we're about to broach this subject."
Her eyes did sparkle for a moment. "Only if you call me Karin."
"Deal. So, what have you been thinking?"
"I can't forget that night Kelly organised a while ago, when I did something with you… so unexpected, particularly of me… but I've been thinking ever since…"
Before she could continue, I leaned over and kissed her, and I think that was just the answer she was looking for, placing her glass down as she grabbed the back of my head and pulled me in for an even better kiss. We made out for quite a while, and it was rather enjoyable. I eventually pulled her up onto my lap, straddling me though it wasn't particularly comfortable for either of us. I eventually did pull away and asked, "Are you sure?"
"Yes. Just let me do two things." She reached back and used the nearby keyboard. There was a click as the door locked, and the windows frosted over so no-one could see in. "Now we have some privacy, Shepard. So, what would you like to do with me?"
"Oh, the imagination is running wild now, Karin."
"Mine is too, Shepard. I'm sure I'm not the only woman on this ship who daydreams about situations like this with you."
I looked around and the only option was one of the gurney's. And that didn't exactly set the mood. I couldn't sigh, as although I was keen, I didn't want our first, perhaps only time, to be in the med-bay. I wanted it to be enjoyable, and I also wanted it to be comfortable. I kissed her again before suggesting we delay what we both wanted. "Next time we're off the ship, whether it's Illium or the Citadel. Not Omega. That's a dump. But either one of those places, I'll book us a room, and we can make a night of it. I would suggest the cabin but…"
"Kelly is up there."
"She is, and she has asked that remain 'ours' for the most part. I'm sure if I took you up there with me, she'd even want to join in but…"
"If it happens only the once, I only want you, Shepard."
So, I think to both our frustrations, we agreed to cool it for the time being and enjoy the rest of the bottle. Figuring we didn't really need privacy any longer, she grabbed the bottle and we headed into the lounge which Kasumi called home. She was relaxing with a couple of others, Chakwas and I taking a seat on one of the lounges by the window. We had a couple more drinks, shared a few more stories, and also indulged in a little making out, feeling like a pair of teenagers feeling each other up. Even though clothed, I still felt her up, while she definitely ran a hand over my cock, as it was obvious I was just as turned on as her.
"Jesus, if you two want some privacy," Kasumi joked from one of the other lounges.
"Sorry," I muttered.
"Hey, we get it, Shep. No problem."
"Want a drink, Kasumi?" Chakwas asked.
"Sure. What is it?" she asked, wandering over to the bar to grab a glass before sitting next to me.
"Serrice Ice Brandy. Shepard was kind enough to buy me a bottle recently. We were just enjoying some in the med-bay, talking about old times, but we decided we wanted a little comfort."
"And getting a little action at the same time too."
"Not as much action as either of us hoped," she retorted gently.
Kasumi could only laugh. "Well, sometimes a good snog is enough to last you until it finally happens."
"What about you, Kasumi?" Chakwas wondered.
"I have no complaints, Karin. I was wondering how far you two were going to go earlier though."
"Not as far as either of probably hoped," Chakwas admitted.
"What would you like to do with him right now?"
"Honestly?"
"Of course, Karin."
"Blow him to completion."
I could only stare at Chakwas. The tone she used suggested that she definitely wanted to do it. "Well, why don't you do it then?"
"Oh, I couldn't…"
Kasumi turned around for a moment before looking back. "There's only the three of us here now, Karin, and I'm curious to see how far you'll go."
Karin sculled the rest of her glass before she stood up again, standing in front of me. She undid the buttons of her jacket, peeling that off to show that she only wore a rather lovely black bra underneath. Kicking off her comfortable boots, she then undid the button and lowered the fly of her trousers, revealing matching black panties. I was now rock hard, as though I knew her age, she was still a fine looking if mature woman. She sat down on my lap, knee to either side of my body. I handed my glass to Kasumi, hands immediately running up and down her back as she kissed me. As she did, I could feel her rub herself against my erection, an eagerness to feel it.
And she was an excellent kisser. As she did, I undid her bra, causing that to fall off, watching her lean back to show two smallish breasts, perkier than I'd have imagined. I immediately leapt on one of them, hearing her gasp as a nipple found its way into my mouth. "Shepard," she breathed, continued to rub herself against my erection, her hands running around the back of my neck, moving from one nipple to the other.
Kissing back up her chest, I kissed her neck, earning a rather girlish giggle before I kissed her again. "I'm going to take off your panties now, Karin," I whispered. She nodded eagerly as I lifted her off my lap, lying her down on the couch, slowly peeling them off to reveal her bare pussy. "Now, Karin, I would almost think you planned this."
She blushed slightly but nodded. "You should be naked too, Shepard. I guess we are going all the way now."
"Definitely." I glanced back at Kasumi. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to give you some privacy. I'll lock the door. I know you have the commands to unlock it later."
"Thanks, Kasumi."
"Enjoy yourselves, particularly you, Karin."
Once the door was locked, I undressed myself, the eyes of Chakwas immediately going to my groin, as I was incredibly hard at the thought of making love to her. Lowering myself down, I kissed her softly on the lips, teasing her pussy with the head of my cock. I wasn't just going to fuck her though, moving down her body, kissing soft over her soft stomach, until I had lowered myself to between her legs. I inhaled her scent as well, something I loved to do with each woman I was with, as they were each unique. Lowering my mouth, she moaned loudly when I tasted her for the first time. "Shepard," she cried softly.
"I want you to cum for me, Karin," I whispered back. She nodded eagerly as I slowly started to eat her out. Her body was still moving to a rhythm set by my tongue, feeling her push down at times in her need to feel me. Once she started to make certain noises most women made, I switched attention to her clit, only gently at first, but that definitely set her on the path to an orgasm. Not wanting to use my fingers, I grabbed one of her hands, locking out fingers together, as she was now using the arm of the lounge so she could look down her body.
"You're beautiful," I whispered. And she truly was. She had the body of a woman a decade and more her junior. Definitely looked after herself. Probably helped she spent a lot of time on her feet.
When she finally did orgasm, she could only enjoy one before she asked me to stop, relaxing back on the lounge as I simply kissed back up her body before I rested above her, just looking into her eyes. No surprise she kissed me hard for what I'd just done. "That was wonderful, Shepard," she said softly, "It's been quite a while since someone so young has pleasured me in such a manner."
"Our age gap isn't that significant."
"Enough to raise eyebrows, Shepard," she said with a little humour
We lay like that for a little while, continuing to make out, before she placed both hands on my chest, pushing me back. She then sat up before standing and moving in front of me. A hand on each knee, she spread my apart before kneeling down between my legs. "Oh…"
"I said I wanted to blow you, Shepard. So, you just sit there and enjoy it."
Doctor Karin Chakwas proved one thing. With age comes experience. And with experience comes eye-rolling, earth shattering orgasms. My god, that woman knew her way around a cock better than nearly any woman I'd been with. She drew out my orgasm for so long, by the time I blasted down her throat, I actually did pass out for a few seconds. She kept pleasuring my cock until it finally started to soften, not completely, but enough to suggest that fun time was over for a few minutes. She hummed to herself quite happily as she moved to sitting back on my lap, resting her head against my chest as I wrapped my arms around her.
"I'm not sure if this should only be a one-time only thing or not, Shepard."
"What makes you say that?"
"Getting attached in this job isn't a good idea. I've thought about this for so long, but have tried to convince myself that it'll be a bit of fun and that's it. I know your relationship with Kelly and some of the other women."
"You don't mind it being just a fling?"
The question made her laugh. "Shepard, most of my romantic involvements have been little more than flings. My life has been dedicated to the medical profession and the service. My physical needs… they're not ignored, but there are certain things women can buy to keep them content."
I ran my fingers though her hair. "Well, I'm certainly not going to deny you some pleasure if you want it, Karin."
"I know, Shepard. But, as I've said before, sometimes getting attached isn't a good idea. But that's for the future. Right now, I just want to enjoy the moment of making love with the Saviour of the Citadel."
So, once I was rock hard again, Chakwas lifted herself up and slowly slid down my cock. And we made love, the kissing constant and endlessly passionate, sitting forward so our hands could caress each other. I let her control the tempo and rhythm, though eventually I rolled her onto her back and started to take control, positioning her in a manner I knew would help make her orgasm as much as myself.
"Shepard," she breathed.
"You're wonderful, Karin," I whispered back, earning a smile.
"Not bad yourself, Shepard."
"We'll have to do this again, if you want."
"I'll think about it. Let's just focus on the now."
We must have made love for… a while. Long enough that she enjoyed two orgasms, the first one taking her by surprise, the second one she definitely enjoyed, feeling her squeeze my cock as she dug her fingers into my back, legs now wrapped around the back of mine as she quietly moaned my name. Burying my head into her neck, she urged me onto finish myself, and only then did I really up the tempo and say I truly did fuck her, and after I'd cum too, we lay moulded together on the lounge until we'd caught our collective breath.
"Enough to make me feel twenty years younger, Shepard."
I lifted myself up onto a forearm, my cock still relatively hard inside her. "I don't know what you're talking about, Karin. The only thing that would even suggest you're older is the silver hair."
That earned me a soft, grateful kiss. "You are a real charmer when you want to be, Shepard." She moved, moaning slightly, "And I really don't want this to end, but three in one night is exhausting. I usually just make myself orgasm once before going to sleep."
I pulled out and sat back as Chakwas sat up, no doubt leaking cum but neither of us really cared at that moment, feeling her curl up into my side, wrapping an arm around her in good measure. The bottle was sitting on the ground nearby, so I picked it up and took a sip, offering it to her. She laughed, but drank straight from the bottle as well. "Well, I think this helped lower the inhibitions at least," she said with a chuckle.
"No complaints from me."
"Me either, Shepard. Tonight has been wonderful. The sex was great, but just having your undivided attention for a few hours as well."
We did eventually have to get up and dressed, as Kasumi did have to sleep that evening. After dressing helped clean up, wiping down the lounge at the same time, Chakwas not even bothering to put on her underwear. Opening the door, we found Kasumi in the mess, thanking her for understanding. Chakwas about to walk off after a kiss when I took her hand, and without a word, led her to the elevator. When I pushed the button for the cabin, she was about to ask a question when I simply kissed her and assured that it would be okay.
Kelly was lying back in bed when Chakwas and I walked in. She already knew what I'd been up to, of course, and knew why I'd invited Chakwas upstairs. To sleep, nothing else. I wasn't going to sleep with her then part ways. I invited Chakwas to join me for a shower, which she certainly leapt at the chance of doing, Kelly joining in at the same time. Nothing overtly sexual, plenty of compliments from Kelly directed at Chakwas, while the latter simply understood why I found Kelly irresistible.
Heading to bed, there was no clothing required as I lay down, Kelly to one side, Chakwas to the other. And it was no surprise that Chakwas couldn't resist one last chance with me, eventually climbing into my lap and sliding down my cock again. And not wanting Kelly to be left out, she sat on my face. It was certainly a lot of fun, each of us enjoyed at least one orgasm, and then we lay back again, definitely satisfied with life.
"Ever been with a woman, Karin?" Kelly asked.
"Of course. I've certainly done my fair share of experimentation."
"Any time you want to have some fun up here, I won't say no."
"I'll certainly take that under consideration."
I think we'd worn her out, as Chakwas was soon fast asleep, curled up next to me, her head nestled on my shoulder, her hand resting on my chest. Kelly did the same thing on the other side. "Banging body for her age," she whispered.
"Definitely."
"Want to do it again?"
"We'll see. Good chance it was a one time, get it out of the way, kind of thing. I'll leave the ball in her court in regards to any future liaisons. If we just end up close friends, I can live with that."
Kelly wished me goodnight and got herself comfortable at the same time, falling asleep herself. I could only lie there for a little longer and think about my life so far, particularly since my return. One could only shake their head and almost laugh at their good fortune.
*****
Jacob could only wonder how his life had come to this, sitting in the shuttle alongside Shepard, Miranda, Garrus, Grunt, Samara and Kasumi, descending to what had been described a possible garden world, with a beacon on the planet stating that his father was possibly alive. EDI had also noted a wreckage, which they would land near, that was like the Hugo Gernsback.
Shepard seemed relatively unperturbed by it all, seeming to take a wait and see approach. He still wondered who had even sent him the datapad. It had simply been lying on the workbench one morning. He figured it was probably Miranda, though he hadn't questioned her about it yet, not particularly wanting to get into an argument with her about it.
"The man's a ghost. Why now?" he muttered, earning more than one glance in his direction, "It still doesn't make sense in my head. That's all," he added.
No-one asked him any questions, perhaps warned by Shepard not to delve too much into what was obviously a touchy subject. Feeling the shuttle touch down, Shepard opened the door as usual and stepped out. He carried his shotgun, though it was obvious he was relaxed, a quick survey of the area before he gestured for everyone to follow. Stepping out, he looked around and had to admit to surprise. The air was more than breathable, considering there would be next to no pollution due to it being uninhabited. It was warm but comfortable. The fauna on display shared many similarities with those on Earth and other colony worlds. It looked like paradise.
Once everyone had disembarked, the shuttle ascended and the group moved off, Shepard using his omni-tool to track the location of the beacon. That lay only five minutes away, the wreckage of the Hugo Gernsback looking ahead in the distance. He was expecting it to be nothing but a wreck, spread across a large region in numerous small parts. But it seemed to be in rather good condition, considering it had plummeted to the ground at a rate of knots, and had been little more than a wreck for the best part of a decade.
It was clear that people had survived, as even a cursory inspection showed it had been stripped of parts. Finding the beacon, it was the ship VI, so perhaps this could give an explanation of what happened on the fateful day.
"What happened to the ship?" Shepard asked.
"Captain Harris Fairchild reported killed during unscheduled suborbital descent."
"Who took command?" Jacob asked.
"First Officer Ronald Taylor was promoted under emergency command protocols. Other flagged issues include unsafe decelerations, local food and neural decay and beacon activation protocols."
Jacob was already suspicious of the entire thing. Now a very bad feelings started to settle in his stomach. Shepard looked at him and gestured, leaving him to investigate the details. It was his mission, after all. "What's wrong with the local food? What sort of neural decay are they suffering?"
"Impairment of mental function due to chemical imbalance begins with seven days of ingesting local flora, regardless of decontamination or preparation. Impact of cognitive abilities and long-term memory significant within a standard month. It is unknown if neural decay is permanent."
"Seven days? They must all be dead by now then," he muttered, glancing at Shepard, "So how has this beacon suddenly been activated then?"
"That's a rather good question, Jacob."
Jacob nodded. "VI, explain why you have only recently been activated? Why has it been ten years since the crash?"
"This emergency beacon became functional after 358 days, 12 hours, following the unscheduled suborbital descent of the Hugo Gernsback." All seven of them shared more than a glance. That bad feeling he was experiencing was likely creeping up the back of everyone now. "Activation was triggered remotely after eight years, 237 days, seven hours on the authority of Acting Captain Ronald Taylor."
They immediately split up, searching the ship again for any sign of what happened to the other survivors, crew members that would have reported to Taylor, anything that would suggest where the survivors were. Six of them had gathered outside when Garrus trudged towards them. He found turian faces inscrutable most of the time, but the way he walked suggested he'd found something that shocked him, handing a datapad to Shepard. "Listen to this, Shepard. It's… grim."
The seven of them listened in stunned silence. The confession lasted less than a minute, but it was enough. Paradise was immediately ruined. Instead, it sounded like a version of hell few could really imagine. Shepard had seen and heard enough by now. "Okay, this is what we're doing. We looked for survivors. If they've been living off anything on this planet, they're going to be pretty fucked up. We go looking for any officers. If they've survived, we question them about what has happened since the first day they arrived here. And we find your father, Jacob, because I'm sure you have plenty of questions for him."
They found a lone survivor within five minutes of leaving the ship behind. A clearly terrified woman and one who had clearly been subjected to the local fauna for years. They could barely understand her at times, and whenever she did speak, it was like talking to a small child. And the way she spoke about 'the leader' sent a shiver down their spines. It was clear she had been kept around as some sort of slave.
Then they ran into the 'hunters', who appeared to be male survivors, likely also suffering neural decay, and they were aggressive. Shepard stated before opening fire that he would prefer to capture one or more of them, but the hunters wouldn't go down without a fight, and they didn't seem to know what surrender meant. Even when injured, they would keep trying to fight. They knocked at least a couple of them out but it appeared unlikely they'd make any sense when they woke up.
Moving on after tying up the two men who still lived, patching their injuries as best they could, and taking the woman with them, Kasumi taking her hand and leading them on, they followed what looked like a well worn path. What they discovered next definitely surprised them as they entered an encampment, every single one of them women. Shepard gestured for them to store weapons immediately, the women nothing but docile. Though when they saw his face, there was a mixture of curiosity and fear as they approached him, and what they had to say soon had his stomach doing flips.
Shepard made a decision immediately, calling the Normandy and asking Chakwas to head planet-side immediately. Miranda offered to remain with the females once Chakwas arrived, which he thanked her for, and Kasumi offered to stay as well, clearly upset by what they had discovered. Jacob simply had to walk away, as it was obvious to him that his face was unsettling them.
Just as they were about to leave, a lone female approached them. She seemed to be with it more than the rest. "Please. Wait. You look familiar… But you are not him. I saw you before, with the others. You… helped. He does not help. He has made many promises. We… try to please. But he angers quickly. But you… You could stop this." She turned around, bending down and grabbing something from what appeared to be a rucksack, standing back up holding a set of datapads, handing them to him. "I forget what these are called… But this will have… what you need. To know what he has done. What happened…. before. Can you take us to the sky? He promised us the sky."
"We're from the sky," he heard Shepard state gently as he started to read over the information, "Why don't you go join the others? We're here to help. We will take you to the sky." The woman looked on the verge of tears at the news, before she simply meekly nodded her head and hurried over to where Miranda was currently helping. From reports in their ear-pieces, Chakwas had already arrived, alongside other female crew members willing to help out.
The small group read the datapads. Looking at it dispassionately, objectively, you could almost… almost see the reasoning. But while it would have made sense ten years ago, whatever happened after that beggared belief. Whatever the case, it seemed Acting Commander Ronald Taylor would be facing some serious questions in regards to his conduct. But when it came to what was explained in regards to the women, that's when hearts definitely hardened. Hell, people made jokes about Shepard and all his women, but he didn't need to feed women drugs and keep them as pets to have them fall for him.
They moved on, running into a few more of the hunters, but they mostly dealt with mechs, which were easy for all of them to deal with. Shepard spent half his time charging around, smashing mechs to bits upon colliding with them, and those that didn't received a shotgun blast to the chest. He lost count of how many mechs they must have taken down, but it appeared his father had kept a small army of them, no doubt to keep him safe from everyone else. While there might have been a cabal of officers to begin with, it seemed that there was now only one person in charge of the colony.
"This is Captain Ronald Taylor. Thank god you're here! My crew went insane. I only just got free!"
Everyone shared a glance and shook their head. "Well, that's bullshit," Shepard muttered.
"We've got all the evidence we need, Shepard. If we arrest him, he gets the book thrown at him. Or you can judge this in your role as a Spectre."
"And you would be okay with that?"
"The man we're looking for right now? Don't know him. My father died ten years ago."
The group moved on, continuing to find mechs and put them down. The five worked as methodically as always. Mechs were never going to pose a serious challenge. Even their number wasn't really a concern, but it would be annoying to get shot by one. More embarrassing than anything else.
"Careful! I automated my defences after the crew turned violent. They keep attacking! I had no choice. I had to do it to protect myself."
There was no doubt the revelations had pissed everyone off in their small group. Miranda reported the initial findings of what Chakwas had found, left wondering if any of the women would actually recover from their ordeal. Would their brains recover from ten years of poisonous food? And not just that, it had been noted on the datapads that the women had been used a little more than sex slaves. That was a polite way of saying they'd been raped by the officers for god knows how long.
He was fairly sure they were approaching some sort of encampment when the voice of Taylor echoed around again. "It took years to train my guards. I'm afraid you'll have to fight them to rescue me."
Now he heard Shepard laugh. It was the sort of laugh that would send a chill down the spine of the enemy. "This fuckwit thinks we're here to rescue him? He's delusional. I mean totally off the fucking deep end. Bat-shit fucking insane. Oh, we end him here."
Jacob was left thinking he was going to put a bullet in him, and he wasn't going to stop him, because he was left believing he'd do it himself. No trial. No judge. No jury. Just one bullet into the head, end it here. The guards flooded forward, but while they might have been crazy, they were not talented. Frontal attacks never work, so they were put on the ground with ease, Shepard taking delight in charging around the field, colliding and shooting as he did. The only pause for concern was a giant mech, which the group hacked and blew up after a few seconds. They'd worked together for so long now, even the strongest of mechs couldn't stop them for very long.
The encampment had high walls, made from all the boxes and crates taken from the vessel. The door leading into it was taken from the ship as well. It didn't open for them, so Garrus stepped forward to hack into it. Once it opened, Shepard strode through, storing his shotgun but taking out his pistol. What they could see is that whoever lived in the small camp did so in comfort. If you forgot about everything they'd just witnessed, there was enough to suggest this would have been a lovely place to live.
Then he saw him. The man who had once been his father. The resemblance was uncanny. There were more lines on the face than he remembered. Hair a little greyer. And he was slimmer, though that would be understandable. But the distinct, deep voice had been the same. As were the eyes. There was no sign of him having ingested any of the food. No, he was crazy for other reasons. He looked around, noticing a comfortable bed, desk and chair with a working terminal on it, a refrigeration unit, and various other things that would have made life tolerable, at least.
"You're here! Sorry if the mechs caused you any issue. As I said, I had to program them to keep everyone at bay." He paused, obviously looking them over, five heavily armed individuals. "You appear to have had little problem, though." No-one said a word. Shepard looked on the verge of shooting him straight away, but no doubt would want to hear a confession before doing so. "I tell you what, I'll have a load of back-pay coming once we get back home. I'll make sure I get you all something as a way of saying thank you for saving my life."
Shepard growled and strode forward, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him to the desk, throwing him into the chair. "You have questions to answer, Acting Commander Taylor. And by god, you had better answer them."
Now their eyes met and there was at least a question in his eyes. No doubt he saw himself in the face and eyes, though he doubted that the Acting Commander would truly believe his son had come all this way. "I take it you mean the crew?" Taylor asked, looking around to receive at least a couple of nods. "The food here… It's toxic. Turns them… wild, I guess. But there was little that could be done. And they treated me like some sort of deity, propped me up here, rituals and all that."
Shepard burst into laughter. Jacob could only scoff at the response. "That's your excuse, your reasoning for everything that happened here." He threw the datapads they'd gathered along the way. "Read those, Acting Commander, and tell us the same story again. If we were to take you back to Alliance space, they'd throw you in jail and lock away the key. Shepard, do whatever you want with this man. My father died ten years ago. This man in front of me is nothing but a ghost."
Now the eyes met his again. "Jacob?"
"Operative Jacob Taylor. You've been dead to me for at least ten years. You should have stayed a ghost, Ronald. It would have worked out better for us."
"What do you mean?"
Jacob looked at Shepard. "Your choice, Commander. I will hold no grudge no matter what you choose to do."
Shepard had already made his choice, hauling Ronald to his feet. Grabbing his collar, he dragged him so they were face to face. "I will give you one choice, Ronald. You can either see it coming. Or not."
"You can't…"
"I'm a Council Spectre. You probably don't know that because of the life you've been living here. Trust me, no-one is going to argue about the summary justice about to be handed out. All those women deserve to know you are dead, and trust me, part of me would love to get medieval on your arse, really inflict some pain before I send you to hell. But no, a bullet will be enough to satisfy what I want. So, I ask again, do you want to see it coming or not."
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.
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