#me1 ensemble

[cr-noble-writes]

Title: Argonauts Series: Odyssey Fandom: Mass Effect Rating: Explicit Characters: Alex Shepard, ME1 Ensemble, Aria T'Loak, Minah Atruzea Relationships: mShenko Tags: ME1 timeline, minor character death, canon typical violence, nightmares, male Shepard, Sole Survivor Shepard, custom background, paragade Shepard

Summary: Shepard has a nightmare and gets in touch with an old friend, Ashley doesn't trust the Normandy's newest recruit, and Kaidan takes a leap of faith.

Notes:

It's been a year, guys. It's been one hell of a year. But I am still here! And I have more story! As always thanks to snarkeologist for beta reading this chapter! And a special thanks to @swaps55 for helping me figure out the parts that just didn't feel quite complete! Honestly, no guarantee on a posting schedule, but things in my life seem to be smoothing out a little (knock on wood), so with any luck, the next chapter will be posting soon!

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Excerpt:

She peers over the gun mount, her hands guiding the bore cleaner with a precision that comes with years of practice, and watches Dr. T’soni and Shepard talk. They speak too quietly for Ashley to pick up on the content of their conversation, but Shepard points out some of the biotic amps that Crosby managed to score while they were on the Citadel. Dr. T’soni nods at whatever he’s saying. She has a sharp, almost hungry look in her eyes as she watches him with rapt attention. Like she’s examining one of her Prothean artifacts. Ashley doesn’t buy her apparent naivety. Shepard, on the other hand, seems more than happy to take her at her word. Ashley’s nose wrinkles, and she presses a button on the bore cleaner. There are too many security risks on the ship already, and Shepard’s smiling warmly at the latest like he’s known her his whole life. She sighs. It’s possible she’s overthinking it. Dr. T’soni might be exactly who she purports herself to be. Everyone else on the ship seems convinced, but the fact that she's the child of one of Saren’s most powerful allies is more than enough to make Ashley wary. Dr. T’soni touches Shepard’s forearm, laughing at whatever he said, and Ashley scowls at the familiarity. A throat clears beside her, and she looks down at Lieutenant Alenko still wiping sweat off his face from an afternoon run. He raises an eyebrow and slings his towel over a shoulder. “I think it’s clean, Chief.”

[cr-noble-writes]

Title: Argonauts Series: Odyssey Fandom: Mass Effect Rating: Explicit Characters: Alex Shepard, ME1 Ensemble, Aria T'Loak, Minah Atruzea Relationships: mShenko Tags: ME1 timeline, minor character death, canon typical violence, nightmares, male Shepard, Sole Survivor Shepard, custom background, paragade Shepard

Summary: Khalisah bint Sinan al-Jilani crosses a line, Alex gets a new living space on the Normandy, and Kaidan makes a friend.

Notes: Shoutout to my beta, who by some miracle made it so I could still post today despite the fact that I sent over the chapter today after forgetting that this week was posting week. You're awesome, and I appreciate the hell out of you! It's been a time y'all.

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Excerpt:

At least it’s quiet when he steps off the elevator. He takes the few steps to his door, and his hand is already raised to the access panel when he remembers the XO’s quarters are no longer his. Ambassador Udina had tersely informed him that his personal belongings had already been moved.

It’s not the biggest invasion of privacy he’s experienced today, but it’s enough that whatever anxiety he’d managed to shake once again sits in the pit of his stomach like a lead weight. With a sigh, Alex lets his hand drop to his side and makes his way to his new home on the Normandy.

The Captain’s cabin is easily twice the size of the XO’s, split into an office and living quarters with a door between them. The office is austere and built to familiar Alliance specifications. The desk is built into the right wall beneath a few bare shelves. The wall ahead has an inset bookcase, which is also empty. The few print books Alex owns, and his stack of Justicar comics will never fill the space, contained as they are by a single box that sits on the desk next to a pile of datapads.

When this was Anderson’s office, the space had been used to its fullest. Alex unpacks the small, plastic container, and the contents don’t even cover a whole shelf. He slides the empty box under a corner of the desk and steps into the living quarters. Spartan as they are, they’re almost luxurious compared to what he’s gotten used to. There’s a double bed against the back wall with a night stand beside it, a large, inset armoire, which presumably already holds his clothes, a small round table with two chairs bolted to the floor, and another desk with a private terminal.

Alex’s eyes catch on the table. Sitting in its center is a scale model of Arcturus Station. During the year he’d spent training for his N7 commendation, Anderson had insisted that he, Alex, and Riley build the model together as a team bonding exercise. Between assignments and other parts of their duties, the three of them would gather at a table in the mess to work on it. It had been painstaking work, but it had effectively done exactly what Anderson intended. A year’s worth of memories, good and bad, stored in plastic pieces that weren’t all fit together perfectly and a paint job that left a lot to be desired. It would never be a work of masterful craftsmanship, and Alex would never admit it to Anderson, but he was proud of their shoddy little model of Arcturus.

[cr-noble-writes]

Title: Argonauts Series: Odyssey Fandom: Mass Effect Rating: Explicit Characters: Alex Shepard, ME1 Ensemble, Aria T'Loak, Minah Atruzea Relationships: mShenko Tags: ME1 timeline, minor character death, canon typical violence, nightmares, male Shepard, Sole Survivor Shepard, custom background, paragade Shepard

Summary: Alex Shepard, his crew, and the quest to find Saren Arterius.

Chapter Summary: Alex has an interesting informant, Garrus really doesn't like pigeons, and Tali is a badass.

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Excerpt:

“So, what exactly are we doing here, sir?” Williams asks, drawing Kaidan’s attention away from the panorama of viewports.

Shepard carries himself differently out of uniform. He moves more casually, his shoulders looser and his steps slower. His usual impassive expression remains, but it’s different in a way Kaidan can’t quite put a finger on. Even the way his clothes—a loose, lavender linen shirt and gray linen trousers—hang on his frame make him seem less imposing.

“Digging,” he replies, turning toward Williams with a sigh. His eyes sweep across her and Kaidan, and his nose wrinkles slightly. “Any chance you two could stop looking like off-duty Marines for five minutes?”

Kaidan raises an eyebrow. He’s about as casual as he can get in jeans, a t-shirt, and a pair of sneakers that have definitely seen better days. Williams is similarly dressed, though her clothes are brand new. “We are off-duty Marines.”

Williams snorts and crosses her arms over her chest. “What exactly is wrong with the way I look?”

“You look like authority,” Shepard says. “Authority will scare off the best source of information we’ve got.”

Kaidan glances over at Williams, and she shrugs. “Okay, how do you suggest we look less ‘like authority’?”

“Loosen up, maybe slouch a little. Stop scanning the room like you’re looking for threats.” Shepard pauses, fingers tapping lightly against his thigh. “Maybe try untucking your t-shirt, Alenko. Resist the urge to stop them from picking pockets. Do not, under any circumstances, call me sir.”

“Whatever you say, sir,” Williams snarks, earning an impressive glare from Shepard. She rolls her shoulders and relaxes her posture somewhat, but she can’t seem to keep her eyes from darting around the Concourse.

Kaidan follows suit, untucking his shirt and shoving his hands in his pockets. He takes a deep breath and lets his shoulders drop. “Lead the way, Shepard.”

He gives them another once over and nods. “Could use some work, but that’s definitely better.”

Shepard turns on his heel and heads for the nearest staircase. Kaidan trails a little behind next to Williams. He turns to her and says, “Who do you think his source is?”

“Hell if I know, LT,” she whispers. “You’ve known him longer than I have.”

Kaidan laughs quietly. “Only by a few days. I know as much about him as you do.”

“Guess we’re learning together, then.” Williams grins. “You still look like an off-duty Marine to me.”

“At least I look like I’m off duty.”

[cr-noble-writes]

Title: Argonauts Series: Odyssey Fandom: Mass Effect Rating: Explicit Characters: Alex Shepard, ME1 Ensemble, Aria T'Loak, Minah Atruzea Relationships: mShenko Tags: ME1 timeline, minor character death, canon typical violence, nightmares, male Shepard, Sole Survivor Shepard, custom background, paragade Shepard

Summary: Alex Shepard, his crew, and the quest to find Saren Arterius.

Chapter Summary: The aftermath of Eden Prime.

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Excerpt:

The sharp look in Anderson’s eyes bores into Alex, but he nods sharply and presses a button on his end of the table. The center of it illuminates, projecting an image of the clearing they’d dropped in on Eden Prime. A smattering of tall trees surrounds a pond. Between them, metallic spikes stretch toward the sky, breaking the gentle flow of nature. “You said you found these spikes all over the colony. What are they?”

Alex stands and leans over the table, staring down at the image for a long moment. The creatures that had overwhelmed Jenkins—gray-skinned monstrosities covered in mechanical tubes and wiring that somehow managed to keep coming for them despite limbs twisted at unnatural angles and crushed by stone from a fall no human would have been able to survive—came from those metallic spears. He can still hear the unearthly screeching, still feel the crackling electricity emanating from their bodies. Suppressing a shudder, he says under his breath, “Sow the teeth of this dragon and defeat the army that springs forth.”

A heavy silence hangs in the air as Alex looks up. Three pairs of brown eyes, all focused on him. Expectant. Even Anderson looks to him for answers. Shit has only just gone sideways, and already he feels the pressure. An invisible mantle of responsibility settles squarely on his shoulders. “The Geth are using them to turn our own people against us by turning them into biomechanical husks.” He pauses, taking a deep breath before he continues, “I’ve been referring to them as Dragon’s Teeth.”

The four of them continue to stare down at the image, the implications thickening the tension palpably. Williams breaks the silence first. “Guess that makes us the Argonauts.”

Alex meets her gaze and nods sharply. “And Saren is our Golden Fleece.”

[cr-noble-writes]

Title: Argonauts Series: Odyssey Fandom: Mass Effect Rating: Explicit Characters: Alex Shepard, ME1 Ensemble, Aria T'Loak, Minah Atruzea Relationships: mShenko Tags: ME1 timeline, minor character death, canon typical violence, nightmares, male Shepard, Sole Survivor Shepard, custom background, paragade Shepard

Summary: Alex Shepard, his crew, and the quest to find Saren Arterius.

Notes:

I've been writing and rewriting this fic for about 2 years, and I finally decided that it is time to start posting it.

I want to thank everyone in the Dragon Effect server, and my besties, who have listened to me rant and rave and come up with increasingly angsty bullshit to put Alex through for the last 2 years. Truly, I don't think I'd have gotten this far without y'all.

This is still a WIP, and as of right now I am planning on posting every other week.

Extra thanks to @unfair-water-plane, @ad-astra13, and @mallaidhsomo for alpha reading, doc gremlining, and otherwise helping me stay motivated, and to Snarkelogist for beta-reading for me <3

Read Prologue here

Excerpt:

“Do you know why we’re here?”

Alex shrugs. “I know more than most of the crew. Covert pickup on Eden Prime. Testing the stealth systems in action.” He looks at Nihlus. Spectres are the galaxy’s best soldiers. They don’t ask questions like that without already knowing the answer. “But you know something I don’t, or we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

“Yes.” The bass of Nihlus’ subvocals offset the tenor of his voice in a pleasant harmony. “I’m sure you are aware that the Alliance has been pushing for the induction of a human Spectre for years. I’ve been sent to evaluate your candidacy.”