pls write something about joker and edi i would cry tears of happiness.
This got long af. More of a ficlet than a drabble. MY BAD. NOT SORRY. I can never just drabble. MUST always give you a story xD I went with fluff/angst.
Only the best pilot in the galaxy could have landed a ship after a blast like that, which tore through their sensors and wreaked havoc on their engines. The Normandy was falling apart as Joker had struggled to regain control; physically, mentally, emotionally. There was no way Shepard survived that. Everyone on board knew it and, like always, Joker was the last to let go. He insisted on waiting. Shepard would come through, their commander would give the pilot a sign, any sign, and Joker would swoop down, pick Shepard up, and wist away to safety.
He insisted against all odds. Insisted even as Liara tearfully disagreed. Insisted even as EDI pointed out how highly impossible such a thing would be. Insisted, insisted, insisted.
He remembered how his stubbornness had cost the life of his best friend once. He couldn’t do that to the entire crew and, reluctantly, he pulled away. Pulled back. And against all the odds, even as the Normandy’s tail end began to go up in flames, managed a crash landing that barely caused him any harm. Maybe a broken finger from clutching to his seat too tightly. But everyone was alright. If ever there was a time to believe in a God, it was now.
And Joker thanked Him for Shepard.
The rescue team came far quicker than any of the crew had expected, given the catastrophe inflicted on Earth by the Reapers. Ashley asked how they managed such a thing. The reply was simple:
“You’re Commander Shepard’s people.”
A swell in his throat as he and the rest of the Normandy were escorted back to civilization, or what was left of it. They could destroy earth but Shepard ensured one thing: they could never destroy humanity. That simple essence; that desire to help, love, care for. Maybe things felt too altruistic in the immediate aftermath of the war, but Joker didn’t care. He’d ride that wave for as long as possible before the selfish need to survive at all costs seeped back into everybody’s blood stream and cruelty was back on the table.
He wasn’t entirely sure if the Alliance had asked EDI to join in the rebuilding effort or if she simply picked up an Alliance soldier’s credentials, but he spotted her at a terminal inside Alliance headquarters, where Joker had been summoned to give accounts on what he knew about Shepard’s last moments. He dreaded it, but it was standard procedure. And he knew that keeping any of this hushed up would demean Shepard’s life and career. And everything the commander sacrificed. “EDI? Thought for sure you’d figure out a way back to Cerberus,” he said as he approached her.
“My place is with the Normandy. Besides, I do not believe Cerberus is an active group anymore,” she replied, glancing over at the pilot briefly before returning her gaze to the terminal. She was probably right. Although... “Really? I think we both know Miranda would have jumped at the opportunity to take the helm. Unlimited resources; she’s the queen of the universe right now. If she and Liara collaborate, they’ll be unstoppable,” he teased, voice low as if the two were conspiring. “I approve. --- Tali is an admiral. And Garrus’ status among his people has increased by a tenfold. Wrex is a battlemaster and I am certain Grunt will also make a great impact. We have very important friends, Jeff.”
“Yes, we do. I think we always have. --- Quick question: how are you here and what are you doing?”
“Ashley allowed me to borrow her credentials to gain access to Alliance intel.”
“Wow. Princess of the Alliance going rogue. I like it.”
“She has run out of options. We have been inquiring after the whereabouts of the Normandy for weeks. There are two possibilities: either the Alliance genuinely does not know or --- “
“ --- They know but they don’t want to say. Yeah, I’m familiar with the brass, EDI. So, you’re telling me that you’re hacking into the Alliance intelligence files in Alliance HQ?” he asked incredulously, his voice dropping to just above a whisper as his gaze darted around him.
“Yes,” she confirmed plainly. Joker was quiet for a few moments, green eyes simply watching as her fingers worked with quick precision. Then she paused, glancing over at Joker with what he presumed was a worried expression. “Why? Do you think I should stop?”
“I --- no. I just thought our days of espionage and rule-breaking were over. I guess Ash is picking up where Shepard left off. The commander would be proud,” Jeff said with a slight grin as he stepped closer, urging EDI on with a quick, discreet wave of his hand. Not to say that the pilot himself had grown weary by the run around he was being given whenever he asked about the Normandy. He was glad, then, he still had a spectre by his side. A few moments passed in silence, mostly out of Joker’s desire not to interrupt EDI. Though he quickly realized how ridiculous that was; she was a master multi-tasker. “How infuriating,” she said suddenly, jarring Joker out of his thoughts.
“It has been in nearby storage all along. They still have yet to process it, however.”
“Good. I hate it when people mess with my chair settings. Lets go see her ourselves,” Joker said. And the two were off, EDI wiping Ashley’s credentials from the system altogether to avoid letting the Alliance know the spectre had been anywhere near the building.
“This physically hurts me,” Joker groaned as he climbed out of the shuttle the pair had ‘borrowed’ to fly to the massive hanger. He winced as he observed the charred backside of his beloved Normandy, his gaze dissecting every piece of it as he walked alongside EDI. “Perhaps we should come on another day, when you are feeling better,” the AI suggested cautiously, concern evident in her tone. That alone lifted Joker’s spirits. “I doubt a day exists where seeing her like this won’t make me physically ill, EDI --- you think you can get us inside?” She gave him a look that clearly conveyed that, yes, Joker, she could in fact get the both of you inside. “ --- Sorry. Geez. Remind me to never underestimate you.”
“Never underestimate me, Jeff.”
“Thanks, EDI.”
“You’re welcome.”
Getting into the Normandy was comparably easier than hacking the Alliance, as the ship’s security protocols had been fried in its crash landing. And that made Joker feel somewhat... naked. His ship, sitting in some hanger, surrounded by all these peasant ships, unprotected. What a slap to the face. Instinct had him going directly into the cockpit, where the usually lit consoles were dim. It was quiet, with the ghosts of their many missions echoing throughout the corridors. “She appears structurally sound... though it seems that the electronics may not have fared well. I understand what you mean now by being ‘physically hurt’. It’s... disturbing,” she said quietly as she returned from the CIC. She paused when she noticed Joker’s slightly glazed over expression.
“Are you alright, Jeff?”
“Hmm?” His eyes came into focus at her question and he nodded distractedly before a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding came out on an exhale. “No. I haven’t let myself remember and... I was going to debrief today. At HQ. So, I had to remember. Go over everything in my head. Everything the crew did, everything you did, everything I did. Everything Shepard did; it’s whirling around in my head. I didn’t think I’d be back here... it’s a lot.” With that, he found himself seeking the familiarity of the pilot’s chair, falling into the seat that had molded specifically to him after persistent use.
There was no place else on the galaxy quite as right for Jeff Moreau as the cockpit of the Normandy, in that chair.
“You did everything you could, Jeff. You know that, don’t you? I have it logged, should you ever --- “
“No. I mean, thanks. But no. This is the curse of the organics, EDI. Even if I saw it all laid out before me, I’ll still think there was something more I could have done.” She watched him quietly as he sank into his chair, a slump to his shoulders that caused her something akin to sadness. The AI then waked over to the co-pilot’s chair and sat down elegantly, glancing over at the pilot for a moment before her hands came up to sit on the non-functioning console in front of her. “The upgrades are interfering with our inertial skew. Currently compensating, Jeff,” she said, facing forward though she glanced at him from the corner of her eyes.
“ .... what?” he asked, gaze listing towards her as his eyebrows pulled together in confusion. “Look alive, Lieutenant; the Normandy won’t survive if you fall asleep at the helm.” He snorted in response. “I’m confused, Jeff. I thought you said you liked roleplaying.”
“Sweetheart, that was not the kind of roleplaying I was talking about when I told you that,” he said, a reluctant grin pulling up the corners of his mouth.
“Yes, it is. You said you would be the sexy pilot and I would be the sexy co-pilot. There’s nothing sexier than a competent co-pilot. Your words.”
“That’s true.”
“And you have proven yourself to be quite the competent pilot.”
“Obviously.”
“Mr. Moreau, it appears we are suffering from lateral drift.” He watched EDI for a moment before sighing, straightening himself in the chair as his hands came up to mock press buttons that were not currently there. “Compensating. Op-check is clean. Minor spikes in the secondary core,” he rattled off, miming the movements that had become like second nature to him. “Compensated,” EDI replied promptly. “You are an excellent pilot, Jeff. Shepard was always proud of you. You never failed the commander. Ever. You have been a reliable pilot and friend to the very end. I am proud of you,” she said, turning to look at him. His gaze remained transfixed on the console ahead of him.
“I love you, EDI.” It choked out of him as he struggled to remain stoic. Failing miserably. But he kept his gaze on that fixed point, ignoring the stinging behind his eyes.
“I told Shepard that I would risk non-functionality for you, Jeff. I think that means I love you too --- I know it does.”
A heavy silence fell between them for a moment. Joker blinked repeatedly for a couple of seconds, willing his emotions to remain intact.
“I’d risk non-functionality for you too,” he said, a small smile tugging up a corner of his mouth as he finally risked glancing over at EDI. A soft smile spread on her lips, gazes interlocked for a brief couple of sentences before she turned back to the console. “All systems are green --- whenever you are ready, Jeff.”
“I live at the ready, EDI.”
“Of course you do. You are Shepard’s person, after all.”
Ironically I reblogged that one post that said i was going to get good news and a min later i got the email of my commission from danya224 Of my baby Victoria Shepard! I’m like bouncing up and down on my bed look at this! Look at my baby!
getting more and more judging re: people who post me3!default jane but never ever write a single word commenting on the horrible reason she exists or the way she's designed
maybe my dislike is getting old but so is your refusal to acknowledge that commander shepard deserved better.
like yeah you can love her but you're clever and insightful enough to know that her existence is harmful to women & that praising her reinforces the idea that women are only worthy of your time and attention if they're pretty which is bullshit and idk if i am ever going to stop being upset&angry over this but now it's getting to the point where i just feel disgust when i see her
i don't care if you make your custom shepard gorgeous because they're YOURS and you can use the CC or mod them however, i don't care about your personal reasons for giving them lipstick or modded hair that cascades down their back. they're yours and that's how you want hem and you aren't a company that tells people that this is the only way women are worthy of being on the box and in trailers. you aren't a company that says this woman didn't matter until we made her fit into this narrow and subjective version of beauty.
in short; shepard as a woman only matters to bioware if she's a certain kind of attractive and the fact that some of you never comment on this is fucking appalling to me
"From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother."
- St. Crispin's Day Speech, Henry V (act IV scene III)
None of Shepard's lovers ever tells him how downright wretched it is: to watch the person they love rush headlong through death's door day after day, to hold their breath deep in their lungs--the way you'd drown a small animal--until he emerges from the other side (this time.)
