For the mass effect appreciation week. Some prompts I never finished. Maybe something for next year?
- Hannah and Liaras' father taking their granddaughter out. What do they have in common?
- I wanted to write something with Chakwas about home and the Normandy. I know it's not her line, but I don't think anyone will mind her reusing it.
"Treat her like a lady." Said Chakwas.
"What was that?" Asked Shepard.
"Something an old colleague once said to me, "treat her like a lady, and she'll always bring you home.""
- Jack is visiting Shepard and her daughter. Because of a running joke made by Garrus, the child always calls her "uncle" Jack.
- Shepard has a cane to help her walk. But it is a truly unique cane. A gift from wrex, it is carved from the tooth of a thresher maw.
- Someone thinking Shepard is an easy mark because of the injuries she sustained on the Citadel and not realising who she is. She's not who she once was. But she's still N7. She's still lethal in a dangerous situation. Plus, she has the most truly terrifying support network in the entire Galaxy.
Deus found Crepitus after work. He usually has his regular route he takes, but for some reason his feet carried him inside an alley this day. It was dimly lit, red lights flickering and giving an eerie glow. The noise from the red light district was muted, so Deus was able to hear a small crying voice. Curiosity got the better of him and he followed the weak sound deeper into the alley. He was not prepared what he found. There, on a dumpster, was a small cowering child. A Turian one, no older than two. Biotic energy discharges uncontrolled from it, making the air heavy with static. Around the child were the splattered remains of a Varren pack. They probably thought it an easy meal, not knowing what lies hidden inside that small frame. Deus, a biotic himself, recognised immediately that this child has no control over its power. He used his own biotic energy to stabilize the childs one, calm waves radiating from him and reaching out to the trembling body before him. Once calmed, Deus approached the child. By the overall condition it was in, he deduced this child (a boy, it seems) was left here days ago. Child abandonment is nothing new on Omega, but Deus was never confronted with that situation before. For now, Deus decided to keep this fledgling at his side. Many children in Omega will never have the chance for a future, but he can make sure that this little firecracker has a good headstart at least. Even if it means for Deus to become a temporary father.
.
.
When Crepitus was brought back to him, Deus felt relief and grief in equal measure. His dear child, his son, traumatized beyond recovery. Something Deus swore to never let it happen again, not after Crepitus abandonment by his real parents. Has his child not suffered enough? Has he, Deus, done something that angered the spirits to such an extent that they thought this an fitting punishment? To many thoughts were swirling in his head, threatening to suffocate him. So he shoved them all into the back of his mind. For now, Deus will embrace his beloved son and hold him tight. He will deal with the „why’s?“ later. His top priority right now is to make sure Crepitus needs are met. His child is back and alive, and Deus will make sure that there’s still a place for him in this fucked up universe. His son will have a future. Even if it means for Deus to place his trust in others to take care of his child.
.
.
Once he found his son again after the Reaper war, Crepitus was in a comatose state. The doctors said that his body still operates on its basic level, but his brain shows no activity. The suggestion to „let him rest“ was met with the fury of a father who was not ready to say goodbye give up. His son has his whole life ahead of him, especially now without the Reapers. No, Deus knows there‘s still a chance for his child to wake up. It‘ll just take time. Deus is a patient man (unlike that male who stole his sons heart) and once Crepitus comes back to him, he will make sure his son has a bright future to look forward to. Even if it means to accept the fact that there is someone else besides him in his sons life now.
.
.
„I‘m glad that you finally accepted me as your sons mate. I was worried I‘d never get your blessing. Not that it would’ve changed anything if you refused. But it‘s nicer that way. Makes the ‘family visits‘ less akward.“
„You‘re still on thin fucking ice. I support my son in whatever way possible, but if you want the same treatment you‘d better make sure I don’t see any sort discontent in Crepitus eyes.“
„Is that a challenge I hear? You sure you want that, knowing who you‘re talking to? I mean, I have no problem with that. But I feel a bit bad knowing it‘s a losing battle on your side.“
„Hah! Maybe I will allow myself to concede defeat once you‘ve TRULY committed to my son, ceremony and all!“
„Hmm. You might want to consider another objective, given the one you speak of is already in progress. Actually nearly done, now that I think about it. Only the date hasn‘t been set yet.“
„…WHAT?!“
Note:
When Crepitus woke up, the first thing he noticed was a ring on his finger. Then he noticed the one responsible for that. And THEN he realised that this is actually real and not some dream, because otherwise it wouldn’t have happend in a bleak, sterile hospital room. He nearly went unconscious again, but was stopped by the crushing weight of responsibility draping itself over his body in the form of a very happy (and crying) Turian. His father joined at a later time, but the ring Crepitus wore was put away for safety measures (so it won’t get dirty!). And Garrus had his gloves on, so…
Deus actually likes Garrus, but given how cocky the latter can be, he decides to put a lid on his ego now and then. Can‘t have him becoming reckless again, given how good Garrus is in finding trouble. Or getting roped into some. Luckily Garrus has had enough action and thrill for the time being, so a simple lifestyle is more than welcomed. And since Crepitus is still getting easley overwhelmed, they will live in a more rural setting. Somewhere cosy, without the hustling and bustling.
Also, Shepard will definitely hold an embarrassing speech at the ceremony. But they will also probably start to cry a little. Their best friend finally having found someone to share his life with.
When Garrus took his first look at Crepitus, all he could see was a Reaper abomination. What he saw was no Turian anymore and if not for Shepards intervention, he would’ve put a bullet in the head of this „thing“. Or multiple bullets, because his honor couldn’t forgive this deformation to one of his kind. Even aboard the Normandy, Garrus couldn‘t look at Crepitus for long just because of how uncanny he was. Like a synthetic wearing a Turian body. But Garrus had given himself the task to keep watch over Crepitus so when the Reaper he slipped up, Garrus has a solid reason to finally use a bullet (or multiple bullets). But this reason never came…
.
.
Now, when Garrus looks at Crepitus, he sees a Turian that was deformed and twisted against his will. But still a Turian. While Garrus doesn‘t think Crepitus an abomination anymore, Crepitus himself does. He doesn’t belong to any species: no Turian and no synthetic. Something else, something wrong. So when Garrus pointed out all the things that make him see a synthetic before, he now tells Crepitus all the things that make him still a Turian, still organic. And when Crepitus jokes(?) about getting shot by none other than Archangel, Garrus will tell him that there is no reason to do so anymore.
.
.
And in this moment, Garrus sees just how much organic Crepitus still is. A mechanical heart that accelerates its beat when Garrus touches him. Skin, while riddled with a synthetic network, that will give Garrus a verbal (and physical) response when his talons skim across it. Glowing optics, that dilate when Garrus looks at him. A voice, tinted with static, that trembles under the meticulous attention given to their owner. And shy reciprocation, like it‘s unbelievable that this is happening, by the right encouragement spoken. No Reaper could recreate this organic behavior, even if much of Crepitus body has become synthetic. He is still Turian, deep down. No question about it.
And should anyone judge Crepitus by his appearance and even try to harm him because of it, Garrus will gladly show them how wrong they are. Probably with multiple a bullet…
Note: Afterwards
Garrus: „This was only a little touch testing. For research. To find out how sensitive the physical feedback to different forces is. So you know just how fast the input will be processed by the brain. This will be helpful for future scenarios where physical impacts like getting wounded will be acknowledged and thus timely dealt with, for example. That‘s all. Nothing worth gossiping about. Don’t read to much into it. Especially you, Shepard!“
Shepard: „If you say so, Garrus. Crepitus will surely agree with your reasoning.“ ;)
Crepitus: *still recovering from an intense petting session*
I'm still going to look at posts from the Trilogy Week and reblog but I want to say thank you to everyone who participated by making a post, reblogging, commenting, sharing, etc. It's very much appreciated and I hope you had fun <3
I wanted to do so much more for the week but I know I - and all of you who said in tags that you were sorry that you couldn't participate - don't need a specific week to feel the love, it just gives us this nice boost.
The next appreciation week is for MEA and it starts not on Monday, but next Monday, so January 27.
In the meantime, you can check the tag #trilogyweek2025 to find cool stuff! :)
So for the final day, I think I'm going to list some of my headcanons of what some of the squadmates get up to in the future after the Reaper War!
Not all of them are going to be listed, btw, because I haven't decided on solid futures for some of them.
Also, this is based on an alternate destroy ending like you see in Audemus' Happy Ending Mod, where the Reapers are destroyed and EDI and the geth survive.
Ashley- She takes over command of the Normandy when Shepard retires. She continues to be a Spectre, and travels the galaxy helping keep the peace and prevent people from taking advantage of the aftermath. She probably settles down eventually, but that's a loooong way off, she's not going to retire or take a desk job for decades probably.
Garrus- He continues working with Primarch Victus as his advisor. He doesn't particularly enjoy the paperwork or the long meetings, but he does find a lot of satisfaction in actually being listened to and helping people recover. Victus sees him as his right hand man, and Garrus ends up traveling through Palaven as his eyes and ears a few times.
(Bonus Shakarian because I can't resist- Most of my Shepards retire after the war because she's just Done. She goes to Palaven with Garrus and tries to live a quiet life, though she does also advocate for various causes she supports.)
Wrex- He goes back to Tuchanka, and while a lot of his time is spent leading Clan Urdnot and the rest of the krogan, he spends as much time as possible with his kids. He absolutely refuses to be an absent father. He also gets back officially with Bakara, and even after millennia they're held up as the gold standard for a happy and healthy krogan relationship.
Tali- She immediately travels back to Rannoch and starts building the house she talks about. I also see her as being appointed a liaison between the quarians and geth, helping to keep the peace and create strong relations between the two races. (Also Kal'Reegar lives and since I ship them, they get married and are ridiculously happy together. Look, Tali just deserves it, okay?)
Miranda- She moves in with Oriana, and works as a liaison with the Alliance to root out any remaining Cerberus operatives. After some time doing that, she also ends up helping to develop cybernetic implants. She never has a biological child, but she eventually ends up adopting children and is a doting aunt to any children Oriana has.
Jack- She continues working as a teacher for biotics. She rarely enters the field again after the chaos following the war subsides, but her teaching is credited with the best and most efficient biotic squads' high survival rates.
Grunt- Aralakh Company is reformed, and he continues to be one of Wrex's most trusted men. He also ends up having some kids like most krogan, and said kids adore him and are always happy when he comes back from a mission.
Samara- She continues as a Justicar, but she also plays a pivotal role in getting Ardat-Yakshi more rights. They're still closeted in monasteries, but they're allowed far more freedom and are able to visit asari cities far more often. While she and Falere can't erase the centuries of no contact, they are able to rebuild their relationship.
James- He gets into N-School the moment it reopens. He makes it all the way to N7, and throws a huge party for graduation. He's a very welcome face on ground squads, and becomes a legend in his own right.
Javik- He survives the war. He spends quite a lot of time adrift, not knowing what to do when the mission he was born to do is finally accomplished, but eventually he finds a place in the galaxy. He and Liara do in fact write a series of books about the Protheans, and there is only minimal trolling by him.
Side characters I love for Trilogy Appreciation Week.
The list is obviously not complete and some obvious choices (like Mouse, David Archer, Charr or the teenager and the turian from the Citadel) aren't there (they're in my heart, making me cry).
Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani: My favorite quote from the trilogy comes from a conversation between Shepard and Khalisah, where they tell her: "Keep asking the hard questions." I think Khalisah seeks justice in an injust world. That's my interpretation at least, and it seems to me that she has suffered a lot. And she's angry, because a lot of the time it feels like she's screaming into the void. But she needs to hear this from Shepard and I think Khalisah will go on to keep asking hard questions, as she should.
Gianna Parasini: A classic!!!! I love the way she was so eager to destroy Anoleis but just waited and bid her time. She seemed so sweet talking about the board and how may she help Shepard? The entire time she's like 💅and 👀. And I'm always happy to see her in ME2
The salarian who makes this face during Miranda's loyalty mission. He makes me laugh SO HARD every time
Din Korlack: I'm not a huge fan of his actions in ME3 but I do think the Din we meet in ME1 is one of the first characters who dare to oppose the whole "humans are wonderful, they deserve a seat on the Council" narrative and I always appreciated his character for that. He has good points about the Council, and the way they treat species like the volus and the elcor.
The salarian who asks Shepard to stop touching the console on Sur'Kesh. I love when NPCs are given lines that you remember and actually want to hear.
Donovan Hock: the man is horrible but he's such a diva. The art he has, the giant head looking down on intruders, some of his over top line. I love the sheer drama he brings
Vigil and Vendetta: the way they appear, the music, the knowledge that we are witnessing an historic conversation... It's just incredible every time
Mass Effect Trilogy Appreciation Week-Day 7: Future
Thank you so much @omegastation for putting this event together!!
Post-ME3, Destroy ending. Shepard wakes up for the first time, 1.1k words.
For the first time in weeks, the sun broke through the ash-choked sky, its weak light illuminating the battered planet below. Remnants of skyscrapers and burned-out buildings stretched out toward the horizon. The distant light trickled into a makeshift hospital room, washing over a fragile figure connected to dozens of wires and machines. Miranda Lawson stood nearby, her arms crossed tightly as she surveyed the monitors before her. Dr. Ayala fussed with the settings, her brow furrowed.
“I don’t know, Ms. Lawson,” the doctor sighed, straightening and pushing her glasses up her nose. “I’ve never seen someone with injuries like this recover full—"
“I have,” Miranda snapped, harsher than she intended, “I’ve seen worse on this patient. You don’t know Shepard like I do. She’s a fighter.”
The doctor pursed her lips but said nothing. Wise choice, Miranda thought, turning to look out the window as the other woman’s footsteps receded. Below, the galaxy was already beginning to claw its way out of the ashes. Countless dead and even more missing, but for what it was worth, the rebuilding and recovery process had begun. She didn’t let her thoughts linger on the Normandy for long. Most of Sword had made their way back to Earth; with the relay damaged, there wasn’t anywhere else to go. But the Normandy had been one of the last ships to abandon the Crucible, and it never arrived at the rendezvous point. No one was willing to talk to the ex-Cerberus officer, Miranda snorted to herself, but she wasn’t stupid. They were missing, no matter how Admiral Hackett tried to spin it to keep morale up.
She almost didn’t hear the first sigh, faint and fleeting beneath the steady hum of the machines. A soft rustle of sheets followed, drawing her attention. Miranda turned sharply, her fierce gaze fixing on the figure in the bed. Alexa’s hand curled into a fist, her head tossing lightly against the pillow. Miranda scanned her closely, her eyes laser-focused. Her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, and her brow crinkled slightly—a sign of discomfort? Hard to say. The monitors continued their monotony of beeps and whirs, and after a moment, Shepard’s face relaxed. Miranda sighed, taking a few steps forward and leaning on the small folding chair beside the bed. It creaked under her grip as she sat, leaning forward in an uncharacteristic moment of weakness.
“Come on, Shepard,” she said, reaching toward her before retracting her hands and twisting her fingers in her lap. Something fluttered in her chest, and she felt the urge to continue. “You haven’t come all this way to die now.” She bit her lip before continuing, her voice softening, “I’m not good at this sort of thing, and you know it.” She waited for a few moments, eyes locked on her friend.
Alexa remained motionless, her eyes closed. Miranda leaned back, frustrated. “Of course, that wouldn’t work,” she muttered. “What was I thinking?” She rose, the chair screeching against the linoleum floor as she pushed back. The noise was deafening in the small room, and she winced. To her shock, so did Alexa, her forehead scrunching and her mouth turning downward. Heart leaping into her throat, Miranda leaned in again, her voice trembling despite herself. “Shepard? Can you hear me?”
As Miranda watched, bloodshot green eyes cracked open, and Alexa groaned, her fingers curling into the sheets. The heart monitor ticked up as she started breathing faster, shock and pain working their way back into her periphery. Miranda adjusted the sedative, then impulsively took her hand, “Shepard—Alexa—it’s alright. You’re in a hospital. Can you hear me? Do you know who I am?”
Alexa rolled her head toward Miranda’s voice. She blinked, once, twice, a frown marring her features as she peered up at Miranda. For a moment, Miranda’s breath caught in her throat—did she recognize her? Had she retained her memories? Or was Dr. Ayala right after all? Her hand tightened around Alexa’s as she stared into her eyes, desperate for a sign of recognition. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she nodded, her voice faint, “Mir…anda. Wh’ happn’d?”
“We won,” Miranda replied, releasing her hand. “The Reapers are gone. Whatever you did, they. . . deactivated. Shut down.”
Alexa’s eyes were glazing over, her breath slowing as the sedative took hold again, but her lips twitched slightly, her hoarse voice fading as she replied, “Good. D’you. . . where’s. . . Normandy? Gar—"
Miranda inhaled sharply, her sweeping relief coming up short. How could she break the news that the ship—and its crew—were still MIA? Luckily, before she could answer, Alexa’s face went slack and her eyes drifted closed. Rapid footsteps echoed down the hallway, and moments later, Dr. Ayala and a flurry of staff burst into the room. Miranda had just enough time to school her expression into something cool and neutral as she turned around.
“The monitors,” gasped the doctor, “they—”
“She woke up for a few moments,” Miranda replied, unable to keep the satisfaction from entering her voice. “There wasn’t time for a full exam, but she recognized me. And asked about her crew.”
“Oh,” Dr. Ayala’s eyes widened, and she looked between Miranda and the bed. “Well, that’s a pleasant surprise.” She crossed the room and examined the readout from the monitors. Shepard was still unconscious. But her vitals were stronger. Her EEG showed signs of normal brain activity, unlike her comatose, sedated state. “Hmm.” She allowed herself a small smile. “This is good news. I’m sure Admiral Hackett will be pleased.”
Miranda nodded, moving to the foot of the bed. “I told you; I’ve seen her come back from worse.” For the first time since she had taken over Alexa’s recovery, Miranda smiled at Ayala. The doctor looked shocked, then beamed back.
“So you did,” the other woman replied, marking something on her omnitool before offering Miranda her hand. “I’d better get back to my other patients, Ms. Lawson, but I appreciate your assistance. I don’t think we could’ve gotten this far without you.”
“Of course,” Miranda said, shaking the doctor’s hand. With a final nod, the doctor left, the door sliding shut behind her. Miranda turned back to the window, surveying the city once again. The sunlight glanced off the remnants of London, sparkling and gleaming off twisted metal beams and ruined buildings. Still, the signs of life were unmistakable. Already, the damage was being repaired, the debris was being cleared, and countless people from every species were working together to create a new future. She sighed, a weight lifting from her as she glanced back at Shepard.
Hope bloomed behind her ribs; if Alexa could beat the odds again, there was still hope for the rest of the galaxy. For Earth. For the Normandy. With the Reapers gone and the galaxy united the future was brighter than she had thought possible in years.
